#this took like 1 hour and 40 mins to cook

[its-not-a-pen]

good news! Cowboy Beebop will live to see another day. i never got around to dissecting him because one of the wires in my extremely crude and diy solar panel came off, so i had to do some extremely crude and diy repairs.

^ my poor son who has every disease...

took me an entire hour to resolder one (1) loose wire because we have the shittiest soldering iron known to man. the tip will not heat up, so i had to strip the wire back as far as it could go, and THEN find a way to preheat the wire + resister combo with the side of the soldering iron (i had like 2mm of space to work in between all the other wires and ended up inhaling 40% of my lifetime's limit of melted plastic fumes) AND THEN i had the pleasure of trying to coax hot lead off the side of a soldering iron and into the wires. (not depicted: my middleschool hardtech teacher weeping blood somewhere). what should have been a 5min job took 40 minutes. if i wasn't already on the post-singularity hit list for trying to run Blender on a mac, i most certainly am now for this crime against electronics. i take my frankenstein's monster goldener's tin of a circuit board and plug it into the oxygraph. it goes bezerk. i realize that my manic cage-fight i mean repair process had knocked ANOTHER wire loose. i take it back to the workbench. i plug in the soldering iron and wait for it to heat up at the rate of fingernails growing. i repeat the aforementioned process. i even redo the soldering on the resistors because WHY NOT. i take it back to the oxygraph and... nothing. it's dead. it's absolutely completely dead. "ah shit it's cooked," my mind supplies numbly. holding a +300°C soldering iron to the circuit board for 60 mins decreases it's function, who would have guessed? i contemplate jumping into the fishpond. joining a monastery. giving up science to write YA fiction. the madness eventually passes and i bust out the voltmeter to test the wires.

it works.

all the wires work.

i. do. not. understand. this.

i briefly consider tearing the whole thing apart and remaking it from scratch. or doing something even more drastic, like emailing my supervisor. maybe he'll laugh himself to death when he sees the soldering job and i'll get an extension...

i decide to admit defeat and run my experiment with just one solar panel, it'll take x2 as long but lets be real i've wasted enough of my mortal lifespan already. i turn on the oxygraph and...nothing. the screen is frozen because the program has crashed. "did the fire alarm go off?" someone asks. No, i reassure them, it is only me laughing. "good news!" i tell the peanut gallery (BA, MA, PhD) who have been bearing witness to my slow descent into the 9th circle. "THIS MEANS I DIDN'T BREAK THE SOLAR PANEL!!! IT'S NOT REACTING BECAUSE THE WHOLE PROGRAM HAS CRASHED!!!" i just need to clean, reload, and start the whole 20 min calibration again. ha. ha. hahahaha.

long story short, i was right and now i have two functioning solar panels. yay science.

Snails are actually called “burrow cows” in chinese. Big win for the pun community (east asian edition)

[sl112ck]

parkour villain...... clownpierced......

tbh I feel like parkour racing should've been actually included in parkour civilization post-movie 2 mainly bcuz it's a great concept!!! parkourers should be able to parkour both efficiently and swiftly!!!!

only reason why I even decided to watch parkour civilization because I saw this guy and was like "THERES A JESTER IN THIS?????" because when is there jesters I will be there. when is there clowns I will be there. where is there wackiness I will be there.

I love both his character and design in the movie. hes legit my favourite tbh. my deadass thought he was an actual character and not a minecraft youtuber whoops

[sweetmariihs2]

Today I found and bought two new Sofia The First magazines in a magazine stand, in a town next to mine. (That's what the post is about) 🪻✨️💗

I live in a small town, I came to the neighboring city (a slightly bigger one; where there is a cinema, adequate medical care and clinics, things that are scarce in my town and everyone comes here when they need one of these things) to do an eyesight exam, because recebtly I've been feeling my vision getting worse. Going to the clinic, I found a magazine stand on the other street, and I asked my family (who were with me) if they could accompany me there later. I did the exam, and I'm still under the influence of the eye drops, so it's been torture to write this text, but I need to tell you what I found. You won't believe it: TWO DIFFERENT EDITIONS OF SOFIA THE FIRST MAGAZINES! THOSE THAT ARE NO LONGER PRODUCED! IN FACT, SEVERAL COPIES OF THEM! There were like, 7 magazines from the same edition, perfectly new, never touched, ON THE FLOOR. (And no, I'm not from Rio De Janeiro, there are a lot of sidewalks with this pattern here in Brazil)

A while ago, I think it was in January, I was wondering if I should also go to this city and look for Sofia The First merch, because in my small town I've already looked at all the stores and there's nothing left to see here (how many, about 4 ? 5? Yes, it really is a small city, I know all these places and you can visit them all in 1 or 2 hours at most, walking down the street, without a car). I found some stickers and birthday invitations, I posted them a while ago, I used them for journaling in my sketchbook.

(@shychick-52 do you see the Donald Duck magazines there?? When I saw them I immediately thought about you, they're on the bottom left of the pic and there's more in the top right. Pato Donald is Donald Duck, Tio Patinhas is Scrooge McDuck's name in Brazil. I don't know a thing about Ducktales, I'm sorry!)

I literally gasped. I was just going there for fun, as I like books, magazines and vintage products like records and CDs, so I really like physical media. Those places full of trinkets are extremely fun for me, and whenever I have the opportunity I like to look at everything, down to the smallest details. I love music and vinyl stores, stationery stores, party stores, haberdashery, so a magazine stand sounds amazing to me too! I hadn't been to one in years! (I never went thrifting in my life. It would be an amazing day to spend an evening)

There weren't only Sofia The First ones, you see, these kinds of magazines aren't produced anymore since kids don't have any interest in them. So most of the children's magazines there were dated around 2012-2016! You don't even have to look for the dates to know that, the Strawberry Shortcake ones, Frozen (FROZEN, DUDE! FROZEN!!!) (In one of my STF magazines there's even an ad of these Frozen magazines, they were produced during the same time), there were Disney Junior ones (If you look closely you can see the Lion Guard cover on that pic where I show you the pile of STF magazines, it's on top of them), Disney Princess, EVEN MONSTER HIGH. I didn't took a pic of this one, but as far as I know, you don't find these anywhere anymore. I felt like going back to 2015, when I was a kid those activity magazines and visiting the magazine stands were extremely fun, the themes on the children's magazines were exactly these, I remember the sticker albums, so many good memories. It makes sense, since they're the same ones, but they were never sold.

Besides the children magazines, they sell mangas, magazines, books, word search and activity books, cooking books, comic books/magazines (superhero themed or not- DC comics, Marvel, but also Disney and national works, for example our beloved Turma Da Mônica), and even toys and stuff.

So I figured maybe I'd find silly things here too, it's a bigger town but after all it's still small, it's just 40 mins away from mine, maybe I could find little birthday hats that I can cut out? Gift bags? Maybe stickers and coloring kits, silly things. Of course, knowing about the magazine stands there, something that my hometown NO LONGER has, inside of me had a small amount of hope that I could find something, but not much, as I live in the rural/interior part of Brazil and many products are bootleg, you know those princess books with wonky faces written "princess coloring book"? Stuff like that. But there was still a shred of hope, despite knowing that there probably wouldn't be anything interesting. I just went there because I have fun searching for little things.

AND WHEN I GOT THERE.... THE MAGAZINES WERE JUST THERE. AT THE ENTRANCE. ON THE ?!?!?!?!? FLOOR?!??!??! (You can see the pic up there) ON THE DIRTY SIDEWALK FULL OF DIRT AND DUST AND ALL KINDS OF NASTY THINGS?!??! HELL NAH

It was like they were just waiting for me to get them, they were the first things that I saw. I KNEW THAT I WOULD FIND SOMETHING. In fact, as I always hope to find cool things in these stores I frequent, I always expect something. I'm usually disappointed, but I always try to find it. AND THIS TIME I FOUND IT. NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT LIKE A DOZEN of STF magazines from the same edition, still packaged AND WITH THE GIFT. ALL OF THEM.

As my parents had work to do in our town and needed to return, I had to look at everything quickly. Luckily the magazine stand was small, so I was able to look at a few things, and while the attendant (who seemed bored (thankfully, the fact that she was very slow gave me time to look a little more)) served other customers (she was slow with them too, which gave me more time thank god), I continued looking at all sides of the stand, observing every small detail to look for treasures. If there were several copies of an issue of Sofia The First magazine still packed there, then there must have been more, hidden behind that enormous amount of information. I didn't had enough time because my parents needed to go back home, but I wish I could have saw the content from the Disney Junior magazines. I opened it and looked through the pages, only the last two pages were about Sofia The First, but I still had a lot to look so I put it back and went to search for more.

That's the one I got, the edition I mentioned

12 brazillian reais are worth around 2,50 dollars. For us, in talks about value, it would be like- 5 dollars? Not too cheap like literal 2 dollars, it's like, a cheap price, but not that much. For us, I mean. I don't know if you get what I mean, my explanation was terrible

Before, as we were late for the exam and the whole family was going (we all went to take the exam) I only took with me my cellphone and headphones, I didn't bring my money or even a purse or a backpack. My father bought me the magazine, I got so happy. Actually, he just let me have it and gave me the money, so I went to the attendant. The magazines had an elastic band around to secure them, as you can see in the pic, and I took them to the girl and asked for her help to get one out. As I'm used to being very friendly, and I was very happy, I approached the girl, asked for her help, and as she got them out of the elastic band, I kept talking "I can't believe I found this!! They are no longer produced, they are rare items, and I'm collecting them! I didn't think I would find anything like this here, it definitely made my day." I noticed that the attendant wasn't very friendly back, in fact she was very quiet and seemed a little bored, but I didn't care, I was too happy to worry about judgement looks from people I don't know, at least I was friendly and I did my part. My young brother later told me that when I turned my back she looked confused and shrugged, perhaps thinking "to each their own, right?". She went to serve the other customers and in the meantime I continued to look through the magazines, hoping to find more.

Important detail: I still had eye drops, my pupils were extremely dilated and I could see nearby objects blurred, so searching thoroughly was very difficult. Imagine looking at all that information without being able to see things closer than 1m from you. I'm still convinced I didn't manage to look at everything. I found more Disney Princess magazines (dated in 2014? 2015? somewhere around that) and that's when I saw it. I literally had to crouch down to look at the magazines in the lower sections of the shelf, they were stacked and they covered each other, and when I saw the Sofia The First logo I quickly grabbed it. IT WAS ANOTHER EDITION - A FLOATING PALACE THEMED ONE. Unfortunately this time it was out of the packaging, and I have no idea if someday there was even a gift with it, but I don't care, it was amazing to find this.

That's the Disney Princess magazines I was talking about! In that first pic I took, at the start of the post, you can see a Belle themed one. The Ariel themed magazine looks so old that the paint is stained and started to fade (it was in the front showcase while the other ones were carefully placed inside the stand), thankfully the STF ones were brand new. Well, almost.

Now that I'm home and I'm already seeing a little better, I'm gonna show you the magazines. Not all of them unfortunately, because a post only supports 10 pics and each magazine has 15/20+ pages so like... yeah. I wanna scan them and put them in a Google drive folder, or at least post a video about them in my YouTube channel, but that's more unlikely. If I had all of them, definitely, but I don't think it's worth recording a video if it's not with all the issues, don't you think? Anyway.

What's written in the first one: The Queen's Birthday Party! (This one came with the necklace)

In the second one: Sofia's vacation!

Let's take a closer look at the necklace

I'm fighting the urge to use it. I really want to use that tag in my sketchbook and the charm of the necklace in something like a keychain, but I cann'ttt bring myself to destroy something that is not produced anymoreeee😭😭😭

In the Floating Palace magazine, there is not even a single page where the sea monster is in. Not even a single one.

But in the "Queen's Birthday Party" one, there are three pages where Cedric is in! Yayy!!! They did him justice!!!

If anyone's curious about Miranda's birthday party, it's a comic and someone already posted it on Tumblr. Here is the link.

You know, that "Queen's Birthday Party" it's very exclusive, I don't remember the show having any episode like this, and the next activities in the magazine talk about the vacation they did in the comic and also the birthday party. Besides that, we have a lot of activities related to Tilly and family, and the main arts and crafts activity from this magazine is making a family tree. I believe that this magazine's topic is family.

