March is Bell Peppers and Broccoli Month

March is Bell Peppers and Broccoli Month, I have no idea why.

Maybe this is the month to plant them. I checked and it seems to be about right as long as the last frost has been through your area.

In any case, broccoli and bell peppers are both delicious, cooked or raw, and they are wonderful together.

Here's a simple recipe using both vegetables, enjoy!!

Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli and Bell Peppers

recipe from Cooking Light found at MyRecipes.com

• 1 pound flank steak, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 tablespoons water, divided
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3/4 pound broccoli
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups) 
• 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Preparation

1. 1. Cut steak in half lengthwise. Cut each half across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Combine beef, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper; toss well. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. 2. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons water, oyster sauce, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
3. 3. Cut broccoli into florets. Peel broccoli stems; cut stems diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
4. 4. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture to skillet; cook 3 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Transfer beef mixture to a bowl.
5. 5. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add broccoli; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons water; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in the oyster sauce mixture; cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

What are you gonna be for Halloween???

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, May luck be yours on Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Yep, it's almost here again. Soooo, what or rather who are you gonna be this Halloween? 

I've decided to go with my usual fall back out fit and dress as a fortuneteller. Or rather what we've come to think a fortune teller should look like. Basically, a boho lagenlook kind of out fit. 

(What? Never heard of Lagenlook? Hmmm, I'll have to do a little blog about it.)

 Anyhoo, I'll actually be telling fortunes! What fun!

So, since I know I'll be telling some fortunes I decided to look up some interesting and fun ones. I also thought about making Halloween Fortune Cookies but that was waaaaay too much like work! :-P

Here are some of the fortunes I found and a recipe for Halloween Fortune Cookies if you're interested.

Classic Dark & Scary Halloween Quotes & Fortune Cookie Sayings:

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,

Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"

At first cock-crow the ghosts must go

back to their quiet graves below.

~Theodosia Garrison

'Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn

and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world.

~William Shakespeare

From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties

and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!

~Scottish Proverb

Double, double toil and trouble;

fire burn and cauldron bubble.

~Shakespeare

The witches fly across the sky, The owls go:

"Who? Who? Who?" The black cats yowl

and green ghosts howl: "Scary Halloween to you!"

Halloween wraps fear in innocence,

as though it were a slightly sour sweet.

Let terror, then, be turned into a treat.

One need not be a chamber to be haunted;

One need not be a house;

The brain has corridors surpassing material place.

~Emily Dickinson

You wouldn't believe On All Hallows Eve

what lots of fun we can make, with apples to bob

and nuts on the hob and a ring-and-thimble cake.

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.  ~George Carlin

There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery.  ~Joseph Conrad

'Tis the night of the grave's delight, and the warlocks

are at their play; Ye think that without

the wild winds shout, but no, it is they, it is they.

If a man harbors any sort of fear,

it makes him landlord to a ghost. 

~Lloyd Douglas

 Halloween Jokes

How do witches keep their hair in place when flying?

They use ‘scare-spray’.

How do monsters tell their fortune?

They read the ‘horrorscopes’.

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?

No. They eat the fingers separately.

Where does a witch park after flying?

In the broom closet

What does a child monster call his parents?

Mummy and Deady.

What fairy tale do ghosts like best?

Sleeping Boo-ty.

Why do vampires need mouthwash?

They have bat breath.

What do ghosts eat for breakfast?

Ghost Toasties and evaporated milk.

What doesn’t a vampire order at a restaurant?

A stake sandwich.

What is a vampire’s favorite holiday?

Fangs-giving.

What is a baby ghost’s favorite game?

Peek-a-Boo.

Adult Themed Halloween Fortune Cookie Sayings:

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.

Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight

make me a child again just for tonight!

True love is like a ghost, which everyone talks about but few have seen. 

Clothes make a statement. 

Costumes tell a story.

There is nothing that gives

more assurance than a mask.  

Fortunes/Sayings found here

Eat, Drink and be Scary!!!

 

Halloween Fortune Cookies

By The Paula Deen Test Kitchen

 (check out the link at the bottom to see the cookies being made)

Here’s what you’ll need:

Nonstick spray

2 egg whites

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons water

Pinch salt

Fortunes written on strips of colored paper

6 drops orange food coloring

Special equipment: Silpat, coffee mug, and muffin tin.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. On a half sheet tray, spray a silpat with nonstick spray. 

2. In a medium bowl whisk egg whites until foamy. Whisk in 6 drops orange food coloring. Add the flour, sugar, almond extract, water, and salt to the egg whites and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour or spoon 1 tablespoon of batter onto prepared silpat and spread with the back of a spoon into a very thin 4-inch circle. Repeat on the other half of the sheet, making only 2 cookies per sheet tray. 

