#FEAST MY KYLE FANS

[cartmankisser]

KYLEEEE WRITE KYLEKYELE KYELE PLS ANYTHIGN PLS KYLE PLS PLSPLSPLS KYLE 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 IM OM MY HANDS AND KNEES PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLE KYLE PLS

....kyle fans are so

-- i feel like out of the main boys, he would be one of the more emotionally intelligent ones. he isn't scared to talk about his feelings with you and he's open when he's upset. it might seem a bit annoying, but honestly it's helped to prevent so many arguments and instead you two have open and honest conversations.

he's not the greatest at reading your emotions though. i mean he can tell when you're upset with him, but sometimes he can never understand why! maybe it could be something small or a buildup of other feelings... he always makes sure that he approaches you first though,, to let you know that he knows your upset and that it's okay to talk about it!! that it's okay if you're mad at him as long as you're honest about it and you two can work through the problem.

-- he can be a bit of a stereotypical romantic. he's a momma's boy, so in my opinion i feel like he'd go to her first for romantic advice instead of his dad.

so from her advice mixed with all the cheesy teen romance films he watched for a reference, hes definitely a bit cliche when it comes to romance. but he's still being super genuine!! no matter how fabricated his dedications of love might seem, that doesn't make them any less truthful!

for example: i feel like he would like taking you to the park! he's always over there because of his little brother, so he knows all the cool spots for romantic late night walks and cute picnics in the shade! (without his brother there, of course)

-- let's be honest, kyle doesn't have the best confidence. he's always a little concerned about what other people think of him. sometimes this little insecurity (idk what else to call it) can lead to some bumpy paths in the relationship. he loves you a lot! he really does! its just that sometimes he gets in this mindset that no one likes him,, so he often needs reassurance from you

and adding onto that, i feel like it would make him extra protective of you as well. cartman and others at school might walk over him sometimes, but he won't ever let it happen to you, too!! he's so ready to kick some ass for you. whether it's insensitive comments and questions from cartman, butters on his usual women-hating behavior (/hj), or any of the boys in his class who are trying to be flirty with you!! you're his!! and he's gonna defend you! even if that means getting detention

(just in case because tumblr has a habit of deleting the last paragraph of my posts.. ignore this)

[rpreaperperson]

MOM

Reader is a combat medic, a BIG sweeth tooth and a mother to 141 boys (dont forget can cook too) a waifu material

In case with Los Vaqueros

Masterlist

After they accomplish their mission the 141 task force will be holding a small feast with Los Vaqueros to strengthen their ties of brotherhood

All brotherhood aside...their true intention is....to taste again the meal you made, and now Alejandro and Rudy join the party

Two days before the party, reading your recipe book inside your office, knowing the boys will have a big appetite

'maybe I'll make taco for the snack...or maybe naco with guacamole..?....guhh..but what if they don't like it? I'll be making another country's cuisines, I don't want to offend them or something like that..'

Then you pick up your phone beside you texting Alejandro what they want for the meal, but then you shake your head putting back your phone beside you unfolding your laptop searching for the recipe you're going to make

"I promise them it would be a surprise after all, if I ask him he would know what Im making"

"Making what?" suddenly Kyle barged into your office with his innocent eyes, immediately snapped your laptop shut and gave him a wary smile

"Kyle!~ ohh..hoo...what are doing here hun?"

"Do I have a reason to hanging around with our beautiful Doc?"

"Well since my sweets stock has been decreasing these last few days, Im getting more suspicious with you boys hanging around my office" You shot Gaz a look when he opened your cabinet, and beamed when he saw his favorite candy

"Thanks for calling me beautiful though"

with a mouth full of candy he faced you and gave you a thumbs-up

"Say Doc ...what is the menu for the party?"

"Well...Im just going to research about it..Alejandro, Rudy and some of the Vaqueros will come..I want to try some of the Mexican cuisine...." Gaz furrowing his eyebrow sensing a hesitation in your tone and doubt

"But?" he walks to your desk

"..well our taste buds are different from them and..well..." pursing your lips

"Doc.. Im sure whatever you're making they'll like it.."

"You..sure?"

"Positive..side's who doesn't like your cooking? Ghost always asks for more...."

"hmp...yeah...5 plates,after that he asked for a snack...no wonder he's huge I still remember that one time when the canteen almost lost its ingredients for one month" you huff at him, but because of him it eases all of your worries and you've decided that you're going to make both taco and naco for the snack, now for the main dish and drink...

'Oh well let's just make barbecue and fruit punch, good thing the boys aren't picky....and got a big appetite oh..maybe some cake or pastries would be nice~..'

Notice the beam in your eyes Gaz smiled gladly to ease all your worries

.

.

2 days after, as promised the Vaqueros came to 141 base Captain Price welcomed them followed by Gaz beside him

"Good to see you again Colonel Vargas" Price said firmly shaking Alejandro's hand

"Captain Price, you too comrade!"

"Come Soap and Ghost are waiting for you inside, let just hope they did not gobble up the food..." Price escorted them to the canteen

"I've heard Doc the one who making it?"

"Aye...along she my best medic she is the best cook here, I sure you'll love it Colonel" Price proudly boasts about you

"Can't wait to taste it then...I've heard a lot from Soap"

"heh bloke always bragging about her ..a lot" Price huffs a smirk planted against his face, as they arrive at the canteen

They could smell the barbeque....and hear the arguing of Soap with Ghost

"THE F**** Johnny! you almost burnt it!" barked Ghost furiously fanning the smoke out of his masked face

"Well WHY don't YOU try it?!" challenged Soap as he tried to undo his mistake...but alas what was already done...is done

"Both of you! please just sit down!" you intervene them before getting heated, placing your hand against Soap's chest you quickly flip all the meat and the other vegetables, ordering both of them to sit down with your 'mom stare'

Like a disobedient child they sat, but not before kicking each other legs

Price facepalming as Alejandro just chuckles along with Rudy

"Hermano! We've come!" announced Alenjadro

"Alenjandro!, good to see you again brother!" beamed Soap as he rushed to Alejandro giving him a brotherly hug

As they reunited you huffed and took care of the barbeque, really you just took a minute to take some of the sauce in the kitchen and you asked for Ghost and Soap to take care of the barbecue

"Damn...this one is burnt...oh well..I guess this one is on my plate" mutter you the ever sacrifice placed the burnt one on your plate can't let any these boys of yours eat any burnt food on their off day

"Good to see you again Doc.." greeted Alejandro, as Rudy politely nodded at you

"Ah! yes Alejandro, Rudy! sorry I little late for the prepare, damnit Soap.." you mumbled cursing for your own stupidity to leave the cooking to the boys

"You want any help Hermana?" asks the sweet Rudy, you smile kindly at him

"No need Rudy, you're the guest here-"

"I insist Doc..." he insisted with a soft look in his eyes that made you melted

"Alright then...um..ah could you pour the soda inside the fruit punch there"

"Sure thing..all of it?" you nodded and he obediently poured all of the transparent soda inside the fruit punch, Alejandro stared at you in the slideness focusing on the barbecues pleased to see you again

"Okay..Boys!! the food ready!"

Then Soap immediately rushed to your side and raised his palm, reminding him to eat the vegetables you gave him his plate as you give all of them their portions you take your plate

Rudy  noticed that your portion was full of burnt BBQ, and he huffed at the ever the sacrificed you, when he offered you his good portion you refused him as you chuckled softy at him and said ‘Nah it's alright you enjoy your own I will make it again sides it brings more flavor to it’ tenderly gazing at the boys reminding you of your troublesome siblings

Damn he really want to take you away to his house and make you his wife

With so much laugh and joy they all eat, not forget the snacks and some pastries you make all of their exhaustment and the gore memory of the battle gone when they eat your cooking

"Ahh..s****...mine gone.."

"Damn Soap.. that's your third plate" grumble Ghost

"Betta’ me then you LT" Soap squinting his eyes at Ghosts who munching away his food like a hamster his cheeks storing the barbecue on his cheeks

“need more barbeque Gaz?” ask you noticing his empty plate, shaking his head Gaz takes one of the tacos on the big plate

“no need love, I’ll take the taco”

“ask me if you need more barbeque okay? I’ll make it again” smiled softly Gaz nodded, and then Price walked to you placing his rough hand on your shoulder

“Just take it easy Doc, I’ll take care of the boys  just enjoy the feast yeah?”

“you sure Cap?”

“Positive” he rubbed your shoulder and pushed you gently back into your seat, both Alejandro and Rudy noticed the tender gaze from Price as he caressed your head this went unnoticed by you

Deep inside both of them felt a pang of jealousy, and then Alejandro approached you with his plate in his hand

“Evening Doc”

“Ah Alejandro!  Sorry, I'm not greeting you properly...” Shaking his head Alejandro chuckles

“don't mind it Doc, I really enjoyed the feast you made though wonder Soap bragging about it” he gave you a charming smile that made you flustered (Oh God I thank you for making such a dashing creature like him)

“i-its not really something to brag about...I just love to cook for the boys thats all..” his thick eyebrow twitching

‘for the boys’...now that REALLY making him jealous of the 141 men

“Ever thinking of transfers to another team Doc?” asks Alejandro suddenly

Out of instinct, the 141 task force eavesdropped the conversation, squinting their eyes at Alejandro while Rudy quietly observed them slurping his fruit punch

“Well...”you trail..staring at your half eaten burnt barbeque (made with love by SOAP) the atmosphere becomes tense of course this goes unnoticed by you, glancing at the boys who immediately act like they didn’t eavesdrop on your conversation

Smiled at the boys you glance at Alejandro

“Nope not at all..” raised his thick eyebrows, a disappointment filled his chest alas he still smiled and faced his body towards you his gaze flickering to 141 who smiled proudly at your remark, then back to you

 “...may..I ask why?”ask him

“I..enjoy the time I spend with them..well..except when we are on the mission that is..heh..and I doubt they’ll allow me to transfer  to another team” After that you drink the fruit punch

“Ah..right..of course...they are deeply in love with you Doc” claims Alejandro, you bashfully chuckle while the others snap their head towards Alejandro with their eyes popping out

“yeah...more like they in love with my cooking heh those rascal..”

The 141 sighed in relief but was somehow frustrated that you didn’t take a hint

The Colonel again raised his eyebrow as he glanced at the 141 who were slightly slumped but still munching away their food, then Alejandro realized

‘she..doesn’t notice it ..does she?’

“Why the question?” ask youwhile taking a bite of your taco, Alejandro smirking wiping a speck of sauce on your cheeks with his thumb as he leans toward your face

“A-Alejandro?” your face flushed red and squeak when his nose touched yours

“If you would change your mind..would you like to become one of us? Besides..I would be at ease to have the woman I am attracted to in my team”

“W-wha?!”

A looming and rage aura came from the 141 body , Rudy just could pray that Alejandro came home safely

Suddenly Alejandro chuckles and leans away from your flushed face, booping your nose as you stare at him dazed and confused

“Kidding hermana, but really if you ever change your mind Vaqueros would always welcome you~”

“A-ah..okay..thank you..for the offer..” nomming the nachos you faced away from Alejandro, when you faced away from him Alejandro glanced at the 141 and shot them a smug smirk, Rudy just stared at him deadpan

‘oh...Ale..I hope you are back home safely..’

Note:

Arghhh..!! Sorry for the delay! Im really busy with my project and all

Coffee please?

[junissahsworld]

The Eras Tour

Can we talk about Taylor Swift for a moment? Since the moment she announced 2023-2024 shows and crashed Ticketmaster upon just the presale, there was no denying pop culture was in for something big. If you weren’t convinced before, now it’s undeniable: The Eras Tour is the tour of the year.

Evolution of Sound and Style

From her country roots to her pop superstardom and her recent venture into country folk, Taylor Swift has undergone remarkable changes throughout her career. With that in mind, the “Eras Tour” is like a magical time machine. It revisits the innocence and raw emotions of her early years showcased in "Red," "Speak Now," and her self-titled debut. She then transitions into her It Girl arc with "1989," followed by her edgier phase with "Reputation." We follow her love story with "Lover" and witness her evolution into a more sophisticated style of artistry with "Folklore" and beyond.  It provides concertgoers a unique opportunity to witness the evolution in real-time. If you have missed any of her previous tours, this is like a second shot!

Visual Spectacle

But it's not just the music that contributes to the show's popularity; the visuals do too. It features expansive digital displays with three interconnected stages: a main stage with a curved widescreen, a rhombic middle stage, and a rectangular stage forming a T-shape on the floor. That along with the multimedia presentations, costumes, and all those dazzling visual effects make the Eras Tour a feast for the eyes. 

Notably, fans recognized the house seen in the "Lover" music video. The rooms in the house were theorized to represent her albums. As the show progresses, the house is symbolically burned down, marking Taylor's transition to a new phase in her career. 

“The sets absolutely made this possible,” Ginnie Low, who runs the TikTok account The Thrifty Swiftie, says. “I didn’t move from my tiny little seat area the whole concert, but was transported to 10 different worlds.” (McLaughlin, Katherine.)

Fan Engagement

According to software company QuestionPro, the Eras Tour is projected to have a $5 billion economic impact on the US. That would produce a GDP larger than 50 countries. At the center of this hype are Swifties. Taylor has one of the most dedicated fan bases in the music industry and that has undoubtedly helped boost the tour's impact. (Fitzgerald, Kyle.)

This fan engagement extends beyond the concert venue. Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are abuzz with a global community of people like Ginnie sharing their tour experiences, fan art, friendship bracelets, and their interpretations of Swift's music. 

In conclusion, the Taylor Swift Eras Tour is a visual and sonic journey through one of the world's most iconic artists. It's an opportunity for fans to connect with fellow Swifties and has rightfully claimed its place as the tour of the year. Don't you agree?

Bibliography:

Fitzgerald, Kyle. “Taylor Swift's Eras Tour brings jolt of energy to US economy.” MSN, August 2023, www.msn.com/en-ae/travel/news/taylor-swift-s-eras-tour-brings-jolt-of-energhttps://www.msn.com/en-ae/travel/news/taylor-swift-s-eras-tour-brings-jolt-of-energy-to-us-economy/ar-AA1f4kW2y-to-us-economy/ar-AA1f4kW2.

McLaughlin, Katherine. “The Intricate World-Building Behind Taylor Swift’s Most Ambitious Tour Ever.” Architectural Digest, 24 March 2023, www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-eras-tour-set-design#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20sets%20absolutely%20made%20this,%2C%20another%20concert%2Dgoer%20agrees.

[concerthopperblog]

Beartooth & Trivium Co-Headlining Tour featuring Malevolence & Archetypes Collide

2023 is starting off strong with these amazing tour announcements, with Beartooth & Trivium topping the list of must-see shows this year! Both bands stem from two slightly different worlds and bring a different fan base to this tour. This musical diversity is exciting to see how the fan bases intermingle together. I love seeing different styles of artists performing together, especially with a band like Malevolence since they are a much heavier band and having Archetypes Collide’s support since they play rock too. Buffalo Riverworks was a great venue to watch these powerful artists perform, there was an area for you to go upstairs and watch the show from a new perspective. The Tour kicked off on May 1st, and they are going to keep rocking out all across the U.S. until June 15th.

Archetypes Collide is a rock band from Arizona. They started back in 2014, Archetypes Collide only has two EPs out currently and one self-titled album released this year. After a few years of releasing singles and touring, the band was noticed by Beartooth’s own Oshie Bichar, which led them down the road to eventually being signed to Fearless Records in 2022. I would absolutely love to know more about this band, and what inspired them to start their own band. During the show, the singer Kyle Pastor was very interactive with their fans. I saw online at other shows that he likes to jump in the crowd and dance with all of their fans! The whole band had a ton of energy when it came to performing. I can’t wait to see what their future holds.

Setlist:

“Parasite”

“Destiny”

“One Step Closer” (Linkin Park cover)

“My Own Device”

“Fade Away”

“What If I Fall”

“Your Misery”

Malevolence is an English heavy metal band from South Yorkshire. They started back in 2010, and guitarists Josh Baines and Konan Hall bonded over a mutual love for heavy metal. The boys started playing live when they were only Twelve years old. The band is described as a weird perfect mix of metal and hardcore music to be played. In 2013, they released their first album Reign of Suffering, and have released two more EPs and albums. The band has also been signed to multiple different record labels until they decided to open their own called MLVLTD Music. The band has played alongside many heavy bands such as Knocked Loose, Dying Fetus, Kublai Khan, Jinjer, and more. During their performance you could feel how passionate they are to be playing music, I loved watching them spin & jump around. They got the crowd to do a giant circle pit in the middle of the room, which was fun to watch. Can’t wait to catch them next time they come back to the U.S.

Setlist:

“Malicious Intent”

“Life Sentence”

“Still Waters Run Deep”

“Self Supremacy”

“Higher Place”

“Keep Your Distance”

“On Broken Glass”

Trivium is a heavy metal band from Florida that formed in 1999. Since their debut album Ember to Inferno, the band has released ten studio albums and over twenty singles. In 2019, the band was also nominated for a Grammy for best metal performance. The band has also gone through many lineup changes since they started playing, their lineup currently consists of Matt Heafy, Corey Beaulieu, Paolo Gregoletto, & Alex Bent. Matt Heafy has been the main lyricist since they started in 1999, he has been influenced by many bands such as; Metallica, Pantera, Ozzy Osbourne, and Machine Head. Before the band even came out on the stage, you could see the excitement from the fans, they had giant dragon statues on both sides of the stage and other decorations to set the scene. Their stage presence was amazing, Heafy was jumping around singing his heart out while Corey whipped his hair around.

“Rain”

“Like Light To Flies”

“Strife”

“Feast of Fire”

“Built to Fall”

“Down From the Sky”

“The Sin and the Sentence”

“Until the World Goes Cold”

“No Way Back Just Through”

“The Heart From Your Hate”

“In Waves”

“Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr”

Beartooth is a hardcore punk band from Ohio. They debuted their first EP Sick in 2013, they have four studio albums and at least ten singles out to date. They just released their single “Sunshine!” on April 19th, 2023. Beartooth has been described as Metalcore, but there has been a lot of influence from Caleb’s previous band Attack! Attack! The band has also been nominated for four different awards since they started playing music. During the show we got to go up on the balcony to watch the show from a different perspective, you could see the fans down below having the time of their lives, moshing their hearts out and singing like it’s nobody’s business. I love seeing Beartooth when they go on tour, the band is passionate about playing, and right out of the gate, Caleb Shomo was going hard singing meaningful lyrics.

Setlist:

“Devastation”

“Disease”

“Body Bag”

“Sunshine!”

“The Lines”

“Beaten in Lips”

“Bad Listener”

“In Between”

“You Never Know”

“Hated”

“Riptide”

“The Past Is Dead”

“The Last Riff”

[chelleztjs18]

Hello miss sickly eyebag 😅

Oh no, that's not good. At least it is nothing serious. Better get to resting since Thanksgiving is coming up, you shouldn't be missing all that deliciousness hahaha

Yeah, I agree with you. I don't mind Prue, but I think the show became better when she was gone. But then it became dumb when they brought Billie and her sister. I like Billie, but her sister was annoying.

