#and yes you just add the sugar in to steep with the tea

[teacupchimera]

did y'all know you can actually steep tea in cold milk and make an even creamier and smoother version of milk tea with this method?

[digitalfishwish]

Kit's Traybake Pancakes (cinnamon apple var.) - Updated!

Love eating pancakes but hate making them? This traybake pancake recipe may be for you! Making these gives me enough pancake squares for 6 days (5 if you eat two on the day you make them). They’re fluffy, reheat well, can either be eaten with or without maple syrup, and are very customizable! I recommend adding fruit and protein powder like I do in this recipe, making it a (slightly) healthier breakfast than just pure carbs.

(Updated) instructions under the cut!

Full disclosure, the base for this recipe was the mug pancake recipe from Emma’s Goodies, which you can watch here!

I made this mug pancake for years (except with tripled portions because I was using a very big mug) and it was super delicious! However, for just one mug pancake, it was a bit of a production and didn’t feel super worth it. Thusly, I have adapted the recipe to be made in a 13”x9” baking tray, which makes a whole lot of breakfast.

Recipe (serving size: 2 squares):

Base Ingredients:

12 tbsp. butter (I use salted, if you don’t have salted butter, add a small amount of kosher salt to your recipe)

9 tbsp. (1/2 cup+ 1 tbsp) granulated sugar

12 fl.oz. milk (I use skim, use whatever kind you like)

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

Customizable Ingredients:

1 scoop protein powder (I use vanilla flavored whey)

1/4 cup of maple syrup (ideally not pancake syrup, they’re different)

1 apple (I use McIntosh or Honeycrisp)

A piping hot cup of apple tea with a heaping tablespoon of honey

Nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom to taste, for sprinkling on top

Base Instructions:

Heat oven to 375°F, take out a 13”x9” nonstick baking pan and spray bottom and sides with cooking spray (yes theoretically I know you don’t need to spray a nonstick pan but better safe than sorry).

If you choose to put apple chunks in, I recommend doing this step first. I personally like to let the chunks soak in my favorite loose leaf apple tea (non-sponsored plug)! Boil a cup of water and fill the tea infuser with tea. Add a heaping tablespoon of honey to the cup and stir until it dissolves. Then put them infuser in and steep the tea for three minutes, after which you should give the mug a final stir and pour it into a bowl. See “customizable instructions, steps 2-4” for how I recommend cutting the apple. After that, put the peeled apple chunks into the bowl of delicious tea and let them soak until it’s time to add them later on!

If you’re not putting apple in, do this step first. Put butter in a bowl and melt it in the microwave. I recommend microwaving for 1m20s.

Put butter in a stand mixer, preferably with the paddle attachment. While you heat the milk in the microwave* (40 seconds, I use a glass liquid measuring cup), add the granulated sugar to the mixer. Once the milk is heated, give it a real quick stir, and then add it and use one of the lower settings on your mixer.

(If you have customizable wet ingredients, add them now!)

Add the flour and baking powder, mix again on low setting until it forms a batter (a small amount of lumps is okay from what I’ve heard, you don’t want to overmix).

*You can’t put cold milk into hot butter, it will form little clumps and be gross

Customizable Instructions:

Add a 1/4 cup of maple syrup (as above, preferably before the flour, with the other wet ingredients), and also one scoop of your preferred protein powder. Mix on low setting until it’s incorporated.

Peel the apple wedges with a peeler (don't use the skin, you'll thank me later). If you have an apple cutter (the thing that looks like a wheel with handles), use that. If you don’t:

Take your apple and a large, sharp knife (be careful) and cut the apple in half vertically. Then place it down with the core side up, and cut each apple half like so: cut off the left side, avoiding the core, followed by the right. Then turn what’s left of the half apple on its side, and cut off the last piece at the back. Do the same for the other apple half, then chop the segments into whatever sized chunks you want.

Use as much of it as you want, but I myself use the whole apple. (If you don’t, eat whatever segments you don’t intend to use for a lil snack.) Then put apple chunks into mixer, and half the tea if you made it, and mix until incorporated. (Drink what tea remains, it’s even more delicious now that the fresh apple’s been in it!)

Baking Instructions:

Pour batter into greased baking tray, shake the pan until the batter is flattened and reaches all the corners (or use a spatula and spread it evenly by hand). Optional: Sprinkle the top with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom according to your tastes. I tend to have a heavy hand even if I don’t mean to, but it still comes out very tasty! (and smells great while baking!)

When the oven reaches temperature (if you preheated it at the beginning, it may have already been at temperature for a while) put the pan in and cook for 35 mins. Know your oven and if it tends to be hotter or colder*, adjust cook time as necessary.

When the timer goes off, test the center in several places with a toothpick. As long as it doesn’t come out goopy, you’re good! (crumbs on the toothpick is fine) I say test in several places because if you accidentally go through a piece of apple, your toothpick may come out slightly wet, but that doesn’t mean the pancakes aren’t done. If it's not done, cook in intervals of 5 minutes, testing each time the timer goes off.

Take pan out and use a butter knife or a pie serving spatula and poke around the edges of the pan to free the pancake traybake from the edges. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Cut into squares. I tend to cut 12 pieces, but you could go smaller or larger depending on how much you intend to eat at once.

*How do I know if my oven runs hot or cold, you may ask? If any recipe you make comes out raw and/or takes longer to cook than the instructions say, your oven is colder! If your food ends up burnt and/or takes less time to cook than the recipe instructions say, your oven is hotter!

Enjoy! I eat two squares at a time and it makes a good breakfast! For storing, put however much of it you can eat in 2-3 days in the fridge. Store the rest in the freezer.

