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One Sweet Weekend


Last weekend I had a birthday.

This in itself wasn’t a surprise. My birthday, like that of most people, happens every year around pretty much the same time.

No, what surprised me—in an amazed and delighted way—was the variety of sweets involved. And my threshold for being surprised by sweets is pretty high, being descended as I am from a father who invented his own praline recipe and a grandfather who liked to consume four cookies with his midmorning coffee each day.

Here, take a look at the weekend’s bounty:

A friend and I escaped our kids for an afternoon and sampled these French macarons, made with almond flour and filled with ganache. The flavors, clockwise from top, are chocolate hazelnut (like Nutella, but handmade), chocolate orange, cherry lime, and coconut caramel. Being a fan of coconut, this last one was my favorite. That buttery dark caramel was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

These are Indian ladoo, made with besan (chickpea flour) and sugar syrup. Sort of like candied hush puppies, if you can imagine such a magical thing. Mr. R and I had a group of friends over last weekend, and several people who had never tried ladoo got to taste it for the first time.

You guys know what these are. We had these around when our friends were over, and what didn’t get eaten that evening was sent home with them as “party favors.”

Everything was delicious—and everything was shared with some of my favorite people in the world. That, more than any dessert, was the sweetest part of all.

What’s your favorite way to celebrate your birthday? And which would you choose out of the treats above?

Historical romance author Theresa Romain pursued an impractical education that allowed her to read everything she could get her hands on. She then worked for universities and libraries, where she got to read even more. Eventually she started writing, too. She lives with her family in the Midwest, where she is working on her next book. On September 3, she’ll begin a new historical romance trilogy with IT TAKES TWO TO TANGLE.

Twitter: @TheresaRomain

Comments

  1. Did I see a donut with maple icing...that's my very favorite sweet! Happy Birthday and congratulations on your upcoming release!

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  2. Hi, Carolyn--not just maple, but maple-bacon! Have you ever tried that combo? It has its devotees, though I'm a coconut gal myself.

    Thanks for the kind wishes. It was a great birthday weekend, and the celebration continues tonight when we have dinner with my in-laws. By the end of August, I won't fit into my office chair anymore.

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  3. Wow, my teeth ache just looking at those pictures, but what a way to go! Belated happy birthday and enjoy the celebrations.

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  4. My favorite thing to do for my birthday is to go out to dinner with my family and sometimes a movie too. As to what sweet I would like - all but the coconut lol.

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  5. Chocolate. :) Congrats on your release, Theresa! We got to go to a Candy Shop in Savannah, and *sigh*...the sweet pralines were enough to make me decide that it doesn't HAVE to be chocolate to be good. :) Happy belated birthday!

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  6. Thanks, Elf! I tried not to overindulge TOO much. Yet another reason why it's good to eat dessert in the company of friends: you can make them eat it instead.

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  7. Catslady, sounds like a great birthday plan! And you and I could share a box of doughnuts just fine, because the coconut is my favorite. :)

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  8. Terry, that sounds like a place I need to visit. I *love* pralines. My dad taught me his recipe for homemade pralines when I was a teen. Now I'm the family's designated candy-maker whenever relatives come into town.

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  9. Hmm. Those donuts look pretty good! There's a cafe that specializes in macarons opening up nearby. It might have opened already. I imagine now that I've seen the ones you tried, I'll have to give them a try!

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  10. Shana, if you try those, let me know what you think! I really enjoy tasting different flavors.

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  11. Out of the pictured sweets, I'd pick the macarons. My favorite treat for my birthday (since it's in autumn) is pumpkin pie with whipped cream. I always have that instead of cake. :D

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  12. Barbara, I like your style. Why stick with cake if it's not your favorite? Wishing you lots of delicious pumpkin pie this year.

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  13. I would love to have a night out to dinner at the restaurant where my husband & I got married. Haven't been there for years. Of the desserts above, I would pick the hazelnut macaron. Happy Birthday!

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  14. Sharlene, that might be a very special way to celebrate your anniversary. :) Thanks for the kind wishes!

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