#Homemade dry fruits shake

[spicyvegrecipes]

Dry Fruit Milkshake | Healthy Drink

Dry Fruit Milkshake Dry Fruit Milkshake is a nutritional powerhouse, filled with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that promote overall well-being and vitality. Cashews and almonds, renowned for their heart-healthy fats and protein content, provide sustained energy and support muscle repair and growth. Pistachios, packed with fibre and antioxidants, aid digestion and boost immune��

[plastic-rainbows]

AgeRe/Agedre Food Ideas!

Main courses:

- Grilled cheese

- Wildberry muffins

- Chicken nuggets

- Toaster waffles

- Macaroni & cheese

- Breaded Tofu

- Flavored oatmeal

- Veggie burger

- Hot dogs

- Microwave pancakes

- Pizza bagels

- Fish sticks

- PB&J sandwich

- Noodle cup

- Mini tacos

Sides, snacks, and sweets:

- Apple slices

- Pretzel twists

- Cheddar crackers

- Yogurt cups

- Carrot sticks

- French fries

- Scrambled eggs

- Dry cereal

- Granola bars

- Baby corn

- Mashed potatoes

- Gummy bears

- Pudding cups

- Tater tots

- String cheese

- Green beans

- Frosted cookies

- Mixed berries

- Graham crackers

- Raw broccoli

- Cheese puffs

- Fruit pouches

Drinks:

- Chocolate milk

- Orange juice

- Flavored water

- Homemade lemonade

- Kool aid

- Veggie smoothie

- Apple juice

- Sports drink

- Fruit punch

- Strawberry milk

- Protein shake

- Grape juice

Feel free to customize anything due to allergies, dietary restrictions, or preference. Bonus points if you cut your food up into cute shapes and use little dish sets for toddlers/kids!

[glazedsnail]

Fanfic Time

I'm heading to therapy so here's another part of my self indulging fanfic about Stardew Valley and the sad chicken man.

Misery Loved Company

ShanexOCFarmer(Female) 18+/swear words/substance misuse/explicit/suicide ideation/mention of abuse

Part 1 is there

‘Now, try and sprinkle some of my own dried hot pepper on my homemade pizza.’

‘Let it be known you made it yourself’ he says in a chuckle. He bites into it and smiles, extending a thumb up towards my proud self now swaying side to side.

‘Why do you look so surprised?’ He adds, concealing a burp in his fist.

‘It’s my very first time making a pizza, and drying stuff, that can be put on pizza!’

‘Congratulations?’

‘You laugh, but I’m proud. Yoba knows I’ve not been proud of myself much.’

‘Tell me about it.’ His smile disappears for a moment as he grabs a hot pepper. ‘Is that a first too?’

‘First batch!’ I beam. He bites into it and I stare at him, expecting a full review. He stares back, puzzled, and swallows.

‘Very good crunch.’ His smile is back. ‘Decent heat’.

I happily shake my head, taking in the compliments, still swaying left and right. He finishes it and flicks the stalk to the sand.

‘They’re very good, but I do have a question. Why in the world are you growing hot peppers? I’m no farmer but I know they’re not the easiest plant to tend to. Am I right former city girl?’

I feel the heat gathering in my cheeks despite not having any peppers. They’re actually fairly easy to grow, the caring, however… I remember buying my first seeds after Sam had told me they were Shane’s favourite. I did struggle to find the proper perfect balance for them, but I persevered and reached through. And its fruits are delicious. I’m not sure if I’m still talking about the plant, given I don’t particularly enjoy spicy stuff.

‘Fern?’

‘Ha, ha, ha!’ I say loudly.

He snorts.

‘Was that a laugh?’

‘...Yes?’

‘You can’t act like a real human can you?’ He chuckles. ‘Any normal human would have left me alone by now.’ He faintly adds, flicking another hot pepper stalk towards the sea.

I look at him. His green eyes are purposefully following the calm swelling of the sea. He cradles his legs in his arms and plops his chin on his grouped knees. The evening chill is playing with his messy hair. Some seagulls are brazenly hopping towards us, screaming at each other. I throw a muffin as far as I can, hoping that will help them leave us alone for a good chunk of the evening. They quickly fly away, leaving us with the sound of the crashing waves. The setting sun is now completely facing us. I can’t keep my gaze away from him, and I catch his tired eyes slowly getting wet.

‘Shane’ I softly start, shuffling awkwardly towards him. ‘I’m so proud of you.’ 

His eyes slowly close and a tear rolls down his cheek, crashing on his sleeve. I lean against him.

‘We are proud of you’ I add. ‘The work you’ve done, you’re doing, is being seen. Believe me Shane, you…You are seen.’ I sigh, knowing how clumsy my words are. ‘Do you believe me?’ I ask, as I reach for his chin, wanting him to look at me. I gently stroke his stubble with my thumb. My hand caresses his cheek as he cradles into it, half smiling.

‘I do.’ he says, grabbing my hand. He looks right at me and smiles.

Fireflies have started lighting up the area, and crickets can be heard in the neighbouring forest. I smile back, and lean to kiss the salt on his cheek.

He extends his legs back and invites me under his arm. I happily lean against him as he squeezes me and kisses the top of my head.

‘You can’t act like a real human can you?’ He repeats, laughing. I pinch him as unique answer and let his laugh warm me. We silently admire the sea, all the appearing stars reflecting in the water. I feel at peace. After a while, Shane grabs his bag and starts rustling.

‘Ah, shit’

‘Everything ok?’

‘I brought candles for when it’d get too dark but I forgot the damn matches.’

‘Here.’

‘You carry around a lighter?’ He swiftly lights up the candles and places them in front of us. They glow in a gentle lighting caress.

‘Used to smoke’ I say ‘Pretty heavily too.’

‘Ha, glad you stopped. Nasty things.’

‘Yeah…’ I clear my throat ‘The candles are nice’ 

‘It can get pretty dark here at night.’

Being out of his arm I start to feel the cold. Why is he not taking me back? I feel bad and I sense it’s the same for him. We must look like two kids waiting for their parents to come pick them up.

‘How are your hens?’ He asks, reminding me to breathe, 

‘Oh they’re fine. They cluck away around the farm, keeping me company, I’ve always wanted chickens so it’s quite the dream come true.’

He chuckles, somewhat knowingly.

‘And How’s Charlie?’ I continue. ‘She’s doing great, thank you!’ ‘How about.. You?’ I ask tentatively. He laughs, passing his hand on his face and through his hair. I get the message, no more probing. ‘Can I have some of that strawberry juice?’ ‘You literally have Emily’s bottle next to you.’ ‘I want the one you brought just for me. I know it’ll be much sweeter.’ He snorts, but hands me one of the bottles anyway. ‘You can be so corny sometimes I swear. You don’t need all the crap they must put in.’ ‘Aw, and here I thought the sweetness came from the magic pixie dust from the Joja fairy.’ ‘Who’s the Joja fairy?’ ‘You are.’ I almost choke on my sip of juice as he pinches me. ‘I just KNOW you did not say that!’

He starts pinching my sides mercilessly as I try to close the bottle, laughing uncontrollably. I’m covered in juice and he’s laughing. His smile is so wide it creases the corner of his eyes. I never want this… date… to end.

Once he frees me from his fingers he sits back down and stretches, swearing.

‘What’s the matter?’ I ask, recovering my breath. ‘Y’know, it feels like the last night of summer. We probably won’t be able to enjoy the beach like that again for a long time. Seems a good time for a beer.’

He side-eyes me, probably waiting for me to go all preachy on him. Fat chance.

‘I brought some!’ I actually say, protruding the six pack from my basket. He stares at me.

‘What?’

‘You brought booze?

I freeze as my eyes open wide. I stupidly brought his stories too close to mine. What an idiot.

‘I’m so sorry, that was silly of me.’

‘No, no! I mean. Y’know, I’ve heard them all since… That night. My therapist wanted me to join AA. Harv’ too.’ I nod in understanding.

‘They all think the problem is alcohol. Yeah it’s not the best thing sure, I know, far from it but, well, it helps, with, y’know…’ I extend my arm and place my hand on his, hoping he looks in my eyes and sees how much I know. 

‘So, they treat me like I’m recovering from the substance when, really, I’m trying to recover, to…well to heal from…’

‘The pain?’ I lock my eyes into his. He slowly grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.

‘Yeah.’ He lets out a deep breath like he’d forgotten to breathe until now. ‘ I didn’t mind being seen as the town alcoholic, but somehow their looks to me are even worse now that they think I’m a recovering one.’ 

‘I get it.’ I say. He looks at me with furrowed eyebrows and I just nod, victim of the same misunderstandings. ‘Misery loves company, I guess!’

‘Ha’ he laughs ‘ I’m way too sober for this conversation.’

I throw him a can and open one for myself.

‘Cheers!’

We take a few sips and let out a satisfied sigh.

The night’s gotten so dark, Willie’s cabin is nothing but a black square in the distance, blocking the stars. We both slowly drink, most likely deep in thoughts. Shane breaks the silence first: ‘D’you remember the first time we shared a drink? On the dock? Seems like forever ago.’

‘I do, I remember being happy to find you there, by the pond.’

