#i can bake and cook and do prep stuff really well! i didn't go into food service because I would kill someone over the hours

[traaansfem]

cook with

(this is about the ask game)

Yay! Yippie! Do you wanna cook a pastry, a sweet baked treat, a chilled treat, a custard, a savory baked treat, a salty treat, perhaps some meat with a nice coat of salt and msg to optimize the myoglobin dessication based tenderization?

Ooh! I could make that phyllo dough poultry pie again!! Mmm, sweet and salty and savory!!! Ahh, Moroccan treats <3

Ooooio! Another thought! Toasted sugar swiss buttercream whoopie pies with chocolate shell coating.. ahhh! Bliss! I gotta make a treat! :3

And of course, I will be nibbling on smoked salmon the whole time :3

[le-trash-prince]

so I have been Thinking a lot about food as love and our thought about Kenta getting really into baking and then I was like. there should be a story where Kenta learns love through food. a series of meals with different people.

it starts with Pete. (everything started with Pete, for Kenta) Kenta's still like, half-here half-not after killing his father, and Pete's a walking open wound with the loss of Way (the loss of what could have been) and they sit mostly in silence in Pete's open plan kitchen while Pete puts together the ingredients that were left already prepped for him. a simple stir fry, a little soup to start. it's warm and filling; it fills in a little bit of what Kenta didn't realise was hunger. it's easy to be with Pete in quiet.

then it's Alan's place, a family dinner where the empty seats are conspicuous and everyone talks a little too loud and vibrant to cover it up. it's a lot to deal with. Kenta hasn't had anything like this and it's just, it's a /lot/ of noise and people brushing against him as they serve each other. he's seated next to Jeff, who keeps his body to himself, and North, who doesn't think to do that at all. half the table carries the whole conversation but nobody seems to mind that Kenta can't contribute. he escapes to the back verandah while the main course is cleared and Sonic and Alan good-naturedly bicker over who might want which dessert. he lights a cigarette and smoke it but mostly just holds it, letting the smell of the smoke settle over him, far more familiar than the mess of scents of everyone inside.

"smoking kills, you know." Kim comes out so quiet he's right next to Kenta before he realises. Kenta stays still (prey animal in front of a predator) while Kim's neat hand reaches up and plucks the cigarette from his mouth. he stubs it out in the ashtray that's clearly well-used.

"I think that will take longer than I have," Kenta answers honestly.

[SKIPPING THE SAD PART FOR NOW]

Kenta genuinely does not remember agreeing to the weekly lunches with Babe (and Charlie when he's not working) yet he turns up for them dutifully regardless. Babe's not much of a cook, and Kenta can't bring himself to learn in such a strange (a stranger's) kitchen, so they mostly order in. they started out eating in front of the tv, using it as a conversation piece, but gradually they stop taking their plates from the bench to the couch, and instead they sit and. actually talk.

for a while they skirt around the topic of Tony, and Way, and Kenta's guilt over not getting out sooner, and Babe's guilt over letting him stay. they talk about the garage and racing (Kenta can drive but he's never going to understand cars the way Babe does) and the miraculous return of Babe's actual father, and the options their lives now hold. it takes quite a few shared lunches before Kenta feels bold enough to lightly tease Babe about Charlie, and Babe blushes a little but mostly he glows. then he fires back, "and what about Kim, huh?"

Kenta chokes on his spoonful of rice. "I don't---what do you mean? What about...him."

Babe waves his fork like he's commanding troops. "I can see you two at the garage! I'm not blind, you know. And Sonic told me about your /dinner dates/."

Kenat stuffs some more food into his mouth in the fruitless hope Babe will get distracted before he has to answer. No such luck. "They're not...dates. He's just, um. Showing me good places to eat."

"Right," Babe drawls, looking far too smug. "Because you need a foreign guy to show you around the city you've always lived in."

Are they dates? Kenta thinks surely Kim would have said something, if they were. Like yes Kenta makes sure he's dressed nicely (his best black pants and shirt, his shows polished) and Kim always generously offers to drive them there ("no sense in both of us trying to find parking)", and Kim always pays ("well, I'm the only one here with an actual job. it's fine! I didn't mean---you don't need to do anything you're not ready for.") and sometimes they sit opposite each other at a small table and their knees brush under it and Kim looks very very pretty in the soft lighting even if Kenta's not brave enough to tell him that. yet.

(okay I hope that helps as a distraction I have to disappear to the grocery store lol)

INCOHERENT NOISES i'm cuddling this ask

yes???? this is beautiful

EVERYTHING STARTED WITH PETE, FOR KENTA!!! I'M CRYING

prey animal in front of a predator fdgkdfg i LOVE. also yes i see you fulfilling the need you (and i) have had for months for kim to put out kenta's cigarrette.

THE SAD PART… GOD….. MY HEART. hits close to home in a personal way

"kenta genuinely does not remember agreeing to the weekly lunches" my mom does this jedi mind trick shit all the time "don't you remember you said you'd do xyz?" LMFAO.

kenta viewing babe as a stranger ouch oh my god………. it's true but it hurts

kenta teasing babe about his boyfriend 😭 slowly learning healthy sibling behavior 🥺

KENTAKIM DINNER DATES!!!!! KENTA GETTING FLUSTERED WHEN BABE MENTIONS KIM!!!! KIM TELLING SONIC ABOUT HIS DINNER DATES WITH KENTA!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M GUSHING gosh they're so smitten with each other… Kim taking things slow because he doesn't want to push Kenta, so he just…. doesn't refer to them as dates AND THEN KENTA DOESN'T KNOW IF THEY'RE DATES OR NOT. just gals being pals, what's better than this

god I love food as an expression of love so much….. Kenta being fed by people, included in meals, even if it's nothing grand, it's more than he's ever had.

North puts food on Kenta's plate without even thinking about it, and Kenta just stares at it at first, wondering if it was an accident and North had meant to give it to someone else, but Sonic just fusses at his to eat already.

