summer

again, not the season. but i like that too.  my friend, summer.  this is the third in the "people in my food life" series on the blog.  you can find one and two here. 
my mom friend, summer, makes homemade marshmallows.  they are hand poured and hand crafted.  they come in flavors like chai, toasted coconut, vanilla bean, and red hot candy. my favorite is toasted coconut.  it's like crack.  at least i think so, i've never had crack.  so i guess it is what i imagine crack to be.  she sells them at heartland bakery in elkhorn.  and on facebook during the holidays.  jet puff marshmallows will never do after you've had summer's marshmallows.  i mean, do you know anyone who makes their own marshmallows!?! summer is the kind of cook who trys something and decides she could replicate it.  probably even make it better.  and then she proceeds to try and try until she nails it.  the science behind food really trips her trigger. 
summer is also writing a cook book about the local food scene in nebraska and iowa.  it will profile and celebrate the growers, their farms, and the restaurants who sell the stuff.  
and she has a two year old who is being potty trained. AND she is having a baby in april. seriously. oh, and she blogs on a regular basis.
so in 2009 she become a mother for the first time.  in 2010, she became a bakery owner. in 2011, she will have had her first daughter.  in 2012, she will become a published author.
summer is someone who loves projects that make people feel good about themselves and their community.  she's also the executive editor of this newspaper. 
she is someone who believes you can have your cake and eat it, too.  and just writing this post about her endeavors it is hard to not to believe her.  i am proud to drink with her (when she is not with child), taste test her marshmallows, and be her mom friend.
*orange poppy bakery is closed until november while summer is on maternity leave.