For any customizing other than what I did, use whatever fruit, spices, syrups, and/or protein powders you want! Just be aware that more fruit in the batter means it may take longer to cook!

If you make them, either the same way I did here or differently, let me know how they came out!

OLD EDIT: After some experimentation, it seems like the pancakes come out more moist if baked for 35 minutes at 375°F! I also soak the apple pieces in a cup of “Apple Blood Tea” (find it on adagio teas, it’s super delish!) with honey at the beginning of the process, then add the ‘marinated’ apples and half a cup of the tea into the batter.

NEW EDIT 09/2024: I just changed the recipe whether it needed changing, since I realized that changing stuff behind the readmore didn’t transfer to previously reblogged posts 😫 I also added image descriptions.

[iamthecomet]

𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘚𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯: 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘦

Rating: Pairing: Mountain & Cumulus & Dew Word Count: 743 Mountain and Cumulus make Dew's favorite cake for his summoning day. Mushy May brought to you by @forlorn-crows Divider by @ghuleh-recs

Mountain doesn’t consider himself much of a baker. He isn’t Cumulus who can whip up scones, and cookies, and marvelous cakes in an afternoon. He isn’t Dew who has an overall knowledge of all things kitchen that seems to be endless. But, he knows how to follow a recipe. And he knows how to make one thing perfectly.

Dew’s summoning day cake. 

If it was up to Dew–no one would make him anything. They’d have dinner together–that Dew cooked, and play games on the ancient N64 system, or watch a campy horror movie. There would be no cake, no gifts, no fuss. 

It’s not because Dew doesn’t like cake and gifts and fuss–it’s because he doesn’t think he deserves them–sees them as superfluous. 

Mountain won’t stand for it. 

Cumulus is with him, of course. Mountain feels better with her around when he’s baking. Like even if she just stood somewhere in the room and didn’t help it would come out better. She’s standing next to him, creaming butter and sugar while Mountain steeps strong earl gray tea to infuse into the batter. 

Cumulus measures out honey and adds it to her mixture of wet ingredients. Eggs are next. The kitchen already smells divine and they haven’t even put it in the oven yet. 

“He’s going to complain,” Mountain says, apprehensive. 

“He always complains. He doesn’t like when people do things for him.”

“I just wonder if maybe we should listen to him for once.” Mountain strains the tea into Cumulus’ mixture and she sighs. Humming softly as the herbal smell hits her. She adds a dash of lavender–her secret ingredient. 

“What and do nothing?” 

Mountain shakes his head. “Less, maybe. I mean I don’t like when people go all out for me–it feels–I don’t like to be seen like that.” 

“But that’s you, Mount,” Cumulus says softly, watching Mountain sift dry ingredients together. “Dew’s different. And we’re already making the cake.” 

“I don’t mean the cake. Of course we have to make the cake. I mean the gifts, the fawning over him. Maybe we could just watch a bad movie and–”

“Are you really going to be able to watch him make us all dinner on his summoning day and not help at all?” 

Mountain shakes his head. “No.” 

“What did you get him?” 

“Besides the cake?”

Cumulus laughs, she nudges Mountain with her hip. “What? Are you keeping it from me too?” 

Mountain blushes a little. “He found this rock when we were on tour, it’s not even anything special but it’s pretty. I…I might have stolen it from him and made it into a necklace.” 

Cumulus laughs, bright and airy. She takes the bowl of dry ingredients from Mountain and starts to add them little by little to the wet. “And you say you don’t want to fawn over him.”

Mountain flushes, he can’t help it. “He deserves it.” 

Cumulus nods in agreement as she mixes the batter. Mountain watches it come together–he dips his finger in, unable to resist the herbal sweetness of it. The lingering flavor of honey and bergamot burst on his tongue. He goes for another taste and Cumulus bats his hand away.  “Save some for, Droplet.” 

“Droplet will get plenty,” Mountain says, leaning over and kissing her on the temple, sneaking his finger into the batter as he does. 

“Enough!” She hip checks him, and curls her arm protectively over the bowl. “Go make the caramel or the frosting or something. You know Swiss can only keep him busy for so long.” 

Mountain smiles warmly at her, turning to dump the softened butter into the stand mixer. “Yes, ma’am.” 

When Dew and Swiss appear–an hour and a half later, the cake is done. Sitting tall and proud on the table in the middle of the kitchenette. Perfectly iced, caramel glaze dripping decadently down the sides. 

Dew’s smile lights up his face, his eyes dart over to Mountain and Cumulus a pink blush rising to his cheeks. “You didn’t have to.” 

“You alway say that–and yet, we always do.” Cumulus crosse the room to pull Dew into a hug, to kiss him gently on the forehead. 

“Thank you,” he whispers.

Mountain answers Dew’s smile with one of his own. This–he remembers–is why they do this. Just for these small moments when Dew allows himself to be loved and doted on without complaint or embarrassment. For the moment when he sees his favorite cake, waiting, just for him.

[wherefore-whinnies]

btw a couple other tea latte "recipes" if anyone is interested:

honey vanilla tea latte: use an English breakfast tea bag, you probably get best results if you prepare it in a bit of water first and add milk after. so put in a bit of boiling water, just enough to cover the tea bag, and let it steep for like 4 minutes. while it's steeping add 2 tablespoons of Torani vanilla syrup and 2 tablespoons of honey. (yes this is a lot. you can work on slowly lowering the amounts to adjust your taste to having less sugar!). remove the tea bag once it's done steeping then pour hot milk on top (froth the milk first if you wish) and mix!

London fog: use an earl grey tea bag, prepare it like before in enough boiling water to cover the tea bag and 2 tablespoons of Torani vanilla syrup. the tea bag should steep for 3-4 minutes. then remove the tea bag, pour hot milk on top (frothed if you like) and mix

I got these from my friend who used to work at second cup and that's how I got into preparing my own tea at home

[tessathegamefreak]

Tessa? I've been wondering?

