Other Nickname: Birthplace of Aviation
Suggested Nickname: The Rustbelt State
Two Truths and a Lie
The Recipe - Homemade Buckeyes
Buckeye trees have distinctive seeds. They are large and round with smooth deep brown skin except for a tan circle on top. They really do resemble deer’s eyes. The seeds contain bitter compounds making them toxic to humans unless carefully prepared. Native Americans learned how to leech the tannins out so they could access the protein and nutrients contained within. White people prefer to eat chocolate-covered peanut butter fudge in the shape of a buckeye instead. Peanut butter and chocolate are a winning combo, so I decided to go that route.
I took my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. My husband loves these, he claims they taste just like the inside of a Reese’s. I wanted to minimize spread and have the cookies look as round as possible so I let the dough sit in the fridge for 48 hours to fully hydrate the flour. I also froze the cookies while the oven preheated - a little spreading took place, but I was still pleased with them.
Once the cookies were baked and cooled, I dipped them into a bowl of melted chocolate. It was tricky to dip them just right and achieve the buckeye look. Once I got low on chocolate, it was impossible. Had I been on BakeOff, my lack of uniformity would have been marked upon. Luckily for this blog, I just needed three really pretty ones to photograph.
Want to experience Ohio for yourself? Then Teresa recommends ...
My aunt and uncle keep inviting me out to go sailing on Lake Erie with them, and I really need to go. I’ve never made it east of Chicago on I-80, but one of these days I’ll get there. Until then, I will get some tea and cuddle up with a good book. Toni Morrison’s work rocked me to my core, both “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye”. For something more academic and less gut-wrenching, try “The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West” by David McCullough.
Time for the whole truth
The Ohio River officially begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in Pittsburgh, PA.
(By the way, you can click on any of the 2 truths and a lie statements to visit the source of the trivia)
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