Post Valentine's Day never tasted so good

Valentine's Day.

Origin: During the reign of Emperor Claudias II, he obligated young knights and soldiers to leave their families for long battles. To ensure success, the Emperor commanded that all marriages be banned, allowing for the soldiers to focus more on the battle than their families at home. Not a believer in such tyranny, Roman Priest Valentine secretly married young couples. He continued the Christian ceremony until the Emperor became aware and ordered his imprisonment. While in jail, he was visited by many of the young couples he had married, whom brought flowers as a show of appreciation to the Priest. He also fell in love with the daughter of Roman Judge Asterius, who was prayed and healed by Saint Valentine. Right before his execution, on February 14th, he wrote a letter to his lover, with the famous line, "from your Valentine".

The memory of St. Valentine lives on in our annual celebration on February 14th. People who celebrates this holiday typically show their love through flowers, hearts, and cards with the words "from your Valentine". For some, it may not be the most significant of days, almost to the point of detesting, but for others, they share love and happiness with their significant other.

This year, I had seen many anti-Valentine's Day Meme on the internet, but you can't deny the fact that you get a ton of candy this time of year and all the cute holiday dessert ideas. I tested many different kinds of Valentine's Day confections, and I found the most success with the "Red Velvet Cheesecake". I first got the idea from my sister, who had made the recipe and posted on her blog Sweet Tooth Lulu. After a few tweaks for the Diner, I made them both in cake form and cupcake form. I couldn't keep them in the case! Hopefully everyone can smile about this recipe, enjoying every morsel, whether with a significant other or with your favorite spoon and comfy sweater.

Cupcake, my cupcake, so red and so luscious 

The inside look of the decadence 

And we all thought we were going on a diet haha

RED VELVET CHEESECAKE 


10" cake or 12 large cupcakes (cupcake recipe will be in italicize)






Ingredients:

Cake:
1 Box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cheese Cake (or use the Swans Down Red Velvet Cake Recipe*)

*One of my favorite recipes for cake. Use it for any other recipes calling for Red Velvet Cake





Cheesecake: (all ingredients room temperature)

20 oz Cream Cheese
1 1/4 cups Sour Cream
1 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup Heavy Cream

Topping:

8 oz Cream Cheese (Room temp)

4 oz Butter (room temp)

4 cups Powdered Sugar

8 oz Heavy Whipping Cream

MOP:

Make the Cake:

- For the cake version, bake the Red Velvet Cake in two 10" pans, following the box or Swans Down recipe. The cake will be thin. Let cool, wrap in plastic wrap, tight, and place in the refrigerator over night.

When making the cupcakes, make sure to have the cheesecake finished first.

-Mix the cake batter according to instructions.

-Pre-heat oven to 350F.

-Line large cupcake pans with cupcake liner.

-Fill the cupcake liners to a 1/3 of the way up. Using a smaller scoop or spoon, grab a 1 Tablespoon
size of your chilled cheesecake and put in the center of the cup cake. Pour more batter on top until
3/4 of the liner is full.

-Place in the oven. Turn oven down to 325F and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan around and bake for another 15 minutes or until the cake, when pressed with your finger, springs back naturally (like a sponge) I don't like using the toothpick test on this cupcake because of the cheesecake center.

-Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let chill another 15 minutes before topping.

Make the Cheesecake: (for both cake and cupcake)

-Pre-heat oven to 300F.

- Spray 10" spring form pan with oil and line with parchment paper (bottom is most important). Line the outside of the pan with aluminum foil to ensure no water seeps in. Set aside.

- In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with a paddle attachment until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl, ensuring there is no cream cheese lump. Add the Sour cream, sugar, and extract. Beat until combined. On slow speed, add the eggs. Beat until combined, scraping the bowl every so often. (DON'T FORGET THIS STEP! Scraping the bowl is very important for a uniform and very smooth cheesecake). Add the Heavy Cream and beat until combined.

-Make sure all ingredients are homogenous. Pour into your prepared spring form pan.

-Place the spring form pan in a larger pan (can be cake pan or large roasting pan that completely surrounds the spring form pan comfortably, without any tilting). Place the pans inside the oven. Pour hot boiling water into the larger pan to form a water bath. Water should come up to the height of the batter inside the pan. Lower the temperature to 250F.

-Bake for one hour. Turn the oven off and leave the door closed (DO NOT TOUCH!) for another hour. This ensures perfect naturally cooling, which means no cracks and smooth texture. Carefully remove the spring form pan from the water bath, remove the foil, and let set for 15 minutes at room temperature.

-At this point, if you are making the cake, wrap the cheesecake, still inside the spring form pan, with plastic wrap and place in your freezer over night. For the cupcake, the refrigerator will simply do.

Make the Topping:

- In a stand mixture, beat the cream cheese with your paddle attachment until smooth. Add the butter and continue to beat until homogenous and there are no lumps. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until your cream cheese icing is made.

- In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream into stiff peak whipped cream.

