#YES there is cheese. and green onions. and garlic. and

[wabblebees]

"men will literally [x] before they go to thera-" stop.

enbies will literally make loaded mashed potatoes at 4am instead of going to therapy

[ktarsims]

Life Updates and Such...

Soooo.... many things! At the moment, I've finally pulled myself somewhat out of the doldrums caused by lack-of-job + job-search-sucks and am making all the preparations for celebrating the end of this year and the start of a new one.

I think I've binged something like 30+ anime series in the last month or so, along with reading many many books.

Today, I've finally got some bots working in the Creator's Cave discord, to make things a bit easier there. There are more updates I still need to do, but it's a start.

My hope for this week, is that in addition to my preparations for New Year's, I'll be able to actually finish my project of turning some of my flower photos into TS3 art. No promises, but I'm hopeful.

Below the cut, for the curious or nosy, the menu and preparations for New Year's.

Before anyone starts to wonder... two of the friends coming to my place for New Year's are really really into Pumpkin, so this is reflected here. Yes, this is probably too much food and drink for... 6 people, but hey... leftovers.

**Food** 1 frozen lasagna, family size 1 batch homemade mac&cheese (made by not me) Cheeses! (Extra sharp white cheddar, brie, various spreadables, 3 varieties of goat cheese) Crackers! (Ritz garlic butter, rosemary flatbread, 5 other assorted) Meats! (Summer sausage, dry salame, fig salame) Tea Sandwiches! (Cream cheese + smoke salmon or cucumber or jam) Scones! (I plan to make at least 3 varieties, but haven't yet decided which.) Oven ready appetizers! (Takoyaki, bagel bites, baked potato skins, loaded tater tots, mini quiches, mozzarella sticks, and more.) Shrimp Cocktail platter Veggie Platter Sweet Maui Onion potato chips Homemade snack mix (Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Pretzels, Cashews, Pistachios, white cheddar cheeze-its, white cheddar cheese puffs)

**Sweets** Pumpkin Spice Twinkies Iced Pumpkin Cupcakes (this is also hostess brand) Yackwa Korean donuts (gift from a neighbor) Assorted flavors of KitKats Pumpkin Pie yogurt covered pretzels Butter Rum Crunch popcorn Bourbon Crunch popcorn Milk Chocolate cherry cordials Other assorted chocolates

**Non-Alcoholic Drinks** Five different flavors of Martinellis sparkling cider Pumpkin Spice cold brewed tea (caffeinated) Pumpkin Creme Rooibos cold brew tea (herbal) Pumpkin Pie cold brew tea (herbal) Various Gatorade

**Alcoholic Drinks** 'Strong Mead' from a cider festival (gift from friend) Expensive bottle of Sake 'Demon Slayer' 1 bottle Louis Perrier Champagne for ringing in the new year Berenjaeger Green Apple Sake Peach Sake Umeshu Plum Wine Matcha Plum Wine (I'm really curious about this one) Butterscotch Shnapps Pumpkin hard Cider Dark Chocolate Cherry Moonshine Eggo Brunch Sippin' Cream A cupboard full of other assorted things that probably won't be looked at.

[blood-bound]

at the risk of using tumblr as an actual blogging website...

i never eat breakfast during the week but on sundays its become a routine to make a good one :)

its a bowl of plain greek yogurt with honey and defrosted berries...

spinach with tomatoes, pesto, feta, dried tomato, lemon juice...

roll with egg (gotta have that runny yellow yolk), green onion, mozzarella cheese, garlic, pastrami, garlic basil spread (yes lots of garlic on this one)

and caramel-nut coffee with creamer :)

[apolloendymion]

listen to me. i am talking directly in your ear now.

save your kitchen scraps. I'm talking carrot tops, peels, and greens. the tops & skins of onion and garlic. celery leaves. squash rinds. citrus peels. apple cores. tomatoes and lettuce that are just a little too wilted/mushy to be palatable. eggshells. cheese rinds. chicken skin. potato skins if you washed the dirt off. the water/oil from canned foods. BONES!! skins, peels, stems, leaves, anything that isn't poisonous but you wouldn't normally eat. we're going to make some fucking Broth.

(note: cruciferous veggies like brussels sprouts are ok in small quantities, but keep in mind that they're bitter and may bitter-ize your broth in larger amounts.)

put those scraps in a bag in the freezer. I'd recommend storing the liquids in a separate bag from the solids. add scraps whenever you've got em, until you've accrued about half a gallon ziplock of solids. now, you're Ready.

put a little oil at the bottom of a soup pot. just enough to sauté your solids. add some minced garlic and herbs/spices, if you have them (dried is fine, but i don't recommend powdered spices unless they're all you've got.) i like warming spices like star anise and cardamom pods; they make it taste like pho, sooo cozy. and of course, bay leaves!! if you have them, put at least 3 in there. minimum. trust me.