‘Happy? To find me? Shit you must’ve been feeling really down’ He jokes ‘ What were you doing there by yourself so late anyway?’

I laugh.

‘I don’t think you want to know’

‘Sneaking to the beach? Heading for the seductive writer but bumped into me instead? Hey watch it!’ I threw a muffin at his dumb handsome face, knocking the beer out of his hand. I take a few more sips of mine, struggling to swallow. It doesn’t seem fair to tread on the subject, but it could be somewhat helpful to him. I can also just conceal everything from him but that seems even less fair. This feels so out of place, so excruciatingly rude and selfish. Just, plain selfish.

‘Hey Fern, you still there?’

‘Ugh. You sure you want to know?’

‘I mean, as long as you weren’t trying to sink a body or something I’m good. Hell knows you’ve made ME talk.’ I need to stand up, refusing to look at him, or even be too close to him when the words leave my mouth. I finish my beer in a full swig.

‘This is just because I want to be fully honest with you, ok?' ‘Fuck Fern you’re scaring me now.’

I laugh and take a deep breath.

‘I felt like I needed to test something. That very night marked a year since I tried to kill myself.’ Even the crickets seem to have fallen silent.

‘Oh. Fern I…I’m sorry’. 

I clench my fist, remembering. He calls to me in a soft voice.

‘Come sit back down. Do you, do you wanna talk about it? It’s, well, I mean, my shrink says that’s somehow good for you’’

I quietly laugh at his endearing clumsiness and sit back down.

‘How long have you got?’ I ask.

‘My whole life.’

Oh this motherf… I clear my throat and try to avoid his green concerned eyes falling on me. I’m thankful it’s probably too dark for him to see me blush like a teenager.

I sigh and open another can. He quickly follows. I wet my throat with a long swig and start: ‘Well I was, obviously, in a very dark place. You know the deal, memories, trauma… abuse, hate. And the pain.’ I already fight back tears. ‘ Everything was planned. Quit my stupid job, donated my stuff. What I could at least. And I drove to the bridge.’ I could feel Shane tensing up as I’m talking towards the darkness. His gaze is piercing the skin on my face. ‘ I wanted everything to stop, the pain to go away. Drinking wasn’t numbing anymore. Smoking never did. And the pills… Well nothing was truly numbing me or what I wanted gone.’

‘It was late at night, so the bridge was empty. I remember I didn’t even stop my car. Just let it running. I crossed the railing and just jumped. No thoughts, no second guessing. Straight in the water.’

‘How was it?’

‘Cold’ I laugh ‘The bridge wasn’t high enough to kill me on impact. I fell in the water. At first, instinctively I assume, I held my breath for a moment. But then my lungs started to fill up.’ I hold my chest. ‘It was painful. The lake was so dark I didn’t know where the surface was. I should have panicked but I didn’t. That’s when I felt it.’

‘Felt what?’ he asks, in a trembling voice.

‘The embrace.’ I linger on the word. ‘All of a sudden the pain disappeared, the sorrow. Even the memories were gone.’ I finally breathe in before continuing. ‘Then I remember the intense fire from my lungs, my throat. And the darkness again.’

I pause for a moment. My chest is rapidly moving up and down from the panic I induced myself because I’m that clever. I turn to Shane. Tears are slowly falling from his closed eyes and my heart cinches. I refuse to be the one adding tears to his cheeks. I quickly shuffle to him and wrap him in my arms. He instantly grabs me back and embraces me tightly.

‘I’m sorry’ He says, his voice muffled on my shoulder.

‘It’s ok’ I reply in a voice I want soothing. ‘I’m here. I got you.’

‘I got you.’ He echoes, squeezing harder.

I let myself cry in his arms, I can feel his trembling body crying in mine.

When we finally let go, we quietly laugh, wiping our eyes and nose. 

‘I’m sorry.’ I say, moving back to my appointed seat on the blanket. ‘That’s not how I wanted tonight to go’ I add, laughing.

Shane is much more sombre, looking in the distance at nothing. The flailing light of the candle increases the furious state of his frown.

‘I’m sorry.’ I repeat 

‘Nah don’t be. That’s so fucking wrong.’

‘What?’

‘All this!’ He gestures angrily, almost flicking the light out of the candle in front of him. ‘You could’ve just left me alone and live your new farm life.’

‘The heck you mean?’

‘You know exactly what I mean, Fern. You move your ass here on your own merely months after…surviving, no big deal, and you stuck yourself with a failure like me. You try to find a way to mark a year of your new life and you just end up listening to a depressed fuck. I did try to stop you from this.’

‘Shane, getting to… reach you was my own decision. And if I follow your logic you certainly do not need a screw up bitch of a newcomer to bring you down with her sob story right?’

‘Don’t talk about yourself like that.’

‘You first.’

He chuckles.

‘You like drama, don’t you?’ He grins.

‘Absolutely not.’ I twist my fingers, trying to find my words. ‘I yearn for a calm life.’

‘You can have it if you leave me be, you’d have it if you’d left me alone.’

I get angry.

‘Well tough, I didn’t. No, you listen to me now chicken boy!’

‘Ch-chicken boy?’

‘I didn’t move here expecting everything to fall into place. Because it’s not how it works. Everywhere I’ll go I’ll meet people and guess what? They’ll all have their own backstory. Maybe life’s been easy on them, maybe not, maybe it’s passed maybe it’s yet to come. You don’t get to pick and choose who you end up caring for, you don’t get to pick who cares for you. May they share trauma or not, you don’t get to choose other people’s story. My struggles are my own, and did not push me to you. Your struggles will not push me away from you. Maybe, just maybe the life I want is just not for me, or isn’t ready yet. Who knows, and who cares! All I know in this moment, right now, after witnessing you, after sharing mines, is that talking to you that one evening when you told me to fuck off was the most sensible decision of my life. And you do not get to tell me I can’t care for you or can’t like you or fall for you. I’m not here to save you or watch you drown. I’m not a saviour sent by fate. I’m here because life is happening, and it just so happens that we met, and managed to see enough of each other to just try. Just try.’

‘Are you done?’ He simply asks.

I groan, out of breath.

‘Yes.’

‘You said you like me.’ He dares utter, bringing the can at his snarkily smiling lips.

I turn red, either from rage or embarrassment I’m not sure. Did I say that? ‘Are you fucking serious?’

‘No, no, I get what you mean, I swear. But. Err. In the end, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.’

‘People don’t come with warnings, Shane. And I met a few people who could benefit from wearing a giant bright red cape, trust me. I  mean, you can’t possibly see whether an orange is rotten without peeling it right?’

He chokes on his sip of beer.

‘That’s simply the worst analogy I’ve ever heard in my life! And I’ve read self help crap.’

I can only laugh.

‘What I mean is everyone deserves to feel like someone’s putting even the tiniest bit of effort.’

‘Then once they see it’s rotten they just discard it, right?’

‘Some people might, I can’t speak for everybody. Same as how some people don’t even deserve the peeling process in the first place. But then there’s those who just realise it’s part of everything and keep the seeds to start anew.’

‘What a farmer you make. Do oranges even have seeds?’

‘Shane for fuck’s sake.’

We start laughing quite heartily. This all feels incredibly silly, and at the same time I’ve never felt so comfortable in my entire life.

‘Listen, Shane. I’m sorry for all this. I certainly do not want to impose myself on you. I come with a lot of baggage, and you obviously have your own. I completely understand where you’re coming from.’

At this moment I realise my silly crush is maybe, actually, much more than that. It’s real? Raw and powerful. After looking at me in silence for a while, he shrugs.

‘I’ve tried to shake you off several times haven’t I? And you’re still stuck.’

‘Like a mussel to a rock’

‘Right. So, if I was to, right now, tell you to leave me alone, you’d do it?’

My heart breaks, and I hope it doesn’t read on my face.

‘I guess I’d have to. I said I would haven’t I?’

I could just hide. I’m a bloody idiot. I want to run back to the farm, build a brick wall around it and throw my decent crops every now and then for Pierre to sell. I’d probably end up knitting myself a friend or whatever. I could surely figure out how to dye the yarn myself a nice green for the eyes. Fuck I’m a lost cause.

‘Do you want to?’ He asks.

‘Of course not.’ I mumble. ‘I can’t protest it anymore can I? If that's what you want.’’

He sighs and grabs my hand. I’m about to cry. His piercing look is burning me as he gazes straight into my eyes. I see the wrinkles around his eyes, deepened by the hardships of life, and age itself. I see his lack of sleep and trust. The exhaustion of it all. He takes a deep breath, and I ready myself for a devastating blow. Instead, he flicks my forehead.

‘Absolutely not you idiot.’

He sits back down. I massage my forehead, speechless.

‘Wh..what??’

He smiles at my confusion, then throws me a muffin.

‘Eat, you talk nonsense on low sugar.’

I still have no clue what’s happening. That’s the third muffin being used as a projectile in one evening.

‘Sh, Shane I’

‘It’s been wild having you ‘round y’know? You make me feel vulnerable but in a good way, somehow. I don’t tend to cry, certainly not in front of people’ He shuffles in his place, uncomfortable. ‘And you sharing all this with me, I just don’t want to add anything on top of it all. But like you said, it’s your deranged choice.’

‘It sure is’

He looks to the dark forest, away from me, and mumbles.

