Pecan Sticky Buns

Ok...so I was supposed to post this on Tuesday, since the project I am in is called Tuesdays with Dorie, but somehow this week it just did not happen.  I did make the pecan sticky buns on Tuesday; that counts for something right?  This may have been the most difficult dessert or sweet recipe I have made thus far.  It took me a couple of tries as well.  Before making the actual sticky buns I had to make the brioche bread the buns were made with--which was the hard part.  Brioche is a french egg bread, very similar to challah.  The bread calls for a sponge, which is the starting point for most breads.  The sponge was supposed to crack.  The crack is an indication that your yeast will work.  My first sponge (there ended up being three...) did not work, so I threw it out.  The second sponge came out perfect, as did the rest of the dough. The dough was doing everything it was supposed to do...I know this from watching the demo of Julia Child and Nancy Silverton making the stuff.  It was silky and glossy; a sight to behold.  As I made the dough I heard it slapping in my kitchen aid, "music to the bread-makers ears," Silverton said.  After the first rise it was all puffy and pretty looking.  I must say I was really proud.  The last step was to let it rest.  I DID NOT read the part that said, "in the refrigerator."  When I woke up the next day my perfect dough was sunken in and fizzy looking.  I had to throw it out.  I felt kind of pathetic.  Erik, my husband, told me to let it go.  It was just dough...I tried and it did not work out...perhaps it was time to give up, but this is not how I operate.  I proceeded to make the dough again.  It came out perfect, but man what a pain in the ass!

The brioche took a day and night and the buns themselves took quite a few hours to make.  There was lots of time needed for dough to stiffen in the fridge and rise once again before going in the oven, but in the end it was worth it.  These suckers were good.  It was the first sugar and gluten that I have eaten in over a month.  The friggin things may have been what kept me up the night I ate them, but no matter---they were GOOD and even better for all the love put in.

On a totally different note last week I got some blood work done.  It ends up I have a type of psoriasis called guttate psoriasis, fabulous right?  This particular type of psoriasis is caused by a strep infection, which I tested positive for.  I am on antibiotics and the have lessened quite a bit, but are still there.  Usually in most cases the psoriasis goes away.  It may take time.  We shall see.  I keep telling myself it is something external.  It is not deadly, just uncomfortable at times.  I have eased up on the cleanse (after I caught myself binge-eating chicken I figured it was due time), but am going to follow what many people say seems to work for them--eating mostly vegetables and fruit with minimal meat products and dairy.  The dairy part is hard.  I really love cheese, and I kinda feel like I have been so restricted all ready, but I really want this stuff to go away.  While doing this I am going to utilize all the skills I teach to others such as staying positive, praying for my higher power to assist me, and to straight up relax because this too shall pass.

Peace Out!

Hungarian Shortbread

This past Tuesdays with Dorie was Hungarian Shortbread. I actually made the short-bread on Tuesday and planned on writing the blog that ver day, but life does not always go as planned. Erik, my husband, got tickets to something (at the time I did not know what), and as the day passed I proceeded to get sicker and sicker. The shortbread came out great, though I could not eat it due to the cleanse. Though I did take a bite, but spit it out, sorry, I know, gross, but it just smelled so good. Why did I spit it out? For the passed month I have had psoriasis all over my body, including my face. It almost looks like hives or the chicken pox. Sugar makes it worst. I am not willing to see what "worst" looks like, because in my mind, worst is kinda where I am right now, and it has been a month. Anyhow, by the time we got to the concert I was ready to turn back around. At this point I knew it was some sort of concert. I felt feverish, boogery, and generally terrible. I was willing to take a cab home, until I discovered what/who we were seeing...Roger Waters doing The Wall. I have always wanted to see Roger Waters and regretted not going when Learning to Fly came out. I have been a huge fan of Pink Floyd, since I was a kid. Sick as hell, feeling like I was about to hurl...I stuck it out, at least for the first set. It was a great show. His voice isn't what it used to be. I did not cry during Goodbye Blue Sky like I thought I would (I really love that song), but it was one of the coolest concert experiences I have had...and I have been to some cool shows (if I do say so myself). The next day was a whole other story. I was sick...not just cold sick, but fever, aching, nose-dripping sick, the kind of sick that lays you up for days. I am better now, but still weak and coughing...thus, my post for Hungarian Shortbread today. Oh, and the psoriasis is still there. It is very, very slowly getting better. Getting psoriasis this bad has been a humbling experience. Psoriasis is not a life threatening disease, but it is uncomfortable as hell. The Hungarian Shortbread came out great. I used a cherry jam as the filling. Shredding the dough made it fluffy and was a cool trick. The girls really like them too. We still have some in the fridge. Usually I give my treats out to people, good karma and all, but this time around, I stayed real close to home. I am looking forward to the next treat from Tuesdays with Dorie, pecan sticky buns. Hopefully by the time I make them, I will be psoriasis-free or at least back to some semblance of normal. Peace out.