Marshmallow Fondant

(I just cut and pasted this from a blog I StubbledOn. I think it looks awesome! I think the kids would like to help with it. Oh, marshamallows - what can't you do?)

How to Make Marshmallow Fondant

Marshmallow fondant is easy to make and pretty fun to use. You can cover cakes and cookies with it to give them a smooth professional-looking finish or you can cut out shapes and designs to decorate your icing with. Its cheaper to make your own fondant than it is to buy it pre-made plus the pre-made stuff tastes a bit like cardboard unless you are willing to pay for a very high end product.

All you need is:

1. Marshmallows - they can be big marshmallows or mini ones, either one works fine.
2. Icing sugar - You'll be mixing the icing sugar into the marshmallows to make a dough so I usually make sure that I have an entire bag on hand.. but I rarely use the whole bag.
3. Food colouring
4. Flavoring oil - This is optional. If you don't add this your fondant will be sweet and flavorless which works well if your got all the flavors your want in your cake already

This time I decided to make it with those mini fruit flavored marshmallows. I had to sort them by colour first. I figured they would add a little bit of flavor to the fondant so I wouldn't have to add much flavoring oil.

I use gel colours to dye my fondant but regular food colouring will work too. You won't be able to get really dark colours without making your fondant sticky, but for lighter colours you can just even it out with more icing sugar.

I also had lemon oil and coconut flavoring on hand.. oh la la the value brand (which still works fine).

Step One:

Take a couple of handfuls of marshmallows and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Add a couple of drops of water and toss the marshmallows in it until they are all a bit damp. If you are going to just make one colour then put the whole bag of marshmallows in the bowl and add a couple of teaspoons of water. If you're going to put flavoring oil in, add it now and add less water

I like to make smaller batches because its easier to add the colour to the melted marshmallow than it is to work the colour into the fondant later.

Step Two:

Stick the marshmallows in the microwave for ten seconds at a time until the are puffed up and easily stir into a goo with a wooden spoon. Tip: Grease your spoon with butter, things can get a bit sticky.

Step Three:

Add food colouring to the melted marshmallows until you get the colour you want. Remember that you're going to be adding icing sugar which will lighten the colour so make it a bit brighter than you need.

Step Four:

Start folding icing sugar into the marshmallow goo until it becomes a soft and fluffy dough. Grease your hands with a bit of butter and turn the marshmallow out onto a table sprinkled with icing sugar. Continue to knead in icing sugar until the fondant is stiff enough to roll out.

If you add too little icing sugar the fondant will be very sticky- Just add more icing sugar

If you add too much icing sugar the fondant will be very stiff and hard to roll out - knead in a little bit of butter

Fondant with the icing sugar kneaded in.

Finished fondant!

For this batch of colours I made larger batches of lighter colours and then worked some extra gel colouring into the already made fondant to make smaller batches of darker colours. The dark purple and dark green were made from the a light pink and light green.

All you need to do is knead the gel colour in.. it takes a while to get it all mixed in which is why I only do it for smaller batches.

To store your fondant wrap them in pieces of lightly greased plastic wrap and keep them either in a big ziplock bag or a tupperware container. The fondant is essentially a sugar paste (its just marshmallows and icing sugar) so it has a shelf life of three or four months. If it feels a bit stiff and hard to use after being stored for a long time you can soften it up by kneading a bit of butter in or putting in the microwave one-two seconds at a time.

Now its ready to roll out and use to decorate your cakes and cookies!

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies -- Amber Williams

** These are my new favorite cookies! So yummy!! I have had them for breakfast everyday since I made them. I didn't add the peppermint extract to the dough - I think the kisses give it just the hint of mint it needs.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening

1/2 c. real butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

optional: 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife

1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

48 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are set but still soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

Cranberry Relish -- Gretel Sampson

1 12oz package fresh cranberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 jalapeno, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1-2 T fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp cumin

Chop the cranberries, pepper and onions. Add the other ingredients and serve over cream cheese with crackers.

(I mixed mine in the food processor... it chopped and blended everything perfectly.)

Hot Corn Dip -- Megan Archibald

Hot Corn Dip

· 1 (15 ¼ oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

· 2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chilies, drained

· ½ C. chopped sweet red pepper

· 1 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

· 2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno pepper

· 1 C. mayonnaise (not light or low fat)

· ½ C. grated Parmesan cheese

· 2 Tbsp. sliced olives

· Tortilla chips

In a bowl, combine the corn, chilies, red pepper, Monterey Jack cheese, and Jalapeno pepper. Stir in mayonnaise and parmesan cheese. Transfer to an ungreased 2 quart baking dish. Cover and bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with olives. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: about 3 cups.

