#i also dont follow cooking/baking recipes but in a different way

[milkweedman]

Knitting a freehand bag and started wondering how often people even use patterns, anyway. So--how often do you use a pattern when you make things ? This include knitting/crochet/sewing/weaving/nalbinding/bobbin lace/tatting/etc but also things like woodworking, cooking, and baking. If you want to just pick the thing you do most often that's fine.

I personally do not use patterns as I find them far more confusing than just figuring out the construction of an item and simply making it. I do very occasionally browse ravelry for inspiration but have downloaded maybe 2. In the 5 or so years since I joined. And have followed exactly 1, which I modified every single aspect of. In my defense, dyslexia.

[motthe]

I’m here to add fluff!! So I remember how in one of ur Viktor fics he had a mug for our lumen cause we just liked sitting in the liquid (then Jayce drank it 😔) so I was thinking ‘well wouldn’t that be funny to see?’

Basically imagine gn!reader is baking and convinces Viktor to help out and both lumens are being cute and reader leaves a bowl out full of batter while trying to teach Viktor how to bake and said lumen has went into the batter and funny hijinks enssues 😌

awwww this is so warm and fluffy!! i hope you enjoy this drabble inspired by your cute idea!!

With the last of his exams done, Viktor returned to his dorm. Some of his coevals wished him happy holidays as they passed by, packed and ready to head home for the winter break.

There was a time Viktor hated this time of the year. While he’d been given special permission to remain on school grounds over break, it left him with little to do other than work on personal projects or attend meetings with Heimerdinger, who always didn’t have much in the way of family. He’d even gone as far as to invite him to his own home for the holidays, but Viktor refused to be a burden. He was sure to thank his professor for the hospitality.

For a time, the winter would remain an empty season for his existence. Through it all, his fated’s lumen kept him sane. Should the loneliness creep to deeply into his head, you were there to nudge him back into reality with your soft touch.

This year was different, your sugary pink light tugging at the end of the scarf wrapped around his neck. His excitement seemed to fuel yours, that sweet scent you exuded surrounding his senses.

You’d met one another in the spring. Heimerdinger had been pushing for Viktor to attend his favorite bakery for some time now. He’d barely gotten through the door before that familiar scent hit him from head to toe. Your lumen had gone from a power eye pink to a blushing white, drifting high over the other customers and dancing through the air. You all but cartwheeled into another lumen, sending a flash across the store that would make a lighthouse envious.

When the brilliance had died down, he watched the tawny lumen—his lumen—float back down into waiting hands. They were caked in flour, a dusting across your cheek as your eyes met.

Now, he spent much of free time visiting you—the baker that owned and lived above Heimerdinger’s beloved shop.

Rapping on your door, it was barely two seconds before footsteps sounded and you were opening the door with a grin—flour powdering your cheek once more.

“Welcome back, my love,” you greeted, pulling him into a warm hug but not before kissing his cheek. “How was the exam?”

“Fine,” he murmured, melting into your arms as the smell of something cooking surfaced. “What are you making?”

“I wanted to celebrate,” you hummed, pulling him into your apartment and out of the cold. He barely had time to blink before you were pulling his jacket off and unwinding the scarf you’d made him in the fall.

He followed you at his own pace into the kitchen, smiling as your lumens twirled together through the air. The warmth of the scene lit up something in his chest.

“I tried out dozens of recipes and finally found one that I think will match. I may have added a few more ingredients to make it a bit more hearty, but if you hate it I left a portion of the original in the fridge!”

You moved the lid from the pot steaming on the stove to reveal the meal. His heart about burst as he limped over, the scent different but still so very familiar.

“How did you..?” He recalled telling you it was a family recipe that he never learned. He thought it had died with his mother.

“My grandparents were from Zaun,” you said softly, covering the soup. “So I asked about the ingredients they had access to and worked from there.”

“I dont know what to say,” he murmured, overwhelmed with emotion.

“Nothing to say, just eat!” you chirped, fetching him a bowl. “I also have brownie batter to finish for dessert.”

He looked to the bowl on the counter before you waved him on.

“Go sit! I’ll be right there with everything.”

“Let me help with something, at least,” he argued gently.

You giggled and moved to the fridge, pulling out a bowl of salad. “Then you can bring this over for me! Thank you.”

You pressed another kiss to his cheek, sending him on as you wiped your hands on your apron and began gathering the plates and bowls.

It wasn’t long before you both were sat at the table. The candles you had lit left him nervous, not used to being wooed. You soon brought him out of his shell by talking about your day, always finding ingenious ways to turn the conversation around to him.

“You have enough room for brownies?” you asked, beginning to clear the table before he gently covered your hands with one of his.

“No, allow me. You cooked, so I shall clean.”

You sighed and relinquished the chore, but the joy in your eyes was clear.

As he brought everything to the sink, you worked on putting up the leftovers. By the time you both finished, you realized you forgot to preheat the oven.

Viktor leaned against the counter as you turned the dial, glancing down at the bowl of batter. He chuckled as your lumen landed on the edge before his eyes widened as the bowl began to tip.

He grabbed the edge to pull it back down but it sent you catapulting into the brown substance.

“Oh, dear,” he whispered.

“Hmm?” You turned, raising an eyebrow as he stepped in front of the bowl. “Everything okay?”

“Eh, yes,” he mumbled, scratching behind his ear.

“Okay,” you chuckled, eyes glancing over his shoulder. “Can you pass me the bowl? I need to pour it into a dish.”

“Yes, one moment,” he said, turned to find your lumen struggling to rise from the batter. Setting his cane to the side. He reached in to pluck you out, but your laughter had him jumping.

“When did that get in there?” you asked, head by his shoulder.

“You fell,” he mumbled, holding you up. “I’ll grab a rag.”

“Okay,” you giggled, taking the bowl.

As he cleaned your lumen off, he eyed the batter on his fingers and, too curious for his own good, brought them to his mouth.

As always, your baking was heavenly.

When he returned to your side, you snorted when your eyes found his face before grabbing his chin. He closed his eyes as you went in for a kiss, a shudder working through him as your tongue swiped at the corner of his mouth instead.

“Taste good?” you giggled, pecking him once for good measure.

“Of course,” he coughed, flushed.

You just laughed.

[arliedraws]

Do you think Sirius knows how to cook?

On one hand, he grew up being served food his whole childhood and I dont think any of his relatives or Kreacher would want to teach him something so //muggle// and I don't think that after leaving Hogwarts he wpuld have had time to teach himself

On the other hand, learning how to feed himself would be another way in which Sirius is more independent/mature than his peers. It would also be a giant "fuck you" towards his family because he does something muggles do!

And he would probably be also good at it because Sirius really strikes me as someone who is a perfectionist - the best grades, the best at everything he touches (be it something he just picked up or spent hours learning by himself just to be the best)

Okay, maybe I’m biased, but cooking basic meals like meat, potatoes, and vegetables isn’t that hard if you don’t have any physical disabilities 😂 I think he could cook, for sure. He did have to feed himself when he was living by himself!

And I see Sirius less wanting to be the best and more that he wants to figure out how to get something right and/or make it better. If he wanted to cook an amazing meal, he could learn fairly quickly (again, making a delicious meal is not that hard), but I also think he just wouldn’t see making himself these incredible meals a priority when there’s a war going on. Maybe he never learned to be a really good chef, but I think he could cook a whole chicken.

I also think cooking is a scale:

Level One: Doesn’t understand how different forms of heat cook food (baking, steaming, boiling, etc) / no idea what sort of flavors go together

Level Four: Could follow a recipe as written and have a really tasty product (I think Sirius is here)

Level Five: Could follow a recipe with tweaks and substitutions and have a really tasty product

Level Seven: Could make up a recipe on the spot with whatever is on hand and have it turn out pretty good (me)

Level Nine: Can poach an egg reliably

Level Ten: Professional Chef (???)

Also, however, I do not think that Sirius would go out of his way or inconvenience himself to say “fuck-you” to his family once he’s left. That would mean admitting that he still cared what they thought of him. I think it’s different when he’s actually living at Grimmauld Place as a teenager to put up posters of scantily clad ladies because it’s funny to piss them off, but I also think he’s very practical once he’s on his own. If no one is there to see you rebel, what’s the point?

[tolerateit]

Moving update: moved but still have things to unpack. They're probably gonna stay unpacked for the next month or so at this rate but that's a story for a different day

Now for a funny story I'm calling: how the hell do you fuck up something as simple as banana bread?!

short answer: eyeball the ingredients, bake on a low temp, do everything in your power not to follow the written instructions

long answer: i set out to make banana bread but my mother in law (smarter than einstein, suffered more than jesus kind of lady) insisted i follow her baking "tips and tricks" like eyeballing the liquid ingredients. i told her no several times, we even got into a debate of how grams and milliliters are two separate measurement (weight vs volume) but she insisted it's one and the same and she told me how much wet ingredients to add according to whatever math she came up with. once everything was mixed and ready for baking, she started messing with the oven temperature and settings, so what was supposed to bake for about 50ish minutes, ended up baking for 100ish minutes and it was still quite raw in the middle. she insisted that's normal. i insisted it's not. she went out of her way to comment on how no recipe turns out the same way twice. i went out of my way to explain how each time ive made this one ~alone~ it's turned out the exact same way. because baking is a precise science, it's not like cooking, which i admit she excels at. it's also why i prefer baking. it's precise, which means unless you don't follow the directions, it's hard to mess it up. so she went to my husband to ask how many times ive done the recipe while we lived in another city. he told her countless times, it's an incredibly easy snack and always turns up perfect. i still dont think she believes that it's not my first time making it.

so she's allegedly making it on her own tomorrow, and she described the recipe i provided in all the wrong ways, including using a blender to mash the banana and then mix ALL the ingredients in it (which you don't want to do because it ends up with too much gluten which makes baking it more difficult) and not using enough honey and even adding the bananas last for whatever reason. cant wait to see what happens.

she kept insisting im upset because i messed up because im inexperienced and it's my first time. i kept telling her im not (im actually not bothered in the slightest and i find it comical because i expected the end result to be messed up as soon as she decided shes a master baker today) but she didn't believe me for one second. i dont have fuck to give about what she thinks is feel honestly, i have other things that i actually need to worry about. and im not touching anything in her kitchen until she's at work anymore. all that talk about "make yourself at home this is your home now" but then you gotta do everything someone else's way, well no it's not, im obviously bothering them with my existence and we all gotta compromise which isn't easy but like cmon, i can do some things right in the way that i like to do them lmao

manifesting the smoothest least stressful unpacking process for you 🥺 also aksksjdjdn it is SO easy to fuck up a baking recipe like why bother following a recipe if you're not gonna stick to it 😭

[bloodycassian]

LEATHERBOUND - Reader x Cassian - (I think I missed this request but I think someone req’d something similar) Reader is a librarian in Illyria when Cassian comes in asking for help finding something.

Cassian's favorite time of year in Illyria was the winter days where the sun was out. The winds were harsh enough to stun his wings, but the rays from the sun were warm enough for a perfect contrast. Not letting him freeze, but not letting him get too hot either. 

The muddiness also became packed ice instead of the mess it had been over the summer. It was still messy in the more trafficked areas, but not nearly as bad. He couldn't hide the joy that rept into his heart at the sight of so many Illyrians taking joy in the season. Small winged children threw snowballs at passerbys from a ledge. A broad winged male scared them off with a flyover. Cassian entered the small shop, the smell of dust and worn carpet whirled around him. It was comforting in a strange way. It reminded him of being a child. Innocent and curiously exploring different shops at his home.

The bell above rang in a dull tone. He looked up and saw the shotty repair job on the ringer. Not exactly as it had been when he was a child, it seemed. "Stay right there!" You called from the back, putting away the stack of books you held. They clattered into the bin loudly. The sound of rustling made him curious.

"I'm just here for-" He called, starting to step further into the room. The books lined the short walls, and the stacks in the middle looked percaiously stacked. They were organized, but the bottom of the stack seemed stained. He doubted the resources for another bookcase were available. 

"I know, just dont move. I just cleaned the carpet." You brought a towel from the front desk over and placed it beside the small outcropping of hard wood you had laid out for anyone first entering the store. "This is the last building in Illyria with carpets. I'd like to keep it that way." You said when the dark haired male gave you a pinched look. He bent and began taking off his boots. Boots that looked far too new for the likes of an Illyrian. 

Watching him do so, you noticed the two Siphons on his hands. Then the one on his knee. Your head went fuzzy. What had you done to deserve a visit from the Lord of Bloodshed? He noticed your stare and gave you a wolfish smile. You didn't flinch away from it. The wind howled at the gaps in the stone, and you cleared your throat.

"So what do you need?" You asked, crossing your hands behind your back. Ready to be of service. Hopefully he wouldn't demand too much of your small store.

"You said you knew. So you tell me." He said with a sly smile. You stammered, sweat slicking your palms. "I didnt mean- We have several ah..." You looked away, at the different categories of spellbooks and history of Prythian. Shame fell in your gut at the bottom layers of books that made the stack in the middle of the room.

"I'm looking for a cookbook. One with Illyrian recipes." He stepped to the carpet, his dark socks immaculate against the worn pattern. 

"Is the high lord a fan of home made treats?" You laughed at the odd request. Then covered your mouth, the embarrassment turned your ears red. "I'm sorry-" "No, its fine." Cassian chuckled, pulling a book off a shelf. It was of the first war, and was bound in dark leather. "He does. But the book isn't for him. The high ladies sister, actually." 

The one of hellfire and stone or the one that seemed to be a ghost? You dared not question him. "A solstice gift?" You asked, showing him over to the small cooking section you had obtained over centuries. They weren't of much use in Illyria, but the few travelers found them fascinating. 

"Yes, she's had a rough year." His voice was somber, but the hope still lingered in his eyes.

You let the words sink in. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, his presence was warm and welcoming, actually. As if he was putting off a vibe of 'I'm safe.' You handed him a complete cookbook full of basic recipes and baking. The cover was so worn the title was unreadable. Dark spots stained the inner pages, you knew because you'd borrowed the book several times. "We all have." He flicked through it for a moment, smiling. His teeth were immaculate, and a bit extra pointy on his canines. The sight of them sent a thrill through you.

