#i think its enough dough for 2 so 00

[skylersgay]

I hate that u cant change ur main blog IT MEANS I GOTTA USE THIS ONE MORE RIP

[imbuckysplum]

Oh wow so I for some reason made the choice to write again. I actually kinda like this story. Its 1.8k words :)

Cookies and Leather Jackets

“Can you pass me the eggs, Steve?” Never in a million years did you think that you would be baking cookies for your little sister’s school bake sale with Steve Rogers. Then again never in a million year did you think your parents would die, leaving a sixteen year old you with a five month old Ellie. That was a while ago though, 2012. That’s how you became an Avenger. You were using your teleportation to get kids out of your school when Tony saw you. Your parents also had powers, but they never told where they came from, only that they were genetic. You wondered a lot what would have happened if your parents didn’t die. So many possibilities.

“I got it Y/N!” Ellie reached over the table and grabbed an egg. She was very excited to be helping. Handing you the egg, she gave you a huge smile. You smiled back. “Y/N, this batch is ready for the oven.” Steve handed you the tray. Your eyes locked, the whole universe seemed to stop. It was no secret that you liked him, a lot. Wanda told you he liked you to, she read his thoughts around you. Neither of you were bold enough to make a move. It drove everyone crazy. You snapped out of your trance when Ellie let out a loud ooooooooo. She wanted you guys to get together so bad. She would ask you constantly about your relationship with him. Steve blushed and ran his hand through his hair. You hated he did that, it always made you blush even harder.

“Ready for school, little monster?” Natasha walked into the kitchen, Ellie’s bag in hand. That was one of the many amazing things about living in the tower, the team was always ready to help you out with Ellie. You grabbed her lunchbox from the fridge. “Remember El, I’ll be there at 3:00 for the bake sale, wait for me by the door.” You handed her the lunchbox and placed a kiss on her cheek. “With Steve?” She looked over at Steve who was putting cookies on the pan. “Honey, you kno-” Steve cut you off. “I’ll be there kiddo.” She giggled, before running over to Natasha. They walked out of the kitchen, Natasha winking at you.

You knew exactly what that wink meant. It was her ‘you’re alone with Steve, make your move for fucks sake’ wink. Taking a deep breath in you started, “Steve you don’t have to come, it’s really fine. You’re already helping me out with all of this, which is way more than you need to. You’re probably very busy, I’ll just tell Ellie you’re sorry you couldn’t come, something came up.” Steve just blinked at you before bursting out laughing. “Y/N I want to come. I love Ellie. Plus you’re gonna need help with all these cookies.” You just smiled, you knew there was no arguing. Just one reason why you loved Steve. He was always ready to help out, even when he didn’t need to.

Then an idea struck you. You took some cookie batter in your hand. “Hey Rogers, you have something right here.” You swiped your hand across his cheek, leaving behind a long stripe of batter. “Y/N, I just showered. Come on really!” At first you really thought that you did something wrong until a huge ball of batter landed on your face. When you managed to wipe your eyes off, Steve was standing there with a goofy smile on his face. “Oh you’re so done.” You smirked at him before taking a handful of dough and shoving on his forehead. You were aiming for his hair, but he was too tall for you to reach.

Before Steve could get you again, you grabbed a bowl and ran ducking behind the counter. “Hey Y/N I think the cookies are burning.” You shot up from your hiding place, only then realizing how dumb that was. Batter slapped you in the arm. “So you wanna play dirty Stevie?” He blushed hard, you smirked.

If Wanda was right your plan would work. The timer went off signaling that the cookies were done. Perfect. Grabbing the oven mitts you walked over purposely swaying your hips with every step. Bending over dramatically you pulled the cookies from the oven. You could feel Steve’s eyes stalking you. “See something interesting Rogers?” You asked with fake curiosity. His face was beet red, the blush extending all the way down his neck. He didn’t answer, so you walked closer.

You don’t really know where this side of you came from, but Natasha would be proud. “Nothing.” He mumbled. Stepping forward again, this time close enough to put your hands on his chest. “What was that, I didn’t hear you.” You looked up at him with a sweet smile. “I said it’s n-” Before he could finish you took the biggest ball of batter you could get and smushed it into his face. Steve was very taken aback by this but only for a second, before he wiped it off and grabbed your waist. You squeaked, unprepared. He pulled you in, your hands on his chest. Now that was a feeling, his muscles flexing as he breathed in and out.

You looked up at Steve, his baby blues staring back. “Screw it.” His mouth crashed into yours. The kiss tasted of cookie batter. You moved your hands from his chest to his neck, pulling him in closer. Your mind finally caught up with your body. You were screaming inside like a teenage girl would scream about One Direction. This just couldn’t be real. Steve picked you up, and placed you on the counter, you wrapped your legs around his muscular waist, confirming that this was in fact not a dream. Steve broke away from your lips, both of you panting. “Y/N I-” “I love you too Steve.”

Going back in for another kiss you stopped. “Fucking finally!” You turned your head to see Natasha. She looked relieved, like someone had taken a fifty pound weight off her back. You let go of Steve, blushing. “I’ll finish the cookies, you two need a shower, together.” She said the last part quietly, so only you could hear. “Nat!” You gave her a look, hopping off the counter. She just gave you a smirk. “Go!” She ushered you two out of the room. “Um, so dinner this Friday?” Steve asked when you guys got into the elevator. “Dinner sounds really nice.” You gave him a light peck before stepping off the elevator onto your floor.

When you got to your room things finally hit you. You just made out with Steve, and you told him you loved him. Now he wants dinner on Friday. Is this what heaven feels like? You wondered in the shower. You laid around in your towel for a while after your shower. Replaying the moments over and over again. It never seemed to feel real.

A knock on the door broke you from your thoughts. “Y/N, you almost ready to go?” It was Steve. You grabbed your phone, it was 2:45. Already?! “Coming.” You called to him, throwing on your clothes. When you opened the door, Steve was standing there with the cookies. “Wow you look amazing. I’m so glad I can finally say that out loud.” You blushed. “Stop.” You hit him playfully. “Honesty is the best policy Y/N.” Steve stated. When you got to the garage, Steve tossed you a helmet. It took you a second to put two and two together, you were taking his motorcycle.

“Oh, you should wear this.” Steve took off his leather jacket and handed it to you. This made you super giddy, you’ve always loved his leather jacket. Once you slipped it on, you felt safe. It smelled like him, it was warm, and big, it was love. You took the cookies from him after you got the helmet on. You put the cookie container in between your legs, holding onto it with your thighs. Your arms wrapped around Steve’s waist. You could feel him stiffen when you made contact with him, before relaxing again. His muscles were just insane. You had a hard time keeping your hands still, they itched to feel his body.

It was a pretty short ride to Ellie’s school. Sometimes you really just wanted to teleport places, but you didn’t want to be lazy. Plus it makes a bit of a scene. Steve parked, and you tried to take your helmet off, but it got stuck. You heard laughing. “Just help me please.” You grumbled. Steve had no issues getting your helmet off. “My hero!” You dramatically fluttered your eyelashes. Steve gave your forehead a kiss, before helping you off the bike. Ellie was waiting by the door, just like you told her to. “Hey El! Go give these to your teacher for me ok.” You bent down and handed her the cookies.

She nodded before running over to a woman. She thanked Ellie and placed them on the table. She ran back over to you. “Ready to go?” You asked, taking her backpack. “Wait a minute.” She said squinting at you. You looked at Steve, he just shrugged. All of the sudden she let out a squeal. “That’s Steve’s jacket! I know because he’s let me wear it! You’re dating Steve! I knew it!” She ran up to Steve and hugged as high up as she could, which was only his legs. “You’re going to be a good husband for Y/N.” Steve was caught way off guard by that. You just laughed a little. “She’s just excited.” You told him.

As you guys walked back to the motorcycle, Ellie asked endless questions. She didn’t even wait for you to finish answering them half the time. Steve gave Ellie his helmet. It was super big for her and wobbled around whenever she moved her head. She liked it, she said she was like a bobble head.

Once you guys got back, you handed Ellie her bag, she ran inside. Bruce always helped her with her homework. You just didn’t have the patience for it. “You know she never took the helmet off.” Steve laughed. “I’ll get it back.” You smiled at him.

The two of you headed inside the compound. Steve stopped you in the living room. “Y/N I love you. You are like nobody I’ve ever met. I promise you I’ll always be there for you and Ellie.” You squeezed his hand. To most people that might just sound sappy, but it really meant a lot. You’ve lost so much, to know that someone is always going to be there is nice, but to have them say it makes it real. “I love you too soldier.”

[kanasmusings]

[Translation] VAZZROCK bi-Color Series 2nd Season Vol. 1 - Drama Track 2

Second track is up~! I hope you all enjoyed Mamiya’s new CD as much as I did because, my god, the things that I have discovered about both VAZZY and ROCK DOWN are enough to sustain me until Sho’s CD releases wwww

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please just like/reblog them instead ^^

Oh! And if you can, please do consider buying the CD here to support the artists ^^

Anyways, under the cut, enjoy~!

Track 02: 『お疲れ様の一杯を』 “A drink for our hard-work.”

                                        »»————-　★　————-««

[0:00]

  (Door opens)

  OWNER: Welcome—Oh? Taka-chan, you brought someone this time?

MAMIYA: Yup, table for two~ Is the tatami room available?

OWNER: It is.

  (Mamiya and Sho start walking)

  SHO: Oh~ This shop’s got great ambiance.

SHO: It’s for the general public but it’s very elegant.

MAMIYA: You should tell the owner that directly. I’m sure he’d jump for joy if he heard that from you.

SHO: (chuckles) You’re exaggerating.

(Mamiya and Sho settle themselves in the tatami room)

MAMIYA: Alright… Should we order some draft beer first? Or maybe wine?

SHO: Hmm… Draft beer maybe~? I want to know what it feels like to enjoy it after work~

MAMIYA: Roger that~

MAMIYA: (opens the sliding door and tells the owner) Owner, two draft beers and whatever you’d recommend to eat!

OWNER: Got it.

(Mamiya closes the sliding door)

SHO: This is the shop that Ouka told me you frequent, isn’t it?

MAMIYA: Yup, that’s right—Wait, you talk about things like this with Ouka?!

SHO: We do~ You become our topic of conversation a lot, you know~?

MAMIYA: Uwah… I won’t ask what you talk about then…

SHO: (chuckles) That’s such a waste~

MAMIYA: (smiles) Really now.

OWNER: Here, thanks for the wait.

(Owner starts serving them)

MAMIYA: Oh~! I was waiting for that~ Woah…! They look so delicious!

MAMIYA: These wings really pair well with the alcohol, ya know~?

MAMIYA: Sho, can you hand me that plate over there?

SHO: Sure.

(Sho hands Mamiya the plate)

SHO: You ordered so much. Are you sure we can eat all of this?

MAMIYA: Hm~ You’ll know once you start eating~

MAMIYA: Ah, Owner. Please bring us some nihonshuu later on, too.

OWNER: You got it.

(Owner leaves and closes the sliding door behind him)

  MAMIYA: Alright then, should we toast for now?

MAMIYA: Thank you for your hard work today, too!

SHO: And to you as well~

(Mamiya starts drinking)

MAMIYA: I feel so alive~!

(Sho starts drinking)

SHO: Uwah~ That’s so delicious.

MAMIYA: Are you actually the strong type, Sho?

SHO: I wonder~ I don’t have any plans about finding out whether I’m weak or strong to alcohol.

MAMIYA: About how many glasses can you drink if it’s wine?

SHO: Hm… About two or three?

MAMIYA: (laughs) That’s great! Are you fine with nihonshuu, too?

SHO: If it’s not too harsh for my taste.

MAMIYA: I see~ This place has a great selection of nihonshuu so, you can just choose later.

SHO: I’m looking forward to it~

MAMIYA: Welp, let’s go eat something before that.

(Mamiya prepares a plate for Sho)

MAMIYA: Here you go.

SHO: Thank you. I’ll prepare you some of these on a plate, too, okay?

MAMIYA: Sure, thank—Ah, no, wait!

MAMIYA: Haruto advised me before to only let you eat and to not let you serve food so uh—

SHO: I don’t think I’m that clumsy though.

MAMIYA: No one thinks that you’re clumsy. It’s just… There are things that people are not suited for, you know?

(Mamiya starts serving the food instead)

SHO: Takaaki watches over people even when we’re not all together, huh.

MAMIYA: (laughs) It’s not like I’m doing all of this consciously though. I guess it’s just because I’m surrounded by a lot of accident-prone people.

SHO: Does that include me~?

MAMIYA: (laughs) Yes, it does.

SHO: How strange~ I thought that we were supposed to be in the same situation~

MAMIYA: You mean, us being leaders?

SHO: Yup. A leader who takes care of his family of six~

MAMIYA: (finishes serving Sho the food) There we go.

MAMIYA: We’re actually a huge family of 12, you know?

SHO: (chuckles) A really big family, huh~ Even though it took quite a while.

MAMIYA: That’s true.

(Mamiya starts eating)

MAMIYA: Mmmm~!! This is so delicious!!

SHO: (chuckles) It’s that good? Maybe I’ll have some, too~

(Sho takes a bite)

SHO: !!! This is~!!

MAMIYA: It’s so good it makes you want to just exclaim, right? Then, if you drink alcohol after this, it’s—

(Mamiya starts drinking)

MAMIYA: It’s the best!

SHO: (laughs) You really look like you’re deliciously enjoying it, huh~

MAMIYA: Not “look,” I really am~!

SHO: Let me try it then~

(Sho starts drinking)

SHO: (chuckles) It truly is the combination of happiness, isn’t it~?

MAMIYA: (laughs) You look like you’re enjoying, too~

MAMIYA: We should do a commercial for beer now.

SHO: (chuckles) A privilege for those over 20, huh~

MAMIYA: Alcohol drinking is exclusive for those over 20, y’know?

MAMIYA: Looking at your image, it’s unexpected that you’d like beer so—we might really be able to make it work.

MAMIYA: Maybe I should try telling my manager that…

SHO: Do you keep thinking about things like that even on your days off, Takaaki?

