#using the powder mix from the store that comes in the little boxes

[nebulatrifid]

I don't really know how to make the current me happy, but I do know how to make the child me happy, and I honestly think that's sometimes enough.

#When I was a kid my mom and I would make jello all the time #using the powder mix from the store that comes in the little boxes #but she would only get the sugar free flavors #and as a kid that was frustrating because I wanted to get the cool colors that didn't come in the sugar free mix #but I am an adult know who would rather have real sugar instead of artificial sweeteners anyways #so I got some real sugar jello to make #I chose lime for my first batch and it's setting in the fridge right now

[grandgrief]

RP SENTENCE STARTERS INSPIRED BY "PEACEMAKER TRIES HARD!" (2023) MEGAPOST

Edit pronouns/names/locations/etc. as needed when sending.

GENERAL WARNING FOR NSFW/UNSANITARY/VIOLENCE/ETC.

____

"Why would you even want to diverge from the preexisting beloved lore?"

"They probably have to change it a little for like, legal reasons or something, right?"

"I haven't heard a ton of jazz musicians but that doesn't mean they don't exist and aren't good at their jobs."

"The protein powder is for maintaining my ripped and sensual physique, and the instant cake mix is for a very special event this weekend."

"What's your deal, anyway? You shoot laser beams or turn into a fishman or something?"

"Shoot. With this poop-eating motherfucker on the case, we should have peace any day now."

"Did you say 'muscle cake?' is that a euphemism? Because we've talked about this."

"The lady at the store said something about it. You know what, I'll just look it up when I get home."

"Last time we were at one of his get-togethers, it was just him showing off his collection of VHS porn. He said he found it in the woods."

"It was disgusting. Even for me."

"Oh shit! I don't envy them. I hate fighting that guy."

"Do these guys have some meta-human in there? Some guy named Koncrete with a K or a cyborg called Lasernuts?"

"There's a whole GROUP of us! We're likeminded and happy to be in each other's company!"

"What a fancy little man. He looks like he has a tuxedo on."

"It's a stray. Strays don't have names."

"--Anyway so you should come check it out, there's going to be beer, cake, hot music, so many bangable chicks. Or dudes. Or whatever you're into--"

"I'm not coming to your party. None of us are. We don't know you, dude."

"Maybe those guys are right and no one does like me. I'm not going to lie, it feels like that."

"You can't trust nothing that forms loyalty without an ideology."

"But maybe a dog's super power is seeing something worth loving in anyone?"

"Now hit all the targets or I'm putting you in the moron box for 48 hours."

"Cardio is for pussies, but it's important for heart health."

"Damn [NAME]-- you can't just barge in here, I could've been jerking off."

"If you violate your parole enough you know, I'll have to take you down. And I always get my man."

"You know you need eggs for this, right? I've seen your fridge, and all you have is a half-empty jar of pickles and a bottle of mustard."

"It's instant cake mix. You just add water."

"Bro, I'm a city employee. I just work here."

"I wish to make love again! To PRANCE through fields! To EMOTE with facial expressions and dramatic arm movements once again!"

"I'm afraid I need a body that has no risk of rejecting an intelligent brain.

"I'm way better than Batman. That dude's been fighting the same clown for twenty years."

"You know how many clowns I could beat up in twenty years?... Probably like EIGHT BILLION!"

"The TV said the Penguin robbed a bank, so this dumbass went to the zoo and started causing a ruckus in the Antarctica exhibit."

"HA HA! Because joke's on you, because my mom's dead. Unless you're saying your parents fuck dead moms?"

"I'm not crying, by the way. I got a scratched cornea from tearing some terrorists new buttholes yesterday and my eye's just leaking."

"WHAT are you doing? Everyone knows the driver controls the music."

"You know, I thought I was getting saddled with some stupid, villainous henchman sent to babysit me. But you're cool as shit."

"I hope this is the place, because we're in the middle of bumfuck nowhere."

"We aren't approved for overtime and we're an ass hair away from deadline."

"You knocked over my bowl of hard candies. There are going to be little carpet hairs mixed in there now. It's utterly ruined."

"This has gone on long enough! I'm getting one of my delightful death machines."

"Now where did I put my glasses? I need my glasses for death dealing."

"You know who wants to help a turd? Fucking no one. Because no one cares about a useless little piece of shit."

"My only friend is a dog I just met. One who, honestly, probably doesn't know me well enough to make a decision on if they actually like me or not. Which is moot anyway because some dudes kidnapped the dog to trick me into doing something for them. Which feels awful because not only is my only friend gone, but I'm so desperate for attention I was actually excited to be needed by the type of people that would steal a dog."

"And worse, it turns out they didn't even need me for that job and betrayed me and then tried to kill me. My current existence is fraught with utter loneliness and all-encompassing incompetence."

"I believe this fella is using a feminine napkin as a band-aid."

"You ever seen a super-hero in this sad condition before?"

"You guys might be right, you know? I just wanted to make the world more peaceful... but it's not more peaceful."

"Are you crying, boy? Superheroes don't cry."

"EVERYONE cries, dammit!"

"There ain't no super-villains allowed in this bar!"

"Look, sorry about your friend, but I was just a pawn, I--"

"We had 63 days without a worksite incident, you son of a bitch!"

"Jesus, you freak. Orange juice in the eyes? You may as well have thrown acid in his face!"

"Maybe I do suck, but I don't suck compared to these guys!..."

"... I suck compared to Green Lantern, and that dude wouldn't let these assholes push him around."

"You crossed state lines again without approval."

"I'm responsible for making sure dozens of super-powered ex-convicts follow the rules of their release."

"[NAME] is here to kick your cocks off!"

"You can control bees? Like a whole SWARM? That's hardcore, bro!"

"I don't know, man. I don't know if we can do this. I don't know if I got what it takes anymore and you're an old man with a bee."

"You know they only put me on the most dangerous cases, right? I wouldn't be here if you weren't a force to be reckoned with."

"You DO know that with just the push of a button I can have a hundred armored mechs descend on this place and render you into pieces?"

"Because... if you don't... I'm going to shove this napkin dispenser all the way up your OLD, WRINKLED ASS."

"I was alive at the dawn of man. I've touched every spot on this wretched planet, and drew blood on most. I've lived countless years with endless time. There's nothing I have not seen or done."

"Do you honestly think that in all of my long life I've never had a napkin dispenser up my rectum? Do you really consider that a THREAT to me?"

"Well... you'd be right. It was incredibly uncomfortable and I despised it. You boys are really refuting all my bluffs today."

"Don't you worry about me, I can still do the three most important things in life: flying, fucking, and fornicating."

"This is not the team-up I was hoping for, man. I was hoping for Harley or Deadshot. Hell, I'd even take King Shark, even though he smells like the seafood section at a grocery store."

"Well, you better tell your little friend to be careful. This place is full of crazy, dangerous, poisonous little predator fucks."

"See these tree frogs? They have enough poison on them to kill ten to twenty grown men. They got this giant centipede here that can catch and eat birds and bats and shit. And that's dope, but I sure as fucking hell don't want to be pulling it off my junk. Probably because I went to take a piss and it was like 'Yum, that looks like a small mammal, I should eat it!'"

"I'm not going to die because something gave me a little bite. I'm going to die the way god intended: mid-fuck, eating a club sandwich I just dipped in honey mustard."

"Hey, have you guys seen a mad scientist super-villain hangout around here?

"This place used to be BUMPING. Had us smuggling guns, drugs, jewels, stolen art. We lived life on the RAZOR'S EDGE. If it was profitable we were in on it. No matter how illegal or dangerous. Now they've got us smuggling recreations of rare trading cards. This crate here? FULL of knockoff limited edition sneakers!"

"I don't know what's going to make me and my boys feel the best, you know what I mean? What's going to pop off."

"Feed them to the Piranha? Oh SHIT!"

"Hell yeah! Let's party: FUEL ME, MY CUMULONIMBUS STIMULANT CLOUD!"

"Did you mickey his cocaine with a poison dart frog?"

"Yeah, but I feel real bad for that frog-- wait. There it is. It's fine."

"Birds and the bees? I never got what that talk was about. How things fly? I could fly too if I had wings and hollow bones."

"Clones means they're easily replaceable, right? Expendable henchmen?! I'm going to kick so much ass!"

"We aren't really fighting henchmen. We're more like 'experiments and janitorial' henchmen."

"We're actually not evil despite being clones of someone incredibly evil. It has initiated some pretty compelling nature vs nurture debates here."

"Believe it or not, by the time he mastered the cloning process he'd been in that ooze too long and his original body rejected him."

"Anyway, we're all pretty smart and can see what's coming next, so we're all going to flee en masse."

"Fuck, I'm not going to sleep for a month. I feel like crying right now."

"And it's not even like he talks to me or anything. It's just train-train-train, all the time."

"Drink all your vitamin goo. Learn to make explosives from common items."

"I know how it feels when you're a burden or a disappointment. Like you can't do anything to earn their love."

"But you know what I realized? When you go to the airport, you have to take your shoes off and they scan your stuff. When you give blood it gets screened. You have to pass a test to drive a car. But there's nothing to keep any old loser from becoming a dad. Dude puts a baby in someone's belly, they think they're king of the world."

"But a good dad would tell you that you don't suck, and that you're good enough despite what other assholes tell you. Because you don't suck, and you are good enough. A good dad wouldn't let you fight your battles alone. A good dad wouldn't tell you what you're going to be when you grow up. They'd ask what you wanna do and support it."

"I'm not sure how anyone survives past that age. It's exhausting."

"I hope you both choke to death on a fart."

"Yeah, it's another day I have tolerate your useless idiot face."

"You stole my dog. You tricked AND betrayed me. Hell, you shot me in the back. You tried to KILL me. But pretending to be my friend? That's worse than ANYTHING!"

"You're a brutish oaf who's made it this far despite himself. A doofus thorn in my side who has ruined my plans and home by fluke."

"So now I'm going to ruin everything in your life. Starting with that loathsome little town you call home. AND THEN THE REST OF THE WORLD!"

"It's my destiny. It was meant to be. Avenging the loss of my squadron on the man who killed them with the very machine that slaughtered them."

"It would be a disservice to them not to make everyday the best, most beautiful thing it possibly could be."

"I've dedicated myself to living a life without regrets."

"There's an evil, vile tidal wave crashing relentlessly against this world. Its churning waters smash the good and drown the kind. Every moment of this existence is unjust turmoil and chaos."

"You're a good kid and a great hero. And I can see you're trying as hard as you can."

"You had a really good dad who cared the shit out of you... and most of us don't get that."

"If they were here I know they'd tell us not to be sad they're gone. Life's too short to be sad."

"But I think that's a lot to ask. I know I'm going to be sad for a really long time. And I know you will be too.

