#with a side of cheese melt

[vladdyissues]

so making myself actually outline the clone gestation au cause i just sidelined another draft but I'm still wanting immediate gratification for cheese melt ideas so i sat down and self-soothee with some ideas for an AU where Dani and Dan are born due to Pompep. if you ain't feeling it right now, totally fine with this getting buried until you do, just want to share the cheesy wealth (and this fully formed in my head before the college trio + Dan and Dani offspring ideas did)

hope you like soft because i am c o p i n g rn

-so for these two resulting specifically from Pompep, Danny is a fresh adult and high school graduate in the late 2000s, where he gets to live out a certain fantasy of mine--getting to go "fuck it, can't charge me rent on a lair" and planning to go ghost primarily with his human side being his alter ego

-Vlad starts insisting if he's going to do that, he could just move into his mansion. like, increasingly more insistent. what is going on here

-turns out, Vlad is pregnant, and is fully and shamelessly exploiting Danny's need to protect. blatantly, too. Danny knows full fucking well he's being played but the Obsession will not shut up for love nor money

-mood swings make things go full poltergeist the more Vlad is aggravated or backed into a corner. walls bleeding, windows rattling, one particularly aggravated mood swing has Jack nearly get the Death Bed: The Bed That Eats treatment from an armchair (he wouldn't have died but he would have soaked in ectoplasm until his eyebrows burned off)

-this shit, Danny can deal with. this is the kinda weird he's used to. then Vlad starts showing and he starts getting... a little softer. and Danny, snarky frenemies-with-benefits more than dearly beloved partner, has no idea what to do to pivot with that

-Vlad is in denial. he does not have pretty pink magic love powers making him feel adorable wholesome things towards the baby or deep affection for Danny, who fathered it. one of those being true is a quirk. all three of those things being true clashes so hard with his supervillain-coded aesthetic makes him refuse to even think about it. so he bottles it up

-the second he gets to hold Dani after she's born he starts crying. full on ugly cry. one of the things he wasn't processing was that this was real in a way that specifically meant he was going to be holding his baby. a real, actual baby he can pour all his obsessive levels of love into and who he's going to be able to love for his entire existence

-no, fuck it, he does have pretty pink magic love powers, and if you get near his baby you get to learn what a curbstomp is

-teeny tiny baby Danielle Masters

-has first shaky flight as well as first steps, because I am a hopeless weeb and the scene in Urusei Yatsura where a baby alien is encouraged to fly into a cousin's arms like one would encourage a baby walking is just forever seared into my brain

-Danny and Vlad become used to casually grabbing her out of the air or flying to grab her. no big deal. just a floating baby. don't want her phasing into the crawlspace or walls and getting confused and lost. it always makes her giggle

-right around when the excuses for Danny's supposed human life are wearing thin, Dan breaks loose, AU AGIT happens--but Vlad's not making clones this time around so there's no ready-made body to move Dan into

-and since they can't get one ready to go... well, homemade will have to do

-(note: rather than de-aging, it's more reincarnation--it's him and has his memories and ghost self and all that good stuff, he's just not grown and stuck in the body of a baby or overwriting a totally new person. the older he gets, the more original Dan he's able to process as him and not the edgy OC lurking in the back of his mind that feels fully-formed)

-so, Vlad and Danny are expecting kid #2 with gremlin toddler Dani running around

-this time around Vlad's mood swings affect the power grid. one very bad one ends up making a power line go carnivorous and start snatching birds out of the air

-they're prepared for softness this time, and this time Vlad just lets himself feel such things. though it does manifest in jello cravings from hell... and in actually admitting he is in LOVE with Daniel, not just attracted and attached

-somewhere in there Danny's parents realize they've been lied to. for years. mainly coming to a head because supposedly, he should be nearing the end of a four-year degree. they need an explanation

-the half-ghost reveal takes a few weeks to comb through. still, it goes... relatively well.

-so. time for relationship reveal. right?

