Up To My Elbows in Marshmallows!

Anyone who uses fondant knows that its not cheap!  I had heard some people saying that you can make your own fondant out of marshmallows.  So, I bought big bags of marshmallows and confectioners' sugar and commenced attempting to make fondant.  You have to melt the marshmallows until they turn into a very sticky fluff.  Then you have to grease down your counter very well, put a huge pile of confectioners' sugar on the counter and make a well in it.  Then you pour the melted marshmallow into the well.  I colored the melted marshmallows first because I figured that would be easier than trying to add color after it was made.  I greased up my hands, too.  The marshmallow was so sticky it was really hard to knead.  I had to knead it for probably about half an hour to get all the confectioners' sugar worked into it and get it to the right consistency.  It was a lot of work and once the mixture got stiffer it took a lot of elbow grease to keep kneading it.  I ended up using it on a birthday cake for my mother-in-law.  I worked OK, but it didn't have as smooth a look as store bought fondant.  It does have a better taste than most store bought fondants.  I decorated the cake with white fondant polka dots and a white fondant/gum paste bow.