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eryiss · 3 years ago

Text

Ship: Freed x Laxus

Rating: Teen

Prompt: Late Nights, Early Mornings.

Summary: Long distant relationships are difficult, made worse when it's between two men in different colleges. But Freed and Laxus will make it worse, and if secret phone calls late in the night are what's needed then that's what they'll do.

Notes: This was day three for my admissions to Fraxus Week. It's hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus, who you should check out for more Fraxus content.

Links: Event Masterlist ||| Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction

Four Ways to See the Dawn

Year: 1982

Location: Washington DC, USA

"Hey."

Laxus murmured the word, quietly fiddling with the cord to the phone as he glanced at the sleeping man in the other bed. The stranger seemed to be sleeping soundly, snoring without a care in the world, and so Laxus felt pretty confident that he had privacy. So long as he didn't make too much noise, he could speak without being overheard.

Good, this was going to work.

It wasn't ideal. It was nearing two AM, and Laxus had found himself fighting sleep as he'd waited for his roommate to pass out. The guy was apparently something of a party animal, and he was fully taking advantage of the many frat parties, drinking nights and mixers that filled the first weeks of college. Laxus had avoided them all – they were all too loud and rowdy for him – but he understood the appeal. He couldn't be angry that the man was so unpredictable; Bickslow would hardly know that he was stopping Laxus from his phone call with Freed, after all.

Freed didn't have the same problem. His college, which was half way across the country, didn't have roommates to worry about. He'd promised that he'd be waiting by the phone for him whenever he was ready to call, and he'd answered the moment Laxus had rung.

"You sound tired," Laxus teased. "Didn't wake ya, did I?"

"No, but it was close," Freed chuckled, and the sound was incredible. "I missed hearing your voice."

"Me too."

They'd promised themselves that, for the first two weeks, they wouldn't talk. College was a big thing, and they couldn't fuck it up, so decided they need to fully submerge themselves in college culture instead of becoming shut-ins who only spoke to one another. It was the right thing to do, they both knew it, but Laxus had been missing Freed's presence every day, and no amount of taster classes, tours around campus, and bottles of tequila would remove that.

Freed had always been there. They'd grown up on the same street, played on the same sports teams, and attended the same house parties. Jokes had been made that they were attached at the hip, and that they might as well be inseparable with how much time they spent together.

Laxus had to smirk at those jokes. If only they knew.

It had happened quite randomly, really. Laxus had broken his leg in the last year of high school, and he'd had to sit out on the final game in their baseball tournament. Freed had ended up hitting the home run that won their team the game, and had been rightly commended. Laxus had stumbled into the locker room on his crutches when everyone was left so he could congratulate the man in private. Freed had clearly noticed that Laxus was more melancholy that joyful, and forced Laxus to admit it felt shitty to miss the final game of his high-school career, even if they did win.

Freed had waited for a moment, thinking of what to say. Then, with his thigh resting against Laxus' non-broken leg, he quietly whispered 'I won it for you, you know. Not for the team.' The words were packed with years' worth of friendship and passion, and they were forever imprinted on Laxus' mind.

He'd kissed the man without thinking. Freed had kissed him back.

What followed was a summer of making out, going to the romantic spots around Magnolia under the pretence they were still just friends, and, on the last night before they left for college, they'd slept together for the first time. It had all been incredible.

But the summer had to end, and they could hardly keep going as they had. Magnolia was small, and their friendship was known well enough there for nobody to question how much time they were spending together. Now they lived in different states, a long and expensive train ride away from each other. The making out and the dates and the sex would have to stop, because it didn't make senses for it to continue. All they had left was quiet phone calls late at night where nobody could overhear them talking.

It wasn't perfect, but it was enough for now.

"You, erm, you done many classes yet?" Laxus asked, cringing at the awful question.

"No, they start on Monday," Freed answered, and shifted slightly. Laxus idly wondered if he were in his bed or not. Freed looked good in bed, curled up in a dressing gown with a book. If Laxus was there, he'd content himself by running his hand through his hair. "You?"

"A few taster things, just tryin' to find out what I wanna major in, y'know," Laxus all but scuffed his feet. He hadn't expected this to be this awkward. "Guess you don't have that problem."

"No," Freed agreed. He was training to by a surgeon, Laxus was at college mainly because he didn't know what else to do with his life. "How's your roommate?"

"He's good. A little weird but seems harmless," Laxus glanced at the sleeping man, who was stretched over his bed and drooling. "Seems to be out at parties most nights, so maybe I'll be able to call ya earlier in the night. Not force ya to stay up so late."

"It's worth it," Freed said without missing a beat. "I've missed you, Laxus."

"I missed you too," Laxus whispered.

Neither man spoke for a moment, and Laxus wished he knew what to say. He wished he had a ridiculous story of his fun, interesting college life that he could use to break that layer of awkwardness and entertain Freed with. But he'd done nothing; college was much less interesting than he had been led to believe. He couldn't think of a thing to say, and the electric humming of the phone was getting on his nerves.

Freed must have felt the same way, as Laxus could hear him fidgeting across the phone. Laxus wished he could just pull the man into his arms, as he often had in their quiet nights alone over the summer. But he couldn't. For months, he couldn't.

"It's gonna get easier, ain't it?" Laxus asked. "Doin' this?"

"It will," Freed said, and he sounded sure. "It'll take some time, but it will."

"Fuckin' better," Laxus mumbled more to himself than to Freed.

"It will," Freed repeated. "And thanksgiving is only a few months away, and we'll be able to see each other then."

"Guess so," Laxus nodded, trying to feel encouraged. "You still doing thanksgiving with me and Gramps?"

"If he'll still have me."

"He will," Laxus replied immediately, and then forced a smile onto his face. "And I promise it'll be more successful than last year."

"More successful? Is that possible?" Freed asked sarcastically, and Laxus chuckled.

"You saying that me and Gramps getting into a screaming match, the turkey ending up in the cat's litter tray, the two of us getting covered in cranberry sauce, and the neighbours making a noise complaint wasn't successful?" Laxus scoffed, smiling as he remembered the night the previous year.

He also remembered how, just before Freed drove back to his own home, he'd confessed that it was one of the most enjoyable thanksgiving's he'd had.

"You seem to not realise that, with long hair, pureed cranberries really have a lot of space to hide in," Freed chuckled. "A problem you don't seem to face."

"I'll aim for your face this year then," Laxus grinned.

"That's all I ask," Freed was grinning too, Laxus could hear it in his voice.

The situation wasn't immediately remedied, but they found themselves talking about the ridiculous shared moments they'd endured in Magnolia, and Laxus felt the awkwardness seeping away minute by minute. It was nowhere near as good as driving to the mountains, lying on his car's roof with Freed curled against him, but damn if it wasn't the best couple of hours he'd spent since arriving in Washington.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but he did remember waking up sometime later in the morning. The phone was clutched against his chest, the line dead, and the sunlight was fluttering under the curtains. He smiled privately, and closed his eyes, phone in hand.

---

"Freed, you okay? It's four in the mornin'?

"Hey. You're awake. Hi."

Laxus forced his eyes open, groggy and sleep deprived. He blinked a few times, sitting up. The ringing of the phone he'd just answered seemed to still be blaring in his mind, and the overly loud, inelegant words that his boyfriend had just near yelled into his ears made Laxus wince. It was nearly four thirty in the morning. Why the hell was Freed awake?

"Course I'm awake, phone's fucking loud," He complained, sitting up and leaning against the wall. "Why're you awake?"

"Ever and Mirajane," Freed said, as if that answered anything. Laxus waited a moment before he realised that was all Freed felt he needed to say.

"What about them?"

"I told them that it was my birthday tomorrow – or, well, it's today now, isn't it. But it was tomorrow when I told them. Well, technically it was yesterday when I told them, but in the context of me telling them about my birthday, my birthday was tomorrow, which is now today," Freed spewed the mess of words out, and Laxus could hear him frowning. "They said I needed to go out drinking. They wanted to take me out for my first legal drink."

"Yer turning nineteen, not twenty-one," Laxus deadpanned, though smirked.

"Oh yes, so I am," Freed was frowning. "I broke the law many times tonight then."

"Sounds like it," Laxus chuckled. "You only just gettin' in? It's pretty late. Or early, I guess."

"No, we left the club at about one. We've been in the dorms for a few hours, Cana knows someone who can get us beer cheap, so we kept going. Someone made me brownies, but I wasn't allowed to eat them because apparently they had pot in them, so Mirajane slapped the guy and said she'd report him to campus security because we only found out when Jet and Droy started talking about the walls having a face," Freed laughed heartily, and Laxus smiled, imagining the man's expression as he did so. "Why do people always put weed into brownies? It's so overdone. Why do you never hear of a pot carrot cake or banana loaf?"

"Brownies are easy to make, I guess," Laxus grinned.

This was uncharted territory for Laxus. Freed wasn't exactly a total rule follower, but his parents were strict and so alcohol was something he'd never risked. Laxus had always wondered what a drunk Freed would be like. Apparently, he rambled and was happy. It was a nice side of him to hear.

"You think brownies are harder than a banana cake? You know nothing about baking," Freed laughed at him, and Laxus smirked. "Do I have time to bake a pot filled gateau, do you think? It might make mother's book club interesting at last."

"Don't spike your ma with drugs Freed," Laxus instructed, and Freed laughed.

"Yes, it sounds bad put like that," Freed agreed. He was quiet for a moment, and Laxus heard the sound of something hitting the floor. Perhaps one of his boots, given the clunk. Laxus had become something of an expert at figuring out what Freed was doing by the sounds he made. "It'd serve them right. Rather see you than them."

"Come on Freed," Laxus sighed. "They're your parents, they wanna see you."

"Well they didn't on parents' weekend, or at thanksgiving, so why now?" Freed huffed, fabric shifting now. He was probably getting into bed. "They're taking me to dinner, and I saw the place. It's got five stars, Laxus. That means it'll be stifled and pretentious. They won't know what to say to me, so we'll just eat in silence and we'll all want it to end because we know we don't have anything in common and they're only coming because it'll look bad if they don't," Laxus wished he could deny the claim, but he knew Freed's parents and that was probably true. "Would've rather gotten the train to Washington so I could see you."

"Shouldn't I be coming to yours?" Laxus asked, trying to change the subject to something less maudlin. "It's your birthday."

"You saw my campus when you drove us home," Freed dismissed, and Laxus supposed he had. They'd driven back to Magnolia together for some time alone, as Laxus passed Freed's college on the drive back. "It's my turn to see your place. Your classrooms, your student lounge," He paused, and was clearly smirking when he spoke again. "Your bed."

"My bed, huh?" Laxus smirked. "What were you gonna-"

Laxus would have continued, but an airborne pillow slammed into his face. It took his sleep-lagged brain a moment to understand what had happened, and he slowly looked towards his glaring, very much awake roommate. He probably should have realised that the phone would have woken them both up, not just Laxus.

They looked at each other for a moment, Bickslow unblinking. Laxus wanted to speak, but no words came, and Bickslow was the one to fill the silence.

"Look, you know I'm cool with you two being together. Probably been to more of the marches than either of you two, so be as gay as you wanna be," Bickslow's voice was croaky and hoarse. "But don't phone fuck when I'm in the room. It's just bad manners."

"We weren't gonna-" Laxus cut himself off. He couldn't be sure of his words, so instead he said a guilty, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Bickslow shrugged. "Just give me my pillow back and we'll call it even."

Laxus did as he was told, and Bickslow took it, hooked it around his head so it covered his ears, and turned to lie facing the wall. It was as close to privacy they could get in the small room without either of them leaving, and Laxus appreciated the action. When he spoke again, his voice was more of a gentle whisper.

"You should probably get to sleep," He instructed, and grinned when he heard a yawn overpowering his words. "Make sure you drink water before you crash, okay? And don't bother with yer classes, you'll either still be drunk or too hungover to take anything in."

