chemistry + kindness

les puffed pillows of pure vanilla sugary melt in your mouth goodness + process

First let me tell you that I LOVE marshmallows & I have loved marshmallow all of my life. Not so much the toasted marshmallow but don't get me wrong if there's a campfire, (or a fireplace with a wood burning insert ... say in very your own living room) and a bag of marshmallows nearby I will skewer a few of those puffed pillows of sugary goodness & toast away - no question. Also being a bit of a foodie, a cooking/baking/making craver (I'd rather cook than do any other household task - which is frightening if you read between les lines) making homemade marshmallows has been on my list of possibly challenging things to try for forever. The holiday season always seems somehow a justifiable reason to go wild & crazy and do/make all those wacky things that you've been saving up the entire year. So ... recipe here

I did not have a candy thermometer which did make me a little nervous but boiling the dickens out of the sugar mixture (corn syrup, water & sugar), then for good measure boiling just a little bit longer turned out to be a great success. I say chemistry because I'm thinking it's gotta be chemistry that boiled sugary syrup, slowly poured into dissolved gelatin and then whipped & beaten to within an inch of it's life turns into a voluminous & tres sticky mixture that gets poured into a prepared (parchment lined + heavily dusted with powdered sugar) 9 x 12 pan, dusted on top again with more powdered sugar (this process involves heavy dusting) and left at room temperature for 12 hrs in a spot that cats won't be walking. Magic, half a day later - & Voila !

Ah-mazing ! cut into squares, dust, dust, dust again, each sticky edge with more powdered sugar
and store in an air tight container while awaiting phase 2 - Les Dipping & Embellishment Oh Boy !

And kindness - I received the most lovely package yesterday from Laurel who reads my blog faithfully it seems. A package filled with much paper goodness, vintage books, fragrant soap and hand cream (have I mentioned here that I am a hand cream junkie ??). Almost every item was accompanied with a little handwritten note telling me a bit about the item's history, what it had meant to her, or why she had chosen to send it to me. She also enclosed a letter telling me a bit about herself and what she liked about my blog and why she read it each day. Her package made me smile & smile & smile. Thank you Laurel, email to follow.


goodies from Laurel