I’m not bragging but each week I’m getting better and better at this cookie thing. And to be honest, some of it comes from just following directions and recipes. If it says use softened butter, then don’t be lazy or impatient. Soften the butter! Seriously, when you decide that you might bake, take the butter out of the fridge, weigh it, and then do EVERYTHING else on your to-do list. All the things you hate doing- laundry folding, unpacking the dishwasher, vacuuming- now’s the time. Hard butter is no one’s friend when it comes to cookie making. Although I’ve never been a stickler for the rules, sometimes it’s a good idea to listen to others’ advice and experiences.
Anyhoo, this week I made two cookies- both from Smitten Kitchen. Her Browniest Cookie aka a Brookie aka a cookie and brownie combo. They were good but after the spicy fun of the Mexican Icebox cookies, they were only ok. I added cinnamon but it wasn’t enough. I’m addicted to dark chocolate and chili, and I’m not afraid to admit it.
The other cookies I made this week- Thick Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (with chocolate chips added!). And they were AMAZING. I feel like I say this every week, but these could be THE BEST ONES YET. So good. And I don’t even like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. But these are so good. Honestly, it’s the hint of chocolate that makes them. Oatmeal sounds healthy but the chocolate is a bit naughty– and they both work so well together!
And now, I have a problem. I don’t know how I’m going to top them this week. I need to come up with cookies for this week that will be better.
Or at least that’s the theme for cookies this week. This week I’m attempting to recreate Van Stapele’s infamous white chocolate stuffed chocolate cookies and Canva’s famous (at least at Canva) Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies. Canva’s cookies are baked by the Hungry Squirrel but I”m trying Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Van Stapele’s cookies are what kicked off the cookie baking the last few weeks. They’re an Amsterdam based Cookie Bakery or Koekmakarij and they make one cookie. One type of cookie. Chocolate stuffed with white chocolate. And they’re amazing. This bakery sells 2000 cookies a day. 2000! And they’re famous, like writing a case study about them famous.
I mean, I’m considering a trip to Amsterdam just to try them fresh and warm from the source. I’m mildly obsessed by them. I think it has something to do with the chocolate they use– or maybe there’s a secret spice. I’m not sure but I’m working on them. I don’t think I’ve nailed them yet, but this week’s cookies were pretty good.
In fact, both sets of cookies this week were well liked. I mean, most people who have eaten them haven’t tried the originals, so it’s hard to know. Canva’s cookies are/were honestly legendary. Delicious. Chocolatey. Salty. Yum. Universally liked and coveted. Smitten Kitchen’s cookies are good- maybe not quite Canva cookie level yet. But I’m working on it!
So, I’m currently in the midst of figuring out my next career move. I absolutely loved my last job and now that it’s over, I have a lot of choices to make and a lot of paths to explore.
While I continue to figure it out, I’m baking.
This week’s cookies are Red Velvet Chocolate Crackle Cookies by Donna Hay. I LOVE Donna Hay. I had nearly every issues of her magazine and I LOVE her cookbooks. These cookies are yum! I brought them to a BBQ on Sunday, and they were a hit. So, I baked another batch today. As I mentioned last week, I’m building up a bit of a cookie fan club. One batch isn’t enough to last the week, and since I’m currently funemployed, I have time to bake cookies twice a week.
I also baked the world famous Neiman Marcus Cookies. If you haven’t heard of these cookies, there’s a whole urban myth/legend about a woman who paid $250 for the recipe because she liked the cookies so much.
I mean they were good- but not sure I could charge $250 for them.
Some people have told me I could into the baking business- I mean, it’s not going to happen but it’s a fun idea. I’d have to bake a LOT of cookies to be self-sustaining, so I don’t see it in the future– but I do kind of like the idea of calling them, “He Runs, I Cookie…”
“Today, me will live in the moment, unless it is unpleasant. In which case me will eat a cookie.”
– Cookie Monster
So I’ve been on a cookie baking binge over the past few weeks- or maybe even months. Actually, I can trace it back to July.
My friend, Jinx (not her actual real name, but her real pole name) went to Europe and brought back THE best cookie I’ve ever tasted in my life. It’s from Van Stapele, a bakery in Amsterdam, that only does one thing. These cookies. And they’re life changing. They’re also, unfortunately, only in Amsterdam. So, I did what any normal obsessed person would do and googled the recipe.
