#anyway celery/ photo series

[ef-1]

the girls that get it, get it

[elizapbrooke]

A discovery of pancakes

This is my newsletter from Friday, May 22. You can sign up here.

I am disappointed to announce that the bird call I thought belonged to an owl comes, in fact, from a mourning dove. “One of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds,” Wikipedia says. It’s an embarrassing but maybe understandable mistake. I figured this owl was out during the day because it was a creature of New York like the rest of us, its circadian rhythm all fucked up by early morning garbage trucks and the blue glow of the Chase Bank across the street. The mourning dove’s coo is low and melancholy, a distinctive series of five notes. I’d certainly forgive you for thinking it’s a hoot. As I was listening to mourning dove calls on my computer and having this horrible realization, one landed on the fire escape and startled me with the loudest, most intimate rendition of their song I’d ever heard. It may as well have pressed its beak up against the glass. (I assume it thought there was a dove in the apartment.) I crept over to the window to confirm with my eyeballs what AllAboutBirds.org had already told me, and, yep, there it was. It felt so special to have a mystery owl in the neighborhood, but I guess doves are lovely birds too, with their plushy throats and elegantly tapered tail feathers. Anyway, my friend Sid tells me he’s heard owls in Gowanus, so I’m keeping my hopes up. This week I published a story for Curbed detailing the history and recent evolution of the home office. As I was fact checking it, I realized I’d accidentally talked to ten hundred sources, so please do enjoy the fruits of my labor. I’m not here to talk about home offices, though. A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and discovered I’d been brainstorming pitches in my sleep. I was thrilled. On account of pandemic depression and seeing very little of the outside world, I’ve really been struggling to come up with story concepts, which is problematic because that’s my job. Most of my dream pitches evaporated upon waking, but I managed to hold onto one, and in my sleepy haze I thought it was possibly the greatest idea I’d ever had. It was: PANCAKES ARE HAVING A MOMENT IN QUARANTINE. I decided I’d email the New York Times first thing in the morning. In the light of day, I realized that there wasn’t really a story there. When you’re writing a trend piece, you want to be able to point to, I don’t know, at least four really solid examples from the public sphere. My evidence was:

Alex and I had made pancakes recently

We were planning to make them again

I’d recently discussed pancakes with Molly and Vivian

I’d heard you can make pancakes from sourdough starter discard (which actually does speak to the zeitgeist)

But here’s the thing. Pancakes are a great topic for a newsletter. So here is my pancake article.

***

I’ve always liked the look of a big stack of pancakes, but I never really got why people were so into eating them. I like a breakfast that is hyper-functional and maximally filling. Because I’m an aging hippie, my preferred breakfast is a double-sized bowl of Ezekiel cereal, which tastes like delicious cardboard and fulfills 42% of your daily fiber needs. Pancakes, like pastries, always struck me as glamorous but pointless. I was even somewhat distrustful of my mom’s pancakes, which are dense and nutty, not sweet at all. Her recipe came from a “chiropractor/health nut in San Diego about 31 years ago” and involves grinding your own flour from winter wheat berries, groats, rye, brown rice, and millet. I love them, but a family pancake breakfast still makes me feel very out of control. This all changed a few weeks ago when Alex and I decided to make pancakes for dinner. All I can say is that quarantine has a way of melting away the rigid little fucks you used to give. For once, the chaos I associate with pancakes sounded fun and freeing. Also we’ve been watching a ton of Parks & Rec, and I was feeling inspired by Leslie’s diet of waffles and whipped cream. We made buttermilk pancakes, extra fluffy ones that require you to whip the egg whites on their own for several minutes before folding them into the batter. Two with banana chunks, two with bits of frozen peaches, two blueberry, one bonus plain for me. I had mine without anything on top, enjoying the choking feeling of eating so much cakey carb. It felt like a hug. When I saw my friend Todd post a gorgeous stack of pancakes on Instagram, I asked him if he had any theories about why they’re such a good quarantine food. At first he thought I was trolling him, but when I told him I was dead serious, here’s what he said: “What I love about pancakes right now is that they feel both ordinary and radical at the same time. Ordinary because they are nostalgic, all-American, homey, comfortable, and approachable. Anyone can make them. But there’s also something really subversive about a stack of pancakes right now—the gluten, the non-plant-based butter and eggs, eating breakfast when Goop tells us we should be intermittent fasting, so forth. Eating pancakes in the time of coronavirus brings into focus how overwhelming wellness culture has become in recent years—celery juice and collagen smoothies will never, ever, ever beat a big, buttery, syrupy stack of flapjacks.” I would agree. Given my dedication to breakfast foods that involve sprouted beans—which predates our wellness moment but was certainly bolstered by it—I definitely find pancakes subversive. They make me feel nostalgic, too, but not for anything I’ve personally experienced. For weekends in high school that I spent ensconced in the television world of Gilmore Girls, maybe, where breakfast at Luke’s Diner is a comfortable routine. As I continued my journey into pancake reportage, I sought out the perspective of Sarah Jampel, an editor at Bon Appetit. While pancakes made from sourdough discard have their fans, Sarah is not particularly one of them. She’s also team waffle. I don’t really have a horse in the pancake/waffle debate, but Sarah makes a compelling case. “I have thought a lot about pancakes,” she emailed back when I asked if she had anything to say about the topic. “And yes, I have made them since isolation started—mostly because I'm ‘every woman’ and my fridge is overflowing with sourdough discard. ‘Put it in pancakes,’ I thought. The issue is that I need to add more flour (as well as butter or oil and leaveners) to sourdough discard to turn it into pancakes, so I ultimately end up using more ingredients for the sole purpose of not throwing some stuff into the trash or compost (but really, the trash). And even though pancakes sound nice in theory—why not start the day with a hot breakfast instead of the usual routine, eating a Clif bar with one hand while the other clings bare to the subway pole (huge sigh of nostalgia)?—in actuality they're inferior waffles. Unless you take care with your pancakes—loading them with lots of butter and separating the egg yolks and whites (this recipe's my fave)—they're too mono-textured.” Never fear: Alex and I loaded ours with an alarming amount of butter. I suppose it is to be expected that when you go out hunting for pancake insights, you come back with waffle testimonials. When I asked Alex’s high school friends to weigh in on the appeal of pancakes during a global shutdown, Nico said, “Waffles are the superior carb. They provide greater textural variety and are a better delivery vessel for condiments.” (Dylan has been eating toast all quarantine, and Dan “didn’t understand the question” because the only god he acknowledges is the Joy of Cooking’s pancake recipe.) My friend Molly has been eating a lot of savory pancakes under quarantine, for breakfast or lunch. She sautées a bunch of garlic and kale in olive oil, adding scallions at the last minute, and then sets the vegetables aside in a bowl. In goes the Bisquick, and she adds the kale mix on top of the pancakes as they cook; after a minute, she tops the pancake with shredded white cheddar so that when she flips it, the cheese turns crispy. She’ll eat that with a runny egg or garlic yogurt. I can’t wait to see her again so she can make one for me. Pancakes are one of the few foods that Molly has consistently been able to stomach during this period of immense anxiety. They have a strong positive association for her: in pre-corona times, she would make savory pancakes after playing soccer on Saturday mornings. Those games are one of the things she misses most right now. We talked on the phone while she made her daily trip outside to juggle a soccer ball. Molly likes to chat with friends during these breaks because bouncing a ball on your feet benefits from loose attention. “Cooking a pancake is similar,” she said. “It requires some focus but it’s not that hard. You don’t really need to cut anything. You just watch it.” Alex always says that cooking is meditative for him. I would respectfully disagree—to me, it feels more like hurtling down a mogul course—but I can see it with pancakes. You’re just systematically waiting and flipping, waiting and flipping. After making buttermilk pancakes, we progressed to Sqirl’s buckwheat pancakes for lunch on a Sunday. I can’t find the recipe online, but here’s a photo. For those who are lucky enough to have dodged my Sqirl talk thus far, it’s a phenomenal, semi-healthy breakfast and lunch spot in Silver Lake. Every time I’m in LA, I badger my companions into going right when it opens at 8 a.m. so we’re sure to get a table. When I was there to write about Dax Shepard in November, I high-tailed it to Sqirl right after our interview and embarrassed myself in front of the staff by inhaling bits of a particularly seedy cookie and having a loud coughing fit, after which I went around the corner to die in private. Alex and I thought we had all the requisite ingredients for Sqirl’s buckwheat pancakes, other than cactus flour, but the recipe calls for corn flour and it turns out cornmeal isn’t the same thing. We subbed in whole wheat, so they weren’t really Sqirlcakes, but they were still tasty in a restrained, earthy way. Alex convinced me to try one with raspberry jam, which I reluctantly admit was a great pairing. A week or two later, we made them again. I wasn’t really hungry because it was 2 p.m. and I’d already eaten lunch—Alex had just gotten up—but I pledged to eat my portion cold out of the fridge. Alex thought this was insane, but he sometimes forgets that I like my food a little squidgy. We went grocery shopping the next morning, which was as much of a bitch as it always is right now. Even though we’ve gotten the process down to a science, it still takes three hours from start to finish, with significant angst on my part about the cleanliness of the inbound goods. Finally everything was put away, and Alex headed off to take a shower. I was agitated and crazy hungry. I scrubbed my hands one more time, pulled the pancakes out of the fridge, and promptly dropped one on the floor while trying to get it into my mouth. I ate the rest in big, angry bites, one after another, standing in the middle of the kitchen. I didn’t want to sit down in my outdoor clothes. The pancakes were perfect, though. A shot of sweet, comforting carb straight to the heart.

