#i like green bean casserole but green beans and chinese long beans make me get itchy at the back of my throat ;@;

[lillianfromaccounting]

This ended up being a very long post and I'm on mobile, so I'll fix the read more in the morning when I get on the computer.

TW: covid, depression, Thanksgiving, a lot of food talk

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Today, we officially called off Thanksgiving with family (it had pretty much been decided but today we called the few people to confirm it).

Some background: my family only started celebrating Thanksgiving because I wanted to. We're Chinese, so growing up, it wasn't a thing for us, plus my mom wasn't fond of turkey.

At the age of 13, I picked up a bread baking recipe book at a Scholastic book drive. Up until that point, I had been baking stuff from box mixes, so making bread from scratch was a huge deal for me. Age 14, I told my parents I wanted to do Thanksgiving the American way. We qualified for a free turkey at our local supermarket anyway, so why not? To make it more palatable, I incorporated Chinese elements into the menu--various Chinese vegetables (choy) instead of green bean casserole, sticky rice (loh mai fan) stuffing--and i would bake fresh bread. There would always be white rice.

I have a huge extended family and on the weekends, my parents would have family and friends over to play mahjong, so Thanksgiving went over great because they loved trying all these new foods, and I loved trying new recipes. We always had a rotation of at least thirty people, so the food went. I think one year, I counted just over fifty people--it was like a revolving door at my parents' house, some people would pop in around lunch time and hang out until they had to go to their own family's Thanksgiving dinners, some came for dinner, and some came for dessert and coffee with a side of mahjong.

As the years went on, my menus got more and more elaborate, and I would enlist my younger siblings (I have three) to be my sous chefs. It was a THING. Thanksgiving was my thing.

The college I went to is very involved with the Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloons, and while it would have been an awesome experience, it required giving up your Wednesday night and most of Thanksgiving Thursday. That was a deal breaker for me. That's how much my Thanksgiving ritual meant to me.

Some of my favorite memories are waiting in line at DiPalo's (before they expanded, back when it was just the corner storefront) with my sister the weekend before Thanksgiving to get fresh mozzarella and ricotta and parmigiano (lasagna was a huge hit with my family). The longest we waited was three hours one year.

Another year, this was after I had graduated and moved out and was working. My work let us out early (around 2pm), but this asshat in another department ensured me that he needed these numbers so he can work over the weekend. I ended up running out to DiPalo's to pick up my order and going back to work, working to 9pm to get those numbers out, before going back to my parents' house to start cooking. The asshat didn't look at them that weekend (we get the Friday off too).

Mind you, it's not that I couldn't get the ingredients in Jersey, I just honestly had no idea where to go. My parents did the bulk of their grocery shopping in Chinatown and DiPalo's was right at the border of Chinatown and Little Italy.

As I said earlier, my menus got more elaborate over the years. Everyone kept eating the loaves of fresh bread for breakfast, so I made Thanksgiving an all day affair, with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.

One year, the theme was fried foods (fried turkey legs, homemade mozzarella sticks, etc.). I always tried new recipes on Thanksgiving, because honestly, what I enjoyed most about it was the process, the production of creating something delicious.

My siblings started sending me recipes throughout the year. One year, I made a vegan raspberry cheesecake (the base was cashews and almonds).

My siblings also said that they knew my now husband was a keeper because he had not only survived Thanksgiving at my parents' house, but he rolled with it (I'm pretty sure I put him to work too).

After we got married and bought our house, I claimed Thanksgiving for both sides of the family (there were no objections, because I didn't care about Christmas, so they had Christmas). My husband's family had been getting their Thanksgiving meals catered for a few years at this point, so they didn't mind not cooking.

But including his family meant I had to start making sacrifices to my process. One person only liked Stove Top stuffing (don't get me wrong, Stove Top chicken flavor is amazing, but so is a sausage stuffing from scratch). The year my second child was born, I think I was a bit burned out by everything, so we ended up ordering a whole pig (think spit roast, but Chinese style) and some roast ducks that year. We were told the next year that some people would prefer to have turkey. One year, we decided to smoke our turkey, and the feedback we had gotten was that some people really preferred oven roasted. So the following year, we did turkey three ways (roasted, smoked, and deep fried) and we started getting feedback that we were doing too much variety. This happened with the sides too. Heirloom vegetable recipes (guys, I used to watch the Food Network religiously) were reduced to sauteed green beans or asparagus. We were told to reduce the variety of things, so the only pasta dish that kept making it onto the menu was mac and cheese, because that was someone else's preference. And I couldn't even play around with the mac and cheese, because the family's recipe used Velveeta (yes, I know I sound like a food snob, and it's because I was back then).

But year after year, the creativity of the menu decreased and decreased, to the point where my husband and I felt it wasn't enjoyable anymore.

This morning, after we had called the family (it was really just my and his parents, whom we have been seeing during this whole time because we live close and do shopping for them, etc.), part of me was excited to finally make a menu and my husband and I agreed on a very small menu, because it's just us and our two kids.

And by the time I went to bed, I was excited again for Thanksgiving because we will be cooking things that we want. There are three, possibly four varieties of scones on the breakfast menu right now. I haven't mentioned this yet, but my menus are always too ambitious. I almost never get every single dish on the table, but the important ones get there. The experimental ones get ranked in order of what I want to taste.

After all these years, we have established staples. We always have bacon cheddar scones with breakfast. My sons requested chocolate chip and vanilla, respectively, and I want pumpkin. We'll see how many varieties actually get made. I always make fresh cranberry sauce for the sole reason of baking it into a crumb cake for Friday morning. We also eat the Ocean Spray jellied (with whole berries), and I serve it in slices. My husband is the mashed potato king, so he handles that. The King Arthur masala chai pumpkin pie recipe has been a hit year after year, so that is a staple now. I was excited to be able to cook what we wanted again.

It even inspired a Thanksgiving chapter in the fic I am writing. (I am so, so, so happy and excited for this chapter now.)

But as I was going to bed tonight, I was thinking about those memories at DiPalo's and cooking with my siblings, and pandemic sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried hard. I miss my siblings. I miss the hospitality of it all. Just like my parents' house was a revolving door, when my husband and I took over Thanksgiving, it was an unspoken rule that extended friends and family were welcomed. My siblings' friends from high school and college would stop by. My one sister's friend would even ask to be on the menu distribution list (I usually drafted a menu and my family members would vote on which dishes they wanted, and that was partially how the menu was created) and invite himself over lol.

I miss that company--the people who understood my Thanksgiving--my family. I haven't seen (in person) one sister since January and the other since March. And while we're constantly talking to each other and do the occasional video chat, it's just not the same.

If you read this far, thank you for your time and energy.

I don't have a point to this post, except maybe wear a fucking mask and stay home, so we can eventually beat this pandemic and resume some semblance of pre-covid life.

And I know this post is very much a first world problem. We have enough to eat and a warm roof over our heads. I am very grateful for that. But I am allowed to be sad too. This year would have been my 25th anniversary with Thanksgiving.

Writing all this out really helped though.

