#lemon zest is EXPENSIVE

[shatterthefragments]

With the shittiest filleting I’ve ever done I made salmon with asparagus and hollandaise (I’m going to wait until dad’s not sick and has more of an appetite again before making lemon caper sauce salmon) and it’s really good :) (even though I left the salmon in the oven for longer bc I was still needing to whisk the hollandaise)

I got the brown free range eggs (still on sale thankfully) specifically to make hollandaise with 😌

Now to. Devour the flesh that remains on the bones (mum will Eviscerate the poor fish to make sure there are no bones so this part’s for me!) (the plate shown is mum’s bc she’s still on the phone and I’m nearly finished my plate portion)

Ah yes and now that I have a bunch of egg whites (and some uh. Mixed egg oops. I’ll probably try to make meringues or marshmallows or something?)

[amaxantys]

please put a lil nutmeg in ur sugar cookies yum yummy

[kcrossvine-art]

Hi friends! Just a day after this years Yule and a few days out from Christmas, regardless of what you celebrate during this winter months, we're gonna be cooking a tangy tango between two traditional english staples-

Yule Plum Pudding and Wassail from Lord of the Rings Online!

(You can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to this Yule Plum Pudding?” YOU MAY ASKPlum Pudding is not a "pudding" as us americans think of it; its closer to a fruitcake but less shit.

Cranberries

White raisins

Macerated prunes (in brandy)

Chopped candied peel

Blanched almonds

All-purpose flour

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Cloves

Sugar

Breadcrumbs

Lemon zest

Unsalted butter

Eggs

Whole milk

Half a bottle of brandy

It also doesnt contain any capital-P plums! it actually does contain plums im so fucking stupid i never connected the dots that prunes were dried plums oh my god. But they still ued any dried fruit, and "Plum" here is just referring to any dried fruit. And what about the birth of todays wassail?

4 cooking apples

2 pears

Brown sugar

Cinnamon sticks

2 lemons

A bottle of sherry

The other half bottle of brandy

Wassail is very similar to apple cider drank in the fall, with a few differences like the addition of pears and different alcohol source. It was commonly drank while "wassailing" which was a Yuletide predecessor to christmas carolling. People would go door-to-door with a big bowl of wassail, play music, and give well wishes- offering drinks from the wassail in return for small gifts!

AND, “what does Yule Plum Pudding and Wassail taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASK

The puddings like a fruitcake but if a fruit cake tasted good and wasnt a brick

Its thick and rich, and somehow actually tastes like plum despite that not being intended or making sense

I love the macerated prunes so much. Juicy berries to forage for. Enrichment

The icings reminiscent of buttercream but more savory than sweet

The wassail is like drinking the golden edges off the clouds at sunset

Its got a little bit of the dryness from the sherry that makes your mouth water the moment you stop drinking it

You just want to keep drinking more to sate yourself

Even without eggs its surprisingly full bodied and thick

I had to make a few substitutions from traditional elements due to either being not available or too expensive, but with a little problem-solving nothing was too hard to do.

. Used a bundt cake pan instead of a pudding tin .  Suet (animal fat) was historically used for plum pudding. I couldnt find any and used butter instead . Used golden delicious apples when called for . Used concorde pears when called for . Some wassail recipes fold in egg whites before serving, to make the drink creamier. I didnt do this, but if you do, the recommendation to drink it fresh still stands (and strongly)

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I gotta admit, I was nervous approaching this recipe. Not only because I didn't own and couldnt find a "pudding tin" without ordering online, or because the concept of steaming a pastry(?) feels foreign and odd, but also because of how old and storied this dish is. You always run into the issue with historical foods who date back to the times where oral history was the only history. The issue of people being combative that their recipe is the only true variant of the recipe, and all the others are mucking the whole thing up.

Its good to remember that like with most dishes, cooking is something that evolved and continues to evolve overtime. Unless someones trying to rewrite history and claim that ants on a log is a creme brule in which case you should run them over with a '98 Pontiac Sunfire.

Theres a few things I'd do differently when cooking again, like chopping the blanched almonds. They were a bit too big when left whole. And adding some amount of heavy cream to the icing? Maybe? To give it a fluffier/milkier feel? But the proces of cooking itself was very straightforward and I have no real complaints or modifications to make. When having leftovers of the pudding it did seem to "mature" and taste better and better the more days i kept it in the fridge, so thats something to keep in mind! But it tastes great a day after all the same.

I give this recipe a solid 10/10 (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) Happy winter everyone! Congrats to another year of staying alive!

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Yule Plum Pudding Ingredients:

16oz cranberries

12oz white raisins

9oz macerated prunes

4oz chopped candied peel (any fruit)

2oz blanched, chopped almonds

4oz all-purpose flour

Measure spices with your heart (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves)

8oz granulated sugar

8oz fresh white breadcrumbs

lemon zest (one lemon)

4oz grated unsalted butter

4 eggs

8oz whole milk

Pudding Icing Ingredients:

1½oz unsalted butter

1½oz all-purpose flour

10½oz whole milk

3oz granulated sugar

2 tablespoons brandy

Yule Plum Pudding Method:

A week before making, macerate your prunes in brandy.

