It is interesting to me to find out what people like to collect when they travel.  All the tourist hot spots are filled with tchotchke shops peddling magnets, spoons, thimbles and snow globes.  Photos are always the best souvenir, and I also like to collect Christmas ornaments so that at the end of the year I can take a nice trip down memory lane reminiscing about all of the places I've been.

But my favorite travel collection has to be my recipes.  From bed and breakfasts to restaurants, I try and get a recipe from everywhere I go ... and sometimes even places that I've never been just so I can savor the flavor!  When ever I make these dishes at home, my senses trick me into thinking I've traveled someplace further than my kitchen.  This recipe is one of those.  Even after I run out of Kermit's Key Lime Marmalade and I just use regular orange flavored, I will still think of Key West each time I make it.

Recently I ran in the Key West Half Marathon, and afterward, no amount of post-race bagels, bananas or beer could satiate the hunger I worked up after trotting along 13 miles around the island.  We stopped by a local healthy eatery, Help Your Self, for some fresh machete cut coconut water.  And while that was an awesome island experience, my friends and I needed some calories.

That's where the Conch Republic comes in.  My Key West Islander friend, Vanessa, recommended them for their excellent sea food, gorgeous view of the water and ultimately their proximity to Kermit's Key Lime Shop for dessert.  We had had our heart set on beer and a burger at Sloppy Joes ... but I'm glad she convinced us otherwise!  The Conch Republic happens to have the best cracked conch on the island, something I've never tried before.

I had to ask, what is the difference between plain ole "conch" and "crack conch."  I've had conch fritters, which are a lot like meaty hush puppies.  But when the dish was brought to the table I quickly discovered this was the real deal.  Big chunks of tender meat deep fried to golden perfection.  I loved it.  This is a recipe I wanted.  But fresh conch is something I would be afraid to tackle at home.  Have you ever seen one?  It's like a big slimy snail that takes some major tenderizing to make it chewable.  Do you remember as a kid, those cheap toys that were water filled flexible rubber tubes (kind of like a big fat worm) and when you squeezed it would shoot out of your hands?  I imagine tenderizing conch would be something like that ... chasing a slimy snail-like sea creature around my kitchen counter with a tenderizing gavel and having it slip out of reach each time.  But when it's prepared the way these guys did, it's delish!  So instead of having a frustrating conch experience at home, I got the recipe for the "secret sauce."

At the Conch Republic, they serve their cracked conch with a simple Orange Horseradish Marmalade Sauce.  You can't get any more "Florida" flavor than with orange marmalade.  I asked our server if the chef would give me me recipe, and moments later the manager walked over with a bar coaster and four basic ingredients scribbled on the back.  PRICELESS!  That is exactly the feeling of Key West ... laid back and not fussy.

Don't believe me about the recipe on a coaster?  Well ... here it is! They always say the best ideas are the ones written on a bar or cafe napkin or coaster.

Later we walked across the street to indulge in some famous Kermit's Frozen Key Lime Pie Dipped In Chocolate On A Stick. Yes, you read that right ... dipped ... in chocolate ... on a stick.  It's divine.  While standing in line to pay for our coffee and pie, I noticed a big fat coffee table book on the counter ... National Geographic's Top 500 Food Journey's of a Lifetime, of which Kermit's was listed.  Bonus.  I now had a new bucket list to complete and only 499 more "food journey's" to go.  We took our coffee, afternoon indulgences along with the book and headed out to Kermit's patio to relax and take in some sunshine.

Want to bring some of that Florida sunshine into your kitchen?  Try this quick and easy sauce recipe below  ...

Orange Horseradish Marmalade Sauce

From the Conch Republic Seafood Company, Key West, FL

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

1/4 Cup Lime Juice

1/2 Cup Orange Marmalade

2 Tbsp Horseradish

Mix all ingredients together and use as a marinade or serve as a dipping sauce with fresh seafood or chicken.

It's actually pretty tastey with eggs in the morning too!

###

BONUS:  Do you know all the names of Kermit's Koi?

It may just be on a #TravelTuesday Trivia sometime soon!

It's the little things that make a meal special.  For breakfast, sometimes it's as simple as the perfect cup of coffee.  But some innkeepers put in a little extra love and effort to make breakfast memorable.  Crisp ironed linens, fresh flowers and fine china.  I always get nervous when they serve on fine china because I'm usually kind of a clumsy sleepy head and not feeling all that fancy in the first half of the day.

