#my kitchen is clean my house is clean and coconut sugar cookies is what my house fucking smells like.

[thatraginglesbian]

literally the only thing keeping me sane rn is baking/cooking and cleaning my dishes right away.

[jjsstars]

I’ll pull the weeds from my heart

|| for @sceosource secret santa event // gift for @rinnielove

|| on ao3 | word count: 1.2k+ | teen & up rating

|| a/n: title from silver spoon demo by erin lecount on soundcloud

|| tags: theo raken/scott mccall, light angst, post canon, established relationships, fluff, idiots in love, slight nsfw implications, past canon relationships mentioned

It’s been a rough couple of days… okay maybe weeks, but point being, things haven’t been easy. Between trying to juggle hunting down Monroe and Scott being in school while Theo works extra hours at his mechanic job, the couple hasn’t had time to spend together or even sleep properly.

Which is why Scott has spent the entire day decorating their very small yet very homey studio apartment for Christmas and baking treats for them. It took three days of preparation to get his homework done in advance, make sure Theo’s schedule would be free after his shift, meaning telling Liam and Malia he couldn’t go to Beacon Hills this weekend to help follow a lead on Monroe, and to get all the ingredients for the dinner and deserts Scott wanted to prepare.

It’s really nothing crazy in his opinion. A beef stew he knows Theo loves, some pre-packaged biscuits for dipping, a plate of sugar cookies with a messily applied layer of frosting Theo definitely would’ve done better, and a small lemon and coconut cake that Melissa had to send the recipe over for. He halved it thinking it’d make the perfect amount for the both of them, turns out it made the perfect amount for one of them. Scott’s already decided to give it to Theo.

He thinks his boyfriend deserves it after putting up with Scott’s moodiness after pulling all nighters (more than usual) and drinking too much caffeine even for a werewolf like Scott. It’s not that Scott’s meant to snap at Theo once or twice, or forget to do his side of the household chores, or even forget about that microwave meal he left in too long that exploded that Theo had to clean up because Scott was so absorbed in his studies he didn’t hear it- it doesn’t matter what happened. What matters is that he’s making it up to Theo now and they will have a nice Christmas if it’s the last thing Scott McCall does.

“Scotty? I’m home!” Theo calls and Scott instantly stills in place, hands gripping the tray of cookies he just laid out in a nice formation as anxiety fills him. It’s something he’s still yet to shake since leaving Beacon Hills- the anxiety of hearing someone enter his house without him opening the door to see who it is.

“Babe?” The tension leaves Scott’s body when Theo rounds the corner to stick his head into the rest of the apartment. It’s not just the kitchen, because everything about this apartment is open and there’s not even a full wall between where their bed is and where the stove is.

“Whatcha got there?” The nonchalant tone doesn’t go unnoticed by Scott, he appreciates it, Theo not making a big deal about Scott’s anxious habits always helps things even if he knows Theo is keenly aware of them.

“Cookies. I- I made soup too, and cake, for us. Merry Christmas.” That was supposed to come out a lot smoother but Scott’s never been good at romantic gestures or even dirty talking.

“I almost forgot it was Christmas.” After learning that Theo almost never celebrated the holiday when he was with the dread doctors, Scott has made it a point to do something for the holiday, but that doesn’t mean Theo is used to it yet. And to give him credit, he spent nearly a decade under the dread doctors and it’s only the second of him and Scott celebrating together.

“I’m sorry for being such a jerk lately.” Scott admits hushed but Theo’s padding over to wave him off in seconds.

“You haven’t been a jerk, just stressed. I’d expect nothing less from my future doctor boyfriend.” A kiss is pressed to Scott’s cheek that he instantly melts into. It’s not warm, not like when him and Kira would kiss or even with Allison; Theo’s always too cold for his kisses to be any type of heated but Scott runs hot enough for the both of them.

“Still, I let lasagna explode in our microwave and got annoyed when you had to ask where the cleaner was to clean up my mess.” Truly not Scott’s proudest moment.

“That was like two weeks ago, have you been stuck on that this whole time?” Maybe.

“What am I gonna do with you McCall.” Theo is grinning when he cups Scott’s face in his hands with a small head shake.

“You worry too much.” It’s been said to Scott so much in the past few months it has to be engraved on his brain at this point- the way Theo’s eyes turn sad as he says the words, how he speaks softer than normal, trying to cover it with fake nonchalant, the genuine concern in every word- it won’t leave Scott’s head because he knows it’s true. He does worry too much. But he’s also lost too much to not worry about things.

“You’ve said that before.” And they’ve talked about it in depth before too.

“You didn’t need to do all this, takeout would’ve been just as good.” Theo takes the prompt and drops the topic to instead look over to the counter where Scott has the soup and biscuits cooling.

“You know we eat takeout too much.” The tray of cookies Scott forgot he was gripping in his hand is set down finally.

“It’s good.” McCall lets himself relax as he rolls his eyes playfully and moves to grab a bowl to dish the soup out in.

“It’s not good for you though. This is handmade and will last us a couple days.” They might be able to squeeze a whole week out of this one batch if they’re lucky.

“What’s this?” The small cake tin that was sitting by the window gets picked up carefully by Theo, as if he could break it somehow.

“It’s just cake.” It is Theo’s favorite kind of cake but still just a baked good.

“Is it the coconut one Melissa makes?” He tips the cake a little to stare at it like it’s a science experiment. Scott can’t suppress his chuckle as he sets his bowl down and slides up behind Theo to wrap his arms around his waist.

“Yes it is. Things have been so stressful lately I thought you deserved a treat.”

“Thank you, I bet it’s great.” It’s a fifty-fifty chance if it’s good like Melissa’s or another one of Scott’s failed baking attempts, he’s hoping for the former.

“No cake til after dinner.” Scott kisses Theo’s neck softly and breathes him in, pleasantly smiling as he takes in the comfort of his boyfriend’s presence so close to his own after being away from one another so much.

“You smell like motor oil.” And wolfsbane cigarettes Theo thinks Scott doesn’t know about, and the peppermint shampoo he uses, and the faint scent of the lavender laundry detergent Melissa bought them in bulk- he smells perfect. He smells like home.

“Want me to shower before we eat?” Theo twists his head to try and look at Scott but only really lays back into him.

“No we can wait til after.”

“We?” A mischievous grin grows across Theo’s lips when Scott blushes, not realizing he had said that but not taking it back either.

“Yeah, we can. Let’s eat first.” One more kiss to Theo’s neck before they part and move to eat the dinner Scott can’t be more happy they’re having. And if the cake isn’t good, at least they’ll still have each other, and maybe they can ask Melissa to make one next time they visit.

[thewritingstar]

ButchxBubbles friendship???

Thanks for the request :)

The thought of Butch and Bubbles having a spa night? Yes please. Im not really good at writing friendship fluff fics so i hope this is ok. I really like the idea of their friendship dynamic and maybe I’ll elaborate more on it. Plus I wrote this at like 1 am so yeah. 

Enjoy. :) Request and asks always open

----

Bubbles finished bringing all her products from the bathroom to her bedroom. She had everything ready for her spa treatment as her sisters were off on some over night history field trip for their class. Of course she wasn’t in that class so she was left by herself and the professor was out of town for a couple of days. 

She had quite the collection of things to do and wished someone was here to do it with her. She could call Robin but she knew she had gone to her cousins house and her other friends lived a few miles away. Boomer had even gone on the trip but was sending her photos every ten minutes. 

“Guess its just us tonight.” She looked to Octi who just stared at her with his button eye. 

A sound came from behind and she turned to see something hitting her window. She got closer and saw that a figure was there. She threw open the window and looked outside. Her eyes widening slightly as she saw who was hovering. 

“Butch?” She said questionably and he gave her a small wave. 

“Sup Blondie.” He smirked. 

Her signature giggle echoed. “What are you doing here?”

“Well since every one is gone on that stupid trip, I thought why not see what you’re up to” He shrugged. 

“Are you sure?” She looked behind her at the set up she had. “I don’t think my plans is something you would be up for.” 

He flew past her and she closed the window. “Don’t care, I am bored.” He took a spot on the floor in front of the blanket that was laid out and coated with products upon products. 

Bubbles walked over and sat on the other side looking at all the products. “I was just going to do a spa night time or what I like to call Bubbles Time.” She sighed. 

He shifted a little. “I can leave if you want, I just thought-”

“No!” She held up her hands and shook her head. “No you don’t have to go. My sisters don’t ever participate so its nice having someone here, even if you don’t wanna be pampered.” 

Butch picked up a bottle while Bubbles fasten her hair into two cute space buns. He popped open the cap and took a sniff. Coconut and pineapple filled his nose and he could tell Bubbles wasn’t as bubbly as usual. He didn’t want to slap the shit on his face but knowing that not even Blossom wanted to do this with her, he thought why not. 

“Im game. Whats first?” He asked.

She looked up at him with a blank stare. “Really?” Her face slightly turned almost like a cute puppy dog. 

“Sure why not. Your skin is probably hella smooth and its not like this shit is gonna hurt.” 

Her smile was blinding as nodded. She let out a high pitched squeal and soon her was pulled into a hug. “Thank you Butch! Thank you! Not even Boomie would do this with me, fucking meanie.” he whispered the last part and he was let go from the bone crushing hug. 

“Nah fuck Boomie.” he slightly cringed at the nickname but now he had blackmail against his baby bro. “This is Bubbs and Butch time.” 

She clapped her hands together and began preparing.

--

“So now this will open your pores and get the rest of all that dirt. Geez your pores are huge.” Bubbles said as she popped open the toner and spread it on the cotton pad.

“Rude.” Butch said but took the soaked cotton from her. He watched her apply it to her skin and copied her motions while looking in the mirror. His hair was pushed away from his face with a light purple hairband that had cat ears on it. “This shit kinda burns.”

“Don’t be a pussy.” 

“Damn Bubbs didn’t know you cussed often.” He held out his hand to accept the moisturizer from her. “Kinda bad ass.” 

She laughed at this. “Oh Blossy doesn’t like it and of course BC does. After all I am hard core.” She playfully shrugged. 

---

“And then she fucking blew me off to hang out with Mitch, can you believe that!” Butch complained. 

“I hate when she does that, always forgetting plans.” Bubbles sighed as she filed his nails and blew off the dust. 

He looked at his other hand examining the clean nails. “You don’t think I have to worry about him right?” 

She leaned over to look through her massive collection of nail polishes and pick a base coat and a dark green color and a pure black one. “Butch honey, he gay.” 

“I knew that.” He said quickly. He looked at the polish. “What about just clear?”

Bubbles looked at him and raised her brows. “You know its really punk and cool for guys to paint their nails, plus Buttercup thinks its hot but you didn’t here it from me.” She wagged her eyebrows and dangled the bottle in front of him. 

He snatched the black and shook it. “Paint me up Sugar.” 

--

“Aww I wish Boomie did something like that for me.” Bubbles cooed at the screen. 

“Sugar, they are just sitting on a gold course throwing grapes at each other.” He pointed out and she hit him with a pillow. “Watch the nails.” He lifted his hands. 

“I know its simple but Troy and Gabrielle are cute and hey, I’m a sucker for cute romance.” He was sure her eyes were full of stars at this point.  “Look they are dancing in the water!”

“How many times have you seen this?” 

“Twenty seven.” The oven in the kitchen dinged and she got up. “Cookies are done. You want milk too?”

“Hell ya.” 

She got up and walked away and he took out his phone. There was a message from Buttercup. 

Spice Babe: is she torturing you?

He held his phone up to snap a selfie of his cat ear hair band. 

Me: Nope but i look hot af now. Good luck keeping your paws off me. 

Spice Babe: lol sure btw this shit blows, be thankful youre not here

Me: sucks 2 be you but i got fresh cookies from bubbs

Spice Babe: Lucky bastard

The plate of cookies was set in front of him and he clicked his phone away as she paused the movie. 

“Buttercup having fun?”

“Nope but thats not my problem.” He grinned. “ So whats next?” he asked almost a bit too excitedly.  

Bubbles covered her mouth to finish chewing. “Well its getting late and I was gonna do a face mask and build a pillow fort.”

“oh.” He realized that it meant he should probably go. 

“Do you wanna make pillow forts and have a pillow fight? Oh and a sleep over!”

His eyes widened with a giant grin. “Fuck Yeah!” 

--

His neck almost popped as the pillow was slammed into his face and he had never seen the vicious look on her face before. Even with temporary tattoos and a sparkly face mask that smelt like berries, his was pink and strawberry scent, she was still scary. 

“Prepare to die!” She shouted as she raised a pillow over her head. 

“Oh shit.” He ducked and shot one back at her, hitting her in the stomach making her grunt. Her elbow knocked on the table and they watched as the homemade smoothies shook and almost spilled. 

Their eyes met and they busted out laughing before setting the pillows down. 

“Lets wash these off and then call it a night?” She said and he followed her to the bathroom. His feet were now inside bunny slippers that were a tad to small a she was rocking matching dog ones. 

He let out a yawn as she handed him a towel to dry his face and before long, they had shut off the lights and got into their pillow forts that were facing each other. 

“Thanks for hanging out with me. It means a lot.” She said and he looked at the ceiling. 

“I had fun. You’re pretty cool Sugar.” 

“I’m glad someone thinks so.” 

“Whats that mean?” He asked and he heard a small sigh. 

She held onto Octi and even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he had a frown on. 

“Most people just think of me as the cute girl, which is true but im more than that. Sometimes even kicking a monsters ass doesn’t prove that I am strong and mighty.”

“Listen I know for a fact you are cool and strong. I got my ass handed to me by you once or twice in our child hood. Most people think im just some meat head who can punch.” 

“I don’t think that.” She said and he believed her. “I think you are really talented at sports and just like to punch, nothing wrong with that. But you are also kind and sweet and I see how you make Buttercup feel and some meat head couldn’t do that.” 

He smirked to himself. “Thanks Bubbles.” 

“Any time.”

A comfortable silence filled the room before he spoke up. “I really appreciate how much you care about Boomer. Its hard growing up without any form of love and every time he comes home, his smile is real and I know its because of you.”

Bubbles hugged Octi closer as a blush formed on her face after she sent Boomer a good night text. “He just makes me really happy.” 

“Thats good. But I am gonna kick his ass for not taking you on cute dates because my homie deserves is.” 

“Omg Butch are we bffs?”

“For sure.” And their shared laughter faded off as sleep took over.  

--

The morning came fast and the pair quickly cleaned everything up before homemade pancakes were eaten. 

“This shit is amazing Bubbs.” Butch finished his plate. 

“Aww thanks. Oh looks like everyone should be back in an hour.” 

He stood and took the plate to the sink. “Well I’ll get going because I don’t need Blossom on my ass about any of this.” 

“I can handle her don’t worry.” She winked and soon she was alone finishing up her pancakes with a smile.

--

The front door opened and Brick and Boomer came walking in. Brick slammed his body on the couch and went straight to sleep while Boomer went to the kitchen where Butch was making a grilled cheese. 

“I can’t believe you had a sleep over with my girlfriend.”

“Hi to you too. And chill we are just besties.” He winked. “Kinda lame that you never do any of this stuff with her.” He picked up the finished meal and bit into it before shaking his head at him. “Ya know, shes pretty cool and all she wants is to pamper and watch high school musical.”

“But you hate those things.” 

Butch shrugged. “Yeah but my new bestie doesn’t and I support queens.” 

Boomer gave him a weird look. “What did she do to you?”

He flipped him off, showing off his nails. “By the way she wants cuter dates. If you are going to simp then do it right Boomie.” He mocked before grabbing his plate. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Sugar and I are going to the mall fuck face.” 

Boomer frowned as he took all the food. “Hey don’t call her that!” 

“See ya later simp.” 

---

hope you liked :) 

[bylillian]

So you think you’re in a pandemic? You are. And as someone who grew up learning how to plan for things like  this, the Cool Mom Eats team asked me to put together a helpful guide to keeping the family fed (and possibly entertained) during a potential quarantine.

So let’s jump right in.

To panic-shop or not panic-shop. That is the question.

You don’t need to fill your entire garage with toilet paper, although I truly commend you on preparation, should you be on an extreme high-fiber diet.

There are some items you should keep stocked though — but not just for times of home quarantine. As a recovering prepper, I found my “apocalypse pantry” a life saver after a tumultuous divorce, for example. And hey, who doesn’t want bragging rights at being able to fashion an Apple Brown Betty or chocolate chip cookie bars while the world freaks out? Just me?

(It’s just me, isn’t it.)

In seriousness though, I want to focus on the items you really need. But first, let’s get the pantry you already have, organized and ready for stocking.

While this is not a comprehensive list of absolutely everything you’ll need in your pantry/kitchen to feed your family, I assure you it’s a very workable list for you to get started. And if this all blows over faster than we thought, hey, you just saved yourself trips to the market in April and May.

Related: Beyond toilet paper: A helpful list of unexpected items to stock up on in case of a quarantine

Pantry prep: Start with a thorough purge

Before you load up the minivan with instant soup mix, there are a few things you’ll want to do first.

– First, know that this is not about Pinterest. If you are stacking items on top of each other, or making the use of every crevice of a small pantry, do it! Your food does not have to be arranged by color to make a beautiful ombre rainbow.

You are feeding your family, not entering a Instagram competition.

–Clean your shelves. If it’s been a while, can’t hurt to take everything out, give those shelves a good wipe down, and start fresh.

–Search for expired jars of food. Botulism can be a real problem here, and that twist-off can of pickled beets from 2016 isn’t sparking joy. Toss. (Of course keep in mind expiration and use-by dates aren’t always 100% accurate. As for those almost-expired pickles or that box of healthy cereal you hopped your kids would eat but they never did…that’s up to you. First, read this helpful article on food and expiration dates from Consumer Reports.

I’m not a gambler, so my instinct is generally to toss, but CR reminds us that “Nonperishable items like grains and dried and canned goods can still be used well past their label dates.”

–Organize items with the oldest in front. New items go behind existing food. Rotation is the key to a successful apocalypse pantry! Note: I’m currently living in a small apartment and by following the precepts below and being diligent with keeping track of and using my storage, have a four-month supply for me and my teenage son and our pets. It’s doable, it just requires a little forethought and organization

And hey, face those labels out. Not for Pinterest — for you.

– Group food in a sensical way. If you’re used to just shoving the microwave popcorn in front of the soup cans, in front of the flour container, maybe reconsider that. Grouping your foods by category (baking, breakfast, snacks, and so on) makes it easier to know whaat you have and what you need.

Now let’s go shopping!

Related: How to organize spices: 6 easy ideas that let you find what you need, when you need it.

The staples you want to stock

Here are my recos:

–Rice, dried beans, cereals, sugar, all-purpose flour and pasta last forever and are top of my list. Cereals are not just breakfast food. Same goes for dried oats and/or grits. Pasta is the real workhorse here, because of one simple reason: calories. If you need to stretch pantry items for multiple meals, you want foods that can get you to your calorie requirements with as little volume as possible, and here pasta is the waist-thickener you want. If you end up with sick people in your house, they’ll need calories to fight their way back to health.

