#starting with the iced vanilla almond milk flat white

[iphyslitterator]

I fully believe that actors' opinions about their characters are not canon, it's just that Lou Ferrigno Jr is right about everything.

[mercy-misrule]

Unfortunately as an Australian I have to hunt Lou Ferrigno jr for sport for the crime of suggesting that Tommy's coffee order is a 'vanilla almond milk flat white on the rocks'

Folks, we gotta stop letting Americans have coffee

We invented the flat white and we gotta start gatekeeping it because jesus.

I am absolutely joking but genuinely I started laughing when I heard that.

Australia, particularly the city where I am from has a really intense coffee and cafe culture. Starbucks failed here because we're all pretentious coffee snobs, and no one wants the big ol cups of syrup infested coffee to go.

The idea of a flavoured iced flat white is straight up alien. What an insane and precise coffee for him to decide on

He's lucky he's unfairly square jawed and beefy, I'll forgive him this time.

[leffee]

Day 17: Coffee-to-go

Sharukh, Zoe, and Vinnie entered a small, local cafe from the somewhat chilly outdoors and immediately started rubbing their arms while standing close to the cash register.

“What do you boys want to order?” Zoe turned to the two while eyeing the menu hanging above. “My usual coffee is here, so I will just take that.”

“Me too.” Vinnie and Zoe eyed Sharukh.

“Really? You have your usual, here? I didn’t know you went to such small cafes.” The former questioned, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“I don’t.” Sharukh nodded once. “But a cafe is a cafe, fancy or not, I’m sure they have what I want.” He got closer to the cash register with the other two following closely.

“Hello, how may I help you?” A young lady who seemed to be bouncing on her toes addressed Sharukh.

“I would like Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato with 2 extra shots of espresso, 3 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup, 2 pumps of hazelnut syrup, 1 pump of caramel syrup, made with almond milk, no ice, extra foam, double blended, topped with light whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, please. Oh, and make it coffee-to-go.” The cashier blinked at him during a pause.

“Of… of course, sir, but could you repeat that again?” She reached for a small notebook and a pen and smiled crookedly causing Sharukh to sigh but he did repeat his order without delay. “Anything else?” She turned to the other two.

“Yes, darling.” Zoe took her turn. “Grande Flat White with an extra shot, steamed coconut milk, 3 pumps sugar-free hazelnut, and extra foam for me.” After the cashier finished scribbling down the next order she looked back up at the trio.

“That’s all.” Vinnie raised his flat palm in the air.

“Really?” Sharukh sat down on the nearest chair as the cashier went to make his and Zoe’s coffees. “If you forgot your money I can pay for you, my generosity knows no bounds after all.”

“Welllll,” Zoe pushed herself in front of the superstar, “mine does not either, I can pay for you, Vinnie, if you’d like.” She half-heartedly glared at Sharukh who returned the challenging stare.

“Nah, I have my money on me.” Vinnie patted his pocket and sat down as well. “I’m just not really a big fan of coffee, I can drink it and all, it just works weird on me.” He shrugged casually.

“Really?” Vinnie nodded at Sharukh’s question. “I see, oh well.”

The two were sitting in comfortable silence while Zoe moved back to look at the endearing desserts on the display and took pictures of some of them. After a minute or two, hers and Sharukh’s coffees were ready, and they took their respective paper cups. Just when they were all about to turn around and leave, the lady behind the counter stopped them. Or rather one of them, “Hey, um, you’re Sharukh, right?” She smiled widely when said person looked back at her and nodded. “Oh my gosh, I’m such a big fan, I-I never thought I’d see you here and, and- can I have an autograph?” She took the same notebook from before and presented it to him with an intense gaze. 

“Why, I could never reject such a request from a fan.” Sharukh took the pen and wrote his signature across one of the pages making his fan squeal and thank him profusely. After getting a grateful goodbye, the three friends left the cafe and stood in place for a while, Sharukh and Zoe blowing on their steaming coffees.

“So, where do we go now?” The only one without a beverage asked, looking from side to side.

“Hmm,” Sharukh mirrored his movements. On their right was the road to the park, on their left, a way towards the more suburban area of Downtown City. “Let’s continue in this direction.” He nodded to the left. 

“Hm? You want to go away from the city center? Why?” Zoe questioned, taking a trying sip from her cup.

“That lady inside the cafe recognized me, and I’m quite sure the whispering got louder then which means that the paparazzi will most likely be here any minute, and once they are, where are they most likely assume I went, towards the city center with lots of people and shops or to some boring suburbs?” He let the question hang in the air. “Exactly, I’m not in the mood to deal with them today.”

“Ugh, how come the paparazzi never arrive when I come?” Zoe grunted but started walking. However, then her expression brightened, “Wait, psh, whispering? Don’t worry, darling, I’m sure they were talking about moi, which means you won’t have to deal with anyone questioning you today.”

“If you say so, Zoe.” Sharukh and Vinnie exchanged amused glances.

The trio continued on their stroll, with mainly Zoe and Sharukh doing the talking. Vinnie didn’t mind being the quiet one in their company, he barely even knew what exactly they were talking about anyway, something money, wealth and fame-related that he couldn’t really add much onto. However, there came his time to cut in too, when Sharukh took his first sip and almost spat out the drink. 

“Eugh, alright, I was not correct, maybe not every cafe makes my favorite coffee the same way. This is so disgustingly sweet, not for my finer tastes at all. Zoe, would you like to drink it?” He reached out his coffee to her, but she shook her head quickly. 

“No, thank you, I don’t really fancy too sweet coffees either, I mean it.”

“Hm. I presume it will have to go to the bin then.”

“Wait!” Vinnie interrupted him before he could begin to look for one. “If neither of you want it, I can drink it.”

“Are you sure?” Sharukh questioned doubtfully. “You said you don’t like coffee all that much.”

“Yeah, not that much, but I can drink it. Penny always says it’s never good to waste food and it won’t hurt me.”

“If that’s what you want.” Sharukh handed him would-be his coffee and then continued chatting with Zoe. Every now and then he stole a glance at Vinnie who fortunately seemed to fairly enjoy the hot beverage. “To each their own,” He whispered under his breath.

Their leisurely walk proceeded with the conversation flowing nicely and the cups being emptied steadily. That is until a yawn cut through the air. The first one was nothing revolutionary, but then another came, and then another one, and then one more.

“Vinnie? Why are you yawning so much, you didn't sleep well last night? You were fine just a while ago.” Zoe raised her brows at her friend who every now and then fell a step or two behind them.

“No, it’s not that.” Vinnie covered his mouth to yawn yet again. “That’s the thing I was talking about earlier, that coffee works weird for me.”

“It makes you sleepy?” Sharukh guessed.

“Yeeep, don’t ask how that works, no idea. But like, it makes me veeery drowsy.”

“You should have said so before, should we sit down for a while or…?”

“No.” Vinnie shook his head immediately. “Believe me, that won’t work, I will be like that for a while too but no biggie.”

Sharukh exchanged a look with Zoe who simply shrugged. They weren’t anywhere near any of their houses, and Vinnie looked like he was about to fall asleep standing right there and then and if that happened, well, he wouldn’t be standing for long.

“Alright, come on.” Vinnie eyed Sharukh with dimmed confusion, but the other paid no mind to that and with one swift movement picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

“Woah.” Vinnie chuckled while Zoe sighed dreamily.

“So strong!”

“I don’t deny that,” Sharukh grinned and adjusted his grip on Vinnie who was already making himself comfortable even if with subdued energy, “but honestly, he’s just really light.”

“Ah, that’s true. But you know what? Now the media most definitely won’t find or recognize you.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I don’t think anyone would expect to see you physically carrying someone instead of it being the other way around.”

“You might be right. Vinnie?” But the other was already asleep. “Oh well, once he wakes up, I will tell him he has a new job.”

“You want him to be on your shoulder each time you go outside?”

“Precisely.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something about those two, elegant, famouse and rich people doing stuff together and then there's just Vinnie rubs me the right way. He's just kinda there.

[sandersstudies]

Espresso-ly for You - Chapter Two

I liiiiiive! Or at least, my writing does. Like I said, I can’t and won’t promise regular updates on this one, but the sweet sweet coffeeshop AU will never let me go for sure.

Chapter One Here 

***

“Hey there, long time no see!” Janus said over the top of his mug. It was the one he brought from home, with a snake for a handle. 

“I saw you on Sunday,” Virgil said, slouching his backpack off his shoulder to store in the employee cupboard. 

“Yeah, but so much has happened since then,” Janus said, and then sipped his drink loudly. “Did Logan tell you about the birds that were fighting outside on Tuesday?”

“No.”

“See, of course he didn’t, he doesn’t care about the fun stuff. God, you look exhausted, let me get you a pick-me-up, you raccoon.” He began to measure a shot of espresso.

“I’ve already been drinking way too much soda to stay awake,” Virgil said.

“I’m not giving you soda, am I?” Janus asked, turning on the steam wand. “I’m giving you sweet bean juice, it will give you things no other drink can.” The shots pulling from the espresso machine dripped like warm honey, and Virgil had to admit they looked enticing. Janus was the most skilled barista in the cafe, going to local barista competitions three years in a row, and making it to the final round the last two years. 

“One of the benefits of working here is all the free coffee you want,” Janus said. “Might as well take advantage of it.” He’d barely looked at the machine while preparing the milk and espresso, but now, with a few seconds of intense focus, he guided his pitcher across the surface of the crema to create a delicate rosetta. “There, my nicest flat white of the day, all for you.”

Virgil took the cup and sipped. Perfect, creamy foam. 

Janus picked up his own cup and slurped the last of the coffee inside. “Well, better prepare for the lunchtime rush,” he said, checking his watch. “How was it yesterday?”

“Not too bad.”

“If you want to run register and food the first hour, I’ll run bar and then we can switch,” Janus said, reaching behind himself to tighten his apron strings. “If it slows down I’ll do a restock but I think we should be fine.”

Janus had been the first barista to push Virgil to run the espresso machine solo. When the morning or lunch rush came and there was a line out the door, Janus would watch and speak encouragingly, but never step in to rescue him the way Logan did.

“See these two cups?” Janus had said one day when Virgil could barely hold a milk pitcher without shaking. “These two drinks are the only ones you need to worry about right now. All those other drinks, all those other people, they don’t exist to you. It doesn’t matter if there are three drinks or thirty drinks waiting, you’re always working on these two drinks, and two drinks only.”

Eventually Virgil learned how to fall into a rhythm where he prepped one shot as another one pulled, poured one milk as another one steamed. Janus would flit back and forth from the register to the hand-off, confidently ringing in and handing out drinks as Virgil’s hands shook too hard to stop cups from spilling.

“You don’t need me,” Janus had said. “Someday you’re gonna be stuck up to your elbows in cappuccinos and I’m not going to be here, and you’ll have to haul them out of yourself. If I rescue you now, you won’t be able to do it then.”

Virgil had burned with frustration that Janus wouldn’t help him. But when the line dwindled, Virgil found himself reaching for the next cup in line, and it wasn’t there. He’d done it, he’d seen only two drinks in front of him and had conquered a breakfast rush. The customers had become a blur, and he’d honed in on more lattes and macchiatos than he could count.

“The next challenge,” Janus had said as they shared coffee in the following lull. “Is to bring the customers into focus too. Two things matter in coffeeshops, the coffee, and the people. You can’t let either one distract from the other.”

“You want me to do all that and small talk?”

“It gets easier with time.”