"But we should try not to be: for them."

"You shouldn't smash burgers down like that. They're gonna lose all their juices."

"We ain't gonna miss the best superhero in the state's birthday party."

"Met 'em when they tried to kill me in a sewage treatment plant. Good dude."

"For god's sake, let the tree go! What are you going to do, replant it?"

"What are we doing here? I'd rather be in prison than deal with this guy."

"This place smells like a high school boys' wrestling team and everything's... curiously sticky."

"Is this just celery on a bun?"

"You're a wooden club of a human being. Simple, rough, and only good for bashing things. But somehow... despite yourself... you've come through with a victory again."

"Your presence is the only presents I need."

#RP meme #Sentence Starters #Dialogue Meme #DC Comics RP #Superhero RP #Supervillain RP #Suicide Squad RP #Peacemaker RP

[athena-writes-i-guess]

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Prompt: “Happy Birthday”

A/N: I know some people have a hard time with their birthday, I wanted to make something sweet for anyone who maybe never felt special on their day. Happy birthday if it’s your birthday!

It was your birthday tomorrow and Eddie was in his little kitchen trying his hardest to make you a cake for a small surprise. He wasn’t much of a baker, Wayne taught him how to cook but baking didn’t happen a lot in their house since his mom passed away. He was using an old cookbook he found that had what looked like a simple cake recipe in it and had gone to the store to get everything he needed. He thought about getting box cake mix, sure he wouldn’t be able to mess that up too much but he really wanted you to feel special so he got the ingredients to make it from scratch.

He was already covered in flour and a little bit of batter as he had to fish out egg shells he accidentally got into it and he had no apron in the trailer, he’d have to change before you got there in a couple hours. He was so nervous that it would come out terrible and he would ruin your birthday, so he sent a little request to the universe to make this come out right as he put the cakes in the oven.

In the meantime he worked on the frosting, simple enough; powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla all mixed together until it was fluffy. Eddie tasted the frosting and was relieved that it was good, at least he didn’t have to worry about that. He waited for the cakes impatiently, just wanting to know if he did it right. And right when the timer went off he pulled them out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool. He waited around 30 minutes and checked on them and his heart sank seeing that they had deflated in the center, a little crater right in the middle of the cake. Knowing that they were ruined he dumped them in the trash and noticed how raw the middle was. Okay, so they needed more time in the oven Eddie noted. He was determined to start again, but knew he had to get it right this time as you would be here in just 2 hours.

He made the batter again, no egg shells this time, and popped them in the oven. He chewed his lip nervously and he set the time for even longer this time, 30 more minutes should work. He cleaned up the apartment while he waited, wanting it to look at least somewhat nice for you. He smiled to himself imagining the happy and surprised face you would make when you would see your surprise. But as he was in his room cleaning up some clothes off the floor he started smelling the burning smell coming from the oven. He ran to it and pulled out the cakes, almost completely black on the top. “Shit, shit.” He said under his breath as he placed them on the counter. He rubbed his face with his hands in frustration, trying to think of what he was going to do now. You were supposed to be there any minute and he had nothing. He grabbed his keys, deciding to get you a cake from the store, that would have to do.

He pulled open the front door and jumped when he noticed you standing there, hand raised to knock. You had a surprised smile on your face as you took in his appearance. He was covered in flour, batter, and powdered sugar, some even made it to his hair.

“Oh hi baby, you’re early.” He said quickly, trying to not show how flustered he was.

“Yeah, a little, I hope that’s okay. What happened to you?” You laughed, nodding your head towards his dirty clothes.

He hung his head slightly in defeat, there was no saving this. He grabbed your hand and pulled you into the trailer before sighing. “I tried making you a cake, but it didn’t work out.” He said, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt. “Fuck I can’t even do that. I’m useless.” He chuckled self deprecatingly.

You beamed at him, absolutely shocked and ecstatic that he did that for you. “Oh Eddie, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has done for me. You’re not useless honey.” You said happily.

Eddie shook his head in denial. “But I couldn’t even bake it right.” He responded, fidgeting with your fingers that were still in his hand.

“That doesn’t matter to me, pretty boy.” You smiled brightly at the small grin Eddie got from the name. “The fact that you tried to do it at all means more to me than anything. You’re such a sweetheart Eddie Munson.”

You watched the light blush come to his features as he bit his lip, “Hey, I have an image to protect. You can’t just go out there calling me that.” He chuckled.

“What? Sweetheart?” You laughed, receiving a playful nod from the metalhead. “I’ll call you sweetheart anytime I want, sweetheart.” You teased, wrapping your arms around his neck as you leaned in to crash your lips to his in a smiley kiss, not caring if your clothes got dirty. “I love you Eddie. Thank you for thinking of me.” You whispered breathlessly as you pulled away.

“I’ll always think of you sweetness. I love you so much. Happy Birthday.” Eddie said, a love-struck look on his face. “I have the frosting and it came out good if you just want to eat that.”

He watched you laugh, loving the sound. “I’ll grab the spoons!” You said excitedly as you smashed your lips to his again quickly, giggling, before pulling away and running to the kitchen, pulling out spoons from the drawer. “I can’t wait.” You beamed at your boyfriend. Fuck, was he luck to have you.

Masterlist

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #stranger things #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie x y/n #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie x fem!reader #eddie #eddie fanfic #eddie munson fluff #eddie stranger things #eddie x f!reader #eddie fluff #eddie munson x gn!reader #eddie munson x gender neutral reader #eddie x gn!reader #eddie drabble #eddie imagine #eddie blurb #eddie munson drabble #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson imagine

[duffy-is-daydreaming]

Happy 100,000 words to Martyshka!!!

Hello everyone! I’m so ecstatic about the responses to chapter 15 of Martyshka, and I’m equally excited about a milestone in the fic stats: we broke 100,000 words! That’s so wild!!!

I couldn’t have done it without you guys and your incredibly heartwarming enthusiasm. I wish I could give everyone who’s left comments and kudos a big hug. This story has become one of my proudest achievements, and it’s brought me a kind of joy and excitement that I haven’t felt about my writing since I was a kid. It’s even part of how I connected with my boyfriend, who I really can’t thank enough for his help and investment in the story despite having never even heard of Psychonauts before we met. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing it through.

To celebrate 100k words, I decided to put my baking skills to work and make some raspberry swirl cupcakes—partly because raspberry is my favorite flavor, and partly because it sounds like Raz’s name and I have a very easy sense of humor. I took some shortcuts for the sake of time, but they still turned out fantastic. I documented the experience for anyone who’s interested, so whether you’re in the mood for cupcakes or you just like looking at pictures of food, read under the cut for some celebratory baked goodness. Thank you all again! 💙

So this recipe comes in three parts: the cupcakes themselves, the raspberry filling, and the frosting.

For the cupcakes, I used:

1 box vanilla cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup water

For the filling:

2 and 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the frosting:

2 cups butter, room temperature

3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons milk

pinch of salt

I chose to make my own frosting because I just recently started learning how to make it and I’ll take any excuse to practice, but you can absolutely shorten the prep time by using store-bought white or vanilla frosting if you like. Since store-bought tends to be a little stiff when you first get it, I recommend mixing it up a bit with a whisk so it’s easier to spread or pipe through a bag. Without further ado, let’s get started!

The first thing we’re going to do is make the filling so we can put it in the fridge until it’s time to use it. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, water, and lemon juice into a slurry and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries and sugar over medium heat. Stir until the raspberries break down and the sugar dissolves completely.

Combine the cornstarch slurry into the raspberry mixture and continue to stir over the heat while the filling thickens. When it reaches a jam-like consistency, remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. If you want to remove the seeds, pour the filling through a mesh sieve before cooling (note: removing the seeds will reduce the total amount of filling, so you may have to increase the filling ingredients if you do this). Transfer to a bag or container and place in the refrigerator.

Now, the filling will take a little while to get cold, so we’re going to make the frosting while we wait. This is easiest to do in a stand mixer if you have one, but you can do it in a mixing bowl if not. 

Beat together the butter and powdered sugar until well-combined. Add the vanilla, milk, and salt, then continue beating until creamy. Set aside for now.

Now that the filling and the frosting are both ready, we can prepare our batter. Preheat the oven according to the directions of whichever mix you’re using. Melt the butter through the method of your preference and pour into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl. Add the cake mix, eggs, and water and mix until thoroughly combined.

Line your cupcake tins with paper liners, then fill each liner about two-thirds full (there are two tins pictured here, but it’s best to put them in the oven one at a time to make sure they bake evenly). Place about a teaspoon of raspberry filling into the center of each cupcake. Using a knife or a toothpick, swirl the filling through the batter just enough to give it some character. Don’t move it around too much, or it will blend with the batter.

Place the cupcakes in the oven and bake according to the mix directions. While those are baking, I highly recommend mixing some leftover filling into your frosting to give the finished product some extra raspberry kick.

Once the cupcakes are done baking, stick one with a knife or a toothpick and pull it out. If it comes out with nothing more than a few crumbs sticking to it, the cupcakes are done! Remove them from the tins and place them on a plate or a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before frosting.

Apply your frosting however you choose. I put mine in a Ziploc and made a small snip in the corner so I could use it like a piping bag. If you have any leftover raspberries, you can use them as garnish.

And there you have it! This is definitely one of the more complex recipes I’ve done, but I think it’s worthy for the occasion, and I had a lot of fun making it. I hope it turns out just as delicious for anyone else who makes it. See you all in a couple weeks for Chapter 16 of Martyshka!

#psychonauts fanfiction #martyshka #baking #100k words #thank you guys so much!!!

[school-project2006]

Baking a cake

Making the Perfect Layer Cake

Many people think that baking a cake is as easy as buying a box of mix and then adding water and a couple of eggs. True, this will produce a cake — if you can call a crumbly, messy disaster a real cake. But this is a far cry from the truly perfect layer cake. From scratch is the way to go. Ingredients make a huge difference. Technique is an incredibly important factor, too. Perfection is possible.

Ingredients 

Once you make sure all the ingredients are fresh, you are well on your way to heavenly deliciousness!

Choose cake flour to increase the lightness of a cake or a whole wheat flour to increase the density of a cake. The kind of sugar you use can also make or break a cake. When you begin frosting the cake, it can be fun to add sprinkles or other decorations.

You'll also need eggs and baking powder. And you'll need butter and some good-sized pans to bake the cake in. Butter will grease the pans so the cake slides out, and the fat in the butter will meld with the sugar to make a cake that almost melts in your mouth.

White sugar will make for a very light and airy cake, but for a cake with depth of flavor and texture, choose brown sugar. Chocolate cakes are especially good when made with brown sugar, as the molasses taste of the brown sugar deepens the chocolate goodness.

