Candy can be made from many things - vegetables, fruit or vegetable juices, cactus, meat, just about anything. Take any ingredient and coat it with chocolate or cook it with sugar and you can have a confection.

I hope you enjoy the recipes below. The first and third are very good, but the second I have not tried yet, despite a friend's telling me it is delicious. At today's prices, I don't want to chance ruining a pound of bacon. 

This recipe for vegetable based candy made in Ohio often and does not require much cooking or ANY candy thermometer. The recipe makes 64 pieces of candy.

Besides the plain style of candy, you can add 5-6 drops of peppermint oil and tint the candy pink or green with a good quality food coloring, or use your imagination with other flavors and colors.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Cup unseasoned smoothly mashed potatoes. This is really not very much – about one medium sized potato (I use the Idaho). If you use mashed potato flakes, the consistency of the candy will be different; read the contents for seasoning.
• 3 Cups of confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 Cup shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 OZ semisweet chocolates bits; or chop up some bits from a bar of baking chocolate

HOW-TO

• Cooking spray an 8-inch square baking pan or dish.
• Wash, peel and cook the potato and mash it in a mixing bowl, if you have not already done so.
• While the potato is still piping hot, beat in the sugar and the coconut until it is all very well mixed;
• Next, pour in the vanilla and mix again until completely well blended.
• Press this batter evenly into the pan or baking dish.
• Melt the chocolate on your stovetop and be careful not to burn it. You can also use the microwave to avoid the double boiler.
• Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the potato batter.
• Chill the candy in the refrigerator until firm to the touch. Cut it into squares and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

• One 12oz Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate morsels
• One Pound of raw bacon
• Large skillet, double boiler, tongs, cooling rack, plate & paper towels.

HOW-TO

• Take the bacon from the packaging while you are heating the skillet to HOT first.
• Then put bacon strips into skillet and turn them as needed with tongs - cook until chewy or crispy - your choice.  If it gets too crispy, chocolate will not adhere well or you will get a chocolate bacon lump.
• Remove bacon and place it on a paper towels.
• Fill bottom of double boiler with water and bring to a medium high heat.
• Put top of double boiler in place and melt chocolate in it a little at a time, stirring constantly.
• Dip each bacon strip into chocolate and lay it on cooling rack.
• Place cooling rack filled with bacon into refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Remove bacon strips from the cooling rack and serve.

This dessert and snack dish is not exactly candy, but it is odd and I like it. It provides 6 regular-sized portions or you can divide it up into smaller pieces.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups of seedless grapes, any color
• 1/4 cup chopped English walnuts
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon grated or ground ginger
• 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Cup fast-cooking oats
• 1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar or Honey
• 1 Cup butter, melted on stovetop or in microwave

HOW-TO

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cooking spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
• In a large mixing bowl, place the grapes, walnuts, orange peel, and ginger and toss together briefly.  Then pour the mix into the baking dish.
• Mix the flour, oats, and light brown sugar together in the same mixing bowl as used before. Blend thoroughly.
• Take this bowl of topping mix and sprinkle the contents over the grape mix; then, drizzle the melted butter evenly across the topping.
• Bake 30 – 40 minutes, until the topping is crisp and medium brown in appearance.  Cool, cut, and serve.