Angry Birds Piggy French Macarons

My Little Boy is a big fan of Angry Birds.  He loves the game, the stories, and anything that relates to it.  I guess his admiration level on Angry Birds can compare to my Baby Girl’s love for Hello Kitty.  And you can imagine, my whole house is filled with birds and kitties…well, and pigs, specifically the pigs from Angry Birds.  If you know the “story” of the Angry Birds, you know these piggies are actually the “bag guys”!    hahaha….so I think it’s okay to eat them up?



Why Angry Bird Piggy Macarons?  Well, it happened in an ordinary afternoon….my Little Boy was enjoying his Chocolate Mint French Macarons. Then, he simply asked me if I can make them into Angry Bird Piggy macarons!  Maybe the green colors of the mints macarons reminds him of these piggies?  Of course I had to say yes.  So, here we go!  Angry Bird Piggy Chocolate Mint French Macarons were born!  It’s so nice that my kids always give me recipe inspiration and what to create next.  It’s actually quite fun to play with and decorate the macarons and turn them into something unexpected!  So, I have many more requests from the kids on what to make after these!



To decorate these little piggies, I simply piped some melted white chocolate to create the eyes, and attached some black sprinkles as the eyeballs.  Then, I tinted the white chocolate with a little green food coloring for the snouts and ears.  I used these candy decorating pen to draw the eyebrows and crown (for the King Pig), and that was quick and easy.  I hope that you’re inspire to create some fun characters for your next baking project, too.



What is your favorite cartoon or video game characters?  Leave me a comment below if you’re interested to see if I can turn your favorite characters into a yummy treat!  I guess I’m addicted to make character French Macarons now!   I can’t wait to hear your requests!

If you’re interested, click here, here, here, here, here, here and here to see some of my precious specially shaped macaron creations! 

Quick Guide to Galeries Lafayette in Paris Haussmann

As I was sorting and organizing the pictures we took from our vacation in France, I realized that we had many pictures and I wanted to share all of them with you.  Okay, I know that’s just not quite realistic, so don’t be scared.  I’ll try my best to keep to a limit.  But there are many places where we visited on this trip that deserves the spot lights. The Galarie Lafayette was definitely one of them.  So, this post is a quick guide and introduction to this fine Galarie, in Paris.   



During our trip, there were a few days that my Hubby was working hard in the greater Paris area (oh yeah, it was a combination of business and vacation trip for him).  I was left alone to plan my own activities.   Of course I did what l do best, shopping and eating!  So, I took the subway train and headed to the Galarie Lafayette by myself.  There are several Galaries Lafayette and I visited the one in Paris, Haussmann.  The Galarie Lafayette in Paris Haussmann consists of three different buildings.  One dedicated to women and kids, one for men, and one for the home.  The picture above is part of the ceiling of the mall in the main building for the ladies.  Isn’t it gorgeous?   



This picture above was taken on the third floor of the galarie looking down at the cosmetic counters.  You can pretty much find all the luxury brand names here. 



For fashion and accessories, this galarie really is a one stop shop.  During our visit, it happened to be the semi-annual sale in Paris (from end of June through end of July) and many products were ranging from 30% up to 50% off.  Talk about perfect timing! 



Of course, my favorite Pierre Herme has a couple of counters inside the galaries so you can line up and grab a quick bite.



Another famous bakery, Angelina, is also available here.  Besides the outside boutique where you can order to-go, there’s also a restaurant and tearoom where you can sit down, relax, and enjoy a fancy lunch or afternoon tea.



I grabbed a chocolate macaron and a container of their famous hot cocoa powder from the boutique and headed to explore the rest of the galaries.  One of the floor was dedicated to toys (see picture below)!  Boy oh boy, the size of the floor is easily a whole Toy R Us moved inside the building!  As I finished checking out the main building.  I headed to the Lafayette Gourmet!  It was a foodie’s paradise!



Lafayette Gourmet occupies an approximately 32,000 square feet in area.  You can pretty much find all the gourmet ingredients, from foie gras, truffles, to farm fresh fresh produce, specialty meat and fresh seafood here, etc.




I had a delicious late lunch sitting at one of the bars that involved some Iberian Pata Negra ham, a small salad, a glass of red wine, fresh tomato sauce, mashed potato, and baguette.  (Check out my Instagram picture below)





The whole hams were hanging just a few feet away above my head while I was having lunch.  The aroma was intoxicating!  Made me want to take the whole leg home….almost, if I don’t have to worry about the luggage weight limit!  Yes, I worry about the luggage being over-weight, more than going through the U.S. Custom!  hahaha….

Oh…and check out this giant Nutella!






Seeing all these wonderful ingredients made me want to take them all home and cook a feast!  It’s probably the first time that I wished I had a kitchen with me as I travel!



You can also find a fishmongers with live fish tank, oyster bar, seafood platters, etc.



Check out this huge prawn!  And I thought everything is big in the U.S.A.!?  I say we have a tough competitor!



This corner (see picture below) is dedicated to coffee.  Someone was there to answer any question you have about their coffee, too.



You can also find everyday ingredients, chocolates, gifts, baking supplies, etc. 



And check out the spice counter below.



Mixed herbs and spices, any one?






They also have different type of salt and flavored salt.



…and some gourmet tea leaves as well.



This whole area is for wines (see picture below).  I feel like I can totally move and live in Paris! 



I skipped the men’s department and headed to the Lafayette Home across the street.  You can find kitchen appliances, cookware, electronic, and beddings here.



And my favorite kitchen tools and dinnerware section!  Oh my!  Can I take the whole department home with me?



This pretty much sums up my experience at Galeries Lafayette in Paris Haussmann.  It’s a wonderful one stop shop for anything you need.  I hope you enjoy today’s post and information.  Please stay tuned for more travel guide and France inspired recipes. 



For more information about Galaries Lafayette, please click here to their website.