Written by While I chose bonfire for the name of today’s prompt, because I like the name, a campfire is a bit more cozy and less flammable. Either way, the idea of being around a blazing fire at night makes my mind go to s’mores. This treat is made by roasting marshmallows on an open flame, until the edges get a bit dark and toxic, and them squishing them with a bit of chocolate bar between two graham crackers. The recipe was originally published as a “Graham Cracker Sandwich” in the 1920’s but due to its yumminess it quickly earned the nickname of “Some More” a few years later. This was eventually contracted to “S’more” and still remains a popular fireside treat today. As “recipes” go, this is one that even I can make as the cooking part is not particularly scientific, and rather fun. Blowing the flame off a hot marshmallow is oddly satisfying. And really, anything with chocolate is usually guaranteed to be delicious.
For the name of this treat, we have the Boy and Girl Scouts of America to thank. I was actually a Boy Scout when I was younger for a brief period of time. Well, in truth, I was only a Webelo and never made it to the full rank. I got a lot of badges which was pretty cool, but it was quickly determined that I just didn’t quite fit in. This has been a running theme in my life and one that used to cause grief, but I now wear as a badge of honor. As it turns out, being different is quite a fabulous thing indeed. You stand out from the crowd a bit more, and can do things the crowd only dreamed of doing. Of course, when you’re young, “fitting in” often feels like the most important thing in the world. But the beauty of getting older is that you can say “screw it” to fitting in and do what you know is personally right for you. I’ve never intentionally wanted to be a maverick or buck the system just for the sake of it. I just feel that things can always be a bit better than they are if we take the time to improve them. Why always settle for the norm?
I love seeing all the amazing things that people create in our community here on Doodlewash. The wildly different approaches and amazing paintings are so thrilling! It’s not about whether you paint abstract or realistically, it’s about how you think, and the choices that you make. These choices are what ultimately become your art, and define you as an artist. We can copy masters all day long to learn our techniques, but in the end, it’s our personal choices that make our art unique. The recipe that only we could create. Yes, we do hope that as we making our paintings, there will be people out there who will request “some more.” But, for those of us who have felt the drive to create, we know that nothing could stop us from making that next new thing. Even if nobody shows up to appreciate it. Perhaps, in our journey, something brilliant will appear. An amazing thing that feels like an innovation, born out of the simplest of ideas. Like s’mores at a campfire.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Red Rose Deep, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
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Interesting little history lesson, Charlie. Thanks and here’s to s’more of your lovely paintings and being different!
Aww thanks so much, Mickey! 😃💕
nice and beautiful thoughts on s’more Charlie!!!I’ve made bookmark and I’ll read again when something disturb my watercolor flow 🙂
Aww that’s awesome! 😃💕 And yay that you’re using the Bookmark feature… I think that’s my favorite new feature of all. I too flag posts that I love of artists to help me get through that next day of painting! It’s awesome!
Funny about feeling that you didn’t fit in to the scouting program. My sons were – are – both a bit geeky and never really fit into the middle and high school paradigm. But they excelled at Scouts and both made Eagle Scout. One of our daughters-in-law made Gold in Girl Scouts. Now our older grandson and granddaughter are both in Scouts which they love. I always felt Scouting was for the nerdy kids, all of whom made excellent students, citizens, spouses, and parents. Maybe just the area where we live fosters good scouting programs.
I’m sorry you didn’t find it a good fit for you, but you’re right about the individuality of all people being recognized as wonderful.
And as for s’mores – why do you always post these yummy temptations when it’s really too late to go shopping for the ingredients?
hehe… I love to tempt!! LOL 😃💕 Thanks, Shari! Yeah, scouts wasn’t for me, but I’m sure it’s for a lot of other people. At the time, of course, they weren’t quite as inclusive as they seem to be today. All things get better with time!
Yummy! Great detail on the chocolate bar. These days, I make mine with dark chocolate.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 And YES! Dark chocolate is the BEST!!
Yummy!
Thanks so much, Ros! 😃💕
Lovely painting and post! Fitting in is highly overrated.
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 I agree! Fitting in just means you’ve compromised in so way. I’m thrilled to be a misfit!
Charlie the bonfire i loved it . In winters we did n do .to day also. No idea what u made in that but recepi may be different. Lovely art.
I was in girls scout. And fit for that and got so many awards that time . Thanks to reminding .
Thanks, Snehlata! 😃💕 Yeah, I think this dessert was primarily American! hehe… but yay to earning awards!!
I never knew that! Actually, I’d never thought about the name Smore before, now I wonder why I never did. Lol. I like making them with Reeses peanut butter cups, or other bite-sized candy. Only one or two though for me, they’re so sweet!
Oh YUM!!! 😃💕 Chocolate and peanut butter is really match made in heaven! hehe
Love how the chocolate is melting on your s’mores. They look yummy. I’ve never had them, though. I used to enjoy a hot, melty marshmallow on a cracker slathered with peanut butter ages ago……
That sounds delicious, Susan!! 😃💕 Just add a bit of chocolate next time and you’ll have perfection! hehe
Wowww – I’ve never had this, but I want, and right now!! A ridiculously tempting doodlewash – a cracker (or four!)
Aww yay!! See? No ice cream involved so you should totally love this! hehe 😃💕 It’s really more fun to make though, I think… there are probably better desserts out there.
And no matter how many food items are named as S’mores, none of them matches the real thing. Your painting has me craving some more! One the most wonderful things about the internet, I think, is that is allows communities like Doodlewash, and interaction between like-minded souls. All that time that we didn’t fit in, and thought we were the only ones the way we were – we were just in the wrong place to meet others like us. It’s a lot easier to find our soul-friends now.
What a wonderful way to put it, Sandra! 😃💕 Exactly!! There are so many mega social networks, but they just create the same feeling. It’s wonderful to have a niche social network where you always know, no matter what, you definitely fit in!
By the way, have you ever read about the history of the Graham cracker? I won’t get into it here, but if you haven’t, you might want to look it up. It will probably give you a giggle or two.
Yes! hehe… it’s totally fun! I didn’t include it here, but it’s very interesting indeed! 😃
Great words and great job laying down the pigment 🙂 Love how you captured the break up of the toasty bits as the squashed in the graham crackers.
Thanks so much, Tom!! 😃💕 Glad ya liked this!
Oh how fun is this!!! 👏🏻❣️👏🏻 What’s double fun is that my son-in-law and daughter are at our church this very night with their patio table fire pit, and all the fixings for s’mores for our Trunk-or-Treat event! Last year over 200 were made and they expect more this year as it was a fairly new event then. We were so surprised to hear that not only had many of the children never made a s’more, but neither had their parents nor did they know what they were. My kids were eating them by age 2 I’m sure. lol It’s 38 degrees here today so I expect their trunk-or-treat will be the hangout place. ❤️
Oh wow!! That’s amazing… over 200 s’mores is just the best thing in the world! Love it!! 😃💕
I always tell my daughter, “normal is highly over-rated, if everyone were the same the world would be a boring place indeed”. When I was younger I did try to fit in, but like you, as I have gotten older it is far more to be myself. And it is even more fun to watch my daughter learning that lesson so early in life.
I can only imagine how amazing it is to see that journey once more. But yeah, we all had to figure it out for ourselves in the end. 😉💕