Macarons! And another Origami Pegasus

As the Christmas crazy time winds down for us,  Cheryl and I have been working on the gifts for the people who helped make this season happen.  Namely, the postal and UPS guys!  Oh,  and a few family members as well.  I don't really keep in touch with my only living family member much any more,   ( my brother...)  so Cheryl's family gets most of the attention.  Back up a bit...My brother has his own things going on in Michigan, and I'm sure he has his hands full with his own family and does not waste time worrying about me.  It's all good...
   So, to make Cheryl's family an extra special Christmas gift,  We decided to make and send macarons!   "Surprisingly simple!"   they tell you in the books and on Youtube...Don't be fooled!  There is MUCH to learn and get the hang of before just diving in...which we often do.    Weather it is burning toffee,  overcooking fudge, or ruining the Oreo cake cookies....Cheryl and I have figured out that practice runs are essential to a presentable product.   So  This year we may have shot a little over the top.   I believe our macarons look so good,  no one is going to believe that we slaved over them for two days!   YES!   TWO DAYS!    They take a surprisingly long time to assemble.   First   if you want anything that looks cool,  you need to make several different versions...  Second,   it is best to make the cookies  first then work on the filling.    Third.  Packaging is everything!  
   As posted before,   there is a nack to making them that I'm thinking some people forget to mention.   Example.   when making merengue..  make sure the eggs are at ROOM TEMPERATURE!  Otherwise they will not form the white fluffy stuff.   Another example:   If the dough is runny while you pipet it out...that is GOOD!   It may be messy, and will require a little practice to get the size and spacing right,   but if it is not runny,  they will end up puffy.  
   That all being said...I think we did a good job.   Six batches took five hours yesterday.   and making the fillings took an additional three hours.   However,  they turned out exactly as we had pictured them in our minds.  Additionally,  Cheryl purchased several boxes to match the cookies size and they look quite professional!   So there it is...Macarons for this years "Ethan And Cheryl's Odd Ball Christmas Treats"   Hope the family likes them.    they are so delicious that I made myself sick eating all of the cripples   ( well...a slight exaggeration.)   There are many Youtube Videos that are a great help,  even though they may fail to explain tiny details that aid in success.   At the very least, they show you how to make them....
   And finally,  an origami Pegasus that I just finished for the post office.   It will most likely be the last one I give her this year so I wanted to try a slightly more difficult version.    I actually have several versions in my library, but this one looked the most complicated.   It is wet folded with a large cardstock cotton paper.  I think it turned out pretty good,  considering the thickness of the paper made it difficult to form the hooves.   Hopefully,  Molly ( the post master in Wellman)  will like it and add it to her collection.