#personal #Thanksgiving #food #long post #depression #covid 19 #thanks for reading #i finally feel like i might be able to sleep now #also katiekeysburg would probably agree that my menus are ridiculous #and yeah some of it is excessive

[heythrrdelilah]

Pie-giving (a Dean Winchester thanksgiving fic)

A/N: This was a request from my dearest friend @fangirlxwritesx67 who said :Dean, Thanksgiving, Pie Need I say more? Maybe a friendsgiving of wayward souls and he just keeps saying, "as long as theres pie" and he ends up with like 12 pies

Thank you so much for requesting. I wrote this quickly between classes so it’s definitely not my best work, however I did enjoy writing this because it's how I actually see a thanksgiving going for them. I will work to improve my time and quality of the future works. 

Word count: 1,053

Warnings/tags: Humor, food, may make you hungry

Pairings: none. Just good old wayward fun

The smell of coffee filled the air, waking Dean up. The bunker was soon to be packed with hunters and friends alike. Dean hated the idea. Too many people were to be in his personal space too soon. The bunker was large, but Dean did not like company. He groaned as he swung his legs off of the bed, pushing himself to actually wake up. He walked over to his bathroom, showered, changed, and walked out of his room. As he stepped closer to the kitchen the coffee smell became stronger, along with chattering of two voices. People were already here? Dean shook his head, walking into the room. He saw Sam and Jody drinking coffee over the island of the kitchen. “Well you two are chatty,” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a ice cold beer. As he popped off the lid, taking a swig, he turned back to two concerned faces. After smacking his lips loudly, he defended himself with a smile, “It’s thanksgiving.” Jody and Sam started laughing together. 

“Like, I was saying,” Jody continued their conversation on what recipe they should follow for the turkey. It was nine in the morning. “Isn’t it too early to cook a damn turkey?” Dean scrunched his brows at the two. They looked at him as if he were an ant and they were giants. Unintelligent-like. “Dean, turkeys take hours. Especially when you are making turkeys for a whole… clan,” Sam explained, pulling the dethawed turkey from the sink after setting his second mug of coffee down. He pulled the wrapping off and placed it in a tin pan. Dean knew jack-squat about making turkeys, but counted himself out of the equation when he heard it could take all day. 

The phone rang, allowing Dean to leave the room with a perfectly good excuse. He walked over to the desk in the library and answered. Bobby Singer’s raspy voice came through the other line. “Dean, I’m at the grocery store, is there anything I need to bring other than beer before I get there?” Dean looked back to the kitchen, seeing the two early birds placing various sauces on the turkey with what looked like a paint brush. Dean hoped and prayed it would be edible. If not, pie would save him. A slight smirk on his face he responded back, “Yeah. Pie. If you want me to show up, bring pie.” He hung up. Soon after, the phone rang again. Dean placed himself on the chair, kicking his dirty tan boots ontop of the desk, one leg on top of the other. “Go for Dean,” He picked up the phone. Joe’s voice cheered through the phone. Why were they all awake this early? “Yeah, we just wanted to remind Sam that we would be bringing the stuffing and green bean casserole before he starts to make dinner,” She spoke kindly through the phone, loud pool balls clanking in the background. “Do any of you even want me there?” Dean asked, huffing out a sigh. He knew what he was doing. He was creating his perfect holiday. 

“What do you mean by that?” She asked, slightly worried. “Pie. Bring pie. Maybe four so we have enough for everyone,” Dean hung up before Joe could retort the statement. A few more calls from Benny, Cas, and Garth came through and Dean told them the same thing. As long as there was pie, he would include himself in the festivities. He walked back into the kitchen after all of the calls were placed. He smelled the sweet carmelized apples and knew that Sam and Jody were also making pie. This day just kept getting better and better. “So, It’s now lunchtime. The turkey is smelling phenomenal, the apples on the stove smell amazing, the yams are looking good, even the cranberry sauce looks appetizing. My question is, what is for lunch?” Dean clapped his hands together, looking hopeful at the pair. His eyes glistened light a puppy if you were to wave a steak in front of it. “There is none. We wait until dinner,” Sam stated, ripping the steak from in front of the puppy’s face. Dean’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “You’re kidding me right?” The looks on Jody and sam’s face showed his answers clearly. “I’m going to my room. No one bother me!” He boomed, storming off, slamming his dusty door shut. 

Hours passed, Dean was curled up on his bed, listening to his growling stomach. This was a stupid holiday anyways. Who would starve all day for a feast? WHy not just feast all day like the chinese? The scents became stronger throughout the day. The yams were the strongest. Their sweet, brown sugar and marshmallow bliss, traveling all the way down the hall, under the crack in his door, and up his nostrils. Dean became so hungry that the scents became visual in hallucinations. 

Three loud knocks came to Deans door and he nearly became a ghost as he jumped out of his bed. “Food?” He groaned like a zombie as he met Bobby’s face as his room door. He hadn’t waited for a response, he just pushed past bobby and sat at the now full of food dining room table. Food of all kinds were layered through the long, 9 foot table. All of his friends sat around, empty plates afront. “Well hello to you too… Idjit,” Bobby stated, seating himself next to dean. Dean grabbed the knife from the turkey pan and began cutting, ignoring the faces around him. “Dean, We need to say what we are greatful for before eating,” Hellen spoke sternly. Dean rolled his eyes and sat back. Dean noticed the 12 pie spread before him. The scents of sweat cherry, apples, cinnamon, pecan, and even pumpkin filled his senses. He was now in a state of euphoria. “First, I would like to know why we have so much pie,” Sam flicked an eyebrow at Dean. Sam already knew the answer. “I just wanted to be sure there was a purpose to this whole holiday,” Dean stated before the group went around for the thankful statements. 

Dean skipped the turkey and traditional thanksgiving foods, to fill his plate with slices from the 12 different pie. He now understood the purpose of thanksgiving.

Return to Dean Winchester Works

Return to Masterlist

#dean Winchester #Dean winchester fic #dean winchester fanfic #spn #spn fanfic #spn one shot #spn fanfic series #spn imagine #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #spn reader insert #spn cast #jensen fanfiction #jensen ackles #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester x reader #sam winchester #jody mills

[canaryatlaw]

Alright, so we’re pretty much back in Chicago at this point, the skyline is in front of me and we’re about to get on lake shore so I figured I’d start writing on my phone so I don’t have to start it all when I get home, to be fair it’s only 10:30 but I woke up in a different time zone and I’m currently very tired so this is valid. But yeah today was super cool. We had set the alarm for 10 because we were really tired so that’s when I got up, Jess had been up somewhat earlier I’m not sure how much but I don’t think very long. So I got the cosplay on, we were doing camp Constantine and Ray from last weekend since we were seeing Matt Ryan and we wanted to show him the mask 😂 so everyone gets to see it in person. So we got ready and headed out shortly after 10:30 which was the goal, stopped at a Starbucks to grab breakfast and drinks, then sat for a bit to eat because Jess doesn’t want any eating in her new car yet. So we ate and got back on our way. We’d been to this con last year so we had an idea of the venue and parking situation, we parked in the garage across the street and walked over. We were in shorts and it was very windy and cold so this wasn’t very pleasant! I was happy when we reached the doors. Got inside and through their security set up to the show floor. We checked Matt’s table first thing but he wasn’t there, he was supposed to be doing autographs since 10:15 but the crowd had probably died down and there was nobody left so he left (they do that sometimes). So we had some time to kill until his panel at one, so we walked around the show floor and checked things out until it was like 12:30 at which point we went to wait outside the panel room.