[prism-rush]

King of Prism Road to Shiny Seven Stars 1 Main Story translation

I, Shin Ichijo, am a 1st year in senior high!! I’m going to the entrance ceremony!!!

Translator’s notes: Road to Shiny Seven Stars was a series of events on the Prism Rush game covering the gap in the King of Prism timeline from after Pride the Hero and before the SSS anime. 

So if you read my posts when this event was actually in progress, you may remember some additional stuff happening. Like details of where Taiga was before and after the entrance ceremony, and Louis flirting with Shin at the photo shoot while Leo got jealous, etc. Well that’s because that stuff did happen. But all that and more happened exclusively in the card stories. I will be translating some of the card stories but not all for every event. There will be a link at the end to any card stories I have translated so far.

(On the morning of the Kakyoin Academy Senior High Division entrance ceremony.)

Leo: Shin-kun! Please hurry up! 

Shin: O-okay! Here I come... 

H... How do I look?

Leo: Wooow! The senior high red blazer! It really changes up your image! ♪ Your new uniform looks so good on you! 

Kakeru: Yeah, lookin’ good! Way to go Shin-chawan! 

Yukinojo: Indeed, you do look sharp. ....Excuse me for being rude, but isn’t it a little big?

Minato: He’s still a growing boy, so at this age a little big is actually just right. 

Kakeru: Minatocchi, you sound like someone’s mom.

Shin: Thank you everyone! ....So I’m really a senior high student starting today. I’m kind of nervous. 

Yu: Ahhh I want to wear red already.... 

Yukinojo: No need to rush. You should appreciate the junior high school uniform while you can. 

Kakeru: Yes, yes. Us senior high students couldn’t wear them anymore even if we wanted to. 

Leo: I agree. The green blazer is cool too!

Yu: Y.. Yeah.... that’s right. It will be only two more short years before I’m wearing red! 

Minato: Now that we’ll be in the senior high division together, we’ll be seeing you around a lot more often from now on, Ichijo. 

Shin: Yes! I’ll be looking forward to it. 

Yukinojo: So will we.

Minato: Our school life will be even more fun from now on. 

Kakeru: And as your upperclassman, I’ll teach you lots of secrets about the senior high division ♪

Shin: Secrets...? Like what?

Kakeru: Hmm, let’s see. For example... lend me your ear?

Shin: Oh, okay.... 

Kakeru: The physics teacher, Ms. Takikawa’s.... *whisper whisper*

Shin: Huh? ....HUUUH!? REALLY!? I’ll take a closer look next time! 

Minato: Kazuo! Don’t fill his head with that sort of nonsense! 

Kakeru: Eheh, sorry sorry. ...Hey, wait! By the way, where is our other freshman? 

Yukinojo: Oh. Now that you mention it... 

Minato: Hmmm. Do you think we should go wake him up....? 

Taiga: ...*yawn*.... sle..... py............

Kakeru: Good mornin’ ☆ Speak of the devil! Our delinquent has finally arrived! 

Taiga: What are you so cheerful about this early in the morning... Ahh I’m starving.... 

Minato: Leave that to me. I’ve got everything prepared. Since today’s the morning of your entrance ceremony I went a little overboard. Toast and eggsluts with homemade meat sauce. A morning assortment of vegetable salad, and then minestrone soup! And of course.... it’s got celery in it!

Shin: All right! 

Yu: Hm? Hey, Taiga’s school uniform.... 

Kakeru: Yeah, it’s no different than before. Ah! Could it be... You break-danced too hard in your new school uniform and ripped it to shreds already?

Taiga: You idiot. Of course not. 

Shin: Taiga-kun, you’re going to wear the same uniform to senior high school?

Taiga: .............Argh. 

Shin: Huh??

Yu: ??? What are you so mad about all of a sudden.... 

Yukinojo: I think he’s trying to tell us that something is different. 

Leo: Taiga-kun certainly has his own way of doing things, doesn’t he. 

Yu: ....? So there is something different!?

Taiga: Tsk! 

Kakeru: Heyy.... You don’t need to pout.... We already know that you’re feeling disappointed that we haven’t noticed.

Taiga: Can it, Kazuo! 

Leo: Ah, Taiga-kun... Your necktie is all twisted. 

Taiga: Hm? Oh... 

Leo: I’ll fix it for you.... there you go. You look so handsome! You changed your necktie to red, just like the senior high blazer!

Taiga: ...Yeah! 

Kakeru: Oh?

Shin: ....AH! Now that you mention it, it was green before but it’s red now! 

Kakeru: Oh yeah that’s right! 

Yu: This is like playing spot the difference on a quiz show.... 

Taiga: GAH! 

Leo: The two of you look so dashing in your new senior high uniforms! 

Shin: Thank you! It’s a little embarrassing to hear so many compliments, isn’t it Taiga-kun?

Taiga: ............

Minato: Well, let’s sit down to breakfast. If we don’t get to eating soon we’ll be late. 

Kakeru: That’s right. Yaay, breakfast time! ♪

(Around that time, at the Edel Rose dorm administration office.)

Hijiri: They sure are lively this morning. We can hear their voices from the dining hall all the way up here. 

Yamada: Those boys. Even though they moved up a grade, they never change. 

Hijiri: It’s a good thing. I’d like them to learn to fly with their own wings... Shin and Taiga were able to enter senior high, and the others successfully moved up a grade as well. 

Yamada: ….By the way, how did Taiga’s exams go?

Hijiri: …Ha ha… Well, it’s over now. Let’s not discuss that anymore. 

Yamada: …..I’ll buy you a drink later. 

Hijiri: Anyway, it’s a wonderful morning. A morning of new beginnings. Let’s pray the roads they will embark upon be as sunny as this beautiful day. 

Yamada: Yes, let’s. As long as they can enjoy what they’re doing, that’s all I’d ask for. 

Hijiri: Yes. And thanks to them Edel Rose has made remarkable progress. I have high hopes for their future. 

(A few minutes later.)

Yu: ...Hey Taiga, are you really planning on going to school like that? 

Taiga: What do you mean?

Yu: Well... I guess if that’s what floats your boat, it’s fine with me. It’s just that if only one person is wearing a different uniform at the entrance ceremony, it will stand out, won’t it....

Taiga: Whatever.

Yu: You know what! You need to work on that attitude! Recently, you...

Leo: Settle down, settle down. It will be OK. He’s got Shin-kun with him! 

Shin: Yeah! Leave it to me. 

Kakeru: Yes, yes. And he’s got us as well. ....But even if he did have the same school uniform, he’d probably still cause a scene... 

Yukinojo: Yes. Indeed, it seems like that is destined to happen no matter what. 

Shin: Huh? What do you mean.... 

Kakeru: Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s just get ourselves to school first! 

Shin: W-woah, Kakeru-san you’re pushing me... 

Taiga: Ugh, you’re annoying as always.... 

Yukinojo: Heheh, it’s nice to see everyone lively as usual. 

Minato: Yes, Tachiba--

Shin: ...........!

Kakeru: ..............!!

Leo: What’s going on? Why did you two st--W-WOAH!

Hiro: Hello there! Good morning everyone.

Kouji: Good morning. Did you all sleep well last night?

Kazuki: Morning. It’s really important to get both a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast to build up the strength to start your day off right! 

Shin: Hiro-san! Kouji-san! Kazuki-san!

Minato: What are you all doing here so early in the morning?

Kakeru: And isn’t today your university entrance ceremony...?

Hiro: Yeah. But the starting time for our university entrance ceremony is a bit later.