Mix together all the dried fruit, peel, and almonds. Sieve flour and spices together then add to the fruit mixture along with the sugar, breadcrumbs, rind, and grated butter.

Beat eggs and then blend with 8oz of milk.

Stir the egg/milk mixture to incorporate into the dry ingredients. Add prunes, and stir some more.

Put batter into a well-buttered pudding basin, with parchment paper to cover.

Get a large pot and place a kitchen towel or something similar at the bottom- then place the pudding basin on top of the towel, inside the large pot.

Fill the outer pot with water until it’s halfway up the side, cover the pot with a lid (or foil).

Steam on the stovetop at 210f for 4-6 hours depending on size of pudding basin. If the water gets too low, add a bit more.

After steaming, uncover and allow to cool to room temperature. Do not remove it from the pudding basin! Cover with fresh parchment paper and foil and store in a cool, dry place for at least a day.

(optional) to reheat; steam for 40-80 minutes, until warmed through.

Pudding Icing Method:

Place butter in a medium saucepan with the flour, pour in the milk then whisk everything vigorously together over a medium heat.

As soon as it comes to simmering point and has thickened, turn the heat to its lowest setting, stir in the sugar, and let the sauce cook for 10 minutes.

Add the brandy and stir to mix. Keep warm until required.

Wassail Ingredients:

4 cooking apples

2 pears

Brown sugar

4 Cinammon sticks

2 lemon

1 bottle of Sherry

½ bottle of Brandy

Wassail Method:

Core the apples and pears, leave the rest intact, and set in a baking pan. Fill the hollow centers with brown sugar.

Add about an inch of water to the pan and bake at 350f for 30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft.

Move the fruit to a large pot, add a bottle of sherry, half a bottle of brandy, lemon peel, and 4 large cinnamon sticks. (Feel free to use less booze!)

Bring the pot to a simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain before serving!

[mistydeyes]

perfumes i think the 141 boys enjoy

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summary: Scent is one of the most powerful senses, so what kind of fragrance do the 141 boys + Alejandro like on their significant other?

pairing: 141 x Reader

warnings: none

a/n - i also work for a perfume company so I've had a couple of ideas about what scents the boys like :)

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price - loves expensive, smokey scents on anyone. imagine the scents of a fresh cigar-that's what price wants in a fragrance. notes like pepper, leather, tobacco, cedar wood, and iris will make him crumble.

masculine

oud wood - tom ford notes: oud wood, sandalwood, chinese pepper

osmanthe kodoshan - maison crivelli notes: leather, tobacco, sichuan pepper, apricot, peach

functional fragrance - the nue co. notes: cardamom, iris, palo santo, cilantro

unisex

hinoki fantôme - boy smells notes: tobacco leaves, oak moss, and smoked leather

jazz club - maison marigela notes: pink pepper, rum, tobacco

lumière d’iris - veronique gabai notes: rose, iris, cedarwood, amber

feminine

baccarat rouge 540 - maison francis kurkdjia notes: jasmine, ambergris, saffron, cedar wood

cuir béluga - guerlain notes: leather, powder, vanilla

platinum 22 - floris london notes: rose, violet leaf, blackcurrant, oat, black tea

soap - woodsy, floral scents are soap's surprising pick. it brings back memories of the scottish countryside, adventuring in the woods and smelling the fresh flowers his mam had. notice notes of herbs (sage, rosemary, mint), lavender, and violet.

masculine

sauvage - dior notes: pepper, amberwood, bergamot, powder

h24 - hermès notes: clary sage, narcissus, rosewood

new york wall street - bond no.9 notes: sea kale, cucumber, lavender, ambergris, vetiver

unisex

voodoo chile - dries van noten notes: rosemary, patchouli, hemp

libre - yves saint laurent notes: lavender, musk

dirty grass - heretic notes: black pepper, lemon, hemp, violet

feminine

melancholy thistle - jo malone london notes: thistle, english ivy, cool wood

portrait of a lady - frédéric malle notes: frankincense, black currant, raspberry, patchouli

la tulipe - byredo notes: tulips, cyclamen, fressia, rhubarb

gaz - FLORAL CITRUS will make this man fall in love with you. it reminds him of a warm summer day sitting in the grass and smelling flowers. look for summery fragrances with notes of citrus, lemon, sage, and fresh herbs.

