I try not to stress out too much when I trash the kitchen because that usually means I've cooked something of some significance instead of ensuring that every single Jimmy John's delivery guy has seen our house. For this particular adventure, I got to destroy two kitchens!
I know gift-giving season has come and gone but chilly weather hasn't (especially in Indiana) so this is still topical. We made some of our Christmas gifts this year. No, we're not super handy/crafty/Amish and no, we did not spend a million dollars on fancy foods/materials/indentured servants. We made cocoa mix and marshmallows. From scratch! Entirely!
I found the cocoa recipe on Pinterest. It is from Brown Eyed Baker. To be honest, I was sure it would not be as easy as it seemed. It totally was, though! Mix cocoa powder, powdered sugar, dry milk and white chocolate chips in a food processor. The toughest part is that you have to do the mixing in phases unless you have a food processor the size of a farm sink. After about 10 minutes of mild effort you'll have homemade cocoa mix! No creepy chemicals or paper pouches! It's awesome with almond milk. We put ours in small mason jars, added tags with preparation directions, pretty ribbon and name tags.
Ta Da! (forgot to take pictures, d'oh!) Packed up and brought them to Kansas City where our holiday festivities took place.
As for the marshmallows, Pinterest led me to a recipe from
Not Without Salt. I had never attempted making marshmallows before. I like to bake but homemade marshmallows were intimidating. The toughest part was spreading the mix out on a cookie sheet. I had my mom spray my hands with non-stick spray which helped for a while (and is a fun question to ask of family members). So, if you're planning to attempt this yourself the more non-stick preparations you take, the better off you'll be.
Overall, the marshmallow making process went smoothly even though I didn't have a candy thermometer as the recipe used. The best part? They taste amazing! Everyone was impressed and kept telling me how fresh they tasted! Success!
Please forgive my lack of pictures. I am still getting used to the concept of documenting my goings on for the blog's benefit. I promise to try harder!
I know gift-giving season has come and gone but chilly weather hasn't (especially in Indiana) so this is still topical. We made some of our Christmas gifts this year. No, we're not super handy/crafty/Amish and no, we did not spend a million dollars on fancy foods/materials/indentured servants. We made cocoa mix and marshmallows. From scratch! Entirely!
I found the cocoa recipe on Pinterest. It is from Brown Eyed Baker. To be honest, I was sure it would not be as easy as it seemed. It totally was, though! Mix cocoa powder, powdered sugar, dry milk and white chocolate chips in a food processor. The toughest part is that you have to do the mixing in phases unless you have a food processor the size of a farm sink. After about 10 minutes of mild effort you'll have homemade cocoa mix! No creepy chemicals or paper pouches! It's awesome with almond milk. We put ours in small mason jars, added tags with preparation directions, pretty ribbon and name tags.
Ta Da! (forgot to take pictures, d'oh!) Packed up and brought them to Kansas City where our holiday festivities took place.
As for the marshmallows, Pinterest led me to a recipe from
Not Without Salt. I had never attempted making marshmallows before. I like to bake but homemade marshmallows were intimidating. The toughest part was spreading the mix out on a cookie sheet. I had my mom spray my hands with non-stick spray which helped for a while (and is a fun question to ask of family members). So, if you're planning to attempt this yourself the more non-stick preparations you take, the better off you'll be.
Overall, the marshmallow making process went smoothly even though I didn't have a candy thermometer as the recipe used. The best part? They taste amazing! Everyone was impressed and kept telling me how fresh they tasted! Success!
Please forgive my lack of pictures. I am still getting used to the concept of documenting my goings on for the blog's benefit. I promise to try harder!
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