It's A Marshmallow World in the Winter

Eeeeeek. Man! My oven is toast (pun intended) AGAIN. Seriously, WTH! This is the 3rd oven my LL has brought, this last one being his own before he bought a new one for his own house, and it only lasted 7 weeks. There's got to be a serious electrical issue. ARGHHHHH!

Anyhoo... Since I couldn't bake this past VDay, I went ahead and made marshmallows. (thankfully, my range top still works-yay for small miracles :)
I used a recipe from Smitten Kitchen (thank you very much):
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/springy-fluffy-marshmallows/

Since I'm still camera-less, smartphone pics will have to suffice. And I didn't take any of the actual cooking of the 'mallows (I really wanted to keep an eye on that sugar mixture).

These came out as promised, and were absolutely dee-lish... Couple comments on the directions: It only took about 8 minutes for the sugar/syrup mix to reach 240 degrees (maybe because I cook with a gas range?), and my hand-held mixer whipped up the deliciousness in under 10 minutes, not longer as some testers reported. 
SO-what does a girl with no open fire pit do with homemade marshmallows?

She makes portable s'mores!!

I just melted up some chocolate chips I had on hand, smooshed the 'mallow on top, and drizzled some extra on top: scrump-didly-umptious :)



I made 2 kinds of 'mallows: a plain pink (very 'heart day' apropos), and a mint-green. On the mint, I just added 1 teaspoon of mint & 2 teaspoons vanilla. Next time I would add half the amount of mint, because it was a teensy bit strong. Here was my assembly line:

I really think I will make my own 'mallows from now on. I don't eat them very often, and these were sooo much better than store-bought. AND, easy too-I had never even seen a candy thermometer before! I just have to remember to keep gelatin on hand :)


I'll leave you with this yummy-ness:

Enjoy :)


Lyrics: A Marshmallow World, C. Sigman & P. Rose

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

President's Day usually only means one thing to me: 1 month till Spring! However, this year was a bit different. Of course, I CANNOT WAIT for Spring-but I also was able to get out of my fair city over the long weekend :) 

I packed up the car (and Chili, too) and took a long and winding road up to Hillsborough, NH to visit my ubercool oldest bro and his wife. What an ABSOLUTE blast!! Between the Moose Lodge and the snowshoeing, it was the perfect distraction to the frozen tundra of February. Seriously... How can you not appreciate the wonderment of the mountains when you have this kind of view:

 And, as a bonus-I get absolutely no cell phone/internet service up those mountains!! Totally tech-free, and loving every minute of it:

Yup, you bet I said it as I was climbing up there: "I'm King of The Wooorld!!" 


Of course, Chili had a superduper time too.... Her cousins are a lovable Rottweiler and this adorable Chocolate Lab:

 

That's Titus. He's a bit camera shy, but lovable all the same :)


And that was it. Great trip, good times... oh wait, hold on.. I'm forgetting something.... hmmm.... 

Oh yeah. This little guy:

Meet Samson. The cutest 240 pound lapdog you ever saw.


Now I'm done :)


Lyrics: Happy Birthday, Mr. President - Marilyn Monroe (the one and only, I should add ;)

Since I can't remember when - it's been a long, long time

So I thought when I got my new phone, the camera would be able to hold me over until I could buy a proper device.. but it's not turning out that way... It's way too dainty to really hold steady and the pics aren't that great either..

And anyway, we've been frozen in snow and ice since December 26th! Makes it a bit difficult to get to the store for ingredients when this is happening EVERY week:

 So I've had to put the baking in the back seat for now - my snow shovel's riding up front :)

On the bright side - Chili is having a wonderful time this winter:

Here's hoping Old Man Winter goes home soon!

Lyrics: It's Been a Long Time, Bing Crosby

It happened last night... errr... week, I mean

I enjoy a little reggaeton every now and then... even though I rarely understand the lyrics (I am vaguely  aware of the genre's 'naughtiness'), the beats can really get me going on my early morning jog...

One of the first songs I ever fell for is called Soave, by Calle 13...

Guess who showed up for an interview last week? ...Yup, Rene (Residante) and Eduardo (Visitante)...

 

I was bummed they didn't perform, but having them here made for a great day!

And, just more confirmation that I love Hispanic men-especially the Puerto Rican accent... Soave, indeed!

Lyrics: It Happened Last Night, And One

She's Got a Way About Her

I don't know what it is,
But I know that I can't live without her...

She's got a smile that heals me...

I don't know what it is,
But I have to laugh when she reveals me...

Thank you Chilidog... You are the best! (and yes, Billy Joel definitely understands the love between a girl and her dog :)

Lyrics: She's Got a Way, Billy Joel

I put a spell on you... 'cause you're mine

Happy Halloweeny :)

Now I'm not a 'gung-ho, go-for-it, all-out, Halloween Blazin' Babe', buuuut, my neighbors have inspired me.... the decorations here in Middle Village are over-the-top awesome, and I have really gotten 'bitten' (evidence to be shown further on) by the Halloween Fairy (why she's the Tooth Fairy's best friend, of course)...

Here are some pics of my 'Vampire Cuppycakes'...

I made regular size 'bites' as well as 'mini vampire-bites'....

Assembly went as expected; I did utilize confectioner's sugar to keep the knife from sticking/ripping the tops of the cakes (I used a strawberry filling, thinned out in the food processor, with extra red coloring added for a deep-red blood color)

This is a 'mini', but you get the idea :)

I did a few covered in lightly toasted coconut: these seemed to be a tastier hit than the 'bites'...

Happy Halloweeny Everyone :)

Trick or treat!!!

 

Lyrics: I put a Spell on You, Nina Simone