#Sweet White Corn Soup

[rabbitcruiser]

National Homemade Soup Day

When the cold winter winds are blowing and snow is rapidly falling, nothing takes the chill away like a bowl of homemade soup! It might seem that making a pot of simmering heaven would require a person to be highly skilled in the kitchen and have a great deal of extra time. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth!

If making homemade soup has always seemed like an intimidating task, just know that it doesn’t have to be. Plus, it’s a great way to feed a large group of people without a lot of fuss. With some clever short cuts and easy, beginner-friendly recipes (happily found all over the internet), it’s entirely feasible to impress family and friends alike with a wonderful creation to celebrate National Homemade Soup Day!

History of National Homemade Soup Day

Soup has been warming the stomachs of the masses for nearly 9000 years, so it’s about time there was a day devoted to it!

One of the smartest choices of the creators of National Homemade Soup Day is that they put it right smack-dab in the middle of winter (at least for people in many places). Since February can be one of the coldest and darkest months of the year, it’s the perfect time to try a hand at creating the perfect homemade soup.

But for people who live in a place where the day doesn’t fall in winter–don’t despair! Homemade cold soups are a tasty option for those celebrating in a warmer climate. Whether with a Gazpacho (cold tomato soup) or cucumber soup, this day can be enjoyed–cold or hot–in any part of the world!

How to Celebrate National Homemade Soup Day

While this day does not discriminate between flavors of soup, it does offer an occasion to celebrate. So it’s time to do more than just open that can of boring, bland, soup! This is a day that is all about celebrating a fresh, healthy pot of homemade soup!

Consider a few different ways to make National Homemade Soup Day a little more special:

Try a New Recipe

Celebrating soup sounds simple – just pour a bowl and start eating, right? Well, that is part of it but not all of it. If you are new to creating culinary masterpieces you can use this day as a motivation to try something different. Make some chicken soup, or tomato, or maybe something more adventurous. That is what today is all about, so experiment and try something new.

Invite Friends and Family to Join In

Already a kitchen wizard? Use this special day to gather up some friends and have a tasting of several different homemade soups.

Or have each person bring one ingredient that can be added into the pot! While waiting for the soup to simmer, read out loud a version of the favorite children’s book, Stone Soup.

Better yet have a cook off! Each friend shows up with their own homemade masterpiece and have a lively night of fun to see whose soup is crowned the winner. The great news is that, really, everyone wins because they get to enjoy all of the deliciousness and comfort that homemade soup has to offer.

Recreate a Copycat Recipe

Sometimes a favorite dish at a restaurant turns out even better when making it at home! Many recipes for famous soups from restaurant chains are now available online to be recreated in a person’s own.

Try making these yummy copycat soup recipes that can be easily found online:

Zuppa Toscana by Olive Garden. Famous for its pairing with soft breadsticks, this twist on an Italian favorite is packed with yummy goodness. A chicken stock base with sausage, kale, and red pepper flakes provide a zesty array of flavors.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup by O’Charley’s. Packed with flavor (and also quite a few carbs!) this soup is sure to please with its cheesy potato base and bacon garnish. Like most soups, this one is tasty when served with buttery bread rolls.

Cullen Skink from Ubiquitous Chip. This soup is named after Cullen, a small fishing town in the northeast of Scotland. One of Glasgow’s favorite restaurants, Ubiquitous Chip, features this comforting treat made from smoked haddock, potato, onion, and spices.

Read a Chicken Soup for the Soul Book

Since homemade soup takes a little bit of time to simmer on the stove, it’s great to have something to do while waiting. So what could be better than reading some short stories from the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies?!

The books were compiled by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, but the stories themselves were written by people all over the world. Some authors are famous while others are simply average people with extraordinary or entertaining stories to share that bring comfort to the soul.

Source

[saint-ambrosef]

newbie's guide to produce

for all my peers who were not taught how to shop for veggies and fruit on a budget and struggle to use them before they go bad:

(disclaimer: prices are approximate based on where i live in the Southern US. costs may be higher in your area, but the comparison of cost should still be valuable.)

cheap produce year-round:

roma tomatoes. if they look under-ripe you can leave them on the counter for a few days. keeps in fridge for about 2 weeks. $1/lb.

cucumbers. around here they're 50-60 cents each. go bad quickly though, about 1 week in fridge.

celery. two bucks for a head. starts to get sad after two weeks in fridge. only makes sense if you like to snack on celery or make soups often.

corn. whole ears are like 20cents each mid-summer, otherwise just get frozen. $1.50 for a lb.

peas. get these puppies frozen for $1.50/lb. good protein, too.

romaine lettuce. one head is good for several small salads, about $2 and lasts a week in fridge. the big boxes/multi-packs may seem like a better deal but not if it all goes bad before you can eat it.

onions. kind of a given but you can get regular yellow varietals for less than a buck per pound. will last for 1-2 months in pantry.

potatoes. you can get 5lb bags of russets for three bucks. sweet potatoes are a lil over $1/lb. last 2-3 months in pantry; if they grow sprouts, you can cut those off and still eat it.

bananas. dirt cheap. a small bunch (4-5) costs like a dollar. if they go over-ripe before you eat them all just get less or get a few green ones (p.s: you're allowed to break them off larger clumps).

radishes. $1.50 for a little bundle. greens get wilty after a week, roots will last 2 weeks (you can use both parts).

