#blending ingredients

[sincerelysaturday]

Indulge in Fall Bliss: How to Make a Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home

I am going to be 100% honest. I HATE pumpkin spice lattes. So why am I writing a blog post on the pumpkin spice latte? Because I love Cambodian iced coffee and Chai so I married the two to make a pumpkin spice sauce that is so freakin delicious I put it on yogurt, oatmeal, and ice cream. It is in my opinion the best pumpkin sauce you’ll ever try! There’s something undeniably cozy about sipping on…

[autailome]

tolkien being catholic an orphan and also having most of his friends dead by age 25 is really the perfect blend of trauma to make a great author 👍

[friday-tea]

Why do some tea ingredients work well together in a blend, but others do not? Take a minute and learn a bit about ingredient density to help you create your own unique flavors!

[blazewatergem]

*Heavy sigh*

Oh, yeah, it’s happening

[platypusisnotonfire]

I cannot cook or bake but I do make a good Concoction which has made me the local Sauce Guy in the friend group.

I have two main “secret recipes” but I don’t believe in hoarding knowledge

First is my siracha mayo and most people look at it and go “ok siracha mayo that’s pretty commonplace now” and then try it and go “why is this the best siracha mayo I’ve ever had but I can’t taste exactly what’s different” the answer is lime juice and Himalayan pink salt. The trick is to not add too much that you’re suddenly like “this is lime-y” I cannot tell you exact ratios because I Sauce from the heart and put in the amount I guesstimate is reasonable.

Second is my pancake batter, drawing similar reactions of “idk what’s different but these are unparalleled” The answer is sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, again in small enough quantities to not be tasted as “these are vanilla pancakes” or what have you. Small subtle amounts just absolutely elevate the pancake. (My brother had perfected the art of COOKING pancakes to utter genius levels so I would make the batter and he would cook them and we were the pancake guys any time the family wanted them)

[askwhatsforlunch]

Verbena Mint Tea

A soothing hot beverage, this Verbena Mint Tea is a favourite of mine before bed. The preparation is part, I feel, of the calming ritual! Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (serves 1):

1 ½ tablespoon dried lemon verbena leaves and flowers (Aloysia citrodora)

250 millilitres/1 cup cold water

a dozen leaves fresh mint

Spoon dried lemon verbena into a small saucepan. Pour in cold water. Heat over a low flame until just simmering.

Meanwhile, crush mint leaves with a pestle in a mortar, to extract their oils and flavour.

Stir crushed mint leaves into the pot.

Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer, 10 minutes.

Return over a low flame, and bring to a slow boil. 

Remove from the heat and strain Verbena Mint Tea into serving cup.

Enjoy Verbena Mint Tea hot.

[blorbowhereartthoublorbo]

kit is a person who makes the worst decisions send tweet

[boonesfarmsangria]

endless open wide road running through the sky

[perscinnamon]

[sparklehoard]

Fighting for my life trying to cook in my parents kitchen last night.

Got in a fight when I blocked my mother from putting a can of corn in the butter chicken I had been cooking for 2 hours

[anime-scarves]

So I made a bean pie. That sounds like an odd thing to do but the humble bean pie has a pretty storied past and I've been meaning to make one for awhile. The spices are very warm, the curd? is dense and creamy, and the beans add a pleasant savory element that blends well with the spices. It's really quite delicious. Not much of a looker though.

[khurshidtum-blog]

A Regal Rejuvenation: My Experience with Emperor's Vigor Tonicpen_spark

A Regal Rejuvenation: My Experience with Emperor's Vigor Tonic

I've always been intrigued by ancient remedies and their potential benefits. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Emperor's Vigor Tonic, a health supplement formulated based on a 4,000-year-old scroll discovered by Asian royalty! Intrigued by its historical roots and the promise of a natural energy boost, I decided to give it a try.

