I write this post as I decompress from several days of celebration, chaos, and cold.  I hope that all of you had a joyous Christmas, and were able to spend time doing what you like with those who you like.  I hope that you got great gifts, whether under your tree or in your hearts.  And I hope that you were filled with treats and the wild abandon of all healthful eating for just one week.  Back to the gym in January, ok?

As for me, my Christmas ended with a blizzard that we’re still recovering from.  We are buried under 26″ of the white stuff.  Side streets have yet to be plowed, cars are under drifts of snow, and the heat in my building is doing an inadequate job.  I snapped this picture of Times Square on Monday night.  (Sorry, just a camera phone shot.)

To make matters worse, the snow on my roof is heavy and melting just a bit, causing a leaky crack in my ceiling.  (We urbanites have flat roofs, you know….)  This would be the perfect time to warm up the house by turning on the stove and using the brand new KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer that I got myself for Christmas.  Oooooh my gosh, YES!  It’s black and shiny and I loooove it.  I know you aren’t supposed to love material things but I do, so there.

In my continuing attempt to stay warm, I made some hot chocolate (cheated with the powdery stuff) with homemade pumpkin marshmallows.  I don’t even usually like pumpkin but these are good.  And I never knew how easy marshmallows are to make.  Don’t be surprised if more, new flavors, pop up sometime on this blog!

Pumpkin Marshmallows
source: Oven Love

1 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (0.4 oz on the scale)
1/4 c cold water
1 c sugar
1/3 c light corn syrup
2 T water
1/4 c pumpkin puree
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/8 t grated nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1/8 t salt
6 graham crackers

• Line an 8×8 pan with plastic wrap and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.
• Put gelatin and 1/4 c cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Allow it to sit and bloom for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bringing it to a boil.  Once boiling begins, do not stir.
• Bring temperature of syrup up to 250 degrees, or until a drop of syrup dropped into a glass of cold water forms a rigid ball.
• In a separate small bowl, combine pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• With the wire whip attachment, start the mixer on low speed.  Carefully add the boiling sugar mixture to the gelatin.  Increase speed to medium-high and add salt.  Mix until stiff, shiny, and white, about 5-7 minutes.
• Remove bowl from mixer and fold in pumpkin mixture to combine.
• Return to mixer and mix for another 3 minutes.  When you are done, if you dip a spatula into the pumpkin and a continuous ribbon runs off the spatula back into the bowl, you’re good.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours.
• Crumble graham crackers in a food processor to create fine crumbs.
• Lift plastic wrap to remove marshmallows from the pan and place on a cutting board.  Cut into 1×1 squares using a pizza cutter sprayed with nonstick spray.
• In a shallow bowl or plastic bag, toss marshmallows in graham cracker crumbs for a nice coating.
• Eat fresh or store in airtight container for a week or freezer for a month.

makes: 40 marshmallows
calories: 30 per marshmallow