Sen. Marsha Blackburn's 'Toffee Crunch' recipe for festive Christmas holiday meals and gatherings
The senator — a mom and grandmother who loves to cook — shares this special holiday treat as she gets ready for Christmas at home in Tennessee.
For Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., holiday cheer for family and friends during Christmas includes a delicious toffee crunch recipe that she makes herself — something she said she thoroughly enjoys preparing and sharing with others close to her.
"Christmas is a very special time for us," she told Fox News Digital in a recent phone interview about the blessed season that she and millions of other Americans are celebrating.
"This is a time to let people know just how much they mean to us, and how important they are to us," she said.
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Gifts of time, thoughtfulness, warm welcomes — and yes, delicious homemade food — are all part of that, she indicated.
"As a family," she added, "we try to be as intentional at this time of year as we can be, to just express to our friends and family how much we love and cherish them."
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., loves to prepare meals for her extended family and friends, especially at Christmas. She shared this and other personal photos exclusively with Fox News Digital. (Sen. Marsha Blackburn)
The senator makes cooking and baking for her children and grandchildren a priority during the holidays.
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She also hosts her family every Sunday throughout the year for lunch whenever she can — something she values for the quality time she gets to spend with them, she said.
Sen. Blackburn is shown cooking in her kitchen with some of her grandchildren. "It's so much fun" enjoying these Christmastime experiences with the grandkids at this time of year, she told Fox News Digital. (Sen. Marsha Blackburn)
At Christmas, she told Fox News Digital, "It's so much fun being with the children, because everyone has something special that they want to have made."
She added, "There are chocolate chip cookies that need to be made, there are brownies that need to be served with peppermint ice cream and a little bit of hot fudge and heavy whipped cream — and there are also pecan pies that we're eager to make and eat and enjoy together."
It's not just about the desserts, of course.
"Generally we do roast beef on Christmas Eve." — Sen. Marsha Blackburn about her family traditions during the holidays
She said her family and friends relish a green bean casserole and a roasted Brussels sprouts dish this time of year.
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"There are the regular things that come up that people say, ‘This is what I want.’"
"Generally we do roast beef on Christmas Eve," she explained, "and then, a day or two after Christmas, I always have one of the kids say to me, ‘Have you made a big pot of marinara yet?'"
Sen. Blackburn and members of her family are shown enjoying some downtime together in Tennessee. "We celebrate the Christmas season and the meaning of the Christmas season," she told Fox News Digital. "It's important to us in our faith." (Sen. Marsha Blackburn)
"So I’ll find myself in the kitchen making that big pot of marinara for the kids."
There is nothing like homemade comfort food on chilly winter days and nights, she suggested.
She also uses many recipes passed down from her mother and grandmother in all the cooking and baking she does, she said.
In terms of saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," the senator makes her thoughts clear.
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"I say Merry Christmas. It is the Christmas season," she said. "For my Jewish friends, I wish them a Happy Hanukkah."
In her family, she added, "We celebrate the Christmas season and the meaning of the Christmas season. It's important to us in our faith."
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To learn more about the senator's homemade Toffee Crunch recipe at Christmas — which she said reminds of her dad because "he always loved it" — see the video at the top of this article, or click here to access it.