hot peppers. poblano, jalapeno, etc., are often quite cheap and you usually don't need very many anyways. few weeks fridge or counter.

cheap produce when in season:

summer squash. in summertime (duh), zucchini and yellow squash are like $1.25/lb. only last a week or so though in fridge.

winter squash. actually in season in fall, these are your butternuts and acorn squash. less than $1/lb then. lasts in pantry for months.

green beans. in warm months they can be on sale for $1.50/lb! last 1.5-2 weeks in fridge? (kinda depends on the shape they're in)

kale. it's a cool-season green that commonly is on sale in colder months. $1.60 for a big bunch, about 1.5 weeks in fridge before it gets seriously wilty. (can be eaten cooked or raw!)

apples. fall/winter, usually at least one variety on sale for $1.25/lb. last forever.

oranges. most citrus are winter fruits. $1/lb. will last forever in your fridge.

strawberries. spring. at their peak, i can find them for $2/lb. otherwise they are too expensive.

watermelon. $8 for big 10lb melons. they can take up a ton of space though and need to be refrigerated once cut/ripe.

cantaloupe. another summer star! $1.50 each on sale. they will slow ripen in the fridge but you do have to keep an eye on it.

pineapple. $1.50 in summer time. might be ripe even when still a bit green, ready when they smell noticeably ripe.

pears. fall season, sometimes into winter. $1.20/lb. last 1-2 weeks on the counter or forever in the fridge.

pomegranate. in winter time they can be found for $2 each. tricky to peel though.

peaches. and nectarines (which are just fuzzless peaches). $1.25/lb in summer and will last for weeks in your fridge.

eggplants. summertime veggie, you can get for $1.50 when they're on sale. otherwise a bit pricey. keep in fridge for 2 weeks.

mid-range produce:

cabbage. three bucks for a 2-lb head but you can get a lot out of it. will keep 3-4 weeks in the fridge but any exposed cut sides will start moldering after a week.

mushrooms. white button or baby bella. $1.50 for 8oz. keep in mind, mushrooms halve in size after cooking. ~2 weeks though.

avocados. if you live in the South like me, small hass varietals are 60-80 cents apiece in winter. ripe when it gives just a little to squeezing (you can't go off color alone).

broccoli. fresh is $1.70ish per head and lasts a week in fridge. frozen is $1.50/lb but might be kind of mushy.

most greens. spring mixes, spinach, arugula, etc can really vary in price but often fall into a few bucks at least per bundle/package. in a fridge's humidity drawer they last 1-2 weeks.

kiwis. i love them but they're a bit pricey for their size. 50 cents each. their keep depends on how ripe they are at purchase.

expensive produce:

asparagus. one of the most expensive veggies. sometimes in spring you can get it for $2/lb (a steal but still a bit much). lasts 1.5 weeks.

brussel sprouts. same as above.

red or yellow bell peppers. they are used sooo often in recipes and it annoys me. often $1.50-2.00 each. last a long time in fridge.

caluiflower. three bucks for a head. yikes!

green beans. when they're not in season, they are like $3/lb.

snap peas. same as above, except they never seem to be on sale.

raspberries. go bad in 3 days and cost an arm and a leg. sometimes when they're in season you can get them for like $2 per half-pint as a treat.

blueberries and blackberries. even when they're in season, they're still $2 per pint.

grapes. they can sorta be affordable in the fall season for $2/lb, but otherwise they're double that. and usually you have to commit to buying several pounds. last 2 weeks in fridge.

plums. i love them so so much but they're only in season for like 2 weeks of the year it seems and they're like $3/lb.

inexpensive accoutrements: (for garnishes, seasoning, etc)

limes. 25cents apiece. they'll start to dry out after 1 week on the counter so keep them in the fridge unless you will use it soon.

lemons. usually 50cents each for the small varietals. keep same as above.

green onions. less than a dollar for a bunch, and you can easily regrow a few times at home if you stick the white rooted end in water by a window.

cilantro. 50cents. will last WAY longer (1-2 weeks) if you keep it in a mug of water in the fridge.

parsley. 85cents. same as above.

obviously sticking just with popularly available produce across the country. it's not an exhaustive list but can give you a bit more perspective on what produce you should be focusing on if you're trying to work with a tight grocery budget. good luck!

[ediet-the-right-way]

Some Meal Ideas ✨

Meal Ideas I have Prepped for myself for the following week ✨

Stand Alones:

Soup

Rice paper roll ups (cucumbers + tomato + rice)

Cucumber sandwich + cream cheese

Tomato+ cucumber + tuna bowl

Rice cake + egg whites +cucumber

Egg whites + shrimp

Rice cake + tomato sauce + cheese (toasted)

Chicken breast + broccoli + egg whites

Egg whites + blueberries

Snacks:

Apple + cinnamon + almond butter

Blueberries

Grapes

Strawberries

Yogurt + collagen scoop

Tangerine

Cucumber slices + rice

Cucumber slices + cream cheese + everything bagel seasoning

Build Meals:

Protein: 4oz

Shrimp

chicken

egg whites

Egg yolks

Tuna

Tilapia

Carb: 1/2 Cup

Purple potato

Sweet potato

Corn

Starchy carb: 1/4 Cup

Rice

Fat: Tsp - Tbs

Cream cheese

A bit of oil

Veggie:

Seaweed salad

Cucumber

Sautéed cabbage

Tomato

Broccoli

Asparagus

See you Later ✨

[elinorasims]

Build | Strangerville | Ziggy's Diner

Lot Info

Type | Restaurant Lot Size | 30x20 World | Strangerville Value | 94,857 Baths | 3 CC | No Packs | Unrestricted Ziggy's Diner is a classicly retro mashup of Googie and passenger train inspired styles situated in Strangerville Plaza.