What are the candy themes of some of the fusions we got so far? Like, since some of the fusions have a Sugar Rush character in it, what are their candy themes?

Kaneko (Kane Candy and Neko fusion)

Princess Nillacream (Princess Vanellope and Neko fusion)

Camillaron (Theresa and Coalette fusion)

Dalgona (Giul and Berre fusion)

Andres (Lucas and Nala fusion)

Idris (Steep and Nala fusion)

Stella (Steep and Clara fusion)

Good question, my Nintendo-fanatic Neko, hehe!

Kaneko: Assorted Candies, specifically the ones that are pink. Since Kane isn't originally from Sugar Rush, his assorted candy theme isn't authentic. Fusing with Neko only gave their theme a specific color

Princess Nillacream: Birthday Cake Pudding. Neko fusing with Princess Vanellope added a delicious cream element to the Princess' varied theme.

Camillaron: Chocolate Macarons. Theresa's theme is typically based off bite-sized chocolates, but Coalette's half-French origins causes her theme to focus more on the macaron element.

Dalgona: Strawberry Dalgona Coffee [Yes, the item they are based off of is their name]. Giul is based on coffee flavored gelatos. Fusing with Berre gave his theme a fruity twist, shifting his typically chilled theme to a frothy whipped drink.

Andrés: Green Apple flavored Salsaghetti and green chamoy. Lucas' theme is typically based on all tamarind candies, but fusing with Nala gave his theme a green color, for some reason...

Idris: Irish Tea. It should be noted that Steep wasn't actually made with a tea theme, he just adopted it. However, fusing with Nala makes his tempting inhibitions feel stronger. They both share the same bad habits, and thus they are twice as likely to endure them. Idris identifies with the Irish Tea theme because Irish Tea is known for its strong, robust flavor and high caffeination [some people even put alcohol in their Irish Tea]

Stella: Milk Oolong Tea. With the same case as Idris, Stella's theme is only assumed. Fusing with Clara has made Steep more alert, and metaphorically adds a sweet milky flavor to his theme.

Hope this all does well by you ;3

[dogshit-gambler]

Chamomile Dream: Simon ' GHOST ' Riley x F!Reader

Summery: Can't sleep. Time for tea.

SFW - Comfort - Ghost Is Emotionally Constipated But is Trying - God Now I Want Tea - First Person -

Wordcount: 952

It's late. God. Why am I still awake? That familiar feeling of dread when I close my eyes but feel my limbs itch. I know Simon is still next to me, but to say if he's sleeping or not... I'm not sure. I know he hates it when I can't sleep. Every time I whisper 'are you awake?' to him, his hand reaches for mine in a wordless conversation. I don't expect him to solve my sleeping troubles, I just enjoy his company. Even if he is silent, I know he is there with me.

I try not to wake him when I stir. The bed moves easier, it's lighter without him. In my haze, I reach for the lamp. Simon's gone. He's quite famous for midnight walks and working out at the crack of fucking dawn; then again I have no idea what time it is. It's still dark, I know that much. The floor is cold against my feet, usually Simon had the misfortune of feeling my cold skin against his in the middle of the night. It wasn't my fault he radiated heat like a summer fire. He was hot like one too, and I don't exactly mean his looks. He's warm and magnetic, and not too shabby looking either. He hates compliments and still hasn't gotten used to the fact I am full of them. I love him, I do. Part of me wonders if he understands just how much I love him. That's why I shower him in praise even if he hates it.

I'm met with the kitchen light on and the back of Simon Riley facing me. I smell tea on the stove -- it's chamomile. But he hates chamomile, he only buys it because I like it. "Let me guess... Can't sleep?" he asked, still facing the stove. "That's too good for a guess, Simon."

"An educated one, love." I can hear him chuckle, he really does think he's all that. I noticed him steeping tea on the table, it was pure black tea. I know this because that's all he ever drank. "Making tea for two?" I inquire, walking over to him. He turns his chair around to face me, his face tired and sleepless. I know he suffered too, but for a different set of reasons. "May I sit with you, Mr. Riley?" I reached over to stir his tea, the scent over powering. "I'll have to think about that." I noticed him sliding a cup beside his. My cup. The one he bought for me as a move in present, the one he said was cheesy and I'd get sick of looking at it it a week. The same cup he cursed himself for dropping but he was quick enough to catch it.

"I'll let you think, but don't hurt yourself now. While you're thinking, I'll get us some snacks." I watched his lips curl into the subtle smile he always does. He thinks I don't notice but I notice everything about him. When he laughs, he bites his lip after. When he's angry, he bites his cheeks so hard they bleed. Kissing him with the taste of iron isn't exactly pleasant but I've never told him. When he's happy, he's talkative and wants to be around me. I know it seems obvious but nothing is obvious with Simon.

I cut us up apples and oranges, but he hates the fact I sprinkle salt on my fruit. Much like I hate how he drinks his sugar free tea, he doesn't understand why I always do 7 sugar cubes in mine. I watch him add 7 cubes to my cup. I watch as he stirs it to the left while he pours over the boiling tea. I try so hard not to stare at him but I can't help but to notice his hair's gotten longer. Brown tresses just long enough for my fingers to comb through. He's so kind when he wants to be. "Having trouble sleeping these days?" He asks suddenly. I could ask him the same thing.

"Yeah," I say, sitting down in front of him. "I don't know what the problem is. I just... can't sleep at night anymore." He nods slowly, pushing the salt shaker over to me. "Yeah. I know. Why do you think I made 2 cups? I knew you'd be out. You think I haven't notice your little pattern at night?"