Andrew Inn & Cottages in Key West adds that extra  touch my making their own flavored butter.  Strawberry Mango Honey Butter.  What a way to liven up a plain piece of toast. On my busy mornings, I sometimes only have time for coffee and an English muffin.  But this recipe makes my boring busy morning breakfast into a treat.

I couldn't find fresh mangos anywhere this time of year, so I just used strawberries since they are in season.  It will make a great extra little touch for a Valentine's Day breakfast.  Now if I could only find a heart shaped butter mold.

Simple ingredients ... butter, strawberries, honey and preserves.

I chopped up the butter to make it easier to mix once it softened.

These strawberries were really ripe and sweet, so they were kind of hard to "chop" without creating a bit pile of red mush.  It was also hard to not want to eat them all!

First whip the softened butter, then blend in the rest of the ingredients.

Butter is almost too rich to lick the bowl ... but it's tempting!

It melts perfectly into all the nooks and crannies of a hot English muffin.

“Unbuttered toast is a substance half complete, and to be forced to eat it in that state is necessarily to feel deprived.” -John Thorne

Strawberry Mango Honey-Butter

from Andrews Inn, Key West Florida

1lb of butter
4 large strawberries
1/2 mango
1/2 cup of honey
3 large tbs of strawberry preserves

1) Let butter soften to room temperature in a large bowl, then whip the butter until it reaches a smooth creamy consistency.

2) Finely chop the strawberries and mango and add to the bowl.

3) Add half a cup of honey and the strawberry preserves and once again whip until it reaches a smooth consistency.

4) Spoon into three medium containers keep one in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest until needed. Will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

###

I made a major faux pas this past weekend.  I had my family over for brunch with some fabulous pancakes and NO SYRUP!

GASP!

How could a breakfast girl like me not have syrup in the house.  I'll tell you how ... I used it all up when taking that photo pictured above and forgot to buy more when I went to the store!

So, I did what any cook in the digital age would do ... I Googled it.  There had to be a recipe for syrup online.  I found a ton of recipes, but they were all fancy flavored and I was just looking for plain old regular brown-sweet-not-good-for-your-teeth syrup.

I found a recipe for homemade maple syrup, cocked my head to the side and furrowed my brow thinking, "homemade maple syrup, what am I gonna do, grow a tree in my kitchen? I'd love a pop-up tree with a spout."  Turns out is sugar and maple flavoring.  Bleh.  My family is from New Hampshire, so I can't do fake maple.  But, this recipe gave me some ideas for what ingredients to start with.

Just 3 ingredients plus water.  But then, it was too watery.  So I modified.  And modified some more.  And ended up with a  sweet and slow running made-at-home pancake syrup.  And now that I know the ingredients don't have to include hydrogenated thingamajigies or Red Lake #20, I'll never buy store bought again.  Unless, of course, it's authentic New England Maple Syrup.

Pancake Syrup

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Water

1 Cup White Sugar

2 Cups Brown Sugar

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Corn Starch

Directions

1) Add cornstarch to white sugar and mix together.  Then add all ingredients to a large saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil.

2) Once it begins to bubble, turn heat down to low and stir until all sugar is dissolved.

3) Serve hot off the stove, or let cool for a bit and it will thicken up even more.

###

What are your Thanksgiving plans?  Thankfully I'm not responsible for culinary creation of the whole turkey dinner.  I'm dessert girl.  One of my favorite quotes by Jim Davis is "Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie."

You can't go wrong with pumpkin on Thanksgiving ...  it's a classic.  If you're the dessert girl, appetizer boy or just need a yummy breakfast to feed a household of holiday guests, here are a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes and one heckuva Autumn Sangria to toast with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

--Rachelle

Spicy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Here's another great pumpkin recipe for the fall coming to us from the B Street House Bed & Breakfast in Virginia City, NV.   There are two things in this recipe that make your taste buds leap off the charts ... it's spicy like gingerbread ... and it has a gooey cream cheese surprise in the middle.   There was one particular spice that I didn't have in my pantry ...  Cardamom.  There was only one brand in our local grocer that carried it and the sucker was 12 bucks.  Sheesh.  Well, if it's expensive, it must be good, right?  This inspired me to do some research. (Read More ... )

Pumpkin Mango Soup
Pumpkin and mango are two ingredients I can handle and I've never had them married together in one dish before ... so this is the dish I tried.  Call it a "brunch" recipe.  It would actually make a great Thanksgiving appetizer so it fits perfectly with the season.