When Kim puts food on Kenta's plate, he's definitely thinking about it, and Kenta can tell he's thinking about it, and it's loaded and intimate in a way that Kenta didn't realize food could be, there's a weight to it when he puts the tender morsel in his mouth, deeply conscious of Kim's eyes on him.

Kenta didn't grow up with the luxury of having a favorite food. Under threat of punishment, he learned to eat whatever he was given. As he got older and earned more freedom, he was able to eat out on his own, and he found dishes that he gravitated towards, but it just never occurred to him that he could ask a restaurant to make something a particular way. That he could ask for extra garlic, or fewer chilies, or to sub the chicken for pork. If there's something he doesn't like about the way a dish is made, he just orders a different thing the next time. He does in fact have a lot of preferences and has had very little joy when it comes to food. It's utilitarian to him, and as long as he doesn't have to put much thought into it, that's all that matters.

Kim tries to ask Kenta what he likes and doesn't like, and it's always like pulling teeth because Kenta doesn't think it's important, he can eat whatever Kim wants to make.

But I think Jeff would get it, that Kenta doesn't actually know much about what his own preferences are because he wasn't allowed to have them. He sees Kenta slowly picking at his food sometimes but still forcing himself to eat everything. So he just quietly and regularly reinforces that Kenta is allowed to ask for things to be made a particular way. That it's not a trap when someone asks him what he likes. That he can try things different ways until he figures out the nuances of what he really enjoys.

I hope this makes sense dfgdfgdgf anyways THANK YOU SO MUCH this was indeed a big help, you know dissecting Kenta is my favorite pasttime. I hope you defeated the grocery store!!!

[actualbird]

yknow, i really love the SR cards where the main plot is basically just NXX Boy Goes And Does A Thing, And He SUCKS AT IT!!!

vyn has SR Mercury In Retrograde where he does a fantastic job being absolute ass at household plumbing. marius has SR Overtone where he gets an A++++++ for being the last guy you wanna lend your guitar to, because hes really bad at playing the dang guitar. and at first i didn't know what artem's card was that followed this pattern but sam @samsspambox blessedly informed me that it's SR Thin Veil, the paywalled SR i dont have yet. and in that card story artem fucking SUCKS at PUPPETS

(sidenote: i generally weep at paywalled top-up cards but the concept of basically having to pay for artem's cringe is So Very funny to me)

but now here is where the injustice becomes apparent.....vyn, marius, and artem each have an SR Epic Fail: The Card Story

BUT WHERE IS LUKE'S?????????

to avoid any misunderstandings, here are the traits of what, to me, makes up an "SR Epic Fail":

one Main Thing is the thing our beloved nxx boy will suck at and what and it's also generally Main Focus of the whole card story (which then later leads to a sweeter core message about vulnerability and love and being okay with not being perfect etc)

our boy has to suck In The Moment. not in a flashback, not in a referenced past anecdote, no no. i want to have to tap through the entire excruciating scene/s of him failing at whatever hes doing

the story format has to be in a contained card story and not a recurring-but-brief theme in a personal story

with this criteria in place, it is IMMEDIATELY apparent that luke is the only one without an SR Epic Fail. the closest story instances would be the following:

SSR Through The Heavens (the skateboard card) since he fails at being a normal not-hypervigilant human being and also the NSB makes fun of him with memes, but this doesnt count because it wasn't the Main Focus of the story, there was a whole lot of other stuff going on and the Main Focus was the skateboarding which he did awesome at

some past anecdotes and flashbacks in SR How I Remember You (the luke blindfold card) about how luke sucks at drawing and sucks at charades, but this doesnt count because the drawing was just referenced in a few sentences and the charades fail was a brief flashback. it's also not the Main Focus of the story as well

his general inability/difficulty with cooking that is a recurring theme across his personal stories doesnt count because it's not a card, and thus isnt eligible

this is terrible. this is horrid. i love luke and i want a card thats all about him messing up at a minor activity. i want a full SR Luke Fucks Up At Cooking where the focus is what it says on the tin

i can even see the story so clearly in my mind's eye. it'd be so easy. maybe luke tries to make gingerbread man cookies but accidentally ends up with a gingerbread massacre.

luke mentions hes gonna bake and mc is excited about it because it seems he put a lot of thought and research and prep into it, maybe it actually starts with a scene of them shopping for ingredients together, and theyre both looking forward to luke's baking! but when it actually happens hes like "oh sorry a case came up, dont come over to my place anymore!!" which is sus

mc comes over anyway the next day to pick up some stuff she forgot and luke is there acting awfully nervous and his whole BUILDING smells of burnt gingerbread but there are no gingerbread treats to be found. luke keeps evading until mc finds The Massacre in a plastic container box haphazardly shoved into one of the kitchen cupboards

and it's an absolute baked-goods crime scene in there. none of the gingerbread men look like they were ever even men or homonids of any kind to begin with, it instead looks like all the dough just came together in the oven to create an amorphous Blob with the odd "limb" sticking out here and there. what luke has created is a gingerbread abomination.

mc stares at the gingebread abyss, and it stares back.

upon further investigation, mc even finds slight burn marks around the oven's door too and luke has his face in his hands, his shame is IMMENSE, just about as immense as the aroma of gingerbread treats everywhere. he was hiding it because he was worried that he got her so hyped up for the whole thing that it'd be SUCH a disappointment to her that he fucked it up!

and mc is like "hey no it's okay, as long as it tastes good, it doesnt matter how bad it looks!" and then she breaks off a piece from the gingerbread monstrosity and eats faster than luke can warn her "NO NO DONT DO IT---"

it tastes like shit

anyway they go out to get desserts from cafe instead and mc reassures luke that she obviously still loves him even if he created a baked treats atrocity and broke the genevabread convention. she tells him that if hes having trouble or if he fails, his instinct shouldnt be to hide it all and avoid her but to let her know and so she can help out, because she wants to be there for the wins and for the losses, for the good days and the bad. luke then goes all blushy grateful happy and they kiss and love is real.