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding -- Erin Massey

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water

• 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)

• 3 cups heavy cream

• 1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)

• 4 cups sliced ripe bananas

1. In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

2. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

3. To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

Peppermint Bark Popcorn -- Amber Williams

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

Recipe by Our Best Bites

16-20 C popped popcorn (fresh, or about 2 bags microwave popcorn)

1 lb Almond Bark

1 6oz box candy canes, crushed. (About 1-1 1/2 C total and Bob's are the best!)

2 tea. peppermint extract, or a few drops of peppermint oil

3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

*one bag microwave popcorn has about 10 cups in it, so if you're air-popping, do about 20 cups.

Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.

Unwrapping the candy canes to crush them is the most labor intensive step of this easy treat, so you can do that ahead of time if you want too. I put my candy canes in a large zip-lock bag and have a whack with a heavy marble rolling pin.

To melt the almond bark, follow the instructions on the package. I just break it up and put it in a glass measuring cup and microwave on 1 min intervals until it's nice and smooth.

When your almond bark is melted, add the peppermint extract. (I think next time I will use less peppermint extract - it seemed more minty than neccessary.) It will seize a little bit (get kind of lumpy) but it's totally fine. If you use a peppermint oil it shouldn't seize at all, just make sure to only use a few drops as oil is stronger than extract. Pour over popcorn and candycanes.

Stir it up really well until the candy is evenly distributed. Pour the popcorn out onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment, or foil. Spread it out into an even layer and leave it alone!

While the popcorn is setting, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. I really like dark chocolate to counter-balance the sweetness of the almond bark, but I know there's a lot of dark haters, so do what you want!

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the popcorn. You can use a fork, or put it in a zip-lock bag with the corner cut off.

Nanaimo Bars -- Gretel Sampson

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (optional- I didn't use)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons custard powder (I couldn't find this, online I found that you can substitute vanilla pudding powder)
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate
• 1 teaspoon butter

Directions

1. In the top of a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, white sugar and cocoa powder. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Beat in the egg, stirring until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and almonds (if you like). Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 inch pan.
2. For the middle layer, cream together 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream and custard powder until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Chill to set.
3. While the second layer is chilling, melt the semisweet chocolate and 2 teaspoons butter together in the microwave or over low heat. Spread over the chilled bars. Let the chocolate set before cutting into squares.

Prosciutto Basil Wrapped Dates -- Shirley Morris

Prosciutto Basil wrapped Dates

Dried dates halved and pitted (bigger the better)
Goat cheese (small package)
Fresh basil leaves
Prosciutto cut into strips
toothpicks

Spoon goat cheese into each date half.
(If dates are smaller close two halves together.
For larger dates wrap halves individually.)
Wrap with basil leaf or half a leaf if the leaf is large.
Wrap a strip of prosciutto over basil.
Stick with toothpick to hold in place.
Broil on low 10 minutes.

Chicken and Couscous Salad -- Misha Bradford

Chicken and Couscous Salad

(Cooking Light, MAY 2004)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

Salad:

1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 c uncooked couscous

1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 6 ounces) (using rotisserie or leftover chicken makes this recipe super fast & easy)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/2 cup diced radishes (about 3-4 large)

1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly. Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, pine nuts and dressing; toss gently to combine.

Berry Almond Cream Chocolate Cake -- Suzanne Kingsford

Berry Almond Cream Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
Devil's Food cake mix
1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
1/4 (or more to taste) powdered sugar
1 t. pure almond extract
1-2 c fresh berries - raspberries, strawberries, blackberries

Make cake according to mix but after mixing, add chocolate chips. Pour into 2 9" round cake pans or one 12" round pan. Bake according to package until done all the way through. (12" round is usually about the same as a 9X13 pan.) Once done, let sit in the pan for about 10 min and then invert onto a cooling rack. While cooling, make Almond cream. Mix whipping cream until almost set. Add powdered sugar and almond extract and beat until at a spreadable consistency. Top with berries going around the cake starting on the outside and work into the middle. For strawberries, cut into 1/4 pieces and add onto cake with points going toward the center.

This cake is super easy and looks fancy.