‘I guess we can try.’

‘I guess we can.’ I reply with a smile.

[lchufflepuffcorn]

Murmurs of life

Warning: Pregnancy, fluff... that'll be all.

Word count: 1, 164k

Author's note: I hate this, took me ages, I don't like it and I really don't like talking about early pregnancy.

Masterlist OG Writing Masterlist

Soft hands caressing your skin hidden under the covers. Breathless kisses and secret whispers, promises, ushered in the dark of the night. In the anonymity of your bedroom chamber, it was the most affection Keigo would offer you. You're used to the surprising softness the Winged Hero could provide in moments of calmness.

Most days, you sleep in a cold bed, after all.

You don't blame Keigo for his absence, not when he works to apologize for those lonely times when he comes back home. It's not his fault he got caught up in shit at such a young age. And he only wants what's best for you. Which, in this instance, is not to be known by the public.

"It would be a bore." He said once when you asked.

That had been another date spent at home, a nice homemade dinner and the preview of a soon-to-be-released movie he obtained you-didn't-know-how. And at this point, was it worth it to ask?

"Why?" You'd asked while putting the dinner plates away after drying them.

He sighed and placed the sponge back in the sink before turning to you.

"Cuz there'll be journalists everywhere, and we'd have to move again, and my manager would probably try to use you to use me or something…"

His perpetually unbothered face scrunched in disgust, and his shoulders bent forward in a bad posture you were trying to rid him of. The memory of your rushed move three months prior is still fresh in his mind. So many camera flaunting him while you cleared out of the apartment building from the back. Not an experience he wished to redo so soon.

You had only nodded and changed the subject. Again.

But now, in the darkness of your cold bed, only the memory of warm hands on your body to overthrow the heavy feeling resting in your stomach could help you get through your day off. One that you'd spend alone. Again. Hadn't Keigo said it was off today too? Welp, what was new. Of course, they would pull Keigo out of his vacations to work.

The necklace sporting one of Keigo's feathers flew centimetres away from your face, trying its mighty best to get you up and start your day. Without much luck as it seemed. Gently pulling on its rope to incite you to rose, it soon fell back in its place just below your breast, inert.

It shuddered and started to float again. Tugging twice, it let itself fall back toward your stomach and nuzzled. (Y/N) raised one of her eyebrows and moved to push the feather away, but it came back and swatted her hand in retaliation. It began to shake as if taken in a panicked frenzy or excitement. (Y/N) didn't think much of it. Sometimes, when Keigo worked, its feathers followed his movements.

Making her way toward the kitchen, (Y/N) started her day, as she usually did, stirring her coffee, opening the TV, and placing the news channel as background sound. The woman started prepping the ingredients for her breakfast, something with fruits and eggs… and olives, because why not. The feather shivered again, nuzzling closer to her stomach.

"More news coming from the arrest happening earlier this morning. We now have confirmation that the suspect was, in fact, part of the group attacking Ms. Takamori this summer. Authorities did not reveal the suspect's name. And as a matter of privacy, to quote the agent in charge, refused the journalists." Said the commentator, a hand covering his ear. Behind him, the visual showed a busy street, many police cars and the familiar red wings flashing for a brief moment before disappearing.

Preferring to skip the drama for today, (Y/N) changed the channel and turned to her preparation once more. The Takamori attack made headlines after the poor woman was found by a bypasser beaten up in an alley. Terrible thing.

The apartment's door opened with a bang, and a burst of air surprised the woman as two arms wrapped around her middle, gently pulling her to a muscular but warm surface. Only two people had the apartment's key, herself and…

"Keigo!" She laughed, swatting the part of his chest she could easily access.

"Are you alright?" Asked the figure, shaking her shoulder. A face rested in the junction between her neck and shoulder as the question echoed against her skin.

"Yes, why?"

"You're heartbeat's all messed up. It's been like that for days now…"

(Y/N) shrugged, continuing her preparation. Silence floated around her and Keigo for a moment before he talked again.

"Can I listen again?"

There was a beat of silence where (Y/N) looked over the raw scrambled eggs before her, making turning his question in her head, trying to make sense of it. "To my heartbeat?" She asked, turning her head to look at Keigo.

"Yeah!" He responded, raising his head from its perch. He turned to look at her expectantly.

"You do your thing." Said (Y/N), dislodging from his arms. "I thought you were working today…"

Situating a big hand right over her throat, covering the fluttering of (Y/N)'s heart, the other covering her belly, right over the feather necklace, silence is the only answer Keigo gives her. His ear is awkwardly placed against her back, which can't be comfortable, but she doesn't say anything. Breathing deeply and leaving her body to be supported by her lover as he listens to the echo of her heart, (Y/N) closed her eyes. The scent of eggs was starting to heavily hang around her, making her stomach turn in disgust.

"I don't think I want eggs anymore." She whispers to no one in particular. Keigo only hums against her shoulder.

"I'll make something else." There's a pause. "Did you feel, I don't know, weird those past couple of days?" He asks finally.

(Y/N) thought for a moment, scanning her memories for any inconvenience she could have felt. The back pains shooting near her hips and spine came to mind, but that was usual. The headaches too, but they'd become more frequent those past weeks. The nausea was new, but she'd been stressed by her work lately. Nevertheless, (Y/N) related all those to Keigo, who only hummed.

"What about the thing I asked you to do?" He asked finally, moving away from her gently yet still keeping a hand on the small of her back.

It was her turn to hum. "Forgot it. It's in the bathroom, I think. I was in a rush yesterday…"

Keigo slapped her ass playfully, then kissed her lips when she turned to chide him. "Go check on that. I'll make something else to eat."

A short moment passes before a clatter can be heard, and giggles and sobs echo in the apartment, (Y/N) comes back jogging toward Keigo and jumps in his arms.

"We did it, Keigo, we did it."

"I know!" He laughs.

In the bathroom, the pregnancy test forgotten on the counter shows two pink lines.

[derangedanomaly]

i’m sorry cricket i will not be taking your man but i would like to be held and also he is pretty as are all of the boys >///< /lh /nm. fluffymare in return, here ya go! yugioh anon, back again >w<

summary: inspired by chaos’s love for making food, you try out making homemade ice cream for the summer. nightmare checks in on you and unsubtly flirts with you. he chats with you while you Create. implied relationship beforehand. can you tell i got tired at the end lol it is 6:30 am i need to sleep

Dry, heavy heat surrounds you as you step out of the lush courtyard and back into the house. Sweat shines on your forehead. Summer was lovely for gardening and exploring the outdoors, but that uncomfortable air following you inside every single time was one thing you could live without. Unluckily for you, you live in a house filled with skeletons who can’t generate heat so the house is consistently just a bit warmer than preferred.

Forcing yourself to continue walking down the hall, you turn to the kitchen. A part of you would kill for something cold. You open the fridge to find… nothing. The entire thing has been emptied by someone. Scratch what you thought before, you might actually kill somebody. There’s a bit of milk, some stray fruits, a knife that you assume to be Blade ‘pranking’ Ted, and a bit of heavy cream. Wait, milk, some fruits, and heavy cream? Wasn’t Chaos talking about making ice cream soon? He bought an ice cream maker and the ingredients!

Your footsteps are just about the only sounds you hear for the next few minutes as you get out the ingredients and measure them out in the bowl. You remember a recipe saying that you can just put them in together chilled and it will work out fine, so you put your trust in it. As you’re setting the bowl back in, you see Nightmare approach in a fanciful outfit.

“Are you using the set Chaos bought, my other half?” Nightmare asks, sitting down straight in a chair as he watched you move about.

You nod and reply, “Mhm! It’s gotten so hot recently, I figured I should just make some now. I doubt he’ll complain about homemade desserts.”

The slightly sassy response makes him smile a bit, but he frowns at the comment about the temperature. He’d never admit it, but he tends to forget the requirements of the human body compared to his and all the other undead occupants of the house.

“Would you not rather a servant make some for you? If it is as hot as you say, I doubt moving around consistently is beneficial.”

You smile at his offer, but shake your head. Despite his neglectful act he oftens puts up, that concerned tone and worried stare give him away. Besides, you’ve almost finished the process so why get someone else to do it now?

“Since you have a moment, would you care to occupy me in donning a recent set of garments created by my designers?” His tone is formal, as if uncaring, but you understand the question. Nightmare wants to do a mini fashion show with you. The two of you relax for a long while, putting on various outfits and picking which look best. You both offer advice and critiques on the new style, but come out of it pleased.

When you finish making the ice cream, you set it into two bowls and hand one to Nightmare while you sink against the counter. The chill sweetness that coats your tongue feels like the core of your being is cooling down. A content smile spreads across your face. Nightmare would recoil from the immense positivity, but seeing you cooling off allows his worries to subside.

“Try some, it’s really sweet!”

“No dessert could rival your gracious attitude, my one and only.”

His cheesy words make you giggle, but you smile at him. A king of negativity, a nightmare, but your Nightmare.

Aww, never thought I'd live to see the day of Nightmare acting soft lol

Love this!

