#calm down and cook

[calmdownandcook]

Adaptable Quiche

There is no such thing as the “Quiche Police”

Quiche was one of the first things I learned to make when I was 12 years old. My mother had just returned to the workforce and I was learning to cook to help her out. She said a quiche was easy, mostly assembling things rather than actual “cooking”. Over the years this is what I have learned.

The basics of a quiche are pretty simple. As long as your egg-to-dairy-to-filling proportions are consistent, you can do anything you want. Our family’s “norm” was Spinach and Cheese Quiche but I soon realized that you could turn anything you found into quiche filling by peeking into your fridge and cleaning it out.  There is no such thing as the “Quiche Police”. For a 9-inch pie crust, you just mix 5 or 6 eggs and ¾ cup of some kind of dairy liquid or dairy substitute for a base. Then you can go wild with 2 to 2 ½ cups of solid ingredients for flavor and texture. About 1 cup of this is usually cheese but relax, that’s not written in stone. Now all that’s left is the seasoning. You can increase or decrease according to your taste. It can be as simple as salt and pepper. Want to switch onion salt for regular salt? Perfectly acceptable. A couple of dashes of Tabasco? Sure. Now you get it. Go with what flavors you love.

So let’s begin. First, we need some ingredients. You look in the fridge and find some leftover ham from last night's dinner, a bag of shredded cheese you had planned to use for taco night but went out for pizza instead, and some scallions left over from the salad you made for lunch. Now, make a quiche.

Quiche

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

The Base:

1 refrigerated 9-inch pie crust (or homemade if doing that brings you joy)

6 large eggs

¾ cup any kind of milk (or dairy substitute)

The Flavor and Texture: 

1 cup cooked ham chopped 

1 cup shredded cheese (any kind you like best)

¼  cup of sliced green onions (or finely diced onions, any kind)

The Seasoning:

½  teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Let's start with the crust.  We always had a store-bought pie crust in our freezer, ready to go. I still keep them in my freezer, there is no shame in that. Store-bought pie crust has vastly improved over the years and you save more in stress and clean-up than you gain in saying it’s a homemade crust. If you are using the dough that comes in sheets and unfolds, unfold it and press it into a 9" pie plate, crimping the top edges if desired. This can be done by simply pushing the tines of a fork around the edge or the internet will offer many other ways if you want to get more fancy. If you have the kind that comes already crimped in its pie dish, you are set and ready to go.  

The one cheffy thing I do is blind-bake the crust. It will make a world of difference and is a good skill to have in your back pocket for dessert pies.

While the oven is preheating, cut a square of parchment paper or aluminum foil 2 inches wider than the pie pan you are using and place it on top of your crust. If you are using parchment paper, it can help to crinkle it up into a tight ball, and then open it up again. This will help it fit better into the pan. Gently pour pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice on top of the parchment paper or foil to fill the pan. This will hold down the crust and prevent the dough from puffing up during baking. I like to use dried beans, they are cheap, easy to pour, and spill less than rice. I keep them in a ziplock bag and use them all year. Bake the pie crust, with the weights for 10 minutes then lift out the parchment or foil along with the weights, and put the crust back in the oven for another 10 minutes. This whole process will give the crust a jump on the baking and keep the egg mixture from giving it the dreaded soggy bottom.

In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs, dairy liquid, and salt and pepper. A traditional or immersion blender will also get this done efficiently and leaves no trace of the unbeaten egg.

Evenly sprinkle the chopped ham, cheese, and green onions into the blind-baked pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over the top. You may find it easier to put your pan in the oven, on a cookie sheet, it will be pretty full.. Makes the transfer to the oven a lot easier.

With the pan on a cookie sheet, bake for 45-50 minutes until the center is completely set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the quiche should come out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. A quiche can be made the day before you need it and will keep for 2 to 3 days in your refrigerator. It’s delicious served cold. 

Now here is the fun part. 

Be brave, go crazy. 

