#and added some fresh fruit and popped bacon in the oven

[panb1mbo]

today i made the most perfect pancakes in the world. the best pancakes i have ever made. they were like the pancakes in matilda. absolutely glorious.

[afy2018]

Roll in the Hay *Updated* Ch. 1

A crack of bright morning light arose through the flat Canadian fields, pouring across open farmlands and flooding throughout Purgatory. The rays cut into a small homestead, breaking through the parted curtains to wake the household. It shone in her eyes, waking her before her alarm had the chance to do so, making her initially turn away from her window. The alarm blared by her head until their local radio station booted up. She sat up, turning off the white noise to begin her day, starting off with her sister. Through a thin sheen of sleep, she found her way one door over, barging into the unlocked room where her sister was still sound asleep. She kicked her mattress, watching the frame shift as she woke up.

She groaned at the rude awakening, only verbally protesting after the third kick, “HEY! Okay, I’m alive, Jesus woman.”

“It’s time to wake up,” she informed her.

“Too frickin’ early.”

“Same time as always, Wyn,” Waverly informed her.

“Still too early,” she whined.

Wynonna sighed in defeat and grabbed her jeans from the night before, yanking them on while she hobbled to the small wardrobe to grab a shirt and bra. Stretching as she made her way to the bathroom, the siblings split paths with the elder one still getting ready at her usual lackadaisical speed while Waverly went down to the kitchen to make breakfast. Even with her sister’s inability to play nice with others, she found it efficient to do most of the more menial tasks her sister chose to avoid.

She pulled out strips of venison from their icebox and onto a hot pan, where they sizzled until an enticing scent drifted down the basement where their farmhands were living. Xavier, their transporter ascended the stairs, his loud footsteps clomping against the old wooden planks until he hit the first landing.

“Smells good, need any help?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Yeah, can you go grab the milk and water from the fridge?”

“Of course, anything else, Miss Earp?”

“Yeah, can you wake up Doc, I need him to do a quick check on the goats to make sure they're okay. They were a bit loud last night.”

“Of course,” he said, walking back down.

Waverly sighed and cleared her throat, flipping the meat onto a plate before moving to the next part of their meal, English muffins. She placed them in the oven until they turned golden brown before pulling out butter and setting their food on the table with four plates. Waverly turned back around and grabbed a bowl of fruit from the window sill, to top off a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

Wynonna came back in through the kitchen door with her full report. “The blueberries look almost ready. Same as the strawberries.”

“Peaches and cherries?”

“Pfft, nowhere close. They need maybe another two weeks to be ready for picking,” she added, popping a fractured piece of bacon in her mouth. “Hot, hot.”

“Yeah, they’re fresh off the pan,” Waverly half-heartedly warned.

“Yeah, I guessed,” she playfully bit back, flicking the back of her sister’s head.

“Did we ever get a claim on the job posting?”

“I don't know… maybe,” her sister shrugged.

“Great,” she sarcastically remarked as she took her seat at the table.

“What was with the goats?”

“Already have Doc checking on them.”

“Good,” Wynonna said, looking at their breakfast displayed out on the table. “Looks great, need any help?”

“Just tell the boys breakfast is ready.”

“Yokkie-doke.”

Doc moved out of the way for the older Earp and looked at his crew. “Waverly,” he greeted, tipping his hat as he left for the barn. “Y’all can start without me.”

The other two returned from the fields, taking their places at the small table as they began to feast, taking a small share of everything their chef had prepared. Wynonna smiled and licked her lips, taking a piece of bacon then a few of the sliced nectarines and an English muffin. They continued to engorge themselves, leaving enough for Doc until the mustachioed gentleman came back, sitting down with them.

“Didn't see anything outta the ordinary. All of them are still there,” he reported.

“Okay, thank you,” Waverly replied.

“I heard we were getting a new farmhand. Any ideas?”

“We haven't gotten any applicants, yet,” she disappointedly informed them, “Due to the latest yield, Dolls, you’re moving to the arbor, Wynonna in the greenhouse, and I’ll work in the fields. Doc, you’re in charge of the grass fields until a greenhorn comes along.”

“Okay, so I’m still with the goats, right?” Doc asked

“Yeah, you remind them of their kin,” Wynonna quipped behind her glass of water, earning a sarcastic smile.

Once they had all finished, Dolls and Wynonna cleaned up while the others went off to their posts. Waverly grabbed the large baskets from the doorway and left the rest for Dolls. She went out towards the rising sun, checking the crops, seeing that her sister was right in saying that the blueberries were almost ready. She began to harvest the ripe ones, leaving behind the pink and purple berries. From that session of picking, she plucked over a hundred berries, making it now only barely over two-fifths of the projected yield so far, but good for midseason. She went back through, checking for the others she had missed.

Waverly walked over to the homestead again, continuing to the cooling room as she washed them and left them to dry. She came back inside, checking the time, three hours had passed. She sighed and washed the purple juice off of her hands, distracted until there was a firm knock on the door. Waverly walked over, thinking it was Dolls or Wyn accidentally locking themselves out. She opened the door, surprised to greet the shoulders of a tall and pale woman. Waverly looked up and met the kind brown eyes of the redheaded.

“Hi,” she quickly greeted in surprise.

“Hello ma’am, I’m here about farm work? I’m Nicole Haught.”

“Haught? Oh, sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. Come in,” Waverly beckoned, moving out of the way.

The taller woman took off her leather jacket, holding it over her shoulder as she followed the owner inside. She looked around, smiling at the cute quaintness of the farmhouse. There were old crocheted blankets and embroidered throw pillows on the couch comfily decorating the living room. She noticed the pictures around the house. Most of them were recently taken with the owner and a few other people she suspected they worked or grew up with. They both sat down at the small dining table decorated with a simple plaid cloth where Waverly began to interview her.

“Really, I called yesterday morning? Are you Miss Wynonna Earp?” she inquired politely.

“Oh, no. I’m her sister Waverly. She must have forgotten,” she pleasantly smiled, settling into her chair. “Anyway, we plan to have you do mainly prep work for us, you know, working the grass fields for the winter. Help our goat handler, fetch water for the crops and animals. Are you planning on living here or off-site?”

“Off-site. What would my hours be, ma’am?”

“7am-5pm, 8 hours of work with two one hour breaks whenever, Monday thru Friday. Pay will be $13.60 per hour, so $1360 for your biweekly paycheck.”

“Sounds great. So, when would I begin?” she smiled, resting her arms on the table.

“Work begins in four days. We’ll need some time to file the paperwork and get it approved.”

“Okay, thank you, ma’am.”

Waverly smiled and walked off to grab the employment papers from Wynonna’s desk. She returned a moment later with them and a pen, pulling them away for a second to ask, “Wait, you’re not a murderer right?”

Nicole glanced at her in shock and sincerely answered, “Well… no, of course not, Ms. Earp.”

Waverly only smiled, making her new coworker relax, and turned the papers around for Nicole to fill out. She watched the young woman intently read the contract before signing with her neat and curly calligraphy. “Nicole Haught. Perfect,” Waverly thought.

Nicole sat up straight and gave the contract and pen back. “Thank you. You won't regret this,” she finished with a genuine smile.

“We need another girl on the team. Even better when there’s someone as muscled as you. Have you worked on a farm before?”

“Yes, I grew up on a ranch, so I worked there until I was 19,” she divulged, relaxing back into the chair as she studied the bright woman in front of her. Nicole watched as her eyes flicked from her to the contract spread out in front of her, then back up to the redhead. Her hands sorted through Nicole’s papers before she continued to ask her questions.

“What animals?”

“Horses, chickens, and geese.”

“Perfect.”

Waverly watched as the young woman stood, quickly going to let her out, opening the door with a smile. She looked outside to catch her sister gawking over the bike by the homestead. Nicole looked at her, squinting to see who it was.

“That’s Wynonna.” she introduced.

Her sister glanced up at the sound of her name and asked, “Who’s bike is this?”

“Mine,” Nicole answered.

“This. Is. Beautiful. Where’d you get this, what’s her name, how much was it?” she asked in a flurry of excitement.

“Detroit, America. Black Beauty, or Beauty. A little more than $7k US.”

“Oh my god,” she continued to gawk, “Wait, why Detroit?”

“Cheaper from the source.”

“Hmm,” Wynonna answered, looking at the shiny black bike. “Impressive. Hired.”

“Oh, I’m-”

“A little sarcasm, she’s just being a mechanophile,” Waverly interrupted.

“Oh okay,” Nicole chuckled, watching the older woman gaze at her beautiful bike. She put on her helmet and mounted it.

���See you on Monday, Ms. Earp,” Nicole winked to them, starting the bike and driving off.

