masterandhisboy81

[trendynewsnow]

Crispy Gnocchi: A Delicious Twist on Comfort Food

Crispy Gnocchi: A Tasty Transformation Hello! It’s Ali stepping in for Emily Weinstein this week. Today, I want to share a delightful take on a beloved comfort food that has taken the culinary world by storm: crispy gnocchi. As one astute commenter, Susan Ford, aptly noted, crispy gnocchi are essentially the gourmet version of tater tots. When prepared with care, the shelf-stable, store-bought…

[notbecauseofvictories]

the thing is, there’s nothing that resonates in my soul quite like feeding someone.

[tenrosedyke]

I got off work when the sun is still out, it is +5 degrees- a little crisp in the air but being outdoors is still enjoyable, my apartment is freshly deep cleaned, and I just spent $30 at the grocery store and I got everything I need to meal prep three different kinds of soup and bake fresh bread tonight. love is real

[starb0n3]

TEEN IN A TIM BURTON MOVIE DIET 🦴🌫️

(inspired by @honeysugarfree)

.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆

You wake up with one thing on your mind: going out for a walk in the woods. But you can’t. You’re a teenager who has school, and your parents would kill you if you skipped school.

It’s too early to eat anything. Pass the time playing with your cat or simply reading by the window as the sun rises.

School is so boring when all you’re craving is a nice cup of warm soup or hot chocolate prepared by your mum. Whatever, you’ll suffer in silence and snack on whatever fruits you threw into your bag this morning.✧˖°.☾

For lunch, you’ll have leftovers from yesterday. roasted/baked/boiled veggies accompanied by rice or wheat. you don’t eat it all; it’s cold, and not that nice at all… Maybe your parents packed you a sandwich instead? make sure you don’t eat the crusts, though. they’re the worst part.

If you’re lucky, you might’ve even added one of your bakes as dessert (low cal pastry/cookie), or a small yoghurt. if you didn’t, don’t fret. your parent didn’t forget to include a fruit or veggie for health.

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬

Back home at last — not before you went on a small walk, though. your parents were worried about where you’d gone off too again, and you’re greeted by a warm broth/soup, or some more baked veggies.

you don’t finish your plate unless your walk was very tiring. you’re too eager to finish that book you started!

Once in a while, you might be allowed a piece of cake or some hot chocolate. not everyday, though. that would be bad for your teeth!

End the day with a cup of tea, reading under a warm blanket with a piece of your favourite chocolate or sweet. 🍂☕️🐈‍⬛

MEAL IDEAS I LOVE:

Chickpeas in tomato sauce with rice

Whole bread sandwich without the crust: tomato, cheese and cucumber (ham if you want, i’m vegetarian c:)

Ratatouille or Shakshuka with wheat/bulgur

Apple sauce cookies (i can share a good recipe if you want)

Pasta/zucchini gratin

Lasagna (spinach or veggies with tomato sauce - or mince, once again, i’m vegetarian)

potatoes (sweet is even better) with broccoli

Mushrooms with bread

Tomato salad (vinegar, herbs, olive oil)

Lentil/corn cakes with cream cheese

Pumpkin pie

Vegetable broth (or chicken) with vegetable dices

Potato soup

Tomato orzo soup

Mashed potatoes with lentils

Lentil soup

Beetroot (it’s so good even on it own)

REMEMBER!

You always prefer ‘halloween’ themed pastries — involving apples, pumpkin, carrots…

Eating isn’t a bother, you’re just a slow eater. don’t hesitate to share your love for sweets, while keeping consummation low.

You get tired of veggies so much! never finish a meal you don’t like.

Your favourite candy is liquorice, and most halloween themed ones like acorn or hard candy

Keep the chocolate low. it’s too heavy and nauseating!

If you must, have a piece of nutella/peanut butter and jelly toast, oats, or milk with fruits in the morning. i promise it’s much better than those ‘healthy’ alternatives (makes you satisfies and low calorie if you only have one)

No crisps — they’re too oily and dirty your books. Pop corn is so much better (and lower in cols) — caramel or pumpkin spice is a staple!

Cinnamon on apples… the best treat!

If you ever eat out with family, eat only a third of the meal and get the rest to pack. it’s so good you want to make it last!!

Bake and cook as much as you can! This will make your parents understand what you like, and not push to make you eat those gross overly fat foods.

Try to stay under 1,000 kcals, but don’t count calories obsessively. keep portions small and always leave a third of your plate.

Have fun!

(i’ll make a moodboard with meals etc, i hope you enjoy!)