Ziggy's is a compact restaurant and bar combo with a Strangerville twist: classic red booths and an elongated mid-century modern bar layout meets sci-fi inspired and 50's-kitsch inspired cluttered decor..

It's giving the diner from the movie 'Paul'. I hope. lol

Ziggy's has a fully customised menu featuring some Mountain States inspired comfort dishes and some American classics (full menu below the cut).

DOWNLOAD >>

Interior Tour

Bar

Staff Areas

Floor Plan

| hi my loves

hopefully you like this one- it was super fun to build and I'm finding my feet a bit more building for this save, i think!

it's been playtested (briefly lol) and should be fully functional and a smooth enough restaurant experience for your sims to enjoy.

i love Paul so much aha we watched it this past weekend and i was immediately like 'yup. gotta go do a strangerville build now.'

| dag dag fn. <3

Ziggy's Diner Menu

Drinks water ; lemonade ; milk ; orange juice ; coffee ; cream cola ; fizzy fruity drink ; pitch black ; root beer float ; soda ; tang and zing ; boiler room ; eapa ; juice on the rocks ; wrench ; galactic vita-water ; silent film ; sour punch ; sunset valley ; alien juice ; cupid juice ; space energy drink ; jet juice

Appetisers chips and salsa ; mac and cheese ; bowl of olives ; bread roll ; french fries ; whole wheat bread ; popcorn shrimp ; garden salad ; cheesy bread ; grilled plantains ; seafood chowder ; soft shell crab cake ; empanadas ; watermelon salad

Mains mac and cheese ; chicken nuggets ; popcorn shrimp ; baked potato ; hot dog ; lobster roll ; veggie burger ; chicken and waffles ; fried chicken sliders ; mushroom waffles ; sausage and peppers ; scrambled eggs with bacon ; seafood chowder ; tofu dog ; fish tacos ; hamburger ; fried fish ; pancakes ; aubergine Parmesan ; sweet corn pizza ; mushroom steak ; french toast ; vegetable chilli ; egg white omelette ; mushroom soup ; bbq ribs plate ; blackened bass ; gumbo ; steak

Dessert neapolitan ice cream ; rainbow sorbet ; vanilla ice cream ; alien fruit tart ; cream filled donut ; cream snack cake ; honey cake ; plain waffles ; rainbow brownies ; hamburger cake ; chocolate chip cookie ; apple pie ; banana cream pie ; pumpkin pie ; simcity cheesecake ; fruit cobbler

[fremedon]

I had a long boring mandatory work event today, which means I spent a lot of time at The Turnspit Dog.

The Turnspit Dog is my imaginary neighborhood farm-to-table restaurant. (NB: I have no desire to run an actual restaurant, which involves doing things like "cooking whether I or not I feel like it" and "making a profit." This is a purely imaginary affair.)

At any rate. This week, The Turnspit Dog is offering a roasted red pepper soup with toasted chickpeas and cashew crema or a chicken elote soup with sweet corn and red potatoes; a roasted broccoli salad with almonds and pickled carrots, as well as the usual house green salad; buccatini a la Norma (with eggplant and ricotta salata); a slow-cooked pork shoulder with polenta, grilled broccolini, and apple cider gastrique; a bisteyya (phyllo chicken pie with cinnamon) with plum compote; a white bean stew with fennel and confit plum tomatoes, braised kale, and sourdough croutons; a tipsy peach upside-down cake; and oat milk black walnut ice cream with brandied cherries.

It was a long work event.

[sk-4-nk]

♡My Safe Foods♡

Fruits

watermelon

peaches

strawberries

cantaloupe

blackberries

raspberries

pineapple

pomegranate

kiwi

cherries

grapefruit

guava

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veggies

sweet potato

radishes

lettuce

cucumber

eggplant

peppers

tomato

corn

zucchini

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meals

spinach + feta omelet

low cal pancakes (should I post the recipe?)

low fat yogurt (vanilla is my fav)

low fat cottage cheese

rice + beans

boiled egg + white rice

pb&j oatmeal

steak + eggs

8 pc chick fil a nuggs

shrimp

cucumber sushi + miso soup

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drinks

low fat choc milk + ovaltine (pls don't judge)

strawberry + almond milk smoothie

matcha

green tea

0 sugar cranberry juice

stevia + lemon water (tastes like lemonade)

diet coke/dr pepper

black iced coffee

sugar free vitamin water

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other

strawberry popsicle (outshine)

popcorn

low sugar strawberry jam

konjac jelly

sugar free jello

meringues

zero sugar twizzlers

fiber one brownie

quest birthday cake bar (it's 200 cal which is kinda high but it's so good and soo filling with lots of protein)

rice cakes

pickles

pepperoni

zero sugar chocolate syrup (this can also be added to milk but ovaltine has more vitamines)

*note: feel free to come back to this list bc I'll probably add more. I have some recipes and more tips if u want.

