MACTWEETS

Thursday, May 20, 2010

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: Mac Attack 8

The Dark Continent calls us, her breath heavy and hot on our backs, the sun brilliant, burning. We gasp for breath, wipe the sweat from our furrowed brow, but we refuse to give up. Our treasure? The most beautiful, the most regal of wild beasts, this land her home. We shade our eyes with one hand as the other clutches our most necessary weapon. We scan the horizon in search for our prey before our prey turns hunter and devours us!

Or we push ourselves through the thick brush of the jungle, the dense wall of branches only slowing us down. We squint up through the umbrella of deep, dark leaves and pray for the rain to turn in the other direction. We don't know who will venture out of the darkness if it begins to rain. They are afraid of us now, but not for long. Our only hope is that we can make it back before night falls. We sense the pulse of the untamed jungle, practically hear her heart pounding, feel the vibration of the life within and we know that we are outnumbered, overpowered, with no hope of survival if we must face the danger alone. Our only hope, once again, is to capture and tame the beast.

Are you armed? Don't trust those noises you hear whispering in the dark of the night, no mosquito net will protect you from what lurks out there. Bright eyes peer out of the inky blackness, the leaves of the bushes rustle. Is it the wind? There is little hope for you now. So arm yourself with what it takes, your only hope of survival in the cool, damp jungle, in the scorching desert, in that vast untamed wilderness that is your kitchen: the pastry bag, the mixer, the mighty spatula, and tame the beast, make it your own!

All aboard! The Mactweets Express leaves this month for adventure! Board along with us at your own peril, take your life into your own hands for if you come along with us to the savannah, the desert, the forest or the jungle, as you choose, you can only survive by creating a macaron inspired by the wild animal of your choice, whether beast or bird, but well armed with the right equipment and a enough patience, you shall succeed and make it out of the dangerous wilderness of your kitchen alive!

Please have your Mac Attack post up no later than June 10 '10.

Here are the rules of the game:

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 link back to this challenge on your post.
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 June 15, 2010.

@lifesafeast and @vindee

Saturday, May 15, 2010

"MacAttack 7"... the April round-up

"In books lies the soul of the whole past time"

Thomas Carlyle

MACTELL ME A STORY! STORYBOOK MACARONS

We asked you to run over to that bookshelf, dig through the boxes you had stored away and find a favorite book from your childhood. Any book. But a tale that inspired, a character that you loved. Our May Mac Attack challenge sent you forth to create a macaron inspired by a beloved childhood book, an extract, a character, something from any book from your childhood ...

...and we are amazed by what you have created. It's been a nostalgic trip down memory lane for all of us, and we've all been so excited to swap tales. Thank you all!!

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Faithy @ The Amateur Baker with Rum & Raisin, Pina Colada & Earl Grey Tea Macarons

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Kim @ Macaron Fetish with Blue Fairy Macaron (Rose Bubble Wine & Candied Pansy Butter Cream Macaron)

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Rachel @ My Munchable Musings with Rachel’s Rainbow: The Attack of the Macarons

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Bonnie @ City Home / Country Home with An Orange For Frankie Macarons

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Marilyn @ Delights of the Heart with Colours of Rainbow

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Shaz @ Test With A Skewer with Google Bun Macarons

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Lora @ The Diary of the Mad Hausfrau with Nancy Drew Blue Roadster Macarons and the Case of the Mystery Filling

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Lisa @ Parsley, Sage, Desserts & Line Drives with Macarons for Passover

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Meeta @ What's For Lunch Honey with Campari Orange & Grapefruit Macarons

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Françoise @ Chocoparis with Chocolate & Candied Ginger Filling

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Jamie @ Lifes A Feast with GIRL POWER! MACS

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Barbara @ Barbara Bakes with Hot Fudge Sundae Macs

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Mardi @ Eat Live Travel Write with Green Eggs and Ham Inspired Macarons

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Sarah @ Scrumptious Sally with Pink Lemonade & Vanilla Custard Macarons

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Julia @ Always Leave Room For Dessert with Clifford the Big Red Dog's, Bog Red Macarons

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Aparna @ My Diverse Kitchen with PBJ Peanut Macarons

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Deeba @ Passionate About Baking with Vanilla Bean & Coffee Macarons

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Mamatkamal @ Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine with Coffee Macarons / Macarons au café

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Cathy @ Wives With Knives with PB & J Macarons

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Cecilia @ One Vanilla Bean with Storybook Macarons: Lemon-Blueberry and Rhubarb-Strawberry Macarons

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Tspegar @ Food Finery with Oat Macarons with a Maple Cream Filling

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Oz @ Kitchen Butterfly with Matcharons and Midnight feasts

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Sunita @ Sunita's World with Cranberry and rosemary macarons

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Juliana @ horneAndo Algo with Mini Macarons de Colores... y un cuento

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Sabine @ Berry Lovely with Meyer Lemon Macarons

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Ken @ Hungry Rabbit with Chocolate Macarons with a Bittersweet Mocha Ganache

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Cristie @ The Table Runner with Cream Cheese and Jelly Macarons

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Sandy @Eat, Love & Travel with Velveteen Rabbit Carrot Cake Macarons

Ria @Ria's Collection with Almond Macarons with Salted Caramel Ganache

@lifesafeast and @vindee

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:

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 link back to this challenge on your post.
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.

@lifesafeast and @vindee

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