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carnagechicken · 5 months ago

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Ok this post is a collection of all the cooking tips, tricks and loose knowledge I've learned,

My credentials: both my parents work/have worked in restaurants. I cook for myself for pretty much every meal I eat (except of course the dinners my siblings cook). When I was little I would spend hours just watching and helping my mum make food, so cooking is not a new thing for me, I was standing on a chair to reach the counter to cut veggies or stir soup as a wee toddler. (<- this was not something I *had* to do, this was what I did for fun. I'm autistic, my version of fun involved anything to do with sorting)

Here we go,

>if you put too much salt in a soup, add potatoes. They suck up the salt like edible sponges

>you wanna know if your chicken is fully cooked but you don't have a meat thermometer? Take a sharp knife and stab it in the thickest part of the breast and thigh, right down to the bone, pull out the knife and if the juice that comes out is clear you're good to go (however if you're like me and are a bit paranoid of salmonella or food poisoning, just overcook your poultry a bit. It will be a bit dryer but that's OK, especially if it puts your mind at ease)

>nutritional yeast (nicknamed "nooch") is your best friend. Your soup/casserole/shepherds pie filling needs a boost? Add Nooch. It gives a wonderful umami flavor AND is good for you

>when adding spices to a soup, wait 10-15 minutes before taste testing. It needs time for the flavors to blend and really settle. This is why sometimes soup is better the next day

>if you notice some mold on a block of hard cheese, just cut it off. The cheese is still good. Mold doesn't permeate through hard cheese easily. (Soft cheese is a different story)

>ABOVE DOESN'T APPLY TO BREAD. if you see even the smallest hint of mold on bread throw the entire bag out, the whole thing is contaminated (even if you can't see it), and the mold that grows on bread is terrible for your health. I repeat, DO NOT EAT MOLDY BREAD.

>a sharp knife is actually *less* likely to cut you, because it cuts through the things you want it to and stays on course. A duller knife is more likely to slip and go in directions you don't want it to. Combine that with the fact that you have to use way more force to cut things with a dull knife and you've got an accident waiting to happen

>different oils have different smoke points (i.e. when they start to burn). Olive oil burns at fairly low temperatures, canola and sunflower oil can get quite a bit hotter before they burn, making them great for deep frying. (Butter will burn at the drop of a hat)

> GREASE FIRE SAFETY: always keep a metal (not glass) lid handy, this is for covering the pot/pan and suffocating the fire. Fire needs oxygen, lid takes that away. Baking soda can stop a small fire (key word being small). Baking powder and flour will make the fire worse, do not use them. Never never NEVER throw water on a grease fire. Never. Look up what happens when you do. It's terrifying.

>a small spot of blood in an egg is not a big deal, it's not dangerous, and it doesn't mean the egg or the chicken that laid it is diseased. It just happens sometimes. On the topic of eggs, if you crack one open and the yolk is deep orange, that just means the chicken has a healthy diet. The darker the yolk, the healthier the chicken.

>fat carries flavor. I repeat, FAT CARRIES FLAVOR. Add butter. Add oil. Add bacon fat if you want. Fat makes food taste better, do not deprive yourself of it.

>using the water that you boiled pasta or potatoes in is a great way to thicken sauces

>garlic is a personal thing. Never let a recipe limit how much you add. Recipe calls for 2 cloves? Add 15 if that's what you want

>don't believe recipes that say you can cook potatoes in 25 minutes. Potatoes are dense, it always takes longer than you think.

>also, no such thing as an overcooked potato. Unless it's been burned to hell, it's a perfectly cooked

>if your curry/stew starts to stick to the bottom of the pot and burns, don't despair! Stop stirring, you don't want to dislodge the burnt layer, pour the good stuff in a separate pot, making sure no burnt bits fall in, add a bit of water to thin it out, and it should still be good to eat. (The pot with all the burnt stuff gets filled with water and left to soak for a while. This will make it easier to scrub later)

>recipes are guidelines, not something that needs to be followed to the letter. Add more things, leave things out, substitute ingredients, just have fun with it! (This does not apply to baking. That shit is chemistry that needs precise amounts of everything. Which isn't to say it's hard! It just has way less leeway than cooking)

>always *always* start with a small amount when adding flavorings. You can add more if needed, but it's way harder to take away

>Don't put the heat really high, that won't actually make it cook faster. What's more likely to happen is burnt on the outside, undercooked on the inside. And some things need a "low and slow" approach to make them taste the best. (And just like with the flavorings, you can cook something for longer but you can't uncook it)

>pepper is great... But salt is essential. Salt makes everything better. Even desserts need salt, that's how important it is

>hand blenders are a great way to beat eggs for scrambling

>Brussel sprouts are good. The bitter taste was breed out of them in the 90s, so if you used to hate them, try them again and I *promise* they'll taste good. Roast them in the oven with lots of oil and salt until they're so soft you could cut them with a butter knife. Enjoy!

>if you have trouble digesting cows milk but you still want to drink milk, try goat milk. Usually it's the lactose that people have issues with, and goat milk has less lactose, as well as having smaller fat molecules that are easier to absorb

>no you don't *have* to peel carrots or potatoes. Personally I just find it to be an unnecessary step.

>and finally, there's no such thing as bad food preferences. There's just stuff you like, and stuff you don't. Pineapple on pizza isn't a moral issue, eating plain pasta is fine, and if you like an unusual combination of foods, more power to you. And if anyone makes fun of you for the way you like your food, you have my permission to hit them with wet socks until they leave the kitchen

#Food #cooking tips #stuff regarding me

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lubdubsworld · 4 years ago

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City Lights . ( Namjoon x OC)

Pairing : OC x Kim Namjoon.

Genre : Angst. Romance.

Rating 18 +

Word Count : 2900

Warnings : Mature Themes , Explicit Sexual Content . Slow burn. Like slower than a snail.

Summary :

Widowed and destitute, Son Yang Mi leaves the comfort of her small , secluded fishing village and travels to the intimidating city of Seoul with her young son. She has a plan, one that involves finding a job, getting her son into a good school and building a life for herself.

Now, three years later she has a job , working as a live in house keeper for the Kim family, specifically for the son, Kim Namjoon, a famous rapper and producer.

Its a job that puts a roof over her head and she’ll do anything to keep it.

But fate has other plans.

Chapter 1 ~

Akogare (ah-koh-ga-reh)Often translated directly as a sort of frustrated “yearning”, “desire”, or “longing” .

Seoul in summer was a sight to behold. I blinked back against the bright sunlight, staring out into the stunning skyline of the city as the sun rose over it , and although it was just a little past seven in the morning, the air was warm and invigorating. The mid July sun shone down with no mercy, and there was no trace of the rain that had lashed city just the previous night.

It had been three whole years but the relief that came from breathing fresh air, untainted by the damp musk of fishing trowels and sweaty men, was still unrivalled.

I shook off the feather duster in my hand, moving to carefully clean the wicker woven chairs on the artificial lawn in the balcony. Dusting the entire condo down was a mind numbing exercise in patience, so i tried to get it out of the way, early in the morning when my son was still asleep.

At six years old, Junsu was a bright , happy child. Summer vacation meant days sleeping in and evenings spent frolicking with the other kids in the building and he was content with being alone in our small shared room, reading or playing with his toys while I went about the day’s work.

I glanced at the clock, grimacing.

It was almost eight . And although Mr. Kim wasn’t due back home for another twelve hours, I felt a little jittery and nervous.

Kim Namjoon , renowned rapper, producer, writer , poet and what not. The apartment was his but he was usually on tour, traveling all over the world to promote his book and to perform in sold out stadiums. For an A list celebrity, he was surprisingly humble.

For the past three years, him and his model fiancée Lee Mina had spent a total of maybe seven months in the condo. They were a sweet couple, or so I’d always thought , a bit formal with each other but clearly in love . Mr. Kim was a kind, soft spoken young man and I’d never heard him raise his voice unless he was in the company of his very dear friends.

Just a little over a week ago , both of them had left Korea for the States , the tabloids screaming about a luxurious destination wedding in the Caribbean and I had been asked to take a few weeks off . The newly weds wouldn’t be back for quite a while and they would let me know when I had to come back to the condo.

I’d been toying with the idea of visiting my in laws in Gwangyog, maybe even dropping by to see some old friends there but yesterday , Mr. Kim’s mother had given me a call letting me know her son was coming home.

[

The conversation went something like this :

Yang Mi, I hope you haven’t left yet?

No, Ma'am, I haven’t.

Joon-ah is going to be back tomorrow.

Oh, is Ms Lee arriving as well?

No, Just him He’s going to be alone.

Yes, Ma'am.

Please don’t mention anything about Mina or the wedding.

No ma'am of course not.

I’ll drop by later . Cook him something warm and filling. And make sure the house is cleaned well.

Yes, Ma’ am.

]