I don't really have a favorite memory for highschool😕 when I was a teenager,, we kept moving to different states. I think the best memories I had for school was when I was in grade school.

Maybe Emily is being nicer cause she knows it is almost Christmas time and she needs to be good to get presents hahaha just kidding kids are definitely weird and you can't tell how their attitude will be.

Will you be making Thanksgiving dinner?

-CuriousGeorge

Hi hi youu

Haha yeah, it's really weird, one of the medicine hype me up but i hv to bed rest.. bronchitis is not that serious but it's close to be hospitalized i think. N im uncomfortable right now, my chest feels weird n hurts. Yeah im ready for thank giving.hahhaa. its my favorite holiday after christmas.

Oh yeah the last season when they added billie n christie turns weird n i agree christie is annoying. I think the show starts to get weird when the avatar is coming on season 7. I didnt really like it.. i dont like Kyle Brody, the cop that Paige likes. I like season 4 and 6 when Chris comes from the future. N it's cute when they find out it's piper's son n how piper act n her mother instinct kicks in. Hahaha.

Ah i see. Too be honest i dont really have good memories, so i cant really remember a lot of my childhood times.

Hahah totally agree, kids can be weird sometimes 🤣

For thanksgiving, we dont have any family come over, my cousin is in indonesia now n will be back in december.. im not really big fan of turkey so we just.gonna make honey baked ham. We ordered online like a set of feast..with sides n meats and i think desert. But too bad em drop one of the main sauce which i think it's for the ham.so i dont know what to do.lol. whats ur plan?

Also, next not so normal question?

Cheerio!

[neeterloveschenford]

THOUGHTS ON RNM 3x08

Wow! What an amazing episode!!! I think I have watched it 5 times now.ed And watched all the Malex scenes on youtube repeatedly. Stopped and stared at every gifset I’ve run across. It’s just been an amazing feeling knowing that we won people!!! Malex is back and I honestly don’t think they will be going back. It’s really, finally their time. But I’m going to save them til last because there will be so much flailing! So I’m going to start with the only thing that I had a real problem with in this episode. Why does no one care about Kyle? I’m positive that they know about him. Alex wouldn’t drop everything he dropped in this episode without letting them know where Kyle is. And there is a very bad habit with this show of telling instead of showing. And I totally get why Maria is the priority at the moment. Kyle is presumably stable and being taken care of by Eduardo, while Maria was deteriorating while she was “possessed” by Jones. But still, a little “Hey Alex, how’s my brother?” from Rosa would not have been remiss. But, I guess I just have to take a step back and remember that this is RNM and old habits are hard to break with them apparently.

Now. Let’s move on to the things I loved. I know there was so much hate and salt thrown Maria’s way because she’s rarely written the way she should be. And of course there was all of last season that made a lot of people loathe and despise her. I’ve had my moments where I never wanted to see her on my screen again, but then I took a step back and realized I was putting all of my hatred and upset onto a fictional character. Maria is not the person who wrote such a crappy story for her last season. I think we can all agree that Maria was Carina’s self-insert character. But I decided that I was going to move past my anger and try and embrace her this season. Admittedly, it’s been up and down. I think there have been times when she has definitely been used too much, and times when she was never fleshed out. But this episode her story revolved around what I have always thought was the most interesting part about her. Her heritage. I’ve always been interested in Patricia and what happened to her at Caulfield. To see how she worked with Nora to build the Lockhart machine was great! And then to find out how she was injected with the alien chemicals after Lockhart figured out she was actually helping the people she was supposed to be injecting, that was awesome. I’m glad Maria got to find out more about her family’s past. Now I’m left wondering if Arturo has a past interaction with aliens or a connection to Caulfield. So far we’ve learned about the Valentis, the DeLuca’s and the Manes families. Now we need to find out about the Ortecho’s.

Next I would like to talk about all of the wonderful interactions between the women. I was feeling so much girl power emanating from my tv screen! I don’t care what anyone says, I love the friendships between Liz and Isobel, Isobel and Rosa, Rosa and Maria, Isobel and Maria, and Liz and Maria. They were amazing. I can’t wait to see more of their interactions. I think all of the women (frankly, all of the characters) have grown so much this season. I love the bonds of sisterhood that have formed between our ladies! They were all so supportive and caring with each other. It’s like Maria said, she wasn’t alone, she had her sisters with her! And when Liz said the three women I love, I wanted to cry. They have all come so far this season. Is everything perfect? No. But it’s so much better than it has been. I just want more, more, more.

Liz got to be her badass science self again. I loved the fact that she talked to the horse the entire episode. Sometimes we just have to bounce ideas off of somebody. Why not a horse? And the way she figured out how to disconnect Jones from Maria using Rosa’s new powers was perfection. She really got to see a new side to Rosa this time. I’m so glad that we are getting these wonderful Ortecho sister moments!

Isobel is a bamf! She took on Jones without a moments hesitation and totally kicked his ass! I love her so much! She has grown so confident in her abilities. And the fact that the one moment of doubt she had was when Rosa swooped in with pod Yoda wisdom was exactly what she needed. They are one of my favorite friendships on the show.

And my last thing before I fall down the Malex rabbit hole. My dudes. Get over the hug already! It has been canon the entire time that Alex still thinks of Maria as one of his best friends. As much as y’all want her to have her reckoning for 2x06, it’s not going to happen. If it bothers you so much that all you can do after so much wonderfulness, is complain about Maria, then you need to really think about whether or not this is the show for you. She is not going anywhere anytime soon. Yes, she still annoys me sometimes, but I can put that aside and love the show despite her. I don’t mean to be harsh, but there is just too much negativity out there.

So now for the good stuff. (Rubs hands together.) OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!

I cannot believe that we won! We’ve lost so many times. But now WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIENDS! We were given a feast with this episode. I mean in the first five minutes we have Alex coming clean to Michael about joining Deep Sky. And instead of blowing up and walking away, Michael actually listened. And what Alex said about making a world where Michael didn’t have to live in fear for the both of them? I nearly died then and there. I seriously could have just had that moment and been happy. The eyebrow flirting was so cute. Then we get it again when they are trying to figure out where Jones was. The heart eyes coming from Michael was glorious. He was so proud of his man and his hacking skills. And we got dorky eyebrow flirting again! Then we have that scene where we learn why Alex is the way he is. I know there has been a lot said about him having a white saviour complex with the story of Omar, but I’ve heard similar stories from actual vets. We tend to let our own feelings about the military cloud our feelings for the men and women who serve. I’m glad that they finally showed Alex’s PTSD. He holds himself away from people because he knows what it’s like to lose people. And Michael rubbing his cheek like that. I almost died again. I just love them so much. And then we get the scene where Alex stops Michael from trying to take the sword from Jones. Him grabbing Michael’s hand like that was downright sexual. I need to fan myself. That’s chemistry folks! And then we get Alex hitting Jones with the truck! What a great parallel with Michael hitting Jesse with his cane. Those boys will do anything to protect each other.

And then we have that scene. SO MUCH GOODNESS! Alex telling Michael about the Lockhart machine. Michael admitting that he knows that he probably won’t get clearance to work on the project. Alex saying he will tell him everything anyway. Our boys have grown so much this season! And the way Michael took off his hat to kiss Alex. I just felt so much in that moment. That kiss was so soft and sweet. When they pulled away, the way Alex looked up at Michael with so much longing was just uh! And Michael’s little exhale and smile. He knows exactly how to put Alex at ease. And then the hug. I am ready to cry right now just thinking about it. I know many people think it was too much too soon, but I beg to differ. This is how I’ve always seen things happening. Once they were both on the same page, it was bound to go down exactly like this. They have so much history and passion between them. And now they can finally admit to each other and themselves that there is no one else in the universe for each other. Their love is so strong. Why shouldn’t they acknowledge their feelings while growing closer. In the end I think it will only make them stronger.

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I can’t wait til we get worried boyfriend Michael in the next episode. It’s going to be awesome! Till next time my friends!

[survey--s]

17.

Name 5 people that are very important to you. Mike, my parents, Stefi and Susie.

Do you like eating chocolate covered cherries or strawberries? I like both, but my favourite thing ever is freeze dried raspberries covered in chocolate. MMM. Shame the only shop that sells them (that I’ve found) doesn’t deliver. I can get them online but it costs a fortune.

What does your 9th text say in your outbox? Texts don’t work like that anymore.

Ever had a really scary dream? Tell me about it. I have, yes, but I don’t really want to go into detail.

Where is the coolest place you’ve been on vacation? Australia, Switzerland and Italy are definitely my favourite places.

Would you rather have salad or french fries for a side dish? French fries. I’m really not a fan of salad - it has a horrible texture to me (especially lettuce) and it just makes me gag.

Ever been to California? Did you like it? Nope, I’ve never been to America before.

What’s your favorite thing about the town you live in? The location - I love being surrounded by the sea, the mountains and the lakes. It’s absolutely stunning.

Do you like Mexican food? What’s your favorite dish to eat? I do, so long as it’s not too spicy. I like nachos and quesedillas.

Favorite kind of pizza is? Spinach and ricotta, or BBQ meat feast.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? If so, how long have you been dating? I have a husband and we’ve been together for nearly six years, married for three.

Any brothers or sisters? Do they make you mad? I don’t have any siblings, no.

Are you nosy? Yeah, most definitely, but I think it’s human nature to be nosy and curious about what’s going on around you.

Ever been to a bar? What was it like? Sure, loads of times. I mean, they’re all different.

Are you old enough to drink? I’ve been legal to drink for almost fifteen years now.

What’s your favorite kind of flower? Sunflowers.

Would you rather have pasta or chicken? Chicken.

Have you ever dated someone, but made them not tell anyone about it? No, I mean...I think that’s such a shitty way to treat someone.

What’s the meanest thing you have done to a friend? I can’t think of a time I’ve been deliberately mean to a friend.

Have you ever kissed anybody with the name starting with a C or R? Yes, both of those letters.

Why did you and your last ex break up? Because he was a compulsive liar.

Have you ever had a really bad fight with a best friend? No, most of my friendships have ended as we just grew apart.

Do you like spaghetti? It’s okay, but I like the idea of pasta much more than I like the reality of it.

Which color: orange or red? Red.

Do you know any songs by Katy Perry? Do you like her music? Yeah, but she’s not my favourite. I like The One That Got Away, though.

Ever had a near death experience? Nope.

Which number: 5 or 19? 19.

What’s your favorite song by Taylor Swift? Why is that your favorite? I really can’t stand Taylor Swift anymore. I liked for a while as a teenager but now she just annoys the fuck out of me, lol.

Pick one: apples or oranges? Apples.

Do you know anybody named George or Bob? I know a dog called Bobby, lol.

What do you like better, being single or in a relationship? Why is that? At this point, I’m much happier married than I would be if we were to break up.

Are you close with your mother? Yes.

Have you ever dated someone named Kyle? Nope. Kyle isn’t really a very common first name over here.

Who was the last person to ring your doorbell/knock on your door?  Mike, because he forgot his keys.

Does anything on you itch right now? My neck, as soon as I read this question. <--- ha, same.

If the last person you kissed came to your house now, what would you say? We live together, so.

If your ex called you crying, what would it most likely be about? I wouldn’t even answer my phone to my ex, let alone care what he was crying about, lol.

Who was the best kisser out of all the people you have kissed? A guy named Joshua.

Name everyone you have texted today. I haven’t text anyone today.

Who was the last person you spoke to for over 5 minutes over the telephone? I have no idea, probably my mum.

How many times have you went to the bathroom today? Three times.

Who do you currently live with? My husband, three cats and a dog.

What do you like better: sour or sweet candy? Sour.

Have you ever been told that you have an annoying laugh? Nope. I mean, not that I can remember, anyway.

[darewitchstr]

TW r$pe, abuse, violence

I just read the first issue of Wonder Woman Vol 2. (1987) and in there was an origin story for the Amazons, which I was looking forward cause the Amazons are the best. Now, I don't know if that origin story changes over time, but that version was deeply concerning.

To sum it up, the Amazons were created by the Greek Gods to lead humanity, but being all women and superior, humanity is not a big fan and starts spreading lies about them. Eventually, some day Heracles leanrs that the queen of Amazons would have said that "he should be on a leash" and his male ego just cannot take it. So he marches to the city, tries to fight the queen but gets beaten down easily. Defeated, he then pretends to have gained respect, only to drug all of the amazons later that night during the peace feast that had been organized. There, the Amazons are killed, taken prisonners, and raped (the comic says so explicitly, we see women naked being dragged by their feet). The Queen manages to escape and break free the women and they chase the men off. Heracles escapes.

My problem with it:

First of all, this is not the first time DC comics have used rape in their female characters's origin story. They did it to Selina Kyle too. Considering I am barely starting reading their comics, I am now bracing myself for that pattern.

It was not freaking necessary and did not add anything of value except shock. If those Amazons had only been betrayed and taken prisoners, literally the only thing that would have changed would have been the illustrations and two lines of narration.

It is presented both as "empowerment" and yet paradoxically as a reason to be punished > the Amazons are deemed "unpure", not only by this, but because they dared wanting to take revenge for a second, and are immediately banned from earth. Selina too is being punished for wanting revenge and is basically painted as the devil all along the comic.

Rape has been too often used by male writers that just end up painting the women as "responsable", even when they seem to have good intentions, they do not know what they are talking about, and even less the consequences on their readers. All of their readers. It doesn't concern only the persons that could be triggered (even though they should be reason enough), it's also about what kind of picture they painted rape into the mind of men: trivial, something you can get over as fast as a sword wound, an obstacle that is "character building", a lesson to be learned of. But if don't know about rape culture, you are probably not still reading this anyway so I'll stop.

I made my point.

[aion-rsa]

The Latest and Greatest Funko Items To Purchase Now

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article is presented by Funko Europe.

FunkoEurope.com is the home for Funko for fans across Europe

Loungefly fans rejoice! Funko Europe is the official European Loungefly shop

Everyone is a fan of something and Funko has something for everyone!

From exclusives, to hidden gems and brand new products, Funko Europe has it all!

With a huge range of products from collectibles, to games, to toys, to advent calendars, to soft toys and even fashion accessories, Funko Europe is the ultimate shopping destination for pop culture fans!

Visit FunkoEurope.com now and add to your collection today!

When it comes to fashion, everyone needs to try out a different look on occasion. In the normal world, that might mean a haircut or shift in style. But in the fantastic world of pop culture, a costume change does wonders in conveying new powers, evolution, or a shift from good to bad (or bad to worse).

And for fans, an alternative outfit likewise gives us yet another reason to collect. After all, why have one version of a beloved character when you acquire multiple?

Thankfully Funko has collectors covered with over 1,000 licenses and around 75 new releases a week. Especially famous for its Pop! Vinyl figures, Funko creates products for nearly every franchise imaginable, and serves up a variety of character iterations and incarnations. And Funko is also fashionable thanks to their Loungefly brand, featuring fan-focused fashion accessories for pop culture fans. 

So whether it’s a hero, heroine, anti-hero, undead superhero, alien, or even rock icon, take a look ahead at these collectibles which are fresh takes on some of our favourite characters.

Loungefly Pennywise Mini Backpack

Funko Europe Exclusive

Pennywise already looks scary, but in his form as a Loungefly mini backpack, he also looks scarily good. While he is not normally known for looking like a bag, the evil Deadlights entity from It Chapter Two shape shifts into this fearsome fashion item designed to always be looking out for another friend to float with. As the dancing clown dangles slightly from the pack, wearing a distinct mask of malice, he’s additionally quite useful with an interior spacious enough to store all your terrors.

Buy the Loungefly Pennywise mini backpack here 

Funko Pop! Vinyl: DC Comics: Batman #4 (Artist Series With Case) Figure

Funko Europe Exclusive

Batman sports a lot of costumes, and it is well documented that he loves to slap his logo on pretty much everything. So this Artist Series figure makes sense as well as looking pretty cool. The Bat Signal camo effect may not allow the Dark Knight to blend in, but the artistic approach might impress Kyle Rayner.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl Batman #4 Artist Series figure here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: Star Wars: Boba Fett (Futura) With Case Figure

What happens when the galaxy’s most famous bounty hunter meets an iconic New York City graffiti artist? You get this Funko collaboration of Futura and Star Wars. Combining Futura’s abstract approach to urban street art with Boba Fett’s signature colours, the limited edition Pop! Vinyl is striking without sacrificing the bounty hunter’s menacing demeanour. Also, it makes sense Futura painted for The Clash, because Boba is undoubtedly one of the most punk characters of Star Wars.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl Boba Fett/Futura figure with case here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: Tangled: Rapunzel With Lantern Figure

Whether she’s displayed on a shelf or desk, this Rapunzel Pop! Vinyl is where she’s meant to be — if she’s part of a Tangled fan’s collection. Capturing the movie moment where at last Rapunzel sees the light, this figure has the long-locked Disney heroine holding a sky lantern meant to guide her home.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl Rapunzel figure here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: Marvel Comics: French Maid Deadpool Figure

Funko Europe Exclusive

The merc with the mouth turns 30 this year! Deadpool is already known for his skills as a cleaner, but he also has a fondness for cleaning up as a French maid. First appearing in the Deadpool #20 comic, Wade Wilson dons the getup while teaming with Spider-Man. The costume has since become a hit amongst cosplayers, and even appeared in the High Moon Studios Deadpool video game. Now in Pop! Vinyl form, French Maid Deadpool brings the “Oo La La” to any collection.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl French Maid Deadpool figure here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: My Hero Academia: All For One Figure

He is the ultimate baddie and “Symbol of Evil” from My Hero Academia, but All For One is also a collector (of Quirks, as opposed to Pop! Vinyls). So that makes this mysterious masked Master almost relatable — if he weren’t so maniacal. Show him off as he shows off his incredible powers.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl All For One figure here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: It: Pennywise With Spider Legs (Glow In The Dark)

Pennywise feeds off of tasty, tasty beautiful fear, and his spider-clown form will create enough of it to feast on. The shape-shifting entity appears in phantasmagoric fashion in this Pop! Vinyl as It did in It: Chapter Two. As if the long spidery limbs and horrific maw of teeth aren’t enough to haunt your dreams, this figure also glows in the dark to add extra terror to a collection.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl Pennywise with Spider Legs figure here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: Marvel Zombies: Zombie Daredevil

He was once the superhero known as a Man Without Fear, but Zombie Daredevil is an undead man who instills fear. With green goo oozing from his mouth, and exposed decayed flesh, Zombie DD is infectiously cool as he leaps in for a bite. Because Matt Murdock is from NYC, this Pop! Vinyl is a 2020 New York Comic Con exclusive and features an NYCC sticker on the box.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl Zombie Daredevil figure here

Funko Pop! Vinyl: Masters Of The Universe: Grizzlor (Flocked) Figure

Beast Man who? When it comes to pure brute strength, the ultimate man-beast of Eternia (and Etheria) is Grizzlor, a member of the Evil Horde and local urban legend. Though Grizzlor is typically known for his out-of-control mane, this flocked Pop! Vinyl shows he can be wild and wavy — and looks ready to sink his teeth into either She-Ra or He-Man.

