#Best Place to Buy Bean to Bar Chocolate

[zoroyluxurychocolate]

Best Place to Buy Bean to Bar Chocolate – Zoroy

Zoroy is the Best Place to Buy Bean to Bar Chocolate. Our chocolates are created only from Organic Cacao Beans and Bare minimum ingredients are used to maintain the sanctity of the chocolates. Shop now - https://www.zoroy.com/collections/bean-to-bar

[ravencincaide]

Coffee

Summary: You had two pregnancy cravings, neither of which were all that good for you, your weight or the baby. Chuuya was all about giving you whatever you wanted- while Dazai tried to be more rational. Key word- tried. OR you’d get whatever you wanted out of Dazai and Chuuya- you just needed to work a little for it. 

Pairing Preg! Fem reader x Dazai x Chuuya

Requested by Anon –> Dazai and Chuuya during readers' pregnancy. 

Warnings: Hint at intimacy and inappropriate behavior including sensual licking of fingers.  Cursing, Pregnancy cravings, fluff 

This-is-almost-too-sweet-for-me-but-hey-lets-hope-it-fulfills-the-request

Enjoy ~

______________________________________________________________

You swore Chuuya was psychic. 

In fact you were ready to stop calling him ‘the most fearsome mafia executive and gravity manipulator’ and start calling him’ the most fearsome mafia executive, gravity manipulator and future predictor Chuuya’. 

He was that good, and it annoyed you.

When he and Dazai found out you were pregnant, he had modified the affectionate term of endearment from ‘Sweetheart’ into ‘Sweets’. At the time, you thought he was being cute and loving towards you- exciting at the prospect of becoming a father. Now you were certain he was giving you a heads-up about what was to come. And you swore neither your figure, nor your teeth appreciated it.  Unlike all the other normal women with just weird pregnancy cravings and combinations that seemed odd at best, you craved only two things in excessive amounts. Sweets- which you normally didn’t enjoy and coffee. Sweet and bitter. Just like the combination of Dazai, Chuuya and You. 

At times inherently sweet, other times obsessively bitter. 

“ Okay we have sugar, water, ice cream, half a bar of chocolate. So slug we need glutinous rice flour, red bean paste, green tea powder” Dazai called into the speaker phone as he continued to search through the kitchen cabinets in a half- desperate attempt to satisfy your current cravings. “ Strawberries and some more chocolate… and then a packet of condoms and a–”  

“ Oj you horny dog that wasn't on the ingredient list” Chuuya’s voice growled over the speakerphone from the store half way across Yokohama. The only place in this god forsaken city that was not only opened, but was large enough to sell everything needed to make mochi. 

Stupid tourists and goddamned golden week. 

You moved over from sitting by the counter and walked over to stand next to Dazai. Placing a hand on his shoulder you stole a kiss before you helped him hold up the broken-to-be-fixed cupboard door while he searched for the pan to make said homemade mochi in. “ And don’t forget the coffee for us, love” you called over the phone. 

You could practically hear the irritation in Chuuya’s voice do a 180 and turn into a smile the moment your voice echoed over the speaker. No doubt he had that love-struck adoring look on his face again, the one he now got whenever you or the unborn child wanted anything. He was ready to buy the world for you, or carve it up with the use of his entire mafia faction. Whichever got it to you quicker “ Whatever you and the baby want” 

“ Heey Belladonna you know it’s not good for you and especially not for the baby” Dazai stated finding the pan and then snatching the phone back and holding it far away from you. He danced away towards the other side of the kitchen, taking out a batch of brownies that had been put in the fridge to coo, ready to be topped with the glossy chocolatey smooth layer. If you were really good, he might even add a little coffee into the mix to satisfy your addiction. 

“ I’m allowed one cup a day” You argued back, arms crossed over your chest “ And we’re almost out.” 

Dazai chuckled a little before pointing towards the half empty jar of coffee standing innocently on the counter. With the limit of one cup a day that would be plenty to last you a month. Rather than continue provoking you however, he cut a small piece of brownie before holding it up to you- a feeble attempt to pacify you. You managed to resist the craving all of two seconds before you flickered your eyes back to the sweet treat. Rather than take it with your hands like he intended for you to, you leaned forward and wrapped your lips around the sweet treat- and his fingers. 

You watched him swallow as you used your tongue to roll the still slightly warm brownie bit over his two fingers before taking it in your mouth.

You watched the hunger in his eyes grow as you swallowed the brownie before taking more of his fingers into your mouth. You flickered your tongue over the digits, a naughty reminder of the things you could do with your tongue. Then you pulled back as if nothing happened, his now clean fingers popping out of your mouth with a quiet ‘pop’. 

“ it’s good, could use some coffee though” You flashed him a flirty smile. 

Dazai stared at you for a moment seemingly in a daze before he turned away from you, his hands moving in double speed as he whipped up the chocolate frosting to cover the brownie in. While the mixer was running, you watched with careful eyes as he brewed a cup of weak coffee. 

The smell of roasting beans tempting you even more. And they made you feel alive all the same- like an addict about to get their fix.

 Your attention was hundred percent on him; like a hawk you watched as he added a tiny amount of coffee into the batter. Then he dipped his finger into the frosting and brought it to your lips. This time you didn’t wrap your lips around his fingers, rather you stuck your tongue out and licked the sweetness of his fingers. 

This earned you a groan “ You sweet sadist, my Belladonna” he muttered, eyes half lid. It was as if you were literally living up that nickname. Belladonna. A sweet, torturous poison. 

The moment his fingers were clean you pulled back and carefully wiped your mouth as if you hadn’t just licked at them like a dog seconds earlier “ Could use a touch more coffee” 

The process repeated itself until the entire cup that Dazai had brewed was in the frosting. 

By then your cravings were less desperate. You would still not say no to coffee but you didn’t think you’d go insane without it. Dazai on the other hand looked a bit worse for wear, his back was against the kitchen counter, and one bandaged hand was on his face while the other hand, which you had been licking and kissing for god-knows how long was gripping the counter. He was desperately trying to keep in control. 

Suddenly you heard the roar of a motorcycle approaching. Then moments later, you both looked over as the door opened, a slightly disheveled Chuuya entering the apartment with a ridiculous amount of bags. He set them on the counter before reaching up to put the escaped hair back into its ponytail. 

“ Yaay Chuuya you’re back” You skipped away from Dazai, quick to give your returned lover a peck on the lips. He smiled into the kiss, as if the affection gave him newfound energy, ready to unpack the excessive shopping. It made you grin as you wrapped your arms around his waist, watching with eager eyes as he pulled out dozens of coffee and coffee based treats out of the bags. 

It was like Christmas, birthday and new year all in one!

“ Oj why haven’t you prepared anything for making mochi you slacking mackerel?” Chuuya glared at Dazai over your shoulder, as he began to produce other, more practical things from the remainder of the bags.  

“ oh it’s Chuuya” Dazai’s voice dripped with annoyance and perhaps a bit of sexual frustration as well “ If you weren’t such an idiot you’d know I need the rice flour to start making mochi, idiot” 

“ Oj who are you calling an idiot- you idiot ?” 

You ignored their bickering as something in one of the yet-to-be-unpacked bags caught your attention.Reaching forward you grabbed the small black box with golden letters which read ‘Kamasutra 12 packet of coffee flavored condoms’  You brought the box to your lips, showing off only a glimpse of the seductive smile as you turned to the bickering pair. 

“ hmm I wonder if they actually taste like coffee” You winked before moving to head up the stairs towards the bedroom. You barely held back your laughter as you saw the bickering stop and then the two turned to each other, shaking a look. They turned back to you processing what you said before they scrambled to follow you, practically tripping over their own feet. 

Mochi could wait- after all you might have found a safe way to satisfy your coffee cravings. And that was much more important than any sweets in the world..

[yeonjunszn]

ASAP! — TWENTY TWO

PAIRING! mark lee x f!reader

SUMMARY! you’re not exactly the best barista at zhong coffee, but for some unknown reason (his massive crush on you), mark thinks you can do no wrong. sick and tired of his favoritism and your lack thereof due to absolute obliviousness, your coworkers are determined to fix this problem. asap.

MORE! cat fight 🙀🙀🙀🙀

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True to his word, Hongjoong arrives at Zhong Coffee with his friends around 9am. You spot him strolling into the shop and glancing around. (Probably looking for things he could steal.)

Waving at him, you stay in your place at the register as he walks to greet you, his friends tailing him like they're minions.

"So what's up?" you ask, pretending to pick at the skin around your nails.

"Oh, my friends and I are just looking at some of the different roasts you guys have, considering which ones to ste- I mean buy! Yeah, buy," Hongjoong stumbles. His emo friend rolls his eyes and walks back to the display with all the coffee beans with the pastry guy. "Why are you working mornings now?"

"Oh, uhhh, I wasn't doing the best during the mid shift to be honest. They thought I'd do better in the mornings," you answer. You're a horrible liar, which makes you think you'd make a horrible actor. Not looking Hongjoong in the eye is going somewhat well for you in this case. "Hopefully I can help you with what you're here for."

You finally look at Hongjoong's face. He looks flustered, like he'd just been caught in the act. But he hasn't yet. You just need to continue chatting for a bit more. Yeonjun and San are nowhere to be seen, despite the mornings being their usual shift. Renjun’s going to be hearing about this at your lunch break.

"Oh, well, to be honest my friends and I were looking at this specific roast of beans because it's really popular nowadays. And also the grinders you guys have. The reselling value is astounding!" Hongjoong exclaims, pointing to where his friends are. They're chatting about which beans would be better, but you can't really hear more than that. "Can I ask you a question?"

You nod, not really paying attention to Hongjoong, instead watching as his friends walk towards you at side register, discussing which grinder would be worth more based off the sound of the hopper.

"Are you into bad guys?" Hongjoong asks suddenly.

The question catches you off guard as you try to think about your answer. Are you into bad guys? The only crush you think you've had before was on Lee Jeno and despite his pretty exterior, the interior wasn't as pretty. Would he be considered bad? And then there's Mark, who's by all definitions the complete opposite of a bad guy. He's nice to you; he helps you no matter what, he gives you his chocolate croissant to cheer you up, he’s let you be a shitty employee for how long? He is a complete good guy and maybe that's your type.

By the time you've finished thinking and have come up with an answer, Hongjoong's friends have left and the 2 new grinders from side bar along with five bags of white coffee are missing. Panicking, you press on the panic button under your register, signaling Renjun, who rushes out from behind the counter to stop the thieves with Hendery and Xiaojun. Just like Xiaojun said, Chenle is not on the floor and within a few minutes, the shop has been closed with all entrances locked.

