#the pharaoh’s juicy pop

[ap-kinda-lit]

✨The Forbidden Royal Juicy Pop Ring✨

[atembomb]

Pridecember 2020 - Day 2: Desire

Oral Fixation The four times Kaiba and Atem thought about kissing and the last--well, you know the rest. Rating: T

So Kaiba finds the pharaoh perched in a haggard old pomegranate tree wearing nothing but a shendyt. He thinks he’s got a hell of a view or something, all three and a half feet off the ground, parked between a dead branch and a lean green one with dirty toes pressed up in the bark. He looks like Mahaad had him sit for a bloodletting, sanguine tears weeping down his forearms and over his thighs while he pries at the heart of the fat red fruit. He’s torn the thing in half, and he means torn, with ragged edges like tattered junk mail. His grubby little paws are fishing in the guts, port-wine stains up over his wrists, but he’s careful picking out the plump seeds. Careful not to pop their juicy stomachs before they make it past his lips.

He’s made a mess of things there, too, fingerpainted his chin to look like barfight bruises without the swollen jaw line and Kaiba watches him kick the seeds around between his teeth before fluting them out through the hollow of a u-turn tongue. He finally notices his audience and the fruit pulp stuck in his gums matches the color of his eyes when he smiles. He offers Kaiba the other two chambers of the heart, aorta still bleeding sugar nectar on his fingers.

“I don’t like being sticky…”

Atem shrugs and keeps it for himself. His mouth makes smacking sounds when he slurps up the ruby gloss and a few forgotten beads dribble down his chin while greedy digits dig out more.

Kaiba watches and licks his lips.

Read on AO3!

[tomandharriet]

When two became three

Despite being a long way from our family and friends, it was a Christmas which kept on giving. Our next present, 2 weeks in the company of Rose! The race to a prearranged point in Bangkok was narrowly won by us, as we anxiously waited for Rose, who is good at most things which aren’t navigation related. Thankfully she had 8 hours in Chengdu to study our detailed instructions and hand drawn maps and as it turned out, we needn’t have worried. Arriving about 5 minutes after us, we were delighted to see her familiar face as she walked along the platform. We headed straight to our hostel, just off Khaosan Road (another infamous Thai destination). We kept up the theme of not really exploring much around us, spending the remainder of the day catching up over food and drinks.

The next day turned into more of the same. By chance we had 2 friends in Bangkok on the same day. Meeting up with Simon and Ollie (who’s birthday it was) for an early afternoon drink, turned into a day session on Khaosan and before we knew it we’d seen none of Bangkok, beyond the street sellers selling all sorts of wierd, wonderful and outrageously rude tourist tat.

We could’ve happily spent the whole night drinking White Russians with them and nearly did, when we came extremely close to missing our night train to Chiang Mai. This culminated with our pre-booked ticket turning up at our carriage door 2 minutes before the train pulled out of the station. We’d had a great day but that was about to get even better as Rose suddenly turned into Santa. We knew that she was bringing a few gifts out from Harriet’s family - but Rose had also secretly got Tom’s mums contact details, which meant we both had little stockings to open and hang at the end of our sleeper train beds! We actually nearly cried, it was such a lovely gesture and moment. We also knew how much it would’ve meant to our mums to be able to piece together the stockings. Nobody is perfect though and Santa Rose had one comical slip up, handing Tom a present which he excitedly opened, and then froze.. discovering a Fitbit, which he knew was intended for Harriet, but didn’t quite know how to react whilst being filmed.

We woke up the next morning, shortly before pulling into Chiang Mai, which was comfortably our favourite place in Thailand and actually one of our favourite cities on the trip. Chiang Mai strikes a perfect balance between having interesting things for visitors to do, whilst feeling like a genuine locals town, full of lovely people. We were fortunate to be able to meet up with James, an old family friend of Tom’s, who lives in Bangkok but was spending New Year with his wife, Mandy and her family in Chiang Mai. Mandy who was born in Chiang Mai, acted as our personal tour guide for the morning and we soon found out that she shares a love for Tom’s newfound favourite dessert, which will be covered in great detail later on! She also showed us some great coffee spots, filled us in on some of the history of Chiang Mai and gave us the background on why the King looks so unhappy in the giant billboard pictures of him, which are on display everywhere. It turns out he’s not as popular as his Dad was, largely down to his own actions, it seems!