the end. the post-story text conversation can go something along the lines of

luke: okay so i figured out why my gingerbread men went nuclear

mc: oh? why?

luke: i....misread "tsp" as "tbsp".........every time

mc: HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA

luke:

[casinotrio1965]

Disney Descendants : Tiger Lily x Lampwick story ideas Part 1

There's a tiny diner near Auradon Prep. Their food is just okay but their milkshakes are great. Most of the kids at Auradon Prep ignore it because it's cheap and not glamourous so Tiger Lily and Lampwick always go there to enjoy a quiet night out. They split a milkshake and enjoy their night together. Maybe they go see a movie or for a walk after. They went on a huge treasure hunt once looking for Captain Hook's old gold. They never found it but they had a great time exploring skull rock and going through the jungle. They found lots of old pirate stuff, just no gold. But a really great story! They love having their family over. Geppetto and Carina spoil the kids, and Tiger Lily and Lampwick visit with them. Pinocchio brings lots of stuff he baked. Alice and Lampwick will try to set up an awesome surprise and break something. XD Eventually they'll call Alexander and Eilonwy to join the fun. Even Bella drops in sometimes with a cool adventure story for the kids. They went on a trip to Russia once. They went on cool tours, saw a few museums, and they definitely hit the ballet! With their love for performing and dancing, it was so pretty to watch! They didn't understand the words but who cares when the dancers move that way? They also got to try some Russian cooking and Lampwick is very excited by that. Tiger Lily got a silver dress once. She showed up in it and Lampwick's jaw DROPPED. He was speechless. She joked she should wear it more often but she was flattered how excited he was.

When they were first starting out they didn't have a ton of money. Tiger Lily worked part time after school and Lampwick worked until she got her teaching job, but things were tough. They didn't want to abuse Tiger Lily's parents' generosity so they tried to be frugal, buying things they needed like food, baby stuff, cleaning stuff, and school stuff. They only got occasional luxuries and they were on sale. It was worth it to have their little loving family and they'd do it again.

Lampwick's bought her lots of rings over the years. Some were just for fashion. There was a promise ring in high school, of course her engagement and wedding rings. He just loves seeing her wearing things that remind them they're in it forever. They love each other! Some are plain, some have gems or other decorations. They come in all sorts of styles and they all mean I love you

Lampwick is always trying to get her attention while she studies. She gives him some but she really wants to do well so the best way is for him to try to study too. He gets bored easily though so she does stuff like find ways to make studying fun. That's a big reason why she became a teacher. She also likes how he'd complain about studying and his whining made her laugh.

They have a lot of fun having lazy days in Neverland. Lounging around picking fruit off trees, joking with the Lost Boys, and cozy nights by the fire looking at stars. They can feel young and carefree or they can look through at the beautiful sights and climb trees. It's perfect and they can still get back to pranks and going adventuring the next day. The first time Lampwick tried to teach her to cook, it was because he thought it'd be fun to do together. He tried to get her to come to a cooking class with him. It was a disaster. She broke three rolling pins, set a pan on fire, and cut herself on a knife. He learned first hand she could burn water. She kept trying because she doesn't like to admit defeat but finally she admitted she wasn't interested in cooking. He was very understanding and while he tried a couple more times to teach her for practical reasons, he found he didn't mind the idea of doing the cooking at ALL. The New Years they got together, Lampwick was worried she wouldn't want to hang out with him anymore because he'd be boring now that he was sober. He got really insecure when another guy talked to her. She told him the guy was just a teammate and that she only liked him. She also told him it made her happy that he was healthier and she loved seeing him get better and he felt better.

Once when Lampwick was scrambling to find an anniversary present for Tiger Lily (it's what happens when you're so PICKY), he found a silver ring. He was really tempted to give it to her, even when the owner showed up. But Lampwick felt bad because she was an old lady and it was her wedding ring so he reluctantly gave it back. She told him where he could find really nice jewelry though so it worked out. She knows he didn't grow up with a lot of means to provide for himself. So when they were young she took it upon herself to teach him. He has to AT LEAST hunt or fish, what if there's no food in winter! It took them both a long time to get used to Auradon being so rich and having modern distribution systems.

Lampwick put a lot of thought into her wedding ring. He'd gotten the engagement ring down but the wedding ring stressed him out. He was convinced she deserved more than a plain one and so he worked really hard and paid a lot to get it custom done. Tiger Lily loved doing roller derby. It's fighting on wheels! She loves the speed and adrenaline rush. Lampwick worried at first but came to watch. Turns out her skating and fighting is the hottest thing he's ever seen. He came to every meet and brought her snacks. He also cheers super loud and maybe got into a couple of fights with people who said rude things about Tiger Lily. XD Tiger Lily appreciates it but it sure is distracting! They went shopping once when they were still learning English. It was a huge fancy department store and sure enough, Tiger Lily got lost. XD Lampwick was freaking out but tried really hard to find her. Finally, he gave in and tried to ask someone there for help. It was hard to remember some of the words but he was really motivated here. XD Thankfully, she found herself at a help desk and so it was easy enough for them to be reunited. After that, he held onto her hand! Tiger Lily really worried about his history of substance abuse. He tried to brush her off at first, but she wouldn't let it go. Eventually she sat him down and had a mini intervention where she told him how worried she was. It was one of the big reasons he went to get help. And while now he's at a pretty good level of functionality, she still worries if he smokes more than usual. So she makes him see someone if it's getting bad again. So they like to rent movies, but Tiger Lily likes serious (Boring in his opinion) ones about serious problems. They make her cry and so he doesn't like them but she thinks it's important that they're aware. So to compromise they rent a serious movie and a happier movie. And then Lampwick pouts when award season comes around and her movies trounce his. 😛