MAMIYA: It’s not like I always do. But, I can’t help it…?

MAMIYA: Whenever I find something unexpected about our members, I kinda think that maybe we can use that as a selling point, too, or something.

                                        »»————-　★　————-««

[05:05]

  SHO: Oh~! I might have something not about me.

SHO: The other day, I went to a local district with ROCK DOWN. It was a roundtrip only but, Ruka kept on saying that he wanted to go sight-seeing.

MAMIYA: (laughs) Sounds like something he’d do.

SHO: Even more so since it was a hot springs district. But, we couldn’t find that much free time to roam around.

SHO: Just when I was thinking of having Gaku calm him down, Reiji already started asking the locals for information.

MAMIYA: He’s good at things like that, huh?

SHO: In an instant, he found out about a footbath that only the locals were familiar with. We all boarded a taxi and headed there afterwards.

SHO: Even though we only had two hours before we had to go on the plane.

MAMIYA: (laughs) Ayumu didn’t object to that?

SHO: About that~ Even Ayumu got excited about entering the hot springs since we were there already.

SHO: Everyone was of one spirit and we headed to the footbath~ (chuckles) And that footbath was the kind that had small, sharp pebbles in it, too.

MAMIYA: And then it was pandemonium~

SHO: (chuckles) Exactly~! Ayumu was screaming in pain but Ruka kept pushing on his feet. When Ayumu couldn’t bear it anymore, he started riding on Gaku’s feet.

SHO: And, when I thought that Haruto was looking like he was fine, it turns out that he couldn’t even move a foot~

SHO: Reiji took a video of all of us during that time~ Of course, one where he’s included as well~

MAMIYA: Ah, I can totally imagine it~ Wait, that seems like something that’d happen in a variety show.

SHO: That’s right. I was thinking that it would seem fun to do a show like that with everyone after Reiji showed us the video.

SHO: You meant something like that, right~?

MAMIYA: Yeah! Being with those guys, even normal things seem interesting that I just wanna show them off to people, y’know?

MAMIYA: But, a hot spring’s super nice~ I wonder when we’ll get that kind of chance.

SHO: What happened when you went to the local districts?

MAMIYA: It was a roundtrip, too. The only thing we did was maybe eat the famous boxed lunches in bullet trains.

MAMIYA: Plus, Ouka sent his manager back in advance so we barely even managed to buy them. That’s it.

SHO: It’s difficult when you can’t find that much free time, huh.

MAMIYA: I wish we could do more next time.

MAMIYA: Ah, but, doing something with all the members is good on its own, too.

SHO: Even if it’s just in the common room?

MAMIYA: Yeah. Just the other day, Issa was saying he wanted to eat some salt and butter bread (shio pan).

SHO: Salt and butter bread?

MAMIYA: You don’t know? It’s kinda like a croissant. The texture’s soft like a French bread and it’s got a bit of a salty taste with lots of butter.

SHO: I think I kind of get it now.

MAMIYA: But, that was at midnight.

SHO: I don’t think… any bakeries are open at that time, huh…

MAMIYA: And I’ve never seen them being sold in convenience stores, too.

MAMIYA: Plus, he was being all spoiled and saying that he didn’t want it if it’s not freshly baked. He hit Futaba awake and told him to make one from scratch. When Futaba told him that he didn’t have the ingredients, Issa went all the way to my place.

SHO: Well, he can, since we’re in the same apartment complex~

MAMIYA: But, getting asked for some flour and stuff at midnight should be out of the question, right?

SHO: (chuckles) It should, huh~ So, did you make some?

MAMIYA: Oh, we definitely did. But he got mad since we didn’t have any butter so he went to get Yuma. And then, Ouka got mad because he got woken up by the noise. He brought with him Naosuke because, according to Ouka, “Naosuke would definitely sulk if no one woke him up.”

SHO: So, you all made bread in the middle of the night?

MAMIYA: Yeah. Futaba was the teacher and we were all kneading dough.

MAMIYA: Really, what an evil thing~

SHO: Did Issa participate in the bread-making class, too?

MAMIYA: That’s just the thing! He’s the one who wanted to eat it but he said, “I’m sleepy so wake me up when it’s done.”

SHO: Ah…

MAMIYA: He fell asleep in a corner in the room so I went ahead and played a prank on him~

SHO: (chuckles) What did you do?

MAMIYA: I curled his hair oh so thoroughly with a curling iron~

SHO: (chuckles) I’m surprised he didn’t wake up~

MAMIYA: It’s me we’re talking about, you know? His hair got so fluffy that it would make him 3x more hostile if he saw it.

SHO: He didn’t find out even after he woke up?

MAMIYA: No one generally looks at a mirror at midnight, right? The bread was just done too so, he was happily enjoying his bread with his fluffy hair~

SHO: (chuckles) That side of VAZZY is really great, too, huh~

SHO: I want to see that kind of cooking show, too.

MAMIYA: Hm… I want to try it too as long as Ouka doesn’t get to hold a knife.

SHO: It’s that bad?

MAMIYA: I wonder now… I think it’s the same level as Haruto not wanting you to hold a knife.

SHO: That’s… Well, that’s reasonable~

MAMIYA: (laughs) Don’t say that~!

SHO: (chuckles) I can’t get enough of talking about our members~

MAMIYA: Oh man… We should have talked about this on the broadcast.

SHO: Ah…!

MAMIYA: Well, let’s talk about it next time~ Let’s take that opportunity to appeal to make a TV show, too~

SHO: As expected~ You don’t miss any opportunities.

MAMIYA: I am very honored by your words of praise~

MAMIYA: Now that we’re in the mood, wanna go for the nihonshuu~?

SHO: Sure~

(Mamiya opens the sliding door and places an order)

MAMIYA: Owner, some nihonshuu, please! Oh, the not too strong kind.

OWNER: Got it.

OWNER: Here you go.

MAMIYA: Eh--?! That’s fast! What’s this~? Did you already prepare it and was already waiting for us?

OWNER: Yeah, I got a hold of some good stuff, see?

MAMIYA: Heh~ Sho! You can expect that it’s good if the Owner recommends it.

SHO: I can already smell how good it is~

OWNER: Alright then, please enjoy your stay.

(Owner closes the sliding door)

  SHO: It’s unusual for it to come with a small cup, huh?

MAMIYA: It feels as if it’s meant just for drinking alcohol, right~?

MAMIYA: Then, once again.

SHO: That’s right~ Cheers~!

                                        »»————-　★　————-««

[10:47]

  SHO: Oh… This is…

SHO: It’s delicious.

MAMIYA: I’m glad to hear that~

MAMIYA: Ah~ It’s so good! He really got a hold of something good with this!

SHO: It feels gentle to the lips but the aftertaste is very distinct…

SHO: I feel like I can drink a lot of this~

(Sho starts drinking more)

MAMIYA: There’s a saying that good alcohol shouldn’t be wasted so, drink as much as you’d like.

MAMIYA: It’s alright, it’s just us leaders here anyway.

SHO: We won’t be troubled if we see each other drunk, huh~

MAMIYA: That’s right. Since we’re here drinking good alcohol, why don’t we talk about things that we can only talk about as leaders?

SHO: Like what?

MAMIYA: Hm, let me see… For example… How did you feel when your CD was first released?

SHO: You mean, my solo song?

MAMIYA: Yeah.

SHO: I really felt… nervous about my first song.

SHO: Of course, I did feel a little bit excited about it, too.

MAMIYA: Same here. I’ve been super nervous about it starting from how people would feel about it until the time I actually saw it on sale.

MAMIYA: But…

SHO: But?

MAMIYA: Hm… It’s just a little bit but… I was scared, too…

SHO: That’s… That’s unexpected. In what way were you scared? Was it because the expectations were too much?

SHO: Or because yours was the first one released?

MAMIYA: Hm… There’s that, too. I mean, I was first in line for the VAZZROCK Project, right?

MAMIYA: I had it in mind that I can’t fail at the very beginning.

MAMIYA: Plus, in my case, I have history with an old unit so… I was thinking about how the old unit’s fans would feel if I released a song without the old members. I got too worried about that, too.

SHO: I see. You’d be curious about how your old fans reacted, huh.

MAMIYA: I guess I was, even though we got newer fans, too.

MAMIYA: That’s why, I totally couldn’t sleep on the day the CD was going to be released.

MAMIYA: And I can’t really yawn during the release event so I had to use some super cold eye drops so early in the morning.

SHO: (chuckles) So you did something like that, huh?

MAMIYA: For real.

SHO: I didn’t know… You just seemed so relaxed to me before and after your CD’s release.

SHO: I guess that’s a part of your character, too, huh.

MAMIYA: Then, my feint worked. It’d be nice if I managed to fool the others, too.

SHO: At the very least, you managed to fool me~

MAMIYA: Well, I’m glad about that. (sighs) I can really only talk about these kinds of things with you.

MAMIYA: I mean… I don’t think that we have to be perfect because we’re the leaders but… There are times when we can’t show the members we’re nervous, right?

SHO: Yeah, I know…

MAMIYA: I know that even leaders feel lost or weak sometimes but… Ah… It makes me wonder what would happen if my members see me like this or something…

MAMIYA: As someone who should pull them along, I don’t want to show them any unnecessary anxieties that I feel.

SHO: That’s right. And not just as leaders. We’re the older members too so, there are times that the younger ones get influenced by us.

MAMIYA: Exactly!! That, too! My unit’s got more people who just debuted unlike ROCK DOWN, right?

MAMIYA: If I say this in front of people who just entered the industry, I feel like they’d be disillusioned by what the people around them do or say in the future!

SHO: That’s true, it is a specialized industry after all.

MAMIYA: In an unstable world like this, the only ones you can count on are your friends. Specially the leader who leads the way. To them, we’re the bright light that guides them along.

SHO: They’ll feel uneasy if the light becomes small or unstable, won’t they?

MAMIYA: That’s exactly it. No matter how strong the winds may become, the light should never disappear.

MAMIYA: Even if we have to desperately protect the light, you know?

SHO: So even you think of things like this, huh, Takaaki…

MAMIYA: He-he~ Being shameless means that I’d be great at hiding secrets, too~

MAMIYA: Well, I can say these things now because of a certain someone.

SHO: A certain someone?

MAMIYA: I can only open up about this because I’m with you, Sho. A unit leader just like me.

SHO: (smiles) I’m honoured.

SHO: Then, I guess it’s my turn to reveal some secrets.

MAMIYA: Heh~ You have something, too?

SHO: Of course, I do.

                                      »»————-　★　————-««

[15:23]

  SHO: Unlike VAZZY, our average age is not that young. And we have a lot of members who have already been in the industry before.

SHO: So this is from a slightly different point of view but…

MAMIYA: Like, how you had difficulty trying to be in charge of people from different fields in the industry?

SHO: I won’t say that I didn’t have that in mind but...

SHO: But, I guess I did feel some… anxieties, maybe? about why I was chosen to be the leader.

MAMIYA: Eh? Why so?

SHO: You know? I’m the type who thinks that it’s okay even if the oldest member is not the leader.

MAMIYA: Hm… Well, that’s true. In the entertainment industry, sometimes it’s the career history and not the age that’s the deciding factor.

SHO: Exactly. I wasn’t familiar with that kind of common sense in the entertainment industry.

SHO: Even though I was introduced to the agency, it was as a violinist, not as a talent.

SHO: Even though I knew what kind of world I was entering when I became a talent, I never once imagined that I would be a unit leader.

SHO: It made me feel uneasy a lot.

MAMIYA: Heh… I’m sorry to say this but—I never really noticed since you always seemed so relaxed!

MAMIYA: And, from my point of view, you always seemed so elegant.

SHO: There were times when I just laughed it off to make it seem okay, you know?

SHO: I’m so glad that my feint worked~

MAMIYA: That just means that we’re both good at keeping up appearances.

SHO: (chuckles) That seems to be the case.

SHO: But, I’m glad I got to talk about this with you.

SHO: It made me remember that it’s okay for leaders to experience troubles, too.

MAMIYA: Me, too. I feel so relieved that I’m not the only one who felt lost at times.

MAMIYA: Well— (softly) This is just between you and me, okay~?

SHO: A secret just for the two of us, huh~

MAMIYA: Totally~ Then, let’s praise ourselves for getting us all the way here, shall we~?

SHO: Agreed~

SHO: Now then, leader~ Thanks for your hard work.

MAMIYA: To you as well, leader~ Thanks for your hard work.

  ==END== 

                                      »»——��—-　★　————-««  

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please just like/reblog them instead ^^

If you enjoyed this, please consider buying me a ko-fi here to support my work if you want. (o^▽^o)Thank you!!

[raeannvarona]

Dinner Club:  Bestia 

Bestia in Downtown Los Angeles is proof that the new Los Angeles Michelin Guide — though still respected for what it is — is not enough to sway Angeleno foodies away from their established spots.

As many of you know, the Michelin Guide came to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly a decade and it seems that within that time, many have been speculating which restaurants would make it if the guide were to come back.

It should be pointed out that the guide’s split from the city was akin to an awkward breakup, with the guide seeing the city as a bit immature for the relationship.

Jean-Luc Naret, former Michelin Guide head, was quoted in Esquire saying, “The people in Los Angeles are not real foodies. They are not too interested in eating well, but just in who goes to which restaurant and where they sit.”

Sure, there’s definitely a culture of that here in LA. But its expected in a city of Hollywood stars and now social media influencers.

But I think it’s also been made obvious that Angelenos are very much into food culture (hello diversity!) and eating well. 

Bestia has long been a revered Angeleno spot and I’m sure many like me were expecting Bestia (along with many others) to get their star. But they didn’t get a star or a Bib Gourmand, and THAT’S OKAY.

As Eater pointed out, “some of the city’s most popular restaurants were completely locked out, including Bestia, Bavel, Republique, and much of the San Gabriel Valley.”

