I Dream in Macarons
Don’t be fooled…I left the extra “o” out of there on purpose. These are not the coconut cookies that so many people either hate or love. After a long time comin, dreaming in macarons, I finally stepped it up to create this delicate French treat. Macarons are those fabulous little cookie sandwiches that look like they’re dancing out of their pastry case…like these on Tartelette! They’re made with almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg whites. People make quite the fuss over them, so I was kind of nervous to make them - hence why it’s been almost a year since I set my sights on them :/
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut, this happened…
I made a chocolate macaron cookie with three different combos: one with a salted caramel filling, one with a chocolate ganache filling, and finally a salted caramel filling dipped in chocolate ganache. Oh. My.
The inspiration all started with a surprise in the mail! I thought I had a small little something arriving from a friend, but NO! It was a HUGE box marked with perhaps four of the best words ever combined, “KITCHEN AID STAND MIXER.” AND IT’S YELLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D Best surprise ever, Mom and Dad! So the inaugural recipe had to be epic. And epic it was, my friends, epic it was.
And then I meticulously went through the recipe in my fancy black and white apron :)
They were met with open arms, and divine praise. I think the salted caramel dipped in chocolate ganache was my fave.
**French phrase for fun!
Il s’avère que les macarons ne font pas peur, après tout.
It turns out that macarons aren’t scary after all.
“Sometimes I’ll think about something you said, and I’ll laugh, and then the other people choosing tomatoes at the grocery store will wonder what’s so funny about that tomato.” :)
So after some impromptu (read: random, out of my crazy brain) soup-making, tonight I finally decided to pull out my “Love Soup” cookbook that, of course, came to DC with me. And guess what?! I found a card with that adorably accurate note on it from my mom stuffed inside. :) It only took me 5 weeks to find, but there it was! It’s so true too, and I secretly love when I laugh out loud to myself, and people around me think I’m crazy- mostly because it’s just so darned hilarious, and I’m thinking of you.
So then I made this yummy Roasted eggplant, pepper, and chickpea soup! I was starving, but decided to have an appetizer so that I could allow the proper time for the roasting- so key. And it had tomatoes, onion, garlic, and oregano in it too- classic! But the awesome part is the fun bzzzz with my immersion blender- totally professional :)
**French phrase for fun:
Les tomates sont drôles.
Tomatoes are funny.
So I helped, but I basically had this delectable meal made for me last week! It’s a pan-seared halibut finished in the oven on a bed of spring vegetables- fava beans, peas, morels, and ramps (sort of a garlicy spring onion- I had never tried it before!), and the whole thing was finished with a warm vinaigrette. It was delicate and wonderfully seasonal :) mmmmm!
**French phrase for fun:
J’adore le poisson et les légumes.
I love fish and vegetables.
Milky Way Cake & The Little Things in Life :)
CAKE!!! You know that saying, “I love you like a Katie loves cake”? Wait… :) Well, I’m making it a thing. I do love cake, and you know how much I love to show my love and enthusiasm for all (especially silly) things. So little exciting highlights of the week (my joie de vivre at its finest!):
Yesterday, I’m not kidding you here, I saw a woman with a buzzed head that had a spider web design shaved into it! It was WILD! WILD! I also got my business cards this week!!!!! Got pretty excited about that too. Too much? Nah, I’m a legit working lady now! And I got to go salsa dancing - something about moving my hips like I’m not white as a marshmallow just makes me happy :)
Aaaand it was my lovely roommate’s birthday this week, I gave her some cake options, and she chose (oh so wisely) the Milky Way Cake! Nom nom nommm! Here it is for you to feast your eyes on! I melted the Milky Ways into the cake batter and made a chocolate pecan buttercream frosting! “Oooooo!”…is what I’m imagining you’re saying ;) The Milky Ways made it super dense and moist, and I mean buttercream is dih-viiine. I would eat it by the spoonfull if I didn’t have a birthday cake that needed frosting! :)
**French phrase for fun:
Profitez de gâteau d’anniversaire = c’est la joie de vivre :)
Enjoy birthday cake = it’s the joy of living
Maybe mumsy was on to something, things can totally be simple and easy. For instance, say you randomly agree to lead a scavenger hunt, then you see an executive pastry chef bring in a beautiful cake at the museum where the hunt is, and you think, well this could be a little awkward, but what the heck, I’m gonna go for it, and you talk to her about a potential pastry internship and if that sort of thing exists. And guess what! It does! And I got her card! I just might find me a pastry internship yet!!! :D
So apparently sometimes things are just as simple as saying hi. Sometimes you just need some simple in your life, simple like these little beauties. I made Kale Chips! So easy and so yummy and healthy too!! :)
Heat your oven to 275. Toss kale with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smokey paprika, and a little crushed red pepper. Bake them for 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave them in there for another ~30 (try one out to make sure it’s crispy, crunchy deliciousness, and adjust baking time and seasoning accordingly) Then enjoy your bowl full of crispy, salty goodness! Simple! :)
Ode To The Heart Of An Artichoke
Ode To The Heart Of An Artichoke
a poem written just for me! by Granddaddy Dale
Deep in its self
Calm and serene,
At peace with the world
Its splendor unseen.