"Yes, I suppose I will be," Freed agreed. "I'll call you once my parents leave."

"Okay," Laxus nodded. "Happy birthday, baby."

"Thank you," Freed said softly. "Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you too."

Laxus hung up the phone, curled himself back under his covers and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to sleep, he heard the grinning words of his roommate as he said, 'you two are so damn cute.' Laxus' retort of 'fuck you' was only slightly less threatening because of the smile he couldn't shake, and the yawn he couldn't hold back.

---

"Don't talk, I need to say something."

"Laxus? What's wrong?"

Laxus was jittery. He'd been jittery all day. He'd had nervous energy throughout the night, and it kept waking him up and he did whatever he could to get to sleep but nothing had worked, and he'd found himself stressed, awake and jittery. He couldn't stop moving. Couldn't stop bouncing his leg or taping his fingers or flexing his arms because he needed to do something with this energy, but he didn't know what.

At six AM, after a night of awful, interrupted sleep, he'd decided enough was enough. He'd changed into running gear, pulled out his Walkman and stormed from his dorm room. He'd ran for however long, and yet the jitteriness didn't go. If anything, it made things worse.

Calling Freed had been a last resort.

He hadn't returned to campus yet, instead finding a phone booth to climb into. It had started to rain as he'd run, and he was dripping wet as he rang Freed's number. The cold and the wet were the last things on his mind. He just needed to get on the call with Freed, just needed to hear that thing's would be okay and that he was making a big deal out of nothing. Freed was a smart guy, and he wouldn't bullshit Laxus about important things. No; Freed would make things okay.

"Dad's court case was moved forward," Laxus spluttered before he could stop himself.

It was supposed to be in the autumn. It was supposed to be months away. That would give Laxus time to prepare himself, to know what he was going to say. To get out of his own head so that he could focus on taking the bastard to jail. It was not supposed to be next damn week!

Laxus was a character witness. In the trial itself, he wasn't all that important, but he knew that the media would love to know what he thought about his father. Ivan was a well-known businessman, and his scandal had been national news. He'd made many enemies over his years working, and people were relishing in his downfall. Everyone wanted to hear how not only was Ivan a bad businessman, but a bad father too. Laxus wasn't ready for the attention, he wasn't ready for anything.

Freed took a moment to think before he replied.

"Where are you?" He asked. "Are you in your dorm? I can hear the rain."

"Erm, no," Laxus shook his head, looking around. "I'm near a park. Not sure where."

"Right," Freed murmured. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need," Laxus faltered.

He needed to be told that everything was okay. That the court case would just be a single day in his life, and he could get past it and move on. He needed to hear Freed saying that he would get past this, and that his life would return to normal. He needed to see Freed's warm smile, the one he seemed to show only to Laxus. He needed…

"It's nothing. Sorry if I woke you."

"Go back to your dorm, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"What?"

"The trains start running early. I can probably be at yours by ten," Freed mused aloud. "I want you to go back and try to sleep. You mentioned that Bickslow has hypnosis tapes he uses to sleep, borrow one."

"Freed, you don't need to come here," Laxus tried to argue, though he didn't want to. "You don't have the money."

"I'll find it," Freed dismissed. "The next train leaves at seven, I believe. I'll be on it."

"Freed."

"Laxus."

Anyone who thought that Laxus was the more stubborn one out of the two of them clearly didn't know Freed.

"You really don't need to come," Laxus whispered, the rain pounding on the small box he sheltered in. "I'll be fine."

"You deserve to be better than fine, Laxus," Freed whispered back.

Silence hung on the line, and at that moment Laxus' world only persisted of the small phonebooth, the rain clattering down on it, and the man on the other end of the phone. He closed his eyes, clenched them shut, and tried to focus on the soft sound of Freed's breathing. Freed was coming. He was coming to make things better. As much as Laxus wanted to protest more, because Freed couldn't afford it and he was going to miss his classes, he just wanted his boyfriend in his arms. He just wanted him there.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a shaking sob.

"Of course," Freed assured him. "Go back to your room and sleep, I'll be there soon."

Laxus did indeed return to his room. He showered off the rainwater, ignored Bickslow's questions as to what happened, and curled up into bed. The white noise tape that Bickslow gave him cleared his mind, and as he assured himself that the clump of blanket he was clinging to would soon be replaced with Freed, he felt everything become just a little more manageable.

---

Sun hit Laxus' face, a gentle warmth that woke him up. He smiled as it happened.

A roadside motel was hardly the most comfortable place to wake up, but Laxus couldn't think of anywhere better to be at that time. No amount of bitter coffee, cramped showers, awful breakfasts, and itchy sheets would stop that. Not when he was waking up with Freed in his arms.

It was Freed's graduation day, the final nail in the coffin of their shared college experiences. Once today had finished, there would be no more dorm rooms, no more phone calls, no more long distance. They just needed to get through the ceremony, and they would be free to spend as much time as they wanted together, without the looming dread of being split apart by the oncoming semester that had previously seemed ever present.

It was over. They were done with college and free to love each other fully and wholly.

They'd found an apartment they could afford. They'd gotten an odd look when their realter had seen two men wanting to live in a cramped, one bedroom apartment, but they didn't care. Three years split apart was over, and they felt they deserved their own place no matter what other people thought about it. They'd more than paid their dues in being apart; they were owed time, and a home, together.

It worked out well. Freed's career meant he needed to continue studying, and he'd found placement in a hospital on a partial scholarship in New York. Laxus, over his time in college, had decided sports journalism was where his passion lay, and he'd been shortlisted for multiple internships in the city. It was all perfect.

Speaking of perfect, Freed made a small mewling sound as he woke.

"Mornin'," Laxus smiled.

"Morning," Freed croaked. He leant up and pressed his lips against Laxus', resting against his body. "You're awake early."

"Excited to see you get yer degree," Laxus shrugged.

"Excited to see me leaving the dorms, more like," Freed chuckled, resting his head against Laxus' chest.

"Can you blame me?" Laxus asked as he ran a hand down Freed's side and kissed his crown.

"Not at all," Freed hummed, contentedly.

Laxus hummed, watching as the new morning sun filled the room. Flashes of a future where this would be his every morning, where Freed would always fall asleep in his arms and wake up beside him. Freed would be his, and he would be Freed's, as they were always supposed to be.

Their love story was quiet, made up of fleeting moments and late-night phone calls. Not the stuff of fairy tales, but, for them, perfect.

#Fraxus Week #Fraxus #Freed Justine #laxus dreyar #Fairy Tail #Fanfic #Writing #One Shot #1980's AU #College AU #Word Count 3.8k

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nycbento · 4 years ago

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Everyone in the US knew Thanksgiving, traditionally a holiday of large gatherings, would be difficult in a pandemic. I had a friend who was coming to NYC come hell or high water, but we were being told by epidemiologists that small indoor gatherings were a major cause of spread now. So . . . the prospect before us. Could I move Thanksgiving outside - and if it was to be an outdoor meal, why not translate Thanksgiving to a bento box - since I have been working at home, the first ones I have made since the pandemic began?

My jumping off point was an idea by Rie McClenny on Tasty - she was challenged to make a fancy dish out of stuffing mix and made a Turkey Wellington.Turkey wrapped in puff paste with mushroom gravy wouldn't taste good cooled down, so I simplified to a more common idea, turkey breast roulade with stuffing.

The goals for putting this into a bento served at room temperature: the turkey should be moist rather than desiccated, but it needed to have the right spices/flavors to feel like Thanksgiving - it is a very nostalgic holiday here and specific foods/tastes/smells are part of that nostalgia. A thickened gravy for the turkey wouldn't work at room temperature so I planned for a simpler au jus.

I had cranberries in the freezer, so made a tiny amount (1/2 cup!) of cranberry sauce. That's dead easy, even in small quantities. 3:1:1 cranberries:water:sugar and I added some orange juice concentrate. Done in 10 minutes of simmering.

Since this was a bento, I wanted some Japanese notes - lightly carb-y treats to go cross-culture - gyoza dumplings and inari-zushi (sushi rice pouches) that I had already made. Cold potatoes didn’t seem tasty, but a friend living in Japan suggested either Japanese potato salad (didn’t feel quite right - it seemed more appropriate to serve with Thanksgiving leftovers) or daigaku imo (candied sweet potato). Bingo.

Making the turkey was tricky - not the roasting, but taming a thick piece of meat into a roll shape. And always with Thanksgiving, the real art is in planning. Even with a bento, you want everything made in the right order at the right time. So extras (cookies and breads) got baked first and set to cool, then the bird went in to roast at a low temperature - along with regular basting to keep it from drying out.

I took the time to actually cut petals in carrot flowers, not just stamp them. Hey, this was for company. Vegetables got boiled early as well, dunked in ice water and set aside (and the sweet potato soaked and left to dry). Gyoza and daigaku imo got made one after the other in the same pan, baked sides got thrown in the oven after the turkey came out and was resting to set the juices.

Gravy was a simple matter because of advance planning - I had made a stock from the back and rib bones of the turkey. As I would with chicken bones, I poached them until just done (for turkey, about two hours) cooled the bones, picked off a good amount of meat from the back bone (it will become Turkey Tetrazinni) and then returned the bones to the stock pot. After straining, that got reduced by half to intensify it. I roasted the breast on a rack with onion/carrot/celery bits below and added a bit of stock as it roasted. Deglazing the roasting pan and adding a bit more stock was all that was needed to make gravy.

The roulade looked less like a roll and more like a stuffed breast, but it behaved and tasted excellent. When I made the stuffing and added the chopped Simon and Garfunkel herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme . . .) it smelled like Thanksgiving - and maybe those herbs are the most potent reminders to my nose.

Thanksgiving weather started out bad in the morning - rainy - but by the time I was done cooking, turned into a beautiful day with the honey-colored light of a late fall afternoon.

I remember at the beginning of AIDS in the 1980s, the experts were trying to get us all to comprehend there was no safe sex, only abstinence or "safer sex." COVID and AIDS aren't a fair comparison, but the risk management is. I try to find safer ways to live as normal a life at a risk level I can tolerate.

So three friends, not more, turned Thanksgiving into a rooftop picnic, eaten from bento boxes six feet apart - then we walked in Central Park and watched day slip into night.It wasn't safe, just safer. But it turned what could have been a dispiriting day into a lovely one.

The menu:

Turkey roulade

Sausage stuffing

Au jus gravy

Daigaku imo

Cranberry sauce

Inarizushi

Gyoza

Stuffing cups

Mac and cheese cups

Broccoli

Carrot/Tomato garnish

Home baked extras:

Chicken empanada

Bagel

Chocolate chip cookies

Brioche roll

#nycbento #bento #finally a bento!#thanksgiving

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fnaf-possession-au · 2 years ago

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A 4 days food coma? How much did you eat Vincent?

"Here we have Vincent.... still asleep. It is day 5." Scott replied. "I have a full list of what had eaten during Thanksgiving while I was over at his house." He checked his notes.

"He had an entire deboned turkey, four bowls of garlic mashed potatoes, an equal amount of mashed sweet potatoes, 14 pounds of stuffing to match how much turkey meat he had eaten... he polished off two cans of cranberry sauce, as well as drinking 5 pitchers worth of gravy.... then to top it all off he had half of one sweet potato pie and half of a pumpkin pie that he had with an entire bucket of cool whip... and to top off his feast... he had a mini personal blueberry pie had put in the microwave for 15 seconds before eating it while watching the Nightmare before Christmas... then he laid down on the chair and has been having a steady sleep since the 24th at 4pm in the afternoon."

#id like to see your manager ~ { answers }#manager ~ { scott }#forced hand ~ { vincent }#anonymous #drawings on the walls ~ { my artwork }

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mousiefanfic · 7 years ago

Text

Giving Thanks

Pairing: Platonic Avengers x Reader

Words: ~1500

Description: Imagine Thanksgiving with the Avengers.