masculine

bleu de chanel - chanel notes: citrus, labdanum, sandalwood, cedar

polo black - ralph lauren notes: iced mango, lemon, tangerine, sandalwood, sage, patchouli

l'homme - yves saint laurent notes: bergamot, ginger, cedar wood, vetiver

unisex

cactus garden - louis vuitton notes: maté, bergamot, lemongrass

velvet cypress - dolce & gabbana notes: pine, lemon zest, bergamot, clary sage

eau de campagne - sisley notes: grass, citrus, herbs, jasmine, lily of the valley

feminine

brazilian crush cheirosa 62 - sol de janeiro notes: pistachio, almond, sandalwood, heliotrope, jasmine

her blossom - burberry notes: mandarin, plum blossom, sandalwood

flora gorgeous jasmine - gucci notes: mandarin, jasmine, magnolia, sandalwood

ghost - likes a light, musky scent! he loves when a scent adds to a person's natural smell (he hates sugary, gourmand scents). ingredients like musk, ambrox, pepper, sandalwood catch his eye as he pictures fresh sheets and a rainfall in a forest.

masculine

geranium pour monsieur - frédéric malle notes: mint, aniseed, sandalwood, geranium, frankincense

atlantis - blu atlas notes: orris, oak moss, violet, musk, ambrette seed

gentleman - givenchy notes: pear, lavender, patchouli

unisex

glossier you - glossier notes: pink pepper, iris, ambrette seeds, ambrox

not a perfume - juliette has a gun notes: ambergris

santal 33 - le labo notes: violet cardamom, cedar wood, iris, ambrox

feminine

missing person - phlur notes: musk, bergamot, jasmine, neroli, sandalwood

golden nectar - nest notes: florals, orchid, amber, musk

apollonia - xerjoff notes: white floral, orris butter, white musk

extra! alejandro - if ghost likes it simple and light, then alejandro is the exact opposite. he loves when he can smell someone's fragrance across the room. focus on bold fragrances with spicy notes of nutmeg, myrrh, and rum that is mixed with the gourmand of vanilla, almond, and tonka bean.

masculine

the last day of summer - gucci notes: cedarwood, cypress, nutmeg, patchouli, vetiver

bibliothèque - byredo notes: peach, peony, violet, leather, patchouli, vanilla

london myrrh & tonka - jo malone notes: almond, vanilla, myrrh, lavender, honey

unisex

tobacco vanille - tom ford notes: tonka bean, vanilla. cacao

dark rum - malin + goetz notes: anise, plum, leather, rum, patchouli, amber

tao dao - diptyque notes: sandalwood, cedar, cypress, myrte

feminine

lost cherry - tom ford notes: black cherry, tonka bean, almond

brazil aroma - costa notes: white jungle flora, orange oil, pink pepper, bourbon, vetiver, patchouli

babylon - penhaligon's notes: saffron, nutmeg, coriander, cedar wood, vanilla, cypriol

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[deathnguts]

What I think marauders era peeps smell like:

Regulus: green apple, mint, black tea, ink, rain but specifically that which falls during a thunderstorm

Barty: axe cologne (loser) and cigarettes drowning out all else, but patchouli and lime if you catch him at the right time and you’re close enough

Evan: sandalwood, vetiver, iron, some stupid expensive cologne that smells distinctly clean overall like latex almost

Pandora: burnt sage, jasmine tea, moss, ginger, dandelions, boiled lemongrass

Dorcas: bluebells scented perfume, vanilla, blackberry, castor oil

Lily: strawberry shortcake perfume, daffodils, cardamom, white sand

James: cinnamon, leather, cedarwood

Sirius: bergamot, pine, amaretto, small hints of coffee

Remus: bitter dark chocolate, firewood, old paper, but a rusty twinge overall

Peter: eucalyptus oil, oat milk, lychee

Marlene: old spice deodorant, orange, sea salt

Mary: Apple blossom perfume, coconut, nutmeg, amber

Alice: rosemary, lily of the valley flowers, cloves, wind through the forest

Frank: mechanic oil, sesame, freshly cut wood, sheep wool

Sybill: lavender, morning dew, pollen, dust, labdanum

Narcissa: green tea, yellow roses, lemon zest

Lucius: narcissus flowers, cucumber, agarwood cologne that masks it all

[enchantedchocolatebars]

🥧 Crumbs And A Smile 🥧

Original story

Ao3 version

Pie recipe

A small slice of maple buttermilk pie sat idly on a plate at the supper table as Philip and Caleb hovered over it with hungry smiles on their faces while holding forks in their hands.

Their excited eyes started to sparkle as both boys stared down at the rich dessert before them.

The pie looked so perfect and well-made.

Its flaky and tender gold crust was complemented by the creamy custard filling, which was pure and smooth thanks to the well-mixed blend of brown sugar and maple syrup.

To enhance the pie's tanginess and sweetness, both lemon zest and cane sugar were sprinkled on top as a finishing touch.

When it came to pie, Philip and Caleb shared a similar fondness for the food.

However, the dessert was quite costly in the Puritan town of Gravesfield.