I can't show you all the pages, but at least I can publish the pages Cedric is in and add more stuff to my Cedric merch masterlist (and personal research)

Well at least he's there. I have seen this art around like 20 times but they remembered that Cedric is a Sofia The First character so that's good I guess

They did him dirty here

AND THIS!!!! THIS ABSOLUTELY THIS!!! MY FAVORITE ONE!!!1!1!!!1!1!!1

YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW HOW LOUD I GASPED, WHEN I TELL YOU THAT I ALMOST STARTED JUMPING AND SCREAMING "YIPEE YIPEEE"

I'll translate it to you this time, so you can understand how I'm feeling right now

✨️Translation:✨️

Enchancia Castle

Title: Fraternal Bonds

Before leaving, Aunt Tilly gives her brother a big hug. Which pairs of siblings do you know from Sofia's world? Mark the correct pairs below.

THAT IS SO AAARRRGGGAGGAGAVVSGGSBBAVSGJ💖💖😭💗💞💗💞😭💞😭💗😭💞😭💖💗💖

I KNOW THAT CEDRIC AND SOFIA ARE THE WRONG OPTION, BUT I CAN'T. THAT IS SO CUTE I MIGHT EXPLODE I DON'T KNOW

that's what we had for today, I reached the 10 image per blog limit as always, no one's surprised

[lucysweatslove]

12.2.23 // Oreo’s First Teeth Cleaning and other thoughts

Oreo has his first teeth cleaning on Friday. He’s five, and this is the first year it was recommended by his vet (we asked about it a few years ago, set up an appointment, was told his teeth were so clean and healthy the risk of anesthesia was not worth the cleaning). I was a nervous Nelly all day. My husband called me at 1, just when class was starting, because they had called him. Oreo is apparently really sensitive to anesthesia, which is weird to me because he’s been under twice before (neuter and anal gland removal) and did okay- but I wonder if anesthesia is dosed by weight class? He was ~19 lbs during his neuter and gland removal and is now ~23 lbs.

He struggled when he got home. I was in class and couldn’t leave, so I didn’t get to see the worst of it, but apparently his back legs didn’t work super well, and he just wanted to be swaddled and held like an infant. Husband said he held him and rocked/walked with him for an hour and then held him on the couch until I got home.

He was very clearly hungry and wanted to eat, but since he was intubated and had his teeth scraped at, chewing was hard- and I was worried that dry kibble would scratch up his throat. So I made rice and chicken- which obviously he loved. The problem? The chicken breasts were frozen and HUMONGOUS and took over an hour to cook. After 40 min at 375 my husband took over, and when I saw the chicken my husband deemed “well cooked” it still looked pink to me… we bickered, and ofc nobody could win that argument because we no longer have a meat thermometer (ours was left outside and rusted).

This morning husband informed me that Oreo ate all of his kibble but needed coaxing- I had wanted to keep him in C&R today to support his throat and because he had diarrhea last night and this morning, but apparently husband decided noooo he wanted the chicken for himself… he actually made himself chicken fried rice for dinner. And poor Oreo could smell the chicken and rice and seemed really excited by the smell… so I made the executive decision to give him C&R again.

Well…. Everybody in the family has had multiple bouts of diarrhea since then. 🙃🙃🙃 Ive had it the easiest. I didn’t eat any of the chicken but realized that I failed to wash my hands after feeding Oreo before I ate something myself. It was all a little early for the time frame for the typical chicken bacteria (salmonella, campy, c perfringens) but it’s the only thing we all had contact with… Thankfully both boys are snoring now, but yeah, not a pleasant day. And now I’m having intermittent stabby spleen pain 🙃🙃

On top of all that my skin is flaring again. My legs have some folliculitis that is… quite bad to the point where if it wasn’t focal in the hair follicles I’d be worried for some kind of insect bites. I’m annoyed by all of the recurrent infections.

Anyway, all of that aside, I’m doing okay all things considered. I’ve been playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (fun) and really not studying the way I should be for school… it’s just hard to motivate. I’ve done some reviewing and don’t suspect I’ll fail but definitely checked out for winter break. I’m also torn atm with body stuff. I feel better having put words to the body and gender disconnect, but when it comes to day to day, it’s hard to DO anything about it other than just internally vibe. Idk, maybe I’d feel better if I was more “out,” but I fear others’ reactions might not be neutral to positive. I’m sure most people wouldn’t care at all if they even noticed a pronoun shift, but it’s the not KNOWING how people will react- the ambiguity… like, assuming they’ll all react positively or neutrally is just as egregious in my mind as assuming anybody would react negatively or use it to other me furthers. Especially professionally. I’m like 99% positive nobody in my class would give it a second thought if they even noticed. But I expect negativity as much as I expect positivity from them, and in the greater professional world there is a lot of negativity. Especially about identities like mine- the ones that are borderline, where I’ve somehow simultaneously been othered by both groups of people with normative and groups with divergent experiences.

Tbh I really don’t know what would help me feel more like me and not eat home in my own body. Old ED brain keeps whispering, oh, people will accept you more if you were thin- and then you can express yourself however you want and look okay enough instead of like a Michelin man. Of course I know that if I fed into that, I still probably would never be happy or content.

I’m doing a good job not falling back into disordered eating patterns, but I can’t take full credit for that because tbh I kinda want to, but it always involved more work and time for me (exercise purging, meal planning and prepping, etc). I don’t have the time or executive functioning to make normal easy meals or go to the gym a regular human amount- I def don’t have 3+ hours to go do split sessions at the gym and 3+ hours to craft the “perfect” meal that I can enjoy but not too much and has protein so I can spare muscle and not totally screw myself over…

And that brings up a lot of other feels too, because Like one part of my feels guilty for thinking about heavy restriction and exercise purging at all. But another part feels entirely invalidated because I’m fat now and unable to “willpower” my way into thinness again (like “if I were ever really sick I’d be able to fall back into this without any problems and be totally fine until I got thin again” which has so many layers to dissect…). And another part is just curious, is it possible to become thin and not hate my appearance without falling into ED world? And aaaannoootthhherr part is curious what others would notice- if anything at all- if I did slip back into ED brain considering how it took YEARS to get anybody to see it was a problem the first time around.

Also can we talk about the time patterns? Because I always get worse in the winter, which screams of SAD, but actually I see two other factors for winter pattern. One, memories (SA, friend’s suicide). Two, I hate how my body looks in winter clothes (Michelin man effect every time I try to wear a sweater lol). There is always the underlying belief that people will like me more if I’m thinner/I’ll be better able to make friends/etc. But during the winter, it’s compounded with memories of the assault, remembering how alone I was, the loss of the one person who was nice… and then all wrapped up in a bow of feeling like I absolutely cannot in any way express myself because winter clothes never feel like me.

But… yeah, all of that aside I’m actually doing okay. I’m holding up. Still eating. I think in my head as long as I’m still eating salad kits with the full fat dressing I’m fine 😅 I’ve had periods of time where I’m like “oh but I could cut so many calories if I swap to Walden farms” and then I’m like “yeah and lose out on 95% of the joy of a salad… “ I’m eating vegetables now when historically they’ve been a punishment, I’ll take the win.

[anonsally]

Ineptitude in the kitchen: Muffins

A friend gave me some Hachiya persimmons from her tree. That’s the kind that has to get super soft to be ripe and edible (you shouldn’t eat one until it feels sort of like a water balloon). Now, I don’t really like persimmons anyway--I prefer fruits to have a little bit of tartness to them--and there’s no way this kind of persimmon is going to be compatible with my texture issues, so I decided to make them into muffins.

As you can tell from the title of this post, it didn’t go very well.

I’ve never made persimmon muffins before. Also, I mostly haven’t baked things that require flour since Wife moved in with me, because she can’t have gluten. My cousin (who also doesn’t eat gluten) had mentioned that she just substitutes gluten-free flour in recipes and it works fine. So I bought some all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour that claimed to be usable that way. 

And maybe it would’ve normally worked fine. However, the baking soda had expired in early 2020. So I should have used more of it (or, better still, bought a new package of it). (Wife also mentioned afterwards that because of the lack of protein in gluten-free flour, maybe I needed to increase the number of eggs.) 

I scooped the goopy flesh out of the persimmons and pureed it, and mixed the dry ingredients (which included cinnamon and ginger), and Wife melted the butter and broke the eggs for me and we mixed everything together as instructed. We also added fresh cranberries, figuring that their tartness would help balance the sweetness, and also this would conveniently make a dent in the oversupply of cranberries from Thanksgiving. 

We filled the muffin tin and put it in the oven. The recipe said “bake for 15 mins until golden and risen and a skewer or toothpick inserted comes out clean”.

After 15 minutes, they had risen a little, but they completely failed the toothpick test, so I put them back in the oven for, I think, another 7 minutes.

At that point, they still didn’t really pass the toothpick test, so I left them in at least another 5 minutes, but probably closer to 10. So they’d definitely been in the oven about twice as long as the recipe said.

At that point, they were sort of golden, and toothpick came out with a few crumbs on it and I decided that was probably close enough.

Spoiler: it wasn’t.

After they’d cooled for about 30-40 minutes, we tasted them. The tops were delicious, but they were really completely uncooked on the inside. They likely hadn’t risen as much as they should’ve due to the old baking powder, which meant there wasn’t enough air inside to cook the batter.

Wife covered them in foil and we put them back in the oven at a lower temperature, for fully a half hour. 

(While they were in the oven, I took the uncooked bits of the ones we’d tasted, and fried them in a pan, flattening them to try to get them to cook all the way through. This took longer than you might expect, and they tasted okay but not fantastic.)

Then I took the foil off the ones in the oven and let them bake for another 20 minutes. 

At this point we are up to at least 1.5 hours of baking for a thing that should have been ready in 15 minutes. 

I took them out. The toothpick came out clean.

I let them cool. 

Wife tried another one. It was still uncooked on the inside. She ate the top of that one, and the tops of two others.

Meanwhile I put the rest back in the oven with some foil resting on top for some amount of time (forgot to turn on a timer).

And then another 10 minutes after that, without the foil. I suspect they have spent at least 2 hours in the oven, though not uninterruptedly.

The insides are still not cooked.

I give up.

The tops taste good, but this was a lot of effort put in for not very much edible output. 

Tomorrow this might feel more like a funny story, but right now I just feel like a failure.

[hojichasunrise]

I'm suffering severe anxiety and burnout because of RTO. I would be thriving if this was remote or at least hybrid. Instead I am on the verge of death. And for what? RTO benefits no one and makes employees resentful and want to quit. Yet they keep mindlessly cramming RTO down our throats.

I hate my field and only went into it because it is remote capable. Now I am miserable in a cubicle on my phone killing time 5 hours a day because I only have 3 hours of work (and no one can honestly do actual work 8 hours a day, everyone is and always has screwed around to waste hours, because we are human and not labor robots.) My coworkers stand around and gossip about football 3 hours a day or more. They are never at their desks, they are always huddled up cooing over sportsball. And they are middle aged men. This is NOT me being lazy, it is simple reality. Imagine if they just admitted it and shortened the workday to 5 or 6 hours. Half our medical issues would disappear overnight from the abatement of stress and the ability to get sufficient sleep and exercise and time to cook to eat healthy. But no! We all have to play the 40 hour charade. Because that is what some asshole 100 years ago decided.

My work quality would be better and I wouldnt be getting in trouble if they just let me wfh. But they don't. I have so much anxiety and dread trying to force myself out the door in the morning that I often get in 10 min late, so I get reprimanded... But if they let me wfh I would be on time 100% of the time. So does punctuality matter or doesn't it? Everything is a 1 way street and like trying to reason with a brick wall. If punctuality really does matter let me wfh. If they don't concede that it feels hypocritical to punish me for a problem they caused and have the power to solve, but they won't give us this one single concession.

