Do you hear the universe calling?
If you’re a fan of movies, there’s no doubt you’ve seen a classic scene depicting a mysterious fortune teller. Draped in sheer fabric, she pulls a tarot card from her deck. It’s the Death card, and the poor main character is doomed.
The reality though? Tarot is not scary at all. Whether you believe in the powers of the universe or not, we could all use a little clarity sometime. While there’s many ways to read tarot cards, one of the most efficient ways is asking a single question and pulling a single card for your answer.
The Card: The Page of Cups
The Page of Cups is the 11th card in the water suit (the suit of emotions). She’s tapped into the childlike quality of being emotional without the fears that go along with it. She’s dreamy and idealistic, and her sweetness cannot be soured. Those youthful qualities allow her to look out into the world without judgment or prejudice. Now, what's a recipe to go along with that?
The Analysis:
Remember Sunday mornings when we were kids? You’d wake up to pancakes, waffles, or maybe even cinnamon rolls baking in the kitchen, and you knew that today was going to be a good day. As college students, it’s almost impossible to start the day off right the way we were always told we should. With stressful situations at school, at home, and all around, it’s hard to start the day with anything other than a bitter cup of coffee as we rush to class (but hey, no hating, me too!). But the Page of Cups asks us to go about our day with her same childlike wonder.
There’s nothing better to rekindle that feeling for me than a breakfast pastry. By starting our day off sweet, we’re more likely to feel that optimism that helps us through stressful times. My favorite? Morning buns; cinnamon rolls’ refined older sister. Flakey croissant dough, warm spices, and some citrus zest to wake you up for that 8:30 a.m. lab. The best part? This recipe makes 8 yummy servings, so you’ll be set for the rest of the week.
The Recipe: Morning Buns
Adapted from a recipe from ChicEats
Ingredients:
¼ cup of of light brown sugar
¼ cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon, or to taste
½ teaspoon of salt
2 oranges
1-2 rolls of crescent dough sheets, depending how many buns you want. Each roll yields about 8 smaller buns.
¼ stick of unsalted butter, melted and divided
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Pour the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl.
3. Zest 2 oranges into the bowl. Mix together the ingredients with a fork or small whisk. This will be the filling in the morning buns
4. Pop the crescent roll dough out of the container and roll out onto a lightly-floured baking sheet. Spread the dough into a (relatively) even rectangle, and make sure there are no holes. Tip: Keep the dough in the fridge up until this point for a flakier result! If the dough warms too much, the butter inside melts!
5. Brush the melted butter from edge to edge
6. Generously sprinkle the spice and sugar mixture over the dough, making sure to cover the whole thing. Don’t be stingy; the whole point is no judgment!
7. Now for the harder part. Roll the dough carefully into a log, rolling from the long side of the dough. Make sure you roll it as tightly as possible to prevent spillage in the over.
8. Cut the log into pieces about 1 ½ - 2 inches long. Tip: Use a sharp, plain-edged knife and cut straight down. Only pull the knife towards you once you reach the bottom for a clean cut!
9. Brush melted butter into a muffin/cupcake tin. Sprinkle the tin with white sugar, and pat it upside down over the sink to remove excess. This will create a gooey, caramelized bottom!
10. Place each bun, spiral side up, in the tin.
11. Pop in the over for 14-16 minutes. When they’re perfectly golden brown and the sugar is bubbling, they’re done!
12. Immediately take the buns out of the tin and place on a cooling rack. Dust with more white sugar.
The Sweet Results
For more fun, top with some extra orange zest, and get ready to take the most delectable bite of your morning. Hopefully, you can enter the day with a smile on your face, like the universe intended.