Remember, for a 9-inch pie crust, you want 5 to 6 eggs and ¾ cup of some kind of milk or dairy substitute for the base and 2 to 2 ½ cups of flavor and filling. About 1 cup of this should (or could) be cheese. If you are leaning towards the full 2 ½ cups of filling, go with 5 eggs so you don’t run over the sides.

Here are some other filling variations to try

A 10-ounce bag of chopped frozen (but defrosted) spinach, squeezed dry of all the water, this leaves 1 cup of spinach. 1 cup of shredded cheese. Total solid filling: 2 cups 

6-ounce can (¾ cup) of drained crab meat, ¼ cup of thinly sliced scallions, and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Total solid filling: 2 cups

1 cup of sliced sauteed mushrooms. Saute in butter or olive oil. Be wild and add some crushed garlic, plus 1 cup of shredded cheese. Cook the mushrooms on high enough heat to dry them out and there’s no excess liquid. Total solid filling: 2 cups

4 ounces (½ cup) of Goat Cheese, a bunch of chopped chives, and 2 medium onions caramelized. Two onions slow-cooked in butter until golden brown, when properly caramelized will equal about ½ cup. Finally 1 cup of shredded cheese. Total solid filling: 2 ½ cups 

2 medium sliced zucchini chopped and sauteed in butter or olive oil until some of the moisture is cooked away. 2 sliced zucchini will cook down to about 1 cup when sauteed.1 cup of shredded cheese.Total solid filling: 2 cups

1 cup of frozen chopped broccoli (defrosted and at room temperature) plus 1 cup of shredded cheese. Total solid filling: 2 cups

8 ounces of sliced and cooked breakfast sausage, with cubes of boiled potato plus 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Sliced Poblano Chili, a few sliced jalapenos (as many as the mood strikes you), frozen corn (defrosted and at room temperature) any combination can be used, as long as you stick to the ration.

Random Add-ins to be used at your heart's content as long as you stick to the ratio

½ cup chopped Artichoke Hearts

¼ cup Slice Green Olives

¼ cup Sliced Black Olives

2 tablespoons of Chopped Chives

2 to 3 tablespoons of Pesto

¼ cup Salsa (red or green)

Sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning

Lemon Pepper (instead of salt and pepper)

When surveyed, people on the interweb like this in their quiche.

Purple Onion, Spinach, Goat Cheese

Basil, Smoked Gouda, New Potatoes 

Caramelized Onions, Ham, Asparagus

Roasted Red Peppers, Mushrooms, Spinach

Artichoke Hearts, Feta, Greek Olives

[waitineedaname]

I was thinking about the trope of characters gaining weight to indicate healing/character growth, and I realized how well that would fit Shen Qingqiu

Qing Jing Peak's food is apparently bland, and I doubt Shen Jiu was eating for the joy of it. He probably only ate enough to keep himself alive and supplemented it with inedia, so the guy was probably pretty gaunt under all those layers of robes. Then Shen Yuan shows up and in very quick succession gets a fantasy chronic illness and access to The Protagonist's Cooking™️ and gets to live a pretty spoiled life for several years. He probably keeps himself relatively fit to retain the peak lord image, but he definitely gains some weight in the years following his transmigration. His face filling out probably worked wonders when it comes to softening his image compared to Shen Jiu's rather severe presence. Luo Binghe, with his trauma with regards to food insecurity, probably thrived getting to see his Shizun looking well fed and healthy

And then the Immortal Alliance Conference and everything that came after it. As much as he'd like to deny it, he is fucking Depressed™️ after all that. What's the point of eating Qing Jing's bland food when he doesn't have the protagonist's cooking anymore? So he returns to Shen Jiu's pattern of inedia

Can you imagine how Luo Binghe felt seeing how skinny his Shizun became in his absence? And of course, that gaunt version of Shen Qingqiu is the one whose corpse he preserved for five years, stuck in that hungry state. It doesn't escape me that he was always bringing a meal to corpsezun's bedside so on the off chance that he came back, the first thing he could do was eat Binghe's cooking

Basically what I'm saying is if you compare post-canon bingqiu to their PIDW counterparts, the most striking difference on first glance is that Bingge and Shen Jiu are skinny and rangy and miserable, and Bingmei and Shen Yuan are happy and healthy and well fed

[hasello]

Baby Blue (24/25)

first/previous/next

"Leo actually cries. They both probably do, although he's not even sure. He's hugging his dad and nothing else matters." - here's my notes for these pages, because I feel they have a special vibe to them, which I just couldn't put into the comic.