Buy the Funko Pop! Vinyl flocked Grizzlor figure here

Funko Vinyl Soda: Queen: Freddie Mercury Figure

In 1986, Freddie Mercury took the stage with Queen at Wembley Stadium wearing a yellow jacket and triumphantly punched the air with a clenched fist. More than three decades later, it remains an iconic moment in rock ’n’ roll, which occurred during Mercury’s final tour with his band. The historic pose is now captured colourfully in this Vinyl Soda figure, of which only 20,000 were made, and is presented inside a stylized soda can with a collectible disc. What might make a collector especially go (radio) ga ga is the fact that there’s a 1-in-6 chase variant featuring Freddie in a glittering grey jacket.

Buy the Funko Vinyl Soda Freddie Mercury figure here

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The post The Latest and Greatest Funko Items To Purchase Now appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3cg5otW

[bestreasonstowriterecordreviews]

✰ BEST OF THE BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2019 ✰        

It’s that time again: let’s feast from 2019′s Grapevine That Is Never Pruned with 21 (+ approximately 277 more) of the BEST OF THE BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2019!    ✰ 7th ANNIVERSARY ✰ 

<All long playing vinyl records unless otherwise noted...& many cassettes>

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ TOP 21 ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

✰ TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT  Sub-Language Trustees  (ever/never) ✰

✰ SAMANTHA RIOTT  Bloodletting download (self-released)

✰ PAULA GARCIA STONE  Undercurrent  cd (Linear Obsessional, UK) 

✰ POSSIBLE HUMANS  Everybody Split (Trouble In Mind)

✰ WILLIAM HENRY MEUNG cassette FMerror (chemical imbalance., Australia)

✰ LEILA BORDREUIL  Headflush  (Catch Wave Ltd)

✰ LEIGHTON CRAIG Diamond Eye (Bruit Direct Disques, France) 

✰ KNITTED ABYSS   Bad Lassies (Paradise Daily, Australia)

✰ WEAK SIGNAL  LP1  (Mag Mag)

✰ TOM OF ENGLAND  Sex Monk Blues (L.I.E.S.)

✰ DRY CLEANING  Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks & Sweet Princess LP (It’s OK, UK)

✰ 75 DOLLAR BILL  I Was Real  double LP (Thin Wrist Recordings) 

✰ DARK BLUE Victory Is Rated (12XU)

✰ KALI MALONE  The Sacrificial Code 3 cd (iDEAL Recordings, Sweden)

✰ SHABAZZ MYSTIK Chant D’Lâme (Off, Belgium)

✰ LONG HOTS Give And Take 7” (Third Man)

✰ AMIRTHA KIDAMBI & LEA BERTUCCI  Phase Eclipse cassette (Astral Spirits)

✰ CHRIS BROKAW  End Of The Night (VDSQ)

✰ SPIRAL WAVE NOMADS Spiral Wave Nomads (Twin Lakes/Feeding Tube)

✰ HAMA Houmeissa (Sahel Sounds)

✰ YL HOOI  Untitled  cassette (Altered States Tapes, Australia)

JEANINES Jeanines (Slumberland)

ARTEFACTOS DE DOLOR  La Niña double LP (Pain Artifacts)

U-BAHN  U-Bahn  (Future Folklore, France)

MDOU MOCTAR Ilana: The Creator (Sahel Sounds)

STEFAN CHRISTENSEN The Upcoming Flame (bruit direct disques, France) 

TYSHAWN SOREY & MARILYN CRISPELL  The Adornment Of Time cd (Pi Recordings)

ALE HOP Apophenia (Buh Records, Peru)

TIM PANARETOS  Submergence cd-r (chemical imbalance., Australia) & Opposites End download (self-released, Australia)

KATE CARR City Of Bridges download (Longform Editions, Australia)

WRITHING SQUARES  Out Of The Ether (Trouble In Mind)

MY NORTH EYE  (My) North Eye (2011) cd-r  (Reverb Worship, France)

PINOCCHIO  Pinocchio ep (Toxic State)

BRIDGET HAYDEN Soil And Song cassette (Synchronise Witches, UK) [comes with Karen Dalton fanzine!]

The COWBOYS The Bottom Of A Rotten Flower  (Feel It Records)

OLUMPUS  Caucus & Surplus downloads (both stabbies, etc., New Zealand)

CHUCK CLEAVER  Send Aid (Shake It!)

JOSÉ DIAS  After Silence, Vol. 1. cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

KNIFE WIFE  Family Party cassette (Sister Polygon)

TRAMPOLINE TEAM  Trampoline Team (HoZac)

KATE CARR  Heatwave cassette (self-released, UK)

SEBASTIEN STH BISET  Islæd cd (Mnóad, Belgium)

PHAROAH CHROMIUM  Eros + Massacre  (Scum Yr Earth, France)

JOSEPH ALLRED Aspirant cassette (Garden Portal Tapes) & O, Meadowlark (Feeding Tube)

ANDREA BORGHI Tistre cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

MOPE GROOVES Desire (See My Friends Records)

JOSHUA ABRAMS & NATURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY  Mandatory Reality (Eremite)

SOFIE BIRCH  Island Alchemy cassette (Constellation Tatsu) 

VOYAGE DATA  Voyage Data cassette  (Econore, Germany)

JONNY COUCH  Mystery Man  (Damages Sofa)

FISCHERLE  Gmatwacz cassette (Czaszka, UK)

ROCKET 808  Rocket 808 (12XU)

LINDA TRIP  Sad Bangers cassette (Superdreamer) 

MATTHEW J. ROLIN  Matthew J. Rolin (Feeding Tube Records)

STEKKERDOOS  Kalendar cassette (No Rent)

IAN HAWGOOD  光 (Home Normal, Japan)

ÀLEX REVIRIEGO • DISCORDIAN STRING ENSEMBLE  Incerto For Doublebass And Strings download (Discordian, Spain)

JULIA KENT Temporal cd (The Leaf Label, UK)

NAPS  Better To Give cassette (Gertrude Tapes)

TERROR OF THE DEEP  The A-Team cassette (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand)

CLAIRE ROUSAY Friends cassette (Never Anything)

ANNA SUBIRIANA • POL PADRÓS • JOAN ANTONI PICH Brull’s Bet download (Discordian, Spain)

HAKOBUNE  A Fan, Strings, and Two Guitars cassette (Patient Sounds)

LORI GOLDSTON Things Opening (Second Editions, Germany)

The RESONARS  No Exit (Trouble In Mind)

MARCIA BASSETT • MANUEL MOTA • MARGARIDA GARCIA  Here They Rest Immobile (Yew)

URANIUM CLUB The Cosmo Cleaners: The Higher Calling Of Business Provocateurs (Fashionable Idiots/Static Shock, UK)

THE COOL GREENHOUSE  “Crap Cardboard Pet” 7” (Hidden Bay Records, France)

ROB NOYES “You Are Tired”/“Nightmare Study”  7” (Market Square Recordings, UK)

TOM LÖNNQVIST  Häviävän Pieni Osa (Guggenhavn Archive, Sweden)

GOTOBEDS  Debt Begins At 30 (Sub Pop)

GREG KELLEY/ROB NOYES  Greg Kelley/Rob Noyes split cassette (self-released)

DEAD SEA APES  The Free Territory  double LP (Feeding Tube Records) 

DRAGGS  Draggs cassette (Slime Street, Australia) 

SPRAY PAINT Into The Country (12XU)

SPF Paul’s McCartney 

2 CHEVRONS No Rules In Outta Space cassette (Albert’s Basement, Australia)

DARK TEA Dark Tea (Fire Talk)

TERRINE  Live At Home cassette (Econore, Germany)

The SNAKES  The Snakes (Anti Fade, Australia)

LIVE SKULL  Saturday Night Massacre  (Bronson Recordings, Italy)

ELKHORN  Sun Cycle/Elk Jam 2 LP (Feeding Tube)

MESSRS  Messrs 12” (Heel Turn Records)

VIRGINIA PLAIN  Strange Game (All Hands Electric)

JEN KUTLER  Dismbodied (EyeVee)

MOR AIR  Life Behind Glass cassette (Genot Centre, Czech Republic)

CIA DEBUTANTE  The Landlord (Siltbreeze)

JOSÉ DIAS  After Silence, Volume 1 cd (Celan Feed, Portugal)

LAURA LUNA CASTILLO  Folksonomies cassette (Cudighi Records)

THE GIRL IN TIMES NEW VIKING  The Girl In Times New Viking (The Fah-Q Catalog)

43 ODES  43 Odes cassette (Eiderdown)

OOF Vanity Plate cassette & EGO cassette  (both Fuzzy Warbles cassettes)

ORGUE AGNÈS A Une Gorge (three:four, Switzerland; Standard In-Fi - 2018)

MICHAEL MORLEY Heavens Idleness Awaits 2 LP (Thin Wrist Recordings)

CHRISTINA KUBISCH  Schall Und Klang cd (Fragment Factory, Germany)

HUNTED CREATURES Sleep Weed cassette (White Reeves Productions)

UNITED WATERS  Coma To Coma (Drawing Room Records)

JULIUS MENARD  Hr  cassette (Econore, Germany)

GEE TEE Chromo-Zone download (self/released, Australia)

AARON RUSSELL  Coral Music cassette (Gertrude Tapes)

9TH HOUSE  Planetary EP 12” (Hot Haus, UK) 

SCAN  Scan 7” ep (Drugfront)

The HECKS  My Star  (Trouble In Mind)

ALINA PETROVA & KIRA WEINSTEIN  Sad Ko cassette (Never Anything)

HIEROPHANTS  Spitting Out Moonlight (Anti Fade, Australia) 

NOTS  3  (Goner)

P WITS The Desire and Pursuit of The Whole cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia)

GOLDEN PELICANS Grinding For Gruel (12XU)

TOPDOWN DIALECTIC  Vol. 2 (Peak Oil)

M. SAGE  Catch A Blessing (Geographic North)

ECHO OHS  Wild Weeds 12” (1:12 Records, New Zealand)

CIVIC  Selling, Sucking, Blackmail Bribes 7"  (Total Punk)

WENDY EISENBERG & SHANE PARRISH  Nervous Systems (Verses) 

KNEELING IN PISS  Tour De Force cassette (The Fah-Q Catalog)

s.soo Tyman download (New York Haunted, Netherlands)    

WSCHÓD  Wschód cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

PREENING Gang Laughter (Digital Regress) 

CLARICE JENSEN  Drone Studies  cassette (Geographic North)

MARBLED EYE  Beat Sessions, Vol. 8 cassette (Shout Recordings)

STEVE MOORE  Steve Moore 12” (L.I.E.S)

The SELVA  Canícula Rosa cd (Clean Feed, Australia)

PROGRAM Show Me 12” (Anti Fade, Australia)

SLUMB PARTY Spending Money (Drunken Sailor, UK)

EUN-JUNG KIM & CHARLIE COLLINS  Shining Days cd (Linear Obsessional, UK)

NEON  Neon 12” (Square One Again)

CUCINA POVERA Zoom (Night School, Scotland)

PAULA SHOCRON & PABLO DÍAZ with GUILLERMO GREGORIO Díalogos cd (Fundacja Słuchaj, Poland)

MY NORTH EYE / LE GOÛT ACIDE DES CONSERVATOURS  MNE • L / G / A / D / C split cassette ([Equilibre Fragile], France)

The WOOLEN MEN Human To Human (Dog’s Table)

PIERCE WARNECKE & LOUIS LAURAIN  

Phonotypic Plasticity cassette (Astral Spirits)

BIG QUIET Interesting Times (Unblinking Ear)

SEAN ALI • LEILA BORDREUIL • JOANNA MATTREY I Used to Sing So Lyrical cassette (Astral Spirits)

POWDER  Powder In Space cd (Beats In Space)

MUKQS Jaki Crush cassette (No Rent)

DENNIS GONZALEZ & DEREK ROGERS Certain Aspects cd (Marginal Frequency) 

PONT-À-MOUSSON Bye Bye Mirello! cassette (ABrecords, France)

AKI  ONDA  A Method To Its Messiness (Thalamos, Greece)

ALEXANDER  Untitled cassette (Garden Portal)

BRANDY  “Clown Pain”/“Rent Quest” 7” (Total Punk)

MAJOR STARS  Roots Of Confusion, Seeds Of Joy  (Drag City)

LORI GOLDSTON & JUDITH HAMANN Alloys cd (Marginal Frequency) 

PAINT THINNER The Sea Of Pulp (ŌBLĒK)

JEANS BEAST  Unearthly Gardens Of The New Gods cd-r (Econore, Germany) & Attrition cassette (self-releases, Germany)

SKULL PRACTITIONERS  Skull Practitioners 12” (In The Red)

UROCHROMES  Trope House (Wharf Cat)

LIVINGDOG & MIKE JOHNSON CRO$$ cassette (Constellation Tatsu)

HEADROOM  New Heaven 12” (ever/never)

JEFF HENDERSON  The Charming Clarinet download (III Records, NewZealand)

GRAHAM DUNNING & EDWARD LUCAS End Of A Cable cassette (tsss tapes, Italy)

VILDE CHAYE Demos cassette (Brainplan)

Heavy Space Records - Anthology Volumes I & II cassettes (Ikuisuus, Finland)

KYLE EYRE CLYD Eggshell cd (Yew)

NEUTRALS  Kebab Disco (Emotional Response)

FREDDIE DOUGGIE Freddie Douggie: Live on Juneteenth cassette (International Anthem)

AGUSTÍ FERNÁNDEZ • WILLIAM PARKER • SUSIE IBARRA  One Night At The Joan Miró Foundation cd (Fundacja Słuchaj, Poland)

HUGO MASSIEN  Dance Trax Vol. 21 (Unknown To The Unknown) 

RRILL BELL Vagabond Laws cassette (Gertrude Tapes)

GAMARDAH FUNGUS  Natural Storm cd (Hidden Vibes, Ukraine)

WAYNE ROGERS  The Air Below (Twisted Village)

UNKNOWN SENDER Unknown Sender  (Colonel Records) 

BLUES LAWYER  Something Different (Mt.St.Mtn) 

DURA  Reverberation Hymns cassette (Garden Portal)

JODIE LOWTHER  The Cat Collects download (self-released)

WOLKOROTS Dan Manialogism cassette (Magma Tones, Finland)  

CEREAL KILLER  The Beginning And End Of Cereal Killer (Anti Fade, Australia)

COLIN WEBSTER/MARK HOLUB Nadir (Raw Tonk, UK)

The CAVEMEN  Lowlife 7” EP (Slovenly) 

FRANCISCA GRIFFIN  The Spaces Between cd (CocoMuse, New Zealand)

ANDY HUMAN & THE REPTOIDS  “Psychic Sidekick” 7” (Total Punk)

SEI A Mode Static 12” (Aus Music, U.K.)

JOHN SAINT PELVYN  Improvisation 7.7.18 download (Southern Jukebox Music) 

REBEL SCUM The Descent cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia - 2018) 

S. ARAW TRIO XIII Activated Clown cassette (NNA Tapes)

FERRAN FAGES & VASCO TRILLA  Gestell cd (Raw Tonk, UK)

HUA LUN  Wanderlænd + 2 cassette (Katuktu Collective)

VIRVON VARVON  Mind Cancer cassette (Girlsville)

PHILIPP OTTERBACH  The Rest Is Bliss (Knekelhuis, Netherlands)

EDITRIX Talk To Me download (self-released)

PAVLOV’S PUSS  Comfort Food  (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand) 

NATHALIE STERN  Nerves And Skin cassette (Cruel Nature, UK)

AKI TAKASE  Hokusai  cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

MOORDDROOM  Deep VR Edits bandcamp DL (New York Haunted, Netherlands)

EXEK Some Beautiful Species Left (Digital Regress)

CLAIRE BIRCHALL  “Dead Air” bandcamp DL (it, Australia)

JUDY & The JERKS  Bone Spur cassette (Earth Girl) & Music For Donuts ep  (Thrilling Living) 

POWER STEERING  Power Steering cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia)  

RASMUS TIETCHENS  HOBOTPAHC cd-r (New York Haunted, Netherlands) 

UTINUTIN  Black Cat, Anyeurism, And Simian Politics download (no label)

GUY BIRKIN  Yemen Data Project cassette (New York Haunted, Netherlands)

LINUS VANDEWOLKEN  Het Vlier Een Hommel Op Aarde 10”x 2 (Okraïna, Belgium)

JOHN CHANTLER  Tomorrow Is Too Late  (Room40, Australia)

JENNIFER VANILLA  J.E.N.N.I.F.E.R. EP 12” (Beats In Space)

WOW  Come La Notte  (Maple Death, Italy)

KATE MOHANTY  Disappear Here  cassette (Friendship Tapes) 

ASTRO SOCIAL CLUB & GRUMBLING FUR  Plasma Splice Trifle (vhf)

SANR  Kesif cd (Flaming Pines, UK)

ANDREW TASSELMYER & PATRICK SPATZ  Interior Currents cassette (Constellation Tatsu)

AHMEDOU AHMED LOWLA Terrouzi cassette (Sahel Sounds)

SKRU  Count Zero cassette (Bedouin, UAE)

PUGILIST Blue 06 12” (Whities, UK)

ULAAN  KHOL  Collapsing Hymns cassette (Worstward) 

L.$.D. FUNDRAISER  No Peace Without Tranquility (no label, New Zealand)  

COCHONNE  Cochonne (self released)

LE POUFS À CORDES Le Poufs À Cordes cd (Pagans, France)

FRET!  A Vanity Spawned By Fear cassette (Cruel Nature, UK) 

UNWAR  Other People cd-r (Magma Tones, Finland)

WOJCIECH RUSIN  The Funnel (Akashic, Scotland)

SLEEPER AND SNAKE Junction And High (Aarght, Australia)

The OILIES Psychic Dog (Fruits & Flowers)

ELI KESZLER Empire 12” (Shelter Press, France)

HAIDER 10961 12” (Aus Music, UK)

FOSTER CARE El Abuso (Total Punk)

TORN HAWK Time Is A Scam 2x 12” (L.I.E.S.)

