Sugary Nirvana

Big day today... possibly buying new couches for the living room (I will write about that saga later) and then the dance lesson this evening (I had nightmares last night involving my dance teacher, so you know I am excited about it!). In the meantime (for those who don't already know this), here is the explanation for my unnatural obsession with pralines...

First off, y'all must promise to pronounce the word properly. The first syllable is "praw" like claw, not "pray". Prawleens. Soft sounding, inviting, seductive. Saying PRAY-leens makes you sound like a Texan, or worse, a northerner.

My grandmother from “"Missoura" naturally pronounced it correctly and she is also the one who turned me into a praline fanatic. When I was little and my grandmother actually lived down a path through the woods (but I never saw any wolves on my way there), she would receive a tin of pralines every Christmas from some distant relative still living in the south. She'd take one praline, precisely cut it into eighths and then give one little sliver to each of my sisters and me. That would be it for the day. No more. "“If we were good"” she might give us another tiny piece on some other day. Oh, to have such a wonderful taste of candy, but only just a taste.

As an adult, I searched for pralines like the ones my grandmother would receive every year. Unfortunately, most were either too hard like brittle or too chewy and gooey like caramel. Then, on a business trip to "Norlins" (New Orleans), I did finally find the elusive “perfect” pralines. Tender with itty-bitty sugar crystals, firm but melting in the mouth, and filled with big, flavorful pecans.

I must have eaten a dozen just that day! Whole pralines. All to myself. Huge mouthfuls, not tiny little smidgens. Mmmmmm. All I wanted to eat without limit. Heaven.

Since then, I'’ve learned to make pralines myself, but only for the holidays, special occasions and when I am feeling especially weak (like last Wednesay) because I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to pralines! (And can you guess what I will eat for breakfast this morning?!?)