#I throw a bunch of vibes into a mixing pot and let it boil

[x-gon-give-it]

Anon from before I’ve just subscribed to a bunch of ur works ig my first question is how do u come up w all these ideas ???? I’ve only read maybe four but they’re all widely different it’s amazing. Ur work page is like a big fic rec in and of itself

Awww thank you!!

A lot of my inspiration for my fics comes from comics/media I consume.

From the comics, I come across specific arcs, what-if storylines, and alternate universe, and soak in all the little details I like and end up taking that concept, but making it Spideypool (or some other ship I like). I have WIP’s based off of “Night of the Living Deadpool” (Spideypool zombie/apocalypse fic), “Superior Spider-Man” (a ‘what if Wade and Peter were dating when Otto took over Peter’s body and how would that impact the rest of the comic arc’), and “Assassin Spider-Man” (a role-reversal where Peter falls head over heels for Deadpool first, instead of vice versa).

My “Invisible Man” and “Hide N’ Seek” fic was actually inspired by the 2020 “Invisible Man” movie, a specific comic panel where Chameleon admits to Peter Parker that he loves him (I’m not even kidding, it’s a real thing), and the “Deadpool Annual #2” comic where Chamelon is playing ‘cat and mouse’ with Spider-Man, and Deadpool switches costumes with Spidey. I just mashed all three concepts together because they fit so so well XD

“Wade Wilson’s Guide for Studying Your Spider” was created out of my love for Man-Spider (Spider-Man when he mutates) and my utter delight in Peter Parker having more spidery attributes. I also love Wade being more observant and intelligent than people give him credit for, and Spider-Man being more terrifying and violent than I often see recent Spider-Man media.

So, yeah, I kind of just soak in the stuff I watch, pick out the pieces I especially like, mix in a ship/dynamic that I want to see, and I kind of end up creating plot around it. It’s fun and one of my favorite parts of writing is actually plot-development and figuring out where the story is going to go.

Also, my work-page being compared to a fic-rec list is one of the best compliments I’ve ever had, thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[themirokai]

I did my at-least-annual tradition of making my family’s chicken soup recipe on Sunday, and I took process photos, so I thought I’d share. Here’s what I have written down but for all its vagueness it’s still not accurate.

I think every generation has modified some stuff about the process and tweaked it for their particular tastes.

Instead of using a whole chicken, I use a split chicken breast (2 halves) plus a pack of chicken thighs (4). I like this better because the ratio of meat to fiddly bits is better and Surfski likes CHICKEN soup (lots of chicken per bowl). You could easily use half a breast or one or two fewer thighs, but I think the mix of white and dark meat is important for flavor.

Next is something I added to the recipe after reading Salt Fat Acid Heat. I salt my raw chicken and let it sit out for at least half an hour before I put it in the water. I think this helps the chicken hold flavor through the cooking.

While the chicken is sitting (so a change from the order of the recipe) I chop a large sweet onion plus the carrots, celery, and parsnips. I think I used 5 skinny stalks of celery, 4 carrots and 5 parsnips, but especially given the size variability you’ve got to judge this based on vibes. How much of each vegetable does your heart tell you that you need in your soup? The one exception to this is if you are not familiar with parsnips and you are considering skimping on them or leaving them out. That is not your heart. That is the devil and you must resist. Trust me on this and use about as many parsnips as carrots.

The next step was added by my great aunt who was a genius in the kitchen (also very good at refurbishing antiques but that’s less relevant). You heat up some butter and olive oil and sautee your vegetables in it. Yes it makes another pan to clean but it’s completely worth it. You don’t cook it for long! Just until the carrots and celery get bright and the onion is just starting to get translucent and everything is a tiny bit soft.

Ok, set the veg aside but I highly recommend snacking on some of the parsnips at this point. Every time I make chicken soup it always makes me want to make roast parsnips and I always forget when I’m meal planning.

Next it’s chicken time! Load your chicken into a big heavy pot and cover it with water. I just barely cover it because I’m going to need room for lots of veg.

Put that on your biggest burner and boil it. It will take a while to come up to a good boil. Once it’s boiling it will start to foam. This stuff.

Ick. Skim that off and throw it away.

Now, when the foaming is done, turn down the heat and dump in your veg. Mix it all in there then put your bunch of dill on top. Make sure you take off the twist tie or anything else holding the dill together.

My mom added this next step which she got from a friend of hers. It’s this shit called Better Than Bouillon.

You can use the plain chicken variety. Roast chicken is just what my grocery store had. I’m not 100% sure what it is but it really does add gorgeous flavor to the soup. I put one big spoonful in a big pot. This is what it looks like out of the jar.