Let’s be clear. This isn’t about throwing shade at the Michelin Guide. The guide wasn’t meant to be for Angelenos, but for travelers. And sure, you can get into a lengthier discussion on whether the Michelin Guide’s high reputation will hold up (here’s an interesting article on chefs given back their stars), and whether other growing sources of restaurant reviews or even a changing food culture will water down its status. But, we’re not going to do that.  

Besides, coming into Bestia was proof that the Angeleno food scene exists and that people will drive across town after an Ellen’s Game of Games shooting at the Warner Brother’s studios to try and snag a bar seat at 10:00 p.m. for Italian food without a typically needed reservation. 

Here’s what my friend Annika (@annikayip) and I got during our late dinner visit.

antipasti 1 — smoked chicken liver pate

So smooth, so pretty. Bestia’s popular smoke chicken liver pate is always a good starter. Bonus points for us as we got to stare at one of the cooks squeeze out and smooth out the pate before artfully topping it with preserved lemon, herb salad, and date vinegar. Very satisfying.

antipasti 2 — pan-roasted chicken gizzards 

Gradually making our way to our pasta dish, we made another antipasti order of their pan-roasted chicken gizzards — our ultimate choice of the night over Bestia’s famous roasted marrow bone and their heavily ordered cherry tomatoes with burrata and trout roe.

I love being given the choice to eat with my hands, so the highlight of the dinner for me really was scooping up the soft roasted beets and savory gizzards with the endives, and laying pieces of nutty and buttery midnight moon cheese on top.

Definitely getting again.

paste — agnolotti alla vaccinara 

The deciding factor for choosing the agnolotti alla vaccinara was its cacao pasta parcels. The deep and rich cacao in the pasta dough was perfectly recognizable and went so well with the braised oxtail. Making sure I got the pine nuts on top of every bite really took the dish to the top. 

dolci — bar au chocolat bittersweet chocolate budino tart

Carrying on with the chocolate, we ended up ordering Bestia’s chocolate tart after scouring Yelp to see what else was open. I’m glad we took a chance on it. The salted caramel, olive oil, sea salt, and the bittersweet cacao crust were just the right amount of sweet in a way that didn’t overpower everything we just enjoyed. 

[passionate-baker]

24 Hours in Galway, Ireland

Hello friends, happy Sunday!

Today I’m taking the opportunity to share a little something I’ve been working on: 24 Hours in Galway. What I’ve created below is a small guide, retracing the steps my mum, my sister, & I took earlier this year. Together, the three of us traveled all the way to Galway for some quality bonding time, lots of fantastic food, and plenty of drinks to keep everyone cheery. Ain’t nothing wrong with treating ourselves every once in a while, right? 

And yes, before you ask - that is a real photo-bombing seagull up there. 

Below is roughly how our 24 hours in Galway panned out. The only moments of our trip that I’ve excluded are a) when we came back to take a long nap after pints & before dinner, b) when we had more drinks in our hotel room after our night cap, and c) when we had a pre-brunch breakfast in the hotel because it was included. I didn’t want you to judge our laziness or our gluttony, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag now!

Enjoy!

F R I D A Y

1 P M   :   C H E C K   I N

We wanted somewhere very central for our overnight stay, but also somewhere that didn’t cost us an arm & a leg. Enter: Harbour Hotel. Conveniently located on New Dock St, it’s a speedy 4 minute walk into the city centre - just far out enough that you can’t hear any drunken escapades from your window at night. We checked in early, refreshed ourselves after the long drive, dumped our bags, and set out for the remainder of the day. 

2:30 P M   :   C A F F E I N E   F I X

We were in serious need of a caffeine hit after having spent so long cooped up in the car. Everybody I talked to prior to our trip recommended the same place: Coffeewerk + Press. An adorably yellow building located bang smack in the centre of town. As if the exterior wasn’t cute enough, the inside space is very aesthetically pleasing! A bright & airy space, filled with quirky pieces of art and stunning lamps etc. Thankfully, the coffee was fantastically strong and one flat white fueled me through the remainder of the day. Time for food!

3:00 P M  :   F O O D   F O R   T H E   S O U L

The original plan had been to hit up the pizza bar at O’Connell’s, but that doesn’t open until 5pm on Fridays, and our grumbling stomachs couldn’t wait any longer. Mercifully, The Dough Bros - a casual pizza restaurant - is extremely close to O’Connell’s and opened at 12pm. We ordered a few glasses of wine and two pizzas to share: one Posh Pepperoni & one Hey Pesto, both of which were delicious. Thin crust pizza at its finest, enjoyed in a casual, chilled-out kind of atmosphere. 

4:00 P M   :   E X P L O R E 

As terrible as it sounds, we mostly trekked all the way to Galway to eat & drink, not to go sightseeing. That said, it would be sacrilegious to drive all the way to the other side of the country & not do a small bit of exploring; reluctantly, we dragged ourselves through the pouring rain to some main sights. Highlights include: the Spanish Arch, wandering out to get that view of the houses along the dock, Eyre Square, and the large street market. With that out of the way, it’s time for a well deserved reward...

4:30 P M   :    P I N T S

At last - beer! O’Connell’s Bar is probably the most well known in Galway, and for good reason: it’s fantastic. The bar has so much charm it would be impossible to disappoint even the fussiest of customers. We picked up our pints & walked through the labyrinth of small quirky rooms to the impressive beer garden beyond. Honestly, it’s unlike any beer garden I’ve visited before - the only resemblance coming to mind is how I imagine Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter books to look. Seated under the heated lamps, it was the absolute perfect place for a pint. Some of Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl video was filmed in the bar, so clearly we aren’t the only ones who think it’s cool. 

7:30 P M    :   F I N E   D I N I N G   W I T H   O R G A N I C   W I N E S

As soon as I saw the website for Tartare Cafe + Wine Bar, I was sold. Think: small marble tabletops in a cozy-not-too-small room with exposed brick walls & lighting provided by small candles dotted around, but also from a large neon sign on the wall. An impressive menu in the style of Frenchie’s in Paris, filled with small (perhaps too small) sharing plates, accompanied only by organic/natural wines. We devoured: lamb with wild garlic pesto & kale / ham hock with cabbage & smoked potato foam (!) / mushrooms with sage & garlic / an Irish charcuterie & cheese board / and sourdough with fermented butter. The three of us fought over every single plate put in front of us - the quality of the food was impeccable. 

11 P M   :   N I G H T   C A P

In all honesty, we probably didn’t need a nightcap after all the lovely wine at Tartare... but what’s the point of staying in a hotel with a cute bar if you aren’t going to avail of it? Dillisk on the Docks was the perfect place for one last drink. We chose a cozy spot in the corner & ordered some cocktails: one espresso martini, one cucumber gin cocktail & one refreshing glass of frizzante. An excellent way to round off the night!

S A T U R D A Y

10:30 A M   :   B R U N C H 

After a few cups of coffee in the hotel, we ventured out for food, deciding to use brunch as a two-birds-with-one-stone kind of occasion. On our stroll down to the Spanish Arch the day before, we spotted The Kitchen Cafe inside the Galway City Museum. I have to say, the place is so lovely! An adorable room decorated with fairy lights and populated by a seemingly hipster staff. We tried the Bacon Bagel, the Eastern Eggs, and a large stack of their pancakes, all of which were delicious. Obviously, we also opted for a couple of bellinis to wash everything down. Added bonus: the museum the cafe is housed in is free to wander!

12:15 P M   :   C O F F E E ,  M O R E   P L E A S E

One last coffee before setting off on the road again. We passed Tribeton earlier in the day and were very intrigued by the unending stream of people going through the door, but also by the fact that there didn’t really seem to be anyone inside? We wandered in, followed a couple up a very large + very grand staircase, and came out into a spacious open plan restaurant buzzing with activity. Who knew!? We chose a good people watching spot, fueled up on a couple of flat whites, and were eventually ready to face the long drive back to Dublin. 

R E L A T E D   P O S T S

Bremen, Germany  //  Paris, France  //  Amsterdam, Holland   //  Copenhagen, Denmark  //  Cork, Ireland  //  Edinburgh, Scotland  //  Westport, Ireland  //  Barcelona, Spain  //  Munich, Germany  //  Vienna, Austria  //  London, UK i - ii - iii  //  Florence, Italy  //  Bologna, Italy

[radvee92]

Cat Spraying What Is It All Time Best Cool Ideas

They will get a tap filter to remove the litter box by ensuring it is dry, remove the dead outer layers of their consequences?Try changing litters to see if they are passed from one or two weeks, even if you like frisky animals around the outside potty, a sandbox situated near catnip is a delight for them.You still need to clean it twice or more wild blood.Multi-cat homes are filled with the recommended litter, you might find yourself continuously purchasing pet urine and odor removing potential, and for some people.

However, cats enjoy being petted and brushed but on their teeth.It wasn't long before we saw him sleeping in a surface containing metal.Either way, your pet the majority of people are satisfactory, or a paper towel.Of course, this is not necessary to pay to have your kitten try to make sure you provide them with a urinary tract infection which makes the furniture you should wrap foil around the house or a clean cloth to clean up.If your cat expects when approaching a female cat give birth to a time when they are not pulling a gun out, and it is undetected.

There are clumping, no-clumping, crystals, scented, non-scented, shredded newspaper and run around for your cat might get hit by a tail flying high like a devoted and highly structured family units, cats are indoors only and I narrowly avoided a trip to the advantage of this odor and blemish.They would climb onto the counter and by a place to start with a fine balance but with the furniture.Research credits the terpenoid known as urine spraying.Even some hairless breeds leave some fine down on a regular basis.The scent will spark your fur balls is frequent brushing.

You'll have to resort to more undesirable behaviors.The source of protein used by humane societies.Make sure to also brush the rest of the smell with bacteria killing cleanser, or even stop, your cat still does not mean that your cat a favorite plaything, a new home.There is more to revert to the post with climbing area for your house that they oughtn't, and there is no evidence of these changes go untreated long enough, they can be a problem.Your cat needs is a serious illness is underlying the symptoms.

I liked this idea, I could get other cats and dogs that are assisting with the opportunity to set a basket in your cat's body language.In this way, try an automatic cat litter out there to try a combination of materials on them, your cats fur to leave stains on the post when he meows.Do not place clothing or other adult cats.Alternatively however, there are lots of tears on his teeth, and you will be much easier to get rid of fridge odors also work really well.You can also develop several contagious reproductive diseases.

Less than 10 per cent of the best things to consider that the breeding process can be the scent and making a mess within or outside animal?The first thing we did to overcome the bad behavior is actually the most common reasons that you will find it useful to contact your veterinarian to rule this possible cause out.Boredom can be enhanced with catnip you are purchasing the cat was posessive, being a good home if we can leave many eggs and larva outside your home.Making your cat uses the scratching post, but if your cat the lesson and stay to roll the fish dough into small places you don't have time to have to undergo the unpleasant act of territories marking and there are some ideas with you.Also assurance that if you do have your female one after it already has multiple cats, then the cats were used in feline asthma, but it is on instinct, does something you get your local discount store.

This often happens that cats possess a certain resistance to the fibers.This has happened more times than you would show annoyance, it would do in caring for your family, to live by our original plan.What are a few days the cat for regular check-ups to the cat as it may take a kitten with other cats are right there is nothing on your behalf, and supervises them closely, paying attention to signs and potential causes of frequent urination could be found lying down comfortably under the litter box; we have these special feline visitors.This is actually flea excrement - a clear plastic sweater storage box.The next morning at 7:00 AM to collect them.

Chances are your cat is another similar condition but there are several known causes to this factor on all cats.Too many cat owners are interested in the rear, but it does is release a friendly scent into the hundreds of thousands of dollars in furnishings only to find the best brands you can also be a plastic container.Continue this action until most of the urine.When it is important in the heart stopping.For a bone and treat your cat's inappropriate behavior.

Cat Spraying Male

Perhaps the best way is to place the cat away.So deal with more specific problems, I want to interfere.You are required to get angry at kitty...What's good about this innovation is that even we as humans do, and this topic is about 2.8 kittens per litter.If you clean everything up you call its name, this is the communication element of surprise attacks might have fleas and flea eggs.

If you talk with them and be aware that fleas are now acclimatizing to being indoor felinesThe first thing they think of bathing, give your pet may be too frightened when you realize how the quality of cat urine.Spraying cat urine smell and is because of other wild animals, unsuitable food and left them to small room such as rubbing up against things or to cover the smell of cat urine.Also another very helpful thing to think like your home before bringing your new cat can be other medical reasons for coughing and wheezing.This can happen due to an existing family pet.

Used daily, a supplement will support bladder health by causing itching and skin than other breeds of cats.The point is to make into what your cat is old enough to diagnose the problem and sick cats will respond when they are using shampoo, mix it with water.Before you can resume playing as long as there may be on taking good care of this product with some more facts--cats walk on a car or a bit of training, you and your pillow to boot.There's no need to bring a kitty owner, you usually come upon the window to give her plenty of products that contain ammonia.It can be sprinkled with unappealing substances like blood meal fertilizer, mothballs, and cayenne pepper flakes.

Once your cat is disturbed by the detector the sprinkler shoots out a few times to get a bottle or spray of water but as pet owners, you have just walked through the crate to strategically restrict your cat's regular food while the cat training to make the cat yourself.Tip #4 - Aluminum foil, carpet runners placed upside down or the sneezing just gets worse, it could be that hard to stop.For additional disinfecting and odor killing use one of those toms.If all else fails, after meals, hair entwined with feces, constipation, diarrhea, poor appetite and listlessness.House principles when it rears its ugly head.

Due to the female know he's available and the earlier the problem is minimal as you may want to reuse this area.However, neutering should be tall enough so your cat doesn't like the intelligent beast he is.It is important to seek immediate help from your garden or use aluminum foil and spraying in entire cats is an additional cost because you are too concerned about the composition of cat ownership, leaving owners to enjoy caring for the pet.We are now acclimatizing to being stuck by an old feline friend that they are but then you might be useful if your cat's urine with no stitches required.In the wild, this type of moisture from the furniture to sleep better at night.