-Add a 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese icing and mix, by hand, with a spatula, until the mixture is uniform.

-Fold in the rest of the whipped cream, in two batches, until the topping is fluffy and smooth.

-Put the topping inside a piping bag fixed with your favorite star piping tip.

Assembly:

For the Cake:
-Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Make sure the tops of the cakes are level to ensure a uniform cake look. Place one of the 10" cakes on a dish or cake board.

-Remove the cheesecake from the freezer. Run warm water on the outside of the pan to ease release. Remove the sides. Remove all parchment paper. Flip the cheesecake onto your cake that's on the dish. Remove the bottom of the spring form pan and the parchment paper. Place the other Red velvet cake on top of the cheesecake.

-Using the topping that's in the piping bag, pipe the top of the cake in your favorite decorative form. I only decorated the top of the cake, leaving a naked cake visual. To finish, drizzle chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Chocolate Syrup) as an added touch.

For the cupcake:
-After the cupcakes have cooled down, place them on your favorite serving dish.

-Using the topping that's in the piping bag, pipe the top of the cup cakes in a rosette form. To finish, drizzle chocolate sauce (I used Hershey's Chocolate Syrup) as an added touch.

When your family goes on vacation without you...

It's a mountain of goods my friends

Anyone's family ever decide to go on a big family trip to somewhere and you weren't a part of the adventure? You either had to stay home because you're sick, or couldn't get away from work, or just didn't have the money. Well, 2 out of the 3 things applied to me, and it just so happened that the first did as well, right at the week they all left. Sigh. The vacation Gods were not in my favor this year.

When my cousin got engaged, we were all so happy for her. When the invitation came for the wedding, we just had one stickler, we lived a 9-hour plane ride to a different continent away from them. The good thing about her early announcement was that we had time to plan our trip. My parents, sisters, their husbands, and myself, all knew we wanted to go to Brazil and visit, it all just had to be cleverly done. All of my family were well on their way to creating their plans. I, on the other hand, got my new position at the Buffalo Diner, and with all the moving I did, my bank wasn't all that happy with me. And it would've been impossible for both Hines and I to go together, and not being able to share with him a great part of my life, Brazil, just didn't feel right. Needless to say, while my parents and sisters and their respective family boarded their Delta flights, I was in Buffalo, WV, baking another Red Velvet Cheesecake.

It may be sad, and the only regret I have is to not have been there for my cousin, but I do know that I'm lucky enough to have a family who brings me the goods. And by goods I mean a mountain of candy and local treats we only get to dream of in America.

I definitely broke into all these candies before they made it to my car. 

 The pictures show a fraction of what my parents brought from Brazil. Imagine a group of 15 people, 3 of which are toddlers, raiding each and every aisle of the supermarket store, grabbing anything and everything imaginable; that's my family, pride and joy. Oh and don't forget the image of luggage packed to the brim, and several questionable looks from the TSA Customs person.

Yesterday, being back to work after visiting my family, I had the pleasure of introducing some of the sweets to my dear co-workers. Majority of the questions and comments I got were, "Is it going to kill me?" and "I can't read it and it scares me". I managed to convince them all that I wasn't trying to kill anyone, and to their pleasant surprise, they liked it. My favorites are the BIS ( you can see it in the right hand corner of the second picture) and the Biscoitos caseiros (which translates to homemade cookies). BIS is like a kitkat that has a thinner layer of chocolate and lots more wafer. Crisp and delicious and comes in a variety of flavors. And for the biscoitos, they are like shortbread cookies with assortments of flavors. My favorite cookies are filled with guava paste and they're AWESOME!

As I was basking in the wonderfulness of Brazilian sweets, my dad showed me a cooking magazine he had picked up for recipes. The magazine was for Caseiro-style cooking and it featured recipes from an elderly lady, who I can only imagine had been making those dishes for ages. My favorite is the one below, called Beliscão "Big Pinch". It is filled with the guava paste that I love and it seems so simple to make. I'll definitely be trying it at the Diner. If anyone has questions on Brazilian sweets, definitely comment, or share some of your favorites.

Beliscão 

Beliscão "Big Pinch"

Example of Goiabada "guava paste". I got me a block and it's delicious!

Ingredients

- 4 ½ cups AP Flour plus extra for dusting 

- 1 teaspoon Salt

- 1 cup sugar

- 200g Cold Butter, cut into small cubes

- 3 Tbsp Creme de leite (Located in the Latin section of your grocery store)

- 250g Guava Paste cut into rectangles  (shown on right) 

- Sugar for dusting

MOP

- Pre-heat oven to 350F.

- In a bowl, mix the Flour, Salt, and Sugar. Add the cold butter and cut into your flour mixture until its a cornmeal consistency. I usually use my hand, but you can use a pastry cutter. Add the crème de leite and mix until a dough starts to form. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

-Remove from the refrigerator and, using a rolling pin, flatten the dough until 1/4 inch in thickness. Use a cookie or round biscuit cutter to form circles (Use 2 in-2 1/2 in circles). Place a slice of guava paste into the center of each individual round dough. And as the name will describe, bring to opposite sides of the circle above the guava paste and pinch to secure in place. 

