Today: Nice buns.

[tweetmeme source=”elizabethev” only_single=false]I don’t mind regular ol’ football, but I think NFL RedZone is giving me high blood pressure.  The network covers every game being played, jumping from one scoring opportunity to the next.  Holy crap, the Dolphins just scored!  And the Patriots take it to the house!  The Steelers are in the end zone!  My head just popped off! (Can you say “take it to the house” when talking about football?  I don’t really even know.)

While Nick’s brain can operate at that level, mine cannot.  So I retreat to the uppermost cabinets in our kitchen, where the sugar and flour reside.  For me, football Sundays are perfect for baking.  This weekend, I developed a weird craving for cinnamon rolls, likely a result of being exhausted and dehydrated after Saturday’s run.  Give me sugar, or give me death… Just give me the sugar.  So while our living room was all about tight ends, our kitchen was all about nice buns.  Get it? Buns?  Tight ends? …Cool.

I doubt anyone visits On Tap for nutrition advice, but just to be clear:  I am fairly certain cinnamon rolls are not “good for you.”  They are not appropriate fuel for marathon training.  They contain flour, sugar, butter, and more sugar.  And then you add sugar on top in the form of icing.  That’s what makes them taste so good.  Obvi.

When I want to make something healthy and clean, I consult any number of websites or cookbooks in my arsenal.  When I want to do the opposite, I go immediately to Paula Deen.  There is no point in messing around.  I followed her cinnamon roll recipe nearly to a t, but substituted ground flax in place of the egg, and cut back a bit on the filling after reading several comments on the recipe that referred to overflowing cinnamon sugar (oh, the humanity!).

When working with yeast, it’s important to be patient.  In other words, if you’re craving a food that requires baking with yeast, be prepared to be tortured.  Despite wanting to dip my own arm in cinnamon sugar and gnaw it off, I managed to give the dough (and eventually, the rolls) plenty of time to rise.  By the time the cinnamon rolls came out of the oven, I had consumed 1.5 liters of water, taken a nap, put on an actual (i.e. non-Spandex) outfit for Mass, and felt much more human and much less likely to eat 1,500 calories worth of baked goods in one sitting.

After sharing a roll or two with my football fanatic, I packed up the rest (complete with a set of birthday candles) to bring to my sister’s.  These things were meant to be given away.  I mean, really.  Who doesn’t love a nice set of buns?

Also On Tap for Today:

• I love seeing a local teacher on Jeopardy!
• Dentist appointment (after all that sugar talk…)
• Love these farmers’ market greeting cards

Are you a football fan?  What’s your favorite way to pass a Sunday?