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uovoc · 1 year

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2022 media consumption year in review

God tier

Matthew Swift series and Magicals Anonymous duology by Kate Griffin (reread). London sorcerer is raised from the dead and accidentally gets fused to the blue electric angels of the telephone lines along the way. Luscious prose, best urban magic I've ever read, and wickedly funny sense of humor.

Kane and Feels - podcast. Paranormal investigators go around London poking the mystic forces with a sharp stick. Surreal. Funny. Moderately comprehensible. There's nothing else quite like it. Someone described it as "the anti-TMA: you cannot form any theories about it no matter how hard you try."

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (reread) - two time travelers, defined as people stuck in time loops of their own lives, attempt to unravel the mystery of their existence. Suspenseful and beautifully constructed piece of nonlinear storytelling.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (reread) - Rose tastes people's emotions in food. Her brother disappears into thin air. Their parents are fine. Surreal and haunting pearl of a story.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - after a family tragedy, the surviving Blackwoods live in isolation from the village. A little Piranesi-ish subverted horror: the sense there's a secret at the heart of the world, and the secret is both joyful and terrible.

Our Flag Means Death - the crangst-filled pirate show that it seemed like the internet lost its mind over, for good reason.

Bee and Puppycat: Lazy in Space - Bee travels between the island and fishbowl space working temp jobs with Puppycat, until their pasts catch up with them. Dreamy, bittersweet, and gorgeous. Season finale was a banger.

Vesper Flights by Helen MacDonald (reread). Nature essays on humans and birds. Quiet, luminous, and filled with love of place. Faves were "The Human Flock", "High Rise", "Eulogy", and "What Animals Taught Me"

Natsume's Book of Friends (anime) - Technically about boy who can see youkai, learning how to navigate the world of human relationships. But really about masking, healing from trauma, and learning to trust.

Decent entertainment

The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes

Encanto (2021) - movie

The Witcher, season 2 - show

What We Do in the Shadows - seasons 1-3, got bored afterwards

The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (reread)

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Touch by Claire North (reread)

Sing - movie

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (reread)

The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren

Moon Knight - show, season 1

Moon Knight comics - 2011, 2014, 2016, 2021

The Batman (2022)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts (reread)

The Bad Guys (2022)

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (reread)

The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North

Johannes Cabal series by Jonathan L. Howard (reread): Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, Johannes Cabal the Detective, Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute, The Brothers Cabal, and The Fall of the House of Cabal

The Owl House season 2

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (reread)

Strider by Beverly Cleary (reread)

Loki - show, season 1

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

Paprika (2006) dir. Satoshi Kon (rewatch)

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (reread)

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

Supernatural - seasons 1 – 6, selected episodes

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman - comics (reread)

The Sandman - show, season 1

Microcosmic God: The complete short stories of Theodore Sturgeon, volume II by Theodore Sturgeon

Various Dick King-Smith books (reread): The Merman, Harry's Mad, and Harriet's Hare

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Girl From the Other Side - anime

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

The Farewell (2019) dir. Lulu Wang

Horatio Lyle series by Catherine Webb: The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle, The Obsidian Dagger, The Doomsday Machine, and The Dream Thief

Mononoke (2007) dir. Kenji Nakamura - anime

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson. Fave: "The Beautiful Stranger"

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. Faves: "Like Mother Used to Make" and "Flower Garden"

Legend of Nezha (哪吒传奇) - the 2003 cartoon

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Lucie Babbidge's House by Sylvia Cassedy

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Pinocchio (2022) - dir. Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

You Suck by Christopher Moore

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

Disliked and usually DNF

Guardian (cdrama)

The Gameshouse by Claire North

Kim's Convenience - show

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

Victoriocity - podcast

Sporadic Phantoms - podcast

Guardians of Childhood series by William Joyce - okay I finished it out of loyalty but it was no rotg that's for sure

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Keep Your Hands off Eizouken - anime

Arcane - show

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender

Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender

The Color Master by Aimee Bender

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Megan's Island by Willo Davis Roberts (reread)

First Light by Rebecca Stead

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

To Your Eternity - anime

Bloomability by Sharon Creech

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Malevolent - podcast

Midnight Burger - podcast

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan L. Howard

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

M.E. and Morton by Sylvia Cassedy

Forty Stories by Donald Barthelme

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

The Stench of Adventure (podcast)

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Assorted nonfiction

Songs of the Gorilla Nation by Dawn Prince-Hughes

The Organized Mind by Daniel J Levitin - nothing new except for the part about using your spatial memory to hack organization.

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker - how to organize social gatherings for meaningful and memorable experiences

Rust: the Longest War by Jonathan Waldman - investigative journalism book about corrosion, the hazard it presents to physical infrastructure, and how we mitigate it

Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 by Naoki Higashida

Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life by Yiyun Li - DNF

The One-Minute Manager: The World's Most Popular Management Method by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson - techniques for one-minute goal setting, one-minute praisings, and one-minute reprimands

The Chinese Language: Its History and Current Usage by Daniel Kane. Good concise history of the development of written Mandarin Chinese and the underlying structure of the characters.

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold - essays on the American landscape and conservation ethics ca. 1950. Neat from a historical standpoint, but nothing to write home about these days. Which kinda is the point I guess.

Oregon Salmon: Essays on the State of the Fish At the Turn of the Millennium, ed. Oregon Trout

Caring for your Parents by Hugh Delehanty and Eleanor Ginzler

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks - DNF

The Grid by Gretchen Bakke - history of how the physical and regulatory infrastructure of the American power grid was developed, and how it needs to be reimagined for the future.

Wildlife Wars : The life and times of a fish and game warden by Terry Grosz. Tales from his career as a California game warden catching poachers.

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. DNF. author's writing voice was supremely annoying

Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash, 3rd ed (1982) (reread) - history of Americans' changing attitudes towards nature and definitions of wilderness. A classic banger.

Black, Brown, Bruised: How racialized STEM education stifles innovation by Ebony Omotola McGee - good summary of what the successful programs for STEM students of color are doing right, everything else is the same old same old

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb. Account of the experience of going through therapy while working as a therapist. Excellent look at how we construct our personal narratives, and how to change them.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Gremmy, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Strategies for having effective high-stakes conversations and managing your emotions. Good stuff.

Engineering and Social Justice by Donna Riley. Pretty entry-level, but it's a good bibliography for further reading.

Send in the Idiots by Kamran Nazeer

Why Are We Yelling? The art of productive disagreement by Buster Benson - DNF. disliked his writing style.

#Media consumption #Patter

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dungeons-and-dragons-and-whump · 2 years

Text

Worst Day Off Ever

Ok. It’s been. A long time since I’ve posted my writing here, but I’m proud enough of this that I don’t think it’ll give me an aneurysm in 3-5 months. Also posted on fanfiction.net, Wattpad, & ao3.

Words: 5191

Fandom: White Collar

Summary: “Only you,” Peter remarked, following his gaze, “could get yourself kidnapped and stabbed while not even on the clock.”

Neal is offered the rest of his workday off and leaps at the chance, only to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Neal whump. Not specifically written for Caffrey-Burke day, since I started writing it before I found out about it, but the shoe fits, so, @operationmorewhitecollar

Disclaimer: I haven’t finished watching this show, but I’ve read a LOT of fanworks, so characters may be slightly OOC, please don’t crucify me. I also don’t know how law enforcement or medical care works. There’s a reason I write fantasy.

This also takes place after an AU ending to season 3 where Neal does end up getting his sentence ended, along with his anklet. Why? That’s just how this idea popped into my head, and who am I to deny the whims of my subconscious?

Warnings: contains drugging, kidnapping, and moderately graphic violence (including hand whump)

Neal Caffrey tucked his thumbs into his pockets as he halted at a crosswalk, tilting his face up towards the sun and closing his eyes as he waited for the signal to change.

What a wonderful day to get off early from work.

It was a hot summer day, unusually so. Temps had hit the 90s by 11 AM, at which point Neal (or, as far as his mark knew, ‘Nick Halden’) had been busy scrounging around in an air-conditioned office building for suspicious files. Once his infiltration had ended, he had rendezvoused with Peter and Jones in their beloved FBI van - which, in this heat, had become a veritable oven.

They were supposed to sit there for several hours, monitoring calls coming in and out of the building, but Peter had had mercy on him after a mere 20 minutes at the sight of Neal plucking at his suit and loosening his tie in an attempt to combat the heat. Neal’s partner had assured him that he and Jones (who were both already in t-shirts) had the monitoring under control, and encouraged Neal to head home and cool off. Neal, though he pitied them for having to stay and continue their task, leapt at the chance and was off in minutes. He certainly didn’t relish the thought of boiling in the sweat-moistened backseat air of the van.

It was still hot outside, but at least a soft breeze offered some relief from the baking heat. The sidewalks were quiet. Most New York residents obviously had the presence of mind to stay inside. Neal was heading straight home, where he planned to take a shower, crack open a bottle of wine, and finish that painting he had started a few days ago. Nick Halden wouldn’t need to appear again until the meeting with Fallon he had arranged in two days time.

The signal changed, and Neal stepped forward, striding across the crosswalk and continuing towards his apartment. He glanced down at his watch, then did a double take at the sight of one of the Bureau’s fake Rolexes staring back at him. He must have forgotten to return it. Neal double checked that the one-way radio was off before continuing down the sidewalk. He would return it when he came into work tomorrow.