[r11k4]

mineFirework~

• caption; Bakugou Katsuki, the new most important hero in the world, had created everything, he owned everything, he could get everything he wanted, but if there was one thing missing in his life, it was definitely you... he couldn't stop thinking about you, but he couldn't tolerate the fact that you had separated from him because of a fucking argument, but he would have done anything to get you back into his life. ( BK pro hero x female stylist ) 18+

• warnings; characters are adults (age up) presence of sex (nothing too aggressive, in fact it's very passionate and very sloppy sex) [car sex, no protections, presence of alcoholic beverages, little toxic relationship] and vulgar language (obviously only because Bakugou is there, obviously) and especially English it’s not my first language… so I apologize for many grammatical errors.

every night when he came home from some mission, he felt a huge void in his chest, more precisely in his heart, but he would never admit it out loud that he missed you, he was definitely too proud for that.

but fuck, he would be a liar, when he came home he loved the way you welcomed him, how you hugged him or kissed him, your tiny body against his, shit, even your delicious caramel scent, he missed any little thing about you, he wanted you back… so bad.

you couldn't imagine, how many times he masturbated trying to somehow calm down, but it was never enough, his touch was nothing compared to yours… he wanted you to touch him… again.

many women, since you separated from Bakugou, many of them tried with him hoping to have a chance, but they weren't you, no one could take your place, because fuck, he may be proud, but he loved you madly, you were the his light, his glycerine... only you made him explode with love... you were everything he was looking for… just you.

he tried many times to call you, or simply to send you a message, but you never answered him, he was totally desperate and furious with himself… he had even asked the broccoli boy, Deku, for advice, what he proposed was to simply go straight to see you at home, but just the thought of doing it, Bakugou honestly, didn't have the balls to do it, and that pissed him off badly... he had a fucking fear that you had rejected him...

When one day, while he was drinking whiskey on the sofa in front of his window, showing the whole city, looking at the view he thought of all the memories he had had with you, the caresses, the kisses, but also the sex, in front of this beautiful sight... he was going crazy because of you... at a certain point, he hear the sound of a message coming from Katsuki's phone, he hoped with all his heart it was you, but in reality it was shitty hair, Kirishima, who told him if he would come to the heroes' ball, a simple party to wish a new beginning to the new heroes and especially to the end of Shigaraki, one of the most powerful villains… at first Bakugou wanted to say no, that he didn't give a shit, when then he drastically changed his mind, surely you would have been present there too... he only had one chance to get you again…

• Bakugou's point of view

when I finally arrived at that party full of useless extras, I felt absolutely nothing, on the contrary, they all pissed me off, they all had such fake faces, if only I could I would have kicked everyone's ass.

but despite this, my aim became stronger and stronger, I always tried to look for you in the crowd, hoping to see you among all these nonentity extras, but of you, no trace, and I was so furious about this.

to distract myself I decide to go have a drink with shitty hair, Kirishima, hoping to clear my thoughts, when at a certain point, I hear the music starting, I see a lot of confusion, many people rubbing each other, I turn my gaze and finally there you are … in all your sweetness, you were there, in front of me… and you were the most beautiful of all in this fucking place.

kirishima gives me a light punch on the arm, indicating that I had to go and talk to you, for once, I comply with him and come towards you with caution, so that you don't run away from me…

“Katsuki…?”

“Hey baby…”

“Don’t call me that…”

“Please… I want to apologize, I know that I was a fucking idiot… I can’t stay away from you-“

“Katsuki, you hurt me”

“Baby…please”

in response, you moved away from me, running towards the front door, but I was stubborn, so I start to followed you, with the hope of talking to you again.

you were about to take a taxi, but you fail because I take your arm, then making you turn towards me and hug you tightly, so as to give you no chance of escape.

“Let me go! Right now!” while you punch my toned chest…

“no I won't leave you, until we make things right between us”

“How can I forgive you after everything you've done? you will never change!”

“This time I've changed... believe me, being away from you after all this time has made me think, please... let's try again damn it…”

you don't answer anything, I only hear so many sobs and tears from you, I hated seeing you like this, especially because of me and I was an idiot for how I treated you... but in my heart I know that I have changed, I would have done anything to prove it to you… to try to calm you down I bring you closer to me, closer to my chest and I hug you, making my big arms wrap around you, and finally I could smell your caramel scent again, but above all I loved the feeling of your body against the my… everything was perfect.

“shh… baby, i know that you are upset with me… but I promise… I’m different this time… trust me”

“I am afraid… I-I don’t know…”

“I know baby, but you don't have to be afraid, I will always protect you, this time will be different... give me a chance to prove it to you...”

hearing my words, you remain silent and slowly lean on my chest, almost uncertain, but you do it, and then you hug me, there was a great moment of peace between us when you say to break the silence;

“OK, this time… I forgive you”

“Can I kiss you baby? I miss you…”

you move away from me a little, look me in the eyes and nod your head, indicating that I could kiss you, I grin and take your face, as if you were a tiny porcelain doll, and kiss you, with so much delicacy, that I didn't even know I had it in my body... but after all, it was always you who made me like this, fragile and vulnerable for you.

