Conner: (00:00)
Welcome to Kiddos in the Kitchen, a podcast, hosted by my mom.

Stephanie Conner: (00:17)
Cooking with our kids at any time of the year will build memories and tighten family bonds. But there's something about the annual tradition of holiday candies and cookies that sticks with us, that makes us remember certain smells and sounds and tastes that reminds us of treasured loved ones.

Stephanie Conner: (00:41)
Welcome to Kiddos in the Kitchen, a podcast about helping busy adults find the inspiration and information they need to teach the kids in their lives how to cook. I'm your host, Stephanie Conner. And in this bonus episode, I'm sharing a sweet holiday story. The kind of story that reminds us, why we cook with our kids.

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Stephanie Conner: (01:21)
Lauri Wright is a registered dietitian and the chair of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of North Florida, as well as a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You heard from her previously in episode two of the season. As a dietitian, Dr. Wright obviously knows the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and lean proteins, but she knows how to live a little too. And she knows the value of memories made in the kitchen.

Stephanie Conner: (01:49)
As a little girl, she made buckeye candies with her grandmother, and over the years, her family has made candy making an annual holiday tradition. They make them every Thanksgiving weekend, often finding themselves in the kitchen, dipping the candies into chocolate while the Ohio State and Michigan football game is on TV. Here's her story about what these kitchen connections really mean.

Lauri Wright: (02:23)
When I think about those connections, I think back to my grandmother, who was a candy maker. She was famous for making a candy called buckeye. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and buckeyes are like Reese's peanut butter cups on steroids. It's a peanut butter and margarine, powdered sugar ball. Roll that and then freeze that overnight, and then the day you dip it in chocolate to look like an actual buckeye. It's very popular where I grew up, and was it just a very special memory. That was something from the time I was very little and basically could only roll the balls, but then progressed as I got older to dipping them in the chocolate.

Lauri Wright: (03:25)
And even after I was grown and I was living in Florida, I would always call my grandmother at that time of the year when I was making buckeyes, just to go over the recipe and catch up with her. I, of course, knew the recipe. I had it written down and everything, but it was just something about connecting with my grandmother and making those buckeyes that was very special. And I've passed that tradition on to my own daughters. My mom, for some reason, never did buckeyes with my grandmother. But hopefully one day I'll be the grandmother making buckeyes with my grandchildren.

Stephanie Conner: (04:15)
Our holidays look different this year. Smaller gatherings, no parties, less travel. But the love we share as family and the memories we create remain important. Those memories become a part of us. So no matter what your family food tradition is, my wish for you this season is that you find a way to carry on with it this year. Keep those traditions alive so the memories can live on. Happy holidays.

Stephanie Conner: (04:49)
Thanks for joining me for this Kiddos in the Kitchen small plate. I'm your host, Stephanie Connor with a reminder from my son.

Conner: (04:55)
If you like my mom's podcast as much as I do, you could subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts.

Stephanie Conner: (05:15)
That's right, Conner. You can also view the show notes, subscribe to our newsletter, and check out all of our other content at kiddosinthekitchen.com, or Kiddos Cook on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And I'll be back next month with another fresh episode. Until then, I encourage you to get your kiddos in the kitchen.