A single slice cost the boys all of their income that they had earned last week from their butter business.

But, in a way, the expense was worthwhile since maple buttermilk pie was their favorite treat.

Plus, purchasing the ingredients to bake their own at home was a no-go since Philip was far too little to use or be near the oven, and Caleb's baking skills weren't exactly the best at his age.

"Caleb, Caleb, Caleb!" Philip began as his voice chimed with such excitement.

"Who gets the first bite, huh?" he asked, eagerly wanting to know as he inquired the question to his brother a second time. "Who, who! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Philip was unable to cease his buoyant bouncing.

This causes Caleb to let out a chuckle at his hyperactive little brother as he smiled a gentle smile at him, closing his eyes.

"Well," the blonde began. "I figured we'd cut the piece into two equal halves so that we both get one. That way, it's fair!" Caleb said, finishing his sentence in a tone that was both cheerful and calm.

His brown eyes begin to open back up again.

They spot Philip and soon take note of his messy, new appearance.

The brunette's mouth was now covered with pie as nothing but crumbs remained on the plate.

"Yay!" Philip cheered. "When do we get to do that?" he innocently asked, licking his lips.

Caleb was taken aback by his brother's rapid eating.

He didn't hear a single chewing sound come from him when his eyes were shut.

In spite of the slight shock, however, he chuckled, ruffling the pie theif's hair some.

"Hmm," he hummed. "Perhaps maybe next time, if someone doesn't decide to go gobbling it all down," Caleb answered, gently scolding his brother while sending him a stern look that was laced with playfulness.

Philip giggled with a grin, showing off all his teeth, which had bits of pie stuck in them.

Caleb could feel his teeth ache at the sweet sight.

This leads him to chuckle a third time

As sweet as the piece of pie could have been in his mouth, nothing was sweeter to Caleb than seeing Philip smile.

He would rather see him happy than have all the sweets in the world.

[inaconstantstateofchange]

back at you though, drinks edition? a type of drink you couldn't do without, that is your go to for any occasion? give us the specific deets, recipe if needed

oh no you've activated my trap card i love drinks

okay so special occasion drink: brown sugar boba (50% ice 50% sweet) but specifically from the tea shop close-ish to my house. it's expensive so i don't go often but holy shit. they use actual proper tea and fresh-as-hell boba and it's just. it's so good, i think anything from there would be insanely worth it (but i've never bothered to branch out from perfection).

my daily bev: i can't be too specific on brand without lowkey doxxing myself a tad, but there's a local company that does this flavored black tea with cornflower, raspberry, red plum petals, and blueberry, and it's just. it's incredible. mellow and rich and lightly (but not overwhelmingly) floral and fruity. i have it every single day and i'm convinced it is the perfect tea.

and two other faves because you asked for recipes:

strawberry (cheong) lemonade: okay so this is more effort than truly necessary, but i went to one of those u-pick strawberry places last summer and then the cultivar fucking sucked so they weren't even good, so i made cheong with them, which is a korean fruit syrup/preserve you make by layering equal amounts of fruit and sugar in a jar and letting them sit (i put them in the fridge just to be safe) for a few weeks.

the end result is preserves that you can blend into a bangin' spread and a fruit syrup that is like the nectar of the fucking gods. i didn't think it would make a huge difference doing it that way rather than a typical heat-based reduction, but it tastes like fresh strawberries. you don't lose any of that to it breaking down via heat treatment, so similar to the difference between a cold brew and a heat-based one.

anyway those mixed with lemonade (i make a concentrate using half lemons and half regular lemon juice, and include some lemon zest) makes one of the best summer drinks i've ever had.

i'm adding a cut for the last one because i can't/won't stop now but i have some self-awareness. okay, last one:

vanilla chai: i haven't made this in a bit, because when i moved here i ended up using up my stock of cardamom, and the local brand available here is just... not it, and i'm still trying to work out the most cost-effective way to order them online. which is devastating, because cardamom is the flavor most beloved to me in chai. anyway-

the thing that rocks about chai is that it is not actually all that hard, and you can customize it so specifically to your taste. my go-to add-ins are cardamom (5-6 pods, crushed open), cloves (2-3), cinnamon (about half a stick, crushed a lil), fresh ginger (idk how to measure this one, like an inch or two?), and vanilla. i used to use vanilla bean paste i got ages ago as a gift, but that is too rich for the world we live in nowadays, so it's whatever vanilla i have.

technically there's a specific kind of tea you're supposed to use, but i prefer it with regular loose-leaf black tea (which i always have on hand anyway). so you basically get a small pot, and bring your water (about half to 3/4 of your mug) to a boil. once it does, add your tea leaves and spices (not vanilla tho) and let them vibe out there for 5-10 minutes.

then, add your milk (about half of your mug) and vanilla, and warm to desired temp, but don't let it boil (this is my personal preference). add desired amount of sugar to your mug (i usually do a small spoonful of white and a small spoonful of brown sugar) and pour the chai into the mug through a fine mesh sieve (to get out the spice bits). if you have a milk frother, i like to aerate it a bit before drinking (improves flavor and also makes it less likely to burn your tongue).

