#basic meatloaf recipe

[catharusustulatus]

Steve and Dustin’s mom Claudia are close.

It starts with Steve practically adopting Dustin overnight, going from barely registering his presence to almost dying for him within a couple of days. After getting the shit kicked out of him by Billy and the close calls in the tunnels, everyone regroups, sweaty, tired, and hungry at the Byers’, and the kids start getting picked up. For some reason he finds himself being dragged into Mrs. Henderson’s car. And then her house, and then her guest bathroom, where she tenderly washes his face and cleans his wounds. She coos at him as he groans, sitting on her carpet covered toilet seat. Her bathroom is warm and cat themed. She holds his chin with so much care as she rubs a warm washcloth along his bruised cheeks. She holds his shoulders as he dry heaves. Steve is concussed, full of adrenaline, shaking, but most of all shy. No one has ever done this for him before.

After a couple days quietly sleeping in her guest bedroom, eating her food, and helping wash her dishes, she asks him about his parents. If they’re worried about him. He says no, she looks sad. She sends him home with a casserole, says see you soon.

Dustin starts following him everywhere. He gives him a walkie talkie for his birthday, tells Steve he’s “part of the gang now.” Steve acts annoyed but cries later, alone in his giant house, with relief, to not feel so alone anymore, even if Dustin and his friends are kids, and even if one of those kids is Nancy’s little brother.

He starts spending more time at the Henderson’s. The three of them watch Cheers and bake cookies. Mews 2 loves Steve, purrs in his lap. He starts bringing t-shirts over; Mr. Henderson's clothes were way too big for him. Soon he has a toothbrush there. Then he has a house key.

Claudia doesn’t bring his parents up anymore. Whenever he's there for dinner, or for more than dinner, it's with her full approval.

[clarkaubrie]

Beef Meatloaf - Mark's Surprise Meatloaf

With bell pepper, onion, and garlic, season this meatloaf with cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

[winkywho]

Mark's Surprise Meatloaf Recipe Use cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to season this meatloaf with bell pepper, onion, and garlic.

[tedevans]

Beef Meatloaf - Mark's Surprise Meatloaf

With bell pepper, onion, and garlic, season this meatloaf with cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

[rubiroberts]

Beef Meatloaf - Mark's Surprise Meatloaf

With bell pepper, onion, and garlic, season this meatloaf with cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

[glamatron3000]

The Unofficial Malto Family Cookbook

I was inspired by the longing of @ihatebrainstorm for Alex's cooking to do a deep dive into just what Earthspark's best dad was making, so here it is! The Unofficial Malto Family Cookbook!

Just a note, I am in no way familiar with Filipino cooking (I mostly cook American, European, and Japanese-inspired food in my day to day) but I'd like to think I am a skilled practitioner of Google-Fu, so here's what I was able to find!

These dishes were either shown or mentioned, sometimes both, in season 1 and the first half of season 2. I believe I got them all, but I did pan through the episodes pretty quickly, so let me know if I missed any!

Embutido

First up is the main dish from episode 1, which already sent me on an adventure trying to identify because it was never named. After poking around a few Filipino recipe sites I managed to identify it as embutido, which is described as a Filipino meatloaf. Dot mentions that it is her favorite dish.

Lumpia

The side dish of Dot's celebratory new job meal is lumpia, Filipino egg rolls! This dish appears regularly in the Malto family's meals, seen twice again in the first half of season 2.

Pandesal

Okay, so technically this is probably just a store-bought dinner roll, but why not try to find if there's a Filipino recipe it could be? Our boy Alex seems like the type of guy to pull out all the stops when it comes to feeding his family. The closest I could find is pandesal to round out our episode 1 meal.

Breakfast Burrito

In episode 2, we see Robbie lure Alex out to the barn with a picnic of breakfast burritos. Now surely there's also a Filipino style recipe for this, yes? Yes!

Longganisa

In episode 3, we see Alex frying up a pan of sausage for breakfast. Could be store bought, but it's also possible that it's a traditional Filipino pork sausage called longganisa.

Tortang

Here's our first one that was only mentioned and not shown. In episode 4, Alex tries twice to coax Bee into frying tortillas with his stingers. At first I thought he meant just regular flour or corn tortillas, but the way he was talking made it sound like a main dish and not just an ingredient. So after a bit of digging I found a dish called tortang, which is sometimes referred to as tortilla from what I can gather (citation needed -- I am a dumb American). Unlike the sort of tortilla you would use in a wrap or burrito, this dish is closer to an omelet. Those with more knowledge of Filipino cooking please feel free to correct me if I got this wrong.

Bibingka

Another only mentioned in episode 4, this is the dish Robbie would have picked to have for dinner for a week if he'd won the weekly chore race. Of course a child would pick a sweet dessert for dinner if he could.

Spam Steak

Okay, this was another mystery for me, particularly because of the way everything is stylized in the show. In episode 5, we see Alex frying up another breakfast food. I thought maybe it was a kind of french toast, but the browning texture didn't look quite right for that. So I browsed through the breakfast section of the recipe website I've been using and the closest I've found is this crispy spam steak recipe. Apparently spam is pretty popular in the Philippines, so it's possible! Again, if anyone more knowledgeable has another option, please correct me.