4. Bake the cookies on middle rack of oven until golden brown around edges, about 8 minutes. 

5. Remove from oven and working very quickly, with an offset spatula, remove cookie from baking sheet and place a fortune in the center of the round. 

6. Fold to create a half circle. 

7. Using the rim of a coffee mug, bend pointed edges of cookie toward each other. This should be done quickly since the cookie will become hard and brittle within 10 seconds. 

8. Let cookies cool in the wells of a muffin tin.

MAKES 16 COOKIES

To see pictures of the cookies being made go to  <http://www.pauladeen.com/article_view/halloween_fortune_cookies/>

Spinning, Weaving and Storytelling!

"Woman Spinning" by George Walker

October 1-7 is Celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week  and October 5 -7 is National Storytelling Weekend (the National Storytelling Festival is held in Jonesborough, Tn this weekend).

So to celebrate two holidays in one post, I have decided to put up a story about spinning and weaving! Yea! Aren't I clever!

The Good Housewife and her Night Helpers

There was once a farmer's wife called Inary who lived on Tiree. She was a hardworking woman and after the chores of the day were done she would spin and weave long into the night.

One night when she was up alone spinning her yarn for her next batch of cloth, she was overtaken by a great tiredness. 'I wish someone would come from land or sea, from far or near, to help me finish this cloth!' Inary exclaimed.

Just then there was a knock at the door and a voice called 'Let me in Inary I have come to help you.' Inary opened the door to find a tiny woman dressed in green, the newcomer came straight in and sat down at the spinning wheel and started to spin. Inary had hardly time to shut the door when another woman knocked upon it and asked to be let in. Inary opened the door and another small green clad lady entered and set her hands straight to the distaff. Inary's visitors continued to arrive until she lost count of them all. Some sat down at the loom and started to weave. Some teazed and carded wool while others boiled fulling water over the fire for the finished cloth. The whole room was full of the women and yet their clattering failed to wake Inary's family in the next room.

She realized at last that they were faeries from Burg Hill and her sleeping family were under a spell. The faeries began to complain of hunger and Inary tried to feed them all, but the more they worked the hungrier they became.

Inary was soon down to her last loaf and desperate she ran from the house and went straight to the cottage of the local wise man. Inary tumbled out her story and begged the old man to help her.
The wise man was grave and told Inary that her foolish request had brought her into this trouble. Her husband was indeed in an enchanted sleep and she must get the faeries out of the house and sprinkle him with fulling water to wake him. Furthermore she must cry 'Burg Hill is on fire!' three times to make the faeries leave and upset all the tools and implements with which they had been working. Inary thanked the old man and went back to her house where the faeries were still at work, with all her might she cried....

'There is fire in Burg Hill!
Burg Hill is on fire!
Burg Hill is in red flames of fire!'

The faeries cried out in alarm in fear that everything they valued in the faery hill would be destroyed, and they all ran out of Inary's door. Once they were all gone Inary took the band of the spinning wheel, turned the loom upside down, twisted the distaff backwards and took the fulling water off the fire.

The faeries soon realised that they had been tricked and were back hammering on the door asking Inary to let them back in. Inary refused, so they asked the spinning wheel to help them. 'How can I?' the spinning wheel replied, 'I am without a band.' The faery folk appealed to the distaff to let them in. 'I cannot.' replied the distaff, 'I am twisted contrary.' Then they asked the loom. 'I would happily let you in but I am set topsy-turvy.' it replied. The impatient faeries appealed to the fulling water. 'I cannot help you,' it replied, 'I am off the fire.' In desperation the faeries appealed to the last loaf sitting on Inary's hearth and it bounded across the room to open the door.

Inary remembered the old man's words and quickly sprinkled some of the fulling water on her sleeping husband. The farmer sat up and strode to the door, and when he flung it open the faeries had fled, and they never came back to trouble Inary again.

 story found online here

Source:
Scottish Folk Tales and Legends
Barbara Ker Wilson
Oxford University Press, 1954.

I Wanna Be Evil !! .....( just a random thought)

Eartha Kitt singing "I wanna be evil!" I love it!

Drink Your Big Black Cow.....

"Drink your big black cow and get out of here." from Steely Dan's Black Cow
Today is National Black Cow Day. Whooohoo!

Hmmm.... I bet some of you are wondering.."What is a Black Cow?"

Okay, I kinda wondered that myself. I figured it wasn't an actual black cow 'cause why would we have a holiday for it. Then I thought, well , maybe a black cow is a ice cream float made with coke instead of ginger ale. Don't know why that came to me. Turns out I'm almost right.