A Potent Blend of Natural Ingredients

Emperor's Vigor Tonic boasts a unique blend of natural ingredients chosen for their well-documented health benefits. Panax Ginseng, a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine, is known as an adaptogen, helping the body adapt to stress. Other ingredients like Maca root and Cordyceps sinensis contribute to overall well-being and energy levels. The formula is transparently listed on the website, allowing me to feel confident about what I was putting into my body.

Noticeable Improvements in Energy and Stamina

Within a few weeks of incorporating Emperor's Vigor Tonic into my daily routine, I began to notice a positive difference. The mid-afternoon slump that used to plague me became a distant memory. I found myself tackling tasks with renewed vigour, and my overall energy levels improved significantly. Whether it was a workout session or simply keeping up with a busy day, I felt more capable and energized.

A Welcome Boost to Overall Wellbeing

Beyond the energy boost, I also experienced a subtle improvement in overall well-being. The natural ingredients in Emperor's Vigor Tonic seemed to contribute to a sense of focus and clarity throughout the day. While not a cure-all, it offered a noticeable and welcome enhancement to my daily life.

In Conclusion:

If you're looking for a natural way to boost your energy levels, improve stamina, and promote overall well-being, Emperor's Vigor Tonic is definitely worth exploring. The historical lineage, coupled with its carefully chosen ingredients and noticeable effects, make this a unique and valuable addition to any health and wellness routine. I highly recommend giving it a try and experiencing the "regal rejuvenation" for yourself!

Disclaimer: While I had a positive experience with Emperor's Vigor Tonic, individual results may vary. It is always recommended to consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement.

[harrylights]

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[rat-rosemary]

I want soup

[alicepao13]

I'm going to write a long ass thing about the Hudson and Rex show through the seasons, inspired by the rewatch posts that I've been seeing. It's not a review, though. It's just how I saw it from my point of view. Also, I reserve the right to make "The Great Hudson and Rex Rewatch of [insert year]" tag if and when I rewatch it and review episodes individually then.

So, if anyone followed this blog circa early 2020 (pre pandemic), I'd probably made a "Oh my god there is a new Rex adaptation and this time it's in English!" post. I don't remember it, but I know I'd told quite a few people online and off when I had found out. Also, so lame that I found out when they were already in S2 but anyway.

Right off the bat, I realized that the people making Hudson and Rex had not quite understood the assignment. The premise of the show and the cases were never meant to be light and fluffy like the dog. Instead, the dog was supposed to be the counterweight, the uplifting part. Most cases were supposed to be grimy and dark. Creepy. With bad guys that would make your skin crawl. Instead, Hudson and Rex mostly had bad guys that were pretty tame, aside from a few notable exceptions. And they put a guy on the helm of this show that was previously scripting kid shows, I mean, that's enough to tell me they weren't meaning to get deep into it.

It's also why for me the show got way better after S2 (when they changed showrunners). Which was, let's face it, ginormous and never ending (not having any info on when it was supposed to end also had made it seem that way from my part, as literally no tv scheduler of mine had that info back then). To be fair, another reason was because I wasn't invested at the time, and I wasn't invested because I'd seen how light the show was and how unwilling everyone involved was to go a bit deeper into it (from the writers to the producers to the cast). And I think I initially noticed a few signs that that was changing in S3, which allowed me to get more invested into it. [Note: I still maintain that the last few episodes aside from the finale of S2 were pretty good, but they aired at a point where I was already wondering where the hell the season ended.]

Onward to season 3. For a season that had been produced in a difficult period of time under difficult circumstances, with Covid and the crime shows being accused of copaganda, a few, let's say, unusual choices were made. Still, that season was better and way more interesting than the other two. And not as long, which helped. Again, the premise of the show was never supposed to be 20 episodes per season, it is very taxing on the cast, on the dog, and to everyone who has to perform and do their best in a shorter amount of time. So, S3 had 16 episodes, and it fared better. There were stakes, they played a bit more with the romance between Charlie and Sarah, things were moving. Somewhat.