This is a signature dish at the Elkhorn Inn and the ingredients are simple, fresh and it's one of my favorite regional cuisines ... Thai.  Call me a nut for peanuts, but it's pure comfort food for me.  (Read More ...)

One Bowl Pumpkin Bread

Inez with Christopher's Inn gave this recipe to me a few years back.  Her inn sort of becomes a factory for these things in October as she bakes them for her family, friends, church and anyone smart enough to take a loaf.

It has to be one of my favorite recipes because it's so easy.  Mix all the ingredients in one bowl and you've got a rich moist pumpkin bread without a whole lot of clean up.  Once you try this recipe and see how easy it is you'll add it to your seasonal holiday recipes too. (Read More ... )

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Cream

Chef Jim from the Mount Dora Historic Inn gave me a few extra little tips that gives it a little extra panache.  Follow along and I'll make you the star of your Thanksgiving dinner table.  As long as you have the right pan, every thing else is a piece of cake.  Pun intended.  If you've made cheesecake before, skip down a bit. If this is your first time, then let me introduce you to the springform pan. (Read More ...)

Autumn Sangria

I can't think of a better way to kick off the Fall season than with a glass of spice infused Autumn Sangria.  My good friend, Maranda, gave me this recipe years ago and I always make a batch around Labor Day to celebrate the coming of Fall.

First I'm gonna show you how to make it.  Then we're gonna clink glasses and have a little toast.  Okay ... maybe just clink your glass to your computer monitor ... just be sure to not spill any on the keyboard. (Read More ... )

###

My grandmother's sister ... my great aunt ... came down to visit us from New Hampshire recently.  She still lives in the little teeny town they grew up in called Berlin.  And it seems everyone  there is teeny tiny too as my grandmother and great aunts are all under 5 feet tall. (Is this beginning to sound like Whoo-ville?) I'm glad that gene skipped me ... even if it was by just a few inches!   Berlin is close enough to Canada that they all speak a very slang version of French.  My grandmother spoke more French than English when I was born which is how I ended up as a "Rachelle" instead of "Rachel"  and she swears up and down that I used to speak French fluently ... when I was 3 years old. Well, a 3 year old's French vocabulary is about what I still have today. With a few added essentials, of course,  such as "fromage" and "vin" and "Bordeaux."

Having these two ladies in town was a hoot, and a little like Driving Miss Daisey.  I loved spending time with them and hearing about their stories of "the good ole days" which, ironically, were partially during the Great Depression.  The most fun they had was sneaking out on a Friday night to attend a USO dance and my grandmother's most prized possession were a pair of roller skates that her sister and brother-in-law gave her as a gift.  Life was simple and much slower back then and everything they ate was grown in their yard and cooked from scratch.  As wonderful as "garden to table" dinner sounds, I realize that there is a lot we take for granted.  Big super grocery stores packed with every possible ingredient imaginable and having recipe books with full color photos or my laptop on my kitchen counter with access to food photos and recipes from around the world.  I realized this when Ma Tante Yvonne gave me her recipe for Rhubarb Jelly handwritten on a 3x5 index card.  I think I'll frame it.

Rhubarb looks sort of like big red celery to me.  Except, tart and sweet.  It grew in their backyard in New Hampshire like a weed.  Ma Tante Yvonne was telling us over tea how  ticked she was that "Mon Oncle" Willy had just cleared out all the rhubarb in his backyard.  It was the house they all grew up in, so I think she felt like he just wrecked her old garden.

A French woman is not one you want to tick off.

And so, she gave me her simple recipe for rhubarb jelly so that I'd post it to the world.

When I was looking at the index card, I had to scratch my head and wonder if  two of these ingredients were available during the depression?  Jello and canned pineapple?   I guess when you're in your 80's, the 1920's through the 1940's all seem like they were yesterday.  Pre-jello and post-jello.  So I Googled it and learned ...  Jell-O is older than dirt.  I stand/sit corrected.  It's been around since the 1800's and became "Jell-O" in 1902.

