Marshmallow

"Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy marshmallows; and that's kind of the same thing."

Being the ex-girl scout that I am, I have a soft spot for properly toasted marshmallows.  I fully realize they are completely devoid of any nutritional value, even more so than ice cream which at least has some protein and calcium in it.  But for me they bring back sweet memories of camping with my parents and tossing them to the raccoons.  And sitting around a fire with 24 other campers on the verge of a mass sugar rush.  There is an art to properly toasting a 'mallow' and I am about to walk you through it.

1.  Make a fire and let it burn until there are red/white coals at the bottom with very few flames.

2.  Find a 2-4 foot stick with the diameter of a small knitting needle.  If the end is round or blunt, use a pocket knife to sharpen it.  This will make poking the marshmallow and then removing it much easier.

3.  Push the marshmallow onto the stick until 1/4th of an inch of the stick shows through the top.  This will make it harder to accidently loose your mallow as it becomes soft.

4.  Begin roasting.  Keep the marshmallow high enough above the coals that it does not brown immediately.  The idea is to slowly turn it (like a spit) so that all sides get evenly brown. 

5.  The mallow is done when the outside is golden and it starts to melt off the stick.  Quickly pull the  delicate marshmallow off the stick and proceed to eat it, or place it between two graham crackers with a square of hershey chocolate AKA: S'more 

The perfect marshmallow takes time, but it's worth the wait.  

Ryan at the Thomasville Christmas Festival