"My pattern?" I chuckle.

"Oh, yes. Your pattern. You ask if I'm awake and if I want to stay quiet, you'll go make tea. But you said it's always better when I make it." It is always better when he makes it. Maybe it's the English touch. "I always knew you were awake." He smiles again. "Listen... Y\N," he started. He uses my name often but not like this, not in this concerned tone. "I don't know what it is you're dealing with to plague your sleep, no matter what..." He paused, his eyes looking into mine. His gaze is powerful. "I'll always, and I mean always be by your side. No matter what. If you're anxious, just... tell me. If you're scared, tell me, and I'll neutralize your fears. I promise." I... wasn't expecting this from him. He's showing his feelings for once, something I seldom get to see. I'm grateful for the time we share. "I know you will." There that smile goes again. "I trust you, Simon. I know you'll always look after me."

He takes a sip of my tea this time. "Sweet," he says. "How you like it." I take a sip of his tea, he grins at my disgusted face. "Putrid," I say. "Just how you like it."

[pinkaddiofficial]

Welcome to episode 443 of the inter-universal cooking show! On todays episode we will be making Person Flavored Tea! Fair warning, this will not give you as accurate flavors as the ones from the DeltaRune sub-verse do, but it is a good way to get them in non-DeltaRune timelines.

Now then, ingredients include: 1 drop of blood from you and the person you want to have tea of, a boiling cup of water, a tea bag of any kind, 1 ounce of sugar, 1 teaspoon of Pure Darkness, and 3 drops of magic.

First, you will need to put the drops of magic into the boiling water to make it more receptive to the Pure Darkness. Next, put the tea bag in and weigh it down to the bottom for 5 minutes, take it out and put the ounce of sugar in. Now you need to put the teaspoon of Pure Darkness into it to create Magic Tea. On its own it cant do much aside from heal you, but you can make it into Person Flavored Tea by first pouring your drop of blood into it and waiting 30 seconds. By then it should have absorbed your feelings for you to pour the drop of blood from someone else.

Voila! You have created Person Flavored Tea! Depending on your relationship with the person the drop of blood is from, it will have a unique taste. Again, the people in the DeltaRune sub-verse can do this much better and faster than us.

@interuniversalcookingshow

How are you going to get Darkness in an Undertale timeline?

...

Whatever, I'll pass this on to them.

...

Wow, this is an incredibly inefficient recipe, you're right! You've got a lot of the basics right, though.

You don't need the tea bag, though. Darkness should hold the shape you give it just fine. I suppose that such a thing might be necessary for Lightners, but even then, I think that you can just steep... hmm....

Yes, pour the water in and add your own blood and the magic, bring it to a boil. Mix the Darkness and the other person's blood together and stir them in slowly while the water is boiling.

You'll need to focus on your will while you're doing it, but that should ensure that it doesn't have an aftertaste. Either way, it'll just come out to water for anyone who isn't you, though.

[insipid-drivel]

My dad was a Brit that immigrated to the US. Here's how "real" Brits make their tea:

First off, bag teas are mostly fine to most British sensibilities, especially if you're working and don't have the time to futz around with loose leaf teas that take extra time and tools and cleanup. Loose-leaf may be fancy and higher quality, but it's also more finicky, and you usually have to go to a specific tea vendor to get loose leaf (my favorite is a tea shop called Golden Monkey; they make a delicious cinnamon apple tea). The most popular brand of bag black tea I remember from living in England was a brand called Twining's.

Step 1: Start the kettle. Yes you need an electric kettle, you absolute knobs. Let the water reach a rolling boil/the kettle switch itself off. Most electric kettles have a self-shut-off setting once it detects the water is at boiling temperature. Microwaving your water to make tea is a category 5 abomination and is also a great way to give yourself severe burns. If you have no other way to boil your water, at least put a wooden chopstick or something in the water so it doesn't superheat and explode in your face.

Step 2: The bag goes into an EMPTY mug. Do not pre-season your mug with sugar or milk. This is blasphemy. I tried this once and I think it summoned the demonic spirit of a 150-years-dead toff whispering to drown another Welsh village for Liverpool's new sewer system. Nid heddiw, Satan.

Step 3: Once the water reaches a rolling boil, place the teabag in the mug (I always tie a little knot with the string around the handle so I don't lose the bag). TEABAG GOES INTO THE MUG BEFORE THE WATER TOUCHES IT. Only then do you pour the water into the mug.

Step 4: Leave it to steep for between 3-5 minutes, and no more (most brands will have exact timing instructions written on the bag/tin). The steeping time can vary on the type and strength of the tea you're making. You don't want to oversteep black tea because, like coffee, it starts releasing bitter tannins that spoil the subtler flavors of the tea. NEVER squeeze a bag of black tea after it's done steeping to "get the last drops of tea" out. Squeezing the teabag releases the tannins you don't want. Just take a deep breath and throw it away. It'll be okay.

(btw you can steep herbal teas for as long as you want to because they don't have the tannins black tea does. Herbal teas are usually best after almost double the standard steeping time as black teas.)

Step 5: Sugar first, then milk (if you take either). You need to introduce the sweetener you may prefer into the tea first so the heat of the tea can do the best job it can at properly dissolving sweeteners like table sugar. Add milk to cool the tea/to your preferred taste, if any. It's perfectly acceptable to enjoy plain black tea with no milk or sweetener.

Step 6 (Non-Brits Only): Remind your British tea snob follower that Britain didn't even adopt tea as a regular drink until Catherine of Braganza introduced it to England from Portugal after marrying King Charles II. Before then? Y'all guzzled coffee 24/7. You're not fancier than Americans that prefer coffee. You're just following in the dainty footsteps of the royal family ;)

Step 7 (Reserve only for causing maximum psychic damage): Try mixing a little bit of chocolate in with your black tea to make a tea/hot chocolate hybrid. It tastes startlingly good and will take at least 1 day off the life of every member of the British aristocracy with every sip you take.