Of course, being a world famous cookie house, it wasn’t online. But there were loads of copycats which gave me plenty of fodder for my re-creation attempts.
Now, a smart, conscientious blogger would have made careful notes about what she baked, how it turned out and where the recipe came from. But that’s not me so please don’t ask which recipe was the best. (From memory, it was these or these but don’t quote me.).
I trialled a couple of different recipes before moving on to OTHER cookies. Chocolate Chip, Compost, Playdate, Snoop Dogg’s PB Chocolate Chip Cookies (Thomas was NOT a fan), Oatmeal raisin (by request), Mexican icebox, Coconut Sugar (bland!) and then I found them.
After weeks of searching, I’ve found the perfect cookie.
I’m obsessed. I’ve made one batch this week, and because they are amazing I have a second bath ready to bake for tomorrow. These cookies are amazing.
I have to make a second batch, because I’ve gotten into a bit of a pattern. The people in my life now expect that I’ll turn up places with cookies. Tuesday at the gym, Wednesday nights at Pole Class. All of this cookie trialling has led to a lot of cookies. Far more than three people can eat, so I share them. And they must be better than ok, beacuse now people look forward to them, request flavours and are generally, a bit disappointed when I run out of cookies and they don’t get one. So, I’m making two batches of these- and also starting a list (or at least trying to be better) to record my cookie exploits.
Last week, we hit the road for a Mother-Son road trip to the Nation’s Capital. Yep, that’s right, we went to Canberra. And it was Can-tastic! Why was it so great well, let me tell you!
First of all, I will admit to having an affinity to any city that’s a Capital City.
As a Washington, DC native, I have a special place in my heart for Canberra, London, Rome, Dublin, Vienna, Mexico City, Canberra, Amsterdam– maybe not Paris (it’s a bit overrated) but generally speaking, I really enjoy visiting a Capital City. It’s normally the city with lots of museums, fancy buildings, and loads of culture. And I LOVE a bit of culture. Museums are totally my jam. Not to say that our weekend away was full of culture, but actually, it kind of was!
Secondly, I love getting out of Sydney. I like Sydney but it’s nice to get out of town and get out of the city for a weekend. Canberra is a VERY easy 3 hour drive away which was perfect for our weekend escape. It’s far enough away to have a totally different landscape (it is called the Bush Capital after all) but also close enough to get there and back without stress.
Thirdly, it was fun! And we did A LOT!
We left Sydney on Friday afternoon and after an obligatory stop at Macca’s (seriously, is it a road trip without a McDonald’s stop), we headed straight for the Big Merino aka The Big Sheep in Goulburn. Thomas did point out that it’s not a sheep at all, it’s actually a ram because sheep don’t have horns. Well spotted, but unfortunately there is a Big Ram in Australia– but it’s in WA.
BTW, in case you didn’t know, Australia has LOTS of Big Things- apparently over 600 but that can’t be right. I wasn’t going to buy the Big Things Checklist this website is advertising but if they’ve made a list and are selling a checklist it must be legit! I think I’ve only seen three or four big things (Big Banana, Big Sheep, and maybe Big Captain Cook) but if they’re 600 of them I’m sure I’ve seen more.
We stayed at the QT Hotel, which is fantastic. It’s actually the only place in Canberra I’ve ever stayed. I even stayed there when it was Rydges, not a QT. It’s a great location and the vibe of the QT is fun, irreverent, and quirky which was perfect for our mom-son adventure!
We had matching burgers for dinner in the hotel. They were yum.
Our first full day there, we had breakfast around the corner at Mocan& Grout. Thomas said they were the best fried eggs he’d ever had. I don’t know why/how but my child loves eggs. I do not. Agree to disagree, we were both happy. He’s practicing his food blogging skills- like mother, like son.
And off we went to Questacon! So much fun! We could have spent an extra hour or two there because there was so much to see and do. Science, Technology, and lots of fun! Exhibits on AI and self-driving cars, beehives, the moon, hands on experiments, four way air hockey, and so much more. We had an absolute blast but it was only the beginning of our day!
We left Questacon and walked along Lake Burley Griffin and then drove up to Parliament Hill for the obligatory photo in front of Parliament House. We didn’t have time to go inside but had a few minutes to take in the view!