Lemon Chicken -- Rebecca Anderson

Lemon Chicken

from Favorites Cookbook

1 lb. chicken breasts
flour
lemon pepper
butter
freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pound chicken, roll it in flour and place it in buttered skillet. Sprinkle it generously with lemon pepper. Cook on both sides until done on medium heat. Reduce heat to low then make a glaze with butter and lemon. Serve with white or brown rice. It's also good with salmon or trout.

Easy Frozen Key Lime Pie & Easy Oatmeal Pie Crust-- Julianne Clark

Easy Frozen Key Lime Pie

4 limes

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup heavy or reg. whipping cream, whipped

Whipped cream and lime slices for garnish (opt.)

From limes, grate 1 Tablespoon peel and squeeze 1/2 cup juice. In large bowl with wire whisk, stir swetened condensed milk, lime peel and lime juice until blended; set aside. In small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into lime mixture, 1/3 at a time. Pour filling into cool crust. Freeze at least 3 hours, or until firm. If not serving pie same day, wrap frozen pie with plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 week. To serve, garnish pie with whipped cream and lime slices.

Easy Oatmeal Pie Crust

1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

1/2 c. chopped nuts (opt.--I usually do walnuts or pecans)

Mix oats, brown sugar, melted butter and opt. nuts together. Press into a pie pan or square cake pan. Doesn't need cooking or chilling (I do chill it for this pie, though.) Use whenever you might use a graham cracker crust. It is soooo good!

Derby Pie -- Kristin Bryant

Derby Pie
1/2 C butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
a cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
*9-in unbaked pie crust

Mix the ingredients together and pour it into a 9-in unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until center is set. Serve warm with ice cream for a yummy treat! For real Kentucky Derby Pie . . .add a couple of Tablespoons of Kentucky Bourbon.

Caramels -- Andrea Fredrick

CHRISTMAS CARAMELS

This is my Nana Jackson's recipe. We make them every Christmas. We've given them as neighbor gifts, sent them to missionaries and enjoyed eating the edges when we wrap them. These are one of my favorite Christmas traditions....

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups regular whipping cream (NOT Heavy whipping cream)
2 cups white sugar
2 cups white corn syrup
pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix sweetened condensed milk and whipping cream together in a double boiler, placed over a pan of about 2-3 inches of boiling water. Prepare a 10 x 13" glass pan by greasing the bottom and sides with about 1 Tablespoon of softened butter. Set aside.

In a large heavy pot, stir together sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook on medium heat until boiling. Add 1/2 cup of the cream mixture to the syrup mixture and stir well. Continue adding 1/2 cups of cream every 3-5 minutes, stirring often. This process will take about 30-40 minutes. Caramels will begin to deepen in color and thicken in consistency. When all the cream has been added, measure caramel temperature with a candy thermometer and cook until caramels reach 236-237*** (SEE NOTE BELOW) degrees (but not to soft ball stage). To check, you can take the caramels off the heat and drop a ball of caramel into a cup of cool water to check consistency. If it's still too sticky and soft, continue cooking a little longer, but be careful not to go past the soft ball stage, or caramels will be hard. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp. vanilla. Pour into buttered pan, but don't scrape the edges of the pan too much. Scrape the caramel that sticks to the sides of the pan with a spatula into a small bowl, because this tends to be harder than the rest of the caramel. (This is great to give the kids spoonfuls, when cooled:-). Let caramels set for 10-12 hours, then cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper. Makes about 100.

***We've lived at sea level and I had to cook them to 250° there. Now we're at 5200 feet and I only need to cook them to 233°. If, for some reason, your set caramels still seem too soft, you can put them back into a pan and re-heat them to 237 degrees. I've only had to do this once, but it works☺

Egg-Hashbrown Casserole -- Katie Dunn

Egg-Hashbrown Casserole

List of ingredients:
1/2 cube of butter
1 large 30 oz. frozen hashbrown bag
8 oz. cheddar chees
8 oz. monterey jack with jalapeno cheese
3/4 lb. ham or precooked bacon
5 eggs
1 cup of milk
Optional: sour cream and salsa to serve with casserole

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Melt 1/2 cube of butter in 9x13 pan
Add 1 large 30 oz. hashbrowns bag (frozen section)
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes breaking up hashbrowns occationally
Mix 8oz. cheddar cheese grated,
8 oz. Monterey Jack with Jalapeno grated,
3/4 lb. ham cubed or pre-cooked bacon cut into small squares
Mix seperately 5 eggs, and 1 cup of milk together
Put ham and cheese over hashbrowns. Then POUR milk and egg mixture over all. Do not mix.
Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes loosely covered with foil.
Serve with sour cream and salsa or plain.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder - Shirley Morris

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder -- Shirley Morris

1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 - 12.5 oz can of chicken

½ cup chopped onion or 1 tsp. of onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or 1 cup of Mozzarella

1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

¼ tsp. hot sauce (Tabasco)

1 bag tortilla chips

In large saucepan, brown chicken, onion, garlic, and butter. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and add to chicken. Then add cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until cheese melts. To make ahead - Pour into a freezer bag and freeze.

