#easy hot and sour soup

[twiceastasty]

Hot and Sour Shrimp and Noodle Soup

Let me take the recipe for Hot and Sour Broth Base and walk you through one of my favorite ways to turn it into a full-fledged soup. Learn to make Hot and Sour Shrimp and Noodle Soup.

This week’s Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon takes the recipe from the prior week, Hot and Sour Broth Base, and walks you through one of my favorite ways to turn it into a full-fledged soup. Just looking at the photo makes me want to fix a bowl for lunch today. That’s easily done: At lunchtime, I’ll rehydrate a couple of dried shitake mushrooms in hot water and thaw a few shrimp in…

[writingwithfolklore]

Describing Foods - A Masterlist

                As a broke university student, I love reading about food. It’s almost like eating a real meal myself <3.

I get a little angry when characters are eating a meal and I barely get to experience it with them. In that, I mean I don’t just want to know what it is, but what it’s like to eat that food—how it tastes, smells, sounds, and feels. Is a perfect croissant still a perfect croissant without the crack of the exterior, the airiness of the pastry inside, the smell of yeast?

                Probably not. When writing about a dish, the smell, texture, technique, taste, and how it looks are all important to painting the experience, so here’s some words to use when describing a meal:

Taste:

Acidic: Sharp tasting. Often used to describe tart or sour foods as well.

Aftertaste: A different taste that remains in the mouth after eating something

Bitter: Tart, sharp, and sometimes harsh flavour.

Bittersweet: Less harsh than bitterness. Tartness + sweetness.

Bland: Has no significant flavor or texture

Briny: Just means salty. Often describes pickled foods.

Citrusy: Bright flavour like… well citrus fruits—oranges, lemons, limes, etc.

Cooling: Mimics that cooling feel—like mint.

Earthy: Reminiscent of soil. Can be used to describe wines, root vegetables, and mushrooms.

Fiery: Another word for spicy.

Fresh: Light and crisp—describes produce or herbs.

Fruity: Sweet and reminiscent of fruit.

Full-bodied: Rich and ‘feels heavy’ in your mouth. Can describe wines or soups.

Herbal: Bright, fresh, sometimes earthy from the presence of herbs

Honeyed: Sweet or candied taste like honey.

Nutty: Taste similar to the flavors of nuts. Often used to describe certain cheeses.

Rich: Full, heavy flavour. Often dishes that contain cream taste rich.

Robust: Rich + Earthy. Used for lots of wines or aged liquor.

Savory: Describes meaty, earthy dishes and soups.

Sharp: Harsh, bitter, or tart taste. Used to describe acidic foods.

Smoky: Reminiscent of the smell of smoke.

Sour: Biting, tangy, tart flavor.

Spicy: Burning taste.

Sweet: Sugary.

Tangy: Tart, biting taste—feels tingly

Tart: Sharp, bitter, or sour flavour. Used to describe acidic foods.

Woody: Earthy, sometimes nutty taste. Describes some coffees or cheeses.

Yeasty: Earthy taste reminiscent of yeast. Describes beer and bread.

Zesty: Fresh, vivid, or invigorating flavour.

Sound/Texture:

Sound has a lot to do with texture, so I've combined them for this section!

Airy: Light, pillowy texture (think inside of croissant)

Brittle: Hard but easy to break

Bubbly: Usually during heating, when bubbles rise to the surface—low sound.

Buttery: Smooth, creamy texture (think certain pasta sauces)

Chewy: Food that needs to be chewed thoroughly. Can be light and bouncy (chewy bread) or heavy (steak) and sticky (candy)

Creamy: A smooth and rich texture, comes from dairy.

Crispy: Light texture with slight crunch.

Crumbly: Food with loose structure that falls apart into crumbs.

Crunchy: Firm, crisp texture with a sharp, loud noise.

Crusty (behave): Food with a hard outer layer and soft interior (many loaves and breads)

Delicate: Light and fine, feels like it can come apart easily.

Doughy: Soft and heavy, usually pale colouring.

Fizzy: Usually liquids—a hissing sound, feels like ‘static’

Flaky: Light, characterized by layers that come apart during eating.

Fluffy: light and airy.

Frothy/Foamy: Airy bubbles, usually in a drink like a latte.

Gamey: Usually refers to meats when they’re very “meaty”

Gooey: Viscous, sometimes sticky texture from moisture in a dense/solid food.

Hearty: Firm, robust texture.

Juicy: Tender and succulent texture from liquid in a solid food (steak)

Molten: Hot, gooey

Oily: Slick, heavy, lingers on the tongue.

Silky: Fine, smooth texture that feels sleek.

Smooth: Texture free of grit, lumps, or edges.

Snap: A quick, sharp, crackling sound when broken.

Squelch: A soft sucking sound when pressure is applied. Somewhat gross.

Sticky: Gluiness in the mouth.

Succulent: Tender and juicy

Tender: Soft and easy to break down

Velvety: Smooth and rich

Smell:

Acrid: Strong, bitter, unpleasant

Comforting: pleasant, probably calls back to a nice memory

Damp: Wet smelling—probably a bit earthy

Delicate: subtle, faint, not overpowering

Earthy: reminiscent of soil

Fetid: Caused by decay—unpleasant

Fishy: reminiscent of fish

Floral/flowery: Reminiscent of flowers

Fragrant: Sweet or pleasing

Fresh: Cool, crisp, refreshing—produce, probably not cooked

Funky: Something’s gone off

Heady: Strong smell, pungent, rich

Musty: Not fresh

Perfumed: Pleasant, reminiscent of something (can be perfumed with citrus, say)

Piquant: stinging, pungent—tickles the nose

Powerful: strong

Rancid: Definitely gone off, decomposing

Ripe: Strong, usually unpleasant smell

Savory: spicy, salty, no elements of sweetness

Sour: has gone off

Spicy: Sharp, tingles the nose

Tangy: Strong and bitter but in a good way

Tart: Sharp

Woody: earthy smell, reminiscent of wood

Sight:

Usually texture gives us a really good picture of what a food looks like, so here’s some non-texture sight additions:

Blistered: Bumpy exterior.

Caramelized: Usually golden brown

Cloudy: Splotched. Almost see through if not for a slight white or grey mist.

Colourful: Bright and vibrant

Glassy: Resembling glass

Glossy: Smooth, shiny

Marbled: Two colours intertwined

Opaque: Not transparent. Can’t see through.

Ripe: Colourful (can be to a fault). Nearing the end of its edible state.

Scaly: Covered in scales, fish.

Shiny: Appears wet or glossy

Sparkling: Glimmers under the light

Stuffed: An ingredient placed inside a larger part with no additional space.

