Do you think it’s dumb that I didn’t know that macarons existed until a couple weeks ago? Not macaroon, macaron!
A macaron is a French almond-based meringue sandwich filled with flavored ganache. The macaroon we typically see in the U.S. are made with coconut and is heavy and dense.

La Boite, the awesome new coffee shop housed in a refurbished shipping container on South Lamar began serving macarons the week before the Tasty Up trailer tour.
That day we reveled, oohed and aahed in the salted caramel and chocolate with strawberry cream flavors.
I …

You gotta appreciate a person who is so dedicated to culinary exploration that he will gladly spend two days creating just one dish. David Ansel is such a man.
You might know David as the Austin Soup Peddler, who is a wonderful father to one of my favorite babies ever, sweet Mia. He is also a writer, author of The Soup Peddler’s Slow and Difficult Soups.
The cassoulet came about because some hunters David knows were emptying their freezers and he offered to create a mouth-watering final resting place for their Louisiana …

Last night I had the pleasure of babysitting for seven-month-old Mia Ansel, daughter of David and Meredith. I headed over there at about 6:30 p.m. (after picking up the keys to my new apartment — I’m moving today!) to get instructions on how to care for a baby.
I did have an idea of how to change a diaper but I wanted to make sure to learn their routine so that Mia would feel comfortable. After the orientation, they sweetly asked if I had eaten dinner (I hadn’t).
For those who don’t …