“Do you want a ride home? I can accompany you... I don't want you to go around alone at night"

“awww katsu, I really missed this sweet side of you~”

“shut up you idiot! I swear I won't be sweet anymore if you continue to tease me!”

faced with my reaction, you started laughing and I couldn't help but smile, I was so happy to see you smiling so much just because of me, but above all I was happy because you were with me again, I couldn't ask for anything better.

after this, we set off in my car towards my house, precisely wanting you to stay with me for the night... and maybe even forever, but this had to be taken calmly, I had to have all your trust back otherwise mine plan would never have worked… while we were stopped in front of a traffic light, I feel you touch my hand, where mine was resting on the gear shift, I turn towards you to look at you and you were already observing me carefully, but I saw something else in your eyes... a sexual fire was growing, I could visibly see that you wanted me… and I wanted you too.

the traffic light turns green, I was about to move forward when I change direction, you look at me with a confused face but I smile at you, we stop towards the parking lot of a park, exactly the park where we met for the first time when we were still teenagers…

“Katsuki… this place…”

“Yeah baby, It's the place where we kissed for the first time…”

you smile sweetly, and then look at me again with a sincere smile, our faces slowly get closer, our eyes don't leave each other, and finally we kiss again, but this time it was different, it was more desperate, more needy and more passionate…

“Katsu…”

“Shh babygirl… it’s okay”

I continue to kiss you, while I look for the zipper of your dress which I pull down without problems, while you unbutton the shirt I was wearing…

after which I detach myself from you, and then tell you to sit on my lap, so as to be closer, before doing so, you completely take off the dress you were wearing and then place it on the seat, finally I could see you naked before my eyes, you were wearing beautiful lace underwear... it looked amazing on you.

“Katsuki stop looking at me like that…”

“looking at you how?”

“you look at me… like you wanted to eat me… as if I were a meal…”

“It's not my fault you're so sexy baby”

after you sit on my lap, I take your hips tightly, moving you closer to my package to let you feel my reaction, in front of this, a strangled moan escapes you and I instinctively pull your hair slightly, without wanting to hurt you…

“you missed this right?”

“yes Katsuki… I miss this, I miss you”

“Yeah, that is fucking right… only I can make you horny, only I have the pleasure of touching this pussy right?”

“yes! Just you Katsu…”

faced with your plea, I couldn't hold back any longer, in less than 5 seconds I had already ripped off your underwear and thrown it behind the back seats, you were a breathless sight for my eyes, I instinctively lick my lips, ready to enjoy my dessert, as if I were a small prey…

after which you unbutton the last button of my shirt, you slowly start to caress my chest, admiring my pectorals and muscles of my body, I spontaneously grin and close my eyes, enjoying your light sweet and sexual touches, when then your little hand goes down more and more, stopping at the zipper of my trousers, you lower it completely looking at me, in front of this I say smiling mockingly;

“Tch… you little… stop teasing me woman, or something will happen…”

an unexpected moan comes out of me, your hand slipped inside my boxers, you started moving my erection with small but fast movements, when you wanted, you knew how to be a real little slut, and this side of you, always loved madly.

I, on the other hand, decide to behave in the same way as you, I slide my hand towards your little pussy, already very needy and wet, starting to touch you without any mercy, I make circular movements on your swollen clitoris, instinctively you respond, making a sigh of relief of excitement.

“Katsu… please, more”

“thc, how impatient and rude you are, you are so needy… tell me… while we were separated did you fuck anyone else?” I say this, looking at you carefully, with a fierce look.

“N-no! Never! no one can make me feel good! only you!”

“Tch, just what I thought, you belong to me baby… and you know it too well right?”

“P-please! Yes! I'm only yours!”

“come on baby, beg for me to fill you with my cock… I know you can do it for me… show me how good you are…”

“P-please I begging you! make me feel me good!”

“you're so pathetic...but so sexy at the same time...how can I say no?”

not waiting for anything else, I open your legs and bring you closer to me, more precisely to your little pussy on my cock, I slowly position you, calmly entering you, starting with gentle thrusts… every thrust becomes faster and more forced, I could visibly notice that you could no longer maintain control, so I take your hips pounding your pussy, you hug me, surrounding my neck and sometimes kissing my face.

“P-please…”

“what's wrong baby? are you going to cum for me? come on sweet girl, do it…”

your sweet walls, they squeeze my cock, almost forcing me to never leave, to stay there forever, but after all, it was like this, and it would always be like this, you and I were connected, despite everything we had been through, it was impossible detach ourselves, because love is stronger more than anything... right?

[foodffs]

General Tso’s Tofu General Tso’s Tofu features crispy caramelized tofu bites with tender broccoli rabe in a tangy savory sweet sticky sauce. Learn how to make extra crispy tofu with the minimum oil and time without deep frying, plus the best General Tso sauce! {Vegan, Gluten-free}

Recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/general-tso-tofu/

[aloysiavirgata]

Fisher King prompt: dark crescendoing to light. Daniel Waterson and his baggage come back into her now-married life; maybe by way of the autopsy table. A dark case comes across Mulder’s desk. You pick. A happy surprise at the end to bring them both out of it?

Thanks, lady.

It is the dead nurse that catches his attention. Two days back from his honeymoon, attaboys and filthy jokes and cigars and a stack of manila folders on his dust-rimed desk.

Pendrell whistles when he sees Mulder, makes a predictable playing-doctor joke. He leers as though it obscures the soulful puppy wetness of his face. As though he hasn’t noticed Dana at crime scenes before, the autumn bonfire of her hair. Her tourmaline eyes.

Mulder thumbs the band on his left ring finger, spins it a little in the cool morning light. Flips them all off with good-natured grouchiness as he makes his way to the elevator. He thinks it might be fun to be an old man, to listen to the slap of his bedroom slippers on the grocery store linoleum.