There was a panel in there before us, some podcast with geek guys, but they stayed and kinda talked to the audience while we were all getting in and waiting for Matt so that was kind of funny. The host showed up and said Matt was watching a soccer game in the green room 😂 but he came out shortly afterwards. The panel was pretty good, you know people generally ask the same fairly basic questions at this kind of thing but I livetweeted it if anyone wants to check that out (same @). Right after his panel were his photo ops, so we rushed over there and ended up being first in line for the people with normal tickets (since they let VIPs go in first). So we got in pretty quickly, there was a group of women directly in front of us that had Matt do some pose with a cup that had a little brown liquid in it that was supposed to be alcohol I think and after they took the picture he just downed it 😂 judging by the look on his face I think it probably was actual alcohol. Matt remembered us immediately and was like “oh you guys! I haven’t seen you in so long!” since the last time we saw him was HVFF NJ in September so it’s been a while. But we decided our pose would be like pretending to be a boy band basically, it was really funny and came out really well. So once we got that printed out we bounced over to his table to get it signed, and he popped up shortly afterwards.

Waited a bit behind some people to get to the table and chat with him. I’m not really supposed to repeat what he said because he definitely gave us some fairly large spoilers 😂 but overall it was an encouraging conversation so I was happy with that. He signed my op and we took some selfies with him. After we had finished that and said goodbye to Matt Jess went to buy an avocado sticker we saw earlier to give to Brandon 😂 and I headed over to John Glover’s table. Okay I’m home in my apartment now and typing in a tumblr text post (so no more paragraphs for annoying tumble mobile lol). John Glover played Lionel Luthor on Smallville and just recently started attending cons so of course I had to meet him and get some selfies with him. He was really cool, I told him the first episode of Smallville that I can recall watching was the one where Lex pushed him out of a window 😂 and he thought that was pretty funny. We got some smiley selfies and then some really funny ones that are really just the best pictures to ever be taken (I’ll post some of them after this). So that was an all around hilarious and fun interaction. I met back up with Jess at that point, we went to the bathroom and then headed out. We were heading to a local mall to meet up with one of Jess’ internet friends who is like 20 and her parents don’t know she has internet friends so we had to meet at the mall 😂 which was fine lol. They’re both into Kpop now so we got bubble tea from their mall stand which was pretty good and then got chinese food from the food court for lunch and sat and talked for a while which was very fun. We drove her home afterwards since she only lived around the corner and then started our journey home. Jess had been feeling pretty sick all day so we ended up stopping a few times to get a “medicine ball” tea from Starbucks which is apparently a thing and then for more caffeine and such. We listened to the whole Hamilton OBCR to make time pass quicker lol which it did and of course I sang and rapped along to the whole thing because that’s what I do lol. We were gonna get dinner from a rest stop when we had just gotten into Indiana but their Popeye’s didn’t have tenders at the moment (because it was a Sunday night I guess?) and Jess can’t have chicken on the bone (I don’t remember why) and there was no other open food places in that rest stop (and the like gas station hot sandwiches all had bacon in them) so we ended up just getting a red bull and getting back on the road. A little further down there ended up being a billboard for a cracker barrel at which point we were like 👀👀👀 so I looked up how late they were open to, they were open till 10 and it was like 8:45 at this point (this is all before we crossed into the central time zone) so we decided to make the stop because we really love cracker barrel lol. so we got pretty much the same thing as last night, just with some different sides, Jess subbed one of hers for soup since she was feeling sick, I was gonna go with mashed potatoes but they were apparently out so I ended up back with hashbrown casserole and corn, and there was a green bean hidden in my corn and when I saw it I swear I had like a visceral reaction after last night’s green bean incident 😂 it was amusing. We finished up there and paid (and left a nice tip because it was almost closing time when we came in). We got back on the road and headed through the rest of Indiana mostly listening to Kpop, various tolls getting on and off freeways, thankfully they all took credit because I only had $3 in cash on me at that point and we don’t have EZ-Pass or any midwestern equivalent (there’s like I-Pass and a few others apparently). We ended up on the toll road into Chicago which Jess was pissed about because we were trying to avoid it but oh well, shortly after we paid that I started writing this, and during that time we drove up lake shore drive and Jess dropped me off at my apartment, I came in and dropped my stuff, went through my mail, and took my pills before opening my laptop and continuing to type this post, and now I am here. It’s now 11:30 and hopefully the meds are kicking in relatively soon because I am very tired and would like to be asleep soon, so that’s what I'm going to focus on now. Goodnight friends. Hope your weekend was the bomb.

#daily journal #March 2019 #Jess tag #Rachel's cosplay adventures

[leisurelypanda]

Here We Go Again chapter 9

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11776227/chapters/27850401

Christmas morning came. Amanda had helped take the presents out and set them under the tree after the movie was done. Early Christmas morning, Michael and Craig were still sleeping when Hazel and Briar burst through the door and jumped on the bed shouting that Santa had been there. Michael groaned despite himself and pulled a pillow over his head. 7:30 was too early for Christmas.

The twins dragged them out of bed, practically, and Michael was obliged to wake Amanda up and get River so they could get started opening presents. Craig was setting up the video camera so he could capture this year’s Christmas. Hazel and Briar, too impatient to actually wait for their dad to figure out the camera, started collecting their presents into piles, shaking them gently, trying to guess what they could be. Amanda put on some coffee because it was too early in the morning for this.

Finally Craig managed to get the camera working. The first Christmas with the Cahns and the St. Claires.

“Can we open our presents now, dad?” Hazel asked practically dancing on the floor with glee.

“Yes, you can open your presents, tiny bros,” he said.

Immediately they tore into their presents with glee and gusto. They held up each of their gifts enthusiastically for the camera to see. Amanda also got down once she had some coffee in her and helped River open her presents before getting to hers. Michael sat his butt on a couch since getting on and off the floor was starting to get awkward and it was too early for him to calculate how to stand. Amanda brought him her present, which turned out to be paternity clothes and a framed picture of the two of them being goofy. The twins got him a shirt that said, “I aim to misbehave” and Jayne Cobb’s hat, which he proceeded to wear immediately and pose for pictures.

Then the twins got to his present, which was big and heavy. They opened it excitedly and revealed the entire Harry Potter book series. The twins were a bit surprised, but having no idea what Harry Potter was, they were politely grateful. Michael chuckled.

“Trust me, you’ll love it,” he said. Amanda was excited on their behalf, since it was the only book series she had ever voluntarily read. That is, until she opened his gift to her. A camera lens coffee mug. She immediately chugged the rest of her coffee and ran back to the kitchen to pour some into her new mug.

