I Made it Monday: Marshmallows

Cross one off the list, I made marshmallows on Thursday night. They're fantastic, and more dense than store-bought. They make hot chocolate divine. I used this recipe from Our Best Bites, and it was pretty simple. It requires a lot of attention though, so you'll want to have an extra set of hands for your kiddos when you give it a try. Let me know if you make them- I'm sure you'll love them.

Shared today at Skip To My Lou

Caution: This Post May Cause Sugar Cravings

The weekend was full of family and friends, Sunday being both blessing day, and a birthday. To prepare, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, making pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes...


...German chocolate cupcakes...

...and birthday cake/cupcakes for my beautiful sister-in-law (who graciously let us hijack her birthday this year).

(It's chocolate with cream cheese and cool whip filling, vanilla frosting with crushed oreos- I wish I'd gotten a picture of it sliced. It was even prettier.)

Knowing this was coming, I decided to wait until after last Sunday to start working on losing the baby weight. The leftover cupcakes went to WBH's second period class, where he heard several "I wish my mom baked like this" remarks, which flattered and saddened me. Except for the pumpkin cupcakes, it's boxed mixes and canned frosting plus kisses, folks. Not too hard- it just surprised me to hear, I guess.

Studly suit pictures coming tomorrow!

It tastes better when you have help.

Stinky got to help me make foccacia bread last night. It's my simplest recipe, but we all love it. I varied it last night by replacing half the flour with whole wheat, and it was delicious. Since the dough can be ready in as little as 1/2 an hour (more if your kitchen is frigid like ours), it's a good last minute option.

2 cups flour (or 1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup regular)

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tsp salt)

1 and 1/2 cups of water (or more to get the right consistency)

Olive oil

preferred toppings

Combine flour(s), yeast, and salt. Add water slowly, mixing until you get a consistency that is between regular bread dough and pancake batter. Do not over mix! Gloppy is a good description. Cover and let sit for 1/2 an hour in a warm place, or longer if not in a warm place. It will not quite double in size, but will be half again as big, be bubbly and have spread through out most of the bowl. Meanwhile, preheat your oven. 450 is good for a chewier, thicker bread, 500 produces a crispy bread.

Grease a pizza stone or baking dish with olive oil. When dough has risen, carefully pour it out onto your dish. Do not knead, but carefully stretch it out across the stone or dish- you don't want to break any bubbles that have formed; they're what gives it an awesome texture. This is a good place to have little ones help. After spreading, make indentations in the dough with your fingertips or a fork. Not too many, just enough to let more olive oil settle into. drizzle with more olive oil, and sprinkle toppings (also fun for littles). I like sea salt and rosemary, but oregano and cheese can also be nice. It's all up to you.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the top is crispy and golden. Try not to eat it straight from the oven. I usually fail at that. Enjoy!