We had heard lots of good things about Chiang Mai, but it was the New Year lantern festival which we were particularly keen to witness. We had a lovely meal out before heading to the old town walls, where along the moat, thousands of people were already gathering and beginning to release lanterns. Environmental concerns aside for now (our pangs of environmental guilt have multiplied as our trip goes on), the Chiang Mai lanterns are a spectacle that outshone (sorry) any firework display we’d ever seen. The sense of fun, togetherness and hope for the upcoming year was infectious, as friends and families gathered in small groups, wrote their names, stories or wishes on their lantern and then released them. The cumulative affect was stunning, as a steady stream of candle powered lanterns disappeared up into the night sky.

Waking late and predictably groggy the next day, we had lined up two events to see us through the first day if the new year. The first was a relaxing boat tour along Chiang Mai’s river With a pitstop at quite a random and underwhelming herb farm, The main event was an evening at the Thai boxing, as we seeked to continue our run of watching sports in each country. After some dinner and drinks, we headed to the stadium, expecting a bit of a buzz to surround the place. We were greated by 1 security guard and a very shut boxing stadium. Despite selling tickets for the night online, there was no scheduled boxing due to it being the 1st January. A knockout punch to our plans!

Our final day in Chiang Mai produced our best example of just how overwhelmingly kind the majority of people we have encountered on our trip, came out of a moment of misfortune. Rushing to get out of one of the cities red taxis, Harriet left her phone on the bench, realising too late as the taxi drove off round a corner. Still with her Indian SIM card in, there was no way of tracing the phone, but that didn’t stop a couple of passers by who noticed that Harriet was upset and pulled over to ask what had happened. They made phone calls, posted on local Facebook pages and prompted a local garage with CCTV cameras to trawl through the footage in an attempt to get the license plate of the taxi. After more than an hour of trying but ultimately failing to find anything of use, they then drove us back to our hostel and outright refused our offer of any money or alcohol as a thank you for their display of kindness.

Our next destination was Pai, a small town located near the jungle, a few hours north of Chiang Mai. Over the 3 nights we spent there, we came to realise that Pai town itself was a slightly odd touristy bubble. It mostly consisted of a main strip, offering some really good street food and some Groundhog Day-esque street performances ranging from children who clearly didn’t want to be there, dancing to pop or traditional songs, through to a Pharaoh driving a giant duck and turning the sale of customisable flip flops into an interactive show. Ok that was actually great and Tom is still wearing his yellow and black flip-flops which cost less than £3, show included! We also had some great evenings at the bars, most notably the rock-bar which after a string of fairly decent performers, had a local Thai guy who gradually emptied the bar without us noticing. Ok so he wasn’t great at guitar, and his pitch was way off, but his heart was in the right place and when he thanked the crowd (three of us sitting outside and the barman who was likely his mate) we were won over and demanded an encoure.

Oddities aside, we really enjoyed our time in Pai. Our hostel looked not dissimilar to a hobbit home and provided us with an excellent base. The highlight though was the surrounding area, which no doubt attracted the original visitors and is the reason for Pai’s boom in popularity. Using mopeds as our mode of transport for a few days, we visited several sceneic locations, including the stunning Pai Canyon, some waterfalls, a land split caused by an earthquake and some thermal springs.

We also took our chance to complete a day trek through the nearby bamboo jungle. Setting off early and driving approximately 90 minutes out of Pai, we trekked through difficult undulating terrain. The trek was well worth it thanks to a dip in a waterfall at the end and mostly down to an encounter with a family of gibbons. The gibbons were wise to the trekking route and knew that humans passing would likely mean some treats. But unlike the many overly bold monkeys we’d encountered who would grab anything at first chance, they were more timid, keeping their distance at first and preferring to catch their food - and their handling was impeccable, not dropping a thing. Feeding them bananas and then a few spare muffins, they grew more confident and eventually came to take food out of our hands, before retreating to eat it.

As our flight to Hanoi was from Chiang Mai, we had one final evening there. Round 2 for Thai boxing and this time it was on! Whilst we’re no experts, the standard of most bouts wasn’t particularly high and the evening drew to a strange conclusion when the final fight was contested between 12 year olds.