–Biscuit/pancake mix is terrific for all meals, and don’t believe the old wive’s tale of it turning deadly after expiration, unless you have a highly rare mold allergy. Just keep it tightly sealed.

–As far as protein, it’s good to have frozen meats, poultry, fish… more on that below.

– I’d also grab those big jars of peanut butter if you can have nut butters in your home. (I’ll leave it between your family members to come down on the chunky/creamy side.) Protein sources are needed, and not everyone can tolerate (or want) beans, beans, the magical fruit multiple meals a week.

A good selection of protein-packed snacks

– More protein ideas: Don’t overlook options like canned tuna, sardines, jerky, and if all else fails, protein powder.

–As for canned fruits and veggies, 20 cans each of canned fruits and vegetables are a great starting point for your apocalypse pantry. They can liven up meals in a big way.  Fruit and veggie juices are also great additions, and coconut milk will make that 40-pound bag of rice way more enticing, come mealtime.

–Dried milk comes in handy, for cereal eaters and coffee drinkers alike. Also, get a couple of bulk containers of powdered drink mix like lemonade or fruit punch. The kids can get bored of plain water pretty fast.

–Jarred sauce isn’t a bad idea; get a variety of flavors. If you’re coming down with something and have people depending on you for meals who can’t cook themselves, you don’t want to spend all day at the stove stirring homemade sauce. While you’re at it, check your spice rack and make sure you have all the dried herbs you need to make that sauce more like homemade. (More below)

These are nerve-wracking times demanding thoughtful caution, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat like animals.

Stocking the freezer

Let’s turn some attention to the freezer.

I know we don’t all have massive storage in the kitchen; for what it’s worth, I have a small, apartment-sized fridge and have managed to stock 20 days worth of meat and veggies for myself and my son.

–Fresh berries and veggies like peas can be broken into smaller freezer bags and laid flat to freeze, and they stack wonderfully.

–If you’re a meat eater, load up on things that freeze well like chicken thighs and hearty cuts of beef and pork. Buy in bulk and break into portions to go in freezer bags. Plus, it’s easier to store and stack.

–Lord, be a ghost pepper on that raw chicken! I advise you season your raw meat with a marinade now and save time later. Plus, spices like jerk seasoning and other pepper-based spices are a preservative and inhibit microbial growth! You season your food not to replace proper cooking methodology, but also to enhance the flavor.

(And for the love of your gut, chicken sushi is not a thing, and y’all need to stop it.)

Don’t forget pets!

Should we face weeks or a full month of disruption in stores (remember, I’m an apocalypse planner), you don’t want your pets to suffer. How much do they eat in a day?

Multiply that by 30, and that’s what you need to have on hand. Don’t forget treats, supplements, litter, whatever else they need on a monthly basis.

Next-level pantry prep

These are the things that will make pantry food suck less, so take good notes.

–Stock up on dried spices. Garlic salt is everyone’s friend. Ditto to curry powder, ginger, cinnamon. Tarragon will liven up thawed chicken.

–Coconut milk with rice is another way to perk up bored taste buds.

–Bouillon for soup or as seasoning is always a great idea, and don’t overlook options like mushroom and onion bouillon as an alternative to chicken or beef.

–Items that will enable you to impress your family (or at least keep things interesting) include a variety of cooking oils, shortening for pie crusts, baking items for treats.

-Don’t forget fancy snack ingredients like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, condensed milk, graham crackers and the like.

When the kids are bored on day ten of self-quarantine, making a fresh batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies will eat up a lot of their time, and then while they’re recovering from sugar shock, you can grab the leftovers for yourself.

–Fresh herbs are a huge boon. Liz wrote about that here, including tips for apartment-dweller who may want to start a windowsill herb garden.

–Are you a coffee drinker? Do you like cream in it? You may have to resort to powdered creamer in a pinch, so be sure you have that on hand. Same for tea.

–As for water, please! There’s no need to hoard bottled water. Plus we all should be taking steps to reduce our single-use plastic. If that’s not top-of-mind right now, think about it economically — for the price you’d pay for a month’s worth of bottled water, you could easily buy a 2-gallon water filtration pitcher ($45 from our affiliate Amazon) for your fridge or a faucet-mounted filter.

We don’t have to hasten environmental collapse while coronavirus is going on, after all.

In summary:

Don’t Panic Rotation Spices and Seasonings Teach the kids to play gin rummy

We’ll get through this, and we’ll do it without resorting to MREs and Red Dawn-level terror.

Also, wash your hands!

Laura Stone, a descendant of pioneer polygamists from the early days of the Mormon Church, keeps busy as a Master Gardener, author coach and novelist. While the majority of her family still lives in Utah, she resides in her home state of Texas because it’s where the good tamales are.

[themalibucookiecompany-blog]

5 Fundamentals Points You Have To Do to Make Perfect Cookies | The Malibu Cookie Company

I was overcoming a batch of chocolate chip cookies and also attempting craft them to plump yet chewy perfection.

CBD cookies

I seriously required a break from the writing as well as editing and enhancing procedure and for me, cooking is treatment. Do you love to make cookies? I'm an unashamed cookie beast. I simply like to bake cookies.

 While baking cookies is fascinating it can additionally be strewn with difficulties. Are you amazed at how challenging it can be to obtain uniformity and conformity in several batches of cookies? I have been. Cookie baking is less complicated claimed than done in some cases. And also, sometimes it is what we don't understand that prevents the excellent cookie from being made.

 One week I am delighted with the crunchy edges and the soft facilities of oatmeal raisin cookies, the best color and creamy level of smoothness of springtime sugar cookies and the means the molasses cookies look with the sugar sprinkles cleaning their dark brownish crunchy tops. The next week my chocolate chip cookies look as flat as pancakes, the chips sticking out from the cookie in a very abnormal method, as if they were indicated to be somewhere else.

 Confusion made use of to marks my cooking as I ask yourself where I took a mistake with my cookies. I speak to the cookies and inquire what I did wrong. (They rarely comeback.).

 After transforming one thousand sets of cookies and also paying attention and reading other bakers, I ultimately have actually started to continually make good cookies. When they do not I currently have a hint to what cooking criminal offenses I committed that brought about the twisted or misinterpreted cookie.

 1. Never undervalue the power of the leaveners.

 Sodium bicarbonate and also cooking powder are extremely essential - both are leaveners and also yet they work in different ways. A few years back my sibling, Bethany, informed me she had refined her delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe by using both cooking soda as well as baking powder. I rapidly attempted her suggestion. By doing this she stayed clear of the "flat pancake" cookie look.

Pot cookies

I concerned discover the smart people behind America's Examination Kitchen area usage this technique in a number of their cookies. They discuss why a mix of leaveners works in their "The Best of America's Examination Kitchen area: Best Dishes and Testimonials 2012.".

 The answer is that both (baking soft drink and cooking powder) work in tandem to create cookies that not just rise, but spread, to the ideal degree.

 Are you cookies not spreading out or climbing appropriately? Try splitting the amount of leavening in between both leavening agents. If the dish calls for 1 teaspoon of cooking soft drink, usage 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of cooking powder.

 2. Different flours include various components and they impact the way the cookies cook, taste and also rise.

 Did you recognize King Arthur's flour has a significant greater protein level than other flours? The quantity of protein in the flour usage will certainly affect the density of your cookies. Furthermore, not only does the brand name of flour you make use of make a distinction yet the type of flour: wheat flour will make distinctively different chocolate chip cookies than utilizing all-purpose white flour. Using the extra artisanal flours such as spelt, rye or multi-grain can result in really various preferences and also appearances of cookies.

 What is the most convenient method to correct this? Use the very same kind of flour at all times- the very same brand name and also the very same kind. Many times I buy the flour that is on sale or I have a voucher for. Nonetheless, for the sake of consistency and also improving my baking skills, I currently get one type of flour and stick to that. I will alter flours only when I wish to trying out different flours and am looking for various lead to the cookies.

 3. Examine the expiration days of your flour, baking powder and cooking soda.

 The age makes a difference. When in doubt, throw it out. These items are cost-effective. I tend to be fairly penny-wise yet losing a set of cookies over a 67 cent box of cooking soda is SO not worth it.

 4. The sort of fat made use of in cookies transforms the characteristics of the cookies.

 I will use various sorts of fat depending upon the dish as well as what I have in the house. Butter, oil and reducing all create various preferences as well as structures in cookies. By far, butter wins the taste test, particularly in a pure cookie like a chocolate chip without add-ins (coconut, nuts, oatmeal, etc.).

 Nonetheless I have actually had success making use of 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 mug of oil or reducing in specific cookies. For instance, delicious chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies oat meal cookies function well with 1/2 cup of butter and also 1/2 cup of oil. In Snickernoodles and also Sugar cookies butter as well as reducing mix works well together.

 5. Check the consistency of the temperature level of your stove.

 Changing the temperature level by also ten degrees will certainly affect the way the cookies increase, spread and also taste. Couple of points are as aggravating as cookies that are a tad-too brown under and still gooey between. Some stoves are not regular in the temperature level specified on the stove thermostat. Stove thermostats are an inexpensive and vital device of every baker to ensure cookies baked to excellence.

[cynoirsure]

sweetener | jjk

pairing — jungkook x reader

word count — 12.4k

genre — bakery!au, fluff

summary — running your up and coming bakery with an attractive boy named Jeon Jungkook turns out to be harder than anything you learned in pastry school.

warnings/tags — none!!

a/n — im telling you now, i’ve been thinking about this fic since september. i had this as a bulletpointed idea but after seeing bts live i’ve been uhh looking like the kermit furiously typing gif. i have not written a fic in a HOT second so this might be a lil mediocre!! also publishing a fic for the first time!! big scary!!

“Add 70 g of egg whites into a bowl, when the egg whites become frothy, add half the sugar,” You mutter to yourself, before pausing. “...and multiply the recipe by 40.” Ever since your best friend left your co-owned bakery for grad school, you’ve been feeling spent by the amount of work being done at your bakery by yourself. You and your friend had never felt the need to hire anyone else since you two were pretty productive, but since you were alone, you took on a lot of responsibilities at the bakery now, including but not limited to: finally nailing the macaron recipe, actually confronting your fear of making croissants, and even sucking it up and actually making the damn tart crusts.

You sighed, zoning back into the macaron shell recipe that your friend had written down, and you realized you really couldn’t do this alone. The bakery could only be open for so long with only one person in the back of the house and also working the cash register. You stopped the stand mixer, walking into the office and typing a simple sign that did the job: Now Hiring Bakers!

The next few days were filled with numerous hopefuls, including teenagers with similar ambitions of yours when you were in high school, amateurs who only knew how to make box cake mix and chocolate chip cookies (you shuddered at the fear of inaccuracy), and other people who only wanted to work because you were cute. After shoving the last person out for said reason, you hit your head on the stacks of resumes in your hand. You were beginning to lose hope in whoever would aid you in helping out the bakery, and at this point you were thinking of switching locations to a smaller storefront so you could manage it all by yourself. Just as you set down the stacks of papers, you hear the door’s bell jingle, and a man who couldn’t be much older than you walks in.

And you couldn’t miss how cute this guy was. He walked in with a simple outfit on, a simple white t-shirt and black jeans, but you could tell that he was fit from the way his arms contoured as he pushed through the door.

“Good uhh...afternoon!” He starts off, pausing halfway to check his watch for the time to make sure he was accurate with the time. “My friend Hoseok was telling me about how one of his favorite bakeries was hiring and I was curious if the position was still open?” His fringe fell in front of his eyes and you were faintly reminded of a coconut.

You hummed in approval, smiling softly. “Ah yes, Mr. Jung and his love of strawberry shortcakes, my own specialty! Well, we are still hiring indeed,” you nod towards the table with the stacks of resumes still stacked. You both take a seat at said table, and he rummages around in his backpack before giving his own resume to you.

“My name is Jeon Jungkook, I’m fresh out of undergrad and I would like to help out in the kitchen!” Jungkook introduces himself to you with a small smile, and you gloss over the resume that he had just given you. He recently graduated from one of the top schools in the nation and his previous job experiences have all been working at Michelin star restaurants. Quite honestly, you were shocked. Whatever deity above had planned for you, you were pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Your mouth opens to a small o as you set down the resume, blinking at him.

“You graduated from one of the best schools in the nation, used to work at a Michelin star restaurant, and now you’re here? Why?” You questioned carefully, not to sound too harsh with your word choice. Jungkook’s ears went pink and he looked down into his lap.

“I… Really like the small bakery concept.” He says quietly, his voice suddenly softer and lacking the confidence that was once in his voice. You had to lean in a little more to hear what he was saying, intrigued. “I found my passion of baking when I studied abroad in France my junior year of college, seeing all the different ways this art had come along.” You smile softly, the memory close to your heart as well.

“What’s your favorite thing to bake, Mr. Jeon?” You asked after a pause of comfortable silence. He smiled to himself, before looking up at you. “I love making tarts!”

And with that, you knew the search was over. A cute guy with a passion to making tarts, something you could never nail yourself? “Welcome to the team, Jungkook!” You grinned, holding out your hand.

—

Hiring Jungkook was arguably the best and worst thing to happen to your bakery. On one hand, he was bringing in a lot of customers, the bakery was more busy than it has been before, you could get him to carry most of the deliveries in, and you could finally reach the Good Stand Mixer that your friend put on the top shelf, for some reason. Maybe it was so that the next person you would hire would have good muscles, or by some miracle, you’d grow a bunch so you can reach the top shelf.

However, since the bakery had been getting more busy, you couldn’t be as lax as you were before. With the amount of girls coming in to ogle at Jungkook when he would work at the counter, you had to wake up 2 hours earlier than you would usually to make enough to last you to at least 2:30, and your bakery opened up at 11 AM every day.

Not to mention, he wasn’t just a distraction to the girls coming in. You couldn’t stop yourself from watching his muscles flex while he stirred the last of a cake batter together, or feel a slight twinge of jealousy when he would arrive before it’s time to open up the shop and see his snatched waistline before he put on his apron over his outfit.

You couldn’t blame him, though. He was as equally as dedicated to the bakery as you were, as shown from the multiple times you’d come into the bakery early and he’d already be there, working on something in the kitchen, his oversized black shirt covered in flour.

“Oh? You’re here early, Jungkookie.” You muse, sipping from the mug of cherry blossom tea that you brought down. You lived in the apartment right above the bakery, so you were comfortable with coming down in the morning in your pajamas before Jungkook would come in to help finish off what you had started to decorate. He grinned at you, revealing what he had been working on so early in the morning.

“Ta-da! Try this, it’s a blueberry basil tart!” He smiled so hard that the crinkles in his eyes appeared, a different kind of smile than the one he would show the girls who would come in. You set down the mug, walking over and grabbing a pair of forks for you and him. He already had grabbed a knife to slice a piece of tart for you, beyond excited for you to try the tart. You hold out another fork with him, clinking the forks together before taking a bite of the tart.

You knew this boy said he was famous for his tarts, but what he had put in front of you was like nothing else of its kind. You looked up at his smile, eyes wild in bewilderment.

“Hey Jungkook, do you think you can make like… 4 more of these, full sized? I think I might put them on the menu for today…” You start off. You had never even entertained the idea of a pastry of the day until he came along. His eyes lit up and he grinned at you, suddenly enveloping you in a hug.

“Thank you for giving me a chance, this is what I was truly missing in the Michelin star restaurant experience.” He whispered into your ear, you still being frozen from the sudden hug. You awkwardly hug him back, patting his back and nodding slowly.

“No problem, Kook. Now get to work! We need to put this on the menu.” You pulled away, giving Jungkook two thumbs up and going to the front of the house to find the whiteboard marker to write on the mirror behind the cash register. Jungkook went into full concentration mode, and you started to clean in preparation for the wave of girls that were to come in soon.

—

Turns out that Jungkook making new pastries every day brought out your own creative side as well. Often times, instead of waking up early, you would make some cold brew coffee in the morning and drink it while you were brainstorming ideas to make at night. Jungkook would also stay up with you to a certain extent, but you found out that he lived an hour away from the bakery and when 10:30 would hit, you’d practically push him out of the bakery and wait for his bus with him before going up to your apartment to sleep.

This would become a regular occurrence, even if it meant he would try to pout his way through asking you to stay over. However, one day, you forget to do so. You and Jungkook were super invested in making an earl grey lavender panna cotta that you had seen in a recipe book beforehand but didn’t remember any of the measurements that came along with it. Needless to say, the last 7 hours were tweaking the perfect earl grey to lavender ratio, as well as scooping out the usual popular cookie flavors so you could just pop them in the oven tomorrow morning.

“Let’s take a break, yeah Kookie?” You arched your back, hearing your spine pop in satisfaction before grabbing your phone. He picked up his phone as well, shooting a look at you when the clock read 1 AM.

“Were we really… Grinding for 7 hours for opening today?” He questioned, confused. You raised an eyebrow, checking your own phone and your eyes almost popping out of their sockets. You were pretty sure that the buses weren’t running anymore and you didn’t know how to get Jungkook home since rideshares in your area weren’t always the best.

“Uh, do you have a car or something to take you home?” You asked, leaning onto the counter when he ruffled his hair, shaking his head. “I can call you an Ube--” “Is it possible for me to stay over tonight? I don’t wanna worry my my mom if i’m in an untrusted car,” he smiled, pinching your cheek. “And I don’t want you to worry either. What if I get kidnapped?” He jokes lightly, but your eyes widen in realization that he’s probably right, what if he had died on his way home? You couldn’t bear to lose another beloved worker, especially one that had done way more for the business than you would like to admit.

“I haven’t cleaned in like, a week, but I guess you can come up and crash on my couch for the night?” You were skeptical. Not to mention, Jungkook would be the first boy (that isn’t your best friend’s boyfriend) that would be up in your apartment, and needless to say, you were extremely nervous. Not like your apartment wasn’t dirty, you liked to keep it pretty tidy, and even all your Rilakkuma bears were arranged pretty nicely on your bed and couch.

Even so, you couldn’t drive and it would be cruel to send him home so late. “... Mayhaps, but you still have to show up for work tomorrow, yeah, Kookie?” You say sternly, and he smiled happily, nodding.

“Thank you so so much! I owe you my life, mon petit chou!” The nickname slips out of Jungkook’s mouth and his eyes widen, covering his mouth.

You blink, tilting your head. “A small cabbage, how cute.” You laugh softly, going over to the door that led upstairs. “Well, what are you waiting for? Are you gonna stand there shocked all night or are you coming up?” You ask, making Jungkook snap out of his shocked state and follow you up the stairs. You fumbled with the keys for a quick second before opening the door and toeing off your shoes. Your apartment was a small one bedroom apartment with a futon couch in the living room with 3 bear plushies on it. You went to go grab the spare pillows and blankets in the bedroom closet, gently reminding Jungkook to take off his shoes before setting up his bed for the night.