Hongjoong notices the commotion around you, his eyes also searching for his friends as the shop’s alarm system goes off. "Fuck..." he mutters under his breath. "Of all days..."

Hongjoong turns to you, an eyebrow raised, "You didn't know about the grinders, right?"

"What grinders?" a voice sounds from behind you. Hongjoong's eyes widen as he begins to sprint for his life, as Hyuck starts chasing after him.

From the corner of your eye, you spot Hongjoong's shorter friend with one of the grinders from the bar, hunched over and making his way to the back of the shop. You try to make your way towards him, but something flies at your face. It's hard and it hurts once it crashes right against your nose.

Blood trickles on to the floor from your nose and you look up from where the mix cup was thrown. Wooyoung looks at you with an apologetic look, shouting, "I'm so sorry, Y/N! I had to!"

Huffing, you pinch the tip of your nose and tilt your head back. You didn't think today would be this chaotic. Yeah you made jokes about potentially dying and getting hurt, but they were just that. Jokes!

Something soft covers your face for a bit, obscuring your vision. Oh no, this is it, this is when you're going to die. All because some guys were stealing grinders and beans from your place of work and weren't going down without a fight—

It's suddenly lifted off your face and a hand brings your chin down, nudging your hand off your nose and pressing the soft thing to the bloody nostril.

Mark's face comes into view and as you grab the handkerchief, his hands come up to cup at your face, "You okay?"

"The pastry guy is headed towards the back," you reply, dodging his question.

"Sumin's already waiting there. And I asked you if you're okay, not where the pastry guy is," Mark chuckles. He brings his face closer to yours, inspecting yours for any bruises. You desperately hope he can't feel the warmth blooming across your face. "No bruising yet but I'll get you ice. Wait here."

The speed in which Mark leaves you has you upset for some reason. It's almost as if you'd preferred if he stayed with you, wrapping you in his arms again. You realize then and there that you wouldn't mind staying in his hold for a while. What are these thoughts and where did they come from?

TWENTY TWO — grinders and coffee beans

PREV! twenty one — #xiaojun_out

NEXT! twenty three — what is a marky/n

MASTERLIST!

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TAGLIST! @stardusthyuck @erin-calling @tddyhyck @bigheadchen @choiwonder @neozon3nha @sunflowerbebe07 @kissesfrmwonwoo @miyawwn @sserafimez @haechansbbg @lilyidk03 @mowchiie @jaemsrina @jeongintwt @shwizhies

[catharusustulatus]

More Argyle headcanons I have:

His older sister taught him how to roll joints for the first time when he caught her smoking on their roof. He was 13 and she was 17. She told him how to smoke safely, how to hide the smell, how to smoke without their mom knowing. Argyle asked her who taught her and she replied “dad.” They laughed until their stomachs hurt.

He’s been an avid reader his whole life. He loves Hunter S. Thompson. He reads a lot of poetry too. He has a Lenora Hills library card.

He broke his arm in third grade learning how to skateboard after school. He did it on a dare. His mom contacts his aunts from Puebla, soon she’s wrapping Alamo around his wrist. The pain really does go away.

He’d do anything for Jonathan. He’d kill, he’d die for Jonathan. He realizes it two nights into their trip across the country; the fact he hasn’t thought about a single person, place, or thing other than Jon and getting his little siblings and Mike to safety. He cries, secretly, worried about what it might mean to care so much. Then he makes peace with it.

He and Joyce speak to each other in Spanish behind everyone else’s backs. Jonathan and Will know a tiny bit but grew up speaking mostly English. It’s the best feeling in the world, having a special connection like that in a foreign place. Joyce loves to gossip. She tells him everything, they talk about it all: if Steve and Robin are dating or just twin flames, why Dustin has braces, her favorite ways to make beans, if Nancy is going to be the one for Jon.

He helps Jonathan pick up supplies for the cabin before shit really hits the fan, and when they’re paying he buys as many candy bars as he can. He loves dark chocolate and gets himself a Mounds. Jonathan is confused why he buys them but finds out quickly enough: when they get back after a hard day of fighting, everyone gets to share one bar. It keeps them going. Argyle just thinks of things like that.

[rudnitskaia]

Hi, Heldig!

Can you please tell me what's popular at Mau's and her father's cafe? What's on the menu at their place? There's a cute chubby accountant there who really likes donuts :)

*blinks in puzzlement, being suddenly summoned to tumblr with a loud POOF* Huh? Someone rolled a natural 20?

Oh, hi, pumpkin! Tysm for the question (OMG you made a LackaOC??? Can’t wait to see them! ✨)

I don't want to make you sad, but Maura’s and Augusto’s eatery is small and their menu doesn’t have a huge range of positions. I can almost bet there were no donuts on the menu when they’ve just opened the eatery.

All due to the fact that there are only two workers: Augusto as the cook, and Mau as the waitress. All the other responsibilities, as cleaning, dishwashing, accounting and so forth, they share equally.

The menu, actually, is not a constant. The only thing that is always there is coffee and some basic chocolate bars that they just buy. Everything else varies depending on the seasonal supplies and Augusto’s mood & enthusiasm for the day. There can be some variations of fruitcakes, pies, sandwiches, pizza and salads, pasta of the week (they make it themselves) and soup of the day, ice cream (also handmade). Not all at once, just mainly you can see something like that on the menu for the day. The most popular thing is definitely their pasta in all its variations. Augusto is just too good at making it, so it is almost a crime not to order it.

And speaking of menus and crimes; God forbid a visitor asks Mau to cook them “something special”. She cooks well, but… it is always equal to picking a jelly bean from the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans box. There’s always a chance to get something like infamous sugary pizza or salty coffee with basil. She likes… ugh… strange experiments sometimes. So even I can’t tell you what’ll be on the menu at the days when Augusto is under the weather or has some other business outside the eatery and Mau gets responsible for cookery.

Though after a while Mau can persuade her father to add donuts (and pancakes) to the menu or start to make them herself for some “special guests”. Especially if “the cute accountant” can help her to keep the books in order. She usually does the accounts herself, but hates it as such, so she would try her best to arrange that accounting-for-donuts barter. 😁

[mercumeme]

Wait, cadmium and lead in chocolate?? What do you mean????

Oh buddy, I'm about to ruin chocolate for you (besides chocolate harvesting/processing being one of the largest and most brutal sources of child slavery and human trafficking in Africa and Central/South Americas... buy slave-free chocolate).

According to a study conducted by Consumer Reports published in January of 2023, 23 of the 28 most popular dark chocolate bars sold in America that they tested had levels of cadmium & lead that would put the consumer over the legal and safe limit of one or both of said heavy metals by eating just one ounce a day. All 28 had trace amounts of both heavy metals.

To further this, Consumer Reports conducted another study in October of 2023 for heavy metals in other chocolate products (milk chocolates, baking mixes, drink mixes, chocolate chips, chocolate powder, etc.) and found that a third of all chocolate products tested showed cadmium and lead levels that were over the legal and safe limit (this "limit" was measured against California's legal limit for heavy metals in food, as they are not regulated by the FDA or at a federal level). All products were found to have trace amounts of both heavy metals within them.

You may be asking yourself, how did the chocolate get contaminated in the first place? Well, according to a similar study conducted between 2014-2017 by As You Sow, "Cadmium (Cd) is taken up by the roots of the cacao trees and deposited in parts of the fruits" while lead seems to enter the beans during the harvesting process by being absorbed from the air by the drying and fermenting beans. This means that lowering the amount of heavy metals in chocolate, while possible, will be a long process that will result in chocolate that will still have heavy metals within it.

What do heavy metals do to the body, and why should you care? Good question! Significant exposure to cadmium can cause lung cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm, while significant exposure to lead can slow children's growth and development and damage the brain and nervous system. While frightening, the amounts found in chocolate are not likely to cause adverse effects unless consumed in excess or by someone especially susceptible to heavy metal poisoning (children, the elderly, those with liver or kidney issues, and the immunocompromised).

I personally continue to eat chocolate, I just do my best to keep it small, infrequent amounts and from companies that actually care about human rights. If you'd like to see if the chocolate you consume is suspect, please click the linked Consumer Report articles above. They also have a list of "safer choices" that you can buy that have less than the legal limit of heavy metals per serving.

[dessertgeek]

Let's talk where to find ethical chocolate!

Yeah! Because I feel like the hardest part is finding the dang stuff when you don't know what to look for. This is a not-so-quick overview, and I can answer questions if folks have them.

So the keywords you're looking for are "bean to bar chocolate" and "craft chocolate." Most bean to bar and craft makers will slap one or both of those labels on everything they make. And while the two terms are used relatively interchangeably by a lot of folks, myself included, because most makers of one are makers of both, they do differ.

Bean to bar chocolate refers to the manufacturing process. It's all about buying cacao from transparent sources (either direct from the farmers/cooperatives or from a group/coop like Meridian Cacao) and then making the chocolate in house. (There are also bean to bar chocolatiers, who work with pre-made bean to bar chocolate that they melt down and make stuff with, like Sugoi Sweets, and bean to bar chocolate makers who make their own truffles and confections, like French Broad.)

Craft chocolate is a movement within bean to bar chocolate, focused on small batches and high quality products. And yep, both Sugoi Sweets and French Broad are considered craft makers.

Still, if you asked me where to find either one I'd know what you're talking about, it's more nice to know where that's all coming from.

Generally you won't find bean to bar chocolate in grocery stores, likely because the demand just isn't there. (Though honestly most grocery stores aren't the best places to store chocolate anyway, but that's a side discussion.) You're mainly looking at buying from makers, bean to bar chocolate shops, and specialty grocers and cafes.

But if you ask me "Hey Jess, where can I get good chocolate?" you're going to get a kneejerk response of my asking in rapid succession:

What "good chocolate" means to you

What type of chocolate thing you're looking for

Your budget

How you like to shop

Because craft chocolate is a vast beast of options at this point, from craft white chocolate (it exists and it rocks) to unsweetened 100% cacao chocolate (it also rocks) to drinking chocolates to confections. Kasama Chocolate even has a durian white chocolate. You've got options, and that makes it hard to give quick and easy recommendations.

