#Mix Vegetable with Chicken Recipe

[yasssss-food]

French Onion Grilled Chicken Burgers

[highladyluck]

The Dungeon Meshi renaissance is making me want to share the resources that taught me how to cook.

Don’t forget, you can check out cookbooks from the library!

Smitten Kitchen: The rare recipe blog where the blog part is genuinely good & engaging, but more important: this is a home cook who writes for home cooks. If Deb recommends you do something with an extra step, it’s because it’s worth it. Her recipes are reliable & have descriptive instructions that walk you through processes. Her three cookbooks are mostly recipes not already on the site, & there are treasures in each of them.

Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables by Joshua McFadden: This is a great guide to seasonal produce & vegetable-forward cooking, and in addition to introducing me to new-to-me vegetables (and how to select them) it quietly taught me a number of things like ‘how to make a tasty and interesting puréed soup of any root veggie’ and ‘how to make grain salads’ and ‘how to make condiments’.

Grains for Every Season: Rethinking Our Way With Grains by Joshua McFadden: in addition to infodumping in grains, this codifies some of the formulas I picked up unconsciously just by cooking a lot from the previous book. I get a lot of mileage out of the grain bowl mix-and-match formulas (he’s not lying, you can do a citrus vinaigrette and a ranch dressing dupe made with yogurt, onion powder, and garlic powder IN THE SAME DISH and it’s great.)

SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT by Samin Nosrat: An education in cooking theory & specific techniques. I came to it late but I think it would be a good intro book for people who like to front-load on theory. It taught me how to roast a whole chicken and now I can just, like, do that.

I Dream Of Dinner (so you don’t have to) by Ali Slagle: Ok, look, an important part of learning to cook & cooking regularly is getting kinda burned out and just wanting someone else to tell you what to make. These dinners work well as written and are also great tweakable bases you can use as a starting place.

If you have books or other resources that taught you to cook or that you find indispensable, add ‘em on a reblog.

[starcreatives]

Chicken Mix Veggies Recipe

Chicken Mix #Veggies Recipe, Tasty & Spicy Chinese Dish! مزیدار مسالحےدار مرغ مکس سبزی کی چائنیز ترکیب#StarCreatives #chickenmixveggies #chickenvegetables#chinesechicken

[coven-of-genesis]

Ways to rejuvenate spiritual & physical energy levels

Here are some herbs, plants, teas, foods, and recipes that will help rejuvenate energy:

Ginseng: This is a traditional Chinese herb that has been used for centuries to increase energy levels, reduce stress and fatigue.

Matcha Tea: This tea is a form of green tea that is high in antioxidants and caffeine, which can help improve mental alertness and physical energy.

Maca Root: This herb has been traditionally used in Peru to enhance stamina, endurance and energy levels.

Ashwagandha: This adaptogenic herb is used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue.

Chia Seeds: These tiny seeds are packed with nutrients and can help provide a slow release of energy throughout the day.

Dark Chocolate: This treat is high in flavonoids which can help improve mental alertness and focus.

Spinach: This leafy green vegetable is high in iron, which is essential for maintaining energy levels.

Quinoa: This grain is rich in protein and complex carbohydrates, which can provide sustained energy.

Lemon & Ginger Tea: This tea is a great way to boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and increase energy levels.

Berry Smoothie: Blend together a handful of mixed berries, a banana, a tablespoon of honey, and some almond milk for a delicious and energizing smoothie.

Avocado Toast: Mash half an avocado and spread it onto a slice of whole-grain bread for a healthy and energizing breakfast.

Grilled Chicken Salad: Toss together some grilled chicken, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and a lemon vinaigrette for a light and energizing lunch.

Sweet Potato & Lentil Curry: This hearty and delicious dish is packed with nutrients and is a great source of sustained energy.

Baked Salmon: This fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids which can help improve mental focus and reduce fatigue.

Golden Milk: This warm and soothing drink is made with turmeric, ginger, honey, and coconut milk, and is believed to help reduce inflammation and increase energy levels.

[coneheads-deserved-a-noble-prize]

I AM SO TIRED OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATING ALASTOR WITH ONLY JAMBALAYA SO HERE ARE OTHER CREOLE DISHES YOU HEATHENS

Fanfiction and Comic creators, this is for you especially.

Crawfish Étouffée

This beautiful dish was invented in Breaux Bridge Louisiana, where our favourite radio star is from! Although it's invention is attributed the Herbet Hotel in the 1950s -after Alastors death- it is a classic.

Crawfish Étouffée has a sauce typically made from a blonde roux with that classic cajun seasoning. It contains the Holy Trinity of cajun cooking too: bell peppers, onions and celery. The main meat of this dish is crawfish tails and it is usually served with carbs like cornbread, cajun rice or vegetables such as green beans and potato salad.

It is chock full of flavour, and a filling inexpensive dish for low income families - which I believe Alastor is from.

Some alternatives to the crawfish are chicken and shrimp.

-----

The difference between Étouffée and Gumbo.

These two often get mixed up, and I understand, they're both classic Bayou dishes. Here's how to differentiate them.

Texture: Both dishes use shrimp, chicken, or crawfish tail broth. BUT Jumbo has a thicker consistency, it's made from a dark roux and it tends to use more liquid to remain stew-like.

Flavour: Gumbo and Étouffée both use Cajun seasoning, but due to Étouffées blonde roux, it has a lighter, sweeter taste than the darker, fullness of flavour in Gumbo.

Meat: Gumbo uses a variety of meats at the same time (often shrimp and sausage are key components), as mentioned in the alternatives above, Étouffée typically does not.

-----

2. Red Beans and Rice

We're on a roll guys! This is another dish from Louisiana! Although, it is specifically associated with New Orleans, where Alastor hosted his radio show. It has a fascinating history, partly due to it's African and French/Spanish routes - But it was also a struggle meal during the Great Depression. It was originally a Creole, not Cajun dish.

(Note: Red Beans and Kidney Beans are different legumes)

This dish also contains the Holy Trinity, as well as bay leaves, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and more. Its protein comes from Andouille sausages, but like Gumbo, a variety of meats are used. If you want Alastor to be traditional about it, he should make it on a Monday incorporating the left over ham bones from Sunday dinner. It is also complimented with long grain white rice and green beans, amongst many other things.

Considering Alastor witnessed the Stock Market Crash of 1929 -which led to the Great Depression - There is no way he hasn't come across this dish before.

3. Creole Bread Pudding

The queen of Creole Dessert has arrived. Can you guess where she's from? DING-DING-DING! That's right! New Orleans Louisiana baby! Recipes of this treat have been recorded since 1885, so it suffices to say she's a classic.

Like most bread puddings, it is made by combining stale bread (preferably French), beaten eggs and milk. However, this variation often has an incredible amount of vanilla extract. What it will be complimented with varies from person to person. Some examples are: Whipped meringue and whisky, raisins and apple, or walnuts and butter.

Although not as popular in the modern day, I like to imagine this is something Mimzy, Rosie and Alastor might share together on a day out.

-----

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this - but more importantly I hope this helps people create a more diverse version of those cosy Alastor cooking scenes that I love.

[juniperdugong]

Forgot Your Lunch - Scoups

WC: 1023 || Genre: Fluff :) ...Angst :( || Happy (late) Birthday to this very handsome man!! ❤

A/N: If this does well maybe a pt.2 with what happened? (I totally don't have a whole story in my head about this fic alr...and this totally wasn't meant to be a teaser but got out of hand)

Some songs that inspired this fic!

Those morning hours, right before the sun shines in all its splendor, when most people are still resting their tired brains, and when quietness feels like a warm welcome to the day.

These were Seungcheol's favorite hours. The slivers of warm orange sunlight peaking through the curtains illuminating the space, giving the house a different type of glow. He relished in the fact that no one, not even you, was awake during this time. It gave him all the pleasure of gazing at your sleeping figure and giving you a few feather-light kisses before he actually got started with his day.