[silverfoxlou]

I wonder if it’s a British thing to leave the tea bag to seep in the tea while you finish the tea. I have never brewed my tea for more than 2 mins and Louis has his tea bag in his cup all through the concert while he sips it.

2 minutes? What kind of weak ass tea are you making?? (Yes yes I know the timing depends a lot on the tea leaves)

If I’m just making a cup of tea with nothing else in it I generally just leave the tea bag in the mug until I eventually remember to take it out so his being in the cup didn’t strike me as odd. That’s still way better than him steeping his tea for 90 seconds even when he adds milk 🥴

Also his opinion about sugar in tea is just wrong!!

[zhianyou]

5th Mission: Mix Up The Recipe of Wonders.

Ginger is known to have an effect on a variety of conditions and diseases due in part to its impact on excessive inflammation which is an underlying cause of many illnesses. Of course, not everyone like the strong flavour of ginger just because it is ginger. To improve it, some may opt to use ginger tea, for example. Question is, does ginger tea help with headaches and migraines? The short answer is yes–ginger tea for headaches and migraines has been known to be a great home remedy. For maximum effect, it is best taken at the very onset of a migraine attack.

How to make Homemade Ginger Tea (Serve Hot or Cold).

Ingredients

4-6 thin slices raw ginger

1  1/2 – 2 cups water

Juice from 1/2 lime, or to taste (may use lemon instead of lime)

1-2 tbsp honey or agave nectar, or to taste

Preparation

Peel the ginger and slice thinly to maximize the surface area. This will help you make a very flavorful ginger tea. Boil the ginger in water for at least 10 minutes. For a stronger and tangier tea, allow to boil for 20 minutes or more, and use more slices of ginger. Remove from heat and add lime juice and honey (or agave nectar) to taste.

For stronger ginger flavour, simply slice ginger into paper-thin slices, without peeling it, bring it to boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for 30 mins then cover it and let it sit overnight. It will develop a really strong ginger flavor and a lovely brown color. The next morning, strain it and either bottle it or, add the lemon juice and serve. You can sweeten with honey, brown or white sugar, or artificial sweetener like erythritol or stevia. The ginger will have a strong, deep flavor and spicy, heat you simply can’t get by pouring hot water over it, or letting it steep for a short time.

Pst, neeways, if you are making ginger tea as a home remedy during cold and flu season, sweeteners are not recommended.

Characters: 1.862

[magnetarmadda]

WIP Wednesday Thursday because time is fake lol, thanks @blasphemous-lies-and-deceit for tagging me! I’m not tagging anyone since it’s not Wednesday anymore, but for all my writer friends, if you’ve got a wip you wanna share, consider yourself tagged

I’ve been finding writing very hard lately (anything, not just fic, which is rough because my job right now is all about writing research proposals and reports and articles), so this is a piece of what I’ve got for the next chapter of Love Like Gravity, which I will finish someday

The kitchenette is quiet at half seven, just Jon and the sound of the kettle to fill the small space. He's only half paying attention to the motions of his hands as they prepare his mug, a worn blue one Gerry gave him years ago when Jon started grad school. It lived on his student desk and has followed him ever since.

He's probably mostly awake by now, but it's hard to be sure. As the newest junior faculty member, Jon, of course, is teaching an 8 AM, and he's considering switching to coffee to get him through. This level of exhaustion on the everyday? It might kill him.

The click of the kettle draws his focus from daydreaming about his soft bed, and he pours hot water over the tea bag. He stirs in sugar and then pulls the mug close, the scent of the steeping tea a poor substitute for the caffeine, but he knows he'll be grumpy for hours if he drinks weak tea.

Jon turns to head back to his office and is startled by a colleague opening the door. He hasn't yet learned everyone's names, but he does recognize the man who gives a quick wave hello—Jon saw him speak at a conference a few years ago about developments in dark energy research.

"Jon, right?" he asks, his hand pausing between them as he spots Jon's mug.

Jon feels himself flush a bit. "Ah, y-yes," he says, half-grimacing. "Jon Sims. You're Oliver Banks, right? I saw your talk on—"

"—dark energy and the modifications of gravity. Yeah, one of my more popular ones," Oliver says, grinning. "Big mistake, giving the plenary at an international conference. People keep recognizing me."

"O-oh," Jon replies, his stomach sinking at his accidental faux-pas. "I'm s—"

Oliver raises his hands and makes quick calming motions. "Sorry, sorry," he says gently, like Jon's a spooked cat. "I forget most people aren't aware of my sense of humor. No, it's nice to meet you, and I'm glad you remember my talk."

Jon offers his best attempt at a polite smile, his tired brain struggling to figure out what to say next. "What brings you in so early?" he finally lands on, shifting his mug to one hand.

"Conference call with a couple of colleagues in other timezones," Oliver shrugs. "India, Japan, Germany—getting us all for an hour each week meant some sacrifices."

Jon snorts, thinking of a colleague he's trying to finish a paper with who moved home to Russia a few months ago. "I can sympathize," he says.

"Meetings for you as well?" Oliver asks, now moving to the kettle to refill it. Jon shift his body, following Oliver as they talk.

Jon laughs now. "I wish," he admits, shrugging. "I was assigned the 8 AM first year astronomy course."

"Ouch," Oliver replies, also laughing. "I wish I understood why someone decided astronomy should be taught in the morning. I spent years pushing to move it to the evening."

Jon nods, thinking of the conversation he had last week with Elias asking for the same thing.

