mktye

Sounds like a great idea to me also. As I wrote earlier, I think T&J's (on 225 between La Plata and Indian Head) is worth trying out. I have a great (at least to my taste buds!) recipe for coleslaw that I would be more than happy to bring along and, time permitting, I could also make some bread and/or buns. We could either help pick up BBQ or drive a group (or both). We just need to be back up here by four-ish to pick up my sis & bro-in-law at the airport.

My favorite recipe for decorated cookies is the All-Purpose Holiday Cookies recipe from CI. Easy to work with, hold their cut shape well (they do not puff too much while baking) and taste good enough to eat plain. Here is the recipe (no weights, so sorry) 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temp. 1 cup superfine sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk 2 tsp. vanilla 2-1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour Cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, add egg yolk, beat, add whole egg & vanilla, beat well. Add flour and beat at low speed just until mixed. Form into 3-4 disks, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or more) or until firm. Roll chilled dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick, cut and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes or until light golden brown. Cookies cut from scraps that have been re-rolled more than twice will be tougher, so you might want to save those to use for icing practice and "quality-control testing".

Ooooh. I was not even trying for a Men At Work connection--that would have been even more clever! Lately, my brain has been as fried as my 80's over-permed, over-highlighted, over-moussed, over-styled hair.

Sounds like the official eG DCBBQ Club uniform to me...

We won't be able to make it to CK on the 7th, but wanted to add for your planning purposes that we are interested in the upcoming BBQ trek and, as former Charles county residents, would be happy to aid in navigating the wilds of southern MD. Also, if we drive our environmentally-unfriendly vehicle, we'd have room for up to six others to ride along with us (and could meet up with those coming from D.C. at one of the Alexandria metro stations).

Wow. You win. My hat is off to you (trying to work a Men Without Hats line in here but so awed by your post that I cannot manage it). True! I was just thinking of using that recipe as a starting point and also adding vodka. Hmmm, maybe the eGDCGC (or are we being politically correct and calling it the eGDCLC? eGDCWC?) can come over and help me develop the best aquarium recipe (and I'm sure it will take a lot of "testing"). Hillvalley? Ms. Busboy? Malawry? Babka?

Hopefully not the version containing alcohol! Or is that how you keep those kids quiet?!? Thank you Hill. But I hesitate to call myself a "master" bread baker. More of a rabid amateur. Like totally. For sure. Sounds like the voice of experience (of course with the exception of the cocaine--Just Say No)... and all consumed on a Saturday night between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.? Thinking of faux RayBan Wayfarers as party favors.

Thanks Miss Rachel! Nothing Compares To U! Andie--I cannot imagine having to deal with people in a professional manner during the 80's. I was lucky enough to be in school during that time period and flakey behavior was pretty much expected. (And, although it is a lot of work, you really do need to write a book! ) tana--Do we need to have an intervention to get you back into this century? I've also been thinking of "I Melt With You" Fondue. How in the world could I have forgotten trendy pizza?!? The menu at the moment: Baby Veggies with Honey Mustard & Raspberry Dips Salsa & Chips Fondue (although I am leaning more towards a warm queso dip to go with the salsa & chips) Individual Spinach Quiches Individual Ham Quiches Blackened Chicken Tenders California Rolls Loaded Potato Skins CA-style pizza (topped with pesto, goat cheese, artichoke hearts & pinenuts?) Thai Meatballs (not really 80's, but a proven crowd-pleaser that would help round out the menu) Jelly-Bellies PopRocks Marshmallow Fluff with Fruit (I won't forget the kiwi!) Individual Flourless Chocolate Cakes "Big Hair" Meringue/Raspberry Tarts Coronas & Dos Equis with lime Flavored Mineral Waters Wine coolers & White Zin Strawberry (or other frou-frou) Margaritas Banarama or Shock the Monkey Dacquiris And something along the lines of this looks like trouble! Relax, just because I've almost finalized the menu, Don't Dream Its Over. I Need You Tonight to Jump on helping me out with names. And I've seen with my Naked Eyes that you all have The Knack for it! 'Til Tuesday...

If the date works out for us, Mr. mktye and I would be interested in attending. And we might also bring along Mr. & Mrs. S.