The air in his office smells like cardboard boxes, like ghosts of lo mein and forgotten pizza. Copier toner. Pencil shavings.

His wife says, “Honestly, Mulder,” and makes chicken sandwiches from dinner leftovers, makes him salads with salmon and almonds and avocados and says he needs to gain eight pounds. He’s taken to her demands like a stray cat adjusting to life indoors. He’s growing glossy and sleek, full of essential amino acids.

Full of life.

***

There is no congestion in any of the organs. No petechiae in her eyes, no blood clots in the fragile slices of brain. Lips, mouth, esophagus free of corrosion, not an aneurysm the size of a poppy seed. The bruises and claw marks on her gray throat are her own doing. There are over a dozen witnesses.

Her nails are clotted with her own crumpled skin.

Dana pokes her finger into the aorta, sniffs the dead, butcher-shop air of Ludovica’s mouth. She prods at the lungs and hunts for lesions and surfactant. The nurse’s stomach contains a half-digested bagel and tuna salad. The muscular walls are in the very pink of health. She has lungs like freshly chewed bubblegum.

Dana huffs a strand of hair off her lip. She does not want to call him.

***

“What killed her?” Mulder asks, around a mouthful leftover quiche. God it’s good. She caramelized the onions, used two semesters of organic chemistry on the pastry and can declaim on the Maillard Reaction in a voice fit for Showtime.

“I’m working on it,” his wife says, brisk. “Thus far it seems to be nothing, which is a bit of a problem, medically speaking.”

“How embarrassing,” Mulder says, hunting around for another chunk of broccoli. “To die of nothing. You talk to this Waterston chappie yet?

Silence.

“Dr. Scully?”

A sigh.

Mulder’s brow furrows. “Dana Katherine, what gives?”

She sighs again. “You remember that med school professor I told you about? Funny story…”

***

He gazes at her the way tourists gawp at the Mona Lisa; not with a particular appreciation, just a bit awed that they can check it off their bucket lists.

Twice, for Daniel. A certain chumminess. A hint of inside jokes and favorite restaurants and that-lovely-inn-we-stayed-at. Of possessiveness. Territoriality.

Mulder shakes his head, just a twitch. Just enough to clear Daniel’s smug carnal knowledge of his wife away. Mulder’s fucked people’s daughters as well. People’s wives. There was one at Oxford, Honora, her husband a full professor and he -

Mulder doesn’t say this. He doesn’t say anything as Daniel stares at his Rossetti wife, undoubtedly thinks about the determined twitch of her twenty-one year old ponytail and her scuffed Keds and her slipshod Navy brat graces and her body like Artemis bathing by moonlight.

But Daniel’s alone and Mulder isn’t.

Dana isn’t alone either because, against all reason and karma, she’s married him, married Fox Mulder, like it was an absolutely sane thing to do, and her family simply went along with it.

“Tell me what you saw,” says Mulder, with the gentle absolution of a priest. “No judgement here,” he lies. She was hardly more than a girl, she was an innocent, she trusted you, you fucking asshole, you predator, you-

Daniel looks at Dana. Looks down at his surgeon’s hands. No ring on any of his fingers.

Daniel closes his eyes and looks at nothing.

“We began a midline sternotomy, absolutely routine, Suddenly Ludovica - Nurse Giordano - grabbed her throat and said she couldn’t breathe. She…she screamed Diavola! Said there was sulfur, said it was mustard gas, but none of the rest of us smelled a damn thing. But she was thrashing on the floor of the OR and our patient was-“

He looks around then, catches Dana’s eye, shyness in his expression. Shyness in his fatherly face. Dana had looked up at it for approval, no doubt. In what she probably thought was passion. Maybe even love.

Dana nods encouragingly and Mulder feels it then, the weight of years. He understands in that moment that time really is the fourth dimension; that it has a hot, heavy plasticity into which you can sink. He understands the realness of an event horizon, that they are all being pulled towards the unfinished thing between Daniel and his wife, Ludovica Giordano’s corpse included.

His wife was a physics major, his wife rewrote Einstein with the ebullient narcissism of the young.

He understands that his wife and Daniel speak the same primal, arcane language of science. He is a lowly psychologist, the major you pick when you can’t get into dental school but still want to Help Others.

Kepler’s Third Law tells us that intensity equals the inverse of the square of the distance from the source.

And he’s brought Daniel back into her orbit.

***

“I can’t believe you fucked him,” Mulder gasps into her tender seashell ear. An inch from her extraordinary brain.

“I was a child,” she hisses back. “Essentially. Don’t stop, Christ, don’t - I was a child, I-“

She was, she was, she was Eos newly born, she was radiant and young, she was Persephone to Daniel’s Hades, she was fresh milk at Ostara, and a sunrise over the Atlantic.

“Did you love him?”

Her thighs so taut and pale and quivering. Her wedding dress, her misty veil. Her palimpsest skin, on which he can rewrite himself.

“I thought I did but but it wasn’t this, it was never this, it was never you, I-“

Mulder comes in her, groaning, feels the tiniest sting of shame at how good it is to reclaim her from this other man.

***

“Dana,” Daniel says, heavy-tongued for Mulder’s consecrated, Catholic wife. He is hard; he shifts in the uncomfortable chair.