"I recommend the sweet dough. It's spice free, the only thing you need for it is pine needles and sap." You flicked the pages to one you had bookmarked. The opposite side was full of different types of cakes to make with minimal ingredients. 

"I'm too familiar with it." He laughed, shaking his head. Some fond memories from long ago lingered there. He could recall the scent of the bread with full accuracy. The way it the needles would char on top of the dough if there were too many. 

"How much do I owe you?" He pinned the leather under his arm and pulled a satchel from his pocket. Your heart raced at the glimpse of so many gold coins there. 

"Ah- it'll be Twenty silvers." You said, embarrassment coating your tongue. He didnt even look like he was carrying and silver. He eyed you speculatively. "Twenty silvers for a full book?" He asked. You nodded, trying not to wring your hands. He fished a gold coin from the pouch and held it out to you. "Let me get you some change... it may take a second." You fumbled to the desk where you kept your coin inside a spellbound box. 

"Dont worry about it. I'll be back another time." He called, setting the book on the floor to pull on his shoes. "Lord Cas-" You began to protest.

"Just Cassian." He corrected, grunting as he pulled on the boots. "Call it a tab." He winked and eyed the ripped, hole filled curtains of the front window. How they swayed in the breeze that drifted in from the rocks. 

"I'll be seeing you." His eyes scanned you, and you nodded. "Be seeing you." You said back, your mouth dry. He was intimidating in the ways you'd never thought of. Not in a scary way, but in a sly way that made your heart race. The bell over his head dinged hollowly as he exited, shoving the book into his backpack. You tried not to stare as he left. 

+ The Solstice party was a success as it normally was. Nesta kept to herself in the corner with Amren while everyone else exchanged gifts. Elain's eyes lit up at the book, and she hugged Cassian with heart. "I'll be making you something tomorrow." She promised. Cassian felt the flicker of cold over him and shot Az a look. They glowered at one another. 

Rhys leveled a look at both of them that got them to straighten up. Feyre handed out mugs of hot cider. Mor brought around a bottle of liquor to mix with it. The night was warm with friends and joy. Besides the cold corner where Nesta sat. Cassian did his best to ignore it. As did everyone else. 

He was nearly the last to leave. The cider had effected him more than he thought. But it warmed his insides against the cold wind of Velaris. He wrapped his wings around himself to shield from the cold. He thought of the librarian who had given him the book. His mind drifted to the rest of that day, how Devlon had even seemed cheerful. 

He wondered if you were doing anything, if you had any family celebrating with you. If you had a mate that spoiled you. His heart kicked up at the thought of it. He hadn't noticed a ring...or any tattoos to signify a mating bond. He couldn't recall much else. He had been stunned by the beauty and simplicity of you and your shop. He couldnt remember if you had wings. 

The frustration ate at him. He had to know more. He needed to know if you had a good solstice. He made a plan. "It would be good karma" He told himself, entering one of the several shops on the way to the townhome. His excitement made it nearly impossible to sleep that night. + "Happy solstice." A voice called from the front door. You hadn't heard the bell chime. 

You rushed to the front, making sure that the carpet hadn't been ruined. The curtains whipped from the wind outside. The enormous Illyrian shut the door with a firm gentleness that made your heart race. His hands wrapped around a small wooden box. Well, it was small in his hands. 

"It's the day after solstice. Happy late solstice." You corrected, striding over to him and giving him a look about the shoes. They looked incredibly clean. "You still need to take them off." 

"I know. You need to open this first." He forced the box upon you and stooped to begin unlacing the boots.  "What-"

"Just open it." He stood and followed you to the counter. Heat flooded your cheeks, you hadn't gotten him anything. Not that you could afford it, or even knew what he would want. "Why did you get this?" You asked, trying to hide the tension in your voice.

"So you dont have to cook that sweetbread again." He said with a grin, staring at you. At how your hands delicately removed the lid from the box. Then at your stunned reaction at the waft of spices that spilled from the box. "Cassian-" You breathed, utterly speechless. 

"I have a request too...So you can't say its too much. It's for me too." He went to the shelf where he'd gotten the cookbook for Elain. "Make us these, and we'll call it even."

"Cassian... I'm not a cook. I dont bake." You laughed when he pointed at the spice cakes in the book. "Maybe ask the sister-" You pushed the box toward him, the heaviness of it screamed 'expensive' to you. Guilt marred the joy of receiving the gift.

He pushed it firmly back to you, locking eyes. He noted the way you tensed at that stare. He eased, trying to ignore the scent mixing with the smell of leather and spice. "I want you to make it, using these." He patted the top of the box. 

You debated with yourself. The male carried around more gold than you'd ever seen. And he wasn't worried about it. You figured if it was a gift then he genuinely wanted you to have it. You sighed and took the box, placing it under the shelf beside your bag. Your wings pinched at the movement. 

You ignored how his eyes lingered on your scarred members. You were used to it from some males, but never one as important and high ranking as him. He shook himself and refocused, pulling himself out of the rage he was feeling at the sight of your ruined wings. 

"Any other requests?" You sighed, feigning annoyance. His toothy grin made your stomach do flips. 

[benjiwyatt]

do you have any ben/leslie headcanons! i love your posts abt them so much it's great to see someone get as emotional abt them as i am asjdkajhjd

i got this message and i was like "god, i dont really know if i have any headcanons" and then i opened my notes app and started typing and didn't stop for over an hour

i'm literally putting this under a break and organizing it into categories bc it's absurdly long

here it is

A COLLECTION OF BEN AND LESLIE HEADCANONS

PRE-RELATIONSHIP/S3

basically canon but leslie definitely had a crush on a young benji wyatt and followed the story religiously for the first couple months before she started college

ben is only slightly jealous leslie had ann go out with chris to try and get more money for the parks budget rather than leslie asking him out with the same goal. he knows it’s insane, unethical, and illogical but he’s still excited that he gets to spend the night with her on a date plus two other people even if it is to accuse her of bribery.

ann realizes early on that leslie was attracted to ben and teases her mercilessly about it. she thinks it’s absolutely hilarious that leslie wants to make out with "mean ben.” after april and andy’s wedding, she realizes it's more than just attraction and she lays off.

before ben can even think rationally about what he’s doing, he’s in line at bed, bath, and beyond with a crock pot in his arms, calling stephanie to ask her to send him their family’s chicken soup recipe

ann knew ben liked her from the beginning and was totally positive when she ran into him in the hospital asking for leslie’s room number while holding jj’s waffles and a tub of homemade soup.

ben realizes he’s falling in love with leslie when he is at city hall with her until 3am one night trying to budget for the amount of cotton candy machines she wants for the harvest festival. in his exhaustion, he naively believes her when she tells him she’ll go home in a bit so he leaves. he never gets a text from saying she made it home so he stops at jj’s the next morning and brings a takeout container of waffles and a coffee complete with an outlandish amount of whipped cream and sugar to the parks department. he finds her asleep in the conference room. he starts trying to convince sweetums to donate more cotton candy machines that afternoon.

chris had to have known ben liked leslie. he’s not an idiot. in the deleted scene from their wedding, they read out emails from their “tumultuous first week in pawnee” and chris writes to ben saying, “why are you so focused on leslie knope?” ben replies saying, “i’m not. whatever. shut up.” there’s no way chris is this oblivious. ben takes her out for a beer. ben pays out of pocket for a children’s performer to help her out. ben shows up on chris and ann’s date just because he thinks leslie might be there. chris can’t be this dumb. but when they take the city manager jobs in pawnee, he knows it can’t happen so he cuts ben off when he starts to ask about dating someone in city hall. he cracks down on the rule in front of leslie after the tom incident to hammer it in. he starts setting ben up on a bunch of dates to try and head it off. he sends them to indianapolis for the little league pitch because, realistically, he knows they’re the best bet for success but makes sure to interrupt their dinner and invites them to his apartment to continue to run interference the rest of the night. after their fights in 4.06-4.08, he hopes he won’t have to worry anymore. the next work day, they come into his office looking nervous and happy and he knows he’s about to lose the partner and best friend that’s been by his side for the past decade.

april and andy knew they were secretly dating. it went unspoken aside from a few implicit teasing remarks from april and a few suggestive attempted high fives from andy but leslie assured ben they wouldn’t tell anyone despite their ostensible behavior.

BREAK UP

ben had commissioned the li’l sebastian plush for leslie after he had died but the toy shop didn’t finish it until after they broke up. he felt bad not going to pick it up so he did despite not being able to give it to her. he kept it for all those months and sometimes thought about getting rid of it but could never bring himself to do it.

when leslie made personalized copies her books for her friends with individualized annotations and notes in the bylines, she had two copies for ben. there was one that she gave him during their breakup that was very simplified and watered down where the note basically just said “i’m really glad you decided to stay in pawnee.” then there was a second copy that she kept while they were split up that was totally covered in notes and random thoughts she couldn’t say during their time apart. she gives him that copy when they get back together and it may or may not be the best gift he’s ever received.

april was much less abrasive with them during the break up because she’s a sweetheart and wants her friends to be happy.

the first time leslie admitted she was in love with him was during a long night of drinking and crying at ann’s house

ben craved the taste of sugar during their breakup because he got used to tasting the sweetness when he kissed her

ben found himself unable to sleep at night without the sound of leslie talking in her sleep to comfort him

april texted leslie the night of the halloween party to let her know that ben and andy were at the hospital after a fight and everything was fine and she didn’t need to worry. leslie was mad at andy for a few days after and he couldn’t figure out why.

the only photo in ben’s bedroom was of himself, leslie, and li’l sebastian at the harvest festival. if he got caught staring at it and crying, he would just say he missed li’l sebastian so much.

april and andy started having star wars and star trek movie nights to try and cheer ben up

DOMESTIC

ben and leslie got in the habit of having weekly game nights with april and andy during the campaign since they were all basically living together. it became a tradition that kept going as often as they could make it happen, even after the kids were born. they try to have game night at least once a month. april pretends to hate it.

one of my absolute favorite ideas about them is that she sleeps much better when he’s around to keep her grounded. after they get together for good, she starts getting closer to 5 hours of sleep a night.

another favorite involving leslie’s sleeping: ben is typically accustomed to tuning out incoherent nonsense that she babbles in her sleep but she also has some of her best ideas when she’s not busy trying to focus on a million different things. when he hears her coming up with legitimately good ideas or making speeches or having solid debate arguments, he takes out the notebook he keeps in his nightstand to record her thoughts and quotes. he revisits and revises the notes to strengthen her statements and make them more professional and less rambling but makes sure to keep her distinct voice apparent in them.

ben prefers pancakes to waffles but he will go to the grave with that secret

this isn’t a headcanon because nbc posted it but one of ben’s holidays on leslie’s calendar is watch synchronization day which is the day they celebrate syncing their watches to, as leslie puts it, “always be in harmony, like our hearts” which is just one of the sweetest fucking things in the world

leslie makes ben read and watch all the harry potters because he didn’t get into them when he first tried. ben is much more of a success than ann. she buys him a ravenclaw scarf for christmas.

their first fight as a couple was a historical debate gone awry

since ben clearly has some affinity for custom stuffed animals, he has some made for the triplets.

they’re both dog people but they adopt a cat because sonia and stephen beg for one and it does fit their busy lifestyle much better. they love the cat. they get a dog when the kids are older and life is slightly less hectic.

they both love striped shirts and sweaters so much that they have to make a conscious effort to avoid wearing them on the same day and matching

leslie makes sweets and bakes desserts while ben typically handles cooking the actual meals

BASED ON EPISODES, QUOTES, AND THROWAWAY LINES

i always loved the ann/ben dynamic in bus tour because there’s been such an obvious shift in ann’s attitude towards him in this episode. maybe it’s because she and tom just broke up and she just turned chris down again and she’s frustrated with relationships but i think it’s her realizing ben isn’t going anywhere. since the campaign is winding down, she realizes that things aren’t gonna go back to the way they were because ben is now part of this and he’s clearly in it for the long haul. ann’s definitely jealous that ben is just as important to leslie as she is and she now knows she’s never gonna get that full attention back. ann sits ben down to have a real “don’t you dare hurt her” speech after this ep and before win, lose, or draw. this is when he tells ann he wants to marry her.

they discover they both adore the princess bride after ben says “as you wish” to her one night and after that it becomes their movie.

the wildflower mural becomes a thing between them when ben says he considered that to be their first date, prompting leslie to tell him what the mural means to her.

ben puts banjo boogie bonanza on one of the mix cds he gives leslie at the beginning of their relationship

harrison ford movie nights start after they both reveal they had a crush on him as a kid. ben was obsessed with han solo and leslie was into indiana jones’ whole history teacher vibe.

they basically hate each other’s taste in music and stop exchanging mix cds once that becomes apparent that they aren’t gonna find much common ground. they both love tom petty, al green, and etta james and music in that vein though.

ben makes leslie watch game of thrones just to try to explain why he’s called her khaleesi. she gets into it, not so much because of the show itself, but because of how passionate her boyfriend is about it.

they start learning basic french during the s4 campaign because they think it will be useful to have a basic multilingual vocabulary for their political careers and because leslie confesses she has always dreamed of seeing paris. they study spanish next.

ben makes leslie watch the star wars prequels just so he can complain to her during them. he doesn’t think she’s paying attention and then he reads about midichlorians in the paper.

ann is also in on ben’s plan to sneak vegetables into leslie’s waffles.

they will sometimes jokingly refer to themselves as the “dream team�� or “dynamic duo” because, despite chris’s absurdity, it’s true

i’m open to literally any origin of this because no matter what it’s perfect but i like to think that “i love you and i like you” started at some point in season 4 when, at some point, leslie went “i like you” and ben replied “you like me?” “mhm” “hm just like me?” “yes i like you. i love you and i like you. both.” “mmm i love you and i like you too”

i barely even register some of these things as headcanons since they just live so solidly in my brain

this might be my favorite ask ever thank you for loving benslie enough to ask me this and be genuinely interested

if anyone read all of this, i love you

[nopeimnother]

Food With Friends

writing these things are actually therapeutic, and seeing your reblogs and kind words is very heartwarming. thank you for the well wishes you guys send <3

i think today is watcher-era steven? idk what comes next so i might be late the next day to see which one is next

this will be more about how each steven show connects with my life, so it might be shorter (bc i should be really studying rn)

HOMEMADE  i remember steven sayng that homemade is like the mature sibling of Worth It, and i agree. first off, they feature restaurants and chefs that make amazing authentic food. i always love seeing new cuisines and learning about them, and ofc they look so good and delicious. second, they feature family recipes. now, my family doesnt really have this because of the following reasons (1) my family does not write down recipes so like a filipino its more eyeballing (or “tantsa”) (2) my mom wasnt the cook of her siblings growing up, she can cook but she relies on internet recipes now (which i ofc do constantly), (3) we’re not the closest with the dad’s side of the family so i dont know if they had any family recipes but my dad is great at cooking traditional filipino vegetable dishes. i like how this show compares the two types of recipes in a way where its not finding which is the superior one. its more of seeing their differences and similarities, how family background, culinary training, resources, etc. influence the recipe.