Sorry Mr. Jones, I did not mean to Shock The Monkey. It appears that sometimes I Hold On Loosely (not Lucy) to my sanity and I'm a bit Out Of Touch and Walking A Thin Line. Hmm, I think I Want A New Drug. Also, I injured my left index finger in a tragic Pop Rocks accident and, since then, occasionally have trouble typing my "R"s (it is still a New Sensation and there is Always Something There To Remind Me). but I Should've Known Better. Maybe our kind forum host, Ms. Perlow, will put an "R" in "hungy" for me... Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. I certainly didn't want to cause a situation where Words Get In The Way. But hey, I know you are just being Cruel To Be Kind and I am Tuff Enuff to take it. docsconz--Just Between You And Me, if you are not Working For The Weekend or are tired of Life In A Northern Town, I welcome you with Open Arms. So hop in your Little Red Corvette and come on down to our Funkytown. But getting back to the food & drinks... The blackened idea looks promising. That could be a means of having easy to eat chicken without the piles of bones from Buffalo wings. The fondue is attractive because of its simple prep. And, apparently, if we go by Canadian standards it is 80's food. Can anyone think of a good 80's-themed title for fondue? Cheese bread--mmmm. Great site deibu, I'd forgotten about the baby vegetables. For drinks I am thinking of: Coronas & Dos Equis with lime Flavored Mineral Waters A limited number of wine coolers (for decoration only, not for actual drinking, well, maybe on a dare...) White Zin Strawberry (or other frou-frou) Margaritas And possibly shooters as the night goes on... Thanks again to everyone for all the suggestions!!!

I am glad I'm not the only Super Freak with an un-natural fondness for the 80's. The jello aquarium idea sounds interesting KatieM, I've never even heard of that! Hmm, and I have a nice plain glass punch bowl... I also like the We Don't Need Another Hero sandwiches. I couldn't find mine! And I had a great red lace pair too. I cannot imagine that I threw them out--you just can buy ankle socks like that anymore.

Off shopping at Ikea.Carrot cake is my husband's favorite cake. I always use the recipe from The Silver Palate cookbook. Like the one Carolyn Tillie recommended, it contains coconut and pineapple. But I agree with petite tête de chou--what criteria does one use to judge carrot cake?

Have you tried the White Chocolate Mousse Filling in Friberg's "The Professional Pastry Chef", Third Edition? I have not made it in a while, so cannot really say if it is the end-all and be-all of white chocolate mousse, but I don't recall there being anything "wrong" with it and I think it meets all your criteria. If case you don't have the book: 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream 4 tsp. (12 g) gelatin 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold water 2 Tbsp. pectin powder (regular canning pectin) or you can omit the pectin and increase gelatin by 1 tsp. for a total of 5 tsp. of gelatin 4 oz. (115g) granulated sugar 4 egg whites (1/2 cup/120ml) 12 oz. (340g) white chocolate, melted (be sure not to overheat or mousse will be grainy) Whip cream to soft peaks and reserve in refrigerator. Soften gelatin in the water. Combine the pectin and sugar, stir in egg whites and heat over simmering water, whisking, until it reaches 140 degrees. Remove from heat and whip until cool and forms stiff peaks. Heat gelatin mixture to dissolve. Stir gelatin mixture into melted chocolate, stir chocolate mixture into 1/3 of meringue. Add to remaining meringue. Mix in reserved whipped cream. Use immediately since it sets pretty quickly. Makes 6 cups.

Thanks everyone for the great input!!! The preliminary menu: Veggies with Honey Mustard & Raspberry Dips Individual Spinach & Crab Quiches California Rolls Loaded Potato Skins Salsa & Chips Jelly-Bellies PopRocks "Vintage" Cereal (if I can locate any) Marshmallow Fluff with Fruit Individual Flourless Chocolate Cakes "Big Hair" Raspberry Tarts (basically a short-cookie base, smeared with raspberry jam and topped with big swirls of meringue) I do want to do something shaped like pac-man too. Cookies are the obvious and easy choice. (Hmmm, obvious and easy... sounds like the 80's) Anyone else have any other ideas? Still thinking about the buffalo wings & Chinese food (I need something for those Atkins folks. ), but concerned about the logistics. Once the menu is finalized, I'd love you all to help with the naming! Heather, you're a native east coast gal, aren't you? I lived in California during the 80's--we were much more into a valley-girl/Cindy Lauper/Madonna look. Like this: (Yes, that is me. Yes, that was taken less than two years ago. Yes, those are all original 80's clothes, shoes, shades & jewelry. No, I do not dress like that all the time.) Now that is the ultimate 80's song site. Thanks bunches! Toliver, You Take My Breath Away--I spent half of yesterday afternoon trying to think of a way to work "Whip It" into my posts! This is the best, better than all the rest.... Get thread Fi. I searched high and low and never found it. And my apologies for inadvertantly stealing your "Hungry Like The Wolf" line--it must have been the Devil Inside that made me do it.

