"You've got a friend in me"

Ever since I can remember, I've been lucky to have a certain type of companion by my side. Always playful, always loyal, always loving. Never is there judgement and they are always full of happiness from your mere presence. I am, of course, talking about "Man's best friend": the dog.

At the same time I was born, in Brazil, our neighbor's dog had a litter and they were giving away new puppies. That was the first time Bobby came into our lives. Bobby was a black and white mutt. I never knew what kind of breed he was, but it didn't matter, because he was my friend, my loyal companion. It killed me, that, when I had to leave Brazil and move to USA, we couldn't bring Bobby. Every visit, since then, that we took to Brazil, I looked forward to seeing Bobby, and it seemed like he genuinely looked forward to seeing me. He would wag his tail at the gate, and every morning all I would have to do is call his name and 5 seconds later he would be drumming down the drive way to see me. He was stubborn and didn't like to share, but he loved to explore with me and he loved his human. My last visit to Brazil in 2007, he wasn't there. I hadn't visited in a while, but I just never imagined he wouldn't be there to greet me. Bobby had gotten old and it was time to move on. We had a new pack of dogs there, but I felt empty. I wished I could have said good-bye. Bobby, I love you and miss you each and every day.

Little me, sisters, and Bobby in Brazil. We love you Bobby

In the years I didn't visit Brazil, my parents decided that we could get a puppy in Indiana. It was my mom's idea and she really wanted a miniature dachshund. She searched and came across a lady who bred these specific dogs. One afternoon, my dad, sister and I drove to get the puppy. It was love at first sight. We called her Minnie (yes, just like Minnie Mouse) and we went straight to my mom for her to get a glimpse of our new family member. Minnie tried to escape and run to the road; scared us half to death, but it was all alright. Now, she is the pack leader of the family and we love her for it.

Minnie the Diva :) So tiny but so fearless

About the time my middle sister left for college, my parents and I saw an ad for a free puppy. The article stated a beagle/boxer mix and my parents thought, why not? Minnie was almost 3 years old but we needed a dog with the size of a guard dog. We went to the family and there we met Sophie. Sophie ended up being the size of a boxer, but she has the innocence and playfulness of a beagle. She came into my life during Junior year of high school, and she was my buddy. I watched her grow, and she watched me struggle through the end of schooling. She always knew when to lay by my side or when to demand attention so I could snap out of my moods. I love Sophie. (wish she was more transportable and not so afraid of cars haha)

Gentle and sweet Sophie. She lives to please

 During my senior year of high school, my oldest sister and her husband lived in Indianapolis. One Christmas, her husband surprised her with a little puppy as a gift. Kira, named after the Star Trek character (he's a huge fan), is a Shi-poo, Shitzu and Poodle mix. She was so tiny and such a fur ball when I met her. She can be ditzy, but she is very playful and knows how to be around newborns. (She is a veteran now since my sister has had three kids).

Kira, the quiet and mild tempered. Baby watch dog. 

While I was in Costa Rica on a study abroad trip, I skyped my family to say hello. While video chatting, my mom and sister said, "SURPRISE! we got a new puppy". Daisie was a pet of my mom's co-worker who wasn't able to take good care of the dog. My mom accepted Daisie and she has been with us since. She's a beagle and has all the personalities of one. My parents had a harder time training her as she came to us as an outside dog and already 1 year old, but if there was anyone who could train her, it was them. About the end of this past summer, my parents let me bring Daisie to West Virginia as a test of my doggy owner-ness. Seeming as my apartment is still whole and she looks as lively as ever, its safe to say she is one happy doggy here.

Loyal Daisie. Always lovable, always my baby

My middle sister and her husband had recently purchased a new home in Columbus. They've always had talk about wanting a pet, a Corgi, to be specific. (Super Asian of them haha) One day, I was working at the Diner and I received a text that said, check out my Facebook Status! So I did, and lo and behold, there was a corgi named Luna on there. She was a small furball who constantly chewed and cried, but she is adorable. Every time I come home, she seems to get a little bit longer, just like Minnie. If Minnie is a wiener, Luna is a kielbasa haha.