-Put each cookie on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookie becomes golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. 

-Now enjoy your new masterpiece and feel pride in tasting a bit of Brazilian goodness. 

"Mommy.... *cough *cough... I'm sick" :(

                                              

I am sick. I'm sitting here with a pounding head, stuffy nose, a throat that won't stop coughing, and a body that seem to have forgotten how to function. Who's to blame? The weather and it's indecisiveness or my outdoor bonfire in 20F, I'll go with the former. Seriously, though, I am in pain, a pain of "trying-to-breathe-through-your-nose-but-can't-and-so-you-breathe-through-your-mouth-and-it's-so-dry-it's-like-the-Sahara-and-you're-slowly-deteriorating-into-nothingness"  and I just want to get better. I just want my mommy here.

Sometime all you want is to be babied and cared for by the expert. Now, I know I gave up that life the moment I moved out to go to school and live else where, but it's beside the point. Luckily, I have my lovely Hines who comes and cares for me when I need him most, but no one serves a bowl of soup with care or stuffs medicine down your throat like a mommy.

You know, when we were all younger, we all fantasized on waking up "sick" so we wouldn't have to go to school (unless you didn't, than, congratulations on being the good kid). A day of sleeping all day, with nothing to do and watching t.v. while all your schoolmates slaved away with homework. As much as I wanted to, I was never lucky to be that kid. My mom and dad instilled in me the importance of "SUCK IT UP" and I went to school anyways. Headache? Ibuprofen. Slight 1 degree fever? Tylenol and Propolis. You just don't feel like getting up? You were ready for school in half the time than normal. It seemed cruel, back then, to have had to go to school in some of those conditions. "That kid just had a headache and their mommys and daddys let them stay home!" But you know what? I've learned a bigger lesson.

As an adult, we are blessed with the term "sick day". It's where companies, following their own terms and conditions, allow employees to take a day of leave for ailments of any sort while getting paid for a regular day of work. Unfortunately for me, and majority of the food industry personnel out there, we don't get sick days. You don't come to work? Oh okay, we will scramble to find someone else to fill your position and I beg you to come back tomorrow. As an employer, too, I've realized how AWFUL having people sick or being personally sick is. This time, you're the one scrambling to find people to keep the business running well while shorthanded. I am proud to say, in the last year, I have only missed one day of work for sickness, and that was 3 days ago. Lord know, I wish I had stayed in bed the last two days too, but that wedding cake wasn't going to make itself. That's where my parent's "SUCK IT UP" lesson comes into play. I did exactly what they made me do when I was a kid: stuff cold medicine, pain killers, and Propolis down my throat and hope I can stay on my feet for the 6 hours I needed to be. Miserable? Yes, but I continuously washed my hands and kept on a good spirit so that the bride and groom would have the wedding they deserved. Now that it's Sunday and we're closed, I can hack, cough, sneeze, and deteriorate all on my own free will. I'll be staying in bed the rest of the day (after  this blog of course) and hopefully I'll be doing less of dying tomorrow.

If you are so lucky to have a special mommy or a significant other who will take care of you, try this recipe to warm you up. My mom always made me this soup whenever I was feeling under the weather. Share some of your favorite sick day food below.

Chicken and Stars Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Half chicken or 2 chicken breasts
1 medium carrot
1/2 yellow onion
2 stalks celery
1/2 bunch Parsley
S/P
1/2 cup Star shaped noodle (Yes, the star shape is important)

MOP:

-In a large stock pot, place your chicken pieces and fill with water until all meat is submerged. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

-While the pot is cooking, peel your carrots and cut into thin diagonal pieces (On a bias). Dice the onions into small cubes (brunoise) and same with the celery.

-When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and place in a bowl. Let it cool down until you are able to touch comfortably. Shred the meat, removing the bones, if you have the half chicken. Strain the water and save for the next step.

-In the same stock pot, pour two Tablespoon of oil and turn the heat to medium high. Cook your onions until starting to brown, then add the carrots and celery. Cook until the carrots begin to tenderize. Add the shredded chicken meat. Add the chicken broth to the pot. Add more water, if needed.

-Turn the heat to medium to medium low and let the ingredients simmer. Pour in the star pasta and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked all the way (10 minutes, give or take) Add more water if needed.

-When the pasta is done and the carrots are al dente, chop the parsley and add to the chicken soup. Taste and add Salt and pepper accordingly.

-Now, grab yourself a bowl, go snuggle up in a blanket, and forget your worries away.

"The importance of star pasta."
: I have tried this recipe on numerous occasions where I didn't use that specific shape. I used egg noodle, orzo, anything, and the soup never tasted quite the same. Maybe it's a memory and comfort thing and you might think I'm crazy (it's possible), but I just don't feel right eating anything but the star pasta.

"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