Buckeyes, Faith, and Traditions

I entered the cafeteria at St Pius X School with my trusty mixer tucked under my arm. I heard the familiar hum of another mixer already at work. The smell of peanut butter beckoned me into the kitchen like an old friend. As I peeked in, I saw Lori Barrett already busy at work making the first batch of buckeyes.

I must admit there was something therapeutic about the measuring, pouring, and mixing of those delectable treats. The thought made me both happy and bittersweet.

You see, for years Sr. Marita Anne made treats like this for our Christmas Bazaar. When she retired a few years back, the Woman’s Club continued to make them. Well, at least the buckeyes anyway. She shared her knowledge with future cooks like me. So when she passed away in October of last year, we all felt we needed to make the buckeyes in her honor.

I arrived an hour early. It was quiet for the moment. Lori and I thought we would get a jump start on the mixing before the other Women’s Club members arrived. It was busy work and gave me the opportunity to receive God's presence. I also said a silent prayer for Sister and thanked her for showing me how to make her Buckeyes.

Soon the kitchen was filled with the chatter of the other ladies greeting each other and donning aprons in preparation of the work to follow.  Elizabeth Query walked into the room and greeted everyone with a hello and a warm smile. She was the glue that kept us going. She showed the ladies how she wanted the buckeyes made. She then stepped back and allowed them to do their own thing. She fluttered from station to station effortlessly; making sure everything was done correctly.

Before we knew it, we were finished. It was another year over. I looked at our buckeyes and couldn’t help but think how proud Sister would be if she saw them now.

Buckeyes

Ingredients:

• 1  cup peanut butter
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Dark dipping chocolate

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar.
2. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
3. Heat up the dipping chocolate.
4. Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, dip the balls in the chocolate leaving a little dot.
5. Allow to cool completely.

Copyright 2013 Veronica Gantley