[tytarax2]

Beach Day

Sure thing <3

Writing this while my nail polish is drying

The last few scenarios I've written are a bit out of character, but it's what I think the guys are like outside the stadium

---

The sun was shining brightly as you and Riano arrived at the beach, the ocean stretching out before you in a breathtaking expanse of blue. You set up your spot near the water, laying out a large blanket and propping up a colorful beach umbrella. The rhythmic sound of the waves and the salty breeze instantly put you at ease.

“Look at this view! I’ve been looking forward to this all week,” you said, unpacking the picnic basket with a satisfied smile.

“Me too,” Riano replied, spreading sunscreen on his arms. “It’s the perfect day for the beach. What did you pack for lunch?”

You grinned, a hint of pride in your voice. “Just a few of your favorites. Sandwiches, fruit, and those homemade cookies you love.”

“You’re the best. Let’s take a swim before we eat. The water looks amazing.”

Hand in hand, you ran towards the waves, laughing as the cool water splashed against your legs. The initial chill of the ocean made you gasp, but soon you were both fully immersed, swimming and playing in the surf. Riano lifted you into the air and twirled you around, both of you falling back into the water with a splash.

After a while, you returned to your blanket, dripping and happy. The sun began to dry your skin as you wrapped a towel around yourself.

“That was so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard,” Riano said, handing you a towel and shaking the water from his hair.

“Me neither. This is perfect,” you replied, enjoying the moment.

You sat together, enjoying your picnic and the sound of the waves. Riano reached for a sandwich, taking a large bite. “These are delicious. You always know how to make the best picnics.”

“Glad you like it. How about we build a sandcastle next?”

“You’re on. Let’s make the biggest, most epic sandcastle this beach has ever seen.”

You spent the next hour crafting an elaborate sandcastle, complete with towers, walls, and a moat. A few passersby stopped to admire your work, and you and Riano beamed with pride.

“Not bad, huh?” Riano said, stepping back to admire the sandcastle. “We make a pretty good team.”

“We sure do,” you replied, brushing sand off your hands. “I think it’s time for a break. How about a walk?”

As the day turned into evening, you took a leisurely stroll along the shoreline, watching the sun set in a blaze of oranges and pinks. The sky's vibrant colors reflected on the water, creating a mesmerizing view. Riano wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close as you walked.

“This has been an amazing day. I love spending time with you like this,” Riano said, his voice barely audible over the sound of the waves.

“Me too, Riano. It’s days like this that make everything feel so right,” you replied, leaning into him.

You paused, standing together at the water’s edge, the waves gently lapping at your feet. The sky continued to change colors, and with the sun dipping below the horizon, the first stars began to appear.

“You know, we should make this a tradition,” Riano said, looking up at the emerging stars. “Just you and me, taking time out to enjoy the simple things.”

“I’d like that,” you said, turning to face him. “We could use more days like this. It’s nice to disconnect from everything else and just be together.”

With the sun fully set and the sky now a canvas of twinkling stars, you walked back to your blanket, hand in hand. You lay back on the blanket, gazing up at the night sky, the gentle sound of the waves providing a soothing background. Riano pointed out constellations, his voice calm and steady. You felt a deep sense of contentment, knowing that no matter what the future held, you’d always have moments like these to cherish.

Eventually, you began to pack up your things, the beach now illuminated only by the moon and stars. As you gathered the last of your belongings, Riano pulled you into a warm embrace.

“This was perfect,” you whispered against his chest.

“It really was,” he replied, kissing the top of your head. “Let’s do this again soon.”

You nodded, smiling as you both returned to the car, the ocean lingering in your ears, a reminder of a day well spent with the person you love.

Masterlist

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

B.F.D.G. 11 Chochoo

Big guy got smacked .0. Come back, small friend!

Story is also on Ao3!

.

Chapter Eleven:

Cassidy wanted to go home, to be safe on the farther side of the colony from here. Hells even the very secure, winter crisp-cool of VEGA’s data stacks and systems would be better. Being in her warm jacket and having a good coffee while doing the quiet rounds listening to music. Enjoying the time alone and away from the chaos of the central colony. The haughty if not entitled-ness of a good chunk is the scientists. Not having to spend hours of travel all the way to the loud, rough and cursing filled mining area to fix something the local techs should have caught. At least most of the miners and engineers there were nice, just very��� loud.

Even being in the vast green houses above and below ground would be better than this. Cassidy preferred volunteering for the few days of long hours of bi-monthly maintenance in the greenhouse farms to being here. At least mister Deegan’s family were really nice and would have homemade food and fresh fruit juices available all day. Even if the stuff to take back home for volunteering were mostly veggies and fresh eggs, it was always worth it. 

It was so, so much better than where Cassidy was now. She shivered, staring at a normally not so interesting spot on the ground. Now it had a twitching, twisted black ‘vine’ that was drying out. Unable to stop at the whine of fear, realized that that thick, stringy thing was inside her. Like the horror of a parasite on steroids, that ends in not a heavy round of medication or surgery but the loss of your whole self.

Waking up to the pain of a monster from hell biting her, starting to eat her was bad enough. Feeling that vine starting to grow from that bite was worse. Only to be pulled back to the only source of safety and fully waking up to find him opening his maw around her was almost as bad. 

Cassidy physically shivered, curling into herself as the memories of both replayed.

The giant thankfully did not bite her arm off, the pressure of surprisingly sharp teeth would not shake off her. He had helped… somehow, Cassidy was not sure how he did it. That black 'vine' was extracted from her and spat out away from them after he let go of her.

Waking up to a demon trying to eat you was definitely on the top of the list of things she never wanted to do or see again. Nor getting your senses after a faint to a giant putting your arm in his mouth.

The disinfectant still burned where the Elite Guard had flushed the… the… holes? Where the vine had been under the skin, he got the oily substance out. Cassidy’s PPE clothes she still had on over her legs were very wet now. It smelled funny but did not stink like the black oil. She was not really sure where the rest went, as she was cold now.

Cassidy shivered as the memory of her whole arm was fit into the giant's mouth. Realizing that he was big enough to eat a person made the woman whine. Feeling the Guardsman turning back to her and then rubbing her back and humming a reassuring tone. 

“Cassidy?” He asked, Richard’s voice was rough but low. Like mister Winston, gravely but warm. “Are you back? Can you understand me? Can you look at me Cassidy?”

“....it bit me…” Was all Cassidy got out, still processing that jumble of things that happened. It seemed to her like it had all been jammed  

“I know, I’m so sorry we didn’t stop it in time. But you’re whole… a few new holes aside.” Richard reassured, looking up in surprise as the big man-like being was coming over from the air lock. 

The Slayer tilted his head and dropped down to kneel, setting down that just far too big knife… dagger… thing. Then sat behind Cassidy. The woman squeaked in shock as massive hands wrapped around her, pulling Cassidy up and backwards. She shivered, not feeling able to do more than grasp at the hand around her middle, the other was shifting under her and before she realized, Cassidy was… leaning against the giant man… Slayer’s front??

There was a now familiar vibration of sound behind the tech. Remembering the giant doing it when it got dark. The low rumbling purr sound when he seemed to be reassuring, and then pressed his cheek against her back. Cassidy blinked, baffled, once more.

She just wanted to curl up in her bed.

No.

Scrub the outer layer of her skin, get something soft and hide under her bed. Maybe some cider or something.

The giant snorted behind Cassidy, and she tried to look back, but did not see much as she was moved a bit. Looking back to see the odd posture of the Guardsman, then realized that he was out right growling. A normal human growl was odd to hear now and then if one thought about it, but hearing Richard doing it. Seeing him bristle before the low vibration picked up behind.

The Slayer was sitting up, growing right back at Richard. Cassidy could feel not just that but a sudden tension cooling behind and around her from the giant.

“Stop it!” Cassidy tried to demand, it came out like a higher pitched yelp. She tugged on the hand around her middle. Shocked that after what might be a reflex to hold tighter… the Slayer was letting go? Letting Cassidy go as she was finally able to kick at him. 

Not looking directly at the giant was helping with Cassidy's confidence. “Stop it, stopit- let me go!”

If she was not so desperate, Cassidy would have registered that there was a surprised sound from in front, and a startled whine from behind. Cassidy felt a wonderful numbness spreading through her mind. For the first time she could think as she was put down, fumbled to slap off Richard's reaching hands away. Focusing on a seemingly blank wall panel to the side of the airlock to the tunnel.

Some information was filtering in from what happened. The struggle the Guardsmen were having before with overriding the air lock without a tram. Had they not heard her trying to say use the override here?

…Or had Cassidy not been able to get that out?

She could not tell.

“Miss hunter?” Richard was calling coming after, and the sound of someone even bigger following.

Cassidy refused to stop, sitting on the edge of the platform where there was a gap between it and the wall the airlock was attached to. Taking a breath, Cassy hopped down, trying not to think of the stains on the ground, because she did not want to focus on them.

“Cassidy! What are you doing?” Richard asked, half demanded.

“Hmm??” The low sound came not a moment later.

“I…” Cassidy pushed the right spot and the panel popped open, not falling away but swinging it open to her right. “I… I want to go home. I want to have a waffle, and use some expensive ass honey from earth on it. I want to eat that. Then I'm going to hide under my bed until Vega tells me what evacuation ship I need to get to.”