The butter will need to really be room temperature so that it can be creamed easily.

Look at the ingredients. It's a good idea to set out all the ingredients in the beginning. That way, you don't end up with a half-mixed batter only to realize you are out of eggs. An unplanned trip to the store (or the neighbor's house) just might sour you on the whole baking experience.

Mixing

Once you have set out the ingredients, start with the butter. Cream that butter until it's a lovely, creamy yellow. For best results, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. When you get a perfectly creamy, buttery look, slowly add the sugar. Mix the butter and sugar together until they are light. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.

When you mix the batter for your incredibly perfect cake, following the recipe until you are comfortable with the basics is a surefire way to make a great cake. Pausing the mixer to scrape down the sides with a spatula a couple of times during the mixing process will help you get everything in without making a mess. And this will ensure that the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

While the mixer is mixing the sugar and wet ingredients, you can make good use of your time by sifting the flour and other dry ingredients together into a separate bowl. Once you have combined the dry ingredients, it's time to set the mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, making sure each addition is completely mixed in before adding the next batch. Always start by preheating your oven. A preheated oven is key to even baking. If you throw a pan in an oven that's still heating up, you will end up with a cake that is burned on the top and still batter on the bottom.

Baking

For a layer cake, grease two round cake pans. Then pour the batter into your prepared pans. Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and pop them into the oven. Position them as close to the middle of the oven as possible. This will allow for even baking. Set the timer based on the recipe. While you wait, take the time to prepare your favorite frosting recipe. Colored frosting can be a really refreshing change of pace.

When the timer goes off, testing the cakes with a skewer or cake tester is key to making sure you have baked the cake long enough to take it out of the oven. If the skewer comes out clean or with just some moist crumbs attached, take the cakes out. If not, set the timer for two more minutes and check again. Bake in two-minute increments, watching closely until the cakes are ready. Take them out and cool them in their pans on a rack.

When the cakes are cool, prepare them for decorating. Slide a knife around the edge between the cake and the pan. Invert each cake on a cooling rack. Then take a long serrated knife and carefully slice through the cake from one side to the other. This will create two layers out of one cake. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap. Place the layers in the freezer for at least half an hour. This will make them much easier to work with.

Frosting

Now this is where the fun is beginning! This is called the crumb coat. Take the layers out of the freezer. Unwrap the layers one at a time as you need them. Place the first layer on a cake board. Frost the cake all over with a light coat. This is the crumb coat, so it doesn't matter if you get crumbs on the frosting or if the cake shows through. Think of this as the primer. Continue until all the layers are frosted and in place. Put the whole cake in the refrigerator for another half hour. This will really make the last beautiful coat much easier.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Drop a large amount of frosting on the top of the cake. This will be the final coat. Using a metal spatula, spread the frosting over the top. Then take some frosting with your spatula and, holding the spatula against the side at a 45-degree angle, spread the icing around the cake. You can put the cake board on a lazy Susan to help you turn it, if you'd like.

You should end up with frosting sticking up above the top layer. Use the spatula to smooth the frosting over the top of the cake. Dip the spatula in warm water and smooth out the top of the cake.

Embellishments are very fun and enticing! Add flowers, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, fruit — whatever you think will be delicious and beautiful. Place the cake on a platter or cake plate and invite friends over to celebrate your first perfect layer cake. Your friends' comments will guarantee a second layer cake!

[mitchamsocialuser]

Chocolate Ganache Brownie

A rich milk chocolate brownie topped with layers of creamy peanut butter frosting and a luxurious chocolate ganache. It’s a treat you don’t want to miss!

To make the ganache, heat heavy cream until steaming but do not let it boil. Then pour it over chocolate and stir until melted. Cool slightly before putting it on top of the brownies.

Brownies

Brownies are a popular dessert made of a chocolate-based batter that’s baked and then topped with ganache. They are often accompanied by milk or served warm with ice cream, whipped cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

A brownie has a dense, gooey and super-moist texture that can vary significantly depending on the type of brownie. Fudgy brownies tend to have a high fat content (in the form of butter and chocolate) and less flour than other varieties.

Cakey brownies typically have a lighter, airier texture due to less fat and more flour, often with baking powder as a leavening agent. They also start with a creaming step, which incorporates tiny air pockets that expand and give brownies their cake-like texture when they’re baked.

These brownies are topped with a salted caramel ganache. The ganache is prepared by melting sugar in a saucepan, adding cream and butter and whisking until smooth. Once cooled, the ganache is poured over the top of the brownies and spread into an even layer.

Salted Caramel Ganache

The three elements of these chocolate ganache brownies — brownies, caramel sauce, and bittersweet chocolate ganache — come together in perfect harmony. Caramel oozes out of these chewy brownies, and deep chocolate flavor reaches your taste buds in every bite.

These caramel brownies can be made in advance and assembled the day you plan to serve them. They’re topped with a smooth and creamy chocolate ganache that gets a sprinkling of flaky salt to balance out the sweet and salty flavors.

Make sure to line the brownie pan properly, with parchment paper that extends over the sides for easy removal & less mess. Also, use foil handles to lift the brownies out of the pan once they’re firm enough to cut!

Then, for the salted caramel, make it up ahead of time and store in a container in the fridge until you’re ready to add it to the brownies. It’s very important to heat it up to the correct temperature in order to get that gooey, luscious texture you want.

Peanut Butter Ganache

Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combination and this recipe takes advantage of the perfect match between a gooey, fudgy brownie and creamy peanut butter. Then topped off with a smooth and rich chocolate ganache, these brownies are a winner!

This simple Peanut Butter Ganache only takes 10 minutes to make and is great for filling a tart, making a drip cake or as a macaron filling. It is also great on its own as a snack or dessert!

To prepare the ganache, heat the cream in a small pan over medium-high heat until it is almost boiling but not boiling. Remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate and peanut butter mixture. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then gently stir until emulsified.

To use this ganache in these Peanut Butter Brownies, simply top the whipped peanut butter filling with another layer of the brownie batter and add a layer of the ganache over the top. This will help to bind the two layers together.

Chocolate Peanut Ganache

This brownie is soft and chewy, almost like a brownie box mix but with a creamy peanut butter layer in the center that’s squished between two decadent chocolate layers. Then there’s a rich chocolate ganache topping to take it to the next level!

The ganache is easy to make, just melt some chocolate chips with some heavy cream in the microwave. It only takes about 1 minute 30 seconds to make and if you add a pinch of salt, it makes the ganache extra special!

Then, whip up a peanut butter filling using a little milk and some powdered sugar. Then, spread it over the cooled brownies and chill until set.

#mitcham #mitcham social #chocolate brownie #brownie

[hoodmygind82]

Teaching Your Daughter How To Properly Apply Eye Make Up

As the adage goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." The main ingredient to feeling beautiful is doing whatever makes you feel the best! Read this article to get some tips on how to put your best face and body forward, and let your inner beauty show on the outside. If you need to soak up extra oil in your T-Zones, you can use blotting papers to quickly give your face a more matte appearance. These sheets often come in small, pocket-sized packets; many are offered with rice powder or in a powder-free option. The packets are very cheap and can be slipped into your purse or desk drawer. Take your time applying a fake tan. Make sure you have at least 30 minutes before going to bed or getting dressed. If you are in a hurry then wait to do it because you may get streaky results. It is important to make sure you properly apply a fake tan. To deal with greasy or oily hair, shampoo every other day and just rinse with water on the other days. Sometimes people with oily hair try to combat the problem by over using shampoo. This removes to much oil from hair, which makes the sebaceous glands overcompensate to replace it. Keep rosewater in your beauty supply kit. Rosewater is a remedy with roots in antiquity. Rosewater has many uses, from soothing sunburn to helping cure allergic rashes. It is the best toner you could use on your own skin. Apply daily after cleaning to tighten skin's appearance and remove excess oil. When you are putting on eyeshadow look down through the mirror. You should not apply direct pressure to your eyelids. Do your best to apply it correctly the first time with this advised technique. When using this angle, you will be able to see your full lid without touching it. To get super shiny hair, try giving your hair some deep conditioning! After washing your hair, squeeze out all excess water and apply a healthy dollop of conditioner to your hair, focusing on your hairline, the nape of the hair, and the ends. Apply a shower cap and let the conditioner soak in 10 minutes before you rinse it out. You'll have gorgeous silky hair when it dries! Use a cleansing shampoo at least once a week. Your hair gets all sorts of buildup on it and the normal shampoo does help, but nothing really cleanses it better then a cleansing shampoo. After you do this, you will notice that your hair just feels softer and lighter. It also looks better too. Sometimes, when coloring your hair, you may find that the color you chose simply isn't strong or intense enough for your liking. You can solve this problem by purchasing a second box of color, mixing half the product with shampoo, and reapplying it to just-colored hair. Let it sit for only 5-10 minutes before rinsing and you will find the color intensified. If you have skin that tends to get shiny, you can do one of two things throughout the day. If you want to be fancy, you can buy a packet of face-blotting sheets. These smell wonderful and are impregnated with scented transparent powder. Or you can take a sheet of regular toilet paper and press, not rub, on the oily areas. If korean beauty store are in a relationship and you want to save a little money, you should look at which of your products you can share with your partner. Although many products claim to be specifically for men or for women, the majority of the time, this is simply a marketing technique. Spray mist over your face after you have your makeup applied. It will set the makeup and keep it where it should be much longer. This is a great method to use when you have a long day ahead of you like if it is your wedding day or you have a night out after work planned. Beauty is important to many people, and can be a great source for high self-esteem. While appearance is only one part of beauty, doing whatever makes you feel you look your best is a big step in the right direction. Remember the tips in this article to start showing your inner beauty!

#korean beauty store near me

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

FALL CSA WEEK 6

P I C K L I S T

LEEKS - RUTABAGA - CELERIAC - WATERMELON RADISH - RED KURI WINTER SQUASH - BROCCOLI - FENNEL - SPICY SALAD GREENS (ARUGULA & MIZUNA) - TINY RUSSET STORAGE POTATOES BREAD: FROZEN PIZZA DOUGH

It’s a real who’s who of root veg this week- so I won't bore you all with the weather and how it totally dominates our everyday life (as per usual) at Edgewater.  But most importantly, let it be known that our field crew drops from 8 to four farmers this coming Saturday when Roy, Garnet, Strong, and Jasper head back home to Jamaica.  Can’t get too emotional over their leaving just yet, we have a ton to accomplish before that day- and like most professional farmers do, we will continue to bury our feelings in farm chores: cleaning squash &  bagging potatoes.  But goodness gracious,  they will be missed- and every day until they leave, we will celebrate field crew love via baked goods fresh from the farmstand kitchen. Today it’s carrot ginger muffins. Tomorrow it’s ginger cookies. Thursday, it’s donuts from Jumbo Honey Bun Bakes.  Who knows what Friday will bring- But Saturday, there will be hugs and tears.  

