#Me over here using garlic and onion and Cajun seasoning

[insertcoolnameherethanks]

My dad turned on some cooking show and this girl said the meat was seasoned and the camera showed the blandest most unseasoned piece of meat I've ever seen!!

[townofcrosshollow]

Makin' salmon burgers. Follow me on my journey...

Ingredience:

1 salmon fillet, thawed

1 egg

Like 1/8 of a small white onion

A couple garlic cloves

1 tbsp mayo

1/2 tsp dijon (or normal) mustard

Seasoning and toppings of your choice

2 burger buns (optional I guess)

Step 1. Thaw ur salmon fillet. You can get relatively cheap frozen salmon in big packs at the grocery store and I guarantee it's the same or almost the same as the fresh stuff. Shove it in the fridge like 5 hours ahead of time, or run it under cold water to thaw. Chop it up real nice. Doesn't have to be too small, but go over it a few times with the knife to squish it.

Step 2. Chop your onions and mince or crush your garlic. Again, doesn't have to be perfect. You could also probably add some peppers or something here, follow your heart.

Step 3. Put all of that into a blender, crack in the egg, and add the mayo and mustard. Sprinkle in seasoning of your choice. I've used a roasted garlic and herb one and a cajun one, both to good effect. You'll need a little more than you expect, probably

Step 4. Blend that shit till it looks like the tubby custard machine

Step 5. Put some oil in a pan on medium high, and make sure the oil is nice and spread out on the bottom of the pan. Scoop out half the tubby custard into one patty, and the other half into another. MAKE SURE THEY DON'T TOUCH. If they're uneven you can just scoop some from one into the other

Step 6. Cook till the edges on the underside start to look white, like a nice bannock. If you've ever cooked bannock, cook it till it looks like cooking bannock. Or whatever other fry bread. It's gonna look kinda like fry bread is what I mean

Step 7. Flip them and then panic cause you forgot to toast the buns and get the toppings out

Step 8. Once both sides look nice and brown, retrieve them from their oily grave and serve with whatever toppings you like (mayo and lettuce, if you're like me and very boring)

TA DA. Burger! Enjoy! I can imagine this would be a good pescatarian equivalent to a burger, personally I rarely eat red meat so I like making these when I'm feeling too fancy for a frozen chicken burger LMAO. I highly recommend trying this out, it's my favourite little feel-good meal for when I have a spare half hour to cook!

[beatrice-otter]

Easy ways to make food taste better

Like many people, I don't cook meals from scratch very often. I can! My parents viewed cooking as a basic skill that everyone needs to know, so they both taught me themselves and had me do cooking in 4-H. (4-H is very good at encouraging children to build skill sets in whatever area they're doing projects/competing in, so that if you start as a pre-teen and continue on through High School you will end up with a very complete skill set in $area, whether that's cooking or photography or raising/showing animals or sewing or woodworking or one of a million other subjects. If you have kids and you live in the US, I highly recommend seeing if there is a 4-H club in your area because your kid will learn so much.) But I don't often choose to cook. I eat a small range of basic, low-prep foods, but I (literally) spice things up so that a) they taste better and b) they don't get monotonous. But I know how to do so because I know what I like from learning to cook a wide variety of things, and a lot of people who eat the same way I do don't have that skill. So here's a cheat sheet. First of all, you have to learn what spices you like. And I don't mean spices as in just "things that make food spicy" I mean all the stuff that goes into food to flavor it. There are a lot of spices out there, it can get very complex, but spice blends are your friend! Do you like Italian food? Italian Blend Seasoning is for you. Is it as good as tailoring all the herbs and spices to the flavor profile of each dish as a true chef would do? Nope! But it is perfectly acceptable. Do you like Indian food? Curry powder is the same way. There are others, too. Garam Masala is a spice mix for people who like South Asian food. Creole Spice Mix is for Cajun food. If you want to move beyond spices mixes, google recipes for your favorite dish and see what spices/seasonings are used in the recipes. Chances are, you will like those. In addition, you're probably going to want powdered garlic and either dried onion flakes or onion powder. Are they as good as fresh garlic and onion? No! You know what they are? Easy to use and shelf stable. Also, you can buy them in large containers relatively cheaply, and they make pretty much ANYTHING better. Second, learn what condiments you like. Not just ketchup, I'm talking all the other sauces that come in bottles. This one is easier, because you probably already know So now that we know what spices we like, we start adding them to things! Basic Rules for learning how to put seasonings in stuff: 1) Start small. You can always add more, but it's a lot harder to take stuff out. 2) Keep tasting as you add seasoning, so you can tell when you're done. 3) limit the number of seasonings/flavorings you're adding, especially when you're starting. Pretty much everything goes with garlic and onion, but not every spice goes with every other spice. If you're using a spice blend, you probably don't have to add anything else. If you're using individual spices/seasonings and you don't already know what flavors pair well together, keep it simple. 4) Garlic, onion, salt, and pepper are the basics. There are extremely few flavors that won't go well with them. If you think it needs something but don't know what, try one of those. 5) If you want to get fancy and do your own combinations of seasonings, check out recipes of dishes you like to see what seasonings are used together and what proportions they use. You can adjust it to your taste, but it will give you a place to start. 6) If you are doctoring a prepared meal and don't know where to start, check recipes online for what that dish would have if made from scratch, and add those seasonings to taste. Over time, you will get better at figuring out what you like and how things combine and what goes with what. Once you know more, that's when you start getting wild and crazy. Yes, I know, there are a lot of jokes about white people and spices, but "intense, in-your-face flavors" are for people with a lot of experience at making it the right intense flavor. You can get there! But if you're just starting out, start small and work your way up. Here's the key: since I only have spices I know I like, and I add a little bit at a time and taste it as I go, I can mix and match fairly easily. The worst that's going to happen is that sometimes two flavors don't mix as well as I'd like. Some results are better than others, but the only times I've had something I couldn't stand to eat was when I dumped a whole lot in at once. So now we're ready to start adding flavors to things. Here are some examples: Campbell's condensed Tomato Soup is kind of boring. But if you cook it with milk instead of water (so it's creamier) and add some Italian Seasoning mix, it is no longer boring. Campbell's chicken noodle soup is much better if you put some dried onion flakes, garlic powder, and spice mix of your choice in before you cook it. Unless you're buying the really high-end gourmet stuff, you can probably improve any soup by adding the right seasonings (to find out what you should use, google that type of soup and look at recipes.) Boxed macaroni and cheese is also easy to change up. Tonight, I was feeling fairly basic. So when I made it, I put in a generous dash of garlic and onion powder, a smaller dash of paprika, a dash of salt, some frozen peas (cooked with the noodles in the same pot), and some grated Parmesan cheese out of a can. It tasted great. (All of this is in addition to the regular packet of cheese powder that comes with it and the milk and butter it says to add.) If I'd been in more of an Italian mood, I could have used Italian seasoning mix instead of the paprika. Or maybe grabbed some other spice from the cupboard. Or put in a dollop of ranch dressing or salsa or other condiment that goes well with cheese. There are so many possibilities. This works in a lot of other ways too! I eat a lot of baked potatoes. They're healthy (providing lots of nutrients), cheap, and easy to make. (About 4-5  minutes in the microwave for a large potato.) And you can put almost any flavor with potato and it will work. Seriously. Microwave the potato, cut it open, mash down the insides, put a little butter on it, put your seasoning of choice on it. Or pick a condiment. Or melt a slice of cheese on top of it (I recommend waiting until the potato is pretty much done, cutting it open and mashing the insides, then putting the cheese slice on top and microwaving it for another 30 seconds). On weeks where I'm really low on spoons, I will have baked potato and chicken nuggets every night of the week and the baked potato will taste different every night of the week. Night one: Italian seasoning mix. Night two: Ketchup and Mayo. Night three: Curry. Night four: melted cheese. Night five: honey mustard salad dressing. Night six: paprika and garlic and onion powder. Night seven: barbecue sauce. In fact, most vegetables work really well for adding flavorings. Take the veggie, throw it in a bowl, put in a bit of butter and your seasoning of choice, and microwave it for a few minutes. Voila! If I want to cook and want something simple, the easiest "from scratch" meal you can make is "meat with condiment." No, seriously, choose your condiment. Here's an example with chicken: take the chicken pieces, cover them in condiment of your choice (barbecue sauce, honey mustard salad dressing, etc.) and bake it for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, take it out, turn it over, put a tiny bit more of the condiment on what is now the top, and bake it for another 15 minutes. There you have it! Whatever cut of meat you have, you can put the condiment on it and bake it according to the instructions for that cut of meat, and it will be good. (Unless you pick a condiment you don't like, but why would you do that?) Eggs are also easy to doctor up with the seasonings and condiment of your choice. I make scrambled eggs a lot. Sometimes I put in mayo and italian seasoning. Sometimes I put in ranch dressing. Sometimes I put in curry powder. With scrambled eggs, put the seasonings in while you're cooking them, but put condiments in after. What are some simple tricks you use to make basic and pre-packaged food taste better?

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[suppernatural]

Click recipe cards to enlarge.

Benny's Chicken Sausage Gumbo

I wanted to dedicate my first recipe post to my friend Benny who is from the Lafayette area and took the time to come over and teach me how to make chicken and sausage gumbo recently—which was a real labor of love, because gumbo is NOT quick or easy to make. But he's one of the coolest and nicest people I've ever met, and he loves to cook, and he wanted to make sure I had the good stuff, so he was happy to teach me... in fact, he said he'd be happy to come again and teach me some more Louisiana recipes in the future.

Now if you've ever had gumbo NOT in Louisiana, Benny says you may not have ever had a good gumbo, so don't judge gumbos as a whole based on that one gumbo you ate at some random restaurant once. Benny says the world is FULL of crap gumbos that just don't taste right, because it's very hard to get gumbo right! He also told me there are many variations on gumbo that are very normal even within Louisiana, and they are all delicious when they are done right, and this is just the kind he makes because of the area he was born. So if you want the good stuff, you just gotta go to the right place. The very best place to get gumbo, Benny says, is in a Louisianian's home... because then you know it's made with love, and is probably made by a recipe passed down through generations.

Now there are three main components to a chicken sausage gumbo the way Benny makes it:

The roux. This is the most time consuming and difficult part to get right but also the most important part and the part people are most likely to fuck up according to Benny.

The meat. Chicken and sausage. You wanna use chicken thighs if you can get 'em and andouille sausage if possible. However, many varieties of sausage are acceptable. Just be aware the sausage is part of what flavors your gumbo, so pick a good one!

What's referred to as the holy trinity in Louisiana cooking: yellow onions, green bell peppers, and celery. Garlic, Benny says, is also a given in ANY Louisiana dish (and luckily he isn't actually allergic though some people in his life might think that).

Here's all the supplies you're gonna need:

A big ass pot and a spoon and a ladle. Benny says gumbo takes forever, so if you're going to make it, you might as well make a shit ton of it so that either you can feed a whole bunch of people, or, because it'll freeze real well, you can do that.

A cast iron skillet or dutch oven and a whisk or a flat bottom wooden spoon. This is for making the roux.

A knife and cutting board for chopping all your shit up.

A strainer to strain your broth.

Ingredients List

1 cup oil

1 cup flour

4 lbs of chicken thighs

1 Ibs link sausage

3-4 bay leaves

several garlic cloves

large yellow onion, chopped (2 to 3 cups)

2 to 3 celery stalks, chopped

green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 Tbsp minced garlic

Salt to taste

black pepper to taste

red pepper to taste (or cajun seasoning)

Instructions:

First, the roux:

Whisk together the oil and flour in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Now, you wanna turn the heat on your burner to medium—never higher or lower than that! And then you just start stirring—and you keep stirring and stirring and stirring constantly... for like 30 minutes to an hour. You need that flat bottomed spoon (or your whisk works) so you can scrape the bottom and sides of the pot/skillet on repeat so nothing sticks and burns. You constantly gotta be scraping your roux off the bottom and sides of the pot. If you stop, the roux will BURN and you cannot let that happen or you have to start over, okay? You DO however, want it to get darker and darker. It'll start a milky white, and where you stop does depend on personal taste, but Benny says he considers his done when it's the color of a Hershey bar. Remember that your cast iron is going to stay hot after you turn the heat off, so turn the fire off a little before you think you should and continue to stir until your pot has cooled enough that it isn't cooking your roux anymore or you will STILL burn it! This is why this is the hardest part of making gumbo. The roux is easy to burn!

Second, the broth and the holy trinity:

Dump all your chicken in that big ass pot with about 12 cups of water, along with the bay leaves and some halved garlic cloves. Bring all of that to a boil, then turn down to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes to an hour (until your chicken is boiled through). You will need to remove the fat that bubbles to the surface as you boil the chicken.

While that's going, dice up all your vegetables (onions, celery, green bell pepper, and MORE garlic—this time minced).

When your chicken is boiled through (but hopefully before it turns stringy—you don't want that!) remove it from your pot and set it aside somewhere, then pour your broth through a strainer to get rid of any more bits of skin or fat from the chicken. You wanna have about 12 cups of broth, so if you don't have enough, if you've gotta, you can add some chicken broth you have stored somewhere or from the store. Pour the broth back in your big pot and bring it to a boil, then dump all the vegetables you diced up in there (onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic) AND the roux.

Turn the heat to low and let it all simmer for about an hour. While it's cooking in there, you add the sausage so it adds flavor, so...

Third, the meat:

Slice your sausage up into little… medallions? (You know what I'm talking about—how you usually cut link sausage) and cook it in a skillet just to brown it and remove some of the fat, then add it to the gumbo so it can add some more flavor to that simmering broth and roux. Continue to cook on low.

Now when your simmering time is over, you'll nearly be done, so when it's close to time, dice up your chicken into pieces (and debone of course if you used bone-in thighs). Kitchen shears are also good for this but a knife will also do you just fine.

Now add the salt, black pepper, and red pepper to taste (Benny was very generous—this ain't one of those "just a little salt" type deals). You can also put cajun seasoning in there. Add your chopped chicken into the pot and simmer for about 20 more minutes, and it'll be ready to serve.

Gumbo is best served with rice (I don't mean like a gravy type deal—this is a soup! But you often put rice in that soup!) and some french bread, which tastes fucking awesome dipped in that broth.

Gumbo freezes well, and you can also make a big batch of roux ahead and keep it in a jar in your fridge if you want, so it's possible to prep that ahead so you don't spend so long preparing it all in one day. Anyway, there you go! That’s Benny’s chicken and sausage gumbo!

[letters-to-rosie]

the glorified mac & cheese recipe

okay so I asked if anyone wanted the recipe for the pasta I had Powder making in chapter 25 and people said yes

this is also more of a process than a strict recipe (do I look like the kind of person who measures things while cooking. we all know the answer to this)

this recipe is also not at all halal, kosher, or friendly to plant-based diets, but you can easily swap the meats out for other things or use vegan cheese to suit your dietary needs. should still taste pretty good.

first things first, get a pot and a really big pan. or a wok if you have one. the point is that you want a regular pot to cook your pasta in, and you want a bigger one to cook the meat and vegetables in. you'll combine the pasta with the meat and veggies in the big pot with the cheese at the end. there are reasons for this. just trust me

go ahead and salt your water and get it to a boil so you can cook your pasta of choice. the kind doesn't really matter. follow your heart. I do recommend a smaller one though over something long like spaghetti

the next thing is to get the frozen shrimp out (I get deveined and peeled ones because who can be bothered, but once again I suggest you follow your heart). put these in the big pan with water, oil, garlic, onion, thyme, and anything you might want for kick. I cut my shrimp into thirds as they thaw, which makes for a better distribution of meat in the final dish. how much you wanna cook will depend on how many people you're cooking for and so on, but it's probably gonna be less than you expect because if you cut it up it'll go a long way.

now you wanna get the bacon and put it in the same pan and cut it up. if this is too much going on at once, it's okay to cook on low heat and add a little more water to the pan to slow down the cooking process. you don't wanna burn your spices. anyway, I usually get a couple strips and just cut them into little pieces

next you wanna add your vegetables. I like to put red onion in there, and also a ton of spinach. if you do fresh spinach, you can put it in later down the line, but if you do frozen this is the time. mix everything up and your house should be smelling good

if your pasta isn't done by this point, let it finish, and then dump it into the pan with the meat and veggies. now add cheese. measure with your heart. (edit: I use mozzarella but lots of cheeses would probably be good) here, you wanna add more seasonings. also throw on some cajun seasoning if you have some, or some red pepper flakes.

tadaaaaaaaaaa

now you don't have regular mac & cheese; you have glorified mac & cheese

[eazy-group]

Campfire Cooking: Easy Recipes, Cooking Techniques & Tips

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Campfire Cooking: Easy Recipes, Cooking Techniques & Tips

There are so many methods to make awesome camping food. When you want to add the most excitement to meal creation, you have to choose campfire cooking! Not only do you end up with yummy culinary creations, you get to build, maintain and relax near a crackling fire with mesmerizing dancing flames too.

