Make Your Own Marshmallows!

A very warm welcome to our friend, Paige Shelton. The third book in her Scottish Bookshop Mysteries is coming out on April 3rd. We're very pleased to have her back today with a truly fun recipe.

Don't miss Paige's giveaway of LOST BOOKS AND OLD BONES!










Every now and then I’ll see a cooking show or read a recipe and think “that would be fun to make!” But when I make it, more times than not, it’s not as much fun as I thought, and I never make it again.

Until from scratch marshmallows came into my life.





These puffy pillows of sugar are trendy, with shops springing up everywhere. In places like Fluff It, Toasted Mallow, and Squish, customers can find multiple flavors, fluff, fluff mixed with cookie dough (I know, that should probably be illegal), and other treats designed all around marshmallows. I had to try to make them.

I found a few recipes online. They’re all pretty similar, but this one works well for me.

Ingredients:

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup ice cold water, divided

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract – or another flavor. I like orange.

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (or a little more if you spill like I do)

¼ cup cornstarch (or a little more; same as above reason)

Nonstick spray

A couple of necessary tools for this recipe are a stand mixer and a candy thermometer. I love my stand mixer – and have been heard muttering loving words to it – but I’m kind of a stand mixer rebel, and I like to use my hand mixer most of the time. However, I couldn’t make marshmallows without a stand mixer. Also, I used to fear candy thermometers – all those numbers! And, I broke the first two I ever bought – both of them as I was putting them away in my kitchen drawer. I thought destiny was telling me I shouldn’t make anything that required one. But I battled destiny and bought a third one – and I’ve had it for years.





Here’s what you do:

1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of the mixer along with ½ cup of the water. Remember ice cold. Not easy to achieve in Arizona. Ice most definitely has to be involved. Use the whisk attachment, but don’t turn it on yet.

2.







3. In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup ice water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover, and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees – approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once it reaches temperature, immediately remove from the heat.




4. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while its running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla (or other flavor) during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping, prepare the pan.

5. Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9 metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and moved around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.




When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the sugar/cornstarch mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture.








Of course, when they’re ready, I highly recommend roasting some for some S’mores. There is no better test for a marshmallow in a S’more or two.





Store marshmallows in airtight container for up to 3 weeks, but I doubt they’ll last that long.




Thanks to everyone at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for inviting me to stop by today. See everyone at the bookstores.

Paige Shelton has lived lots of places over the years, but now writes and resides in sunny Arizona. For more information, check out her website: paige@paigeshelton.comand resides in sunny Arizona. For more information, check out her website: paige@paigeshelton.com

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/authorpaigeshelton/
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/AuthorPaige

Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/paigebooks/

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address to enter Paige's giveaway of 

LOST BOOKS AND OLD BONES.

Welcome guest author Paige Shelton w/ book #giveaway!

After moving many times during her childhood, Paige finally settled in Salt Lake City, where she got married and raised a son. Once the son was off to college, she and her husband moved to Arizona, where they’re having a great time. For more about Paige and her books, see: www.paigeshelton.com.

Take it away, Paige! GIVEAWAY below! 

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Happy Holidays! There’s so much I love about this time of year, but one thing that sits high at the top of my list is a good rolled up cake. I first discovered cake rolls only a few years ago when I made the recipe on the Libby’s can for the pumpkin roll. I believe I uttered something like, ‘Oh cake rolls, where have you been all my life?’ when I tasted it. 

Over the years I’ve experimented with a few different recipes, but until this year I haven’t found something worthy of that first pumpkin roll delight. This year, I decided to create something with one of my favorite holiday flavor combinations: chocolate and orange. Yum. 

Side note – this recipe has nothing to do with my December book, COMIC SANS MURDER, but I’ll add a little blurb about it at the end. For now, it’s all about the cake roll.

Ingredients:

Cake:
3 eggs, separated
½ cup plus 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
½ cup All-Purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cake roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) 10 ½ X 15 X 1

- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the pan then line with parchment paper and grease the paper too.  

- Beat egg yolks in small bowl, gradually adding ½ cup sugar. Beat until light and lemon colored.

- In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, 1/3 cup sugar, baking soda and salt.

- Add flour mixture, alternating with water and vanilla, to egg mixture, beat on low speed until smooth.

CLEAN YOUR BEATERS

- With clean beaters, beat egg whites until foamy, gradually adding one tablespoon sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

- Carefully, fold beaten egg whites into batter.

- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until top springs back when lightly touched.

Here’s where I think I’m different from most cake roll bakers. If you have a preferred method for removing the cake and then rolling it to cool, feel free to do it that way. I like to flip the cake directly onto some wax paper that I put on top of a clean dish towel, then I remove the parchment paper on the back before I gently roll the cake (wax paper included but NOT dish towel) up to cool. It needs to cool completely before you add the filling or frosting.