The retrospect that proved Janus right didn’t help Virgil to not feel aghast at the suggestion. It was easy to envy Janus’ ease around customers, asking Wendy how her radishes were doing as he poured her coffee, telling jokes to kids, and showing them the swan he’d drawn in their father’s latte. 

Virgil tied his apron and went to the front register. He ran his fingers over the screen. Pretending to type up a long order was his key both to eavesdropping and to looking busy, especially if he furrowed his brow just enough to look focused. Whenever a particularly angry customer started to complain at the other end of the counter, here Virgil would be, tapping like he was crafting a novel and not hitting the button for “doppio” a dozen times in a row. Meanwhile Janus, usually, would be the one at the end, silver-tongued and composed, listening with raised eyebrows and a soft smile. He’d turn around only when the cafe was empty to say “could you believe that jerk?”

A gaggle of college girls in matching volleyball t-shirts approached, and Virgil glanced at Janus, who cracked his knuckles dramatically. “May the coffee gods guide me,” he said as the bell on the door jangled merrily. 

“Hi, what can I get for you?”

“Large iced vanilla soy latte.”

“Medium blended caramel coffee, extra caramel, whipped cream.”

“Small almond latte.”

And so on down the line. Janus remained unfazed, continuing to greet other customers who braved entering the store despite the line. He called out every drink he made and made eye contact with each girl who picked hers up, even (Virgil thought he saw) winking a couple times. The hum of the espresso machine and hiss of the steam wand filled the cafe, singing along to the piano playing over the speakers. Was this Logan’s playlist?

The line didn’t end, after that. The girls cleared and were replaced by tides of office workers in pressed clothes from the smattering of office buildings that hemmed in the coffee shop on all sides. Friendly receptionists and personal assistants were a favorite of Virgil’s, and were perhaps the only ones who called him by endearments that didn’t feel horribly awkward.  Most of them tipped well. 

The cafe chairs filled up, representing casual business talks, friendly meet-ups, and solitary breaks from long days. All the grind-never-stop types had the coffee to-go, and those taking a quick respite adored the cafe’s “for here” cups. Virgil liked to watch for the people who perked up or relaxed with their first sip. One of the personal assistants from the building across the street (Virgil thought her name was Jackie) put her cappuccino to her lips and leaned back into her chair, the tension around her eyes softening.

A moment came where a couple of middle-aged women paused to examine the menu, and Janus appeared as if by magic at the register. 

“Tag team, let’s go! Your turn on the bar, kid.” 

Virgil moved to the espresso machine. Janus had not only finished the drinks in front of him, but wiped down the counter and machine to leave Virgil the perfect surface to begin again. The middle-aged women put in their orders, and Virgil felt like his vision zoomed in as he began the two drinks in front of him, and the two after that, and the two-

He was getting better at this now, even managed a croaked “hello,” to most of the customers who walked in the door, and a “thank you” as they took their drinks. He let the steam wand run a few extra seconds to feel the warmth bead on his face every time he started to get anxious. 

The lunch rush came to its merciful end, and Virgil took his break to chew a PB&J sandwich before Janus left for the day. As the clock hit two, the elder barista pulled his keys from the cupboard.

“I bid you adieu and an easy close,” he said, twirling his keychain around his hand as he clocked out. The jingle of his keys was followed by the jangle of the door behind him, and Virgil was alone in the cafe.

He brewed fresh coffee - they’d almost run out during the rush, and pause to sweep the floors and wipe down the counters. Running the store for the last three hours before close, and the chance to close the store by himself was both a responsibility and a chance for peace that Virgil appreciated. He liked helping customers, more spread out then before, and in between them finding little things to clean, extra minutes to practice his latte art - damn, how could Janus draw a rosetta so effortlessly? All Virgil’s came out looking like lumps. 

He aerated the milk gently, and heard the front bell ting.

“Hey there,” Virgil said without looking up, tilting his pitcher so the foam was perfectly incorporated. He turned the steam wand off and gently groomed the milk to pour. “Sorry, I’ll be right with you.” 

The milk texture was almost perfect. He guided his pitcher over the crema and… produced a haphazard rosetta. It was lopsided and a little mangled from Virgil swirling the crema too hard, but it wasn’t one of his worst attempts.

“Hey, that looks pretty good!” 

Virgil looked up and felt his ears get hot. Roman was leaning slightly over the bar (oh wow, he was even taller than Virgil had thought), staring at the cup. “Could you do one like that for me?”

Virgil swallowed. “Yeah uh… yeah, sure.” Nevermind that it was much harder to make oat milk froth properly. Virgil grabbed his non-dairy pitcher.

“Oh, could you make it as an large cinnamon-”

“Yeah, I got it.” Oh no, I cut him off. In too deep now. Virgil felt Roman’s gaze on him as he made the latte. The cinnamon-sugar topping made a nice base to draw with, but Virgil didn’t have as much experience with oat and soy, and the rosetta was barely visible as he finished it. Roman stared into the cup.

“Sorry,” Virgil muttered. “Still practicing.” 

“Oh, that’s okay,” Roman said, but sounded a bit disappointed. He left a ten on the counter. “Thanks for trying, the extra’s for you.” 

He left the cafe, and Virgil watched him vanish down the street, but just before he was out of sight, he put the to-go cup to his lips, and Virgil saw his shoulders relax.

[sif-the-tsunami]

The Caffeine Cleric’s shenanigans

Look, I have 100% been wrong before on someone’s coffee order. But, my favorite game to play at work is guess the person in line’s order. These are the drinks I think HC character’s would order. This is meant to be silly. And this is only the characters I’ve seen. I know that Cold Light of Day is on youtube, but your girl needs to have more time on her hands to watch it.

August Walker:

That dude has a pour over system at his home, he only grinds his beans the morning he makes it, they are sealed in an airtight container. He drinks it black. If they go out, he’ll order a nonfat cappuccino.

 Captain Syverson

In the field, they will get little packets of dehydrated coffee crystals. They fucking suck. He drinks them though because if you have any idea what MRE’s do to your gut, you need all the help you can get. When he came home from deployment, his girlfriend got him hooked on iced coffee. Now that they’ve split he started drinking cold brewed iced coffee, with a dairy alternative. No one on the fort is stupid enough to give Syverson grief about ordering coconut milk. One of the baristas taught him how to make it himself, so he now has a set up in his fridge. He will let it sit in his fridge for 48 hours before he removes the coffee grounds. He will also drink it without cutting it. If he has too much he feels like he can hear colors, but that just might be the tinnitus in his ears.

The girls that work at the coffee house all want him. The barista that brags about banging definitely hasn’t though. In fact, she kind of scares him.

Napoleon Solo

This man orders an espresso con panna, upside down, blonde espresso, with a little caramel drizzle and there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.

oh Mike... Mikey McMike Mike...

This fuckboi orders a Mocha Frappuccino, extra caramel drizzle, two extra shots. He doesn’t tip. He also wonders if the barista with hot pink hair also has hot pink hair down stairs.

Walter Marshall

When he’s not drinking the swill they serve at the precinct, he likes a double tall latte, with almond milk. One raw sugar and nutmeg steamed in the milk. 

On his birthday, though, one year the girl behind the counter convinced him to order a steamed apple juice with two bags of chai tea brewed in it for six minutes. She put in two packets of honey and a little vanilla powder. He now orders this when ever he has had a bad day.

Geralt of Rivia

The fuck is a latte? 

Jokes aside, I have a drink I make whenever I want to sit down with a warm beverage and play The Witcher 3, it is a tall blonde flat white, with one pump of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg steamed in with the milk.

Clark Kent

He drinks his coffee back, but Lois has brought him a double chocolatey chip Frappuccino before. He’ll drink it with the metal straw that Aquaman bought him. #savetheseaturtles

Charles Brandon

Historically speaking, they didn’t have coffee or even hot chocolate in Europe until the end the Elizabethan Era. I haven’t watched the show enough to give him a proper assessment otherwise.

Thomas 

This sweet little cinnamon bun orders a salter caramel hot chocolate. The girl at the shop flirts with the boy but he only has eyes for the girl WHO KEEPS HURTING HIM!!!! This poor puppy, I want to love on him and keep him safe forever, never letting anyone hurt him.

[artificialqueens]

the broken hearts club [branjie] - pinkgrapefruit

A/N - im sorry i’ve been gone. <3

*

I need emotion, Novocaine, I need a numbing of my brain

I need somethin’ to take away the remains of your name

She rolls the ring between her fingers and wonders how it became the end of them when it should have been the beginning. The silver shines bright like it’s never been worn, no signs of wear and tear, no hint of tarnishing. It glows in a way that tells you it’s wearer has no tan line. Her’s is a solid strip of white. When her tears fall onto the diamond, she’s sure it cracks. Her heart does. Vanessa’s heart cracks every time.

And the way her blood rushes through the jagged-cut veins that sparkle rough like a diamond on a full moon sends a pounding to her head. Like a basketball on a concrete floor and the noise it makes could be footfalls or it could be breaking. In her defence, the world moves in slow motion now and she’s not sure if it’s moving at all. She’s numb from the brain down and it takes more time to fasten up her shoes than it does to remember her birthday but that’s how life is and sometimes you’ve got to pick your battles. She decides she doesn’t need groceries and instead purges their group calendar.

She tries to purge the group calendar just like she tries to cancel their wedding planner and she tries to send an email out to the invitees and remove the taster wedding cakes from their fridge and stop calling her flat theirs. She tries.

I need amnesia for a day and an umbrella for the rain

That hasn’t gone away since you said you didn’t need me

The first morning Vanessa feels up for a run, it’s raining and she curses fucking Brooke for this fucking rain because of course, the ice queen loved the rain. It rained the day she left and she’s damn sure it will always be raining when she thinks of her. Instead of a run, she takes the A train from Brooklyn to Central Park, desperate to find one piece of New York that isn’t tainted with memories of Blonde hair and the smell of lavender. Somehow they never ended up here so Vanessa spends her day sitting on a bench with an umbrella and a large coffee. Her sweater is pulled up over her chin and her sleeves, over most of her hands and she feels safer than she has in weeks.

When she gets home, she opens a bottle of wine and eats all the cake in the flat and calls it a success.

Lately been thinkin’ maybe

There’s a place we won’t feel so crazy

She deeps cleans the apartment after three and a half weeks. She is beyond desperate to remove the smell of Peonies and Hairspray that seems to have permeated her entire being, leaving her feeling surrounded and smothered. She vacuums behind the TV and washes the sofa cushions and cleans out all the cabinets. She puts all of her developed films of Brooke into an airtight box and takes it to her storage unit the next day along with two boxes of assorted knick-knacks and a suit that somehow ended up on her side of the closet. She sleeps easy that night, calmed by the frantic day and the scent of vanilla incense. She doesn’t dream. It’s a welcome change.

She converts Brooke’s side of the spare room into a proper darkroom, pinning up blackout curtains and carrying her big bath from college through the subway. She settles it in a corner and spends the next two days developing all the shots she’s been too preoccupied to do until the entire flat is dark and covered in tarp and she has to duck to make it from her bedroom to the kitchen. She drinks her coffee sat up on the counter and hears Brooke telling her to get down but she ignores the voice. The day is a win.