Translucent: Allows light through

Vibrant: Striking, bright

Food Prep:

How the food is prepared gives it these other attributes. If your character is familiar with cooking (or is the cook themselves!) they may describe food this way.

Baked: Cooked in an oven. Results in browned or crispy outer layer.

Blackened: When food is dipped in butter and coated with spices then cooked in a hot pan—spices darken, making it appear ‘blackened’

Blanched: Food scalded in boiling water and moved to cold water so it stops cooking. Texture comes out soft.

Braised: Food that is briefly fried in fat and then stewed in a pot. Results in seared, crispy exterior with a tender interior.

Breaded: Coated with breadcrumbs/batter then baked or fried so it turns crispy

Broiled: Food cooked with intense radiant heat in an oven or on the grill. Results in a darkened appearance and crispy texture.

Caramelized: Food slow-cooked until it’s browned, nutty, and has a bit of sweetness.

Charred: Grilled, roasted, or broiled and gains a blackened exterior and smoky flavor.

Fermented: Food that’s sat with bacteria, yeast, or another microorganism and has produced acids, alcohols, or gases. Results in a biting, pungent flavor. (Kimchi is fermented)

Fried: Food cooked by submerging in hot oil. Creates crispy, crunchy texture and golden colour.

Glazed: Food with a coating brushed onto its surface. Appears glossy with a thin, flavorful, and crisp outer layer.

Infused: Food steeped in liquid with another ingredient so it carries the essence of that ingredient. Used with herbs usually.

Marinated: Usually meat soaked in liquid containing flavourful herbs, spices, vinegar, or oil.

Poached: Food cooked in near boiling water. Results in tender, moist texture.

Roasted: Food cooked with dry heat in an oven or over the fire. Results in browned exterior and crisp coating.

Sautéed: Food cooked quickly in small amount of fat.

Seared: Food cooked in small amount of fat until caramelized. Finished by roasting or grilling. Results in crisp exterior and tender interior.

Smoked: Food exposed to smoke from smoldering wood for a long time. Results in that distinctive smoky flavor.

Whipped: Food beaten to incorporate air. Light and fluffy.

What did I miss?

[fishnapple]

Food & eating habit - Moon& 2H

The weather is getting colder, it makes me want to talk about food. Since the Moon represents what nourishment we crave and the 2nd house is related to the physical body, the 5 senses, it's easy to find the link between the Moon, the 2nd house and our preference regarding food.

In my observation, the Moon shows the kind of food that you like (what), the 2nd house shows the way we like our food prepared (how).

Disclaimer: all the observations below are from my own subjective experiences, which can be affected by differences between cultures.

Moon in Aries/ in 1st house/ aspecting Mars: like dishes that have strong flavours (if it's fruit, it should be really sweet, really sour or both), a good amount of meat, don't really like carb, fast food, street food, snacks, can eat the same dish repeatedly without getting bored, might not fully understand the word "moderation" when it comes to their favourite dish or drink, loyal to their favourites (like the same thing since childhood), hot, crisp, crunchy

Moon in Taurus/ in 2nd house/ aspecting Venus: foodie, carb (all kinds of breads, noodles), dairy products, rich but pure or simple flavours and ingredients, oddly enough but they like bitter taste and aromatic scent of herbs, natural pleasant smell and colour (colours with artificial feel like blue, black in food is a turn-off), food served in large quantity, make sure that everybody is well-fed, they might be thrifty in other departments but would absolutely splurge on food, loyal to their favourites, hot or warm, freshly cooked, jelly/gummy/glutinous, springy, smooth

Moon in Gemini/ in 3rd house/ aspecting Mercury: they are not very picky about food, open to try all kinds of food, get fulled easily, snacks, like drinking (tea, beer, alcohol etc), attracted to things that have "assorted flavours" on the label, like colourful and cute stuffs, don't like flavours that are too strong or dishes that are too smelly, don't place too much importance on nutritional value of food (wholesome home cooked meals are nice, but they can stuff their belly with junk foods just fine), can be oblivious to their eating schedule, don't like hot dishes, small bites or small portions, all kinds of interesting textures

Moon in Cancer/ in 4th house: like home cooked meals, dairy products, also like drinking beverages similar to Moon in Gemini (can have high alcohol tolerance), noodles, stew and soup, porridge, sea food, can be quite picky, sensitive stomach, loyal to their favourite restaurants and dishes (to a stubborn degree), dishes that remind them of childhood or their childhood favourite dishes will have a special place in their heart, hot or at least warm, soft/airy texture or the opposite, hard/chewy texture

Moon in Leo/ in 5th house/ aspecting Sun: not too picky but they have a certain standard, the atmosphere around them when they are eating is very important (the food, the place, hygiene, manner etc), could naturally have a preference for expensive food, but they also like foods that are interesting (presentation, smell, texture), prefer meat over carb, like snacks and junk foods but with moderation, like nutty flavours, their eating habits and preference might stay the same since they were kids, like to play and experiment, warm and sumptuous meals, crisp, dislike oily dishes, ingredients in a dish should be distinguishable

Moon in Virgo/ in 6th house/ aspecting Mercury: they are picky and selective about their food, either by conscious choice or by natural, their body doesn't tolerate "unhealthy" foods, foods that have negative impacts on their body, could manifest as allergies, if the dishes are not well prepared and safe by their standards, even though they are their favourites, they won't eat them, many are vegetarians, get fulled easily, don't like hot dishes, ingredients should be cut into small pieces, pay attention to the colours of the ingredients (are they fresh or not, were they cooked right or not)

Moon in Libra/ in 7th house/ aspecting Venus: another picky eater, I find them to be even pickier than Virgo moon, and the reason for them not eating something is sometimes not because of health reason but because of aesthetic reason, they don't like food that make them uncomfortable and messy (make them sweat, make them cold, smell too strong, stick to their teeth, dirty their hands etc), can get nauseous by smells easily, sweet tooth, love carb, dislike fatty and oily dishes, like fancy and expensive food, know a lot of good restaurants, good table manner, master utensil user, fussy about the presentation of the dishes

Moon in Scorpio/ in 8th house/ aspecting Pluto: similar to moon in Aries, they like meat, can eat raw meat (sushi), raw food, seafood, they also like drinking all kind of beverages, prefer food and drink with strong flavours, sometimes extreme (salty, sour, bitter, sweet etc), binge eating their favourites, can lean into over-indulgence and excess but can also have great self-control, don't shy away from foreign, exotic dishes, like rich colours in food, sparkling, chewy, crunchy, super cold or super hot food

Moon in Sagittarius/ in 9th house/ aspecting Jupiter: fast eater, like to experiment with food, easy-going with their choices, like to try various kind of dishes, they want to try trendy dishes they heard about, but they don't like to spend too much money on food, they don't place too much importance on food but rather the experience associated with it, travel food diary, like street food, can binge eating their favourites

