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A few years back my husband and I attended a play that was an adaptation of the classical movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, which originally starred Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy. It was a beautifully written, and quite comical, story based on the difficulties families faced in the 1960s with inter-racial marriage. The scene that stood out the most to me was when the son was trying to bring both families together for dinner. In the last line of the last act, he turns to his father and says, “Dad, we need you at the table.” With that, the father joined the others, and the audience was left with the understanding that healing had begun.

Giving a party requires a great deal of work. If you have been fortunate enough to be included in a festive soiree, it is nice to arrive with a gift for the hostess. The typical present will cost anywhere from $15-$100. What you spend will be determined by your relationship and the type of event. Is it a formal dinner? A backyard BBQ? Also, when possible, know the likes and dislikes of your hostess. If she is allergic to flowers, you probably will not arrive with a bouquet in hand.

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Warmer weather will be arriving soon, and I am seeing more of our four-legged members making an appearance in the dog parks and on walking trails. With pets taking more prominent roles in our lives, I thought it would be good to brush up on basic dog etiquette and ownership responsibilities.

Meeting friends for dinner after work, grabbing coffee with your girlfriend or just ordering pizza on a Friday night with neighbors. We all have a deep desire to be connected in a world that often forgets the importance of relationships. Many of us have the desire to entertain, but we let our circumstances keep us from extending hospitality. Often it revolves around our lack of confidence in our ability to host events. I get this!

A toast may be offered in any setting and made to an individual or a group. Increase your confidence at your next social gathering by learning the ins and outs of this ancient tradition.

A perfect entertaining year for me would be hosting a different themed party each month! Will I do that? No. Will I dream about it? Yes! If I cannot have a party every 4 weeks, I can at least help my Lisa Lou family with ideas so hopefully a few of you can carry the torch of hospitality for the rest of us.

  • Writer's pictureAlina Gersib

S’mores with Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows Taste Test


Happy Foodie Friday! This recipe comes courtesy of Penny and Eleazar Martinez.

www.thefrankincensetree.com

info@thefrankincensetree.com

Each of our Taste Test Reviews comes with the original recipe and the tester's notes/changes listed with the ingredient list in blue. We hope you enjoy!


Wow! These marshmallows are absolutely a treat. They turned out as the fluffiest dessert I've ever consumed. The vanilla flavor is strong, which I love, and gives the s'mores a dimension that isn't usually present with the store-bought variety. A tried and true summer and campout classic, this s'more tasted more like something you'd find at a starred restaurant.


A few years back a friend introduced me to using Whole Foods Milk Chocolate instead of the usual Hersheys, and this is one thing I HIGHLY recommend. The chocolate is much more flavorful and enhances the whole experience.


If you make the homemade marshmallows (which are insanely delicious) just be careful when heating, they dissolved and melted much faster than store-bought marshmallows, and I was left with a bit of a sticky mess. I visited three different stores and they were all out of corn syrup so I substituted agave syrup. This could have caused the extra stickiness. If you're able to find corn syrup, definitely opt for that. Overall, these tasted amazing and you're in for a real treat!


S'mores with homemade vanilla marshmallo
Download • 1.90MB

Makes 16 servings

Preparation Time: 4 hours 15 minutes (With 3 hours rest)

Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

Cost: $17 (If you make the homemade marshmallows)


Ingredients for S'mores:

*1 box graham crackers

*8 milk chocolate bars (Recommend Whole Foods Milk Chocolate)

*Homemade marshmallows (Ok, we are getting fancy here. You can always just use

store bought marshmallows, but these homemade ones are awesome!)


Ingredients for Homemade Marshmallows:

*Vegetable oil, for brushing

*4 envelopes unflavored powder gelatin (3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)

*3 cups granulated sugar

*1 1/4 cups light corn syrup

*1/4 teaspoon salt

*2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

*1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar


Preparation:

*Brush a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with oil.

*Line with parchment, allowing a 2 inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment with oil, set aside.

*Put granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 3/4 cup water into a medium saucepan.

*Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

*Cook, without stirring, until mixture registers 238F on a candy thermometer, about 9 minutes.

*Meanwhile, put 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle with gelatin.

*Let soften 5 minutes.

*Attach bowl with gelatin to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

*With mixer on low speed, beat hot syrup into gelatin mixture. Gradually raise speed to high. Beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes.

*Beat in vanilla.

*Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with a spatula.

*Set aside, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours.

*Sift 1 cup confectioner’s sugar onto a work surface.

*Unmold marshmallow onto confectioner’s sugar, remove parchment.

*Lightly brush a sharp knife with oil, then cut marshmallow into 2-inch squares. (Oiled knife keeps from sticking to marshmallows.)

*Sift remaining 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar into a small bowl and roll each marshmallow in sugar to coat.


For S' mores:

*Light fire.

*Break graham crackers and chocolate into squares.

*Roast marshmallow on a stick until light brown.

*Sandwich chocolate and marshmallow between two graham crackers.


Recipe and Taste Tester - Alina Gersib

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