Michelle the Domestic Kicks Sunday Afternoon in the BOO-TAY

Los Angeles is Bizarre. October is almost over and I'm still waiting for fall to come. Yesterday I decided despite the thermometer the wait was over. I turned up the air conditioning, crawled under a blanket, and spent all Sunday reading and baking goodies.

Welcome fall... It's about time.

Inspired by Food Network's 'Good Eats' and armed with a candy thermometer, I decided to try something I new...Home-Made Marshmallows. It turned out to be much simpler than I expected it to be, and if you're comfortable with basic sugar cooking techniques, I really recommend giving it a try. They are MUCH more flavorful and creamier in texture than Jet Puffed.

The basic idea is to add sugar cooked to soft-ball stage (similar to how you'd prepare sugar for home- made caramel) to prepared gelatin, then whip all the air you can into it.
The gelatin is able to capture the air, and the sugar holds the bubbles as it cools to room temperature, allowing them to stay puffy and soft without refrigeration. Behold the power of chemistry.

Once the cream is thick and cool (11-14 minutes on a stand mixer, or seven minutes using an egg beater) add vanilla or whatever flavor you like and beat for one more minute (I went with vanilla and a little artificial rum flavoring.)
Spread it into a pan and let it set for at least four hours. I could hardly wait for it to set...it smells so good, and the soft marshmallow cream is DELICIOUS.
Once it's cool, slice the pieces into squares and dust them with powdered sugar. Good eats recommends you use the completed marshmallows in rice-krispy treats or in hot cocoa, but since the flavor and texture turned out so nice, I decided to dip them in dark chocolate and chopped walnuts for some home-made marshmallow candy. The end result did not suck...

Next time I think I'll use white chocolate pecans and coconut. YUM!

While waiting for the marshmallows to set, I decided to keep the kitchen smelling good. I found this Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread recipe via tastespotting.com. The alcohol bakes out, but it leaves behind a rich warm aroma that gives the banana flavor a bit of a punch. The bourbon is optional, and the recipe works without it, but I really recommend giving it a shot...of whiskey.

Make sure you have 2 nice and brown bananas, I only had one, and had to make 2/3 of a batch, which is why my bread looks so FLAT. You can replace the cranberries with any other dried fruit, nut, flavor of chocolate chip, or leave out the add-ins and let the banana speak for itself.