Psst we’re compensated…see our disclosures.

Our Most Popular Campfire Recipes

We have tons of campfire recipes to inspire you to make awesome campfire meals. Here are some of our most popular ideas.

1. Campfire Corn On The Cob

Campfire Corn On The Cob by CampingForFoodies

Nothing is better than campfire grilled corn on the cob in the summer! It is easy, fun and delicious! You cook it in the husk on a campfire grill grate directly over the coals in your fire pit.

2. Pie Iron French Toast

Pie Iron French Toast Recipe by CampingForFoodies

Dip you bread into a simple egg mixture and cook it in your pie iron over hot campfire coals. This breakfast is a real crowd pleaser.

3. Campfire Stew

After beef chuck roast simmers over low heat you can cut it with a butter knife. We use bacon, vegetables including potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and, dried herbs like rosemary, parsley, thyme to create amazing flavor in this fork-tender stew.

4. Bacon Wrapped Grilled Cheese

Bacon Wrapped Grilled Cheese by CampingForFoodies

You can make this sandwich using a cast iron skillet or griddle. Watch our VIDEO to see how easy it is to create this indulgent meal.

6. Chicken Souvlaki Pitas

Chicken Souvlaki Pita Recipe by CampingForFoodies

After marinating chicken pieces you can thread them onto skewers or just grill them over grates to make these Mediterranean chicken gyro sandwiches.

10. 4 Ingredient Banana Pancakes

4 Ingredient Banana Pancakes by CampingForFoodies

These simple pancakes are almost as easy as opening a bag of trail mix for breakfast. From start to finish, they’ll be on your table in 15 minutes, so, you can just leave the trail mix for your hike! Check out all of our delicious and easy camping breakfast ideas.

11. Campfire Donuts

Powdered Sugar & Cinnamon Sugar Campfire Donuts And Doughnut Holes by CampingForFoodies

Refrigerator biscuit dough is the secret to making these amazingly tasty fresh donuts in just minutes.

12. Rich & Creamy Campfire Hot Cocoa

Ditch the pre-made powder if you want a special treat! Cool weather camping experiences don’t feel complete without a warm cup of hot chocolate and this one is velvety smooth.

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Foil Packet Meals

Aluminum foil can be your best friend in the great outdoors when you want terrific meals without a pile of dirty dishes to wash. One of the most popular methods of camp fire cooking is using foil packets. The cleanup is almost non-existent too! Try all of our campfire meals in foil, here are a few of our favorites.

15. Shrimp And Asparagus Foil Packs

Shrimp And Asparagus Foil Packs by CampingForFoodies

This is a sort-of fancy meal made with simple ingredients. Shrimp and asparagus are flavored with a little white wine (or chicken broth), Cajun seasoning, garlic, butter, salt and black pepper to create a delicious 20-minute meal.

16. Campfire Chili Cheese Fries

Campfire Chili Cheese Fries by CampingForFoodies

Frozen fries never tasted so good! And, you won’t believe how easy it is to make them!

Dutch Oven Recipes

Dutch Oven Camping Recipes: Looking for easy and tasty Dutch oven recipes? We’ve got loads of them!

17. Dutch Oven French Toast

You don’t have to make individual slices of French toast if you make this casserole version.

18. Mac And Cheese

Dutch Oven Mac And Cheese Camping Recipe by CampingForFoodies

This ooey, gooey, cheesy hot dish is great when served with a simple grilled meat.

19. Dutch Oven Campfire Goulash

Dutch Oven Goulash by CampingForFoodies

Try this goulash if you want yummy comfort food. If you like campfire cooking in the summer, you’ll LOVE winter campfire cooking! You stay warm and cook your meals all at the same time. Check out our favorite winter camping recipes for your next cold-weather menu plan.

20. One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken One Pot Camping Pasta by CampingForFoodies

This easy meal starts with pre-cooked chicken and combines it with pasta, fire roasted tomatoes and cream cheese that is all cooked together. Check out all of our awesome one pot camping meals.

Camping Desserts

Your outdoor vacation won’t be complete unless you indulge in a few yummy camping desserts.

21. Campfire Smores Recipes

You can’t cook over a campfire without having s’mores for dessert at least once during your trip! You can certainly enjoy the traditional toasted marshmallow sandwiched between two graham crackers with a chocolate bar. But, why not get creative with ingredients like caramel sauce, berries, white chocolate coconut candy bars, fruit and different types of cookies? We’ve put a twist on these classic sweet treats that kids and adults will love!

24. Blueberry Cobbler

Campfire Dutch Oven Blueberry Cobbler by CampingForFoodies

When blueberries are in season, THIS is the dessert you need to make!

25. Chocolate Lava Dutch Oven Cakes

Dutch Oven Chocolate Lava Cakes by CampingForFoodies

These little individual cakes are baked in cupcake liners. That keeps them moist and easy to serve.

Campfire Cooking Techniques

We love cooking over campfires so much, we have tons of resources to help you master the art of cooking over a fire.

Dutch Oven Temperature Chart: Knowing how many coals to use and where to place them is super important, especially if you are baking things like … Mountain Man Breakfasts, Dutch Oven Pizzas, breads, cakes and pies!

Dutch Oven Camp Cooking Tips: You can test your knowledge in this post with questions like:

How much heat comes from a coal?

Do ashes add or reduce heat?

Where should you place coals?

What size Dutch oven should you use?

Should you use a standard depth or deep Dutch oven?

What type of wood is best for campfire cooking?

Campfire Cooking Tips: Learn the best campfire cooking techniques including:

Efficient campfire cooking setups

Getting maximum flavor from your food

Open campfire heat control

How to cook in windy conditions and more

Campfire Cooking Equipment: When you have the right campfire cooking gear, you instantly become a wilderness chef! See our top picks for:

Over fire grills

Griddles, Dutch ovens and pans

Dutch oven accessories

Cooking on sticks and more

How To Start A Campfire: You can’t cook over a campfire unless you know how to start one! Learn the most efficient way to start a fire for:

Cooking

Warmth

Relaxation

Rescue

Best Fire Starters: These tips will help you start your campfire even in the roughest weather conditions.

How Much Firewood Do I Need For Camping: Do you know how much wood you’ll need for your entire trip? Consider these factors:

Length of trip

Weather

Type of fire (including fires for cooking)

Size of pieces

Firewood type

Camping wood’s moisture content

Best Dutch Oven For Camping: Most campers who cook over campfires like the durability of cast iron Dutch ovens. We have tips to help you choose the best Dutch oven for your type of camping and cooking!

How To Use A Dutch Oven: Cast iron Dutch ovens are the cooking vessel of choice for many campfire chefs. Learn how to use them like the pros do! Learn about:

Regular vs deep Dutch ovens

Different types of cooking methods

Baking

Roasting

Simmering & Stewing

Frying & Boiling

Cooking utensils

Cast iron cookware care

Dutch Oven Accessories: Add a few essential Dutch oven accessories to your camp kitchen gear for simple and efficient:

Transportation

Storage

Cooking

Cleaning

Lodge Dutch Oven Accessories: Lodge is a favorite brand when it comes to campfire cooking. They have a great line of accessories that make cooking and cleanup simple.

Camping Food Storage Ideas & Handling Tips: You want to start and finish your campfire meal with smiles on faces! Keep your camping clan healthy with proper food handling techniques.

FREE Printable Menu Planner

Source

[heyitssmiller]

Chop It Like It’s Hot

Chapter 10: You’re Shrimp-ly Amazing

This is it! We’ve officially reached the end of this story! Thank you so much to everyone who’s read and kept up with this - I really hope you enjoyed all the cooking and pining and fluff. @lumosinlove Thank you for letting me run away with your characters and go completely overboard! You’ve created such wonderful characters that I can’t help but want to write about <3

Tag List:  @peanut-in-the-goal @whataboutmyfries @raxelle-nite-in-gale @heyoitslysso @spookydiyharrypotterbat

Masterlist for Chop It Like It’s Hot

.

Leo stopped in front of Logan and Finn’s apartment door and fished his keys out of his pocket, flipping through them until he found the key to their door - he had a key now. 

He had barely opened the door before he was tackled by both of his boys.

“Peanut butter.” Finn said happily, face buried in Leo’s chest.

Logan looked up at him with bright, happy eyes that were crinkling at the corners. “God, we missed you.”

Leo smiled excitedly and let them lead him inside the apartment. “Missed you - mmph.” He stopped talking as Logan surged up and kissed him, cradling his jaw in a calloused hand. Leo felt the tension leave his shoulders and kissed back, hands on Logan’s waist and sneaking underneath his sweatshirt. When he finally had the air to breathe, he finished his sentence. “Missed you too.”

“Stop being a Leo hog.” Finn grumbled good-naturedly, stepping in to give Leo a long, lingering kiss that left him speechless.

“Welcome ho – I mean, welcome back.” Finn said. “We made dinner. And before you make that face, it’s a recipe from Celeste. We even called her while cooking to make sure we were doing everything right.”

I love you two.

Leo didn’t say it out loud – none of them had. But hopefully soon. Instead he said, “Sounds perfect. What’s for dinner?”

“Hey, y’all, and welcome back to Cajun Cooking! A lot of people have requested that I do this recipe, so today we’re making shrimp etouffee. This is a Louisiana classic and there are a lot of different recipes out there but this is my mama’s recipe, so it’s very authentic. You can also use crawfish in this recipe, but mama always used shrimp because she knew a shrimp fisherman and could get a better deal.” Leo smiled at the camera set up in the kitchen, then looked over to his boys.

“Today we’ve got some familiar faces here to be my sous chefs for the day and help me out. If you watched the last season of Worst Cooks, then you’ll definitely recognize them.”

Logan and Finn stepped into view. Logan waved awkwardly while Finn gave the camera a mock salute. “Sup.”

“So first, we’ve got to start with preparing our fresh shrimp.” Leo said, holding up a shrimp that hadn’t been deconstructed yet. Finn made a disgusted face at it. “Start by grabbing your shrimp and just take the head off. You should feel where the head ends and the rest of the shrimp begins, so just grab there and pull.”

Logan and Finn shared a look of mild horror. Leo, like always, was unfazed.

“Next, hold where the legs are and peel back on the outer shell until you’re left with the soft shrimp meat on the inside. The legs should come off at the same time, too. Now be sure to save those shells! We’re going to use it for the shrimp stock later on. Make sure you pull the tail off, too.” He looked over at the other two. “Sound good?”

“Um…”

“It’s not so bad. I’ll do it with you.” Leo slowly showed them how to do it again, then motioned for them to get started.

“These look so gross.” Finn said, hesitantly holding a shrimp by the tail. Logan smirked and grabbed a shrimp before slowly bringing it closer to Finn’s face, those beady little eyes staring into his soul. Finn shrieked and scrambled backwards while Logan and Leo laughed.

They all got started on preparing the shrimp. Leo still did over half of the work, but he got to watch the other two grimace and flinch as they worked, which was pretty entertaining.

“While they’re finishing up, I’m going to show you a quick and easy way to devein shrimp.” Leo said, grabbing a de-shelled shrimp. “Start by making a slit along the middle of the back with a small knife and pull the dark vein out. Most people just rinse the shrimp under cold water to clean them, but sometimes this isn’t enough to completely clean the shrimp. In Japanese cooking, they actually clean shrimp with potato starch. The potato starch absorbs the smell and dirty particles from shrimp really well, so that’s what I usually do. Just grab some potato starch and rub it all over the shrimp and then rinse it all off. See how dirty the starch gets as you scrub the shrimp? That’s some clean shrimp right there.”

Leo looked over at his boys, smiling softly as they meticulously deveined shrimp. “How are we doing, sous chefs?”

“No one told me that shrimp shells can be sharp.” Logan said, sending him a playful glare. “Also, these are really gross.”

“But it’s going to taste so good.” Leo cajoled with puppy dog eyes that were proven to consistently work on Finn and Logan. Logan sighed, lips twitching as he fought a smile while Finn just melted.

They all got back to work deveining and cleaning shrimp until they were all done.

“Next we’re going to make our shrimp stock. If you guys could chop half of an onion, celery, and two garlic cloves, that would be great.”

Logan grabbed the vegetables while Finn grabbed two knives.

“And please don’t cut yourselves.” Leo hastily added with a grimace. “I taught you knife-handling, please tell me you haven’t forgotten it.”

Logan leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You worry too much, baby.” Then his eyes widened and he glanced at the camera guiltily. “Shit. We can edit that out, if you want.”

Leo didn’t even have to think about it. He reached over and tangled his fingers with Logan’s. “I’m fine with it if you are.” He glanced over at Finn, who had stopped chopping his onion and was looking at them with teary eyes. “Finn?”

“One of these days,” He said with a laugh, “I’m gonna make the onions cry.”

The other two laughed with him, shuffling over to hug him. Logan reached up and wiped away the tears. “You’re ridiculous.”

Finn shrugged. “Yeah. But I’m happy.”

“So are we.” Leo said, unable to contain his smile. “Ready to get back to cooking?”

***

They had invited people over to eat all the shrimp etouffee at Logan and Finn’s apartment after they were done recording. So sure enough, at six o’clock on the dot, there was a loud knock on the door.

“Come on in!” Logan called as Leo added more Tabasco to the pot and Finn watched as people piled into their apartment.

This. This was what he wanted for the rest of his life. His boys next to him and his friends in the living room talking loudly over each other.

This was home.

Dumo, Celeste, and the kids were the last to enter. Dumo made a beeline to the team to try and break up the bickering that had started up while the kids immediately swarmed Logan, clamoring for attention.

Celeste smiled apologetically. “Well, this is chaotic.”

“It’s nice.” Leo said, quickly sampling his dish. “Much better than an empty apartment.”

She hummed sympathetically, resting her arms on the kitchen counter separating them. “I remember that. Having hockey player partners who travel all the time is tough, isn’t it? And to be long distance, too.” She whistled lowly. “Have you considered moving?”

Leo looked over at Logan listening patiently to the kids and Finn washing dishes at the sink and couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. Yeah I have.” He laughed in disbelief. “Is that crazy? We haven’t even known each other for a year.”

She shrugged. “Are you happy?” At Leo’s nod, she continued, “Then who cares if it’s early by society’s standards? I, for one, know those two would be over the moon if you moved in. They pout when you’re gone.”

He laughed fondly. “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”

“Oh! I’ve been meaning to ask you this for weeks now and it just keeps slipping my mind. Could you share your jambalaya recipe? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since you made it.”

“Well…” Leo winced. “It’s actually a family recipe. We don’t want everyone to get their hands on it, you know?”

“I mean, we’ll be practically family soon enough.” Celeste teased. Leo smiled so broadly that those dimples could’ve been seen from space.

“Give me your chocolate cake recipe and it’s a deal.”

Celeste laughed loudly and looked over to Logan, who was shuffling over with Katie clinging tightly to him. “I like this one.”

“Yeah,” Logan agreed. “He’s a keeper.”

“Yo, are we ready to eat yet?” Pots shouted from the living room. “Kasey gets grumpy when he’s hungry.”

“Do not.” Kasey grumbled.

“We’re ready.” Leo called. “Hope you boys like some spice.”

“Even if you think you do, brace yourselves.” Finn added. “Leo’s got a heavy hand with the Tabasco.”

“Because it tastes good on everything.”

Logan squinted at him. “Does it, though?”

“Do you want me to prove it?”

“No.”

***

They arrived at the rink early, still blinking sleep out of their eyes and yawning and leaning into each other for warmth.

“You ready to skate?” Finn asked, leading the way to the equipment room.

“Sure. I’m probably a little rusty, though. I haven’t skated since high school.”

Logan closed the door behind them, giving Leo a curious look. “Why’d you quit?”