(if you don't have/want animal parts, add a little more oil than necessary for sauteing. you're gonna want the extra, believe me. I'd also sauté for longer, and pick an oil with a little flavor if you can, like olive. canola/vegetable is perfectly fine though.)

add the solids and sauté. i usually just thaw them in the oil, but if you're better at planning than me, you can put them in the fridge the night before. ideally you should sauté until the veggies start to brown. I'm not always that patient. it's fine. just make sure everything fully thaws and separates from one another. get a thin coat of oil over everything.

next, add the liquid ingredients and fill the rest of the pot with water (taking care to leave some space in case it boils over.) bring the pot to a boil, then turn it as low as your stove allows and leave it to simmer for as long as possible. this is KEY. let that shit MARINATE. let it STEW, no pun intended. i usually try to start this project in the morning, so i can leave it for the rest of the day. i have left it on overnight before but i can't recommend that in good conscience. do not burn your house down for broth. 2 hours would probably be my absolute minimum. stay close by, and stir it every so often so it doesn't boil over. chill on the couch. watch tv. enjoy the smell that permeates your house and makes it feel like a home. it's cozy time.

add salt, tasting as you go. you don't want to overdo it. some folks say to add the salt at the sauteing stage, but i feel this gives me too little control over the final product. i need control. I've got anxiety. but you do you. live your life. I'm not your boss.

once it tastes how you want it, strain out the solids. if I'm going to make soup right away, then I'll strain the liquid directly into another pot, throw in the soup ingredients, and simmer till everything's soft. otherwise, put it in a container you can freeze for later.

rejoice. broth be upon ye.

sip it when you're sick, make it into soup, use it in a casserole, cook rice with it. give a jar to your neighbors. you are the broth god. you are unstoppable. you will never waste a vegetable piece ever again.

go forth and Experience The Broth.

[littlehouseontheaerie]

Food Holidays: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I know it can be a very emotionally complex time for some people - from Native people who fairly see it as representative of colonialism and genocide, to people who struggle with family. I'd like to celebrate a different day, but it's two of the five guaranteed holidays I get from work, and in a family with a lot of teachers, it's also a guaranteed break for the rest of family. So I celebrate it with a very particular personal meaning.

Thanksgiving as a national holiday (not the mythologized version) came from the work of Sarah Josepha Hale. She was an author, 1800s domestic influencer, and education advocate. She petitioned multiple presidents to make the then-New England-exclusive holiday of Thanksgiving a national holiday, and was eventually successful with Lincoln, who saw it as a way to promote solidary after the Civil War.

To me, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's one of the few American holidays that isn't commercialized to the ends of the earth and back. It's about food (heck yes) and a pause to celebrate our gratitude for what we have - good family, good company, and a nice place to celebrate in. We invite our small family, but also anyone I know doesn't get along well with their family, or anyone who might be alone. I'd rather cook for more than fewer anyway!

I understand if Thanksgiving is a little fraught to you. But I hope the spirit I find in the holiday, the celebration of the harvest and community, can be a part of your life in some way.

This year's theme: Keeping It Simple

Appetizer: Goat cheese and carmelized onion tartlets.

Mains: Ancho-smoked turkey (spouse improvises the rub every year), vegetarian "turkey breasts" for the MIL.

Carbs: Mashed garlic potatoes and gravy, fluffy rolls. No stuffing this year, but I'm making a special batch just for me. 😈

Vegetables: Pumpkin tian, pomegranate salad, green bean casserole (the classic).

Sides: Cranberry relish (Mom's family recipe)

Drinks: Pomegranate-ginger punch

Dessert: Applesauce cake with cinnamon-vanilla ice cream.

[shadowxamyweek]

What are Amy and Shadow's favorite soups?

Amy: Soup? Oh, pork. Without question.

Shadow: (¯ ¯;)... What?

Amy: Pork soup.

Shadow: ...ლ(ಠ_ಠ ლ)

Amy: You take leftover porkroast and you boil it down, take all the meet, remove the gristle and bones. Add condensed cream of mushroom soup for the base, then chicken bullion, potatoes, green onions, corn, munster cheese, some garlic, salt, and pepper. Oh! And a bay leaf! Can't forget that. But yeah! Pork soup! Well, might be more like a chowder. 'S pretty thick.

Shadow:(￣、￣)... It doesn't... sound terrible.

Amy: I can probably switch out the pork for something else of you want to try it sometime!

Shadow: I confess, I am curious.

Amy: Yay!(^▽^) And what is yours

Shadow: Chicken vegetable is probably my favorite, but... onion and egg drop are close seconds. Borscht is also very good.

Amy: Wow. Big soup fan, then?

Shadow: Yes, actually.

Amy: Haha!(^▽^) I'll have to keep that in mind!

[battle-of-alberta]

Cities opinions on soup.

(dips spoon into the ask box I feel like I've been ignoring for two months)

i didnt really know how to answer this ask so i went with the first reaction i had (a statement for another statement? lol). Pencil crayons were on sale last week and I replaced a few prismas that I've been wearing down for the past 19 years (aah) so I figured this would be a good time to get back into it.

I don't think any of the cities would say no to a warm bowl of soup, especially on a cold day like today. There are two staple "Alberta" soups that I make for guests, beef and barley stew and "Ukrainian" borscht, which I will provide a (loose) recipe for below.

This borscht isn't an ancient/authentic family recipe or anything, just something that my dad and sort of tried and tested that we like and that pays some dues to ye olde heritage (and that doesn't break the bank or require a lot of special stuff for poor students like I was when I was perfecting it. It can also be made vegetarian.)

