It seems like every family has certain traditions that they do during the Christmas holidays. It may be piling in the car to go pick out the perfect Christmas tree or driving around after dark to look at all the beautiful lights. Perhaps your family likes to make cookies or binge-watch holiday movies or attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service. Whatever your traditions are, it just wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t observe them.
In our family, we do all of the things mentioned, but there are also some dishes that are on my to-do list during this time of the year. Since I love to cook, it is my pleasure to make the Chex Mix, the sugared cranberries and the cinnamon rolls. Mixing up a recipe of Sangria is certainly not a problem, especially since I must sample it to make sure it’s perfect!
There is one thing that must be made every year, that isn’t quite as fun to do mainly because it’s hot and sticky, and I usually end up with green fingers for a few days after I make up a double batch, because one batch isn’t enough. I am talking about those cutesy wreaths you make with cornflakes, marshmallows and yes, green food coloring. I don’t know their “official” name, but I call them the “d**n wreaths”!
I must admit, they are very pretty and quite tasty too. I have been making them for many years. I always made some to give to my students at school, and then of course some for my family too. They are not hard to make, it’s just that melted marshmallows tend to be really sticky which is why they work so well “gluing” the cornflakes together.
So, without further ado, I will now share my recipe with you, because it’s Christmas in Becky’s Kitchen!
- 6 cups of cornflakes
- 1 regular-sized bag of miniature marshmallows
- 1 stick of REAL butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Green food coloring -at least 1 tsp – maybe more depending on how green you like your wreaths.
- Red hots for decoration
- Plastic wrap
The first and most important step is to lay out some waxed paper on a flat surface. This is where you will drop the marshmallow-cornflake mixture to cool.
In a large pot, melt the butter and the marshmallows, stirring constantly.
When the marshmallows are melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla and food coloring.
Pour the cornflakes into the pot with the marshmallow mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until most of the flakes are rather green.
Now comes the fun part! Using a large spoon, drop the hot sticky mixture onto the waxed paper to roughly form wreath shapes. They can be anywhere from 2-3 inches wide. While they are still sticky, put a few red hots on each wreath for the holly berries. (Just eat the red hots that get stuck on your fingers.)
Individually wrap each wreath with plastic wrap and put them in a basket or bowl until you are ready to serve them.
Your pot will now be sticky and green. Just fill it with very hot water, and let it sit for a while. The pot will eventually be nice and clean, and your green fingers will be okay in a day or two.
PS- Kids of all ages love these wreaths!
Do you have any special Christmas traditions in your family? Please comment below.