Filling:

This is the good stuff. You will have enough to cover your cake in an thin, even layer, but thin layers are okay because it’s a roll and there’s cake and filling layers in every bite.

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 to 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons orange extract
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

- In a bowl, combine the butter, 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and orange extract and mix on medium speed until blended.

- Add the orange zest and orange juice. Beat until smooth and creamy. 

Once your cake has cooled all the way, carefully unroll it. Spread the filling evenly over the cake and the re-roll it. (Note that in picture, my filling is not spread evenly. I forgot to take a final picture of the evenly spread filling.) 

Last step is the frosting. My favorite is this chocolate whipped cream frosting. 

Ingredients: - 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 8-oz. package of cold cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sanding sugar to sprinkle on the outside. Orange if you can find it, but clear is fine too.

- In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa powder with a couple spoon fulls of the cream until it forms a creamy paste.
- Add cream cheese to the bowl and beat until softened and mixing in with the cocoa mixture. About 30 seconds.
- Add sugar, salt, and vanilla. Continue beating until fully combined. You can pinch some with your fingers to make sure sugar has “melted” enough and there is no grit.
- Slowly drizzle the rest of the cream down the sides of the bowl while continuing to beat (I use a hand mixer and it works just fine). Beat until the mixture is combined and forms stiff peaks.

Frost the outside of your cake roll immediately, sprinkle sanding sugar over it, and store remaining frosting and cake in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Okay, about the book. COMIC SANS MURDER is the third book in my Dangerous Type series. The series takes place in Star City, Utah, which is a lot like Park City, Utah. Clare Henry and her grandfather own and operate The Rescued Word, a shop on Bygone alley, where typewriters and books go to be repaired and stationery from all over the world is sold. The mystery in COMIC SANS MURDER is revolved around Clare’s old high school friends, some extremely valuable old typewriters called Hoovens, and a disembodied foot found in an abandoned ski boot on the slopes.

Thanks to everyone at Mystery Lovers Kitchen and everyone stopping by today. Wishing you all the best, and may your holidays be filled with family, friends, peace, and lots of good books.

Giveaway

Paige is giving away to one winner  - all three books in the series: TO HELVETICA AND BACK, BOOKMAN DEAD STYLE, and COMIC SANS MURDER.  Answer this question: what is your favorite holiday dessert?
Remember to include your email should you win!

You can find Paige online here:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorpaigeshelton/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AuthorPaige

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paigebooks/

Welcome guest author Paige Shelton! Veggie recipe + Book Giveaway

Please welcome delicious author, Paige Shelton! 

Paige recently moved to Arizona where she’s trying to balance all the cool stuff (the scenery, the people, the pools) with the not-so-cool stuff (the summer temperatures.) For more information, check out her website: www.paigeshelton.com

Take it away, Paige!

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It’s great to be on one of favorite sites today. Thanks, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for letting me stop by. Hello, readers – always good to see you.

I’m here to talk about leeks. Other than potato leek soup, what in the world are you supposed to do with these onion-like flavored and uber-healthy vegetables?

That was my quandary when I titled my newest cooking school mystery “If Onions Could Spring Leeks.” Between you and me, I included other vegetables in the story so I wouldn’t have to come up with a bunch of leek recipes. The challenge of leek-only was too daunting, and, really, who wants a bunch of recipes highlighting leeks? Between you and me again – actually, now that I’ve become so well acquainted with them and really like them, I could use a bunch of leek recipes, but, alas, I only have one that I consider extra tasty.

In fact, it has turned out to be one of my favorite dishes and something I’ve already made for many dinners. It fills you up and is pretty healthy – a rare combination. It’s also super simple and my family likes it too.

I can’t take credit for the original recipe. I found it online and didn’t do much to it except add one thing from Costco.

It’s called: Sautéed Carrots and Leeks, and Costco Chicken 

Ingredients:
2 leeks, almost finely chopped (original recipe said ‘finely’ chopped, but I’m too impatient for ‘finely.’)
2 carrots, almost finely chopped
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter (I use salted)
1 tablespoon white sugar
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Costco chicken (any baked chicken will do). Free it from its bones and tear it to pieces. 

Directions:

Combine everything except the chicken in a skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer and stir every now and then until liquid evaporates and leeks and carrots are lightly browned, about 15 minutes or so. Add the chicken and stir until chicken is warmed through – minute or so. Serve.


If you don’t add the chicken, it makes a great vegetable side dish. If you add the chicken, it’s a one-skillet, healthy, and filling meal.



Easy as that. Hope you enjoy it as much as I and my family do.

Thanks for letting me stop by today!