GROCERY RUN i fucking love this show. when this aired, i was emotional. everytime there was a thing we had to cook for school (which was often due to my course/strand), i go grocery shopping with my best friends every time. its so fun, we make jokes, bad puns, compute every single thing before checkout because we’re broke students. i miss it. this show made me miss this supposedly mundane thing i do with friends on almost a weekly basis. its heartwarming, as with all steven shows. ALSO HE HAD THE SHIBUTANIS OVER. COME ON. I WAS A BIG FAN OF THE SHIBUTANIS EVEN BEFORE WATCHER. I SCREAMED WHEN I SAW THEM IN THE TRAILER. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

DISH GRANTED THIS. THIS ALMOST MADE ME CRY DURING ANDREW’S EPISODE. as a worth it stan at the core, seeing them in one room just shot me with a boost of serotonin. anyway, my undying love for andrew ilnyckyj aside, this show resonated with me because i love to cook. i especially love to cook for friends. i love letting them taste my cooking, i love giving them my baking attempts. I love it when i post a picture of my cooking and friends would message me that they want to try it. im not the most confident baker like steven so i relate to the shit that doughs put him through. i made cinnamon rolls (that were honestly too crispy bc oven problems), brownies, red velvet crinkles with cream cheese frosting, lemon cakes? UGH I LOVE IT and being able to share that with friends is my way to show them how much i love and appreciate them. i wish i can do it again soon.

[hexellentlearningwitch]

Witchtypes and Crafts

Merry meet. And welcome to this long long post. Since I am new to witchcraft I am currently researching a lot. And one of those topics I am researching is the Types of Witches and their Crafts. Since that is on every List for the New witch to research. Right after History of Witches. Maybe I will make a Blog about the History as well. Later, when I have more Informations on it.

Some hints for this Post:

1: this List is not complette.

2: No witch is just one Type. Labels are nice and give a good Sense of Order. But most Witches have more then one way to do their magic. So Mix Types are usual in my experience.

3: It is mostly about where the witch is focusing on and what she works with.

4: Changing your "Type" is possible and maybe even good. Maybe you will find a way for magic you didn't even new existed. Try it out.

5: If I am presenting something wrong, please tell me. I will change it. We all can learn from each other.

6: if you know another Kind of Type that is not on the list, feel free to reblog and/or comment.

7: several names for one Kind of Type happens. So dont wonder about it if you know the Type but under a different Name.

8: there are alot of them. And some go into each other. But are their own Type. So I Made some Kind of big categories. I hope you can follow me through this all.

9: I wrote all of this in my Book of Shadows. There I just got a little Checklist. Not the Text Version like I am giving you here. If you want the short Version just write to me and I will see what I can do.

Now to the actual List of Types. There are a lot of them. So buckle up.

1. Eclecctic Witch

Just because eclecctic has a negative ring to it in some languages (German for instance), doesn't mean that these Witches are uncreative. This witch Pulls their Pratcises from many other different types, depending in what they want, need and can do. No eclecctic witch is like another.

2. Hedge Witch / Liminial Witch

These witches concentrate more on the In-Between Places. Astral Projection, Spiritual Places and Dream Magic are very common for them.

3. Green Witch / Nature Witch / Garden Witch

You can meet these Witches outside. Plants and Nature are there Expertise. The Garden is normally the centrum of their magic.

- Wild Witch

A special Form of the Green Witch. This Wild Witch is not feral. No. They just love the wilderness and the nature in its free Form. Tamed and orderly kept gardens are not so their thing. She Feels much more connected to the wilderness, where humans have not meddled.

- Forest Witch

Also a special Form of the Green or Nature Witch. These Witches love their Woods and Forests. Trees are Essential for them and their magic.

- Weather Witch / Storm Witch

If it as a Storm, Rain or just the sunshine, these Witches know how to work with the weather and what enegies they can harvest and use. From what I read these Witches seem to Prefer the rain and wind, with the occasional ligthning Strike. That is why there are also known as Storm Witches.

- Ozean / Sea Witch

The first thing that comes to the mind when you hear Sea Witch would be Ursula from Ariel. (I personally have bad relationship with her... oh childhood you follow me everywhere). But Ursula is giving a pretty crooked Picture for these witches. They focus on the Tides. And who rules over those? The Moon, correct. Trying to seperate the Ozean from the Moon wont work. And these witches also use the storm magic like the Weather Witches. Of course more focused on the sea weather. Sadly bot every Sea Witch is so lucky to live near the Ozean. Other great water bodies work as well for them. A Lake or a sea work as well.

4. Kitchen Witch

One of the most well known and beloved witches today. Not surprising. Food is something we all love and cherish. But for these witches their Kitch and their food are their Kingdom and sacred place. They love to cook or bake. New Recipes and creating their own, that is something they enjoy.

- Garden Witch

This witch is equally well known and often very close with the Kitchen Witch. The Herbs from the Garden are not only being used in the tea, but also made into little bags and bundels. In German you may know here as a “Kräuter Hexe”.

- Cottage Witch / Hearth Witch / Personal Space Witch

This type of Witch concentrates her magic on her home. Cozy and Safe, that is her motto. They need a safe and sacred place, which is their home. This witch often overlaps with the Kitchen and Garden Witch.

5. Healer Witch

The Healer or healing Witch uses her magic mostly for - well - healing. Like the name indicates. Selfhealing or the healing of others: The Witch Doctor is IN and waiting for their next patient.

6. Crystal Witch

A very common witch. And don’t I understand it. These little guys are pretty and gourgeous and very useful and powerful. Crystal, Gem, Jewels or just a plain rock. These witches knows a lot about them and how to use them. You could say the crystals are the “foundation stone”.

7. Divination Witch

This Witch concentrates her magic on the subconscious and their intuition. And uses them to predict the future. Just because of that, they don’t think that everything is set in stone. They know very well of the free Will and the power it holds and wields. Tarot, Palm reading and others. There are many ways and options to get a glance into the future. But be careful, you might not like what you get to see.

8. Empath Witch

I personaly found this witch very relatable for me and found myself reflected. This Witch concentrates on their emotions and Intuition. They can pick up all kind of energies, vibes and moods (of a room, person, animal, you say it), read them and work with them

9. Mental Witch

The mental witch fascinated me immediatly, when I heard from them. And it demanded immediatly a lot of respect from me. The way they are using their magic is purely mentally. That means no physical counterpart. Complete concentration and a lot of Imagination are needed and necessary. That is why it is an incredible hard magic. I can imagine how quick bad things can turn out, just because you are not in complete control of your thoughts while you work your magic...

10. Cosmic Witch / Astrology Witch

These witches are living with the Nightsky and are constantly working with him. Not just the moon, the stars and the plantes are an important part as well in this witchcraft. With the phases it is very diverse over the year.

- Lunar / Moon Witch

They focus on the moon. And they look how it affects them. Their power comes and goes with the moon.

- Solar Witch / Sun Witch / Day Witch

This witch works only on the day and rises and goes with the sun. The night is not for them at all. The Sabbats and the Summer Solstice are their Highpoints of the year.

- Nocturnal Witch

As the name suggest, these witches are the complette opposite of the Solar Witch. The Night is their Kingdom.

11. Cultural / Traditonal Witch

This is a group of many different tipes and stiles, put under one label. From Nordic to african and egypt. The Homeland and the culture and traditions (Heritage) from there are a solid and important Part of their Craft

- Religious Witch

This one is pretty simple and normaly just an addition (like I said way up, most witches are a mix of many types). This witch gets in contact with their God, Godess or Gods in her magic, makes it a part of it. All Religions can be combined with Witchcraft. Christianity or Buddhism, a religious witch can find a way to get the higher ups involved.

- Wicca

You probably heard already from these Witches. Wicca is neopagan religion and is using a lot of old models and musters in their ways to live.

Nice sentence to remember from Skye Alexander: Every Wicca is a Witch, not every Witch is a Wicca.

- Ancestral Witch

This witch lives close with their family and the ones that came before them. A Family tree will be found somewhere, I am sure. And it will be up to date. They have a close bond with their Ancestors and are communicating with them.

- Necromancy Witch

No, this witch doesn’t raise the dead and doesn’t creates Zombies (why can I hear the sigh of disapointment...?). But they comes easily in contact with the deceased. And blood realtion is not needed for them. The Graveyard is a place of serenity and company for these witches.

- Hereditrary Witch

To be this kind of witch, you need a witch in your family that teached you their craft. Grandmother or uncle, who it is was and is, is not so important. Passed on Spells and Recipes from Generation to the next Generation. Maybe our Children or nieces and nephews will learn the witchcraft from us and with that will be carring on. (Just think, the spell you created might be still used some Generations later. Quite Impressive)

- Ceremonial / Ritual Witch

This witch loves Ceremonies and Rituals to bring their magic into the world. Rules and clear procedures, which makes them the opposite to the Chaos Witch, a Type that will be described later.

12. Elemantal Witch

Like the name says, these witches a working mostly with the elements and their spirits.

- Air/Fire/Water/Earth Witch

These Witches have specialised themself on one Element. The one they feel connected with. The Reason is only important to the relationship and how it will be expressed.

- Fairy / Fae Witch

I hardly now anything about these witches. Just that they work with the faes. That’s about it.

- Dragon / Draconic Witch

I don’t know a lot about these witches as well, saddly. Just that they work with the dragons, and with the fire.

- Pact Witch

These Witches make contracts with a lot of magical creatures and other beings. How these pacts look like differs not only from witch to witch, but is also different depending on the partner of the contract and their relationship.

13. Shadow Witch

One of the first witchtypes I looked into more. They use Shadow Work. Now what is that? It is about knowing yourself, all sides and facettes. The good and the Bad. And to shine a Light on them to work on and with them. The Subconsciousness is incredible important for them. And Meditation and Reflexion are frequently Methods for them.

14. Warrior Witch

These witche have an incredible urge to be activ and are protectiv. Like the Name tells you these witches are not afraid to fight for what they believe in. They have a strong and good Sense for what is right and what is wrong. Ethic and Morality are a Talent of theirs.

15. Chaos Witch

I mentioned this witch a litle earlie, that they are the opposite of the ritual Witch. They are untraditionel and love to think outside the box, because of that their magical praxis is nothing like the “schoolbook”. Flexibel and spontan are here a key. Also the changing of their way of magic is usual and not weird at all. The Genius overlooks the Chaos.

16. Modern Witch

- Tech Witch

If it is the Smartphone or the Laptop, this witch understands Technologie and knows how to use it in and with their magic.

- Urban / City Witch

This witch loves the Big Cities. The more people on one place, the better. The engery that exists there is easily used by these witches. But also the tram or cars are part of their everyday magic.

- Pop Cultural Witch

Who doesn’t know them? The new witches and wizards. Harry Potter, Sabrina, and who not and whereever they are. Magic always fascinated humans, even so it has it spooky side (or exactly because of the spooky side). Because of this fascination it became easily part of our stories. Fantasy. But most things in witchcraft happen in the head. Spells and Potions from these fantasy stories are brought to live and into reality by the Pop Cultural Witch, not exactly and to 100%, but you can see the connection and the inspiration they found. Maybe some even found their way to real witchcraft through the Pop Cultur?

- Art Witch

These witches are artists. Drawing, sketching, writing, sewing, singing and many other things with their Art they not only express themselfs, but bring their magic into the world.

- Music / Rythmis Witch

The sound of a heartbeat, a poem, drumbs or even just dancing and so much more is part of this witchcraft. Rythm is in their lives and their magic, a real beat. Loud or quite, it doesn’t matter. They will bewitch you with their beat and sound of their magic.

- Color Witch

The Colors of the wind. Well, yes. These witches are colorful. Their favourite color? Better buckle up for a lecture over two hours long, about colors and their meanings and the intentions they have. These witches know their colors. When you know one, look at their clothes they are showing you, the colors will gladly tell you what is currently on your friends mind and happening in their live.

- Sigil Witch

Sigils are the key and shield for these witches. If old ones or just created from the spot. There is hardly a situation this witch will not have a sigil ready to be drawn. And if they encounter one, they will create just the right one.

Well. That was the list. For now.

My head is mushy and is running in circles, I bet yours is not different.

If I did get anything wrong, I am terrible sorry. Just comment or write to me about it and I will correct it. After all, learning from each other is one of the most important things we can do.

By the way, It could be that there are spelling and gramma errors. My mother language is not english, and I was not very good while I was in school. Now I am catching up, by reading and listening and watching almost everything on english. But writing it is quite different. So just correct me and I will be able to get better at it, too.

I do hope I could help a little with this list and didn’t bring more confusion...

Until next time, my dear ones.

Your hexellent learning witch.

