While searching last night for a work document saved to an unknown destination on my laptop, I stumbled across a page of dreamily-written notes secretly stored during the witching hours of a black-shining night in Florida.

I closed my eyes and there were memories, memories.

The low murmur of voices around a hotel pool at midnight, musicians and actors alike laughing and talking about the night’s performance as well as a myriad topics utterly unrelated to the here and now (the there and then).

The burnished glow of beer bottles being tipped to mouths, fragments of moonlight catching in the glass (in one of those perfect moments of synchronicity, the beer itself was Blue Moon). Figures coming and going, shifting and settling, leaning forward to talk deeply then pulling back to reveal the gold-red glow of a cigarette.

A blanket being tucked around my bare legs as the night grew darker and our movements slower, the air cooler. Smiles that felt only.

There were cookies on the hotel’s courtyard tables that night in Coral Springs, I remember. And while they certainly weren’t gluten-free and dairy-free Coconut Pecan Macaroons, I’d like to think these creations of mine would have been warmly received had my hotel room come equipped with an oven.

In truth, there’s no real connection between my aforementioned memories and today’s honey-infused macaroons, except that both fill my heart with happiness. After the success of my Coconut and Pecan Friands with Raspberries, I knew that further experimentation with homemade pecan meal and coconut was in order.

Soft, sticky, and chewy, these simple five-ingredient macaroons are wonderfully delicious and easy to make. I gave some to my parents and took others to work, whereupon one of my colleagues exclaimed “These are incredible!” upon taking her first bite, and E.Moonbeams clapped her hands when I offered her a second (macaroon, not bite).

Oh, now my heart is all pangs, because E.Moonbeams is moving on from my workplace soon and I can’t stand the thought of not having her nearby every day.

I think I need a cookie.

Question Time: What is a memory that you hold close to your heart, and which fills you with happy calm when you remember it?

Over the course of my chocolate obsession blogging, I’ve been lucky enough to taste chocolate from all over the world. Today, however, marks the first time I’ve reviewed chocolate from the Middle East, courtesy of my lovely friend Robyn of Girl On Raw.

As for the second part of this Chocolatepalooza, well, I’ve reviewed Fremantle Chocolate from Western Australia twice before. Something old, something new, something… wait. I don’t really want to end up eating blue chocolate one day.

Patchi Chocolate

Patchi Chocolate originated in Lebanon and, according to Robyn, is the Middle East’s favourite chocolate. It is therefore fitting that Robyn gave me this chocolate, for she is my favourite person living in Saudi Arabia. (Tangent: I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I ducked off to Brisbane to meet up with Rob. I also can’t believe how much bigger and more adorable Manus is these days.)

Anyhoodle, let’s talk about the chocolate. From the ingredients list on the beribboned box (awesome; my spellcheck says beribboned is a word), I gleaned that these truffles were likely to be milk chocolate pralines studded with hazelnuts and almonds.

Lo and behold, milk chocolate pralines studded with hazelnuts and almonds! I started with one of Patchi’s large lighter-in-colour domes, which was soft, rich, and tasted more like hazelnut paste than the Ferrero Rocher-esque flavour I’d been expecting. Buttery, lightly sweet, a bit caramelly in flavour with a hint of hazelnut gelato, this particular Patchi chocolate turned out to be my favourite of the box.

The other nut-studded milk chocolates were pleasant without being mind-blowing, though that may be due to personal preference. (I’m a dark chocolate lass at heart.) Thank you, Rob, for this thoughtful gift!

Fremantle Chocolate Dark Chocolate Almond Medallions

I have another wonderful blog friend to thank for these Fremantle Chocolate Dark Chocolate Almond Medallions. Kari, you are a generous sparklefairy.

I was surprised to see butter oil listed in the ingredients for these 58% dark chocolate treats, as it is both unnecessary in quality chocolate and prevents vegans and the dairy-allergic from partaking.