The LICE Nancy Spungen download (self-released)

DJ XNX  ATX  (Get Busy!, Russia)

SHITTY LIFE Vinyls Discography (Lo-Fo Lo-Life, Germany)

GONG GONG GONG  幽靈節奏 = Phantom Rhythm (Wharf Cat)

SARAH LOUISE  Nighttime Birds And. Opening Stars (Thrill Jockey)

MYRIAM BLEAU Lumens & Profits (Where To Now?, UK)

TV DUST  Forget (MyOwnPrivateRecords / Occult Gang, Italy)

PRIMORJE Reference Path  cassette (Thalamos, Greece)

JUNE CHIKUMA Ler Archives LP + 7” (Freedom To Spend)

dMyanche  Ergonomie cassette (Indian Redhead, France)

EQUIPMENT POINTED ANKH Live (Sophomore Lounge)

VIV CORRINGHAM  Until I Learn The Language Of Mineral Vegetable  cassette (Linear Obsessional, UK)

JACOB WICK feel (Thin Wrist)

AMATEUR HOUR Framtiden Tillhör Inte Oss (Happiest Place, Sweden)

The FICTIVE FIVE  Anything Is Possible cd (Clean Feed, Portugal) 

DANKETSU 9  Towards A Walk In The Sun cd (Patient Sounds (intl))

IVAN THE TOLERABLE  Rations 2LP (Stolen Body, UK)

DANA  Glowing Auras And Black Money (Heel Turn)

NATE YOUNG  Volume 3: Dance Of The Weeping Babe 12” (Lower Floor)

SHOLTO DOBIE & MARK HARWOOD  The Blue Horse  cd (Penultimate Press, UK)

HEAVY METAL 4  (Statik Age Music, Germany)

WET TUNA  Water Weird (Three Lobed Recordings)

CARRAGEENAN Invisible Design cassette (Czaszka, UK)

PRIVATE ANARCHY  Central Planning  (Round Bale Recordings)  

HIDEO NAKASAKO  Texture Of Days cassette (Muzan Editions, Japan)

PRANA CRAFTER  Bodhi Cheetah’s Choice (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

PATRICK SHIROISHI & NOEL MEEK  Break Your Eyes cassette (Sploosh)

ANDY HUMAN & The REPTOIDS  Psychic Sidekick (Total Punk)

SLAG QUEENS  You Can’t Go Out Like That (Rough Skies Records, Australia)

ALIAS G Natural Love 12” (Unknown To The Unknown, UK)

NIVHEK  After Its Own Death / Walking In A Spiral Towards The House cd (W.25th)

GARCIA PEOPLES Natural Facts (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

MARCO SERRATO/FRANCESCO COVARINO Bestemmia cd (Raw Tonk, UK)

HOUSEWIVES Twilight Splendour  (Blank Editions, UK)

CLOUDWATCHERS  Cloudwatchers cd (Unexplained Sounds Group, Italy)

CATHERINE LAMB Shade/Gradient  (Black Pollen Press -2018) 

UNITED BIBLE STUDIES  Porti Sepolti cassette (Sloow Tapes, Belgium)

ÚJ BÁLA Diacritical Marks And Angels cassette (Baba Vanga, Czech Republic)

STRENGTH N.I.A.  Do Televisions, Frankie Moore ritual cassette (Stength N.I.A., UK)

DAVID LIPTAK David Lipton: Dove Songs [Tony Arnold, soprano/Allison D’Amato, piano] cd

ANNĒE ZĒRO  La Coolitude (Indian Redhead, France)

MELENAS “Ya Me No Importa Si Tú Quieres”/“Si Tú Me Quieres” 7” (El Nebula Recordings, Spain)

WHIRLING HALL OF KNIVES  Knukke cassette (Cruel Nature, UK)

PROTRUDERS  Poison Future (Feel It)

MOTHER JUNO  Commit cassette (popnihil)

LEFT HAND CUTS OFF THE RIGHT Purge cassette (Fractal Meat Cuts, UK)

CLAIRE ROUSAY  t4t  cassette (No Rent)

IQ+1  Conversaphone Plus (mappa, Slovenia)

BENOÎT PIOULARD & SEAN CURTIS PATRICK Avocationals (Bacon Sound) 

DELPHINE DORA  Dunkles Zu Sagen (self-released)

SOOT  Pockmarked With...Soot!  cassette (Eternal Soundcheck, Australia) 

DAN MELCHIOR BAND Negative Freedom (In The Red)

TÔLE FROIDE  Tôle Froide (Le Turc Mecanique, France - 2018)

AHMED AG KAEDY  Alkaline Kidal  (Sahel Sounds)

DUNNING & UNDERWOOD The Blow Vol. 5 cassette (Front & Follow, UK)

TAKAHIRO MUKAI Super Annoying cassette (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

ANTONIO  High Voltage! cassette (Altered States Tapes, Australia) 

CUBE Decoy (W.25th)

The PLAINS  The Plains cassette (chemical imbalance., Australia)

KA BAIRD  Respires (Rvng Intl.) 

GINO & The GOONS  Do The Get Around (Drunken Sailor, UK)

VIVIEN LE FAY  Ecolalia  (Boring Machines, Italy)

DUKE  Uingizaji Hewa  (Nyege Nyege Tapes, Uganda)

ARIAN SHAFIEE  Arabic Voice cassette (unifactor)

MOUNT TROUT  Shelter Belt  cassette (Rough Skies, Australia)

OCEAN FLOOR  Vernalis cassette (Eiderdown)

CURRENT AFFAIRS “Buckle Up”/“World In Crisis” 7” (dotx3, Germany)

AARON SNOW  Instrumentals  ‘15-‘19  cassette (Surf Shop)

MELKINGS  Movement Music cassette (Regional Bears, UK)

DECIMUS  DECIMUS 6 (self-released)

SYLVIE COURVOISIER and MARK FELDMAN  Time Gone Out cd (Intakt, Switzerland) 

DANIEL HOLT Daniel Holt 12” (L.I.E.S.)

BEAT DETECTIVES  NYPD Records Volume 3: Nefertiti Abstract Movie cassette (NYPD Records)

STEFAN CHRISTENSEN & FRIENDS Unknown Fortune (C/Site)

DIRE WOLVES  Grow Towards The Light (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond)

FAMOUS LOGS IN HISTORY  Memories Of the Space Age cassette (Fuzzy Warbles Cassettes)

HAND & LEG Lust In Peace (Black Gladiator)

DEE DEE & The FUZZ COFFINS Three Golden Hits cassette (Earth Girl Tapes)

RAZORLEGS  Skip Skool cassette (Fadensonnen)

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2018

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2016

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2015

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIWS IN 2014

BEST REASON TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2013

Neil Morris, speaking to Alan Lomax in 1959:

“Well, when I was just a small boy, Old Uncle Milt Oldfield…Billy Oldfield, the Congressman from Arkansas for so long, it is his father. He and my father are awfully close friends. And they were discussing music. They were music teachers both of them.

“And uh, and they said, dad did and Uncle Milt sanctioned what he said, that MUSIC HAD NO END. That you could learn all the other guy [or girl] learned, and after you got that done they would then, something else would crop up. That uh, that you, that was the reason why that uh, music advanced. That’s why that you would get a better music in one generation maybe that is, uh, IT WOULD FIT THE TIMES IN WHICH THEY LIVED.”

[Lomax: “What about music on the grapevine?”]

“Welllll, they said that MUSIC GREW LIKE THE GRAPEVINE THAT IS NEVER PRUNED. That each year it’d…it’d put on a little bit more. That was what they said, now, about it. Any further questions?”’

[vgckwb]

Things: A Welcome to Night Vale Fan Fiction

Cecil: Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some don’t like it at all. We call those people “haters.” Welcome to Night Vale

Cecil: Well Night Vale, it looks to be a slow news day today. Not much is happening today, and all I have to report on in terms of upcoming events is the Community Calendar. So, let’s just get to that, shall we? On Monday, we will all sleep. No one will be awake on Monday. If you are awake on Monday, the Sheriff’s Secret Police will arrest you in their sleep. On Tuesday, we’ll feel all groggy after having just woken up. We wouldn’t want to do anything except snuggle with the people we love, watch an old TV show on Netflix and eat ice cream. On Wednesday, the paint will dry. All of the paint in Night Vale will mysteriously become wet at the stroke of midnight, and it will take all day to dry again. On Thursday, all of the milk will turn into toast, and all of the toast will turn into milk. And on Friday, grass will grow. This is unusual, as this is a desert community, and grass is rare.

Cecil: So, that’s pretty much it. I don’t have anything else to report on. I might as well go to the wea-

*Phone Rings*

Cecil: Oh. I wonder who that could be. (Picks up phones.) Hello?

???: Cecil, whatever you do, do not stop broadcasting.

Cecil: Oh, uh, who is this?

Roy: This is Agent Roy Bendez, of the Radio Safety Inspectors. By my authority, you are not allowed to stop broadcasting until I say that you can.

Cecil: Oh, uh, sure. I won’t. Um, why haven’t I heard of you before?

Roy: We here at the RSI specialize in listening to radio shows and tracking threats, which we then handle.

Cecil: Yeah, not to tell you how to do your job or anything, but I have reported on multiple threats, and I don’t remember seeing any of you.

Roy: Yeah, those threats weren’t in our jurisdiction.

Cecil: OK. Fair enough. So, what in your jurisdiction brings you to Night Vale?

Roy: ...Oh, dang it. Hold on. (Gets a book out.)

Cecil: What are you doing?

Roy: (Pages turning.) I just need to remind myself on what I’m allowed to tell you. It’s been a while since anybody asked.

Cecil: Well, I AM a reporter. I thrive on getting information and telling it to others.

Roy: I get ya. (Page turning stops.) Here it is. OK, so I’m here to stop a “Thing.”

Cecil: ...What’s a “Thing?”

Roy: A “Thing” is a creature of unspecified origin that is known to destroy a city or town after it feasts on a radio host for energy. They find a recording studio, turn invisible, and wait for meteorological reports to strike.

Cecil: That sounds bad.

Roy: Indeed. Which is why I need to find you and stop it. In the meantime, you need to keep broadcasting. Don’t go to the meteorological report until I am IN the station.

Cecil: ...You mean the wea-?

Roy: Yes. That’s what I mean. Don’t do that until I get there.

*click*

Cecil: Well, you heard him Night Vale. By the authority of the RSI, I have to stay on the air. Until this Agent Roy gets here. So that means I need to find something to talk about… Say, has anyone actually heard of this RSI before? I wonder if the station has anything on them. (Away from the mic.) Dante? Can you see if the station has anything about the Radio Safety Inspectors? Yeah, thanks. (In front of mic.) Our new intern Dante is helping me look up the RSI. It’s going to be a bit before he gets back with anything. You know, I like Dante. He’s a go-getter. But he does say that there’s a humming coming from the studio. No one else can hear it though, so we don’t really intend to do anything about it.

Cecil: Let’s see, what else is there to talk about? I guess Carlos and I are going to an Eagles theme party. It’s going to be super fun. I’m going as Glen Frey during his Retro-New Age fusion phase, and Carlos is going as Joe Walsh during his lab coat and boxer-briefs phase. I keep telling him that he only had that phase for three months while touring back in 1997, but he says he saw them live than and that really spoke to him. Of course, I don’t mind Carlos doing this, he looks good in everything, but it just gets under my skin that I have to prepare this elaborate pierce that involves a rainbow-colored spiky-haired wig, several peace amulets, sewing something comfortable onto a jean jacket, and a visor, and Carlos can just pull something out of the closet and drawer and call it there. But again, it’s fine.

*Phone Rings*

Cecil: Oh thank goodness. I was just about to run out of stuff to talk about. (Picks up phone.) Hello?

Roy: First off, you’re doing great. Just keep it going.

Cecil: You’re not here yet?

Roy: Well, no… I got a little lost. I’m having some trouble finding the radio station. Also, anyone I’ve tried asking has just told me, “Be gone interloper” and threw salt in my face. I then present my badge and they apologize, but are still confused.

Cecil: Oh, I can remedy that at least. OK listeners, today if you see a man dressed in… Hey Roy, what ARE your dressed in?

Roy: Oh, you know, slacks, a green trench coat, blue shirt, a black tie with a fire pattern. The usual RSI uniform for public appearances.

Cecil: Well, you’ve heard him. If you see a man dressed like that asking for directions, don’t throw salt at him. And give him directions. Because my life depends on it.

Roy: Oh hey, here comes someone right now. Oh. Uh, hi there. Yes. Yes. I see. Thank you. Well, a nice gentleman just helped me figure out where the station is. I should be there in five to ten minutes. Remember, keep on the air until I get there.

Cecil: Right. I got it.

*Click*

Cecil: Maybe I should save Agent Roy’s number. In case something like this happens again.

*Phone rings*

*Picks up*

Roy: Cecil, if you do that, I am going to have to burn the phone, the studio, and you straight to the ground.

Cecil: Oh, I, uh..

Roy: I’m sorry Cecil. It’s nothing personal. It’s just company policy, you know?

Cecil: Oh. OK.

Roy: It’s just we’re not supposed to have contact with outsiders more than we need to at the RSI. Heck, I’m probably going to get in trouble for talking to you as much as I am. Although, since this is a “Thing” we’re dealing with, some information might leak out anyway. I have informed my boss of this and filed the appropriate paperwork, so maybe this will be fine.

Cecil: Well, let’s hope so.

Roy: Hey, at least be glad that there isn’t “Stuff” in your studio.

Cecil: Oh, is “Stuff” worse?

Roy: No. It’s just you’d have to deal with Kyle, and he’s... not great. Oh, speaking of. Kyle. I know you’re listening. You’re on the clock. I just want to remind you that just because I’m not there, doesn’t mean you can hit on Gloria. She’s married. Her answer will always be “no.” Don’t do it.

Cecil: Who’s Gloria?

Roy: Gloria is my assistant, and she’s taking over for me while I’m out here. By the way, Gloria would hate it if I gave the wrong impression of her. She doesn’t need defending, it’s just Kyle doesn’t listen to women, so it usually gets violent if I’m not there.

Cecil: This Kyle guy sounds like a real jerk.

Roy: I know, right? And when things get violent, our boss just makes us go on a corporate retreat which solves nothing and delays detection efforts for everything we’re tracking. “Things.” “Stuff.” “Whatsits.” “Knickknacks.” “Gizmos.” You name it.

Cecil: It sounds like the real problem is Kyle. He should be fired.

Roy: Everyone at the office thinks so too, but our boss says that no one can detect “Stuff” like he can. We just need to find a replacement, and things will be golden.

Cecil: Well, I hope that you do find a replacement for him soon. Although hopefully not sooner than finding me.

Roy: Right. I should get back to that. See you soon.

Cecil: Bye.

(*Click*)

Cecil: Well, it looks like I’m alone again. Let’s see, what else is there to talk about. Oh. Oh, thank you. Listeners, Dante just came in and gave me the file we have on the RSI. So let’s look through it together. (Turning through pages.) Hmmm. Let’s see. It was founded 88 years ago. Oh. Listeners, there appears to be an official statement from our radio station. Let’s read it. “The Radio Safety Inspectors set out to protect the world from threats that use the energy from radio stations to destroy communities. None of these threats are known to the general public, and the RSI is generally secretive. Despite this, the RSI say that they are invaluable, and without them many towns and cities would be wiped off the map. Because of this, we here at Night Vale radio treat the RSI with the utmost respect.”

Cecil: Well, there you have it listeners. A succinct report oh the RSI. Oh. There are some photographs here. Let’s see. One of them is at the founding of the RSI. One of them is after saving a city from a… it appears to be redacted. Oh look, one of them is from after they saved Night Vale. It’s an agent standing next to my old boss, Leonard Burton. I wonder why Leonard never told me that story. Maybe it’s because they’re so secretive. Or maybe that agent didn’t file the paperwork properly.

Cecil: Let’s see, what else is there to talk about?

(*Phone rings*)

Cecil: (Picks up) Hello?

Steve: Hey Cecil. It’s Steve.

Cecil: Steve? Why are you calling?

Steve: Well, first off, this Roy guy you keep talking to? I went to high school with him.

Cecil: Really?

Steve: Yeah. We didn’t talk much. But I talked to him today. I gave him directions to your studio.

Cecil: Oh, Steve, thank you.

Steve: Anything for my favorite radio host.

Cecil: I didn’t know Roy was a local. I don’t know why people were salting him.

Steve: Well, I don’t think he lives here anymore. I haven’t seen him in almost two decades.

Cecil Huh. Maybe I should ask him about it when he gets here. Provided he filled out the paperwork for that. Is that all you wanted to ask me?

Steve: Huh? Oh. No. I wanted to give you another topic to talk about. Remember when you and Carlos came over for dinner the other night and you asked us our opinions on a scuffle you two were having?

Cecil: YES! Yes, I remember. Thanks for reminding me Steve.

Steve: Any time.

(*click*)

Cecil: So, what Steve was talking about was Carlos and I were at Burger Barn Gladtown Records Express. We were looking through to find Eagles records for the party I mentioned earlier. We then came across two best of albums that got us thinking. Fall Out Boy’s “Believers Never Die” and My Chemical Romance’s “May Death Never Stop You”. I asked Carlos which one he thought was more true, and he said “Believers Never Die.” His reasoning is that it’s possible that a believer in something never dies, it’s just that we don’t know what that belief is. He said that it is something that should be studied, but it would take a long time to study. He also told me that death stops everyone, so the My Chemical Romance one couldn’t be true. I then told him that just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you’ve stopped. I reminded him of Josie, and how her influence is still felt in this town. I also pointed out that Josie believed in things when no one else did, and she still died. ...I miss her.

(*Phone Rings*)

Cecil: (Picks up) Hello?

Michelle: Hi Cecil. I was calling to complain about you not coming to Dark Owl Records, but then I heard the names “Eagles”, “Fall Out Boy”, and “My Chemical Romance” and I realized that I would be offended if you found any of those records at our store. But I was already calling and I didn’t want to seem rude.

Cecil: Oh. OK. That’s fair.

Michelle: (Sighs) Look Cecil, as much I hate talking about Fall Out Boy, I agree with you. Death doesn’t stop people. Sure, they stop breathing and their body stops functioning. But it doesn’t stop people. My grandfather still has control over my family, and he died 12 years ago.

Cecil: Well, thank you for your input Michelle. Although I do want to correct you and say that “May Death Never Stop You” is the My Chemical Romance album.

Michelle: Whatever.

(*Click*)

(*Phone Rings*)

Cecil: (Picks up) Hello?

Roy: Cecil. I’m here. Get ready.

(*Click*)

Cecil: Well, that’s good news. I got so worried for a minute. Oh, I see him. He’s just outside my window. ...And he’s cocking a gun. And now he’s marching into the building.

“Thing”: (Growls softly.)

Cecil: Oh. Listeners, I think the “Thing” has gotten too impatient. And it is made its appearance and it is coming right at me. Slowly. It looks like… I don’t know how to describe it. I don’t know where to begin.

Roy: (Kicks down the door) THE WEATHER, CECIL! GO TO THE WEATHER!

Weather

(It can be what you want it to be, but I would recommend “Countdown” by Phoenix. No particular reason, I just like that song.)

(Sounds of a fight that is just about to end. Three hits end the fight.)

“Thing”?: RAAAAAW!

Cecil: Roy! Roy calm down. It’s over.

Roy: RAAAAAAAAApple monkey umbrella snake tennis ball.

Cecil: What was that?

Roy: Oh, sorry. It’s just when I get out of it, I don’t form coherent sentences, so I just say random things until I revert.

Cecil: No, I mean, why did you turn into a…”Thing?”

Roy: Oh. Right. That. That makes sense as a question. Right, so, I’m half “Thing.” That makes me good at tracking and fighting other “Things.” “Thing” that want to destroy towns.

Cecil: Is that not a trait shared by all “Things?”

Roy: No. Some things, like my mother, just want to live peacefully in their own habitat.

Cecil: Which is…

Roy: I’m not at discretion to tell you that.

Cecil: OK.