“How can you do that?” Richard started to ask before pausing in climbing down and seeing Cassidy unfold a not so hidden screen and holographic display of a keyboard. Typing on the display for a moment, using a rare set of codes.

The airlock to the tram tunnel opened to their left.

The Slayer made a startled sound as he leaned over Richard. Sitting on hands and knees as he watched what happened. The Guardsman looked up and back at a surprised sound. There was a second pause between the two as they both were baffled for a moment before the giant pointed to the exposed panel, then to Cassidy with a tilt to his head and a confused, “Hmm?”

“I honestly didn't know there was a backup panel there.” Richard admitted with a shrug. “Would have been a hell of a lot easier to get the civilians through earlier.”

“Are you coming? I'm going home!” Cassidy yelled from in the tunnel, voice echoing a bit weirdly.

The Slayer grunted, startled as he got up, pushing the Elite Guard ahead of him and stepping off the platform. Just remembering to grab his knife on the way. The smaller man by comparison trotted after Cassidy while the Slayer lingered a moment to study on the holo display. He had watched the human typing, fast but not so much he could not keep track. Even if, again the letters seemed backwards, Slayer committed what she roughly did to memory. More so the last set that seemed to be code to the airlock door.

He hummed before Slayer stepped on the tracks, bare but very thickly callused sols finding comfortably cold metal. Maybe this would not be too bad-

“Warning!” an automated male voice, not the intelligent one of before when the Slayer was dosing in the sarcophagus. This was something lifeless. “Weight of the tram is off-balanced. Please correct the load before continuing.”

The Slayer frowned, looking up, but not able to track one speaker. He snorted as Richard turned back, Cassidy, though she paused mid motion about to hold hands over her ears. 

Making a face, Slayer stepped all the way in the tracks and moved to the open air lock.

“Warning!” The automated voice seemed marginally alarmed as the giant of a man walked into the tunnel, reaching back to manually close the airlock. “Tram load has shifted! Attention personal, overloaded tram has shifted, a car is moving back into the tunnel! Attention! Overloaded car has-”

The voice mostly cut off as the airlock sealed. The words very 

“Blah,” Slayer looked down at himself, making a face even though there was a faint giggle-like sound from ahead. The demigod was pretty sure he was underweight compared to what he had been on Argent D'nur. He was bigger by not an extreme amount to the Argenta, no bigger than Wraith Sons, right? He just did not look as odd as them, other than bulk.

He missed his Sentinels then, they at least understood the Argenta silent language. Could tell the humans what to do, not to run. Get him information of what was happening on this strange Mars.

“The tram system really doesn't like you big guy.” The armored human noted, as they could still hear the warnings, though now muffled some more with a few steps away. 

Slayer rolled his eyes with a snort, shaking his head as he found he could still stand upright in the tunnel. Because he was thinking about the silent language, he made a negative motion. His right hand closed in a fist and tilted down and to the side twice. Richard noticed that, and his own body language seemed puzzled as the giant looked up. Walking away from the bright lights of the station more of the Martian nighttime landscape and sky were visible. 

Slayer looked up, scanning not just the night sky but how the tunnel was made. Curious despite himself, even as he felt another pulse on his senses. Not from behind, that formerly building energy of the Goreness was fading, as if it was dying out somehow, without its new heart being in or near the nest itself.

Maybe the humans taking the living heart away in time killed it?

The image of the scared human had the Slayer pause in his slow, shuffling steps to not run over the humans. He knew what was happening to him… her. That had been a she, Slayer was pretty sure that's what the other Guardsmen said. He knew what was going to happen as well. 

As much as he admired the armored human Guardsmen trying to save their charge, Slayer knew they would only drag out her suffering. He needed to find them, to end that suffering that would only get worse. He also needed to find the humans to get Cassidy safe and then see if there really were other gore nests.

It felt like another was trying to form, if Slayer focused and ‘listened’ with that other sense he got from the damned machine ages ago. Slayer ran a hand over his head with a sigh, scratching at the short hair there. He really wanted to take his time here. To let his little human make it as far as she could on her own.

He was so proud she smacked him!

It was not a lot, but it showed there was some good spirit in her!

Cassidy still had no good survival instincts as far as Slayer could tell. He turned back and looked concerned, she had not even made it a few of his full strides while he was distracted. He caught up in a few steps, tilting his head and leaned forward, making a chuffing sound to warn Richard and Cassidy. Saw the Elite Guard tense but he did not draw the side arm Slayer let Richard pick up again. 

He chuffed, again, trying to get Cassidy attention, still worried about her little self. She barely came up to the guardsman’s ribs from what Slayer could tell. He watched the tiny shoulders hunch up as the smallest human almost curled up into herself.

She was so scared.

Slayer winced, knowing he had scared her again… and again. But he knelt to lean around Richard, tapping at the side of the tracks to draw his new charge’s attention. Not directly at himself as the demigod had already learned that Cassidy locked up seeing him. Cassidy was taking a few steps forward as if going to try and ignore him before stopping. Turning just barely enough to stare at Slayer's fingers.

Carefully, trying to be quiet he set his knife down again. The giant looked at Richard's helmet and hummed a questioning tone… could he help? Do something that would not scare the smaller one more?

“Hmm?” The giant rumbled, turning his hand over to offer to his new human. Slayer looked at the long tunnel, then to Richard, his other hand pointing down the tunnel. Then very deliberately, Slayer pointed at Cassidy’s smaller legs as she was distracted with his right hand. She had small legs, currently tinier strides compared to Richard’s own legs, let alone Slayer’s.

The guardsman tilted his head, watching behind his shaded visor. He was paying attention, and likely debating on what Slayer was trying to get across. 

The giant carefully touched Cassidy on her back with a finger tip, then pulled the hand back to tap his shoulder.

“...what?” Cassidy turned a bit more, hugging herself as she dared to peek back. Feeling herself locking up some more, even as Richard was shifting. The Guardsman was just able to block the young woman’s view of some… very visible parts on the Slayer.

“I think he wants you to ride? Carried?” Richard guessed as he took a slow deep breath. Getting himself to calm back down to think. “Long tunnel, we have shorter legs in comparison. Yours are the smallest.”

“Hmhm,” Slayer hummed and rumbled as he fought the want to just pick up Cassidy again. He really wanted to, it felt like his new human would be safest in his arms. He would scare her more just grabbing her again right? 

Slayer tapped the ground in front of Cassidy, getting her attention on him. Then motioned to the front of his shoulder. Please trust him again? Slayer lifted his hands, only having the Argenta silent language with his hands. I will protect you.

Even if the two humans could not understand the signs, there was a recognition of sorts at the deliberate mostions. Riched stood up a bit more, and Cassidy looked…interested. Her attention now caught from the little bit of stressed anger she had. 

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say.” Casssidy said in a small voice, looking down and hugging herself tighter. Remembering in that hazy state she had been in, seeing something like that that the giant had done. One of those just massive hands moved into her line of sight and reflexively Cassidy closed her eyes, tensing. There was a beat of nothing happening before her hand was lifted off her arm. 

Cassidy peeked up, her left hand resting on the side of the Slayer’s knuckle joint. The glowing eyes were looking at her still, but the hand lifted and slid free to point at the front of Slayer’s right shoulder. He offered his hand back, open and waiting.

“...are you going to leave me for the monsters again?” Cassidy asked in a small voice, shivering.

Slayer firmly shook his head, feeling guilt gnaw at his side as he remembered that the strange possessed tried to get at Cassidy at least twice when he had put the human down. He paused and then grinned while pointing to Richard. Getting a grunt from the guardsman.

They had another friend now!

The giant reached back, slowly and felt a smaller hand pat his. Slayer smiled and sighed as he moved to pick up the still locked up human. Sitting up on his knees as he held her close, for a moment wrapping both large arms around cassidy. Awkward as he rumbled in an attempt at reassurance again, but Slayer loosened his grip after getting a leg under him. Pushing Cassidy into the curve of his right arm, letting her rest and be able to look around once able. 

Slayer looked down and hummed a pleased note. Finding that Cassidy was not in a full faint but indeed looking around even if mostly limp. Then his gaze landed on the leery Guardsman.

He grinned, his altered teeth flashing into view for a moment.

Richard stepped back, giving a low reflexive growling sound again as he almost reached down to the side arm. Only to grunt in surprise as the Slayer picked up his knife and shoved its hilt at Richard’s chest. The man fumbled to grab the awkward weight. No sooner did Richard get a grip on the blade almost as big as his leg, like an overly heavy greatsword thing of fantasy.

Slayer was grabbing Richard around the middle from behind as he stood. Huffing in amusement at the scramble, not quite as gentle or careful as with Cassidy. Still mindful not to hurt the Elite Guardsman as he pulled the smaller man up to his chest and left shoulder. More pushing Richard up there to get his own balance.

“Really?” Richard demanded, grabbing some of the relatively short hair of the giant. There was a low chuckle under him in return.

“Mmhm,” Slayer agreed, now able to get his full stride and set a ground eating pace to catch up to the other humans. If he was going to stay here for any length of time, he would have to teach these humans how to ride on his back.

More so once he found his armor.