"Maybe we should start a petition," Oliver adds. "Get enough faculty on it, maybe we can convince someone."

Before he can answer, Jon's phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees his calendar reminder. He grimaces as he dismisses it. "Speaking of," he says, waving his phone half-heartedly as Oliver looks over at him. "I have to go unlock the door."

With a matching grimace, Oliver wishes him luck, and Jon hurries to his office for his bag and the file folder of freshly printed problem sets.

[bigaessaygal]

As snobbish as it might sound: most prebagged teas are utter shit. It's basically dust wrapped in paper, so all the flavours and aromas are gone. The only ones I do like for travel purposes are those fancy clear pyramide bags because they are filled with whole leaves. Otherwise, loose leaf tea is your best friend! There are tea strainers you can fit into your cup and a lot of tea pots come with fitting strainers as well. And yes, temperature and steeping time are crucial. Black tea is a bit more forgiving in the temperature segment, but the steeping time is still important. I usually add a bit of brown sugar to my black tea, although I do have some variations that I drink without any additives. Go for quality over quantity, especially for green tea. I know that people who want to try things out won't be ordering from Japan and buy themselves the proper accompanying teaware, but if you can, find a local tea shop to help you out. They do let you smell the tea before packaging it for you and they can help with finding something suiting your taste as well. Plus they sell it in sample sizes so you won't be saddled with a lot of tea you might end up not liking. If there's no tea shop in your area, ask around the web so you can find someone pointing you to a good online tea store. They should be able to help you out just as well when you send them a message.

I want to like tea so bad. How can I possibly hate all the tea I've tried???

[prettyboykatsuki]

Can I ask your chai recipe? 🥹 It’s my fav kind of tea 💕

it changes a lil every time but roughly

1:1 ratio of water and milk

whole spices (cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel etc.)

ginger

sugar

black tea

for me i normally make 4 cups at a time and i don't do much measuring so this is a very rough recipe!!!

if you are making just one cup - make sure you only have one teaspoon of spice total. instead of four cloves one/two etc. less is more!

i like my tea very spice heavy and pretty sweet so adjust to taste. if im making it for my parents i use less sugar.

i start with like a quarter cup sugar, 3/4 cup water all together. i put in about 4 cloves, quarter inch thick piece of ginger, one to two cinnamon sticks (i like my chai very cinnamon heavy), 3 cardamom pods, and a pinch of fennel seeds if i have some. if we have whole stare anise i use that as well but it's pretty strong so not for beginners lol

for my cardamon and cloves, i break them w the back of a knife so he flavor steeps better. you can use a mortar and pestle if you have it.

some people put in the sugar later, but i find making a very thin/loose sugar syrup that i can add water too infuses the spice better. add in all of your spices and turn your stove to a low medium heat.

don't boil yet! letting the water sugar and spice gently simmer until the water turns an amber color is what makes the best tea imo. it takes some time. i normally let it go for 10-12 minutes.

after the water changes color, adding the remaining water and then turn your heat up to a boil. this part goes fast. if you like your chai sweeter - adding more sugar would be at this stage.

let the water boil for about 5 minutes and add in your tea!! if you're using loose leaf, i say one teaspoon or so per cup. again, i like mine strong so i normally use a little over 4. same principle if you're using teabags! 1 bag per cup chai. boil for another 4 minutes.

next add in your milk. i think masala chai really benefits from thicker milk. no skim!!! even using something thick like oat or soy if you don't drink regular milk. one to one. i use two cups water, two cups milk.

yes more boiling. let it come up to a boil with the milk - this step denatures the milk protein and changes the texture. i like to let it go kind of long for this last stage. 6 minutes is a sweet spot.

after everything is boiled, turn the heat off, strain into your mug, and enjoy! i eat my chai with palmier cookies from the store.

[albakore]

Domesticity

Synopsis: small moments with the boys that make their heart flutter.

Characters: Kaeya, Diluc, Zhongli (gn!reader)

Warnings: none!

Kaeya

You didn’t hear the door open which was what usually alerted you to your lover’s arrival home. It was evening and even though you two hadn’t gotten the chance to grab dinner yet like you normally did, you couldn’t wait to find something to satiate your craving — more specifically, your craving for something sweet. So here you stood at your kitchen counter, not even bothering to take the extra few steps to sit down at the table, enjoying the cake you had picked up from the local baker in town.

“Oh, what’s this? Dessert before dinner?” Kaeya’s smooth voice right beside your ear made you jump, arms encircling your midriff. Even though you couldn’t see his expression at the moment you knew he had that mischievous glint in his eye that hadn’t faded from when he realized he could take advantage of you not noticing his entry.

“I’ve got an extra slice in there for you too.” You noted aloud before taking another bite of your own cake. You turned your head to observe Kaeya for a moment, just appreciating his beauty. You chewed slowly as your eyes drifted over the features of his face and hair before coming to complete the eye contact he had been holding one-sidedly with you for a few moments now.

“Aw, you bought me some cake too? Thank you angel.” He hummed before adding on, “I’d like to save mine for after dinner. I’d appreciate it if I could steal a bite from yours now though if you don’t mind.” He added on cheekily at the end. You rolled your eyes but nonetheless mumbled a small fine to indicate your approval, lips quirking up in an involuntary smile at your lovers antics. His fingers twitched as he had planned on grabbing the fork to do it himself but quickly stilled his arm when he observed your actions and concluded that you already had something else in mind. He watched as you cut off a piece before scooping it up on your fork, turning in his embrace with a hand under the fork to catch any stray crumbs. He opened his mouth compliantly and took the fork into his mouth without taking his eyes off you. You withdrew your fork from his mouth and turned back around to get another bite for yourself. He couldn’t help the feeling that arose in his chest of total adoration at the action. It wasn’t necessarily like you were taking care of him or anything of that nature, but the thoughtfulness still has butterflies erupting in his stomach. He smiled a soft, genuine smile often reserved only for you as he rested his head on your shoulder. “Thank you, princess.” He murmured softly into your skin, pressing a gentle kiss there.