A/N: So, I don’t know if I got all of the avengers a spot in here. I did my best! I even included Peitro and Bucky. But wow, there’s kind of a lot of them now. Lol.

Also, I chose not to include Clint’s family because.... As nice as his wife’s character was, it came out of nowhere and I have a hard time writing them. Instead he’s just sort of a fatherly guy to the younger Avengers in this fic.

Last but not least (i swear!), Thanksgiving sucks for me because things with my family aren’t great. I hope that it can help somebody else who’s had a rough day. :)

*gif is not mine!*

It was scary at first, being the newest Avenger. After all, you had been an Avengers fan long before you discovered your powers.

But it had been a few months now, and you already felt at home. It wasn’t perfect, by any means. Cap could be a hard ass, Pietro used his super speed to mess with you whenever possible, Vision didn’t understand personal space, missions were rough, and Natasha beat you in training. Literally, every time. But it was still the happiest you’d ever been.

When Thanksgiving rolled around, it had been your plan to sleep in as late as you wanted. But, your room was the closest to the kitchen and you ended up waking up as soon as someone started shuffling around in the kitchen. Light sleeping seemed to be a side effect of all the training that you did.

And so, unable to fall asleep, you figured you might as well help out. Pulling a sweater on over your Captain America pajama shirt and Iron Man sweatpants, you stumbled out into the kitchen, still half asleep.

Only two people seemed to be awake yet, but they were hard at work, whispering insults and commands at each other as they stirred pots and preheated ovens.

“Hey. Clint, Natasha, do you guys need any help?” You asked, covering your yawn with a sweater-clad arm.

They both froze in place, slowly turning around to face you with matching grimaces on their faces.

“Did we wake you up? You should sleep. It’s a holiday.” Clint said.

You shrugged. “I’m a light sleeper. It’s no big deal. I’m happy to help!”

“Are you sure? The only reason I’m awake is because I owe him one and he insists on a magical thanksgiving.” Natasha replied, leaning on the counter across from you.

“Hey! Thanksgiving dinner is important. Don’t play.” Clint said with a glare to Natasha that seemed to straddle the line between playful and dangerous. She rolled her eyes in response.

“Yes! I’m sure. Now, what do you need done?” You asked, pulling an apron off of the hook, which you later saw had a black and red spider across the front. You suddenly started to question when you guys began to collect this much Avengers merch.

“Taste my cranberry sauce. It’s almost done, and then it’ll cool until dinner.” Natasha said, before Clint could give you a job.

She took your arm and let you to a pot on the stove. There had to be at least a gallon of cranberry sauce in there, bubbling like a witch’s cauldron. “Are we going to eat that much Nat?”

“Yeah, of course! Have you seen the way some of these guys eat? Thor? Pietro? Hell, even Cap and Bucky. We’re going to need all the food we can get.” Natasha replied.

You shrugged. “Fair enough.” She handed you a wooden spoon and you tried the sauce. It wasn’t what you expected. Sweet and sour like regular cranberry sauce but with a bite of cinnamon as well. It was great.

“What do you think (Y/N)?” She asked.

“Really, really good. This’ll be awesome!” You told her with a smile. She wasn’t jumping for joy at your feedback, but the way that her eyes lit up you knew that she wanted to.

Clint pulled you away a second later, leaving you in front of a counter with a chopping board, a vegetable peeler, and three bags of potatoes. “Have fun.” He said with a wink, turning back to his current project.

Avengers trickled into the kitchen throughout the morning. Vision was first, shortly after you woke up. Clint immediately put him to work on a casserole of some sort. You and Natasha kept a close eye on him though. No matter how much faith Clint had in the android’s cooking skills, you feared the kitchen going up in flames.

Shortly afterwards you turned around from a debate with Natasha over whether to watch Halloween movies or the Macy’s Parade and found your mixing bowl with pumpkin cheesecake batter gone.

It wasn’t long before you were chasing Pietro around the Avengers facility, shouting for him to “Bring back my batter! Right now Zoomie!”

Luckily Wanda intervened before things got too out of hand, levitating the cheesecake batter out of her twin’s hands and into yours. You thanked her with a hug before you all headed back to the kitchen.

When you got there Clint looked about ready to tear Sam’s head off for critiquing the way that he was preparing the turkey. Pietro made a smartass comment about how fitting it was that the birds were fighting about the bird.

Bruce and Tony were up next. Tony refused to assist with cooking, but sat at the counter and kept lively conversation with anyone who was chatting. And drank. So much drinking.

Clint put Bruce in charge of the green beans, making Pietro chuckle until Wanda elbowed him in the side. She then went back to helping fix Vision’s sweet potato casserole. Bruce didn’t seem to mind though. He was just happy to help out.

Steve and Bucky got up around the same time as well, and Steve felt bad that he hadn’t helped more with the cooking. He offered to find a movie and put it on in the living room, but no one took him up on that offer, not wanting to watch a “grandpa movie”.

As Pietro whipped anything that needed whipping with his super speed, including the mashed potatoes and some homemade whipped cream, he came close to starting almost four food fights. Clint put his foot down and eventually sent him to go put on the parade or find a movie.

Thor was awake last. He stumbled into the kitchen shirtless with his Thor’s hammer pajama pants on. He did really love those. When he was told that it was a holiday, he got upset, explaining that someone should have told him. Then they could all eat a Habrok from Asgard rather than a plain old turkey. It was easy to make him feel better though when Natasha put him in charge of decorating the dining table. And putting a shirt on.

Scott and Peter both stopped by around the same time, but couldn’t stay long. Scott had promised his daughter that he’d spend the day with her, and Aunt May wanted Peter home by one in the afternoon.

Peter dropped off some of Aunt May’s special stuffing and Scott brought some spicy gravy, which you made a mental note not to eat too much of when it made Steve’s nose run.

In general the whole morning was full of laughter and teasing and friendship, everything that you’d come to associate with the Avengers. And you all managed to get by with only two injuries. Clint accidentally grabbed a hot pot, and Pietro was showing off how quickly he could chop carrots when he accidentally cut his hand. Both injuries were handled quickly by Steve, even when Clint started to complain because “I’m a grown man! I am Hawkeye! I don’t need first aid for a teeny tiny burn! Im fine. And my turkey is gonna burn!”

By the time you were all set to sit down, the amount of food on the dining room table was..... Let’s just say that extra food had been put on chairs along the wall so that it was easily accessible, because the red tablecloth you’d gotten with Vision was barely visible. (Speaking of, the Android was a surprisingly good interior designer. He helped pick out all of the furniture for your bedroom.)

Once everyone was seated, you glanced around and couldn’t help but smile. Everyone was still in pajamas, although, luckily, Thor had put on a shirt, and everyone just looked so comfortable. They chatted and laughed and teased each other. Thanksgiving had never been a very big holiday for you, but you suddenly realized all that you had to be thankful for. Even as Pietro and Wanda tried to weasel their way into getting champagne rather the sparkling cider and got scolded by Clint, everything seemed perfect.

Suddenly, you stood up, before even really thinking about it, drink glass in hand. Conversation went quiet and all eyes were on you.

“Uh, okay, here we go I guess.” You started. “I wanted to make a toast! The avengers haven’t exactly had a smooth ride, but, honestly? The world would be screwed without us. Without you. All of you guys. And you know what? I’ve never really had a family. Not one that mattered. Until I met you. Being a part of this team is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Thank you, for being you. I guess.” It was short and sweet, but really, what else was there to say?

Things were silent for a minute and you were about to just sit down, but Thor, who had been sitting next to you suddenly stood and pulled you into a crushing hug. You were careful not to spill your drink down his back as you melted into his embrace.

When he let go he turned back to the table and held up his own glass. “To the Avengers!”

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

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savvylark · 7 years ago

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Indulgence

The topic has been Thanksgiving and healthnut relatives, which turned into a story idea about healthnut!Gale and carbloving!Peeta. After T's suggestions it practically wrote itself.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope this makes someone smile. -SavvyLark

I checked my work email, and groaned. There was another lengthy article from Gale about the extensive health benefits to eating a plant-based gluten-free diet.

This triggered my bad mood for the day. I had spent night after night fantasizing about thick juicy burgers, pizza, dinner rolls, cakes, and maybe just ONE beer with gluten. Only to wake up to intense pressure through the guise of “encouraging texts” from my sort-of-boyfriend Gale to prepare the healthiest breakfast known to mankind. It tasted like resentment and disappointment.

This was all my co-worker, Peeta’s fault. That bastard eats the most amazing, delicious, succulent, carb-filled, mouthwatering juicy meat-ridden lunches.

And I just want him.

IT, I mean I want his lunches.

I went about my work day, sipping my anti-oxidant health infused blah blah blah smoothly that was supposed to give me energy. How about a damn cup of coffee?!

That is IT!

I jump to my feet, and reach for my coat, determined to find a decent cup of coffee. “Maybe I’ll go crazy and get an early lunch?” I thought.

The knock on my office her door interrupts my thoughts. “Come in.”

There stands Peeta with his sculpted, fit and solid body in all his carnivores ways, hidden under business casual attire. That's a bread boy. I can practically smell the baked goods wafting from him as he approaches me.

“Hey Katniss, oh were you heading out?” He raises his eyebrows noticing my coat in my hands. “There's a new restaurant that opened up nearby. I'm told they have excellent g-free options. They wanted me to review it. What do you say? Should we go check it out together?” He asks kindly and sincerely. Blue eyes sparkling. Smile enchanting.

This hunger is clearly going to my head.

“Sure.” I answered as I grabbed my purse and headed to lunch with Peeta-bread.

Mmm bread.

I subtly leaned over to give his shoulder a little sniff when Peeta wasn't looking.

Oh my gosh he smells delicious!

Cinnamon rolls and fresh baked bread.

This is dangerous.

Once we’re settled in the restaurant, I order their “Big Salad.” They claim it is sensational with roasted carrots, arugula, avocado and a dressing that is “to die for.”

Peeta orders the house steak.

THE STEAK.

As he eats, a little bit of the juices run down his chin. I stifle a groan.

He wipes his chin and gives a hearty chuckle. I couldn't even look away if I tried.

A wave of heat travels through my body.

As he slowly butters his roll, I'm mesmerized. By the roll. The smattering of butter. Ohhh no that's too much butter. His hands keep buttering, slow and sensual. I want his hands on me.

I hadn’t even realize I'm leaning into Peeta until I have his collar bunched in my hands.

The air is electric.

I barely make eye contact before crashing my lips to Peeta's.

He kisses me back with vigor. Aggressive, but reverent. His strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me tighter. Ugh, he's so strong.

We're both breathless and pull away just looking at each other. Slightly shocked. Such intensity.

Then I smirk, and before he can say anything, I steal a bit of his steak.

And it's Soooo goood.

Mouthwatering, mind blowing.

A deep moan escapes.

Peeta's eyes grow wide.

I wink and reach for his bread.

Four months later Peeta and I are seated at his parent’s house for Mellark Thanksgiving dinner.

Peeta is expected to write a piece about his own family traditions, so we take note of every delectable dish.

The juicy honey ham. The soft flaky Turkey. The warm buttery delicate rolls. Turkey and herb stuffing. The garlic mashed potatoes with an indulgent amount of butter. Peeta's mom's traditional twice baked sweet potato dish with “a secret ingredient” that I will find out from her eventually. The tart cranberry sauce.

I won't even tell you about the pies. They were insane.

Peeta and I can't seem to keep our eyes or hands from wandering after we've finished our pies. We say our goodbyes and hurry home to add our own new tradition to the day.

It was a happy Thanksgiving indeed.