[cassowary-rapture]

Found a recipe for corn chowder I thought I'd lost forever + the cheap vegetarian version of it I actually made! Apparently it's from an issue of Relish

4 ears fresh sweet corn 1 medium white onion, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons flour 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and chopped 5 cups 2-percent milk 1 pound shrimp, peeled (and deveined, if large) 4 cups baby arugula or other peppery greens, such as mache, or chopped or stemmed mustard or turnip greens

1. Cut corn kernels from cob. Scrape cobs with back of knife to release milk. Set aside. 2. Cook bacon in large Dutch oven. Remove from pan, drain and crumble. 3. Add onion, corn, salt, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to bacon drippings. Sauté 10 minutes. Add flour, whisking well, and cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes and milk. Cook 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Stir in arugula. Serve with crumbled bacon. Serves 6.

The ingredients I used: 2 cans of corn, one drained 1 medium white onion, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons paprika 2 teaspoons black pepper 2 tablespoons flour 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped 5 cups whole milk 2 cups spinach

Sauté the onion, salt, paprika, and pepper in vegetable oil for about ten minutes. Add the flour and cook for two minutes. Add the potatoes, milk, and canned corn and cook for ten minutes. Sauté the spinach in a separate pan with salt, pepper, and paprika (not sure how much of each. Maybe 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper and 1 Tbsp of paprika?) until soft, then add it to the soup for the last five minutes

[winter-rp-memes]

Food preferences meme

🌭 - Hotdogs! Do they eat hotdogs at all? Do they use a lot of contiments? Toppings? Or just plain?

🌽 - CORN! Do they eat a lot of corn? Do they ever eat it by itself? Have they ever tried corn on a cobb? They put any butter or pepper on their corn?

🍿 - Popcorn! Do they have butter on their popcorn? Extra salty? Do they get any of the colored popcorn at movie theaters or just the usual stuff?

🍕 - Pizza! How many toppings? Which toppings? All the toppings? Stuffed, thin or regular crust?

🍔 - Burger! Do they prefer them on a charcoal or propane grill? No preference? How do they stack their burgers? What type of bun do they use?

🥪 - Sandwiches! What's their usual go to when it comes to a sandwich? PB&J? BLT? Ham and Cheese? Do they still cut the crust off their sandwiches? Preference on sandwich bread?

🥗 - Salads! Do they eat their greens? What vegetables do they like? Favorite salad dressing? Do they usually have a lot of crackers and cheese on their salad?

🧀 - Cheese! What kind of cheese do they like or consider their favorite? Are they the type of person that will put cheese on almost anything or do they use it sparingly?

🍳 - Breakfast! Do they have a big or very light breakfast? What's their go to breakfast food? Do they eat breakfast at all?

🥧 - Pie! Do they like pie or have a favorite type of pie? Do they prefer cake instead?

🥣 - Soup! Do they have any soups they like? Do they make it from scratch or just get canned soup? Is it something they commonly eat or is it reserved for a sick day?

🍚 - Rice! How do they season their rice? Do they eat rice by themselves or do they combine it with something?

🌯 - Fast food! Do they eat fast food often? What's their favorite place to do? Do they settle for something greesy or are they very picky about where they eat out at?

🌶 - Spice! How well do they handle spicy food? Do they usually put hot sauce on lots of their food? Or do they avoid it at all cost?

🍦- Ice cream! What's their favorite flavor? Do they get any toppings? Syrup? Whip cream? Do they prefer it in a cone or in a cup? Do they eat on warm days only or on cold days too?

🍧- Shaved Ice! Have they ever had it? What flavor would you get? Does ice hurt their teeth? Do they have to wait until it melts and it's more of a slush?

🍩- Doughnuts! Do they get a plain glazed? Icing? Jelly filled? Settle for Doughnut holes? Or do they want powdered sugar?

🍤 - Seafood! Do they have a favorite type of seafood? Like seafood at all? Have they had any bad experiences with seafood in the past?

🥩 - Meat! Do they eat meat? Are they picky about how it's cooked, where it comes from, and how to eat it? Do they prefer red or white meat?

☕️ - Coffee! Do they like it black? With lots of sugar and cream? Do they drink a lot of it or only in small amounts?

🫖- Tea! Do they have a favorite type? Do they drink any herbal tea for health benefits? Do they drink it warm or cold?

🍫- Chocolate! Do they have a favorite? Do they like dark chocolate or prefer it be as impossibly sweet as possible? Do they settle for low end stuff or get the expensive brands?

🍪- Cookies! Favorite type of cookie? Do they eat cookies a lot or just on occasion?

🥃 - Alcohol! The stronger the better or do they have a low tolerance for those type of thing? Do they drink alcohol by itself or do they commonly have it with a meal?