Still, if you're 100% just starting out, and you're in the US and you want to be pointed at the biggest online source with the most stuff, you want Bar & Cocoa. (I have a 10% discount code if folks want it, but since it's affiliate DM me for it I guess? But it's not sponsored, and they have flash sales and better sales posted usually on their mailing list.)

If you took one look at Bar & Cocoa's website and noped out from decision paralysis, I usually prefer to send folks to their closest in person bean to bar chocolate source, ideally either a bean to bar maker's physical shop or a bean to bar chocolate store like The Meadow or Yahara Chocolate. I personally prefer starting with shops so you can try a bunch of makers, but we lost so many chocolate shops in the pandemic and gained so many makers that there might more likely be a maker near you instead. The point is going in person means you can take your time getting recommendations, education, and learning how to taste chocolate. There will likely be cafes and specialty shops near you that carry bean to bar chocolate, but they will either have smaller stocks and/or not have the time to give education or information. If you can't go in person, most makers and shops have social media and generally love talking recommendations!

(And oh yeah, learning how to taste chocolate is a skill! It's neat! It's not half as intense as it sounds, and once you get the hang of it it's really fast to do. I've done videos on it and I really should make an update.)

So that should get you started! Just know that you're diving down a chocolate rabbit hole, and there's a lot more to bean to bar chocolate than I even hinted at here. It's so much fun.

[zokolatdubai]

Buy Chocolates Online in Dubai from Zokolat Chocolates

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[zoroyluxurychocolate]

Best Place to Buy Bean to Bar Chocolate – Zoroy

Zoroy is the Best Place to Buy Bean to Bar Chocolate. Our chocolates are created only from Organic Cacao Beans and Bare minimum ingredients are used to maintain the sanctity of the chocolates. Shop now - https://www.zoroy.com/collections/bean-to-bar

[boostnutrients]

How to Make your own Chocolate from Cacao Powder

Making your own chocolate from cacao may seem a little extreme, yet there are several compelling reasons to do so. The good news is that it is far easier than you might think, and whilst it may not quite match up to the shop-bought stuff it is still pretty good.

Why Make Homemade Chocolate?

For many of us (maybe most of us) chocolate is non-negotiable. A life without chocolate is simply unfathomable. Yet chocolate is widely available, so why go to the trouble of making your own, especially when the results may not be as silky smooth as the real deal? The main reason for wanting to make your own chocolate is most likely the sugar content of the commercial stuff. Even dark chocolate contains sugar, which if you are on a completely sugar-free diet is a bit of a problem. Vegan chocolate is becoming more and more widely available, but sugar free? And then there are all the other things that find their way into chocolate. The list of ingredients just seems to get longer and longer. It just makes sense to try and find a way to get your chocolate fix closer to home. Different Types of Homemade Chocolate Homemade chocolate all follows pretty much along the same lines, but your reasons for making it in the first place will dictate your eventual recipe. Most homemade chocolate recipes still contain sugar, albeit in a somewhat more natural form such as honey. If you want to go completely sugar free then the only way forward is to include milk powder. This tames the bitterness of the cocoa to a palatable degree. Anyone who says they like 100% raw chocolate with no sugar and no milk is possibly lying. If only to themselves. Or you can keep the sugar, and omit the milk powder. Like we said; you can't really do both. You could of course, try adding sugar AND milk powder.

Making Milk Chocolate from Cacao Powder

For us, the whole point was to be completely sugar free. With sugar, wheat, and all food additives off the menu it was a case of 'well if you want to eat this thing, then you will have to make it yourself'. We discovered the buffering effect of milk on the bitterness of cacao completely by accident. Our first sugar free chocolate fix was simply hot cocoa made with cacao and milk. Which was surprisingly good. Then, adding a spoonful or two of cacao to rice pudding made without sugar resulted in a creamy, deeply chocolatey, almost ganache like affair. The only natural conclusion to this was 'can we make milk chocolate with no sugar?'. The answer turned out to be yes.

How to Make your own Chocolate

Whilst you do not need any particularly special kit for making chocolate, there are a few items that you cannot do without. The first is a probe thermometer. These are really inexpensive and come in handy in all sorts of ways in the kitchen. You can make chocolate without one, but for the best results you need to follow as professional procedure as possible. A stick blender. Commercial and professional bean to bar chocolatiers put their chocolate through a really fine grinder. The best way to approximate this is to use a handheld blender during the cooling process. Your chocolate will not be as silky smooth as the stuff you buy, but it will be closer than if you did not blend it at all. Culinary grade cocoa butter. This usually comes as buttons, that look like large white chocolate buttons. Some ground spices help balance the bitterness. Vanilla powder, ground cinnamon, and ground cardamom. Chocolate moulds, although not necessary, do give you a nicer finish. We used plain bar silicone moulds. The rest is simply a bowl over a saucepan of water, a silicone spatula, and plenty of patience. If you don't use moulds, then you will need a baking tray and some baking parchment/greaseproof paper. And of course, cacao powder. Basic Recipe for Homemade Chocolate (sugar-free) Whilst not exactly milk chocolate, this does contain full fat milk powder instead of sugar. 250g cocoa butter 60g raw cacao powder 60g FULL FAT milk POWDER 1 tsp vanilla powder 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cardamom - Measure out all of your ingredients, and make sure your working space is clear of clutter. - Set out 6 chocolate moulds on a baking sheet, or place a generous sheet of baking parchment on a baking tray. Make sure you have space to put the tray into the fridge, on a level surface. - Have your stick blender plugged in and ready to go, and the digital thermometer ready. - Wear an apron! - Find a suitably sized mixing bowl and a saucepan that it will sit snugly over. You need enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, but not touch the bottom of the bowl. - Sit this over a low heat and bring the water to a gentle simmer. - Add your cocoa butter to the bowl and slowly melt it to 40C. You may want to take it off the heat when it reaches about 35C and let the rest melt in the residual heat. Once melted, you want that cocoa butter at 40C - 45C. - Remove the bowl from the pan, and place on a stable surface where you are comfortable standing. This process while take a while. - Add the rest of your ingredients and stir to combine. - Now, you are going to cool that mixture down to 28C. It could take 30 minutes so you really need to be patient. - Use the stick blender for as long as you can during this process. It can be noisy, and the motor can get hot, so alternate bursts of blending with bursts of stirring with the wooden spatula. You can get away with brief periods of not stirring, but it is the cooling and the stirring that creates the tempering of the chocolate. - Once you reach 28C, pour the liquid chocolate into the moulds or onto the baking tray. - Transfer to the fridge to set. - The chocolate will set quite quickly, but keep it in the fridge for a few hours. You will find that the texture changes over time, and also depending where you store it. - Either store the bars as they are, or break up your sheet of chocolate. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge or in the cupboard. You may want to experiment with both, to see what works best for you and your kitchen. Tweaking your chocolate recipe Once you have made your first batch of chocolate you are ready to evaluate how it went. A grainy texture cannot be avoided, but hopefully with the blender and the proper tempering process it was kept to a minimum. How did you find the taste? Was it too bitter? Did the milk powder bring in a softer taste? Do you think you would rather add a little sweetness? Homemade Vegan Dark Chocolate Following exactly the same procedure above you can make a darker, yet sweeter, dairy-free version. Simply omit the milk powder, and replace the cacao with 125g of our organic drinking cacao, which is made with pure organic cacao and organic coconut sugar. Have you explored our range of superfoods for boosting your smoothies, shakes and healthy snacks?   This article was reproduced on this site with permission from operafoods.com.au the “Healthy ingredients Suppliers”. See original article:- How to Make your own Chocolate from Cacao Powder Read the full article

[honey-dewey]

Groceries

Pairing: Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales/Reader

Word Count: 1,712

Warnings: mentions of PTSD, one mention of Tom, but this is mostly fluff. 

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell

Reader takes the boys grocery shopping. I’m sure that can’t go badly, right?

You grabbed your keys, swinging them around your finger and heading into the living room, where the boys were settled. “I’m headed out.” 

Frankie looked up, putting his drink down. “Where to?” 

“The grocery store,” you said. “If we’re hosting the game tomorrow, I’m gonna need more food.” 

“I wanna go!” Ever the golden retriever, Benny hopped up, eagerly bounding to the door and practically vibrating by your side. Frankie, just as much a puppy as his best friend, followed suit, giving you his biggest pleading eyes, knowing full well those damn things were your kryptonite. 

“Fine!” You said, opening the door. “Get in the car before I change my mind. Pope, Ironhead, you in?” 

Both of your other boys were slower, getting into the car with more difficulty. Frankie, by your side in the passenger seat, smiled as you started the car. Santiago and Will, both in the middle, cracked their windows, allowing Benny, in the way back, to be hit with the fresh air and curb his motion sickness. 

“I cannot believe you are all coming,” you grumbled, backing out of the driveway. 

The drive was short, and before you knew it, Frankie and Benny were out of the car and fighting over who got to sit in the cart. 

“My significant other is driving!” Frankie pointed out, gesturing to you, waiting with the cart. 

“Okay?” Benny countered. “You sat in the cart last time!” 

“Boys!” Both heads turned to you. “We need two carts anyway.” 

Almost instantly, Frankie was getting into your cart, grinning. “I love you.” 

“Yeah yeah.” You gave the rim of his hat a small push, so it dipped below his eyes. “I swear I’m engaged to a toddler.” 

“Engaged?” Santiago said, stopping in his tracks. “Fish, you proposed?” 

You held out your hand, showing off your engagement ring. “Yeah. Last week. Sorry we didn’t tell you. There was the game to plan for, and then my parents got super emotional about it, and then his family insisted on having a party, and it all slipped our minds.” 

Benny smirked. “I knew.” 

Will gasped. “You traitor! Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because I was coaching dear Fish through it!” Benny said. “He was a ball of nerves.” 

“He dropped the ring,” you said, navigating the cart down the produce aisle and grabbing a thing of raspberries, tossing it to Frankie and moving to examine the pomegranates. “Twice.” 

While the boys teased Frankie, you and Santiago browsed the produce, grabbing a few veggies and fruits. You tossed a bag of broccoli onto Frankie’s stomach, snapping him out of his conversation. “Hey, dorks. I haven’t got all night.” 

Will gave Frankie’s shoulder a shove and pushed Benny’s cart down the next aisle. He helped Santiago pick beer, Benny shouting suggestions while you took Frankie to the bakery. 

“I love you,” Frankie said happily as you put a pack of his favorite lofthouse cookies in the cart. 

“Love you more,” you said, absently pushing the cart through the bakery and grabbing bagels. “Wanna look at those ridiculous cakes that are like, 90% frosting and food coloring?” 