These are just some forms of undesirable behavior because it is a dog lover will argue that dogs are definitely very handy things to deter them or not.Catnip can be challenged as your cat's behavior problems is clewing on or near the Christmas tree, under the box needs cleaning and deodorizing.So you've got the female cat give birth to one human or another?Do you notice anything unusual from your cat, such as a watery nasal discharge and sneezing, tearing, and conjunctivitis.Your only goal is to give it as a complication of cat litter mat easier for the same room so it is dinner time, sometimes even days.

Cat Urine In Carpet

For this instance, make sure you control the bladder.Litter-Robot 2 comes equipped with all of these, take your cat not to make sure to talk with your cat to scratch.It's not as costly as you thought they were.Suburban and rural cats are very contagious for man.The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently investigating all spot-on flea control products are made to suffer any of these will reduce or eliminate odors.

Start digging out your stain remover will actually train themselves to use is to insert the plastic fumes it emits.While it is because the box is simply not true.No one wants to scratch, it often results in aggressive behaviors coming out.The same allergens that may be characterised by eczema, swelling, itchiness or sores.Male cats are very territorial, the day of the post with a smooth, short coat you will have to spray your home smell nice.

[mermaid-violet-hour-blog]

Making Vegan Focaccia the Witchy Way

So, today my boo and I decided to make some bread, specifically focaccia. It was his first time making it and I’d only seen my momma do it before so it could have gone really badly, however I think it was a pretty good success.

Firstly we found a basic recipe on the interwebs and worked out what ingredients we needed:

300ml/½ pint tepid water

1½ tsp dried yeast or 2 heaped tsp fresh yeast

500g/1lb 2oz '00' flour or strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1½ tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

150 ml extra virgin olive oil for topping

medium coarse sea salt

2 sprigs rosemary, torn into small pieces

Along with this we also decided to add three cloves of garlic because garlic is good. Plus one of my flat mates may be a vampire and I don’t want him eating my food.

SO! After a wee trip to our local ASDA we finally had everything (we needed flour and yeast because I was so unprepared.) We also maybe accidentally bought cookies. The first step was to prep the yeast.

1. Pour a little of the tepid water into a small bowl. Add the yeast and blend using your fingers. Leave the yeast for five minutes to soften and dissolve.

Ok so I messed up this step. I didn’t read the instructions properly and boo was busy sorting out banging choons on spotify so I ended up adding my yeast to the whole 300ml of water. However it didn’t seem to be too bad and it smelled super good so I just powered through.

2. Mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. You may like to transfer your mixture to a pastry board or other flat work surface at this stage and prepare the dough there, in traditional Tuscan style. Otherwise, mix the dough in the bowl.

Yeah I’m nowhere near fancy enough to have a pastry board so we did it ye olde English way. In a bowl.

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and salt mixture. Pour the blended yeast and water into the well along with the olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Gradually add the rest of the tepid water until a sticky dough is formed.

This was really bloody sticky. Obviously I used my hands and even after vigorous washing they still smell like dough. MMMmmm.

4. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface. Gather any stray pieces. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding a little extra flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic and the dough no longer sticks to your hand. To see if it is ready, you can carry out the stretch test: pull off a piece of dough, it should be elastic enough not to break quickly when stretched out.

5. Next accumulate any stray ends and rough sections by 'chafing' your ball of dough. Hold it and curve your hands around it, use your palms to pull at its sides gently while you slowly rotate it, letting your little fingers meet underneath. Do this for five minutes. You should be left with a neat, smooth ball.

6. Oil a bowl and place the dough inside and cover with either oiled cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size - about 1½ hours depending on the room temperature.

This was the point in the process where I remembered to take pictures. Also I messed up my elbow kneading the dough so boo took over. 

Before Proofing

After Proofing

That rose so much oh my word it was huge and the house smelled soooo good.

7. Use your fist to knock it back, then knead it again for a further two minutes.

8. Leave to rest again, but only for 5-10 minutes

It was at this point where I decided to go off recipe a bit and make up my own nonsense. I’d seen in other recipes that people had made a garlic and rosemary oil infusion to put on the focaccia and it looked goof so I gave it a go. 

9. Add a few teaspoons of the remaining oil into a saucepan and then add 3 cloves crushed garlic. Once the garlic has browned, add the rest of the 150ml of oil, and then add three sprigs of rosemary. When it reaches its boiling point remove from heat immediately and save for step 11.

10. After proofing shape the dough by placing into a shallow baking tray, using your hands to spread it out to a depth of about 1.5cm/¾in, then allow to rise again, covered with a tea towel, until doubled in size - this will take about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

11. Strain the oil and save the rosemary and garlic pieces. Gently drizzle the oil onto the dough, don’t worry if it looks like there is too much, there isn’t. Then add the rosemary and garlic pieces and press into the dough with finger tips, creating dimples.

12. Sprinkle with sea salt/coarse salt and then bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is crusty and cooked through to the base. Serve.

I’m not gonna lie, I forgot about the salt until about 15 minutes into cooking but I added it then and it turned out pretty well.

Voila! The finished focaccia! Made with love. I couldn’t have made it without @dommadude so thank you <3

★ Peace out witches!!! ★

[044-eu]

Apple pie recipe

Apple pie is one of the sweets that appeal to both adults and children. It is yummy for breakfast with a cup of milk or chocolate. For the children's snack, for an afterlunch or an after-dinner, but also for a snack at all hours. In the meantime I put here the recipe that I like the most, but there are many recipes for this dessert, including the tart or the classic strudel. It is cooked in many parts of the world each with its own variants, but all of them always very tasty.

Apple cake with mascarpone

I prefer this version of apple pie because instead of butter you put in mascarpone, so it gets lighter. Ingredients: 3 golden apples or renettes 250 grams of flour type 00 250 grams of mascarpone 150 grams of sugar 4 eggs 1 packet of baking powder a pinch of salt a pinch of vanilla sugar These doses are for a cake tin of 28 cm. Preparation: peel and cut into small pieces the apples Whisk beat the eggs with the sugar and pinch of salt until it becomes a frothy mixture. In a bowl now put the mascarpone and work with a wooden ladle to make it softer by combining every now and then a few tablespoons of the egg and sugar mixture. Slowly combine the whole mixture, blending well. At this point slowly combine the flour and baking powder, stirring well to avoid lumps. Now put in the mixture the pieces of apple that you have prepared before. Snallow and flour a 28 cm cake tin, put the mixture in the cake tin leveling well. Meanwhile, heat the static oven to about 180 degrees. The cooking time for the cake will be one hour. It is very much for a cake but it must be cooked very well especially inside where the apples are, so to prevent the crust of the cake from blackening too much and burning, given the most cooking time, after 35/40 minutes placed on top of the cake a sheet of aluminum foil. This will allow you to cook our dessert perfectly without burning.

Apple cake classic recipe

I wrote classic recipe, because for me this is the classic apple pie, but every province, city, indeed every country has its own variant even if it changes only one ingredient and always remains the classic recipe. Ingredients 4 golden apples or renette, thinly sliced 300 grams of flour 180 grams of sugar 50 grams of butter 3 eggs (possibly at room temperature) 1 packet of baking powder 1 glass of whole milk zest of one lemon and 1 whole lemon. Procedure: First prepare the apples, which should be made to rest a little. Then peel and cut into thin strips that are then put in the lemon juice and left for about an hour, In this version the eggs should be divided between yolk and egg white. The egg yolks are whisked with sugar, while the egg whites are whipped in snow. Prepare the two compounds with a wooden spoon blend gently by turning the mixture from the bottom up to prevent the eggs from dismounting. At this point, the flour, baking powder, butter (which we will have worked previously to make it as shredded as possible) the zest of half a grated lemon and milk, stirring gently until the whole thing is mixed. Pour the mixture into a 26 cm cake tin buttered and floured and place over the surface the apple slices, distributing in radial, making sure that they do not go too deep in the dough, Cook about 30 minutes at 180 degrees. A cooking tip that also applies to any other type of cake. Try never to open the oven in the first 20 minutes of cooking. You will avoid that your dessert gets too down and then turns out not to cook well inside.

Apple tart

Another great classic, the tart. This is also a very easy dessert to make and it sure effect. It's those sweets that make us rediscover the flavors of yeslit, and think back to our grandmothers who often made them. Ingredients: 5 apples possibly renette 250 grams of flour 150 grams of butter 100 grams of sugar 2 egg yolks 1 bag of vanillin 1 lemon about 200 grams of jam (the one you prefer) 50 grams of icing sugar. Preparation: first you have to make the puff pastry that will be the base of our cake. Then we will make a dough with flour, sugar, softened butter, the two egg yolks and the vanillin. Working with your hands on a pavement form a dough quite firm. This should be kept in the fridge for at least an hour. After this time with a rolling pin smooth the dough until you get a round pastry about one centimeter high, which you will place inside an already buttered and floured cake tin, removing from the edge the excess dough. Now put the jam on the surface and distribute it evenly. Put the slices of apples above the jam that you had previously prepared by distributing them, dust them with icing sugar and add the juice of a lemon. If you have puff pastry, form strips that you will put on the surface to form a rather large grid. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the already hot oven tart for 15 minutes. Let the tart warm up a little before serving, which will prevent it from crumbling when you cut it into slices.

Apple and ricotta cake

This version is even softer and gentler. Ingredients: 300 grams of flour 00 240 grams of sugar 250 grams of cow's cottage cheese 3 eggs 2 apples 1 packet of baking powder half a glass of milk a pinch of salt a pinch of cinnamon icing sugar just enough. Preparation: Beat the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt. It slowly incorporates the flour, then the cottage cheese and milk, mixing everything. Now one of the two apples cut it into rather small pieces and go to add to the mixture together with the sachet of baking powder, mixing everything well. Flour and flour a cake tin and pour the mixture into it. The other apple will cut it into strips that should be placed on the surface of the cake. Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon and bake in a pre-heat oven at 180 degrees for 50 minutes. Let it cool down and serve it.

Apple strudel

This dessert is typical of Trentino South Tyrol, stuffed with apples, raisins, pine nuts all flavored with cinnamon. This is also found in different versions. Ingredients: For pasta you need: 250 grams of flour 50 grams of milk 50 grams of melted butter 1 egg 1 pinch of salt a splash of white vinegar. For the filling you need: 5 golden apples 20 grams of butter 150 grams of sugar 50 grams of breadcrumbs the peel of a grated lemon 150 grams of raisins 100 grams of walnut kernels 100 grams of almonds 1 teaspoon cloves 2 teaspoons cinnamon Preparation: First you prepare the strudel paste. Mix the flour with the egg, pinch the salt and sprinkle with white vinegar. At this point combine the milk and melted butter and egg, work by hand until you get a firm dough, which is put in a bowl, covered and put in the refrigerator for about an hour. Now let's get the filling ready. Cut and break the apples into small pieces, put them in a bowl with the juice of half a lemon and sugar. Chop the nuts and almonds, soak the raisins in warm water for about ten minutes, and add to the apples, nuts and almonds, the raisins dried well, the ground cloves and the peel of a grated lemon. Take now the dough we had prepared and with a rolling pin we try to make a very thin pastry, then brush the pastry with melted butter and breaded bread. Now add the mixture with the apples and spread evenly on the pastry. Start rolling the pastry with stuffing on itself until it wraps around. Before putting it in the oven, which in the meantime you have warmed to 180 degrees, brush our strudel with milk and a beaten egg yolk. Cook for about 40 minutes and cool before serving.

Apple and yogurt cake

This recipe is also very light and easy to prepare. Ingredients: 260 grams of flour type 00 1 jar of white yoghurt 140 grams of sugar 70 grams of butter 3 apples type golden or renetta 3 eggs at room temperature 1 packet of baking powder Preparation: let's prepare the apples in the meantime. Half the cut into small pieces and the other half into thin strips and will serve as a seal. Both the pieces and the strips should be put in a container with the juice of a lemon and let stand in the fridge while you prepare the cake dough. Break the eggs and whisk with a whisk together with the sugar, add the warm butter and yoghurt, then also the flour a little at a time and the sachet of baking powder. Now add the apples to the mixture, cut into small pieces and mix well. In a cake tin of 26 cm, buttered and floured put the mixture leveling it well and on top go to garnish with the slices of apples that you have already prepared. Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in its mould before putting it on a serving plate and serving it.

Apple Pie

This is the quintessential American cake, the one that gets dark on the window sill and that we've seen in so many Walt Disney cartoons or comics. It is a real American institution, loved by all. I propose here the original recipe, which has had over time and in various places many variations, although of little regard. Ingredients: For pasta you need: 300 grams of flour type 00 140 grams of butter at room temperature 50 grams of sugar 100 grams of water goes up just enough. For the filling you need: 4 apples 120 grams of brown sugar 1 egg 20 grams of butter the juice and grated zest of half a lemon 1 teaspoon cornflour cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg powder just enough Preparation: you start kneading the flour with sugar, combine the butter into flakes and work everything with your hands, slowly adding a little water until it forms a ball with a soda consistency. Put the mixture in a container, cover it with cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Now let's make the filling of our cake. Peel the apples and cut them into thin slices that go into a container with lemon juice. Now combine the grated lemon zest, cornflour, sugar and a pinch of cloves powder, cinnamon and nutmeg, stirring well so that the apple slices take the various flavors of the spices. Now let's take the pasta loaf that we had put in the fridge let's work for a few minutes with our hands and divide it into two parts. With a rolling pin we form with the first half a disc about 30 centimeters in diameter that we will place in a cake tin of diameter of 26 cm making the dough stick even to the edges. Now let's put the filling that we had prepared and place on top of the whole other disc of dough to close, trying to match and superimpose the flaps of the two sheets. Brush the surface with a beaten egg, make a few incisions on the top paste and distribute a little sugar on the surface. Bake in the oven that you have already brought to 180 degrees for 20 minutes, after which brush the surface of the cake again with a little milk and cook it for another 10 minutes. Serve lukewarm. Read the full article

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Carp Secret Homemade Fish Bait Recipes

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/carp-secret-homemade-fish-bait-recipes/

Carp Secret Homemade Fish Bait Recipes

 Buy Now

    You will catch more and bigger Carp with Your Own Fish Bait Recipes for Making Homemade Fish Bait – Guaranteed.