[librarisxng]

ATEEZ SMALL PERFUME REVIEW: FREDERIC MALLE — EAU DE MAGNOLIA

disclaimer: this is not meant to be a serious perfume review, this is something fun for me to do as I love perfume. each and every one of us have different tastes and preferences when it comes to fragrances. what works for me might not work for you, vice versa. I’ll try my best to describe the scents but I will always suggest for you to go and smell them yourself before purchase. if you want to try these perfumes, please test or get a sample before committing to the bottle. picture credits to all owners.

ateez member: yeosang

fragrance family: woody floral

notes:

top — lemon, grapefruit, bergamot

heart — magnolia, vetiver, jasmine, calone

base — oakmoss, patchouli

my scent experience:

it opens very citrusy with the lemon and bergamot, almost like an air freshner in your aunty’s bathroom type of citrus. once it settles, you can definitely smell the magnolia and jasmine but citrus top notes do linger — basically white florals with a little bit of zest. the dry down is still floral but it’s a little earthy, most likely from the oakmoss and I don’t smell the patchouli so that’s good. the best way I could describe this scent is being in a florist and someone wipes down the counter with lysol.

the projection isn’t the best one. you can hardly smell it unless you stick your nose onto your arm or wherever you applied it. the longevity is alright, it lasted for about 3 hours on me which for a Frederic Malle perfume, doesn’t sound too good.

additional notes from me:

the first time I ever smelt this perfume was actually in my hotel room in Milan — the hotel’s hair and body products had used this exact scent. now everytime I smell this perfume, it feels like I’m back in Milan I miss that place so much. I’m so tempted to buy the bottle because it reminds me of the city but I haven’t just yet. I don’t remember the scent being like how I described it but maybe it’s because the concentration differs between the products and if I’m being honest, I’m glad I didn’t buy a bottle. it’s not one that I would reach for unfortunately.

who would I recommend this to?

anyone who likes white florals and citrus perfumes.

those who want something light and are willing to splurge on an expensive fragrance.

anyone who wanted to try Frederic Malle perfumes.

if you’ve made it to the end, thank you for reading this review! this house was one that interested me for the longest time and I’m glad I got to review some of their fragrances before purchasing a bottle. this is also my 10th review! we’ve officially hit the double digits. let me know which fragrances you want me to review next!

review written by librarisxng 2024

[luminiscandleco]

Coming Saturday, July 15, at 12 pm Pacific time...

"TURNABOUT," an Ace Attorney-inspired collection!!

This collection features 8 scents inspired by Ace Attorney characters, available both as candles and snap bar-style wax melts.

Scent descriptions and more photos under the cut!

"Objection!" - Phoenix Wright: A woody, slightly spicy scent that opens with peppercorn, cedar, and orange zest. Heart notes of sandalwood, jasmine, neroli, and cashmere are followed by a resinous base accented with vetiver and Cabernet grape.

"Unnecessary Feelings" - Miles Edgeworth: A rich, luxurious blend. Top notes of orange bitters and rock salt ease into freshly waxed mahogany wood and pink pepper, all wrapped up in a smooth base of oakmoss, paprika, bourbon, and tonka bean.

"Hamburgers and Ramen" - Maya Fey: Sweet and girlish, this scent begins with grapefruit, bergamot, thyme, and sweet pea. White tea, nutmeg, rose, and honey form the heart notes, and are followed by tuberose and jasmine.

"Chords of Steel" - Apollo Justice: A strong scent with a kick of spice. Top notes of bergamot, ginger, and lemon mingle with cardamom, nutmeg, rose, and incense. Woods, labdanum, amber, and musk linger at the base.

"Courtroom Air Guitar" - Klavier Gavin: A balanced scent reminiscent of expensive cologne. Sea spray, eucalyptus, and citrus zest provide an ozonic opening combination, warmed by heart notes of cashmere, florals, and earthy mint. Cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, and amber musk complete the blend.

"Impromptu Psychoanalysis" - Athena Cykes: Bright notes of lemon, lime, citrus peel, and lemongrass jump-start this blend, followed by a calmer heart of jasmine, sugar, and blackcurrant. A simple patchouli and powder base holds the medley together.

"Gallery Fopdoodles" - Simon Blackquill: An earthy blend that opens with palm leaf and coffee, blending into oak, leather, patchouli, and caramel middle notes. Bottom tones of smoked vanilla, whiskey, and dried woods leave a lasting impression.

"Weaponized Prayer Beads" - Nahyuta Sahdmadhi: Soft and delicate, this scent's top notes of aloe, citrus zest, and milky ambrette unfold into a smooth heart of bamboo, green leaves, tuberose, and temple incense. Tonka bean, vanilla, sheer musk, and teakwood add depth for the finishing touch.

