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Ardie Hood was born in Texas, and though her family moved to California soon after that, her Texan godmother, for whom Ardie is named, told her, "Honey, you'll always be a Texan." Maybe that's why Ardie's brittle is the result of both Southern / Texas tradition and California experimentation.
“My mother’s family is from Louisiana, and she and my grandmother were two of the most influential cooks in my life. The third was my godmother, Big Ardie, whose nickname was Betty Crocker. She sent me my first cookbook when I was 12: Better Homes & Gardens Junior Cookbook,” says the creator of Butterfly Brittle.
Ardie acquired an interest in healthy eating during her pregnancies. Throughout the years rearing her two daughters, she was very conscientious about dietary consequences for their long-term health. She selected her menus carefully and cooked almost everything from scratch, exposing them to balanced and healthy diets – which doesn’t sound like a self-confessed junk food junkie.
“I love breads, desserts, candy, chocolates…and I believe in moderation, not denial. I taught my children to respect food, proportions and to exercise. I’m very proud of the lovely, healthy young women they have grown up to be.”
As a single mother, Ardie formed strong, mutually supportive bonds with a group of family and friends she called her “village.” At the holidays, she always took time to acknowledge the goodness her village shared with her and the girls by sending gifts, usually from her kitchen. She also made gifts for her girls’ classmates at school, which inspired her first entrepreneurial endeavor.
“When I was a young kid, we used to get this red peanut brittle. It was a huge piece of candy that all the kids would buy, because it didn’t cost much and it seemed to last forever. There was something about the memory of brittle that stayed with me.”
When she decided to make brittle for the “village,” she first experimented with recipes from Southern cookbooks. “The brittle was a huge hit!” Ardie says. “Members of my village liked it even better than my homemade fudge. Better than chocolate? That’s a strong message!”
Bringing back memories, uplifting spirits, and introducing exciting new flavors is what Butterfly Brittle is about. “People work hard, and they should eat foods that look good, make them feel good, and taste good. These kinds of comfort treats can erase a lot of bad feelings, even if just for a moment,” she says.
“It’s been important to our family to lead very balanced lives and to stay involved with each others’ interests. My oldest daughter Megan is following in my footsteps, she joined Junior League in New York City, and has taken on the responsibility of public relations and social media for Butterfly Brittle.”
“Life is not about who you are and how much money you have, it’s about what you can do to make somebody feel better today. We have a suggestion: Delight them with Butterfly Brittle!”
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