Leo sighed. “I was a gay kid in the south. Hockey’s not known for being very accepting even when you live in more tolerant places. But in Louisiana…” He shrugged and grabbed a pair of skates in his size. “It wasn’t worth it, no matter how much I loved to play.” Looking at their sad expressions, he hurried to continue, “But it’s fine. I don’t regret it. I found where I was supposed to be, and I love what I’m doing. And I wouldn’t have met y’all if I hadn’t gone to culinary school.”

“It’s still not fair.”

“No,” Leo agreed, moving to stand in front of Logan. “But now kids in the same situation have you two and Cap to look up to. And that makes a world of difference. Now, are we going to skate or not?”

Logan and Finn lead him to the locker room, where they grabbed their own skates, and then down the tunnel to the ice. They all laced up their skates and glided out onto the ice.

“See? Not too rusty.” Logan said, leaning forward to look at Leo on the other side of Finn. “I’m sure you’ll do fine at family skate.”

“Thanks for inviting me, by the way.” Leo said, quickly adding, “It’s just… I know we haven’t been together all that long, but y’all mean so much to me, so being able to get to know your friends and family is –” 

He trailed off as Finn skated in close and kissed him oh-so-gently before leaning back and running his hand tenderly through the gray tuft of hair at his forehead.

“I love you, Peanut.”

Leo sucked in a breath and stared at him.

“We love you.” Logan amended, joining their little huddle.

Leo smiled softly, his heart feeling like it was overflowing. He grabbed both of their hands in his. “I love you, too. God, I love you so much, you have no idea. I’m so glad you two got signed up for that show.”

“Dumo and Celeste, the accidental matchmakers.”

Finn grinned. “We should bake them a cake.”

“We can do that.” Leo agreed. “We’ve got nothing but time.”

And with that exciting new prospect they continued their skate across the ice, hand in hand.

[theonlyjourneythatmatters]

Another day, another pound

So I know I said I was going to post yesterday, but I had a very long day and I was tired, so I didn't feel like it. I've struggled this week with motivation and energy and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of this heat- I don't know.

But with that said, I'm here now. And I've learned a few things! As I've said before, I am no expert and do not claim to be. I just know what's been working for me and that I can share that knowledge and experience with ya'll. So here we go.

What I learned this week:

It's better to get your bulk calories in at the beginning of the day. Breakfast should be your heaviest calorie meal. If you prefer a light breakfast, then focus your calories at lunch. This is because you're more likely to work off those calories during the day than you are at night after dinner. I know a lot of people prefer a heavy dinner- but this is a major reason why that weight doesn't come off like you want it to. You're not burning off those dinner calories!

Everything you do burns calories. Well, I didn't JUST learn this- I've known this. But for some reason, it didn't click! So don't think ONLY strenuous exercise will help you burn calories. Of course, exercise will help you burn them faster in a shorter amount of time, but if you can't get to the gym every day, you're still burning calories.

My apple watch tracks everything. I wear it from the time I get up in the morning til I'm ready to lay down for the night. And what's better than counting my steps? It counts the calories burned, too! Adding this at the end of the night helps me keep a better estimate of what I've taken in vs put out for the day for calories. Do yourself a favor- invest in something that keeps track of that (watch, fitbit, etc). It is well worth the money especially for weight loss.

Sundays are for meal-prep!!!

I meal prep for the following week(s) on Sundays. I typically prep every other Sunday for my work lunches. I do -not- meal prep for dinners.

Every Sunday, I prep my snacks for the week (usually strawberries and blue berries). If there's a new item I want to eat, I'll prep that up as well. Today, I wanted to add cabbage soup to the work lunch mix. SO, that's what I did. I made it in the instant pot, so this is the instant pot recipe- but this can be adapted for a regular stove top. I included pictures for reference so ya'll can see the sizes.

I also decided to meal-prep some breakfast; which I do not normally do. But the meal replacement shakes don't seem to be working as well as they had been previously, so I'm going to retire them for a bit.

Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

2 heads cabbage, medium; chopped in large chunks

3 pieces of thick sliced bacon (I used Great Value brand); chopped and cooked

1 15oz can tomato sauce (Great Value)

1 bag Premium matchstick carrots (Bolthouse Farms- 3.5 oz bag)

1 sweet Vidalia onion, medium size; chopped in small pieces

1 tbsp. of the following: course sea salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Slap ya Mama Cajun seasoning (or Tony Cacheres- I like my soup to have a bit of a kick, but you can decrease or increase this amount to suit your tastes)

7 cups water (divided- explained in steps)

Directions:

Put the instant pot on sauté and set for 20 minutes. Chop the 3 pieces of bacon into bite sized pieces and begin to cook them until brown. (I cooked mine a little longer so the crisp wasn't completely lost in the soup)

While the bacon is cooking, start cutting up both heads of cabbage. Cut them into 1-1 & 1/2 inch chunks after removing the core. Set aside in large bowl.

Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, add 1/2 cup of water to "deglaze" the pot. This gets up all of that stuck-to-the-bottom flavor that you need. DO NOT DRAIN THE BACON. We need the grease.

Begin to add the cabbage a hand full at a time, making sure it mixes with the water and bacon pieces. Allow each batch to wilt down some before adding the next batch. Continue with the cabbage until it's all incorporated. Once complete, add 1/2 cup of water.

Add the carrots and mix with the cabbage and bacon mixture.

Add all of your seasonings into 1 cup of water and pour over the top of the cabbage. You can mix it now if you want to, or you can wait.

Set the instant pot to pressure cook, and set for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes is passed, allow the pot to Natural Release for another 10 minutes. After the Natural Release is done, use the manual release. * NOTE: this is a dish with a good amount of liquid. Use a potholder to dish towel to put over the valve when you do the manual release to avoid any splattering liquids.

Once the pressure is released, stir the soup and taste test it. Add any seasonings you feel like it may need.

Chop the onion into small pieces and add it to the soup. Add the entire can of tomato soup, and 5 more cups of water. Stir well. Pressure cook for another 2 minutes and allow to Natural Release for another 10 minutes. Give it one last stir and taste test, and enjoy!

Step one: Sauté the bacon. Ya'll see all that bacony flavored goodness stuck to the bottom?? We WANT that.

Step two: Cut the cabbage. Size isn't that important- but you do want bigger pieces as cabbage likes to shrink!

Step Four & Five: Mix the cabbage and carrots and allow to wilt a little bit

Finished product: big bowl of deliciousness

This recipe yields 20 cups of soup, which is 10 full servings. There are 48 calories and and 4.8g of proteins in a single cup of soup- but I recommend 2 cups being the serving size.

*This recipe can be changed to fit your specific needs. I do not add meat to mine other than the bacon, but you can add chicken, stew meat, etc. You can also add different veggies. I sometimes add canned diced tomatoes but I didn't have any today. Just be mindful of the added calories and adjust the recipe to reflect that (especially if you're using a calorie counter that allows you to create customized meals).

I got 6 meals out of it (would have been the full 10 but I only had 6 available soup bowls); my husband and I had a bowl each, and so did my son. There was some left but no one wanted it so it got thrown out. It was delicious and filling. And the best part? SUPER low on calories! Most soups are; and I will be adding more to my blog as I make them! I make a knock-off Olive Garden Zuppa Toscano, so that might be my next endeavor!

Breakfast:

For this meal-prep, I used eggs, Conecuh sausage links, bacon (same as the one I used for the soup), and sausage patties.

Breakfast # 1: Scrambled eggs, thick sliced bacon, and Conecuh sausage

Ingredients

2 eggs, scrambled

1 tsp butter (I used Country Crock Churn Style)

1 tsp shredded cheese (I used shredded Colby and Monterey jack Great Value brand)

1 oz Conecuh sausage (you can use any type of sausage- I just prefer this brand)

1.5 slices of thick cut bacon (Great Value brand)

Course sea salt

Ground black pepper

Directions

Make 2 eggs, scrambled with butter and whatever seasonings of your choice

Add the cheese to the eggs when they're almost done cooking

Cook the bacon in the air fryer for 6 minutes (time varies depending on how crispy you like your bacon)

Cook the Conecuh in the air fryer for 7 minutes

Put the eggs in to a freezer-safe bowl

Cut the Conecuh and bacon into smaller pieces and put on top

Freeze

This recipe yields 1 full serving. It has 295 calories and 20.5 grams of protein.

Breakfast 2: Scrambled eggs, Conecuh sausage, and sausage patties

Ingredients

eggs, scrambled

1 tsp butter (I used Country Crock Churn Style)

1 tsp shredded cheese (I used shredded Colby and Monterey jack Great Value brand)

2 sausage patties (I used Tennessee Pride)

1 oz Conecuh sausage (any brand, this one is just my preference)

Course sea salt

Ground black pepper

Directions

Make 2 eggs, scrambled with butter and whatever seasonings of your choice

Add the cheese to the eggs when the eggs are almost done cooking

Cook the sausage patties in the air fryer for 8 minutes or until cooked through

Cook the Conecuh in the air fryer for 7 minutes

Put the eggs in to a freezer-safe bowl

Cut the Conecuh and sausage patties into smaller pieces and put on top

Freeze

This recipe yields 1 full serving. It has 481 calories and 29.6g of protein.

But enough of the recipes......

Like I stated previously, it's important to get the bulk of your calories during the day so you have the opportunity to burn them off. I've just been walking. I walk at work, I walk around the house- when I shop, that's when I get a lot of steps in.

Granted, walking doesn't burn a lot of calories. However, if you have your tracker on, throughout the entire day, you'll have burned at least 1 full meal off. It is also especially important to stay hydrated. Water no only helps with cutting down muscle pain (when you exercise), drinking a full 8 oz of water before each meal and after can help you feel fuller faster, and feel fuller longer.

I purchased a QuiFit 1 Gallon Water Bottle from Amazon. It arrived today and I plan to use it at work. I have the worst time drinking enough at work. The water from the sink tastes funny. We have a fountain that fills water bottles, but and don't always remember to bring a bottle of water that I can refill later. The simplest solution was to buy a water bottle and keep it at work.

I think that's all for today, guys. I have school work to do! I'll make a post later next week (unless something cool happens before then that I need to mention) that details what types of foods I eat for dinner since I do not meal prep those.

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

XOXO, Lauren <3

[fanfoolishness]

Home Cooking (SUF)

(Fluff and angst in nearly equal measure, Connverse, 8800 words. Set between Little Graduation and Prickly Pair.  Steven experiments with home cooking and decides to share his creation with the Maheswaran family, but he finds himself getting unexpectedly emotional.  Many thanks to @honestlyhufflepuff and @followerofmercy for help bouncing ideas around, and @taikova, whose tweet about the sadness of Together Breakfast is briefly referenced here.)

*************

Steven shuffled aimlessly down the aisles of Beach City’s small organic grocery store, his shoulders nearly brushing against the wares more than once in the cramped space.  Grocery shopping was one of the few errands that got him out of the house these days.  He supposed he should be grateful for that, at least.

He paused in the freezer aisle, wrinkling his nose as he looked at the lean selection of vegetarian options.  He was getting sick of the macaroni, even though it came in three flavors, and he hadn’t been impressed with the tortellini or the enchiladas.  They always seemed to come out mealy and weird when heated.

He left the microwave dinners in the freezer case, wondering what else he should get.  He’d already loaded up on a few packs of protein shakes.  He wandered into the spice section and noted a hand-written recipe card under some Cajun seasonings.  He looked it over for a moment, raising his eyebrows, then took a picture of it with his phone.  

He nodded to himself.  He pulled a few things into his basket, then wandered back into the loaded produce section, piling peppers, celery, onion, okra, and garlic on top of the spices.  

“Why not?” he murmured, and headed to check out.  The worst that could happen was that he might ruin it, and messing up dinner sounded a lot less intimidating than some of the other mistakes he could make.

***

It had been a long time since Steven had properly cooked anything, and he was starting to realize it.

He did mess up in a few ways.  Nicked himself badly, his eyes burning as he tried to cut the onion. He kissed his hand to heal it and tossed the bloodied knife into the sink, reaching for another one.  Luckily the onion remained unscathed.

He was fine with chopping the okra, celery and peppers, getting into a steady rhythm.  He julienned them first, then diced the resulting strips until he had piles of colorful, slightly unevenly chopped vegetables.  The garlic was tricky, but he was more careful this time, using a smaller knife.  His tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he focused.  

The roux almost stymied him.  It took three attempts before he stopped burning the flour and creating a sludgy black mess in the bottom of the pan.  He summoned his shield to fan away the smell out the front door, grumbling to himself.

But he’d come this far, hadn’t he?  The fourth attempt with the roux was okay.  He had been tempted to give up and order another cheese pizza, but he was determined now.  What else was he going to do with the vegetables he’d bought if he gave up now?  He stirred the roux carefully, brow furrowed in concentration as he added more ingredients and allowed them to simmer.

It smelled so good.  So different, too, from the greasy smell of pizza, the clean scent of tea, the dull lifelessness of protein bars.  He really had been eating just to eat, hadn’t he?  The kitchen hadn’t smelled this good in months.

He half wanted to text the Gems and ask them to try it with him, but he felt a little uneasy at the idea.  They weren’t talking much these days; Steven spent most of his time working on his plants in the greenhouse, now that he’d left Little Homeschool, and the Gems were working hard to pick up his slack.  They mostly saw each other in vague elliptical orbits these days, a hello from one of them running into a goodbye from another.  He wasn’t sure how to fit back in with them again.  Maybe he was just going through a phase.  He stirred the pot, taking care to keep the vegetables from burning.

Besides, food wasn’t exactly the Gems’ thing.  Garnet only ate occasionally, mostly at Steven’s request.  Pearl would share a cup of tea with him once a month or so, though he knew she still didn’t actually care for it; tea was just the least offensive thing she had discovered in the entire lexicon of human foods and drinks.  Amethyst would readily eat both the food and the spoon as well, but he didn’t exactly trust her judgment when it came to fine dining.  Yesterday he’d seen her eating dry ramen in the wrapper  with chocolate and motor oil.  

He thought about inviting Dad over for dinner.  But lately things had been kind of weird with Dad, too.  Steven knew he was still having a hard time adjusting to losing his hair and being attacked, but he wondered if there was more to it than that.  He also kept trying to ask Steven questions that made him uncomfortable, questions about plans and the future and how he was doing, and Steven wasn’t sure he was up for it right now.  He let out a long breath.

His phone buzzed.  Hi you! What are you up to? Connie asked.  

He mentally kicked himself.  Of course, it was a Saturday.  Connie actually had a little time to hang out some weekends.  Why hadn’t he asked her to do something earlier?  Too wrapped up in his own head, he supposed.

Trying out a new recipe.  It’s hard.  I burned it three times already, but I think this time is the winner.  It smells awesome.  He sent her a picture, having to try twice because steam from the dish clouded the first shot.

That looks amazing!  Wish I could try it.  Actually, I’m getting hungry just looking at it!

He gulped, fingers firing off a reply before he could stop himself.  Want me to bring you some?

The phone buzzed again.  That sounds like a great idea!  But I told my parents I’d hang out with them tonight.  Dad found a new strategy game and he thinks he can take out my mom, but he doesn’t know how badly she’s going to stomp him.  My mom gets really competitive.  It’s gonna be hilarious.

He considered.  Well, there’s a huge pot of this vegetarian gumbo.  I could make some rice, and we could all share?

Let me check! 

He paced back and forth with his phone in his hand, hoping to feel a familiar vibration. He gave the gumbo a stir, then nodded.  It looked like the recipe had said it would, three hours after starting it.  He dipped in a tablespoon and brought out a steaming spoonful, blowing on it gently, then swallowed a bite.

Oh.

“That’s… that’s really good,” he croaked to the empty dining room.  Tears pricked his eyes unexpectedly.  He tasted garlic and pepper, heat and spice. He felt warmer than he had all week, a warmth that had nothing to do with his jacket or the temperature outside.  It seemed to fill him up from his chest and belly outward.  How was food this powerful?

His phone buzzed.  He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and read Connie’s reply, and his face spread into a smile. 

They’d love that!  Come by as soon as you can!  Miss you <3

***

Steven rocked back and forth on his heels, standing on the Maheswarans’ doorstep, the food carefully nestled in his largest grocery bag.  He could feel the heat radiating through the cloth bag against his leg.  He rang the doorbell, his stomach flip-flopping as he did so.