[husbandograveyard]

Matchup for @jordimac33​

I’m very excited I made it! Thank you Hazel!! 💕

My name is Jordan, but all my friends call me Jordie. I’m 23 and 5'10". I’m bisexual. My Myers Briggs is INTP, and my zodiac sign is Cancer (everytime I open my horoscope it feels like a personal attack). I have brown eyes with glasses, and short brown hair shaved along the sides & back. I have a couple of stray freckles around my chin and down my shoulders. I played Ice hockey up until college so I’m still pretty lean. Hockey made my legs pretty strong & thick and they’re probably my favorite feature on myself. I’ve got two really big passions in my life, baking and my friends & family. Baking is something that has always brought me a lot of joy, and it’s something I can share with the people that I care about. I was always a firm believer that my love language to others was gift giving, especially with food. Everytime someone is feeling low or upset pastries have a way of appearing. It’s something I can see myself doing happily for the rest of my life, so I’m trying to make a career out of it. I’m my 2nd year of a pastry program in culinary school, so I’m constantly trying different recipes out on my friends and coworkers. When I’m not baking up a storm, I’m normally burning through any book I can get my hands on. History and fantasy adventure stories have always been my favorite. I come from a pretty big family that saw each other regularly, so I’ve come to love the chaos. Being that close really made me treasure my friendships as well. Family & friends always come first for me, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing i’ll drop it to be there for them. I’m normally the one people head to for comfort/advice, and I thrive off of that. I’m not always comfortable being in the foreground, but I absolutely love being able to support the people who are. My biggest fear is probably being alone, I flourish in environments with lots of people I care about. I hate the thought of being left behind.

I hope I hit all the points you needed, sorry if I’m long winded! 😬 Thank you again Hazel!! 💕

Hiya Jordan (can I call you Jordie?) Dont worry about being long winded, the more info I get the better! :D The baking talents sound amazing (and now im hungry TwT ) I hope you like these matches for you! I match you with...

OTP: Katakuri 

Into sweets? Big family? A lot of chaos? Unwavering loyalty? I think all the marks get checked right here! Your pastries are a great way of winning him over, breaking that stoic first wall and getting him to trust and eventually love you. The biggest hurdle is allowing you to see his face, and from there on out, it’s pretty much smooth sailing. 

Despite his hard exterior and overwhelming power, Kata is pretty insecure and a softie once you get closer. He loves and admires your cooking, preferring it over whatever the chefs make, because of the secret ingrediënt only you can provide: love. You’re the only person ever to be invited to his merienda. 

Once you get past the initial hard exterior, you will find that he can be pretty affectionate. Usually not in public but within the walls of your own home you can unleash all the affections you have, and he will carefully reciprocate, treating you with utmost care and softness. He gets easily flustered whenever you initiate even a cuddle session but will never reject you or let you down, after all, he likes it too. 

He loves that you adapt to such a big family so well and get along with everyone so easily. No matter how weird or dysfunctional this family is sometimes, Katakuri does care about his siblings and the fact that you somehow feel comforted in the chaos does make him happy. The fact that you are so supportive and someone everyone in the family can come and talk to makes you fit in perfectly and all around loved! 

Dates, besides the obvious baking and tasting include long walks around the various islands, just for exercise since you both like some activity, as well as letting you find all kinds of new flavors and ingredients that are so prominently available on the many islands! Katakuri likes to take you to Big mom’s huge library every now and then. He himself is not really an avid reader, but can stare for hours as you lose yourself in the endless bookcollection that there is. 

Runner up: Nico Robin 

A shared love for books and history, the two of you can speak for hours about diverse topic, have intense yet polite discussions, and a whole array of inside jokes. Honestly, you two could spend hours upon hours talking and never get tired nor bored of each other. Anyone listening in on a conversation would either be gravely disturbed, thoroughly confused of have no idea what either of you are talking about, and purposfully picking the most strange things to talk about in places where others can overhear it just to shock them slowly becomes a hobby, even if neither of you has every explicitly said that the goal was to disturb eavesdropping people.  

You both like being supportive in the background, the caretakers of the crew so to say, and are usually the first ones the crew comes to when it is actual advice they need. You’re also each other’s first line whenever either one of you need help. 

Why she’s not the one: Robin can endure chaos very well, is even amused by it, but in the end, she thrives in solitude and needs time to herself quite often to be able to give her all to you. In those times, she can be a little cold, and even though it’s nothing personal, it is not ideal for someone who thrives on companionship. 

BrOTP: Sanj

Silently supporting your friends in the background with love; strong legs and heaps of great food. Sanji and you bond over food and make a hobby out of coming up with new desserts; one more creative and insane than the other, each and every single one of them tasty, great looking and still relatively nutricious. 

You are the first one in the background waiting with a towel to throw at his face the moment he loses control over the bloodflow to his nose when he spots someone to swoon over and the first one to drag him back into the kitchen where both of you thrive. 

Favorite pastime is doing challenges: think of the most insane cooking shows with desserts you’ve seen and now apply that craziness to the both of you, some timers and your crew/friends in the background as the jury both to keep an eye on you following the rules and as taste-testers (after all there will be no food wasted). 

[millenialpeasant]

Meatballs, and an Introduction

INTRODUCTION:

The year is 2020, and we are Millenials.  This is a term bandied about by Boomers and Gen X’rs to infantalise us, but it is also OUR Generation and OUR term.  The economy is dying, we all work 3 jobs, none of us have time to cook, but also can’t afford to eat out all the time.  And to top it off half of us dont even know how to cook, and using services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron to help us learn skills we should have learned in Home Economics leads to derision and snark about how we can’t even be bothered to do our own grocery shopping. 

I love to cook.  I was a latchkey kid who was cooking dinner about twice a week since high school.  I also had a grandmother who loved to bake and valued a nice meal presentation, a trait which passed on to me.  I’m one of the lucky ones, and I’m grateful for that. there were times in my 20′s where my entire grocery budget was about $20 to feed myself for a week.  You learn about 30 different ways to prepare eggs and about 10 ways to doctor up Ramen Noodles or you go mad with food boredom.  

I love to cook but so many websites with amazing recipes assume you have access to fresh herbs, uncommon ingredients, and have 8 hours to let homemade stock simmer (I can’t even remember the last time I was home, in the day, for 8 hours straight)  So you find shortcuts, cost hacks, and rework recipes to work with the tools you have at hand.  you learn which tools are a godsend (food procesor) and which tools are basically fancy garbage (looking at you quesidilla maker).  This Blog will be a collection of the various recipes I’ve tweaked over the years, as well as cooking tips and tricks to get the most bang for your buck, or how to make food prep actually work around a busy schedule.  My hope is that someone, somewhere finds this blog and gets inspired to give real cooking another shot.  It’s cheaper, healthier, and a skill we should all have, so grab a mixing bowl, we are gonna make some meatballs.

ABOUT THE RECIPE:

so I wanted to start with this recipe for a couple of reasons.  1) It’s stupid easy, just put it all in the bowl and mix.  2)It makes a masssive amount of meatballs, especially if you live alone or only have 1-2 other people eating.   And 3) it’s cheeeeeap.  You can feed up to 10 people on $20 with this recipe if you do your shopping at Aldi or similar cheaper stores.  There are also no fancy techniques to worry about (although I will include Advanced Technique tips where applicable, all of my recipes will taste fine without the extra steps)

Every recipe generally wants you to pull out and pre measure all of your ingredients before you start cooking.  You should do this if posible, but when you are working in a tiny galley kitchen, or only own 2 bowls and 1 cutting board, you have to cut some corners.  To make life easier, I will seperate the ingredients into steps, in case you need to be able to measure things and put them straight into the bowl.

THE RECIPE:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350*F

Step 2

Put all of the following into a large mixing bowl:

~3lb ground beef ( I use the super cheap “meat log” 3 lb packs at the grocery store, but better beef means better meatballs.  you can also use ground turkey, ground sausage, anything you like in any combination, but for the sake of cost cutting, I will be sticking with the meat log for now) ~2 large eggs ~3/4 C Italian Bread Crumbs  ~1 TBS Garlic Powder ~1 tsp Garlic Salt (this might seem redundant but I’ve tried different combinations of salt and garlic and this was universally the best way to get the right ratio)  ~1 tsp Onion Powder ~1 1/2 TBS Italian Seasoning ~1 TBS Red Pepper Flakes (these make mild-to-medium spicy meatballs.  use spicy sausage, or add more red pepper flake for spicier meatballs, or omit red pepper for very mild, kid friendly meatballs) ~1/2 tsp Salt ~1 tsp Pepper

Step 3

Wash your hands and start mixing all that goodness together.  Use your hands, not a spoon, as a wooden spoon is more likely to overwork the meatballs, making them tough and weird.  Just hand mix like you are mixing together playdough, and wash your hands both before and after.  If you are squeamish, then you can always wear latex gloves if you prefer.

Step 4

Once the mixture looks uniform, begin making walnut sized balls by pinching off a bit and rolling between your palms.  For consistency, I like to make 1 ball and set it aside as a “template” to follow, otherwise I find my meatballs keep slowly getting larger and larger as I get impatient and just want to get these in the oven.  

Arrage your meatballs on a broiler pan with drainage, close to each other but not touching.  If you dont have one of those, then grab the aluminum foil and line a baking pan and use that instead.  You will have to manually drain off the grease at the end, but at least the foil makes cleanup way easier.

Advanced Tip: For better flavor, you can brown the outside of your meatballs in a frying pan for a few minutes per side before putting in the oven to finish cooking.  the browing give them a richer taste.  

Step 5

Bake at 350*F for 12-15 minutes.  To confirm doneness, you can insert a meat thermometer into the largest meatball (aim for a temp around 155-160*) or cut one in half with a fork and check.  you want meatballs that are ALMOST done, with just a tiny hint of pink in the middle.  Drain off any grease needed and remove meatballs from the pan.

Step 6

This step is where you start asking yourself “Well, I’ve got meatballs, now what?”

I’m a big fan of Spaghetti with my balls, so at this point I’d be opening 2 jars (trust me, 1 will not be enough) of your favorite grocery store red sauce, and pouring them into a large sauce pan, or even a pasta pot if you have an extra.  Add a bit of extra salt and pepper to taste, as well as a bit of garlic and maybe some more Italian Seasoning.  It really depends on personal taste and what your base sauce starts as, so add small amounts until it tastes right to you.  Remember that you can always add more, but you can’t remove it once it’s in there.  once your  sauce is right,  add your meatballs and cover.  Let the sauce/balls mixture simmer on medium-low heat while you make your pasta.  Give it a stir every few minutes to make sure nothing is sticking and that the flavors distribute properly

Advanced Tip:  you can always make Meatballs ahead of time and freeze them once they are out of the oven.  To reheat just put them into the sauce and let them simmer until the internal temp of the meatballs is around 165* F.  You can also thrown them into a slow cooker with the sauce and let the flavors build all day while you are at work. Step 7

Boil your pasta according to box directions and serve the meatballs on a bed of that beautiful spaghetti.  Alternativly you can instead make meatball sandwhiches by spooning some sauce and balls onto a nice deli roll of your choice, maybe topping with some parmesean or mozzerella if you have it handy.

[odogaronfang]

okay here it is!!! the long-awaited (not really) masterpost of hc’s about the background characters!!!

@105ttt and i have been working on this stuff for a couple weeks now and i’ve finally got around to making it into something shareable!! and i’m excited because now this means i get to use them in fics without people being completely lost!!!!

anyway this post is long so i’m gonna put it under a readmore-

Leonel

-link’s father

-captain of the guard & keeper of the wind key

-close friends with artura and valensuela since childhood

-because of the circumstances, he’s very well-read on the various legends/stories of the past heroes

-is a stand-in father for zelda sometimes because of how close she and his son(s) are

-constantly worried about his kids (sometimes because of the trouble they’ve been in, sometimes because of the trouble they cause)

-definitely the ‘cool manager’ type of captain- does what he needs to in order to run an efficient guard, but he’s also good friends with all of them

-there are days where he wants to take his kids out to town for a family day and there are days where he wants to throw them all out a window

Artura

-the captain’s top knight

-friends with leonel since childhood; they weren’t in the same battalion until they became full knights but leonel would cut sessions to go train with his group

-specialized in heavy armored combat, proficient in several kinds of weaponry but mostly uses bludgeoning weapons

-the backup dad for vio when leonel is busy because hylia knows vio needs constant supervision

-the embodiment of the gentle giant trope- does a lot of favors for people and the castle town kids ADORE him

-always busy + always tired. give artura his vacation days please

-he has a special room in the castle he goes to when he needs alone time and doesn’t want to be bothered. vio is allowed in but only grudgingly and only if he’s maintained at least one (1) week of decent behavior

-works a lot with younger trainees (mostly around link’s age); has a lot of instructional tasks on top of his regular patrol duties

-he doesn’t take off his armor in public a lot, so most people haven’t seen him out of it. there’s a joke among the younger groups that artura isn’t actually a person but rather a darknut or one of the phantom knights animated by the royal family’s magic. (actually it’s just because he’s secretly a twink and he doesn’t want people knowing that Mr. Top Knight/Mr. Living Darknut couldn’t hit 160lbs if he was soaking wet.)

Valensuela

-keeper of the water key

-close friends with leonel since childhood; was in the same trainee battalion as him

-trained for armored combat but dislikes wearing heavy plate- if he wears a lot of armor, it’s usually maille

-can dual-wield, but usually opts for one larger sword instead of two smaller ones

-basically adopts green after the pyramid incident. just steals him from leonel. green is his son now. green accidentally calls valensuela ‘dad’ once and leonel’s parentship of green ends right there.

-appears very dignified and serious but actually has a flair for the theatrical. most people are not aware of this but his friends know.

-leonel’s second-in-command, but he’s far more task-oriented and doesn’t deal with people as well as leonel does. he can come across as a little brusque with people he isn’t familiar with so he tries not to take that role if he doesn’t have to.

-not a personality headcanon but he has a scar on his forehead from when green shattered his helmet in the pyramid. and after he’s overcome the trauma that came with that whole ordeal, he definitely brags about it. someone asks what happened to him for him to have a scar like that and he’s like “oh my son did that isn’t he talented?”

Lucien

-keeper of the fire key

-so chill. extremely laid-back guy. the kind of guy you go to hang out with when you want to do something social but you don’t want to leave your house (or even your couch).

-kinda lazy when it comes to little mundane tasks, which he caught a lot of flak for while he was still in training, but wholeheartedly dedicated to his job when it comes down to it.