[strle]

2023/2024 Soup Bucket List

Because a linked list posted publicly to your own tumblr is still the best way to keep an easily accessible collection of links on your phone. Complied from the links i liked the look of in the Culture Study Soup Extravaganza thread, Chunky Soups

Ginger Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup Deb Perelman Lemony White Bean Soup With Turkey and Greens Melissa Clark, NYT Vegitable Soup (Vegan!) Cooking Classy Smoky Sweet Potato Chicken Stoup, Rachel Ray Dilly Bean Stew with Cabbage & Frizzed onions Alison Roman Instant Pot Curried Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Foraged Dish Lasagna Soup SkinnyTaste Chicken Tortilla Soup What's Gaby cooking Creamy Wild Rice Chicken Soup with Roasted Mushrooms Halfbaked Harvest Chicken and Rice Soup with Garlicky Chile Oil Bon Apetit Greek Lentil Soup ✓ Limey Ginger Chicken & Rice Soup Pinch of Yum (tbh, 2x+ the ginger) Navy Bean Soup with Worcester Vegan Coconut Lentil Bon Apetit Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup OTTOLENGHI Magical Chicken & Parmesean Soup Red Curry Lentils w Spinach NYT Chicken Stew with Olives & Lentils & Artichokes Dishoom Daal in the slow cooker(?!?!) North African Chickpea and Kale with Quinoa Sweet Potato Chili with Kale 3 Bean Chilli from Pinch of Yum Stracciatella (egg and parm and spinach) Martha Stewart Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chilli

Pureed Soups Red Lentil Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk Vegetarian Times Tomato and White Bean Soup With Lots of Garlic Ali Slagel, NYT Creamy Thai Carrot Sweet Potato (Vegan!) Half Baked Harvest Broccoli Chedder, Smitten Kitchen ✓Creamy Cauliflower & Chick Pea A Cedar Spoon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ✓Golden Soup (also Cauliflower & Chickpea) Pinch of Yum ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Tomato Harissa Coconut Bisque Dishing up the Dirt ✓ Carrot Soup with Miso & Sesame Smitten Kitchen SO GOOD Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower GF! Iowa Girl Eats Instant Pot Corn Chowder (vegan!) 7 vegetable and "cheese" soup (vegan!) Jamie Oliver Sweet Potato & Chorizo Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (NYT) Curried butternut squash soup with Coriander Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish Rachel Ray

Magic Mineral Broth Recipe

Paleo Soups

braised ginger meatballs in coconut broth Smitten Kitchen Italian Sausage Stew Paleo Plan NoBean Sweet Potato & Turkey Chilli

[buffetlicious]

I have shown you the Reunion Dinner (团圆饭) we had two weeks earlier due to my brother having to go oversea for his company’s training trip. Behold, here is another of our reunion dinner, albeit the home-cooked version. You saw the char siu, roasted chicken and roasted pork mum bought for the prayer earlier in the day so naturally those appeared on the dinner table. As one of my brother and his family plus my sister’s friend will be coming over, mum added extra dishes to the menu. It is not as luscious as the feast we had at the restaurant but nonetheless, it is still a scrumptious and delectable meal.

A simple Cabbage Stir-Fry with premium ingredients of canned baby abalones and scallops. Sis-in-law was commenting on the cabbage being sweet tasting. Ended up this dish emptied of the food saved for a few pieces of the abalones.

Sis was saying mum sliced the Char Siu too thickly but I on the other hand found them just nice as it offered a better texture. Sweet, charred with a smoky taste and just fatty enough to make it a wonderful eat. The Roasted Chicken (deep-fried actually) was well seasoned and succulent to go with the steamed white rice.

These extra-large Steamed Tiger Prawns were bought in Batam and delivered to our house. As the prawns were fresh, mum just steamed it without any condiment. After deshelling, we added some minced ginger sauce before sending it straight into the mouth.

Another seafood that brother order for us from Batam is this large Red Snapper which is done in a spicy style. Mum only made used of the tail portion as the fish is too big to cook properly in the wok she is using. Fresh and sweet tasting with a little spiciness made this a good dish.

Mum also prepared one of her specialties, Braised Five-Spice Pork Belly with shiitake mushrooms and hardboiled eggs. For the soup, it is Pork Ribs Soup with fried pig tendons, fish balls, corn, lettuces and dried scallops to sweeten it.

The side dishes are Pickled Daikon and spicy Nyonya Achar which is a South Asian pickled food made from a variety of vegetables and fruits preserved in brine, vinegar, edible oils and various South Asian spices.

Even though I took a little of everything, I still ended up with a Full Plate. As I slowly tucked into my meal, are you also enjoying your reunion dinner?

[fox-bright]

Watching the H5N1 stuff get worse and worse--I'm hoping we have until late next year before it goes reliably human-human, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was this winter--and not being able to do much makes me anxious, so I've been composing lists of stuff to do. I keep thinking, if this were August, 2019, and I knew covid was coming, what would I prepare? If this one goes off like the scientists think it might, it'll be much worse than covid.

Right now, I'm concentrating on food. My plan is to have enough hunker down supplies by mid-September that if things go bad in the normally-scheduled October-February flu season, we'll be okay simply not leaving the house at all. There are only two of us here now, and if things go bad there may be as many as four (as I have two separate friends I'd push hard to come stay here with us), so I need to make sure we have 4 meals x howevermany days I choose. I'm building up to six months, but I'm beginning the plan at three. While a lot of Serious Prepper lists have pretty generous caloric allowances, the MFH and I eat pretty light, and we're both smaller than the average adult human, which does give us even more squeak room here.

We started out with dry staples--bread flour, AP flour, semolina, rice, beans, pasta, lentils, powdered milk--though I have still to get powdered eggs (I'll dehydrate those myself), more dry beans (I'm going to use up a lot of what we have when I do my canning run for the winter, and so far I haven't been able to get my hands on kidney beans in any decent amounts), quinoa, and one more kind of pasta. Right now we have about 2/3 of what I'd want; we'll be holding things at this level, replacing staples as we use them, and if things look more serious we'll do another big shop and give ourselves additional stock of the AP flour, the bread flour, the rice (which we already buy in 40-50 lb bags anyway, we're Asian), the dry milk.