Benefits are gone, pay is crap--wfh was the only thing we had, and they took it away just to be petty and lord over us about how powerless we are. Employers are making work harder than it has to be and everyone suffers. Not to mention the recruiting process is god damned hell. Ghost jobs?!?!??! What psychopath comes up with that. These fucking employers need to be put against a wall. With all the other shit--unaffordable education, sky high insane job application requirements, insane competition with hundreds of applications for every job opening, garbage pay, slashed benefits, zero stability, hours creep from 9-5 to 8-5... what the fuck are they offering?

Now I can't even cry in the privacy of my own home, I am forced into a godforsaken miserable office.

Cost of living has doubled in 5 years and jobs respond by paying LESS. The same position pays less now than it did in 2015-2018. But rent is double. And now employers are actively colluding to suppress wages--in every industry. They are not even hiding it, they admit it. I am tired of being fucked over.

man FUCK work-life balance. work should not be this central to our lives. the idea that we're meant to perfectly balance equal parts Work and Everything Else is so so dismal

[boombox-fuckboy]

Hello! Love your blog! I find so many great podcasts from it. Hope it’s not rude of me to ask (don’t feel like you have to answer if you don’t want to) but would you have an comedy podcast recommendations? Preferably longer ones? I listen to podcasts at work most of the day and go through so many so quickly. Thank you in advance! And again, great blog, you’re one of my favorites!

This is such a sweet message, thank you ever so much! It's not rude at all, I'm always open to giving recs, as it is both as a way to shout out underappreciated productions and to ramble about my interests. Comedy is not my strong point but I do have a few!

Longer:

Arden

Fictional "true crime" podcast hosted by an investigative journalist and a detective, but each case/season is based on Shakespere plays. Very funny, two seasons of 12 and 8 episodes of roughly an hour each, with some bonus episodes. Well written and professionally made, also queer which is always a bonus.

Dispatches from the Multiverse

I've actually not finished this one but it is a long-running improv comedy about a guy who accidentally makes an interdimentional portal device and always meets some version of his room-mate Wilson on the other side. Creative and wacky, also some episodes include their kids and it's super cute to listen to these dads let their kids take the lead and just play pretend with them. 166 episodes of about 30 mins each.

Less is Morgue

A Ghost and a Ghoul host a podcast about literally whatever they feel like out of the ghoul's mother's basement. This one gets a little gorey at times but it is fun. 31 episodes of ~30 mins each

Life with Althaar

Sci-fi comedy with 28 LONG (like, 1-3 hours, usually about 1½-2 hours long) episodes and airing it's final season, so, loads of content. A human handyman rents out a cheap room on a station with an alien room-mate. Said room-mate is polite, considerate, all round charming and kind, but a species which causes humans deep panic at the mere sight of them. Really well made, full cast, original music features, great worldbuilding, a hidden gem for sure.

The Amelia Project

Interviews from an organisation which helps people fake their own deaths. Absolutely wacky, it starts out wild and only gets more so. Great voicework, clean and professional sound, never a dull moment. The episodes aren't too long but there are a fair number of them. 41 episodes of about 30 mins each plus a bunch of minisodes.

We Fix Space Junk

Sci-fi comedy about an intergalactic repairwoman, tired AI, and her fugitive assistant as they travel at the behest of the company they are in debt to, completing various strange tasks and odd jobs. Surprised in hindsight how long it took me to listen to this one, I'm a big fan. 3 seasons of 8 20-30 min episodes each, plus loads of minisodes.

Wooden Overcoats

Two siblings run the only funeral home on a small island in the English channel. Not very well, but that's okay if you're the only one. So, what happens when competition moves in? Energetic, classic british comedy vibe, really well made. 3 seasons of 8 episodes each, ~30 mins each plus hour-long finales, and loads of minisodes.

Shorter:

Alba Salix, Royal Physician/The Axe and Crown

High Fantasy Comedy! I'm admittedly not the biggest Alba Salix fan but I do love Axe and Crown, which is in the Alba Salix feed. Alba Salix is about the royal physician, and her assistants, a fairy trying her best, and an unruly young human monk. Axe and Crown is about a troll who runs a tavern and his overenthusiastic new landlord. Alba Salix has 12 episodes of 30-40 mins each, Axe and Crown has 18 episodes of 10-20 mins. There are a bunch of bonus minisodes.

Burst

Tales of the staff running a bubble tea shop on a space station. The audio is a little rough but it's fun, light-hearted, and feel-good. 20 episodes of ~10 mins each

Elaine's Cooking for the Soul

Post-apocalyptic dystopian cooking show hosted by a dentist from her office. Really fun, and the recipes are all stuff that's easy to make at home with long-lasting, cheap ingredients. Wacky concept but I do adore this podcast. 13 episodes of 15-20 mins each.

Forgive Me!

A young priest takes over confessional in a small town (or village maybe) after the village priest has a heart attack. The villagers have some very strange things to confess to. Didn't think catholic comedy would be my thing but it's very fun and silly and despite the format and setting doesn't feel too religious. The audio is clean and uncomplicated, the writing and acting are very charming. 6 episodes of ~20 mins each.

Haunted House Flippers

A couple inherits an apparently haunted house and decides to fix it up. This one's interesting because it feels a bit het-couple Adam Sandler movie at first but becomes an increasingly more charming story about a bi buff metalhead forensic scientist and her tiny well-meaning idiot ghosthunter husband who are both weird and very supportive of eachother. 17 episodes between 5 and 40 mins in length but normally about 25.

InkWyrm

Slow burn lesbian romance and a sci-fi comedy. Lots of people describe it as The Devil Wears Prada but gay and in space, about an AI specialist who also becomes the assistant to an intergalactic fashion magazine. The audio is not the best (they're highschool students so I am unbothered) but some of the funniest writing I've encountered. Not that short tbh. 27 episodes of ~15-20 mins each.

Murray Mysteries

Modern, very queer and remarkably faithful comedy retelling of Dracula. Very well made and written and it does such a fun job of all the characters and translating them to a modern setting. 22 episodes of 5-10 mins each.

The Vanishing Act

Set around the 1930s following a German playwright's obsession with the final trick of a 200-year-dead french magician. Self-described "globetrotting farce", 10 episodes of about an hour each.

Wizard Seeking Wizard

Short show long episodes. Wizards send in their bios and what sort of relationship they are looking for, and the audience votes to see who goes on a wizard date the next episode. It's great fun, very original and creative. 8 episodes of ~40 mins each

Hope you find something here you enjoy!

[clementinesjourney]

Record Shop Funk - Pt. 1 Like real people do

A.N. : Hey guys, so i had this idea yesterday, and i really hope you'll like it. <3

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

Words: 1,9k

Pairing: camboy!Steve x Reader, roommate!Bucky x reader, Stucky x reader (as the story goes)

Warnings: nothing yet :)

Summary: Who knew that having a secret crush, then a hearbreak will end in such a sweet thing..

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

You and Bucky shared an apartment above the recordshop you both worked in. Your aunt was the owner of both, so it was a fairly good payment, and a fairly good apartment for a cheap price. It was a bright and big apartment with two bedrooms, so your decided to rent it out, all while searching for a helper to the shop downstairs. When Bucky came in applying for the job, you asked out of joke if he needs a place to live since you had seen around 5 people already and none of them felt right. His eyes lit up as he said he is in fact looking for a place. Since he was fitting for a job, and looked like a decent guy, you congratulated him on his new job, and asked if he wants to see the place today. You still had one and a half hour to close, but after it you would gladly show him the apartment.

He had nothing better to do, so he agreed to it, feeling happy about having a job he might actually like and a coworker he might actually will get along with.

-Do you drink coffee? I was thinking of getting one in the meantime. My friend works close by, and they make the best coffee in town. - He asked.

-I could go for one thank you - you smiled at him - iced cold-brew, no sugar, i'm sweet enough.. - you said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back at the joke. When he arrived at the café, he saw his friend Steve flirting with a girl whom he could visibly see trembling just cause he talked to her. Steve always had his way with girls, ever since the serum of course. After he broke up with Peggy, it was mostly just hookups, never finding a girl worth keeping around. Not as if they werent kind, pretty or good to him, it just never felt right. Bucky smiled at his friend, Steve immediately shifted his gaze from the girl, to a very happy Bucky.

-Did you get the job?

-Better.. I got the job, and she has a room for rent which i'll see tonight.

-Wow Bucky, i didn't know you were even better then i am.. sooo how does she look? - asked Steve with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. He wanted Bucky to get a girl since ages and hearing this, his mind immediately ventured there.

-5'7, ginger, green eyes, freckles, curvy just the right places. why?

-Nothing Buck.. nothing.. - Steve said smirking at his friend.. Bucky never realized when he liked a girl, so he never really acted on it. He last had a woman back in the 40's.

-Sooo i know you didn't come to have chat with me, one black coffee and.. ?

-ah, iced cold-brew, no sugar..

After paying for the coffee, he hurried back to the shop, hoping to get to know his coworker a little bit better.

You thanked him for the coffee, and when you tried to pay, he refused.

-Next round's mine then. - You smiled at him with your 1000 watt smile, which again he couldn't help but smile back at.

-So tell me about you Bucky, what do you do in your freetime?

-Nothing really, just reading, spending time with my friends, kind of thats it.. I have a boring life really. What about you?

-Well, i work here, then i go home and listen to music, cook, god i love to cook, thats a big pro for the apartment.. just saying. - you said with a playful wink. - besides that nothing much. Sometimes i go to a nearby bar with my friends maybe concerts and thats it.

-I like washing dishes if that helps with the application for the room. - he said with a shy laugh which made your heart skip a beat.

- It sure does.. Do you leave your stuff around?

-No i'm a tidy person.. thank you very much. - he said cockily (just for the sake of being funny really).

-Okay okay, if you like it you can have the room, just promise to tell if you bring up a girl so i can leave. The walls are kind of thin.

-It's okay, i don't really...

-Oh um i'm sorry, i didn't meant to intrude, it just something i would really like everyone to add to their rental contracts. - you chuckled embarassed.

-Noo no, it's okay, i'm not embarassed by it. I guess i don't want hook ups, if one day there's someone i'll tell in advance.

-yea me too, i promise. If you end up renting it anyway haha. on that note it's time to close so i can show the room in a min.

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

When you opened the door to the apartment Buckyquietly took in it all. It was really bright, white walls with paintings all over the walls, plants in every corner or shelf you can put one on, a comfy looking mustard couch, aztec-y rug under the coffeetable, and a wall fully shelved, filled with books and little trinkets, it looked like a home he never had a chance to have. The livingroom had an american kitchen on the side, island in the middle of the kitchen area, it was white, and blue which reminded him of greece, down the hallway you showed him the bathroom which of course had a lot of plants that liked the atmosphere of a bathroom, a shower in the corner and a bathtub under the window. You then showed the empty room he could rent out. It only had a shelf and a wardrobe, and a queen sized bed. No decorations, no signs of anybody ever living there. You then pointed to the room the opposit of what could possibly be Bucky's in the future, saying that is yours. You didn't show your room, he wasn't gonna go in there anyway, and showing your most private space on the first day didn't seem like a good idea either. You then invited him out to the balcony, watching the setting sun, smoking a cigarette.

-So thats about it, what do you think?

-I really like it, and i mean.. my workplace is pretty close so thats a plus, also you said something about cooking all the time.. sooo if it's alright with you i would love to rent it out.

-It's settled then roomie. I'll give you the keys, you can move in whenever you want to. Tomorrow we are closed, so maybe that would be ideal.

-Yea, then tomorrow it is then. I'll ask my friend to help, then we can maybe hang a bit if you're free.

-Sure, i have nothing planned, and it's good to know who i'll be living with. - you said with a smile.

Before closing the door, you said your goodbyes, and you realized what did you just do, after he wished you good night with a killer halfsmile that almost had your knees buckle. You just agreed to living together with possibly the most handsome man you've ever seen who is also your new coworker, so you will basically spend most of your time with him.. Guess we'll see how this goes you thought to yourself.

Morning came soon enough, you were sitting out on the balcony when you saw Bucky arrive with a very tall, just as handsome man, carrying boxes of books, and bags of clothing. Bucky looked up at the balcony, waving towards you, you waved back, then moved to open the front door before going back out to the balcony, resuming your coffee and smoke.

When they finished bringing all Bucky's stuff in, it was already midday, so you decided you'd order pizza for all of you, as in like a welcome present.