Thanks to @askauradonprep / @blenderbender1811 for these ideas

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

hi, there ! i stopped by your blog and i just wanted to say that i really appreciate how intricate and dynamic your artstyle is. it's something i find myself deriving inspiration from especially seeing as i haven't made any art pieces in almost a year. also weird question but i noticed your latest upload(s) have baking recipes attached to them- do you like to bake? sorry if that sounds ridiculous, but i've been getting back into baking/cooking after being bedridden and i wanted to know what sort of things you liked to make! i hope you have a nice day and i hope i didn't sound awkward/weird

hey there anonymous, good morning fellow saint of the living god (my pastor always says this @ church on saturdays and it always makes me smile a little);

first: thank you! i:m a little embarrassed someone would take inspiration from me (honored, though: i:ll take compliments where i can get them) cause admittedly it feels like i can barely make more than sketches lately; you:d leave me to my whims and i:d just draw hands on the weekly sermon programming and nothing-else; so: do better than me, anonymous! strive to become better than a lazy bag of bones like me -- because you absolutely can with a little elbow grease and love :-))

second: i do, sort-of; i:ve been "struggling" with a "eating disorder" (the parentheses aren:t really to down-play, but it:s may-be more tied into religion and hygiene, and i don:t want to write a big paragraph about the "why"), and i found a measure of succor from learning to prepare extravagant meals for myself (mostly just breakfast and lunch) that i /really/ enjoy eating, and look forward to eating every-day (to a sad degree, these two meals are basically all i look forward to on a day-to-day, but i love them); over time the meal-prep evolved into getting a little mug i could bake with, which evolved into me wanting to learn to make simple baked-goods that i could include with my breakfast (note: my breakfast meals are /always/ a type of yogurt+cereal, all ingredients counted out in 4s; lunch is /always/ a wrap, again with all ingredients counted out in 4s) -- so i started with baking crusts for my yogurts, then baking mixed-in stuff, then baking french-toasts and bread-puddings; and ultimately i want to make cinnamon rolls, but i always mess it up (because i always get afraid of including the actual ingredient lists due to nutrition fears and serving-size fears, so i:ll sub things out nonsensically and reduce portions nonsensically) (but bright-side of messing up cinnamon-rolls is that i can use the ruined awful bread-pastries to make great bread puddings). basically though: teaching myself to cook + trying to excite myself to eat like a normal person is all that:s been keeping me going, lately -- and admittedly i really enjoy both. *note, as well: i think both of those recipes are from crazy ed-esque baking recipes that tiktok shows me.

veganism and numbers and leviticus and communication have all been pretty disastrous for my relationship with food.

one day i:ll make the cinnamon rolls right.

anyways, have a nice day today, anonymous; take care and pour yourself into your passions cause they:ll melt away other-wise & it:s only your hands keeping them in place.

[ophexis]

I am alive! After a long delay (forced to work in office for 2 weeks killed me), here's my post on the chosen dnd cookbook recipe!!! lmao

I chose to make the Vedbread! They're mushroom rolls with cheese. Not exactly a meal by themselves, but I just really wanted to try them so bad lmao

The recipe calls for a different kind of mushroom but they say you can use shiitake, so that's what I went for. I had to buy a lot of shiitake sdfsg

Anyway, let us begin!

First thing to do is to dice the mushroom. I unfortunately don't have a food processor yet so I had to do it by hand. It...took a while.You cook the mushroom with salt and butter until the moisture is gone and they're all nice and grilled. You also dice some shallots and cook them with! And finally when this is all cooked you remove from the heat and add parmesan and fresh thyme. I'll admit I didn't feel like spending the extra money for fresh parmesan so I just used the cheap stuff I had in my fridge, which I admit probably changed the flavor but it was still tasty so wtv!

While this is cooking and smelling delicious you prep the dough. Shred some gruyère and all that.

The shredded cheese goes directly into the dough! It's a chunky dough. You have to knead it just enough thats its smooth and incorporated. Then you have to spread it in a rectangle, which was somewhat challenging due to my lack of tools and preparation lmao. Ignore the ball of saran wrap I dont wanna talk about it

Then you spread the mushroom mixture all over this nice rectangle!

Struggle number 2, rolling it up in an even tube! Mine was not even at all but it was a tube! Then you have to try and cut it into equal pieces. Mine were....not equal pieces but the show much go on! They tell you to trim off and discard the ends but since there's no eggs in the dough I just ate it. Which legally I can't recommend bc raw flour can also be bad for you (more likely to, iirc) so do as I say, not as I do!

FINALLY you place them side-up on a baking sheet and brush them with an egg wash! And then you pop them in the oven!!! And then you take them out and be in awe and the delicious rolls you have just created!!

These were super good! And I'm saying as someone who generally doesn't like cooked mushrooms, but I've been making an effort with shiitake lol. If you like the general flavor of shiitake but don't really like the texture of cooked mushrooms, I really liked these bc the mushrooms are minced really small! The cheese is also really good. They kept SUPER well at room temp in an airtight container and they reheat in the oven really quickly and for the entire week that I've eaten them they tasted always fresh after a little trip in the oven. This was definitely a nat20 on recipe choice!

Those of you who were looking forward to this I apologize for the time it took but I changed projects at work and it's been a nightmare lmao. I'll probably be stuck in office for a week and a half soon again so I probably won't do the next poll within that time, but hopefully soon. I might do a noodle recipe from one of the star wars cookbooks tho just cuz i feel like it. I haven't actually cooked a whole lot lately bc of work :'D So I kinda miss it. Anyway I hope that was mildly entertaining, and get out there and make yerself any kind of bread rolls bc everybody deserves breadrolls. (Cough cough check out misohungrie's video if you want the precise recipe cough cough)