Moon in Capricorn/ in 10th house/ aspecting Saturn: slow eater, sensitive stomach, food allergies, sometimes they don't seem to enjoy food or the act of eating, don't like to waste food, even if they crave something, they won't binge eating it, restrained, don't like messy food, like seafood, like bite-size dishes, like to snack, like going out to eat but mostly for the opportunities to hang out with people, likely will go to places with good reviews and popular, good etiquette

Moon in Aquarius/ in 11th house/ aspecting Uranus: the most easy-going people when it comes to food, they try everything, doesn't decline food offers and tend to be the one finishes last at a meal because they don't want to waste food, they like to try those popular places with high reviews but doesn't discriminate cheap or expensive restaurants, love food tours, hang out with groups of friends to eat, good at using various types of utensils, like fresh, chewy texture

Moon in Pisces/ in 12th house/ aspecting Neptune: can be pretty stubborn about their preferences, if they like certain places or certain way of cooking, they will stick to those and don't want to try new things (probably because of their sensitive stomach), like eating with groups of friends, light eaters, like tea and coffee in general, high alcohol tolerance but don't drink excessively, don't really like sweets, have strong principles or moral code concerning food

[big19boss-blog]

Cale Cooking!

So, this a canon I have always imagined. It’s mentioned in the TCF that Cale knows how to cook Korean food from his Kim Rok Soo days. But I imagine Cale to be an excellent cook because he always undermines himself. 

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It’s not always that Beacrox is ill but even he fell ill after the strenuous fighting season was over. The children wished to cook something for him and were creating a mess in the kitchen, so Cale decided to shoo them out and take over the cooking while Rosalyn and CH cleans the mess and Ron runs an errand in the village. 

So, Cale decides to take matters into his own hands. 

Cale: Enough! All children out of the kitchen, now.

Roan: Human NOOOOOO!

Hong: Yess we want to cook Beacrox Uncle!!!

On: We would really love to give him something homemade.

Cale sighs. 

Cale: Okay I will cook, and you all will help when I tell you too.

Cale got to work, he thought that a quick soup with some fresh bread and some hot coco would be enough. So he got to work, he kneaded the bread out of the left-over flour. He asked Roan and Hong to slowly control the heat around the melting chocolate, Choi Han to cut the vegetables and meat, Rosalyn to pre heat the oven with magic and On to get run to the underground house and bring some spice they got from the east. 

Over the course of the next 1 hour he collected all the food in enough quantities to fulfill the small town they house at here at the Black Castle. The loaves were baking, soup was simmering, the hot coco was being filled in glasses for everyone's easy access. 

Eventually he prepared one plate with all the food and told the children to give it to Beacrox. 

Roan: You are not coming with us Human?

Cale: No, I don’t want to get catch whatever bug he has.

He then turned and left the kitchen. But everyone knew that despite that rude response how carefully he has made each item. 

When Ron tasted the food, he knew instantly it wasn’t someone who has cooked for the first time. But the food was so healing, the rich but light taste of soup, the airy and slightly sour bread and the subtly sweet hot coco, that he didn’t question it much. He never knew his tiger young master could cook so well. 

But the fact brings him peace that when he is gone and someone forgets to feed his Young Master, he can cook for himself.

The Children enjoyed the food so much that they ran again and again to the kitchen to sneak multiple helpings even late after dinner was over. Choi Han was almost nostalgic for a second remembering the young, malnourished Kim Rok Soo. 

Cale after years of eating just enough actually ate more than necessary for once, enjoying the taste of his own food after years and getting a little lost in olden days. 

[lionsongfr]

Warrior's Way Snacks

Now this year is the lore it was mentioned that “We’d especially like to thank Arvelle for her generous donation towards our food budget”, and in the pamphlet for Warrior’s Way itself it mentions that “Food is available to participating warriors at all times throughout the course of the event.” So that got me thinking, what kind of food would dragons and beastclans eat during such an event?

Unfortunately, Warrior’s Way is during the summer and the heat can stifle anyone’s appetite- leading to warrior’s struggling to have the energy and hydration necessary to fight. Larger meals most likely would be served in the early morning and after sunset, and battles probably would be held off during the hottest middle of the day. But warriors would also need small meals and snacks to sustain them throughout the day. So, what kind of snacks could they expect?

Live Hornworms- a staple insect for insectivores, this import from the Mire is high in water and can be gut-loaded with either Fire Flower (for magic boost), Redblood Sapper (iron for blood), or Greenpod Bloom (calcium for bones and muscles). They are contained in large barrels with a cooling charm upon them, keeping the insects less active and from perishing in the heat.

Pickle Platter- while our most of our dragons do not sweat (I think maybe Light, Earth, and Ice dragons do), there are beastclans who definitely sweat. And with sweat comes the craving for salt. Pickled foods are high in salt, curb sugar spikes, help blood clot, and can provide the necessary electrolytes to relieve muscle cramps. The most common pickled foods are Basilisk eggs, Dubious Cucumbers, Wild Onions, Zeeba/Rambra sausages, Noxious/Leopard Caterpillar, and Kelp Beds Mackerel. Occasionally, Blacktongue Pepper is added for a spicy kick!

Cold Lume Daffodil and Spearmint Tea- every Fire Flight forge has a pot of tea cooling nearby in a large clay pot for refreshment. While Fire dragons typically prefer Cindermint, the cooling and refreshing combo of Spearmint and Lume Daffodil is a blessing on a hot summer day.  Peppermint tea may also be used for creatures having nervous stomachs for their upcoming battles.

Blood Red Smoothie- to many a Wildclaw’s sorrow this does not actually have blood. This smoothie combines Spinach, Blood Acorn, Strawberries, Blood Spath, Goat milk, and ice into a frothy, highly caloric, and nutritious drink. Sometimes it is easier to drink all of one’s calories than eat them, especially when it is hot outside. (Plus the Spirals brought these cute curly straws to drink them with!)

Cold Cut Wraps-unlike bread, flat breads can be quickly made and can be easily sized per creature.  Creating a wrap with cold cuts of meat, vegetables, and condiments makes for an easy to carry and customizable snack for busy warriors. Some favored cuts are: honeyed Featherback ham, smoked teriyaki Rainbow Trout, roasted lemon pepper Woodland Turkey, and spicy Flameleg Millipede.

Energy bites- the Longnecks are known for their Berry and Nut trail bars and the Centaurs for their Ration Pouches, and dragons have their own Elk pemmican tins and Cricket protein bars. Energy bites are a variant on this idea, mixing granola with a fat (Goat yogurt, Sunflower butter, Elk fat, ground Mealworm), Sugarbee honey, and dried fruit (Blueberries, Raspberries, Mushrooms, Butcher’s Fig) into round balls. The bites are then cooled overnight and put into bags made from Sweet Potato Vine (which is also edible), which can be carried about the event.

