#Vegetation Direct Transfer

[colitcomedia]

Arrow Smith and VRX Silica: Pioneering Sustainable Silica Sand Mining

Arrow Smith and VRX Silica have emerged as industry leaders in the field of sustainable silica sand mining. With a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and innovative practices, they are revolutionizing the way mining operations impact the ecosystem. In this article, we explore the accomplishments and milestones of Arrow Smith and VRX Silica's Arrowsmith North Silica Sand Project, shedding light on their sustainable initiatives and the path they are paving for the future.

Environmental Review Document Approval: A Turning Point for Arrowsmith North Project 

DWER's approval of the Environmental Review Document (ERD) marks a significant milestone for Arrow Smith and VRX Silica.

The commencement of the Public Environmental Review (PER) period reflects their commitment to transparency and environmental responsibilities.

VRX Silica's proposed unique rehabilitation method for the mined area showcases their dedication to native vegetation regeneration.

Milestones in the Approvals Process: Demonstrating Dedication and Compliance

VRX Silica's previous confirmation from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water highlights their commitment to meeting regulatory standards.

The Environmental Protection Authority's assessment and approval of the Environmental Scoping Document (ESD) indicate the project's progress.

The introduction of the Vegetation Direct Transfer (VDT) rehabilitation methodology underscores VRX Silica's innovative approach to site restoration.

Moving Forward: Public Environmental Review and Response

The completion of the four-week PER period initiates the collection and review of public submissions by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.

VRX Silica's diligent response to the submissions demonstrates their commitment to engaging with stakeholders and addressing concerns.

The compilation of an assessment report by the Environmental Protection Authority, containing recommendations for the Western Australian Environment Minister's decision, represents a crucial milestone.

Investor Outlook: Transparent and Responsible Development

VRX Silica's achievements in the approvals process for the Arrowsmith North Silica Sand Project reinforce their dedication to responsible development.

The significant increase in VRX Silica's share price and its market capitalization exemplify investor confidence in the company's sustainable practices.

VRX Silica's focus on four Western Australian silica sand projects, including the Arrowsmith North and Arrowsmith Central projects, highlights their commitment to long-term growth and positive environmental impact.

Conclusion:

Arrow Smith and VRX Silica are leading the charge in sustainable silica sand mining, setting new industry standards through their commitment to environmental responsibility. With their innovative practices, engagement with regulators, and dedication to stakeholder satisfaction, they are reshaping the future of mining. As the Arrowsmith North Silica Sand Project progresses, their achievements serve as a testament to the transformative power of sustainability in the resource extraction sector.

[thealternateuniverse]

At who's the best at

Paige Bueckers x Fem reader

Warnings: Slowburn (?), curses, sexual inunendos

A/N: I couldn't think of a title 😭 I am so sorry. Other characters are from my imagination, they are not related to NCAA at all. Had to get this ideas out of my head.

Y/N was panting, hands on her knees after doing laps across the court. Today is hell, Geno is not taking it easy on them, the training is tougher compared to the previous months as their team is advancing to Elite 8. She thanked the cardio gods for being on her favor today or she will pass out. Taking one last deep breath, she put her both hands on her waist and walked towards the three point shot perimeter. Qadence pats her on the back while she is dribbling for a three point shot.

"Take it easy babe." She nodded at Qadence before shooting the ball. Another miss.

"Miller!" Geno motioned to come to him. Y/N sighed and jog towards her coach's direction.

"Kid, do you see this?" Geno handed her his clipboaard with her stats on it.

"This is from the last game against Duke."

Y/N scanned her stats, and it is much better progress compared to their match against Sycaruse and Jackson State.

"Yeah and it will get more better if you can hoop today. What the hell is wrong Miller? Shade and Edwards blocked you three times today. You don't get blocked thrice based on these stats. What's wrong kid?"

Y/N didn't respond and remain silent. It shows in the practice that she is preoccupied today.

"Nothing Geno, it's just......" she trailed off thinking of what she should say.

"I'll do better. I'll make sure to clear my mind before practice so I can focus." Y/N continued, bowing her head slightly. She had to prove to UConn women's basketball team that they will not regret accepting her back when she transferred here during her 2nd year. But Geno doesn't seem to be convinced of her answer.

"Alright. I am expecting much better results in our next practice. We can't make excuses once USC had our asses in our match. Go take a swim or a run in your neighborhood or whatever later, you're not yourself today and I don't want to see you like a vegetable during practice."

Y/N nodded and Geno gave her an encouraging pat on the back before letting her go back to practice. It made her feel a little better but her day is still shitty.

----

Y/N's phone keeps vibrating, this is the umpteenth time her parents called her today. She doesn't want to answer it, it will be divorce probably. It already threw her game off today and she doesn't want to ruin her day more by answering it.

Mum:

talk to me hun, please

Hun, we are sorry, I know this will be hard for you.

Do you hate us?

I'm sorry, love. It's not working anymore between me and your dad.

Dad:

Peanut, please answer your phone.

I'm sorry.

We wanted to tell you for a long time.

---

Y/N turned off her phone. With a deep sigh, she ate her tacos. She's got a lot on her plate now, her studies, her upcoming match, and now her parents divorce. She wanted to take a break.

"Boo, you okay? You're preocuppied the whole day." KK finally asked. Her teammates have been giving each other knowing looks and tiptoeing around her all day. They are not used to her being silent. She went out with them tonight hoping it will take off some things in her mind.

"I'm fine girl. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bad today." She smiled at KK. She's not ready to talk yet not until she's able to come to terms with her family.

"You suck, Miller. Paige is getting full of herself today and you're too preoccupied to humble her."

Paige almost choked on her shirley temple, she took a napkin and wiped her mouth.

"Me? Full of myself? Come on Aubs." Paige scoffs.

"Miller just realized today I don't need humbling, I'm actually good." Paige raised her eyebrows playfully followed by their teammates violent reactions.

Y/N grinned. She had to thank Paige for diverting their teammates from pressing on what's going on with her. The subject of being the best shooter between her or Paige became a daily banter. Paige was not unwelcoming when Y/N transferred in UConn but her competitive ass made sure to show why she was here first instead of Y/N. Y/N admits that Paige is actually better than her and the best all rounder, her transferring here seemed challenged the latter on who's best at what. She doesn't know why Paige thinks she has competition when she is actually the best. She likes to get on Paiges nerves so she gets along with Paige's imaginary contest.

"Get outta here Bueckers, I can do what you did earlier even with a hangover" Y/N said, giving Paige a sheepish grin. Paige made 43 consecutive 3 point shots, it got into her head today without Y/N beating it. It always annoy Paige when Y/N's record is close or beat hers.

"Oi, enough you two." Azzi stopped them before it could start to bickering. Y/N raised both her hands in surrender. She took a sip of her margaritas while still giving Paige a cocky grin. Now the latter looks annoyed.

They continued having fun, dancing and drinking. Y/N didn't move that much from her seat, she's tired and the margarita must've probabaly hit already.

"I'm just gonna go to the restroom." She excused herself. Feeling dizzy Y/n groaned, guess she will have that hangover tomorrow.

She decided to turn on her phone and was still bombarded with texts from her parents. Her mum's name popped on the screen and decided to answer it finally.

"Honey, I'm glad you answered. I've been calling all day." Her mom sounded worried on the other line.

"Sorry mum. Busy."

Her mother sighed. Y/N doesn't exactly know what to say, she is still processing that her parents will have a divorce. Out of 23 damn years, they just decided now that they don't need each other?

"Honey I.... I am so sorry. If you could come home soon we could have a talk, with your dad and I."

Y/N rolled her eyes.

"I am not going home, mom. California is 2000 miles away, I have an upcoming game in 2 weeks, and I am busy for my finals. What's the point? Your going to sell the house anyway now that you are getting divorce."

She didn't mean to sound mad over the phone, but she is really upset.

"I will call you when I am ready to talk to you both. If you two want a divorce, fine, but give me time to process that my parents don't need each other anymore after 23 damn years."

She didn't wait for her mother's response and hang up.

------

Paige went back to their booth joined by a tipsy Nika after their teammates are gone to god knows where. Dancing or probably making out with someone.

"Hey P, have fun! You're awfully behave tonight. Loosen up, it's weekend tomorrow."