She asked you to come, he reminded himself.  Yet he was seized with a sudden fear that the Maheswarans were just being polite, that Connie must have talked them into pitying him, that they didn’t actually want him around --

The door opened.  Doug Maheswaran grinned at him, looking comfortable and relaxed, no trace of pity in his warm eyes.  “Young Universe!  Good to see you.  Wow, have you grown again?  It’s been too long.  Come in, come in.”  Doug reached out and took the bag of food from Steven.  “Thank you for bringing dinner, it smells delicious. Saves me from having to come up with something!”

Steven blinked, slightly overwhelmed by the sheer force of Doug’s cheeriness.  “Hi, Mr. Maheswaran, you’re welcome!  Um, well, it made a much bigger batch than I thought it would, so it seemed silly for me to try to eat it all on my own…”

“Doug, for heaven’s sake, let the poor boy get inside before you badger him to death,” Dr. Maheswaran called from the dining room.  Steven peeked around Doug, hoping for a glimpse of--  “Connie!  Steven’s here, come on down.”

A barrelling of footsteps down the stairs, and Connie burst into the living room, grinning all over.  “Steven!”  She wore a shirt he hadn’t seen before on her, a pretty purple one with little white polka dots.  Her hair fell in loose waves around her face.  He fought a burst of giddiness.

“Connie!”  

Steven grinned back at her.  Normally they’d go for a full-on, leap-in-the-air style hug upon seeing each other again, but he held out his hand for a stiff handshake instead, conscious of Doug still standing a few feet away and Priyanka leaning into the doorway between the living room and dining room.  

Connie batted his outstretched hand aside and hugged him anyway.  He closed his eyes, her hair soft against his cheek, and held her for just a moment before she pulled back.  She was still taller than him by a good inch or two, but hadn’t grown since the last time he’d seen her.  Good. It hadn’t been too long, then.

“It’s, um, good to see you,” he breathed.

“Likewise,” she said, blushing.

Doug coughed delicately.  “All right, you two.  Come on, let’s get dinner set up before it gets cold.”

Steven followed Doug toward the dining room, but couldn’t help but take the opportunity to grab Connie’s hand and squeeze it, for just a moment, before letting it fall.  “You’re sure they’re okay hanging out with me?” he whispered to her.

She gave him a sweet smile. “Of course they are.  My parents love you, Steven.”

He chuckled, his nerves catching up to him.  “Are you sure?  I’m surprised they don’t think I’m a bad influence on you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of being a bad influence on myself, Steven,” said Connie loftily.  “Don’t flatter yourself.”  She winked.

They entered the dining room, where the table was already set.  He could see into their small kitchen through the propped open door, where Doug was already putting the rice and gumbo into serving dishes.  

Priyanka pulled glasses down from the shelf.  “It’s good to see you, Steven,” she said with a faint smile.  “This is so thoughtful of you.  Thank you.”

“Oh, uh, no thought at all, really,” blustered Steven. “I just was trying out something new and thought it would be nice to share it.”

“Were your father and the Gems busy?” Priyanka asked, opening the refrigerator.  “Water, or iced tea?”

Steven glanced at Connie, who caught the look on his face.  “The Gems are pretty busy these days, Mom,” said Connie.  “And they don’t have to eat, remember?  Iced tea for me, please.”

Doug laughed. “Oh, yes, I remember now.  It was very nice of them to try that time we went out to dinner.”  He set out the serving dishes on the table, faint wisps of steam still rising from the gumbo and rice.  

“And Dad… doesn’t like Cajun food,” said Steven quickly.  “Iced tea would be great.”

Priyanka gave Steven an odd look, but brought out their drinks without further questions.  “Well, I’m excited to try this. Connie tells us you’re an excellent cook.”

“Aw Connie, come on.”

“You are!” said Connie, sitting down at the table.  Steven sat beside her, and Doug and Priyanka took the seats across from them.  “I mean, I know you don’t cook fancy things all the time, but when you do, they’re always really good.”  Steven’s ears burned.

Doug doled out portions to each shallow bowl, setting out a scoop of white rice on each dish, followed by a full ladle of gumbo and a sprinkle of chopped green onions.  The gumbo was rich and reddish, thick-bodied and clinging to the edge of the rice, glorious with the scents of pepper, onion, garlic. Steven peered into his bowl, hoping it tasted as good as he thought it had in his own kitchen.

Priyanka was the first to take a bite.  She chewed thoughtfully, then smiled in satisfaction.  “Steven, that’s quite good.  This is your first time making this?”  He nodded. “Well, color me impressed.”

Steven’s eyes widened.  He knew exactly how much a compliment from Priyanka meant, and he blinked in astonishment.

Beside her, Doug dove in.  “Steven, this is fantastic.  This tastes just like something you’d have visiting the Crawfish State.  Send me the recipe, all right?”

“Sure,” said Steven. “Really?  You -- you guys like it?”

Connie licked her spoon.  “That is insanely good.  What did you put in it?  It’s nice and spicy. Not exactly hot-spicy, but more of an earthiness? It’s delicious.”

“I just followed the recipe,” he said, shrugging and looking from face to face.  They each kept eating, apparently honestly enjoying the food.  He’d known he could cook, he supposed, but it was different sharing that with people besides himself.  He felt a sudden stab of sympathy for Lars being nervous to share his ube roll cake, back before when Lars still worked at the Big Donut. 

But Steven had no reason to be nervous, right?  Connie was sitting beside him, relaxed and happily eating his cooking, and her parents both wore warm smiles.  There was something strange and familiar both about this, a scene he’d seen a thousand times on television, a scene he’d tried to recreate at home more times than he could remember.  He tried to imagine Dad and the Gems sitting around the table, each enjoying the meal, laughing together, conversation flowing as easily as breathing.  It seemed both more and less possible than it ever had before.  He watched the Maheswarans, eating and talking together, and he felt hungry in a way that had nothing to do with his food.

“Don’t you want some?” asked Connie, nudging him a little with her elbow. 

“Oh!  Yeah, yeah,” he said, carving out a bite of rice and gumbo.  The whole reason he’d come here!  He popped it into his mouth, heat and spice hitting his tongue, combining with the sharpness of scallion and the comfort of fluffy rice.  He swallowed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Oh. Oh, no.

There it was again, that warmth, a comforting feeling that seemed less about the food than what the food meant.  He blinked, tears starting at the corners of his eyes.  Not here!  Not in front of Connie’s parents!  He stared furiously into the depths of his bowl, willing himself not to cry.  A losing battle.  A tear trickled down his cheek, falling into his food before he could wipe it away.

The conversation fell quiet, and the Maheswarans’ faces shifted from open and relaxed to suddenly worried.

“Steven?  Are you all right?” asked Priyanka, her voice cautious.  Soothing.  He wondered if she saved that voice for her patients.  He’d only rarely heard her use it with Connie.

“Is something wrong?” said Doug.  “It is a little spicy --”

“No!  I’m fine,” Steven muttered, setting down his spoon and rubbing at his face with his right hand. More tears.  Was he bright red?  He felt his cheeks flushing.  “I -- might have put too much garlic in, that’s all --”

He felt Connie’s hand on his left hand, nestled in his lap beneath the table.  She took it in her own and squeezed.  He didn’t trust himself to look at her without crying even more obviously, and that was not what he had come here to do.

She fumbled, trying to come up with something.  “Steven Universe, afraid of a little garlic?” The words were teasing, but the tone was concerned.

He sniffed, straightened up, and let go of her hand.  “You’re right. I’m being silly.”  He took a few more bites, the food as delicious as before, his eyes feeling puffy.  He smiled through it.  “So, Connie said you guys were going to play a new board game?”

“Oh! Yes,” said Doug.  “Now, Priyanka always claims to be above such frivolous things as board games --”

“I do not,” she protested. “Games have a place and purpose, as long as your responsibilities are taken care of first.  Besides, they’re a good way to hone critical thinking skills and --”

“And crush everybody,” Connie supplied.  “Don’t pretend otherwise, Mom, you love being competitive.  How were you surprised at all that I took up swordfighting?”

Priyanka arched an eyebrow.  “Because swordfighting is an archaic form of battle and you were twelve.  But I have to say, I have always admired your determination.”

“She’s the best, isn’t she?” said Steven, finishing another bite.  The comforting warmth in his chest was more manageable now that the topic had changed, and he found himself enjoying what he’d made, something filling, something delicious, something real.  The stinging in his eyes faded.  “She’s always worked so hard.  She’s amazing at swordfighting, and science, and literary analysis -- I mean, the conversations we’ve had about books --”

“Steven!” Connie hissed. “You flatterer!”  She giggled and nudged him again.

“All right, all right,” he laughed.

“I know it’s rough on you two not being able to see each other as often,” said Doug sympathetically.  He ladled a second helping into his scraped-clean bowl.  “What are you up to these days, Steven?  I heard you’ve been busy.”  He dug into his food.

“Hm,” said Steven, pushing a chunk of pepper around in his dish.  What am I up to?  “The school for Homeworld Gems is going well, I guess.  We had our first graduating class.”  Don’t think about the dome.  

He kept babbling, aware that the Maheswarans were looking at him.  “It went really well?  They were all pretty excited to head back out to space and move on.”  The chunk of pepper slid around in circles, aided by his spoon.  “I kinda stepped back from the school, though… I figured the other Gems were the best ones to be in charge.  You know, they actually know what it’s like, trying to adjust to life on Earth without being ruled by anybody.  I… don’t.  At all.”  He shrugged glumly.  “But I hear they’re doing great without me.”

Priyanka looked at Steven, then glanced at Doug, giving him a slight nod.  Doug finished his second portion, letting his spoon rest back in his bowl.

“That’s excellent news about the graduation,” said Priyanka, her voice measured. “You must be proud.  But I know that for me it’s always bittersweet, seeing the interns match to their new residencies and move on.  It does sound like you’ve helped a lot of people.”  She got to her feet and collected her dishes. “Doug, would you please give me a hand with these?”

“Of course, dear,” said Doug, gathering up his own dishes and following her into the kitchen. As soon as the kitchen door closed behind them, Connie turned to Steven, taking his hands in hers.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he said, gazing into her dark eyes.  He reached out, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. 

“Thanks,” she said softly.  “That was bugging me.”

“It was very cute though.  It made your ear look like an elf’s. Just the way it peeked through the hair.”

She smiled, but the action didn’t reach her eyes.  “Are you okay?” 

He looked down at their intertwined fingers.  “Ugh.  You noticed that, huh?”

“Of course I noticed you getting teary at the dinner table, and don’t tell me it was garlic.  You love garlic.  If you hadn’t realized, I know you pretty dang well, Universe.”  

He squeezed her hands.  “I -- I don’t know if you do,” he mumbled.  “I don’t know if anyone does right now.  I feel like I barely know me.”  He gulped past the sudden lump in his throat.

Connie leaned forward until their foreheads touched.  “Isn’t that what being a teenager is all about?”  They were quiet for a moment, their breathing matching.  

“Are you okay, Connie?”

She spoke into the stillness, her words winding, wandering. Wounded.  “I don’t know.  Mostly?  Not completely.”  She shrugged.  

“Come on.  You can tell me.”

“I know, it’s… hard to get started, is all.”  She held tight to his hands.  “I swear, I feel crazy some days.  It’s like I’m normal me, the same as I used to be.  But then there’s this new Connie fighting to form inside me, trying to figure things out, and I don’t understand her.  And in between the two of them, everything is just a mess.  Sometimes I mouth off to my parents and get in trouble, sometimes I just want to cry for no reason, sometimes I just don’t care about school, sometimes I hate everything --”  She squeezed his hands back, much harder than he had squeezed hers.  “Mom says it’s pretty normal for my age, but if that’s the case, this is a stupid age.”  Her eyes shone with sudden tears.

 “That sounds really hard.  And… kind of familiar, actually,” he said in a soft voice.  “I didn’t know you were going through all that.”

“That’s because I didn’t tell you,” she whispered.  “I knew you had your own stuff going on, and I didn’t want to pile on, especially when we don’t get to see each other as much as before.  It’s been weeks!”

“I know,” said Steven miserably.

“But it’s all so frustrating, and I hate not feeling like the me I’ve always been.  It makes everything more difficult.  I have a harder time focusing on my classes, but I need to, because for the first time in my life they’re actually challenging and it’s weird.  I got my first C on a test last quarter, did I tell you?  And sometimes I try talking to friends at school like Jeff or Bri, and that helps with the human stuff, but they don’t understand how much I miss seeing you and the Gems all the time. Especially you.  Because I do miss you, jam bud.”

 “I’m sorry, I should have been around more -- I should have been here for you --”

“Don’t apologize, you dork,” said Connie, wiping her eyes.  “It’s not like it’s your fault.  Sometimes stuff sucks a little and that’s how it is.”  She took a deep breath.  “Now.  Tell me what’s been going on with you.  I went first because I knew you’d feel bad telling me unless I shared my stuff too.”  She leaned back and stuck her tongue out at him.

“So rude,” said Steven, laughing despite himself.  “I guess you do know me pretty well still.  Um, as far as what’s going on with me, I -- I don’t know.  It’s like, everyone’s growing up, you know?  You’re getting ready for college prep stuff, and Lars and the Off Colors went back to space, and Lars, of all people, is… actually mature now.  I think he finally has his head on straight.  And it’s good, but it’s also confusing, because that was never the guy I knew.  And he and Sadie never made it work, and they’re fine with it, and that’s fine, but it just feels weird.”  He bit his lip.  “Did you hear, the Suspects broke up --”

“No!” Connie gasped.  “I heard about it, but I thought it was some sick prank --”

“Right? Me too!  But they all have their own things going on now.  Buck is going to medical school, Jenny’s got a little business going, Sadie has this new partner Shep and they have a totally different sound together… I don’t know.”

“Welcome to the club,” said Connie.  “Why do things have to be so confusing now?  I thought growing up was supposed to make things clearer.  Instead it seems like everything just gets more complicated.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Steven mused.  “I keep thinking, it seems like Beach City is doing fine without me, and so are the Gems, too.  I hardly even see them now.  They’re doing great with Little Homeschool, and I wonder did they even need me at all?  What was I doing, trying to run a school?  I’ve never even been to school!  I was making it all up as I went!”  He huffed in frustration, then continued.  

“I guess I’m glad my schedule’s opening up now, but I haven’t figured out what I should do instead.  I have time to sleep in but I keep waking up in the middle of the night.  I could do music stuff, but I haven’t felt like it in forever.  Lately I’ve been messing with plants, growing them the old-fashioned way, but that doesn’t really feel like anything.”  His voice trailed off.  

“And…”  He hesitated.  He hadn’t told her yet about the dome he accidentally created on graduation night, how he’d nearly hurt everyone. Or what happened in the Reef with Pearl and Volleyball.  He still wasn’t sure how to say that out loud. To anyone. 

“-- and I think my dad is still messed up after what happened with Bluebird,” he said instead.  “He was starting to get more comfortable with Gem stuff, but now he’s not coming over as much.  He doesn’t say it, but I think he’s kind of worried something might happen again.  I am too, I guess.  It honestly scared both of us.”

“I still can’t believe they went after your dad,” said Connie, a glimpse of her warrior side shining in her eyes.  “I know you let them go, but if I’d been there with my sword --”

“There’d have been no stopping you,” he chuckled.  Could they have stopped me? If I hadn’t stopped me?

“So what we do, then?  I’m a mixed up bunch of stupid hormones and you don’t know what to do with your life or your family, and I guess that makes us both at least a little awkward,” said Connie.

“I don’t know,” said Steven honestly.  But not knowing wasn’t as scary with Connie holding his hands.  There was that much, at least, and that was a lot.

The kitchen door swung open and Steven and Connie quickly let go.  He wasn’t sure if holding hands would be frowned upon by the Maheswarans, but didn’t want to find out, either.  “All done with your food?” asked Priyanka.  They nodded.

“That was truly delicious, Steven,” she said.  “Why don’t you help me finish up, Connie, and Steven, you and Doug can set up the game.  That is, if you’d like to stay for it.  You’re certainly welcome to join us.  From what I’ve seen perusing the rules manual, this game is much better balanced with four players than three.”

“Oh, please stay, Steven!” said Connie brightly.  “Maybe we could form an alliance and actually take my mom out for once.”

Priyanka let out a sharp bark of a laugh as Doug took down a board game from the bookshelf behind the dining room table.  “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?”  

“All right, I’ll give it a shot,” said Steven. “But no promises, Connie.  Gemkind has abolished warfare, remember?  Strategy’s not exactly my strong suit.”

