French Macarons
I’m addicted. These little clouds of Parisian cookie sandwich heaven bring joy to my heart. And my tummy. My soon to be sister-in-law had one in a farmer’s market and fell in love. We kept wanting to have a baking day and make these for ourselves but kids and jobs and the holidays got in our way. Then one day we walked into a fabulous restaurant in downtown Los Angeles called Bottega Louie and there. they. were. Lined up in perfect little rows. Dozens of flavors and colors. We stood there in awe. I had no idea which…um…one, to get (um…one of each please!?!). I mean with that many little scrumptious choices which one is the right choice? (And is there a wrong choice?) What if I pick green tea but the passionfruit is amazing? What if I order them all and I melt slowly in my leather seat from the scowls of judgement thrown at me by the Size 2’s that surround me??? So we did what only us girls could do. We ordered four different ones and split them. Evenly. Admittedly, had I been by myself in the bakery after-hours, i would have eaten all of them. But I wasn’t. And they were amazing! Before I knew it, I was obsessed with these little devils. Mark my words – they are the next mini-cupcake. I’m already making them for my Sister & Brother In Law’s wedding in lieu of a cake. So, I’ve tried my hand at them and here is a great recipe for you.
Hubby’s note: Adult supervision is required with these little pillows of yumminess, lest the chef eat the whole batch.
Butter Chicken
I was very fortunate that when I had my second little one (we’ll call her “Buggies”), my mommy friends came by every night at 5:30 and dropped a complete meal off for my family and I for two fantastically wonderful weeks. As any mom can attest, the last thing a new mom wants to do or has the time to do, is cook a meal for your family (you’re far too busy “being” the meal for your new little sleep deprivation machine). One of the meals dropped off for us was what the hubby and I now call….Butter Chicken. I find this funny because there is absolutely no butter in this dish. It should be called Rosemary Chicken or Olive Oil Goodness Chicken but alas, it is the Butter of the Chick. I usually serve this with my mashed potatoes because it helps balance out the rich flavor of the chicken. Check that recipe out too!
Hubby’s Note: There’s no butter in this chicken? But it’s called Butter Chicken? A woman must have named this. Well, it tastes like butter. So I forgive the transgression. (More please?)