And that was that.

~~~~~~

It took the better part of the day to finish cleaning and setting up the house . I washed the window slats, changed the sheets, arranged the books that had been left scattered all over his bedroom. The walk-in closet was littered with a bunch of his clothes and I made sure his gym bag was stocked with fresh towels, spare clothes and his favorite head and wrist bands.

For someone so careful and calculated, he was really quite a messy man.

i did his laundry, making sure he had ample clothes at least for another two weeks, creasing the handkerchiefs and carefully removing lint from his jackets.

I also carefully sorted out the feminine clothing from the laundry and from the cupboard, folding them neatly and placing them in the lowest shelf of the closet, where he wouldn’t find them. It wasn’t hard, hiding traces of his fiancee from the condo, because it had never really been her home. other than a few spare pieces of underwear and a couple of t shirts and skirts, there weren’t many articles of clothing belonging to Ms. Lee.

But I still got rid of the bobby pins and hair ties, the spare lip gloss and mascara.

Junsu spent the entire day in our room, reading and drawing, only venturing out every few hours to grab a snack. I left him with his drawing tab ( a gift from Mr. Kim for his 5th birthday ) and his favorite book, asking the security guard at the end of the hallway to keep an eye on the door, while i went out to buy groceries.

Lots of meat, no sea food, healthy snacks and high protein fiber bars. I stocked up on sauces and bought a fresh batch of eggs, oranges and grapes . Mrs. Kim had sent a large amount of kimchi a few weeks ago and that was still in the pantry.

i stopped for a second, staring around at the almost deserted store. Most of the other housekeepers shopped at the bigger, more exclusive store on the other side of the residential complex. But Mr. Kim had a very selective palette, which meant that I had to be very particular about the brands i bought.

When i came back home at around six, Junsu was on the floor in the living space and i felt my heart jump in panic.

“Baby!! I’ve told you not to come out here when I’m not home!” I protested bleakly and he pouted.

“I need to show you my gift for Mr. Kim!!” He said softly. I smiled moving to put away the groceries and glancing at the clock. It was a little past six. I had to call Yungyu.

“Did you draw him something ? “ I asked curiously, checking to see if the beer shelf was stocked. probably should have done that before going out for the groceries, I thought regretfully.

“Yeah! Look!!” Junsu held his tab out and my heart dropped.

For a six year old, Junsu drew very well. And there was really no mistaking the very obvious wedding scene on the screen.

Oh, Good God.

“ That looks amazing honey.” I said gently. “ But, I heard that Ms Lee isn’t coming over this time..”

Junsu frowned.

“Why?”

“Well, I’m not sure. But remember how we spoke about saying the right things? When something upsets someone, we do not bring it up.” I reminded him gently. My son hesitated but nodded.

“Okay. I’m sorry. “ He said softly.

“No baby, its not your fault. It’s just that we want Mr. Kim to be happy right? We don’t wanna upset him...”

He smiled at that.

“When he’s happy, his dimples come out.” He said with a giggle. I laughed.

“yes they do... So let’s try and get those dimples out as often as we can alright? Why don’t you show him that picture you drew of yeontan the other day? He’ll really like that....”

“Okay...but i need to go color it!” Junsu yelled, already running back into our room. I watched him go before reaching for the phone and dialing, Yungyu, the chauffeur.

“Are you on the way here? ” i said briskly.

“Just starting from home...” Yungyu muttered, “ I’m supposed to be on vacation now! Why is he coming back so soon?”

“Just hurry up !! We can’t keep him waiting!!” I said sharply, before hanging up.

I made a quick check of all the rooms, filling up water bottles for his gym routine in the morning and stashing them in the fridge before moving to get dinner started.

i set the water on boil for the stew, before moving to peel cucumbers for the salad. I chopped the cucumber , along with some fresh cherry tomatoes . I watched the water boil, thinly slicing an onion and adding it to the bowl as well. The dressing was pretty simple, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and sesame oil . I sprinkled some sesame seeds on the bowl, used the salad tongs to give the whole thing a nice toss and set it aside.

I braised the chicken first , peeling and chopping potatoes and carrots to add to the stew . In a few minutes, the rich smell of lightly spiced chicken and garlic and perilla leaves began filling the kitchen and I turned on the rice cooker as well.

The door bell rang at six forty and i opened the door to reveal Yungyu.

I grabbed the keys to the Palisade, handing them over to him.

“Did you hear?” He whispered urgently.

I frowned.

“What?”

“They say Mr. Kim called off the wedding!” He whispered, wide eyed.

I glared at him.

“Who told you that?” i demanded...

“Seojoon from the gate said-”

“Why don’t you ask Seojoon from the gate to mind his own damn business?” I snapped.

Yungyu looked suitably chastised. i felt a little bad. Yungyu was still young and curiosity was hardly a sin.

“His flight lands at eight exactly. Hurry okay?” I said with a smile, ruffling his hair.

He brightened, peering over my shoulder into the house.

“Where’s the little one?” He asked curiously.

“ Painting something for Mr. Kim... Go ahead, hurry up.” I shooed him away, locking the door behind him. I fixed a plate of food for Junsu and sent him to eat, before moving to check on the stew. +

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

By the time eight thirty rolled around I had the table set and ready. I washed my face quickly in the small bath attached to our room , making sure I was dressed well. Junsu wasn’t allowed in the main house unless Mr. Kim specifically asked for him and my son usually stayed in.

Junsu and I stayed in a bedroom , not large by any means but big enough for a queen sized bed, a table and chair for Junsu and small dresser where I kept a comb and a tube of night cream. I stared at my face, licking my lips as I smoothed my hair out.

I glanced at the bed.

Junsu was asleep , having dozed off while coloring his picture and I carefully extracted the tab from under his fingers, moving him around to lay on the soft pillows. I tucked him in gently, brushing the hair off his face.

“In peace , I will lie down to sleep, for You alone will let me rest in safety.” I whispered gently against his forehead, kissing the soft skin. I felt my lips wobble , a debilitating wave of affection flooding me as the sweet scent of my baby, filled my senses.

I would die for you, I thought fiercely, kissing him again.

The sound of the front door opening made me jump.

Swearing, i smoothed the fabric of my skirt, running to the kitchen.

“Thank you for picking me up Yungyu, I’m sorry you had to cut short on your vacation.” Mr. Kim’s deep voice filled the hallway and I quickly grabbed a glass, filling it with water and placing it on the dinner tray.

“Not a problem, Sir. “ Yungyu’s cheerful voice responded.

“How are you going home?” Mr. Kim asked.

“I’ll take the bus.”

A pause and then,

“Here’s some cash. Get a cab.”

I could hear the relief in Yungyu’s voice as he let out a , “ Thank you sir.”

I fixed his plate carefully, the bowl of rice, the bowl of chicken stew, and the salad neatly arranged next to the napkin and the chopsticks. I heard him move across the condo, the sound of his suitcases as he wrestled them towards his bedroom and I frowned. Yungyu should’ve have brought those in for him.

I finished reheating all of the food and carefully carried the dinner tray to the bedroom.

Mr. Kim’s bedroom was right at the end of the hallway and the door was open. The full length mirror on the opposite wall showed him sitting on the small couch in his room, legs spread and elbows resting on his knees as he ran his fingers through his hair.

I raised my hand, ready to knock on the wood.

“Fuck!” He shouted, kicking out at the coffee table with enough force to send the furniture skidding half way across the room.

I froze in the hallways stunned.

“You’re such a fucking fool , Namjoon !!” He muttered angrily and I swallowed, turning on my heel and quickly walking back to the kitchen.

Maybe I ought to wait till he asked for dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He didn’t ask for dinner.

I stayed sitting on the floor of the kitchen, waiting and lightly dozing as I heard him talk to his parents on the phone. I heard him open the liquor cabinet in his room, the sound of ice sloshing against glass, the sound of whiskey being poured carefully and i sighed.

I had to get to bed. It was already a little past eleven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometime in the night, I woke up sweating....

Wondering what woke me up, I blinked groggily, glancing at Junsu. He was still sound asleep.

Sighing, I climbed out of the bed, carefully making my way to Mr. Kim’s room, peering in carefully.

He was asleep on the sofa.

I stared at the way his long legs stretched over the armrest, his lean hips twisted to accommodate his broad shoulders on the couch and I winced. He was definitely going to regret that in the morning.

I stared at the half empty bottle of whiskey on the table and sighed, moving to take off his shoes carefully. He didn’t stir.

I grabbed a pillow from the bed, carefully lifting his head and slipping it under. I placed a comforter over his shoulders, pulling it down to cover his legs.

Force of habit almost made me brush his hair off his forehead but I stopped myself.

The clock on the wall read three fifty am. God, I was going to feel terrible tomorrow. I carefully tip toed out, shutting the door behind me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I picked the comforter from the floor, carefully folding it and placing it on the bed, before grabbing the empty bottle of whiskey and glass . i could hear the shower running. The curtains were still drawn in and I tugged on the strings to get them to open. Sunlight spilled in through the floor length windows. The bed wasn’t slept in, so I opened the closet to grab a couple of towels, laying them on the bed for him.

The bathroom door opened and i quickly straightened, wanting to race out of the room but it was too late. Thankfully he was dressed, a pair of loose sweats and a loose t shirt . He was running a towel through his hair and his face brightened at the sight of me.

“Yang Mi! You’re here....” He said cheerfully.

“Good morning sir.” I said softly, offering him a small smile.

He smiled brightly, hair damp and dimples deep. The white t shirt he had on was almost fully soaked through and he shook his head, sending stray water droplets all over the place, a few landing on my cheeks.

“I didn’t see you last night...” He said casually, moving to drop the wet towel in the hamper, grabbing one of the fresh ones I’d laid on the bed.

“I thought you would like your privacy sir, you looked exhausted.”

He smiled.

“ Thank you for the blanket and the pillow by the way. And the shoes.”

I bowed quickly.

“I’ll get your breakfast done, sir.” I bowed again before quickly getting out.

I moved to the kitchen grabbing the oranges I’d got the previous day . Mr. Kim wasn’t fond of traditional korean dishes in the morning. He preferred freshly squeezed juice and toast, sometimes with an omelet perhaps.

I fixed his breakfast quickly, setting it all in the tray . He was still moving around in the bedroom and I heard him drag his worktable to the windows, which meant he was going to stay in the bedroom.

Pouring his coffee into a cup, I carefully picked up the breakfast tray , moving to his room slowly.

I used my foot to knock on the door.

After a pause of a few seconds,

“Come in Yang Mi!”

I carefully moved to the small table in front of the couch, placing the tray right in front of him. The scent of his body wash, green apple and strawberries, hit me hard.

“Where’s Junsu?” He asked casually.

“Still asleep sir. It’s Summer so school’s out.” I smiled, grabbing his phone from the table to make space for his tray.

The phone buzzed just as I was about to place it back down and I blinked.

Mina calling.......

I swallowed, not sure what to do, placing the phone down quickly.

“Uh..you have ...” I waved vaguely at the device before bowing again and moving back.

“close the door on your way out, Yang Mi...” He said gently and I quickly obeyed.