Frankie lit up. “I am marrying you for all the right reasons.” 

You laughed, steering the cart towards the cakes. Frankie eagerly pointed to one that was, as you’d said, mostly brightly colored frosting. The baker, a younger girl with pink and blue hair, waved to you. “Getting ready for the game?” 

“Yep!” You said. “I’ve got all the boys here with me. And speak of the devils,” you added, hearing the rest of your group join you. 

The baker greeted the group. “Oh! Frankie, how’d the proposal go?” 

Frankie grinned. “Well, I got a yes.” 

“Congrats!” 

“Okay how the hell did your grocery store baker know but not us?” Santiago demanded. 

“She helped me make the perfect cupcake!” Frankie said. 

You snorted. “The cupcake you dropped down my shirt?” 

Yet again, the boys teased Frankie for his proposal mishaps while you rolled your eyes and looked over the premade pie crusts. 

“Frankie! Boys! C’mon!” You shouted eventually. “I can’t be here until midnight.” 

The boys followed you down a few more aisles, Santiago, somehow, proving to be the responsible one as he helped you fill out your grocery list. He put two boxes of crackers in Benny’s cart, looking at you. “Dairy next?” 

“Snacks, then drinks, then cereal, then frozens, then meat, and then dairy,” you said, running over the list. “That’s just how the store is arranged.” 

Santiago shrugged. “Works for me. To the snacks!” 

The snack aisles were a very dangerous place. You were suddenly the only voice of reason as the boys eyed the chips. 

“One bag of Doritos, and one bag of pretzels,” you bargained with Will. “Get the stupid honey ones Frankie’s addicted to.” 

“Excuse you!” Frankie said, grabbing a box of granola bars and settling back down in the cart. “Those things are amazing.” 

“I’m not saying they aren’t,” you agreed, reaching over Benny to grab dried fruit. “But you might be addicted to those damn things.” 

Will put both bags in the cart. “Anything else?” 

“Microwave popcorn,” you read off the list, nodding to Santiago as he walked off to grab it. “Two bags of M&Ms, one bag of black licorice twizzlers, one bag of jelly beans, and five Hershey’s bars.” 

“The chocolate comes in packs of six,” Will said, beginning to grab the candy. “It’ll work, right?” 

“Yep!” You said, using the back of Frankie’s head to cross things off your list. “Next aisle, before I get conned into buying anything stupid.” 

“Can we get sour gummy worms?” Benny’s hesitant voice said from behind you. 

You turned. “Why?” 

Benny fiddled with the bag, an almost guilty look on his face. “They were Tom’s favorite.” 

You sighed, melting a bit. “Of course Benny.” 

Benny smiled, fidgeting with the bag as you ushered everyone into the drinks aisle. 

“Frankie, hon, how are we on coffee?” You asked, examining the coffee and finding your brand. 

“We need more!” 

You stood, holding the coffee and putting it in the cart. “Can I trust you to grab me a box of ginger ale?” 

Frankie nodded, climbing out of the cart. “You want the name brand, and not the, and I quote, shitty stuff, yeah?” 

“You know me so well,” you said happily. “I’ll get your tea.” You grabbed two boxes of chamomile tea, which was the only stuff that helped Frankie sleep through the night. Tossing the boxes into Benny’s cart, you examined the aisle, trying to remember what else you needed. “Okay, I think we’re done here. If I forgot something, it’s on you to grab it,” you said to Will, who smiled and nodded. 

The next aisle was simple. You left Benny, Will, and Santiago at the aisle’s entrance while you took Frankie down to grab his cereal. He reached up, not even bothering to get out of the cart as he grabbed a box of cereal. 

“Frozens!” You announced, turning down the frozen food aisle. “Will, can you grab two frozen pizzas and a bag of meatballs? Pope, you’re on game snacks. Mozzarella sticks, pizza rolls, and taquitos. Benny! Stay there and look cute! Frankie, you’re on veggie duty.” 

Your boys assembled, dutifully carrying out the tasks you’d set. Meanwhile, you tucked a few pints of ice cream in the cart, winking to Benny as he pointed to his favorite flavor. 

When he returned, Frankie climbed back into the cart, setting the bags of frozen veggies beside him. “I got green beans, corn, and peas,” he said. “Did we need anything else?” 

“Nope,” you said, resting your elbows on his shoulders. “What’s left on the list?” 

Frankie scanned the paper. “Bread, bagels, meat, milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter.” 

When you had all your boys back at your side, you kept moving, examining the meat selection the grocery store had. “Babe, how many pounds of ground beef do we have?” 

“Uhh.” Frankie began counting off on his fingers while you smiled and grabbed a pack of bacon. “Four?” 

“So not enough,” you decided, grabbing two more. You sent Santiago to grab chicken breasts, keeping Will and Benny with you as you looked over the sandwich meat. Eventually putting sliced turkey in the cart, you nodded to Santiago as he handed you the chicken. 

“One more aisle, I promise,” you said, heading towards the dairy section. “Then we can go back home.” 

You grabbed a carton of regular milk and a carton of lactose free milk, handing them both to Benny. Then came the cream cheese tub, the butter, the yogurt, the sliced cheese to go with the crackers, and you were finally swinging back through the bakery to grab bread and bagels before heading to the checkout. 

After checking out, you herded the boys back to the car, loading everything into the trunk and making sure everyone was buckled in before slowly turning out of the parking lot. 

“Did we have fun?” You asked the car, turning the radio down a notch so you could hear them. 

“Yes,” all four of your passengers responded, each with varying levels of awareness. 

It was a struggle to get the groceries in the house and put away. Benny was shot, passing out on the couch almost immediately upon re-entering the house. Everyone else did their best, but Will tapped out after hauling everything in, and Frankie and Santiago barely made it through the process of putting everything away.

“You got ice cream?” Frankie asked, holding one pint and staring at it. “God I fucking love you!” 

You laughed, putting the cereal in its proper cupboard. “I love you too.” 

Eventually, you were on the couch, Frankie by your side and the rest of your boys in various other places. You scratched absently through Frankie’s hair, flicking through movies until finally settling on a calming kids movie about dragons. Since his return from his final mission, Frankie hadn’t been too keen on action movies. Something about the explosions set him off. 

“Babe?” 

“Yes Frankie?” 

Frankie looked up at you, eyes partially closed. “Thank you for taking us to the store. I don’t think Benny’s been grocery shopping since we got back.” 

You smiled, kissing Frankie’s nose. “Anything for my boys.”

[cafedanslanuit]

pairing: oikawa x reader

summary: oikawa’s first christmas in argentina is around the corner and you’re happy he has more free time to spend with you. nevertheless, a couple of innocent words spilled from the setter’s lips make you start to reevaluate your friendship. was there something else between you both?

words: 1.6k

The classic American Christmas decoration of the coffee shop was a sharp contrast with the heat that was forcing you to keep a frozen water bottle against your neck. Argentina was in the middle of summer after all. You thanked the air conditioning was turned on to the max, and heavily considered to stay there for a few hours just to avoid the heat wave on the street.

You left the bottle on the table and tied up your hair, trying to find additional relief. You thanked Oikawa had the idea of buying that water bottle to lower your temperature, because now you were suffering the consequences of asking him to accompany you while you tried to learn to rollerskate. Even if you knew summer was about to begin, you didn’t expect the sun to burn that brightly today. After seeing you pant in exhaustion, he had offered to go to the nearest Starbucks and buy you something cold to drink.

A Christmas carol played in the background, only disturbed by the sound of the baristas grinding fresh coffee beans. The smell drew a small smile on your face and you let your mind wander for a minute about your friend’s Christmas celebration. It hadn’t been long since Oikawa had arrived in Argentina, and he had already told you he wasn’t coming back home for the festivities as he had training both the day before and after Christmas.

Your eyes darted to him, who was checking his phone while waiting in line. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of jeans and his signature glasses he always wore outside of practice. You always loved whenever you got to see him wearing them. Oikawa always looked invincible on the court, eyes menacing and fierce when facing his opponents, but when those same brown eyes were behind those glasses, it was like you were seeing him for the very first time. And, at the same time, it felt like there was nothing else he was looking at but you.

Would he accept if you invited him over to your friends’ Christmas dinner? You pictured him sitting on the table with your friends by your side, laughing as you insisted he drank more wine with you. The idea of watching the midnight fireworks alongside him brought warmth to your heart.

You took out your phone and quickly typed a message.

“nerd”

The way his eyebrows raised and immediately furrowed made you giggle. He looked back at you and you grinned at him. He shook his head and started typing.

“bold of you to assume I won’t walk out and leave you here >:(”

Laughing, you kept the conversation going.

“but ur a cute nerd w your glasses <3”

The way his cheeks reddened made your smile grow wider. He was about to reply when the cashier called him over and he realized it was his turn. Putting his phone back in his pocket, you saw him order your drinks and take out his credit card. You had offered to pay for them both yourself, but he had insisted, saying since he had been so busy with practice lately, it was the least he could do.

Oikawa sat next to you on the sofa with a long sigh, passing a hand through his hair. You offered him the frozen water bottle but he shook his head. Determined to help him out, you pressed both your cold hands on his cheeks, making him hiss.

"Better, huh?" you smiled.

"Yes," he admitted, leaning into your touch.

"What did you order?"

"Your favourite and a strawberry lemonade for me," Oikawa answered, closing his eyes.

"My favourite?"

"Mocha frappuccino with soy milk but with whipped cream, two espresso shots and chocolate chips," he recited. If he had had his eyes open, he would have seen yours widening at the accuracy of his words. You pulled your left hand away and pressed a loud kiss on his cheek.

"You know my coffee order,” you sing-sang, happily. Oikawa rolled his eyes and poked your forehead.

"Of course I know your coffee order. It's disgusting, but--"

"Hey!"

The barista calling Oikawa's name interrupted your banter and he stood up to pick up your drinks. You watched him exchange words in his broken Spanish with the girl behind the bar. By the way she kept talking to him way after he had the drinks in his hands, you figured she had recognized him. The girl called her friend who smiled brightly when she saw him and immediately took out her phone.

You tried not to laugh when Oikawa did his usual peace sign after he agreed to a selfie with the girls. Shaking your head with a grin, you took out your phone again to check your Instagram while he had some time with his fans. Volleyball players were only known to devoted volleyball fans in Latinoamérica, so you figured those girls were fans themselves.