That disappointment aside, however, I did enjoy these nutty dark chocolate treats. The dark chocolate is certainly on the sweet spectrum, sending forth notes of toffee, caster sugar, something floral, and a bit of pear. The dry-roasted almonds were super-crisp, and in a strange way reminded me more of Melrose Almond Butter (not Barney Butter; oh how I miss Barney Butter) than straight almonds. Also a little like marzipan. Which makes sense, seeing as marzipan is made of sugar and almonds.

I’m very clever sometimes, you know.

Hannah out.

Almost a year ago (I have a somewhat tenuous relationship with time on this blog), my grandparents celebrated sixty gorgeous years of marriage and togetherness. Sixty years spanning multiple states and houses, sixty years that have taken them from the days of fresh milk dropped off at the door by a man with a horse and cart to today’s world in which a myriad different soy milks can be ordered over the Internet.

Sixty years, three children, three grand-children, laughter, tears, games of Cribbage and Five Hundred, dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and, above all, love.

My parents, brother, uncle, aunt, cousin, and I joined Grandma and Grandpa at The Boathouse By The Lake (previously reviewed here) to celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary.

As our anniversary gift, E.TeacherLord and I secretly planned two pieces to perform at the restaurant. To this end, we all arrived smack-bang on opening time, hoping that the vast formal dining would therefore be empty. We didn’t want to make a ruckus, you see.

Alas, there were three other groups already seated, but each very kindly encouraged us to go ahead when I dashed over to politely ask if my brother and I could play some music for a few minutes.

And that is how E.TeacherLord and I came to serenade our grandparents, immediate family, quite a few strangers, and some rather attractive waitstaff in the middle of one of Canberra’s fanciest restaurants, performing Moon River and Taylor Swift’s Love Story then, after calls for an encore, With A Little Help From My Friends.

Food time now! (No segue for you.) Ooh, let’s call these candle-lit photos “blurrily romantic in the spirit of a 60^th wedding anniversary”, yes?

The above just-baked bread roll was heady with truffle, and blew my mind. This was the first time I really understood the truffle thing. Scrumptious.

I’m an oysters natural devotee, but acquiesced to have three of my nine Coffin Bay oysters served as per the menu, with Jamon Iberico, balsamic, goats cheese, and semi-dried tomatoes. Not bad, Boathouse, not bad.

My brother started with the Seared Hervey Bay scallops on cauliflower puree with black pudding, red onion jam and pinenut brittle, baby leaf salad. He generously let me try this and, golly, the flavours popped.

Next up for me was the Alaskan King crab, fennel, basil and Yarra Valley salmon caviar tian, with tropical lobster and cognac bisque. Who says Canberra has to suffer for being landlocked with only an algae-infested man-made lake for water?

Of course, with ten people at the table each having three courses, there was more deliciousness involved here than I can show you. So let’s skip ahead to the best part: dessert.

I had a silky crème brulee topped with shavings of chocolate, served with poached cherries and almond bread. Mmm, almond bread.

My grandpa’s chocolate mousse with macarons and cherry nougat appealed strongly to my inner snack-fiend. My grandpa gave me his nougat. I love him.

When I saw the pistachio ice cream and pashmak belonging to my brother’s molten chocolate fondant, I experienced what is commonly known as “envy” but which I call “aren’t you a lovely brother for letting me have your fairy floss”.

And then I spotted spun toffee across the table and realised that life isn’t fair.

Happy 60^th Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa. You are wonderful and all things good. Thank you for helping me believe in love.

This is where the fascinating and entertaining introduction to today’s post goes. If you squint your eyes and tilt your head just so, I bet you’ll be able to decipher the wit and majesty. Go on; it’s just like a Magic Eye.

Or not. Let’s talk snack bars.

My brother gave me this Chocolate and Cashew Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bar last year, and I hoarded it for months because it reminded me of my first visit to New York in 2007. I stayed in a horrid hotel near Penn Station where there was half a metre between my bed and the wall, one tiny window far above my head, and wallpaper comprised of vertical stripes in orange and black that echoed both a prison and insane asylum.