I moved to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee for myself. I stayed leaning over the counter and even through the locked door, I could hear him .

“Just don’t call me Mina...i don’t want to talk about this!!!”

I swallowed, glancing out of the window again. It was a bright, clear morning.

A second later, the door to his bedroom slammed open and he stormed out. I watched him from my spot in the kitchen, his fists clenched as he rushed out to the front door.

The door shut behind him and I exhaled.

Once I as done with my coffee, I moved to his room to clear the breakfast tray. His phone was still on the table.

It began ringing again just as I left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mrs. Kim.” i said respectfully, bowing . She gave me a short smile.

“Where’s Namjoon? I’ve been calling him for the past hour.” She pushed past me into the house and I bit my lips.

“He went out about an hour ago. He left his phone behind.” I explained.

She stopped, sighing.

“Fine, I’ll wait for him. “ She moved to sit on the couch, glancing around the room.

“Should I get you something ma'am?” I asked softly and she smiled.

“Get me a glass of lemonade, Yangmi.” She said brusquely and i nodded, running to the kitchen.

“Did Mina come over?” She called out as I got the lemons out of the cooler.

“No ma'am.” i replied.

“Did she call?”

I remembered the phone ringing, how upset it had made Namjoon, how he had stormed out.

“I don’t know ma'am!” I said softly.

She nodded.

“Okay. You can leave.” She said quietly. i bowed and went back into the kitchen.

I peered out of the window as I fixed her a glass , and my eyes fell on a familiar figure, coming back in through the front gate. Even from this distance there was no mistaking the long legs and messy blonde hair.

I bit my lips, mind racing.

Mrs Kim and her son had a volatile relationship, to say the least.

And something told me that Mr. Kim was probably not in the right frame of mind to argue with his mother, now. The man was upset but apparently, neither his mother nor his ex fiancée understood that. instead of giving him space they were hounding him.

I hesitated for a second before making a quick decision.

I grabbed the tray with her lemonade and moved to her quickly.

“Thank you.” She said sharply. “ Turn on the Air Conditioner for me, will you?”

I fumbled with the remote, grabbing his phone from the table , turning it on before moving to the front door and rushing out.

I almost ran into him as he came out of the elevator , and i jerked back stumbling a bit to stop myself from crashing into his chest. He let out a , ‘ Whoa, “ his hands reaching out to grip my elbows.

“Careful. What’s wrong?” He asked gently and I swallowed.

“Your mother’s here.” I said quickly, “ Sir.”

“Oh, fuck.” He groaned. I swallowed.

“You can leave.” I blurted out. “It’s Tuesday. She has her charity work meeting at ten. Its almost nine. She won’t stay long....”

His eyes met mine, lips parting in surprise.

“I really can’t meet her now.” He said apologetically.

I nodded.

“Of course, I understand , sir. Just be back in an hour , she’ll be go-”

The elevator buzzed , the doors nearly closing over my shoulders and I flinched. He swore and stuck his arm out to keep it open.

I stared at him before holding his phone out.

“Here you go sir. “

He chuckled taking it from me and shaking his head.

“i feel like a kid, sneaking away from my mom.” His eyes reached mine, twinkling, “ Who would’ve thought the quiet, timid Yang Mi would be my partner in crime. “

I didn’t reply, just smiled.

And then he hesitated. “ Is Junsu awake?”

I blinked.

“Uh...yes sir,...he’s playing in the park downstairs with the other kids.”

“Great... Would you mind if i take him out for ice cream?”

I stared at him.

“Oh..uh...of course not. Sure.. I mean.. he’ll love that... Sir. Thank you.. You don’t have to -”

“Consider it thank you for helping me with my mother.” He smiled again and i found myself staring at his dimples again. i swallowed.

“in that case, he loves butter scotch.” I smiled.

The dimples appeared and i bit my lips.

“Thank you Yang Mi.” He said slowly.

“Yes, Sir.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note : Finally a hyungline fic !!! ugh... I’ve been wanting to write a Namjoon fic for ages and I really hope you guys will like this one :’( Feedback is much appreciated.

#namjoon smut #namjoon au #namjoon hot #namjoon fics #namjoon x reader #namjoon fic #bts smut #bts fanfics #bts au #bts fics #houseofddaeng

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the-tubbo-admisitration · 4 years ago

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What happens in the base...

Sorry it's late

Wilbur was reading a letter, it was from the president of L'manburg, it was a cry for help. Wilbur really didn't want to believe what Techno had told him, but this letter cemented it in his mind. He'd known Schlatt a hell of a long time, he would never ask for help unless it was life or death. Tubbo must have really scared him.

He hadn't told Tommy why they were going, only that they had to. Techno had been told to stay and guard Pogtopia, Wilbur couldn't rule out that this might be a trap.

The plan was simple: sneak into L'manburg and discuss it with Schlatt on civil terms. In the event it was a trap, Wilbur could take Schlatt and Tommy was there in case he had Tubbo by his side. The plan had been thought out, Techno had scouted out all the exits and relayed that information back to him.

It was late at night when they set out, arriving at the border of L'manburg just in time, Tommy glanced up at Wilbur, worry in his eyes. "Are you sure Wilbur? It might be a trap."

"If it is a trap, then you might have to fight Tubbo."

"I don't wanna fight Tubbo!" Tommy squeaked, angry at even the idea of hurting his best friend. Wilbur sighed and shrugged, heading into the nation, towards Schlatt's office.

"Why are we even her-e…" Tommy trailed off, having spotted Tubbo standing there in his pajamas, staring up at the flag. He had his back to them but they had to be quiet, Wilbur took the lead, moving at silently as he possibly could.

Wilbur knew why it would be the worst possible thing if Tubbo spotted them, all Tommy knew was that Tubbo might sound the alarm, although he hoped he'd just ignore them. Luckily for them, Tubbo didn't seem to notice they were there- either that or he willingly ignored their presence.

Wilbur knocked on the door quietly, praying that this wasn't a trap. It took a few moments before the door was opened. Schlatt had huge bags under his eyes but he looked so very glad to see them, he gestured for them to come in. "Quickly quickly"

The office was a mess, papers and books everywhere, broken shards of ceramic on the ground, drops of blood were there too, Tommy didn't want to question it, although he figured the answer might have to do with the bandage on Schlatt's head.

Schlatt sighed. "I'm so sorry it's a mess, I had a bit of a fight with Tubbo and haven't been able to clean yet, I've barely left my room- god I'm a mess." He chuckled, sounding like a madman, Wilbur supposed Schlatt was.

Tommy felt his blood boil, why would Schlatt have taught with Tubbo? His buddy might be a little clingy but he's also small and soft- how cruel do you have to be to take things out on poor Tubbo? He clenched his fists, but Wilbur had told him to say quiet so he didn't say a word.

Back at the base, Techno wasn't really bothered about all that, if the kid was evil then the kid was evil. He wondered if he'd get to fight the kid- was he an orphan? Techno didn't know much about all this political business, but what he did know was potatoes. He worked on his farm quietly, knowing that he didn't need to guard since no one knew where Pogtopia even was.

He cut himself on his shovel by accident, seeing the face of the blood god in the drop that escaped. He wondered what his god's opinions on this situation would be, the blood god never showed its face lest it was prayed to.

He sighed and gathered up a lot of potatoes, taking it into the kitchen area to make dinner for everyone. He took great joy in peeling them, putting the peel in a bucket for later use- waste not want not after all.

He mashed the potatoes up with pure butter, adding just a little salt he'd strained himself. He hummed to himself, finding a lot more comfort in cooking his potatoes then he'd ever find in politics. He left them to warm while he worked on a type of gravy of his own design.

He threw the peel into a pot of water with some carrots and other veggies, he knew Wilbur and Tommy would complain had they no meat but he really didn't care, he just added some more butter to the gravy, using a vegetable stock he'd made at the start of the year, he carried a whole block of it around in case he needed to make a soup. He stirred the pot and sighed happily, he might be a feared warrior but moments like this made all the bloodshed seem like mundane work- he so much preferred peace and quiet to cheering crowds and screams of terror.

The soup was a lovely shade of brown, he tasted it and added the herbs and spices it needed, he was a surprisingly good cook it seemed, but then again he was a potato farmer, he'd know his way around cooking them. He added some mushrooms and onions, it was more of a gravy then a soup but he knew the lads would love it.

Tommy would mock him for being so soft but Techno knew the kid really appreciated it, he saw Tommy watching him cook more often then not and heard the questions he asked every five seconds. No one had ever taught Tommy to cook, Techno was considering offering once they got back from L'manburg.

If they got back.

#dream smp #the tubbo administration #tubbo #tubbolive #schlatt #mcyt #fundywastaken #techno #halloween #wilbur #wilbur soot #tommy #tommyinnit #tommyinit

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sleepdeprivedheretic · 4 years ago

Text

Those Shoes (Ch.4)

Song Inspired: Talk Too Much by Coin, and another song in that I listed in the fic.

Tags: @youtubequeens, who brainstormed with me, helping create the story and the cute fluff n’ stuff within it :3

Notes: I know that Thanksgiving is over, but let my over-procrastinating self have this

You couldn’t help but mimic his grin as the two of you stared at the other two’s messy faces. Eijirou’s face was a little messier than Tamaki’s small chocolate mustache.

“Ya’ve got somethin’ on yer face, Bud.” Taishiro grinned at Tamaki’s mock glare, and you couldn’t help but reach over and wipe an oblivious Eijirou’s face with a napkin.

“They’re both so cute.” You couldn’t help but admit out loud.

“Ya should meet their dad.” Taishiro couldn’t help but grin wickedly at Tamaki and your combined unimpressed looks.

“Alright, alright. Soooo, Princess, sorry I didn’t introduce my boys, earlier.” He started, and you quirked and eyebrow.

“How do you even forget to introduce your kids?” You snarked, and he subtly shrunk a little, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin as he glanced at the boys, both of their attention were now focused on coloring the free pages that the waitress gave them.

“There’s not an excuse. I guess I was too caught up in the moment of impressin’ ya an’ dancing. I knew that they’re safe with their babysitter, so my mind went to focusing on both earnin’ a living and…ya know.” His words jumbled out in a rush as he looked embarrassed. You decided that at least he did bring you to see them, not keeping you in the dark.

“I think I understand.” You tried, and he let out a breath of relief. Smiling, he took a crayon and started helping Eijirou color in the happy cartoon sun outlined on the coloring page.

“So, are ya good at cookin’? Seein’ that you’re the lunch lady.” He changed the subject, and you indulged him as you didn’t hesitate to grab a blue crayon, finishing up Tamaki’s half-colored sky.

“I’ve learned a few things in dietary. Not just cooking, but sanitizing everything, making sure that each utensil goes in it’s exact spot, and so on.”

“Mmmh. Must be hectic.”

“Not really, I learned some new things to old recipes, such as adding mayo, instead of butter, to make grilled cheese sandwiches.”

It was small talk between the two of you, but you felt calm and warm, the atmosphere being a stark contrast of emotions compared to your night life.

“So, what’s your plans for Thanksgiving?” You asked suddenly as the waitress handed the check to you. He blinked owlishly, caught off guard by the question, but then his eyes lowered to the floor as he put on a faux grin, scratching the back of his head.

“Um…it’s just us.”