And even if they didn't really like volleyball, who wouldn't be a fan of a pretty boy like him?

"Thanks, but I have to go back to my girl now.”

The sound of your phone hitting the floor was muffled by the carpet, your best friend's words echoing inside your head as he made his way back. You quickly picked it up and then accepted the drink he handed to you with a small smile.

Oikawa was talking, you knew he was talking, but you couldn't comprehend a word he was saying. Your head felt dizzy, millions of thoughts and memories of your friendship since you two had met a few days after his arrival in Argentina roaming around your head. No matter how much you tried to piece them together, you couldn't find a moment where there had been any sort of indication he thought of you as his girlfriend. Was it a cultural thing? You had heard the question wasn't really asked in Europe, was it the same in Japan? Had you been in a relationship for the past four months with a star volleyball player without realizing it?

No. There had to be some sort of explanation. You hadn't even kissed before. Maybe he just said so to avoid talking with the baristas for much longer. But misleading his fans into thinking he was in a relationship could only end up in them spreading the information, which wouldn’t benefit at all if it was just a way out for him. You knew he had had girlfriends back in Japan, but you only knew so because he had told you, as he always tried to keep his dating life as private as he could.

Maybe you had heard wrong? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. You looked over at the bar where two pairs of eyes looked back at you with curiosity. That was enough to answer your question.

“Tooru,” you interrupted him, your eyebrows slightly knit together. He raised his eyebrows and looked at you. “Are we dating?”

Oikawa put his drink back on the table, his eyebrows mimicking yours. He blinked in confusion and cocked his head slightly to the side.

“We're not?”

Your mouth fell open at his answer.

“What?”

"You didn't know?"

"When did you ask?!" you asked, your voice higher than usual.

"So you're saying you don't want to?" he inquired, raising his right eyebrow.

"I do!” you quickly assured him. “I do, I do, I just... wow," you breathed out. You put a strand of your hair behind your ear and took a sip of your drink. "I'm just… a bit surprised. I mean, I  guess I--” you paused and tried to order your thoughts. You could feel Oikawa’s intense gaze on you, not making it any easier. “Tooru, I have liked you for a while,” you admitted, cheeks burning. “But-- I didn't know you felt the same way. And now you’re saying we have been dating these past few months and I’m having a hard time getting my head around it”.

As soon as the words left your mouth, you realized how wrong you worded your thoughts out.

“Wait, no, no,” you said and put your drink back on the table. You straightened your back and faced him, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “Tooru, I like you. I do, and honestly I’m all for this dating thing, it just feels…”

“Feels like what?”

“A bit anticlimactic if you ask me,” you chuckled. Before you could say anything else, you felt Oikawa’s hand behind your head, gently guiding you towards him. You closed your eyes the minute his lips touched yours. His movements were soft and tender, a lot different from what you had pictured your first kiss with Oikawa would be like. Your surroundings disappeared as the warmth of his mouth intoxicated you, the sweet aftertaste of lemon and strawberry on his lips making your head spin. You placed your hands on his chest, the realization of how long you had been wanting to do that hitting you with full strength. He grazed the tip of his tongue against your bottom lip in his characteristic teasing manner, but for once, you let him get away with it, shuddering at the contact. You felt him smile against your mouth and you couldn’t help but do the same, the grin still on your lips after he pulled away from your face, his hand on your neck keeping you close to him.

“You do look cute in your glasses,” you breathed out and he smirked at you.

“I always do,” he replied, and you rolled your eyes. Nevertheless, as soon as they met his again, you leaned in once more, planning on getting up to date with all the lost time you had refrained yourself from kissing your best friend.

Oikawa didn’t mind at all.

[aurora-daily]

City Guide: Bergen with Aurora

Take a trip to South West Norway's old Viking settlement as the city’s young musical export shares her favourite hometown hangouts.

AURORA for i-d.vice by Francesca Dunn (April 13th 2016)

19-year-old Aurora has the shining. She sees things that others can't; looking upon the world wide-eyed and taking it all in before spinning what she discovers into shimmering tales laced with dark skies and plenty of emotion. She writes, she sings, she enchants those who encounter her, and she hails from Bergen. Known for its mountains, fjords, and lush forests, the city has a UNESCO World Heritage dock at its centre and more inspirational vistas than one place needs.

Bergen has been Aurora's home since she was just three years old and she lives deep in the countryside, far from neighbours but surrounded by nature. She writes music because it makes her feel like she is not just a product of evolution, but someone who can create something meaningful. And while we like to imagine Aurora's childhood was something like a less deadly version of that of Saorsie Ronan's character in HANNA, it seems that it was much more chill. It is clear that her homeland filters through to her music, not just lyrically but in the sound itself; with pounding drums almost psyching the slight teen up for battle and her crystalline voice sparkling as it echoes in the wide open spaces of her homeland and melts ice and hearts simultaneously.

"I think the weather inspires me to dwell. And when I dwell my thoughts dance around in my mind and all these ideas about life and death appear in my mind. It's a very nice place for me to write." She told i-D. "I love Bergen, I never want to move." Having already released her debut album, All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend, and just toured the US picking up fans like Joe Jonas (who proclaimed her "the future") along the way, Aurora's adventure is just beginning.

With that in mind, press play on Grieg's Morganstemning - the song that she feels best represents her city - take a deep breath of fresh air, and enjoy this future star's guided tour of Bergen...

For eating: Ichiban "The best sushi I've ever had."

For drinking: Muskedunder.

For coffee: Kafè Spesial "They have this amazing coffee made from these very special good beans. The process of how these beans are prepped is another story, you can read about the whole process at the place itself. It's a very interesting piece of reading."

For dancing: anywhere there is music "Dancing is always a good option if you feel restless. There is this gay-bar called Fincken though, I've never been there but it always sounds like it's a place full of life if you're there at the right time."

For music: USF Røkeriet Verftet "It's mostly a good venue because the sound in that room is good. I also like Grieg Hallen (if you like classical music); it's more formal and in the main hall there are chairs for the audience to sit on. Watching an orchestra play there is quite a magical thing."

For escaping: Fløyenfjellet "It's a little mountain in Bergen that people like to visit. It's about 400 meters high. If you walk away from all the other people, as far into the forest as you can, you'll feel as free as the hobbits did in Lord Of The Rings.

For record shopping: Apollon "It's a really nice place where you can buy the records you like and then have a drink afterwords. I always go there if I want to buy new vinyls or CDs. and then I celebrate with a cup of chocolate."

For clothes shopping: anywhere in Skostredet "You'll find lots of small independent shops and some vintage. It's very nice there. It has a nice energy."

For a first date: Folk og Røvere "It's a bar. With candles. Candles are always good when you're on a date. And it never gets too quiet. And the chairs are comfy."

For inspiration: It depends what inspires you. "I would go down to the dock (bryggen) to breathe the fresh ocean air, and watch the boats and the people. If the sun is awake, I like watching its reflection in the waves.

For performing: Lille Ole Bull "It's very traditional. Like a theatre. It's not the biggest venue in Bergen - I think there's room for around 600 people - so it feels nice and intimate."

For walking: Nygårdsparken "It used to be a bit dodgy there, but now they've cleaned it up and it looks really nice with a little pond and really nice old trees."

For sleeping: on the grass behind a little tower near the dock called Rosenkrantztårnet. "It's a very nice place to be if the cold isn't killing you."

For people watching: I have this bench up the hill just behind the little funicular station that can carry you up to Fløyenfjellet. "I like to sit there and watch people from afar. It's like being a bird looking down at all these busy creatures. Like ants. It's nice."

For the best views: on the top of Fløyenfjellet! "You see the whole city and the horizon. I've been there many times. It's most beautiful when it snows, at wintertime."

[oneshotnewbie]

I love your fics, could you please do one where B!D has an eating disorder and Kara, Lena, and Alex help her through it and try to take care of her?

A/N: This topic got pretty close to me because, yes. What is certain is that this request will contain several parts, because I want to expand it a little to get everything so that it fits instead of just writing everything down without feelings. I don't know how many parts it will have, but I'll be surprised where I can get it all to. I also say that I do not support, glorify or promote this type of eating disorder. I know how difficult this disease can be and I also know what it does to body and soul. But I also know that people cannot talk openly about this topic because it is a topic that still creates a stigma and people feel even more misunderstood. You don't like it or it triggers you? Okay then please don't read it and keep scrolling. I don't want to be responsible if you feel even worse reading, I couldn't agree with myself. Stay safe! ♥ ---- The grey marble counter in the house in which you grew up reflected the sun’s rays and the individual white built-in stones shone brighter than usual. Under it stood various compartments with all kinds of stuff that your parents and elder sisters stowed away when there was nowhere room for it.

As a child you loved this bar, it was the best time of the day when the whole family was sitting together and enjoying time, it was the bar where you baked with Kara and ate rabbit pancakes with Alex every morning while the red-haired woman got angry about the shape and cut off the ears of it because, according to her, she was no longer a small child.

Like most siblings, you had food fights. Mashed potatoes and other food flew across the kitchen. Not only did the kitchen look like it had exploded, you also looked like you had bathed in a bathtub full of flour, eggs or beans. Both were five years older and so they were always winning. The special trick with Kara was that she had super powers, even if it was unfair. On cold evenings you made hot chocolate and ate the cake mother had baked.

But you all grew older and no longer sat together at the counter. Alex moved out to college and later be recruited into the DEO, Kara followed soon after to accept a job offer for Cat Grant assistent and you were left alone to go on to college and finish with your studies.

You wanted to follow in your oldest sister's earlier footsteps and worked towards the medical school to which you were successfully accepted.

But university and practical learning in the hospital swallowed you up. You loved helping and taking care of patients, but you ran out of time for yourself. The learning material became more and more difficult, new test were announced every week.

You started to spend your lunch breaks going to quiet places and teaching yourself material instead of wasting it on food in the cafeteria. You skipped some of your breakfast if you had studied late into the night so you could sleep half an hour longer. Most of the time you grabbed a banana or an apple for your way to the classroom.  And your dinner wasn't always much either, sometimes it was just a small salad or a few chips from the machine next to your dorm.

To be honest, you didn't really have a lot of money to order anything from delivery services or buy you food that you could cook for yourself. You found it uncomfortable to share the kitchen with twelve other people and so you didn't wanted to cook either, you only had food that you could keep in your room and that you didn't need any or many utensils to do them. You didn't have rich parents and your part-time job offered you just enough money that you could survive somehow.

