European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I Lal Laveen Ruic Ike Onta Irr. .1 ring ind i  with Powers to pred i the iut it. On the morning after All i Fallows t pc the s ots  an Oatmeal porridge tailed Onvan named after the Druid lord of death Sambain pronounced sow an. The  of the  Region observe All souls Day with Rrt on  tempi to i  Del porno Dri morn a special dish made with chickpeas the meal from a i s head onions carrots Sage and Rosemary. Another customary italian dish is boiled meat accompanied by tiny cucumbers and pickled peppers. Sicilians celebrate with in Atli i Moni fruits of the dead elaborately decorated pastries made from Almond paste and pupi i tuck hero Candy dolls Given to children supposedly by the souls of their benign deceased relatives. And throughout Italy on nov. 1, you la find rave Del morn Beans of the dead Whir it Are actually Small mar Iran cakes formed into i Aris a shape that has Situ e ancient times been associated with death and the souls of the departed. The Spanish celebrate All souls Day with Hue sos do  Saint s Bon Salmond paste confections filled with candied egg Yolks and shaped to resemble human Bones. Another Spanish specially is 6unue/os be Vit no puffs of win Small fritters deep Fried like doughnuts and dusted with confectioners sugar. The portuguese also make several kinds of Almond pastries for the Day of the dead plus Brittle sweets known As 6ro,is Dos  saints cakes. And in Mexico All souls Day is the occasion for a Vest characterised by macabre candies shaped like skulls skeletons coffins and tombs anti by a special buttery yeast cake Flavoured with Anise and Orange Blossom water. In the United slates marshmallows Are one of the foods that has become associated with halloween. I Don t know How marshmallows came to be connected with this Holiday but i do know How they acquired their name. Soft and spongy these confections were originally made from the Glutinous Root of the Marsh Mallow Plant which belongs to the same family of plants As hollyhocks okra and Cotton. Today marshmallows contain Gelatin instead of Marsh Mallow roots and they can easily be made at Home with common ingredients found in any Kitchen. Marshmallows have several uses As a Candy As an ingredient in ice creams confections dessert sauces puddings mousses fruit salads brownies cakes icings and Gelatin desserts and of course As that traditional Arm Man Topping or baked yams or Sweet potatoes. But in my opinion the Best Way to eat marshmallows is to Toast them on a Fork skewer or stick Over an open fire preferably a Wood fire. Gooey Sweet and so hot they Burn your Tongue roasted marshmallows have an incomparable flavor. Moreno than the taste of candied apples or caramels or pumpkin the flavor of hot roasted marshmallows is for me the taste of halloween. There Are several ways to make these confections that my husband s Grandfather called Sec tend puffs of  some recipes require that you Start by making a sugar syrup boiled to the soft Ball stage 240 degrees of others include beaten egg Whites similar to recipes for divinity Candy. But the following recipe is an especially easy one that needs Little cooking and requires no Tricky techniques. An electric mixer is essential however As is the beating time of 15 minutes. It s also Best to make marshmallows on a dry Day because they won t firm up As Well when the air is humid. These marshmallows Are so delicious that you la want to make More than one Batch of them. If so make several single batches in succession. Don t try to double or triple the recipe because Large quantities of the marshmallow mixture Are too difficult to work with at one time. And after you be mastered the Basic recipe try some of the tasty variations containing Brown sugar fruits or null. Marshmallows 4 Teaspoons 2 Standard envelopes Una voted Gelatin i cup water a cup confectioners sugar 2 Tablespoons cornstarch vegetable Oil Neutral tasting i cup granulated sugar /2 cup Light Corn syrup 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract 1 a Teaspoon Salt Combine the Gelatin and water in a Small Saui pan. Set aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the next ingredients. Sift the on Fec to Norrs sugar .me1 cornstarch into a Small bowl. Lightly Oil the inside of an 0-Inch Square baking pan and dust it thoroughly with 1 Tablespoon of the  mixture leaving any excess in the pan. Set aside the remaining sugar cornstarch mixture. Add the granulated sugar to the Gelatin mixture in the Saucepan. Cook Over moderately Low heat stirring constantly until the Gelatin and sugar Are dissolved the mixture will no longer feel Gritty when you rub he Back of the spoon against the sides of the pan. Transfer the Gelatin sugar mixture to a Large 3-quart bowl. Stir in the Corn syrup Vanilla extract and Salt. Using an electric mixer on High Speed beat the mixture continuously for 15 minutes until it is very White Fluffy and thick. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use a rubber Spatula to spread it in an even layer in the pan. Let the mixture sit uncovered at room temperature for 2 hours or until it is firm. Fill a tall Glass with cold tap water. Spread the remaining sugar cornstarch mixture on a Large baking Sheet a Jelly Roll pan is Ideal. Place a layer of paper towels on a Large wire Cooling rack and set it near the baking Sheet. Using a Sharp knife dip the knife into the water and Cut the marshmallow mixture into quarters. Pick up one of the quarters and set it on the sugar coated baking Sheet. Wetting the knife each time before you use it Cut the mixture into 9 even size pieces for Standard size marshmallows or into 16 even size pieces for smaller 1-Inch-Square marshmallows. Roll each marshmallow thoroughly in the sugar cornstarch mixture coating each Side of the marshmallow. Set the marshmallows about / Inch apart on the paper towels on the wire rack. Continue this process until you have Cut each Quarter of the mixture into the desired number of marshmallows. Let the marshmallows air dry uncovered overnight. They can be stored in an airtight Container for up to 1 month. Makes 36 Starlard Sie marshmallows or 64 smaller 1-Inch marshmallows. Variations Caramel marshmallows substitute cup dark Brown sugar for the granulated sugar and i cup dark Corn syrup for the Light Corn syrup. Chocolate coated marshmallows sift together \ i cup confectioners sugar and a cup unsweetened  powder. Use this mixture to dust the pan and dredge the marshmallows instead of the confectioners sugar cornstarch mixture. Dried fruit marshmallows ust before you pour the thick marshmallow mixture into the pan to set fold in i to 1 cup finely chopped dates figs raisins candied fruit or candied Peel. Lemon or Orange marshmallows substitute i cup fresh Lemon juice or Orange juice for the water that the Gelatin is dissolved in. After the marshmallow mixture has been beaten and just before you pour it into the pan to set fold in 1 Tablespoon freshly grated Lemon or Orange Peel. These marshmallows should be stored in an airtight Container in the refrigerator. Before serving Roll them in additional sifted confectioners sugar if desired. Mint marshmallows add / Teaspoon Peppermint extract to the recipe when you add the Vanilla extract. Mocha marshmallows using the Basic recipe dissolve 2 Teaspoons instant Coffee powder Wilb the Gelatin in the water. Substitute a cup dark Brown sugar for the granulated sugar and cup dark Corn syrup for the Light Corn syrup. Nutly marshmallows just before you pour the thick marshmallow mixture into the pan to set fold in i to 1 cup toasted finely chopped null walnuts peanuts hazelnuts pecans almonds Etc. Mix and Malch marshmallows use a combination of the previously suggested marshmallow flavourings such As Caramel nut mocha nut chocolate coated Orange Lemon Date dried fruit and nut chocolate coated mint Etc. Success in t in the Eye of the beholder by miss manners United feature Syndicate dear miss manners seven years ago when my husband was 34, he decided to change careers and go to Law school. We financed the change by liquidating All our assets and Selling our House. I returned to school also and then got pregnant so when he became a lawyer we had a 10-Monlh-old daughter and no Money. He to now doing very Well working in a Silicon Valley firm. His prospects Are excellent and he enjoys his work. The problem is that the people we meet who Are our age arc financially established while we re raising our daughters in a two bedroom apartment and Are still struggling to make ends meet. It is difficult to reciprocate when we Are entertained although that in t a Barrier to seeing Good friends. But i have difficulty with some of the people i be met through play grounds and preschool whose children play with mine. Some people ask me almost every time we meet when we re going to buy 2 House or comment on what a shame it is that we Don t live in one. The worst offenders Are people who be made Money in real estate and behave As if they invented capitalism. They suggest that we Don t understand the real estate Market and Are incapable of acting on in own interests. At a children s birthday party recently the Host interrupted a conversation about houses to ask if the topic depressed me. Then he turned to the now silent guests and said Debbie lives in a two bedroom  we live As we feel we can afford to live. We have a Happy family life and have had nothing but compliments on our two daughters now 2 and 4 i. T did t feel they la be adversely affected by living in an apartment for a few More years nor do i feel that this should concern anyone else. At the same party i mentioned that i planned to return to my journalism career next year. Another Mother said what you mean writing for a newspaper and wrinkled her nose. Why Don t you go into television that s where the Money  i said that was t what i wanted to do. Well she shrugged if you re Happy. I m sure our problems Are aggravated because we live in Silicon Valley where people have High incomes and indulge in ostentatious displays of wealth. Nevertheless i m really tired of such treatment. It would be difficult to Stop seeing some of these people partly because they re friends but Why should i put up with them gentle Reader Why indeed if you insist upon considering such people friends there is a perfectly polite Way to show them that they arc terribly rude in presuming to teach you How to run your life and Are Only succeeding in demonstrating How shallow their values Are. Listen to their remarks and then with a Wistful smile As if you Wei e admitting to some Lack say mow that you mention it i suppose a great Many people do find that they need a lot of Money or an expensive House to be Happy. I Don t know Why but we just never Felt it was All that  that should make them Good and ashamed. October .77, 7985 stripes Magazine