Luna will grow up to be quite photogenic :)

Last but not least, our partner at the Diner, Denise, recently got a puppy herself. She already has one, Zeke the black Scottish Terrier, and they wanted him to have a sister. They wanted a different breed of dog, and her husband was particular to the bulldog breed. They found a French bulldog breeder in Ohio and, one afternoon, came home with Abigail, or Abby. If anyone has ever watched a compilation of bulldog videos, they know the hilariousness that is their howling or barking; it just doesn't exist. It's a whining noise that they make and now we think she sounds like a pig. I have yet to call this dog Abby. Pig just sounds more fitting. We all have a good laugh about it, and it's fun to empathize with Denise as she trains this new puppy.

Abby the Diner Pig, hear her Squeal!

Zeke, the mighty warriors. Daisie's best friend

I love dogs. There is no question about it. I'm blessed to have parents who like them as well, and for a family and me who aren't allergic to them. They are wonderful companions. At the beginning, training them is never easy. I have yet to experience the full puppy-dome on my own, but Hines and I have been watching lots of "Dog Whisperer" to get us ready. Thank you for letting me share my love for them with you all.

Now I can't let you go without a recipe of some sort. As an ode to puppies everywhere, I have a dog treat recipe that I have made a couple times for my family. They love it, and you know exactly what goes into the treats. They are simple and if you have bone cookie cutters, even BETTER! If you have a favorite treat you make, please share below. Love to try new things with my puppies.

Fun, Healthy Dog Treats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mashed banana
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2- 1 cup oats (depending on how wet the dough is)

MOP

-Preheat the oven to 350F.

-In a stand mixer bowl, combine all wet ingredients (banana, egg, pb). Add the flour and oats. The dough should feel like an oatmeal raisin cookie or chocolate chip cookie. If it's too wet, add more oats.

-Now the fun part, get your favorite cookie cutter. The size of the cookie depends on what you want to feed your puppies every time. I had a 2" dog bone cookie cutter I used. Cut as many as you can get out of the dough. Place on a sheet pan with parchment paper.

- Bake for 15min. Check to make sure it's dry and cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, or until your puppies give you THE LOOK! I can't deny a dog his/her treat!!

-Now let them EAT!

It's almost been a year

You know the saying, "Time flies when you're having fun", or maybe "Time flies quicker when you're older", I'd like to state that they are true. It's either I've had a lot of fun this past year, or I am now old enough to come to terms with my age. Sigh. It's hard to imagine that, one year ago, I was still in Saratoga Springs, NY, organizing my life in order to make my move to Buffalo, WV.

Recently, I spent time with my family in Indiana, and I overheard my 5 year old niece exclaim "I can't wait til I'm older". Naturally, my first instinct for a reply was "Oh, no you don't", but it had me remembering all of my previous wonders and wants of being older. When you are young, unable to do half of the things you see others doing, all you wish for is to turn the clock to fast forward. As an adult, you wish for the time to stop, to give you the big breath that you've been needing since forever. We're humans. We always want what we can't have.

Patience is a virtue and I believe it to be true, as well. Life never seems to play out the way you thought it should (never exactly), so why not just enjoy the journey you are in? It's like making bread. You first have to create the dough, with all the ingredients like flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt, and other somethings, and mix it until it is all formed together. Then you have to wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. It can be tough. Depending on the dough, it can range from 30 minute proof time to almost overnight. But why be impatient now? Why stress over a fact that needs time to work itself out? Yes, you can have factors that speeds up the process, like a warm environment for the yeasts to grow faster, but you can never skip the proofing. Anyone who's ever made bread know you have to do this step or you will end up with an inedible brick. Life can be just so. If you don't have the patience to allow yourself, or craft, or something to grow on its own, you won't get the life you deserve. And who said you can't have fun while waiting? You now have 30 min-overnight time to do other things you love. Multi-tasking is NOT against the law! And who knows, a whole year may go by without you even realizing it.