Craig brought over his present and sat down on the couch. It was a Tetris LED desk lamp. Amanda thought it was lame but Michael actually jumped up and put it on the end table so he could fiddle with it. Craig opened his presents, including #1 Dad shirts from his girls and a heartrate wristband from Amanda. When he got to Michael’s gift, he opened it and grinned that toothy grin.

“Bro!” he said, taking out a neatly folded black apron that said, “Kiss the Cook,” and a chef hat. He walked over and sat down next to him and kissed him. “I’m never taking this off.”

Michael grinned mischievously. “I think I can live with that.”

“Kids in the room, Pops,” Amanda shouted across the room.

“Close your eyes, I’m gonna kiss the other father of my children,” he replied, kissing him again amidst a chorus of groans. “Merry Christmas, bro.”

Craig smiled into the kiss. Then he got up, took off his shirt and put the apron and chef’s hat on. “Merry Christmas, bro.”

“Kill me now,” Amanda said, covering the twins’ eyes. ******************************************************************************

Michael was really enjoying his present to Craig. He still wasn’t wearing a shirt, but he was wearing the apron and the chef hat as he was working on the turkey. Even better, from his position skinning and chopping potatoes to be mashed later he could see Craig’s beautiful back and the knot that was tied just above his ass. It took most of Michael’s pregnancy addled brain’s concentration to avoid inadvertently cutting himself.

“Why are we having turkey again?” Amanda asked. “Not that I mind, I love it, but don’t people usually have ham at Christmas?”

“Ham makes me vomit,” Michael said. “It’s really frustrating.”

“Was it like this when you had me?” she asked.

“Not at all,” he answered. “My pregnancy with you was practically blissful compared to this one. I’m more hormonal, my entire palate has changed, half the stuff I used to like makes me sick now, half the time I’m exhausted and the other half I’m up at night, I go to the bathroom all the time, my emotions can be volatile, and my chest hurts, like, all the time.”

“You’re exaggerating, right?” she asked.

“He’s not,” Craig said from the stove. “Last week he had a breakdown because he couldn’t find his car keys. Made me late for work. A couple weeks ago he was craving peach yogurt and pickles. And I’m pretty sure all the water in his body is actually just pee now. And he hates any and all Chinese food.”

“Daaa—” Craig looked at her sharply. “I mean, shoot,” she amended. “Is this what I have to look forward to?”

“Only if you choose to become pregnant,” he replied.

“Are there any positives?” she asked.

Craig snickered. “None that you want to know about.”

“Why, what is—” she stopped, then blushed fiercely and fled the kitchen. “I need to erase this conversation from my short term memory!” Michael and Craig’s laughter chased after her. ******************************************************************************

Later, when the turkey was in the oven and the potatoes were boiling, Michael left the kitchen so Amanda could work on green bean casserole “If we’re having turkey, we might as well go all out!” Michael remembered her saying. He saw Briar and Hazel reading the first Harry Potter book together with River playing with one of her presents between them. They were maybe a third of the way through the book at this point.

“Having fun?” he asked.

“Shhh!” they said without looking up.

“And here I thought you weren’t impressed with my gift to you,” he joked. “I was about to take it back.”

“Do it and you die,” Hazel said, glaring at him over the book.

Michael just laughed and went back to fiddling with his Tetris lamp. I wonder where I can put this? he thought to himself. I could take it to work and it would double as a distraction when the job is slow, or I could put on the nightstand in our room, that would be fun. Or maybe I could put it in the study.

His reverie was interrupted by the girls pausing in the story. “Do you think Harry will be a Gryffindor or a Slytherin?” Briar asked her twin.

“Slytherin,” Hazel said immediately. “It sounds cooler and he’d be more powerful.”

“Really? I was thinking Gryffindor,” Briar replied. “I mean, a giant guy bigger than Daisy’s dad shows up, knocks down a door in the middle of the night, and Harry’s not the least bit fazed? He’s definitely a Gryffindor.”

“I guess. I’d rather be a Slytherin, personally,” Hazel said.

“I’d want to be a Ravenclaw,” Briar replied.

“Why a Ravenclaw?” she asked.

“They’re smart and witty and they sound cool,” she said.

Michael smiled to himself, savoring the sweet taste of vindication. It was the most satisfying Christmas feeling in the world, introducing two kids who had no interest in anything geek related to read Harry Potter. The feeling was cut short, however, by the urgent need to pee. Again.

The only thing you’re getting for your first Christmas is diapers, he communicated with the babies. We’ll see how you like it then.

When he got back the twins had finished arguing about the Hogwarts houses and were now rehashing how Harry ended up in Gryffindor. Hazel was bitter about it while Briar was openly gloating at how she’d been right and why it was clear that she would be a Ravenclaw.

My work here is done, Michael thought to himself. He stifled a yawn. Maybe just a quick power nap, since my good deed for the year is complete.

Michael awoke from his apparent sleep some hours later by Craig announcing that dinner was ready. He looked down in confusion. When did a blanket get on me? How long was I asleep? Why is it dark outside?

Craig sat down next to him, wearing an actual shirt but still had the chef’s hat on his head. “Come on, bro, you hungry?”

He stretched out, trying to will his body into wakefulness and movement of some sort. It was no use. His body didn’t want to move. But the food smelled good and he was hungry. He pouted at his bro. Craig attempted a scowl. Unsuccessfully.

“No, I’m not carrying you to the table,” he said. Michael didn’t say anything, but kept pouting. “Stop that,” Craig insisted. “I’m immune to your charms.” Michael decided to try a different tactic. Guilt.

“You know it’s your own fault that I’m in this situation,” he said. “The least you could do is help your poor, helpless, pregnant bro to the table.”

“There’s nothing in the world I’d rather have than kids with you,” Craig said. “So nice try.”

Michael felt it coming. The emotions. The tears. “Aww bro,” he sniffed. “That’s so sweet.” Great now the waterworks are here.

Craig dried the tears with a finger. “Come on, bro, don’t cry,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy,” Michael said. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, bro, come on.” Craig said as he consented to pick up Michael and carry him bridal style to the dining room. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“For now anyway,” Michael said. “In a few months I’ll be huge and fat and gross.”

“And I’ll love you just the same, bro,” he replied.

“Oh God it’s happening again.”

“I mean it,” Craig said, setting him down on the floor in front of the table.

“Why’s my dad crying?” Amanda asked. “Never mind it’s probably gross.”

Michael picked up a napkin and dabbed at his eyes. “Yeah, you’d think so, but it was actually really sweet.”

“That’s just grown up talk for ‘gross,’” Briar said.

“Ouch, harsh kid,” Craig said, sharpening the knife to carve the turkey. “At least I’m still cool, though, right?”

“Dad,” Hazel said. “You kinda stopped being cool when you started making kissy faces with Papa.”

“Okay, no food for you,” Craig said. “Merry Christmas, Hazel. Good night.”