“We need to file that paperwork now,” Wynonna said.

~~~~~~~~~~

Nicole woke to the low southern twang of a country singer, ringing through her deep slumber. With the paperwork filled out and her new boss’s updates, the young rancher took up her new tasks with a revitalized gusto she hadn’t felt for a long while. She needed this new job to distract her from the boring hermit tasks of the day that had recently plagued her life after she had finished her degree. Living an hour out of Purgatory, Nicole took to the kitchen, fixing a small breakfast of grits and sandwiches before finishing the other menial work like feeding her long-haired orange pain in the ass, Calamity Jane before escaping the small apartment in Calgary. As she took the early morning commute to the Earp’s homestead, Nicole couldn’t help but think about the quirky Earps and their goat farm, an animal she now could understand such a unique pair of sisters caring for.

~

“So the newbie starts today?” Dolls asked, wiping his mouth.

“Yup, Nicole, she seems like a hard worker,” Waverly answered.

“Will she live out here?”

“Nope, you two scared her off,” Wynonna sarcastically claimed.

Doc finished first, placing his dishes in the sink before leaving out the back to start loading up the truck. Dolls and Wynonna followed suit, leaving Waverly to clean everything up as she waited for their new worker. She looked over at the clock now showing 6:45 on the face and peered past the kitchen wall to check if Nicole had arrived yet. When she walked out of the house, Wynonna and Dolls were already going out to their posts while Waverly left for the barn to perform her menial task of checking on the goats before letting them out to pasture.

On her way back, she spotted Black Beauty racing over the hill. Checking her watch, the young Earp noted her perfect punctuality, regarding her new farmhand as she dismounted her bike and rested it right in front of the porch of the homestead. Nicole removed her helmet and set it on the ground behind Beauty, shaking out her hair to fix the short red locks as she approached her boss.

“Sorry, hi Nicole,” Waverly quickly greeted with a firm handshake.

“Good morning Ms. Earp, so, where do I start?” she politely inquired.

“Ready to work, nice. Well, the grass is perfect for cutting, so I’ll need you to do that, then stack it, please. Once you’re done, ask Doc in the barn or me in the fields behind the house if you can help. Doc takes care of the goats and around this time of year we weed out the ones that are ready for the house.”

“Okay,” she confirmed, catching the bright tone in those final morbid words.

“You know how to use a scythe right?” Waverly asked, walking towards the field

“Like, the old style?”

“Well yeah, modern made, not an old, you know, rusty one from the 1700s, but still a scythe,” Waverly awkwardly explained. She sighed with a smile and continued, “Let me show you where the tools are.”

~

After a few grueling hours, the field was cut and the browned grass had been layered across the ground to dry. Nicole set the scythe down and began towards the homestead to grab a drink before returning to the homestead for a bite and nip. Once inside, she spotted Waverly by the sink washing some berries.

“Ms. Earp,” she greeted with a nod.

“Haught,” the other farmer greeted.

Nicole refilled her bottle, “Just taking a quick break. Do you need help in the fields?”

“Wait, did you already finish in the grass?”

“Yes.”

“And scattered it to dry?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nicole proudly nodded.

“Fast work, well done.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“That’s really impressive for two hours,” Waverly complimented. “I was never able to do it that fast. But then again, I enjoyed washing and shearing the goats more than the ag stuff.”

Nicole nodded in agreement, “So, this is a family farm?”

“Yup. My great-great-grandpa started the farm as a side job from being a for-hire officer.”

“Wow, so why goats?”

“Small and versatile.”

“What do you mean?” Nicole asked drinking from her bottle again.

“Well, you can eat them, drink them, wear them, and work them. Cows are drinkable, edible, and wearable, but not really workable as well as they’re large and require a lot of land compared to goats.”

“When did you switch?”

“Back when Grandpa Edwin ran this homely land,” Waverly playfully informed her, “Did you grow up in the area?”

“No, I’m from the outskirts of Calgary.”

“Oh, I love Calgary!” she beamed. “It’s so beautiful and exciting!”

Nicole couldn’t help but smile at her colleague's genuine interest in her. “Yeah, a lot happens there but definitely a nice mix of rural and city life.”

“My ex-boyfriend brought me up to the zoo there. I absolutely adored the reptile exhibit.”

“Reptiles?”

“Yeah, you know, exotic creatures from around the world.”

“I always loved the aviary exhibit. They’re so beautiful. So, you’re a bit of an adventurous soul, are you ma’am?”

“Yes, well, I’ve always enjoyed traveling, but the farm keeps me grounded.” Waverly smiled and looked out at the barn before pulling her gaze back to the farmhand, “I hope I’m not prying by asking you this, but… nevermind.”

“What?” Nicole gently pressed.

“Nevermind, it’s a stupid question,” she sputtered out as she tried to cover up her mistake.

Nicole rolled her eyes and gently asked, “There’s not much that offends me, ma’am. What is it?”

Waverly awkwardly sighed and asked, “Are you… gay?”

“Well, first day and already hitting the personal questions.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn't have asked.”

“Yeah, you shouldn't’ve,” Nicole began screwing the top back on her water bottle, “but you did, so I’ll answer. Yes, ma’am, I am in fact gay.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

Waverly bit her lip feeling completely stupid and yet, curiosity still flared beneath the naive surface of her question. “You must get asked that often, sorry…”

“Not really.”

“I’m sorry. Um, Doc will need help in the barn, so you can help him there, I’m almost finished in the fields,” she tried to smooth things over.

“Yes, ma’am.” Nicole walked out of the cramped house to join Holliday.

She walked to the creaky building to find Doc at the doorway watching the goats as he smoked a hand-rolled cigarette, hie tilted down a bit to block the sun. He glanced up at the new worker and smiled below that dark thick mustache.

“Good morning,” he greeted in a very thick southern accent. “You must be Nicole.”

“And you’re Doc?”

“Pleasure to meet you,” he nodded as he stood up to shake her hand.

“I was wondering if you needed help.”

“For now, I just need to refill some of the water troughs. You can help me, but after that, there’s nothing else to do.”

“Okay.”

Nicole followed him to the well and began pumping water into the buckets, lugging them back to the barn as they each took turns dumping the water into the troughs. Nicole smiled again as the kids nudged into her while she walked. She laughed as she and Doc dumped water into the last trough. He was an unassuming man, Nicole pieced, and a big softy by the way he cared for the younger livestock. In the brief time of working with him, he was a gentleman, something Nicole had misjudged as being an act from his style and sound.

“Do you guys have a hay baler?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s in the back by the truck, just hook it up to the ol’ tractor and drive it to the field. Turn it on and you’ll be good to go.”

“Thank you Doc,” Nicole finished, turning on her heels to ask, “So, why Doc?”

“Just my childhood nickname,” he wistfully smiled.

Nicole smiled at his brief but predictable answer and walked back to the fields where Waverly said she would be. She looked for the young Earp amongst the bushes and approached her as she stood up.

“Hey, you need help?” Nicole called out to her.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” she absentmindedly answered. “Yeah. I mean no. Sorry. Did you finish helping Doc?”

“Yes ma’am. Now just waiting for the grass to dry before I rotate and dry it again.” Nicole watched for a moment, the awkward silence filling the void that was once full of eager interest in one another. “Would you want to join me for a lunch break, ma’am?”

“Sure, I’m finishing up on the second round of blueberries today, so I can take a short break right now. I don’t have a helmet, though,” Waverly told her. “Oh, wait, Wynonna does.”

“She has a bike, too?”

“Yeah, it’s our uncle’s.”

“Perfect. So, is there anywhere to have a nip this early in the afternoon?”

“There’s this local bar in the town center, Shorty’s,” Waverly suggested with a smile.

“Sounds great.”

“It is,” she said going off to store the berries.

Waverly quickly finished her task and joined Nicole for their thrilling adventure. Her farmhand pulled on her helmet and slapped the visor down to protect her eyes from the sun then sat still for Waverly to climb on. She tentatively put her hands on Nicole’s shoulders, then slid them to her waist as they drove off. Nicole sped to the town center, the wind whipping past their bodies as they broke through the countryside. The rolling hills looked even more majestic at high speeds, and with the cloudy day, partial shadows were cast over the grass in long streaks while low winds combed over the untamed reeds. The land flattened again as she approached the main street paved through archaic shops meant to preserve the Old West. They finally happened upon Shorty’s, hard to miss by the large sign outlined in lights, and dismounted the bike, Waverly led the way to the old bar. When they walked in, almost everyone greeted the young heir.

“You seem quite popular,” Nicole commented

“I used to work here part-time,” she explained as they found a spot at the bar.

“Barmaid?”

“Waitress because I wasn’t old enough to sell alcohol,” she explained, catching the attention of the current woman presiding over the saloon.

“Waverly, how are you, sweetie?” Gus greeted.

“I’m doing really well, could we have two of the house ale?”

“Oh, just one,” Nicole interrupted, “I’ll just have pop, thank you, ma’am.”

“No problem,” she nodded as she poured out two small glasses and slid them over to the farmers before attending to the other patrons.

“That’s Gus, she’s my aunt. Curtis and his friend, Shorty, own this place.”

“It’s nice. Is that why you’re very popular?”

“Not the only other reason why,” Gus cut in with a slight smile as she cleaned a few glasses within earshot.

“That doesn’t matter, not really,” Waverly instantly intervened.

“So, who are you?” she directed towards the new farmhand.

“I’m Nicole Haught, new to the Earp farm, ma’am,” she said with a smile.

“It’s great to see people still wanting to work there. I always told Waverly that she should have traveled, she’s a free spirit.”

“But we need to keep our feet on the ground,” she intervened again.

“You’re too smart for Purgatory, Waves. You deserve more than this town than that farm,” Gus berated, leaving to serve another customer.

Nicole looked at Waverly, head cocked to the side in curiosity. “What does she mean by not the only reason you’re popular?”

“My great-great-grandpa was Wyatt Earp. He owned that small farm and raised his family there.”

“The Wyatt Earp? I thought I recognized your last name.”

“Yup,” Waverly smile, sighing as she looked down at her drink.

“So exploring the world was on your bucket list?”

“Yeah, but it was only a dream. Have you explored outside of Canada?”

“I have and I have to say that once you explore the world, you’re excited at first, but then find that it’s not what you expected because of all of the issues you find at home you find everywhere else, just with a different mask. It’s better to learn about the world slowly so there’s always more to see, more to do, more to… feel.” Nicole said drinking from her cup.

“Wow, were you a philosophy major?” Waverly asked.

“I always enjoyed philosophy, but I actually majored in justice and law,” Nicole casually joked.

“Wow, any idea of what you’d do?”

“Become an officer, maybe, or become a detective. Though for now, I’m working on a goat farm for a charming lady and her bike-loving older sister.”

“Thank you,” Waverly bashfully accepted. “Why not go straight into the force?”

“Well, I wanted to take a while off to get settled again before I have to go to the academy.”

“Why law enforcement?”

“I wanted to be one of the good cops. I want to improve our system by seeing and experiencing how it works from the inside.”

“How noble,” Waverly carefully considered.

Nicole blushed and glanced away, drinking from her glass. “I’m glad that we have this time to talk.”

“Me too,” Waverly agreed.

They watched as the hour passed with only a few lapsing moments of silence, seemingly having forgotten about the awkward question that briefly made Nicole wish she had taken a different job. The two women walked out of the bar, mounting Beauty, and headed back to the homestead. Nicole left first to continue her work in the fields where she began to flip the grass. The hard labor proved to be more mindless than she had originally planned, spending most of the time recounting her small excursion with Waverly.

Once she finished the work, Nicole walked to the fields behind the house where Waverly said she would be and called out, “Miss Earp, would you like me to help?”

“Yes, please,” she called back. “I need to pick the strawberries now, they just all popped. You know how to pick these, right?” Waverly asked, wiping her fingers off on the red and purple-stained rag.

“Do they just fall off?”

“Not really,” she corrected, handing her a spare pair of clippers from the basket. “We pick them when they’re a bit green still and what ones that are too ripe we sell in town or keep for ourselves.”

Nicole knelt down next to her and began to pick the ripe red berries from the bush, gently dropping them into the basket. There must have been three fifty meter rows of strawberry bushes and another three rows of blueberries Waverly had picked earlier. They worked quickly and diligently, hoping to be able to rest for the remaining portion of their workday. The two women picked the berries side by side, talking as they worked.

“So, books or video games,” Waverly randomly asked.

“It depends,” she methodically began, “I like books a bit more but I also enjoy a well-written game, too.”

“Okay. What kind of books do you like to read, then?”

“I enjoy Sue Grafton or a well thought out novel about ancient history.”

“Really?” Waverly asked excitedly. “So, which ancient society do you believe really pushed the progression of man?”

Nicole smirked at her excitement and thoughtfully answered, “The Sumerians. With a very intricate religious system copied by the Babylonians and Egyptians which was copied by the Greeks and Romans, as well as a simple written system, I think that they really did aid in the formative years for mankind. What do you think, ma’am?”

“Wow,” Waverly murmured in awe of Nicole’s genuine interest and knowledge. She bit her lip and asked, “What about women in history, which do you believe was the most progressive?”

Nicole perked up an eyebrow about the subject, finding it an interesting one to compare with ancient societies. “Oh, I think either the Sumerians- again- or maybe Ancient East Africa because of the matriarchal rule in some tribes. Well, now that I think about it, definitely the Sumerians because there was a woman leader who is regarded positively and women could be equal to men if they tried unlike many cultures, ancient or modern” Waverly just looked at the young worker and smiled. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Yes, yeah, I’ve just never met anyone so passionate about history. Everyone here is either a local running their own shop or working on their farm, so there aren’t a lot of people who like to talk about history for fun. Usually, it’s because it’s their homework… and they’re just asking for their homework.”

“Well, I’m glad that you approve of my overall nerdiness, Ms. Earp,” Nicole sarcastically engaged.

“Gosh, I embrace it with all of my heart because I'm not the only nerdy person in town now.”

Haught continued to smile as they went back to work, feeling her employer’s eyes on her every moment or so. Whenever she caught her eye, a light blush would cover her cheeks in an instant and she would go back to her task. As they finished the final row of strawberries, Nicole glanced at her watch seeing that she still had two hours left on the clock.

She excused herself and went to retrieve the small green tractor, connecting it to their old baler. The young farmhand drove to the front of the lot and hopped out to bring the hay together in individual rows. She then got back on the tractor and slowly drove over the mounds of grass as they collected and ultimately turned into seven dense round bales. She drove the tractor back, taking everything apart when she spotted Waverly in the house beckoning her inside. Nicole approached the manor, brushing off all of the excess grass, and walked in.

“Hey, you busy?” her employer asked

“I just have to bring in the hay, but other than that, no, ma’am.”

“Just wondering. I can help you,” Waverly offered.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Nicole accepted, pulling her gloves on again as she led the way to the field.

They each grabbed a bale and walked to the barn where Doc must have been on a break as the goats meandered the fields to drink and graze, pushing through one another. The farmers dropped the bales on the ground and began traveling back and forth for the remaining ones. After the last drop off, Waverly climbed up the ladder to the storage space with other extra bales.

“What was your aunt saying about you moving on?” Nicole asked as she tossed a bale up to her.

“Well,” Waverly huffed as she caught it. “I was a history and linguistics major, nothing like Wynonna or anyone else in the family. Gus has been trying to get me on a different track ever since my dad passed away. She even helped me through college.”

“Why did you decide to stay, if you don’t mind me asking, ma’am?”

“This is my home, and when Wynonna left I took care of this place with Uncle Curtis, just to get by. I found happiness here. Peace,” Waverly simply added, catching the last bale and setting it down. “Love.”

“Ms. Waverly Earp,” she beckoned, climbing up the ladder, “why did my sexuality matter to you?” Nicole only earned a defiant sigh and she pushed herself onto the deck.

She merely looked at Nicole as she tried to put her thoughts in order as quickly as she could while the worker encroached upon her. “Close enough to touch,” she thought to herself. A foot apart, Waverly gazed up slightly to study Nicole’s features before nervously breaking their connection with a soft sigh.

“I’m not really great with words,” Waverly tried to explain away, “You know what, pretend I didn’t say anything, Nicole.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, I really don’t think that’s possible,” she bluntly stated.

Waverly bit the inside of her lip as she tried to fight off the urge to do or say anything out of line, especially when her counterpart was so formal. “Nothing, I shouldn’t have said anything,” she tried, nudging her coworker aside by the waist before she descended the ladder.

“Waverly,” she called down to her, “I apologize if I have been out of line in any way.”

“I’ve been out of line, Nicole,” the young caretaker affirmed as the barn doors opened.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Doc greeted, a fresh smoke peeking out from under his mustache.

“Hey, Doc,” Waverly quickly smiled, walking past him.

Once out of earshot, Nicole approached him to ask, “Is she usually like this?”

Doc tucked the unlit cigarette behind his ear and shrugged, “Like what?”

“Awkward.”

“I guess sometimes? The best thing to do with these Earps is to let them defuse in solitude rather than intervene,” he informed her. “Thank you for the hay.”

“No problem, Doc,” she nodded, following Waverly to the homestead.

“I mean it, Haught,” he warned her. “Leave it be.”

“I still have an hour left.”

“I have to herd the goats in if you want to help, that’ll eat up a good fifteen,” he asked, lighting the end of his tab.

[atc74]

New Traditions

Square(s) Filled: Christmas for @spnbromentbingo, Family for @spntfwbingo

Warnings: Snowstorm, fluff, Dean being domestic, Sam being shy, implied smut

Summary: Dean and Sam arrive in Sioux Falls to spend their new Christmas Tradition with Jody, the girls, and Donna. 

Pairing: Dean x Donna, Sam x Jody

Word Count: 1485

Written for: @spnbromentbingo, @spntfwbingo, and @katymacsupernatural 6K Golden Christmas. I choose the aesthetic below. Katy, thank you and congrats!

Beta’d by: @amanda-teaches

Looking for the next level fan experience? Check out Dean, Sam, Donna, and Jody here from @scentsfromthebunker!

Dean scowled as he looked at the road ahead of them. He glanced sideways at his brother, sleeping against the cold, frosted over window. “I know, girl. Not much longer, I promise.” 

“Dude, are you seriously talking to your car?” Sam yawned, stretching his long limbs as best he could in the confined space of Baby’s front seat. 

“We hate the snow, it’s why we live in Kansas!” Dean retorted, turning his attention back to the snow covered highway. 

“No, we live in Kansas, because that is where the Men of Letters built their super secret bunker,” Sam corrected him. 

“Whatever, bitch.”

“Jerk.”

They were only about five miles from the Sioux Falls exit to Jody’s. She had decided a few years back that they all needed something to look forward to, so she started a new Christmas tradition for her little hunter family. For one solid weekend, they took three days of uninterrupted family holiday fun. Unless a nearby case popped up. Fortunately, they had been lucky so far. 

Dean pulled into Jody’s drive just as Donna was backing out. She rolled down her window and greeted the Winchesters. “Heya boys. Just heading into town to get a few extras to get us through the weekend. Wanna tag along?” 

“Sure, why not?” Dean shrugged, pulling Baby into the empty garage. They climbed from the car, Sam grabbing their bags and Dean heading to Donna’s truck. 

“This is a sweet ride, Donna. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Baby more than anything, but her rear wheel drive is less than desirable in these conditions,” Dean commented as he buckled up. 

“I’m from Minnesota, Dean. Anything less than four wheel drive is undesirable!” she snorted, kicking the truck into four by four and rolling down Jody’s street. 

With extra groceries, extra liquor and extra Christmas movies, Dean and Donna returned to Jody’s around sunset and a couple extra inches of snow later. “It’s really coming down out there!” 

“They’re predicting a polar vortex now,” Jody commented, pulling a roast from the oven. “Up to ten inches total, then the bottom is supposed to fall out tomorrow afternoon, dropping temps into the mid twenty below range.” 

“This is how much we love you, Jody,” Dean laughed, bringing dishes to the table. “Braving the weather to spend the weekend with you.” 

“Hey!” Donna piped up. 

“With all of you,” Dean corrected himself. 

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“Alex is working overtime at the hospital, and Claire was on her way back from a hunt in Montana when the storm hit. I told her to stay put and booked her a nicer hotel,” Jody commented as she brought the roast to the table. “So looks like it’s just us.” 

“Sorry, the girls can’t be here, Jodes,” Donna empathized with her friend, knowing how important her adopted daughters were to her. 

“Hey, it’s not like they ditched, life happens. We know all too well,” Jody smiled warmly at her guests. 

Over a hearty meal. Donna filled them in on the small town happenings of Hibbing. Sam and Dean took turns telling the ladies about their last few hunts, and Jody gave them updates on the girls. With the exception of talk of ganking monsters, it was as close to a normal meal they got. 

With the dishes soaking and nightcaps poured, Jody led her guests down to the recently finished basement. 

“Jody, this is awesome!” Dean marveled as he explored the newly done space. A fireplace, wall mounted TV and bookshelves took up one side, with a large sectional sofa. She added three spare bedrooms as well, always wanting to have room for an unexpected guest. 

