#I also add a tiny pinch of ginger to mine

[comraderaccoon]

Lazy baking tip!

Add some cinnamon to your chocolate chip cookies, to add a little umph to 'em. You'll thank me later. 🍪🥛

[peru-perusals]

Day 9 - Part 2 - Trains, Butterflies & Cooking Lesson!

Photo by Holly

We waited on the platform until it was time to board our PeruRail train to “Machu Picchu Pueblo,” also known as Aguas Calientes. As we’re visiting Machu Picchu too, I’ll use the name Aguas Calientes here for clarity.

The entire train ride was about 1.5 hours long. We ate our lunches, but mine was pretty bad. The bread was soggy and the pork was flavorless and dry. We played more Village Idiot and another game called Speed where you are moving quickly to create sets of 4. We also arm wrestled and played table football with a cell phone, which I suppose was closer to table hockey.

At one point, Holly fell asleep and every one of us took a picture of her sleeping from our perspective.

Photo by Haley

When we reached Aguas Calientes, the train dropped us off not at the station but just in the middle of the city. A man with a G.F.U. sign greeted us and brought us to the hotel to check in.

All six of us were in adjacent rooms on the 4th floor with Holly on the second. We decided to take a bit to catch our breath or explore and Mario would meet us in the lobby at 5:10 for a cooking lesson and dinner at 5:30.

All of the students opted to walk to a butterfly garden while Holly visited the hot springs that the town is named after. We walked down along the road until we reached the butterfly gardens.

We passed a statue of what can only be described as a creature.

We only had limited time before we needed to be back, so we anxiously waited for our guided tour of the butterfly garden to begin so that we could get back on time. Eventually, the tour began with pointing out some of the plants used before moving to a room with a microscope where he showed us eggs and tiny caterpillars under a microscope. Then he showed us a wall full of Tupperware with butterflies in different stages of development. He selected two, one which he released outside and the other which he released into their greenhouse.

It was hesitant to fly away, so it chilled on our hands for a bit. Haley got her Disney princess moment!

We took some more pictures of butterflies before rushing back up the hill to our hotel.

We got there right on time and Mario took us to the restaurant. They led us to a table and we were skeptical if we’d actually have a cooking lesson. The chef kept coming by and delaying our lesson. Eventually, they led us down to the kitchen where we were given masks and hair nets. They demonstrated how to make Causa.

Photo by Holly

Potatoes: Mash yellow potatoes Add 1 spoon of lemon juice and 1 spoon of olive oil Add a yellow chili sauce Mix well Ceviche: Cube raw trout Add 2 spoon of lemon juice and 1 spoon of olive oil Add yellow chili sauce with mayonnaise Add a pinch each of garlic, ginger, cilantro, and red chilis Add thinly cut onion strips and mix well Assembly: Press potatoes into a large cookie cutter Add a layer of avocado slices Add in half of the Ceviche Add the rest of the potatoes Press well until top surface is smooth and flat Add remaining ceviche on top Add two slices of fried plantain Add blue eggplant and orange chili sauce on plate as decoration Enjoy!

Austyn and Claire went first, then Haley and Alyssa. Bernadette and I went last.

Photo by Holly

She drew a flower with the blue eggplant sauce and I drew the Peru logo with the orange pepper sauce.

We tried all the Causas and picked our favorites. We thought that was all the food, so we ate almost all of it!

Photo by Holly

Then, they demonstrated how to make Lomo Saltado, but only Holly got to try her hand at it. Beef was tossed with peppers and tomatoes in soy sauce, oil, and wine.

Photo by Holly

We headed back upstairs and they delivered a plate of Lomo Saltado to each of us. It was delicious, the best Lomo Saltado we’ve had!

We headed from there down to Aguas Caliente’s central square. There was a live concert happening and booths were selling picarones. There was also a celebration at the Catholic Church. This community has a lot of immigrants, so the church serves as a social and community hub to recognize all their different heritages.

We headed from there back to the hotel and turned in for the night!

[sometransgal]

Spill the tea! Tell us what you put in this miraculous tea

It's really not much special just a play on chai that screams basic white girl who likes pumpkin spice.

You'll need:

1 cup Milk (I used 2% milk for this)

1 cup Water

2 table spoons White Sugar

1 teaspoon Allspice

1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 tea spoon Powdered Ginger

A pinch of salt to taste

And finally Earl Grey Tea***

Instructions:

Pour milk and water into a small saucepan and put onto low heat

Stir in sugar, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, powdered ginger, and salt to to taste. *

Turn up to medium-high heat to scald** the spice and milk mixture stirring constantly as to not burn the bottom.

Once scalded take off heat and add Earl Grey Tea*** and let steep.

Pour into a mug and enjoy <3

*I'm not sure the exact measurements I used so I provided my best estimates but feel free to adjust if you think it's too much or too little of certain spices. Don't forget to taste as well to make sure it's to your liking before continuing!

**Scalding is bringing something up to a near boil but not actually boiling it. If you do begin to boil take off the heat and wait a minute before adding your tea to avoid making it bitter.

***I say Earl Grey Tea but mine was specifically one that had vanilla in it as well which I think helped the flavour immensely. I've not tested it but adding a tiny amount of vanilla extract to the pot before scalding if you have regular Earl Grey might be a good idea. You can also use any other black tea you think would go well with the recipe, always feel free to experiment!

I'm not a professional at writing recipes or anything so I hope this was clear enough of an explanation!

[wistfulcynic]

soul cakes

Slightly early Samhain greetings to you all! 

Anyone familiar with my witch!Emma stories, namely The Very Witching Time and The Eternal and Unseen, I hope will remember that Samhain (called Calan Gaeaf in Unseen, because that was based in Welsh tradition) plays a very important role in those verses and Emma’s life and practice. Also in both stories is a reference to soul cakes (cacennau enaid in Unseen, because Welsh). 

Soul cakes are a real thing. What exactly they are can be a bit hard to pin down because there are many different traditions surrounding them, and for each tradition even more recipes. They can be soft and thick like a scone or thin and crispy like a cookie, and flavoured with a variety of spices. Some have dried fruit like currants or raisins, some don’t. One constant is that they always have a cross over the top, either cut into them or made with lines of fruit. 

As part of my research for Witching, because I may be a leeetle itty bit obsessive about accuracy and details, I read dozens of different soul cake recipes and, of course, ultimately developed my own. I prefer the thin and crispy ones, so that’s what I went for--they’re a bit like a spicy sugar cookie, sweet and surprisingly rich. 

And so, for Samhain this year, since I don’t have the witchy autumn fic I really wanted to write, I thought I’d share my recipe with you all. It’s very easy to make so even if you’re not an accomplished baker (as I am not) you should be able to manage it. 

Enjoy! 

soul cakes à la saira

ingredients: 

225 g butter (1 cup)

225 g sugar (1 cup plus 2 T)

pinch of salt

pinch of saffron (optional, because it’s freaking expensive and also very powerful as a flavour--not everyone likes it. If you use it, use just the tiniest pinch or it will overwhelm everything else)

2 eggs +1 yolk 

spices to taste (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, mixed spice, ginger or any combination thereof--I use a tiny bit of allspice and a metric shitton of nutmeg and cinnamon)

420 g flour (3 and 1/3 cups)

currants (optional)(maybe 200g? I don’t use them. As many as look right in the dough)(also possible to use raisins, if you like to ruin your cookies) (this is a joke)(kind of)

directions: 

cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add saffron at this point and blend well. Add eggs and yolk one at a time and beat well after each. Sift flour, salt, and spices together then add to the sugar mixture, beat until well incorporated. Stir in currants if you MUST. 

(the dough may seem stiff and too floury at first. Keep going, the flour will blend eventually) 

chill the dough for at least half an hour (lasts for up to a few days in the fridge and can also be frozen) then turn onto heavily floured board (dough will be sticky) and press out then roll to about 1/4 inch (can be as little as 1/8 inch for crispy biscuits--I like mine crispy so I go very thin). Cut out with a round biscuit (cookie) cutter and place on lined baking sheet. Gently impress them with the dull edge of a knife on the top to form the shape of a cross--don’t cut too deeply into the cookie. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 200 Celsius(395F) or 190C/375F if you have a fan oven) until they are very lightly brown around the edges. Don’t let them get too dark. 

let them cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet before removing them. 

you can gather and re-roll the scraps multiple times but chill them between each roll or they will get sticky. This is a sticky dough but flour it generously and treat it gently and it’s easy enough to manage. 

This recipe makes a solid 2 dozen soul cakes, depending on how thick you roll them. 

-

Soul cakes are great with tea or hot apple cider. You can also put jam on them--apple or cranberry jam or apple butter would be good. In some recipes they are sandwiched with jam between them. It’s a very flexible recipe. 

If you try making your own I’d love to see pictures! 

[fuckingrecipes]

Oh man I would LOVE a recommended batch-freeze gyoza recipe! I've never made then but I LOVE them, but I'm scared of googling it because of all the ingredients I don't know. Do I have to buy them all? Can I substitute for things I already have in my cupboards? Can I can skip some? How do I make this veggie/vegan? I JUST DON'T KNOW.

Ahhhh, Gyoza, the tasty tasty dumpling. 

Can you substitute? Yes, of course! 

Can it be Vegetarian? Yes, of course! 

Essentials:

2 teaspoons salt 

2 tablespoons grated or ground ginger. (ginger paste!) 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil, or olive oil if you want. 

Feel free to substitute or leave out whatever you like from the list below. Remember that everything here must be super-finely minced, or it won’t cook through. 

Mix and Match!: 

Some chives. (idk, how much do you like chives? Go wild) - You could also use super-finely minced onions instead. 

Mushrooms if you want. Tradition says ‘Dried Shiitake mushrooms that have been re-hydrated’ but we’re not traditionalists in this house. 

ground beef or pork or chicken - OR tofu, or extra mushrooms, or just leave this part out! 

you can also mince up (teeny tiny food particles is key!) basically any hard plant matter, So, zucchini, peppers, carrots, asparagus bits, turnip, parsnips, broccoli, etc. Having a slap-chop is really handy for this.  Again, not exactly a japanese flavor profile, but who the hell cares. Still tasty. 

If you’re using cabbage, you should mince up the cabbage, sprinkle some salt on it, massage it in, wait about 15 minutes, and then squish the water out of the cabbage into the sink. This reduces the moisture content and the risk of your gyoza being filled with liquid.

The final ratio is “Everything from the top list, and then 3 cups of finely minced stuff from the bottom list”, mix it up in a bowl, and that’s your filling. 

How to fill the gyoza:

Get some Gyoza wrappers aka dumpling skins aka potsticker wrappers. - any combination of those words.  

Dry your hands completely so the wrapper doesn’t stick to your skin. 

Put wrapper on one hand, and 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. 

Brush some cold water on one half of the wrappers’s edge. 

Fold the other side of the wrapper over the filling and pinch the dry and wet sides together. Pinch along it and seal it as best you can. This takes some coordination and practice to get perfect. 

Once you’ve wrapped them up, you can freeze them =) I tended to freeze mine in batches of 10-12, since that was a small meal for me. 

Cooking the gyoza: 

Frying pan over medium heat. (must have lid) Add a thick drizzle of oil - sesame oil is best, but any oil will do. 

Arrange a bunch of gyoza in the pan so they’re not touching. 

Add about a cup of water to the pan.

Cover with lid, cook on medium-high for 6-7 minutes - you want the wrappers to become translucent, and nearly no liquid is left in the pan. 

Take off the lid and keep cooking for another minute until the bottoms are crunchy. 