Diluc

Though he rarely ever admits it out loud, he loves seeing you in his clothes. It feels like he’s providing for you in yet another way, and it’s a way he can provide from afar which is even better. Something about knowing it’s his coat that’s keeping you warm or his shirt that you decided you’d be most comfortable in. He often feels guilty about not being around as much as he should, but when he steps into you two’s shared bedroom and sees you lounging on your side of the bed atop the covers with his shirt hanging from your frame loosely and a book in hand, he can’t help but feel all the moments spent longing to be by your side are worth it.

“Good evening, darling. What are you reading?” He normally wasn’t the one to break the silence first, he understood as well as anyone that there’s not much that’s more annoying than having your peace and quiet disturbed unwillingly. But when your eyes flutter up to meet his with a soft expression on your face, he can’t help but feel like you don’t mind his intrusion.

“This old book I found on one of the shelves out there,” you motion toward the door behind him, “Adelinde said it was one of your childhood favorites so I thought I’d give it a read. Maybe it’ll provide me more insight on the mind of Diluc Ragnvindr.” His lips curl upward at your playful statement as he shrugs his coat off and places it over the desk chair that’s in his room.

“The mind of Diluc Ragnvindr?” He repeats with mirth laced in his tone.

“Precisely!” You chime, your smile growing wider as you watch Diluc slip off his shoes and loosen his tie.

“Well, I’ll offer you some insight into my mind. I think you’ll find it quite a boring place.” He glances back at you to see your focus is still trained on him. “I’d much rather have you in my arms right now than in my mind.” He doesn’t miss your little giggle as you carefully mark your page in the book and place it next to you before slipping off the bed. He takes in your appearance once again as you make your way toward him, realizing that not only are you wearing his shirt but you also seem to have found a pair of his socks to claim as well. And when you raise your arm to hug him, he notes that you don’t seem to be wearing pants either. His arms find their way around your waist and his hands lock together as the rest on your lower back. “Much better.” He muses, eyes looking at you with the softest expression this man could ever muster.

“Tell me, what is the mind of Diluc Ragnvindr thinking right now?” You ask, reaching up to brush a strand of his hair out of his face.

It’s thinking that I’m the luckiest man in the world right now, he thinks. It’s telling me that I’ve found the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. But instead, he settles for a simple and common phrase: “it’s thinking that I love you.” He replies softly after a few heartbeats.

Yes all the moments of longing to be by your side are worth it indeed, he can only hope you feel the same.

Zhongli

“Here you go.” You crooned, placing down a fresh cup of tea in front of him. His focus was currently on some paperwork that you had watched Hu Tao hand to him earlier so you can infer that he’s probably working on funeral parlor related documents.

“Thank you darling, would you mind bringing me th-“

“The cream?” You finished for him. “I already put some in there.”

“Ah, thank you. How about-“

“Sugar?” You conclude for him yet again, watching him fondly as he scribbles something down on his paper. “Already put that in also. Three cubes, just like you always add.” You watch as his focus finally breaks from his work and instead his gaze comes to rest on you. His hand absentmindedly reaches out for the spoon in his cup and stirs it a bit.

“How long did you steep it for?” He inquires curiously. Not that it really mattered to him, he was just intrigued by how much attention you seemed to pay to his routine, he was flattered even by your thoughtfulness.

“Five minutes. This particular kind of tea usually runs strong but I remember you mentioning that when you did less than that it was a little weak.” You seemed proud of yourself for the level of care you took in preparing his tea. You took one more step closer to him before brushing his bangs out of the way and planting a gentle kiss on his temple. “You’ve been working hard lately, it was the least I could do.”

Zhongli has spent centuries by himself, merely observing couples who act the way you two are now — but without the title of “geo archon” to accompany his name any longer, he sees no reason to deprive himself of the pleasure that is a romantic relationship any longer. His amber eyes stay trained on you a moment longer before he brings the cup to his lips, blowing some steam off the top and taking a sip. You watch the way a smile forms on his lips as he tastes the tea you so carefully prepared for him. “Thank you, (y/n). This is very kind of you.” His compliment brings a soft blush to your cheeks as you shrug it off.

“Don’t mention it.” You glance bashfully down at your hands. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Just as you step away his gloved hand catches yours and brings your knuckle to his lips. It’s a fleeting moment before his eyes are once again focused on the paper in front of him. He takes another sip of his tea and he swears it tastes better than when he makes it himself. Perhaps, as corny as it may sound, because this tea was made with one extra ingredient: love.

[goddesstrolls]

"Force of habit."

>> You chuckle. You apologize more on behalf of others, since you're the caravan leader and all. Come to think of it, did you ever mention your own position?

>> ...Well, that's probably fine.

"Should I add just a drop of tea to your cup then, so the rest is for the milk?"

>> You laugh as you open up the sugar tin and fetch cups and spoons- Handmade earthenware dishes and bamboo utensils. The ceramic dishes are transported separately, but they're worth the trouble in your opinion.

>> There are wooden dishes too, but the earthenware ones are nicer for tea.

"Yes, we do. They're probably all out grazing right now, if there's anything to be found."

>> You check the tea and find it's steeped enough. You pour yourself a cup, and then look to Yarioa as you pour theirs so they can tell you how much they'd like.

'You really have to stop saying sorry for things out of your control. Black tea is perfectly fine.'