Kazuki: We all thought, “We want to see our beloved underclassmen off on their fresh new day!” And then BAM! All of a sudden we were wide awake.

Kouji: Eheh. What they said.  

Hiro: So let us say it one more time. Shin, Taiga, congrats on becoming senior high schoolers!

Kazuki: Taiga, your school uniform…

Taiga: *twitch*

Kazuki: I think it’s great! It’s just like you! You’re off to have a straightforward, fired up lifestyle in senior high school too!

Taiga: Yeah… Thanks…. (ALL RIGHT!!!!!!)

Kouji: And you look sharp too, Shin, in your new senior high uniform. 

Hiro: Eheh! Even though we only graduated last month, looking at those uniforms makes me feel nostalgic already. 

Kazuki: Me too. Take good care of those uniforms! This time of your life only comes once!

Kouji: Yu is a junior high 2nd year… and Leo is finally a 3rd year! Leo, you’ll look after Yu, won’t you?

Leo: Leave it to me!

Yu: Don’t leave anything to him! Since when do I need “looking after.”

Hiro: Kakeru, Yukinojo, and Minato are all 2nd years in senior high now too... 

Kakeru: That’s right! We’re all dependable upperclassmen now ♪

Kazuki: It will probably be tough for all the new freshmen. This goes for Taiga and Shin too, but we’ll be leaving all of the Edel Rose underclassmen in your hands! 

Yukinojo: Of course. Understood.

Minato: We’ll make you proud!

Shin: And congratulations to you three too for entering university! 

Hiro: Thank you!

Shin: Going to school in regular clothes seems so cool. 

Kazuki: Since we have only known what it’s like going in uniform it’s a little strange. 

Kouji: I feel as though the more time passes, the more it will probably sink in that we really are university students now. 

Leo: Since everyone was able to successfully move up a grade and/or get into their new school, wouldn’t it be great to have a party to celebrate the new school year?

Shin: Oh wow! That would be great! 

Leo: We could eat dinner and snacks in the dining hall and all share our goals for the semester! 

Shin: Yeah! Yeah that sounds fun! 

Minato: Eheh. In that case I’ll take care of the catering. 

Kouji: I’ll help too, Minato. Two sets of hands in the kitchen would be better than one, right?

Minato: But you should be one of our guests of honor to celebrate your entrance into university. I’ll be alright on my own this time...

Hiro: Oh come on. We may be starting university, but all of you are starting new years in school as well. It’s like we’re all moving onto a “new stage” together. So I think we should celebrate equally, no?

Kouji: Hiro is right. Everyone is a guest of honor this time. How about that?

Kazuki: A new stage... It sounds so exciting when you put it that way! 

Leo: All right ♪ This is gonna be so super fun! 

Yukinojo: Indeed. I agree as well. However....

Kakeru: Yeah. I don’t want to be a wet blanket here, but I think I know what Yuki-chan’s about to say...

Taiga: Huh?

Yukinojo: The idea of getting never mind just us Edel Rose students, but all of us together at the same time seems kind of daunting... doesn’t it?

Shin: ...Ah, that’s right!

Hiro: Yeah, that’s a good point... We’re booked with jobs both solo as and Over the Rainbow for a while... 

Kouji: Yeah.... And now that you mention it, you are all busy too aren’t you? If I’m remembering correctly, later today--

Kazuki: Yeah, and you guys have a TV appearance lined up as well.

Hiro: Oh I heard. You’re going to be guests on the “Let’s Play With Naru-chan New School Year Special”?

Shin: Oh! Yes! We are! Leo-kun, Yu-kun, Taiga-kun, and myself. The four of us are going to be on the show together. Aaah, and before that we have a photo shoot��� Ohhh I’m so nervous.... 

Taiga: It’s no use getting yourself all worked up now. Calm down already.

Kakeru: You say that, but you’re excited too, aren’t Taiga-kyun? I know you’ve been recording episodes of “Let’s Play With Naru-chan” and studying them…

Taiga: You…! I… I’m not… Goddamit, Kazuo…..!

Leo: But this really is like a dream come true! To think we’re really going to be on that program! 

Yu: “Let’s Play with Naru-chan” is super popular.

Hiro: It’s not just popular. It’s also a really high quality program. 

Kouji: With Naru-chan as the main host it’s in good hands. 

Kazuki: That’s right. Have fun, you guys. Even if you’re feeling down, being on that show will take care of that! 

Shin: Okay! We’ll be sure to make the most of it!

Kakeru: Mmm... but you know, with Over the Rainbow so busy, and you four with your TV gig... In the end, we can’t have that party can we?

Shin: I guess we can’t.... 

Yukinojo: Yes, it seems like that is the case. We may be able to work around your schedules, but... 

Minato: We should probably wait until things have settled down to have a party though. Kouji and the others will be busy with getting settled in to university for a while.

Kazuki: I guess you’re right. We have to go through an orientation program and pick out our classes and stuff... 

Kouji: For the first two weeks they really press a lot of stuff on us. 

Shin: I see.... that’s rough....

Hiro: Well, just that’s how life is. All of you will go through changes little by little as well.

Shin: Things will… change….

Hiro: Yes. However, change isn’t always a bad thing. 

I think it’s necessary for things to change in order for us to grow. You’re all starting a new chapter of your lives. For example, from now on you’ll get all sorts of new job offers… But as you embrace these changes, I think you’ll find so much potential for good things is waiting for you.

Kouji: Hiro is right. And the more things do change, I think you’ll also be able to see how much certain things will stay the same.

Hiro: Exactly. For example… No matter what happens, what will never change is that Edel Rose here will always be our “home”!

Shin: Hiro-san.... You’re right! Thinking about all these changes still makes me a little sad... but change is a good thing, isn’t it?

Hiro: Of course! 

Kazuki: There will still be lots of chances for us all to get together. As long as we want to make it happen, it will! Right now what we should be doing is encouraging each other to challenge new things! 

Shin: Kazuki-san... Okay! 

Hiro: Oh! I think it’s just about time for us to get going, isn’t it?

Kouji: Wow, it’s already this late? You’re right. Take care getting to school, everyone. 

Kazuki: See you! We’ll be back again soon enough! 

Shin: Right! Thank you for stopping by! 

Leo: Safe travels everyone and have a good day!

Yu: ….Aw crap! Hey Leo! We have to get going too!

Leo: Huh? Ahh you’re right! Well then! Shin-kun, Taiga-kun, do your best at the entrance ceremony!

Taiga: I don’t even know what that means. All we’re going to do is listen to a bunch of boring speeches.

Kakeru: Our little bright eyed freshmen are dragging their feet as well. Are you guys going to be OK?

Yukinojo: Indeed. The new students are supposed to arrive earlier than the rest of the school if I recall correctly... 

Shin: AHHH! Oh yeah that’s right! Taiga-kun, we have to get going!

Taiga: I don’t see any reason to rush. Even if we’re late I don’t really ca–

Shin: Nope, that’s no good! It’s your entrance ceremony! We’re going right now!!

Taiga: Okay, okay I heard you! I’m going already so stop pulling me so hard….

Kakeru: ...... Hey Yuki-chan, Minatocchi. You don’t think Taiga-kyun would actually skip his entrance ceremony.... do you?

Yukinojo: ....Surely he wouldn’t. Not after Kazuki-san gave him such hearty encouragement.... 

Minato: Everyone, Kougami is a senior high school student now. Surely we have nothing to worry about. Now, we should get going too. 

(At Kakyoin Academy, in the gym)

Principal: And.... so... as I was saying, as all of you gradually begin to embody our school traditions.....

Shin:  (Ahhh… As I thought, the atmosphere is totally different in the senior high division…. 

All the upperclassmen look so mature…. ! Well, from now on I am a senior high school student. I have to work harder than ever before!)

*murmur*

Shin: (Huh? There’s some sort of commotion going on over by the door...?)

Male student 1: …Hey, that guy is Kougami, isn’t he?

Male student 2: He’s late for his own entrance ceremony… He really is a rebel, just like the rumors said.

Shin: (Huh… Taiga-kun?!)

Taiga: ……

Shin: (It really is him! But how? We left the dorm at the same time… Even though we got separated at some point, we weren’t all that far from the school the last time I saw him.)

Teacher: So you’re Kougami, huh!? So this is how you’re starting off the school year... I’ve heard all about you! 

Taiga: ....*sigh*..... 

Teacher: Don’t you get an attitude with me!

Shin: (Ahh! Ahh! And he’s on the teacher’s bad side already! W.. What should I do… Should I step in and try to help him out….)

Taiga: I told you! I don’t need a reason to be late!