There will be Jelly-Bellies... Bow. Wow. Wow.

You and a whole bunch of other people. Welcome to the Jungle. I bought (yes, they still make them) some wine coolers for our last 80's party. In a word... undrinkable. Like totally. I'm still wondering if they've changed them or my tastebuds have changed.Thanks for the links gingerly and Chef Shogun. And I really like the bowls of cereal idea. I wonder how many of those are still available. Is fondue 80's or 70's? Here is the menu from the last time we did this: Make Martha Proud Crudités & Dip Who’s A Real Man Spinach Quiche Like Totally Southern California Rolls Never Too Many Calorie Nachos MKT-Nuggets with BBQ, Sweet & Sour, Hot Mustard & Honey Sauces Stay-Puft Marshmallow Fluff with Fruit (including kiwi!) The Decade of Decadence Chocolate Cake Could The 80’s Be Any Cheesier-cake Cherry Coke Flavored Mineral Waters Mexican Beer Wine Coolers Long Island Iced Tea The chicken nuggets were too much work to make that day (Would I Lie To You?) and the last thing I want is for the house smelling like fried-food during the party(some sort of Cheap Trick having to do with The Flame? Okay, that one Hurts So Good... ack, I am entering the Danger Zone). I suspect this will be a bigger crowd than last time so I think I'd like to avoid anything that needs a plate and fork. The quiches can be made mini, so those can stay. Anway... Things Can Only Get Better.

I Love Rock & Roll and have an Obsession with the 80’s, so I decided, “Hey, Let’s Go Crazy… we’ve not had an 80’s party since before we lived in the Wild, Wild West.” The only problem was my husband. He is sometimes Too Shy and does not like a Crowded House. But it is not like I am planning on Burning Down the House, inviting Fine Young Cannibals to incite a Quiet Riot or Poison anyone. I certainly do not want anyone to call the Police since I am such a Goody Two Shoes. So I thought to myself, “All I Need Is A Miracle” and, Living On A Prayer, said to my hubbie: “Honey, I have a big favor to ask of you…” He replied: “Hit Me With Your Best Shot…” I said: “If you love me, you’ll let me have another 80’s party this Halloween...” And he answered: “True, But What’s Love Got To Do With It? Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” Of course, his biggest worry was about my doing everything INXS, working like a Maniac burning the Midnight Oil and not getting enough REM. I was Lost In Emotion, but decided to Harden My Heart and take a Stand. I told him: “I am going to have this party With Or Without You.” It’s My Prerogative and Love Is A Battlefield. After he thought about it and had an A-Ha moment, he said: “Relax, you don’t have to Fight For Your Right To Party and get mad in the Heat Of The Moment. After all, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, live the Glamorous Life and have a Celebration. If This Is It, then Things Can Only Get Better. Let’s Go All The Way and have that party!” He then told me I was Simply Irresistible and, after hearing that, I was Walking On Sunshine. So We’ve Got the Beat, plan to wear our Sunglasses At Night , get Footloose and drink Red, Red Wine. But what to eat?!? I’m in the Land of Confusion. Anyone have any ideas for 80’s-themed appetizers or finger foods? (Sorry if I’m Out of Touch and this topic has been covered before!)

Ready and willing! Cook's Illustrated has a "Rich & Tender Yellow Cake" recipe (located here is you subscribe to their website) and the KA Flour Baker's Companion has a "Classic Yellow Cake" recipe.

