Macaron fail

I have a confession.

Today I tried to make macarons (again).

And I failed. Totally and completely.

I figured I needed to share this fail, because if I only ever posted my baking successes, that wouldn't be honest, now would it? But it's hard for me. It really is. 

They started out so great! Dyed robin's egg blue, sitting on the baking sheet just waiting to go into the oven to fluff into their cute little macaron selves.

But...oh. I am sad to show you what emerged just ten minutes later.

FAIIIIL. Fail. Double fail.

Cracks? No feet??

After some blog searching, I discovered that my oven was too cold. Lesson, learned.

A few had teeny tiny hints of feet:

But nothing like my almost perfect first attempt.

So, I tried to fill a couple anyway. I mean, the flavors are still there, right?

 But I had to give up after a few tries. This guy looks like a sad version of the Hamburglar.

Then, I did something I almost never do. 

I threw the rest out. Uuuugh. They were just too pitiful! I couldn't bear to look anymore!

Just as a reminder (mostly to myself) - I got it right the first time.

I will try again. I WILL try again.

Boston Marathon

On Monday I celebrated my very first Boston Marathon! I literally could not believe how many people can run so so far! I spent the morning at my friend Samantha's apartment, which is at mile 24.5 on the marathon route. GREAT location. We were right near the end and I like to think our cheers helped the runners get through that last mile and a half sprint :)

Here is a picture of the male winner running by:

And me getting a high-five from Mike Allen, Mike's running partner and biffle from Cornell.

So proud of him for finishing!

Such an exciting day. I am starting to feel like a true Bostonian!

Old school dessert cups

Remember THESE?!

Cups of dirt.

-or-

Dirt and worms.

-or-

Worms in dirt.

While making these with my roomies I discovered we all call this nostalgic dessert something different, AND we all eat it in different ways. Literally, between 5 people, each had their own specialty. I like to get a little bite of everything in each spoonful, while Mike eats one worm first and one worm last. Liz mixes hers all together. Talk about childhood memories!

And then..

Banana cream pie. In a cup!

What is it about bananas, pudding, and Nilla wafers that is sooo good?

Both were totally delicious and brought me back to being seven years old. Ahh, the good life.

Cute enough??

Welcome to part one of my quest to get on cutestfood.com.

Bugs in the grass!!

What do YOU think? Are they cute enough??

I sure hope so..!
And these cupcakes fit oh so perfectly in my "new" antique cake stand. Thanks, Mom!

Mango madness

Mangos have been on sale at Whole Foods this week. So I've been eating roughly two per day. This month's Cosmo says smelling mangos makes you happier, so this is probably a healthy obsession. Right? Anyway, mangos are totally amazing by themselves. So amazing that I sometimes have trouble believing they're actually a "fruit". The other night I jazzed up the mango routine with a little mango sundae. Sliced mangos, whipped cream, and sprinkles! Just as delicious as a real sundae, minus ~700 calories! Sweet deal.

RUN, do not walk, to your nearest Whole Foods. Mmmmmmangos!

Cutest Food

I have a new website to share, and consequently, a new goal.

Cutestfood.com 

How have I not discovered this before?

I love to look at cute food. And I especially love to make cute food.

I need to be on this website.

Exhibit A:

Sunflower cupcakes

Exhibit B:

Rainbow Pancakes

Exhibit C:

Teeny red velvet cupcakes

Exhibit D:

Mini macarons

Exhibit E:

Rainbow cupcakes

All of these things are undeniably super cute. But they have all also been featured by someone else on cutestfood.com. I need something new! Different! Adorable!

So that, my friends, is my goal this week. I will make something soooo cute that it winds up on cutestfood. Because honestly, how can I not??

Apple and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

I L-O-V-E quesadillas. Really - who doesn't?? This weekend I invented a new scrumptious quesadilla...

Apple

Goat Cheese

Cheddar

Corn Tortillas

Mmmmmmm

100th post!

Can you believe it? One HUNDRED posts! 

I think I am a real blogger now.

Congrats to me!!

In order to celebrate, I'm going to share...my FAVORITE. Top-secret. Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. This is a BIG deal, people. These are my signature cookies! 

They have the correct ratio of crunchy outside to gooey inside. They are wonderfully flat and crispy (I am not a cakey cookie fan). To be concise, these cookies are perfection. Reluctantly, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat brown sugar, sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in flour mixture  and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

YOU are WELCOME :)

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal

My breakfast this morning:

Oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, and toasted coconut. 

A nice tropical breakfast for a HOT tropical day!

Asparagus Swiss Cheese Tart

It's that time of year...asparagus season! Now, let's be honest: I eat asparagus all year long. It's one of my favorite veggies. But, it is exciting to know that it will soon be growing locally, and asparagus displays are already popping up all over grocery stores! Likewise, asparagus recipes are all over food blogs. I got inspired by a recipe from Cupcakes and Cashmere , with three simple ingredients:

Asparagus

Gruyere (or any other swiss cheese, I used Emmenthaler)

Puff pastry dough

Just bake your puff pastry for 8-10 min, top with cheese and asparagus, and pop it back in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. For a more detailed recipe, check it out at Martha Stewart.

From this:

To this!

Just the right amount for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow! I halved the recipe. Try it out!

Beacon Hill Chocolates

Photo credit to Emily 

This is not your typical candy store. Beacon Hill Chocolates, on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, may be my new favorite chocolate shop. Or even... my only favorite chocolate shop. LOOK at that truffle. It's almost too pretty to eat. But only almost.

Luckily, the shop also specializes in gorgeous, adorable vintage chocolate boxes.

Here is one the one I got as a Christmas gift from my class:

And the one I picked up today:

Teeny-tiny spring box.

CHOCOLATE SHEEP.

I mean, really?

Just go there.

Concord, MA

I love living in Boston - I really do! But I didn't realize I needed a break from "city living" until I took a day trip to Concord, MA with my mom, dad, and brother this past Saturday. It was so nice to take a quick drive, see some sights, and get in touch with nature for a few hours. Call me a hippie, but it was just the relaxing afternoon that I needed! Here is a photo tour...

We got in to Concord (lesson learned: it is pronounced "conquered") at lunchtime, so our first stop was Main Street Market Cafe for some eats! These are the gorgeous flowers that were on every table.

I ordered the Thai Peanut Chicken Flatbread Pizza - sans most of the chicken! It was a cheesy, peanutty, crispy deliciousity. Highly recommended.

For dessert, a rocky road fudge brownie. Emphasis on the fudge.

We took a stroll around town.

Trees were blooming everywhere! Spring is in the air!

Happened upon the Concord Shop.

Floor. To ceiling. Kitchen supplies.

 HELLLOOOOO!! 

I could have spent hours but restrained myself and only emerged with a few things. Had to really resist buying ALL of these:

Finally, a trip to Walden Pond.

Nature! Birds and squirrels and acorns. Ahhhhh.

And the weather...well, it really couldn't have been more perfect.

We ended the day by heading back into Boston for dinner at Durgin Park .

A bit of a tourist trap, but authentic lobster rolls nonetheless!

So nice to spend time with family :)

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend! My mom, dad, and brother are in Boston for the weekend, so I'll be spending it with them...yay family! Today we are off to Concord for the afternoon. Tomorrow, church in the South End and Easter brunch at Gaslight! 

Here's to hoping for a visit from the Easter bunny... :)

Happy Easter!