Member-only story
MY SPOUSE’S DEMENTIA
YOU DON’T BAKE ME MUFFINS
Our once easy-going relationship no longer exists
You don’t bake me muffins.
You don’t make me cookies.
You hardly talk to me anymore.
Since dementia stole your mind.**
I miss the muffins. They were blueberry, cranberry, pumpkin, and apple: some with chopped nuts, and some topped with cinnamon, and delicious, especially when eaten warm, shortly after they were pulled from the oven.
My dessert was a muffin (or two; they were small) with a cup of herbal tea and a small bowl of fruit. Now, I toast an English muffin and slather it with butter and jam. It is not the same.
The tantalizing smell of cookies no longer permeates the house. He used to make a double batch and freeze most of them so we could defrost one or two in the microwave when only munching on a cookie would satisfy.
Lately, he has been challenged by recipes, forgetting ingredients, adding some items twice, and not understanding baking terminology.
Attempting to make English muffins, he encountered the term proving (also called proofing). Recipes using active yeast require the product to rest and double in size. Proving dough needs rest in a warm…