Teacher: To have the audacity to show up to your own entrance ceremony with no reason! Who do you think you are.... 

Taiga: ...If I don’t have a reason I don’t have one... 

Shin: (Huh? Is… is something poking out of Taiga-kun’s stomach?)…What is that?

(And so, an annoyed Taiga begrudgingly sat in his seat and began to sing the school song for the end of the ceremony.)

Shin: (I was really worried for a while. But I’m glad Taiga-kun and I both get to be at our entrance ceremony together.)

♪~ ♪~

Taiga: ….Ow! 

Shin: (Ow?)

Taiga: Ah, hey! Stop you idiots! Settle down… AH…! 

Cat: Meow! 

Shin: C… Cats?! Cats are coming out of Taiga’s shirt!? 

Teacher: K... Kougami! What is going on here! 

Taiga: ....Ugh. 

Cat: Meow.... 

Female student: Huh--cats?! So cute!

Male student: WHAAAA! What are a bunch of cats doing here!?

Shin: (Oh no, this is turning into a panic!) Ahh well um… Here kitty! Here kitty, kitty! It’s alright… Phew, well I got two of them. Now where is Taiga-kun… Oh, there you are! Taiga-kun!

Taiga: Huh? Oh, Shin… You caught them for me? Thanks.

Shin: Well…. You don’t need to thank me, if you could just tell me why you have so many cats?

Taiga: Uhh… Well. Y’know. Okay, 1, 2, 3…. 

All right! I got all seven of them back!

Shin: S… Seven?! You had SEVEN cats in your shirt?!

Taiga: Yeah. They were keeping calm in there but I guess the school song woke ‘em up. Well anyway, thanks for the help. I’ll be going.

Shin: Huh?! Taiga-kun, wait! The entrance ceremony isn’t over yet…

Taiga: I don’t have time for that when I have these guys to look after.

Shin: Wha… whaaaaat?! ….He left.

Teacher: Hey, WAIT! KOUGAMI!!! ....What a piece of work we’ve got in the freshman class this year.... 

Shin: (Eek! The teacher is furious... and the entrance ceremony was almost over too.... Well I guess I’ll go back to my seat.... ) 

Male student 1: Taiga Kougami…. he’s that street style guy, right?

Male student 2: …Hey, and isn’t that the same Shin Ichijo who was in the Prism King Cup?

Shin: (Huh? Were they just talking about me?)

Female student: Eee! To think we’re going to be so close to real prism stars! Kakyoin Academy is the real deal ♪

Shin: (Huh? Huuuh? Why is everyone talking about Taiga-kun and me? And I feel like everyone is looking this way too… W-What’s going on?)

(Later.)

Yu: ...WHAT. He did WHAT at the entrance ceremony? Taiga, that guy.... 

Leo: I’m sure he just wanted to help those kitty-cats. Taiga-kun is really kind. 

Yu: That’s not the problem.... Rumors are spreading about Edel Rose already as it is. 

Shin: Ah! Yeah that’s right! There were people who already knew Taiga-kun and I at the ceremony! A lot of them too! I wonder why?

Yu: Why, you say.... Well, I guess it was spring break so you didn’t hear the news. You may not have noticed, but we’re really starting to get more and more well known. 

Shin: HUH!? REALLY!?

Yu: Of course! You were in the Prism King Cup! And it’s not just you and Taiga, either. Alec and Joji from Schwartz Rose are suddenly the talk of the town as well. 

Shin: Oh really.. I had no idea..... 

Yu: But this is all only just the beginning! From here on out is our is our real chance to make things happen! The more everyone knows us, the more jobs we’ll get! Let’s keep on goin’ until Edel Rose is a household name! 

Shin: Yeah! All of a sudden I’m all excited! 

Leo: Let’s all do our best together! But first things first, we have a job to do today!

Yu: Yeah! .....Oh, and what happened to Taiga after all that anyway?

Shin: Well... After the entrance ceremony ended I asked Kakeru-san and the others if they had seen him, but nobody has. 

Yu: WHAT!? Where did he run off to... He’s not going to miss our photo shoot, is he....

Leo: I’m sure he won’t. We can count on Taiga-kun.

Yu: You think so....?

Taiga: What are you talking about? 

Yu: Woah! Speak of the devil! Taiga, where the heck were you?

Taiga: ....Nowhere special. 

Shin: Ah, Taiga-kun! Are the cats OK?

Taiga: Yeah. You don’t need to worry about it. 

Leo: Ah! Since we’re all together, let’s head over to our job! It’s getting to be almost time! 

Shin: Ah, you’re right! We should get going....! 

Leo: Oh yeah, and I heard there will be other prism stars there too... I wonder who it will be? 

(Inside the studio.)

Shin: Wow so this is what a magazine photo shoot is like... I’m so nervous...! 

Yu: Since they will be doing a feature on prism stars, they found a photo studio you can actually do a prism show in!

Shin: Huh? We’re going to do a prism show here!?

Leo: I think it just means they want to take photos where it looks like we’re doing prism shows, right? 

Shin: I see... This is so exciting.... 

Louis: Hello. 

Shin: Louis!?

Louis: You’ve got a new school uniform. 

Shin: Yeah! And you too! 

Alexander: ......Oh?

Taiga: .......Oh. 

Leo: So the other prism stars to be joining us are you guys from Schwarz Rose I see ♪

Louis: Shin, are you doing a photo shoot here now?

Shin: Yeah! And you guys?

Louis: Yup. (....A job together with Shin.)

Shin: Wow.... So this is what the Schwarz Rose school uniforms look like.... They’re really cool.....

Louis: Eheh. And the red blazer looks good on you too, Shin. 

Shin: Eheh... thank you!

Yu: Well aren’t these two buddy-buddy. Wish I could say the same for our street-style friends....

Taiga: ........

Alexander: ........

Taiga: What are YOU doing here!?

Alexander: Oh shut your hole! I don’t have time to fry a small fish like you!

Taiga: WHAT WAS THAT!

Yu: Alec, Taiga! Cut it out, you two! We’re on a job. If we cause any troubl–

Alexander: Stay out of this, short stuff!

Yu: WHAAA?! I’m not “short stuff”, I’m ZEUS!

Shin: Um Yu… now you’re the one that needs to calm down….

Taiga: Well this is good timing anyway. I was just thinking I felt like kicking your ass! Let’s finish what we started at the Prism King Cup!

Alexander: It’s payback time!

Yu: Hey, Shin! Kisaragi! Help me stop them!

Shin: U.. um… yeah! Fighting is… not good! Right, Louis?

Louis: Right. No good.

Yu: You guys…. 

HEY! Hands off!

Alexander: What is your problem anyway...! 

Taiga: My problem is your face!!

Alexander: Took the words right out of my mouth! 

Taiga: You wanna go!? 

Alexander: You’re asking for it!

Yu: Hey hey, if you pull any harder on your clothes they are going to---

*rip*

*clink*

Leo: Ah! Oh no! Taiga-kun’s necktie and Yamato-san’s buttons are.... 

Taiga: Ack! 

Alexander: Dammit! 

Yu: You guys... We have a photo shoot from now.... I tried to warn you..... 

Shin: Taiga-kun’s necktie is ripped….

Louis: And Alexander-kun’s jacket buttons have all popped off…

Taiga: ……

Alexander: …….

Leo: What do you two think you’re doing?! I won’t stand for any violence!!

Alexander: Oh… S… Sor…

Taiga: We’re really sorry!!

Leo: I can’t believe you! Ruining your school uniforms like that! Don’t you have any respect for the people who make clothes at all?!

Alexander: …The people…. who make clothes….

Leo: WHAT. WAS. THAT.

Alexander: N… nothing…

Leo: AUGH! WELL I’M GONNA FIX ‘EM SO TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES RIGHT NOW!

Taiga: .....My bad.....

Shin: Leo-kun, that was amazing…! They both settled down immediately. 

Leo: Now, you two be good and wait patiently! ♡

Taiga&Alec: …..Yes……….

(As Leo got to work fixing Taiga and Alexander’s clothes, Shin began his photo shoot.) 

(And then....) 

Leo: Okay, all fixed! 

Taiga: Sorry for the trouble... 

Alexander: Appreciate it...

Leo: Taiga-kun, hold still while I straighten out your necktie.... Now, Yamato-san, here is your jacket. Lift up your arms! 

Alexander: Uh, I can put it on myself---

Leo: Okay, right side first ♪

Alexander: Gah.......

Leo: *gulp* ….You have such amazing muscles. 

Alexander: Huh? …Hey, cut it out! 