Protected by ‘choke’
Removed so to eat,
Voila la coeur,
C’est magnifique!!
Try to tell me you’ve read a better poem, and you’re a liar! How great is that?!?!?! :D :D :D
(And an adorable artichoke for you! The very first in our California garden!!)
Some wise British words from Downton Abbey for you to ponder:
- On being female: “I’m a woman; I can be as contrary as I choose.”
- On dating: “She thinks that if you put a toy down, it’ll still be sitting there when you want to play with it again.” …silly girl!
- On dissing in the early 20th century: “At least I’m not fishing with no bait.” Oh snap, BURN.
And my British-ism? I’m really keen on this quinoa recipe! With the mango, green onion, black beans, and quinoa, it’s such a fun combination of flavors- sweet! salty! tangy! and it’s healthy too! Such a party in your mouth! :) (You don’t have to tell anyone it vegan if that’s gonna scare them off, but it’s sooooooooooo yummy I just might shout it from the rooftops!) Try it!
**French phrase for fun!
Ma colocataire français m’a rendue visite cette semaine!
My french roommate visited me this week!
Peanut Butter Birthday Cake
5 outstanding things I highly recommend you do this weekend:
- Try to work “angst” into a sentence.
- Try to just be whelmed - don’t go over, don’t go under.
- Go! Go for that kick-ass workout!!!
- …Then sleep in the next morning and make yourself a fabulous breakfast.
- Most importantly, combine peanut butter and chocolate in a delicious creation.
For example, you could whip up a PEANUT BUTTER BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! Wiiiiiiith chocolate buttercream frosting. :D
Of course I brought my cake decorating tools in the move- I mean why wouldn’t I?! A girl needs to treat the birthday girl/boy, and I may or may not be helping someone make a wedding cake soon, so that’s REALLY gonna pay off! :)
This cake was quite the magical combination of peanut butter and chocolate - the only thing missing was the Reese’s garnish that I forgot at the store :( but it was still divine.
**French phrase for fun!
Dit “Joyeux anniversaire” avec un gâteau au beurre de cacahuètes!
Say “Happy birthday” with peanut butter cake!
Coffee’s Favorite Biscotti
(ya see what I did there?! …clever, I know. That’s why they pay me the big bucks.)
So I’m fully aware that I have a slight coffee addiction, but I’m really ok with it (especially because of the reported health benefits, seriously, check it out.) As soon as my new boss mentioned, “And we have a coffee club if you’d like to—” me, “Absolutely! I’m in.” And praise the Lord, they do nice, freshly ground coffee - the good stuff! Soooooo exciting!
You may think I’m a little over the top, but it’s really the little things in life that I get excited about. Like that great cup of coffee, or the fact that I saw a 60 year-old man in… JEANS. SHORTS. OVERALLS. Fact. It was ridiculous. I loved it. I also get excited about that guy you pass on the street with a handlebar mustache- he must spend so much time on that! Really, wow. I also LOVE perfectly painted nails and this delicious biscotti!
They’re Dark Chocolate Anise Biscotti from the new Joy the Baker cookbook! They have a very subtle licorice flavor from just 1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed anise seeds, and the dark chocolate is the perfect match for these crunchy delights! Add a good, hot cup of coffee into the equation, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful breakfast or an awesome afternoon treat. You deserve it! :)
These biscotti from Joy the Baker would also be delicious!
**French phrase for fun!
Enthousiasmez-vous pour quelque chose de petite ce week-end!
Get excited about something little this weekend! :)
I thought I was only going to have time for one new recipe this week what with the craziness of moving and all, but as it turns out, I had access to a big, beautiful, well-stocked kitchen for the WHOLE weekend! :D Every girl’s dream, right? …Well mine at least!
So I made a celebratory Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. It was a delight! :) Rich, yet deceptively light because of the zucchini and tang from the cream cheese. If it didn’t have the frosting it would have been a perfect dessert-breakfast crossover cake…but I didn’t let that stop me! :D Hey, don’t give me judgy eyes, I had it along side a healthy smoothie, and it was goooooood!
**French phrase for fun!
Règle cardinale, ne mettez pas le glaçage sur un gâteau tiède sauf si c’est déjà 22h30 et les gens ont besoin de dessert.
Cardinal rule, don’t frost a warm cake unless it’s already 10:30 and people neeeeeed dessert.