In my experience, I have to agree with the other posters about the 7-minute frostings--kids love it. And it certainly does seem like the sweeter the better! I made a cake for my niece's 7th birthday party frosted with an Italian meringue-based buttercream. Bascially, the kids didn't really like the buttercream terribly much. Not that they disliked it, but it did not generate that "oohs" and "mmms" that usually come from adult buttercream eaters. It was just another frosting to them. It also brings to mind the time I hosted a tea party themed b'day party for 8-year-old twins... petit fours, pastries, cookies, tea cakes and so forth, and you know what was the biggest hit? The sugar cubes! Other than the basic flavoring (i.e. if it is chocolate or vanilla), I doubt the kids will even notice the type of frosting on the cake (too much other excitement). So, if you want to practice your buttercream skills (both making and decorating with), this could be a great opportunity. And I suspect your daughter will be happy with any cake you make! Welcome to eGullet!

Add another 4 members to the Firefly fan club... We went out for dinner last Friday with our favorite dining companions, Mr. & Mrs. S. It was Mr. S’s birthday and, after reading all the recommendations here on eG, we decided to try Firefly. And I am happy to write that Firefly lived up to all our very high expectations. First of all, others have written it already, but it really is true—Firefly is extremely simple to get to and locate. Even for us easily confused, northern VA folk. Plus, the very reasonably priced valet made parking totally stress-free. We arrived about 15 minutes early (the traffic gods were smiling on us) and sat at the bar for a bit. The bartenders were both very nice and made us feel quite welcome even though the bar was pretty busy with a flock of twenty-somethings who were all ordering Lemon Drops. After we got our drinks, Mr. mktye amused himself with determining exactly how the thick wood bar was constructed and speculated on the type of wood (engineers are easily entertained). And I spent far too much time trying to decide if there was a back dining room or if it was a mirror reflecting the front dining room. Hmmm…. finally one of the waitstaff walked through the “mirror” and answered that question once and for all. Mr. & Mrs. S arrived and we were promptly seated at a table by the front window. The ambiance of Firefly is comfortable while still being fashionable and elegant. Also, the tables are just far enough apart that you don’t feel like you are dining with the people at the next table. We were treated (thank you John W.!) to a very nice Spanish sparkling wine in honor of Mr. S’s birthday and then got down to the serious business of deciding on the food. Our wonderful waiter (not too hovering, but there when we needed him) brought a cute little copper bucket of bread and some butter. The baguette slices were excellent—holey and chewy with a nice yeasty flavor. The other bread (they looked like rolls sliced in half) was okay. Not bad, as good or better than in most other restaurants, just nothing special and out-classed by the baguette slices. For starters, Mr. mktye had the pork and cabbage spring rolls with sesame mustard dipping sauce and he had no choice but to share. The greaseless & crisp wrapper contrasted with the soft interior almost as well as the dipping sauce set off the five-spice laced pork and cabbage. Perfection. I ordered the chilled pea soup that was also extraordinary. The curry oil was the just strong enough to perk things up, but not overpower the taste of the peas. Mr. & Mrs. S decided to split an order of the fries for a starter. Wow. Those fries are fantastic! Mr. S would eat one, get a dreamy look on his face (and Mr. S. is not a man given to dreamy looks) and say “these are the best fries I’ve ever had”, then he’d eat another one and say “these are the best fries I’ve ever had”. He said this after every fry until Mrs. S gave him a look that basically said shut up already, we’ve gotten the point. For mains, the gentlemen both ordered the grilled lamb minute steak with Tillamook cheddar mac-n-cheese and chard. Mr. mktye loves lamb, but after spending seven months in Spain eating exceptional lamb, he is very, very picky about the quality. So I anxiously waited while he took the first bite, and, yes, we had a winner! As to the accompaniments, I think the DC BBQ club folks should head over to Firefly if they are looking for the area's best mac & cheese and chard. Mrs. S. ordered the rib eye with potato puree & Maytag blue cheese and also a side of spinach. Between her and Mr. S, there was nothing left on the plate by the end of the meal. I also tasted the spinach—nice and garlicky, but still outshone by the stellar chard that came with the lamb. I had the tomato risotto with pancetta and mushrooms. Another great, perfectly executed dish. Once again, just the right amount of crispy pancetta to give flavor, but not overpower the other components. And the bite-sized whole mushrooms and tomatoes really kept the very generous portion from wearing on the palate. In fact, I was still eating it after I was full just because it tasted so good. With the very little room we had left, we all split a couple of the peach cobblers. The little bit I tasted was very nice (Mr. mktye hogged most of ours, including all but a tiny crumb of the crispy topping). The staff put a candle in Mr. S’s cobbler and sang him “Happy Birthday” which embarrassed him to no end and thoroughly pleased Mrs. S. All in all, it was a very enjoyable dinner. I usually go to restaurants and find myself thinking: ”well, this is good, but it would be even better if it had more/if it had less/if you add ____”, but not at Firefly. Everything I tasted was perfectly cooked and could not easily be improved upon. We will most definitely be back!