Leo: Woah! And here too! It’s so thick! But… it’s a bit softer than I thought it would be… 

Alexander: H.. Hey! Don’t just start touching me like that….! 

Leo: You’re just so cool! Ah, your muscles over here are impressive too! They are so toned….

Alexander: ?!?!?!?! 

Yu: Ohhh? Leo is like a fearless animal trainer taming a wild beast....

(And so, thanks to Leo Alexander and Taiga’s clothing was fixed.)

Cameraman: Next up is Taiga Kougami and Alexander Yamato! The two street-style stars. I’ll be taking your photos today! 

Yu: Well, somehow it looks like things are gonna turn out alright. (To think those two would actually calm down. Leo is really something else.)

Leo: Taiga-kun and Yamato-san look so intense when they are together! They are so cool! ♪

Yu: You’re pretty intense yourself, Leo. 

Shin: Taiga-kun and Alexander-kun really do look so cool! They can really strike a pose.... I hope I can look that cool someday! 

Louis: I don’t know about that. 

Shin: *thump* O... Oh.... I guess you’re right....

Louis: Eheh I was just joking. 

I like you just the way you are. 

Cameraman: Okay! That’s it! You got it! Alright, next I’d like you to look off into the distance, could you give it a try? Yeah, that’s right! Alright, keep it up! I think we’ve really captured the passion of the street! Good stuff! Keep it coming! 

Yu: Passion, he says.... It looks more like they could explode at any moment....

Camerman: Ah, so cool! This is the best! Next, can you make eye contact with each other?

Alexander: .....Ugh! 

Taiga: ....Hmph!

Leo: *INTENSE STARE*

Alexander: .....

Taiga: .....

Yu: .... (Leo, thanks a bunch.)

Leo: Ehehe. They’re getting along so well. ♪

Cameraman: Next, how about you pose as if you’re doing a prism jump?

Taiga&Alec: !?

Taiga: A prism... jump....

Alexander: Heh heh. Now that’s more like it.... 

Taiga: Yeah... But.... do you know what posing like you’re doing a prism jump is supposed to mean...? 

Alexander: ....No, no idea. Why don’t we just do it for real then? How about it, Taiga Kougami?

Louis: ....... Those two are really good friends, aren’t they?

Shin: U... Um.... 

Yu: Hey. You guys.....

Leo: Whawhaaa!? They aren’t really gonna--

Yu: H-hey. You aren’t really thinking of performing a prism show right here, are you!?

Taiga: Well, we might as well. They told us to pose like we’re doing prism jumps after all. 

Yu: It’s not supposed to be for real---

Cameraman: Nah, that would be amazing! The best! To think I’ll get to see a passionate street battle right before my own eyes! As soon as you hear the sound of the camera shutter don’t hold anything back! 

Taiga: ...You see. 

Alexander: You’re happy now but you’re going to be crying in a minute! 

Taiga: Oh shut up! Let’s get this started already! 

Shin: Wow, here they go!

Leo: Since this is a studio where you can perform prism shows they even have a scoring system installed. 

Yu: D... Do you think the studio will hold up...? 

Alexander: IT’S ON NOW! HUAH!

Sonic Spiral! 

Taiga: Here I go! HUAAAH!

Full Speed Spiral! 

Yu: It... It’s a full on battle...

Camera man: Amazing! Amazing! This is the best! 

Leo: Their auras are clashing together! They are gonna send each other flying...! 

Shin: Taiga-kun and Alexander-kun have both leveled up their jumps since the Prism King Cup! 

Louis: Wow... You can really feel their passion....

Taiga: TAKE THIIIIS!

Alexander: HUAAAAH! 

Yu: And the score is...

Shin: It’s a draw!

Taiga: *panting* ...Hmph....

Alexander: *panting* ... I guess you... aren’t a total loser...... Ugh! Well, I’ll let you off easy this time.

Taiga: What? That’s my line. 

Taiga&Alec: HMPH!

Leo: H.... hey wait you two! We still have a TV program to film after this.... 

Louis: They left. 

Cameraman: Amazing! Amazing! This is the best! These photos will be leaping off the pages! This raw energy! Passion! The fire of the prism show burns in my artistry! In my 40 years as a photographer I never thought the day would come when I would capture photos like these....! 

Yu: ....That guy’s really into it. 

Leo: Well, it seems like they did a pretty god job after all.

Shin: .......

(After filming, the Edel Rose students minus Taiga headed to the next studio.)

Leo: Phew.... the photo shoot is finally behind us!

Yu: Everything worked out in the end, I guess... Well! Finally it’s time for the “Let’s Play With Naru-chan New School Year Special” recording! Okay guys, remember “Let’s Play with Naru-chan” is Naru’s pet project that she works really hard on. If you can’t keep it together, you’ll never hear the end of it from me. 

Shin: Don’t worry, we’ll do our best!

Leo: Leave it to us! We’ll make it the best show ever! 

Yu: That’s the spirit! (Ehehe. Just you watch. I get to show off how much I’ve grown.)

Shin:  ….. (Taiga-kun and Alexander-kun have really leveled up since the Prism King cup… And it hasn’t even been a month yet! I wonder if I can ever catch up to them…)

(At the recording of the “Let’s Play With Naru-chan New School Year Special.)

Leo: Huh? Taiga-kun and Yamato-san, you’re already here?

Alexander: .......

Taiga: .....Hmph. Why do I have to deal with you again......

Kazuki: Hey! It looks like you’re all here! Let’s all have fun today!

Alexander: Kazuki Nishina!? What are you doing here....

Louis: He wasn’t at the photo shoot, but he’ll be doing the show with us?

Shin: Ah, Kazuki-san is--

Taiga: Kazuki-san is a regular on this show!

Leo: He’s super popular as the “Dancing Uncle”!

Louis: Oh really…

Alexander: Hey, Kazuki Nishina! Let’s have a showdown!

Kazuki: Yeah! Let’s do it up together! I’m counting on you to make this a great show today, Alec!

Alexander: Dammit! You’re not listening!

Kazuki: Hey everyone, let’s just relax and have a good time today! I’ll do my best to help you guys out in any way I can!

Taiga: Right on! And I’ll do my best not to hold you back!

Alexander: …Ug…

Shin: (Kazuki-san is so cool.... But I’m a senior high school student now. So I’ve got to step up my game like him!)

Kazuki: Oh yeah, and last on the program for today Shin’s going to do a prism show, right?

Shin: Ah, yeah…

Leo: Whaaaa?

Louis: Oh really!

Yu: Since when?!

Alexander: What are you talking about!

Taiga: Kazuki-san, why Shin….?

Kazuki: Hm? Oh... We did a survey a little while back called “Which prism star do you want to see do a show the most?” and Shin was number 1! So the producer gave him the offer.  

Everyone: (When did that happen....!)

Taiga: (I wanted to perform on Kazuki-san’s show too...)

Alexander: (That damn Shin Ichijo! That damn Kazuki Nishina!)

Yu: (To think he actually gets to perform a prism show on Naru’s program...)

Shin: Wha... why is everyone looking at me like that....

Louis: I can’t wait to see your prism show, Shin!

Leo: Me neither! Shin, do you best! 

Shin: Y-Yeah. I will. Thank you.

Kazuki: It’s Shin’s turn this time. But you never know, one of you guys may get an offer next time. As long as you’re up for the challenge, many other chances will be waiting for you! Now do your best everyone! I’ll be rooting for you. Of course I’ll be putting my best performance out there too, though. 

Taiga: Okay! I’ll give it all I got!! 

(As so filming continued without a hitch and they finally reached the last segment...)

Children: When’s the prism show? I can’t wait! I’m so excited! 

Shin: Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh calm down deep breaths.... *gasp* 

(Okay! Let’s do this....!)

Kazuki: Okay everyone! Now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time for the prism show! Today big brother Shin’s gonna show all you guys a shining, shimmering show! 

Children: Yaaaay! Big brother Shin! 

Kazuki: Well, here we go! You all know this one, don’t you? “Heart Iro Tori Dream”! Make sure you all sing along and have fun, OK!

Children: Yaaaaay! Happy-Naru! 

Shin: (Alright... here goes nothing!) Shin Ichijo, here I go! 

♪~ ♪~

Leo: Oh, this is a song that Kouji wrote, right? It’s such a great song….

Yu: …..

Children: Happy Happy Happy Naru….  ♪

Shin: (Wo… Woah..! When I am dancing to this song, I feel like I’m floating on air! And the children are smiling more and more!) And on top of that, this song… feels like it’s just overflowing with so many dreams…

Alexander: .....!

Louis: ........