Texas Caviar -- Amber Williams

6-8 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
3 green onions (chopped)
2 avocados (diced)
1 can black eyed peas (drained)
1 can white corn (drained)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Kraft Zest fat free Italian dressing (add until moist)

Mix all ingredients and serve with tortilla chips.

Pumpkin Pancakes -- Amber Williams

Pumpkin Pancakes
from The Idea Room

This is my new favorite breakfast/treat/yummy goodness!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices and stir with a fork to combine.  Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, egg, and oil or butter in a liquid measuring cup.   Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined.  (The batter may still have a few lumps - that is okay)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.  Have an oven safe plate or serving dish ready.  Heat a greased skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Once the skillet is hot add a 1/3 cup scoop of batter to the pan.  Let cool until bubbles begin to form on the top surface.  Carefully flip and cook until golden brown. Transfer the cooked pancake to the oven safe dish and place in the oven to keep warm.
Serve with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, and/or whipped cream.
(I think cinnamon sugar is a necessity!)

This makes about 12 pancakes - I usually double it.  I want to make a big batch and freeze leftovers to stick in the toaster.

Dinner in a Pumpkin - Julianne Clark

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 pumpkin (about 10-12 inches across)

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

2 lbs. ground beef, browned

1 small can tomato sauce

1 chopped green pepper

15-20 baby carrots, chopped

4-5 small potatoes, cubed

2 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. oregano

2 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped or grated onion

1 tsp. vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced, or garlic salt to taste

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove top rack. Place pumpkin on a jelly roll pan, cut out top of pumpkin, clean out seeds and guts, rub oil on the inside of pumpkin and cook with lid on for an hour at 350 degrees while you prepare what will go inside. (If you don't pre-cook the pumpkin a bit, it doesn't cook sufficiently for you to scrape the sides of the pumpkin at the end.) Brown the meat while you boil the carrots and potatoes to a semi-soft state. To the meat I add the tomato sauce (2 cans of sauce sometimes) and the cut green pepper. In a bowl I combine the last 7 ingredients. When the veggies are cooked, add them to the meat mixture and then pour the bowl mixture on it all. When the pumpkin is ready, remove the lid and add the meat and veggie mixture, replace lid and cook for another hour at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, remove lid and serve, scraping the sides of the pumpkin to add to the yummy meat mixture. It may need some Spike or additional salt and pepper.

Italian Soup -- Enrichment Night - Bonnie Merci

Okay, so I am a slacker and I didn't go to enrichment night, but a sweet little birdie brought the recipes to me. I heard that the Italian Soup was really good so I will put it on the blog for all of you who like soup. Soup weather is upon us. There, I pronounced it, so commence the soup making!

Italian Soup - Bonnie Merci

1 lb. ground beef
small yellow onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
fresh mushroom pieces
1 or 1.5 large cans of tomato juice (or V8)
Macaroni noodles
sugar
salt
pepper
oregano
Italian seasoning
basil
parsley

Okay, so I didn't try this recipe out yet - but while I am typing it I am noticing there are no amounts for most of the ingredients. This is not how I cook. I cook like a scientist with precisely measured ingredients. So if anyone knows at least a round about estimation of how much I need of: mushrooms, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and parsley - I would love to know. Did they tell at enrichment when they were doing the demonstration? I don't even know to whom this recipe originated or I would call them. If you have this info please let me know so I can update the recipe.

Back to the instructions:
Brown beef in a little olive oil, with a small yellow onion and a couple of chopped cloves of garlic. Add the fresh mushroom pieces and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the tomato juice (or V8.) Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni. Reduce heat and add sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and parsley - to taste. Let simmer until the macaroni is cooked.
This is a great crock pot recipe (I would like to know the instructions for making it in a crock pot. How long to cook? When do you add macaroni? Any ideas?)