GIVEAWAY

Paige has generously offered to give away a copy of IF ONIONS COULD SPRING LEEKS to one lucky reader today. Leave a comment [by clicking the word comments, and include your email, cryptically if you need to!]

And tell Paige what your favorite veggie dish is! 

Peppermint White Chocolate Popcorn AKA the Easiest Holiday Treat Ever!

We at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen are delighted to welcome guest Paige Shelton, who gives us a wonderful (and easy!) holiday treat!

Necessity being the mother of invention and all, this quick and easy treat was first whipped up one late afternoon after my husband mentioned that he’d offered to take something to a holiday party we were to attend about one hour later. Dropping by the grocery store on the way was an option, but I thought I’d give the pantry a quick look. The popcorn box fell as I opened the door, so I took it as a sign. Well, two signs – however, I ignored the “pantry needs cleaning out” sign.

I picked up the box, started rummaging around some more and gathered the peppermint extract. Then I got lucky and found two bars of white chocolate (I think holiday elves must have put them there to help me out – it is rare and unusual that I would have such a thing hanging around), and got to work.

The best popcorn for this recipe is the Homestyle variety, which means it has only a smattering of butter. No Movie Theater here. You can also pop it yourself in a popper or saucepan on the stove and leave out the butter, but I was in way too much of a hurry the first time I made it - microwaved had to do and it worked well. 

Pop two bags and dump the popcorn into a bowl. I add another ¼ or so teaspoon of salt because that salty/sweet combination is one of my favorites, and I really like to notice the salty part.

Melt the white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave per the melting instructions and then mix ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract into the melted goodness. Pour over the popcorn. It’s pretty important to try to pour evenly – don’t just dump it in and then toss. Try to stir the popcorn while pouring and then do some extra tossing. And, when you’re stirring and tossing, keep the utensils close to the bowl sides and bottom when you first go in – fewer broken pieces that way.

When I made it for the party, I just poured it into a bowl after coating it and took along. Even though the white chocolate hadn’t had time to solidify all the way it wasn’t gooey, and the popcorn was gobbled up quickly. Other times I’ve made it, I’ve spread it out on a baking sheet and let the coating harden up before serving it.  Additionally, I’ve tried adding little pieces of peppermint candy, but I like it better without the candy. It keeps the texture consistent.

 

 

 

See, easiest ever, huh?

Thanks to Mystery Lovers Kitchen for letting me drop by today. Hope everyone has a delicious and happy and safe holiday season.

Paige

 

Paige Shelton is the author of two mystery series. Her latest book and the fifth in her Farmers’ Market series MERRY MARKET MURDER is now available at bookstores and online everywhere. For more information on Paige or her books, visit www.paigeshelton.com

Welcome Paige Shelton and Loaded Potato Chips

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The Kitchen is delighted to welcome foodie mystery writer Paige Shelton to the blog today.  Paige is the author of the hugely popular Farmers' Market Mysteries and the Country Cooking School Mysteries.  

 

Thanks to everyone--the authors and the readers--at Mystery Lover’s Kitchen for letting me stop by today!

This recipe started out as a simple experiment: I wanted to figure out how to make baked potato chips. I love potato chips. Being more a “salt” person than a “sugar” person, I wondered if I could possibly create a “healthy” version of one of my favorite snacks – well, I should probably say a “less unhealthy” version, but I bet you get what I mean.

The experiments weren’t successful. I either burnt the “chips” or didn’t cook them thoroughly enough.   I poured on too much salt or not enough. And, nothing I created really tasted all that good.  It was a bust. I still had a couple potatoes left over, though, so before I gave up completely, I opened the fridge and realized it was time to ditch the “less unhealthy” idea and just shoot for something that simply tasted good. It turned out to be a much better plan, and, basically, another take on the loaded baked or wedged potato.

This is a very flexible recipe, so following are guidelines more than specifics.

What you’ll need:   

Baking sheet(s)
Foil
Potatoes, scrubbed clean
Vegetable Spray (I use Pam)
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon bits – I use Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon
Sour cream

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place foil on your baking sheet and spray with a liberal coat of vegetable spray.

Slice potatoes – it’s important to keep your slices all about the same diameter and thickness so they cook evenly. Don’t make the slices any thicker than about 1/8 inch, but you can also make them very thin if that’s your preference. My taste testers (husband and son) liked them best on the thicker side.

Place potato slices on the prepared foil and then spray with another coat of vegetable spray. 

Season with the Lawry’s – a little goes a long way. Even if you like salt, you might want to keep this pretty light.

Bake – to your desired consistency. Thin chips will get brown around the edges in about 7 – 10 minutes. Thicker ones will need around 20 minutes to get a little brown. I’ve never left them in a full 30 minutes. I thought crispy would be better, but my taste testers liked them best baked through but not crispy.