Shin:  (To think my show can make everyone smile this much… Oh yeah, I remember now. The whole reason I started liking prism shows in the first place is because they can make people smile. From now on I want to keep doing more and more prism shows that can make everyone smile!)

(Shin’s show was a great success! The recording ended with everyone in very high spirits.)

Shin: Thank you so much!

Louis: Shin.

Shin: Ah, Louis!

Louis: That was such a wonderful show.... It made me feel so Happy-Naru!

Shin: Eheh. Thank you!

Louis: No problem.... And thank you too.

Shin: (Something seems different about Louis for some reason....?)

Louis: ......

Shin: (He enjoyed my show didn’t he? Hehe, that makes me happy.)

Kazuki: Great work, Shin! That prism show just now... it was so passionate! Becoming a senior high student really made you level up your charm even more, didn’t it?

Shin: Really .... !? All right.... !!

Yu: ...... (Well, I guess admitting the strength of your rival is an important part of growing up too.) I’m a bit jealous, but I think your show was really great. I’ll be the one performing next time, though!

Leo: Shin-kun, great work! While you were doing your show, it looked like you were shining so brightly!

Taiga: ...... Yeah, it wasn’t half bad.

Shin: Everyone......! Thank you!! 

(I wonder if I’ve grown as much as everyone else has....! I have to keep on doing my best!)

(And so, when the boys returned to the dorm....)

Hiro: Good work, guys! Welcome home!

Shin: Whaaa! Hiro-san!? And Kouji-san too!? What are you doing here....?

Kouji: It’s just like we all talked about this morning. We want to celebrate with everyone. So we all prepared in secret. Well, Minato was the real driving force though. Right, Minato?

Minato: Umm... well... I just wanted to make sure we properly celebrated everyone starting the new school year is all.... Eheh...

Kakeru: Oh Minatocchi! You did such a nice thing! Take the compliment!

Hiro: Eheh. We all prepared a meal and waited for you to get home. Now, it’s time for all the guests of honor to take their seats!

Kakeru: And now that we’re all together.... Shin-chawan, how about you make the toast?

Shin: Wha-whaaa!? Umm umm well.... 

A toast! To everyone’s new beginning! Kanpai!

Everyone: Kanpai!

Read more: Waking Up Louis On Your Mark Taiga

Next event: Road to SSS Event 2 Main Story

[petagordonwriting-blog]

THE BEST VEGAN LASAGNE IN THE WORLD

I just wanted to share this recipe while it is still fresh in my mind. I made this lasagne for dinner last night and IT WAS THE BEST THING IVE EVER EATEN and I’m not even exaggerating!

Ingredients for the ragu sauce:

1 large brown onion

10 garlic cloves - don’t you dare let anyone tell you that you put too much garlic in your food because garlic is life

5-6 medium button mushrooms

2 carrots

2 celery sticks

1 small-medium zucchini

Fresh thyme, basil, and parsley - as much as you want, I have a herb garden/veggie patch so I used a lot.

400g of plant-based mince “meat - I like the brand Funky Fields because it has a really meat-like texture

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 large jar of Passata

2 cans of diced Italian tomatoes

Ingredients for the bechamel white sauce:

About 1/2 litre of soy milk - any plant or nut milk is fine but soy milk makes it really creamy and delicious

3 Tablespoons vegan butter

2 Tablespoons plain flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups grated vegan cheese - I like the brand Bio Cheese cos it gets all melty and oily like regular cheese

Other ingredients:

Another cup of grated vegan cheese for the top of the lasagne

Lasagne sheet pasta

SIDE NOTE: THIS MAKES A FUCK TON OF LASAGNE BUT YOU CAN FREEZE IT, USE IT TO PREP MEALS FOR THE WEEK, SHARE IT WITH YOUR FAMILY OR YOU CAN EAT THE WHOLE THING IN BED WHILST BINGING YOUR FAVE NETFLIX SERIES LIKE I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT.

Anyways...

Method:

1. Chop onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic into manageable pieces before adding the whole lot to a food processor and blitz until chopped into chunky yet funky pieces.

2. In a large deep saucepan, fry your plant-based mince in some olive oil, salt, and pepper for about 5-7 mins before adding all your chopped veggies from the food processor and fry for about 10 mins until veggies have softened up a bit.

3. Add passata, canned tomatoes, extra salt and pepper, and fresh chopped herbs and a splash of red wine if you’d like. Stir and reduce heat simmering for about 30 mins until you get the bechamel sauce made and everything is ready to assemble. 

4. In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan butter with garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper on medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk thoroughly. Cook until smooth and no lumps of flour remain. 

5. Slowly add your soy or nut milk whisking as you do so until all the milk is in the pot. Turn heat down to medium and whisk constantly to prevent lumps.

It takes about 10-15 mins for the sauce to begin thickening up. Be patient, don't turn the heat up to make it go faster because you could risk it sticking and burning on the bottom and it tastes super fucking gross when that happens. So just chill, keep whisking and it will get there eventually. 

6. Once all your milk is in the pot and your mixture has begun to thicken, take off the heat and add your vegan cheese and whisk until cheese is melted and the bechamel is thick and cheesy. 

7. ASSEMBLE YOUR LASAGNE. I don't care what order you assemble your layers in but I always do this: ragu, pasta sheet, ragu, white sauce, pasta sheet, ragu, pasta sheet, then heaps and heaps (the remainder of) white sauce and top with grated cheese and dried chili flakes. 

Another side note: I used an 8cm deep 20x40cm glass Pyrex dish and used 1 and a half packets of lasagne pasta sheets for this amount of ragu and bechamel.

8. Bake in a preheated oven on 200 degrees Celsius for 30 mins or until pasta sheets are cooked all the way through and the top is brown and bubbly. 

9. For the love of god please let this son of a bitch cool down for about 15 mins before you eat it. It is incredibly hot and will burn the roof of your mouth if you're impatient like me. 

I forgot to take a photo of my masterpiece but I’m sure I’ll make it again sometime soon. I’ll try not to forget next time.

I ate my lasagne with some sweet potato fries and a garden salad with balsamic dressing. It was the best dinner I’ve ever eaten. Period. 

[blackbrian6-blog]

Reese Witherspoon's Diet Includes Lots of Fried Chicken and Biscuits - GoodHousekeeping.com

Reese Witherspoon is currently juggling Season 2 of HBO's Big Little Lies, the upcoming Apple TV series The Morning Show (with Jennifer Aniston), and the Hulu adaptation of Celeste Ng's novel Little Fires Everywhere, also in the works.

In between all of that, the 41-year-old — who doesn't look a day older than her Legally Blonde appearances — also manages to bake up a storm on her Instagram. And unlike some other celebs' fare, her cooking self-admittedly includes butter.

"I don’t believe in crash dieting or anything like that," she told Us Weekly in 2012. "I work out all the time anyway just to stay healthy." Her trainer Michael George told Shape that the actress eats healthy small meals and snacks daily, cuts back on alcohol, and gets in 30 minutes of cardio six day a week.

While paparazzi regularly snap photos of Reese running and biking in Los Angeles, here's what you might find her eating in her Southern kitchen:

Breakfast

Reese isn't giving up caffeine anytime soon. The entrepreneur — she owns her own production company and the clothing brand Draper James — regularly pays homage to coffee on her Instagram feed. Her latest obsession: adding oat milk to her morning brew.

She also loves fueling up in the morning with nutritionist Kim Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie, which includes spinach, romaine lettuce, celery, apple, pear, banana, and lemon juice. "I start every day with a Glowing Green Smoothie and so does my whole family!" she wrote in a testimonial on Synder's website.

Lunch

When the afternoon rolls around, Reese might order a kale salad with roasted chicken, per interviews with Vogue and the New York Times. Her favorite cold weather craving is lentil soup, according to InStyle.

She also loves spicy food, like the hot chicken at Hattie B’s in Nashville. "The best Southern food for me is probably fried chicken. There's nothing like hot, spicy fried chicken," said in a Vanity Fair video. "I do like some Cholula. I do like some spicy shrimp and grits."

Dinner

It's no secret Reese is partial to Southern cuisine. She recently published the book Whiskey in a Teacup, which is filled with recipes passed down from her grandmother Dorothea. If she's having people over, she'll serve classics like fried chicken, biscuits, corn salad, and coconut layer cake.

"Fried chicken is so simple, but it's such a luxury to have it at home," caterer Annie Campbell, who often cooks for Reese, told Oprah.com. "This is a typical menu when she entertains, and people love it." Other favorites include country fried steak, ribs, brisket, fried okra, crispy brussels sprouts, summer squash casserole, and applesauce cake.

