The end of an era

So, remember how Carter was sick a little over a week ago, and I stayed home 3.5 days from work to be with him?

Yeah, so, Wednesday night, I decided to eat a brownie sundae before working out. Stupid, I know, but I made these amazing chewy brownies from Cook's Illustrated, a homemade caramel sauce from Our Best Bites, and I had some slow-churned Dreyer's vanilla ice cream just calling my name when I got home. But, I decided to work out that night anyways even though I'd eaten ice cream and I wasn't feeling that great.  However, when I got to the gym, I found out my workout class had been cancelled. I decided to run a couple of laps, but I wasn't feeling it (that's a different story anyways). I decided last minute to stop by McDonald's for dinner. Carter got his "chicken maggots" (his words, not mine) and I got a spicy McChicken. Let me tell you that I NEVER eat McDonald's lunch/dinner food. Every few months, I eat a breakfast sandwich from there, and I get cheap sodas, but that's it. Their hamburgers and sandwiches are generally disgusting to me.

Anyways, I woke up around midnight with a rock in my stomach.. I had complained earlier that evening about my stomach hurting, but I didn't think it'd turn into this. I couldn't sleep on my stomach because it hurt so bad. After tossing and turning and watching Seinfeld for an hour and a half, I finally got out of bed around 1:30 AM to get things started. I finally puked, for the first time since April 2006 (not counting the times during Carter's birth). Man, I got the McPukes and the McShakes. It was bad, but I finally felt a little better by 2 AM. But boy, it wiped me out. I dropped Carter off at daycare the next morning and laid in bed from 7:30 AM-4 PM. Ugh. Then, I had to call in sick AGAIN on Friday because I passed on the bug to my daycare lady (I honestly thought it was just the McDonald's food that caused it). So, yeah, I puked for the first time in almost a decade and I worked less than 40 hours over a 2-week period. Amazing.

On a lighter note, I baked something AMAZING on Saturday. I wanted to make something different, i.e. not pancakes, waffles, or muffins, and I remembered this recipe for quick cinnamon rolls from America's Test Kitchen. Normally, cinnamon rolls take FOREVER, so this was a good option. I don't know how many of you ate those Pillsbury's cinnamon rolls in a tube growing up, but our family did every Christmas, and they hold a strong nostalgic value to me. However, I would never buy those (yes, I'm that kind of person), but I have never have found a good homemade version. This recipe I found is the answer. It's more like a biscuit-like texture, and it reminded me of the tube cinnamon rolls so much, it brought me right back to Christmas morning. Let me warn you though, if you're tempted to make them, the dough is EXTREMELY sticky and I came close to losing it while trying to "knead" (ahem, more like stirring with my hands) the dough with my cute little "helper", Carter. So, if you're feeling a little adventurous, I'd highly recommend this recipe.