#i can't believe the delicious food she just delivered me

[greeksorceress]

This idea is in my head constantly and I meant to send it to you like 3 days ago, but JaceLuke as the Uhtred x Ragnar dynamic in TLK. particularly in ep 2.04 when Kjartan is killed.

The visceral howling, “YES” while Jace caves Aemond’s face in.

Imagining Luke staring at his big brother, twirling his hair with big ol’ heart eyes, while Jace is covered in blood still shaking with adrenaline after killing their uncle and avenging their mother.

Luke: I’ve never seen you fight like that before 🥰😩🥵

hello sweetheart! i can't believe i missed this god's sent meal! oh gosh! this is insanely good! omfg shaking as i read this! 🥺

jace making justice by his own hand, carving aemond's face while his brother watches it's such a delicious treat! i bet jacaerys would make it hurt as much as possible on purpose, like, that man has enough skills to know how to make clean cuts, but he's not looking for that. he wants the screams, and the blood and the sweet taste of revenge. he's practically a wolf, devouring his victim and howling in satisfaction.

and then there's lucerys, who should be more terrified of the scene than what he actually is, but cannot think of anything else but squeezing his thighs really tight and play with his own hair, waiting for jace to turns to him and give him his attention! 🤍🧸

[jonmyblaze]

Percy Jackson champion of Hera

Au idea

During the lightning Thief

Percy just lost his mom. Doesn't know if she's alive or dead.

Percy figures that the best way to find his mother was to go to the goddess of women And marriage herself

Lady Hera: Queen of the god, protectors of mothers during pregnancy.

Percy knew that She is supposed to be the protector of mothers and protector of married women in abusive situations. And Percy thought, If he was a victim of That bastard gabe, His mother likely was as well. And that both infuriates and makes him even more sad, Because he believes that ultimately, it was his fault that his mother had to put up with Gabe's abuse all because of his filthy stench protecting both of them.

That means every slap, every punch every bruise or abuse, verbal and physical was ultimately because of him, And his own birth. And she had put up with that. His mother was a saint in his eyes, More valuable than he.

He would have gladly let himself die if it meant her surviving. He felt like he was a horrible son, ungrateful and pathetic. So he was willing to gamble his life if it meant the chance of his mother being saved, He was willing to take the chance of talking with A goddess if it meant His mother rescued from her captors

Whoever they were.

So on the 1st of June, 12:00 a.m. Percy enters Hera's cabin

He lights a sacrificial fire, threw in some blue cookies from dinner the previous night, As well as some ambrosia that he may have swiped. And he prayed to her.

"Oh holy Queen of the heavens, Lady Hera, I give out these offerings in As a sacrifice to your power and abilities so that I may convene with you and that you may help me with my plight. "

Who dares awaken me at such an hour?

------

Hera was intrigued by this young demigod sacrificing such delicious ambrosia and such strange entrees was rather interesting.

The fact that he did it in cabin practically demanded attention, The only time any demigods were allowed into her cabin was when A Demigod couple was to consummate their marriage.

This was but a child who was demanding her attention, But for what reason??

--------

Percy explains His plight to the goddess, truly she sympathizes. Percy was a mother's boy and reminded Hera of A younger Aries. She was willing to help and she did.

However, as soon as she uses magic to check out the situation more thoroughly, She delivers devastating but solemn news. Sally Jackson was in the realm of Hades, Not dead But not conscious.

She is frozen in time As a hostage.

And Hera can't do anything more than negotiate with Hades, For he is using Sally Jackson as a bargaining tool for the young Demigod. With a simple request.

"Bring me my helm of darkness and I will return your mother safe and unharmed. I will Grant until the end of the winter season, For you to find my helm."

Ultimately, Hera haggling was able to get Percy a very large deadline. This would be enough to train so that he may go on a quest.

Hera is apologetic, She ultimately wanted to see the two reunite. It was a long time since she had any prayers or Any form of worshipers

In the end the two make a deal, He would become her champion, if it meant saving his mother. But that meant signing a contract with her and following the rules of the contract

here are the rules, In simplest terms

treat women as your equal In terms of societal roles.

No cheating on whoever you are courting during the courtship

And if you are to be wed, you will never cheat on your partner, (You may choose polyamory And be wedded to multiple but it has to be consensual between all parties.....)

...... Finally, sacrifice a bit of your food to me after Hestia and your godly parent.

(Oh, and don't reveal this to anyone until I give you a sign. 9

At the time, Percy was yet to be claimed by his father. This gave him a sense of purpose, train until the time is right, And then go on a quest. Rather simple. But then things got complicated. Percy was claimed

Hera didn't foresee that "old barnacle beard" would also betray the oath. At the time she was more focused on helping Percy then figuring out who his godly parent was. Now Her brother and her husband forced the kid to leave camp early in order to find the master bolt (And the helm of darkness) before the summer solstice.)

I promise I'm making a fan fic on this

[avacynthia]

he can't send a swablu to deliver this valentine / he has to act prior to the date in order to assure it's shipped & arrives on the desired day. thankfully his calculations are accurate, and on the coveted day cynthia receives a small box with a label of declaration to send food across regional borders. it's only when she opens that she'll find carefully wrapped & prepared for shipping, hand-made peppermint bark. while the bottom of each piece is solid white chocolate, there's swirl in the layer atop, dark chocolate accenting the sprinkles of crushed peppermint candies. the center almost appears gooey when broken under the right light; grusha's managed to insert a thin layer of fudge betwixt white chocolate bark layers. there's even a small hint of paprika in some bites, an accent to the mint & chocolate flavors both in the treat, and in-turn an unexpected bite. attached is a note: "seeing you reminded me of a tabloid i'd skimmed which indicated you loved the flavors of mint and chocolate together. i enjoyed your visit. i would like it if we were able to meet up again, sooner rather than later... if it's all the same to you. grusha." perhaps glaseado's hermit is not nearly so cold as their disposition leads others to believe.

"For me...?"