According to my friends at Wiki:

The origin of the name "black cow" has always been of interest to food and beverage experts and allegedly dates to August 1893 in Cripple Creek, Colorado. The only source of this story is the great-grand-nephew of Frank J. Wisner, who has popularized it through advertising on his soft drink products and website. Wisner, owner of the Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining Company, had been producing a line of soda waters for the citizens of the then-booming Cripple Creek gold mining district. He had been trying to create a special drink for the children of Cripple Creek and came up with an idea while staring out at his properties on Cow Mountain on a moonlit night.
The full moon's glow on the snow capped Cow Mountain reminded him of a dollop of vanilla ice cream floating on top of his blackened Cow Mountain. As he told the story later, he was inspired by this view to hurry back to his bar and add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream to the one soda water he produced that the children of Cripple Creek seemed to like best - Myers Avenue Red root beer - and served it the very next day. The drink was an instant hit. Originally named "Black Cow Mountain", the local children shortened this to "black cow". Wisner was known to say many times in his later years that if he had a nickel for every time someone ordered a black cow, he'd have been a rich man.

Sooo, apparently a Black Cow is what most of refer to as a Root Beer Float which is basically root beer and vanilla ice cream. I have also heard a root beer float referred to as a Brown Cow.
While surfing the net for info on the Black Cow I found lots of different recipes. The one below sounds delicious! Think I'll go make one.

TTFN, I have to go buy ice cream....yum!!


A Black Cow Float

2 scoops vanilla ice cream
10 oz coke
1 tbsp chocolate syrup
1 1/2 oz whipped cream
maraschino cherry

Pour coke over ice cream and chocolate syrup in a fountain glass.
Garnish with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
Serve with a straw and a long spoon.

Variation: For a Brown Cow, use root beer in the place of coke.
recipe found at homebakedmemories.com

June is National Ice Tea Month

June is National Ice Tea Month and today, June 10th, is Ice Tea Day.

Although tea had been served for years both hot and cold it did not become commercially popular until 1904. At the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis, the summer was so hot that people went in search of cold drinks. For some reason the popularity of iced tea was sealed that summer. There are many stories of iced tea being "invented" that summer but the drink is mentioned in cookbooks before that time.

According to WhatsCookingAmerica.net

1879 - The oldest sweet tea recipe (ice tea) in print comes from a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree, published in 1879:

"Ice Tea. - After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, through a tea strainer into a pitcher. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the pitcher. Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency."

 If Ms. Tyree's recipe doesn't appeal to you try this simple ice tea recipe....


Easy Lemonade Ice Tea

6 small tea bags
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 quart boiling water
1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate


Directions:
1 Let tea bags steep in boiling water (approx. 5 minutes).

2 Remove tea bags and add sugar.

3 Add frozen juices and enough water to make 1 gallon.

4 Pour into glasses over ice.

recipe found at http://www.food.com/

Happy Mother's Day!

My Mother, My Friend
( by anonymous)

You were my fairy tale princess,
So much larger than life.
You were my angel and my witness
Through all my pain and strife.

At times you made me angry,
Great words I would proclaim
How someday you'd be sorry.
You were the one to blame.

 

 

But when I needed comforting
You always found the time.
Your words were more soothing
Than days of childhood sublime.

Now the distance holds us apart,
The boundaries have no end.
I'll hold the memories in my heart.
You're my mother, my best friend

Don't Worry....

 Here's an oldie but goodie.....Don't Worry Be Happy!

My Newest Obsession....

Yep, they got me too. I am now a Pinterest-aholic!
What!?? you've never been on Pinterest? Where have you been?
Pinterest is kinda like Facebook without idle chatter about people's lives.
Sorta...
Folks put up, "pin" pics of stuff they want or like to do or places they want to go, etc.
Ideally, you link to the site that you found the info/pic.
Try it..... Go forth and Pinterest!

Old Lang Syne

The following is a repost from my TheStoriesLaTells blog

No, it's not a story but it's a song that is sung each year and yet most of us know nothing about it.

The song Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung by most of us on the stroke of midnight each New Years Eve however in Scotland, where Auld Lang Syne originates it is also sung on Burns Night, January 25th, to celebrate the life of the author and famous poet Robert Burns.

Auld Lang Syne is also said to be used as a graduation and funeral song in Tiawan and Hong Kong and as a graduation song in Japan and Hungary.

The song/poem has been found in earlier forms in 15th and 17th century volumes by anonymous authors.
But Robert Burns found a song ,

which never was in print, nor even in manuscript, until he took it down
from an old man singing,—adding that the poetry was enough to recommend any air.
About the same time he sent another copy to James Johnson for the now celebrated
Standard Collection of Scottish Songs, the "Scots Musical Museum;" and it was
printed and published for the first time in December 1796, in the fifth volume
of that work, about five months after Burns died.

Check this website for more complete information on Robert Burns and Auld Lang Syne:
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/langsyne.htm

THe song is about love and friendship in times past. The lyrics in the song Auld Lang Syne referring to 'We'll take a Cup of Kindness yet' relate to a drink shared by men and women to symbolize friendship.