This collection has been bouncing around in my noggin for about two years, and now it is finally time to release it into the wild.

Everything will become available on my website promptly at noon on July 15; quantities are limited, so be there or be square!!

also maybe keep an eye out for a DGS/GAA collection in the future

[stickthisbig]

I was in a mood about how being a broke kid never actually leaves you and despite the fact I'm almost 40, I still deal with behaviors that stem directly from that, but then it got depressing, so this is my technique for making berries last longer/prepping them for freezing:

Buy them cheap in bulk when they're on sale. Kroger's got them for $7/3 packs right now, which is right about the price point I want them for. These are probably going to be pretty long in the tooth, so plan to prep them right away. You can also do this with stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc).

Wash the berries right away, then cut off any nasty bits. If there is any mold at all, throw the whole berry away, do not try to save it. If it's just that they're bruised or a little withered, those are salvageable. You don't have to look at them and you don't have to feel the slightly unpleasant squish; it'll be cooked. For strawberries, give them a rough chop at this point. If it makes you feel better, rinse them again.

Transfer to a small saucepan. You absolutely do not want to be able to see the bottom of the pan. If they're pretty juicy, you can just let them go, but if they're drier (blueberries), start by adding about 1/4-1/2 cup water. You also need to add sugar at this point. You want regular white sugar. Add 1-2 tablespoons now.

At this point if you want any additions, here they go. Orange flower water can add flavor; you can also use lemon or lime juice (helps preserve color) or citrus zest (remove before packing). With strawberries, I find that a splash of gin really opens up the flavor, but that's optional. Remember that you can always put stuff in later, but you can't take stuff out.

Cook the berries, covered, on the stove over low heat. It takes way longer than you think, so add water if they're not breaking down into a sauce. I usually do 20 minute intervals. Anything in a small saucepan can bubble over really quickly, so don't go out of earshot. If you intend to freeze them for smoothies, cook them for less time; if you want to make a desert sauce, cook them for longer.

Cook them until your heart says that they're done. I cannot make that call for you. Please know that firmer berries just won't break down. If you want a smooth blueberry sauce, it's more steps.

Once the berries are at the consistency you want, it's time for the coating the back of a spoon test. If you've never done this, take a room temperature metal spoon and swirl it around (you should have a lot of liquid at this point). Pull it out, wait a few seconds, then draw a line across the spoon with the pad of your finger. If that line remains there, congrats, you're done. If it's too wet, turn up the heat, push the berries to the sides of the pan to reveal as much of the juice as possible, and add sugar a teaspoon at a time to create a reduction.

Remove the berries from the heat and let them rest until cool. If you want a smooth pureed sauce, drop them into a food processor, with the optional step of straining out the solids afterwards. If you want a fruit preparation that's good for dropping into yogurt, oatmeal, etc, put it in a tupperware and stick it in the fridge. If you want it frozen so you can put it straight into a blender, put it in a, and I cannot stress this enough, cheap tupperware and whack it in the freezer.

Is all this worth it? I'm paying $2.33 for 16 oz of fresh blueberries and a 16 oz bag of frozen blueberries is $4.99, so, unequivocally yes, even if the fresh berries are regular price ($3.29). Once you know this technique, it's maybe 20 minutes to set it up if you have just the worst berries, then it's something you just leave on the stove to do its thing. You also know exactly what's in it, unlike any jarred fruit sauce you're gonna buy. I don't typically mix kinds of berries if I'm starting from fruit I bought for purpose? But I often do if it's just that I looked in my fridge and went "shit, those berries were so expensive and they're gonna go off."

Please use this knowledge for your berry purposes. Couple scoops of frozen berries, couple tablespoons of yogurt, drizzle of honey, splash of milk, a little ice, optional protein powder, blend it up and you've got a treat.

[bakingtherapy]

Breakfast with Cordelia #11 Lemon Yellow Squash Bread

Sul Sul, gerbits. Today we are going to be experimenting with a very known vegetable during the summer season. Some may even know this vegetable as a Summer squash, but it is called a yellow squash. And we are going to be making it into a bread.

More specifically, a lemon yellow squash bread.

First things first, you are going to preheat your oven to 350℉. 

The recipe will be in the description down below.

You are going to mix your dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking powder. And set it aside until you need it again.

In a larger bowl, you are going to beat your eggs. After that, you are going to add the oil and sugar until they are well blended.

Then you will add your lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together. 

If you do not have buttermilk, or if it is too expensive in your local grocery store, you can make it yourself. You will need about 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir them together and let them stand for 5 minutes. Just a warning, this mixture will not look very appetizing but it is in fact buttermilk. 

Fold in the yellow squash until it is mixed well. Make sure to only use 1 cup of the squash. And fold it in well.