Ta daaaa~ It’s ready to eat! 

If you want some dipping sauce, 1-1 soy sauce and rice vinegar is good, and you can add some chili oil or red pepper powder if you want. Maybe garlic or ginger bits. Up to you. 

[angrylizardjacket]

friends in various places

AYDTD ‘verse

Summary: Ash and Roger's son had landed the part of Tom Zutaut in the up and coming film The Dirt, where some old family friends are having their lives dissected on screen. Only problem is, the rest of his fellow cast members don't actually know who in the hell he is. Of course, when his sister arrives, it can only mean bad things.

A/N: literally no-one asked for this but i’m cleaning out my drafts. or attempting to.

----

Tommy greets Barney like an old friend, wrapping him up in a hug, talking about the last time he saw him, he was knee high to a grasshopper. Barney, who does his best to appear smaller than he is, slouching a little as he stands, making him appear to be just a bit shorter than the six-foot-two drummer, gives a slight smile.

“All the guys on ma’s side of the family are giants, apparently, I just grew into it.” He grins a little, and Tommy’s smiling, his eyes lighting up a little at the mention of Barney’s mother, and says Barney sounds so much like her. The tall ginger’s smile is wry as he raises his eyebrows skeptically. “’difference is you can understand me if I mumble.” Barney sounds the way a gently foggy Scottish moor looks; when not acting he speaks with a accented yet calming monotone drawl, which a lot of people don’t realise since he’s so quiet, so a lot of the cast and crew first heard him speak at the read-through, and thought he was American. 

The others who catch a glimpse of this interaction, Colson and Iwan and Douglas, all take a moment; they’ve known Barney because he always seemed to be around, on set, mentioned in passing; it seemed like everyone in the industry, whether they’re in the film or not, had heard of Barney Clarke, but they were never sure why, and they thought it would be confined to film.

Vince, on one of the rare occasions he makes it to set, asks about Barney’s sister. Later, Barney will explain to the other cast members that his sister is a mechanic, and that she sometimes worked in a pit crew for celebrity motor racing events. No-one thinks to question further, they accept it, they think she got the job on Barney’s recommendation; they don’t realise just who he is, just who’s around him. For now, Barney just shrugs a little, says that last he heard she was in Germany ‘for some car thing’.

He gets along with the rest of the cast well enough, he and Daniel taking quite a shine to each other as the others were a little more out there in the day-to-day; Colson because he’s always somehow full of energy, Douglas because he was in character, though Iwan was a bit of a dark horse, who enjoyed being loud as anyone else whilst not in character. 

Barney’s level and calm, and credits boxing as his outlet. For the longest time, it seemed as though nothing got under his skin, that he was just this chill, vaguely Scottish giant. If anyone was looking for a calm moment, with him they’d get it. Much to everyone’s surprise, especially Colson, he hung out a lot in the makeup tent, offering to help while the team of makeup artists covered Colson’s various tattoos. And maybe, yeah, there was a little bit of resentment building - of course, aside from being humble, well connected, and reasonably talented, he also had to be the kindest fucking Samaritan in the world - but then he sees Barney wrap his arms around Mickey, the assistant to the key makeup artist, press a kiss to their cheek before heading to his own trailer. It’s such a soft, intimate gesture. How had he not noticed the wedding band on Mickey’s finger before now? Barney’s willingness to hang around and help the makeup team, of whom his spouse is a part of, makes a lot more sense. 

And yet, it manages to just add to the confusing puzzle of ‘who actually is Barney Clarke?’.

A Running List of Facts The Main Cast of The Dirt Knows About Barney Clarke (a list compiled by Colson, with notes from Iwan, Douglas, and Daniel)

He’s Married - to Mickey Sun, makeup artist and social media personality

He’s Scottish (?) - observation based on his accent

Literally Everyone Seems To Be ‘A Friend Of The Family’ 

He’s Been Acting Since He Was 14 - based on his IMDB page

That’s it. That’s the list.

There was a fifth item, that he was the chillest dude in the world, but that’s scrubbed quickly when they come to film the party and scenes around Razzle’s death.

“What in the fuck are you doing here?” His natural accent comes in thicker, surprising the rest of them, when they get to set and see a beautiful, red car sitting on the curb outside the mansion they’re filming in, and a little blonde sitting on the hood of the car with a smile sharp as knives.

“I’ve got a car for you to crash,” and the woman sitting on the car sounds like him, accent, similar cadence even, and she hops off, stands with her hip cocked and arms crossed, looking over the rest of the cast, “actually, I had the shell of the model they needed rusting in my backyard, so I promised to paint it up right and fix it to the body of a far more expendable car, ‘s long as I got a trip to the states out of it.”

Barney looks like he’s quickly forming a headache.

The woman, tiny and pretty and wearing grease-stained jeans, introduces herself as Astrid, and when asked how she knows Barney, she raises her eyebrows with disbelief. Barney pinches the bridge of his nose.

“He’s my baby brother,” she says, grinning. 

They look almost nothing alike. With almost a foot of height difference between them, it’s jarring to think that Astrid’s the older one, but seeing them interact over the two weeks they’re together on set, it begins to make it’s own kind of sense. Astrid is the complete opposite to Barney in almost every way, apart from the fact that, like her brother, she was seemingly unflappable. She’s a smooth-talking, outrageous flirt who oozes casual confidence, and it seems the only thing she liked more than whiskey, neat, was driving fast.

“Hey, a friend of mine owes me a favour down at EXR,” Astrid’s grown very fond of Colson, and when the first week’s up, and they have a day off, she can’t help but want to share her favourite LA experience with him, “wanna go drive supercars?”

“Fucking absolutely.”

They drive a few hours into the desert until they get to the track, and the owner of the course, of EXR, Exotic Racing, greets Astrid with a kiss on both cheeks, and calls her Trid.

“Oh dude, oh fuck, you’re- fuckin’ MGK, shit Trid, you could have warned me,” the owner flusters for a moment, and Astrid gives a half-smile.

“Come on, Luca, it’s not a big deal,” Astrid tries to calm him down, and Luca sighs, before handing her a set of keys. Astrid and Colson head for the pits where a lineup of shiny cars are waiting, and Colson’s still reeling a little. The whole track is clear, closed so they’re the only ones around. 

“What did you have to do to get this whole place to yourself?” He asks, and Astrid tosses him the keys, climbing into the passenger seat of a sleek, black Ferrari.

“I work pit for free a few times a year.” Is all she tells him.

Colson isn’t a slow driver, not by a long shot, and Astrid seems content with him by the wheel, speeding down the straight with his foot on the floor, cutting corners close, and Astrid plugs in her phone to the aux cord and plays rock and roll so loud he can hear it hammer in his heart.

When they’ve done a few laps, Colson offers her a turn behind the wheel, and there’s a fire in her eyes that’s both terrifying and awe inspiring. They start of slow enough, two thirds of the speed he’d been going, but after a lap, she speeds up, her grip going white-knuckled on the wheel as she takes hairpin turns going 60mph, drifting around corners with such ease and efficiency without losing momentum, almost getting air off of the hill that leads into the final straight of the track. She drives like she doesn’t fear death.

This is the day Colson learns that Barney’s oldest sister is a professional stunt driver, as well as being a mechanic and general nuisance. 

And she’s fucking awesome.

“She’s magic,” Luca tells Colson as they watch Astrid do a few laps on her own. She’s even faster now, without a passenger to worry about, making it look easy as she goes around fast enough to stir a breeze each time she goes past.

“She drives like a maniac,” Colson laughs, and Luca hums with agreement, chuckling. When she stops beside them, the tires squeal against the tarmac, and her smile is breathless when she steps from the car, offering the keys enticingly, asking Colson if he wants another go around. He accepts, hopping into the drivers seat as Astrid heads to the bathroom.

When they get back on set the following day, Barney looks like he’s bitten a lemon the moment he sees Colson step out of Astrid’s fancy, iridescent teal car. 

“You’re doing it again,” Barney warned her, and Astrid gives him a blithe smile.

“No idea what you’re on about -”

“Leave Daniel out of it,” he’s quietly almost begging her now, and Astrid’s smile turns sharp, “Astrid you are the devil,” he tells her, feelingly, as he watches her wave to Daniel, who was mooning over the car with the rest of the cast. They both see him mouth ‘she’s cool as hell’ and Barney knows he’s already lost.

Colson catches on first, the way Astrid seems to get under her brother’s skin without even trying, around the time she’s grabbing lunch with Daniel and Iwan a few afternoons later. 

“Astrid,” Barney starts after a long moment taken to order his thoughts, “has chosen to model her life after Horace fucking Slughorn,” he seethes, and Colson’s confused for a moment before it clicks.

“From Harry Potter? The dude from the sixth one, right?”

“Right,” Barney sighs, and Colson quietly marvels at the fact that it’s the most he’s ever heard the ginger speak, “she collects the people I work with that she likes; it’s easy because she’s...” and he sighs like he’s terribly put upon, “actually really cool. Much cooler than I am, unfortunately.”

“She steals your friends?” Colson’s not quite sure if he should laugh, it all sounds a little childish, but Barney seems deeply troubled by it.

“No...” Barney muses after a moment of deliberation, “not exactly,” he amends, “she is the most supportive person I know, and I really do love her dearly, that’s not the issue, it’s that... well, she’s better at keeping in contact with people, despite only being on the peripheries of the industry.”

“Does it really bother you?”

“Yes!” Barney, surprisingly, explodes at the question, eyes going wide, throwing his hands into the air; it’s the most agitated and animated Colson’s ever seen him, “she’s so insufferably smug.” 

“You know you’re like... fuckin’ cool as shit, dude, right?” Colson admits with a half laugh, and Barney’s expression softens to something grateful, “I watched you in theaters dude, fucking big screen, man, X-Men’s not something to sneeze at.” He assured him, clapping a hand on Barney’s shoulder, who perked up considerably. 

It’s more of an insight into Barney’s character than anyone else had gotten during the entirety of filming, though Colson thought it would be best to keep this particular set of revelations to himself; Barney’s familial insecurities weren’t anyone else’s business. Much to his surprise, however, the following day, while covering his tattoos, Mickey brings it up.

“Barn really appreciates what you said to him,” they tell him, dabbing foundation on his chest, and Colson blinks a few times before he remembers.

“Oh, no big deal; you guys are married, right? Mickey Sun?”

“Michelangelo Sun-Taylor,” Mickey says, pausing and giving a sharp smile, to which Colson nods, and tries not to look as winded by the name as he feels. Sun-Taylor. Huh. How does that fit into the equation that is Barney Clarke? But he’s not given enough time to ponder that before Mickey’s working again. 

“I hear you’re being headhunted by Astrid,” they add, and Colson can’t help his slight smile and nod. Mickey makes a noise of understanding, “of course you are; she’s a fan of pretty blonde boys.” 

“She’d be the most envied woman in Hollywood if anyone knew her name,” they added, and Colson frowns a little at that, a little confused.

“Is it a status thing?” Is she using me? Is what he wants to ask, which Mickey seems to get easily, shaking their head.

“She genuinely cares for her friends; she’s a shit-stirrer, but she’s seen every movie Barney’s been in more than ten times, and she’s always willing to lend a hand - if you need a mechanic, call her, seriously; the thing is that she attracts pretty blonde boys who like cars and hot girls, and by the time they realise, she’s already solidified herself as a good friend.”

“Realise?”

“Well, it’s not my place, but she’ll tell you when she’s ready.” Mickey tells him earnestly, “lift your arm, please?”