Mulder knows and Dana knows and the air is thick with this knowledge but strangely not unpleasant. The air is July just before a thunderstorm. The air is dense and verging. Primal, fecund, cataclysmic.

Hot.

Green.

Alive.

The air tastes like a 9-volt battery. He wants to put a baby into his wife.

“You were there,” Mulder says, his buckskin hands woven and laced. “What did you see?”

Daniel looks at Dana, Daniel is here for Dana, because he believes she is cold and lonely and alone in the way of the outer planets. He still thinks only he can warm her.

(He doesn’t know, Daniel, not really, that there is a solid core beneath the icy mist.)

She’s too distant and abstruse and Daniel doesn’t know.

***

Daniel smirks at Mulder, this old man who felt briefly alive in the hot juncture of his wife’s thighs; smirks as though he’s done anything real at all. They view the human heart so differently, he and Daniel.

Dana - Dr. Scully - rests her palms against her sharp tweed knee. She only wants to know what stops any human heart from beating. What shuts the brain down, from prefrontal cortex in a cascade to the lowly lizard stem.

“What did you see, Daniel?” She is poised and tensed. She is waiting. She is untouchable.

Mulder - Fox - is disarmed by the chill of her haughty face. Her Plutonian eyes are so very, very cold . So very, very far.

Ice could never be so warm.

***

“‘Maggie,” he breathes, into her amber light. Into her aura, in her husband’s office, after Mulder went out for their lunch order.

“No,” Dana says. “I don’t care. Tell me about the nurse.”

Daniel huffs. “I don’t know, it was nothing, Dana, Maggie said-“

“I don’t care,” Dana says, crisp. “I don’t care about your daughter. You certainly didn’t, when you brought me to your bed.

Daniel is appalled. “Dana, you were-“

“I know what I was,” she replies. “I knew what I was doing and I don’t regret it, not really. But I didn’t understand what you were, not then. And you should regret me, Daniel.”

He looks at her, his brows drawn.

He looks away, back through the years. Dana, all sharpened Ticonderogas and her mouth an unplucked apricot. Skin like fresh-churned butter.

“She was…she was gasping,” he says to the wall of of clippings. To the Flatwoods Monster and wendigos and little lost girls and stills from the Zapruder Footage. “She was clawing at her throat, she…diavola.”

Diavola.

Daniel looks at the ceiling. “She clawed her throat to ribbons,” he says. “She said our patient was full of demons, she said…” He shakes his head and looks at Dana again.

Dana knows. Dana has seen. Has read and wondered and wondered, considered the Gerasene demoniac in the synoptic gospels. Tooms at her belly on the chilly tile of her bathroom…

It will do no good. Whatever her husband says, the truth is not always a panacea. The patient has lived and Ludovica has died and all anyone wants is official paper with Dana’s name at the bottom.

A reckoning, now. A choice.

“Anaphylaxis?” Dana murmurs, in the perfume and cashmere of a different rich man’s wife. She puts a little throatiness in her voice now, like she did after Dr. Waterston spoke to her in private about Starling’s Law. She can give him this. She can give Ludovica’s family this.

Diavola.

Mulder is right, Mulder is almost always right. But Mulder is right in his own time and Ludovica’s family needs her home.

Daniel catches the lifeline she throws, grateful.

Humbled.

Daniel, when his gaze returns, is a bit smaller in her eyes. “Yes,” he says. “It must have been.”

***

They’re eating dinner at the Peruvian chicken place on the corner because Dana is hollow and Mulder has moderately weaponized his own culinary incompetence.

“Ansel died today,” she says, poking at her rice.

Mulder nearly chokes on a mouthful of black beans. “What?!”

“Died. Massive coronary at his desk. Dead within seconds.”

Mulder gapes. Ansel Jordan, Chief Medical Examiner in DC; the alpha and omega of the unexpectedly dead in the District. “He ran marathons.”

Dana nods into the middle distance. “He ran marathons. He had a treadmill in his office. He was 57 and he was my boss and I split his chest apart with a Stryker before his body had even cooled this morning. My god, I forgot what warm tissue feels like.”

She looks up with her wide, delphinium eyes. “They asked me, Mulder.”

They asked? He is appalled. “They asked you to autopsy him? That’s really fu-“

She shakes her head. “No, nobody asked me that. No one would ever. I volunteered, it was the right thing to do, for my colleagues. For Ansel. We were hardly close but I had tremendous respect for the man.”

Ansel was a runner. He ate well and drank in moderation. He cared for his body like a classic car; starting to slow down but with lots of miles left.

The human body is strange and unpredictable.

“Are you okay?” How do you cut open a man you know? He cannot believe she didn’t call this morning but also of course she didn’t call this morning. She is an eternal riddle, a beautiful enigma.

“I’m surprisingly fine,” she says. “I mean, it’s horrible and pointless and tragic. But the process of an autopsy…it soothed me. I knew what to do and there was a…a checklist.”

He smiles, soft. “You’re always a doctor first.”

Dana shrugs, fluid and dismissive. “I guess.”