As Neal strutted down the sidewalk, another man emerged from the space between two buildings and fell into step beside him.

“Hot out, isn’t it?” The man spoke up cheerfully. Neal side-eyed him. New Yorkers weren’t exactly known for their penchant of striking up conversations with strangers. The man was about his height, with a slightly more muscular build, and he was carrying a tote bag which was bulging with unidentifiable shapes.

“Indeed it is.” Neal responded, infusing a similar cheer into his voice. It wasn’t hard, he was happy to be heading home.

“A real scorcher. Here.” The man reached into the bag, and Neal tracked his hand warily until it emerged with a disposable water bottle. He offered it to Neal, who shot him a winning smile as he took it.

“Roaming the streets in search of hapless citizens in need of water? That’s very kind of you.” Neal turned the bottle in his hand, ensuring the seal was intact, before he twisted the cap off and took a swig. It was probably paranoia - who would be handing out drugged drinks to strangers? Even though the circumstances were odd, he was happy to receive it. Maintaining his good looks required hydration, after all.

“Well, we all do our part.” The man shrugged, patting his bag and smiling. “Headed home?”

“To the park.” Neal lied. Knee-jerk reaction.

The man smirked, gesturing to Neal’s suit. “In that getup?”

“Why not? All the cute fitness girls will be there.” Neal grinned, taking another sip of his water. This time, he paused, looking down at the label. Generic warehouse-store brand. Did he just have too expensive tastes? Why did it taste off to him?

“Suppose you’re right.” The man continued strolling along beside him. “What’s your name? I’m Dale, Dale Emery.”

“Nick.” Again, he lied. Something in the pit of his stomach was telling him that something was off. “Nick Halden. It’s a pleasure.”

“Pleasure’s all mine.” Dale said with a cheerful smile. He kept walking along beside him. Neal’s apprehension continued to grow as they made their way down the sidewalk. Why was he still here? Was he one of Fallon’s henchmen? Trying to see if he would slip up outside of ‘work hours’? But, surely they wouldn’t approach him so overtly.

Neal’s vision blurred.

He halted in his tracks, overcorrecting and taking a hasty step back to balance himself. The sidewalk before him split in two, and it took all of his effort to keep from tilting over. What the h### was that?!

“Hey, hey, Nick, buddy, you okay?” Dale stepped in front of him, reaching out to steady him by grasping both his arms. The movement caused Neal’s grip to loosen involuntarily, and the bottle slipped from his hand, hitting the sidewalk and sending water splashing over his shoes. He frowned down at them.

“Got the- not feelin’ too good.” He managed, his words beginning to slur together. He’d drugged him. The water was spiked.

“Dizzy? Unbalanced?” Dale was saying. “Sounds like heat exhaustion- don’t worry, I’ve got my car parked nearby. I’ll get you cooled down.” Grip tightening on his arms, Dale began to lead him down the sidewalk, and Neal was too stunned to protest.

“Wait, wait, no, I gotta-” Peter, he had to call Peter. Maybe this was only heat exhaustion- he was hot - but he needed Peter here to make sure. There was no way he was going with this man blindly.

Neal jerked his hand away, fumbling in his pocket for his phone.

“Here, let me help you.” Dale offered, and Neal tried to pull his phone away, holding it tight against his chest. “I’ll call your emergency contacts for you, how about that?” Dale held out his hand, an easy smile on his face. Neal contemplated how real it looked.

The next thing he knew, his phone was in Dale’s hand. Neal cursed quietly, though it came out slurred. He hadn’t drank that much - how potent was that stuff?? Now he was really feeling dizzy, wavering where he stood on the sidewalk while this stranger looked through his phone.

“Just one contact, eh?” Dale grinned, lifting his phone a bit. “Alright, c’mon, easy now.” And he was being led down the sidewalk again. Neal wished he could snatch his phone back, but his reflexes were next to nothing by now. The alarm bells in his head, though muffled by whatever drug he had inadvertently ingested, were ringing at full force. There was no way this man was really going to call Peter, he didn’t know what his plans were but they couldn’t be any good. Neal had gotten heatstroke before, and the symptoms felt nothing like this - a sudden onset of dizziness, blurred vision, and nausea that was even now lurking in the pit of his stomach. This was poison.

For the first time in his life, Neal wished he was wearing the anklet. At least that miserable piece of hardware would have alerted Peter if he went outside his radius, and maybe the senior agent would have chanced to check his position and seen that he was in an odd place, come to check him out, maybe saved him from- from- whatever this man planned for him. As it stood, the next time Peter was likely to see him was dead in a ditch somewhere, just a corpse in a suit and a fancy wa-

Oh, right. There was a way that the FBI could track him.

“Wait!” He exclaimed, jerking his arms out of Dale’s grip. The man turned around, one brow raised, as Neal bent over his watch and muttered, “what time is it.” It was a weak cover, but Dale didn’t stop him from activating the watch’s hidden radio, transmitting any further conversation straight to Peter and Jones in their FBI van.

“It’s just after two.” Dale was saying as he straightened up. “Now, come on, we need to get you cooled down.” He was still smiling, but Neal could swear that the expression got more predatory the longer it was on his face.

Neal couldn’t argue, his words becoming more slurred every time he tried to speak. Nor could he resist, every ounce of energy going into putting one foot in front of the other, and his mind was too sluggish to think of another way out. He’d just have to rely on Peter and Jones to think of one for him.

***

“Hey, Peter.” Jones’s voice made him jump, and Peter Burke looked up from the sheet of paper he had been trying not to sweat all over. “We sent Caffrey home, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, why?” Peter leaned over, trying to see what had caught his fellow agent’s attention.

“He just reactivated his radio.” Jones pointed to the new audio source on his screen. “And his GPS is on. He’s heading the wrong way, and there’s someone else with him.”

“What?” Peter frowned deeply. “Patch me in.”

“Hang on,” Jones tapped on his computer as Peter grabbed his headphones, lifting them onto his ears, and almost immediately he heard Neal’s voice.

“Wai’- wait, let me get m’ seatbelt-“

“Fine, Nick, just make it quick.”

“Where’re we goin’-?”

“Back to my place.”

“I was tryin’ to- had plans-”

“Well, now you’ve got different ones.”

Peter and Jones shared identical looks of horror.

“Doesn’t sound like a friend.” Jones said lowly.

“No, and something’s very wrong with Neal.” Peter grit out, leaning over to Jones’s screen to look at the GPS map. The little dot that represented his wayward CI was moving in the opposite direction of Neal’s apartment. “Get up to the front, Jones, go. I’ll call for backup to meet us there.”

“Yes sir.” Jones was up in an instant, hurrying to the front of the truck and fumbling the key into the starter. As Peter reached for his phone, intending to call Diana to bring a team with them, Neal’s voice crackled once more through his headphones.

“‘S a nice ride.” He commented. “Navy blue- what is it, 2004? Ford Focus?”

“2005.”

“Riiiight. It’s nice.”

Whatever was going on with Neal - likely drugged, if he was concussed he wouldn’t be so friendly - he still had the mental capacity to try and slip them clues to help them save him, Peter thought with grim pride.

Jones pulled out into traffic as Peter’s mind whirled. Who was this man?? He had called Neal ‘Nick’, was he someone from their active case? What was he doing with Neal, how had he gotten him into such a state??

“Which way?” Jones shouted from the front, and Peter checked the map.

“West, head west!” He shouted back, remembering his previous task and once more reaching for his phone. A quick call to Diana later, a task force was on its way to Caffrey’s location, not far behind Jones and Peter in the van.

Through his headphones, Peter heard the car stop.

“We here?” Came Neal’s voice. “I don’t think it’s heat ‘xaustion- feelin’ pretty cool but not any less dizzy-”

“Come on, out you get.”

“Hey- oh, I’ve been here before. It’s th’ little neighborhood on Hartson street, one with th’ rock bridge. House is pretty, like th’ blue-”

“Quit your reminiscing and let’s get inside.” The other man snapped, and Peter heard a small grunt from Neal. The agent became suddenly aware of how tightly he was gritting his teeth.

“They’ve arrived.” He called hoarsely up to Jones in the driver’s seat. “Hartson street.” Jones nodded tersely, and Peter communicated the address to Diana’s team as well. Of course, the GPS would lead them there anyway, but it was good to have a concrete target in mind. Neal’s dot had stopped moving.

“Nice place- can I have some water?”

“Oh, you won’t be needing it.”

“Wht’s that mean- why’re we goin’ down in the basement-”

“It’s real cool down here.”

“I’m ac’shully kinda cold now-“ Neal’s voice cut off with a grunt, and Peter heard a thud. “…alright. Guess we’re done pre’tendin’ we’re buds.”

“Yeah, we’re done.”

“Jones, how close are we?” Peter snapped.

“With traffic, I can’t say, but we’re under ten minutes away.” Jones called back. Peter forced himself to stay focused. It would have to be fast enough.

“So who’re- who are you with?” Neal was asking. “Fallon? Could’ve called, has my number-“

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Neal’s captor interrupted. “You make a lot of enemies, Nick?”