[friesian]

hi ira. i'm going to take the recent advice from the post going around that says "talk about your OCS anyways!" to do exactly that. talk about my OCs. of course marwyd. so i have it that one of the only skills he really has in terms of being able to express himself in a more artistic manner is cooking. that guy can cook like a motherfucker and its DELICIOUS. he's good at homestyle meals, can learn gourmet meals (though he thinks they're haughty and pretentious), and he can bake. most of these skills were because back in his old gang, he was sort of the... guy that everyone relied on for everything? basic first aid? marwyd. fixing your gun? marwyd. double checking your tactics? cooking dinner? marwyd. though, despite doing all these things, he never got any respect for it. it was more of he was expected to do this since he was the leader's 'son'. also he didn't feel like being harassed or even just straight up attacked (especially when he was young, he didn't really shape into the hard ass we know today THAT early on). anyways, back to the baking, now that he's out of that environment he still does it. and i think it's the only way he knows how to express care? if he cooks food for you, he cares about you. he doesn't do it for everyone. marwyd cooking/baking is a rite of passage. this guy will NEVER says the words "i care about you deeply" or "i want to see you safe and healthy", he shoves over a plate of steamed clams, dipping sauce, with homemade biscuits and gravy and tells you to eat. then just goes back to making more food. if you don't eat it, he won't yell or anything. but he'll be disappointed and a bit sad. also he won't cook food for you again. that was a ritual of trust for him. lastly, he did bake recently. funnily enough for zheng hua/lei's birthday. they share a birthday. which he also got stabbed 8 times at. that's besides the point though! anyways i think he made a cake like this;

sorry i made this in MS paint in like less than 5 minutes while eating oatmeal. he was prepping the candle on this cake before he got stabbed. and then it ended up getting thrown. Sad! well there's other cakes. oh also. PS. my wife came into the room and saw your comment out of context and went 'IS IRA ASKING ABOUT MARWYD'S ASS???'. good stuff.

[etlunainmorte]

❄❄❄

***

*Bella Basil Raspberry Tea*

Total Time - 45 minutes preparation plus chilling

Serves - 6

Ingredients

3 cups fresh raspberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup lime juice

2 individual black tea bags

1 bottle ( 1 liter ) carbonated water or 1 bottle ( 750 milliliters ) sparkling rose wine

Ice cubes

Fresh raspberries and basil leaves, optional

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, basil and lime juice. Mash berries. Cook over medium heat for 7 minutes or until berries release juices.

Remove from the heat; add tea bags. Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain, discarding tea bags and raspberry seeds. Transfer tea to a 2 - qt. pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Just before serving, slowly add carbonated water or wine. Serve over ice. If desired, top with raspberries and basil.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 281 calories, 0 fat ( 0 saturated fat ), 0 cholesterol, 9mg sodium, 44g carbohydrate ( 37g sugars, 4g fiber ), 1g protein.

*Cookie Dough Stuffed Oreos*

Yields - 30

Prep Time - 10 minutes

Total Time - 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 c. ( 1 stick ) melted butter

1/2 c. granulated sugar 

1/2 c. packed brown sugar 

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1 c. almond flour 

1/2 tsp. kosher salt 

2/3 c. mini chocolate chips

24 Oreos

1 c. chocolate chips

1 tbsp. coconut oil 

1/4 c. sprinkles 

Directions

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugars, and vanilla. Stir in almond flour and salt, then fold in mini chocolate chips. 

Separate Oreos trying to keep cream intact. Place 2 tsp of cookie dough on Oreo half with cream, then sandwich with other half of Oreo. Repeat with remaining Oreos and dough. 

Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Dip Oreos halfway into chocolate, place on prepared baking sheet, and top with sprinkles. Refrigerate until chocolate is hardened, 1 hour.

***

"You said, please, say yes." You excitedly informed him. "And I said, yes! I'm going to the New Year's Ball with you, V!"

It took the poet a full minute before he finally realized what you were talking about. And when he finally realized what your words truly meant, his eyes slowly widened and his mouth fell open in shock. He grabbed his messy hair with both hands and spoke, "That - that's your answer, right? You'll go to the Ball with me?"

"Hahaha! Of course, you silly poet!" You laughed as you threw yourself at him, hugging him and placing a tender kiss on his cheek. Oh, how sweet you smelled. What a nice morning, indeed! "See ya!"

And before V could even reciprocate with a kiss of his own, you took your hands off him, waved, and went back to your house.

Now, if it were only that easy.

"What happened to you, dear?" Adelaide asked you, a plate of fluffy pancakes in her hand. 

Your hands automatically went up your hair as realization finally kicked in. "I told him I'd go the Ball with him."

"Yes, and?"

Giving your grandmother a horrified look, you answered, "I don't have a vintage dress!"

***

❄ Three Wishes ❄

***

IX

***

"You're in luck." Your cousin, Avery, told you as she nudged your arm with an elbow. "I got your back."

"Thanks." You answered with a shy smile as the two of you made your way to her mansion.

It was a good thing that you called Avery first before going to the shopping district to look for a decent vintage dress. You never knew much about gowns or even dresses ( except for the ones you wear for your concours and concertos ), and you're just glad to have her around.

And honestly? She didn't disappoint. Not only were you not going to spend a single cent, you're also going to have the full vintage wardrobe experience free of charge!

Avery opened the heavy wooden door, a feat which always awed you, and allowed you to step into the threshold first before her.

The warmth of the place welcomed you like an old friend, and the entirely redesigned interior made it look as good, or even better, as new. Avery chucked ( not literally, of course ) the old Grecian statues and the rest of the old stuff away ( including your great grandfather's intimidating life - size portrait, which, if she could be honest, was already considered cursed by a lot of curators ), put them up for auction, and actually gained a lot of money from it ( well, not that Roman would refuse, anyway ). She hired a florist and an interior designer for a revamp of the mansion, and voila!

And now, as you glanced with wonder and admiration at the complete transformation of the interior, your jaw couldn't help but drop and your eyes couldn't help but widen. The house, and all the places and corners the eye could possibly reach, looked actually clean, it didn't even look like a haunted mansion, anymore. In place of the old Grecian statues were two Venetian pedestals with modern flower vases in it. The baroque period paintings were gone from the walls, replaced with modern ones depicting gardens in all four seasons. The old and worn down window frames were also replaced. Even the floorboards don't squeak anymore.

