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the-coconut-asado · 1 year

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PINTXOS-PERFECT

Believe it or not, there are one or two people out there who aren’t inspired by the idea of San Sebástian.

The joy of choosing pintxos from the counter ? ‘Health and safety hazard.’ But everything’s fresh! ‘Don’t fancy it’. What about the delicious spider-crab tarts? ‘Don’t like crab’. Gateau Basque? ‘Now I do like cheesecake - but why no biscuit base?’

Thankfully I’ve only experienced this pintxos prejudice from a handful of people. For the rest of you: if you don’t yet know that San Sebástian is the culinary capital of Europe, with more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than anywhere else on the continent, then just tell me which rock you’ve been living under and I’ll send my people round. With delicious morsels of wild mushroom. I’m not a monster after all.

Then there are those who love San Sebástian, have visited it several times, but have only the vaguest recommendations of where to eat. Yes I know. Everywhere is good. But just telling me ‘it’s all about the pintxos’ (no shit Sherlock) isn’t really giving me much to go on. So, for those of you venturing to Spain’s most edible city for the first time, or just can’t remember where you ate last time, here are my top recommendations.

First of all, get yourself on a good food tour. And we went on the best, thanks to a proper, detailed recommendation from my mate Mykayla at work. The first thing you learn about Eskerne, founder of Discover San Sebastian is that she is more revered than the Mayor- and knows more about the history and gastronomy of the region than any mayor. She met us at the Hotel de Londres at 10.30 sharp and deposited us in the park over four hours later, sated and gasping for superlatives about the food we had eaten. This was a PhD in Pintxos - spider crab tartlets, mind-boggling asian-fusion scallops with samphire, wild mushrooms mixed with egg yolk, octopus on sauteed potato…On and on it went, setting off many several taste bombs in my mouth. Do yourselves a favour and book her as soon as you have booked your flights.

But you don’t just have to eat pintxos. My daughter found Bar El Kbzon near the City’s surfing beach. For my money the best of San Sebástian’s restaurants: cafe-informal with stunning views of the beach at sunset, and a menu we ended up ordering in its entirety: best black pudding I’ve ever tasted, heavenly hake and pig’s ear on borlotti beans just three of the reasons to go back. The chef likes Thai food so there were some inspired flavours going on in all of these - plus he makes a mean pad thai if you fancy that.

Great places to eat are not limited to the city centre. My cousin and her husband took us to Kako Jatetxea, a bistro with classical charm in a town called Astigarraga, just outside the city centre and famous for its cider houses (the main drink of the region along with Txakoli - more of this later). They had a lot going on in their menu but you can’t go wrong with their surf and turf - a whole pan-fried turbot in a butter sauce and a mammoth rib of beef.

Want to find that ultimate Gateau Basque? Eskerne pointed us in the direction of La Viña and advised us to order just a half portion each. The aggressive rubbernecking required to get to the counter and get attention meant I forgot the Spanish for ‘half portion’ and emerged with the full three slices for each of us. It didn’t matter in the end as we demolished them all in a matter of minutes. We also forgot to order the Ximenez sherry to pour over the gateau - Mykayla says this is a must.

And finally, for super fine dining head to Galerna Jan Edan. I usually prefer generous rustic food to a degustation menu but this one gave us a night to remember: imaginative creations with intense flavours from prawn, pork belly, hake and a strawberry and violet ice cream that over-stimulated my taste buds in the best possible way. All washed down by the region’s signature Txakoli wine (you say Txakoli, I say Chocoli, let’s just pour another glass and forget about it).

There are hundreds upon hundreds of pintxos bars, restaurants, cafes and gelateria crammed into this petite, beautiful and dramatic-looking city. Don't say I didn't tell you - and try making these dishes to get you in the mood.

Crab Tarts

I have done my best to recreate the flavours of the version I inhaled in Ganbera pintxos bar. And guaranteed no soggy bottom-pastry. Serves 4 as a starter.

Ingredients:

250g ready-made shortcrust pastry (or make your own)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

225g white crab meat

Generous tbsp. brown crab meat

1 banana shallot, chopped finely

1 carrot, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

250ml shellfish stock

60 ml cognac

3 medium tomatoes, skinned seeded and chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 bunch parsley

25g fresh breadcrumbs, browned in a little oil and tossed with chopped parsley

Knob of butter

How to make.

Heat the oven to 200C.

Roll out the pastry and cut 8 rounds to fill 8 individual tart cases. Pop the tins onto a baking sheet and bake blind for 10-12 minutes, remove from the oven and put on the side to cool in their tins. When cool, remove from the tins and place the pastry shells back on the baking sheet.

To make the filling. Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onions, carrot and chilli flakes for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, cognac, shellfish stock and 200ml water. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced and you can drag your wooden spoon through it without the mixture closing up quickly.

Turn off the heat, add the crab meats and a bunch of chopped parsley. Cool the mix.

Turn up the oven to 220C. Fill each of the tart shells with the crab mixture then top each tart with the breadcrumbs and a small knob of butter. Pop back into the oven for 6-8 minutes until crisp and hot. Serve immediately.

Two Easy Peasy Pintxos

As a parting gift from our tour, Eskerne gave me a copy of Josema Azpeita an Ritxar Tolosa’s The Pintxo Trail. None of the recipes give proportions so I have done the hard work for you while adapting them slightly. Serves 2-3

Pintxos with cream cheese, honey and walnuts

For each person cut 3 slices of a baguette loaf at a diagonal and toast lightly and rub with a clove of garlic. Cool slightly then top with cream cheese with herbs (philly is fine), top with a couple of walnut halves and drizzle with honey. Complete with a sprinkling of parsley and season.

Esclavida (catalan vegetables) with anchovy

Heat the oven to 150C.Baste an aubergine and a red pepper in extra virgin olive oil, pop onto a baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and then skin the aubergine and red pepper and cut each into 4 slices. Toast the bread and rub with a clove of garlic. Drizzle the toast with olive oil and season. Place the broad strips of cooked vegetable on top and top with two marinated anchovies (buy these from the supermarket chiller cabinet, don’t use ones from a jar). Make a quick garlic dressing with olive oil, garlic and parsley and drizzle over the top.

Gateau Basque

This version of La Viña’s classic is from Brat restaurant in London via Claire Ptak’s latest confection Love is a Pink Cake. A genius addition of tapioca flour and cornflour gives a wonderful texture. Serves 6.

Ingredients:

450g cream cheese

125g caster sugar

3 large eggs

250g double cream

1 tbsp. Crème fraiche

1 tbsp. Vanilla extract

1 tbsp. Tapioca flour

1 tbsp, cornflour

¼ tsp. Sea salt

How to make:

Preheat the oven to 230C.

Line a 15cm round and 8cm deep cake tin with a single sheet of baking paper that comes up further than the sides of the tin - this caters for the dramatic rise of the gateau.

Whisk together the cream cheese and sugar, add the eggs one at a time and continue whisking between each addition until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients, then add to the cheese mixture and mix everything until smooth and well combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 40 minutes until black on top, puffed but still has a little wobble. Cool for at least an hour until set, then serve at room temperature.

This goes magically with some poached plums which you can make while the gateau is in the oven.

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heeeraldo · 10 months

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people want recipes, I guess

so following up on the ol' food crimes post I feel like I should specify two things:

my ideal crime is, like, correct on a technical level but just a little upsetting (or more than a little, maybe)

half of those recipes weren't crimes, really.

with that out of the way, let's recipe!

definitely not a crime. these started out as a smitten kitchen recipe, with the following changes:

add a tablespoon or two of malted milk ovaltine to your butter after it melts but before it browns so that it (also) gets toasty.

when your butter has browned to your liking, turn down the heat and add two tablespoons of bourbon or rum or other not-smoky whiskey. allow the alcohol to cook off before proceeding.

add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to the bourbon-butter mixture before adding the marshmallows

melt the marshmallows on medium-low, to avoid breaking down the gelatinous in a way that causes them to lose their bounciness

use a 2:1 ratio of Rice Krispies to cinnamon toast crunch minis for your cereal.

also not a crime. here's a PDF of the recipe, from the "fabulous modern cookies" book. you'll need a thermometer. we didn't have dark corn syrup so I used british golden syrup (which I bought years ago for reasons I don't recall) and it worked out fine?

if you're wondering "why" all I can really say is that you should hold questions until the end. anyway: I've had a passing familiarity with the japanese confection kohakutou for a while but hadn't actually made it. I found a tutorial and a source for horchata flavoured extract and also stirred in powdered cinnamon (for versimilitude) and a little edible glitter (for flair). This one you'll want to make a couple days in advance (at least) so it has time to dry out and develop the crystallized sugar layer on the outside of the jellies.

honestly I was expecting this to be received with more, uh, general dismay but people seemed pleasantly surprised than anything.

I started with an NYT basque cheesecake square recipe but I didn't think there'd be quite enough demand for a whole 9x13 pan's worth so I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 pan (big ups to this king arthur flour guide.) from there, i made the following changes:

in the crust, I swapped the graham crackers for low-sodium ritz, and added a couple teaspoons of everything bagel spice. I also left out the sugar.

in the batter, I halved the sugar, added a teaspoon each of garlic and onion powders, along with a teaspoon of sesame oil. I split the batter up and added everything spice to 2/3rds of it and poured it on to the crust first, the remaining 1/3rd I spooned on top partially to prevent the 500-degree baking temperature from burning anything that might have floated to the top but also to further the ruse that it was a perfectly regular plain cheesecake.

if you've made it this far, thanks for reading! tune in next time when I dig up the photo of neapolitan mashed potatoes and use it as a way to complain about caramelizing onions.

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azul-marie · 3 years

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could you do a scenario of going on a cafe date with hajun?

hello! thanks for requesting! i do hope you enjoy your reading, and that you’re doing well. ❤️

note: fem. reader

genre: romance

characters: yeon hajun.

there are sugar flakes sparkling atop layers and frills of fruit with whipped cream crowned upon a perfectly sliced sliver of cake.

there are cream hearts drawn on your latte, sprinkled with a mix of cinnamon and nutmeg, the freshly grated kind that makes your nose scrunch up from its intensity.

his americano is iced and nearly finished, as is his equally, perfect sliver of basque cheesecake he gingerly spoons into his mouth, amused eyes peering at you over the rim of his glasses.

hajun can tell the atmosphere of this high-end korean cafe is much too new to you. your pretty face betrays wonder, a tender curiosity of the sights around you. how you admire the handmade silverware, the oversized mugs, the vintage plates upon which works of artful treats are served. there are trinkets on the walls and across tables, plants and hanging flowers in every nook. it’s familiar to him. he’s thought nothing of this cultural decor popularized. it’s as if he’s experiencing it again with you, through your eyes, with each savoring sip of coffee and every lick of sweets from spoons.

“no need to be shy. i’ll order you another slice should you like it.” says hajun, a pointed look at your plate. you’ve hardly made a dent.

your lashes flutter as you laugh. “it’s not that. it’s just too pretty to eat. i can’t help not wanting to ruin it.”

“hm, i thought you already posted about it.” his spoon inches close to the cream of your cake, teasing. you fight him back with your own in hand.

“i did! it’s still way too pretty though.”

hajun hums. he watches your careful movements regardless, sips and nibbles and prodding of elegant, edible designs. it makes him impatient, only because he wishes to see you enjoy yourself without restraint. then at last, an idea. his lips curl up, a mischievous grin, and his fingers brush the soft of your hand across the table.

“jagi, let me taste it.”

your brow raises in question of his suddenness. but it is hajun after all, and he is known for his coy. you think nothing of it and present him a gracious taste, much more than you’d had yourself.

his lips wrap around the curve of your spoon far longer than necessary, rosy eyes locked on yours with their ever present mirth in the iris. you play it off, roll your eyes, ignore how warmth colors your cheeks. it is hajun, after all.

“it’s lovely,” he purrs, resting his cheek on his palm as he chews, “jagi, if you don’t eat it soon, i’ll have no choice but to finish it myself.”

“i can finish it all on my own, thank you.”

hajun has the gall to feign doubt. “can you?”

you pout. “of course.”

still with his cheek on his palm of his hand, hajun leans forward, bumping tips of noses together, rosy eyes on rosy cheeks. “maybe it’ll be sooner if i fed you instead.”

your face is sweeter than frilly cakes or coffee. he chuckles seeing how you shrink away, mumbling and fumbling over your words from his mere innocent suggestion. you are slow to stop his spoon from dipping down the layers of your cake, at once dislodging its beauty you so tried to cherish. you are also slow to protest his carelessness, for he taps his utensil on your lips like a knock on a door, awaiting invitation, stopping any and all coherent thought you may have had.

“open wide, jagi. have a taste with me.”

hajun delights in your embarrassment. though not all blackhearted this prince may be, softened by a true love’s kiss. his mouth falls into a smile soft as you meekly accept his gift, lips parting and tongue lapping, keeping eyes low to keep from meeting his. yet he can see how they light up with pleasure, no doubt finding it delectable. you murmur something similar as you scoop up another bite for yourself, looking up in time to share a smile with him.

“see?” hajun says. “lovely indeed. well, just not as lovely as you.”

#yeon hajun #paradox live imagines #paralive imagines #paradox live #paralive #cozmez back at it again with the feels #i’m so happy to hear new paralive music!!!!#thank you for feeding my hyperfixation at the perfect time lmao #i’m going to Lose My Mind when gokuluck’s bop drops #i’m therefore apologizing in advance LMAO

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neonacity · 3 years

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HYACINTHE | CHAPTER 4: JAEMIN X READER

SUMMARY:

Na Jaemin is far from being your typical 20 year old. Instead of slaving through college, he wastes away his hours cracking safes. Weekends that should be spent partying with friends consist of illegal races on good days and small scale bombings on bad ones.

Na Jaemin is far from being average, unless you consider being a member of Seoul’s top organized crime family normal. There is no such thing as a sense of normality and peace in his trainwreck of a life, so when he met a barista who was brave enough to call out his dangerous taste in coffee, he was like a moth to the flame. Everything about her is normal, which means she is forbidden to him, in all sense of the word. So why, then, does he always find himself at the front steps of her shop, breaking all his personal rules even if he wishes he could stay away?

A/N + Disclaimer: this is a side story to Black Daisies, my main mafia fic feat. 0T23. While the plot is based on the main story, this can also be read as a standalone fic. As usual, this is purely a work of fiction and in no way am I implying any member of NCT to behave the way I write them here.

TW: crimes, heists, potential death, mentions of drugs and other illegal activities.

PAIRING: Jaemin x Reader

CHAPTER 1 / CHAPTER 2 / CHAPTER 3 /

FIC TRAILER

MASTERLIST

"Hi. Can I have one iced americano, no sugar, with an espresso shot, please?"

My hands froze and hovered momentarily on the drink I was preparing as I heard a male voice say that from the counter. I didn't turn around to check who it was, but my boss—who is currently helping me man the cafe today—was quick enough to dash the pit-pattering of my chest. He hooked the order slip on the board in front of me and my eyes immediately raised to read the name there.

"One to-go, americano for Youngho."

I sighed internally. Whether it be from relief or disappointment though, I don't really know. A part of me wanted to be in denial of my emotions, but I realized you can only go so far if the person you are trying to fool is just yourself.

It's been almost three months since that night that I last saw Jaemin. I wish I didn't know the exact number of days that passed since then, but I do and I couldn't help it. Every little detail of what happened was still marked fresh in my mind, especially the feeling of hollowness that exploded in my chest when I woke up that morning to see them gone.

If not for the chip on the edge of the table left by Jeno as he tried to hold a half delirious Haechan down that night, I could have easily brushed off everything as a fleeting dream. But it isn't. It is a nightmare, at least in my part.

He really meant it when he said he would leave me alone.

There were no calls, no messages, no visits, nothing. It was like he didn't exist at all, the past year spent with him nothing but an imagined illusion.

We were back to being strangers again, exactly like how he wants to. If you think about it, it's selfless of him to do this, but I hate it. I hate it with everything I have.

Why? Because now I have to live through the feeling that I'm the only one suffering from all of that has happened. I couldn't watch the news anymore without thinking about him. For heaven's sake, I couldn't even get an iced coffee order without freezing like a statue because I remember him. I hate it. I hate every single moment without him, as much as I didn't want to admit it.

I placed the plastic cover over the finished drink with a soft sigh before turning to hand it over to the customer. At least I can still manage to put out my well-practiced, service smile.

"Iced Americano for Youngho," I called out into the receiving area as I slipped a straw on the cup sleeve. A tall man looked up and walked over to me to receive it.

"Thank you for coming to Brick and Beans. I hope you visit us again soon," I said in autopilot, my words so well-rehearsed that I didn't even have to think through while delivering them. The customer smiled at me before giving me a wink.

"I sure will. Thanks for this, sweet cheeks." He turned and left the shop, leaving me slightly confused.

My attention was then called by my boss who had just finished wiping down the counter. The man—who really has been more of a father figure than an employer for me—gave me a warm smile and motioned me over.

"Can we talk? I have something to tell you."

I briefly glanced at the clock. It isn't my break time yet, but the store is empty so I guess it will be fine. I shrugged.

"Sure."

"Grab a cake for you and me while you're at it," he nodded towards the pastry fridge before walking towards the nearest empty table. I wordlessly took two slices of basque cheesecake, his favorite, before following him. The man has a mean sweet tooth and we both know it.

He was silent for a little bit as he took the fork to take a bite of his treat. I waited patiently for him to speak, hands politely folded over my lap.

"I'm going to sell the cafe."

I blinked and stared. I wasn't expecting that at all.

"You're… what?"

He sighed and leaned back against his seat. He looked a little sad over what he just said but he managed to offer me a small smile.

"I'm getting older. You know how much I love this place because I started it with my late wife, but I really can't continue to manage it anymore. My children, unfortunately, do not have any plans of continuing the business. And they've been asking me to retire, too."

I nodded slowly, taking the news bit by bit.

"Do you already have a buyer, ahjussi?"

"I do. It is kind of strange, actually. Someone offered to buy off the franchise at such a perfect time. And for a very good price, too."

That made me smile. I've had this job ever since I started college so it makes me a little sad that it's going to have a new owner, but I really am happy for him. I just hope whoever buys it off takes care of it really well. The old man loves this place to bits.

I felt him take a hold of my hands from across the table. I looked up and was met with a fatherly smile.

"Don't worry. You won't lose your job. The new owners said that they aren't planning to change anything here and I told them that they had to take you with them."

That made me almost want to burst into tears. I squeezed his hand back in return.

"Ahjussi... You didn't have to do that. I can always look for another job." Who am I kidding? I know it will be hard for me to land another sideline especially with all the financial hiccups I am already dealing with so this is really sending me over to the edge of tears.

"Nonsense. You are part of this business. You've done so much for this place so you deserve this. Don't worry, they said yes to my condition."

I gave his hands another squeeze and he answered back with a fatherly pat.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome. Just promise me, when you become a doctor, you'll give me free checkups, okay?"

"No, I won't. Because you will always be healthy and won't need my help at all," I said with a wrinkle of my nose.

That sent the two of us laughing.

"When will the new owners take over?"

"By the end of the month," my eyes rounded with surprise and he nodded in understanding. "I know, I know. It really happened too fast. I can't turn down the offer though. To be honest it was way beyond what the business is worth."

I sighed. "Well… as long as you are sure about them."

"I am. For now, I'll be here for a bit with you. I just need to enjoy my last days here. So just don't mind your old man, okay?"

I grinned.

"Only if you promise to give me a free cake every day you are here."

He reached out to ruffle my hair.

"Deal."

----

It was a slow day at the cafe so my boss decided to turn down the jazz music that usually floats from the speakers in lieu of the television volume. It was an odd hour in the afternoon and I found myself smiling as I watched him flip the channels over to look for a good show to watch while I dried some mugs. Just then, the overhead bell on the door dinged, welcoming with it a pair of uni-looking kids.

My boss looked over, but I was quick to jump to action instead. "I'll take care of it," I mouthed to him, to which he gave me a smile before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

"Hi. Welcome to Brick and Beans. What can I offer you today?"

"We'll have one dirty chai latte and one irish coffee over ice. Make it to go. "

The couple offered their names and I nodded as I punched their orders on my POS. "Would you like some pastries to go with that?"

"No, that's all."

"Got it, you can wait over there to the side. I'll have your drinks with you shortly," I said with a smile. The girl pulled the boy over into the receiving area to continue their conversation.

"So what I'm saying is, we gotta go. Tonight is going to be epic. The bets will be high for sure. We can get some mean cash if we put it in the right car."

The other gave a soft snort and started drumming his fingers against the wood of the counter. I let their conversation act as white noise while I worked behind the bar.

"I don't know. You're not even sure who is going to be there."

"Jeno is in the line-up. That at least is confirmed."

I dropped the metal scooper I was using on the floor with a resounding clang.

The three others in the room looked over to me as I hurriedly picked it up with shaking hands. I gave all parties a sheepish look before turning on my back to continue what I was doing.

This time, I was full-on listening.

"If Jeno's going to be there, then it is a goner. There's no chance for others. It'll be full-on suicide," the boy said thoughtfully. The girl, however, shrugged in reply.

"They said the others might come, too. You know, to make the run a little bit more balanced," she offered.

"You mean the seven?"

"The Four, at least."

"Oh shit."

"Uh-huh. So I'm telling you, we gotta be there man. If we can't bet then fine, but we have to see it. It’s been ages since they actually went on lane."

I didn't really know how I managed to finish what I was doing, not with how hard my heart was beating in my chest. I'm not sure how many Jeno's there are in this part of town, but I am sure as hell that there is only one who is a member of a seven-piece 'group.'

"Here's your order," I said thinly as I pushed the finished drinks over to them by the counter. The boy offered his card and I took it quickly, all the while thinking of what I should do next. The few seconds of me typing away at the terminal was the longest quarter minute of my life.

"Here's your receipt. Thank you for coming and see us again," I said, my voice a little weaker than usual. The couple gave a quick bow before turning to leave, drinks in hand.

There are two ways this could go. I could let them out of that door and have my only possible chance of getting in contact with any of the boys leave with them. Or I could call after them and…

I whipped around to call out to my boss, my figure already halfway out from the bar.

"Ahjussi, I'll be back in five minutes, sorry. I promise I'll be quick!"

He had barely looked up when I started running out the door.

-----

"Excuse me!"

The duo looked back at me, then at each other in confusion as I tried my best to hurry up to them without landing on my face. God, why do they walk so fast? They were just a few seconds ahead when they left the shop! Thankfully, they stopped at my call, giving me a chance to skid before them as I tried to catch my breath.

"Um… Is there a problem? We paid, right?" The boy asked me with an odd look. I waved my hand before finally trying to answer.

"Yes. I uh—"

Well, I obviously didn't plan this out clearly. How do I say this now without sounding like a lunatic?

"I heard your conversation earlier. You were talking about Jeno."

The pair exchanged glances again, this time tinged with suspicion. It was the girl who answered this time.

"Yes, we were. What about it?"

"I… I just want—to maybe know where he is? You were talking about tonight's—"

"The drag race?"

I stopped for half a heartbeat before nodding.

"Yeah. The race. I wanted to come, too, but I don't really know the address."

The boy cocked his brow at me in blatant suspicion. It took all of me to pull out all the basics I learned from drama class back in high school to remain calm before his withering glare.

"You know Jeno but don't know the address? That doesn't make any sense," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "If you've been in one before you should have been included in the text blast."

Oh shit.

I could feel my palms growing cold from nervousness. Still, I tried pushing on.

"W-well, I was invited before by one of them. But then things fell apart and I started not getting any of the...texts anymore," I said, not having the slightest idea of what I am saying myself. What's ironic though was that what I just blurted out was sort of a half-truth, too.

Apparently—and miraculously—it also made sense by the look of understanding that dawned on their faces.

"I see…" the girl trailed off. She cleared her throat and looked at her friend before glancing at me again.

"Look, I can give you the address, but promise me that you never got it from me when someone asks, okay?" She asked. The boy looked at her incredulously.

"Are you crazy? She was already shadow banned!"

She shushed him and waved her hand off to shut him up. "Look, this is a girl thing. Don't mess with it. Just go ahead to the car, I'll take care of it."

He scoffed but stalked off towards the direction of the parking lot.

She turned towards me again and pulled her phone from the pocket of her leather jacket. I watched as she unlocked the screen before showing it to me.

"Do you have your phone with ya? Here, take a photo of this address."

I swear I could almost kiss her. I scrambled to get my phone from my back pocket and didn't waste another second to take a snap of her screen.

"Thank you so much."

She nodded in understanding before locking her phone again and shoving it into her pocket. "Hey, a girl's gotta stand up for another. Who was it? Was it Haechan?"

"Um…"

She didn't wait for me to finish.

"Really, whoever it is among them, I can't really blame you. They're all cute, but they do need to be taken down a notch when it comes to girls. Those boys," she tsked. "Dangerous."

Oh…

Oh. She thought I was an ex-fling who wanted to teach one of them a lesson by crashing the race. I let that sink in before a frown settled on my features.

Well, aren't you one? The devil on my shoulder cackled at me sardonically.

"Glad to have helped though. But remember, you didn't get it from me, okay?"

With a wink, she strutted off, leaving me staring at her retreating form.

----

I told myself I simply wanted to see him again.

I reminded myself that for the hundredth time tonight as I parked my car on a free space by a gravel road, my eyes roaming the darkness beyond. The place looked deserted, and I had to do one last check if I really put in the right coordinates on my map before finally turning off my engine. The road beyond was wide but uncemented and to its left is a half unfinished building with metal banisters reaching out to the sky like skeletal arms. I swallowed. Every little thing about the space beyond screams danger.

Which probably means I am in the right place.

I reached out to zip up my jacket and pulled the hoodie over my head before getting out of my car. My sneakers crunched on the gravel as I made my way towards a low wall circling the building beyond.

Just try and take a look. You don't have to talk to him. You can keep your distance.

I repeated that in my head again and again as I approached what I assume to be the entrance. A part of me still wants to berate myself for doing this but I am too far gone to try and play the denial game again. I want, no, I need to see Jaemin's world.

The moment I passed through a crack on the wall, it felt like I stepped into a different world. It opened up into an even wider area, the shadows of a multi-lane road behind the abandoned building beyond. Milling around is a throng of people, some smoking, others sipping on red cups on their hands. Some cars were parked against the wall I just passed, their headlights on with music booming out of their rolled down windows.

I tried to swallow the lump on my throat as I looked around. Already, I felt out of place in the crowd, but I steeled myself to push on, my hands digging deeper into the pockets of my jacket.

"Hey."

I looked up to see a boy around my age wave at me. He was also holding a red cup and what looked like a bundle of paper. My eyes widened as that came into focus when he got closer.

Money.

Wads and wads of cash.

"You put your bets already?" He asked as he stuffed the bills into a small belt bag hidden beneath his oversized shirt. He pulled his phone out then, unlocked the screen, and looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"Uh…"

He gave me an odd look.

"Who are you betting on?" He asked again.

I gave the first name I could only think of.

"Ja-Jaemin," I stuttered.

That earned me a low whistle from him as he typed away at his phone, probably to record my choice of 'player.' "I don't know, man. Dude seems pretty out of it lately, but whatever floats your boat." He stuck out his hand to me then, and it took me a few seconds to realize what he was asking for.

"Oh," I scrambled to grab my purse. I was in the middle of pulling my card from my wallet when I saw his face. Slowly, I put it back to reach out for bills instead.

"Cash only."

I sheepishly handed him the last few hundreds I have. He took them, expertly flipping through each bill to count them off.

"First time, eh?"

I nodded.

I watched as he slipped the money into his already overflowing belt bag, thinking that he would leave after that. Instead he nudged his head towards the direction of the building and motioned me along.

"Come on then. At least try and get a good look at your first race."

I blinked in confusion but ran after him as he started walking away.

We stopped at the front row of the half ring of people that had already gathered in front of the abandoned rafters. Just then, a huge spotlight shone over the road behind it, driving everyone to erupt in cheers. Parked in a single line at the foot of the road are five cars, headlights opening one by one.

"Jaemin's the yellow one," the boy nodded towards the one occupying the third lane. I stared. I know next to nothing about cars, but I know enough to be sure that none of the ones in front of me now are something you can buy from your run-of-the-mill auto dealer. Lowered, with shining reams, and a low motor hum that reverberated to where I was standing, I could only briefly compute in my head how much each of those customized rides must have cost.

I heard the boy beside me snort amusedly. "Your first race and you get to see this. I'm telling you, this happens once in a blue moon," he said with a smirk. I didn't say anything, my gaze never leaving the yellow car.

Slowly though, I noticed the crowd's noise die down dramatically the same time that a petite form walked out from the building. The woman stopped in the middle of the road and raised her hand into the night sky, a small pistol in her grasp.

Everyone has gone so quiet now that you could almost hear a needle dropping. Just then, the resounding bang of a gunshot pierced the air. Few other large spotlights turned on simultaneously, revealing the snaking road ahead that was disguised under the darkness earlier. I gasped. The roaring sound of engines blared beyond and with a new uproar from the crowd, the cars were speeding ahead, leaving trails of light in their wake.

My heart was beating so hard against my chest as I tried my best to follow the speeding cars ahead. I was only able to comprehend the real expanse of the road the moment each ride took over its lanes—the place looked more like an abandoned air dock field more than anything else. I was barely aware of my nails digging on the palms of my hands as my eyes switched from Jaemin’s car and the others, particularly on the deep red one that he was currently toe in toe with. The space between the two were a hair’s breadth away and I could almost swear their sides would collide any second.

That went on until a curve on the road appeared. It was the last turn before the finish line and the crowd turned wilder as the nose of each car tried its best to take the lead. I didn’t even realize that I was holding my breath until the last second when the yellow one took over the inner space of the road before swerving successfully ahead.

Everyone around me erupted in cheers. I gave my own gasp, hands covering my lips before joining the rest.

Jaemin’s yellow lambo parked on the finish line, the rest of the race participants trailing behind. I watched as his door opened, revealing his beautiful wide grin and tousled hair. He was glowing, cheeks flushed from the adrenaline. I was so caught up in the image that I barely noticed Jeno appearing from the red car, followed by Renjun, Mark, and Haechan from the other rides.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I watched with a smile as they huddled over Jaemin, playfully pushing and cajoling him for his win. They looked happy, carefree.

But it seems like they aren’t the only ones who were out there in the road. My gaze moved back to Jaemin's car when I saw his passenger seat open. As if in slow motion, a girl got out of it, wearing the same wide smile the others have. The group hooted at her as she joined their huddle.

That’s when I felt as if time has stopped.

The smile on my face slowly faded as I watched Jaemin wrap his arms around her before pulling her into a tight hug.

---

A/N: Hey guys! This is going to be the second to the last chapter of Jaemin’s side story! I originally wanted to finish it in one go, but I thought it would be nice to release the epilogue on Nana’s birthday! So yes, that’ll be out on the 13th, lol. Thank you so much to those who have continued reading this side fic! <3

Chapter 5 (END)

Taglist: @negincho, @springdaybreaks,

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yeojaa · 4 years

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in the night, ii.

read part one! dedicated to my beloved wofe @periminkle because she loves assassin!kook and so do i. i honestly dunno how many parts to this non-couple couple i’ll do but ... i cannot resist them. oops.

pairing. jjk x reader. rating. ... general? tags. soft romance in the form of: pining, cuddling, playing chess like losers, using a hotel room for the lamest reasons. maybe a very lil bit of angst if you squint at the right times. it’s just them being... them? ig. wc. 1.8k. beta reader. @hobi-gif 💛

“You know, when you asked me to meet you here, this isn’t what I had in mind.”

He can’t help but laugh, the sound teetering off his tongue into the tepid lake of espresso sitting in his cup. You’re glaring down at the board, hand poised at your side. You’re so focused - more so than when you’re stitching him up.

He wonders, idly, whether that should worry him. It won’t.

“You’re not having fun?” He hums, the slyest smile passing over the rim of ceramic, a certain twinkle in his stare. It’s possible he’s overtired - he hasn’t slept in what feels like ages - but there’s something awfully amusing about the sight of you, brow knit and mouth pursed into a grimace he seldom sees. “Got something else in mind, Doc?”

You don’t humour him with a response, advancing your king to C7.

“You sure about that one?”

“Yes.” It snaps past your lips like cinnamon bubble gum.

Seeing you so riled up - not quite irritated but overly competitive - makes Jungkook snort, setting his cup down with a soft, drawn out sigh.

“Come here.” It isn’t readily clear where he means but he leaves it up to you, watching you keenly.

You’re having none of it. “Make your move.”

“Come here,” he repeats, just that bit harder. The edge doesn’t reach anywhere but his words; his eyes are still a little tired, half-lidded and dreamy. They pair nicely with the full of his cheek, how it ticks rounder and reveals a singular dimple. Your weakness - or so he’d like to think.

It’s with a surprising amount of dramatics that you remove yourself from the opposite seat, folding yourself into his lap with only a handful of movements. He welcomes your weight, curling an exhausted arm around the shape of your waist.

With your back to the arm rest, you settle with your head against his shoulder, nose cold against the column of his throat. He can even feel the steel of your glasses, gold-rimmed and delicate.

“Bored?” The tone of his voice is lilting, teasing, dressed up with laughter. It disappears into your crown of velvet, loosely braided and knotted behind your ear in your signature no-fuss fashion.

“No.” But it isn’t very believable because you certainly sound unenthused.

He tries again, with fingers that flex into the soft, bare flesh of your thigh; his other hand guides your chin, drawing your attention fully from the abandoned chess set. “Want to order room service?”

It’s the least he can do, he figures. Something to ease whatever mocking resentment seeps out of your skin - much like his had only hours earlier.

Note to himself: pick up some new clothes.

“I want every dessert on the menu,” you finally relent, with a terribly serious set of your jaw and intensity in your eyes.

He snorts, again, squeezing the yielding softness of your hip in his broad palms. “I’ll call down and order. You go take a shower or something.” It’s not as dismissive as he means; the blouse you’d worn over is stained red, the colour bleeding garishly over cream silk. It even marks your skin now, caught beneath your nails and over your wrists.

“What - it’s not a good look on me?”

Your feigned affront is addictive, coaxing in a way he’s utterly defenceless against. Still, Jungkook rolls his eyes - an exaggerated reveal of bright white sclera - and levels you with a look that might serve him better than the gun that rests on the coffee table. “Don’t ask stupid questions, Doc.”

“But you do stupid things all the time.” You’re not wrong and if there’s anyone worthy of calling him out in this same way, it’s you. Doesn’t mean he takes it any more kindly, glowering at you so heavily he thinks you might be enjoying it.

“Name one time,” he retorts, fully on the defensive. Even though he knows you’re right. Even though he could list off just five things since last night.

Getting ambushed in his own home

Cracking some not-so-poor guy’s skull on the corner of his Nakashima dining table

Asking for you to make a home (or rather, hotel) call

Asking for you at all

Asking you to stay

He hopes you won’t catch onto the last three.

“That time I told you to not overextend yourself after you cracked three ribs and you came back the next day complaining because you’d piledrived a guy through some scaffolding but, and I quote, ‘it wasn’t a big deal’?” Okay, you have him there. “Or the time I told you to take the pills in the left drawer and you took the ones from the right and ended up passed out on my floor for twelve hours?” Another solid and mildly embarrassing example. “Or—”

“Okay, okay.” A single hand held aloft in the universal sign of stop; the other remains comfortable around your waist, digits tracing figure eights over the porcelain skin beneath your top. “I get it.”

You’re undeterred, pushing forward with abandon. “Or inviting me to a hotel to not only stitch you back together but also play silly children’s games?”

“Hey - chess is fun!” And so were Gin Rummy and Speed, the other two activities he’d foisted upon you post-sewing session.

“You’re an idiot,” you state, with a surprising amount of affection. He doesn’t mind when it comes like this, dipped in honey and rolled in fairy floss. It satisfies his sugar craving, filling the spaces between his molars with cavities.

“You still came,” he challenges.

“Just adding it to the dozens of favours you already owe me.”

He grins, roguish and far too handsome for his own good. Even tired, with lurking shadows beneath his eyes, he’s unbelievably bright - like it’s radiating out of him. It’s quite funny when he’s speckled in gore, blood tainting tanned skin and reminding you that he’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

“How will I ever pay you back?”

You’re close - far too close, even sat in his lap. Jungkook can see every freckle on your face, every lash that frames the prettiest stare he’s ever seen. He has to remind himself he’s waiting for an answer; it’s hard when all he wants to do is kiss you.

He thinks you must want it too, by how the silence stretches on, catching the pair of you like a Chinese finger trap.

“Doc?” Barely a word, made in a whisper.

Can you feel how his heart beats, trips and fails to right itself when you’re so close he can smell the coffee on your breath? Is it your medical training that gives him away? Or maybe just the fact that you’re attuned to everything about him because he’s, well, him?

Your big stupid idiot, for all intents and purposes.

He wants to ask. He wants to kiss you. He wants a hundred mundane things (like playing cards and eating sweet treats) only with you.

You tear it all away with a pat to his head and a wicked smile. “With all the dessert in the world.”

He scowls then, the expression wolfish and touched with agitation. It presents in the narrowing of his stare, his sharply set jaw. “Sounds like pretty lame payback to me.” Can you hear the edge of petulance, how it colours syllables the faintest shade of goblin green?

“Got something else in mind, Jeon?”

Having his words thrown back at him only makes him laugh. It reverberates out of his bare chest, filling the quiet of the luxury suite; it bounces around just as you do, leaping to your feet with a grace he can’t mimic. He’s mesmerised, as he always is, gaze trained on you - your loosened bun, the curves of your back, how you look in the jeans that look nearly painted on they fit you so well.

“Grab a bath, Doc,” he returns - less of a suggestion and more of a demand.

“Better have those desserts once I’m out.” A threat rather than a joke, though you’re far too unassuming with your old lady glasses and wide, expressive stare. For your sake, Jungkook crosses a heart across his chest and nods solemnly, earning him a devastating grin that works far better than your intimidation.

“Have I ever let you down?”

You’re already gone, a trail of your clothes left like breadcrumbs. He still hears you. “I mean - you did bring a knife fight to my door.”

“We don’t talk about that!” He calls back before the sound of running water takes over, distorting your laughter. Neroli and cedar wood comes - your signature scent. He can’t help the way he inhales deeply, satisfied, as he plucks the room phone from its holder. It’s an addiction, a second nature action that he can’t help, whether you’re curled in his arms or tending to his broken, bleeding body.

It’s dangerous, he knows.

His old mentor would tell him don’t get involved, Jeon. That living a life like this came with sacrifices. Things he’d never really cared for - at first. But now?

He daydreamt about them more often than he should, in all the quiet moments in between. They painted the prettiest pictures in his mind, wishful thinking in the form of everyday occurrences: coffee in the morning, you in his (unstained) clothes, drives in the countryside, a bed shared at night.

All because of you and your healing hands. He’d never thought you’d be so good at your job, stitching him up inside and out.

It’d be better if he left, packed his ruined clothing and stopped appearing on your doorstep. It’d keep you safe - and him, too. Relationships meant weakness and in his line of work, weakness was something to be exploited, like an open wound with a thumb pressed into it.

Instead, he waits until the cart of desserts appears - lemon tarts and basque cheesecake and a dozen other things that scream diabetes! - and wheels it right into the bathroom, closer to you, because he always wants to be closer to you.

“These don’t look like apples, Doc,” he hums, settling himself on the back edge of the tub, careful not to dislodge the towel that’s folded beneath your neck. The wet of your hair seeps into the material of his pants, sticking cloth to sinew and brawn.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away but a tray of desserts will keep me here forever.”

“You planning on living here?” Quipped with an offering - a cocoa masterpiece of four layers, held gingerly between his thumb and forefinger.

“Might as well milk it,” you tease, accepting the bite with love in your eyes and a tongue that sweeps, just barely, over his suddenly electrified skin. He knows what you’re doing just as well as you do; it’s next to impossible not to lean into the desire, slide the digit home and press down into muscle until you’re drooling around it.

“Might as well,” he echoes, those same fluttering pink hearts reflected in his stare.

tag list. @neverthefirstchoice @youwannabelostandnotbefound

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tommyoboe · 4 years

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MANCHESTER - PART FIVE.

I am knackered. But it’s a great knackered because I played with other musicians all day and that is what I want to do everyday. It feels right and that’s nice.

I got to play my brand new cor anglais too and it sounded absolutely glorious. I felt like a professional.

*giddy chuckle*

What is also glorious is improvements are being made in my oboe playing, and that gives me a huge burst of joy.

Gooey cookies and travelling Europe with Cameron also give me a huge burst of joy. For different reasons.

These two weeks in lockdown have been difficult, especially not seeing Cameron after spending the first lockdown and summer together. I miss having the weekends to really look forward to as I did in my first few weeks. However, I feel stronger for progressing through this month, and I know Cameron will be too.

Little things have got me through, including Basque cheesecake and coffee from Takk; treating myself to more walks through beautiful Didsbury and a heavenly Biscoff loaf; discovering the most amazing Old Fashioned flavoured rum and feeling fancy with pain au chocolat for breakfast on a couple of occasions. This is as well as Skype calls with family and Cameron, enjoying hearing about the nephew and what they have all been up to. I often find focussing on others gives me a lift in mood.

More time to focus on just myself has certainly improved my oboe playing. However, this has not always been consistent. Often, at the start of my lessons I will play averagely and by the end I am a different player! It is amazing, but frustrating that I seem to rocket up and down in this way. I am going to start recording my lessons and see if that makes a difference.

Progress has showed on some occasions though, like today, as well as in oboe class and an internal conducting masterclass, so I know the sound I want is there. I just need to embrace it more often.

Our quartet coaching session this week was truly engaging, and made us work as a fully capable ensemble to achieve great results, which we did. We also talked about arranging, and in the coming days it is going to be my goal to start arranging something for the group. I had a tragic attempt at composing something from scratch later that day, and although a couple of chords worked, it didn’t lead to anything life changing. But that’s OK, I know to stick to arranging for now.

Especially if it’s Uptown Funk or Get Lucky for clarinet, saxophone and trumpet.

When I could play the saxophone regularly. And competently.

I have worked very hard these last two weeks, and I would love to keep it up. It justifies all the nice times I have had outside of making music, and as I walk through the idyllic West Didsbury houses, I feel like every day is a step closer to one of those with Cameron, or a home abroad, or wherever we may end up. And of course, something I am certain I want, a career in playing music.

I suppose that’s it for now. More excitement will undoubtedly rear its head in the lead up to Christmas, but I take comfort in what has been a productive two weeks.

Now to an evening of The Crown on Netflix, Old Fashioned rum and dancing round the room to McFly’s latest album.

Oh yeah.

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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868

Favorite beverage: Just your good ol’ cold water. If I wanna treat myself I’ll get milk tea. When was the last time you had ketchup? Ooh I don’t remember...it would probably be 3-4 weeks ago. Or whenever the last time we had lumpia was, because I like drowning that shit in ketchup. Have you ever had a red hotdog? Yeah frozen hotdogs is a favorite snack here and they’re usually red. We usually have them for breakfast, it’s served in parties, it’s in every school caf, etc. What is the most recent gift you've been given? So my uncle has his budding cooking business and sells different dishes everyday. His most recent bestseller is burnt basque cheesecake and while I’ve always wanted my own because it looks SO good, I just haven’t had the money to allot for it. I was really surprised when my grandma called me up today and told me she had ordered an entire cake for me as a graduation gift :) I asked my dad to pick it up from her place this afternoon and it’s crazy delicious.

Is what you're wearing comfortable? Yeup, now that it’s cooler. I sweated through my top when it was hot earlier though, and that wasn’t a comfortable situation at. all.

Did you leave the house today? Nah. I did step out to help my dad with the groceries, but that was it for today’s adventure. Are there bumper stickers on your car? No. If I wanna put stickers on my car I would rather have them on my rear window, and not directly on my car. Are you watching tv right now? What? The dining room TV is turned on but I’m not watching; my dad likes to have it on to listen to the evening news while he cooks dinner. Are you wearing anything blue? Nope, it’s all black for me today. Do you have a job? Not yet. Is your car messy? No. There’s really no reason for it to be, I’ve only driven out once since March. When did you last have whipped cream? I...can’t recall, actually. We don’t have whipped cream at home and I don’t think I ever ordered anything with whipped cream on it shortly before lockdown. How far away is the closest house? 10-20 steps away, depending on how big your stride is. What street do you live on? I’m not dropping that on here. The most I’ll tell you is that our streets are named after tropical cities, haha.

What is your favorite flavor of smoothie? Used to not like smoothies 100% because of the presence of fruits in them, but thanks to my friends Apple and Ed introducing me to Go Salads I’ve come to really like their Breakfast Smoothie – which, after looking up their menu just now, has apple, banana, cinnamon, oats, coco sugar, chia seeds, greens, and soy milk. Are you dating anyone? Yes ma’am. What color is you computer? Silver. Do you own an iPod? What color is it? Technically I still do but only because I haven’t thrown it out. It’s a blue iPod Nano. What is the most recent picture on your phone/camera of: A photo of the aforementioned burnt basque cheesecake. I was planning to post a Facebook status to promote my tito’s business and show my support, so I asked my sister to take a few aesthetic shots of the cake for my post to look presentable. Have you ever shot a gun? No. I’ve shot a fake one that belonged to Athenna’s dad, which he used for like target practice or something. What temperature is it? 31C.

Do you know anyone with a third nipple? No but Harry Styles has four, HAHAHA. There’s your random fact for the day. What do your parents do for a living? My dad’s an executive sous chef and my mom’s a secretary in her specific department in the hotel she works in. Both have always been in the hotel and restaurant industry. Have you ever had a pet that had babies? No. We’ve avoided female dogs because we know we’re not capable of caring for newborn puppies, so instead of potentially being reckless owners we’ve just not had female pets altogether. Which grocery store is closest to you? A local mall chain that has their own grocery, SM. Do you have a hamper in your room? Nah, my parents prefer a general hamper in the bathroom. Do you know anyone that's a nurse? Yes, I have several aunts and as far as I know, one cousin :) I feel really bad for them especially in these times, but they’re such strong people and they just keep powering through and powering through. Do you know someone with the name Alaina? Not that I can recall. What color is the blanket on your bed? Off-white. What are your parent's middle names? No thank you. Have you ever broken a bone? Never. Do you wear braces or glasses? I wore braces in high school, and I’ve had glasses since Grade 5. What color are they? I picked a different color for my braces for every monthly visit cause it made me feel quirkly; my glasses’ frame is dark brown. Are you currently reading a book? Not currently, no. When did you last get your blood drawn? Ughhhhh, cringed reading this haha. Last May when I needed to get a blood test done. Have you ever done hard drugs? Nopes. How many contacts are in your phone? I just know I have a lot, but Apple doesn’t tell you exactly how many and I don’t feel like counting all of them right now. Does your toilet have a seat cover? It has a lid cover, but not a seat cover. What's currently on your grocery list? My dad did the groceries today so we’re pretty stocked rn. What things do you take with you everywhere? My glasses, car and house keys, phone, wallet. Do you know someone that is/was over 100 years old? Gab’s great-grandma was like 106 or 107 by the time she passed. Was your HS principal a girl or a boy? Girl. I went to an all-girls school so it would honestly be a little peculiar if we had a male principal. Have you ever eaten a raw egg? Nah. I wanna try it out though, just for funsies. Do you own any rings? Gab got me this cheap ring for the shits and giggles, but I stopped wearing it when it started turning pink and smelling weird. So no.

If you were to get a new puppy what would you name her? We did get a new puppy! ;) But should we get another, the name will depend on the puppy’s attitude and overall vibe. That’s what we did with Cooper, who was named after Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory because he had been a smartass from the very first minute we played with him. Have you eaten fruit today? No. What about milk? Even more nope haha. I can’t have it all the time. What letter does your state start with? We don’t have states. My province starts with the letter R. Could you list all 50 states? I’ve listed them down on countlesssssss occasions but I always only come up with 35-45 states. I’ve observed that the ones I always forget about are the states in the middle of the map/country-ish states hahaha. What about their capitals? I know a good number of the states’ capitals, but I’ll still undoubtedly do worse. What internet browser do you use? I’ve been on Chrome for the longest time. Do you know anyone that lives in Wyoming? I don’t think so. Do you smoke cigarettes? Yes, starting this year lol. Which person you know has the most unique name? I’m sure I know more unique ones out there but the first names that came to mind are friends of mine named Bernadean, Jeuel (pronounced Jay-well), and Jabes. Oh and I also have an aunt named Marheedoll. Do you know someone that's missing a limb? I don’t think so, no. Do you have facial hair? I do not. Are you a bad person? Not when it comes down to it. I have my petty moments though. What was the last swear you said? I almost yelled the word puta in front of my dad earlier, but I slurred the word and made random noises to avoid saying the full thing haha so it kinda went like puuuuutehshahjskhf. Have you ever called the police on someone? No. What is the most amount of pets you've had at one time? Three – one dog and two birds. When did you last check your email? Last night. I wanted to check if I received any email from the college. Have you ever had a 3rd degree burn? Nope and that sounds so painful, I never want to sustain one. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? I haven’t. How long is your hair? Right now it reaches only my collarbones. I had it cut fairly recently, so it’s still on the shorter side. Do you lock your doors at night? The doors on the first floor. Does your bedroom have a lock? It does but my mom is such a big sissy about locks and says that “there’s nothing to hide/be private about” since we’re all relatives. She really shouldn’t have gotten a lock for my room if I wasn’t allowed to use it anyway... What do you have at your bedside? I have a rattan trunk that stores all my childhood knickknacks like board games and encyclopedias; then on the other side is a drawer with my home clothes and other knickknacks on the lower drawers. I got some hoarding tendencies from my grandma, so a lot of the stuff I keep in the drawer really has no reason behind my keeping them until today. How big is your bed? Not big at all, it’s just twin-sized. I am so investing on a big-ass bed when I have my own place. Do you know someone that was murdered? I didn’t know her personally but an alumna from my old school got stabbed to death. I don’t know the details but I think she got stabbed because she had gadgets on her, which makes you an easy target for criminals here. The only reason I know her is because my school would do tributes for her from time to time, so I really can’t tell you anything more other than she was stabbed. Do you know someone who's pregnant? I don’t think so. Do you wear a watch? Used to, but I kept losing them. What was your first pet? A pair of goldfish. How much jewelry do you own? Not a lot. The ones I do wear are technically my mom’s too; she just likes sharing them with me. What is the closest purple thing? Probably the ube halaya in the fridge. Green? A piece of Cooper’s toy. What time is it? It isssss 8:43 PM. What is your ideal profession? Lawyer. How tall are you? A little over 5 feet. Have you ever gotten x-rays? Probably once when I was a kid, then around two or three times before I started college. Do you wear gloves in the winter? I imagine I would but we don’t get winter. Do you consider yourself smart? Academic-wise, yep. I’m good at tests and memorizing and I generally enjoy reading educational content. Are you good at algebra? Yeah but I wanna keep it at algebra and geometry lol, I don’t have the patience for calculus and trig. What color eyes are the prettiest? I’ve always loved green/olive green eyes. Are your teeth straight? One of my front teeth protrudes a bit, but that’s all my fault because I lost my retainers back when I still had to use them. My teeth are otherwise fine. Do you like chocolate milk? LOVE IT Do you own a bike? We own a family bike and I’m free to use it, I just don’t because I don’t know how lmao Are you taller than your mom? No. I thought I’d grow taller than her because I had an intense growth spurt at one point, but it never happened. Have you ever been engaged? No. What, in your opinion, is the ugliest name? I’m not a fan of names that end in -leigh, but I don’t think they’re ugly names.

#survey #surveys

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theamateurbakerblog · 4 years

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Recipe #6: Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Resource:https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/basque-burnt-cheesecake

Chef: Molly Baz

Follow:

YouTube: Bon Appetit

Instagram: @bonappetitmag

@mollybaz

When I was a kid, I thought cheesecake was exactly how it sounds, a cake made up of cheese layered with frosting. Since that image absolutely revolted me, I never tried or even saw a piece of cheesecake till I was in middle school, I think. If I had known that the cheese in a cheesecake was just cream cheese, I wouldn’t have missed out on a dessert that would inevitably become one of my favorites. But i digress.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake. What is it? Unlike your typical NY-Style cheesecake, with its perfect crackless top and its graham cracker crust, this cheesecake is basically the anti-cheesecake to all cheesecakes. It’s everything that a cheesecake is not, burnt, cracked, sunken. Miraculously though, when you cut into it, it’s still the creamy and dreamy cheesecake that we’re all familiar with, and the burnt parts make up for the crust with its nutty flavor. Did I mention you don’t need a water bath for this recipe? So what are you waiting for? Let’s get baking!

Step 1: Gather, Measure, Sort, Store, Preheat (GMSSP)

Gather: All of your ingredients, equipment, and tools onto your countertop so you can see what you have, how much you have, and make note of any grocery runs you’ll need to make if your ingredients are running low.

Measure: Your ingredients before you start to combine anything together.

Sort: The ingredients chronologically so you can just grab one ingredient after another without having to think too much on it, or mistakenly using an ingredient before you need it.

Store: Away all ingredients once you finish using them to provide optimal space on your work area.

Preheat: Oven according to recipe instructions

Step 2: Prepping the tin

Like all cheesecakes, this one needs to be baked in a springform pan. The recipe says to butter up the tin with unsalted butter and stick two pieces of overlapping parchment inside. I like to crumple mine up first so it makes the parchment more flexible. Make sure there is also overhang on all sides cause it makes it easier to pull out later. Finally, you want to put it on a rimmed baking sheet. Make sure it’s suitable for high heat!

Step 3: Beat the cream cheese and sugar

So, I have a confession to make. I kind of had to improvise this recipe cause I only had one pound of cream cheese. Last night, I tried to find substitutes online and it said you can use sour cream or yogurt. Which is why there is a bowl behind the cream cheese, it’s globs of sour cream and a few tablespoons of yogurt cause I was running out of sour cream. I just needed one more pound as substitution. Yeah, big mistake. I didn’t take a picture of it cause it just looked like curdled soup. I tried pushing some through a sieve and it looked a bit better, but who wants to stand around sieving a big bowl of cream cheese mixture. So, what I ended up doing was just moving on with the recipe, praying it still turns out okay.

Step 4: Add in everything but the flour

At this point, I was defeated by this cheesecake. So, everything from here on out I was just on auto pilot. Following the recipe clean cut. I was also tired at this time, so there will be a lack of pictures, sorry.

Step 5: Sift in the flour

Now the recipe says to sift in the flour to prevent any lumps in your cheesecake. And remember, always scrape down your bowl as you go. There’s bound to be stuff stuck to the side or at the bottom of the bowl, guaranteed.

Step 6: Bake it

After everything was mixed together, my cheesecake mixture wasn’t as lumpy anymore. So I just poured it in the tin, popped it in the oven, and watched a movie for an hour. Though I still checked it periodically.

Step 7: Cool it to room temp.

Miraculously, I had cheesecake. When I took it out of the oven, was burnt and very jiggly at the top, exactly what the recipe said I would expect. Come a few minutes later, it has shrunk down significantly.

Step 8: Enjoy!

Once at room temp, you can enjoy it right away or put it in the fridge covered.

Results:

It seems that luck has been on my side recently when I’m baking. If you remember, last week I made 3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse that I thought would be chocolate soup, but freezing it did wonders.This cheesecake was kind of the same, I improvised a bit and it was met with a yummy dessert.

Lessons learned:

If you don’t have cream cheese

- Buy some

- DIY it: https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/how-to-make-cream-cheese/

#basquecheesecake #bonapetit #cheesecake #baking #homemade

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missguomeiyun · 2 years

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bday feast feat. Korean food!

Earlier this month, I celebrated my bday - stayed in but ordered take-out from my fav places =]

This handwriting is so pretty! Shout-out to John at Nongbu.

I ordered 4 items from Nongbu.

This was a new item for me as in I’ve never eaten this before. It’s the 3 mushroom japchae. The reason why I’ve never ordered it before is bcos. .. well, mainly bcos it’s vegetarian & Nongbu has better options IMHO. But I got it bcos I wanted a dish that wasn’t spicy for the nieces. Since they like sweet potato noodles, I thought this was a safe choice. I personally feel very *meh* about this.

The remaining 3 are my personal favourites so I had to get it!

This is the butter bulgogi deopbap, which has been on my blog with several appearances already. This is my usual go-to item when I used to stop at Nongbu before my evening shifts haha it’s so butter-y & rich & fragrant! I actually don’t like sesame oil all that much (& that’s also one of the reasons why I felt *meh* about the japchae above - it’s rich in sesame oil). But this has no sesame oil; instead, it has butter. So I like it!

My no.1 item from Nongbu’s current menu (they change up their menu occasionally after a long time). This wasn’t on their OG menu but a later addition from I think. .. 4 yrs ago? Anyway, it’s a new-ish item & I LOVE IT! The O-sam noodle contains many pieces of squid & pork belly tossed with instant noodles in a savoury soy sauce. It has wok-ness, if you know what I mean? Like the Cantonese fried noodle dishes. It tastes Korean but has strong Cantonese vibes.

The kimchi jjim :D PERFECT with rice. This is pork belly x kimchi~

I also got SFC, of course.

Went for the big full order box of OG chicken ^^ so crisp. So yum!

Lastly, can’t forget the cake.

Like last yr, I got cake from ear_yeg again. As a reminder, they are a “bakery” that shares space with Nongbu. They do not have a website but solely operates via their Instagram account (order by DM only). They have diff weekly items & occasionally larger cakes, but I recommend pre-ordering once they make their announcement. It usually works by pre-order & then you pick up 2-3 weeks later bcos they only make a certain amount for each week.

Here are my goods: 5 pairs of financiers & a matcha basque cheesecake.

*Note: the financier box comes with 4 pairs/flavours (2 of each). I got one extra one as a bonus. Thank you!!

Close-up of the cheesecake

A slice of the cheesecake. It was very dense in texture- like you get a “full” feeling, but the flavour was quite light. I know a lot of ppl don’t like matcha.. . myself included, but this was alright. The matcha flavour was subtle & not overwhelming. While the rest of my family preferred the financiers, I liked the cheesecake more.

Of the 4 financiers that were included in the box (chocolate crumble, original, caramel pecan & brown sugar cinnamon), my fav was the chocolate crumble. The rest were good too (I didn’t try the brown sugar cinnamon one). After the chocolate crumble, I’d say my no.2 was the original.

Not an advertisement / sponsor lol but pls check out ear_yeg for some unique baked goods!

#food #korean food #birthday #birthday meal #birthday dinner

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thekillingmoonmoon · 3 years

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heyyyooo!

how have you been this week? how was cake and roommate!!

there is something so satisfying about a fattened notebook, and the little crinkle each page turn makes. i'm really bad at marking up notebooks. i feel like i don't want to ruin it with whatever i'm wanting to make notes on. unless it's for school or something, then i don't mind.

to completely judge a book by its cover i'm going to have to agree that hamlet is the one i would position cover-out on a bookshelf! i was gifted a set of books that are supposed to be displayed as a colour gradient but... that's not how i arrange books, so the idea is lost and all the brightly coloured spines are scattered among all the other books in my shelf. oop.

ah i made a note for the philodendron and the jp peace lily for when we get flowers in the spring, thank you! let's also hope the are immune to my vampirism, or perhaps i should consider growing garlic XD

ouuuuuuu i've been thinking about the threads in this xmas au since i read it. one, because i was trying to come up with a name for it (best i could do was 'claus and effect' and i've also tried to come up with some slay/sleigh related pun. it's not working), and two, i got mischievously sentimental while i was trying to think up the funny bits. warning, i'm not funny anymore lol. anyway! holidays with bonten.

for koko, i feel like he wraps the presents himself, all neat creases and tidy edges, minimal amounts of wasted paper, and just the right amount of tape to keep it sealed. and they're neatly arranged into their own little piles like trees, because he refuses to put up the real tree. sanzu sends the screenshot of the biscuit-making but omi hears about it (poor guy has heard eeeeeverything about this breakup), takes his advisory role seriously and says it's xmas, ease up on poor koko. so after some consideration, sanzu does. by sneakily taking a candid photo of koko facing the piles of presents and no hint of holidays in the rest of the room, slapping a cool-toned filter on it, and sending that to her with a single text "all he is for christmas is blue." and because she's done well healing past the hurt, and know how the holidays are for him, she sends him a small tin of the almond horns she'd baked. it's a christmas miracle of a truce between the two, if only for a few weeks. yes, sanzu is occasionally sweet. yes, i am playing favourites.

agreed agreed agreed that ran has already bought the best gifts, both quality and sentimental wise. god i'm such a softie for redrose!ran. i can't make any excuses for menace!sanzu when it comes to the haitanis though, so i'll leave him be for this one. for ran and rindou, i could see them also having a christmas miracle of a truce because at the end of the day, they're still brothers who relied and trusted only each other for the longest time. everyone in bonten breathes a small sigh of relief. (i told you, i got stuck in the xmas haze. the holidaze, if you will). i like your idea of the three mikey moods! his one and only warning that he's moving from dorayaki to murder mode in the meeting is him calmly reaching over and stuffing the untouched part into a mouth.

i'd like a happy medium between really effing dry heat and humid heat. it snowed for a bit over the past few days and i'm just... tired and cranky all the time now, haha x_x and not at all the nice snowy scene i described, just a depressing grey.

since you said proper little pizza oven... i'm imagining the one from back to the future, haha. and about the biscuits, i need to know what happened with them!! what kind of flour did she sub? what was the end result? flat and brittle? i'm one of those people who love reading about recipes and collecting them but never make a habit of consistently making any. (though i am pretty good at making a burnt basque cheesecake, even though it's the easiest thing ever but looks like i've spent more time on it than i actually have XD)

lol okay i'm really glad i'm anon because i'm always really shy about sharing music so... to be a little different i'll name my top song for each year i've had it. for 2021 it's blackpink - lovesick girls, for 2020 it's massive attack - paradise circus, for 2019 it's the midnight - shadows (uppermost remix), for 2018 it's the internet - special affair. no judgement pls! 😁💐

helllo hello!

Cake and roommate was delightful, although the driving was not! I got caught in a cloudburst on the way home and the sillies in front of me didn't have ANY lights on? very scary. but I came home in one piece lol.

This week has mostly been procrastination, I'm afraid - but I will complete what needs to be done... eventually...

i also had the phobia of messing up a nice notebook, until I started using the very boring and ugly school notebooks as bullet journals. And now I have no problem breaking in a notebook with my scribbles. I get very frustrated with my handwriting though, but I feel like everyone has that issue.

Ooo - please share your preferred method of organising books! is it height-based? colour-based? alphabetical? chronological? does it at least make sense? (mine does not, in any way)

'Claus and effect' had me cackling, I'm not gonna lie. Like, suffer the consequences of your actions, Bonten boys! Except you, Ran, you're just too fucking happy to be here.

Koko is 100% the present wrapper - the others try to bribe him to wrap their presents (Koko only does it for Mikey, because Mikey just looks so fucking sad when his mess of wrapping paper and tape falls apart) and Koko will 100% unwrap the presents for you, and FOLD the paper for next year! (my gran did this - thanks Great Depression Era parenting - and I've semi adopted this, if only to decrease the volume of rubbish accumulated at the end of unwrapping. I save bows though)

I'm losing it at Sanzu's very sincere attempts of reconciliation (there's still no ways he's going to be of any assistance to the Haitanis though)I think Sanzu's fairly fond of Koko - they've been together since the very start, and I'm sure Koko has cleaned up a fair bit of Sanzu's messes and funds the drug habit, albeit reluctantly. Sanzu also probably has your number because of the amount of times you've had to come collect a tipsy Koko who keeps mumbling sad things about Inupi and Akane and just generally bringing down the Vibe at the Bonten party.

God bless Takeomi. He's listened to so much. just let him retire. He looked over sanzu's message to you and he just had no idea why sanzu was laughing so hard? Koko is blue? he's sad? why is this funny? Haruchiyo, stop laughing. He's also heard every possible theory under the sun regarding what's going on with the Haitanis. Sanzu is so curious, and just assumes that Takeomi's and Mochi's silence on the matter means they want to listen to his theories. sanzu's even more confused when the Haitanis declare a truce for the holidays - like why are you talking to each other now? don't you hate each other? is the war over? Both of the brothers just look at him blankly - Mikey is finishing his plate of food rapidly - maybe we should switch to a party game...

a side note - nether of the Haitanis can wrap a gift. Bless them, they try, but Ran has settled on paying someone to wrap his presents. It's the inside that counts, right? the fact that he didn't actually stick down the tape doesn't matter, and he knows you understand. Rindou has yet to catch on, although he has recently discovered the power of the Gift Bag (why wrestling wrapping paper when you can just pop it into a bag? genius!) Can one of them PLEASE talk to Sanzu and Takeomi about this though? Takeomi wraps things in fucking newspaper and packing tape, and there's no shortage of times when he's gotten distracted and left his lighter or cigarettes (or once, his whole fucking gun) in your present. Sanzu, just, uh, doesn't wrap anything. It gets handed to you as is, maybe still in the plastic bag he bought it in. But he does buy it himself. So that's a win? Kakucho's presents are charmingly self-wrapped. They're not as perfect as Koko, there are a few crinkly bits and he did eventually give up on wrapping that very weirdly shaped gift and put it in a bag. But everything is done with a lot of love and quiet dedication. Mikey's too. He's actually spent hours in multiple malls looking for the perfect gift (none of them were perfect. He had to get Koko to help him order it) his card is also barely legible, but there's so much thought and care put into his gifts that you can't help but cry tears of joy for our saddest little crime boss. Mochi gives you gift cards, or a card giving you him and his credit card for the day, so that you can spend the day doing whatever you like with him, getting precisely what you want (there have been too many occasions when Mochi has bought things the wrong size or colour and he feels so awful about it)

oo, new music for me to look up! I don't judge music tastes, just vibe with what you love - and then like an evil little music raccoon I will steal your recommendations and add them to my collection >_<

alright, enough Bonten Christmas, else you're going to actually make me like Christmas. I'm sorry to hear about your grey snow days - hopefully you get some decent wintery days soon <3

oh lordy the Back to Future pizza oven... that is a food sin..

as for where the biscuit recipe went wrong... I'm honestly too scared to ask - i think she might have used the wrong flour, but I'm not sure what.

!!!! cheesecake!! is it fairly easy to make?? if so, please drop the recipe!

anyway! thank you for stopping by <3 sending love to you and I hope you have a good end to your week xx

mwah!

#killingmoon answers #killingmoon anons #🐰🌙: 💐 anon

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