Food

One of the more interesting things we tried in Bangkok was a popular Northern Thailand dip called nam phrik ong. This is a really spicy dip made with dried chillies, ground pork and tomato. It was served with pork scratchings, sliced cabbage, cucumber slices and some fresh herbs. The combination of all of the different flavours and textures made this dip so irresistibly morish.

Chiang Mai was full of lots of cafes and restaurants selling delicious and fresh Thai food. However, one absolute stand out cafe we visited with Tom’s family friends James and Mandy was a place called mango tango. Every dish (and drink) on the menu contained their beloved juicy fruit. Naturally, we went for the trio option to try as many of the mango treats on offer, which amazingly felt so varied. One particular mango dish that Tom managed to trial pretty much every day we were in Thailand was a dessert (or in Tom’s case breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack) called mango sticky rice. The dish is made by letting the cooked rice absorb all of the sweet coconut milk. Once absorbed the gooey rice it is served on a plate with any remaining coconut milk drizzled on top and served with slices of the juiciest mangos you can imagine. The dish often had a sprinkling of crispy yellow mung beans to give it that little extra crunch.

Another delicious dish that was a Chiang Mai speciality and insanely good was khao soi gai. This is a coconut curry dish made with chicken thighs and topped with crispy noodles (and more noodles mixed in the curry) and pickled, chilli shallots. All served with beans sprouts, coriander and a wedge of lime. A comfort dish to warm all hearts, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Pai was pretty much just one touristy strip of street food. You could get anything from your typical Thai dishes to nachos, corn on the cob and even home baked pasta dishes. Although very exciting at first the novelty did start to wear off by day three. The overwhelming choice often resulted in Rose, Tom and Harriet being split across the length of the strip aimlessly wondering around slowly filling up on a random combination of food, kind of like you do at buffet. Although the fried dumplings were heavenly....

A final note that is not specifically recipe focused but one that can’t go without a special mention was on a post night out dinner date with Rose and Tom (Harriet had tapped out and gone to bed at this point). Tom managed to eat a mouthful of wasabi mistakingly thinking it was guacamole. Tom’s eyes were watering so much Rose was concerned the couple next to them thought she had just broken up with him.

Travel Jukebox - ‘Amajovi Jovi’ by Sandy B

We must start by apologising to Joe McTaggart for being the sender of the only album we rejected. This wasn’t because it was a bad choice. Far from it, Joe’s original choice of Grandbrothers was an album we had listened to repeatedly in the weeks prior to leaving. We knew we could rely on Joe to provide us with a unique album we’d never heard of and we wanted to give him a second pick for the jukebox. He didn’t disappoint!

Joe suggested we listen to the album when we fancied a bit of a party, so it’s only fitting we talk about it in the same post as Rose’s arrival, New Year and a time in our trip when the scales of cultural traveling vs boozey holiday, took a big swing in favour of being ‘Brits abroad’.

Originally released on cassette tape in 1994, out of apartheid South Africa, the album has an underlying tribal theme, with rhythmical beats and playful chanting throughout. It has a very satisfying simplicity to it too, focusing on simple hooks and drum loops. It’s the type of album you’d love to be able to go back in time to the release year, to be able to gauge just how groundbreaking it likely was then. ‘Party Time’ stands apart from the otherwise more club vibe tracks and feels like a nod to the growth of West Coast hip-hop at the time. The album finishes full circle with an instrumental version of the opening (title) track, a very satisfying way to round off this (as anticipated) unique album!

TLDR; Rose brings the party!

[thesinglesjukebox]

DOJA CAT FT. GUCCI MANE - LIKE THAT

[4.83]

It's the woman who did that nice song you heard on Radio 2!

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: The Doja Cat discourse is already exhausting enough, why does this song also have to be produced by Dr. Luke? I've been searching my conscience for how I should feel about "Like That," and at the moment, all I can offer is that I really want to dislike this song -- but per Doja's outro, "I like it." If Doja keeps releasing bops like this, she might earn her forgiveness yet. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: Lukasz "Tyson Trax" "Made in China" "Manhun Glow" Gottwald, having already sampled his way into a comeback hit with "Say So," is trying for a repeat: a pseudonym, a familiar over-plush Isley Brothers sample (hey, for no reason at all, remember this?) and overfull promo budget, an endless capacity for the world to overlook or forget about shitheads. In times like these, one is incredibly thankful for Doja Cat; it seems sadly inevitable that one of these hits is going to capture the zeitgeist as well as the charts, but it'll take a vocalist who's less of an obnoxious edgelord. [4]