Seungcheol had gotten really into cooking when you two got together. Watched the tutorials, wrote down the recipes, and did a lot of the grocery shopping when he had the time - he even asked for help from Mingyu when he was really struggling. All of this effort put in for one simple goal - to be able to make your lunches for work.

He took great pride in making sure your lunch was not only healthy and balanced but nice on the eyes as well! Presentation was half the battle of cooking in his (humble) opinion.

Today wasn't any different, after haphazardly washing up he waltzed into the kitchen and chose a fitting playlist for such a joyful morning. He knows what to make, one of your favorites, a very simple and delicious spread of kaarage, a rolled omelet, rice, and a mix of fruits and vegetables cut up in the cutest little shapes! (Never forgetting the homemade spicy mayo, of course.) It's a specialty of his - and more than that - it was the first lunch he made you that you had raved about to your coworkers, only boosting his ego evermore.

Humming along to the music he went through the motions of washing and cooking the rice, setting out all the ingredients he'd need, and placing all the dishware on the counter in an assembly line. The few times that you'd woken up early enough to witness this practiced scene you'd have to admit that it was impressive the way he had gotten it all down to a T. Like a drill sergeant he would lead the charge in the kitchen, at least in the mornings, and if you ever dared to lift a finger…the earful you'd get before work- But what else can you expect from the most loving husband in the world AND the leader of one of the top kpop groups in history?

It's like everything, all the problems and worries, drifted away during this time. The sole issue in Seungcheol's entire world being what you would eat for the day. It was his way of showing you that he still cared and that he was still very committed. With a job that kept him away from you for such long periods of time and that took up all his energy and attention when he was home, it only felt right to do something as small as wake up before you and devote some time to you - even if you weren't always there to see it.

It would be a very hard task to try and tear away the smile that grew from him as he carefully assembled the different pieces of your food into a bento box. The only change in expression coming from the way his brows would furrow and his mouth would form a pout when he was ultra-focused with a knife or when he was gently making the finishing touches.

He took the chicken from the hot oil and placed them on a paper towel-lined plate - he knew how much you hated the excess oil when you ate. Turning off the stove in a swift movement he turned his attention to slicing the egg roll into perfectly proportioned pieces that you could eat in one bite. Then the fruits and vegetables - today's variety, some blueberries, leftover chocolate-covered strawberries, and a small salad with cherry tomatoes, all served with a small toothpick - he took note of that little comment you had made about how eating things with a toothpick makes the experience a bit more fun.

With a little jaunt in his step, he moved to put the puzzle together in an eye-pleasing manner. And once he was satisfied - he stepped back from his masterpiece. His gift to you. He looked at the clock-

8pm.

Oh.

It's night time.

That's right.

He stilled completely, coming back to reality. He left the kitchen with a ruffle to his hair. Dragging his feet into the bedroom he let his hands roam around the cold sheets, desperately searching for your warmth - your figure.

This was your bed too! The one you shared. C'mon, you remember, right? You're supposed to be here.

He looked out the window, no slivers of sunlight. Just the light pollution of a bustling city.

It's late and you're supposed to be home now, works done. It's supposed to be done.

He balled up all the sheets in his two fists and knelt on the bed. Gritting his teeth through tears that didn't dare hold back his emotions. And he punched that mattress so damn hard he could swear it felt like a human fighting back against him. The tangling of the sheets feels like Seungkwan and Dino holding him back from doing something else to hurt himself. He screamed so loud that his throat hurt, and he choked himself with the sound until red and veins popped. Drunk on something akin to anger but closer to loneliness he headed face-first into a pillow - but oh it was yours. The one you laid on just a few days ago. His tears and snot smeared across the blank canvas created a gross mirage but he didn't care. He let himself sit there, inhaling everything you left. Wailing into your remnants - curling up into your side of the bed, what would always be your side of the bed.

You forgot your lunch. It's here with him. "So come back, y/n. I'm really fucking sorry."

A/N: Hey guys...been a minute (a few days) And I come back with this- I do really like this though. Love me some happy memories and train wreck tbh. Let me know what you lovelies think! Have a great weekend or week, depending on when you see this. (protip DO NOT read this while listening to "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" almost shat tears) Please Reblog and Comment if you enjoyed ! (They act as power-ups for me)

Taglist (OPEN): @bemybabiibish @bath1lda

[p0lyn3sian]

Slashers with a chef reader? Maybe they'll teach the slashers how to cook or bake? :)

OMGGG YESSS!!!

Slashers: Carrie, Chucky (Charles) & Tiffany, Sinclair Brothers, Thomas & Bubba, Norman, Billy & Stu, Billy Lenz & Brahms, The lost boys, Jason, and Michael!!!

Teaching slashers how to cook/bake!

Carrie:

Carrie's favorite thing to do is baking! For cooking not a lot actually, because she accidentally burnt the food she was making, almost cutting her fingers off for making the vegetables or meat, and a lot of messes everywhere!

But that's okay! After Carrie tells you why she doesn't love to cook as much as baking, you wanted to try and help her! So, first off you showed her how to cut properly, what temperature for certain food when it's ready, etc!

After a few days or so, she'll be like a cook in no time! She made Chicken Alfredo, Fried Rice, etc.. She's so happy that you taught her how to cook, and whenever you come to her house, she'll have some dishes for you to try! You'll also be giving her recipes that are easy for her to make, until she gets used to all the cooking! She is so grateful for you showing how to cook!!

Chucky (Charles) & Tiffany:

Chucky isn't really a cook or a baker, he just orders food... But for Tiffany she can cook and bake, but she thinks that some of her stuff is mostly bad.. That's why you are there at their house, showing how to cook and bake!

Tiffany is a fast learner doing things after what you do, but for Chucky he's just a slow learner (a really slow one). Tiffany hits Chucky with the wooden spoon on the head, telling him to do it or else.. So he had to, because he does not want to make his wife mad.

After teaching both of them cooking and baking for a few days, they've invited you to come again! They've made so much food, and a lot of sweets too! Tiffany gave you a big hug for helping her and Chucky learn to cook and bake more! Chucky just said thanks, but that's okay! You are so glad that these two wanted your help, and they're glad that you helped them too!

Sinclair brothers (Bo, Vincent, & Lester)

All three of them can't cook or bake.. So you taught them how to, of course! Bo doesn't want to bake, because he thinks it's only for the women so you had to throw a metal cooking spoon at him for that.. Vincent wants to do both and Lester just wants to do what you do!

So the first thing you did was baking! There were a few mistakes here and there for baking, like how Lester accidentally mixed some of the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. After telling them why you don't mix dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, you guys then started baking different sweets! After baking all those sweets, you then moved into cooking, and again there were mistakes, so you had to teach them again.

After all the cooking and baking, there was a lot of food, and they hadn't been fed this well in a lot of years! They all said thanks and we're really happy that you wanted to help them cook and bake! Luckily while going to the store you remember about jonesy's food, so she ate too!

For the dog, people call the dog 'jonesy', and I think most of them said she's a female dog, unless I'm really wrong about the name and the gender, so please tell me if i made a mistake!

Thomas & Bubba:

These two wanted to learn how to bake, since their family are cooks but not much of bakers, except for Luda Mae! So you went to the grocery store that was a few miles down from their hometown, and got all the baking stuff they needed, even with the cooking since Drayton needed some seasonings and other stuff..

Once you arrive at home, you then start unpacking a lot of foods from the plastic bags! You told Mama (Luda) that you'll be coming back with a lot of stuff, and she was really confused as to why there's more baking instead of cooking ingredients. You then told her it was for Thomas and Bubba, that those two wanted to learn how to bake, and Mama wanted to help too since her boys wanted to learn! (She's so proud of them!!)

You and Mama taught them what to put in certain stuff, dry ingredients with dry ingredients and wet ingredients with wet ingredients, etc! Mama wanted pie for dessert, so you all made 4 big patches of apple pie! Making the pie was really fun with these two and especially funny, Thomas always tilted his head by the way he's confused with the stuff, and for Bubba he always shows you and Mama if he did the stuff right every few seconds or so. After all your hard work, you all sat down and ate drayton's famous roast dinner (ahem definitely not made from human meat 🌚, jkjk you already been eating human meat staying with these people). Then, you all ate the apple pie, and it was so good that Hoyt said who made these, and you answered it was Thomas and Bubba. Hoyt did a surprised face that these two baked the apple pie?? Which laughter then erupted around the table, just laughter and chattering filling the air of the Hewitt's home..