It is bandleader Guy Lombardo that popularized the song and made it a New Years tradition.
Lombardo first heard "Auld Lang Syne" in his hometown of London, Ontario, where it was sung by Scottish immigrants. The song became a part of his bands repetoire. Lombardo played the song at midnight at a New Year's eve party at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1929, and thus a New Year's tradition was born.

AULD LANG SYNE
Words adapted from a traditional song
by Robert Burns (1759-96)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne

Chorus

Meanings
auld lang syne - times gone by
be - pay for
braes - hills
braid - broad
burn - stream
dine - dinner time
fiere - friend
fit - foot
gowans - daisies
guid-willie waught - goodwill drink
monie - many
morning sun - noon
paidl't - paddled
pint-stowp - pint tankard
pou'd - pulled
twa - two

Same Auld Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
Auld Lang Syne

Happy New Year!

Try this slightly different new years drink.....

 Apple Cider Sparkle
•6 cups apple cider

•2 cups cranberry/raspberry cocktail (orange juice, orange-mango or your favorite juice blend)

•1 bottle (750 mL) champagne (or sparkling wine)

•1/2 cup lemon juice

1)In punch bowl, large pitcher, or even several pitchers, combine apple cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. 2)Just before your guests arrive, slowly add champagne or sparkling wine.
3)Serve immediately or keep chilled with large ice blocks.
4)Makes approximately 15 servings.

*For a non-alcoholic punch, use chilled sparkling grape juice in place of the wine or champagne.

Start with Yourself

Dream.
Inspire...Encourage one person at a time, starting with yourself!

Unwritten.....Release your inhibitions!

I love this song!!!!
(to turn off blog music to to the bottom of the blog)






"Unwritten"




I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined

I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned



Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find



Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten



Oh, oh, oh



I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines

We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way



Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find



Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins



Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten



Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find



Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions



Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins



Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

The rest is still unwritten

The rest is still unwritten

Brown Chicken Brown Cow

This video is toooo funny! I love Trace Adkins songs  :-D
(pssst...to turn off the blog music, go to the bottom of blog)

Today is Macaron Day!!

Yes, I said macaron not macaroon! Today, in France and in New York City, is Macaron Day.

"Jour du Macaron" is an annual celebration of the meringue-based "cookies" that come in a rainbow of colors and fillings.

Pierre Hermé began this event in 2005. He offers free macarons in his Paris stores, as do other participating members of the Relais Desserts association, which represents the top pastry chefs in the world.
The event supports  Autour des Williams, a charity that funds research into rare diseases and provides assistance to those afflicted by Williams-Beuren syndrome. Donations to the charity are accepted in each participating shop.

In 2010, François Payard, chef and owner of François Chocolate Bar and François Payard Bakery in New York, organized the first annual Macaron Day in NYC.

What, exactly, is a Macaron???

According to Wiki:

"A macaron is a sweet confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring. The macaron is commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies.

Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond past which is the principal ingredient.

It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference (referred to as the "foot"), flat base, mildly moist and easily melted into mouths.

Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the new (truffle, green matcha tea). The fillings can range from jams, ganache, or buttercream.

Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the Coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling of the cookie/biscuit. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonyms."

The following links are some of my favorite places to read about macarons and find macaron recipes. And no I haven't made any at home....yet! Making macarons takes preparation....I'm still working on it  :-P

http://mactweets.blogspot.com/

http://macaron-fetish.blogspot.com/

http://ladymacaron20ten.blogspot.com/

http://madaboutmacarons.com/leblog

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/01/21/whet-your-palate-colorful-french-macarons/

http://www.mercotte.fr/2008/03/20/desperatly-seeking-macarons/

http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2008/08/lots-of-macarons.html

http://macarondaynyc.com/

Parisian Macaroons

recipe found at http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/parisian-macaroons

Makes about 16 filled macaroons

1 cup (4 ounces) finely ground sliced, blanched almonds

6 tablespoons fresh egg whites (from about 3 extra-large eggs)

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Macaroon Filling

Directions

1.To make the macaroons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners' sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

2.Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch #4 round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macaroons and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.

3.Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macaroons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macaroons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macaroons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

4.To fill the macaroons: Fill a pastry bag with the filling. Turn macaroons so their flat bottoms face up. On half of them, pipe about 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich these with the remaining macaroons, flat-side down, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

5.Variations: To make coffee-flavored macaroons: In step 1, add 2 drops brown food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. In step 4, blend 1/2 cup macaroon filling with 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in 1/2 teaspoon warm water for the filling. To make cassis-flavored macaroons: In step 1, add 2 drops purple food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. In step 4, use 1/3 cup good-quality cassis jam for the filling. To make pistachio-flavored macaroons: In step 1, add 2 drops green food coloring to the egg whites after they are whipped. In step 4, combine 1/2 cup macaroon filling with 1 tablespoon pistachio paste for the filling.

.