“Same here…well, kinda. Usually I don’t celebrate with my mom. She can’t really cook, and she hires dancers to “bring life to the party”.” You rolled your eyes, motioning the quoting with your fingers, and he laughed.

“Every year?”

“With me? Yes.”

“She’s pretty persistent, ain’t she?”

“Annoying, and wanting to retire. Surprised that she didn’t forge a marriage contract with somebody since birth.” You huffed, and he then grinned wickedly.

“Find out eighteen years later, you’re opening up the door to get the newspaper, an’ outta nowhere, Harry Styles is standin’ on your front step.” His body shook with laughter as you choked on your cooling coffee in laughter.

Eijirou and Tamaki stopped their coloring to look at you with worry, but their father winked at them, patting your back as you huffed out the coughing laughter.

“Ya alright?” He offered, and you nodded, cooling down with little huffs of giggles.

“Really?” You stared at him, and he just gave a cocky little smirk, eyes twinkling with a gleeful victory.

“Made ya laugh.” He admitted, his tone a bit softer this time, and your ears couldn’t help but redden, a bit.

“Anyways! I better go. On my days off, I’ve been trying to search for other jobs.” You admitted sheepishly.

He looked reluctant to leave, and you honestly could relate. He nodded. The two of you split the bill, gathering the boys as your little group of four chatted idly, walking outside to part ways.

“I hadda great time, Princess. We should do this more often.” He admitted almost shyly, and you couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope as your stomach fluttered excitedly.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You found yourself admitting, and once again, he looked at you with an expression of surprise and satisfaction.

“Alright then.” He breathed out, and you felt a smile pull at your lips. A gentle tugging on your pants leg had caught your attention. Eijirou’s hand gripped at your pants leg, Tamaki standing right next to him with a shy expression as the two of them held pieces of paper.

“Please take this.” Tamaki blurted out, shoving his artwork in your direction, Eijirou happily handing his to you. Your eyes widened with surprise at the gestures as a burst of warmth flooded through you at the boy’s gifts. You couldn’t help but lower down, sitting on one knee as you met them eye-level, taking the papers.

“Are these pretty pictures for me?” You asked, already knowing the answer as both boys nodded. You couldn’t help but smile, taking the papers gently.

“Thank you, I’ll put them on my fridge, alright?” You ruffled each boy’s hair gently. A cough broke you out of your spell, and your eyes darted to Taishiro, who in return fed you such a soft look in which contrasted his usual behavior. You couldn’t help but feel the blood rush into your face, neck, and ears as you realized that he was staring. You stood straight up, holding the papers close as you chuckled nervously.

“A-anyways! I gotta go! I’ll see you boys later! Thank you for the lovely pictures!” You stuttered a little at first, embarrassment creeping in on you as you took a short bow before turning to walk away.

“Would ya like to spend Thanksgiving at my place, tomorrow?” You heard him blurt out suddenly in desperation. You stilled, turning to look at him with surprise as he held a hopeful look. Time seemed to still as you calmed down from your expressive state.

“Alright.” You agreed quietly. He rose an eyebrow, face flushed as a smile formed on his lips, his expression silently, yet ironically, seemed to say ‘you adorable flustered thing’.

“Ah. Good. I’ll send ya directions, an’ ya don’t have to bring a dish. Er, ya wanna invite anybody?” He spoke clearly, scratching the back of his head, and you bit your bottom lip in thought, processing that this was indeed happening.

“Alright. I’ll just bring myself, the girls usually come by, but they’d be happy to know that I won’t really be alone.” You rambled out, wincing on how you were just embarrassing yourself, even further. He only smiled, instead.

“’M glad that you’re hangin’ out with me an’ the boys, Chickadee. Food’ll be done, early, so ya can come in anytime ya wanna.” He offered, and you felt your shoulders relax, feeling calm once again.

“Alright.”

……………………..

It wasn’t technically a date, but hell would have to freeze over if he admitted that it wasn’t. He felt an odd mix of calm, yet excited, as if he was in the eye of the storm roaring all around him. He admitted to himself that he might be overthinking things the night before, then again, it’s a very normal human thing to do. He was glad he had reached out, however. You squashed his doubts like an annoying, pesky little bug, and so he was a bit more chipper than usual.

It was four-thirty in the morning, the turkey was roasting, the sweet potatoes simmering into a boil, and he was chewing at the end of a match stick, trying to keep the aroma of the onions from getting into his eyes as he peeled and sliced them. Yesterday, he sent you a quick text where he lived, doing that so he wouldn’t forget, later, as he was busy preparing the meal. Truthfully, he didn’t often make holiday feasts such as this, opting to make smaller dinners for he and the boys, and so his skills were a bit rusty when it came to foods such as a whole turkey in the oven.

He vaguely remembered to stick a syringe full of broth into the thing once every thirty minutes while it was baking, and had to look up the rest of the instructions in fear of wasting a twelve pound turkey. His blood froze when the doorbell rang.

Putting the knife down, he wiped his hands on the towel as he sauntered towards the door, not thinking twice as he unlocked it, swinging it open. No way could it be you, could it?

Although he had his suspicions, he didn’t think that you’d actually arrive this early, neatly dressed in a cotton t-shirt underneath an apron, hair pulled up and out of the way, and you were holding some plastic bags within your grasp.

“No way in hell are you cooking all of that, alone.” Were the first words out of your mouth, and the corner of his twitched upwards.

“Apron looks cute on ya. I did say come in anytime, didn’t I?” He mused, opening the door wider, shuffling out of the way to let you in, despite his surprise. You briefly looked around, noticing the darkened living room, was lit up by the light from the kitchen. It gave you a little glimpse at the many photos of him and his boys, and you couldn’t help but feel as if his home brought a very warm atmosphere to it.

“You have a pretty house.” You didn’t hesitate to speak your mind.

“Thank ya, Darlin’.” He answered as you made your way into the dining room, placing your two plastic bags on top of the kitchen counter. He watched curiously as you emptied them.

You placed a home-made pie on the counter, a can of cool whip sitting next to it from one bag, and in the other, you brought out an assortment of children’s toys. He couldn’t help but smile as you thought about his boys, seeing the soft glint in your eyes as you placed the bubble set, Play-Doh, and other assessments on the living room table.

“They’re spoiled enough, already, ya know.” He chuckled, and you shrugged.

“They can be spoiled, more, then. Alright, where are you at, and what are we making?” You turned your focus on the food, and he obliged you.

Time seemed to drawl on as the two of you were focused on cooking and baking, you giving more helpful directions and tips to prepare the food, and he listening closely, intrigued on the many ways of how to fix the turkey. You pulled the bird out from the oven, opting to doctor it with pineapples and cherries, sticking little toothpicks that held the fruit, into it as he watched in wonder. With a little bit of dressing the baked fowl in small amounts of vanilla extract and brown sugar, he helped you place the heavy meal back into the oven.

To your own amazement, he had his own family recipe of making the sweet potatoes, mashing and stirring the now boiled root vegetables with a dash of garlic, salt, and the tiniest bit of coconut milk. The two of you had the freedom for more personal talk, now that his boys were sound asleep.

“-as ya know, it helps to be a therapist with the job.” The two of you sat at his kitchen table, taking a small break as you wiped the sweat away from your brow, sipping the iced sweet tea slowly as you hummed.

“Nemuri and Yu talk a lot about how some of their customers in the private rooms, only want to talk to somebody.” You relayed the information in your head aloud, and he nodded, popping the sliced pineapple into his mouth.

“Sometimes, it’s easy to open up to somebody who’s seen and knows things. They talk about their secret kinks, pasts, dirty little secrets, an’ ya don’t even have to dance for them, all ya have to do is listen and respond. Some of the “prettier” dancers, could earn twice as less, all because they don’t know how to simply just talk to people.” He said slowly, and you couldn’t help but cover your mouth as a yawn slipped out, he chuckled.

“Ya can sleep on the couch. All’s left is the green bean casserole, an’ the boys will wake up in about in three hours.” He offered. Much to your surprise, you trusted him as you sluggishly moved your body to the plush sofa, not caring if you were still in your apron as you buried your face into one of the couch pillows, humming softly to yourself as sleepiness washed over you.

……………..

He looked at you in amazement, on how fast you seemed to just crash. How long were you up before you had visited, he wondered. He quietly left from the living room, into the bedroom, fetching one of his blankets from the closet, humming as he returned to you, draping it over your now slumbering form. He admit, he was tired, too, but he was fueled by coffee and the sheer happiness that you willingly came over to help and spend time with him and his boys.

He was giddy, now quiet with his thoughts. He smiled to himself, seeing your face pressed into a pillow with a devil-may-care attitude as you slept on your side.

……………………

“Happy Thanksgiving!” His voice rang out cheerfully, and you jolted awake from your slumber. Sunlight filtered through the windows, giving you more of a clear view of his home, yet your attention wasn’t focused on that, right now.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” The two boy’s voices echoed back, and you hazily rubbed your eyes as the delicious aroma of food soaked into the air.

“Ah, you’re awake, huh?” His attention was onto you as you sat up, and immediately, the boy’s attention were onto you, as well.

“You came back!” Eji’s excited voice rang out, first, and Tamaki’s “Ah.” floated towards you. The hyper, black-haired younger brother climbed onto the couch as you rested your feet onto the floor, now noticing the blanket. You eyed Taishiro in question, and he chuckled, almost shyly looking away.

“Couldn’t leave a lady without a blanket. Anyways! Let’s see the parade!” He hastily changed the subject, grabbing the remote and turning on the television. You felt yourself smile a little as he hummed a little too quickly.

“Food’s done, Hon, make yerself at home.” He offered, dragging his attention away from you, to the kitchen. At the thought of food, your stomach rumbled, and you could hear him laugh quietly in the short distance.

“Look! Legos!” Eiji piped up, staring at the parade float, as you fumbled the blanket off of you. After making a short beeline to the bathroom and washing your hands afterwords, you didn’t think twice before making yourself a plate of food, joining the boys and Tai on the couch.

He looked absolutely tired, you couldn’t help but think, looking at the dark circles underneath his eyes. Yet, he kept the friendly atmosphere going, joining in on his son’s awe and joy at the parade, and you couldn’t help but feel warm and joy in the safe environment. You yourself ate quietly, throwing in some facts and opinions as the four of you finished your plates.

“Thank her for the food, as well, Boys. An’ comin’ here ‘round four in the morning, bringin’ ya some gifts.” He changed the subject, earning you a look of awe and respect from the children. Your face felt hot at the attention, and you smiled nervously as they did so, scrambling off to the bag of toys that you’ve brought them, leaving you and Taishiro alone on the couch.

“Thank ya, really. It’s been the most fun holiday we’ve ever really had.” He admitted, wrapping himself up in the blanket as he turned off the television. It felt as if your face never really cooled down, and you looked at him shyly through your lashes.