Colson finds himself spending more time with Barney, dwelling. Barney won’t tell him either, insists it’s only Astrid’s place, which Colson respects, but he won’t bug her about it; he’s happy enough speculating.

“She has a kid?”

“Nope, that’s my other sister -”

“Other?” A tantalizing piece of new information about this man who’s slowly becoming less of an enigma.

“Cait, you’d love her, she can get wild -”

“More wild than Trid?”

“Not anymore,” Barney pauses, giving a half smile, looking over at where Colson is watching Astrid and Tommy argue animatedly about something, “Trid?” Colson shrugs, “she’ll tell you soon.”

“Can we meet your other sister?”

“If you want to,” Barney shrugs, offhandedly, “I think she’s in New York now with her partner, but I’m sure she’d be happy to fly in.”

“Is Trid married?” Colson asks, squinting, and Barney laughs in his face.

She tells him by the end of the day, mostly because his curiosity got the better of him.

“I’m gay; it’s not a secret,” she seems confused, and Colson frowns, though it does make a lot of sense, “I dated Cara Delevingne, does no-one remember that?”

“Fuck, man, I knew I knew you from somewhere,” Colson nods sagely, and Astrid snorts a laugh.

“It’s noble of Barn and Micks to not out me, but like, I’m kissing girls on tabloid covers, it’s not news,” she paused, shrugging, “I dunno, guys seem to be distracted by the, ah,” she gestures awkwardly to herself, and then to her car, “to see the kind of obvious signs.”

“You hitting on Leven wasn’t a bit?” Colson said with a half smile, and Astrid grinning.

“If you caught that, I’m not sure how it took you so long.”

“Cards on the table,” Colson raised his hands in mock surrender, “I was kind of distracted by the -” and he gestured to both her and the car, mirroring her from just moments ago, getting her to laugh. The tension broke, and they went to get dinner. Knowing what he knows now, it’s easy to be friends with Astrid; she ends up being a good wingman, apart from that time she accidentally went home with the girl Colson had been chatting up, and she’s got expensive taste in booze, which he appreciates. 

And he realises too late that he has no idea what to expect of their other sibling.

Cait is both the middle child, and seems like a strange middle-ground between her two siblings, at 5′7 and with the air of someone much wiser than her years. The moment she spots Astrid and Barney on set with the rest of the cast, eating lunch, she calls out.

“Ay-oh!” It’s a strangely familiar, and without missing a beat, both Barney and Astrid call back in the exact same manner, beaming, much to the bemusement of the rest of the cast. After a round of hugs, greetings, and introductions, and the strange realization that the siblings, despite not looking too much alike, all sound eerily similar, Cait sits herself with them all.

“Ben sends you and Joe his love,” Astrid adds, and Cait grins, thanking her for the message. Barney glowers into his pizza, “cheer up Barn, he sends you his love as well,” she pauses, grin all teeth, “Lucas does too.”

“He was my damn co-star, Astrid,” Barney huffs, “we still talk.”

“I know, I’m just teasing,” she offers, and Barney rolls his eyes.

“The collection of hot blonde dudes?” Colson asks bluntly, to which Douglas snorted water out through his nose, and Astrid turned scarlet.

“I do not-”

“Trid,” Cait said, giving her an exasperated look.

“I know you from somewhere,” Douglas mused, finally getting a good look at Cait, who just smiled blithely back.

“Ben Hardy and Lucas Till,” Barney fills in for the rest, who just seem to grow more confused, “so yes, part of Astrid’s harem of pretty boys.”

“They’re my friends, it’s not a damn harem - you’re an asshole, Barn,” Astrid glowered.

“I learned from the best,” Barney countered with smugly, and Astrid rolled her eyes. 

“Is that little Caity?” Came a call, and Cait stood abruptly to greet Tommy Lee with a bear hug. “You’re gotten so big, fuck, kiddo, I can’t believe you’re running Queen’s socials; you’ve been killing it from what I’ve seen.”

“Okay, seriously, who in the fuck are you people?” Daniel finally snapped, and Tommy blinked at him a few times, stepping back from Cait, casting a confused look between the three siblings.

“Did you not tell them?” Cait asked, eyes wide, and Barney scowled, though Astrid answered.

“Of course he didn’t,” she rolled her eyes, before turning on Douglas and Iwan, “you two ‘ve probably worked with our mum before; Rocket Taylor.”

Like a switch had been flipped, both Iwan and Douglas’s expression lit up, and behind them, Tommy turned a little pink around the ears. A chorus of ‘no way, holy shit’ rang out, and Cait nodded, while Barney hung his head. After a beat, however, Tommy stepped forward.

“You kids always downplay your dad like he’s not the drummer for Queen,” he adds, and the whole table explodes with shouting at that, highlights of which include Astrid’s ‘he’s a dork, Thomas!’ Cait’s ‘I was getting to that in a moment!’ and Barney’s ‘I’m excommunicating myself’ amid the cast’s sudden delight.

[imagine-food-souls]

College AU but with the Pizza trio please :3

“Heck yeah! No school!”

Running ahead of Cassata and Cheese, Pizza dove onto his knees and scooped up a huge mound of snow. Springing to his feet, he launched it all into the air. Instead of creating a gentle shower of flakes, both Cheese and Cassata cringed as wet chunks fell on their head and shoulders. Cheese even yelped as a piece found a way through her collar and onto her neck.

“Pizza, you’re dead!” She yanked his braid down, growling menacingly.

“No!! Cassata, save me!” Pizza’s head bobbed up and down as Cheese jerked him around.

“Come on, Cheese,” Cassata sighed, putting a gloved hand on her shoulder. “You can get revenge on him later. No need to rip out his hair follicles.”

Cheese gave one last look to Pizza before she let go of the braid, leaving the blond man to rub at his aching neck.

Cassata dusted the snowflakes off Pizza’s hair. “Pizza, maybe don’t eject snow at Cheese? You know she hates getting wet.”

“I just wanted to celebrate the snow day!” Pizza pouted, lightly batting at Cassata’s hand. “No school! No classes and no homework, just running in the snow!”

“We have online assignments, you know.”

“Don’t remind me…”

Cheese punched Pizza’s shoulder. “You probably haven’t started even the first calc web assignment, have you?”

“Neither have you!” Pizza whined.

“Nuh uh! I was responsible and started early!”

“I bet you haven’t even finished the first set of problems then, you— AAAAAAA MY ARM!!”

“Stop twisting his arm Cheese, we can’t afford healthcare.”

Cheese looked away from trying to break Pizza in half to remark, “It’s fine Cassata, the school clinic can probably fix it~”

She pushed Pizza’s arm down further, eliciting a pained whimper from him. “Besides, we can always ask one of the med students, like that creepy Harry Potter looking dude.”

Cassata stiffened at the mention of the med student, but Cheese didn’t seem to notice.

“I don’t like that Wispy guy…” Pizza mumbled as Cheese let go of his arm (but not before giving him one last pinch) “He’s weird, and always talking about dreams for some reason…”

She rolled her eyes at him. “You know I was joking about Whiskey, right? I wouldn’t want him within ten feet of me or any of my body parts. And he talks about dreams all the time because it’s part of his study, duh.”

“Hey Cheese!” A voice floated over to the trio.

Cheese turned to the voice and excitedly grinned and waved. “Hi Gingerbread!”

Gingerbread returned the gesture, walking up to them with her typical poker face.  

Cassata politely waved too, while Pizza was preoccupied with nursing his arm.

“Watchu doing Gingy?”

“Nothing much. On my way to grab some hot chocolate.” Gingerbread sighed, causing white clouds to form. “Got tired of third wheeling Steak and Red Wine, so thought I would treat myself.”

“Ooo! Sounds nice…” Cheese quickly rubbed her small hands together. “Ginger, lemme join you! I need food and shelter!!”

“Only if you promise not to ‘lose’ your wallet again. I’m not paying for your hot coco and then seventy million snacks.” Ginger turned and walked away, Cheese following behind.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it~” Cheese threw a look back to the two. “See ya two in bit!”

“She’s so quick to pick food over us….” Pizza whined as they watched the two shrink in the distance.

Cassata shrugged. “Maybe.” He saw the way Cheese’s hand twitched towards Ginger’s. He wasn’t dumb- he knew all too well that nerve wracking feeling of excitement and anxiety.

“Hey Cassata?”

“Yeah?” He turned to Pizza, forgetting his thoughts of Cheese and Gingerbread.

“Let’s make a snowman!” Pizza flopped back on the snowbank, rolling around.

The redhead laughed, shielding himself from the spray of snow with an arm. “Maybe you shouldn’t destroy all of your building materials. And besides,”

He knelt down to the sitting Pizza, who eyed him curiously. Cassata pursed his lips at he poked Pizza’s cheek, causing the other man to cry out in surprise. “You’re almost as red as my hair. Frostbite only takes minutes to set in, you know?”

“I’m fine!!” Pizza pouted as he got back up. “We can always go back in if we want to, Cas, and it only takes a little bit to make a teeny snowman!”

Cassata folded his arms. And then unfolded them and sighed. “Fine, but just for ten more minutes, okay?”

“Yay!”

Pizza immediately set Cassata to work on the lowest and biggest snowball for the body. Rolling behind him, Pizza hummed happily as he pushed a smaller snowball.

“Hey Cassata?~”

“Mm?” The ball was stuck. He grunted as he gave it a good shove, displacing it.

“What do you think you’re gonna major in?”

“No clue.” He replied. “All I really ever wanted was to get away from my hometown.”

He exhaled, and nothing appeared. His body temperature must be lowering.

“Maybe forensics? Sounds kinda cool. But I really don’t know what I want to do at the end of the day...”

He couldn’t see Pizza, but it sounded like he was shrugging.

“Same~” The blond responded. “Cheese has been determined since high school to go into the restaurant business, being such a big foodie and all.”

“Me though, I just wanna have fun, that’s all.” Cassata heard Pizza quickly roll up beside him.

“Don’t we all.”

“Duh~ If I’m completely honest, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go to college.” Pizza patted his snowball.

“It was more like I happened to get into the same university as Cheese and decided to follow her here and see what happened, haha,”

“Is she mad?”

“Definitely.” Pizza’s grinning face popped up. “This was supposed to be her moment of ‘freedom’, after all. But between you and me, I think she’s grateful to have a piece of home with her.”

“I bet.” Cassata wryly smiled. For as tough and mischevious Cheese acted, she was a bit of a softy deep down.

“But anyways,” Suddenly, Pizza reached out and grabbed Cassata’s freezing hand in his own. “We don’t need to figure out what we wanna do for monthes now, so don’t stress yourself.”

The smile that Pizza had on was so bright and warm that it was a miracle that all the nearby snow didn’t evaporate. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you, degree or no degree~”

Cassata just stared. God, he would die for that smile.

“Cas?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he shook himself out of it. “Just… that means a lot to me. Thanks, Pizza.” He squeezed Pizza’s hand back.

“You’re welcome!”

Cassata stood up. The ball was about up to his thigh now. “Is this good now, Pizza?”

“Yeah!!” The look on Pizza’s face was absurdly happy considering the fact that it was only over frozen water. But it didn’t stop Cassata from smiling a little himself.

“Cas, help me lift mine onto it!!”

“...Pizza how is your snowball already bigger than mine.”

Pizza took a look at his snowball. Despite remaining behind Cassata the entire time, the ball was larger by a significant degree.

Cassata looked behind him. Ah.

While Cassata had taken a straight and direct line, Pizza’s twisted and turned, winding and whirling. Judging by the snow trail, he also… looped around a tree?

