Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2013

Mother's Day, is another one of those great holidays that reminds us of those special people in our lives that we should always be thankful for! 

Every Mother's Day, since I can remember, my Mom has always said,"Everyday is Mother's Day for me. I don't need anything,  you kids are gift enough!" Now, I know she means it, but I don't believe this statement to be entirely true... My brother and I have be blessed with such a beautiful, selfless, and inspiring mother. I believe it is Her who is the gift to us. 

Through the years of dream chasing, mistakes, heart aches & happy cheers, She was there. Not just to offer a shoulder to cry on, or to give a pat on the back, but to show us the true meaning of sincere unconditional love. This is the kind of love that makes my Mom so different from another person whom I have ever met. This love is proof that our mother is a true gift to P.j. & I. 

There is no amount of words that I can put together that will ever show my Mom how much she truely means to me. There is not enough sugar in the world to show how her sweetness has made me who I am today, but here's an honest attempt...

Momma's Macaroons 

If your Mom were a dessert what would she be?

My Mom would definitely be a little sweet chocolaty treat...

Choloate Lavender Macaroons

Ingredients:

1c. Powdered Sugar

1/2c. Almond Flour

3tbsp. Unsweetened Coco Powder

2 Large egg white (room temp)

Pinch of Cream of Tartar 

1/4c. Bakers Sugar (superfine)

4 oz. 70% dark chocolate 

1tbsp. Dried lavender 

1/2c. Heavy whipping cream

How to make these sweet little cuties:

The Chocolate lavender Ganache:

1. In a small sauce pan, bring Heavy cream and lavender to a boil.

2. In a mixing bowl, pour boiling cream over chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.

3. Let mixture sit until thick enough to spread. Whisk occasionally. 

The Cookie:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. And prep a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the underside of the parchment paper, draw 1" round circles 1" apart across the entire sheet. This will serve as a template for your perfectly round macaroons. 

2. In a food processor, pulse together powdered sugar, almond flour & coco powder. Combine until well mixed, and then sift 2 times. Set aside.

3. Using the whisk attachment on your kitchen aid, whisk room temp egg whites until foamy, about 30seconds. Add a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the Bakers sugar. Once it is all added, increase to medium-high speed an whisk until you get beautiful glossy stiff peaks.(About 8 min) You should be able to turn your bowl upside down without anything falling out. 

4. Sif flour mixture into egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, fold flour into eggs whites. Taking caution not to over mix. Just mix until there are no egg white showing and your mixture should look chocolaty & glossy. 

5. Spoon your batter into a piping bag fitted with a quarter inch plain round tip. Pipe the batter into the center of each circle on your parchment paper. Take your time when doing this and always pull out to the edge of your circle when done so that there are no pointy tips in the center of your macaroon. Once you have piped the whole sheet, tap the baking sheet against the counter to release any air bubbles, and let sit for 15min or til dry to the touch. 

6. Reduce your oven heat to 325F. Bake macaroons on the center shelf for 10-12 min. Be sure to rotate your cookies halfway through. And only bake one batch at a time. 

7. Let cool completely and then pipe ganache on one side of a cookie, then sandwich with another.

8. Enjoy!

Happy happy Mother's Day the all of the loving and beautiful Moms. I am so blessed to have known so many great and inspiring Mothers. My only prayer is that I make as wonderful of mother as these women. 

My Mother, the most beautiful woman in the world. 

RIP Grandma Janet. This is our first Mother's Day without you here. I hope you are looking down on us and know that we are all here celebrating because of the mother and grandmother that you were. 

RIP Grandma Lorna. Love and miss you every day.