“It’s not a problem. I had a lot of fun. It’s unfortunate that these holidays seem to end so soon.” You admitted, and he could only nod.

“Ya’ve really been a great help, ya know? It doesn’t seem like much, but their holidays aren’t as long or excitin’, usually. There’s only the three of us, an’ we don’t really have other family to really visit. So, I really hafta thank ya, Sweetheart.” He yawned, letting the information sink in. You bit your lip as you felt your stomach and heart flutter with softness.

“It’s not a problem. Anytime if you want to make plans like this, I’d be more than happy, too.” You rambled out, and then it was his turn to bite his lip.

“I don’t think I can stay up, for long, Darlin’. I work tomorrow night, so I’ll probably see ya then, alright?” He changed the subject, and you could only nod.

“Don’t mean to rush ya off, but I’ll gladly make it up to ya in a show.” He winked, and you rolled your eyes, yet felt yourself smiling.

“Alright, I’ll see you, then.”

……………………..

After she left, he couldn’t help but doze off, waking up now and then to cater to his sons, and then let the feeling of surprise, giddiness, and sheer contentment flood through him. She willingly came to his home, helped him make his and his son’s day more brighter, and left him feeling warm and fuzzy.

At first it was a mere curiosity to dip his toes in the water, and now he was in too deep, and he hoped that the water wasn’t over his head.

………………………..

It was a simple night, you thought. You briefly acknowledged the dancers, your fellow hostesses, and your mother as you stood in the small circle that your mother had gathered.

“We’re doing something a little different, tonight, Babes. Since it’s nearing December, we’re hitting November off with some Dances. Here’s the ground rules.” She started, and your ears picked up at the sudden change. Your mother only did this a few times within a span of five years or so, to kick things up, she said. Although a rare occurrence, you knew the rules well.

The dancers would make their own set of rules, and choose their partners to dance with for the night. It didn’t matter what the dance was, or if it was simple grinding, all in all, the partners of the dancer were usually of course the audience. The dances, touching, and anything that bent the rules, depended on how much money the audience member threw at their host, who wanted the rules broken.

When you were younger, you thought that it was stupid, wondering why couldn’t these people just hire your mother’s employees with no bouncers in sight, but now you understood.

It was for the thrill, to basically get by with certain things that weren’t “normally” allowed within a club. Such as grinding, groping, and basically waving the finger in the security’s face. Of course, if anything had gotten out of hand, the one initiating the dance, had a call light to light the stage red, alerting security.

Only the ones who really wanted to be touched like that, offered the dances, you knew. Some wouldn’t participate, and it was more than fine. It was a mouse trap, to lure the falsehood of “getting by” with things, or “getting lucky”, the mindset of a player in a casino, your mother told you. It was smart, although very shady, you thought to yourself. Of course, your mother had everybody gathered, telling them the rules, what’s safe and what’s not, and basically, saying that if a person feels as if it’s non-consent, then don’t ever hesitate to press the call light.

“It’s shady, but my employees come first.” She winked. You sighed, getting your food tray ready for the night, eager to see which costume that Taishiro had picked, this time. Of course the dancers were the first ones to know, getting certain costumes ready if they ever wanted to participate in the “lure” game. You couldn’t help but hope that he didn’t want to dance with anybody. The thought was rather selfish, and you knew that he could earn a lot, but it still lurked in your mind.

The night crawled on, the announcer speaking loudly, saying each dancer’s name who wanted to join in on the fun. You didn’t pay much mind to it. All in all, it was just an awkward dancing audience member, grinding their hips against the dancer as the crowd roared, feeling as if they’re watching an off-brand porno.

“-our next Dancer is! Fatigue!!! I wonder who he’ll be swooning in, for the night?” The announcer’s voice cut to you, and in an instant, you felt your blood run a bit cold. Although a little dense, you had to admit the possibility of him revving up a sucker’s money, made you feel a little sick. You beat down those thoughts. He could do what he wanted to do, he was his own person, it didn’t make him any less worth of one.

He had his sons to take care of, and a life to live, you told yourself. The little speck of thought of him calling you, egged you, and you had to stomp that down, as well. Not even the unwanted, flirtatious dancers even dared to call your name in fear of your mother’s playful, sadistic wrath. He couldn’t-

“-the Sugar who’s holdin’ the drink tray.” His voice rang out, and you stopped dead in your tracks, turning to take a good look at him.

His grin was wild, yet his costume was far from it. An echo of oohs and curious mumbling rang throughout the crowd.

True to his nature, he was wearing the orange and black heels that you’ve first seen him in, yet, he was also wearing a ruffled dress shirt, slacks, and although what would seem to be an odd combination of clothing that didn’t fit the club, he wore it very well, and looked very good in it. You jumped a little as you heard cackling, and didn’t really calm down as you knew that it was your mother.

“Alright, this man’s got balls, and although I approved then, I certainly do now. I’ll hold your tray! Enjoy your dance~!” She rambled quickly, not giving you time as she grabbed your tray, and winked before sauntering off. You remained your focus back onto him, your feet moving on their own accord as his look of worry was replaced with relief.

Not as much as you. Although a little surprised, you were very, very relieved that he picked you. Plus, who were you to refuse a gesture from somebody who you were pining for?

“The rules are…” The announcer looked at his paper. “None? Huh, guess he’s changing the ‘no touch’ policy.” She shrugged as she waited for you to walk onto the stage. You felt a lot of curious stares, but it didn’t bother you as you held in a yelp, him tugging you towards him. His hand was holding yours, and the other on your waist.

“Sorry fer embarrassin’ ya like that, Sweetlin’. After everything that’s been goin’ on, I hadda do this. If ya feel uncomfortable, or wanna change your mind, feel free to say so, now. I don’t care if I get boo’d. I just wanna see if ya’d dance with me.” He whispered slowly, and you sighed softly.

“It’s…one way to ask somebody, I guess. Besides, I think the audience can handle a change of atmosphere.” You murmured gently, and he chuckled, squeezing your hand rather gently.

“Plus, it’ll show yer creepy suitors that ya can make yer own decisions. An’ also…” He paused, letting the announcer press play to the song that he’d chose. He ate up the adorable, delectable look on your face, seeing how wide-eyed and cute you were.

It was as if your life had became one of those silly rom-coms that you were one-hundred percent certain would absolutely never happen to you. Somehow, you were wrong. Very wrong. He led you, staring softly down at you as you tried to keep eye contact, face flushing furiously as to much of your sheer disbelief, the audience started whispering, singing, and chanting to the Seagull’s “I Ran So Far Away”.

“-I wanna ask you something important.”

“This is a dream and I have to wake up.” You told him, and he laughed, taking time to pinch your cheek a little.

“This song’s a little ironic, ain’t it?” He grinned, and despite your wild fluttering stomach and increased heartbeat, you nodded, acknowledging the lyrics as your face heated up.

“A little…at first.”

“Must be hard keepin’ yer hands off of me, despite wantin’ to scramble.” He bit out a joke, and you couldn’t help but huff out a bit of laughter, the two of you ignoring the oddly supporting crowd as you gave into the weird, fever dose of reality that life had hit you with, dancing with him to the sway of the classic song. He held you close to him, letting you seep in his warmth as you buried your flushed face into his shirt, feeling his body shake lightly with laughter despite the atmosphere.

Although a little lengthy, the song was beginning to end way too quickly. Breaking away, you looked at him with curiosity as he looked at you with a mix of soft determination.

“What would I like to ask ya, Darlin’, is, would you consider being my partner? Like, uh, a romantic partner?” He stumbled out the words, and your breath caught in your throat.

“Ya don’t have to answer right away! I just wanted to…show ya that I was serious, ya know?” He murmured gently, and you swallowed thickly.

“Yes.” Came out of your lips faster than you’d thought, but you didn’t regret it. He looked down at you with surprise.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Ya know what it entails? Dating a single dad?” He prodded, and you knew.

“I know. I…can’t help but cherish the three of you.” Your ears burned with embarrassment, but it was nothing but the truth. You couldn’t help but like the adorable, flirtatious single dad who did everything in his power to keep his sons safe and loved. Admittedly, you knew that they will be your priority, as well, if you planned on being there in the long run, and you had.

Warm hands cupped your face, as he stared at you with a look of sheer amazement and want.

“Let’s seal it, shall we?” He whispered, and you closed your eyes as he leaned down, pressing his mouth firmly and yet gently against yours, letting the crowd shrill with adoration.

…………….

Not the end! But it took a while. Although I was rather busy, I did want to post this chapter at the end of November <3.

#Taishiro Toyomitsu #Fatgum #Fatgum x reader #Those Shoes #Late Thanksgiving fluff #Fluff in this fic mostly

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missguomeiyun · 4 years ago

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kabocha ‘dessert’

Quite impressed with my latest experimental ‘dessert’!

Kabocha roses that turned out so well :D it wasn’t that hard to make!

Another shot of the finished product. (diameter ~8inches).

Happy Thanksgiving, all! This dessert was my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner 2 evenings ago ^^ I was thinking hard about what to make. I wanted to go for a seasonal item, & the first thing I thought of was pumpkin. Since we have Japanese pumpkins, aka kabocha, grown at home, I decided to use it.

For what though?!?!

I looked online for ideas. .. none really appealed to me, whether it’s Chinese, Korean, or ‘English’ recipes. A lot them were like pie/tart, or something steamed, or pumpkin bread/cake that sort of thing, & I was like no............. So I decided to YOLO using what I have at home haha & trust me, I have no baking gear! Nor heavy cream, whipped cream, umm.. icing sugar, sprinkles, actual baking utensils. .. lol you name it! I literally have nothing. .. but then my mom magically found this thing in a put-away suitcase when I told her what my ‘plan’ was, & I ended up using it, & it worked out well!

Ok, so 1st of all, I used the whole kabocha for this dessert.

Quarter it~

For 3/4, either boil with skin or without skin for 8mins or so. Essentially, you want a bowl of the non-skin parts. Save aside for later. (The skin isn’t needed unless you wanna use some of it for decor) I decided to boil first & peel layer bcos it’s easier.

For the remaining 1/4, cut into thin pieces like this; remember to keep the green skin intact & try to slice them as thin & long as possible. These pieces will be used for the roses.

Brown sugar +/- Chinese brown/cane sugar.

Start with a little of water, add the sugars, & put in the slices of kabocha. Turn down to low heat & leave it for ~15mins. What you’re doing is: 1. creating a kabocha syrup, & 2. cooking the kabocha slices so they soften up & become sort of translucent for the roses.

So prettyyyyy

Lay flat to cool.

Take one of the smaller/shorter pieces to form the center; then piece-by-piece, slowly add the slices to the ‘bud’. Having small fingers really helped!

You also don’t wanna leave the plated slices for too long bcos the syrup will harden (thus the kabocha slices). Once you have your roses, freeze them.

While the slices are cooling off, pour in the semi-cooked kabocha into the syrup. Add some water.