Nika nudged her and throw an arm over her shoulder.

"I'm good, Ma. I don't want hangover tomorrow. Besides, someone has to stay sober to make sure you all get home safely."

Nika scoffed, rolling her eyes at her teammate. It's their last free night before Geno will give them total hell in preparation against their match with USC.

"You're boring me P. I'll go join the others and have fun being miserable here. Have you se---" Nika wasn't able to finish her sentence when a commotion started in the middle of the bar. Recognizing the 6 foot tall asses of their teammates in the scuffle, the two ran towards their direction.

"What in the fuck happened?" Nika felt her slight tipsiness gone, helping KK reach Ayanna who's ready to take a swing to an athlete from Yale. The bouncers are trying to separate them before it ends up to a total brawl. Paige scanned where the others are and her eyes landed on Y/N, her sleeves are up, Aubrey blocking her from punching another Yale athlete.

"You don't talk shit here, dawg. Go back to New Haven and fuck your slutty girlfriend!"

Paige grabbed Y/N by the waist and dragged her out of the scene. For someone who is always cool and at her composure, she was surprised that Miller can trash talk.

"Calm down, Miller. You don't get to injure that million dollar hands." With Azzi trailing behind, she brought Y/N outside and pinned her on the wall to calm her down. She looks disheveled, some of her locks escaped from her ponytail, her face is red, her sleeves are uneven and she is reeking of alcohol. What a total mess.

"What in the world was that Y/N, I know you guys don't start fights but you all are better than this. Gosh, how many drinks did you have? You are reeking of alcohol!" Azzi said frustrated.

Y/N scoffs, wiping some sweat on her forehead. Paige couldn't agree more with Azzi. They don't start fights, Y/N never looses her cool even during their banters at who is best, intense matches and bad calls from ref. Paige wonders what made her so worked up that she almost punch someone today.

"Nah, I was cool Az. I took shots from everyone, sorry I lost count."

The 2 of them grimaced. They check Y/N if she had any injuries, Geno will kill them if they are scathed and once he hears about this. Azzi wonders as to why Yale women's basketball are in Storrs. That's like an hour drive just for a night's drink.

"God you are drunk and you can take a fight." Paige said amused. She never saw Y/N got drunk because she never was.

"Oh yeah Bueckers, wanna try? Let's take it here outside." Y/N stood straight, her face annoyed.

Well that was hot. Paige thought. She raised her hands in surrender before Y/N gets totally pissed. Y/N haven't landed a punch but it might be on Paige if she triggers the latter. Azzi gave her a scolding look.

"Chill, Ma. T'was a compliment."

Y/N rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall again. She's starting to feel hazy.

"What did they do anyway?" Azzi asked.

"Douchebag's girlfriend was offering me a drink, I declined. She thought I want to fuck her slutty girlfriend and proceeds to call us defects, the others heard it, we didn't mind until she pushed Aaliyah."

Paige clenched her jaw and Azzi rubs her temple. Half of the team suffered injury in the past year. Paige wished she hadn't grabbed Y/N and let her land her fist first before fleeing from the scene, it was uncalled for. Drunken Miller surprised them tonight, they didn't know that her mouth can talk.

"That's it, we are all getting home. I'm gonna go get the others." Azzi left them outside.

"Yeah Azzi and tell that cunt to fuck her girlfriend properly."

Paige shook her head. Y/N is definitely the highlight of tonight's event.

"What got you so worked up today, Miller? You almost took it out on someone."

KK was right, Y/N was preoccupied. She didn't have any baskets during practice. Paige had 29 3 points in a row today, usually Y/N comes close or even beat her. It's unusual for someone who plays ball since 5th grade, she just did laps all day.

Y/N groans. "I'll talk about it tomorrow when I'm sober. can you take me home please? Paige."

Paige, licked her lips and pretends to think about it. She's gonna do it anyway.

"I never thought you were into girls." Paige blurted out. She mentally slapped herself right after. Her intrusive thoughts won.

"You guys never asked. I never said I was into boys either. So annoying."

For some reason, Paige couldn't keep her smile off. She was grinning like and idiot. Y/N noticed and she rolled her eyes, Paige looks stupid.

"You look like an idiot Bueckers."

"Maybe I am."

She twirls her car keys and they started to walk where she parked her car. She's behind Y/N who's trying to keep a straight-face and herself from stumbling.

Azzi and KK following them, KK still heated from the commotion earlier and keeps trash talking. Azzi is trying to cover her mouth for being loud. KK, Azzi, Nika and Y/N rode with Paige. The others were at Aaliyah's car since they live together in the same apartment. Paige shook her head, they are all dead on Monday.

-------

Y/N woke up, her head pounding and throat dry. She groaned when she tried to get up. She knew immediately it was bad last night to have a hangover like this, she rarely gets drunk and when she does, she has it bad. She jolted up when realizes that this is not her room. The bed sheet is purple, there are Miami Heat posters everywhere and the trophies are too many to be hers. Not until she saw the familiar number 5 jersey hanging on the wall.

"Fuck, what did I do last night." She whispered to herself. This must be Paige's room. She tries recalling the events of last night and vaguely remembers the Yale athlete talking shit. She almost got involved in a brawl.

Y/N got up from bed only to realize that she is wearing Paige's clothes, it's one of her old team USA shirts, nothing else and her boxers. It's already 2 in the afternoon, she could hear the ruckus outside Paige's room and KK's rambunctious laugh.

She opened the door and was greeted by the chaos of her teammates.

Y/N winced when the pounding of her head hits again. She sat down on one of the bean bags and leaned her head back trying to ease the headache. In an instant, Paige handed her a bottle of water and a tylenol. She gave Paige what is this for ? look.

"Your hangover, duh."

"Ya'll our sleeping beauty is awake." KK sat beside her but she was waiving where Ice was. Ice was doing live on the corner, and she didn't realize that where she is is being captured. Gosh she looks horrible.

"Guys, they wanna know something. You remember we did a tiktok of who among in the team you don't want your kid to date..... They want the opposite."

Qadence was quick to shout "Aaliyah" followed by KK's "Y/N"

"Yeah, I'll go with Y/N too." Ice agreed

"Y/N will throw hands, I'll bet on her too." Aubrey added.

" 'bout you, Paige?"

The team groaned when Paige showed her "rizz hands."

"Will we go further? I'll let my kid date myself." The team erupted in disagreement. Nika throws a pillow towards Paige's direction. "Dream on Bueckers!" Y/N shakes her head too.

Paige is a gender bender, the amount of fans she has be it a boy or a girl is insane. She may look like a fuck-boy type but she'll be a good girlfriend, the question though is, can they take her superstar life?

"Y/N, they wanted to know who you want your kid to date." Ice turned towards her. Y/N straightened her back a little, enough only to face Ice.

"No one, you guys loves ball more than relationships." Everyone burst in laughter.

"You heard our homie? We're not playboys/playgirls, basketball is life." Ice said in live while giving a thumbs up.

"Nawww! she's just playing safe!" KK shouted.

" Y/N is so fine, I think I'll start watching live " Ice reading through comments.

Y/N suddenly felt conscious. She moved where the camera can't see her so she can deal with what's left of her hangover.

" Does Y/N have a boyfriend or what? Saw her in Stanford before and what the hell is she doing on the court, go model in a runway or something--- Yo! Someone said you should model Y/N!" KK is reading along with Ice now.

Y/N blushed on the compliment(?). She couldn't think of herself as someone who walks on a runway or pose for a magazine aside from playing ball. She's no Cameron Brink who could pass that criteria.

"Maaaaan, they are all whipped to our girly pop. We've been gatekeeping our secret weapon."

Some of her teammates joined KK and Ice in reading the comments.

"Y/N c'mere they want to see you."

Y/N doesn't want to be rude by not saying even a "hi" but she really feels shit right now. She look around the room and her eyes landed on Paige, begging for help.

"Y'all sorry but Miller is not feeling well, you'll get to see her in Gampel soon. Be sure to be there." Paige shouted while throwing an arm around Y/N's shoulder. They are both far from the camera, Y/N waived though from where they are.

"Thank God." Y/N muttered and leaned on Paige's shoulder and she felt her stiffened.

Ice wrapped up her live leaving disappointed viewers to only see a glimpse of Y/N. All of them went back to their chaotic self.