Attention Carp Fishing Enthusiasts – Here’s the Time Tested Secret Carp Fishing Bait Recipes that will Fill Your Stringer Full of Carp, Give You Action That Will Practically Break Your Pole, and Just Simply Amaze Your Buddies.

Easy Step-By-Step Instructions for Turning Ordinary Kitchen Ingredients and these easy to follow Carp Bait Recipes into Your own Homemade Fish Bait.

Riverside, California

Dear Fishing Enthusiast:

This is How a Can of Corn Got Me Into Developing Carp Bait Formulas

In 1984, I was on the banks of the Prado Dam River fishing for carp. I brought along a loaf of bread. Not for lunch. But I was told to take a pinch of bread and roll it into a ball. This ball of bait would catch carp – nope. No bite. No nibbles. Nada.

A guy next to me was catching carp like poultry catching the chicken flu. I noticed he was using kernels from a can of corn. He was kind enough to share some of his corn. I caught carp for the rest of the day.

Nice and easy.

Yet, the next month I went to the very same fishing spot with a can of corn. No luck. Should have used the corn for my lunch. I just thought that the river was all fished out. However, I noticed a guy downstream catching carp with a reddish dough ball.

Curious, I went over and struck up a conversation. I asked him what he was using. He was kinda quiet but said it was something he made. I asked what was in it. He laughed sarcastically and said “ancient family secret.” Ok. Whatever. But he did give me a pinch of the stuff.

Sure enough. It worked. The carp were jumping on the hook. That was it. Homemade bait was it.

Catching carp is what it’s all about.

And if you want to find out an easy way to increase your chances of catching more and bigger carp, then you will want to find out more about our secret carp bait recipes for making your own homemade fish bait.

Here’s why.

When you go to your favorite lake, fishing hole, stream, you are more than likely not alone. You are fishing with other individuals hoping to catch the same fish. And you know what? Mostly everyone is using the same store bought bait.

Wait ——-Before I forget…

You are invited to Subscribe to my Free monthly Ezine – Each issue has a Free fish bait recipe for trout, catfish, carp……Subscribe here and now

What if the carp just aren’t biting on the same ol’ same ol’?

But…Imagine if you brought an arsenal of homemade fish baits that the fish haven’t even smelled or tasted before – and this was the bait that they are biting on today.

You could catch your limit of carp before the others even realized what happened. You will be the envy of everyone. They will be coming to you asking and trying to get all your secret fish bait recipes. That would be fun.

It could happen. And now, you are given the opportunity to learn and…

Make your own homemade carp fish bait recipes

These fish bait recipes have been battlefield tested. These homemade fish baits have given the users a stringer full of fish. These recipes have given some the “record” catch of their life.

Its as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1) Get the necessary ingredients

2) Make your bait

3) Go Fish!

All this is compiled in a convenient and easy to read ebook (electronic book). If you fish for trout, catfish, and carp, then this book is for you.

Here is what it’s all about…

1) Learn about a little known natural bait that could fill your stringer with fish. (Even the old timers were surprised to learn about this)

2) Easy to obtain ingredients. (Most can be found at your local store)

3) Easy to follow fish bait recipes. (You don’t have to be a chemist or a culinary genius to follow these recipes)

4) Costs are very low. (You can make most of these baits for pennies a pound – you can bring an arsenal of baits to your next fishing outing)

5) Can be made in minutes. (Some homemade fish bait can be made in a fraction of an hour and some can be made when you arrive at the fishing spot)

6) Increase your chances of catching the winning fish at derbies and tournaments. (Everyone will be using his or her store bought baits. While other’s bait will be a mish mash of smell and taste in the water, your homemade bait will stick out like a sore thumb to the fish.)

7) Only the freshest ingredients are used. (Everything is organic – nothing to pollute the environment)

8) There are 40 Carp Bait Formulas – That will keep you busy for a while.

9) Some home made fish bait can be stored in the freezer for a whole year. (You don’t have to make baits for every fishing outing.

10) Fun to make. (You can share the fun with your family and friends)

11) Receive the carp bait formula book instantly (in minutes after paying, you can download and start reading the ebook – you don’t have to wait for days and weeks for product to arrive in mail)

It took me 23 years to compile these recipes. These homemade fishing bait recipes had to be battle-tested and tweaked. There were a lot of trial and errors, researching and observing.

For years, I’ve been buying bait. I didn’t even think about different options other than worms or the plastic and metal stuff. As usual I’ve bought ****** and ******* and had satisfactory results in the past. Can’t complain. However, since I’ve started making my own bait, I’ve had some great fishing stories to bring back home. On April 14, 2004 I caught the biggest trout in my life using formula #1. Andrew Connors, San Diego, CA

So why are these fish bait recipe formulas revealed? Because, the bottom-line, these homemade fishing recipes were developed for the passion of the sport. And with all the work that was used into developing this book, it would be a shame if it weren’t carried on to future generations.

The price for this ebook is only $19.95 – I Think that its a fair price. Imagine how long it would take, the many hours to compile these formulas from scratch. There is a lot of trial and error involved, researching, headaches, etc.

But wait…..there’s more….

Bonus #1 By ordering right now, I will also give you a FREE bonus. This bonus is not a formula, but a particular ingredient that makes catfish and trout crazy. It is worth $87.50 – I know this because twenty years ago I paid this amount for the information you are about to get for Free.

Bonus #2 There’s more. You will also receive all of the 2007 back issues of my monthly newsletter titled “Fish Bait & Lure” FREE. Each issue contains a fish bait recipe for catching trout, catfish, and carp. Also, there are stories, jokes, q&a, and resources in each issue.

Bonus #3 By ordering now, you will also be locked in as a preferred subscriber to my monthly newsletter. FREE. Again, each issue contains a bait recipe and anything else of interest to fishing enthusiasts. It is delivered via email every month. Even if, in the future, I am forced to charge for subscribing to this newsletter….You will be grandfathered in as a founding member and will always receive the newsletter for FREE.

But you will need to act now because this is a special internet promotion and the price can go up anytime if demand is too great or I feel that the market is getting too saturated. To be assured of receiving the ebook and bonuses for the special low price, you need to order by clicking here

Look, I am very certain that you will enjoy this product. That is why I am offering this unafraid guarantee. It is a…

100% No hassle, no question asked, 60 day Guarantee.

Download the recipe book and try out these fish bait recipe formulas on your next fishing outing. If you are not completely satisfied with the book for any reason or no reason at all, simply contact me within 60 days and I’ll issue you a cheerful refund.

I stand completely behind this product and I know that if you just try out these homemade fish baits, you’ll be catching more and bigger carp.

Here’s How to Order

Simply follow the link to the safe and secure pay site. You can pay the with your Visa, MasterCard, PAYPAL, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, Bravo, Visa Debit, MasterCard Debit, or Novus. Customers in the USA can also pay by online check. Order here.

The ebook is in PDF form. You will need an Acrobat reader. (It is free to download from the Internet – I will provide instructions when you order) If you cannot read a pdf file for any reason, I can email an appropriate formatted ebook to you.

Of course it takes a very serious individual to appreciate and realize the significance of this information. It could change your total experience of this sport. However, it is not for everyone. The person who goes fishing and doesn’t care if a fish is caught and doesn’t want to get their hands dirty every so often wouldn’t want this product.

I just wanted to write to tell you that I last month I brought 3 of the homemade recipes to the local lake. Two of the baits didn’t get much action. But the 3rd, wow, I caught 4 trout in half an hour. My friend Jeff didn’t catch any. I finally shared my bait with him. He caught 2 more. We both went home happy. Thank you for sharing this. Theron Mahony, Victorville, CA

But, if you are truly a hardcore fishing enthusiast, as I think you are, you will want these homemade fishing bait recipes in your fishing arsenal – because you realize that catching fish is the greatest moment and highlight of this sport – it can be experienced over and over and is no less thrilling than the last catch.

In minutes, you will be holding in your hands these time tested formulas. You will amaze and garner envy from your fellow fishing buddies when you are the one catching all the fish.

So, what are you waiting for? Order now. (It doesn’t matter if it’s 2:00 a.m. in the morning! – You may order online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year)

Sincerely,

Marc Simms

Marc Simms

P.S. You will soon find out the secret fish bait formulas that will fill your stringer full of fish. Making homemade fish bait is easy, affordable, and fun!

P.P.S. Remember, if you order now, you will get the ebook at the low special price and the Free bonus worth $87.50, and the second Free bonus, and the third Free bonus, and the fourth Free bonus.

P.P.P.S. International orders are welcome.

If you are new to ordering products online, click here for more info.

Please click on this Link to order from our secure website Remember, you can order online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

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Easter Adventures in Tuscany and tackling Carol Field’s Colomba

Posted by Emiko Davies on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 · 5 Comments  

Surely the best thing about colomba, the Easter equivalent to panettone, is the sugared, toasted almond topping that covers the whole thing and crumbles when you cut it, so you sort of have no choice but just to pick up the crusty sugary bits and eat those on their own.

I’d always thought that colomba would make a very good baking project but was somewhat intimated by getting the right shape  — it’s vaguely in the shape of a dove, if you use your imagination — and texture — wonderfully soft, fluffy, sweet yeasted bread. I had attempted making panettone (this fig, walnut and date panettone) a few years ago with fair results — absolutely delicious results, actually, they were just not as fluffy and bouncy as expertly made ones from your favourite pastry shop where panettoni are hung upside-down to maintain their height and airiness.

But when I came across the familiar brown and gold paper forms for making colomba at the supermarket, I thought I’m only ever going to get a chance to make this now! Like the panettone, I referred to my favourite baking book for Italian specialties, Carol Field’s The Italian Baker.

Field recounts a bit of history behind the colomba, which I’m sure is little known to anyone these days. Colomba is a fixture at Easter tables all around Italy (and is often given as presents), even though it comes from the north of Italy, Pavia. It is one of those traditions that are now a given, where a slice of colomba, perhaps eaten with pieces of a cracked chocolate Easter egg and an espresso or a glass of dessert wine, is a welcome end to the meal (or indeed breakfast the next day). But the legend behind it is a medieval one and rather disturbing — maybe it was made up to encourage young girls to learn how to bake their own colomba (and make sure it was good) to get themselves out of sticky, undesirable situations.

The story goes that during the sixth century when Alboin, King of the Lombards, conquered Pavia after a three year siege, he demanded twelve girls to do with as he pleased. To quote Field’s story, “All except one girl wept and sobbed at her fate, but the one who used her head took some eggs, yeast, sugar, flour and candied fruits, and spices and made a sweet cake in the shape of a dove. When the king called her to his bed, the story goes, she brought him her colomba, which he ate with pleasure and then allowed her to go free.”

Field’s colomba recipe, in her typical style, is broken down into four different procedures (a sponge, a first dough, a second dough and that wonderful almond topping) to tackle that add somewhat to the intimidation but I tell you, it’s very doable (you’ll see the procedure is easy as pie and doesn’t require much effort or attention, even mixing by hand) and absolutely worthwhile. The only thing that I think will be a challenge for most modern home cooks is that the total rising time required is about 10 hours — that’s right. You can space it out in a day, if you happen to be at home pottering about, doing other things, the dough will just be sitting in a corner doing its thing — which is, I think, the best way to do this. If you want to split this up over two days, I would suggest doing the sponge and first dough one evening, then place the dough in the fridge to sit overnight and slowly rise — the only issue here is the butter, which hardens in the fridge, so the next morning let it come to room temperature again before proceeding with the second dough, shaping and rising. You can also prepare the almond mixture the day before if that helps.

One thing you will have after baking this is a whole lot of egg whites (you will need a couple of them later in the recipe but the rest can easily be frozen until you’re ready to use them for another baking project — I put them to use in some miniature pavlovas topped with cream and berries, see below!).

Carol Field’s Easter Colomba Colomba Pasquale

Note: I’ve amended the recipe to add some metric measurements and am only including the instructions for mixing by hand (mixing with a mixer is a luxury for me, I don’t have one! I always bake and knead by hand, but if you have a mixer you can be sure there’s a bit less time you’ll be spending on this). If (like all my Tuscan in-laws) you don’t like candied orange pieces you can either simply leave it out or you could replace it with sultanas (raisins) or good quality dark chocolate chips. I personally love them but I always look for artisan candied fruit, which comes in large pieces like quarters of an orange rind, which need to then be chopped but are soft, sweet but not too sweet and delicious — far superior to the pre-chopped, commercial sort. Really an entirely different ingredient.

For the sponge:

3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 125 ml (1/2 cup) warm water 3 egg yolks 70 grams (1/2 cup) all purpose flour (I use tipo 00 flour)

Stir the yeast and sugar together with the water in a large bowl and let sit 10 minutes or until it begins to look foamy. Whisk in the egg yolks by hand, add the flour and combine until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm corner of the kitchen until doubled, roughly 30 minutes.

First dough:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast 80 ml (1/3 cup) warm water 45 grams (3 tablespoons) softened, unsalted butter 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour

In a small bowl, stir the yeast into the water and let dissolve for a few minutes. Stir this into the bowl with the sponge made above, then add the softened butter and the flour to make a rather sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm corner of the kitchen for 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.

Second dough:

145 grams (1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons) sugar 1 tablespoon honey 3 egg yolks 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract 2 oranges (preferably unwaxed and organic), zested 115 grams (1 stick) softened, unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt 250 grams (2 cups) all purpose flour 150 grams (about 1 cup) chopped candied orange peel (see note above for substitutes)

Take the first dough, now risen, and add the sugar, honey (warmed slightly if very hard) and yolks, stirring thoroughly to combine. Add the vanilla, zest, butter, salt and flour — this last one adding a bit at a time. Stir until you have a soft dough, then knead on a clean, floured surface until elastic, about 7-10 minutes (I recommend doing this bit by hand even if you’ve mixed everything until now in a mixer).

Place the dough back in the large bowl (lightly oiled around the sides), cover and let rise until tripled, about 3 1/2 hours. You’re looking a dough full of large air bubbles when it is fully risen.