Snickerdoodles

In episode 7, Alex makes bagged lunches for Mo and Robbie's first day at school. While we don't know what's in those lunches, Alex did mention that he included his homemade snickerdoodles. Snickerdoodles originate from Dutch/German immigrants who settled in New England, and since there's a lot of Dutch/German heritage in Pennsylvania where the Maltos live, I'm fairly confident this is something Alex picked up in America. But just for fun, I did find an interesting Filipino/Mexican-inspired variant of this classic cookie, so you get a two for one deal with this one!

Unfortunately, Tumblr won't let me post more in a single post, so the rest will have to be in a Part 2 reblog!

[lovely-lady-lumps]

Headcanons: How's their cooking?

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker, Loki

A/N: My first headcanon so I apologize if it's bad or doesn't make sense. Kind feedback is welcome.

°•○●♡●○•°

Tony Stark: Not very good. Given the fact he wasn't really raised by his parents and his robots do mostly everything for him, he never really learned how to cook. He does try for you but he mostly sticks to the classics. Grilled cheese and macaroni are his go to. Basically, if he was left to his own devices, he would eat like a child.

Steve Rogers: He's actually pretty decent. He never really cooked before the ice, first because he was too sickly and then because he was fed MREs. But after coming out of said ice and having a lot of time on his hands to relearn the world, he figured trying out simple recipes would come in handy.

Bucky Barnes: Amazing, his cooking is something you look forward to. He loves to cook because it reminds him of a life before HYDRA, when he would cook for a sick Steve. He's even better now because with all the new technology and access to more exotic foods, he's always trying new things.

Peter Parker: Almost the same as Tony, just slightly more advanced. When he was living with aunt May, she always ordered take out or they ate something simple. Now, in his own apartment, he lives off of cup ramen and easy spaghetti that will last him a few days. Don't expect him to really try cooking either, it'll just end up like aunt May's meatloaf.

Loki: Absolutely terrible. This man never had to cook for himself on Asgard. If he was hungry, food was either brought to him or he conjured something on his own. Or stole. But after falling in love with you he at least tried, and even if it ended in fire, it meant a lot to you.

[wildissylupus]

Share us your wisdom of the Overwatch cookbook

Alright so let's get started on the little bits of lore sprinkled in this book! In the book the recipes are separated into continents so I'll do the same here.

Also please not this book came out awhile ago so many characters are not going to be included. I am forever asking for a new cook book everyday.

I'm only really going to get into the descriptions but if people want I can analyse the recipes themselves, but I think you would need to specify the specific character.

Anyway let's get into it!!

The Americas

Cassidy

Cassidy always got Carne Adovada when he was in New Mexico, he specifically got it from this whole-in-the-wall on Route 66 just outside Albuquerque. It also states that he got a "hearty serving" of it.

Cassidy often has Bizcochitos when celebrating or just when he's having a break. It also seems like he enjoys them specifically because they remind him of home. I personally read that as they were something his family made pre-crisis.

Cassidy's cocktail of choice is called "Deadeye", it's sold at the Calaveras bar. It contains four black tea bags and four ounces of bourbon. making it like that gives you two servings. Also the description of this drink implies that Cassidy regularly put bourbon in his coffee.

The drinks name being "Deadeye" could imply that the bartender named it after Cassidy. The description of Deadeye also comfirms that Cassidy is a regular at Calaveras.

Ashe

Corn pudding is a comfort food for Ashe, B.O.B often makes it after a heist has gone sideways. She also eats it after every encounter with Cassidy. B.O.B makes it without being asked.

Ashe doesn't like a lot of deserts because of her parents neglect and the amount of bad birthday's she's had, however, Orange Crème Caramel, a flan dessert, is one or the few deserts she likes, even calling it one of her favourites.

Ashe's choice of drink to unwind with after a long day of running the Deadlock gang is Texas fizz. It also seems like her drinks of choice are more on the fizzy side.

None of her recipes imply that she cooks anything herself.

Soldier 76

Jack and Ana often made pancakes in the morning before Overwatch collapsed, Jack often adding cinnamon and orange zest to the batter to give it more flavour. When asked Jack would say the flavour would give the pancakes a little extra pick-me-up first thing in the mourning.

Jack's family had a meatloaf night and a chicken-and-biscuits Sunday.

Jack often makes an old family recipe when he's feeling wistful, specifically he makes a "Tater Tot hot dish", it basically a shepherd's pie with potato gems (tater tots) instead of mash potato. The reason he makes this dish specifically is because of how flexible it is, allowing him to use whatever meat and veg is on hand.

Before he and Vincent broke up Jack tended to make Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie for them both during the rare peaceful weekends.

The 76 was a milkshake Jack used to get after working on his families farm in the summer.

He grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. (idk if that's been mentioned anywhere else)

From all the recipes he has I think it's safe to say that Jack has a sweet tooth (like seriously all the recipes have a ungodly amount of sugar, even the tater tot one-)

Reaper

Reyes go to breakfast is a Breakfast Quesadilla, something that he has always made even when growing up in Los Angeles.

Even as Reaper he can still eat regular food, something I have seen people ask if he can still do.

In the early OW days Ana, Jack and Gabe often sat down and shared some churros. His go to food after a rough day is Chili Con Queso.

