From homemade marshmallows. Most delicious dessert ever.

2/19/2010 10:22:07 PM

I imagine you won't be getting many posts, so here's one

2/19/2010 10:23:03 PM

Post.

Holy crap. It's so good.

2/19/2010 10:25:38 PM

Useless without pics.

2/19/2010 10:27:37 PM

If you make a thread titled "Post Here When You've Just Eaten a S'more Cake" then invite me over, I could post in it...

2/19/2010 10:27:42 PM

Useless without pics

2/19/2010 10:29:12 PM

Pics to come.

Pete, call me if you want one.

2/19/2010 10:29:43 PM

Haha, I'm just kidding

[Edited on February 19, 2010 at 10:30 PM. Reason : Actually, let me wait to make that decision after the pics...]

2/19/2010 10:30:20 PM

Well, one of the next ones we make will be yours.

2/19/2010 10:32:25 PM

Paging MrsCake

2/19/2010 10:37:14 PM

i wish sonic still had the s'mores milkshake.

2/19/2010 10:39:40 PM

I realize this thread is about those who have just made a s'more cake.... which I have not. Hear me out, maybe I can offer some insight.

I am in outside sales, which is currently salary+commission, but will move into straight commission starting at the beginning of July 2010. I have been in this position since July 2009. I have competition from several direct manufacturing sales reps, large distributors, and local distributors. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Direct Advantages: Immediate knowledge of new technology, no middle man mark up, one shipping bill (paid by manufacturer or buyer of goods), access to larger range of non-commodity items, control inventory, have access to many distributors that can effectively sell their goods which increases market share, and set prices of commodity they manufacture.

Direct disadvantages: Typically have 1-3 sales reps per region (i.e. southeast, mid-atlantic, northeast, etc.) limiting the number of accounts they can successfully manage/cold-call, lack physical customer service or physical technical service available to or affordable for smaller users or altogether, are sometimes not trustworthy because they will go in behind their distributors that sell their commodity to one account in large quantities (i.e. they missed a big account, and have found out about it through a distributor selling their particular product) which leads to the distributor not selling their product anymore, have too many distributors selling the product ultimately driving the set price down through deviations, possibly rely on distributors to actually sell the product, and competition from other direct sources.

Large distributor advantages: have access to other commodities that go hand in hand with other manufacturers (poor example- grocery stores sell milk as well as cereal), get direct pricing, many locations regionally or nationally easing the shipping burden of buyers with multiple locations, personal service either customer or technical, many sales reps that are able to cover a broader territory, access to multiple manufacturers of the same commodity allowing to keep prices in check, service programs that smaller companies can't offer and direct providers can't match in price or value, and experts of many many commodities as opposed to one or a few.

Large distributor disadvantages: smaller local distributors creating price wars (think Michael Scott Paper Co vs Dunder-Mifflin), direct mfg's going in behind and stealing business, limited access to all of the mfg's (you won't find Harris Teeter name brands in Food Lion and visa versa), can't truly set prices because it's based on both supply and demand, territory management, and tough growth prospects in slower economies (this is true for direct as well really)

Local distributor advantages: Typically a good ol' boy setting where the seller and the buyer know each other for years (this does happen at all levels, but mostly at the local level), local folks are right down the street and can be used in emergencies, if the local guy buys at high enough volumes then there is no shipping charge to the end user, and access to both direct mfg's and large distributors.

Local distributor disadvantages: easily beaten in price, array of commodities, array of technology, lack of trained staff, low cash flow, etc etc etc.

This is what I have noticed in my six months, I am sure there are plenty more that need mentioning. The way I am setting myself apart as a sales person is this: I go after the big accounts right now while I am new. The big accounts, if I land them, will take care of me while I am new and building a customer base. The money made off of those allows me to focus free time on smaller accounts that get me higher margins. I build up big accounts, I would like to have 5-10 of these, then get 20-30 medium accounts. If I lose 1 or 2 big accounts, the 20-30 medium accounts keep me afloat while I go after new big accounts. I don't really waste time on small accounts simply because they basically pay for breakfast or something really small.

I will say this, if you can't get a big account in the first 6-8 months (assuming you have cash flow that you can ride this long) you could be in a world of trouble. If you can get one, it will really make going after the others a lot more enjoyable and less stressful. It's simply just very exhausting wasting any time on anything other than big accounts in the very beginning. You work just as hard on the medium sized accounts and see 1/3 to 1/36 of the money in my situation.

If you have any other questions, you can PM me. I hope this helps in the slightest!

2/19/2010 10:49:29 PM

[Edited on February 19, 2010 at 11:01 PM. Reason : V ]

2/19/2010 10:54:05 PM

Useles without better pics

2/19/2010 11:00:10 PM

What you think, pete?

