Congratulations & Happy Birthday!

 

 

We interrupt this blog to bring you breaking news!

Quick shout outs to a couple of loco blogger’s:

First, to Stephane de Altadena via France & his wunderful wife on the birth of their new baby son yesterday! My message to them was: you are now officially adults and mature!! (You know how these creative/artistic types can bee!)

Stephane is a true Mickey Mouse of an artist. He creates art nearby here at Walt Disney. He has also recently started taking photos in addition to his sketches, drawings, and paintings. However, no cigars for you Steph. Instead I’ll get you a pain du chocolate croissant & macaron from French bakery Euro Pane. I hope you he knows what that is!

Besides, being just a nice guy, Steph is probably also exhausted or just stressed-out right now.  Well, That’s Life. Welcome to The World!

 

 

 

Next, shout out goes to Catherine de Gastronomer!  Maybe my most favorite food blogger:  it helps that she & her astronomer fiancé live & work in Pasadena.

Happy Birthday to her – Today!

Whereas I like to stay near Pasadena to eat out, her routine is to go out of the area to bring back great restaurant reviews! However, just the other day I did treat her to an early birthday meal at The Counter, here in Pasadena.  We loved the place, didn’t we CD!? Didn’t we??

More important than CD’s eye for good food and well developed tastebuds, is her sweetheart and smart brain. For example, she founded the Eat My Blog (EMB) charity event. The first was a big success in West Hollywood last year! Stay tuned for EMB2 in a few months if you’re interested in participating

 

 

Do you remember your child’s day of birth? What do you want for your next birthday gift?

Ok, that’s enuf of these two!  Someone celebrating their first day on the planet.  Another, celebrating her…ahem, I just remembered something:

 

Gotta Eat!  It’s that time of the day.  Stay Thirsty & Hungry, My Friends!

 

The Super Bowl of Clarity

Well, my article of 1/31/10 discussed the confusion often surrounding what is and isn’t a macaron and/or macaroon. However, I’m not surprised the great majority of my readers voted for the correct pairings of picture and cookie.  Perhaps my clear teaching on the subject had a hand in it! Or, not.

So, this is how y’all voted. Your FINAL ballot results were as follows:

 

Q1: Which are the macaroon’s?

A Sample of Macaroon’s

• Bottom set of photos    13%
• Top set of photos         87%  (Correct)

 

 

Q2: Which are the macaron’s?

The French Macaron’s from Arnaud Lahrer of France

• Bottom set of photos     93% (Correct)
• Top set of photos            7%

 

Therefore, my overall grading to y’all in identifying these two confections were: B+ for the macaroon, and A- for identifying the macaron.  So, in the USA where the coconut based macaroon is more common than the French meringue based macaron, the colorful French macaron was actually more familiar to my readers!  Now, that  was a little bit surprising to me.

The coconut based macaroon can come in a small variety of flavors: chiefly chocolate, with nuts, or strawberry. Flavors for the macaron, on the other hand, seemingly are held back only by your imagination: chocolate, blueberry, pistachio, sea salt, hazelnut, vanilla, lemon, amande, boysenberry, rose, blackcurrant, mint, caramel, peanut butter, mango, praline, coffee, orange, apple, and even coconut, etc! I butter stop or I’m gonna have a macaron attack or cause a couple of particular peculiar readers to have one.

The best French macaron’s come from Paris, with the tea house Laudree which many consider the inventor of the macaron, and the pastry chef & patisserie Pierre Herme, arguably regarded as the very best.  In our greater LA/SGV area, the macaron is not easy to find in dessert and bakery shoppe’s. 

I enjoy eating both of these.  A few can be very tasty but most are average at best.  The macaroon I like. The macaron I love!  Of course, food is very personal and my taste buds can be totally the opposite of yours.

 

Q: I’m curious. Have you eaten more macaroon’s, or more French macaron’s?  And which do you prefer?

 

 

Gotta Run – edit later. It’s Supper Bowl Sunday: The Biggest & Badass Day for Eating out of a Bowl!  Stay Thirsty My Friends!

 

I say Macaroon!, You say Macaroni?