Pro-tips:

Storage heads up: Friends! Are you experiencing refrigerator overwhelm with all this veg?!? Here is a little heads up, if it is a root or an allium or a squash, and you are not eating it tonite, leave it out… maybe even make yourself a cutesy little counter top cornucopia of CSA goods… OR, if you do not anticipate meal making in the next little bit with said allium, root, or squash, do keep in a cold area of your home- but not freezing! MUDROOMS AND GARAGE SPACES are great places to hold veg.  Ray can attest to this, as he often comments on my vegetable hoarding skills as he steps over eurocrates and bushels of beets and onions and squash to enter our house.  You too, can start hoarding your veggies today with your fancy ½ bushel box of baby russet potatoes.  It will keep for a long time if stored correctly- think cool and dry.

Rutabaga… Because it would not be a proper Fall CSA without a rutabaga.  

Let it be known that the rutabaga is by far the least sexy veg.  However there is a case to be made for the rutabaga.  Like turnips, they roast beautifully when chopped, and taste great as a mash.  And people swear by them when paired with pork.  Nigel Slater has tons of great recipes to explore around this root. I highly recommend a google sesh searching “nigel slater” and “swede*” for your rutabaga recipe.  

*swede is another name for rutabaga  

WATERMELON RADISH: What appears to be your everyday root veg on the outside, is actually a ruby diamond on the inside.  Slice in half to be wowed, then proceed to eat.  Great roasted (like you would a beet), shaved thin in salad or crudite’ it up into spears with dip of choice.

CELERIAC (aka celery root): For those that are experiencing this veg for the first time, again prepare to be wowed.  There are sooo many recipes on google for what to do with this alien looking rooty cutie- but the bottomline here, it is a less starchy potato with a hint of celery.  Roast in cubes with salt and pep,  boil to mash, or follow the next recipe below…

Garden keeper's pie is a cozy vegan main course with beets, lentils, herbs, and a creasy celery root topping. Perfect for a holiday meal.

PREP TIME:45 MINS/ COOK TIME:1 HR 35 MINS/ TOTAL TIME:2 HRS 20 MINS/ SERVINGS 4

 FILLING:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cooking onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 sprig of rosemary, leaves minced

4 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and divided

pinch of chili flakes, optional

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

5 cups-worth of small diced root or tuber vegetables or squash (I used a mix of butternut squash, carrots & beets)

⅓ cup black or french lentils, rinsed

2 ½ cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce

sea salt, to taste

ground black pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

1 tablespoon cold filtered water

 CELERY ROOT MASH:

3 cups peeled and diced celery root

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus extra

¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

Notes: These are rough measures, but this isn’t a fussy endeavor by any means. You’re just making one big sauté, thickening it with arrowroot, topping it with a rustic mash and baking it until the whole thing bubbles and browns.

Some cooked beans would fill in nicely for the lentils. Just make sure you throw them in closer to the end of the cooking process.

 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil 4 ramekins/cocottes/mini gratin dishes with at least 8 oz/1 cup capacity. Place dishes on a sheet pan and set aside.

 For the filling, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until very, very soft, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, and chili flakes (if using) to the pot and stir. Sauté until the garlic is very fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir. Add the 5 cups of diced vegetables and the lentils to the pot and stir to coat everything in the oil. Season heartily with salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables and lentils another two minutes or so, stirring often.

Add the vegetable stock and tamari and stir. The liquid should cover all the vegetables and lentils nicely, by about a half inch. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer until the vegetables are tender and the lentils are just soft, about 45 minutes. It helps if you place a lid on top of the pot slightly askew, leaving a little gap for air to escape.

When the filling is done, in a small bowl mix together the arrowroot powder and cold water. Scrape this slurry into the pot with the filling and stir to mix it in. Remove the pot from the heat.

For the celery root mash, place the diced celery root and garlic cloves in a medium saucepan. Cover the vegetables with cold water/vegetable stock if you like, and then place the pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer until the celery root pieces are tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain the celery root and garlic, and place it in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Pulse the vegetables a couple times to get them moving. Add the olive oil, unsweetened almond milk, and some salt and pepper. Run the motor on high until you have a cream, homogenous mixture. Check it for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Divide the filling amongst the 4 oiled dishes. Then, divide the celery root mash among the tops of the 4 dishes, smoothing it out with a butter knife or spatula. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of each pie and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Place the assembled pies back on the baking sheet and slide into the oven. Bake the pies until the filling is bubbling and the tops are very lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

From The First Mess (thefirstmess.com)/ SERVES: 2-3 NOTES: This recipe is so versatile: use any steamed/roasted/grilled/raw vegetables you like, noodles of whatever persuasion you prefer. But the sauce! Please keep the sauce :)

soba:

2-3 portions of soba noodles (I like a 1:1, sometimes 1:2, noodle + veg ratio, but make as much as you prefer)

1/2-1 full bunch of broccoli, cut into florets (save the stalks for green juice or maybe some pesto?)

sauce:

1-2 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp

1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled + grated on a rasp

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

splash of maple syrup/brown rice syrup

1/2 tsp light miso

hot toasted sesame oil to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of cayenne or chili flakes

juice of 1/2 a lime

4-5 brazil nuts, chopped + divided

Cook the soba noodles according to package directions. This usually takes anywhere from 8-10 minutes once your water's boiling. Drain them and rinse with cold water. While the noodles are cooking, in a small bowl whisk/stir together the grated garlic, ginger, tamari, maple syrup/brown rice syrup, miso, hot toasted sesame oil, olive oil, cayenne, lime juice and chopped brazil nuts. Add a little fresh ground black pepper if you want. Set aside.

Steam the broccoli to a point you find enjoyable. I like mine still sorta raw-ish, so once the water's simmering in the pot, that steamer basket hangs out for about 3-4 minutes.

Divide the noodles and broccoli among bowls, drizzle the sauce on top, sprinkle the tops with some extra chopped brazil nuts if you like and serve.

[smoothwint]

Nerf rebelle guns walmart

#Nerf rebelle guns walmart plus#

#Nerf rebelle guns walmart free#

It does have a little menthol smell to it, but that quickly dissipates along with that itch. This oatmeal based anti-itch cream was something that we were both able to try, and we have to say that it worked for us. If I were to see this available in the store, I would probably be interested at first, just looking at the packaging, however having actually tried this drink mix, I would definitely pass it by. Something about secret and proprietary blends of ingredients doesn’t make me too hopeful that a product will do anything. As for the actual effect of the mix, I would say that I didn’t really feel any different even 15-20 minutes after. The Pomegranate Blueberry did have a bit of this, but not as bad as the Dragon Fruit. It almost seemed to have a chalky smell to it, if there really is such a thing. It seemed to have a somewhat chemical-like taste to it and it smelled reminiscent of the Bottle Caps candies. The Pomegranate Blueberry tasted okay, and the Dragon Fruit didn’t taste very good. I tried the Pomegranate Blueberry First, and then I tried the Dragon Fruit.

#Nerf rebelle guns walmart free#

In Travis’ opinion, they were good as a free snack, but nothing he’d buy himself. He said that they were fairly bland, and the coating was very unevenly distributed. There was a bit of a sweet and tangy taste to them, but they just didn’t deliver on that BBQ flavor that one expects from a BBQ chip. However, the Tangy BBQ flavor didn’t really come through. They are a bit reminiscent of rice cakes, and closely mimic the Special K Popped Chips. Texturally, Travis thought that these were okay snacks. I don’t have any issues falling asleep myself, but since this seemed to have actually helped, I would say that it’s worth a shot if you have some nights of difficulty falling asleep (but I wouldn’t substitute this for medicine). But I think if something says that it’s some kind of berry flavor, I would personally expect a bit more than a slight hint of a taste.

#Nerf rebelle guns walmart plus#

I’m not really sure if this is a plus or a minus, but when mixed with water, he indicated that it didn’t have much of a taste. Travis was the one to try the Snoozeberry Dream Water Sleep powder, and from his experience, it seems to work! We were both a bit hesitant to believe the claims of this drink mix, but he did see a difference in his ease of falling asleep. If you’re in the mood for popcorn, this is a brand worth buying, but I would perhaps add a little extra salt. It seems to be an air-popped variety of popcorn, and somehow seemed lighter in weight than some other popcorn I’ve tried previously. I wouldn’t really expect it to be ocean salty, but it could use a little more salt. However, though the bag was labeled ‘Simply Sea Salt’ there wasn’t but a hint of salt to it. We took a look at a few products that were sent to us so kindly by the folks at Daily Goodie Box, and wrote a bit about the opinions we shared in the video. In this video, we take a look at Daily Goodie Box, a subscription box that despite the name, is a monthly box that is FREE! This box is instead a box of product samples, sent to you for review! All you have to do is go to to sign up, and next month you may get a box of your own!*

#Nerf rebelle guns walmart

[longautomation]

Buttermilk pancakes fromscratch

After 5 minute souring, add the melted butter and egg with the milk and vinegar. If you want to use a quart of buttermilk all at once, make a double batch and freeze the leftover pancakes. Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to sour Combine the dry ingredients and mix in a medium bowl. I have found that buttermilk oftens comes in a quart size (4 cups), and my recipe for Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes at the bottom of this post uses 2 cups, which is a substantial use. Many people’s objection to buying buttermilk is difficulty using it all up. It doesn’t have the same flavor or the same consistency, and true buttermilk is the way to go if you want the best pancakes. Milk mixed with vinegar (or lemon juice) is just not the same as purchased buttermilk from the store. 1x 2x 3x large eggs, room temperature cups buttermilk, room temperature (you can also use low-fat buttermilk) tablespoons butter. My stance on this is that you should only use milk + vinegar when you’re in a pinch, need to make something in a spur of the moment situation, and don’t have buttermilk on hand. When I see recipes calling for buttermilk on the internet, I often see comments from people saying they made the recipe substituting milk and vinegar for the buttermilk. Growing up we would use a boxed pancake mix. Add a little butter to the hot griddle or pan, once bubbling, add cup pancake batter and let set. 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Theres nothing like a warm homemade fluffy stack of pancakes topped with melted butter and a sea of maple syrup. Serve the pancakes stacked on top of each other, topped with grilled bacon and drizzled with maple syrup.1 - Use real buttermilk, not a milk + vinegar substitute. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat or 350 F. See, I told you it was simple You can then cook on a griddle pan on the stove or a griddle plate. Directions: Mix all ingredients together. Turn over and brush the other side with maple syrup and cook until crisp. 1 1/4 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk you can use regular milk but it won’t be as thick.) 1 egg. Grill until one side of the bacon is crisp. Lay the bacon on a grill tray lined with foil and brush with some of the maple syrup. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium–hot. Keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you cook the remaining batter. Turn them over using a palette knife or fish slice and cook for another minute. Depending on the size of the pan, you may be able to make more than one pancake at a time, or if you are confident you can use two pans at the same time.Ĭook the pancakes for about a minute, or until the underside is golden brown and the top is bubbling. Cook as directed, allowing an extra 30 seconds or so cooking time per side. When the batter is smooth, stir in /1/2 cup Grape-nuts cereal or a basic granola with nuts and dried fruit. Using a ladle, pour some batter into the pan to make a pancake. Prepare the basic buttermilk pancake batter, increasing the buttermilk to 1 3/4 cups. Melt a small knob of butter in a large frying pan. Add the remaining buttermilk and vanilla and mix again until well incorporated but not too smooth. Using a fork, mix the ingredients in the bowl together slowly. Make a well in the flour and add the eggs and half of the buttermilk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the buttermilk, milk, eggs and butter. In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar.