Reyes made his own cocktail, called the "Scythe", to drink after a difficult Blackwatch mission, such as the Venice Incident... when I say there is a lot of alcohol in this drink I mean it-

Sombra

Molletes are Sombra's go to food while she's working (I've made this recepie and same girl same)

Sombra's Sopa Azteca recepie implies one of two things about her, one she was taken in by a family at some point, or two she managed to get a home on her own when she was a kid. My bet is on the former since it's implied she doesn't really make it herself. Though this does seem to be a comfort food from her childhood.

Sombra likes Conchas and it's implied that she gets them from the Bakery Alejandra and her mother work at/own.

Sombra favouite cocktail is the Dorado Sunset, something that seems to be a common cocktail in Dorado but the Bartender at Calaveras makes the recepie shown in the cookbook specifically for her. This confirms what it does for Cassidy and that is the fact that they are both regulars.

Lucio

Lucio's go to snack is Pao De Queijo.

Lucio tends to go fishing, or that at least what his Moqueca recipe description reads to me.

Lucio's father made him Brigadeiros on his birthday, leading to Lucio considering them a very special treat.

(in all honesty the descriptions for Lucio's recepies are small and don't really reveal much so-)

Africa

Ana

Ana never learned how to cook because of missions and training, so her go to meals were salad and soups.

Most of the recipes Ana did know were recipes she made for or with Fareeha.

The descriptions of Ana's recipes never mention Sam, only ever mentioning sharing these recipes with Fareeha, further signifying that Ana and Sam are divorced though it seems to me that it was earlier in Fareeha's life then I initially thought.

Pharah

Baked Kibbeh is a recepie she learned from Ana and after Ana's "death" it was a comfort food for her.

Canadian Butter tarts are something that both Fareeha and her father bond over and often share during the holidays.

This is were Cassidy and Sam's relationship is described as "complicated". It's also implied that Pharah was often sent to spend the holidays with Sam, meaning Ana seemingly had majority custody over Fareeha.

Sometimes, Pharah dreams of just sitting down with her mother and sharing a glass of Sahlab.

Doomfist

Doomfist seems to be similar to Ashe in being implied to just... not cook for himself.

Before missions he eats a bowl of Jollof rice, something he did bac when he was doing martial arts.

When he was a kid his favourite sweet was shuku shuku.

Doomfist considers gin over rum because it's more sophisticated.

Orisa

Puff Puff's are one of Efi's go to foods, they are also mentioned a lot in the Hero of Numbani novel.

Efi made a Sundae inspired off of Orisa.

Efi's go to drink when working is hibiscus tea.

Europe

Tracer

Lena comfort food is Sticky Toffee Pudding, she often makes it whens she's feeling low to remind herself of what she's fighting for.

Lena's favourite meal is fish and chips, specifically the ones from Bell's Fish and Chips.

Lena and Emily like to share Battenberg cake, usually after a date at the movies.

Lena got a Primm's cocktail renamed after her after her efforts in restoring peace after the Kings Row Uprising. The drink was renamed the Cavalry Charge and it is something even Torb enjoys. Though he does mutter to himself that he should have never given her that catchphrase.

Moira

Moira's go to breakfast is a Full Irish Breakfast washed down with a cup of coffee

Moira and her family had regular Sunday Family Dinners, to the point were Guinness Stew is a comfort food for her. It is something she makes when she's craving the warmth and comfort of home.

Moira makes Barmbrack after a day in the lab though she sometimes changes the original recipe to fit with the tastes of Oasis, implying that she sometimes shares this dish with her colleagues there.

Torbjorn

Torbjorns favourite thing to cook is kroppkakor because how easy it is to tinker with.

Ingrid is a chemical engineer and she a very inquisitive, something she passed down to Brigitte, and to the surprise of no one her apple pie the favourite of one Angela Zeigler.

Brigitte

Toast Skagen seems to be her go to brain food, often eating it when she's working on something.

Brigitte like donuts, but not more then semlor buns.

Brigs go to drink is the Saft Drink, however she often changes the recipe to include a variety of different things each time, only ever using a template to help her make the drink.

Widowmaker

Widow often cooks herself since she is now living in her the abandoned Château Gilliard, one of her go to meals is Vichyssoise, which she finds fitting due to it being served cold.

Gratin Dauphinois was a favourite of Amelie and Gerard's, now she only really eats it for sustenance.

Widow loves pavlova, both when she was Amelie and even now as Widowmaker. She often eats it after a successful mission.

It's implied in the desciption of her "Widows Kiss" drink that she drinks it at the end of every day, she likes the bite of the drink.

Reinhardt

To no ones surprise Reinhardt eats a lot.

Kasespatzle is a comfort food for Reinhardt, often eating either for his own enjoyment or because he is feeling discouraged.

One of the things that help Reinhardt remember the possotive memories he has in Eichenwalde is the cake that is made there.

Reinhardt is a loud but fun drunk.

Bastion

Bastion likes Bird-Shaped Pretzels

Bastion knows how to make treats for birds.

Mercy

Mercy's go to meal is Bircher Muesli, she often recomends it to patients and even made Genji eat it while he was in recovery. Though he seemed to have not enjoy it at the beginning he has since grown to like it.

Like Cassidy, Angela takes enjoyment in eating cookies while taking a break or just when she's feeling overwhelmed, her favourite cookie is the Basler Brunsli.

Angela often mixes brandy in with her tea after a life-threatening ordeal.

Australia

Junkrat

Junkertown has a local burger called, well, Junkertown loaded Burger, which is one of Junkrats favourite meals.