Well okay then!  Let's make some depression-era Rhubarb Jelly!

First ... the rhubarb.

I couldn't find it fresh where I live, so we bought a bag of frozen rhubarb.  Because it is frozen, it's going to be holding a lot of unnecessary water.  So, we thawed it out on some paper towels.

My grandmother's hands have made this jam for 70 years now.  Wow.

So here are the basic ingredients you'll need ... rhubarb, pineapple, sugar and jello.

You can't really taste the pineapple after it's cooked in with everything else, so I imagine they added this for the acidity.

Throw everything (except for the jello) into a large pot on low to medium heat and let it cook slowly, for about 1/2 hour.

Stir periodically while it's cooking.

This is my grandmother ... she's concentrating ...

After about 10 minutes, it will look like this ...

Then add one packet of jello, stir, and let it sit for another 5 minutes.

Add to a mason jar or other storage container and pop it in the refrigerator so the jello can do it's trick.

And there you have it.  Rhubarb jelly.  I love it on English muffins or toast.  Mmm.

Rhubarb Jam

Ingredients

4 cups or 2 lbs of rhubarb (cut in small pieces)

1 8oz can crushed pineapple

3 cups of sugar

1 small 4 oz package of strawberry jello

Directions

1) Cook at moderately low heat until reaching boiling point. Stir while it is cooking (20 minutes or more)

2) Add small 4 oz package of jello.

3) Mix well, jar and then refrigerate.

4) One batch makes 4 small jars or 2 large jars.

###

I just recently made this cheesecake on Daytime ... in under 4 minutes!  (In case you missed it, a link to the video will be posted soon!)

Now, that being said,  I don't recommend making this in 4 minutes ... you actually need about 45 minutes to put it all together and another hour to bake it.  But, if you've never made cheesecake before, don't be intimidated.  It's actually quite easy.  The hardest part is not eating all the creamy pumpkin-y batter right out of the bowl!

Chef Jim from the Mount Dora Historic Inn gave me a few extra little tips that gives it a little extra panache.  Follow along and I'll make you the star of your Thanksgiving dinner table.

Here's what you'll need ...

As long as you have the right pan, every thing else is a piece of cake.  Pun intended.  If you've made cheesecake before, skip down a bit. If this is your first time, then let me introduce you to the springform pan.

This nifty little inexpensive  dishware can be found at most large-we-sell-anything-and-everything-superstores.  You might also be able to find it at your local grocer.  "What exactly does it do?" you ask.  Well, it has a nice little hinge on the side that, when opened, releases the sides of the pan allowing you to display your cheesecake as a nice perfect whole cake rather than trying to dig it out with spoon.  (Not that I've ever done that ... ah em.)

Here are the rest of the bits you'll need (full recipe and measurements at the end of the post.)

Some cream cheese, softened to room temperature.  And I do mean room temperature.  If you have a sunny little spot on your counter top, let it sit there awhile and catch some rays while you pull everything else out of your cabinets and refrigerator.  It may take a good hour for it to warm up.

warmed up room temperature cream cheese = easy + creamy cheesecake

cold cream cheese = chunky cheesecake + frustrated baker with sticky bits clogging up their mixer

Catchin my math here?

In addition to cream cheese, you'll need graham cracker crumbs, ginger snaps, butter, eggs, pumpkin pie spices, brown sugar, sour cream, a pinch of salt, and some BOURBON.  (You have to say that last ingredient with your best Southern accent, as if you've taken a swig or two) BOOOOOURBON.

*In my best fake Southern accent*

"Did I say BOURBON?  Why, yes, yes I did say Bourbon.  Pass me some whisk-eh!"

Cooking is always fun in my kitchen.  And while I may laugh and play with my fake Southern accent (as if you could hear me?) I do have a confession.  I don't drink whiskey.  I'm a wine girl.  So walking out of the liquor store with a brown paper bag wrapped around this teeny bottle had me blushing in the same way I did when I was 13 years old and running to the cash register hoping no one saw me buy my first box of "monthly supplies."  Girls, you understand.  Guys, you'll never know, so don't ask.

So, yes, I was blushing and looking over my shoulder to see if any of my small town neighbors would catch me buying whiskey before noon and start spreading rumors that I'd become a "drinkah."