-basically adopts red. they’re like best buds. red makes lucien carry him around on his shoulders so he doesn’t have to walk but lucien doesn’t mind.

-absolutely the kind of person to disappear for an entire day and when you find him again and ask him where he went he says he was in the living room the whole time

-very good at cooking, but only the really time-consuming, complicated recipes, which goes directly against his low-effort nature. he rarely cooks, but everyone looks forward to the days that he does.

-also the kind of person to “work out” by doing one push up every five minutes. the second he hears someone approaching he’ll stay in mid-push-up position and when they walk in he’ll say “one thousand”. (he only actually made it to nine.)

-if he isn’t in armor he’s in sweats. “dress more professionally” the captain says to him one day. he shows up to breakfast the next morning wearing sweats again, but this time he also has a tie on.

-the tallest of the group, which artura makes fun of (it’s all in good fun. he just makes fun of artura for being so small.)

Wes

-keeper of the earth key

-the high-energy go-getter of the group. his energy alone balances out the chronically low-key natures of artura and lucien. basically an eternal child at heart.

-ALWAYS ready to throw down. it isn’t even that he has anger issues, he just needs a way to get rid of his restless energy while also triumphing in his various conflicts, and to him, fighting (within the controlled setting of a spar) is the easiest way to do that.

-one of those people that has to be physically restrained from doing dumb things. “hey i bet i could land in the hot spring if i jumped from the third story balcony” “wes you will break all of the bones in your lower body” “and??”

-also the guy in the group that’s constantly making bets and daring people to do things. he violates the sanctity of the triple dog dare by using it literally every time. he is also eerily good at predicting the correct outcome of bets.

-learns little things like sleight-of-hand tricks just to fudge them at the end; he’ll keep a group of little kids enamored with the “magic” before asking if they want to see the finale where he makes the cards disappear. the kids say yes and he just hurls the entire deck into a nearby bush. “there,” he says with pride as he walks away, “they’re gone.” (he would never actually upset the kids. if they look too disappointed he’ll sigh and go get the cards and do an actual disappearing trick just to make them better.)

-definitely takes blue under his wing. they spar like every morning. the other links might try to go on kitchen raids without their parents’/mentors’ knowing but blue goes WITH wes to go steal the best-looking cookies fresh off the baking sheet. arcy always gives wes grief for enabling that behavior but wes knows she won’t actually do anything about it

Selenas

-another of the captain’s high-ranking knights

-the exasperated lawful good of the group. he tries so hard to get the rest of them to follow the rules but it never works. he knows there’s no point to the efforts anymore but he still tries.

-the constant sigh-er of the group. you’d think he had respiratory issues if you didn’t know him.

-is tasked with helping to keep shadow in line because of his lawful good status. he’s the strict parent who insists upon balanced meals with a lot of vegetables and who believes in a strict 8pm bedtime. he will not hesitate to confiscate shadow’s laptop if he’s misbehaving. shadow despises him but he’s doing all of hyrule a great favor.

-doesn’t safeguard a royal jewel so he’s kind of an outlier but it’s fine, everything’s fine, he doesn’t need a jewel to prove that he’s a good knight and no, he isn’t envious, no not even a tiny bit, why would anyone ask that,

-prefers long-reach weapons like pikes and halberds over swords/daggers

[all of the above-mentioned knights are collectively referred to as the cape squad by the links]

Arcy

-one of the castle chefs

-an ex-knight; had barely made it into full knighthood before receiving a career-ending injury

-decided to continue work at the castle as a chef so she could still be around friends + to provide for her daughter

-was in the same trainee battalion as artura for armored combat, so they’re old friends

-her daughter is adopted; keina is the biological daughter of a late friend of arcy’s who died from birth complications

-is actually still technically in reserve for the guard; in a state of emergency she’s tasked with aiding evacuation efforts

-she’s the most popular chef among the knights because she takes requests. there’s a weekly competition among battalions and the winning one gets to choose the weekend meals that she makes. it’s a good motivator, especially for the ones in training, and it also gets her friends in high places (:

Keina

(see above images)

-arcy’s adopted daughter

-she’s very sickly; she’s never gone beyond the gates of castle town and barely even leaves the castle grounds. the only time she’s been beyond castle town was when she fled the castle with arcy, and she was in extremely poor health the entire time.

-she’s friends with the links + erune; they’ll often visit her and bring her things from other towns (or in erune’s case, her hometown) so she can still experience new things

-has a lot of pen pals all over hyrule since she can’t leave her home to go see people- she gets like two dozen letters a week and it helps keep her busy

-very knowledgeable on a lot of different subjects! because she’s often home- and sometimes even bed-bound, she spends a lot of time reading and writing and will sometimes illustrate as well. she’d like to be some kind of professional scholar so she can still contribute even when her health prevents her from travel.

[gelasssoek]

create creativity. Start keeping a journal to follow your creative process and track the In addition to challenging yourself, you also need to create your own opportunities for creativity. 'Creative' is the most popular adjective in the design world. Everybody wants to be a creative individual, find a creative solution, or discover a creative book. How to make a mini submersible water pump at home

Everyone has a creative "type"—knowing yours helps you maximize your potential. Take our quiz to discover your type! Take some time every day to be creative.

Hey everyone, it's me again, Dan, welcome to our recipe site. Today, I'm gonna show you how to prepare a special dish, create creativity. It is one of my favorites. For mine, I am going to make it a bit tasty. This will be really delicious.

Start keeping a journal to follow your creative process and track the In addition to challenging yourself, you also need to create your own opportunities for creativity. 'Creative' is the most popular adjective in the design world. Everybody wants to be a creative individual, find a creative solution, or discover a creative book. How to make a mini submersible water pump at home

create creativity is one of the most popular of recent trending meals in the world. It is simple, it's fast, it tastes delicious. It's appreciated by millions every day. create creativity is something that I have loved my entire life. They're nice and they look fantastic.

To begin with this particular recipe, we must first prepare a few ingredients. You can cook create creativity using 12 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you cook it.

The ingredients needed to make create creativity:

{Get 2 cup of mashed potatoes.

{Take 4 medium of grated potatoes.

{Take 1 cup of squash or sweet potato coocked mashed.

{Make ready 2 of eggs mixed.

{Make ready 4 tsp of garlic.

{Prepare 1 cup of flower.

{Make ready 1 tbsp of salt.

{Prepare 1 of cheese if wanted as much as you like.

{Prepare 3 cup of bread crum, corn flakes, crushed crakers.

{Make ready 3 cup of or 4 bacon, panceta, ham diced.

{Prepare 1 medium of grated onion.

{Prepare 1 of Your own choice of spices ( as much as you want ).

Creativity is not simply innate; it is something that you learn and train every. But the creative attitude of Da Vinci began to take root in our classroom—in our students Creativity also directly enhances learning by increasing motivation, deepening understanding, and promoting joy. Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something somehow new and somehow valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke).

Instructions to make create creativity:

Sorry for any spelling mistakes that at in this recipe. it is a very free recipe feel free to mix it up and throw what ever you desire in there example choped mushrooms.

make what you can before hand IE mashed potatoes squash. Add the fallowing ingreadents to potatoes, grate onions, chease ( if wanted )cut garlic up . Then mix with potatoes, add eggs and mix in a big bowl. After everything is mixed add half the flower and mix. add salt and peper if desired.

cut ham, bacon, panceta into little chunks in a frying pan if you dont have much fat add your choice of oil. cook till desired browness. Add to potatoe mixture with a little of the grease..

now its time to relaxe or go to work w.e doesnt matter. the longer you leave it for the flavours to have a marriage the better.

(Oven) Alright! Time to cook. depending on how many people you want to serve fast or slow is going to depend on how you cook this. if you want to be able to serve it all at once. oil and flower the cake pan then add flower and bread crum mixter to coat the bottom of the pan. then put the potato mash, about 1and a half to 2 inches thick in cake pan then in the oven at 350 for an hour. check ocationaly to make sure its not burning. After you think its done cut a peace out and see if its cooked all the way threw..

(deep frying) if the mixture is to runny add a little more of that flower and mix in. then make balls about golf ball sized. Then role them into bread crum mixter ( if you want to get creative add a chunk of chesse right in the center with a leave of rosemary or your choice of spices). Heat oil and drop one or two balls in at a time as not to cool the oil to much. Cook until golden brown to dark brown. if uncoocked in the middle make the rest of your balls smaller and repeat prosses..

(frying pan) Depending on your pan and type of cooking serfice the results very you could use buter or oil and take the mixter put one scoop into a frying pan and flaten it to about half an inch with the spachula you could sprinkle a little flower on the outside to keep it from burning and sticking. cook on low to medium heat and be calm dont try to flip it until you are sure it is strong enough to do so. Great food takes time..

enjoy! I am expecting you guys to add your own flair to the dishes be creative and use comon sence if you think the mixture could use more flower or bakeing powder go for it. top the top of the oven one with pumpkin seeds or cheese or both, you have spices you like alot go for it! the beautiful part of potatoes is they are so versitile. cooking isnt about fallowing a resipe its about creating!.

From idea generation and creative confidence, to the power of the subconscious, innovation, and invention, enroll in courses that will boost your creativity. Create a classroom that recognizes creativity. You may want to design awards or bulletin boards to showcase different ways of solving a problem, or creative solutions to a real world scenario. You want to be creative and breed creativity in your workplace, right? Now we've got adults being asked to create and who are sure they aren't creative.

So that's going to wrap this up with this special food create creativity recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I am confident that you will make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food at home recipes coming up. Don't forget to save this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!

[anonymoususer1997-blog]

