Printed Apron Collection

Honestly, I don't even wear an apron when I cook because putting on an apron and washing an apron seems like too many extra steps. However, I keep coming across these super cute aprons that I couldn't resist due to the cute print! I do love the 100% cotton canvas material and wishing these were tote bags or made into a jacket instead. Another reason to put "learning to use sewing machine" on my future to-do list, so that I can repurpose these. 

Here's my collection so far:

The European vacation stamp print with the strawberries really speaks to me! 

Vegetable art is so cute! Also reminds me to eat more vegetables. 

The croissant illustration has my heart and brings great memories of dreamy bakeries to relax in.

Macaron tasting

A new thing for me in 2011 is the macaron. They are super popular in magazines and blog photos, but are they really delicious? Earlier this year, I set out to try my first at the only bakery in town that makes them. It was good...like soft, slightly crumbly yet chewy cookies with a cool creamy filling in the middle. There were many flavors but so expensive! I was a bit skeptical if that's what a good macaron should be. Therefore, I vowed the next time I was in a big culinary city, I would try more macarons for comparison. That opportunity finally came when I dropped by the bay area of California for two days. Oh glorious carbohydrate galore!

Bette's Diner To Go - I had an amazing goat cheese pizza here because I was hungry as a hippo. I tried to wrap my scarf in the warmest way to shield the cold wet weather and it came out looking weird :(  Anyhow, for dessert, I picked out the coffee/pecan macaron, the only flavor available in their dessert counter:

Like my first experience, it was crumbly when I tried to break it in half with my fingers (to share) but chewy and creamy. It was good.

La Boulange - I had wanted to check out their pastries (after reading their amazing menu online). But drat! They had little flies all over their pastries behind the counter. I was devastated! I decided to pick up a pre-packaged baguette sandwich instead.

 

Salty prosciutto, sweet dried figs, and mozzarella cheese are a tasty combo!

Flies or not, I couldn't leave without some dessert. Luckily there seems to be no flies in the macaron section:

These macarons were tiny! They also felt drier than the previous macarons I've tried. And their cream is a bit denser. 

 Pumpkin flavor above, Pistachio flavor below.

 Overall, they were "okay". I think I'm getting the hang of macarons. Haven't tried one that amazed me yet.

I wish I had a longer stay in the Bay area to try more bakeries and eateries. This place is seriously magical! The streets of San Francisco are glittery! I was awestruck over the sparkly concrete. I'm such a country girl!

I took many more pictures of my short trip, but they didn't turn out very well. I was dressed like an annoying tourist with my Adidas windbreaker tied around my waist the entire time. Evidently, I have not mastered chic travel-wear. That should be my new goal for 2012. Need to look more stylish in travel pictures, like this girl:

Don't you love it when random strangers look better in your travel photos?