The Lost Sheep

Today is Storybook Day in Tristan's preschool class. The children were asked to dress up as their favorite Mother Goose nursery rhyme. Well my little guy loves sheep, so originally we chose Mary Had A Little Lamb, which kinda morphed into The Lost Sheep this morning when we listened to the Veggie Tales version of the parable on the way to school.

Not wanting to go out and buy a lamb costume yesterday, I rummaged through my craft room for supplies to make him this little lamb hat. I started with a crocheted hat (leftover from when I use to make hair accessories) and some yarn. With a little help from my lovely assistant, Princess Mady, I used this nifty tool called the Doodle-Loom to make a gazillion pom-poms to mimick a fluffly lamb fro. Using a hot glue gun, I attached the pom-poms to the top of the hat and cotton balls along the edge, covering the remainder of the hat. Lastly, I cut out oversized ears out of white cardstock and attached those to the hat using hot glue, as well.

Now, he's ready to join the other nursery rhyme characters in his class, who by the way are too stinkin' cute! When I took him to his classroom, we saw the Hickory Dickory Dock mouse, three blind mice and even Bo Peep. Well fret not, my dear. We found your lost sheep ;)

For starters...

I’ve got a sick tot home today and these delectable delights always make her feel better, so I thought this would be an opportune time to share this basic marshmallow recipe with you. Now, by no means am I taking credit for this recipe. It was the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network who first peaked my interest (and sweet tooth) with her super sticky, sweet and simple recipe.

Homemade Marshmallows:

~3 packages unflavored gelatin
~1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
~1 cup light corn syrup
~1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
~1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.
Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

And, voila!! That’s it. What you do next with this batter is completely up to you. Today, I’m going to pour the batter into a 9x13-inch non-metal dish, allow the mixture to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight and cut into squares tomorrow. Yum! Surely this scrumptious, sugary snack will help her medicine go down, in the most delightful way!

Tips:
~These marshmallows can be stored uncovered at room temperature for days…literally. But only if they last that long ;)
~When spreading the batter out evenly into the non-metal dish, try dipping your spatula into some water first. The batter won’t stick to a wet spatula (or wet hands), which will make this task much easier.
~Sprinkle a layer of powdered sugar on the bottom of the non-metal dish before pouring the batter in. That will prevent your marshmallows from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
~Once you cut your marshmallows into squares, be sure to dip each of the sides of your marshmallows in powdered sugar. This will prevent the marshmallows from sticking to each other. And it’ll add some sweetness, as if you needed more sugar ;)

Well, hello there...

I've been wanting to do this for so long. And, I did it. I finally buckled down, checked all excuses at the door and made the time to do it. And now, here we are...my very own blog!

I guess I should start by introducing myself (for those of you who don't know me). First, I need Jesus, caffeine and sugar...daily, perhaps even hourly. I'm a truly blessed stay-at-home wife and mother of two beautiful children. No, that doesn't mean I watch soaps, sip champagne and eat bon-bons all day. I stay incredibly busy, but the weird thing is, I love it. It's sick, I know. Let's see...what else about me? Well, I adore things made by hand and getting crafty with the kids. Oh, and being in the kitchen. Boy, oh boy, do I love baking! My favorite? Marshmallows, duh ;) These cloud-like confections are truly heavenly and so versatile. I hope to share all of my treasured recipes with you...and lots more.

So, here's a look into my faith-driven, family-focused, sometimes frantic, but always fantastical world. Enjoy