Roy: After they found me, I’m also not at discretion to tell you who they are, they decided to raise me. I lived a mostly human life, but I do occasionally fall into some “Thing” tendencies. Eventually, they wanted me to work for the RSI. That would mean giving up everything in life I’ve built for myself. Friends. Lovers. I couldn’t do that. They let me go for a while, saying that I would be back. And they were right.

Cecil: Why were they right? Why did you go back?

Roy: Well, it turns out while half-”Things” are a thing, quarter-”Things” aren’t. In fact, if a half-”Thing” has a child, it just increases the likeliness that that child would come down with a serious condition. I had a child, and they came down with something. Suddenly, the job I got myself wasn’t cutting it. The RSI was the only suitable option for me if I wanted to support my family. So we cut a deal. I’d work for them, and they help my family. I explained all of this to my wife. While we were both sad, we knew I had to do this for our child.

Roy: So now I'm stuck until I die or retire listening to radio stations, listening for “Things.” You know I lived here before I got deployed. There’s no point in hiding that anymore. So, I’ve taken an interest in your show Cecil. Listening to you describe my town fills me with joy. Seeing how it’s changed. It’s great.

Roy: And today I saw my ex-wife. She’s with someone else. And let me tell you, I’ve never seen her happier. Our child is doing well too. It makes me think that maybe it was the right decision, or that it would have happened anyway. Cecil, I wanna weigh in on your debate. I also agree with you that death doesn’t stop people. To my family, I’ve been dead for a long time now, but I still help them. The RSI still gives the money. I protected them today. I still love them, and care for them. And that care I’m giving them is care I've gotten from the people that raised me. Befriended me. And that care comes from the people that cared for them, going all the way back to the beginning of life. Death won’t stop that.

Cecil: Wow.

Roy: Anyway, you mind if I grab Dante?

Cecil: My intern? What for?

Roy: Well, you know that noise that Dante says he hears? That’s “Stuff.” I can see it right there. It’s not dangerous so long as it hasn’t been there for 100 years. Luckily, an RSI officer is always prepared. Let’s see. (Takes out something and records it.) 32 years. So it’s good. We should still deal with it.

Cecil: Uh, OK. Date, do you want to help?

Roy: Just to be clear, if Date helps, he has to come with me. And if he comes with me, he’s not coming back. At least, not without RSI approval.

Cecil: I see. Dante, do you still want to do this? Are you sure? OK. To the parents and friends of Intern Dante, Dante was an exceptional worker. He was diligent, hard working, loyal, respectful, and willing to take on any task. Including this one. Just know that while he might be “dying” to you, he is not stopped by this death. He will still care about you. And that care comes from you. Know that, as Dante leaves our fair town, almost certain to never return.

Roy: Alright Dante, I got this “Stuff,” you get the other “Stuff.” (Picks it up. Starts walking out.) Goodbye Cecil.

Cecil: Goodbye Roy. Goodbye Dante. (Door closes.) Well listeners, I thought today was going to be a boring one, but it turned out to be the opposite. Today is a day that was full of emotions. And you know what, every day is full of those emotions. Just because you feel bored or listless, doesn’t mean you aren’t feeling joy, or sadness. You’re just feeling it on a micro-level. I mean, Tuesday sounds like a pretty fun day to me. Just sitting on the couch. Watch some old TV. That sounds nice.

Cecil: Anyway, I do believe that is our show for today. Stay tuned for the sound of an egg being cooked on a rock in the sun for four hours. And until next time, Good Night Night Vale. Good Night.

Today’s Proverb: You are what you eat. That’s why we should eat the rich.

[hazyheel]

WWE NXT 8/28/19 Review

Cami Fields vs. Io Sharai: I think this was Fields’ first NXT match. I certainly hadn’t heard of her. But I guess she fought Bayley on Raw a while back. Sharai started the match out hot with a dropkick, but Fields used her far superior strength to get some hits in. Sharai still had the advantage throughout most of the match, drilling the far less experienced woman with strikes, double knees in the corner, and a moonsault for what would have been the win, but she pulled Field’s shoulders off the mat. Sharai then locked in the Harajuku clutch for the win. 

Before Sharai left, she went to attack Fields with a kendo stick, but Candice LaRae grabbed it from her and attacked Sharai. LaRae stood tall. 

Grade: C+. Inoffensive squash. Cool to see that this feud isn’t over, because I love LaRae, and I love Sharai. I just naturally want to cheer for LaRae, so I hope she wins this feud. 

Dominic Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee: Finally, a rematch six months in the making. I’ve been looking forward to it since their last match ended in a draw. Lee started things out by taunting Dijakovic, and the two started to get into some striking. The two had several contests of strength, making sure that neither could hit any of their huge power moves. Lee was the first one to bust out the flying, hitting Dijakovic with a slingshot crossbody and then a huge lariat for a near fall. Dijakovic tried to get some offense going on the apron, but Lee just gave him a chokeslam on the apron to counter him. The two then battled on a apron again, with Dijakovic giving Lee a superkick, followed by a suicide dive to gain the advantage. Dijakovic then went for a somersault senton off the top, but Lee caught him and tried for a powerbomb, but Dijakovic landed on his feet. He put Lee on the mat with a release vertical suplex, followed by a moonsault and a near fall. They then both climbed to the top rope, where Lee hit a top rope spanish fly for another huge near fall that sent the crowd wild. Lee then went for the Doomsault, but Dijakovic superkicked his legs out from under him, and nailed Feast Your Eyes for the win.

Grade: B+. Awesome match. They didn’t quite get going fast enough to get in the A range, but it was damn close. These two are awesome talents, and it was really cool to see them pulling out these kinds of moves. I’m bummed that Lee lost, but I knew Dijakovic would win. He is probably in line for the North American Championship, so he needed the win. Hopefully Lee gets a push soon though, because he is not being used to his fullest potential. Anyway, really good match between these two, a great way to kick off the show. 

Johnny Gargano Career Retrospective: Not very detailed, but cool to see all of Johnny’s experiences layed out like this. They also showed some unaired footage from Takeover Toronto II, where Candice came out for him, and Regal raised his hand. After it ended, the commentators were talking about what was next for Gargano, when Shane Thorne came out and demanded that they talk about him and his win streak. They cut to commercial instead, but I’m a total fan of Thorne’s attitude right now. I wonder who will put him in his place. 

Mia Yim and William Regal backstage: Yim wanted another shot at Baszler, but Regal told her that she already had her shot, and she kinda deserved the beatdown last week since she attacked Shayna’s girls first. I shit you not, Regal is a phenomenal GM. That line was great. I’ve always appreciated him, and I’m only growing more fond as things progress. 

Shayna Baszler Promo: Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke came out with her. Baszler was about to start talking when goddamned Rhea Ripley showed up. I certainly didn’t expect this. The crowd was super hot for her, and chanted for her. Baszler was going to say something to Ripley, when Ripley tore the mic out of her hand, saying that she knew what Baszler was would say. She would say that she has beaten everyone, but Ripley said, “But you haven’t beaten me bitch.”

Grade: B. Jeez, this was really really good. For a short promo and not much in terms of action, this was awesome. Ripley has great charisma, to the point that she can set a crowd wild before she said a word. She is intimidating, and definitely a fresh opponent for Baszler. I am into this feud, although Ripley isn’t winning. 

Pete Dunne interview package: Dunne talked about how he can go anywhere he wants, whenever he wants. He isn’t finished with NXT UK, but he wants to be in NXT proper for now. He doesn’t mind stepping to the back of the line, but he will take down everyone in his way. 

Street Profits vs. The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championships: Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly represented the Undisputed Era for this match, but they didn’t have anyone in their corner. Montez Ford and Fish started the match out, both looking for an opening and a low takedown to start things out. They grappled a bit, but Fish came out on top of those exchanges. Soon Angelo Dawkins and O’Reilly got into the match, where Dawkins showcased his power and his amateur wrestling. He is certainly an underrated guy. The early parts of this match mostly showcased the teamwork of both teams here, as the Undisputed Era worked on Ford’s knee and ankle. Ford got an awesome hot tag, where he was in enemy territory, but he jumped over a low kick and rolled into his corner. Dawkins eventually got the hot tag, and destroyed the heels with lariats and slams. As Dawkins was wreaking havoc, the Undisputed Era got a blind tag, where they started to work on Dawkins’ leg as well. There was one really nice move where Fish caught a kick from Ford, O’Reilly kicked Ford high on his other leg, followed by a dragonscrew leg whip from Fish. Dawkins was left all alone, giving Fish a pop up spinebuster. He then ate an axe kick from O’Reilly, but drilled him with a right before the follow up forearm. Ford then got the tag, where Ford gave him a uranagi, followed by a splash from Dawkins, only for Fish to pull O’Reilly out of the ring. Ford then gave the two of them a tope con hilo, and threw O’Reilly back in the ring. Dawkins tried to spear Fish, but ate a knee to the face for it, right as O’Reilly dodged a frog splash from Ford. Undisputed Era then gave the Street Profits High and Low for the win, becoming Tag Team Champions once again. 

After the match, Undisputed Era all posed on the ramp. 

Grade: B+. Jeez, this was a stacked episode. It started off slow, but it slowly progressed into a great match, with bodies flying all over the place and wrecking each other. Dawkins and Ford put on a great showing, my personal favorite of their 2 v 2 matches, and I think they are finally ready to head to the main roster. Although, Undisputed Era have been ready for a long time too, and I don’t know when they will be moving. But the match was fast paced and had a lot of action in it, building to a well put together finale that finally revived a dead crowd. Match of the night. 

Overall Grade: B

Pros: Dijakovic vs. Lee; Main event

Cons: crowd was dead for a lot of that main event. 

[theofficefantasyfootball]

WRAP UP - Week 11

GOBBLE GOBBLE

Listen. I don't know...some of you might be big fans of Matthew West. I personally am not a listener. He is not in my favorites folder on spotify. Last year, Mr West released a song about Thanksgiving called Gobble Gobble and it is possibly the worst thing I have ever heard or experienced. It's right up there with Christmas Shoes from Newsong. And since this week was such an awful week for me in fantasy with Mahomes failing miserably...I wanted to have you all experience something awful as well.

LANAKILA vs TuPADRE

I gotta tell you...when I saw Gully getting TD after TD with Jonathan Taylor on Sunday....5 TD's to be exact - I thought well, there it is...already a win in this match up. After all, we are talking about 55 points...from 1 single player. I decided to check on what Lanakila had left and noticed he already had a big game from Aaron Rodgers - 41 points, but he was trailing by quite a few points. Then came the Chargers game and Austin Ekeler who also decided to go off and put up 4 TDs / 35 points and suddenly Cliff had the game in hand and was on his way to high point with 137. ($20) What a wild match...both of these guys will be tough to beat in the post season unless something happens in the next 3 weeks. Nice Win Cliff!

BOOMER SOONER vs LONG LEFT BALLERS

And just like that...Bebo moves to 8-3 which gives him the best record in the Odd Division - taking over Gully's spot. Also, can we talk a little bit about Stu? I know that he lost King Henry. I know that he lost Kyler Murray...but wow - what a fall. He reminds me a bit of myself...but I am just not quite that bad - ya know!? Patriots Defense and Ertz is what made the difference for Bebo. Stu's top scorer was his kicker so with three more weeks left in the regular season - Stu has a lot of work to do and Bebo will be fighting to keep the top spot and secure a bye week in week 1 of the playoffs. Good luck guys.

MAHOMES ALONE vs TRADE WITH ME

I'll admit it...I'm a bit in panic mode with my fantasy team. Last week I had a lucky comeback against Howard - when Mahomes put up 5 TD's. This week Mahomes had no TDs which means Tyreek had no TD's as well - and unless my Defense and Mike Evans put up about 65 points combined...I will lose this week to Brett Rutledge. Brett had an average week...nothing major...nothing like 55 from one player but his QB did put up 20...not 7. His Running back put up 20 not 6 and his kicker put up 9 not 1. Basically I lost - Brett didn't win...but his record will show a win...which I am sure he is happy about. Nice Win Brett...you just might catch Gully!

TREE HUGGERS vs HOWARD

Rob, come on man. Scott is on a 4 game losing streak because of you. He needed a win. Scott has only won 2 games this entire season and needs a bit of hope and light and what do you do...you take that away from him. You come in and put up a solid 83 points and grab the win. Scott, so sorry buddy. I feel for you. You had a chance with Godwin on MNF but 29 was a bit number so don't feel bad that you were not able to get it done. Rob continues to look for a way into the playoffs. I know Rob and if he makes the playoffs, he will turn it all on and try to grab his 4th ring. It's going to be exciting to see how this all plays out! Nice win Rob.

BACKDOOR BANDITS vs MR AWESOME

Well, here we go again. The bandit is trying to grab a win on Monday Night Football. He's down 11.04 points with NYG Wide Receiver Kadarius Toney left to play. Mr Awesome is done with 114 points and a solid week from everyone but his kicker - Younghoe Koo - who never had a chance to kick an extra point in the Falcon's shut out. So, what are the chances Kyle pulls this out? Highly unlikely. Only 1 time this season Toney has put up over 11 points...that was week 5 against Dallas where he put up 24..so it seems it's feast or famine for this guy. I will edit this post if something crazy happens but it looks to me like Mr Awesome has it in hand! Nice win Gabe!

FUNK GUY vs MOOSES ON THE LOOSES

Dana up 30. Moose with Brady and Succop left to play. Can I just say that I would not want to be Dana tonight. Watching the points narrow and narrow with every throw and catch. Dana had a great week with 121 points and probably deserves to win but I just have a feeling...maybe it's because it's Brady...maybe because it's Mitch...we will see!

An update on this game - my prediction was correct...Brady and Succop pulled it off which means The Moose grabs the win. For those keeping count that's 3 wins in a row for Mitch and the end of a 3 win streak for Dana. Good battle guys...good luck in week 12.

[chris-sales-belly-ring]

if only albert or schwarbs could play every day, who would you choose?

WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ME START MY SATURDAY MORNING LIKE THIS?!?!

The logical baseball fan in me says Albert because he brings more value to the team every day. His defense is absolutely A+++ fantastic! He makes catches that are ridiculous and he’s just on his own island out there in CF. It’s where base hits and advancing the runner go to die. And he’s obviously hitting very well, too! 

The emotional side of me says Kyle because he’s my favorite. He’s still kind of feast or famine at the plate though. You never know if he’s going to strike out (sometimes on very close pitches), get a walk, or hit a huge home run when he comes to the plate. He’ll also lay down a perfect bunt from time to time! He totally started that rally against the Phillies the other night!! 

And his defense still needs some work. I don’t consider him a bad LF by any means although he does sometimes make bad plays. He takes weird routes to the ball sometimes and it can definitely be an adventure watching him out there! But as everyone is starting to see and notice this year (except for opposing teams, apparently) is that he has a very strong and accurate arm! I don’t even know how many people that he has gunned down this year!!

They’re both unique and they bring different things to the table. But I think that it’s harder to replace and replicate what Albert does on a daily basis. Luckily for me, I get to enjoy them playing together a lot! So I don’t have to think too hard about this being a reality, LOL! 

And also, the Cubs are legit so stacked that everyone in their line-up pretty much does a great job. They keep on rolling regardless of who’s out there. So, everyone kind of has a part to play.

[easyfoodnetwork]

The Best Cookbooks of Fall 2020

New cookbooks from Ina Garten, Vivian Howard, Yotam Ottolenghi, and more will restore some much-needed joy to cooking

For many of us, cooking has taken on a different role in our lives over the past six months. As restaurants closed, cooking — and cooking well — became essential even for those who previously spent little time in the kitchen. It also became a chore. At this point, six months into the pandemic, I’m impressed by anyone who still considers cooking a creative, joyful pastime, not just a means to food.

But here to change that is a stellar lineup of fall cookbooks, bringing with them new inspiration and new comforts, and, at last, a reason to enter the kitchen with excitement. There are anticipated titles from beloved culinary figures, whose time-saving guidance and easy meal upgrades feel especially welcome now. There are books from some of the restaurants we miss the most, offering recreations of their dishes and insights that make us nostalgic for the time before shutdowns. There are primers on international cuisines; books for the adept home cook that take a studied, even scientific approach to flavor; and books that reflect the trends of the moment, including baking books for the person who has spent hours perfecting their bread game as well as the one who feels the occasional urge to bake a cake to be eaten immediately.

I’m confident that even the most reluctant cook is sure to find at least one new cookbook among these 17 to dip a fork into. And for those for whom cooking never lost its luster, it’s a feast. — Monica Burton

One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns

Edd Kimber Kyle Books, out now

The philosophy of Edd Kimber’s One Tin Bakes is pleasingly minimalist: Invest in one good 9-by-13-inch aluminum pan — or “tin,” in British parlance — and bake everything in it. Kimber has published three other books since winning the inaugural season of The Great British Bake Off in 2010, but this is the first that’s themed around a specific piece of equipment, and by focusing on the versatility of a single pan, One Tin Bakes prioritizes simplicity for both novice bakers and those who already know their way around a stand mixer.

For the most part, these are not show-stopper, highly technical bakes — though some, like the “Giant Portuguese Custard Tart,” are impressive by nature. The recipes are unfussy, undemanding, and a pleasure to cook. They’re all sweet, with chapters spanning cakes, pies, breads, bars, cookies, and some no-bake desserts too. And while 9-by-13-inch sheets and slabs of baked goods are the stars of the book, Kimber���s collection also includes non-rectangular treats: rolled cakes, ice cream sandwiches, and babka buns, among others. Six months ago I might have described this book as a party baking companion — most of the recipes feed eight to 12 people — but parties are in short supply for the foreseeable future. That said, even without feeding my coworkers or friends, there is something so joyful (surface area, perhaps?) about pulling a magnificent rectangular pan of streusel-topped coffee cake or gigantic British scone from the oven. — Adam Moussa

Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen

Durkhanai Ayubi with recipes by Farida Ayubi Interlink, out now

The story of Parwana, the popular Afghan restaurant in South Adelaide, Australia, has always been intertwined with history. Owners Zelmai and Farida Ayubi fled Afghanistan for Australia in 1987, during the Cold War, itself the result of hundreds of years of conflict. So it’s no surprise that the restaurant’s cookbook, written by Zelmai and Farida’s daughter Durkhanai Ayubi, would double as a history lesson. Interspersed between recipes are stories of the Silk Road, the Mughal empire, and the Great Game, which illustrate how because of trade, plunder, and cultural exchange, Afghan cuisine is both beloved and recognizable.

The book walks through classics like kabuli palaw, shaami kebab, and falooda (all of which, unlike so many restaurant dishes adapted to cookbooks, are incredibly achievable for the home cook) and demonstrate how Afghan cuisine both influenced and was influenced by nearly all of Asia. No matter what cuisine you’re most used to cooking, you’ll find a recipe, or even just a flavor, that feels familiar here. — Jaya Saxena

The Sourdough School: Sweet Baking: Nourishing the Gut & the Mind

Vanessa Kimbell Kyle Books, out now

The first thing to know about the sweets-focused follow-up to 2018’s The Sourdough School cookbook, the groundbreaking gut-health baking book by food writer and BBC radio host Vanessa Kimbell, is this: “It is not a book about baking,” she writes. “This is a book about understanding.” She’s right, sort of. It is not just a book about baking. It is, like its predecessor, a manifesto on the gut-brain connection — a guide to caring for the magical ecosystem within our own bodies, a fragile environment that, she says, our modern way of eating has ravaged, grimly affecting both our physical and mental health. It’s a book about science and bacteria and flour milling and fermenting and strategies for adjusting our lives in such a way to allow for four-day cupcake-making.