Shrimp and Potash Gazpacho- served by the cup or by the gallon (Imperial sized), this is a chilled soup for the seafood lovers. The base of the soup is the tangy and sour Miniature Potash Peach along with Cucumbers, Golden Peppers, and Wild Onions. And then anything seafood can be added to it! Most common is sweet Jumbo Shrimp, Pastel Scallops, and feisty Blue Swimmer Crab.

[dira333]

Around the world in Tumblr Recipes

I am not the best cook, but I love learning about what others eat... If you have a recipe to share, let me know! I want this post to be never finished!

@dira333 Cheesy Ramen (Recipe from a creator in Berlin)

For your immune system: Honey Garlic; Sweet and Sour Black Tea and Immune Boosting Juice

@emmyrosee Bagel Recipe for a Quick Snack

@lemurzsquad Finnish Karjalan Piirakka

@cheesypuffkins87 Vietnamese Ginger Chicken

@screamin-abt-haikyuu Zaira's Tehri (Indian)

@reverie-starlight Rev's Breakfast/Lunch Wrap

@misfit-megumi Misfit Megumi's Holiday Meal:

Lumpiang Shangai Recipe

Mango Float

@true-deru Deru's Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

@true-destined Deru's Pork and Zucchini Stir Fry

@alienaiver Nohr's easy to make Veggies for horrid (or great) days

@satorisoup Lene's fruit dip, Italian Soda and Sandwich

@lizzy0606 Lizzy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

@Star-Trekkin-across-theuniverse - Crack Chicken

@natdu Hot Chocolate (with or without cheese)

@natdu Ajiaco (Chicken Potato Soup)

@cheesypuffkins87 - Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Tart Recipe

What's your comfort food?

[upontherisers]

a/n: this was supposed to be all epistolary, no prose but then. but then.

Dear Mr. Rosenthal,

I had dinner with your mother last night. It was wonderful to catch up with her; I hadn’t seen her since the day we packed up your office and you left for Alabama. We ran into each other at Putnam Central last week (you missed a swinging show!) and she invited me for a meal. What a cook she is! Soup and cabbage and those little flaky pastries with nuts and spices for dessert (I hope I’m not making you jealous.) And of course she wouldn’t let me lift a finger to help, both out of host-liness and care that the food would be edible. Jeanette joined us for the meal but stepped out with some friends for the rest of the night, so it was just me and Rose (you don’t mind if I call her Rose, do you? She insists) in your lovely home.

You were the main topic of conversation, of course, but I found my knowledge of you fell short of what your mother hoped. She misses you terribly. I had the sense that she was looking for commiseration for the space you’ve left in our lives, but I was only your legal secretary and I work for another man now. (As much as I despise it. Please do come back to the firm when this is all over. Sidney isn’t half the lawyer you are and twice the hassle.)

I suppose you’re wondering why I’m writing. Your mother mentioned that besides Jeanette, you ain’t got a gal to write to ya and I don’t think that’s right. Every fella should have a gal to write to that’s not their mother or their sister, whether it’s a friend or a cousin or their dame. It’s hard to say certain things to family or you might have a story that they’d find appalling and anyone else would think is a hoot. I’d also like to keep visiting your mother for dinner and have something of substance to say (but all your secrets are safe with me, I promise). Jeannette’s gone during the day and I know how lonely a quiet house can get.

I hope Texas is treating you well. Keep safe and keep warm! I just read the most shocking piece in the Times about how cold it gets in the air. I’ve sent a scarf along just in case. Write when you can (if not me then your mother, please.) 

Yours,

Isadora C. Montgomery

Burnham whistles as Rosie pulls a swath of textured pale cream fabric from the package. Lacy’s hand reaches out to trace over the cloth lovingly, her dressmaker’s daughter heart moving her body before her head could catch up. He doesn’t mind. 

“Who’s that from?” Elton asks.

“My secretary,” Rosie replies as he scans over the long scarf and brings it to his nose. There it is, the faint citrusy spice that comes to linger on all of Isadora’s things. “She’s worried about the cold.”

Lacy snorts.

“Tell her it’s hot,” says Burnham.

“Tell her about the eggs,” adds Elton.

Rosie waves them off, tosses the scarf on the hook next to his hat above his bed, and picks up the letter again as he sits back down. It’s easy to get lost in the inky slashes and swells of Isadora’s handwriting, the practiced rows and roving, squat words as unique as their writer. She brings him back home in an instant with the sounds of Putnam Central on a Saturday night, horns blowing, bass rumbling around the room, and the keys lighting up his spine like his were the bones being played. It might be her up there, nimble fingers dazzling across the ivory and black or his mother and her clarinet, or Nettie and her double bass. All three of their voices eventually combine as they put their spin on the Andrews Sisters or Ella, and he’s the happiest man in the room to have a night of good music from good people.

He’ll have to ask who played, if Fat Bertie bellowed over his saxophone and demanded that his Dora get up and play that piana’, or if they had an out-of-towner. Were they any good? Any singers? Anyone who could remind him that there’s a world outside of Texas, one that’s free from the heat and the dust and the sour-tasting food. He’s pulled back into the letter, to the little flaky pastries with nuts and spices and despite the humid press of air in the barracks, his mouth waters for the warm, sweet dough that still steams when you break it apart. Rugelach, he thinks. They’re called rugelach, Dora.

She’ll know that before long if she keeps having dinner with his mother. She’ll know rugelach and blintzes, matzo ball soup and the good bagels from Schuman’s on Avenue T and Ocean. It makes him smile to think of her in his neck of the woods, her face soaking up the sun of southern Brooklyn’s wide streets not yet shaded by the tall buildings that are stacking up all around the rest of the borough, like in her Crown Heights. He wonders what it looks like now, if the drive to her apartment is more crowded, if she still chuckles at every errant ball that rolls into the street and waves at every older brother dragging their kid sister out of the way. 

Then he’ll watch her climb the stairs and smile over her shoulder at him as she unlocks her door, and then she’s inside and he wishes she would’ve lingered on the steps a moment longer.

I know how lonely a quiet house can get. He wishes he could go back home, even for just a day, and take Dora to a show on Broadway or pick up Delilah and Daniel for a day with their sister at Brighton Beach. She’ll spend all her time in her apartment when she’s not at work, waiting and hoping, unless someone drags her out, someone like Ma.

