Monday, April 19, 2010

MacTell Me a Story! Mac Attack 7

“You'll put down the old brown tea set. But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves. It's time it was being used anyhow--I believe it's beginning to work. And you can cut some fruit cake and have some of the cookies and snaps…. The sitting room will do for you and your company. But there's a bottle half full of raspberry cordial that was left over from the church social the other night. It's on the second shelf of the sitting-room closet and you and Diana can have it if you like."
Marilla in Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery


We all grew up reading. A favorite book in one hand, a cookie or sandwich in the other, curled up on the sofa or nestled in the branches of a tree, a good story transported us to another time, another world. We became someone else, traveled to exotic lands, breathed in strange odors, intriguing perfumes, heard the rattles and voices and music from world’s beyond and dreamed of unusual flavors. Whether fairy tales, adventure stories of pirates or cowboys, princesses or detectives, whether rolling on ocean waves or crawling through caves or waltzing at royal balls, who didn’t love to escape inside the pages of a great story?

And still children at heart, we must have all dug out our childhood favorites from the attic or pulled them off old bedroom shelves or searched them out in bookstores the world over in order to read those same books to our own children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We read them aloud excitedly, flipping through page after page to find favorite lines or the best illustrations, and how we were thrilled to be able to share this part of our own childhood with another generation!

MACTELL ME A STORY! STORYBOOK MACARONS

Now, run over to that bookshelf, dig through the boxes you have stored away and find a favorite book from your childhood. Any book. But a tale that inspires. Our May Mac Attack challenge sends you forth to create a macaron inspired by a beloved childhood book, an extract, a character, something from any book from your childhood. Be creative (as we know you are): it doesn’t necessarily have to be inspired by a food or a flavor, but let us know how your macaron flavors, your macaron theme was inspired by a certain book, character, etc.

Now, go forth and create!


“You want to be careful with those (Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean),’ Ron warned Harry. ‘When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour – you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once.’ Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully and bit into a corner.‘Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts.”
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Please have your Mac Attack post up no later than May 10 '10.

Here are the rules of the game:
  1. Once you have posted your Mac Attack macarons on your blog,  make sure that you mention the Mactweets Mac Attack challenge in your post and link back to the Mactweets blog.
  2. Please link back to this challenge on your post.
  3. Feel free to promote the Mactweets blog by proudly displaying the Mactweets badge in your Mac Attack post as well as in your sidebar! It isn't mandatory but is a nice way to get the word out!
Round up will be on May 15, 2010.





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Thursday, April 15, 2010

"MacAttack 6"... the April round-up

THE HOLIDAY WAS YOURS FOR THE TAKING!

"April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom, holiday tables under the trees."
- E. Y. Harburg

Ah, April! In like a lion, out like a lamb and holidays almost every day between. April is coming to a close and we've seen Easter and Passover with their tables laden with food and special holiday treats, but April is a month filled with more than these most famous of holidays. If one looks hard enough, we see special celebrations hiding in and out among the days, Earth Day and National Holidays, special birthdays and celebrations of Spring. We grab what we like, join in the festivities when we feel the pull. And this month, we invited our Mac Passionates to pick an April holiday, any holiday, and let that special event influence their macarons. And what a doozy of a selection our creative bakers came up with! And, once again, a fabulous array of beautiful, perfect, flavorful macs full of imagination. Some followed the more traditional route, others played along with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, but each and every Mac Creation is just amazing!

Here we proudly present our April Holiday Mac Attack Round Up and offer a peek and a taste to all! Thanks to each and every one of you for baking with us again! Cheers!

And don't forget to stay tuned for an even bigger and better May Mac Attack challenge with a new and exciting theme!

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
- Mark Twain

Cecilia
@ One Vanilla Bean with Easter (or Engagement) Macarons

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Ben @ Ben The Baker with Lemon Ginger Floating Macarons

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Karen @ Soup Addict with Cherry Blossom Macarons
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Françoise @ Chocoparis with Pretty Pink Chocolate and Raspberry Macarons

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Mardi @ Eat Live Travel Write with Mimosa Macarons

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Shaz @ Test With A Skewer with Easter Egg Macarons

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Anne @ Anne's Food with Lemon Cheesecake Macarons

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Finla @ My Kitchen Treasures with Easter Macrons with Peanut Butter Filling

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Daydreamer Desserts with Piña Colada Macarons (Spring Break = Mexican Beach + Piña Colada)

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Clara @ Salts and Sweets with Tiffany & Co Birthday Macarons

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Kim @ Macaron Fetish with Licorice Mascarpone Cream Macarons

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