“Thanks, Dean,” Jody replied. She showed them their rooms then headed back upstairs to finish the dishes. 

“I’ll give you a hand,” Sam offered, flashing a shy smile. 

~*~

The next morning arrived with a foot of fresh snow, blanketing her yard in crisp white. Jody and Sam enjoyed a cup of coffee before starting breakfast. 

Jody tiptoed back up the stairs after trying to rouse the two still sleeping hunters, showing Sam the evidence she captured on her phone. “They look so cute!” 

“He looks happy, even asleep. They both do,” Sam smiled. Dean had made a bed of sofa cushions on the floor in front of the fireplace, his arm wrapped tightly around Donna. “Wish I would have thought of that. Give you a little romance for once.” 

“I don’t need romance, Sam Winchester, I just need you,” Jody proclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. 

“Hey, hey, hey! Quit making out like teenagers, you’re gonna burn the bacon!” Dean rushed to the stove. “Heathens don’t appreciate bacon.” 

Jody blushed, having been caught by Dean. Not like what she and Sam had was a secret, they just hadn’t told anyone. Donna gave her a wink, pouring two cups of coffee. 

Sam was quieter than usual during breakfast, concentrating on his egg whites, when Dean started chuckling. “Hey, it’s not a big deal, guys. We’re all adults. It’s about time we get some from someone that understands the life. Am I right, Don?” 

Jody almost choked on a piece of fruit and Sam looked mortified. Donna leaned toward his chair next to her. “That was more than some. You were rocking this D-Train all night.” 

“Okay, okay! We don’t need details!” Sam scoffed. 

“Hey, if we can’t talk about it, we shouldn’t be doing it, right?” Jody looked at Sam expectantly. 

“I’m cool talking about sex, but I don’t want to talk about the details of our sex life. That’s just for you and me,” Sam softened, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he rose from the table. “I’m not a pig like Dean.” 

“Hey, I’m not a pig, you prude!” Dean grunted. 

“You eat enough bacon, you might be part pig,” Donna giggled, trying to lighten the mood. 

~*~

Dean and Jody worked most of the afternoon, putting together a feast for an early dinner. Donna had gone to the hospital to pick up Alex when her car wouldn’t start. They arrived just in time to sit down to eat. 

“This is incredible, Jodes!” Donna gushed over the spread in front of them. Ham, cheese covered potatoes, green beans, broccoli, salad, and pie. 

“Actually, Dean did most of this,” Jody acknowledged as she passed dishes. “Thank you for cooking.” 

“I don’t get a chance to cook much, not when it’s just the two of us,” Dean commented. “I won’t ever get the apple pie life, but this is close.” He looked up, meeting Donna’s gaze, giving her a small smile. 

“A beast in the bedroom and you can cook? You’re a man of many talents, Dean Winchester,” she giggled quietly. 

“Well, that’s more information than I needed after a thirty-six hour shift,” Alex sassed, finishing her meal quickly and excusing herself to shower and sleep for a week. 

“I stopped on the way back and grabbed a treat,” Donna shot up from her chair, heading into the kitchen. “Dean? Can you give me a hand?” 

They returned several minutes later, Dean’s hair sticking up and Donna’s face flushed. Each of them carried two glasses. “We made eggnog!” 

“Is that a euphemism? Please tell me this is just eggnog,” Sam groaned, taking a glass from his brother. 

“Shut up, bitch.” 

“Jerk.” 

“Hey, it’s Christmas!” Jody scolded, raising her glass. “To good food and great friends.” 

“To family,” Sam smiled at her from across the table. 

“To hope,” Donna blushed, looking into her drink when Dean caught her eye. 

“To a whole year of no one dying,” Dean raised his glass. 

“Dude,” Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Boys,” Jody interrupted. “Thank you all for being here. I’m lucky to have each of you. Now, it’s time for gifts!” 

Everyone passed out their gifts, taking a seat around the fire and taking turns opening. Dean smiled, looking around the circle. He and Sam never really celebrated Christmas when they were growing up, their Dad often gone on a hunt. But since meeting Donna and Jody, the tradition had grown and now it felt natural to just be in the moment, enjoying it for as long as it lasted. 

With his brother on one side and Donna curled into him on the other, they sat back with their eggnog and popcorn, Home Alone playing quietly on the television. 

Dean pressed a kiss to the top of Donna’s head as she snuggled in a little deeper. “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals,” she giggled, not as asleep as he thought. 

Jody and Sam joined in and Dean couldn’t stop himself any longer as he started laughing along with the others. Maybe it was the eggnog, maybe it was the normalness, but Dean felt at peace for the first time in maybe forever. Maybe Christmas miracles can happen, even for salty hunters.

The Whole Enchilada: @iwantthedean​ @dolphincliffs​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​ @meganwinchester1999​ @cherrycokegirls1​ @closetspngirl​  @roxyspearing​ @flamencodiva​ @blacktithe7​ @sis-tafics​ @just-another-busyfangirl​ @evansrogerskitten​ @amanda-teaches​ @hannahindie​ @wotinspntarnation​ @winchesterprincessbride​ @winecatsandpizza​ @kickingitwithkirk​  @wi-deangirl77​ @hobby27​ @mogaruke​ @gh0stgurl​ @alleiradayne​ @idreamofplaid​ @seenashwrite​ @crashdevlin​ @thoughtslikeaminefield​ @emoryhemsworth​

The Dean’s List/Jensen’s Jamboree: @jerkbitchidjitassbutt​ @dean-winchesters-bacon​ @maddiepants​  @adoptdontshoppets​ @supernatural-jackles​ @fandom-princess-forevermore​ @akshi8278​

The Sam Sin-dicate / Jared’s Menagerie: @supernatural-jackles​ @fandom-princess-forevermore​

[nancypullen]

Heatin’ Up the Kitchen

You guys.  Am I the only one ready to throw in my apron and quit this job?  I love to cook, I especially love to try new recipes and twists on old favorites.  But something about not picking my own groceries, the fact that each day is just a repeat of the day before, and that it’s a thousand degrees here in Tennessee - well, I just don’t want to be in the kitchen.  I used to cook 21 meals a week.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.  A couple of months ago I started skipping breakfast (most days) so every Sunday I make a week’s worth of these cups for Mickey.

There’s a little bit of diced (cooked) potato, green onion, bacon pieces, and cheddar cheese in them.  He cracks an egg into it, stirs it up, and zaps it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. He stirs it again, cooks it another 30 seconds or so and he’s got a yummy breakfast.  He usually has a piece of fruit with it and declares himself full.  They’re so versatile. I’ve made them with lots of veggies, different meats or no meat at all, but this is the combo the mister prefers. It’s easy for me and he’s happy.  For lunch he prefers soup and sandwich or leftovers.  Per his request, every week I make a pot of taco soup (seriously, who eats soup in the summer?).  So breakfast and lunch are pretty quick - I slap together a sandwich for him while the soup reheats, throw everything on a plate, and he’s satisfied.  Dinner is a different matter all together.  I need to start doing meal prep for dinner so that we can just grab something and reheat it without having to turn on the oven or stand over a hot stove.  Actually, this was my dinner tonight.  It was perfect for a 96 degree day.

Vanilla yogurt, delicious plump raspberries, and a sprinkling of walnuts. It was plenty.  I sauteed some chicken for Mickey and tossed it over a big salad.   We’ve been eating a lot of roasted broccoli, though that requires turning on the oven. Ugh.  It’s so easy and yummy.  Just chop off some florets...

Why yes, those are brownies in the background - those were actually worth turning on the oven, trust me.

Anyway, toss your florets with a good drizzle of olive oil, and treat them to some salt and pepper. Then spread them on a baking sheet.

Pop them into a 400 degree oven and then mop your brow with a handy dish towel.  Roast them for about 25 minutes - more if you like them softer.  Toss your florets with some grated parmesan (Mickey’s favorite) or with a tablespoon of lemon zest (my favorite) and enjoy.  It really is that simple.  Great side for anything off the grill this summer.

If you’re willing to stand over a hot stove, at least keep the pots and pans to a minimum.  This meal requires just one pot and one skillet.  It’s a delicious pasta dish and if you’re a single or couple, provides plenty of leftovers which is always a win. I start by filling my pasta pot with well-salted water and bringing it to a boil. Then I heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add sliced onion and green pepper.  

The herbs and spices are key in this dish.  It’s full of big flavor.  You can use Italian seasoning (use plenty!) or this mix that I found online.  It’s easy to mix up a big batch and keep with your spices. 

I use a tablespoon of that mix in this recipe.  Half a tablespoon goes in with the onions and peppers, the other half goes in later.  Here’s a tip.  If you’re using Italian sausage, you really don’t need the extra fennel, but it doesn’t hurt. You could just use Italian seasoning and pepper it up.  If you’re using ground beef or ground turkey, you’ll want the fennel in there.  Either way you’ll want a little zip to it, so if you’re not using cayenne, black or white pepper to taste.  Can you tell that this is one that I made up as I went along?  But it’s good! Once the onion and peppers are tender, add your meat.  I had Italian sausage this time.  After I dumped it in I remembered that I only intended to use half because it was something like 19 ounces. Oops. We had a very meaty dish this time.

You’ll need a can of good crushed tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes to your meat and veggie mixture and stir in the remaining half tablespoon of Tuscan Spice (or whatever you decided to use).

Your water is surely boiling by now, turn the heat down on your sauce and drop your pasta into the water.  I can’t stress enough how much better this is with fresh pasta.  It makes a world of difference.  It’s still quite yummy with any dry pasta you have handy, but fresh pasta elevates it. If you’re using fresh, it’s only going to take about two minutes to cook,  If you’re using dry pasta, probably 9-11 minutes depending on the pasta you choose. Once your pasta is cooked and drained, put it back into the pot and pour the sauce over it. Toss that all together before serving.   In the past, depending on the amount of liquid in the crushed tomatoes, I’ve added a splash of good chicken broth.  If you want to make the sauce extra delicious, take it off the heat and stir a tablespoon of butter into it before tossing with the pasta.  That’s REALLY good. Would you believe that I forgot to snap a picture after putting our dinner into pretty white bowls and giving everything a sprinkling of parsley and grated parmesan? Dang it.  You’ll have to look at this photo of the leftovers being plopped into a container for the next day’s lunch.

Since this is sort of a made-up recipe anyway, tweak it to your tastes.  It’s not fancy, it’s not difficult, and you probably have everything in your pantry. Ingredients you’ll need -  1 green pepper

1 yellow onion

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

pasta

ground meat - Italian sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, your call! The spice blend is up to you, whether or not you finish the sauce with butter is up to you, whether you use fresh or dry pasta,etc.   Any way you go, it’s a quick dinner with big flavor.  It heats up the kitchen, for sure, but you’re not in there long.   Could this post be more confusing?  I said I’m tired of cooking and then shared more recipes.  One of the recipes is all over the place and I hardly even gave measurements.  Pffft, you guys get it, right? I think I may stick to yogurt for dinner from now on.  At least until October or November.  

Stay cool, stay well, and remember that ice cream is a dairy and dairy builds strong bones. Fight osteoporosis with a sundae!  Also, I’m a terrible life coach. Don’t listen to me. XOXO - Nancy

[easyfoodnetwork]

11 Useful Items to Keep Hidden Away in Your Freezer

Frozen mixed berries | CLICKMANIS/Shutterstock

From cooking fat to freezer cake, these are the items that make cooking easier for Eater editors

For active home cooks or even those who generally dread the task, the freezer deserves credit for helping get dinner (or dessert) on the table. It’s a place that offers a wealth of shortcut meals and snacks, from exceptional frozen dumplings to nostalgic treats like tater tots. Frozen ingredients like chicken stock or marinara sauce can get a home cook most of the way to a finished meal. As long as people know the best way to store and defrost their freezer items, whether they’re cuts of meat or bagels, a freezer is undeniably an indispensable tool, during a pandemic and otherwise.

Here’s a roundup of the useful items Eater editors are most likely to keep hidden away in their freezers.

Cooking fat: Meat isn’t an everyday item in our house, so when we do cook with it, my partner and I like to save every last bit. That means saving the fat. Grease is one of those pesky residuals of cooking that’s harder to dispose of. It really shouldn’t go directly down the drain. Some people wait for it to cool in a container and then pour it in the garbage. However, I recommend saving that flavor. When you cook chicken, duck, bacon, or anything else particularly precious and tasty, save the drippings in a glass container and stick it in the freezer. Then use it in place of butter or oil in your cooking to impart more flavor. Duck fat is particularly tasty for cooking fried eggs at breakfast time. —Brenna Houck, Eater Detroit editor

Ice cube tray and ice cubes: The most important items in my freezer are my two ice cube trays and the ice they hold. Since shelter-in-place has coincided with my pregnancy, I’m drinking a lot of non-alcoholic beverages, each of which is greatly improved by being even colder. I make cheater iced almond milk lattes by stirring drip coffee with ice and then adding more ice and almond milk. I cool down cups of herbal tea I discover I’ve left on the counter and enjoy iced tea. I drink so much more tap water when I remember to put ice cubes in it. The trick: Refill your tray with water every time you take cubes from it. Just make it part of your routine and it’s never empty. —Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor

Frozen fruit: My biggest freezer staple is frozen fruit, mostly because I love a good smoothie. Great for breakfast or anytime you feel like you need a Vitamin C boost, the secret to a thick, filling smoothie is to use a fresh banana and frozen fruit without adding ice. I just buy the bags frozen from my local grocery store (even tropical fruits like pitaya are now pretty easy to find), but this is also a great way to store those final few strawberries before they go bad. Other uses of fruit in your freezer: cocktail ingredients, drink garnishes, a snack (especially frozen mango). —Erin Russell, Eater Austin associate editor

Dino nuggets: Why eat boring chicken nuggets when you can eat chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs? It may be childish, but I will never stop getting a kick out of dino nuggets. It’s an easy lunch on a hectic day; just toss them in the toaster oven. Flip once. I guess you could make a side salad if you’re feeling fancy. But the only required side, as far as I’m concerned, is a dipping sauce — ideally barbecue sauce from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que because (a) it’s good and (b) obviously dino nuggets go best with Dino sauce. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Eater Boston editor

Homemade gumbo: Gumbo is one of my favorite meals to make at home, but let’s be real; it’s a project, a cooking task that’s going to clock in at a couple hours before it’s done. Luckily, since there are only two of us at home, making gumbo always means gumbo leftovers, and I don’t think there’s a more satisfying freezer meal for me than a bowl of gumbo that I simply pulled out of the freezer (stored in a quart container) to defrost the night before in the fridge, and reheated for dinner that evening. Gumbo doesn’t really deteriorate significantly in the freezer; all you have to do is throw some rice in the rice cooker, and you have an easy weeknight dinner that totally makes up for all the effort you initially put into making a roux, simmering your ingredients, and just having patience for the gumbo to finish the first time around. —Missy Frederick, cities director

Frozen dinners from mom: Being far away from my family is hard, especially now that I don’t really know when I can safely go back home to New York. Thankfully, I usually have deep-frozen containers of my mother’s home-cooking in my freezer, from my last visit home. Whenever I fly home, my mother usually asks me what foods I want to bring back (my favorites: shrimp and potol, a Bengali pointed gourd; chicken with squash), along with biryani. My mom batch-cooks everything and my dad portions out the food into 16-ounce deli containers, labels each one, and carefully packs everything into a disposable cooler with ice packs, ready to be placed in my overstuffed suitcase. This way, I can hold onto tastes of home even though it’s 1,700+ miles away. —Nadia Chaudhury, Eater Austin editor

Banana ice cream: Forget cookies and cream or chocolate chip cookie dough. Banana is the best ice cream flavor, and I make sure to keep a half-gallon in my freezer at all times. Living in Newark, I’m lucky to be within walking distance of the scoop shop that makes it best: Nasto’s. I have three scoops after dinner every night, always with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and it’s pure bliss. I understand that ice cream isn’t the most exciting thing in a freezer compared to frozen dumplings or mochi, but the flavor takes me back to sitting on my late grandmother’s balcony in Ankara, where we would split a bowl of fruit — mostly bananas — together. —Esra Erol, senior social media manager

Freezer cake: I don’t remember what life was like before I discovered Freezer Cake. I don’t care to look back on that era. There’s something special about knowing a slice of banana upside-down cake or a thick slab of banana bread is waiting there, whispering my name gently from the back corner of the freezer. In these not-very-sweet times, being able to eat a slice of cake without ever cracking an egg or dirtying a bowl feels like a victory. All you need to do is let whatever cake you’ve so wisely frozen defrost slowly on the counter. Because sometimes turning on the oven is just too much work. —Elazar Sontag, staff writer

Stock: The one thing I always try to have in my freezer is stock. Usually it’s chicken stock, either made from the carcass of a roast chicken or from a big pile of chicken wings I dumped in my Instant Pot, because so many recipes call for it, whether a little bit to help finish a sauce or several cups to make a soup or stew. Homemade stock tastes noticeably better, and since it’s easy to keep in the freezer, making up a big batch doesn’t risk any going to waste. To freeze stock, I measure it out into plastic baggies in rough one or two cup amounts, using a ladle with a half-cup measure on it, and then lie them flat in the freezer one on top of the other, so when they harden, they’re easy to stack. When I need to defrost, I zap a frozen bag for 30 seconds or a minute in the microwave and break off roughly as much as I need, or drop the whole cup or two into the pot. I have endured the shame of throwing out all sorts of things from my freezer, but I have never, ever wasted stock. —Meghan McCarron, special correspondent

Homemade pesto: My frozen secret weapon is an ice cube tray full of homemade pesto. Pesto sauce, to me, is a special thing. Basil is a precious, flavorful commodity that seems expensive if you don’t have a farmers market nearby, and it doesn’t stay for very long either. Pine nuts are also quite pricey, so when I do make a big batch from scratch, I make sure to make it last. Pesto is so flavorful that you don’t need to use a lot for any single dish. That’s where the ice cube tray comes in. Filling a tray with pesto and freezing it into cubes is a trick I learned long ago when Pinterest was new on the scene and basically church for those interested in recipe ideas and hacks. Popping out one or two cubes of pesto as needed is a great way to make use of the sauce you may have made months ago when basil was in season, without having to defrost an entire Tupperware. It’s such an easy and fast way to add flavor to a quick pasta dish, some beans, a sandwich of any kind, and even to make into a vinaigrette for a salad on the fly. —Terri Ciccone, audience development manager

Salted caramel ice cream: If it’s freezer junk food you seek, I present Lotus Biscoff Salted Caramel Ice Cream, something I started hoarding during the pandemic. I swear it’s the softest ice cream I’ve ever found. The instructions even recommend leaving it out for five minutes to soften before you dig in. There is a straight Biscoff cookie version, but I like the salted caramel mixed in. I buy it at Target, and do a search before I venture out to make sure it’s in stock. —Susan Stapleton, Eater Vegas editor

Honorable mentions: Fresh herbs frozen in ice cube trays, bags of pre-peeled garlic, brownies, Eggo waffles, tortellini, peas, pierogis, homemade marinara sauce, cooked beans, rice cakes for stir fries, cookie dough.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3dAswSL https://ift.tt/3i4YvxC

Frozen mixed berries | CLICKMANIS/Shutterstock

From cooking fat to freezer cake, these are the items that make cooking easier for Eater editors

For active home cooks or even those who generally dread the task, the freezer deserves credit for helping get dinner (or dessert) on the table. It’s a place that offers a wealth of shortcut meals and snacks, from exceptional frozen dumplings to nostalgic treats like tater tots. Frozen ingredients like chicken stock or marinara sauce can get a home cook most of the way to a finished meal. As long as people know the best way to store and defrost their freezer items, whether they’re cuts of meat or bagels, a freezer is undeniably an indispensable tool, during a pandemic and otherwise.

Here’s a roundup of the useful items Eater editors are most likely to keep hidden away in their freezers.

Cooking fat: Meat isn’t an everyday item in our house, so when we do cook with it, my partner and I like to save every last bit. That means saving the fat. Grease is one of those pesky residuals of cooking that’s harder to dispose of. It really shouldn’t go directly down the drain. Some people wait for it to cool in a container and then pour it in the garbage. However, I recommend saving that flavor. When you cook chicken, duck, bacon, or anything else particularly precious and tasty, save the drippings in a glass container and stick it in the freezer. Then use it in place of butter or oil in your cooking to impart more flavor. Duck fat is particularly tasty for cooking fried eggs at breakfast time. —Brenna Houck, Eater Detroit editor

Ice cube tray and ice cubes: The most important items in my freezer are my two ice cube trays and the ice they hold. Since shelter-in-place has coincided with my pregnancy, I’m drinking a lot of non-alcoholic beverages, each of which is greatly improved by being even colder. I make cheater iced almond milk lattes by stirring drip coffee with ice and then adding more ice and almond milk. I cool down cups of herbal tea I discover I’ve left on the counter and enjoy iced tea. I drink so much more tap water when I remember to put ice cubes in it. The trick: Refill your tray with water every time you take cubes from it. Just make it part of your routine and it’s never empty. —Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor

Frozen fruit: My biggest freezer staple is frozen fruit, mostly because I love a good smoothie. Great for breakfast or anytime you feel like you need a Vitamin C boost, the secret to a thick, filling smoothie is to use a fresh banana and frozen fruit without adding ice. I just buy the bags frozen from my local grocery store (even tropical fruits like pitaya are now pretty easy to find), but this is also a great way to store those final few strawberries before they go bad. Other uses of fruit in your freezer: cocktail ingredients, drink garnishes, a snack (especially frozen mango). —Erin Russell, Eater Austin associate editor

Dino nuggets: Why eat boring chicken nuggets when you can eat chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs? It may be childish, but I will never stop getting a kick out of dino nuggets. It’s an easy lunch on a hectic day; just toss them in the toaster oven. Flip once. I guess you could make a side salad if you’re feeling fancy. But the only required side, as far as I’m concerned, is a dipping sauce — ideally barbecue sauce from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que because (a) it’s good and (b) obviously dino nuggets go best with Dino sauce. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Eater Boston editor

Homemade gumbo: Gumbo is one of my favorite meals to make at home, but let’s be real; it’s a project, a cooking task that’s going to clock in at a couple hours before it’s done. Luckily, since there are only two of us at home, making gumbo always means gumbo leftovers, and I don’t think there’s a more satisfying freezer meal for me than a bowl of gumbo that I simply pulled out of the freezer (stored in a quart container) to defrost the night before in the fridge, and reheated for dinner that evening. Gumbo doesn’t really deteriorate significantly in the freezer; all you have to do is throw some rice in the rice cooker, and you have an easy weeknight dinner that totally makes up for all the effort you initially put into making a roux, simmering your ingredients, and just having patience for the gumbo to finish the first time around. —Missy Frederick, cities director

Frozen dinners from mom: Being far away from my family is hard, especially now that I don’t really know when I can safely go back home to New York. Thankfully, I usually have deep-frozen containers of my mother’s home-cooking in my freezer, from my last visit home. Whenever I fly home, my mother usually asks me what foods I want to bring back (my favorites: shrimp and potol, a Bengali pointed gourd; chicken with squash), along with biryani. My mom batch-cooks everything and my dad portions out the food into 16-ounce deli containers, labels each one, and carefully packs everything into a disposable cooler with ice packs, ready to be placed in my overstuffed suitcase. This way, I can hold onto tastes of home even though it’s 1,700+ miles away. —Nadia Chaudhury, Eater Austin editor

Banana ice cream: Forget cookies and cream or chocolate chip cookie dough. Banana is the best ice cream flavor, and I make sure to keep a half-gallon in my freezer at all times. Living in Newark, I’m lucky to be within walking distance of the scoop shop that makes it best: Nasto’s. I have three scoops after dinner every night, always with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and it’s pure bliss. I understand that ice cream isn’t the most exciting thing in a freezer compared to frozen dumplings or mochi, but the flavor takes me back to sitting on my late grandmother’s balcony in Ankara, where we would split a bowl of fruit — mostly bananas — together. —Esra Erol, senior social media manager

Freezer cake: I don’t remember what life was like before I discovered Freezer Cake. I don’t care to look back on that era. There’s something special about knowing a slice of banana upside-down cake or a thick slab of banana bread is waiting there, whispering my name gently from the back corner of the freezer. In these not-very-sweet times, being able to eat a slice of cake without ever cracking an egg or dirtying a bowl feels like a victory. All you need to do is let whatever cake you’ve so wisely frozen defrost slowly on the counter. Because sometimes turning on the oven is just too much work. —Elazar Sontag, staff writer

Stock: The one thing I always try to have in my freezer is stock. Usually it’s chicken stock, either made from the carcass of a roast chicken or from a big pile of chicken wings I dumped in my Instant Pot, because so many recipes call for it, whether a little bit to help finish a sauce or several cups to make a soup or stew. Homemade stock tastes noticeably better, and since it’s easy to keep in the freezer, making up a big batch doesn’t risk any going to waste. To freeze stock, I measure it out into plastic baggies in rough one or two cup amounts, using a ladle with a half-cup measure on it, and then lie them flat in the freezer one on top of the other, so when they harden, they’re easy to stack. When I need to defrost, I zap a frozen bag for 30 seconds or a minute in the microwave and break off roughly as much as I need, or drop the whole cup or two into the pot. I have endured the shame of throwing out all sorts of things from my freezer, but I have never, ever wasted stock. —Meghan McCarron, special correspondent

Homemade pesto: My frozen secret weapon is an ice cube tray full of homemade pesto. Pesto sauce, to me, is a special thing. Basil is a precious, flavorful commodity that seems expensive if you don’t have a farmers market nearby, and it doesn’t stay for very long either. Pine nuts are also quite pricey, so when I do make a big batch from scratch, I make sure to make it last. Pesto is so flavorful that you don’t need to use a lot for any single dish. That’s where the ice cube tray comes in. Filling a tray with pesto and freezing it into cubes is a trick I learned long ago when Pinterest was new on the scene and basically church for those interested in recipe ideas and hacks. Popping out one or two cubes of pesto as needed is a great way to make use of the sauce you may have made months ago when basil was in season, without having to defrost an entire Tupperware. It’s such an easy and fast way to add flavor to a quick pasta dish, some beans, a sandwich of any kind, and even to make into a vinaigrette for a salad on the fly. —Terri Ciccone, audience development manager

Salted caramel ice cream: If it’s freezer junk food you seek, I present Lotus Biscoff Salted Caramel Ice Cream, something I started hoarding during the pandemic. I swear it’s the softest ice cream I’ve ever found. The instructions even recommend leaving it out for five minutes to soften before you dig in. There is a straight Biscoff cookie version, but I like the salted caramel mixed in. I buy it at Target, and do a search before I venture out to make sure it’s in stock. —Susan Stapleton, Eater Vegas editor

Honorable mentions: Fresh herbs frozen in ice cube trays, bags of pre-peeled garlic, brownies, Eggo waffles, tortellini, peas, pierogis, homemade marinara sauce, cooked beans, rice cakes for stir fries, cookie dough.

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paleo egg muffins

Today I have a brand new make-ahead paleo egg muffin recipe! This one is loaded with sausage and broccoli and will totally fuel you until lunch! A serving will give you 18 grams of protein! They are like a portable little omelet made in a muffin tin! 

Hello middle of January! Let’s catch up! How are your healthy eating habits sticking? Are you happy to be making positive changes? Please let me know by leaving a comment below. Honestly, I want to hear from you. What’s working, what isn’t? Jase and I have been doing a paleo diet for the month, and we both feel amazing. He is melting weight off, and my belly is feeling so much better.

I have to say, this month’s paleo challenge has been a real eye opener for me for many reasons. One of which is the fact that I don’t think I had any clue how much dairy I was eating! Like every day, several times a day. Not that it’s a bad thing, but if that is in fact one of the culprits as to why I am having issues with IBS and GERD, then I am pretty much kicking myself about the fact that I have been giving myself a steady stream of it as long as I can remember. 

Take these high-protein Egg Muffins for example, normally I would have topped them with a nice big pinch of shredded Vermont cheddar to seal the deal. Like I did for these Veggie Egg Cups. But being on this challenge, I had to find alternate ways of making them super delicious. Read more on that below! 

Time will tell about if I’ll need to keep away from dairy or not moving forward. I will be adding in each food, one at a time, that I removed after January, and we’ll see what the triggers are for my symptoms to come back. Very scientific, no? 

In other news, after taking two months off from doing our usual Thursday photo shoots in my photo studio, now Stephanie and I are back in the swing of things, working together to make pretty pictures for my freelance clients. This week, I will try to remember to share some behind the scenes on my instagram stories. 

Anywhoo, let’s talk some more about these amazing low-carb egg muffins with sausage and broccoli! 

How to Make Paleo Egg Muffins

To make these muffin tin egg muffins more satisfying without cheese (so they could be dairy-free) I added sausage to them. Sausage is something we enjoy in moderation around here. Usually we have it as an supporting role ingredient in something else, like soup or stuffing. When considering it as a protein source, sausage is really high in calories and saturated fat, about 270 calories per serving. Compare that to boneless skinless chicken breast at 140 calories per serving. It does have a lot of great flavor, and the richness of it does help with satiety. That’s why it is a good option for a paleo breakfast. Two of these have enough calories (290), fat (23 g)and protein (18g) to keep me full all morning long. Without the sausage, I would’ve needed to add something else to my breakfast to make it more caloric. 

I am also really trying to get in either fruit or vegetables at breakfast. This is something, prior to eating paleo I wasn’t in the habit of doing. Adding in 2 cups of broccoli to this recipe gives me a modest amount of healthy veggies per serving of two egg muffins.

When you take cheese out of a recipe, you can loose that satisfying cheese flavor that we all love so much, so I made sure to amp up the flavor a little bit. I added in a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. And on top I sprinkled on some paprika. It doesn’t add much in the flavor department, but I think it makes them look prettier. If you like, you could also add in a pinch of garlic powder. But I find that the sausage adds plenty of additional flavors.

If you are doing the Whole30 challenge or you follow a paleo lifestyle, then you already know to read the labels of the ingredients you use. Check to make sure your sausage and Dijon are sugar free. If you are Whole30 you’ll also want to check for nitrates too. 

Tips for Making Muffin Tin Egg Muffins

A few things I have discovered with making egg muffins in a muffin tin, is that the eggs can be messy. Unlike an egg bake where they go into a baking dish all in one go, getting the beaten eggs into the muffin pan wells cleanly can take a bit of finesse. The trick I have learned is to make the egg mixture, then run it through a fine mesh sieve (also known as a wire strainer.) This helps to break up the albumin in the egg proteins, and makes it easier to pour in just enough to fill up the muffin tin wells. I have a nice wide glass measuring cup that I strain it into, which works well because it has a little spout to pour the egg mixture out of. 

The sausage needs to be cooked before it is added to the muffin tins. If you are in a rush, buy precooked sausage or smoked sausage, and cut it into small chunks. To cook the sausage, remove the casings. To do that, just run the tip of a sharp knife along the length of the sausage and slide the casings off. Then crumble the sausage into a dry non-stick skillet. It will be kind of sticky, so don’t worry if the pieces are large at first. As you cook it over medium-high heat, you’ll be able to break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. There may be an excess of rendered fat in your skillet when you are done cooking. If you like, you can drain the cooked sausage on paper towels as you would for cooked bacon.

The chopped broccoli also needs to be softened a bit before it goes into the egg muffins. I do that by quickly cooking it in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, you can do this step in a saucepan with or without a steamer basket. Here’s another shortcut: you can sub in chopped frozen broccoli. Just measure out 2 cups, then thawed and drain it. No need to cook it because the freezing and thawing will have softened it up enough.

Coat the muffin tin really well with cooking spray. Or if you prefer to use another type of fat or oil to do so, that is fine. Egg muffins tend to stick to the muffin pans, so don’t be afraid to be generous with this step.

Layer the broccoli and sausage into the muffin tins. They will look quite full, but that’s okay, there is space around the pieces and the eggs will flow around them and fill in the gaps! 

Pour the eggs into each well of the muffin tins. This is where that spout comes in really handy! 

Lastly, sprinkle on the paprika. As I said this is not necessary technically, but I really like that pop of red it adds to the top of these egg cups. Omit it if you are in a rush.

Carefully so as not to slosh the egg all over the muffin tin, transfer them to the center of the oven and let them bake. They cook through surprisingly fast (about 20 to 25 minutes is all it takes.) They will puff right up. 

Let them cool a little bit in the muffin tin, then run a knife along the edges to make it easier to get them out of the pan. Then just pry them out of the muffin pan with a butter knife. I keep them on a platter covered with a layer of parchment then a layer of plastic wrap or I put them into two large glass storage containers. I love these glass storage containers. (That’s an affiliate link.) They’re great for meal prep in general and the food doesn’t come in contact with plastic. 

To reheat them, put two egg cups on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on high for 1 minute until they’re steaming hot! If you prefer not to use a microwave, make sure to cover them when you reheat in the oven. Or you can always enjoy them cold. They are quite good that way! 

More Paleo Breakfast Recipes To Try This Month

Paleo Clean-Eating Pancakes

Paleo Chocolate Pumpkin Donuts

Paleo Green Apple Smoothie

Please let me know if you make this recipe and come back and leave a star rating and review. It helps so much! 

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Description

Paleo Egg Muffins with sausage and broccoli are an easy meal-prep recipe for a high-protein low-carb breakfast. They’re like a mini omelet made in a muffin tin!

Ingredients

Cooking Spray, avocado oil or Ghee

10 ounces hot Italian pork sausage, casings removed

2 cups chopped broccoli

10 large eggs

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Lightly coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, set over medium-high heat and add sausage. Cook and crumble until the sausage is broken into small pieces, browned and cooked through.

Place broccoli in a medium microwave safe dish, splash on 2 tablespoons water, cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Carefully remove cover (steam will escape!)

Meanwhile, preheat oven and coat a 12-cup muffin tray (generously) with cooking spray, oil or ghee.

Combine eggs, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk well Pour egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup.

Divide the sausage and vegetables evenly among the muffin tins. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and veggies, dividing evenly. Sprinkle on paprika.

Bake the egg muffins until puffed and cooked through, 20 to 23 minutes. Let cool in the muffin tins until warm. Run a knife along the edges of the pan, and remove the egg muffins.

Notes

Feel free to sub in pre-cooked chicken sausage or smoked sausage. Just cut into small bite-sized chunks.

Frozen chopped broccoli can be subbed for the fresh. Just measure out 2 cups frozen, then thaw and drain. No need to cook it.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 egg muffins

Calories: 293

Sugar: 0

Fat: 23 g

Saturated Fat: 8 g

Carbohydrates: 3 g

Protein: 18 g

Keywords: low carb,keto,paleo,breakfast,meal prep,gluten free,dairy free,grain free,broccoli,sausage,eggs

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Source: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/paleo-egg-muffins/

[epacer]

Healthy Breakfast on a Busy School Morning? It's Not So Hard

Breakfast, as you may have heard, is the most important meal of the day. That's especially true for kids returning to school, who need fuel for energy and learning.

But serving a healthy breakfast can feel like one more challenge for parents trying to get themselves and their kids out the door on time.

Never fear. With a bit of planning, breakfast can be a great opportunity to get dairy, fiber, fruits and even vegetables into a child's diet. And it doesn't have to be complicated.

"It's not like there's one perfect breakfast," says Jessica Jaeger, a registered dietitian at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

Just try to include a mix of proteins, complex carbs from whole grains and healthy fats. "This helps stabilize blood sugar and appetite," Jaeger says.

Diane Dembicki, an associate professor of nutrition who works with Jaeger at Adelphi, suggests involving kids in decision-making, and even in prep work the night before.

Avoid the packaged frozen breakfast sandwiches and "breakfast bars" that have names that suggest nutrition but are often high in sugar and fat, Dembicki says.

A few strategies for planning good breakfasts on school mornings:

EGGS CAN BE EASY

Try make-ahead egg cups or breakfast burritos. Kirsten Clodfelter, a mom of three from Louisville, Kentucky, does meal prep on Sundays with the help of her oldest, who is 7. They scramble eggs with a variety of chopped add-ins (sausage with diced onion and peppers, or perhaps bacon and spinach), and then put the eggs in a tortilla with a bit of cold cheese and wrap it in foil (for reheating in the oven the next morning) or plastic wrap (for reheating in the microwave), and freeze it. You can cut the burrito in half for little kids. Choose whole-grain tortillas or flatbread.

Another make-ahead option: Fill the cups of a muffin tin with a mix of egg, veggies and meat, then bake. Once they've cooled, pop them out and freeze or refrigerate the individual egg cups. Then quickly microwave them at breakfast time, served with a piece of fresh fruit.

For easy eggs prepared in the morning, Kate Wehr, a mother of four in Montana, suggests combining some chopped veggies and perhaps meat with a well-whisked egg and a bit of butter or olive oil in a ceramic bowl. Cover with a paper towel and microwave for about 45 seconds. The eggs will be ready to scoop into a whole wheat wrap, and breakfast is ready.

If you're running late, wrap it in wax paper and your child can eat it on the way to school.

GRAINS CAN BE QUICK

Try topping whole-grain toast or a whole-grain waffle with natural nut butter, sliced bananas or other fresh fruit on top, and perhaps a drizzle of honey.

Use natural peanut butter or another natural spread, rather than a brand that's high in sugar. "I found that starting my kids early with natural peanut butter meant they really didn't ask for the sweeter stuff," says Sarah Shemkus, of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

This breakfast hits the macro-nutrient goals of protein, whole grain and healthy fats, and the fruit adds vitamins. A hard-boiled egg made the night before can provide extra protein.

Dembicki also recommends avocado, which has healthy monounsaturated fat and is high in vitamins. Consider a quick avocado toast on whole-grain bread, served with a hard-boiled egg and piece of fruit.

Another whole-grain option: overnight oats made in a Mason jar, or oatmeal set up the night before in a slow-cooker. Let kids choose their ingredients, including fruits and nuts. By flavoring the oatmeal yourself rather than buying pre-flavored, the sugar is kept low.

Shemkus sometimes cooks quick oats in a bowl in her microwave with grated carrot and raisins, then tops it with maple syrup, cinnamon and milk: "We call it 'carrot cake oat bowl,' and the 3-year-old loves it."

COLD BREAKFAST CAN BE COOL

For kids who prefer a cold breakfast, try Greek yogurt with flaxseed, granola and fresh fruit mixed in, and perhaps a bit of honey. Hard-boiled eggs also go well with this.

Some families pack an entire breakfast into a blender to create smoothies. Fresh fruit, yogurt or milk, peanut butter and even greens can go in. Clodfelter got her kids to embrace spinach in smoothies by adding it to a berry blend and calling them "Christmas smoothies," since the green flecks of spinach were combined with red berries.

Or bake healthy muffins in advance. Search for recipes with plenty of fruit or nuts and whole grains. Make a large batch and freeze them. Veggies can be hidden in many muffin recipes, and are front-and-center in recipes like carrot-raisin muffins.

And don't forget dinner for breakfast: Not every kid likes typical American "breakfast foods," and that's fine, Dembicki says. If they have favorite dinner meals, make extra and pack leftovers in small containers for easy reheating the next morning. *Reposted article from the AP via NBC San Diego by Melissa Rayworth of August 14, 2019

[trashcatte]

Getting out of bed was an increasingly difficult thing when your entire body felt like a giant bruise. Jayley’s lips pulled back in a silent growl as she pulled herself up to a sit, red bedsheets gathering around her hips while an arm wrapped around her bruised ribs. A glance was taken quickly, checking to make sure Lafeyette was indeed still asleep. It was rare for Jayley to wake before her. This was a special occasion though. Tattered lips drew a thin line and she reached out, brushing strands of soft hair from the smaller Keeper’s face. It hurt to look at her, more than any physical wound could.

She peeled the covers of the bed back and swung her legs around so bare feet could meet hardwood floors. With a grunt she lifts to her feet and in nothing more than her underwear she shuffles across the first floor of the cabin. Truly her look was complete by the way her eye squinted with a groggy haze and her mess of hair that stuck up every which way. With heavy steps she makes her way downstairs, turning into the expansive kitchen. Time to get to work. She stood in front of the stove, glancing around slowly as she cracked each of her fingers separately. Bowls were laid out, flour was sifted, sugar was added and pans were heated up. If she didn’t use every dish in the house then damnit, she wasn’t making enough food. The subtle ting of a whisk hitting a metal bowl fills the kitchen as she rapidly stirs batter, adding vanilla and cinnamon in until it’s a pleasant, dark colour. A handful of berries are added for good measure. She sets the batter aside, reaching across to coil her fingers around a pan’s handle to give it a little shuffle. Sizzling fills the room as she adds each strip of thick bacon until there’s simply no pan left to be seen. Fats that melt from around the meat spits and sputters, making brief stings on Jay’s skin every time it popped in her direction. She didn’t much mind it, though. As the bacon sizzled away Jayley set another pan over the heat, waiting until a good chunk of butter had melted before ladling thick cinnamon and berry filled batter into it. Small palm sized circles dotted over the wide pan. The trick with pancakes was to make them smaller. That way when admitting to eating at least six of them, Lafeyette could say, “Oh! But they were small!” She loves her. She really does. Even now despite all the ways the Sharlayan had flayed her heart open, she loved her. Jayley’s lips drew a thin line as she briefly retreated into her own stew of thoughts. "..'ow could she say tha' 'bout ya, Jay?” She recalls the anger that struck across Khena’s features when she told the woman of recent events. She had to tell someone before it ate her alive. She needed advice. Was she supposed to be angry too? Maybe. She didn’t feel like being angry though.