Then we went to the Australian Institute of Sport. It was pretty cool. I learned a lot, we got to try some pretty fun sport related games. Thomas was both bored and impressed at the same time, but that’s pretty common for 6 year old boys I think.
We left AIS feeling inspired for greatness- or at least hungry for dinner. So we went to Baby Su for Bao Burgers. Thomas was disappointed that it wasn’t a “proper” burger bun, but I thought it was yummy. You can see the sadness on his face. It was also very big for his little 6 year old hands. He’s at that odd age where he eats more than a kid’s size at most places but his hands are too small to hold a full size burger. He’s desperate to try a Big Mac but also thinks it’s too big to eat.
We headed back to the QT for the night but not before passing by about 10000 rabbits. Did you know that Canberra is FULL of rabbits? Literally, they’re everywhere. Ok, maybe not everywhere but there were a lot in the park across the street from our hotel. And by a lot, I mean I saw more wild rabbits in that 10 minute walk back to the hotel than I have in my entire life. Thomas was thrilled. Seeing the rabbits was *probably* the highlight of his trip, if not his entire life. He is a South Sydney Rabbitohs fan after all so rabbits are his jam.
We woke up the next day a little bit sad. We didn’t want to leave the QT, we didn’t want to leave Canberra, we didn’t want to go home. One thing that Thomas gets from me genetically is his love of hotels and not being at home– and that anytime he goes on holidays he pretty much wants to move there, wherever it is. I agreed with him that Canberra was very cool and that we had had so much fun so far. I may have also googled a couple of schools and looked up some houses that we could move into, because I also liked the idea of moving to Canberra. The idea sounded even better after breakfast at Patissez. A cafe known for its Freakshakes. Thomas had a kids freakshake which he refused to share with me, which is fair. It looked pretty good. My chicken salad sandwich was excellent– Chicken salad sandwiches are underrated and hard to find in Australia. Score another point for Canberra – chicken salad sandwiches.
After breakfast we headed to Yarralumla Play Station for Canberra themed mini-golf and a mini train ride to a petting zoo. The mini-golf was hilarious, the mini-train was very very small.
Small was the theme of the rest of our Canberra adventure. We finished with the Dinsoaur Museum and Cockington Green. I had low expectations for both but Cockington Green was actually quite cute. It’s all mini displays of scenes from England- and it was super cute. The flowers were gorgeous and the displays surpassed my expectations.
And that’s where our adventure in Canberra ended. We hopped in the car and drove home (via Macca’s, of course!). We LOVED every minute of our Canberra adventure – and can’t wait to visit again!
So a few years ago– probably more than a few, but less than 10 – so let’s call it several. Several years ago, I went through a big brownie phase. From memory, it was pre-baby but post wedding. So I had lots of time, and went into the office every week/every day and would bring in brownies for my office mates.
This was also pre-my current job. A place that has more food and snacks than an army can eat. A place that I actively avoid because when I go, all I do is eat. They serve full hot breakfast and lunch every day, have snacks literally everywhere and have loads of social clubs that revolve around food.
Last week T came to work with me for their kids holiday program and he had crepes for breakfast one day and dumplings another day. Plus bombe alaska for an afternoon snack, cookies, marshmallows, ice cream– and full hot lunches as well.
So, needless to say, I don’t bake and bring things into work anymore.
BUT I did make brownies yesterday for our NRL Grand Final watch party– ok party might be overstating it. But we had people over and I made two things worth talking about:
Guinness Brownies from the NY Times because I love putting Guinness and chocolate together and these brownies did NOT disappoint. In fact, they get bonus points for having 3 types of chocolate, Guinness, and coffee in them. So good.
Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip inspired by the dip that we had in July at the Old Ebbitt Grill. The Old Ebbitt Grill holds a special place in our heart- not only is there food always delicious, but we also got married there so we try to go whenever we are in DC. Plus, I love artichoke dip and had been waiting desperately for an occasion to make it.
A football party was the perfect excuse to make both.
Last week, we did have fish tacos and chicken and chips as promised. Meh. They were dinner, they were good. Nothing to write home about.