“…w-well then, Keller? Friend of Adler’s?” Neal’s voice trailed off. “You’re… you really…?”

“I have no idea who you are.” His captor’s voice was indifferent. “I just like to watch pretty boys squirm.” A moment of stunned silence, then Neal forced out a strained laugh.

“Well that’s awfully forward’ve you, Dale, I don’ swing that way but mayb’ buy me dinner an’-“

“Man, one would think you’re used to being locked up in basements.” ‘Dale’ interrupted, and Peter heard echoing footsteps. “Up, come on.” Neal grunted, and Peter heard an all-too-familiar click.

“Handcuffs. Classic.” Neal commented. Peter knew his CI could get out of cuffs as easily as he could breathe, but today? While drugged? He couldn’t be so sure.

“Hey, quick, easy, and convenient.” A shuffle. “There now, don’t you make a perfect picture.” Peter heard the click of a camera’s shutter, and he ground his teeth. Neal was debilitated, bound, and locked in a stranger’s basement with, as far as his captor knew, nobody looking for him. Peter was a white collar agent, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know his way around violent offenders - if this man wanted to kill Neal quickly, he would’ve already done so.

No, he’d taken him home and locked him up where he assumed no one would find him. It was a d### good thing that Peter would.

***

Neal’s head was swimming.

With his wrists fastened firmly behind his head as they were, he couldn’t even prop himself up to get a good look at his kidnapper as the man set his camera aside, approaching him. It was dark, but even in the dimness Neal could see the sadism on his face. Neal swallowed. Unless Peter showed up in the next 12 seconds, he wasn’t getting out of here unscathed.

He felt horrible. Whatever poison he’d been tricked into drinking had caused him to break into a cold sweat, and the cold concrete floor he’d been tossed down on did nothing to help his uncontrollable shivering. He’d succeeded so far in not throwing up - he didn’t relish choking on his own bile, incapable as he was of getting up. Somehow, he’d managed to keep his stupid carefree smile on his face thus far, but it was probably about time to put that away before it provoked his captor into further violence.

“So.” Dale said conversationally, walking past him and out of sight. “Have a lot of enemies, hmm?” Neal shifted, hoping to every and any deity out there that Peter was hearing all this.

“Sure do.” He confirmed. “Alleg’dly committed a lot’ve crimes. Nothin’ too bad, jes’ a few thieveries an’ forgeries.”

“So you’ve been a bad bad man.” Dale came back into view, and Neal’s fingers began unconsciously working at the cuffs. Some models could be popped without use of his picks… “It almost,” Dale laughed, fidgeting with the knife now held between two fingers. “It almost makes it less fun. But I’m sure,” He knelt down next to Neal, hungry gaze traveling up and down his body. “I can make it work.”

The handcuff burst free, and Neal jerked, swinging his arm around and slamming the remaining cuff into his captor’s face.

Dale shouted, cringing back, and Neal scrambled away. He tried to get to his feet, but the world spun around him and he crashed to the ground again. A second try only resulted in the same failure, and a third attempt barely got him to the stair rail. He gripped the banister like his life depended on it, trying to get his foot on the first step.

A strong arm wrapped around his neck, jerking him back, and Neal was helpless to free himself. He could barely walk. “Handcuffs not doing it for you, huh?” Dale hissed into his ear, turning around and shoving him to the ground again at the foot of the beam. Neal grunted as he hit the concrete again, disappointed with his failure, but at least he was stalling. Dale grabbed his arm, his grip strong, and Neal’s eyes flickered open as his hand was fitted over a plank that lay on the floor nearby.

The knife flashed over Dale’s head, and Neal’s eyes widened in realization moments before it jammed through his hand and into the plank.

Weirdly, the thing he was most aware of as he screamed was that he hoped he hadn’t blown out the receiver on his hidden radio, which was now pinned firmly to a board with the killer’s knife. Second was the pain, of course, which radiated hot and merciless throughout his entire body. He jerked, trying to drag his hand away, but Dale had planted a foot on the board and trying to move his hand only caused more agony. Neal’s chest heaved as he gasped for breath, vision darkening, and he found himself mouthing Peter’s name.

Peter, where are you?!

“Well, now, it’s a good thing I carry several of these.” Dale remarked, lifting another knife. Neal reacted instantly, trying to hide his other hand, and his captor laughed. “No worries, Nick, I’ll leave your other hand be.” He paused. “For now. I like to keep a little piece of my victims with me- usually a finger. Do you have any preference on which?” The edge of the knife ghosted over his pinned hand, and Neal’s fingers seized involuntarily.

The ex-con pinned his eyes shut, sucking in air and trying to calm himself. Panicking wouldn’t help him, he’d been through s### like this before, all he had to do was wait him out and Peter would come and save him-

A weight pressed down on his chest, and Neal’s eyes flew open to find his kidnapper kneeling over him, straddling his waist.

“Yeah, I said victims.” Dale hissed softly, reaching down to trace Neal’s chin with the point of the knife. No matter of struggling and cringing away would let him escape his reach. “You’re far from the first, Nick, and you won’t be the last. The difference between you and the first is, I’ve definitely learned how to make the whole process more… enjoyable for myself.” A knee pressed down on his chest, and Neal wheezed harshly, the air forced from his lungs.

“Pet’r-“ He gasped out.

“Peter?” Dale echoed. “No one’s comin’ for you, Nick.” The voice was mocking, and Neal gritted his teeth. His heart was hammering in his chest, as if trying to make up for the missing blood that was now pooling on the floor beneath his hand, and his thoughts were only getting more and more muddled.

Peter, you’d better be on your way.

***

Peter had nearly broken his headphones when Neal screamed.

Jones had almost swerved off the road, too, demanding to know what the sound had been, but Peter had just snapped at him to keep driving. They were only a couple minutes out, and Peter was going in the moment they arrived whether their backup had appeared or not.

He could hear Neal’s every pained breath, every threat hissed at him by the lowlife who held him prisoner. Gone was Neal’s carefree banter, he hadn’t said a word other than Peter since his scream. Scared was not an attribute Peter often associated with his playful CI, but he could hear it clearly in every sound that Neal made, breath sounding increasingly strained as his captor taunted him.

“You know, if I really put my mind to it I could make a killing off your insides.” Peter heard a quiet snap, and Neal whimpered. “$500,000 for your heart, $120,000 for your kidneys… each.” A small laugh. “I don’t have the facilities for that… maybe someday.”

The van jerked to a halt.

“Peter, which building?” Jones shouted back, and Peter tore his eyes from the console in front of him to consult Neal’s map.

“First one to the right of the corner!” He shouted back, voice hoarse. “Is Diana-?”

“She’s not here yet.” Jones shut off the van, grabbing his handgun as he slid out of the van. Peter hesitated, gripping his headphones for a moment longer, before abandoning them and jumping out the back of the van to join him.

“Come on.” Peter urged him, dashing across the street to the named house. The siding was blue. He headed straight for the door, trying the knob. “Of course he locked it.” The senior agent backed up, tucking his gun away, and rushed forward to slam his shoulder into the door. All he gained was a spike of pain through his arm.

“Peter!!” Jones hurried forward, scanning the front of the house for any other entrance. “The windows, could we-” Peter didn’t wait for him to finish, drawing his gun as he dashed for one of the ground-floor windows. Rearing back his weapon, Peter slammed it into the glass, shattering it, and he lifted a foot to shove away some of the exposed shards before climbing through with Jones at his heels.

“Basement.” He gasped out, batting the curtains aside. “They’re in the basement.” Without another word, they split up, searching the first level of the small house for the basement door.

Peter threw open a door and was met with a flight of stairs.

“Jones!” He bellowed, but didn’t wait for him to respond before storming down into the dark basement. “FBI, get on the ground!!”

The basement was dim, and it took him a moment to see what he was actually pointing his gun at. The only light came from the upstairs behind him, and a small window mostly choked out by weeds. It wasn’t until his eyes adjusted that he saw Neal’s kidnapper, looking up at him in shock from where he knelt on top of Neal’s prone form.

“Get off of him.” Peter snapped, gaze not leaving the scoundrel as he descended the rest of the staircase. The man didn’t move. “Now!!” The agent had almost made up his mind to shoot when his target finally obeyed, backing off from Neal. “Drop it.” Peter gestured with his gun, and the man let the knife in his hand clatter to the ground. “On your knees, hands behind your head.” Jones was hurrying down the stairs behind him, and Peter let him deal with cuffing the man as he turned his attention to Neal.

Neal was pale, breaths shallow, and it didn’t take Peter more than a moment to find out why - a knife through his palm pinned Neal’s hand to a piece of wood. It was clear now what had caused the scream. Peter was at his side in an instant, reaching down to pat at his face. “Neal!!” The action had his CI jerking, a small cry escaping him as he jarred his trapped hand. Peter cursed.

“D#####, Neal, hold still.” He fumbled his phone from his pocket, leaving his right hand resting on Neal’s shoulder as he clumsily dialed medical services with his left. As he waited for them to pick up, his gaze swept up and down Neal’s body, looking for any further injury. His button-down shirt had been cut open, but he seemed unhurt other than a small scratch on his exposed chest.

Peter got the call over with as quickly as possible, setting his phone aside and casting a glance over at their culprit. Jones had cuffed his hands behind his back, and now pinned him to the floor with a boot on his back as he listed off his rights. Remarkable restraint, Peter could tell that Jones wanted to rearrange the man’s face as much as he did.

