Cooking With My Polish Baby

SM is a foodie.  SM is also Polish. 

We had a polka band at our wedding and after we played the pre-recorded Robert Plant's "Sea of Love" (my request), the band kicked off the wedding with the crowd pleasing, toe tapping and hand clapping..."I've Got a Polish Girlfriend."

We also had cabbage rolls for dinner...in July. 

And danced the "Chicken Dance."

SM should be living in Cleveland or Chicago.  He should be living in the motherland of all good Polish food. 

SM married a girl who is not a foodie. 

She's got some English and German in her blood somewhere but she's never been into Sauerkraut, Kiszka (Polish Blood Sausage), Pirogi...not saying they're not good. 

Just saying that with 8 Polish siblings there has always been someone else around who does the cooking.

SM has been hankering for some good poppy seed rolls and nut rolls.  He likes to "troll" the web looking at all those good bakeries they have up north in the motherland.

**BTW...There are no good southern bakeries.  I'm not sure why that is as there are TONS of us Yankees living down here.  You're lucky to find a good pizzeria.  Man, did we take that for granted when we lived up north. (sigh)**

Anyway, SM announced yesterday that he found a bakery in Chicago that had poppy seed and nut rolls and that he'd likely spend 50 bucks including shipping for his precious cargo. 

SM knows how to play me.  Since I'm not into baked goods myself he knows that if he tosses a price tag in there somewhere, I'll bite.

"Are you nuts? 50 bucks!?!  Let me see if I can find a recipe...How hard can it be?"

So that is what I've spent today doing.  This is the link for the recipe I used for Polish Poppy seed Roll

I mixed the dough and let it double.  SM came by and I let him "punch" it.  You should have seen his surprise!  I had him hooked.  He rarely helps in the kitchen.

While I rolled out the dough...

He smashed the walnuts...  Do you like our kitchen tools?  Who needs a rolling pin when you've got a bottle of wine.  Nut chopper?  Nah, just crush them with a can of fruit.

We made one big poppy seed roll...

And 2 smaller nut rolls.  SM says it looks like a pizza.

SM at some point in this process says..."If these come out well, I'll love you forever."  (He's practically on his toes.)

Needless to say, it's been sometime since I've seen my husband this excited.

I slide them in for a second rise.... "How much LONGER..."  (He's like a 6 year old!)

"Oh...lets say another hour to rise and another hour to bake."  I will say he took it well.  Not another peep out of him.

After the second rise, I let him him brush on some butter and popped them in.

Here's the finished product.  Boy, did they smell good.  (Too bad GF me won't be eating them.) 

They're HUGE. 

And here's the verdict... He's not sure. 

SM says it's more of a "bread" than a pastry.  (uh, yeah....)  He says it's good, but different.  He thought there wouldn't be enough poppy seed filling but to his surprise, the flavor is quite strong.

The nut roll is just OK.  Definitely not enough "nut flavor" for him.

I asked him if he'll still love me forever...He says the jury's still out.  Boy, does he know how to play me. (grin)