A few months ago I found this great cookbook in my book shelf – one I’d somehow managed to never see before – “An Edible Christmas: A Treasury of Recipes for the Holidays.” As I was happily thumbing through for new holiday cookie recipes (several of which I made), I came across one for making apricot liquor. Very interesting. Interesting enough for me to find it again over New Years weekend and start making it!

So I bought a large bottle of vodka and several packages of dried apricots and got down to work. Chop, chop, chop. Splish splash. Add little heat. Pour into a bowl. AND WAIT 2 MONTHS!

Not sure how I missed that you-need-to-wait-forever part during my quick scan of the recipe, but sadly I did. The suspense is just terrible!

So the bowl of apricot-vodka mix is now brewing away in the dark linen closet – to keep out the light (and impatient people). I’ll submit part 2 at the beginning of March when it emerges and gets bottled. And I’m sure the leftover drunk apricots would be fabulous over vanilla ice cream … yummm. I guess it’s all worth waiting for.

… is now organized!

My friends have previously made fun of me for having a printed list of the spices in my cabinet. How else are you supposed to know if you have any ginger or cardamon in a shelf crammed with more than 40 jars!

Now, they have something else to poke at me for – a very organized, tiered spice cabinet.

I purchased a tier shelf unit from BedBath&Beyond and then spent an evening going through my spices. Consolidating where I could and moving spices from bag to jar was first on the list. Next, was figuring out what spices to put where – things like which spices do I use the most, etc. And last, of course, was updating my spice list for the cabinet door. You know you are secretly jealous …

A soft, cool, gooey, lightly powder-coated sugary treat. Yes, you guessed it – a marshmallow.

And, I’ve learned marshmallows are even more seductive when homemade. I found the following recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine in what has become one of my favorite sections –
“Cooking Life” by Molly Wizenberg.

Water, gelatin, sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla extract, starch and powdered sugar. All things that I can pronounce and easily find in my pantry.
Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup cold water, divided
3 1/4-ounce envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil. Coat foil lightly with nonstick spray.

2. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until gelatin softens and absorbs water, at least 15 minutes.

3. Combine 2 cups sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup cold water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat and bring syrup to boil. Boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240ºF, about 8 minutes.

4. With mixer running at low speed, slowly pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in thin stream down side of bowl (avoid pouring syrup onto whisk, as it may splash). Gradually increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very thick and stiff, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to blend, about 30 seconds longer.

5. Scrape marshmallow mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top with wet spatula. Let stand uncovered at room temperature until firm, about 4 hours.

6. Stir potato starch and powdered sugar in small bowl to blend. Sift generous dusting of starch-sugar mixture onto work surface, forming rectangle slightly larger than 13×9 inches. Turn marshmallow slab out onto starch-sugar mixture; peel off foil. Sift more starch-sugar mixture over marshmallow slab. Coat large sharp knife (or cookie cutters) with nonstick spray. Cut marshmallows into squares or other shapes. Toss each in remaining starch-sugar mixture to coat. Transfer marshmallows to rack, shaking off excess mixture.

7. Eat – straight up, melted in hot cocoa, or toasted over a fire. Any way – the end result is a yummy smile.

Tips and More

* You WILL get sticky and have a sugar covered kitchen, but it’s all worth it
* Variations to try … replace water with lemon juice or toss your marshmallows in cocoa powder

* Culinary Institute of America Marshmallow Recipe (these are some great chefs, right?)
* Barefoot Contessa Homemade Marshmallow Mix (you can get everything in a box these days!)
* Strawberry Marshmallows from Brownie Points Blog (using real fruit, plus lots of other ideas)