Norman:

Norman wanted to learn baking and cooking, just to help around your shared home! You asked him what he wanted to do first, and he wanted to do cooking first! Teaching him what to do with the cooking, you guys decided to do frying food! There were some hisses and ouches heard from Norman, but nothing too serious since he's getting used to the oil popping everywhere and going onto his skin.

So after all that frying, you guys went onto baking! Baking was really fun and also messy with Norman! You guys decided to make a chocolate cake for dessert after all your hard work! While the chocolate cake is being baked in the oven, you decide to turn up the radio to listen to some tunes. One of those tunes was playing Norman's favorite song, and he held out his hand for you to take, and so you did. Slow dancing to Norman's favorite tune for a little bit, until the cake was done!

Now dinner was set with all the frying foods you've done and the chocolate cake! Everything was beautiful to Norman, even with you he thought it was even more perfect than before! Both of you sat down from across from each other, and luckily you brought wine for this special occasion! And you popped open the cork and started pouring the wind into both your glasses. Just a nice romantic dinner with Norman..!

Billy & Stu:

These two mostly order out, which causes all their money to disappear almost everyday! You then talked to them about cooking and baking! Stu wanted to bake, since he loves sweets and for Billy he just doesn't want to do anything.. So you put Billy as the cook, he complained about it, but you ignored him for that.

Stu checked if all the stuff was measured correctly and ready to be mixed, and surprisingly everything he did was correct! He wanted to make brownies, and for Billy he needed lots of help from you! You then asked him what he would want for dinner tonight, and he looked through the recipe book that you bought, and pointed at Alfredo. You then told him to get out what the recipe book says and do it, and he got everything out. You then helped him with the cooking too, so that he doesn't burn down the Alfredo.

After everything was ready, Billy & Stu were ready to eat! You all sat down and started eating, Billy's Alfredo tasted really good which brought Stu almost eating the whole pot! And that's okay, you and Billy were full anyways, and after that Stu took out the brownies from the oven and gathered plates and cups for the milk. Stu then gave you and Billy brownies and a cup full of milk, and then started eating! Stu decided to make jokes and just laughter filling the air..

Billy Lenz & Brahms:

(decided to put these two together, since they're like a couple, attic rat and wall rat, wait whattt who said that??)

These two are like the biggest babies, whining for you to make food and sweets for them. You didn't have the energy to deal with all their baby attitudes, and grabbed both of them by the hands and dragged them downstairs to the kitchen. You then told them that they had to learn how to cook or bake.. Both of them looked at you and then at each other, and shook their heads telling you that they don't want to.. You forced them to.

They kinda hate for you to force both of them to help you with the cooking and baking. You had to pick baking, because it was kinda the easier one to do for both of them. You got the ingredients to make sour dough bread, and told them which ingredients need to be together or not together. Once those two were done, brahms put the sour dough bread into the oven.

Then those two wanted to cuddle right now, but you told them they had to wait until the bread is done. Then, the bread was done, it smelled heavenly for Billy and Brahms, and then you got the bread knife and started slicing the bread! (You didn't trust those two since they probably do something stupid with the bread knife 💀.) You gave each of them four slices of the sour dough bread, you walked to your chair and sat down and noticed that Billy and Brahms ate the four of their slices in just 5 seconds. They then dragged you upstairs after you ate your pieces of bread, just to cuddle with them..

The Lost Boys (David, Dwayne, Paul, & Marko):

You came up to your vampires and asked all of them if they wanted to learn cooking and/or baking! All of them chose baking since they really loved sweets, and they all wanted to try and make Twinkies! Luckily they had a box of Twinkies in their cave, and you grabbed the box from their secret hiding spot and looked at what you need for the ingredients.

Since they don't have a kitchen in their cave, you invited them to your house, but under one condition is that they all don't make a huge mess.. You all then arrived at your house and you gave all of your boys jobs just to make Twinkies. Paul and Dwayne are going to mix the ingredients and David and Marko are going to mold it into a Twinkie! (Or whichever shape they want!)

After making the Twinkies, you all then went to your couch and turned on a movie to watch as time passed by for the Twinkies to be done in the oven. Eventually it was done, and you then grabbed the pan from the oven using your kitchen glove and placed it onto the stove. You started counting how much there is for everyone and started splitting it up fairly. These vampires loved how it turned out, kinda crispy and warm after it was out of the oven! You all then bring your Twinkies and go over the couch and sit, you then unpaused the movie you all have been watching. Just snuggles and cuddles from your boys while watching a movie..

I literally don't know how to make Twinkies, so this was probably not really accurate at all..!

Jason Voorhees:

Jason asked you about teaching him about cooking and baking because he feels bad for you doing all the cooking! You were so glad he wanted you to teach him how to cook and bake, you then asked him what he wanted to cook and bake! Jason wanted to cook spaghetti with meatballs, and for dessert strawberry pie, because it reminds him of his mother's baking!

Luckily you two had enough ingredients to make spaghetti and strawberry pie! Jason wanted to do baking first, because his mother tells him that it takes longer than cooked foods! So you and Jason then worked on making strawberry pie, mixing in ingredients and you then put the pie into the oven. You and Jason then worked on making spaghetti with meatballs!

While the spaghetti and meatballs are cooking, the pie was done! Jason grabbed it out of the oven and placed it on top of the dish cloth, to let it cool down a little. Now the food was done, so you grabbed bowls and plates with forks and set them on the table, and Jason grabbed the food and the pie. You had some strawberries that were in the fridge and placed them on the pie, and sat down with Jason. Jason then took off his mask, and smiled at you, happy that he made food with you!

Michael:

You had to make Michael look at how you cook, baking is off the list because you have a feeling that he'll be eating the whole bag of sugar.. Michael didn't want to watch how you cook, he wanted to go out there and kill his victims! You told Michael that he'll have to learn to cook, because some days at your job they'll probably want you to work overtime. So, you decided to make the easiest one for him. Which is hotdogs..

You grabbed the pot from underneath the cupboards and poured in water from the sink and placed it on top of the boiling stove. You then grabbed sausages out of your fridge and plopped 6 sausages. You then explained to him that it'll only take about 4 to 6 minutes, since you already turned on the stove to the boiling point.

After the sausages were done, you then asked Michael to get the bread that was in the storage and put it on the table. And so he did, you then walked to the table and placed a dish cloth on the table, just to not burn the table. Since Michael is a picky eater, you got ketchup for him and other sauces that you like to put on your hotdogs. You then told him to grab a fork and stab at the sausage and place it on the bread. He did what you said, and you then told him to drizzle the ketchup in a straight line or in a squiggly line, and he drizzled into a squiggly line and he took off his mask and ate the hotdog. You then did the same to your hotdog and bit into it too, you asked Michael if he wanted to do this again. Michael didn't move a little, until he looked at you and nodded his head..!

[nobrashfestivity]

24 Hour Red Sauce

Since I am making this right now as I type, I thought I would share one of my sauce recipes. The long cooking time may seem daunting but that's also what makes it difficult to mess up. There are probably typos and I never before have written this down but here it is.

24 hour red sauce

People ask me sometimes “How did you make this sauce?” and I usually say something like, “Well, I cook it a really long time.” But now I will share, roughly, how I do make that sauce.

In spite of my part-Italian family, This is my recipe not a family one. My mother and Italian grandmother showed me how to make sauce but frankly, theirs was not that great. Okay, serviceable, not amazing. Perhaps, like many people I learned to cook at an early age because I didn’t like other people’s food. I went to one of those terrible schools where they would make you eat what they gave you. I’m stubborn and refused their overtures, and as I went forth in life I said no to many things. and thus never developed a taste for them. I’m basically the opposite of Anthony Bourdain.