While he hadn’t considered it before, it’s important to him now, this bond between Ma and Dora. He’s glad they have time for it, he’s sad to miss the raucous conversation that always arises from two jazz musicians in the same room. Hopefully they didn’t spend too long on him; there’s too much he wants them to share—music, movies, their love of fashion—for Ma to keep the conversation on him. The vibrant life that thrums through the both of them will spark, surely, and he can finally put aside some of his guilt.

“Are you gonna do it?” Lacy asks as he stows the letter away in his foot locker. His confusion must be obvious because she smiles softly. “Are you gonna write her? It’s such a beautiful gift. You really oughta.”

Her blue eyes turn to the fabric hanging on the wall and the way it catches the light streaming in from the window, gold and shimmering, reminds him of the Flatbush apartment, the flutter of the curtains in their small kitchen on an evening when they’re all home.

He’s not like other cadets; there are no weekly care packages or pages and pages of letters coming in daily. His mother and sister write when they can and send what they can, but something like this, a genuine piece of home, is a rare find. He’s grateful and as soon as he can wear it without sweating to death, it’ll be airborne and he can take a piece of the ground to the sky with him, and from Dora of all people.

There’s no way he’ll wear it as well as she does, in elegant loops piled around her neck to protect from the snow or draped over her head and tossed over her shoulder as she gets in the car on their way to lunch in Midtown, but he’ll try. He’ll try for her and her insistence on maintaining his ‘lawyerly appearance,’ never afraid to fix his hair or reknot his tie with a tsk when he’s not up to standard.

The memory makes him laugh.

He thought of her often since he left New York. Going from having one friend at work to none left him missing the former greatly, and he’d started a letter to her in Florida but never got around to finishing it. He’s scared, maybe, not of the propriety or the scandal any letter from someone who doesn’t share your last name causes in an Army barrack, but of what she’d think. It might be for the best that he didn’t write—he’s out of her hair for the time being, and she’s busy enough with the firm without him obligating her into correspondence. But as he thinks of her words, every fella should have a gal to write to, I know how quiet a lonely house can get, he’s resolved to do them both a service and write. It won’t be any too prosaic as he doesn’t have much to talk about now, but it’s a place to start for when he might really need a friend in the future. 

Elton barks a laugh. “Of course he’s gonna write her. Not writing is how you get a Dear John letter.”

Burnham smacks his co-pilot in the chest. “It ain’t like that! She’s his secretary.”

And suddenly, three pairs of eyes are staring at him expectantly.

“I–I will write her,” he starts, but doesn’t let Elton gloat yet. “She’s a friend, a good friend, not just my secretary.”

That seems to appease the men as they get up and procure baseball gloves. Burnham tosses him a ball. “You pitching?”

Rosie shakes his head and tosses it back. “Not today, boys.”

“Yeah,” says Elton like it’s obvious, “he’s caught up on a girl.”

Burnham cackles and they chase each other outside, shoving through the group of pilots who just came in from the last practice flights of the afternoon. 

The afternoon break before chow is not to be taken for granted so while the lowering sun of early evening lulls the brashest of personalities to some sort of peace, he starts to write after pulling out some stationery, paper braced on a book Jeannie had sent when he was still in Alabama.

Lacy speaks up after a while. “It means somethin’ when a gal gives you a scarf, y’know, ‘specially when there ain’t enough scarves to go around.”

That gives him pause and he pictures Dora coming in from the cold with a red nose and hunched shoulders. He’s stuck for a moment before Lacy laughs aloud. “Don’t send it back. Just let her know you’re thankful.”

She sits back in her bed and returns to her needlepoint, which her mother had just sent her, and Rosie blinks at her for a few moments. He hadn’t known what to make of her when they got the order to integrate officer barracks. She’s a quiet soul but surprisingly humorous, and steady, always right as rain. Anyone would be lucky to have her in the seat next to them—hell, he’d volunteer if they’d let girls and guys fly together—and he much prefers her company over the boisterous, posturing pilots that fill in the rest of the beds around them. Betty Lacy is good people. Dora would like her, he thinks.

Dear Ms. Montgomery,

I just received your letter and your gift. Texas winters are too hot for scarves, but I’ll put it to good use eventually. I’m sure you’re getting snow in New York and I’m green with envy. I’d do anything for a nice blizzard right about now. We fried eggs on our instrument panels last week (and sometimes we fly in our skivvies. Don’t tell Ma.) There’s no sea air here, not even in the sky, so the heat just sits on you like a wet blanket. Forgive me if I sweat through this letter.

I am jealous, not only of your delicious dinner with my mother (the food isn’t as dire as Alabama, but it’s still bad (again, don’t tell Ma, she’ll have a fit)) but a swinging night at Putnam Central. That’ll be my first stop when they let me out of here. Who played? I hope you got up there and if you didn’t, I got a request for next time. God Bless The Child. They played it in the PX the other day, a brief reprieve from the twangy warbles they like down here, and Billie doesn’t do it quite like you. It shouldn’t surprise you that I’ve been banned from humming in the barracks—all my love of music and I can’t make a note of it. No one in my bunk has a decent voice, so we’re a musicless bunch until we can get away.

Still, it’s a good time. I find myself the fourth in a small group of similarly-minded pilots. John Burnham is from Connecticut, Claybourne Elton is from California, and Betty Lacy is a schoolteacher from Georgia. We bonded over our restlessness and have all passed certification on the B-17, so we should be assigned to crews soon. There’s practice and lots of card games in the meantime.

I hope you're well and warm. I’ll send the scarf back if you need it. There’s no reason to go without for my sake; the Army has taken enough of your silk, coffee, and gas already. And don’t let Sid run you ragged, either—he may have the experience but you’re the senior member of the firm. Go to Mr. Freidin if he keeps bothering you and I’m sure he’ll set him straight. 

They just called us for chow. It’ll be sandwiches or spaghetti—mealy, bitter noodles with tomato paste as sauce. I’ll pass and think of lunches at Rosetti’s fondly. 

Be safe and write back.

Yours,

Robert Rosenthal

“P.S. God Bless The Child, if not for me then for my mother. Well,” Gertie Simmons-Montgomery says as she sets her granddaughter’s letter down, “you gotta play it.”

Isadora sighs. “I don’t know when I’ll be back there. Mr. Wacker’s got a big case coming up and he’s working me until I’m the last one in the office. I can barely keep my eyes open on the bus.”

“Go to this Mr. Weeden—”

“Freiden.”

“Go to Mr. Freidin. Robert seems confident that—”

“Robert is a brilliant litigator who keeps clients coming back. I’m a secretary,” she says and leans down to kiss her grandmother on the forehead before moving onto her brother and sister and taking her seat at the dinner table.

“Are you gonna write back?” Daniel asks.

“Of course she is,” Delilah snaps, “Mr. Rosenthal is very handsome.”