Been in a hazy mid-morning daydream

I found a shady spot that they saved me

She buys too much the first time she grocery shops for one and has to invite the Dreamgirls over to help eat it all. The next day she calls Yvie and she brings Scarlet over and they;re both still friends with Brooke and look uncomfortable the whole time until Vanessa tells them she won’t break if she hears her name or talks about weddings and they can finally tell about hoe Scarlet’s job photographing the Ballet Company is or how their wedding planning is going. She imparts the wisdom that an off-white dress will work better with Yvie’s skin tone and a blush tone will look warmer against Scarlet’s hair and that the lighting looks best cosy and that the flowers should be bought in bulk. She lets them know she’s just a phone call away and it almost feels like therapy except when they leave she feels crushingly alone.

She takes a bath with some muscle relaxer she found under the sink, a gift from one of Brooke’s dancer friends and sends thanks to the gods that New York garners enough money to pay their dancers well, feeling rich from the softness of her skin.

They said, “come be the newest member of the broken hearts club

We hate every little thing about the people that we love

She hates the way almond milk tastes, and how she will never be able to watch the nutcracker again and the way black and white films make your head hurt a little if you watch them for too long. She hates how the sheets are always cold and the bed is never made and how Brooke used to do it all but there’s no Brooke anymore so she’s going to have to learn how to fold a fitted sheet all on her own. She hates how she still find white cat hairs on her black clothes and black cat hairs on her white clothes and blonde hair in her shower drain two months later when it gets blocked.

She hates how her Spotify still recommends her opera and how Netflix remembers Brooke’s love of true crime, even though some of the thumbnails scare the shit out of Vanessa. She hates how she booked the time off work to plan wedding stuff and somehow the entire freelance photography world seems to know because even though Vanessa is well known and well regarded, she cannot seem to get a gig anywhere and can’t even resort to weddings because she’s too scared she’ll end up crying into her camera.

She hates how she feels when she passes the subway stop for the New York Ballet and how she feels when she sees a blonde updo in a crowd and she hates how she feels.

And she hates that she still loves her.

She hates it.

We’re the let-down, we’re the lied-to, where the lost go and it finds you

Where the lonely make the lonely feel less lonely, and we’re dyin’ to

Invite you to stay, and take away the pain

‘Cause misery loves company, so hey, what do you say?”

She manages to feel lost in her own home sometimes and it’s an eerie feeling that only changes over time as she allows her space to open up and become shared again. She buys a cactus in the first step towards healing and talks to it intermittently. Soon she has an apiary on her fire escape, filled with potted plants and fairy lights and it’s a little escape from how claustrophobic the flat can feel.

She joins a running club and rediscovers the routes she and Brooke would run in the days when they were still fresh and young and felt like exploring. She still can’t touch their regular routes but she likes the older ones. She gets a coffee at their spot and the barista is new so they don’t look at her with a familiar face of pity. She starts to get bookings again, people coming to New York wanting a travel photographer to follow their adventures, young influencers wanting to feel like real celebrities and she gets paid more to take photos of some than she used to in entire years.

She knows she could move but she is tied to her place with heartstrings.

And at first, I wasn’t sure if there’s even a cure

For what I’m feelin’, 'cause what I’m feeling’s been feelin’ more and more absurd

Her therapist emails her on a Tuesday, suggests it’s been a while and she should come in for a chat. She blindly agrees and puts on her comfiest Yoga pants, knowing it’s going to be a long day. He suggests she should go see a show, watch her dance and make peace with the way her body moves and the way her mind has moved on and she blindly agrees to that too, too overwhelmed by the suggestion to really think. Her homework is to book it and she is scheduled in for the day after the performance.

She books the performance of Giselle with little thought, picking the best seats in the house like she always did. They are front and centre in an area usually reserved for friends and family but it must be a little thin on the ground that night because she can snag her familiar chair with ease. The amount it takes from her bank account should hurt but she’s realising more and more that maybe this is healing.

She buys a new dress for the occasion and sets it aside, knowing it will be the only thing untouched by Brooke. It’s a powerful feeling.

The repeating in my head of every last word that you said

Feels like ever since you left, you still won’t leave me

It’s a beautiful show and Brooke dances like she’s moving on air. She glides, ever jete a flying move. Her partnering is divine and for the first time, Vanessa isn’t jealous of the man that gets to hold her. It doesn’t feel like a victory when he lets go.

She feels every move Brooke makes, wants to say that the blue eyes are piercing into her but it isn’t true. Because Brooke dances for the back row, eyes cast far back and Vanessa is allowed the moment to fade away. She comes out of it feeling refreshed and free and skips down the steps lightly.

Her therapist tells her he’s proud and she feels it deep in her soul like a new fire. She hopes it will stay lit.

I guess if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em

That’s what they always say

Let’s go inside, let’s coincide

And I’ll commensurate

She lays in bed on a Wednesday morning and lets herself remember that night. She thinks about the way it felt to open the door to an empty foyer, to feel uprooted and upended, life on its back legs rearing blindly as she tried to hold on for dear life. She remembers it like one remembers their parent’s divorce, messily and full os blame and she hopes that Brooke will never do it to another person because at that moment she felt so lost.

She grounds herself, hands twisted in her duvet, head heavy on the pillow.

She gets up, makes a coffee and waters her plants.

She starts afresh.

Singin’, we’re the newest members of the broken hearts club

We still feel pretty lonely and we wish we didn’t, but

She stands on her fire escape at 4 am on a Thursday. Camera in hand she watches the world pass by as the sun rises, a golden glow reflecting off the highrises of the city she loves so dearly. Below her, on the street, she misses the flash of Blonde that jogs as the night fades. The shots she takes that morning sell for thousands. She calls then ‘Brooke Lynn’.

We’re the newest members of the broken hearts club

And we all kinda hate it, but it’s easier than love

[love-takes-work]

Moon Fruit from the Jungle Moon!

If you’ve ever wanted to eat one of those weird pear-shaped purple fruits Stevonnie scores in “Jungle Moon,” try making this ridiculous cake! No food coloring involved. Tastes sort of fruity and includes ube and sugar plum essence.

Nom. 

Recipe below. (I invented this!)

See more SU food tutorials!

Okay! Ever want to eat that juicy, delicious-looking MOON FRUIT that Stevonnie chomps on during their adventures in "Jungle Moon"?

I mean, the normal answer is "no, I never thought of that, you bizarre person."

But if you are one of the few and the proud who is responding with an abnormal answer that sounds something like "yes, that looks delicious," I'm going to teach you how to make it!

As a CAKE!

Large fruit replicas from this show are not new to me. In fact, I made a giant strawberry cake in a previous recipe blog! For this mysterious fruit, I took similar inspiration regarding the desire to cook it to taste like what it looks like; as in, for the strawberry, I cooked actual strawberries into the cake.

But! For this mysterious fruit we have no idea what it is!

So I get to improvise!

The shape of it is sort of pear-like, even though it is purple. I decided why not make it taste like a plum? It is a little plum-like in color and apparent texture. But I also wanted it to taste kind of unusual, like a food on another world obviously would, so I decided to also incorporate natural purple coloring using my leftover ube extract from that time I made Lars's ube roll! Which should combine with plum for an INTERESTING flavor!

There are three parts to this cake. The cake; the foundation frosting; and the mirror glaze for that nice slick pear skin look!

PART ONE: CAKE

Ingredients:

2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon sugar plum flavoring

1 3/4 teaspoons ube extract

1 cup buttermilk (I use powdered, reconstituted)

You will also need a few unusual items for this cake. Most notably: spherical cake pans! Mine is a 6-inch diameter sports ball cake pan I bought just for this recipe.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set that aside for now.

Then take a large bowl and whip the butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Once you've got a nice light texture, start beating in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Finally, beat in two extracts.

At this point, add in the dry ingredients slowly (add a little, stir, add a little, stir). Don't whip it up too much; just stir it all in. Then add the buttermilk and keep stirring it until you get a nice even mixture. It will seem really soupy and weird at first but I promise, it becomes an even, normal texture cake mix.

Grease and flour the two halves of the spherical cake pan. Greasing and flouring is VITAL because you want to have a smooth surface on your ball cake and you don't want any trouble getting the cake out.

Measure out 2 cups of batter and pour into one half, then measure out 2 cups of batter for the other. With what's left, split it evenly between the two halves as well as you can; I ended up with about 2 1/2 cups of batter in each half.

When you've completed the batter division, balance the pans on the rings that should come with them for stability and stick them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes.

This cake took WAY longer to bake than I was told to expect based on the recipe and the pan instructions, so I recommend beginning to check for consistency with a toothpick around 30 minutes. (A toothpick should come out clean from the center, and poke it down there really good.) It's okay if the outside browns. It's still purple inside (and usually a little green because ube does that for some reason).

You should let the spherical cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack until they are COMPLETELY cool. While you wait for them to be cool, you can get your frosting ready!

PART TWO: FOUNDATION FROSTING

This is basically a typical buttercream with ube extract in it to turn it light lavender. If you have a recipe you prefer for this, feel free to use it, but this is my recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp almond milk

1/4 tsp ube extract

Instructions:

Take the butter and whip it. Then start adding in the powdered sugar. I prefer to sift the powdered sugar before I add. Only whip in half a cup at a time. Every time you add one cup of sugar, add a tiny splash of your pre-measured milk.

Once it’s whipped all together, you can add in the ube flavor and salt and stir it up. This may seem too runny, and if it does you can either add a tad more sugar or refrigerate it. If it seems a tad too thick you can add a splash more milk.

Once your cake is TOTALLY COOLED, you can work with it. Turn the cake out onto the wire racks and level them--meaning, you should take a serrated knife and chop off the parts of the cakes that rose in a dome at the place where it's supposed to be the flat center of the ball cake.

Do not discard these! You need them later, so keep them in one piece on a plate on the side!

Use the foundation frosting to glue the two halves of the cake together. You don't need to chop off the bottom of the sphere to make it stable; it seems to squish itself enough to hold steady and not roll around.

Once you have a cute ball, take your cast-offs from the leveling process and use three different biscuit cutters to make a little tower of cake cutouts. Use frosting to stack them on top of your cake. Weird, eh?

Then begin using the remainder of the foundation frosting to frost the whole cake. You should have just enough.

Work carefully to smooth the frosting, especially at the top where you have uneven, stair-like surface. Frosting will help give the illusion that it is smooth under there, but it takes some work.

And once you have it all frosted, this is important: REFRIGERATE YOUR CAKE! That will help the frosting become like a skin--more firm and will hold up well to the last thing you're going to do to it.

PART THREE: MIRROR GLAZE

Mirror glaze is a type of icing that is designed to pour like syrup and give a reflective, beautiful, mirror-like sheen to a cake.

The trouble I have with mirror glaze is that it usually uses gelatin and that isn't vegetarian, so I have to use a vegetarian alternative. Veg alternatives are not quite as shiny and reflective, but this will do very well for our fruit!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk or almond milk

1/8 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk powder

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp agar-agar

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup light corn syrup

Another 2/3 cup sugar

150 grams white chocolate (I used chips)

First, some of these ingredients will get cooked into a "condensed milk."

If you would rather buy your own condensed milk in a can, you can ignore the first 5 ingredients of the list, but some people don't have condensed milk where they live or it's really expensive, so I'm just doing a version where we make our own.

(Uh, I also . . . forgot to buy some and realized it after I was way advanced in this recipe. Whoops.)

Instructions:

Place the milk or almond milk in a saucepan and heat on medium high until it almost reaches a boil. Then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Once it's dissolved, sift in the milk powder, stirring with a whisk to attack the lumps.

Once the powder is smoothly incorporated, add the butter and the vanilla. Turn the temperature to low and stir for about a minute or two until it almost boils again. Then remove it from the heat and let it cool completely. If you have lumps, you can strain it to get them out. It will thicken more once it's cooled. Measure out half a cup of it to use in this recipe.