He realizes then, awed. Adoring. “They want you to… to step in, to be Chief. Dana, that’s incredible, that’s a huge honor. I’m sorry it’s come at the cost of Ansel, but Christ. It’s tremendous.”

He will never achieve this in his own career and is delighted that she can.

Dana nods slowly, a blush creeping up her fine, pale cheeks. She spears a plantain and examines it on the end of her fork. “It’s obviously not a formal offer yet, my god, he’s only just been released to the family, but yes. It’s tremendous.” She bites into the plantain.

He thinks back to that feeling of wanting a baby, wanting her to have it, and knows that the new Chief Medical Examiner of DC will have other pressures, other concerns.

She’s expressed interest in babies in a vague sort of way, but doesn’t want them like he does. Dana grew up with hand-me-downs and home haircuts and spaghetti the last week of every month. She knows that babies grow into scraped-kneed children who need lunch money and trombones and French tutors and football uniforms.

He’s rich enough for it all, for night nurses and nannies, but he knows her body is not a rental property. He wants a baby, he does, but he also doesn’t care if it means this for her. He doesn’t care if her star can rise.

“I love you,” he says, raising his plastic cup of horchata. “And I’m so goddamn sorry about Ansel.”

She lifts hers back, his wife, her old-master face and her slapdash smile. “Thank you,” she says, still pained. “And slaínte.”

“L’chaim,” he replies. To life.

[trekwiz]

Food Replicators: A Missed Opportunity

I was just thinking about how we see food replicators portrayed in Star Trek: people generally eat their "staples". It's even a way to offer "a bit of home" for traveling alien species--just download the appropriate culinary database and you're good to go.

But we haven't really seen the shows explore what happens to a cuisine once you introduce replicators.

Sure. You had a busy day at work so you come home to your go-to. We make a lot of quesadillas: they're low effort, and it's easy to get a lot of variety in the fillings. And yeah, if I had a replicator, I'm probably still going to eat quesadillas.

But I really love dumplings. Especially fried dumplings and soup dumplings. I can make fried dumplings. It's a lot of work and it never tastes anywhere near as good as restaurant dumplings. I get them maybe once a month or every other month.

But if I had a replicator? My diet would probably be mostly dumplings. That's only a slight exaggeration. I would probably eat them daily--and try a variety of recipes--some days for lunch, some for dinner. And I might even explore what breakfast dumplings would be like: would egg and bacon dumplings work?

If I had a replicator, my staple foods would be different from what my staples are in reality. Not drastically. But it would be noticeable.

I want to add one more layer of complexity, though. I'm imagining foods I know I enjoy, and removing the expense and effort from the equation. I can easily recognize how my food norms would change under those terms. Exploring that concept is interesting enough, but it doesn't really capture how deeply a replicator could affect cuisine.

Can replicators make impossible foods?

What completely unique thing could come out of a replicator that revolutionizes what we eat?

The premise of a replicator is that it doesn't cook food. It assembles molecules in the right sequence, at an appealing temperature. That would necessarily suggest something huge: cooking methods can be irrelevant.

Could you have soft, steamed broccoli stems, with a crisp sautéed floret still attached? Roasted Potatoes with an au gratin interior?

How many desserts with mutually exclusive bake times and methods could now be seamlessly combined together? Maybe a perfectly baked meringue inside a cake instead of on top?

You could probably have a literal creme brulee snack bar, with a crispy caramelized shell all around it, holding it together.

People would experiment. Which ones take off as a standard after dinner treat for local culture, and which ones are so fantastic that they become tomorrow's festival foods? Which ones spur "gross" eating competions? Will this affect food fights?

I feel like this would be an interesting side plot for a random food historian on the crew to geek out over.

[a-living-canvas]

Part 1, Part 2

Caramel Curls III

Fuzzy and distorted. 

Whumpee groaned softly. They opened their eyes, an arm wrapped around their waists in a firm grip. Whumpee's head was resting inside the crook of Whumper's neck, arms wrapped around it as their legs enveloped his waist. 

Why…would they be in such a position?

Whumper noticed Whumpee's small movement and he gently shushing them. "Hey…hey, go back to sleep, it's okay."

Whumpee let out a soft sigh, they looked up at Whumper with a groggy expression. Whumper was stirring the soup in the pot, he chuckled when he could feel their gazes on him. "What is it, baby? I asked you to sleep, right?"

But that's not what they wanted at the moment. They tried to squirm away, out of Whumper's arms. Pushing his chest away and unwrapping their legs from his waist. Whumper chuckled, watching as his little baby pulled away from him and tried to stand up on their own.

They failed.

Whumpee stumbled forward, their palms landing on the floor along with their knees. They closed their eyes tightly, trying to fight off the intense headache and drowsiness.

"You can't walk yet, baby."

Whumper simply said. He turned off the stove before wrapping his arms around Whumpee's waist, picking them up. 

"N-no…don't touch…!"

"Shh…"

Whumper brought them to the couch, laying them down as he walked to the kitchen to grab something. Whumpee groaned softly, shifting on the couch as they sat up and pulled their knees to their chests. 

Whumper returned again, holding a bowl of brocollies. He spooned one out and held it to Whumpee's lips. "Eat." He ordered. Whumpee grimaced, sealing their mouths shut. 