#healthnut #everlark #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #breadboy #healthnut!gale #carblover #thanksgiving #gfree #vegan #fanfic

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mynamemeanscute · 7 years ago

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hfxburgerweek 2018

so i tapped out on day four, after bypassing my personal best (from last year), having endured three nights of meat sweats, extreme thirst, a few minor skin breakouts, and a general desire for #NoMoreBurgers.

in all honesty, i was very tempted to add a couple more to the hit list today (day five), but after not being able to comfortably consume anything but tea and coffee until about 9pm this evening, i decided i had gone about as far as i was willing to go in the destruction of this body. (i tell ya, for a flexitarian who typically consumes very little bread or starches, this event is one solid experiment...)

but alas, i have compiled the details of my [possibly last] adventures in [halifax] burgering below!

as always, please note all opinions expressed here are my own. while a few of the burgers left something to be desired, i have no interest or intention in bashing any of the participating establishments, their service, or their food, so i have chosen to only publicly share my positive assessments. if you have any specific questions, by all means shoot me a message and i’ll be sure to get back to ya. :)

THE BURGS:

day 1

“french toast burger”: sausage patties, fried egg, american cheese, acadian maple syrup mayo. (ardmore tea room)

“beet the meat”: organic vegan burger topped with raw beet and ginger sauerkraut, local kale, roasted garlic veganaise and baked feta-style fresh start fauxmage (imported all the way from PEI). served on a seaweed flax big life bakery bun. (organic earth energy bar)

“the uncle sam”: brisket burger with american cheese, bacon, mozza sticks, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion and pepperoncini special sauce. (rinaldo’s)

“vegan philly cheese steak burger”: house-made patty with shaved seitan steak, caramelized onions and red peppers, cheese and zesty sauce. (wild leek food & juice bar)

“junkanoo burger”: spicy pinto bean and calloloo vegan patty, with mango and coconut slaw and house-made hot-sour sauce. (the foggy goggle)

“wake 'n' bacon”: coffee-glazed bacon doughnut fritter bun, with a maple aioli and grass-fed beef burger and gooey melted cheddar cheese. (vandal doughnuts)

“the smokey gator hawg”: bayou-raised alligator, acadian pork belly, fried onion straw, apple relish and gator gravy. (unchained kitchen)

“summer spiced local source burger”: moroccan spiced free-range oulton’s beef. hutten summer peach chutney. trueleaf arugula, turmeric foxhill yogurt. on local source rosemary foccacia. (lion & bright)

“hali burger”: fresh, double-ground beef patty, topped with local all-beef salami, slow-simmered caramelized onions and hali deli’s house russian mayo, served on a grilled onion bun. (hali deli old world delicatessen)

day 2

“the gio burger”: kalbi with braised beef, korean bbq sauce, pear, kimchi, arugula and scallion aioli, with calamari fritte. (gio)

“bahn mi style burger”: seared ground pork burger stuffed with braised pork belly, house kimchi, toasted sesame aioli, fresh cilantro. (the carleton)

“the mac stack: flame-grilled beef patty topped with mac ‘n’ cheese, crushed cheetos, kabayaki sauce, canadian cheddar and sauerkraut. (the auction house)

“la latina: 16-hour braised pork, sweet plantain patty, charred poblano mayonnaise, smoked cheese and thin-sliced red onions. (verano food purveyors)

“maya's totally vegan burger”: eggplant, lentil, hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and onion. (lemon tree restaurant)

“squid pro quo: terry’s calamari (crispy fried, spicy tomato sauce, black olives), winter slaw, beer and provolone fondue, on a milk bun. (mappatura)

“the ramen burger”: local getaway farm free-range beef, char siu pork loin, sunnyside egg, cheddar, ramen mayo, asian slaw, japanese pickles, ramen noodle buns. (studio east) **not an official burgerweek burger, as far as being included in the passport, but i am including it here as it gained traction as one of the more interesting burgers being offered during this event, and studio east is donating $2 from each burger sold to feedns, so.

“slamming hot mac 'n' cheetos burger”: 6-oz burger patty, slamming hot cheetos, crusted deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese, garlic sambal and cheddar cheese, on a 24 Carrots bun. (elements on hollis)

“the black widow”: wild boar, smoked bacon, black bun, crispy onion ring, red cabbage gochubang slaw, chimilantro, black stout beernaise. (primal kitchen)

day 3

“the whole farm”: beef patty, braised lamb shoulder, fried goat cheese, duck confit, double-smoked bacon jam, over-easy egg, honey mustard, spicy mayo and sprouts, served on a house-made sesame bun. (the black sheep)

“macaron burgers”: bacon, maple, apple and butter make up this unique flavour experience. (the old apothecary)

“best little burger in texas”: an unholy union of our texas chili and fajita-spiced burger patty. topped with avocado crema, jack cheese, charred corn, pickled onion and purple cabbage, on a garlic toasted bun. (mexi’s)

“’stuffing’ your face burger”: fresh-pulled chicken tossed in gravy, topped with savoury stuffing and cranberry drizzle, served on a potato scallion bun. ‘it’s like thanksgiving in your hand!’ (off the grill)

“the gouda father”: all-beef patty, jeff’s gouda, smoked bacon, deep-fried mac ‘n’ gouda cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion and chipotle mayo on a brioche bun. (cheesecurds)

“spicy black bean & vegetable burger”: spicy black bean & vegetable patty wrapped in a chinese spring roll skin, pickled carrots, pickled red onions, cilantro and mango chutney. (cheesecurds)

“the bengal burger”: hand-ground PEI beef, masala glaze, “kachumber” slaw, mango raita and spiced pappadum, on a sesame bun. (2 doors down)

“boomerang”: bbq mayo, lettuce, red onion, cows extra old cheddar cheese, fresh oulton’s beef, applewood smoked bacon, bbq sauce, and lucky fox cajun buffalo chips served on a toasted sesame seed bun. (BOOMburger)

day 4

“the antojo burger”: chorizo burger, queso fundido, jalapeno rellenos, habanero mayo, served with house-made totopos and pico de gallo. (antojos taco & tequila)

“the sloppy joe mcguinness burger”: pulled beef, guinness stout beef jus, shredded cabbage, house pickles, dijon aioli, roasted mushrooms and melted gouda. (stubborn goat)

“the bbq crunch burger”: atlantic beef patty, sydney street stout pulled pork, smoked cheddar cheese, PEI bbq potato chips and maple stout bbq sauce, on a milk bun. (gahan house harbourfront)

“the umami tsunami”: fire-grilled brothers bacon and beef burger, crusted with porcini and espresso beans, mushrooms and onions coated with aged white cheddar on a house-made soft bun. (harbourstone sea grill & pour house)

“surf 'n' turf sliders”: cold-water shrimp patty topped with chorizo espresso jam and charred-lime aioli. (little fish oyster bar)

“jerk burger”: 6 oz. jerk spiced beef patty, orange chipotle aioli, pineapple relish and jalapeño havarti. (canvas resto lounge)

THE STATS

total number of [full] burgers consumed: 28

total number of different burgers tried: 33 (this number differs from the previous because there were a handful of burgers that i split with friends in order to maximize burger sampling)

record number of burgers consumed in one day: eight

number of vegan burgers tried: six (fun fact: four were in the same day, completely unintentionally)

number of burgers that had ketchup as a topping: zero

number of sides ordered: zero

number of burgers that came with sides: 11 (5 fries, 5 salads*, 1 totopos) *whenever given the choice, i opted for salads. i only finished two sides of fries. because burger priorities.

number of beverages ordered: three. coffee with my brunch burgers.

foods besides burgers (and accompanying sides) consumed over the course of the week: none. literally lived off of burgers. and coffee. and water. but mostly burgers.

top five burgers, in no particular order (because i simply cannot decide! and also there were so many other good burgers that it was hard to not make this a top ten list but that just seemed excessive): 1st- “the whole farm” at the black sheep 2nd- “wake ‘n’ bacon” at vandal doughtnuts 3rd- “squid pro quo” at mappatura 4th- “the gio burger” at gio 5th- “the uncle sam” at rinaldo’s

(honourable mentions: primal and antojo)

six interesting burger features, in no particular order, and the burger(s) in which they were featured: -not buns as the buns (french toast at the ardmore tea room, coffee-glazed bacon doughnut fritter at vandal, ramen noodles at studio east) -black bun (primal) -alligator meat and gravy (unchained kitchen) -cheetos (elements on hollis, the auction house) -mozza sticks ON the burger (rinaldo’s) -chinese spring roll skin (cheesecurds)

most ridiculous burger: “the ramen burger” at studio east

most aesthetically pleasing burger: “vegan philly cheese steak burger” at the wild leek food & juice bar (honourable mention: the old apothecary, for their creativity and adorability)

number of establishments i had never set foot in until this week: four

number of different people i burgered it up with: 24

number of workouts completed between burgers: four

highest price paid for a single burger:

total amount of money spent: ~ $367.30 (includes taxes, tips, and a few beverages purchased for other people)

total amount of money from my burger purchases that theoretically will be donated to Feed Nova Scotia: $32

FUN FACTS:

sharing is an excellent way to maximize burger sampling; however, it doesn’t always lend to visual appeal to the dish...

i had my third and final gum grafting surgery done (on my bottom front teeth) on my birthday and the stitches were taken out literally the day before burger week kicked off. as such, i had to be very careful about biting into anything and resorted to destroying cutting up all my burgers into bite-sized pieces and then tilting my head back and to the side in an attempt to place the pieces directly to my molars.

burgering brings out the best in people...

(and one more...)

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cutsliceddiced · 5 years ago

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New top story from Time: The Story of an Extravagant Christmas Dinner Near the North Pole in 1881

When you think of early expeditions to the Polar North, images of hardship, deprivation, frostbite and death usually come to mind. These were the realities of the 19th Century attempts to the deadly region, where steering ships through the harsh, ice-bound labyrinth resulted in average crew losses of 50 percent. Some never came home, as with Sir John Franklin’s famous 1845 voyage seeking the fabled Northwest Passage, in which he and his entire crew of 129 vanished. But there was one lesser-known expedition—The Greely Expedition—during which (at least in the beginning), the men enjoyed warm shelter, sumptuous, opulent meals, singing and revelry and holiday celebration at the far end of the earth.

In 1881, an ambitious Lieutenant and acting U.S. Signal Corps Officer named Adolphus W. Greely led an unprecedented journey to the Arctic. Formally called The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (named for Franklin’s dutiful wife Lady Jane Franklin, who for years hounded the British Admiralty to search for her missing husband and his men), it has come to be known as The Greely Expedition.

The mission was threefold: They were to collect scientific data for the first International Polar Year; they were to search for and hopefully rescue the men of the lost USS Jeannette, which had disappeared two years earlier; and last, Greely secretly intended to venture into the unexplored Lincoln Sea and become the first to reach the North Pole. Should he fall short, he would try to attain Farthest North, an explorer’s holy grail of the highest northern latitude, which had been held by the British for three hundred years.

If he succeeded, he would return a national, even global hero.

In early August of 1881, Greely and twenty-four explorer-scientists landed at Discovery Harbor, on the far north-eastern edge of what was then known as Grinnell Land, now known as Ellesmere Island, Canada. The crew hurriedly unloaded the steamship Proteus. They off-loaded enough pre-cut timber to build a spacious, double-walled longhouse sixty-five feet long, twenty-one feet wide, and fourteen feet tall. It would have a kitchen, two stoves, comfortable quarters for the officers and bunkrooms for the men.

Greely set the men to work around the clock in four-hour shifts, made possible by the perpetual sunlight. There was no time to waste: by mid-October, the skies would darken, and the sun would not return again for 130 days. Temperatures would plunge to minus 75-degrees Fahrenheit.

Within two-weeks, the structure, dubbed Fort Conger, was nearly complete. Located 250-miles north of the last known Eskimo settlement and 1,000 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Greely and his men were now the most northerly colony of human inhabitants in the world.