“Wait, I didn’t mean it, you’re the coolest dad in the world, cooler than Mat!”

“Hang on what did you call me?” Michael asked.

Hazel averted her eyes, embarrassed to have let that slip. “Well… Briar and I were talking that it feels weird to call you Michael since, you know, you’re living with us and you two are having a kid and you’re with dad but it’d be confusing to say dad all the time.”

“Are you mad?” Briar asked.

“No of course, not,” Michael said, tearing up again. “Dang it, kids, you can be sweet when you want to be. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Papa.”

#craig cahn x dadsona #christmas #briar cahn #river cahn #hazel cahn #amanda ann #dream daddy #ddadds #Here We Go Again #fanfic

[sky-on-blog]

1. What’s the last thing you ate? Ice cream, I think, last night.

2. What’s your favourite cheese? Pepper jack.

3. What’s your favourite fish? Salmon.

4. What’s your favourite fruit? Pineapple, even though it hurts my mouth to eat it raw.

5. When, if ever, did you start liking olives? I’m pretty sure I’ve always liked olives -- at least, the black ones. I used to take them from salad bars and eat them by themselves when I was little. Green olives are okay. I dislike Kalamata olives, though.

6. When, if ever, did you start liking beer? Probably like, after I turned 21. I disliked it for a long time until I tried things other than my mother’s Coors Light.

7. When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? I’m pretty sure I’ve always liked shellfish, too. I don’t understand how people can not like crabs?

8. What was the best thing your mom/dad/guardian used to make? Uh. Nothing, really. My parents are pretty terrible cooks. Do cookies count? Because I can make those, too.

9. What’s the native specialty of your hometown? I don’t know. Scrapple? Delaware doesn’t have a lot of “native specialties.” Apparently muskrat is a thing that people eat there, even though I lived there until I was 24 and never once encountered it (thankfully).

10. What’s your comfort food? Goldfish, or peanut butter Captain Crunch. Also peanut butter M&Ms. And Reese’s.

11. What’s your favourite type of chocolate? Milk. 12. How do you like your steak? Medium rare. I thought I didn’t like steak for basically my entire life because I only ever had it more well done.

13. How do you like your burger? Medium, I guess? I’ve never really compared.

14. How do you like your eggs? Over easy, and preferably atop hash browns.

15. How do you like your potatoes? Fried and crispy. Mashed potatoes are good, too, though.

16. How do you take your coffee? With flavored creamer, or cream and sugar if it’s just regular cream.

17. How do you take your tea? Depends on the kind of tea. I like iced green tea, but only if it isn’t bitter -- so like, not from a teabag. And hot tea is okay, but I mostly just drink that to help with my throat or to relax; I don’t really love the taste, or anything. When I do drink it, though, I just drink it plain -- with the exception of some honey if I feel really bad, but again, that’s less for the taste and more for the effects. 

18. What’s your favourite mug? A fox-shaped one that I got as a gift.

19. What’s your biscuit or cookie of choice? Peanut butter chocolate chip.

20. What’s your ideal breakfast? Uhh. Depends on my mood, I guess. But there’s a place in Haines City that has these apple cinnamon waffles that are pretty amazing. 

21. What’s your ideal sandwich? Those Italian, oven-baked sandwiches from Domino’s. They are amazing. Turkey clubs are great, too.

22. What’s your ideal pizza: Light sauce with pineapple and jalapeno. Red Baron’s frozen Mexican pizza is awesome, as well.

23. What’s your ideal pie (sweet or savoury)? Pumpkin -- sweet. I wholly prefer sweet pie to savory.

24. What’s your ideal salad? The one you get at Olive Garden. That’s the only salad I can actually get excited about. Oh, or black bean and corn salad, oh my god. 

25. What food do you always like to have in the fridge? Something easily accessible. It’s not a “food,” but I always like to have soda. And onions, preferably red.

26. What food do you always like to have in the freezer? Again, something easy to make. Oh, and burgers.

27. What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? Goldfish, cereal, candy, coffee.

28. What spices can you not live without? Salt is the only one I could probably actually not go without, but cilantro and cayenne are pretty excellent, too.

29. What sauces can you not live without? Eh. I can live without most sauce -- I prefer things to be more dry. Does salsa count as sauce? I tend to miss that when I don’t have it. 

30. Where do you buy most of your food? Walmart. It’s right across the street, and it’s cheap. But we also go to Publix pretty often, too. 

31. How often do you go food shopping? Usually about once a week, but it depends on when Jeremy’s and my schedules line up and when we start to run out of food.

33. What’s the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? ...I’m drawing a blank. Jeremy’s dad got us a frappuccino maker that we’ve never used in the pantry. Oh, there’s a Keurig in the closet, but it doesn’t work. Does that count? I mean, we have a microwave and an oven, but we don’t own those. Maybe the toaster oven?

34. What’s the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? A coffee maker, when the Keurig stopped working.

35. What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? The microwave, without a doubt.

36. How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? Me personally, never. Jeremy, for both of us to eat...probably a few times a month.

37. What’s the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? Chicken enchilada casserole. It wasn’t very good, which is why I don’t cook.

38. What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry? Lamb and deer are the only two I can think of. They have a lot of alligator down here in Florida, though, and I’ve been meaning to try that. Oh, I tried frog once, and it was awful -- but granted, it was at a pretty awful restaurant.

39. What’s the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? Yesterday, a walnut fell onto the kitchen counter and I still put it in my ice cream. I probably ate something off the floor yesterday, too. It happens.

40. What’s the last time you ate something you’d picked in the wild? Years and years ago, when my friends and I went cherry-picking.

41. Arrange the following in order of preference: Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Sushi – Sushi, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Indian. Although, I’ve only ever had Indian food once, and nothing there was very good except the naan. So maybe that place just wasn’t very good.

42. Arrange the following in order of preference: Vodka, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum – I haven’t had brandy in a while and I don’t really remember what it tastes like, so I’m going to leave that out of the equation. But probably rum, whiskey, vodka, although I like all three pretty well.

43. Arrange the following in order of preference: Garlic, Basil, Caramel, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Aniseed – I’ve never had aniseed. But otherwise -- lime, garlic, ginger, mint (as long as it’s in dessert), basil, caramel. If the mint is in something savory, then it goes at the very bottom; I really hate mint in savory things.

44. Arrange the following in order of preference: Pineapple, Orange, Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, Watermelon, Banana. – Pineapple, orange, strawberry, apple, banana, cherry, watermelon.

45. Bread and spread: What? Like, my favorites? I like pumpernickel bread, and...I don’t know. Mayonnaise? That chili spread -- the famous one with the rooster -- is pretty good, too.

46. What’s your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? Probably Popeye’s -- spicy chicken, usually tenders, with red beans and rice. 

47. Pick a city. What are the best dining experiences you’ve had in that city? Uh. Newark, in Delaware, has this pretty great Japanese buffet.

48. What’s your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? What’s a tipple?

49. What’s the next thing you’ll eat? I’m not sure. I might eat some cereal or Goldfish or something before work.

50. Are you hungry now? Sort of, but I don’t know what I want.

51. Do you eat your breakfast everyday? No. I’m never hungry when I wake up; I have to force myself to eat, like, a granola bar when I go to work. 