“Well, check out the rules and see what we can swing.  You’re going down, Mom,” said Connie.  They retreated, and Steven joined Doug in the living room, where he already had the game out on the coffee table.  Steven sat down beside him on the sofa.  

“Have you played this one, Steven?  It’s called Interstellar Showdown.  It can be collaborative and cooperative… or intensely competitive!”  Doug’s face glowed with anticipation.  “Priyanka always wins no matter what we play, but I’ve been studying strategies for this game on the sly.  Just between you and me, of course.”  He opened the box and started rifling through the instructions.  “Would you mind organizing the pieces for me?”

“Sure,” said Steven.  He held up one of the small transport ships.  “This is actually a pretty close version of some of the Gem ships I’ve seen,” he said.  “Do you think it’s a coincidence?” He grouped the blue pieces across from him, where he guessed Connie would probably sit, and got to work separating the pink pieces from the plastic that held them in place.  

“Hard to say.  What’s that thing Connie was telling me about the other day -- convergent evolution?  Sometimes nature makes things very similar to each other because it’s the best shape for the task, like bird wings and bat wings. I think that’s what she said.  She’s always telling me about interesting things she’s learned in school,” said Doug.

“Me too,” said Steven.  “I never knew our atmosphere was mostly nitrogen-based until Connie told me.  Who knew, right?”

“Right!  Nitrogen’s not the first thing you think of when you think ‘breathable.’  I always thought it was all oxygen, all the time.”  Doug set down the instructions and picked up a deck, tearing off the plastic wrapper. He shuffled the cards, doing both the regular shuffling as well as the bridge where the cards fanned upward.  Steven watched, slightly jealous.  He’d never figured out how to shuffle like that.

“How do you do the bridge thing?” he asked Doug.

“Bridge thing?”  Doug looked down at his hands.  “Oh, with the cards.  It’s not too hard.  You basically do the same shuffling action, but in reverse.  Give it a shot.”  He handed the cards to Steven.

“See, I can do the regular shuffling just fine --”  He demonstrated.  “But then this always happens.”  The cards limply collapsed between his hands, refusing to arc.  “Splat.”

“Try again,” said Doug, pulling out another deck of cards from the box and shuffling them downward.  Slowly he arced them upward, the cards bending into perfect semicircles.  Steven watched his hands closely.

“Okay, let’s see --”  Down shuffle.  He fanned his fingers outward, trying to urge the cards to go up instead of sideways.  They splatted again, and he frowned, mouth twisting.  “I can never get it,” he muttered.

“It’s hard to explain.  I think I had to keep practicing.  And try to change the shape of your hands as you lift the cards.  That’s key,” said Doug.  He shuffled again.

Steven tried it three more times, getting more irritated each time.  The third time the cards fluttered away from him, making a mess and knocking over the pile of pink spaceships.  A few of them skittered onto the floor and Steven flushed, suddenly embarrassed at his own irritation.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he said hastily, picking the pieces back up.

“Hey, it’s fine,” said Doug, picking up a ship he’d missed under the couch.  “No big deal if the bridge doesn’t work out for you.  But if you want to keep trying, we can.”

Steven took a deep breath.  “Okay.”  He tried again, this time flaring out his fingers more widely, driving his thumbs downward as he did.  A few of the cards finally arced, weakly, and he looked in surprise at his own hands.

“See, you’ve got this!”  Doug showed him again, and Steven studied how his fingers curled beneath the cards on the upswing, the angles in relation to the table, how the thumbs moved.

Steven tried again, and this time the arc was actually visible, if not as neat as Doug’s.  “Hey! I’m doing it!”

Doug set his cards down, smiling.  “You just needed a little help.  It’s tricky!”  He clapped Steven on the shoulder, and Steven shuffled the cards once, twice, a third time, smiling.  Doug switched decks with Steven, and Steven shuffled the cards, the action getting smoother with each attempt.  

“Thanks, Mr. Maheswaran.”  

“No problem.”  They went back to punching out spaceship pieces from their plastic frames.  Doug took the white pieces, and Steven took the pink ones, leaving yellow for Priyanka.  

Doug cleared his throat.  “I’m sure you already know this, Steven, but in general, there’s never anything wrong with asking for help.”

Steven’s hands stilled on the plastic spaceships.  “With… shuffling?”

“With anything.”  Doug kept setting out the yellow plastic pieces, one at a time, his hands steady and sure.  “No one knows how to get everything right on the first try.  Sometimes it’s shuffling cards.  Sometimes it’s stuff at home, too.”

Steven’s cheeks flared.  “It -- it was just too much garlic --” he faltered. “I wasn’t --”

“Hey, hey, I’m not trying to put you on the spot, Steven,” said Doug, turning a little to face him directly.  He looked worried, but kind.  “But you’re important to Connie.  And you’re important to Priyanka and me, too.”  He reached out again, and this time instead of a quick clap, his hand rested on Steven’s shoulder.  “If there are things that are worrying you, I know you already have a lot of people in your life you can turn to.  But when I was your age, sometimes the people closest to me were exactly the ones I didn’t feel like I could talk to.  And if you’re ever in a place like that, I want you to know you can talk to me and Priyanka, even if you feel like you can’t talk to Connie or your family.”

Steven looked into his face, then sniffed, reaching up to rub his eyes.  Part of him wasn’t sure what he could possibly say to Mr. Maheswaran.  But part of him felt like he was thawing, a cold layer of fear slowly breaking up and dissolving in parts.  Not completely.  Still, though, the feeling was a good one.  

“Thank you, Mr. Maheswaran.  I -- maybe I will.”  He let out a long breath.  “Though we should probably finish setting up the game.”  But impulsively he leaned forward, and Doug’s hand on his shoulder became a hug, brief and a little clumsy but warming all the same.

“Sounds like a plan, kid,” said Doug, smiling.  His own eyes looked a little watery, or was that a trick of the light?  “Come on, ladies,” Doug called.  “Are we going to defeat you, or what?”

***

They did not, in fact, defeat Priyanka.  Though it was very, very close.  Steven’s Pacifist aliens did form a powerful alliance with Connie’s Warrior race, and Doug’s strategic use of the Zombie aliens constantly stymied them.  But in the end Priyanka’s Virus aliens stood victorious with their colonies towering above the others’, with most of the other players’ ships lost to the warp. 

Priyanka was a restrained, if slightly smug, victor.  “Well,” she said, smiling faintly at her collection of yellow colonies.  “That was certainly tricky.”

“Modest as always,” Doug teased, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly.  “Ahhh, one of these days I’ll get the perfect strategy together.  Maybe.”  He let out a long sigh.  “I thought for sure that last gambit was going to work….”

“My dad, the eternal optimist,” said Connie.  “What’d you think, Steven?  It ended up being a very Gem-like game, didn’t it?”

“Uncannily so,” said Steven.  He was glad he’d managed to draw the Pacifist card at the beginning of the game and could worry more about helping Connie win.  Even in board game form with painted on planets, the idea of colonization couldn’t help but creep him out a little.

Despite that, though, it’d been fun to see Connie with her brow furrowed in concentration, poring over the board to come up with a strategy.  He’d enjoyed Priyanka complimenting him on a particularly clever bit of negotiation, and it had been fun to cheer Doug on with Connie for the final encounter.  “It’d be cool to play again as some of these other alien species.  They all seem to have a special power that breaks the rules just a little bit. It’s a neat game.”

“I wouldn’t say no to a rematch another time,” said Priyanka.  She checked her watch. “But it’s nearly nine o’clock.  Won’t your family be getting worried, Steven?  Beach City’s not exactly down the block.”

Steven met Connie’s eyes.  He knew he’d probably be unable to convince the Maheswarans that it was fine to stay longer, that the Gems hadn’t had the concept of “bedtime” for him in years.  “I hadn’t realized it was getting so late,” said Steven.  “I hope I didn’t intrude on your family time --”

“Not in the slightest,” said Priyanka.  “It’s been a pleasure to have you, Steven. We should do this more often.”

“Besides, you were kind enough to bring over a delicious dinner!” said Doug.  “Don’t forget to send Connie that recipe for me.”

Connie reached out and poked him in the side. “If you don’t remember, he will hound me forever about it,” she warned.  “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, Steven?”

“Of course not,” he laughed.  “Don’t worry. I’ll send it as soon as I get home.”

“Speaking of dinner, there was a little bit left. Let me go package it up for you,” said Doug.  “There’s plenty left for a few more servings.”

Doug and Connie both stood from their seats, and Steven gave Connie a questioning look. “I’m just going to the restroom,” she said.  Steven nodded, and realized he was now alone with Priyanka.

For a moment they didn’t speak, looking at each other from across the game board.  Steven wondered about Doug and Connie both excusing themselves, remembering how long Connie’s parents had taken in the kitchen after dinner. After he’d cried.  His cheeks burned as he put the pieces together.

He cleared his throat.  “Dr. Maheswaran, can I ask you something?”

She blinked, looking as if she had been lost in thought.  “Of course, Steven.”

He looked down at his hands, fingers twisting together.  “Did you and Mr. Maheswaran plan on… giving me a talk?”

“What do you --”

“Mr. Maheswaran talked with me earlier.  He told me I could always talk to you both.”  Steven looked pointedly at his shoes.  “That was planned, wasn’t it?  After I got weird at dinner?”

Priyanka sighed, then rested her elbows on her lap, leaning towards him.  “I suppose I can speak plainly, then.  Yes.  We saw that something seemed to be bothering you, and we didn’t want to leave it unremarked upon in case you needed to reach out.”

Steven blinked in surprise.  He’d fully expected her to deny the whole thing.  It was what the Gems would have done.

“Oh!  You -- I thought so.”

Priyanka smiled ruefully.  “You’re nearly an adult, Steven.  I’m not too surprised you realized.  I hope you don’t think that we’re trying to patronize you.”

Steven stopped twisting his hands and shoved them in his pocket instead, willing them to stay still.  His leg betrayed him by starting up a quiet jitter.  “No, I don’t think that,” he said in a rush.  “At least, not exactly.”  His leg stilled a little, remembering Doug’s quick hug, the way he’d felt like he was thawing.  “It was… really nice, what he said.”

She nodded. “That’s why I asked Doug to talk to you, instead of talking to you myself.  He’s far more approachable than I am.  I have been told I can be… intimidating.”

Despite himself, Steven could feel a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.  “I was pretty scared of you at first,” he admitted.  “I think Connie was too.”

Priyanka’s gaze softened.  “I can be very stern.  Subtlety isn’t one of my strong suits, Steven.  That’s why I wasn’t going to belabor the point by trying to corner you, if that’s what you suspected is happening right now.”

Steven looked anywhere but at her face. “Maybe…”

She chuckled.  “No. I wasn’t planning on pulling you aside myself, and Doug really did just decide to go box up the food.  And Connie wasn’t in on it, if you’re worried about that.  This was solely a parental decision.”

Steven relaxed, a fear he hadn’t even fully articulated slipping away.  “Oh.  That’s, um, good to know.  Thank you.”

“However, since you’ve brought it up… would you mind if I shared my thoughts?”

He thought for a moment.  He was, quite honestly, still a little afraid of her.  But he liked that she had asked.  “I’d like to hear them,” he said cautiously.

Priyanka straightened back up, leaning against the back of the sofa and looking thoughtful.  “I worry about you both,” she said, looking up at the ceiling.  “To be frank, this is a terrible age.  Every problem is magnified, large or small.  Human brains struggle so much at this age to mature, to grow, to form identity.  I wouldn’t go through it again if you paid me.” She let out a short, sharp laugh before continuing, still keeping her gaze fixed above him.  

 “I know Connie is having a hard time of her own, and sometimes she lets us in, but sometimes she doesn’t.  It’s normal, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult.”  She sighed.  “And I know she worries about you. She’s always wanted to fight by your side, but soldiers often struggle after their war ends.  I know that neither of you was a soldier in the traditional sense, but still… as I said, I worry.”

“Was I a soldier?  I don’t know.”  He’d never thought of himself like that.  Yet he knew battle, didn’t he?  Didn’t he know sacrifice?

“Maybe,” she said.  “I don’t know all the details.  But I know it was a war.”

“Yes.  It was.”  He swallowed.  “There are things that happened to me I still haven’t told anyone,” he said, so softly that he could barely hear his own voice.  He followed her lead and gazed up at the ceiling, its plain eggshell surface slipping and blurring in his vision.  “And some things that only Connie knows.  Terrible things.”

A moment’s pause.  “I... wondered.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say them out loud.  They’d be real, then, wouldn’t they?  The war is over.  Why do I still think about old scars?”  The tears started again, but if he didn’t look at Priyanka, he could pretend they weren’t happening.  He kept staring at the ceiling.  “And then there’s new things. I’m not human.  Not fully.  And sometimes things happen that I don’t understand -- that I can’t control --”  He sucked in a breath, suddenly remembering where he was.  He snapped his head back down and tore his gaze from the ceiling.  “No. I shouldn’t --”

Across the table, Priyanka’s eyes looked red.  She folded her hands in her lap.  “What if you did talk about it?”

Steven stared at her, his cheeks damp, his nose running.  “I can’t.  I -- I’ve already said more than I should. I’m sorry.”

Priyanka nodded.  “All right.  You don’t have to speak about it to me. Or to Doug.  Or even Connie.  But I would ask you… please think about sharing with someone.  When you’re ready.”

Steven nodded blearily.  “I’ll… think about it.”

She stood up, bringing him a tissue from the box on the end table and taking one for herself.  She dabbed at her eyes.  He got to his feet, feeling uncomfortable sitting while she stood.  He wiped his face, then balled up the tissue and stuffed it into his pocket.  

“You aren’t alone, Steven,” she said, standing beside him with her arms crossed, looking through the window to the darkened street outside.  “Even if it must feel that way sometimes.”

“It does,” he mumbled beside her.  “And I feel stupid for even thinking that, when you’ve both been so kind, when I have Connie, and my family, and --”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult.  Sometimes, it makes it even harder,” she said, and the fact that she didn’t tell him it was fine, or that he was going to be okay, made his chest ache.  He was more grateful to her for it than words could convey.

“Um… Dr. Maheswaran,” he said awkwardly.  “I don’t, um, I don’t know if you’re a hugger, but --”

Before he’d finished his sentence, she put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her.  He rested his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes, trembling only a little.

“Usually, I’m not,” she said, and he could tell by her voice she was smiling.  “But I make exceptions for those I care about.”  She embraced him a moment longer, then let go. He found the balled up tissue in his pocket and used it again.

“Thanks, Dr. Maheswaran,” he said in a hoarse voice.

“You’re very welcome, Steven.”

“Uh… what are you guys up to?” asked Connie uncertainly from the entrance to the dining room.

“It’s a clear night, and Steven was pointing out the regions of some of the nearer Gem outposts,” Priyanka answered without hesitation.  “I was curious about some of the missions he’s been on.  Once things settle down with school, hopefully you’ll both be able to explore further.”

“Thanks, Mom,” said Connie, though she still looked suspicious.

Doug appeared beside her, holding the bag of Steven’s food.  “Thanks again for sharing with us,” he said.  “Any time you want to come by and bring us dinner, you won’t catch me saying no.”

“Nor I,” said Priyanka. She nodded toward the front door.  “If you two want a few minutes to say goodbye outside, take your time.”

“Just not too much of it,” Doug joked.  He handed the bag to Steven, and gave him a warm smile.  “We’re up for a rematch any time though, Steven.  Take care.”

“Drive safely,” said Priyanka, smiling as well. “We’ll see you in a few moments, Connie.  Goodbye, Steven.”

Steven followed Connie through the front door and onto the doorstep, where she promptly sat down, patting the step beside her.  He closed the door and gratefully joined her, setting the food down between his feet.

“Um, what was that?” Connie asked.  

“What was what?” said Steven, trying to keep his voice casual.  Not that that would work on Connie.

“You and my mom talking.”  Connie waved a hand at the night sky, which was covered in clouds.  “I know she didn’t develop a sudden interest in astronomy.”

Steven buried his face in his hands, the ups and downs of the evening catching up to him.  He took a few breaths before he lowered his hands and looked at her with a watery smile.  “They worry.  About you.  About me.”

“About us?  Being together?”

“Not like that.  I think they’re fine with that.  I do think they like me,” he admitted. “But they know we’re not exactly fine.”

