Audrey makes me Hopeful

I was reminded today of one of my favourite quotes of all time, which is by Audrey Hepburn. Now there is some debate as to whether or not she wrote or merely quoted it, but for argument's sake, I like to read it imagining her saying it. Audrey makes me hopeful.

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day, For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."

A very wise woman. She also said "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!"; "There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion"; and my ultimate life credo "Paris is always a good idea."

Cheers to Audrey and to wishing you a happy and hopeful Thursday

mad for macarons

It was a little over a year ago I spent ten glorious days in Paris. We rented a flat on the third floor of an apartment on Rue L'Arbre Sec in the 1st Arrondissement. We traversed the city on foot, exploring the cultural and culinary delights that have made the Paris famous for centuries. And it was in Paris that my obsession with les Macarons first, albeit fittingly, began.

One of most most exquisite of tourist destinations in Paris is Laduree. Laduree is like being Alice but instead of waking up in Wonderland, you wake up inside a Faberge egg and every gilded creation is made of colourful sugar. And then there are the actual Macarons. Arguably the most famous Macarons in the world, these petite, delicate clouds are too refined to be called just cookies and the presentation of rows on rows of pastel colours and perfect packaging literally takes my breath away.

And this week, I was inspired again by one of my favourite blogs is Sweet Designs, by Amy Atlas. As her profile says, NY-based Amy is an event planner specializing in high end dessert tables. My heaven is made up of a series of Amy Atlas dessert tables. This week, she made me a fan for life when she featured her take on Macarons and Laduree. Take a look and check out some of her other designs on her web site amyatlas.com. Oh, and be sure to eat before you read. This site is guaranteed to leave you salivating!