MACTWEETS

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Mac Attack #16 - MACS ARE IN THE AIR

Love is in the air
Everywhere I look around
Love is in the air
Every sight and every sound

And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes
- John Paul Young, Love is in the Air

THE WHISPER OF SWEET LITTLE NOTHINGS

Ah, who cannot but think of Valentine’s Day as soon as we turn the corner and come nose to nose with February? As hard as we may try, there is just no escaping it. Just try and come up with a different theme as the month of Love and Romance rolls around. We may avert our eyes, look the other way, even stay indoors to avoid any and all temptation, but there it is for all the world to see, shop windows filled with Cupids, bows and arrows at the ready to shoot straight into the heart of every innocent (and not so innocent) passerby, plump satin ribbons wrapped carefully around the most tempting of delicate treats, tumbles of chocolates spilling out of crisp white tissue paper, heart-shaped cookies edged in frosty royal icing curlicues the color of angels’ wings, dense, seductive chocolate pastries and creams, luxuriously rich, decadently smothered under whipped creams and ganaches, dusted with rose petals, kissed by shimmers of spun sugar. How to resist all of these signs of love and romance?

Yet resist we don’t! No matter whether we love or loathe this most controversial of holidays, we are all swept up into the spirit of the day, even the hardest hearts melt under a wave of irresistible romance. Armfuls of roses, red, pink and white, boxes of chocolates and diamonds nestled in tiny velvet boxes, how does one avoid Valentine’s Day and all the expectations, the excitement of both giving and receiving a sign of love to and from the one we love?

February’s Mac Attack is dedicated to Valentine’s Day. There is just no choice, no escaping it! So, with Chet Baker crooning My Funny Valentine, take your romantic heart and scurry into your kitchen and bake a batch of French macarons for that special someone, the lover, the spouse, the best friend, the children, the one whom you want to offer up something special, the one whom you want to make smile. Create something new, something exciting, something wildly romantic! Nothing says I Love You like a sweet little something, the size of a kiss, the flavor of your wildest desire, the macaron.

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. Please make sure that your Mac Attack #16 macarons are inspired by the theme!

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!

4. Have your Valentine's Day Macs posted on your own blog by February 25, 2011.

5. Once your post is up, simply leave the link to the post as a comment to this Mac Attack Challenge post!

Round up will be on March 1, 2011.

@lifesafeast and @vindee

January's MacInspirational Challenge was no different than the rest: each and every MacCreation was truly an inspiration! We asked our MacBakers to be inspired, using their macs as part of another dessert creation or turning the dessert world on its head and allowing their favorite non-mac dessert to inspire the little French treat.

The macaron is truly the perfect little backdrop for any flavor combination and a wonderful crispy, sweet and nutty accompaniment to other desserts. This month, our round up is filled favorite desserts decorated or combined with gorgeous macs; cakes, trifles, sundaes, or macarons turned into favorite desserts, inspired in flavor, texture, color. Who says a macaron is just a macaron anymore?

The beginning of a new year, 2011, finds our MacKitchen filled with the same joy and boundless energy as last year, and the macarons just seem to keep getting better and better! Beautiful macs standing on stunning, perfect little feet, amazing colors and an array of flavors that just keeps getting more creative and inventive. So let yourself be inspired and come along for the MacRide! Join in the fun and creativity and bake along with us on our next challenge!