#but if they see me pour like. half a pound of pasta into a pot to boil. i will die. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

strawberryspence · 3 years

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A Dinner and A Future

Fluff | Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: Spencer just wants your first date to be perfect and surprisingly, it goes really well.

Word Count: 3,7k.

Warnings: some cursing, first date nerves, but that's it. just pure mindless fluff.

Writer’s Note: Hello! I've been going through a writing dry spell and the thing that solved it was writing this. I've been seeing a lot of edits on tiktok about Spencer's traumas and I just wanted to give him something simple and happy. I was also listening to Kodaline on repeat while reading this, so yeah it's going be hella sappy. Enjoy! <3

Gif is mine. Lesley Smith-Juniment, you have my heart.

Spencer is nervous.

Wait no, scratch that, nervous is not good enough. He was brimming to the edge with worry and queasiness. What other synonyms does nervous have? Spencer was antsy, anxious, perturbed, uneasy, at this point he can recite the whole thesaurus.

Spencer closes his eyes and takes a deep breathe. He can do this. He has waited for this for a long time and he won’t waste it because of burnt pasta.

Okay, he looks back at the note that David Rossi himself wrote in his own special handwriting.

1. Cook 1 pound pasta until Al Dente. Boy Genius, Al Dente should be firm when bitten. You cook it on a boiling water with salt and oil. SALT AND OIL.

2. While that’s cooking, do nothing. LITERALLY DO NOTHING. Watch it. Do the sauce later. In some miraculous way, if you don’t watch the pasta you’ll burn it.

A grin spreads across Spencer’s face as he puts down the paper and reaches for the fettuccine pasta and dropping it on the boiling water (which he measured with measuring cups he borrowed from JJ)

“Okay, now I wait for it to boil.” Spencer stares at the pasta as it cooks. Did he buy enough parmesan cheese? or enough pecorino cheese? Oh no. He looks over the other side of his counter where all the (complete) ingredients sit and he sighs in relief as if he hasn’t checked it 15 times since he started.

The pasta was still cooking and isn’t going to be firm anytime soon. Spencer ponders if he should just cook the sauce while waiting but he knows he’s going to mess it up if he doesn’t give it his undivided attention.

He looks at the watch on his wrist as it ticks to 5:21. He has one hour, thirty nine minutes and forty six seconds. He still has time before the date. The date with you.

It took him nine months, Derek and Emily annoying him to death to just ask the pretty librarian out, one extensive background research from Penelope, two separate talks of the “You deserve to be happy” advice from JJ and Hotch and one lecture about marriage from Rossi to finally ask you out.

He’s kinda annoyed really because he spent so much time thinking about you and thinking of the perfect way to ask you out but he shows up at the library you work at one day with a cup of coffee in hand and his heart on the other.

You didn’t even hesitate. There was no pause to process what he asked, there was no questions following the embarrassing stumbling of the words, “W-will you go have d-dinner with me? L-like a date... Date?” You immediately said yes with a small hop and the biggest smile on your face.

This date has to be perfect. He asked you to come to his apartment at 7. Spencer would’ve picked you up but he was making you a home made dinner and the date was taking place on the rooftop of you apartment, which Penelope and Derek helped him decorate with lights.

He tries the pasta and when its finally firm to the bite, he takes this as his queue to read the paper again. Of course, he can remember all of the instructions but Rossi still wrote it down and reading it calms his nerves.

3. If its cooked, drain your pasta water but leave a little pasta water on the side. Then you can continue.

4. In a pan on MEDIUM heat (just around 2-3 on the stove setting) cook one pound diced pancetta and 1 cup chopped onions in olive. Put this down and chop chop!

Spencer puts the paper down as he follows the instructions to drain the pasta. After he was done with it he puts the pan on the stove and starts chopping up the ingredients he needs.

Cooking is strangely calming. He never thought he’d find it calming. He always found himself burning stuff. So he sticks to the microwaveable meals and fast foods, even if he knows the statistics about these kinds of food.

After finishing the chopping he reaches over the paper and reads it again.

5. Are you done? Okay. Put the chopped stuff on the pan with olive oil and cook it until the pancetta is browned and onions are soft.

He immediately follows the instructions written. The onion and pancetta create a silent hiss as it hits the pan. As it cook he looks down again.

6. That’s going to take a while, so leave it but stay by its side. I am giving you permission to do two things at once. Dr. Reid, please be mindful of it.

Spencer rolls his eyes before proceeding to #7.

7. Combine the two cheeses. Then divide it in half. Then pour the half into 4 egg YOLKS. Just yolks! The yellow ones! Then beat it lightly until its really combined.

He has already separated the egg yolks from the whites (a job he didn’t think would be that hard but was surprisingly very hard) before he started cooking. He adds the combination of cheeses to the eggs and lightly beats it as he watches the pan of onions and pancetta sizzle.

When done with the egg and cheese combo, he gives the pan a stir before looking back down.

8. Is the egg done? Yes? Good. Is the pancetta and onion good? Yes? Good.

9. Okay, now you put your pasta in the pancetta pan.

10. REMOVE IT FROM THE HEAT! REMOVE IT!

Spencer follows the instructions to the T. He puts the pasta on the pancetta, gives it a stir and immediately removes it from the heat. He sighs in relief. He hasn’t burned anything yet.

11. You haven’t burned anything yet? I am proud of you.

12. Now, pour the egg mixture into the pan and toss the pasta until coated. TOSS IT GENTLY. If you’re scared use tongs.

13. Pour about 1/4 cup of the pasta water I told you to set aside earlier. You don’t have to pour all 1/4 cup, just until you get the creaminess you want.

Spencer reaches over the nearest tongs. He’s not going to toss anything tonight that involves pastas or pans. He’s taking the safe road because he wants everything to be perfect.

14. Add the rest of your cheese! Toss some more and then add salt and pepper as NEEDED!

15. You can serve it with parsley.

16. Now, go take a shower and change into some cleaner clothes.

17. Just be you and have fun, Spencer. Goodluck! :)

Spencer smiles as he puts the paper down and makes the finals touches to the pasta. He starts doing what was instructed and it surprisingly, ends up in the perfect texture. Just like the one he tasted when Rossi had a pasta night.

He was proud of himself as he takes it off the stove and makes sure that all the stoves are turned off. There was this report he read in 2018, that cooking and leaving the stove open was the leading cause of home fires.

He takes the food, puts it into a fancy tupperware (another thing he borrowed from JJ) and puts it in the microwave. He cleans up a little and stuffs the pans and pots to the dishwasher, because you are coming in his apartment even for a second.

He starts getting himself ready for the date with a shower. As the warm water glides through his body he thinks of how funny life could be.

Spencer first meets you in the library. He has not slept well in weeks so instead he opts to go to the library to get some reading done. But as soon as he sits in one of the (surprisingly) comfortable leather chairs, its as if sleep knocks him out. It wasn’t until the closing time that you wake him up and he thinks that you were an angel sent for him. This elicits a giggle from you.

“I am sorry, I am not an angel. I am just the librarian and we’ve been close for over an hour now. I just didn’t want to wake you up. You looked like you really needed that sleep.” Spencer immediately jumps to his feet as he apologizes profusely to the kind librarian, “Oh, it’s okay! Don’t say sorry. I was also reading so I didn’t mind the peace and quiet.”

That’s how Spencer meets you. He comes back a few days later after a case with coffee, croissant and an apology. You immediately become friends and thats how all of this started. Spencer finds himself falling in love with the kind, gorgeous, clever librarian faster than he expected.

Every week after that, Spencer comes to the library with pastries and coffees for his favourite librarian and every week, you welcome Spencer with a warm smile and a new book for him to read. He can read it in one sitting but he reads it in the slowest pace he could so it can last for a week.

Spencer comes out the shower and stares at his closet. Should he go casual or formal? Casual or formal? Its just dinner, he’s chill and casual is the way. He picks one of the few plaid shirts that he has and puts it on with a white shirt underneath. He tries to brush his hair, it sits for a moment before it starts curling again. He cringes but leaves it be.

Spencer proceeds to the kitchen to start packing the food into a wicker basket (that he also borrowed from JJ, he basically borrowed her whole kitchen). He packs the utensils in a table napkin that comes with the basket. The main course for the date was the carbonara, and the dessert was a tiramisu Penelope made.

He reaches over his sofa where the bouquet of paper flowers are. He made it a few nights ago with Penelope’s help. He stayed up to make more of it with old books he found in the BAU.

Because what kind of flowers is the best flowers for librarians? Origami flowers made with old book pages.

He shouldn’t be nervous. You’ve been friends for all the months that he didn’t have enough courage to ask you out. You’ve taken trips to old bookstores together for book hunting. This shouldn’t be different from your other trips.

The pitter patter of rain against his window takes him out of his thoughts.

“Shit! Is it raining!?” Spencer yelps, before opening the closed curtains. Beads of water runs down his windows and if its any other day he would love it. But not tonight, when he planned a rooftop date. He cringes as he thinks of the fairy lights hanged up and the table set up that is probably soaked now.

“Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Think, Spencer, think.” Spencer thinks fast. He finds the extra table cloth that JJ gave him because “Just in case.” He reminds himself to buy her a bottle of wine as a thank you. He places it in his small kitchen table before taking the utensils out of the basket and placing it on the table in a fancy way.

Candles. Does he have candles? Spencer scrambles around his kitchen, like a chicken without its head, looking for candles and he finds it underneath the kitchen sink. He lights some of it up and props it into some glasses (he doesn’t have a candle holder he realizes after lighting it up).

With the lights dimmed down leaving the light from the window and the light from the candles, his dark apartment gives off a romantic, kind of comfortable, vibes. It was kind of perfect because with the books on his shelves and the lighting, it actually has the same vibes a library gives off.

He was ready now, bouquet of paper flowers in hand. He can’t believe how smooth things are going, minus the damn rain. Only thing that’s missing is you.

A knock comes to the door and he instantly opens it. There you were, hair a bit wet and messed up from the rain.

His future was bundled up in a cozy cardigan and a pair of jeans right in front of his eyes and he didn’t even know it.

“Hi.” Spencer smiles.

“Hi.” You smile.

“A little to the right. No. No. Too much right, now give it a little bit to the left.” You sigh, your hand under your chin, “No, no, baby, its crooked.”

“Love, can we do this later? The pancetta is going to burn.” Spencer laughs as he climbs down the ladder with the frame.

“But you said you’ll help me with putting up the frames!” You pout at him, Spencer chuckles before kissing your nose, “I know but you also asked for my famous carbonara and I can’t do both at the same time.”

“Hmmm. I still don’t think you can call it yours when its originally Dave’s.” You follow him to the kitchen, zigzagging through the boxes of books you’ve both barely opened.

“What he doesn’t know, won’t kill him.” He winks at you before giving the pancetta and onions a stir.

“It already smells good, love.” You snake your arms through his waist and lean your head on his back. Spencer lets go of the spatula and spins around to face you.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Go unbox some of the books and I’ll call you when its cooked so we can fix the frames. Okay?” Spencer kisses the top of your head and lets you go.

You walk out of the kitchen to the hallway full of boxes full of books. You chuckle as you open the nearest box and its just full of chemistry books. You push it to the room where Luke, Derek and Spencer has built shelves for all of your books. An olive green couch sits in the corner beside the built in fireplace.

Hmmm. This is your home library but as a former librarian the dewey decimal is calling you. But then again, the books you and Spencer have doesn’t have classifications on them. You began unpacking the chemistry books and placing it on the shelf. You can hear the distinct hiss of the pan and Spencer humming Kodaline’s The One.

You push in another box from the hallway to the room and its another one of Spencer’s, this one full of philosophy books. You start unpacking it to the shelf below the chemistry books before stopping as you pull out a book that doesn't belong with the philosophy books. A smile graces your face as your hands glides unto it. It was the book Spencer bought for you on your first anniversary.

The Peter Pan cover is a bit tattered, it was an older edition he found in your favorite old bookstore. You open the book and Spencer’s messy writing greets you with nostalgia.

“We are most alive when we are in love. Thank you for making me feel alive everyday for the past year. Happy Anniversary, love. I live a full life as I love you fully.”

You smile at the book before hugging it to your chest. You sigh deeply as you looked around the room and how it felt so surreal to be in the new home you share with Spencer.

“Love, I am finish. Come meet me in the hallway!” You leave the book on the shelf as you hear Spencer calling you.

“Are you helping me with the frames?” You clap, excited to finally put up the frames. Spencer smiles as he sees you excited to put up the pictures.

“Yes, okay you need to tell me if they’re straight okay?” He instructs before climbing the ladder.

“To the right, just a bit. Oh! Perfect!” You scramble to reach for another frame as he comes down the ladder to move it, “Here! This one.” He climbs again and you instruct him with directions for the frame again.

After a few more frames, he finally comes down and looks at the frames you asked to be put up.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Spencer smiles down at you and gives your cheek a kiss as he wraps his hands around your waist, “It is. Thank you for framing them.”

The frames comes in different shapes and forms, the biggest one in the middle is the picture of your wedding day. Your wedding took place in a library you immediately fell in love with when looking for places to get married at.

In the picture, you were smiling, your head rested on Spencer's shoulder as he reads a Harry Potter book he found in the kids section. It was a candid moment, both of you running to the back of the shelves to get a moment to yourselves after the wedding and the photographer snapped it before leaving the two of you in peace.

Beside it are pictures with the team on the wedding day, some on thanksgiving, christmas, new year with the BAU team, some with your family, some with Diana and in the corner is a shadow box containing the paper bouquet that Spencer gave you on your first date, the same exact flowers that was in your hands as you walk down the aisle to him.

“So, how's the first six months of officially being a Reid-Y/L/N?” Spencer teases as he lets you go from the back hug to face you and you roll your eyes at him, “Oh very hard. They hear Reid and they immediately expect greatness.”

Spencer laughs, “Same as the last name Y/L/N.” This time your the one who laughs at his statement, “Uhhh. I am not the one with 3 PhDs and 3 BAs.”

“And I am not the one whose a New York Times best selling author.” Spencer laughs even more when he sees your nose crinkles, making his heart dance and swell in glee.

“Hey, let’s dance.” He takes your arms and leaves it on his shoulders as he wraps his arms on your waist.

“We don’t have music, you silly goofy boy.” Spencer rolls his eyes at the endearment used, “I’ll sing.” He hushes you down.

“You make my heart feel like it's summer when the rain is pouring down.” Spencer’s singing voice was soft and sweet in the edges. Most nights you lull him to sleep with your humming to keep the monsters at bay and some days, his better days, he’s the one who sings and these were the days you treasure the most.

“You make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong, that's how I know you are the one... That’s how I know you are the one.” He sways you to the gentle buzz of his voice. You close your eyes as he sings the same song he sings to your ears on the dance floor for you first dance as a married couple.

“When we are together, you make me feel like my mind is free and my dreams are reachable hmmm.” Spencer hums as he runs his hands on your back. Your head on his chest and your ear listening to the way his heart is beating for you.

“You know I never ever believed in love, I believed one day that you would come along and free me.” Spencer feels at ease as he sways and sings, knowing that he’ll have you in his arms for the rest of his life.

The song ends but you and Spencer continue to sway to the music of silence.

“Can you believe its been 4 years since our first date?” Spencer asks, in disbelief of how fast time is running when he’s with you. You pull away from his chest so you can face him. You find a small spark in Spencer’s eyes as he thinks fondly of the night.

“Really? 4 years since our first date got rained on and Penelope cried because we broke all her fairy lights?” Spencer laughs before protesting, “Hey! I paid for that!”

"4 years later and I still can't get enough of that damn carbonara." Spence cackles, like an evil villain, "Don't tell Rossi that I stole his recipe for my beautiful partner."

"4 years later and I am still completely in love with you." Spencer smiles as he leans down to place a small kiss on your temple.

"4 years since I almost completely lost my mind because I was so nervous about our date." You roll your eyes, "Love, our first date was perfect. We've had this debate how many times now?"

"19 times." Spencer answers and you pinch his nose before looking around the room that’s still full of unopened boxes, “See. We should probably eat lunch and unpack. Why do we even have so many boxes of books?”