Honestly these recipes confirm my belief that Junckrat should not be allowed near a kitchen.

Junkrat like Boba, idk if this is in his emote or not but it's not just a little reference, Junkrat just likes boba.

Roadhog

Roadhog often makes snack mixes because he and Junkrat never really have time for a full meal.

Roadhog used to be a farmer before the crisis, from this time fairy bread has become a comfort food.

Asia

Genji

Genji and Hanzo both loved the Rikimaru ramen shop when they were younger, often challenging eachother to see who could eat the spiciest bowl. Though Genji has made peace with his past those happy days with his bother still weigh heavily on him.

Soba-cha custard was something invented by the Shimada chef as a way to reward Genji and Hanzo for studying. Genji used to eat his on the roof of Shimada castle in order to look over the rest of Hanamura.

Green Dragon Tea seems to be something Genji made while he was under the teachings of Zenyatta.

Hanzo

Hanzo seemingly doesn't know how to cook complex meals like the ones he used to eat with the Shimada clan, right now he often eats simplistic dishes like Tamago Kake Gohan.

When he was younger Hanzo would have Shimada Tempura to reward himself after getting all his jobs done, his doesn't eat it anymore but the smell of it brings him back to a simpler time.

As a child Hanzo used to enjoy Sakura Mochi during Hanami

DVA

Hana's favourite food, other than chips and nano-cola, is Kimbap, so much so that when her fanbase found out MEKA made an official MEKA Kimbap, specific to all of Hana's favourite fillings.

When Hana finally takes a break, Dae-hyun tends to make her his Japchae.

Hotteok are Hana and Dae-hyun's go to victory food.

Hana has a drink named after her, well more specifically her mech, called the Bunny Hop Punch, it is one of her favourite drinks to order

Mei

Mei often cooked for her friends at the Ecopoint, now when she cooks she gets a bitter sweet feeling. Even so, she still cooks the recipes she did back at the Ecopoint to relive the good times she had with her team. This includes when she makes hot chocolate.

Despite cooking a lot, Mei was never able to make certain recipes out in Antarctica, now though with her travelling the world she can make more of the food she wanted.

Zarya

Her favourite soup, Borscht, might be the inspiration for her hair colour. This was also something she had often as a child, along with being one of her favourite meals.

Like many others Zarya got a drink named after her called the Super Nova, it is a pink twist on the White Russian.

Symmetra

Pakora is a childhood favourite of Satya's, though she can't eat it a lot with Viskar, she still enjoys a plate when she can.

Symmetra often enjoys the flaovors of the food from her home, even though it is worlds apart from the food Vishkar serves. It is a comfort food for her.

Symmetra likes making Kaju Katli because she can make the dough into any shape she wants.

Zenyatta

Zenyatta often uses food to spread empathy and understanding, often using it as a way to bond with the people he encounters.

Zenyatta often make Vegan Momos to share with those met meets during his travels, Genji being one of these people

The go to Tea for the human Shambali pilgrims is Tibetan Butter Tea.

The Moon

Winston

Winston likes Pineapple on Pizza, this type of Pizza was often enjoyed on Gibraltar and other Watch points, often being on the centre of the table

Harold Winston used to make Lunar Colony Pies for Winston before he died, Winston still has fond memories of these pies

Bananas are WInstons least favourite food, only tolerating them if they are dipped in peanut butter

Wrecking Ball

Hammonds favouite snack is a wrecking ball made out of cheese... because it's a wrecking ball made out of cheese.

That's all for now, and if you'll excuse me, I am very tired after writing that all out-

[clatterbane]

We've got some leftover plain jasmine rice, and a pack of nice fairly lean hamburger that needs used up. Also some grated Swedish Mystery Cheese--with another bag hopefully coming from the store with Mr. C before long, since he was going anyway and we do go through the cheese.

So, time for one old home makeshift Old Person favorite!

My mom called it "Country Pie", which does seem to be another popular name that basic recipe must have gotten published under at some point. She also used a lot more seasoning than called for there. (And usually made a 9x13 pan worth.) We are Southern, and not particularly WASPy.

Canned pasta sauce makes a good starting point. Let your heart take you from there.

Crust mixed up, and resting in the fridge. It's basically meatloaf, and I opted to use oatmeal instead of GF breadcrumbs. Also added an egg, and more seasoning including some garlic and vaguely Italian herbs. We don't have any non-foil deep pie pans, so a square Pyrex dish will do fine.

That can get prebaked for about half an hour before the rice mixture goes in. Make sure it's cooked through properly, and give a chance to drain some grease off if it needs it. This meat really shouldn't. The rice will soak up the meat juices, but yeah there are some limits there unless you just really like grease.

Planned on the side: some fried cabbage, very possibly with olive oil. This time, I decided to also cut up half a big carrot that was lurking in the fridge to throw I'm there with the onion for variety.

[mariacallous]

I collected vintage cookbooks for a long time before I fully appreciated what gems the seemingly ordinary church cookbook concealed. Behind the typed or handwritten recipes in each book isn’t a test kitchen or a culinary degree but something much more basic.

Decades of experience cooking for a family. Long nights spent preparing for church potluck suppers or charity dinners. The comfort that comes to the sick or the bereaved in the form of a warm, rich casserole or in the layers of a tall, fluffy cake served with a cup of coffee and much-needed conversation.