“Why don’t you go shower so I can set up your bed? I can get you a towel and something to change into?” You turn to Jungkook, who was currently taking off his sneakers. You smile, ruffling his head and opening the door to the bathroom. You grabbed a towel and large shirt that you hoped would fit him as well as some flannel pants, both acquired from when your friend moved away, and set it in the bathroom. As Jungkook went in to shower, you set up the couch to be bearable for at least one night.

When Jungkook came out of the bathroom, you were half awake, watching Great British Bake Off on Netflix and wrapped up in the fleece blanket you had set for him to sleep with, already changed into your sleepwear. He smiled softly, sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

“Are you having fun, petit chou?” He laughed softly, you nodding in and out of your sleep. You were too tired to form a response, you two watching together as they struggled to bake their roulades in time. By the time the episode was over, the room was more quiet than usual. Jungkook stretched his limbs out and sat up to ask you a question, however, you were knocked out, curled up in a warm fleece ball and hugging the Korilakkuma plush close. He smiled, rearranging you so you were laying down on the couch, laying on the floor and preparing himself for a less comfortable night than what you attempted to prepare for him.

—

You woke up the next morning, unfamiliar with your surroundings for about 5 seconds before realizing you were on your couch. You relaxed back into the couch, before freezing up once more. Why were you on the couch?

You sit up on the couch, turning towards the TV and noticing the sleeping figure on the floor. Jungkook had fallen asleep on the floor, one arm cushioning the back of his head and the other one lazily wrapped around his waist, making you feel terrible. Gingerly stepping around Jungkook, you started to make breakfast for the both of you. You plugged in your headphones and started playing music as you took out the ingredients for Nutella crepes.

Jungkook woke up half an hour later, sitting up and watching you wrap up the crepes before clearing his throat. You didn’t pay attention to the sound, Shawn Mendes’s In My Blood blasting in your earbuds. One moment you heard Shawn’s voice loud and clear, and suddenly, one earbud was gently tugged out of your ear, but enough that it startled you.

“Jesus, Kookie, can’t I enjoy Shawn Mendes in peace?” You frown up at him. He flashed a grin at you, shaking his head. He stepped away from you and walked around to go stand at the opposite side of the table, grabbing a plate and thanking you for the breakfast. You both eat in a comfortable silence, your headphones long discarded in favor of the quiet morning with Jungkook.

After breakfast, you got ready while he washed dishes, much to your protest. You also figured out over breakfast that you would be in charge of the front of the house, so you went into the bathroom to put on your face of makeup and putting in your contacts before coming out. You were mesmerized by the way his muscles moved while he was doing simple things such as washing the dishes. He catches you staring, grinning when you blush and turn away, shaking his head.

“I’m gonna go downstairs and start baking off the cookies, yeah?” You say, still not looking up at him. “You go wash up, you smell, Kookie.” You waved to the younger, laughing awkwardly. You didn’t want to make eye contact since you knew Jungkook had that stupid shit-eating grin on his face. “Don’t forget to lock the door before going down, yeah?” You were putting on your shoes, checking if you had everything one more time (even if you did live upstairs from where you worked).

And it baffled you as to why you suddenly got extremely jealous with every girl that walked through and flirted with Jungkook that day.

--

There are 14 days in 2 weeks. In the last 14 days, Jungkook stayed over 10 times.

You weren’t complaining at all, however. You were kinda glad that the weird tension from the first time that Jungkook had stayed over had gone away, and even if he was staying on the couch, it wasn’t weird. You two even stayed up sometimes running to the 7/11 near your house to pick up some things that you could easily distinguish as his in your house including a child’s toothbrush of Ryan, the Kakao Talk character, some bunny slippers for wearing inside the house, and a bunch of candy that you guys could snack on while watching The Great British Bake Off.

Some nights, however, you felt lonely, even if there were two people in your one bedroom apartment. You would fall asleep thinking about if Jungkook was in the empty space next to you, cuddling into your bear plush harder and wishing it was the brown haired boy instead. You would dream about doing extremely domestic things with him, waking up and bitterly drinking a cup of coffee within the same boat as your emotions.

You couldn’t even get started on seeing him in the morning. While he was at the stand mixer making the first batch of meringues for the day, you had to refrain from hugging him from behind. You know he probably wouldn’t mind you back hugging him but to be safe, you just stood next to him and quietly leaned on him. You didn’t miss the soft smile that would curve onto his face and the arm that wrapped around you to pull you into a side hug. Your heart was beating so loud that you feared that he would hear and tease you, but he never said anything about it.

As the days passed by, you noticed that Jungkook would bring upstairs more and more of his personal items before work began (if he went home that previous night), and the sun started to set before 6:30. This was the prime time to finally make a move that could change gears on your relationship with Jungkook. “Ah, the autumnal equinox. The rise of pumpkin spice, chai tea, apple flavored baked goods, and cuffing season.” Jungkook saunters into the bakery bright and early, his voice snapping you out of your thoughts. You turned to him, squinting at all of the things he had just listed. He grinned at your reaction, peeking over your shoulder to see the words flavor of the day: chai spice macarons written on the announcement mirror.

“And I see you’ve fallen victim to at least one of those things.” He chuckles and you roll your eyes, turning back around with the whiteboard marker in hand. You continue to mind your own business decorating said mirror, humming along to Don’t Forget by Crush and Taeyeon playing in the background. A few beats pass before you feel a pair of arms wrap around your waist, his brown hair coming into view on your right side as his chin rests comfortably on your shoulder. Typically, the height difference would’ve been a lot more noticeable, but since you were standing on a stool to write on the mirror comfortably, the difference was bearable for once. You freeze up a little and you bump your head lightly into him, heat rising to your cheeks.

“Do you need something, Kookie?” You question, and he squeezes his arms lightly around your waist. Since the weather was cooling down, you opted to wear a fluffy knit sweater over some high waisted shorts, and when he squeezed, you could feel his arms around you instead of just the fabric lightly pressing into your skin.

“Do you think… I could sleep with you in your bed tonight?” He asks softly, and your eyes widen, dropping the marker in your hand. Upon seeing your reaction, his own eyes widen for a second before he laughs. “No, not like that, silly! Unless you want to-” he starts, before you start to wiggle out of his grasp.

“You’re disgusting, Kook,” you laugh off, hiding your embarrassed expression and shaking your head. He grins, squeezing you tighter in his grasp. “... But since you asked so nicely, I guess. Don’t expect me to cuddle you, though! I would still prefer to cuddle with my bear rather than you!” You joke lightly, the lie going right through your teeth. He grins, nuzzling into your neck and making you blush even more. This was the first time that he’d ever been so affectionate with you aside from the casual side hug, and you weren’t sure if it was because of the favor or if he was being legitimate with laying on the affection so heavy.

“Mhm, but you’re still warm nonetheless so don’t be surprised when you wake up and I’m spooning you.” He releases his hold on you, grinning and going into the kitchen. You were stuck in your place, hearing the pans start to bang in the back and you just sighed, burying your face into your hands. Tonight will be a long night, and you’re not sure whether or not you’re on board with it or you’re against it.

—

“Hey, I think we should head up, yeah?” Jungkook nudges you as you pull out your latest attempt at your friend’s famous recipe for apple cider donuts. You purse your lips, looking at your watch. The watch read back 2:30 AM, and you realized that meant by the time you got into the bed (with Jungkook, you mentally reminded yourself), you would have to wake up in 3 hours.

“Kookie, why didn’t you tell me earlier? You knew we would have to get up early to finish the cakes anyways!” You huffed, pouting at him. He laughed softly, pulling the tray of donuts from your hand and placing them onto the speed rack.

“I’m sorry,” he smiled, taking your hand as you both headed towards the door that led to the upstairs apartment. “You just looked super in thought with whatever you were baking, I didn’t want to interrupt.” You noticed the way he held your hand, as you guys both went up the stairs. “I was also busy with closing up the shop, since you were in the back of the house all day. Why don’t you wash up first, hm? I’m gonna make some tea for us.” He patted your head, going into the kitchen, toeing off his shoes on the way. His uniform was still on, you noticed, making you smile as you went into the bathroom to prepare for the night.

Once you were out the bathroom, you could hear Jungkook on the phone when you waddled out in your pajamas, and he turned when he heard your feet padding through the hallway. He bid goodbye to who he was on the phone with (his mother, you presumed) and he held out the mug full of sleepytime tea to you. He had taken off the apron, and his hair, once styled to reveal his forehead, had been reverted back to his natural hairstyle. You waddled over, taking the mug with a silent thanks and you sat across from him at the bar table.

“What’s your fondest memory?” You ask him after you finished half your tea, making him look up from absentmindedly scrolling on his phone. He purses his lips in thought, before sighing.

“When I studied abroad during my junior year, I was stuck at the train station and I didn’t have enough money to get home. I didn’t know what to do, so I set down the hat I was wearing at the time and I started to sing.” He nodded, taking another sip of his tea. “I only say it was fond because so many people gathered around to hear me do this mediocre cover of Sofa by Crush, and so many girls offered to pay for me. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t even hit most of the lower notes.” He laughed softly, finishing the tea in his mug, watching as you also finish your tea. “What about you?” He questions after setting both mugs in the empty sink, you standing to join him at the other side of the table.

“I think my fondest memory has to be opening up this bakery. Me and my best friend had always talked about opening up a bakery together, and seeing it all come together seems like it happened so long ago, when in reality the bakery’s only been open for two years, going on three in February.” You smile fondly at the memory of the first day, leaning on him. “I’ve always been super dedicated to the bakery, if there was a day that passed that I didn’t want to work to open it, I feared I would lose the passion to open it...” You were beginning to fight the sleepiness, and he could tell.

“Let’s get to sleep, yeah?” He picks you up, your arms wrapping around his neck on instinct. You clung to him like a sloth, nuzzling your head into his neck. Once you two got into your room, he laid you down gently, pulling the bear you promised to hug from where he was to lay and into your arms. He went to go change into his nightwear, and soon enough, you felt the bed dip and a certain pair of muscular arms encircle you, as well as a soft whisper of your name.

“Goodnight, mon petit chou.”

“Shut up, Jungkook”

—

When you woke up the next morning, the bear you promised you’d cuddle all night had ended up on the floor, the bed sheets tangled between your and Jungkook’s legs, and you were cuddling into his chest as much as you could. He was still fast asleep, holding onto you like you were about to fall apart in his arms any moment. The warmth that you two created was too comfortable to move, and you contemplated closing the bakery for the day to stay in bed all day with him.

An alarm went off what felt like 10 minutes later, Troye Sivan’s Youth playing throughout the room. Of course that was Jungkook’s ringtone. You laughed at the thought but when you saw that he wasn’t waking up immediately, you took matters into your own hands. Rolling over him so you were on top, you sat up straight before shaking him a little.

“Kookie, it’s time to wake up for work!” You chirp, seeing a grin rise on his face. Suddenly, you were pulled down from arms that snuck up to your face. You yelped in surprise, wiggling wildly when he laughed softly against your struggle.

“You make too much noise in the morning and you’ve barely moved.” He says into your ear, one arm letting half of your body free as he snoozes his alarm. “Let’s just stay in~ I don’t want to leave the bed.” He grinned, nuzzling your neck. Right as you were about to answer him back, you hear your text tone go off, your best friend’s name flashing across the screen. You sit up on top of Jungkook, pursing your lips in curiosity of what they had wanted so early in the morning.

“I think we’d have to close today anyways, we’re busy!” You grinned, showing him your screen. Your friend had sent a message about a cake for a locally famous artist, Kim Taehyung. Jungkook raised an eyebrow as to question why you would need his contact. “My friend and I have been in talks with Taehyung since we opened this place, and we’re in charge of making the star of his next gallery opening, the most over-the-top cake you can imagine!” You were ecstatic, much like a kid being given an unlimited budget in a candy store. Jungkook smiled at your excitement, happy for you as well as the bakery.

“So we’re closing up shop today so we can work on this cake with the artist?” Jungkook questioned. He wanted to know more about this Taehyung character and your relation to him. He knew of the artist from some of his shows at art museums around the city, since Jungkook was also a fan of art. You crawled back into the bed with Jungkook, nodding and smiling up at him.

“Yep! And not to mention, since it’s only the appointment today, we can stay in and sleep a little longer.” Your arm lazily draped around him, giggling as he pulled you closer and enclosing you in his arms.

“Oh? More time with you is always great.” He grinned down at you. You couldn’t look at him long, since you knew you’d get lost in him if you stared any longer. You felt something soft brush the top of your head, and as quick as it was there, it was gone. “What time do we have to be downstairs then, hm?” He asks quietly, stroking your hair slowly and you felt yourself falling asleep under his touch.

“We go down when the bakery typically opens, and we just talk with the client,” you say sleepily, snuggling into him, “and then we draw up the cake and make the dream come true, since we only get a 48 hour notice, unless it’s a wedding cake.” You two fall in a comfortable silence, and when Jungkook realizes your breathing has gone even and you were fast asleep, he smiles, kissing your forehead and bidding you a goodnight before falling asleep himself, his head resting comfortably on top of yours.

—

Jungkook’s first love was you. He always thought that falling in love hit you immediately, but he fell in love with the way you did small things, how you used to wait with him for the bus home, telling him to text you when he gets back, and even the way you looked when you were so deep in concentration while decorating a single dessert. It was one of his own mottos that living without passion is like being dead, and it filled his heart with joy to see how passionate you were about the bakery.

He didn’t understand why it was so hard for him to make eye contact with Taehyung when the three of you were in the room together. You and Taehyung had clicked and when he decided to zone back into the conversation, you two would be reminiscing about your high school days. From the information that he gathered, you two and the original co-owner of the bakery were the inseparable trio during high school, and while you were drawing out the cake, he noticed that sometimes Taehyung would take the pencil from you and draw some of his own things, and he wasn’t sure if you were totally okay with that.

The hour consultation felt like years to Jungkook, and when it was over he was more than relieved. You and Taehyung said your goodbyes and once Taehyung left, Jungkook wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around you and never let you go.

--

“What’s up, Jungkook? You seem a little off.” You frown, poking at Jungkook’s side. The time after Taehyung left, Jungkook had been uncharacteristically silent, literally punching into the fondant while he was kneading it out. You figured the poking was going to do nothing, so you went with the second thing that would definitely get his attention. Your arms wrapped around him from behind, the younger boy immediately going tense. He stopped kneading the fondant, sighing and turning to you. He enclosed you in a warm hug, nuzzling his nose into your hair.

“I don’t know, I felt super out of place when you and Taehyung were talking.” He admits, not wanting to look at you. He didn’t want to see how sad you would get when both of you would make eye contact. You blink, trying to figure out why he was so sensitive about Taehyung, when it all clicked in a second.

“Kookie~ Are you jealous of Taehyung?” You giggled, pulling away and scrunching up your nose at him. “Why would you be jealous of Tae?” Jungkook’s ears went red. He turned away from you, the embarrassment creeping up on him quick. You laughed softly, shaking your head at him.

“I don’t know… I didn’t like the way he was looking at you and stuff. It sounds stupid, we’re not even dating, let alone roommates, but like--” Your laughing caught him off guard from him spilling his feelings, and for a split second, he was offended. You made eye contact with him, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

“Kookie… He’s gay and we’ve been best friends for years, it’s nothing big, okay?” You patted his head, pulling away completely. He stood there shocked, mouth wide open. You tilted your head slightly in curiosity, a slightly amused look on your face as he started to stutter. “Enough of that, Jungkookie! Let’s get to baking this cake! The event is tomorrow and I’m not letting you stay in my apartment to just gawk at my friends and their sexual orientation!” You grinned, going back to trimming the cakes. Jungkook shook his head, going back to kneading the colors into the fondant. He really should’ve asked more about Taehyung preceding the consultation, but what was done was done, and he just made a big fool of himself in front of you.

----

The cake that Taehyung wanted was requested as such: “This is my first solo show, and a lot of my pieces are based off of my trip to Italy. Can you make something reminiscent of the Spanish Steps in Rome? But in a fashion that it incorporates mostly this one specific blue palette! Oh, and the cake flavors could be chocolate cappuccino torte!”. Even if you did love Taehyung with all your soul, him being the missing third in your best friend trio, his request was insane and you had to brainstorm the final idea 4 times before both of you compromised on the final look.

You and Jungkook worked nonstop on the cake, only pausing when an alarm went off at 7 to eat food instead of just sustaining off of small pieces of cake and other various leftover desserts that were left in the fridge that had not spoiled.

As you guys ate dinner, Jungkook had a million questions about Taehyung. Such questions included things as how you met, craziest thing you had done together, and if he ever kissed you, which you couldn’t help but look at him as if he was insane. The conversation was so extensive that it had gone into past dinner and into your round two of throwing the cakes in the refrigerator and molding fondant flowers.

You couldn’t help but look over at Jungkook’s concentrated state, watching him delicately thin the edges of the petal and attach it onto the rest of the fondant flower. Taehyung had chosen the crocus flower for this cake, a flower that both you and Jungkook were unfamiliar with. You took it upon yourself earlier to google what the flower was and it what it looked like. The crocus flower is a late blooming flower, an autumn flower that represents youthful joy, which you thought was extremely fitting for Taehyung. Once you and Jungkook saw the image, you set to work with the fondant, teaching Jungkook since he had never made fondant flowers before.

The quiet of the bakery seemed to be too much for the both of you, so a while after dinner, you turned your phone back on to blast music in the back of the house on the overhead speakers. You two worked all night, leaving the fondant flowers out to dry, doweling the cake, and making the basic structural components to the cake. Time seemed to pass by faster when you were working with music, sometimes you would catch Jungkook staring at you while you were working, and while you joked with him to get back to work, you also couldn’t help but stare at him when it was his turn to be busy.

A pot of tea later you and Jungkook had finally finished, watching the sun rise through the window and the early morning businessmen speed walk their way to the train. The clock read 8AM as you both went back up into your apartment, not even bothering to change as you both wiped out on your bed, your head resting on Jungkook’s chest and his arm wrapped around your waist.

By the time you had woken up, it was 3PM, and the lack of warmth from underneath you had woken you up. You smelled something coming from the kitchen, which automatically registered as fear in your brain. The last time Jungkook had cooked in the kitchen, he ended up burning the scrambled eggs that he tried surprising as breakfast in bed for you, and you had woken up just in time before your kitchen (your most sacred area in the house) had burned down. You immediately kicked off the covers, speed waddling into the kitchen to be met with Jungkook’s back, bent over to the oven to pull out a pan of roasted brussel sprouts, potatoes, and beets. Jungkook turned around, flinching a little by your presence, but laughing at your surprised reaction because of him cooking with ease.