“Peter.” Neal croaked, drawing his attention back down.

“Hey, Neal.” Peter’s thumb rubbed at his shoulder anxiously. “Paramedics are on their way.”

“M’ hand-”

“I know, bud, I see it.” Peter stole another glance at the knife, and he was quick to look away. At least, if the damage was too great, at least it was his left hand. Neal was blinking up at him now, blue eyes glassy with pain. “Neal, talk to me. What happened?”

“Was walkin’ home.” Neal slurred, vision unfocused. “He… off’red me a bottle’ve water… drugged. Followed me ‘till it kicked in.” Peter pressed his lips in a thin line. He should think that Neal of all people would know not to accept a drink from a stranger on the street. But there would be plenty of time for scolding him later.

“Alright,” he patted his shoulder, then started to remove his hand, but Neal’s good hand shot up to grasp his fingers tightly. He said nothing, only looked up at him imploringly, and Peter sighed and adjusted his grip.

“Got Dale?” Neal rasped.

“We got him.” Peter confirmed. “I’m just glad he wasn’t interested in your watch.” Heavy footfalls sounded above them, and Neal stiffened until Diana appeared on the stairs.

“Caffrey!! Oh God.”

“Diana, get him out of here.” Peter jerked his head in the direction of Neal’s captor. “EMS is on the way.”

“Right.” Diana rushed to assist Jones, hauling their perp off the ground. The man was tight-lipped, not saying a word as he was dragged up the stairs. Neal’s unfocused vision followed them until they disappeared, clinging tightly to Peter’s hand.

“…can y’ get m’ hand out-“

“No, Neal, not until the paramedics get here.” Peter told him, voice stern. Neal groaned, tilting his head back and scrunching up his face.

“‘s cold.”

“I know.” Peter rubbed his thumb in the center of Neal’s palm, wishing he hadn’t left his jacket in the van. “Just- hold out for me, we’ll have you out of here before you know it.”

***

“Did I say anything strange while I was under?” Neal asked, reclining back against his sterile hospital pillow.

“If you’re asking if you admitted to any crimes, the answer is no.” Peter responded, subduing a smirk. “But I didn’t ask.”

“Well, I appreciate that.” Neal’s eyes were bright again, charming grin shining once more from his face. If not for the IV strapped to his arm and his hand wrapped firmly in bandages, Peter could almost imagine that he hadn’t just been kidnapped and nearly murdered.

Peter had followed the ambulance back to the hospital, and roamed the various waiting areas anxiously until he was called in to see his partner. Neal was sleeping when he arrived, and a surgical assistant had told Peter that the damage in his hand was, fortunately, reversible. The wound, though alarming, had missed any major tendons, and they expected him to make a full recovery.

They’d tested his blood to try to find out what exactly Emery had put into his system, but hadn’t come up with a clear answer yet. The assistant told Peter that they suspected it was a combination of several fairly common sedatives. Until they found out what it was, they weren’t willing to put Neal on any pain medication, for risk of triggering an adverse reaction.

Neal had been rather unimpressed with this when he’d woken up, but got over it quickly enough. Peter discovered early on that his memories of being kidnapped were fairly hazy, hence the question about confessing to any serious crimes.

“Find anything out about the b######?” Was Neal’s next question.

“We did.” Peter shifted, glancing at a folder on the nearby table that Jones had dropped off not long before. “The neighborhood we found you in has been seeing a rash of murders over the past few months, I just got the file from violent crimes. The bodies, when found, were all in various stages of…” Peter trailed off momentarily. “…violence.”

“And now you have someone to pin them on.” Neal nodded.

“Even if we can’t pin him for those, attempted murder, and… whatever he was trying to do to you should put him away for a long time.” Peter said grimly. Neal nodded, eyes straying down to his bandaged hand.

“Right.”

“Only you,” Peter remarked, following his gaze. “could get yourself kidnapped and stabbed while not even on the clock.”

“It’s one of my many talents.” Neal shot him a winning smile. “Did they find out how he drugged me?” Peter gave him a look.

“You accepted a drink from him, I think it’s pretty clear.”

“Yeah, but the bottle was sealed.” Neal protested. “Unless he re-sealed it somehow, how did he spike the water?” Peter frowned.

“Maybe he injected it through the plastic.”

“Maybe.” Neal set his jaw, looking annoyed. “Well, remind me not to do that again.”

“I’ll try to.”

“It just seems like such a complicated way to kidnap someone.” Caffrey complained.

“And how would you kidnap someone?” Peter leaned back, lifting a stern brow. “Give them a wink and tell them to meet you at your place at 5?”

“Hey, it works.” Neal shrugged, only to hastily backpedal when Peter’s stare intensified. “I mean, it’s worked for other things. I’ve never kidnapped anyone.”

“Not even allegedly?”

“Not even allegedly.” Neal assured him.

The pair lapsed into silence, and Peter paged through the case file. It now included a profile on Dale Emery, featuring his new mugshot. 28 years old, single, electrical worker and active in his community. One would never think that this man was a killer.

“Neal.” He broke the silence. “They’re going to want you to give a statement.” He lifted his head, closing the file. “How much do you remember?” Neal looked down at the sheets covering him, gave a small shrug.

“I remember being stabbed.”

“Anything else?”

“Walking down the street, accepting the water bottle from him.” Neal mimed taking a drink. “Started feeling strange, tried to call you, but Dale took my phone and herded me into his car. Don’t remember much after that, being pushed down in the basement and having my hand stabbed.” Peter frowned, chest constricting a bit at the thought of Neal’s form of communication being taken away from him. If he hadn’t forgotten to return his watch…

“That should be plenty.” He said at last. “Especially since we have the recorded audio from your watch.” Neal’s eyes widened a bit.

“Right, of course. You probably know more than I do.” He grinned again, catching Peter’s eye. “The thing with the watch was pretty clever though, right?” Peter smiled, giving him a pat on his good arm.

“Very clever.” He agreed. “Next time, don’t get kidnapped.”

“Yes sir.”

#White collar #peter burke #neal caffrey #whump #whumpblr #my writing #white collar whump #Neal whump #Idk what tags people usually use I’m just gonna post this before I can have second thoughts

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readysetjo · 9 months

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I just want a moderate temp autumn where the sun rises late and also sets late. whom can I contact to make that a thing?

#me being me

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cocktailsalamaison · 1 year

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Hello cocktails lovers

On the occasion of the coronation of King Charles III, here is a cocktail recipe based on whisky and tea. Refreshing, not too sweet and on citrus fruits to enjoy the nice weather and the sun.

Trip to LONDON :

Recipe:

40 Ml Single malt whisky "Filey Bay" (Yorkshire)

20 Ml Yellow lemon juice

20 Ml bergamot syrup

150 Ml Organic finest earl grey tea

Pour all the ingredients into the shaker filled with ice cubes.

Shake for a few seconds and strain into an tumbler glass with ice cubes.

"Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume in moderation

Bonjour aux amateurs de cocktails

A l'occasion du couronnement du roi Charles III, voici une recette de cocktail à base de whisky et de thé. Rafraîchissant, pas trop sucré et sur des agrumes pour profiter du beau temps et du soleil.

Voyage à LONDRES :

Recette :

40 ml de whisky single malt "Filey Bay" (Yorkshire)

20 ml de jus de citron jaune

20 ml de sirop de bergamote

150 ml de thé noir Earl Grey biologique de qualité supérieure

Verser tous les ingrédients dans un shaker rempli de glaçons.

Secouez pendant quelques secondes et filtrez dans un verre tumbler avec des glaçons.

"L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération

#whisky #bergamote #citron #lemon #Thé #Earlgrey #longdrink #cocktails #alccol #barmen #bartender #recipes #mixologie #barman #réalisation #cocktail #recette

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wakeupfreanz · 2 years

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Ateez in the end of 2022?

ATEEZ aka 에이티즈

Pile 1: 2oW, Sun rev, KnoP Pile 2: Lovers, 4oP, Temp Pile 3: 10oP, AoW, Chariot, QoW, KnoC Comeback before years end?: Moon, then Tower. Likely not. Something veeeeery funky is going on with that. Something surrounding them just feels like there's something in the system around them that has failed them. Like someone on their management team, company executives. Something just keeps going wrong and falling through, and they collectively just keep giving this person/entity/opportunity numerous chances to get it right.

In this beginning quarter, there could be something that goes wrong with production. So for example, if there was supposed to be halloween content, it might come out late instead of on the day of Halloween. They wont take a loss from this, but its going to kind of set a tone for their disposition until the end of the year.

Even collabs for them might be strange. They could be encountering an air sign/gemini and link up for a collab or exchange of business somehow. But with this, it's not going to turn out like it was expected to be. Not necessarily in a positive way. Something like them signing up for a show and it turns out to be a completely different concept than they expected. Yet again, the collective energy of the group signifies that they're going to be team players and see through anything that they're supposed to even if they don't love what might happen.

In the final portion, ending segment of the year, it seems like this cloudy energy will either be ending or will slow down to it's more normal/moderate levels. There is someone who's supposed to come in the picture for them in a way that might help them out, but something keeps causing the situation to deviate before it gets anywhere? In the end, I would dare say that this year might not end off too strongly, I don't really like that for them.

