Happy Birthday West Virginia!

This Saturday, June 20th, marks the 152th birth date of West Virginia. For two years, the loyal unionists from the trans-Allegheny region of the Virginia General Assembly pushed for the secession and creation of their own states, separating themselves from the political elites who chose to join the Confederate States of America. On June 20th, 1863, they were successful and West Virginia was born. For many years after, the people celebrated the date, and in 1927, it officially became a state holiday. 

As someone who grew up in Indiana, lived and worked in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and New York State, I can only say wonderful things about the state of West Virginia. Yes, there are a LOT of hills and valleys here, but hey, that make's for an interesting drive rather than flat, corn country. The people truly make this place worth visiting, as there are kind, friendly people every where. Not to mention, if you are a nature lover, like me, there are over 20 State Parks for you to visit and enjoy.

West Virginia Day Piece*
"Autumn Flame"

Every year, the Blenko Glass Company celebrates the birthday by creating special birthday pieces, only selling a set number. This year, they concentrated on the beauty of West Virginia trees and seasons.

West Virginia Day Companion Pieces *
"Summer Shade"

West Virginia Day Companion Pieces *
"Spring At Last"

The Buffalo Diner will be on site, Friday June 19th, providing food for the employees, as well as those standing in line for their beautifully, hand-crafted glass piece. Each piece is unique and lovely, and it is an event sought after by many. In honor of these beauties, I created a few cookies to match the pieces. If you are one of those waiting in line for that special glass, try the treats out and have a good time. 

These are my attempts at copying the color scheme of the Blenko glasses.
Plus a few originals. 

*Photos courtesy of Blenko Glass Company, posted on their home page http://www.blenko.com/

Relationships... could it be sweet?

If you are a chef, cook, server, bartender, or anyone who works in the food industry, you understand when I say, being in a relationship with one (romantic or not) can be difficult. Whether family, friend, or significant other, there is never enough "we" time and too many one sided conversations. As a cook, I do take blame for a part of the neglect that comes from my side, but I also agree that the food industry is a major factor in disrupting relationships. In the past I had found this article that pretty much sums up how I, or any food person, feels about relationship. The link is here :Marrying a chef? Check out the little tidbits the chef has to offer. Feel free to comment, too.

While reading the article again, I had to smile when reading #19. True, I am talking about difficulty in relationships, and although the statement is 99% of the time true, I have to admit that I was actually productive on my last days off. I do have to use the word productive lightly, however, as it was more fun for me than doing work :) and my "productive" project was................................................

SUGAR COOKIE DECORATING!

Recently, I had talked to Roseann, the restaurant owner of The Country Corner Cafe, about expanding the retail side of the place and she had said that sugar cookies were one of the items they used to sell in the past. With that idea in mind, I baked off some sugar cookies in different shapes, made some royal icing, and decided to decorate them how I pleased. And here are the ends results.

Look at all the craftiness!

Here's one for the Cafe. (Yes, I will work on my penmanship) 

In honor of the Man of Steels

And, of course, I had to make Hines one, right??

Although I still need more practice, I enjoyed myself and I feel as if the cookies could go far. Tell me what you think of them or even help me come up with ideas for decorations. If they work, I might even post them on here ;)

I found the sugar cookie recipe here Sugar Cookie dough. The royal icing recipe that I used is Alton Brown's recipe found here Royal Icing. If you have any questions, let me know.

I hope everyone learned a little bit more about being connected with a chef/food person, but also to remember that, when you know one, you will probably get some really nice treats (aka: these cookies !) Just be patient, talk to us if you feel alone, and above all, know that we do care, we're just often really really tired.

Cheers and kanpai,

Kikko