“Mm.”  Connie leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist.  “I thought they might try some kind of concerned talk after I realized how long they were talking in the kitchen.  I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to warn you, but they came back too soon.  That’s where they go to be sneaky.  ‘Oh, we were just doing the dishes, Connie!’  And then the next thing you know it’s ‘we’re not mad, we’re just disappointed.’  They didn’t do that, did they?”

“No, no.  They were kind.  Really kind.  Your mom… She’s actually a big softy, isn’t she?  I never knew that before.”  He reached up, putting his arm around her shoulders.  He’d never stop marveling at how right she felt beside him.

Connie laughed, the sound sweet and silvery.  “It took me a long time to realize that’s why she’s so scary sometimes.  She doesn’t want anyone to know.  Whereas Dad -- he’s just out there with it.  He doesn’t care who sees.”

“Sorry if I made dinner weird.”  He tried to think of a way to explain how he had felt.  “I just… did I ever tell you about Together Breakfast?  That was before I knew you.”

“You mean Garnet’s wedding cake that we didn’t get to eat?  I figured there had to be a story behind it.”

“Yeah, we had one then, but there was an original Together Breakfast.  There was one day I was trying to get the Gems to hang out with me.  I was twelve, I think.  I made this nasty breakfast -- waffles covered in chocolate and whipped cream and popcorn -- and I wanted them to share it with me so much.  But they were all hiding in the Temple, and then Amethyst tried to eat the whole thing, and Pearl and Garnet were too busy.... Anyway, a Gem monster got out and it turned the breakfast into this hideous horrible whipped cream nightmare.  We defeated it and went out for pizza in the end.”

“That sounds messed up, but also, completely normal for you.”

“Right?” he laughed.  “But I thought about it a while back.  The messed up part wasn’t the monster.”  This was hard to say.  Harder than he’d thought it would be.  “Why’d I have to beg them to hang out with me?  I was twelve.”

“Oh, Steven.”  She was quiet.  “They really are aliens, aren’t they?  But that doesn’t make it okay.”

“I saw you and your parents sitting around the table, happy and normal and enjoying something I’d made -- something good, something I was proud of  -- and I don’t know.”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “I really enjoyed dinner with all of you tonight.  But it was hard, too.”

“I didn’t know all this stuff was going on with you,” said Connie.  

“I didn’t know about your stuff, either,” he reminded her gently.

She nuzzled against him, her face soft against the crook of his neck.  “Okay, okay, fine.  I’ll talk to you if you talk to me.  Deal?”

“That seems fair,” he said, though his mind raced with thoughts of pink flashes and white-hot rage.  He forced the thoughts away, stuffing them down.  He’d talk to her about more things.  No need to bring up everything.  There were still some things he had to figure out on his own.

“I don’t know if I can see you every week,” said Connie sadly.  “Not until some of my classes start dying down.  But we should do a video chat every week for sure.  We’ve been bad at that lately.”

“Agreed,” said Steven.  He’d been the one to say he was too busy for the past three or four calls.  He swallowed his guilt and kissed her forehead again.  “I missed you, Connie.”

“I missed you too, Steven.”

A gentle knock at the door. Connie let out a long sigh.  “Ahh, that’s my cue.  I could sit here with you forever, you know.  But I guess they have a point.  I’m freezing.”

He laughed, holding her close.  “I’d better warm you up before you go.”  A quick kiss, then a longer one, slower, softer.  They broke apart, blushing furiously.  

“Now they’re really going to give me a concerned talk,” Connie giggled.  “‘Why are you so flushed, young lady?’”  

“Because it’s cold outside!” said Steven, his eyes wide in the picture of innocence.  They broke down laughing almost immediately.

She got to her feet and crossed her arms.  “Go on, you.  Before I do get in trouble.”  She beamed at him.

“Oh, fine,” said Steven, standing up and grabbing the bag of food.  He grinned as she kissed the tip of his nose.  “But… call me tomorrow?”  

“I will. And don’t forget to text me that recipe!”  She blew him a final kiss as she opened the front door.

“Bye, Connie!  Bye, Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran!” Steven called.  He turned and headed back to the Dondai, gently swinging the bag in his hand until he remembered it held his food.

He drove back home, the car still pleasantly full of the smell of spices and peppers.  This time of night there was an utter lack of traffic on the road.  The drive home passed quickly, smooth and dreamlike in the cloudy dark.

The Dondai’s wheels drove over the gritty sand, coming to a stop just below the path up to his house.  He sat in the car for a moment, considering, then pulled out his phone.

First he sent a text to Connie.  Made it home, safe and sound.  Here’s the recipe, he sent.  He included a few photos and perhaps an overabundance of heart emojis.

Then he hit a familiar phone number and raised the phone to his ear.  After three rings, it picked up.  “Steven?” asked Greg.  “Is everything okay?”

“Oh!  Sorry, Dad.  I forgot how late it was.  Everything’s fine.  I was just wondering… have you had anything for dinner yet?”

“No, I was just snacking around…”

Steven smiled, looking at the bag in his passenger seat.  “Want to come over and watch a movie?  I made dinner.”

Greg’s voice through the phone was surprised, but glad.  “I’d love to, son.  I’ll be over in five.  Love you.”

“Love you, too, Dad.”

He ended the call and lowered his hand.  He let out a long breath, then unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his dinner.  He stepped out into the sand, heading up the path home, and he left behind the sound of waves upon the shore.

*****************************************

(Note: I chose gumbo based upon the meal I had at a soul food restaurant for my 33rd birthday, five days after my brother died.  My family and my friends gathered there, and it was the first food we’d had all week that I could actually *taste.*  It made me feel alive again. It made me feel human.  And I thought Steven needed that too.

And yes, this is a real board game. It’s called Cosmic Encounter in our universe and it’s delightful.)

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Quarantine Cuisine: Beef and Bean Chili

There’s nothing like holing up with a big bowl of chili... Funny story though. I didn’t actually like the stuff until a friend made chili for dinner one night. Not wanting to be rude, I had a bowl... and then went back for seconds. His secret? He puts beer in his chili. And now so do I, though I’ve got a secret about that of my own. But I’ll circle back around to that in a minute. Chili is one of those notoriously long cooking dishes. It needs to simmer for a good couple of hours at least before all the flavors properly meld together to make the tasty, rich concoction we all know and love. And I’m all about some long cooking, slow simmering dishes. But... seriously, chili is comfort food, and when you want comfort food, you want it right now oh my God please FEED ME SEYMOUR! So I have found ways to cheat. Four ways in fact. And before we get to the actual technique, I want to talk about them a little bit, because the tricks in play here go for more than just chili. You can make any sort of soup or braise all the richer by cheating just a little with ingredients that already have a complex, bold flavor. Here... watch... Chorizo sausage: for the uninitiated, chorizo is a heavily seasoned sausage hailing from Spain and Portugal, but very popular in Mexico as well. It’s a little spicy and super flavorful, plus all those flavors have blended and married and settled already... all you need to do is brown it and mix it in! So I do just that. Think of it as kin to andouille if you’re familiar with Cajun cuisine. Roasted poblano peppers: One way to deepen flavors is to roast something in a hot oven... Italians and Greeks do this all the time with red peppers, so why not here? 

Chipotles in adobo sauce: These are great. Already flavorful. Already ready to go. Just chop ‘em up and toss them in... and don’t ignore the sauce in the can. Think of it like adding a dash of Worcestershire or miso to a dish. Same concept... different flavor profile. Beer: Going back to my original point... beer. Now you can use any kind of beer... most people use some kind of lager or amber ale in their chili, but I use Guinness. Why? Same reason for the above. It has a deep, savory flavor profile, plus... well, let’s talk about that flavor profile. Nutty... chocolatey... rich... a little cinnamon-spicey... sound like mole sauce to you? It fits the flavor profile of chili really really well. So that’s something to think about next time you’re worried about a bland dish. Cheat! Use a full bodied red wine for your stew... use a little splash of balsamic vinegar in your tomato sauce... how about molasses in a marinade... or look into premade spice blends and curry powders for a quick flavor boost. There’s no harm in cheating. It’s culinary tradition at this point.

Okay... on to the recipe! (oh... and for those curious about the spice level... I’d put this one at mild to medium. It’s definitely not spice free, but it’s not going to light your hair on fire either.)

Ingredients

Two pounds ground beef (I also like ground venison in this)

4-6 oz of pork chorizo (I use one link from Whole Foods)

4-5 tablespoons olive oil.

One medium onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

One large or two small poblano peppers

One can chipotles in adobo sauce

14oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice. (I like Miur Glen brand)

One can black beans, rinsed.

One can red kidney beans, rinsed (chick peas are also good in chili if you need a substitute.)

1 cup frozen corn kernels

48oz beef broth

1 tablespoon (ish) of chili powder

1/2 teaspon (ish) chipolte chili powder

1 teaspoon (ish) of cumin

1 can beer (I actually like Guinness for this, but I only use half the can in that case)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place poblano peppers directly on oven rack and roast for ten minutes. Flip and roast for five more. Place in a paper bag and crimp down the opening to seal in the steam. Allow to come to room temp. Then peel the plasticky skin off the peppers, cut open and scrape out seeds and roughly chop.

Seed and chop two of the chipotle peppers. Save the can because you'll want the sauce in a moment. (this only uses up about half the can... so save it for future endeavors!)

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until just starting to turn golden. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add chorizo and beef and cook through. Add tomatoes, peppers, and two or three tablespoons of the adobo sauce. Also add the beer if you're using it. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add broth and remaining spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

Add beans and corn and cook for at least another 30 minutes, but it can just be left to simmer until you're ready to eat.

Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, and (if you're weird) sour cream.

[thesporkidentity]

Easy-ish Jamabalaya

So this recipe is here because everything out there seems either authentic but so complicated I could never actually make it like “simmer for an entire day in a cast iron cauldron owned by your grandmother” or so simplified it’s not even jambalaya anymore. So this is my attempt to balance the equation into something doable while still passably authentic. I suppose you can judge how successful I was.

This of course could easily have ingredient changes since it’s mostly things I had on-hand and needed to use before they went bad or wilted. For example if you don’t like bacon flavor you can take it out and add some oil to compensate for the loss of the renderings. Or if you prefer you can use leftover ham instead of chicken or substitute shrimp (though for shrimp you’d have to compensate for the much lower cooking time and add it at the very end). Basically as with all of my recipes it’s anything goes as long as you keep the substitutions in the same basic categories and the spice mix depends on your personal taste and the relative potency of your spices (with the exception of the holy trinity of onion/celery/green pepper as those are essential to cajun-style cooking). But I’m going to end my chatter here because there is nothing I fear more than becoming a recipe blog that buries the actual recipes in stories of suburbia or whatever.

Ingredients

Rice Base

1 cup uncooked rice (I like brown rice because I think it has a great texture for something like jambalaya so it has that great cooked down starchy softness that you want but doesn’t turn to complete mush. But ymmv you could also use regular white or whatever you like just vary the liquid amount to the specifications for that rice.)

2 cups low sodium chicken broth (It’s more economical for me to do 2 bouillon cubes and 2 cups of water since actual broth is much more expensive. Also, if you can’t find low-sodium then I would recommend completely skipping the salt in the seasonings and adding it to-taste in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking so you don’t over-do it.)

Meats

3 strips of bacon (if you don’t have or want bacon substitute 2 Tbsp oil of your choice)

8-10 oz cajun or andouille sausage

8 oz chicken

Veggies

1/2 large onion

1-2 green bell peppers (depending on size)

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

1/2 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes and peppers

Seasonings

1 Tbsp paprika

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (or more or less depending on your personal tolerance and how spicy the sausage is, I prefer more but I tried to put a normal-person amount for the recipe lol)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4-1/2 tsp salt (I would err on the side of less since flavorings from the meat and canned tomatoes can affect the amount. You can always add more but you can’t take it out.)

Directions

Dice onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots. Slice bacon and sausage into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Into a big cooking pot with lid, add bacon (or if no bacon then your selected cooking oil), and onions. Sauté until the fat renders from the bacon and the onions begin to brown. After the pan heats up you’ll want to keep it more on medium-high than full high so they don’t burn. (You can combine this with the next step and sauté everything together, I just think you can a better flavor if the onions have more time.)

Add sausage, chicken, celery, bell pepper, and carrots. After a few minutes add all your spices and sauté for a bit longer. Maybe 5-10 minutes? I am bad at timing and describing this part, but your veggies should have time to soften a bit (but not turn mushy) and they’ll turn that nice pretty wet/bright color.

Add tomatoes, rice, and chicken broth. Stir and cover.

Cook on low until the liquid is absorbed and rice is soft. This can be anywhere from 40-60 min. (Avoid lifting the lid often to check. The dish depends on the consistent heat and moisture to cook properly and releasing that by lifting the lid can increase your cooking time significantly.) If the rice is soft before the liquid is absorbed you can remove the lid until the moisture cooks off. The consistency you want is wet and soft (a little wetter than if you’re cooking a regular rice side dish) but not so wet that the liquid is separate from the rice if you lifted it with a slotted spoon.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor since my recipe writing skills never are.

[booklover277]

Cravings: Hungry for More by: Chrissy Teigen

5 stars out of 5

After the extraordinary success of Cravings, Chrissy Teigen comes back with more of her signature wit and take-no-prisoners flavor bombs. Cravings: Hungry for More takes us further into Chrissy’s kitchen…and life. It’s a life of pancakes that remind you of blueberry pie, eating onion dip with your glam squad, banana bread that breaks the internet, and a little something called Pad Thai Carbonara. After two years of parenthood, falling in love with different flavors, and relearning the healing power of comfort food, this book is like Chrissy’s new edible diary: recipes for quick-as-a-snap meals; recipes for lighter, brighter, healthier-ish living; and recipes that, well, are gonna put you to bed, holding your belly. And it will have you hungry for more.

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Before I get started..I'd like to just inform you that this cookbook is outstanding. My expectations have been reached and then some. And I had very high expectations, btw. Chrissy Teigen remains the cooking goddess she is and this cookbook will become a kitchen staple for me, just like her first cookbook. I know I'll be using the recipes over and over. I cannot wait to keep the cooking going. So far..and this is since the release (which was last Tuesday)..I have made four recipes from this book. And all four were delicious. My sister made two others and they were also delicious. I'd say we're on a roll. And now what follows can probably be described as a rant of my love for Chrissy Teigen's cookbooks. I'll let you know which recipes I've made and how this book compares to the last one. Let's go!

Okay, so I've already written a raving review of her first cookbook, Cravings. It became my all-time favorite cookbook. I've never made so many recipes out of a single cookbook. I'm telling you..her tastebuds are in sync with mine or something. Or maybe I should stop thinking the world revolves around me and realize the book is called Cravings, so no shit is it going to be delicious to most people. I suppose I'll update that review eventually with the recipes I've made, but it'll get ridiculous because I've really worked my way through it.

I spent the entire time since the release of the first waiting for the release of her second. I'm one of those people who followed her blog before the cookbooks happened. After the blog stopped, I remember loving watching the process of Chrissy making her first cookbook. This time around..she didn't seem to document it nearly as much, which I found disappointing. I still need something to fulfill the void of waiting for Chrissy's blog posts because it took over 2 and a half years for this second cookbook to come out.

Now...it is a great cookbook. This time around..it is once again cravings, although because she is now a mom there are a few differences. She opted for "lighter food" this time around, which let's be real..there is still tons of cheese and bacon and all types of good stuff throughout. But compared to the first book, there are less of those foods that seem like straight indulgences. Still...very similar in ways too. Meaning..if you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely once again enjoy this one.

The other difference here is, once again because she is a mom, time has become an even more precious thing. So there are things that she takes shortcuts on, while also admitting it along the way. For her jerk lamb chops, she says to buy jerk seasoning ready from the store but notes that if this were her first cookbook, she would have given the recipe to make it yourself from scratch. This is true because there's a recipe in her first book involving cajun seasoning and sure enough, she gives you the recipe to make that from scratch. I'm torn on how to feel about this because yes, I am a major lover of saving time. I love getting the option of how to do things a little quicker when it doesn't make a difference in the finished product. However, I do like to get told how to do something, so I can make the decision myself if it was worth it. She could have included a brief put salt, pepper, this, this, and this and you'd have the seasoning. But it's fine. Not the biggest deal. And again, it's something I'm torn on.

