Birthday Time!!! (Marshmallow Fondant Recipe)

My little bug turns 5 on Monday. I can't believe it. It seems like she's not supposed to be this big.

We had her party today and it was a total success! Well, unless you factor in the fact that my plan of having everything done the night before did NOT happen... AT ALL! I got all the cakes done literally 10 minutes before people started showing up!

She decided that for this party she wanted tacos and little mini cakes that said "eat me", like in Alice In Wonderland (her favorite movie).

So I started searching around for recipes. I knew I would need a lot of fondant and cakes that could withstand the weight of the fondant. Oh, and a good buttercream frosting recipe! For my fiance's daughters bday last year I used regular, nasty fondant... (But the cake turned out very pretty)

This time I wanted something that was going to taste better. So I decided to try Marshmallow Fondant! I have read many, many blog posts and articles about making MM fondant. In some people said it was soooo easy, but in others people said it was a big sticky mess. I was hoping for a smooth time... and I got it!

To start off I melted 16oz white mini marshmallows (use a good brand if you want a smooth result) with a couple of tablespoons of water by microwaving it in 30 second intervals until smooth. Then I dumped 3/4 of powdered sugar on top.
Next, I covered my working surface with crisco shortening (you will want to use crisco just because it will make it taste better in the end), and then coated my hands (backs, fronts, side, and in between fingers) with it as well. Trust me... do not skip this step because it feels gross... It well definitely be a big sticky mess if you don't.
Turn the MM/sugar out on the working surface and knead it for all your worth... It will seem like it's never going to turn into anything in the beginning, but it will start to come together pretty fast...

 

and just when you think it's never going to become solid.... 

 

Viola... you start having fondant consistency! 

 

Keep kneading it until it is smooth and... 

 

stretchy. You want it to where you can pull it... 

 

^^^ like this... without it breaking. 

 

so when it get to that point, form a ball with it and then wrap it in multiple layers of saran wrap... (I done 3)

 

Every thing I read said that at this point you should let it sit for a few hours, or if you're making it at night, then let it sit out for over night.

I let mine sit out about two hours and then I put it in the fridge. 

This is not something that you have to do. If you need to use it immediately then just make sure that there aren't any little bits of powdered sugar in it. You might need to add a few drops of water in order to get them all worked out.

In order to get it ready for the fridge you should unwrap it and cover it in a thick layer of crisco shortening. Then wrap it back up and place it in a ziploc bag, being sure to get as much air as possible out. 

MM fondant will store in the fridge for weeks! So take advantage of that fact and make it up a few days ahead. 

When I got up this morning and got it out to use I was immediately horrified because it was solid as a rock. All I could think was, "how the hell am I going to finish these cakes in time!" 

I took a deep breath and relaxed a little and then remember all the stuff I read about this being normal. I took it out of the bag (but left it wrapped) and tossed it in the microwave. I heated it in 10 second intervals for about 30 second total. Turning it over at each 10 second interval. When it was done it was nice and soft again. 

This stuff was amazing... I kneaded it  a few more times and it rolled out PERFECT! It cut smoothly, and not a single piece ripped... at all! 

The best part... 

it tasted amazing!!

I hope you all try this recipe! The cake was pretty awesome as well! The recipes for that and the buttercream frostings coming up next!!! 

Marshmallow Fondant

16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds icing sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening (Use as much as you need)

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler. To microwave, place the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total.
Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Now grease your hands completely (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.

Start kneading it and keep going until you get a firm, smooth, elastic fondant. You can add more powdered sugar to help it come together. If it seems dry, add some water, a drop at a time, and knead it in. It took me about 5-7 minutes to get it worked out.

Other Words From Around The Web

I sat down with my google reader tonight, and noticed that there were a lot of great things recently posted. I thought I would post some links here so you can go look for yourself.

It is the first of the month so all the coupons and sales have reset.

-Check out Surviving The Stores for some of the latest deals at Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS.

-Then if you're looking for some good coupons head over to Money Saving Mom

Now on to some yummy food...

-Check out this great looking Beet Hummus at Simply Recipes.

-And as usual, Bakerella whipped up something yummy! Her Red Velvet Cake looks so good!