2/19/2010 11:01:43 PM

ahttp://www...

2/19/2010 11:03:53 PM

Holy shnikies that looks amazing. I'm going to have to pass though

2/19/2010 11:17:28 PM

1) omg can I come visit?
2) homemade marshmallows? I am intrigued!

2/19/2010 11:24:07 PM

^

my thoughts exactly

2/19/2010 11:24:47 PM

make me one. better use the heart shaped pan too

2/19/2010 11:34:18 PM

Thread useless* without "The Sandlot" quotes





* - less fun, for-ev-er

2/19/2010 11:34:37 PM

homemade marshmallows seem like overkill. the end result doesn't justify the effort.

2/19/2010 11:35:19 PM

Quote :

"2) homemade marshmallows? I am intrigued!"

they're delicious! they're creamier and thicker than regular ones, and have a much better flavor. I had vanilla bean ones a while ago and they made a great addition to my coffee.

2/19/2010 11:38:20 PM

The S'more Cake idea came after the homemade marshmallows were made.

2/20/2010 4:01:11 PM

Aww I wish I'd seen you guys' posts before lunch today. I would have shared.

I got an itch to make the marshmallows last weekend, and we had a bunch left so we were talking about what to do with them. Somehow this idea evolved. And the top is one giant marshmallow we cut to fit the top. They are definitely nommier than store-bought marshmallows

2/20/2010 5:23:58 PM

some more of what cake??

There you go, spontaneous.

2/20/2010 5:28:20 PM

my mom has that coffee maker

2/20/2010 5:29:12 PM

You can identify your mom's coffee maker by the drip plate? Impressive. I love my coffee maker.

2/20/2010 5:31:53 PM

think so

it's one of those potless coffee makers with a big grey button thing you press with your cup to dispense

course i haven't seen the thing in several months and never really paid it any attention so i could be way off

2/20/2010 5:35:22 PM

so what exactly is the recipe?

2/20/2010 5:37:51 PM

^^ It is. That's why I like it.

^ We made a graham cracker crust and then filled it with chocolate and topped it with a big marshmallow, then you bake it till it's gooey. So it's not exactly a cake, but whatever.

2/20/2010 5:45:43 PM

awesome

and yet i can't be sure i closed my garage 4 hours ago

retarded memory

2/20/2010 5:48:44 PM

^^ so the big marshmellow melted down all smooth before burning?

that is my biggest concern

2/20/2010 5:53:39 PM

It was pretty smooth beforehand because you make them in a sheet pan. But yeah, it melts out a little and gets all nice and crispy on top and super gooey and melted under the surface like a roasted one. I wanted to get a picture of what happens if you lift up the crunchy part and can see the gooeyness, but we ate it instead. Oops.

2/20/2010 5:57:52 PM

hm well if you had it in a pie dish with more of everything you could at least call it a legit pie

2/20/2010 6:01:12 PM

That's what I called it, but he made the thread and I didn't want to step on his toes. And if we made it in a pie dish it wouldn't be heart shaped!

2/20/2010 6:09:29 PM

Quote :

"homemade marshmallows seem like overkill. the end result doesn't justify the effort."

I used to think that until I made some for this project:



Making different flavored marshmallows ftw

2/20/2010 6:17:57 PM

Yeah, making the marshmallow was actually pretty easy (if a little messy) and really fun. I want to try flavoring them all kinds of different ways now. We already coated some in chocolate powder and some in candy sugar, but next time I'm mixing in flavors. I am thinking raspberry marshmallows have definite potential.

2/20/2010 6:21:26 PM

I made lemon ones and strawberry ones when I made them. They were tasty.

2/20/2010 6:25:43 PM

^^^ that is really awesome

2/20/2010 6:45:03 PM

how do you make good marshmellow without a jet puffer?

2/20/2010 7:02:00 PM

You make some plain sugar candy and mix it with gelatin and egg whites in an electric mixer till it's all fluffy, then pour it in a pan and let it cool.

2/20/2010 7:25:37 PM

i think i just gained 10 lbs looking at those pictures

2/20/2010 7:26:00 PM

This thread has inspired me to say "yes" when Z asked about having a fire tonight.

Because now I want smores, dammit

2/20/2010 7:31:50 PM

Make sweet love by the fire.

2/20/2010 8:25:50 PM

Quote :

"that is really awesome"

Thanks

2/21/2010 6:34:42 AM

i see S'more Cake in Peter's fridge

2/21/2010 10:45:29 AM

DELICIOUS!

A++++++ would eat again!!

2/22/2010 9:48:10 PM

2/22/2010 9:48:47 PM

2/22/2010 9:49:59 PM