Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Post the Sixteenth: Dealing With Stress

Lately I've been feeling a little overwhelmed at work. I've been assigned a lot of big projects with tight deadlines. I like it, because it means that I am getting lots of hours and that my work days go by quickly, but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming.

Today, while I was working from home (there's a bus strike on right now), I had a moment of feeling like I just wasn't going to be able to do it. I wasn't going to have everything done on time and everyone at the office would consequently hate me just a little bit. I decided to take a break.

I had two options: Throw a temper tantrum, or make Cream Puffs.

A few years ago my sister-in-law gave me a most beauteous book: Cupcakes, Muffins & Baked Goods: A Collection of Easy & Elegant Recipes. It is one of those gem-of-a-cookbooks that has a photo for every single recipe. On page 52 is a recipe for raspberry éclairs and the picture is divine. Seriously, I wanted to eat the page right out of the book like some sort of demonic hobgoblin.

But for some reason I was scared of making them. They looked so dainty and intricate. Surely my troll hands would destroy them and surely I would be brought to tears any time I saw a pastry thereafter. So the book got tucked away in my stash of food porn so it could be ogled on occasion when foodies came over to visit.

Recently I rediscovered the book and, consequently, my love for those dreamy-looking desserts. Feeling empowered and ready to tackle something new I decided to make them. They were so easy to make and OH MY GOD WERE THEY GOOD! Choux pastry? Easy. Whipped Cream? Easy. Raspberries? Yummily easy. Lemony Frosting? Easy. Quick to assemble and even quicker to eat.

Conquering those fruity beasts filled me with a calm euphoria.

So, back to my decision. Temper Tantrum, or Cream Puffs?

The answer I came to is sitting in my fridge. Yummmm.

The next Andy Warhol, clearly.