There were no elevators in your university and your classrooms extended over the whole campus, even in the hospital you would rather take the stairs than risk that something could happen to your patients at that time the elevator took too long and stopped on every floor so you were always on your feet.

You didn't even noticed how much weight you were losing with your new, if unwanted, lifestyle and you didn't cared either.

You were always a girl who was normal. You never had any problems with your body or appearance, you were always complacent with yourself. Even with food you could say you had a healthy relationship, even if you ate more sweets than any woman might have on her period.

But now it was different, you had completely lost your appetite. Food seemed to look no longer delicious or good to you, it was unsavory and it seemed disgusting and kind of weird. The smell of it made you feel sick and you just wanted to hide if something came up with food. 

But to your regret, the autumn holidays had come again and it was time for you to spend the next two weeks with your older sisters where it was time for food, food and more food. You maybe could stay away from breakfast, but you could not get out of lunch with them or even Lena, and the various holidays and game night snacks made you almost panic if you thought about it.

While you were packing your last things in your suitcase, you wondered why you had developed such a panic and fear of eating, but could not find an answer.

With these thoughts and the fear of how Kara, Alex as well as Lena would react to you when they would see you, how you would hide your problems in front of them and how you would survive the two weeks, you opened the door with a fully packed suitcase and walked to your car.

They would notice and ask you over and over again until they found an answer. You could not hide your body, that was clear.

[imadeletingmysocials]

Things cheaper at Dollartree (after much research)

This is a big list I made for myself and anyone else who wants to know what is legit cheaper at the dollar tree and not just 1 dollar for the sake of there, some things might surprise you what is cheaper and even better at a dollar tree. I try to also pick the healthiest options and compare them to prices in places such as Walmart or a large stock place like BJs. I have also used fooducate.com to see which ones are more healthy, of course with things such as chips and snacks though don’t consider them to be healthy but in those cases I opt for the off-brand ones that taste better than the brand ones. Note: This is USA based.

Food:

Drinks:

Azul Coconut Juice, 16.5 oz. (cheapest and healthiest coconut water out there)

Gatorade Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher, 24 oz.

Stacker 2 B-12 Vitamin Shots is also cheaper.

Rockstar Pure Zero Silver Ice Energy Drinks (energy drinks are bad for you but it’s like 30 cents cheaper here than in walmart)

LaCroix Lime Flavored Sparkling Water 1 litter

(don’t even bother with any or all of the cheap soda it’s the worst, please drink water if anything else, all of the good soda is cheaper somewhere else also)

Snacks:

Cheez-It Original Baked Snack Crackers, 4.5 oz is cheaper at Dollartree.

Nabisco Cheese Nips Baked Snack Crackers, 7 oz is cheaper at Dollartree.

Nabisco Ritz Bits Cheese and Cracker Sandwiches, 3-oz. is SORTA cheaper at dollartree.

Island Choice Dry-Roasted Peanuts, 7.5 oz. (shelled nuts cheaper everywhere else of course in bulk)

Island Choice Honey-Roasted Dry-Roasted Peanuts, 7.5 oz

Pennysticks Mini Pretzels, 12 oz (pretzels the same, these cheaper)

Tropical Chips Plantains, 3-oz (30 cents cheaper)

Barcel Takis Fuego Flavored Churritos Stix, 4 oz (apparently, 9oz is 2,50 so 3 would be 12oz and 3 dollars, it would be kinda cheaper?)

Pringles Grab & Go Barbecue Chips, 2.5 oz (buying in bulk anywhere else is cheaper though, however, this single container costs 1,25 everywhere else)

Brim's Fried Barbecue Pork Rinds, 2.635 oz

Carolina Country Snacks Salt & Vinegar Pork Rinds. 2.75 oz

Sheila G's Chocolate Chip Brownie Brittle, 2 oz

Barcel Takis Crunchy Fajitas Tortilla Chips, 3.2 oz

T.G.I. Friday’s Jalapeno Cheddar Potato Skins Snack Chips, 4.5 oz

Snack Factory Original Pretzel Crisps, 3-oz (50 cents cheaper!)

PopCorners Kettle Flavor Popped Corn Chips, 3 oz. (better in bulk also)

Good Health Veggie Chips with Sea Salt, 2.75-oz (better in bulk also)

Stacy's Parmesan Garlic & Herb Flavored Pita Chips, 3 oz (better in bulk also)

Rudolph's OnYums Onion-Flavored Ring Chips, 3 oz (it’s off brand Funyuns but it’s actually BETTER and cheaper depending on where you buy them because they’re often sold more expensively at gas stations than Funyuns, fun fact)

Island Choice Banana Chips, 6 oz. Bags

Island Choice Sweet and Spicy Trail Mix, 5 oz (healthy!)

Breakfast Blueberry Biscuits, 7.93 oz.

Harvest Hill Quick Oats, 16 oz. Canisters (Top choice too)

Canned and Pickled

Pampa Tropical Mango Slices in Light Syrup, 15 oz. Cans

Bell's Pitted Olives, 6 oz

Green Giant Sliced Carrots, 14.5 oz (but mostly because I cannot find them anywhere else, all other Green Giant stuff is sold cheaper in bulk though)

Margaret Holmes Finely Chopped Spinach, 27 oz (TOP CHOICE)

Crider Premium Chunk White Turkey 5oz

Libby"s Sliced Pineapple, 20 oz (surprisingly!)

Margaret Holmes Seasoned Field Peas and Snaps, 15 oz

Cans of Pampa(R) Peach Slices, 15.25oz

Pampa Mushroom Pieces & Stems, 10 oz

Pampa Extra-Long Asparagus Spears, 12-oz (by the way Pampa is a really good healthy brand which is cheaper so these alternatives are great)

Libby's Premium Mandarin Oranges, 15 oz

Breckenridge Farms Pickled Jalapeno Slices, 12.5 oz (however Old El Paso Jalapeno Slices, Pickled 12.5oz is 1 dollar more expensive in other places and considered more healthy)

Van Camp's Chunk White Albacore Tuna 5oz (keep in mind this is the only canned tuna that is cheaper at dollartree, Albacore is very healthy and usually more expensive than Tuna, but dollartree sells white albacore in water on the same price as light tuna, this is a very good tuna brand as well)

Mc. Trader Tender Green Asparagus Spears, 10.5 oz

Pampa Smoked Oysters in Oil

Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle Soup, 15-oz

Beach Cliff Sardines in Mustard Sauce, 3.75 (top choice)

Beach Cliff Sardines in Water, 3.75 oz (top choice)

French Onion Dip, 8.5 oz (all onion’s dips the same as well)

Condiments and Spicing

Goya Sazon Seasoning, 8-Packet Boxes

Deli Market Yellow Mustard 20oz (not only is this the best healthiest mustard, but it’s cheaper if you buy it like this than any other mustard in stock size, I wish I had known of this before already stocking up buy buying a 2 pack of 20oz mustard at BJs which is enough to last a year for me)

Louisiana Supreme Hot Sauce 12oz (top choice too)

Kendale Farm Beef Broth, 32 oz (top choice, cheaper than most 32oz broths)

Heinz 57 Sauce, 5 oz. (1,50 cheaper than Walmart)

Hunts Tomato Ketchup, 20 oz (all ketchup is the same)

Deli Market Deli Spicy Brown Mustard (top choice)

Riverton Orchards Lemon Juice, 32-oz (lemon juice the same)

Kraft Bullseye Everyday Original Barbecue Sauce, 17.5-oz (80 cents cheaper than the same product in Target)

A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce, 5 oz. (SURPRISINGLY, not even in bulk is it as cheap as this? Weird, 5oz is 1 dollar right? 30oz for A1 is usually 8 dollars in stock supermarkets, but 5 times 8 would be 40oz! This is... Interesting. Especially considering it’s a well known brand as well, I wonder who is their dealer or are they just selling it cheap out of donation?)

Healthy Chef Canola Non-Stick Cooking Spray (this one’s pretty wild too, it only is sold at dollartree and is considered the healthiest cooking spray in the entirety of America according to fooducate)

Candy

Gonna go on a safe bet here and say that everything can be found for less and in greater quantity anywhere else. Hairbo Twin Snake is the same price at Walmart though. Most candies are sold 40% cheaper at bulk supermarkets though.

Office & School Supplies

You can probably find all of these at an Ebay auction, but it’s more accessible here.

Crayola Washable Glue Sticks, 2-ct. Packs (1.50 cheaper than walmart)

Duck Tape is cheap as hell

All-Purpose Krazy Glue, .052-oz. Tubes

Other stuff:

Laundry stuff, I’d recommend Ajax 40oz or Fab. Those are AMAZING brands and known as top quality in Australia. And it is insane how cheap this is, they must import it??

Scott Toilet Paper: Oh my god HOW IS 4 TOILET PAPERS THIS CHEAP HERE AT THE DOLLAR TREE???? TP is literally more expensive everywhere else.

Kitchen appliances, a glass salt shaker is like 5 dollars at Walmart but it’s 1 dollar at dollartree. All of the Betty Crocker kitchen appliances like spatulas are only a dollar too and so good. (They are 3 DOLLARS cheaper at dollar tree). IT IS INSANE HOW CHEAP this shit is here, like the can opener they sell for 1 dollar is 6 or 5 dollars everywhere else.

Fisher-Price Smart Care Aloe Vera and Chamomile Baby Wipes, 80-ct. Packs

All Arm & Hammer stuff including the Arm & Hammer Ultra Max 3-in-1 Fresh Scented Body Wash, Shampoo, and Conditioner, 12 oz are good choices. Deodorant too is good. All Arm and hammer stuff here is cheaper than on Walmart and a great brand.

Hand soap might be found for 97 cents at Walmart but it’s a small difference.

Not Cheaper, Best bought at a bulk store:

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

snack bars.

V8 Vegetable Juice

Potato Stix

Cereal

Canned Soup

Canned Tuna

Badia Original Complete Seasoning (this took a while to calculate but yes it’s cheaper to buy in bulk, dollartree has 2,5oz for 1 dollar, usually a 2 pack of 12oz each is 13 dollars. if you do like 2.5 times 2.5oz, it’s like 32oz which is more than 24oz for 13 dollars, but you can find 1.75 lbs. of this for 8 dollars)

Iodized Salt (get it at Great value honestly)

Dill Pickles in general, but Vlasic Kosher Dill Pickles is the healthiest choice

Cambell canned soups

Goya canned beans

Sunny Sea Sardines in Tomato Sauce, 7.5-oz

Here’s hoping me publishing this doesn’t crash the market or anything but seriously, you can live healthily and frugally like this. I literally survive like this easily, I just spend like 60 dollars a month max with supplies.