But inviting Jack Daniels into my home for some Thanksgiving baking was the BEST decision I've made this week.  Just WAIT until you taste it.

Now that my confession is over with ... onto the good stuff!  Let's start with the crust, shall we?

For cheesecake, it's really easy.  Just 3 simple ingredients.  Graham cracker crumbs, pinch of brown sugar, and some butter.  Chef Jim suggested a little bonus ingredient. Ginger Snaps.  You can crumble up handful of these spicy cookies in your little food processor.

If you don't have a food processor, you can throw 5 or 6 cookies into a large zip lock bag and crush them with a wooden spoon to make some crumbs.

Now, I have to warn you, if you decide to go this route I will suggest you put the whiskey away.  Unless you want your family to find you in your kitchen with a bottle of bourbon smacking cookies with a spoon.

Just sayin.

Mix them all together ...

Thenn press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform pan and up to the sides.  Pop it into the oven at 350 for 10 minutes and then let it cool on a wire rack while you mix the filling.

Step 1 is done.  See, wasn't that easy?

Now on to the fall ingredient that makes this cheesecake extra special ... pumpkin.

Pumkin actually holds A LOT of water.  So, if you want to keep your cheesecake firm, you'll need to soak up some of that water.  Chef Jim gave me a little tip for how to do that ... spreading it out on paper towels.  Simple white un-printed plain ole paper towels.  Fancy, huh?

Spread the pumpkin out onto a layer of 6 to 8 paper towels using a spatula.

When you've got it spread over the paper towel like icing, add another couple of layers of paper towels and press softly to absorb more of the moisture.

Next you want to mix or "cream" together the cream cheese and brown sugar.  Then add the pumpkin and mix some more.

Add your eggs, vanilla and spices and you've got your filling!

When it's all mixed together, scrape the edge of the bowl with a spatula ...

don't lick it ...

not yet anyway... and blend some more until it's nice and creamy.

Then, spread it out onto your baked graham and ginger crust.

Then bake at 350  for 45 minutes to an hour.

TIP! In other cheesecake recipes I've done, it usually calls for a "water bath" in which you wrap the bottom of the springform pan with tinfoil and place the cheesecake in a pan half filled with water while baking.  This is a little precarious because it's heavy ... and it's extremely hot water.

The purpose of the water bath is to keep the cheesecake moist and prevent it from getting dried out around the edges.

Well Jim said I could just stick a pan or bowl in separately and have the same effect.  He does this with his cheesecake as well as his souffles.  Well hallelluah!  I (we) don't have to fret over pulling a gigantic heavy hot "water bath" out of the oven.  Just let the pan/bowl full of water cool before removing.  Brilliant!  Wish I would have known this little short cut last time I made cheesecake.

Step 2 is done.  See ... easy!

Now the final step.

BOOOOURBON.

After the cheesecake is done baking, you'll need to let it cool for an hour and then place it in the refrigerator to chill (overnight or for a couple of hours)

These 3 ingredients will be your topping. A container of sour cream. (Why did I go "lite" on the sour cream, I don't know. Nothing else about his recipe is "lite" and the 20 calories I saved in using this one didn't make a lick of difference I'm sure. Thanksgiving is not for diets, after all. That's what New Years Resolutions are for.)

Add to the sour cream about 2 to 3 cap fulls of Bourbon and a whole lot of shug-ah.

Mix.

Taste.

Mmm.

What is this travesty!?! I have NO FINAL PICTURE of the cheesecake. We sliced it up and gave it to the crew of Daytime. Guess I'll just have to link to the video here soon so you can see it live and in color. Or just make another cheesecake and not devour it before taking photographic evidence.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Cream

(from the Mount Dora Historic Inn)

CRUST

Mix together the following ingredients:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cups finely ground ginger snaps

1 tablespoon brown sugar

4 - 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.  Bake for 6 to 8 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

CHEESECAKE FILLING

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened and at room temperature

3 large eggs

1 can pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Note for Pumpkin:  Pumpkin holds a lot of water, so in order to make the cheesecake more firm you need to drain some of that water. One quick and easy way to do this is to layer 6 or 7 plain white paper towels and spread the pumpkin over the paper towels.  Next, layer 6 to 7 towels on  top of that and press firmly.  Once the paper towels are soaked through, remove top layer of towels and scrape pumpkin off the bottom layer with a spatula.