Church cookbook recipes haven’t been tested in a lab but tested on life. They are, quite literally, the best the congregation has to offer. Having a recipe included in the church cookbook is a point of pride. No one would contribute a recipe she thought was less than stellar.

The recipe titles reflect this, with names like “My Best Meatloaf” or “Edna Perkins’ Famous Chocolate Cake.” Edna Perkins would not think of sending in her second-best cake. She would send the recipe for her absolute best cake. The famous cake. The one that is going to sell cookbooks.

If you look even more closely at the recipes in any church cookbook, you will see that they are actually coded messages, telling us about the lives and times of the recipe authors and their congregations.

A book filled with recipes for gelatin molds, casseroles and orange drink scaled to quench the thirst of 500 reflects a congregation that loves a good potluck. Numerous recipes for cakes and cookies show a congregation with a talent for bake sales. Recipes “From the Parish Kitchen” reveal a pastor and spouse who invite others frequently to their home or give gifts of food. Ethnic recipes demonstrate congregants’ pride in their heritage. Recipes that are “My Best” or “Famous” show the generosity of members like my husband’s grandmother, giving gifts to the church that they wouldn’t give to anyone else.

A recipe seems like a little thing. You can get a recipe from virtually anywhere, especially now with the enormous Web presence of cooking sites, each putting hundreds or thousands of recipes at your fingertips. And when you make a church recipe, don’t you just end up with food?

It is almost always true that if you make a recipe from a church cookbook, you will end up with good food. But good, well-prepared food can also be found almost anywhere, whether you want a cupcake or a cheeseburger.

So why bother with a church cookbook? Because the uniqueness of the recipes in a church cookbook goes deeper than the quality of the food and deeper than the quality of the book itself. When you have a church cookbook, you literally have a piece of a congregation.

It may not have pictures, an index or even page numbers, but it offers you the love of the congregation. You get the talents and the pride of the parishioners in the titles. You will be a part of their lives when you open that plain cover and read the words they gave to their church.

[torchickentacos]

Ughhhh trying to find kid-friendly recipes (I am an adult with child siblings, not a mother, for the record) and it's WACK what some of these blogs think picky eater kids will eat. Like, no, they're not going to eat a hawaiian pineapple chicken bake and I don't particularly want to, either. They're not going to eat 'meatloaf muffins'. I would love some sheet-roasted vegetables with balsamic glaze, but the eleven year old won't. God forbid I try to factor in things like recipes that use shelf-stable ingredients, what heats up well as leftovers for lunch the next day, recipes that are easy enough for me to make, things that make enough for 6 people, things that don't cost an arm and a leg, and basically anything that isn't some casserole amalgamation of rice-cheese-vegetable-ground turkey.

[atmilliways]

Wrong On The Money (31)

part 31 of ?? | 542 words | Teen+

Blackmail fic on Ao3 | on tumblr

Summary:

When Wayne is out or asleep, Steve gets Eddie his meds when it’s time for a new dose. He unpacks boxes and hangs up posters (and then moves it up . . . and a little bit higher . . . and little to the left . . .). He changes Eddie’s bandages, which is an exercise in trying not to stare and trying not to let his touch linger anywhere. It’s a lot.

31.

Steve might have miscalculated in moving in with the Munsons.

Not that it isn’t great! Because it is. 

There are family dinners almost every night. Wayne is a decent cook, too. Eddie. . . . Well, Eddie is hit or miss, because he tends to get easily distracted. And Steve, for the first time in his life, has regularly scheduled positive feedback on what he considers the most basic of recipes: lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, meatloaf, spaghetti Bolognese. . . .

But Eddie always gives these little moaning mmm’s of appreciation and lopsided smiles with dimples. He keeps telling Steve he’s a culinary genius. And every time, Steve has to cough or turn or duck his head to hide a blush because he cannot handle it. 

Then there’s helping Eddie, because the guy still can’t move around much on his own. When Wayne is out or asleep, Steve gets him his meds when it’s time for a new dose. He unpacks boxes and hangs up posters (and then moves it up . . . and a little bit higher . . . and little to the left . . .). He changes Eddie’s bandages, which is an exercise in trying not to stare and trying not to let his touch linger anywhere.

It’s a lot. 

-

“So,” Robin says after a week and change, leaning against the counter next to him during the dullest part of a dull shift. (They have a lot of those. Really, it probably says a lot about their jobs that they weren’t fired for leaving Family Video closed over the first weekend of Spring Break, long before the ‘earthquake’ struck.) “How’s that crush going?”

With a groan, Steve drops his forehead on a stack of VHS tapes that he’s supposed to be sorting. “Dimples, Rob. He has dimples.”

“He does,” she allows, and he can tell from her tone that she doesn’t get it. “Is that . . . the moral opposite of chewing bubble gum that might get in your hair?”

Steve lifts his head to scowl at her. “How long have you been waiting to throw that one back at me?”

“Pretty much since the moment you said it.”

He groans again and pushes away from the counter, leaving the employees only area for more room to pace in the otherwise empty store. “You don’t get it. He smiles so much.”

Robin hesitates. “Really?”

“Yes really!” Steve waves irritably at himself. “You think I would be this pathetic if it didn't happen all the time?”

