molasses

Rye Chocolate Cake

“You, reader, are alive today, reading this, because someone once adequately policed your mouth exploring.”

– Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts

The act of parenting is, much of the time, the act of keeping your children alive. Making sure they are fed regularly, preventing them from darting into oncoming traffic in their enthusiasm to see a neighbourhood cat, stopping them face-planting on the concrete as they run around on clumsy toddler legs, making sure they don’t touch the hot oven, or pull a chair on top of themselves, or tumble down the staircase, or any of a million ways that a very small person can encounter danger. Continue reading “Rye Chocolate Cake”

Espresso Nut Muffins

S and I are both pretty particular about our coffee. I drink espresso coffee, and I like it straight up – black and without sugar. When you’re drinking coffee with none of the fixings, if the beans are burnt, or if the brew is bitter, it ruins the taste. That said, between pregnancy and breastfeeding it’s been almost two years since I actually drank a coffee (ahh, how I miss it).

S, on the other hand, is somewhat of a coffee connoisseur these days. Over the past two years he’s been trying a variety of different coffee beans which he grinds at home, and experimenting with various ways of making coffee using an AeroPress. Given the blistering heat that is Brisbane these days, he’s mostly been drinking 12-hour brewed cold press coffee – it is the colour of rich dark amber, and smells wonderful.

Continue reading “Espresso Nut Muffins”

Wattleseed & Macadamia Cookies

A few weeks ago I bought some wattleseed with no particular plan for it. At first I wanted to bake it in scones, but it isn’t scone weather here for a good four or five months yet. I tossed up a few other options but ultimately decided on a big batch of cookies so I would have enough baked treats to give as gifts.

I made the dough for these cookies a few days ago, but didn’t get around to actually baking them until today. W woke up early from her nap, so she happily played with a finished carton of soymilk on the kitchen floor while I rolled and sugared and photographed. Once I got the first batch in the oven, the whole house started to smell nutty and buttery and sugary and all types of good. Continue reading “Wattleseed & Macadamia Cookies”