Hapo's Not Authentic But Pretty Nice Borscht That Friends and Family Say is Good

Sorry for the vague directions and measurements. Measure with your heart and the size of your pot. In Western Canada, red beet soup is basically the core of what borscht is, although in Europe red borscht and green borscht are entirely different beasts which do not share beets as a commonality.

you will need:

big pot

big knife (sharp)

cutting board

vegetable peeler if you want

frying pan (for cooking meat version)

ingredients

beets (i usually use 3 fist-sized beets, you can use more small ones)

red meat (optional) (i usually use ground beef/pork but if you can get a kubasa you should use that. you can use mushrooms instead too.)

onion

garlic

carrot

turnip and/or apple

tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

water or soup stock of your choice

salt, pepper, sugar to taste

lemon juice, sour cream, dill to serve

optional: celery, potato, cabbage

instructions

If you are using meat, cook with the onions in a frying pan until no longer pink and onions are translucent. Add some garlic in there if you want. Drain and set aside.

If you want to make the beets easier to peel, you can boil them in water before peeling. Keep the water as stock for all those good beety nutrients. I usually skip this step and just peel and chop the beets and make the kitchen look like a murder scene without pre-boiling.

Peel and chop the carrots, turnips, etc. and put them in your big pot on medium heat with your chopped beets, beef, and onions and garlic. If you are using celery or mushrooms or tomatoes, you can put them in at this stage. I also will occasionally add an apple to boost the sweet/sour flavour.

Add in a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and stir to coat, letting it caramelize a bit. You can deglaze with a bit of red wine or red wine vinegar afterwards or just use some soup stock to get everything off the bottom of the pot. Add some more garlic, treat yoself.

Add in your soup stock and bring the pot to a boil. Simmer for at least half an hour (or all day if you feel like it).

In the last 15 minutes of cooking, you can chop and add a potato if you feel like it and have room in your pot (just because russet potatoes tend to get mushy if left in too long). This is also the stage to add shredded cabbage (which I hate doing so I usually skip). I also recommend if you have them to put in some frozen pierogies (tiny and filled with cottage cheese yum) and boil them right in the soup because it really elevates the experience hehe.

Season with salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of sugar or so. You can also add in something like oregano if you want.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a splash of lemon juice, and maybe some fresh dill if you have some.

[ramenaddicted]

Nice and warm

synopsis: I cook soup for my man and reminisce about how we met, also recipe included.

an: So this little ditty is part of the @love-and-lore autumn self-ship collab, so if you are not into that feel free to skip this one.

The stage is set. My boyfriend won't know what hit him. I chuckle to myself as I continue to dice my yellow onions. The strong scent of onions stings my eyes and they start to water slightly. It’s September; that means soup season, and I aim to introduce different soups to my boyfriend through the fall and winter. My boyfriend is so picky. He only likes to eat foods that are easy to cook and easy to eat like chicken tenders and mac & cheese. There’s nothing wrong with those foods. I love a good bowl of mac & cheese every once in a while. However, I also like to get my daily intake of veggies so to increase his intake of veggies, I’m going full throttle.

As I finish chopping my onions, that’s when I start peeling and mincing my garlic. The delicious yet pungent aroma of garlic is a promise of the delicious soup that is to come. My kitchen is on the smaller side with its light green walls and the awkward color countertops. I have zero space so I have to mince all this garlic by hand. 

I turn my attention to a bowl of potatoes sitting in water, soaking and cleaning, the last of the prep for the heavy load of soup. With all of my fresh veggies neatly prepped and put into bowls, I start on the potatoes. Taking my peeler, I swiftly peel each of my potatoes and then cut them in halves. To make sure I don’t get early-onset arthritis, I bought a little gadget to help me easily dice my potatoes. I transfer them into a large bowl with cold fresh water to keep them all nice and white. 

I take a step back and marvel over my work. Wow! All of my items have been perfectly prepped, but now here comes the fun part: cooking! I decide to take out my beautiful butternut squash-colored Dutch oven and turn the fire up high on the stove.  As I feel a tiny bit of heat radiating from the pot itself, I layer the bottom half of the pot with bacon slices.

The bacon does its job and slowly cooks. I decided to take time out and measure my wet ingredients: 4 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of milk. 

As the bacon slowly cooks, the scent radiates throughout the kitchen. It’s a wonderful smell. Hopefully, my boyfriend likes it. I had decided on a soup that was easy to make and very pleasing with the accouterments such as the bacon in the cheese.

Cooking bacon takes a while, especially when it’s still in its strip form and not chopped up like I should’ve done it. Still, who cares? As I slowly drift off into La La Land, the bottom of the pot with the bacon starts to turn brown. I am reminded why I am doing this. I'm doing this because I love my boyfriend and I want to eat soup; two birds. one stone.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for about two years. Within those two years, I found out so much about him; I know he’s a picky eater, a hard-core gamer, and I know he has a selective group of friends whom I affectionately call the ragamuffins or the little bastards. Anywho, when I first met my boyfriend, Tomura Shigaraki, I was a bit put off by him just because he didn’t traditionally approach me.  I was just minding my business when I heard a cheery feminine voice call out to me.

“Hey! You’re Yasmin, right?” A cheery voice called.

I turned around to see who was calling me. It was a short blonde girl wearing a dark hoodie and sneakers. I could feel an invisible pair of eyes staring at my dark skin from the shadows. A small chill ran down my back.

“Yes, who’s asking?” I balked at her question.

“So my friend over there likes you and would like to get to know you,” she stated while turning behind to point at a shadowy figure trying to conceal himself by a nearby tree.

The figure in question was a tall lanky man dressed in a dark hoodie and dark sweatpants. Blazing ruby red eyes with deep bags under his eyes, chapped lips, and the aura of an enraged Discord mod*.