She throws her hands up, narrowly missing punching the computer right off the counter. “I don’t know! Whenever I see him he’s usually more like . . . big doe eyes and serious ruminations. Unless he’s playing D&D or guitar, or, um. . . .”

“Or?” Steve prompts.

She crosses her arms. “You’re going to be weird about this, but. . . . Or when he knows you’re looking.”

And she’s right; Steve can feel himself getting weird about it before she finishes saying the last word. Because why would Eddie Munson, now finally graduated, want one of his former high school bullies to think he’s all sunshine and smiles all the time? Even with the truce, even with kind of being friends, it makes no fucking sense. 

He spends the rest of the shift bickering with her about it, which is at least sort of a distraction.

[amaiguri]

Okay, fine, we'll TALK about Nouveau Thuille...

Nouveau Thuille is a city settled in a fertile valley under the Upper Continent run by a collection of mafia-like families -- and of those, there are four (kinda) primary House with the most influence:

House d'Magnia — The Spec Ops & Research

House d'Aramitz — The Military & Production

House d'Fealtoire — BIG old money folks

House d'Romanach — The Factory Workers & Agriculturalists

House d'Solais (Deceased) — The local-equivalent of King Arthur's house

The nobles collectively tell the people that they are holding power until their Emperor Under the Mountain, the Once and Future Emperor, Riavh Solais, returns to lead the world to eternal peace. And they definitely all believe that and it isn't propaganda. Definitely. 🙂

Anyway, without a very clear central authority, there are functionally no laws for nobles or those affiliated with them -- this includes this like murder and using corpses for science experiments and so forth. And so... there are basically laws for no one, because even the commonfolk farmers will pay taxes to (read: Get extorted by) at least one of the nobles families. That being said, you cannot be SEEN just MURDERING PEOPLE in the streets. You have to SEEM respectable. Openly murdering or kidnapping or robbing people? That's uncouth and you're properly stupid and dangerous if you can't HIDE your crimes. So, perhaps it's better to say, "There are no laws if you don't get caught breaking them."

Somehow, despite this relative anarchy and decentralized government, technology advances steadily. (Probably because competition between the Houses has led to growth!) And, recently, increased contact with the South has led to rapid industrialization over the last 50ish years here, which has led to the creation of a middle class. House d'Magnia and House d'Romanach both appeared into the last three or four generations or so.

So, with all that said, let's get into the thing WE ALL CARE ABOUT the most: What do people even EAT? Here's just a handful of foods:

- Stroganina -- Cut frozen fish into strips, eat raw

- Salmon Roe

- Frozen Rumateur Liver -- Freeze a Rumateur lamb liver, eat raw

- Eider Foie Gra -- (Force) feed an eider a diet of mostly black pine nuts, blood, and meat scraps, kill it at a year old, fry the liver on a rock slab, salt and top with thyme

- Rumateur jerky

- Rabbit Stew -- Every family has a unique stew recipe.

- Frozen Cream -- Rumateur cream is whipped and mixed with wild berries frozen or dried from the summer

- Bechamel Sauce -- Butter, barley flour, warmed and whipped. Add salt or honey for different flavors, frequently put on bread

- Barley Bread -- Both risen and flattened

- Fermented Rumateur Milk -- Has a vodka/soda like taste, sometimes warmed before drinking

- Barley-based Beer

- Rumateur Tongue Sandwich -- Traditionally on a barley bread bun with rumateur cheese, Tongue is grilled, roasted, or fried in lard, Lightly salted, sometimes dusted with thyme, sometimes eaten with bechamel sauce

- Barm Cake

- Blood pudding

- Scrap Meatloaf -- Made of scraps of meats from other meals, ground up, frozen into a cube, and then fried in lard

- Honey Mead

- Berry-Wines/Champagne/Ciders -- Every family has unique fermenting process for their Wild Berries

The Evolution of Theatre in Nouveau Thuille

This might seem random but hear me out: What could be more important to a culture than HOW THEY TELL STORIES about themselves?

See, for the longest time, across the North, they would tell stories of legendary figures, animals (particularly seals), and stock characters in song-form -- with funny voices for each of the characters. Sometimes puppets would be involved, particularly with children.

Then, around the time of Riavh Solais, the oral tradition just evolved to have more specific forms of songs -- and more people were expected to learn to sing songs or at least have their own, unique verse to a song -- but the melodies became more standardized, as a means of telling history. Character voices and accents became very specific, and some costumes became iconic. However, sorta like Opera, you didn't have to move around -- you just entered, exited, maybe even only stood up and sat down, and sang/played your instrument to play your role -- maybe with some, minor hand gestures or props. This means that they often explicitly said what they were doing, rather than demonstrating.

Today in Nouveau Thuille, shadow plays are popular -- typically set to music, sometimes with the help of tiny music boxes that cast shadows -- but dolls are considered crude and for children. This evolved into shadow dances briefly before just becoming actual dances, set to music, with poetry being recited -- sometimes by the actors themselves but usually by the chorus or the musicians. But the body language -- intended to be slightly stylized but with realistic facial expressions (much like their paintings being stylized but leaning towards realism these days) -- is supposed to do most of the work. And sometimes, there will be extended periods of no-speaking, only dance, and music.

These are performed in people's homes or the streets, but special effects in Ysse contraptions, alchemy, and other such special effects are used to enhance the performance and Nobles particularly are expected to tip to learn the secrets of how it was done -- and so, theatre is just an extension of the industrial military complex.