[hidden-otaku-stuff]

Universal (Hidden Corner series)

Hidden Corner: A series of fluffy, full-length one-shots detailing the lives of the employees who work at Hidden Corner featuring the various Haikyuu boys.

*Note: All one-shots take place in the same universe with the same characters.

Izanami is the Reader from Recommendations

Word count: 3.8k

Pairing: Time-skip!Osamu x female Baker!reader

Summary: One early morning on his way to work, Osamu walks past a café. The lights are on, and there’s no other sign of life anywhere else. Popping in, he discovers some of the best baked goods he’s ever tasted. But can you really fall in love with someone based on how their food tastes?

AN: Happy birthday Osamu! Yours was the second one-shot I finished of this series, but I held off to post this for your birthday 🥳

Masterlist | Menu

Universal

A wide yawn overtook Osamu as he made his way down the street. His hooded grey eyes scanned the horizon. Only a sliver of light had begun to cross the morning sky. He turned down the street, eyebrows furrowed at the sign of an open café. The warm golden light radiated warmth. Glancing at his watch, he nodded to himself. He had time. “Welcome to Hidden Corner!” A voice behind the counter chirped. “I’ll be with you shortly.” Osamu hummed, stepping further into the warmth. His eyes scanned the café. There weren't many people inside. In fact, there was only one other person. A male sat in the corner, his back to Osamu as he hunched over his laptop. “Hey, sorry to keep you waiting!” She entered, placing down a tray of baked goods before giving him a smile. “What can I get for you?”

Osamu sniffed the air, his eyes widening. “Whatever that is, I’d love one.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling. “This? This is one of our specialty items, a German-influenced bee-sting cake. It goes great with a nice dark roast.” 

Osamu nodded his head eagerly, mouth salivating. “That sounds amazing. I’d love it.” 

“Will you be eating here or to-go?”

He glances at his watch again. “Here,” he decides. He didn’t need to be at the store for another twenty minutes. Osamu takes a seat at the bar, eagerly watching as she slices into the cake, the custard oozing out slightly as the barista lifts it onto a white plate. The barista places it in front of him beside a ceramic mug of dark coffee beside it. 

“Enjoy!” She chirps, before she goes over to check on the other customer. She brings over a mug of coffee as well as an apple square, placing it onto the table and giving the male a forehead kiss before returning to the counter.

Osamu eyed the pastry from the cinnamon almond top to the yellow custard sandwiched between the tan sponge. Carefully slicing it through with a fork, he savours the mouthful. Silver orbs widened, sparkling like a full moon on a cloudless night. “Excuse me?” He looks up at the barista. “But this is amazing.”

The barista grins, wiping down the counter. “Thank you!”    

“Did you make this?”

She shakes her head. “No, our baker actually just left for the day.” 

He hums, taking a sip of the coffee. His eyes roam the glass in front of the bar where there are trays of pastries. “Can I get a box of whatever you recommend?” 

The barista grins, “of course.” She turns her back to him, delicately filling the box. “There you go!” She passes the box over.

“What’s in here?” He pops open the box, eyeing the array of colourful pastries. The sugar-dusted, rose pastry caught his attention the most.

“In there you’ll have a few of our persimmon rose pastries, two guava pastelillos - or guava and cheese strudels, and miniature mango and dragon-fruit fruit tarts.” 

Osamu licks his lips. “That sounds incredible.”

“Enjoy!”  

****

“Back for more?” The barista teases, greeting Osamu as she wipes down the counter. He catches her name-tag this time. Izanami. Owner.  

He nods, breathing in the comforting scent of coffee beans. “Those pastries were so good.” Osamu scans the glass offerings one more, his eyebrows raising at the sight of the various mason jars and shot-glasses. “What are those for?”

Izanami glances over. “Oh!” She grins. “We’ve been trying to become more environmentally-friendly, which is why we started offering discounts whenever someone brings in their own mugs and stuff. But (Name) had a brilliant idea of using mason jars and these cute engraved shot-glasses for our cakes and stuff.” Izanami holds an empty one up, handing it to Osamu to examine. “They’re oven-safe provided that there aren’t any sudden temperature changes, and if they use it in-store, we can take it to the back to wash and use for the next time. Or, if they take it home and bring it back, we can either give them a discount.” She hums, examining another mason jar. “Plus they’re cute advertisements if they keep it anyways.”  

Osamu hums, “that’s a really good idea.” He shuffles his feet slightly, keeping his focus on the glass as pink dusts his cheek. “Is (Name) the baker?” 

By Izanami’s light-hearted chuckle, he hadn’t been as sly as he’d hoped. “Yes, she is.” 

Osamu clears his throat. “So! What options do you have for the shooters?” 

The owner leans against the counter, looking down at them. “We have a taster pack where you can get one each for a total of six different ones or do a custom pack of six. Of course, you could buy them individually as well.” She smirks slightly. “If you bring back twelve glasses, then we’ll throw in a free cake and coffee the next time you come in.” 

“Deal.” He grins. “I’ll take one of the taster packs for now.” He scans the drink menu. “And another dark roast, to-go please.”

“Make sure to bring your own thermos if you want a discount,” Izanami chuckles once more as she packages his treats. “Come again soon!” She sings, waving as he makes his way out the door.

*****

“Hey ‘Kaashi! Haven’t seen you in a minute,” Osamu greets from behind the counter, looking up as Akaashi enters Onigiri Miya.

“Hey Myaa-sam,” Akaashi grins. “I’ve been busy working and haven’t had a chance. Someone else usually comes to pick it up for me though.” 

Osamu nods before turning back to his ingredients. “Your usual then?”

“Surprise me.” 

Akaashi takes a seat at the bar, watching as Osamu moves around behind the glass. Gunmetal blue eyes sparkled mischievously. “That’s quite a few glasses you’ve collected.”

“Hmm?” Osamu glances at his friend, following his eyes to the assorted shot-glasses that sat next to the cash register. They were mostly hidden from customers except for where Akaashi was sitting. “Oh yeah. I really enjoy their pastries.”

Akaashi nods, leaning on his hand. “My girlfriend owns the cafe, I am there quite often.” 

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.” Osamu carefully shapes the onigiri for Akaashi who hums in response. Izanami pops into Osamu’s mind. “I make it a habit to go there in the mornings before I open up shop. Can’t imagine going anywhere else for breakfast if I’m being honest.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah! Their pastries are always perfectly made and are pretty unique. Haven’t seen them in any other cafes. And I love how environmentally-friendly they are, ya know?” Osamu’s eyes sparkled as he thought about the small cafe. 

Akaashi hides the small smirk behind his sleeve before clearing his throat. “You know they’re open 24 hours right?”

Osamu nods, wrapping the rice-ball. “Might stop by after I close up. I have to turn in the shot-glasses.” 

“Right, for the free cake and coffee?” Akaashi’s eyes glinted as he took his food, paying Osamu. “I’m sure you’ll have a nice time later, Myaa-sam.” 

“Thanks?”

“See you later, Myaa-sam!”  

****

“So, which of the shooters did you like the best?” Izanami asks as Osamu enters the cafe later that evening. Instead of being behind the counter this time, she’s sitting at the bar, going over some paperwork. 

“I think I’m a big fan of the raspberry chocolate one,” Osamu replied, mouth salivating as he reminisced. “The chocolate and raspberry was perfectly balanced and complemented each other.” He thought back to the other ones he tried. “Though the strawberry fool was really good too.” Osamu hummed, eyes shutting. “And the tiramisu,” he added. He tapped his chin for a second. “And the key lime.”

Izanami stifled a snort. “Hear that (Name)? He liked all of the shooters.”

Osamu’s head snapped up as you appeared from behind the counter, flour dusted on your cheek. “Well I’m glad to know that someone here appreciates my baking!”

“Hey, if I didn’t appreciate it, I wouldn’t let you have free-rein of the menu,” Izanami chided before looking back at Osamu. “This is (Name), our resident baker.” 

You waved at him from behind the counter before your (e/c) eyes widened, pointing at him. “You own Onigiri Miya!”

Osamu’s ears turned pink, realising exactly who the baker was. He swallows thickly. “That’s right.” 

Your eyes sparkle as you nod eagerly, facing your boss. “Iza! He owns the onigiri shop that ‘Kaashi and I go to!” 

“Oh really? That’s really nice,” Izanami smiles. “Speaking of, Yuuji should already be clocked in. I’m going to go check on him. Man the front for me, won’t you?” Osamu didn’t miss the wink that Izanami sent to (Name). He could feel the heat that crept through him now. 

“Whatever you need, boss-lady!” You chirped, waving Izanami off as she disappeared into the back. You turn back to Osamu, offering him a blinding smile. “What can I do for you, Miya-san?” 

Osamu shook his head, a pink dust settling on his cheeks, “you can just call me Osamu if you’d like.” 

If it was even possible, your smile got brighter. “Sure thing, Osamu! You can call me (Name).” You glance back down to the tray of pastries you had been spooning strawberry compote into. “Wanna taste-test something for me?”

Osamu’s eyes widened as he nodded fervently. “I’m always down to taste-test. What is it?”

You quickly pipe some yellow cream on top of the strawberry compote, sprinkled some demerara sugar on it and used a blowtorch to brulee the sugar. He watches with amazement at your fluid motions. Turning back to him, you place the completed pastry onto a clean white plate. “This is puits d’amour, or ‘wells of love’ in French. It’s mostly just strawberries, raspberries, and vanilla cream. Will you try it for me? I was thinking about adding it to the menu or maybe even just for a Valentine’s special.” 

Osamu picks it up gingerly, taking in the sweet smell of the pastry. As he bites down, his eyes shut. “This is so good,” he mumbled as he crammed the last piece into his mouth. You stifle a giggle, taking a napkin out and handing it to him.

“You got a little something there,” you tap on your chin before pouring a dark roast for him. 

He flushes brighter, taking the napkin and wiping away at the mess. He sips the dark roast, letting the dark flavor complement the abundance of sweet that bathed his tongue. “That was seriously good,” he grinned as he placed the empty cup down. “I would definitely buy that if it was offered on the menu.” 

Your eyes lit up. “Really?!” 

He nods eagerly. “Absolutely. Though that would definitely be cute for a special like Date Night or Valentine’s Day.” 

