This is Catfish Lake at beautiful Camp Ojibwa in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Mark it well, Dear Readers, for it is the site of one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of ideas.
I was sitting by its shores- as I am wont to do each morning that I am at Post Camp. And I was drinking my customary hot chocolate out of its customary white, styrofoam cup.
Now I have been drinking hot chocolate for years. Both at Post Camp and at Café Suzanne on Snowmass Mountain.
Here is the hot chocolate machine featured at both places.
I bet you know how this works.
Here is the bowl of mini marshmallows that sits next to the machine.
My drill was easy.
- Get cup
2. Fill cup with hot chocolate
3. Add mini marshmallows carefully as to not overfill the cup
But one morning, sitting by the lake, I had a FLASH of inspiration.
PUT THE MARSHMALLOWS IN FIRST!
OMG! It was an Eureka moment.
The next morning, my hand was shaking as I tested my brilliant new theory.
Here are my field notes:
This morning, I took a regulation white styrofoam cup and put in about one half inch of mini marshmallows.
Then I placed the cup under the spigot of hot chocolate of the hot chocolate machine and pressed the “on” button.
The cup filled up and before the liquid and marshmallows reached the top, I let go of the button.
This test was a complete 100% success.
I, Ellen Ross, inventor of the “marshmallows in first” theory or “M into HC = WOW” hereby pass on my invention/brainstorm to all of humanity free of charge.
I don’t want one penny for the my betterment of cocoa-drinking mankind all over the world.
And don’t bother to thank me the next time you try it.
I’ll be too busy practicing my speech for the committee in Stockholm.
Would you call this a “puft” piece?
Good one. 😊
Dear Ellen, I am so sorry that I didn’t tell you this years ago, but I never thought that a woman of your intellect and ingenuity wouldn’t know this instinctively. Of course you want the marshmallows to melt into the hot chocolate, and how can they do that if they are floating on top?
I think that we missed connecting on this important matter because you have your hot chocolate in the morning and I have mine at night. We really have to look at what else we may be disconnected on…
Are you playing Tesla to my Edison? Do you have documentation as to when you patented this discovery? My Intellectual Property attorney will be in touch with you shortly. Perhaps we can co-accept?
You go, girl! Although my dislike of Camp Ojibwa was molded into my very young psyche, by my brothers 5 years at Menominee and my subsequent 5 years , it’s as ignorant as racial prejudice. We were taught to hate at very young ages. (Thank goodness it stopped there). But small innovations like this should never go overlooked,
and after a lifetime of very small innovations, I heartily applaud you. I would only be upset if the Nobel Committee put you into
the physics category and somehow my son never got his chance. Other than that small caveat, I am rooting for YOU!!! I just better be in the guest list in Stockholm. 😀😘
I’ll ignore all the Ojibwa (jealous) dissing. I would never want to go up against your brilliant son. I hear he is quite a viable contender. I’m putting myself therefore into the “Peace” category and will be accepting in Oslo. You’re invited.
To your invention,I am my own. The Reese’s peanut butter cup Smore. One question,
don’t they have the white ceramic coffee/hot chocolate cups for drinking up there?
Hmmm. Fascinating. I’ll pass that idea along to my s’more-loving fellow campers. And good question. Too much clean up?
Couple of more culinary tips:
Always have cold drinks (ice tea, coke, water, etc ) with easy ice and no straw.
Tastes so much better.
And, never order a hot fudge sundae. It immediately melts the ice cream. Order plain chocolate syrup, instead!
Thanks, all good suggestions. Except one. I Oder a hot fudge sundae only to eat the hot fudge and whipped cream. Who needs the ice cream?
I am so jealous Ellen. I am like a mad scientist when it comes to creating new ice cream flavors. These are 3 flavors I really put together…
I tried to “steak” my claim to greatness by putting Worcestershire Sauce on vanilla ice cream. Failure!
I tried putting Tabasco on it. Not a hot idea.
I even tried putting pickles in the ice cream, after all how could so many pregnant women be wrong?
And to think that all it took was marshmallows first to get to Oslo.
Sorry, Steve. They all sounded like sure fire winners to me. I’ll give you a shoutout when I meet the King.
Apparently you don’t go food shopping at normal grocery stores. Swiss Miss has hadthe “Mini Marshmallow in the can” option for a number of years. Hot chocolate isn’t just for Camp anymore.
Sorry, Dave. Been there. Drank that. Ick. My invention still stands. 😊