day off

So I have the whole day off to sketch and relax.  Too bad we don't get mail until around 1pm.  Hopefully my books and pencils I ordered will arrive today. Until then I'll be going through the Better Homes and Gardens and Food  Network magazines I was lucky enough to get my hands on at another base.  It may be a little cheesy, but  there is actually plenty of great creative inspiration (not to mention yummy recipes) to be found in them.  Plus, I am a sucker for Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating.  I also found a couple of recipes to try when I get home to see if they will fit well on the Dust Jacket Cafe menu.  I plan on having a seasonal menu to keep things interesting, and take advantage of the freshest locally grown foods.
I have considered having a "build your own float" menu to include choice of ice cream and soda flavor combinations,but I'm not really sure.  It would fit with my book, in which the main character renovates an old cafe, which used to be an even older soda fountain.  I guess I'm just not sure if it would be popular enough to be worth the cost of including it.  There was a restaurant in the Cleveland airport that had smoothies and wraps.  It was actually the closest I've seen to what I had envisioned the Dust Jacket cafe to be like.  I even looked into the cost effectiveness of the franchise itself.  I decided against it though because I believe the local and "hometown-ness" of the Cafe to be more important.  It still was helpful to get a realistic idea of what I have in mind might look like.
Sketch of the day!  Actually, this was part of a letter when I was stuck on duty in the middle of the night.  I think it's actually the only drawing I have ever done in pen.

wish you were here

Recipe of the Day!
Author Sarah Addison Allen was kind enough to donate to our book club out here, and included a sheet of recipes to coincide with her book Garden Spells.  If you haven't read it, please do- you will LOVE it!  Recipes like this, from books themselves, I hope to be able to include in the cafe.  I am always looking for new ones- and ones people have found in books and actually tried themselves.  I myself have made fried green tomatoes using the official seasoning mix.  I got it at K-Mart, but you can also find it online.  I gave it to my partner's mom along with a basket of fresh local tomatoes and she and her husband loved them so much she has made it multiple times since!

ROSE PETAL SCONES

rose petal -- encourages love...

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

4 Tbs unsalted butter

1/3 cup unsalted coarsely ground pistachio nuts

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbs rose water

2 Tbs edible rose petals - finely shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda,

sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in the

pistachios. In a separate bowl, combine the cream and the rose water. Stir in the

shredded rose petals. Add the cream-rose mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until

a soft dough forms. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for

10-12 minutes or until golden brown