*I thought about blending the pumpkin so it becomes mush lol but I was like no.. . I’d like some texture, so I used a potato masher to just get smaller pieces.

Slowly add ~1/2 cup custard powder. Stir as needed so there are no large clumps forming. Once that’s done, turn off heat & let it cool down for a bit.

Lady fingers (bcos it is a staple in my house!). These ones are different though. I don’t remember where these were from. .. the original bag/box is gone & I only have 3 clear packs of these biscuits.

Lady finger crumbs + melted butter (+ water). Yes, bcos I try to keep things as low butter as possible haha

Press the crumb + butter + water mixture to the bottom of a cake mold! Yeah so my mom found me this thing... haha it has a detachable ‘plate’, & then the circular cylindrical piece.

Break some lady fingers to line the sides, then pour in the kabocha custard. Cool in fridge for .. . another day?

Add the roses for decoration after refrigeration. YAyyyy it all settled nicely!

It didn’t take as long as I thought. I was able to make it in just over an hr, & that’s starting from scratch. The key is to multi-task, always. My method had opportunities for that, so that was nice.

The inside looks like this! So good!!

Wasn’t very sweet bcos y’all know me :P the texture was like a good mix of stiffer jello/custard (it has that smoothness), & occasionally, you’ll bite into a small piece of kabocha (slightly, VERY slightly starchy). The rose was REALLY sweet, as expected bcos it was cooked in syrup haha. So glad it didn’t fall apart or anything.

Future cafe item ;)

#homemade #homecooking #nobake #dessert #pumpkin #kabocha #thanksgiving #food

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v3-killing-harmony-imagines · 7 years ago

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How bad would an evening go if an “i somehow burned water once” s/o tried to cook something alongside the boys?

Nyahaha~! This was fun to write! i can relate tho, anon

- Mod Angie

Shuichi Saihara

You’ve been noticing bags under Shuichi’s eyes lately, and that he hasn’t been sleeping.

Last night, you peeked in his room and saw him at his desk, pen in hand, mumbling to himself and writing notes in his notebook. It must be a hard case for him to crack, if he doesn’t eat or get any sleep. You don’t bother the detective at all when he’s focusing like this.

But! You wanna make sure that he’s eating right, at least. Even if you got an F in cooking class for accidentally giving everyone food poisoning, if it’s for Shuichi, you’re gonna try your best!

After rummaging through cabinets looking for something with directions on it, you find a curry packet and decide to work with that! You two usually go out and eat or get fast food for dinner, but sometimes Shuichi cooks! You get out potatoes, carrots, and… is that all..?

The easiest thing is the rice! You put it in the pan with water and pop that baby in the rice cooker! It’s all good, and you got instructions for this curry right here!

Okay! So, you need 2 ½ cups of water, but you thought that was too much so you only put in 1 cup, and you’re cooking that water- wait, it’s boiling i think- that right now...oh fuck i forgot the veggies

You start chopping the vegetables vigorously while the water goes to a boil and Shuichi enters the kitchen, looking a little shook. He asks what you’re doing, and you tell him that you’re cooking dinner! It’s important that he eats too uwu

His face goes kinda pale, and he awkwardly laughs. “Hopefully this won’t end like last time…” He looked worried. You reassure him that you kinda know what you’re doing! He stays in the kitchen and helps cut and put the vegetables in the pan.

Okay, it’s time to… i think the packet is supposed to go in now? wait a minute… wasn’t the meat supposed to go in earlier>>????? Okay,, you just plop in both at once and bOOm!! Wait for that shit to cook and you got yourself a good curry dish!

You take this time to ask Shuichi what he was working on, and he goes in really deep and goes to show you who he thinks the suspect is! You both go to his room and he shows you his notes and-- OH FUCK IS THAT THE FIRE ALARM

he is screaming. you are screaming

the fucking meat is roasted and the whole pan is smoking

You take that shit and throw it in the sink and you’re both still screaming but things turn out ok in the end. even though you only have rice for dinner...

Rantaro Amami

Rantaro texted you this morning, and after some talking, he asked if you wanted to hang out and go on a date today (which usually means watching movies and cuddling on the couch). You said yeah, he can come over!

It's about an hour later, and he's sitting on the couch looking through movies, and you're looking for more movies on the shelves. "We really have watched every movie, hah..." He chuckles from the couch. You turn to him and ask if he wants to do something else?

He thinks for a minute and looks at you with a smirk on his face... "Do you wanna try cooking together?" You can feel the sweat on your cheek, and you chuckle. "Aha, that's funny... I don't really know how to cook, but sure, okay...!" You get up and grab your phone to search for a recipe.

You two go into the kitchen, and he jokes about making an avocado cake, since he himself gets called "avocado" a lot. It turns out that it's an actual recipe, and you refuse to cook anything else. There's a fuck ton of ingredients, but luckily, you have... 4 of the ingredients, out of 11.

You write down the ingredients you need on a sticky note and get in the car with him. It was raining really hard outside, so you had to rush so you wouldn't get soaked...

Going to the grocery store wasn't too interesting, but you two were completely soaked when you got home... You laughed for about 5 minutes straight when he placed a bag on the counter and said "At least the avocados aren't harmed... They got a bath!"

After getting towels and drying up, and """accidentally""" seeing Rantaro's abs when he was drying his hair, you set up the ingredients and start cooking!

Everything was better than you thought, with Rantaro helping. Both of you successfully made the batter and it looked good! Since he did most of the mixing, you decided to put the batter in the pan and plop it in the oven!

You've never worked a timer before, though... You set it for 30 minutes, and you think that it's working?? You high-five Rantaro and chill on the couch together for the next half-hour. The alarm you heard when you thought 30 minutes passed, was not the timer, though...

You both jolted up in a panic, and you could see that the oven was smoking. You quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher as Rantaro opened the windows, and when everything was solved... the charred brick in the oven probably wasn't edible anymore, and you found out that the timer was broken.

Rantaro chuckled a little and pulled out 2 pre-baked, packaged cupcakes from a grocery bag. He gave one to you and said that he had fun, even if the avocado cake got burnt. He got to spend time with you, and that's all that matters ♡

Korekiyo Shinguji

You woke up at 6 am this morning beside Korekiyo, and you immediately get up to get ready. It's his birthday, and you're really excited for what you have planned for this special day!

You had plans for today that involve cooking, and since you can't bake a cake, you decided that it was a better idea to cook long life noodles!!

You refuse to just buy a cake from the store, and you wanted his birthday to be interesting, so you decided to make something tastier than cake! You rush to the store and buy your ingredients, after finding a recipe for it online.

It was kind of difficult to find Asian-style wheat noodles, but the store did have them! They ended up having all of your ingredients, so you were really happy about that!

Korekiyo was awake by the time you got home, and you started cooking immediately !! You put on his cooking apron and he asks what you're doing...

"Well, since it is your birthday, I thought I could make it something you wouldn't forget!" You chuckled.

"Please, do try to not burn down the house..." He sighs and stays in the room while you try your best. You assure him that it'll be okay! Even if you don't really know how to cook!

After reading the recipe instructions on your phone, you read the instructions on your noodle package, and you were successful in cooking them after you had to ask Korekiyo for help lmao !!

You mix other ingredients together in a bowl, like the instructions told you, and then it says to let it sit for 10 minutes cooking in the pan. You kept an eye on the time, and showed Korekiyo a bunch of Youtube videos you thought were cool, while you wait !!

You realize you were a few minutes over 10 minutes, and you screamed when you entered the kitchen, and fell on your bum.

Korekiyo quickly went in, grabbed the non-water fire extinguisher, and the fire on the stove went out in a couple of seconds... holy shit what just ?? happened ??

You were sad that his birthday turned to a disaster, and his "cake" was completely destroyed, but he knelt down and stared at you...

"That definitely was something I shall not forget, but... Saving you is the best present I could ever ask for."

You could see the edges of his face mask turn up, and you smile as well. Today wasn't as tragic as you thought!

Kaito Momota

You were on your phone, chilling on the couch when you hear Kaito gasp really loudly from the other room.

He yells from the kitchen, “S/O WE GOTTA MAKE A DIY GALAXY PIZZA” and you’ve never been more disappointed in your life

You walk in the kitchen and he’s already ready to go, with an apron on and everything. You don’t remember why you got an apron, because neither of you can actually cook.

Last time he tried to cook actual food, the fire alarm went off, and the pan was smoking like crazy. And after that one incident where you tried cooking and the food lit on fire in the sink, you both decided that fast food was the better option for dinner.

and here we are

You both decided that you should try do most of the work, while Kaito gets the ingredients off of a youtube video he was watching.

Tomato sauce, cheese, and… uhm, we need dough. He mumbles a little and then tells you that he’s gonna go get the stuff at the store! He rushes out of the house and the kitchen goes quiet...

While he’s gone, you look at the ingredients he chose. You’re pretty sure this tomato sauce is expired by like, 2 years, but you know that if you tell him that, he’ll say “It still looks like tomato sauce, it’s fine!”

You know that the cheese isn’t expired yet because the only thing you two can cook without it being a fire hazard is nachos. Next to the cheese is food coloring, probably gonna be used for the galaxy color.

He comes home with that dough (and some glitter- for stars he says. you know it’s not edible) and you get started on the pizza! You prepare galaxy-ify the ingredients and he decorates! You pop it in the oven and he’s so excited !

After like, 10 minutes you take it out because it smelled so bad. You had to open all the windows of the house and take the corpse out of the oven.

the fucking food dye was smoking and it was bubbling black like something poisonous

Well, there goes the galaxy pizza, here’s a…. bubbling, probably poisonous burnt disc…

yeah, fast food seems like the better option...

Kokichi Ouma

It was just a calm evening when you suddenly screamed and started panicking.

You forgot that you had to go to a party tomorrow, and were asked to bring food. It’s 8 pm and you still have no clue on what thing you can cook that will turn out decent.

You wanted to convince the people there that you can cook, since they told you that you can’t… yeah, you’re screwed qwq

Ouma finds out about your predicament and helps you out! He finds a can of green beans you decide to work with that.

You googled a recipe to make them taste good and you’re going off of that. It just says to heat the beans and drain them, so I guess that means just plop them in a pan?? Uhm.. Okay, we got this.

It took you a couple of minutes, but you find a pan that you can cook in. Just a little dusting off, and you’re good!

You set up a pan and pour the whole can in, turning the heat on. You’re guessing that it’s supposed to cook for like, 10 minutes or so? You’re not sure??

You hear footsteps coming down the stairs while you set the timer for 10 minutes

Suddenly, Ouma runs in the kitchen, screaming??? You jump and the pan falls from the stove, and it falls on Ouma’s foot. He drops his phone and screams louder. poor bby qwq

You find out that he got a really rare item in the game he was playing, but now his foot is red from getting burned.