“Honey, you were a librarian and you are a writer. I am a professor and FBI agent that can read 20,000 words per minute.” Spencer answers as he looks around the unpacked house.

You smile fondly at him before standing on your tiptoes a bit to reach him and give him a kiss and he immediately steadies you with his hands. Kissing you was intoxicating and Spencer loves every bit of it. You only pull away when the kiss finally takes away your breathe.

“I love you, Spence.” You smile as you hold his face in your hands, “I love you more, sweetheart.” He smiles at you as you untangle yourself from him.

“Let’s eat your famous carbonara and unpack the rest of our house. It doesn’t really feel like home when all we can see is boxes.” You giggle before dragging him to the kitchen, making Spencer sit on the island as you prepare the pasta he cooked. Spencer watches you as you sing and dance through the kitchen in one of his old cardigans.

He doesn’t say anything but you were wrong. Home is not four walls with unpacked boxes and hundreds of books.

Home was when you showed up bundled in a cardigan, wet from the rain for your first date with him and home is still you, four years later, bundled up in his old cardigans and singing songs that magically fills and heals the crevices of his heart.

the recipe i copied for the famous carbonara!

taglist (if you want to be added, please message me 🥰): @all-tings-diego @shemarmooresfedora @averyhotchner @samuel-de-champagne-problems @bingereid

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fontegagrilledcheese · 3 years

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Dumbasses in Quarantine

This is my Bog Exchange fic! I finally finished! This is for the lovely @herostag I hope they like it!

Special thanks to Dani and Doug for beating my grammar with a stick. Ily <3

This is 2.9K words of idiots being idiots during the plague. Just pure fluff, no CW here. Modern Au.

1. Geralt had finally had enough of Jaskier complaining about all the takeout they had been consuming since everything had gone on lockdown, so here he was, watching a pot of noodles cook while Jaskier was in the living room weeding his island in Animal Crossing for the third time that week. He stirs the spaghetti around before grabbing a second pot and the jar of pasta sauce that he had bought at some point in the last few years. Geralt pours the sauce into the pot, throws some Italian seasoning in and hmms at the consistency before ladling some pasta water into the sauce to thin it out slightly. “Dinner’s almost ready” Geralt softly calls to Jaskier before going back to his noodles, fishing one out to check the doneness. Geralt bites into it and makes a face at the sweetness as Jaskier walks into the kitchen.

“Everything all right there?” Jaskier inquires, coming over to look into the pots on the stove.

“Hmmm, I think so. Taste this?” Geralt fishes another noodle out to hand over to Jaskier, who eats it with a hum.

“That doesn’t taste right,” Jaskier says thoughtfully. “But I don't know enough about cooking to dispute it.”

Geralt hums again, “Think it will be fine?”

Jaskier just shrugs and goes to set the table, leaving Geralt to finish putting the meal together. Geralt tilts his head at the pots on the stove before pulling out his phone to text Eskel ‘is pasta supposed to be sweet when cooking?’

While waiting for a reply, Geralt drains the noodles and dumps them into the sauce to stir them in before his phone rings with a call from Eskel.

“You tried a noodle and it tasted sweet?”

“Yeah, is it supposed to be like that?”

There is a moment of silence where Lambert can be heard laughing in the background before Eskel replies, “Are you sure you put salt in the water?”

“Yeah, poured a bunch of salt in there like you said to.”

Eskel hums, “Are you sure it wasn't sugar? Did you make sure to taste it first?”

The silence on Geralt's side is telling, and Lambert can be heard dying in the background.

“Thanks Eskel,” Geralt says before hanging up and staring down at the pot of sugared spaghetti.

“Hey Jask, how do you feel about getting takeout again?”

Jaskier sighs, “What happened?”

Geralt blushes “I… I may have put sugar in the water instead of salt…”

“Oh… but the sauce?”

“I put some of the pasta water in the sauce to thin it.”

Jaskier starts giggling, “G-Geralt... noooo.”

Geralt sighs, wearily turning off the stove. “So takeout?”

“Yeah, takeout is fine. Whatever you feel like.”

Geralt hums and pulls up the delivery app, “Sorry, Jask.”

Jaskier sidles up to him, giving him a half hug, “Thanks for trying.” He leans fully into him so he can see Geralt's phone as they order.

2. A while into quarantine, Jaskier decided he needed some greenery in his life, since he couldn’t leave the house. This led Jaskier to order himself a cute little cactus from a local nursery for the next time they order a grocery pick up. Talking Geralt into stopping by the shop on the way back from the store proved easier than Jaskier had anticipated. Geralt had begrudgingly agreed after hours of Jaskier’s pouting and puppy eyes wearing him down.

Jaskier dances around the apartment with his new treasure before placing it on the sunny windowsill in their living room. Geralt rolls his eyes but smiles at his roommates' antics, “You do know how to take care of it don’t you?”

Jaksier pouts at him, “It’s a cactus, how hard can it be! I just water it every so often and bam, beautiful thriving mini Geralt!”

Geralt huffs at him, grabbing a controller for their gaming console, “You promised I could destroy you at Mortal Combat if we picked up the plant.”

“Yes, yes Geralt I’m coming, just let me water my precious child.”

Weeks later, Little Geralt starts looking a bit droopy, causing Jaskier to water him, but unfortunately Jaskier does not account for his ADHD and lack of calendar filling out, and proceeds to water the poor cactus every day for the next two weeks, water logging and eventually killing poor Little Geralt.

Once Jaskier realizes, he cries to Geralt only a little and has a funeral for the cactus as he throws it away, being the absolute most dramatic about it as possible. Geralt just rolls his eyes at the antics and adds a new plant to the order list to pick up the next time they have their outing to go get groceries.

Jaskier gives Geralt the biggest hug when he realises they’re heading to the plant store and talks excitedly about how determined he is to to not kill Little Geralt the Second; Geralt just rolls his eyes half heartedly but helps Jaskier set up a calendar to keep track of when he’s watered the cactus. This works for about a month before Jaskier gets busy and forgets about his little plant, frying on the windowsill, until Geralt notices about three months later.

“Hey Jask, your cactus is looking a bit… shriveled.”

Jaskier rushes into the living room “NO!” He yells as he slides to a stop on his knees before the dried up little plant “Noooooooo, Little Geralt the Second, nooooo!” he shakes his fists at the ceiling.

Geralt pats his shoulder comfortingly, “At least it lived longer this time.”

Jaskier shakes his head with a sigh. “I’m a terrible plant parent.”

Geralt hmms consolingly, “We can get you another. I’ll try to help you keep better track of it this time.”

Jaskier nods, “Thanks Geralt,” and picks up his dead plant to go throw it out.

Geralt just hmms and pulls up the pick-up list on his phone to add a new little cactus.

Three months later, Little Geralt the Third is thriving in its place on the windowsill, happily soaking up the sun on a bright spring day as a breeze comes through the window. Jaskier dances around the living room, vacuuming and dusting as Geralt cleans the kitchen of the previous night’s actually decent attempt at cooking. Jaskier sings along to ABBA, twirling with his duster mic when disaster strikes poor Little Geralt the Third. Jaskier swirls too close to the window and pops his hip at just the wrong time and the plant wobbles before being pushed off the edge and falls three stories down to the concrete sidewalk down below. Jaskier freezes at the crashing sound and turns to look out the window, staring down at his poor, broken plant.

“Nooooooo, Geralt!” Jaskier yells, and Geralt comes running in from the kitchen, startled by Jaskier’s cry.

“Jask?!”

Jaskier just points down at the sidewalk, falling to his knees “Geralt, I killed him! I killed our son! To ABBA!”

Jaskier sprawls out on the floor dramatically, mourning the fate of poor Little Geralt the Third, who had been thriving wonderfully before going splat on the pavement.

Geralt sits down next to his dramatic roommate and pats his leg, “That one was actually doing pretty well. Maybe we could get another and just find a better place for it to sit?”

Jaskier sniffles and looks through his lashes at Geralt, “Really?”

Geralt nods before being tackled to the ground in a tight hug.

“Thanks Geralt.” Jaskier whispers, nuzzling into his friend.

3. Geralt stood staring into the mirror at the red roots growing into his perfect silver platinum hair. He pouts at it, looking at his hair and then back down at his phone at the pictures of his past beautiful silver hair.

“I can do it, how hard can it be?” he grumbles, glaring back at his roots. He nods to himself before searching different bleaches, toners, and silver dyes that are available at their local beauty shop.

A week and two trips to the store later, Geralt is once again standing in the bathroom and glaring at his roots in the mirror. “How hard can it be...”

Five hours later, Jaskier comes home from the park to Geralt sitting on the couch in a hoodie with the hood on and scrunched up around his face, pouting.

“So how did it go?” he asks.

Geralt grunts in response.

“Oh it can’t be that bad,” comes Jaskier’s exasperated reply, reaching for the hood over the back of the couch.

Geralt growls and catches his hand, yanking and pulling Jaskier over the couch and partially into his lap.

Jaskier laughs and reaches up again with both hands, trying to use one as a distraction. Geralt growls again and tackles him to the floor to pin him, where they tussle around before Jaskier gets an upper hand and pulls the hood off. Geralt freezes as Jaskier stares at him with wide eyes and a growing smile.

“Don’t,” he growls.

Jaskier’s grin turns into giggles, then into full on laughter. “Geralt! Your hair!”

Geralt sits back with a pout, still sitting on Jaskier. “I know, it's horrible.”

“It's bright purple! What did you do!?”

Geralt flushes, “I forgot to set a timer and left the toner in too long. It should wash out and wear off in a few weeks,” he grumbles.

Jaskier continues to giggle. “Well at least it's not permanent, and you bleached the roots pretty well.”

Geralt sighs and nods before laying down on Jaskier for a consolation cuddle. “Yeah, at least there's that.”

4. Geralt’s birthday was coming up and Jaskier was determined to celebrate it, even if they couldn’t go on their customary birthday bar crawl that they had gone on for both of their birthdays since they had been roommates in college. Jaskier wanted to go the extra mile for his bestest friend in the whole world and decided that he was going to make Geralt a homemade cake, icing drizzle and all. Jaskier had scoured the internet for weeks trying to find a cake he thought geralt would like and that he thought he could make with his limited baking abilities. He finally found the perfect recipe for a simple strawberry pound cake that he only had to buy a minimal amount of extra ingredients for.

The day of Geralt's birthday, Jaskier sets up in the kitchen and banishes Geralt to the living room to play his new Witcher game while Jaskier makes the cake.

He starts by setting out everything he needs and getting the beaters set up and his recipe out. He preheats the oven and then gets to work measuring everything out carefully, looking back at his recipe often, so often he doesn’t quite notice that he’s grabbed the salt container instead of the sugar and measures out the three cups the recipe calls for before adding it into the wet ingredients bowl to cream together as stated by the recipe. Jaskier goes about making his cake and mixing it up, carefully pouring it into the disposable cake tin they had bought specially for the event before putting it in the oven and carefully setting a timer on his phone.

He takes a break for a moment to make a cup of tea before cleaning up the mess from the cake and mixing up the simple drizzle icing for the cake.

The timer goes off and Jaskier pokes the cake with a toothpick as he has been directed, frowning at the lopsided cake.

“Is that how it should look?” he mutters to himself, looking at the clean toothpick. “Guess it’s done.”

He pulls the cake out of the oven and sets it on the rack to cool, poking little holes in it with the toothpick to help it cool and absorb some of the icing later.

After 30 minutes, he drizzles the icing over the cake, humming happily to himself.

“Geralt, do you want to do cake now or later?” he calls into the living room. Geralt hmms and stands before replying, “Now.”

Jaskier grins and grabs them plates, forks, and a knife to cut the cake with.

Geralt stands beside him at the counter, smiling softly at the cake Jaskier has made him.

“Thanks Jask,” he says softly.

Jaskier grins fully at him. “Happy birthday, Geralt!”

They cut into the cake and serve themselves. Geralt happily eats his, reaching out to get seconds while Jaskier frowns at his slice. “Does this taste right to you?” he takes another bite while Geralt shrugs.

“Tastes fine to me,” he replies, happy to continue eating what his Jaskier has made him.

Jaskier frowns more and looks at his recipe, “I dunno, doesn’t it taste salty?”

Geralt hmms in thought before continuing to eat, “Suppose so, but it’s not too bad.”

Jaskier gasps. “Geralt! No Geralt, stop eating that! I must have mixed up the salt and sugar when I was measuring, oh! It's terrible, I’m so sorry, Geralt,” he whines, looking almost at the verge of tears.

This causes Geralt to pause his gremlin-like cake eating, setting the plate down before pulling his best friend into a tight hug, resting his head against the others. “So maybe you had a booboo with it and it’s a little salty. You know I’m not picky, and it tastes fine and vaguely like strawberries. I’ll eat it anyway, Jask.” he grumbles out.

Jaskier sniffles. “But you deserve a good cake that’s made correctly.”

Geralt hums, “Maybe, but this is something you’ve made for me with all your heart, and I think it tastes alright, and I will keep eating it, because you made it for me and that makes it taste all the sweeter.”

Jaskier sniffles again, squeezing the man in his arms tightly “Oh, you big softy! You don’t have to eat it.”

“But I want to.”

“Fine.” Jaskier sighs, nuzzling the broad chest he’s pressed against. “Love you”

Geralt smiles softly, pressing a kiss to Jaskiers temple. “Love you too, you disaster.”

Jaskier gasps and smacks his chest “You!”

Geralt laughs and grabs his cake before dragging Jaskier to the couch. “Come on, I demand my birthday cuddles.”

Jaskier puffs his cheeks but settles against Geralt on the couch, holding the controller for him “If this is my penance.”

5. Usually Jaskier did the laundry while Geralt did dishes. This was because Jaskier had many a delicate piece in his wardrobe and he did not trust Geralt to treat his clothes the right way if he were to do the laundry. Geralt didn’t care much either way who did the dishes and who did the laundry, as long as the chores ended up done in the end. This was how their kitchen, laundry nook, and part of their living room ended up absolutely covered in bubbles.

They had decided to switch up the chore rotation for the week because the dishes weren’t too bad and Jaskier hadn’t worn any of his ‘delicate’ pieces in the past week and a half, meaning there was nothing of his Geralt could mess up. The switching of chores had unforeseen consequences however, in that neither remembers exactly how to do the new chore, as they hadn’t had to in at least a year. Rather than ask the other for help, both Jaskier and Geralt decided to wing it and try their best.

Jaskier stares down at Geralt, slav squatting, staring at the bubbles that were slowly invading their apartment via the laundry and kitchen.

“So, I couldn’t remember which dish liquid was the one for the dishwasher and put the red one in, which was apparently the wrong choice…… What did you do to create the bubbles in the washer?”

Geralt grunts. “That was the dawn dish soap that we hand wash the alcohol glasses with,” he sighs. “I may have put a full cup of laundry detergent in the washing machine”

Jaskier gasps “A full- Geralt! The entire cup!? That’s at least double the amount you’re supposed to use!”

Geralt pouts. “I couldn’t remember how much,” he grumbles

“You could have asked me!”

This earns Jaskier a raised eyebrow and the stink eye.

“Fair enough,” he giggles. “We should have asked each other when we were confused.”

Geralt nods before standing. “Well I guess we should turn the appliances off before the bubbles get worse… wish me luck”

Jaskier nods and jokingly salutes him. “I’ll remember you dearly.”

Geralt chuckles and shakes his head before wading into the bubbles to stop the dishwasher and washing machine cycles.

A minute later he reappears, covered in bubbles from head to toe, looking like some sort of grumpy snowman. Jaskier laughs at him before Geralt smirks and captures him in a bear hug, causing the man to shriek. “Nooo! Geralt my clothes! Ackkkk!”

Geralt swings him, picking him up slightly. “I think if we let the bubbles settle we can clean up in a little, but we should change first.”

Jaskier pouts “The point of you doing it was so only one of us had to change.”

Geralt gives him a toothy grin, carrying him towards their bedrooms to change. “But you laughed at me, that demands retribution.”

Jaskier just sticks his tongue out at him before being set down in front of his room. “Wanna play Smash while we wait?”

