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Hi y’all! I opened up an Etsy shop! I have two listings so far. They’re both printable digital downloads! I am so excited to share with everyone my new project. Please check me out! I would greatly appreciate it!

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I’ve Been a Bit Lost

Hi there! It’s been quite a bit of time since I decided to write on here again. I honestly don’t have much of an excuse, other than I’ve been a bit demotivated. There have been some changes in my life that may have brought upon that mindset, but I’m here now, thankfully. I could babble on about my personal issues, but who wants to hear that? Anyways, what’s clouding up your mind?

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In collaboration with @whatisahogwarts, we created this blog post on essential kitchen items we like to use! I took the picture and she wrote the article. We’ll have future posts coming up, especially now that we’re working together on making a food blog site! We have yet to launch it, but definitely be on the look out in the next coming months as we create new content! Hope y’all enjoy!

Kitchen Essentials

If you’re just starting out, what are some essential tools and tips to keep in mind while you’re working away at your best Gordon Ramsey duplicate? 

Well, for starters, you need to make sure that your kitchen has the necessary base in which to build from. 

First thing’s first: 

A Chef’s knife. I purchased mine from Ergo Chef. From the moment my hand touched this knife, I cried literal happy tears from the depths of my soul. If you have arthritis issues, or issues that cause your hands to swell or lock up from consistent use, an ergonomically designed knife is incredibly important. For those of you just starting, my first knife set was a Farberware set with a wooden block from Walmart. It was a 20 piece knife set with steak knives and it was less than 90 dollars. But take the time to invest in your knives, you’ll be grateful that you did. 

I’ll post in a separate article how to sharpen your knife, but do keep in mind to NEVER, hold on, let me bold this, NEVER: run your knives or single knife through the dishwasher, and/or leave them in the sink. After you finish using your knife, it is best if you wash and dry it immediately to keep it from rusting. Your knives will thank you, and so will your wallet. 

A rubber spatula.

So, this little guy is the absolute best. He will help you toast rice for your risotto, spoon out that perfect pan sauce that took you way too many tries to get it exactly the way you wanted, AND he’ll make sure that all your batter makes it into the pan, or your mouth, whichever you prefer.

A whisk. So yes, a whisk is incredibly versatile. You can use it to scramble eggs, make meringue, mayo, vinaigrette, and bake that cake you’re gonna regret in a week.

PANsexuality is important. But it has nothing to do with this next list of pans.

Non-stick pan

10 in. stainless steal or ceramic pan 

Cast iron pan (or 3)

Sauce pot (if you’re like me, you have 6)

Griddle pan (not pictured… yet)

Sheet pan Casserole

Each and every one of these serves a unique purpose.

A non-stick is great for eggs, bacon, frittatas (which are fancy eggs), and so many other items that I promise aren’t just breakfast food. 

A ceramic pan is wonderful, but in my personal opinion, a stainless steel is better if you’re a novice. A ceramic pan requires a lot of spoons (energy) and maintenance. They scratch easily if you look at them the wrong way. But they are great for more even cooking than a stainless, and make the best pork chops. Stainless steel isn’t as hard to work with, isn’t as high maintenance (though, like knives, NEVER put them in your dishwasher), is ideal for crusting your steak, and making a pan sauce with the remaining bits. 

A cast iron pan evenly distributes heat and you can put it in the oven at 500 degrees without worrying about warping or damage to your pan. Cast iron is also fantastic if you don’t want to use as much fat in your pan to keep your items from sticking. Also, you can’t get a crust on a steak in any other pan, the way you do in a cast iron. 

A sauce pot sounds like an unnecessary necessity. I’ll explain, when most people hear “sauce” pot, they get very confused because there are like, 30 types. This is an exaggeration, but there are a lot of types. A large saucepot can hold from 1 qt. to 5 qts. I always recommend getting a 5 qt. pot because you can use it for small amounts and large amounts. But the best advice I can give would be to get one that can hold at least 2 c of liquid, and also one that can hold 5 qts so you’re not making oatmeal for yourself in a pot that’s too big. 

A Griddle pan is more of a luxury item, but I always recommend having one in your kitchen. You can make your best pancakes, arepas, bacon, grilled cheese, tuna melt, etc. It’s honestly a great tool to have on hand if you want to whip something up quickly. 

Glass mixing bowls are a MUST. Okay, so some really important things about these bad boys: DON’T leave them on a hot stove because the heat will make them shatter and explode all over your kitchen. If you have pets or kids, I don’t have to tell you why this would be bad for potentially weeks on end. You can, however, makeshift a glass bowl and a boiling pot of water into a double boiler to melt your favorite chocolate chips to make fudge. Glass bowls are also non-absorbent, so they won’t retain bad odors or flavors when you use them in the kitchen. They’re also incredibly sanitary for the same reason.