The heat was turned down and Jayley moved between each pan, shuffling the bacon around so it wouldn’t stick. She let everything simmer as she stepped to the side counter, plucking a knife and a bowl. With deft fingers and a good amount of speed, she begins to peel and cut a variety of fresh fruits. Melons, apples, rolanberries. Even some grapes for good measure. It all gets tossed into a bowl and set on the dining table. She turns back to the stove just in time to grab hold of the pancake pan, sliding a spatula beneath each one to flip them over. They’re fluffy and fat despite their small diameter. Good, they didn’t burn. They’re a nice golden brown. A breath of relief escapes her and she glances back to the bacon, shuffling it about again. It was getting crispy. Everything was almost ready. She sets both the bacon and the pancake pans in the oven to keep warm as she plucks the third pan. Eggs get beat and scrambled and then thrown over the heat as well, scrapped around until they’re solid. The final pan is set over the heat and bread slices get plopped down to toast as Jayley turns to set the wide array of foods on the table. There’s at least four different types of jams, simply because there’s no predicting which one Lafeyette is going to choose. The chair gets pulled back with a screech and Jayley settles into it, staring at the breakfast that was clearly big enough for at least ten. It tested the strength of the dinner table. A knee goes pulled up to her chest as she rests her chin against it, eyes waning. The logical thing to do would have been to leave. That’s what people do when you’re told that your entire relationship had been a lie, isn’t it? When it feels as though they might be getting replaced. They get mad and filled with hatred, and lash out to try and hurt the person that hurt them just as much. That’s the logical thing to do. “Don't go shapin' y'self t'fit into anyone else's spaces. Not Lafey's, not 'awu's, not /anyone's/ other 'en y'own, perfect Jayley-sized box." Khena’s advice rattles about in her mind and her eyes closed as she heaved out a breath. Her own Jayley sized box. What an optimistic concept. Mayhap there wasn’t room for normal logic in her own personal box. When Lafeyette finally padded down the stairs Jayley cracked her eyes open and pulled on a helpless smile to greet the woman. She felt like a moth to a flame. Idly she wondered when she’d finally get burned to death by her. “I’s know ya don’ts likes me.” The first set of words go unsaid, uttered only in the back of her mind before she pipes up to the doctor. “I’s justs reallys misseds eatin’s breakfasts withs ya.” She missed a lot of the little things.

[j-e-green-blog]

The Demon Inheritance (2)

(This is my original story, The Demon Inheritance, second chapter... The first one if on my blog thing. :3 Please like and comment) and reblog)

Saturday morning began at 4 a.m, when the dark rainbow of blurred colors clouded the rising sun. The flushed hues of pink, violet, gray, and blue wrinkled in the sky, and the last few remaining stars, fractions of a vanishing constellation, winked at me from above. I barely remembered waking up; I’d just found myself looking outside, bedroom window down, wrapping my bed sheets around my body. I was gowned in a thin fabric, so a chill still made its way to my skin where my sheets couldn’t cover. By my window was my mother’s garden, where she had successfully grown arrays of plants: an apple tree, avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli… Beyond my mother’s garden was our driveway, and beside that, a thin creek that barely trickled sideways through our yard before gradually opening up to, what was houses away, a river. A web of roads disturbed the beauty of nature. I inhaled the scent of the night, and, as always, the fading night smelled like mist, air, and freedom. It was the greatest kind of scent. I squeezed purple earbuds into my ears, turned my mp3 on, and heard Metallica begin to play in my ears. The song was “Nothing Else Matters”, which had its own special place in my heart. The melody, the power… It all struck an emotional patch inside of me. How could it not? It was the best band ever, anyways. I think Metallica was the only band I had on my mp3 player. Hours passed, and I lost reality in the music. Before long, golden threads of fresh sunlight shimmered across the plants in the garden, and liquid gold flowed in the miniature creek, parted only by rocks. The blurred rainbow faded away, and the scents of daytime replaced the flawless ones of night. Into my nostrils flowed heat, water, and spring. Not too much time passed after I realized the sun was completely in view and levitating on the horizon, the smell of eggs tickled my nose. I paused my music, took the earbuds out, and tracked the sizzling sound of breakfast back to the kitchen. Mom was hunched over the stove, cracking eggs on the counter and plopping them into her favorite pan. Bacon was beginning to heat up beside them, and some biscuits were in the oven. I usually made breakfast for the family, but that wasn’t why I was concerned. With the amount of food she was making, she must have been ready to feed several families. Pancake batter was sitting to the side, and waffles were being toasted. “Hey, Mom,” I greeted from the doorway to the kitchen. “What’s with all the food?" My mother turned to smile at me. A lot of people said we looked alike, but my mother, I felt, was a lot more beautiful than me. When she wasn't being butchered in my sleep, that was. Our hair was similar with our stubborn, blond curls. However, my mother’s silken hair was cut short and it was peppered with brown instead of being pure blonde. Mine was crisp and golden. To top that, her eyes were a delicate shade of green, and mine were pure black orbs in a soggy ocean of white. Our body shapes were similar, but I had smaller breasts and waist, which I was actually thankful for. “You don’t want to eat this morning, Em?” Amusement flicked into her seaweed eyes. “Yeah, but there’s so much food here…” I walked over to a metal chair sitting beside the refrigerator and took a seat. “Is something special happening today? You trying to feed the whole block?” My mother dipped her head and began to work with the bacon. “As you know, a new family has moved into Millton. They are not only new here, and they are our neighbors. They were spending the week in a hotel before moving into a house.” She flipped the bacon. “You may know their boy. He’s around your age. Goes to Millton High School, just like you.” “Oliver,” I suspected. There was a nervous twinge in my stomach. Please, if she wants me to make friends with this kid, kill me. Mother dipped her head again. “Oliver has two fathers, mind you. I’m not sure how you feel about that, but of all things, be polite. I expect no less of you, Emma.” “Yes ma’am.” I tilted my head up towards the ceiling, inhaling the mouthwatering scent of bacon. Soon, food, I shall devour you! “You’ve contacted his parents to make sure they aren’t allergic to eggs or any ingredients you use, right?” Although I was dreading this confrontation with Oliver and his family, I kind of had everyone’s best interests in mind. More for my mom than anyone else. Couldn’t let her get sued. She nodded. A bubble of grease popped near her hand, and she went over to run cold water on it. Then, she checked on the biscuits. “Your father is helping them move in. You should go help, too.” Panic liquified itself to run through my blood. A slow, dragging ache pierced my heart and made me slump in my chair. Of course, I didn’t mind helping out, but Oliver was too odd, too eerie. Especially after the frighteningly real dream I had just left. I wouldn’t mind eating with him for a meal, as was planned, but I didn’t want to spend more time with him than necessary. “Mom, I’m glad to help out, but Oliver is weird, and I’m obviously going to have to spend time with him if I have to help him move into his house!” Mother shot me a glare. She knew I was more judgemental than her. The fact was, I wasn’t trying to judge Oliver, but I could sum him up in one word: creepy. I often caught the new kid staring in my direction, he stuck to my side like a tick, and he seemed to know more about me than he let on. Not to mention, after he appeared in the odd dream of the library, I hadn’t dreamed any more since then. It was not his fault, but it still added to his eeriness. “Now, Emma, you’re friends with a lot of people different from you.” That was a lie. The hell, what friends are you talking about, Mom? “However, just because they are different does not mean they are bad or weird, it just means you’re being narrow-minded. Girl, I raised you better than this.” “That’s not what I-” I was cut off by Mom crinkling her brow in disappointment. I sighed and said, “I’m going to get dressed first.” My mother was a perfect kind of woman; lovable, open-minded, friendly, outgoing, and my favorite person besides Dad and Mary. There was no use in disappointing her. Still, even if I continued attesting to hanging out with Oliver, she would still make me do it. Mom grinned. “Good girl. It’s hot this morning; you should wear some shorts.” With that, she turned back to the stove and turned the notch down, stained apron hanging off of her lanky body. I nodded numbly and went back to my room. I tossed my sheets back onto the bed, grabbed my phone, and dialed Mary. Setting the phone on speaker, I walked over to my closet to scan it for a shirt. “Geez, Sis, it’s nine in the morning!” Mary complained immediately. “I know that’s a little late, but school is really stressful and they make us wake up while it’s still freaking black outside!” She sighed, and the line crackled. “Sorry, Em. I’m just stressed… Good morning.” I unconsciously pulled out a purple spaghetti-strap shirt before going over to my pants drawer. “Good morning, Sis. What are you doing today? Got any plans?” “No. I mean, my Mom has a job interview…” “Awesome. Tell her I congratulate her, if she gets the job.” I pulled out a pair of black shorts that went down to my knees. “I have to help Oliver move in next door.” “Oh, he’s your neighbor? That’s cool.” “He’s creepy,” I furthered the bit of information. “He’s probably got a pair of binoculars he’ll use so he can watch me and stuff…” Mary gave a static-filled laugh. “Emma, you’re a pretty girl. Geez, okay, so he checks you out. So what? I know romantic attention irritates you, but you can’t ignore that you’re pretty. Maybe you’re his type. He doesn’t know how grouchy you can be towards people who check you out, but when he does, I’m sure he’ll stop.” I fished out a pair of black sandals from a pile of shoes, and slid them on. Heart thudding, I said quietly, “Remember my dreams, Mary? The dreams about my mom and the man who gives me the weapon?” Mary stayed quiet for a moment. Knowing her, she was probably recalling how horrified I was whenever they had started, and how horrible it was that I had gotten used to them. Putting on both minty antiperspirant and sunscreen, I hushed myself from saying anything until she could piece my concerns together. Let her figure it out, the connection between Oliver and my dreams. Let her figure it out, why I'm so afraid. Finally, my best friend said, “The white-haired man who always gives you the blade is Oliver, isn’t it?” The disbelief and fear in her voice made a trace of bile lift in my throat. “Yes. He is.” Certainty quivered in my voice. "I'm scared, to tell you the truth. And I can't tell my Mom that." “You started dreaming about him months ago… That’s impossible… He wasn’t even in Alabama then, as far as I know… You do know that the strangers you see in your dreams are people that you’ve seen before, because the human mind is unable to create new faces, right? You didn’t go on any trips out of Alabama, either… That’s creepy as fuck.” “Could you tag along today?” I asked. “You know, while I show Oliver around? I'm pretty sure Mom will make me.” “I’ll be there soon.” She ended the call without a ‘goodbye’; when it came to her friends, they mattered more than manners. That wasn’t how her parents saw it, but it was true. I reentered the kitchen, where the breakfast had been laid out. My mother had placed fruit on the paper plates beside the bacon, and each person’s plastic fork was driven into their cheese-smothered eggs. The scents were overpowering. In the middle of the oakwood table, a white camellia flower was placed in a clear vase. She’s chosen the Alabama state flower as the center piece. Paper towels accompanied the right sides of each plate. To the left sides, there were glasses of golden apple juice sparkling under the morning light. “Looks delish,” I commented. “You want me to go fetch Dad and the neighbors before it gets cold?” I placed my fists into the pockets of my shorts, still not keen on having to speak to Oliver. Maybe I can ignore him. “Please,” Mother said. Without another word, I saunter over into the living room, then out the the door. The day almost felt like summer, when, in fact, it was only a hot winter morning that smells like spring. Later in the year, we’d probably only have a drizzle of instantly-melting snow. I could see the waves of heat wriggling over the streets, hot enough to bake a cake on. Dad was lifting a bed, it looked like, along with one of Oliver’s parents, who looked a little young to be raising a 15-year-old, as his son was. The man had ink-black hair, as dark as my eyes, and had toned muscles that could not be hidden by his dark blue t-shirt. He seemed to be lifting the bed even easier than my father was, but stayed slow and lowered it enough so that Dad could still help, as he aspired to. His skin was a bit on the tan side, as if he was out under the sun often. I deduced that of Oliver’s two fathers, he must have been more of the stereotype male figure, because Oliver was standing with a man who was much less strong and less tanned. The guy that Oliver stood with had shaggy, dirty blonde hair, a slouch, and gray eyes void of emotion. He wore a red t-shirt stuck to him with sweat. I wonder if they'll be part of my dreams, too. I shook my head and called to them, “Mother is done with breakfast!” Almost immediately, Oliver peeked up towards me with a huge grin on his face and lights in his eyes. The black-haired man asked Father to set the bed down so that they all could leave to eat, and he did with care. The shaggy-haired one looked at me with great interest, and they fell silent. After a few seconds, Oliver rushed up towards me, and the others followed behind. “Emma, we’re neighbors!” I faked a smile. “I can see that. Come on in.” Don't let the door hit you. I wasn't only afraid because of who he resembled, but also a bit ticked off because, well, he existed. I hate people. Oliver, however, held the door open for all of our fathers. I led all of them into the kitchen, and let them seat themselves. After each individual was situated, my mother was the first to talk. “What made you decide to come to Millton, Alabama?” Mom questioned the older men. “We’re such a small town.” “We decided that it would be best for Oliver,” the gray-eyed one answered, carrying a bit of the strange accent on his his tongue. He seemed more practiced at pronouncing English words than his son. “We wanted to find a place where people are more connected, and not by social media. Do you have any concerns about this place, before we make a huge mistake?” He grinned to show he was joking. His lips twitched with amusement. Father spoke up in his husky voice, “Well, Carter, the church has a bit of power here… I feel Oliver may be bullied by some of those people who use God as an excuse to dislike different people, for what his parents are.” My father was quite religious himself, and still nearly as open-minded as Mother. I wasn’t sure how I got so openly judgemental, with them as my parents. They liked people, one thing I hated. “That’s one concern.” The black-haired man muttered to me while they went into conversation, “Hello, Emma. Oliver has spoken quite a lot about you.” Although he harboured a smile, his eyes glimmered in question. I shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sure he has. Nice to meet you, sir.” How much has he talked about me? That's what's concerning. “Call me Ace. Where I come from, formality isn’t a need.” He smiled, propping his chin up on his tanned knuckles. “Still nice to get that respect, though.” I knit my eyebrows in confusion. “Alright, Ace, I guess…” “You have all your classes with my… son?” I nodded, trying not to frown. “I do. He mostly sticks to his books.” Thank God, or else he’d probably be watching me all the time. “Has Oliver ever been to Alabama before this week started?” Maybe, just maybe, I had seen him before to be able to dream about him. Ace said, “No.” I slouched and cut off a bit of eggs before scooping it into my mouth with the prongs of my fork. Instead of truly tasting my food, my mind wandered off into the dark corners of my mind. In movies, this is how you always die. There’s strange people that move into a neighborhood… Creepy things happen… Then, they end up killing you or something. Sure, I was being paranoid, but those dreams… For all I knew, Mary was right; Oliver just thought I was pretty, and he wasn’t being a stalker. However, the dream could not be ignored. It felt so real to me when it happened, almost like a memory of something that never happened was being relived. And the way the new-ish boy played into everything when I slept was disturbing. He trained me to use the weapons in my sleep, and if I tried to use those skills in the waking world, the lessons he taught would show. Perhaps I was overthinking things. “Emma,” my mother said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced down at my plate and found a half-eaten strip of greasy, crisp bacon to be the only thing left. “Did you hear what Carter here proposed?” “No, ma’am. I went off into Lala Land, sorry. Could you repeat that?” I blinked up at my mother blankly. Father sighed, exasperated. I daydreamed often. And I usually chose the wrong time to do that, too. “Carter asked if you could show Oliver around the neighborhood, since they had only been in the motel for the time they were here in Millton. What do you say?” I glanced over at said boy, who was beaming brightly at me from two seats away. He’d brushed the hair out of his face to make a bone-white fringe over his lively blue eyes. I planned to show him around anyway, didn’t I? His posture was rigid, his hands in his lap. Perhaps if I gave him a chance, I could forget about the dream. Perhaps I could even make friends with him… Or see if he really was crushing on me, in which case, he wouldn’t want to be around me after what I’d threaten to him. “Of course, but earlier, Mary said she’d help them move in with me. Instead, can she help me show him around?” Ace smiled at Mom, showing he approved. In response, Mother dipped her head. “We’ll do all the moving while you guys bond.” Bonding was a stretch, but I guess parents never know the right things to say. I just nodded in agreement and turned to the pale boy. “Come on, Oliver.” He stood up immediately, scooted his chair in, and followed me through the door leading outside. Despite the heat, Oliver was wearing a white hoodie . The attire was what probably made his skin so pale, despite being seemingly comfortable in the sun. His hair was laid over his gaze again, showing only one eye through the snow-colored curtain. His slender hands were burrowed in the pockets on the stomach of the jacket, and he followed after me with a lazy walk. I led him down as far as the trickling mini-creek snaking at the end of our driveway, past the mirages on the concrete caused by the especially hot winter morning. Then, I couldn’t decided whether I wanted to show him around the forest bit of the area, or the general stores, or the other houses. On top of not being able to decide, I was waiting for Mary, stuck with the strange teenage boy until she arrived. He smiled at me, leaning against a tree. “So, Emma, what do you like to do? I know a couple things." “Hmm?” I stood over the trickle in my driveway, crossing my arms over my chest. “Acting is my life. If I’m not doing something with acting, I’m studying or reading or something. And listening to Metallica. What about you?” Oliver shuffled his feet, smiling shyly. “I’m either reading, learning something epic, or practicing my swordsmanship. Thank you for being curious." His eyes glimmered in appreciation. I shivered at the mention of a sword, an image of my dreams flashing by all at once. Every night, it is a sword that he gives me that switches into a hammer and is placed into my hand.  The eeriness of Oliver actually being able to handle a blade struck me, but I knew that, realistically, there was no way that could play into anything. A dream was something your own mind created. Although it was concerning, I had to push my superstitions aside. Besides… Nobody could ever make me hurt my mother. I forced a smile. “Something epic? Not like math and the stuff they actually teach you? What is it that you learn?” He lifted himself off of the tree and said, “New languages. New weapons. History nobody else cares to learn. All the little things that open up the universe a little better. Perhaps sometime I could help you learn other things, if you’d like.” I ignored his proposition. “What languages can you speak?” Apparently, I hadn’t come off as rude, because he answered my question without even an irritated glance. “Japanese, English, French, Enochian, Latin, Italian, Dutch, German, Chinese, Arabic, more that I don’t believe you would care for me to name.” I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or think him a liar, so I just nodded casually. “Why are you wearing a jacket?” “I don’t take it off, save for when I need to or I am alone.” His smile quivered. "Still, I like to keep it on, even alone." “Why?” “My mother gave this jacket to me.” I tilted my head to the side, thinking of Ace and Carter. Did his birth mother leave it to him or something? Interesting… “Oh…” “Rawr!” At the following moment, a familiar hand slammed against my shoulder, right before a happy laugh sounded out. Predictably, it was Mary. She slid into view after seeing that I wasn’t startled by her jumpscare, blocking Oliver from my view. Her inky curls bounced against her head, and her green gaze drifted over me. “Oh, look, Sis, you aren’t wearing slutty clothes today!” I rolled my eyes. Mary continued, “Where are we bringing le human first?” I glanced up towards the sky and said, “Where everyone lives, then the stores, then the woods. A tour of Millton would take until the sky starts getting dark. I’m thinking, since I brought money, we can go get ice cream and pizza in the middle of the day.” “Sounds like a deal!” my friend agreed, black hair bobbing. Her eyes glimmered. “What do you say, Oliver?” “I’ve never had ice cream… or this pizza object you mentioned… But I’m all for a new experience, so I say I will follow along.” Mary gaped at him, and I knit my brow, trying to analyze if he was telling the truth or not. My best friend clasped a hand over her heart and let out a long, sad note of grief. “It sounds as if there is a case of child abuse going on!” Oliver bit his lip. “Actually, no, I am well cared for. I do not see why the subtraction of a type of food I can live without is considered abuse… I did find your laws odd when I was studying them…” Mary turned to me. “I am going to make this child high on ice cream, and I am going to feed him so much pizza he pukes.” “Now that,” I said, “sounds like abuse.” She shushed me and began to jog away from us, towards the sprouting row of houses on either side of the sizzling concrete. Oliver and I trotted after. As I moved, the only thing I could think about was my dreams, the strange boy, and all the blood that followed.