“I googled a recipe, if you were wondering.” Jungkook smiled, setting the pan down over the stove and removing the oven mitt. You breathed a sigh of relief, walking over to Jungkook and grabbing bowls and forks from the cabinet.

“We shouldn’t eat a lot, Kookie. If we have a lot of time tonight, I’ll make dinner, okay?” You passed him a bowl, pulling out a spatula to spoon some of the vegetables on the pan onto your plate. You and Jungkook ate in silence, and you took into account the different spices he had used, each differing with the vegetable he had used. After your meal, you both went back downstairs to put the cake into the box, carrying it into the car. The cake ended up being 4 tiers and if you were honest, one of the best cakes you had done. You felt a surge of pride as you and Jungkook went back, a smile so wide on your face that Jungkook couldn’t help but notice.

“What’s with the smile, hm?” Jungkook pinched your cheek lightly, your attention going back to him. He seemed to beam when he was opening the door for you, the sun setting by the time you went back into the store front. You gestured to go back upstairs, your smile less wide but still with as much heart as before.

“I’m just really proud of this cake, as stupid as it sounds. I’ve made and decorated a lot of cakes in the short time of me being a professional baker, but this one really does hold a special place in my heart because of the aesthetic Tae was going for. I went to Italy for a semester abroad in college and just seeing how similar it looks to when I went, I feel proud with the outcome of the cake.” You smiled, unlocking the door and kicking your shoes off immediately. As you walked over to the couch, Jungkook couldn’t help but feel his heart surge with a new wave of love for you.

“Let’s go to Italy someday,” Jungkook blurts out, making you turn around. His eyes widen and he’s quick to follow up “... soon! Like as a friend vacation or something, we can bring along like, Hoseok and Taehyung or something.” He scratches the back of your head. You blush at the idea of going out to Italy, just the two of you on a gondola, leaning in for a kiss--

Your text tone snaps you out of your thoughts, a specific sound only set aside for texts from Taehyung. You whip out your phone, unlocking it quickly to see the message.

[From: Taehyungie 4:15 PM]: heyyyy bb forgot 2 tell u

[From: Taehyungie 4:15 PM]: yr invited tnight!! bring ur bf

[From: Taehyungie 4:16 PM]: cocktail party, not too formal, dont forget the cake

You furrowed your brows at the text, completely disregarding the second part of the second text. Taehyung must have something up his sleeve if he was inviting you along, but you knew you couldn’t get it out of him. You knew Taehyung was good at one thing particularly, and that was the element of surprise.

“Ah, looks like we were invited? It’s not out of the ordinary, but I don’t know if you brought any semi-formal clothes?” You looked up at the younger one, who’s current outfit was his usual white shirt and black pants, only instead of it being clean, it was covered in flour, freeze dried fruit powder, and powdered sugar.

“Oh, I think you mentioned it to me, I can go see what I brought? You can change first, I’ll just change after you.” He nods, watching you type away on your phone. You quickly typed a response, making sure Jungkook couldn’t see your phone. You got up from the couch, walking into your room and into the closet.

[To: Taehyungie 4:23 PM]: o,,, ok

[To: Taehyungie 4:23 PM]: hes not my boyfriend tae

[From: Taehyungie 4:25 PM]: ok but dont blame me when i claim his as mine :P

[From: Taehyungie 4:26 PM]: set up the cake in the main room and then come into the main gallery, you wont miss much with the way you work!!!

You looked up at the dresses that were hanging in your closet, opting for a black halter neck keyhole dress. You hurried into the bathroom, changing quickly and grabbing all the makeup and your contacts, doing your makeup in the vanity as Jungkook went in to change into whatever he pulled out.

When the bathroom door opened once you were done doing your makeup, you knew if you weren’t gone before from what charms Jungkook had, you were definitely a goner by now. Jungkook walked back out with his hair styled to reveal his forehead, a little makeup on, with a fitted all-black tuxedo look, dressed down a little with a few buttons unbuttoned so that it was more casual than having a tie on over the black dress shirt. You don’t think you’ve ever seen a man dress up this nice and this well, and you’ve gone to numerous opera nights where the dress code was formal. Your face went red as he turned to face you, a smirk on his face. It was different than the shit eating smile that he would give you when he wanted something from you.

No, this was some kinda Big Dick Energy smile you had only seen once before. You shuddered when he checked you out, a lazy grin on his face. This was not the first time Jungkook had teased you like this. He’d only done this once before when you were seeing him off one night at the bus stop, after he asked for a kiss on the cheek goodbye.

“You clean up pretty well, mon petit chou.” He chuckles, and you had to hide your blushing face from him. Your hands quickly flew to your face, and all you could hear was his faint laugh. “Why won’t you look at me, hmm?” He typically didn’t like to play around like this, but seeing you all flustered over his look made him feel more confident in the look.

“There you go with the cabbage thing again! Why do you keep calling me a cabbage?” You pouted up at Jungkook, trying to wiggle your hands out of his grasp. He chuckled, letting go of your hands.

“I’ll explain later, but for now, we have an event to go to, don’t we?” Jungkook grinned, standing up and extending his hand to you. You sighed, rolling your eyes and grabbing his hand. Once he pulled you up from the bed and you rearranged your dress, you both went to go slip on your pair of easy black heels, and respectively, his own dress shoes (which you had never seen till today? Jungkook was full of surprises). When you were coming up from fastening your shoes, you felt something wet brush your cheek, making you go red once more. Jungkook had just kissed your cheek and you were trying your hardest not to freak out.

“I bet you’ll be prettier than the art there.” Jungkook says softly, his body ridiculously close to yours. He was being ridiculously flirty, and if he wanted to play like that, well, two people can play that game. You grinned, biting your lip and looking up at him.

“Careful Jeon, you might distract me from the art.” You giggle upon seeing Jungkook’s shocked reaction to flirting back with him, grabbing his hand as you both go down the stairs, almost forgetting to lock the door on your way down.

The car ride there consisted of small playful banter and small flirting back and forth. You couldn’t miss the way how one of Jungkook’s hands rested on your thigh for the ride there, but your mind was stuck on how much you still had to put together at the venue, most of the flowers that you had made still not on the cake in fear of them falling over and breaking during transport. As if Jungkook could feel your worry radiate off of you, he would draw small circles on the flesh of your outer thigh where his hand rested near your knee, calming down your nerves.

The venue was on the opposite side of town, so while you and Jungkook drove down the scenic highway along the lake, you couldn’t help but roll the windows down and let the wind blow through your hair. You heard Jungkook laughing while you watched the skyline come into view and disappear down the highway, marveling at the city. Had it not been for the changing scenery from blues to the yellow leaves on the trees on the way down, you would have thought this was a normal summer night between a couple teenagers.

Once you two got to the venue, you found a cart to wheel in the cake while Jungkook found the last of the fondant flowers in the back, safe from any damage even if the ride down to the venue was smooth. You and Jungkook wheeled in the cake, carefully putting it on the table. The space you and Jungkook were in was quite empty, which gave you a nice ambience so that you could finish the cake.

Rather, you take out the fondant flowers while Jungkook put them on the cake, since he could actually see to the top of the cake. After placing the last few flower buds on the cake and doing some last minute touch ups, you two went into the main room, as Taehyung had instructed in his text. Before opening the door to the gallery where bossanova jazz played softly, Jungkook held out his arm for you to link with, a soft smile on his face. Grinning back, you swallowed your heart back down as you linked arms with him. He kissed your cheek, to your surprise, and when you looked back at him, he chucked softly.

“Let’s give them something to talk about, mon petit chou.”

The gallery itself seemed smaller than you remembered from when you were younger, a lot of ridiculously large prints of photos and abstract oil paintings contributed from Taehyung’s collection. There were some you had recognized from older exhibits where his art had been featured, and seeing how his art had grown made your heart swell. You had known Taehyung for a ridiculously long time now, and just seeing where his art had taken him made you extremely proud.

As you and Jungkook marveled at Taehyung’s work, you heard someone yell your name in the venue, and hurried heel clicking. Before you could register who could be yelling your name, a body slammed onto yours and a familiar laugh filled your ears, one that you hadn’t heard since Jungkook came into your life.

“I didn’t know you’d be here!” Your best friend, Ji Hae, who you had opened up the bakery with beamed at you. Ji Hae looked Jungkook up and down, and it only took her a split second to recognize him. “And you must be the new baker that every Yelp review is talking about! I’m Ji Hae, co-owner of the bakery!” Ji Hae held out her hand to shake Jungkook’s hand. Jungkook’s arm around you slipped off and shook her hand, smiling.

“Ah, I’m Jungkook, it’s nice to meet you, Ji Hae.” He smiled. After he introduced himself, Ji Hae snaked her arms around your waist, grinning.

“You won’t mind if I borrow her, right? I need to catch up with her.” Ji Hae didn’t leave any time for Jungkook to reply as you were pulled away from him. You were completely confused but once you realized you were moving, your senses kicked in.

“Ah, Jungkookie, if you wanna go home and I’m not back, just text me!” You called out before your friend pulled you to another part of the gallery. Jungkook shook his head, going back to admiring the photograph in front of him. It was only a few beats before a flute of champagne was held in front of him. The flute was being offered by Taehyung, who was also holding a glass himself.

“Did they leave you alone? I told Ji Hae not to do that…” Taehyung tsked. Jungkook accepted the champagne from him, nodding.

“Ji Hae surely is a character… The both of them get along well.” Jungkook chuckled, looking over at Taehyung. Jungkook took a sip, watching Taehyung in his peripheral vision nod thoughtfully.

“How much do you know about your co-worker, Jungkook?” Taehyung questioned, Jungkook almost spitting out his champagne. He blinked slowly at the older man, Taehyung looking back at Jungkook with a raised eyebrow. The younger brown haired man coughed a little, wiping his mouth a little from the champagne that threatened to escape his mouth.

“W-well, I know she knows minimal french from high school, her birthday, her favorite tea is herbal and she only has real coffee once a month--” Jungkook rambles before Taehyung holds up a hand, shaking his head.

“No no, what do you know about her? All that stuff you just listed out is basic. Is there anything that catches your attention? It doesn’t have to be big and glaring, small things are things as well.” He grins at Jungkook. Jungkook tilts his head in confusion before it finally clicked in his head.

“Well, when she’s deep in concentration, she tilts her head just slightly, even if the orientation of whatever she’s working on is completely straight. Her favorite color and the colors that she’s attracted to are completely different, and if anyone sings around her, her nose scrunches, although I’m not sure why…” Jungkook trails off, thinking harder about your little nuances, but Taehyung’s chuckles snapped him out of the thoughts before he could delve deeper.

“That sounds so classic of her. You know she was a music major in high school? She’s an amazing singer and it’s sad she doesn’t use her voice all that often anymore. I think you’re the only person to know that about her outside of anyone who knew us back then. I have also never heard of any guy observe her that hard.” Taehyung nods. “Do you spend a lot of time looking at her?” Jungkook goes pink, matching half of Taehyung’s half-and-half pink and blonde hair.

“I’ve been uh… Living with her for the last few months, maybe 3?” This time, it was Taehyung’s time to sputter at the comment. He looked at Jungkook, jaw slack. “So yeah, I guess I’ve been looking at her a lot.” He chuckled nervously.

“I saw her come in with you and she was clinging onto your arm. Is she always that touchy with you or was it just for show tonight?” Taehyung was completely intrigued with your relationship with Jungkook, and Jungkook didn’t know how to avoid the questions, this was Taehyung’s show and he couldn’t go anywhere else without you. You’d probably punch him or something.

“Well, we sleep in the same bed, nothing goes any further than hugging, but sometimes she’ll reach out for my hands to hold, or she’ll automatically lean on me when we’re doing something together.” Jungkook shrugged casually, finishing the champagne that was given to him earlier. Taehyung’s eyebrows raised in surprise, before he set down his half empty glass. He scanned the room before leaning into Jungkook.

“She’s being really touchy and she hasn’t said anything about liking you? Are you sure you aren’t dating?” He reaffirms with Jungkook, who just nods in return. “Just shoot your shot, Kook! She probably does like you, but she doesn’t think about it because she’s so into the bakery.” He flashes Jungkook a boxy grin, punching Jungkook’s arm. Jungkook looked at Taehyung in disbelief, and he was skeptical about Taehyung’s advice. Surely, you couldn’t be into him, right?

“Ah, there you two are!” You came back, automatically going to stick on the side of Jungkook. Taehyung shot Jungkook a look and only wiggled his brows. “Let’s go see the other art!” You smile happily, lightly tugging Jungkook away.

You two continue your night right where it left off, a little bit of flirting here and there, and soon enough, the cake that you two had created was cut. Jungkook noticed that your grip loosened a little, so he took it upon himself to grab a piece of cake off the table and cut off a bite size piece.

“Hey, Earth to mon petit chou, say ah~” Jungkook cooed, snapping you out of your trance. “You’re really distant, are you okay?” He smiles at you, his fork in front of your mouth. You gladly accept the cake at first, watching as his hand sets down the fork on the plate and his arm travels down to hold your hand, squeezing it lightly. You lace fingers with him, nodding a little and smiling. You swallowed the bit of cake before replying to him.

“Yeah, just a little sleepy, should we head back?” You yawn a little, emphasizing on your exhaustion. “I think this is the most human interaction I’ve had in a minute.” You giggle, leaning into Jungkook.

You two congratulate Taehyung on the art show once more, and after numerous hugs and goodbyes are said, you and Jungkook finally make it into the car. Jungkook puts on music once more, but it’s more calm music instead, lulling you to sleep in the car. Once he stopped at the stop sign, he looked over to you, smiling softly as you fall asleep with one of his hands linked with yours. Once you two pull up to your apartment, Jungkook stretches in the car seat and sighs once more. You were dead asleep in the seat, and he figured he would have to carry you back up. He unbuckles his seat belt, cutting off the engine. Getting out of the car and opening your door, he made sure that you wouldn’t fall out, scooping you into his arms bridal-style.

Jungkook fumbles with the keys for a split second, but he managed to open the door with you not waking up, which is a personal surprise for himself. Slipping out of his dress shoes, he opens the door to the bedroom. He lays you down on the bed, taking his time to change into his sleepwear. He kept thinking about Taehyung’s words about how you might like him back, as well as the other facts that he had heard from him.

Jungkook walks back out, frowning when he realized you were still in your party clothes. It didn’t vibe with him for you to sleep in the clothes you had gone to the party in. He nudged you gently, watching you stir to face him.

“Hey, don’t you want to change out of your contacts before we sleep?” Jungkook’s voice rang in your ears. A groan escaped your throat as you stretched out in the bed.

“You don’t live enough, Kookie.” You grumble, sitting up so that you could go change out of your contacts and your dress. You padded over to the bathroom, grabbing all the necessary items such as your makeup wipes and your pajamas, slowly getting ready for bed. Once you were back out of the bathroom, you spotted Jungkook lounging on your bed, checking his phone once more and turning on his alarms. You crawled onto his side, pulling the sheets over your shoulders.

“Goodnight, Kookie~” You cooed before falling back asleep by his side. Jungkook’s heart skipped a beat, gulping nervously at your sleeping figure. Maybe he could entertain the idea that Taehyung was right for a second, that you were in love but you were too oblivious to see it.

Jungkook wasn’t sure how he could live out this imagination, and his heart told him not to pursue anything. He wouldn’t want to ruin anything with the best thing to happen in his life.

----

It was an uncharacteristically slow day at the bakery, you guessed it was because it was finals week for a lot of the schools around you, but nonetheless, a bit too quiet in the bakery. It was actually so quiet that you could hear your thoughts over the soft jazz music that always played at the front of the house. Pursing your lips, you went over to the stereo and turned the music up a little more, bobbing your hair to the music while also rearranging the baked goods.

“First in, first out.” You chanted softly as you rearranged the macarons, making sure to set aside the broken cookies (how did they manage to break?) and the less appealing tarts. Jungkook walked out into the front of the house, seeing you bob to some bossanova before grinning. He goes over to the stereo, turning on a certain album that both you two enjoyed. There was no one in the bakery at the time, so when the song’s beginning started playing, you were thrown off from your flow.

“Jungkook, what the hell?” You sighed, rolling your eyes. You weren’t mad about the music change, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes when he wrapped his arms around you.

“You don’t have the urge to sing along? We’re too busy to go to karaoke and I’ve never heard you sing, only occasional humming from time to time. Didn’t you go to an arts school for voice?” Jungkook teased, remembering the conversation he had with Taehyung at the gallery opening. Your face flushed, which he took as a positive and he started to sing along first. It was Daniel Caesar and H.E.R’s Best Part, and due to the copious amounts of times you had listened to that song, you memorized the lyrics. The chorus came up quicker than you thought, and you found yourself singing along with Jungkook.

“I just wanna see how beautiful you are…” You start singing along in the octave that H.E.R is singing in, only tuning in a little to hear Jungkook’s lower register. You grin and sing along to the rest, wiggling out of his grasp. You never took the time to actually sing full on anymore, and you felt a little rusty singing along. A little while later, you peeked over to Jungkook, who had apparently stopped singing. He was staring at you in awe, his eyes wide. You sauntered over to him after you were done cleaning out the display case, resting your arms on his shoulders, slow-dance style.

“If you love me, won’t you say something?” You smiled up at him. Your heart swelled when you felt Jungkook’s arms wrap around your waist, slow dancing with you as he found his voice to sing back to you. He touched foreheads with you, closing his eyes as you closed yours. You both savored the moment, his breath on yours. You could feel your heart beating as if you just ran, and you opened one eye, starting to lean in. The bell on the door suddenly interrupted both of you, Jungkook flying off of you as you turned away from the door, face as red as the raspberry macarons.

“W-welcome to--” Jungkook cleared his throat, silently gesturing you to go to the back of the house while he regained his composure, saying the name of the bakery as you went into the back, fanning your face. You watched as he helped out the mom with her baby, a soft smile on your face.

The music in the bakery continued to play one of Jungkook’s R&B playlists, a Sabrina Claudio song playing next. As you continued to watch him clean up where you left off, you couldn’t quite place the feeling that Jungkook gave you, and you weren’t sure if you liked it or not.

--

According to a lot of love language profiles, your heart usually warmed with the idea of someone surprising you with little things, acts of service, to be specific.

It was a trend with all of your romantic partners in your past, you usually felt extremely appreciative when they did small things like make your cups of tea, wash the dishes, or other extremely domestic things along that sort. In return, you would always try to help them out, but you never felt a click with the people you dated.

You never noticed it, but Jungkook would always do these things for you. He would make you cups of tea and remind you to eat when you would go long hours without any breaks, making you your favorite tea when you were having a down day, or even making you a quick sandwich that sat by your side as a gentle reminder. By the time you would notice these things, he’d always be back to the task at hand, whether that be entertaining the girls in the bakery or making more goods to put out.

