(c) Sara Rosso

Have you seen these little delights? Move over, cupcakes - Macarons are here! These little French pastries have been popping up all over my internet feeds for a while now and, even though I had no idea what they would taste like, I knew I had to have some.

Bakeries all over the New York City area have started serving the treats - two layers with thin, crunchy crust protecting a moist almond meringue, sandwiching a ganache,  jam, or cream center. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? YES IT DOES!

You know what makes it lovelier? It's gluten free! That's right, macarons are traditionally made with almond flour, making this trendy treat perfectly safe for our friends who stay away from gluten...including my dear boyfriend!

Poor Nickolaus was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease over 15 years ago and, even though gluten free diets are much more popular now, he still misses out on so many of the lovely things I get to eat.

And thus, the Prerna and Nickolaus Macron Crawl Extravaganza was born! With stops at Payard, Mille Feuille, Bosie Tea Parlor, and La Maison du Chocolat we got to experience the magic of macarons.

First Stop!
Francois Payard
116 W. Houston St

Nick's pick: Raspberry Lychee
My pick: Chocolate

Granted, these were our first macarons ever, but we both thought they were fantastic! A great balance of crunchy crust and chewy cookie. You could appreciate the flavor both in the cookie and in the filling. I think Nick was surprised that I didn't pick a more exotic flavor, but I'm happy to report that both of our picks were delish!

Stop Two!
Mille-Feuille
552 Laguardia Pl

Nick's pick: Cheesecake
My pick: Passion Fruit

These macarons were definitely good, although we both agreed that we liked Payard's better. Nick wasn't a fan of the Passion Fruit, but I think that has more to do with the fruit itself than the macaron. These macarons were definitely the chewiest that we tried, and while I do appreciate that quality in my sweets, I think macarons need that thin crispy crust to seal the deal.

Third Stop!
Bosie Tea Parlor
10 Morton St

Nick's pick: Eggnog
My pick: Maple Bacon

Bosie definitely had the most creative flavors. I liked the texture and taste of both of the macarons we tried, but I wasn't a fan of the fact they kept them in a refrigerated case. The temperature made them a little weird to eat and the fillings were so cold that it was actually distracting! We ended up taking a few macrons from Bosie home for my mom, and definitely liked them better at room temp.

Last Stop!
La Maison du Chocolat
30 Rockefeller Plz

My pick: Pistachio
Nick's pick: Milk chocolate

I kind of felt like it was cheating because they actually fly their macarons in from France, but they were in amazing condition after surviving that trip! I don't know why I expected different from a place whose name translates to House of Chocolate, but I was thrown off by the fact that the pistachio macaron had chocolate ganache filling. Nick definitely loved them though! I think the milk chocolate was his favorite of the night.


We were only able to make it to four places to try eight macarons, mostly because we were trekking around Manhattan in the freezing cold, but it was definitely worth it. They were delicious treats, and unleashing my inner foodie was so much fun!

(c) Amy Rubin Flett - Pinwheel Designs

It's a new year and it's time to bring the blog back!

I started Crafts Service a long time ago with the idea of blogging about crafting, community service, and food...and it never really worked out. I mostly blogged about my life and musings. It sometimes, but rarely touched on the three...Which is fine, but not what I had intended. And that's part of the reason why I'm resurrecting this blog. Intention.

Scrapbooker Ali Edwards has a concept of one little word - each year, picking a word to be your catalyst. For 2012, I pick

in·ten·tion \in-ˈten(t)-shən\
1: a determination to act in a certain way
2: the product of attention directed to an object of knowledge

This year I want my actions to be more focused, more purposeful...especially in regards to crafting, community service, and nourishment - not only for my body, but also my mind and soul - and I have some resolutions for each.

Crafting:
I've been a paper crafter for a few years now, and I want to continue learning and growing as an artist.
This year...

• All of my gifts will have a handmade element, even if it's just a cute tag or a beautifully addressed envelope.
• I will organize my crafting supplies. Because I don't have a lot of space, everything gets packed away and I barely even remember what I have. I want to fix that system, not only to have things in order, but also to have them accessible.
• I will continue with 52 Weeks of Mail - sending at least one card or package every week.

Service:
After finishing up my AmeriCorps terms, I've definitely had a lack of service in my life, and I need it back!
This year...

• I'm working with the Interfaith Youth Core as a member of their Alumni Speakers Bureau, helping to spread the awesomeness of interfaith community service. As in the past, I want to put a lot of thought and work into my speaking engagements.
• I'm blogging at Masculinity U, an initiative started by some friends of mine geared toward engaging young men in redefining masculinity and encouraging them in taking an equal role in ending gender violence. I wasn't quite sure how my voice would fit when they asked me to write for them, but I decided to take on a column applauding real men on the work they have done towards ending gender violence.

Nourishment:
I've definitely neglected feeding my body and my mind recently.
This year...

• I will be more mindful of my food choices. I have no intention of cutting out things I love, but I want to make healthier choices that I still enjoy. I plan to cook more. I will drink more water and less of other junk.
• I will move more. I'm not going to be concerned with keeping up a gym schedule, and I may just cancel my gym membership altogether because, let's be honest, I'm not really using it. What I do want to do is be more active. I want to stretch. I want to want to move. I want it to feel good. Losing weight will, I'm sure, be a bonus, but it's not my immediate goal. I found the Couch to 5K program, which I think is perfect for me - I even found a treadmill version, which will probably come in handy this winter.
• I will remain active with my Move More, Eat Well challenge. I think having a community will keep me going, and documenting my journey will keep me accountable.
• I will read more. I think I say this every year, but this time I really do have more time and no excuse not to. After college, I've found that fiction doesn't really appeal to me anymore, but that's not reason to not enjoy the wonderful work of nonfiction! Thanks to a friend, I've joined an interfaith book club and I think it's a great way to start the year.

It's going to be a good year. I can feel it! I hope you'll follow along!