When he opens his eyes, they widen and he shouts “Fire!!”

?????? you look to see the carpet behind you, on fire.

You panic and quickly fill a bowl with water, and pour that shit on the burning carpet. It goes out, leaving behind a burnt oven mitt. Oven mitts can burn??

You realize soon after that you could’ve used the fire extinguisher instead of making the floor slippy, but you realize too late when you run to help Ouma. You slip and fall, bruising your arm pretty badly.

In the end, you both got your injuries treated and just decided to buy something already cooked at the store to bring. Not only do you have to explain why you brought a store-bought cake, you have to explain the bruise on your arm too, and why Ouma is limping. yeah, you’re screwed qwq

Kiibo

It was a lazy, rainy day and you two were cuddling on the couch, with nothing to do. You both were coming up with ideas other than just cuddling, rejecting them all. Everything was silent, other than the sound of rain hitting the windows, until Kiibo gasped a little and smiled wide.

“S/O, I want you to teach me how to cook!” sweet robot doesn’t know what’s coming,,

His eyes were sparkling like a kid in a candy store and you couldn’t say no..

You both go into the kitchen and you awkwardly look for something that you can cook. You offer teaching him how to cook a microwave meal and he insists on cooking something from scratch… oh god,,

After searching in the cabinets for a couple of minutes, you find a little box of macaroni. You have no idea how to cook this, but it’s better than trying to cook stir fry, or something.

You search up a recipe, and yikes… You might not have all the different types of cheeses in the recipe, but you have slices of cheese for making sandwiches and such, so that’ll do.

You two had to stop by the store to get more butter and… paprika ? That’s what it says in the recipe, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When you get home, you try your best to cook while Kiibo measures the ingredients! You had no idea how he was able to measure ¼ cups of butter, but you just went with it.

You were able to cook the macaroni, but making the rest was a trainwreck. Milk got all over the counter when you accidentally stirred too fast, and you improvised and used a glass bowl instead of a “casserole dish”. You still kept a smile! For Kiibo! He looked a little worried but that’s ok.

You made the mistake of thinking that it wasn’t cooked enough and you burnt it to a crisp… You were also cooking something else (melting butter, I think?) in the frying pan on top of the stove, and Kiibo was looking after it. You picked up the burnt mac and cheese from the oven and-OW!

You burned your hand and knocked the pan on the stove over, melted butter all over the floor along with burnt mac and cheese... Kiibo was screaming the whole time, mostly because you screamed when you burned your hand.

He was more worried about your health than the mess on the floor, and you luckily got the burn properly treated. You two clean up the kitchen and end up cuddling on the couch again.

If you two ever do that again, make sure to put on oven mitts before touching anything burnt...

Ryoma Hoshi (shoutout to levia from the discord server for helping me with this!! qwq)

It’s the day before a really important tennis match! It's probably the most important one of the season. Ryoma isn't too worried about most matches, but for this one, you can hear him saying that he's not as good as he used to be, and that he'll lose this one. You're kind of worried for him, so you try to find a way to bring up his confidence...

You wanna make sure that he has enough energy for tomorrow, so you decide to make dinner for him instead of just getting Mcdonalds or something.

Your eyes travel to the abandoned spaghetti package on the counter, one that you decided to cook one day, but gave up when you picked up the package...

Spaghetti is a good source of energy....right? Well, let's do it!

You pick up the package with determination, and you're ready to cook for Ryoma!

He notices your determined smile and your frilly apron, and walks over to observe... he says that he hasn't watched you cook before, and that he's just curious. You start cooking with him beside you!

Okay, so... you grab a big pot and put it on the stove and fill it with water, just like the directions said... you opened the spaghetti package and some of it fell onto the floor and snapped, but you got most of the noodles into the water. The noodles didn't really fit in the pot, but you think it's okay??

aaa just to be sure, you break up the noodles so that they'd fit in the pot... You turn up the heat and wait for the water to boil.

In the meantime, you decide to doodle and talk to Ryoma until you see the water bubbling... wait! The directions tell you to salt the water, and the salt is on the counter above the stove. Just reeaaach,,,, wait. "S/O--" Ryoma tries to warn you until you look down...

The frills on your apron went a little too close to the fire. You scream and there it goes off of your body, and into the sink. Not only that, the water somehow went over the edge of the pot and went all over the stove, and steam was everywhere around it...

After cleaning up and throwing away your apron, you sigh and make a sandwich in the morning, for him...

You tell him that you're sorry about last night, and that you just wanted to bring up his energy and maybe, his confidence, for this game. You wish him luck and hand him the sandwich.

He looks down at the sandwich and smiles. He gives a quick "Thank you.", puts the sandwich down for later, grabs his tennis racket, and walks onto the court with slight confidence...!

Gonta Gokuhara (i'm sorry in advance qwq)

"S/o, can Gonta learn how to cook for you??" Gonta said with sparkles in his eyes, holding a recipe that Kirumi let him borrow. You were flattered that he wanted to learn from you, and said that you're not good at cooking, but he insisted, saying that a gentleman should cook for his s/o... and you couldn't say no to that pure, determined face...

You took a closer look at the recipe. Waffles... you thought it was rather simple to make, and the kitchen already had the ingredients for it! You told Gonta that you can try teaching him, and he was excited! You got the right ingredients and measuring tools (you think,,>??) and started teaching him how to measure the ingredients, and how to mix them all together. It was all good so far, actually, and you were determined that things will turn out okay in the end! Just for shits and giggles, you put a few drops of blue food dye in the batter, and he said that it looked pretty :>

You grabbed the waffle iron after searching for it in the cupboards, dusted it off...and plugged it in! You told Gonta that it needs time to heat up, and then the batter can go in ! Also, that if it smokes, that means it's bad :v

He watched intently as you opened the waffle iron with an oven mitt and poured the batter in. You thought the expression he was making was really cute, and you couldn't help but giggle a little. The batter overflowed over the iron, but that would just make it fluffier, right? Right... owo"

You pressed the hot waffle iron down, and more batter flowed out of it, and all over the counter... You laughed awkwardly, and said that that's not supposed to happen,,,

You didn't know when to lift the iron back up, but it started smoking after a couple of minutes and you opened it in a panic, hoping that it didn't burn too much!! Gonta gasped and picked you up, saying that he'll protect you from the bad !! Pure boi...

He lets you down after you tell him that it's okay, and yeah, your blue waffles weren't really blue, but completely charred... they were still in the shape of waffles, tho! Aha... You told him that you're really sorry you couldn't really teach him, and that you're not good at cooking.

"It's okay, s/o! Gonta will ask Kirumi-san to teach Gonta and s/o to cook!!" He smiled wide and you gave him a hug. His hugs are always the best, aha... and now, you'll learn how to cook, together! You're excited for it!

#mod angie #i havent posted in forever aaaa qwq #drv3 #danganronpa #ndrv3 #shuichi saihara #rantaro amami #gonta gokuhara #kokichi ouma #kiibo #keebo #k1b0 #ryoma hoshi #korekiyo shinguuji #korekiyo shingujii #kaito momota #ndrv3 imagine #imagines #drv3 imagine

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happy2bmyownboss · 6 years ago

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It seems that every week is a crazy week around here lately and I know that part of that is probably my fault for trying to squeeze so much into my days. It’s definitely a juggling act around here with the kids, homeschooling, square dancing, blogging and the list of things that need to be done to keep up house and I then I add in things like trying to revamp some of our favorite recipes to make them healthier, working a couple of part-time jobs from home to earn a little extra income and trying to start up my own notary business. Yeah, no wonders things are so crazy right? Not to mention I’ve signed up for a multitude of online classes like the Positive Parenting Solutions which has really helped out when I remember to use the tips and tools I’ve been learning about.

Sigh… parenting is hard. When you add the special challenges of raising two special needs children (ODD, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome and a few others) to the mix it can be even harder on some days. It may be because I am making some progress with our class that I am seeing a little bit more rebellion or ‘testing of the waters’ but whatever the reason it has been quite the challenge here lately. It is enough on some days to make a Momma wanna through up her hands in defeat but I know that God is here and He is going to help us all get through this.

The kids have had a blast with this week with our newest Academic Adventure using the Little House on the Prairie book series. We’ve learned about dugout homes, even a whole town that lives underground in Australia, and some other interesting facts about the strange animal that Laura encountered on one of her adventures.

They’ve also learned some important lessons about obeying rules and right now I have a couple of little girls who have lost some privileges and are under constant supervision similar to what Laura experienced at the beginning of our On the Banks of Plum Creek Week 1 Lesson Plans.

The boys also enjoyed learning with Ziggy as they started their All About Reading Level Pre-reading lessons. They also enjoyed reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar which I thought was a good book to go along with our lessons this week.

Another book they are really enjoying is Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature which are reading through as part of our science lessons. It is full of facts and illustrations that they love. The jacket also unfolds to make a huge poster for them to look at. The next best part of their science lessons was looking at bugs with their Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Bugnoculars. (pictured above)

We haven’t finished all of this week’s lessons as this week has been a bit busy and it was hard for some people to get back on the school routine. We still have a few like skills lessons which include our new Herb Fairies books and some dog training lessons from Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days. These might not be things you’d normally expect to find in your school lessons but the kids asked for them so I have included them to keep them interested in learning. Plus we can all benefit from these lessons and I find them pretty enjoying myself.

The best part of our homeschool experience this week is at the bottom of the post so you can keep reading or scroll through to find out what it was.

Getting back the week we’ve had, we had an amazing day at the zoo last weekend followed by a birthday party at my sister’s house. The kids had a lot of fun and a bit too much sugar that day. We had to deal with the after effects for a few days afterward. No fun!

On Monday we had our usual square dance and then back home. Tuesday I decided to make a grocery run with my favorite Walmart Grocery Pickup service. Mr. Awesome had announced that he was starting a new diet after I had already made up my grocery list so that meant we needed to run into the store for a couple of last minute items. I already had the menu planned out as well so I just decided to tweak a few of the recipes to make them a little more diet-friendly and healthier for everyone. Be on the lookout for some upcoming recipes that we have been trying out.

