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Saturday, August 31, 2013
Dedication + Motivation = Successful French Macarons
So.. ever since summer vacation started for me, I am proud to say that I have been relaxing for a bit and sleeping in never felt so good. However, lately I've been having some trouble sleeping. I wonder if it's insomnia or something. Anyway, I have this thing about French Macarons. Do you know what they are? It's different from macaroons. Here's a picture to tell the difference.
Below, you will see how motivated and dedicated I was to make french macarons. I felt bad for my kitchen coz it was messy!
Day 3. I decided to make pink ones since I like pastel colors on these cookies. Even Curtis helped me out. He knew I was getting the hang of it and since he felt bad that I was making all of them by myself.
Well, you guys might not know this but I am SUPER OBSESSED with these babes! They are super cute and super delish. I love how it's so crunchy on the outside and gooey in the inside. They all come in different flavors and different colors. French macarons are so cute to eat! However, these cute cookies are expensive. They are about $1.50 to $2.50 for just one. JUST ONE!!! Curt at first was fine with me spending money just to satisfy my taste buds but we both decided that since it's expensive and that it's gluten-free, maybe I can make it. So my mission during the break was to make them. I took the challenge and man, these cookies are very hard to make!
First, I went to Youtube for some tutorials. I think all in all, I watched 15 different kinds of videos. Here's the recipe that worked for me!
French Macarons:
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
The 1st time I tried making them was with my good friend Chelsey. I'd say it was pretty successful for our 1st try even though we had a dilemma with the meringue. It took us 6 eggs, a trip to the store to get cream of tartar, and dedication to get through the night. Here are some pictures...
These kitchen things will soon make a mess for 4 days straight!!
Chelsey pouring the batter on the cookie sheet
Super excited!
These were from Day 2. Literally the next day after making the 1st batch. I tried making blue ones and see how the turn out. This was my 1st time separating eggs. I was so proud of myself.
This was totally yummy! It had the texture of what a french macaron would taste but the appearance came out grainy. Other than that, I was proud that it tasted pretty good for the 2nd attempt.
Day 3. I decided to make pink ones since I like pastel colors on these cookies. Even Curtis helped me out. He knew I was getting the hang of it and since he felt bad that I was making all of them by myself.
Yahoo!!!
Doesn't he look so cute?
They look so pretty!
Sadly, I think I didn't pay attention to the time and temperature that I put the oven on. So the cookies turned out really burnt = crispy and hollow. It was a fail! I had to throw them away. :(
Day 4: I tried yellow macarons this time. They came out looking good in appearance but again, failed. They turned out hollow AGAIN!
I also tried making some during my vacation in California since my little sister was begging for some. Those pictures will be on my other post since this one is already being bombarded with pictures. LOL!
Finally today! Curt and I went to the Farmer's market and I bought some French Macarons. My plan was to buy them and compare it to the ones that I was going to make tonight. With determination, I made some after I was done studying hahaha!
And this is how they turned out!!! I was super happy. Not only were they crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside.. but they had feet like the yellow ones above. I was so so happy that I did my victory dance and Curt filmed me laughing in a very evil and sinister way. I decided to make vanilla buttercream filling. They were so delish and Curt kept eating them!
At last! I have conquered French Macarons. I told Curt though that for Christmas I would love a food processor and a macaron silicone mat. Haha! We'll see if I get it!
Just a little note to myself and to all you lovely folks out there... If you never give up and just keep going.. You'll totally get there!!! Never giving up = SUCCESS!!!
Thanks for reading my ridiculous long blog post! :)
If you are thinking of making them someday, here are some on the videos that I watched and learned from!
* Sweetcookiepie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_kn2x1Qj4E
* Honeysuckle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 3nsanqYnvis
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Goodbye 2nd semester!!! Hello 2 week vacation-ish...
Hello strangers!!! I am blogging again since I have the time to do it. Happy day!! Finals for 2nd semester is finally over! It's pretty crazy to think that I have survived 2 semesters.. 3 more to go. Woohoo!!! Also, I am officially a SENIOR! This means, I have one more year left and it's pretty exciting. Anyway, a lot has happened during these past few weeks.
First of all, one of my best friends in hygiene school Chelsey and her husband, Charles stayed at our place for almost a week and a half due to sad circumstances. At the place they were living in, the ceiling in their kitchen collapsed and exposed some mold. We weren't sure if it was toxic but they didn't want to risk the chances. Here's a picture of their ceiling when it first caved in.
First of all, one of my best friends in hygiene school Chelsey and her husband, Charles stayed at our place for almost a week and a half due to sad circumstances. At the place they were living in, the ceiling in their kitchen collapsed and exposed some mold. We weren't sure if it was toxic but they didn't want to risk the chances. Here's a picture of their ceiling when it first caved in.
Here are some pictures that I took when we ate Taco soup for dinner! Roommates!!
This is their stuff in the living room! Haha
Oh and they stayed with us during the most stressful week of the semester: FINALS!!! But it was ok, coz we totally managed and it was definitely fun. Janessa even came down and spent a day of studying with us. We went to the Farmer's market since Janessa hasn't been ever and spent lunch there. It was super fun! :)
This was Chelsey and I that same night! It was awful!!! We were so drained and exhausted!
After surviving the whole week with only 4-5 hours of sleep, this is how I felt after I handed in my last final and walked out of that classroom! The feeling was awesome, a good sigh, and relief! Phew!
It's been a crazy semester and crazy ride! It was definitely challenging but I can't wait til next semester and the next challenge we'll be facing. I still can't believe that I'm a Senior and that I only have 1 more year left to go. Kinda excited to see and meet our Juniors. Hopefully I can pull through and keep plugging along til the end. Even though it's our summer break, it's not really a break hahahaha! My fellow classmates and I need to study for what's called "End of the Year" exam. It's basically an exam that preps us for National Boards. The test is massive and gnarly. It contains all of the hardest classes we've taken from 1st and 2nd semester. Goodness!!! We never get a break at all!!! Oh by the way, here's my new schedule for next semester. What does yours look like compared to mine??? Hahahahaha! Do you still think your life sucks??? Try dental hygiene school.. you'll see what I'm talking about!
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