A year ago, I was here: at Paul, in Paris. One of few chain restaurants in France, the food is consistent, with luscious macarons, baguettes, and brioches. (The best were the kalamate olive baguettes!) It was close to our hotel, and still retains that “French boulangerie” feel; it doesn’t seem McDonald-ized by any stretch of the imagination. Why do I tell you this? Because this week I attempted to make my own macarons.
There is an art to these things, people, there really is. Well, they turned out quite pretty, very colorful and tasty, but did they look like the ones I we ate in France? No. Not even.
Epic FAIL. Not really, but being an expert at something is harder than it looks. I mean, I can decorate my little patootie off in my own home, but does that make me Joanna Gaines? No. I can make roasted chicken, but do I turn into Ina Garten when I do? No, again.
But it’s never a waste to try to get better at something. So I’ll keep plugging away at them when the mood strikes, and one of these days, I’ll share some pictures with you. Until then, here are your Monday links. Go out and make it a great week!
- Speaking of Ina Garten and roasted chicken, this one is right up my alley
- Pressure cooker chicken stock – what a great idea
- Which punctuation mark are you? (Hint, I’m pretty basic.)
- Easiest way to calm down in any situation
- Make your own “neon” sign relatively inexpensively
- Algorithm of Happiness – short 2 minute YouTube video
- Simple watercress experiment by 9th grader shows dangers of sleeping too near your smartphone
- A Cappella group surprises new moms and it’s so sweet
- Have you seen Bible journaling? I recently started and I LOVE it!
- I like naturally fermented foods (sauerkraut, anyone?!?) but I’ve never heard of fermented honey. Must figure out how to do this!
- Kind of pricey (which is why I bought it cheaply in Paris) this dry oil ROCKS. And smells amazing.
- But, save $$$ here and DIY a few things for your skin
- Aren’t we all a little bit of the “Unknown Brother?” This speaks to me…
- There are some gluten-y things I miss more than others. And although I didn’t eat them much, I love scones. And these are good ones…
- When you Don’t Feel Like You Got Anything Done