But then... it is also very much a book about baking. There are loads of delicious (if unabashedly healthy-looking) recipes with ingredients that prioritize your gut’s microbiome, everything from chocolate chip “biscuits” and Bangladeshi jalebis to swirly miso-prune danishes and a pudgy lemon-poppyseed cake with a hit of saffron. Nothing about these multi-day recipes is what anyone might call simple (I’ve never been so tempted to whip up my own couture flour blends), but Kimbell is as lovely a hand-holder as she is a writer, giving out lifelines like detailed schedules for each recipe, including the crucial pre-bake starter feedings so many other sourdough books leave out. She also is not above compromise, allowing for store-bought flours and dolling out assurances like, “if you are not into the scientific details, feel free to skip this entire section. I totally get just wanting to get on and bake.” A thorough reader, though, will be rewarded with a whole new way of thinking about the human body, along with a whole bunch of yummy new ways to indulge it. — Lesley Suter

The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico

Mely Martinez Rock Point, September 15

Mely Martínez comes to publishing by way of the old-school world of recipe blogging on her website, Mexico in My Kitchen. Martínez was born in Mexico and traveled throughout different regions as a teacher and again later in her life, learning from local women along the way, before eventually settling in the United States. After bouncing around recipe forums, she established the site in 2008 as a way to record family recipes for her teenage son. Through the internet, she reached a far wider audience of Mexican immigrants craving their abuela’s recipes. Now, her debut cookbook, The Mexican Home Kitchen, reflects that well-traveled savvy, but it’s forgiving, too, providing helpful tips on variations of recipes and alternative methods of food preparation or ingredients.

Martínez’s book is about the basics of Mexican home cooking; recipes include comfort foods like caldo de pollo dressed up with slices of avocado and diced jalapeño and special occasion meals like mole poblano. The recipes are simple enough for people just getting into Mexican cooking, but also have a nostalgic quality that will appeal to those who grew up with homemade arroz con leche or chicharrón en salsa verde. Flipping through The Mexican Home Kitchen, I remembered my own childhood visits with my stepmother’s family, where I would sit around the table with the many other grandkids swirling Ritz crackers in steaming bowls of atole. I turned to Martínez’s atole blanco recipe on page 178, and headed to the store for some masa harina, newly inspired. — Brenna Houck

Pie for Everyone: Recipes and Stories from Petee’s Pie, New York’s Best Pie Shop

Petra “Petee” Paredez Abrams, September 22

If you’re not a pie person, then clearly you’ve never had a slice of Petra Paredez’s black-bottom almond chess pie. Growing up in a baking and farming family (her parents started northern Virginia treasure Mom’s Apple Pie Company in 1981), Paredez has considerable pie-making expertise. In 2014, she and her husband, Robert Paredez, opened their Lower East Side shop Petee’s Pie Company on a shoestring budget, and today, the sweet, sunny cafe on Delancey Street is considered one of the best pie shops in New York City.

At the heart of Petee’s Pie, the goal is simple: a flavorful, flaky, tender crust and perfectly balanced filling. Pie for Everyone teaches readers how to achieve this at home. The book begins with foundational information (how to source ingredients, the tools to buy to make pie-making easier and more efficient) followed by chapters on crusts and crumbs and pie fillings. And while there are hundreds of ways to make pie, Paredez believes in the merits of a super-buttery crust. “If you only use one of my pastry dough recipes,” she writes, “I hope it’s my butter pastry dough.”

With recipes that are both sweet and savory (including quiches), Pie for Everyone covers the shop’s year-round signature pies, like maple whiskey walnut and chocolate cream, as well as seasonal favorites, like strawberry rhubarb and nesselrode, a New York specialty consisting of chestnut custard with black rum-soaked cherries. But whether you’re a fan of Petee’s Pie or you’ve never been, bakers and pie lovers will appreciate learning from Paredez, a baker for whom pie-making is a ribbon-worthy feat every single time. — Esra Erol

Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ina Garten Random House, October 6

There are many cookbooks that you want to read more than cook from, but Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is not one of them. In her 12th cookbook, Ina Garten, the queen of timeless, expertly tested dishes, shares 85 recipes for the kinds of comfort foods we’re craving more than ever. Dedicated home cooks may already know most of these unfussy foods by heart, but with Garten’s thoughtful techniques and guidance on how to find the best ingredients, dishes like chicken pot pie soup, baked rigatoni with lamb ragu, and skillet-roasted chicken with potatoes feel new and exciting. The skillet-roasted chicken and potatoes, for example, calls for a buttermilk marinade to make the bird juicy and moist, while potatoes are cooked with the chicken jus under the chicken, on the bottom of a hot skillet, to absorb extra chicken flavor, turning two humble ingredients into a fabulous dinner.

This being a Barefoot Contessa cookbook, it also comes with all the stories and aspirational photos (including many heart-melting pictures of Garten and husband Jeffrey) that have long inspired fans to want to live, cook, and eat like Ina. But, compared to Garten’s other books, Modern Comfort Food depicts the culinary star more as a loving neighbor who will bring you chocolate chip cookies on Sundays than the imposing queen of East Hampton. In the intro to this book, Garten admits that these days, she’s a little grumpier than usual (just like the rest of us), says it’s okay if we reach for a cold martini and a tub of ice cream for dinner, and reminds us once again how she managed to capture so many hearts over more than two decades as the Barefoot Contessa. — James Park

Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason

Julia Bainbridge Ten Speed Press, October 6

A lot of people feel weird about drinking nowadays. Our spending habits show it, through products like low-ABV hard seltzers, chic nonalcoholic aperitifs, or just the ongoing popularity of sober months like Dry January. Author Julia Bainbridge understands the fluid nature of this type of sobriety, which is why she subtitled her book of spirit-free drinks as “for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason.” After all, you don’t need to eschew alcohol forever in order to enjoy a thoughtfully blended drink that isn’t trying to get you sloshed.

The drinks in Good Drinks are structured by the time of day you might enjoy them (brunch accompaniment, happy hour treat, aperitif), and are as complex and innovative (and labor-intensive) as anything at a fancy cocktail bar. They call for ingredients like black cardamom-cinnamon syrup, buckwheat tea, and tomato-watermelon juice, each of which get their own recipes. There’s even a whole recipe for a dupe of nonalcoholic Pimm’s (involving citus, rooibos tea, raspberry vinegar, and gentian root). The results are festive, celebratory drinks for any occasion, so the nondrinkers need not be stuck with cranberry juice and seltzer anymore. — JS

Ottolenghi Flavor: A Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage Ten Speed Press, October 13

It’s probably a good thing Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook isn’t called Plenty 3 or More Plenty More, veering the chef’s cookbook oeuvre into Fast & Furious territory. But by the London chef’s own admission, that’s a good way to understand Flavor, his newest book, which like its Plenty predecessors focuses on vegetables and all the creative ways to prepare and combine them.

Co-written with Ixta Belfrage, a recipe developer in the Ottolenghi test kitchen, Flavor presents recipes from three perspectives. The “process” chapter explores specific techniques to transform vegetables, such as charring and fermenting. “Pairing” takes an angle that will sound familiar to Samin Nosrat fans, with recipes rooted in the perfect balance of fat, acid, “chile heat,” and sweetness. And “produce” focuses on the ingredients with such complex tastes, usages, and sub-categories that they deserve examination on their own: mushrooms, onions (and their allium cousins), nuts and seeds, and sugar in fruit and booze form.

The result, in typical Ottolenghi fashion, is multi-step, multi-ingredient, and multi-hued recipes whose promised flavors leap from the page — from cabbage “tacos” with celery root and date barbecue sauce to saffron tagliatelle with ricotta and crispy chipotle shallots. Chipotles and other chiles are actually in abundance here (as well as “a lime or two in places where lemons would appear in previous Ottolenghi books,” as the intro notes) thanks to Belfrage’s roots in Mexico City. Those flavors, as well as those from Brazilian, Italian, and multiple Asian cuisines (spy the shiitake congee and noodles with peanut laab), unite with the usual Ottolenghi suspects — za’atar, star anise, harissa, labneh — to make Flavor worth the look, even for the home chef who already has Plenty and Plenty More on the shelf. — Ellie Krupnick

Xi’an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, from New York’s Favorite Noodle Shop

Jason Wang with Jessica K. Chou Abrams, October 13

The debut cookbook from the New York City restaurant chain Xi’an Famous Foods is worth picking up whether or not you have slurped the restaurant’s hand-pulled noodles. This is a book on how to operate a food business — CEO Jason Wang outlines five lessons to know before diving into the business and strips away the glamor of running a restaurant empire. It’s also a food history of the flavors of Xi’an, China. With so many layers to appreciate, Xi’an Famous Foods is a prime example of what a restaurant cookbook can be.

Much of the book reads like a TV series. It’s broken into episodes covering Wang’s challenges, failures, and successes, from his life-changing move from Xi’an to a rural town in Michigan, to his nights out in New York City’s Koreatown, to taking over his father’s business, Xi’an Famous Foods. Interspersed with these anecdotes, there are recipes for the restaurant’s fiery, mouth-tingling dishes, including Xi’an Famous Foods’ famous noodle sauce (accented with salty and spicy flavors from black vinegar, oyster sauce, fennel seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns), along with techniques for making hand-pulled noodles paired with helpful illustrations and visual references. For avid home cooks who want a challenge, Xi’an Famous Foods also provides tips on putting together the best hot pot at home, and for those who are confused at Asian groceries, there’s a list of basic pantry items with flavor notes and how they are used in cooking. And whether it’s Wang’s personal connection to a dish or its wider history that draws you in, each recipe will broaden your knowledge and appreciation of Xi’an cooking. — JP

Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen

Lara Lee Bloomsbury, October 13

In the introduction of her debut cookbook, Lara Lee writes that an overflowing generosity is central to Indonesian culture; meals are shared freely between neighbors and friends. This generosity fills the pages of Coconut & Sambal, each recipe heightening the sense that as a reader, you’ve been let in on something special.

Lee, who was born in Australia, didn’t spend time in Indonesia until later in life, so early memories of Indonesian cooking come from the trips her grandmother Margaret Thali — whom Lee lovingly refers to as Popo throughout the book — would take to Australia. Each of the cookbook’s chapter introductions is deeply researched: Some recount stories of Lee’s grandmother, and others focus on the Indonesia that Lee fell in love with as she traveled across the archipelago collecting stories and recipes for this book.

The recipes that fill Coconut & Sambal demonstrate that Indonesian cuisine cannot be painted with one brush. The food of the nation — made up of more than 15,000 islands — incorporates the sharp heat of chiles, the mellow hit of fermented shrimp, the sweetness of coconut in nearly every form, and always enough rice to go around. You’ll find curries fragrant with makrut lime leaf, ginger, and turmeric, and bright ceviches adorned with thinly sliced chiles, banana shallot, and palm sugar; I was particularly drawn to a fried chicken dish (page 142), its crisp shell smashed and laced with fiery sambal. Lee explains that recipes are typically passed down orally in Indonesian culture, which makes me even more grateful for these written ones. What Lee has given readers is a gorgeous document that sets in stone food traditions passed down through generations, as well as some she’s created herself. You’ll want to dedicate an evening to turning the pages of this book, planning out feasts of green chile braised duck, Balinese roasted pork belly, and perhaps some sticky ginger toffee pudding to top it all off. — Elazar Sontag

In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean

Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen Ten Speed Press, October 13

Recipes are almost always the main attraction in a cookbook. But In Bibi’s Kitchen, written by first-time author Hawa Hassan in collaboration with veteran cookbook writer Julia Turshen, there’s so much to enjoy before you even get to the first recipe. The book focuses on dishes from eight African countries, linked by their shared proximity to the Indian Ocean and involvement in the region’s spice trade.

Each chapter, divided by country, starts with a brief history of the region and question-and-answer-style interviews with one of the bibis, or grandmothers, who call these places home. The answers to these questions find the grandmothers speaking about the meaning of home, the gender roles in their communities, and the importance of passing on food traditions. Each interview is as beautiful and varied as the recipes that follow: kadaka akondro (green plantains and braised beef) from the home of Ma Baomaka in Ambohidratrimo, Madagascar; digaag qumbe, a Somalian chicken stew rich with yogurt and coconut milk, served with sweet banana; kaimati, crisp coconut dumplings in an ambrosial cardamom syrup, this batch cooked in Ma Shara’s kitchen in Zanzibar, but popular all along the Swahili coast. A practical advantage of collecting recipes from home cooks is that these recipes are all approachable, most calling for fewer than 10 ingredients.

In many ways, In Bibi’s Kitchen breaks ground. It pays tribute to a part of the world that has been criminally overlooked by American publishers, sharing the stories of these African countries from the perspectives of home cooks who actually live there. The book is full of intimate portraits of the grandmothers in their kitchens, captured by Kenyan photographer Khadija M. Farah, who joined these women in their homes. The result of this collaborative and ambitious effort is a collection of heartwarming photos, tidbits of history, and, of course, plenty of mouthwatering meals. — ES

This Will Make it Taste Good: A New Path to Simple Cooking

Vivian Howard Voracious, October 20

Reading through Vivian Howard’s This Will Make It Taste Good is like reading a cookbook by your real or imagined North Carolinian best friend. The design itself is cheerful, full of 1970s serif fonts and colorful badges that are reminiscent of a children’s workbook. Dishes are photographed from above, in the same style as Alison Roman’s Dining In and Nothing Fancy, often showing Howard’s hands as they work away chopping herbs or spooning chowder. The A Chef’s Life host’s goal is simple: to teach home cooks that easy meals can be exciting rather than bland.

Howard’s intended audience is the time-crunched kitchen novice, though a more experienced cook will surely find some useful tips, as well. Each section is based around a recipe that can be prepped in advance and then used throughout the week in a multitude of dishes: Among the most promising are the “Little Green Dress,” a dressing with flexible ingredients that can gussy up anything from mussels to crackers to soft-boiled eggs; the “R-Rated Onions,” which you can keep in an ice cube tray in the freezer to use at your convenience; and the “Citrus Shrine,” i.e., preserved citrus that promises to elevate dishes like shrimp cocktail and rice pilaf — you can even use it in margaritas! In any time, This Will Make It Taste Good would be a great help to those of us who prefer recipes that look and taste more complex than they are to prepare. That it happens to arrive at a moment when we’re likely all sick of the contents of our fridges and our own culinary limitations is just a bonus. — Madeleine Davies

The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

Marcus Samuelsson with Osayi Endolyn Voracious, October 27

“Black food is not just one thing,” chef Marcus Samuelsson writes in the introduction to The Rise. “It’s not a rigidly defined geography or a static set of tastes. It is an energy. A force. An engine.” The cookbook that follows is an invigorating, joyous, and deeply nuanced illustration of the complexity of Black foodways, one that weaves together conversations about history, artistry, authorship, race, class, and culture with 150 recipes that incorporate ingredients and techniques from around the globe.

Each of the book’s recipes was created in honor of “someone who is illuminating the space we share,” as Samuelsson writes: chefs, artists, activists, authors, and historians, all of whom are profiled by the book’s coauthor, Eater contributor Osayi Endolyn. The recipes are organized to demonstrate how culinary rituals and traditions evolve according to time, place, and cook. In the first chapter, “Next,” for example, you’ll find food that speaks of forward-thinking innovation, such as baked sweet potatoes with garlic-fermented shrimp butter, created in honor of David Zilber, the former director of fermentation at Noma. (That butter, pureed with avocado, sweet soy sauce, and fresh thyme, is not only easy to make, but so good that you can be forgiven for eating it straight from the food processor.) “Migration,” the third chapter, speaks of the American South, with recipes like spiced lemon chess pie, broken rice peanut seafood stew, and Papa Ed’s shrimp and grits, named for Ed Brumfield, the executive chef at Samuelsson’s Harlem restaurant the Red Rooster.

The Rise doesn’t claim to be an encyclopedic compendium of Black cooking; instead, it’s a celebration, one that honors the past while looking ahead, challenging assumptions even as it feeds you well. — Rebecca Flint Marx

The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes

Nik Sharma Chronicle Books, October 27

Nik Sharma begins his second cookbook by explaining that we rely on a variety of senses and feelings when we eat: sight, sound, mouthfeel or texture, aroma, taste, and even our emotions and memories. These components make up what he refers to as the “Flavor Equation,” and this concept and the role it plays in everyday cooking is the guiding principle of his book of the same name.

Following a thorough and captivating science lesson on the equation, Sharma lays out seven chapters dedicated to basic tastes and flavor boosters — brightness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, savoriness, fieriness, and richness — each with its own set of recipes: pomegranate and poppy seed wings exemplify brightness, roasted figs with coffee miso tahini or hazelnut flan highlight bitterness, “pizza” toast for saltiness, masala cheddar cornbread in the sweetness section, and more. Through these achievable recipes, many of which rely mostly on pantry essentials, Sharma helps readers better understand how flavor works and how to use that to their advantage to become more confident home cooks. Whatever your skill level in the kitchen, with its more than 100 recipes, illustrated diagrams, and Sharma’s own evocative photography, The Flavor Equation is an engrossing guide to elevating simple dishes into holistic experiences. — EE

Time to Eat: Delicious Meals for Busy Lives

Nadiya Hussain Clarkson Potter, November 10 (originally published June 27, 2019)

Nadiya Hussain is just like you and me. That’s the guiding principle behind her public persona, her BBC Two cooking show Time to Eat (now on Netflix), and her cookbook Time to Eat: Delicious Meals for Busy Lives. “I know what it’s like to have just one head and one pair of hands,” the Great British Bake Off winner writes in the introduction of Time to Eat, a new stateside version of her U.K. cookbook of the same title. Her book, she promises, will help you become a smarter home cook in between chores and kids, thanks to heavy use of the freezer and other time savers.

On the page, that looks like tips for prepping and freezing, recipes that leave you with enough leftovers to make a second dish, and ideas for remixes and variations. There are more than 100 recipes, divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and basics. Many of these dishes may be unfamiliar to American audiences — hello, kedgeree and fish pie burgers! — but the instructions are as approachable as Hussain’s on-camera demonstrations. With enough variety to keep it interesting, balanced with dishes easy enough to work into your weekly rotation of meals, e.g., eggs rolled onto tortillas, Time to Eat offers something for any home cook looking for new ideas and time-tested, time-saving methods. — Jenny G. Zhang

Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End

Magnus Nilsson Phaidon, November 11

Last December, after more than a decade of acclaim, accolades, and meals rooted in seasonality and locally produced ingredients, Magnus Nilsson closed his restaurant Fäviken in Jämtland, Sweden. In the lead-up to the closing, he told the LA Times that he wanted to focus on the restaurant, not elegies or explanations. Now, the explanation has arrived in the form of Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End, Nilsson’s latest monograph with publisher Phaidon.