Because I am a vegetarian, I would bring Lasagna or the like to holiday meals for friends and family and over time I endeavored to make a sauce that would stand up in lasagna, stuffed shells or other sauce killers. I make other sauces but this is the favorite of my friends because, I think, the long cooking time makes for a complex flavor.

I’m not the New York times, so this is a little rough in terms of measurements but the beauty of red sauce is that you taste as you go.

-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I use Tuscan olive oil such as Vetrice for critical stuff but it can be waste of money in long cooking sauce. Any good olive oil with a little bite will work)

-2 28 oz cans of Bianco DiNapoli crushed tomatoes. (you can also use San merican, Mutti or what have you, but I like these best)

- 14 ounce Bianco DiNapoli whole tomatoes (opinions differ on crushed vs whole, I use a mix)

-25-35 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

-½ to 3/4 oz fresh basil leaves, chopped (this depends on how many stems you get and how pungent the basil is)

-Vegetable broth (this will add salt, if you want less salt use low sodium broth. If you’re not a vegetarian, you can use beef or chicken broth too).

-Full bodied red wine, like Cabernet, Merlot or Rojas. Don’t break the bank but don’t use something disgusting, you’re eating this.

-1 dried bay leaf (yes you have to)

-¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper (I use a whole teaspoon actually)

-½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

-1 medium to large sweet onion

Get a big sauce pan because red sauce will splatter as cook it and it's easier if that doesn’t end up on your stove.

Chop the whole tomatoes (I do this by hand but you can use a food processor) set aside in a bowl.

Under low heat, put the olive oil in and add the garlic and the red pepper, saute a little until the garlic becomes a little glassy.

Add the crushed and chopped whole tomatoes, increase the heat to medium. Set aside the cans.

Peel your onion (you can use two if they are small) and chop it in half. Now look where the sauce comes up to in your cooking pot. Make a little mark (obviously on the outside) of your pot or just wing it.

Fill one empty can half way (14 oz) with vegetable broth and slosh it around to get the remaining tomatoes out of it. Add the black pepper and bay leaf and pour into the sauce.

Fill the other empty can half way with red wine (also 14 oz), a Cabernet is good here, slosh it around and add to the sauce. Now you have wasted nothing except your life cooking this sauce.

Add the two halves of your onion to the sauce. Stir in about half the chopped basil.

Cover the sauce with a lid with a hole in it or half cover it allowing some steam out and turn the stove way down below a simmer. You should even being seeing regular bubbles I the sauce at first and they shouldn’t be appearing rapidly ever.

Every hour tell Michael to stir the sauce (or do it yourself)

Pour a glass of wine and drink it.

Cook it half covered for 4-6 hours on as low heat as possible. You should see occasional bubbles. If the cooked sauce falls below the line you made on your cooking pot, you’re cooking it too fast, but no matter, if that happens, add a cup of 1/3 wine, 1/3 water and 1/3 broth and stir it in. Taste the sauce, it should be pretty good.

Go to bed and out the sauce in the ice box (My grandmother said Ice Box, refrigerator is what it means).

When you get back up in the afternoon (if you get up early, who even are you) uncover the sauce and put it back on low heat simmering or below. Add another two cups of the wine-broth-water mixture and cook for another 5-8 hours. Remember to stir.

When the sauce tastes amazing and you can’t stop tasting it, remove the onions and bay leaf and throw them away. Turn the stove off. Add the rest of your fresh basil and stir it in. You don’t have to use all the basil but basil is not a bad thing. Let the sauce cool for at least an hour. Serve or store. Drink the remaining wine.

It’s actually difficult to ruin this sauce if you follow these guiding principles-

1- You want roughly the same amount of sauce you started with before you added the liquids (wine, water and broth). So you want to see about 50-65 oz of finished sauce depending on how thick you like it.

2- Cooking the onions provides the sweetness to take the acidity out of the sauce, if it’s not sweet enough to can add another onion but it should all even out with more cooking. More sugar will be released from the onions over time. The sauce should be spicy and somewhat strong and acidic but also smooth and flavorful. Add more of your liquids if the sauce is too thick, cook more if it’s too thin. Don’t use sugar.

3- The red wine is a big flavor in this, the alcohol will cook off but flavor is part of the dynamic. Sicilians will tell you to use paste, but that’s a different sauce.

4- I cook this sauce for as long as 24 hours but you don’t have to to make it good. It depends a lot on how high your heat is, how much liquid you use etc. but I would recommend no less than 7 hours of cooking. Otherwise the magic doesn’t happen.

5- Make this often, tweak to your taste, you will return to it each time affirming its power to sustain you in a harsh and unkind world.

[janitorhutcherson]

Groceries, Taxes, & Laundry (MSchmidt Fluff)

hey guys, it's me. i'm finally back. did y'all miss me? the writing of this is a lil diff, sooooo please enjoy and lmk what you think!

content: pure fluff yall.

-----------------------------

Grocery shopping with Mike Schmidt is… special, to say the least. He absolutely despises it. The dreaded time comes around at the end of every week, your vegetables in the fridge starting to wilt, the meat from the previous trip used up, and all of your snacks have been devoured from late night munchie runs to the pantry (xoxo i love gardening!!!). He knows it has to happen. He knows you’ll wake him up early on Sunday morning like always, because apparently it’s “better to get it out of the way,” which he thinks is, well, to put it lightly, utter bullcrap.

You’ll drag him and Abby out to your local grocery store, her drowsy and jittery all at the same time with the promise of pancakes from a local diner after. Once you arrive, you’ll pull out all of the far-too-expensive reusable bags out of the trunk of Mike’s dingy car, ready to fill them with the necessities. Why get those for 3 bucks when you can get the plastic ones for free? He’ll never understand your logic, something about saving the environment, but it’s okay, he loves you enough not to complain, at least out loud.

The fluorescent lights of the room filled with half asleep employees hits Mike’s eyes like he’s looking directly into the sun. He lets out a small grumbled sigh as he takes in the scent of sterile cleaning supplies and produce mixed in one, with the strange almost play doh like smell of the bakery. Your eyes cut over to him, eyebrows raised, Abby’s hand in yours as she rubs her droopy eyes. Mike can’t help but to crack a small smirk, his lips pursed together. “What?” he’ll question innocently, letting out a small snicker as you go deeper into the dreary establishment. 

At the produce aisle, Mike shivers a little as the water from the misting sprinkler on the shelves hits his bare skin. He should’ve worn his jacket today, he usually does, and he’s regretting the one time he hasn’t. Your eyes are glancing over carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, and squash, all that are somehow both too ripe and too.. What's the word... unripe? Sure, he’ll go with that. His hand reaches out to grip yours in a gentle grasp as Abby points to a particularly fluffy bushel of broccoli. “I want that one! It looks like pretty trees,” she giggles out, finally starting to wake with the day. You let out a giggle of your own and Mike smiles because of how pretty your laugh is.

Next, you’re in the snack aisle, filling the cart with doritos, barbeque chips, pringles, salt and vinegar chips (mike gags when you eat them too close to him), peanut butter filled pretzels, whatever can go in Abby’s lunch box and whatever is tastiest. Mike insists on buying the cheap queso, his nose scrunching up at the price of the name brand one. He knows it doesn’t taste any different.

Now you’re looking at meats, finding chicken breasts and filets, steaks, pork, whatever was on your list from meal prepping. Yes, meal prepping, Mike did that now. Apparently stable people with stable lives who had stable relationships did that. He’d grown fond of sitting over a recipe book with you on Saturday nights, really, shoulder to shoulder, pressed up on the couch well after Abby had gone to bed. Something about it felt safe, a kind of domestic feeling he wasn’t used to.