I remembered that I had bought a couple of Trim Healthy Mama books (Trim Healthy Mama Plan and Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook) before so I dug them out and started skimming over them a bit. I also bought the last book, Trim Healthy Mama’s Trim Healthy Table, as I kept finding references to some recipes that weren’t available in the original book. There are several recipes that I want to try and I have been adding some things like collagen, acv, psyllium husk flakes, sunflower lecithin, nutritional yeast to some of my recipes for a little extra health benefit.

I know we can’t undo all these years of unhealthy eating in a day but we can make one change at a time to become a little healthier every day. I also know that my kids will be learning how to eat healthier and hopefully, they will pass some of these habits down to their kids. I’ve added some healthier options to our breakfast menus like omelets with mushrooms and a side of sauteed spinach. While Mr. Awesome passed on the spinach at breakfast I did manage to sneak in some greens and A TON of veggies at dinner time. That’s not potatoes on that plate but you wouldn’t know it if I hadn’t told you.

I’ve also done a lot of food prep so that we would have some healthier choices when we needed a quick meal or snack. We made a few boiled eggs and our own bagged salads for the week. I made one bag special for Mr. Awesome as he said he wasn’t ‘Popeye’ and he didn’t want spinach in his salad.

We cut all the lettuces, a mixture of iceberg and romaine, into bite-size pieces. Then we washed everything and spun it dry in the salad spinner. (You want to make sure it is as dry as possible before bagging it.) We layered a couple of big baggies with a paper towel and carefully placed our lettuce and spinach inside. Then we squeezed out all the air and sealed them. They have been in the fridge all week and still look pretty. (You will also want to change out the paper towel frequently.) The kids really enjoyed practicing some of the kitchen skills they’ve learned and it seems to make them more interested in trying out new things when they are involved in the process.

I also decided to try my hand at making some sourdough bread again. My first starter died when I neglected it a few months ago when I was sick. I wasn’t really feeling like attempting my own so I ordered some San Francisco Sourdough Starter from Amazon. It was quite easy to get the activation started by using the instructions provided. We’ve named our starter ‘Fran’ and she seems to be doing well. We’ve got some dough rising right now so maybe we’ll have a bit of sourdough bread to go with dinner tonight.

The kids are really excited about our new ‘sourdough baby’ and they keep checking up on her to make sure she isn’t hungry … lol. They even wanted to try out a new recipe for muffins using some of the leftover sponge we had from the bread dough. Here’s a couple of pictures of the batter and the finished product:

This recipe still needs a little bit of tweaking but I did manage to use some whole wheat flour with these muffins and I snuck some greens in there as well! The kids said they liked them but personally, I think they need a little something more before I want to share the recipe.

I was also excited to get my Grove order this week as I ordered several items I’ve never tried before. I did get the room spray for FREE and I love that it comes in a reusable glass bottle. You can even order the concentrated sprays to refill it.

The body wash smells amazing and the brushes have helped out a lot with some of the cleaning we’ve been doing around the house. I bought the washing machine cleaner to help get rid of the mildew on the refrigerator seals … yuck. It has helped somewhat but it may need to be used several times to get rid of it completely. I may cave and get some bleach to get rid of it because I just really hate seeing it.

And now for the best part of our week! We had gotten the Insect Lore Deluxe Butterfly Garden with 2 Live Cups of Caterpillars & Feeding Kit at Easter and the kids have really enjoyed watching their little caterpillars grow up. I don’t know if you can see in the first picture but they were small enough to fit on my pinky nail but boy did they grow quickly.

The kids have been excited to observe the whole process but they were also very excited to let them go. This was easier said than done as a couple of them didn’t want to leave their little home. A couple of them have been spotted hanging out near the pond so we still get to see them just not as often as we did before. The kids are begging to this again.

Well, I guess I better finish up here as the boys are begging me to ‘let the dough out of the bowl’ so they can work with it. They already have some plans for bread and jelly when it gets finished!

We just want to wish everyone a very Happy Mother’s Day and we hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Remember that sometimes motherhood, or even parenthood, is not the way we had it pictured that it would be and we can get overwhelmed and stressed but it is so much more rewarding than we could ever hope that it would have been!

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission.

–Thank you!

Cover image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Badgers, Butterflies, and Sourdough It seems that every week is a crazy week around here lately and I know that part of that is probably my fault for trying to squeeze so much into my days.

#amazon #butterfly kit #grocery pickup #grove collaborative #homeschooling #little house on the prairie #mother&039;s day #on the banks of plum creek #positive parenting #sourdough bread #sugar monster #trim healthy mama #Walmart #zoo

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deannawads · 8 years ago

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Homemade chicken stock from garbage?

“Garbage?” you say.

Yes, garbage!

First let me start off by saying I am a writer, but I am also an avid gardener, food preserver, and a general foodie.

And I’m cheap.

I love preserving the old ways of cooking and putting food by, much like the character Phineas in my upcoming Men of Gilead novel, THE RHUBARB PATCH. Check out this cute scene about homemade chicken stock here.

Back to me being cheap. I love to see how much bang I can get for my cooking buck. Would you like to turn that $10 rotisserie chicken and scraps you were gonna pitch into 12-16 pints of stock? At the price of one jar of chicken broth, not only are you getting six helpings of chicken for dinner, but the leftovers gave you $20 bucks worth of FREE broth.

That’s my kinda savings.

Now some of you may compost, so what I am calling “garbage” might not be garbage to you. I compost too, but I found a better use for some of my kitchen scraps.

The “garbage” I’m referring to is the leftover chicken or turkey carcass(skin, fat and cartilage too), ham or beef bones and all your mirepoix peelings and scraps.

What is mirepoix? Check it out here: http://ift.tt/1JX4ujV Basically it’s celery, onion, and carrots. I believe Emeril called it the Holy Trinity of most dishes.

Now, if like me, you buy whole carrots because it’s cheaper and the flavor is better for cooking than baby carrots, then you have to peel them.

But don’t shove those peels or the green tops down your garbage disposal!

Bag of “garbage” scraps

Take every single one of them and stash them in a gallon freezer bag and put them in your freezer. Same for the celery butts and leaves, or just wilted celery that isn’t rotten but you don’t wanna eat. And the thick onion skins? Toss those in your freezer bag too. Just make note that the papery peels will make the stock cloudy. Personally I don’t care, but you might.

Now I take it a step beyond the basic mirepoix and save the tiny butts of my garlic and those green stalks that often grow inside the bulbs and toss those in my “garbage” freezer bag too. Also leeks and scallions are good to save. And the stems from your fresh herbs? Don’t leave those out! Heck, I’ve even saved parsnip, turnip, and beet peels too.

*NOTE* Don’t use cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cabbage. And avoid tomatoes and asparagus. It’ll ruin your stock.There are mixed thoughts on potato peels. Adding a few will thicken the broth, but too many will ruin it. I’ve never used any of these ingredients myself. If I’m making a roasted veggie stock I will save a few hot or bell peppers, but be careful as they can overpower the flavor of your stock too.

I’ve added lemons after squeezing them too. Sometimes I freeze them separate for free pectin in my jellies (I don’t like to waste) but one or two halves in a chicken stock brightens the flavor nicely.

Now after dutifully saving all these scraps, you can roast them with some olive oil and make veggie stock. Whether you’re vegetarian or not, this broth is DYNAMITE to cook rice or quinoa in. But if you want this trendy “bone broth” (aka known to the rest of us folks as grandma’s homemade stock) the next time you have a carcass you’ll be ready to go.

Mmmm! It makes the house smell so good!

Don’t you just love having a nice reason to say carcass?

No? Just me, eh? LOL

I make my stock in a crock pot. There’s really no point in doing it any other way, IMO. It’s just sooooo easy!

For the sake of this post, I’m making chicken stock, but if you have beef bones, make sure they have been roasted first, same with the veggies.

Step 1: Save all your scraps in the freezer: mirepoix, herb stems, garlic butts etc.

Step 2: You have a carcass! Yay! Now put it in your slow cooker, skin, fat, gunk in the bottom of the pan, drippings and any of that clear jelly like stuff too. Now don’t be squeamish, there’s lots of nutrients in there which are good for body, especially your hair, skin, and nails. (Do I have your attention now?)

Step 3: Dump in some of your frozen “garbage.” Leave enough space that the cooker is no more than 2/3 full.

Step 4: Cover with filtered water

Step 5: Add 1TBS cider vinegar. This breaks down the bones and helps leech out more nutrients. Let it sit an hour.

Step 6: Add salt to taste. Don’t skip the salt, you’ll regret it.

Step 7: Turn slow cooker to low…..I shouldn’t think I have to tell you to put the lid on now, but there ya go.

Step 8: Forget about it!

I cook my broth a minimum of 24 hours and have let it go as long as four days, adding water as I needed. Seriously, the four day broth was soooooo rich! Like liquid consomme. Now you can do 12 hours, but you will see that most of the bones and skin are still intact after that, thus leaving a lot of nutrients behind.So if you want all those healthy nutrients from the bones, cook it longer. I usually do 48 hours.

Step 9: When you’re done cooking, strain the broth well, making sure to get out all pieces of bone and veggie. What do you do with all the skin, cooked veggies and bones?

You didn’t think I was gonna say throw it away, did you?

You’re so silly!

The point of not wasting anything….. is NOT WASTING ANYTHING. After you strain the stock, add all the junk back to the crock pot and make another batch for a lighter stock. I may or may not add fresh veggies in at this point. You can cook a third batch until the bones disintegrate if you want, I’ve done that too.

Step 10: Cool your stock if you plan to skim the fat. I almost never do this unless it’s ham bone stock.Your stock should be a rich brown, not yellow.

You have three options:

See how rich and brown it is?

A. Use it within a week (storing it in the fridge, duh)

B. Freeze it for up to six months

C. Can it, my usual go to.

If you’ve cooled your stock, bring it back to a boil before canning. Now its the time to taste it, see if you need more salt.

You will need a pressure canner to can any homemade stock, including the veggie stock.

DO NOT WATER BATH

Unless you are planning on poisoning your family. Then by all means, water bath away!

Here are Ball’s instructions:

http://ift.tt/2ks2qHp

Stock can keep for a year, but I promise you that it won’t last that long. You’ll never be able t have chicken soup again without it LOL

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I hope you found this helpful. Please post a comment, share this post and check out my other fun things I’m doing on the interweb!

And stay tuned for THE RHUBARB PATCH, coming summer 2017 from Dreamspinner Press.

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from Homemade chicken stock from garbage?

#Homemade chicken stock from garbage? Deanna Wadsworth

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