#Buttermilk pancakes fromscratch

[rajotto-blog]

6 types of egg recipes - fun recipes will be at home!

New Post has been published on https://supermanrecipe.com/how-to-cook/6-types-of-egg-recipes-fun-recipes-will-be-at-home-3648/

6 types of egg recipes - fun recipes will be at home!

Eggs (boilers, ducks, domestic chickens) are a very important and simple everyday food from a general point of view. Egg breakfast recipe and quite fun. However, we may not know how the recipe can be made by modifying this normal food. And so in today’s article we are going to share some  egg recipes that will help you to get rid of the monotony of eggs.

Here are some tasty and authentic egg recipes.

Egg Biryani Recipe

Almost always we have tried several types of biryani recipes at home. Especially those who have biryani lovers prefer this kind of different biryani recipe. Egg recipe is such a different recipe. 

 Below is a brief recipe on how to make an authentic egg Birani recipe:

First you have to wash the biryani rice well and put it in a container.

Then add some of the spices you usually use for biryani in a bowl with some oil.

In another pot, boil the rice with some water. Care must be taken that the biryani does not turn into rice directly.

Then fry the eggs well in another pot. Before that, the eggs must be boiled. Once the eggs are fried, add the half-boiled rice to the seasoning.

 After stirring for a while, water should be given. After that you have to cover it for some time with a lid. Finally, the eggs should be left on top of the rice. Then you have to keep it down for some time.

Authentic egg biryani is made on the bus. Hope you like your egg biryani recipe. 

Steamed egg recipe

Steamed egg recipe is basically a different egg recipe. The brief preparation method is described below

For this, a few eggs should be cracked in a pot and then boiled in a steel tiffin bowl.

 If you want you can use a stand here.

Basically those who use gas stoves can use a stand if they want. If you hit from a distance, a smoky flavor will come, which does not feel bad again!

  Once boiled, take out the tiffin box and cut the eggs into pieces.

Then we have to cook it in the same way we usually cook ordinary egg curry.

I am giving a video recipe of steamed egg recipe at this link. From here you can take a look at the complete recipe. Usually it is not possible to describe the whole thing in one blog.

 You can see the recipe of steamed egg by clicking  this link !

Although I personally don’t like this recipe very much.

Yet there are many people around me who like this recipe a lot.

We hope you enjoy the recipe.

Many people refer to fried eggs as fried eggs. But if you want to cook authentic steamed egg recipe, you must watch the whole video.

Egg sandwich recipe

Young boys and girls love egg sandwich recipes the most. It’s not that adults don’t like it. Especially I personally like it a lot.

If you want, you can make egg sandwich for breakfast.

Egg sandwich recipes are very easy to make. Egg sandwiches can be easily made with some of the ingredients in the house.

Follow these steps to make an egg sandwich:

First, with a small amount of oil in a pan, make an egg yolk with eggs and salt in it. In a bowl, mix some tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, coriander leaves, chilli powder and eggs. How many breads will be needed. You can use all the breads available in the family package in the general store. But keep in mind that they are a bit bigger in shape.

Now you have to put some butter on one side of the bread.

Now you have to put that mixture on it. 

It should be spread well around. Then another part of the parrot has to be pressed on it. In the same way some butter should be put on it and then another bread should be pressed on it.

Then the bread should be cut into triangular shape.

Then if you want you can marry it or fry it in oil, it is your choice.

Many people take the bread to the toast maker to make a little toast.

However, I think it is most fun to make egg sandwiches in the above way.

Egg chop is a very tasty meal for breakfast in the afternoon. You can make egg chop with some readily available ingredients while sitting at home.

 The brief preparation method is described below:

First you have to boil the amount of egg chop that you will make. And then they have to take something along the middle. In another bowl, take some besan and add water.

Stir gently and add some red chilli powder, baking soda and black pepper powder.

Then the boiled eggs should be dipped in besan and deep fried in oil.

 Egg chop will be made immediately. Hope you like the egg chop recipe!

 But if you want to make it more authentic, you can watch this video . 

Dim semai recipe

Egg Semai Recipe! Isn’t the name weird?

Not a very complicated recipe but very time consuming.

If you want, you can take a look at this weird and funny egg recipe by clicking on this video link.

You see! If you want, you can make many recipes with eggs while sitting at home.

Hope everybody on this site also had a great day!

[will-o-the-witch]

Simple Chicken Soup Recipe for a Kitchen Witch on a Budget

Because I love food and I'm also cheap. This is basically just my regular easy chicken soup recipe but with the magical associations included. It'll feed you for days.

The Long (But Tastier) Way

What You'll Need:

One of those discount whole chickens from the grocery store (my boyfriend calls it a "used chicken")

Whatever veggies in your kitchen are starting to look sad and need to be used before they go bad (I recommend having carrots and celery in that mix tho)

Some extra celery/carrots for the final product (can come from the Sads if you need... pick the healthiest-looking parts.)

Pasta of your choice (I like penne)

A stockpot and strainer (another big pot should work too, but stockpots are best for holding everything/making the most at once.)

Salt, pepper, preferably dill as well + whatever other seasonings you want.

What to Do:

Take your used chicken, strip all of the meat from it, and put the meat aside. Put the carcass in the pot.

Add all of your sad vegetables to the pot. No need to be fancy with it, no need to peel anything. Shop an old onion into 4ths and add it skins and all. Leaves can stay on any celery. Chuck in some garlic, why not. I've added an old sweet potato before. Leeks. Rosemary. Whatever. Go be free.

Add some salt + pepper, cover the entire thing with water, bring it to a boil and then immediately turn the heat to low. Cover it most of the way.

Go do something else. Forget about it for at least four hours. If you want, you can occasionally go up to it and skim any foam off. Everything is steeping and blending, so the longer it goes the better it gets. (Remember the water will cook down though, so don't leave it forever.)

Cook your pasta al dente and set it aside at some point.

Once you're ready, strain the broth into another vessel and discard your sad broth vegetables. Thank them for their service.

Put the broth back in the empty stockpot and bring to a boil. Chop your happy vegetables to whatever size you want to eat them at. Add any vegetables like chopped carrots that need to cook longer than other veggies. After a few minutes add the rest. Once everything is at a good level of This Won't Feel Weird to Eat, put it on way low again!

Add everything else. That means salt, pepper, dill (I like dill. Add too much dill.) seasoning powders, chicken meat, and cooked pasta. Steep it for a little so the broth flavor can soak in, but you don't have to do it for as long as before.

EAT IT! You have soup now! Yay! Eat a bowl now and save the rest for later. It'll last you a while. (Pasta will get bigger/softer over time but that's fine, it's still good.)

Faster Broth

Boil some water. Add chicken bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, dill/whatever seasonings, and a tiny splash of oil. The oil helps it look/feel more authentic without needing to steep the chicken carcass.

For even faster broth, you can even use boxed chicken stock and skip the bouillon. I find chicken broth tastes kinda different and gross, but it'll work in a pinch and you might not mind it as much as me.

Magical Associations

Naturally, whatever unique vegetables you add will have their own correspondences, so I'll just list the recommended base ingredients:

Chicken: Lasting love, household harmony, abundance, luck, prosperity and general well-being

Celery: Lust, mental/psychic abilities, clear-headedness/focus (especially for decision making)

Carrot: Lust again, abundance, creativity and psychic awareness

Dill: Luck, money/employment, protection, knowledge and decision making.

Chicken Soup Itself: Health and vitality is the big one (probably obviously.) It's basically folk penicillin. I think it also carries associations with love (especially familial) and household harmony for exactly this reason. Based on the other associations, I could also see it being good for helping make important decisions with a sound mind.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

#chicken soup #food #kitchen witch #kitchen witchcraft #cottage witchcraft #recipe #budget recipe #kitchen witchery #magic #witchcraft #witch tip #beginner witchcraft

[king-star]

hii! can you please make a natasha x reader fic where they both have been dating for a while and it's natasha's birthday and the reader surprises her with a brand new suit that she made herself and nat cries bc she never got a meaningful gift and the reader also surprises her with cake and more romantic gifts. you could make the reader tony's sister so it would make more sense that she's good at making suits but you don't have to!! thank you sm i need sum cute natty 😫

Birthday Suit

Warning: Use of the pet name Sunflower,

Match: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Genre: Fluff

A/N: So this one was fun. I hate my birthday but this actually was cute. I’m trying a new way of presenting the dialogue. aesthetically it looks better but I’m not sure how it reads. I've seen other authors do the dialogue on completely seperate lines so just lmk if this is good.

Word Count: ~2.5 k

Summary: It’s Natasha's birthday, and despite her acting like she hates it you shower her with love.

The smell of cooking cake fills the compound. Even from the workshop, where you are, the sweet scent permeates the air. You have been baking for long enough to know what that smell means, the cake is almost done.

You check the clock on the wall. 2:44. Nat would be home at 5.

“Shit. I need to get this done,”

You shake your head and set down your wire cutters. The list of everything you need to get done before she arrives rolls through your mind.

It was her birthday. She didn’t know her actual birthday so years ago she made one up. The chosen date was a closely guarded secret she only shared with those she trusted most. For the most part the assassin didn’t even celebrate. When you had asked a week prior what she wanted to do she had brushed you off claiming,

“I don’t really care. As long as I get to be with my love.”

She had kissed you, hoping the kiss would fog your mind from any further planning. Unfortunately for her you were a big schemer, always going as big as you could for your friend’s birthdays.

You walked out of the workshop, making one last longing look at her unfinished gift on your messy work table. No one was around today. The one Saturday everyone had off a month. Natasha had gone shopping with Wanda, a plan conncocted to give you plenty of time to get everything ready.