Geralt grins, “What, wanna get wrecked that badly?” he winks to Jaskiers affronted gasp before going in his room to change.

guess I’ll add my tag list huh

@geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde @jaskiersvalley @jaskierswolf @dani-dandelino @wherethewordsare @softnerdypeter @thecomfortofoldstorries @dapandapod @lindianaj0nes @kuripon @elliestormfound @veritasrose

Hope y’all enjoyed it >///<

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themadlostgirl · 3 years

Text

When It’s Cold (2)

*Horny teens are horny. Mild smut mentions ahead.*

~~~

I laid in bed watching the lightning flash outside my windows as thunder shook the room and rain poured down. As a child a storm like this would have had me hiding under my covers. Tonight though I watched the storm, every inch of my body on alert with every crack of lightning and thunder. The doors to my room burst open with a roll of thunder. A shadowed figured stood in the hallway. My heart hammered fast as I tried to see through the darkness at my intruder. A flash of lightning illuminated the once dark room and I recognized the jagged line down my visitor’s face.

“Felix?” I sat up straighter. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to make sure you weren’t scared.” He prowled closer, a wicked grin on his face as he got to the foot of my bed. “You always were so scared of storms.”

“I was…” I murmured. He was dressed only in a pair of pants. That same chiseled torso I had gawked at earlier on full display.

He crawled onto the bed until he was hovering over me. “Do you want me to stay?” His voice purred in my ear, “I can keep you warm if it gets cold.”

“Yes please,” I let the robe around me fall from my shoulders leaving me exposed. “Keep me warm, Felix.”

“Gladly.” He swooped down upon me.

~~~

I woke with a start. My body was wound up tight and I was tangled in the blankets on my bed. I gazed around me confused before the previous day’s events caught up to me. It felt like a dream that Felix and I had found this mansion last night.

Felix…

The real dream came back to me with stark detail. What had that been all about? I’ve never had a dream like that before. I never have dreams in the first place. Even when I do they’re nothing like that and most certainly do not feature Felix. Yet he had been the epicenter.

Half naked with a devilish grin looking down at my own nude body. I had wanted him to--to--

I buried my face in my pillow. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone to his room last night and saw him coming out of the bathroom. Why did I have to see that? Now I was having borderline erotic dreams about him. Oh screw borderline! I knew exactly what I had been hoping to happen and the aching between my legs only solidified it.

It’s not like I never found Felix ugly or anything. He was pleasant to look at. I dare say at times he was handsome but I never dwelled on it. Maybe a stray intrusive thought or two but they never went so far as my dream had. I couldn’t stop picturing it. Felix and I in bed, his large hands on my body, his lips caressing my skin…

I pressed my legs together as the image took root in my head. Maybe I deserve to indulge a little. For right now there is nothing to worry about. Besides, it’s not like Felix will ever know. My hand dipped between my legs as I let myself fall back into the dream. My body was extra sensitive since I hadn’t been able to indulge in this particular past time since Neverland. Not that I got to do it a whole lot there either. I swear there is absolutely no privacy on that island.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

And none here either it seems.

With a small whine I swung out of bed and pulled my robe in tight. I opened the door and Felix was waiting on the other side already dressed. Could it be considered poetic irony that the boy I had just a moment ago been masturbating to interrupted said masturbation?

“Did you just wake up?” Felix looked me up and down.

“Kinda. I figured I was allowed to sleep in. What do you want?” I stepped back and started collecting my clothes from the floor.

“Get dressed. I discovered something you’re gonna wanna see.”

“Can’t you just tell me?”

“No. Now hurry up.” He closed the door and left.

With a sigh a pulled my clothes back on and followed Felix up a set of stairs to a hallway that led to a dead end. “This is what you wanted to show me? A wall with a picture on it?”

“Watch this,” He pulled the light fixture next to the painting and suddenly the wall came loose and rotated opening up a passageway into a whole new room.

“This place has secret rooms now. Very cool.” I stepped inside. “A library?” I looked at the books but there were no names on the spines. I pulled one off and flipped through it but all the pages were blank. “I will say I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Oh but it gets better.” Felix went over to the desk at the end of the room and pulled open the drawer. There was a button inside. He pressed it and a section of the floor popped up. I knelt down and opened the hatch and my eyes went wide. It was a safe!

I turned the latch and nearly cried at what I saw. Money. Just stacks and stacks of money! One less thing to worry about. We wouldn’t need to scrape by or get jobs. This safe could keep us comfortable for months! Years even!

“How did you find this?” I asked Felix.

“I like puzzles and I like to snoop.” He grinned pulling out a stack of hundreds. The band around it said ten thousand. Ten thousand dollars and there were easily a hundred or more just like it from what I could tell from the naked eye. We have someplace warm to sleep and we have money for food.

I started sniffling and I could sense Felix watching me befuddled. “Sorry, I just--” I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my eyes, “We’re going to survive the winter. We don’t have to be hungry or cold again.”

“I know,” Felix pulled a few hundreds from the stack and dropped the rest back in the safe. “Now how about we go do that grocery shopping you were so insistent on?”

“Yes!” I hopped to my feet. We put everything back in place and left the room. I found a pad of paper and started making a list of everything we would need. Unlike Felix who had spent so much time on Neverland that he couldn’t remember who he had been before being a Lost Boy , I did remember who I was. I remembered the responsibilities I had before Neverland. What was needed when I was made to go to market. The grocery store wasn’t like the open air markets I was used to but it was still the same general concept.

Felix and I got weird looks as we entered the store and I took one of the trollies. My first stop was to grab some toiletries. Toilet paper, shampoo, body wash, loofah, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and even a set of razors in case Felix wanted to shave. Next we grabbed laundry detergent, dish soap, paper towels, spray cleaner, trash bags, aluminum, and hangers. We would need to go to a different store for clothes. Lastly, food. Now, being the designated responsible person out of the two of us I know we couldn’t just indulge in the sweets and other delicious yet not necessarily healthy food for us.

I sped up and down the aisles with Felix trailing after me as I dumped stuff into the trolley. Chicken, beef, bacon, vegetables, fruits, a ten pound bag of potatoes, bread, milk, two dozen eggs, pasta, rice, butter, flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, yeast (it’s been forever since I baked anything but I figured I could give it a try), orange juice, apple juice, cheese, canola oil, olive oil, and spices. Then came on the things I knew less about, peanut butter, chocolate chips, gummy candies, dressings, chips, ice cream, instant brownie mix, pizza rolls (they sounded good), cans of soup, yogurt, pancake/waffle mix, whipped cream, cereal, granola bars, pretzels, and tea bags.

Our trolley was overflowing with items as we wheeled our way over to the register. The man bagging our items looked at us strangely as we started unloading our groceries onto the counter. Several minutes and a trolley full of groceries later we were given our grand total. I was scared that we wouldn’t have enough but thankfully we did. We left the store and looked at our haul.

“Hey, Felix,” I paused as we were halfway through the parking lot, “How are we gonna get all this back to the mansion?”

“We steal the cart.” He said it like it was obvious. “Who is gonna stop us?”

“True.” We started out trip back to the mansion and pushed the trolley into the house. We spent the next several minute cramming things into cabinets and the icebox. I pushed the trolley back outside and went to put my toiletries away while Felix took the laundry items down to the basement. I would also need to learn how to use the electronic washers they had here if I wanted clean clothes.

Speaking of clean clothes, “Felix!” I shouted down the steps, “We’re not done yet today. We need to go clothes shopping.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t bring any extra sets of clothes with me when we left Neverland and I’m sick of wearing these dirty rags. Now get a move on!”

Felix came upstairs with a scowl. “Don’t pout. Even if we kept these clothes clean they stand out too much. I think it’s part of the reason everyone glares at us. We’ll arise less suspicion if we blend in. Especially since our mission is to find a way out of here and back to Neverland.”

“Fine.” Felix grumbled. He counted the remaining money in his pocket. “Let me grab a few more bills from the library just to be safe.”

My stomach grumbled and I decided to grab a granola bar to settle my stomach while I waited for Felix. This house was so strange. They didn’t have any dish soap but they had pots and pans. No shampoo but they had combs. Not a lick of food but a cabinet dedicated to what looked like a very fragile table set.

Felix came back a few hundred dollars richer and we made our way back into town for the second time that day. The clothes store was emptier than the grocery store which put me more at ease. Felix and I went our separate ways as I perused around the racks and racks of clothing. I grabbed a few shirts, pajamas, sweatshirts, sweat pants, underwear, socks, gloves, a scarf, hat, a thick jacket, a new pair of boots, and a large messenger bag. When I went to try on some pants though I was thoroughly disappointed. They fit fine but the pockets on them were tiny! I could barely get my hand in them. Was this what pants were like here? Why?!

I went over to the men’s section and found Felix also trying on some new clothes. It was a simple black t-shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans but it looked really good on him. He almost looked less foreboding. Maybe that was just due to the fact that he didn’t have his cloak hood up like usual.

“You look mad,” Felix chuckled upon seeing me stomp up to him.

“I am! Look at this.” I squeezed a few of my fingers into my jeans pocket. “These pants have absolutely no room! Are yours like this as well?”

“Mine?” he stuck his entire hand in his pocket up to the middle of his forearm. “Nope.”

“What the hell?” I stuck my hand in his other pocket. These were so much roomier than mine! “Why are these better than the ones in my section?”

“I don’t know,” Felix pulled my hand out of his pocket, his face was red with anger again and he wouldn’t look me in the eye, “You can stop invading my personal space though.”

“Oops, sorry.” I snatched my hand back to my chest. What had I been thinking? I essentially stuck my hand down his pants and for what? Because I was jealous of the size of his pockets? I grabbed a few pants from his section that looked to be my size and raced back to the dressing rooms in my section. These fit just as well as the ones I was wearing now but the pockets were much roomier so I chucked the others away and got the men’s pants.

Felix met me at the registers when he was done browsing. He still wasn’t looking at me. I think I made things between us really uncomfortable. We paid for the clothes but had no trolley this time so had to carry everything in large bags back to the mansion. After we got back Felix disappeared into his room. I changed into a pair of the comfy new clothes I bought and went downstairs to make myself something to eat.

I heated a can of soup up and sat down to eat. I wasn’t in the mood to be so adventurous as to make a full blown meal. Now that we had all the essentials Felix and I could start our search for a way back to Neverland in earnest.

I didn’t see Felix for the rest of the night. Figures he wouldn’t want to be around me after we spent all day together. I drew myself another hot bath and this time was able to actually wash myself with the soap and shampoo we had bought. I felt truly clean for the first time in a long time as I slid on the pajamas I bought and crawled back into bed.