This week, we’re having leftover spaghetti bolognese and leftover dip and brownies. For Taco Tuesday, we’re doing taco salad with turkey mince. We might have dumplings one night for dinner since The Runner is in Portugal. The Runner does not like dumplings for reasons that I cannot understand, so T and I might have dumplings while we can! We’re also off to the Nation’s Capital this weekend- a mother-son road trip which should be super fun!
12 years– A lifetime ago and yet just yesterday. It’s weird how the older you get, the faster time passes.
For this week’s menu I’ve/we’ve gone back to the archives to find a recipe. See, I have nearly ever single issues of Delicious magazine since about 2005. A long story for another day. Anyway, this week we are time travelling back to archives. 2011- when Pete Evans wasn’t cancelled, Matt Preston was thin, and a budget bottle of wine is $10.
It’s like opening a time capsule. Reading about restaurants about to open that you know are already closed. Remembering dinner parties and meal failures like ghosts from the past. Seeing ads for things once longed for but already thrown away or given away. It’s fun paging through an old magazine- I’m sure there’s a word for it in a foreign language- something that makes you nostalgic for the past but also happy you’re in the future. 12 years ago isn’t THAT long ago, but it’s enough time for lots to have changed.
Anyway, we’re heading back to 2011. The June 2011 issue of delicious is one of my favorites – and I’ve come back to it for a favorite recipe- by request.
Lamb and ale casserole- a great winter dish, even though we’re firmly in spring.
Note: I am 100000% becoming my mother who refuses to make chili con carne or eat fondue anytime other than the winter. I see her wisdom and now agree with her. This is a one off. A winter dish in spring– because it is delicious and well worth making an exception for!
So that’s our Sunday night meal this week. It’s School Holidays so we’re going to eat lots of fun things – like fish tacos and quinoa-crusted chicken tenders and chips that HOPEFULLY will be fun cooking projects while school is out. We may even try to bake something fun!
We may even complete our trip back in time by watching Toy Story 3 (an Oscar winner in 2011) and listening to Rolling in the Deep by Adele (2011 Record of the Year at the Grammys!)
As promised in last week’s post, we did in fact eat Glazed Pork Cutlets with Japanese Slaw, the BLT Salad and Baked Chicken Taquitos from I Heart Naptime Cookbook…and Steak with leftover Bearnaise Sauce. The salad was definitely the week’s winner!
Believe me, this banana bread is more cake than bread but it 100% lives up to its hype. I don’t know if I’ve written about it before but honestly, walk, do not run to the shops to buy bananas and then wait all week for them to ripen so that you can make this bread/cake. It is the reason I bring back Vanilla Jell-o Pudding Mix back from the US every time I go. So good. So so good. If you’re looking for a reason to eat cake for breakfast, this is 100% it.
Oh, and lest you think I was exaggerating about Burgerhead and Butter were last week, Concrete Playground published a list and they were both on it!
This week, we’re having Sweet Pork Hawaiian Haystacks (also from I Heart Naptime), Gazpacho with the leftover croutons from last week’s BLT Salad, standard Old El Paso taco kit tacos for Taco Tuesday, and All Day Noodles with Fried Egg and Furikake.
It will be a pretty easy cooking week since I’ll be in the office most days. The haystacks are made using slow cooked pulled pork and the other meals are pretty quick and easy too!
Oh- and the smallest member of our household won his very first Tennis Tournament! One more trophy for the trophy cabinet!
So, last week started with Father’s Day dinner and it actually turned out better than I expected. I believe the phrase, “These are the best potatoes I’ve ever had” was uttered at least once. Which was a win for me- and everyone to be honest. Also, I got to have bearnaise sauce which means it was a good day.
What else we ate last week.
A Char Siu Bun Salad from Every Night of The Week which was delicious and loved by the Team BUT required A LOT of steps for a Monday night. It was more of a Sunday salad if I’m honest. It was a pretty easy recipe, but there was pickling involved- and honestly, who has time for that on a Monday night.
Tuesday was Gourmet Traveller’s Taco Rice and I cannot stress enough how much I love this recipe. First of all, it’s an Asian/Mexican fusion dish that combines BOTH of my favorite cuisines. It’s easy, fast and tasty- and involves chips. What else could you want for a Tuesday night?
Thursday we had Neil Perry’s Taglioni with Crab. It’s hard to go wrong with pasta, crab, or Neil Perry so it was good.