[heartswithfingers]

Homemade Delights: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lisoda Pickle

Pickling is an age-old tradition in Indian households, offering a way to preserve seasonal produce and add a burst of flavor to meals. Among the myriad of pickles enjoyed across the country, Lisoda pickle stands out for its unique taste and texture. Lisoda, also known as Indian gum berry, is a small, green fruit that transforms into a tangy and spicy delight when pickled. This ultimate guide will take you through the steps of making homemade Lisoda pickle, ensuring you can enjoy this delicious treat year-round.

What is Lisoda Pickle?

Lisoda pickle, also spelled lasoda pickle, is made from the fruits of the Cordia myxa tree. These small, green fruits are rich in nutrients and have a slightly sticky texture. When pickled, they develop a tangy, spicy flavor that pairs perfectly with a variety of Indian dishes. Making Lisoda pickle at home is a rewarding process that allows you to control the ingredients and customize the flavor to your liking.

Ingredients for Lisoda Pickle

To make Lisoda pickle at home, you'll need the following ingredients:

500 grams of Lisoda (Indian gum berry)

2 tablespoons of salt

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 tablespoons of mustard seeds

1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon of fennel seeds

1 tablespoon of nigella seeds (kalonji)

1 tablespoon of red chili powder

1 tablespoon of mustard oil

Juice of 2 lemons

Step-by-Step Recipe for Homemade Lisoda Pickle

1. Preparing the Lisoda

Start by washing the Lisoda thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt or impurities. After washing, pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Ensure they are completely dry to prevent any moisture from spoiling the pickle.

2. Boiling the Lisoda

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Add the Lisoda to the boiling water and let them cook for about 5-7 minutes until they become tender but not too soft. Once done, drain the water and spread the Lisoda on a clean cloth to cool and dry completely.

3. Roasting the Spices

While the Lisoda cool, roast the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds in a dry pan over low heat. Stir continuously to avoid burning. Once the seeds start to pop and release their aroma, remove them from the heat and let them cool. Grind these roasted seeds into a coarse powder using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

4. Mixing the Spices

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground spice mixture with nigella seeds, red chili powder, and salt. Add the cooled Lisoda to the spice mix and toss well to coat the fruits evenly with the spices.

5. Adding Mustard Oil and Lemon Juice

Heat the mustard oil in a small pan until it reaches its smoking point, then allow it to cool slightly. Pour the warm mustard oil over the spiced Lisoda and mix well. Finally, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and give the mixture a good stir.

6. Storing the Pickle

Transfer the Lisoda pickle mixture into a clean, dry glass jar. Press the mixture down to remove any air pockets and ensure the Lisoda is fully submerged in the oil and spices. Seal the jar tightly and store it in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks. This allows the flavors to meld and the pickle to mature. Shake the jar gently every couple of days to ensure even coating and mixing of the spices.

Enjoying Your Homemade Lisoda Pickle

After the pickle has matured, it's ready to be enjoyed! Lisoda pickle pairs wonderfully with a variety of Indian dishes. Serve it alongside rice, roti, or paratha for a tangy and spicy kick. It also makes a great accompaniment to curd rice or dal. The unique flavor of Lisoda pickle adds depth and excitement to any meal.

Health Benefits of Lisoda Pickle

Lisoda is not only delicious but also packed with health benefits. The fruit is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it a nutritious addition to your diet. When pickled, Lisoda retains its nutritional value and gains the added benefits of the spices used in the pickling process. Mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds have digestive properties, while nigella seeds are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Together, these ingredients make Lisoda pickle a healthy and flavorful condiment.

Finding Lisoda Pickle Online

If you don't have the time or resources to make Lisoda pickle at home, you can easily find lasoda pickle online shopping options. Many online stores offer a variety of pickles, including Lisoda pickle, made by traditional methods and packed with authentic flavors. Purchasing online allows you to enjoy this delightful pickle without the hassle of preparation, ensuring you always have a tasty condiment on hand.

Conclusion

Making Lisoda pickle at home is a delightful experience that combines the joy of cooking with the pleasure of savoring a traditional Indian condiment. By following this ultimate guide, you can create a flavorful and nutritious pickle that enhances your meals and brings a taste of India to your table. Whether you enjoy it with your daily meals or as a special treat, homemade Lisoda pickle is sure to become a favorite in your household. And for those days when you're short on time, lasoda pickle online shopping offers a convenient way to enjoy this tangy delight anytime you crave it.

Embrace the art of pickling and discover the magic of Lisoda pickle in your culinary repertoire. The combination of tangy, spicy, and aromatic flavors will tantalize your taste buds and add a burst of excitement to every meal. Happy pickling!

[allergybanditrecipes]

Truly Nut Free Granola

I couldn't find any homemade granola recipes that didn't have any nuts or coconut or seeds or other things I can't have. I found one recipe that used puffed rice cereal, and I roughly based this on that one.

This one's not gluten free, but you could switch the panko and wheat germ out for rice cereal and it'd probably be fine

Ingredients:

Dry:

1 1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup panko

Powdered ginger (maybe 1/8 tsp?)

Cardamom (about the same amount as ginger)

Wet:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 honey

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp lard (or shortening if you want it to be vegan)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Grease a baking sheet that has sides

Combine dry ingredients in a large heat safe bowl

Combine wet ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the fat is incorporated, stirring frequently

Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix it all together

(Options for variety) if you want to add fruits or chocolate chips, mix them in

Spread mixture onto baking sheet and pat it with a spatula or spoon to compact it

Bake 20-30 minutes. You might need to turn the pan halfway through

After Baking

For bars: cut into rectangles

For crumble: stir granola regularly as it cools to make sure it doesn't all stick together

Store in an airtight container once fully cooled, ideally with some sort of moisture absorbing stuff (desilicant) or a paper towel if you don't have any. If the granola is cool, it won't stick together if you shake the container.

Makes enough to fill a quart jar (4 cups)

...maybe a little more. I have a habit of snacking on the warm granola

[the-boyo1]

Step into a world where flavor knows no bounds – a world where the luscious richness of chocolate meets the nutty, velvety goodness of peanut butter. This delightful union isn't just a culinary masterpiece; it's an experience that transforms ordinary moments into extraordinary indulgences.

Delicious Duo in Perfect Sync: Envision the silky smoothness of chocolate entwined with the comforting creaminess of peanut butter. This perfect sync creates a texture that dances on your taste buds, leaving behind an exquisite craving. Whether generously spread on warm toast or used as a dip for fresh fruits, this dynamic duo promises an array of possibilities as endless as the joy it brings.

Versatility Unleashed: Elevate your culinary creations with the dynamic duo of creamy chocolate and peanut butter. From decadent desserts like chocolate peanut butter cups and brownies to savory delights like a chocolate-infused satay sauce, this pairing is a versatile companion for all your gastronomic adventures.

Nutritional Symphony: Beyond its luxurious taste, this combination delivers a nutritional symphony. Peanut butter adds a protein-packed punch, while the antioxidants in chocolate contribute to overall well-being. Moderation transforms this indulgence into a guilt-free pleasure, making every bite a moment of nourishment.

Satisfying Sweet Cravings: Craving sweetness? A spoonful of creamy chocolate peanut butter is your solution. Whether relished on its own or paired with the natural sweetness of banana or apple slices, this duo satisfies sugar cravings without compromising on flavor.

Innovative Culinary Explorations: Embark on a culinary adventure with creamy chocolate peanut butter. From vibrant smoothie bowls and decadent shakes to energy-packed no-bake bites, the possibilities are as vast as your imagination. Let your taste buds be the guide on a journey of inventive and delightful creations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter

Q1: Is creamy chocolate peanut butter a healthier option than regular chocolate spread? A1: While it contains protein from peanut butter and antioxidants from chocolate, moderation is key. Opt for natural or low-sugar varieties for a healthier choice.

Q2: Can I use creamy chocolate peanut butter in savory dishes? A2: Absolutely! It adds a unique twist to savory recipes like satay sauce, enhancing the flavor profile with its delightful combination of chocolatey richness and nuttiness.

Q3: Are there any creative ways to enjoy creamy chocolate peanut butter as a snack? A3: Certainly! Spread it on apple slices, dip pretzels, or blend it into smoothies for a tasty and satisfying snack.

Q4: How does creamy chocolate peanut butter contribute to a balanced diet? A4: Peanut butter offers protein, healthy fats, and chocolate provides antioxidants. Together, they can be part of a balanced diet when consumed in moderation.

Q5: Can I incorporate creamy chocolate peanut butter into my fitness routine? A5: Yes, it can be a delicious addition to post-workout snacks. Pair it with banana slices or whole-grain toast for a tasty and energizing treat.

Q6: Are there any gluten-free options for creamy chocolate peanut butter? A6: Yes, many brands offer gluten-free varieties. Check product labels to ensure it aligns with your dietary preferences.

Q7: What makes creamy chocolate peanut butter a versatile ingredient in cooking? A7: Its smooth texture and rich flavor make it perfect for both sweet and savory dishes. Use it in baking, as a topping, or in creative recipes like chocolate peanut butter smoothie bowls.

Q8: Can I make my own creamy chocolate peanut butter at home? A8: Certainly! Combine roasted peanuts, cocoa powder, a sweetener of your choice, and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth for a homemade treat.