-turns out running off to shack up in their college buddy's mansion raising kids instead of pursuing higher education hits several more of their buttons than just being the town hero who happens to be a ghost does

-and making a SINGLE aggressive move towards Vlad? Danny's shifted from protection to unity and hey, he will be keeping his family together. no matter what. go on. try something :)))

-they don't come around to it before Dan is reborn but that's fine, making sure baby Dan is loved is more important anyway

-(Dani totally brings them around over time. she keeps sneaking into their lab to watch them work and hand Jack or Maddie tools before dipping back into the portal giggling when they notice her)

BONUSES

-Dani is an adorable big sister and will drag baby Dan everywhere with her given half a chance

-when they get older, the short jokes will fly. mainly from Dani herself. Danny and Dani's favorite in-joke is Dani trying to reach something with powers and sarcastically thanking Danny for the height genes

-Dan ends up being an adorable kid who really likes just. soaking up the loving atmosphere. threaten his good time at your peril, first time he transforms he's a force of nature

-of course Vlad and Danny incorporate their family into their snark

"Being the father of my children won't save you from my vengeance, Daniel."

"Both your kids share DNA with my dad, it's not going to kill you to share a dinner table with him."

"No, but if you ever remind him he is my father-in-law, it will kill you."

"Eh, he already got me killed once, I'll roll those dice."

apologies for the sheer WALL of text, just. i have a particular vision of the AU i'm writing and this version ain't compatible, but it IS soft and i am weak for that

ONCE AGAIN

[canisalbus]

My mother saw me scrolling through Machete posts and asked me "why does the white beast always look like he dropped his bagel cream cheese side down?" and I didn't know what to tell her.

.

[soobvape]

Samdwjich🤤

[mars-ipan]

i’m curious to know if i have an unpopular opinion

[modern-alebrije]

rice and beans? that combination all in itself is killer

[esleep]

i made korean tacos for dinner (no recipe just vibes + what i had in the fridge) and they were unbelievably delicious. my god.

[symbiodyke]

while I do get pretty stressed when my partner impulse buys shit while manic, I gotta hand it to em for most things having at least a touch of practicality to them.

all of this is to say I'm actually pretty excited for our new food grade blowtorch

[tillman]

we have mayo i can finally toast my bread so perfectly and deliciously everyone this is a joyous day

[nii-chans-rabiddogs]

Hey hi hello can I get a recipe for a grilled cheese. I'm asking bc my Father™ used to burn the toast into charcoal, the only normal grilled cheese I've had is the one I got at the restaurant that one time . pls any and all recipes are allowed I just wanna eat without choking to death on Burnt

[sucre-blue]

rice has never ever betrayed me ✨💜 i love you rice

[justsomeweirdbandkid]

I forget I'm legitimately a really good cook sometimes 💀

[vladdyissues]

I'm the anonymous from an old question where I said some nonsense about Vlad and Danny, Dani's parents...It turns out that your answer somehow inspired me to continue their fanfic and... I just need help with this...

Who is more likely out of Vlad or Danny to give their daughter a pile of toys and have the other just stare?, I know...it would be something Vlad would do. But think about Danny bringing back childhood toys or maybe saving money for his daughter and Vlad just being like "I thought we would shop together 😔"

But maybe it's not about the number of presents, but that one special present that really captures Danielle's fancy (and makes the other parent feel bad). Something meaningful, an heirloom. I expect it would come from Danny. Vlad would be the best at meeting all of his daughter's wants and needs, but understanding her... I think that may take a bit more time. And Danny already has a head start, being that he's younger and has grown up with a sister.

Maybe they both agree to go shopping together, but Danny feels like all they buy is just meaningless toys and junk that any little girl would like (and then be bored with six months later). It feels so impersonal. Vlad, who has never had a problem that money couldn't solve (at least post-college), doesn't even think twice. He's going down the list and buying his daughter everything she wants. (Perhaps because he spent so much of his life wanting and wanting and never receiving. He's ensuring Danielle never knows that kind of longing, even if it spoils her rotten.)

But say at the last minute Danny finds a special gift to give her—maybe his old jacket from junior high, or his childhood telescope, his old scooterboard that he plans to teach her how to ride—and she loves it, completely ignoring the rest of her expensive presents.