We had some unexpectedly sad news this week (Sad in a first world problem way). Our favorite local burger place is closing down, BurgerHead. It’s a go-to weekend burger staple for us– and I think I saw actual tears leave Thomas’ eyes when we told him the news. Our neighborhood doesn’t have the best food options (as compared to everywhere else I’ve lived in Sydney) so this could mean more cooking on the weekend or more meals further afield.
We also visited our one-time favorite Fried Chicken place in Sydney– Butter in Surry Hills. When I lived in Surry Hills (a lifetime ago), it was right down the street and certainly one of the coolest places for fried chicken I’ve ever been. Honeymoon Chicken still wears the crown of all time, best, most favorite and amazing Fried Chicken in the world but Butter could have the Sydney crown. Bowery to Williamsburg’s Chicken and Waffles in Melbourne are pretty good too.
BLT Salad on Monday night from the I Heart Naptime cookbook. I’ll also make the Chicken Taquitos from there on Tuesday. I Heart Naptime is actually a great cookbook for time poor parents- everything takes less than an hour and is kid friendly. I don’t love the name (especially since it’s been ages since anyone in my house took a nap) but there are great baked treats (hello, Chocolate Chip Coconut Banana Bread Muffins) and some pretty good dinners in there as well!
Thursday night we’ll do Steaks with Fries and Bearnaise sauce (because there’s leftover Bearnaise sauce and I love Bearnaise).
Friday night, we’ll probably sneak in a trip to Burgerhead. We have 6 weeks before they close and I’ve only just discovered their Chicken burgers are pretty good!
So, that’s what we’re eating this week? What’s on your menu?
When I first started this blog over 10 years ago, it was to document one recipe from one of my many cookbooks. Then it became a way to document our life. And then life got busy, and it just sat here. Quietly, silently. Taunting me. “I should write something” I often say, but the question is always, “what” and “when”. With a full time job and full time family, and full time life, who has time??
Definitely not me, but we still eat. A lot. Every day. And I still cook a LOT. Like 5 times a week or more. Which sometimes seems insane- hello, UberEats????
And we rarely eat the same thing. And I often don’t remember what I cook- even the really yummy things.
So, maybe it’s time for the blog to be reborn. As a record of what I’ve cooked and when we ate it – and whether I’d make it again.
Starting now. Let’s see how we go with this new direction.
This morning was Father’s Day, so we had pancakes. These Bacon Banana pancakes with whiskey glazed maple syrup to be exact- and yes, I would 10/10 make them again. Everything about them was delicious. It was a thought bubble from The Runner that turned out exceptionally well.
Later today, for Father’s Day, I’m making Steak and Neil Perry’s Roasted potatoes from his cookbook, “Everything I Love to Cook“. I’m debating whether to make a bearnaise sauce with it… I LOVE Bernaise but not sure if it’s worth the aggravation. I’m the person who always forgets to make gravy and sauce so we’ll see how we go.
I’ve made these spuds before and they are YUM! It’s the semolina and the duck fat that really do the job.
I LOVE this cookbook- his Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb Shoulder was enough to make most of my American relatives consider moving to Australia when I made it for them during their visit. It’s so easy and so tasty– but what would you expect from one of Australia’s best chefs. It’s “chef’s kiss” perfect.
This week I’m also making the Char Sui Bun Salad from Every.Night.Of.The.Week, a riff on Taco Rice for Taco Tuesday (a weekly event in our house) and another good one from Neil Perry’s cookbook- Taglioni with Crab.
Last week, I made Italian Beef Rice Pilaf from Recipe Tin Eats Dinner which is one of my favourite cookbooks this year. Seriously, if you don’t have it, buy it. I think I’ve made something from it every week that I’ve had it. We also ate the and the Chicken Club Salad from Every.Night.Of.The.Week, which has re-entered the cookbook rotation over the last few weeks.
So that’s it. It’s the first week of Spring and that’s what we’re up to. After a huge win in the Grand Final, rugby season is over and we’re gearing up for Little Athletics, basketball and Oztag to start in a few weeks. No more Saturday sleep-ins but hopefully no more winter sweaters either.
So, what are you cooking this week? What’s been your favorite cookbook this year?
He Runs, I Cook 