"Keep those…away from me…!"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad."

Whumper prodded the spoon a few times against Whumpee's lips, waiting for it to open. "Come on, come on. You gotta be a healthy baby for daddy."  Whumpee grumbled in frustration, swatting Whumper's hand away. They looked at him with annoyance on their faces.

"Stop bothering me!"

"Stop resisting me!"

Whumper held out the spoon again, tugging on Whumpee's bottom lip to force it open when they suddenly bit his thumb. Whumper winced in pain, pulling his finger away. He looked at Whumpee in disbelief.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

Whumper blew a soft wind on his thumb, eyeing Whumpee with a frown. He didn't like it when his baby was being naughty like this. Then, with a swift motion, Whumper picked up the bowl and ate a spoon of brocollies himself.

Whumpee just watched him eating as he chewed on the green thing before he…spat the content back to the bowl. Whumpee raised an eyebrow, a slight disgust appeared on their faces as the broccoli turned into a mushy soft thing, making them want to gag.

"What…are you doing?"

Whumpee asked cautiously, they started questioning Whumper's state of mind. The other only looked up at him with a smile. "Soften it for you to make it easier to eat."

Wha—

"You could just smash it with the spoon…!"

Whumper shrugged, playing dumb. "You are right. I could do that." He stirred the broccoli together, watching the little bubbles forming. "But I know you don't like normal things."

Whumper spread the substance across Whumpee's lips, watching as they froze with their wide eyes looking up at him. Truly a sight.

He grabbed their wrists, holding it in place as he said with a hint of amusement laced on his voice. "Oh, Whumpee. Your mouth is so dirty. Won't you clean it up?"

Whumpee's eyes widened a tad bit as they realised what Whumper wanted them to do.

Oh...Oh.

Slowly, they licked their lips, tasting the bitterness on their tongue as they locked eye contact with Whumper. Bubbling on the back of their throats, Whumpee could only think of one word,

...Gross.

~

@nothing-but-glitter-and-lashes @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @risk606 @heyyitsworld @htavin87 @jennyyy007 @electrons2006

[i-am-a-living-god]

You know what, I just made the best soup of my LIFE, I wrote out the recipe so I won't forget it, and now I'm posting it here.

Soup!

Either 2 small onions or 1 big onion. Slice in half and than chop lengthwise, do not dice!

Pour olive oil into pot, add onions and cook on low heat while you prepare the other ingredients.

First chop three medium size potatoes into small cubes. Set aside.

Chop the garlic, you don't have to mince it, you can just slice it or even cut em in half. I used 5 cloves, but adjust to taste.

Once the onions are caramelized (important!) add in the potatoes, followed by the garlic.

Slice a small (idk like the size of from the tip of your finger to the first knuckle?) piece of ginger, add to the pot and stir.

Chop colliflower stems and broccoli. (Add whatever vegetables you want tbh these are just the ones I had, carrots are good! But I didn't have any)

Add to pot and stir. In a bowl add in about 1 and a half spoons of chicken stock powder, and about a tsp and a half of baharat, a half tbs of cumin, a tbsp of paprika, a half tsp of sugar, a large pinch of salt, and a half tbs of tumeric. (Adjust to taste, and I didn't actually measure, these are just estimates.)

Pour in some hot water, a decent amount, and mix. Pour into pot, mix, and add in one can of chickpeas, (Drained ofc.)

Boil more water and add it.

Let boil for about and hour and a half, and surve with couscous or egg noodles.

Enjoy!

[kikuism]

top five things you’ve made in the kitchen recently!

yay i love sharing what i make!!

1) roasted eggplant lentil salad

low-key life changing??? i had no idea this combination could be so good. i'll do anything to eat more veggies and this is hands down my favorite way to do so. eggplant is already my favorite vegetable so i knew this was going to be a repeat dish for me. the flavorful lentils, garlic lemon dressing, caramelized eggplant + spinach and finely chopped tomato and a sprinkle of tangy feta = heaven

2) chicken manchurian

such a classic but for a long time it never worked out for me, i'd follow desi aunties on youtube and i'm sorryyyyy but i'm a stickler for measurements and when they start measuring '1 mug of flour' i'm like oh ! ok. then i found a recipe on a desi blog i've come to really trust (it's so refreshing to find a pakistani blog with gram measurements??? she knows what i need) and it turned out so good!!! the chicken finally came out super crispy and the sauce is to die for. my siblings always request this

3) spinach feta scrambled eggs

i don't have a pic of this help. and also technically it should be an omelette but my nonstick pan has basically lost all its nonstick ability so i just make scrambled eggs instead. i finely chop a small onion and saute it, add spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme and top it with feta it's sooooo good and so simple.

4) chicken puff pastries

this is another classic pakistani favorite and i used to make the traditional circle ones but ever since i found this recipe i've started making them into triangles bc it's sooooo much faster and no wastage. the buttery flaky pastry and succulent spiced chicken filling is to die for.....i will eat any pastry with any meat filling it's such a winning combination.