“Friday do you mind turing the oven off?”

you asked the A.I. as you headed down the hallway.

“Of course Agent Y/L/N,”

entering the kitchen you picked up a discarded list of everything that needed to be done. Two items were crossed off “Bake the cake, movie fort.” The unmarked items looked at you teasingly and you felt anxiety rise in your chest. What if you didn’t get everything done and this birthday made Natasha hate birthdays even more? You shook your head trying to chase off the thoughts and went to the oven.

“One perfectly baked chocolate cake coming up,”

grabbing an oven mitt you pulled the cake out of the oven and placed it on the counter. Carefully you coerced the cake from the pan and set it on the cooling rack.

Back when Wanda and you ventured into the baking realm you had begged Tony to put in a floor to ceiling blast chiller. The kind that was always on baking competitions. He reluctantly agreed, with the price of always having to give him a taste of your creations. The freezer was immensely helpful in tight circumstances. You were more than grateful for it now.

You set your cake into the freezer and went to the pantry to pull out all the ingredients you needed for icing. You poured the powdered sugar and placed the butter into the bowl. When you turned on the mixer a cloud of sugary powder exploded in the kitchen. You blinked and licked your lips. Bringing a hand up to wipe your face, you laughed hard. Sugar covered the entire counter and floor beneath you, not to mention your already grease stained clothes.

“Wow, is my little sibling doing coke in here? And without me!”

a snarky voice sounded from across the room. You opened your eyes and squinted at your older brother with a scrunched nose.

“Can it Tony,”

You growled, grabbing a towel and wiping yourself off the counter. Tony laughed at you and opened the freezer to look at what sweet treats awaited him tonight.

“A cake? Are we celebrating?”

He laughed and made a teasing face. You rolled your eyes and called out to Friday.

“Can you order me four containers of icing from the store to be delivered?”

“You got it!”

her chipper accented voice came over the audio. You threw the towel in the sink and landed a punch in Tony’s arm as you left to go change.

“You better not eat any of that cake until Nat has had at least one slice. I know where you keep those rare magic cards you think no one knows about and I will not hesitate to cut them all in half,”

He looked at you in shock. Whether it was because you knew about the secret stash or because you would dare cut them you weren’t sure. The only way to get Tony mad was to go for something he couldn’t replace with money.

“YOU WOULDN'T FUCKING DARE,”

You run away as he climbs out of his chair and chases after you. You run into your room and lay on the door to push back a Tony who was only a few steps behind you. When you finally force the door into the frame you turn the lock and fall to the floor laughing.

Angry mumbling came from the other side. Tony pounded on the door twice before, defeated. walking away. After catching your breath you pulled your sugar stained clothes off and changed into the outfit you’d set aside that morning.

“Y/N the man just arrived with the icing,”

Friday called out to your room and you nodded.

“Thank you Friday. Have him set the bags in the kitchen,”

Friday hummed in agreement. You stood up and looked in the mirror checking yourself out. When you were satisfied with the look you unlocked the door and turned to the right. You really needed to finish Natasha’s present. You wouldn’t even have time to test it properly. You really hoped the phrase “it’s the thought that counts,” was true. Her gift could be something that got you endless kisses or a real crash and burn.

Making it to the lab you set your hand on your head and groaned. You really hoped it worked. It was so pretty. You grabbed the wrapping paper and box and set it in with a kiss.

“Natty, I hope you like it,”

The gift finished the fort built, and cake baked, there was only one thing left to do, ice the damn cake. You could bake sure, but only Wanda ever mastered the art of making it look beautiful.

When you made it to the kitchen Tony was nowhere in sight and a plastic bag with what you assumed was icing was set on the counter. You pulled out a butter knife and dug in, hoping this looked somewhat edible. Wanda was the one who was skilled at decorating. You could make the elaborate pastry chef treats, but you could never handle the finer details of making it look pretty.

~

You were in the workshop when Friday alerted you that Wanda and Natasha were home. A feeling similar to anxiety or excitement fluttered in your chest. This was the first time you’d celebrated her birthday with your girlfriend. You wanted her to like birthdays again. To feel as special and loved as you can pour out for her.

“Thank you Friday. Please tell them I’m in the workshop and will be heading to the game room shortly,”

You set down the gauntlet you’d been fixing while waiting for them and brushed off your outfit. Your eyes searched over the shirt for stains, and when you were satisfied you were clean you headed to your “party”.

Wanda was the first to come in. She threw her hands to her face and “oood” and “aweeed” over the spread you had out.

“Y/N your cake! it’s…. adorable,”

you punched her in the shoulder with a frown. She fell over laughing.

“I TRIED! and I’m sure it tastes amazing.”

you crossed your arms and pouted. She sat back up still laughing and patted your back.

“She’ll love it Y/N. Even if it had ‘fuck you Nat’ written on top she’d love it,”

you smiled at the complement and stopped pouting. You were explaining the technology behind Nat’s present when the woman of the hour finally walked in.

“What is all this? Are y’all having a party? and didn’t invite me,”

she sat down next to you intertwining your fingers with hers and kissing your shoulder. You smiled as the excitement anxiety mix returned.

“Actually…. it’s for you,”

You smiled and kissed her hands. She looked genuinely surprised. You really hoped the feeling was happy excitement.

“oh- Y/N y-you remembered? and you didn’t have to do any of this. I thought I told you i didn’t care to celebrate,”

you felt Wanda stand up to leave with a pat on your shoulder. You smiled up at her and turned back to Natasha.

“I know I know, but I wanted to do something special. You love me so well and work so hard all the time. You deserve a day that’s unapologetically about you,”

You knew if Natasha didn’t have such complete control of her emotions she would be crying. The agape mouth gave that away. You smiled and leaned forward pulling her into a deep, intimate kiss. Feeling her smile against your lips you pulled away and leaned your forehead against hers.

“I love you Natashka. I will do anything to make you feel like Queen of the world,”

with that she started crying. You frowned and wiped away the tears.

“I really hope those are happy tears,”

she nodded quickly and smiled, sniffling a little.

“Very very happy tears. happy ‘I don’t know what on Earth i did to deserve you’ tears,”

“It is I who does not deserve you. The Great Black Widow. I’m just here to make you smile, it’s my life goal,”

you bowed as much as you could sitting down. Placing a peck on her lips you turned back to the presents and pointed.

“Which one should we open first?”

she pondered and then picked up a small box. Nimble fingers unwrapped the box and pulled out a Ring. You had managed to get her size weeks earlier fitting one of your own on her finger when hanging out. She looked at the little silver band with a carved sunflower at the head. A smile bloomed across her face and she hugged you.

“Oh my goodness Y/N, it’s so pretty…,”

she slid it onto her fingers, finding the one it fit best and stared at it. You hugged her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

“Well, you are my sunflower. It’s just a reminder when we are away,”

Her eyes lit up at the nickname. It wasn’t as common for you to use it as baby or sweetheart, but sunflower had always been her favourite.

She looked at the other boxes realising they were also for her. You picked up the next box, a medium sized one and handed it to her. You were saving the biggest for last.

She was just in awe and set it down before unwrapping it. Her hands snaked around your waist and pulled you flush to her. Her soft lips pressed kisses to your jaw and she set her head on your shoulder.

“Thank you so much Y/N, I- no one has done something like this for me ever,”

She hugged you tight again and then let go picking back up the present. You nodded and kissed her head. Pushing some hair out of her face you stroked her hair softly. Her hands once again unwrapped the gift. She squeaked at the sight of the book underneath the paper.

Natasha never got to read much on her own accord growing up. The red room picked out books for her education but never anything she would actually enjoy. Long ago Natasha had told you the first book she read after getting out of the red room was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and since then she adored the book. You had found, and paid for with Tony’s credit card, a first edition of the book. The auction was rough but you needed that book for Natasha.

Natasha stared at the book once, again jaw hanging open. She wiped her hands on her pants before handingly the book with utmost care. She flipped it over and ran her fingertips over the indented letters and gold illustration on the front.

“Y-you like it? I know you said you like Alice in Wonderland. It’s uh… actually a first edition copy. Tony was about ready to kill me when he saw me pay for the bid,”

You laughed nervously. She turned the book around again and then set it on the coffee table. She tackled you and pushed you back on the couch kissing all over your face. You yelped in surprise then grabbed her hips, catching her lips and kissing her roughly. She melted into the kiss but you pulled away.

“As much as I love this Natty, let’s open your last gift and eat some cake,”

You sat up and pulled her so she was in your lap. You placed a soft kiss to the back of her neck as she reached for the last gift. It was heavy but the assassin had no trouble lifting it.

“After that we can makeout in the fort I made. yeah?”

You wrapped your arms around her waist and pulled her close to you, rubbing circles on her thigh. She laughed and nodded, blushing profusely.

“I like that idea Y/N,”

She opened the box and pulled out the gift you put months of effort into. This time her reaction wasn’t as instantaneous. You helped her pull all the pieces out and set it on the coffee table. She looked at it slightly perplexed.

“I’m sorry… I’m not exactly sure what it is,”

She pouted and looked at you. You smiled and nodded knowing she wouldn’t. You set it out so she could see all the parts.

“Well… uh it’s a new suit. You always say that you don’t like how tight and revealing your other ones are so I kinda beefed this one up so it focuses on functionality,”

She nodded along as you explained. A look of understanding crossed her face as she pulled at the sleeves.

“ohhhhhhhh. That makes so much sense. I- Y/N what the fuck. I can’t express it enough. You are the best, you listened to me and used it to give me the best gifts i’ve ever gotten. You are the most thoughtful partner,”

You beamed. The feeling you knew she was struggling to express, it was exactly what you’d wanted her to feel. Loved, heard, appreciated, and cared for.

“I’m glad sunflower. That’s what I wanted. To make you feel as good as you deserve. D-do you mind if I tell you a bit about the features? I didn’t have time to test some of them so I will need to do that before you take it into combat,”

She nodded and slid off your lap to look at you. You patted her legs and squeezed then held at the sleeve first.

“Well of course it wouldn’t be a suit for the Black widow without gauntlets. These can change through three different modes for different levels and types of stuns also a laser if you need that for aiming,”

You flipped on the laser and pointed it at a pot then turned it back off.

“Also I made it so the suit can suction to your body but be limp to put it on. a lot easier to slip on ya know. And there is mobile but thick padding on all major points of contact for falling. Shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, the like.”

Natasha ran her hands over the surprisingly thin padding and smiled.

“Wow baby that’s… amazing,”

You nodded and picked up the bag attached to the back.