A sheet pan is important for so many reasons. You can make cookies, cake, bacon (I know I’ve said about 2 of the others already), roasted veggies, etc. I definitely recommend having at least one on hand. You’ll find that you’ve allowed yourself to enjoy brussel sprouts  smothered in parmesan cheese, and roasted cauliflower with garam masala and ginger for the first time ever. Just trust me, your oven is made for a varying amount of possibilities, and the right tools can get you started.

A pair of Kevlar or other gloves meant for slicing and dicing in the kitchen. I recommend this no matter what level of experience you have. Professional chefs cut and burn themselves all the time, it is best you do what you can to protect your fingertips and nails. 

A metal spatula will help you scrape any bits and pieces that have stuck onto your stainless or ceramic pan. Please be sure to use carefully, the metal spatula itself is very temperamental and can ruin your pans forever. 

Cutting boards. There are, a whole litany of reasons you need a cutting board or 10 in your kitchen. I myself have 4 and I use all of them. Cutting boards are made of several different kinds of material. Ultimately, for me, I use a wooden one and an eco-friendly material cutting board set I got from Bed Bath and Beyond. Cutting board maintenance is, arguably, the most important thing when it comes to  purchasing one. Best way to clean a cutting board is to make sure you’re passing your sponge over the slits in the board left behind by your knife, in the same direction. In other words, don’t scrub your board in a circle, but trace over the cuts in the board to ensure proper sanitation of it. 

An electric thermometer. Okay, so show of hands, how many people have deep fried chicken, burned the outside and undercooked the inside? I don’t know of any single person who is just beginning, who hasn’t done it. An electric thermometer is your best friend. You can get a regular thermometer, that will require constant calibration, or you can get an electric thermometer and not have to worry about calibrating it as often. Perfectly juicy, succulent, and properly cooked chicken will measure at 165 degrees Farenheit. Anything beyond 180, expect it to be dry, but at least it was cooked properly! To calibrate a thermometer: bring water to a boil, and then place your thermometer in the water, allow it to come to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, then place your thermometer into an ice bath until it gets to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Celsius would be 100 degrees boiling, and 0 degrees in ice. 

A baking dish/pan/casserole, whatever you want to call it, it’s a huge piece of either: cast iron, ceramic, glass, or clay that can be covered and it will, much like your sheet pan, allow for new ideas in the kitchen. Casserole is a very common word used by mostly older women from the south, but they aren’t just a dish your grandma cooked in the 50′s. French toast casserole is so impossibly custardy and delicious, you will thank the Gods that there has ever been something so wonderful in existence. You have stews, roasts, lasagna (uncovered, don’t be rude to your lasagna), and so many others. Just please, okay? Okay. 

A colander is meant to strain out pasta water, and you’ve probably not seen it used for much else. But a fine mesh colander can be used to filter out your frying oil so you can reuse it instead of wasting it. This little thing is good for anything that requires draining: meat, starch from rice and potatoes before cooking them, washing all of your vegetables at once before getting started, and also, it can help with steaming your broccoli or shrimp when you don’t have a basket steamer.

A box grater in general, is a fantastic tool. They have different sides that allow you to do different things. From shredding cheese, potatoes, carrots, or zuccini. But the question a lot of people ask: what is that side with all the really tiny spaces in it? It’s a zester, and it goes so unnoticed for so long because most folx don’t know the best way to use it. The zester is great for adding a little elegance or pop of flavor into a dish. For example, if you use lemon pepper often, adding a zested lemon rind to your dish would bring out all that delicious acidity that you won’t get from just using the regular seasoning from a bottle. A little fresh lemon zest here, some grated nutmeg there, a little orange zest in your tea, these all pack a mean right hook. Try them out. 

Last, but not least: a timer, gentlefolx. I can not stress the utter importance of learning how long it actually takes you, the reader to complete a task from start to finish. Not everyone works at the same pace, so a recipe that says “prep time: 5 minutes”, might actually take you an hour, and that’s okay. Keeping a timer on hand so you can keep track of how long each task is taking to complete, or making sure you’re pacing yourself as things are bubbling away in the kitchen, is a great way to figure yourself out in the kitchen. I recommend listening to music, writing your ingredients on a white board that sits at eye level in your kitchen so you can refer to your recipe as you’re going without having to constantly look at your phone. 

I hope this helps every single one of you learn a bit more about what it means to begin your journey with food. 