He sighed and turned to Pizza. “Never mind. C’mon, help me lift mine onto yours.”

Lifting the snowball was actually much easier said than done. It took a few tries, but finally, the two of them managed to hoist the ball a bit off the ground.

“Okay Cassata… on the count of three, let’s put it on!” Pizza’s huge blue eyes blinked rapidly. “One…”

“You sure it won’t crumble…?”

“Completely! Two…”

Cassata sighed, and braced himself.

“Three!”

Pizza was correct that the snow wouldn’t crumble as soon as they hoisted it off the ground. However, they had overshot a little, and now their snowman resembled the Tower of Pisa more than anything.

“No issue!” Pizza slapped a comically small head on top, anchored to the right. “He’ll just be… dancing?”

The dancing snowman topic was interrupted by a voice calling out. “I’m back~!”

Turning around, the duo were greeted by the sight of a cheery looking Cheese walking towards them, cup of cocoa in each hand.

“Hey Cheese— where did Ginger go?” Cassata gratefully took the warm cup of cocoa and wrapped his frozen fingers around it.

“Ah, Gingy had to go and deal with Eggnog,” Cheese responded, tail drooping. “Something about Turkey, I think.”

Cassata nodded knowingly, while Pizza kept on staring at the remaining cup in Cheese’s hand.

She looked him straight in the eye, then popped the lid open and took a big sip. “What? You think I was gonna get you one after accusing me of being lazy?”

A pained cry came from Pizza. “Cheese, you meanie head!”

“It’s what you deserve, poopy face!”

“Stop fighting you two— You can share mine, Pizza.”

“I love you so much Cassata.” Pizza sighed dreamily as the redhead handed him the steaming cup. Cassata ignored how his heart skipped a beat there.

It was at this moment that Cheese finally noticed their snowman. “Geez, what happened here?”

“It’s Mister Pepperoni!” Pizza defensively wrapped an arm around the snowman. “I won’t have you talking bad on him!”

“Gosh, Mr. Pepperoni, I’m so sorry my idiot brother brought you into this cold, harsh world.” Cheese knelt down to pick up a few pebbles, and pressed them into the tiny head.

Cassata tilted his head. “His eyes look like a fly’s.”

“Well, which one of you gave him such a tiny head?!”

Pizza immediately looked away, causing Cheese to glare at him.

“Of course,” she lightly punched his shoulder. “Should’ve known- it matches your own.”

“I was gonna add more…” Pizza muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

Suddenly, he then plucked Cheese’s empty plastic cup out of her hands, provoking a “Hey!” from her. Dumping out the last droplets of hot chocolate, he then placed the cup on top. The cup almost entirely engulfed the head, but it remained above the eyes.

Cheese took a step back and giggled. “He looks absolutely ridiculous.”

“We haven’t added on the arms yet!”

“Yeah, like that’ll make a difference.” Cheese glanced back at Cassata and Pizza. “You two need to go inside- seriously, Cassata, you’re looking blue.”

It was at this point that Cassata realized that he had lost feeling in his cheeks. He raised a hand to touch his face and realized that he had lost feeling in his fingers too.

“Let’s just take a photo first!” Pizza took out his phone. “Who knows how much longer until global warming eats us all~”

“Cassata, you’re the tallest so you should take it.” Pizza placed the blocky iPhone 5 in Cassata’s numb fingers. Then, they all huddled around in front of Mr. Pepperoni and jostled each other, trying pose.

“Cheese, stop fixing your hair, just stay still!”

“Well stop squeezing me! You’re gonna knock me over!”

“I’m trying to hug everyone! Who doesn’t like hugs?”

Cassata shuffled around, his torso wrapped in Pizza’s right arm. “Hey, I’m gonna just take the photo now. Quit it.”

Cheese and Pizza opened their mouths to protest, but upon seeing Cassata’s extended arm holding the phone, they both shut it and grinned.

The camera flash went off.

Back home, Cassata didn’t have many photos- of himself or really anything at all. What was there to capture? He blinked, and saw darkness, flashes of panic and fear and self hatred.

His mind already captured those moments, he didn’t need more reminders from photography.

But for the first time, looking at the grainy photo on Pizza’s tiny phone, there was something else. Something worth capturing, worth remembering.

[chaotic-woso]

Is It Okay if I Call You Mine - Ch. 2 - CarolxMaria fic

Cross-posted from AO3

First chapter here

Fandom - Captain Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe

Ships - Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau

Characters - Carol Danvers, Maria Rambeau, Dr. Wendy Lawson, Monica Rambeau

Rating - T

Summary - Multi-chapter fic exploring the relationship between Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau as they become the Rambeau-Danvers family. Spans across different moments in the Carol-Maria relationship, from before they get together (because let’s all agree, they are t o g e t h e r in this film even if Marvel won’t come out and say it), to various milestones and slices of life in their relationship after they start actually dating, living together, mutually pining for each other, etc.

Ch. 2 - Carol embraces the role of supportive best friend and lots of mutual pining occurs

Maria decides to have the baby and she finally convinces her (begs endlessly) to join Dr. Lawson’s project, knowing Lawson will be far more supportive of Maria's choice than any of the officers at Maria’s current posting. But if she’s being honest with herself, her motivations are totally selfish. She misses working alongside her best friend, misses hearing her voice over the comms while she flies, misses the way everything between them just comes naturally, like they were born in sync with one another.

They don’t talk about the baby’s father and they don’t talk about that morning in the kitchen where Carol knows they were on the precipice of something. She throws herself into the role of supportive best friend and pretends that everything is normal, everything is fine. Her priority is Maria and the baby, not her own emotional turmoil.

After two months of long drives from Maria’s place to Pegasus, multiple doctor’s appointments that she insists on accompanying Maria to, and less and less time spent at her own place, Maria moves and Carol moves with her.

“It’ll be just like in Basic!” she says excitedly when she gives Maria her long spiel on why they should become roommates again.

Maria narrows her eyes at her.

“You mean you pounding on my door every morning before the sun was up so we could go on an extra run before everyone else was up? Or do you mean you snoring so loud I could barely sleep cuz it sounded like someone was running a chainsaw in our bunk? Or --”

“I did not snore.”

“You do snore, Danvers. Let’s not pretend it’s something you’ve grown out of.”

“I’ll be in my own room, down the hall, behind a closed door. You’ll never hear a peep.”

Maria crosses her arms, extremely skeptical.

She straightens her back and gets ready to play her trump card.

“I’ll do the dishes,” she says, waits.

Maria quirks an eyebrow.

“Every night,” she adds, waits again. She puts on her best pout, tries to look as endearing as possible.

Maria makes her suffer for a few more moments and then sighs. It’s the sigh she makes when she knows she’s lost and there’s no sense in arguing any further.

“Okay, fine. You can move in with me.”

“Yes!” she exclaims and pumps her fist in victory. She throws her arms around Maria and hugs her tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Maria’s arms are trapped at her sides, her barely-there bump nestled between them.

“Don’t make me regret this already, Danvers,” Maria warns.She releases Maria immediately and steps away, snaps to attention.

“I won’t let you down, ma'am,” she responds and mock salutes.

Maria rolls her eyes but can’t hide the smile on her face.

“You’re a fool, Carol Danvers.”

She smiles back at Maria, can’t stop the feeling of happiness that spreads through her whole body.

“That may be true, but I’m your fool and that’s all that matters.”

Maria shakes her head and holds her hand out to Carol.

“Come on, let’s go find us a house.”

They find a small place not far from base - two bedrooms, a decent kitchen, tiny backyard, enough for now. It’s not the place Maria plans to raise her child, but it will get them through the next year or two.

Time passes and they fall into an easy routine, both at work and at home. It shouldn’t surprise her just how smoothly it comes together; they’ve always made a great team. Maria has always understood her, knows how to handle her on good days and bad days. She lets her be herself, no questions asked. And she tries her damnedest to make sure she does the same for Maria.

At night she sneaks Maria’s copy of ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting,’ reads about trimesters and prenatal care, the size of the fetus at each weekly milestone, how to handle morning sickness and prevent stretch marks. A lot of the stuff in the book freaks her out, especially the chapter on childbirth, but it also reinforces what she already knows to be true - Maria is a goddamn badass warrior woman.

She keeps the house stocked with saltines and ginger ale, goes on late-night runs for bizarre food and ice cream combinations (the baby apparently likes Rocky Road with Cheetos, something Carol tries once and never again). She rubs Maria’s feet when they get sore after a long day working on Dr. Lawson’s planes, buys her extra pillows so she can sleep more comfortably as the baby grows. She cries when they hear the baby’s heart beat for the first time, even more than Maria does. She keeps an ultrasound photo taped to the control panel of her bird and another copy tucked in the visor of her Mustang.

Maria teases her and calls her a big ol’ sap, and she can’t even argue back because it is so damn true. She is in deep.

She decides to start a college fund for the kid but doesn’t tell Maria. She hates having a secret between them, but she knows Maria would adamantly refuse any kind of monetary help, would see it as a sign of weakness. She starts it off small with a couple hundred dollars and contributes to it every month from her paycheck.

She figures in eighteen years she’ll have come up with a good enough argument as to why she did this, and Maria will be unable to refuse. What she doesn’t know, has no possible way of foreseeing, is that Maria will actually find out about it in just six years’ time when a lawyer goes through Carol’s will and lists a bank account with one Monica Rambeau as the beneficiary, to be made accessible on the day of her eighteenth birthday.

Maria will both loathe and love Carol in that moment, will hate her so strongly for leaving them, for her life being reduced to a series of objects and documents. But she will also love her, will always love her, for thinking of Monica as her own, as someone worth investing in and caring for even before she was born, before they were together, before Monica became Carol’s in every way but biologically.

But Carol has no idea that's what lies ahead. Right now everything is pretty damn near perfect she thinks, and she doesn't see how anything could ruin it.

“Have you thought about names?” Carol asks Maria one evening while they're sitting in their tiny backyard watching the sun go down and sipping iced tea.

“I got a couple in mind,” Maria answers but purposefully doesn't elaborate.

Carol tilts her sunglasses down and looks over at her.

“You gonna share or just keep 'em to yourself?”

Maria gives back her own sassy look over the rims of her aviators.

“You just want to know if 'Carol’ is on the list.”

Carol places a hand to her chest and gasps.

“I'm wounded you think I'm that vain.”

“You are that vain, Danvers. You spend ten minutes every morning checking yourself out in the bathroom mirror - don't think I don't know what you're up to in there when I'm trying to get your ass out the door.”

“Can't help it that I look so damn good I distract myself sometimes,” she smirks back, her cockiest grin in full effect.

Maria rolls her eyes (probably for at least the tenth time that day) and she definitely does not let them fall back to Carol and linger on the exposed curve of her neck that glows golden in the setting sun, and she most certainly does not notice the way Carol's arms flex as she grips the arms of her chair, projecting strength and power even when she's at rest.

Maria gulps her ice tea and turns away, misses the self-satisfied look that crosses Carol's face.

That woman is such a damn tease sometimes. It's gonna get her in real trouble one day.

“Well if you won't share your list, I'll tell you mine,” Carol pipes up.

Maria's head whips back to Carol.

“You have a list?”

“Sure I do,” Carol shrugs. “I kinda got bored the last time we were at the doctor's and I was waiting for them to finish all your tests and stuff. They had one of those baby name books lying around so I flipped through it.”

Maria's eyes narrow suspiciously.

“You mean the baby name book you gave me last month that you said you picked up at a used book shop?”