“And uh there’s a parachute built in as well as pockets up the legs, arms and boots so you don’t have to have the belts. They are sorta magnetic so you can like open them easily but when they are closed everything stays in. OH AND THE BOOTS,”

You started to ramble on about the energy absorbing boots you worked with Shuri on that would allow Nat to drop from double the height of a normal human with no damage to her knees or feet. Nat just stared at you hungirly.

“Hey baby, I seriously appreciate the gift. It’s honestly the best thing I've ever gotten. Why don’t we try it out tomorrow and you can show me EVERYTHING. For now we can… sit in the fort like you said,”

She had a cocky smile and you blushed at her antics. You nodded quickly, cutting off your rambling. Her hands found your waist and she pulled you off the couch and into the pillow fort you had built.

“I uh- got a movie for us to watch. Do you want to?”

She nodded and smiled. A look that very much meant “Yes. That's sweet, but I doubt we will be watching it.” You pulled her into your lap, setting your hands on her waist. She draped hers over your shoulders and rubbed light circles on the back of your neck. You leaned forward and trapped her lips in a kiss. Soft but full of passion.

The rest of that night was spent watching the movie and kissing. When you finally remembered the cake a slice had been taken out of it, with

“You were busy with Romanoff so I took what I was owed. The package has been moved, try getting me now little sibling.”

On a sticky note beside it. Natasha had laughed, unsure exactly what had happened but sure it was a story she would much enjoy hearing.

She had moaned over how good the cake was after laughing at how “Adorably” it was decorated.

“So Nat… did I make this birthday worth celebrating?”

She smiled wide and nodded.

“Yes Y/N, if every birthday was like this I would never want to stop celebrating.”

Tag List:

@xburningbluex @zoeyserpentluck @iamgaiiiuwu @natasharomanoffswife @fleurlovesbucky @fayhar @ymzki-haruki @lostandsearching

Natasha Tag list:

@basiclesbianbitch @stephanieromanoff @sapphicshots @madamevirgo @choni-trimberly@wlwlovesreading @i-just-like-storage @screamsin-gay @ymzki-haruki

#black widow x reader #black widow x y/n #black widow fluff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanoff fluff #black widow #natasha romanoff #black widow fanfic #natasha romanoff fanfic #avengers #mcu #marvel #my fic #king-star

[yourfoodiedesires]

The 36 Most Clever Cooking Tips // Buzzfeed Article

1. Use Jell-O vanilla pudding mix in place of half of the sugar when baking cookies. It keeps them super soft for days and gives them a cake-like interior.

2. Put some mustard in mac 'n' cheese (even the boxed stuff). The flavor isn't noticeable, but it adds delicious depth of flavor. You can use Dijon, whole grain mustard, or even mustard powder. It all results in delicious mac 'n' cheese.

3. Cook just about any frozen food in the air fryer to crispy, take-out quality perfection. (I'm looking at you: Trader Joe's mandarin orange chicken). Oh, and it's great for crisping up any leftovers, too.    

4. Microwave lemons to get more juice out of them. After a quick 20 seconds, they're so much easier to squeeze and yield so much more juice.     

5. Instead of sautéing mushrooms in olive oil or butter, start cooking them in a dry pan for a few minutes. This gets much of the moisture out so they brown better. 

6. Give a stale loaf of bread a new life by running it under water, then baking it in a warm, 300°F oven for about 10 minutes. The oven steams the stale, soggy bread and makes it as good as new.      

7.  When it comes to baking anything with a flaky dough (biscuits, cookies, pie dough, etc...) freeze and grate the butter, freeze the flour, and even freeze the mixing bowl for the best results. All of these steps keep the dough colder and makes for better baking results.      

8. Pre-make roux in big batches, then freeze it in silicon ice molds. Use the individual portions of roux whenever you're making something like gravy, mac 'n' cheese, or béchamel sauce. It's a total time saver.      

9. Bake with browned butter instead of regular butter. Brown butter has a richer and nuttier flavor that will enhance whatever you're baking (cue: the world's best chocolate chip cookies).     

10. Add a little bit of mayonnaise to beaten eggs before scrambling them or making an omelette, quiche, or frittata. It makes them super light and fluffy.      

11. Use the spice packet that comes with instant ramen as a popcorn seasoning. Mix the powder with some melted butter or margarine and then toss with the popcorn. It's even better than the movie theater stuff.      

12. Make a life-changing topping for vegetables by browning butter in a skillet, then adding breadcrumbs and nutmeg. Then add it on top of anything like roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, or Brussels sprouts.     

13. Put a bit of mayonnaise in your cake batter. Once you realize that mayo is mostly eggs and oil, it's not so hard to understand why it tastes so good.      

14. When making grilled cheese, schmear a little bit of salad dressing on the outside of the bread. Most people do this with mayonnaise, but salad dressing (like store bought Italian dressing) is even better. Just a light spread is all you need.      

15. Line the lid of your slow cooker with paper towel to soak up extra condensation and prevent your food from getting watery. This is especially useful if you're making dishes with a crispy top like lasagna or mac 'n' cheese with a bread crumb topping.      

16.  If you're making soup, stew, or even a sauce that looks too thin, add a bit of instant mashed potatoes as a thickener.  It's an easy fix when you realize too late that you've added too much liquid.     

17. When breading something like a chicken cutlet, forget about the egg and coat it in mayonnaise before the breadcrumbs.      

18. You can boil eggs in the air fryer with no water necessary. Set your handy appliance to 270°F and place the eggs inside the basket. Cook 10 minutes for soft boiled or 15 minutes for hard boiled.      

19. Starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, and quinoa taste better when cooked in stock, rather than plain water.

20. Make an amazing pie crust using Girl Scout cookies like Trefoils or even Thin Mints. Just crush up the cookies and add melted butter to hold it all together.     

21. For the creamiest mashed potatoes, forget about cream and butter and just crack an egg into them when they're just about ready. The heat of the mashed potatoes will cook it and make it safe to eat.

22. Instead of salting your pasta water, add a chicken stock cube. It doubles the flavor of the pasta and the sauce. It's the easiest way to upgrade pasta night with a single ingredient.      

23. Add fish sauce to Caesar dressing. The flavor is a bit more muted than that of anchovies, but it still gives the dressing that much-needed salty punch. It makes for the best Caesar salad ever.      

24. Adding an extra egg yolk to any cookie recipe will result in softer, fluffier cookies that taste freshly baked even after a few days in the fridge.     

25. Make homemade whipped cream with just heavy whipping cream and a mason jar. Pour in the cream, fasten the lid, and shake, shake, shake for about 20 seconds. You'll have delicious, fluffy whipped cream in no time.      

26. When in doubt (or when your spices are looking scarce) rub any meat in Sazón or taco seasoning. The mixture of spices is amazing and it makes anything from chicken or flank steak to pork so flavorful.      

27. Add a dash of vanilla extract and cinnamon to pancake or waffle batter. It gives the final product a touch of sweetness and richer flavor.      

28. When baking something like carrot cake or zucchini bread, swap out half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce. It keeps the bread super moist and doesn't change the flavor.     

29. Mix soy sauce and butter to instantly boost the flavor of just about any savory dish like fried rice, mushrooms, or salmon.      

30. Put a splash of orange juice in the batter for baked goods like pumpkin bread, banana bread, or cranberry muffins. Even store-bought juice is perfect. The acidity adds brightness to complement the spices.      

31. For the crispiest fried or roasted potatoes, dip them in ice water first. When you're cutting potatoes, toss them into a bowl of ice water. Give them a swirl to wash off excess starch, then drain and pat them dry. Even soaking them for a few minutes is enough to get them really crispy.  

32. Add a few drops of lemon or lime juice to a cutting board before you dice onions. It doesn't impact the flavor whatsoever, but the acid from the lemon neutralizes the fumes from the onion so you won't cry.

33. Stir some cream cheese into your mac 'n' cheese to keep it creamy even after you've refrigerated the leftovers. It prevents the pasta from absorbing all the liquid so the cheese sauce stays creamy and thick for days. Oh, and for an additional flavor boost, try scallion cream cheese.      

34. Turn frozen bananas into one-ingredient ice cream without any fancy equipment. Freeze bananas until they're solid then pop them into the blender until smooth and custardy. You can add in extra ingredients like cinnamon, chocolate chips, or peanut butter, then immediately freeze it for later.      

35. Add a small amount of water to the pan when frying bacon. The water significantly reduces the amount of fat splattering, and it actually results in really crispy bacon.

36. And finally, if you’re making a dish that relies heavily on spices for seasoning, toast the spices before adding them to your recipe. You only need to cook them on a pan for about 30 seconds until they are fragrant, but it vastly improves their taste and amplifies the flavor.     

♥ Follow For Recipes, DIYs, Ect. ♥

#food #cooking tips #tips and tricks #text

[thewidowsghost]

Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 1

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

(Y/n) stands in the kitchen of her mother and step-father's apartment, making the bean dip Smelly Gabe liked so much.

(Y/n) fixes her gaze on the counter but then she lets out a yelp as something hits her in between her shoulder blades.

"Hurry it up, girl!" Smelly Gabe snarls.

"Yes sir," (Y/n) murmurs.

A few minutes later, Gabe stalks into the kitchen, takes the dip without so much of a thank you.

(Y/n) fixes her gaze on the shoe on the ground before she moves to her room. She climbs into her bed, getting under her covers. (Y/n) turns, facing the wall.

She closes her eyes, falling to an uneasy sleep.

(Y/n) watches, disconnected from the others in the dream, as one of her brother's teachers turns into something that reminded her of a demon, or something similar that she'd read books about. The woman had bat wings, claws, and a mouth of yellow fangs.

Then (Y/n) looks around, her eyes widening in shock as she sees her brother holding a bronze sword.

Percy swings the sword, the demon exploding into yellow powder, vaporizing on the spot.

A hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder has (Y/n) jolting awake. "Honey? Are you okay?" Sally Jackson asks.

Catching the wide-eyed look of horror on (Y/n)'s face, Sally wraps her daughter in a hug.

(Y/n)'s breathing steadies, and she breathes in her mother's familiar scent - chocolate, licorice, and all the other things she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central Station.

"Did you get all your work done?" Sally asks softly, her thumb brushing over a slightly visible bruise that had appeared at the base of the back of her neck.

(Y/n) hums in reply.

. . .

The next day, (Y/n) is once again lying in her bed, not wanting to have to deal with Gabe throwing more shoes or glass bottles at / near her.

. . .

Percy walks into the apartment, dragging his suitcase behind him, hoping his mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe is in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blares ESPN; chips and beer cans are strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking up, he says around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom? (Y/n)?"

"Mom's working," Gabe says. "The girl's in her room. You got any cash?"

"That's it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

Gabe had put on weight since the last time Percy had seen him. Gabe looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He has about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp.

"I don't have any cash," Percy replies.