Alfred Soto: Your guess is as good as mine about Dr. Luke's contributions: two dozen trap beats bounce-bounce-bounce as adeptly. Doja Cat doesn't need him. But damn if she doesn't luxuriate in the spaces between the beats. Now someone get in her manager's ear right quick. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: Bouncing ball bass is thrown against the wall as Doja sits on Dr. Luke's lap, they watch WSHH and Dr. Luke texts Gavin McInnes photos of her tail. Meanwhile, a Gucci Mane clone theory video pops up on mix in the playlist with Young Pharaoh playing a soft synth line with a low bassline below it on a synthesizer called White Chocolate. [5]

Leah Isobel: This is a little livelier than "Say So," but not by much. [5]

Oliver Maier: The trouble with trying to mould Doja into a main pop girl is figuring out which of her edges to sand off. I'm talking less about the folder's worth of receipts levelled at her recently than the cheeky subversive spirit that animated her music pre-ascendancy, a characteristic that has felt increasingly stilted in the transition to superstardom and will doubtless be unbearable by her next album cycle. Jettisoning the playfulness altogether would defeat the point of Doja Cat, however, so the strategy so far has generally been unironic sensuality in sung sections with the kookiness reserved for rapped verses. It doesn't work! As on "Say So" the split makes both personas feel insincere, like having a bickering angel and devil Doja on either shoulder whose only shared values are being horny and still working with Dr. Fucking Luke. Gucci Mane feels like a chaperone here but he at least knows how to rap. I said of "Juicy" that Doja's charisma was enough to overcome her lack of obvious talent for either method of vocal delivery. Diminishing returns set in fast. [3]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[apharaohinmyownright-blog]

The After Effect

8:49pm

Sitting here contemplating taking out my hair after i just wolfed down some chinese food my mind is racing and unfortunately I’m thinking about one thing......  my fuckin ex boyfiend. 

And no, at this point in time I do NOT even want to get into that story because HUH trust me I would definitely be writing for a while. 

What I will say though is that, his name keeps coming up in my head and no matter how hard I try and mentally push it away it won’t go. But then, something else pops into my head right after. It’s like...... You ever heard that quote “Once something is said it can’t be unsaid” ? Well here’s what was said to me that I was glad I heard at the moment but now I’m like ugh!:

During the days after my break up a friend told me that I’d needed closure. One of the last times I talked to my ex he (after everything was said and done) thought we should go to therapy, get counseling so we could at least learn to be friends. I told him I would think about it only because I wanted him off my phone and to leave me alone forever. Crazy thing though... I did think about it and have been thinking about it. My friend told me that she once had a crazy break up and how she got over it was closure. She told me that every person she met after her break up was not able to get the full her. She was hurting still and until she stopped nothing would feel right or whole again. I find myself thinking about that conversation daily. I don’t want to talk to him, honestly I don’t,how good would it be to get some closure? How good would it be to get that fucking mans name out my head forever. Shit I treat his name like the characters in Harry Potter treated Lord Voldemort’s name for a while. 

I have tried to get back into the “game.” I have tired to see if i could start to hook up with people and leave the relationship or rather situationship at that level but i can’t. LIke i don’t have a desire to have sex with anyone anymore. I don’t even have a desire to talk to people most days. Don’t take that the wrong way. I’m referring to talking to guys. In my everyday life i can maintain a conversation and I enjoy talking to my friends, associates and co-workers but guys.....guys though. I have a new level of not trying to deal with the fuckery. I am far from slow and I’ve been through so much that i can for the most part guess where a conversations is going. Like if you only want sex, if you actually want to talk or if you just have an agenda. I am not perfect thought and far from a mind reader so I cannot predict someone true actions and at the end of the day I believe that’s just a risk my heart is going to have to take again, eventually. 

Listen its 10:01 so let me leave you with something a little juicy

I know we have all had at least one person that we really wanted to talk to at one point or another. Think about this: What if you were “talking” to like 5 people at one time and there is that 1 your just way more into than the rest well that’s how i feel about Banker, that’s what he will be called from now on, Banker. I really would like to talk to him and him only but he’s playing to many games for me. I have hinted and actually straight forward asked him when are we hanging out or let’s go on a date but ignored is what i get. 