The winter season where your bakery was located felt like they started from mid October to April. When November hit, you could feel yourself struggling to get out of bed, the motivation in your body slowly decreasing. Jungkook had started to notice this in you, but he wasn’t sure what was wrong. You usually were extremely happy and upbeat, but for a few weeks, you would barely talk in the morning and would prefer to work in the back of the house. Not to mention, you were a lot more touchy and would typically lean into Jungkook more or back hug him when you had the chance.

Although he didn’t mind, and he would typically reciprocate the touchiness, but he wanted to do more, and worried himself about you to the point where he fell under the weather. You seemed a lot more distant when both of you were upstairs, and you would typically stay downstairs for a little while longer, dismissing Jungkook to go upstairs so that he could sleep earlier and not be so sick coming into work.

You didn’t want to tell Jungkook that you would dismiss him upstairs so that you could meet with other people without worrying him. Although you liked Jungkook a lot, you were scared of how he would look at you if you confessed to him. You didn’t know if he even liked you like that, so it was better to be safe rather than sorry. You’ve been distracting yourself from falling further into the seasonal depression and in love with Jungkook by throwing yourself into the world of online dating, swiping absentmindedly when Jungkook worked front of the house. You had a date tonight, and you attempted to look better than normal before closing up the shop and waiting in front.

You had planned on going out with this guy (His name was Kim Seokjin, a nice guy, really) twice before, but he had always rain checked before you could go out with him, and you guys were planning on going to the holiday market downtown. The meeting was supposed to go that you guys met at the bakery and then make your way down, since the train near your bakery went directly down to the market. You both agreed that you would meet at 7:30, 30 minutes after the bakery closed, but once the clock hit 8, you were losing faith in meeting up with him. You waited for him for another hour, and as much as you wanted to not believe it, you had just been stood up.

Admitting defeat, you sulked immensely, going back up to your apartment. This wasn’t the first guy to do this to you, and you were actively seeking for love from people you thought you clicked with. Your brain started to fill itself with self deprecating thoughts as you opened the door, the soft sounds of the Netflix series Nailed It! playing. Jungkook looked up from the couch, already all showered and ready to go to bed, but on nights like these he would wait for you to come back before you both went to sleep. That, along with all your other overwhelming internal dialogue seemed too much that you started to feel the tears well up in your eyes.

“I’m home…” You barely managed to get out from the overwhelming emotions that washed over you. The TV had no noise coming from it, meaning that either Jungkook had paused it or muted it. You avoided eye contact in the general direction from where he was, the tears falling silently down your face as you yanked off the scarf and fumbled with the buttons of your pea coat. Jungkook noticed the way you rubbed furiously at your eyes almost rhythmically, after every button on your coat was becoming undone. He frowned, sitting up on the couch.

“Is everything alright, chou?” He wanted to stand up, but something in him told him to keep rooted. Jungkook was about to turn back to the tv when he heard something rushing towards him, and suddenly you were in his arms, your own arms wrapped around him tightly as you openly sobbed on him. You had never cried on Jungkook, and here you were, bawling on him. Jungkook started to rub your back gently, squeezing you. He had learned somewhere that during a panic or anxiety attack, you should squeeze the person in order to ease their anxiety. He didn’t know what was wrong, but obviously it was something bothersome enough that it would send you into tears like this. He whispered words of reassurance in your ear, continuing to rub your back slowly.

You both stayed like this for a while, your breathing evening out before Jungkook rolled you over so that you were on the couch. He slowly peeled away and before you could protest, he smiled softly at you and stroked your cheek. “I’m gonna get some stuff, okay? I’ll be back soon. Don’t miss me too much.” True to Jungkook’s word, he came back quickly, your blanket, some milk tea that was sitting in a thermos (he probably had made it earlier for you to have when you came home), and a plush that you thought was hidden from him, a little black bear with a heart shaped patch. He sat down next to you again, you automatically curling into him as he wrapped you both in the blanket and made the little bear plush kiss your cheek before setting it in your lap. His arms wrap back around you, stroking your hair softly. “If you’re comfortable, you can tell me what’s wrong, yeah? No rush.” He reassures you. You both sit in a comfortable silence before he hears a sigh come from you. You curl closer into him, the bear being a slight barrier between you and him as you spill to him about the whole date ordeal.

“Jungkookie, I’ve been taken for granted for so fucking long… I always give so much and I never get it reciprocated. It’s almost cruel how scary that giving and receiving ratio is. I’ve been stood up so many times, I’ve never clicked with any of the people I have dated, and I just think something is wrong with me, or maybe I’m too dedicated to this bakery that I can’t ever date.” You bite your lip, smushing the face of the bear in. You had to keep your hands busy so that Jungkook wouldn’t see the trembling in your hands. You couldn’t prevent it for long, however, since Jungkook looked down at your hands playing constantly and held them in his own. You couldn’t look at his eyes, but you could feel his frown. His hands squeezed yours and tears began to resurface. “I just don’t know if anyone will love me for me, in all the times that I’m here running the bakery, love me even with the lack of time.” You could barely get the last part out, hiding your face in Jungkook’s chest once more. Jungkook lets go of your hands, squeezing you once more so that you wouldn’t say any more.

“That’s not true, you have so many people that love you. You have so many friends and I’m sure that they would all hate to see you so sad.” He starts off. There’s a reluctant pause in his voice, a space where he would say he loves you, but before he could say more, you open your mouth.

“I know that there’s that kinda love, but Kook,” you start to emphasize, sulking. “I want someone that I can imagine in my life that kisses me awake and stuff. You have so many girls doting over you, I want to feel like that for someone, you know?” You whine, “That’s just never gonna be me with anyone so I’m just-” He cuts you off by squeezing you again, pressing his forehead against yours.

“You need to hush sometimes, you know?” Jungkook sighs softly, his heart about to burst from what he’s about to say. “I know you won’t give love another chance, but I want to be the one to show you how love can be reciprocated.” His cheeks dust a light pink and you didn’t know how to react. “I promise I won’t break your heart intentionally, I love you too much for that to happen.”

You were in complete disbelief over his confession, because that confession was something that you thought would never happen to you. You would’ve thought that eventually, Jungkook would’ve gotten a girlfriend (that wasn’t you) and would have to quit the bakery and leave you alone once more. For a split second, you thought Jungkook was lying before you realized he was a man of his word. Even with the smallest promises, Jungkook would always be able to live up to the promises.

“It’s always been you, mon petit chou.” He smiles softly, wiping the last of the tears that were on your face. That was the last thing you heard before you pulled him in, a sweet kiss that tasted like the earl grey vanilla tea. He gladly returned the sweet little kiss, pulling away from you.

“I kinda… wanna bake with you for like a long time. Maybe forever.” You blush, covering your eyes at your stupid confession. You didn’t know how else to phrase it, and the way you said it made Jungkook chuckle.

“Is that so, mon petit chou? Well I’m glad you feel the same way.” He cooed, pulling you into another kiss.

The rest of the night was a blur, nothing further than a few kisses here and there, but nonetheless, a night that turned bad events into things that made you smile instead.

--

“You know how I call you mon petit chou?” Jungkook was currently hunched over the worktable, carefully peeling away the chocolate decorations from the parchment paper. Since it was the holiday season, you two had gotten a sudden influx of requests for yule log roll cakes (“that’s not all we make, but they always ask us to make it!”). Jungkook’s friend, Jung Hoseok had also requested for one, but specifically requested for you to make it, despite Jungkook’s protests that he made roll cakes much better than you.

You perked up at his voice, setting down the whipping cream that you were weighing out for the filling of the roll. “Yeah, I thought you just wanted to call me a little cabbage because of how short I was.” You chuckled, shaking your head at the absurd term of endearment. You heard Jungkook’s soft laugh as you poured the whipping cream into the stand mixer.

“No no, not chou as in cabbage, babe. Mon petit chou means my little cream puff. Your favorite dessert are cream puffs, aren’t they?” He hummed, rearranging the chocolate he had just peeled away on the log he was finishing up. “Plus, you’re sweet. I thought it was fitting, and when I was in France, my host mom said I should only use that name with someone I love. And I love, well, you!” He grinned, a light dust of pink on his face.

You couldn’t help but smile at the way he explained the nickname, covering your mouth from smiling too much.

“Jeon, you better get back to work before I kick your derrière.”

[vitabenedetta-blog]

Recipe Eats

Lets be honest, as fun as it is to go out and enjoy a nice meal and some fancy drinks with friends, this can get expensive (especially as college students). Many times as students we resort to ordering Jimmy John’s and spending our spare cash when we are tight on time. College is hectic. Between classes, work, family obligations, sleep, exercise, and trying to have a life, grocery shopping and cooking homemade meals is usually put on the backburner. 

Thankfully, grocery shopping and meal prepping can be quick and easy with my guide to recipe eats. Being prepared before a trip to the grocery store will save you time and prevent you from mindlessly buying food that will just go bad later on in the week. Also, never go to the grocery store hungry. You will be tempted to put everything and anything under the sun in that cart of yours. I promise, it is a disaster waiting to happen for your credit card.

Every weekend I do a clean sweep of my refrigerator and freezer. I get rid of things that have accumulated throughout the week (leftover Topper’s) and certain ingredients that I am choosing not to consume (sugar). I take out a pencil and paper and write down my grocery list the old fashioned way, based on the meals I want to make for the week. Having roommates in college means sharing a tiny refrigerator. Cleaning and restocking every weekend ensures you are not wasting space with uneaten food and only buying ingredients that you plan on eating that week. I highly recommend buying meal containers on Amazon that take up the least amount of space to easily store cooked food in the refrigerator. 

Here Are Some Of My Grocery Staples

PRODUCE 

My favorite place to buy produce is Costco. The big packs of fruits and veggies will last you all week so that you will not have to make multiple trips to the store; however, I purchase my bananas and avocados at Kwik Trip since they tend to go bad fast. The awesome thing about this time of year is being able to take advantage of the farmer’s market. You can always find ingredients such as lettuce mix, strawberries and sweet potatoes at the market for cheap! 

Broccoli 

Romaine 

Lemons 

Strawberries 

Bananas 

Blueberries 

Raspberries 

Sweet Potatoes 

Avocados 

Brussel Sprouts

DAIRY 

In my house, dairy is kept to a minimum. If I do purchase dairy I am extremely cautious about sourcing. Dairy has been linked to inflammation and breakouts and overall always upsets my stomach. Instead of cow’s milk, I find dairy products that are made with almond milk; however, this is completely a personal preference. I enjoy going to Whole Foods to purchase my non-dairy products. 

Almond Milk (New Barn)

Cheese (Kite Hill) Yogurt (Kite Hill) 

Ice Cream Probiotics (Good Belly) 

Ghee Butter 

PROTEIN 

Unless going out for a burger and fries with friends, I choose not to consume red meat, so you will never find it in my refrigerator. I do not have anything against red meat, I am just one of those weird texture people. I gravitate toward turkey-based meats. 

Boca Burgers

Lean Ground Turkey 

Tuna 

Eggs 

Turkey Bacon 

GRAINS

If you know one thing about me, it’s probably that I cannot get enough of carbohydrates. I basically grew up on bread and pasta. Unfortunately as my metabolism has slowed down, this habit also did. I still love grains. Everything in moderation! 

Banza Pasta (made with chickpeas) 

Sourdough Bread 

Perfect Bars 

Granola 

Oats

Siete Tortilla Chips 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Hu Chocolate Bars 

Georgia Grinders Almond Butter 

Protein Powder Cacao Powder

After an inside look at my grocery list and refrigerator, we can begin the meal prep. Here are some of my favorite recipe eats for the school year! You can always double the recipes to share with roommates or family. 

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

These are a perfect dessert for chocoholics and pair well with dairy free ice cream. You can even make ice cream sandwiches! 

Ingredients:

-2/3 cup oats, blended to flour 

-2 tbsp. peanut butter 

-1tbsp. flax seed 

-1 tbsp. maple syrup 

-1 banana, mashed 

-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

-Pinch of sea salt 

-1/4 cup dark chocolate chips 

Recipe: 

1) Blend oats, about 20 seconds 

2) Combine all ingredients 

3) Scoop onto cookie sheet, 1 tbsp. size, make round shape 

4) Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes 

5) Dip into melted chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt 

SMOKED SALMON TOAST 

Toast is my go-to lunch. It takes the least amount of time for when I am running between classes and homework. It is also the best for using up just about any ingredient in your refrigerator. 

Ingredients: 

-Slice of sourdough bread 

-Kite Hill cheese spread 

-Avocado

-Smoked Salmon (Aldi) 

-Egg 

-Everything But The Bagel seasoning (Trader Joes) 

Recipe: 

1) Toast sourdough bread 

2) Cook egg over easy on stovetop with butter 

3) Mash avocado 

4) Combine all ingredients on toast 

BANZA BOWL 

This bowl is a great pasta alternative, with a variety of flavors that cures my Noodles and Company cravings! 

Ingredients: 

-Banza pasta 

-Zucchini 

-Turkey meatballs 

-Kite Hill cheese spread 

-Mushrooms 

-Tahini 

-Tomato basil sauce (Trader Joes) 

Recipe: 

1) Cook pasta 

2) Spiral zucchini 

3) Cook spiraled zucchini in microwave with butter for about 2 minutes 

4) Cook mushrooms on stovetop

5) Microwave turkey meatballs for 2 minutes

6) Once pasta is cooked, combine with desired amount of tomato basil sauce 

7) Combine all ingredients in bowl 

8) Top with cheese spread 

9) Drizzle with tahini 

BUDDAH BOWL WITH JALAPEÑO TAHINI DRESSING 

It is like Chipotle but in your kitchen and much cheaper. 

Ingredients: 

-Avocado

-Olives 

-Turkey burger

-Limes

-Lettuce mix 

-Cilantro 

-Goat cheese 

-Zucchini 

Jalapeño Tahini Dressing:

-1/4 cup Tahini 

-1 seedless jalapeño 

-Lemon 

-Salt 

-Almond milk 

Recipe: 

1) Cook turkey burger on stove top 

2) Spiral zucchini 

3) Cook spiraled zucchini in microwave with butter for about 2 minutes 

4) Combine lettuce mix, cooked zucchini, cilantro 

5) Slice avocado 

6) Place cooked turkey burger, lime, avocado, olives, and goat cheese on top of greens 

7) Drizzle dressing 

SWEET STRAWBERRY TOAST 

This breakfast is perfect for that weekend morning sweet tooth without having to drive to Denny’s. 

Ingredients: 

-Sourdough bread 

-Strawberries 

-Honey 

-Cinnamon 

-Probiotic yogurt (coyo) 

-Almond butter 

Recipe: 

1) Toast bread 

2) Spread almond butter 

3) Add sliced strawberries 

4) Top with honey, cinnamon, and a spoonful of probiotic yogurt 

ACAI BOWL 

A refreshing combination for a hot summer day! 

Ingredients: 

-Frozen strawberries 

-Fresh strawberries

-Frozen bananas 

-Frozen pineapple 

-Sweetener 

-Almond milk 

-Vanilla protein powder 

-Almond butter 

-Honey

-Coconut shreds 

-Granola 

-Chia seeds 

Recipe: 

1) Blend frozen strawberries, bananas, and pineapple in a blender with sweetener, almond milk, vanilla protein powder, almond butter, and honey 

2) Pour into a bowl 

3) Top with fresh strawberries, honey, coconut shreds, granola, and chia seeds 

SWEET POTATO PANCAKES 

The perfect mixture of savory and sweet for the indecisive. This recipe is even Whole30 approved! 

Ingredients: 

-Sweet potato 

-Banana, mashed 

-2 eggs 

-Butter 

-Probiotic yogurt (coyo) 

-Almond butter 

-Honey 

-Cinnamon 

Recipe: 

1) Cook sweet potato in microwave for 4 minutes 

2) Mash sweet potato with fork 

3) Combine mashed sweet potato, mashed banana, and 2 eggs in a bowl 

4) Cook over a griddle with butter 

5) Top with almond butter, probiotic yogurt, honey, and cinnamon

MAC AND NO CHEESE 

The dairy free alternative for a mac n’ cheese lover. I mean we do live in Wisconsin people.

Ingredients: 

-Banza pasta 

-1 tbsp. nutritional yeast 

-1/3 cup cashews 

-1/3 cup roasted butternut squash 

-Lemon -1/4 cup water 

-Salt 

Recipe: 

1) Cook pasta 

2) Blend all sauce ingredients together slowly, adding in water until desired consistency reached 

3) Pour sauce over pasta and heat 

Finale 

I hope my grocery list and recipes help you break the staying-in stigma. Cooking is a great date idea, especially paired with a glass of wine and a movie! It is also a peaceful study break and a way to get your body up and moving from your couch on a Sunday. These recipes are easy! Trust me, I am not a whiz in the kitchen. I stick to simple recipes made with the least amount of ingredients that taste awesome and make me feel great. 

Next time you pick up processed foods at a gas station or on campus at school, turn it around and look at the list of ingredients. You will be surprised by how many ingredients you have never heard of and most likely cannot even pronounce. What we are choosing to put in our bodies matters and affects the way we feel, behave, and perform each and every day. Remember, you do not have to be perfect. No one is. Perfection is boring, but be different by caring about yourself. I cannot wait to see you recreate my recipes. 

Please make sure to send me pictures or tag me on social media. 

Instagram: @vitabenedetta 

Facebook: @ViBenedetta 

Twitter: @ViBenedetta Tell me. 

Do you prefer to stay in and cook meals or go out? Comment below.

[the-coconut-asado]

THE REAL BLUE LAGOON

Before Love Island there was The Island, and before reality shows broke our collective spirit forever, there was The Blue Lagoon.

Actually there were two Blue Lagoons. The latter film starred a barely legal Brooke Shields and a guy no one remembers, and the first starred Jean Simmonds and …a guy no one remembers.

Both films – and even the first Love Island when it had budget – were filmed in the Yasawas, the most beautiful island group in Fiji. Acres of white sand beaches, seven different blues in the water, impossibly cute hermit crabs, and the only threat to your wellbeing the occasional falling coconut. 

Never has so much been handed by so few on a plate to Hollywood. Oh, and there is an actual Lagoon called Blue. The snorkeling is jaw dropping, even for the inept beginner.

But for those who live there, it's all about the isolation and a simple life. Eat mainly what you grow. Raise your chickens in the back yard and set coconut traps to catch your crabs. And at night, you sit on the deck and listen to the cicadas, the wind rustling the coconut leaves, and yes, ok, the occasional out-of-tune karaoke strain of a pickled tourist.

My brother-in-law Darcy’s Auntie Joan lives on the far side of Tavewa, the most remote island of the group, which we visited this summer. Auntie Joan is a magician who daily conjures up nostalgic bakes, buns and biscuits in her Picture Post fifties kitchen. Must be something in the name, as my own Auntie Joan in Buenos Aires, now 95, was always the cook of the family.

Like her Argentine namesake, Darcy’s Auntie Joan doesn’t suffer fools gladly. And as my nephew and his friends discovered, you can stray into fool territory simply by scraping  a coconut the wrong way. More of this later.