Then make the shiny glaze:

Instructions:

Measure out your 1/3 cup of water and then dump a little bit of it into a very shallow dish. Stir the agar-agar into it and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Agar-agar is a vegetable-based gelatin type thing and it will do something similar to gelatin: it will thicken this syrup.

In a heavy saucepan, add your corn syrup, sugar, condensed milk, and remaining water. Let it come to a boil over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and the mix is at a slow boil, take it off the heat. Let it stop boiling and rest for a moment before adding the white chocolate. The chocolate should melt. Finally, add the agar-agar mix.

If you want to strain the glaze to get any lumps you see, you can do that here.

I very strongly recommend straining the mixture.

I think most of the lumps in mine came from making my own condensed milk, but even if you use store-bought, some white chocolate or agar can cause clumpy CLODS and not incorporate completely. You do NOT want some of these lumps interrupting your perfect sheen! Add a couple drops of ube to turn it purple and let it come to room temperature.

Look at this shiny mirror glaze! It's so pretty!

You absolutely do not want to do this with warm glaze. DO NOT. Even if you think it's fine or that it won't pour properly if it's cold; I assure you, it will pour. It's syrupy. You don't want it to be warm. It will melt your cake frosting and NOT STAY ON THE CAKE.

Listen to me! Cool your glaze!

Next comes the moment of truth: Assembly.

Take the cake out of the fridge. Make sure your glaze is cool as well. Then set the cake on a wire rack and put a catching dish underneath. You will want to catch and reuse this frosting, so make sure you use a broad dish that will be able to catch anything that drips off the cake.

Pour the glaze, starting at the top. Just pour.

Pour an entire coat and then do something weird: Use a hair dryer on cool/low to set the icing and make it shinier.

This is a cool technique I learned for frosting!

Keep pouring new coats onto the cake. It's wonderful! Once you've exhausted your original supply, wait for it to stop dripping for the most part and then switch plates underneath, using what's dripped off the cake as a second coat. I did three coats on my cake.

Okay! So now you have a beautiful purple pear Jungle Moon cake. It still needs one thing though. A stem. I used licorice!

Enjoy your beautiful cake. Shiny purple on the outside and even purple inside, and it tastes like a weird fruit!

YEAH RECIPES!!! AND YES IT WAS DELICIOUS!!

See more SU food tutorials!

[despair-tummy]

How about a Chihiro stuffing Celeste and playing with her fat belly, butt and boobs?

Here you go

Chihiro sighed, his eyes sore and aching from staring at the computer screen before him. It wasn’t that he disliked computers, in fact, it was quite the opposite. He was the ultimate programmer, he loved computers and he especially loved designing code and experimenting with technology. But helping a company take care of a complicated computer virus wasn’t his idea of a fun time, in fact, as of late his idea of a fun time was starting to branch out.

A small buzzing sensation from his cellphone signalled that he had gotten a text message. He glanced behind him, not wanting to be caught from his recent employer and get in trouble for being on his phone during work hours. But he couldn’t help himself, he needed to look at something else for a change. Maybe it was Mondo asking if he wanted to grab dinner with him and Kiyotaka, or Makoto inviting him out for a coffee?

But instead of any of the normal text messages from his friends and colleagues, he was greeted with an image. The photo didn’t include a face, but it didn’t matter. As soon as he saw her milky white skin and the abundance of pillowy cleavage, that was more than enough to give Chihiro an idea of who sent it. His face turned red and he immediately stuffed his cellphone back into his pant pocket, silently praying that no one saw the text message for the brief second he looked. 

Well, at least it gave him something to look forward too when he left to go home. Chihiro took a deep breath to try to still his racing heart before he returned to typing away, making a mental note to make a few stops along the way home.

….

He finished dealing with the virus and wasted no time rushing out of the building and to his car. Normally he would have stayed and say goodbye to everyone, but his girlfriend wasn’t very patient. Odd, wasn’t it? Someone as meek as him with a girlfriend who sends him racy pictures while he was at work, Chihiro was surprised by the revelation himself, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain or question it. Especially with what Celestia brought out in him, she brought out a side to him Chihiro never knew he had. And that was going to come out yet again as soon as he got home, but first, he had to prepare.

He made four stops along the way, the first one was to a high-end bakery for a slice of chocolate and hazelnut cake, a slice of strawberry cheesecake, two croissants (one almond and one chocolate) and a chocolate dipped cream puff. Then it was to a candy shop run by the best chocolatiers for a bag of those chocolate truffles Celestia loved so much, although Chihiro’s wallet would beg to differ. A quick stop at a nearby florist for a dozen red roses, then finally a trip to the grocery store for a quart of heavy cream. 

 With everything he needed for tonight, he drove back home in record time and proceeded to carry his load inside. Easier said than done since although he intended to work out to build some muscle, he never got around to it. It wasn’t like he was putting it off, it was just Celestia kept him very busy when he wasn’t working. She had high standards, but Chihiro could handle it, he liked spoiling her. Chihiro huffed as he made his way inside, carefully setting his bags of goodies down on the counter, but still holding the bright red roses.

“Celeste, I’m home!” he called, unable to keep himself from smiling as he awaited her presence.

Sure enough her thundering footsteps could be heard. At first Chihiro didn’t know what to make of the world of feedism and Celestia’s desire to become be his feedee and him her feeder, but each clip he watched of women and men gorging themselves with fattening food and guzzling down weight gain shakes with funnels and rubber tubes, he realized he definitely wanted to become a part of this taboo little fetish community. And he was enjoying every bit of it.

Celestia smiled as she strode into the room, clad in just a black lace bra and matching undergarments, complete with a pair of black stockings.This attire on,y brought more attention to just how long they have been practicing feedism. Every part of his girlfriend’s body was had gained a good amount of soft flesh. To her once slim and dainty legs that thicken to the point where they rubbed together constantly, her paunchy gut grew and sagged, covering the front of her panties completely. Her once flat chest has graciously ballooned out into pillow like masses, while her face, although not quite reaching a second chin yet, definitely gains some additional softness, especially in the cheeks. 

“My, is that all for me?” she smiled brightly, taking in the sight of all the goodies. Her scarlet eyes shifted from the treats to him. “You spoil me.”

Chihiro smiled and handed his lover the bouquet of roses. “I don’t hear you complaining.”

“Of course not, that’s the appeal of this fetish.” Celestia happily hummed and took the roses, giving them a sniff. “These are beautiful, go fill a vase of water for them while I get everything together.” she said, handing back the roses as she went to gather up the goodies.

He was well aware Celestia was only offering to do that just so she could get her greedy hands on the treats, but Chihiro wasn’t going to call her out. Her greedy approach to eating was charming, especially in the world of this kink. While Celestia took the goodies to the living room, Chihiro opened the cupboard under the sink, pulling out a glass vase. He then filled it with water before removing the roses from their plastic wrapper then plopping them in. 

Chihiro set the roses on the windowsill before going to the living room. There the buffet of luxurious treats were all laid out on the coffee table… well almost all of them. Celestia was already nearly done the chocolate croissant, flakey crumbs and a smear of milk chocolate coated the corners of her thin and lightly glossed lips.

“You started without me?” Chihiro frowned sadly.

“Forgive me, but you know I adore my carbs.” his girlfriend apologized before popping the last bit in her mouth. “And you know I can’t resist chocolate, it is my weakness.” she licked her lips clean. “But with that out of the way, let’s begin.” 

Celestia sat crossed legged on the couch, her gut resting peacefully on her lap. Her face beamed with an inviting look as she waited to be fed. Chihiro smiled and made his way over and sat next to his feedee. 

“What shall we start with?” 

“Surprise me, dear.”

Chihiro looked at the spread and decided on starting out with the slice of chocolate cake. He unwrapped the black plastic fork that came along with it, and with the slice of cake in one hand, and the fork on the other, he speared a piece and brought it to Celestia’s mouth. The gothic gambler let out a satisfied hum as she chewed the combination of chocolate ganache and chopped hazelnuts.

“Delicious,” she commented once she swallowed.

“You know, when you first introduced me to this community,” he began as he continued to feed her the cake that was rich with chocolate and bitter with hazelnuts. “I never understood why everyone used cake, it seemed so repetitive and boring at first… but the more I watched and the more cake I fed you, I finally understood why.” Chihiro brought another forkful to her lips.

“Do you now?” Celestia asked as she happily accepted the forkful.

“I mean look at it, so many flavours. Chocolate, vanilla, lemon, carrot, and even ice cream cake and cheesecake exist,” he explained. “It’s so indulgent, you can get it cheap or splurge on something more high quality. And you can get real messy with it, make a complete pig of yourself. It’s truly a fascinating food.” 

“Indeed, it’s one of my favourites.” Celestia licked some frosting off her lips. “But it appears we’re down a slice.” she giggled, gesturing to the now empty box that one housed the slice of cake.

Chihiro chuckled and set the box aside and went for a cream puff. He smiled and brought the chocolate dipped pastry to her mouth, Celestia immediately took an eager bite, causing white cream to ooze out of the goodie. 

“C-careful, the filling might end up on the floor,” he warned.

But he needn’t worry, Celestia was already on it and dragged her tongue across the desert, lapping up every bit of filling that came out.

“Chihiro, do you really think I would let a perfectly good cream puff go to waste?” she giggled before taking a second bite.

Chihiro felt his face flush red as he watched her. They did this plenty of times, but each and every time just made him blush so much, seeing her eat tons just did something to him that he couldn’t explain. But the one thing was for certain, he wanted to keep doing it. Once the cream puff was eaten and Celeste licked his fingers clean, he decided to give her the little thing of chocolates.

“I stopped by that chocolate place you loved so much.” he smiled and gave the bag a shake.

“Gimmie!” Celestia snatched up the bag out from his dainty hands. She used her teeth to rip into the bag and tipped the bag towards her mouth, causing an avalanche of chocolate truffles to fall into her mouth. 

Her cheeks puffed out from the sheer amount of chocolates, but she still managed to messily chew them. 

“I thought I was supposed to be the one feeding you?” Chihiro reminded. 

Celestia tried to talk, but it was completely incoherent from how full her mouth was. It was only when she swallowed she could talk clearly. “Thirsty, heavy cream, now,” she ordered, paying no mind to his call out.

“Greedy tonight, aren’t we?” he teased and unscrewed the cap to the quart of heavy cream. “Here you go.” he brought the quart to her mouth and tipped it, allowing the liquid to pass her lips.

She managed to guzzle down at least half the quart before pulling away and letting out a giant burp.

“My, excuse me.” Celestia smiled and wiped the heavy cream residue from her mouth with her arm. “Thank you, my love, I needed that.”

“A-Anything for you!” he loved it when she praised her.

Chihiro then selected the slice of strawberry cheesecake, taking a moment to admire the pretty shade of pink the cheesecake was. He got a piece on a fork and brought it to Celestia’s awaiting mouth. She quickly devoured said piece and it wasn’t long before Chihiro fed her a second forkful of the creamy cake.

“I’m surprised they still had that cheesecake in stock at this hour,” Celestia commented as she noisily chewed.

“Me too, I was planning to get a slice of red velvet, but when I saw the cheesecake I knew I had to get it.” 

“Next time get all three.”

“I-I don’t think my wallet would like that.”

“Budget around it.”

Easy for her to say, but for his girlfriend, he would be more than willing to try to accommodate her expensive tastes. With the cheesecake done, Chihiro reached for the last dessert item, the almond croissant. 