#ateez yeosang #ateez mingi #ateez yunho #ateez readings #kpop tarot #kpop readings #kpop predictions

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wri0thesley · 2 years

Note

Hey I know you’re currently dealing with some unusual heat so I have some tips as a person from the states. One cover your windows and stay on the lowest level of your home because heat rises. Baggy clothes in cotton or linen are your best friend and while long sleeves may seem counter productive long flowy sleeves can keep you cool and protected from the sun. Next make sure you’re getting plenty of water and sodium because you can’t retain water without enough salt so if you’re sweating a lot have some cucumbers and salt or sports drink (all in moderation). Running your wrists under cold water will help drop your nosy temp quickly, I used to do it mid shift as a waitress when the dining room would get to around 85-90*F (29-32*C I think). Finally look into making a poor man’s AC with a bowl of ice and a fan (pro tip refreeze the melted ice for a constant rotation of fresh ice and to preserve water. Lots of love and stay safe

thank you anon! the heat has died down a little bit but we are apparently due another heatwave soon so i am stockpiling all of the info! <3

#nat.txt #our house is only one level but [lies on the floor]

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houseofsol · 2 years

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i’m here! kinda. sorta. still waiting on the coffee to do its thing. hopefully everyone is having a good day?? as much as i love sun i think i’m ready for fall now xD it’s the middle of october and we’ve yet to see the rain. we’ve got the cool temps, which i’m absolutely loving, but there’s no rain. and atm we really need it. it’s been so damn dry. to the point we’re in a moderate drought. unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any rain till the end of the month xD which means lovely cool temps and sunshine. but i’m here! i think i’ve finally got a decent handle on the replies across all my blogs. i am sorry for being slow but we all know that some days you can crank out a ton and other days you can’t. xD thanks for being patient and understanding. i’m over on @cxpt today working through what i feel i can write. please don’t think i don’t like our stuff just because i’ve yet to reply to it. the longer the reply the longer it takes me to get to. xD i will get to them. it’s just taking me a lot longer than usual. also don’t forget the inbox is always open for chatting or plotting. i promise we don’t bite. ;) i’ll hop on discord in a bit. just need food first. till then we’ll be lurking about! <33

#status #cxpt status

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inertiatours257 · 5 months

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South Padre Island's Spring Break Perfect Weather

College students go to South Padre Island, Texas' southernmost point, during spring break. The island's near-perfect spring break weather is vital to its appeal. South Padre Island's pleasant, comfortable weather makes it the perfect spring break destination for a variety of outdoor activities.

Sunlight and pleasant temperatures

South Padre Island has pleasant March temps. Sunbathers love the mid-70s to low 80s Fahrenheit (24-29 degrees Celsius) daytime highs because they are neither too hot nor too chilly. This gentle weather encourages beachgoers to relax on the sand, soak up the sun, and enjoy water sports and Gulf swims.

Cool Evenings, Warm Memories

South Padre Island's nights are chilly without being uncomfortable despite the sun-soaked days. This perfect mix of sunny days and cold evenings makes seaside parties, nighttime strolls down the coast, and spring break bonfires unforgettable. Evenings are colder but still nice, so outside events may continue late.

The Gulf moderates coastal areas

The island's climate is shaped by its placement between the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre Bay. The Gulf's closeness moderates island temperatures, making them comfortable. The moderate sea wind and temps reflect the coastal influence, freshening the air. South Padre spring breakis a refuge from severe winters due to coastal moderating.

Little Rain, Stay Away

The lack of rain over spring break is another plus for South Padre Island. This season has little precipitation, reducing the risk of a surprise rainfall. Spring breakers may enjoy beach parties and water sports without rain during this dry period.

Packing for a Sunny Vacation

South Padre spring break has good weather, but smart spring breakers plan. This beachfront beauty is best enjoyed by checking the weather forecast and preparing appropriately. Sunscreen, light, breezy clothes, and a light jacket for chilly nights are essentials in Texas. Being weather-savvy lets guests enjoy the South Padre without weather issues.

#south padre spring break

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jacks-tracks · 5 months

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Transition

2 worlds, 2 realitys. Somehow that plane ride bridges the gap,

Getting here was actually pretty easy,though i may come through Mexico city next year. A brief overnight might be preferable to the Huatulco taxi experience. Shuffled through immigration, glared at by the ugliest woman agent yet(hey it was Sunday night and everyone else was partying the end of Dia de Muertos). Actually got the green light, the sniffer dog detected the walnuts in my bag, but i said"No, No food" so no check,and the agricultural inspector was easy too. Yes I had a jar of peanut butter and a bag of sprout seeds, but I neglected to tell them. Outside in the heat of the day the taxi mafia wanted too much so I walked to the road where the more organized drivers wanted 1800 p to Puerto. Got a collectivo(shared cab with 4 others) for 1200($100). I,d imagined we,d drop people off along the highway, but no we went to Mazunte, a 1 hour crawl , dodging drunks and dogs, to spill our extra people, then zoom to Puerto. Seems if a taxi tailgates and flashes it,s lights before racing the oncoming trucks, everything goes faster.

2 hours to Dans, and the key was under the rock as promised. Hot shower, quick snack (Pete and Jill had kindly put tortillas and eggs out for my arrival-delicious!) and a welcome bed in #3 cabana. I spent Monday unpacking my 20 kilo bag and 10 kilo carry on. Seemed OK till I dragged my garbage bucket of last years stuff out of storage(stinky stale clothes despite packaging in Big ziplocks), and the box I,d had to add on my return from MEX, and the beach umbrella, and the beach chair, and ... Bit of a treasure hunt dipping into the bin, and found that I had duplicated many small items. Looks like I,m good for razors and Q tips for some years!. Probably left them off my left behind list last year, thinking"Of course I,ll remember them!" However, clothes hung in the sun quickly cured, and the extra shirts and pants will go to the charity sale here. the corner store had fruit, granola,yogurt and juices, so all set.

Tuesday I went to the Banamex for cash and the machines liked me, then up to the supermercado for bulk goods, a 40 pound load. $1000 pesos! Somehow i packed it all to the highway and got a combi home. I waited till Thursday to go uptown for fruit and veg from the oh so busy wholesalers, another 40 pound set of bags. Lots of walnuts, almonds, cashews, for snack feeding , and a double bollio for a cheese and lettuce sandwhich. All in all i went way over budget.

What is my budget? Well I get $1800 a month pension, so that should be the limit, but since prices have shot up here just like home, I,ll be spending more. Have enough savings to cover the overruns. Mexico is no longer cheap, but it,s still affordable. With health insurance,tickets, and higher costs I,ll probably spend an extra $1000/month, but that includes a trip to Belize in March and the 1000$ for the dentist. I could find cheaper accomodation, but right now I,m up on a shaded terrace with a surf view, sea breeze, and a very safe place. Bath temp lap pool, big room and kitchen, privacy and good friends to chat with...it,s worth the xtra. As the value of the dollar slides against the peso there,s the hidden cost of inflation, but that also means my saving are depreciating, might as well spend the dough while it has any value.

Did i say it,s sunny every day, hot and bright? What,s that worth?

The sticky humidity and 33 degree temp has moderated after the roaring thunder and Gods flashbulb lightening, and hot rain, so it,s still hot but the sea breeze in the day and the mountain breeze at night keep it tolerable. I sleep under 3 fans, gradually decreasing the volume as the air cools, until first light(6am) when a sheet is cosy,

And i have a volunteer cat, skinny black and white howler who I foolishly fed and now seem to be an adoptive cat dad. Prefers chicken, eats yogurt, never seen an egg, but relents when no snacks are forthcoming. Wild? Sure likes being petted!

Enough detail for now. I,ll try to be more descriptive next time, less day to day. Adios!

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edmunds-voyage · 11 months

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Departure and turning around (May 17 2023)

Frantically made at 5am probably with typos.

Well…things haven’t got as planned, again. We’ve been anchored in the bay by the La Have river for a few days now awaiting better conditions to motor south, again. One week ago we actually finally left Lunenburg. With great fanfare seemingly the entire population of Lunenburg (like 75 people-this is a joke) showed up at the dock to see us off. After a speech from the mayor we SAILED off into the harbor. Actually sailed! The plan was to set just a few sails, but with perfect weather and wind conditions we set all the square topsails (lower and upper on the fore and main) and all the fore and aft sails. With the engine totally off we hit 8 knots; faster than a typical clip in the trade winds!

We spent the next 2 nights in rose bay at anchor as a test period. Making sure all is well with the ship, and to give us time to adjust to life on the ship NOT tethered to land. The weather was actually pretty nice, and we were doing the final bits of preparations for the 3+ weeks at sea Panama.

I’m VERY fortunate to have been put on projects bending on sails and replacing rigging lines. Sometimes being a smaller human being is a positive, and that’s very true when going aloft. There’s lots of running rigging lines/wires/metal stays to weave through whilst getting out on yards. Many times the best position is sitting on laying belly down on top of the yard in order to use both hands effectively. While anchored we bent on a t’gallant sail, the second highest one. It was awesome, though quite windy and cold up there. I also got to do a quick solo job replacing a broken line on the main course. That felt nice! It was a good experience to come down and see I kinda fucked up when furling and tying down the sail-which was hard to do alone! So back up to fix it.

