Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

   

Here are some fun gift ideas for Valentine's Day :) Hope you like this video!

Minion Macarons

Minions! I had the pleasure of making these cuties for a special birthday last week :) 

I piped small circles of macaron batter for the eyeballs once the macaron rounds have set. It gives it a nice raised texture once they are baked. I painted the outer edges with edible Pearl Dust mixed with a little lemon extract and filled them in with white chocolate. I then dotted each eyeball with milk chocolate. I drew the rest of the details with edible marker :)

The minions have such fun personalities. I had fun drawing all the different expressions :)

The birthday girl loved her minion macarons so I was very happy!

Little Getaway

Hello all! Wow, I'm very behind with my blog postings. I assure you it's for good reasons :) I've been busy getting ready for the shows this season. I also have a few exciting business opportunities that have come up. I haven't decided what to do yet but I hope to share some goods news soon! Anyhow, James and I went to Quebec City this past weekend to celebrate our up-coming one year wedding anniversary. (I can't believe it's going to be a year already!) Here are some photos from our trip :)

(left) Yummy fresh donuts at Tim Hortons. The cherry timbits were so good!

(right) Strolling around Old Quebec.

We tried poutine for the first time and the ones at Chez Ashton were really addictive. I'm going to miss these when I'm craving for comfort foods!

We stopped by Paillard a couple of times. It's a chain bakery/cafe that was near our hotel. The pastries and food were good. Their macarons were delicious too. The cafe has a very comfortable atmosphere. 

I don't know exactly what this is called but it was good. The outside was flaky and buttery like a croissant and the inside was a frangipane (almond custard) filling.  

(left) How pretty is this store window? Love all the nutcrackers with their dessert-hats!

(right) I love how high up Le Chateau Frontenac is. The houses lining the street is so charming too. 

Erico on rue Saint-Jean is a must-visit for any chocolate lover. The chocolates are pretty and tasted amazing. I especially love the jasmine one (pictured in back). It was divine!

We found these awesome macarons at Marche du Vieux-Port (a farmer's market in Lower Town). Aren't the colors amazing? They tasted great too. I am so inspired by them. I can't wait to make a vibrant batch of macarons now! Btw, we also bought locally made maple butter and apple butter at this market. (The vendor won us over with her delicious samples!) It's a fun place to go and see where the locals shop.

We stayed at Le Chateau Frontenac and were greeted with these beautiful flowers in the lobby everyday. 

Quebec City is so charming and the people are really nice. We had such a fun and relaxing time. I have to thank my wonderful husband for planning everything. He got a lot of brownie points for this one! :)

Birthday Macarons

Sprinkles make everything so much cuter! I made these lemon macarons to celebrate my friend's birthday. A sweet treat for a very sweet friend. Happy 30th Kristen! :)