Kudos to them for electing not to put Covid in their world. I'm not necessarily against that but I didn't need it to be inserted into every show I was watching. Also, kudos to them for Charlie's new house, it's really nice (although I will repeat that I'm not sure how exactly he could afford it).

And then we get to season 4, and boy oh boy, have I ever misjudged a season so much. I mean, if it hadn't been so poorly executed, I'd have said that it was all my fault for being impatient. Do you ever see how things will turn out early on, guess all the major plot points that would happen, and then say to yourself, "No, that's not it, because there's no way they'd do such and such and such to make that happen, it's so stupid"? This is what happened here. And I'm not sure what had frustrated me more back then, that I had thought I'd been wrong about where S4 was headed or that the more we were hitting the plot points that I had anticipated would happen, the more disjointed the story was becoming. Like an orchestra that was playing a known score out of tune the entire time. I'm not sure whether I'd choose the word dissonance or discordance for it, but if we were to isolate the moments, they were actually good. The angst was good. The pining, very good. But as a whole, it didn't always make sense and that was frustrating, as it made it hard to guess everyone's intentions and motive behind their actions.

A lot of my issues had to do with how they were writing Sarah's character as well in that season because as an audience, I should know whether she had actually truly tried to move on from her crush on Charlie or she was dating because she didn't think her feelings were reciprocated and Michael was just... there. That would have made a difference. But I suspect that it was very intentional to not give anything away, though that doesn't mean I have to like it or more importantly that it was executed in a sensible way. Charlie's spiral into what in other shows would have endangered his career (not here, though, no, sir) was great and I would have liked to have seen way more of that, and more of his friends worrying about him, and more of him pulling away from everyone and having that acknowledged. I'd have liked to see him more upset too. More importantly, I'd have liked to see a real reason for his character regression other than "the girl I like doesn't like me back :'( " like for example, the dozens of times he had been in a traumatizing situation. That, combined with what he assumed was unrequited feelings, would have made a perfect cocktail of explosive emotions.

To be honest, I don't understand why the perception of the fandom to this day is the same as it was when we were going through the episodes of S4 because post season clarity offers a different perspective entirely. It's understandable to be upset when you watch it unfold in real time. That's what the rewatches are for, to see the season as a whole. Yes, a few decisions on the script were hare-brained [I still don't understand how Sarah went from "I forgive you Michael for lying to me about important stuff and we're good and making headway in our relationship" to "I don't know where this is going" in two episodes, and the only logical (non-episode shuffling) explanation is that she was just waiting for Charlie to express his feelings, whom in her place I'd have punched and refuse to call a friend anymore if he had waited to find the courage, or more like the audacity, to express his feelings just as he thought he was losing the woman he wanted to another man when said woman was free a few months ago]. But to me, the emotions the episodes elicited regarding their relationship were always more like "oh these damn fools don't see what's right in front of them" and not "I want to stop watching this bullshit right now". It is actually very similar to Castle's S4, although the execution on Castle did not make me want to cuss Andrew Marlowe. With Peter Mitchell, well, I can't say the same thing.

Anyway, as we can probably safely assume right now, a lot of their relationship and whether it would progress or not had been hanging on a wire. The actual cliffhanger and some of the interviews pretty much confirm that theory. And I assume that probably influenced the execution too. So, I'm giving it a bit of slack.

Going on to S5, we flat-lined and I'll explain that. I'd have liked to be able to say that it was better than S4 but it wasn't. It wasn't worse either but it was really bland at times. And it gave me the impression that they were given more episodes than they could handle. I'll say it again, this show should never have 20 episodes ever again, it puts a big strain on everyone.

What was good about S5 was that it gave characters other than Charlie and Rex, mainly Joe and Jesse, a few more moments to shine. It also had one of the best season finales of the show so far. No, I don't need a character in danger of dying every time to call it a good finale, but I do need the season finale to be intense and high stakes. Which did not happen in S2, S3, and damn, I don't even know which one to call season finale in S1. Imagine that.

