Tuesdays with Dorie - I'm Baaaaack with Raisen Swirl Bread

After taking a much needed break from my baking group, I realized how much I had missed all of those quirky, funny, smart, talented, beautiful ladies and I decided to jump back in and start baking along again!

I was thinking just yesterday about getting older.  You know, thoughts like I can't do everything I did when I was 22 any more.  Heck who am I kidding.  I can't do all I did when I was 40.  It's a fact.  I am even having to ration myself on reading decorating magazines, because those photos of toilets in beautiful bathrooms can cause a warm drizzle to go down my leg.  Not to mention my cottage cheese legs.  They just won't firm up no matter how many hours a day I "watch" Denise Austin videos.  Before tattoos were even popular, I wanted one.  Now I am afraid to get a rose tattooed on my breast because before long it will be a long-stemmed one!  Beautiful five inch sexy, come hither shoes are a thing of the past for me as well.  I've learned to be okay with the big black orthopedic shoes my grandmother wore.  Okay, not really.

I have decided to be a bit more proactive about my aging and help you all out as well.  Each week in my blog I will post a tiny morsel of information that will help you in your journey as you age.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom for today's tip.

Susan of Food-Baby chose Raisen Swirl Bread for this week's TWD challenge.   You can use the link and jump over to her fabulous blog and get the recipe for this fabulous bread!  I've got to admit.  Yeast scares me.  Not scary the way monsters are, nor does it keep me awake at night, but it just seems like there is so much room for failure on yeast related recipes.  But I gave it a good try and got great results.  The dough rose nicely while Chandler and I watched The Inglorious Basterds with Brad Pitt.  The house was filled with that wonderful smell of yeast.  After freezing the dough for thirty minutes, it was quite easy to roll out.  I'm not sure I rolled it exactly to the specifications, but close enough.  One thing I love about Dorie's recipes is the detail of her instructions makes the recipe easy to follow.

It did not rise as much as I would have liked.  We really enjoyed it for breakfast!

Today's growing older health/beauty tip.  Suffering from fatigue?  Get a jump start on energy with pumpkin seeds.  They are loaded with magnesium and help to keep the heart rhythm healthy and the nervous system functioning properly.  Just snacking on 1/4 cup a day will keep your motor running!