They had enough food for a three-year stay, with nearly thirty thousand rations of various meats—including pork and pemmican (a high- calorie mixture of dried meat, melted fat, and often berries), bacon, ham, and mutton—as well as canned salmon, cod, and crabmeat. Greely had brought along some forty thousand rations of beans and rice, plus two thousand pounds of potatoes packed in five-pound cans, and mixed vegetables in two-pound cans, including pickles, onions, and beets. There were preserved peaches, molasses and syrup, canned pork and beef, as well as foods thought to thwart scurvy: immense quantities of dried fruits, damsons and other plums, and cranberry sauce.* They also brought many casks of rum, whose restorative properties were considered more necessity than luxury.

In mid-October the sun set, giving way to “the long night,” the polar effect of perpetual twilight. But although the polar winter was devoid of sun, it was not devoid of light. Every two weeks the men were transfixed by the appearance of the magical northern lights, or aurora borealis, a phenomenon of bright and sometimes dancing lights that result from collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Greely noted displays that were “grand and magnificent in the extreme,” including “lances of white light, having perhaps a faint tinge of golden or citron color, which appeared as moving shafts or spears,” and one that looked like “a pillar of glowing fire, from horizon to horizon through the zenith, showing at times a decidedly rosy tint, and later a Nile-green color.” Sometimes while watching this spectacle, men would see the ghostly outline of polar bears traversing the shore and the ice foot, and Greely was reminded of recent wolf attacks. The men would need to be always alert, for danger lurked everywhere.

To help stave off “cabin fever” or “polar madness”—which could drive men into deep melancholy and even suicide—Greely organized elaborate holiday celebrations. The first Thanksgiving at Fort Conger proved memorable indeed. After being mostly fort-bound for weeks, Greely organized a series of races, contests, and competitions. All the men participated in one way or another, either as contestants, judges, or coaches. Illuminated all day by a series of auroral streamers of fluctuating brilliance, the men competed in snowshoe races, footraces, sled-dog races, and finally, a shooting competition.

The first Thanksgiving menu was extravagant, as follows: “Oyster soup, salmon, ham, eider ducks, devilled crab, lobster-salad, asparagus, green corn, several kinds of cake and ice-cream, dates, figs, and nuts.” Greely and the other officers sipped Sauternes from his private supply, and he gave “a moderate amount of rum . . . to the men in the evening, which contributed much to the merriment of the day.” During the meal, prizes were distributed to the winners of the day’s events, and the evening concluded with concertina and violin music and singing.

Preparations for the Christmas feast began days before the twenty-fifth. As the cooks labored in the kitchen, clanking pans and using all the burners, oven ranges, and hot water boilers, officers took the lead in decorating, hanging military standards (guidons) and other flags, as well as any and all colorful cloth that could be hung or draped festively.

The menu—given their unique status as the most northerly inhabitants in the world—was a wonder and a delight, consisting of eight courses and including the following concoctions: “Mock-turtle soup, salmon, fricasseed guillemot, spiced musk-ox tongue, crab-salad, roast beef, eider-ducks, tenderloin of musk-ox, potatoes, asparagus, green corn, green peas, cocoanut-pie, jelly-cake, plum-pudding with wine-sauce, several kinds of ice-cream, grapes, cherries, pineapples, dates, figs, nuts, candies, coffee, chocolate.” Mrs. Greely had sent along a case of her plum pudding. It was served generously with a wine sauce and was a resounding success, in part because it was accompanied by cigars as well as candies and chocolates from Huyler’s, the most famous confectioner in New York City.

The warmth and levity inside the fort were juxtaposed with the stark danger of the world just outside the walls of their sturdy shelter. During the month of December, the mean temperature was minus 32-degrees, with a low of minus 52-degrees. As they rubbed their bellies, bloated from the lavish multi-course meal, the men had no way of knowing that soon, they would all be clinging for their lives on an iceberg floating aimlessly in the sea, their rations reduced to a few ounces per man per day. But for now, the men feasted on dessert “seconds,” huffed on their cigars, swilled their Sauterne and rum drinks, and thought contentedly of home.

Adapted from Buddy Levy’s Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Expedition (published by St. Martin’s Press).

* At the time, though scurvy was known as a dietary deficiency, it was not completely understood. It was known that citrus fruits like lemons and limes appeared to combat the disease, so mariners began taking them on extended voyages (resulting in the origin of British expression “Limeys”). It was not until the 1930s that the Hungarian-born Albert Szent-Györgyi isolated vitamin C, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937.

via https://cutslicedanddiced.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/how-to-prevent-food-from-going-to-waste

#Time #top stories #IFTTT #news

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dinneratsheilas · 5 years ago

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Turkey Shepherd’s Pie (or the last of the leftovers)!

Just when when you think you have thought of all the ways to use your Thanksgiving leftovers here’s one more...Turkey Shepherd’s Pie!

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie is a casserole type dish with either a lamb or beef filling, cooked in a gravy or sauce with vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery, and topped with a layer of mashed potatoes before it is baked.

I took some liberties and made this Turkey Shepherd’s Pie last week with the remaining turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy.

With only enough mashed potatoes to cover half the -9 x-13 inch baking dish, I decided to make a topping of half mashed potatoes and half stuffing. Who could complain about that???

Served along side a little fresh cranberry relish it was Thanksgiving again!

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Arrange rack in upper 1/3 of oven, and pre-heat to 400 degrees

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 medium to large onion, small dice

1 large celery rib, small dice

1 large carrot, small dice

4 to 5 cups cooked turkey, shredded

1 to 2 cups turkey gravy (more or less depending on amount of turkey)

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, or parsley or combination

2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

2 cups or more leftover stuffing

2 cups or more leftover mashed potatoes

Extra gravy for serving

To Cook:

Butter a -9 x13-inch baking dish

In a large skillet sauté the onions, celery, and carrots in 2 tablespoons of the butter over low heat til soft and beginning to be translucent, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the shredded turkey. Cook on low to medium, stirring occasionally until mixture is combined and heated through.

Add the gravy, and continue cooking till turkey is thoroughly coated and mixture is bubbling, adjusting heat if needed.

Remove from heat, stir in herbs, and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the filling into the buttered baking dish, and let cool.

Bring the cooked potatoes and stuffing to room temperature.

Whip the potatoes with a wire whisk or wooden spoon to soften them.

Cover half the turkey layer with the mashed potatoes, and half with the stuffing, and dot with remaining tablespoon butter before placing in the hot oven.

Bake 30 to 35minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top is lightly browned.

Note: If you have enough mashed potatoes and/or stuffing to completely cover the turkey, go for it, or layer the stuffing beneath the potatoes. Endless possibilities!

#Thanksgiving #comfort food #turkey

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jamesbuckfastbarnes · 8 years ago

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A Family Dinner.

“We'll talk later.”

“I have reasons. You wouldn't get it.”

“Oh, what a shocker, you have an excuse.”

*TRIGGER WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS MENTIONS OF EATING DISORDERS AND A SMALL SNIPPET OF AN ATTEMPT AT PURGING. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T READ THIS IF YOU THINK IT’LL TRIGGER YOU!*

Just a small side note - if you’re going through anything like an eating disorder or self harm or anything like that, my inbox is always open if you need to talk! I love you all! - red-w00dy xoxo

Glancing at my reflection in the bedroom mirror, I couldn't help but feel disgusted with myself. My arms were looked vile, my thighs were enormous and my stomach was way too big for my liking. I tugged at the new dress I had bought for Thanksgiving at Gemma’s, arranging it so nobody could see how much weight I'd lost. It's not like I'd always had issues with my food, but for the past couple of years I really struggled to find anything attractive about myself. My boyfriend of three months, Chibs, was nothing but adoring, constantly telling me that I was beautiful and whispering gaelic compliments in my ear whenever we were out on a date. I'd chosen not to tell him about my eating problems, thinking that if he knew then he'd probably dump me there on a spot. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the small machine that filled me with dread whenever I stepped onto them. Scales. I quickly kicked off my heels and pulled the scales out from their place under the sink, convinced that weighing myself just before the dinner couldn't hurt. That way I'd know just how much I could eat without putting on anymore weight. I placed my feet on the machine and glanced down, watching the needle flicker for a moment before it stopped. 107lbs. I was determined to get down to 100lbs which meant eating today was out of the question, no matter how mouthwatering Gemma's food looked. I'd just returned the scales back to where they were when Chibs wandered into the bathroom, wrapping his arms firmly around my waist and placing a soft kiss on my cheek with a smile.

“Ye look fucking beautiful, hen,” he muttered against my skin, running his hands up and down my sides whilst peppering kisses against my bare skin. I flashed him a weak smile in the mirror, leaning back against his chest. “Are ye ready tae go? Gemma just rang, she said the food should be ready in the next hour.”

“Yeah, just let me put my shoes on and grab my handbag,” I smiled, moving away from his grasp to put my heels back on before making my way into the bedroom where my bag sat on the dresser. I unzipped it to check I had my usual pack of mints along with a spare tube of lip gloss and another carton of cigarettes in case Chibs or I ran out during the meal.

“Yer gonna die when ye see all the shite Gemma’s making. Her pumpkin pie has tae be the best I've ever tried,” he told me, his hand resting at the base of my back as he escorted me out of the house and towards my car. We'd decided taking the car was the best option earlier that day as Chibs would probably be drinking and it was safer than taking the bike if that was the case.

“I'm not actually that hungry to be honest with you,” I lied easily, climbing into the passenger seat whilst Chibs slipped into the driver's side. He took the keys from me and inserted them into the ignition, turning the engine over before reversing backwards into the street. “We're not going to be having massive portions are we? Only I'll feel rude if I don't manage to finish it all off.”

“Ye’ve nae eaten anything today, baby. I bet once we get there and ye smell all the food, ye’ll feel hungry. I ken Juicy boy always says he’s nae hungry but usually ends up eating more than everyone else combined,” Chibs chuckled, taking one of his hand off the steering wheel in order to light the cigarette he had trapped between his lips. I gave a weak nod in response, diverting my attention to the houses we were passing out the window rather than continue to talk about food - the thought of how much Gemma would be cooking was enough to make me feel nauseous.

By the time we reached Gemma and Clay’s house twenty minutes later, I was a nervous wreck. I knew the club didn’t trust me yet, not that I expected them to given I hadn’t been around that long, but I didn’t really want to spend the entire day listening them talk about Chibs’ past conquests in front of me and making me feel jealous of all the pretty girls that had spent the night with him. I voiced my thoughts to Chibs as we sat in the driveway of the house, our ‘thank you for having us’ gift for Gemma resting in my lap. He reassured me that they were only doing it because they knew it winded him up but if he saw me feeling uncomfortable then he’d be the first to tell to knock it off. We both climbed out of the car and made our way to the front door, Chibs opening it and gesturing for me to go in first where we were immediately greeted by Gemma and Clay, the MC’s president wearing the most hideous green jumper with a turkey on the front underneath his kutte. The couple gave us both a kiss on the cheek and thanked us for a gift, motioning for us to go to the living room where the other guys and their counterparts were already sitting, drinking beer and laughing at something Tig said. Chibs grabbed my hand and led me over to the empty armchair by the fireplace, dropping down into the seat before pulling me to sit in his lap. He instantly fell into conversation with Opie about some old motorcycle Opie was working on whilst his wife, Lyla, began complimenting me on the dress I was wearing. Half an hour after we arrived, Gemma announced that it was time for dinner and everyone had to sit at the dining table.