I believe my time in Saratoga Springs, and even before, was the proofing time I needed. I'm still not done growing, but when is anyone really done? All you can do is have fun and be patient. I engaged myself in this new job and I knew it was going to be hard, but I also learned to take it one step at a time. Time does fly now and I want to remember all the good times and learn from the bad ones.

And since we talked about bread, I can't go without sharing a recipe with you all. I've always trusted Alton Brown and his recipes. Below is the recipe and here's the link to find it on the Food Network's page. Very Basic Bread Recipe. It's delicious, and now you can take credit for the bread at your next party! I do suggest making this ahead of time as there are lots of down time. (Don't you even THINK about going to the frozen section of Wal-Mart and grabbing ready-made dinner rolls.)

Very Basic Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound Bread Flour (extra for shaping)
1 teaspoon (tsp) instant rapid rise yeast
2 teaspoon honey
10 oz water
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 quarts hot water
Oil for greasing the bowl
2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) cornmeal
1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Method of Preparation (MOP)

-Make your pre-ferment by combining 5 oz of flour, 1/4 tsp of yeast, all of the honey, and water into a straight-sided container, cover loosely and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Now go play!!

-After you're done playing, napping, or doing whatever, place the remaining 11 oz of flour, remaining yeast, salt and add your pre-ferment into a stand mixer bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the mixture on low for 2-3 minutes until just combined. Cover the dough in the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead the dough, again, but this time on medium speed and for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is elastic. (He uses the technique of gently stretching the dough into a thin sheet that light passes through)

-While the dough is kneading, pour the hot water into a shallow pan and set on the bottom rack of your oven.

-Grease the inside of a large straight-sided container (like a loaf pan), and place your formed dough into it. Let rise for 1-2 hours. (oohh nap time again!)

-When the dough is doubled in size, turn it onto a clean counter top. Press the dough down with your knuckles until flat. Fold the dough in a tri-fold (one side towards the middle, the other on top), and repeat the process once more. Cover the dough with the kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.

-Flatten your dough once more. Now you are shaping it to your end product. Fold one side of the dough into itself, like a jelly roll. Flip the bread and pinch where the seam is. BE GENTLE WITH THY BREAD! Dust a sheet pan or pizza stone with the cornmeal and place your bread, seam side down, onto it. Cover with the kitchen towel and let proof another hour.

-When your bread is almost done proofing, turn your oven on to 400F. Place an unglazed terra cotta dish, or another sheet pan will do. Fill your hot water shallow pan if it's dry.

-Combine the 1/3 cup of water, and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Uncover the dough and brush the surface with the mixture. Make cool slash marks on your bread with a shard pairing knife (an X or 3 slashes like the Wolverine!). The marks should be 1/3-1/2 inch deep. Slide your bread onto your dish or pan in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. When the bread is 205-210F internally, or you knock on the outside crust and it gives a beautifully hollow sound, remove from the oven. Place on a cooling rack and wait til cool to slice. Now crackle that bread and enjoy! Don't forget the butter!

How do you tell a good bread is without tasting it? Not the smell, not the look, but the SOOOUUND of the CRUST.
(crackle delicious crackle beautiful crackle yum)

Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown, Food Network

Brrr... Baby it's cold outside!

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for all the great feedback from the last post! We hope our little Diner adventures excite you as much as it does us. Now let's talk about this weather...

Last year, living in Saratoga Springs, NY meant we had to be mentally prepared for the cold and snow. It snowed before Thanksgiving and it never stopped, even til the day we left the place in February. I knew what it felt like to lose your breath when walking against the strong, chilly wind and feeling like it would never stop. But nothing would stop me from walking to work or anywhere downtown. I'm a veteran when it comes to cold weather now! But here, in Buffalo, it's a little different.