***

There, in the suffocating darkness, the air felt like fire on our skin and there was a dizzy sense where our minds couldn’t decide if we were going up or down. The place was void of light, but the strength of my demonic eyes could refract our leader’s pale soul glowing two miles ahead, so I could slightly see the glow of my companions. The place in which we crawled through, which I suspected was a tunnel miles wide, was big enough for two slim people to snake side-by-side. He pressed his flank to the side of the sodden dirt wall, inhaled deeply, and let my slip by his side. I breathed in his scent, widening my eyes enough to the the outline of his face. His smell was as precious as oxygen. I assumed he was bending the soul light, too, considering that his staring at my face directly was apparent. “We travel together, Lil.” I didn’t find it strange that he was calling me by another name. If I truly thought about it, this man was a stranger. However, here, in the capacity of my mind, I’d known him my whole life. “Thank you… For savin’ me back on the field.” I wasn’t sure where the dialogue came from, either, but it felt right. “Gary would have killed me. This wouldn’t be happening right now…” We began to crawl again. “It was the least I could do. Everyone was saving each other out on the field,” he said. “Is this confusing for you?” “A bit… when did the Dark strike? Why?” “He is Croma’s brother. They were both born alongside the universe, and Dark was made to destroy, while Croma was made to create. They didn’t go hand-in-hand, as was meant to be… Because the Dark kept murdering the test kingdoms before us, where Croma designed creatures to go in his worlds.” “What happened to the dead ones?” “They became demons, Lil. Demons like us. But we came back after death, back to Croma’s new six kingdoms, and we owe him everything.” We kept crawling beside each other in the moist darkness, being ran out of our home named after its creator, Croma. As our oxygen began to leak out and our senses fade, we fought to keep on. In the end, our fleet of seventy demons, angels, and faerie would all either die out or make it. Either of which could have been a huge mistake.

***

I was dragged out of my thoughts abruptly by the flavor of cheesecake and vanilla ice cream exploding onto my tongue, nearly making me jump. My jaw tingled. I had my knuckles propped up under my chin, mouth gaping open enough to swallow the head of the treat I held in my hand. My coalish eyes made their way over to Mary, who was busily chatting with Oliver. We sat outside the parlor, at a table with a russet umbrella propped in the middle. “I don’t understand how ice cream looks like a science experiment to you. It looks like deliciousness to me!” Mary said, biting into her half-eaten chocolate cone. “The rate it morphs from solid to liquid at such a quick rate, which is predictable, considering how heated this day is. However, it is still an apparent product of science. And even if it is not, there is a fraction of it that is actually science.” He seemed to have baffled himself. He tentatively took another lick at his fudge ice cream. “Wha? You’re confusing me, boy…” I found myself smiling at the two of them, completely worked out of the daze that I so often found myself trapped within. At times, I would get so lost in the events in my imagination that I’d lose time, and forget the day’s events. Apparently, it had already been a half-day that I had spaced out for. “Emma?” Mary said, “Can we take the ice cream to-go? It’s getting dark out, Sis.” I looked at her for a moment, wondering if I should tell her about how reality was fading for me, about how my strange dreams made more sense to me than real life. I wondered if I should trouble her with my concerns, with my petty fears. However, when I opened my mouth to speak and glanced through her emerald gaze, I didn’t see any need to complain. All I saw was an innocent child looking for answers, answers to more than what she had asked. So, instead, I clamped my mouth shut and nodded. The daydream would be something I’d bring up another time, to someone else, like my mother. Perhaps.

***

The following night, in another world, I do not wake up in the chair, as I had left off in the last dream. I am simply brought to life with no memory of it beginning, kneeling over a mound of unmoved dust. My hands pat at its soft texture, and my eyes are unafraid of a wind drifting and pressing it into my eyes. My attire is covered in a smooth, pale brown color, which is inevitably more of the loose dirt. There are some stones, all charred, but no roots. This land is so void of life. I turn around. Oliver walks up behind me, a sad expression filtering his pale face. “Nothing grows here anymore, Emma Whitestone. Not since time stopped.” He sighs, positioning himself on the ground so that he is cross-legged beside me in the dust. “Most of our dirt is rock-hard, but there are loose parts that we have stumbled across. It is frustrating… having to wait until creation can bloom things again.” I take the handful of dirt and toss it up into the air. It freezes in place as soon as I let it go. “It’s beautiful, but something everyone on earth takes for granted. Sometimes… Sometimes we destroy it, when we get bored. I guess when you care enough, you find the notion of that sick, but so many of us do it.” Oliver lets out a breath. His hand drifts through the air where the cloud of dust stands still, and he pulls down what could be a tablespoon of it. There is now a gap in the space before us. “They come in rainbows,” I said. “So many different colors, colors you’ve probably never seen before. And green! Green is on each and every flower. It’s beautiful.” “How can the humans ever get tired of that?” “It’s rare," I answered, "But some of us don’t.” I continue scratching my fingers into the dirt. I’m sure I have felt rocks softer than what had settled below me. It felt like a boring slate of rough diamond below me, dirt that has not seen the elements for countless years, save for the influence of the land’s inhabitants. Oliver dusts my purple sleeves off, looks as if he wants to say something, but leaves me to ponder. I’m not sure how, but I know he loves questions, and hates ignorance, if he ever could hate. “You’re waking up so fast,” Oliver says suddenly, with pride in his tone. “You’re a lot faster than Fango did. You seem to realize more than most people, too. I really am proud that you turned out to be my Extant… You know, Caleb didn’t believe that you were it. He told me the Kalos was probably someone we saw more of in the other prophet’s lives. But Lord Ebony suspected it was you…” He places his hand on my shoulder, a friendly gesture. “I came to your dimension looking for you. I hardly remember what the flowers were like there… I get so foggy when it comes to remembering Earth. Did you know that when we sense our prophet, their element implodes on our land?” I shake my head. “You have the wind element, for example. When I found you in that dimension, there was this huge, fantastic wind storm that came down on us. There were tornadoes, and the ground was turned to dust at the potential of your power,” Oliver says, “You are very strong…” “What is the relationship between an Apotropaic and an Extant?” “Both the Apotropaic and the Extant come from the same kingdom, but different dimensions. An Apotropaic comes from Croma, this barren land named after its creator. They have spent millions of years learning things about potential dimensions their Extant could pop up in, and have the ability to temporarily create a vessel to roam that dimension with. Same goes for anything and anyone in the original dimension.” He stands, dusts himself off, and takes my hand. After I knock the dirt off of myself, we walk towards the castle. He continues speaking as we walk. “The Extant comes from the second dimension, which I will get into at a later visit. They control one of the elements, and they are possibly some of the most important beings in the universe with thankless jobs.” Oliver opens the door to the castle, letting me enter first. “An Apotropaic has been assigned to train his Extant, and his whole existence is dedicated to them. Their relationship is strictly a student-teacher thing…” He flushes. “Well, not strictly. I’d like to make good friends with you… And... I have witnessed my brother kissing an Extant that isn’t his…” The first room to the castle isn’t the same as I remember it to be. Now, there is a great oakwood table with chairs all around it, and the chairs are made of the same material as the stairs leading to the upper floor. There are two men sitting in them already. One of them is a brown-eyed boy with short hair of the same color neatly combed over his head. The other one is Ace. Before now, I failed to realize he had been in the last dream I had about this place, and he appeared in my real life as well. Just like Oliver had. Vaguely, I wondered if Carter was here in the castle. Even in the haze of the dream, I had a bit of reasoning, it seemed. Ace looks up from a game of what looks like a stone-and-dirt version of checkers and laughs at Oliver. “Dear Croma, shut up! Nobody needs to hear about me and Nahara!” The white-haired teen beside me crinkles his brow in innocent confusion. “Love is not unheard of. I do not understand why you get to defensive when it comes to the affection you display for Nahara. Besides, I am being honest.” “Ace is your brother?” I ask. Oliver nods, smiling. “He is the best brother anyone could be cursed with. He poses as my gay father in your dimension, just until my vessel dies. As does Carter, although he is Dillan’s Apotropaic. Ace does not have his Extant, the Minium, yet. We are still on earth, looking for her.” “We know she is female,” the brown-haired guy says, moving a stone across the dirt design, “because there are three males and three females in the list of Apotropaics. My name is Caleb, by the way. You’re Emma. You awake?” “Not yet.” I shift uncomfortably. “I’m not fully awake until…” I suddenly have no clue how to end my sentence. “Um… You know…” They all nod and exchange glances. Ace says, “Is history the only thing you have taught her, man?” He flashes a lopsided grin. Oliver buries his hands into his pockets and flushes. “History is underrated! If you don’t explain why we are doing what we are doing, there is no point to it. They don’t understand things to the full extent, brother. Besides, she is not yet awake… We will work on true lessons with weapons when that moment comes. Besides, knowledge is just as important as-” “Quit acting like my mother, dear Croma!” My Apotropaic shrugs, throwing on a sorrowful face. “I’m sorry. How was I acting like Lord Jupus? Have I disgraced her somehow?” Caleb shakes his head. “Hey, Oliver…” He blinks at the other Apotropaic. “Yeah?” “What kind of shorts do clouds wear?” “Please kill me,” Ace moans. Oliver lifts his eyebrows. “I… How do they… What?” Caleb smiled. “Thunderwear. Ha!” Leaving Oliver to laugh on his own, he turns to me and says, “I know this one was confusing. But hold on, Emma…” His voice lowers. “People are dying. And trust me, we will take care of that soon.” Again, the world fades. I trust that I won’t fall to the floor, because I feel frozen in place as the room begins to spin. The dull lighting begins to twitch in the blur of my vision, and everything comes with its own blurred outline. In the next moment, my world comes back to me as my room instead. Metallica was blasting in my ears through my headphones. I was on my bed, uncovered, with the light turned on. Predictably, it stung my eyes. Sitting up in bed, I glanced around the room to find that something was unnaturally wrong. Suspended in midair, my television set, my bicycle helmet, and my trashcan were all gradually turning themselves over. As if the gravity had been partially turned off for only a few of my belongings. I backed myself against my wall, clamping the palm of my hand over my mouth to keep from crying out in shock. As soon as the fear zapped itself into me, each item fell to the floor without a sound. I looked at them for a minute, and did nothing but breath. There was nothing else I could do… Except for make the realization that I was the one that made it all float.

[randallvangundy]

Can Dogs Have Cantaloupe?

Many dog owners are interested in finding alternative treats to give their canine companions. They seek healthy treats that you may not find at a conventional pet store. For example, fruit is something that people enjoy feeding to their dogs. However, not all human food is safe to give to your dogs. Therefore, it is vital that you understand the difference between what is safe and healthy, and which types of dog treats are considered a no-go. One treat that many question is cantaloupe. Can dogs have cantaloupe?

When you think of cantaloupe, you may associate it with its sweet, refreshing taste. It’s packed full of nutrients, making it a healthy option for anyone. Like most fruits that belong to the melon family, it has high water content. This makes it an optimal choice that anyone would welcome on a hot summer day. However, feeding it to your dog is something that you should be careful of. When it comes to canine diet, you need to be picky about the type of fruit that you feed your dog. Even more so, you really need to be careful about the amount of fruit that you feed him.

Answering the question “can dogs have cantaloupe” is not a simple yes. It is fine to feed your dog cantaloupe. However, like most treats, you need to feed your dog cantaloupe in moderation. A dog’s stomach can only handle so much. In this article, we discuss how to feed your dog this sweet melon without making them sick. We discuss portion control so you don’t go overboard. We also discuss what you should do if your dog has a negative reaction to it. Lastly, we share a few recipes that you might enjoy.

Can Dogs Have Cantaloupe?

Cantaloupe is one of those no-guilty pleasures that you can enjoy time and time again. Cantaloupe has a high nutritional value. It is a great source of fiber, B6, folate, and potassium. It also contains niacin and vitamins A and C. Since it has high water content and is a low-cal food, it is an excellent way to hydrate your body without packing on the pounds.

When it comes to canines, cantaloupe is also considered a healthy treat. Vitamin A and Vitamin C offer your pooch a lot of health benefits, especially since they are antioxidants. Antioxidants are vital as they help capture disease-causing free radicals, slow down cellular aging, decrease inflammation, and ensure healthy cells. As we all know, healthy cellular function is necessary to avoid diseases like cancer and more. Furthermore, since cantaloupe has high water content and lots of fiber, it prevents constipation, dehydration, and helps promote healthy digestion.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should feed a giant bowl to your pup. You should certainly start out slowly. This way, you can determine if your dog is allergic to it and/or if they have problems digesting it. Also, you don’t want to give it to your dog all of the time as this can lead to canine obesity, one of the biggest health issues in the modern canine world.

Canine obesity leads to hip dysplasia and other issues that would counteract the main reason you were feeding cantaloupe to your dog in the first place-to find a healthy treat alternative!

If your dog is diabetic, then cantaloupe is a no-go since it is high in sugar. It is always best to consult a veterinarian whenever you make dietary changes with your dog.

What Are The Nutrition Dangers Of Feeding Your Dog Cantaloupe?

When it comes to feeding your dog cantaloupe, it should always be done with a certain level of discretion and awareness. There are risks to feeding your dog cantaloupe. For example, the rinds of the cantaloupe should be cut off. If they eat the rinds, this can severely affect their digestive system. Rinds have a tendency to become impacted in a dog’s stomach. It upsets their GI (gastrointestinal) tract. Furthermore, the tough rinds are a choking hazard.

The outside of the melon can house harmful bacteria that can make your dog ill. Therefore, don’t let them lick it. As mentioned above, if your dog has diabetes, then cantaloupe is not an option for your pooch due to its high sugar content.

Basically, if your dog is a good candidate for the occasional cantaloupe treat, then feed in moderation. Start slow and only feed them a few chunks at a time. Otherwise, you will have a farting factory on your hands, and even worse, a dog with a case of the runs. Let’s be real here, the same would happen to you if you overate cantaloupe. You would have gas and diarrhea too. Your dog is no different.

How Much Cantaloupe Fruit Is Too Much For Your Dog?

As mentioned above, start out slow. Eventually, the most that you can give your dog is a few bite-sized pieces. However, diabetic dogs and dogs that have sensitive stomachs are not good candidates for this treat. If you feed your dog and you notice the following symptoms, then call your vet:

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Lethargy

Appetite loss

Stomach pain or bloating

Veterinarians recommend that dog owners follow the 10% rule. This means that only 10% of a dog’s caloric intake should consist of treats, which includes fruits. Otherwise, any more than that can lead to canine obesity, among other doggie health issues.

Cantaloupe is made up of 8% sugar, based on weight. Furthermore, one cup of this melon has approximately 12 grams of sugar and is about 53 calories. Therefore, since it has such a high sugar content, it must be fed in moderation. Once again, skip it if your dog has a sensitive tummy or is diabetic.

Cantaloupe has a lot of fiber-1.5 grams per cup. Too much fiber can be rough on your dog’s digestive system. If you notice a change in your dog’s bowel movements, you should back off a bit as you may be giving them a portion that is too big for them to handle. Be mindful of your dog’s needs.

How To Choose A Cantaloupe For Your Dog

As you may know, cantaloupe is available in any season. However, this fruit really thrives in the summer when your available options are at their peak of being fresh and sweet. This is also a great time to choose the perfect cantaloupe for your dog, as choosing a ripe one will make the treat that much better. However, it is important to note that, like all fruits, as it ripens, its sugar content increases. Therefore, you should always taste the melon before feeding it to your dog. If it is exceptionally sweet, then feed him a smaller portion. You don’t want to give your dog too much sugar.

When you are at the store looking for the perfect cantaloupe, choose by using your sense of smell. It should have a sweet, slightly musky scent. The stem should no longer be attached. A stem that detaches easily is an indicator of its ripeness. Also, the melon should be firm but not as hard as a rock. Make sure it does not have any bruising or soft spots.

How to Serve Cantaloupe to Your Dog

As is necessary for all fruit, be sure to wash the outside of the melon before you prepare it. Remove the rind and all of the seeds. You can then slice it into one to two-inch pieces, depending on the size of your dog. You should only feed them cantaloupe as an occasional treat. It should not be part of their regular diet. When you do feed it to them, you can make an activity out of it by putting a piece of cantaloupe in a Kong toy or puzzle dog toy. This provides mental stimulation.

There are also other ways you can serve cantaloupe to your dog. You can freeze a few pieces as a summer treat for your pooch. This can also benefit teething puppies who have an insatiable desire to chew. Some dog owners shred the cantaloupe. They place some pieces in water in an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer. This option works well as a summer treat and prevents overfeeding cantaloupe to your dog. You can dehydrate it as a sweet and healthy fruit chew as well.

Pawsitively Delicious Cantaloupe Recipes For Your Dog

Photo by Kiki Kane

Below, we will share a few tasty cantaloupe recipes for your dog that you may even want to try!

Dog-Friendly Cantaloupe Ice Cream

Author: Kiki Kane Prep Time: 4 hours Cook Time: 28 minutes Total Time: 4 hours 28 minutes Yield: 2 cups 1x Category: Summer Sweets

Ingredients

2 cups (300g) frozen ripe cantaloupe

2 tbsp unsweetened yogurt

Equipment

Food processor or blender

Freezer

Instructions

Make sure you have space for your cantaloupe in the freezer.

Scrub the outside of the cantaloupe thoroughly.

Slice the melon in half and remove seeds.

Slice each half into quarters and remove skin, then dice the fruit into bite-sized chunks.

Place cut melon in the freezer. The more space around your melon chunks, the faster they will freeze, so if you’re in a rush, place pieces on a baking sheet to speed things up.

When completely frozen (2-4 hours or overnight), place about 2 cups (300g) of melon pieces into the food processor.

Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened yogurt.

Blend until combined, adding a little cool water if needed to blend to your preferred consistency.

Cantaloupe Serving Suggestions

Top your dog’s kibble with a few tablespoons, serve as part of dinner (replacing some of the usual food), or freeze into paw-shaped pops for the ultimate in a homemade frozen dog treat goodness. We love these super-affordable dog-safe silicone molds.

Notes

If your dog is lactose intolerant, you can skip the yogurt, though it does change the consistency. A little peanut butter can work instead.

Bacon Cantaloupe Dog Treat Recipe

Photo by Doggy Dessert Chef

Author: Doggy Dessert Chef

Ingredients

2 slices bacon crisply cooked and crumbles

½ Cantaloupe pureed (approximately a little over a cup of puree)

3 Mint leaves chopped

1 cup White Rice Flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Spoon ½ teaspoon fulls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen treats.

Triple-Layer Frozen Fruit Treats will Cool Your Dog Down

Photo by Kiki Kane

Author: Kiki Kane Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes Yield: 24 mini treats 1x Category: Summer Treats

Ingredients

3 cups pureed cantaloupe

1 cup blueberries (fresh or thawed)

1 ½ cups plain yogurt

Equipment

Blender

Silicone mini muffin mold

Cookie sheet (to support mold when moving)

Instructions

Make sure you have enough clear flat space in the freezer for your molds to freeze level.

Scrub the melon before slicing.

Slice the melon in half and remove seeds.

Slice half a melon into quarters. Peel and dice.

Blitz cantaloupe in the blender until smooth.

Place the muffin mold on the cookie sheet.

Place two blueberries in each muffin cup, squishing lightly to release the juice.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of yogurt over the berries. You can mix some water into the yogurt for easier spooning if you like.

Top each mold with pureed cantaloupe, about two tablespoons in each mold.

Place in freezer until solid, 2 to 4 hours, or overnight.

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[obsessivelydetailedrecipes]

Beef Chili

Reading time: 10 minutes

Prep time: 1 hour

Stove-top time: 2-5 hours

Serves 8 or so, keeps well.

Dried chiles: 6 ancho, 4 guajillo, 2 pasilla, 0-6 chile de arbol

0-2 chipotles in adobo

0-1 fresh cayenne peppers (or 0-2 fresh jalapeños)

½ pound bacon

4 pounds chuck roast

1 large onion

6 cloves garlic

1 cup brewed coffee

⅓ disc Mexican hot chocolate

Beer: 1 bottle stout or porter; 1-4 bottles pilsner

Salt

and optional fixings

In Northern California, at least when (and among those with whom) I was growing up, chili was a bean soup, usually with tomatoes and other unpredictable vegetable ingredients, typically very bland. I was relieved to learn the dish is much better elsewhere. In Texas, it usually doesn’t have any beans, but always has beef and, sensibly and unlike in California, chiles. It’s different everywhere, though. In Cincinnati, they put in on spaghetti.

I won’t pretend any authority to say what ought to be considered chili, except that it better have some fucking chiles in it. “Chile” is the Spanish spelling of a Nahuatl word, which I’ll continue using here, to describe, of course, what we Americans also call peppers—all the capsiceae, most notably capsicum annuum, comprising the bell pepper, jalapeño, serrano, cayenne, and more. So, if you make a bean and tomato soup and add enough paprika, I guess I won’t fight you if you want to call it chili.