I was seated between Jax and Chibs according to the place cards that Gemma had laid out on the table, something that made me happy as I got on well with Jax quite well. Just as everyone started laughing at Tig ripping into Clay for his awful sweater, Gemma and Tara emerged from the kitchen holding several plates that were piled high with food. I paled at the sight, especially when Gemma placed one down in front of me that was equally as full as both Chibs and Jax’s. There was several slices of turkey, a mountain of mashed potatoes, stuffing, an assortment of different kinds of vegetables, some candied yams and a bread roll on the edge of the plate. I fought back the urge to gag and smiled gratefully at Gemma, picking my fork up and poking tentatively at the food as if I was deciding what to eat first. Everyone else tucked into their food around me, leaving me to stare down at the overflowing plate in front of me. I only stopped when I felt Chibs squeeze my thigh softly which caused me to look at him, seeing a kind smile on his face as he mouthed the words ‘eat what you can, Gemma won’t be offended’ at me. I nodded quickly and scooped the smallest amount of mashed potatoes onto my fork, using my teeth to scrape them off the fork and into my mouth with a fake smile plastered on my face. I knew I should have told Chibs I didn’t want to come, that way I could have spent the day alone with no food in sight. But no, I had to say I would love to go with him. Damn his pretty face, I probably would have declined his offer if he was ugly.

“Hey baby, are you enjoying the food?” Gemma asked as she passed behind me with another bowl of cranberry sauce. Turns out that Bobby and Clay both loved the sweet sauce, adding piles upon piles of it on top of their turkey to the point that the white meat had become red from how much they had used. “You’ve not ate that much, why not try the stuffing or the turkey? All you’ve seemed to do for the past half hour is pick at the potatoes.”

“It’s really good, Gem, I’m just not that hungry at the minute,” I smiled at her, cutting up a small sliver of turkey and stabbing my fork into it before slipping into my mouth, forcing myself to chew it with the smile on my face never faltering. Gemma seemed to be pleased with this and carried on to her seat next to Clay at the head of the table. Chibs however was a different story, continuing to flash me concerned looks as he ate his own dinner. A pang of guilt shot through my chest but I ignored it, turning away from Chibs to carry on spooning the smallest bites I could manage into my mouth with the occasional fake moan to keep up appearances.

“Y/N, are you going to eat that stuffing?” Juice piped up ten minutes later, noticing that I hadn’t touched the stuffing on the left side of my plate. I shook my head as Chibs reached over the table to clip the young Puerto Rican around the back of the head, berating him for being rude. “What was that for? I was only asking. She’s not touched it, thought I may as well see if I could have it if she wasn’t going to eat it.”

“If it’s okay with Gemma, I don’t mind. I don’t want to be rude though, I’m just feeling a little full from all the turkey and the mashed potatoes,” I frowned, Gemma nodding to say that it was okay for Juice to dig into what was left over. Half of the food on my plate was cut up into miniscule bites and merged together to appear as though I’d eaten a lot, when in actual fact I’d only had several forkfuls of mashed potatoes and a couple of bites of the turkey. I had become fairly skilled in making it seem as though I was eating, using diversion tactics to take away the attention from my plate and mixing my food up to make it seem like there was less on the plate which meant that nobody would suspect that I wasn’t eating properly.

Once dinner was over and everybody had retired to the living room, I couldn’t stop thinking about the amount of calories I had consumed during dinner. After the plates had been cleared, everyone had encouraged me to eat an entire slice of Gemma’s famous pumpkin pie and the thought of it making me gain weight was enough to convince me not to eat for the next few days. I knew I’d have to exercise all the calories off once I got home as well, but I had developed a routine which meant that I could burn them off without feeling faint. After twenty minutes of losing myself in my thoughts, I realised that Gemma’s bathroom was upstairs which meant nobody would be able to hear me if I was to make myself throw up. I excused myself from the conversation I was having with Chibs and Tig, heading out of the room and up the stairs where I locked myself in the bathroom. The full length mirror behind the door caused me to see my own reflection as I hovered over the sink, urging me to critique my appearance for the millionth time that day. Although my cheekbones and collarbones were well defined, I could still see the fat on my upper arms and the way the dress clung to my thighs which made them seem bigger than they actually were. It was enough motivation for me to drop down onto my knees in front of the porcelain bowl, shoving my fingers down my throat until I was able to make myself gag. After a couple of minutes a knock at the door stopped me in from what I was doing, a sigh of defeat escaping my lips due to the fact I hadn’t managed to make myself puke.

“Are ye okay in there, lass? Ye’ve been up here a while and everyone’s beginning tae wonder where ye’ve ended up,” Chibs called from the other side of the door, causing me to stand up and straighten out my dress before opening it to see him leaning casually against the doorframe. He had his arms folded across his chest and one of his eyebrows were raised, giving me the impression that he knew exactly what I’d been doing. “What were ye doing in there, hen? I mean aside from the obvious. Yer eyes are all watery and shite.”

“Oh, I was just checking my make-up and realised I had a stray eyelash on my face, accidentally poked myself in the eye trying to brush it away,” I laughed lightly, dabbing underneath my eyes to get rid of the tears and shrugged it off like it was nothing. Chibs shook his head and pulled me into the bedroom opposite, closing the door behind us once we were both in the room. Judging by the posters of girls on motorcycles and the stack of Harley manuals stacked up on the bedside cabinet, I came to the conclusion that it was probably Jax’s bedroom before he moved out. Chibs perched himself on the edge of the bed and beckoned me forwards, resting his hands on my hips once I was stood directly in front of him.

“Be honest with me, Y/N, were ye making yerself throw up in the bathroom?” he asked slowly, pulling me down so I was sat on his right thigh and brushing my hair away from my face. I narrowed my eyes at him and feigned confusion, playing it off that what he was saying was craziness. “I’ve noticed ye’ve lost a lot of weight recently, nae tae mention ye barely ate anything at dinner today. And dinnae say it were because ye weren’t hungry because I ken fer a fact ye haven’t ate since yesterday afternoon.”

“What are you trying to say, Chibs?” I scowled, standing up once more and stepping backwards when he proceeded to do the same, looking down at me with a knowing expression on his weathered face. “I’ve just not been feeling very well recently, that’s why I barely ate anything today. As for the losing weight thing, I’ve just been exercising a lot. I’m not starving myself if that’s what you’re getting at.

“Och, come off it, Y/N, yer a terrible liar and we both know it. Ye barely eat, and whenever ye do ye go and run off to the bathroom after half an hour or so. Ye exercise way tae much fer it tae be healthy and yer so skinny, I’m afraid if I hug ye too tight, ye’ll snap. Just admit ye have a problem and we’ll get ye some help,” he shot back, grabbing hold of my wrist and tugging me back to him when I tried to leave the room. “Dinnae walk away from me, and none of that ‘We’ll talk later’ shite either. We’re going tae sort this oot once and fer all.”

We continued to argue over whether or not I had a problem for a good twenty minutes, both of us turning red with how frustrated we were getting with each other. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t just leave me to it, especially given that we’d only been together for a few months. Surely it was my decision to make if I decided whether to eat or not, and I didn’t need Chibs giving me shit for it like I was a small child. I eventually admitted that I’d skipped the odd meal here and there, and maybe I was exercising more than I should, but that didn’t mean I needed to go seek help for it. As Chibs stood there processing what I had said, I took the opportunity to escape the bedroom and head downstairs, mumbling a quick apology to Gemma before exiting the large house. I had just reached the driver’s side of my car when Chibs came storming out of the front door, blocking me from getting into the vehicle as Gemma, Jax and Tig all crowded in the doorway to see what was happening between us.

“Look, I have reasons. You wouldn’t get it, okay? So why not just let me go home and you can come talk to me when you’ve calmed down a little?” I tried to reason, despite knowing that Chibs wouldn’t go for my suggestion. He scoffed at what I said and shook his head in disbelief, removing the carton of cigarettes from his jeans and proceeding to light one up. He took a long drag and exhaled the smoke through his nostrils, a mixture of sympathy and annoyance swimming in his dark brown eyes.

“Och, what a shocker, you have an excuse. This isn’t just something I can forget about, Y/N, yer clearly nae very well. Christ, I really fucking like ye, lass. I dinnae want tae wake up one morning tae get a phone call from the hospital saying yer hooked up tae a load of machines because ye haven’t been eating properly,” Chibs sighed, running a hand through his dark hair as Tig and Gemma carefully approached us, obviously figuring out the reason behind the argument Chibs and I were having.

“Look, doll,” Tig said before I could tell them both to stay out of it, holding his finger up to silence me as Gemma moved to wrap her arm around my shoulders. I rolled my eyes, ready to hear whatever he had to say whilst Chibs tapped his foot opposite me in a feeble attempt to calm himself down. “My kid, Fawn, has been through exactly the same thing and I don’t want to see anyone ever go through that, especially not someone that Chibs likes so much. You might not think you have a problem but we all noticed at dinner that you were off your food, and with how skinny you are, it’s not hard to put two and two together. In my eyes you only have two options - go see someone that’ll help you get better or start planning your funeral because if you carry on, you’re gonna end up dead.”

“Tig’s right, sweetheart. You’re beautiful but it wouldn’t hurt to get a little meat on those bones, you’re far too skinny for my liking. I tell you what, you get yourself sorted out and we’ll go shopping for some new clothes once you’re better. And if a shopping spree isn’t a good enough excuse to sort yourself out then think about Chibby. You’re not just hurting yourself by doing this, you’re hurting him as well and I know for a fact that you don’t want that,” Gemma added, combing her fingers through my Y/H/C locks in an attempt to assure me that sorting myself out was the best option.

I couldn’t help but think that maybe I did have a problem, and a bad one at that if everyone had picked up on it in the space of a couple of hours. I gave them a weak nod to confirm that I’d seek help, wrapping my arms around my grumbling stomach as Chibs gathered me up into his arms and span me round in a circle, causing me to giggle at his actions. Tig and Gemma chose to return to the house at this point, leaving Chibs and I standing there in the middle of the driveway just staring at each other. He dipped down to brush his lips over mine softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear when he pulled away from me. A small smile appeared on his lips as he continued to gaze down at me, clearly delighted that I was willing to sort myself out.

“Yer absolutely stunning, lass, I want ye tae remember that next time ye feel unhappy with the way ye look,” he whispered quietly, resting his forehead against my own and placing his hands on either side of my hips as I proceeded to drape my arms around my neck, relishing in the warmth radiating from his body in comparison to the cold, winter air. “I ken it’s a wee bit soon but I just want tae say that I dae love ye, hen, and I want tae spend the rest of my days with ye. I cannae dae that if yer six feet under because ye didn’t eat. Yer beautiful, and I’ll always think so, just remember that, okay?”

“I love you too, Filip. And thank you, for making me realise that I had a problem and for being there to make sure I get help. I promise I’ll get better, not just for me but for you as well,” I mumbled back, pressing my lips against his and relaxing into the kiss. I knew I had to stop what I was doing or I’d end up losing this wonderful man, and if that meant getting help then I was more than happy to do what it takes. With Chibs by my side, I knew I could conquer anything that came my way.

#Chibs Telford imagine #sons of anarchy imagine #soa imagine #chibs telford #gemma teller #clay morrow #tig trager #jax teller #bobby munson #opie winston #juice ortiz

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chinapotato11-blog · 5 years ago

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10 Spots for a Cheap and Healthy Lunch Near Center City

Food

Avoid work day hanger by picking up a nutritious, healthy lunch near Center City.

Find a healthy lunch near Center City via the list below. Photograph by Courtney Apple courtesy Real Food Eatery

It’s time for lunch, and you’re starving. Where are you going to go?

Related: What 6 Philly Nutritionists Really Pack for Lunch Every Day

Thankfully, in the Center City area of Philadelphia there are a lot of choices — some of which have more healthy options than others. Here, our guide to some of the best options for a healthy lunch near Center City for the perfect midday pick-me-up.

Real Food Eatery

207 S 16th Street, Rittenhouse and 1700 Market Street, Center City While Real Food has also branded itself as a breakfast spot, you’re going to want to stop by here around lunchtime. This build-your-own-bowl restaurant is focused on getting you to “eat real food” is a good alternative when the Sweetgreen line is impossibly long — and the place even has its own Harvest Bowl ($8.75). It runs a little cheaper than your average salad joint: a Umami Kale Bowl (with shredded kale, brown rice, parmesan roasted broccoli, mushrooms, walnuts, and sesame sauce) is just $7. It now has two locations in the Center City area.