10:11 and my nose starts bleeding........ FUCKING GREAT! FUCKING GREAT! 

Whatever, back to what I was saying: I also mentioned to him that basically he needs to step his text convo game up and he apologized and it worked for like a day. On top of all that we both have iphones and have yet to facetime. Here is where I could use some advice. Me, I’d rather set up a facetime date because I don’t even know the guy to be honest but would you just call him ? just call him and see if he picks up? I could do that but I guess I tend to overthink things like what if its a bad time? what if i’m being catfished, just a lot of what if’s. In his benefit he could be telling the truth and is just a really busy person because he at least texts me every morning good morning but after that the conversation does not really exist. All that confusion you just read is why I’m just like ugh! I don’t know what to say or how to feel. Regardless I am in no rush and I will just wait this one out. I however have stopped asking to meet him because if it should happen it will. I even stopped putting 100% into the conversation because I feel that’s not what I’m getting back. Eh! I’ll keep you posted. 

I’m going to make a new promise: I promise to post at least 1 time everyday, I’ll definitely post more if I feel like I should or need to. What if I have nothing else to do but get my thoughts out?

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you, your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live only as you can”

                                                                         -Pharaoh 

[rawspicebar]

12 Essential Indian Spices Every Pantry Should Have

One of the scariest things about cooking Indian dishes is the array of Indian spices & the complexity of use. Here, we break it down into the essentials so you can get started cooking easy tandoori rubs, quick curries, stir-fries & more! To start, there is no such thing as curry powder- this is a totally Western inspired blend. We love it in butter chicken recipes & to add easy flavor to dishes but, alas, it's not exactly authentic. Different regions use their own distinctive, characteristic blends of just two or three spices, which means homemade Indian food tends to use less spice than the restaurant dishes that North Americans are used to.  Most importantly, the rules are not rigid. If you don't have a specific spice called for in a recipe, it's okay to mix and match (or skip it completely). It will alter the flavor, yes, but the more you play around with how spices impact certain dishes, the better you'll get. Lastly, stick to small batches: You'll only need 1 to 2 ounces of spices & blends, like cumin and coriander every few months. Purchase in small batches to keep it fresh. Here are the 12 essential Indian spices every pantry should have: Organic Asafoetida Also known as Hing, asafoetida powder is derived from the root of a plant in the carrot family. This spice is a staple ingredient in South Indian cooking, particularly in vegetarian dishes. Asafoetida has a uniquely pungent raw smell and flavor that mellows into a deeply full bodied flavor when cooked, and is probably most comparable to washed cheese rinds. We love adding asafoetida to dahls, vegetarian curries, and loads of other South Indian dishes. Organic Black Mustard Seeds Black mustard seeds actually belong in the same family as wasabi and horseradish. The most pungent and spicy of mustard seeds, compared to its yellow and brown cousins, black mustard seeds are also the hardest to find, as these cannot be harvested by machines. Black mustard seeds are often tempered in hot oil in Indian cooking to bring out their flavor, before using in curries, lentil soups, roasted vegetables. We love including these in our spice blends as well. Organic Green Cardamom Seeds Guatemala and India are the largest producers of green cardamom and is the world's third most expensive spice, behind saffron and vanilla. Green cardamom is mainly used in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia as the largest importer. Cardamom coffee is a huge driver of this, with cardamom also used in curries, pickles and in spice blends. We love green cardamom's delicate, ginger like, sweet flavor in sweets and coffees and source these organic green cardamom seeds from a Guatemalan cooperative. Organic Fenugreek Seeds Fenugreek seeds are prevalent in Middle Eastern cooking- particularly Turkish & Egyptian cuisine- and have a sweet, nutty flavor. Toast these whole fenugreek organic seeds in oil or dry and freshly ground for us in soup, curries, breads or tea. Vadouvan A French take on an Indian masala, this blend is bursting with the aromatic and vibrant flavors of both cuisines. Shallots, onion and garlic combine with fenugreek, fennel, curry leaves and other spices to bring a warm, full and rounded flavor. Use as a base for a curry but works really well as a "tempering" spice- add towards the end of cooking to bring balance and warmth. Particularly yummy in birianis and dahls! Organic Cumin We think cumin seeds are terribly underrated in the US. These seeds are an essential ingredient to Indian cooking, often toasted whole in oil before grinding, for a nutty toasted flavor, and added to blends like garam masala and tandoori masala or added whole to black bean or carrot soups. In Mexico, nearly all stews and bean recipes include it as well. Organic Coriander These Moroccan whole organic coriander seeds have lemony, sweet flavors and grows wild in Egypt, England and Sudan. Coriander has been known in Asia for thousands of years and was even found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Seeds are typically toasted before being ground and added to meat rubs, curries, breads and baked goods. Organic Turmeric India is the largest grower of turmeric and Alleppey, a region in southwestern India, is considered to have the best. High quality turmeric is high in essential oils and curcumin, which gives turmeric its unique orange-yellow coloring. We source organic whole dried turmeric "fingers" and freshly grind into a powder each week, to keep it fresh. Organic turmeric powder adds a complex, rich, woody flavor to Indian curries, vegetables, lentil stews, rice, onions and tomatoes. We love adding this to smoothies, sauces and baked goods as well. Tandoori Masala The core flavor base of Northern India's most popular tandoori-style dishes, this freshly ground tandoori spice masala consists of over a dozen spices adds rich, complex character. Use into marinate chicken, meat, seafood or vegetables in a traditional yogurt spice mixture, then char over high heat for a juicy interior and crispy, spicy exterior. Garam Masala Among the most famous of Indian masalas, there are literally thousands of ways to prepare garam masala. Our organic garam masala is toasted and freshly ground, using a traditional Punjabi family recipe. Include to add complex flavor and heat to chicken tikka masala (a British invention), traditional curries, braised vegetables or lentils. Panch Phoran Panch Phoran, which literally translates to “five spices”, is a crunchy, toasted, whole spice blend, perfect for tossing into or topping roasted potatoes, vegetables, or dals. Typically added to oil or ghee over medium heat, toast these until they pop and add to anything from sauteed vegetables to a pot of lentils. Chaat Masala Amchoor, asafoetida & black salt are just a few of the ingredients that give this spice blend its unique, tangy flavor profile. This is the go to spice blend for most Indian snacks, street foods, roasted and fried food and salads. Punctuate any vegetarian dish (especially chickpeas—which are bursting with protein and fiber) or use as a topping on eggs, salads, curries, or fresh fruits. Ready to get cooking? Sign up for the  quarterly spice subscription  & get 6 freshly ground, seasonal spices & blends. Plus, subscribers always save 25% on all spices in our  shop . We also think it makes a pretty great  gift  for your favorite foodies & spice lovers :)