“Mr. Rosenthal is my friend,” Isadora corrects with a warning eye to the teenager, “and my boss.”

Delilah scoffs. “Not right now, he ain’t.”

“Alright,” Delrose Montgomery claps his hands as he enters from the kitchen and moves to the head of the table, “enough of this letter talk. I have my grandchildren all together for the first time in a month. I’d like to revel in family.”

Isadora smiles and Delilah kicks her twin under the table and gets chastised by their grandma, but it’s warm and cozy despite the snow outside. As they take each other’s hands and bow their heads to pray over dinner, Dora feels a playful twinge of guilt as she begins to compose her next letter in her head.

Dear Mr. Rosenthal,

I wouldn’t have sent the scarf if I wanted you to send it back. And yes, I’ll play Billie Holliday for you...

[caddyheron]

Mean Girls food preference hcs

I have a fun time making silly mundane hcs. I copy and pasted these, then changed a little, from the discord server.

Cady: Enjoy chicken wings so much more than anyone would assume she does. They’re so messy, but they’re so good. Other than that, she mostly enjoys anything. Preference for meat with a meal and really likes cake, not the biggest fan of vegetables of any kind, but will eat them if she Has to. Hates buffets. Fucking hates buffets. Also loves the most random insane candy Janis can find for her to try, unless it’s sour, won’t eat sour food.

Janis: Favourite food is burgers with everything on them, really likes salad vegetables on the burgers and sauces. She loves diner-style food, so milkshakes and fries too. Enjoys very sweet drinks, says she likes black coffee but her favourite is frappes that barely have any coffee in them. Probably drinks an excess of monster energy too. Also cannot cook even a little bit. Unless it’s noodles.

Damian: Loves pizza but will mostly eat anything. He and Janis go to a specific diner all the time and it’s theirs and they always order the same thing. He’s similar in preference to Janis with drinks, but doesn’t like coffee and chocolate together. Often has candy bars or granola bars or little bags of candy in his bag at any given time for either himself, Janis or Cady.

Regina: Canonically likes cheese fries. These are the only things she’d eat in school. Mostly sticks to salads when she’s out with other people for a long time until she’s more comfortable. Enjoys yoghurts but not Greek yoghurt because it just doesn’t taste right. Drinks iced coffees with occasional sugar free vanilla syrup. Enjoys frozen fruit over non-frozen fruit as a little treat. Struggles a lot with eating enough and never has good food in the house because of her mom.

Karen: Very sensory seeking when it comes to foods and loves things that have texture to them. So she eats a lot of salads with iceberg lettuce, baby carrots etc. Enjoys candy a lot too, but nothing that’s too sticky or sticks to her mouth like caramel. Hates pastas that aren’t al dente or rawer and cannot stand lasagne ever at all. If the sauce is too much, she won’t eat it. Doesn’t really enjoy coffee or any hot drinks, but sometimes might drink a milkshake.

Gretchen: Really loves pasta. Loves pasta so much. She especially loves white sauces over marinara type sauce and eats it with garlic bread or breadsticks. Gets cesear salads often, but isn’t actually the biggest fan of them, she just eats them. Not a big drinker of sweet drinks and coffee makes her more anxious, but she still drinks it if she has to. Probably enjoys iced herbal teas when she gets around to trying them. Snacks mostly on plain nuts and bland chips, foods with too much flavour make her feel too much sometimes.

Aaron: Bland. He eats soups a lot, they’re easy to make and easy to eat. As well as grilled cheeses, sometimes some plain pasta and cheese, and he orders lasagna when he’s out. Quite good at cooking, but not great at baking, but he will make chocolate chip cookies sometimes. Mostly drinks water and occasionally coke or hot coffee, doesn’t drink it cold. Much like Gretchen, too strong of flavours make him feel too much. Sticks just to crackers if things are really bad because other food will make him nauseous.

Idk why I haven’t posted these before, it’s not solid hcs, it’s just the general vibes of what they enjoy. Feel free to ask for elaboration!

[exhausted-archivist]

Art Used in the Dragon Age: Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas

While there was some new art, previously seen concept art, there was also the use of ending credit slides. Some possibly denoting certain world states that I briefly referred to in the master post here.

I've split it into sections of:

New Art

Previously Shown Art

Character Art and Slides

General World State Ending Slides

Everything is going below the cut because this will be long. I will also note which page and recipe each image accompanies in the book for easy reference. (Here's to hoping tumblr doesn't mess with the image layout.)

Edit 10/30/2023: Added the page numbers that were missed because it glitched out and deleted things when I tried to go over 30 images and didn't notice till now.

New Art

Page numbers from top left to right going down:

Orlesian Woman: Sour Cherries in Cream, p. 121, Tevinter Pumpkin Bread, p. 151

Building Etching: Crow Feed, p. 43, Antivan Sip-Sip, p. 161

Spider Design: Posion Stings, p. 115

Sea Creature: Lamprey Cake, p. 147

Smoking Meat Racks: Smoked Ham from the Anderfels, p. 95

Antaam Spearman: Unidentified Meat, p. 37

Admiral Isabela: The Hissing Drake, p. 157

Etching of Bowl: Rivaini Couscous Salad, p. 19

Etching of Platter: Nevarran Blood Orange Salad, p. 13

Table Setting: Goat Custard, p. 127

Red Bear: Conversion Charts, p. 172

Giant: Lamprey Cake, p. 149

Blue Building: About the Authors and Photoghraphers, p. 175

Mabari and Army: Roasted Turkey with Sides, p. 99

These are all new images with three of these looking to be concept art: the presumably Orlesian woman looking at Andrastian themed items, the antaam spearman preparing to throw a spear, and the table setting of what looks like it might be for Rivain or Tevinter based on the aesthetic. Though I lean more Tevinter due to the snake on the basket.

The bowl and platter look to maybe be prop designs, and they are distinctly bird themed with what looks like feathers around the base of the bowl and then mirrored crows on either side of the platter with a dagger etched in the center.

The red bear shown here is new, though it is similar to a mural in Dragon Age: Inquisition in the barn where there is a green-ish bear with stars on its muzzle breathing what might be fire, while holding the white silhouette of a figure with antlers. (Couldn't attach it due to there being a photo limit.)

Then to further note that the dark blue building image looks similar to some concept art/Development images from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (DA4)

Previously Shown Art

The piece below have been shown elsewhere before, but there are some new additions so I am showing it here separately from the new art.