Rain pattered outside and I was reminded of my dream from this morning. A part of me dreading and hoping that I would have another just like it.

~~~

Fucking hell! You were killing him! You had to be trying to kill him! That’s what Felix concluded as he locked himself in the master bedroom of the mansion.

Ever since Felix had let himself be talked into going to Storybrooke with you he had been forced by your side. You were the only Lost One in Storybrooke still loyal to Pan when all the others had run off to find families for themselves. He told himself he was tagging along instead of staying in Neverland to enact revenge on those that murdered Pan but that was only half of the story.

He should have never followed you though. Revenge aside. It hadn’t worked out anyway. Even after he learned that Pan was still alive, albeit in someone else’s body, it wasn’t enough. Pan died anyway before he got to enact the curse that would have turned this worthless town into a new Neverland. Now everyone was happy and safe and you and Felix were both very much stranded.

Finding this mansion had been a sweet turn of luck. He knew you were right when you mentioned needing a better place to stay over winter. Felix didn’t like the cold either but he could tolerate it better than you. Every night since you two got here you would shiver the night away at your camp. The night before it had been so cold that even Felix was cursing the wind. While he shivered though he glanced across the fire pit at you. You were huddled in so tight to yourself. Teeth chattering and body convulsing.

He was glad that you didn’t make any mention of him giving you his cloak as an extra form of warmth that night. He didn’t want to try explaining why he had done it. Terrible complicated feelings that he refused to acknowledge. He pushed them down hard, stomped them into dust so they could never rear their ugly head again.

Then he had gotten out of the bath. Truly clean for the first time in years he had left the bathroom and all those complicated feelings from before shot to the surface at the scene laid out before him. You knelt on the ground with only a towel barely covering you. Your wet hair leaving drops of water rolling down your shoulders and back.

His jaw clenched and he fumbled to maintain some composure as you explained what you were doing practically naked in his room. He had found the robe in the master bathroom and was planning on wearing it to bed himself but when he caught sight of you he was only too happy to chuck it into your arms. He needed you to cover up. He needed you clothed and out of his room that instant!

He was far from relaxed after you had left that night. The sight of you knelt over, the towel just barely covering your ass was burned into his brain. He ignored the stirring under his towel and dove into the large bed. He tossed and turned most of the night trying to rid the image and the thoughts he was having. His mind betrayed him though as it brought him much more vivid fantasies of you on his bed wearing nothing at all and beckoning him to take you.

He woke soon after breathing hard and his hand around his cock. Felix cursed the fact that he had a lewd dream about you of all people. He tried to ignore the images flashing in his head but when he closed his eyes there you were on all fours again with a teasing smile. He jumped into the bathroom and turned on the shower hoping a cold jolt would snap him back to sense but then he was thinking of you in this shower with him. Water rolling down your body, that same teasing smile and sultry voice begging him to take you against the wall.

For a few minutes he swallowed his embarrassment and let the fantasy play out fucking into his fist and pretending it was you squeezing around him instead. He thought of your moans and whimpers egging him on. Begging him to be harder, faster, rougher. He bit his lip to keep from shouting as he finally spent himself and started coming down from his high.

He felt more relaxed afterwards but the release of tension didn’t make him feel better knowing he had masturbated to you. You were his...friend? You two had never been friends before coming to Storybrooke and he doubted that you two were that now. Whatever you were to him he shouldn’t be thinking about you like that. You both wanted to get back to Neverland and having obscene fantasies of you was not the way to go about that.

It was still fairly early but he was too wound up to go back to bed. So he got dressed and went exploring throughout the mansion. That’s how he had found the secret library full of blank books and that secret vault under the floorboards. He put everything back in place before racing to wake you up and show you. He had almost forgotten about his dream until you opened the door and he was met with your sleepy face and bedhead. Had you always been this attractive or was it just the layers of dirt that had gotten washed away last night that made you much more appealing to him suddenly? He decided not to dwell on why he was having these thoughts and instead took you down to see the stash of money he had found.

You were so giddy at the knowledge that you could actually have a roof over your head and food in your belly that he found himself smiling too. Your smile was so infectious. He let you take the lead when you went shopping. He didn’t recognize half the stuff he saw in that store but trusted your judgement when you dropped something in the cart.

Then there was when you went to go clothes shopping. Felix wouldn’t admit that he was getting a little worn out of his Neverland attire. It was functional but that was all he could say about it. The smell of it after he had gotten out of the bath the night before almost made him gag. Perhaps this was the reason no one wanted you or him around. You both reeked of years of living in a jungle.

You two were on totally opposite ends of the clothing store so Felix thought he was safe until you came charging into his dressing room ranting about the tiny pockets on your pants. The tight fitted pants that hugged your legs and ass perfectly. Then when you unceremoniously stuffed your hand down his pocket to see how deep they were it took all his self control and thoughts of rotting animal carcasses to not pop an erection right there in the store.

You were trying to make him burst a blood vessel and you didn’t even seem to notice! Which is why he was back in his room sitting on his bed hungry and horny. He was waiting until after he was sure you had gone to bed to get some food. He really didn’t want to chance running into you again and risk those impure thoughts bubbling to the surface once more.

Hopefully today had just been a spoof and tomorrow all these strange new thoughts and feelings would be gone. You two had a mission after all. Get back to Neverland. Lust wasn’t going to help that mission.

---

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#felix imagine #felix x reader #ouat felix #ouat #neverland #peter pan ouat #roommate au #felix's pov is in 2nd person

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myhockeyworld87 · 4 years

Text

Unexpected - Jamie Oleksiak

Word Count: 3613

POV: Reader

Warnings: NSFW, Smut, language, cooking (is that a warning hahaha)

Notes: You all better thank the anons that sent me love tonight, especially the one that called me a queen. Girl we are all Queens! But I love you so much you get this Jamie O story early!!! Happy Reading and thank you guys for hitting 500! Peace, Love and Hugs all!

When you met Jamie at a mutual friend’s house, it wasn’t surprising that he caught your eye. At six foot seven, the man literally drew attention just by walking through the door. Though his frame made him quite intimidating; it wasn’t until later in the evening that you learned how much of a gentle giant the man truly was. His eyes were kind and his smile sweet, a combination that set your heart racing. There was really only one answer to give him when he asked you out to dinner, and that was yes.

The two of you exchanged phone numbers; talking and texting over the next few days until both of your schedules finally coincided. As soon as you got home, you plugged in your curling wand to touch up a few curls and set to fixing your makeup. Making sure to put waterproof mascara on, as it had been raining all day long. The lights flickered but you paid it no mind as you continued getting ready for your date. You weren’t sure if the restaurant you were going to would be fancy or casual, so you kept your outfit simple. Wearing skin-tight black pants and pairing it with a burgundy long sleeve low cut peplum top. It showed just the right amount of cleavage. Satisfied with your look, you headed out to grab a pair of strappy black heels to top the outfit off.

That’s when you noticed the lightning flash through the windows. It was really coming down now. Wind pounding against the siding of your house. Thunder rumbled as the doorbell sounded, and you found yourself jumping in surprise. Scrambling to the door, you opened it to find Jamie, half soaked from his short walk from his car. You ushered him in without even saying hello, and promptly closed the door behind him.

“Hi there,” you finally managed to squeak out. “It’s really coming down out there.”

“Yeah, about that.” He ran his hands through his wet locks, his head bent low as he said. “I’m really sorry but our dinner reservations just got canceled. Apparently, a tree fell on the building or something.”

“Oh…no big deal, we can go anywhere.”

“It’s kind of a mess out there, maybe we should just reschedule.” You couldn’t mask the disappointment on your face. It wasn’t that you wanted to go out to some fancy restaurant, heck you would’ve been happy with McDonald’s. Spending time with Jamie is what you really wanted.

“I mean sure, we can do that if you want; or we could just make something here.”

The shy smile that played across his lips grew into an all-out grin. “I’d like that.”

“Ok then, dinner here it is. Here, let me take your coat.” Taking the wet garment you hung it up, then headed to the kitchen; Jamie following behind. “Umm…let me see. I’ve got some chicken here.” You dug deeper into the refrigerator searching for other ingredients to go with it. “Oh, do you like chicken alfredo?”

“Sounds delicious.”

“Great! I make a killer alfredo sauce.” Grabbing the remaining ingredients you set them on the counter, then went back to the fridge. Glancing in the crisper, you took out stuff for a salad to go along with your meal. “Oh my gosh, I forgot to ask if you wanted anything to drink. I’m a horrible host.”

Jamie chuckled, a sound you felt deep within you. “I’d say you’re doing a great job, considering this is the spur of the moment.” When you turned to look at him, you saw his eye taking in your appearance. “I haven’t been a very good date either since I forgot to mention how beautiful you look.”

Heat rose to your cheeks at the compliment, and you bit the corner of your bottom lip, a bad nervous habit you had. “Thank you.” You countered. “Aside from the wet head, you look pretty good yourself.” You set the vegetables aside, then turned back to Jamie. “So, about that drink? I’m thinking wine. I mean we are going Italian here.”

“Sounds perfect, what can I do to help?” Opening the cupboard you grabbed two glasses and a bottle of your favorite Cabernet, then handed the bottle off to him.

“For starters, you can open this, then I’ll get you started on making the salad.” While Jamie worked on uncorking the wine, you got out the pots and pans you needed to make the chicken alfredo. By the time you had chicken in the pan and went over to wash your hands, Jamie had the wine poured and handed you a glass.

“Here’s to the unexpected and everything that comes along with it.” It was an interesting toast, and you were hoping that only good things would come for the rest of the evening. You clinked your glass with his, both of you taking a generous sip; then you set the glass aside.

“Now let’s get cooking.” You went to hand him the container of greens when a loud crack of thunder scared you half to death and you dropped the container back on the counter as you practically jumped closer to Jamie. His hands came instinctively around you, and it took you a minute to regain your senses as you breathed in his clean manly scent. You felt his large hands rub soothing circles against your back. All you wanted to do was lean closer into him, but instead, you found yourself looking up into his piercing blue eyes. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that thunder.”

“I’m not complaining.” He smiled down at you, and you felt your lips slide up in return. Slowly he leaned into you, as your heart started to beat a bit faster. That’s when you heard a pop in the pan.

“Shit!” You shifted out of his arms, to run over and flip the chicken. “I totally forgot about this.” He just laughed softly, some things had lousy timing. After the chicken interruption, the two of you continued making dinner. Jamie cutting up the salad, while you worked on the sauce. There was a stream of endless chatter as the two of you got to know each other better. He’d gently poke fun at something you would say, while you chirped him back about fighting on the ice all the time.

The water was boiling for the pasta when he came up behind you. “Dinner smells delicious.” He was so close, leaning over your shoulder, as you stirred the alfredo sauce. He bent down, and you could feel his warm breath on your neck.

“Would you like a taste?” Oh god, your cheeks flushed at the wording you’d just used, for you definitely weren’t thinking of the sauce at the moment.

“Sure.” You held the spoon up but gently blew on it before bringing it up to his lips. His hands slid around your waist as he drew himself closer for a taste, a movement that sent heat straight to your core. “Mmmm tastes even better than it smells.” Setting the spoon back down, you looked over your shoulder at him and noticed a small amount of sauce on his upper lip.

“You have some right…” You motioned to the spot but then decided to be bold. Moving your thumb up you brushed away the excess food, but when you went to move back, Jamie caught your wrist and drew your thumb into his mouth; swirling his tongue around it. Your knees went weak and your panties grew wet. The man hadn’t even kissed you yet, though if it was anything close to what he was doing now; you’d probably dissolve into a puddle. When he finally released the digit, his hand moved to cup your cheek, as his lips drew near. Eyes fluttering shut, you gave yourself over to Jamie. His lips were soft and gentle, just slowly caressing yours. He didn’t demand anything from you, just a melding of two people. He pulled back before deepening the kiss. You felt lightheaded, and just a bit dizzy, but all in the best way. He kept his hands around your waist, keeping you steady as you looked up into his smiling face. “That was nice.” You finally breathed out.

“Yeah, it was.” The grin that broke out on your face was infectious, as you could see the exact same one on Jamie.

You took a deep breath and stepped out of his embrace to finish up dinner. “Can you grab a couple of plates from that cupboard right there?” Taking the tongs, you picked out a piece of angel hair out of the boiling water to test it and see if it was done. It was perfect, so you tossed it into the colander and drained it. Jamie handed over the dishes and you artfully arranged the chicken alfredo and salad on it. Grabbing the wine, you and Jamie headed over to the table to finally start your first dinner date. “Bon appetit.” You said, raising your glass to Jamie’s.

He dug into the meal wholeheartedly. “Wow, this is amazing. You’re a really good cook.”

“Thanks.” You answered in between bites.

“This is so much better than when they make this for us before games.” He took another forkful.

“They cook for you all you guys before every game?”

“Yeah, both home and away, before or after practice as well; but nothing this good.” You weren’t a hundred percent sure he was telling the truth, yet it was still nice to hear. “So do you cook like this every night for yourself?”

“Well, not every night, but most. I actually like to bake more than cook.”

“Really? So, what are the chances I can get you to bake for me?” His cute little smirk came back out then and you felt yourself melt just a bit more.

“I’m sure it can be arranged.” The conversation went back and forth like that all through dinner. It was so easy to talk to Jamie, and while he initially came off as shy; once he seemed comfortable the conversation came easy. The storm continued on outside, and you suspected with the amount of rain coming down there would definitely be areas of flooding. The lights flickered a few times, before suddenly going out when a particularly loud bang of thunder and lightning hit. “Crap looks like we should’ve lit these candles.” You could barely make out the outline of Jamie’s tall frame, but then the lightning would strike again and it would illuminate his face. “Hold on and I’ll grab some more.” Carefully you made your way over to your purse and took out your phone, turning on the flashlight, so that you could get the matches from the kitchen. The soft candlelight gave the room an intimate glow, and so you lit some of the others you had strewn around the house. “There much better.” Since you’d both finished your meal and had just been sitting there chatting, you suggested the two of you move to the living room.

Jamie grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled both of your glasses before sitting down on the sofa. Instead of taking the seat on the opposite end of the couch away from Jamie, you decided to sit next to him, both of your knees tucked up underneath you. His arm rested across the back of the sofa and you felt him take one of your loose curls and twist it in his fingers, before saying. “You know, I think this has been a better first date, then what I originally planned.”

You smiled. “I think you’re right.” His hand moved to softly knead your neck, the touch gently coaxing you closer to his body. His free hand grabbed your wine glass and moved it to the end table, then reached over and cupped your cheek. You felt yourself lean into him, in anticipation of the kiss to come.

He was so close, as his eyes moved from your gaze to your mouth. “You’re so beautiful.” He softly whispered, before his lips gently caressed yours. His hand at the back of your neck pressed you slightly forward and your hands moved to his chest, as you opened for him. His tongue swept in, stroking against yours, eliciting a moan from you. Each of you learning what the other liked as the kiss continued. Desire pool within you, and you found yourself wanting more. He slowly pulled away, and you whimpered from the loss of contact. His breathing was harsh, as he pushed your hair to the side to rain soft little kisses to your now exposed neck. “So sweet.” He murmured.

“Mmmm,” you couldn’t suppress the moan that left your lips when he hit a particular spot on you. Your hands threaded through his hair and he gently nipped at your skin, before returning to explore your mouth again. A low growl escaped him when you deepened the kiss. The kiss was needy, tongues swirling and seeking more from each other. His large hands roamed up and down your back, until they lightly caressed your sides, just barely touching the outside of your breasts. You moaned into his mouth, the sound primal and wanting. Finally, he cupped your breast through your shirt, running his thumb back and forth over your nipple. The action causing the dampness in your panties to become wetter.

You pulled back from the kiss, in order to catch your breath, though Jamie continued his assault on your nipples. Tossing your head back you moaned again in pleasure. His hands left you then, moving to the hem of your shirt. “Can I?” he asked.

You hummed your agreement and raised your hands to assist him. His gaze took you in, and you could see the lust in his eyes. It spurred you on, and you moved to straddle him. Jamie placed his hands on your hips to help lift you onto him. You could feel his hard length through his pants and you were half embarrassed that he would feel how wet you truly were. All thoughts left your brain though when his mouth latched on to your nipple through the lace of your bra. Your hips rocked forward, feeling him hot and hard beneath you. Jamie growled, deep and low from his chest, as you tested the waters again by rocking gently into him. He slid your bra strap halfway down your arm, before taking your breast out and suckling on the nipple. Your hips start to move of their own accord, and vaguely you realize dry humping him before he stilled you with a hand on your hip. “Easy babe.” He tenderly breathed out.

