露珠

Happy Monday guys!

How was your weekend?

Mine was nice and short. The worst thing is that I got a sinus infection last Thursday, so I’ve been taking it easy for the las few days.

I’ve got some macarons for you today!

Guess what? Tiramisu recipes are back! I’m just kidding! Only one this time, do you remember the “tiramisu recipe overload” on my blog last year? Some of these recipes are still very popular ones here.

I’ve been planning to try a tiramisu macaron recipe for the longest time and I finally did! And these turned out so good! Like anything tiramisu (coffee) flavored, right?

Tiramisu-Macarons-Recipe-mascarpone-whipped-cream

These cookies have crunchy outside, moist inside, that has soaked flavors from the whipped mascarpone filling. I did sprinkle some instant coffee over the shells, before they dried and got baked. It created a nice speckled effect, but you can dust them with cocoa powder instead. Instant coffee has slightly bitter taste, but it balances well with the sweet shells and filling. If this bitterness bothers you, feel free to use cocoa powder, if you prefer.

If you need some tips on how to make french macarons at home, check this post out. I’ve shared some important things and tried to give some suggestions, to make the process easier. But remember, these do require some practice, not so much skill, but patience and practice. Once you start to get them right, you’ll be in love with these cookies.

Ditto with a gimlet. Icy gin needs to be served in a stemmed glass, as your hands will warm the drink. When I’m roaming through thrift stores and flea markets, I pick up cocktail glasses when I see ones that interest me. For some reason, cocktail glasses tend to get broken more often than other glasses, which may be why some people just give up and use jam jars. (Spoiler: Those French “working glasses” that they sell for drinks in America, no one uses for drinks in France.) But being a thrifty guy, I buy cocktail glasses when they’re $1 a pop, if I can, and treat myself to a proper glass. Like the ones here that I bought at a Goodwill shop.

The name “Gimlet” sounds like something that might be sipped in a more genteel era, when the proper glass was de rigeur. Modern tastes now swap out fresh lime juice for the sweetened bottled stuff. And unless I didn’t get the memo, you can use any kind of gin that you like. I picked up this bottle of dry rye gin, made by St. George Spirits, perhaps hoping to capture some of the former glory of the rye whiskey-based Manhattans that I knew and loved so well.

I knew the Jörg Rupf, the German founder of the company, back when he was tinkering away with his oak barrels and distiller, in a hangar, making eau-de-vies and other spirits that few in America had ever heard of. (He once made a holly berry eau-de-vie that was kind of wacky, for Christmas. He also laughed about how little business he did: At the time, his biggest restaurant account went through 1/2 bottle of liquor every two months.) Now the company has shifted hands, right about the time cocktails reemerged in America, and seems to be going gangbusters.

Although Jörg has retired, the new team is doing some very interesting things, like this gin. I found the rye a bit too “present” for a martini, but was spot-on in this gimlet. But feel free to use a favorite gin, because you should always judge a liquor by the flavor, not by the bottle. Unless, of course, you drink with your eyes.

 
 
Seeing how a bee was busying itself about a flower, an eagle said to it, with disdain: "How I pity thee, poor thing, with all thy toil and skill! All through the summer, thousands of thy fellows are moulding honeycomb in the hive. But who will afterwards separate and distinguish the results of thy labour boutique hotel hongkong? I must confess, I do not understand what pleasure thou can take in it. To labour all one's life,  and to have what in view? Why, to die without having achieved distinction, exactly like all the rest. What a difference there is between us! When I spread my sounding pinions, and am borne along near the clouds, I am everywhere a cause of alarm. The birds do not dare to rise from the ground, the shepherds fear to repose beside their wellfed flocks, and the swift does, having seen me, will not venture out into the plain cloud backup."
 
But the bee replies: "To thee be glory and honour! May Jupiter continue to pour on thee his bounteous gifts! I, however, born to work for the common good, do not seek to make my labour distinguished. But, when I look at our honeycombs, I am consoled by the thought that there are in them a few drops of my own honey."
 
Fortunate is he, the field of whose labour is conspicuous! He gains added strength from the knowledge that the whole world witnesses his exploits. But how deserving of respect is he who, in humble obscurity, hopes for neither fame nor honour in return for all his labour, for all his loss of rest -- who is animated by this thought only, that he works for the common good Digital Signage!

 
 
One day, a Chinese man rode a black donkey passing by an unknown small town at the foot of a high mountain.
 
The man was tired and hungry, after fastening the donkey to a post, he went into a restaurant to eat.
 
The people in the town had never seen a donkey, many people came over to take a look at the strange animal.
 
When a boy was using his hand to touch the donkey's neck, the animal suddenly brayed. The strange noise frightened the child and he immediately ran away. After a while, when a woman walked by the donkey, the animal suddenly kicked out one of its back lets. Luckily, the kicking did not hurt the woman, but it was strong enough to scare away all the other people who gathered around to watch.
 
Seeing the quick disappearance of the people, the donkey felt very proud of himself. He thought that he might be the most powerful animal in the world, As the donkey's master had not yet come back, the donkey got loose and sneaked out of the town. He went up to the high mountain to satisfy his curiosity about the wild world.
 
In the woods, he soon met a tiger. The tiger had never seen a donkey either. He dared not approach the strange animal and was ready to run away. Just at this moment, the donkey brayed. The strange noise frightened the tiger a little bit, so the tiger retreated a few steps and watched from a distance.
 
The donkey was happy. He thought the tiger must be a coward like the boy in town. He brayed again. This time, the tiger did not retreat, instead, he walked a couple of steps closer. Still, the tiger dared not take any action. The donkey thought of the scared woman in the town, so he used one of his back legs to kick out. This action made the tiger afraid, the tiger hesitated about whether he should stay or run away from the unknown animal.
 
Meanwhile, the donkey thought that the tiger must be very afraid of his talents, so he kept braying and kicking. He never realized that the more he brayed and kicked, the less afraid the tiger became.
 
Finally, the tiger realized that aside from braying and kicking, the donkey had no other ability. The tiger then pounced at the donkey and easily killed the poor stupid animal.
 
This is a complicated society mixed with all kinds of people including 'tiger' and 'donkey'. Therefore, we must hide some and do not show off completely in front of strangers to avoid the destiny like the above black donkey had.