“Why does he look like that?” I inquired while physically taking a step back. The man wasn’t even in my personal space and I felt like I was gonna get stabbed.

“He’s just shy,” she tried to assure me.

She was not doing a good job, plus with his intense staring, he was also shooting himself in the foot.

“Naw, I’m cool.”

Afterward, I got hounded by other people in his friend's circle. The blond girl introduced herself as Himiko Toga. We hung out more just because she was approachable and not stalking me from the shadows. A week after the informal meeting, I was approached by another man with tall dark spiky hair, turquoise, blue eyes, and a bad attitude: Dabi.

Dabi’s method of persuasion was terrible. He was more annoyed than anything as he tried listing off the non-redeemable qualities of his friend.

“Stop please,” I begged. As I would come to find out, Tomura truly has some odd friends. Dabi didn’t do a good job of painting Tomura in a good light. The heavily tattooed stranger emphasized the other was a hardcore gamer with mommy issues.

With friends like these, who needs enemies? I collected myself and turned away from Dabi.

“Listen here, if your friend wants to talk to me we can sit down at the campus coffee house and talk.” Dabi could feel my frustration as I spoke.

I turned on my heels and went in the opposite direction of the campus coffeehouse. “Otherwise I’m going to the campus police and reporting him for stalking!”

The scent of freshly ground espresso was a welcomed scent inside the coffee house. The campus coffee house was a nice and quaint place; pastries, coffees, and teas were their game, and serving espresso and other caffeinated delights was their cash cow.

The jingling of the bell alerted the barista to my presence. They greeted me warmly as I made my way to the counter to order. I ordered my usual – a London fog tea latte and a vanilla bean scone. After paying for my goods, I went to find a nice and secluded area for me and hopefully my stalker.

After my items were done, I quickly took them and sat at the very back of the cafe with a window seat. The coffee house doorbell jingled harshly as the perpetrator entered. Lo behold, it was my skrunkly stalker. Tomura was dressed in a gray hoodie and sweatpants. His hair at the time was blue-tinged. His striking red beady eyes stared straight at me. I waved him over, and he ran towards me like his life depended on it.

"So you want to tell me why you have been stalking me from the shadows?" I asked, cutting to the chase while sipping my latte.

The silence was deafening as I sipped on my latte loudly. The poor boy was sweating bullets while trying to concoct an answer.

"Because you smell nice," His answer stunned me as he continued to explain. 

"We have some connecting classes so when I sit behind or near you…I sniff your perfume." He admitted as his cheeks blushed a furious shade of red.

"That is so creepy."

The smell of cooked bacon pulls me from my daydream as I go to collect my bounty of cooked bacon. Swiftly picking the bacon strips out of the Dutch oven with my tongs, I put the bacon on a paper towel-clad plate and then turn the heat to low.

With the bacon secured, I quickly move on to building the soup base. Next, I add two tablespoons of butter, diced onions, and minced garlic. With those ingredients, the kitchen quickly becomes more fragrant and delicious. My onions cook down and are thoroughly translucent, and the garlic is browning in color: not burnt, but beige. 

I measure my liquids: chicken broth and heavy whipping cream. Then once the vegetables look nice and golden brown, I add half a cup of flour.

As much as Tomura’s friends would tease him about our initial courting, I wouldn’t have traded the experience for the world. After our impromptu date at the campus coffee house, Tomura went out of his way to talk to me. He still stalked me from the shadows but that kept the real creeps away from me. So a win is a win…I guess.

With the veg and flour mixture fully turned into liquid goodness via the six cups of chicken stock, I quickly add my chopped potatoes and herb mixture: rosemary, thyme, salt/pepper, and a couple of dashes of Montreal steak seasoning.

Keys jingling and the lock turning makes a smile spread across my face.

“Babe, I’m home,” Tomura calls as he waltzes into our shared apartment.

“I’m in the kitchen!” I yell.

“Smells good in here, what are we having for dinner?”

“Loaded potato soup.”

Slender arms wrap themselves around my waist and I feel slightly chapped lips kiss the side of my cheek. I giggle at the affection my boyfriend dotes on me in private. I tell him to go wash up and that dinner will be ready in a minute. I took the time to crumble up the cooked bacon for garnish. Along with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and the crumbled bacon on top of the piping hot soup dinner is complete.

Once back, the table is already set, and the man of the hour is wearing his at-home sweater. Dressed in a white t-shirt with a black sweater with cream lining, it gives off an academic vibe.

“Someone looks fancy,” I tease.

“I can’t help it, it's comfortable,” he playfully pouts while taking his seat across from me.

I hand him his bowl of loaded potato soup. My gremlin doesn’t even set the steaming bowl on the table before he begins chowing down on the cheesy and bacony goodness. I laugh at his antics; the man is acting like this is the first time he'd ever had my cooking.

“What’s so funny?”

“You, acting like a starving kitten.”

He blushes furiously at my taunt and looks away from me before going back to eating his soup, this time less comically.

“I’m glad you like it though,” I beam at the praise. “I thought about you while making it.”

Tomura stops eating for a moment and looks at me. Carnelian eyes glow with amusement as he reaches out for my hand on the table.

“Yaz, I don’t care if you served me those abominations from the 50’s,” I giggle at his words. “I will treasure anything you make.”

He quickly stands the both of us up, and I point to his sweater.

“I didn’t make that, but I bought it for you.”