He went back to kissing your mouth, this time at a slower pace. His tongue taking its time, just languidly swirling with yours, as he pressed your chest closer to his. His long fingers, traced down your spine, leaving your body covered in goosebumps, as he removed your lace bra. He was stoking a fire in your body and you wanted more. You unbuttoned his shirt, needing to feel his warm flesh. His muscles were hard, beneath your fingertips; and when he deepened the kiss, your nails dug into his skin.

You weren’t sure how long the two of you stayed like that. His mouth molded to yours, unhurriedly kissing you in the soft candlelight. After an endless assault on your lips, his hands finally trailed down to your hips, where he slowly rocked them into his. You weren’t sure who moaned first, you or Jamie. Pulling back from his lips, you rained kisses all over his neck and chest, and he picked up speed. Moans filled the air, and before you knew what was happening, he lifted you off him and laid you back against the sofa. His large body loomed over you, and you licked your lips in anticipation. “Damn (Y/N), when you do that…” He blew out a breath. Your fingers hooked around the loop of his pants and you pulled him closer to you, that smirk that did unholy things to you returned to his face. There was nothing else you could do but kiss him.

His hands trailed over your body, as his large palm cupping your sex. A blush stained your cheeks, as you knew he could feel your wetness through the fabric of both your pants and panties. The heel of his hand, pressed down on your mound, sending a jolt of pleasure through your entire body. “Mmm…Jamie.” Reaching up, you pushed his shirt off to caress his body; nails raking down his chest as he continued to rub your pussy.

He lifted his palm off you, only to move his hand to your waistband. His eyes looked at you questioningly before proceeding any further. You nodded your head for him to continue, and he wasted no time undoing the button and sliding the zipper down. You lifted your hips for him to shimmy your pants down. His heated gaze trailed down your body to your black lace thong. “Mmmm pretty. Did you wear this for me?” His fingers traced the outline of the lace, making you squirm underneath him.

On a breathy sigh, you tried to play coy by answering, “Maybe.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Only a maybe?” He trailed one finger over your clit down your slit, and when he heard your sharp intake of breath, he said. “If it’s only a maybe, then maybe we should stop.”

He let his finger circle your clit a couple times, then took his hand away. “Don’t stop Jamie. Please.”

“Please what (Y/N)? I need to know what you want.”

“I want you to touch me, Jamie, please.” There was neediness to your voice and you didn’t care.

“So, did you wear this for me? Were you hoping I’d see them and want to rip them off you?” Your hips bucked up and you moaned out a breathy yes. “Because I do (Y/N), I just want to tear them off and put my mouth on your sweet little pussy.” He hooked a finger, under the waistband and dipped it between your folds. “So wet.” You arched your back into the touch, as he took his now soaked finger and circled your clit. You were panting now, aching for more. “Lift up babe.” You did as commanded and were rewarded as he slid your panties off of you.

Trailing his hands, along the inside of your thighs, Jamie worked his way up to your core. He blew a breath on you, and your hips bucked. His strong arm came to rest across your midsection to hold you still, as his tongue flicked your clit. “Oh god, yes” you moaned out. It felt like you were on fire and his tongue had only touched you once. He licked again, the act making your body tingle all over. When his mouth latched on to your clit and he began to suck, you felt your orgasm start to build. Never in your life had you been this close to the edge this soon and if he hadn’t been holding you down, you were pretty sure you would’ve fallen off the cliff already. He continued to lap at your clit when you felt his finger slip between your folds and enter you. You gasped, inhaling sharply as pleasure course through you. “Oooohhh”

He started to pump his finger in and out of you. Your hips rising as much as they could with his arm stretched across you. “That’s it (Y/N)…” He breathed out. “Cum for me baby.” When his finger made a come here motion, that was all you needed. Sensations of pure bliss took hold of your body and your pussy spasmed all around his finger. You didn’t recognize the noises that came out of your mouth as you screamed out your pleasure. Jamie slow licks continued through your orgasm until you finally collapsed back on the couch; then he slowly climbed up your body. Bringing his face to yours, you kissed him, tasting your essence on his lips.

You skated your hands down his body, to his fly and undid the button there. Reaching down you felt his cock harden at your touch, and Jamie sucked in a breath through his teeth. As you stroked him you realized that he was a large man in every sense of the word. For a minute, you were nervous about his size; but then he kissed you again and all the nerves left. You pushed his pants and boxers off him and his cock sprang free. It felt hot and heavy in your hand as you stroked it a few times until his hand grabbed your wrist to stop you. “I don’t know if we…” His voice trailed off.

The electric came back on then, lighting up the room with a million watts of power. The two of you both squinted from all the light. You took the moment to resume stroking Jamie. “Are you sure you want to do this?” His tone serious and respectful, and you knew if you told him to stop he would.

“Jamie, I want this…I want you.”

“Then maybe we should move this into the bedroom.” It was the perfect suggestion and you nodded your agreement. He lifted off your body, extending his hand to help you up.

You quickly blew out the candles, before grabbing his hand and leading him back the hallway. “You know, this has been the best first date I’ve ever had.”

He kissed you hard as you crossed over the threshold of your bedroom. “It’s not over yet babe.”

#Jamie Oleksiak #Jamie Oleksiak imagine #Jamie Oleksiak imagines #Jamie Oleksiak smut #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #nhl smut #hockey smut #dallas stars imagine #dallas stars imagines

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genghisconeat · 4 years

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Quarantine has me eating two dinners a day...

Sorry to my zero readers, I am starting off this recipe with a story. I am a New Moon Leo, I cannot help myself.

The LA lockdown has me indulging the devil on my shoulder aka my second dinner stomach. Second dinner stomach does not want to eat kale. Second dinner stomach is not interested in lean meets. Second dinner stomach does not give a fuck about my 9-5 lactose intolerance. I think this body part is a close coworker to my quarantine liver. Liver working the “it is okay to drink at 3pm” circuit. Maybe fear of unemployment leads to frontal lobe damage in 28-year old petite asian girls. People of science, let me know.

I made this recipe while listening to “XS” by japanese-anglo queen Rina Sawayama, who my blessed friend George introduced me to two sunsets ago. On repeat. No ear buds. Sorry my dear husband.

So many apologies. My inner Cancer is SCREAMING.

The Inspiration: I have been watching a ton of korean street food videos and have been craving spicy rice cakes. I had no rice cakes at home, but thankfully had some gnocchi. Despite my love of potatoes, I am generally indifferent to gnocchi and had only grabbed it in my first pandemic-panic shopping spree. Good choices under pressure.

Toasted Gnocchi with Kimchi Butter Sauce

Serving Size: Party of 1

Ingredients:

1 pound potato gnocchi

1/2 onion finely chopped

4 - 8 garlic cloves to taste

3/4 cup napa cabbage kimchi

1/2 cup kimchi juice

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil (enough to saute onions and garlic if not using bacon fat)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

Pepper to taste (a whole lot for me)

Cool but not necessary

2 strips of bacon

1/4 cup of red pasta sauce (or 1 tbsp of red pepper paste?) idk thought it might work

1 green onion

Dice onions, mince garlic, chop green onions (use the white part too, it won’t bite), chop kimchi. Chopped kimchi should be similar in size if slightly bigger than diced onion. Set aside.

If using bacon, start here:

Cut bacon into chocolate chips sized bits. M&M size works too. In a dutch oven render our the fat on the bacon bits. Do this on low heat so we can get all the fat out without cooking through the bacon. We do not want any burnt bits. When most of the fat is cooked out, try to scrape out bacon with a spoon. At this moment, members of the Bon Apetit test kitchen would delicately remove the bacon with a slotted spoon or perhaps a fish spatula. As I have been trying to save money and curb my drunk Amazon prime shopping, these items are not at my disposal...yet. Set aside bacon preferably in the bowl you will be eating with. For the sole purpose of doing fewer dishes. I used one of those shallow pasta bowls.

If using olive oil, start here

Heat olive oil (or use leftover bacon fat). Toss in onions. On medium-low heat, cook onions for 3 minutes. Then throw in minced garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes. I am always nervous to burn garlic because I hate starting over and will end up just eating burnt garlic. Fun. So aromatic. So refined.

Turn heat up to medium and throw in chopped kimchi. Let this cook for 5 minutes. Pour kimchi juice at this time and cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat back to medium-low and add in 2 tbsp of butter, sugar, pepper, salt, and tomato sauce (optional). Let the butter melt down and cook for another 5 minutes. Or whenever it looks like it is one sauce, one world. Then try best to scoop and place in same bowl as bacon. The sauce should be pretty oily because of all the bacon and butter. Try to get all of the oil out if possible. I think there is flavor in there. If not flavor, a few cents of butter. And in this economy, those butter-pennies are not to be wasted. Set aside.

Now I have this dirty dutch oven. I use a towel to hold the handles, then bring it to sink to rinse with water. Try to get any burnt bits off, it is okay if it is still a bit greasy. Wipe down so surface is not wet. Again, greasy is okay.

Because of poor time management and inability to more than one thing at a time, I now start to boil water. You could have done this earlier, but I did not want to stress myself out. I usually start the boiling water in an electric water boiler while I fill the pasta pot to 1 inch of water and let that try to start to boil on the stove. The inch of water is so the pot is not just ripping hot by itself on the stove. I have this unverified worry that heating an empty bot is somehow dangerous or bad for the pot. Though the resolution may be one google search, I prefer to manage my trauma with one inch of water. Once electric kettle water is boiling, I pour into the bowling 1 inch of water. Have I saved time? I am unsure. Do I continue to do this? Every time.

From here, throw the gnocchi into water. I chose not to salt the water because the gnocchi is only there for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, drain gnocchi. No need to reserve any pasta water. That is usually when I burn myself anyway. Shake the drainer furiously. The intention is to get the gnocchi pretty dry because we are going to toast it. The water might make it steamy. This could be a good time to pat down the gnocchi with a towel. Paper towels are in limited supply at grocery stores, so I am opting to conserve.

In the dutch oven heat up 2 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat. When butter is warm and shiny, put in half of gnocchi for toasting. It should be light to medium brown, but not black. After 1 minute, flip gnocchi to crisp other side. I honestly just tossed it around and hoped for the best. If you are a person of purpose, you can flip each gnocchi with chopsticks. I was hungry. Let second side toast for 1 more minute. Remove gnocchi and put in eating bowl that has bacon and kimchi sauce. The butter probably has separated at this point. But I really have no idea to help myself or you with that problem. Toast rest of gnocchi repeating same steps as above.

When the second half is done toasting, throw everything in the eating bowl back into the dutch oven. At this point, because doing two things at once is hard, everything is probably not warm. Cook everything together for 10 minutes on medium heat, stir frequently to avoid burning. If you think it is overcooking stop earlier.

Pour contents of dutch oven back into eating bowl. Sprinkle green onions over top. We have finished cooking. Your second stomach bellows out in victory. Walla walla. Eat alone.

Pairing Notes: I ate this with a glass of chardonnay that I got a discounted 2 bottles for $10 at the supermarket. It was fine and divine all at once. Something I would have loved to add is some mozzarella cheese, maybe at the end, just so it gets a little melty. Maybe 1/4 cup? Maybe 1/2 a cup? Maybe 1/4 cup inside pasta? And another 1/4 side mozzarella for snacking? All reasonable additions.

Personal Notes: It is really strange to be using tumblr at 28 versus when I first got an account in high school. It is way less fun seeing a penis gif on here than it used to be.

Hope you enjoy the recipe! <3

Peace and pizza,

Connie, the Amateur who Tries

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charactersoverkisses · 5 years

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Food on a budget- and not the shit they teach you in school

Okay children listen up, i recently went to a bunch of high school graduates leavers classes where they teach you real life shit. Ofc, me being the money conscious hoe that I am, went to the “food on a budget” where they were supposed to teach us how to eat on a budget. What did the teacher do? Get us to make a detox brocolli soup...

Clearly, she took, food on a budget as when you don’t want to spend 20 pounds on a meal. However, I was expecting, “when you literally have 10 pounds in the bank and you can only use 5 of them or the bank will start fining you, and it’s like 2 weeks until pay day” level of budget. So, I’ve decided to spread my (albeit limited) knowledge of what to do when you’re at that level of budget.

Okay, first things first, I know what is cheap in the country I live in, not where you live, so I’m sorry if soemthing i mention is absurdly expensive in your country.

1) this seems dumb but: LEARN TO STRETCH YOUR EGGS. My father will refuse to eat omlettes, scrambled eggs, French toast etc with milk in them, but that is how you stretch your eggs. I know you might add a little bit of milk or cream but (for me at least) a big ass jug of milk is cheaper than a 6 pack of eggs, so stick half the amount of eggs in you would usually use (I would use two so I use one) and then pour a hefty amount of milk in (like 1/4 of a cup). Boom now you have the same amount of food and double the amount of eggs left.

2) if you know that you might not be able to buy food for a while, then assess what you already have. That meat you didn’t like? Semi off fruit? Eat it. Eat that shit within the next few days. The fruit? Blend it, it’ll be fine in a smoothie. The meat? Suck it up, or shove it in a sandwich with some overpowering condiments so you can’t taste it. Next, you got any vegetable or meat scraps? Even like onion skin? Chuck it in a pot with some water and just let it simmer for a few hours. Then put it through a sieve and just keep the liquid in the fridge (or pour it into your ice cube tray) (you’ll thank me later). Then...

3) look at your non perishables, what do you have? Do you have oats? Or rice? Or pasta? If so then good!! Forget everything a lifestyle YouTuber has ever told you. Carbs fill you up, they’re slow burning and they’ll keep you fuller for longer. They 👏🏻 are 👏🏻 good 👏🏻

4) okay, so you’ve eaten all your perishables? You’ve assessed what you have in your pantry? Okay, now it’s time for you to spend that £5 in your bank account (after you raid your house and every pocket and bag you own to see if you have any more money, so let’s say you found another £3). What you want to do is buy shit that keeps you full and is cheap. What did we say about that? CARBS. Right, so get yourself a bag of oats, forget about the GMO crop spraying shit, you need food, so don’t buy the organic shit or the name brand stuff. Suck it up and get the cheapest, biggest bag you can find. And yes, sometimes this means doing maths (stay for a bit and I’ll teach you how to figure out which is better for the cost okay?? Okay). Those oats you picked up? They’re now your breakfast for a hot minute okay? Next, rice. That shit can be eaten for every meal, it’s boring as hell but if you get desperate enough stick some ketchup or jam or something on there if you can find some at the back of your fridge (tip: do you have a China market nearby? Or like any kind of Asian grocery store? Rice will be cheaper in there and you’ll get bigger bags) utilise it.

5) stay away from meat! Meat is usually expensive as hell anywhere you go but if you can find some janky ass, has just been reduced to hell and back because it expired yesterday, then buy it! If it’s a day or two old then it’s fine, dw you won’t die. Chill out, cook it real basic and and then cut it up into cubes. Pack them into your freezer in small ass portions and whenever you feel like you can’t eat any more rice or that you’re lacking some nutrients. Take them out, let it defrost for a bit and stick it in a pot with some seasoning and let it heat up for a bit then shove it in your rice. Remember that stock you made with your scraps? This is its time to shine!! Pour a little into your pot with your meat, it’ll give the rice and meat some flavour.

6) now it’s time for some maths bitches, you read6? Okay. This is the life saver here check the price of whatever you’re buying, let’s say it’s a bag of oats and it costs £3.50 and then check the weight of the bag let’s say it’s a 1kg bag. Convert that shit to grams, so that’s 1000 grams. Then do the price (3.5) divided by the weight (1000 grams). So, 3.5/1000 and that gives you 0.0035. That means that each gram of this oats is worth £0.0035 okay? So now you do the same with another bag of oats and you’ll see how much 1g of oats is in that bag. Then compare? Which is cheaper? Buy the cheaper one.

7) okay, i think I’ve exhausted my tips for what to do when you already have no money but what can you do when you’ve just been paid and you know you always end up short buy the end of the month? Basically, my main top is make a shot ton of soup and chilli and stews and that sort of thing, they’re pretty cheap to make and stock full of nutrients. Make double or even triple the quantity of what the recipe says (times everything by 2 or 3), eat a portion for dinner that night, leave a portion or two worth in your fridge, and freeze the rest. That means when you get to the end of the month and you start running out of food and money, you have some reserves in addition to everything I said above.

Idk if this was helpful, but if it taught one person, one thing then I’ll be happy.

#food on a budget #feeding yourself on a budget #mayas adventures in the real world #not book related #not aftg #food #budget #no money #poor #waiting for pay day #feeding yourself #student tips #tips #budgeting tips

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thedisneychef · 1 year

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Nudel Gratin – Biergarten