You’re basically done now, and he couldn’t be more relieved as you make your way towards the dairy section. He grabs a few things, string cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, cheese slices for sandwiches for work. Oh, did he mention he works in construction now? It’s stable, makes good money, and he’s home on time to see you, to be a husband-not-yet-husband (he plans to propose soon, but that’s another story), a brother-more-like-a-father, a person with a regular schedule. He looks over at you, watching as you and Abby skim over the different selections of chocolate and strawberry milk, finally settling on a carton of strawberry. He once again scrunches his nose, smiling all at once. “Nasty,” he mumbles out. Abby playfully hits his arm and you lean in for a kiss.

Finally, thank god, you push the cart towards the bakery section, grabbing bread and a sweet treat or two for the week. Cookies, a birthday cake for no particular reason, cheese danishes, whatever his little family was feeling for the week, that’s what it’d be. This week, it was a huge box of chocolate chip cookies and some kind of cherry pastry he’d never had before. You three finally head to checkout, where everything is stuck in those stupid reusable bags and the price of everything you got feels obscenely huge for what’s in your cart, but he pays it anyway. Walking to the car, in the trunk the groceries go as you all climb in one by one, ready to head for pancakes.

As he reverses the car out of his good (only because it was so goddamn early) parking spot, he can’t help but sigh, this time with contentment as Abby rambles on about a new imaginary (hopefully) friend, your own grin wide as you ask questions, making sure she feels heard. “I love you guys, love doing things with you guys,” Mike mumbles out, reaching his hand over to your thigh as he glances back at Abby too. And it was true, he’d do anything with you two. Hell, if all his life consisted of grocery shopping, taxes, and laundry? Yeah, he’d be ok with that too.

[beautyandlifestyleblog86]

Nutrient-dense meal prep recipes that can help promote healthy eyesight:

1. Salmon and Quinoa Salad:

- Cook quinoa according to package instructions and let cool.

- Season salmon fillets with olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs, then bake until cooked through.

- Combine quinoa, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado in a bowl.

- Top with flaked salmon and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

2. Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Buddha Bowl:

- Toss chopped sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion with olive oil and seasonings.

- Roast in the oven until vegetables are tender and slightly crispy.

- Serve over cooked quinoa or brown rice, along with roasted chickpeas and a dollop of hummus.

3. Spinach and Feta Stuffed Bell Peppers:

- Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes.

- Saute spinach, diced tomatoes, garlic, and feta cheese in a skillet until wilted.

- Stuff the bell peppers with the spinach mixture and bake until peppers are tender.

4. Lentil and Vegetable Soup:

- Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a large pot until softened.

- Add lentils, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and seasonings.

- Simmer until lentils are cooked through, then stir in chopped kale or spinach before serving.

5. Greek Chicken Bowls:

- Marinate chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano.

- Grill or bake chicken until cooked through, then slice into strips.

- Serve over a bed of cooked quinoa or brown rice, along with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and a drizzle of tzatziki sauce.

These meal prep recipes are packed with nutrients that are beneficial for eye health, including vitamins A, C, E, and zinc, as well as omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

[rotten7rat]

Batfamily + Cooking

Alfred:

He's the main cook, and has been since taking the job as the Wayne's butler. Classically trained in the culinary arts, and thankfully stillvery much enjoys it, though not as much as he used to. He likes baking more than cooking, and has gotten more of a sweet tooth as he's gotten older. Leans more on your classic British dishes, but is always happy to try a requested recipe. Prefers to cook either alone or with competent help.

Bruce:

No. Cannot even be trusted to make a grilled cheese, he always burns them.

Barbara:

Pretty good. Very much a 'throw something together at 7:30, eat at 8' kind of person, but everyone is always happy to have what she cooks. If it takes hours to make then its not worth it. A teacher suggested once that being raised by a single father, she must do most of the cooking and cleaning, and after that she refused to learn how to cook out of sheer stubbornness.

Dick:

An excellent cook. I think it comes naturally to him, he didn't spend much time cooking growing up but once he taught himself the basics he can pretty much throw anything together. Its by no means a passion of his, but he does enjoy it. However, he doesn't cook often due to being too busy and/or tired, so he gets a lot of takeout or just has something quick or microwavable very often. But if he's cooking you best be there. Anything can be a social occasion and he happily accepts help in the kitchen. Not great at baking though, he always manages to over-cook or over-mix.

Cassandra:

I'm sorry but she will throw rice, water, and and an unseasoned chicken breast in the rice cooker and call it a night. Either that or she'll have a protein shake and seven eggs.

Jason:

Quite good. Unlike Dick, it doesn't come naturally to him, but he is a fast learner and picked it up mostly from Catherine, Alfred, and YouTube. That being said, would he prefer tortellini en brodo or four boxes of Kraft mac and cheese? Tamales or something quick and greasy from Bat Burger? Its always the second option. I think he often cooks as a distraction or just something to do, and just gives it to the single mother across the hall or throws it in the freezer to eat a week later.

Stephanie:

Decent. She'll see a recipe on TikTok and will try it instantly, and she's always excited to try something new. Works best with a recipe but decides just to wing it mostly. Cooking with her mother has become somewhat of a bonding activity. Really good at baking, especially things like brownies and cookies. However, she will also throw pickles, peanut butter and ice cream in a blender and swear it tastes fantastic. Is learning to cook more because everytime she sees Cass eating a boiled chicken breast she takes psychic damage. Trying to sneak meat alternatives into Cass without her noticing. It worked once.

Tim:

Not great. Will follow the recipe to the letter and will somehow still fuck it up. He mostly sticks to simple recipes that are hard to mess up, and also just doesn't have the desire to spend heaps of time in the kitchen. He does make a mean sandwich though, every time someone tries to replicate one its just never as good.

Duke:

Doesn't particularly enjoy cooking but he's fine at it. Not as bad as Cassandra, he will season his food, but prefers it to be quick and not complicated. Loves heavier foods like pastas and other carbs but doesn't have the patience or desire to make them from scratch so he uses jar sauces, frozen potatoes etc. Will put taco seasoning on everything.

Damian:

Good eventually. Doesn't cook a lot now, but when he was younger he had a kind of 'well obviously its not difficult, its just cooking' mindset. He was humbled. By Dick. I think when he's older he is much better. Will still follow a recipe so it is perfect every time. It isn't a hobby, just a task that must be completed, but he'll be damned if he's eating bland food, he will spend an hour preparing vegetable tagine. Nobody can help of even be in the kitchen with him while he is cooking, because they are breathing all the kitchen air and taking up all the room. Get out.

[korasonata]

Was bored and also procrastinating other things, so have a ranked list of Hermits based on whether I think they can cook or not for funsies. Vibes only.

—

Beef: The expert. Is well versed in almost all manners of cooking, and is an extremely skilled chef, particularly with regards to meat dishes, and is a particularly skilled butcher.

TFC: Also up there with Beef, but TFC is also a master of rare ingredients. He’s good at foraging, and he uses ingredients in his cooking that aren’t typically used in just every day life. His techniques may seem a bit primitive, but they are highly effective and his style of cooking might be called simple food made complicated.

Stress: Also a very good cook who puts a lot of emphasis on nutrition. She makes meal plans and prepares a lot of her food at the beginning of the week, and her cooking always makes sure to include a balanced diet. She enjoys cooking and likes to have fun with it. Makes a killer roast chicken.

Impulse: Is surprisingly good at home style cooking. He doesn’t make anything fancy or anything, and his presentation is always a little sloppy, but his food at least tastes good.

Cub: Doesn’t cook much, but when he does he is actually secretly a very good chef. He cooks for himself a lot, but it’s only once in a blue moon that someone else gets to eat his food.

Wels: Is a decent chef, but is incapable of cooking for a single person. He makes way too much food every time and is incapable of portioning, and as such he is the direct inverse of Cub, and he never cooks for himself if he’s alone. Is also very good at desserts.

Ren: Has a bottomless pit of a stomach. Has a big appetite and loves all food and really enjoys big dinner feasts. Is also good with cooking meat specifically. He has a special smoking method that is a real crowd pleaser. Is also good with basic rice bowls and his cooking tastes very homely.

Gem: Is good at treating fish specifically. Also anything involving wild game. Like TFC she is very good at foraging and using ingredients found in the forest. Her cooking is a bit unrefined, but has a very light, refreshing sort of feel to it.

