homemade coffee marshmallows equal a (smooth) segue onto a rocky road of some sort :::: 
Hearing the words “rocky road” doesn’t conjure up candy to some people, but the feelings from a rough year or a troublesome trip on an unkempt path, a physical or proverbial one felled by some natural disaster or emotional upheaval. We have friends this year who have had family deaths, financial issues, major career changes, and witnessed fatal disasters like the Philippine typhoon Haiyan and the midwestern U.S. tornadoes, hitting close to my parents’ home in Illinois.
There are many people ready to springboard from 2013 into a new year, hoping for a smoother ride. So here we are. Let the only rocky roads we encounter be that of sweets, like my coffee-spiked rocky road candy. If looking to ride into a year of fun cooking, new virtual hoarding of recipes on my part, look into Inking interactive books for iPad, iPhone, and the web. I was asked by the company to check out their Modernist Cuisine at Home book. For those of us who want to be a little more adventurous in the kitchen, experimenting with some of the modern, the molecular gastronomy, or delving back into the basics, Inkling might just have something for you. Check out the food and drink category page specifically, and you’ll find all sorts of cookbooks. They also have other topics available, such as various medical specialty textbooks, music, home and gardening, photography (I need this, too!) and more.
Here’s to a new year full of new adventures, more happy than sad, hopefully!
One year ago: indian eggs and potatoes (unday aur aloo)
Two years ago: bacon butty
- 12 ounces (about 350g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 cup (100g) almonds, roasted and roughly chopped
- 1 cup (100g) cashews, roasted and roughly chopped
- 3 cups (250g) homemade coffee marshmallows*
- 1½ tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped (VERY optional)**
- special equipment: double boiler
- Line a 9x9-inch or larger pan with parchment paper. I like using a larger pan so as to not cram the Rocky Road into a small space. I like the rough edges, much like a rocky, bumpy road.
- Fill double boiler with water, making sure water is not touching bottom of the bowl and that the water is not boiling, melt the chocolate, stirring frequently.***
- While the chocolate is melting, measure and mix the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.
- When chocolate is melted, drizzle over the marshmallow-nut-ginger mixture and stir with a bug spoon to combine.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread slightly to even out. Set aside for at least 2 hours to firm up.
- Slice with a hot a knife. This can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week.
