Recipe refinement

I realize I've now posted more than once about coconut clusters, but in adapting them into Easter nests, I made some refinements to the recipe that are worth noting:

1. In particular, I determined that a ratio of 2 parts chocolate to 1 part coconut (by weight) was optimal for getting the right balance flavor and texture. So, for the enormous crowd we were expecting, I used one 14-ounce (400g) bag of sweetened coconut, and about 28-30 ounces (800-850g) of dark chocolate.

2. When everything was mixed to my satisfaction, I scooped out lumps with my cookie scoop (like a mini ice-cream scoop, about 1 inch/2.54 cm across), dropped them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let them cool for a bit.

3. Then, while they were still soft, I sprinkled them very lightly with kosher salt and pressed two jordan almonds into the top of each one.

Voila--Easter nests! A very, very rich and grownup version of my favorite Easter candy of childhood. It's so comforting to know I'll be able to have these next year, when I'm no longer 20 miles from a Russell Stover outlet (more like 9,000).

Wordless Wednesday

Move notebook - my constant companion for the next 6 weeks or so....

Intercontinental (again)

I have been trying to figure out how and when to put up this post for about six months now.

First, because it seemed too soon and too far off from impending events. Then, because I didn’t want to jinx myself in the midst of complex bureaucratic maneuverings. And finally, because I kept hoping some clever way of making the announcement would suggest itself. But I think I have run out of options…and very nearly out of time.

If any of you have been reading this blog since the beginning (or have gone back through the archives), you will know that the life event that first brought it into existence was my move to Australia in September 2008. I wanted to document that once-in-a-lifetime experience as it unfolded.

Or so I thought. Because it turns out that we’re moving back.

(As one of my friends responded when I told him, “Who moves to Australia twice?”

That would be me, apparently.)

It’s been in the pipeline for a long time—there were very preliminary discussions about a more permanent role for DP while we were still living there in 2009—but now nearly all the moving parts have come together, and a few days ago the real estate agent came and put a sign out in front of our house. We’ve got just under a month left here in Missouri before we head back to Canberra. I’m back from my Paris trip, which was my last mental hedge before moving fully into transition mode—gearing up to show the house, get estimates from movers, buy plane tickets, fix firm dates.

It feels real now. And taking up the majority of my conscious brain space. I can’t not blog about it any more. So, to sum up without benefit of catchy narrative devices, my news is as follows:

I’m moving back to Australia at the end of May. I’m excited and terrified. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.