Ferelden Spread: Roasted Wyvern, p. 85

This is was first shown in The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition and is labeled as "Fereldan Fineries". It was coloured and lacked the two figures in the back left of this image. (Below)

Character Art

Cole and Maryden: The Emerald Valley, p. 169

Sera: Sera's Yummy Corn, p. 103

The Iron Bull and Krem: Hot Chocolate, p. 159

Varric and Aveline: Varric's Favorite Pastries, p. 143

Josephine and Inquisitor: Fish Chowder, p. 59

Leliana: Grilled Poussin, p. 77

Cullen: Croissants, p. 137

Morrigan and Keiran: Nettle Soup, p. 65

King Alistair: King Alistair's Lamb and Pea Stew, p. 67

These were mostly character specific ending slides you could get in DAI, going from the top left to right they are slides for: Trespasser: Human Cole ending up with Maryden. Trespasser: Partial image of a slide for an Inquisitor who agrees to become a red jenny with Sera and the Inquisition is disbanded. Trespasser: Iron Bull and the Chargers are alive and taking jobs throughout Orlais and Ferelden. Trespasser: Varric is Viscount Trespasser: Josephine, her personal quest completed. This is the romanced Josephine version. Trespasser: Leliana, not Divine Trespasser: Cullen, having not taken lyrium during Inquisition Inquisition: Morrigan and Keiran leaving Skyhold World of Thedas vol 2: King Alistair

Ending Slides

Antaam Slide: Lentil Soup, p. 63

Halamshiral Slide: The Hanged Man's Mystery Meat Stew, p. 57

Grey Warden Slide: Sweet and Sour Cabbage, p. 61

Disbanded Inquisition Slide: Sugar Cake, p. 145

These were all ending slides you could get at some point in Inquisition, from the top left to right: Trespasser: The Qunari threat Inquisition: Kicked out of Halamshiral with low approval Inquisition: Grey Wardens were kept in southern Thedas to rebuild, they are estranged from the Wardens in Weishaupt Trespasser: The Inquisition was disbanded

Final Thoughts and Implied World State

Overall the world state makes a lot of sense I think, they went with the one that would be less quantum - so no one is dead or could be dead and is in an important role; hence Cassandra being Divine,

Summary

Inquisition is disbanded

Grey Wardens are divided; though as of the comics and Tevinter Nights we know regardless all Wardens have been called back to Weisshaupt. Unclear if the civil war mentioned in DAI is actually happening.

Morrigan has Kieran and he doesn't have the old god soul anymore

Cole is human

Josephine had her personal quest done.

Leliana wasn't killed in Origins, she is fully human and now retired.

Alistair is king

Cassandra is Divine, no clear answer on the state of the Seekers.

Cullen is retired and established the sanctuary for former templars.

[invinciblerodent]

Baldur's Gate 3's Potato Chowder - RECIPE

So a few days ago, I found this recipe around the start of act 3, near the kitchen of the Temple of the Open Hand in Rivington:

[Screenshot of recipe as it appears in-game. Exact steps will be transcribed below, within the recipe.]

It looked... honestly very simple and not dissimilar from a Hungarian potato főzelék/stew (which is a very cheap and homely peasant dish I love), so I just made it for lunch today, and guys....

this soup is uh. really fucking good. I tried following it as close to the letter as possible, but since it's quite vague, I did have to improvise a fair bit- but it's very cheap and easy to make, it's warm and comforting while still quite light (there are like. NO spices in there, it's a very European-feeling dish), and I'd say it's surprisingly filling, but it's. It's potatoes, so there's nothing exactly surprising about that.

I tried to write out the recipe in a very beginner-friendly way, so even if you're not super confident in the kitchen, it should be easy to follow! ❤��

Make yourself some video game soup, it's awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

(For about 6 servings)

A roughly egg-sized lump of lard (This can be subtituted with a different cooking fat if you'd like, but I recommend sticking with lard, as it adds a nice flavor, and it's kind of the staple fat for these peasant stews.)

Potatoes (I used just under two pounds)

Half of a medium leek

Small yellow onion (or half of a larger one)

2 cloves garlic

Roughly 1/2 to 1 cup white cooking wine (optional, substitute given in recipe)

Vegetable stock (or chicken- or beef stock, or water)

2-3 tbsp all purpose flour

Salt to taste

1/2 cup of sour cream/créme fraiche (optional)

Shredded cheese and/or croutons to serve (optional)

(Recipe with transcriptions and exact steps under the cut!)

(This is basically all there is in this. Honestly.)

STEPS:

"1. Put your lard in a pot- a chunky one, mind. When it stops being lard and starts being hot lard, add any good-smelling veggies (leeks, garlics, onions) that you've chopped all thin. Please salt this so it doesn't taste of nothing."

This first step is pretty self-explanatory. I sliced the white part of he leek thinly, cubed my onion, and minced my two large cloves of garlic. In the lard melted in as chunky a pot as I've got (make sure it's not non-stick!!!), I sauteed first the leek and the onion with a big pinch of salt, and once the onion was translucent, the leek soft, and they've released some liquid (around 3-5 minutes on medium-low heat), I added the garlic, and cooked it until fragrant.

"2. When it's soft and good-smelling, chuck in any flour you've got and stir the mixture so it don't burn (note for me - it's very important not to burn it, emphasize)"

"2.5. PLEASE DO NOT LET IT BURN THAT'D BE RUBBISH"

Now we make a roux by adding just enough flour to the mixture that it starts sticking together, and looks fairly dry, but no part of the flour remains powdery. (This was about 3 tbsp for me, but since this process goes quick, I did eyeball it).

It's important to keep stirring, as this can and does stick to the bottom of a pot, but it will determine the thickness of the final soup, deepen its flavor, and give it a nice, creamy consistency. I made mine fairly blonde (light tan in color, cooked just past long enough to dissipate any raw flour smell), but it can go to a fairly dark, caramel color before burning if you'd like the flavor to be a bit deeper. (This should only take a couple minutes.)

Please do be careful- it the roux burns, that flavor will be impossible to get rid of, so.... yeah, it would be rubbish.

"3. If you're fancy and have wine (or have a generously stocked temple wine cellar nearby) add a bit of it now and cook it off. When it's done, add some wedged potatoes and a lot more liquid (not wine this time or you'll have a headache in the morning)."

We now deglaze the bottom of the pot with the wine: after pouring it in, with the wooden spoon, we scrape up any stuck pieces of flour or aromatics that there might be on the bottom.

(Note: If you don't have wine, or would prefer not to use alcohol for any reason, a neat trick is to mix about 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar and 1 tsp of granulted sugar into a cup of water, and use this mixture as a substitute for 1 cup of white wine. In most recipes, the wine's main purpose is to add acidity as well as sweetness to the dish- this trick aims to replicate those qualities, and tastes very similar in the end result. I use it often in almost anything that calls for white wine if I happen to not have any at hand. But do make sure to taste beforehand, it's very easy to go too heavy on the vinegar! It should taste sour, but not so much that it's unpalatable.)