Everything was brand new! And everywhere you look, there were lots, and lots, and lots,... of flowers! And,... this actually made you a bit confused.

Avery, actually decorating her house with flowers,... ?

"Didn't know you'd go for flower power." You let out your thoughts as you followed and observed the positively radiant woman upstairs. "And you looked, ah,... different." You remarked, seeing that she finally got rid of her blue highlights and just let her hair grow naturally, letting its true auburn color show, which looked perfect in its own way. You also noticed that her style changed, as well. Instead of a loud statement shirt, a pair of ripped jeans, and a pair of thick leather boots, she's wearing a pastel - colored floral dress, and a pair of wedges.

Avery,... wearing dresses?

Am I missing something here? You thought to yourself as you smiled at your cousin.

"Who? Me? Different?" Avery replied as she glanced at you at the corner of her eye.

You hummed in approval. "You looked,... radiant."

"Nah! I'm still old me. And you're the main focus here, not me. So, if you please,..." Your cousin requested as she gestured for you to open the door to the bedroom on the left hallway. You grabbed the doorknob firmly, carefully turned it, and opened the door,...

You felt a strange wave of nostalgia brush you gently in the face as you entered the old room. The huge French canopy bed on the left, the sweet scent wafting about the cozy room, the pastel colored wallpaper, the heavy floral curtains, and even the white vanity table on the right gave the impression that this room belonged to a very delicate lady,...

... who seemed very much in love.

Huh? Why did I think of that? You pondered as you heard the door close behind you.

"I had this room renovated." Avery told you as she walked towards the vanity table and placed a hand on the ornate mirror. "This belonged to gran's mom."

"Really?!" You gasped, taken by surprise by what you just heard from your cousin. Your eyes wandered once more all over the place, drinking in all the lovely sights the room could offer. It's as if,... the room itself held some sort of significance to you. Like you've been here before. "Wow,..."

"You know, V spent a lot of time in this room last October." Avery giggled as she gave you a sly sideways glance, wanting to see your reaction. And you didn't disappoint. The moment your cousin mentioned his one letter name, your face heated up, making it as red as a beetroot.

"W - what's he doing here?" You stuttered, making the other woman laugh.

"Ah! Long story. I'll tell you some other time." Avery answered as she went towards the large wooden closet on the left near the French canopy bed. "But, I'll tell you this: he's in love with gran's mom."

"Sorry?"

"Never mind." Your cousin teased as she opened the closet, revealing a huge collection of Victorian era dresses of all fabrics, colors, and shapes.

And it simply took your breath away! And instantly made you forget what Avery just revealed.

"Amazing!" You gasped in awe as Avery took one dress made completely out of lace from the huge closet. "It's so, so beautiful!"

"Look, I may tell you that this lady here suits your skin tone but, you can try as many of these as you like." Avery told you as she carefully handed you the delicate dress. "Hell, you can try all of them!"

And that's what you did for the next few hours. As tiring as it was, carefully putting on these dresses and making sure that they don't get damaged in the process, it really was fun trying them on. There were just too many, in different shades of red, blue, purple, green, and yellow, in different fabrics like lace, satin, silk, chiffon, and in different cuts, although ninety - five percent of them had extremely low necklines and all of them had tight fitting bodice.

And somehow, the dresses,...

... felt so familiar to you. From the colors perfectly matching your skin tone, to their sizes exactly fitting your form.

It was like you actually owned them.

"That's beautiful." Avery, who got so tired of waiting and elected to just sit on the bed to watch your every move, said for seemingly the hundredth time that day.

"Yes but," You answered as you uncomfortably looked down at what you’re wearing: an exquisite pale green dress with an empire waist and a pair of bishop sleeves made of voluminous silk. " ... it doesn't seem right."

Avery rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "I told you. Pick whatever you like. V will not judge you if you pick the wrong one, come on!"

"No, it's not that I'm worried about V judging me." You said as you faced the closet once more. "These dresses are all beautiful, and they all fit so perfectly, it's actually scary. But, I don't feel,... special,... in any of them. In a way."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's like,... I'm happy they all fit. But, I'm not happy wearing them."

"Really? How so?"

"It's like,... ah,... how do I explain this?" You bit your lower lip as you browsed the many more dresses that were hanging inside the vintage closet belonging to your gran's mom. "It's like, I'm looking for something that resonates. That feels special. You know what I'm saying?"

"I'm not sure I know what you meant." Avery answered as she collapsed on the white pillows.

"Ah, it's so hard to - "

"Hard to what?"

You turned towards your cousin, your eyes almost popping out of their sockets and your mouth opening wide. Like you've just awoken to a huge revelation.

"Found something that resonates?" Avery asked as she rolled on the bed, propping her chin on her knuckles and playfully swaying her feet back and forth.

"I might have." You replied as you took a particular dress from the closet and made your way once again towards the massive bathroom. "Wait."

"Isn't that what you're already making V do?" Avery teased with a huge grin plastered on her face as she rolled on the bed once more and laid on her back.

"What's that?!" Your voice echoed from the bathroom. You were just too weirded out with your cousin's behavior.

"Nothing! And make it quick already! I'm starving!"

"Alright! Alright! And can you put something else in here, like a vanity table or something? It feels really empty here!"

"Just like how V feels without you?"

"Come again?!"

"Did I say something?"

"Ugh!"

Avery was clutching her stomach with both hands, hysterically laughing at her jokes when you finally came out of the bathroom. And when she saw you, her mouth simply dropped.

"Girl," She gasped, feeling as if her eyes were deceiving her. " ... you're wearing,... that?"

"Yes!" You proudly declared as you made a little pirouette, the soft fabric of the dress flowing gracefully with your movement. "Isn't this perfect?!"

