Macaron Basics

Macarons. The stuff of near legend status in the foodie community. For over a year I have wanted to try these adorable little confections. However, many other food blogs seem to mix a little bit of mysticism into their batches of macarons. For instant, every time the urge would suddenly strike I would learn that I couldn't just make the little buggers. I need to age egg whites for three days on the counter, have a day with no humidity,sacrafice my house cat to the Macaron Gods (okay now I'm exaggerating) but it did seem like there was always some crazy, complicated process that would put my macaron making on hold for days. So I would just say forget it and make something that I could do at that moment. Then there was BraveTart. I clicked on a recipe for macarons on foodgawker. It took me to a blog that linked their success story back to BraveTart. I followed the link and it was one of the most amazing things ever. Brave Tart believes you, yes you, and me can make macarons, all that is required is the right technique. And you know what? I made macarons that very night for a family Easter celebration the next day and it worked! It worked, it worked, it worked! No aged egg whites, no weather forecast, no days of waiting (and my house cat is alive and well). I followed her basic recipe almost to a T and then did chocolate nutella filling. These are amazing! Macarons are tasty little almond meringue cookies that are down right adorable. A note of warning though, I would read through BraveTarts myths and commandments of macaron making before heading forward. Also, you will need a digital scale as measurements have to be precise.  Happy macaron making!

Spice Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

My camera broke and I just replaced it, which is why I have not posted for awhile. The previous pictures were lack luster for several reasons, my camera had been half way around the world and back and had suffered years of abuse at my hands. It simply could not take a picture without being blurry. Also, it was a point and shoot and I have now upgraded to a DSLR. The new pictures I have taken this week have been much better. I am having a blast learning about my new Nikon. Camera issues aside, I have a wonderful new cupcake. I love spiced cakes from carrot cake to pumpkin bread. I was very excited to try this new recipe out for Easter and it was a big hit. The cake itself is moist but substantial.The cream cheese frosting pairs perfectly to balance the spiced cake. I didn't want my frosting overly sweet so I adjusted the recipe to use less powdered sugar. My frosting was thick and held its shape nicely. If yours is not thick enough, you can add more powdered sugar or put it in the refrigerate for awhile before decorating with it. I hope you enjoy.

Perfect Pizza Dough

I have been meaning to make homemade pizza for awhile now. My husband adores pizza and has been suggesting it for months. I am lukewarm about pizza in general. I know, I know, anyone who just read that sentence is probably wondering how it possible to dislike pizza. I really don't know what it is but it is never my go to option for a meal. I was never excited by pizza day in school and when getting it to go, I usually have 1 slice and munch on bread sticks. Then there was this pizza. It is perfect. The crust is delicious and was even better than I thought it would be. I made the sauce from scratch as well. My husband and I split the pizza in half and added our favorite toppings to our respective sides In fact, the whole thing was so good, my husband and I ate the whole damn pizza.  The dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas (or can make one pizza and an order of bread sticks, or do what I did, and use one now and freeze one for later.) Just top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad. It is such a tasty thing and I get it at the deli a lot. I finally decided to try my own. I'm so glad that I did. We are in the midst of moving. Our current home is full of boxes and we moved some into the new place yesterday. I wanted something that didn't require a lot of hands on time. I made this for lunch (which we had in a wrap) and it was so good, we had it for dinner as well. I finished off the rest of it in the salad pictured here. I wanted to make a lighter version of chicken salad and my husband cannot stand nuts in salads (weird I know) so a lot of the traditional version were out the window. I adapted this from the Cooking Light recipe I had bookmarked for nearly a year. However, I used my favorite roasted chicken (the Barefoot Contessa recipe). If you don't have the time for that, you can probably purchase roast chicken as a shortcut.

Balsamic Berry Salad

 I love fresh fruit. There is something about a juicy, vibrant berries that makes my mouth water. I was watching the Barefoot Contessa show on Food Network this past weekend when she made this fruit salad. I have loved every recipe I have made from Barefoot Contessa. They always turn out perfectly and plate so well. I wanted to make this right away. I was going to follow her recipe without changing anything, but when I went to the grocery I hit a snag. They did not have any organic strawberries. Normally I do not use any strawberries that are not organic. The reason being is that berries absorb a lot of the pesticides that are sprayed on them. Since you do not peel berries and even washing does not get rid of all that yucky poison, I think it is one area where buying organic is essential. (The flavor is also so much better.) Long story rather long, I went with blackberries instead. This was fabulous. It was quick and easy. It could be a perfect breakfast or a light dessert.