Everyone said we would be getting another harsh winter, but I hadn't seen it yet, until now. (Duh, duh, duuhhhhhhh!!!!) Okay, so we've only had a little flurry, and the weather finally went under 30 degree F, but the point is, it's cold! I thought I was prepared but I quickly remembered HOW MUCH I do not like the cold weather. Hey, if there's no snow to play in, why do I want it cold? It didn't even snow on Christmas! I guess I will just keep fighting through the cold weather to get to and from the Diner. *Big Sigh*  Warning: People, if you see a white puffy marshmallow with a black and grey fuzzy hat walking down the street, don't worry, it's not the abominable snow man, it's just me.

Look! A live marshmallow!

Now that I've made you reallllly cold by reading this post, I will warm you up with one of my favorite homemade hot chocolate recipes. I learned to make it from scratch at one of my previous work places, and I have never looked back. So sit back, relax, and sip your delicious cup of cocoa while you watch the marshmallow walking down the street.

Kikko's Homemade Hot Chocolate

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Dark Cocoa Powder (I use Hershey)
2 ounces chocolate syrup (Hershey again)
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
Mini Marshmallow, as needed
Sweet Whipped Cream, as needed

Method of Preparation:

1) In a stock pot, pour the milk, heavy cream, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, and sugar and turn on to medium heat.

2) Use a whisk to combine all the ingredients while it heats up. Stir occasionally until the content starts to simmer. Do not let it boil (or you'll have a mess!).

3) Remove from heat and ladle desired quantity into your favorite mug. Whip up some whipped cream (1/2 cup of cream with 1/8 cup powdered sugar in the electric mixer should be plenty) and add a ginormous amount of marshmallows.

4) Enjoy that cup of cocoa!

*If you think the hot cocoa is too thick, add more milk or warm water to the mixture to thin out. I just really like a thick cocoa

Changed Life. Changing Lives

It's unfortunate, and slightly embarrassing that Hines and I, Kikko, have been away for so long. Our last post was October 2013, and alas, we are into the year 2015. We have been quite busy and, with your undying patience, I would like to share a bit about our adventures thus far.

After much discussion, Hines and I decided that New York was not the place for us. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the New England atmosphere, but we came to terms with our being, that we are Southerners/Mid-Westerners by heart. We ended our time at The Country Corner Cafe in December, but it wasn't before we received a new offering that made us feel more secure about our future and career. Billy Desimone, the owner of Buffalo Diner (in Buffalo, WV), Hine's first culinary mentor, gave us an offer we couldn't refuse. As he made plans to move away from Buffalo, Billy had to decide on the Diner's fate, and he thought of us, as well as Denise, who had been working with him, too. In order for the Diner to expand and grow, all three of us will take responsibility, as managers of specific departments, and in due time, we would all be co-owners of the Buffalo Diner. As 23-24 year old kids, out of college, this opportunity was something out of a dream. Billy believed in us, and it was time we believed in ourselves as well. Exactly one year ago, Hines packed up his belongings and moved down to WV. In February, after I managed to close the NY chapter of our lives, I moved down and began living in the LAST place I thought I'd EVER find myself. (Ironically, Country Roads was always my favorite song. Didn't think I would take it so literally).

Since February 2014, Hines and I have been working at the Diner. I have been doing all of the pastries, he has been working on the restaurant food, and Denise has been caring for the catering end. It took some time for us all to get accustomed to each other's way and learn as much as we could from Billy, as he gave us a crash course on "How not to lose a business in 1 year". As I am here now, writing about this experience, I think it's safe to say we are doing well.

It has been an interesting 6 months so far, but in all of the places I have lived, apart from Indiana, this is the first place I have felt so welcome and at home so quickly. It may be because all we do is work and I have no time for anything else, but I thoroughly like being here. I have a comfortable home, a job that I enjoy people around me who make me laugh, and people who feel like family when I'm so far away from my own. (but at least it's only 5 hour drive this time!)

Thanks for the past year's support for us. It may be that we are sporadic on this blog of ours, but we still like to share our experiences. Now that I am finally feeling good and organized, I'll be able to get Hines and myself back in order. Here's to a bigger and brighter future for us all. Check out the Facebook page for the Buffalo Diner and Buffalo Diner Desserts

THANKS
Kikko