Although the book covers the lifespan of Fäviken, including lookbacks at the first title Nilsson published about the restaurant, it is not an elegy. There are no laments here, but rather a thorough catalogue of all the dishes that Fäviken served, ruminations about craft and haute cuisine and sustainability, and a long-awaited account of “Why Fäviken had to close, really.” The book contains recipes for many of the restaurant’s dishes — ranging from the simple berry ice to the more demanding “Scallop I skalet ur elden cooked over burning juniper branches,” with extensive headnotes — but its purpose is not as a cookbook. It is a tome (beautifully put together, as is typical for Phaidon) that is made for fans of Fäviken’s, of Nilsson’s, and more importantly, of the way of life he espouses, one that is passionate but measured.

That is best expressed in one of the book’s final essays, one dated May 12, 2020, in which Nilsson articulates gratitude that he was able to close his restaurant on his own terms, for Fäviken would not have survived the pandemic. “If one day some years from now I wake up in the morning and feel the same burning desire to run a restaurant that I felt for many years at Fäviken, I won’t think twice about it,” Nilsson writes. “But if that doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. There are many other things to do in life.” — JGZ

A Good Bake: The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home

Melissa Weller with Carolynn Carreño Knopf, November 17

There are people who treat baking like a hobby and there are people who treat baking as a raison d’etre, a life’s purpose. Melissa Weller’s A Good Bake is for the latter, which shouldn’t surprise anyone considering Weller’s resume, which includes creating pastry for some of New York City’s most revered restaurants, such as Per Se, Roberta’s, and her acclaimed SoHo bagel shop, Sadelle’s. Before she became an expert baker, Weller was a chemical engineer, and as such, she tackles recipes with a scientific approach, getting the fermentation, proofing, and pH balance of her dough down to, well, a science.

If you’re a quarantine baker who’s mastered sourdough and is ready for the next challenge, consider Weller’s takes on NYC classics like chocolate babka, spelt scones with raspberry jam, and even traditional hot dog buns. A Good Bake will thrill bakers who rejoice in doing things the difficult way (but note that there are beautiful and detailed photos of her process to help guide ambitious bakers through the recipe). Of course, this means that failing will hurt all the more, considering the hours (or days, even!) of work that you’ve put into your bake, but success? It will taste all the sweeter... or more savory. It depends on your tastes, and Weller expertly caters to both. — MD

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New cookbooks from Ina Garten, Vivian Howard, Yotam Ottolenghi, and more will restore some much-needed joy to cooking

For many of us, cooking has taken on a different role in our lives over the past six months. As restaurants closed, cooking — and cooking well — became essential even for those who previously spent little time in the kitchen. It also became a chore. At this point, six months into the pandemic, I’m impressed by anyone who still considers cooking a creative, joyful pastime, not just a means to food.

But here to change that is a stellar lineup of fall cookbooks, bringing with them new inspiration and new comforts, and, at last, a reason to enter the kitchen with excitement. There are anticipated titles from beloved culinary figures, whose time-saving guidance and easy meal upgrades feel especially welcome now. There are books from some of the restaurants we miss the most, offering recreations of their dishes and insights that make us nostalgic for the time before shutdowns. There are primers on international cuisines; books for the adept home cook that take a studied, even scientific approach to flavor; and books that reflect the trends of the moment, including baking books for the person who has spent hours perfecting their bread game as well as the one who feels the occasional urge to bake a cake to be eaten immediately.

I’m confident that even the most reluctant cook is sure to find at least one new cookbook among these 17 to dip a fork into. And for those for whom cooking never lost its luster, it’s a feast. — Monica Burton

One Tin Bakes: Sweet and simple traybakes, pies, bars and buns

Edd Kimber Kyle Books, out now

The philosophy of Edd Kimber’s One Tin Bakes is pleasingly minimalist: Invest in one good 9-by-13-inch aluminum pan — or “tin,” in British parlance — and bake everything in it. Kimber has published three other books since winning the inaugural season of The Great British Bake Off in 2010, but this is the first that’s themed around a specific piece of equipment, and by focusing on the versatility of a single pan, One Tin Bakes prioritizes simplicity for both novice bakers and those who already know their way around a stand mixer.

For the most part, these are not show-stopper, highly technical bakes — though some, like the “Giant Portuguese Custard Tart,” are impressive by nature. The recipes are unfussy, undemanding, and a pleasure to cook. They’re all sweet, with chapters spanning cakes, pies, breads, bars, cookies, and some no-bake desserts too. And while 9-by-13-inch sheets and slabs of baked goods are the stars of the book, Kimber’s collection also includes non-rectangular treats: rolled cakes, ice cream sandwiches, and babka buns, among others. Six months ago I might have described this book as a party baking companion — most of the recipes feed eight to 12 people — but parties are in short supply for the foreseeable future. That said, even without feeding my coworkers or friends, there is something so joyful (surface area, perhaps?) about pulling a magnificent rectangular pan of streusel-topped coffee cake or gigantic British scone from the oven. — Adam Moussa

Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen

Durkhanai Ayubi with recipes by Farida Ayubi Interlink, out now

The story of Parwana, the popular Afghan restaurant in South Adelaide, Australia, has always been intertwined with history. Owners Zelmai and Farida Ayubi fled Afghanistan for Australia in 1987, during the Cold War, itself the result of hundreds of years of conflict. So it’s no surprise that the restaurant’s cookbook, written by Zelmai and Farida’s daughter Durkhanai Ayubi, would double as a history lesson. Interspersed between recipes are stories of the Silk Road, the Mughal empire, and the Great Game, which illustrate how because of trade, plunder, and cultural exchange, Afghan cuisine is both beloved and recognizable.

The book walks through classics like kabuli palaw, shaami kebab, and falooda (all of which, unlike so many restaurant dishes adapted to cookbooks, are incredibly achievable for the home cook) and demonstrate how Afghan cuisine both influenced and was influenced by nearly all of Asia. No matter what cuisine you’re most used to cooking, you’ll find a recipe, or even just a flavor, that feels familiar here. — Jaya Saxena

The Sourdough School: Sweet Baking: Nourishing the Gut & the Mind

Vanessa Kimbell Kyle Books, out now

The first thing to know about the sweets-focused follow-up to 2018’s The Sourdough School cookbook, the groundbreaking gut-health baking book by food writer and BBC radio host Vanessa Kimbell, is this: “It is not a book about baking,” she writes. “This is a book about understanding.” She’s right, sort of. It is not just a book about baking. It is, like its predecessor, a manifesto on the gut-brain connection — a guide to caring for the magical ecosystem within our own bodies, a fragile environment that, she says, our modern way of eating has ravaged, grimly affecting both our physical and mental health. It’s a book about science and bacteria and flour milling and fermenting and strategies for adjusting our lives in such a way to allow for four-day cupcake-making.

But then... it is also very much a book about baking. There are loads of delicious (if unabashedly healthy-looking) recipes with ingredients that prioritize your gut’s microbiome, everything from chocolate chip “biscuits” and Bangladeshi jalebis to swirly miso-prune danishes and a pudgy lemon-poppyseed cake with a hit of saffron. Nothing about these multi-day recipes is what anyone might call simple (I’ve never been so tempted to whip up my own couture flour blends), but Kimbell is as lovely a hand-holder as she is a writer, giving out lifelines like detailed schedules for each recipe, including the crucial pre-bake starter feedings so many other sourdough books leave out. She also is not above compromise, allowing for store-bought flours and dolling out assurances like, “if you are not into the scientific details, feel free to skip this entire section. I totally get just wanting to get on and bake.” A thorough reader, though, will be rewarded with a whole new way of thinking about the human body, along with a whole bunch of yummy new ways to indulge it. — Lesley Suter

The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico

Mely Martinez Rock Point, September 15

Mely Martínez comes to publishing by way of the old-school world of recipe blogging on her website, Mexico in My Kitchen. Martínez was born in Mexico and traveled throughout different regions as a teacher and again later in her life, learning from local women along the way, before eventually settling in the United States. After bouncing around recipe forums, she established the site in 2008 as a way to record family recipes for her teenage son. Through the internet, she reached a far wider audience of Mexican immigrants craving their abuela’s recipes. Now, her debut cookbook, The Mexican Home Kitchen, reflects that well-traveled savvy, but it’s forgiving, too, providing helpful tips on variations of recipes and alternative methods of food preparation or ingredients.

Martínez’s book is about the basics of Mexican home cooking; recipes include comfort foods like caldo de pollo dressed up with slices of avocado and diced jalapeño and special occasion meals like mole poblano. The recipes are simple enough for people just getting into Mexican cooking, but also have a nostalgic quality that will appeal to those who grew up with homemade arroz con leche or chicharrón en salsa verde. Flipping through The Mexican Home Kitchen, I remembered my own childhood visits with my stepmother’s family, where I would sit around the table with the many other grandkids swirling Ritz crackers in steaming bowls of atole. I turned to Martínez’s atole blanco recipe on page 178, and headed to the store for some masa harina, newly inspired. — Brenna Houck

Pie for Everyone: Recipes and Stories from Petee’s Pie, New York’s Best Pie Shop

Petra “Petee” Paredez Abrams, September 22

If you’re not a pie person, then clearly you’ve never had a slice of Petra Paredez’s black-bottom almond chess pie. Growing up in a baking and farming family (her parents started northern Virginia treasure Mom’s Apple Pie Company in 1981), Paredez has considerable pie-making expertise. In 2014, she and her husband, Robert Paredez, opened their Lower East Side shop Petee’s Pie Company on a shoestring budget, and today, the sweet, sunny cafe on Delancey Street is considered one of the best pie shops in New York City.

At the heart of Petee’s Pie, the goal is simple: a flavorful, flaky, tender crust and perfectly balanced filling. Pie for Everyone teaches readers how to achieve this at home. The book begins with foundational information (how to source ingredients, the tools to buy to make pie-making easier and more efficient) followed by chapters on crusts and crumbs and pie fillings. And while there are hundreds of ways to make pie, Paredez believes in the merits of a super-buttery crust. “If you only use one of my pastry dough recipes,” she writes, “I hope it’s my butter pastry dough.”

With recipes that are both sweet and savory (including quiches), Pie for Everyone covers the shop’s year-round signature pies, like maple whiskey walnut and chocolate cream, as well as seasonal favorites, like strawberry rhubarb and nesselrode, a New York specialty consisting of chestnut custard with black rum-soaked cherries. But whether you’re a fan of Petee’s Pie or you’ve never been, bakers and pie lovers will appreciate learning from Paredez, a baker for whom pie-making is a ribbon-worthy feat every single time. — Esra Erol

Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ina Garten Random House, October 6

There are many cookbooks that you want to read more than cook from, but Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is not one of them. In her 12th cookbook, Ina Garten, the queen of timeless, expertly tested dishes, shares 85 recipes for the kinds of comfort foods we’re craving more than ever. Dedicated home cooks may already know most of these unfussy foods by heart, but with Garten’s thoughtful techniques and guidance on how to find the best ingredients, dishes like chicken pot pie soup, baked rigatoni with lamb ragu, and skillet-roasted chicken with potatoes feel new and exciting. The skillet-roasted chicken and potatoes, for example, calls for a buttermilk marinade to make the bird juicy and moist, while potatoes are cooked with the chicken jus under the chicken, on the bottom of a hot skillet, to absorb extra chicken flavor, turning two humble ingredients into a fabulous dinner.

This being a Barefoot Contessa cookbook, it also comes with all the stories and aspirational photos (including many heart-melting pictures of Garten and husband Jeffrey) that have long inspired fans to want to live, cook, and eat like Ina. But, compared to Garten’s other books, Modern Comfort Food depicts the culinary star more as a loving neighbor who will bring you chocolate chip cookies on Sundays than the imposing queen of East Hampton. In the intro to this book, Garten admits that these days, she’s a little grumpier than usual (just like the rest of us), says it’s okay if we reach for a cold martini and a tub of ice cream for dinner, and reminds us once again how she managed to capture so many hearts over more than two decades as the Barefoot Contessa. — James Park

Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason

Julia Bainbridge Ten Speed Press, October 6

A lot of people feel weird about drinking nowadays. Our spending habits show it, through products like low-ABV hard seltzers, chic nonalcoholic aperitifs, or just the ongoing popularity of sober months like Dry January. Author Julia Bainbridge understands the fluid nature of this type of sobriety, which is why she subtitled her book of spirit-free drinks as “for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason.” After all, you don’t need to eschew alcohol forever in order to enjoy a thoughtfully blended drink that isn’t trying to get you sloshed.

The drinks in Good Drinks are structured by the time of day you might enjoy them (brunch accompaniment, happy hour treat, aperitif), and are as complex and innovative (and labor-intensive) as anything at a fancy cocktail bar. They call for ingredients like black cardamom-cinnamon syrup, buckwheat tea, and tomato-watermelon juice, each of which get their own recipes. There’s even a whole recipe for a dupe of nonalcoholic Pimm’s (involving citus, rooibos tea, raspberry vinegar, and gentian root). The results are festive, celebratory drinks for any occasion, so the nondrinkers need not be stuck with cranberry juice and seltzer anymore. — JS

Ottolenghi Flavor: A Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage Ten Speed Press, October 13

It’s probably a good thing Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook isn’t called Plenty 3 or More Plenty More, veering the chef’s cookbook oeuvre into Fast & Furious territory. But by the London chef’s own admission, that’s a good way to understand Flavor, his newest book, which like its Plenty predecessors focuses on vegetables and all the creative ways to prepare and combine them.

Co-written with Ixta Belfrage, a recipe developer in the Ottolenghi test kitchen, Flavor presents recipes from three perspectives. The “process” chapter explores specific techniques to transform vegetables, such as charring and fermenting. “Pairing” takes an angle that will sound familiar to Samin Nosrat fans, with recipes rooted in the perfect balance of fat, acid, “chile heat,” and sweetness. And “produce” focuses on the ingredients with such complex tastes, usages, and sub-categories that they deserve examination on their own: mushrooms, onions (and their allium cousins), nuts and seeds, and sugar in fruit and booze form.

The result, in typical Ottolenghi fashion, is multi-step, multi-ingredient, and multi-hued recipes whose promised flavors leap from the page — from cabbage “tacos” with celery root and date barbecue sauce to saffron tagliatelle with ricotta and crispy chipotle shallots. Chipotles and other chiles are actually in abundance here (as well as “a lime or two in places where lemons would appear in previous Ottolenghi books,” as the intro notes) thanks to Belfrage’s roots in Mexico City. Those flavors, as well as those from Brazilian, Italian, and multiple Asian cuisines (spy the shiitake congee and noodles with peanut laab), unite with the usual Ottolenghi suspects — za’atar, star anise, harissa, labneh — to make Flavor worth the look, even for the home chef who already has Plenty and Plenty More on the shelf. — Ellie Krupnick

Xi’an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, from New York’s Favorite Noodle Shop

Jason Wang with Jessica K. Chou Abrams, October 13

The debut cookbook from the New York City restaurant chain Xi’an Famous Foods is worth picking up whether or not you have slurped the restaurant’s hand-pulled noodles. This is a book on how to operate a food business — CEO Jason Wang outlines five lessons to know before diving into the business and strips away the glamor of running a restaurant empire. It’s also a food history of the flavors of Xi’an, China. With so many layers to appreciate, Xi’an Famous Foods is a prime example of what a restaurant cookbook can be.

Much of the book reads like a TV series. It’s broken into episodes covering Wang’s challenges, failures, and successes, from his life-changing move from Xi’an to a rural town in Michigan, to his nights out in New York City’s Koreatown, to taking over his father’s business, Xi’an Famous Foods. Interspersed with these anecdotes, there are recipes for the restaurant’s fiery, mouth-tingling dishes, including Xi’an Famous Foods’ famous noodle sauce (accented with salty and spicy flavors from black vinegar, oyster sauce, fennel seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns), along with techniques for making hand-pulled noodles paired with helpful illustrations and visual references. For avid home cooks who want a challenge, Xi’an Famous Foods also provides tips on putting together the best hot pot at home, and for those who are confused at Asian groceries, there’s a list of basic pantry items with flavor notes and how they are used in cooking. And whether it’s Wang’s personal connection to a dish or its wider history that draws you in, each recipe will broaden your knowledge and appreciation of Xi’an cooking. — JP

Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen

Lara Lee Bloomsbury, October 13

In the introduction of her debut cookbook, Lara Lee writes that an overflowing generosity is central to Indonesian culture; meals are shared freely between neighbors and friends. This generosity fills the pages of Coconut & Sambal, each recipe heightening the sense that as a reader, you’ve been let in on something special.

Lee, who was born in Australia, didn’t spend time in Indonesia until later in life, so early memories of Indonesian cooking come from the trips her grandmother Margaret Thali — whom Lee lovingly refers to as Popo throughout the book — would take to Australia. Each of the cookbook’s chapter introductions is deeply researched: Some recount stories of Lee’s grandmother, and others focus on the Indonesia that Lee fell in love with as she traveled across the archipelago collecting stories and recipes for this book.

The recipes that fill Coconut & Sambal demonstrate that Indonesian cuisine cannot be painted with one brush. The food of the nation — made up of more than 15,000 islands — incorporates the sharp heat of chiles, the mellow hit of fermented shrimp, the sweetness of coconut in nearly every form, and always enough rice to go around. You’ll find curries fragrant with makrut lime leaf, ginger, and turmeric, and bright ceviches adorned with thinly sliced chiles, banana shallot, and palm sugar; I was particularly drawn to a fried chicken dish (page 142), its crisp shell smashed and laced with fiery sambal. Lee explains that recipes are typically passed down orally in Indonesian culture, which makes me even more grateful for these written ones. What Lee has given readers is a gorgeous document that sets in stone food traditions passed down through generations, as well as some she’s created herself. You’ll want to dedicate an evening to turning the pages of this book, planning out feasts of green chile braised duck, Balinese roasted pork belly, and perhaps some sticky ginger toffee pudding to top it all off. — Elazar Sontag

In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean

Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen Ten Speed Press, October 13

Recipes are almost always the main attraction in a cookbook. But In Bibi’s Kitchen, written by first-time author Hawa Hassan in collaboration with veteran cookbook writer Julia Turshen, there’s so much to enjoy before you even get to the first recipe. The book focuses on dishes from eight African countries, linked by their shared proximity to the Indian Ocean and involvement in the region’s spice trade.

Each chapter, divided by country, starts with a brief history of the region and question-and-answer-style interviews with one of the bibis, or grandmothers, who call these places home. The answers to these questions find the grandmothers speaking about the meaning of home, the gender roles in their communities, and the importance of passing on food traditions. Each interview is as beautiful and varied as the recipes that follow: kadaka akondro (green plantains and braised beef) from the home of Ma Baomaka in Ambohidratrimo, Madagascar; digaag qumbe, a Somalian chicken stew rich with yogurt and coconut milk, served with sweet banana; kaimati, crisp coconut dumplings in an ambrosial cardamom syrup, this batch cooked in Ma Shara’s kitchen in Zanzibar, but popular all along the Swahili coast. A practical advantage of collecting recipes from home cooks is that these recipes are all approachable, most calling for fewer than 10 ingredients.

