Read from the Beginning

Three somewhat tragic looking macarons

The Simple Macaron Recipe that Will Make You Question Your Life Choices

Ella, Free

As promised, I am providing you the recipe for Erica’s macarons. This post will include the basic recipe for macarons as well as the basic recipe for the cream cheese frosting and fruit curd fillings. These little pastries will be the delight of everyone at your next garden party or brunch, and will surely leave you deep in a state of existential dread.

Which I now understand was Erica’s intention. She is used to an omnipresent anxiety about her life choices. She wakes up every day and goes to a job she does not like, and occasionally must spend her free time with these “friends” who look down on her for it. Why shouldn’t they also feel the crushing weight of the world once in a while? Realistically, they probably feel it to some degree, but are too deep in denial to admit it. Even high-paying jobs can be just as difficult to feel good about in a world where most of what we do is meaningless. But reality is difficult to resist when its dressed up in such an appetizing package. Macarons are still macarons after all.

So, if you want a challenge that will bring you face to face with your own questions about the meaning of life, even if you can’t pass it directly along to those who will eat your creations, try baking macarons. For extra anxiety about your place in the world, you can make these without electric beaters, like Erica did. Nothing will make you question your existence like whipping egg whites to a merengue with a tiny whisk, and only switching to hand beaters when the eggs are substantial enough, or mashing cream cheese, butter, and sugar together with just a fork.

Before I give you the recipe, I will recommend break the process up into three steps: baking the macarons, making the filling, and filling the macarons (especially if you take the hand beater route). There’s plenty of self-doubt to go around. Take it easy.

The Very Basic Cookie Recipe (one batch makes ~2 dozen full macarons (4 dozen cookies))

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fine almond flour (blend or food process it if you just have regular almond flour)
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ~1-2 teaspoon of the flavoring of your choice (Erica used Almond extract, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder)

Instructions

  1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside
  2. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar (and cocoa powder if you’re making chocolate) together into a bowl (discard any pieces of flour that don’t get through the sieve). Sift into another bowl, repeat the process back and forth a few times. Set aside.
  3. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy, add cream of tartar, continue to beat as you add granulated sugar a bit at a time. (if using a liquid flavor/extract, add it here). Beat until stiff peaks are achieved.
  4. Sift almond flour mixture over egg whites and gently fold into egg whites. Do not over mix. When a small drop of batter disappears back into the rest of the mixture after 10 seconds, the batter is ready.
  5. Transfer batter to a piping bag and pipe ~1 inch circles onto the parchment paper.
  6. Tap the cookie tray on the table or counter to get out the air bubbles.
  7. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and let the cookies rest for 15-30 minutes, until you can touch the top of them without any batter sticking to your finger.
  8. Bake on center rack for 18-20 minutes.
  9. Allow to cool on cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
  10. Fill (once you’ve made your filling) and refrigerate.

Basic Cream Cheese Filling Recipe

  • ¾ block of cream cheese (room temp) (seriously)
  • 1 stick of butter (room temp) (just as seriously)
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup optional flavoring (cocoa powder or fruit puree. Use MUCH less if you’re using vanilla extract)

Instructions

  1. If you haven’t left your cream cheese and butter on the counter for a few hours, do that now.
  2. Beat the butter and cream cheese together
  3. Add powdered sugar and flavoring. Beat until smooth.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use

Basic Curd Recipe

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 4 tsp butter
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup pureed fruit

Instructions

  1. Make a double boiler/bain marie by filling a larger saucepan with water and putting a smaller saucepan about halfway submerged in the water (let it rest on the water, don’t let any water inside the smaller saucepan).
  2. Combine ingredients in a bowl
  3. Turn on the stove, allow water to boil
  4. Pour ingredients into smaller saucepan. Stir constantly until mixture reaches desired thickness.
  5. Remove from heat and transfer to heat-proof bowl to cool

-Ella

Summery Syrups to Delight and Refresh You

Ella, Free

Summer is undoubtedly upon us. Here in St. Louis that brings an oppressive humidity and a bottomless appetite for all things cool and refreshing. Citrus, mint, and ginger are three flavors I often turn to when looking for a reprieve from the heat. One issue I have found, however, is that many recipes calling for these ingredients often require much less than is available at the grocery store. The chunks of fresh ginger root are often much larger than the one or two tablespoons a recipe often calls for. A recipe calling for lemon juice leaves much of the pulp and the rind discarded. And anyone who has ever grown mint knows it is far more abundant that it seems to have uses.