Cynthia can't help but feel a flutter in her chest as her personal assistant places a tidy package on her desk, the parcel already opened and delicately rewrapped again ("I screened the contents multiple times, but you should still be careful! Food doesn't travel well!")

Heeding her assistant's words, Cynthia does feel a bit nervous as her fingers carefully work the gift-ribbons loose, wondering what on earth this could be. Food? Hm.

The champion is used to sending out Valentine's presents (extravagantly so), not receiving them. And when she opens Grusha's thoughtful gift, her apprehension immediately dissipates, eyes widening with recognition and excitement. To her PA's horror, Cynthia digs right in, crunching into a slab of chocolatey goodness.

For a moment, she sees stars. Visions of paradise. The peppermint bark is that good, refreshing and sweet, with just a hint of lingering spice within the aftertaste. Cynthia comes back to reality to see her assistant peering at her sternly, hands planted on hips.

"Mm," Sinnoh's shining example grunts with her mouth full, pushing the box forward. "...Want some?"

She's greeted with perhaps the largest eye roll in human history, the beleaguered assistant sighing as she sweeps out of Cynthia's office. The champion smiles, plucking Grusha's note from the parcel. More for me, then.

"Never pegged you for a tabloid-browsing type, Leader Nomura..." she murmurs to herself, smiling as she peers out the frosted window. Somewhere, regions away atop a lonely mountain, Grusha waits. And Cynthia does want to see them again, if only to give thanks (and tease them about their reading habits.) She'd have to check her schedule--which was stiflingly busy, as always.

Cynthia sighs, pausing before an easy submission, popping another delicious shard of peppermint-chocolate into her mouth.

Why the hell not? She's earned this, at least.

[neighborhood-houseplant]

Damian Wayne x Reader

__________

♡ Pairing: Damian Wayne x reader

♡ Relationship Status: Dating

♡ Type: Fluff

♡ Requested: @yourcatcoffeeaddictfan

♡ Gender: Female Reader

♡ Prompt: "It's time to get up."

♡ Au: Normal Au

♡ Warnings: There's nothing sexual going on, but both Damian and the Reader are 18.

____________

____________

The morning rays cracked through the gap in the curtains, shining on the two people lying in bed. Birds chirped, and flew around, beginning their days. Damian and (Y/n) lay in their bed, still fast asleep in a tangled mess of limbs. Subconsciously pulling (Y/n) closer to his shirtless frame, Damian lowly groaned as a buzzing noise filled the bedroom. Sighing in annoyance, the male attempted to turn off the noise.

Gently removing his arms from her waist, Damian rolled over and reached for his phone, charging on the bedside table, hastily turning off the alarm. Sighing, he ran his hands through his messy locks, attempting to somewhat fix his bedhead. His eyes trailed over towards (Y/n) who was still fast asleep, burrowing herself deeper into the blankets. 

Moving closer to her, Damian lightly shook her shoulder, a fond smile on his face. "Beloved, It's time to get up," he spoke, his voice a little raspy, having just woken up. However, only receiving a groan in response from the girl. Continuing to shake her shoulder, the girl finally turned towards him. Rubbing her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up a bit more. 

Lightly groaning, she looked at him with a quizzical expression. Smirking at her lightly, he spoke. "It's time to get out of bed." Letting out a playful and dramatic groan, she flopped herself back onto the mattress. Damian rolled his eyes, getting out of bed, lightly hissing when his feet hit the cold floors. Opening the bathroom door, he glanced back to (Y/n). 

Seeing her begin to go back underneath the covers, he spoke up. "Beloved, I'd better not find you in bed." Smiling in satisfaction as he watched her get out of bed, a very annoyed look on her. Entering the bathroom, she washed her face with cold water, hoping to wake herself up a bit more. "We're going over to Grayson's later." The male glanced at her, waiting for an answer. "Yeah, I know."

Walking back into the bedroom, (Y/n) opened the closet, pulling out one of Damian's turtle necks, some jeans, as well as her socks and undergarments. Quickly changing into the clothes, she rolled her shoulders to wake them up. "At least we get to skip training today," she mumbled, hoping Damian hadn't heard her. Arms wrapped around her waist as Damian rested his head on top of hers. 

"Unlikely." He spoke, having obviously heard her. His eyes trailed to the top she was wearing. "Beloved, why are you so insistent on taking my clothing?" Damian asked, "Do you want me to stop?" (Y/n) responded, glancing into his emerald green eyes. "No, you look ravishing in my clothing." He mumbled. Humming in response, (Y/n) finally took notice of the lack of a shirt on Damian. "You should get changed, Dami."

"I suppose." He mumbled, rummaging through the cupboard, pulling out his own clothes and shooing (Y/n) away, as she laughed, shutting the door behind her. Sliding down the railing, she hopped off, entering the kitchen to make breakfast for two of them and Titus. Washing her hands, she dried them and began to cook. First filling up Titus's food and water bowls. Deciding on just making the toast. Adding a few strawberries to both the plates, as well as some tea, since Damian wasn't the biggest fan of coffee.

Just as (Y/n) finished setting the table, and putting out Titus's food, Damian came downstairs, Titus following right behind him. Lightly kissing her temple, Damian sat down. "Thank you for making breakfast." He paused to take a sip of his tea. "It was delicious." (Y/n) grinned at him, silently thanking him for the compliment. 

After this, (Y/n) collected the plates and mugs. Damian offered to help with washing the dishes before they headed out. Scrubbing away at the dishes,  (Y/n) finally finished rinsing out the dishes, handing them to Damian who dried them off. Finally drying their hands, the two walked towards the front door, where their shoes were. 

Putting on their shoes, (Y/n) placed her hand on the doorknob, stopping as Damian piped up. "Beloved, I believe you are forgetting someone important." Turning around to look at him, with an irritated expression, she spoke. "We are not bringing Titus." Watching as Damain recoiled in horror. "And what is the reasoning for that." An equally irritated expression adorned his features. "We're only going to be gone for a few hours Damian, he'll be fine."