Cleo: An average cook, but is very good at a few specific dishes. (As a side note I’ve actually tried one of Cleo’s recipes that she talked about on stream and it is literally the greatest thing ever, I made it once and people request it all the time)

Joe: Is good at making drinks specifically. He makes a mean margarita and is good at making mixed drinks and cocktails, but otherwise is an average chef with regards to food. Makes very good nachos though.

Doc: Like Cleo, Doc is good at making a few very specific dishes. He makes several German specialties and is also very good at treating vegetables, but outside of these specialties he is rubbish.

Bdubs: Stereotypical grill dad. At least he thinks so. His seasonings consist almost exclusively of basic spices. Meat is the only thing he cooks, but otherwise possesses no real flare for cooking. Despite this, he thinks very highly of his skills, and the food he puts out isn’t bad really, so the Hermits still let him cook every once in a while.

Scar: Scar always tries his absolute best, and his cooking swings wildly from perfection to the most disgusting thing you’ve ever eaten in your life. There is no in between. It’s 50/50 what you’re going to get, but he has fun either way.

Jevin: makes a mean Mac and cheese, but outside of this, he is a very basic cook. He makes himself sandwiches and grilled cheese and maybe some pasta, but otherwise doesn’t cook much else.

Hypno: Ok. He can kill something and cook it, but he’s not the best butcher and his food is just kind of thrown together. There’s no real theme to any plate he puts out. He’s half decent with seasonings and spices though.

XB: Can make fried rice and that’s about it.

Keralis: Can copy other people’s dishes when given instructions, but when left alone has no idea what he’s doing.

False: Doesn’t really cook much. She probably could, but most of the time she’s after something quick and easy. Whenever she gets hungry she just grabs an apple from the bowl or eats whatever leftovers are in the fridge cold.

Etho: Lives almost exclusively off of instant ramen.

Zedaph: treats the kitchen like a chemistry lab and anyone eating is a test subject. He’s not allowed in the kitchen very often.

Xisuma: This man could burn juice. I don’t know how, but he’d do it. He is a sopping wet cat in the kitchen. He’s the type that tries to cook but fails so miserably that every time he just ends up making a bowl of cereal for himself instead.

Grian and Pearl: have cooking battles competing over who can make the most disgusting dish. Grian is like the little toddler that always wants to help but is so bad that no one will let him. He’s also always the one standing over your shoulder and sneaking bites of things when you turn your back. Pearl can’t cook herself, but she has good knife skills so she is often allowed to help out with the prep work.

Mumbo: Will eat anything and everything you throw in front of him. He does not care. He also does not cook at all. When left to fend for himself he demolishes the kitchen by eating every raw ingredient in the pantry. This man would eat a sack of flour if you let him.

Tango: This man does not eat unless you make him. You have to physically drag him to the table to get any kind of nourishment, but he is always very appreciative of other peoples cooking.

Iskall: Orders takeout exclusively.

[mariacallous]

I’m not even sure whether I can taste pure Old Bay anymore, because the condiment is infused with so many memories of home. I grew up sprinkling it on everything—blue crabs, sure, but also watermelon, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese—and I can shuffle through decades of pictures from family reunions, county fairs, church picnics, and back porches where the iconic yellow, red, and blue tins keep popping up like someone’s second cousin, not quite front and center yet always in the frame.

If you’re new to Old Bay, get a tin and shake the contents liberally on popcorn or potato chips—a starter dish, from which you can and should expand. You’ll soon find that you can add the condiment to almost anything. One of my favorite dishes that uses Old Bay as an essential ingredient comes via an old family friend. Keith Davis is a Jack-of-all-trades: a fantastic general contractor, but also a church usher, a builder of wheelchair ramps, a Santa Claus when seasonally necessary, and, lately, a food-truck entrepreneur, grilling burgers and deep-frying funnel cakes for every community event and private party in the area. He goes by Mr. Keith; his food truck is known as Fat Boy’s Fixins, named in honor of the man who taught him to grill and whose Santa suit he inherited.

Of all the things Davis serves up, he might be best known for his crab soup, which he makes in ten-gallon batches and lets the local Ruritan Club sell by the pint every fall at the Waterfowl Festival, when somewhere between fourteen thousand and twenty thousand people descend on the Eastern Shore to see the work of hundreds of decoy carvers and local artists, listen to waterfowl-calling contests, and watch demonstrations of dock dogs, raptors, and fly-fishing. Davis is there every year, gossiping with his fellow-volunteers, talking with out-of-towners, and tossing hunks of crab meat into stew pots. Normally you’d have to shell out eight dollars for even just a cup, but here, exclusively for newsletter readers, free of charge, is the best crab soup you’ll ever taste, a shockingly easy, practically pre-made recipe for trying out America’s greatest condiment: Old Bay.

Mr. Keith’s Crab Soup

1 lb. crab meat (claw meat best) 64-Oz. bottle of Spicy V8 14.5 Oz. chicken broth 32 Oz. water 1 lb. mixed vegetables 1 Tbsp. Montreal Steak seasoning 1 Tbsp. Old Bay

Mix the V8, chicken broth, and water in a pot. Start heating the mixture, then add the vegetables, then the crab meat, and finally the spices. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables start to soften, stirring occasionally “so it doesn’t stick and burn on the bottom of the pot.”

[three--rings]

Threerings' Dinner Plan

Okay so you've got the average or more than the average amount of stress and limitations to your time and/or ability, but you like to eat good food. And you know you need to both eat healthier and more cheaply (i.e. home cooked food.) What do you do?

Well in the past few months I've kinda perfected a system for low effort cooking of very healthy meals that last for many days of leftovers. None of this is revolutionary or anything or original but IDK it's working really well for me so I'm sharing.

(Also this is for omnivores. Sorry non meat eaters.)

Basically the idea is sheet pan meals. Like I said, not revolutionary. But I've found a system to make it as easy and low-effort as possible.

Step One: Choose your meat and recipe.

So mostly I use chicken for this, because it's cheapest. But if your store is having a great sale on pork or beef, by all means. This last week I did pork tenderloin cause they were super cheap I just searched for a recipe for sheet pan pork tenderloin and adapted it.

But we're gonna assume you're going chicken. So I really only like chicken breasts, but if you like thighs you can use those because it's cheaper. I typically use about 1.75-2lbs of chicken at at time for these recipes.

So what I do is buy the thin sliced chicken breasts from the store. The benefit here is they are already pre-trimmed of all the nasty parts so you're not paying for bits of chicken you don't want and also you don't have to handle and cut the chicken yourself. All I do is open the package and I cut each piece of sliced chicken in half in the middle, horizontally. You don't have to do that, but it makes all the pieces about the same size and it fits better on the tray and then people can take exactly as much meat as they want more easily. (I'm only feeding two adults but it would work well for kids that way.)

Step Two: Veggies

So that's your meat, then you need veggies. I use frozen veggies because they are 1)cheaper and 2)pre-cut. You can pretty much use whatever veggies you like with whatever recipe, but I try to keep it in theme. Like with a Mediterranean dish I did onions and bell peppers and cauliflower. Recently I got a bag of "roasting vegetable blend" that was excellent with brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and onions. Get the higher quality veg like broccoli "florets" cause it's worth a few cents more. You will need/want more veggies than you think, like 20 oz total, you can mix a couple small bags of different ones per tray. And they will shrink a good deal in cooking.

Step Three: Sauce/seasoning.

And then we have seasoning/sauce. This is where I turn to internet recipes for "sheet pan whatever chicken." But I have a few I've used that I've adapted so I'll give them here. Whatever you do, basically you just mix the sauce and pour it over the chicken and/or vegetables and throw it all on a sheet tray and cook it in the oven. (Specifics below.)