Cast Iron Oven Accessories from Dutch

For some reasons, since concerning hundreds a prolonged time ago, cast iron dutch ovens are already a staple of outdoor cooking. An Individual could cook just about anything within the wild by simply applying this simple black pot, and the meals can be as delicious because the one you are usually doing with your oven with home. Associated With course, in the big event you can do a bit practice, which is going to be better. You must have seen a number of photographs about the racks along with hangers around the Internet, yet virtually all of them are too expensive. While way as Im concerned, theres no have to utilize the accessories just like those, for our day-to-day life, a few easy accessories will be enough for people to savor the particular outdoor cooking with us and also friends. Besides, individuals pricey accessories are actually don't assume all in which helpful. The Particular simplest way in my mind to cook using the easy pot is putting your dutch oven around the ground, outside of your campfire, and like the greatest time along using your family as well as friends. Ive tried a new large amount of the actual dutch oven accessories and also equipment and use these phones cook my dutch oven dishes easily. Want to save lots of money? Its proper to occur here, whatever you need may become the dutch oven itself, nevertheless should you get your self a lid lifter, it will be an excellent idea. The Certain Dutch Oven You have to pay your focus on 3 issues basically whenever you pick the actual cast iron dutch oven. NO.1 legs, to end up being able in order to sit above the coals and also aid keep it level, an individual ought to pick one which in turn has shorts legs. NO.2 lid, if you dont want the actual coals that are put on leading with regard to baking for you to slide off, it must have any flanged lid. NO.3 handle, you must have got to go the dutch oven about with the handle, therefore it should have any straightforward metal bail, or wire handle which in turn ought in order to be sturdy. Two most widely used manufacturers along with higher quality equipment in the cast iron dutch ovens obtainable on the marketplace are Lodge along with Camp Chef. Absolutely No make any difference which usually manufacturers you select is actually a good choice. My choice will always be the Lodge, just because its the initial certain dutch ovens in which I bought and it functions perfectly. From the perspective which I hold, your first dutch oven could probably end up being the 12, 8 qt., Lodge Deep Dutch Oven. It has a lot more capabilities than the regular, shallower dutch ovens simply because of the added depth. If you choose to select it, just stay in mind, what goes to ensure it is cook just the little differently when baking will end up being the added length between your lid as well as food. Your Lodge portable camp stove will become the pot in which does it all. Your flanged lid holds hot coals along with inverts pertaining to use as getting a griddle. The Particular integral legs enable the oven to sit perfectly more than your campfire. Lodge is manufactured within the USA also it may be generating certain cookware within South Pittsburgh, Tennessee (pop. 3,300) since 1896. Together With more than 120 numerous a prolonged time of experience, their own certain is acknowledged for its higher high quality design, lifetime durability, and also cooking versatility. Lodge is actually a lot more than only a business; its the family. The Actual Lodge family members founded the company throughout 1896, plus they nevertheless bought it today. Through environmental responsibility for you to neighborhood development, their heads and hearts are usually rooted in Ame rica. Lodge sees that cooking is about greater than exactly the food; its concerning the memories. Regardless Regarding Whether you are roasting a chicken within the oven, or even cooking chili over the actual campfire, Lodge offers anyone covered using the included Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 cookbook. a excellent seasoning tends to make all the difference. Lodge provides pre-seasoned cookware with no synthetic chemicals; just soy based vegetable oil. The Particular more you employ your own iron, your far better the seasoning becomes. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kitchen/aplusdiy/B00008GKDW/CampDutchOvenMain.jpg The Lodge portable "camp stove" will end up being the pot that will it all. Your flanged lid holds hot coals and also inverts pertaining to use as being a griddle. the integral legs allow the oven to become able to sit perfectly over hot coals. Consists Of Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 book. from colonial hearth fires towards the campfires of Lewis along with Clark, surefire camp ovens fed the actual colonists, assisted tame the particular wilderness, along with did their own reveal throughout settling the American West. Cast iron cookware provides long been treasures as desired heirlooms, a lot consequently that, when Lewis as well as Clark returned from their particular journey west, their particular trusted certain pots had been among the couple of objects rendering it back again for you to civilization. Whats your top features of the actual certain dutch oven from Your Lodge? Made of cast iron Pre-seasoned as well as ready in order to use Multi-functional cookware Virtually non-stick surface Brutally difficult for many years of cooking Easy in order to clean-hand wash, dry, rub using cooking oil The Lodge Surefire Dutch Oven is actually a multi-functional cookware that works wonders along with slow-cooking recipes. It will come with a tight-fitting lid that assists freeze nutrition along with flavor. This pre-seasoned Dutch Oven functions being a charm out of the box. made of cast iron, this Dutch Oven evenly distributes heat from your bottom via the particular sidewalls. Also, it retains heat much better so in which your delicious meal remains heat to find a long time. Sporting any stylish black color, the particular cast iron Dutch Oven looks excellent inside most kitchens plus it doubles up as the possible superb source of nutritional iron. That features loop handles for convenient handling as well as the oven is an straightforward job to clean as well as maintain. More details: Tightly controlled metal chemistry as well as exacting mold tolerances deliver constant top quality for even heating and superior cooking performance. Heavy gauge wire bale may always be used with regard to hanging your oven over your hearth or campfire. Three integral legs allow the oven to be perfectly spaced over hot coals. Flanged to be able to contain hot coals on top so the oven can be used for baking, stewing, along with roasting. The Particular versatile lid could be inverted regarding use as a griddle. The correct device regarding searing, sauteing, simmering, braising, baking, roasting, along with frying. Cast-Iron is a type of cookware developed over any millennia ago remains as well-liked these days as when it had been utilized to prepare meals a massive assortment of a long time ago. Surefire can be certainly 1 of simply 2 metals compatible together with induction stovetops. Unparalleled in heat retention and also heating. At house inside the oven, on the stove, on the grill or older your campfire. Skillet works very well about various heat sources including gas, electric and also induction. Seasoned surefire can be also employed about the grill or perhaps open up fire and also coals with regard to camp cooking. Start heating cookware upon lower along with gradually bring heat as significantly as medium as well as medium/high. Often remove cookware in the stovetop right after cooking. Hand wash, dry, rub using cooking oil. The idea is quite important to replenish the actual seasoning of one's surefire cookware by making use of a new thin layer involving oil following every cleaning. Seasoning is an on-going process. the more you utilize cast iron, your seasoning can be improved. Pre-Seasoned: Seasoned for a natural, easy-release finish in which improves using use. Seasoning is a required step in using surefire cookware. Oil can be baked into the pores of the iron at the foundry to avoid rusting and to eventually supply a natural, non-stick cooking surface. Unlike synthetically coated cookware, it's achievable to restore the actual cooking surface of cast iron. Lodge uses a proprietary soy-based vegetable oil to season our cookware. The Actual oil contains no animal body fat or perhaps peanut oil. The Particular seasoning is actually functional application and also slight inconsistencies can happen within the seasoning finish. Your inconsistencies is not likely to affect cooking performance. How to utilize your own surefire dutch oven within the proper way? Use the actual warm water in order to rinse with out the soap, and also dry thoroughly. before cooking, apply vegetable oil for the cooking surface of your pan and also pre-heat your pan gradually (always start about low heat, as well as increasing the temperature slowly). Throughout order to keep the pan through sticking, anyone should not cook very cold food in it. When the actual utensil is actually effectively pre-heated, you may well be ready in order to cook. Precisely what anyone need to keep inside your thoughts carefully will always be the handles will become extremely hot inside the oven, as well as about the stove top. Often use an oven mitt in order to prevent burns when removing pans through oven or even stove top. As regarding me, I dont such as baking together with my surefire dutch oven, Id rather use it regarding stews, chili and other liquid based dishes, therefore it far better for me. Simply No issue what dimension do you choose, I do need to inform you the 12version may be the first choice. The idea depends about the size, the particular surefire dutch oven may enable anyone to cook many kinds associated with dishes. However, the little one will limit your skill regarding cooking. Lid Lifter A excellent lid lifter can be one of the most essential parts of the particular surefire dutch oven when youre cooking outdoor. I prefer your deluxe lid lifter compared to standard hook version which are both produced by Your Lodge simply because of the soundness associated with it when pulling the lid off of your dutch oven. Dont be concerned concerning the Lid that is planning to be swinging and dumping coals into your stew when you seize the actual lid this way. And absolutely, its the Lodge Brand. In case you need to try anything else, then go and get it, however what I can easily assure an individual is Your Lodge, since Ive put on the extender till now. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31nwfX8tnJL.jpg A lid lifter can be necessary to safe camp Dutch oven cooking. The Particular T bar style lifts hot lids regarding coals and helps move Dutch ovens from fire in order to table. Excellent with regard to lifting, rotating, or even moving a new hot lid. Produced regarding 9 mm bar stock rich in temperature black finish and furthermore heat diffusing spiral handle. Features hanging loop on end and fits just about all Lodge Dutch ovens. Measures 14 x 4.5 inches. This kind of is a well designed tool. I was obviously a small skeptical initially spending this much, however once you use it an individual will know why it is actually a required item. A Couple Of things I adore concerning this lifter - The Actual cross brace at the hook finish as well as the cross brace in the handle end. The Particular brace around the hook end permits you to rest your handle along with your lid as long as you're shifting items around around the fire or even need a spare hand regarding one thing else. Simply hook it on the lid and also you understand correct where it is always to come back to (don't let it sit too long, silly, you could burn off your hand). This likewise helps in order to maintain the lid via tipping to the side when checking your own vittles, assists keep ashes/ coals coming from falling in. Great! The Particular cross brace at the handle end can become a great surprise too. 1 of my ovens is a deep 12 inch. This weighs any lot. I can pick the whole oven up by simply its wire loop by simply applying this handle if I hook the finger or perhaps a couple of beneath that cross brace. A Lot more secure than simply gripping your handle alone. Zero dependence on an additional pot lifter or even anything, this does it all. Lid Stand Presently there is no need for you to prepare a new lid stand, however should you wish to set your own lid on a unclean, irregular surface, it will probably be handy with a lid stand. It is low-cost sufficient for practically any family, so which as pertaining to me, its a new worthwhile acquire because its really helpful and little enough to hold about when Im on camping. I bought two of these along with use them in the grill after which drive them within the home as well as make use of them again to keep your hot pot as well as pan safely off the table. These People use up little space after they are usually put away after use. useful product. one thing I don't like is that frequently once you go to set something being a dutch oven lid on the rack, the rack will sometimes partly close. Anyone have to be watchful to create positive the actual rack remains completely open up or even the object you're putting around the rack could slide off the particular stand. This specific could ruin your current day. I get found out that putting a dish towel down 1st and then putting the actual stand on leading of your dishtowel can help using this problem. 55 Gallon Drum Cover Inside winter, the actual cold wet ground will sap your heat via my coals and set my coals out just about all together in certain instances, that is the largest difficulty I had with my dutch oven. Within order to always be able to solve this problem, I bought a $14 steel drum protect and also drilled 1/4 inch holes 1 1/2 to always be able to 2 " apart in the middle instead of purchasing a fancy cooking table. A New little air can flow into my coals by means of the holes, along with its useful to aid me keep a constant, hot temperature. Wisk Broom Ashes will build up on the surface of your current dutch oven and underneath and also that will smother your coals. Besides, when youre slow cooking for also long intervals involving time, any wisk broom will offer you a large help. Tripod To end up being honest, Ive never used a tripod however it really looks cool. It can keep your dutch oven far far from your heat source. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media/vc/cf62b61d-b8f8-4071-8d58-bfa2b729e608.jpg Heavy duty strong steel construction and nickel plated chain together with 'S' hook for simple cooking height adjustment. Sturdy 3-leg design for optimum stability. Superb with regard to hanging Dutch ovens, tea pots, coffee pots, etc. more than a cooking fire. also functions ideal for hanging lanterns, suspending h2o jugs, drying clothes, and many uses. Safe, simple create and also storage. The tripod seems being built great and also would work perfectly should you certainly are generally a in-ground fire pit. That was obviously a bit shorter compared to I necessary for my over ground fire pit consequently I bought 3 cinder blocks and hang up these beneath the particular legs to have a new little more height. My Lodge dutch oven includes a spiral handle (helps ensure that will it stays cool along with easier to handle) which in turn doesn't allow the supplied hook to install to the dutch oven, I went to the nearby home improvement center and also bought 1 foot regarding chain and two hooks. This kind of permits me to put a hook upon both sides of the spiral piece and then utilize the tripod supplied hook for connecting to the chain. Others Gloves -- the most important things to maintain anyone safe is the gloves. I usually head out to possess a outdoor cooking with my loved ones and buddies simply by utilizing your dutch oven. And Consequently I are capable involving doing many test in which what resources I want for your outdoor cooking, along with I learn probably your most necessary along with important device is the gloves. Any good set of gloves can protect from burning as well as ensure it is easy to transfer your own coals or even the dutch oven. see morehttp://ecookercool.com/

[ryugu-rena]

how to celebrate watanagashi (inspired by higurashi / a.k.a. “the higurashi fanbase magically reappears today”)

hello hello! today is father’s day, but for higurashi fans, it is also watanagashi!

i’m not sure about you, but since i am a fan of the show/franchise, i figured i would ‘celebrate’ in my own way to have a fun time dedicated to higurashi. i have laid out a description for each item in this list of things you can do to celebrate below the cut! i bring to you, ‘rena’s magical list of fun higurashi watanagashi things!’ :

drift cotton down a river / mimicking the cotton drifting festival (without the.. deaths.. and without the violence, of course..)

higurashi inspired baking / recipes / etc. for meals

watching higurashi, reading higurashi manga / visual novel

playing club games

cosplaying / wearing an outfit inspired by a character

creating higurashi-related things

drifting cotton down a river / mimicking the cotton drifting festival

this one is quite simple, if you have a river near where you live, you can take some cotton balls (probably only one, to be safe on the environment..), and drift them down the river! if you want to ‘go the extra mile’ you can invision all of your past regrets and mistakes and things you wish you can be forgiven by the universe for to be able to move on in your life and become happier and let go drifting away with the cotton ball down the river!

if there is a carnival or fair nearby, you can visit there as well! (though i dont think there would be on a sunday, but oh well!) you can also visit any store or mall or farmer’s market.. pretty much just go somewhere and have a little fun!

recipes / baking inspired from higurashi

this part is my favorite!!! below are some food items that appear in higurashi that i plan to make or eat throughout the day:

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keiichi’s rushed breakfast

in the new english translation of the first visual novel for higurashi, keiichi puts together a rather interesting breakfast, and you can give it a try this morning if you would like!

he took a slice of bread, put jam on it ( i assumed strawberry, but you can use any jam) ; which is normal in itself, but then he sprinkled cocoa powder over top of the bread with jam. that is about it! sorry i do not have a screenshot as i am on a different computer right now!

in another translation, he has bread and jam with a cup of cocoa on the side (hot cocoa, the drink). you can choose either way of interpreting it! you can pick which one you want to eat ^.^

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hanyuu’s cream puffs

hanyuu is seen all over the internet with cream puffs and eating cream puffs; so today is the perfect day to make some!

here is a link to a video with a very nice recipe for some:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZySDgGAobdM

here is a link to a video to ensure you make them correctly / give tips if you are a first time cream puff baker, or if you always have trouble making them turn out right!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn1wqaTwpfE

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two choices for dinner! you can either pick keiichi’s ramen if you do not have much time to cook, or rena’s dinner if you do!

keiichi’s instant ramen

keiichi, in the visual novel, talks about getting his favorite instant ramen from the grocery store! his favorite flavor is ginger pork flavor, but if you do not like that flavor or are a vegetarian , you can opt for a different, non-meat flavor! or a seafood flavor if you are pescetarian. instant ramen is very simple to make, just follow the instructions on the package! ^.^ (also, if you are vegan, there is one brand of ramen in a certain flavor that has no beef extract and is vegan: top ramen oriental flavor. it is important to get the top ramen brand for this flavor , as maruchan and other brands’ oriental flavors are not vegan)

rena’s feast/dinner

this one is quite nice, and you can change it to fit the ingredients you have available / the ones you like! but put simply, you can make a miso soup with vegetables (specifically daikon, carrot, burdock, potato) and tofu! you can add or omit whatever veggies you wish to. for sides, you can also make some sticky rice , and have pickles with the rice as well! if you want to get really fancy you can make your own pickles, but a jar of store-bought pickles (i use dill) works just fine too! this is a delicious filling dinner! ^_^

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melon flavored water ice

in one of the club’s games, keiichi brings up that water ice’s most popular flavor is melon, but the other club members picked different flavors for the game (strawberry). you can get melon water ice if it is nearby, or you can get any flavor of water ice! for this, i would suggest getting the water ice if you are out and about at a rita’s or other water ice stand. if you are at home, you can try to make your own if you have a water ice maker / ice grinder, but i would not recommend it as it is more effort than it is worth most of the time ^.^

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rena+mion’s ohagi / mochi

in the anime, the food that rena and mion infamously leave for keiichi is ohagi, however, in the visual novel it is mochi. because of this, you can choose to make one or both. for inexperienced cooks this could be the hardest thing to make, but just know that not everybody is perfect and it will probably taste good anyhow!