 Auntie Joan's father built her house facing into the bush. She told me she hated the house when she first saw it because it looked away from the sea.  It now it keeps the prying eyes of wandering tourists away from her and the family. In fact, the occasional drone of a seaplane and the bickering of her two dogs Rascal and Red (who guided us in the path along the beach and over the bush back to our bures at night) are the only sounds that disturb the quiet.

Until the family arrives.

My nephew had started building anticipation of Auntie Joan’s coconut buns (no sniggering in the back row) on the boat over to her beach. He was clearly a fan. So, naturally, and once I felt we had got to know each other after 24 hours, I asked her for the recipe. From the sideways glance I got by way of a reply, I wasn't sure that question had gone down well. Then she leant closer and said: “You learn by looking.” In other words, you want the recipe, you make the effort, baby. Fair enough.

So I spent the following afternoon closely watching Auntie Joan’s process and taking feverish notes on my iphone while the rest of the family got stuck in to prepping the coconuts. 

Coconut scraping is a rite of passage for teenagers in Fiji. And you need the right tool. In this case a flat plank of wood with a circular set of teeth at the front – a bit like Alien’s jawline. You stick the plank between your legs and move each coconut half in a circular movement around the teeth. And if you are not aroused by now then you can get up slowly, walk away bandy-legged and start extracting the liquid from the desiccated heap you have created. Impressively, and a tad surprisingly, my friend Sue (who was travelling with us)  took to it like The Kardashians to hair extensions.

 Then you have to squeeze the grated coconut to extract the milk. Don’t even think of reaching for a tin:  “Well, if you must you must,” said Auntie with a flick of her wrist as she kneaded the dough. I mentally translated that flick as sign language for ‘you are dead to me’, while outside my nephew and his friends were torturing the milk out of the grated coconuts in a hessian and stick rack. It’s a process.

Auntie Joan wasn’t my sole food inspiration on Tavewa – Mellika, who ran the island’s grocery store, rustled up some mean Paw Paw scones for breakfast, and then kindly posed for this picture. 

However, Auntie Joan’s coconut buns were the highlight. In their traditional boiled state they are no oil painting, but for the hungry snorkeler they were ambrosia. Yeasty, coconut-ey, and poached in yet more coconut milk, one is never enough. 

You can also bake them in coconut milk if you want a golden crust to the bun and don’t want to compromise on eating with your eyes.

However, when I came to write this blog I decided that even as a breakfast bun, people back home faced with a pile of coconuts and the will to live, may find the preparation of these too much bother. So I have developed a dessert version– the Coconut Baba – which you can knock up over a couple of hours and leave alone more most of it. I also persuaded Mellika to give me her Paw Paw scone recipe, which I have adapted here for a family of four rather than 50 rabidly hungry tourists. And for something to eat before you drown in sugar, I have created a light octopus and fennel salad.

As Auntie Joan would say: “Pay attention, dear.”

Coconut Baba with Mango Lime compote

This is a version of the French Savarin dessert – an enriched yeast cake soaked in syrup. My coconut twist is to replace the traditional rum with Malibu, with some toasted coconut to sprinkle over the mango lime compote and thick cream that you will want to serve with it. You can also substitute the butter in this recipe with coconut oil, although the finish of the cake won’t be as silky smooth.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the dough:

105g soft, unsalted butter or coconut oil (if using, melt over a low heat first)

10g fast action dried yeast

2 tbsps. (15g) honey

120g self-raising flour

120g plain flour

60g fresh white breadcrumbs

Pinch of sea salt

7 large eggs

 For the syrup:

300ml Malibu or other coconut liqueur

300g caster sugar

300 ml water.

 For the compote:

300g mangoes, chopped reasonably small

50g caster sugar

1 tbsp Malibu

Juice of 1 lime

 Toasted coconut to serve

 How to make.

Tip all the ingredients for the dough into a large bowl. Make sure that the yeast and salt are added before the wet ingredients and that they don’t touch each other (otherwise the salt will kill the yeast). Mix for 6-8 minutes using a dough hook, until the texture is a loose batter and the gluten is stretched. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.

 Heat the oven to 170C/ 150C fan and butter a Bundt tin. Pour the mixture into the tin, taking care to distribute it evenly and not spill any, and leave for another 30 minutes to rise again. 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until it is lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn it our onto a wire rack to cool.

 Make the syrup, bring the sugar, water and Malibu to the boil in a saucepan and then boil for five minutes. When the cake is cool, return it to the tin (i.e. bottom up), drizzle the warm syrup over it, leaving it to soak for 20 minutes. Turn the baba back out onto a plate.

 For the compote: put the mangoes, sugar and Malibu in a saucepan and stir on a medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice and leave to cool. Dry fry two handfuls of desiccated coconut in a small frying pan until brown, but take care not to burn.

 Serve slices of Baba, with a spoonful of compote and a generous dollop of thickened double cream, and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

 Papaya (Paw Paw) Scones

This makes a deliciously light and fragrant scone. It could work well with mango, but there is something about the creaminess of the paw paw which makes it perfect for this.

Makes 12-16 scones.

 Ingredients

2 papayas

Juice of ½ a lemon

40ml tinned or frozen coconut milk (sorry Auntie)

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla

2.5 cups plain flour

125g salted butter, softened

 How to Make

Heat the oven to 200C

 Peel and de-seed the papayas and blend them to a pulp in a food processor. Rub the butter into the flour until crumbly, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix to a sticky dough. This will be stickier than your average scone dough, so don’t over mix it.

 Grease the brownie tin and line with greaseproof paper. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Cool slightly, then take a cookie cutter and cut round scones from the tray bake. Pop these scones onto a wire rack to cool slightly.

Serve warm with butter or clotted cream and apricot jam.

 Octopus and Fennel Salad

This can be as quick as 10 minutes to pull together, as long as you can get hold of ready-cooked octopus. Luckily, in London at least, you can now buy cooked and prepped octopus tentacles at Wholefood Market. But if you cant get hold of this, then substitute squid: clean it and cut it in strips, score the flesh and flash fry it in a little olive oil for 30 seconds – 1 minute.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

2 cooked octopus tentacles cut into 1 cm pieces

5 radishes, sliced finely

½ a head of fennel, sliced finely

4 spring onions, sliced

Few sprigs Flat leaf parsley

1 red and 1 green bird’s eye chilli

Juice of 1 lemon

3 generous glugs extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 How to make

Mix all the chopped vegetables with the octopus, and arrange on a platter.

 Whisk up a simple vinaigrette with the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning, and pour over the salad. Add an extra turn of the black pepper mill and serve.

[zipperdry57-blog]

Three Days in Charleston

Travel

by Jenn P.  |   on April 3rd, 2018  | 

When Vinny asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, I replied “nothing”. Then I said, “Wait. I take that back. I want you to plan a weekend away together” because I am wise and all-knowing and pretty much always itching to get out of town if time and finances allow. On Christmas morning I opened an envelope with an itinerary he created– a few nights each in Charleston and Savannah, with print-outs of the most expensive hotels in each city because Christmas mornings are for wildest dreams and looming debt. We delayed booking until we filled our vacant apartment, but once we did, we hopped online and decided to go away for our 15th anniversary. We didn’t end up staying in the pricy, dreamy places he’d originally picked out, but that’s okay because Charleston and Savannah are pretty dreamy on their own.

  WHERE WE STAYED:

The Ashley Inn: We stayed in room 5 of this cute pink bed and breakfast very conveniently located in downtown Charleston. We booked it last minute on bedandbreakfast.com, and were very pleasantly surprised by its location and the fact that it lead out to a slightly more private section of the home’s wrap-around porch.

PROS: Clutch location! Around the corner is one of Charleston’s best breakfast spots (The Hominy Grill) and just past that are two really great restaurants– Xiao Bao Biscuit (I’ll circle back to this!) and R’s Kitchen, which we wish we could have tried. The b&b is about a 10-15 minute walk to King Street, which is the main shopping/restaurant row in town. Also, I gotta give props to that four-poster bed. It’s rare that I sleep so comfortably when I’m not in my own home.

CONS: B&B purists will be none too thrilled at the check-in process. No one greeted us, and we never met an innkeeper. Rather, our keys were obtained from an envelope in a property down the street. Breakfast was also served down the street, but I never ended up going for it since Charleston is known for its food! But the biggest drawback (and it’s a big one frankly)… there was no coffee in the building! Not one sweet, sweet drop! Who could live like this? Seriously, this place needs to set up a keurig or something in the main area, because that’s just bad hosting, in my opinion. On the brighter side, the lack of in-house brew forced us to get up early and beat the crowds for breakfast:). Another thing to know before booking is that the hotel is a few blocks from the medical center and we heard emergency helicopters hovering overhead a few nights which scared the shit out of me until I realized what was going on.

NEARBY: The Hominy Grill, R’s Kitchen, Xiao Bao Biscuit, Sugar Cupcakes, Candy Shop Vintage, King Street

HOW WE GOT AROUND: By foot! If you stay downtown there’s really no need to rent a car. If we weren’t able to walk, ubers were plentiful and inexpensive and every single driver was so sweet and friendly we couldn’t get over it. Charleston is a super quick flight from NYC (I think it was less than 2 hours!) and a great weekend destination for people on the East Coast. We went in March, which was perfect timing since we’re about at the end of our ropes with winter weather.

WHAT TO DO:

Our intention in heading down to Charleston and Savannah wasn’t to “do” much, but to stroll, soak up a little spring sunshine and eat until our top buttons cried uncle. We met all these goals. We didn’t really do that much in Charleston except wander around and explore, punctuated by feedings. Downtown Charleston is super walkable, and there are a million guides on the internet to lead you toward the most popular areas to walk around in. South of Broad, Rainbow Row, the Battery, King Street, down by the water. It’s all very photogenic, clean and charming. That’s what we did the first day and a half– walked around, dipped into little stores, ate.

We also visited a plantation in nearby Mt. Pleasant, and I certainly would recommend that as well. There are a few to choose in the area; we chose the one that offered the most insights into what life was like for the slaves on the plantations. Boone Hall Plantation is the only plantation in the S.C. Low country to present a live presentation of the Gullah culture adapted by African slaves and they have eight former slave cabins you can walk through to learn more about the conditions for slaves on the plantation. (and yes… I suppose some people will choose this one over others because The Notebook was filmed here).

  MOST IMPORTANTLY…WHAT WE ATE

Poogan’s Porch– Recommended!

We tried: Country Fried chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes (very much like the Chicken Fried Chicken I grew up eating in TX), Lump Crabcakes with creamed corn (super generous with the crab, but they could have punched up the flavor a bit), pimento cheese fritters with green tomato jam (the real MVP), and she-crab soup–very tasty but realllllly heavy. This soup is basically on every Charleston menu, but this was the only time we tried it so it’s hard to say whose is best. Very good food, super charming atmosphere, lovely service, a little on the pricier side. Oh yeah… great cocktails too!

Hominy Grill– Highly Recommended!

We tried: Bread Pudding French Toast with Bourbon Caramel Sauce (as good as it sounds) and their classic Shrimp and Grits with scallions, bacon and mushrooms over cheese grits (like heaven, but seriously). I just loved this place, and it was literally a five-minute walk from our inn, which was perfect to beat the morning crowds. On our second visit, I had the grits bowl topped with mushrooms and leeks (and side order of bacon I got to crumble on top:), and Vin got smothered eggs over biscuits. Fantastic and inexpensive. Get there early for breakfast because it gets totally packed, but there’s lots of good reasons why. I wish this place was in my neighborhood.

Sugar Bakeshop- Recommended (pop in if you’re already walking toward King Street)

We tried the Lemon Curd and the Raspberry. Small, light, lovely little place. Definitely worth a stop if you’re already in the area but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of the way unless you’re a total cupcake fiend (I’m not. I’m more of an ice cream gal).

Fleet Landing- Recommended, especially for atmosphere

We tried: Fried Green Tomato Stack layered with tarragon crab salad (for $8.99, this is an amazing deal and it was delicious!), Lump Crab Cake Sandwich with Red Pepper Remoulade (we’re used to paying through the nose for any dish whispering the word “crab” in NYC, so we ordered crab at almost every restaurant in Charleston!), the fish special which was served with a tomato relish, black-eyed peas and Charleston red rice (twas just ok). Great spot downtown, very popular and super nice if you’re looking to eat outside by the water. Not my favorite meal of the trip, but did the job.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Highly Recommended!

I’m an ice cream gal, and this place is indeed splendid. If you’re ever in a town that has a Jeni’s shop, you must pop in to sample their excellent flavors made from premium ingredients. Top billing goes to Wildberry Lavender and Brown Butter Almond Brittle.

Xiao Bao Biscuit Very Highly Recommended!

All the in-the-know gals who travel to Charleston (thanks Victoria!) rave about this place and for good reason– it’s incredible! On the website, it’s described as “Asian Soul Food -  Select dishes from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam prepared locally & inspired by kick-ass grandmothers everywhere. ” We tried the popular cabbage pancake topped with bacon, an octopus tail and a crazy beautiful spicy salad (the menu has already changed for the season and I can’t remember what any of the dishes are called). But trust me, when you need a quick break from heavy home cooking, this place really hits the spot! Charleston truly is a foodie’s paradise, and not just for Southern cuisine.

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Very Highly Recommended!

Line up early because this place is small, popular and fantastic! Vin had a breakfast sandwich on a biscuit (which was bomb) and I just tried two little guys (cheese & chive, which was really good and Black Pepper & bacon which was utterly mind-blowing). On King Street, so if you’re already shopping around, pop in! This one qualifies as an absolute “don’t miss”.

Circa 1886 - Very highly recommended (for a splurge). We went to Husk in Savannah, and I have to imagine this place beats Husk- Charleston. If you’re looking for a romantic and special meal for your trip, this is the spot! The restaurant is in the carriage house of the Wentworth Mansion (one of the fancy printouts Vin made on Christmas morning) and serves some really exceptional high-end Southern cuisine.

We tried:

Appetizers: BUTTERMILK FRIED ARTICHOKE HEART  with Parsnip Puree, Tomato Marmalade, Black Truffle Pesto, Basil, Baby Spinach, Prosciutto (good, but not as awesome as it sounds)

NIMAN RANCH PORK CHEEK  with Spaghetti Squash, Pickled Green Apple, Crispy Kale, Herb de Provence Glacé (very very good, very tiny)

Main Courses: COFFEE BRINED ANTELOPE  with Sorghum Sweet Potato Mousseline, Braised Greens, Pineapple Relish, Shishito Peppers, Coconut Crema (Amazing!!! So many flavors– everything was covered)

BENNE CRUSTED DUCK BREAST with White Peach Grits, Broccoli, Carmelized Shallots, Sour Vanilla Tea Demi Glacé (I will dream about white peach grits for a very long time–such a subtle flavor that worked perfectly with everything else on the plate. Really fantastic!)

Dessert: CHOCOLATE BENNÉ CAKE Jivara Mascarpone, Ganache, Benné Butter, Lace Cookie

This was the best dessert I’ve ever had. The chocolate was practically unsweetened and the benne seeds (which are popular in the Carolinas, and are basically sesame seeds with a more toasted flavor) added lots of texture and crunch. My life’s mission is to recreate it. Plus, how pretty is this thing??

What we Missed: Husk, FIG, Jestine’s, R Kitchen, Leon’s Oyster Shop ( I hear the fried chicken sandwich is spectacular and I’m still sad I missed it!).

Jenn P.

30-something psychotherapist. Loves cooking, hosting parties, exploring new places. Texan by birth. New Yorker by choice. Likes to tell little stories. Pull up a chair; I'll tell you one.

Source: http://muchtomydelight.com/2018/04/three-days-in-charleston.html

[watchend76-blog]

Carrot Breakfast Loaf

Spring may be around the corner, and the temperatures are rising, but snow still covers the ground. To embrace the winter that remains, my boyfriend, Chris, and I are headed up north for the weekend to give dog sledding a try. With his love for dogs and my love for new experiences, it feels like the ideal way to get out of the house after a long, cooped up winter. 

We rented a rustic log cabin in the woods, with hopes to snowshoe along snowy tree-lined paths, relax in the sauna after the sun has set, and cuddle near a log fire before bed. The "rustic" nature of the cabin is real—with an outhouse and wood stove for heat, it will be an adventure just to keep ourselves warm in freezing temperatures. Even though there are hotels nearby, I campaigned for the cabin because we will be more likely to remember this experience (for better or for worse) years from now.

Isn't that what life is about—making memories?

With the weekend drawing near, I spent time in the kitchen baking up dishes to pack. When I was testing out the recipe for this carrot breakfast loaf, I really enjoyed how the natural sweetness of the carrot emerges. Along with the addition of raisins, coconut flakes, and walnuts, the hearty bread plays off the flavors of a carrot cake.

With a handful of granola bars and a loaf of this carrot bread, I hope to keep well fed for breakfast, with enough energy for a long day of mushing (and dog petting).

This Carrot Breakfast Loaf is a play off of the traditional carrot cake. The sweetness of the carrot complements the warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg to create this spiced bread. Coconut flakes, raisins, and chopped walnuts are added to give the loaf additional flavor and texture. Serve each slice with a thick layer of butter and enjoy. 

One Year Ago: Oatmeal Fudge Bars Two Years Ago: Traditional Challah Three Years Ago: Blackberry Coconut Scones Four Years Ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosted Cake & Orange Coconut Pull-Apart Bread  Five Years Ago:  Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins, Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, & Coconut Whipped Cream Six Years Ago: Chocolate Caramel Crispy Bars, Tropical Banana Bread, Strawberry Balsamic Jam, & Strawberry Oat Bars Seven Years Ago: Vanilla Almond Cupcakes, Banana Pudding, Devil's Food Cake, & Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Carrot Breakfast Loaf

Yields 9 x 5-inch loaf

3/4 cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour 1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk 1 1/2 cups (150 grams) peeled, shredded carrots 1/3 cup (53 grams) raisins 1/4 cup (30 grams) coconut flakes 1/2 cup (60 grams) chopped walnuts, plus extra for topping 1 tablespoon demerara or raw sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until uniform. Stir in the spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flours, and milk until smooth. Stir in the carrots, raisins, coconut flakes, and chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and level. Sprinkle the top with demerara sugar and additional chopped walnuts, if desired. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Source: https://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/carrot-breakfast-loaf

[chairfreon5-blog]

Healthy Harvest Cookies

Learn how to make healthy harvest cookies from scratch! So easy & no mixer required! They’re really soft & chewy, naturally sweetened & only 104 calories!

  A handful of times throughout the year, my family drives to our favorite brunch spot located about an hour away from our house. It’s a family-owned restaurant with a few locations sprinkled around Northern California, and it’s always worth the trek.

As soon as we walk through the door, we look around and try to find our favorite waiter. Even if we’re seated in another server’s section, he still stops by our table to say hi and give us hugs.  