-Hey guys, i'm thinking of ordering pizza, what kind would you like?

-Oh (y/n) you don't have to. - said Bucky, earning a smirk from Steve as he looked back and forth between you two.

- Noo i insist, today won't be the day i'll start to slowly kill you with my cooking. - you said giggling a bit.

- Whatever's fine peach. - said Steve with a wink, that you decided was just out of friendlyness. You didn't veen knew his name, and he seemed like a lady's man anyways. Not really your type no matter how handsome and muscular he is.

- Steve, by the way, nice to meet you.

-(Y/n), likewise. - you shook his hand.

When the pizzas arrived you called them to the kitchen, listening to all their shared stories from their early years. They seemed like really close friends, and genuinely good people. You had a really great time. It was nearly 9 pm when Steve left, for saving a dame from dying cause of boredom he said. You and Bucky chuckled, then he let him out, closing the door, locking it for the night.

-I guess i have some packing to do, so.. good night (y/n).

-Good night Bucky, if you need anything just knock. - you said with a smile, and he couldn't help but smile back. He felt at peace. He had Steve, now he had a job, and a room to make a home of, and you as a new addition. You were so kind, so eager to help if he needed anything, he loved how the scent of raspberries and flowers lingered in the apartment mixed with coffee and cigarette smoke. It seemed to have a calming effect on him.

You heard a soft knock half an hour later. WHen you opened the door you saw a smiling Bucky, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

- Hey, um.. sorry. I forgot i didn't bring a blanket, could i borrow one until i get my own?

-Yea sure, i'll get one in a min. - You said, leaving the door open, letting him see a bit of "you" while you were searching for your spare blanket in your wardrobe. The room really was you. White, with mustardy curtains on the window, plants everywhere, books piled up here and there, a really comfy looking bed, pictures of you and your friends on the walls. And damn, your room smelled even more like you. If he wouldn't pay attention your scent would lure him into your room and never let him leave he thought.

-There you go. - you handed him the blanket smiling.

-Thank you very much.

Then he stood there for a moment drinking in the sight of you in front of him. You were wearing an oversized tshirt, that ended just around the middle of your thighs, hair in a messy bun, no makeup. He could swear he thought you were pretty before, but seeing you as you were made him fancy you even more.

With a small smile you told him goodnight again, then closed the door in his face.

You could hear his little laugh on the other side of the door, then his door closing. For the first time in months he didn't wake up in the middle of the night, and he didn't had a nightmare either. He was afraid he would, and then he would wake you up with his screaming, but looks like the blanket which smelled just like you calmed him enough.

After waking up because the rays of sunshine on his face, he smiled to himself guess i'll wait with getting my own blanket then...

[homehaps1]

7 Comforting Dinner Recipes For Fall

Now that we have come into fall it’s time to start thinking about those comforting dinner recipes. Snuggling up on the couch with a nice bowl of hot soup and your favorite movie just sounds like the perfect fall night. So in honor of the autumn season we’ve rounded up our top ten favorite comforting dinner recipes for fall. So grab your coffee or tea, a pen and paper and start getting those grocery lists together! 

Pumpkin Turkey Chili (Slow Cooker)

Pumpkin chili is a staple during the fall season. Not only is it super comforting, delicious and easy to make but it’s perfect for making ahead of time and freezing. This is one dinner you and your family will want several times a week!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil (for cooking)

1.5 lbs Ground Turkey 

1 Onion, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1-2 Jalapenos (depending on how spicy you want it)

3 Anaheim or Poblano Peppers

1 Tsp Chili Powder or to taste

1 Pinch Mexican Oregano 

1 Tsp Ground Cloves

1 - 15 oz Can Pumpkin Puree

2 Bay Leaves

2 - 15 oz Cans of any type of White Beans

2 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Bunch of Cilantro

Salt to taste

Sour Cream (for topping)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F or use the broiler setting on your oven.

Place the jalapeño and poblano peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Broil until you start to see char, then flip. Keep flipping the peppers until all sides are charred. Once they are done, pull them out of the oven and place each pepper inside of a plastic bag and let steam for about 5 minutes. 

In the meantime, chop the onions and garlic and sauté until fully translucent, about 3-5 minutes.

Next add in the ground turkey, season with a little salt and pepper and cook until browned, but not fully cooked. You should still see some pink left over. 

Once the turkey is browned, pour the turkey and onion mixture into your slow cooker.

Take the peppers out of the bag, peel the skin off of them. Be careful, they’ll be pretty hot. After taking the skin off, cut off the stem, cut them open long ways and gently scrape out the seeds.

Cut the peppers in medium size pieces and place in the slow cooker with the turkey mixture.

Next drain one can of beans and pour both cans into the slow cooker. 

Then mince the cilantro and put half of it into the slow cooker. Pour in the pumpkin puree, add the chili powder, mexican oregano, cloves, a little bit of salt (you can add more in the last 30 minutes), bay leaves and the chicken broth. 

Give it a stir. Set to low and cook for 8 hours or 4 hours on high.

During the last 30 minutes, give it a stir and taste test. If you feel you need a little more salt, add the desired amount and let cook for the remaining time.

Once done, let cool for about 10 minutes and serve with some cilantro on top and a dollop of sour cream!

Guinness Beef Stew

A hearty beef stew served with a side of buttery mashed potatoes, how much more comforting can you get than that! This beef stew will warm your belly on a rainy fall day and let’s just say after tasting a bite there won’t be any leftovers.

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2.5 lbs boneless chuck roast or cubed stew meat

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, diced

5 slices bacon

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 14.9 oz can Guinness or your favorite dark beer

4 tbsp Tomato paste

3 cups chicken broth

3 carrots, peeled and cut

2 celery stalks, cut

3 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

3 carrots

salt and pepper

Instructions:

Prepare a baking sheet or plate with paper towels. Cube the meat into 2 inch pieces and trim most of the fat, some fat is ok. 

Place the meat on the baking sheet and pat dry. Season well with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven on high heat. Brown the meat in batches, set aside onto a baking sheet or plate and repeat.

Lower the heat to medium and add oil if the pot looks dry.

Next, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook them until translucent. Once fully cooked add in the bacon and cook until browned.

Cut the carrot into thick coins, cutting the large pieces in half and cut the celery in slices. Stir the carrot and celery in with the onion and bacon mixture, cook for 1-2 mins. 

Add in the flour and cook it out for about a minute. Then slowly pour in the Guinness, stirring into the flour until fully dissolved and there are no lumps. Stir in the chicken broth and tomato paste and add the thyme (without the stems) and bay leaves.

Add the meat back into the pot and give it a stir. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Once finished adjust the seasoning to your liking and serve with your favorite mashed potatoes!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

What speaks fall more than a butternut squash soup? This perfectly nutty soup will have you and your family all warmed up and cozy. Not to mention this soup is super easy to make and can be made ahead of time. Serve it as a main dish, side or appetizer! 

Ingredients:

1 lb Butternut Squash (about 1 large)

1 lb Acorn Squash (about 2 large)

1 Medium White Onion

2 Cups of Chicken Broth or more depending on the thickness

1 Cup Coconut Milk

Dash of Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

Pepitas for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and drizzle olive oil over it. Cut the squashes in half, remove the seeds and place them flat side down. Rub each flat side of the on the baking sheet to cover with olive oil. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until tender with a fork.

In the meantime, dice the onion and cook in a large pot over medium heat until fully translucent. 

Once the squash is done, let it cool for about 10-15 minutes. Then scrape the squash off of the skin and place it in the pot with the onions.

Add ¾ of a cup of the coconut milk and the chicken broth to the pot and stir. 

With an immersion blender, blend the squash, onions, coconut milk and 1 cup of chicken broth until smooth. Add more chicken broth to thin it out as needed. 

Next season it with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Serve with a swirl of coconut milk and top it with a few pepitas!

Stuffed Acorn Squash (serves 4)

Stuffed acorn squash is one of those fall recipes that was made for a busy day. With a total time of about 45 minutes and hardly any prep work, you’ll be able to come home and whip this up in no time, all while it tastes like it took hours to make! It’s like the fall version of sloppy joes, but better.

1-2 Acorn Squashes

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 Small Onion, diced

Small Pkg. Whole Mushrooms, quartered

8oz Cooked Chestnuts, diced

1 Medium Apple, diced

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp Cloves

1 Tsp Onion Powder

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: Sour cream or Turkey Gravy 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degree F and line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle olive oil over the top. Cut the squashes in half, remove the seeds and place them flat side down. Rub each flat side of the on the baking sheet to cover with olive oil. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until fork tender.

In the meantime, place the onion into a large deep skillet pan or pot and cook until translucent. 

Add the apples and cook until soft, then add the mushrooms and diced chestnuts and cook for about 5 minutes. 

Next add the turkey and break apart the meat until fully browned. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir. Cook until the turkey is fully cooked

Once the squash is done, place each one in a bowl and add the meat mixture to each one. 

Top with sour cream or gravy and enjoy!

Roasted Corn Chowder

If you’re looking for a comforting creamy soup with a kick, you’ll love this Roasted Corn Chowder soup. It’s a bit spicy so if you don’t like spice, we suggest omitting the jalapeño. Either way you have it, it’s a perfectly delicious and creamy soup!

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

5 Slices of Bacon

1 White Onion, diced

1-2 Jalapeños (depending on your spice level)

2 Poblano or Anaheim Chiles

26 oz Frozen Corn

½ + ⅛ Cups All Purpose Flour

5 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 Cups Water

½ Pint Heavy Cream

1 Cup 2% Milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F or use the broiler setting on your oven.

Place the jalapeño and poblano peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Broil until you start to see char, then flip. Keep flipping the peppers until all sides are charred. Once they are done, pull them out of the oven and place each pepper inside of a plastic bag and let steam for about 5 minutes. 

Take the peppers out of the bag, peel the skin off of them. Be careful, they’ll be pretty hot. After taking the skin off, cut off the stem, cut them open long ways and gently scrape out the seeds.

Cut the peppers in small size pieces and set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. In the meantime slice the bacon into half inch pieces. Add the bacon to the pot and cook until crispy.

Dice the onion and remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon. Lower the heat to medium low and add the onion to the pot and cook until translucent. 

 Once translucent, add in the corn and slightly roast until color appears on  the kernels.

Next add in the diced peppers. 

Sprinkle flour over the corn mixture and give it a stir. Let it cook for about a minute, then slowly mix in the chicken broth. After it is fully incorporated, add in the water, heavy cream, milk and cooked bacon. Taste and add salt as needed.

Raise heat to bring to a simmer and cook until thickened. About 30 minutes to an hour. 

Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

A meal that was made for warming your belly and comforting your heart! This creamy chicken pot pie with a buttery, flaky crust is perfect for a cold rainy day.

Pie Crust:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour + 1 Tbsp for rolling

1 Cup Cold Unsalted Butter, cubed

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

6-8 Tbsp Ice Water

Chicken Pot Pie Filling:

⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter

⅓ Cup All Purpose Flour

⅓ Cup White Onion, diced

⅓ Cup Celery

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 ¾ Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth

⅔ Cup Whole Milk

2 Cups Cooked Chicken, cubed

1 ¼ Cups Peas

1 ¼ Cups Carrots, cubed

Pie Dough Instructions:

To start off, start by making the crust. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Next, pour it into a large food processor or keep it in the bowl if you do not have one. 

Add half of the cold butter into the food processor and pulse until the largest butter pieces are about the size of a pea. If you are mixing by hand, use a dough cutter or potato masher and mash and mix until the largest butter pieces are about the size of a pea. Then add the next half of the butter and repeat the process.

Now pour in 4 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse or mix until just incorporated. If the dough is still dry add in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing each time until it is just incorporated. You can tell the dough is done by pressing it together to see if it holds together.

Pour the dough onto a clean flowered surface and combine into one dough. Cut it into two equal disks and quickly knead them both into a flat disk. Sprinkle the top of each disk with flour and wrap with plastic wrap. 

Place them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Filling Instructions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, add the diced onions, celery and carrot and cook until translucent and soft.