Korean Chicken

4  tablespoons dark soy sauce (I've tried both dark works better)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons neutral oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

4 cloves garlic , minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder) (I use pre-minced jar garlic for ease)

1 tablespoon gochugaru red pepper flakes (if you don't have these just either use a smaller amount of regular red pepper flakes or just more sriracha. This shouldn't be really HOT, just tangy. )

Do Broccoli and Chicken with this, and mix it all in the sauce. It makes the absolute best broccoli EVER. Like I just want a plate of this broccoli it's so GOOD.

Greek Chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

6 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled

(Sub pre-juiced lemon juice and jarred garlic for ease.) Marinate the chicken in the mixture for like 30 minutes first if you have time. Onions, bell peppers and zucchini is good for this. Don't add feta until the last 3 minutes of cooking, sprinkle feta over it and then put it back to get a little melty and browned.

Shawarma Chicken

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1½ teaspoons paprika (may substitute smoked paprika)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon fine salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons neutral or olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

You can again marinate the chicken for a bit if you want. But you don't have to. I recommend cauliflower for this, with whatever else you like. Grape tomatoes are good too. For this one I sprinkled the veggies with curry powder to make sure they got seasoned because there wasn't that much of the marinade.

So for ALL of these the process is this:

Preheat over to 450

Spread the frozen veggies all over a sheet pan (wrap the pan in aluminum foil first for easy clean up.) You can drizzle them with oil, salt and pepper, or a little of the sauce/marinade and toss to cover. Toss the sheet in the oven while it's still preheating. This will get the veggies started and defrosted before you add the chicken so it will all cook together.

Meanwhile get the chicken ready/wait 10-15 minutes for the oven to heat and the veggies to start cooking. (If you're using smaller/more tender veggies you can cut this time. Skip this entirely if you're using fresh.)

Mix your thin sliced chicken pieces with the marinade/sauce. Remove veggies from the oven and push to the sides to make room for your chicken in the middle. You can also simply lay the chicken pieces over veggies if you don't care about the veggies getting carmelized. Arrange your chicken and dump all the sauce. Return to oven.

Cook for about 20-25 minutes. You can check the temp of the chicken with a thermometer, but it's so thin it should be fine. This is why we start the veggies first so they can get mostly cooked and have time to start browning without overcooking chicken.

Remove from oven.

Serve with rice. I have been going the ultra-lazy route of using frozen microwaveable rice, but some of you may have rice cookers.

Congratulations you have a super healthy meal. If you feel crazy you could make a second tray of veggies at the same time and just have less meat with each meal to stretch your $. You could also add beans to your veggies and same.

My husband and I can get dinners for 4-5 days out of one of these meals. But neither of us eats a lot at a sitting, so ymmv on that.

You can also probably see how to adapt this. Find a sauce/marinade recipe, choose veggies and meat, and go! You will have to figure out the cook time for different kinds of meat though.

[momospetdog]

Garden of New Beginnings

Gardener!Hirai Momo x F!reader

warnings: fluff, js them checking each other out..? (idk honestly)

a/n: this is my first fic. plz bear with me

The moving truck rumbled down the quiet suburban street, finally stopping in front of a charming two-story house with a wraparound porch. The early morning sun cast a warm glow on the neighborhood, birds chirping as they flitted from tree to tree.

Hirai Momo, a beautiful and well-built gardener, was hard at work in her front yard. Her tanned muscles glistened slightly with sweat as she dug into the rich soil, planting vibrant flowers that added a splash of color to the neatly kept lawn. She paused to wipe her brow, glancing up just as the truck doors swung open.

You stepped out, stretching your back after the long drive. You looked around, taking in your new surroundings with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

The sun had reached its zenith by the time you finished unpacking the essentials in your new home. As you arranged some books on a shelf, a soft knock on the door drew your attention. You walked over and opened it to find a woman standing there, a potted plant in her hands and a friendly smile on her face.

“Hey, I’m Momo, your neighbor. I thought I’d bring you a little welcome gift,” Momo said, holding out the plant. “This is a peace lily. It’s pretty low maintenance and perfect for indoors”

You smiled warmly, your eyes flicking to Momo's sweaty neck and the messy bun that barely contained her hair. She accepted the plant gratefully. “Thank you so much, Momo! It's beautiful. By the way, nice to meet you Momo, I’m Y/N”

You smiled warmly, your eyes flicking to Momo's noticing how hard Momo had been working, you felt a sudden urge to reciprocate the gesture. “Would you like to come in? I made some of our specialty if you’re interested”

Momo’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Sure, that sounds great”

You led Momo into the kitchen, where a delicious aroma filled the air. You plated some of your homemade food and handed it to Momo, who took a bite and immediately closed her eyes in appreciation.

“Wow, this is amazing!” Momo exclaimed. You chuckled, a bit bashful. “It's a family recipe for chicken curry. I’m glad you like it”

As both of you ate, you chatted about the neighborhood and your background. Eventually, you brought up what had been on your mind since the morning.

“By the way, Momo, I saw you working in your front yard earlier. Are you a gardener by profession?”

Momo nodded, swallowing a bite of food before she answered. “Yeah, I am. I run my own gardening business. I love transforming outdoor spaces”

Your eyes lit up with excitement. “That’s perfect! I was hoping to landscape my garden, but I have no idea where to start. Would you be willing to help me with it?”

Momo’s smile widened. “I’d love to. We can start planning it out whenever you’re ready”

You felt a wave of relief and gratitude. "Thank you so much, Momo. I appreciate it. And maybe we could start tomorrow?”

Momo waved her hand dismissively. "It's no problem at all. Yes sure we can. Maybe I could check your garden so I could get an idea?”

You nodded eagerly. “That sounds great. Let me show you the backyard”

You led Momo through the back door and into the garden, which was a blank slate of overgrown grass and a few scraggly bushes. Momo’s eyes lit up as she surveyed the area, her mind brimming with ideas.

“This place has a lot of potential,” Momo said, stepping forward to examine the soil. “We can do so much with it. Do you have any particular ideas or themes in mind?”

You shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed by your lack of knowledge. “Honestly, I just want something that looks nice and is easy to maintain. I love flowers, though, and maybe a small vegetable patch?”

Momo nodded thoughtfully. “Flowers are a great idea, and a vegetable patch can be quite rewarding. We could do a mix of perennials and annuals for color throughout the seasons, and I can suggest some low-maintenance plants that thrive in this climate”

“That sounds perfect,” You said, feeling more confident. “What do you think about adding a small seating area? I’d love a place to relax and maybe have friends over”

“Absolutely,” Momo agreed, her enthusiasm contagious. “A cozy seating area would be perfect. We could use some natural materials to keep it in harmony with the garden’s look. Maybe a small patio with a pergola covered in climbing plants?”

Your eyes widened with excitement. “I love that idea! You really know your stuff, Momo” Momo chuckled. “It’s what I do. Let’s sit down and sketch out a rough plan”

You both moved to the kitchen table, where Momo pulled out a small notepad and a pencil. She began to sketch, explaining her ideas as she went along. You watched in awe as the garden of your dreams took shape on the paper.

After an hour of planning and discussion, you and Momo had a solid outline for the garden.

Momo smiled warmly. “We can make a trip to the garden center tomorrow to pick up some supplies and get started right away”

You nodded, “Thank you so much, Momo”

“It’s my pleasure, Y/N,” Momo replied. “I’m looking forward to seeing this place transform and spending more time with you”

“Spending more time with me?” you blushed softly, your cheeks warming at the thought. You quickly looked away, hoping Momo hadn’t noticed.

Momo chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Yes, you seem like good company. And besides, working on this garden together will be fun”

You felt a flutter in your chest, a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the neighborhood, you and Momo continued to talk about your plans for the garden. The conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter, and shared ideas.

When Momo finally stood to leave, you walked her to the door. “Thanks again for everything today, Momo. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow”

“Me too,” Momo said with a genuine smile. “Get a good night’s rest. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us”

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly as you finished your breakfast and got ready for the day. You felt a mix of excitement and nerves, eager to start the garden project with Momo. As you were tying your shoes, a knock at the door made your heart skip a beat.