[realjkcallaway]

Top10 #TrumpBiographyTitles

This Week on @HashtagSkirmish we played #TrumpBiographyTitles! We trended #2 in Canada, #1 in the US and #2 WorldWide so THANK YOU EVERYONE who played along! Don't forget to subscribe to J.K. Callaway's YouTube Channel! All of @HashtagSkirmish Top10's will be featured as well as other content you won't want to miss! http://www.youtube.com/jkcallaway Also Please make sure you Download and Play Along on the @HashtagRoundup App and Join us July 5th for our next @HashtagSkirmish Game with Special Guest Host Sarah SG @_sprf! A special thanks to @Mediaite & @HuffPostComedy for their articles and featuring some MORE of the best tweets from this week's game.

Twitter Users Mock Trump with Trending #TrumpBiographyTitles https://t.co/ovK2lDvqHa pic.twitter.com/5t3Siv75Jb

— Mediaite (@Mediaite) June 28, 2017

#TrumpBiographyTitles will have you laughing your covfefe off https://t.co/Jfl17kpGtt pic.twitter.com/uq4J1FkCOI

— HuffPost Comedy (@HuffPostComedy) June 29, 2017

And Now... Here is Our Top10 for June 28th, 2017's @HashtagSkirmish Game #TrumpBiographyTitles!

Thanks for Playing #TrumpBiographyTitles! Keep Playing Along on the @HashtagRoundup App and Watch for Our Top10 at https://t.co/RaZVFYESqh pic.twitter.com/JHE6p4v6PM

— HashtagSkirmish (@HashtagSkirmish) June 28, 2017

10.

#TrumpBiographyTitles Small Hands And What To Do With Them pic.twitter.com/sXrDWjh5Sw

— Writerlike🌎 (@writerlike1) June 28, 2017

9.