[nelkcats]

Danny's Pizzeria

Ghosts get bored, a lot, and sometimes even Ghost Kings get ideas from their videogames in childhood. So, when Lunch Lady commented that she didn't have enough ingredients to cook for a "half human" (read, him) the halfa traveled to another dimension and gave them to her without much trouble.

Then Lunch said that she wanted to experiment, and he got her new ingredients, from all possible places (always asking Clockwork if it really was edible).

The funny thing was that several ghosts wanted to try the new "pizza" flavors that the King had been enjoying. So he just opened a pizzeria in the Realms. The thing is, the ingredients cost money, and while he could pawn the gold from the vault, Clockwork told him that he shouldn't leave "haunted" materials everywhere.

So he just expanded his pizzeria to various dimensions. The menu sounded strange anywhere outside of the Realms, with the most exotic ingredients. But he needed money, and it was the simplest way that didn't include bewitching an unsuspecting poor man.

Of course he, along with other ghosts made the deliveries (it depended on who wanted to travel, mostly Johnny and Kitty). Pizzerias just popped up at any moment before disappearing (even though his business was doing fine online) simply because he thought disappearing buildings was fun.

No wonder Billy Batson freaked out when he noticed the pizzeria next to the Rock of Eternity. That John Constantine fainted when he saw it next to the House of Mystery or that the Watchtower investigated the establishment that had appeared on the Moon (Of course, Flash ordered). But hey, the ghost king need some kind of entertainment.

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

oh heck yeah i'm ALL here for this

[konkonkokon]

I woke up realising I'm an artist and can make all the cute RNM I want and what I want is this man on my phone. STAT!

[aanalytic]

happy The Gang Tends Bar day, y’all!!

individual versions of each card, for your Valentine purposes, below the cut :,)

[approximately-32-leafcutter-ants]

making soup at 10pm

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Oh, a new TADC episode. Why didn't I get notified? Eh, whatever. Can't wait to watch-

GOOSE WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO MY HEART

[breawycker]

It's 4:36 AM and I can't sleep so I'm just gonna post this dumb wenclair thing I just came up with when I was trying to fall asleep.

Okay so like when Enid comes back after they have that falling out Wednesday says “Thing missed you” and Enid replies “I missed him too.” Cause like they can't express their feelings for each other because they're scared so they use Thing as a proxy and in the end they're like “Thing loves you” or “Thing says he loves you” and then Enid is like “I love him too” and they kiss because they know exactly what they mean and Thing is just completely confused. Like Wednesday will say “Thing says you look nice today” and Enid will be like “tell him thank you” or Enid will be like “Thing says your cello playing is beautiful” and as it keeps up they realize that the other feels the same as they do. Like they slowly escalate it until we reach that kiss.

Here's an example I came up with:

Wednesday: Thing says you look nice today

Enid: what else does Thing think about me?

Wednesday: he thinks you're too good for that brainless stoner, Ajax.

Enid: Really. Does he have any other boyfriends in mind?

Wednesday: he wonders if it has to be a “boy"friend 

Enid: tell him I'm open to other suggestions 

Wednesday: he wonders perhaps another girl?

Enid: does he have a girl in mind?

Wednesday: he does but he wonders if she'd be good enough for you. He thinks you're special for some reason. 

Enid: perhaps he should tell this girl to meet me in the cemetery tonight at 8

Wednesday: he says that's perfect grave digging time

Enid: well I was hoping for a picnic too

Wednesday: he thinks that can be arranged as well

Enid: tell him it's a date

Wednesday: I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear.

Thing, signing: what are you two fucking talking about?