FUEL Center City

1225 Walnut Street, Midtown Village Billing itself as “Philadelphia’s healthy kitchen,” Fuel offers a more well-rounded menu for the just-can’t-decide eater. From paninis to açaí bowls, grilled skewered shrimp ($8.95) to sweet potato risotto rice bowls ($9.95), Fuel’s menu stays under $10. It’s also sprinkled with vegan options and gluten-free wraps. For those trying to power up for the next workout, Fuel notes the protein content of each item. Their most protein-rich meal is the Fuel Thanksgiving wrap (turkey, goat cheese, cranberry sauce, spinach, and green apples) — which, at $9.95, gives you 62 grams of protein. That’s what we like to call a deal.

HipCityVeg

127 S 18th Street, Rittenhouse and 121 S Broad Street, Midtown Village Two words: banana whip. The famous chocolate chip-dusted frozen banana swirl is its own argument to eat dessert first. If you’re going for a more balanced lunch, though, HipCityVeg has a variety of all-vegan options. Try their Curry Tofu Wrap for $10.25, or their Udon Noodle Salad, also for $10.25.

Snap Kitchen

1901 Chestnut Street, Rittenhouse This grab-and-go eatery offers its own meal plans: weekly subscriptions of what it calls “healthy comfort food” that you can get delivered or pick up. You can customize each plan based on what your goal is, whether you’re aiming to cut carbs or up protein. There’s even a vegetarian option. If you’re just going there to grab a meal, though, choose from salads, soups, or lunches with a twist — like the Bison Quinoa Hash ($12.99) or the “Grilled Kale Hoppin’ John” ($6.99).

Pure Fare

119 S 21st Street, Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Pure Fare calls itself “the hardware store for your health.” What that actually means is that healthy grab-and-go lunch options, including a variety of vegan and dairy free meals, are available at this Rittenhouse spot. While its more nourishing options, like the Kale and Ricotta Frittata ($5.50) and Vegan Taco Salad ($9.95), make for a solid mid-day pick-me-up, its fruit and veggie-based desserts (like the sweet potato brownie or avocado chocolate chip cookie, both for $3.50) make for a sweet treat.

Honeygrow

110 S 16th Street, Rittenhouse and 15 S 11th Street, Midtown Village If you like control over your orders, Honeygrow is an ideal lunch spot. The menu is focused around salads, stir-fry bowls, and honey-drizzled fruit cups, so there’s a little something for everyone. Try the White Bean Tuna Salad ($11) for a hearty dose of protein and Omega-3s or the Sesame Garlic stir-fry ($10.75) if you’re craving something warm.

Sweetgreen

924 Walnut Street, Washington Square West; 1601 Market Street, Center City; and 1821 Chestnut Street, Rittenhouse Of course, no healthy lunch list is complete without the ever growing chain that is Sweetgreen. With three locations near Center City, the BYO salad craze is spreading — and for a good reason. Most meals here are around $10, and the bowls are filling and packed with colorful veggies. Go for the Guacamole Greens ($10.45) if you love avocado, the Hummus Tahina ($10.80) if you’re meat-free, or the Fish Taco ($11.80) for something warm.

Giwa

1722 Sansom Street, Rittenhouse This fast-casual Korean joint uses natural ingredients to create veggie-packed delights, like its staple, bibimbop. You can get a “cold bowl” for $9.50, or cough up an extra $2 to make it “sizzling.” Opt for the Giwa Original (cabbage, carrot, bean sprout, greens, broccoli) or the fittingly-named Sansom Street (romaine, bean sprout, cucumber, tomato).

Dizengoff

1625 Sansom Street, Rittenhouse The creamiest, most delicious hummus imaginable is the glue that holds together the bowls at this Philly staple. Pile on the chopped salad, chicken ($13) or eggplant ($11), and dive in for a protein-filled, veggie-packed lunch that’ll leave you in a good mood all afternoon long. (Just take it easy on the pita, guys.)

Reading Terminal Market

51 N 12th Street, Market East If you can brave the line (and summon enough willpower to march past Beiler’s), Reading Terminal actually has its fair amount of healthy spots. Try the salads at Molly Malloy’s (most run around $10 to $12), the veggie platters at Kamal’s (also around $10), or the Greek Rustic Salad ($8.75) at Olympic Gyro.

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Source: https://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2018/10/31/healthy-lunch-near-center-city-philadelphia/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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drycoin14-blog · 6 years ago

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Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce

This Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce is an easy update on the classic Thanksgiving staple! It is such a great combination with tart cranberries, along with sweet apples and just the right amount of citrus. It’s made right in the slow cooker which means hands-off cooking so you can focus on other aspects of your holiday meal! It contains no refined sugars and is bound to be a new family favorite!

Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce

Forget the over sweetened canned cranberry sauce this year because it is SO EASY to make this Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce! You essentially throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker and walk away! It also is refined sugar free relying on coconut sugar, honey and sweet apples to balance the tart cranberries and citrus.

This sauce is of course well known as a Thanksgiving staple, but I also love to put a spoonful right on top of of latkes or as a versatile spread for breakfast or leftovers!

How do you sweeten homemade cranberry sauce?

We used a combination of naturally sweet apples, orange juice, honey and coconut sugar!

How long does homemade cranberry sauce last?

Homemade cranberry sauce will last quite a while, so this makes it a great make-ahead part of your holiday feast! We’d recommend using it within 7-10 days after making for optimal freshness, but it could very well last longer. For Thanksgiving it might make sense to make the cranberry sauce a few days ahead of time! You can serve it cold or you can re-heat gently in a pot over low heat.

Like this Thanksgiving / Holiday recipe? Check out these others:

Crock Pot Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

3 cups fresh cranberries, picked over

3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 cup water

Zest and Juice of 2 oranges

1/2 cup coconut palm sugar

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Place all ingredients in slow cooker

Cook on high for 3 hours. Use a potato masher and mash cranberry/apple sauce.

Continue to cook for one more hour with the lid slightly ajar.

Serve immediately with a holiday meal, or cool and serve later.

Recipe Notes

Cranberry sauce will last between 7-10 days in the refrigerator.

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There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!

Source: https://lexiscleankitchen.com/crock-pot-cranberry-apple-sauce/

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dashlung62-blog · 6 years ago

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Easy Meal Planning Tips to Use Your CSA Share

This post is from KS contributing writer Becca Stallings of The Earthling’s Handbook, with photography assistance from her son Nicholas Efran, age 13.

Two years ago, I wrote up a handy 5-step plan for using all the vegetables you receive in a weekly crate from a Community-Sponsored Agriculture farm. That article tells you all about how a CSA works on a subscription plan to bring you several pounds of organic, locally-grown produce every week. Here’s a tool for finding a CSA in your area.

My family has bought a share in Kretschmann Farm near Pittsburgh every summer since 2001. It’s fascinating to see how each vegetable appears and disappears throughout the season, from early June through mid-November. The pattern is sort of predictable, yet every year is unique.

That’s why Katie asked me to write another “how to use a week of CSA veggies” detailing my experience in the last week of July but in a different year. As you’ll see, the veggies we got this year were somewhat different than two years ago at the same time. We used the same 5 steps of veggie stewardship, and out popped some very different meals! On the other hand, the green beans found themselves in exactly the same meal as two years ago!

Not just for CSA subscribers, this strategy works anytime you have a lot of fresh produce: from your garden, from the garden of someone who likes sharing, from spotting a lot of great deals in the store or farmer’s market, from foraging, from your friend who just couldn’t resist buying a case of beautiful eggplants, etc.

Quick Review: 5 Steps for Evaluating Your Veggies

When you pick up that pile of produce, ask yourself these 5 questions:

What to swap or give away?

What needs to be eaten in the next two days?

What can wait until later?

What needs to be preserved?

What’s the plan?

Answer the first 4, and then use your answers to develop your plan for finding each veggie a good home in this week’s meals, in your freezer or pantry stash, or in a friend’s stomach! My previous article gives more detail on each question and tips on how to categorize.

One Week’s Example: Our CSA Box

I’m going to talk you through another week working through the 5 steps in our kitchen, but first I’ll have to explain our starting point.

Before This Week

Two years ago, I was able to write up our week in veggies almost with a “clean slate”–some ingredients we already had in stock came into play, but most of our meals were based around the veggies we received that week.

This year, I had decided which week I would make detailed notes about our CSA, meals, and preservation–and then, midway through the week before, I realized that the surplus of certain vegetables in that week’s crate was pushing us into some activities that would affect the new week. Instead of a “Wednesday wild card” dinner, the meal we cooked on the night we get our CSA was planned to use up the previous week’s veggies! Also, we went into the week stocked up with a healthy breakfast/snack food.

Weather conditions this year have been perfect for cucumbers, zucchini, and eggplant. I have to admit we didn’t do so well with last week’s cucumbers: We ate one with hummus, we put one in a salad, our guinea pigs ate one, and we gave away two–but we still had 4 cucumbers that got mushy and went to the compost bin. That was really a lot of cucumbers!! We should have made Cucumber Salad, which preserves them for a couple of weeks.

Last week’s CSA gave us an even larger volume of zucchini than cucumbers! (We got 6 zucchini vs. 9 cucumbers, but some of the zucchini were larger.)

Luckily, zucchini can be cooked or frozen (Kaite has 6 great preservation methods). I shredded all of it in the food processor, baked 4 loaves of whole-wheat zucchini bread, packed up 4-cup portions to freeze, and set aside 2 cups of raw grated zucchini. Those 6 zucchinis turned into 18 cups of shreds!

Tuesday night’s dinner was a slightly awkward meal of zucchini pancakes and cucumber slices with yogurt-dill dip. (The dill also was from the farm, several weeks ago—we had hung it up to dry.) My partner Daniel made the zucchini pancakes from this recipe. (It calls them “fritters,” but we thought “pancakes” would sound more appealing to the kids.) He used sharp cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan. He’d made them the previous week as well, and we were pleased that both kids ate them without complaint–one using ketchup and the other maple syrup!

We’d used a big, dark-purple Italian eggplant in chili, but we still had two thin, lilac-colored Asian eggplants. One of them was curled into this cute shape that looks like an alien pet!

When we went grocery shopping Wednesday morning before seeing our new crate of veggies, I asked my 13-year-old Nicholas what we could make to use up the eggplant. He said he would cook with my help, and we would have kebabs of eggplant and onion “and more zucchini pancakes, for protein, because they have so much egg in them.” We still had a small onion left from last week, but I reminded him that we couldn��t be certain we’d get more zucchini—although it was likely at this time of year—so we might have to thaw some.

Wednesday

Here’s what we got in this week’s CSA share!

3 cucumbers

2 Italian eggplants and 1 Asian eggplant

potatoes

carrots

4 tomatoes

kale

3 onions

green beans

2 zucchini

coffee–Of course, that isn’t grown in Pennsylvania! Kretschmann Farm has a deal with Building New Hope, a Pittsburgh non-profit that partners with coffee growers in Nicaragua. For an additional fee, we get a pound of shade-grown coffee in our CSA box once a month.

Nicholas and I started work on the kebabs: He asked me to make the pancakes while he did all the rest, occasionally asking for advice.

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I grated the smaller zucchini and adjusted the recipe to this smaller amount. I still used 1 egg and then added some breadcrumbs to soak up excess liquid. The pancakes held together pretty well, but frying them was very stressful!

I have a hard time with food that tends to burn on the outside before it’s cooked all the way through and that falls apart when you flip it. Daniel is more coordinated and less nervous than I am, so he was surprised when I thanked him so effusively for having made these before!