Then, I rinsed my cubed potatoes (though the text calls for wedges, those often don't cook quite evenly!) with water to get rid of the excess starch, added them to the pot, and then covered them in vegetable stock. You can use chicken- or beef stock (which would make the soup a bit richer, heavier) or water (if you want it lighter) as well- in this last case you might need to add more salt than you'd think. (Make sure to taste- it should be flavorful, but not salty! Bouillon cubes and premade stocks often have a very high salt content, so if using that, you might find you don't need to add any.)

(It sohuld look something like this.)

"4. Cook for half an hour or so til the potatoes are nice and tender, and mash some of 'em up in the liquid. If you've got any cow products - cheese, milk and the like - add them now for extra delicious results."

From when the mixture starts to boil, it should take about 25-35 minutes of simmering on low heat, covered, for the potatoes to soften- you can test doneness by sticking a fork in one of the pieces, or gently pushing one against the edge of the pot with your wooden spoon. It should give easily at light pressure with both methods.

I then put the sour cream/créme fraiche in a heat-safe container (a mug will do perfectly), and ladled a bit of the hot cooking liquid on top of it, mixing it thoroughly- both to thin it out, and bring the temperatures closer to each other, which should help avoid any curdling. Stirring constantly, I then add the cream mixture to the soup in a thin, slow stream. (Any mildly acidic, creamy dairy product should work here- though I do think yogurt might be a bit too sour, if using that I would probably omit the wine.)

Then, as everything is done cooking and the cream is distributed evenly with no curds, I turn the heat off for safety, and using a very traditional, very fantasy, not at all anachronistic immersion blender, I blitz the entire thing for roughly 30 seconds. You can of course blend it less for more chunks (or remove some cooked potato bits before blending to add them back later), or even longer for a smoother consistency, but I did like that about that much blending left only a few, small chunks of nicely cooked potato in the otherwise smooth and creamy result.

I served with shredded Port Salut cheese and croutons on top- but this is of course optional, and I think just some nice, crusty bread would also work wonderfully!

Go make yourself a video game soup!!!!!!! It's so easy and good!!!!!!!

[foodffs]

Get Recipe: Hot and Sour Soup

Easy Chinese hot and sour soup that’ll take the classic favorite to the next level! Silky smooth soup with a burst of rich depth of hot, tangy, umami flavors with satisfying textures.

[twiceastasty]

Hot and Sour Broth Base

For homemade soup that can be as effortless to serve as popping open a can, keep a soup base in the freezer. Learn to make Hot and Sour Broth Base.

The recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon is all about the balance between effort and result. When you make real meals from scratch, the result can be phenomenal. But those meals usually take more effort than an off-the-shelf substitute. I’ll always remember one of the comments I saw about my first recipe in the Flathead Beacon, 30-Minute Tomato Soup.…

[puppystyle]

i made hot and sour soup ohmygod +10hp with every sip wtf this is so good when you're sick and its so easy to make too

[donnerpartyofone]

I can't cook because I just have such a poor grasp of physical reality, and this really undermines my sense of being an autonomous adult. When you're like me it's good to try to figure out just a couple of simple things you can handle so you feel at least a little useful. Like I will reliably demolish any protein or vegetable that has to be enjoyed on its own, but I'm decent at combining flavors and I can make anything where the main tool is a blender, like a handful of soups, sauces, and dressings. Today while my husband grills (on our grill pan indoors, excellent kitchen item), I'm making a watermelon salad with mint, feta cheese, and lime juice. The sour lime makes the watermelon taste extremely sweet, and the creamy feta will start to turn everything this nice fairy-pink color. I prefer this with basil (and goat cheese) by a slight margin but mint felt right for the middle of summer. Not that this is an obscurity but I learned about it from a close friend who tends to get a sour stomach when it's hot out, and watermelon salad is a treat she can enjoy that doesn't upset her. It's fun and easy to make and it reminds me of all the time we spent together when she lived here. I should tell her I'm making it right now.

[thbstvrdthmtlbndndntn]

Sometimes I wonder about the taste of my own cooking and how it’s completely undetectable to me. Especially after cooking for someone else for so long and then cooking for just myself we would notice the culinary ruts we would get stuck in and occasionally rag on each other for it and I was always so defensive about it but then I remember how no matter the dish growing up there was an undefinable but distinct essence to any of my relatives cooking. Like no matter what aunt Sandra or grandma or my mum was making it always tasted like them and I think especially once you become a more confident cook and stop following recipes that becomes the case because you know what you like. Like I know my food will taste similar when I’m cooking for myself because I like things sour and spicy and savoury and i have a limited number of ingredients so I add the same things to get those flavours. I use a lot of rice and apple cider vinegar, lime juice, Cajun seasoning (slap ya mama), cilantro, chili flakes, hot sauce and herbes salees. Even when I’m cooking from a recipe I typically add one or more of those things because that’s what I want out of my food. And I was thinking about this today because I got home from walking all over town and the farmers market and needed an easy dinner — but I also was craving vegetables and had stuff to use up. I was originally going to do canned tomato soup and a grilled cheese but as I look at my fridge it evolves into an abomination I know will be delicious to me and probably brutal to anyone else.

Here’s what I did and why it would up taking 30 minutes instead of 10: sautéed green onions, Chiles, Napa cabbage, and fresh tomato in a pot, added frozen broccoli, a cooked tandoori chicken burger (chopped), a can of tomato soup and two and a half cans of water. Brought to a boil and added a box of the KFC-branded Kraft dinner (Mac and cheese for non-Canadians). Cooked five minutes, then took off the heat and added milk, lots of pepper, some thawed frozen peas, and the flavour pouch. Served with air fried cheese toast on quinoa bread from t&t. It tasted very much like a childhood meal in some ways but also like a classic “me” meal… taking two convent products and making them so complicated it probably would’ve had the same result just to make it from scratch. But I liked it and I was happy with it and I will have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow and those will make me happy as well.

I don’t know why I wanted to write so much tonight but I guess being alone in a new place again just a year after I moved out from my life with the ex that shaped my entire twenties I am having a lot of thoughts about how I build my life and how I become who I am as a person. I was supposed to go see the mountain goats next weekend but my boyfriend’s grandma died and I decided to fly to Newfoundland instead. Sometimes doing the right thing is the easiest thing in the world. Meanwhile I’ll lose my mind over sending a simple non-confrontational email. Things are hard, and they’re good.

[breserker]

hot and sour soup is so fucking amazing. just the perfect base to throw whatever's on hand in and so filling and so easy to put 3+ proteins in without feeling overwhelmed just ougughghghghghghhhh