When I saw that Mactweets’ June theme was “Take a Walk on the Wild Side“, I had but one thought in mind: jungle. And when I think “jungle,” I think this book:
I used this when I taught English at the British Council in Paris years ago and both my 7-year-old students and I absolutely loved it!
It starts out like this:
There’s a rumble in the jungle,
There’s a whisper in the trees,
The animals are waking up
And rustling the leaves.
Some animals are frightening
Some are sweet and kind
So let’s go to the jungle now
To see who we can find
So let’s see what I was inspired to make from the jungle this month…
Bright orange and white shells.
Filled with liquorice buttercream.
As the book says:
I could have been born grey like a donkey
Or brown like a mule
But instead I’ve got stripes
Which my ladyfriend likes
And they make me look handsome and cool!
I also made macarons “tigre”:
I was pretty pleased with how the actual macs came out but the decoration, well that’s another story. I got myself into a heck of a mess colouring white chocolate black, then it wouldn’t pipe very well, then I added Crisco to another batch of black/white chocolate and it was ok, but not perfect. Now I seem to have found a recipe that works for the shells (ooops – shouldn’t say that out loud, huh?), I really need to work on my decorating techniques. I think next month, I might delve into Hermé’s Macaron which I received a few months ago and have been too scared (and too busy!) to try out. Stay tuned – who knows what next month will bring!?!
Don’t forget to enter my Calphalon Utensils giveaway! It’s open to anyone wherever you live!!!
But instead I’ve got stripes
Which my ladyfriend likes
And they make me look handsome and cool!
Oh hysterical! I love it as much as I love these macs. Mardi, yours are perfect every single time! Love the jungle theme!
Isn’t it an awesome rhyme? 😉
Love the book. Love the macarons. And the colors..oooh…
Thanks – I am slowly becoming a fan of bright coloured macs!
These are adorable. I feel I need to take a walk on the macaroon side. Despite living in Paris, I’ve never had one. I guess I should try one first, so I have a base of comparison.
you. have. NEVER. had. one.???? OMG – you need to fix that!
WOW!! I will have to get this book…but can I get these to eat while reading??
Haha! I wish too!
Oh my… what gorgeous colours and intricate decoration!
Well thank you my dear twinnie!
Cute inspiration 🙂 I think they are adorable.
Will definitely stay tuned for the next round of Mac posts for sure! When I finally work up the nerve to attempt them, I will want your help 😉
Cheers!
Candice
We could have a mac making tutorial. With wine!
You could go into business with those! Really cute and yummy looking too!
I don’t think I will be quitting my day job anytime soon but thanks!
You’re always so clever. Love the backgrounds. Too cute!
Well I think stubborn is the word you are looking for!
You macs turned out gorgeous, I think you did an amazing job Mardi!
Thanks Josie – coming from you that is high praise indeed!
Those are cool! Love the jungle theme!
Gorgeous! I thought about doing a zebra myself but ended up going a different route. Absolutely love the stripes!
Can’t wait to see yours!
These are so cute, and I love the theme! I could think of other variations with the jungle animals too… wonderful for children (at least if you are not worried about giving them too much sugar!).
Oh these are NOT for kids, let me tell you! All that blood sweat and tears? I don’t know many kids who would appreciate how long it’s taken me to get to this point in my mac journey!!!
Too cute!
These look fabulous! Love the photos.
Thanks – I am working a lot on lighting and finding macs are hard to photograph in such vibrant colours!
I’ve been tempted to try my hand at macarons for some time now. I think your decoration looks great!
You just have to jump in and give it a go. They might not work the first time but it is fun trying!
Gorgeous macs and cute decorations. I enjoyed this post. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks – I still think I have a long way to go in the decorating department but I am getting there!
On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing . . . enjoying the jungle’s great joys . . .
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise:
It was Mardi in the kitchen, making the most sensational maczebarons and mactigarons!! (aka Tami)
Aw Tami – YOU should write a kids’ book!
I love your post! You put a big smile on my face 🙂
Thank you so much!
How cute!!!
These are so adorable. I love that book (there’s also Commotion in the Ocean and somehting else, I forget). Licorice filling sounds very interesting, and the striped macarons look absolutely perfect!
Commotion in the Ocean is great too!
i must tell your readers that, having had the privilege of trying one of these, they were as tasty as they were pretty! while ours weren’t piped, they were a lovely vivid color and the licorice buttercream was surprisingly delicious. i wanted to be greedy and eat a second one. 🙂
(by the way – we love rumble in the jungle too! and commotion in the ocean and giraffes can’t dance.)
I am glad you liked them – not sure about the filling myself…
How amazing and just adorable!
LOVE these! So cute 🙂
Thanks Jen!!
Oh my goodness, these are beyond cute! You outdid yourself Mardi! Roar!!
{blushes}
I love these macarons. The orange color is exquisite. They are too cute. Do you have a favorite licorice filling recipe?
It’s Martha Stewart’s buttercream with black food coloring and a few drops of liquorice flavoring.
You have mastered the macarons, Mardi! How do you get them that shade of white and such perfect pieds? Beautifully done and enjoyed your intro/poem to this month’s theme and challenge.
It’s white powder food coloring!
Love the macs and love the poem… what fun your post is! Roaring fun and gorgeous colours! Great inspiration Mardi. Thanks for joining us at MacTweets!!
Thanks for having me and all the encouragement Deeba!
My husband would just love the liquorice buttercream! These are beautiful and I adore your poems 🙂
Thanks – I was pleasantly surprised by the liquorice buttercream!
Mmm, these were so good! Loved the subtlety of the anise in there!
Amazing !! The macs and the post 🙂