“Think you can finish this?” he asked.

“Of course I can.” Celestia grinned and stared at the croissant, her mouth watering just at the very sight of the flakey pastry. 

As soon as Chihiro brought the croissant within eating range, Celestia took a big and greedy bite, moaning in pleasure as the taste of sliced almonds, buttery pastry and almond filling danced on her taste buds, 

“Mmmmm.” Celestia moaned as she chewed. 

He smiled and brought the treat to her mouth again, which was met with another large and messy bite, crumbs and filling stuck to her mouth. Sure enough, once she swallowed that bite, she wasted no time shoving the last bit into her mouth. Soon after a heavy swallow Celestia used her tongue to lick away any remains on her thin lips. 

“That was delicious.” she mused in delight.

“You uh, aren’t done yet.” Chihiro reminded, picking up the quart of heavy cream and gave it a good shake to show it was half full.

“But of course, I could use a drink to wash it all down.” 

Chihiro brought the quart to Celestia’s lips and right away she drank deeply, managing to down the rest of the heavy cream in record time. She let out a second loud burp and wiped her mouth on her arm.

“Excuse me, thank you, that was all very delicious.” she smiled and lazily got into a lounging position, which only brought more attention to her midsection that was taut from the amount of food she had eaten. She glanced straight into the programmer’s eyes with a wicked grin. “What are you waiting for?” 

She didn’t need to tell him twice, Chihiro eagerly grabbed her midsection, although firm and bulging from all the food she ate, it still had that softness Chihiro adored. He gave it a firm shake, listening to all of the sweet feast inside of her gut slosh around, as well as watch her fat jiggle. 

“I-I think if we start paying more attention to your calories, then we could probably double your weight by the end of the year.” he stuttered, eyes locked on her flabby midsection. 

“I’ll leave all the calculating up to you,” Celestia spoke, he noticed a mischievous little glint in her eyes.

Before he could even get another word out or try to prepare himself for whatever she was going to do, Celestia leapt at him, pinning him down on the sofa. 

“Celes-“ he was cut off when Celestia plopped her mountainous soft breasts on his face.

“Go on, do what I love.” she urged with a giggle. “You know you want too.” 

At first glance you wouldn’t have pegged Chihiro as the kinky type, admittedly was still very meek and wouldn’t dare talk about anything sexual as casual as some people like Miu or Toko’s split personality, Genocider Syo, admittedly before coming across the world of feedism, Chihiro could be considered vanilla and sex and fetishes weren’t something that he typically had on his mind. But after being shown this fetish and practicing it with his girlfriend, they were definitely always lingering in his mind somewhere. Whether it was from sexual photos from Celestia or having two massive breasts resting on his face, it was always somewhere in his head. 

Knowing that the only way to regain his sight from the blockage of pillowy flesh in his view was to give her what she wanted, Chihiro shoved his head deeper in the depths of her cleavage and began to vigorously shake his head. Her breasts bounced and jiggled wildly with each movement of his head. He pondered why Celestia might like doing this so much. Maybe it was because when they first started dating she was on the flat side and couldn’t reap all the benefits of a fuller chest? It was tempting to ask her… he made a mental note to ask her something once he finally had regained his sight.

She giggled and finally freed him, looking at his sweaty face. “My, tired already?” Celestia teased, bringing a perfectly manicured red nail to stroke his smooth cheek.

“A… a little,” he confessed sheepishly.

 “Well, too bad,” Celestia smirked and took one of his hands, guiding them to her plump rear. “Because I intend to keep you very busy.”

Chihiro felt the blood rush to his face as well as to his groin as his fingers sunk into the fat of her round bottom. He had a sinking feeling he would have to call in sick for work tomorrow.

[rohitbhargav245567]

What Are Eggless Tea Cakes

Tea is traditionally served with tea cakes, delicate biscuits that resemble cakes.

In the entire world, there are innumerable tea cake variations. Russian tea cakes are buttery biscuits with nuts and a powdered sugar topping, while Swedish tea cakes are flat, yeasted bread. English tea cakes are yeasted buns that have been sweetened and given butter before being toasted. There are regional variations in what tea cakes represent, but one thing is certain: they are all equally delicious and amazing.

Five Different Styles of Tea Cakes

Tea cakes are a general word for all soft cookies, cakes, sweet treats, and buns since they are typically consumed with tea. Five of the most common kinds on the market are listed below:

English tea cakes

 An English tea cake is a sweet bun that is toasted in butter and decorated with dried fruit. It is served with afternoon tea in England.

Because yeast is used in their manufacture instead of baking soda or baking powder, these buns differ from conventional cakes.

Russian tea cakes

Russian tea cakes are little, ball-shaped sweets that are buttery and dusted with powdered sugar. In Mexico, people love these cookies for weddings.

Tea cakes from Scotland:

These incredible Scottish tea cakes are made of sweet, fluffy marshmallows that are placed on top of a shortbread cookie and then covered in chocolate.

Southern tea cakes: These tea cakes look like soft sugar cookies and are produced by combining cake and cookie components. Southern tea cakes are also known as "dropped cookies" because they are "dropped" onto a cookie sheet using a spoon or scoop rather than being rolled out.

Swedish tea cakes 

often referred to as tekakor, are similar to English tea cakes in that they both use yeast in their preparation.

They employ darker flour, like whole wheat or rye flour, and are flatter than English tea cake buns as a slight difference.

Tea cakes are miniature cookies meant to be provided as a treat along with the tea. They are produced with basic ingredients. Its origin is a contentious subject, however it is generally accepted that the UK is where the custom of its serving first emerged. Though it's not always the case, tea cakes are typically dusted with a light layer of white sugar. Nowadays, tea cakes can be found at any tea party that is being planned.

Today, tea cakes are widely consumed around the globe. However, eggless tea cakes have become popular as more people adopt a vegan diet. Normally, these pastries are provided with the daily tea service. The sweet flavour of these eggless tea cakes is frequently seen to be the ideal accompaniment to strong tea by those who like to drink their tea without additional sweets.

Tea Cakes without eggs are well-liked everywhere. People commonly offer them any style of formal tea in Russia, Spain, and France in addition to the UK, the US, or India. In reality, the Americanized style of high tea frequently includes eggless tea cakes in the US. Eggless tea cakes are sometimes referred to as wedding cakes or cookies and are served at wedding receptions in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking nations.

According to your location, "tea cakes" may refer to chocolate-covered marshmallows, yeasted sweet buns, or sugar pastries eaten with tea or lemonade. Tea cakes can be made in any variation and served with hot tea, iced tea, or any other sweet beverage.

Simple ingredients are used to make eggless tea cakes. Almost all recipes start with milk, flour, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of vanilla bean. Almonds and hazelnuts, among other finely chopped nuts, are frequently included in the combination. Overall, these delicious eggless tea cakes are ideal to enjoy with your ideal tea. The best tea cakes eggless are cooked with love and the added sweetness of perfection at Lucky's bakery, where one must go in order to find the ideal tea cakes.

To experience the wonderful flavour of extraordinary in the shape of Lucky's eggless tea cakes, visit them in person or online.

[rosannapansino]

Dancing with the Stars Cake

Yields one 6-inch sphere cake

The things you’ll need

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 egg whites

3/4 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups whole milk

Equipment

Sphere cake pan

Baking spray

Medium mixing bowl

Large mixing bowl

Whisk

Rubber spatula

Small serrated knife

Small cake board

Offset spatula

Small fondant rolling pin

Small square cookie cutter

Alphabet cookie cutters

White fondant

Small, flat paintbrushes

Silver color mist

Edible disco dust

Edible gold dust

Almond extract

Grey buttercream frosting in a decorating bag fitted with a #1A tip

Royal icing in a decorating bag fitted with a #1 tip

Let's get started!

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour the sphere cake pan and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, oil, vanilla and almond extracts, and whole milk until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well incorporated.

Pour the batter into the ball cake and tap the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Remove cake from pan and cool completely. Level the tops of each half.

Time to decorate!

Use a small knife to level the round bottom of one half. Place this half on a cake board and top with grey frosting.

Gently press the other half of the cake down onto the frosted half to make a sphere.

Frost the entire cake with grey frosting. Refrigerate while preparing decorations.

Roll out white fondant about 1/4 inch thick and then spray with silver color mist. Sprinkle with edible disco dust and then cut out small squares.

Roll out white fondant about 1/4 inch thick and then cut out letters. Mix a few drops of almond extract into edible gold dust and then brush it onto each letter.

Arrange squares onto cake to look like a disco ball.

Use royal icing to attach letters onto disco ball.

TaDa! Dancing with the Stars never tasted so delicious!

[044-eu]

Recipes for tarts, muffins, croissants

A selection of many portion treats for breakfast, a snack or an off-meal snack. Or to offer your guests for a special after-dinner. There are many and all tasty and delicious. Start with husbands with cream, muffins of many types, tarts, various croissants with various fillings, cream, chocolate, vanilla or jam. But also stuffed and non-stuffed cans, puffs and many more.

MARITOZZI with cream

Now let's move on to a typical treat of traditional Lazio cuisine the MARITOS with cream. They are fluffy sweet sandwiches with a filling of whipped cream. In ancient times they were given to future brides by boyfriends who were called with a Romanesque zealots precisely MARITOZZI . They are delicious at breakfast with a cappuccino or snack. Necessary for cream MARITOS 400 grams of manitoba flour 10 grams of fresh brewer's yeast 100 grams of sugar 130 grams of whole milk 40 grams of seed oil 1 egg 1 egg yolk the peel of a lemon the peel of an orange 300 grams of whipped cream Preparation of cream MARITOS Let the milk cool and add the sugar and fresh brewer's yeast. Mix and mix well. Meanwhile, on a flatpaper we prepare the flour in a fountain and start to work with our hands adding slowly the milk with the sugar and then the seed oil, the beaten egg and the grated skins of lemon and orange. We knead about about ten minutes until we get a firm and elastic loaf. Wrap it in a sheet of cling film and put to rise for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume. After this time we resume the loaf and after working it briefly divide it into many small sandwiches that we will put in a pan far from each other because they will rise again. We close the pan with cling film and let it rise for another hour. At this point heat the oven to 180 degrees and brush the buns with the beaten egg yolk. Now they are ready to put in the oven for about 25 minutes. Removed from the oven and cooled, they are then half engraved and filled with whipped cream.

Chocolate tarts

Necessary for chocolate tarts 280 grams of flour 130 grams of butter 1 packet of baking powder 100 grams of sugar 2 eggs the zest of half a grated lemon icing sugar just enough 200 grams of Nutella or chocolate spread Making chocolate tarts For this preparation you need the molds for tartellettes. They are found in both non-stick aluminum that can be used again, , which disposable for sale in many supermarkets. First add the yeast to the flour and then to the softened butter until they form large crumbs. Now combine the eggs, sugar and grated lemon zest and knead the dough with your hands to obtain a firm and elastic mixture. Wrap the mixture in cling film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. After this time resume the dough and with a rolling pin make a puff about half a centimeter high. With a rather wide glass create discs to put inside the molds to line both the bottom and the edges. Fill the puff pastry in the moulds with Nutella or other chocolate spreadable and with the remaining puff pastry create inserts to be placed superimposed as on normal tarts, to be placed on the surface of the molds. Bake the oven already warm at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Once removed from the oven, sprinkle with icing sugar.