This book has a couple sections that weren't in the first book, such as a dessert section. Chrissy isn't much of a sweet person, so it's not cakes, cookies & brownies. This one has a banana bread, soft pretzels, two-faced cobbler, mango sorbet, homemade magic shell, mousse, and skillet peanut butter chocolate chip blondies (UH...YES PLEASE).

Also, there is an entire sandwich section, which includes a couple grilled cheeses I need..the jalapeño-parmesan crusted grilled cheese and sweet & spice peach & brie grilled cheese. Oh and the philly french dip she makes with more of a cheese sauce au jus. There is just so much. I probably shouldn't just list every recipe in the book. Although, if you get a chance..it wouldn't hurt to check out the table of contents.

Plus...this time there is a potatoes & their friends section. POTATOES!! Yeah..my stomach is pleased. It has plenty of potato dishes among other veggie dishes. I made the Tators, Shrooms, & Peas with parmesan cream from this section. And it was SO GOOD!!! My husband and I were both in heaven. It was more filling than we expected, so next time it'll be a main and we'll add diced ham to it. The parmesan cream was so good that we'll definitely use it with other dishes. I'm thinking it'll be good with pasta.

This time around I didn't find the Thai Mom section quite so intimidating. It probably helped that I got blue apron for six weeks this summer when Chrissy had a partnership. A few of the dishes were from the thai section of the first book and they were absolutely delectable. I get why I was freaked out by ingredients like fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, sweet chili sauce, sambal oelek ..really just things I wasn't used to cooking with. Nor did I see how these ingredients would all mix together to become something heavenly. Garlic is also pretty common in the thai section. I love garlic, though. Anyway, this time around I found myself excited to make these authentic Thai dishes. Last night, we had the Thai soy-garlic fried ribs and OH BABY. Yes, they were ridiculously easy, but oh so tasty. I never knew ribs could be cooked so quickly and there was this nice crisp to them that ribs don't usually have, but I lived for it. Definitely making these again. I cannot believe Chrissy considered not including this one in the book because of how easy it is. It's a keeper. And not something you'd think to do yourself.

I also went into the breakfast section and made the Everything Bagel Breakfast Bake. So good!! It was kind of like a breakfast casserole, but there were chunks of bagel in it that didn't taste fully like bagel by the time they cooked and soaked in the egg mixture. They were much softer. And there were cream cheese bombs throughout. This was a good one for sure! I made mine with mushrooms instead of tomatoes because I'm not a tomato person. And I'll do it this same way again in the future when I want a breakfast casserole with everything bagel type flavoring. Yum!

I finally understand why people call Chrissy a soup master! I have been DYING to try her pot pie soup from the first book. Honestly, I only haven't made it yet because for the longest time I could not find heavy cream in the store. Finally this summer, I FOUND IT!! It's only at one grocery store in my area. So I will make that one in the next month. For now, I needed to make something from her new book. I opted for the French Onion Soup. I'll be honest..I'd never had french onion soup before. I really love onions, though. This one was a major winner. And I feel talented for being able to say I can make it. Not too difficult. Hardest part was getting through cutting all those onions without crying my eyes out. But this beautiful soup turned out sooo tasty. It was oh so cheesy and there were croissant croutons in it that became doughy and just OOOH! You know what I mean? Yeah..this is a major winner.

I guess it's good I've only made the four recipes so far because this review would go on and on. Luckily for you, I didn't have all the time in the world so I'll be making more this weekend.

There is also a salad section, snack section, and supper section which actually has mains & sides tacked on to several of the dishes giving us more side recipes than what is included in potatoes & their friends.

I will say that her introduction to the book and the intros to all the recipes have a great layer of humor. Her stories are fun and will make you laugh out loud. She also talks about how she went through postpartum between books (and babies) and how that affected her/this book. She reminds us she is only human, and a relatable one at that.

There are photos of almost every recipe, but a couple might be missing and that bothers me. I like to see what the outcome of what I'm making should look like at the end. Not to mention, you want to see how tasty a dish looks to decide if you want to make it. I'll still make everything in this book regardless.

So there you have it...delicious recipes from Chrissy Teigen. Food that will make you look like a pro in the kitchen when you have a dinner party. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a cookbook with food they actually want to eat.

goodreads

order on book depository

[bladesofyuri]

Blades’s Get Fit Diet: What I’m Eating, Tips, and Recipes

Follow-up of this post as requested. =)

Disclaimer: As it’s stated in the original post, you have to find something that works for you. What works for me may not be the same, though if you haven’t found a way to eat that seems to be working to your benefit, you might give this a try. As a side note, I’m not vegan and am not knowledgable enough with vegan diets to suggest good alternatives to these meals. 

Obviously, if you have an allergy to or cannot eat some or any of these foods, don’t try them. 

Below you’ll find some of my favorites for snacks and meals. Some are healthier than others, but hey. We’re being realistic here, and so far eating like this is helping me. It’s also very similar to how I was eating when I reached my fittest at seventeen. There are also tons of other options out there, but these are the things I either make or get most regularly. This is also how I was eating when I reached my fittest before, so hopefully, they can help you too.

Some of these below are my own recipes. None are complicated, which in my mind is a definite plus!

Breakfast Options:

Ham (or Turkey) and Poached Egg Avocado Toast and a Side

This is pretty much exactly as it sounds. Toast a slice of whole wheat bread to your liking (no butter), cover with 1/2 mashed avocado, and an egg poached to your liking. I like to place the ham (or your choice of meat) on the toast before I put it into the oven, which makes it nice and warm and extra delicious once the other ingredients are added on. Lightly sprinkle sea salt and pepper over the top. I also like to sprinkle a bit of paprika over it. For a side, opt for the second half of the avocado, your choice of fruit (I like a banana with mine) or a small mixed fruit bowl, and if you’re really feeling hungry, add a small, lean yogurt (something like a Yoplait Light or Greek yogurt works well).

Note: You can also turn this into just a plain, toasted sandwich if you wish, though the less bread you eat, the better. For the sandwich option, I like to add spinach and tomato.

Egg Beaters and Turkey (Breakfast Burrito Filling Only, No Tortilla)

Only the most skilled and dedicated chef can properly prepare this meal. 

I’m joking. You buy a carton of egg beaters (of your choosing), put a dash of olive oil in a pan to prevent sticking, pour as much of the egg into it as you like, and stir regularly to scramble to your liking. When there’s very little “runniness” left, throw some thinly-sliced turkey (I use a regular, oven-roasted turkey breast from the deli section of the store) or ham in with it and mix with eggs until they’re cooked just how you like them. In all seriousness, this takes absolutely no time whatsoever to prepare and it’s amazing. You can also cheat just a bit and add a small pinch of cheese over the top. I like to eat it just like that, but you can also add your choice of salsa to really bump it up a notch. This is also my current go-to late-night snack, though my portion size is smaller for snacks. You can also add onions and peppers to this mix, though note that egg beaters also has a southwestern option with peppers already in them. 

Note: You can also scramble the egg beaters to your liking and whip up some turkey bacon or a couple slices of low-sodium bacon to have with it. 

Egg Beaters Omelette

An omelette with as many veggies (I like onion, peppers, tomato, and spinach) as you want plus your choice of lean meat. I recommend not using cheese at all, but if you must, go light on it. 

BLT Breakfast Salad

Breakfast Stuffed Peppers (I skip the cheese, but if you’d like to add cheese than go ahead, just maybe go a bit lighter than this recipe suggests)

On the Go:

Egg White Grill - Chick-fil-A (without hashbrowns) 

Southwest Wrap - Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Lunch and Dinner Options:

Whole Wheat Pita (Turkey OR Ham OR Chicken)

Whole wheat pita with your choice of lean deli meat, a dash of mayonnaise, and as many vegetables as you like. 

Whole Grain Chicken Southwest Wrap

Whole wheat tortilla, a dash of chipotle mayo, chicken seasoned to taste. Note: For seasonings, I use paprika, ground cumin, a pinch of cayenne pepper, minced garlic OR garlic powder, ground black pepper, and a pinch of sea salt. I cut up bell peppers and onion and prepare them with the chicken. I typically prepare three chicken breasts at once in my slow cooker in this way.

Turkey and Swiss Lettuce Wrap

Just like it sounds. Your choice of lean deli turkey and swiss cheese with tomato, onion, and any additional veggies you’d like to add. I change up the condiments I use on this regularly. Sometimes, it’s just a hint of mayo. Others, it’s avocado (can I consider that a condiment? I will in this case). 

Meal Prepped Salad (I like the Southwest one, but skip the cucumber)

Cajun Blackened Chicken (A Blades Favorite!) 

I love this recipe for so many reasons. This chicken goes with EVERYTHING--veggies, potato, on a salad (my personal recommendation) and really packs that delicious, juicy punch we so often lack when we’re trying to eat well. I’m a bit heavier with my spices than what’s recommended here, though other than the amount I use of each I stick to this recipe to a T. That’s something you can just kind of figure out through trial and error. Note: I use chicken breast tenderloins for this and make the whole pack at once. This is a great meal prep recipe! My favorite thing to do is to put it on a salad with fiesta corn and light ranch, but you can also serve it with steamed or grilled vegetables. Or, if you want to be really unhealthy, fried squash (in olive oil and with a dash of seasoned salt). You can also use this same recipe in the crockpot, and while it won’t give you quite that same “blackened” effect, it’s still very good. Remember I did say not all of these were as healthy as others, but hey.

Grilled Shrimp with Roasted Garlic Cilantro Sauce

I admit I haven’t tried this yet, but my bodybuilder friend who loves to cook says it’s fantastic and it’s definitely on my list.

Slow Cooker Caesar Chicken

Lean chicken breasts topped with onion and minced garlic. Seasoned with sea salt, oregano, basil, and a dash of paprika. I like to get a caesar salad pack and put the chicken over the top with just a dash of parmesean, a little added paprika, and caesar dressing on the side. Note: You can add hard-boiled eggs if you like!

Quick Eats: (Note: Not big on these because they’re expensive and the portions are small, but if you need something quick and convenient...)

Annie Chun’s Entres  (I like the Thai style green curry)

Tasty Bites (add proteins and vegetables of your choosing)

Healthy Choice Meals of Your Choosing

On the Go:

Chick-fil-A: Grilled Sandwich (NO fries, opt for side salad, fruit cup, or no side), Spicy Southwest Salad, or Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap

Chipotle or Q’doba: Kids’ portion quesadilla or burrito bowl (without rice or ask them to go easy on the rice). Grilled chicken or shrimp. Opt for light or no cheese and no sour cream. Go for guacamole. Pile the veggies on at will.

Kentucky Fried Chicken: grilled chicken breast with green beans. Note: This is messy and not exactly “quick,” but it’s a good meal that you don’t have to cook.

Panda Express: String bean chicken and mixed veggies.

Subway: Offers pretty straightforward menu guides in each store, but I recommend the 6″ turkey on wheat. Turkey, American cheese, and your choice of veggies with light mayo. If you’d like chips, opt for baked. Salads are also a good option here.

Snacks:

Fruits or steamed veggies. You can eat a lot with little to no consequence.

1 slice of whole wheat toast + peanut butter + banana

Greek yogurt 

Refried or Black Beans with Salsa

Hard-boiled eggs

Guacamole Deviled Eggs (I skip the lemon/lime)

Fruit Smoothie (nonfat milk, vanilla or plain Greek yogurt, fruits of your choosing, dash of Stevia)

*As always, drink plenty of water throughout the day. It really will help you feel better! Avoid sugary and soft drinks.

[momminonabudget]

Dinner for the next 29 days on less than 200 dollars! Recipes included below

4 hamburger helper nights w mashed potatoes

Hamburger helper is pretty self explanatory, I use ground turkey instead of ground beef just because it’s 1.) healthier and 2.) cheaper. For mashed potatoes I always use instant, we are lazy and it’s about a dollar a bag!

2 pizza roll up nights

Pizza roll ups are our favorites!

You take crescent rolls, 2-3 pieces of pepperoni, and half a mozzarella cheese stick, roll it up, and bake according to the crescent roll instructions. I dip in pizza sauce!

2 pigs in a blanket nights

Pretty self explanatory again,

crescent rolls, half a piece of sliced cheese, and a hot dog, rolled up and cooked to what it says on the can of crescent rolls, we dip in ketchup!

2 Alfredo nights with cheese bread

For this I use frozen cheese ravioli and canned Alfredo sauce, that’s it! For cheese bread I use frozen garlic bread, use whatever makes you happy!

A homemade pizza night

Me and my family LOVE pizza, we could eat takeout everyday, so every once in a while we make pizza at home. We just use ready to bake pizza crust, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and top with Cajun sausage and green bell peppers. We brush the crust with garlic butter as well, but this is such a versatile recipe you can put whatever you want on it. We bake at 450 until golden brown.

2 brats and peppers nights

This one is a new favorite. We use the Johnsonville jalapeño and cheddar brats and sear them until done to our liking, I sauté tri colored bell peppers while I’m cooking the brats, then we assemble on hot dog buns, I use just mayonnaise on mine but my fiancé uses brown mustard on his! We usually serve with potato wedges

2 broccoli cheddar soup nights

I totally cheat when it comes to this, I use bear creek package and put bacon bits on top while serving. It’s cheap, easy, and yummy!

2 chicken and gravy nights

Chicken and gravy is a southern favorite, and slow cooks in the crockpot all day, it’s an easy comfort meal. For this recipe I use

chicken breasts,

2 cans of cream of chicken soup,

2 cans of water,

and 2 chicken gravy packets,

layer it in the crock pot with salt and pepper and cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3.

When it’s done I shred the chicken and serve over white bread and mashed potatoes. Perfect for a fall night!

Mississippi mud roast with mashed potatoes!

For this recipe I use beef chuck roast, au jus gravy mix, 4 Peperoncinos with the juice, and a ranch seasoning packet. On low for 8 hours, and served over mashed potatoes. Any leftovers we have we freeze and use later!

taco nights x 2

I white people taco night this, because I live with a picky boy. We just use flour tortillas, ground turkey, a taco seasoning pack, and just assemble with cheese. I add sour cream and lettuce to mine, he eats his with just lettuce and cheese!

A meatloaf night w corn and potatoes

As someone who doesn’t own a meatloaf pan, we use the crockpot for this one. Which works so well! For this one I have to use ground beef, not turkey, i can’t skimp for this recipe just because it’s a classic.

2 pounds of ground beef

One small onion diced

2 large eggs

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of milk

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

And mix together in a mixing bowl with my hands.

I line in crockpot with aluminum foil into a meatloaf shape, and form the meat mixture into there. I cook on low for 6 hours

After it’s almost done, I start with the glaze!

2/3 cup ketchup

1/4 brown sugar

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon worstershire. I glaze the top of the meat loaf with it 15 minutes before it’s done.

Served with veggies of your choice, and mashed potatoes!

2 sloppy Joe nights

For my sloppy joes, I use a pound of ground turkey. I brown it fully then use

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

A tablespoon of mustard

And a tablespoon of worsterschire.

Adapt to taste!

I serve on buns with American cheese, pickles, and a side of Mac and cheese.

2 taco soup nights

Taco soup 7 can recipe here

https://togetherasfamily.com/7-can-chicken-taco-soup/

2 chili nights

For my chili, I use ground turkey again! I brown it till there’s no more pink, and

then add two chili beans, one can drained one not

One can of diced tomatoes, not drained

Then a packet of chill-o seasoning

Keep on stove until it’s to a boil!

[livingcorner]

10 Terrific Ways to Use All Your Summer Tomatoes

When I was a kid, I would not eat tomatoes. I swore I hated them. Sure I would eat ketchup and tomato sauce, but not actual tomatoes. When I became vegan, everything changed. Suddenly, I learned to love lots of foods I wouldn’t eat before, and tomatoes were one of them. Currently, I eat tomatoes every single day in one form or another. They are one of the foods I cannot run out of or I feel lost and deprived. Summer is a great time for tomatoes. This is when they are at their best – deep red, juicy and intense in flavor. There are Beefsteaks, Roma Plums, Vine-Ripened, Grape, Cherry, Heirloom, and so many other types of tomatoes. Each has their own flavor and personality and each can be used in multiple ways.

You're reading: 10 Terrific Ways to Use All Your Summer Tomatoes

If you grow tomatoes, you will probably be swamped with them by the end of summer. Maybe you are the lucky recipient of someone who has too many to use or maybe you are indulging in the bounty of the farmers market. However you come by your tomatoes, now is the perfect time to try new and exciting things with them. Of course, you know you can use fresh tomatoes to make tomato sauce or salsa, and you know they taste great in salads and sandwiches. Well, here are 10 different ways to use all those beautiful summer tomatoes.