"And how would you possibly know that?" He glanced at her, awaiting a response. Rolling her eyes at him, (Y/n) grabbed her phone and keys and exited through the front door. Flabbergasted at the gesture action, Damian quickly petted Titus goodbye and grabbed his things before leaving and locking the door behind him.

(Y/n) was already in the car, in the passenger seat scrolling through her phone, and could do little to stop the small smirk that played its way onto her face when Damian finally got in the car. An annoyed scowl set on his face. Starting the car as the two pulled out onto the driveway, still very annoyed. "We could have taken Titus with us." He grumbled out when he realized that (Y/n) wasn't going to fall for his petty attitude. Gently placing her hand on the one he wasn't using, (Y/n) gently smiled at him. "Titus will be fine, we'll be back home soon anyway." 

Letting out a defeated sigh, Damian kept his eyes on the road, rubbing circles on (Y/n)'s palm as she was doing something uninteresting to him on her phone. She would occasionally look up from her phone when Damian pointed out something that had changed since the last time they'd come here. Soon, the neighborhood they pulled into became familiar. Making a final turn, Damian parked the car in Dick and Kori's driveway, turning off the engine but slightly frowning when he let go of (Y/n)'s hand.

Walking up to the front door, (Y/n) rung the doorbell, and not long after Kori opened the door. Pulling (Y/n) into a hug, Kori said gleefully. "(Y/n), it's been too long!" quietly laughing as she pulled back from the hug, as Kori turned to Damian. "Hello Damian." She smiled at him warmly as he waved uninterested. "So, where's Dick?" (Y/n) asked, peering over Kori's shoulder.

"I would also wish to know the whereabouts of Grayson." Damiam piped up. "I actually left him in the kitchen, he's making dinner." She spoke with a worried look on her face. A string if curses left the kitchen, which the three heard. Realization dawned on Kori's face, as she opened the door wider. "It's pretty cold outside, please come in." Thanking her, (Y/n) grabbed Damian's hand and dragged him into the house with her.

For the next few hours, Kori and (Y/n) engaged in conversations that were either beyond Damian's understanding, or his interest. For the most part, he was on his phone, reading something in Arabic but he was grateful that (Y/n) would try to involve him in their conversations, even if he was giving one word answers. Soon, Dick called them into the to eat, as the three sighed, finally happy to eat something.

Upon entering the dining room, the three glanced at the food that was spread out. Half of it looked over cooked, while the other half appeared to be undercooked. Kori and (Y/n) tried their best to be polite, thanking Dick for making the wonderful food, however this wasn't the case for Damian. "What is this rubbish?" As he glared at the food in complete disgust. "The only thing that doesn't look burnt is the salad." He crossed his arms.

Delivering a swift kick to his shin from underneath the table, (Y/n) interrupted him. "It looks lovely Dick, thank you for making the food." Glaring at Damian. From there, Kori and (Y/n) forced down the food, as to not hurt Dick's feelings. Whereas Damian completely refused to eat anything. When the food was finished, the four were ingaging in some light conversation.

"So (Y/n)," Dick began, as (Y/n) glanced at him, awaiting his question. "Can you cook?" He asked. "I guess so, not anything too complicated though." She quietly laughed when Damian rolled his eyes and spoke up. "You give yourself too little credit, Beloved. I'm sure you could cook much better than Grayson and Kori" Watching as Kori feigned mock offense, however Dick was quiet the opposite.

"Well, I bet Kori is much better than (Y/n) at a lot of things," he narrowed his eyes in Damian's direction. "Do you wish to name those things?" Damian glared back with just as much intensity. "Yes, just take how strong Kori is." Dick said gesturing to his girlfriend, as Damian scoffed at him. "My Beloved could rival Kori's strength effortlessly." "But she can't fly can she?" Dick responded, adding fuel to the fire.

Both Kori and (Y/n) both made uncomfortable eye contact, watching the two males argue back and forth. Kori gestured for them to slip away, as they both got up but Dick and Damian were too invested in their argument that the two didn't notice. Back in the living room, the two females sat there in silence for a moment before bursting out into fits of giggles and laughter. As their laughter died down, (Y/n) spoke up.

"I'm really sorry about Damian." As Kori shook her hand in dismissal. "Its alright, Dick is just as bad." As (Y/n) nodded in response. The two decided to play a game of card to pass the time. Roughly an hour in, Damian came in and looked around the room. Once he'd spotted (Y/n) he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the house. "We're leaving, I refuse to be around to Grayson's utter stupidity." Quickly waving goodbye to Kori, she let Damian drag her into the car.

"You seem mad, huh?" (Y/n) stated in a teasing tone of voice. Rolling his eyes and refusing to look at her, Damian continued to drive. Once again grabbing the hand that he wasn't using, (Y/n) began to trace small shapes on his knuckles with her fingers. It was a silent attempt to calm him down, which more often than not, worked. Letting out a sigh, Damian spoke. "Thank you." Humming in response, (Y/n) continued to play with his fingers.

At something during the car ride, (Y/n) stopped tracing shapes on Damian's hand, he turned to glance at her, smiling in content as he noticed that she'd fallen asleep. He was thankful to have her, even if he didn't often show it. That was the exact reason he'd fired up when Dick tried to compare her to Kori. It was nights like this, he was grateful he could experience.

"Good night, Beloved."

____________

How was that? I hope you liked it!

- Pinky

[tsuki-sennin]

Momo Monday! School appropriate edition!

Can't swear constantly on school grounds! Speaking of which, would this be considered the elusive school festival? Cause if so, I say we go to the haunted house first! Then we can hit the games and grab some cheap, definitely-not-safe-to-eat microwave takoyaki!

Spoilers, I guess...

-First one to get a bajillion points gets to go home. Gotcha.

-Oh look. Prinicpal Allergy. He sneezed so hard he disappeared and sent Haruka back in time to 10 frames or so ago.

-Ok, I know these kinds of allegations can ruin a creator's career, but Haruka, you absolutely should be beating these people up. Or better yet, eat their katsu sandwich right in front of them!