--------

A/N: Please stay tuned for the next part. I think I have a hangover too 🤮. Wrote this when we were at the bar. Feedbacks and suggestions are open.

ALSO..... DOES ANYONE KNOWS WHO DOES THE GIRLS HAIRS DURING THEIR GAMES? DO THEY HAVE A HAIRSTYLIST OR WHAT?? PLEASE HELP A GIRL OUT. 😌

[petalruesimblr]

Organic Fresh Delights Grocery

Sim File Share

Welcome to Organic Fresh Delights, your one-stop destination for all things fresh and organic! We're committed to providing the highest quality organic goods sourced directly from our local farmers and fisherman offering a vibrant selection of vegetables, fruits, premium cuts of meat and fish. We also have an array of products ranging from lush plants to food, drinks and essential household items. Step into our store and immerse yourself in a world of freshness, flavor, and sustainability.

Price: 72,780 Lot Size: 25x25 Lot Type: Visitors Allowed Store Content: Click here CC Used: Click here File Type: Package Min. Required Game Version: 1.42 Packs Needed: The Sims 3, Late Night (floor), Pets (buydebug object), Ambitions, World Adventures (food register, gate from ATS3)

Hi everyone! I was going to share one of my older builds from years ago but I found out that most of the objects I used for that lot were in sim3pack format and most of the CCs I transferred over to my current setup have been converted to package files, which messed up the appearance of the lot. So, I've recreated it this time and I'm sharing a new grocery lot: the Organic Fresh Delights Grocery!

Click on the ’Keep Reading’ below for more information and pictures on this lot.

For the rabbit hole, I placed it in an empty stockroom/office and have also locked the fire escape door and fence at the back of the lot so that sims can only enter the door inside the building. This was the only option that worked during playtesting so that sims can enter in and out of the rabbit hole inside the room only. If you want to open those doors though, you can do it by editing the lot and click CTRL + Shift + Right Click to choose the unlock option. Due to the lack of windows on the first floor, I have placed a lot of buydebug lights and it may be too bright during the night so you can adjust it by enabling “testingcheatsenabled true” and “buydebug on” after. 📣This lot is a bit CC-heavy, as I have used more cc compared to game objects and these are not included on the download file. I’ve compiled a list for those interested in downloading them separately (please click the links above or go to WCIF Navigation page). The Late Night and World Adventures expansion pack is required due to the build items used in the lot but I'm not sure about buydebug items so Pets may be required as well. 📣There are two CCs that I was unable to locate the original link namely: mtk_signdoors and Public Signs - CAStable both from Macthekat. I tried the direct links and it doesn't work anymore so I had to check using the Wayback Machine site and was able to find her Terms of Use from the old site, Pink Rabbit that states "All our products is shear-friendly - just make sure to give proper credit. You may include my work in sims packages if you want to" and "You may include my stuff into almost anything – it would be nice if you mention my name, but I can live without it. You may share my stuff." With those terms, I have re-uploaded them to sfs and if there is an updated TOU from the creator (or if you are Macthekat) that states otherwise please do let me know and I will take the links down. 📣If you want a functional grocery store in your gameplay, you can use Ani's Sell From Inventory mod. I have used a few storage or chest-like CCs and a food register from ATS3 that you can use. If you prefer Ani’s Savvier Seller instead, you may have to replace most of the items and use ATS3 Savvy's Seller Collection set instead. You can also check out Mookymilksims guide and tutorial video for realistic function shops using Savvier Seller mod. It is very easy to follow and has detailed instructions to help you out to make it work! Let me know if you experience any problems on your end.

[alotofpockets]

Cooking class | Wanda Maximoff

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You meet Wanda at a cooking class that she teaches.

A/n: A special thank you to @catasha, without your ideas I would not have been able to finish this fic!

Masterlist | Marvel masterlist | Words: 2.8K

You recently discovered your love for cooking. You found it both relaxing and exhilarating, being able to add all these ingredients together to create a beautiful dish. Growing up your parents never really taught you how to cook, so you started by learning some cooking videos that you had seen online but the videos were general and not that fun, so you were searching for other ways to learn more cooking techniques. In your search for options you came across a cooking class taught by Wanda Maximoff, just a few blocks over.

When you entered the building you were in awe of the place. There were rows of stove tops, ovens and counters, all basked in sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” The women that walked up to you said. “Yeah, it looks great. I love the way the light enters the space.” The woman nods in agreement. “Everything is so fancy here, I can’t wait to cook here.” Wanda smiles, “Oh, trust me, cooking here is amazing.” The woman answers. “Oh, have you taken classes here before?” In response she holds out her hand, you shake it with a confused look plastered on your face. “Wanda, nice to meet you.” That’s when the puzzle pieces click, you were talking to the owner of the place. “Oh, haha, well Wanda, you have a beautiful place here. I’m y/n.”

The first class starts, and after some quick introductions, Wanda starts telling you about what you will be learning during these few classes. You were going to start easy and work your way up to some more intricate dishes. You were going to be making a dish each week for the duration of the four week starters course. Today you were going to focus on some cutting techniques, since you will be using that throughout the whole course. 

Wanda shows everyone how to hold the knives and how to get the best results and tells you to try it out for yourselves on the carrots in front of you. She goes around the kitchen islands giving everyone pointers and compliments. The dish for this week's class was vegetable soup, which meant lots of veggies to be cut. When you were done with the carrots, you chopped up leeks, tomatoes, and parsley. All that was left to cut were the garlic gloves. You felt quite comfortable with your chopping skills after the carrots, Wanda noticed and gave you a compliment, “Nice work, y/n, keep it up!” 

You continued to make the soup step by step, as Wanda told you more about what each of the steps would do for the dish, taste, texture, etc. She was an amazing teacher, she explained not only with the end goal of a dish in mind but also transferred her knowledge on certain ingredients as well as in what different ways they could be used. You enjoyed your first class very much, and the soup you created was delicious. 

Next week you arrive at the kitchen again, not realizing that you were there a bit too early until you saw that Wanda was still setting up the counters. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was so early.” You say as Wanda looks over. “Don’t worry, darling, come on in.” You blush slightly at the nickname. “I was just setting up the ingredients for today’s class.” She smiles in your direction. “Need a hand?” You say as you place your bag in the corner, “I’m here now anyways.” Wanda is very grateful for the help as she started a bit late with setting up herself, she showed you what each cooking station needed and you got to work while continuing the conversation with her. You placed thyme, bay leaves, sugar, worcestershire sauce and a beef cube on every station, while Wanda distributed the beef, canned tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, tomato paste, and a small block of parmesan cheese. 

The dish for today was a spaghetti bolognese, with the main focus for the class being the making of the sauce. Wanda started by letting you cut your onions and mince the garlic, like how she taught you in the previous class. Then step for step she walked you through making the bolognese sauce. You loved pasta dishes, at home you always made them with store bought pasta sauce but now that you knew this recipe you were for sure going to use it. It was so much richer in flavor, while the cooking time wasn’t even that much longer. 

Before ending the class, Wanda announced next week's plans. “Next week we are going to have a little friendly competition.You are all going to create a dip of your own choosing. Email me the ingredients you will need before Friday, and I will make sure that they are ready for you on your counters next week!”

You were searching through recipe books and recipes online for a dip that would really impress Wanda. Most of the dips you found looked good but were still pretty basic. A couple of days went by without any ideas and then it hit you, during one of your conversations Wanda had mentioned that she was from Sokovia. You immediately started searching for Sokovian recipes and found the perfect dip. However, you saw that it would take a bit longer than a regular dip to make, so you decided to ask Wanda if maybe you would be able to come in earlier to use the oven to prepare your main ingredient. Wanda let you know that it would be no problem, and that she would be there starting 1pm, so any time after that would work. When you got her message back, you sent her the list of ingredients that you would need for your dip. 

That Sunday you arrive forty minutes before the official start of the class. “Hi, y/n, how have you been?” Wanda asks with a smile. “Hey, Wanda, I’ve been well, thank you. How about yourself?” Wanda waves you in before answering, “I’ve been doing good, thanks. I put your ingredients on your station, so feel free to start whenever you’d like.” You sent her an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Wanda, I really appreciate this.” 