When they’re almost done (well, done enough to eat as is), take them out of the oven. Sprinkle a little cheese and a couple pieces of bacon bits on each potato. Place back in the oven for about 30 to 60 seconds until the cheese melts.

Serve immediately, with sour cream if desired. They go quickly. After I pulled the first successful batch out of the oven and left the kitchen for a second, the sheet was cleared by the time I returned.  Forks are needed. They seem like they should be finger food, but they really aren’t.

Of course, all potato toppings, other spices, other salts, will probably work as well, but we’re enjoying this combination so much that we haven’t tried others yet.

Enjoy!

Thanks, again, for letting me stop by. Wishing you all happy reading and yummy eating.
 

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Paige's second Country Cooking School Mystery, "If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance," will be released on October 2.  You can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indie Bound

Her next Farmers' Market Mystery, "A Killer Maize," will be out in December and is available for preorder now!

 

Celebrate with Champagne Cake!

A very warm welcome today to Paige Shelton, whose latest book, IF FRIED CHICKEN COULD FLY, was just released!  That's more than enough reason to celebrate with a cake this beautiful!

Thank you to the wonderful authors of Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for the guest post opportunity. It’s great to be here!

When I started the first book of my new series, there were a couple recipes I just knew I had to include. The title of the book is If Fried Chicken Could Fly, so, of course, I included a fried chicken recipe. But there was another recipe, one that I’d been trying to duplicate for years that I really, really wanted to add.

A couple blocks from my high-school-and-college years’ home in Des Moines, Iowa, was a place called Barbara’s Bakery. It was only a short time after we moved to Des Moines that I found Barbara’s and their amazing “Champagne Cake.” I fell in cake-love at first bite. I left Des Moines after college, and I have craved that cake ever since. As I finished If Fried Chicken Could Fly I put some extra effort into trying to duplicate Barbara’s recipe, but it was to no avail. I did come up with a yummy champagne cookie that I included in the book, but, sadly, the cake just didn’t come together.



However, even after the book was turned in, I wasn’t able to give up the quest.

 
And surprising even myself, I think I finally got it! Okay, well, not “it” exactly. Once I quit trying to duplicate Barbara’s amazing recipe and just focused on creating something that tasted so delicious that it stood on its own, a recipe came together. And the craziest part of it all was that it turned out to be incredibly simple. I mean, really simple. Box cake mix simple, in fact. I’m thrilled to share it today on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen.

Here’s Paige’s (Not-Barbara’s)
Shockingly Simple Champagne Cake recipe:

 
Ingredients:
CAKE:

1 package white cake mix

(You need a “three egg” mix. I just use Betty’s, and it has pudding in the mix.)








1 (3 1/2 oz.) package white chocolate pudding mix
(Adding this ingredient is what I think magnifies all the delicious flavors. It’s subtle, but I can tell it’s there.)


1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream 

3 eggs

1 cup chilled champagne 

(I don’t even like the taste of champagne, but I LOVE what it does to a cake. And, I like my champagne-cake champagne like I like my bubblegum: cheap, pink and sweet.)
Red food coloring



FROSTING:
1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons champagne
Silver dragees (edible/decorative balls – some people like silver edible glitter, but I’m team-dragee all the way.) 

Red food coloring



That’s it! Those are the only ingredients you need. 




 

Cake:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour the bottom and sides of two 9 inch pans.



Except for the food coloring, put all the cake ingredients into a bowl. Stir to combine, beat until blended, and then beat for 4 minutes at low speed. While you’re beating at low speed, add some drops of red food coloring until you achieve a nice pink. I use gel food coloring and it takes me a good four drops to get to pink. 





Bake in the two greased and floured pans at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes and then turn out to cool on rack.

After cake is completely cooled, place all frosting ingredients except for the food coloring into a bowl. Beat to combine and then start adding drops of food coloring until you again have a nice pink – for me this is also about 4 good-sized drops. Beat until stiff peaks form. 



Spread the frosting in between the layers:





Then frost the entire cake, and sprinkle the dragees on top:






So simple! And pretty! 







The recipe also makes about 30 cupcakes. I cut the frosting in half for cupcakes which leaves me scraping the bowl for the last few, but I find it’s wise not to have extra frosting hanging around. I can’t resist the stuff.

If you don’t want to include champagne in the frosting, you can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla per every three tablespoons of champagne.

Since the frosting is of the whipped cream variety, I keep the final cakes or cupcakes chilled. 



This is a great cake for pretty much any occasion. In fact, I’ll probably make one in a heart shape for Valentine’s Day. I might even try a green shamrock in March. 



Thanks, everyone, for letting me stop by today. I’m sending you all happy cooking, baking, eating and reading wishes!   



And, of course - Cheers!


Paige