Opening the door, you found Momo standing there with a cheerful smile, dressed casually in a tank top with a flannel wrapped around her waist that highlighted her toned arms and a pair of baggy pants “Ready to go, Y/N?” Momo asked “Absolutely,” you replied.

Momo drove to the local garden center, chatting easily about plans. When you arrived, Momo led the way through the rows of plants and supplies, her enthusiasm evident as she pointed out various options.

“This place is amazing,” you said, looking around in awe at the vast selection of flowers, shrubs, and gardening tools.

Momo nodded. “It is. Let’s start with the basics. We need some good soil, compost, and a variety of plants that will thrive in your yard”

As you filled the cart, Momo explained the benefits of different plants, offering suggestions for color schemes and layout designs. You listened intently, appreciating Momo’s expertise.

“I never realized there was so much to consider,” you admitted. “I’m glad you're here to guide me”

“That’s what I’m here for," Momo said with a grin. “Plus, this is the fun part—choosing the plants and imagining how it will all come together”

You spent the next couple of hours selecting everything you needed, from vibrant flowers to sturdy garden tools. By the time you reached the checkout, the cart was overflowing.

“Looks like we’re ready to get started,” Momo said, helping you load the purchases into the car.

As Momo drove back to your house, the excitement was palpable. Once you arrived, Momo immediately got to work, unloading the car and setting up their supplies in the backyard.

“Alright, let’s start by preparing the soil,” Momo instructed, handing you a shovel. “We’ll need to clear out any weeds and mix in the compost”

At one point, Momo effortlessly lifted a heavy bag of soil, her muscles flexing as she carried it across the yard. You couldn’t help but admire Momo’s strength, your gaze lingering on the defined muscles in Momo’s arms and shoulders. You quickly averted your eyes, hoping Momo hadn’t noticed you staring.

But Momo did notice. She caught your quick glance and felt a warm satisfaction. She smiled to herself, enjoying the subtle attention.

After setting down the bag, You turned to Momo. “Hey, before we get too deep into this, would you like to have a snack? My mom came over while we were away and made some lemonade and baked cookies this morning”

Momo’s eyes lit up at the mention of cookies. “That sounds perfect. A little break would be nice before we dive back in.”

You made your way to the kitchen, where you quickly prepared a tray with two glasses of lemonade and a plate of freshly baked cookies. You both settled at the kitchen table, the refreshing coolness of the drinks and the sweet aroma of the cookies creating a relaxing atmosphere.

“These cookies are amazing,” Momo said, taking a bite. “So,” you said, finishing your cookie, “what’s next on our gardening agenda?”

“Well,” Momo replied, leaning back in her chair, “we still need to prep the soil and start planting the flowers. After that, we can work on setting up the vegetable patch”

You nodded, feeling more confident with Momo’s guidance. “Sounds good. Let’s get back to it”

You returned to the garden, energized and ready to continue. Momo resumed lifting heavy tools and bags, each time drawing a glance from you. You found yourself captivated by Momo’s effortless strength and the way her muscles moved beneath her skin. Momo, aware of the attention, felt a thrill run through her but kept her thoughts to herself, focusing on the task at hand.

“Do you need any help with that?” you offered, trying to be useful. “Sure, you can grab that smaller bag over there,” Momo replied, pointing to a bag of compost. As you bent down to lift it, Momo couldn’t help but admire your form, well lets say your ass… her eyes tracing the curve of your behind. She quickly looked away, maintaining her composure.

You carried the bag over and set it down next to Momo, who was still working with the soil. “Where should I put this?” you asked, standing up straight and brushing some dirt off your hands “Right here is perfect,” Momo said, patting a spot next to the bed.

As you worked together, the tension between you grew palpable. Each time Momo lifted a heavy tool or bag, you couldn’t help but notice the way her muscles flexed under her skin, the strength evident in every movement. Momo, for her part, found herself stealing glances at you when she thought you weren’t looking.

After a while, you both took a break, sitting down on the grass to catch your breath. The warm sun bathed the garden in a golden glow, casting long shadows across the freshly turned soil.

“This is looking really good,” you said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between you. Momo nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “Yeah, it’s starting to come together nicely”

You glanced over at her, catching her gaze for a brief moment before she looked away. “Thank you for all your help today, Momo. I couldn’t have done this without you”

Momo chuckled softly, her voice filled with warmth. “It’s been my pleasure, believe me. Besides, it’s nice to have some company while I work” You smiled, feeling a rush of gratitude and something more. “I’m glad to be that company”

Momo wiped her hands on her pants and turned to you, a hesitant expression on her face. “Hey, Y/N,” she began, her voice slightly uncertain, “do you... um, have a girlfriend or boyfriend?”

You paused, surprised by the question but sensing Momo’s sincerity. “No, I’m actually single,” you replied. “I haven’t really been looking, to be honest. Just focusing on settling into the new place and now this garden project”

Momo nodded, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. “Sorry, that was probably too forward. I didn’t mean to pry”

You smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay, Momo. I appreciate you asking. What about you?” Momo hesitated, then chuckled softly. “Honestly, my plants keep me pretty busy,” she admitted. “But, I’ve been thinking it might be nice to have someone to share things with outside of work”

You felt a rush of warmth towards Momo. “I understand that. It’s nice to have someone to share things with”

Momo nodded thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on you for a moment longer before she cleared her throat. “Listen, there’s a new café that just opened up nearby. Would you... maybe want to go there for lunch sometime?”

Your heart skipped a beat at the invitation. “I would love to,” you replied, your smile growing wider. “That sounds wonderful, Momo”

Momo returned the smile, relieved and happy. “Great! It’s a date then”

a/n: plz tell me ur thoughts and on what else i can improve 🙏

[channel4sims-cc]

TS4: Korean Bar Set

Sul sul ^^

Who wants to create a K-Drama moment for their Sims? :)

This is a Korean bar set :D

ITEMS THAT COME WITH THIS SET:

A functional bar (two versions: empty or with a beer dispenser (imgur link), bar stools, 6 neon lights, a wall (bottles) display, and a bar wall sign.

🍺 RECIPES/ DRINKS:

SOJU FLAVORS: Apple, Apple Mango, Blueberry, Citron, Fresh, Grapefruit, Green Grape, Mango, Original (Chum Churum), Original (Jinro),  Peach, Strawberry, Plum, Sour Candy, Yogurt, Zero Sugar.

BEER: Terra, Cass, Hite Extra Cold.

OTHERS: Somaek (Cass beer+Soju), Somaek (Terra beer + Soju), Makgeolli.

🍺 All types of soju and beers can be served in a glass or drunk straight from the bottle.

🍺 Only the Somaek (it's a "mixed drink") and the Makgeolli can't be drunk from the bottle.

🍺 If you choose the drink/glass version, the bartender will prepare it for you. You'll notice that they'll use the "correct bottle" to make your drink.

Example: If you order Strawberry Soju (glass), the bartender will use a Strawberry Soju bottle while making your drink. It was a lot of work to do, but I wanted it to look as realistic as possible :)

🍺 There are also different types of glasses depending on what drink you order.

🍺 If you order the drink (glass), your Sims will drink it in 3 sips. If you order the bottle, they'll drink it in 5 sips.

🥘 RECIPES/FOOD:

NACHOS: Your Sims will eat it with their hand, taking the nacho chips. It's vegetarian safe.

BINDAETTEOK: It's a pancake made with mung bean. You can fill it with meat or just vegetables. Since I wanted more Sims to be able to eat it, I made it vegetarian safe. It's up to your imagination what the pancake fillings are :) Your Sims will eat it using (custom) chopsticks.

CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN: Your Sims will eat it using the chopsticks as well. This way they won't get their hands dirty with all the oil and sauces  XD. It's not safe for vegetarian Sims.

🥘 All of these three recipes take 5 bites to be finished/eaten :)

*** Click here to see a big picture of all recipes (imgur link) ***

Check the post on Patreon to read more about this download :)

I hope you'll enjoy it a lot! :)

Happy Simming ^^

*-* DOWNLOAD (free on January 2nd, 2024) *-*