And yet, despite that hotel, I fell in love with New York. How could I not? Every night, I’d return to my Bedlam-cell with a squirrel’s stash of delicious treats including Raw Revolution bars, pints of So Delicious non-dairy ice cream that I’d eat in one go (no freezer!), and vegan pumpkin pie donuts. Despite the almost-pulsating wallpaper and grimy sink, all was well in my world.

In short, I’m duty-bound to love Raw Revolution bars because they taste like New York.

The above Morish Crunch bar, picked up at Sydney airport during a work trip, was described on the package as “Australian popping corn and beer nuts with shavings of coconut, smothered in mouthwatering caramel”.

1. There were, at most, three peanuts/beer nuts in the entire box.
2. The caramel was so hard it almost broke my mouth.
3. The caramel was so sweet it felt like it burned my mouth.
4. Regardless, I couldn’t stop eating this confection. Stupid addictive crack.

BAD HANNAH STOP.

Ricki included this vegan and protein-packed Peanut and Caramel Simply Bar in her Parcel of Wonderment last year, and I saved it for when my heart needed something to thrill over. Happily, the delay was worth it; this Simply Bar was both tasty and filling. Win all ’round!

NO SERIOUSLY HANNAH BAD YOU MUST STOP.

And we close with an Australian raw date and nut bar, also procured at Sydney airport after a work meeting. Made by Santos and comprised of dates, cashew nuts, almond meal, cocoa, agave, honey, coconut, coconut oil, and xanthan gum, this raw snack bar was adequately tasty (particularly when combined with a large soy latte).

However, just between you and me, my raw vegan brownie bites are a zillion times better.

Question Time: Have you tried any of these bars? What did you think?

As I was editing the above and below photos of the Banana All-Bran Muffins I recently made for my Dad, I started to feel strangely emotional.

Mind you, I wasn’t getting teary over the muffins themselves. Sure, they’re deliciously soft-yet-hearty-and-healthy treats packed with fibrelicious All-Bran Fibre Toppers and sweet ripe bananas, but they’re not quite worth getting misty-eyed over.

My Dad, on the other hand, is well worth a bit of overflowing gratitude and happiness. Whether we’re standing in the kitchen chatting as he makes us cups of tea or it’s me in the kitchen preparing coffee and chocolate for our weekend Downton Abbey viewings (Mum included, of course); whether he’s texting me encouragement to take a great-wide-soaring leap despite the inherent risks, or I’m standing in the garage wondering if he’ll ever finish the doll’s house he started building when I was knee-high to a grasshopper… my Dad is always there, always supportive, and always someone I’m proud to know.

Plus, as you can see in the photo below, sometimes Dad and I match our outfits to each other’s eye colours. Is that the sign of a wonderful father-daughter relationship or what?

A few weeks ago, Nuffnang ran an ad for Kellogg’s new All-Bran Fibre Toppers on the side of my blog. My Dad clicked on the ad, and then sent me an email asking if I could make him the Banana All-Bran Fibre Toppers Muffins the ad had led him to. I may or may not have clapped at the screen when I saw this email, for I’m always nudging Mum and Dad to let me know what and when I can bake for them.

You see, baking treats for my parents makes me feel better about using their washing machine every weekend.

Yep, I’m that daughter. But I swear, they love knowing they’ll get to experience the glory of my company at least once a week. Right, Mum and Dad? Right?

As I didn’t change the muffin recipe substantially, I shan’t reprint it here. Food blogger ethics and all that jazz! For the recipe, please see Fuss Free Cooking.

Question Time: What do you love about your Dad?

It always feels right to me that Mast Brothers Chocolate has the name that it does, for almost every Mast Brothers Chocolate bar that I’ve tried and reviewed has come to me courtesy of my spectacular brother, E.TeacherLord (excuse me for a moment: ain’t no thang; add a drop of lavender to your milk, leave town with an orange, and pretend you’re laughing at it; DON’T CALL ME FRANKLY).

Hey look! It’s my brother and me, many moons ago. I wish we still wore matching beanies.

But you’re not here to see photos of my face. You’re here for chocolate.

