Off to the Museum, Crafts and Marshmallows

Jay returned from his much delayed but ultimately successful business trip to Philadelphia.  Woo!  This Mama was getting to the end of her rope and needed reinforcements!  He very kindly took the kids to the Boston Children's Museum for the day so that I could recover.  Here are a few pictures of the fun:

Fun with magnets

Willow performed in the play!

Kid power

The construction zone

Also, here are a couple of pictures from yesterday (look at me already missing a day posting!):

The girls and I melted down old crayons to make cool new ones.  The shape makes them less useful for detailed drawing but the girls had fun looking for old, broken crayons and deciding which colors should be combined in the tray.  Plus, they are so pretty to look at :-). 

Sorting (just don't look at the floor)

The finished product

Deranged Cat in the Hat

Also, I wanted to post the marshmallow recipe we love for anyone that is up for making them from scratch.  It is easier than you think (though a standing mixer is a BIG help).  They definitely aren't healthy-- I have tried agave and rice syrup instead of corn syrup but it just doesn't taste right.  At least the corn syrup we use isn't high fructose, right?  Either way, marshmallows should be an indulgence.  Here is the recipe we use (adapted from somewhere on the Internet but I can't find the original source.  Sorry)

Marshmallows

Ingredients:
1.5 cups granulated suger
1 Cup corn syrup
3 packages gelatin (or about 1 Tablespoon agar agar powder for vegan marshmallows)
1 Cup ice water, divided
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1.2 cup corn starch


Directions:

• Empty gelatin or agar agar into mixer bowl and add 1/2 cup of the ice water.  Let sit while you work on step 2.
• Cook the sugar, other 1/2 cup water, corn syrup and salt in a sauce pan on medium/high until it reaches about 240 degrees (I never actually measure this-- I just remove the pan a couple of minutes after it starts boiling-- but you are supposed to)
• Pour cooked mixture into the bowl with the gelatin and water and turn mixer on the lowest speed.
• As mixture combines, turn mixer to highest speed and allow to mix for about 10 minutes.
• To prepare your pan:  Lay plastic wrap across a pan (brownie size for big, chunky marshmallows, a wider pan for ones that are less thick.  Spray the wrapped pan with lots of cooking spray (don't miss a spot or your sticky marshmallows will be stuck!) and coat with a mixture of the cornstarch and powdered sugar.  Save the leftover for the finished marshmallows.
• When the 10 minutes are up, add the vanilla (or whatever flavoring you want to add.  We are old school here but coffee or chocolate extract would be cool for a fancy gift) and mix for another minute or so.
• Pour into pan, spread and cover with more cornstarch/powdered sugar and plastic wrap.  
• Let sit on the counter overnight.
• the next day, remove plastic and and place (ok, I just dump it) the hunk of  marshmallow onto a cutting board.  Cut into pieces and roll each piece in the cornstarch/powdered sugar until it is no longer sticky.
• Have hot chocolate ready because otherwise you will eat all of your delicious marshmallows before you have a chance to try them in their most delicious habitat-- hot chocolate!  We think the unset marshmallow would make a great cake frosting, too!

Happy Weekend!!