She doesn't always spring for Southern food, though. The actress shared with InStyle that her favorite date night activity with husband Jim Toth is "dinner at an Italian restaurant with lots of pasta." Sounds just perfect to us.

Caroline Picard Health Editor Caroline is the Health Editor at GoodHousekeeping.com covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news.

Source: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a28267226/reese-witherspoon-diet/

[mastcomm]

Suzanne Somers Gets Flirty in a Pink Salt Room

“I’d love to say it was because I had too much sex,” Suzanne Somers said.

But the truth behind her crutch would hardly make Chrissy Snow blush: a stress fracture, made worse by a tumble from the private tram to her 93-acre compound in Palm Springs, Calif, while partying with friends. Surgery ensued, followed by weeks of bed rest.

“I just got out of bed three days ago, and here I am in heels,” she said, peeling off a black Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat to reveal a slinky tiger-print Dolce & Gabbana dress and matching Manolo Blahnik heels.

She was at Modrn Sanctuary, a moodily black-walled spa on West 27th Street in Manhattan on a frigid Wednesday afternoon, looking to decompress after “The Dr. Oz Show,” where she was promoting her 27th book, “A New Way to Age” (that’s 26 more than Emily Bronte).

Pleasantries dispatched, Ms. Somers managed a vampy strut — as vampy as you can strut with a crutch, anyway — down a hallway that features “wellnes” offerings so “modrn” that extraneous letters are scarcely needed. Ms. Somers opted for the halotherapy, or salt therapy, in which she would sit in a chamber made of 10,000 pounds of pink Himalayan salt.

“Himalayan salt is all about the minerals,” she said, extolling the putative health benefits of magnesium replenishment, although the room’s luxe decor and pink light felt more like a bottle-service lounge at a Hollywood nightclub. “I’ve got Himalayan salt lamps throughout my house.”

Leaning her crutch against the wall, she reclined on a large white chair, dangling her exposed legs off one end and thrusting out her chest, as if posing for a 1950s pin-up shot.

Ms. Somers still invites the male gaze, or really, any gaze. To mark her 73rd birthday last October, she posted a nude photo of herself on Instagram, crouched in a field of wildflowers. “A sexual person is a healthy person,” she said.

Her sex-positive image is the cornerstone of a business empire built on health and diet books, cosmetics, supplements, branded salt rubs, protein shakes and, of course, Thighmasters, those overgrown binder clips immortalized in 1990s infomercials.

It also grounds her current role as an anti-aging guru. Her new book is a series of interviews with wellness-minded doctors on topics such as bloating, constipation, low libido and pain management, with a heavy emphasis on bioidentical hormone-replacement therapy (a controversial anti-aging practice that replenishes hormones such as progesterone and testosterone with plant-based duplicates).

She has been leaning on hormone creams and supplements made from yam extracts for 25 years. “Aging is about worn out parts,” she said, adding that the results are evident in her youthful hair, relatively wrinkle-free skin and her bedroom prowess.

Running her stockinged toes through the pebble-sized salt crystals, Ms. Somers said that she enjoys daily sex with her husband, Alan Hamel, another hormone-replacement devotee who is ten years her senior and was once, she said, “the Johnny Carson of Canada.”

“He makes incredible organic coffee in the morning, brings it to me in bed, and waits for me to give him a thumbs up,” Ms. Somers said.

It’s not just coffee that keeps them buzzing. Although her father had been a “terrible alcoholic,” she said, Ms. Somers got into tequila recently and considers her nightly cocktails with her husband a form of sacrament. “It’s an upper, a little hallucinogenic,” she said, as if channeling Carlos Castaneda extolling peyote.

A wellness regimen that goes heavy on sex and alcohol might seem at odds with the celery-cleanse spirit of contemporary Goop culture. But Ms. Somers has never been afraid to flout convention.

Back in the 1970s, when networks were leaning into socially-aware sitcoms like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “One Day at a Time” that were centered around independent women, Ms. Somers got famous as a peroxide-blonde confection in micro-shorts whose emotional development seemed frozen at nine years old.

But, she said, sitting up straight in her chair, she has no regrets about playing Chrissy Snow in “Three’s Company,” even as seen through the prism of 2020 gender politics. “I would have played a monkey,” she said with a shrug. “I needed the part.”

Besides, Ms. Somers added, she considered it an intellectual challenge to give a “dumb blonde depth.” “I gave her a moral code,” she said. “She would never tell a lie. And she had a sense of outrage, like Edith Bunker.”

She said she got fired when she asked for a salary more in line with the network’s male stars. “Six years into it, it’s the No. 1 show, and the men were making 10 to 15 times more,” she said.

It was a bold feminist move, she admits. “I believe that we should be paid commensurate with our ability to bring in revenue,” she said, leaning forward in her chair.

Ms. Somers is notably lacking in #MeToo-era outrage. “I’m not wearing pink pussyhats, and I never will.” She said she never experienced advances that she considered threatening.

It was a different era, she said. “Men used to come on to women, and either you liked it or you didn’t,” she said. “You go to a bar, you might get picked up, and it’s up to you. It’s not like, ‘You want me to sleep with you, you pig?’”

“Even innocent flirtation is fun,” she added, smiling coyly.

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/suzanne-somers-gets-flirty-in-a-pink-salt-room/

[mikeyd1986]

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 55, June 2017

On Monday morning, I had my Healthy Cooking on a Budget class at Balla Balla Community Centre in Cranbourne East. Today we made a pumpkin soup, veggie pasties and butterscotch pinwheels. Again it seems like a lot of food to cook in two hours but working as a group, it makes the tasks a lot easier to manage. We started by cutting up and roasting some vegetables including onions, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, celery and a zucchini.

I was given the task to dice up one of the zucchinis. Honestly it was quite challenging only because I was using a small pairing knife and it was a large zucchini that I was chopping up. I was also overthinking it a bit too much (Are the pieces small enough? Am I doing this correctly?) but I got there eventually. I reminded myself that nobody in this kitchen is a “Masterchef”. We’re all in the same boat together. We’re all learning and it’s okay to make mistakes. You just gotta do the best you can.

Next we made some pastry dough for the pasties and the pinwheels by combining 2 cups of self raising flour, 30g of cold butter diced and 3/4 cup of milk. Our teacher Jodie recommends the “fairy fingers” method of rubbing the butter in with the dried ingredients to make sure that it’s all incorporated. The dough is then refrigerated and rolled out on the bench. For the pasties, we used a circular lid to cut out some circles. For the pinwheels, we added a layer of brown sugar mixed with 80g of softened butter before rolling it up and slicing it into sections.

For the pastie filling, we combined the diced potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, sweet potato and zucchini into a large bowl and souped a couple of tablespoons into each circular pastry. Then we squeezed them in half and sealed the tops before placing them onto the baking trays. http://www.ballaballa.com.au/progra...

On Monday night, I had my Strength Training session with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness in Berwick. I was wide awake last night overthinking about whether Luke is proud of me or not. I think it stems from my own inadequacies such as wanting to be liked by everyone, chasing people for validation and needing verbal encouragement. That’s just how my brain functions. But tonight I really had to let it go and stop worrying about things I can’t control. I’m not a mind reader and honestly I’m sure that he is proud of me.

One of Nick’s clients from Tri Force Training who I used to train with in group sessions last year walked over to see me. It was a really pleasant surprise to know that Jessica Mesa and the other clients from TFT don’t have a problem with me after I fell out with Nick. The truth is that I’ve moved on and I’m okay with Nick being in the same facility as me. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m not expecting us to be best friends. I just want to keep the peace between us. Anyway, it was really good to chat with Jess again and know that she still likes me and is happy that I’ve got a personal trainer that works for me.

I honestly don’t think I’d be doing half of the stuff in my workouts without Luke there encouraging me and guiding me. He truly does believe in me when it comes to how much weight I am capable of lifting. I still struggle but that only means I’m working really hard and that’s something worth celebrating. https://www.facebook.com/breakawayf...

WARM-UP...I started the session by doing some stretches into the arms, shoulders and wrists using the resistance bands on each side of my body.

DEVELOPMENT...So tonight I did my maximum weight of 45kg on the bench press, doing 5 single reps. My technique was still a little shaky at times but it’s all practice. I just need to remember to keep my feet firmly planted on the floor, activate my chest and back muscles and aim the bar just above the nipple line. Otherwise, I was really happy with my performance. Just being able to lift that bar up and back into the racking was a big achievement for me.