>> You're briefly tempted to get up and investigate the goat milk but think better on it. Perhaps the slight crackling in the air will give away your excitement enough. It's a tad hard to get good goat milk at home, let alone it being any sort of fresh- You've assuming that last part, can't be sure about it really.

'Quite honestly I'd drink the goat milk purely by itself. It's been a long while since I've had any.'

>> Now you're craving just about any goat product under the sun... Goat cheese is something you'll have to pick up on your way back home tomorrow...

>>It's been a thought once or twice that you could get goats of your own but with being out so often and, well, living in the middle of the city you don't think it'd be the best idea...

'Do you all keep your own livestock?'

[imnotyourvillain]

I don't know how it is for other asthmatics, but I do have a few tips for you guys:

—Bring facial coverings with you EVERYWHERE. Allergens, like cigarette smoke, pop up in any place at nearly every time. The facial coverings will act as a filter, and will help prevent continued exposure. That being said, you should still leave the area quickly since masks make breathing techniques a little more difficult. Thanks to the you-know-what, facial coverings have become more normalized, so it's not that strange to just slip one on. Also, you don't need to WEAR it everywhere, just bring it so you can pop it on if needed.

—This tip came from one of my previous doctors: caffeine acts as a stimulant and helps open your airways up. That being said, don't chug extreme amounts of caffeine, since anxiety can make your asthma attacks worse. Plus, the crash will be terrible.

—Have tea around in your house. I recommend having multiple kinds/flavors, that way you can change it up. I personally have both caffeinated and uncaffeinated teas, because there are times when I've had my max caffeine intake/I need to sleep soon. The vapors/warmth will help soothe your throat and open things back up, and sipping it will (hopefully) help you calm down. The caffeine thing especially applies here, since tea tends tends to have a more gentle caffeine affect. If you don't like bitterness, I recommend the brand Red Rose (it also has Sweet Temptations on the box, if that helps to find it lol). I personally have/have had the flavors Lemon Loaf and Strawberry Cheesecake. They come pre-sweetened with Stevia, and I've found that I don't need to add anything to it, when usually I have to add a ton of creamer, sugar, and everything nice. That being said, I've found honey helps soothe/coat my throat, as well as sweeten my tea. And, if you add a suitably flavored cough drop along with the packet (I always put them in the cup while the water is busy boiling so that mixing is a lot easier, and the bag tends to not float on the top), you have both flavoring and soothing. For less bitterness, I also recommend steeping your teas for the lowest recommended time.

—Have something to semi-mindlessly stare at. I often use video games, but stressful events like boss battles do NOT help. Looking out a window with tea in my hands and a blanket around my shoulders does help, though. Having a pet cuddle you also helps you to both cheer up and calm down. All of these above options should help you calm down and ease the attack.

—You should be resting, but for whoever's sake, SIT UP. It opens up your airways and makes coughing (if you have that particular reaction) slightly less distressful. Laying on my side also tends to help after the attack has passed, but I ultimately recommend propping yourself up with pillows/stuffed animals.

—Another thing that helps me, a lightweight with strong medications, is having a snack with carbs afterwards. I tend to get weak and hungry after all my treatments, so having a snack helps take that edge off and makes rest so much easier.

—Speaking during/after an asthma attack is hard. Try learning little bits of sign language to help you communicate. I frequently use the phrases "yes", "no", (sometimes shaking/nodding my head doesn't feel good, and just using my hands feels easier) "please", and "thank you". I also have basic knowledge of the alphabet to help me spell it out. However, if this is a struggle for you, the speech-to-text on Google Translate is another great tool. Just pop what you wanna say into the English/whatever language you're speaking box, then hit the little 🔉 button.

—I'm not sure if anyone else's doctor told them to use their emergency inhaler sparingly, but my most recent one had to inform me that is nonsense. Use it as soon as you have a problem, and don't hesitate to take a second dose if the first doesn't help within a minute. That being said, please don't exceed your limit. If multiple doses don't help within 30 mins-1 hour, try looking into either a stronger dosage or a nebulizer (which your doctor of course).

—If you have to walk/exert yourself to get to your morning destination, and if you have a daily inhaler, try using it a few minutes beforehand.

—If you're in school, I beg of you, GET A DOCTORS NOTE, if not multiple. I've had so many schools lock away my inhaler and say I need doctors notes just to approve having one in the first place, as well as say I need permission/supervision to take it, even in the nurse's office. Ask your doctor about having a doctor's note to carry it with you EVERYWHERE. I have purses and bags to easily carry it, along with a few other essentials, and the amount of fighting my parents and doctors have had to do against schools is ridiculous. Additionally, you might want to include a note about having your phone with you all the time for emergencies. Might be a little harder to argue for, but it's worth asking.

—This seems fairly obvious but is hard to remember in the moment, you need to learn breathing techniques. (Ex: breathe through nose, out through mouth). This will help with breath circulation and calming both you and your attack. Additionally, but also importantly, if you're at the "gasping for breath" point, you should still try to take slow and deep breaths. I know it's hard and you just wanna quickly suck in as much air as possible, but it really doesn't help. For one, it makes calming down harder, and for two, it really doesn't give you that much air. Since you essentially have to hold it for a while, getting as much quality air as possible is practically vital.

—If you have a nebulizer, keep tissues on/around you. The vapors tend to stick to my face & dribble down my nose especially, which is uncomfy, and a lil gross.

—Should I have to mention water? Unfortunately, yes. Please don't add any ice/have your water TOO cold. It can shock your system. While bits of cold water can help soothe an inflamed throat and encourage more drinking water, you still need to be careful. Also, for warmer waters, find a temp you can tolerate. I love water on the near-highest setting because of the vapor and the soothing properties I feel. However, I have a vendetta against lukewarm water, because I think it's gross.