Filling: After draining the pumpkin, beat together cream cheese and sugar in large mixer bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and pumpkin then add spices, salt and vanilla.

P our your filling on top of crust.  In order to keep the oven "moist" fill a separate cake pan or bowl half way with water and place on the bottom rack of your oven.  BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until edge is set.  Let cool for 1 hour, then cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

BOURBON CREAM TOPPING

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon bourbon (can also use vanilla in place of bourbon)

Beat together sour cream and sugar.  Then add teaspoon of bourbon.  Spread over top of cheesecake or serve on the side.

###

You are going to be SHOCKED at how easy it is to make roasted red peppers.  I always thought it was some mysterious chef-y thing ... but it is really quite simple.

They'd be great for an evening bbq ... but I'm pre-making them here for a breakfast recipe.

You'll need only two things ... red peppers and oil.

That's it!

Now, the type of oil you use will enhance the flavor (such as olive oil).  Or you could use just regular vegetable or canola oil. What ever taste you prefer. And you can do all kinds of fancy things with them in recipes after you've made them.  But this is just the basic how-to-roast instructions.

First, wash your peppers and then coat them in oil.  Smother them.  Make them glisten and shine.

Place them on a baking dish (with sides to catch any goop).  Make sure every little inch is covered in oil.  AND make sure you've removed all stickers.  You could use a pastry brush for this, but I was going for the multi-tasking-hand-moisturizing-manicure-while-cooking.  Some recipes say to just pop 'em in the oven or on the grill plain without oil, but I think this helps them stay moist.

They'll need to cook for about 45 minutes, but keep a watchful eye on them!  The goal is for the skin to char and get blackened. When it does, you'll need to rotate them with tongs.

These look just about done ...

When you first take them out of the oven, place them in a sealed container to let them "steam" themselves a bit more to make removing the skin easy.  Be careful of any liquid that drips from them ... it will be scorching hot!

After they've cooled (about 15 to 20 minutes) you can remove the skins.  They should peel off easily.

Brush off the seeds, remover the stems, slice up and serve!

###

Last week I caught up with my long time friend and college buddy, Eric.  In college we had a PR writing class at the godawful hour of 7 am.  Which, to actually get a wake-up coffee and a parking space on campus at UCF meant I had to be leaving my house dressed, ready, backpack stuffed with all the necessities by 6:00 am.  What was I thinking when I signed up for that?  I'll tell you what I was thinking ... I need this class to graduate and it was the only time it was offered!  At least the professor was cool.  But every once in awhile he'd painfully wake up our sleepy morning brain with some sort of stressful/deadline/writing type of drill.  Writing early in the morning is my typical routine ... I just don't usually push myself to perfection in under an hour.  It takes a least a  2nd pot of coffee before I can go back and edit.  It seems so crazy long ago now.  Back when my cell phone was huge and all email was dominated by aol.  We were at the top of our class.  And now here we are ... I'm obsessed with breakfast and Eric is wondering why YouBentMyWookie.

Eric always had some good treats baked up.  So when he told me he had a recipe for Marshmallow I begged him to share!   He had  me asking ... WTF is actually IN a marshmallow?  You mean they're not magically produced by Willy Wonka?  There are ingredients I can buy at the store to make these?  Awesome!

He suggested instead that I do a themed Halloween breakfast in full costume.

Aaaah. No.

So ... in lieu of dressing up like Chewbacca and baking wookie cookies ... I tried some marshmallow instead.  And they're unbelievably easy!  The timing was perfect since we finally got our Fall cold spell here in Florida.  Hot chocolate and marshmallows is a great morning or afternoon treat and we like to have Smores in the backyard fire pit with our guests.  Yum.

I'll walk you through it step-by-step with photos and post the full recipe at the end.

Here's what you'll need to get your fire-roasting-smore-making-hot-chocolate-dipping marshmallow on.

Some non-stick spray for the dish/pan.  A cup of light corn syrup.  A cup of sugar.  (Been to see your dentist lately?) A half cup of water.  Gelatin. Vanilla.   And cornstarch and powdered sugar to get the sticky suckers off your fingers.

Pour 3 packets of unflavored gelatin in a bowl followed by a 1/2 cup of water.  Let it sit while it magically turn into jello-like mini pearls while you make the sugar mixture.