I’ve been obsessed with carbs lately! Blame it on the diet or my training for the Wine and Dine Half, but I feel like if I were left to my own devices, I’d snack on pasta all day. When I went looking for a pasta recipe, I found this one from Biergarten which made me so happy… Being second generation from Germany and having been to Germany several times, I realized I was also craving some German style food. Since my reservation at Biergarten is still about 75 days away, I thought this was perfect. Now, when I was making this,I had the strangest feeling that I’ve made this recipe before, but I looked and looked and didn’t see that I had… So if I’ve posted it and it’s a repeat I apologize… At least it’s amazing enough to warrant a double-post! This is super easy to put together (a refreshing change after my birthday recipe…) and it’s incredibly kid-friendly. Honestly, most home cooks probably have a similar recipe stowed away in their back pocket for fast, delicious family dinners. If not, they should and this is the one to choose! My only feedback on this recipe is that the quality of the cheese can make-or-break this dish. I wished after I’d had the first bite that I’d invested in nicer cheese than the generic store brand… Nicer cheese would have made this dish absolutely sing! For the caravores out there, you can add bacon or very small diced ham for an extra little something and I bet it would taste fabulous. Really, this serves as an excellent base for something more complex with meats and different cheeses, or it can be served as-is for a ridiculously hearty meal. The great thing was this was an amazing reminder of both my time in Germany and the dinner we had at Biergarten. The fact it could be served in this huge, family-style casserole dish reminded me of lining up in front of the buffet at Biergarten and trying to restrain myself, but it also reminded me of the very traditional dining we enjoyed all through Germany. So many of their meals are food-focused family time (we had meals that lasted for hours… Most of them lasted hours, actually…) and it’s not at all difficult to imagine that this easy-to-make dish that serves an army and tastes good warm or cold would be on the table. Cheesy without being too cheesy, crunchy like chips on the top and sides from that delicious cheese and macaroni “crust,” but soft and ooey gooey in the middle… I’m excited for leftovers and for Biergarten all over again. ~~~~ °o° ~~~~ Nudel Gratin As is served at Biergarten, Germany Pavilion, EPCOT - 1 1-pound box of elbow macaroni - 2 cups heavy cream - 2 eggs - 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt - dash of white pepper - dash of nutmeg - 4-6 ounces of Swiss cheese, shredded - 4-6 ounces of white cheddar cheese, shredded - 1/2 cup additional Swiss cheese, shredded (for topping) - 1/2 cup additional white cheddar, shredded (for topping) Preheat oven to 375. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions in heavily salted water in a large pot until the pasta is al dente. Drain, return to the pot it was cooked in, and set aside. While pasta is cooking, combine heavy cream, 3 eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the two cheeses (not including the 1/2 cup of each cheese reserved for the topping). Whisk together until egg is mixed and cheese is evenly distributed in the mixture. Pour the mixture into the noodles resting in the pot, stirring and folding carefully so that the mixture is evenly distributed with the noodles. Pour the mixture into a greased 16×9 baking dish (cream will fall to the bottom of the mixture, this is OK). Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes has passed, remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheese, spreading evenly. Return the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Cool slightly before slicing into squares and serving. Read the full article

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izzyaro · 5 years

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Student Founders AU

@reirukazu look what I found! I thought I deleted the file by accident ages ago.

So this AU came up in one of many random Founders-related conversations and it amuses me so thought I’d share it. Let me know if you’d like to see more.

Helga opened the door to find Godric doing push-ups in the hallway. She shook her head and closed the door, easing her shoes off with a relieved sigh. Having to wear smart shoes on ward rounds was killing her feet. Godric twisted round and grinned.

“Hey,” he panted. “How did it go?”

Helga smiled at him. “All my cannulas are signed off. How are you doing?”

“That’s great!” He glanced back at the revision cards strewn across the floor in front of him. “Getting there.” Helga raised an eyebrow and he gave a breathless laugh. “It’s actually easier to concentrate this way.”

Helga shook her head again, and carefully stepped over him to make her way through to the kitchen.

Rowena too was engrossed in revision, though she at least was sitting at the table. Her eyes were flickering between her laptop screen and the piles of equation-covered notes surrounding her faster than seemed possible, but she looked up as Helga entered.

“I heard,” she said, with a smile. “Congratulations. Is that you all done then?”

Helga pulled a face. “I wish. All my competencies are signed off, but I’ve still got the uni exams to get through.”

Rowena reached across to squeeze her hand. “You’ll be fine, Helga. The January ones went well, didn’t they?”

“If by well you mean top of the year, then yes,” Salazar called from the kitchen.

Helga laughed and leaned round the door to wave at him. Salazar, despite pouring boiling water into a pan with one hand, stirring a bubbling pot with the other, and reading the enormous book propped up on the spice rack, spared the attention to smile at her.

“Somehow, I don’t think you’re going to have any problems,” he told her.

Helga looked at him and shook her head. How he could pay absolutely no attention to what he was doing and still be the best cook in the house was a mystery she would never solve. “Thank you, but we’ll see.” She squinted at the book, then promptly gave up when she realised it was all Greek to her. Literally. “I thought you’d had that exam.”

“I have,” said Salazar, with a shrug. “I like this chapter.”

Helga had to laugh. Salazar smirked, and turned back to his cooking. “Do you mind grabbing Godric? This is nearly done, and he’s not sitting at the table unless he’s had a shower.”

“Hey!” Godric yelled, but a moment later they heard the pounding of his feet on the stairs, and the ancient pipes groaned as the shower turned on.

“Thank you,” Rowena called.

“That means you have to clear your stuff as well,” Salazar told her.

“At least half of this is yours!”

“I’ll get it,” said Helga, before Salazar could escalate the discussion. He shot her a quick smile, and she moved back through to the kitchen and started gathering up the piles of notes. She was careful to keep the pages of Salazar’s slanting writing separate from Rowena’s equations, the last thing either of them needed was to get distracted trying to work out what the other was working on. Ordinarily it was fun to watch Rowena try to remember her grammar school Latin, or Salazar attempt to puzzle through advanced mathematics using online guides, but not in the middle of exam season.

Rowena was setting her laptop carefully on top of her books when Godric bounced back into the room. Helga immediately realised what was going to happen, and only just managed to hide her grin when Godric caught their friend up into a surprise hug.

“Let go of me!”

It would probably have gone better if he had at least attempted to dry his hair, but judging from the sparkle in Godric’s green eyes everything had gone exactly according to plan. He set her down though, and darted through to the kitchen, ruffling Helga’s hair as he passed.

“Is it ready - Ow!”

“How many times, no sneaking pasta before it’s done!”

Helga smoothed her hair flat and exchanged a look with Rowena. Her friend let out a stream of Cantonese that Helga wasn’t sure she wanted to understand, and slumped back into a chair. “I can’t wait for these exams to be over.”

Helga hummed in acknowledgement, then blushed as her own stomach rumbled. It had been a long time since her rushed lunch. It was a well known fact in the hospital that students didn’t need proper meals.

Fortunately, between her running around the ward all day and Godric’s hyperactivity, Salazar was well used to their respective appetites and adjusted his portion sizes accordingly. Ten minutes later, Helga was halfway through her pasta, and feeling much less likely to fall asleep on her feet. Salazar accepted their compliments with his usual awkward shrug, but he looked as content as he ever did and that was good enough.

As usual, Godric was the first to finish. He sat quietly for a minute, ankle tapping against the table leg, before a slow smile spread across his face.

“So,” he said cheerfully, “who’s coming to training tonight?”

Everyone else suddenly became very interested in their food. Godric rolled his eyes. “Come on, guys. You’ll get out of practice. And you all need to relax.”

“First, explain to us how getting thrown about the mats for an hour counts as relaxing,” Salazar shot back. “And second,” he continued, before Godric could do so, “you know that none of us have time right now.”

“Not all of us have to pass physical fitness requirements for our chosen careers,” Rowena added tartly.

Godric looked so crestfallen that Helga had to speak up. “But we will start coming again after exams finish.” She glanced at Rowena and Salazar, and received two slightly reluctant nods.

“I am so glad we live with a med student,” Salazar muttered under his breath.

Helga smiled and turned back to her food. To say her friends were odd would be putting it lightly, but she wouldn’t have them any other way.

#izzyaro #writing #fanfiction #hp #au #student founders au #helga hufflepuff #godric gryffindor #rowena ravenclaw #salazar slytherin #friendship #house sharing #stressed students #so so stressed

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lena-in-a-red-dress · 5 years

Text

A Lake Full of Stars, Part 1

There’s something mesmerizing about Lena Luthor driving with the window down.

A warm breeze makes her long hair flutter and billow, and she gazes at the road ahead of them through a pair of Ray Bans that both highlights and softens the planes of her face. She underhands the wheel with one palm, while the fingers of her left hand tap a lazy beat against the outside of the door in time to the music that pours gently from the speakers

This Lena is a different beast from the one who suggested the trip the week before. James had been joking when he’d suggested chucking his phone in the trash and going off to live in the woods for the next year. But Lena hadn’t laughed. Instead she’d cited a friend who owned a lakehouse, barely glancing up from the tablet she’d been tapping on.

Now, she’s distracted again, but not with a thousand meetings and deadlines and project details. This Lena drifts with the winding road, coasting in sunlight and music. Her eyes are soft behind her shades, betraying gentle thoughts-- or perhaps none at all.

When they pull into the long narrow drive up to the house, James glances at his phone to find Lena’s warnings of poor cell services were well founded. He can’t help the frisson of apprehension that awakens at the prospect of the weekend ahead.

They’ve never existed together without the pulse of their work in the background. Thus far they’ve been a couple with phones in hand, one finger on CatCo or L-Corp, always with the slight edge of competition-- between themselves or against the rest of the world.

Without the burden of the outside world holding them together, would they fall apart?

Lena packed light. Throwing the car into park, she climbs out and hoists her single leather satchel the window from the backseat and shoots James a lop-sided smile over the roof of the car.

“Ready?”

Her voice is low, deepened by the early shadows cast by the trees already beginning to blot out the drooping sun. James reaches in for his own bags, and nods.

“After you.”

The lakehouse proves to be both nothing like he imagined and yet a perfect fit. They walk into an open floor plan that’s half exposed timber and half fieldstone, lit by the sunlight spilling in through the wall of windows that faces the lake.

James whistles as he wanders to the windows, and gazes out at the flat, glassy lake rimmed with evergreens. “Wow.”

Lena sidles up next to him, looping an arm around his waist. “Yeah. It’s pretty great, isn’t it.”

“Your friend has good taste.”

She gives a brief squeeze before releasing him to turn towards the stairs. “C’mon. Bedroom’s this way.”

James follows, but can’t help but glance back over his shoulder at the breathtaking view. When Lena had said her friend had a lake house, he’d imagined a mansion on a pond, all crowded in with a dozen other mcmansions. This place is everything but.

It’s not cramped by any means, but cozy-- dwarfed by the sheer volume of wilderness just outside their door. The bedroom boasts a large bed, and wide windows that look out over the lake as well. One comes with a window seat, fashionably cushioned and home to a book splayed open on the seat, forgotten by its owner.

Lena snaps it shut, setting it aside to make room for their bags to sit.

“This place is nice,” James delivers, flopping back on the bed. He sits back up a second later, suddenly antsy. He snags Lena around the waist and pulls her close, delighting in her playful giggle. “This was a good idea. Thanks.”

A hum confirms Lena’s agreement as she leans down to kiss him. When she pulls away, her fingers stroke his cheek. There’s intimacy in the moment, the kind that lingers even as Lena changes the subject. “You hungry?”

James’ belly rumbles in answer. He grins. “Think they deliver pizza up here?”

Her laugh spreads warmth through his veins, banishing any lingering doubts.

“No,” she says, still grinning, “but there’s a stocked pantry and a kitchen. I’m sure I can manage to whip something up. Want to go explore a little while I cook?”

“I’d like to help with that…”

“Thank you, but I’ll be okay. Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to scope out a running trail for tomorrow?”

James perks up. “Oh yeah. I do, actually.”

“Take a flashlight. Dark sneaks up on you around here.”

If there’s anything James has learned in the past year, it’s that Lena Luthor is usually right. So he takes the flashlight she digs up for him and makes his way outside. Sure enough, the afternoon shadows have already deepened to near night under the canopy. But he finds a flat path the winds around the lake, and a mile in he knows it’ll take him in a nearly eight mile lap of the lake, if it doesn’t meander off through the trees. Perfect for a morning run.

For tonight though, he doubles back. The air feels clean in his lungs, and clear-- like the reflection of the twilit sky in the flat lake on his right. It makes the blood buzz in his veins. He breaks into a jog just to bleed off the restless energy. Climbing up the steps to the elevated deck, his thudding heart kicks up another notch when he catches a glimpse of Lena through the windows.

Like staring at a movie screen, James watches Lena move around the kitchen. She slips fluidly between counters, shifting her attention between steaming pots and a cutting board and a sizzling pan with ease. She tastes a spoon, nods, and gives the sauce another stir before bending down to check on something in the oven, hips bopping gently in time to smooth music James can only just hear through the glass.

He watches longer than he should. He’s certain she’ll catch him staring, but when she turns towards him several times without registering his presence, he realizes that the darkness around him is impenetrable through the glass, and that he’s somehow stumbled across the sight of the Lena Luthor who exists when she thinks no one is watching.

Heart pounding for a whole new reason, James reaches for the door.

Lena looks up with a smile. “Hey! Mission accomplished?”

“Yeah, I think so. Does the path out back loop around the lake?” He inhales deeply as Lena nods with a hum of confirmation. “Wow. Smells great in here. Is that garlic bread?”

“I found some sauce in the freezer for pasta,” Lena nods. “Bread’s still in the oven. Set the table for me?”

James obliges readily, and by the time he’s opened every cupboard just to find the plates, utensils, and a pair of wine glasses, Lena’s heaped everything into serving bowls and popped the cork on a bottle of deep red wine.

The sauce is delicious, the bread warm and buttery, but it’s the quiet that James savors most. It might just be the best meal he’s ever had, with Lena and her elbows on the table and her eyes twinkling with warmth as she eyes him over a forkful of pasta.

“What?”

James smiles. “Just thinking how glad I am to be here with you.”

Her eyes roll with a teasing nudge of her foot against his shin. “Nerd.”

But her smile comes with a pleased flush, and she relaxes even further. Seeing her shoulders slouch, the enormity of the weekend ahead sinks in-- and then melts away from James entirely.

James had worried it would unearth the unpleasant sides of themselves they hid from the world. He never imagined it might bring him a whole new facet of Lena to fall in love with.

Reaching out one finger, he strokes the back of her hand. Lena’s fingers turn readily, slipping their palms together neatly. “This weekend is going to be good,” she says.

Jame returns her smile. “Yeah. It is.”

#i wrote dis #lake full of stars #guardiancorp #the lakehouse weekend we were robbed of #lena luthor #james olsen #it was initially going to be all one post #but the second bit is giving me difficulty #so i'm giving you this part now #to tide you over until i can get more time to finish #i'll probably not be on again until the episode tomorrow #busy day ahead #but feel free to let me know how you like it!

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lookwhatilost · 6 years

Text

swissless swiss mac and cheese: a spite motivated recipe

so i guess internet recipe etiquette involves writing a drawn out story about what inspired the recipe, or what relative you stole it from, or whatever. i know that nobody cares abt stuff like that, so i’m going to keep the context short and sweet and get waste 17 paragraphs on troubleshooting instead

mac and cheese is a preposterously simple dish, but almost no one seems to know how to make it well. i dnt know if people dnt have taste, or if bad advice jst keeps being regurgitated to them or what, but i’m at the point where i’m always really skeptical of homemade mac and cheese unless i’ve tasted that person’s cooking before, because i’ve had so many unfortunate experiences with it. usually i’ll make it myself for thanksgiving, but my stepsisters’s cousin insisted on bringing it this year. it was foul, like, sincerely the worst. bland, dry, questionable pasta choice, rly jst every potential fuckup that one could potentially commit. my thanksgiving dinner was jst a huge plate of grilled mushrooms bc my usual dish was no longer an option. i felt robbed so it finally motivated me to throw this together. sometimes you jst need to eat something gross to put things into perspective, and push you to refine your cooking skills a little further.

i dnt like to share my rly good recipes bc i want to maintain the illusion that i am some kind of untouchable kitchen deity, but i’ve decided to leak this one as an act of community service.

the base sauce (bechamel) without the wine and nutmeg is what i always use for mac and cheese: 3 cups of bechamel to 2 cups of cheese with a pound of pasta. you can modify it with whatever cheeses you see fit.

some general advice with mac and cheese:

you’re going to get the best results if you serve it immediately and dnt bake it. this is probably one of the only foods i can think of where the texture is more important than the taste itself, and if the sauce is too thick, it’s going to taste dry and have a weird mouth feel. most people go wrong by putting it in the oven for too long. dnt do that. if you’re insistent on having a baked breadcrumb layer on top, then dnt keep it in the oven any longer than 5 minutes or so. any longer will compromise the creaminess. this recipe has a pretty big yield, so if you have to refrigerate leftovers, add a little milk when you heat them back up.

if it doesn’t taste cheesy enough, it’s because there’s not enough salt in it. i promise. salt it and then taste test it again. if you add more cheese, you risk making the sauce too thick.

the salt you use makes a difference. iodized salt is good for baking, or adding a pinch of it to something a little bit under-seasoned, but it can add a weird metallic taste to food if you cook with it. i usually use kosher salt, or sea salt, or that stupid pink salt that my mom always used to insist on buying, depending on what’s available to me. if you dnt have kosher salt or can’t rationalize purchasing it, then cut the portion in half to avoid cyborg mac.