One solution is to use these extras and castoffs to make syrups. The syrups keep for a very long time in the refrigerator and are perfect for flavoring everything from cocktails to iced tea to just adding a little bit of sweetness to a glass of seltzer. They are easy to make as well. Simply add equal parts sugar and water to a sauce pan along with whatever you are using for flavoring, whether it be citrus rinds, sprigs of mint leaves, or leftover ginger. If you are using citrus rind, make sure to wash them well and with dish soap before you put them in the syrup. Stir the mixture constantly and allow it to come to a boil. The longer you keep the flavor in the syrup and keep it on the heat, the stronger your flavor will be. Taste as you go and when the syrup reaches your desired flavor, remove it from the heat, pour it through a strainer, and discard the used flavoring.

Maybe you don’t want to spend your day boiling lemons, but the result will be worth it.

I know it seems hypocritical to complain about the heat and humidity while I suggest that you stand over a steaming pot of boiling sugar water for up to an hour. You have to believe me that it will be worth it. First off, it’s possible that releasing all that heat and humidity into your kitchen will make the rest of your house feel so much cooler. The copious amounts of steam produced will allow any incorporeal residents of your home the chance to be seen, should they choose it. They often miss their bodies dearly and the water vapor in the air gives them a chance to approximate a physical presence.

And once the syrups are made and stored in the refrigerator, you will feel infinitely fancier than before. Maybe you’re like me and the idea of purchasing flavored syrups or anything with the word “infused” or “botanical” for just one recipe seems like a gamble. What if I don’t like it and now I have too much? But if I can make it to my taste and save something from the trash, it seems worth it. And when you hand a friend a cocktail made with orange and ginger syrup and casually reveal, when asked, that you made it, they are sure to be impressed.

-Ella

Fancy Cocktail Syrups Aren't Hard to Make

Actually Sewing My Dice Bag (I Finished Something!)

Erica, Free

I should probably lie and tell you that this is my first ever sewing project. You will tell me I did a great job looks really nice. But this is not my first project. And after hearing that, you might be surprised to hear me say that this is an improvement.

This project was still a first in a lot of ways. It is the first time I used an actual pattern. If you to make the dice bag, you should follow that link. It’s a great tutorial and the instructions are very easy to follow. And because I used someone else’s pattern, I won’t be discussing the step-by-step process of making this bag. What I want to write about today are the ways I put a bit more care and foresight into my work and saw massive improvements.

To start, I planned way more than I usually do. I thought about how I wanted to sew each layer together, and where I wanted stitches just show on the outside. Before my embroidery needle had even pierced the fabric for the first time, I wrote a step-by-step guide to sewing these pieces together. I also planned out which threads I would use for the top thread and bobbin at each step and wound my bobbins accordingly.

In another shocking break from tradition, this time I practiced the stitches that I was going to use on the sewing machine, I adjusted my tension, stitch length, and needle placement and practiced sewing along a curve all on scrap fabric before I even put any of my pieces on the machine. I measured constantly, always pinning my circle center to center before opened any of the edges. I thought long and hard about the seam allowance. Normally I just pick up line and stick with it with varying degrees of success. I measured based on my embroidery, not wanting to stitch over it if possible. After sewing, I ironed my final pieces topstitched the seams.