Next add in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly mix in the chicken broth until fully incorporated, then add in the milk, salt and pepper. Add in the chicken and peas and let simmer until thickened, stirring frequently. 

Once the filling is done, set aside and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

Roll out your two disks of pie dough and place in a 9 inch glass pie dish. 

Next, place the filling in the dish with the dough and top with the second rolled out dough. 

Crimp the edges with your fingers on the edge of the pie dish. Cut 3 slits into the top of the dough in the middle

Mix 1 egg in a cup or bowl and lightly brush on the top of the dough. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the crust has become golden brown.

Next, remove from the oven and serve!

Roasted Fall Veggie Salad

Salad may not seem like a very comforting meal, however this salad isn’t just any salad… it’s a salad made with all of those fall veggies. Warm roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brussel sprouts and beets placed over a bed of lettuce with some bleu cheese and dried cranberries makes this salad super comforting and satisfying!

16 oz Spring Mix Salad Mix

1 Sweet Potato

1 Butternut Squash

3-4 Medium Sized Beets

1 lb Brussel Sprouts 

1 Hard Boiled egg for each salad

Bleu Cheese Dressing

Dried Cranberries, for topping

Pepitas, for topping

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with foil.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and beets into medium sized pieces. Wash the brussel sprouts, cut the stems off and cut in half. 

Place the veggies on the baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top of them. Season with salt and pepper and mix them until fully coated. Spread them out evenly on the pan and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Next, boil the eggs and prep the salad bowls. 

Once the veggies are done, pull them out of the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Cut the eggs in cubes and assemble the salads with the veggies, eggs, bleu cheese, cranberries and pepitas.

And Viola! A delicious roasted fall veggie salad!

With these comforting recipes for fall, you’ll be ready to cozy up and watch your favorite movie with a comforting meal in no time! 

[doberbutts]

In a seperate mixing bowl (I use a liquid measuring cup): 1 cup warm water, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons active dry yeast. Stir and let sit at least 5 min for yeast to bloom. Though I wait until the foam's almost to the top of my 2 cup measuring cup.

In a big mixing bowl: 4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder. You also want to add in about 3/4 cup eggs. Now I wanted that yellow color which comes from the yolks so I did 6 egg yolks and a little bit of white, whisked together in a liquid measuring cup, before pouring it into my mixture. The remaining whites I used for my breakfast this morning :) you want to save a little bit of the whites and add some water and whisk together until a little frothy, like soap

Add bloomed yeast. I also scrape all of the foam and cloudy stuff into the mixture.

Combine however works best for you. I don't have a dough hook on my mixer so I use a baking spatula to initially combine and then my hands for the rest. Add flour as necessary to keep it from being too sticky. Slowly incorporate an entire stick of softened, but not melted, butter.

Once that's all combined and you have a dough ball, knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and stretchy with no lumps or hard spots.

Put a little vegetable or canola oil into your bowl with the dough in it. Cover with a wet paper towel, and then a wet tea towel overtop that. Let rise until doubled in size- it took about an hour.

Onto a prepared surface, dump the risen dough out of the bowl and portion as needed. Roll dough flat with a rolling pin. I have an asian style rolling pin that has little silicone stoppers to determine how thick I want my dough, I used the thinnest option here.

Brush some of that frothy egg white onto the surface of your dough. Sprinkle on brown sugar, cinnamon, and white sugar in enough quantity that you can't see the dough underneath, but not heaps and heaps and heaps of it. I know this is very non-specific but I didn't measure, I just did it by feel lmao. Starting on one end, roll the dough as a spiral until you're left with a tube.

Get your bread pan and a paper towel. Put some cooking oil (I use canola) on the paper towel and then rub that into the sides and bottom of your bread pan. Sprinkle some powdered sugar onto the oiled bits, discard the excess.

Stick dough tube into bread pan! If you made it too long, cut your tube down to size. (you can put the extras in a different pan to combine if you made enough to make TWO loaves, or you can put them in a muffin tin and make Cinnamon Roll Muffins which are also good). Cover once again with a wet paper towel and a wet tea towel. Wait until it's doubled in size. This time, that took about 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. Use the last of that frothy egg white mixture to brush over the top of the tube. Sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon. Pop in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes.

While that's baking, melt a half stick of butter in a pot on the stove. Once melted, remove from heat, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract as well as however much powdered sugar it takes to be fully combined (this amount can change based on how much vanilla you added and the general humidity of your house/kitchen). Then add just enough hot water to turn it a more watery consistency, perfect for drizzling. You can add maple syrup somewhere in there if you want more of a "fall flavor". Sometimes I'll melt a couple vegan white chocolate chips into it if I'm feeling fancy.

When the loaf comes out of the oven, drizzle your icing over the top. Wait for the loaf to cool down and then enjoy. It should be nicely carmelized on the sizes and bottom, crispy on the top, and taste of cinnamony sugar goodness while you eat.

I think I've finally perfected this bread.

[losingmyreligi0n]

I posted 11,509 times in 2021

881 posts created (8%)

10628 posts reblogged (92%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 12.1 posts.

I added 1,566 tags in 2021

#asks - 355 posts

#twi answers - 352 posts

#twinking - 182 posts

#twi's phaltugiri - 135 posts

#kansha💕 - 118 posts

#art - 114 posts

#important - 90 posts

#tw caps - 84 posts

#yes - 70 posts

#wow - 66 posts

Longest Tag: 117 characters

#like that horrifying accent y’all see in characters in movies played by.....dun dun dun you guessed it! north indians

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Some of y’all have never been told to stand outside of class and it shows

154 notes • Posted 2021-07-30 14:36:00 GMT

#4

Hi! If you get this, answer with three random things about yourself and send this to the last seven blogs in your notifications – Anonymously or not! Let’s get to know the person behind the blog! :)

ummmmmm

1) I like to cook!

2) I like to annoy people

3) im obsessed with r&b-neosoul-jazzy music

thank you for the ask bestie!

tagging: @i-wanna-b-yours @scintillatea @nerdyfuntheorist @dilruba-is-a-pattagobi @booksarealwaysbettersworlds-blog @thetoddanderson @jugn00 no pwessure uwu

158 notes • Posted 2021-06-25 08:18:10 GMT

#3

hiii people of tumblr

do you wish to look at my 'idk what to call this but ig people call it art'

this took me like 40 mins or something ok thanks for looking bye!

@glitter-and-popcorn @booksarealwaysbettersworlds-blog @mellifluous-cosmos

160 notes • Posted 2021-06-14 13:50:34 GMT

#2

guys

new art

this is hihi gadid, everyone.

<Gigi Hadid for Jaquemus, wearing look 61, fall-winter 2020>

[light-pose-anatomy study; took me approximately 3 hours]

176 notes • Posted 2021-08-16 16:17:47 GMT

#1

why don't I get those kinda asks where its a simple question and I give sassy or edge-lordy answers and the post gets like a bajillion notes???

512 notes • Posted 2021-05-23 14:34:54 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

@candyflosskid you're in my top 5 used tags bestie hi

[misslisterkeepsajournal]

1831 Thursday 29 September

8 35/.. 11 ..

Lay awake from seven imaginary love making to Lady S de R [Stuart de Rothesay]

Fahrenheit 66°. now at 9 1/4 - fine but dull, thickish morning - autumnal - Italian skies would be more smiling - breakfast at 9 40/.. - paid the bill, and out at 10 35/.. - walked along the pleasure walks to the cliffs - very pretty little bay shut in, East, by Ballard hole a large chalk head with a sort of needle rock close a head of it called old Harry, - and West by Peverel point - talking some time to the old artilleryman, 50 years in the service, who lives in the bombproof hut close to the edge of the cliff where there was a battery during the war - and then walking a little westward talking to an old man who was holloing to his son getting stone below at the bottom of the cliff - several boats carrying this stone up to a considerable stone yard in Swanage - too hazy to see Xst.chch. [Christchurch] Tower or distinguish the Isle of Wight - but got peeps of the Xst.chch. [Christchurch] cliffs - the cliffs here to the west very curiously stratified in thin strata stone and clay, looking ribboned - sometimes the strata rather curved?

Old Harry Rocks [Image by John Tomlinson, CC BY-SA 2.0]

Tilly whim a famous quarry going down to the bottom of the cliff 1/2 mile or a mile westward from the battery hut, - but not worked now - the whole of the hill (called Crown down) west close above the town full of quarries belonging to different proprietors - went down into one of the deepest quarries, 110 feet deep - stone dragged up a very steep inclined plane on little sledges by a horse turning a windlass - some very deep, bad, muddy slippery steps alongside the incline - went down them thinking this safer than trusting myself on one of the sledges - went by candle light to the end of the shaft the men were working - they were just gone to dinner - could not stand upright - flat indurated rather shiny dark clay roof - could get at no name for this clay but ceiling - very dry - merely a little moisture in one little spot not enough to drop - the bed of stone here about 2 1/2 feet thick - it is thicker in some of the quarries and there one could stand upright no part of this shaft more if so much as 4 feet high - only 1/4 hour going up and down and being in the bottom - bought a largeish specimen of petrified wood the men had brought up from the bottom - glad to have seen this quarry, tho' finely dirtied in scrambling up and down - the stone is a very fine hard conglomerate of shells so broken and compacted by hard pressure? that no one species is distinct? much great quantities of this stone went to London for paving till they got it to such a price that Yorkshire stone was used instead, and now the London market is almost lost for Purbeck stone-

Very comfortable after all at my little Ship Inn - could have staid another day - off at 11 50/.. - wild, stone walled country - up and down not good road - at 1 1/4 stopt at the gate of Corfe Castle 7 miles from Swanage - Corfe a mere village large handsome enough looking church, but had not time to think of seeing it - found a man waiting to walk about the ruins with me, to explain them as he said - it was in an old gateway, now split in 2, and one 1/2 leaning forward (from Cromwell's mining) that Edward the martyr was said to have been assassinated - in the opposite corner of the castle yard and where we now saw some asses feeding was the stable from which according to my guide Edward was said to have been fetching his horse - 1/2 hour among the ruins - very considerable covering the whole top of the hill - the range of hill abutting on each side of it said to be of the same length - that westward not being 100 yards longer than the other -

Corfe Castle [Image by Tallguyuk - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0]

Asked the guide, a shoemaker, about walking to Lulworth Castle - no carriage road from Corfe - could have a cart - 7 miles - determined to walk and take my man with me - Cameron chose to go - we should have had magnificent sea views had the weather been clear, but too hazy to get more than a peep of the great white fantenil head of the isle of wight, and, could only just distinguish the Xst.chch. [Christchurch] Cliffs and Swanage - ought to have seen all the shipping off Spithead and Xst.chch. [Christchurch] Tower - very fine view of Poole harbour and Brownsea island and the little dots of islands near it, but the town of Poole indistinct - great Orme's head and St. Adlam's race (i.e. St. Aldhelm's head) cross seas there and very dangerous - 1/2 way is Bonn's folly a sort of old gateway that we passed - close to the road and at a distance above Mr. Bonn's house, the Grange, a good looking house, and nice place embossed in wood, at bottom of the valley below us - Mr. Bonn lives by himself said to have no woman to do anything for him but the gardener's wife who cooks and does all - but he has a yatch - not popular, tho' member for corfe? too severe about game, yet willing to screen and help out smugglers -

At 4 1/4 entered Lulworth Castle a square solid mass of building (15 yards square?) between 4 large round towers that seem merely tangents to the 4 corners of the square - a complete basement story projecting 3 or 4 yards all round the castle - good deal of good forest timber about the castle - beautiful peep of the sea thro' a sort a large natural cleft in the cliffs from the dining room windows - large, good house - some handsome rooms furnished at least 1/2 century ago - silk and satin hangings - the duke of Gloucester, Sir Robert Peel, and lastly the French royal family hired the house - the latter much liked - made handsome presents to all the young welds, and gave handsomely over their wages to all employed - very good to the poor - very small scattered village - picturesque little parish protestant church very near the castle - great no. [number] out of every generation religious - priests monks or nuns - 2 of the present Weld's sisters are nuns at Clifton near Bristol -

Lulworth Castle after restoration in the 1970s [Image by Nilfanion - Wikimedia UK, CC BY-SA 4.0]

