those who know me know about my obsession with camping. when i was nine i begged my mom to buy me a tent for christmas in hopes that once she bought the tent we proceed to the next logical step…a camping trip. my elementary school heart sank when i found out that camping was something that would never be on my mom’s agenda. to call my mom a neat freak is a gross understatement and there isn’t enough lysol in the world to comfort her in the woods. i’ve actually only been camping once, last year for my birthday. you can check out my first and only camping trip here. the trip only fueled my obsession and i’m happy to say that this week i’ll be embarking on my second camping trip. this time we’re going tent-free as we’ll be camping out in the bodega dunes in my beau’s family’s huge trailer, complete with a queen size bed, oven, stove, bathroom and all the amenities we’d miss. i’m looking forward to starry nights, reading, writing, making some art in my sketchbook, coming home with clothes drenched in 
campfire smoke and making smores! trying to perfect the perfect smore i decided to try my hand at making homemade marshmallows. with a little (okay a lot) of help from my new favorite DIY kitchen book jam it, pickle it, cure it and other kitchen projects by karen solomon i got to work and made my very first homemade marshmallows. you can too!
what to get:
2/3 cup water
3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of light corn syrup
a bit of sea salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of powered sugar
what to do:
1. use vegetable oil to oil and 8 x 8 inch pan and coat with powered 
sugar
2. pour 1/3 cup of water in a bowl, add gelatin and let stand 10 minutes
3. put 1/3 cup of water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan. cook without stirring until it reaches 240 degrees (use a candy thermometer)
4. use a mixer on low while adding the hot syrup to the gelatin. add vanilla and then beat on high for 10 or so minutes (mixture will be thick and sticky)
5. spread the mixture in the 8 x 8 inch pan and use a spatula to flatten and get it into corners
6. set aside until firm (about an hour)
7. remove the huge marshmallow from the pan (use a wet knife to help wedge it out)
8. cut the big marshmallow into squares and roll them in either plain powered sugar or for chocolate dusted ones, roll them in a 
mixture of cocoa power and powered sugar.
9. store in a cool dry place in a plastic bag