Mast Brothers Chocolate + Cocoa Nibs

It seems that, in the Brooklyn-based world of the Mast Brothers, 72% dark chocolate + cocoa nibs = complicated knots. Here is what this packaging makes me think of: nooses, sinister things, convicts, ships, science, snakes, scurvy, rope burn, rope burn during evil P.E. in high school, jester hat, laughter.

Laughter is good. So is:

The shiny, the shiny! Magpie Hannah likes the shiny very much, very much.

The cocoa beans for this bar were grown in Madagascar, and then “roasted, cracked, winnowed, stone-ground and aged in Brooklyn”.

Just so you know, if I have a daughter in the next year (hah! A likely story), I’m going to call her Winnow.

Where was I? Oh yes. This bar is made of only three ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar, and cocoa nibs, all of which are organic. When I finally stopped pondering the names of my future children (hah! the names of my future pet lemurs, more likely), I took a moment to breathe in the aroma of this chocolate and was astonished at the scent of red wine that hit me, followed by some raspberry and maybe a little port.

This 72% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs was a slow starter in terms of flavour, beginning with little then slowly showing a hint of earth, smoke, wood, and brown sugar. Then, just towards the end, the chocolate burst into delicious notes of clotted cream, dark cocoa, and a bit of pear and burnt caramel. The roasted nibs on top contributed an intense charcoal chocolatiness, as they’re wont to do.

The sweetness is very restrained in this bar, and as a result the nuances of the chocolate come to the fore. As I finished my little plateful, I wondered if I could get away with telling you I tasted melted butter, pumpernickel bread, red wine, and molasses.

Or maybe I should just say this was a rather fine, though slow-to-develop, specimen of brotherly chocolatey goodness.

Question Time: If you have a brother, what’s the best present he’s given you lately? If you don’t have a brother, then why is the sky blue?

My housemate and I had our rental inspection today (nailed it! “Excellent” ticked all through the report; pat on the back, pip pip!) and, as a result, there’s space to move in my room for the first time in six months. To be clear, my room has never been unclean (I’m far too paranoid about attracting living creatures for that). However, it’s not uncommon for 90% of the floor space to be taken up by piles of books, fancy heels that have been kicked off with relief at the end of a long day, and scattered recipe print-outs.

It’s amazing how putting the recipe print-outs in the desk, the books on the shelf, and the shoes neatly against the wall can affect one’s sense of space. All of a sudden I have room in my room (in my room, in my room) to practice fake-yoga and, more importantly, frenetically dance around in.

I’ve got a bit of nervous/crankypants/swirling energy to dance out at present. I’m skipping over the melancholy songs on iTunes and finding the music to which I can do my best impression of an electrocuted-monkey-crossed-with-a-jellyfish.

I dance goooooooood.

Of course, the other way to deal with skittering thoughts is through baking. After eating almost all of the amazing plain Chobani yoghurts that the Aussie Chobani folk sent me as filling work snacks (I’ve gone wild this past week, adding not just sprinkles and coconut but poppy seeds too), I made sure to save a few tubs to bake with.

These Oatmeal Cherry Yoghurt Cookies with Cacao Nibs were the first result of my Chobani baking endeavours. Okay, so “cookies” may not be the best term, as these are a far cry from crispy-buttery-sugary treats. Instead, they’re soft and deliciously doughy in the middle, not too sweet yet excitingfied through the buzz of intense cacao nibs and the tart sweetness of chewy dried cherries. The oats provide their almost-nutty malty flavour and the yoghurt a very soft tang, all bundled up in the warmth of cinnamon and a hint of coconut.

Plus, these healthy and low-fat cookies are (say it with me now!) spectacular topped with almond or sunflower seed butter.

Enjoy!

Question Time: What songs do you put on when you feel the need to dance wildly in the privacy of your own room/house?