After getting everything that could move secured we headed out into the North Atlantic! We transitioned to 4 on 8 off watch schedule, and I got the 12-4 of course—the shittiest one for sleep :-/ Noon to 4pm and midnight to 4am, with blocks of short sleep in between. Things were rough, in all aspects. It was fucking cold, and we were motoring into straight on headwinds. The seas were NOT calm, and the swells irregular. Even in 5 layers of warm clothing I was cold, it was very damp. With a thick fog layer visibility was near zero. Being on watch means taking the helm and standing lookout, so being in the elements for hours at a time in the middle of the night. Being seasick, constantly cold, and trying to adjust to a different sleep/wake cycle sucks. I paid a lot of money for this! But this shit is the real deal, this ain’t no cruise. This point got driven home immediately…

As I mentioned the seas were pretty “lumpy” as they say. To me it was really rough, but apparently it was moderate by North Atlantic standards. We rise and fall and roll side to side, but the rhythm was irregular. It makes bracing your body difficult. That probably played a part in when someone fell on the deck. No one saw what happened, but she was found unconscious. For a good stretch she was going in and out; awake and then not…with evidence of her hitting her head on something hard (EVERYTHING on this ship is hard/sharp/both). Scary scary stuff. Just a few minutes before this happened the sun broke through, water temps JUMPED to 19C and the air felt warm! We weren’t at the Gulf Stream yet, but getting towards the edge of it. Head injuries are not to be taken lightly though, and so we quickly changed course to nearest land—back to Nova Scotia. Had this happened a day later we’d be anchored in Bermuda, but for some reason we’re seemingly tethered to Nova Scotia. Getting on the helm with a due north course wasn’t something I expected for a loooong time.

24 hours south, then 24 hours back north and here we are. Because of customs and such, we can’t get off the ship. On a team of 6 we’ve been back to straight workdays, replacing a looooot of the running rigging while at anchor. It’s really cool work and I’m happy to be learning a lot. But we work alllll day while everyone else has had trips rowing our small boats around and hanging out on the islands in the harbor. I haven’t had a day off in 3 weeks. This is exhausting for an old man! Also, while anchored we have to do 1 hour stints of watches, that change. I’ve had 1-2am last night, 6-7am the night before, and 3-4am before that. Its right but thankfully goes quickly.

Today after lunch we’re setting off again. Back into the cold and now storm churned North Atlantic. The plan now is to stop at an unknown Caribbean island before hitting Panama. Good news.

3 weeks at sea to go.

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arun-pratap-singh · 1 year

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Freezing temps to return to the Netherlands this week

Meteorological institute KNMI expects freezing weather ahead for the Netherlands this week, with minimums dropping below zero on six of the seven coming nights. Tuesday and Wednesday will be cold but sunny. After that, more cloud cover will return. “Quite cold at first with lots of sun and light to moderate frost at night,” the KNMI said in its forecast for this week. It doesn’t expect to issue…

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greekcookingmadeeasy · 1 year

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Stuffed Sesame Bread Rings aka Koulouria Thessalonikis

💍

Stuffed Greek Sesame Bread Rings aka Koulouria Thessalonikis (gemista) BY: Greek Cooking Made Easy SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/greekcookingmadeeasy

Check my YouTube Video: HERE

Κοιτάξτε επίσης την συνταγή μου σε YouTube βίντεο, το λίνκ είναι: ΕΔΩ

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SERVES 🍴⃒ PREP. TIME 🕔⃒ 10 Koulouria 45 min + 1 h wait

COOK. TIME ♨ DIFFIC. LEVEL 👩‍🍳⃒

22 min Moderate This is a dream come true for the lovers of Greek Koulouri! For those who don’t know, Greek Koulouri is a bread shaped like a ring, coated with sesame seeds and the best example of humble street food. In this follow-up recipe, I add special stuffing in my Koulouria and shape them like buns. This is the new trend all over Greece and you could use any stuffing you like. I have used chocolate spread, jam and I left some empty to fill them up with slices of cheese later and use like sandwiches. They can be eaten on the street, on-the-go, at home, school, work, anytime of day. Would you like to try these beauties? Continue reading! Suitable for fasting and vegans.

To check all my Koulouria Recipes, click HERE

INGREDIENTS: Ingredients for making the Koulouria dough: • 500 gr / 1lb 2oz / 4 cups Bread Flour sifted • About 300 ml / 1.2 cups Water @room temp. • 14-16 gr/ 0.5-0.6 oz / 2 tbsp. Dry Yeast • 36 gr / 1.3 oz /3 tbsp. Sugar • 7 gr / 0.3 oz / 1.2 tsp. Salt • A bit Olive Oil

Ingredients for coating and stuffing Koulouria: • 0.5 lt / 2 cups Water @room temp. • 24 gr / 0.85 oz / 2 tbsp. Sugar • 180 gr / 6.3 oz / 1.1 cups Sesame Seeds • 10 gr / 0.35 oz Black Sesame Seeds • 90 gr / 3.2 oz / 4.5 tbsp. Strawberry Jam • About 90 gr / 3.2 oz / 4.5 tbsp. Chocolate Spread (or vegan substitute)

METHOD: A. Prepare the dough: 1. Pour the water in the mixer bowl and add the yeast. 2. Whisk to mix them together. 3. Leave it for 10' to rest and for the yeast to activate. 4. Then, start the electric mixer using the hook adjustment. 5. Gradually start adding half of the flour, spoon by spoon, beating to blend it in.

6. Next add the 3 tbsp. sugar and salt in the dough. 7. Continue adding the rest of the flour while beating the dough. 8. After about 5'-7', you will notice that the dough becomes one mass (lump) around the hook and has detached from the bowl. Stop the mixer!

9. The dough should be elastic, soft but not sticky! Place the dough in a plate. 10. Brush a bit of olive oil in the mixer's bowl or another deep bowl. 11. Koulouri dough now needs time to rest, but also for the yeast to activate and to help it rise. 12. Place the dough in the oiled bowl.

13. Place a clean kitchen towel on top of the bowl with the dough. 14. Now you could either place the covered dough near a warm source (like by a window near the sun or a radiator) or put it in the oven setting: “Dough Proving” like I did. 15. The dough needs 1h-1h 30' to rise. 16. While waiting for the dough to rise, place the 2 tbsp. sugar for coating in the bowl with water. Whisk them together until sugar is dissolved. 17. After a bit more than 1h, remove the kitchen towel from the bowl. 18. You will see that the dough has quadrupled in size.

B. Instructions on making the Koulouria buns: 19. Bring the dough on a clean surface. 20. Pour and spread just a bit of Olive oil on the flat surface that you will shape the Koulouria. 21. With your oiled hand, remove the dough from the bowl, placing it onto the surface. 22. Shape the dough like a log. 23. Bring a knife next to the dough.

24. Divide the dough into 10 equal parts and shape them into balls. 25. Try making them all about the same size and weight of about 75-80 gr/ 2.6-2.8 oz. each. Correct the ones that are smaller or bigger! 26. Place all the small balls on one side. 27. Bring bowl with water next to the balls, plus the bowl with the sesame seeds, the stuffing ingredients and two large oven trays lined with parchment paper.

28. Work with one small ball of dough at a time. 29. Open it flat in your palm, like a patty, but make a small cavity in the middle. Place 1.5 tbsp. jam in the cavity.

30. Close the sides to cover and seal the jam, shaping it like a small ball again. 31. Place stuffed koulouri in the water and submerge it for a couple of seconds. Then shake it to remove excess water.

32. Next bathe the wet koulouri in the bowl with sesame, rolling it around until sesame seeds cover it completely. 33. Place it on the lined oven tray, correcting its shape if it has somewhat spoiled. 34. Repeat process to make 2 more Koulouria stuffed with jam. Also press them to make them a bit flat again, like patties. 35. Continue with 3 more balls of dough, but this time stuff them with 1.5 tbsp. chocolate spread each. Repeat the process of bathing them in water and then coating them with sesame seeds.

36. Tip: Use 2 large oven trays to avoid cramming the koulouria!

37. The last 4 balls will remain without stuffing. First mix together the sesame and black sesame seeds. 38. Oil your palms if needed. Shape the 4 last balls of dough like buns, then bathe them in water, coat with the sesame mix and place them in the 2nd tray.

39. Here are both trays full. Reserve for 20' to rise a bit more before baking.

C. Baking instructions: 40. Bake both trays with Koulouria in a preheated oven FAN @200℃ / 390℉ for about 20'-22' or until they turn golden (depends on the oven). 41. After about 22' remove both trays from the oven. 42. Place them on the kitchen top until they cool down.

43. Here are my delicious Koulouria all stacked up for the photos. They will disappear literally in seconds 😀!!

44. Have a look how crispy they are! And when you open one in half, you have a wonderful surprise of a sweet, gooey inside!

45. The empty buns could be eaten just like that instead of bread. Or you could spread some butter and fill them with slices of Graviera cheese! Yummy!!!

D. Serving Suggestions: Koulouria are very addictive!! They are best enjoyed fresh (prepared the same day), as they quickly turn hard after a few hours of exposure. Stuffed Koulouria can be served as amazing breakfast or any time of day snack. They make the best lunch for school/work! The simply amazing Koulouria Thessalonikis will be in our hearts forever!