You start working on your dip. The beets you need for it had to go in the oven for thirty minutes and would have to cool down for another twenty before you could use them. You start by poking some holes in the beet with a fork, and put them in some foil, before putting them on a baking tray. You are so focussed on your preparations that you don’t hear Wanda approaching, who was previously getting some things from a back room. Once you’ve put the tray into the oven and look up you finally realize that she is standing there, leaning against one of the other counters, admiring the focus you had. You feel a blush making its way to your cheeks again but quickly cover it up by turning around and cleaning up some of the things you won’t need to use in the recipe anymore. 

After that all there was left to do was wait for the beets to bake. So, you decided to see if there was anything you could do to help Wanda prepare for the upcoming class. Together you set up the ingredients on the other stations, while you were asking Wanda questions about what got her started on cooking. You learned that her mother loved to cook, and that after she passed away when Wanda was younger. Wanda shared that she felt closest to her while she was cooking, which is how she got into cooking. You shared how you got into cooking, and wanting to learn more about her. The conversation flowed so easily you hadn’t noticed that half an hour had passed until the oven beeped. 

You take out the tray with beets and let them cool down on the counter. The conversation with Wanda not faltering while you walk around in the kitchen. Soon after the rest of the class walks in. Wanda greets everyone separately before starting the contest. “Alright, I’ve seen some delicious ingredients in your lists, and I cannot wait to try the dips you have come up with! Is everybody ready?” The class cheers. “Ready, set go!” Wanda jokes, she was having so much fun with the competition. She walked around the counters to see what everybody was working on, lingering a bit longer at your counter. You add some yogurt to your grated beets and stir the mixture together. To give the dip some extra flavor, you add some finely chopped garling, some pepper and a pinch of salt. Finally, to top it off, you chop up some spring onion and sprinkle it over the top of your Sokovian purple beetroot dip.

Everyone presents their dip to the class, and Wanda tastes all of them. You could see that she had some clear favorites, and got a little nervous for her to taste yours. Those nerves went away once you saw the sparkle in her eyes after she tried it. You give her a knowing smile, before she moves to the next counter. 

“You have all made some incredible dips, I am very impressed. I am also very proud of the creativity you all put into these recipes. However, there can only be one winner, and that is…” Wanda looks at all the dips in front of her, before picking up yours. “Y/n!” The class applauds, and congratulates you on your win. The class ends and everyone starts walking out. You clean up extra slow, hoping to spend some more time with Wanda. She notices and walks over, “So, did you pick a Sokovian dish to impress me?” You laugh, “Depends, did it work?” Wanda laughs with you. “It did, the flavor brought me right back to my childhood. I remember this dip being present on every birthday platter.” You smile as she talks about her connection with the dish that you made. “Yeah, I hoped to be a step ahead with the Sokovian origin but the dip actually tastes amazing.” 

“Hey y/n, if I’m out of line here, please let me know but I was wondering if maybe you would like to come over to my place and cook dinner together tonight?” Wanda looks up at you hesitantly. “Yeah, that sounds wonderful.” The corners of her lips perk up slightly, “Like as I date, I mean.” You place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “Yes, I would love that.” You exchange numbers so Wanda can send you her address. “Oh, and you can bring your dip, that way we can use it in the starter.” You tell her that you think that’s a great idea. “I’ll make some flatbread for it and then we can cook the main course together.”

A couple hours later, you make your way over to Wanda’s house. You ring the doorbell, and just seconds later Wanda opens the door. “Hi, y/n, come in. The flatbread is almost ready, and do you want a drink? Wine? Water? Oh, I can put on some music, maybe?” Your heart warms at the way Wanda is so clearly nervous rambling. You reach out your hand to take a hold of hers, in order to ground her. “I’ll have whatever you are having, and music sounds nice.” Wanda looks down at your hands, her cheeks flushed. The moment gets interrupted by the ding of the oven. “Oh, I have to get that.” Wanda says and rushes off, leaving you on the doorstep. You smile and shake your head, as you let yourself in and close the door behind you. While Wanda was in the kitchen, you walked around her living room, admiring the way she decorated the space. 

Wanda walks back into the living room with a tray in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “You have a beautiful place, Wanda.” She thanks you as she places two wine glasses, and a platter with the flatbread down on the table. You place the beetroot dip next to them, and reach for the bottle of wine when Wanda walks to the side to turn on some music. You fill up the glasses and hand Wanda one when she walks back and sits down on the couch next to you. Wanda relaxes more as the conversation starts up.

You sip on your wine, as you enjoy your starter together before going to the kitchen with Wanda to cook the main course. You're cutting up some vegetables, while Wanda walks around gathering pots and pans, utensils, spices, and the rest of the ingredients. She moves behind you, placing a hand on your back, making sure that she wouldn't bump into you while you're holding a chef's knife. Instead the gentle touch just distracts you from the chopping, as a blush crept up your cheeks. Wanda does this a couple more times as she walks from side to side in the kitchen, noticing your flustered state every time her hand touches your back.

"Hey, Wands, how can I best cut these?" You say as you move onto the next vegetable. She tells you how she would cut them, and you give it a try. Failing at your first two attempts, not being used to holding the knife in that way. "Want me to show you?" Wanda offers. "Yes, please." You expected Wanda to take the knife from you as she reached out for it but instead she takes a hold of your hand, and moves her body to stand behind you. Your breath hitches, when Wanda says, "Follow my lead." next to your ear. She starts moving your hand in the motion of the cut besides the vegetable before you actually slice into the vegetable on your cutting board together. Focusing on the technique is nearly impossible with Wanda pressed against your back. "See, easy as that. Now you try." Wanda keeps standing behind you but leans to the side and puts her hand on the counter, looking over your shoulder. Though you had trouble focussing for a moment, you practiced the motion Wanda just showed you once besides the vegetable again, before you tried it for real. “Yeah, that’s it! Nice work.” Wanda compliments you. You look over at Wanda with a proud smile plastered on your face. She smiles back at you and leans in to place a soft kiss on your cheek. Your cheeks instantly redden. “I hope that was okay.” Wanda says nervously. You smile at her again, “It was more than okay, Wands.”

The dinner came along nicely, you made a great team in the kitchen. You were sipping on your wine and swaying to the music as you effortlessly danced around each other in the kitchen. Wanda set the table along with some candles. The food tasted amazing, you were so happy with how it turned out. 

You cleaned up the dishes together before it was time for you to go home. Wanda only lived a couple of blocks away, so after the few glasses of wine that you had had, you could easily walk home again. Wanda walked you to the door, plans for seeing each other next already made. “Hey, Wanda, I know this was only the first date but can I kiss you?” In response Wanda smiles and leans in. You meet her half way into a soft kiss. You smile into the kiss and feel Wanda doing the same, making the butterflies in your stomach go crazy. On your walk home you can’t stop smiling. Once you enter your home, you text Wanda to let her know that you made it home safely.

Before the last cooking class the next Sunday, you had met up with Wanda many times again. You went on a picnic date on your day off, and enjoyed some snacks by the waterfront. Wanda joined you to try out one of your hobbies. Besides that you spend most evenings after work together, either watching a movie or just hanging out. When Sunday came around, it felt like you had known Wanda for years. When the class was over, you helped her clean up once again, and went home with her after another movie night. 

What you thought would be a one time cooking class to learn something new, turned into dating an incredible chef who would teach you all about it from the comfort of both your homes. Signing up for that class, had led to meeting your new favorite person, and you could not be happier.

💗 If you enjoyed this fic, please consider leaving a tip 💗

[lulublack90]

Prompt 15 - Breathing Room

@wolfstarmicrofic June 15, word count 742

Previous part First part

McGonagall ushered them over to the gardens where Pomona Sprout was waiting for her. She was a plump older woman who spent her retirement tending to the vegetable patch and exotic flowers she kept in a little greenhouse. 

“Good morning boys,” She announced as they carefully walked around her plants. “Gather round, gather round. Come on Mr Pettigrew, I won’t bite. Ah, good. Right then, today you’ll be helping me plant these seedlings.” She pointed at two dozen trays filled with tiny sprouting plants. “Now watch me very closely. You dig a little hole for them in the earth I have already prepared for you and you gently, and I mean gently, remove a plant from the tray and transfer it into its new home. Make sure to leave them enough breathing room. If they’re too close together, they won’t flourish. Right let’s get started then,” She clapped her soil-caked hands together and set them to their task. 