They wasted two perfectly good episodes for me by making up an entire set of new characters for a two-parter that I could have sworn was serving as backdoor pilot, but wasn't. I still don't know what that was. Again, the only logical explanation was that they were given episodes (and money) that they didn't know how to put to good use. Those were two pretty good episodes that could be a part of most crime shows, but they were not Hudson and Rex episodes. Not if we consider the premise of this show. Everyone was separated, Charlie was off doing his own thing (I won't get into availability issues, as a production it is most embarrassing to not be able to find a viable schedule for your main lead and I refuse to cut any production slack for that), and Rex was literally thrown to the wolves.

The most bland part for me in S5 was the middle. The pace of the episodes really struggled there. And then suddenly it moved in what I saw as an accelerated pace, the two-parter and the last four episodes seemed like they had come out of a different show or different season, if you were to look at the mellow pace of the season up to that point.

Again, I must note the lack of transferability of emotions, consequences, experiences, etc., from one season to the next. However, I must also say that they made a bit more of an effort to bring back people, characters, and storylines in S5 to remind us of past seasons, even though they mainly stuck to the small things.

For me, it was a big mistake to make Charlie be the perfect guy again after S4. He had been struggling, and no one can convince me that behaviors such as what he had exhibited before were only because he was feeling rejected and was "cured" like magic in the next season. And it shouldn't be that way, he has gone through some serious stuff, which the show is trying to downplay all the time.

Also, the cop's "white whale" case is a pretty common trope. It should be decided by the writers before the scripting of S1. Otherwise, we have them not reacting appropriately to the dozens of similar cases that they come across until the writers decide what the cop's white whale case is supposed to be. Taking a couple of seasons to write it is usual. Deciding that in S5? I've personally never seen it happen and I've been watching crime shows for more than two decades now. Retconning is a huge favorite with the writers of this show.

Charlie and Sarah's relationship development was a big feature in S5, and it was mostly good stuff. I didn't like that they didn't have one fight but their stability was also nice. And when I say one fight, I dislike manufactured drama that comes out of nowhere but there are so many significant reasons, especially when they keep getting in danger, to have a fight. Now that I'm thinking about it, the tagline of S5 should be "stability".

Jesse growing up and going for detective was something I wasn't expecting, and you can also see the progress of that storyline somewhat in S5, and Joe coming to terms with the fact that Jesse can do this. He was pretty much the last one that needed to be convinced of this, the way I see it.

I'm refraining from making comments about S6 since we've only watched 6 episodes. I want to see where that ends up. The only comment I'll make regarding that is that I don't think the production company cares much about anything other than Charlie and Rex, it's basically up to individual writers and the showrunner to write anything else, and, regardless of how fans perceive S4, we should be glad to have had someone like Peter Mitchell at the helm of the show, who made any kind of meaningful change between Charlie and Sarah, because it doesn't seem like anybody else was willing to put their ass on the line for those two.

All in all, this is a show that it seems to me like from the start, not a lot of people believed in it, despite evidence that people in the other side of the world had once loved it (and since it already had another adaptation, I'd have called it a safe bet). It's certainly in a better place now than it was when it had its first season, it terms of production, performance, and creativity, and I think that sometimes we forget that because we've watched like 90 episodes. No, it doesn't always meet my expectations but maybe I also shouldn't compare it to the dozens of shows I've watched which certainly have a bigger budget than this one, which don't depend on dog tricks to get people's attention (I don't say this to make fun of the show, dog tricks is what they do, it's like half of the show). But I also cannot refrain from criticizing mistakes that could have easily been avoided, had they made a little more effort.

[deliciousmicroplastics]

gonna revolutionize the metro homemade edibles scene by adding citric acid to gummies