Page 139 in this issue of Martha Stewart Weddings (sorry for the rather crappy photo which makes the hearts look totally weird - it’s dark outside and raining again. Gee, imagine that).

You know the scene in Close Encounters, when he’s playing with the mashed potatoes. That’s me, except with marshmallows - stacking, restacking, arranging and rearranging. Seriously, how many times can I photograph a marshmallow? I think this is my best work yet, however, and I’m considering doing a series of marshmallow photos as art prints. So what are these? We finally found a beer that works quite well with the marshmallow, Fort Collins Chocolate Stout, and the result is quite interesting. I can’t quite describe the flavor, but it does have a distinct flavor that doesn’t make you feel like you’re, well…eating a beer marshmallow. In fact, I think it gets better with age. They’re going to go into our Father’s Day gift boxes. And this below? That’s brittle - Cashew Cocoa Nib Chipotle Brittle. That will also be in the gift box as well. Look for them in all our stores.

Ok, I never thought about rice krispie treats until a few people inquired about them, and then I did that poll on twitter where everyone was “duh, of course you should sell them”, so after one miserably failed attempt a few weeks ago, Mark made a batch that came out crispy, a bit chewy, and light and dense at the same time. I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten a rice krispy treat - I’ve always thought of them as sticky sweet things that I didn’t much like, but I am a convert now.

We’ll most likely have some for sale tomorrow at the Flea so swing on by.

Beer? Yes, stout. Guinness to be exact, though other stouts will be tested (got any suggestions??). Marshmallow? Yes! Interesting enough to enter the Brooklyn Beer Experiment? What do you think?

It’s our Etsy anniversary which means that a year ago today we opened up shop for online orders. Etsy was initially supposed to be a temporary venue until we had our own website outfitted with e-commerce but it’s been so good to us that we’ve decided to keep it open. We quietly passed the day that we officially consider our first day of business, April 6th which was the first day of the Brooklyn Flea, but the Flea is returning this Saturday, April 18th to what it supposed to be warm and sunny weather. Last year at the inaugural opening, it was damn chilly and we froze our butts off, but it was such a memorable day. I still remember the very first sale that we made to our first customer not long after doors opened. I practically jumped up and down and hugged the poor unsuspecting guy. In related news, we had a nice mention in this New York Magazine article about food at the Flea.

So to celebrate this month of anniversaries we’re hosting a giveaway to our beloved blog readers. 2 people, chosen at random, will win their choice of 3 products or one of our Classic or Herbs & Spices gift boxes. Just leave a comment, any comment. Winners will be picked next Monday. **Note, my friend just reminded me that yes, the giveaway is only open to US folks - we are so sorry that international shipping isn’t cheaper or faster.

Oh, and yes, the lemongrass marshmallows are finally in the shops, new photos and all.

UPDATE: Winners announced! Many thanks to all who entered and congrats to our winners Jackie and Darleen!

Have you ever heard of lemongrass marshmallows? Long-time readers might recall that we made them for a Fragrance Foundation event last year, but in thinking about some new Spring flavors, it immediately came to mind. We’ve been very slow to list them in our shops as we’ve been very busy, and for whatever reason, I’ve been having a hard tome photographing them (how many different ways can you photograph a marshmallow?). We did actually sell a package to a marshmallow lover as part of a 4 flavor gift order and got really good response. So what does it taste like? It’s got the refreshing flavor of lemon, though subtle, with an interesting bite to it. Sort of hard to explain, but I like them. Marshmallow season will soon be over as hopefully we’ll transition to ice cold drinks soon, but these lemongrass marshmallows are sort of perfect for spring. As soon as we get our labels, they’ll be in the shops.

And we dropped off these packages of cardamom marshmallows, rose hearts, and label samples to Martha Stewart Weddings today. Like most press inquiries, some things pan out and some things don’t, but it’d be really cool if our marshmallows did make it into the photoshoot. Most of our wedding favor clients have chosen to do their own labels, but I quickly made up some samples over the weekend for today’s delivery upon their request. They may end up becoming templates for labels that we can offer, in addition to the cookies and sweets that make nice wedding favors.

I guess we are embracing all that is cute, pink and sweet with these vanilla marshmallow hearts, flavored with a subtle hint of rose. They are starting to make their appearance in all of our online stores and are impossibly cute and soft looking in a cup of hot cocoa/tea/coffee. Stay tuned for more Valentine’s Day goodness.