Croissants or stuffed croissants

Required for stuffed croissants 300 grams of flour 60 grams of sugar 150 grams of butter 1 egg 15 grams of fresh brewer's yeast a glass of whole milk the half orange peel a pinch of salt   As for the filling this varies by taste, we can put Nutella, custard, jam, honey or whatever you prefer. Preparing stuffed croissants Melt the yeast in the freshly warm milk, add about 100 grams of flour and covered with a cling film let stand at least an hour. Spend this time in a large bowl knead the remaining flour with sugar, 100 grams of butter, a pinch of salt and add the milk with yeast. Work until you get a rather solid dough and then continue on a pavement to work with your hands to get a smooth and elastic dough. Now cover the dough with cling film and leave to rest for about an hour in a warm place. Resume the dough and after working again with your hands, make a fairly thin pastry. Cut the pastry into strips of about 10 centimeters and place the strips on each other. Roll out the overlapping dough strips again until they form a pastry. Cut this pastry into a square of about 15 centimeters to the side and place in the center of the square a teaspoon of the filling you have chosen. Fold the square in two so that you join the tips and fold it once more to give it the classic croissant shape. Brush the surface with a beaten egg yolk and place the croissants on the oven plate over the oven paper. Make the ready-made croissants rise for another half an hour before putting them in the oven already hot at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Danish cream girelle

Necessary for Danish cream swivels 500 grams of flour 15 grams of fresh brewer's yeast 1 egg 80 grams of sugar 200 grams of milk 60 grams of seed oil 1 bag of vanillin the grated zest of half a lemon 80 grams of sultanas 1 pinch of salt to make custard: 1 egg 50 grams of sugar 15 grams of cornstarch 200 grams of milk a piece of lemon peel (to be removed at the end of cooking) Preparation of Danish cream swivels Melt the yeast in the milk, add the sugar, egg, seed oil and vanillin sachet, the grated peel of half a lemon and after mixing everything well, add the flour and work the dough first in the bowl, then on a flat with the to achieve a homogeneous and elastic consistency. At this point put the dough in a bowl and covered with cling film leave to rise for 30 minutes. In the meantime, we prepare the custard with raisins. In a saucepan dissolve the sugar with an egg, cornstarch and hot milk, stir and bring over the heat where stirring continuously thicken the cream. Soak the raisins. Take the dough now and with a rolling pin form a puff line about half a centimeter high, working the dough on a sheet of baking paper. Made of the rectangular pastry put the cream on the entire surface of the pastry and finally spread the raisins, squeezed well. Helping yourself with the oven paper roll the pastry in the direction of the length. Now cut the roll that we formed by making pieces of about 2 centimeters. Place the pieces in a baking tin and covered with cling film, and raise for about an hour. Bake in an already hot oven at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Cream canisters

Necessary for cream cans 300 grams of flour possibly half manitoba and half 00 1 sachet of vanillin half a glass of milk 40 grams of sugar 1 egg 10 grams of fresh brewer's yeast the zest of half a grated lemon half-gram oil 50 For the custard: 1 egg 50 grams of sugar 15 grams of cornstarch 200 grams of milk a piece of lemon peel (to be removed at the end of cooking) Seeds oil for frying sugar to finish Preparation of cans with cream In a large bowl, melt the milk. Now combine the sugar, seed oil, egg, grated lemon zest, vanillin sachet and once combined, combine the flour a little at a time. Work first in the bowl then on a flat with your hands to form a firm and elastic dough. Put the dough in a bowl covered with a sheet of cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours and even more if it is not doubled in volume. After this time resume the dough and work with your hands for two, three minutes. Roll out the dough to form a sheet of about one and a half centimeters high. Now with a round shape or with a glass about 8 centimeters in diameter, make discs on the pastry. Place the discs in a baking tray lined with baking paper a little spaced apart. Cover the pan with cling film and leave to rise for half an hour. Bring the seed oil to a temperature in a frying pan and fry the discs a couple of times until golden on both sides Remove and with paper towels remove the excess oil. Pass the cans into the sugar. With the handle of a wooden ladle drill holes in the center of the can and once prepared the custard (as indicated in the previous recipe) with a pastry syringe fill the cans with cream.

Browsetelle

Required for puff pastles For the pastry: 500 grams of white flour 60 grams of sugar 3 eggs a glass of dry white wine 60 grams of lard. For the filling: grape jam, ground almonds, chocolate, cinnamon and the zest of half a grated lemon Preparing the flip lets Prepare the dough of the pastry adding to the flour the icing sugar, beaten eggs, the glass of white wine and the softened lard. Make a firm and elastic dough and let it rest for an hour under a cloth. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing the grape jam with the ground almonds the chocolate flakes, a pinch of cinnamon and the zest of a grated lemon. Now let's get the pastry ready. With a rolling pin make a very thin pastry. Cut into strips of about 10 centimeters all over the pastry and overlay the strips by brushing between strip and strip with molten lard. Roll up all the strips and let it rest for about an hour in the refrigerator closed in a sheet of cling film. After this time resume the roll and cut slices about 1 centimeter thick. With a rolling pin, smooth the slices until they become about 4 millimeters thick. Place a tablespoon of filling on the slice and close to a crescent. Place the puff pastles on the oven plate and bake in a pre-hot oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Take the oven from the oven to sprinkle with icing sugar and serve both hot and cold. Read the full article

[ellocentipede]

Nocturne Alchemy Halloween 2019 Review

I’ve been sitting on this post for a long time—my apologies! I kept ordering decants because I was so curious about this collection, and I didn’t want to post until I had all of the reviews put together. This was a really great collection, and many of my favorites were surprises! Buckle up, buttercups, this is a long one!

Halloween 2018

Scent description: Pumpkin Incense, Raw Fig and Pumpkin puree, Tonka Bean, Blue Sugar, a drop of Kashmir, a drop of labdanum, a drop of clove and a breath of white amber.

Very pretty—but not what I expected! This is clean, resinous sugared incense on my skin and I love it! The musk is a beautiful addition. It smells like a fancy metaphysical shop!

Halloween 2019

Scent description: Waxy Candy Corn, Vanilla, Cotton Candy, Spun Pumpkin Cotton Candy, Bourbon Vanille with touches of almond, pistachio, gold sweet tobacco and white musk.

This is a pretty, candy corn scent, but leans a tad sweet when combined with the cotton candy notes. I know a lot of people love this one, but I prefer Halloween 2018′s incense and Halloween 2020′s rich sandalwood to this blend’s candy bag!

Halloween 2020

Scent description: A special All Hallows’ Eve blend of  7 Sandalwoods (Hawaiian, Indian, Australian, New Caledonia, Indian Santalum Album, Karnataka Sandalwood, African Sandalwood (Baphia Nitida), Cardamom essential oil, Clove essential oil, Bourbon Vanille Absolute, Bastet Amber Absolute, smoked sandalwood infused with oak and pine smoke in the NA Studio.

I love NAVA’s sandalwood, so even though this has smoke listed as a note, I had to try it. It’s a beautiful sandalwood scent with a touch of sweet smoke! The smoke is not dominant or acrid at all. This is beautiful and I’m happy to have it!

Eternal Ankh Spice

Scent description: White Amber Absolute, Powdered and reconstructed oil of Egyptian Vanilla Husk, Vanilla fleck, African White Vanilla Absolute, Essential oils of Nutmeg, clove and Cardamom with a drydown of beautiful Eternal Ankh Vanilla

In the bottle this smells Eternal Ankh-heavy with just a dash of spice, but on skin the spice blooms and is really beautiful. I get mostly the cardamom with a hint of nutmeg in a cloud of EA. This is really perfect for "fall" in my neck of the woods--where the forecast has high temps in the 90s through the first week of October.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Halloween Spice Cake Crystalline Creme

Scent description: Buttery Coffee cake, Cinnamon and nutmeg, Vanilla Bean powder, Bourbon Vanille Absolute (original BV in Studio Limited), a shot of Espresso bean oil to hold up the spices, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar

This should be called Snickerdoodle Crème. I tend to amp cinnamon, and I smell a lot of it here, along with the Crystalline Crème. Yea, this is snickerdoodle ice cream on me!

Vampire Bourbon Patchouli Bat

Scent description: Golden and Black Patchouli essential oils slow-drip blended into our Bourbon Vanille Absolute, Sugared Vanilla pods with hints of Oak and Hinoki wood

A silky, smooth patch, sweetened with creamy, sugared bourbon vanilla. This is sweeter and smoother than the original Vampire Vanilla Bat. It’s well blended. Alas, NAVA’s patch just doesn’t work for me, and this blend is no exception.

Blackout

Scent description: NA Chypre accord (labdanum, oakmoss, lavender, patchouli and neroli), Jasmine Absolute, NA Oudh, Bastet Amber Absolute, Mandarin, Clove and Amber accord

A pretty chypre! The florals are tamed by the clove and oudh. The oudh here is smooth, not too gritty. I think I may be smelling some benzoin? Unfortunately this one starts to not be so great on my skin. The oudh becomes more prominent and begins to remind me of a petting zoo.

Blood

Scent description: Kashmir (Studio Limited), Pipe Tobacco accord, Caramel Oudh (NA Studio), Black Patchouli leaves, Palo Santo essential oil, Italian Bergamot, Italian Pine resin, Frankincense Resin, Myrrh wood and Bastet’s Musk

Sweet tobacco, airy incense, smooth patchouli, and pine. This one is a bit like cologne on me. This one seemed to be a popular scent this year, but it falls flat on me.

Blood Queen

Scent description: Wild Black Currant, Cemetery Musk, Santalum White (Studio Limited), Kashmir (Studio Limited), Black Musk, Blood Wine accord, Black Violet and Lilac essence

Lots of tart, juicy red currant. Smells like kool aid or fruit punch. A floral note starts to come through—the lilac, perhaps? A littttle soapy. Reminds me a bit of Wally Wallaby—fruity floral. I don’t love this one, but I also tend to not love fruity florals.

Dark Ghost Velvet

Scent description: Velvet Blend: Eternal Ankh, Jasmine, Vanilla bean, and musk all weave the scent of Dark Ghost Velvet into Eternal Ankh Vanilla Absolute, Black Vanilla, Black Clove and a touch of Kashmir and Black Musk (Studio Limited)

Yessss. I was hoping this would work for me, and it does! I love NAVA’s jasmine scents. This one is beautiful—it’s a deep, creamy, true jasmine scent with a dry smokiness here from the clove. A beautiful floral for the cooler months.

Ghost

Scent description: Maydi Frankincense, Black Orchid, Tonka Bean Absolute, Crimson (Studio Limited) Musk, Caramel, Lemon, Cola accord with Kola Nut and a drop of Ceylon Cinnamon

This one is a pretty Cola scent, but unfortunately I don’t get much else. It’s fairly similar similar to Koala. Blue, but Koala has a beautiful, rich labdanum note (the same one that’s in Midnite Bunny) that deepened the scent and gave it some complexity. This one is pretty wispy, and alas doesn’t last long on my skin. A ghost of a scent indeed!

This Mortal Coil

Scent description: Balsamic Sandalwood, Mahogany wood, Turkish Rose, Musk

Well, this is gorgeous. This is what I wanted from their Rose Musk blend, but somehow that one didn't work for me. It's a beautiful musky rose deepened by the sandalwood and mahogany. Not sharp at all--super smooth, woody rose.

Dragon’s Eye

Scent description: Magnolia Blossom, Orchid, Rice Milk, Lotus essence

Pretty, smooth, well-blended florals in creamy rice milk. This is not overly sweet or screechy—it’s a very mild floral fragrance. I don’t get any bubblegum from the lotus—but there’s a hint of lemon.