Remus was still sore from the previous day’s task of painting fences. He could hear the rest of the campers down by the lake, splashing and shrieking, clearly having a lot of fun. 

“It’s only 6 trays each, we’ll have it done in no time,” James said cheerily. James was wrong. 

Remus ended up sitting on the ground and planting as far as he could reach before crawling forward and repeating the previous step. They’d been at it for two hours and managed two trays each. 

“There has to be an easier way to do this,” He grumbled. Pomona had disappeared behind her greenhouse, and they hadn’t seen her since.

Remus lay on the ground, stretching out his sore back and neck muscles. He was fine if he could keep moving, but repetitive movements and being hunched over made him ache far quicker than anything else. 

The sun was warm on his face and the light breeze made it almost pleasant. A shadow fell across him, blocking the warmth. He shielded his eyes with his hand and opened them. Sirius grinned back at him. 

“I’ve had an idea,” He said as he held up a small plant pot. He knelt beside Remus and shoved it into the earth. When he pulled it out, there was a perfect hole ready for the seedlings to be deposited in. 

“Sirius, you absolute genius,” Remus said, amazed. Sirius leaned over and stole a kiss. Remus’s eyes darted to the other two, but they hadn’t noticed. 

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Sirius winked at him. “Oh, they know by the way, so no need to hide,” He jabbed his thumb in James and Peter’s direction. Remus couldn't quite believe it, but as James and Peter hadn't said anything, clearly they didn't have a problem with him. “Oi, you two use the plant pots,” Sirius showed them what he’d done and the planting went so much faster. Sirius and James ran up and down the vegetable patch jabbing the little plant pots into the ground while Remus and Peter followed more slowly behind them, burying the plants in the holes left behind. They were done in no time. 

Pomona found them all stretched out on the grass, Sirius, James and Peter telling Remus about the mischief they got up to over previous summers spent at the camp. 

“Boys, I gave you a job to do,” She said sternly, hands moving to her hips, “Do I have to go get Minerva?”

“But we’ve finished,” Peter complained as they all sat up. 

“Finished?” She asked incredulously. She peered behind them and her eyes widened in shock at the neat rows of plants. “Well I never,” She muttered under her breath. She shook her head and checked her watch. “Well done, boys. Might as well take an early lunch before the rest of the rabble get back. Thanks for your help,” She called after them as they walked back to their cabin to get cleaned up. 

“I need to wash my hands, badly,” Remus moaned, scrapping at the soil coating his nails. 

“I wonder what Minnie’s got planned for us this afternoon,” James pondered aloud. 

“Oh plenty, Mr Potter. Don’t you worry about that,” McGonagall said, emerging from the store cupboard. The four of them jumped out of their skins. “Mr Lupin, you may want to apply more sunscreen, you’re looking a little red dear,” She crinkled her eyes in a smile as they hurried away in case she gave them another job before lunch.  

Next part

[feyburner]

chicken tikka masala recipe?? 👀👀

Sure. This is compiled from a bunch of different recipes, primarily Swasthi’s Recipes, Bon Appetit, and personal recipes from curry enthusiasts on a reddit post.

I use chicken breast bc I prefer the texture for curries, I don’t like non-crispy chicken fat (not a fan of chicken fat/meat fat in general, I know, it’s my toxic trait). Thighs are of course also great.

Spice measurements should be considered a baseline minimum. Add more to taste.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

1 head garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced ginger

1 heaping Tbsp turmeric

1 heaping Tbsp garam masala

1 heaping Tbsp coriander

1 heaping Tbsp cumin

+

1.5 cups plain full fat yogurt

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs), sliced in half lengthwise

+

3-4 Tbsp ghee or butter + oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

10-12 cardamom pods, crushed (or 2 tsp ground cardamom)

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes or chili powder

1 x 6 oz can tomato paste

1 x 28 oz can tomato puree

1.5 cups heavy cream (or less cream + make up remainder with water or coconut milk/cream)

1-2 Tbsp brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and salt. Whisk in 1/2 spice mix; reserve the rest (covered and chilled). Pat chicken dry and add to yogurt marinade, coating fully. Cover and chill 4-24 hours.

3. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add cardamom and red pepper flakes. Bloom until fragrant, 20 seconds. Add onions and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes until tomato paste has darkened and onions are softening. Add reserved spice mix and cook, stirring, another 4-5 minutes until darker brown. Add extra ghee if needed.

4. Add tomato puree. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring and scraping bits from the bottom. Simmer 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened.

5. Optional (but highly recommended): Carefully transfer sauce to a food processor. Pulse until smooth and blended. Transfer back to saucepan.

6. Add cream and brown sugar (and leftover yogurt marinade if desired; it’s a raw chicken marinade but you’re cooking long enough that it’s fine). Simmer, stirring often, 30-40 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, heat ghee or vegetable oil (not butter or olive oil) in a nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast iron on highest heat until smoking hot. Sear the chicken 2-3 pieces at a time, 3 minutes on each side, to char. Chicken will still be pink inside.

8. Cut chicken into bite-size cubes. Add to simmering tikka masala sauce and stir until cooked through, 10 minutes.

9. Garnish with fresh cilantro (coriander). Serve with rice and/or naan, paratha, etc.

[imadumbshark]

The Senju Kekkai Genkai

I'm pretty sure the senju kekkai genkai isn't actually mokuton, that's just a by product of their actual kekkai genkai which was proably a genetic predisposition to nature chakra.

I believe the mokuton is a specific alignment of factors that correlate to create the perfect circumstances for it to present. Namely, a water and earth nature affinity, VERY good chakra control (which is clearly a trait of the main family senju line, if hashirama, tobirama, and tsunade are any indication), AND a predisposition, or at least a learned ability, to passively absorb nature chakra (which even Naruto couldn't do, he absorbed it actively).

That would explain why the mokoton is so rare despite kekkai genkai usually being dominant genetic traits in large blood-related family groups (Uchiha, Hyuuga, Hoshigaki, etc) because even if all the senju family could passively absorb nature chakra, few of them hit the rest of the necessary factors.

Take for example Tobirama, hypothetically he hit 3 of the 4 required factors to create mokuton (water affinity, chakra control, nature chakra) but because he was missing that 1 single factor (earth affinity) his kekkai genkai presented as an incredibly powerful water affinity and skill over healing and seals*, but no mokuton.

As well as that, despite being much smaller than the Uchiha, the Senju as a whole were able to compete with them on the battlefield. If we assume the disparity caused by the Uchiha's size and kekkai genkai was being bridged by a boost from nature chakra to each individual Senju, the Senju's ability to keep up is much more feasible.

It is also generally agreed within the fandom (never officially confirmed), that when the mokuton becomes too strong, the user gets turned into a tree. Now, that sounds VERY similar to nature chakra imbalance which Naruto was threatened with when he was was learning Toad Sage Mode, adjusted to suit a Tree Sage of course.

It would also explain why so many Shinobi (Orochimaru, Madara/Zetsu) throughout the Narutoverse struggled to recreate mokuton despite having direct access to Hashirama's cells. Unfortunately, I'm not overly familiar with cellular biology, but at least with kidney transplants (with modern science) the rejection rate is about 15% (correct me if I'm wrong, I googled it), not the ridiculous 99% we see when Orochimaru attempted to recreate it under Danzo's orders. Even accounting for the likely uptick in deaths due to adjusting genetic code being considerably riskier then a simple kidney transplant, it is not unreasonable to assume that most of the transfers were probably successful. Therefore, it is possible that the 99% fatality rate was due to the sudden and overwhelming influx of nature chakra into small bodies and minds that did not know how to handle or balance the sudden intrusion. In fact, we even see this when Tenzou's neighbour eventually succumbed to the experiment, and roots and branches grew out of her. Much like the cost that is described for those that wield mokuton, and also an imbalance of nature chakra.

Finally, that would explain why Sakura doesn't have mokuton when, if the show's description of the kekkai genkai is too be believed, she definitely should. Kishimoto's explanation for mokuton is that it is a perfect balance of earth and water nature affinities which, when combined, can cause plant life and vegetation to be manipulated and grow at extraordinary rates*°. However, if this explanation is to be believed, then there is no reason why Sakura should not have mokuton. It is generally agreed (again, never confirmed) that Sakura has earth and water affinities, and her chakra control is considered one of the greatest in the history of the Shinobi nations (canonically the greatest during her time). Therefore, if we're going by kishimoto's explanation, logically, Sakura should be able to use her chakra control to balance her water and earth affinities. However, if we rather consider it with the theory that the Senju kekkai genkai is nature chakra, then Sakura suddenly needs 4 prerequisites, not just 3. And Sakura has never shown any proclivity to nature chakra, so she does not hit the last requirement.

So. Yeah. The Senju had a genetic green thumb that gave them superpowers, not just trees. I think I had more points somewhere rattling around but I've forgotten them lol. I was also going to do a TL;LD but ehhhhhhh too hard. Do with this information as you like, thank you for coming to my TED talk.

*it is generally believed that one must have a certain mental predisposition towards healing and seals to be able to fully master them. Hence why the Uzumaki were so feared, because it was quite literally impossible for any other Shinobi (even other seal masters) to master some of their work because the logical progression (seals work somewhat like code, except WHERE you put each line of code mattered almost as much as WHAT it said) was incomprehensible

*weirdly enough, hashirama's mokuton generally uses pre-existing plants and seeds to create his constructs whereas Tenzou most often creates them from himself. Perhaps less control/balance over the nature chakra? Rather then using it in the traditional sense, he has weaponised the nature chakra's own side effect? Would also explain why his mokuton is weaker and why he's never shown to have Tree Sage Mode. Could also simply be because neither had formal training and simple made the mokuton entirely their own in how they used it lol

°according to kishimoto's explanation, mokuton is more akin to a release, like D's storm release (water and wind) or Mei's lava release (earth and fire), not a true kekkai genkai which CANNOT be recreated without the necessary genetic code, much like most dojutsus', the hoshigaki's sharklike appearances and skills (although that is often argued to be more as a result of their summons), and the hozuki's naturally transformative cellular structure (which is BONKERS by the way)

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Here is the first headcanon we are expanding on:

-I think once adopted, Spider is a mama’s boy. He craves physical attention and he has been raised essentially Na’vi in a way that Jake hasn’t. I think he would connect with Neytiri’s parenting style more, I think they’d do a lot of weird shit together that the other kids would rather die than help with, like cooking or mending shit. I think Spider would be literally delighted to help with boring household chores with his mother and that’s so mamas boy of him. He’s a “mother, do you need help with dinner, can I do the dishes so you can sit down?” kid while all the rest of them are gagging and calling him a suck up in the background.

-Spider likes cooking. It's always been something he could help with easily even if he couldn't always eat what was being made. Kiri hates cooking and always has because she hates when her brothers expect her to cook. On Jake and Neytiri's date nights to avoid a fight, Spider would always just offer to help Neteyam.

-Neytiri does most of the cooking for the family. Jake is not a bad cook, he's just not a good cook. He has skills but they are mediocre. She does not mind, because she likes it. It's a chance to personally use Eywa's gifts and transfer them into energy for her family, a way to thank Eywa herself instead of just accepting the bowl from the clan cookfires. It's a calming mental reset every time, and the natural conclusion to every hunting trip.

-None of her children have taken any interest in this particular lifeskill. Kiri, who would sooner let her attention drift and let the cookfire burn the mauri to the ground, doesn't have the attention span for anything other than Eywa. Lo'ak has to be essentially bound and shackled to the cookfire to do any work, and he complains the entire time to the point that Neytiri gets a headache. Neteyam always helps with no complaints, but he obviously does not enjoy it much and it always makes Neytiri feel bad for forcing him because he's the most agreeable. Tuk is too young to be anything other than a nuisance during a task like that.

-So it's comes as a great surprise when, after Neteyam was shot and the demon child rescued, she finds him watching her every move every time she prepares a meal.

-At first she thinks it's because of the boat and the cut on his chest. The knife in her hand as she chops the roots. It's not not that, but it is something more. A curiosity for the direction she stirs a boiling pot, and for the order she adds the spices.

-It had honestly never occurred to Neytiri at all that the child had a personality or interests outside of things mimicked from her children. Insolence and loyalty from Lo'ak, disobedience and morality from Kiri, honesty and stubbornness from Neteyam, even playfulness from Tuk. But none of her kids are at all interested in cooking.

-Spider and Neteyam are both confined to the mauri for recovery, and Neteyam is out like a light by eclipse every night and has to be awoken for evening meal. Spider is silent at Neteyam's side, where he spends most of his time, like Neteyam has to watch him to be sure he's there. She doesn't ask him, just slides over a cutting board and a knife and then passes him a vegetable to cut.

-Neytiri would have to be blind to not notice how perfectly he copies her cuts from before.

-That continues, with Jake and the other kids none the wiser, for a few days, until eventually she puts him in charge of stirring. He has to leave the safety of Neteyam for that, but the lure of the task is too great. He stirs, counterclockwise four times and clockwise twice, just like she always does.

-The next night she tests him. Asks him to get out the ingredients for a certain meal, the one she made the first night she noticed him watching, over a week ago. He doesn't miss a thing. They work shoulder to shoulder, side by side. Every night on, she has him fetch the ingredients unless she shows him something new.

-Tuk is the first to catch them in their silent little game, coming in to see if Neytiri will deem Spider well enough to at least come see the stars, which look particularly clear that night. Neytiri says he can go, and is shocked by how sad he looks for one second before turning to Tuk, like she'd kicked him.

-When she directs him to start the meal the next night he seems surprised, and she realizes he thought the dismissal the night before was a permanent one. So when Tuk comes for him again when he's helping with lunch, she tells Tuk that he's busy. She is not good at reading body language without a tail or ears to judge with, but he turns even pinker than usual and seems to vibrate with energy for the rest of the day.

-Neytiri is fairly sure the entire family knows about the cooking thing, because she's pretty sure Neteyam is not actually asleep at every mealtime still at this point. He's really recovered a lot by now, and she's pretty sure he ratted her out and that's why the mauri becomes essentially off limits to everyone besides her and Spider during every meal prep time. Sometimes she thinks she can hear Kiri and Lo'ak chasing someone off who was trying to come visit.

-Spider and her do not talk for the most part, they just become increasingly in tune with each others movements. Cooking with someone is a hard pairing to match, and Neytiri usually finds it incredibly frustrating, even with Jake sometimes. Spider seems to be able to read her mind, hand her the exact right spice before she even finished the thought about how it was needed, or finishing dicing at the exact moment the vegetables need to be added.

-She finds his personality in tweaks he adds to her recipes, some needed to adjust for his human palate, but always compensated for in an explosion of creativity between them both to find an adequate or even superior substitute. She apologizes in lessons, basics and then the hard stuff, things she should've been teaching him for years. They learn in tandem, each other and the Metkayina cuisine, types of squid and clams and seaweed that add tastes that must be enhanced and balanced with the correct tools, just as a child must be to grow properly.

-She finds herself mourning days alone at the cookfire, or days with one of her other kids who wanted to be anywhere else. Days where he was likely waiting for them outside, interested in what she was doing but not wiling to ask.

-There is no direct apology, not yet. For now it is learning, and building new memories and experiences. His songcord, which she has now seen, is basically a recipe book at this point, Jake says. But so is hers. Songs of slicing meat that provides energy from Eywa, and souls meeting souls for the first time.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Spicy Brothy Beans with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil ½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1 tablespoon butter 3 cups vegetable stock 1-2 teaspoons aji rocoto paste (or use crushed red pepper, to taste) 15-ounce can of white beans (such as navy, great northern, or cannellini), drained and rinsed 1 teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon garlic powder Poached Eggs (Optional): 2-3 large eggs (depends on the number of servings; prepare as many eggs as you have guests) 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

For Serving (Optional):

1 avocado ½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced ½ lemon, juiced Red pepper flakes Dry parsley flakes

Directions:

Sauté the Aromatics: Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the Broth: Melt the butter, if using, into the aromatics. Once frothy, add the vegetable stock and aji rocoto paste (or crushed red pepper) and the beans. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste and season again to your preference.

Poach the Eggs: Bring a saucepan of water to a very low boil. Crack one egg into a small sieve over a bowl and strain off the excess whites. Carefully transfer the strained egg to a ramekin. Repeat with the second egg. Once both eggs are strained and in the ramekins, use a wooden spoon to create a small whirlpool in the pot. Carefully tip the egg (keep the ramekin very close to the surface of the water) into the whirlpool. Repeat with the second egg. Allow to poach for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the water and transfer to a plate.

Prepare the Avocado Salad: Peel, pit, and dice the avocado. Transfer to a bowl with the lemon juice and the sliced red onion. Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve: Ladle the beans into bowls. Garnish with avocado and a poached egg. Sprinkle each dish with red pepper flakes and dry parsley. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

(Cookefast)

[charseraph]

On Trumpet Bad Data Disorder

If a trumpet is blown into a storm, it may lose a significant number of its sensory and data nodes, leaving it blind and confused.

Trumpets missing key predators become barren from prey populations eating producers, making the trumpet perceptive but incapable of memory.

If it is missing herbivores, their predators starve, and their producers overtake the body. The trumpet can no longer sense, but has access to memories that are increasingly harder to find in a larger and larger memory space.

If sensory nodes are unable to store information in vegetation, their minds, unfit for storage of irrelevant data, will corrupt memories. If this memory is accessed by another node, the corruption will persist, sometimes being further compromised from more forwarding.

Bad data are misremembered memories, wrong commands, and self-duplicating thoughts. Similar to prions or cancers on Earth, bad data disorders originate from within, only becoming a problem after a chance mistake in the trumpets’ internal systems. Bad data is communicable if taken in by another trumpet’s nodes.

Corrupted memories can become inaccessible, garbled, undeletable, and overwritten (leading to decisions made on false assumptions or lies. E.g. throwing nodes off the main body because it’s “known” that it leads to food being found). Corrupted memories may implode as soon as they develop, sometimes taking healthy memories with them. They may implode after propagating, creating a wave of deletions across the trumpet’s memory.

Bad commands can overwhelm nodes unfit to fulfill the commands (such as directing a grounded node to fly with nonexistent wings), send nodes into infinite loops of action, or compel nodes to share their compromised data with other nodes.

Self-duplicating thoughts are mundane in content, but when grown out of control, they can consume the majority of a trumpet’s mind, overwriting memories and crowding out communication until nodes forget how to operate.

Normally, a trumpet that detects bad data would develop a fever, weeding out corrupted nodes in exchange for a recoverable loss in population. But with too few healthy nodes or too many corrupted nodes for every safe one, a trumpet may never initiate a fever, or kill off too many to stay conscious.

This state of no longer collaborating among their species from too much or too little data transfer is called delirium. These trumpets either appear very still or aimlessly active, and are no longer conscious.

Trumpets typically avoid anyone exhibiting delirium, but some desperate individuals will take the risk and scavenge one for resources. As a failsafe against taking on bad data, these scavengers will send in nodes that will be abandoned if they report loops or lies in recovered memories. Abandoned nodes live ferally, no longer connected to a network, sometimes maintaining the ecosystem for just a little while longer if they fill a niche left empty.

Quietly or violently, these trumpets’ ecosystems will collapse. As a last ditch effort, nodes will instinctually remain on the body in hopes of keeping data contained. If a delirious body falls, no nodes will abandon it.

Post-integration, trumpets develop therapy cures for corrupted nodes. Depending on the bad data type, trumpet therapists can heal looping, self-duplicating data, deletions, and lies. Trumpets in the future live longer, healthier lives.

Bad Data Disorder in trumpets presented a formidable hurdle in trumpet development, stifling congregation until the first remedies were developed—memory exercises in the form of solitaires, reality checks using physical records, and rehabilitation of corrupted nodes through a medium of information transfer impenetrable by bad data: language.

[feast-of-plants]

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Lasagna (vegan & gf)

This one was snapped up so quickly I don’t actually have a picture, it’s also a recipe in development so may change later on but was still very tasty and popular!

Serves 4

Butternut Squash Puree

4 cups butternut squash peeled, deseeded, cubed

1 bulb of garlic

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tbsp Sage

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight

Gluten Free Bechamel Sauce

4 tbsp gluten free plain flour

3 tbsp vegan butter

3 cups oat milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Tofu Chorizo layer

240g smoked tofu, mashed into small chunks

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cayenne (less if you prefer less heat)

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp tomato purée

6 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground pepper

4 vegan sausages (good quality)

200g fresh spinach

For assembly

250g Gluten Free lasagna sheets

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scatter cubed butternut squash, chopped onion, and seasoning onto the first baking sheet before tossing with oil. Remove the head from the garlic, drizzle with oil and wrap in foil. Add the garlic parcel on the tray with the butternut squash and roast for 40-45 minutes, or until squash is very tender and the garlic soft and browned. Allow butternut squash to cool, add to a blender with the stock, herbs, cashews, and the roasted garlic squeezed out of its skin. Blend until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper, as needed.

On the second tray, mix together all the chorizo ingredients from the tofu to the pepper until fully combined before spreading out in a thin layer. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until well browned but do not allow to burn. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Remove the skin from the sausage and crumble with a wooden spoon in the pan before cooking until browned through. Transfer to a bowl along with the roasted chorizo mix.

In the same pan, add the entire bag of spinach. Cook down until wilted, but still bright green. Transfer to the same bowl as the sausage and mix well.

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add butter and allow to melt. Add flour and, while whisking constantly, cook roux for 4 minutes. Gradually pour in milk while whisking vigorously and constantly to ensure there are no clumps. Add the nutritional yeast, mustard, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 more minutes, adding more milk if it thickens too much.

Assemble the lasagna. Add a small amount of butternut squash puree to the bottom of the pan and spread into an even layer. Add a single layer of pasta, followed by the béchamel sauce. Spread béchamel into an even layer. Sprinkle on 1/2 of the chorizo mix. Add the butternut squash puree and spread into an even layer. Repeat steps once more - single layer of pasta, the béchamel sauce, remaining chorizo mix and 1/3 of the butternut squash puree. Add one more layer of pasta and the remaining béchamel sauce in an even layer.

Cover lasagna with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven, remove foil, bake uncovered for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown (watch carefully!)

[solarpunkbusiness]

Japanese family farm goes solarpunk

While Japan continues to drive the high-tech smartification of agriculture, what is the role of digitalisation for a diversified, agroecological family farm in a rural part of Hyogo Prefecture? Matteo Metta writes this report from Hashimoto Farm in Ichijimachō to share his observations on how digitalisation fits into the everyday life of this small-scale, mixed organic farm, as well as digitalisation’s role in the context of the increasing socio-ecological threats faced by the village, from typhoons and landslides, to depopulation and societal ageing.

The Hashimoto family is composed of four members: Hashimoto, Keiko and their two sons who now live outside the farmhouse. Volunteers, woofers, researchers, practitioners and interns from all over the world come here to work in exchange for learning organic farming in a Japanese rural setting. The 1.2 hectare farm is scattered in many disjointed plots. It is certified under the common organic certification (JAS). As an organic farm, they produce and directly sell any sort of local vegetables and rice. They rear chickens too, an important element for closing the organic nutrient cycle between the soil, human consumption and plants. Some of the seeds sown on the farm are locally selected, saved and exchanged with other farmers, while others are bought from the market. When organic seeds are unavailable, Shinji-san resorts to conventional ones. Besides farming and direct selling, the farm hosts and provides training and organic farming educational activities to school children, young people and adult farm workers.

Weekly open farmers’ markets (called “marché” in Japan) are not common in this remote village of rural Japan. Bigger discount shops or supermarkets can provide a variety of goods, including food products. Although some of Hashimoto Farm’s produce is used for self-consumption or donated annually to local charities for children and single mothers in need, the farm income depends on the selling of their organic produce mainly through two direct sale channels:

Shinzenha-ne, a cooperative buying, selling and delivering organic products.

Ashi no Kai, a small-scale network that connects consumers with producers and is specialised in home delivery of organic produce in the Hyogo and Osaka prefectures.

Consumer cooperatives are quite advantageous for farmers because they can reach bigger and more stable food demand from the whole prefecture instead of just the village and spend less time and energy physically attending local markets. Except for placing the exact demand of requested food in the box, the rest of the supply chain activities is in the charge of the consumer cooperative (receiving orders, food collection, assemblage of food boxes for each consumer, box delivering, billing, transferring payments, etc.).

“Digitalisation, as many technological innovations, is inevitable. We need to make it useful for us though. The problem is not the technology per se, but the system in which we live.”

Even if both cooperatives offer online means for consumers to select their products, much of the communication and transactions with consumers and farmers are still based on paper, phone calls and fax. Although this system might mean spending less hours inputting digital data, learning how to use a computer and relying less on external skills to maintain or repair any possible errors or damage, some of the limitations mentioned by Keiko-san about this direct selling system are:

Asynchronisation: the weekly orders made by the consumers through these two consumer cooperatives might not be automatically synchronised with the stock available on the farm.

Material and energy costs: paper is still circulating in these transactions, which often requires also expensive physical deployment of the operators or fax messages.

Overall, this farm-to-consumers’ door delivery system has been running for many years and is proven within the specific social, demographic and geographical conditions of rural Japan. Yet, this system is not error-free, e.g., mismatching order-farm stock, mismatching consumer quality expectation and farmers’ explanations of product defects, etc.

[nightbunnysong]

What I studied today!

08.08.2024

A deep dive into the vegetation of sedimentary coasts

1. Submerged Marine Systems: These systems are characterized by aquatic, halophytic vegetation, such as submerged meadows. Plants in these systems, like Posidonia oceanica and Zostera spp., have adaptations for submersion, including:

Narrow, Elongated Leaves: These leaves reduce hydrodynamic drag and flex with water movements, minimizing mechanical stress.

Absence of Protective Coatings: Lacking a waxy cuticle or other protective tissues, these plants absorb nutrients and oxygen directly from the water.

2. Halophytic Systems: Found in lagoonal zones, these systems feature herbaceous vegetation adapted to soft, saline, and waterlogged substrates. Examples include Spartina and Salicornia species, which are adapted to high salinity and saturated conditions.

3. Psammophytic Systems: These systems are characterized by herbaceous vegetation on sandy beach environments. Plants in these areas, such as Cakile maritima and Ammophila arenaria, are adapted to:

Sandy, Nutrient-Poor Substrates: They thrive in low-water and nutrient conditions.

Wind Exposure: They are adapted to withstand strong winds and shifting sands.

4. Fossil Systems: These are vegetative communities found in areas once influenced by the sea but now disconnected from it, such as grasslands and forests. These systems reflect past marine influences in their geological formations but now support terrestrial vegetation.

Adaptations to Submersion in Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants have evolved specific adaptations to survive submerged conditions:

Narrow, Elongated Leaves: Reduce hydrodynamic drag and adapt to water currents.

Absence of Protective Coatings: Lacking a waxy cuticle, facilitating direct nutrient and oxygen absorption.

Small, Petal-less Flowers: Adapted for hydrohameous pollination, utilizing water currents for pollen transfer.

Small Fruits and Seeds: Designed for hydrochory, with structures that enable efficient water-based dispersal.

[fritesandfries]

Noodles for the Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year! [Insert long copy here about my Chinese grandmother.] I decided to do what I do best: destroy things by taking inspiration from Chinese Longevity Noodles.

For 4 servings:

4 oz. piece pickled mustard greens (suan cai)

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef (or chopped extra firm tofu)

1 c. chopped shiitake mushrooms

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. black bean paste

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

2 c. beef broth (or vegetable broth)

12 oz. plain wheat noodles (check out this Asian noodle buying guide)

Soak suan cai in a bowl of water -- make sure it is completely submerged -- for about 30 minutes. You only need about half of what's in the packaging (a standard package for this has about 8-ounces). Drain and squeeze/press dry with a clean kitchen towel. Chop.

In a heavy bottom sauté pan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Add ground beef (or tofu) and chopped mushrooms. Sauté, breaking apart ground beef, for about 7-10 minutes until the meat is completely cooked. Add chopped suan cia, soy sauce, black bean paste, sugar, and broth. Bring it to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare noodles to package directions. Drain noodles and transfer to the sauté pan. Gently mix everything together before serving.

I like garnishing mine with some fried shallots and sliced green onions.

[vampirefairywitch]

💜🍰 Purple Velvet Cake Recipe 🍰💜

Embark on a culinary journey with this stunning Purple Velvet Cake, topped with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting!

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tbsp red food coloring

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp (or more) purple food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat and Prepare Pans:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Mix Dry Ingredients:

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

Mix Wet Ingredients:

In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, red and purple food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.

Combine Ingredients:

Gradually mix dry ingredients into the wet mixture until the batter is smooth.

Bake:

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare Frosting:

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy.

Assemble Cake:

Frost the cake layers and assemble the cake.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Calories: Approximately 400 kcal per slice

Tips:

Adjust the purple food coloring to your desired hue.

Ensure cream cheese and butter are at room temperature for smooth frosting.

Consider using cake flour for an even softer texture.

This vibrant and whimsical cake is perfect for special occasions and will surely be a showstopper at any gathering. Enjoy! 🎉💜🍰

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

The Maystone mangler prolouge

(Yandere slasher blackmore x gender neutral reader)

It had only been two days since you had moved to this small town called Maystone in Nebraska. It seemed like a quaint town with various old buildings and friendly townsfolk around. You hoped you would settle comfortably into this town.

Your move had been on a whim, you'd broken up with your previous partner and the bank chain you'd been employed at for a couple of years was looking for people who could transfer to the new bank in Maystone. You didn't really have much attachment to where you lived and worked, so you decided to start fresh in a new, more communal town.

The town itself had a confusing layout. New infrastructure was being developed around the town. Some places just weren't on the map.

Today you were in town struggling to find the grocery store and walked into a building in hopes of finding someone that could point you in the right direction.

There you stood in an old butchery. The buzz of fluorescent lights is almost deafening. Walls colored in a yellowing paint that used to be white. Tiles a shade of viridian green and old curtains that were maroon.

"Hello… are you alright?" a soft, coy voice asked. You looked to the counter to see a scrawny, blonde-haired male at the counter. He didn't strike you as the kind of person who'd do such a grim and labor-intensive job.

"Yes actually" you replied as you made your way to the counter and pulled out a map from your bag.

"I've been looking for the grocery store, the map says there should be one on this strip, I just moved here so I'm still trying to get my bearings" you explained. The blonde grabbed a pen and circled a blank spot on the map.

"A new supermarket opened up there recently, there used to be the local grocery a few buildings down but the previous owner died a couple of months ago" he replied.

"If I remember correctly… the updated map will be available next week, so maybe check in with town hall to get a copy" he suggested.

"Thank you so much, I'll definitely get a new one as soon as it's out" you thanked him and were about to turn your head before stopping to look at the display. It'd be rude if you left after he helped you, besides the meat here would be a lot fresher than what the supermarket.

You looked intently, there were whole chickens already plucked and the thickest pork knuckles you'd ever seen. However, you were in the mood for something you didn't have to put a lot of effort into. That's when your eyes landed on gravy beef, your parents used to make casserole all the time during winter when you were little. All you'd need to do is cut up a couple of vegetables and throw it all in the casserole dish.

"Could I get a pound of the gravy beef please?" you asked the male that you now got a decent look at. He had the bluest eyes you'd ever seen, they were like the deep, expansive sea. He was very fair-skinned, almost sickly pale.

"Ah- sure thing" he stuttered, seemingly shocked that you were ordering something. He quickly grabbed a bag and put it over his hand and grabbed what he assumed was the right amount before putting it on the scale.

"Is that alright?" He asked you. It was only a few ounces extra.

"Yes, thank you," you told the young man as you grabbed out your purse.

"That'll be 12 dollars," he told you.

You looked back up at the scale to see the displayed price as $13.60

"Are you sure?" You asked.

"Yes, I know it's not much but consider it my way of saying welcome to Maystone," he told you.

"Thank you so much, My Name Is (Y/n)" you said.

"My name is Blackmore" he responded with a smile, his cheek the slightest shade of pink.

You returned a smile and made your way to the door and opened it.

"I hope to see you again," he said.

"Same" you replied before leaving.

That night you ate the casserole you made. The meat was unbelievably tender. It was the best you'd ever eaten. It made you feel a little more comfortable in this strange little town and ready to seize whatever your first day at work would bring.