52. At what time do you have breakfast? Whenever I get up and feel like it. 

53. At what time do you have lunch? Whenever they give it to me at work, or just...whenever Jeremy and I get hungry.

54. What do you have for lunch? Different stuff. Usually burgers, hot dogs, fries -- something easy.

55. At what time do you have dinner? When I get home from work, so usually around 9:30-10.

56. What do you have for dinner? Again, different stuff.

57. Do you light candles during dinner? No.

58. How many chairs are there in your dining room and who sits in the main chair? There isn’t a dining room in our apartment, but there’s a table in the corner with four chairs. There isn’t a “main” chair; they’re all the same.

59. Do you eat and drink using your right hand or the left one? Right, usually.

61. Mention the veggies that you like most: Pickles, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes. 

62. What fruit and vegetable do you like the least? Cantaloupe is my absolute least favorite fruit -- I can’t stand the taste. And my least favorite vegetable...probably Brussels sprouts.

63. You like your fruit salad to have more: Uhh. I haven’t had fruit salad in a long time. I guess strawberries?

64. You prefer your vegetable salad to contain more: Tomatoes.

65. What’s your favourite sandwich spread? Oh, I answered this earlier -- mayo or that chili spread. Admittedly, though, I haven’t had very many sandwich spreads.

66. What’s your favourite chocolate bar? Crunch. 

67. What’s your favourite dessert? Peanut butter brownie sundaes.

68. What’s your favourite drink? I don’t know. I’ve been in a weird drink place lately where I don’t know what I want. Margaritas are pretty great, though.

69. What’s your favourite snack? Goldfish.

70. What’s your favourite bubble gum flavour? Just like, wintergreen, probably, or spearmint. I like lemony ones, too. They used to have a strawberry lemonade one that was really good -- I don’t know if it still exists. But I’m not a big fan of gum, and my teeth have like, no enamel, so I never chew it. Oh, I used to like Juicy Fruit a lot when I was little.

71. What’s your favourite ice cream flavour? Green tea. I can only ever find it from Haagen-Dazs at some Publix. Oh, and brown sugar. Baskin Robbins has one that has brown sugar in it and it’s fucking incredible, but I’m pretty sure it’s seasonal. 

72. What’s your favourite potato chip flavour? Sour cream and onion, or just regular.

73. What’s your favourite soup? Chicken tortilla.

74. What’s your favourite pizza? Jalapeno and pineapple. 

75. What’s your favourite type of dish? Sushi, or Mexican.

76. What food do you hate? Cantaloupe. Peas. Brussels sprouts. Oatmeal. Applesauce. Anything mushy like that. Oh, and oysters/clams. And frog.

77. What’s your favourite restaurant? Hibachi.

78. Do you eat homemade food, food delivered from outside? I eat both, but I prefer food that’s not homemade, usually.

80. Who cooks at home? Jeremy.

81. What kind of diet (e.g. low-fat, high-fiber, high-carbohydrate, balanced diet etc.) do you have? Uh. A really unhealthy, salty, fattening one.

82. How do you keep yourself fit? I don’t.

#survey

[dalish-kunoichi]

alright y’all so buckle up we’re going for a fun old ride right down memory lane. In 2009, the height of the swine flu epidemic, my mom and dad decided to take a family trip with my brother and I on a China/Hong Kong trip. My mom was born in Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese (the local dialect in Hong Kong) with her family, but they moved here when she was 9. My dad is pretty darn white. Like...really white. We eat green bean casserole for Thanksgiving (BUT to be fair my mom puts soy sauce in it to make it better) Both my brother and I were born and raised in the LOVELY (i say that with the most sarcasm anyone can manage) primarily white, Christian, city of Indianapolis. I’m talking little to no Asians in general, not just Chinese. I was the only Asian in my class of 100 kids at a 99% white Christian school. So I grew up in a mixed Chinese-White American household and a white community.. We’re still pretty Chinese when it comes down to it, but neither my brother or I can speak Cantonese. We hear it whenever my mom talks with her family (who live in Cali, Michigan, and Indy but farther away, compared to my dad’s family who are all pretty much based in Indy as well), but we only know a few words and phrases. 

so its  the summer of 2009, I am the young af age of 12, and we go on a two week trip to China. Because my mom doesn’t speak Mandarin and had never actually lived in mainland China, we were with a tour group. It was fun and everything, but there was a tight schedule for all our travel plans with the group. All right: fast forward a week or so: we’re pretty used to the group, and we’ve traveled all the way from Xi’an and Beijing, down through Guilin and into Hong Kong.

ALL RIGHT finally to the main part of the story (sorry it’s taken so long, I wanted to give y’all some background.). So we’ve been in Hong Kong for a couple of days, and it’s time to leave. We got to have a lot of fun and even used some free time to meet up with a great aunt or something that I didn’t even know existed. My mom hadn’t seen her since she was 9, so blah blah blah it was really heartwarming and we had a lovely time listening but not understanding their conversation in Cantonese at Dim Sum. Finally it’s time to go, we’re with our tourist group again and we’re trying to get on a train to Shanghai. The group’s running a little late so we’re trying pretty damn hard to get to the gate on time. which means running. sprinting. So we all run through the train station and make it to a checkpoint or whatever where they check your passport to get back into the mainland and apparently one of the gate things we walk through takes our temperature. I’m 12, I’ve been running, and it’s summer in Hong Kong so my temperature is hot AF and I set off the gate. Unfortunately I was the last of the group and my mom was right before me so she turns around to see these guard people putting a mask over my face and walking me toward this door on the other side of the room. She starts freaking out and yelling in Cantonese to get back through the gate but they don’t let her, so I’m on my own.

Keep in mind, I have not idea what anyone’s saying and I’m holding on to my passport and ticket with a death grip and I have this mask over my face and I’m being led into this small af room with a lab table on one side and chairs on another and people in fucking biohazard body suits and EVERYTHING is white in there. So this lady in a suit comes up to me motioning for my passport and collects it and like 2 or 3 other people’s who were in there to document who set off the sensors. At this point I’m so fucking scared like I was trying not to cry but tears were definitely coming out like a fucking waterfall. These poor workers were trying to take the temperature of this tiny, crying, 12 year old part-Chinese girl who didn’t understand any of what they were trying to say. Finally they get the temperature readings back and woohoo turns out I’m not sick so they send me back out and my mom is still yelling in Cantonese but I finally get back to her and I’m STILL crying and long story short if there’s an epidemic and you have to catch a train, don’t run to try and get to it because you’re gonna be pretty fucking close to getting quarantined. 

TL;DR- I was trying to catch a train back to China from Hong Kong during Swine ‘09 when I was 12 and there with my family but we ran through the station and my temperature went up so they took me to a scary af lab and I didn’t understand what anyone was saying so I almost got quarantined. 