Gabe raises a greasy eyebrow. Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which is surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he says. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looks at Percy with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he says. The guy just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeats.

Eddie scowls into his bowl of pretzels. The two other guys pass gas in harmony.

"Fine," Percy says. He digs a wad of dollars out of his pocket and throws the money on the table. "I hope you lose."

"Your report card came, brain boy!" He shouts back at Percy. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

Percy slams the door to his room, which isn't really his room. During school months, it is Gabe's 'study.' He doesn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loves shoving his stuff in Percy's closet, leaving his muddy boots on the windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne, cigars, and stale beer.

Percy drops his suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home he thinks.

Gabe's smell is almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

Percy sits, lost in his thoughts.

Then he hears his mom's voice, "Percy?" She opens the bedroom door, and his fears melt. "Oh, Percy," she hugs him tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas."

Sally had brought Percy a bag of 'free samples' the way she always did whenever he'd come home.

The two sit together on the bed. While Percy attacks the blueberry sour strings, she runs her hands through his hair, demanding to know everything that he hadn't put in his letters. She doesn't mention his getting expelled. She doesn't seem to care about that.

Percy tells his mother that she is smothering him, but secretly, Percy is really, really glad to see her.

From the other room, Gabe yells, "Hey, Sally - how about some bean dip, huh?"

Percy grits his teeth. My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should be married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.

(Y/n) pads into Percy's room, and the dark haired boy brightens at the sight of his younger twin.

"I've got the dip, Mom," (Y/n) says softly. Sally gazes at her daughter for a moment, her gaze sad.

"Wait, (Y/n)," Sally says, and (Y/n) turns back to face her mother. "I've got a surprise for the two of you," she says. "We're going to the beach."

Percy's eyes widen. "Montauk?"

"Three nights - same cabin," Sally replies.

"When?" (Y/n) asks, looking excited.

She smiles, "As soon as I get changed."

(Y/n) can't believe it. Mom, Percy, and I hadn't been to Montauk in the last two summers because Gabe had said that there wasn't enough money.

Gabe appears in the doorway behind (Y/n) and growls, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

Percy wants to punch him, but he meets his mother's eyes, and understands that she is offering him a deal: Be nice to Gabe for a little while; just until she's ready to leave for Montauk.

"I've got it, Gabe," (Y/n) says.

"Sorry, honey," Sally says, looking at her husband. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes get small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," Percy mutters. "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," Sally says evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money."

(Y/n) turns to face Gabe, smiling as kindly as she could. "What if I make a seven-layer dip that'll last the whole weekend?" she asks. "Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

Gabe softens a bit, then turns back to face Sally. "So, this money for your trip . . . it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"Yes, honey," Sally replies.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratches his double chin. "Maybe if the girl hurries up with the seven-layer dip . . . and if the boy apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, Percy thinks. And make you sing soprano for a week.

"I'm sorry," Percy mutters. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important power game. Please go back to it right now."

Gabe's eyes narrow. His tiny brain is probably trying to detect the sarcasm in my statement, Percy thinks.

"Yeah, whatever," Gabe decides; he goes back to his game.

"Thank you, Percy," Sally says. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about...whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment, (Y/n) can see anxiety in her mother's eyes, but then her smile returns, and (Y/n) figures that she must've been mistaken.

. . .

An hour later, the three are ready to leave.

Gabe takes a break from his poker game long enough to watch (Y/n) and Percy lug the bags to his car. He keeps griping and groaning about losing her and (Y/n)'s cooking - and more important, his '78 Camaro - for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," Gabe warns Percy as he loads the last bag into the car. "Not one little scratch."

Like I'd be the one driving. I'm fourteen, Percy thinks.

Watching Gabe lumbers back towards the apartment building, Percy gets so mad that he does something he can't explain. As Gabe reaches the door, Percy makes the hand gesture he'd seen Grover made on the bus, a soft of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over his heart, then a shoving movement towards Gabe. The screen door slams so hard it whacks him the the butt and sends him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

. . .

(Y/n)'s POV

Our rental cabin is on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It is a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There's always sand in the sheets, spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea is too cold to swim in.

I loved the place.

Mom, Percy, and I had been going ever since Percy and I'd been a baby. Mom had been coming even longer. She'd never exactly said, but I know why the beach was special to her.

It's the place where she'd met my Dad.

As we get closer to Montauk, Mom seems to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turn the color of the sea.

We get there around sunset, open all the cabin's windows, and go through the usual cleaning routine.

Mom, Percy, and I walk on the beach, feed blue corn-chips to the seagulls, and munch on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples Mom had brought home from work.

I guess maybe I should explain all the blue food.

Gabe had once told Mom that there was no such thing. They had had this fight, which had seemed like a really small think at the time, but ever since, Mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes, mixed blueberry smoothies, bought blue-corn tortilla chips, and brought home blue candy from the shop. This - along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano - is proof that she isn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, just like Percy.

When it gets dark, we make a fire. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom tells Percy and me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents had died in the plane crash. She tells us about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, it seems that Percy gets the nerve to ask about what is always on our minds whenever we come to Montauk - our father. Mom's eyes go all misty. I figure she would tell us the same things she always did, but neither Percy or I ever got tired of hearing them.

"He was kind, Percy," Mom replies. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle too, like you, (Y/n)." Mom says and I soften. "You have his black hair, Percy, and you both share his green eyes.

Mom fishes a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you two. He would be so proud."

I wonder how she could say that when I'm the girl who cowers from her stepfather. The girl who hides in her room to get away from said stepfather.

"How old were we?" Percy asks, pulling me from my thoughts. "I mean . . . when he left?"

Mom watches the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But . . . he knew us as babies."

"No, honey," Mom replies. "He knew I was expecting twins, but he never met you. He had to leave before you were born."

I try to square that with the fact that I seem to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow, maybe a smile.

Percy and I had always assumed that our father had known us as babies. Mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt that it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen us . . .

I feel angry at my father. Maybe it is stupid, but I resent him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry Mom.

"Are you going to send me away again?" Percy asks. "To another boarding school?"

Mom pulls a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey," her voice is heavy. "I think . . . I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?" Percy says and I flinch, avoiding both his and Mom's gazes.

I glance up to see that Mom's eyes had welled up with tears. "Oh, Percy, no. I - I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

"But you never send her away," Percy says and I look up, eyes wide with surprise.

Mom looks at Percy, eyes wide with shock.

Finally she says, "I have to keep both of you away from each other as much as possible. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"I tried to keep you as close to me as I could," Mom says. "They told me it was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy, (Y/n) - the place your father wanted to send you two. And I just . . . I just can't stand to do it."

"Our father wanted us to go to a special school?" I ask.

"Not a school," Mom replies. "A summer camp."

My head spins. Why would my dad - who hadn't even stayed around to see me and Percy be born - talk to Mom about a summer camp?

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)," Mom says, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I - I couldn't send you two to that place. It might mean saying goodbye to you for good."

"For good?" Percy asks. "But if it's only a summer camp . . ."

Mom turns towards the fire, and I know from her expression, that if we asked any more questions, she would start to cry.

Word Count: 2413 words

#annabeth chase x female reader #annabeth chase x fem reader #annabeth chase x reader #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus

[dailyadventureprompts]

Adventure: Sparks Fly at the Powderkeg Taphouse

“ ALRIGHT YOU MANGEY DOGS, YOU KNOW THE RULES: NO DYING ON THE PREMSIS OR WE CHUCK YOU IN THE ALLEY, NO KNIVES UNLESS YOUR TAB  IS SQUARE, AND NO BREAKING A GLASS YOU HAVEN’T PAID FOR.  AND REMEMBER, SPARE TEETH GO INNA THE TEETH JAR: ROUND’S ON THE HOUSE IF YOU SAD, GIBFACED, BASTARDS MANAGE TO FILL IT UP.”

-Ares McKinley, Barkeep. 

Setup: When listed among the city’s various taverns, drinking halls, and common rooms, the Powderkeg is a sort of afterthought. Easily the most rowdy establishment in the city, it has little in the way to recommend it it save for the cheapness of its drinks or the ease with which one can find a brawling partner ( or three). There are rooms to let, but the loudness of the rabble downstairs lasts until the early hours of the morning and seems to preclude sleep, which the proprietors seem more than happy to encourage as it scares off “ The wrong sort of customer”.   

Adventure Hooks

The Powderkeg makes a natural backdrop for any hardknuckle tournament, be it wrestling, boxing, or just a plain old fashioned fightclub. Characters who want to prove their grit may seek their fortune in the lists, but may discover that the Powderkeg regulars are well acquainted with a wide variety of cheats, ranging from simple underhanded tactics to performance enhancing substances. While many of these under the table alchemics are to be expected in such violence revering venue, some others seem tailor made to the clients interests, or else dangerously unpredictable. A back alley alchemist is at work here, selling drugs to the brawlers and using the clientele as their personal testing grounds for new mutagens. Getting ahold of this supplier will be difficult, as they always work through proxies, with many of the buyers knowing them only as “ The Good Doctor”. 

A villain or rival who wishes to parlay with the party may use the Powderkeg as a stage, knowing that while the establishment may appear innocuous and ostensibly neutral, their agents may hide among the rabble and a few well placed bribes can allow them to slip out a back way while the party is barred inside. Worst comes to worst, this antagonist may incite a brawl, hoping the ignorant punters will soften the party up for the real slaughter to come. 

If you were to ask how the Powderkeg got its name, any of the regulars could tell you that it’s an old joke relating to the fact that the owners are so cheap they store their liquor in casks bought secondhand from the military, which explains one of the very particular smells wafting around the tavern and why the cheapest drinks happen to be a bit gritty. In fact, both the name and the smell are explained by the tavern being a front for one of the city’s largest illegal weapon manufacturers, who use the fights and ensuing infamous reputation as a smokescreen for their real crimes.  Materials for weapons and black powder are disguised in the same sort of barrels any tavern takes in by the wagonload, and are processed in a network of hidden cellars deep beneath the surrounding streets. When a buyer is found, the ‘Keg’s owners send their product off in a cask, mixed in to a wagonload of identical, empty barrels, which conveniently detours through a little observed location where the goods can be unloaded without scrutiny. Such deliveries are given little scrutiny by police or trade officials, which has allowed the gunrunners to operate unchallenged for YEARS.  That is, until a mixup causes on of these barrels to be picked up by the owner of the party’s favorite tavern, who’s asks for their help untangling the crime they’ve absentmindedly gotten themselves tangled in. 

#D&D #D&D adventure #Homebrew Adventure #Adventure #DnD #tavern #low level #Crime #smuggler #steampunk #artifice #Alchemy #black market #city #town #mystery #dare #chase #villain