It will start soaking up the water and grow.

This is what it will look like after about 10 minutes.

While your gelatin is expanding ... pour 1/2 cup of water, sugar and corn syrup in a small sauce pan on MEDIUM heat.

Stir briefly with wooden spoon and then let it come to a boil.

Approximately 7 to 8 minutes.

You want the mixture to reach 240 degrees ... and then immediately remove from the stove.  Sounds precise and scientific, huh?  I know, I told you this would be easy, so here is where I confess ...

I'm not a candy maker. Not. At. All.  I do love sugar, if that counts. So I didn't have a candy thermometer.  I used a meat thermometer instead.  Buwhahahah!  I told my mom that over the phone ... and she said I was lucky it didn't blow up in my hand.  I was careful though!  I really watched the time on the clock to follow Eric's instructions of "7 to 8 minutes."  At about 4 minutes, it was at 180 degrees.  A 7 minutes it went immediately to 220 degrees ... which is the max on my thermometer ... so I guessed that meant it was ready and removed it from the heat.

(now my mom has a candy thermometer in the mail to me this week)

CAREFULLY and slowly pour it into a large bowl on top of your gelatin.

You can use a big fancy schmancy mixer or just a hand mixer.  Either will work just fine.

Mix for 12 minutes.

Yes, I said 12 minutes.

At about 5 minutes I got all impatient and pouty ... thinking ... this isn't working.  It's clear and bubbly.  I must have not let it boil long enough.  Pout. Cross arms. Tap foot.  Pout some more.

Since I still had 6 or 7 minutes to wait while the marshmallow becomes marshmallow, it was a good time to distract myself by preparing the pan.

Spray your pan with a non-stick cooking spray.  I got smart and started doing this over the sink after my friend Jim did a knee-slide across my kitchen floor.  Yeah.  Pam mist on the floor could equal a disaster.  Or as it did for us, one heck of a belly laugh.  I'm just sayin.

Anyway, after lightly spraying with a non-stick spray, sprinkle with equal parts corn starch and powdered sugar and then cover with plastic wrap.

Press TIGHTLY across the edges.  Otherwise your going to have one fun mess to clean up.  Also, if you didn't have one on before, now is a good time to sport an apron.

Shake it.  Shake it until the entire surface is covered in white.

Pour the excess into a bowl for later use.

Ah!  What's this?  While I was distracted by shakin sugar the marshmallow is ...

becoming  ...

MARSHMALLOW!  At this exact moment I ran around the house shouting, "I MADE MARSHMALLOW" the same way Tom Hanks yelled "I made fire" in Cast Away.  After it being yellow/clear/bubbly for so long I was really "wowed."

The recipe calls for a tsp of vanilla.  But Eric said to be liberal with the vanilla so I added 2 tsp. Is doubling it going overboard?  Naaaaah!

Make sure the vanilla is good and mixed.

Looks like vampire fangs, doesn't it?

Pour into your prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula.

Now's a good time to lick the bowl.  If you've got some nutella and banana on hand, you could even make a marshmallow sandwhich.  Mmm.

Cover and let the marshmallow sit overnight to harden. Or, if you make these in the morning they should be ready by the evening for S'mores.

Take a knife around the edge of the pan to help lift out the marshmallow.

It will feel a little "spring loaded" so rather than thinking of slicing, think more of separating it from the side.

It should be fairly easy to lift out if you did a good job sugar shaking.

Place onto a cutting board and sprinkle with the left over powdered sugar/corn starch mixture you used to coat the pan.

Now here comes the fun part.  Slicing marshmallow.  It's a little like trying to nail jello to the wall.

I remembered that Eric suggested using a pizza cutter so I switched and that helped a bunch!

Once you have your marshmallow squares, roll them around in bowl with the powdered sugar/corn starch mix.  This will keep them from sticking to your fingers ... the plate ... the wall ... pretty much anything they come into contact with.

And there you have it ... MARSHMALLOWS!  Enjoy in your hot chocolate, S'mores, or just on there own.

Thanks Eric!

Marshmallow

Ingredients

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup of ice cold water, divided

12 ounces granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

Directions

1) Place the gelatin into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water.

