My Hubby’s Sticky Buns

Hope you all had a happy Father’s Day and enjoyed your weekend.  We had a really nice, pretty relaxing Father’s Day.

We ate almond sticky buns for breakfast, but I cheated and made them on Saturday night.  They were still very fresh when I woke up at 6:15 (AM) to warm the oven and reheat my husband’s sticky buns.

I should have taken a picture when the pan was full, but I didn’t think about until last night.  I’m including the recipe.  Promise.

After church we went to Five Guys for lunch.  I won’t tell you what my husband thought of this burger joint before we tried it.  Now we’re in love with french fries, freshly cut right out of a real potato.

Three gazillion calories later, we drove over to the park with two green plastic Adirondack chairs sticking out of our trunk.

It was the most splenderific day ever.  I sat and played Mahjong on my nook all afternoon.  It’s an addiction I hope helps increase my brain function.  In forty years, tell me if it worked.  Kay?

The kids played in the stream for hours, plucking tadpoles from their natural habitat and squishing baby fish who never got the chance to swim upstream.

My husband enjoyed a cool breeze and a few rare moments of much deserved and long overdue peace and quiet.

FringeMan is great father, and fathering hasn’t been so easy lately.  Tweens are more difficult than two year-olds.  When my children were toddlers, I never thought I’d say that.  My son’s body seems to be outgrowing his brain.  I know they will find balance by the time he’s about twenty-eight, but for now we’re focused on the last six months of eleven.  We’re hoping he won’t spend the remainder of his eleventh year of life grounded, but we’re just not sure.

Remind us that we’ll make it, please.

My son created the cutest card for his father.  A rocket is on the outside of the card.  It says, “The Father Rocket.”

When you open the card, there’s a pop-up rocket blasting through space and the card reads, “You’re a blast!”  He put the words in one of those exploding dialogue boxes like you see in comic books.

Forever and ever, we will have a permanent reminder of this Father’s Day card.

Yes folks, that was done with a Sharpie and not Crayola washable markers.

Later in the day we called FringeMan’s dad and Skyped with my father.  In Portugal Father’s Day was last month.  Who would have thunk it?

Do you Skype?

The downside is the house has to be clean in order to talk to anyone.  So if you call and I’m running from room to room yelling, “Hang on a second!”  It’s because I’m trying to find a corner free of toys and dirty clothes.

Since I just reminded myself of my date with Tide free and clear, I better give you a recipe and sign off.

Toasted Almond Sticky Buns

1 1/2 c. sliced almonds

1 package or 2 1/2 tsp. yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. whole milk

1 tsp. almond extract

1/4 c. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

3 1/4 c. flour

1 stick butter

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

sugar

Hopefully you have a stand mixer or else you’re stuck doing this by hand.

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, water, and a teaspoon of sugar.  Let it sit in a warm place for about 5 minutes or until it gets foamy on top.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spread the almonds on a pan and toast them until they are a golden brown.

In mixer, using the dough hook, combine the milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar, almond extract, and salt.  Add one cup of flour.  Then pour in the yeast mixture and add two and quarter more cups of flour.  Knead for a few minutes.

Generously  butter a large bowl.  Transfer the ball of dough into the bowl, turning once to coat with butter.  cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled (about an hour).

Flour your surface and roll dough in a 9 x 13 rectangle.  Melt the remaining butter (less the tablespoon for buttering the bowl) and spread evenly over your dough.  Let it sit a minute so the butter can set up a little bit.  If not it will run our when you roll the dough.  Mix 1/4 c. brown sugar with the spices and spread evenly over the buttered dough.  Now sprinkle your toasted almonds over the sugar mixture, leaving a good handful of almonds for later.

Roll the dough into a log and cut into 12 pieces.  Or, cut the dough into 12 strips and roll.  Either way.

Place them in a buttered pan (or two), cover, and allow them rise for about a half hour.  Sprinkle the tops of the buns with a generous amount of honey and a sprinkling of brown sugar.  Add the remaining almonds.  Then pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

If you like almonds, they are yummy, even reheated the next morning.

Sorry the recipe is not ALL blue, but I fixed it twice and it refuses to fix.  Some things are not worth get high blood pressure over.  Thanks for understanding.

 

How was your Father’s Day?