[calmdownandcook]

Calm Down and Cook Every Single Meatloaf

Basic meatloaf should be in everyone’s “recipes I know without looking up the actual recipe” collection. It opens the doorway to so much more and it strangely impresses everyone. Meatloaf is really just the evolution of Country Pâté (also known as Terrine De Campagne). Fancy! It is also the dish I order to judge the quality of a diner (just like I judge Mexican restaurants by their salsa). But Meatloaf is also something so easy to make at home. A meatloaf dinner also sets the stage for a meatloaf sandwich the next day, and who doesn’t love that? Meatloaf can even evolve into meatballs and then into Swedish Meatballs (so you don’t have to find yourself an Ikea).

Meatloaf can be made from almost any ground meat, eggs, and a few breadcrumbs. The seasoning can be any flavor profile or nationality that is ringing your bells at the moment. There was a trend of packaged dry Onion Soup mix instead of salt and pepper. Still a traditional and solid option. I think everyone has a packet of taco seasoning in the back of their spice cabinet, perfect time to use it. Meatloaf can be served hot or cold. It can be stuffed with almost anything, from cheese to pickles, to asparagus. Your friends will think you won the James Beard Award for Best Chef. Don’t be afraid. You’re in charge, not the meatloaf. Meat “loaf” can be done in a loaf pan or, if you prefer the crispy outside bits, shape it free form on a baking dish in an oval shape. I can remember my Mom once forming a meatloaf in a heart shape on Valentine's Day. I thought she was a magician. 

This is what meatloaf can do for you. What can you do for meatloaf? Here is a basic recipe that can be used as a springboard for endless variations. 

Basic Meatloaf

2 pounds ground meat.

1 egg

½ small onion (finely chopped)

3/4 cup milk

1 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of Salt 

½ teaspoon of pepper 

½ cup of Any BBQ sauce

Instructions:

Let's start with the base. Combine all the ingredients except the BBQ sauce in a large bowl. Mix until it is evenly combined, this is your meatloaf base, your basic meatloaf. Shape the mixture into an oval loaf on a greased baking pan or in a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven, spread the BBQ sauce all over the top, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until fully cooked (check to ensure internal temp is 165°F). Total cooking time will be about 60 minutes whether you are using the BBQ sauce or not. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Now, let's have fun and start coloring outside the lines:

First, why BBQ sauce? If you’re not in the mood it can be swapped out for ketchup, or sweet chili sauce, or eliminate that step completely. Not a big deal.

A basic meatloaf with 2 pounds of meat should serve 8 people. In reality, I think, it serves 6 but you should have in your head that it will serve 4 people because you are a normal human being and are going to want to have meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. 

Any ground meat will work so look in your freezer. You can use 100% ground beef or go with the classic combination of beef, pork, and veal. If you struggle with veal that's Ok. Skip it and use 50% beef and 50% pork. On the other extreme, venison is also a tasty choice and gives a slightly gamey taste. If you want to try 100% ground pork here’s a tasty idea: stir in ½ of a finely chopped apple into the meatloaf base. Just remember, you’ll need a total of 2 pounds of meat. But this can be plus or minus. 2 ½ pounds is fine, just remember you will need another 15 minutes of cooking. The same goes with using only 1 ½ pounds of meat. The cooking time will be about 15 minutes less. Check the internal temperature with a thermometer and look for 165 degrees. Kitchen thermometers are a lot more accessible, affordable, and a solid purchase. They are a great tool to have and will give you the confidence to experiment with basic recipes.

If you decide to use ground Chicken or Turkey you will see that it is “wetter” than other ground meat so you will want to increase your breadcrumbs to a total of 1½ cups. Chicken and Turkey can also be very lean. A good solution for this is to lay a few slices of bacon across the top (also, because it’s bacon) as this will add fat and flavor, a couple of pats of butter along the top works nicely too.

Herbs: fresh or dried. Do you have a favorite herb? A teaspoon of dried or a tablespoon of chopped fresh is a great way to experiment with taste. Something as simple as chives and parsley will go a long way to flavoring your base. If you are using ground lamb, try rosemary.