It was a beautiful morning, ahhh! I went outside a while, and just smiled. Greeted my loco neighbor cats with my shiny smiley teeth. Ain’t no sunshine when them felines are around.

Just take in some clean fresh ashen air girls & boys. Ain’t no sense stayin’ inside. Then, head toward the cafe to find seats to read the last issue of the L.A. Times as we know it. I could foresee this happening to the LAT when KB abandoned them.  Yet, I could understand is was a no-brainer for her to work serving a couple of canines instead.  Her income she could supplement from purse holding.

Butt, I digest…. 

 

Before I left the dog mansion, I mustered a quickie profile in courage to tackle a difficult and controversial topic.

These “mac” cookies are a surprisingly popular issue on the world wide internet.  From discussions by well known chefs to websites holding a Macaroon/Macaron(?) Week!  When locals get into it with brief mentions suddenly popping up in blog comments now and then…well, you know it’s become big time news.

I’ve also noticed a frequent by-product of all this is confusion backed by a short supply of knowledge on macaroon’s or macaron’s.  For example, lack of knowing how to spell this particular cookie.  Confusion over which is a macaroon and which one is the macaron. Others have gone so far as to claim they’ve never had one!  I hear some of you: “That’s an outrage!”

That each cookie can be tweaked to come out in a variety of flavors doesn’t aid the decision. Chocolate, sea salt, pistachio, cherry, coconut, lime, blueberry, etc.

Unfortunately, my knowledge on these cookies is limited:  I know  that I like one, and I know I love the other! 

Well, before we can even EAT the cookie, we should know what we want, what to ask for, and thus what we are actually biting into! Am I being clear & concise, if not understandable?

As a consequence, we’re gonna embark on a controversial butt short journey that may lead to a tasty ending.  We begin in genesis to identify what is what. This article will be a Test…kitchen :

Below are 2(two) set of fotos.  Macaron’s and macaroon’s.  Which set of photos is which?  That is, which are de macaroon’s, and which photo are the macaron’s? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examine these specimens closely. A simple case of identification by sight.   Still, you are allowed to cheat on this test if you pull out your friends big long microscope for an up close & personal inspection. Nevertheless, the learning curve outta be short & sweet – no sweat, I assume…

 

 

 Bottom Set:

 

 

 

Ok, you’ve closely examined the two sets of three fotos above: The top set, and, the bottom set. Please do your patriotic duty, now, by going to the polls to enter your votes in the ballot boxes below.  One vote for the foto set you believe are the Macaroon’s, and another vote for the set which you think are the Macaron’s.

 

    

 

 

 

     

I’ve gotta be on my way now. So long. Ain’t no fun just hangin’ around. I’ve gotta cover more ground.  Stay Thirsty My Friends…

 

National Chocolate Cake Day

First, lemme bee de 1st to wish y’all a belated Happy Holiday!  Work caught me in its web and I wasn’t able to free myself to finalize this article until today, The Day After.

As I’m sure many of you are aware, the 27th was another National Holiday:  National Chocolate Cake Day. One of the most revered and favored holidays for most of you who aren’t already Pie lovers!!

To demonstrate my respect & honor toward this national holiday, this canine plans to have a slice of chocolate cake. It’s the minimum I can do to recognize this day. Well, maybe two slices to penalize me for being late to this party.

How about you, probably uninformed about desserts but wise, reader?  What’s your plan to commemorate National Chocolate Cake Day?  Would this bee on your last supper menu if you were awaiting your turn on death row?

I’m sure most of my readers were aware of this National Holiday, right?!  How did, or will, you show respect to this solemn occasion?  Do you have a favorite recipe?  Do you have a fav cake shoppe?

I know I’m justa dog barking at y’all with so many questions and choices.  And, I’m sure there has to be some holiday poopers out there who just can’t stand chocolate cake! Maybe they’re vegans.  Or, some who just have a preference for living the simple life by eating simply:  pure white bread and clean organic water,  as an example.

Gotta Take Off. Off to Bite into a Slice.  Stay Sweet & Thirsty My Friends!