Carol has the decency to look slightly ashamed and shrinks back in her chair.

“Uhhhh….no?” she replies, very unconvincingly.

All she can do is shake her head. There's never a dull moment with this woman.

“Carol, you have to bring it back next time.”

“But you already marked it up! They'll know.”

“I didn't write in it, I just have sticky notes marking the pages with the names I like.”

Carol sighs.

“Fine, I'll bring it back. But promise you won't make me confess? The receptionist lady doesn't like me very much as it is.”

She rolls her eyes - again, make that eleven times today - and pinches the bridge of her nose. People ask her if she’ll be able to handle a child on her own; she lives with Carol Danvers - she’s got loads of experience, she’ll manage just fine.

“Maybe if you stopped rearranging her magazine display every time we go there and didn’t steal their books, she’d find you a tad more endearing.”

Carol crosses her arms and huffs.

“It’s not my fault she can’t take a joke.”

If her child ends up half as stubborn as its Auntie Carol she’s in for years of trouble.

“Just bring the damn book back, you goof. Now are you gonna tell me your names or what?”

Carol pouts a bit longer and ignores her question. She sips her iced tea and waits, knows Carol will come around in her own good time.

A few more moments of scowling into the distance later, and then Carol mellows back out, sunny disposition restored.

“Well...I think an M name would sound good,” Carol starts. “Then you two could match, ya know? M and M Rambeau.”

“You've really thought about this.”

Carol's cheeks pink in embarrassment. It makes her look cuter than she has any right to be.

“I...I guess, yeah.”

Maria smiles at her encouragingly.

“Well, whatcha got for M names?”

Carol perks up.

“You really want to hear?”

“I asked didn't I? But I still get final say when the big day comes.”

“Of course, of course,” Carol agrees. “It's your kid after all, I'm just the cool aunt.”

Maria wonders if Carol knows she's so much more than that.

Carol launches into her list and Maria listens, nods at some and grimaces at others.

“Well for boys there's Michael, Marcus, Mitchell, Matthew, Mark, Malcolm, Marshall, Martin, Marvin, Max, Maurice, Melvin, Miles, Murphy, and Murray.”

“Marvin?”

“That one was a joke,” Carol admits. “Can you imagine? Baby Marv?”

They both dissolve into laughter at the thought.

“But you're convinced it's a girl, so there's a bunch of those - Melissa, Megan, Michelle, Melanie, Mackenzie, Maya, Madeline, Madison, Maggie, Mandy, Margo, Marisa, Melinda, Melody, Mikaela, Mindy, and Morgan,” Carol rattles off, letting out a breath.

“Oh, and Monica,” she adds.

She doesn't tell Carol that her own list is full of M names, too. And she's definitely not going to give her the satisfaction and unnecessary ego boost of knowing that 'Carol’ has floated across that same list several times as an option for a middle name. She’d be downright insufferable if she knew.

“Those aren’t half bad,” she says. “I thought for sure you were just going to say ‘Maria Junior’ for a girl’s name.”

“I’m not going to say I didn’t consider it.”

Maria laughs and tilts her head to the sky. The first stars have come out and the moon has risen, its crescent shape a sliver of white against the purpling dusk.

“We should head back in,” Carol suggests.

“Probably,” she agrees, but makes no move to get up.

Carol stands slowly and stretches, tucks her sunglasses into her t-shirt and steps toward her. She extends her arm out and Maria looks down at it in mock disdain.

“I can get out of a chair on my own, you know.”

“Eh, I know. Humor me?”

She accepts Carol’s arm and pushes herself up while Carol gently pulls her. She puts a hand to her back and Carol gives her a knowing look.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she insists, waving Carol off. “Those chairs aren’t that comfortable even when I’m not five months pregnant.”

“Uh huh,” Carol replies, smart enough to know not to argue. She follows Maria into the house, locking the back door behind them.In the kitchen she stretches, works the kink out of her back, and yawns. She feels a telltale flutter in her abdomen and grabs for Carol.

Carol whirls around, startled and confused.

“What is it?” she asks, a slight panic in her voice.

Maria presses Carol’s hand to her stomach in the spot where she just felt movement. They stand there for a few seconds and nothing happens. Carol’s palm is warm and wide across the curve of her shirt. Even through the fabric she can feel the heat that emanates from her.

“What are you -”

And then she feels it again and Carol must feel it too because she stops mid-question and her eyes widen.

“Oh,” Carol breathes out. “Wow.”

Carol blinks down at their entwined hands, her whole body still, and waits for the baby to do it again. It happens once more and Carol laughs in amazement.

“Hey there, Trouble,” Carol whispers with a reverence Maria’s never heard in her voice before.

Her best friend looks up at her, keeps her hand tucked beneath Maria’s. Carol’s eyes are shiny and her face is full of awe and wonder and adoration. It overwhelms her, how much she sees reflected in Carol’s expressive brown eyes. She wonders what Carol sees reflected back in her own, if it tilts her world on its axis like it does to Maria.

There's a beat of silence and Carol looks like she's about to say something, but then the baby kicks again, harder this time. Carol pulls her hand back in surprise.

“Dang, kid. Take it easy in there.”

Carol still grins widely and her eyes still sparkle with pure happiness, but whatever else Maria saw revealed briefly in the depths of her eyes has been subdued and pushed back down where it's no longer exposed.

She wants to ask Carol what she was about to say before the baby assertively reminded them of its presence, but she knows she won't get a straight answer. She doesn’t want to risk ruining the night by calling her out on it either.

They'll have this shared moment of joy, and for now that's enough.

[poplarstore-blog]

Summer garden goodness

Summer in Margaret River is stunning. Sunny, warm days and cool, calm nights makes for perfect conditions to grow our summer veggies and herbs. It sounds obvious (and I’m sure you’ve heard it before) but produce grown at home really does taste SO much more fresh than what is found at the supermarket. Much of the fruit and vegetables that you buy at the supermarket have been stored frozen for a long time and have often accumulated thousands of food miles to reach your local store.

For seasonal, nutrient-rich and fresh produce, it is worth investing the time to try and grow your own. It doesn’t need to be too overwhelming - start with one or two plants to begin with. Although – it is addictive! You’ll want to grow more, much to the consternation of your spouse or housemates who can’t keep up with eating all this kale/whatever is growing in abundance!

See below our tips for growing our favourite summer staple – basil! Please note, we live in a Mediterranean climate in south-west Western Australia, so your planting and growing seasons may differ to ours.

Our numero uno, favourite, most versatile herb - basil!

Growing Basil

Buying fresh herbs from the supermarket adds up quickly. It is cheaper to buy a punnet of basil seedlings from a hardware store than it is to buy one sprig in a plastic packet from a supermarket (I find this so frustrating!). January is a great time to plant some basil so you can enjoy it for the rest of summer.

This herb grows well in pots with well-draining soil. Fill your pot with premium potting mix (mix in a little compost as well) and position the pot in a sunny position.

Space your seedlings out, about 30cm apart.

Give your plant plenty of water to drink! I water mine every morning. A good way to check if your basil needs watering is to push your finger into the soil, up to your second knuckle. If the soil feels dry, add water.

When harvesting your basil, pick a few leaves from the top of each plant to encourage new growth underneath. Pinching your plant back often will also prevent it from growing tall and lanky, and be sure to pinch any of the purple/white flowers that may appear.

The more you harvest, the more it’ll grow! This is also a great way to delay it from going to seed, so you can enjoy your fresh basil leaves for longer.

Add on top of pizza, make a pesto, include in salads… it really is the most delicious and versatile herb, and easily my favourite!

We are also currently harvesting:

Spring onion – we’ve been adding this to stir fries and for making curry paste

Mint – best kept in pots or a maintained garden bed, as it can go crazy and spread quickly!

Lemongrass – chop up, mix with fresh pieces of ginger and infuse in hot water to make a nourishing tea

Our teeny tiny mint plant which will no doubt double in size in a matter of days…

Spring onion in the evening light - about to be harvested for tonight’s dinner

[sulla-slays-cronulla]

Monstrous Mediterranean - The Marsala-Ricotta Espresso-Amaretto Cheesecake

This was an attempt to merge 3 different cheesecake ideas, and ended up as a wondrous stacked chimera instead of chimerical. Phew. 

It gets a little messy so for this recipe at least, I’ll list all ingredients used first. Adjust according to personal taste and quite possibly also, regional room temperature and humidity, ingredients, oven, equipment etc.  

Made a few mistakes with the actual baking process, possibly also proportions? I think, maybe. Will go through below. 

Fruit, Nuts, Snacks:

6 large dried apricots

60 + 20 (++) g of ground almonds; small chopped almonds in a generous handful; flaked almonds for toasted topping

120g of smashed cookies [ 5 ginger biscuits, the rest were a mix of plain and *cheddar Goldfish biscuits, slightly more plain than cheddar. ] 

4 squares 99% dark chocolate, 4plus squares flavoured milk chocolate. This one is camel milk with an Arabian spice mix. Chop small but roughly. 

500g grapes - a mix of red and/or black ones, 1 orange

Egg & Dairy:

70g unsalted butter

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

425g ricotta cheese; 250g Philadelphia cream cheese

80g full fat Greek yogurt, 50g double cream

Liquid & Dry Flavours

1/3 cup + ~2 tbsp Amaretto

3-5 tablespoons instant espresso mix (Davidoff 57 used) 

1/2 tsp cinnamon, similar amount of salt for cookie base

2 tbsp Flower honey; 1 teaspoon vanilla essence & 1 of almond essence; 

4-8 tablespoons wholemeal flour (or cornstarch at half of that)

1-2 tbsp normal honey; 

So to start, here’s the base:

1. Chop up the 6 apricots, 3 of them set aside for the cookie base and 3 go into a small cup with 2 tablespoons of Amaretto to soak. 

Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Blitz the 120g of your chosen biscuit mix into a crumb. 

Add to 60g of ground almonds. 

Add 70g of unsalted butter. Mix well together. Add salt if you need to, depends on the biscuits. I think I used a little over half a teaspoon of salt for this. 

*cheddar biscuits. Used these only because I knew I would have the grape topping. If no rich red citrus on top, no cheddar. 

1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of instant espresso granules into mini blender. Blitz. Add to biscuit mix, but don’t inhale right when you remove lid. 

3. Add a sprinkling of small-chopped almond pieces and the unsoaked chopped apricots (might increase from 3 to 4 or 5 next time). 

Mix these in well, gently. Press into bottom of a spring dish thingie, mine is presumably 9″ version circular pan, so it just touched and covered the edges with less than a cm up the sides. 

Into oven for about 14 minutes. 

Take it out to cool, and once it is, remove and set aside the soaking apricots from their cup. Add a pinch of espresso powder to the remaining Amaretto liquid and brush onto surface of cookie base. 

Cheesy, Boozy, Chocolate-Sprinkled & Caffeinated Body:

4. Put ricotta (425g) and cream cheese (250g) into a large bowl, let them reach room temperature.

5. Ensure your tiny blender is clear of other flavours. Add 2 tbsp of brown sugar and around 2-3 tablespoons of espresso granules. Blitz into powder again, dump onto the cheeses with a half teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Handheld mixer until just incorporated. It looks and smells very delicious at this point.

6. Add the yogurt (80g) and double cream (50g); 1/3 cup of Amaretto

Handheld mixer until just incorporated

7. 1 egg and 2 yolks in a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of flower honey and a teaspoon each of vanilla and almond essence. Mix properly, add to mixture, mix until just incorporated. 