But you shouldn’t. “Chili con carne” definitely originated in what is now Northern Mexico and Texas as a peasant food made from beef and chiles. Like most stew, it made use of the otherwise less desirable parts of an animal by cooking them slowly for a long time. The beef fat and tough cuts of meat provided calorie density, while chiles had the dual purpose of adding lots of flavor and cheap bulk. Dried into bricks, it was also a trail food, called the “pemmikan of the Southwest.” It seems to me there would not have been a lot of use for beans or tomatoes in this context.

That’s really a historical semantic dispute though, not a culinary one. If chili is better with beans, we should put beans in it. But, in my opinion, it isn’t. This chili, modified from a recipe by Lisa Fain, Homesick Texan, is by far the best chili I’ve ever tasted, and frankly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

Ingredient notes

There’s a reason we use dried chiles. Drying concentrates the contents of the cells in the fruit walls and produces lots of complex, desirable flavors. But I like a little fresh chile in the mix too, to liven it up. I picked cayenne, but if you can’t find fresh cayenne, or if you just want a more vegetal note, go for the jalapenos. If you are trying to minimize spiciness, half a bell pepper would do fine here too.

Speaking of which, you should know that if you use my maximum quantities above, your chili may be much too spicy for most people. If you want to make it milder, by degrees, cut the chiles de arbol first, then the cayenne, then the chipotles. Even if you use none of those, you’ll still get a pleasant kick from the guajillos and pasillas. If you or your guests prefer zero spiciness, cut those also. Add anchos to get your quantity back up to at least a dozen chiles. (The anchos are not at all spicy.) A lot of the complexity of flavor comes from the variety of chiles, though, so you are losing something with every type of chile you omit.

It’s tempting to shortcut quality when adding things like coffee and beer to a stew, but I recommend against it. I brew a pretty strong cup of dark roast for the coffee. Porters can be made with all different kinds of spices, so if you go that route for your dark beer, it may have a noticeable influence on your flavor. I prefer stout, so that I have total control over which spices go in my chili. I personally use an oyster stout for my dark beer, but Guinness is fine. For my light beer I like a crisply hopped pilsner, like Trumer, or Peroni.

Chuck roast is usually from the shoulder and neck of the cow. Anything labeled shoulder steak, chuck shoulder, or even pot roast or stew meat should be fine. Don’t trim the fat.

Prep

Preheat an iron skillet over medium heat.

Remove the seeds and stems from the dried chiles. For larger, drier chiles, the seeds are just rattling around in there; you can pop the stem off and just shake them out. For the wetter ones, probably anchos, you may have to pick the seeds out more carefully. Try to preserve as much of the flesh of the chile as you can.

Heat the prepared chiles for a few minutes on either side in the skillet. Leave it totally dry; no oil or water. You may have to do this in batches, but when you’re done, throw them all in and add enough water to submerge them. Remove from heat, cover, and leave to soak in the warm-to-hot water.

Cut the bacon into smallish pieces, skinny lardons, half-inch squares, or whatever. Cut the onion in a medium dice. Halve your fresh chile(s) and remove the seeds, then cut in a fine dice. Peel the garlic and pound it into a puree, or just put it through a garlic press.

Cut the chuck into cubes. I prefer larger cubes, about an inch, because I think they benefit from the tissue breaking down more slowly as we stew them. However, there’s an argument to be made for smaller cubes, even as small as ¼ inch, so that we get more flavor from the Maillard reaction in our initial browning. There’s no significant impact on the texture of our chili: either way, the meat will be mostly broken down to fibers by the time we’re finished.

Stewing

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large heavy pot until crispy. This will be your chili pot, so a large dutch oven is good if you have one. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving behind as much fat as you can. We will add the cooked bacon back to the chili in a moment, but it’s not too important, so snack on it as much as you want.

Adjust the heat to somewhere between medium-low and medium-high; the larger your cubes of chuck, the higher the temperature. Add the chuck and cook, stirring occasionally and/or turning the cubes, until slightly browned on all sides, 5-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (again, leaving the fat behind) and set aside.

Add the diced onions to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, low enough that you won’t brown the edges, high enough that they won’t take forever to cook. Salt them generously. Cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the diced fresh chile and garlic and cook for another 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add back in the beef and bacon, along with 1 cup of coffee and 1 bottle (12 ounces) of your dark beer. Grate in the chocolate. Add water if necessary to cover the meat by about an inch. Turn the heat to high and watch closely. Reduce the heat to the barest simmer immediately when it boils.

After your chiles have been soaking for at least half an hour, drain and rinse them. Discard the soaking water; it will be very bitter. Throw the rinsed chiles in a blender along with the chipotles. Blend them into as smooth a slurry as you can, then stir them into the chili along with a few generous pinches of salt.

Check the temperature and the level of liquid every fifteen minutes or so. You should maintain the barest simmer, and keep the meat covered by about an inch. Add water (or more dark beer, to taste) when necessary. It may look thin and brothy, but it will thicken a lot before we’re through. Taste it about once an hour for salt.

After at least two hours, preferably about four, turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature. There’s nothing wrong with eating it now, but it will get better and better over the coming days. Put anything you don’t eat in the fridge.

Reheating and Serving

I think the chili is best three or four days after you first stew it. It should keep a week or more in the fridge, and it freezes fine. Whenever you’re ready to serve it, give yourself half an hour to reheat it slowly on the stovetop. It will probably be quite thick, even once it’s heated to serving temperature. Add the pilsner as your liquid to get the consistency you want. It can be better a little soupier, for example, as a tortilla chip dip, or a little thicker, for example, to put on a chili dog.

You can be as simple or as elaborate as you like with the fixings. It’s great simply served in a bowl with warm soft tortillas or chips, or you can put it on top of french fries, hot dogs, or Fritos. It’s usually offered with a garnish station, commonly including chopped scallions, cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheddar, jack, or cotija cheese. This chili is delicious on its own, but it is nice to have at least something fresh to brighten it up, if only a little diced white onion.

[jesseneufeld]

23 Easy Keto Snacks

Our 20 Keto Snacks All Under 5 Minutes has become so popular that we realized that many of you might enjoy a snack or two here and there, whether you identify as intermittent fasters, keto, Primal, Primal-keto, low-carb or other real-food eating ethos. In lieu of fasting when there aren’t any Primal- or keto-friendly food options available and you’re hungry, bringing a snack with you can get you through that long wait at the DMV, the long flight made even longer by delays, or the kids’ football game that went into overtime. Some of the snack ideas we recommend below are pre-packaged (Remember: We’re not anti-convenience here so long as the food inside the package is real and high quality.), and some are quick and easy to whip up on a moment’s notice.

Protein-Rich Keto Snacks

1. Teriyaki Meatballs

We love this recipe because it’s just three ingredients, and the meatballs are pre-made. Leftovers make the perfect snack to pop in your mouth, warmed up or cold.

2. Mini Crab Cakes

Pretty and posh for a cocktail party, and easy to dress down for a book club or game-watching snack, these crab cakes can be made with all the veggie and herb fixings, or simplified to a few ingredients.

3. Collard Green Tuna Wrap

Eat half for a protein- and nutrient-rich snack, or two to three halves for an easy-to-tote lunch. This handheld tuna salad packages protein, veggies, and good-for-you fats in one neat little package.

4. Egg Cups

These muffin-tin egg cups are part omelet, part frittata, and all flexible to suit your individual tastes. Eat two for breakfast, or one for a nutritious snack.

5. Bacon-wrapped Water Chestnuts

Crisp bacon, refreshing water chestnuts, and sweet-salty teriyaki sauce make one showstopper appetizer—or easy-to-make bites to stock in your fridge.

6. BBQ Chicken Skewers

Barbecue chicken never gets old—from pulled chicken cloaked in smoky, salty, sweet sauce to skewered and grilled chicken tenders—this two-ingredient combo provides a satiating snack.

7. Salmon Spread with Nori Chips

The unctuous flavor and silky mouthfeel of salmon is enhanced with olive oil and butter, then spooned onto brittle, briny nori chips for a Primal spin on rice-free sushi.

8. Caprese Salad Skewers

This salad and antipasto platter on a stick coats the tongue with the fatty richness of salami, soft creaminess of fresh mozzarella, sweet and juicy burst of tomato, and the palate-cleansing crunch of bibb lettuce. Dip in Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing for extra herby vinaigrette flavor.

9. Collagen Gummies

For a shot (or two) of collagen peptides, these collagen gummies provide a fun-to-eat way to get more protein. Stash them in a reusable bag or container in your gym bag, or bring them to work for an afternoon snack.

The Best Packaged Keto Snacks

10. Bone Broth

Salty, thick, and welcome on a chilly day, bone broth purchased online or from the store can be dressed up with herbs and aromatics, if desired, for a sippable or spoonable snack.

11. Primal Kitchen® Protein Bars

These four-bite squares deliver protein and healthy fats in the form of real-food ingredients like almonds, eggs, and flaxseed.

12. Keto-friendly Jerky

Chewy, salty, and portable, jerky without additives and sugars makes an entirely Primal and keto-friendly option.

13. Pork Rinds

Crackly, salty crisped pork skin… we’re just going to leave this recommendation right here.

14. Primal Kitchen Keto Collagen Lattes

These new tea lattes combine collagen with coconut milk powder and vanilla extract to make creamy, caffeinated ways to enjoy collagen peptides.

Sweet Keto Snacks

15. Keto Donut Holes

Redolent of cake donut holes, these two-bite treats combine macadamia butter with collagen and monk fruit to make irresistible sweets.

16. Chocolate Bacon

Dark chocolate and smoky bacon… do we have your attention? Dip crisped bacon in melted dark chocolate and try not to drool.

17. Keto Trail Mix

Who knew that three simple ingredients could combine to invoke a ballet on the tongue? Combine (salted or unsalted) macadamia nuts with dark chocolate and unsweetened coconut chips. Attempt to ration your portions.

18. Mark’s Vanilla Collagen Hemp Latte

Born from a desire for an epicurean way to boost magnesium, Mark added hemp hearts to his vanilla collagen latte. This warm, cinnamon-flecked brew can be concocted and enjoyed warm or refrigerated overnight to sip cold the next day.

Plant-Based, Vegetarian Keto Snacks

19. Nut Butter on Celery Sticks

Remember ants on a log: peanut butter-slathered celery boats dotted with raisins? Make a grown-up version by ditching the raisins and peanut butter with added sugar.

20. Keto Mozzarella Sticks

To make a keto-friendly version of this favorite bar snack, whisk an egg and dip mozzarella cheese (cut into 4-inch logs) into the egg. Coat the egg-dipped cheese logs in almond flour and place on a baking sheet. Turn your oven to broil (500ºF); bake mozzarella sticks for three minutes, or until golden brown.

21. Mini Bell Peppers with Cream Cheese

Sweet and crunchy, baby bell peppers make the perfect cups for a spoonful of cream cheese and a sprinkle of chopped chives.

22. Onion Petal with Melted Cheddar

Sharp and pungent, red onion mellows a bit when placed under the broiler for a minute. Top red onion petals with generous cuts of cheddar cheese, then place under the broiler for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the cheese melts.

23. Snap Peas with Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing

Herb-studded, creamy, tangy Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing upgrades any snappy veggie.

Photographs by Priscilla Chamessian, Janee Meadows, and Kali Meadows. 

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[easyfoodnetwork]

Frozen mixed berries | CLICKMANIS/Shutterstock From cooking fat to freezer cake, these are the items that make cooking easier for Eater editors For active home cooks or even those who generally dread the task, the freezer deserves credit for helping get dinner (or dessert) on the table. It’s a place that offers a wealth of shortcut meals and snacks, from exceptional frozen dumplings to nostalgic treats like tater tots. Frozen ingredients like chicken stock or marinara sauce can get a home cook most of the way to a finished meal. As long as people know the best way to store and defrost their freezer items, whether they’re cuts of meat or bagels, a freezer is undeniably an indispensable tool, during a pandemic and otherwise. Here’s a roundup of the useful items Eater editors are most likely to keep hidden away in their freezers. Cooking fat: Meat isn’t an everyday item in our house, so when we do cook with it, my partner and I like to save every last bit. That means saving the fat. Grease is one of those pesky residuals of cooking that’s harder to dispose of. It really shouldn’t go directly down the drain. Some people wait for it to cool in a container and then pour it in the garbage. However, I recommend saving that flavor. When you cook chicken, duck, bacon, or anything else particularly precious and tasty, save the drippings in a glass container and stick it in the freezer. Then use it in place of butter or oil in your cooking to impart more flavor. Duck fat is particularly tasty for cooking fried eggs at breakfast time. —Brenna Houck, Eater Detroit editor Ice cube tray and ice cubes: The most important items in my freezer are my two ice cube trays and the ice they hold. Since shelter-in-place has coincided with my pregnancy, I’m drinking a lot of non-alcoholic beverages, each of which is greatly improved by being even colder. I make cheater iced almond milk lattes by stirring drip coffee with ice and then adding more ice and almond milk. I cool down cups of herbal tea I discover I’ve left on the counter and enjoy iced tea. I drink so much more tap water when I remember to put ice cubes in it. The trick: Refill your tray with water every time you take cubes from it. Just make it part of your routine and it’s never empty. —Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor Frozen fruit: My biggest freezer staple is frozen fruit, mostly because I love a good smoothie. Great for breakfast or anytime you feel like you need a Vitamin C boost, the secret to a thick, filling smoothie is to use a fresh banana and frozen fruit without adding ice. I just buy the bags frozen from my local grocery store (even tropical fruits like pitaya are now pretty easy to find), but this is also a great way to store those final few strawberries before they go bad. Other uses of fruit in your freezer: cocktail ingredients, drink garnishes, a snack (especially frozen mango). —Erin Russell, Eater Austin associate editor Dino nuggets: Why eat boring chicken nuggets when you can eat chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs? It may be childish, but I will never stop getting a kick out of dino nuggets. It’s an easy lunch on a hectic day; just toss them in the toaster oven. Flip once. I guess you could make a side salad if you’re feeling fancy. But the only required side, as far as I’m concerned, is a dipping sauce — ideally barbecue sauce from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que because (a) it’s good and (b) obviously dino nuggets go best with Dino sauce. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Eater Boston editor Homemade gumbo: Gumbo is one of my favorite meals to make at home, but let’s be real; it’s a project, a cooking task that’s going to clock in at a couple hours before it’s done. Luckily, since there are only two of us at home, making gumbo always means gumbo leftovers, and I don’t think there’s a more satisfying freezer meal for me than a bowl of gumbo that I simply pulled out of the freezer (stored in a quart container) to defrost the night before in the fridge, and reheated for dinner that evening. Gumbo doesn’t really deteriorate significantly in the freezer; all you have to do is throw some rice in the rice cooker, and you have an easy weeknight dinner that totally makes up for all the effort you initially put into making a roux, simmering your ingredients, and just having patience for the gumbo to finish the first time around. —Missy Frederick, cities director Frozen dinners from mom: Being far away from my family is hard, especially now that I don’t really know when I can safely go back home to New York. Thankfully, I usually have deep-frozen containers of my mother’s home-cooking in my freezer, from my last visit home. Whenever I fly home, my mother usually asks me what foods I want to bring back (my favorites: shrimp and potol, a Bengali pointed gourd; chicken with squash), along with biryani. My mom batch-cooks everything and my dad portions out the food into 16-ounce deli containers, labels each one, and carefully packs everything into a disposable cooler with ice packs, ready to be placed in my overstuffed suitcase. This way, I can hold onto tastes of home even though it’s 1,700+ miles away. —Nadia Chaudhury, Eater Austin editor Banana ice cream: Forget cookies and cream or chocolate chip cookie dough. Banana is the best ice cream flavor, and I make sure to keep a half-gallon in my freezer at all times. Living in Newark, I’m lucky to be within walking distance of the scoop shop that makes it best: Nasto’s. I have three scoops after dinner every night, always with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and it’s pure bliss. I understand that ice cream isn’t the most exciting thing in a freezer compared to frozen dumplings or mochi, but the flavor takes me back to sitting on my late grandmother’s balcony in Ankara, where we would split a bowl of fruit — mostly bananas — together. —Esra Erol, senior social media manager Freezer cake: I don’t remember what life was like before I discovered Freezer Cake. I don’t care to look back on that era. There’s something special about knowing a slice of banana upside-down cake or a thick slab of banana bread is waiting there, whispering my name gently from the back corner of the freezer. In these not-very-sweet times, being able to eat a slice of cake without ever cracking an egg or dirtying a bowl feels like a victory. All you need to do is let whatever cake you’ve so wisely frozen defrost slowly on the counter. Because sometimes turning on the oven is just too much work. —Elazar Sontag, staff writer Stock: The one thing I always try to have in my freezer is stock. Usually it’s chicken stock, either made from the carcass of a roast chicken or from a big pile of chicken wings I dumped in my Instant Pot, because so many recipes call for it, whether a little bit to help finish a sauce or several cups to make a soup or stew. Homemade stock tastes noticeably better, and since it’s easy to keep in the freezer, making up a big batch doesn’t risk any going to waste. To freeze stock, I measure it out into plastic baggies in rough one or two cup amounts, using a ladle with a half-cup measure on it, and then lie them flat in the freezer one on top of the other, so when they harden, they’re easy to stack. When I need to defrost, I zap a frozen bag for 30 seconds or a minute in the microwave and break off roughly as much as I need, or drop the whole cup or two into the pot. I have endured the shame of throwing out all sorts of things from my freezer, but I have never, ever wasted stock. —Meghan McCarron, special correspondent Homemade pesto: My frozen secret weapon is an ice cube tray full of homemade pesto. Pesto sauce, to me, is a special thing. Basil is a precious, flavorful commodity that seems expensive if you don’t have a farmers market nearby, and it doesn’t stay for very long either. Pine nuts are also quite pricey, so when I do make a big batch from scratch, I make sure to make it last. Pesto is so flavorful that you don’t need to use a lot for any single dish. That’s where the ice cube tray comes in. Filling a tray with pesto and freezing it into cubes is a trick I learned long ago when Pinterest was new on the scene and basically church for those interested in recipe ideas and hacks. Popping out one or two cubes of pesto as needed is a great way to make use of the sauce you may have made months ago when basil was in season, without having to defrost an entire Tupperware. It’s such an easy and fast way to add flavor to a quick pasta dish, some beans, a sandwich of any kind, and even to make into a vinaigrette for a salad on the fly. —Terri Ciccone, audience development manager Salted caramel ice cream: If it’s freezer junk food you seek, I present Lotus Biscoff Salted Caramel Ice Cream, something I started hoarding during the pandemic. I swear it’s the softest ice cream I’ve ever found. The instructions even recommend leaving it out for five minutes to soften before you dig in. There is a straight Biscoff cookie version, but I like the salted caramel mixed in. I buy it at Target, and do a search before I venture out to make sure it’s in stock. —Susan Stapleton, Eater Vegas editor Honorable mentions: Fresh herbs frozen in ice cube trays, bags of pre-peeled garlic, brownies, Eggo waffles, tortellini, peas, pierogis, homemade marinara sauce, cooked beans, rice cakes for stir fries, cookie dough. from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3dAswSL

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/06/11-useful-items-to-keep-hidden-away-in.html

[lauramalchowblog]

23 Easy Keto Snacks

Our 20 Keto Snacks All Under 5 Minutes has become so popular that we realized that many of you might enjoy a snack or two here and there, whether you identify as intermittent fasters, keto, Primal, Primal-keto, low-carb or other real-food eating ethos. In lieu of fasting when there aren’t any Primal- or keto-friendly food options available and you’re hungry, bringing a snack with you can get you through that long wait at the DMV, the long flight made even longer by delays, or the kids’ football game that went into overtime. Some of the snack ideas we recommend below are pre-packaged (Remember: We’re not anti-convenience here so long as the food inside the package is real and high quality.), and some are quick and easy to whip up on a moment’s notice.

Protein-Rich Keto Snacks

1. Teriyaki Meatballs

We love this recipe because it’s just three ingredients, and the meatballs are pre-made. Leftovers make the perfect snack to pop in your mouth, warmed up or cold.

2. Mini Crab Cakes

Pretty and posh for a cocktail party, and easy to dress down for a book club or game-watching snack, these crab cakes can be made with all the veggie and herb fixings, or simplified to a few ingredients.

3. Collard Green Tuna Wrap

Eat half for a protein- and nutrient-rich snack, or two to three halves for an easy-to-tote lunch. This handheld tuna salad packages protein, veggies, and good-for-you fats in one neat little package.

4. Egg Cups

These muffin-tin egg cups are part omelet, part frittata, and all flexible to suit your individual tastes. Eat two for breakfast, or one for a nutritious snack.

5. Bacon-wrapped Water Chestnuts