  Although we usually arrive in the very late morning or right around lunchtime, we still order from the breakfast menu—and almost always the same things! Mom switches between the huevos rancheros and steamed veggies with scrambled eggs, my brother opts for a country-style hash brown skillet (he’s allergic to eggs, which eliminates 90% of the menu!), Dad picks an omelette from the specials, and I go with the steamed veggies with egg whites or chicken.

Yet the best parts of the meal are always the towering slices of warm, supremely tender blueberry coffee cake topped with sweet cinnamon streusel… Served with extra butter, if you’re like my parents!  

  On our last visit, the restaurant was much busier than usual, so we stood next to the hostess stand for a few minutes until a table cleared. As we waited, I glanced up at the chalkboard in the entryway, which listed their seasonal specials and a selection of baked items in their glass display case.

My eye immediately jumped to the latter (no surprises there!), and my eyes lit up at the description of their harvest cookies: oatmeal cookies made with whole wheat flour, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, coconut, and honey. I even pulled out my phone to snap a quick picture so I could recreate them at home!  

  And that’s exactly what I did! These Healthy Harvest Cookies contain the same ingredients as the ones from our favorite restaurant. They’re extremely soft and chewy (just the way I love my cookies!), and I don’t have to drive an hour to get them anymore!

Even better? Theses healthy harvest cookies are really easy to make (no mixer required!) and have no refined flour or sugar. Plus they’re just 104 calories!  

  So let’s talk about how to make these healthy harvest cookies!

You’ll start with a combination of whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if needed!), instant oats (this kind—or these for gluten-free!), and cinnamon. This is my favorite cinnamon because it tastes stronger and sweeter than the regular kind, and I use it in all of my baking!

Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats, which gives your healthy harvest cookies that irresistible soft and chewy texture. You can find them in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store.  

  Remember, it’s extremely important that you measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out your dough and make your cookies taste cakey or crumbly, rather than soft and chewy. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your cookie dough!

Just like in the rest of my healthy oatmeal cookie recipes, you’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and add an unrefined sweetener to these healthy harvest cookies instead. This time, it’s honey! I love the way its flavor pairs with the mix-ins…  

  And those mix-ins are raisins, dried cranberries, pecans, and shredded unsweetened coconut (this kind!). Lots of yummy things! The originals used walnuts, but I opted for pecans in my healthy harvest cookies because of my family’s walnut allergies. I’m also not a fan of nuts or coconut in my cookies, so… I only added a little bit—just enough to taste! 😉

Then I have a special trick for the raisins and dried cranberries! Add them to a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover them with water, and place a lid or sheet of plastic wrap on top. Microwave that on high for 1 minute, and let the bowl sit while you mix together the rest of the ingredients. This special trick hydrates the raisins and dried cranberries, so they taste extra sweet and juicy in your healthy harvest cookies!

One last thing! These healthy harvest cookies don’t spread very much while baking, so I highly recommend flattening them with a spatula before baking. This way, you end up with regularly shaped cookies instead of spherical ones!  

  With how much as I love these harvest cookies, I don’t think I can limit them just to the fall… I definitely want to eat them all year round! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 😊) I’d love to see your healthy harvest cookies!

Healthy Harvest Cookies

Print

Yields: 15 cookies

These soft and chewy oatmeal cookies are perfect for fall—or eating all year round! (I won’t judge!) They’re full of sweet raisins and dried cranberries, with just a sprinkling of pecans and coconut, and have a cozy cinnamon background flavor. Such a delicious combination! These cookies will last for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They freeze well, too!

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the honey. Add in the oat mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the raisins, dried cranberries, pecans, and coconut. Chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet. Flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 9-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Notes: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them cakey instead of chewy.

For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.

Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.

If your raisins and dried cranberries are older, drier, or not very plump or juicy… Add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and pour water on top until they’re completely covered. Seal plastic wrap over the top (or place a plate on top!), and microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute. If you let the raisins and dried cranberries sit while mixing together the cookie dough, this little trick hydrates them so they’re really soft and juicy!

For a shortcut, I used these pre-chopped pecans! They’re SO handy to have around! If you prefer, you can substitute walnuts instead.

This is the shredded unsweetened coconut that I used. Shredded sweetened coconut may be substituted.

I’m not a huge fan of nuts or coconut in my baked goods, which is why the amounts are fairly small. You’re welcome to increase either or both, if you prefer!

For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page.

gluten-free, clean eating, low fat

3.2.2925

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points     You may also like Amy’s other recipes… ♡  The Ultimate Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ♡  Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cowboy Cookies ♡  Healthy Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ♡  Healthy Cranberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies ♡  Healthy Loaded Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies ♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!

Source: https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/09/11/harvest-cookies/

[tentbat8-blog]

Gluten-Free Lemon Loaf Cake with Turmeric Collagen Drizzle

Confession: this gluten-free lemon loaf cake didn’t last 24 hours in my kitchen.

If you’ve taken my wellness personality quiz (and if you haven’t, go do it!) then you know that I’ve often observed through my course clients that people approach health habits very differently.

I’m a Healthy Hedonist (duh), which means that restriction makes me feel anxious. I’m not an all or nothing kind of gal. Most of the time, I am pretty good at moderation. But the slippery slope of trying to swing both ways is that sometimes I end up sliding too far in one direction. And that is certainly the case whenever I bring baked goods into the house.

Moderation is easier said than done, especially when indulgences involve addictive substances like sugar that can fuel cravings.

I can handle one piece of chocolate a night after dinner without a problem. But if there is a lemon loaf cake sitting on the counter, I am not able to have just one slice. Or just one half. Or if there are multiple, just one whole thing.

Perhaps this is due to my gluten-free scarcity mindset. Maybe it’s the blood sugar rollercoaster. Either way, it’s not a good scene, especially when I’m trying to ease into doing a mini vice detox with you in a few days!

Since one of my tenets of healthy hedonism is to set yourself up for success at home so you can find more flexibility out in the world, that means I don’t bake very often. When I am eating sugar, I find my sweet fixes in other ways, like dark chocolate. Or I go out to a favorite bakery where I will have to spend $5 on a cookie, and therefore only purchase one.

But here’s the other thing: I love creating healthy gluten-free treats for you. Solution? When testing gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipes, I force the other half of my loaf upon my neighbor.

Force, you say? Who wouldn’t want the gift of a fresh, delicious baked good?

Well, a neighbor who has just told you that she is not eating carbs or sugar at the moment, and you insist that she accept the “gift” anyway. Sorry Christine!

You see, friends. Self-control can sometimes be selfish.

Luckily for us both though (because don’t you worry, I ate the other half by myself in one sitting), this lemon loaf cake is far less sinful than what I usually walk away with at my local bakery. It’s sweetened naturally with a modest amount of maple syrup and coconut sugar. It’s topped with a little anti-inflammatory turmeric coconut butter glaze–no powdered sugar here. And for a cake, it’s fairly high in protein thanks to the plentiful eggs, almond meal, and collagen powder, which boosts both the batter and the drizzle.

As I mentioned earlier this summer, I’ve been on a mission post-SIBO to get as much Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen as possible into my meals. Not only do my nails and hair feel stronger when I’m getting a regular dose, but it’s helping to rebuild my gut lining behind the scenes.

So in this case, I don’t feel so bad about having my lemon loaf cake, and making my neighbor eat half of it too.

Read on for the delicious, easy recipe for this gluten-free lemon cake. And if you lack both the will to moderate your portions and a neighbor to take some of them off your hands, rest assured that this loaf also freezes well!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

This lemon loaf cake recipe is made gluten-free with a mixture of AP gluten-free flour (I used Cup4Cup) and almond meal. The turmeric icing is adapted from the Sweet Laurel Cookbook from the donut chapter, with the addition of collagen for extra protein. You can omit if you’re vegetarian. One thing to note is that the collagen will make the batter extra giggly and dense – don’t sweat it. I promise it will turn out fluffy!

Instructions

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or line with two piece of parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder, xanthan gum and poppy seeds. Whisk with a fork until well mixed.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined. Stir in the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool completely in the pan, then transfer it to a rack.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: in a small saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut butter, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, turmeric, water and Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate. Whisk until smooth and silky.

Drizzle the lemon loaf cake with the turmeric-lemon glaze and allow to set. Cut into slices and enjoy.

This gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Great Lakes Gelatin. All opinions are my own (obviously). Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my gut healing) possible!

Source: https://feedmephoebe.com/gluten-free-lemon-loaf-cake-recipe/

[captainlenfan]

New Post has been published on https://fitnessbodybuilding.online/2019/04/28/maximuscle-promax-chocolate-orange-protein-bar-60g-0-13lbs/

Maximuscle Promax Chocolate Orange Protein Bar - 60g (0.13lbs)

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Maximuscle Promax Chocolate Orange Protein Bar – 60g (0.13lbs) Click on the Image to Enlarge Description Chocolate Orange Flavour High Protein Bar in a dark chocolate flavoured coating with sweeteners.Maximuscle Promax Bars are a high protein bar to support muscle maintenance and development. Plus they also have added vitamin D & magnesium. Promax Bars offer a convenient snack alternative that contains 20 g protein? in every great tasting bar.A high protein bar to support muscle maintenance and development. Enjoy either after training or in between meals20 g Protein? High in fibre20% of your RI of Vitamin D & 85.4 mg of Magnesium100% batch tested and Informed-Sport accredited?Products have been formulated to meet an average of 20g protein per bar.The benefits of Maximuscle Promax Bars:For individualês looking for muscle growth and development – protein is the key. Maximuscle Promax Bars offer a convenient way to boost the protein content of your diet. 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Paypal cards accepted: MasterCard, Maestro, Visa, Visa Debit, Visa electron, American Express and Direct Debit. Postage Postage Policy: Postage and Packaging – Item Location – Leicester, United Kingdom. FREE Postage & Packaging to United Kingdom. Service – Economy Delivery (Royal Mail 2nd Class). Estimated Delivery Time – 3-5 Business working Days. Express Delivery – £25.00 to United Kingdom. Express Delivery (Royal Mail Special Delivery (TM) before (1.00 pm) Estimated Delivery Time from Despatch – 1 Working Business Day. Delivery Times may vary, especially during peak periods and will depend on when your payment clears. Returns Returns policy: After receiving the item, cancel purchase within 14 days. Buyer is responsible for return postage costs. Return Policy Details: 14 Days after purchase. We only pay return postage for a mistake we have made in the listing. Most Buy It Now purchases are protected by the Distance Selling Regulations, which allow you to cancel the purchase within 14 working days after the day you receive the item. Find out more about your as a buyer and exceptions. About Us Welcome to Jalpur Millers Online Ebay Store, where you can find information on our company and the full range of Jalpur branded products and also the facility to shop online that will be delivered to your door. Jalpur Millers was established in 1976 with two family members with a few small milling devices and a small retail outlet on Harrison Road, Leicester. The business was established to manufacture and retail flours and spices using a traditional method using homemade recipes. Over the years the brand started to create its place in the market as being a brand with quality product range, which required us to wholesale out of Leicester area and move to larger premises and increase our manufacturing machinery for increased production. We use the highest quality raw materials which produces the highest quality flours and/or spices to the final consumer. We grind these flours and spices using stone milling, which is the most finest and traditional method of grinding, so all our products will seem like they have all been made at home. Our brand has been established for over 30 years therefore it is a widely recognised brand and trusted brand. As the company reached a decade of trading, one of the original owners was joined by his two younger brothers to expand the business further and create a respectable family business. As UK’s Asian population grew during the 1980’s and 1990’s so did the companies sales and demands. Jalpur Millers has now separated its manufacturing division and its retail division to form two companies, Jalpur Millers (Wholesale) Ltd and Jalpur Millers (Cash & Carry). The wholesale company manufactures over 20 varieties of flours, for which we can proudly state to be UK’s only company to manufacture in-house that many varieties of different ethnic flours. The company wholesales nationwide, mainly to re-wholesalers who provide to smaller retail outlets throughout UK, who stock our products. We also export to USA, Canada and parts of Europe, mainly Portugal. Jalpur Millers (Cash & Carry) is our sister company which is our retail outlet where the consumers have been purchasing their food requirements for over 30 years. This outlet also carries English and other Indian groceries, not Jalpur branded, for our customers convenience and requirements. Jalpur Millers, as a whole, is continuing to grow by diversifying into different food markets and changing according to customer and market demands. As most companies are doing, we are facing new challenges all the time but our company is established enough to overcome and resolve all these challenges and focus on our customer needs, demands and service. We are also looking at furthering our field to enter into more supermarkets with our current and future new product ranges. Jalpur Millers has gone in depth and taken out a new range of Organic Certified products. We have been accredited by the Soil Association and believe in delivering a good Quality Organic Range. Please search for our new brand which is Organikku Organic. With this brand you will find items such as Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Palm Sugar and many more products being added to the range. We aim to provide the best quality products at the best possible prices, given the worldwide price increases of food commodities, increasing fixed costs and inflation, and aim to provide the best customer service standards and welcome all feedback, positive and negative. In the rare event of a negative feedback we treat and resolve the matter as a matter of urgency and investigate into the nature of the complaint as fully as possible. We pride ourselves as a family business, whereby the owners are respectable members of the community in Leicester, providing quality ethnic food products and offering great customer service. As always we thank you for your custom and understand the importance of Quality and Customer Satisfaction. Contact Us Contact Us: Click here to contact via eBay message Featured Items Agar Agar Powder (Vegan Gelatine) – 1kg $40.79Buy It Now BASIL SEEDS 200g TUKMARIA SABJA SUBJA SUBZA DESSERT FALOOD… $5.89Buy It Now Eno Fruit Salt Orignal 150g Pack of 3 [Personal Care] $26.39Buy It Now Nestle Nesquik Chocolate Cereal – 375g – (375g x 1 Box) (13.23 oz x 1) $10.39Buy It Now Rishta – Mango Pickle Mild $9.09Buy It Now Gits Rava Idli 500gms $9.29Buy It Now Twinings Lady Grey Tea Bags – 50’s (4.41 oz x 1) $9.19Buy It Now Hartley’s Raspberry Jelly – 135g – Pack of 2 (135g x 2) $8.59Buy It Now Marmite Squeezy Yeast Extract – 200g – Pack of 3 (200g x 3) (7.05 oz x 3) $19.79Buy It Now Cadburys Boost Duo – Pack of 6 (48g x 6 Bars) (1.69 oz x 6) $10.79Buy It Now 2 x KTC 100% Pure Coconut Oil 500ml, Hair & Skin Moisturiser Edible, Cooking $17.29Buy It Now Matilde Vicenzi – Italian Puff Pastry Sticks – 175g (pack of 2) $9.99Buy It Now At eSellerSolutions.com we create professional and attractive eBay item templates, ebay shop templates, ebay listing templates for eBay listings. ebay templates by esellersolutions.com, ebay shop templates by esellersolutions.com, eBay item templates by esellersolutions.com, ebay auction template by esellersolutions.com, ebay store promotion by esellersolutions.com Copyright © 2017 Jalpur Millers. 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[keijay-blog]

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The Healthy Brownie Recipe Every Sweet Tooth Needs...

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Eating well doesn’t mean sacrificing all of your favorite foods. This healthy brownie recipe is here to satisfy your cravings while helping you stay on track.

Few desserts satisfy like a fudgy brownie. Chock full of rich chocolatey flavor, these decadent treats are often considered diet-busters. That’s why we searched high and low for a healthy brownie recipe that would satisfy our cravings while keeping our goals in mind. Here’s what we found.

Did you know you can make healthy pancakes, too? Learn how.

Can Brownies be Healthy?

Traditional brownies are by no means a health food. They often call for butter, sugar, flour, chocolate and other not-so-good-for-you ingredients. Though you’d be hard-pressed to find a brownie that’s as healthy as a bowl of fruit, there are substitutions that can make brownies healthier without sacrificing their classic taste.

In our recipe, we use black beans to give the treats moisture and an extra protein boost. We also cut back on the amount of oil and sugar traditionally found in brownies.

Try our healthy cookie recipes, too!

What You Need:

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 large eggs

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Step 1: Prep the Pan

Start by lining an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper overhangs the edges of the pan by a few inches. This will make it easier to remove the baked brownies. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Editor’s Tip: Parchment paper is crucial for this recipe. Since the brownies don’t contain much fat, they’re more prone to sticking. The parchment acts as a buffer and makes the baked brownies easy to remove in one piece. (P.S. Leftover parchment? Here are some genius ways to use it.)

Step 2: Blend the Beans

Next, start making the brownie batter. Place the beans, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and oil in a food processor. Cover and process the mixture until blended.

Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients

Then, add eggs, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking powder and salt to the food processor. Cover and process until smooth.

Step 4: Place and Bake

Transfer the batter to your prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the brownies out of the pan and cut into bars.

How Do You Make Avocado Brownies?

Black beans are an option for making healthy brownies, but they’re by no means the only one. The trick is to find a healthy substitute for the butter or oil your recipe calls for. You can use mashed avocado, applesauce, bananas, Greek yogurt, cooked beets—whatever you’d like!

If you’re cutting back on the sweet stuff, consider replacing some of the white or brown sugar with coconut sugar, honey, agave or maple syrup. These sweeteners are more natural and better for your waistline than processed sugars.

What is the Best Brownie Recipe?

If you’re looking to indulge for a special occasion, try our Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies. These beauties are loaded with chocolate chunks, chopped pecans and fudgy flavor. They’re our best-ever brownies!