Nouveau Thuillean Language

For all 2 of the Conlangers who follow me (unless you've come over from YouTube... in which case, hello all ~650 of you lol), Nouveau Thuillean is intended to look and sound Franco-Irish. It has two grammatical genders (Normal or Transcendent), a definitive and subjunctive mood, and special Timeless conjugation -- for things that are happening regardless of time.

Since I have a whole language breakdown on my website, I won't dig into it here but here's just some sample sentences for you:

If you had loved me, none of this would have happened! = The ev'vatoirias eu, flavon s'de eblivui. I hear the call of the Abyss. (I.e. I feel self-destructive, I want to do/know something that will hurt me. "Call of the void" refers to something that will hurt you but you MUST do) = Nenne theillan d'flavoneisse. It's a flower. (i.e. It's really simple/easy.) = Zaira peo.

AND WITH THAT, I will leave you for the day. This was such a long post lol and I didn't even cover everything XDDDD

[lastoneout]

I don't think there's anything wrong with making a series for middle class home chefs with nice kitchens and disposable income who want to cook better...but I do think it's a little shitty to pretend that's not what you're doing.

Like I'm sorry if your "basic" meatloaf recipe calls for ground beef, pork, AND veal I think you've gone beyond what can reasonably be called basic.

[calmdownandcook]

Calm Down and Cook Every Single Meatloaf

Basic meatloaf should be in everyone’s “recipes I know without looking up the actual recipe” collection. It opens the doorway to so much more and it strangely impresses everyone. Meatloaf is really just the evolution of Country Pâté (also known as Terrine De Campagne). Fancy! It is also the dish I order to judge the quality of a diner (just like I judge Mexican restaurants by their salsa). But Meatloaf is also something so easy to make at home. A meatloaf dinner also sets the stage for a meatloaf sandwich the next day, and who doesn’t love that? Meatloaf can even evolve into meatballs and then into Swedish Meatballs (so you don’t have to find yourself an Ikea).

Meatloaf can be made from almost any ground meat, eggs, and a few breadcrumbs. The seasoning can be any flavor profile or nationality that is ringing your bells at the moment. There was a trend of packaged dry Onion Soup mix instead of salt and pepper. Still a traditional and solid option. I think everyone has a packet of taco seasoning in the back of their spice cabinet, perfect time to use it. Meatloaf can be served hot or cold. It can be stuffed with almost anything, from cheese to pickles, to asparagus. Your friends will think you won the James Beard Award for Best Chef. Don’t be afraid. You’re in charge, not the meatloaf. Meat “loaf” can be done in a loaf pan or, if you prefer the crispy outside bits, shape it free form on a baking dish in an oval shape. I can remember my Mom once forming a meatloaf in a heart shape on Valentine's Day. I thought she was a magician. 

This is what meatloaf can do for you. What can you do for meatloaf? Here is a basic recipe that can be used as a springboard for endless variations. 

Basic Meatloaf

2 pounds ground meat.

1 egg

½ small onion (finely chopped)

3/4 cup milk

1 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of Salt 

½ teaspoon of pepper 

½ cup of Any BBQ sauce

Instructions:

Let's start with the base. Combine all the ingredients except the BBQ sauce in a large bowl. Mix until it is evenly combined, this is your meatloaf base, your basic meatloaf. Shape the mixture into an oval loaf on a greased baking pan or in a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven, spread the BBQ sauce all over the top, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until fully cooked (check to ensure internal temp is 165°F). Total cooking time will be about 60 minutes whether you are using the BBQ sauce or not. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Now, let's have fun and start coloring outside the lines:

First, why BBQ sauce? If you’re not in the mood it can be swapped out for ketchup, or sweet chili sauce, or eliminate that step completely. Not a big deal.

A basic meatloaf with 2 pounds of meat should serve 8 people. In reality, I think, it serves 6 but you should have in your head that it will serve 4 people because you are a normal human being and are going to want to have meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. 

Any ground meat will work so look in your freezer. You can use 100% ground beef or go with the classic combination of beef, pork, and veal. If you struggle with veal that's Ok. Skip it and use 50% beef and 50% pork. On the other extreme, venison is also a tasty choice and gives a slightly gamey taste. If you want to try 100% ground pork here’s a tasty idea: stir in ½ of a finely chopped apple into the meatloaf base. Just remember, you’ll need a total of 2 pounds of meat. But this can be plus or minus. 2 ½ pounds is fine, just remember you will need another 15 minutes of cooking. The same goes with using only 1 ½ pounds of meat. The cooking time will be about 15 minutes less. Check the internal temperature with a thermometer and look for 165 degrees. Kitchen thermometers are a lot more accessible, affordable, and a solid purchase. They are a great tool to have and will give you the confidence to experiment with basic recipes.

If you decide to use ground Chicken or Turkey you will see that it is “wetter” than other ground meat so you will want to increase your breadcrumbs to a total of 1½ cups. Chicken and Turkey can also be very lean. A good solution for this is to lay a few slices of bacon across the top (also, because it’s bacon) as this will add fat and flavor, a couple of pats of butter along the top works nicely too.

Herbs: fresh or dried. Do you have a favorite herb? A teaspoon of dried or a tablespoon of chopped fresh is a great way to experiment with taste. Something as simple as chives and parsley will go a long way to flavoring your base. If you are using ground lamb, try rosemary.