Crisp bacon, refreshing water chestnuts, and sweet-salty teriyaki sauce make one showstopper appetizer—or easy-to-make bites to stock in your fridge.

6. BBQ Chicken Skewers

Barbecue chicken never gets old—from pulled chicken cloaked in smoky, salty, sweet sauce to skewered and grilled chicken tenders—this two-ingredient combo provides a satiating snack.

7. Salmon Spread with Nori Chips

The unctuous flavor and silky mouthfeel of salmon is enhanced with olive oil and butter, then spooned onto brittle, briny nori chips for a Primal spin on rice-free sushi.

8. Caprese Salad Skewers

This salad and antipasto platter on a stick coats the tongue with the fatty richness of salami, soft creaminess of fresh mozzarella, sweet and juicy burst of tomato, and the palate-cleansing crunch of bibb lettuce. Dip in Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing for extra herby vinaigrette flavor.

9. Collagen Gummies

For a shot (or two) of collagen peptides, these collagen gummies provide a fun-to-eat way to get more protein. Stash them in a reusable bag or container in your gym bag, or bring them to work for an afternoon snack.

The Best Packaged Keto Snacks

10. Bone Broth

Salty, thick, and welcome on a chilly day, bone broth purchased online or from the store can be dressed up with herbs and aromatics, if desired, for a sippable or spoonable snack.

11. Primal Kitchen® Protein Bars

These four-bite squares deliver protein and healthy fats in the form of real-food ingredients like almonds, eggs, and flaxseed.

12. Keto-friendly Jerky

Chewy, salty, and portable, jerky without additives and sugars makes an entirely Primal and keto-friendly option.

13. Pork Rinds

Crackly, salty crisped pork skin… we’re just going to leave this recommendation right here.

14. Primal Kitchen Keto Collagen Lattes

These new tea lattes combine collagen with coconut milk powder and vanilla extract to make creamy, caffeinated ways to enjoy collagen peptides.

Sweet Keto Snacks

15. Keto Donut Holes

Redolent of cake donut holes, these two-bite treats combine macadamia butter with collagen and monk fruit to make irresistible sweets.

16. Chocolate Bacon

Dark chocolate and smoky bacon… do we have your attention? Dip crisped bacon in melted dark chocolate and try not to drool.

17. Keto Trail Mix

Who knew that three simple ingredients could combine to invoke a ballet on the tongue? Combine (salted or unsalted) macadamia nuts with dark chocolate and unsweetened coconut chips. Attempt to ration your portions.

18. Mark’s Vanilla Collagen Hemp Latte

Born from a desire for an epicurean way to boost magnesium, Mark added hemp hearts to his vanilla collagen latte. This warm, cinnamon-flecked brew can be concocted and enjoyed warm or refrigerated overnight to sip cold the next day.

Plant-Based, Vegetarian Keto Snacks

19. Nut Butter on Celery Sticks

Remember ants on a log: peanut butter-slathered celery boats dotted with raisins? Make a grown-up version by ditching the raisins and peanut butter with added sugar.

20. Keto Mozzarella Sticks

To make a keto-friendly version of this favorite bar snack, whisk an egg and dip mozzarella cheese (cut into 4-inch logs) into the egg. Coat the egg-dipped cheese logs in almond flour and place on a baking sheet. Turn your oven to broil (500ºF); bake mozzarella sticks for three minutes, or until golden brown.

21. Mini Bell Peppers with Cream Cheese

Sweet and crunchy, baby bell peppers make the perfect cups for a spoonful of cream cheese and a sprinkle of chopped chives.

22. Onion Petal with Melted Cheddar

Sharp and pungent, red onion mellows a bit when placed under the broiler for a minute. Top red onion petals with generous cuts of cheddar cheese, then place under the broiler for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the cheese melts.

23. Snap Peas with Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing

Herb-studded, creamy, tangy Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing upgrades any snappy veggie.

Photographs by Priscilla Chamessian, Janee Meadows, and Kali Meadows. 

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[jana-recipe]

FAST & EASY BREAKFAST RECIPES

Tomato Scrambled Eggs

For today’s breakfast, fluffy, creamy eggs hold together a mass of tangy, juicy, sweet tomatoes. Best enjoyed when tomatoes are in season.

Ingredients 

½ tbsp butter

4 cups fresh tomatoes or 2 cups canned 

tomatoes, chopped

4 eggs

salt and pepper

Additions

 fresh basil or other herbs, chopped

Recipe

Put a small pan on medium heat and melt the butter, then swirl it around to coat the pan. Add the tomatoes. 

Cook until the tomatoes release their juice and most of the juice evaporates, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and add a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. 

Beat the eggs lightly with a fork.

Once most of the juice has cooked out of the tomatoes, turn the heat down to low and add the eggs to the pan. 

Using a spatula, gently mix the eggs and tomatoes. 

Carefully stir the eggs to keep them from forming chunks. 

Turn down the heat as low as possible; the slower your eggs cook, the creamier they’ll be. 

Once the eggs are done, turn off the heat and add any chopped herbs you have around. 

Basil is the best with tomatoes. If you have some around, serve over toast or a tortilla.

Omelette Always good as easy breakfast

I make this omelette at least once a week. It’s insanely delicious, whether laden with veggies or kept simpleI love it with dill, but it’s good with almost any herb or scallions. Once you are a pro at making this, add any other cooked veggies you have around.

Ingredients 

4 eggs

2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

 salt and pepper

 butter for the pan

1 shallot or ½ small red onion, 

finely diced

¼ cup grated cheese

Recipe

Crack the eggs in a bowl. Add the dill, salt, pepper, and beat with a fork.

Put a big saucepan on medium-high heat. Melt a small blob of butter in the pan. 

Once the butter is sizzling, add the onion and sauté for about two minutes, until it’s translucent and smells great.

Add the egg to the hot pan and swirl it around to coat the surface evenly. If the center of the omelette cooks more quickly than the edge, use a spatula to pull any raw egg into the middle.

Then stop touching it.

After about 30 seconds, toss the cheese on top along with any other raw or cooked vegetable you feel like adding. 

Once none of the egg remains translucent, fold the omelette in half with your spatula, then lift it out of the pan. 

You don’t want any brown on your eggs.

If I’m serving two people, I usually cut one large omelette in half rather than making two omelettes. However, when you feel like being fancy, you can make a pair of two-egg omelettes simply by using half the ingredients for each. For extra fanciness, roll up the omelette instead of folding it—that’s how the French do it, traditionally. The result will be quite thin and tender.

Good and Cheap Broiled Grapefruit For Breakfast

If your oven has a broiler, this is a fast and fun way to liven up a standard, healthy breakfast of grapefruit. This method produces a hot and sticky treat.

Ingredients 

2 grapefruit

2 tbsp brown sugar

 salt

Recipe

Turn on the broiler in your oven.

Split a grapefruit in half and place it on a baking tray or in an oven-proof pan.

Sprinkle the pink halves evenly with sugar and top with just a tiny bit of salt to bring out the flavor.

Place the grapefruit halves under the broiler until they turn bubbly and a little brown (or even black) around the edges. 

This usually takes about 3 minutes, but monitor it because every broiler is different. Don’t get distracted!

Overbroiling ruins a good meal fast.

If you have maple syrup on hand, use it instead of sugar for even more flavor. This breakfast will make a grapefruit lover out of you!C

The Sweat Banana Pancakes For Romantic Breakfasts

With the creamy texture and delicious flavor of bananas, these pancakes are stunningly good. You will be seriously popular if you feed these to your family or friends. Another plus: this is a great way to get rid of mushy bananas (that doesn’t involve making banana bread).

Ingredients 

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1½ cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 bananas, sliced

butter for cooking

Recipe

In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.

In another bowl, add the mashed bananas (or just mash them in the bowl), eggs, milk, and vanilla, then mix. 

Add the dry mixture from the other bowl into the second bowl. 

Gently stir it with a spoon until everything just comes together. 

Tender pancakes come from not over-mixing the batter. If there are still a few pockets of flour, don’t worry about it. 

Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place a non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium heat. Once it’s hot, melt a small amount of butter, about ½ teaspoon, then ladle some pancake batter into the center of the pan. 

You can make your pancakes as large or small as you like. A normal amount is about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter. If it’s your first time making pancakes, make them smaller: they’ll be easier to flip.

As soon as the batter is in the pan, place 3 to 4 banana slices atop of the uncooked side of the pancake. 

Once the edges of the pancake start to dry up and you can see the middle start to bubble, flip the pancake over. 

Cook until it is browned on both sides. Stack the finished pancake on a plate in a warm oven and repeat the above process until you run out of batter. Serve hot, with butter and syrup.

WOW Get Chocolate Zucchini Muffins on your babies breakfast

Ingredients

2 cups grated zucchini 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ cups oats ½ cup cocoa powder 1½ cups sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon (optional) 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 4 eggs 1 cup plain yogurt ½ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Cut off the round end of the zucchini (which is a little tough), but keep the stem to use as a handhold. 

Shred the zucchini with a box grater, stopping when you get to the stem. 

Butter or oil 24 muffin tins, or just line them with muffin cups.

Measure the dry ingredients (flour, oats, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt) into a medium bowl.

Mix the zucchini, eggs, and yogurt in a larger bowl. Add the dry ingredients, then mix until everything is just combined. 

Add the chocolate chips if you’re using them, then stir once. 

With a spoon, dollop the batter into the muffin tins until each cup is about ¾ full and bake for 20 minutes. 

Pull the muffins out and poke with a toothpick or knife. If it comes out wet, bake the muffins for 5 more minutes.

Let the muffins cool in their tins for 20 to 30 minutes, then eat them warm!

Whole-Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar Scones

Ingredients

½ cup butter

2½ cups whole-wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 oz sharp cheddar, diced

1 jalapeño, finely diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup milk

e g g  wa s h

1 egg

 salt and pepper

Directions

Place the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan if you don’t have the paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Prepare your jalapeño and cheese. Cutting the cheese into cubes rather than grating it means you’ll have pockets of gooey cheese that contrast nicely with the scone. 

If you want the spice of the jalapeño, leave the seeds and membrane; if you like it milder, remove them and chop up only the pepper itself.

Remove the butter from the freezer and grate it directly into the flour mixture. (Use a cheese grater—it’s the best way to break up butter without melting it.) Using your hands, gently squish the butter into the flour until everything is incorporated but not smooth. 

The chunks of butter will create flaky scones. Add the jalapeño, cheese, eggs, and milk to the bowl, then use your hands to gently mix everything until it just comes together. It will probably be a little shaggy, but that’s just fine.

Sprinkle flour on a clean countertop and dump the dough onto it. Gently shape the dough into a disc about 1½” thick. Cut the dough into six triangles, like a pizza, and move them to the cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, gently beat the egg for the egg wash.

Brush it over the scones, then sprinkle salt and pepper over each one. Bake for 25 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.

Good and Cheap - Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars For Breakfast

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats (or 2 cups

oats and 1 cup Rice Krispies)

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup jelly or jam

¼ cup hot water

¼ tsp salt

 butter or vegetable oil

additions

 nuts

 coconut

 dried fruit

 honey

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 °F.

Butter or oil an 8” x 11” baking pan. If you have a different size pan, that’s fine—it’ll just change how thick the bars are.

Pour the oats into a large bowl. You can use quick oats if they’re all you have, but I prefer the bite and chew of rolled oats. 

For a different texture, you can also substitute a cup of oats with a cup of Rice Krispies, but the bars are great either way.

Add the peanut butter, half the jelly, the water, and the salt to a small pan. Stir over low heat until it’s smooth

Mix the peanut butter and jelly concoction into the oatuntil all the oats are coated and you have a sticky massDump the mixture into the oiled pan and press it into an even layer. Spread the remaining jelly over the top.

Pop the pan into the oven for 25 minutes, until it’s toasty and brown around the edges. Mmm. Crunchy.

Leave the bars in the pan until they cool completely, about an hour, then slice into 12 bars.

Good and Cheap - Egg Sandwich with Mushroom Hash 

Ingredients

2 tsp butter 1 small potato, diced ½ lb mushrooms,  sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 eggs salt and pepper 2 rolls, 2 English muffins, or 4 slices of bread a d d i t i o n s tomato,  sliced avocado cheese v a r i a t i o n s potato and onion potato and pea collards and bacon zucchini chorizo  and green  chili

Recipe

Melt half the butter in a pan  on medium heat, then throw in the potato and cook for 5 minutes, stirring minimally. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add the mushrooms and garlic, as well as a splash  of water if the potatoes are getting stuck to the pan.  

Cook for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are brown and have shrunk down.

Test the potato by piercing one piece with a fork. If it goes through easily,  you’re done. If not, cook for a few more minutes. (The smaller the potatoes are chopped, the quicker they’ll cook.)

Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preferences.

Melt the other teaspoon of butter in another pan  on medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan  and dust with salt and pepper again. Salt and pepper are critical to these ingredients, so don’t worry about overdoing it.

If you  like your eggs sunny-side up,  place a lid over the pan  to ensure the whites will cook through without making the yolks  hard. Once the whites are no longer translucent, take them off the heat.

If you  like eggs over-easy (my  favorite), wait until the yolks  are cooked but still look runny, then flip each egg with a spatula and let the other side cook for about 15 seconds.  That’ll  get your whites fully  cooked, but keep the yolks  runny—the best. If you  prefer hard yolks  (please no!), then cook for a little longer.

Toast the bread or bun,  then assemble  it into a sandwich, using any condiments you  like. Way  better than what you’ll  find at the corner deli.

Good and Cheap - Yogurt Smash!

There are so many types of yogurt in the grocery store: some low in fat and high  in sugar, some with cute animal pictures. Some are Greek. Some have chocolate shavings and candy. Some have names like key lime pie. Now  forget about all of that. The best value  for your money are the big buckets of plain  yogurt. The fat content is your choice just check that it doesn't contain gelatin and you're all set. Starting with plain  yogurt, you can make  super flavors in your own kitchen, where you  know exactly whats going  into it. If you  have kids, ask them what flavors they can imagine and go make it! It’s a lot more fun  than letting the supermarket choose for you. Try something new  and smash it in! Check out the ideas on the adjoining page. If you  want a thicker Greek-style yogurt, all you  have to do is strain regular American yogurt through cheesecloth to remove the extra water. Yogurts versatility makes  it a great staple to keep in the fridge. Mix it with some of the items you  see on the next page or turn it into a savory sauce like raita or tzatziki.

Good And cheap - Dal

This thick lentil soup is a flavor-packed staple of the Indian table. There are a ton of ways to prepare dal, but the core—beyond the lentils themselves—is usually ginger, garlic, and chili, along with some dry spices.

Ingredients

2 cups lentils

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 green chili, finely chopped

½ inch ginger root, grated

salt and pepper

Recipes

You can use any type of lentil you like. If you’re using larger lentils (like chana dal, french lentils, or split mung beans), soak them for 30 minutes to start. If you’re using the small orange lentils, then don’t bother soaking them; they cook very quickly.

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion and let it cook for 1 minute, then add the cumin and mustard seeds and stir them around with the onions until they sizzle. 

Toss in the turmeric powder, garlic, and chili and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. 

Add the ginger root and stir fry quickly for about 30 seconds. 

Add the lentils along with enough water to cover them, then place a lid on top. 

Let everything cook for 20 to 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. 

Taste the dal and add salt and pepper. You’ll probably need a fair bit of salt to bring out all the flavors—a teaspoon or so. If you have them available, top the dish with a splash of cream or some chopped fresh cilantro.

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Cape Drugs Try These Simple Tips For Better Nutrition

Cape Drugs Certified tips provider.  You can start to live a healthier lifestyle by getting an education in nutrition. Become aware of healthy food choices, and know which ones are detrimental to your goals of overall fitness and good health. Here are some basic tips on nutrition to get you started.

If you like to drink soda pop, then this one is for you. You can make your own simple fruit juice sodas by mixing 1 part of your favorite juice with 2 parts carbonated water (soda water or seltzer is fine). If it's not sweet enough, just add a bit more juice. This tastes really good with grape, cranberry, apple, or peach juices. Lemon or lime works too, so long as you combine it with a sweet juice such as apple. By drinking this instead, you reduce the number of the calories per drink, and it has the added benefit of giving you the extra vitamins and minerals that are naturally in the fruit juice.

Try to eat most of your meals at home. When you are on the go, you tend to eat high calorie foods and a greater amount of them. At home, you can control what ingredients you use and make sure they are fresh and healthy. This cuts calories and enhances family time.

Vitamin C is an important part of a healthy diet. It is an effective antioxidant. It also helps forms the collagen which is needed for healthy blood vessels and gums, wound healing, and development of teeth and bones. Vitamin C has been found to decrease the risk of cancer, cataracts, heart disease and other diseases.

To maximize the nutritional content of the foods in your diet, reduce the number of microwavable dinners that you eat. Microwave dinners contain lots of unhealthy fat and sugar. Buy and prepare fresh veggies and meats to get the most health benefits from them.

Cape Drugs Skilled tips provider.  When considering your nutrition intake at a fast food restaurant, what may seem like the lesser of two evils may not always be the healthiest. Chicken often times ends up having more sodium and calories than a burger due to toppings such as ranch and additions such as bacon. If you feel as though you must satisfy a fast food craving, be sure to check the nutrition chart first.

When concerned with what liquids to drink, you will find that water is perfectly satisfying for your nutrition needs. You should definitely avoid sugary soda drinks. You can find fortified water that contains vitamins to be a great alternative. Because of water and these vitamin drinks, you will not be spiking your system with sugar and excessive calories. This will help you become healthier.

Making your own veggie wraps are a quick and tasty lunch sandwich that can also be healthy. Use whole-wheat tortillas and add an assortment of roasted, fresh or frozen vegetables. Top it off with some grated low-fat cheese. Roll everything up into a tight bundle and brown in a toaster oven. Yummy!

Liven up your sandwiches with raw vegetables and fruit. Raw vegetables and fruit add crunch to a sandwich. They also add taste and vitamins and minerals. To make sandwich preparation a snap always be sure to keep some veggies pre-sliced and ready to go in baggies in your fridge.

Cape Drugs Top service provider.  Many people run into problems when they eat simply out of boredom. Remind yourself that hobbies and activity cure boredom; eating is not a hobby. What's more, boredom eating is generally mindless. In other words, you can eat, but there's a pretty good chance that you will still be bored… even with your mouth full of food.

One way to ensure that your cabinets are filled with only nutritious and low-fat foods is by taking the extra time to carefully consider each item on your regular shopping list. Before you go shopping for groceries, think about whether each product has a healthier or reduced-fat alternative, or if you should even purchase it in the first place.

Don't think that you can just take a bunch of supplements containing vitamins to have a healthier diet. Supplements should serve as complements to a solid diet. A multivitamin in the morning is the best way to get the vitamins that you require.

If you want to increase the nutritional value in your child's diet, ask for their help. Take your child shopping and have them pick out two or three new vegetables to try. Your child will view these items as "their choice" and be more likely to eat them when they are served at the dinner table.

A few minerals and vitamins that often fly under the radar, but which are great for maintaining healthy skin include zinc, selenium and L-Carnitine. L-Carnitine should be taken in pill form as it is hard to find in foods. Zinc is present in popular foods like eggs, nuts, whole grains and mushrooms. The majority of soil raised vegetables have selenium. Hydroponically grown plants might not necessarily contain selenium at all. When you eat a natural diet full of natural foods, and use L-Carnitine as a supplement, you can reach a healthy balance.

Cape Drugs Qualified tips provider.  Creating good food habits is a key to maintaining good nutrition. One important habit to cultivate is portion control. It is easy to forget what real portion sizes are in our super-size culture, but by measuring carefully for a few days, you can familiarize yourself with the amount of food you should really be consuming.

If you are trying to eat a healthy diet and are trying to decide on a restaurant, you may want to look online before heading out for dinner. Many restaurants now post their menus online so you can look at the options that they have available before you even leave your home.

You should always endeavor to stay current on nutritional information and to consume healthy foods. The tips discussed in this article form just the tip of the iceberg of nutrition information available. Applying them can quickly kick off your new journey to healthier eating habits. Try to feed your brain by learning the interesting things about nutrition.