That is the way I look at it also. The volatile components of the uncooked vanilla really played a role in taste (and how much of that was actually smell?) of the panna cotta. However, like in tasting the white cakes for the "White Cake" thread, the diferences were quite subtle. All of the custards, panna cotta and cookies were good. So I feel the overall result from the testing was that you really cannot go wrong in your choice of vanilla for most recipes. But, that said, I use the Penzey's. The only real exception was the Tahitian vanillas. Especially the one from Trader Joe's that is quite strong in the upper, flowery notes. The tasters pretty much either liked it or hated it. The more novice cooks of the group tended to like it--possibly due to having a palate not quite a set it its ways as to how vanilla "should" taste, so they were more open to the taste? To me, it is a good flavor and definitely has its uses (I just bought another bottle), but it can be jarring if you are expecting traditional vanilla flavor. My best friend once used it in her signature peanut butter/cashew cookies with horrid results. I'd post the raw scores, but, after searching through my desk and file cabinet, I realize they are in one of the many boxes up in the attic. And my type-A-ness does have its limits! But from what I recall, most of the scores were pretty similar with the exception of the Tahitian vanillas. Oh yes, and my liking the imitation vanilla cookies the best (that was an anomalie from the rest of the group). What I've always found interesting about the results is how the McCormick's vanilla was the favorite for the panna cotta. I cannot help but wonder if it is because most of the tasters (with the exception of one taster who was raised in Mexico) grew up with that being the vanilla their mothers always used for baking. Is it just what most Americans are trained as children to recognize as "vanilla"? Definitely. It is quite difficult to taste the subtleties and very, very tiring. We had lots of water and Carr's plain water crackers to help out the palate, but it still required a huge amount of concentration. The baking part was actually the easiest!merstar--A big "thank you" for clearing up the Watkins vanilla questions. It sounds to me like you get what you pay for. And lastly, I keep forgetting... Hillvalley--just last month I used up the large bottle of Penzey's vanilla that I bought in December of 2003 for the taste testing. No noticable degredation.

In a word, yes. I did. Additionally, the cookies were all portioned with a scoop, baked in strictly-timed batches, and only the most consistently colored ones being tasted. Each tester was presented with a whole cookie for each type of vanilla. The custards were all cooked at once in large ramekins in the same water bath, cooled and chilled identical amounts of time. Each panna cotta was also chilled the same as the others. For the panna cotta and custards, each tester received one spoonfull taken from the large ramekin of each type. Which is why I took on the challenge of doing all the baking myself. Sure, I just did not want to bore you all... but since you asked... All of the vanilla extracts/flavorings were bought fresh for the tasting. The Neilson-Massey's were bought from Sur La Table, the Penzey's vanilla mail-ordered from them directly, the Trader Joe's Tahitian Vanilla obviously came from TJ's, and the McCormick's and Baker's were bought at my local military commissary. The tasters were all non-food-professionals and all women. The taster's baking expertise and palates ranged from novice to experienced. Ages from early-thirties to mid-fifties. Three blonds, five brunettes. You are right, it would have been more fair to test other brands of imitation vanilla, but that was the only brand I could locate in my area. Also, the purpose of our little test was not to compare imitation to "real" extracts, but to find the best readily-available vanilla to use in our holiday baking. The initial idea for our own taste test came about from a discussion with a friend (who also was one of the tasters) while we were at a Sur La Table pondering the different types of vanilla. So I scooped up one of each (cha-ching), ordered the Penzey's, stopped by the various grocery stores and started the logistical planning. Yes. For the scent test, each vanilla was placed in a small ramekin (so the bottles could not be recognized) marked with a number on the bottom. The ramekins were each covered with a piece of plastic wrap between testing so the volatile components of the vanillas were contained. The tasted items were also marked with numbers (on the plates/spoons) and none of the numbers corresponded with the other tests. I.e., what was number "1" for the cookies was not the same vanilla as number "1" for the panna cotta and so forth. For full disclosure, I did all of the numbering, wrote up the key and was one of the tasters. However, for the tasted items, I marked them all the day before and could not recall which number was what by the next day (I truly have no memory for numbers--there are days when I cannot even remember my own phone number! ). But since I had filled all the ramekins for the scent test that day, I did not look at the number on the bottom of the ramekin until after I had scored them all. The best thing about the test... it was a blast. Could it have been more comprehensive? Sure, but it did answer the question to our satisfaction. And, if I recall correctly, I liked the imitation vanilla cookies the best!