* also, for the needle, in the answer arc it turns out it was not a needle, but just some cayenne pepper mixed in the anko to make it spicy; which keiichi misinterpreted as a needle d/t his paranoia. you can line up the mochi and put cayenne pepper in the filling of one of them, and play a game of ‘mochi roulette’ if you would like!

here is a recipe for anko:

http://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/

here is a recipe for ohagi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPK2qo0_Eg

here is a recipe for mochi (microwaveable to make it easier. you need mochiko sweet rice flour for this to work):

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/43486/microwave-mochi/

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rena’s tamagoyaki

in the atonement arc manga vol.1, rena makes tamagoyaki! i would suggest eating it for breakfast,brunch,or lunch, but you can eat it whenever you wish to! here is a link to how to make it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK3mN4M31z8

if you want, you can also draw a cute design, or cute little higurashi characters on your tamagoyaki with ketchup as well!

rena’s parfait

in the manga, rena’s mother lets her eat a fruit and yogurt parfait when she takes her to an amusement park in a flashback from before her mother broke the news of the divorce to her. you can make yourself a fruit parfait if you would like! specific fruits in the parfait were pineapple, oranges, strawberries, etc. you can make them look like the image above, or just make a parfait any way you would like!

of course there are many, many more foods featured in higurashi (such as the takoyaki, the tea keiichi’s father makes for him and rena, etc.), but for the sake of time these are some of them, but not all! if there was a food you saw in higurashi that was prominent, feel free to make your own rendition of the foods you see in the manga/visual novel/anime!

cosplaying / wearing an outfit inspired by a character

this goes without saying, but you can choose to wear casual outfits inspired by your favorite character (if you want a more wearable look to go out in public, so not many people would know you were cosplaying), or you can cosplay full-out if you wish! below are some character outfit references, but feel free to find more!:

playing club games

this is another one with endless possiblities! if you are hanging out with friends or siblings, you can play card games , or even some of the other games the club plays throughout the series.. you can even do your own form of punishment game if you really want to, but you dont have to. if your friends arent up to that, you can just as easily play games like old maid and go fish or games like tag/etc.. just have fun!

if you are home alone or not around anyone today, dont worry! you can also play card games and other games online with people, there are plenty of game sites that link you up with a random person, or you can play against a computer! its all up to you!!

watching higurashi, reading higurashi manga / visual novel

this is another obvious one, but above all else what you can do today is read or watch higurashi-related things! that can be the official visual novel or manga, watching the anime, or even watching youtube videos and parodies!

as far as the realm of parodies, here is one i wholeheartedly recommend if you haven’t seen it already:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UnFBtJD4x0

creating higurashi related things

this one is another obvious one, but you can also draw, write, sing/make music, make videos, or even just posts relating to higurashi! the possiblities are endless! ^.^

if anything, you can also just sit in a pile of all your higurashi-related things that you have (figures, books, pictures, etc......)

as for this post right now, that is all!!~

i hope you all like this list of fun things to do today and i hope you all have a wonderful day!!! happy watanagashi!! ^_^

~ rena ♡ ♡ ♡

[arplis]

Arplis - News: 50 of the Best Kindle Unlimited Books You Can Read in 2020

Are you ready for the best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020? Last year I gave you the worlds best advice when offering up 50 of the best Kindle Unlimited books to read in 2019. This year Im going to totally blow your mind by offering up another 50 of the best Kindle Unlimited Books for you to check out in the ding-dong new year.

If you werent privy to last years post and you dont want to waste time reading about books that are so last-decade, you can check this out to find out how Kindle Unlimited works. You can finally get the facts about Prime Reading vs Kindle Unlimited. Hell, Ill even pop in a handy-dandy guide to the difference between Kindle Unlimited and Audible.

If youre still not 100% pumped for Kindle Unlimited then why dont you check out this free 30-day trial and find out for your dang selfand this list of the best Kindle Unlimited books for 2020 will help get you started.

Descriptions have been pulled from Amazon.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Romance

Love Unsolicited by Alexandra Warren

Everything in this world is for sale to the people who can afford it Joella Mason knows the difference between what she needs and what she wants. But when the line between the two becomes especially thin, she finds herself on a quest for something missing, not expecting that to come in the package of a sexy stranger with an even sexier proposition. They share a night. Desires are fulfilled. But at what price?

A Taste of Her Own Medicine by Tasha L. Harrison

Sonja Watts needs to re-enter the workforce after divorcing her husband of thirteen years. Taking the advice of her sister Birdie and her best friend Estelle, she signs up for a six-week course for entrepreneurs; hoping that she will learn everything she needs to know to build a business to support herself and her kids. On the first night of class, Sonja is able to ignore the fact that most of the students were younger than her by ten years or more. It was what she expected. But when the instructor walks in, she debates packing up her new twelve hundred dollar laptop and walking out. Sonja couldnt remember the last time she looked at a man with little more interest than she give a sturdy dining room table. She was just disinterested. But wow, did Atlas James grab her interest.

Christmas in the City by Bria Felicien

Zoe is trying to survive the holiday season without succumbing to winter gloom. By chance, she meets DeAndre, who approaches her with an offer she cant refuse.

Falling for a Knight by T Russ

While vacationing in Trinidad, world-renowned photographer Roman Knight unexpectedly acquires a new muse, Cynthia Tremaine. Their chemistry is off the charts and they cant resist giving into a night of passion together. Neither of them expected to see each other again after they parted waysbut fate seemed to have other plans.

With Your Permission by Stephanie Nicole Norris

As the CEO of Building Bridges LLC, Bri is driven by determination for success. However, while planning the wedding of one of Chicagos hottest couples, Bris focus is shifted when the strum of a nocturnal voice captures her attention. Being an empath has empowered her sense of compassion for others, so shes not only drawn to him because of his broken heart but also from a fierce attraction that sparks her interest and tap dances on a groove on her heart. Getting involved with someone whos not open to love may prove to be the most difficult road Bri has ever journeyed, but shes unable to stop herself from falling into an irresistible tango of love.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Cookbooks

Instant Pot Cookbook @2020: 600 Foolproof Recipes For Beginners and Advanced Users by Matilda Armstrong

Do you want quick & easy solutions in the kitchen mastering your Instant Pot? Are you willing to have more free time while cooking delicious meals? Well, if the answer is yes, then thats why Im here for. To help you with achieving this, I focused on creating the one and only Instant Pot cookbook, for excellent results, with easy and effortless to cook recipes for anyone.

Meal Prep for Two: 8 Weekly Plans & 75 Recipes to Get Healthier Together by Casey Seiden

Convenience doesnt have to come with a cost to your wallet, health, or sanity! Now you can prepare delicious, nourishing dishes for two ahead of timeand savor them throughout the week, stress-free. Whether youre prepping food with a partner, family member, or roommate, Meal Prep for Two will help you build simple and balanced meals together.

#ISeafoodDifferently: 11 Of My Most Popular Recipes and The Stories Behind Them by Chef Kendric Smith

This recipe book is the first of many to come. Its my pleasure to share my cooking secrets with you!!

Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Kneaded Breads, No-Knead Breads, and Enriched Breads by Bonnie Ohara

Baking a perfect loaf of bread is part science and part magic. Created from four simple ingredients of flour, yeast, water, and salt, breadmaking is one of the most difficult (and delicious) baking endeavors. Bread Baking for Beginners is a rare bread cookbook for true beginners to keep their bread baking on the rise.

The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The latest and most comprehensive baking book yet from best-selling author and diva of desserts Rose Levy Beranbaum and winner of the 2015 IACP Cookbook Award for Baking. Legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum is back with her most extensive bible yet. With all-new recipes for the best cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, candies, pastries, breads, and more, this magnum opus draws from Roses passion and expertise in every category of baking. As is to be expected from the woman whos been called the most meticulous cook who ever lived, each sumptuous recipe is truly foolproofwith detail-oriented instructions that eliminate guesswork, plan-aheads, ingenious tips, and highlights for success. From simple everyday crowd-pleasers (Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins, Gingersnaps, Gooseberry Crisp) to show-stopping stunners (Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart, Mango Bango Cheesecake, White Christmas Peppermint Cake) to bakery-style pastries developed for the home kitchen (the famous French Kouign Amann), every recipe proves that delicious perfection is within reach for any baker.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: YA

True to Me by Kay Bratt

Quinn Maguire has a stable life, a fianc, and what she thinks is a clear vision for her future. All of that comes undone by her mothers deathbed confessionthe absentee father Quinn spent thirty years resenting is not her real father at all. With that one revealing whisper, Quinn embarks on a journey to Maui, her mothers childhood home, a storied paradise that holds the truth about her mothers past and all its secrets Quinn is determined to uncover.

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike. Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesnt want to follow in her mothers footsteps. Her predictable mother doesnt have a spontaneous bone in her body. With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is ChrisMorgans husband, Claras father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

Enna knows to fear the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own. Maekalluss help isnt free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Ennas kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. Its a temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.

Not My Type of Stranger by Prachi Gupta

Lakshya is living the playboy life and he LOVES it. He doesnt believe in love and has never failed to get a girl in his lifeuntil he meets Ridhima, the new girl next door. He prefers easy hook-ups, and shes definitely not his type. Shes totally uninterested in him and he cant stand it. Hell stop at nothing to win her. But Ridhima has a secret of her own which will make it remarkably more difficult for him to get close to her. What happens when Lakshya gets to know about the secret? Will they end up falling for one another? or Will she be the one to break his heart? A story about a bad boy falling for the good girl and not just any good girl, a hot sexy good girl with a big secret.

Girl at Heart by Kelly Oram

As the daughter of a successful Major League pitcher, Charlie Hastings has baseball in her blood. Unfortunately, being the only girl on her high school baseball team, Charlie has always been just one of the guys. When her best friend, and secret love of her life, asks another girl to the prom, Charlie is devastated. Shes tired of being overlooked by boys because shes not like other girls. Suffering a massive identity crisis, she decides to hang up her cleats and finally learn how to be a girl. But with only two weeks until the state championships, the Roosevelt High Ravens cant afford to lose their star catcher. Team captain Jace King makes her a deal: Dont quit the team, and hell help her become the girl shes so desperate to be. After all, hes got four sisters, one of whom happens to be a cheerleader. He knows a thing or two about girls. (And if he can win her heart in the process, all the better.)

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Science Fiction/Fantasy

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaids Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.

1984 by George Orwell

In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

When young Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, everything is taken away home, family, possessions, even her name. For she is now Arha, the Eaten One, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. While she is learning her way through the dark labyrinth, a young wizard, Ged, comes to steal the Tombs greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic, and together, he and Tenar escape from the darkness that has become her domain.

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

For centuries, the vineyards at Chteau Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcire Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.

Wastelands: The New Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams featuring Carmen Maria Machado, Ken Liu & many more

In WASTELANDS: THE NEW APOCALYPSE, veteran anthology editor John Joseph Adams is once again our guide through the wastelands using his genre and editorial expertise to curate his finest collection of post-apocalyptic short fiction yet. Whether the end comes via nuclear war, pandemic, climate change, or cosmological disaster, these stories explore the extraordinary trials and tribulations of those who survive. Featuring never-before-published tales by: Veronica Roth, Hugh Howey, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Tananarive Due, Richard Kadrey, Scott Sigler, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias S. Buckell, Meg Elison, Greg van Eekhout, Wendy N. Wagner, Jeremiah Tolbert, and Violet Allenplus, recent reprints by: Carmen Maria Machado, Carrie Vaughn, Ken Liu, Paolo Bacigalupi, Kami Garcia, Charlie Jane Anders, Catherynne M. Valente, Jack Skillingstead, Sofia Samatar, Maureen F. McHugh, Nisi Shawl, Adam-Troy Castro, Dale Bailey, Susan Jane Bigelow, Corinne Duyvis, Shaenon K. Garrity, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Darcie Little Badger, Timothy Mudie, and Emma Osborne.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: General Fiction/Literary Fiction

Where the Story Starts by Imogen Clark

As single mother Leah struggles to get her children ready one morning, the doorbell rings. Standing on the doorstep of their terraced house in Whitley Bay is a well-dressed stranger, Clio, who feels an emotional tie to the house that she cant explain. The story should end there, but a long-buried secret is already on its way to the surface

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City. Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, andwith a little encouragement from her friendsa few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amys heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.

The Murmur of Bees by Sofa Segovia

From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else canvisions of all thats yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threatsboth human and those of natureSimonopios purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow: A Novel by Olivia Hawker

Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesnt think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse. Losing her husband to Coras indiscretion is another hardship for stoic Nettie Mae. But as a brutal Wyoming winter bears down, Cora and Nettie Mae have no choice but to come together as one familyto share the duties of working the land and raising their children. Theres Nettie Maes son, Clydeno longer a boy, but not yet a manwho must navigate the road to adulthood without a father to guide him, and Coras daughter, Beulah, who is as wild and untamable as her prairie home.

Halsey Street by Naima Coster

Penelope Grand has scrapped her failed career as an artist in Pittsburgh and moved back to Brooklyn to keep an eye on her ailing father. Shes accepted that her future wont be what shed dreamed, but now, as gentrification has completely reshaped her old neighborhood, even her past is unrecognizable. Old haunts have been razed, and wealthy white strangers have replaced every familiar face in Bed-Stuy. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic. That took courage. Its also unforgivable.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Biography and Memoir

If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagles talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now. For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mothers dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.

The Boy Between Worlds: A Biography by Annejet van der Zijl

When they fell in love in 1928, Rika and Waldemar could not have been more different. She was a thirty-seven-year-old Dutch-born mother, estranged from her husband. He was her immigrant boarder, not yet twenty, and a wealthy Surinamese descendant of slaves. The child they have together, brown skinned and blue eyed, brings the couple great joy yet raises some eyebrows. Until the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands explodes their promising life. What unfolds is more than the astonishing story of a love that prevailed over convention. Its also the quest of a young boy. Through the cruelty of World War II, he will fight for a connection between his fathers South American birthplace and his mothers European traditions. Lost and displaced for much of his life, but with a legacy of resilience in his blood, he will struggle to find his place in the world.

The Pale-Faced Lie: A True Story by David Crow

Growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation, David Crow and his three siblings idolized their dad. Tall, strong, smart, and brave, the self-taught Cherokee regaled his family with stories of his World War II feats. But as time passed, David discovered the other side of Thurston Crow, the ex-con with his own code of ethics that justified cruelty, violence, lieseven murder.

Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain by Sarah Vallance

When Sarah Vallance is thrown from a horse and suffers a jarring blow to the head, she believes shes walked away unscathed. The next morning, things take a sharp turn as shes led from work to the emergency room. By the end of the week, a neurologist delivers a devastating prognosis: Sarah suffered a traumatic brain injury that has caused her IQ to plummet, with no hope of recovery. Her brain has irrevocably changed.

Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope by Wendy Holden

The Nazis murdered their husbands but concentration camp prisoners Priska, Rachel, and Anka would not let evil take their unborn children tooa remarkable true story that will appeal to readers of The Lost and The Nazi Officers Wife, Born Survivors celebrates three mothers who defied death to give their children life.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Business/Money

Girl On Fire: How to Choose Yourself, Burn the Rule Book, and Blaze Your Own Trail in Life and Business by Cara Alwill Leyba

Who would you be if you stopped following *their* rules? What would you create if you create if you had nothing holding you back? Now that women entrepreneurs are banding together in sisterhood and realizing the importance of collaboration over competition, its time to take things to the next level. Its time to rise up, together, and challenge the status quo. Its time to question the way things have been done in the past, to write our own rules, and do life and business OUR way.