"W - well," Avery said, still a bit tongue - tied, as she got off the bed and made her way towards you. " ... I must say that's a really curious choice. A good choice, nonetheless. Looks perfect, yes."

Your eyebrows knitted, confusion with Avery's strange commentary on the dress you chose starting to set in. "You don't look happy."

"What? Ugh! Come on, I said it's perfect, right? Now, get dressed and come down, I'm really starving, I could eat a huge bird right now!”

You were still staring at the dress laid carefully on the sofa a few minutes later as you and your cousin enjoyed some cookie dough stuffed oreos and bella basil raspberry tea.

"So, are you gonna tell me?" You said after taking a sip of the sweet beverage. "What V was doing there last October?"

"Ye really wanna know?"

"Well, duh. Of course."

Avery took one cookie from the huge plate and pointed it at you. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Umm, yes? No? I don't know,..."

"Well, whatever your belief is, this place," Avery said, taking a bite of the treat. " ... used to be haunted. And I commissioned the Legendary Devil Hunter to drive the spirit out. But, he refused!" She said, then took another bite. "And this man, this thin man who calls himself V, he volunteered. He confronted the Demon who took over this place," She plopped the treat into her mouth and chewed. And with a still full mouth, she said, " ... and set the tortured souls free. Safe to say he won, right?"

"Oh, I s - "

"BUT, of course, you wouldn't believe me! So, forget what I just said." Avery took another cookie and ate it whole. Then, after that, she took another one from the plate and ate it as well.

"You, ah, eat well!" You said, carefully choosing your words so as not to offend your cousin.

"Who, me?" Avery asked as she ate another cookie, then took a sip of her tea. "Nah. Must be your imagination."

" ... okay,... "

"I answered your question, now answer mine." Avery gestured at the dress on the sofa and took another treat from the almost empty plate. "What made you choose that dress?"

"Instinct." You simply answered.

"Meaning?"

"I feel it's the one, you know?"

"Just like how you feel about V?"

"OH, SH - !"

"I'm home, ladies!" Roman, who just entered the living room, greeted you and made his way towards his wife to plant a kiss on her radiant cheek. He, then, took out a box of dumplings from a plastic bag and showed it to Avery, whose eyes and mouth widened in delight.

"Roman Mikael Francisco, you greatest husband in the world!" Avery exclaimed in ecstasy as she grabbed the Chinese take out box from Roman's hand. "How did you know I'm craving this?"

"Instinct." Roman answered as he winked at you, making you nod in realization of the real situation.

"Oh, shush, you!" Avery playfully slapped Roman's hand and looked back at you. "And you! You have to go back home, it's getting late."

"I'm not a kid!" You replied with a silly grin on your face as you took the dress from the sofa. "And it's only afternoon."

"Whatever." Avery said and stood, accidentally dropping her handkerchief from her lap to the floor in the process. "Oh, it fell! Just like how you and V fell for each other!"

"Stop!"

***

❄ @la-vita , @clevermentalitybeliever , @birdgirl69 , @v-vic , and @dreaming-gamer . ❄

***

"You alright on your own?" Roman asked graciously as he walked with you towards your house. "You need help with that box? That's huge!"

"I can handle this, thanks!" You replied with a smile as you held the box containing the dress and its accessories closer to your form.

"Are you a hundred percent sure?"

"Yes."

Roman nodded, his charming smile showing on his young - looking face. "Alright, alright. I'll go back to Avery, then. She's getting more and more delicate these past few days, you know?"

"Yeah. Take care of her, alright?"

"Si, si." Roman smiled, waved, and walked back towards the mansion.

So, I'm right! You thought as you opened the door to your own house. "Gran, I'm home - "

However, something, or someone, stopped you in your tracks.

Christopher Lancaster, your narcissistic former lover, was waiting for you in the living room. What's more, he was holding an expensive - looking bouquet of red roses, there was a box of expensive French chocolate on the table, and Adelaide was looking at the man with utter hate and disdain from one corner of the room. Like he forced her to let him in the house.

"(Y/N)!" The man greeted as he stood up from the sofa and made his way towards you. "I was waiting for you."

You took a few steps back and held the box right in front of you to prevent the man from getting closer to you. "What do you want, Christopher?"

"Aww, how cold! Yikes!" The man sarcastically said as he made a shivering gesture. "I only wanted to give this to you - "

"What. Do you. Want?"

"Sheesh, can't a man invite a lady properly to the New Year's Ball?"

"Oh! Is that so?"

"So, you'll come with me! That's great news! I - "

"Get out of here, you're scaring gran."

The man drew back in shock at what he just heard. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said, GET OUT! I'M NOT GOING TO THE BALL WITH YOU!"

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T REFUSE ME!"

"WELL, I JUST DID!" You yelled as you took the box of expensive chocolate from the table and shoved it forcefully into his arms. "NOW, GET OUT!"

The man gave you one last look of contempt before turning and finally leaving you and your grandmother alone.

And, hell, it felt good!

***

❄❄❄

***

[islanani-blog]

Allow myself to introduce my....self...

Ok so, it’s a new year, time for a new look…it’s time to break the mold of the old and be cool with what’s new.  Like that Tupac song goes…”it’s time for a change, let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live, and let’s change the way we treat each other.  You see the old ways wasn’t working so it’s on us to do what gotta do, to survive…”

The New Year tells me that it’s time for a change...it’s time to reintroduce myself.  It’s time for IslaNani sucka’s!  That sounds good, don’t it?  IslaNani….it’s….it’s….well it’s the soul in my food, my travels, and how I feel when I see my family and friends.  IslaNani is a state of mind, a sojourn of the spirit, very Metamucil…just close them eyes, take a deep breath and when you reopen them eyes, see the world for what it was intended to be…beautiful, loving, and filled with those we care about the most.  So…what does all this mean?  Shee-yit, it means I’m back fool!  But I’m changing up the game while staying true to what got me here and that is sharing my passion for life, food, and still making dumb assed uncle jokes along the way.  So, you ready?  I’m ready!  Let’s get down!!