5) magic broccoli

does this count LOL it's sooooo good and when i made it i legit are half the pan on my own, something about the seasoning of olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper and parmesan cheese turned the humble broccoli into a divine food. the dark edges are my fave omg so crispy and the flavor is so concentrated. I LOVE ROASTED VEGETABLES

[kindahornydude]

Hungry Campers Pt. 1

Once upon a time, in a quaint little town, there lived a group of adventurous young men who were known for their love of camping and their insatiable appetites. They had been friends for as long as they could remember, and every summer, they embarked on a camping trip to explore the great outdoors. This year was no different. They packed their gear, tents, and, of course, a seemingly endless supply of snacks, and headed deep into the forest for their annual campout.

After a day of hiking and setting up their campsite, the group gathered around the crackling campfire. The air was filled with laughter and stories, and as the night sky blanketed the forest, they decided to sleep under the stars. The fresh forest air and the sound of the nearby stream created a peaceful lullaby that put them into a deep slumber.

But as the night progressed, something extraordinary happened. The campers began to stir, their senses awakening to the most enticing aroma they had ever experienced. It was as if a gourmet chef had prepared a banquet in the middle of the woods. Their eyes fluttered open, and they couldn't believe what they saw.

The forest had transformed into a magical land made entirely of food. Trees were colossal broccoli stalks, the river flowed with chocolate milk, and the ground was a soft, velvety carpet of mashed potatoes. The very air was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread. It was a food lover's paradise.

The young men couldn't contain their excitement. They jumped up and started exploring this edible wonderland. They plucked strawberries from the bushes, scooped handfuls of ice cream from the streams, and even nibbled on the marshmallow clouds that dotted the sky. Everything was delicious.

As they indulged in their culinary adventure, they soon realized that they weren't the only ones in this world. Playful candy creatures, gummy bears, and chocolate rabbits frolicked around them, joining in the fun. It was a joyful, surreal experience.

As they continued eating, they couldn't help but overindulge. Their stomachs started to round out, and they laughed about their growing bellies, teasing each other about their newfound "food babies." They kept eating, not realizing how full they were becoming, until their appetites finally started to wane.

Full and content, they decided to lie down in the fluffy whipped cream meadows, looking up at the starry caramel sky. It was there, under the edible heavens, that they drifted into a satisfied slumber.

[hippieghost]

I wanna make a post before bed so here's a recipe for some creamy pasta

What you need:

Pasta (your favorite kind, but I prefer either angel hair or small shells)

Clove Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Cheese (any white cheese that is not American cheese will do)

Heavy cream OR butter, flour, and milk

A pot for the water

Colander

Cutting board and knife

Something to stir the pasta with

Optional stuff:

Broccoli

Bacon (cooked and chopped up)

Chicken (cooked)

Instructions

Fill the pot with water and cover it, put on high heat

WHILE THE WATER IS HEATING UP - peel your garlic and chop it finely. I usually use 2 or 3 cloves but we're not doing measurements because this isn't a cake

When water comes to a boil, add your pasta and let it cook, stirring frequently

Drain pasta in a colander and set aside

In the same pan, melt your butter and add the garlic. Cook on medium heat until caramelized

If using flour and milk, add your flour and some more butter. Stir frequently until you get a thick consistency (congratulations, you just made a roux with garlic in it)

Add milk and raise heat to medium high. If using heavy cream, skip step 6 and just add heavy cream

Add in any optional ingredients. I personally like broccoli, cooked bacon, and chicken. For chicken, I'll either use leftover already cooked chicken, or I'll cook up some chicken nuggets and chop them up ahead of time. (We're not fancy here)

Add salt and pepper to taste

Throw whatever cheeses you want in. I'm not a cop. Keep stirring until you get a nice thick but not too thick consistency

Turn off heat, stir in your pasta, and serve

You now made an easy carbonara by cheating. Next time I'll tell you how to make pot roast.

[foodffs]

Scrumptious Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole brings caramelized onions, sweet garlic, and sautéed chicken together with long grain rice and steamed fresh broccoli in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce, all topped with a buttery cracker topping. 

[omnivorescookbook]

General Tso’s Tofu General Tso’s Tofu features crispy caramelized tofu bites with tender broccoli rabe in a tangy savory sweet sticky sauce. Learn how to make extra crispy tofu with the minimum oil and time without deep frying, plus the best General Tso sauce! {Vegan, Gluten-free}

Recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/general-tso-tofu/

[beautyandlifestyleblog86]

Chicken And Brown Rice Bowl With Roasted Vegetables ———

Ingredients:

* 1 cup brown rice, cooked

* 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled or baked

* 1 cup mixed roasted vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers)

* 1/4 cup hummus

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

* Lemon wedges, for serving

* Fresh herbs (such as cilantro or parsley), for garnish

Instructions:

* Follow package directions for cooking brown rice.

* Grill or bake the chicken breast until cooked through. Let it cool slightly before slicing into thin strips.

* Toss mixed vegetables with olive oil and your favorite seasonings (like garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika). Roast in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until tender and slightly caramelized.

* Divide the cooked brown rice into bowls. Top with sliced chicken, roasted vegetables, and a dollop of hummus.

* Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the bowls and garnish with fresh herbs.

This dish combines lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats to create a satisfying and insulin-friendly meal. This meal provides a good balance of macronutrients and fiber, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Enjoy!