You hum, tapping your chin as you gaze back at the tray. “Maybe I’ll debut it for a holiday, get the couples coming in. And depending on how well they sell, maybe offer it more regularly.” You move to prepare a few more, packaging it up and turning back to him. “Here.”

Osamu raised an eyebrow, looking between the box and you. “What’s this for?”

“You seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe you could bring it to some of your friends or something and let me know what they think? Or finish it all! Whatever works.” You smile sheepishly. “Anything for a return customer, like Iza would say.” 

Osamu chuckles, raising the bag he had. “I was supposed to turn in these shot-glasses and redeem my free cake.”  

You sit on the stool behind the counter, spinning slightly. “You can always redeem it now if you’d like. I can prepare a custom-order for whatever cake or pastries you’d like.”

He hums, glancing at the display. Most of the pastries had sold out by now. “Surprise me,” he replies finally. “Come by the shop sometime soon. I need another taste-tester if you’re down.”  

Grinning, you nod eagerly. “Sounds like a great time.” 

****

“Hello, Myaa-sam,” Akaashi greets as the door to Onigiri Miya swings open. 

Osamu looks up, eyes narrowed as he jabs a finger at Akaashi, a grain of rice flying into the editor’s direction. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?” Akaashi asks, blinking innocently at the restaurant owner. It would have worked if not for the small quirk of his lips. 

Osamu rolled his eyes, turning back to his rice as his ears glowed red. “Is she the one who’s been pickin’ up your orders for ya?”

Akaashi hummed, slipping into his usual stool before sipping on his thermos. “Perhaps.” 

Osamu scowled. “Are you tryin’ to set me up or somethin’?”

The other male only laughed. “Not at all.” Akaashi admits, his fingers twisting. “But (Name) is a sweet girl, isn’t she?” 

“Did you know her when she came in that one time?” 

“Um, excuse me?” 

Osamu jumped, whirling around to face you as his head crashed into the counter - hissing in pain. He cleared his throat, cheeks reddening. “Yes, hey, how can I help you?”

You stifle a chuckle. “I heard that this place has some of the best onigiri around. Think I can get some?”

“Of course, what’ll you have?”

“Three of your best!” You hum, scanning the menu. “Though include an unagi one, please. With furikake seasoning on the outside.” 

“Sounds good.” Osamu turned around, moving towards the counter only to trip over a bag of rice and stumble into the counter. His forehead smacked into the steel counter as his knees buckled. Osamu bit his lip to swallow back the groan, tears welling up in his eyes.

You snorted, biting your lip to hide your laughter. Unfortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful. “A-are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He grinned, turning so that his back was to you as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and clenched his fists. Both his head and foot hurt. A lot. Osamu let out a sigh, moving to make the onigiri for you. “Here you go. Hope you enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will. I’ll definitely be back for more,” you grin, taking the box. “Bye!” You wave as you walk out of the door. Osamu sighed, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his palm. 

“That went well, Myaa-sam. Very coordinated.” 

Osamu glared at the editor who was perched at the counter. “Shut up ‘Kaashi.”

“Not at all,” Akaashi replied. “That was actually her first day at the cafe. I met her there later when I picked up ‘Nami.” 

Heat crept up Osamu’s neck. “Well thanks for the warning!” 

“Did you have a nice time though?”

Osamu pouted, turning his back to Akaashi as he molded the onigiri. “..Yes.” 

*****

“Iza says you come to the cafe every day?” Osamu jumps, looking up to find you perched at the counter in Akaashi’s usual seat. It had been a few days since you’d both officially met at the cafe. He flushes, before nodding. You beam up at him. “Great! What do you normally get and what have you liked the best so far?” In front of you was a journal, an abundance of sticky notes sticking out. 

Osamu tries to focus on the fillings in front of him, fighting off the heat that crept up through him. He had invited you to stop by, after all. “I usually just get whatever she recommends to me,” he says finally. 

You pout, pen tapping on the pages. “That’s not helpful!” 

He chuckles, nodding. He hated when Atsumu and his other friends gave him empty compliments in terms of his cooking. “Let’s see...I’ve tried the chocolate dipped sesame cookie. That was definitely an interesting one. I liked how that paired with the dark roast.”

Humming, you jot that down. “Maybe we should do a pairing menu,” you muse to yourself. “Like how fancy restaurants do with their wines.” 

“That’d be a good idea,” he comments, focusing on molding the onigiri. “I’m sure you get a lot of customers who don’t know what pairs well together in terms of coffee and cakes.”

Shrugging, you grin as you say, “Iza’s normally really good at convincing people to make the ‘correct’ choices.” You let out a soft giggle. Osamu nods, chuckling as he remembers the stories that Akaashi had told him about how he’d met his own girlfriend. You flit through your journal; Osamu can see photos of the pastries flashing by. “What else have you tried?”

He cleared his throat, thinking back. “I really enjoyed the beehive cake! That was the first thing I tried.” Osamu packages the onigiri he had been working on, calling the order number and handing it to his customer. “What type of onigiri do you want?”

You wave a hand, still looking at your book, “whatever you’ll have me try.”

 He grins, “your wish is my command, princess.”

Your head snaps up, heat creeping through your body. Clearing your throat, you avert your eyes. “So, pastries?”

Osamu nods, turning away to subtly hide his own blush. “The beehive cake was really good. I enjoyed how the almond and cinnamon complemented the custard, and how the dark roast Izanami gave me tasted along with it.” Humming, you jot down more notes. “You don’t do a lot of Japanese pastries, do you?”

You shrug, chewing on your pen-cap. “It’s not that I don’t do Japanese pastries, I just feel like European pastries can be difficult to find and they’re all so interesting not to try and make it.” You light up, picking up a box. “Speaking of which, I brought you something.”

Osamu glances over, placing down onigiri he had just finished for you. “What is it?” 

Opening up the box, you reveal powdered donuts. “These are beignets,” you explain. “You can eat these with fruit toppings,” you pulled out a mason jar of a raspberry-strawberry compote, “or chocolate. Or condensed milk. Or really any combination!” Two more mason jars were pulled out with the condensed milk and melted dark chocolate. He could still see the steam on the pastries. 

“You sure know how to spoil a guy,” he teases, putting the plate of the onigiri in front of you so you could taste. He slips into the seat to the left of you, silver eyes scanning the offerings. “What coffee goes best with this?”

 “Café au lait!” You perk up, pulling out a thermos. Osamu grabs two cups, letting you pour the coffee into the cups. 

Osamu plucks one of the beignets up, eating it plain. “So what type of pastries are these?” He asks, his cheeks bulging. You giggle, offering him a napkin to brush off the excess powdered that clung to his cheeks. 

“They’re French-influenced, but originate in New Orleans.” 

“New Orleans?” 

“It’s in the states.” 

“Ah.” He finishes it, sipping the coffee. Osamu takes out some plates, letting you decorate the other beignets for him to try. He watches as you gently spoon the compote over a beignet, drizzling a bit of the chocolate on top. “What inspired you to make these?”

“Princess and the Frog.”

He glanced at you with an incredulous look on his face. “The Disney movie?”

You nod, glancing up at him before going back to your beignets. “I love Disney movies, and I really like her character arc in that one.” This time, you were drizzling the melted chocolate and condensed milk over another beignet. You push them towards him, grinning as you wait for him to try it.

Osamu pushes the onigiri towards you. You both simultaneously take a bite out of your respective foods. Your eyes widen as you look up at Osamu. His heart skipped a beat at your excited expression. “I really like this filling! What is it?”

“It’s a tsukudani filling. I simmered some pork and seaweed into a mixture of mirin and soy sauce to make it.” 

Humming appreciatively, you quickly cram the rest of the onigiri into your mouth. “I definitely need to come here before each of my shifts,” you mumble. “This is so filling.” 

Osamu finishes the fruity beignet, trying a bit of the chocolate one. “Of the ones with extras, I think I like the fruit one the best,” he comments, sipping the coffee. “But both are super good.” 

“What makes it better?”

“I think it’s just the flavours. The dough is nice and fluffy, and takes the flavours well. The condensed milk is a little too sweet for me even with the dark chocolate, but the tartness of the raspberry balances out the sweetness of the strawberry and the coffee.” He smacks his lips thoughtfully. “Only change I could think of is maybe adding the dark chocolate so there’s a bit more of that bitterness to balance it out.”

“That makes sense,” you nod as you jot down his comments.

He turns towards you, leaning on his left hand. The plates of taste-testing were spread out in front of you, and the coffee cups sat in between both of you. His right hand rests on the table, drumming slightly. “What made you want to bake?”

“I just love sharing my food with people,” you admit softly. “I don’t really care to make sales. I just want to see people’s faces change when they try something I’ve created or change their moods, y’know?” You look at the box of beignets that you had brought over. “After all, food is a universal language.”

Osamu hummed, nodding. “I feel the same way.” He sips at the coffee you’d brought over. “I used to be a big volleyball guy. My twin is actually a pro right now.” 

“Atsumu right?” You ask, eyes raising to meet silver.

Osamu nods, nose wrinkled slightly, “yeah him. He wanted us to take the volleyball world by storm. Volleyball was fun and all, but that wasn’t where my passion was. I would’ve been eaten alive if I even tried,” Osamu snorted. “But food, that’s where I knew I could thrive. I love seeing people come in and trying my food, how their faces light up at the first bite. That makes me so happy, y’know?”

“Believe me, I know.” Tentatively, your hand reaches out to grasp his wrist. He looked down between your hands, releasing the coffee cup to slot his fingers between yours. 

You both sit in silence a moment longer, enjoying each other’s presence. Feeling less alone now that you’ve found someone that felt the same way you did. “I should go. My shift starts soon.” As you make a move to stand, Osamu squeezes your hand causing you to freeze in place.

Osamu glances up at you. “Come over to my place sometime.”

You turn, looking down at him with a bemused expression on your face. “Why’s that?”

“I’ll make you dinner,” he proposes, grinning. 

You tap on your chin, contemplatively. “Only if you let me make dessert.”

“Deal.”

*****

AN: Happy birthday Osamu! idk why but I find it so much easier to write for Osamu than for Atsumu 🤷‍♀️ and yes, that was Akaashi in the beginning scene! 

Izanami is the Reader from Recommendations 

All one-shots in the Hidden Corner series exist in the same universe where characters may interact with the ‘Reader’ from the other one-shots. I will be giving each ‘Reader’ a place-holder name when they are referenced in the other one-shots to ease confusion!

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