Of course store bought breadcrumbs can also be replaced with homemade crumbs from leftover stale bread (I do not throw things away lightly). Tear the stale bread into 2-inch chunks and pulse in a food processor. “Pulse” is when you turn your processor on and off several times so you can really chop something up finely without it turning into a paste. Make a bunch of crumbs all at once and freeze the leftovers for another use.

If you only have “Italian” breadcrumbs then, maybe skip the salt because that comes already salted. Are you all about the Italian-flavored bread crumbs? Try adding flavors that will enhance that profile. A little dried oregano, garlic powder, crushed garlic, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes are great. Any or all of these can work. A ½ teaspoon of each work but you go with your intuition, you can add more or less. Parmesan cheese (up to ½ cup) is an easy addition if you have some lurking in the back of your fridge.

Now, open your horizons and truly look around your kitchen. Do you have any vegetables that are moments away from the compost pile? Chopped them up well. They can go in the meatloaf base and stretch the dish in a very inexpensive way (just don’t use more than 25% chopped vegetables in the mix. If you do, the meat will lose its ability to hold its shape and the loaf falls apart.). My Mom would do this with sad floppy carrots, celery, and mushrooms. These all work well and add to the flavor.

Next, stuffed meatloaf. If you go this route, you are going to want to add 10 minutes to the initial cooking time and make it 55 minutes. Take about  ⅔  of whatever meatloaf base you decide to make and lay it on your baking sheet or loaf pan (whatever you are using). Form a trough (trench, channel, hollow) down the middle with your fingertips. Spoon in your filling and then use the remaining ⅓ of your base to close it up. Once this is done, dip your hands in some cold water and smooth and close any openings the loaf might have. You can fill your meatloaf with whatever you fancy. A good way to start is 4 to 5 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry. Spinach can be combined with any cheese (mozzarella is fun). Try sauteed mushrooms and green peppers. Go crazy, use corn mixed with a couple of spoonfuls of salsa, and call it “Southwestern”. A row of peeled hard-boiled eggs would be very French. Serve while wearing a beret. A stuffed meatloaf has so many possibilities, no one is stopping you and will earn you endless accolades.

Tiny Little Balls of Meatloaf or as I call them - Meatballs.

Take your same basic meatloaf base and shape the mixture into 1½ inch size balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. You can line the cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. If your base mixture feels too wet to shape nicely, add a couple of tablespoons more of breadcrumbs.  These can be served on pasta with any sauce you enjoy. Premade, store-bought brown gravy has a place in this world and combined with meatballs and served on egg noodles is a guilty pleasure of mine. If you stir a little Dijon mustard and sour cream into the brown gravy you are very close to a Swedish meatball. Serve them with a scoop of lingonberry jam and pretend you are Swedish. There’s always a meatball sub to be made with those meatballs (also a grinder, hoagie, or hero) and they freeze well.

Meatloaf is an excellent basic recipe and can be adapted once you have the confidence. What are you craving? Would it fit into a meatloaf? Did you want to sneak vegetables into your family's diet? You can do this. Remember the meatloaf police aren’t at your door.

[it-wasntaphase]

guys what have dnp been eating lately because everyday i wake up to another major development and i can’t handle this much longer

[strawberrystepmom]

Kendall :(((( mid-forties husband gojo who still teases & flirts with you each day :((( never looses his boyish charm :((((

meeting up with the kids who are now fully grown with their own lives and dreams and children (some of them!) and they’re like he looks at you the exact same way he did back then :((((((((((((( what if I perish

[hemaris]

that soup post has bewitched me body and soul now i can't stop thinking about soup i wanna make soup soooooo bad. at midnight

[ardentpoop]

we cry because your “legitimate votes” (absolutely bizarre concern) are indicative of an audience with astoundingly shit taste and even more shit media literacy hope this clears things up for you

if I could completely block out everything the broader fandom had to say abt any of these characters I’d do it in a heartbeat but unfortunately the whole structure is rotten

[windlullaby-arts]

Seeing both jjk and mha leaks back to back today made my cry so hard for very different reasons