Then there's the perishable stuff; yesterday, the MFH and I took advantage of some very nice sales and got seventy pounds of meat for two hundred and twelve dollars. Beef brisket for stew, pork butt for sweet molasses chili, ground beef for hotter chili, pork loin for white bean soup. Still have to get chicken (which was pretty much sold out at our bulk place) for chicken soup (to be pressure canned), chicken and mushroom cream soup (to be vacuum-packed and frozen).

Very very soon it'll be time to harvest my leeks and my butternut squashes, for leek and potato soup (either finished with cream, blended to a smooth-ish consistency and frozen, or *not* blended down, and just socked away in pressure-canned Ball jars without the cream added; will it take me longer to thaw it, or to take my immersion blender to the hot individual meals later on?) and canned butternut for baking with or making soup or chili or making pasta sauce.

I might can a bunch of just potatoes, too, to keep 'em shelf stable (plus that front-loads a lot of the work of producing a meal later).

So I need to buy onions and carrots and potatoes and celery and garlic and mushrooms and corn, cream, red wine, tomato paste (because my vines got blight this year, sigh--I've managed to can one single run of tomato sauce and that's IT), ten dozen fresh eggs to dehydrate and powder and store in the fridge in case of egg shortages, several pounds of beans to be thrown into the chilis and...hm...fifteen pounds more, twenty pounds more, to have on hand? And then for non-canning purposes we'll need butter, oil, white vinegar (I've used a lot of it for pickles this year), various Asian food staples like black and rice vinegars, oyster sauce, black mushrooms and so on. As for pre-made, mass-produced foods, I'll probably make another post about them later.

While this is more than I'd generally stock in a single season, I do generally put about 100 quarts of home-canned food by a year, and I never keep less than 75-100lb of flour on hand anyway because of how frequently I make bread. So though it sounds like a lot up front, it's not hoarder level; everything I stock will be eaten, some of it pretty much immediately (the beef stew is so good). And putting it all by now means that we'll be less of a burden on our community safety net, if push comes to shove. When the covid pandemic hit I had dozens of jars of food on the shelf already, which gave me a little peace when things were looking scary. We were able to share some of our stores with people who hadn't had the great privilege of long afternoons spent seeing to the personal stores. That's a better option, to my mind, than needing to panic-shop right as things start getting a little wild.

Basically, if things go bad, we'll have food for a while. And if things don't go bad, we'll have food for a while. It's win-win. And it keeps the floor under my feet when I'm feeling unsteady, to be able to sneak down into the cool, still basement and look at row on row of gently gleaming jars of food security.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Culinarians Day 

Today we honor culinarians! They are cooks or chefs who are experts in cooking, preparing, presenting, and serving food. Today we celebrate and thank them for the many ways they use food to satisfy us!

While professional culinarians tend to work in restaurants or commercial kitchens, the culinary arts have a much humbler beginning. It is believed that the roots of culinary arts sprouted when someone either threw a piece of meat on a fire or found an animal that had been cooked by a forest fire. From there, advancements in agriculture, the expansion of culinary techniques, the domestication of livestock, and the introduction of earthenware and stoneware all helped with culinary development.

Chefs were first employed by kings, aristocrats, and priests. In contrast, the lower classes cooked for their own families. The distinct approaches to cooking by different classes helped nurture the development of many different types of cuisine. Jean Anthelme had a great hand in getting culinary arts started in Europe. Others expanded on his work through the study of food science and gastronomy. In Asia, a similar path of study and advancement took place.

Culinary arts in the Western world began expanding at the end of the Renaissance. There was a shift from chefs working exclusively for nobility, to them also working in inns and hotels. It was at this time that the studying of culinary arts as its own field also began. At first, studying happened by apprenticeship, with students accompanying professional cooks. In 1879, Boston Cooking School opened, becoming the first cooking school to open in the United States. Today there are thousands of culinary arts schools around the world, and many colleges and universities offer culinary arts degrees as well.

Cooks and chefs are both involved in the culinary arts. Although a cook is sometimes referred to as a chef, this is not necessarily the correct term for them in the culinary world. Cooks prepare food, help chefs, and manage food stations. They may have names related to the food stations they work at, such as broiler cook, fry cook, and sauce cook. In the United States, one doesn't need to achieve a certain set of accomplishments to become a cook. Some cooks study for two to four years, learning sanitation, food safety, hospitality, and advanced cooking. Others participate in culinary apprenticeships that last about a year, where they receive on-the-job training.

A chef is a type of trained and professional cook. They have knowledge of food science, nutrition, diet, and of preparing and presenting meals. Although they are knowledgeable in all types of food preparation, they often focus on a particular cuisine. They may be formally trained at an institution, or they may learn their craft by being an apprentice of an experienced chef. They work in restaurants, but also in delicatessens, as well as in somewhat large institutions such as hotels and hospitals. They wear a toque blanche hat, neckerchief, double-breasted jacket, and an apron.

There are different types of chefs, and there is a system called a kitchen brigade by which the hierarchy of chefs are classified. The chef de cuisine is sometimes also known as an executive chef, master chef, or head chef. They are in charge of the kitchen and may be in charge of the menu, managing the kitchen staff, and ordering inventory, among other things. The sous-chef is second-in-command and fulfills various duties to keep the kitchen running smoothly. They may fill in for the chef de cuisine, and also may help the chef-de-parties when needed. A chef-de-partie is known as a line cook or station chef. They take care of a specific area of production. They may have their own hierarchy, such as "first cook," "second cook," and so forth. If they work in a large kitchen, they may have assistants; range chefs may work under them as well. There are many other titles in the brigade system. No matter if someone is a cook or one of the many kinds of chefs, today we celebrate them for all the culinary joy they bring us!