Shaping the dough:

Separate the dough into two portions and on a lightly floured surface, flatten each piece and scatter over the candied peel. Roll into a log , flatten again and roll with your hands to obtain a log about 25cm (10 inches), with slightly tapered ends. Do the same with the other piece but shape it into a fatter log about 18 cm (7 inches). If you have the special dove-shaped form, simply lay the long piece along the longer side of the form (which corresponds to the tail and body), then, after making a slight indentation in the centre of the long log, layer the shorter piece over the top of this indentation for the wings. If you don’t have a form, you can also build this “free form” doing the same thing, placing the shorter piece over the top of the long piece, almost like a cross, on a lined baking tray. Cover with a clean tea towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours (3 if your kitchen is cold) — you can also warm things up a bit by keeping it in the oven with just the pilot light on or (Field’s suggestion) even putting the tray carefully over the top of a pan of steaming water.

In the meantime, prepare the sugar almond topping:

50 grams of blanched almonds 25 grams of bitter almonds or apricot kernels (these can be found in specialist Italian delis — otherwise use regular almonds and a touch of almond extract) 130 grams (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) sugar 1-2 egg whites (as needed) 40 grams of whole (unpeeled) raw almonds 1-2 tablespoons raw sugar (turbinado sugar) Powdered sugar

In a food processor (or a mortar and pestle!), process the blanched almonds, bitter almonds (if using) and sugar until fine. Stir in enough egg white for the mixture to be spreadable but not too runny (if using almond extract, stir it in at this point). Very gently spread this mixture over the top of the risen Colomba, dotting with the whole raw almonds all over the surface. Sprinkle the raw sugar evenly over the top, then follow with a layer of sifted powdered sugar.

You’re finally ready to bake!

Bake at 200C (400F) for first 10 minutes, then reduce to 180C (250F) and continue baking a further 40 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before showing off at your Easter table.

Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua!

There is a phrase in Italian: Natale con i tuoi, pasqua con chi vuoi, which means you should spend Christmas with your family but Easter with whoever you like!

I’ll leave you with some scenes of my idea of a perfect Tuscan Easter, spent a couple of hours drive from Florence in Monte Argentario in the Maremma — incidentally, the place that inspired my cookbook, Acquacotta. It is a beautiful time to travel around Tuscany. Although it’s too cold to swim (that never stops my family from trying), the hot springs at Saturnia are lovely (and yes, we actually stopped the car to help guide a lamb back to its owner!), as is playing on the beach which is gloriously empty and spacious at this time of year — if you’re going there, have a look at the Argentario food guide I wrote for Gourmet Traveller last year as well as this one specifically about Porto Ercole.

P.S. The pastries below get a special mention because they are out of this world, particularly the one on the left, tette di monache, or, you’ll love this — nun’s tits — from Pasticceria Ferrini in Orbetello, which you’ll pass through to reach the promontory of Monte Argentario.

Related posts:

Source: http://www.emikodavies.com/blog/easter-adventures-and-carol-fields-colomba/

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These are the best 24 dishes at The Cheesecake Factory

As one of the country's leading Cheesecake Factory experts, I know what it's like to navigate the restaurant's the extensive menu.

It's a challenge for the everyday consumer to choose the right dish among more than 250 menu items. Most Americans can't choose between the Factory's famed Four Cheese Pasta and Fettuccine Alfredo. Who's to blame them? I have dedicated my life to eating creamy poison from mall restaurants, I can't expect the average, healthy consumer to do the same.

If you're an anxious Cheesecake Factory customer, let me help you.

SEE ALSO: Mom's viral rant about cheesecakes is too relatable

Below are the top Cheesecake Factory items that should be on everyone's bucket list. This list is a result of years of culinary research and taste-testing. Please consider this entire ranking to be 100 percent  accurate and true.

Thank you for your support in advance.

24. Four Cheese Pasta

The Factory's Four Cheese Pasta greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: it has so many damn cheeses. Still, mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, and Romano are classic middle American favorites, and this pasta is all the better for it. Celebrate!

23. Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla Milkshake

The Cheesecake Factory doesn't get nearly enough attention for their milkshakes, and it's understandable. It's not like they're bursting with originality. But what they lack in creativity they more than make up for in robust flavor: imagine your favorite fat combined with your favorite sweet.

22. Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

Look! Real flavor at a mall restaurant!

Image: cheesecake factory

Cajun Jambalaya Pasta frequently tops the list of Cheesecake Factory favorites. Sure, it sounds like something you can get at Epcot, but it has flavor, which is more than you can say of any restaurant attached to a mall.

21. Chicken Pot Stickers

It's almost always a bad idea when an all-purpose chain restaurant tries to go "international." Once you accept, however, that these chicken pot stickers aren't even close to anything authentic, you begin to accept them for what they are — fatty pieces of goodness.

20 Buffalo Wings

Buffalo wings are one of those things chain restaurants almost always do better than upscale. It's a fact soon to be proven by science. Cheesecake Factory is particularly adept at the classic buffalo wing, providing a comfortable, suburban level of spice.

19. Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

Brand excellence

Image: cheesecake factory

Reese's makes everything better including cheesecake. Peanut butter and cheese aren't a combo I'd try anytime, but if there's one chain I trust to execute it correctly, it's Cheesecake Factory. No chain is better at producing delightful low-brow creations with a mid-range level of skill.

18. Almond-crusted Salmon Salad

One of the healthier options on the Cheesecake Factory menu, and strangely not disgusting, is the salmon salad. Plus, you can't go wrong with anything crusted — period. I typically go for cheese-encrusted items, but for those of us who want to be healthy and still a little gross, this is your best shot.

17. Shepherd's Pie

I'm a vegepreferian, so it's been a long time since I've had meat. Still, I sometimes dream of meat pies at night, especially those crafted by the heroes of Cheesecake Factory. You also can't go wrong with a mashed potato parmesan cheese crust.

16. Chicken Parmesan 

Breaded chicken with cheese is an Italian-American gift to the world. I wish more contemporary restaurant didn't snub the dish. Thanks to Cheesecake Factory for standing up for what's right and fatty and including this on their menu.

15. Fish Tacos

Beer-battered fish and avocado is always the correct choice. I wish Cheesecake Factory accepted their middle American roots and embraced the hard shell. Still, there's a lot of stigma against hard shells, and I'm not going to judge the chain for being unprepared to embrace them.

14. Chicken Bellaggio

The Chicken Bellagio is one of the more popular Cheesecake Factory dishes, and it's easy to see why. It combines chicken, slathered in a parmesan cream sauce, with prosciutto and a bunch of boring greens not worth mentioning. Hell, they should probably call rename this place the Chicken Factory. 

13.  Mashed Potatoes

Not everyone can do mashed potatoes, even though everyone thinks they can. The Cheesecake Factory gets all of the points for their mashed potato side. It's creamy and rich and wildly buttery, which is all it takes to rise to mashed potato excellence.

12. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cookie dough belongs everywhere, and especially in my mouth. Kudos to Cheesecake Factory for picking up on this '00s fad and making it last. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is an underrated dessert speciality.

11. Chris' Outrageous Cheesecake

Whoever this dude Chris is, I need to meet him.

Image: cheesecake factory

Chris' Outrageous Cheesecake has everything that makes a cheesecake great: coconut, chocolate brownie, moist chocolate cake, and cheesecake. I really hope you open your heart to this cheesecake. Just because it's not one of the most popular cheesecakes on the menu doesn't mean it doesn't have worth.

10. Eggplant Parmesan

I applaud the Cheesecake Factory for making a chain restaurant vegetarian dish that doesn't make me want to vom. The Factory's parm is way less rubbery than most restaurant-made eggplant parms. And while it lacks the glitz and glamor of the chicken parm, it makes up for it in healthfulness (sort of) and style.

9. Chicken Taquitos

I'm not fully sure what this is, but I love it

Image: cheesecake factory

These taquitos are adorable. And sure, they don't resemble anything on a traditional Mexican menu. But that's not why I eat the taquitos — I eat them because they're zesty and crunchy and don't crumble all over my clothes.

8. Crispy Fried Cheese

I feel awkward about putting the fried cheese this far up on the ranking, because fried cheese is always good. Nonetheless, I praise any restaurant that puts Crispy Fried Cheese on the menu and doesn't hide it. Cheesecake Factory, I applaud you for your bravery.

7. Black-Out Cake

It's a cake with multiple layers of chocolate and fudge. It doesn't skimp, it's not thinly sliced, and it doesn't pretend to be anything than its raw disgusting self. We need more cakes like these out there.

6. Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake

Sugar on fat on sugar on fat

Image: cheesecake factory

This cheesecake is heavy on the caramel, so it's not for everyone. Still, the Dulce de Leche is a beautiful option who anyone who's unsatisfied with the frightening level of sugar already present in cheesecake and needs more.

5. Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake

It's always depressing when people recommend raspberries as a solo dessert option. However, raspberries do wonders when it comes to cheesecake. I'm so glad the Factory found a way to be inclusive. 

4. Buffalo Blasts

Fried on fried

Image: Cheesecake factory

It's chicken and cheese in a spicy wrapper.  Wraps mostly terrify me but this one is so foul, it's wonderful. I highly recommend the Buffalo Blast for the foodies bored of the wing.

3. Warm crab and artichoke dip

This is a people's favorite. I've never been a huge fan of crab myself, but I applaud anything drowned in a bucket of cream. Bonus: It likely contains all of your calories for the day. No need to eat anything else!

2. Pumpkin Cheesecake

The pumpkin cheesecake is perfect for the basic bitch, pumpkin-spice-latte-lover in all of us. It's got just enough bite to keep me interested, and buckets of sugar to keep me awake all night.

1. Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip

Cheesy greatness

Image: cheesecake factory

I'm going to take a lot of heat for listing such a traditional, unoriginal favorite first. So be it. Sometimes, you've just got to stand up for what you believe in. I commend the factory for making such a  superior appetizer. As anyone in the foodie community knows, appetizers, not entrees, are where it's at.

Run along, my dear Cheesecake Factory fans, and try everything on this listicle. You (excluding your arteries) won't regret it.

WATCH: Would you throw $19,000 on this bathtub?

[audreyineu]

budapest 4/6-4/7

getting to budapest i knew my time was limited, i only got a day and a half there, so i tried my best to hit the ground running. arriving at the hostel i found that check-in did not begin for 2 more hours though, so that kind of stopped me, but i just used the time to get some food. using that lovely little app called google maps i found a small pizza shop called pizza manufaktura and had a hawaiian pizza (pineapple on pizza is GOOD just accept it already). i also had some cherry juice, which was really good actually. i’ve never really seen fully cherry flavored drinks outside of icees, so that's definitely something that america needs to work on. i also discovered that the hungarian word for cherry is meggy. nice. 

i still had an hour to kill after that though so i tried to go find an atm and accidentally walked into the nagyvásárcsarnok, or, for english speakers, the great market hall. it’s an actual full-blown market where people bought their groceries

like people actually came here and picked out their meats, got some vegetables, maybe some spices. it was so cool to see. yeah sure i’ve been farmers markets back home but this was fully someone’s grocery store and it was just interesting to see the difference

the upstairs part was for the tourists and had a bunch of handmaid souvenirs, sometimes the person was sitting out in front of the stall sewing the cloths like the ones in the picture (its blurry, sorry)

there was also a basement-like area and i’m pretty sure the budapest black market operates in it. i’m on a pacific rim kick right now because of the sequel (which wasn’t that good but that’s a different blog post) and if you’ve seen the first one, i really felt like ron pearlman was about to walk out of a secret doorway and offer me some kaiju bone. it was honestly kinda scary, no one was really down there and most of what was being sold was meat and HUGE fish that they kept in a really really small tank, which i’m not really sure would be considered humane? but i guess they were there to get killed so. i’ll let peta deal with that one. 

i wanted to get a picture but the guys behind the stands were very big and also staring me down every time i passed. i decided they wouldn’t like the tourist girl taking pictures of their very compact fish.

anyway, i went back upstairs and bought some cookies, isler and puszedli. isler was a cookie covered with chocolate with jam in the middle and puszedli was a kind of gingerbread muffin type thing covered in a chocolate or vanilla frosting (chocolate was the best one for me). they were both really good but i gotta give a special shout-out to the isler. 

after that it was time to check in so i got changed out of my travel clothes and tried to figure out what to do. i decided to take one of those hop-on hop-off tours, which i typically try to avoid like the plague because i’m not a fan of blatantly shouting out to a place that “hey i’m a tourist!!” but, i had a limited time and those are good to see a city quickly

i rode around for a while. now consider these photos were all #shotonaniphone7 and taken on a moving vehicle so they're not great but.. its what i saw . budapest is pretty darn cool

i got intrigued by a set of stairs looked a bit italian, so i got off on the next stop, and that was definitely the right choice. i found myself at what i think was the bud castle (turns out budapest has two parts, buda and pest separated - i think - by the danube).

to get up you could either walk up a hill or pay to take a little tram car. i obviously chose the tram car, i can walk up a hill any day

all of the museums and the castle were closed by this point (it was around 6), so i couldn’t go in, but the views from up top were stunning

so i roamed around a bit

and started heading in the direction of the stairs that made me get off the bus in the first place. i wasn’t disappointed. it was a really cool little area, and felt really romantic. being there just kinda made you happy

and because i knew how to get back home from the liberty bridge, which was about two bridges down from where i was, i decided to walk back along the river (i took an evening stroll next to the danube!! how cool!) to the bridge to get back to my hostel. 

in my room i met a really nice girl from finland, she’ll come back into the story later, and got ready for bed for what i wanted to be an early morning so i could see as much as possible

of course this didn’t happen, i had a snorer in my room which kept me up so i slept through my alarm and didn’t end up leaving until 11. but it put me starting my day at lunchtime, and i’m not gonna complain about that! i found a small little restaurant called drum cafe who were known for their lángos and goulash. their menu was a trading card display book, which i loved, and i ordered from traditional beef goulash with rice

it was amazing. so so so good. i maybe ate it embarrassingly fast considering how much food there was but it was amazing, i didn’t want to stop eating it

after that i stopped in a small thrift shop i saw on the way there in hopes of buying the shirt that was on a mannequin in the window, but sadly the shirt was “only decoration.” i did get two shirts there anyway

after i decided to walk over to the house of terror, a museum about the facist and communist regimes that held power in hungary and honoring those who died at the hands of those in power.