1. Make Homemade Bruschetta

Heirloom Tomato and White Bean Bruschetta

Tomatoes can have no better friends than fruity olive oil, savory garlic, and crispy bread. Bruschetta is a favorite appetizer or hors d’ouvres. I make a Garlic Tomato Bruschetta that is so good, that and a glass of white wine is all I need for dinner. Here’s how I make it: Preheat the broiler. Place thin slices of Italian, Ciabatta or French bread onto a baking sheet.

Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over them and broil for just 3-4 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven and set them aside. In a skillet, heat a spoon of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for a minute until the garlic starts to soften. Add 1 pint of halved grape tomatoes and toss in the seasoned oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes soften. Season with salt and pepper and spoon the tomatoes onto the toasted bread. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and vegan grated parmesan. Make a lot. This is addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Read more: 10 Vegetables to Plant in the Fall and Winter That Will Withstand the Cold

2. Make Soup – Raw or Cooked

Gazpacho is a Spanish soup that is served cold. It’s also easy to make – just blend ripe tomatoes with any other produce you desire onions, cucumber, bell peppers and even watermelon. Chill it and enjoy it. It couldn’t be easier. This Raw Tomato Red Pepper Soup combines meaty tomatoes, sweet bell pepper and spicy chipotle for a refreshing and beautiful soup. If you prefer your tomato soup hot, try this traditional Quick and Rich Tomato Soup or this creamy Tomato Coconut Soup.

3. Make Stuffed Tomatoes

Usually, when we make stuffed dishes, we put tomatoes into the vegetable we are stuffing but how about stuffing the tomatoes themselves? All you have to do is hollow out the tomatoes and replace the pulp with your favorite fillings. Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes, and then stuff them with your favorite spread or vegan cheese. Broil them until the cheese melts and the tomatoes soften about 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs and impress your guests with this beautiful appetizer.

Larger tomatoes can be stuffed to make a healthy and delicious entrée or side dish. I hollow out large beefsteak tomatoes and stuff them with a mixture of sauteed mushrooms, spinach, quinoa and the pulp from the tomatoes. Place them in a baking dish, sprinkle a few bread crumbs atop each one and bake for 30 minutes. For a lighter dish, stuff the tomatoes with your favorite summer salads like this Chickpea Waldorf Salad or this Tempeh “Tuna” Salad. It’s refreshing and you get to eat the plate!

4. Make Your Own Dried Tomatoes

I love sun-dried tomatoes. They add a tangy flavor to dishes and make a great snack too. You can buy sun-dried tomatoes in the store but why not make your own? Whether you use a dehydrator, your oven or the sun, it’s easy to dry foods yourself. To make your own oven-dried tomatoes, halve ripe tomatoes lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and toss the tomatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set your oven on its lowest temperature (150 degrees) and let the tomatoes cook for eight hours or until they have shrunken. Then use your self-dried tomatoes to make Raw Lasagna with Cilantro Pesto, Sundried Tomatoes and Marinated Veggies, Quinoa with Secret Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes and this beautiful Sun-dried Tomato Tart with Zucchini Hummus.

5. Make Fried Green Tomatoes

Red tomatoes shouldn’t have all the fun; green ones deserve love too. Unripe green tomatoes are the star of the southern dish, Fried Green Tomatoes. Because they are unripe, green tomatoes are firmer with less moisture which means they hold up to frying better. You could fry red tomatoes but if they are juicy, it could get messy. Simply slice the tomatoes, bread them and fry them. Try these Fried Green Beer Tomatoes which are coated with cornmeal and dark beer or my Cajun-flavored Fried Green Tomatoes with Red Pepper Aioli.

6. Make Roasted Tomatoes

Tomatoes are sweet but when you roast them, they get this intense, rich flavor that is savory and succulent. Roasted tomatoes are delicious on their own as a side dish or used in other recipes. Just place halved tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and drizzle them with olive oil, salt and your favorite herbs and spices. You can roast them fast in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes or slowly in a 250-degree oven for a couple of hours until they are collapsed and softened. Then enjoy them in dishes like this bowl of Miso Roasted Tomatoes with Spiralized Carrot Noodles and these Grilled Avocados with Roasted Tomatoes.

7. Make Pickled Tomatoes

Pickled and fermented foods are delicious with their unique tang and saltiness. We eat pickled cabbage as sauerkraut, pickled onions, carrots and other veggies as kimchi and pickled cucumbers as…well, pickles. So why not pickle tomatoes? It’s easy, they can last a long time, and you can eat them on sandwiches or in salads or on their own. To make pickled tomatoes: cook your favorite spices such as garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, cumin or mustard seeds in some olive oil for just a minute or two to deepen their flavors. Add one cup of your favorite vinegar and ¼ cup sugar to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. This is the brine. Add some salt and let the mixture cool. Take a sterilized jar and fill it with peeled, ripe tomatoes cut into wedges or whatever shape you desire. Pour the brine over the tomatoes. Be sure to leave about ½ inch of room at the top. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. The longer you let the tomatoes pickle in the brine, the better they will be.

8. Make Homemade Chile Sauce

Chile sauce is amazing. It’s rich, sweet, spicy and tangy all at the same time. It’s used in lots of recipes, especially Asian ones. You can buy bottles of chile sauce but some have ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup and others can be expensive. When I ran out of chile sauce in the middle of making a recipe, I couldn’t substitute anything else so I learned to make my own. It was much simpler than I thought it would be and now I always make it myself.

Let me share my recipe with you: Combine 2 cups of fresh, pureed tomatoes (plums have the best flavor), ¼ cup tomato paste, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 chopped jalapeno peppers, 1 tsp. each garlic powder and chile powder, ½ tsp. each dry mustard powder and onion powder, a pinch of allspice, and 2 Tbs. vegan Worcestershire sauce in a food processor. If you don’t have vegan Worcestershire sauce, you can use 1 Tbs. each tamari and balsamic vinegar. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want extra heat. Process until smooth and taste for any seasoning adjustments. Keep in a jar in the fridge and use it in recipes such as Braised Seitan Short Ribs in Spicy Chile Sauce, Mississippi Comeback Sauce and Sesame Tofu.

Read more: Create a Beautiful Garden Bed with These Edging Ideas

9. Make Tomato Desserts

Yes, desserts. We use spinach, avocado, and zucchini in desserts so why not tomatoes? After all, tomatoes are a fruit and with more recipes mixing sweet and savory tastes, tomatoes are a perfect ingredient for desserts. The next time you go to make your own ice cream or sorbet, consider giving tomatoes a try by either adding one or two to the recipe or going totally tomato-flavored. Add some little tomato wedges to fruit cocktail or these Raw Fruit Tartlets.  Their gentle flavor mingles well with strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, mango, pears, melon and berries. Garnish your tomato dessert with fresh mint or basil leaves.

10. Freeze Your Tomatoes

Even though you can buy tomatoes year round, they are only in season for a short time. Or perhaps, you grew so many tomatoes, you can’t possibly use them all, no matter how many tomato ideas and recipes I give you. Well, the good news is that you can freeze tomatoes so you can enjoy them all year long. Tomatoes can be frozen with their skins or peeled, raw or cooked, whole, chopped, sliced or pureed. If you make tomato soup or sauce, you can also freeze the prepared foods.

To freeze tomatoes, select ones that are ripe and firm. Wash them gently and blot them dry. Prepare the tomatoes by cutting them into the desired shape and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. After they are frozen, transfer the tomatoes to freezer bags or sealed storage containers. When you need them, just thaw them out and use them in any cooked recipe (thawed tomatoes will be too mushy to eat like you would a fresh tomato). Frozen tomatoes can last up to 8 months so you can be enjoying summer tomatoes in the middle of a winter snowstorm.

There is no food more versatile than the tomato. Sweet or savory, raw or cooked, alone or as part of a recipe, tomatoes are nature’s candy. I hope you have fun trying these ways of using your summer tomato bounty and if you have any bushels leftover, send them my way.

We also highly recommend downloading our Food Monster App , which is available for iPhone , and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook . The app has more than 15,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

For more Vegan Food, Health, Recipe, Animal, and Life content published daily, don’t forget to subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter !

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Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/10-terrific-ways-to-use-all-your-summer-tomatoes/

[kriskebob-blog]

Day 4: Rainy Saturdays are for cooking (and Netflix)

Hi all. As I write this, it’s the winding down of a gorgeous (and HOT) sunny Sunday here in CT but when I woke up yesterday, I actually thought it still had to be 6am or earlier because it was so dark in our room. Turns out it was actually 8:30am and just pouring buckets outside. Good day to stay inside and cook some comfort food items. 

My second breakfast recipe from Dr. G’s cookbook was definitely simpler than the burrito bake: French toast with a berry drizzle. I also wanted to make a fruit compote for an extra topping. The cookbook’s recipe is titled as a pear compote, but pears are out of season right now, and honestly why would you put a few sad-looking Bartletts in your grocery basket when there are farmstand peaches just up the road? To my delight, when I flipped open the cookbook on Saturday morning I read a line I hadn’t noticed before: you could vary it up by using apples, peaches, or plums in place of the pears. Perfect! 

Sam was still sleeping (he tends to be a bit more of a late riser compared to me on most days). I enjoyed the solitude for a bit and diced up four peaches as I listened to the rain. The compote was honestly super easy to throw together once the peaches were chopped. I threw them in a pot with some water, blended lemon, raisins, date sugar, vanilla extract, and some spices. I left that to simmer while I prepped the plant-based version of a dipping mixture for the toast. And in case you’re wondering, no, I did NOT find salt-free bread at the grocery store. I found the whole wheat bread that had the lowest amount of sugar/sodium and least amount of funky-sounding ingredients on the label and called it a day. (As an aside, Sam had thought he’d be required to give up toast completely during these two weeks and was really excited when he came home on Friday and saw a loaf of bread sitting on the counter, it was kind of cute.)   

I had to make my own almond milk for the French toast dipping mixture. Dr. G. doesn’t approve of store-brought almond milk, too many chemicals or whatever. Not a whole food! Luckily, I already had almond butter from my first grocery shopping extravaganza of the week. All you had to do by Dr. G’s standard was blend a couple tablespoons of almond butter with some water and ta-da, you’ve got almond milk that’s apparently less likely to kill you. For the French toast, Dr. G. instructed that I needed to mix some ground flaxseed with a bit of warm water and then add it in with the almond milk. More date sugar, vanilla extract, a bit of turmeric and cinnamon, and boom. 

Sam was awake by now and I immediately put him on toasting duty. He’s become the defacto breakfast-cooking king in our household over the past 5 years, which is odd really when he’s less the morning person of the two of us. But he genuinely enjoys whipping up eggs, bacon, French toast, etc. on the weekends, and I’ve certainly never been about to stop him. He got out our griddle and began dipping the bread while I set about making the “berry drizzle.” Dr. G advised I use this as a condiment for the French toast in place of maple syrup. It has two ingredients: 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries and a couple of tablespoons of date syrup. 

The date syrup became yet another case of my assuming I’d be able to throw together a Dr. G. sauce or condiment quickly in my blender, only to discover I actually needed to soak a key ingredient in hot water for an hour or more. Oops. Oh well. I’d use a tablespoon of agave nectar in its place and that would just have to do. 

Here’s the berry drizzle in a super cute pitcher our family friend Kelly gave us as an engagement gift years ago:

Adorable, right? Ignore whatever that spot is on our table. Anywho, I can report that Sam didn’t love toasting the bread on our griddle without using any oil spray. The slices did stick a little but we salvaged most of it. The peach compote had reduced nicely by then and we were in business. 

It was super delicious. The peach compote is definitely what made the dish, although the berry drizzle was tasty as well. Both were made with local and in-season fruit so it’s pretty hard to go wrong there. 

Sam and I settled in for a lazy morning of Netflix (we’re watching Stranger Things - second watch for me, first time for Sam!). By 11 I had to admit to myself that I really needed to get my ass to the gym, even though it was still miserable outside. I moaned and groaned at Sam (he had gone the night before and wouldn’t be accompanying me) but eventually got my ass into gear. I was curious: I’ve been eating plant-based for, you know, a whole two and a half days now. Would I have more energy at the gym? Would I just be able to sense the power of a thousand vegetables coursing through my veins on the treadmill? 

The answer: NOPE. I actually felt a bit more winded than usual which, of course, set off an anxiety thought spiral in my brain. Damn it. Maybe this diet isn’t actually good for me. Am I not getting enough protein? People always harass vegans about their protein, maybe it’s a legitimate concern! 

I made it through my workout perfectly fine, though, just a little more tired than usual. I trudged home and showered, and then Sam and I had leftover spinach-mushroom burritos and salad for lunch. The weather still sucked and we didn’t have any plans, so we watched some more Netflix but eventually split up to do our own things. I wanted to read more of Dr. G’s How Not to Die book. It was a huge book, after all, and the clock was ticking on my library loan. I settled in but was having some trouble focusing. I just felt tired. Again I had the thought that maybe this diet wasn’t actually for me. That I wasn’t getting enough or x or y since making this switch a few days ago. I stood up and eyed our pantry shelves. I grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and ate them, but that didn’t feel quite satisfying (go figure). I noticed the giant container of unsalted roasted almonds I’d bought the day before and decided to take the plunge and open them up. I’m used to eating nuts from those giant mixed nuts containers you get at the grocery store, the ones where even the “33% LESS sodium!!!” version is still salty as hell. So I wasn’t sure what to expect exactly when I tried these unsalted almonds, but I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I actually like the taste of almonds when it’s not completely masked by salt. I grabbed a handful and then went to the fridge and got a handful of blueberries. They tasted amazing together. I happily settled back into my chair and felt myself perking up like a wilted plant that had been watered. By the time Sam came upstairs maybe half an hour later, the clouds had lifted outside and in my brain. We went for a walk. I suddenly felt more energetic than I’d felt all day. Maybe it had just been the dreary weather bringing me down. 

We returned home and decided that for the first time, we would try the Monster expansion pack of our beloved Harry Potter tabletop game. It took a long time just to set it up and try to figure out all of the new rules. We then decided to get dinner prepped because it would need some simmering time on the stove: it was gumbo night, y’all! I was excited because I love the flavor profile of Cajun/Creole cuisine. It was pretty easy to prep. Some chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic went into our Dutch oven with one cup of the homemade veggie broth I’d made the other day. I quickly thawed out the frozen okra in a separate small saucepot and eventually that went into the Dutch oven too with some diced tomatoes (BPA-free, thank you very much~), diced zucchini, and lots of delicious seasoning. We then added quite a bit of broth - everything that was left of the batch I’d made. It was a really nice, thick broth since I had pulverized all of the veggies the water had steeped in. We brought everything to a boil, threw in a can of red kidney beans (not BPA-free, alas), and simmered the gumbo for about half an hour. When it was done, we served it over brown rice, per Dr. G’s suggestion. 

Here’s a little pot action before we added in all of the broth and the beans:

And here’s the finished product:

The verdict?? SO GOOD! I loved it and actually got seconds. Sam liked it too; I don’t think he loved it quite as much as I did but then I’ve always been a bigger lover of Cajun food. Dr. G. claims his recipe makes four 1.25 cup servings, but it honestly made WAY more than that for us. I feel like his math was off... like, he accounted for the 6 cups of broth but not the fact that there were a ton of veggies and beans added in to the pot as well?? Not to mention the brown rice. But I’m not complaining, because I love the way it turned out, and it’ll be lunch for the next couple of days now. Oh, and I did salt the veggies a little bit when they were first steaming in the Dutch oven, and our Cajun-free seasoning was definitely NOT salt-free (salt is actually the first ingredient, lawl ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), so I’m sure that helped a bit. 

I think that’s really all there is to report! Other than the fact that we went back to our Harry Potter game after dinner and failed miserably. The creatures/villains completely murdered us on round 1. Oh well. Another day maybe... 

Cheers to what I think might be my shortest blog post yet. See you tomorrow! 

Gadget rec of the day: an electric griddle! We use it almost every weekend. Definitely had to wipe a trace coating of bacon grease from it today though... It’s a lifesaver for us especially since we have such a lousy stove. 

Music rec of the day: (Nothing But) Flowers by the Talking Heads