2) In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and the salt. Place over medium heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the panand continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees, approximately 7 to 8 minutes.  Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

3) Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture.  Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high.  Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm (approximately 12 10 15 minutes).  Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.

4) While the mixture is whipping, prepare the pan.  Combine confectiners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Lightly spray 13 x 9 inch baking pan with a nonstick cooking spray.  Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and mover around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

5) When marshmallow is ready, pour into the prepared pan, spread evenly with the spatula, and dust the top with some of the remaining sugar adn cornstarch mixture to lightly cover.  Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours or overnight.

6) Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inc squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture.  Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture, using additional if necessary.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

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I had lunch with my friend Jimmy recently where we were both talking about our marathon/half-marathon training schedules.  I made the decision to make running a habit when I started baking and re-creating these fabulous (but sometimes fattening) breakfast recipes from Inns.  Jimmy decided to start running when his roommate moved in. You see, she's an aspiring pastry chef.  The girl can do things with fondant that I could only DREAM of trying out for pretend with playdoh. Oh, yeah, and she can make her own peanut butter cups ... from scratch!

Jimmy shared some of her fabulous photos (click here) with me and I invited her to write a guest post for Inn The Kitchen.  Something breakfasty, fall-related, and easy to make.

She sent me the following recipe and photo nibbles for her Apple Crostata.

ENJOY!

Yvie's Apple Crostata

Ingredients:

Dough

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 Tbsp Granualted Sugar

¼ Fine Grain Salt

1 Stick Cold Unsalted Butter – Cubed

2 Tbsp Ice Water (possibly)

Filling

2 Large Apples (whatever you have on hand or prefer)

¼ tsp Orange or Lemon Zest

¼ Cup Flour

¼ Granulated Sugar (I used Vanilla Sugar that I’ve made)

¼ Fine Grain Salt

¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon

Dash of Allspice

Freshly Ground Nutmeg

4 Tbsp ( ½ stick) of Cold Unsalted Butter – Cubed

*1 Egg beaten w/ a tbsp of water for egg wash

Directions (For the Dough)

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse until combined. Once mixed add cubed butter and pulse until the butter is combined and the dough resembles peas.

SLOWLY add the Iced Water – you may not need both tbsp.

Use just enough to bring the dough together.

Once mixed, turn dough out unto a floured surface and form into a disc.

Cover and refrigerate until firm (at least 1hour).

Once the dough has become firm, roll out into a 10 or 11-inch disc. Place this on parchment paper in a shallow sheet pan.

Directions (For the Filling & Crumb Topping)

While the dough is chilling – make your filling and crumb topping. Dice the apples and toss with the zest – place in refrigerator until ready to use.

In the food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg until all mixed. Once mixed, add the butter and pulse until just crumbly. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once the dough has become firm, roll out into a 10 or 11-inch disc. Place this on parchment paper in a shallow sheet pan. Place the apple/zest filling in the center while leaving a 1 ½ - 2-inch border (this can be smaller or larger depending how thick you like your crust).

Top with crumb topping.  Fold crust over -- it's okay if some of this covers the apples at the edge. Brush the crust with the egg wash and then bake the crostata in a 450° oven for 20-25 minutes – just until the crust is golden brown.

You can serve the crostata as is or drizzle with a glaze – I drizzled some slices with a vanilla bean glaze and others with homemade caramel sauce. Yummy!!!

Check out more of Yvie's Treats here.

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I love asparagus. I love even more that it's actually proper etiquette to eat it with your fingers. One of the things that I never mastered,  was how to properly cook asparagus. That is, until I met Chef Jim with the Mount Dora Historic Inn.

You see, before learning these little tricks he gave me below, my asparagus would come out soggy, limp and stringy. Not the firm, crisp, veggie taste I was used to experiencing in a restaurant. Alas ... here's the secret ...

FIRST ... it's all in how you cut it. Snapping a single asparagus will show you where the "woody" and "stringy" part starts. After you snap one, use that as your guide for cutting the rest of the bunch.

SECOND ... boil the asparagus in a shallow pan (not a big ole deep pot like I used to use) and then prepare an ice bath to stop it from cooking. I know, this sounded a little strange to me too. And the goal is NOT to make it cold, it is to flash stop the cooking process so it doesn't end up a mushy pale green vegetable.

And in the end, you've got perfectly cooked asparagus!  Now, add it to your stuffed omelet!