Now you let everything cook together until the chicken is cooked. How long will that take? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Depends on the size of your chicken pieces and how high you have the heat, etc. When you think it might be done, pull out your biggest piece of chicken and poke it. It should be white and firm. If it is, pull the rest of the chicken out too and turn the heat way down but leave the veg and the dill in to simmer.

Now you walk away. Go scroll tumblr. Read a chapter of a book. Draw something. But you gotta let the chicken cool down.

Why? Because you’re going to shred that with your fingers and you don’t want to burn your fingerprints off. Or maybe you do. I don’t know your life.

Anyway, this is a good spot for me to stop and hit post because I’m on mobile and I’ll run up against the 10 image limit.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this so far! The rest of the recipe and the end product will be in a reblog.

[girlwhoatetheworld]

Handmade pappardelle and sausage ragù!

I don’t know about you, but there is nothing more comforting than a thick meaty pasta sauce that’s been bubbling for hours. So, I started the ragù around 3:30, had it simmering by 4:15, and kept it simmering for about 5 hours.

To make the sauce:

1 lb hot Italian sausage

1 onion – very finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic – very finely chopped

1 large can San Marzano tomatoes – pureed until smooth

1 small can tomato paste (6oz)

2-3 cups water

Fresh parsley (about a handful)

Oregano, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, & red pepper flakes to taste

First, remove the sausage from the casing and cook over med-high heat until fully cooked, breaking any larger pieces up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Drain the remaining fat out of the pan. Don’t worry about the brown bits stuck all over the bottom, we want those. Those are going to make our sauce even better. Add a little olive oil back into the pan and heat over medium heat along with your dry spices.

Finely chop about a handful of fresh parsley. Mince the garlic & onion and add to the hot pan. Cook 2-3 mins until very fragrant and translucent, but not browned.

Add the pureed tomatoes along with 2-3 cups of water (depending on how thick/thin you like your sauce), tomato paste, cooked sausage, and parsley. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a slow simmer and voila, your work is done! Let it cook for a few hours and adjust seasoning as needed.

For the pasta:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semolina

3 eggs

Drizzle of olive oil

So, start by doing yourself a favor and washing your hands. We are going to be all in with our hands on this one, so get those puppies nice and clean. On a flat, clean surface, make a little pile your semolina and flour and mix together with your hands (so it begins). Make a small well/divot in the middle of the pile (but not all the way through, leave a little flour mix coating the bottom of the well). Crack 3 eggs into the well. Use a fork to whisk the eggs while pulling in some of the flour mixture while you work. FYI – you are not going to use all of the flour, but you want to have more than what you need to get the right texture. Once the texture of the egg/flour mixture starts to resemble a very runny playdough, swap over to using your hands. It will be VERY sticky, so I like to get a handful of flour each time I fold it in on itself. Once it resembles a still-shaggy-but-more-like-a-dough-than-before type dough, start kneading by folding the dough over, grabbing from the top and folding towards you, and the pushing it back out with the heel of your hand. Buckle up – keep kneading for 10 mins. If you are like me, make sure you have a willing sous-chef and a very large glass of red wine on hand to swap in when you need a break. This 10000% counts as your arm workout for the day. Or the week if you do it all yourself. You do you. Anyways, once the dough is nice and kneaded, wrap it up snugly in some saran wrap and let it vibe at room temp for 30 mins. Aka, pour another glass of wine and watch The One With The Embryos (better remembered to true Friends fans as The One With The Trivia Game).

OK – now you’ve laughed and cried and drank and your pasta is so, so close. Roll out the dough until it is very thin. I have no idea how thin…just do it until it looks right. Maybe 2 mm? I don’t even know how you would measure that. Just make it thin. Make sure you flour generously using whatever leftover flour you have there while you roll. Then, shout out to my Hinge date for this tip – total game changer – roll the dough up making sure you sprinkle flour continuously, then cut into thin (maybe ½ - 1 inch slices). It’ll look kinda like a bunch of fruit-by-the-foot. Unravel the ribbons and you will have beautiful pappardelle noodles ready to be tossed with some semolina to keep them from sticking.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and toss your pasta in. It will only need to cook for 1-2 minutes. Taste often to make sure you do not overcook it.

Throw the pasta into a pan with some of the sauce & a touch of the starchy pasta water. Grate some fresh parm over the top and get ready to enjoy the shit out of this beautiful meal. It makes a decent amount of pasta, probably 3 servings or so. Don’t worry, you’ll eat it. Or, you’ll do what I did and save some for a nice bowl of breakfast-pasta.