@yuriowo and @speakboywonder thanks for asking! it’s always fun to tell this story and sorry it was so long but I was trying to get the backstory in there

#it was not a fun time #but I've gotten to use it for like 3 different papers #so that's nice #that one time i almost got quarantined in hong kong #scary af #story #stories #personal story #swine flu #China #Hong Kong

[jedifighterpilot2727]

Cooking with Kara - Eyes Like Kryptonite Ch. 17

FF.N Guest - I'd like to propose a cooking class prompt, where Lena teaches Kara how to use others things besides her heat vision!

This started out kind of crack-y and ran away from there! Let me know what you think! Read on AO3 - http://archiveofourown.org/works/9100903/chapters/21415484         

Lena forces back a sigh as she sinks down on Kara’s couch to watch her girlfriend devour her weight in potstickers for the third time that week.

She loves take out Chinese food as much as the next person, but this was getting a touch excessive. Lena has always loved to cook, loves the feeling of creating something that she could turn right around and enjoy. It's something that's all for her. Not for her mother, not for her company; just her. She's gotten out of the habit these past few months while dating Kara - with all of the changes, it's easier to just pick up whatever takeout place Kara wanted that night. It was delicious, but she has to admit, she misses seeing green on her plate, misses eating something that doesn’t make her feel like she's about to die of a heart attack.

The look on Kara’s face is pure bliss as she takes another bite though, and when she notices Lena watching her her smile only grows.

“I am so glad to be home, Snapper was ridiculous today, I’m not sure how one man can be so grumpy.” She scrunches her nose. "I think I’m growing on him though."

“Of course you are, you’re the embodiment of sunshine - who could not like you?” Lena smiles and twists lo mien on her fork. She must wince as she takes a bite because Kara is instantly concerned.

“Are you okay?” Her girlfriend abandons her potstickers and leans across the couch, concerned hand on Lena’s knee.

“Oh, yeah, I just . . . stock prices took a hit today."

That adorable little crinkle appears in Kara’s brow.

“I checked them when the market closed and they were up five points. Prices can’t drop once the market closes can they?"

Damnit.

Why does she have to have the perfect girlfriend?

And here she is feeling bitchy about too much sesame chicken.

But Kara has caught her in one lie, and she's sure to catch her in another; so she puts her box of take out on the coffee table next to Kara’s and takes both of the Superhero’s hands in hers as she searches her brain for a way to put this gently.

“It’s just . . . well, this is the third time we’ve had Chinese food this week."

Kara’s face instantly falls and Lena wishes she could take the words back, but honestly she doesn’t think her stomach can take it.

“I knew I should have gotten pizza instead."

Oh. That is so not where she's trying to go with this.

“Umm well, maybe pizza wouldn’t have been such a good fit either."

The crinkle grows.

“Burgers?"

Lena tilts her head, hoping maybe Kara will start to catch on and is overjoyed when the crinkle disappears and Kara’s face lights up.

“Ohhhh!"

“Yes, exactly!"

“Babe, if you wanted to skip straight to the ice cream, all you had to do was say so!”

“What?! No! I- Kara- food, real food. I’m a human, I need food."

The crinkle is back.

“This is food.” Kara gestures at the takeout boxes.

“No, sweetheart, real food."

“Real food?"

“Like. . . baked chicken, or fettuccine alfredo, or vegetable soup, or pork chops, or salmon - real food."

The crinkle slowly lessens.

“Ohhhh, you mean like from the diner!"

Lena resists the urge to smack herself in the forehead.

“No, like a home cooked meal."

“Ohhhh,” Kara says again, and Lena braces herself for whatever is about to come.

“I can do that! I’ll fix you dinner tomorrow!”

Lena feels her shoulders sag in relief, mouth already watering at the thought of food that isn’t slathered in grease.

“I’ll help, we can make it a date!"

“Don’t worry about it! I’ll whip something up! Any requests?"

“I’m sure whatever you come up with will be perfect."

Real food. She can’t wait.

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

When she shows up at Kara’s house the next night, she enters to see Kara speeding around the kitchen table - setting out plates and silverware.

“Oh! You’re here!” Kara slows down long enough to give her a peck on the lips and then she’s zooming off again. “I’m just running a little behind, Snapper had me a stay a little late."

“Anything I can help with?” She sniffs the apartment, trying to pick out what Kara’s cooking but it doesn’t smell any different than usual.

Odd.

“Nope! Just have to cook everything up and we should be good!"

Cook everything up? Lena tries not to let her confusion show as Kara comes to a stop in front of the table, laser eyes lighting up and shooting a beam towards the casserole dish of green beans.

She followed the same procedure for the pork loin and the potatoes, leaving Lena slack jawed.

“Did you just?” She wanders to the table, eyes wide as she takes it all in.

“Oh yeah, it’s super effective. And it doesn’t put out any harmful radiation or anything, Alex had it tested!"

She forces herself to look in her girlfriend’s bright eyes.

“Kara, sweetheart, do you know how to use a stove?"

The crinkle is back.

“What’s wrong with laser vision?"

“There’s nothing wrong with it, but cooking as an experience can be rather enjoyable."

“I can cook pancakes?"

They lock eyes, and Lena swears if her girlfriend wasn’t so freaking adorable . . .

“Are you busy Saturday?"

“No, not unless an emergency comes up."

“Good, my place, 2pm. Bring your appetite."

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

She could have easily gotten her favorite Italian chef to come to her apartment for a private cooking lesson, but there's something intimate about cooking with someone, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to do this alone with Kara. Besides, she could prepare the dish as well as any chef, so why bother?

When Kara shows up five minutes early, she's all prepared, hair pulled back into a sharp ponytail, apron tied snugly with another one set out for Kara. Her girlfriend barely makes it in the door before she stops, jaw going slack as her eyes rake over Lena.

“That’s, ummm . . . that’s my . . ."

Kara's comes up to press nervously against her glasses.

“That’s my crest.” she gestures feebly to the red and gold crest on Lena’s blue apron.

Lena knows what it means to wear the house crest of a Kryptonian - she has spent countless hours pouring over every available bit of info on the lost planet - so she knows exactly what it means to have the crest of the House of El on her chest. Knows that she’s practically claiming membership.

“You don’t mind do you?”

Kara’s eyes darken as she shakes her head, finger reaching out to trace the crest.

“Any way I can talk you into skipping cooking class and heading straight to the bedroom?” Kara steps forward until their chest are brushing, hands coming to rest on Lena’s hips. Her head tilts down, and Lena feels the bite of sharp teeth closing firmly around her pulse point.

The whine rises in her throat before she can stop it.

Kara rarely gets possessive in bed - or anywhere for that matter, but when she does . . .

Lena shivers.

She feels Kara smile against her skin, and  the superhero bends, hands smoothing over Lena’s ass to the back of her thighs. She’s lifted in the air effortlessly and she wraps her legs around Kara’s waist, barely a moment’s pause before Kara’s lips capture hers. The kiss is hungry and desperate and Lena wants to lose herself in it, wants to let Kara take her wherever this is headed; but she also wants to not eat takeout for the rest of her life. She pulls back slowly, hand pushing gently at Kara’s chest.