Moonsand

Scent description: Light essences of Pear, Clementine, Heliotrope, Gardenia, Plumeria and White Amber Absolute

I almost passed on this one, but it may be my favorite of the update! It's so beautiful. It really fits the name--somehow it smells like a glowing jar of sand blessed under moonlight. It's a tropical fruity floral and is a bit reminiscent of both EA Violet and EA Orchid

Skeletonic

Scent description: White Birch, Tonka Bean, Vetiver essence, Birch wood, Bastet’s Musk Absolute, Black Styrax

This one smells sharp in the bottle—like sappy, green wood and cologne. On skin, it’s surprisingly not sharp at all! It does smell like green woods—like sunlight dappling through light green leaves in a forest in spring. The benzoin (styrax) is surprisingly not ruining this one for me. It’s very gender neutral, and reminds me of BPAL’s Elf scent. Unfortunately for me, the benzoin comes out with wear and turns funky on my skin.

Halloween Dreams

Scent description: Lavender Absolute, Organic Lavandin Flowers, French Lavender, Halloween Candy accord (sugars and caramel), Crimson Musk (Studio Limited), Halloween Bonfire Smoke accord (NA Studio), Ember wood smoke infused Lavender buds

Fresh lavender flowers, burnt sugar, and a hint of smoke. Too smoky for me!

Pumpkin Spice Cotton Candy

Scent description: Cotton Candy accord, Strawberry-Sugar accord, Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger and Nutmeg

Exactly what it says on the tin. Dry, warm pumpkin spice spun sugar.

Candy Corn Cotton Candy

Scent description:

This doesn’t smell like cotton candy to me. Instead it’s a rich, creamy, chewy artisanal caramel.

Hekate Cat

Scent description: Black Hemlock, French Lavender, Pistachio, Sandalwood, Vanilla Pudding accord, Brown Sugar and a touch of White Cinnamon

A blast of pistachio and vanilla pudding, with a hint of tart/poisonous berry that must be the hemlock. I’m not a fan of this one, unfortunately.

Hemlock Cat

Scent description: Blue Hemlock, English Lavender, Musk, Vanilla Cake accord, Vanilla, Brown Sugar and touch of Cinnamon

This smells like a fruit jelly made with a tart, poisonous berry, and a hint of lavender on top of cake. A unique scent, for sure! I think maybe the hemlock note is not working for me.

Castaway Coconut

Scent description: Cotton Candy accord, Bastet’s Ice Cream blend, Vanilla Wax accord (NA Studio), Cherry, Pineapple, Candy Corn Vanilla accord, Crystalline

Huh! This one is like Coppertone! It’s suntan lotion-esque coconut!

Pineapple Punch

Scent description: Sweet Pineapple, Orange zest, Vanilla, Brown Sugar accord, Sweet Coconut, Crystalline & Bourbon Vanille Absolute blend

Tart, strong pineapple with a hint of creamy coconut milk. Smells like a tropical drink.

Shipwreck Spice

Scent description: Mortar pestle of Clove, Pine needles, Cinnamon Bark, Nutmeg, Green Cardamom, Patchouli leaves, Orange Zest, Apple Skin, Crystalline (vanilla from Studio Limited), Romanian Green Cognac essential oil, Crystalline, Vanilla Bean and Vanilla-infused Musk

This smells like Christmas! I get pine and winter spices (clove and orange) in a cloud of vanilla musk that softens the edges. There’s a bit of smoke on drydown.

Pumpkin #27

Scent description: Bourbon Vanille (Studio Limited), Black Fig, Raw Pumpkin (no spice in this blend)

Smooth, creamy, and mild pumpkin pie filling--no spice! The pumpkin is not like raw pumpkin—it’s more like the canned pumpkin pie filling but with zero spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) added.  The fig is really fragrant and nice, giving it some flavor without heavy spice. It smells like the same fig that's in Summer Fig Crème. I really don't see anyone not liking this scent--it's very pretty and seasonal without being "spice candle in your face".

Pumpkin #28

Scent description: Buttery Pumpkin accord (vegan), Crystalline (Studio Limited), Bastet’s Ice Cream, Butter Cream Icing accord, Madagascar Vanilla bean

Sweet, creamy, lightly spiced pumpkin pie filling, with a touch of something like the butter, pecan, and brown sugar topping that I put on my sweet potato casserole. This is a great pumpkin scent for those who are sensitive to spices (like myself).

Pumpkin #30

Scent description: Tonka Bean Absolute, Moonstone (Studio Limited) Absolute, Egyptian Musk, Pumpkin Pie accord (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger)

This is the pumpkin spice scent for a world travelling archaeology professor. It's pumpkin spice with Egyptian musk coming through on drydown. It's dry, smooth, rich, and warm, a bit exotic.

Resurgence Collection (items from last year, rereleased)

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Candy Corn Crystalline Creme

Scent description: Etherian Vanilla (not yet released Etherias scent, a ghostly vanilla skin scent), Candy Corn accord, touch of almond, butter, Crystalline two-fold, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, touch of Mallow, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar.  A new take on a gourmand vanilla Candy Corn.

This one is pretty awesome. It does smell like candy corn ice cream. It’s not overly sweet, but is a nice, mild vanilla caramel scent. It’s interesting to me that the candy corn note on Halloween 2019 was too sweet for me, but here it’s just right. I think the ice cream note provides creamy sweetness without being tooth-achingly sweet. I’m a big fan of the Bastet’s Ice Cream scents in general.

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Halloween Spice Cake Santalum Creme

Scent description: Buttery Coffee cake, Cinnamon and nutmeg, Vanilla Bean powder, Santalum Sandalwood Absolute, a shot of Espresso to hold up the spices, Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar.

I love this one! It does the cinnamon/snickerdoodle amping thing when wet on my skin, but dries down to a creamy, lightly spiced cake with a good dose of NAVA's awesome santalum. 

Bastet’s Ice Cream: Pumpkin Pie Crystal Creme

Scent description: Pumpkin cream, Pumpkin skin, Black Fig.  Pumpkin Pie Spices: Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon, Clove, Butter-Vanilla Bean and Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Crystal Vanilla-Musk Absolute, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar.

I purchased this bottle last year when it was first released, in the hopes that the ice cream element would soften the pumpkin spice into a magical pumpkin scent of dreams for me. I ended up rehoming that first bottle because there was too much cinnamon, and it caused an eczema reaction on my wrist and the palm of my hand. This year I decided to give it another go, and surprisingly it’s not as spicy. I’m not sure if my skin chemistry has changed, or if a year of aging has tamed the cinnamon, but whatever it is, I’m not complaining. This is a pretty pumpkin pie scent with a tiny dollop of fresh whipped cream sitting on top. It reads just a bit woody and dusty to me, and I think it’s the fig note. I really like how NAVA combines pumpkin and fig (as in some of this year’s pumpkin blends above, and Halloween 2018). This is a lovely scent, it’s just not my pumpkin pie scent of dreams.

Dawn by Ian

Scent description: Plumeria, eNVie saphir, Bastet's Amber, Rice Milk and Blue Crystalline

I love this one! A fresh, bright plumeria (not shampoo-like as it can sometimes be) tamed with gentle, creamy rice milk and deepened with musky, cloudy amber. This is a great year-round option. It’s classy and elegant. Rice milk becomes more prominent with wear, and the plumeria recedes a bit while remaining the heart of the scent. A beautiful creamy floral—not overly sweet and absolutely not screechy.

V by Thoth

Scent description: Incense, Sweetened spices of Cardamom, Cinnamon, Allspice and clove swirled with Vanilla pods, Ghost Musk and Copal Resin

This is sort of a dream incense scent on me. It’s hard to review in the way that Alchemist Bazaar (also a beautiful incense blend on me) is hard to review—it’s just so well-blended. I don’t really smell the cinnamon or allspice, which is a huge surprise since those notes tend to be so punchy and dominant. I am getting a fair amount of copal. This is like Copal incense and other precious resins (amber, perhaps?) simmering. It’s not “sweet”, but it’s also not sharp—it’s very smooth and elegant. If you think you would like this blend at all, I highly recommend trying it!

Scarlet Bat

Scent description: Red Sugar, Crimson Musk, Black Tea Leaves, Neroli-sugar, and NA Black Patchouli Absolute

The siren song of “Neroli sugar” (and the excellent reviews) led me to blind bottle this one, but I should have known better. I will say that this is one of only a couple of NAVA’s patchoulis that has alllllmost worked for me. I get a lot of tea leaves, that read as almost anise-like or cinnamony to my nose. This is like a spicy (as in cinnamon), sugary, musky patchouli. Close, but no cigar. It may have worked for me without the patch!

Pumpkin #21

Scent description: Bourbon Vanille, Pistachio, Pumpkin essence, Almond, Cherry rind, Pistachio Pudding accord, Crystalline and Egyptian Musk

Review pending receipt of decant!

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Nocturne Alchemy’s beautiful scents may be perused and purchased here: https://nocturnealchemy.com

[brushwish3-blog]

Keto Oreos

Keto Oreos recipe and content provided by Sheridan Austin

These keto Oreos are a low-carb take on an iconic dessert. With the same creamy filling and chocolatey cookies you crave, this snackable treat uses all-natural ingredients and won’t blow your macros.

Related: Keto Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Unlike the original recipe, keto Oreos use no corn syrup, white flour, or processed sugar — instead, you’ll taste real chocolate and vanilla in every bite. Plus, you can skip the mystery cream filling with these cookies: This recipe creates a silky dairy-free center using rich cacao butter.

This recipe for keto Oreos recommends using activated almond flour to remove some of the inflammatory gut irritants that can come with conventional nut flours. If you do decide to use activated almond flour, you can easily make it yourself: Follow the instructions in this keto caramel recipe for activating and drying your almonds, then use a high-powered blender to pulse them into a fine flour.

Enjoy keto Oreos plain with a chilled glass of full-fat coconut milk, or use them to top keto vanilla ice cream, donuts, and even birthday cake.

Keto Oreos

Start to Finish: 45 minutes (15 minutes active)

Cookie ingredients:

1/4 cup cacao powder

1 1/2 cups blanched almond meal (preferably activated)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons granulated sweetener, such as non-GMO erythritol or birch xylitol

1 egg

Pinch of salt

Cream filling ingredients:

1/2 cup of pre-soaked cashews (see recipe notes below)

3 tablespoons cacao butter

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

2 tablespoons granulated non-GMO erythritol or birch xylitol

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.

Prepare cookies first: Combine all cookie ingredients in a blender or bowl and taste the mixture to ensure it is sweet enough for you.

On parchment paper or a clean work surface, roll out cookie dough into a flat sheet using a rolling pin.

Use a small cup or jar to cut 20 circles from the dough.

Place each individual cookie on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

While cookies bake, prepare cream filling: Add all filling ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. If the mixture is too runny, place it in the fridge to firm up before filling the cookies. You may need to re-blend slightly once you remove it from the fridge.

Allow cookies to cool completely before filling. When ready to fill, add a teaspoon of cream to the center of each cookie. Use your fingers or a spoon to smooth it out toward the edges, then add another cookie on top. Place assembled cookies in the fridge to set.

Enjoy straight from the fridge, and keep leftovers cold in a covered container.