After being perplexed by the myriad of vanilla extract choices for our holiday baking and inspired by the Cook’s Illustrated article, a group of friends and I also did our own blind vanilla tasting in December '03. I wish we could have tested fresh vanilla beans along with the extracts, but availability and cost deterred us from that idea. I also regret not getting the Penzey's double-strength and using it at half the volume and comparing it to the single strength... maybe next time. There were 8 tasters and we tested the extracts in four categories: 1. Scent 2. Custard (moist/cooked) 3. Sugar Cookies (dry/cooked) 4. Panna Cotta (moist/uncooked) We found (in order of preference): Penzey’s Spices Single Strength Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract Overall: tied 1st (144 points) Scent: 3rd (34 points) Custard: 1st (42 points) Cookies: 1st (39 points) Panna Cotta: 5th (29 points) Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract Overall: tied 1st (144 points) Scent: 1st (39 points) Custard: 4th (34 points) Cookies: 2nd (37 points) Panna Cotta: 2nd (34 points) McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract Overall: 3rd (138 points) Scent: 4th (31 points) Custard: 5th (33 points) Cookies: 3rd (35 points) Panna Cotta: 1st (39 points) Nielsen-Massey Tahitian Pure Vanilla Extract Overall: 4th (132 points) Scent: 2nd (36 points) Custard: 7th (31 points) Cookies: 4th (32 points) Panna Cotta: 3rd (33 points) Nielsen-Massey Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract Overall: 5th (125 points) Scent: 5th (28 points) Custard: 2nd (36 points) Cookies: 4th (32 points) Panna Cotta: 5th (29 points) Trader Joe's Tahitian Vanilla Extract Overall: 6th (115 points) Scent: 5th (28 points) Custard: 6th (32 points) Cookies: 7th (23 points) Panna Cotta: 4th (32 points) Baker's Imitation Vanilla Flavor Overall: 7th (113 points) Scent: 7th (21 points) Custard: 4th (34 points) Cookies: 6th (30 points) Panna Cotta: 7th (28 points) Obviously, our results differed from those of the folks at Cook's Illustrated--the items made with the imitation vanilla were generally ranked lower than the real vanilla extracts. But the differences were very subtle. In other words, with the exception of the Tahitian vanilla that has some very pronounced floral notes, all of the vanillas produced a good-tasting and definitely edible end product. In fact, we had no problem finishing off the cookies, custard and panna cotta made with the imitation vanilla ! Lastly, I agree with adegiulio about the vanillin and how it is easy to replicate in a lab. However, I feel that some of those other flavor compounds found in vanilla bean extract are what makes it taste like "vanilla" to our palates. And the complexity of the flavor from the Penzey's & Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanillas was what made them the top picks in our taste test. To me, the imitation vanilla is more of a single note which works just fine when it is not the only flavor present.

Is this still on for this weekend? And, if so, where?

I also want to add my thanks to nightscotsman for posting that recipe. The whole process seemed so easy that I was worried it would not work. I was thinking: "surely there must be some trick." But, no. I made the recipe exactly as written with no problems whatsoever. I am also looking forward to trying other flavors. But I'll have to make half-batches, since Mr. mktye does not like marshmallows and I cannot eat a whole batch by myself. Of course, I could share them with hillvalley if she did not have such an aversion to crossing the Potomac...