The Greatest Wall Never Built, But Mexico's Still Gonna Pay For It. #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Pierre Fiset (@River_Tornado) June 28, 2017

8.

#TrumpBiographyTitles From Russia with love

— CoolChris_007 (@CoolChris_007) June 28, 2017

7.

One For The Covfefe Table @HashtagSkirmish #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Mrs B 🐱🌹🌷🌺 (@MrsBLovesCats) June 28, 2017

6.

#TrumpBiographyTitles 12 Years A Slave Owner pic.twitter.com/4gPyyLKM16

— Miss Texas 1967 (@MsTexas1967) June 28, 2017

5.

The Alternative Facts of Life #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Kelly Kass (@KelKass) June 28, 2017

4.

#TrumpBiographyTitles I wish I could of married my daughter and other lost dreams. The Donald J Trump story pic.twitter.com/6pJBugVW3I

— 🐺 ��Wolfie (@martin_wolfie) June 28, 2017

3.

The Ego Has Landed#TrumpBiographyTitles

— kieron (@gibbet) June 28, 2017

2.

The Bigly Book of Fake News #TrumpBiographyTitles

— ⚜️ Cattsy ⚜️ (@Cattereia) June 28, 2017

Before we get to our #1 here are some Honorable Mentions including one from our host's Ghost Account @JKCallawayYAY! #ThanksTwitter

So That Happened... #TrumpBiographyTitles @HashtagSkirmish

— JK Ghostaway (@JKCallawayYAY) June 28, 2017

Mein Trumpf #TrumpBiographyTitles

— JEN KIRKMAN (@JenKirkman) June 29, 2017

Hop on Pop, Ivanka #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) June 28, 2017

How To Become President For Dummies #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Gretel Armstrong (@SugarGretel) June 28, 2017

Whine and Punishment#TrumpBiographyTitles pic.twitter.com/lLIvBwrNWF

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 28, 2017

How I became Covfefe #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Jillian (@Pheramuse) June 28, 2017

Trump: The Art of the Feel #TrumpBiographyTitles pic.twitter.com/dqiH7FvpRj

— Donald J. Trump (@BiglyPrez) June 28, 2017

Juicy #TrumpBiographyTitles pic.twitter.com/mXRMraflsd

— Pharaoh Hatshepsut (@Netjeretkhau) June 28, 2017

#TrumpBiographyTitles 'Eat, Pray, Lie' pic.twitter.com/rvS3KGMk05

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) June 28, 2017

Lord of the Lies #TrumpBiographyTitles pic.twitter.com/F9BYx8YW7V

— Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) June 28, 2017

Tweeting Without A Cause#TrumpBiographyTitles

— Brad T. (@Relax_For_Real) June 28, 2017

"SAD! A collection of literary tantrums" #TrumpBiographyTitles

— Hal Sparks (@HalSparks) June 28, 2017

1.

Warning: This Book Has 6 Chapter Elevens #TrumpBiographyTitles @HashtagSkirmish

— Paul Lander (@paul_lander) June 28, 2017

[rawspicebar]

