it’s national pierogi (and poppyseed bun, and paved trail) day

I thought today was just a boring old Wednesday — but then I realized it’s national pierogi day! My half-Czech self is overjoyed (though my pierogi-making skillz are definitely flawed).

Did anyone else grow up eating pierogis (or is the plural form simply “pierogi”?)? My grandma typically made them with onions, potatoes, and bacon. Yum.

As you can tell, my appetite is back! As I write this, I’m eating a piece of buttery toast and drinking my first cup of coffee in two days. Anthony hasn’t quite turned the corner, but we’re hoping today will be his comeback day :). And I went for my first run since Saturday this morning!

I met up with East Nasty for our usual Wednesday morning run. On the agenda: the new paved section of Shelby park! It’s a dream (though it’s also pretty dark at 6 am).

I covered a little over four miles with the group three-ish miles to get to and from the starting point. I was happy to get outside again, but made sure to take it nice and slow.

I even stopped to walk a few times when I was feeling tired. Such a leisurely pace made me notice this mural I hadn’t spotted in six months…

Definitely not my strongest or fastest run, but I’m still really proud I had the energy to do it.

On the food front: Since I haven’t eaten any real food since Sunday I don’t have much to share — but I do have these beautiful burger buns from Saturday. No really — the title of the recipe is “beautiful burger buns.”

They are a beauty, aren’t they.

I’ll say that these buns turned out better than my last batch (thanks to the addition of some dried milk and vital wheat gluten!) — chewier and less dry. And I figured out the secret to making seeds stick: egg whites!! I went with a mix of sesame and poppy so that we could have the best of both worlds.

BUT I subbed in a cup of whole wheat flour for regular bread flour, which I think is why they turned out a little less fluffy than I’d hoped. They’re pretty slim — almost like a sandwich thin!

Which actually makes them perfect for egg sandwiches. My batch made about 15 buns (well over the recommended 8, so I must have cut them too small), so we have buns galore in the freezer for next week. What more could a girl ask for.

Go eat a pierogi!

• Where are your ancestors from?
• Buns: seeded, or not seeded?
• Locals: favorite part of Shelby park?