And Vlad's just—sitting there, blinking, confused and hurt.

He got everything Danielle wanted, but somehow this shabby, secondhand gift is what delights her?

It would be a good moment for Danny to explain to Vlad the importance of giving from the heart and not just the wallet. A bump in the road of parenthood, for sure, but something that will ultimately bring them closer together as a family.

[eveninggstar]

diagonal is the best you eat the bottom on the sandwich first because the crust is left flavourful then the top part because that’s the best part and the cheese can’t be too melted to the point it’s borderline liquid but melted enough that i can still chew it😁😁😁

[the-jellicle-duelist]

i am about to bestow upon you the secret butter technique. i am sorry, but it is french. i am sorry again, this only works with cow butter. i am certain plant based butters wouldn’t work, and alternative animal butters may or may not work

has this ever been you: you have a nicely steamed vegetable, or maybe you want to make the best butter noodles, but you know that if you put butter on those it’ll just melt and you end with kind of greasy noodles or vegetables? don’t you wish it was instead a luscious buttery glaze?

introducing: beurre monté

you will take a small sauce pan, and begin heating it with 1-2 tablespoons of water (use very little water) and bring it to a hard simmer or boil

turn the heat down slightly, and add Butter. how much? however much you dare. (start with 3-4 tablespoons and go from there)

you are going to either whisk Aggressively or you can pick up the saucepan, still holding it over the heat, and swirl aggressively so the butter is skating around the sides of the pan

done correctly, you will have liquid butter that is still emulsified. you have made Butter Sauce. season it with a little salt, and toss whatever you want in it.

if you’re butter splits, i’m sorry. you didn’t agitate it enough to maintain the emulsion, and now you have melted butter.

you can use this knowledge to make other sauces by swapping out the water for another liquid. white wine becomes beurre blanc. red wine is beurre rogue.

you want to CUM? sweat minced shallot in a tiny bit of butter, add white wine and cook it out until it’s reduced by about half. then whisk butter in hard. a few flecks of minced thyme or fennel frond stirred thru, and you eat that with a nice seared fish? or scallop? or even shrimp? wow. you will Nut

your boxed mac and cheese game can also be elevated by cooking your pasta and making a beurre monté first, tossing your pasta in that and adding the cheese packet. wow. hey; you’ll cum

go forth now with this butter secret

[rainbowpopeworld]

Easiest Baked macaroni and cheese recipe (adapted from: Smitten Kitchen I added spices and changed the process a little bit for my ND brain )

I make this every year, at least twice for family gatherings. It’s delicious; it doesn’t require making a bechamel sauce; and you only dirty two dishes! I normally double this recipe and freeze any leftovers that aren’t eaten in the couple days after (cut into portions, wrap in foil, and put in a freezer bag).

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (plus enough to grease a baking pan)

1 cup full-fat sour cream (see note on original SK post for other suggestions)

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I usually use half sharp cheddar and half Colby jack)

1/2 pound uncooked pasta (can go with traditional elbow, but I also have used fusilli or other similarly sized curly pasta)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan. If doubling recipe use a 13x9 rectangular pan.

If using sour cream, you can simply stir/whisk it with 1 cup of the milk and the salt in a container of your choice and set aside.

Reserve 1 - 1.5 cups grated cheese for topping. In your prepared pan, sprinkle a layer of cheese on the bottom of it. Then put a layer of uncooked pasta. Continue alternating layers until the pan is ⅔ full. Then measure your each of the spices (except the salt which was already put in the sour cream mixture) and sprinkle evenly on top of the layers of pasta and cheese. Finish the layers of pasta with cheese on top, using all but reserved cheese (which should be left at room temperature and not put back in the fridge).

Pour the sour cream mixture evenly across the top of the pan. If you have some sour cream still in the container you stirred in, pour in some of the remaining milk and swirl around. Then pour it in the pan the same way as before. Pour any remaining milk in the pan.

Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Uncover pan, stir gently (I honestly forget to stir more than half the time), sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. If you’d like it browner, turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes, while watching it closely to prevent burning.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

[gender-euphowrya]

chef moment