12 Essential Indian Spices Every Pantry Should Have

One of the scariest things about cooking Indian dishes is the array of Indian spices uses & the complexity of spice blends. Here, we break it down into the essentials so you can get started cooking easy tandoori rubs, quick curries, stir-fries & more! To start, there is no such thing as curry powder- this is a totally Western inspired blend. We love it in butter chicken recipes & to add easy flavor to dishes but, alas, it's not exactly authentic. Different regions use their own distinctive, characteristic blends of just two or three spices, which means homemade Indian food tends to use less spice than the restaurant dishes that North Americans are used to.  Most importantly, the rules are not rigid. If you don't have a specific spice called for in a recipe, it's okay to mix and match (or skip it completely). It will alter the flavor, yes, but the more you play around with how spices impact certain dishes, the better you'll get. Lastly, stick to small batches: You'll only need 1 to 2 ounces of spices & blends, like cumin and coriander every few months. Purchase in small batches to keep it fresh. Here are the 12 essential Indian spices every pantry should have: Organic Asafoetida Also known as Hing, asafoetida powder is derived from the root of a plant in the carrot family. This spice is a staple ingredient in South Indian cooking, particularly in vegetarian dishes. Asafoetida has a uniquely pungent raw smell and flavor that mellows into a deeply full bodied flavor when cooked, and is probably most comparable to washed cheese rinds. We love adding asafoetida to dahls, vegetarian curries, and loads of other South Indian dishes. Organic Black Mustard Seeds Black mustard seeds actually belong in the same family as wasabi and horseradish. The most pungent and spicy of mustard seeds, compared to its yellow and brown cousins, black mustard seeds are also the hardest to find, as these cannot be harvested by machines. Black mustard seeds are often tempered in hot oil in Indian cooking to bring out their flavor, before using in curries, lentil soups, roasted vegetables. We love including these in our spice blends as well. Organic Green Cardamom Seeds Guatemala and India are the largest producers of green cardamom and is the world's third most expensive spice, behind saffron and vanilla. Green cardamom is mainly used in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia as the largest importer. Cardamom coffee is a huge driver of this, with cardamom also used in curries, pickles and in spice blends. We love green cardamom's delicate, ginger like, sweet flavor in sweets and coffees and source these organic green cardamom seeds from a Guatemalan cooperative. Organic Fenugreek Seeds Fenugreek seeds are prevalent in Middle Eastern cooking- particularly Turkish & Egyptian cuisine- and have a sweet, nutty flavor. Toast these whole fenugreek organic seeds in oil or dry and freshly ground for us in soup, curries, breads or tea. Vadouvan A French take on an Indian masala, this blend is bursting with the aromatic and vibrant flavors of both cuisines. Shallots, onion and garlic combine with fenugreek, fennel, curry leaves and other spices to bring a warm, full and rounded flavor. Use as a base for a curry but works really well as a "tempering" spice- add towards the end of cooking to bring balance and warmth. Particularly yummy in birianis and dahls! Organic Cumin We think cumin seeds are terribly underrated in the US. These seeds are an essential ingredient to Indian cooking, often toasted whole in oil before grinding, for a nutty toasted flavor, and added to blends like garam masala and tandoori masala or added whole to black bean or carrot soups. In Mexico, nearly all stews and bean recipes include it as well. Organic Coriander These Moroccan whole organic coriander seeds have lemony, sweet flavors and grows wild in Egypt, England and Sudan. Coriander has been known in Asia for thousands of years and was even found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Seeds are typically toasted before being ground and added to meat rubs, curries, breads and baked goods. Organic Turmeric India is the largest grower of turmeric and Alleppey, a region in southwestern India, is considered to have the best. High quality turmeric is high in essential oils and curcumin, which gives turmeric its unique orange-yellow coloring. We source organic whole dried turmeric "fingers" and freshly grind into a powder each week, to keep it fresh. Organic turmeric powder adds a complex, rich, woody flavor to Indian curries, vegetables, lentil stews, rice, onions and tomatoes. We love adding this to smoothies, sauces and baked goods as well. Tandoori Masala The core flavor base of Northern India's most popular tandoori-style dishes, this freshly ground tandoori spice masala consists of over a dozen spices adds rich, complex character. Use into marinate chicken, meat, seafood or vegetables in a traditional yogurt spice mixture, then char over high heat for a juicy interior and crispy, spicy exterior. Garam Masala Among the most famous of Indian masalas, there are literally thousands of ways to prepare garam masala. Our organic garam masala is toasted and freshly ground, using a traditional Punjabi family recipe. Include to add complex flavor and heat to chicken tikka masala (a British invention), traditional curries, braised vegetables or lentils. Panch Phoran Panch Phoran, which literally translates to “five spices”, is a crunchy, toasted, whole spice blend, perfect for tossing into or topping roasted potatoes, vegetables, or dals. Typically added to oil or ghee over medium heat, toast these until they pop and add to anything from sauteed vegetables to a pot of lentils. Chaat Masala Amchoor, asafoetida & black salt are just a few of the ingredients that give this spice blend its unique, tangy flavor profile. This is the go to spice blend for most Indian snacks, street foods, roasted and fried food and salads. Punctuate any vegetarian dish (especially chickpeas—which are bursting with protein and fiber) or use as a topping on eggs, salads, curries, or fresh fruits. Ready to get cooking? Sign up for the  quarterly spice subscription  & get 6 freshly ground, seasonal spices & blends. Plus, subscribers always save 25% on all spices in our  shop . We also think it makes a pretty great  gift  for your favorite foodies & spice lovers :)