8. At this point, it was EXTREMELY liquid. Perils of low sugar baking. Even though I reduced the non-cheese dairy and egg white amounts from other recipes, it seemed quite soupy and I was concerned because my baking equipment is a biiit deformed and nowhere near liquid tight anymore. 

So, instead of 4 tablespoons of wholemeal flour, I used around 8, as well as 3 (maybe 5? Sorry to future me, never measure is still the habit) tablespoons of ground almonds to thicken it up a bit. 

Perhaps next time, I will reduce the yogurt & double cream by 20-30%? Not sure. It turned out fine with the wholemeal flour, even if a less pure cheesecake. 

9. If alright with the consistency, proceed to internal decorating. 

The 3 chopped & soaked apricots, a small handful of the original generous handful of small chopped almonds (3-4 tbsp?), and the roughly but small chopped dark and milk chocolate squares. I have decided to call them chocolate crumples. Either use all in the cake itself, or save a few to sprinkle on top just before baking and/or after decorating. 

10. Preheat oven to 180C. Took around 70 minutes to bake fully, and I covered the cake with foil from the 40th to the 55th minutes. (Guideline would be 65-80 minutes and cover at the halfway mark, especially for total volume & height differences)

Also used a water bath because all the recipes order you to, so I did all the things I could, covered base with foil, but did the method where you place the water body below instead of submerge the dish. Don’t think the water bath is necessary when you do skinny cheesecake, so I won’t next time. It is tedious and I am unconvinced of the benefit. 

Other mistake: Because the recipes stated you needed a larger pan, that this amount of batter could be too much (it wasn’t because I cut so much sugar and other liquids) I left maybe a half cup of the batter aside. Boooooo. Could have been a bigger cake, oh well. 

11. So after all seems good, top is browned, and there is the light jiggle in the middle, cake should be left in the slightly open oven for another hour according to other instructions. 

Final booboo: I left it in there with the foil on top and water body still beneath, and I think the abundance of moisture corrupted my surface. 

Tsk. I really must git gud. 

Once cake is properly cooled, leave in fridge overnight. 

TOPPINGS!

The ginger bikkies, cheddar and apricot in the cookie base were to achieve a kind of marsala wine flavour harmony, with baked grapes in honey and orange. 

So it was about 400-500g of mixed sweet sapphire and seedless red grapes. 

Roll them around in 1-2 tablespoons rich honey and half an orange of zest, a quarter an orange of juice. 

Bake at 220C for 14-20 minutes.

Bake some flaked almonds at same temperature for 2-4 minutes.

Ready any residual chocolate crumples you may have or desire. 

Before adding to cake top, due to concern re: moisture, I drained the grape syrup and juices into a tiny spare jar first. Then I placed the fruits, arrayed atrociously and asymmetrically, on top of cheesecake. Then almond and chocolate. 

It is rather good. 

I am shocked and pleased this abomination came to fruit-topped fruition. On the first eating day, the Amaretto punch is strong, then it gives way to the mellower flavours by the second. The body has a crunchy, brown-sugary sweetness on account of the internal decorations, which is pleasant. 

Recommended one chooses not to top the whole cake with fruit if it will be consumed over a few days instead of one or two. But I did it anyway because wanted to see it ‘completed’ as such. 

Credit to many tiramisu and cheesecake recipes, especially these ones, and I hope I’m allowed to post links:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/amaretto-cheesecake/

https://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/ricotta-roasted-grape-cheesecake/Cw2XDChj?r=recipes/collections/3h2z8rvs

https://www.cookiedoughandovenmitt.com/coffee-cheesecake/

[brittle-little-bones]

Low Calorie Meals

BREAKFAST: Big Green Crepe💚 -1 cup spinach -1 tbs almond meal, protein powder, or any combination -1 tsp wheat bran (optional) -1/2 tsp baking powder -1 egg white -2 tbs almond milk (water would probably work) -1 tbs applesauce Flavorings: vanilla extract, cinnamon, 1 tsp cocoa powder -sweetener to taste ***Blend all ingredients in a small blender until completely smooth. Fry like regular pancakes, or pour mixture onto a place and microwave for about a minute. You could even do this as a mug cake. Makes one BIG crepe or a few smaller pancakes Nutrition: approx. 90 calories - almost entirely from protein and HEALTHY fats (if you use almond meal), this is a flat belly recipe that fills you up for ages. Toast-less French Toast❌🍞 -1 tbs milk of choice -1/2 tbs Greek yogurt (makes it fluffier. You could probably sub regular yogurt, I cant vouch for it though) -3 tbs egg whites -1/2 tsp baking powder -pinch of salt -pinch of cinnamon -1/2 tbs mashed banana, applesauce, or pumpkin ***Whisk together all ingredients until they are foamy. Pour into a small baking dish and bake at 325 F for about 20 minutes (mine took 15 minutes in a toaster oven). The top should be a golden brown and stay puffed up an it when u take it out of the oven. Top with maple syrup to really mimic French toast flavor!! Nutrition: using fat free yogurt, almond milk, and pumpkin: 33 calories. Topped with 2 tsp sugar free syrup: 40 calories How to make Oatmeal😜 Not really a recipe, but this is how to make a HUGE bowl of oatmeal out of 35 calories. Start with 2 tbs quick oats. Add up to a full cup of water. It will look super liquid - that's what you want. Then microwave for at least 90 seconds, maybe even more. The oats will soak up the liquid and make a perfect texture. Add whatever flavorings you want (I prefer cinnamon and maple extract or a bit of cocoa powder). Seriously, this is the best breakfast ever, it makes LOADS out of a tiny bit of oats. Banana Pancakes🥞 -1 1/2 large bananas(ripe to overripe -2 eggs -1/8 tsp baking powder -maple syrup, butter, blueberries 59 serve (optional) ***Don't add too much banana. The pancake will not hold. There should be enough egg to hold mashed banana together. LUNCH/DINNER: Asparagus Rolls🌶 -4 spears of asparagus -1/2 roasted red bell pepper -1 tbs fat free cottage cheese -salt and pepper to taste ***Line a pan with tin foil or parchment paper. Wrap the asparagus with pepper, and put a scoop of cottage cheese on top of the pepper. Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubble and asparagus is softened Nutrition: 40 calories Pad Thai🍲 -miracle noodles -1 tbs soy sauce for 2 servings -apple cider vinegar or lime juice -ginger+garlic (fresh or dried) -Bok Choy or other mixed stir fry veggies Nutrition facts vary, but will be most likely under 25 calories per serving, depending on how much veg you use. Favorite Zucchini Noodles🥒 -1/2 medium zucchini (16) -1/2 plum tomato (6) Sprinkle each of dried basil or mint (or use fresh, if you have it on hand) Dressing: I used apple cider vinegar with a splash of Walden farms white balsamic vinaigrette. You can use any vinaigrette you want, but I like to let the flavor of the veggies and herbs shine through by using something pretty plain. I think it would be delicious with a squeeze of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of 0 cal sweetener to balance it out. ***Use a vegetable peeler on the zucchini lengthwise to make thin strips like noodles. Chop up the tomato. Sprinkle on the herbs. Just before serving, add the dressing and toss to coat. If you're taking it for lunch, bring the dressing separately, or else the zucchini noodles will get soggy and deflated. Hot and Sour Soup🍜 General rules for soup - pick something broth-based with no pasta or other carbs. This soup is great because it's really flavorful without having many solid ingredients, so you can fill up on liquid without many calories. -1 tsp sesame oil (a splash) -1 cup sliced brown mushrooms -1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and minced -2 garlic cloves, minced -8 cups vegetable or chicken broth -3 baby bok choy, chopped -3 tbs rice vinegar -siracha, to the taste (I use about 1 tbs) -1/4 cup soy sauce -1/2 tsp white pepper (black pepper is fine if you don't like white) -6 green onions, sliced -1/4 cup chopped cilantro ***In a large soup pot, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until they shrink and release some water. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minutes more. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the bok choy until it wilts. Add the vinegar, siracha, soy sauce, pepper. Remove from heat and add green onion. Serve topped with cilantro Mac and Cheese🧀 I buy mac and cheese sauce powder from bulk barn and add about 2 tbs per package of miracle (shirataki) noodles. No need to add water - the noodles release water as they heat. Just thoroughly coat the noodles and microwave until heated through. You can add sliced mushrooms, spinach, or whatever veggies you happen to have. Nutrition: 60 calories (makes 1-2 servings) Egg Drop Soup🍳 -2 chicken bouillon cubes (10 cal) -1 medium egg white (15 cal) -1 oz spinach (1 cal) -baby carrot (5 cal) Spices: ground or fresh ginger, parsley, touch of onion powder, salt and pepper Note: a lot of veggies would go great with this and keep it low cal. Mushrooms, peas, green onion, sprouts, etc. ***Combine ~1.5 cups water, cubes, cut up veggies, and sliced in a pot over high heat. While waiting to boil, whisk the egg white in a separate bowl and set aside. When cubes dissolve fully, reduce the heat to a soft boil and "drop" the egg. This is done by slowly pouring it in the soup. Don't just dump it in, or it will end up clumpy instead of stringy. Also don't drop it into a rapid boil, it will have the same affect. Continue to boil until broth is reduced how you like it and veggies are soft. DESSERT: Magic Chocolate Bar 🍫 -1/2 cup cocoa powder -1 cup unsweetened almond milk -1/2 cup 0 Calorie sweetener Optional add-ins: -chopped nuts -coconut -mint extract ***Mix all ingredients in a small pot over medium-low heat until it thickens. Pour into a shallow container and freeze until solid. Eat straight out of the freezer or else it will get messy. Nutrition: 1/8 of the recipe (this is a LARGE piece, probably a couple square inches)-25 cals Ana's Apple Pie Filling🍎 -1/2 apple, chopped and peeled -1/2 tsp sugar -1/4 tsp cinnamon -2 tbs water ***Heat up water in a pan, add the ingredients , stir until apples soften (about 5 minutes) and enjoy Nutrition: 45 calories Light Lemony Oat Cakes🍋 -1 cup vanilla soy or rice milk -1 tbs lemon juice -1 heaping cup old-fashioned oats (or 1 cup oat flour) -2 tsp baking powder -1/2 tsp baking soda -1/2 tbs tapioca flour -1 tsp lemon zest (outer peel of an organic lemon, or lemon flavoring) -1/8 tsp salt -1 tbs but butter or tahini -1 tbs maple syrup ***combine sour or rice milk and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and set aside. Blend oats in a spice grinder or blender until finely ground. Mix oat flour with tapioca flour, blaming powder, baking soda, lemon zest, and salt. Make sure there are no small lumps. In a blender or with a whisk, combine milk mixture, nut butter or tahini, and maple syrup. Blend well. Mix wet and dry ingredients. Spoon into a preheated griddle. The mixture will be very thin. When bubbles form and break, turn carefully and cook until lightly browned. Servings: makes about ten 3-inch pancakes) Nutrition: 67 calories Fat: 2 grams Carbs: 11 grams Protein: 2 grams Sodium: 200 milligrams Fiber: 1 gram Watermelon Sherbet🍉 -2 cups water melon, cubes and seeded -1/2 cup sugar -1/3 cup cranberry juice cocktail -1 envelope gelatin, unflavored ***Place watermelon in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in the sugar. In a small saucepan, combine gelatin and cranberry juice cocktail. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Pour and stir the gelatin mixture into the melon mixture. Pour into an 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until frozen. Break up frozen mixture and place into a chilled mixer bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed or until the mixture is nice and fluffy. Return to the pan. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or until firm. Servings: 8 (1/2 cup) Nutrition: 83 calories Carbs: 20g Protein: 1g Fat: 0g 🌸I hope you all enjoy these wonderful recipes and please be safe🌸

[juilojio753]

Chicken Broast. Easy, healthy, tasty chicken breast recipes - chicken marsala, thai chicken, chicken fajitas. try a new recipe every day. Watch our videos to get expert advice. Learn how to cook chicken breasts with this delicious, juicy, tender, and fool-proof baked chicken breast recipe!

