Goody, Goody... 5 fun things to do with Gumdrops

Gumdrops just make me happy.

They are bright, colorful and festive any time of year.

They are also one of the most versatile of all the goodies in candyland.

Here are some of my favorite ways to use them...

Yellow gumdrops with a sprig of rosemary make instantly festive pineapples.

Much more convenient than a trip to Hawaii!

Gnome matter how hard I try, 

I can not resist these legendary garden creatures...

A scoop of ice cream, sugar cone and strategically place gumdrops, 

turn an ordinary desert into a magical treat!

(I use Clover Sonoma Sweet Cream, 

not only is it the perfect color but I think it makes the perfect scoop.)

The word drop often has a negative connotation, 

"I dropped my phone", "She dropped the ball", etc.

But if you put the word after lemon or gum it makes everyone smile.

Why not combine the two into a happy hour crowd pleaser?

I shake together:

2 oz chilled vodka, 1/2 oz Triple Sec, 1 oz simple syrup and juice of half lemon

Garnish with floating slice of lemon and skewered yellow gum drops.

I make sure the gumdrops rest on top of the liquid,

 so the sugar from the candy dissolves into the cocktail!

Upgrade the gingerbread man's house to a sweet and colorful abode...

Nestle him in an acrylic house full of gumdrops 

and he'll have the most festive place on the block.

Lastly, gumdrops make the perfect wreath.

They are ideal for decorating cupcakes, cookies or simply on a plate...

Sweet holiday wishes!

Homemade Gumdrop Gifts

One of my favorite parts of the holidays,
is spending a little time in the kitchen
 making gifts with my kids.
As they get older, they want to try new things,
so we decided to try a recipe we had never made before.

Something festive and unique we can drop off to family and friends...
Homemade Gumdrops.

Instead of getting a recipe out of a book, 

we thought it would be fun to follow along with a cooking show this year.

Using our new X1 Voice Remote,

we did some "research" and planned our gumdrop journey.

My daughter saw an episode of The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network,  

where Rhee Drummond made Christmas gifts. 

She didn't record it so using our voice remote we searched for it on our Xfinity X1 System.

By simply pressing the microphone button and speaking what you are looking for, 

the system looks for it instantly.

We can "Say it and See it" without taking off our kitchen mitt!

In seconds we found the episode and we got to work.

We dissolved sugar in water then added cherry jello, 

right along with The Pioneer Woman...

took a minute to pause 

(by just saying "pause" into the remote)

to make sure we understood what to do with the plain gelatin we added next...

We filled our candy molds and popped them in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

That gave us ample time to relax and watch a movie.

Our voice remote came in handy once again.

By simply saying, "Christmas Movies" into it,

 an entire screen of selections came up for us to choose from!

You can also use the feature to change channels, 

record shows, find sporting events, play shows on your DVR all by voice.

My son loves to ask it simply, 

"What should I watch?"

 and by keeping track of the shows we view, 

it makes suggestions of programming it thinks we'd like... amazing.

So after laughing with the movie Elf and watching the end of the Warriors game, 

we got back into action by pulling up the episode again and saying, "play".

we sprinkled on sugar, 

and packaged them for delivery...

It could not have been easier or more fun.

I attended an amazing holiday party at our local Xfinity store. 

Not only did they get me into the Christmas spirit with treats, cocoa, 

party favors and White Christmas playing on the big screen, 

they demonstrated all of the incredible features of the X1 system.

Stop by your store anytime and they will show you too.

You'll love it, 

"the future is awesome"

You can find the recipe for

  The Pioneer Woman's Gumdrops here.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of XFINITY. The opinions and text are all mine.

The Easiest Gingerbread Houses Ever

I have a confession.

 I don't like making Gingerbread Houses.
There I said it.

I love the idea and I'm thrilled when other people do it but,

mine never turn out they way I imagine, it's messy, sticky and frustrating.

So, I have cheated to created the easiest 

Gingerbread Houses Ever...

Still cute, fun and cheery

and all you need are

Gingerbread People and Gum Drops

(I got both of the Pepperidge Farm Cookies and Gum Drops at Safeway)

Plopped into clear acrylic houses and you are done!
(houses at select Michael's stores)

and if you want to have the fanciest house on the block,
add Christmas Lights
(flashing necklace also from the supermarket)

bloomdesigns sundayshowcase skiptomylou pintsizedbaker projectinspired homework

Goodie Goodie Gumdrops - It's Summer

Not to be outdone by

her sister's last day of school treats,

Maddie is handing out her own goodies...

Gumdrops to celebrate Summer...

Sweet!

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