Cameron tired and thirsty stopt a minute or 2 at the little Inn (Weld's arms) to get her some warm ale to drink - myself took a little warm weak vinegar and water and the guide a pint of ale - 1/2 hour seeing the castle - off from the Inn at 5 - and at the Inn at Wareham (6 1/2 miles good) at 6 40/.. - the latter 2 miles on the great high road from W- [Wareham] to Dorchester (distance between them 16 miles) - from Lulworth to the great Dorchester road at 1st over mooreland a moor, then over recently enclosed land - could see nothing the last 2 miles - and nearly ridden over twice by drunken yeomanry cavalry returning from Mr. Bonns where the Miss Bonns had presented them with their colours and made much admired speeches, and given an elegant cold collation - found many of the corps at the Inn here - each to have a glass of grog at the expense of Mr Bonn? and by and by to have a dinner - their cheering and noise most boisterous while I was at tea from 7 to 7 3/4 -

Then wrote pencil travelling notes of today and settled accounts - came to my room at 8 20/.. 8 1/2 - wrote all the above of today till 10 25/.. - and prepared for my cousin perceived him just gently come at Corfe - great deal of rain during last night  - rain for about 1/2 hour before arriving at Corfe and for a few mins. [minutes] afterwards then cleared and fair (with the exception of a few heavyish drops 1/2 hour from Lulworth and again on leaving the Inn there) all the rest of the afternoon and evening - as we neared Wareham, the road betokened the recent fall of a good deal of rain - Fahrenheit 68°. now at 10 1/2 p.m. the Wareham church clock is this instant striking 11, and at Swanage I was 1/4 hour too late -  

Reference: SH:7/ML/E/14/0123 - SH:7/ML/E/14/0124

[xbreezymeadowsx]

200 Questions

No one asked me to do it but I made @sharpiewashere do it so it’s only fair I suffer through, too.

200: My crush’s name is: Zach because husband but also... Tommy motherfuckin’ Flanagan

199: I was born in: New Hampshire

198: I am really: horny and annoyed

197: My cellphone company is: Verizon

196: My eye color is: Brown

195: My shoe size is: like 10.5W I think.

194: My ring size is: I think it’s a 9.

193: My height is: 5’ 3”

192: I am allergic to: cats and crop dust

191: My 1st car was: old ass shitty Jeep Grand Cherokee

190: My 1st job was: at a stand in a city mall where we had an inflatable slide and two bounces houses and served sno cones, smoothies, and novelty ice creams

189: Last book you read: Fangs by Sarah Andersen

188: My bed is: fuckin’ broken and uncomfortable and clearly not big enough for myself and my bedhog husband.

187: My pet: 1 old black cat.

186: My best friend: Yuki (that bitch is my best best best friend and I miss her to pieces)

185: My favorite shampoo is: Garnier Whole Blends: Honey Treasures

184: Xbox or ps3: Fuck both. Switch.

183: Piggy banks are: cute

182: In my pockets: nada at the moment

181: On my calendar: is scribbles from my kid

180: Marriage is: Don’t marry a redneck!

179: Spongebob can: stop. Give me the early Bob but that’s it.

178: My mom: loves Unicorns

177: The last three songs I bought were? Wap metal version, Room with a Zoo, Shoop

176: Last YouTube video watched: GabSmolders playing Control

175: How many cousins do you have? technically only 2 by blood and actual familial connections. 6 if you count some others. 9 if you count step-cousins.

174: Do you have any siblings? 1 big Seester!

173: Are your parents divorced? Yeah

172: Are you taller than your mom? Maybe? IDK, we’re both shorties

171: Do you play an instrument? sadly, no.

170: What did you do yesterday? Slept and worked

[ I Believe In ]

169: Love at first sight: yes

168: Luck: yes

167: Fate: yes

166: Yourself: HA, you’re funny.

165: Aliens: no

164: Heaven: these are...

163: Hell: ... kinda loaded...

162: God: ... questions

161: Horoscopes: maybe

160: Soul mates: yes

159: Ghosts: yes

158: Gay Marriage: yes

157: War: yes

156: Orbs: yes

155: Magic: yes

[ This or That ]

154: Hugs or Kisses: hugs

153: Drunk or High: unfortunately neither.

152: Phone or Online: online

151: Red heads or Black haired: black

150: Blondes or Brunettes: brunette

149: Hot or cold: cold

148: Summer or winter: winter

147: Autumn or Spring: autumn

146: Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate

145: Night or Day: night

144: Oranges or Apples: apples

143: Curly or Straight hair: straight

142: McDonalds or Burger King: McD’s outta these choices but I’d take Steak’N’Shake over either.

141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: Milk and Dark.

140: Mac or PC: PC

139: Flip flops or high heals: flip flops

138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: Zach can be sweet (he certainly isn’t ugly to look at) and we’re definitely on the poor side.

137: Coke or Pepsi: Pepsi (anybody remember Pepsi Twist? That was the best!)

136: Hillary or Obama: Obama

135: Buried or cremated: Buried I guess. Though, if I’m cremated, my ashes need to be spread in one place and no separating them.

134: Singing or Dancing: singing

133: Coach or Chanel: I am a redneck, these things don’t mean anything to me.

132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: who?

131: Small town or Big city: small town

130: Wal-Mart or Target: Either? I shop Wal-Mart all the time out of convenience but I do like Target

129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: I am overall not a fan of either barring a select couple movies (like Heavyweights and Little Nicky)

128: Manicure or Pedicure: no thanks.

127: East Coast or West Coast: east coast

126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas

125: Chocolate or Flowers: chocolate

124: Disney or Six Flags: Can I go to a Zoo instead?

123: Yankees or Red Sox: I’ll say Sox because New England but I don’t particularly care for baseball.

[ Here’s What I Think About ]

122: War: there’s a time and place

121: George Bush: he’s an idiot?

120: Gay Marriage: yay!

119: The presidential election: tearing families apart because people are stupid and vote for Trump

118: Abortion: this is a bit of a grey area for me. While I firmly believe in “my body, my choice”, I do not accept that argument if you are constantly getting them as if it is a form of birth control. Use proper contraceptives you slut.

117: MySpace: does that even exist anymore?

116: Reality TV: certain ones can assume me.

115: Parents: love them even when you don’t like them.

114: Back stabbers: pussies.

113: Ebay: never used it

112: Facebook: is reserved for pictures of kids, pets, funny videos and memes, and gifs.

111: Work: shitty... literally

110: My Neighbors: I’m just glad they aren’t the cousin-fuckers or the Methicans anymore.

109: Gas Prices: it takes like 20 bucks to fill my tiny car gas tank so whatever.

108: Designer Clothes: never fit me

107: College: didn’t go.

106: Sports: HA. My fat ass play sports? Maybe Badminton or Tetherball but that’s it.

105: My family: lives too far away.

104: The future: needs to be better than now.

[ Last time I ]

103: Hugged someone: like 20 mins ago when my kid was trying to suck up to me to get a sip of my frappe.

102: Last time you ate: two hours ago.

101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: Zane’s first day of school this year. Miss Angie came over to see him off in the morning.

100: Cried in front of someone: probably a few weeks ago.

99: Went to a movie theater: Twilight Breaking Dawn pt 2.

98: Took a vacation: three years ago.

97: Swam in a pool: probably close to 8 or more years ago.

96: Changed a diaper: 4-5 yrs ago.

95: Got my nails done: professionally? never. By Zane? last weekend.

94: Went to a wedding: three years ago.

93: Broke a bone: never. dislocated shit though.

92: Got a piercing: over a decade

91: Broke the law: probably frequently without realizing it.

90: Texted: couple mins ago.

[ MISC ]

89: Who makes you laugh the most: oh I’m a funny bitch

88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: nothing? fuck this house. fuck this town. fuck this state. I wanna go HOME home.

87: The last movie I saw: Smokin’ Aces 2

86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: my nephew’s birth and the vacation we plan to take to see him!

85: The thing i’m not looking forward to: the travel for the vacation stated above.

84: People call me: a lot of things. most of them true.

83: The most difficult thing to do is: wake up

82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: nope

81: My zodiac sign is: Taurus

80: The first person i talked to today was: my husband

79: First time you had a crush: I had a massive crush on Shawn Micheals as a kid.

78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: my Seester

77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: probably someone in the Flanaclan Chapel

76: Right now I am talking to: the Flanaclan on and off

75: What are you going to do when you grow up: I’m supposed to grow up?

74: I have/will get a job: yes

73: Tomorrow: is Halloween

72: Today: I’m horny and annoyed

71: Next Summer: is a long time away

70: Next Weekend: work

69: I have these pets: already answered

68: The worst sound in the world: right now I’d have to say it’s Zane clucking his tongue.

67: The person that makes me cry the most is: myself? or more specifically my anxiety brain.

66: People that make you happy: my Flanaclan friends, my bff, my sister.

65: Last time I cried: a few weeks ago

64: My friends are: on the internet and/or mostly too far away

63: My computer is: a hunk of shit laptop

62: My School: never going ever again.

61: My Car: looks like the car emoji.

60: I lose all respect for people who: beat animals

59: The movie I cried at was: recently? Up

58: Your hair color is: brown

57: TV shows you watch: SOA, SVU, SWAT, wrestling, Wynonna Earp, Van Helsing, Supernatural

56: Favorite web site: tumblr and youtube

55: Your dream vacation: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, all that.

54: The worst pain I was ever in was: dislocating my knee

53: How do you like your steak cooked: med rare

52: My room is: some boring off-white

51: My favorite celebrity is: Tommy Flanagan

50: Where would you like to be: New Hampshire

49: Do you want children: I have 1 and that’s 1 too many.

48: Ever been in love: yup

47: Who’s your best friend: didn’t I already answer this?

46: More guy friends or girl friends: girls nowadays. guys around here suck.

45: One thing that makes you feel great is: reading Chibs fics, staring at Flanagan

44: One person that you wish you could see right now: Flanagan

43: Do you have a 5 year plan: hell no

42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: no

41: Have you pre-named your children: I did not.

40: Last person I got mad at: me

39: I would like to move to: for the millionth time, New Hampshire

38: I wish I was a professional: dog sitter/walker

[ My Favorites ]

37: Candy: Sour Patch Watermelons

36: Vehicle: 90′s Ford Ranger, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, Ford Shelby GT350R 

35: President: certainly not the fuckin’ current one.

34: State visited: Massachusetts

33: Cellphone provider: Verizon

32: Athlete: Aleister Black, Drew McIntyre, Luchasaurus, Sonny Kiss (and fuck you if you try to tell me they aren’t athletes)

31: Actor: Tommy Flanagan

30: Actress: Millie Bobby Brown

29: Singer: Ville Valo

28: Band: HIM

27: Clothing store: don’t care.

26: Grocery store: don’t care.

25: TV show: Law & Order: SVU (as much as I’d love to say SOA, Law & Order was my first real love)

24: Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You

23: Website: tumblr, youtube

22: Animal: dogs, wolves

21: Theme park: Zoos

20: Holiday: Halloween

19: Sport to watch: professional wrestling, football, hockey

18: Sport to play: nothing that requires that much energy

17: Magazine: don’t read them much

16: Book: the House Of Night series and sequel series by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast (I don’t care that I’m probably too old for them now, I love them)

15: Day of the week: Saturday

14: Beach: Hampton Beach, NH

13: Concert attended: 69 Eyes headlined (opening with Night Kills The Day, then Fair To Midland which were fine but also Wednesday 13!!!!!)

12: Thing to cook: fajitas

11: Food: apple fritters/apple cider donuts

10: Restaurant: Panda Express I suppose.

9: Radio station: WGFA

8: Yankee candle scent: Midsummers Night

7: Perfume: don’t wear perfume so much as body spray and it’s usually something like cucumber melon or some baked goods scent.

6: Flower: Tiger Lillies

5: Color: Green- specifically Forest/Hunter

4: Talk show host: idk I used to watch Maury all the time, does that count?

3: Comedian: George Carlin

2: Dog breed: Pittie mixes, mutts, labs, medium to big short haired breeds

1: Did you answer all these truthfully? Yes I did.