Chicken breasts are fast, easy, and anything but boring. Here are some new ways to cook chicken breasts for dinner — and get back to enjoying this versatile ingredient. Serve whole chicken breasts breaded, stuffed or cut into chunks in tasty stews, curries, salads and Make the most of this versatile, lean meat.

Hey everyone, I hope you're having an amazing day today. Today, I will show you a way to prepare a special dish, chicken broast. It is one of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I'm gonna make it a little bit unique. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

Chicken Broast is one of the most well liked of current trending meals on earth. It is easy, it's fast, it tastes yummy. It is appreciated by millions daily. Chicken Broast is something that I've loved my whole life. They are fine and they look fantastic.

Easy, healthy, tasty chicken breast recipes - chicken marsala, thai chicken, chicken fajitas. try a new recipe every day. Watch our videos to get expert advice. Learn how to cook chicken breasts with this delicious, juicy, tender, and fool-proof baked chicken breast recipe!

To begin with this particular recipe, we have to first prepare a few components. You can have chicken broast using 32 ingredients and 12 steps. Here is how you cook that.

The ingredients needed to make Chicken Broast:

{Get 1 of whole chicken, cut into bite sizes.

{Make ready 3 of Seasoning Cubes.

{Make ready 2 of Medium size onion.

{Take 3 of Scotch bonnet, pounded roughly.

{Get 1 of Small size fresh ginger, pounded or grated.

{Take 2 Cloves of garlic, pounded or grated.

{Prepare Pinch of Curry Powder.

{Get 2 Cups of water, for cooking.

{Make ready of For Paste.

{Take 2 Cups of flour.

{Make ready 1 of Large egg.

{Get 1 of Seasoning cube, powdered.

{Get 1 TSP of ready made powdered pepper(Yaji).

{Take Pinch of Powdered ginger.

{Prepare of As desired Water.

{Make ready of Frying.

{Get of As desired Vegetable oil(for deep frying).

{Get of Few slices Onion.

{Make ready of Tiny slice Fresh ginger.

{Prepare of Garnish.

{Make ready of As desired Green bell peppers.

{Prepare of Utensils Required.

{Get 1 of Pot.

{Make ready 1 of Frying pan.

{Prepare 1 of Bowl.

{Take 1 of Slotted Spoon.

{Get 1 of Cooking spoon.

{Make ready 1 of Knife.

{Take 1 of Colander.

{Make ready Sheets of Kitchen tissue.

{Get of As required serving plate(s).

{Get of t.

Stuffed, baked, and every dish in between. There's a reason boneless chicken breast recipes are in everyone's dinner arsenal. Chicken breast's tendency to dry out has given it a bad reputation. But cooked properly, it can be But chicken breasts are also versatile, affordable, and incredibly popular, and when treated right they.

Instructions to make Chicken Broast:

Wash and drain cut chicken pieces, and put in a pot..

Add spices, seasoning, onions, scotch bonnet and water, stir and put on a medium low flame..

Allow it to cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes(please allow more time if using local chicken, I used broiler which are softer), it needs to be cooked but firm after its done to avoid breaking and loss of shape when frying. Do not allow all the water to dry up as you need it to be juicy. Allow for very little quantity of stock. If the chicken is dry, add 3 tablespoons of water, and heat it for few seconds more..

Turn off the flame and strain in a colander. Keep the stock for future cooking..

Prepare the paste. Add all the ingredients in Section Two, and mix..

Preheat vegetable oil in a pan and add a few slices of onion, you may choose to add a tiny slice of ginger for extra aroma..

Dip parboiled chicken a piece at a time into prepared paste and drop into oil..

Do not overcrowd the pan. Turn the chicken after the bottom is golden brown..

Transfer to a colander using a slotted spoon to drain excess oil..

Put in a kitchen tissue lined dish or directly to a serving plate. Garnish with green bell peppers or any desired garnish..

Crunchy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside..

Enjoy these *Munchilicious Bites of goodness. Bon Apetit..

The Best Chicken Breast Recipes on Yummly Easy Shredded Chicken Breast Hack, Baja Chicken Breast, Grilled Chicken Breast Masada. Chicken breasts are a blank canvas for a zillion different flavors and cultural influences. We hate to brag, but these are total winners. Split chicken breasts were on sale at Whole Foods this past week, so I couldn't resist the chance to make some more low and slow roasted chicken (because that Herb Roasted Chicken Breast that.

So that's going to wrap it up for this exceptional food chicken broast recipe. Thanks so much for your time. I am confident you can make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food in home recipes coming up. Remember to save this page on your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!

[josephkitchen0]

A Homemade Dandelion Wine Recipe

This dandelion wine recipe all started with violets. I know that might seem like a strange statement, but violets were my introduction to foraging.

My neighbor introduced me to collecting blooms on the edible flowers list one evening, followed by several days of making violet jam and jelly. I found it so satisfying to create something delicious from a plant that’s considered a weed that I set out with my basket later that week to pick another superstar edible flower; the dandelion.

Dandelion Benefits

Everyone with any foraging knowledge knows that dandelions are rich in nutrients. The greens, in particular, have a lot to offer. My grandma and great-grandma both used to cook up dandelion and poke leaves in a little bacon grease regularly. These were staple greens; free and nutritious, to country folk in times past.

I discovered, through a little reading, that the flowers too are nutritious. Real Food for Life tells us that just the yellow petals of the dandelion contain antioxidants (help protect the body from certain cancers), Helenin (helps you to see at night), and vitamins E and B12 (both good for the eyes). This site also claims dandelion petals may assist with pain relief, may improve mood and might even have antibacterial properties. A full nutritional analysis of the whole dandelion plant is available on the website Nutrition and You.

Ready to Start Your Own Backyard Flock?

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With so much benefit to reap, I was anxious to gather a harvest of flowers and try another recipe my grandparents made: dandelion wine.

Gathering

It wasn’t difficult to gather a good basket full of blooms. These yellow flowers were everywhere back in April when I started my brew. It was a pleasant evening activity strolling through the yard with my basket. I just slipped the flower heads off, trying not to take any stem with them. I really only needed two cups for my dandelion wine recipe, but I thought I might want to try jelly too, so I picked more.

Starting the Brew

I looked through a lot of dandelion wine recipes to find one to try. I was intrigued by one I found online called Wild Fermented Dandelion Ginger Wine. I liked the sound of adding ginger both for its flavor and its added nutrition.

First I filled a pot with a gallon (16 cups) of filtered water and set it to boil. I kept an eye on it while I prepared my other ingredients. When it came to a boil, I turned off the heat and set it aside.

Then I turned to my flowers. I had to remove the green base of each flower. I used kitchen shears to cut this part off; it wasn’t by any means perfect, but I got most of the green off. On dandelions, green usually equals bitter so it pays to remove as much as you can. I tossed my petals into a measuring cup as I worked. When I had my two cups, I dumped them into a large stainless steel pot.

The next ingredient is ginger, unpeeled. I minced about an inch of it and added it to the petals.

The yeast needs sugar to eat for the fermentation to happen. The recipe called for two to three cups of sugar (for wine) or honey (for mead); I used 2-1/2 cups of sugar. This, too, was added to the pot.

Now I was ready for my water, which was poured over the petal mixture. After mixing it well, I laid a clean dish towel over the pot.

The original dandelion wine recipe I was following said that it might begin to ferment from naturally occurring yeast in the air but if there was no sign of this within 24 hours (such as bubbles beginning to form) to add some yeast. I pitched in about a half teaspoon of bread yeast the next morning to help mine along.

This initial mixture had to sit for three days, with an occasional stir to mix things up. It didn’t look like it was doing much at this point because it was difficult to see the bubbling with all the petals in the liquid.

Moving the Brew into a Carboy

After three days, it was time to strain out the solids and move the liquid to a carboy. I poured the mixture through a fine strainer and sent the solids out to the chickens.

The resulting infusion was a yellowish-brown color in the bowl.

This I poured into the gallon carboy, which I had previously sterilized with bleach and warm water. I added more filtered water until the jug was full to the top. Then I screwed on the cap and stuck the airlock (which had also been sterilized before use) down into it. Finally, I added water up to the fill line in the airlock and then the long wait began.

An Exercise in Patience

When I checked back on my brew later that evening, it was amazing how active the fermentation was! You could see gobs of tiny bubbles fizzing up inside and into the airlock. I was so excited that despite the fact that it didn’t look like anything was happening initially, I seemed to have gotten the process started correctly.

After about a month, the liquid began to clarify into a lovely golden color with the yeast sludge laying at the bottom. It was still bubbling, though, so I had longer to wait.

Finally, after a month and a half, the bubbles were so minimal that I decided it was time for the next step.

Siphoning for Clarification

My wine clarified a lot as it sat, but there was a layer of sludge lurking at the bottom. I needed to siphon it into a new carboy, leaving the sludge behind. I carried my jug over to my neighbor’s house so we could do ours together; she too had started a batch of this dandelion wine recipe.

We cleaned all our materials well then set ourselves up for the siphon; old jug on the table, new jug on the floor, siphon end in the old jug.

Original jug on the table.

New jug on the floor.

We had gotten this special tube with a filter on the end from our other neighbor who used to have a vineyard. The solid tube with filter went down into the wine then you sucked on the flexible tube end to create flow and dropped it down into the empty jug. The hope is that you get all the good liquid and none of the thick sediment.

We couldn’t get the suction going. So we gave up on the solid tube with the filter and just used the flexible tubing, which was much easier to get going.

We just had to be careful to hold the end that was in the original jug up away from the sludge so that it wouldn’t get pulled over into the new carboy.

As the liquid flowed out we tilted the original jug to get as much liquid as possible.

When we finished all that was left in the original jug was a layer of whitish yeast waste and a little bit of liquid that we left so that we wouldn’t pull the sediment out.

The new jug was a little clearer, but not perfect yet.  It was time for another long wait.

Our local vintner told us that the wine should sit another month or so to further clarify and see if any more sediment fell to the bottom so I carried my jug back home and set it back in its spot on the counter to wait.

Finally Ready to Bottle!

One evening about two and a half months after the process began it was time for bottling. First I needed to boil the corks. This softens them and makes them more pliable for bottling. So I put them in a small pot of water and set it on the stove top.

The first step in bottling is to siphon the wine one more time, into a big (clean, of course) bucket.

We were able to siphon over a crystal clear wine with no sediment.

Then you taste! If you like the flavor you’re ready to go. If it needs a little sweetening you can prepare a simple syrup with sugar and water and mix it in. I was happy with the taste of my dandelion wine recipe so I left it be. It was dry but with a hint of the sweetness of the pollen in the flowers.

Having the wine in the bucket makes it easier to taste and flavor but it’s also easier to manipulate to get into the bottles. We moved the bucket up onto the higher surface then and set the bottle holder onto the floor.

Now, we got the siphon going again and after pinching the tube off, we added onto the end another little solid tube with a pressure stopper on the end. This went down into the wine bottle so that when you push down on it, the wine flows into the bottle. When it’s just about full, you let up on the pressure and the flow stops but the suction remains. What a neat tool!

