The Journey Begins

    Well alright; so the title is a bit on the nose, but after sorting through the various options, and bouncing numerous words off the four walls it is (I have come to believe) the most appropriate.  On Monday, June 10, 2013 my wife, Donna and I began our American Dream with our commitment to purchase a food truck.



This 1984 step van will be (we hope) the beginning of that dream.  With her five perfected cookie recipes and a passion and expertise for cooking and baking which rivals only Paula Dean and Ina Garten combined; my wife will take us on the most American of all trips; the entrepreneurial journey. 

     To do proper justice to this; first of what will be many posts, and to pay proper homage to the passion for cooking and baking my wife (and all those who call us friends and family) enjoy; we must first explore Donna's culinary lineage.  Born in the mid-west where great American cooks are born and raised Donna comes from a long line of women who could do anything and everything in their kitchens; stopping just short of turning water into wine. 

      These women (the ones I know about) were farm cooks, each and every one.  While Donna's mother may never have lived on a farm, one only need taste her country fried steak, or her ham and homemade macaroni and cheese or fried chicken  and the image of twenty hungry field-hands gathered around the table comes to mind.  Donna's mom learned to cook from her mother, who learned to cook from her mother and this heritage goes back through countless generations. 

      In skill, knowledge and ability Donna, equals her mother.  The flavors are sometimes slightly different, the technique used to get the desired effect may be unique to each cook, but the result from either kitchen, clearly defines the word; tantalizing. 

      In 2012 my wife won the first annual Las Vegas Cupcake bakeoff when she took first place in a field of over 100 contestants. In 2010 she had won a segment of the "Women of Philadelphia"  cooking contest.  It was with these two wins, and a healthy dose of encouragement from our friends and family that My Big Fat Cookie became her big fat dream. For 33 years we have been a team. For my part; I will drive and maintain the truck, I will assist with the baking, and I too will follow my passion.  I will chronicle our experience, track our progress and hopefully fill these pages with prose worthy of your time. 

In 2010 Donna won the Las Vegas Cupcake Bakeoff among a field of over 100 contestants.  Many of the bakers owned professional retail bakeries or catering companies, and with a simple but original cupcake recipe she stormed her way to the top of the pack and won the Grand Prize!

      Tomorrow we go pick up that truck, and our journey will truly begin.  It is my hope that you will follow us as we travel the ribbons of our dream.  These posts; by design will be spontaneous and thus random.  Sometimes I will leave you with more questions than answers but it is my fervent hope that you will find these writings interesting, entertaining, amusing and informational.  We hope that you too will come to share our passion, and we invite you to take this journey with us,  In the spirit of "more questions than answers" I leave you with this:  Do you need a cookie?

Here's the winning entry.  Hog Heaven Cupcakes.

These gems with their maple cream cheese frosting are capped with handmade fondant

piggy's and the most addictive substance known to man; candied bacon!