Free chocolate at Koko Black

When I recently asked for poetry recommendations after showing you a poem by Pablo Neruda, my mother responded by giving me The Bee Hut, a collection of poetry by the late Dorothy Porter. Oh, how it sears into me. I’m only halfway through, but I see echoes of my own thoughts and rhythm in Porter’s free verse, and her words, images, and meanings dance beside the swirling choices currently speeding towards me in life.

Here’s just one of Porter’s poems that I’ve found myself rereading this week:

II. What a Plunge!

After Woolf

This morning the street
stings
like salt in a happily healing
wound.

A memory breaks under
your ribs
and plunges you
in turbulent sweet water.

Life is so dangerous,
but this morning you can take
the wave
right to the sparkling shore.

You can bear knowing
the street will one day dump you.

*          *          *

Not everything in my life, however, is centred on thoughts and possibilities catching in my throat. I’m spinning from intense conversations to silver moments of peace and solitude to rapid-fire repartee with friends such that we cannot speak for laughing.

There’s been cackling with E.Moonbeams over Upside Down Dogs.

Brunch with Christina at Farmers Daughter, where we were given free samples of the café’s new cold drip. It was beautifully smooth and strong, but the highlight was when Christina picked up her glass of cold drip with its enormous ice cube, took a sip, and screeched “IT’S COLD!”

Oh, Christina.

Chatting with Deb, who never fails to make me laugh while also, somehow, always creating opportunities for me to make incredibly inappropriate jokes that she then quotes me on for her status updates. Mum, if you saw that on Facebook… I apologise. I swear, we were only talking about chlamydia in the context of koalas.

After performing at the Governor General’s Open Day, we got more cream than scones.

And sometimes, when I’m missing Jeniqua with all my heart, I think about all the things that made our friendship as strong as diamonds. Like chocolate.

You see, this is Jeniqua before chocolate.

And this is Jeniqua with chocolate.

This is me without chocolate.

And this is me with chocolate.

I rest my case.

Question Time: What do you think of cold drip coffee? Gimmick, or delicious?

After a grey, cold, and rainy week spent cooped up in my office chasing seemingly endless deadlines (did I knock out a 19-page Issues Paper in one working day on a subject area I hadn’t worked in before? Yeah I did), Canberra gave me a gorgeous sunny weekend to enjoy. I caught up with one of my oldest friends for a heart-to-heart, cleared my bedroom floor of its piles of books, recipes, and shoes in preparation for a rental inspection, giggled with my mum over this link, met three of my gospel ladies for brunch and laughed so much my stomach hurt, read poetry, baked, baked, and baked some more.

Of course, I also ate chocolate.

The Tea Room Honeybush Caramel Tea Infused Milk Chocolate

Like the two Lake Champlain chocolates before it, this Honeybush Caramel Milk Chocolate by The Tea Room came from my much missed UVA friends L.MiteMaster and GreenJasmineTea. I’ve previously reviewed The Tea Room’s Yerba Maté and Masala Chai bars, so had high hopes for this flavour.

The aroma was sweetly chocolatey with slight dairy and tannin tangs. I took a bite and, as the soft fudgy chocolate melted in my mouth, I found myself swept back into my childhood with such a vibrant burst of nostalgia that I couldn’t help but smile.

As a child, my favourite drink was tea with milk and honey. This Honeybush Caramel milk chocolate captured that flavour so perfectly that I felt like I was again sitting at my grandparents’ table, winking at my grandpa as we fought our way to another Five Hundred victory against my brother and grandma, fueled by mugs of tea and a plate of Tim Tams.

To describe this chocolate more clearly, I say unto you: floral honey sweetness, faint tea flavour with no bitterness, cream and caramel.

Godiva Chocolatier 72% Dark Chocolate with Almonds

The hilarious and fabulous Sig sent me both this Godiva 72% Dark Chocolate with Almonds and a Cote d’Or Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts last year, during her Overseas Work-Gallivanting. Even though she and I had only recently become friends at that point, Sig accurately gauged my love of dark chocolate and delicious, delicious nuts.

The Godiva Chocolatier 72% Dark Chocolate with Almonds was straight-up what you’d expect, but in a good way. The chocolate was silky-smooth, and strongly accented with earthy, smoky, woodsy, nutty, and roasted flavours.

