The ingredients listed above are a not-so-secret recipe for something many of you may have indulged in over the weekend. I had two.
Of course, I am referencing one of the easiest North American snacks to make — and one of the more difficult ones to spell. Is it a s’more? Or a smore? Or some other variation? I am not sure, but I know one thing; it is delicious.
We spent a portion of two evenings this past weekend with friends and family around two separate campfires. After shaking the bit of residual rust off the campfire skewers, we settled in to the snaps, crackles and pops of the firewood and got sticky.
Those of you who have done the same, whether in recent years or not, know there is a science to making a s’more, and it really depends on who the s’more chef is. Some purists like their marshmallows mostly raw. Others prefer them charred to a crispy crunch. I want mine somewhere in the middle — golden brown and gooey.
The name s’more is said to be a contraction of the phrase “some more.” The initial recipe apparently was in a Campfire Marshmallows cookbook in the early 1920s. Back then, it was called a “Graham Cracker Sandwich,” and why not? The article I read said this was already a popular treat with both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. Not too many years later, a recipe for “Some More” was published in the now awkwardly named “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.” A variation of names followed, including “marshmallow toasts” and “s’mores hikes.”
My oldest daughter, Sara, makes s’mores in the microwave “Hamilton-style,” fondly named after one of her favorite elementary school teachers who made these in her classroom. It’s not quite the same, but it works in a pinch. Some people even make s’mores in the oven, over a stove’s flame, in an air fryer, or in a panini press. Seriously.
My middle daughter, Samantha, swaps the Hershey chocolate bar for a mini-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, and it is truly mouth-watering. I have been told that Nutella or Peeps are delicious, too, but I am eagerly awaiting Easter time to try a s’more with a Cadbury Crème Egg.
My youngest daughter, Abby, simply makes sure we have all the necessary materials to make s’mores, and she is kind enough to make one for me each time. And if I want a second? I just have to ask for s’more.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