How to Observe Culinarians Day

Celebrate the day by presenting a cook or chef with a gift or simply some words of thanks. You could do this for a culinarian you know, or for one at a restaurant or at another place that you eat today. You could even prepare a meal for a chef or cook today, to give them a little break from their everyday work. If someone usually cooks meals for you at your home, you could also consider cooking for them today.

If you are a chef or cook, or are looking to become one, you could become involved with the American Culinary Federation. You could also enroll in a culinary arts program or look into how to become an apprentice. This is also a good day to watch famous television chefs, or to read a book on professional cooking and culinary arts, or a book recommended by the American Culinary Federation. You could also visit the Culinary Arts Museum or another museum related to food.

Source

[paldean-sandwich-rater]

A sandwich.

It contains ice cream, whipped cream, sponge cake, meat balls, broccoli, pineapple, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, noodles, mac and cheese, bacon, beef jerky, dried fish, seaweed, one of every Pokemon berry, jam, olive oil, lotus, dragon fruit, ravioli, ramen, tempura, teriyaki chicken, macaroons, escargots, mint, pepper, salt, sugar, croquettes, pickles, apples, avocados, sausages, bell peppers, grapes, pizza, a donut, cheese, more cheese, even more cheese, mushrooms, mustard, olives, a fried egg, a scrambled egg, blueberries, a poached egg, chawanmushi, a red bean bun, mochi, bbq sauce, chicken nuggets, french fries, takoyaki, pancakes, mackerel, salmon, coffee beans, spinach, a tiny bit of corn cream soup, ramensanga, fettucine alfredo, a plain bagel, pretzels, chocolate chip cookies, sweet potato, yam, potato, scallions, scallops, squid, crab stick, fish balls, fish cakes, oyster sauce, silken tofu, barley, cereal, paprika, oysters, red snapper, sea bass, plums, bean sprouts, garlic, string cheese, camembert, swiss cheese, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, yogurt, brinjal, a macdonald’s happy meal (without the toy and the packaging of course), truffles, caviar, tapioca balls, fried chicken, century eggs, cake sprinkles, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, milk tea (just a tinge), coffee (also a tinge), pudding, pumpkin, honey, mutton, mashed potatoes, bananas, icelandic fermented shark that they bury in the ground for months, raisins, dried mangoes, a drop of water, jelly, nata de coco, prunes, roasted pork, rosemary, bee pollen, peas, deer meat, rabbit meat, fish maw, ham, turkey, m&ms, chub, fufu, watermelon, winter melon, rock melon, coffee jelly, cacao, carrots, blueberries, black tea, dumplings, carrot cake, beetroot, purple cabbage, corn, celery, edamame, red beans, black beans, green beans, kidney beans, cashews, peanuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, chickpeas, almonds, daikon, MSG, tamales, anchovies, tabbouleh, lions mane mushroom, chicken of the woods, kelp, octopus, durian, kimchi, crème fraîche, popcorn, cotton candy, everything bagel seasoning, capers, pears, marinara sauce, bittercress, butter cream, every single iteration of galarian curry, sushi, sashimi, kale and a very very specific ramen bowl (without the actual bowl) from a very particular shop located in Iwatodai.

And the top and bottom buns are somehow made from 50 different kinds of bread in a checker box pattern.

It comes with a picture.

Ingredients: I am not typing all of that out again. What the fuck.

Smell: You’ve taken an entire food court’s worth of food and made it into a sandwich. This isn’t even possible. Why am I considering this. 3/5

Taste: How do you eat this. 2/5

Texture: You get like 5 different foods every bite. This is not balanced. There is no harmony. This sandwich is the embodiment of disorder and chaos. 1/5

Presentation: The fact that this even looks sandwich adjacent is a fucking miracle. You don’t get full points though. Because I don’t like you. 3/5

Would Chunk Eat It?: He would eat maybe 1/50th of it. So no. 1/5

Final Score: 2/5

Critic’s Notes: Why would you waste this much food. Just host a party. Donate it. Something fucking anything I am begging at this point.

[dinosaurwithablog]

I had 3 overly ripe platanos (plantains) so I decided to make a fresh vegetable soup with them. I just cooked from the heart without a recipe. It came out great!! I sautéed onions, green peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms, scallions, zucchini, and, of course, the platanos. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and a little garlic powder. I sautéed 2 minced garlic cloves and a teaspoon of minced ginger in a separate pan. I added that and 4 cups of chicken stock to the pot. I let it boil until the carrots were tender. I then took my stick blender and blended the mixture until smooth. I added cream and mixed it up until it was fully incorporated. Then, I added cooked peas and sweet baby white corn. I served the soup with seasoned croutons and topped it with crispy onions. As I ate it, I felt myself getting healthier with every bite. 😁😋 It was good and good for me. I'm thinking of adding roasted chicken to it next time that I have a bowl to make it a complete meal. It was light and creamy and just delightful. I'm glad that the platanos got overly ripened. I do not like throwing away food so I had to come up with something to do with them. This turned out very well. I'll be making this again. It's good cold, too. Perfect for a hot summer day. I encourage everyone to cook your own food. You'll save a great deal of money, and you can make it just the way you like it. It's a great skill to have, and it's a lot of fun to do. My favorite part is when I get to sit down and eat my creation. Mmmmmmmm. In the words of Julia Child.... bon appétit!!