The next thing you need to do is add the dry ingredients to the mixture that has the yellow squash. 

Pour the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan, or equally into a muffin tin. They taste really good as muffins. 

For a loaf pan bake for 50-60 minutes. If you are using a muffin tin bake for about 10 minutes, then switch the two pans, and add 10 more minutes.

While the bread is still warm, make the glaze. Which just consists of powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Let the glaze set before cutting and serving. It doesn’t take that long if you are using muffins.

This bread was a hit! A Lot of my family thought that I had made just a normal lemon bread. That there wasn’t anything else in it. However, once I told them that there was a yellow squash in it, they were shocked. They thought it tasted like lemon poppy seed bread. It is a bread that I am going to make more than once. 

I hope you all liked this experimental recipe. Make sure to like and subscribe for more unique recipes in the future. Vadish, Dag Dag!

Show the original author some 💖💖💖 Beautiful Life and Home

Printable version of this recipe: on the blog

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[sniffanimal]

Hey boss do you have an actual recipe for that gyro bowl? Or do you just cook by vibes? Literally have been thinking about that thang for a whole day, lol

So, I've cooked *similar* things from recipe but I was going off pure vibes alone, BUT I can type up what I did in a sort of recipe-esque format for you! This may not be 1:1 exactly what I cooked, but it might be close?

Recipe for Donnie's Gyro Bowl below:

Ingredience (amount of each fed 3 people in excess, so maybe 4 servings?):

1lb Ground Lamb (can be omitted for a vegetarian friendly recipe, or changed for Protein Of Choice)

2 roma tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 zucchini

2 cans of chickpeas

1 large white onion

Dill weed (I ended up having to get dry, but fresh is better!)

Pearl Couscous (1 box, was roughly 2 cups of dry couscous)

greek yogurt (1 little cup of it)

1 lemon, or a decent amount of lemon juice

white wine vinegar

feta

"tuscan seasoning blend" which seems to be mostly basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and fennel.

"taco seasoning" which I used mostly for its cayenne, i would have liked to use paprika and cayenne together instead of relying on taco mix

Garlic powder (again, would have liked at least minced garlic if not fresh)

onion powder

red pepper flakes

Olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper

preheat oven to 400f. Dice tomato and zucchini (keeping them separate), and halve then slice thinly the onion. Zest and halve the lemon then juice into a bowl/cup. Dice half the cucumber, then grate the other half on the medium/large size holes on a box grater (or really finely chop it into mush).

Put the diced cucumber and half the tomatoes in a bowl and add half a cup of white wine vinegar and some warm water. Add a few tsp of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Dill. Allow to quick pickle while everything else cooks.

drain chickpeas well and mix in a bowl with olive oil and what feels like the right amount of tuscan seasoning and taco mix powder. the peas should look well coated but not like Caked with Seasoning. Toss to mix and then spread out in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for ~25 minutes depending on your oven. They might make popping sounds while cooking, be not afraid.

Melt a little butter in a pot and then add the couscous to toast it a bit before adding the same amount in water and then a little extra, maybe 1/4 cup extra. Stir in a generous amount of garlic and onion powders and boil for uhhh a bit until all the water has been absorbed. If couscous is undercooked and all the water is absorbed then add some more and cook until done. Keep warm until ready to serve.

In another pan, melt a bit more butter then add the lamb, stirring to break it up and brown it. I added a lot of the seasonings in different amounts, and some chili pepper flakes. Once cooked through, add half the tomato to cook with it. Once the tomato is soft and the lamb is fully cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm.

To the ~juices~ from the cooked lamb in the pan, add the zucchini and onion and cook well until the zucchini is soft and charred and the onions are soft. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Dill. Add more butter or oil if you didn't have any animal fats left over from meat.

To the greek yogurt, add the shredded cucumber, some lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and taste to see if it's balanced.

To serve, put a layer of couscous at the bottom of the bowl, followed by chickpeas, the meat mix, the cooked veggies, the cucumber tomato salad, and then tzatziki sauce. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

The dish has such a mix of great flavors and textures and temperatures and heat and cream and lemon sour and its all just really really delicious. It did take maybe 40 minutes for me to cook but was soooooo worth it new favorite thing to cook for people.

Also if you were wondering, I went to the grocery store to buy everything I needed to make it more or less and it was about $35 and fed 3-4. The real expensive parts were the dill and the lamb, so those comprised $20 of it. If you already have dill, and omit or change the meat, it's a lot cheaper. Also its 2024 and groceries are expensive as hell.

[kickthecan-revolution]

I made this tonight and it was so good. I didn’t use the flour (I’ve never fried chicken) but pan-roasted it instead. It was lemony, garlicky and delicious. I have a bunch of Trader Joe’s rice bags I need to get rid of, so popped a bag of that in the microwave and had myself a very healthy dinner. I overcooked the chicken because I’m so scared of killing myself or making myself sick, but my sister is going to send me a meat thermometer I can use. It’s the little things.