Of course store bought breadcrumbs can also be replaced with homemade crumbs from leftover stale bread (I do not throw things away lightly). Tear the stale bread into 2-inch chunks and pulse in a food processor. “Pulse” is when you turn your processor on and off several times so you can really chop something up finely without it turning into a paste. Make a bunch of crumbs all at once and freeze the leftovers for another use.

If you only have “Italian” breadcrumbs then, maybe skip the salt because that comes already salted. Are you all about the Italian-flavored bread crumbs? Try adding flavors that will enhance that profile. A little dried oregano, garlic powder, crushed garlic, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes are great. Any or all of these can work. A ½ teaspoon of each work but you go with your intuition, you can add more or less. Parmesan cheese (up to ½ cup) is an easy addition if you have some lurking in the back of your fridge.

Now, open your horizons and truly look around your kitchen. Do you have any vegetables that are moments away from the compost pile? Chopped them up well. They can go in the meatloaf base and stretch the dish in a very inexpensive way (just don’t use more than 25% chopped vegetables in the mix. If you do, the meat will lose its ability to hold its shape and the loaf falls apart.). My Mom would do this with sad floppy carrots, celery, and mushrooms. These all work well and add to the flavor.

Next, stuffed meatloaf. If you go this route, you are going to want to add 10 minutes to the initial cooking time and make it 55 minutes. Take about  ⅔  of whatever meatloaf base you decide to make and lay it on your baking sheet or loaf pan (whatever you are using). Form a trough (trench, channel, hollow) down the middle with your fingertips. Spoon in your filling and then use the remaining ⅓ of your base to close it up. Once this is done, dip your hands in some cold water and smooth and close any openings the loaf might have. You can fill your meatloaf with whatever you fancy. A good way to start is 4 to 5 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry. Spinach can be combined with any cheese (mozzarella is fun). Try sauteed mushrooms and green peppers. Go crazy, use corn mixed with a couple of spoonfuls of salsa, and call it “Southwestern”. A row of peeled hard-boiled eggs would be very French. Serve while wearing a beret. A stuffed meatloaf has so many possibilities, no one is stopping you and will earn you endless accolades.

Tiny Little Balls of Meatloaf or as I call them - Meatballs.

Take your same basic meatloaf base and shape the mixture into 1½ inch size balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. You can line the cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. If your base mixture feels too wet to shape nicely, add a couple of tablespoons more of breadcrumbs.  These can be served on pasta with any sauce you enjoy. Premade, store-bought brown gravy has a place in this world and combined with meatballs and served on egg noodles is a guilty pleasure of mine. If you stir a little Dijon mustard and sour cream into the brown gravy you are very close to a Swedish meatball. Serve them with a scoop of lingonberry jam and pretend you are Swedish. There’s always a meatball sub to be made with those meatballs (also a grinder, hoagie, or hero) and they freeze well.

Meatloaf is an excellent basic recipe and can be adapted once you have the confidence. What are you craving? Would it fit into a meatloaf? Did you want to sneak vegetables into your family's diet? You can do this. Remember the meatloaf police aren’t at your door.

[swiftfootedachilles]

What do you think Mickey's safe foods would be now that he and Ian have that financial stability!?

I see him being a seeker with his food, like really really spicy, really really sour, really really sweet etc. but only when he feels like it

The probably keep pringles (I can't remember the flavour he always stole ate in early seasons but they'd have that flavour) and the pizza rolls and the other foods that he's lived off previously because they're familiar and somewhat a comfort food

And he loves being in the kitchen when Ian's cooking so he can touch all the ingredients and taste the good ingredients

I'm project on poor Mickey with this but even in canon we see him getting upset over not having a particular brand/type of beer so he's definitely got his favourite brands of things and when he can't get those brands it really upsets him

hmmmm idk probably basic foods like pb&j, buttered toast, ramen noodles, and yeah junk food he ate growing up like chips and pizza rolls and pizza bagels (pizza bagels fans rise up!!) hes definitely a junk food lover first and foremost hes just like me fr. ill be unable to eat 99% of foods but put chocolate in front of me and suddenly i forget all about my gi issues. my mans would refuse to eat meatloaf but has no problem eating an entire bag of halloween candy for dinner

beer lovers are kinda insane theyre either like "oh boy a new microbrewery just opened with an ipa made from hallucinogenic hops only found in the gobi desert!!" or theyre like "if you put anything other than miller light in front of me ill murder you" mickey is very much in the latter category. give him a lager and leave him the fuck alone. beer is nasty a hell

anyway hehehe i love the idea of him all up in ians space in the kitchen, sniffing all the ingredients and tasting along as ian cooks. ian has a mental catalogue of their yucks and yums and usually tries to compromise, but hes also a little bastard and makes foods he knows mickey will probably hate just because he reeeeeally wants to try it this new recipe seriously mickey just take ONE BITE if you try just one bite and dont like it ill buy you pizza with whatever toppings you want just please try my new dish 🥺🥺 ian is known to "hide" fruits and veggies in foods. he becomes sort of a master at making sure mickey (and franny and freddie) are getting all their nutrients without even realizing it. he tried to hide veggies in mickeys safe food once and ruined that safe food for mickey and he had a meltdown and didnt talk for the next day so ian doesnt fuck with mickeys safe foods anymore