[princessspy566]

Hokkaido Bread + Sandwich Fillings

Ingredients (for Bread):

First Proofing:

600 g of bread flour (at least 12~14% protein)

42 g of egg white (approx 4 1/2 tbsp)

7 g of dry yeast (approx 1 1/8 tsp)

168 g of heavy cream (approx 3/4 cup)

190 g of whole milk (approx 3/4 cup)

12 g of unsalted butter, room temperature

18 g of sugar (approx 4 tsp), or 2 tbsp of sweeten condensed milk*

Second Proofing:

7.2 g of salt (approx 1 tsp)

5 g of dry yeast (approx 1 tsp)

90 g of sugar (approx 7 tbsp)

50 g of egg white (approx 5 tbsp)

36 g milk powder (I didn’t add this)

12 g of butter, room temperature

To finish:

40 g of browned butter

sea salt

egg wash

Directions:

Combine heavy cream, whole milk, butter and sugar in a bowl and warm it in the microwave to 110ºF. In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine bread flour, dry yeast, egg white and the warm milk mixture, then knead until smooth on medium speed. You could either now proof the dough in the fridge for 18 to 24 hours, or under room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until doubled. I placed my dough over the warm espresso machine to proof and it took approximately 2 hours for the dough to double.

Once the dough has doubled (or kept in the fridge overnight), take it out of the bowl and punch out the air. Cut the dough into small “bite-size” pieces and return it to the stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the salt, dry yeast, sugar and egg white (save the butter for later) and turn the mixer on medium. Work the dough until it is smooth and elastic (approx 5 min), then add the room temperature butter. Keep the mixer on medium and work the dough for another 3 min. The dough shouldn’t be sticking to the side of the bowl too much. If it does, add another couple tbsp of flour. Then turn the mixer on medium high and work the dough for another 6 to 10 min. The dough should pull away from the mixing bowl and making “slapping sounds” against the bowl.

When you are done, the dough should be in a state where it isn’t too sticky, but just moist and developed enough gluten that you could slowly stretch it into a thin, translucent film without breaking (see the pictures above). Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and let it rest for 15 min if it was proofed under room temperature, OR 30 min if it was kept in the fridge overnight. During this time prepare the browned butter. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot over medium heat. It will start to foam, then turn brown and smell nutty. Turn off the heat and set it aside.

Once the dough is rested, take 1 portion of the dough (keep the 2nd portion covered in plastic wrap) and divide it into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into an oval shape, then fold the sides toward the center (like folding a letter) and roll it out again into a long rectangle, then curl it up like a snail. Repeat the same step with the 2nd portion and let the dough pieces rest for another 15 min (you should now have 6 pieces of dough, 3 pieces for each portion).

I formed the 2 loafs into 2 different shapes, 1 that’s braided and 1 that’s not. To make the braided shape, roll 1 piece of dough out into a oval shape again. Brush the top of the dough with the browned butter and sprinkle with some sea salt, then roll it into a long log. Repeat the same step with the other 2 pieces, which will give you 3 long logs. Braid the 3 long dough like braiding a ponytail, and set it inside a loaf pan. OR for a traditional loaf, after brushing the dough with browned butter and sea salt, you could fold it again and curl it up like a snail, and set it side by side in a loaf pan.

At this point, I put the un-braided loaf into the freezer and kept the braided loaf under room temperature to proof. To bake the frozen loaf, take it out of the freezer and set it inside a loaf pan in a warm spot. Let it completely defrost and proof until it has expanded to 80% full. This will take several hours.

Preheat the oven on 360ºF/180ºC. Let the dough proof to 80% full (not doubled which will be 100%). This took another 1:30 hour in my kitchen. Brush the dough with egg wash and cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 20 min, then uncover the foil and let it bake for another 20 min until golden brown on the top. The loaf should expand significantly in the baking process.

You could take the loaf out of the pan and let it cool on a rack for 20 min. I personally think it’s a crime not to eat it while it still retains its warmth from the oven. You wouldn’t believe the stringy and chewy texture of this milk toast. It doesn’t need any jam or butter. It’s good enough to be a snacking bread on its own.

Filling Ideas:

Strawberry Sandwich

2 slices of the fluffiest white bread, preferably shokupan/hokkaido

1/2-3/4 cup lightly sweetened softly whipped cream

6-9 strawberries

Directions:

Cut the crusts off of the shokupan. Spread out a generous layer of whipped cream on both slices of bread. Top one slice with the strawberries, being sure to align so that when you slice, the strawberries will show.

Place the second slice of bread, cream side down, over the strawberries. Smooth the outside edges, adding extra whipped cream into the spaces, if necessary. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.

Use a very sharp knife to cut and enjoy!

Egg Salad Sandwich

4 large eggs

salt, to taste

1-2 tablespoons kewpie mayo, or to taste

2 slices fluffy white bread, crusts trimmed

Directions:

Remove the eggs from the fridge as your bringing your water to a boil.

Prepare an ice bath with a large bowl of cold water and ice.

Bring a pot of water to rolling boil, then turn the heat down and gently add eggs in, with a slotted spoon. Turn the heat back up to medium high and maintain a simmer for 7 minutes. Remove 2 of the eggs, and leave the remaining 2 eggs in for another minute and a half.

Plunge the eggs into an ice bath to cool down. Peel the eggs: Gently tap the wide end of the egg on the countertop, then flip around and tap the pointed end. Gently roll the egg and peel, under running water, if it helps.

Cut the 7 minute eggs in half and set aside. Place the remaining two eggs in a bowl and use a fork to crush with the mayonnaise and a sprinkle of salt until a rough paste forms. Taste and adjust the kewpie mayo and salt.

Spread an even layer of egg salad on one slice of bread then arrange the cut eggs on the salad, nestling in gently. Top with the remaining slice of bread, then cut into three, being sure to cut perpendicular to the yolks, so when you turn the sandwich, you see the yolks.

Chicken Katsu Sandwich

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup chopped bread-and-butter pickles

2 Tbsp. plus ¼ cup hot sauce, such as Crystal

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 large egg

2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, lightly pounded to ½" thick

¼ cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil

8 slices milk bread

Shredded iceberg lettuce (for serving)

Directions:

Combine mayonnaise, pickles, and 2 Tbsp. hot sauce in a small bowl. Season with salt; set aside.

Combine flour, cayenne, garlic powder, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Whisk egg and remaining ¼ cup hot sauce in another medium bowl. Place panko on a large plate. Working one at a time, dip chicken into flour dredge, turning to coat. Shake off any excess. Dip into egg mixture until coated, shaking off excess. Dredge in panko, turning to coat. Transfer to a large plate or a small rimmed baking sheet.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Working in 2 batches, cook chicken, reducing heat to medium if it’s browning too quickly, until golden and very crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack.

Spread reserved spicy mayo on one side of each slice of bread. Top with chicken and shredded lettuce, then close up sandwiches.

[the-coconut-asado]

NUT MILK CITY LIMITS

This should have been my Boston blog. And I will write one, someday soon. 

But limited as we are to four walls, dodging pavement cyclists and the kindness of delivery folk, let’s settle for a tale of lockdown invention. 

That said, my story does start in Boston - or rather, leaving it. It was the real start of The Weird, around early-mid March, when I still took the tube into work and was looking forward to a visit to the hairdresser (lockdown was announced the day before my appointment in case you were wondering. So there will be no selfies here).  We managed to head off to the US the day that Trump banned the rest of Europe from flying and I won’t lie, we felt lucky. I sat next to a Canadian student on the flight who explained, as she coughed, that she had traded her study trip around  Europe for a £2,000 ticket-chance of getting home. 

We got to our faintly Psycho- throwback hotel that night, where we seemed to be the only guests. And for three days we toured the (mostly shut)  sites of Boston with the streets all but empty. 

At one stage, as we strolled past a CVS store, two young women emerged, insanely juggling 4x16 pack toilet roll bags. How we laughed. The way those pesky kids laugh as the Scooby-ghoul looms behind them. On the Sunday, any holiday vibe had been replaced with low level anxiety, counting down the hours to our flight leaving the US on time and as planned.

And since we landed back in London, that’s been it. Travel now means taking the car for a weekly local drive to keep the battery ticking over, and let’s not dwell on the cancelled trip to Vietnam. The Supermarket Sweep race as you grab random packs off shelves before the personal space invader twats sneak up behind you  is now replaced by the delivery time lotto of Amazon Fresh. Got a formula for that, Dale Winton? 

But there have been new things to smile about: neighbourhoods coming together every Thursday evening to Clap for Carers; the bravery of NHS workers and a whole army of people I hope we’ll never take for granted again; friends and family checking in on each other much more than ever usual. And the travel buzz achieved by changing our backgrounds on Zoom. Don’t knock it,  the endorphin kick is real. 

And dare I say there have been pleasures too: delicious meat, fish and vegetables delivered from local suppliers, and weekends full of invention possibilities. “ Are we all fucking bakers now??” Twitter ranted in week 2 of lockdown  as flour and eggs became the New Disappeared. Cashew milk, the one nut milk I enjoy, became similarly scarce for a short while, but I discovered the eye-wateringly expensive delights of Milkadamia until sanity returned. 

Faced with the random nature of vegetable boxes, half used packs of speciality flours otherwise doomed to outlive their sell by date and the excitement of what you can achieve with a carton of buttermilk and bicarb of soda - life in the kitchen is nothing short of a blast right now. Just like wartime? We have no rationing and plenty of Chipotle paste so, er, no. 

Breaking my veg box virginity has been liberating. There are the highs of high-sheen aubergines and those creamy new potatoes of the season, and the occasional low of celery on three consecutive weeks. But the thrill of anticipation when we open the door to a new box is palpable. And finding specialist suppliers for everything from sumac to burrata has made me realise that up until the pandemic I’d been shopping all wrong and wasting far too much money. With the simple elimination of impulse purchase I have hit my notional monthly food budget for the first time ever. 

So here are a bunch of recipes for what I consider my best lockdown experiments. Stock up on your store cupboard essentials and you can use whatever basics are available that week. And by store cupboard essentials I mean: Olive and coconut oils, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes, soy sauce, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (you don’t need yeast for soda bread or flat breads). And whatever flour you can find, you’ll be able to do something with it. 

Bolli-cauli biryani with camargue rice

Forget boiling cauliflower ever again. Chop florets, toss them in spice and oil and roast to crispy, caramelised deliciousness every time. Serves 2-3. 

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets, then cut each floret in half to create bite size pieces

The cauliflower leaves, pulled from the fibrous stalks

2 medium red onions, quartered

1-2 large red chillies, split from top to bottom but kept intact

2 tsp. Sumac

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

Generous grind of black pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes

3 tbsp. Olive oil

300g camargue red rice (1 small mug)

25g salted butter

Plan yoghurt to serve

How to make:

Heat the oven to 190C. 

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower, cauliflower leaves, chillies and onion (and any other chunky vegetable you hav in the fridge eg.squash, aubergine or courgettes) with the spices and olive oil. Spread out onto a large roasting pan and pop into the oven for 40-45 mins, turning everything half way through. The edges of the vegetables will caramelise and the leaves will crisp up. 

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan until it bubbles then add the rice and toss until you get a toasty aroma. If you used a small cup, then now add a small cup and an extra quarter cup (or if you measured 300g then add 400ml water) and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, stirring once and then simmer on a medium heat until the water is all but absorbed (about 15-20  mins). At this point, cover with a lid, turn the heat to low and cook for a further 10-15 mins. Turn off the heat and leave covered for a further 10 minutes before fluffing the rice up. 

When the bolli-cauli is ready, remove from the oven and serve over a generous scoop of the toasty, chewy buttery camargue rice. Add a dollop of yoghurt on the side and some mango chutney to serve. And treat yourself to some poppadoms for the crunch factor. 

Beer and Buttermilk Soda Bread

My favourite bread of the lockdown - and no yeast required.  Based on a Paul Hollywood recipe, mine replaces stout with any old beer or lager you may have  in the fridge, and a range of ‘bin end flours: Wholemeal, basic brown, spelt and strong white. 