Understanding Your Clients through Human Design: The Breakthrough Technology by Robin Winn MFT

Human Design is the next evolution after Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, and other innovative profiling systems. Whether your field is psychotherapy, recovery, coaching, or healing arts, and whether your clients are individuals, couples, families, or business teams, Understanding Your Clients through Human Design will empower your work and call you to reconsider how you approach people.

The 60 Minute Startup: A Proven System to Start Your Business in 1 Hour a Day and Get Your First Paying Customers in 30 Days (or Less) by Ramesh Dontha

Over 543,000 new businesses are started every month. Most fail. Many never get a paying customer. Why? Because new entrepreneurs are told to start with why, take internet marketing courses, and spend hours doing market research. Do these time-intensive activities attract customers? Make sales? Create profit? No! If youre ready to finally start a profitable business and dump the bad business advice that keeps you confused, overwhelmed, and broke, The 60 Minute Startup is for you. This book gives you a proven system on how to start a business online in just one hour a day and get your first paying customers in one month (or less).

Buy Hold Sell: The Street SmartWay to Real Estate Wealthby Lou Brown

At the turn of the 19th century, billionaire Andrew Carnegie famously said that 90% of millionaires got their wealth by investing in real estate. And guess what? Most millionaires, and even the ultra-rich, would tell you that is still true. Spend a few minutes Googling the phrase should I invest in real estate and it will quickly become clear that real estate investing is a great idea. What isnt so clear, though, is how to get started! Thats what this book will show you. Lou Brown bought his first piece of real estate in 1976 and never stopped. Over the years hes experienced more lessons from the school of hard knocks than he can count and has built a tremendously profitable real estate portfolio. Along the way, Lou discovered that he had a knack for structuring win-win deals, plus creating contracts and paperwork that gave him a competitive edge over other investors. In 1987 he began teaching others his proprietary method of investing, including the unique, proven Buy-Hold-Sell system he created the subject of this book.

A Beginners Guide to the Stock Market: Everything You Need to Start Making Money Today by Matthew R. Kratter

This book will teach you everything that you need to know to start making money in the stock market today. Dont gamble with your hard-earned money. If you are going to make a lot of money, you need to know how the stock market really works. You need to avoid the pitfalls and costly mistakes that beginners make. And you need time-tested trading and investing strategies that actually work. This book gives you everything that you will need. Its a simple road map that anyone can follow.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Graphic Novels

Akai Chapter 0 How To Become Strong by Anfernee Robinson

Akai is a young child with high hopes; bound in a society full of undiscovered powers; raised by Grandma in the Jex helps him develop a strong will. He will one day, begin a trial to Heavens Gate. The journey is a troubled one. The Black Orlov chain opens unparalleled events. Will Akai reach his Ultimate goal? Or will Akai bend fate forever?

Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes 30th Anniversary Edition by Neil Gaiman

New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaimans transcendent series THE SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision. In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury by Bill Watterson

Bill Wattersons Calvin and Hobbes has been a worldwide favorite since its introduction in 1985. The strip follows the richly imaginative adventures of Calvin and his trusty tiger, Hobbes. Whether a poignant look at serious family issues or a round of time-travel (with the aid of a well-labeled cardboard box), Calvin and Hobbes will astound and delight you.

Fire Force Vol. 1 by Atsushi Ohkubo

The city of Tokyo is plagued by a deadly phenomenon: spontaneous human combustion! Luckily, a special team is there to quench the inferno: The Fire Force! The fire soldiers at Special Fire Cathedral 8 are about to get a unique addition. Enter Shinra, a boy who possesses the power to run at the speed of a rocket, leaving behind the famous devils footprints (and destroying his shoes in the process). Can Shinra and his cooleagues discover the source of this strange epidemic before the city burns to ashes?

Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden

The magic of L.M. Montgomerys treasured classic is reimagined in a whimsically-illustrated graphic novel adaptation perfect for newcomers and kindred spirits alike. When Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt an orphan who can help manage their family farm, they have no idea what delightful trouble awaits them. With flame-red hair and an unstoppable imagination, 11-year-old Anne Shirley takes Green Gables by storm. Annes misadventures bring a little romance to the lives of everyone she meets: her bosom friend, Diana Barry; the town gossip, Mrs. Lynde; and that infuriating tease, Gilbert Blythe. From triumphs and thrills to the depths of despair, Anne turns each everyday moment into something extraordinary.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara ONeal

Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. Its what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kits world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotionsgrief, loss, and angerthat Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister whos been living a lie.

Uptown Thief by Aya de Len

Marisol Rivera barely survived being abused with nowhere to turn. So theres nothing she wont do to keep her Lower East Side womens health clinic open and give disadvantaged women new lives. Running an exclusive escort service for New York Citys rich and powerful 1 percent is the perfect way to bankroll her businessnot to mention the perfect cover for robbing corrupt CEOs. And when times get even tougher, pulling a heist on a mega-billionaire will secure the clinics futureand her gorgeous crewsfor good. . . Theres just one problem: Marisol didnt anticipate bad news even more dangerous than her curves.

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey

Cassie McDowells life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but shes grown accustomed to them. All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale. One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changedviolent, moody, and withdrawn.

We Were Mothers: A Novel by Katie Sise

A scandalous revelation is about to devastate a picturesque town where the houses are immaculate and the neighborhoods are tightly knit. Devoted mother Cora OConnell has found the journal of her friend Laurels daughtera beautiful college student who lives next doorrevealing an illicit encounter. Hours later, Laurel makes a shattering discovery of her own: her daughter has vanished without a trace. Over the course of one weekend, the crises of two close families are about to trigger a chain reaction that will expose a far more disturbing web of secrets. Now everything is at stake as theyre forced to confront the lies they have told in order to survive.

In the Dark by Loreth Anne White

The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is cut off, the guests fear that its not a getaway. Its a trap. Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness closes in, they all have something to fearincluding one another.

Best Kindle Unlimited Books 2020: Politics/Social Science

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee dazzled readers with his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Emperor of All Maladies in 2010. That achievement was evidently just a warm-up for his virtuoso performance in The Gene: An Intimate History, in which he braids science, history, and memoir into an epic with all the range and biblical thunder of Paradise Lost (The New York Times). In this biography Mukherjee brings to life the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices.

A River in Darkness: One Mans Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

Half-Korean, half-Japanese, Masaji Ishikawa has spent his whole life feeling like a man without a country. This feeling only deepened when his family moved from Japan to North Korea when Ishikawa was just thirteen years old, and unwittingly became members of the lowest social caste. His father, himself a Korean national, was lured to the new Communist country by promises of abundant work, education for his children, and a higher station in society. But the reality of their new life was far from utopian. In this memoir translated from the original Japanese, Ishikawa candidly recounts his tumultuous upbringing and the brutal thirty-six years he spent living under a crushing totalitarian regime, as well as the challenges he faced repatriating to Japan after barely escaping North Korea with his life. A River in Darkness is not only a shocking portrait of life inside the country but a testament to the dignityand indomitable natureof the human spirit.

The Mueller Report by The Washington Post

Read the findings of the Special Counsels investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, complete with accompanying analysis by the Post reporters whove covered the story from the beginning.

War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow

US foreign policy is undergoing a dire transformation, forever changing Americas place in the world. Institutions of diplomacy and development are bleeding out after deep budget cuts; the diplomats who make Americas deals and protect its citizens around the world are walking out in droves. Offices across the State Department sit empty, while abroad the military-industrial complex has assumed the work once undertaken by peacemakers. Were becoming a nation that shoots first and asks questions later. In an astonishing journey from the corridors of power in Washington, DC, to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earthAfghanistan, Somalia, and North Korea among themacclaimed investigative journalist Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history. His firsthand experience as a former State Department official affords a personal look at some of the last standard bearers of traditional statecraft, including Richard Holbrooke, who made peace in Bosnia and died while trying to do so in Afghanistan.

Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service by Michael Bar-Zohar

For decades, Israels renowned security arm, the Mossad, has been widely recognized as the best intelligence service in the world. In Mossad, authors Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal take us behind the closed curtain with riveting, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground accounts of the most dangerous, most crucial missions in the agencys 60-year history. These are real Mission: Impossible true stories brimming with high-octane actionfrom the breathtaking capture of Nazi executioner Adolph Eichmann to the recent elimination of key Iranian nuclear scientists. Anyone who is fascinated by the world of international espionage, intelligence, and covert Black-Ops warfare will find Mossad electrifying reading.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/50-of-the-best-kindle-unlimited-books-you-can-read-in-2020

[computerguideworld-blog]

How a Computer Genius Bakes the Perfect Loaf of Bread

New Post has been published on https://computerguideto.com/must-see/how-a-computer-genius-bakes-the-perfect-loaf-of-bread/

How a Computer Genius Bakes the Perfect Loaf of Bread

You were chief technology officer at Microsoft; you have degrees in math, physics and economics; you hold hundreds of patents; youre a prolific author in both scientific and popular publications; what made you turn to food? I was interested in food before I was interested in any of those other things: Everybody is! I just never moved on. After I retired from Microsoft, I was cooking more, and I kinda thought there should be a big book I could get that would really tell me all about the latest techniques. Ultimately, I discovered there was no such book, and so I had to write it.

The book you had to write became Modernist Cuisine, an incredibly in-depth, scientific guide to basically all of cooking published in 2011. Why did you decide to focus on baking with your new book, Modernist Bread? Bread is one of the oldest foods of mankind. Its also a complicated food. You can eat a peach right off the tree, but bread is nothing like the grain its made from. Long before they knew how it worked, our ancestors figured out what to do. I wanted to go back using all the scientific techniques we have today and figure out if thats the best way to do things.

So what did you find out? One thing is that kneading is a fraud, at least as its normally described. It does not do what everybody says it does; its optional. There are all these no-knead bread recipes, but most books just sort of ignore that. What develops the gluten in bread is the flour just sitting with water. You can make the process happen faster if you knead, and it can affect the final texture of the bread, but its not necessary to the process.

Another thing we learned is that whole-wheat bread and whole-wheat flour is not any healthier for you than white bread and white flour. Its so different than what everybody knows that people think Im joking when I say it, but its definitely true. We also found that its difficult to get decent rye flour in the U.S. and as a result we dont get very good rye bread here. In Europe, they have better rye bread because they grind the flour in a special way, more finely.

Did you discover any techniques home bakers can easily use? The best way to make a crusty bread is to bake it in a cast-iron potbut use black cast-iron: The fancy enameled ones dont work as well. And the best way to cut your bread at home is with an electric carving knife, like people use on the turkey at Thanksgiving. The biggest thing is we try to explain how simple baking bread can be and how people shouldnt be afraid to make it at home. The fact is, bread is really quite forgiving, and with a good beginners recipe, you can get started.

The press release for Modernist Bread says that you and your more than 200 recipe testers used more than 19 tons of flour baking more than 36,000 loaves in more than 1,600 experiments over more than four years. Who ate all that bread? Mostly the people at our lab. There are about 100 people who work at our lab (not all on this project, of course), and they all got a lot of bread.

You come from a science background but also studied at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in France, which is very much dedicated to cooking as an art. How can the two approaches work together? Theres a wealth of knowledge that chefs and bakers have developed over the years thats still very valuable. They empirically discovered lots and lots of things without really knowing how it works. All the dishes and flavors that come from that, thats really important stuff. Other things, though, they say you do this for this reason, and sometimes thats not true, or you actually do it for a different reason. Thats also why we totally respect the methods of science and believe you should be able to test all your ideas and make sure theyre true, but at the same time, we also love the history and tradition of cooking and the debt we owe to all the chefs that have developed all this over all these years.

All three of your books take a very science-based approach to cooking, running hundreds of experiments on various techniques and ingredients to figure out what works best. Why dont you think more chefs do this? Theres a tremendous amount of tradition involved with cooking. I think if you actually understand how to do something, you have to understand why it works. In fairness, if you just follow a recipe, you dont need to know why it works. If youre happy with that, great. My book comes in for people who are curious about why it works, and if you want to create something new.

How did you first learn to cook? When I was about 9 years old, I discovered the library had a cookbook section, and I was fascinated. So I told Mom I was gonna cook Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. And I did it. I do a lot better at it these days, but that put me on the path to wanting to learn how to cook.

What does your home kitchen look like? A bit like the lab kitchen. To be honest, I dont think theres any equipment in there that would be in a normal home kitchen! I have a Thirode stove from France, two combi ovens, two French deck ovens for making bread, a huge cold-smoker, a sous-vide vacuum packer and a bunch of sous vide machines.

What are your favorite things to cook? My single favorite thing to do is barbecue. I was lucky enough to compete once in the world championship of barbecue with a team who would go on to win. It was no thanks to me, as the rookie on the team, but it was really fun to do. I also make a lot of French classics, so Im kind of all over the map.

Modernist Bread is a six-volume set that weighs in at over 50 pounds, has more than 2,500 pages in total and retails for more than $600. Who is the intended audience? Our books are for people who are passionate and curious about cooking. If youre not passionate, youre not gonna pick up a 2,600-page book. On the other hand, if you are passionate and curious, we will tell you things about bread that I dont think youll find anywhere else in the world. If youre a home baker, we have a lot of easy recipes, but we also want to include professionalsrestaurant chefs who might want to add house-made bread to their menus, as well as small-scale professional bakers.

What are your favorite places to eat in your home of Seattle? I love Nishino, Monsoon and Loulay. Theres also fantastic Chinese and Mediterranean food here. Were blessed with a lot of great food.

Which topic will the next book in the Modernist series cover? Right now, Im still on the book tour, so the next few months are definitely for promoting the book we have. Then well start thinking about what to do next. But there will absolutely be another book!

What are you working on right now outside the food world? I do research on asteroids, on dinosaurs. I take a lot of photographsI have a gallery in Vegas where we sell photos of food. I also have been making a couple of new microscopes and cameras to take pictures of things that arent possible with current equipment. Im a busy guy.

Modernist Bread will be released Nov. 7. You can follow Myhrvolds ongoing culinary experiments at modernistcuisine.com.

Interview has been condensed and edited.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com