In many ways, In Bibi’s Kitchen breaks ground. It pays tribute to a part of the world that has been criminally overlooked by American publishers, sharing the stories of these African countries from the perspectives of home cooks who actually live there. The book is full of intimate portraits of the grandmothers in their kitchens, captured by Kenyan photographer Khadija M. Farah, who joined these women in their homes. The result of this collaborative and ambitious effort is a collection of heartwarming photos, tidbits of history, and, of course, plenty of mouthwatering meals. — ES

This Will Make it Taste Good: A New Path to Simple Cooking

Vivian Howard Voracious, October 20

Reading through Vivian Howard’s This Will Make It Taste Good is like reading a cookbook by your real or imagined North Carolinian best friend. The design itself is cheerful, full of 1970s serif fonts and colorful badges that are reminiscent of a children’s workbook. Dishes are photographed from above, in the same style as Alison Roman’s Dining In and Nothing Fancy, often showing Howard’s hands as they work away chopping herbs or spooning chowder. The A Chef’s Life host’s goal is simple: to teach home cooks that easy meals can be exciting rather than bland.

Howard’s intended audience is the time-crunched kitchen novice, though a more experienced cook will surely find some useful tips, as well. Each section is based around a recipe that can be prepped in advance and then used throughout the week in a multitude of dishes: Among the most promising are the “Little Green Dress,” a dressing with flexible ingredients that can gussy up anything from mussels to crackers to soft-boiled eggs; the “R-Rated Onions,” which you can keep in an ice cube tray in the freezer to use at your convenience; and the “Citrus Shrine,” i.e., preserved citrus that promises to elevate dishes like shrimp cocktail and rice pilaf — you can even use it in margaritas! In any time, This Will Make It Taste Good would be a great help to those of us who prefer recipes that look and taste more complex than they are to prepare. That it happens to arrive at a moment when we’re likely all sick of the contents of our fridges and our own culinary limitations is just a bonus. — Madeleine Davies

The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

Marcus Samuelsson with Osayi Endolyn Voracious, October 27

“Black food is not just one thing,” chef Marcus Samuelsson writes in the introduction to The Rise. “It’s not a rigidly defined geography or a static set of tastes. It is an energy. A force. An engine.” The cookbook that follows is an invigorating, joyous, and deeply nuanced illustration of the complexity of Black foodways, one that weaves together conversations about history, artistry, authorship, race, class, and culture with 150 recipes that incorporate ingredients and techniques from around the globe.

Each of the book’s recipes was created in honor of “someone who is illuminating the space we share,” as Samuelsson writes: chefs, artists, activists, authors, and historians, all of whom are profiled by the book’s coauthor, Eater contributor Osayi Endolyn. The recipes are organized to demonstrate how culinary rituals and traditions evolve according to time, place, and cook. In the first chapter, “Next,” for example, you’ll find food that speaks of forward-thinking innovation, such as baked sweet potatoes with garlic-fermented shrimp butter, created in honor of David Zilber, the former director of fermentation at Noma. (That butter, pureed with avocado, sweet soy sauce, and fresh thyme, is not only easy to make, but so good that you can be forgiven for eating it straight from the food processor.) “Migration,” the third chapter, speaks of the American South, with recipes like spiced lemon chess pie, broken rice peanut seafood stew, and Papa Ed’s shrimp and grits, named for Ed Brumfield, the executive chef at Samuelsson’s Harlem restaurant the Red Rooster.

The Rise doesn’t claim to be an encyclopedic compendium of Black cooking; instead, it’s a celebration, one that honors the past while looking ahead, challenging assumptions even as it feeds you well. — Rebecca Flint Marx

The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes

Nik Sharma Chronicle Books, October 27

Nik Sharma begins his second cookbook by explaining that we rely on a variety of senses and feelings when we eat: sight, sound, mouthfeel or texture, aroma, taste, and even our emotions and memories. These components make up what he refers to as the “Flavor Equation,” and this concept and the role it plays in everyday cooking is the guiding principle of his book of the same name.

Following a thorough and captivating science lesson on the equation, Sharma lays out seven chapters dedicated to basic tastes and flavor boosters — brightness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, savoriness, fieriness, and richness — each with its own set of recipes: pomegranate and poppy seed wings exemplify brightness, roasted figs with coffee miso tahini or hazelnut flan highlight bitterness, “pizza” toast for saltiness, masala cheddar cornbread in the sweetness section, and more. Through these achievable recipes, many of which rely mostly on pantry essentials, Sharma helps readers better understand how flavor works and how to use that to their advantage to become more confident home cooks. Whatever your skill level in the kitchen, with its more than 100 recipes, illustrated diagrams, and Sharma’s own evocative photography, The Flavor Equation is an engrossing guide to elevating simple dishes into holistic experiences. — EE

Time to Eat: Delicious Meals for Busy Lives

Nadiya Hussain Clarkson Potter, November 10 (originally published June 27, 2019)

Nadiya Hussain is just like you and me. That’s the guiding principle behind her public persona, her BBC Two cooking show Time to Eat (now on Netflix), and her cookbook Time to Eat: Delicious Meals for Busy Lives. “I know what it’s like to have just one head and one pair of hands,” the Great British Bake Off winner writes in the introduction of Time to Eat, a new stateside version of her U.K. cookbook of the same title. Her book, she promises, will help you become a smarter home cook in between chores and kids, thanks to heavy use of the freezer and other time savers.

On the page, that looks like tips for prepping and freezing, recipes that leave you with enough leftovers to make a second dish, and ideas for remixes and variations. There are more than 100 recipes, divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and basics. Many of these dishes may be unfamiliar to American audiences — hello, kedgeree and fish pie burgers! — but the instructions are as approachable as Hussain’s on-camera demonstrations. With enough variety to keep it interesting, balanced with dishes easy enough to work into your weekly rotation of meals, e.g., eggs rolled onto tortillas, Time to Eat offers something for any home cook looking for new ideas and time-tested, time-saving methods. — Jenny G. Zhang

Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End

Magnus Nilsson Phaidon, November 11

Last December, after more than a decade of acclaim, accolades, and meals rooted in seasonality and locally produced ingredients, Magnus Nilsson closed his restaurant Fäviken in Jämtland, Sweden. In the lead-up to the closing, he told the LA Times that he wanted to focus on the restaurant, not elegies or explanations. Now, the explanation has arrived in the form of Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End, Nilsson’s latest monograph with publisher Phaidon.

Although the book covers the lifespan of Fäviken, including lookbacks at the first title Nilsson published about the restaurant, it is not an elegy. There are no laments here, but rather a thorough catalogue of all the dishes that Fäviken served, ruminations about craft and haute cuisine and sustainability, and a long-awaited account of “Why Fäviken had to close, really.” The book contains recipes for many of the restaurant’s dishes — ranging from the simple berry ice to the more demanding “Scallop I skalet ur elden cooked over burning juniper branches,” with extensive headnotes — but its purpose is not as a cookbook. It is a tome (beautifully put together, as is typical for Phaidon) that is made for fans of Fäviken’s, of Nilsson’s, and more importantly, of the way of life he espouses, one that is passionate but measured.

That is best expressed in one of the book’s final essays, one dated May 12, 2020, in which Nilsson articulates gratitude that he was able to close his restaurant on his own terms, for Fäviken would not have survived the pandemic. “If one day some years from now I wake up in the morning and feel the same burning desire to run a restaurant that I felt for many years at Fäviken, I won’t think twice about it,” Nilsson writes. “But if that doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. There are many other things to do in life.” — JGZ

A Good Bake: The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home

Melissa Weller with Carolynn Carreño Knopf, November 17

There are people who treat baking like a hobby and there are people who treat baking as a raison d’etre, a life’s purpose. Melissa Weller’s A Good Bake is for the latter, which shouldn’t surprise anyone considering Weller’s resume, which includes creating pastry for some of New York City’s most revered restaurants, such as Per Se, Roberta’s, and her acclaimed SoHo bagel shop, Sadelle’s. Before she became an expert baker, Weller was a chemical engineer, and as such, she tackles recipes with a scientific approach, getting the fermentation, proofing, and pH balance of her dough down to, well, a science.

If you’re a quarantine baker who’s mastered sourdough and is ready for the next challenge, consider Weller’s takes on NYC classics like chocolate babka, spelt scones with raspberry jam, and even traditional hot dog buns. A Good Bake will thrill bakers who rejoice in doing things the difficult way (but note that there are beautiful and detailed photos of her process to help guide ambitious bakers through the recipe). Of course, this means that failing will hurt all the more, considering the hours (or days, even!) of work that you’ve put into your bake, but success? It will taste all the sweeter... or more savory. It depends on your tastes, and Weller expertly caters to both. — MD

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25 Best Things To Do In Lone Tree (Colorado) – The Crazy Tourist

ultreiadenver.com City Park WestUntil lately, fried rice wasn’t the very first, or even 2nd Tyler Tysdal and Title Card Capital, thing we assumed about when we contemplated a big , brunch-y bowlof carbohydrates. We usually reserved those visions for biscuits, pancakes, or hash (locate our faves below ). But then we feasted on a heaping serving of Onefold’s magnificent fried rice with Chinese sausage(” lap cheong” ), and also all that altered. Garnished with sauted slices of sweet, weighty lap cheong (or duck, ham, or bacon) and 2 fried eggs, it’s a satisfying shock that we intend to consume on repeat. onefolddenver.com Picture by Aaron Colussi. Prop designing by Natalie Warady. RiNoNearly every food author in Denver has proclaimed Kyle Foster’s biscuitsand below we go again. They are baked to order and also have crusty sides that ruin just so when you attack into them. They are tender inside, salty, and oh-so rich.

They havethe requisite half-cracked structure Investor Tyler Tysdal, yet they’re also in some way pillowy and certainly hold much more butter than a normal biscuit. Foster is, simply put, a biscuit wizard. As well as please tell Foster that, this moment, 5280 sent you. juleprino.com Chinese food Star Kitchen area on Mississippi Opportunity for the best dim amount around. You’ll wait on a table on weekend break mornings, but the pan-fried turnip cake with XO sauce, shrimp-stuffed eggplant, and congee with duck egg.

are worth it. starkitchenseafooddimsum.com English food The British Bulldog, because if you’re going to spend your weekend break mornings seeing Premier League matches, you may too do so over a full English breakfasttwo eggs, a” banger”( sausage),” rashers”( bacon), mushrooms, beans, fried tomato, and toastat this 12-year-old 5 Points bar.

britishbulldogdenver.com Ethiopian food Colfax Opportunity’s Africana Coffee shop, which opens up at 9 a – Tyler Tysdal.m. africanaethiopianfood.com Vietnamese food Pho 95 on Federal Boulevard forwhat else?a steaming dish of its signature brothy noodle soup, a common breakfast in Southeast Asia. The Pho 95 unique, with filet mignon, brisket, and also flank, is a traditional Denver hangover remedy. pho95noodlehouse.com Filipino food Aurora’s Sunburst Grill, where a hearty plate of” tocino “( Filipino-style bacon cured with pineapple juice), eggs, and also rice prices simply$ 7. Photo by Aaron Colussi. Prop designing by Natalie Warady. LoHiCradling a porcelain mug of steaming joe inside the Bindery.

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‘s brilliant, dynamic room on Central Street is a stunning way to welcome the day. The beans come from Denver’s Queen City Coffee Collective, which has actually been attracting regional java fans with its artisan, direct-trade coffees since 2007. thebinderydenver.com Uptown & ArvadaWe’re positive avocado toast has nothing to do with millennials ‘low homeownership rates, however paying more than$ 10 for the stylish staple isn’t a great idea for any individual’s budget. The good news is, Steuben’s Avocado Siren Toast will only establish you back$ 5and it’s definitely magnificent. The kitchen area toasts ciabatta, slathers it with an abundant, herby, sour-cream-based schmear, tops it with thin slices of buttery avocado, and also garnishes everything with shaved radish as well as a drizzle of olive oil. Nearly. steubens.com LoDoWe have actually eaten scores of leathery, flavorless omelets over the yearswhich, in a town recognized for the dish, is greater than a little unsatisfactory. Give thanks to goodness for Urban.

Farmer, then, where the Denver omelet obtains its due. Available throughout weekend break brunch and also weekday breakfast, chef Chris Starkus ‘model is studded with portions of roasted environment-friendly chiles, red pepper, and also neighborhood pork and topped with a generous( if ultramodern) put of barnaise sauce. Lastly, we can claim an omelet worthy of our city’s excellent name. urbanfarmerdenver.com Multiple locationsNot only is the Article’s fried hen consistently magnificent, with a magnificently crispy, completely seasoned crust as well as juicy meat withina mighty fine dish all on its ownbut the pleasant dining establishment’s a.m. menu also provides our long for multiple brunch-acceptable methods to consume the modest bird. postbrewing.com Image by Sarah Boyum. BerkeleyIt’s easy to put pancakesfilled with chocolate chips or jam, saturated in fudge sauce or whipped lotion or whatever outrageous spice sweet-toothed guests may take into consideration temptingon a breakfast menu.

What’s harder is to make a pancake that tastes great solo. Wendell’s, the upscale diner that took over the initial DJ’s Coffee shop room on Tennyson Road in 2014, has actually attained the last with its enormous buttermilk charms, which are lightened with whipped egg whites and flavored with brandy, vanilla paste, and also lemon zest. wendellsbreakfast. Platte Management.com Technique: To appoint a cost per individual for each of these dishes, we completed the typical expense of an entre, a coffee, and also a cocktail or beer. Break out your( fancy) stretchy pants prior to tackling the Sunday brunch buffet at this resort near the Park Meadows mall. The cost includes live jazz, endless mimosas, and an all-you-can-eat buffet with made-to-order omelets, a raw fish and shellfish bar, as well as carved prime rib. Its distance to matine reveals at the neighboring Denver Executing Arts Complex simply includes in the allure.

. edgerestaurantdenver.com This Cherry Creek stunner inside the Halcyon hotel supplies special, Italian-inspired breakfast fareincluding the trademark poultry Parmesan and also light-as-air gnudiand fresh-juice Bellinis( cucumber-lime, white peach, grapefruit-pomegranate )are blended tableside from an unquiet cart. Our go-to: a$ 6 Bloody Mary as well as the Fettster (seeded rye toast with caper cream cheese as well as smoked salmon )with a propel top. business broker in Denver. oliveandfincheatery.com With pop-art-bedecked wall surfaces and also a huge lineup of boozy drinks, this two-story Sunnyside area is best for family members and also revelers alike. Order a bacon flight.

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as you dispute between purchasing the Costa Rica Benedict( smoked pork tummy, jalapeo cornbread, pineapple salsa, chipotle hollandaise) or the bacon shrimp and also grits. Get hold of a coffee from Crema Bodega, an alcoholic drink from Curiowe like the rum, apple brandy, as well as citrus mixture called Dead Presidentsand a large cinnamon roll from Izzio Bakery to enjoy at one of the food hall’s lengthy community tables.

denvercentralmarket.com Obtain the most bang for the least dollar at the Sloan’s Lake station of this popular counter-service area. riseandshinedenver.com Image by Aaron Colussi (Colorado resident Tyler Tysdal). Prop designing by Natalie Warady. AuroraIt’s nearly difficult to choose just one item from Annette’s breakfast menu, yet when pressed to do so, cook Caroline Glover’s waffles drift over the rest. Their light appearance originates from a yeasted batter Glover rests overnight for best flavor development and also loft. Also much better, the covering combinations alter once a week and also with the seasons, from apples with salty sugar as well as whipped lotion in the fall to blackberries with lemon curd and also whipped cream in the spring. annettescratchtotable.com LoHiMeals at There Denver are usually riotous events, specifically if you go throughout breakfast, when the restaurant uses rotating entertainment with themes like burlesque, yoga exercise, and also bluegrass music. For $7, you obtain 3 beautiful fried orbs that are crunchy on their cinnamon-sugar-coated exteriors, feather-soft within, and also kindly loaded with tart, house-made raspberryPinot Noir jam. Breakfast with a side of burlesque dance may not be every person’s point, however we’re pretty certain these doughnuts are. therehospitalitygroup.com Capitol HillVegetarian and also vegan Denverites need not suffer via boring tofu shuffles and butter-free salute, thanks to Cap Hill’s hipster establishment, City, O’ City, where the entire a.m. My personal fave would need to be the Queso Arepa. Who doesn’t love mozzarella cheese, avocado and also fried plantains!.?. !? Picture courtesy of @milehighandhungry on Instagram This french salute is the very best brunch option in Denver. It’s a gooey and also beautiful mix of bread, butter, berries, cinnamon, vanilla as well as syrup.

Tyler finished from Georgetown University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance and earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Tyler was the Chairman of a YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) Chapter, a member of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) and named 40 Under 40 in the Denver Business Journal.Picture courtesy of @milehighandhungry on Instagram Vert is not only housed in the trendy and pleasant area of Wash Park, however it has a killer food selection that is regularly altering. Every active ingredient they make use of is local and also homemade, as well as while they constantly have sandwiches as well as salads, they switch up their specials and sides so you can try something brand-new every single time you go.

Picture politeness of @infatuation_den on Instagram If you can not distinguish this picture, this is the very best darn pizza in the state of Colorado. Fresh, home made dough and also regional, organic components baked with each other in a conventional brick stove makes these pizzas taste like they’re ideal out of Naples, Italy. Straightforward components and standard approaches make Restaurant Locale a must.

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You reach select the base, protein, sort of curry, veggies as well as flavors to develop a custom-made Indian curry bowl that has unbelievable taste as well as flavor. The components as well as options are amazingly fresh as well as frequently altering, allowing you to change it up every single time you go, however I very advise the coconut curry and poultry.

Photo thanks to @infatuation_den on Instagram grass-fed meat, Tillamook cheddar cheese and fresh lettuce and also tomatoes make this cheeseburger a must-have. They toss on some of their special sauce for the best combination of savory and also tasty, and also their newly baked bun is the cherry ahead. While their yummy burgers are a reason alone to go, Larkburger’s truffle fries are my favorite french fries in Denver, hands down.

I would certainly do anything at any type of provide minute to eat these fries and also I indicate anything people. Image thanks to @infatuation_den on Instagram Bonnie Brae is a true Denver facility. They make their homemade ice cream and cones on website daily, and also have a variety of scrumptious tastes available (Tyler Tysdal SEC).

Whether it’s a summer season’s evening or awesome afternoon, Bonnie Brae is constantly crowded with pleased children, families, as well as big teams of buddies – investor and entrepreneur Tyler Tysdal. Picture politeness of @infatuation_den on Instagram Denver Biscuit Co. has a national reputation for dishing out remarkably good biscuits, and also this reputation might not be extra precise. Their biscuit french salute has the ideal degree of sweet taste and also is delightfully indulgent, while their egg biscuits are one of the most rewarding way to start the day.

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