“Doesn't matter, this was bought with the intention of making me happy.”

“And warm,” I mock him.

“And warm,” he repeats.

[melon-cream-enmu]

Would I eat twst character's fav and least fav foods!!!

Heartslabyul

Riddle

Fav: strawberry tart. Yes! It sounds very yummy!

Least fav: junk food. Of course I would eat it, it's all delicious!

Trey

Fav: candied violets. I believe I've had these! Or some type of candied flower. They're wonderful

Least fav: mustard. You and me both Trey, I hate mustard

Cater

Fav: spicy ramen. Yeah probably! I've only had like semi spicy shrimp ramen, but I love spice. My tongue just is a baby

Least fav: anything sweet. Cater please...why don't you like them. I love sweet things

Ace

Fav: cherry pie. Sure! Not my fav pie filling and I'd rather have cake over pie but I don't hate it

Least fav: raw oysters. No thank you, I highly doubt my stomach would let me enjoy it

Deuce

Fav: anything with eggs. Almost! I don't like cheese with eggs or veggies with eggs, but I love eggs

Least fav: bell peppers. I love them. That's all

Savanaclaw

Leona

Fav: meat. I don't like pork, chicken that isn't fried, and I can't eat meat off a bone. I LOVE beef though

Least fav: veggies. Love cauliflower, peas, corn, cucumbers, lots of veggies!

Ruggie

Fav: donuts. Absolutely, my favorites are Boston crème/anything custard filled

Least fav: anything rotten. Baby I'm so sorry you ever had to eat something rotten..no I will not eat

Jack

Fav: pear compote. Yeah! It sounds yummy

Least fav: green onions. Agreed, I don't like those

Octavinelle

Azul

Fav: fried chicken. If it's chicken tenders or a crispy chicken sandwich then yes, but no bones

Least fav: health foods. I assume foods that are 'diet friendly’ or like that, and I agree. No thanks

Jade

Fav: Octopus carpaccio. I'll try it! I know l've had squid and I may have had octopus but icr

Least fav: Conger eel. Internet says it has a pork-like flavor, so no thank you

Floyd

Fav: takoyaki. Sure! It sounds real tasty!

Least fav: Shiitake mushrooms. | despise mushrooms, I can't get over the smell and texture

Pomefiore

Vil

Fav: homemade smoothies. Sure, I like a good smoothie, I always make too much though...

Least fav: mayonnaise. But...but it's so good in so many different foods though…..especially spicy

Rook

Fav: Liver pâté. No, I don't think l've eaten any type of specific organ, and I don't want to yet

Least fav: garlic. Don't like it itself, but as a powdered seasoning yes, but only sometimes

Epel

Fav: Grilled meats, macarons. Grilled beef please! And macarons are so yummy

Least fav: apple pears. Yeah, I'll try one

Scarabia

Kalim

Fav: coconut juice. I don't like coconut, especially the milk or juice

Least fav: curry. I've never had it but I want to try it soooo bad!

Jamil

Fav: curry. Please I wanna try some so bad

Least fav: dates. No thank you

Ignihyde

Idia

Fav: sweets. Yes, yummy

Least fav: raw fish. I don't think l've actually had any ever..l'd like to

Diasomnia

Malleus

Fav: ice cream. me too, I like Neapolitan or Superman

Least fav: full-sized cakes. ….sir please. I love cake…

Lilia

Fav: tomato juice. sir...

I don't like tomatoes

Least fav: marshmallows. SIR?!?! They're yummy

Silver

Fav: Mushroom risotto. Don't like mushrooms

Least fav: Lilias cooking. I would also not like that

Sebek

Fav: Salmon carpaccio. I'll try it

Least fav: black coffee. Same

[mutantenfisch]

Veggie lasagna with kohlrabi pesto and kohlrabi carrot salad

These are basically 2 and a half recipes in one, so I try to group the respective ingredients together to make it more comprehensible.

You need: for the salad: - 1 big or 2 smaller kohlrabi - 2-3 carrots - 1 cup of yoghurt or crème fraiche - 2-3 table spoons of honey or molasses - 1-2 table spoons of white balsam vinegar - salt and pepper

for the lasagna and the pesto: - 10 lasagna sheets - cheese for covering - ca 50 g of hard cheese (pecorino, parmigiano or mountain cheese), grated - 1 can of chopped tomatoes - 1 package of tomato puree - 2 onions - garlic (the amount is YES, so at least 3 cloves) - cooking oil for the bolognese - 2 big carrots or 3 smaller ones - 2 table spoons of tomato paste - the leaves of the kohlrabi plus some more leaves if you can get them - ca 50 g of butter or cooking oil - 200 ml milk or plant-based cooking cream - 50-100g white flour - 150 g cashews - salt, pepper, Italian dried herb mix For the salad 1. remove the leaves from the kohlrabi, rinse both under cool water, put aside leaves. 2. peel the kohlrabi and grate it roughly. Repeat procedure with the carrots. Put both in a salad bowl. 3. mix remaining ingredients in a cup until evenly combined, add to bowl, mix vigorously and cover with a lid to let it sit in the fridge until you're done with the lasagna and the flavour has intensified. Continue with the lasagna and pesto 1. remove stems from the leaves an put aside (you can sautee and fry them but the taste is not to everyone's liking), chop leaves into strips. 2. fill water in a kettle and bring it to a boil, pour into pot and add leaves, let them sautee for 2-3 minutes until they change colour and you can smell them. Pour water away or pour it in a bucket for watering your plants when cooled down (our keep it to make stock), but empty the pot because you'll need it but we'll get to that. 3. peel 2 garlic cloves and crush them. Put sauteed leaves, garlic cloves, 1-2 table spoons of cooking oil, hard cheese and cashews into a blender. Blend until homogenous, add water if too thick. Add twice as much salt as you think is good and as much pepper. Pesto is done! 4. peel and chop the onions and 2 more cloves of garlic, cut the remaining carrots into very fine cubes or just into bite sized pieces (5mm-1cm cubes) if you're not willing to spend 15 minutes cutting carrots. I was, so they are very fine. 5. heat some oil in pan on low to medium heat, add the veggies you just chopped and let them brown very slightly, also add 2 table spoons of tomato paste. Grease a casserole in the meantime. 6. melt some butter in the pot from the pesto procedure. When it has liquefied, add flour little by little while stirring continuously until it has become pasty. Continue stirring until flour begins to change colour, stir in the milk and keep stirring until it has become slightly viscous and begins bubbling a little bit. I know this is not the real Bechamel sauce, but it's good enough and doesn't take long to make. If you want, you can add a little nutmeg. Take away from heat and add pesto from the blender, mixing it evenly. 7. the pan with the veggies should be beginning to brown now, pour in a can of chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and stir to get any stuff sticking to the pan off. Add salt, pepper and a generous sprinkle of dried herbs. Let simmer until liquid has reduced a little bit. 8. time to assemble the lasagna! Take your casserole and a ladle, and ladle one portion of the red sauce into the casserole. Cover with lasagna sheets and don't be afraid to break them into pieces to make them fit! Continue with green sauce, which you cover with more red sauce. Then another layer of lasagna sheets and so on until your sheets are used up or you run out of sauce. The final layer should be of sauce, regardless, which you cover with the non-hard cheese. 9. put lasagna into oven at 180°C/356°F and let it bake for ca 30-35 minutes on the middle rack. If your casserole is very full, I advise you to put a baking tray under it to prevent sauce or cheese from dripping down while the lasagna sheets expand during baking. While it is baking, you can use the time to clean your kitchen or at least put all the stuff you've used into the dishwasher and wipe the surfaces. :D Then, you're good to go to enjoy a hearty and filling meal that serves 3-4 people. Tip: you can add sunflower seeds to the tomato sauce for some extra crunch. You can also fill any remainders of sauce (depending on how much it turns out to be) into airtight containers and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days for some ready-made sauce that only needs heating.

[wumblr]

i've been making this salad for the past few days (mostly due to the ingredience i got at the grocery store but also because it's good) that's like... spinach (or also arugula because the first box of salad greens i got was a blend of the two, yes i have wholly consumed two boxes of salad greens doing this), red or green onions (both is too much unless you use such a small quantity that it's barely worth slicing them), carrots broccoli and cauliflower (again i got a prepared vegetable blend, finely chopping broccoli yourself to eat raw is absolutely not worth the mess), and tomatoes (i ran out of these and their absence in the final round of salad is sorely missed). with honey mustard

every time i've been compelled to add a clove of minced garlic but i am too cowardly to add it raw (garlic from aldi has not historically kept well and i do not trust it). shredded cheese or croutons might be a nice addition but i either don't have them or don't remember until it's too late (this time i had garlic bread and parmesan asparagus as well as chicken, so it seemed a little overkill to add bread and cheese to the salad when the allure is sort of that it's a huge bowl of raw vegetable). my one downfall, if the failure to add raw garlic was not it, is that it's impossible for me to make a side salad. i'm macrodosing micronutrients. my most masculine quality is eating salad (this is not a quality but the way i eat i might as well just put it in a mixing bowl, like some kind of fratboy)

damn i thought i was just going to list the ingredients and say it was good i didn't realize i had that many annotations to make. what power hath these vegetables wrought within me ...

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: The Quest for Pizza

No matter where in time and space you are, foods that taste like home make life so much better. There are a lot of American comfort foods that might be replicable in 1600s Northeast Asia, if you knew what you were doing. Off the top of my head, some classics include: apple pie, mac and cheese, jambalaya, spaghetti, hamburgers and French fries, and pizza.

Apple pie would be one of the easiest to pull off. Pastries are pretty much a thing everywhere you’ve got wheat flour, sugar’s available, and apples can be found all over given they went in both directions down the Silk Road, travelers knowing a good thing when they bit it. A little cinnamon for spice would be the most expensive part, but it’d be available; the spice trade is up and running all over the place. Give a local cook a good description, or ask for some kitchen time, and a slice of hot apple pie is entirely possible.

Mac and cheese should also be possible, though you may have to get a bit more creative. Noodles, definitely available. Macaroni or shell-style? That, you would have to describe a dough press for. Or just get flat fettuccini-style noodles and go with it. It’s probably easier to get yogurt than milk, but you can get cheese... if you’re in a northern area influenced by the Mongols and related tribes. So, if you’re in or around Manchuria (named for the Manchus), you’ve got it. It won’t be cheddar, not unless you wrangle that off some English traders, but actual water-buffalo mozzarella is a possibility! And if you like a little chili powder to add a hint of heat? So long as it’s post-1520s, you’re in luck. The Portuguese brought chilis along in their galleys. We can date chilis in China to somewhere between 1520-1550s, in Japan by the 1570s, and they were widespread in Korea by 1614; likely brought over by Hideyoshi’s invasion of 1592-1598.

Which leads us to jambalaya. Chilis, meat, rice, sausage, basil, oregano, garlic, onions, cilantro, and a lot of recipes call for tomatoes. Garlic and onions are ubiquitous in Eurasia; oregano and coriander (cilantro) are also in Asia, and basil’s originally from India. Tomatoes... yes, they would be there, European trade brought them in the 1500s too. But most people thought they were decorative, not so much food. You can get them. Convincing other people to eat them might take a bit.

With all those ingredients, spaghetti should be a given. Mangia!

Hamburgers and French fries, though - likely not. Oh, you can do ground meat, ketchup, and pickles, but potatoes didn’t historically get to China until almost the very end of the Ming Dynasty, brought by the Dutch right as the Manchus crashed the party and created the Qing Dynasty. Korean relations with the Manchus were touchy. Which might explain why Korea historically didn’t get potatoes until the 1800s.

But the trickiest of all would be pizza, at least if you like the classic ham, onions, green peppers and cheese. There’s some disagreement on exactly when bell peppers (almost no heat) were created from chili peppers (varying degrees of heat). Jefferson may have encountered a variety in the 1800s. But most people trace them back to Hungary in the 1920s. That’s right, green bell peppers in the 1600s would be historically inaccurate.

...I can guarantee you if Jason ever gets back to modern Earth, he’s raiding a seed catalog. Pizza!

[floydsmuse]

Meggy I literally cannot help myself and I know you said not to apologize for spamming the inbox but I've got a thought/thot that I've just gotta get outta the pantry (lol).

You always felt kinda bad that Miles was so skinny when he was working at the hotel but after he had gotten out of the army and worked at the hotel, he didn't really have any time for much and couldn't really afford a decent meal. You loved him so, so much but you noticed he looked really thin and hollow some days. You knew he had tremors from the army, but you two had been together long enough to tell the difference between the scaries and the hunger shakes.

It was about six months into your marriage when George Lawson, an oilman from Texas had offered to come in and buy the place. He took it off Miles's hands and was so good to you both that Miles kept in contact with him and the rest of the hotel staff for many years after. Every now and again George's family comes to visit the ranch in Montana with his wife, kids and grandkids and since one of George's boys had been in the army, he and Miles are able to talk about some of the things they went through along with Otis.

You and Miles move to the ranch in Montana and you start cooking for him. He's not alarmingly skinny like he used to be at the El Royale. You can see the changes in him and they're good ones. Miles's cheeks are rounder and softer, much less hollow than before. His tummy's much softer and he fills out better in his clothes which still fit perfectly. He doesn't shake as much and he's always happy to be the taste tester in the kitchen because everything you make is just so damn good. Even the doctor was happy to see that Miles had gained a healthy amount of weight when Miles went for a checkup at the end of the year. Miles, like Calvin, swears you're a kitchen witch by how well you can cook and never burn the food.

His favorite meal of yours will always be your baked chicken thighs all coated with your special seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cardamom, ginger, turmeric etc.) green beans and your white-cheddar mac'n'cheese with toasted breadcrumbs. He can't get enough of the lasagna that you and Kathy make for him every now and again or fish on the grill with blackening spices. I totally see Miles as being a milk, cheese and yogurt hound, especially living on a farm/ranch it can be easily acquired and made, but you had to help him cool it a little after a particularly bad upset stomach had you both up late one night (lol).

Miles cannot and will not stay out of the kitchen either when you're baking and around the holidays it's even worse. He's always trying to sneak a taste of the cinnamon rolls, gingerbread cookies, breads or anything you happen to be making. You of course laugh at it, especially when Benny started getting in on the antics with his father, but you don't mind because you know Miles needs it too.

Meggy honey, I couldn't get this out of my mind last night, it was on the shelf and I had to let it out!!! (lol).

Mary my darling! yes! you never have to apologize for sending in any thoughts/thots to my box :) like i’ve mentioned plenty, i love reading them all <3 and oooh yay more Miles thoughts🥹 i’m excited to read this !

~ our sweet boy has been through so much :(😔 Miles being malnourished & having the shakes from his days in the army & being at the hotel is just awful. poor babe :,( but glad to hear that wifey cooks for him & helps him get back into a healthier physical state.

~ love the idea of Miles being the little taste tester in the kitchen :,) i could just see him watching you in absolute awe, as you mix all these different spices and ingredients together to create such delicious & decadent meals. he gives you those puppy dog eyes every time, since he’s just dying for a little bite of something & you of course can’t say no, so you always make sure to let him have a taste even if it’s just a nibble🥹

~ oohh Mary you’re making me hungry rn! yum!! these foods you listed sound delicious & my mouth is currently watering🤤 i could definitely see why they’d be favorites of Miles :)) okay but Miles loving dairy makes total sense for some reason ?! i could see him being lactose intolerant, but loving yogurt & cheese too much to give it up for good, even tho his doctor encourages that he stays away from it! but Miles would rather enjoy dairy & suffer the consequences later..😭

~ the part about Miles sneaking bites of food during the holidays is such a mood! omg!! cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite pastries too & i can’t say i blame him for sneaking a little piece of it 🥰 i’m just picturing this scenario in my head & it’s making me giggle! it just seems so Miles & i love it!!

Mary ! i can’t say thank you enough for leaving these thoughts/thots in my box :) i hope you never feel obligated to😅 these thoughts were so sweet & really i enjoyed reading them! please keep em’ coming 💕

[unhingedkitchen]

Show us your butt(ernut)

Veggies are important. They give you fibre, vitamins and a false sense of achievement, all of which you need to face daily life. If, like me, you grew up in a culture which adds sugar to veggies (yes really) you might not like it. 

Easy to fix, Muchacho. Especially with butternut squash. 

But also, maybe you do like that, and that’s also cool. No judgment here. What are we listening to today while cooking? Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac

Ingredients

Two cleaned halves of a butternut (or a pound of cubes) - if you choose death and go for a whole, unpeeled butternut, may the force be with you. That thing is HARD to process. 

Olive oil, or the oil of your choice, we’re easy here. 

Home-made spice rub: Mix together a dash of the following to taste - smoked paprika, dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, a pinch of celery salt, black pepper. If you’re feeling adventurous, add a pinch of cumin. The smokiness of the paprika works well with the naturally sweeter squash to amp up the savoury flavour. 

That leftover rosemary sprig from the chicken - I know you still have it. Don’t look at me like that. 

Method

Oven should be 180 degrees Celsius / 355 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Empty the bag of butternut cubes (or place the halved one, cut side up) in a roasting dish.

Note: If you’re using a stainless steel one, do yourself a favour and use baking paper / tinfoil otherwise you’ll Darth Vader your fingers trying to get that burnt stuff off later. 

Think that you’re going to be healthier than the recipe says and try olive oil cooking spray. Well la-di-da, aren’t you a domestic genius. Attempt to spray butternut. Inhale about 3ml of aerosol olive oil in the process and succumb to a coughing fit that makes the cat panic. 

Wheeze at him that you’re okay but when you try to pet him he runs away, now reassured that you are, in fact, still alive. 

Use olive oil like the recipe says in the first place. 

Toss your spice mixture on top and reach in to mix it around to ensure an even coating of oil and spice. Attempt to wash hands but get tap oily, like the hapless ‘before’ participants in the infomercial videos before they introduce the product they’re plugging. 

Toss the leftover rosemary sprigs in with the butternut and slide into the oven’s middle rack. There’s a joke in there somewhere about sliding into someone’s rack but we’re too virtuous with our vegetables to stoop that low. 

The cooking time varies wildly on your choice of butternut format and its thickness. Give it roughly 30 mins before you start opening the door every 10-15 mins and poking the butternut with a fork to see if it’s soft all the way through. You could also stare dejectedly at the now nearly cremated rosemary through the oven glass, but this is optional. 

Pull it out when it’s nicely browned, and fully fork-tender. It goes brilliantly on a bed of greens, some creamy feta cheese, red onion and roast pepitas if you’re looking for something light. If it’s chilly, serve as is with a protein of your choice. Or get totally engrossed in channeling your inner Christine McVie and eat later, both options work. 

[jessicameleon]

2023gg week 12: quiche

the classic baked egg dish! it's an egg pie, but with more cream than eggs! how could you go wrong?

we are filling this pie with diced tomato, green olives, onions, garlic, and cheddar cheese, as seems to be the norm with this challenge. you are not immune to the eggs + alliums + olives + cheese combo.

also yes this is a square quiche (a squiche if you will) because this was extremely last minute because i couldnt find my pie pan. also yes that is storebought pie dough because i could not be fucked.

still came out great though despite the cobbled together nature of it! very creamy, the crust was nice but i could probably have blind baked it for a bit longer.

anyway this was really good but took way too long to make, wouldnt recommend for a weekday morning but on a cozy saturday itll fit just right! 💖

[highwaydiamonds]

It was one of my nights to make dinner - and I hadn't done a good job planning ahead. Whipped out a jar of arrabiata sauce I had and i knew i had some leftover hamburger from earlier in the week.... Then looked around for pasta and did not find good pasta candidates for the most part... Gnocchi and Tortellini - that I knew other people might want to tap on their dinner nights... And then I remember boxes of lasagna noodles that had been sitting there for months - and they weren't no boil noodles. (lets be real - the person who bought those hates cooking and there's no way on god's green earth do i see her making any kind of lasagna from scratch - let alone boiling the noodles first ok? ) So I was like - YEP , you're mine, you orphan lasagna noodles!

Broke the noodles ehhhh into relatively similar size pieces and then for good measure tossed cream cheese into the sauce - do not come for me. authentic? hell no. creamy and a nice balance to the extra red pepper i added to make the sauce spicier? yes. Also since I had sauteed onions and a whole buncha minced garlic before cooking the meat and sauce - it was niiiice. at least niiiiice for very little forethought.

(and i had made paul's pumpkin bars - like pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert - that cake is life ok. and i hadn't had it since my mom passed. that one was for you out there mom- and whoever the heck paul was - mom got the recipe from someone at work or the newspaper back in the day)

ANYWAY - when we sat down to dinner, someone looked at the bowl of pasta and sauce and asked, " So.... What is this exactly?

My response to this semi-saltily delivered query was," FOOD."

After letting the resulting silence sit for a nice little moment or three I then added, "But if you feel you need a fancy name, consider it as 'Deconstructed Lasagna served in a Creamy Tomato and Beef Ragout to be followed by Pumpkin Bars ala Paul."

The peanut gallery let me have this one.