The (unpictured) Cote d’Or Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts was far sweeter than the Godiva, with notes of vanilla, marshmallows, and brown sugar. The hazelnuts were astonishingly crisp, fresh, and pure in their nuttiness. Mmm, nuts. How they be so good?

Moondance Triple Nougat Pralines

These Kosher for Passover hazelnut praline chocolates were another spectacular gift from my even-more-spectacular work colleague, Vicky, whom my heart wishes would come work in the Canberra office with me. Vickyyyyyyyy. You know you want to.

The aroma of the Moondance Triple Nougat Pralines encompassed hazelnuts, caramel, and vanilla ice cream. As I took a nibble, I was immediately impressed with the soft, rich, and enticing fudge-like texture of the treats. Moreover, the flavour took me right back to eating gianduja gelato in Florence.

Moondance’s Triple Nougat Pralines taste a little like Ferrero Rochers and Nutella, but deeper, more hazelnutty, higher quality. There’s a memory of Kinder Surprises hidden in the white chocolate layer, while the milk chocolate ganache makes me think of buttery brazil nuts and caramel.

Thank you, Vicky! These pralines were much appreciated in the office. Now come move here.

Question Time: What were the highlights of your weekend?

We’re only two-thirds through autumn, and yet I’m already spending my nights curled up on my bed reading with my thermal socks on and a scarf tucked into my jumper. Last night, I was on the phone to my brother and mentioned that I don’t know what I’ll do when it’s actually winter and I’ve already been wearing my warmest clothes for months.

He suggested buying an extra pair of thermal socks. Genius! I shall spend the next month hunting for MAN-SIZED thermal socks to wear over my normal-sized thermal socks.

Because that’s just the kind of acme of style I am.

Cold weather can’t diminish the lure of no-bake/raw vegan treats in my soul, however. And so, while the coming months may be devoid of many glorious aspects of summer life (daylight savings! Dance Academy [I don’t care what anyone else thinks; that show is awesome, the actors are talented, it broke my heart this season, and I want to be a part of its cast/fictional characters just like I want to live inside The West Wing and SeaChange forever and ever amen]! Sunburn if I spend more than ten minutes outside! Stone fruits!), I will nevertheless keep plying you with delicious refrigerated and frozen treats.

Because that’s just the kind of stubborn generous person I am.

My inspiration for these Pear Hemp Rice Puff Treats (or, as I like to call them, “PHRPT”, pronounced “ferpt”) came from the courageous and ever-inspiring Gena of Choosing Raw. Gena’s blog overflows with delicious, creative, and thought-provoking posts, and Gena herself is rather a superwoman. She’s currently making her way through the hard slog that is pre-med, all whilst blogging, socialising, and maintaining a vibrant healthy happy life for herself.

Gena recently posted a lighter version of the date-nut treats I so often make myself, cleverly using puffed rice instead of nuts to add body without density. I’ve had the remnants of a box of Rice Bubbles in my pantry ever since making my Jackson Pollock Peanut Butter Krispie Slice and Chocolate Bubble Slice with Peanut Butter Icing, so I jumped at the chance to finish off the cereal in a new way.

Gena’s recipe is blissfully easy to make and, despite my playing around with the ingredients, full creative credit must go to her.

My version, the PHRPT, are fruity, chewy-yet-crispy, sweet without being cloying, and somehow so balanced that no one flavour dominates. Instead, the pear tickles alongside the caramel-like dates, the hemp seeds provide a darker earthy note, and the cinnamon and rice bubbles offer a slight malt edge. (These taste even better the second day.)

I should probably admit that I’ve eaten most of these treats dipped in tahini, which somewhat defeats the whole “lighter” thing, but you know what? Je ne regrette rien.

Question Time: How do you stay warm in the winter months? Please tell my your secrets and thereby contribute to the “Let’s Prevent Hannah’s Feet From Being As Blue This Year” fund.

Submitted to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend!