What is every preschooler’s food fantasy?
My grandson’s was a candy sandwich.
The Birth of the Concept
We are blessed with the most adorable Irish twins – ages 4 and 5. They were born one year apart with January birthdays.
A couple of months ago, while visiting them, my step-daughter Jenn asked what kind of sandwiches they wanted for lunch, and my older grandson replied, “a candy sandwich!”
That got me thinking (way too hard). I told my son-in-law, that challah bread would be perfect for candy sandwiches. He agreed, as he had recently seen a Food Network show with stuffed challah French toast.
Bread Snob
To be honest, I am a total bread snob. If it’s sliced, I probably won’t buy it. I am into fancy artisan loafs. When I was young and ambitious, I used to bake my own bread.
So, on my grandson’s 4th birthday, I put together the plan. I sent my husband to the best Jewish bakery in Las Vegas: Bagel Cafe. We go there at least monthly for breakfast, and we stop in every few weeks for bagels. Their rugalah and bobkas are also amazing.
We arranged to meet Jenn and the boys at their nearby grocery store, where we picked up marshmallow cream and Oreo cookies. The boys selected candy for their sandwiches: gummy bears, sour gummy worms, watermelon candies, jelly beans, and gum drops. I already had chocolate syrup and Christmas cookie sprinkles, and Jenn had peanut butter.
The Process
I sliced the bread and helped the boys make it into circles using cookie cutters. Then I lightly toasted the circles to make spreading a little easier.
My husband grated the Oreo cookies to make cookie “dirt.”
The boys spread the peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and chocolate syrup in various combinations onto the circles.
Next, they decorated their open-faced sandwiches with cookie dirt and candy.
The entire process – aside from shopping – took about 30 minutes, and the boys had a great time!
This would be a great birthday party activity!
Joyce O’Day 