Find more yummy brownie recipes here.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

One of the best things about this recipe is that theses mint chocolate brownies get moister if you leave them in the refrigerator for a day or two. The problem at our house is no one can leave them alone for that long! —Helen Baines, Elkton, Maryland

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Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies

As someone who grew up in the country, I love getting out into nature whenever I can. I also love home-style recipes, including these yummy brownies. —Carol Prewett, Cheyenne, Wyoming

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Caramel Brownies

I love to cook. My family can’t possibly eat all the sweets I whip up, so my co-workers are more than happy to sample them—particularly these rich, chewy brownies that are full of gooey caramel, chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts. —Clara Bakke, Coon Rapids, Minnesota

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Fudge Nut Brownies

There’s no brownie recipe or mix I’ve ever tried that’s better than this! And it’s so easy—you can mix it in one bowl in just a few minutes. My husband’s grandmother passed the recipe on; now our son makes these brownies for after-school snacks. —Becky Albright, Norwalk, Ohio

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Frosted Fudge Brownies

A neighbor brought over a pan of these rich brownies along with the recipe when I came home from the hospital with our baby daughter. I asked her how to make brownies like that, and I’ve made them ever since for family occasions, potlucks and parties at work. —Sue Soderlund, Elgin, Illinois

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Cappuccino Cake Brownies

If you like your sweets with a cup of coffee, this recipe is good for you! These no-nut brownies combine a mild coffee flavor with the richness of semisweet chocolate chips. They’re a quick and easy dessert or anytime snack at our house. —Mary Houchin Swansea, Illinois

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Chocolate Crunch Brownies

The first time I took these brownies to work, I knew I’d better start making copies of the recipe—they disappeared fast! My husband and kids gobble them up quickly, too. —Pat Mueller, Mitchell, South Dakota

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Fudgy Oat Brownies

These cake-like brownies have a rich crunchy oat crust and a smooth homemade chocolate frosting. A packaged brownie mix makes the recipe easy to prepare. You can make it even easier by using canned frosting. —Diana Otterson, Canandaigua, New York

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Cinnamon Brownies

For Christmas one year, a friend gave us a pan of these delicious brownies. Before I figured out their secret was cinnamon, half the pan was already gone! —Gail Mehle, Rock Springs, Wyoming

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Fudge-Topped Brownies

If you love brownies and fudge, why not combine the two? Mix up a pan of these exquisite brownies for any holiday or special gatherings…or just when you want to treat yourself to the ultimate chocolate dessert. —Judy Olson, Whitecourt, Alberta

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Cookies & Cream Brownies

You won’t want to frost these brownies, since the marbled top is too pretty to cover up. Besides, the tasty cream cheese layer makes them taste as if they’re already frosted. The crushed cookies add extra chocolate flavor and a fun crunch. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon

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Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

I’m a chocolate lover, and these cream cheese brownies have satisfied my cravings many times. No one guesses the brownies are light because their chewy texture and rich chocolate taste can’t be beat. My family requests them often, and I’m happy to oblige. —Heidi Johnson, Worland, Wyoming

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Candy Bar Brownies

Two kinds of candy bars baked into these brownies make them an extra special treat. —Sharon Evans, Clear Lake, Iowa

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Peppermint Brownies

My grandmother encouraged me to enter these mint brownies in the county fair many years ago—and they earned top honors! They’re a chewy treat to serve during the holidays. —Marcy Greenblatt, Redding, California

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Berry-Patch Brownie Pizza

I just love the combination of fruit, almonds and chocolate that makes this brownie so unique. The fruit lightens the chocolate a bit and makes it feel as though you are eating something sinfully healthy. —Sue Kauffman, Columbia City, Indiana

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Candy Bar Cheesecake Brownies

I came up with these brownies as a way to use up my son’s leftover Halloween candy. You can tint the cream cheese orange for a spooky touch. —Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grv, Utah

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Fudge Brownie Pie

Here’s a fun and festive way to serve brownies. Family and friends will love topping their pieces with whipped cream and strawberries. —Johnnie McLeod, Bastrop, Louisiana

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Coffee ‘n’ Cream Brownies

A friend gave me the recipe for these rich cakelike brownies topped with a creamy coffee-enhanced filling and a chocolate glaze. I like to garnish each square with a coffee bean. —Michelle Tiemstra, Lacombe, Alberta

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Cookie Dough Brownies

When I take these rich brownies to any get-together, I carry the recipe, too, because it always gets requested. Children of all ages love the tempting “cookie dough” filling. This special treat is typically the first to be gone from the buffet table—even before the entrees! —Wendy Bailey, Elida, Ohio

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Black Bean Brownies

You’d never guess these rich, velvety chocolate treats contain a can of black beans. Who would have thought black bean brownies would be so amazing? —Kathy Hewitt, Cranston, Rhode Island

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Broadway Brownie Bars

I named these dessert bars for Broadway because they’re a hit every time I serve them. I especially like to make them as a gift for anyone with a sweet tooth! —Anne Frederick, New Hartford, New York

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Double Chocolate Orange Brownies

I have to give my husband credit for this idea—since we love chocolate and orange together, he suggested I come up with this recipe. Now they’re not only his favorite, but also the whole family’s. I’m always asked to bake these brownies for family gatherings. —Elinor Townsend, North Grafton, Massachusetts

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Mini Brownie Treats

I like to take these quick-and-easy treats to potlucks and family gatherings. They disappear quickly! —Pam Kokes, North Loup, Nebraska

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Double Chocolate Coconut Brownies

Thanks to a head start from a mix, it’s easy to bake up these crowd-pleasing treats. It’s hard to stop at just one brownie, but don’t worry—my recipe makes 30 servings! —Brenda Melancon, McComb, Mississippi

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Banana-Split Brownies

How’s this for a dish—all the joy of a banana split without the mess. Everything in my recipe fits into one pan of delectable brownie bars. —Connee Sheckler, Chestertown, Maryland

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Fudgy S’mores Brownies

I combined the perfect, simple summer snack with my favorite brownie recipe to get a treat that’s sure to wow at your next big party. —Judy Cunningham, Max, North Dakota

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Frosted Brownie Pizza

It’s impossible to eat just one piece of this dessert pizza with a chewy, chocolaty crust, creamy peanut butter frosting and mouthwatering sweet and crunchy toppings. It’s warmly received wherever I take it. —Paula Riehl, Boise, Idaho

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Chewy Cream Cheese Brownies

Brownies are a common dessert in our household – they’re just about the only form of chocolate my husband will eat! I love this version that makes a big batch and has a rich cream-cheese layer in the center.

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Frosted Turtle Brownies

Homemade brownies are a sweet addition to the appetizer table on game day. Your guests might forget the score, but I guarantee they’ll remember these treats! —Sherry Miller, Columbia Heights, Minnesota

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[365daysofj2]

The Sweetest Thing (Library AU, Part 5)

For the prompt: "'I love you' said when baking chocolate chip cookies." On Sunday morning, Jared heads over to Jensen’s house for a day of cultural exchange—namely, Jensen teaching Jared how to bake chocolate chip cookies and appreciate jazz. Jared puts on his old Elizabethtown College Basketball t-shirt and track pants and heads over to Jensen’s townhouse, which is located on the top of a massive hill that slows Jared’s ancient truck to a crawl by the time he gets to the top. It has a beautiful view from the top, though—you can actually see all the way to Hersheypark, and Jensen has mentioned that you can see the Hershey fireworks from the parking lot on the Fourth of July. Jensen opens the door with a huge smile. He’s wearing a green henley that does amazing things for his eyes, and worn-in jeans with no shoes or socks. “Come on in,” he says, and gives Jared a quick peck on the lips as he crosses the threshold. Jared hangs his coat in the coat closet and Jensen hands him a blue bib apron. “Thanks,” says Jared, and ties it on. Jensen puts on his own red apron and switches on the stereo. A jazz saxophone version of the “Sanford and Son” theme song begins playing, and Jared chuckles. “Have you ever even seen this show?” Jensen frowns. “What show? You mean a concert?” Jared shakes his head. “This is the theme song to ‘Sanford and Son,’ an old TV show.” “Huh.” Jensen picks up the CD case lying next to the stereo and stares at it for a minute. “I never knew that.” He sets the case back down again. “This is my old neighbor’s band. He was a music professor at LVC.” “That’s cool,” says Jared. “Which one is he?” “The sax player,” answers Jensen. “He also plays flute and clarinet on a couple songs.” “Is that why you like jazz so much?” Jensen nods. “Partially. I was friends with his son, and we spent a lot of time at his house listening to his record collection. It’s just what I grew up with. My parents were more into classical and opera, but they didn’t mind jazz as long as it wasn’t the avant-garde stuff.” He clicks a button on the CD player. “Then there’s this—the best of both worlds.” It’s a classical song Jared recognizes, but he doesn’t know what it’s called. “I know this song,” he says hesitantly. “I just don’t…” Jensen grins. “It’s the William Tell Overture. It was popular in old cartoons.” “Yeah, it does sound like something from Looney Tunes.” Jared gestures toward the kitchen. “We gonna talk, or are we gonna make cookies? ‘Cause I was promised chocolate to lure me here.” Jensen laughs. “Come on, then, bottomless pit. We’ll get started.” The ingredient containers are neatly lined up on one counter along with measuring cups and bowls and various kitchen tools. On the other counter are cookie sheets and a red stand mixer. Jensen turns on his iPad, which is perched in a clear stand, and brings up what Jared assumes must be the recipe. “Okay, so how about you measure the dry ingredients.” He zooms in on the recipe text and points to the first lines of the ingredient list. “That’s the flour, salt, and baking soda. Measure them and put them in this bowl.” He hands Jared a green mixing bowl. “Then you can measure out the chocolate chips and coconut and put them in this bowl.” He hands Jared a different bowl, this one blue. “I’ll handle the mixer. When I tell you, you’ll bring the flour mixture over to the mixer and slowly pour it in while I run the beaters. After that, you can put in the chips and coconut. Sound good?” Jared nods. “I think I can do that.” “Good. All the measuring cups and spoons are over there.” He points to the collection of kitchen tools. “You want to level off the spoon or cup before you dump it in the bowl.” Jared nods. “Yeah, I did take home ec, you know.” “Just checking.” Jensen smiles to take some of the sting out of it. “I have a bad habit of thinking people can read my mind, so I try to explain things as thoroughly as I can.” “Not a problem.” Jared smiles back. “Let’s do this thing.” They work together, with Jensen handling the stand mixer and Jared folding in ingredients when instructed. Once he’s done with the mixer, he takes off the beater and lets Jared lick it clean, and Jared moans out loud at how good it is. “Man, these are gonna be great!” Jensen smiles, his cheeks pinking up just a bit. “Yeah, it’s the best recipe I’ve ever come across. Better than my mom’s, even.” Jensen detaches the mixing bowl and starts spooning batter on cookie sheets. When he fills one, he pops it in the oven and sets the timer for 12 minutes. “This oven runs a little hot,” he says, “so I usually set it for the minimum time and check it. They’re almost always done then.” Jensen lets Jared prepare the second cookie sheet, giving him pointers on how far apart to space the spoonfuls of dough. Then he helps Jensen set up the cooling racks on the breakfast bar. About five minutes in, the kitchen starts to smell like melting chocolate and caramelizing sugar, and Jared sighs with pleasure. “Oh my God, that smells amazing.” Jensen grins, clearly pleased. “Wait till you taste them.” The timer rings a few minutes later, and Jensen removes the thick, golden brown cookies from the oven and slides them onto a cooling rack. He lets Jared put the next batch into the oven and reset the timer, while they wait for the cookie sheet to cool enough to add another batch to it. Once the third batch is in the oven, Jensen determines that the first batch is cool enough to eat. He breaks one in half and hands one half to Jared. Jared takes a bite. The chocolate is still half-melted, and the cookie is soft and wonderfully moist and it’s definitely the best thing Jared’s ever had in his mouth. “God, I love you,” he says with a happy sigh. Then his eyes widen when he realizes what he just said. But Jensen is beaming, his green eyes sparkling with mirth, and he swallows the cookie and immediately seals his mouth over Jared’s. One hand slides down Jared’s back to cup his ass. “I love you too,” he murmurs when he finally lets Jared come up for air. Jared’s smile doesn’t leave his face for nearly an hour.

[schoolofholistichealing]

How to Make 100 Holiday Gifts in Under an Hour

What’s Wrong with Parabens, Anyway?

It is important to understand the toxic chemicals that are put into our consumer products and why first before we dive into our recipes. Here at the School of Holistic Healing we use nothing but all natural, so safe you can eat it skincare products. Ingredients like parabens don’t fit in with this philosophy, but how much do you really know about parabens? Are they really that bad, and why should they be avoided?

If you’ve been around here very long, then I can assume you’re also a fan of natural skincare. Sometimes however sneaky things can hide in our consumer products. And while you know if you can’t pronounce it you should probably avoid it, it’s helpful to know why. So, what’s wrong with parabens, anyway?

What are parabens?

Parabens come in many different forms. You can find methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben to name a few. They are used as broad spectrum preservatives in many personal care items and even medications like antibiotics, sleeping aids, and Tylenol.

Since parabens have been around since the 1920’s and are used in so many personal care items, people naturally assume they’re safe. Even a recent review from the FDA and American Cancer society have deemed them to be not harmful. However, because of strong internal monetary ties with pharmaceutical companies, any review from the FDA and American Cancer Society has to be taken with a grain of salt or a whole saltshaker.

Where can you find them?

Parabens can hide in everything from shampoo, to sunscreen, to your food. You can do your own search of paraben containing products on the Environmental Working Group (website below) database, which reveals that over 10,000 personal care products that we buy and bring home to our families to use on their skin contain methylparaben alone. That’s not even counting the nearly 10,000 products with propylparaben and the nearly 4,000 with ethylparaben.

The majority of paraben containing products are makeup like eye shadow, eye liner, foundation, and lipstick. Sometimes a product will advertise natural ingredients on the front, but it’s still hiding nasty bad for you stuff in the ingredients label.

The popular makeup brand Cover Girl has a “Clean” foundation powder for sensitive skin. You would assume if they’ve cleaned things up it wouldn’t have parabens in it, yet it has both propylparaben and methylparaben among all the other toxic ingredients.

The majority of paraben containing products are makeup like eye shadow, eye liner, foundation, and lipstick. Sometimes a product will advertise natural ingredients on the front, but it’s still hiding nasty bad for you stuff in the ingredients label.

Endocrine system disruptors

So, if they’re so prolific in personal care products, why are parabens so bad? Research that was published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found parabens present in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer. Parabens were found in both the tumor and healthy breast tissue.

The scary thing here was that 7 of the women studied had never used deodorant or underarm products, yet there were still parabens present in the cancerous breast tissue. While I’m a little concerned that they’ve never used deodorant before, what’s worse is that it didn’t seem to matter as far as having the toxins in the tissue.

The study also pointed out that the area closest to the armpit, and coincidentally the underarm lymph nodes, is significantly more likely to house cancerous cells compared to other areas of the breast. This could be due to more products being applied to the area, but it could also be due to the lymph nodes becoming overtaxed from toxins as a whole.

The source of the parabens couldn’t be identified. Also, since these women were being treated for cancer, they were being subjected to conventional treatments like chemotherapy pills and other prescription drugs that could have been preserved with parabens.

A group of doctors from California took healthy breast tissue samples and exposed them to both methylparaben and BPA. They found that these healthy cells started behaving like cancerous cells once they were exposed to either of the toxins. As the cells evolved, they even blocked the cancer drugs from working.

This animal study also found that it negatively impacts testosterone levels and caused infertility. It wasn’t just large amounts of parabens that impacted the subjects though, the effects were seen at levels that are considered safe by both Europe and Japan.

Supporters of parabens claim that since no study has shown a definitive, direct causal link, that parabens should still be given the green light. There is enough evidence however that strongly indicates parabens are endocrine system disruptors and can mimic hormones in the body. Multiple parabens are used in just one product, and the impact of exposure from multiple products can compound the issue.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to wait around for a more definitive study. I’m staying away from parabens right now!

Head over to the School of Holistic Healing where you will find zero parabens in our Organic Skincare course care products. From deodorants to makeup to lotions, to baby products you’ll love making new organic *healthy* skincare solutions. You’ll love the hundreds of organic home line products we feature in our Skincare course.

How important is it to you that you can actually pronounce the ingredients in your skincare?

When was the last time you checked out the ingredient list on your lotion, foundation, face wash?

Ethoxylated Surfactants, Polyethylene Glycol, Oxybenzone, Benzophenone… what in the world are those ingredients?!

Entering into a more natural way of living has changed how I view these ingredients. Once upon a time, I never even thought about the ingredients in my skincare products. I never realized what an impact they can have on my body or the environment. Take parabens for example. You can find parabens in everything from sunscreen to lip stick.

What’s Wrong with Parabens?

Turns out they are endocrine disruptors and can mimic hormones in your body. Anything that messes with your body like that is bad news!

Realizing that most of the hard to pronounce ingredients came with safety and health concerns pushed me to the “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t buy it” line of thought. Using this philosophy is a great and simple way to choosing safe skincare products. Be honest, those ingredients that I listed just a bit ago took you a long time to pronounce, am I right? Either that or you skimmed over them and abbreviated them (poly-something, oxyb…. bento-what?).

Cocoa Butter, Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Lavender, I bet you can pronounce those!

It can be hard to find skincare products that fit the pronounceable ingredient requirement. Many brands boast that they are made with aloe, or shea butter, or other natural ingredients but then they still have many of the sneaky toxic ingredients as well. It can be overwhelming to find a great brand that is transparent in it’s ingredients and amazing quality.

How would you like to get the most of your Christmas gifts made in one hour?

Allow me to introduce a few recipes from our Organic Skincare Course!

You can. In fact, make more (I’ll explain how in a minute).

Tonight, I made 100 organic skincare gifts in one hour and I’m going to show you exactly how you can do it too.

Your end result will be:

• 10 lavender-chamomile bath tea bags

• 50 chocolate peppermint lip balms

• 24 chocolate peppermint lotion bars

• 16 oatmeal cookie bath treatments

• 6 brown sugar-vanilla sugar scrubs (you can make a lot more of these without much effort)

If you want to make the above gifts, you’re going to need the following ingredients: (measuring ounces – kitchen scale) or (measuring cups – glass measuring cup). Check Walmart for their essential oil section.

1. for lavender-chamomile bath tea bags 1-1/2 cup dried lavender 1-1/2 cups dried chamomile flowers 1/2 cup oats 10 drops lavender essential oil

2. for Chocolate-Peppermint lotion bars and lip balm 15 ounces beeswax 15 ounces cocoa butter 15 ounces coconut oil 2 teaspoons peppermint essential oil

3. for Oatmeal Cookie Bath 6 cups oats 3 cups baking soda 3 teaspoons cinnamon 3 Tablespoons vanilla extract

4. for Sugar Scrubs 3 cups brown sugar 1-1/2 cup organic sunflower oil (Walmart it’s cheap) 1 Tablespoon vanilla (You double, triple, or quadruple these ingredients)

5. You will also need 2 mixing bowls A food processor (for cookie bath) A large pot or double boiler (for lotion bars and lip balm) 2 muffin tins 50 lip balm tubes and lids 10 small muslin tea bags – 2 3/4″ x 4″ measuring cups and spoons freezer space for the muffin tins 20 – 1/2 cup jars (or 6 – 1/2 cup jars for sugar scrubs and 14 cellophane bags for cookie bath)

Note: most of my ingredients are from local organic shops, but many can be purchased from Amazon (such as beeswax, cocoa butter, and lip balm tubes). Also, another great place is www.specialtybottle.com for all of your containers, bags, jars, and they are cheap and no minimum order 1 or 101.

One more bit of advice and do what we did when we first got started. Go to your local thrift stores and pick up any cupcake tins, mixing bowls, measuring cups, and pans to put together a double boiler. You don’t want to use your good kitchen stuff for making these items.

To get all of the ingredients and directions for these gifts. Go over to:

1. www.schoolofholistichealing.org

2. At the top of the page hover your mouse over the  course page and it will drop down.

3. Click on free samples

4. Just click on the PDF and it will bring it up.

Have a Holistic Day!

Bridgett Anderson, Admissions Advisor