-Zesty Cook posted a yummy recipe for Homemade Bubbly Beer Bread (say that 5 times fast).

-Last, but not least... this Chocolate Tart is going to be the death of me. The moment I seen it over at Homemade Mothering, I knew I had to make it!

Hope you enjoy!

.

Fondue Party

I've always loved the idea of fondue. Bite-sized food dipped in warm, gooey goodness! So, for my birthday we invited some people over for an adult toy party, and I tried my hand at some homemade fondue!

I made 4 different recipes: White Chocolate-Berry, Dark Chocolate, Tomato, and Guinness Cheese. I was surprised at how easy they all were.

White Chocolate-Berry Fondue 
I wasn't that fond of this fondue. It had a very good flavor,  but was almost too sweet. I believe it might be better to use a fruit spread that's a little more tart!

3/4 c Whipping Cream
1/4 c Amaretto
3/4 c Strawberry Spreadable Fruit*
3 bars (4oz each) White Chocolate Baking Bars, chopped

Place chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat cream untill just below a boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Stir chocolate/cream mixture until smooth. Add amaretto and fruit spread. Stir to combine. Keep warm. Serve in fondue pot or ceramic bowl.

*You can substitute any flavor fruit spread

Dark Chocolate Fondue
Makes 6 servings
This fondue was excellent! A definite must for all the chocolate lovers out there!!!!

1 c heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
12 oz milk chocolate chips
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; Add all chips and stir until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Transfeer to a fondue pot or ceramic bowl for serving.

Guinness Cheese Fondue

 I personally wasn't a fan of this fondue, but it seemed to be a big hit at the party. Everyone was asking for the recipe before the night was up. I believe that you would have to be a beer fan to enjoy it! It was totally the easiest thing I made though!

4 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
2 t worstershire sauce
1 (12oz) bottle Guinness
1 t garlic juice
1 t dry mustard

Reserve 2 T cheese for garnish.
In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Top with remaining 2 T cheese. Serve with beer.

Tomato Fondue
Serves 6

This is by far the best fondue of the evening! I found this in a cookbook I had (The best casserole cookbook ever: Beatrice Ojakangas). It says it serves 6, but that is for huge servings!

1 large can (28oz) crushed italian style tomatoes with their juice*
1 t dried oregano
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
3 c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the tomatoes with their juice in a 1 quart casserole dish. Mix in the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are bubbly hot. Add the cheese gradually, stirring to combine after each addition. Keep warm until ready to serve.
*I used canned, fire-roasted tomatoes.

We had a million things to dip in them as well. We had donut holes, brownies, celery, apples, pretzels, bread cubes, green and red peppers, pound cake, and I'm sure some others that I just can't remember at the moment! 

Late Night Chocolate Cravings

Last night I decided to download Google Chrome. Needless to say, it was love at first click!

But in the midst of my Chrome craze, I had that late night urge..... for chocolate! Now, if any of you have had this craving, then you know what I'm talking about. Nothing else will suffice. There is no subsitute for chocolate! Well, at least not in my book.

So, away I went, searching for the perfect peace of chocolate heaven. Only to find that I had nothing. Let me tell ya, it was a very sad night in my house.

Then out of the blue my fiance says, "How about those no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies you talked about making the other day?"

Ladies and gentlemen, my fiance is a genius!

This man has single-handedly restored my faith in the human race! No bake chocolate oatmeal cookies are super simple, and always cure that pesky late-night, chocolate craving!

So away I went to make some cookies!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2 c sugar

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1/2 c Evaporated milk (or plain milk if your out)

2 1/2 T cocoa

1/2 c peanut butter

2 t vanilla

3 c quick cook oats

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and oats.

(I was out of milk and refused to go to the store, luckily I had some dry milk!)

Spoon out quickly onto wax paper or aluminum foil. Cookies will harden as they set.

Tiramisu Bundt Cake

Oh. My. Goodness! I am a HUGE, I repeat, HUGE tiramisu fan, so when I came across this Tiramisu Bundt Cake at BakingBites.com, I was o' so happy!

I decided that I had to share this amazing recipe with my readers. I hope you all drool as much as I did! And if you haven't ever checked out Baking Bites, then please, take a minute and look around. I'm sure you'll find something you'll enjoy!