[cascadedkiwi]

A Grand Soup [Comfortember 2023]

Characters: Micah Yujin x “Angel” Visual Novel/Game: Error 143 Genre: Comfort (more fluff, I’m feeling) Summary: Because Micah shall not settle for any old simple soup. Word Count: 822

Prompt: 27. Soup

Micah’s happy voice sounds through the front of the house. “Angel~ I'm home!”

“In the kitchen!” she calls back. 

Micah practically trots into the kitchen with his nose in the air, dropping the shopping bags onto the island countertop. “Oh, you brought out the big pot!”

She giggles, turning from her stirring. “What did you bring home?”

She can almost see imaginary ears popping up from his hair as he lights up.

“Angel, I went down that market street you told me about? There was produce EVERYWHERE!” He starts pulling out ingredients from the various cloth and straw bags. “I got carrots… sweet potatoes… bok choy - I hope I said that right - tomatoes, corn, red and white onions…” 

Micah separates a smaller amount and pushes the pile across the counter to where Angel is waiting with her sharpened knife. She transfers all she can carry to the sink to wash and peel as necessary.

“Don't think I'm done!” He says excitedly, although there's no way she possibly could've when he came in with four large bags stuffed to capacity. She listens as he continues unloading his haul like a proud gatherer. 

“I didn't even know cauliflower came in yellow! I got the regular white, too. I got all four colours of sweet peppers, white and purple cabbage - why do they call it red? Red onions aren't even red, either!”

Angel chuckles at his tone, bringing over bowls to separate the prepped ingredients. Her husband’s insistence at an excessively wide countertop was currently much appreciated. They could host a full family reunion to this thing.

“I got a bunch of beans and stuff, too! I found those ‘lentils’ you kept asking about, and Lima beans, and black beans, red beans, split peas…”

“Micah Yujin, who are we feeding with all this?” She asks with a laugh. The carrots had been diced and she was on to the broccoli he had purposely not announced. Her eyes roamed over the various mushrooms and pumpkin, lighting up at the butternut squash.

“Me and you, my love,” he answers in a posh tone. “You told me to bring home veggies for soup. This will ensure we execute only the grandest soup possible.”

“It'll be healthy, that's for sure,” she murmurs as Micah pushes the bags to the opposite end of the counter. 

He goes over to the sink, washing his hands before returning with his apron hanging from his neck and a knife and cutting board in his arms. “You didn't think I was leaving you to prep all this alone, did you?” He gasps dramatically. “I'm hurt, my angel, that you think so little of me after living as my sweet wife all this time.”

“We've been married for three months, Yujin.”

“And clearly I haven't demonstrated myself enough in those 90 days, Mrs. Yujin.” He makes quick work of the onions, using the excuse to have tears accompany his exaggerated sniffling.

Cassie shakes her head as she sets aside a bowl of greens, clearing her cutting board for the cabbage. “My apologies, my sweet.”

“No!” Micah huffs with a pout, leaving the tears as he moves on to the bell peppers. “This is my failure as a husband. I am more than just a provider, a bringer of raw materials for sustenance. I must prove myself!”

Cassie raises an eyebrow as he pushes away the peppers, dutifully wiping his knife before smacking down a sweet potato. God bless him because as much as she loved the things, cutting them was a workout. She would gladly watch him strongarm that vegetable into submission for their pot.

Micah turned everything into a performance or a good time. Even with his antics he was an efficient kitchen assistant, and pretty soon everything they wanted was in the pot and bubbling away. 

He sniffs the air, a confused look on his face. “Angel, is the oven on?” He bent to look but couldn't tell.

“Should be,” she responds as she rinses the dishes. “I've got bread rising in there.”

She squeaks into a laugh as she's suddenly hugged from behind, dropping a - thankfully plastic - bowl. She squirms as Micah peppers her cheek with kisses. “It's just bread, babe, relax!”

“My Angel made bread from scratch with this timing and I must relax?” He asks incredulously. “I shall not!”

“I'm assuming that informing you that my first attempt at a garlic confit is also in there will earn me more physical affect- Wah!” She squawks as she's raised clean off her feet and walked out of the kitchen.

“Mm-mm, mm-mm” Her husband repeats in her ear. “You're not allowed to do this to me. You're showing me up.”

“Micah-”

“ I'm the giver in this relationship, missy. Stop stealing my love language!” They topple onto the large sofa where he smothers her and her protesting laughter in kisses. 

It's a good thing they have a rather loud and intrusive kitchen timer.

[play-now-my-lord]

folk punk is for depressed people named after a month or a plant who dream of sharing homemade soup with a family of 5 computer programmers and gig workers but cannot because their soup is inedible in its very conception. We're talking substitutes that make zero sense and are made on shaky rationales (e.g. read a post 5 years ago about how desalination plants kill local seaweed forests so attempts to sub out salt with mustard powder), we're talking slow-cooking things that have no business being slow-cooked (cauliflower, strawberries, sweet corn, you name it), we're talking nutrient balances that would shame a white suburban housewife. They will not cook anything else. That's folk punk