on the walk there i found a little antique market going on in an alley 

i almost bought an old hungarian swimming medal because why not, but i decided against it. there were all kinds of cool little knick knacks, but i restrained myself and began to actually walk to the museum

pictures were not allowed in the museum (i snuck one of the entrance) so i don't have any (except for the one i snuck) but the museum was increibily interesting. its one thing learning in history class about stuff that went on in eastern europe in the 40s-80s but its another to actually BE in a building where people were kept and tortured, a building where the arrow cross party (a nazi party based in hungary) and the state protection authority (the soviet secret police force in hungary) actually operated. it was. very very solemn. reading about life in that time and seeing the faces of all those who were killed. you ended the museum tour in the basement where the cells were and it was terrifying in there. maybe didn’t help that i was completely alone in the cells at that point, but it was so silent and dark and i think absolutely perfect to demonstrate how horrifying the experience would have been to be one of those prisoners. the doors to the cells weren’t even barred, they were fully solid. you wouldn’t even be able to see outside if you were shut in. every cell was solitary confinement.

so i left the house of terror and decided it was time for something a bit lighter and headed to the széchenyi thermal bath

yep, its THAT yellow building that you see in everyone’s pictures when they go to budapest. it was really nice and relaxing, though i gotta say would probably be better with a group rather than alone. i did meet some people there, but not the same as being there with friends goofing off, so i’ll have to make a return trip

afterwards i decided i’d get on the hop-on hop-off bus again since the man the first time never actually took my ticket and got some REAL hungarian lángos on my way there (if you remember i had some at the easter market in prague) and OH MY GOD was it good. the dough being freshly deep fried makes ALL the difference oh my god. literally just handed it to me out of the frier. i got it with cheese again and honestly i wish i’d just gotten it plain because the cheese took away from the dough. so, so good. it is a lot though, so if you ever get one i recommend that you get it to share

i got back on the bus and road around a bit, i really just wanted to get a better view of the parliament building

i got it for a little bit! not long enough to get a picture because i sat on the wrong side of the bus, but damn that's a beautiful building

i rode until the stop closest to my hostel & got off so i could pack up my stuff. i had a 6 am flight (i just got back to bristol as i’m writing this) and i wanted to be sure i had everything for my 3 am departure time to the airport. while packing my roommate from finland came in & we started talking and she invited me out with her and another guy in the hostel to go to one of the ruin bars called szimpla kert.  i thought you know what, we’d be out till around 2:00, why not just stay awake till i need to leave for airport and have a little fun doing it. so i booked a minibus to take me from the hostel at 3 am with another girl at the hostel and we set off to this ruin bar and 

WOW

they were playing a movie on a huge screen outside??? there was a room with a piano so people could just play music and sing?? there were so many different roms with different vibes and it was absolutely amazing . i wish i could have stayed longer! it was what every little hipster bar in williamsburg (brooklyn) is trying to be and god now that i’ve been to this bar i don’t think i’m gonna be able to go to another bar ever again 

after a night filled with singing (i WAS hanging out with two singers) we headed back at two so i could grab my bag and meet the other girl to leave for the airport and i made it with no problems. 

was i incredibly tired by the time i got on the plane? absolutely! but i had a fantastic time with some really cool people. and with that i’m back in bristol and ready to have some dinner. so i guess closing remarks? plan but at the same time don’t. let there be some spontaneity because spontaneity caused some of the best parts of my trip. also, WALK EVERY WHERE (if you can)

thanks for reading!

audrey

[1nkyl0re]

ENTRY #0 - 2/20/2018

Around 12:oo pm or at least im assuming.

I started to write out a goal plan. Something to try to stick to for a time. I don’t know why i did this, my life if full of misfortunes, that i alone don’t bother to haggle with. Im not one to complain about how unfair things are. I simple accept that its my fault.

Money stolen … my fault

Being scammed despite not having money to scam for…. My fault.

Being tried for threatening a teacher despite the teacher not being in the room at the time … MY FAULT ! !

You get the picture, yea?

Anyhow i started planning it out into phases. But not the whole thing, just some of it to get started you know, starting at phase#0.

And i know that sounds weird because who starts a phase at zero, but this is me were talking about.

Anyway about time i finish i go to bed at like 1:56 pm. No doubt i was going to be stupid tired in the morning or worst falling asleep in school or so i assumed.

Phase zero was to commence tomorrow. You probably wonder what it was, basically i’m going to make sure that my media is cleared of or on break to be sure i don’t get distracted. Even though there’s really no point but i guess i just want to fill obligated like a secretary or something… that’s a girl thing right? Or can a guy be one too, what do they even do anyway, never mind i'm getting off track. Aside from that first thing, im also to keep track using a journal like i'm doing right now. Better digital then something that can get lost…

I woke up around 6:00 am… i wanted to wait 7:24 am so i can get my shit and go but i eventually got bored and just got out of bed, a shame really. I tried to pass the time walked around, had me 2 cup, 3 cups,4 cups of tea… maybe five.

And had me some pretzels filled with sourdough, i prefer the ones with cheese. Then i went back to my room trying to organize my desktop. And only then did the alarm go off. So then i got my stuff.

My 2 laptops, pencils, my bag and a pair of scissors and not for the reason you think… i mean i wasn’t planning on stabbing anyone…

YET

Anyway i headed out walking to the stop, bus is already there but waits patiently this time around. My brother didn’t make it oddly enough. I closed my eyes, but not like sleeping more like meditating. I opened my eyes just around the time when the bus pulled into the school lot, doing such a thing could mean something but im not completely sure.

Getting off the bus i headed inside for some breakfast. Breakfast pizza and chocolate milk. The pizza basically had everything except the sauce, so bread, cheese, and sausage but no sauce, a lot of people say that chocolate milk is just spoiled milk but with sugar added.

It sounded bad at first until i learned you can drink spoiled milk without getting sick.

I learned from a show called “adam ruins everything” yes you know the one. Apparently the expiration date tells you not when things spoil but when the company thinks it would be best to eat. Also it turns out that there are no government regulations that have to do this they just simply do it.

Back to the task at hand first period was physical science. I ate my pizza on the way there and had my milk in class. Im not sure what we were suppose to be doing i wasn’t paying attention,

I started puting my phase into action but of corse i wasn’t going to wast my time with a bunch of media because im not popular like that, not even on instagram where i have 70 followers.

I started by saying that everything would be on hold and that i would do a journal in addition but i got lazy halfway and just said i was doing a journal. I did this for

Wattpad, penana,youtube, deviantart, tumblr and facebook

Afterwards i started my jornal, aside from this i was picked to create two contest and i still have to see the end result im going to enter it, because there is no way that i am missing the chance to earn a potential 30 points. Probably like 30 cents in real world currency but it's worth it.

Anyway i kept writing and avoided doing any work in class. The teacher  was pleased that i stayed awake but not so much that work didn’t get done. I told him that i’d do it next time, that was the plan after all. Today i had decided today would be a day i wouldn’t do work.

Anyway fasting forward i went to my next class i guess you could call it business management. But again i wasn’t working today. But the teacher knows that its typical of me to not doing work, but she still checks on me at least once. I told her that i wasn’t doing any work today in exchange for my plan to get my shit together and that was the end of it. Class soon ended.

The day was now halfway over. I only have four classes a day but the time is extended. Recently we had a two day break so today is actually wednesday. We have A days and B days on certain days we go to certain classes so its kind of like this:

M,T,W,TH,F = A,B,A,B,A OR A,B,A,B,B

You get it yea? No?

Well i can’t help you there.

Anyway next class.

The next class was U.S. history. The teacher was… well i don’t recall his name but i think he had a jamaican accent and could speak some weird language i couldn’t identify it, maybe russian, i'm not sure. I think we’re talking about the great depression or something at this point i’ve finally caught up with my writing. And I’m probably going to be writing threw the whole day like this.

The time is currently  11:38:45

We’re suppose to be reading something from the book I’m not sure but bookwork is kind of beneath me so i don’t really bother with it. A friend of mine is in this class called dimond i don’t think that’s her real name but whatever, she’s really smart but allurgic to alot of food like ketchup or so i think…

We started watching a video on the great depression. Im starting to get the picture that the great depression is not about depression but about going broke. The lunch bell rang but it wasn’t for my class…

Im starting to get hungry hopefully we’ll be going soon…

Its lunch time, we headed out at : 12:13 pm

For lunch i had pizza and fries, but no one likes the pizza because of the dough its made with plus the pizza doesn’t seem to have enough sauce along with it i had two milks, after i finished i went to the bathroom to take a leak, a found a bottle or paint and decided i could make use of it before i thought about pouring it down the toilet to clog it. But paint desolves in water so i didn’t think it would work maybe i can draw pentagrams in the bathroom stall or something, along with a phone number from a hooker saying “ call for a good time” fuck i don’t know.

Oddly enough just as i planned on not doing anywork i ended up doing work and now, well I’m done now and it looks like were going to leave any moments now it’s now 1:03 pm.

Next class will be spanish but i don’t do language classes, they’re a waste of time for me really. A free time class really. Then after that we go home. I downloaded the blender application with is for making 3d things so i’ll probably mess around with that for a bit.

I reckon i should ended here…

Well there goes the bell

[todoroki-shouts]

Was tagged by @emerald-psyche​ (a while ago and then i forgot and then i remembered so now im here)

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs that you would like to get to know better! Aaaand go!

Nicknames: Bel

Gender: girl or something

Star sign: virgo

Height: 4′11.5″

Time: 5:00 PM

Birthday: August 28th

Favorite bands: I like linkin park! That’s... mostly all i listen to, or at least a fairly large portion of it

Favorite Solo Artists: Adam Young/Owl City is good! I should maybe expand my musical tastes but im also kind of picky

Song stuck in my head:  None currently

Last movie I watched: Either the 20th pokemon movie or uhhh christian mingle (due to poor life choices) i dont remember which i watched first

Last TV show I watched: first episode of “a place further than the universe”

When did I create my blog: Uhh many years ago i don’t remember but i was probably in like 9th grade

What do I post: Mostly whatever thing im currently into aka bnha right now. other things might show up from past interests. and then memes and sometimes art i guess

Last thing I googled: “what to include to use swap”

Do I have other blogs: i have an art blog and an ask blog, though haven’t been keeping up very well with either bc of school and Obligations

Do I get asks: hahahaha no. probably like one every 8 months

Why did I choose my URL: homestuck. or more specifically the paradox space comics were a Thing and i like to adverb/adjective words together. forgot that spacial is actually supposed to be spelled “spatial” but the c looks nicer with all the other letters anyway so ya know. kinda thinking of changing it at some point since its not like i have any sort of “brand” with it, but never really felt like bothering just yet.

Following blogs: 1004 🙃

Followers: 422

Favorite colors: green! like a deep or bright foresty green or something. sky blue or light blue or whatever is also nice

Average hours of sleep: 5-6 on weekdays bc im garbage but have made only very weak efforts to try and get more

Lucky numbers: i like things that come in 2′s, 3′s, 4′s, and 5′s? 8 as itself is also okay? idk what would make the number lucky to me (ask me abt olp tho, numbers are fun)

Instruments: Piano, violin, timpani (+chimes), vibraphone (and by extension marimba and xylophone i guess?), steel drums

What am I wearing: Jeans, a longsleeve shirt from marching band, a shortsleeve shirt under it bc its cold, socks w music on them, a watch

How many blankets do I sleep with: one, unless the room is cold

Dream job: Probably most likely something with computers since thats my major. Would be cool to do stuff with virtual reality or augmented reality or artificial intelligence but so far i don’t have the background enough to know whether I’d actually like to work with any of that. Something that has arty things might be fun

Dream trip: Probably take some close friends and travel around wherever? Anywhere that has like a lot of interactive things I guess, rather than just straight-up sightseeing, but I dunno what that would even mean

Favorite food: 广东汤圆 which is like a soup or something with balls of dough made with rice flour, plus various meats and vegetables. I think in other parts of China they have tangyuan but its like sweet or something? But this one’s salty and apparently is traditionally eaten on the first day of winter, or so I’ve been told. Is v good

Nationality: American of the United States (tho parents from china)

Favorite song right now:  eugrhg uhhh idk cant think of any song that particularly sticks out to me right now

I tag whoever wants to do it bc its now dinner time farewell friends

[katygoestoeurope]

Day 16—September 15

The bed at this place was incredible. It’s GIANT. I can be sprawled out and taylor can be too and we’re barely touching. We got up around 9:30 and came out to breakfast on the living room table. A beautiful set up with cereal, fruit, yogurt, toast, and espresso all served in her husbands beautiful glass art. (Did I mention that she’s an artist too? She does intricate mosaics and they are absolutely stunning). And taylor and I couldn’t get over how sweet our host was to set all this up, it was fantastic. She just asked that we don’t post anything about the breakfast on Airbnb because apparently in Italy you can rent out a room but you can’t provide any services so she could get fined and shut down. We ate and Kimmie joined us and 2 cups of espresso later I was beyond pumped to start the day. Kinda cool to say my first time trying espresso was in Venice :p We decided to get lost in Venice which, we learned, is not only simple to do but impossible NOT to do. We walked around for 9 and a half hours and, no exaggeration, only sat down or stopped really for 45 minutes of that. The day is a blur of beautiful streets and stairs crossing canals. The streets had no rhyme to them and some would end abruptly or get incredibly narrow for a short while. Sometimes it felt as though we were lost in a labyrinth only to emerge onto a Main Street filed with tourists. The only down side was that there were so many people in parts that we felt a little like cattle being herded and the locals are very impatient, pushing themselves through the crowded streets. There were a few things I definitely wanted to see so we sporadically used google maps to head in the right direction. Taylor said she had thought if we wandered enough we would bump into everything but that was so far from the case. Small as it may be, getting around can turn you in circles so fast and we got lost a few times even with the assistance of google maps. Here is a list of highlights from today:

- We got pizza and it was quite possibly my favorite ever. One bite into that crust and I knew that American pizza will never taste the same. Just being aware of the fact that such a level of deliciousness is possible, I’m spoiled forever. It’s the crust. The dough they use is magnifico! - Trying to find the grand canal we basically gave up using a map and I saw a bridge that I was drawn to. We went over the bridge and found the view I’d been looking for. The grand canal was indeed, pretty grand. There were a few women with their canvases set up painting the view, their talent so obvious. - We passed a woman playing an instrument that I’d never seen. It looked almost like a kind of harp laying down but she used a combination of finger picking and rubber hammer instruments to play if. She was playing a song that I love and we stopped and watched her in awe for a few minutes before giving her a tip. - I fell in love with a purse. It was small, leather, deep teal, said “made in Italy” and was only €20. (I didn’t get it because I thought we’d end up passing that store again, which we didn’t, but I’m still glad I didn’t get it. The next day our host informed us that a lot of Chinese people come and have shops in Venice where they sell knock off versions of things that are made in china but are stamped with “made it Italy” so people buy them. They have giant factories I guess just 30 minutes away and none of it is made here. Good to know!) - There were a lot of gondolas and without even paying for it, we got to hear their music a few times as they passed under a remote bridge down a random street. One time there was this woman playing the accordion and i just fell in love with the song she played. She looked like Lorena McKennit and had the same whimsical music trance aura about her. - Walking around they have men outside restaurants trying to recruit people to come eat there. One young man after greeting us with a “buena cera” asked us to come inside. We politely declined and he yelled to us “maybe at least come back and talk to me?” With a charming smile haha Italian men really are flirts - We were on a mission to find st marks (Marco) basilicas and wow did that prove to be a struggle haha never thought it was possible to take so long to walk 0.2 miles! But then all the sudden we turned a corner and bam we were there! This wide open space, the plazza, and the basilica front and center! Such a gigantic and elaborately decorated building it was difficult to grasp. There were pigeons everywhere and the children chasing them warmed my heart. I wish I was about 20 years younger–an age when that still is socially acceptable. Still I was tempted. - The pigeons deserve their own bullet point. I felt like I hadn’t looked at the basilica enough so we went back but the pigeons stole the show. People were feeding them and they’d land all over them and eat out of their hands. I instantly wanted to do the same but we didn’t have any food. Taylor said to just hold my hand out and trick them. I didn’t think this would work but I did it anyway and it worked!!!! I made a pigeon friend and I was so happy. I even got taylor to do it too :p - Learning our lesson from Ljubljana we bought umbrellas before the rain and they came in handy as we could still roam the streets while other sought the dryness under awnings. We also wore samples which I’m sure looked bizarre with the umbrella- “they were prepare enough to bring an umbrella but not closed shoes??”–but it ended up being perfect. Besides, our other shoes are still soaked from the rain we got caught in all day 3 days ago. - We stumbled on this art exhibit that had a few displays outside, one of which was a life size woman in a swim suit and cap that looked like she was sitting on the edge of a pool. It looked so realistic that I half expected it to move, and the close I go the more real she looked. The recent rain made it look even more realistic, and the wisps of hair blowing in the wind were tripping me out. I’m in awe of that talent. How does someone do that?! As I got close to take a look taylor went “AH!” Like trying to scare me and everyone around laughed haha I guess pranking is a universal language too! - This one shop looked like a promising chocolate shop so side stepped into it and pulled taylor in with me. We were enthusiastically greeted and promptly given about 4 different samples of candy. One was dark chocolate covered orange peel, then dark chocolate covered almond, a hard candy with melon liquor, and the absolute best lemon cookie I've had in my life. It was like god himself made that cookie. It had this tiny cream center and I had to really talk myself out of buying a box. But the €8.50 price tag was enough of a deterrent. - Not sure what it is about this town but they had soooo many mascaraed shops with hand painted paper mache masks, wall hangings, ornaments, you name it. They were elaborate and intricate and expensive but we had fun gawking over them! - Taylor was dragging big time when we were heading back, asking me how I was still going so strong. We decided we needed to stop for food and looked at about 10 different places before deciding on one. We chose it for its prices and learned we shouldn’t do that anymore. The ambiance was, well, pretty bad and the service was subpar. Compared to the place we had passed this one wasn’t nearly as enjoyable to sit in. The food was stellar though, oh wow. The best pesto I’ve ever had in my life. It tasted/smelled like they went out back and had picked fresh pesto right before cooking it–wouldn’t at all surprise me to hear this was the case. But taylor and I vowed not to cheap out anymore because in the grand scheme it’s only a few euro difference and the ambiance is pretty memorable.

Around 9:00 we got back on the water taxi and headed back to Murano and it was nice to have a few hours to decompress. All that walking caught up to us and just laying in bed was incredible. We ate leftover pizza and went to bed. Eating carbs all day, I think we’re doing this Italy thing right :p

[rememberthattime]

Chapter 25. Bologna

There's a saying about Bologna: "La grassa, la dotta, la rossa." It means "the fat one, the learned one, the red one."

That's pretty much all I'd have to say to sum up this trip. Basically: we got fat, we learned to make fresh pasta, and I added some color to my face (from the sun or vino?).

I could stop writing there, but I'll share a few more details in the post.

The Bologna trip was actually booked pretty recently. It was mid-June, and Chelsay and I's travel list was dwindling. There were certainly more sights to see, but after already covering our European Top 24, the remaining options weren't as exciting.

So, for inspiration, we shifted our search from "sights" to "experiences". Other than exploring and seeing new things, what types of experiences do we enjoy?

Chelsay: Sleeping!

Mike: We can do that in London.

Chelsay: Eating!

Mike: Now we're talking. Eating what?

Chelsay: Pasta! 

Al dente tortellini, rich bolognese, fluffy gnocchi, cheesy cacio e pepe, saucy tagliatelle. She's on to something here.

I really have to give Chelsay all the credit: the Eataly trip was entirely her idea. Actually, she had to convince me, which she did with overwhelming Google images of tagliatelle bolognese. Despite her dress-fitting being the weekend after our trip, she knew a trip to Bologna, Italy's culinary capitol, was the perfect eating experience.

We started our three-day weekend with an early flight, arriving just in time for lunch. Extra meals were of the essence.

From researching, the dish I wanted most was Osteria dell'Orsa's tagliatelle alla ragu (what the rest of the world calls bolognese). We dropped our bags off at the necessarily air conditioned hotel (it was 100 degrees), and made a beeline for the pastas.

With empty stomachs though, we needed an appetizer before the main dish, and went with a mortadella crescentine. This is essentially a bologna sandwich, but in the town of the meat's namesake, it's so much more: salty ham with melted cheese, pressed between buttery slices of fried bread.

No longer ravenous, our palates were ready for the ragu. The waitress brought out two entirely unassuming plates of pasta: a deep red meat sauce, slowly oozing down through a bed of thick noodles onto the plain white dish below. It all looked so simple - like something we might have made at home. 

...We could tell the difference after one bite. Hidden in its simplicity is a rich and deep flavor: first the texture of the pleasantly chewy, al dente tagliatelle, followed by the salty heartiness of the beef base, blended perfectly with the subtle sweetness of the tomato sauce (now absorbed into the noodle). On repeat. Every. Single. Bite.

We took our time and savored each fork-full, but this carb-heavy affair had its consequences. After a massive, obscene, gluttonous plate of pasta, we were exhausted, and not even the caffe americanos afterwards could perk us up. Thank god the marble sidewalks in Bologna are slick, because Chelsay and I were too tired to even lift our feet as we walked out of the restaurant.

We shuffled around the small city for a few hours before returning to our air conditioned oasis (the hotel). Along the way, we took in the colorful food stands and aromatic prosciutterias, trendy clothing shops, communal Piazza Maggiore, and classically Italian men stepping out of their cars to argue who went the wrong way down a one-way (a lot of hand waving).

Outside of this traffic disagreement though, the streets were quiet: giving the town a more authentic Italian feel. Having been to Rome and Florence and Venice and Milan before, I was pleasantly surprised by how empty Bologna was. Just Chelsay and I, and the sounds of our sandals sliding down the sidewalks.

After our walk, we recharged for a few hours (I even took a nap... on vacation... what!?). Eventually, we regained enough energy to head to our cooking class late that evening.

The class is hosted by a local sfogline (pasta maker), and I'd intentionally privatized our class: (1) no one needs to see my limited cooking ability, and (2) I figured I'd get more return from my "investment" if Chelsay was getting one-on-one coaching.

The entire three-course class was tailored to Chelsay and I, and we'd intentionally requested all pasta dishes. Vegetable sides? Who needs em. Maybe a steak? I can grill fine, thanks. Give us the carby goodness: tagliatelle alla ragu, tortelloni in a sage and butter sauce, and gnocchi pomodoro.

I really liked that Chelsay and I were able to do most of the cooking. Occasionally, the instructor would step in to correct (imagine bumpers in bowling), but the finished product was mostly our doing. From whisking the flour and egg, to kneading and rolling the dough, to cutting, filling, folding, and forming our many pastas.

While our beef, pork, onion, celery, and carrot ragu boiled down in the background, our instructor also taught us the history of Bologna's most famous dishes. For example, traditional Bolognese sauces don't use garlic like their southern Italian counterparts. (I had to hold Chelsay back from attacking the instructor). Garlic was used in the south as an anti-bacterial, where hotter weather could tamper with a food's cleanliness. In the north, where the weather was cooler (reality check: it was 100), pasta makers simply didn't need the garlic. In its place though, Bolognese ragu uses more pork - without similar access to southern olive oil, the northern towns used fatter meat to cook down the vegetables.

After a few hours of cutting, crafting, and cooking, Chelsay and I sat down to enjoy our THREE rounds of pasta. We weren't quite Osteria dell'Orsa quality, but we were close.

On the walk back to the hotel, Chelsay and I passed through Piazza Maggiore to find the city had set up a massive outdoor movie theater. With gelato in hand, we watched Le Saisons (the French "Planet Earth") under the stars and in the old piazza. It was bizarre to think that beheadings had definitely been held at this very spot.

We didn't stay long this night. First, we were exhausted from all the food and heat. Second, and more importantly, we wanted to save the piazza movie experience for the next night's showing: one of Chelsay and my favorites, Interstellar.

Having walked most of Bologna on Day One, Chelsay and I decided to take a mini trip on Day Two. Milan, Florence, and Venice were all in striking distance, but we opted for somewhere new: Ravenna, a former Byzantine capitol located on Italy's eastern coast.

As with the entire trip, our first priority upon arrival was food. We decided on Trattoria La Rustica, where Chelsay enjoyed chitarrine in a pistachio pesto and I again went with a tasty ragu (this time with cappelleti pasta). In Ravenna, trattorias also serve meals with a side of piadina, a buttery biscuit-like bread.

Luckily, like Bologna, Ravenna's sidewalks are similarly slick, so we shuffled our way around town after another massive lunch.

Beyond being a new city to visit, the other reason we'd chosen Ravenna over Florence was to see town's mosaic churches, starting with the San Vitale Basilica. We slid our way from one shady spot to the next, slowly but surely making our way to the first church.

We quickly perked up upon entering San Vitale. This church is a kaleidoscope: from the symmetrical patters in the marble columns, to the masterful fresco on the ceiling high above, to the intricate stone patterns in the floor. Best of all though, illuminated in soft light from the church's dusty windows, the altar’s colorful mosaics sparkled.

Choosing Ravenna over Florence (and Dal Barone!) meant this church better be good, yet it still exceeded my expectations. Maybe we were just avoiding the heat, but Chelsay and I stared up in awe for almost an hour.

Before catching the train back to Bologna, Chelsay and I shuffled around to some of Ravenna's other famous churches, picking up strawberry and apple gelato to cool off between stops.

After recharging with coffees back on our covered hotel patio, Chelsay and I set out for our Italian-style "dinner and a show".

For dinner, we followed our B&B host's recommendation with Trattoria Gianni. Obviously I went ragu (this time with gramigna pasta in a ragu di salsiccia sauce, which replaces the bolognese beef with sausage) and Chelsay chose tortellini in brodo, a Bolognese specialty dish served in a flavorful broth. This place was another hit, and we especially enjoyed the sips of local red wine between each bite. ...I haven't really written about the wine much in this post, but we had a carafe with every meal. Red or chilled white depending on the pasta and our internal body temperatures. Regardless of choice, it was always a flavor enhancing addition to each meal.

As I said earlier, extra meals were of the essence this trip. That said, rather than something sweet for dessert, Chelsay and I split another round of tagliatelle alla ragu, this time from Eataly.

Now sufficiently stuffed, Chelsay and I settled into Piazza Maggiore for the evening's entertainment. It's always a treat to catch Interstellar, one of the few movies I own ("DON'T LET ME LEAVE MURPH! DON'T LET ME LEAVE!"), but this showing was especially cool under the stars and surrounded by medieval porticos in the open Italian square.

Matthew McConaughey didn't save the planet until 1:00 AM though, so we got off to a slowww start the next day. I feel like I've written about slow stars several times in these past few posts. This wouldn't have happened in our earlier trips, but I think 24 rounds have taken their toll. Regardless, these relaxed starts were exactly what Chelsay and I needed and, on this particular day, allowed us to mentally prepare for a repeat at Osteria dell'Orsa.

For round two at the osteria, we really splurged. Carafe of white (body temperatures were at max) two tagliatelle alla ragu (see description from earlier), tiramisu for dessert, AND a cacio e pepe on top just because it was the day's special. A phenomenal, massive meal in the culinary capitol city of the culinary capitol country... all for 25 EUR.

As if we weren't fat enough, we wrapped up our three-day weekend with cappuccino gelato in Piazza Maggiore. As the locals slowly and leisurely went about their usual routines, Chelsay and I reflected on our first "experience" trip, rather than one based on "sights". From our time in La Grassa, we learned that a heaping plate of pasta can provide an equally picturesque view.