Until today, whenever I make and eat Koulouri, its characteristic smell from the Sesame seeds and its exquisitely simple taste take me on a trip to memory lane. Try my recipe and I promise you 100% success and a new family favorite snack! Do you love Koulouria? Then you will adore these stuffed ones!

E. Storage Info: If you can't consume them all in one day or if you are preparing ahead, wrap them individually and freeze them for max. 1 month, unbaked or baked. If they are unbaked, take as many as you want out of the freezer, let them thaw, then bake them. If you freeze them baked, then take one out of the freezer and let it reach room temperature. it will be as fresh and crispy as the day you baked it!!

F. Greece Travel and Koulouria Info: Koulouri does not have a registered designation of origin but Thessaloniki seems to be the city claiming to be its birth place. Historians though trace koulouri’s origins back to the ancient times – taken from the ancient word “kollyra”, which was a type of round bread served to slaves. During the Byzantine period in Istanbul (Constantinople at the time), the first Koulouria bakers were Christians (Greeks, Armenians). Koulouri vendors called Koulourtzides in Greek, were mainly seen early in the morning selling their Koulouria from hand baskets on their heads (called Tavades). Koulouria were introduced by Greek refugees from Asia Minor who were flooding Thessaloniki through population exchanges between Turkey and Greece, bringing with them their culinary traditions. Later Koulouria came to Athens and other Greek cities as well. In Greece, nowadays, koulourtzides are found mainly in places where a lot of people pass, like in the centre of big cities. They sell them either directly from their big baskets or out of glass, mobile displays.

However, since Koulouria are so popular, nutritious and beloved many Bakeries sell them as well, early in the morning, for people to buy them before heading to work. Lately, you can find a Koulouri in many different variations: plain, braided, twisted, multigrain, without sesame seeds, with tahini, whole wheat, with cheese, ham or even chocolate filling like I show you in this recipe etc.

Koulouri is very healthy and nutritious and one of the best sources of carbohydrates, proteins and other nutrients and energy, mainly due to its sesame seeds.

Check my YouTube Video: HERE

Κουλούρια Θεσσαλονίκης Γεμιστά BY: Greek Cooking Made Easy SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/greekcookingmadeeasy

ΜΕΡΙΔΕΣ 🍴⃒ ΠΡΟΕΤΟΙΜΑΣΙΑ 🕔⃒ 10 Κουλούρια 45 min + 1 h αναμονή

ΜΑΓΕΙΡΕΜΑ ♨ ΒΑΘΜ.ΔΥΣΚΟΛΙΑΣ 👩‍🍳⃒

22 min Μέτρια

Αυτό είναι ένα όνειρο που γίνεται πραγματικότητα για τους λάτρεις του Κουλουριού! Για όσους δεν γνωρίζουν, το Κουλούρι είναι ένα ψωμάκι με σχήμα σα δαχτυλίδι, επικαλυμμένο με σουσάμι και το καλύτερο παράδειγμα ταπεινού street food. Σε αυτή τη νέα συνταγή μου, προσθέτω στα Κουλούρια μου γέμιση και τα πλάθω σαν καρβελάκια. Αυτή είναι η νέα μόδα σε όλη την Ελλάδα και μπορείτε βέβαια να χρησιμοποιήσετε όποια γέμιση θέλετε. Εγώ έχω χρησιμοποιήσει άλειμμα σοκολάτας, μαρμελάδα και άφησα μερικά άδεια για να τα γεμίσω με κομματάκια τυρί αργότερα και να τα χρησιμοποιήσω σαν σάντουιτς. Μπορούν να καταναλωθούν στο δρόμο, εν κινήσει, στο σπίτι, στο σχολείο, στη δουλειά, οποιαδήποτε στιγμή της ημέρας. Θα θέλατε να δοκιμάσετε αυτά τα πανέμορφα Κουλούρια; Συνεχίστε να διαβάζετε! Κατάλληλα για βίγκαν και νηστεία.

Δείτε όλες τις Συνταγές μου για τα αγαπημένα Κουλούρια, πατώντας ΕΔΩ

ΥΛΙΚΑ: Υλικά για την παρασκευή της ζύμης: • 500 γρ / 1lb 2oz / 4 φλ. Αλεύρι κατάλληλο για ψωμί ή Αλεύρι σκληρό, κοσκινισμένο • Περίπου 300 ml / 1,2 φλ. Νερό @θερμοκρασία δωματίου • 14-16 γρ / 0,5-0,6 oz / 2 κ.σ. Ξερή Μαγιά • 36 γρ / 1,3 oz /3 κ.σ. Ζάχαρη • 7 γρ / 0,3 oz / 1,2 κ.γ. Αλάτι • Λίγο Ελαιόλαδο

Υλικά για την επικάλυψη και το γέμισμα των Κουλουριών: • 0,5 lt / 2 φλ. Νερό σε Θερμοκρασία δωματίου • 24 γρ / 0,85 oz / 2 κ.σ. Ζάχαρη • 180 γρ / 6,3 oz / 1,1 φλ. Σουσάμι • 10 γρ / 0,35 oz Μαυροκούκι • 90 γρ / 3,2 oz / 4,5 κ.σ. Μαρμελάδα Φράουλα • Περίπου 90 γρ / 3,2 oz / 4,5 κ.σ. Άλειμμα Σοκολάτας (ή Βίγκαν υποκατάστατο)

ΜΕΘΟΔΟΣ: Α. Ετοιμάστε τη ζύμη: 1. Ρίξτε το νερό στο μπολ του μίξερ και προσθέστε τη μαγιά. 2. Ανακατέψτε τα καλά να ενωθούν. 3. Αφήστε τα για 10' ώστε να ενεργοποιηθεί η μαγιά. 4. Στη συνέχεια, ξεκινήστε το ηλεκτρικό μίξερ, χρησιμοποιώντας το γάντζο. 5. Σταδιακά ξεκινήστε να προσθέτετε το μισό από το αλεύρι, κουταλιά κουταλιά, χτυπώντας για να τα ενώσετε.

6. Στη συνέχεια, προσθέστε τις 3 κ.σ. ζάχαρη και το αλάτι μέσα στη ζύμη. 7. Συνεχίστε να προσθέτετε το υπόλοιπο αλεύρι ενόσω χτυπάτε τη ζύμη. 8. Μετά από περίπου 5'-7', θα παρατηρήσετε ότι η ζύμη γίνεται μία μάζα γύρω από το γάντζο και έχει αποκολληθεί από το μπολ του μίξερ. Σταματήστε το μίξερ!

9. Η ζύμη πρέπει να είναι ελαστική, μαλακή αλλά να μη κολλάει! Τοποθετήστε τη ζύμη σε ένα πιάτο. 10. Βάλτε λίγο ελαιόλαδο στο μπολ του μίξερ ή σε ένα άλλο βαθύ μπολ. 11. Η ζύμη για τα Κουλούρια χρειάζεται τώρα χρόνο για να ξεκουραστεί, αλλά και για να ενεργοποιηθεί η μαγιά και να βοηθήσει στο να φουσκώσει η ζύμη. 12. Τοποθετήστε τη ζύμη στο λαδωμένο μπολ.

13. Βάλτε πάνω από το μπολ μια καθαρή πετσέτα κουζίνας. 14. Τώρα μπορείτε να τοποθετήσετε την καλυμμένη ζύμη κοντά σε μια ζεστή πηγή (όπως κοντά σε ένα παράθυρο στον ήλιο ή κοντά σε καλοριφέρ) ή να την τοποθετήσετε στο φούρνο με πρόγραμμα: "Φούσκωμα ζύμης" όπως έκανα εγώ. 15. Η ζύμη χρειάζεται 1h-1h 30' για να φουσκώσει. 16. Ενώ περιμένετε να φουσκώσει η ζύμη, βάλτε τις 2 κ.σ. ζάχαρη στο μπολ με το νερό. Ανακατέψτε τα με σύρμα μέχρι να διαλυθεί η ζάχαρη. 17. Μετά από λίγο παραπάνω από 1 ώρα, αφαιρέστε την πετσέτα κουζίνας από το μπολ. 18. Θα δείτε ότι η ζύμη έχει τετραπλασιαστεί σε μέγεθος.

Β. Οδηγίες για την κατασκευή των Κουλουριών: 19. Φέρτε τη ζύμη κοντά σε μια καθαρή, λεία επιφάνεια. 20. Απλώστε λίγο ελαιόλαδο με τα χέρια σας πάνω στην επιφάνεια που θα σχηματίσετε τα κουλούρια. 21. Με το λαδωμένο χέρι σας, αφαιρέστε τη ζύμη από το μπολ, τοποθετώντας την πάνω στην επιφάνεια. 22. Φτιάξτε τη ζύμη σαν ένα χοντρό λουκάνικο. 23. Φέρτε ένα μαχαίρι δίπλα στη ζύμη.