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Slaveika Aladjova on Instagram

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Trying Out New Things

It’s almost midnight and here I am, making posts when I have to wake up at the crack of dawn. No surprise there. I’m honestly just so excited to share that I’m making these moves to better myself and my quality of life, and I have never been so proud of myself. The time given to me these past couple of days has been a blessing, and I am going to be so sad when I have to get back to work at my job. I’m going to be taking courses on Udemy for web developing and graphic design, as well as learning more about photography. I also became a brand ambassador for a clothing design, which, I’ll be honest, is a bit nerve-wrecking as I am the shy type. But it’s time to get out of my comfort zone and see who and what I can become! Every single person in this world should be given and firmly grasp the opportunity for personal growth, even if it means getting out of your comfort zone. One of the biggest steps I took in getting out there and really not being in my comfort zone was to get hitched and immediately move out of South Florida and live Dallas, Texas with my amazing husband and roommates. Over a year has passed since then, and it provided me the change I needed to get to where I am today, and I can never be grateful enough for taking that opportunity by the horns, and holding onto that bull until I tamed it and made it mine. Again, SUPER excited to work on these upcoming projects. To those reading my posts, remember this: love yourself enough to accept change, no matter how scary it is, because it will lead you to blossom, grow, and become the person you are genuinely meant to be. Also, hi mom! Thanks for the support! Love you lots!

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The sky looked like a beautiful spectacle the other day. The sun bloomed behind the clouds like a flower in peak season.

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Art by Jennifer Healy

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Love the creativity

Design graphics Geya Shvecova (MOON_STARS) Archive_080520

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Anyone like the idea of making extra money on your free time with a device you carry with you everywhere? This article showcases multiple apps you can use to make that bit of extra money that can be used for Christmas presents or can go directly into your savings. I started using Foap today and I really like the concept behind it. What apps do you guys use to make extra money on your free time?

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Goddess Sculptures and Jewelry Holders

The Slug And Kraken on Etsy

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anime_irl

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Reading and learning for personal growth is one of my favorite pass-times. Taking the time to learn from the masters will motivate you, teach you lessons you won’t learn anywhere else, and spark a growth that we all need in our daily lives. Here’s an article I found today that did just that for me. I hope sharing it with other’s will spark up more lives. 

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What are you listening to?

I love all kinds of music. As of late, I’ve been listening to a lot of house music over anything else. It all started when I watched the coffin dance video for the first time and have had it’s theme song stuck in my head since. So today, as I started work on my laptop, I typed in Astronomia on Spotify, and found myself continuously listening to a random playlist of house music. So what are you listening to?

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Hi

As I write my first post, I find myself not really sure where to start... so to keep it basic, I’ll just introduce myself. I never planned to make a tumblr account before, and to be honest, I’m shocked to have fully gone through with it. You see, I’m currently on a journey to find what exactly I want to do with my life. All that I know is, I’m not 100% happy at my current job, nor do I make the money you’d expect from the type of job I do in the first place. At least, those who are not in the field would expect. So as I finally found myself having some time off from work,(*cough cough* thanks coronavirus) I decided to really dive into the many different skills I can build, and possibly excel at making it into my own freelance business. I’ve considered a few options now, and I’m noticing that they are very much related to writing. Copywriting, blogging, proofreading, etc. But I do have to admit, I’m not the best writer out there. I haven’t picked up a book and read it in a matter of 2-3 days since junior year of high school, nor have I written a good paper in a while. So I’m not dead set on the idea just yet. I’m also considering learning to be a web developer and take some coding bootcamps, or a graphic designer, or a logo maker even. Now, it is understood that some of these require artistic skills. I used to enjoy drawing so much and always wanted to get into painting, but sometime either during or right before high school, I quickly began to lose interest in any of the hobbies I had spent all of my time on growing up, which included drawing, reading, and writing. I could go on about how high school and adulthood have really taken so much motivation away, but that’s some other depressing post for another day. The point is, I’m currently on a  journey of  re-developing some skills and discovering new ones, not just to enjoy, but to make it into a career. To figure out whether writing and blogging would be a good idea for me, I needed a platform I could dip my toes into and test out the waters. As I did my research to see which platform could get me started, tumblr popped up as one of the top options. So I thought, “What the heck?” and made myself an account. I’m coming in here with an open mindset and plan on posting miscellaneous items since this blog is more for recreational and educational fun. Oh! Almost forgot, I have a name too! Johanna RF. You don’t gotta know the details. I’ll write more posts about who I am and my life and whatnot in separate posts later. It’s past midnight and I can hear my husband snoring away and moaning in his sleep as I type this. That’s my cue to call it a night. Have a good night! Or morning, whatever time of day it is when you read this.