the age of the cheese you use is going to be one of the biggest factors in the taste. usually the longer it ages, the cheesier it tastes, but the taste profiles of aged cheese are obviously dependent on the cheese you use. it helps to read up on them when you’re hashing out cheese choices and flavor combinations. i personally always use at least two cheeses, so before i pick them out, i make sure the ages of the cheeses have similar or complimentary taste profiles. it’s a lifesaver. w cheddar specifically, i never use one that’s been aged less than 9 months.

pasta choice is a big part of it. wagon wheels are usually my go-to, but rotini looks a little bit more sophisticated if you’re serving this to other people. shells are a little bit more obvious, but effective. i like to shoot for something that has a lot of external surface texture so the cheese sauce adheres to it better. elbow macaroni and penne dnt live up to my standard, personally, but if you wanna use one of those, get something that’s ribbed. same goes for cellentani. pipette works a little better. dnt bother with rigatoni, campanelle or farfalle. dnt use spaghetti unless you want to look like an idiot.

garlic helps. i almost never omit garlic when i’m making mac and cheese unless i’m going for something sweeter (dnt knock it til you try it). unless i want something with a more noticeable garlic taste, i put two cloves in. dnt let me tell you how much garlic to use, though. we all know that garlic is measured with the soul.

skim milk is actually your best bet. when you’re making bechamel, it’ll thicken significantly when you melt the cheese into it. skim milk usually gives you an ideal creamy consistency. whole milk is too thick. fat free milk gives you something a lot thinner, but if you’re making the sauce in advance, it’s a helpful workaround for when the sauce inevitably thickens in the refrigerator.

kind of a given, but if you’re cooking with beer or wine, always read the tasting notes unless it’s something you’re familiar with. dry white wines work best in recipes like this, but a lot of them have strong citrus notes and the acidity can be overpowering. i run into the problem a lot with pinot grigio. same goes with beers––it should accentuate the taste, not dominate it. if you’re not sure, mix a tiny bit in and taste test. it’s a lot of taste testing.

you dnt have to waste your money. if you’re experimenting with fancy cheeses that you typically find on cheese plates, keep in mind that a lot of the reason why you only ever seem to see them on cheese plates is bc they’re best in small doses. this isn’t to say avoid them entirely, but unless you cut them with havarti, jack, swiss, etc, the end result is barely edible when the flavor is that concentrated. dnt let this be discouraging, but i’ve mostly found that the more accessible, available cheeses produce better end results, and never puts me in a position where i blew $11 on a piece of cheese and ended up throwing most of it out. that’s always discouraging. the only things you should definitely stay away from is mozzarella (eat one mozzarella stick to find out why) and brie (i know it seems like a good idea but pls take my word for it)

notes on this recipe specifically:

on gruyere and fontina: my main objective here was to highlight some of the nuttier flavors in the cheese (and wine!) without actually putting ground up nuts into the sauce. younger gruyere tends to have nuttier notes, so does older fontina, but older fontina is kind of difficult to find in general, let alone for a reasonable price. i picked up a 5 month gruyere for this, and hardest block of fontina i could find in the store, which only ended up being aged 3 months. not ideal, but it worked out fine.

on raclette: not gnna mince words, it smells terrible. dnt let that scare you. when it’s mixed w the garlic and the other cheeses, it’s fine. it’s kind of difficult to find too. i got mine at wegman’s, but if you’re outside of the mid atlantic, that’s not an option. if it’s too elusive or if you’re sensitive to smell, emmental is a less elusive, less offensive substitute with a similar taste.

on the wine: aim for something with notes of honey or almonds or hazelnuts. i used beaulieu vineyard carneros chardonnay 2015

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gruyere, shredded

3/4 cup fontina, shredded

1/4 cup raclette, take a wild guess

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

3 cups of milk

1/4 cup chardonnay

2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp iodized salt)

1 tsp nutmeg

1lb rotini

green apple slices (optional)

and without any further bullshit, here’s how you make it:

cook the pasta until its a little less than al dente––a minute or two less than the box instructions dictate. strain it and put it off to the side

heat up the milk over medium heat for abt 4 minutes, until it starts to bubble (NOT BOIL) a little bit. remove it from the heat.

in a different pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. whisk it until it’s light brown. usually this only takes a minute or two.

gradually pour in the milk, abt a half cup at a time and continue to whisk it. when all the milk is in the mixture. keep whisking it until the consistency is similar to gravy. this usually takes abt 2 minutes.

add the wine, keep whisking until you get the gravy consistency back

add the salt, garlic, and nutmeg.

add the cheeses and stir until they’ve barely melted

slowly add the cooked pasta and stir it continuously until the pasta is steaming. usually this only takes a couple minutes, but it depends on how warm the pasta is when you add it

spoon it into some bowls, garnish it with the apple slices and a little bit more nutmeg if you want. or skip garnishing it and jst dip the apple slices into the sauce. surprisingly good.

i dnt know what actually defines a serving, but if you’re using it as a main dish, it should feed four people. or jst one if you try your hardest. whatever works

#food stuff #tbh if you take my word w any one thing #it should be mac and cheese recipes #that's the only thing i'm truly good at

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asongstress1422 · 7 years

Text

Drinking Game

For day 14 of Zutara month. Please check out my AO3!

“Zuko?” Katara’s voice echoed through the house as she replaced the spare key back above the door, the movement awkward in her overstuffed parka. She entered closing and locking it behind her. “Zuko? Did you forget we were carpooling tonight? Are you even ready?” A cursory look around his living room confirmed that he wasn’t there. Pausing she listened for the sound of a shower. Nothing. Annoyed now she marched for his bedroom. “Are you even awake?”

She shoved open his bedroom door ready to drag him out by his hair. She was not going to be late to the rehearsal dinner because someone wasn’t going to get out of bed in time. The room was a mess. Clothes strewn everywhere, take out boxes and dirty dishes, empty bottles. The room smelled like a weak-old kitchen trash, stale beer and the noxious scent of vomit. Lovely.

“Zuko!” She hissed, picking her way through the minefield of a room to his bed. She watched as a roll of blankets tumbled off the edge of the mattress and landed with louder thunk then their weight warranted.

Zuko’s head popped up from the side. “Yeah, what… Katara?” He blinked several times holding a hand over his left eye, trying to bring her in focus. “What are you doing here?”

“We were supposed to drive to the rehearsal together, remember?”

“Yeah, but that’s on Thursday.”

“Guess what today is, Genus.”

He sat there staring at her for a long minute then, blinking owlishly, turned to his clock. Reading the time he burst into movement. “Shit!”

“Zuko! Pants!” Katara screeched turning her back and blushing as he untangled himself from the blanket cocoon.

“Shit!” He cursed again, diving for a discarded pair of boxers and almost concussing himself when he caught his foot and ended shoulder checking the wall. All the movement caused his head to spin and simultaneously feel like to was about to split open. Cradling it between his hands he pressed. “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Zuko, are you alright?” she asked reaching for him, concerned at his state of unkept. For a man who was usually fastidious about his appearance he looked a wreck.

He warded her off, stumbling from the petri dish he called a room, towards the main body of the house. “Yeah. Peaches. Nothing some coffee and a shower won’t fix.”

“Water first.” She harped following him. “We don’t need to add another drug into your system before we flush some of the old out.”

He ignored her, shoveling grounds into the machine.

“We don’t have time for this.” She filled a glass with water shoved it into his hands and hip checked him out of the way of the coffee maker, taking the pot to the sink to fill with water. “Drink that, get in the shower, and I’ll bring you a cup when it's ready. If we are not out of here in twenty-five minutes I will kill you to explain my absence.”

“We’ll get there. Besides you can’t kill the best man two days before the wedding.”

She shot him a harried look as she poured water in the percolator, “try me.”

Deciding it was in his best interest to remain quiet at this time, at least until his head stop pounding, he downed the glass on his way to the shower.

Five minutes later there was knock on the bathroom door that jerked him from his semi comatose state. “Zuko, coffee’s ready.” The door opened a crack and she called in. “Are you almost done?”

“Yes. Go away.”

“Do you have a towel?”

“Yes.” He poured shampoo in his hand and scrubbed it in his scalp.

“Did you finish that water?”

“Yes! Now leave me alone.”

He heard the door close. Sighing he ran his head under the spray and nearly blinded himself on top of slipping when he heard the sink tap turn on. “Katara, what are you doing? Get out of here.” Her slightly distorted shape moved closer to the shower frosted curtain. Her hand shoved around the thin sheet of plastic with another full glass of water. “Good god, I am in the shower!”

“I know that. Take the glass.”

“No. Go away.”

“Take the fucking glass, Zuko!” Startled he grabbed the glass. Katara never cursed. The hand retreated for a moment only to reappear. “Ibuprofen.”

“Thanks.” He popped the pills as her image moved away.

“Eighteen minutes.” She said pulling the door closed behind her.

Back in the kitchen Katara began rummaging in the cupboard. She needed to shove down his throat to help soak up whatever alcohol was left in his system and help balance out his blood sugar levels. She unearthed a jar of peanut butter and a partial jar of strawberry jam in the door of the fridge but no bread. Grumbling under her breath she went back to rummaging. When was the last time he went to the store? In the back of the free standing pantry behind boxes of expired hamburger helper she found a unopened box of saltines. As it was either stuff the peanut butter and jelly into uncooked pasta shells or the ancient forgotten crackers, she opted that the extra sodium would help. Setting about she made a dozen little cracker sandwiches.

Hearing the shower turn off she pulled down a mug and filled it with coffee adding a teaspoon of sugar and, after a cursory sniff of the pint, a haft splash of milk. She debated making a cup for herself, just for the taste, but decided she actually wanted to sleep tonight.

Taking coffee and pb&j’s she met Zuko as he was leaving the bathroom a towel around his hips.

“Oh thank god.” He grabbed the coffee and downed at least half of it in one go. He eyed the palate. “What are those?”

“Mini sandwich crackers.” She held the palt under his nose. “Eat them.”

He looked at them suspiciously before marching back to his room. “I’m good.”

She followed harping at him. “You need food. Dinner’s not being served til seven, and knowing how long winded Sokka is it might not be til seven-thirty. Besides that I don’t want to be trapped in a car with you for an hour when you're in this kind of mood.”

“I’m not in a mood. Now if you would please excuse me I need to get dressed in under ten minutes or this nut bag of a woman, who broke into to my house, is going to flip out on me.”

“I didn’t break in . I used the spare key.” She said one hand on hip the other holding out the plate of mini sandwiches. “Eat the crackers.”

“You entered without my permission or my knowledge. What is that but breaking in?”

“Checking on a friend.” She waggled the plate causing the crackers to slide back and forth in offering.

“So you wanna play it that way, hu? Fine.” He dropped the towel.

“You are impossible,” she growled slamming out of the room with the plate, face red.

Ignoring her little tantrum he turned to his chest of drawers pulling out a new set of boxers. He couldn’t believe he had agreed to drive her to this thing. He would have had to go anyway. It wasn’t often one of your best friends got married. But dear god what possessed him to agree to drive Katara as well?

He dressed in white dress shirt tan slacks and a grey tie. His suit for the wedding was still at the dry cleaners. He had meant to pick it up on Monday, but things had gone downhill so quickly. Had he really shut himself up for four days? He didn’t even remember a lot of it. Judging by the refuse in his room, he was going to be paying for it with more than just a splitting headache.

I should have just rented a car , Katara thought bouncing on her toes watching the second hand make its sixth rotation after the hour. She was going to kill Zuko.

Finally she heard his door open.

“We have to leave now. ” She said turning to him. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him. His hair was still damp but brushed back from his face and in a semi-formal tie and button-up he looked a thousand times better than what she had walked in half hour before.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m ready.” He said shoving his wallet into his back pocket and sliding on his coat. He gestured to the door. “After you.” He locked up behind her and they made their way to the garage.

“When did you stop drinking?” She asked shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. His apartment had been cold but nothing compared to the biting chill of the parking structure.

“What?”

“What time did you have your last drink?”

“I don’t know, sometime this morning? Why?” He clicked the button on his key and the car flashed and made a small whooping noise as it unlocked, grating at his skull.

“What was it?”

He opened the car door and stared at her over the roof. “Why are you asking?”

“How long were you drinking last night?”

“I don’t know, the majority. Why do you want to know?”

“The likelihood of you still being intoxicated is high. I want to drive.” She held out her hand.

“Katara, I’m fine. Get in the car.”

“No.”

“Katara, stop being ridiculous. Get in the car, we’re going to be late.”

She stormed around the car to get into his face. “I am not being ridiculous.”

Her mother was killed by a drunk driver when she and Sokka had both been kids. He knew that, damn it. “I know. I’m sorry. But I am okay to drive.”

“Not from what I can see. From the state for your room you're on a several day bender. Judging that you didn’t even know what day it was, you've been blackout drinking at least part of the time. You are letting me drive or I am finding a different ride and if you try to drive I am calling the police.” He stared at her in shock her hand held out for the keys. “I’d rather miss the rehearsal then miss the wedding because some jerk-bender crashed his car.”

“I’m fine.” He ground out slamming the key ring into her hand and moving around to the passenger seat.

“I’m sure you are. Prove it to me tonight and I’ll let you drive home.” She started the car and it hummed. She buckled up and readjusted all his mirrors before backing out.

“If you put one scratch in my car, I’m coming after you.”

He grumbled his way through her city driving, how she coasted to every light even when it was yellow and actually went the speed limit. “Wanna hurry it up, grandma? The way your driving we won't arrive till the actual wedding.”

“ This is why I wanted you to eat something. You turn into a prick when you're hungry. And I’m guessing your hungover-hungry is ten times worse.” She tapped her break when a car jetted into her lane.

“You can’t let them get in front of you!” He groused.

“They can get in front of me all they want as long as they don’t hit me. I hate driving in the city, there are too many people.” She held the wheel in a death grip. “I packed those cracker sandwiches in my purse.”

“I don’t want them. On your left.” He pointed out and she slowed to let the car in. “I just said you can’t let them get in front of you!”

“And I saID TO EAT THE DAMN CRACKERS AND SHUT UP!”

After another ten minutes of wanderer her way through the city she finally hit the freeway and just the beginning lag of rush hour. Another fifteen minutes and it saw them out of the city. She finally punched the accelerator and hit a cruising speed she was comfortable with when the traffic died down.

Another five minutes and he was digging in her purse.

“In the side compartment,” she directed. “There’s a water bottle in there for you too.” A few more minutes passed, the crunch of crackers and an occasional sip of water the only sound.

“Do you want to talk about it?” About why he was in his apartment surrounded by trash and so out of it he forgot his best friend's rehearsal dinner that he was an intricate part of.

Zuko was staring out the window, little baggie of peanut butter and jelly crackers in hand. “Nope.”

She nodded and turned her full attention back to the road.

“We wouldn’t be late if you weren’t such a grandma on the road,” he snipped skipping up the front steps of the hotel.

“No, we wouldn’t be late if you were dressed and ready like you were supposed to be,” she reprimanded a half step behind him. He held the door open as she sailed into the lobby.

The decor was gold, red and cream. Muted enough not to be garish and helped a certain amount of sophisticated charm with its three tier chandelier and granite water feature. There were other people milling about. The attached restaurant across the way seemed packed and the bar lounge was doing a steady business.

“Hold up,” Katara said latching onto his arm as she balanced on one foot to adjust the strap of her shoe.

“And you blame me for not being ready,” he growled even as he steadied her.

She rolled her eyes fighting with her shoe. She had kicked off her orthopedic sneakers and scrub bottoms in the car to reveal black tights and to slip into sparkly heeled sandals.

“Zuko?” The voice brought him up short. He turned slowly hopping again everything that it wasn’t who he thought it was. A woman in an elegant black evening dress was gliding towards them.

“Mai, what are you doing here?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m best friends with the bride and the maid of honor, of course I’m going to be here Zuko.”

“O-of course. I’m sorry. How are you?” He stuttered, trying for cordial.

“Fine.” The one word was a knife to his heart.

“That’s… good.”

Katara looked between the two. “I’ll check in in Ty Lee to see if there's anything she needs help with,” she said before disappearing into the room.

“Is she your date?” Mai asked.

“No, I just drove her. I’m not like you.” He couldn’t help the cutting remark.

Mai sighed. “We both know that our relationship wasn’t working for a long time now. Don’t blame me for finding happiness.”

Zuko snorted. “Where is Lee now?”

“He had work. He’ll be here for the ceremony Sunday.”

The words scourged his soul. Five years down the drain just like that. Yes, they fought. Yes, they spent more time apart these days then together both focusing on their carriers. But she was his first love and the reality that she had someone waiting in the wings hurt him deeply.

“Don’t you think that will cause talk?”

“You know I’ve never cared about what others think. I’ve told Suki and Ty Lee, and now I’ve told you so you can make a decision on how you want to proceed.”

“What if I don’t want him to come?”

“Then that’s you prerogative.”

“But it won't change anything thing.”

“No.” The stood in the silence of their shared history. Both of them stubborn to a fault, nearly always unwilling to bend.

“I won’t like him,” Zuko said petulantly.

“You would it you gave him a chance,” her face softened as she thought about him. “He makes me smile.”