Ingredients: 

500g wholemeal flour (or a mix of any brown or grain flours you have)

250g strong white flour

280ml buttermilk

300ml bottle of beer or lager

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp. bicarbonate of soda

How to make:

Mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. 

Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk and beer. 

Mix until everything comes together then knead gently until you have a cohesive ball. 

Pop into a 2lb loaf tin and press slightly into the corners.

Leave to rest for 30 mins. 

Heat the oven to 210C. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C and bake for a further 25-30 minutes. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. The base should sound hollow when you tap it. 

Cool then slice and slather with butter. This bread is also excellent toasted. 

Spinach,  Ricotta and Feta  Pie

The superstar look of this pie as it emerges from the oven belies a super-easy method. If you can’t get hold of ricotta, just use cream cheese. Serves 4. 

Ingredients

7 sheets filo pastry

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 medium onion, finely chopped

250g spinach

1 large egg

1 tsp. Grated nutmeg

250g ricotta, mascarpone or cream cheese. 

125g feta cheese, crumbled

Handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped finely. 

100ml olive oil. 

1 tsp. Nigella seeds

How to make:

Heat the oven to 200C. 

Heat 1 tbsp. Olive oil in a frying pan then saute the onion and garlic on a low heat until soft. Add the spinach and cook gently until wilted - about 5 minutes. Turn into a sieve or colander and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put to one side. 

Beat the egg with the ricotta and nutmeg then season. Crumble in the feta, then add the spinach and onion mixture. 

Brush a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin with olive oil and lay a sheet of filo pastry along the bottom and the sides. Brush again with oil, then add a second sheet at an angle to the first. Keep brushing each sheet with oil, then adding the next layers at an angle until you have used six sheets and they are lining the tin in a flower petal formation. 

Tip the spinach and cheese mix into the tin then fold each ‘petal’ of filo on top to form a lid to the tart. Brush with more oil then scrunch up the seventh sheet of filo, perch it on top of the pie and brush with the remaining oil. Scatter over the nigella seeds. 

Pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes (watch the top so it doesn’t turn from golden to burnt). 

Remove from the oven, cool slightly, before releasing the sides of the tin and transferring the pie to a plate to serve. 

Carrot cake muffins with mandarin frosting

Not really the season for carrot-eating, but grated three carrots into this cake mix and you have a winner. And the frosting is a great way to use up mandarins. Makes 6 Large muffins. 

Ingredients

1.5 cups plain flour

1.5 tsp. Bicarb of soda

¾ cup demarara sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup cashew nut milk

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup sunflower oil

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3 carrots, shredded

50g pecan nuts, roughly chopped. 

For the frosting: 

Juice of 1 mandarin

1.5 cups icing sugar

How to make

Heat the oven to 180C. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, bicarb. Of soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and cashew nut milk and mix again until a smooth batter. Fold in the carrots and the pecans. 

In a muffin tin with 6 cases (or double the recipe and use 12). Fill each paper cup with the muffin batter until ¾ full then pop into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are fully risen. 

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin before removing each muffin and placing on a cooling rack to cool completely. 

When the muffins are cool, mix the mandarin juice with the icing sugar until you have a smooth and sluggish paste. Ice each muffin and serve. 

[chrysaliseuro2019]

The Longest Day

Monday and we had to be on the ferry to Milos island by 9.30. The guys at the apartments were dropping us off to the ferry terminal at the Port about 4kms away and they were pretty relaxed about timing. We left just after 9.00 for the short trip. They were right, ferry was nowhere to be seen and took another 20 mins or so to roll up. The port was small but quite busy with people waiting for the ferry. The local fishermen on one boat displaying their catch and selling it to any interested parties ie individual fish. Liz noticed a large eel which unfortunately for it must have got caught in the nets. We hadn't noticed eel on the menu so not sure what they do with that. Also there were the ubiquitous cats hovering around looking for a feed. They seem to like and look after the cats in Greece (seen far more than dogs) though they need to do some serious doctoring of the male ones as skinny mother cats fending for several offspring are everywhere. The island ferry boarding routine is much more structured than at Piraeus. There was a place to queue and a policeman in attendance to make sure you were standing in the right area. Also time is money so when the ferry did roll up they hurry you off and hurry you on. Total turnaround time less than 15 mins. Anyway an uneventful trip of an hour ensued fairly calm and some good views of islands along the way. We were met at the dock by the delightful and friendly Panos from our new digs the Hotel Rigas which is a 10 minute walk from the centre of Milos town. We jumped in his old Volvo cramming the bags in for the short drive. Our room spacious with a very large balcony. There are sea (more Port) views but only from one end of the balcony at the side of the building. We essentially face backwards onto a vacant block of land with a few houses behind it. No prob though, we are lucky to have this large room and balcony. Panos in particular but also brother Christos could not be more different to our hosts at the apartment in Folegandros. Let's charitably say they were a bit diffident in Folegandros. Here, nothing seems too much trouble. All tinged with some good humour and, from both, though Panos in particular, superb and subtle English. He has passed the ESL teacher's stringent evaluation with flying colours. Panos is a football fan (nut) and of all teams supports Newcastle United in the UK (how many Greeks do that?). We swopped a few soccer stories. Rooms were not ready so by 11.30 we were on our way to the local beach just a few hundred metres up the road on a very warm day. Planning to return mid to late afternoon. This beach is essentially the town beach so not one of those delightful coves but not particularly crowded. A few people in the cheap seats sheltering under the sporadic trees along the foreshore and the same number sitting under umbrellas on beach beds. We did the latter for the princely some of 8 euros for the two beds. The pretty cheap seats. Compared to Sicily this was a saving of 20 euros. We settled in, swam of course, read books, blogged and snoozed on and off from around mid-day to gone 6.00pm. We were pretty much the last to leave our little area of beach beds. Two tavernas nearby for refreshments though we just went for the toasted sarnie. Very relaxing intro. Panos got quite a shock when we rolled back to the hotel around 6.30 given he had last seen us at 11.30 heading off. It was a good and enjoyable stint. Showers and some more downtime (as if we needed it) and it was off to dinner. Panos had recommended two restaurants - one for fish and one for meat. We fancied the fish restaurant which he also said was his favourite. As we we heading off so was he from the hotel his shift presumably over. He pulled over to ask if we wanted a lift which was not necessary as the restaurant was just a couple of hundred metres away but he did offer to pull over there and ask them to find us a good place in the line and a good table. We arrived a few minutes later and dropped his name but either we asked the wrong person or it didn't work as 4/5 ahead of us. We decided to wait and repared to the bar for a drink. Didn't take long, about 25 mins later we were in, partly because couple before us were no shows. Seats weren't ideal so the Panos connection had definitely not worked. The restaurant is by the sea but the early arrivals nab the seafront seats and we were 3 back. That wasn't so much of a prob except that was close to the road and also a bit drafty. We were feeling a bit cool, though had brought something to slip on. Cool on a Greek island in July - not what we expected. Anyway, Liz did her fish inspection and came up with a couple of corkers - common Bream and Common Pandora. They were out of the box. Absolutely delightful. Cooked closed on the charcoal grill and we filleted them ourselves (keeps them warmer for a start). They did offer to do that at the table but Liz declined and the maitre de agreed that if he was us he would do it himself as well. The fish came with vegetables and of course bread and we soon knew why the place was Panos' favourite. Rose wine, as ever, deplorable though. We strolled around town for a bit after that and found a place selling craft beers. First one we've seen in Greece though weren't looking hard. A couple of acquisitions for consumption on the balcony in the next few days. It had been a good day. Tuesday a measured start. Not too early as usual. Breakfast at hotel was a casual and enjoyable one. Fruit, yoghourt, pastries, cheese, ham, tomatoes. Again putting the Folegandros place to shame where breakfast was not part of the tariff though similar priced rooms. We caught a bus just after midday to a beach around 7/8kms away. Paliochori. Liked the place straight away in a nice largeish cove with beach chairs for 15 euros a set and a taverna right behind. We settled in for what turned out to be a 4 hour stay lazing basically. Liz did have a swim and we hauled ourselves the 15 metres or so up to the taverna for lunch. Taramoslata and fries. Odd mix but both were good. Crusty bread of course. Sitting beside us on the beach was a lady of Greek origin from Sydney who ran her own business selling handbags and luggage wholesale. She was here catching up with family in various places and then heading to New York to buy more bags. She was fun and interesting to chat to. Every now and then you get a real reminder that we just don't all do the same things. I thought everyone was in risk and compliance. Well of course in one way we are. Bussed it home. The bus entry was not a particularly dignified affair. Finite number of seats. Smallish bus and fair bit of manoeuvring if not quite jostling. We got a couple of the last two seats though only one guy had to stand as it turned out. We had a couple of drinks on the balcony before heading out. We now have the travelling vodka and a fresh lime and of course my draft beers. Dinner was a simple affair of grilled sardines and Greek salad. Both excellent. Post dinner on the recommendation of the lady from Sydney we wandered up to the top of town via some steps and found a pretty church. Closed and quiet at around 10.00pm. We kept walking and found a pretty chic but relaxed cocktail bar at the top of a small hill/cliff overlooking the docks including the fancy motor boats. A caipiroska x2 later and we were feeling pretty mellow enjoying the view and just chilling. Post drinks we did go for a stroll around the dock area looking at the multi million dollar boats and a few beautiful (and not so beautiful) people adorning them. The next stage of our trip partly unbooked at this stage had needed resolving. We had to decide where we wanted to spend the next 2.5 weeks (Istria in Croatia has been the plan). Liz had also been sussing car hire costs and they seemed cheaper from Trieste in Italy than Croatia though all sorts of permutations were considered including flying to Split and a range of other places. Of course also had to be sure if there was a loading to get the car out of Italy and use in Croatia which might make it prohibitive. Liz rang thrifty in Trieste to confirm the policy. Extra 40 euros - not too bad. That morning we had therefore booked the ferry off the island and a flight to Trieste from Athens. We could have caught a flight off the island which would have been tempting given only 45 mins to Athens compared to 4 hours on ferry plus taxi ride but it didn't quite line up with the flight to Trieste. Aggravatingly we had to catch the 11.25 ferry rather than one an hour earlier which would have made the journey to the airport more flexible (train or cab) as only 1 seat available on the earlier ferry. It's pretty busy over here. Again last minute booking caught us out slightly but that's the trade off for flexibility. Our leeway to the connecting flight now reduced and let's hope ferry on time unlike when arriving. After drinkies at the cocktail bar we arrived back at the hotel around 12.30-1.00am and got back into planning in earnest. We need to book a couple of nights in Trieste, a car for the 2.5 weeks pre-Riga and also book a flight from somewhere to Riga on 5/8 where we are meeting friends the Boxes. Various considerations eg needed a 24 hour front desk location ideally close to the centre in Trieste given late flight arrival and didn't want to have to trek into Trieste from suburbs on our 1 day there. Cost is also a consideration with a variety of options possible. The biggest conundrum really was the flight to Riga which was proving expensive and Liz investigated all ports of disembarkation in Europe it seemed trying to find a good deal eg. fly to Istanbul and then fly to Riga, fly back to London then to Riga. Catching various trains across the old Eastern Europe. Swings and roundabouts with all options and she was getting frustrated. Also car hire costs seemed to swing dramatically and the great deal of 1 day ago in Trieste seemed to have evaporated. Also car availability was diminishing the with some options no longer available (thrifty). ahhhhhhhh!!! We did book the hotel for 2 nights in Trieste but gave up on flight and car hire just before 4.00am, knackered. The next morning we vowed to complete this. Well not much choice really. Post breakfast the car was booked through Budget (via car rental.com) not as good a deal as the Thrifty one but not too bad and we drop it off at Rome airport where we also found a reasonable flight to Riga. It gets in late at night but seemed to be the only option from that destination timewise. Yeh! pretty sorted. The only decision left which we will make over the next few days is where we head to next. We are now thinking of heading down into Italy - Puglia which was always a possibility or perhaps a bit of Croatia and Italy. We will see but we both like the idea of drifting down the Italian coast and seeing what we can find. Weight off the mind to sort this out. It's no doubt easier travelling between more major cities where the flight options are more extensive. Pretty sorted for the next 3 weeks or so other than seeing where the road leads from Trieste which will be exciting.