Q9: How can I store creamy chocolate peanut butter for maximum freshness? A9: Keep it in a cool, dry place, and refrigerate after opening to maintain freshness. Stir before use if any oil separation occurs.

Conclusion: In the world of indulgent delights, creamy chocolate peanut butter emerges as a timeless classic. Whether you're a connoisseur or a newcomer to this flavorful pairing, dive into a realm of decadence that turns every moment into a celebration of taste and texture. Get ready for a journey where each bite is a symphony, orchestrating an exquisite dance of flavors that captivate your senses.

[incookingspace]

Blend Your Way to Better Health with the Domaya Personal Compact Bullet Blender

Eating healthy and getting your daily dose of nutrients has never been easier thanks to the Domaya Personal Compact Bullet Blender with BPA-Free Cups. This versatile and compact blender is designed to help you create delicious and nutritious smoothies, shakes, and juices in seconds, making it the perfect addition to your healthy lifestyle.

One of the standout features of the Domaya Bullet Blender is its compact and space-saving design. Measuring just 4.5 inches in diameter and 11 inches in height, this blender can fit easily on any kitchen countertop, making it perfect for small kitchens or apartments. Despite its small size, the blender is incredibly powerful, with a 300-watt motor that can blend even the toughest of ingredients.

The Domaya Personal Compact Bullet Blender also comes with two BPA-free cups, so you can enjoy your drinks on the go. The cups are easy to clean and feature leak-proof lids, making them perfect for taking to work or the gym. Whether you're making a protein shake after a workout or a green smoothie for breakfast, the Domaya Bullet Blender is the perfect solution for healthy and convenient nutrition.

Another great feature of the Domaya Personal Compact Bullet Blender is its ease of use. Simply add your ingredients to the cup, attach it to the blender, and press the button to blend. The blender also features a safety lock design to prevent accidental spills or harms. Cleanup is a breeze, too. Just rinse the blade clean before wiping it with a dry cloth.

The Domaya Personal Compact Bullet Blender is also incredibly versatile. It can be used to blend a wide variety of ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, making it perfect for creating everything from protein shakes to homemade nut butters. The blender can also be used to make refreshing cold drinks, crush ice, and even blend hot soups.

In conclusion, the Domaya Personal Compact Bullet Blender with BPA-Free Cups is an excellent investment to make for your health and convenience. Its space-saving design, powerful motor, and ease of use make it the perfect kitchen appliance for those looking to stay healthy and prepare their meals more conveniently. Order now and see how this blender will change your eating habits for the better.

[onyxhealthy]

Homemade protein shakes without protein powder

Peanut butter and banana shake

Chocolate banana protein shake

Cherry Chia shake

Oatmeal and nut butter shake

Dry fruits shake

Date nut smoothie

Mango cherry smoothie

Alternative ingredients: If you like you can mix match any dairy or vegan dairy products like you can use Greek yogurt, almond milk, cow milk, soya milk, oat milk, etc according to your liking. Replacing these main components will not cause a dramatic protein difference. The protein may slightly increase or decrease depending on your choice.

Peanut butter and banana shake

•Ingredients-

2 bananas, milk (of choice), 2 tbsp peanut butter, honey (according to taste) and ice cubes, ½ tbsp chia seeds.

•Process-

Add everything into a blender and blend (add chunks of banana). Later you can add more milk if you like it thin. Add ice cubes and enjoy

•Nutrition-

Calories-480

Protein-21 grams

If you want you can customise it by adding different nut butter like almond or cashew butter, spinach and other seeds like flax seeds. And, to make it more delicious you can add unsweetened cocoa powder.

[teachandwrite-blog]

It was the season for the picking and eating of mangoes.

I stood in front of our mud bricked, thatch roofed house in the village.

I looked out over the land and saw thirty foot tall mango trees draped with thousands of yellow mangoes.

They made the trees glow, as if the trees themselves were saints with halos around their branches.

The mangoes hung on the trees like giant drops of rain after a storm, frozen in time.

I watched a child with a long, hook-ended stick.

There were two pieces of bamboo tied together.

The child used this homemade tool to pick ripe mangoes from the trees.

I saw the stick dancing and weaving its way around the tree in search of the sweet fruit.

Sometimes children climb into the trees and shake the branches until the ground thumps with the sound of falling mangoes.

When a strong gust of wind blows, ripe mangoes fall from the trees to the earth.

Groups of children scramble to the ground under the trees and search for the mangoes.

During mango season, women cut the mangoes and cook the fruit with peanut sauce and serve it as a meal.

I love it!

My Malinke friends believe if you eat too many mangoes, you will sleep for a week.

I know if you eat too many mangoes, you will do something for a week, but it’s not sleeping!

Even though it is the hottest part of the year, I love this time because it is mango season.

One of God’s many kindnesses is to bring the hope of mangoes in the hopelessness of the dry season.

One of my Malinke friends’ many kindnesses is to share mangoes with me.

- Trevor Scott Barton, Brown Eyed Stories, 2023

[kentobean]

teacups

welcome to first of many drabbles that involve domestic Levi. you can all thank @vennilavee

The market was blooming. 

Booths with all kinds of trinkets, cloths and fabrics, handmade clothing and bedspreads. Beautifully embroidered patterns and images just begging to be touched, to have gentle fingers carefully run back and forth over it, for each stitch to be appreciated. 

The smells mixed perfectly. Fresh bread and pastries, vegetable soups and bone broths from the higher priced booths. Stalls stocked with vegetables and fruits picked just that same morning. 

The sounds of children’s laughter and cheerful glees pulled you away from the booth filled to the brim with different homemade cookies, packaged in beautiful wraps of parchment paper. 

You followed the sound, easily slipping between other patrons until you found the force for such beautiful melodies. 

A small group of children watched as a young man with clay covered hands made shapes into his creations, for the shake of earning another brilliant fit of laughter from them. On the booth beside him, an older woman sat.

In one hand, a delicate teacup and in the other, a detail paintbrush dipped in a sage green. The rim of the cup was wrapped around by hand painted vines, each leaf with remarkable detail. 

“If I wanted to babysit, I would have brought the brats,” Levi scolded you quietly, bringing a small smile to your face. 

You quietly asked the woman if there was a teacup that was dry with the same details. With a genuine smile, she handed you an identical one. 

Your fingers carefully wrapped around the handle, admiring the gold details on the leaves. You tiled the cup, noticing that inside, at the very bottom of the cup, there were three leaves with curled vines, just barely touching the edge where the bottom met the walls. 

“Look,” you mused quietly, turning to hold the teacup towards Levi, “they’re handmade.” 

Levi shot you a look, carefully taking the cup from your hand. His fingers traced over the leaves decorating the rims. He moved the fingers wrapped around the handle, only his thumb supporting the handle while his hand settled over the top. The teacup in his hand just like any other teacup. 

Levi hummed in approval, asking to see the saucer that accompanied it. 

The woman moved her paintbrush between her middle and ring finger, thumb and index finger picking up a saucer in the shape of a large leaf. The middle dipped in, the edges turned upwards. It was a perfect set. 

“Everything’s handmade, idiot,” Levi muttered, only for you to hear while he reached for the saucer and placed the teacup in the middle. You shot him a knowing look, ignoring the playful gleam in his stormy eyes. 

“Does it come with its own teapot?” you asked curiously, pulling your money from the pocket inside your Scouts jacket. 

“It did, but with all the kids Akito attracts, there’ll eventually be some damage,” the woman smiled sadly. 

Levi beat you to it. His hand tucking money into the woman’s hand, other hand placing the teacup and saucer back onto the woman’s worktable. 

“We’ll be back in a week’s time. Four of those cups and saucers, along with the teapot.” 

“Please,” you smiled at the woman, “if that doesn’t cover it, we’ll pay the rest when we return.” 

The woman watched as you both bid her a good day, walking away. You turned towards the serious man with a soft, adoring smile and he moving to grab the small basket from your hands. 

[apprentice-maliya]

the things you don’t say, i’ll make them mine

pairing: asra/mali’ya cw: none, just some pre-plague, light angst and fluff because i am self-indulgent and i missed them. also stargazing (kinda). enjoy ! word count: 2.2k song(s): lover and the archer by taylor swift

With a snap of Asra’s fingers, the candles in the shop lit up all at once. The sudden light was almost blinding in their eyes, still used to the dark shades of the storm hovering above the city that merged into the soft, pink and orange hues of sundown. Behind him, Mali’ya sealed the door with a spell so that the rain wouldn’t get in, leaving at least the shop alone and dry.

The golden mark was still glowing on the wooden surface when she turned to her friend, pleased to see that he had already put the bags in a corner where they wouldn’t bother them. In the meantime, Faust had slowly emerged from the worn-out scarf he was wearing, and was now taking a careful peek at her surroundings.

Asra laughed, shaking his head to let the raindrops fall away from his white curls. “That was close.”

“Please don’t do that,” Mali’ya said, though she was soon betrayed by her own amusement when a small smile appeared on her lips. She gladly accepted Asra’s hands holding hers, shivering when the heat coming from his warming spell dried out any trace of damp in her clothes and her hair as well. Once he was done, Mali’ya sighed in relief.

“We should clean up,” she suggested, taking off her shoes since, in the hurry of getting inside and taking refuge from the storm, she’d forgotten to. “I’m sure we left some mud when we walked in.”