Watch how it works…

We filled bottles until we ran out of wine.  From my gallon carboy, I got four and a half bottles.

Corking came next.  We took the corks off of the stove and dumped them into a colander.

One bottle went back into the bottle holder.

The corker opens to let a cork slide down into it.

Then you squeeze, squeeze, squeeze to compress it and lock the handles together.

After lining the cork up with top of the bottle, we had one person hold the corker stable while another pushed down on the lever to slide the cork in.

And just like that, the bottles were corked.

Watch the whole process…

I finished corking my five bottles.  I was so pleased with how my first wine brew came out – so clear and professional looking and it even tasted good.

My friend gave me a great tip: print labels on plain paper and use a regular old glue stick to hold them on. It sticks fairly well and when you’re done it’s easy to pull off so you can reuse your bottles. I promptly made a Phillips Farm Dandelion Wine label.

Infusions and Brews: So Much to Try

It’s truly amazing what you can do at home with just some simple ingredients and a few tools. Infusions allow you to harvest nutrients and flavors from so many plants you are probably already growing. I recently learned how to make white wine vinegar infused with herbs, and I’ve also been experimenting with brewing kombucha with starts with simple black tea and sugar. Kombucha benefits are many from general wellness to acid reflux reduction to cancer prevention.

I hope that you will be inspired by this story to try a brew of your own. What will you start with?

A Homemade Dandelion Wine Recipe was originally posted by All About Chickens

[fashiontrendin-blog]

GLAMOUR's 14 day skin detox challenge - DAY 10

http://fashion-trendin.com/glamours-14-day-skin-detox-challenge-day-10/

GLAMOUR's 14 day skin detox challenge - DAY 10

Feeling good, feeling glowy? You’re almost at the finish line!

Welcome to Day 10 of GLAMOUR’s 14 Day Skin Detox Challenge.

Collagen – we talk about it a lot, but what exactly is it? In the simplest of terms, collagen is a protein that sustains the skin, providing integrity, firmness and elasticity. The more collagen we have, the more supple the skin is. Today we’re going to look at how you can boost your natural production.

DAY 10: Encouraging collagen

TODAY’S RECIPE

BAKED SALMON SKEWERS WITH HOMEMADE PESTO | SERVES 2 Recipe by Roz Purcell

“This recipe includes lots of great ingredients to boost your skin and get it glowing,” says Roz Purcell, bestselling cookery author and entrepreneur. “Salmon is one of the sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which helps keep your skin moisturised. And walnuts contain a big dose of vitamin E, selenium (an antioxidant with a high mineral count), omega 3 fats and zinc – all of which help build up your collagen levels to keep skin tight and protect against cell damage.”

INGREDIENTS 25g fresh basil (stems torn off and discarded) 50g fresh coriander (stems discarded) 2 large garlic cloves peeled 1″ ginger peeled and chopped roughly Zest half a lime Juice 1 full lime 2 tbsp. toasted olive oil 50g walnuts toasted preferably but raw works well too Pinch sea salt 2 skinless fillets of Salmon 2 tbsp. tamari or soya 4 skewers and a lined baking tray

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200•C. Make sure the oven is preheated.

Pierce the salmon pieces along the skewer and line on a tray then drizzle with some tamari.

Bake for 12-13 minutes until nicely pink and a tad browned. Be careful not to overcook here.

Now let’s make the pesto! Grab your pestle and mortar, add the ginger, garlic, lime zest and pound into a paste.

Add the basil and coriander and pound into the paste leaving some chunks.

Next, add the walnuts, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Mix and grind until you get a nice consistency. I like mine kind of chunky but mix to suit your preference.

Drizzle over your baked salmon and enjoy!

TODAY’S ROUTINE

Remove all of your makeup.

Cleanse. If your skin is dry, consider switching to a cream cleanser. We like Clean Skin Gentle Cleanser £19 This Works.

Apply a collagen boosting mask (you should be able to find collagen on the ingredients list). Collagen Peel Off Modeling Mask £4.99 Masquebar is a really fun and affordable one to try. It comes in powder form inside a tub – you then add water and mix to create the mask. Once you have the paste ready you have to work quite quickly spreading it evenly and thickly onto the skin, because it soon dries into a rubber. Yes – rubber! When it comes time to remove it, you can simply peel it off in a downward motion. The underside of the mask stays nice and moist, keeping all hydration locked onto the skin, making the peeling process easy and painless.

Apply your serum.

Follow with an eye cream that also features collagen boosting ingredients. The skin around the eyes is more delicate than the face, which is why you need a separate and gentler formula to your face products. C + Collagen Brighten + Firm Eye Cream £63 Dr Dennis Gross SkinCare is a real goodie – it combines both vitamin C and collagen to create a powerful antioxidant blend that strengthens the delicate eye area by stimulating collagen.

Finish with a nourishing night cream. Regenerist 3 Point Age-Defying Night Cream £29.99 Olay is creamy and hydrating, making it perfect for winter.

Hero product: Collagen Peel Off Modeling Mask £4.99 Masquebar

TODAY’S DETOX TASK

Stretch and bend

Did you know that stress can impact your skin health?

And when you’re already conscious about the appearance of your acne, eczema or psoriasis, stressing about it can begin a vicious cycle.

Practicing yoga and meditation, or even just taking the time to stretch every now and then can help you to de-stress, combined with the additional benefit of physical activity, which increases blood flow to flush toxins from the skin.

If you only learn one yoga pose, it should be Uttanasana. Also known as The Forward Fold, this pose is good for relieving stress, as well as anxiety, headaches and fatigue.

It’s really easy to do, simply let the crown of your head hang down to your knees, keeping your heels to the floor. If you’re flexible enough, keep your legs straight and touch the palms of your hands to the floor. You can bend your knees slightly if needed. Hold for one minute.

The pose encourages blood to circulate to the head and face, and with regular practice, should have a beautifying effect.

Click here for Day 11 instructions.

Our skin detox is a two-week plan that’s all about resetting, renewing and taking care of your skin both from the inside and out. It’s based on advice from dermatologists, nutritionists, dieticians, facialists and product developers.

Each day features a skin-boosting recipe, routine recommendations and tiny tasks to set yourself on the path to great skin. You can start the detox at any time and find the full instructions here. Share your journey with us using the hashtag #GlamourSkinDetox.

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A Lesson in Juicing

So, I quite like my juicer(!), and I love the possibilities it lends to expanding my overall ingredient/culinary palette. Fresh juice is invigorating – straight up, blended, or as part of whatever I’m making. The most important thing is to use vibrant, healthy produce. Use the best quality produce you can get. It’s important to seek out organic or sustainably grown fruits and vegetables, but if that’s not happening, wash it gently, but thoroughly.

A few observations: A blender and a juicer are entirely different beasts. I know this seems obvious, but the blender does chop-chop, and the juicer separates all the fibers and solids from the juices. The juicer produces essences that are incredibly intense, alive, and bright. The flavor is main-lined. Beyond fruits and vegetables, I experiment with grains and nuts (see below).

Everyone seems to think using a juicer is a royal pain. Primarily the clean-up part. And that is partially true. It seems most convenient to juice in batches, set aside what you might use in the immediate future as well as the forthcoming day or two, and then freeze any juice beyond that immediately. Not as perfect as freshly juiced, but still ok.

One thing I’ll add here, read you juicer’s instructions before diving in. What works in mine might not work in your model. There are a range of different types of juicers, and a range of ways they extract juice.

Almond Milk: Soak 1 cup / 5 oz almonds overnight, covered, in filtered water. Drain. Add three cups water, and ladle into juicer. This produces a full-bodied almond milk. If you like it a bit thinner, go with 4 cups water. The flavor really sings when you season it with a touch of salt and sugar. Just go with your taste buds, until it tastes good to you. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Also, be sure to keep the meaty by-product of making the almond milk, just scrape it out of the juicer. Salt it a bit, and it’s a great homemade almond butter.

Oat Milk: Soak 1 cup / 3 oz rolled oats (not instant) overnight, covered, in filtered water. Drain, add 3 cups water, and ladle into juicer. Makes about 4 cups. Note to self to try a version with toasted oats. I could imagine experimenting with it as and ingredient in custards, puddings, french toast, and the like.

Pistachio Milk: Soak 1 cup pistachios / 5 oz overnight, covered, in filtered water. Drain, combine with 3 cups water, and ladle into juicer. This was my favorite non-fruit juice by a stretch. Really nice. I kept trying to combine it with little accents like orange blossom water, or citrus zest, but in the end I liked it best straight. Makes about 3 1/2 – 4 cups. And like the almond milk be sure to keep the meaty by-product of making the pistachio milk, just scrape it out of the juicer. Salt it a bit, and it’s a great pistachio butter.

Sesame Milk: Had high hopes for this one but it really didn’t work. The unhulled seeds never broke down in the juicer.

Fennel Juice: Trim the root end, but use all the rest of it. 1 large bulb = ~1 cup juice.

Celery: Lob off the root end and use the rest. And I didn’t bother restringing. 1 medium bunch = 1 1/2 – 2 cups juice. I’m enjoying using the celery juice as a component in all things brothy. The fennel juice as well, but to a lesser extent.

Cucumber: Juice it all. And leave the skin on, it lends a nice color. 1 large (8 oz) cucumber yields about 1 cup of juice. Not really the season for cucumber juice at the moment, but I juiced it anyway. Super cooling.

Cilantro:1 big bunch, leaves and stems = 1/3 cup juice. I threw a couple serranos (deveined and deseeded) into the juicer here as well for a spicy version. You just know it’s going to be good swirled into yogurt or creme fraiche and spooned into a bowl of roasted tomato soup!

Dill: 1 large bunch (stems and fronds) yields about 3 tablespoons juice. Equal parts dill juice + olive oil and a pinch of salt has been great over greens, savory pancakes, and eggs this week. I imagine like the other intense herb juices, it would be welcome as a vinaigrette component, drizzled over gratins, and tarts as well.

Ginger: 8 ounces unreeled yields about 3/4 cup ginger juice. Freezes quite well. I’ve been using in teas, broths, citrus juice (grapefruit-ginger is my favorite), dipping sauces, etc.

Grapefruit: 1 large = 1 cup juice. I could live on this during the winter.

Pomegranate: I’m not sure I’d recommend using a juicer here. Mine definitely wasn’t happy. That said, the resulting juice is electric – straight-up incredible. Juice the seeds only, but review your juicer’s guidelines before an attempt. 1 large pomegranate = ~ 1 cup of seeds = 1/3 cup fresh juice.

Carrots: 1 lb = 1 cup juice. You know, it’s just occurring to me as I’m typing this to try a carrot soup with pure juiced carrot. Use it to make the silkiest carrot soup ever.

If you’re a juicer, here’s my plea to let me know what you use yours most for. Or is it the sort of thing that just collects dust in everyone’s pantry for most of the year?

Juice Combinations

A few combinations I tried:

Pistachio Milk: 1/2 cup pistachio milk, 3/4 teaspoon honey or sugar, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, tiny pinch of ground clove. But like I said up above, this is really good straight.

Spicy Carrot: 1/4 cup carrot juice + 1/4 cup almond milk + 1/16 teaspoon cayenne + 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice + 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt + 2 tablespoons celery juice.

Pomegranate Almond: 1/4 cup pomegranate juice + 1/4 cup almond juice + 2 drop rose water + pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice + sweeten to taste.

Cucumber Celery: 1/4 cup cucumber + 1/4 cup celery + 1/16 cayenne + pinch of salt.

– More Juice Recipes –

– More Drink Recipes –