“I made you smile.”

“Yes,” she looked at him, eyes serious once more. “But I never tried to make you smile. I try with Lee. I was selfish in our relationship, you were there and you were safe and I knew you would never leave me.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, no Zuko.” She wasn’t the best at getting her emotions out into words but she was making a real effort now. “But it was not fair to you. If I felt angry, I took it out on you. If I was sad, I took it out on you. We fell into that routine and we were making each other miserable. I hated what I was doing but I just couldn’t seem to stop. Then I met Lee--”

“And he swept you off your feet. Yes you told me.” He turned away, wanting this conversation to be done.

She stopped him. “And I learned I needed a clean slate. I didn’t need past guilt constantly hanging over me. That every time I was with you I was beating myself up over hurting you, and that would make me angry and I would blame you and the cycle would start again.”

“I had been planning on breaking up with you for a while but I couldn’t think of a way that wouldn’t hurt you.”

“So you decided jumping into another man’s arms was the right choice?”

“No, I decided that it was going to hurt anyway I went about it and I just needed to stop dragging it on and do it. We both deserve much better than what we were giving each other.”

“All I want to do is dig into you to make you feel how I’m feeling right now but we’re at our best friend's wedding and it’s not right.”

“You’re right. I only meant to let you know I would be brining a date and I’ve done that. When you want to talk, let me know.”

“I think you’ve said everything that needs to be said. You broke my heart to protect me, great.”

Mai sighed. “I can see you’re in one of your moods again.”

“One of my moods, what-- No, no, I’m not doing this. I hope you have a wonderful life and everything works out great for you and Lee. I just-- I got to go.”

He turned and fled into the crowd. He was making a beeline for the bar when Sokka caught him.

“Katara said you were here!” Sokka wrapped both arms around his best and gave him a bone crushing hug.

“Yeah, sorry we’re late.”

“No trouble. Suki’s parents are running a bit behind so we were holding dinner for them.” He squeezed his shoulder. “She told me about you and Mai. That’s rough buddy.”

“Don’t worry about me, this is your and Suki’s big night. Speaking of Suki, where is the bride to be?”

“In the corner talking girl stuff with her generals. If dad ever needs to get foreign diplomats to follow his tune he should just send that group after them and it would be done in a trice. Come on, she wants to say hello.”

It was the end of the night, the dinner guests of family and friends saying their final goodbyes until the big day two days hence, when Katara slid onto the bar stool next to him. “I thought we had a deal.”

He held out the car keys he tipped his glass to his lips. Without a word she took them setting them on the counter in front of her. She smiled at the bar tender when he came over to see what she wanted to drink.

“I pitcher of water, no ice, and two shot glasses. Oh, and,” she stole the half full whisky tumbler from Zuko and handed it over, “get rid of that, please.”

The man nodded and filed off to fill her order.

“That was my drink,” Zuko said with little inflection, resting his head on his hand. He was pleasantly warm and his headache was all but forgotten.

“I’m cutting you off,” she smiled again as the bartender test down the pitcher and two shot glasses.

“Water?”

“Well your inebriated enough for the both of us.” She picked up the pitcher, filling both glasses. “I need to get up early tomorrow for my shift, so coffees out. You know my stance on soda and we just ate our weight in wedding fare. So, yeah, water.” She pushed one glass his way. “Though it we ask really nice Mr. Barkeep might be able to find us some decaffeinated tea.”

“Uncle would kill us,” Zuko said as he down took the shot making her laughed like he meant her too.

“Yes he would.” They traded taking shots for a few minutes. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Zuko’s dark mood threatened to roll back up. “Do you want to talk why you and Aang broke up.” He downed his shot, now wishing for something stronger.

“He wanted to change me into who he thought I was and I was tempted to let him.” She downed her shot. “Your turn.”

“Mai found someone new and told me dumping me was for my own good.” He poured.

“Was it?” She tossed down her next shot

About to take his shot, he paused. “What?”

“Was her breaking up with you good for you? Because I can see it was good for Mai. She seems… calmer. Less quick with the put downs. She actually made a joke with me over the duck entree.”

He set down the glass still full. “I don’t know. She had a lot of points but I’m too drunk and too tired to think about them. All I do not is that I’m hurt.”

“That’s going to last a while. I was the one that finally ended things with Aang and it hurt for months but I knew it was the right decision. I still love the guy but I knew if I stayed I would have killed him. And I’m still not sure if I mean that figuratively or not.” Katara poured herself another and downed it hand still on the pitcher. “I’m going to go use the restroom. We can drop the conversation if you want or I’ll be there to listen the whole ride back, your choice.” She slid of the stoll placing a hand on his shoulder. “But you have friends, Zuko, that care deeply for you and going off the deep end is not okay.”

“I know, I know.” He smirked. “Mom Katara to the rescue again.”

She mocked glared. “Don’t make me sick Ty Lee on you.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Thanks, Katara.”

She smile. “I’ll meet you in the Lobby.”

#mine #zutara month 2017 #zutara #zutara fanfiction #fanfic #ao3

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druekee · 6 years

Text

“Resolutions”

Summary: "So, what's your resolution for 2018 again, Minhyuk-ah?" Kihyun asked, taking a sip of his fancy rose champagne, eyebrow quirking up in a knowing stare. Minhyuk licked his lip, his eyes staring hotly at the mystery man across the room.

"Not to be a slut, but fuck it"

Words: 3,563

AO3 Link

The light poured in from the huge, wall-covering window on the far side of the entryway to Kihyun’s apartment, the cool light of early afternoon pouring in to the space and rendering it breezy and refreshing. Of course, the entire space was immaculate from head-to-toe, from the alphabetically organized movie case, to the delicately arranged throw pillows on the cheap couches. Kihyun inhaled softly, one hand on his hip while the other stirred in sauce to the pasta boiling on the stovetop.

Everything was perfectly in order, but if there was one thing that was out of place, it was the absence of his loud, messy roommate- normally he was home by this hour. As if on cue, the front door to the apartment swung open, and in sauntered Minhyuk, looking disheveled and hung-over. Kihyun rolled his eyes, only sparing the man a short once-over as he made his way inside the apartment.

“Jesus, are those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?” Kihyun asked, feigning shock even though: why would he ever expect Minhyuk to arrive back at the apartment looking decent? Minhyuk chuckled raspily, flopping down onto the couch with his shoes still on, completely ruining the symmetry of the throw pillows.

“Why do you always ask me that when we both know they are,” Minhyuk half-heartedly replied, eyes flickering over to watch Kihyun cook. “Hey, could I have some?” he asked, smacking on his gum and absently blowing a bubble, his eyes trained on the pot on the stove.

“Yeah, but you’re gonna have to help me cook,” Kihyun said, unsurprised by Minhyuk’s mooching, but still a bit ticked off about it. Minhyuk grumbled, but got up, making his way over to the kitchen where Kihyun was and helping the boy out. “Just mix up a salad for us,” Kihyun ordered, and Minhyuk walked over to the fridge, peering into the stark white appliance.

After successfully making their lunch, the two boys sat down at the dining table and began eating it. Minhyuk still hadn’t had the chance to wash up, and as Kihyun was observing him at closer quarters, noticed how much of a mess he really looked. Thoughtfully chewing his salad, Kihyun’s dark eyes looked up, and he chuckled at the makeup streaked eyes he was greeted with.

“You should really start toning it down,” Kihyun said, gesturing towards Minhyuk’s haggard visage with his fork. “With the whoring and all,” he continued unnecessarily, and Minhyuk rolled his eyes, taking another bite of pasta. “As your friend, I don’t like seeing you come home like this every night,” Kihyun concluded, trying to appeal to Minhyuk’s soft side in hopes that it would actually change something. As Minhyuk sighed in acknowledgement, Kihyun knew he had at least struck a heartstring.

“It’s not every night, but you’re right,” Minhyuk admitted, swallowing the bite he had in his mouth. “I really should get my shit together, especially since we’ll be starting our last semester in a few weeks,” Minhyuk said, and then winced at the last part- fuck, was it really that soon? Kihyun nodded, and, as his phone lit up with a notification- he noticed what day it was. Getting an idea, Kihyun looks up into Minhyuk’s eyes.

“You know, today is New Year’s Eve,” Kihyun said, and Minhyuk nodded, trying to see where he was going with this. “You could make it your New Year’s Resolution to settle down and focus on your studies,” he offered, staring at Minhyuk with the pride of a man who thought he just had the greatest idea in the world. Minhyuk nodded, chewing on a bite of salad as he stared out of the window, stewing on the idea.

“Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea,” he said, but as he thought about it, he shrugged, deciding that if he didn’t like it- he could just give up on it in a few months… not that he’d say that to Kihyun. “I’ll do it,” he decided, and Kihyun grinned, taking a few more bites of salad.

“That’s great, I’m proud of you for at least trying,” Kihyun said, and Minhyuk frowned, giving the boy a dirty look.

“…Who’s the older one here?” Minhyuk said, trying to remind Kihyun.

“You by like 2 weeks, so it doesn’t really count,” Kihyun replied, distracted by another notification on his phone. He began reading it, and, Minhyuk, a little annoyed that Kihyun didn’t give him a proper reply, gets a little nosy.

“Who’s messaging you?” Minhyuk asks, leaning forward. Kihyun picks up his phone, passing it over to Minhyuk so he could see it for himself.

“Hoseok, actually. He just sent out a reminder about his New Year’s Eve party tonight,” Kihyun said, watching as Minhyuk quickly read it and handed his phone back to Kihyun. “I almost forgot about it,” Kihyun muttered under his breath, thankful that his older friend had the foresight to send a reminder.

“Ah, yeah me too,” Minhyuk said, feeling a little bad. Hoseok was a mutual friend of theirs, and they definitely wouldn’t bail on one of his infamous parties on purpose. Actually, speaking of how infamous they were…

“It’s too bad you just made your resolution,” Kihyun said, lips quirking up in a grin. “Because I know how much you always seem to enjoy the company of Hoseok’s physical trainer friends,” he continued, barking out an amused laugh at Minhyuk’s suddenly bitter expression.

“Yeah, well, I’ve fucked most of them anyway,” Minhyuk said, shooting Kihyun a knowing look. “Besides, how hard could it be to go to a party and not ride home with a stranger?”

“Oh God Kihyun look at that fine man over there,” Minhyuk stage-whispered to Kihyun, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table from him. Kihyun damn near choked on his champagne, a bit surprised with how quickly Minhyuk was already setting his sights on somebody.

“Wha- Minhyuk!” Kihyun said, about to chastise the boy before getting interrupted by Minhyuk’s indiscreet pointing and gesturing. He sighed, following Minhyuk’s finger to a man leaned against the bar in Hoseok’s living room, lower half clad in a sinfully tight pair of leather pants that hugged his curves in the most flattering way possible. His eyes flickered up to look at the man’s face, and finding a statue-esque beauty with short, white hair, Kihyun shut his mouth, nodding silently as he returned his gaze to Minhyuk.

“You’re right. He’s hot,” Kihyun admitted, setting down his glass. Minhyuk laughed, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

“See? Even you can admit that,” Minhyuk said, chuckling as he picked up his glass, already rearing to head over there and chat him up. Noticing his sudden urgency to get up, Kihyun frowned, already knowing it was too late but still willing to try.

"So, what's your resolution for 2018 again, Minhyuk-ah?" Kihyun asked, taking a sip of his fancy rose champagne, eyebrow quirking up in a knowing stare. Minhyuk licked his lip, his eyes staring hotly at the mystery man across the room.

"Not to be a slut, but fuck it," Minhyuk replied, standing up from his chair and not saying another word to Kihyun as he walked over to the bar. Kihyun rolled his eyes, grabbing his belongings and heading to somewhere else, so he wouldn’t have to witness Minhyuk’s indiscretion.

Approaching the bar and claiming a chair beside the leather-clad man, Minhyuk looked up at the bartender, belatedly noticing it was Hyunwoo… for some reason. Mouth splitting in a wide grin, Minhyuk called out to him.

“Hyung! What are you doing mixing drinks?” Minhyuk greeted, and Hyunwoo turned around, giving the younger boy a buddha-like smile. His words drew the attention of the mystery man, who looked over, now privy to the conversation as well. Perfect.

“Minhyuk-ah, how have you been?” Hyunwoo said, voice congenial and warm. “And this? I was just making a drink for myself and Hyungwonnie, but I somehow got caught back here, ehehe,” Hyunwoo explained, his cheeks turning a bit red. Minhyuk laughed, totally unsurprised by this development.

“Heh, well, while you’re back there- wanna make me what he’s having?” Minhyuk said, gesturing to the leather-clad man and his beverage. It was probably just whisky and coke, judging by the smell and color, and Minhyuk didn’t drink- but he had a formula here- and it never failed him.

“Sure thing, have you two met before?” Hyunwoo asked, blinking innocently over at the two as he pulled out the bottle of coke. He wouldn’t add in the whisky, like Jooheon had, because he knew that Minhyuk wasn’t a big drinker. Minhyuk smiled mysteriously, eyes finally staring directly into the mystery man’s as he replied.

“I think we just did,” he said, smirking and biting his lip in a clear effort to turn on every single one of his charms. When the mystery man flushed bright pink and looked down at the bar, Minhyuk knew it had gone according to plan.

“What’s your name, cutie?” Minhyuk asked, desperate to learn more about him. Taking a small sip of his drink, the man looked up, his plump, red lips parted in a shaky sigh.

“Lee Jooheon,” he answered, and Minhyuk, after grabbing his drink from Hyunwoo, smiles, blinking a few times as he processed the name.

“Jooheon?” he asked, emphasizing the last syllable. Jooheon nodded, shifting around slightly.

“I know it’s uncommon, but yes- my name is Jooheon,” he replied, and Minhyuk nodded, his eyes flickering with something dark and fiery as he spoke.

“Someone as uncommon and beautiful as you deserves such a unique name,” Minhyuk replied, tone suave and buttery. Jooheon feels his heart pound at the cheesy pick-up line, and he swallows thickly, not having much experience with getting hit on by strangers. Honestly- Jooheon didn’t have much experience flirting in general, let alone with some sexy man he’s never met before. He felt a little embarrassed, but he couldn’t deny how nice it felt to be the center of such an attractive stranger’s affections… especially since he had heard rumors about his other conquests.

“My name is Lee Minhyuk,” Minhyuk offered, and Jooheon nodded, eyes flickering up to meet Minhyuk’s with a small smile on his face.

“I know- I’ve heard about you from Hoseok-hyung and Hyunwoo-hyung,” Jooheon said, making Minhyuk’s eyebrows raise. Minhyuk was worried about the distinct possibility that this knowledge would scare Jooheon away- but that worry disappeared quite quickly. The way Jooheon was looking at him- timid, shy, utterly adorable, and definitely not intimidated made Minhyuk glad that Jooheon hadn’t heard about him from Kihyun.

“Oh yeah? Well, it’s all true,” Minhyuk says, half-jokingly, his eyes shining with a playful, flirtatious light that makes butterflies rise in Jooheon’s tummy. Minhyuk takes a quick sip of his coke, eyes scanning down Jooheon’s lean, slender torso and hovering on his beautiful, shapely legs donned in leather. He figures his gaze was probably resting a little too long, because Jooheon started squirming slightly from the intensity. Setting down his coke, Minhyuk’s eyes returned back to Jooheon’s face.

“I like your outfit, by the way. You look incredible in it,” he compliments, and Jooheon bows his head, frowning nervously and making his deep, cute dimples appear. Minhyuk bites his lip on a squeal, finding the reaction to be ridiculously cute and attractive.

“Thank you,” Jooheon replies, thinking back to how Changkyun had pestered him about wearing his leather pants to this party and ‘getting himself a man’. At the time, Jooheon was highly doubtful that they’d actually work, but look at him now: getting himself a man. He’d have to thank Changkyun for that later…

At the sudden sound of Hoseok lisping through a microphone, both boys turned in the direction of the noise, amusedly watching the older man try to get everyone’s attention.

“I thought it would be fun to do karaoke this year!” Hoseok called out, eyes scanning around the room. “Who wants to go first?” he continued, eyes glancing around the room. Spotting Kihyun, Hoseok smirked, speaking to him. “Kihyun-ah you’re the best vocalist! Get up here!!” he said, and Kihyun drunkenly took another sip of his drink, shaking his head. Looking for an easy way out, he spotted Minhyuk with his newest conquest, and smirked.

“I’m too drunk- Minhyuk! Bring your man and come sing!” Kihyun said, sparking a crowd of mixed chuckles and cheers, happy to have two people called out for the first song. Minhyuk smirked, looking over to Jooheon and waggling his eyebrows.

“Let’s go up there,” Minhyuk whispered to Jooheon, his eyes shining with a playful, fun-loving light that was entirely too convincing for Jooheon. Chuckling and shrugging his shoulders, Jooheon stood up, and the crowd of partygoers cheered as the two men walked up to the little makeshift stage set up in Hoseok’s apartment.

“What kind of song do you want to sing?” Minhyuk asked, flipping through the extensive setlist of songs. Jooheon picked up a mic, testing it before replying to Minhyuk. He honestly couldn’t believe he was doing this right now- about to sing karaoke in front of a huge crowd with a man he’d just barely met. Oddly enough, Jooheon wasn’t too nervous about it- there was something really exhilarating and exciting about the whole situation, and Jooheon found himself really grateful that he was getting out of his shell and doing something so fun.

“I’m a rapper, actually, so hip hop,” Jooheon said, and Minhyuk smiled excitedly, bouncing. What are the odds that this sexy stranger also had great taste in music? Minhyuk internally complimented his own taste in men, and then glanced over at Jooheon, nodding to himself.

“I rap sometimes too! Oo, let’s do Dang Dang Dang” Minhyuk offered, picking out a classic. Jooheon nodded excitedly, and they briefly discussed line distribution and parts before starting the song. The powerful opening started, and Minhyuk began rapping his part- shocking Jooheon with his flow and rhythm. He looked over at Minhyuk with impressed eyes and smiled, his cheeks turning pink as he found himself liking Minhyuk more and more.

The loud cheers and burning gazes of the crowd around them were completely ignored by the two men as Minhyuk performed the song, putting every ounce of strength and skill he could muster into it. Truthfully, he hadn’t rapped in a few months, having been preoccupied with sleeping around and school for the most part. It was a great feeling to get back out there and preform, especially since he had Jooheon beside him.

As it approached Jooheon’s part, he took a few steps closer to the tiny karaoke screen, reading the lyrics with squinted eyes. