#and SO MANY BANANAS I'm making chocolate chip banana bread

[choking-on-roses]

I inadvertently have to eat like a king for the next two weeks because I'm moving and I need to use up all the fine meats I was saving in the freezer for a special occasion

[recapitulation]

meal ideas!

low energy ("do not ask me to do any prep work at all, so help me god")

mozzerella cheese wrapped in pepperoni ("pizza tacos"!)

hummus and pretzels or naan (putting the naan in the microwave for like 10 seconds...heavenly)

canned chili (with shredded cheese and sour cream if you have it! boom done!)

instant miso soup (warm and lovely! put tofu in it for protein!)

cheese and cured meat, olives, canned fish, crackers, dried fruit, or whatever easy "charcuterie" type items you like

alternate bites of apple and spoonfulls of peanut butter (mixing honey or chocolate chips to the peanut butter is my favorite)

a "deconstructed sandwich": bites of lunch meat, pickles, cheese, cherry tomato, etc (I love roast beef and white cheddar for this)

yogurt and granola or fruit

put frozen potstickers + frozen edamame in the steamer/rice cooker, chill elsewhere with a timer set, then boom

tortilla chips + canned refried beans + cherry tomatoes + cilantro + jarred salsa con queso (or warm shredded cheese on top of the chips in the microwave for 30 seconds)

bagel + cream cheese + lox

microwave scrambled eggs (add things like green onion, soy sauce, or anything else you like!)

cottage cheese and fruit (mixed together or just on the side)

bowl of shredded rotisserie chicken + buffalo sauce + a bit of mayo + green onion (use a kitchen scissors to cut them right in!)

medium energy ("I'll boil water but don't ask me to chop shit")

boiled eggs and fresh veggies (put a little salt on top of the eggs!)

buttered noodles (my go-to nausea meal, it has never failed me. ideas of things to add: frozen peas, imitation crab, roasted garlic)

baked potato with toppings (I like cheese, bacon, broccoli, green onion, and sour cream)

quesadilla (add some canned beans, cilantro, or avocado!)

pot roast (requires a lot of time but not a lot of actual work. I love it with peas!)

cuban sandwich (bread, swiss, pickle, mustard, ham... my favorite thing to panini-ify by far)

pan-fried tofu with scallion sauce (this sauce goes well with everything and tofu is no exception)

pancakes or waffles! (I love mine with jam)

ham, pickle, and cream cheese roll-ups

fried eggs (with toast and lots of butter...so comforting)

fruit smoothie (bananas, frozen strawberries, yogurt...or whatever!)

I hate salad but could write essays on this copycat olive garden salad (throw it in a bowl! chopping required if you use onion)

spaghetti (controversial maybe but angel hair > spaghetti noodles)

pasta salad (olives broccoli fresh mozerella... those little mini pepperonis... yeah)

stir-fried thai garlic shrimp (I like using the mini frozen salad shrimps, it's easy! use jarred minced garlic to avoid chopping!)

tuna mayo onigiri

slow cooker ribs

buffalo chicken wrap (or any number of other wrap options! shred pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to make it easier)

if your local grocery store sells pre-cooked gyro strips, that can turn into an easy wrap with store-bought pita & tzatziki with tomatoes and onions!

couscous and chickpeas

tortellini + pasta sauce + spinach

high energy ("I don't mind chopping some things up!")

stuffed shells with spinach

chicken and roasted garlic (oh my god.....one of my all time favorites)

beef tacos (I like mine with cilantro and onion, and when I'm feeling especially high energy I love a tomatillo salsa)

chicken alfredo

tom kha gai (a thai soup and my absolute favorite! you just need access to galangal)

lasagna! (freezes well and then boom! low energy meal for later)

pad thai! (not as hard as you'd think, as long as you have access to tamarind paste!)

potstickers! (this is a lovely group activity if you want to cook with housemates!)

rice and beans

bang bang shrimp (ogughfhgfuh I love it. you can also do bang bang tofu!)

minestrone soup (so many nice veggies!)

fried rice (put whatever you have on hand in there! broccoli, peas, carrot, and beef is my favorite combo)

broccoli cheddar soup

spring rolls and peanut sauce

skewers (such as beef, onion, zucchini, bell pepper... you don't need a grill, oven works!)

roasted turkey with garlic parmesean asparagus

pork chop with mashed potatoes

panang curry

chicken gnocchi soup (use store bought gnocchi or make your own if you have a high energy day!)

bibimbap (super customizable depending on what veggies you like best)

butter chicken

plus! things that have helped me meal plan:

whenever you think of a meal you'd like to make, take 3 seconds to google search it, take a screenshot of the image results, and put it in a "food ideas" folder. instant visual menu!

the concept of "meal prepping" makes me recoil but I've learned that it can simply mean preparing shredded chicken, boiled eggs, or some other simple protein that you can customize throughout the week. shredded chicken can turn into wraps, salads, pasta dishes, etc... you don't have to meal prep yourself into the same meal all week!

when I have difficulty working up an appetite, I'll scroll through my favorite restaurant menus! there might be some foods I can't make at home, but many times they're very simple to recreate because the ingredients are literally listed!

[being-addie]

Healthy habits I'm developing for 2023

It's already April and I'm still in that rut of sleeping at 2am, buying a quick fix of candy at the store when I have fruit at home, eating too many carbs and skipping the gym. Now, I'm getting my shit together.

It's easy to disguise bad habits with excuses. "Oh, I have exams coming up". "Work's been really draining lately". But if you don't change now, you'll be stuck in that same loop for the rest of your life.

Prioritising health:

Sleeping 7-8 hours every night: To end my absolutely atrocious amount of screen time, I've decided to delete all those distracting apps on my phone. It's hard, but worth it. Now I won't be tempted to scroll on Instagram when I should be sleeping.

Making healthy food choices: Choosing homemade granola over chocolate bars, banana bread over Nutella sandwiches, and homemade nachos over packaged chips makes a huge difference.

Working out: l go to the gym daily, but lately, I've been lazy and slacking off. So I want to start going again along with squeezing in a run in the evening. Finishing at least 8k steps every day. Moving my body in some way, whether it's dance or yoga.

Water: I have a bad habit of forgetting to drink water, even when it's right in front of me. So I've downloaded some water reminders to help me remember to drink. I've also decided to incorporate lemon honey iced tea into my diet because I'm a fiend for it.

Working smart:

Creating a to-do list: Committing to knocking off at least three things on a to-do list and gradually increasing the number of tasks.

Keeping devices away: I've started keeping my phone in my mom's room while I work, or I lock it in my cupboard so I won't get distracted, and I use extensions like WasteNoTime and StayFocusd to block unnecessary websites.

Dividing time: Making a schedule for my day, so I can divide school studies, sketching practice and homework. It is so important to block out parts of the day for morning and night routines and self-care.

Cleansing my life:

A clean workspace: Clean up my desk every day, so I can sit in an uncluttered space, and keep my racing mind calm.

Making my bed: Focusing on making sure my bed is clean first thing in the morning, so I have a place that's clean and warm after a long day.

Deleting social media: It was difficult, but I did it. Fighting the temptation to log in again is real, but I'm slowly coming to realise I don't care what people are posting on their stories, and the FOMO is slowly fading.

Toxic people: Getting rid of toxic friends, and deleting numbers and chats of people are who no longer important in my life. Having access to me is a privilege.

Self-care: Every Sunday, I'm setting aside a few hours for myself. During that time, I'll be having a long shower, deep conditioning my hair, using a scrub and exfoliator, shaving, moisturizing, and eating something nice. I'll be baking something for the rest of the week so I won't resort to junk food for dessert or snacks.

Understanding and knowing what you want in life is the first step to beginning your journey. Don't let others make you feel guilty for putting yourself first. It's your life, and ultimately, it's only you who can change it.

<3

[choices-february2023]

Prompts

Similar to the November 2022 challenge, many of the prompts in the first two columns are from the National Day Calendar. The third column are songs to inspire.

The fanworks must be posted in February (with late entries accepted through March 7). The works do not have to be posted on the specific day. You want to use the prompt almonds (from the 16th) and post it on February 5, go ahead. Just make sure in the notes or tags to specify the day or the prompt.

As always, if you have any questions, please ask either here or send a message to my main at @lucy-268.

Have fun!

1. Umbrella | Baked Alaska | I'm Still Standing (Elton John)

2. Snow Sculpture | Bubble Gum | Welcome to My Life (Simple Plan)

3. Wear Red | Carrot Cake | Stronger (Kelly Clarkson)

4. Harmony | Homemade Soup | So What (P!nk)

5. Intimate Apparel | Nutella | Believer (Imagine Dragons)

6. Chopsticks | Margarita | About Damn Time (Lizzo)

7. Cards | Fettuccine Alfredo | Miss Me More (Kelsea Ballerini)

8. Counseling | Peanut Butter | House of Memories (Panic! At the Disco)

9. Dream | Bagels | Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)

10. Toothache | Brownies | Born This Way (Lady Gaga)

11. Spilled Milk | Peppermint Patty | The Winner Takes it All (Abba)

12. Marriage | Plum Pudding | All of Me (John Legend)

13. Galentine's Day | Cheese | I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

14. Valentine's Day | Chocolates | I Honestly Love You (Olivia Newton John)

15. Canada | Gumdrops | Anti-Hero (Taylor Swift)

16. Grouchy | Almonds | Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)

17. Anthropology | Cabbage | Stand By Me (Ben E. King)

18. Romance | Seafood | Hanging by a Moment (Lifehouse)

19. Condom | Mints | Lights (Ellie Goulding)

20. Red Sock | Cherry Pie | Happier (Marshmello)

21. Mardi Gras | Sticky Bun | The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)

22. Logic | Sweet Potato | Shape of You (Ed Sheeran)

23. Birthday | Banana Bread | I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton)

24. Bartender | Tortilla Chip | Hello (Adele)

25. Language | Clam Chowder | In My Life (The Beatles)

26. Fairy Tales | Pistachio | In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)

27. Polar Bear | Strawberry | We All Sleep Alone (Cher)

28. Toothfairy | Chocolate Souffle | And So it Goes (Billy Joel)

Guidelines

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Weekend Spoon Budget

Well, I have a whole weekend all to myself (which is me looking at the bright side of "My Saturday D&D shenanigans had to be cancelled again this week). Of course, I guess it's not technically all to myself because I suppose I should put those spoons towards household chores etc. So it's another Thess Is A Motherfucking Adult weekend ... to a point. See, the actual chores list goes something like "clean out the fridge, take out the trash and the recycling (which is not easy if you're me), and do some laundry". However, there are some other things that aren't quite chores but are sort of chores because they probably need doing by the standards of making my life easier but don't necessarily need doing by the standards of good housekeeping etc.

See, while I did not get tapped for overtime this week, some of it's still the same old bullshit. We seemed to be doing better typing-wise towards the end of the week (and that was with New Girl being away, so I dunno what's up with that), but I did get stuck with all the long-ass complicated bits of typing and the shit no one likes to do because the accents involved are a trial. Also they're trying to catch up with months of placenta reports so if I see one more fucking placenta form I am going to scream. Anyway, point is, not overtime-busy, but busy. And that's made things like lunch fall by the wayside. I don't generally have time or spoons to throw something together, even a sandwich. Too many steps involved in making a sandwich. So I don't want this to be a recurring thing, obviously. Food is good.

Now, I figured out how to make potato salad the other week. Which is good, because I like potato salad. So I thought, why not make other things like that, that I can just slop into a bowl and eat? So I thought chicken macaroni salad, and I do have all the ingredients for that, I think. So there's going to be boiling some macaroni, cooking some chicken, letting it all cool and Mixing Things. Stuff like that.

Of course, I also kind of want to fill the cookie jar. Now, if I want chocolate chip cookies (and I do), I'm going to have to make some cookie dough to chill. I do want to make more snickerdoodles. Maybe more three-ingredient peanut butter cookies. On top of that, I still have two more bananas left so I can make more banana bread (I kinda ate all my banana bread). So Things For Nibbles in the house. Problem is, with some of this stuff, I do need a couple of more ingredients. Sugar, for one. Eggs, because the corner shop only had medium eggs (which are going to become hard-boiled eggs so I can have some easy protein). Unsalted butter. Sour cream for the banana bread. Also I'm low on garlic salt and that cannot be allowed to stand. Soooooooo that means I probably have to go out farther than the corner shop today. Woe. I mean, I'd go to the little Co-Op down the road, but their selection is woeful. Eh, at least it's not miserably cold.

Right. Time to spend some spoons doing the Adulting Shit. Then I can go out and pick up stuff, and then come back home and do more Adulting Shit, and maybe have enough time and spoons to have some fun later.

Sometimes being an adult sucks, but at least it'll make for good eating later.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #79

It's very late here, so today's letter will likely be shorter than normal. But even though I'm very tired, I still wanted to make sure you knew that someone out here is thinking good things about you and wishing for nice things upon you.

My mind is still fairly empty today. I feel pretty tired for a variety of reasons. Some of it is the simple fact that we are going through the second part of your story, and I'm VERY worried about how things might turn out for you; I really don't want to see you get hurt, but at the same time, if you don't stop making choices that harm others, you will need to be stopped. And that's unfortunate, because I would much rather see you turn yourself around and try to become strong in the real way, instead of parroting the definition of it that was taught to you by people who didn't care about you.

The bulk of my reasons for being tired, though, is other stuff going on in my world that I can do absolutely nothing about. And a small amount of it is still me trying to recover from our long trip, and some of it is the recent changes in the social dynamics of my immediate circle. Maybe I'll try not to worry about it. Maybe instead I'll show you the most recent cups of tea I made, since… y'know… I can't actually pour any for you, much to my immense dismay.

…To give you the pictures of the tea at its most beautiful and interesting is the best I can do. And the fact that it is the best I can do is… sad, really. I'm sorry.

I had intended to go to the grocery today to get the supplies to make stuffed cabbage casserole; I was sent a beautiful-looking recipe by an awesome human being from the internet, and I wanted to give it a try. But my energy was very low today. Br offered to be a body double, and she visited, and it was wonderful. We talked a lot about various things, but I still didn't have the energy to go out before going to see R, and for various reasons, I think neither did she. I'm glad we decided to spend time at home though; it was peaceful.

Br went with J and I to go see R today though, and it was a good time. We stopped somewhere to pick up a couple of snacks, and we did some catching up with R. R is an astounding baker; I wish that you could try the things that he creates. He made bonbons for us, and peanut-butter-banana bars with chocolate chips and walnuts, and they were absolutely wonderful. And we also went out to a Thai place for food. I can't help but wonder if your world has some equivalent of Thai food somewhere. I'll show you what we got:

Have you ever had crab rangoon? Pork belly? Rice pudding? Pad Thai? Did you like them? I wonder what you think. I wonder what you think about a lot of things, actually…

There's so much I wish I could show to you. There's so much I wish I could give to you. So many things I wish you could do and see and try. I wish that you could see the world through my eyes for just a moment… just for a moment. And then maybe you'd see that although the world is broken and has a lot of pain and a lot of problems, it's still not so bad. It's really not so bad. Not everyone is mean like the people you met. And even though a lot of things might seem really weird right now, it's never hopeless. There are good things everywhere, if only you have the courage and strength to look around hard enough.

It's for this reason that I hope you'll try to become strong in the real way. Please try. Please try so that you can come back home to us. We miss you.

I'm exhausted, so I'm going to stop writing here, because if I don't, I'm going to ramble even more than I have already.

Hey, Sephiroth? Don't forget that there are people who love you out here. People who don't care about your status, fame, or whatever else, but rather… people who will make you a new locket if you lose your old one. People who will make you pumpkin soup if you're sad about missing out. People who will make you things like garlic bread and pasta. People who will make you little trinkets like music boxes and trees made of gems and songs made only of human voices. People who will write you letters just to try to show you that you're cared for. I can't be the only one out here who is like me… if only because you are a little bit like me, and you exist, even if it's only in an abstract way.

…Is any of what I can do enough though, I wonder? Enough to reach you? Enough to move you? If you don't turn around… will it be because I didn't try hard enough…?

…Maybe these questions are ridiculous. Maybe I really am just tired. There's so much that I don't know… and sometimes that scares me.

I can't wish you were here in good conscience, because things where I am are looking pretty bleak sometimes. But I can instead wish that you could be somewhere safe, wholesome, and happy.

I'll write again. Though I'm not sure what about.

Your friend, Lumine

[pinkthingtragedy]

my current fear foods and some safe foods + explanation

(!!!! I don't eat meat or any dairy products because I'm lactose intolerant)

bananas: so tasty and doesn't have too many calories (I don't eat under 700 cal) and it's also full of potassium!!

any type of bars or industrial snack: even if it's low in calories it's so bad, they have a lot of additives and other chemicals that keep the body full of inflammation

nuts: idk I never liked them, I feel like eating any type of nuts, almonds etc is a waste of calories because they taste like wood

pizza: it's so high in calories, also I try to never eat a full pizza because it's not good for the stomach, I usually eat half and then eat the other half the day after

peanut butter: I recently tried it (I'm not American so here it's not a common food) and it was so sticky and had SO MANY CALORIES OMGG like I tried once bread with pj and it was awful, all I could think about was all the calories that I was consuming

eggs (without the bacon): I love eggs they are a good search of protein and they are low cal, I love toast with egg on top!! so yummy and reminds me of that Ghibli movie (sorry I forgot the name in english)

brioche/croissant: tremendous tbh, so high in calories, in fats, not healthy at all (especially industrial ones)

cucumber sushi: it's so good and healthy and fresh, also has not a lot of calories! but I try to not consume it often because the vinegar and other things that are used to make the rice sticky are not very good for inflammation

sugar: it literally causes cancer wth

cakes: soooo full of sugar and additives even if you buy them from a bakery, they are def a once a year meal, it's so bad for you, and the vegan ones have like double the calories of the normal ones

Starbucks thing? whatever: I never had Starbucks and I never will, it's so high in sugar and additives (and it's so expensive like wth just drink water) also I don't trust people with making my thing to drink

dark chocolate: if you eat a small piece of it quite often it's actually good for your heart and other cardiac things! also it helps me to prevent binges, and it doesn't have that many bad things in it

hamburger: lol I had only one hamburger in my entire life and it was when I was 7, it's just not good. like, I get making a similar sandwich at home, but buying an hamburger from McDonald's or smt? crazy, that's exactly why people are obese

pringles: they are SO FULL of chemicals and salt, they are so bad for health in general 😭 I'd rather have normal chips (where here the ingredients are just potatoes, salt, and usually seeds oil) but I prefer to avoid chips because first of all they are full of salt, and second they trigger my binges

toast: it's not a fear food but it's not even a safe food, I can eat it sometimes, it's okay, I mean it's just toast

cheese: any kind of dairy products it's so bad for humans, even my nutritionist explained to me that we are not supposed to eat dairy because milk it's supposed to be for babies (of that spieces), it also causes acne and other stuff that I don't want.

oh and also I try to avoid vegan cheese but just because it's very high in calories.

olive oil: healthy fat!! very good for lots of reasons, honestly I just cook with it (without frying things obv), I don't really add it to my usual meals but it's pretty okay

pasta: it used to be a fear food but now I tolerate it, ofc I try to avoid it because it still is a defined carb

meat: If you want to die of cancer or other terrible diseases, eat red meat. it's so bad for the body, even white meat.

smoothies: I love smoothies that I make at home, they are so yummy and they make me feel good afterwards, also they are great when doing liquid fasts 💚

sushi? cat thing?: same as the cucumber sushi, it's good but I try to avoid it.

m&ms: sweets in general are like so bad for you, so full of additives, chemicals, refined sugar, horrible for the body. and also they cause sugar addiction.

fries: they are literally fried potatoes, any type of fried food it's not good

tomato soup: here we don't have tomato soup but sometimes I make it with tomato sauce (basically the same thing) and it's good, low cal too! but I try to not eat it too often because tomatoes give me terrible acid reflux

cookies: same as the m&ms, also they trigger my binges so bad

[helenfletcher]

My amazing no bake Banoffee PIe is comprised of a vanilla layer crust, a toffee filling, bananas, and chocolate mousse sprinkled with Heath bar bits, and coffee whipped cream to top it all off. The name of this English dessert comes from either bananas and toffee or bananas and coffee whipped cream which is often used in place of the plain whipped cream. I think you'll agree this is one of the easiest, tastiest desserts around. Whatever version is made, condensed milk is a vital ingredient. It is often turned into a caramel (called toffee in England) by either boiling in hot water for several hours or baking in the oven to condense and caramelize. I'm not a fan of boiling the can because it can explode if not kept under water the entire time. While I have baked it as in my Dulce de Leche cookies, it takes hours to caramelize. There is a different, much quicker way to obtain the toffee in this recipe. Bananas are perfect when baking. Here are a couple of recipes that might interest you: Fruit Basket Cake, Best Two Step Banana Nut Bread. Why you'll love this recipe There is absolutely no baking. Many of the parts can be made ahead. Even with the number of layers, all of them are quick and easy to make. It tastes amazing and it's not too sweet. The people I served it to couldn't stop raving about how good it is. Recipe Ingredients Vanilla Wafer Crust FRONT ROW: Vanilla Wafers BACK ROW: Butter, powdered sugar Toffee Filling FRONT ROW: Butter, vanilla, corn syrup BACK ROW: Condensed milk, brown sugar, bananas Chocolate Mousse FRONT ROW: Butter, corn syrup BACK ROW: Brickle pieces, chocolate, heavy cream Coffee Whipped Cream FRONT ROW: Instant coffee BACK ROW: Heavy cream, powdered sugar Vanilla Wafers - I used the popular Nilla wafers for my crust. Other brands may need more or less melted butter so just start with about 2/3 and add more as needed. Some Condensed Milk (be sure not to used Evaporated) is thinner than the Eagle Brand. It may need a bit more cooking at the end. The Banana skin should be almost all yellow with a few small brown spots. Really ripe bananas don't do well here. Brickle pieces come in plain or with chocolate in them. In the finished photos you will see I used the chocolate brickle pieces. When I had to reshoot the ingredients the only one available were the plain. The ones I used were the Heath Bits O' Brickle English Toffee Bits. Another brand is Skor, but I have not seen that. The chocolate may look like chocolate chips but it is actually #811 Callebaut semisweet chocolate callets which is pure chocolate. Heavy Whipping Cream has a higher fat content than regular whipping cream. It holds its shape when whipped without any stabilization even if frozen and then thawed. Instant Coffee was used. If using espresso, you may want to use less. Be sure to see the recipe card below for the exact ingredients & instructions. Step by Step Instructions Vanilla Wafer Crust

[the-so-called-finchel]

What meal could you see each individual in Finchel, Brittana or Tike cooking for the other (could be for their anniversary/just a special date night or whatever)?

I'm just gonna do these for what they'd usually cook for the other. Like for random occasions.

Finchel:

Finn would cook his favorite childhood meals for Rachel, which are basically homecooked junk food. He makes her grilled cheese sandwiches the most, bologna sandwiches (which Rachel is wary to try and I know Rachel says she's vegetarian, but she ate pepperoni pizza in S1 and that was without Finn forgetting she's vegetarian), pb&j (and a lot of variations of it), microwave mac and cheese, etc.

Rachel cooks kinda "fancy" or upscale meals for Finn. She always uses the best cuts of meat, the best ingredients, etc. She's very specific about quality and presentation. Finn is a picky eater (out of the two, as in he won't eat food that he never heard about or food that's said to be "too healthy"). She makes him stews and kind of upscaled version of comfort foods. She also makes a lot of Italian dishes for him because Italian food is basically upscale comfort food, so it automatically checks both those boxes. She bakes a lot for him, especially banana bread and cookies.

Brittana

Britt cooks very sugary food for Santana. She's a dessert for every meal type person. Especially when it comes to breakfast. She makes chocolate chip pancakes for Santana, with way too many chocolate chips in them. She also makes her different variations of pb&nutella sandwiches, milkshakes, and smoothies.

Santana hates cooking, she doesn't cook, but she will make an exception for Britt. She mainly cooks for Britt for very special occasions or when Brittany is sick. When Britt is sick, Santana would make her soups. Santana's dishes always turn out way too spicy, but Britt likes them that way. She usually opts to bake stuff rather than fry it or whatever other method. So for special occasions, she usually makes some sort of roasts with vegetables. She's a big fan of putting stuff in an oven and not touching it until the timer goes off. The lower the effort, the better.

Tike

Mike likes to cook traditional food that his mom used to make for him, for Tina. He's a big fan of spam (Tina isn't) so he always includes that in his recipes. He likes to make rice bowls with some sort of stir fried meat or just fried spam for her.

Tina likes baking for Mike. She makes everything from pastries to brownies (idk what scale this is, but yeah it includes all the baked goods, trust me). She was wary about cooking actual food for him at first because she didn't want to seem to desperate to be his wife or anything of that sort. Plus she's a strong believer in Mike buying her dinner. She would occasionally make him soups when he's sick or dumplings. She's also less traditional in cooking than he is, but whenever she cooks for him, she usually makes whatever Mike would like, so she tends to just copy his recipes or his mom's recipes. Other than that, she cooks steaks for him on special occasions, with all sorts of fancy sides, like lobsters or some extravagant style of cooking vegetables. Tina is a really good cook in general and she loves making fancy meals that she can brag about.

[prolix-yuy]

Tag some mutuals you want to get to know better

Thanks @jazzelsaur and @fuckyeahdindjarin for the double tag!

Favourite time of the year: Mid to late autumn because I'm a NE girl and the double-punch of leaves changing and crisp air makes me way too nostalgic. Plus all of my favorite bakery treats are fall-themed ones (apple pie, pumpkin pie, big roast dinners, etc)

Comfort food: Fried eggs on toast. Banana bread. This chicken and rice dish made with red pepper sauce and beans. My mom's potato salad and my dad's grilled steak tips (served together, of course).

Favorite dessert: Apple crisp. Pumpkin pie. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie on a tiny plate. Panna cotta with berries.

Things you collect: Magnets from any place I travel to (my fridge is covered in them). Tiny seashells. Books with cool covers. Fabric scraps and notions I tell myself I'll use in a project then never do.

Favorite drink: Iced coffee with milk and honey syrup. I don't drink a lot of things besides coffee and water, but if I'm splurging a coconut water, or maybe a Fresca (which I don't think anyone but me drinks anymore).

Favorite musical artist: My music taste is always changing, but my ride-or-die classics are Bonnie Raitt, most bluegrass artists, or any pop band from the 90s that reminds me of a school dance.

Last song you listened to: The soundtrack to Vox Lux because it's all my husband's been listening to today.

Last movie you watched: Licorice Pizza. It was okay, not my scene so much but it had some nice cinematography and some unique moments.

Last series you watched: The Staircase, which was really interesting. We discovered halfway through that the true story it's based on was also parodied in one of my favorite comedy shows Trial and Error, which was really jarring. But I highly recommend both shows! (I still quote Trial and Error almost daily)

Series you’re currently watching: Narcos because I'm doing "research" (just about to start the S2 finale) and House of the Dragon.

Current obsession: Can writing again be an obsession? Because my god, it feels so good to be doing it after not for so long. Also obsessing over everyone's stories that I desperately want to read but I'm forcing myself to finish follower asks instead. I promise I'm coming my loves, your stories are the carrot at the end of the proverbial stick for me!

Dream place to visit: Morocco. New Zealand. Japan.

A place you’ve been that you want to go back to: France, but the south since I've already spent plenty of time in Paris and the Loire valley.

Something you want: To survive this five day renovation project without pulling my hair out or injuring myself. First time laying laminate floors and fingers crossed it goes smoothly!

Currently working on: So so many follower asks. I got motivated and wrote 5 in a row, but I've still got eight more to go. Luckily I'll start posting next week, so you get to finally see all the awesome ideas people put in! And some fan favorites are coming back ;)

NP tagging: @iamskyereads, @amywritesthings, @pedrito-friskito, @pedropascalsx, @mandoblowmybackout

[tastesoftamriel]

Tal, thanks so much for the recipes you suggested! Our feast was wonderful. I also wanted to let you know I tried your Stormhold baked bananas, and was pleased by the flavour profile.

((Seriously, this is amazing! I knew the sweet and salty flavors would go together. Was not disappointed. I only wish I had some instant Kopiko coffee.

After doing some research, I opted to use saba bananas instead of the normal Cavendish ones we eat in the West (and substituted melted chocolate chips for the sprinkles). They have slight peach notes and none of that bitter aftertaste from regular bananas I never noticed until now. I totally get why you suggested UNtoasted bread - the second slice was making crumbs go all over the place as the condensed milk (which I got too much of) dripped all over my plate lol.

Next time, I'd like to make a more traditional pisang keju coklat. What is the white cheese I see in many versions online, and is cheddar really the best stand-in?