24. Διαιρέστε τη ζύμη σε 10 ίσα μέρη και κατόπιν διαμορφώστε τα σε μπάλες. 25. Προσπαθήστε να τις φτιάξετε όλες το ίδιο μέγεθος και βάρος περίπου 75-80 γρ / 2,6-2,8 oz. η κάθε μια. Διορθώστε τις μπάλες που είναι μικρότερες ή μεγαλύτερες! 26. Βάλτε όλες τις μπάλες σε μια άκρη. 27. Φέρτε το μπολ με το νερό δίπλα στις μπάλες, συν το μπολ με το σουσάμι, τα υλικά της γέμισης και δύο μεγάλες λαμαρίνες στρωμένες με λαδόκολλα.

28. Δουλέψτε με μια μικρή μπάλα ζύμης κάθε φορά. 29. Ανοίξτε την επίπεδη μέσα στην παλάμη σας, σαν μπιφτέκι, αλλά κάντε μια μικρή λακουβίτσα στη μέση. Βάλτε 1,5 κ.σ. μαρμελάδα μέσα στην λακούβα.

30. Κλείστε τα πλαϊνά για να καλυφθεί και να σφραγιστεί η μαρμελάδα, πλάθοντάς την ξανά σαν μια μικρή μπάλα. 31. Βάλτε τώρα το γεμιστό κουλούρι μέσα στο νερό και βυθίστε το για λίγα δευτερόλεπτα. Ανακινήστε για να φύγει το περίσσιο νερό.

32. Στη συνέχεια, βυθίστε το υγρό κουλούρι στο μπολ με το σουσάμι και γυρίστε το γύρω γύρω μέχρι να κολλήσει το σουσάμι παντού. 33. Τοποθετήστε το κουλούρι στη λαμαρίνα, διορθώνοντας το σχήμα του εάν έχει κάπως χαλάσει. 34. Επαναλάβετε τη διαδικασία για να φτιάξετε ακόμα 2 Κουλούρια γεμιστά με μαρμελάδα. Επίσης, πιέστε τα λίγο μέσα στο ταψί ώστε να γίνουν πάλι κάπως επίπεδα, σαν μπιφτεκάκια. 35. Συνεχίστε με 3 ακόμα μπάλες ζύμης, αλλά αυτή τη φορά γεμίστε τις με 1,5 κ.σ. άλειμμα σοκολάτας τη κάθε μία. Επαναλάβετε τη διαδικασία βουτώντας τις στο νερό και μετά στο σουσάμι.

36. Συμβουλή: Χρησιμοποιήστε 2 μεγάλα ταψιά φούρνου για να αποφύγετε να κολλήσουν μεταξύ τους τα κουλούρια!

37. Οι τελευταίες 4 μπάλες θα μείνουν χωρίς γέμιση. Ανακατέψτε πρώτα το σουσάμι και το μαυροκούκι. 38. Λαδώστε τις παλάμες σας αν χρειάζεται. Πλάστε τις 4 τελευταίες μπάλες ζύμης σαν καρβελάκια (στενόμακρα), λούστε τις με το νερό, πασπαλίστε με το μίγμα από σουσάμια και βάλτε τις στο 2ο ταψί.

39. Εδώ είναι και τα 2 ταψιά μου γεμάτα. Βάλτε τα στην άκρη για 20' για να φουσκώσουν τα κουλούρια λίγο ακόμα.

Γ. Οδηγίες ψησίματος: 40. Ψήστε και τα δύο ταψιά με Κουλούρια σε προθερμασμένο φούρνο στον αέρα @200℃ / 390℉ για 20'-22' περίπου ή μέχρι να ροδίσουν (εξαρτάται από τον φούρνο). 41. Μετά από 22' περίπου βγάλτε και τα δύο ταψιά από το φούρνο. 42. Βάλτε τα στο πάγκο της κουζίνας μέχρι να κρυώσουν.

43. Εδώ είναι τα λαχταριστά Κουλούρια μου όλα στοιβαγμένα για τις φωτογραφίες. Θα εξαφανιστούν κυριολεκτικά σε δευτερόλεπτα 😀!!

44. Ρίξτε μια ματιά πόσο τραγανά είναι! Και όταν ανοίγεις ένα στη μέση, έχεις μια υπέροχη έκπληξη από μια γλυκιά, ζουμερή γέμιση!

45. Τα άδεια κουλούρια θα μπορούσαν να φαγωθούν έτσι όπως είναι, αντί για ψωμί. Ή μπορείτε να αλείψετε λίγο βούτυρο και να τα γεμίσετε με κομματάκια γραβιέρα! Γιάμμμμμ!!!

Δ. Προτάσεις σερβιρίσματος: Τα Κουλούρια είναι πολύ εθιστικά!! Απολαμβάνονται καλύτερα φρέσκα (ψημένα την ίδια μέρα), καθώς γρήγορα σκληραίνουν μετά από μερικές ώρες έκθεσης. Τα γεμιστά Κουλούρια μπορούν να σερβιριστούν σαν ένα φανταστικό πρωινό ή σνακ οποιαδήποτε ώρα της ημέρας. Φτιάχνουν το καλύτερο γεύμα για το σχολείο/τη δουλειά! Τα απλά καταπληκτικά Κουλούρια Θεσσαλονίκης θα είναι για πάντα στις καρδιές μας!

Μέχρι σήμερα όποτε φτιάχνω και τρώω Κουλούρι, η χαρακτηριστική του μυρωδιά από το Σουσάμι και η εξαιρετική απλότητα της γεύσης του με ταξιδεύουν πάντα πίσω στα αγαπημένα παιδικά μου χρόνια. Δοκιμάστε τη συνταγή μου και σας υπόσχομαι 100% επιτυχία και ένα νέο αγαπημένο οικογενειακό σνακ! Αν αγαπάτε τα κουλούρια, θα λατρέψετε τα γεμιστά!!

Ε. Πληροφορίες φύλαξης: Αν δεν μπορείτε να τα καταναλώσετε όλα σε μια μέρα ή αν τα ετοιμάζετε από πριν, τυλίξτε τα ατομικά και βάλτε τα στη κατάψυξη για μέγιστο 1 μήνα, άψητα ή ψημένα. Αν είναι άψητα, βγάλτε όσα θέλετε από τη κατάψυξη, αφήστε τα να ξεπαγώσουν και μετά ψήστε τα. Αν τα καταψύξετε ψημένα, τότε βγάλτε ένα από τη κατάψυξη και αφήστε το να φτάσει σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου. Θα είναι τόσο φρέσκο και τραγανό όσο την ημέρα που το ψήσατε!!

Ζ. Τουριστικός Οδηγός Ελλάδας και πληροφορίες για το Κουλούρι: Το Κουλούρι δεν έχει ονομασία προέλευσης, αλλά η Θεσσαλονίκη φαίνεται να είναι η πόλη που ισχυρίζεται ότι είναι η γενέτειρά του. Οι ιστορικοί πάντως εντοπίζουν την προέλευση των κουλουριών από την αρχαιότητα - από την αρχαία λέξη "Κολλύρα", που ήταν ένα είδος στρογγυλού ψωμιού που σερβίρανε στους δούλους. Κατά τη διάρκεια της Βυζαντινής περιόδου στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, οι πρώτοι αρτοποιοί Κουλουρτζήδες ήταν χριστιανοί (Έλληνες, Αρμένιοι). Οι Κουλουρτζήδες πουλούσαν τα Κουλούρια τους νωρίς το πρωί από καλάθια στερεωμένα στα κεφάλια τους (γι αυτό ονομάζονταν Ταβάδες). Τα Κουλούρια ήρθαν στη Θεσσαλονίκη από Έλληνες πρόσφυγες της Μικράς Ασίας με την ανταλλαγή πληθυσμού μεταξύ Τουρκίας και Ελλάδας, φέρνοντας μαζί τους τις μαγειρικές τους παραδόσεις. Αργότερα τα Κουλούρια ήρθαν και στην Αθήνα και σε άλλες Ελληνικές πόλεις. Στην Ελλάδα, σήμερα, οι Κουλουρτζήδες βρίσκονται κυρίως σε μέρη όπου περνούν πολλοί άνθρωποι, όπως στο κέντρο των μεγάλων πόλεων. Τα πουλάνε είτε απευθείας από τα μεγάλα τους καλάθια είτε από καρότσια μέσα από γυάλινη βιτρίνα.

Ωστόσο, επειδή τα Κουλούρια είναι τόσο δημοφιλή, θρεπτικά αλλά και τόσο αγαπημένα, πολλά αρτοποιεία τα πωλούν επίσης νωρίς το πρωί, για να τα αγοράζουν οι άνθρωποι πριν πάνε στη δουλειά τους. Τον τελευταίο καιρό μπορείτε να βρείτε Κουλούρια σε πολλές διαφορετικές παραλλαγές: απλά, πλεγμένα, στριφτά, πολύσπορα, χωρίς σουσάμι, με ταχίνι, ολικής, με τυρί, ζαμπόν ή ακόμα και με γέμιση σοκολάτας όπως σας δείχνω σε αυτή τη συνταγή.

Το Κουλούρι είναι πολύ υγιεινό και θρεπτικό και μια από τις καλύτερες πηγές υδατανθράκων, πρωτεϊνών και άλλων θρεπτικών ουσιών και ενέργειας, κυρίως λόγω του σουσαμιού.

Κοιτάξτε επίσης την συνταγή μου σε YouTube βίντεο, το λίνκ είναι: ΕΔΩ

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