COOL-DOWN...To finish up with, I did a strong stretch through my arms and shoulders by holding weights in my hands and laying back on the bench. Then I did 3 round of 10 single arm rows and 20 reps of stretches into the forearms and mid-back.

On Tuesday night, I had my Body Combat class with Cinamon Guerin at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. Tonight, the group fitness room was decorated with colourful streamers and balloons to promote the new releases which will be out next week. There was also quite a few newcomers in tonight’s class and the best advice I could give them was to just do the best you can. I still remember how daunted I was before my first class but I’ve slowly improved my technique and pace over the last few months.

I was actually feeling pretty good about my performance tonight and not worrying too much about missing reps or stuffing up my combos. We did a series of jab boxes, uppercuts, hooks, high knees, roundhouse kicks, side and front kicks, crab walks, pulses, jack jumps and scissor jumps. I was sweating heaps as usual but tonight I reminded myself to take a moment and focus on my breathing. It actually helped a lot and I’m glad we had to opportunity to catch our breath during the active recovery sections where we’re jogging on the spot. https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/f...

On Thursday morning, I went to my Body Balance class for the first time in weeks at YMCA Casey ARC. Today marked the official day of release 77 and they had somebody taking photos of us doing the workout in the group fitness room. Our usual instructor Wendy Lynne Perrow was joined by Mel who took over for part of the class. I felt a bit rusty today at times particularly with the pilates section. I just don’t have the core strength or flexibility to keep up. But I told myself that it’s okay to miss a few reps if I need to rest and just take my time with the movements.

Today’s workout consisted of the following exercises: Tai-Chi Warmup (Overhead arm swings, flowing chi and overhead circles), Vinyasa Flow Yoga (Downward facing dog, plank, baby cobra, low lunge, extended mountain pose), Balances (Tree pose, Warrior III, chair pose), Warrior Sequence (Warrior II, Sun Warrior, Triangle pose), Pilates (Arm and Leg Extensions, Rocking Chair, Scorpion), Twists (Prayer twist) and Relaxation.  https://www.lesmills.com/us/workout...  

On Thursday night, I had my second Strength Training session for the week with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness in Berwick. The gym was pretty quiet tonight compared to last week but that was actually a good thing. I actually felt relaxed for the most part. I’m slowly letting go of my worries and anxieties around what other people are thinking about me and feeling self-conscious. These thoughts are far from helpful. There are many more positive things to focus on such as the progress I’m making with my training and how positive and supportive the trainers and coaches are.

WARM-UP...I started by elevating my lower leg onto a box and folding over it to stretch into the hips and thighs. Thankfully my yoga classes have been helping a lot in terms of improving my flexibility so it makes stretches like these much easier. I also did some weighted squat holds, butterfly pose and glute bridges.

DEVELOPMENT...It was time to hit my maximum weight for back squats. Honestly, it was really intimidating seeing those 25kg red plates on either side of the bar but I wasn’t going to let my mind stop me from smashing these reps. I was a little shaky at times, either squatting too low or forgetting to keep my chest lifted and eyes forward. But for the most part, the form was pretty solid and I surprised myself again that I could lift 75kg on my shoulders.

On Friday morning, I had my appointment with support worker Ally at Colourfield Cafe Casey Central. We were there for nearly two hours so clearly I had a lot to discuss. I started by talking about my feelings around my strength training at UFT and why I want validation from people do badly. I’m starting to recognise that it’s more in other people’s actions that really demonstrate whether they’re proud of me or they don’t give a rat’s ass about me.

I also started talking about the possibility of moving out of home and living in shared accommodation with somebody else. It’s a sensitive subject for me. It brings up a lot of fear and insecurity within me as I’ve been living with my parents most of my life. But I think that if I can come up with a structured plan with small achievable steps and a safety net, I should be okay. It would further increase my independence as a young adult and help to gain some critical life skills. But I just need to get out of my comfort zone. Baby steps.

[mastcomm]

Suzanne Somers Gets Flirty in a Pink Salt Room

“I’d love to say it was because I had too much sex,” Suzanne Somers said.

But the truth behind her crutch would hardly make Chrissy Snow blush: a stress fracture, made worse by a tumble from the private tram to her 93-acre compound in Palm Springs, Calif, while partying with friends. Surgery ensued, followed by weeks of bed rest.

“I just got out of bed three days ago, and here I am in heels,” she said, peeling off a black Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat to reveal a slinky tiger-print Dolce & Gabbana dress and matching Manolo Blahnik heels.

She was at Modrn Sanctuary, a moodily black-walled spa on West 27th Street in Manhattan on a frigid Wednesday afternoon, looking to decompress after “The Dr. Oz Show,” where she was promoting her 27th book, “A New Way to Age” (that’s 26 more than Emily Bronte).

Pleasantries dispatched, Ms. Somers managed a vampy strut — as vampy as you can strut with a crutch, anyway — down a hallway that features “wellnes” offerings so “modrn” that extraneous letters are scarcely needed. Ms. Somers opted for the halotherapy, or salt therapy, in which she would sit in a chamber made of 10,000 pounds of pink Himalayan salt.

“Himalayan salt is all about the minerals,” she said, extolling the putative health benefits of magnesium replenishment, although the room’s luxe decor and pink light felt more like a bottle-service lounge at a Hollywood nightclub. “I’ve got Himalayan salt lamps throughout my house.”

Leaning her crutch against the wall, she reclined on a large white chair, dangling her exposed legs off one end and thrusting out her chest, as if posing for a 1950s pin-up shot.

Ms. Somers still invites the male gaze, or really, any gaze. To mark her 73rd birthday last October, she posted a nude photo of herself on Instagram, crouched in a field of wildflowers. “A sexual person is a healthy person,” she said.

Her sex-positive image is the cornerstone of a business empire built on health and diet books, cosmetics, supplements, branded salt rubs, protein shakes and, of course, Thighmasters, those overgrown binder clips immortalized in 1990s infomercials.

It also grounds her current role as an anti-aging guru. Her new book is a series of interviews with wellness-minded doctors on topics such as bloating, constipation, low libido and pain management, with a heavy emphasis on bioidentical hormone-replacement therapy (a controversial anti-aging practice that replenishes hormones such as progesterone and testosterone with plant-based duplicates).

She has been leaning on hormone creams and supplements made from yam extracts for 25 years. “Aging is about worn out parts,” she said, adding that the results are evident in her youthful hair, relatively wrinkle-free skin and her bedroom prowess.

Running her stockinged toes through the pebble-sized salt crystals, Ms. Somers said that she enjoys daily sex with her husband, Alan Hamel, another hormone-replacement devotee who is ten years her senior and was once, she said, “the Johnny Carson of Canada.”

“He makes incredible organic coffee in the morning, brings it to me in bed, and waits for me to give him a thumbs up,” Ms. Somers said.

It’s not just coffee that keeps them buzzing. Although her father had been a “terrible alcoholic,” she said, Ms. Somers got into tequila recently and considers her nightly cocktails with her husband a form of sacrament. “It’s an upper, a little hallucinogenic,” she said, as if channeling Carlos Castaneda extolling peyote.

A wellness regimen that goes heavy on sex and alcohol might seem at odds with the celery-cleanse spirit of contemporary Goop culture. But Ms. Somers has never been afraid to flout convention.

Back in the 1970s, when networks were leaning into socially-aware sitcoms like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “One Day at a Time” that were centered around independent women, Ms. Somers got famous as a peroxide-blonde confection in micro-shorts whose emotional development seemed frozen at nine years old.

But, she said, sitting up straight in her chair, she has no regrets about playing Chrissy Snow in “Three’s Company,” even as seen through the prism of 2020 gender politics. “I would have played a monkey,” she said with a shrug. “I needed the part.”

Besides, Ms. Somers added, she considered it an intellectual challenge to give a “dumb blonde depth.” “I gave her a moral code,” she said. “She would never tell a lie. And she had a sense of outrage, like Edith Bunker.”

She said she got fired when she asked for a salary more in line with the network’s male stars. “Six years into it, it’s the No. 1 show, and the men were making 10 to 15 times more,” she said.

It was a bold feminist move, she admits. “I believe that we should be paid commensurate with our ability to bring in revenue,” she said, leaning forward in her chair.

Ms. Somers is notably lacking in #MeToo-era outrage. “I’m not wearing pink pussyhats, and I never will.” She said she never experienced advances that she considered threatening.

It was a different era, she said. “Men used to come on to women, and either you liked it or you didn’t,” she said. “You go to a bar, you might get picked up, and it’s up to you. It’s not like, ‘You want me to sleep with you, you pig?’”

“Even innocent flirtation is fun,” she added, smiling coyly.

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