Macarons

I'll admit that when I saw that the macaron had become the new hot trend in baking (I even heard it referred to as "the next cupcake"), I was rather bummed. Not because I don't care for them...oh, no no no no no, couldn't be further from the truth...but because I myself had only just discovered them during our girl trip to Paris in 2009, and I had filed the experience under that wonderful category in my brain labeled "one of a kind fantastic experience only had while discovering a new place, never to be experienced again, unless I make it back there...but, *sigh*, we'll always have Paris..."

So, as I said, I was a little bummed when I saw every blogger and etsy seller and their grandmothers and their dogs making them like they were chocolate chip cookies.

But then I thought, what the hell...if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

So here you go...Raspberry Macarons and Vanilla Maple Macarons:

The raspberry macarons are filled with a raspberry mascarpone cream, while the vanilla maple macarons are filled with maple cream. Delicious!

Some time ago, I had come across a very detailed step-by-step guide to making macarons on a fantastic food blog called Food Nouveau and saved the link. Thank God that blogger is infatuated enough with the delicate little treats to write such an exhaustive instructional post...because they are a little tricky. I was most worried about deflating the egg whites (which was not a problem) and under/over cooking them, which turned out to be a legitimate concern. (I had to lower my oven temp to 260F after the first set of cookies suffered cracked tops.)

But as you can see, they did come out rather nicely, and I'm really happy about adding macarons to my repertoire, trendy or not. (And I'm even happier about getting to eat them!;)

A Vintage Home

Even though we're nowhere near being ready to decorate our house, or maybe because of it, I spend a lot of time fantasizing about home decor...I love imagining what our house will look like, where we'll put some of our favorite items, and what colors we'll choose. My vision is still rather vague, but countless hours spent perusing home decorating magazines, books and blogs have helped me to narrow it down to one basic idea.

And of course, it was the obvious choice, right in front of my face the whole time. This old house, all of the cool stuff we found in it, our love of rummaging through yard sales/antique shops/craigslist...of course we'll go with an eclectic vintage style, hopefully featuring a bunch of yet-to-be-acquired unique finds, and influenced by our love of travel and preference for cozy, welcoming spaces bathed in natural light.

On a related note, I am chomping at the bit to check out the Todd Farm Flea Market in Rowley, MA this year. It's held every Sunday, is HUGE, and supposedly flies under the radar compared to the highly acclaimed Brimfield, MA Antique Show. Can't wait for the season opener in April!

Here are some shots of our current stash of vintage items that will help set the tone for our future decorating schemes...

*vintage Christmas ornaments...

handed down from my grandparents*

*I see this lovely pink glass container on a vanity or dresser*

*this mirror came with the house and dates back to at least the 40's. I intentionally put a steep $85 price tag on it during our yard sale because I really didn't want it to sell!*

*a little polish and this dainty silver-plated pedestal bowl will look great*

*I can't wait to redecorate our office in a way that showcases the vintage banker's chair and desk that Steven found on Craigslist*

*I never wear them, but I love this vintage Eiffel Tower brooch. I'm determined to find a creative way to repurpose it.*

*this teacup is a part of my "Girl Room" vision for the parlor*

*I don't know if it's cut glass or crystal, but I think this wine carafe is really pretty*

Can't wait to go flea market hunting!

The Drool Post

(click to enlarge)

Back In The Saddle

Whew, what a whirlwind the last couple months have been! This past autumn was the busiest in recent memory...between Steven's surgery, 2 graduate level classes, home ownership must-do's, holiday preparations, a mini-trip to Paris...oh, and a full time job where the motto is "Burnin' and Turnin'"...I'm BEAT.

Thank God it's all winding down now. Exams and term papers are done (for better or worse), Steven's back to his trademark "Death March" pace when walking to the train, and we're 1 week away from a 12 day holiday! Really, really, REALLY looking forward to that.

Anyways, now that the schedule is clearing up, and the free Dell Netbook has arrived, there will be plenty of time for blog updates! And without further adieu...

PARIS!

Our Girls' Weekend in Paris was fantastic! It's kind of hard to sum up the whole experience without writing a virtual dissertation, so here are some lasting impressions:

The Scale. While I've seen similar architecture in other European cities, none of it was on the same scale as in Paris. Everything just felt so...expansive. From the facade of the Louvre, to the Place de la Concorde (a wide open 86,400 square meters), to the questionably-named Petit Palais...the physical breadth of the buildings & city was stunning and beautiful. And following right behind that impression was the realization that taking pics with my basic point & shoot digital camera was pointless, as it would never do the city justice.

The People. I'd be lying if I said that we didn't go to Paris fully expecting the French to be rude and snooty. We'd all heard the rumors, from many different sources (some even reliable!)...so you can imagine how pleasantly surprised we were when we found the French to be downright charming! From the couple who took us under their wing when we were booted off our train & completely clueless (yes, we experienced the fabled Parisian labor strike...within our first hour in Paris!) to the chatty vendors at the food market giving us free goodies, our experience with the locals was nothing but positive.

The Desserts. Oh, the desserts! (::drooling::) I can confidently say that the French OWN the dessert category. The sweets we sampled over the course of 4 days...and believe me, there was a lot of sampling...are collectively the best I have ever had. The chocolate was delicious of course...but it was the fruit tarts and the macarons that knocked my socks off. There was also a mysterious chocolate cake at Le Bistrot Paul Bert that had us all scratching our heads--how could it be so rich, yet so light? Did it even have flour in it? Eggs? Was it some kind of baked mousse concoction? I still have no idea. But it was phenomenal.

Stay tuned for foodie pics!

~LT