This was an experience I'm looking forward to having again. I knew nothing about Indonesian banana snacks/desserts before finding this recipe on your blog; now I want to sample *all* of them. If you can, please consider showing us some more easy Indonesian recipes. Thank you!))

I'm so stoked you loved that recipe, it is one of my ultimate childhood comfort foods! I definitely should make a few more Indonesian recipes soon, as I've been having a hankering to the point of actually considering opening a food cart...

The standard cheese that's used in Indonesia is just a plain old solid block of Kraft. Not slices, this bad boy:

Use a fine grater, and try not to think about your dropping standards in cheese quality. It's worth it, I promise.

And good call on the bananas, by the way! We actually have a saba banana plant at my family home but I always thought they were way too small to eat so it's just a decorative plant! My favourite bananas for this, if you can find them, is pisang mas (lady finger bananas) which are, as per its name, about as long as a large lady's finger. They're super sweet with a thin skin that can be annoying to peel, but in pancakes and dessert? Beautiful.

Thanks for showing interest in Indonesian food! I will definitely cobble recipes together that don't take anywhere near as long to make as rendang... ~Tal

[fatgalfitness]

The polar vortex is about to make it COLDER THAN SIBERIA HERE

So I figured it was meal prep time. Cooked lots of meat and veggies, and made up this weird, delicious protein bread, so I had to share it with you:

1 banana

2 small apples, chopped

1 cup Kodiak all-purpose baking mix

3 egg whites

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

2 scoops EAS whey

1/2 cup fairlife chocolate milk

Vanilla extract

Baking powder

Cinnamon

Bake at 350-375 for....idk 30 minutes? I was cooking so many other things and I don't use timers very often... Makes 8 slices.

But it's delicious and has 10 grams of protein per slice and YUM. It's been a while since I've just made some random healthy(ish) baked goods. Feels good to do it again.

Okay, now I'm going to climb under twelve blankets and question all of the life decisions that led to me living in Indiana in -27 degree weather. 🙃

[frogsandfries]

Eating is stupid

But also, I accidentally used all the eggs. I used four eggs to make two batches and three loaves of walnut and chocolate chip banana bread, one of which went directly in the freezer for later and one of which will probably be baked tomorrow.

Yesterday before work, I marinated some chicken. Today, I breaded and froze the nuggets/bites we made, and slow cooked the two whole breasts I set aside. I think it took another four eggs to coat all the chicken bites.

I also made five more cured egg yolks and reserved six whites for the next time I make macarons. I think my first batch of macarons had too many whites, because I kept losing my yolks and lost count of how many whites I set aside. Next time I feel like trying to make macarons, I have precisely six whites.

I need to remember to get the chicken bites off the cookie sheet in the freezer. I'm trying my best to be respectful while still living my life, making and eating food I want.

Other than that, I've spent my afternoon working on that mermaid I really wanted to work on. I finally finished the torso, and I'm on to the tail. But I also didn't get a whole lot of sleep and I haven't been sleeping that well for a while. I tend to be slightly more nocturnal than not, but also, I can't really sleep when sunlight is pouring into the room. I love that this space is basically windows, but so many windows is a mixed experience.

If I could wave a magic wand and improve this space I would:

Change the shower entirely. I hate the directly overhead showerhead. There isn't enough space in the shower to leave the water on and comfortably get a good suds on.

Get a normal toilet lever. Pull plungers are...... annoying.

Close off the shower space. The whole point of a bathroom is to hold in the warmth of the shower steam while a body gets dressed.

I would maybe get some kind of curtain for the sleeping space, to keep too much light out of the sleeping space.

Install a kitchen/ette so this space is pretty much properly separate from downstairs.

Move the door in front of the stairs for additional privacy against anyone leaving the house via the garage.

I realize these are not small or cheap renovations and the guy who holds the mortgage wants to offload this house anyway. I guess personally, I'm thinking toward starting a family, although we won't be doing so this month. I can't really see having a family in this house as it is. Unless you either work from home or.......I dunno, maybe have older kids, which I understand most parents eventually end up having, you have a whole chunk of the house that barely gets used. Personally, I'm the type that if something needs to get stored, I'm probably going to just get rid of it, so I wouldn't be using this space that way.

Honestly, renting it out is the best method I see, at least periodically. I dunno, good thing this isn't my house and I have little inclination of staying here.