Meanwhile, Nicholas cut up the eggplants and tossed them with Real Salt in the colander. (This makes eggplant less bitter.) He cut the onion in big chunks and browned them in olive oil. Then he added the eggplant. He seasoned the vegetables with lemon juice, minced garlic, and bottled Tandoori Chicken Spice. He cooked them until the eggplant was soft and slightly browned.

He decided that the kebabs also should include slices of hard-boiled egg. I don’t boil eggs often enough to remember the timing, so he looked it up. He assembled a variety of kebab combinations.

The kebabs were delicious! They gave us an opportunity to teach our 4-year-old Lydia how to eat a kebab safely: One hand on each end; careful of the point! Eat it like corn on the cob. Don’t bite the stick!

I didn’t think the zucchini pancakes were really necessary along with hardboiled eggs–I would rather have had chunks of zucchini cooked along with the eggplant and onions–but their flavor blended in with the vegetables’ seasoning better than I expected.

We found that the kebabs reheated well in the toaster oven (400 degrees for 7-8 minutes) and were still good on Sunday when I finished the last ones.

Thursday

Nicholas wanted to make a salad of kale and cucumbers with strawberry vinaigrette like he’d made a couple of weeks ago. This time, he added fresh strawberries and a yellow pepper we’d just bought at ALDI.

What would go with the salad? Nicholas wanted garlic mashed potatoes (our CSA potatoes) and a can of cranberry sauce: “It’ll be like Thanksgiving!” I suggested baking some fish for a Fishgiving Feast, but it was a hot day and he didn’t want the oven on while he was making the salad.

Instead, he suggested fried eggs for the protein–those of us who like sunny-side-up eggs could put them on top of our mashed potatoes and break the yolk as “gravy” for the potatoes. I don’t think I’d ever tried this before. It was good! But it didn’t seem anything like Thanksgiving dinner, even though the cranberry sauce was a nice treat. I was feeling a little tired of eggs.

Daniel cooked the potatoes and eggs while Nicholas made the salad. By the way, if you happen to have a bag of frozen strawberries (mine were on sale at GFS!), an easy way to make strawberry vinaigrette is to thaw one big strawberry, which will become so soft that you can just mash it with a fork and mix in oil, vinegar, salt, and honey.

Friday

I cooked one of our classic favorite meals: Honey Apricot Tofu, Salty String Beans, and rice. This used up the green beans from the farm and one small onion. Here’s Lydia’s serving.

Saturday

We had so many leftovers that we didn’t cook anything new today! I ate one of the tomatoes as a snack.

Sunday

I made Creamy Lentil Coconut Curry with Roasted Vegetables. My array of vegetables was different this time: no peppers, broccoli, or green beans, but I did have zucchini. Gosh, that was a lot of eggplant!

It was a cool day by summer standards, so I didn’t mind being in the room with a 400-degree oven and a steaming saucepan—but I was glad we had enough rice left over from Friday that I didn’t have to coordinate cooking that, too!

I ended up with more than enough veggies for the curry, so I froze some for other uses of roasted veggies in the future. I also set aside a jar of raw, salted eggplant for Lydia, who loves to eat it (and refuses cooked eggplant) recently! I thought I’d heard something about raw eggplant being dangerous to eat, so I looked it up–a person her size would have to eat 2 or 3 entire raw eggplants to have toxic symptoms, and she eats no more than about 1/4 of an eggplant at a time. Whatever she doesn’t eat in the next few days, I can add to marinara sauce or anytime I want to cook up a few veggies for lunch.

Monday

Because Nicholas had made Thursday’s salad only big enough for a side dish at one meal, we still had a lot of kale. I collected other vegetables to cook with it to make Hummus and Vegetable Flatbread Sandwiches. This time I used kale, carrots, onion, and tomato from the farm, plus a red pepper from ALDI. I also threw in a handful of that salted eggplant.

I always think I have too much kale to fit in my skillet . . . but after I put in as much as can and cook it for a few minutes, it gets much less fluffy so that I’m able to mix in the rest of the kale.

I didn’t cook the tomato at all, just diced it and put it and the cooked veggies into the sandwiches after toasting them and then pulling them apart with tongs.

We had a jar full of delicious sautéed veggies left over. They make a great accompaniment to scrambled eggs for breakfast!

Recently we’ve been buying white-flour tortillas at Costco because they’re cheap and taste good, but they’re not all that nutritious. If you’re up for making homemade tortillas, try Katie’s whole-wheat tortillas or gluten-free, gum-free whole-grain tortillas!

Tuesday

Daniel and Nicholas made Salmon Limone with Couscous and Zucchini Ribbon Salad, a recipe Nicholas had found on the Hello Fresh website earlier this summer and made once before. (You don’t have to subscribe to their boxed meal kits to access their recipes–but if you see a recipe you like, make sure to print it right away rather than plan to read it from your screen! We’ve learned that sometimes their recipes “disappear” from the URL where we saw them and are hard to find again!)

Ironically, although Nicholas eagerly suggested this recipe when he saw zucchini and tomatoes in our CSA box, scheduling issues pushed this meal to the end of the week when we’d already used all our zucchini and tomatoes. But when I went to our neighborhood Giant Eagle supermarket to buy them (along with the salmon, lemon, scallions, and couscous) I found great prices on zucchini and tomatoes from Brenckle’s Farm, another local organic farm that also offers a CSA. It’s only 26 miles away; Kretschmann Farm is 28 miles from our home. So we were still eating local, organic vegetables!

This meal was delicious!

Wrapping Up the Week

How did we do with our 5 steps?

What to swap or give away? This was one week when we kept everything in our share!

What needs to be eaten in the next two days? Fresh green beans last only a short time without getting moldy. We also prioritized cucumbers, kale, and zucchini but didn’t actually get through all of them in the first 48 hours–but we used them up within the week (see below) without anything spoiling!

What can wait until later? We still have some of the carrots and the coffee. These tomatoes were firm enough to be used late in the week but wouldn’t have lasted much longer.

What needs to be preserved? Roasting and sautéing more veggies than we needed for our dinners created leftovers that will keep longer than raw veggies.

What’s the plan? We’d already planned the kebabs before we saw our new veggies. On Wednesday night, we planned Thursday’s and Friday’s dinners and the Salmon Limone . . . but meal planning for the rest of the week kind of worked out as we went along. I did make a list of the veggies before putting them away so that I could see at a glance what we needed to use.

We still had two cucumbers and some potatoes, so on the Wednesday when we got our next CSA box, our dinner side dishes were mashed potatoes and cucumbers with lemon sour cream (left over from Salmon Limone), with the main dish of soy-free veggie burgers from Trader Joe’s.

What’s your approach to an abundance of vegetables?

Source: https://www.kitchenstewardship.com/csa-meal-planning-tips/

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vegancookbooks0 · 5 years ago

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Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches

These scrumptious vegan Thanksgiving sandwiches are made with savory marinated tempeh topped with cranberry sauce, gravy, or whatever leftovers you’ve got on hand!

I love Thanksgiving leftovers! But even my favorite dishes can get old after a few days, which is why I’m a big fan of repurposed Thanksgiving leftovers.

Last year I turned my leftover mashed potatoes into mashed potato pancakes. But what about the other side dishes? The veggies, the cranberry sauce, the gravy? Well, good news! This sandwich potentially uses all of them, and pretty much any other vegan side dishes you’ve got lying around.

They all get piled between a couple of bread slices, on top of a big savory tempeh patty!

Tempeh Sandwiches

If tempeh is a new ingredient to you, check out this guide to learn more about it (and even how to make your own, if you’d like).

Tempeh works great in this recipe for a few reasons.

Protein. Most of your Thanksgiving sides are probably lacking in this department. Tempeh is protein-packed, so it’ll help balance things out!

Flavor. We’ll be marinating our tempeh in some savory seasonings to give it a flavor that goes great with all those side dishes.

It’s easy. Tempeh is really easy to cook! All you need to do for this recipe is marinate it and then grill it in a pan. You can even make it in advance and reheat it, so when sandwich time arrives there’s minimal work to do!

Cooking the Tempeh

First, if you typically find tempeh to be too bitter for your taste, you can start out by steaming it. This step is totally optional, but steaming will take away that bitter flavor. Just pop the tempeh into a steamer basket, stick it in a pan with some water, cover, and steam away for about 10 minutes.

Or you can use my lazy method: wrap the tempeh in a wet paper towel, stick it on a plate, and microwave it for 4 minutes.

Next, Mix up your marinade ingredients: some soy sauce, vegetable broth, apple cider vinegar, a touch of maple syrup, garlic, and some poultry seasoning.

Cut your slab of tempeh in half thickness-wise, then width-wise, to make 4 square-shaped slabs. Stick them in a dish, pour the marinade over top, and let them soak for 30 minutes or more.

Once the tempeh is done marinating, oil up a pan and place it over medium heat. Add the tempeh slabs and cook them on each side, until they’re lightly browned. You should have some leftover marinade — pour it over the tempeh while it cooks to infuse it with extra flavor.

Assembling the Sandwiches

Grab some bread and optionally slather it with vegan mayo. Pile on the tempeh and whatever side dishes you’ve got — I’m using my spiced wine cranberry sauce, Dijon Brussels sprouts, and super simple vegan gravy in the photos.

Dig in and enjoy!

FAQ & Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich Tips

What kind of bread works best with these sandwiches? Use a sturdy sliced sandwich bread that can handle lots of fillings! I used a semolina loaf, but sourdough or multigrain would be delicious as well.

The sandwiches in the photos are topped with my spiced wine cranberry sauce, Dijon Brussels sprouts, and super simple vegan gravy, in case you were wondering. But the sky is the limit — you can use just about any side dishes in these sandwiches.

Need some side dish ideas for the holiday? Check out this massive collection of vegan Thanksgiving recipes!

Make ahead option: the tempeh patties can be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave or oven. They’ll keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days.

What is poultry seasoning? Does it contain poultry? Poultry seasoning is a blend of herbs that’s normally used to season poultry. I’ve never seen one that actually contains poultry. Look for it in the spice aisle.

Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches

These scrumptious vegan Thanksgiving sandwiches are made with savory marinated tempeh topped with cranberry sauce, gravy, or whatever leftovers you’ve got on hand!

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 471 kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (8 ounce) package tempeh

1 tablespoon canola oil, or high heat oil of choice

4 slices sandwich bread, optionally toasted

Vegan mayonnaise (optional)

Thanksgiving leftovers of choice, such as mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and veggies

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, poultry seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Cut the slab of tempeh in half, thickness-wise, to create two thin slabs. Now cut each slab in half, width wise, to create 4 square shaped slabs.

Place the tempeh slabs in a shallow dish and pour the broth mixture over them. Allow the tempeh to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom with the oil.

Give the oil a few minutes to heat up, and then arrange the tempeh slabs in the skillet — fit as many as you can without overlapping and cook the rest in a second batch.

Cook the tempeh for about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Ladle the excess marinade over the tempeh towards the end of cooking and allow the tempeh to continue cooking until the liquid evaporates.

Slather the bread slices with the mayo, if using. Assemble the sandwiches using two tempeh slabs per sandwich, and topping the tempeh with Thanksgiving leftovers of choice.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information includes bread and tempeh. Mayonnaise and toppings are not included.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches

Amount Per Serving (1 sandwich)

Calories 471 Calories from Fat 195

% Daily Value*

Fat 21.7g33%

Saturated Fat 3.2g16%

Sodium 1180mg49%

Potassium 589mg17%

Carbohydrates 48.2g16%

Fiber 1.3g5%

Sugar 10.6g12%

Protein 27.2g54%

Calcium 27mg3%

Iron 22mg122%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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from http://easyveganrecipes.info/vegan-thanksgiving-leftover-sandwiches/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vegan-thanksgiving-leftover-sandwiches from http://easyveganbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2020/05/vegan-thanksgiving-leftover-sandwiches.html

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