Ok then, I recently got back from a 19 day trip to Hawai’i and I have to say it was transformative.  Not Transformative like Bumblebee or Optimus Prime Rib…but like it provided me the chance to be with my family as we found new things to love about a place we have gone for the last 10 plus years.  It was really cool to see new things and go on new adventures in a place that had become so familiar and laden with the same haunts each jaunt.  Think of it like looking at yourself in the mirror all the time, same old you.  You say to yourself “I’m good looking but it’s the same reflection every time.” Then one day you realize, “Hey, I have really nice ear lobes…those are some nicely shaped lobes.  I never realized how good looking those things are.  I’m gonna go out and show my badass lobes to the globe.”  I also came away with a new found appreciation for my family relationships in general.  We even made some new friends that we will be in touch with for years to come.  That’s what got me thinking about a shake-up in my blog postings.  I’m still sorting this out, but I feel like mixing up food and travel will be a nice blend.  Basically when I travel, I find something good that I ate and I come home and cook it.  So why not bring the two together?  Food and travel go hand in hand like Charlie Brown and Snoopy, ball games and hot dogs, a white Speedon’t and that one European dude at the beach playing badminton by himself for some reason…just matches made in heaven.  I mean damn, they have a full channel dedicated to it.  Not the European Dude Speedo Badminton Beach Championships (or the EDSBBC for short), but you know…travel.  One day I’ll have to audition for one of those Travel Channel shows.  We call it, “Can’t Take Him Anywhere Nice” starring Uncle Manny.  But sadly, that dream will have to wait.  Until then, I’m gonna show off some sweet Hawai’i pics and take on a couple different ways to prep up musubi as well as some egg rolls.  So slap on those board shorts and that chef hat and let’s get to work motha sucka’s!

Egg Rollin’ with the Homies

Egg roll wrappers (thawed)

2 chicken breasts

1 bell pepper diced

1/2 onion diced

2 tbsp. of minced garlic

Taco seasoning to taste

This isn’t exactly a new one, but it’s something that the wife had on our last trip and she wanted me to make it for her.  So to start, in a medium sized bowl, rub the chicken breasts with taco seasonings then put a little oil in a pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken breast until done, about 10 minutes.  Once done, remove from heat and place on a cutting board to cool.  While those breastesses cool down,  put the pan back on medium-high heat and add in the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Go back to the chicken and dice it up into small pieces, return the pan to the heat and mix in the chicken with the veggies and cook until it is all blended in.   When done, set aside and allow to cool for about half an hour.  While you wait, go like drink a beer or something.  Once you have waited for half an hour, or about 4 beers (because 4 beers in half an hour is about right isn’t it?) take out the egg roll wrapper and place a couple spoonful’s of the mixture on the bottom corner.  Wrap up the egg rolls and set on a cookie sheet, plate, or whatever flat surface you want to use.  From here you can pan fry them in oil, or if you are one of those do-goody “I don’t fry stuff because I’m healthy, but I’ll bake the sh*t out of it” types then that’s cool too.  Just put a little oil on a cookie sheet, brush a little oil on each egg roll and bake it at like 425 degrees or whatever temp you like.  Me?  I’m the “Fry-day is My-day” type so I puts ‘em in oil and eats ‘em up.  If I wanted to be healthy I’d eat a salad and run a mile.  So anyway, once these are done, you can set out some salsa for dipping or do it my way with a couple spoonfuls of sour cream mixed with Chipotle Tabasco for your dipping sauce.  This recipe feels very Guy Fieri, but who gives a spit, they taste good cuz!

Don’t Worry, Musubi Happy

Steamed white rice (sushi rice preferred but jasmine is ok for musubi)

Nori sheets

Portuguese sausage

Salmon

Teriyaki sauce

Furikake

What you want to do first is steam the rice.  While that steams, cut the sausage in long strips, then pan fry them on medium-high heat.  They will be done when they are a little brown and slightly crispy.  When done place on paper towels to cool but keep the oil from the sausage in the pan.  Now put the salmon in that same pan and on the same heat, drizzle on some teriyaki sauce and cook on one side for about 8 minutes.  Flip the salmon over, then, cook the other side for about 8 minutes, drizzling on more teriyaki sauce.  When done, remove from pan and set on a plate.  Next get the nori sheet and place on a sushi mat.  Cover the nori with rice, salmon, and Portuguese sausage.  Leave about an inch of space on the end of the nori so you can close and seal it.  Sprinkle on a little Furikake and then roll it up in the mat.  Taking a sharp knife, run it under some warm water and slice into equal-sized rounds.  With every other cut, run the knife under warm water since this will help the knife cut through the nori and not tear away at it.

So there it goes…my first post of the New Year.  Hope it was fun and informative because if not, too bad, it only goes downhill from here my dudes and dudettes!  If you decide to try these recipes at home, just take your time with it and have fun.  If you have kids, encourage them to help.  Give them the hot oil and frying pans as well as the sharp knives, then, leave them unattended while you go fetch another drink.  Nooo! I’m kidding!  Let them turn the oven on too…all right y’all, until next time, be cool.

As promised, I have a sweet ass video of Hawai'i! Turns out my inlaw's neighbor works for a great ocean excursion company called Trident Adventures and they took us out for a cruise early after Christmas. You can find them at www.tridentadventures.com and they are worth checking out. They had plenty of snacks and drinks for the kiddos plus they are just very nice people. The crew is great and run by military Vets so you get to be out on the water with our nation's finest. I guess the crew of Hawai'i 5-O was out on the boat as well as the dude from Aquaman so they have a pretty swank clientele list. Even Z list stars like me (I was in a Hollywood movie about Prefontaine for like point zero 2 seconds). Even though I didn't sign any autographs that day, the kids had a blast and saw half of the supporting cast from Finding Nemo. I'm talking full on Honu, Whales, small fishies...but hey, we were just around the corner from Disney's Aulani so it made sense...

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