Food is freakishly expensive how could anyone suggest that the economy is improving?  Did you all see where Wendy’s is going to charge surge pricing for their food at certain hours? Was that a joke ?

Today was very long and very intense. I need to start this new job right now or we are not going to make the deadline and I still have to transition all of my work and my team. My colleague has agreed to take my direct reports but my boss still needs to approve that. She set some time up for us on the 7th to go through the transition but if this thing starts on the 11th, I need to tell my team right now. I can’t spring it on them. I have a whole plan on when I will tell them, when I will tell everybody else in my company that I work with, all of the business partners, and then how they can start meeting with their new manager. I hope she goes for it, doing both jobs at once is not doable for long. I hope she goes for it.

One of my team today said he has so much change in his life, work is the only thing that stable. I felt sick to my stomach. I protect these guys a lot and they know it, I think it’s really going to be tough for them. I don’t want to think too much of myself. It actually might be fine, I hope so.

It will be fine. It will all be fine.

[fuckkbrunch]

Been putting off posting this one purely because it's kinda boring.

I should've made a half batch, I'm going to have this in my fridge for too long. This is your run of the mill vinaigrette really. The capers and lemon zest were optional, but I was serving it with fish, so it fit the flavour profile nicely.

Crush the garlic and let it steep in the vinegar for thirty minutes, then remove and discard. I used an immersion blender to emulsify the oil with the vinegar, then you simply "fold in" the capers, zest and spices. I don't think fold is the right term since this is purely liquid, but that's how Tony phrased it.

Quick and easy.

Served with the gross tilapia from the last recipe. I ate all the salad. Didn't finish the fish. Dressing was tangy and sharp, went well with spring mix, tomatoes and onion. Felt like it was missing something though. A sweet component like dried cranberries (which I have, but didn't consider) would have balanced it well.

| Red Wine Vinaigrette |

Taste is a 3 out of 5. It tastes like it should.

Difficulty is a 1 out of 5. As long as you add the oil slowly while you blend, you pretty much can't fuck this up.

Time was about 40 minutes. 30 of which is just waiting for the garlic to steep.

Not a recipe worth making in my opinion. Unless you're looking to customize an incredibly specific flavour profile, store bought will do the job just fine. I feel like I wasted a cup of expensive olive oil on this...

[equestriaqueerz2024]

Three more ships

Lemon Zest/ Indigo Zap

Octascratch

Trixie/ Sonata

Ooooo! I’ll do LemonZap! 😁

Gives nose/forehead kisses - Lemon

Gets jealous the most - Indigo

Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive - Lemon

Takes care of on sick days - Lemon

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day - Indigo

Gives unprompted massages - Lemon

Drives/rides shotgun - Indigo

Brings the other lunch at work - Lemon

Has the better parental relationship - Lemon

Tries to start role-playing in bed - Lemon

Embarrassingly drunk dancer - Lemon

Still cries watching Titanic - Indigo

Firmly believes in couples costumes - Indigo

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas - Hard to tell

Makes the other eat breakfast - Lemon

Remembers anniversaries - Lemon

Brings up having kids - Indigo

[askwhatsforlunch]

Soles à la Meunière

Sole is a usually rather expensive fish, thus when Mum and I found a couple of beautiful, whole soles at the market the other day, at a reasonable price; we had to have them! It had been a while since we had Soles à la Meunière, too! Years and years! Even though we had a seaside holiday recently, there are so many things to try and discover in the Basque Gastronomy that we did not have time or room for old favourites! Thus, I cooked these beautiful Soles à la Meunière with their crispy , lemon-y skin and tender, juicy white flesh, at home. At the first bite, I could already hear the waves!

Ingredients (serves 1):

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon

1/3 cup plain flour

2 whole soles (gutted and perpared by your fishmonger)

1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 fluffy sprigs Garden Parsley

In a mortar, grind black peppercorns with the pestle thoroughly. Add coarse sea salt, and grind until well-combined. Set aside.

In a large, flat, nonstick skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat. Grate in the zest of half of the lemon. Cook, a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, combine flour, with ground salt and pepper in a slightly shallow dish.

Pat soles dry on each side, and dredge the fish in flour mixture until completely coated. Shake off excess flour and add both soles to the pan, skin-side down. Cook, 2 to 4 minutes Carefully turn on the other side, and cook, 2 to 3 minutes more until golden. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice onto the fish. Transfer to a warm plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Wipe off the fat from the skillet with paper towels, and add butter. Melt over a medium-high flame. 

Finely chop Garden Parsley.

Add Parsley to the pan, and fry, 1 minute. Squeeze in remaining lemon juice, cook 30 seconds.

Spoon the parsley and lemon butter onto the Soles à la Meunière and serve immediately, with garden new potatoes or peas.