Asra waved a hand as to dismiss the option. “Or we could get away with it with little to no effort,” he suggested before the stains disappeared from the blue-coloured tiles with another snap of fingers, as if they’d never been there in the first place.

He rubbed his hands one against the other, giving her a satisfied look. “Easy peasy, right?” Asra grinned. “Now, let’s set up camp for the night.”

Mali’ya stared at the floor—she still wasn’t that accustomed to using magic to solve even the smallest inconvenience, and it showed—but upon hearing that, she glanced at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Rummaging in their bags as he was probably searching for their blankets, Asra shrugged. “Seems like a waste of a lovely night to me, don’t you think?”

She could tell he was smiling while saying that, still Mali’ya hesitated. It wasn’t like she didn’t appreciate the idea; on the contrary, she was eager to see what Asra had in store for her with that change of plans. After all, aside from the couple of nights she’d slept in the wild, on the run to Vesuvia with her aunt and her girlfriend, Mali’ya had no idea what camping really implied: Asra had told her about gathering your own food, sharing stories around the fireplace and stargazing as though it was nothing out of the ordinary for him, and, in hindsight, Mali’ya now realised that wasn’t but his everyday life. The life of someone who had nothing else in the world but himself.

In comparison, the years she’d spent in Venterre were a walk in the park.

Would you like to come live with me?

Her lips parted without her thinking. Once, almost a year back from that moment―a lifetime, really―her aunt had asked her that same, exact question. For the first time someone had brought up the possibility for her to dream, provided the instruments for her to make her own choices, and there she was, months later, living her happiest days in a place she’d learnt to call home.

All of that because at some point, someone cared.

It was truly that simple.

I could ask him now.

“Besides,” Asra added, silently commanding one end of a jute string to tie itself around the knob of the backroom door, before he pointed his digits towards the entrance handle for the other end to do the same, “I wanted to show you some cool tricks.”

Mali’ya watched as he tossed a sheet over the tensed thread, thinking that they definitely needed something heavy to secure the cloth on the floor if they wanted something close to a tent-shaped, homemade fort, or even one of her bedsheets so it would be easier to make it wider and more comfortable for the two of them.

All things considered, there was enough space in her room for another bed.

Finally, she spoke. “We should ask aunt—”

A voice coming down from the stairs interrupted her mid-sentence, before the thin silhouette of her tutor, neatly wrapped up in her frilly pink housecoat, appeared on the landing. “Ask me what?” She inquired, throwing them an inquisitive though sleepy glance.

“Sorry for waking you.” Mali’ya immediately apologised, bending down the string to approach her. “We were on the way to the clearing you showed us last time when the storm hit, and then we...”

In that moment, as to prove the truth in her words, a thunder echoed above them, followed by the even more violent sloshing of rainpour against the rooftop. Heralia looked up with a sigh, not at all impressed with the tantrums of summer, then noticed the blanket hanging sideways on the jute thread. “And I get that you don’t intend to give up on your stargazing, is that right?”

“That was my idea,” Asra stepped in, kneeling down to place one of the doorstops on the hem of the blanket. “You suggested that we studied the constellations in detail since the sky is clearer and it’s meteor shower season. Shall we perhaps postpone our lesson?” he challenged her, staring at his mentor with an innocent smile and a cunning glint in the eyes.

Heralia scoffed. “Do as you please, I don’t care.” A yawn ran past her lips, so she turned around with a shrug to climb up the stairs and go back to the comfort of her bed. “Just make sure you fall asleep at a reasonable hour and put everything back in place before opening, tomorrow.”

“We will, I promise.” Mali’ya nodded, surprised at how easily her aunt had given in this time. “Thank you, and goodnight.” Heralia hummed something in return that she didn’t quite catch, but since her mentor didn’t repeat herself Mali’ya supposed it was nothing important.

Clasping her hands together, she looked down at Faust, who was slithering around freely on the floor now that her aunt was gone. “Wait,” she told Asra, “Let’s use my bedsheets for the tent.”

- - -

Half an hour later, sitting comfortably amongst soft pillows and a couple of warm blankets, Mali’ya traced carefully each word printed on the astronomy book that lied open on her lap.

“What is…” she started, squinting in the dim glow of the small ball of light floating just above Asra’s hand. “What is an ‘Equinox’?”

“That’s when day and night have more or less the same duration,” he explained, stretching his limbs by her side like a cat that just woke up after a long nap. He couldn’t help a yawn. “Equinoxes mark the start of spring and autumn, so they happen twice a year.”

At that, something in Mali’ya’s chest fluttered with triumph. “Oh! I think I got it.”

With half-lidded eyes, Asra followed the movements of the quill in her personal journal as she wrote down the definition. “You want me to spell it out for you?”

“Yes, please.” Her voice was nothing but a bashful whisper.

A hand ran up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she nodded again, jade eyes steady on every letter in fear of messing them up. He couldn't really see it, but a hint of blush painted her cheeks with something akin to shame; there was still so much she had to learn after all, and since Asra was way ahead of her in terms of magic knowledge, she always felt like she was only slowing him down.

“How do you say that in Venterrean?”

She didn’t even lift her eyes from the page. “Rivnodennya.”

Her handwriting was still unsure, he noticed from where he was lying, almost childlike and adorned with ink stains and spelling mistakes; but despite that, a pleased little smile had come to grace her lips, together with a quiet satisfaction that danced in her eyes every time she made some progress. Shyly, a pair of small dimples also appeared on her freckled cheeks, matching his own.

Pretty.

“And Solstice?”

Mali’ya still wasn’t looking at him, and a moment passed before she was done writing. Finally, she closed her handwritten dictionary with a soft thud. “Sorry, I don’t know what that means.”

Asra smiled, shaking his head with a light huff, before eventually giving up on lying on the blanket so he could sit up and borrow the astronomy book from her.

“I told you, you don’t have to apologise for every word you don’t know.” He flipped a couple of pages like he meant to find a specific chapter or image; peeking at him, Mali’ya couldn’t help but notice how the words slid under his eyes without him even noticing them. Just how much did he know on the matter? And who taught him all that, given that he was only a year and a half older than her?

Asra was such a mystery, she thought. He possessed extraordinary talent and a unique predisposition for magic, was resourceful and clever, but nobody seemed to have acknowledged that yet. In her modest opinion, his shine would only have gone to waste, had him kept busying himself with their lessons.

In the end, Mali’ya saw him settle for a star chart.

If only I wasn’t such a slow learner. Mother always said I―

To her surprise, Asra set the book aside and reached for one of their bags. “Solstice marks the first day of winter and summer, by the way.”

She was still lost in thought when she answered, “That’s sontsestoyannya.”

“Oh,” was all he managed to say as he handed her a smaller bag, the one filled with the berries they’d picked on their way to the woods just the other day. “Sounds complicated. Vesuvian is pretty different from Venterrean, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Mali’ya agreed, taking out a single blueberry from the sack. It was soft and full between her digits and the rind was just the perfect nuance of indigo any ripe fruit should be. It would’ve taken a single, light squeeze to smash it.

“So is Zadithi.”

It was a statement so soft, a whisper so nostalgic, she almost didn’t catch it.

Asra had his eyes fixed before him, though he didn’t seem to be actually seeing whichever thing he was looking at. Faust, who’d been napping among the creases in the blankets, had probably sensed his discomfort since immediately, though ever so gently, she slithered up around his arm as to console him.

Arms around his knees to make himself smaller, a stare that spoke to none―he looked much older than his fifteen years of age, but also somewhat younger, the way when a self-made teen grows up too fast; an inner child whose heart, she was sure, ached for something he would hardly get back.

In the silence of the night, Mali’ya began to understand. Why she’d been drawn to him since that morning at the market. Why she always felt so at ease around him, even though she’d only known him for a few months. She had never been able to notice that before, because both of them were just dancing around the other; trying to see if they could really let their guards down.

They really weren’t that different, then.

Wait.

All of sudden, a realisation―raw hope―pushed anything else aside.

Silence?

“Asra,” she called, her tone urgent and bright all the same. Hurriedly, but as not to startle him, her hand ghosted on his forearm. “The rain. It stopped.”

Not minding the sheets rustling under her knees after her eagerness, Mali’ya crawled out of their makeshift tent but stopped half-way, turning to Asra with an outstretched hand.

“Come,” she smiled, in a way she hoped it said I see you. You don’t have to be alone. “Let’s go see the stars!”

The cold, humid air that followed storms was pleasing on her skin as she unlocked the seal, letting the breeze in while Asra handed her one end of the blanket. Still on the doorstep, Mali’ya watched as her breath formed uneven clouds of steam.

“The sky’s clearing up,” Asra whispered beside her.

The holiness of it all, of the dead of a midsummer’s night, was enough to keep their voices low.  Everything was painted in delicate shades of black and blue, and as they huddled close to one another, Mali’ya and Asra waited for the stars to show up.

Little by little, on the dark, empty canvas around the moon, a faint white dot appeared. Alone at first, it was soon followed by another, and another again, while the wind gently pushed the clouds aside to offer the city, and the few bystanders still wandering around―or standing on a threshold with their hands so close they almost touched―a sky so wide and mighty.

ao3 link