I also changed my design at one point. At first I thought maybe I would sew the innermost circle all the way through the outer fabric. But when I did\, I was not able to follow the circle that had been already been sewn to the lining fabric very well and the result was extremely messy. I use my seam ripper to pick a part every single tiny stitch I could slip it under. In the end, I did not get them all out, but I still think it looks better. I did decide to zigzag stitch the pockets to the outer fabric so that the lining would not be completely loose inside the outer fabric of the bag. The zigzag stitches were larger and more visible than I would have preferred them to be, but still would rather have them there than not.

The dice bag with embroidered quote inside

I made my own bias tape for the drawstring, which I must say turned out very well. It was my first time using a bias tape maker and honestly my first time actually sewing in a straight line. The holes for the drawstring were a little bit difficult. I still might go back and redo them at some point. I did not quite get the hang of sewing buttonholes with the machine and at this point I was too lazy to go back and look it up. So I just cut some slits in the denim and used some very messy handsewn buttonhole stitches to try to secure them. Those are probably the messiest part of this project and I will pay for it eventually by having to hand sew new buttonholes when these ones be going to begin to fray too much.

I am extremely pleased with the results. I’ve been working on this project for just about three months. And not counting embroidery it took me 6.5 hours (that includes cutting, planning, and sewing). All told, the only cost to me personally was the embroidery thread (about $2.00) and the bias tape maker (about $6.00). I originally bought that for another project, but this is the first time I used it. I had the old jeans and the old sheets, the sewing machine, and the sewing thread but, for those of you who might have to purchase any of these materials yourself I have listed out how much I paid for each of the items required to make the dice bag. If you don’t have fabric scraps handy, I recommend purchasing quilting quarters. They’re cheap, easy to work with, and come in a lot of fun colors and prints.

The finished product

I would do something like this again in a heartbeat. It was so much fun and I’m so proud of how it turned out. I haven’t even played DND in a few weeks, but sometimes I just take the bag out to hold it and look at it because it makes me so happy.

-Erica

ItemCost
Sheet ScrapsFree
Jean ScrapsFree
Embroidery Thread*~$2.00*
Sewing Thread~$4.00 (two spools at ~$2/spool)
Bias Tape Maker~$6.00*
Sewing machine$25 (thrifted)
Pins~$4
Tracing paper (to transfer pattern and to protect embroidery from sewing machine$5 for the whole book
* is items I purchased for this project
Constellation Themed Dice Bag

We All Need a Weeknight Drink Occasionally, Those Should Be Easy

Ella, Free

Even committed weekend-only drinkers find themselves in need of the occasional weeknight cocktail or glass of wine. With the number of sworn-by or sworn-original recipes out there, cocktails can seem especially daunting. That should not be the case, especially with a boundary-crossing boss willing to try nearly every motivational tactic in the book except for higher compensation. That requires a simple, quick drink. The kind to accompany you on whatever vacation from the real world you need tonight.

The simplest mixed drinks require three components: liquor, flavor, and something to dilute the liquor. You will find that some combinations work better than others, but there is no accounting for taste.

Erica’s standby mixed drinks are vodka and seltzer and a Moscow Mule. So obviously her preferred liquor is vodka. And her food preferred dilutant it is something with bubbles. For a vodka seltzer, she often pours a tall glass of seltzer and adds a splash of vodka and a splash of sweetened lime juice. These are perfect for hot summer nights after a day spent outside, or any evening after she has received a lecture from her boss on how all people need to achieve their goals is motivation. Or how some people just don’t want to work. The kind of indirect criticism one can easily smile and nod along to without taking personally.

For days when the needling is more direct, I suggest a Moscow Mule. This can include any such incidents as being asked to do menial tasks despite not being your boss’s assistant or being held to the same expectations as higher-level staff without any additional compensation because you just need the right motivation. On evenings like that, Erica will make herself a Moscow Mule in a much smaller glass with slightly more vodka, seltzer water, sweetened lime juice, and the ginger syrup which I wrote about a little while ago.

So, when you are looking for an invigorating refreshment, or just to take the edge off a particularly terrible day, don’t let a complicated cocktail recipe stress you out even further.

-Ella

Garnish or not, it will taste the same. Cocktails shouldn't be complicated