Serves: 10

Nutritional Information (Per Serving):

Calories: 269

Total Fat: 25g

Sodium: 86mg

Total Carbs: 13g

Fiber: 3.2g

Sugars: 1.04g

Sugar Alcohols: 7.2g

Net Carbs: 2.6g

Protein: 6g

Cholesterol: 16mg

Potassium: 151mg

Vitamin D: 2mcg

Calcium: 46mg

Iron: 1mg

Recipe notes: To soak cashews, add nuts to a mixing bowl and cover enough filtered water to fully immerse them by an extra inch. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours, and up to 12 (placing in the fridge as needed if soaking overnight). Drain and rinse the water, then thoroughly towel dry before using in this recipe.

Note on ingredients: Except for coconut, all nuts are considered “suspect” on the Bulletproof Diet because of their high levels of omega-6 fats that can oxidize and contribute to inflammation. Nuts are also susceptible to mold and contain lectins, nutrient-sapping compounds that can be tough on your gut. Use nuts in moderation, or remove them from your diet and reintroduce in small amounts to test your sensitivity.

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Source: https://blog.bulletproof.com/keto-oreos-recipe-4t/

[collegewriting2]

Alyssa's French Macroons

Macaroons

When I went to Spain I tried Macaroons for the very first time and I fell in love with them. When I came back to America I gave them to my family to try and they fell in love with them too. We looked for bakeries near us that make them but there are none, the closest one is an hour away. So my sister and I decided that we are going to make macarons. First I had to find a recipe that I liked and I found on popsugar.

Here is the link https://www.popsugar.com/food/Basic-French-Macaron-Recipe-21651110

Ingredients:  French Macaron

2/3 cup almond meal or ground almonds

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 large egg whites, room temperature and preferably aged up to 3 days

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter Cream Filling

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 egg yolks

¼ cup granulated sugar

3 ½ tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Recipe:

1.Preheat the oven to 280ºF, and position 2 racks in the lower section of the oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If you have time, draw 1-inch circles on the back of each sheet, spacing the circles at least ½-inch apart.

2.Sift the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture twice through a mesh sieve.

3.Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), and begin to beat on medium-high. When the eggs are frothy, gradually add granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat the egg white mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters. Gently stir in the vanilla extract. Be careful to not overbeat the meringue (e.g., the meringue takes on a clumpy texture)

4.Add half of the sifted almond mixture, and gently fold it into the meringue using a flexible silicone spatula. Lift from the bottom, up around the sides, and toward the middle, being careful to not overagitate the meringue and lose too much air. Once the almond mixture is predominantly incorporated, add the second half and repeat the folding motion.

5.When the almond mixture is just incorporated, you will need to transform the batter into the appropriate texture. Using the flat of the spatula, “punch” down into the center of the batter, then scrape more batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. You will need to repeat this 10-15 times (or more, depending on your arm strength and the beginning texture of your batter) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl when you scoop it up with the spatula. Think of the consistency of molten lava. For the best results, punch the batter a few times, check the consistency, then punch a few more times, etc. Do not make the batter too runny or the macarons won’t rise as they should, and you could end up with oil stains on the surface.

6.Pour batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 0.4-inch tip. In a pinch, you can also use a gallon-size Ziploc bag: just snip a teeny bit from one of the bottom corners. Twist and clip the top of the bag to avoid overflow. On your prepared baking sheets, pipe out 1-inch rounds in the circles you drew (remember to draw the circles on the back side of your parchment to avoid ink or pencil stains on your macarons!).

7.Holding the baking sheet in both hands, rap each baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times. This smooths out the tops and helps form the “pied” or frilly foot on the bottoms of the macarons. Allow the piped macarons to dry, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger. If after 15 minutes, the batter is still sticky, let it dry longer. This may take up to an hour on humid days.

8.Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the oven to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap oven racks and rotate the sheets for even baking. The macarons are done when they are baked all the way through and the shells are just hard. Take care to not underbake (insides will still be mushy) or overbake (tops will begin to brown). Remove them from the oven, and cool on baking sheet placed on a wire rack.

9.When fully cooled, assemble the macarons with your choice of filling. The assembled macarons can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Butter cream filling

1.Cut butter into pieces, and mash with a spatula until the consistency resembles mayonnaise.

2.In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add the granulated sugar, and whisk until the mixture lightens to an off-white and you can no longer see the granules of sugar. Add the milk, and whisk to combine.

3.Pour the egg mixture into a small saucepan, and heat over low heat, whisking frequently to ensure that the mixture does not curdle or scorch. Cook until the mixture becomes thick and custardy, like pudding.

4.Pour the egg mixture back into its bowl, and whisk constantly until it returns to room temperature. Whisk in the butter in three batches, add the vanilla, and stir until smooth and all ingredients are fully combined. Pipe or spread onto one macaron half and sandwich between the other.

You will need almond meal, powdered sugar, 3 large egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract to make the macaron. To make the filling you need 7 tablespoons of softened butter, 2 egg yolks, ¼ cup of granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

To start with you preheat the oven to 280ºF, you will need two trays. I recommend having the silicone trays made especially made for macaroons or using parchment paper. To actually start the process you will place the egg whites in a bowl and use a hand mixer and begin to beat it on medium-high.When the eggs are frothy, add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat it until you get glossy, stiff peaks. You will then add the vanilla extract, then you will add half of the almond meal mixture. Which is mixing the almond meal and powdered sugar, mi until they are not seperated.You will gently fold it. Folding it is lift from the bottom, up from the sides, toward the middle, once it is incorporated you will add in the other half and continue the process until it is all mixed together. I recommended folding the batter althoughter about 20 times to get the right consistency for the macarons to rise.  

(Collage image, Left to right, then bottom, Egg whites seperated, egg mixture being mixed, egg mixture being heated, folding the batter, icing being scooped out into pastry bag.)

You will now need to pour it into a pastry bag, this was difficult so i recommend getting a tall cup, putting the pastry bag into the cup, and folding the edges over the cup, then it won’t fall, and won’t make a mess.You don’t need to use a tip for this we didn’t,we just cut the tip off of the bag.You will then pipe out to your proffered size macaroons, we did 1 inch ones as that was the size on our silicone macaron sheet. Fill to the amount you want for each sheet. Then tap you tray on a solid surface, i recommend tapping about 10-15 times to make sure it is even. We didn’t tap enough. You then allow the macarons to dry for about 15 minutes, touch to check to see if it is dry, you should not have anything on your finger. Then put it in for 15-18 minutes. Do not undercook it, it will be soft on the underneath, or overcook it where it begins to brown. Then let it cool. We made the icing while it cooled. Cut the butter into pieces and put into mier and smush it until it looks like mustard. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks, then add the granulated sugar and whisk into mixture until you can’t see the granulated sugar and is an off colored white. Add milk to mixture and whisk. Pour into small saucepan and heat over low heat, whisk frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn. Cook until it becomes thick and pudding like consistency , pour back into a bowl, whisk until it becomes room temperatures, whisk it into butter. We added it all together because we used a kitchenaid mixer and didn't’ need multiple times to mi.Stir until smooth. Put into a piping bag and pipe onto one side of macaroon, then put another one on it. Your macaron is done. Over all I feel it was an okay attempt. My sister and I likes the macaroon but didn’t not like the filling, so next time we make macaroon we are going to using a different filling. It was not sweet enough for us.

[nadinelovescoffee]

What You Ought To Find Out About Buying And Making Coffee

Producing gourmet coffee in your house can be both an excellent expertise plus a job. Mastering your coffee product may take some work. There are numerous gourmet coffee preparing appliances that you could select from. You can learn how you can simplify the caffeine making process with the following advice.

When you don't want excessive sweets in what you eat, try Stevia. Stevia arises from plants, which suggests it can sweeten your gourmet coffee without the glucose. Stevia is already obtainable in most food markets for more visit portal.

In the event you want to make the own gourmet coffee, think about mixing it the caffeine cooking pot right after you brew it. Providing the espresso a bit blend helps to improve the flavor in the brew. Furthermore, it will help to discharge the natural scent from the caffeine, one of the concealed delights of ingesting coffee.

Only grind gourmet coffee legumes prior to you produce them. The flavor in the espresso will lessen shortly after it's been ground up. Don't grind your espresso too much beforehand or you'll soon be taking pleasure in very weakened gourmet coffee.

Usually do not reheat made gourmet coffee. It has nothing at all to do with the popular myth about reheated caffeine discharging harmful chemical substances. Even so, chemicals in the gourmet coffee break down following resting to have an prolonged time, or when subjected to microwaves. It might seem it can do not taste quite right.

Are you enjoying the espresso you will make along with your coffee brewer? Should you permit your coffee machine temperature with just normal water prior to making caffeine, your espresso will taste greater. After a full pot of just very hot water is highly processed, get started once again using real gourmet coffee. Also, it's a fantastic method for cleansing the equipment.

If preparing in your house, caffeine can avoid cabin temperature. You may take your laptop or any other system that uses WiFi and get some caffeine from your gourmet coffee home. Otherwise, several dining places provide the same.

If you like solid coffee, a French push is a must. A French click creates a far better produce by taking out a lot more gas from the legumes in your coffee. Other coffee machines usually soak up this gas through their document filter systems.

Buying caffeine in a cafe is pricey, but it may be a fun expertise on occasion. There is a ton of ways for you to make coffee, you can add dark chocolate, foam or set whipped skin cream on it.

Choose a espresso grinder with conical or flat milling burrs. These styles stop too much temperature from becoming made. Additionally they aid your espresso remain yummy. Grinders that utilize blades are not at all steady. They are able to make a great deal of heating and burn your beans.

Do you want to make the fabulously abundant make you receive whenever you buy caffeine out? Think about using much more espresso. An effective general guideline is to evaluate two tablespoons of reasons per each six oz glass water. Tinker around with assorted amounts and formulas of your very own up until you identify the flavor that you really like.

If anything likes "off" inside your morning make, remember that annoying water can result in uncomfortable espresso. In the event the tap water isn't yummy, consider getting a filtration for it. Also, it is feasible to employ a pitcher-centered version or use water in bottles for coffee brewing.

New parents could save themselves the inconvenience and pressure of brewing espresso they never have the opportunity to consume by looking for a great, neighborhood cafe. Weight within the automobile, head over and get your caffeine and after that return to whatever it is you must do.

Look at your kitchen pantry for distinctive flavours and sweeteners you can use to add spice to your espresso. Brownish sweets is a thing different to make use of as opposed to regular bright white sweets. Other flavors like cinnamon, vanilla flavor draw out, cocoa and nutmeg enhance the coffee taste as well. Almond milk products, rice milk products, and soy products minor may also change typical milk products, product, and non-dairy creamers.

To preserve your refreshing carafe of coffee's taste, remove it your burner within ten mins. In the event you abandon your caffeine on anymore, it will quickly burn off, which can depart your produce using a bitter flavor. The easiest method to always keep caffeine warm to have an prolonged time period is usually to install it inside a compartment that traps heat, say for example a thermos.

Would you like dairy or lotion in your coffee? There are various approaches to place dairy in caffeine. Chilly milk is delicious, but hot milk features a distinct flavor and consistency. Making use of diverse amounts of whole milk in a cup of coffee will lead to diverse flavor.

Hold any extra espresso you possess in an ice pack trays. These are ideal for creating iced espresso that doesn't come to be watered down if the ice melts. Also, they are great in drinks and to amazing any espresso that is still too very hot.

Creating gourmet coffee ought to be enjoyable, even though it could become a burden if producing products is a concern. It does not have to overwhelm you any longer. Utilize the assistance in the following paragraphs to enjoying generating your own personal coffee yet again.