-Subs are pretty cool people! ...well uh, except for this one I had throughout middle school and high school. I think she liked me. Or just as likely, she saw that I was autistic and thought I was a ticking time bomb and therefore decided to be nice to me just in case, but either I've heard through other subs and students who had her that she was pretty racist, so that's a big oof.

-Haruka's look of "Oh God dammit" is something I treasure.

-Soooo... public schools in my home state of Georgia typically have budgets on par with a Robert Rodriguez movie, so a substitute teacher who only accepts food-related bribes as payment is probably a dream come true for the school district I was in.

-Then again, Shinichi seems like one of those teachers who'd make you read ahead.

-Reppin' that NEET Life, amen brother.

-Oh I disagree, money is the sexiest thing ever. I love thinking about all the filthy horrible things it enables.

-...ok, I change my mind, this man reminds me of those teachers who'd have like a bajillion ducks or stuffed dogs or cats on their shelves. Like, I've seen a few of those at my school. This man would have an endless supply of monkies~

-Imagination. The Rainbow Line would be proud.

-Gaming? In class!? How epic.

-Ohhhh, spicy wasabi. He's killing it.

-Oh goddamn! They're really going at it with their alleged partners!

-I'm gonna try!

-You've got a warrior spirit, Haruka-chan!

-Twochers.

-Litterbug.

-Well don't shoot so much, Tsubasa!

-"I'm a mailman!"

-Again and again, he delivers the mail.

-"Ohhhhh, I see. You lost." Said the Professor, having finished eating his imaginary noodles.

-Oh my god, even his undies are peachy.

-No no no, you guys were pretending to make out with hot chicks and play video games in the middle of class. Haruka doesn't have to take any more of your gump.

-Jaywalkers.

-Ayyy, Birdie and Doggie, together in a B-plot! ...er uh... what I assume to be the B-plot.

-"Do you even have friends?"

-"No. I have... accompaniment."

...those festival guys and those dancing ladies must be pretty hurt by that.

-Ohhhhh, what the hell Hatano?! Why do you keep breaking chairs!? Now the arts budget is gonna get clipped because the school board isn't giving up their plans for a scoreboard produced after 2010!

-MOMOI-SENSEI YOU MONSTER

-Shogi Suzuki. They call him... something funny related to shogi, I can't decide which. Maybe his waifu in Persona 5 is Hifumi, idk, it'd be very based of him if that's the truth, but...

-Wow, Tarou's really making a festival out of this.

-Checked.

-"Hey teacher, why do you beat me, other teacher, bird guy, and the doggo up sometimes? Is that like a cultural thing?"

-These dynamics are delicious.

-Oh boy, another challenge episode!

-And yes, these callback jokes, haha, very funny, you spoiled them in the trailer from last episode!

-Though I have a much easier time believing Shinichi could instantly resort to these, to be fair.

-...where'd his shirt go?

-Tongue twisters~!

-I love the students' apathy so much. "Oh great, both of our teachers are super weirdos and friends with the Plagiarist. Maybe if we don't speak up at all,

-Oh hey, this really is just like my old school!

-Don-dammit, we're in school land now.

-It's learning time :)

-Oh, man, I feel that. Spring (I assume is when this takes place, assuming broadcast time period and in-show time are the same) allergies are the worst. ...though strangely, I haven't felt them all April...

-OH MY GOD HE'S BURNING HIS STUDENTS ALIVE THAT'S HORRIBLE

-Fuck you, I hope your allergies make you explode.

-Yeah, definitely a teacher over the age of "suitable to teach children anything other than how to make pipe bombs or racist statements."

-OH HE PUNCHES DOGS

-AND BIRDS!?

-KICK HIS ASS TAROU

-"Uhhh, yeah, how do we beat him up before these innocent schoolchildren burn alive!?"

-Sononi-sama, I do believe that is either the smell of burning paper or the smell of burning human flesh.

-"Sonoza, your laughter sucks and you should feel bad about it." -Sonoi S. Sonoson, 2022.

-"Join us, become our slave, peach boy!"

-...weeeeeeeeeell, if you handsome fellows and that gorgeous lady are willing to hire, I'll do a lot of things for 20 an hour!

-Disciplin't.

-Moooomotaro Zan, Momotaro Zan!

-Ahhhh, yep! Time for ZyuranTyranno's help! ...I wonder if we're ever gonna see a version with VroonDump? That'd be pretty epic of you, Toei, just saying.

-Ohhh, Don Leg Buster do a freezy!

-Hmmm... I believe that's the... Fiveman Avataro Gear? Chikyuu-Ki? Are we gonna get a marketable plushie Greek chorus again?

-Probably not.

-Your manners are abhorrent, Momoi-Tarou.

-And Don-Kaito hangs about.

-"You guys just keep sucking enough to be worth helping get stronger! ...but it's not enough! C'mon, c'mon! Keep up the pace, damn you! Hustle, hustle!"

-Ohhhhhhhhhhh, Wife Focus, Wife Focus, Wife Focus!

-You'd better not say anything mean about her, Inoue.

-I'm only half-joking there, by the way. That being said though, I do look forward to next episode.

[yamaita]

˚₊·➷ About : Prince Akaashi wasn't very fond of the castle's banquets and would much rather spend his evening locked inside his room to read books. But for this particular evening he decided to stay close to the food table where he meets a young lady, bonding over how delicious the cake was, Akaashi doesn't think banquets are all that bad.

˚₊·➷ Genre : FLUFF! Royalty AU!

˚₊·➷ wc : 1.4k

˚₊·➷ a/n : This piece was heavily inspired from Jimin's theme from BTS world, cake waltz was absolutely beautiful I just had to write about it 🥺 also I listened to it over and over while writing 😂 a-also I think the banner looks pretty 👉👈

The atmosphere of tonight's banquet was lively, everyone was talking amongst themselves as the orchestra played light music in the background. Akaashi's eyes lazily scan the room as nothing catches his eyes, sighing to himself he heads over to the food table, at least he can distract himself with food he thought.

"Akaashi! Nice party you have here!" He heard someone say, he looks to his right seeing his mighty friend, Bokuto. A prince from the neighboring kingdom, a close friend of his. "It's as nice as it gets, it's the same old routine," He said, taking a spoonful of mashed potatoes, Bokuto does the same. "Well! Maybe tonight's your lucky night? Besides there's plenty of beautiful girls lined up to have you as their prince!" He said, Akaashi didn't know whether that was supposed to cheer him up.

"Oh! By the way, is Prince Kuroo and Kenma coming tonight?" Bokuto asked, "Yeah, they're just running late.. as always," Akaashi rolled his eyes, the ambience didn't seem to change. The crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceilings of their ballroom, the classical music, even the same white coloured tunic that he wears. Same old boring routine, nothing ever happens nor catches his attention. "Hm, say Akaashi, what if you finally find that special someone?" Bokuto absentmindedly asked, "I can't say for sure since, I haven't found them," He said, placing the plate of food down on the table.

As Akaashi looked over the table, there was plenty of cake, ranging from at least 3-6 inches, they were decorated so eloquently, as if it wasn't really for eating but for display. He might as well take the first piece, taking the knife that laid beside the cake, he takes a pretty good chunk of cake. "I'll be back Akaashi, I think Kuroo and Kenma are right outside," Bokuto pats Akaashi shoulder before heading outside the ballroom, leaving Akaashi alone once again.

"So many cakes to choose from, ah! This one looks good," Akaashi looks up as he sees a young lady, nothing like before. She was wearing a light blue dress, layered with petticoats underneath. Akaashi's breath was clearly taken away by her beauty, he had met plenty of women before but it seems like she was the first one he actually seemed to like. Akaashi just had to know her more, "The red velvet is surely the best one out here," He said, pointing his fork towards the freshly cut cake. "Is that so?" You said, tapping your chin. "Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," Shrugging as you cut a piece, the cake was perfect, it was soft and moist.

"Well, it's delightful," You said, the raspberry icing really made its way to your taste buds as Akaashi was relieved at your choice of cake. "Shall we taste more cake?" He offered, he certainly did not think this is how his night was gonna go but he didn't complain. "Oh! Shall we try the strawberry shortcake next?" You said, looking at the delectable cake that was standing high and proud. It was topped with white icing, strawberries decorated all around it with occasional strawberry syrup drizzle on the side.

Akaashi didn't answer as he took the knife, slicing her a piece, and then one for him. One bite of the cake and he was hooked, much like you. "It tastes great doesn't it?" You said, your eyes glistening with delight. Akaashi couldn't help but smile, "Yes, yes it does," The peaceful atmosphere you two were in was wrecked as Bokuto, Kuroo alongside Kenma walked back inside the ballroom. "Akaashi! Hey hey hey! I see you're talking to a lady," Bokuto said, wiggling his eyebrows. You've placed your plate of cake down to give the three men a curtsy bow, as they did the same.

"Sorry we were late, some errands in the castle," Kuroo huffed, clearly exhausted from the ride to Akaashi's. "Don't worry, the night had just begun," Akaashi said, reassuring his friend. The music had suddenly switched up, from a lively waltz to a slow and romantic piece. Akaashi's hand itched to grab yours, wanting to dance this waltz with you, he supposed it would be rude to just grab you and force you to dance so he does what any normal person would do, ask you to dance.

As your eyes watched the couple's dance in the middle of the room, Akaashi's figure had blocked it. His white silk gloved hand reaches out to you, "Will you dance this waltz with me?" He asked, clearly flustered. His friends on the side? Shocked. You didn't really believe that the prince would ask you to dance, slowly taking his hand in yours, he pulled you up, carefully placing his right hand onto your waist as the left handled your left hand.

Everyone had moved aside for the prince and his partner, now all the attention was on you two. His movements were slow, easy to follow. "You're a great dancer," He said, "Why thank you," You smiled, the king was probably already making the engagement arrangements. You could hear his friends cheering and howling behind you as Akaashi's ears turn pink, "D-Don't mind them," He stuttered, pretty embarrassed as he twirls you around, catching you again.

Your mind couldn't help but drift off to the cake you had just eaten, "What do you say after this dance let's eat more cake?" You asked, Akaashi seemed fond of that idea. "Yeah, let's do that," He said, the music fading as he lets go of your hand and waist. The normal conversations started to rise again, with the occasional 'Is she gonna be the new queen?' or 'Is that the Prince's date?'

As you two headed back you could see Bokuto's smile, it was wide and ever happy. "Yo! Nice dancing," He said, slapping Akaashi's back, for a prince, Bokuto seems like a chill one. "Nice going prince charming, sweep me off my feet!" Kuroo said, mimicking a fainting motion. "Haha very funny guys," Akaashi rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "We just came back to grab a piece of cake, I couldn't help it," You laughed, "If you want I could have someone deliver you cake everyday," Akaashi joked but he seemed pretty serious for a joke.

"Hm, not a bad deal prince," You said, "It'd be nicer if the prince delivered it in person, I get to see your face everyday," You smiled, "Yeah Akaashi! It's not like you do much everyday," Bokuto nudged Akaashi, "Very well, I'll have the most delicious cake ready everyday for you. But, I don't even know your name," He said, realizing he never asked you your name. Chuckling, "It's Y/N, Y/N L/N," You said, "What a beautiful name," Akaashi whispered. Bokuto and Kuroo looked at each other, nudging Kenma as he played with whatever device he brought.

"He's absolutely smitten!" Bokuto whispered to Kuroo, "Yeah! It's the first time I've seen him like this!" Kuroo replied.

The time seemed to have slipped by as you and Akaashi had a wonderful time talking. Checking the clock it had already struck midnight, "Oh, I must go," You hurriedly said, not wanting to get in trouble with your parents. "This early?" Akaashi asked, holding your hand. "S–Sorry Prince Akaashi, but I must go," You sighed, disappointed that you can't keep talking with him. But you had your hopes in the cake he promised everyday.

"Can I at least see you off?" Akaashi asked, fiddling with his fingers, "Of course," You held his hand as you two walked out the room, Bokuto and Kuroo waved at you goodbye. "It's been fun Prince Akaashi, but I'm afraid this is how far you can go," You said letting go of his hand. "I guess it cannot be helped," He said, trying not to show his disappointment. You decided to surprise him by giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I bid you a good night!" You said, running off down the stairs, you couldn't believe you just stole a kiss from the prince.

Akaashi stood there, dumbfounded as he caressed the cheek you had kissed, your lips still lingering. "Have a good night," He said to no one as you've left, "Well well, I think Prince Akaashi just found his princess," Kuroo snorted, slinging his arm around Akaashi's shoulder. "It seems like I have, what a peculiar girl," He said, he was definitely looking forward to tomorrow, he wants to host another ball tomorrow. Just so he can have his cake waltz with you.

⁀➷ Love, Kae

[culinaryinquisitor-blog]

You Had Me at Step One: The Recipes We Can't Quit

New Post has been published on https://culinaryinquisitor.com/you-had-me-at-step-one-the-recipes-we-cant-quit/

You Had Me at Step One: The Recipes We Can't Quit

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik, J. Kenji López-Alt]

What are your criteria for a Valentine’s Day crush? Exciting and obsession-worthy are good starts. But we look for other traits, too—tender and comforting is nice, and trustworthy, steadfast, and reliable are all musts. Ideally, they’ll also be eye-catching and captivating, they’ll stimulate your senses, and they’ll always, always leave you wanting more. And, of course, variety in texture is of paramount importance—and we’re definitely partial to a balance of sweet and salty, tart and herbal…

Oh, that’s an important distinction. We’re talking about our food crushes here, not human ones.

Romance with a real, beating-heart life form is all well and good, but a beloved recipe will let you have your cake and eat it, too—or your pie, or the eggplant parm of your dreams, whatever the case may be. Below, you’ll find the recipes that, for us, check all the above boxes and more. These are the dishes that we come back to time and again—the meals we gaze at lovingly, take countless pictures of, and can’t stop bragging about. You might say we’re too engrossed in our work, that maybe we should consider stepping out of the kitchen and tending to our relationships with friends and family. To that, we can only reply: These recipes would never say that about us.

Pressure Cooker Chicken With Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Tomatoes

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Whenever someone asks me what I make in my Instant Pot, I tell them about this recipe—it’s the first pressure cooker meal I ever made, and it’s super easy. Why? You simply throw in the ingredients and cook them on high pressure for 15 minutes, and dinner is ready. What’s more, most of the ingredients are things you likely already have in your pantry, like chickpeas, paprika, chicken stock, and diced tomatoes. Just pick up your chicken and chorizo, and you’ll be good to go. I really can’t say enough about how delicious this is—it’s spicy and salty, comforting and filling. It’s hearty, but the dash of sherry vinegar at the end gives it a wonderful brightness. I like to pour in some couscous at the last minute or prepare some rice on the side, then eat the leftovers all week long. —Ariel Kanter, marketing director

Get the recipe for Pressure Cooker Chicken With Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Tomatoes »

The Best Cherry Pie

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

When Stella first joined the Serious Eats team full time, among the first things we asked her to prioritize were classic fruit pies, like apple, cherry, and blueberry. She was not excited. “I don’t really like pie,” I remember her telling me, her slight Southern drawl dragging out the word “like” so as to more delicately deliver the bad news. “No kidding? That’s crazy…but you can make pie, right?” I shot back, the pushy New Yorker in me cutting to the point. “Sure, I can make pie.” I wasn’t too worried. With Stella’s talents, her pies weren’t going to be bad, that much was certain. So when she flew to New York to make and photograph her pies for publication, I looked forward to tasting them. Still, given her warning, I wasn’t expecting to take a bite and then have my eyes bulge from their sockets, a condition that I believe has caused a permanent change to my glasses prescription.

Stella’s pies, and her cherry pie in particular, are the greatest pies I have ever eaten anywhere in my entire life, full stop, period, the end. And I love pie, so that’s saying a lot. The fillings explode with fruit, and she’s dialed in her sugar and starch levels for pitch-perfect texture and flavor. And her crust! It’s the flakiest, the crispiest, the golden-est, the moisture-resistant-iest, the still-perfect-the-next-day-iest (yes, even the bottom crust, after it’s sat below the filling overnight). How a person who claims to not like pie could make the world’s best version, I’ll never know, but I’m eternally grateful. —Daniel Gritzer, managing culinary director

Get the recipe for The Best Cherry Pie »

30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

I make a batch of this soup at least three times each winter. It’s incredibly easy (as all soups should be, in my opinion), and, in the words of Kenji, it has a great flavor-to-work ratio. The white beans give it the heft I want from a hearty winter soup, and the addition of a Parmesan rind to enrich the broth is a revelation. Pro tip: Take a hint from another one of Kenji’s soups and add some lemon zest to brighten it all up. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Get the recipe for 30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup »

Perfect Prime Rib

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

My wife, Vicky, is the baker in the family, so if she were looking over my shoulder as I wrote this, I’m sure she would be extolling the virtues of one of Stella’s recipes, like her angel food cake. But she’s not here, so I’m going to give props to an oldie (and, if it’s dry-aged meat, moldy) Serious Eats recipe: Kenji’s unforgettable prime rib. It’s time-consuming, and the finished product is more than a little unwieldy, but damn, is it delicious. In my estimation, it might be beef’s Platonic ideal. Plus, if you make Kenji’s prime rib for a dinner party, it’ll make one hell of an entrance when you bring it to the table—your guests will be impressed before they take a single bite. Make sure to give the entire article a read, even if it isn’t till after you put the roast in the oven: It’s full of both useful and interesting beef-related tidbits and down-to-earth scientific intel. —Ed Levine, founder

Get the recipe for Perfect Prime Rib With Red Wine Jus »

One-Bowl, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

My ultimate move for proving I’m a strong, independent woman—to my parents, to my friends, to my potential suitors—is pulling out an impressive recipe and executing it flawlessly. The key is for said impressive recipe to be deceptively easy. Enter Stella’s overnight cinnamon rolls. They truly require only one bowl and a stand mixer, and the rest is up to simple science. There’s not much more I can say about this recipe, except that it just works. The Greek yogurt incorporated into the dough gives the buns an almost Cinnabon-like quality—it keeps the dough super light and fluffy and produces the most amazing smell while they bake. It gets people hyped. I firmly believe there is no more special way to start the day than with one of these rolls. They turn an average Saturday into a memorable one. And on an already-special day—like when I made them for my family for Christmas Day—they’re just the icing on the, well, cinnamon bun. —Kristina Bornholtz, social media manager

Get the recipe for One-Bowl, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls »

Chicken Paprikash

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

In the depths of winter, when we’re craving something hearty and soul-warming but not overwhelmingly, tiringly rich, and neither a soup nor even a chili will do, my boyfriend and I can always agree on the merits of chicken paprikash. Kenji’s recipe takes more effort, but in just a bit more time than your run-of-the-mill paprikash recipe, it produces a silky, tangy, full-bodied stew punched up with plenty of good paprika, enriched with fish sauce and gelatin-enhanced stock, and brightened with yogurt, citrus, and grassy dill. If I have an extra half hour, a spare burner, and a few clear inches of counter space, I’ll boil up some shreds of homemade herb spaetzle and ladle the paprikash over it. On a leisurely late afternoon, over our two steaming bowls and another episode of some TV show we’ve watched a million times, nothing could be more comforting. —Marissa Chen, office manager

Get the recipe for Chicken Paprikash »

Vegan Garbanzos Con Espinacas y Jengibre (Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew With Ginger)

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

There’s a reason Kenji calls this his favorite Serious Eats recipe. Okay—to be fair, I don’t know if he loves it for the same reasons I do, but I can come up with a few possibilities. Like some of my favorite people, it’s special because it doesn’t require a lot of poking or prodding or huge expenditures of effort to be good. It combines a handful of really unassuming and ordinary features—chickpeas, tomatoes, fresh spinach, ginger, paprika, vinegar—but they’re not quite ingredients you expect to see together, or not ingredients you’ve seen assembled in quite this way, and so they become exciting again. It doesn’t ask too much. Canned beans are okay; white wine vinegar works if you don’t have sherry. It plays happily with your vegan friends and converses easily with your health-nut family members. It’s simple enough that you can start it at the end of a long workday and have energy to spare when it’s done. When you sit down at the table with a bowl of it and a side of crusty bread, you’ll let out one of those little sighs that say, I’m at home, and everything’s okay. And that first bite, a mix of smoky from the paprika and earthy from the chickpeas and bright from the vinegar, will remind you that good and nourishing and easygoing, in food as in people, doesn’t have to mean boring. —Miranda Kaplan, editor

Get the recipe for Vegan Garbanzos Con Espinacas y Jengibre »

Sunny Lemon Bars

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

I’m what you might call a reluctant baker—I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, my oven is tiny and unreliable, and even after completing culinary school, I continue to find cakes and breads deeply intimidating. Collectively, these factors have led me to worship Stella’s lemon bars. The buttery and rich shortbread-style crust takes just a few pulses with a food processor to make, and the custard is bright, vividly yellow, and tart enough to keep the sweetness from becoming cloying, a distracting feature in other lemon bars I’ve encountered. They require very little time in the oven, which means I don’t need to stress about them coming out under- or overdone. And, provided you have a good instant-read thermometer, they’re virtually impossible to mess up. The only thing that would frustrate me is the mountain of lemon carcasses left over, but Stella has a solution for those, too: Macerating them in sugar for several hours yields a sweet, lemony syrup, which you can mix right into some whipping cream to top the whole thing off. —Niki Achitoff-Gray, executive managing editor

Get the recipe for Sunny Lemon Bars »

Foolproof Pan Pizza

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Most Friday nights when I was growing up, you could find the Cline family at Pizza Hut. The four of us would pile into our wood-paneled station wagon and drive across town to the second-closest Pizza Hut (the nearest location lacked a license to sell beer). My brother and I would spend our time bouncing between the table, the cocktail-style Galaga/Ms. Pac-Man machine, and the jukebox, but eventually we’d settle down for some of Pizza Hut’s pan pizza.

I haven’t been to a Pizza Hut in years, but I make Kenji’s Foolproof Pan Pizza every few months. It’s more or less the perfect re-creation (of my memories) of Pizza Hut’s pan pizza—and it’s really hard to screw up. —Paul Cline, developer

Get the recipe for Foolproof Pan Pizza »

Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

You know that feeling when someone you’ve cooked for graciously asks for the recipe, even though you both know that they’ll never try it at home—perhaps because it’s too hard, it requires special ingredients, or it calls for a six-hour-long rest in the refrigerator? Well, I’m a firm believer in the idea that you can change someone’s life with a short stack of great pancakes, and maybe some decent maple syrup. That’s why I love Kenji’s buttermilk pancake recipe. If you’re into food science, you can read all about glutenin and gliadin, the pair behind the magic of gluten, in his full article. But let’s say you’re not, and that it’s breakfast time, and you want to feed your family. For a little extra time and prep work (whipping egg whites, folding said whites), you can serve up some pancakes that are way better than the boxed stuff.

When someone asks for this pancake recipe, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll try it for themselves. Today it’s pancakes; tomorrow it’s prime rib (or, you know, waffles). —Sal Vaglica, equipment editor

Get the recipe for Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes »

Double-Chocolate Cream Pie

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

For special occasions, I pretty much always make Stella’s double-chocolate cream pie. I wouldn’t call this an easy recipe, but Stella’s directions are clear and simple to follow. Go step by step, from the buttery crust to the Swiss meringue, and you won’t fail. This pie is a showstopper for a lot of reasons—the deep chocolate custard (made from dark chocolate and Dutch cocoa powder) is so rich, and the burnished meringue on top looks really professional. The first time I pulled it out of the oven, I couldn’t believe what I had achieved. If you’re looking to impress someone, especially someone who loves chocolate, this is the way to their heart. And mine—please make this for me. —Ariel Kanter, marketing director

Get the recipe for Double-Chocolate Cream Pie »

15-Minute Creamy Tomato Soup

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Once the temperature dips below 50°F, I go hard on soup. It’s warm, it’s filling, it’s usually pretty cheap, and the leftovers only improve with time. Plus, you can dip stuff like bread and grilled cheese sandwiches into it. ‘Nuff said. This year’s gray skies and cold snaps have had me reaching for easy comfort food, and Kenji’s 15-minute vegan tomato soup couldn’t be easier or more comforting. “15-minute” jumped out at me first, but it was the simple ingredient list that sealed the deal—I had practically everything I needed to get started. After just 15 minutes, I savored the tangy sweetness known to all good tomato soups, and none of the richness that cream usually brings to the game. So I felt just fine having two bowls of it (so much for leftovers). —Natalie Holt, video producer

Get the recipe for 15-Minute Creamy Tomato Soup »

Salisbury Steak

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

There are a lot of exceptional recipes on Serious Eats that I turn to again and again: Kenji’s perfect risotto, Stella’s cheddar biscuits, Daniel’s clams casino, and, more recently, Sohla’s cheesy bread.

But if I had to pick one recipe I love above all others, it would be Daniel’s Salisbury steak, since it embodies everything I love about our approach to recipe development. It isn’t expensive or fancy; it doesn’t really require any special ingredients (aside from liquid smoke, which is optional anyway); it isn’t particularly time-consuming or hard to make; and it is extremely good. I didn’t grow up eating this stuff at lunch counters or cafeterias or out of TV dinner trays, so there isn’t even any element of nostalgia for me—it’s just supremely tasty. And how could it not be? It’s basically a good meatball in patty form, topped with a rich mushroom sauce.

After making it more times than I care to count, I’ve realized that the recipe is also a prime example of the importance of technique, and of how paying attention to the little details can make a good dish great. Sure, you can choose not to mince the onions that go into the patties, and you can choose not to diligently slide the patties around in the pan so that their surfaces are nicely browned all around; it’s true that you can skimp on properly browning the mushrooms, or overshoot the final cooking temperature, or skip the smidgen of cider vinegar at the end. The Salisbury steak you eat will still be pretty tasty. But if you do cut the onions into a proper mince and check the meat mixture for seasoning, if you properly brown the meat and the mushrooms, and if you taste the final sauce and add vinegar bit by bit at the very end, what arrives at the table is the kind of meal only an accomplished cook could produce—and that accomplished cook is you. —Sho Spaeth, features editor

Get the recipe for Salisbury Steak »

Italian-Style Eggplant Parmesan

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

I used to live my life believing that eggplant Parmesan was an abomination. I never understood why anyone would take the time to painstakingly put slices of eggplant through a careful three-stage breading procedure, only to drench them in tomato sauce and transform the once-crisp rounds into a soggy scourge on society. Daniel was working on the video for his Italian-style eggplant Parmesan when I first started at Serious Eats, and I knew I was home when I noticed there wasn’t a crumb in sight. Instead of using a heavy breading, this recipe starts with tender slices of eggplant at the peak of their season and fries them stark naked, like the day God made them. The eggplant slices swell with grassy olive oil, becoming creamy and rich, before they’re layered with mozzarella and a triple-threat tomato sauce. After eating half a pan of the stuff at the test kitchen, I went home and made a batch for dinner the very same night. This recipe continues to make frequent appearances in my kitchen, and has permanently changed my stance on eggplant Parmesan, while simultaneously quadrupling my olive oil consumption—because you gotta get in those macros, bro! —Sohla El-Waylly, assistant culinary editor

Get the recipe for Italian-Style Eggplant Parmesan »

Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Soup

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Even before the pressure cooker variation came along, Daniel’s stovetop beef barley soup was my favorite recipe of 2016, and on regular rotation at home. I always feel so virtuous putting that many grains and vegetables into a dish, and the tender, melt-in-your-mouth chunks of beef make the dish rich and hearty enough to justify popping a bottle of red wine. It was always a Saturday-afternoon thing, a recipe I could have going in the background while I puttered around the house with other chores. But the pressure cooker version changed all that, slashing the recipe’s timeline in half and making it fast enough to throw together on a weeknight, too. —Stella Parks, pastry wizard

Get the recipe for Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Soup »

Charred Salsa Verde

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

I discovered this recipe pretty late—just a few weeks ago—but it has very quickly become my go-to salsa recipe. If you can find tomatillos, the salsa is unbelievably easy to make: big, rough chops on the veggies; a quick stint under the broiler; a whir in the blender; and that’s it. Smoky, sweet, charred, peppery, and as fiery as you want to make it, the flavors are deliciously complex. And it only gets better when you’ve made it a few times and have gotten a feel for how much heat you want. (I may or may not have burned off all the taste buds on a loved one’s tongue the first time.) Try it with Kenji’s sous vide carnitas! —Tim Aikens, front-end developer

Get the recipe for Charred Salsa Verde »

BraveTart’s Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Everyone knows that freshly baked cookies are always better than the store-bought packages. We also know how disappointing it can be to try a recipe from a random search and end up with a sad, bready-tasting batch. However, since trying out Stella’s chocolate chip cookies, I’ve bookmarked the recipe, and baking them has become a weekly tradition. The recipe works perfectly well with mass-produced chocolate chips. My recommendation, though it’s going to take some self-control, is to bake only as much as you’ll devour within 24 hours, then freeze the remaining dough for another indulgent time. Be sure to read the full article, too—I love the historical nugget in which Stella explains how chocolate chips first came to supermarkets. —Vivian Kong, designer

Get the recipe for BraveTart’s Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies »

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