TO: Puff

Not much needs to be said... this is for Puff and that is enough! ;)

French Macarons!

I ran in Pasadena this past weekend and while I was roaming the streets with friends from run camp, I couldn't help but notice these sweet little cookies called macarons housed in equally sweet boutique-like bakeries. They are French and they are so colorful and cute. So, of course, when I got home I started researching these little guys. Many have confused them with the coconut treat, the macaroon. While you can make a coconut macaron version, these are two different things. Confused? Don't worry... I was too. And to top it off, the origin of the name macaron is actually Italian and not French. Regardless, they are delicious and after being surrounded by them this weekend, I had to try and make them. WARNING: I really messed up on the filling because I didn't have the correct ingredients. I was going for Dulce Delight's recipe, but ended up just making a powdered sugar version, which was disgustingly way too sweet. I'll make it the right way next time. :) Another great reference was from Sorted Food. I was going to use their recipe because I liked how they added different colors to their mix, but all their measurements were in grams and doing any kind of math baking conversions at 1 am is definitely not happening, so I found this recipe from Giver'slog instead and it worked perfectly. With the exception of the filling, these turned out better than I expected for the first time. "Macarons have a reputation for being difficult, but honestly, they are not." :) It's true! They are surprisingly not hard at all to make, so give them a try! Happy Baking!

P.S. Since we're talking about SUGAR... I lucked out at the post race Sugar Ray concert and got Rodney's guitar pick. He has been with the band for about 24 years now!!! LOVE their music and energy. So great to see them live!

Sugar Ray Fun Facts:
Mark's first band was named the Shrinky Dinkx (Skrinky Dinks are one of the coolest craft materials ever) and their 3rd album is titled 14:59 (Andy Warhol reference anyone!?!). I love this band!!!

Larynx

This was actually a homework assignment! It's not due until March, but I couldn't wait!