“What’s wrong?” Kara’s voice is immediately concerned, and Lena has whiplash from how quickly she can go from hot and possessive to warm and concerned.

“Could you just, take all of this -“ She waves her hand in a circle. “And bottle it up for a few hours? Because as much as I want you to just completely ravish me, I also skipped lunch so that I could show you how to make ravioli."

Kara’s concerned expression morphs into a wicked grin.

“So you’re going to feed me pasta and then let me show you just what it does to me to see you wear my house crest?"

Lena nods and bites her lip.

“Well sign me up!” Kara grins and places one last chaste kiss to her lips before setting her gently on her feet. “What’s first?"

“First, you need to put that on.” She gestures to the apron on the counter. “Then we need to get the vegetables chopped for the sauce."

Kara pulls the apron over her head, grinning when she see’s ‘Kiss the Cook’ emblazoned across the front.

“So when you say chop, do you mean karate chop? Or . . .?"

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

It takes some doing, okay, a lot of doing; but eventually they end up with an edible dish. They’re covered in flour and they spent more time laughing and talking than they do cooking, but Lena feels accomplished - especially when they decide to make it a weekly event. They settle down at the dining room table with their food and wine; and even though the only light is a handful of candles scattered around the room, she can still see the flour dusted on Kara’s nose.

Even if she has to eat takeout every other meal for the rest of her life, she wouldn’t trade this life for the world.

#supercorp #fanfiction #supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #eyes like kryptonite

[samirgianni]

Seasonal Ontario Food's Top Ten - Vegetarian Mains - Beans, Eggs & Cheese

Another day, another set of lists. Today I am celebrating the vegetarian main dishes; the ones that take centre stage and fill you up. I've broken them down into 3 groups but of course they are not as cooperative as all that and some could have gone in a couple of lists. Legume Based Main Dishes Chick Peas with Greens & Tomatoes, Greek Style - most viewed vegetarian recipe, and why not? Simple, inexpensive, flexible, delicious... a dish for daily eating and company alike. Horace's Tagliatelle -  more chick peas. I'm afraid I had a tendency to see chick peas and put them on the "Top Ten" list automatically. I could eat them all day and all night, especially with pasta and leeks. Oh look! We got 'em. Cheesy Lentil Loaf - the photo is dire, but the dish is lovely. It's cheesy, cheerful hippie food. Eating this is what gave the hippies their reputation for mellowness. Right? Right? Versatile Veggie Patties - something less greasy and more substantial than pakoras, but inspired by them. Another easy and flexible recipe. Vegetarian Lentil Tourtiere - not my most viewed vegetarian legume recipe, but mighty close to it. I was really chuffed with this one, and also the Samosa Pie I made for the same Christmas party. Falafels - I tried a bunch of versions before this; I don't know that this is the ultimate falafel, but it's the one I've made that I like the best, and mighty fine it is. Goat Cheese, Spinach, & Lentil Lasagne - expensive things and frugal things; healthy things and rich things; mild things and assertive things; all in perfect balance. Veggie Pie with Cornbread Topping - simple and satisfying; what more do you need? Dressing (Stuffing) Flavoured Beans - all the flavours of dressing (or is it stuffing?); all the substance and smoothness of beans. A winner, in other words. Quick & Easy Braised Tofu - tasty food, super fast. Sometimes that's just what you want. Gado Gado - this one could be in several lists or even the salads. Yes, it's got a bit of everything and it all goes together like a symphony. Egg Based Dishes Egg with Tomatoes, Chinese Style - I think I got this from a fellow worker many years ago, and it's been a quick and easy egg dish that's just a little different from the usual, or at least my usual. Tortilla, aka Spanish Omelet - It took me a long time to get the knack of making a Tortilla, but it all boils down to patience. And good oil. But mostly, patience. Once you have that, they're terrific. An Old-Fashioned Canadian Egg Curry - I believe this is my most viewed egg dish; I think it's one that a lot of people had in their childhoods and remember fondly. Like most egg dishes it's also pretty quick and easy, and a good way to clear out a glut of hard boiled eggs. Turkish Zucchini Pancakes (Mucver) - Turkish cooking is definitely one of the great cuisines of the world, and this is a classic. Cannot recommend too highly. Asparagus & Mushroom Kugel - In season! Kugels are delightful - an awful lot of them got put on these "Top Ten" lists, and this one has asparagus and mushrooms. Good? Good! Spaghetti Squash Kugel - A different kugel for a different season; I remember this one particularly fondly. Poached Eggs in the Oven - Maybe this is my most viewed egg dish, but it is a technique more than a dish. It's a great technique if making poached eggs exasperates you, and even if it doesn't, it's a great technique when you need to make a bunch of poached eggs all at once. Egg Fu Yung - Another simple Chinese egg dish, another winner. Even better at home than from your local Chinese greasy spoon (Greasy chopstick?) Eggs in Purgatory - Let's have something spicy! And rich and tomatoey; easy and flexible. Okonomiyaki Waffles - the eggs are not particularly prominent here, but it couldn't happen without them. A surprising but simple and satisfying supper. Cheese Based Dishes Linguini with Caramelized Onions, Beet Greens, & Cheese - There isn't that much cheese in this, but somehow the cheese is so vital to the satisfaction it supplies. Also the pasta, the onions, the greens... but definitely the cheese. Macaroni & Cheese - Mr. Ferdzy's aunt comes to visit every second year, and upon her request I make vats of this stuff and we all sit around and eat it until we are in danger of bursting. I hardly dare make it at any other time, because we would sit around and eat it until we were in danger of bursting. You have been warned! Quiche Whatever - Quiche, like pizza, is a great way to make a bit of this and a little of that seem like a fancy gourmet treat. Mostly by being a fancy gourmet treat. But once you have the basics down, there's nothing to it. Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls with Cheese, Wild Rice & Mushroom Sauce - My most viewed cheese-based vegetarian recipe; something for a special occasion and very nice too. Eggplant Parmesan - A classic! What's not to like? Pizza with Asparagus, Fiddleheads, Mushrooms & Ramps - This is a bit of a representation of a special moment in time, when everything came together. There will just be about a week of the year when this can be made; but what a week and what a pizza. Ricotta Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Spinach - Simpler than you might think, rich and flavourful yet still very refined. Eggplant Casserole - This is a funny little dish of my own devising, and it seems odd, I suppose; but it's been a consistent favourite for year. A bit like a cheesy eggplant stuffing. Broccoli Kugel - Oh look; another kugel. Can't go wrong with broccoli! Or cheese. Vegetable Soup with Cheese Dumplings - Yes this could have gone in with the soups, but it's the cheese dumplings that make it special, and they do it well. Roasted Parsnip & Carrot Kugel - One last kick at the kugel can - no noodles, just the veg. Kugels generally have a sweet element to them, and the parsnips and carrots are admirably up to the job. from Seasonal Ontario Food http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/2017/06/seasonal-ontario-foods-top-ten_13.html

#Seasonal Ontario Food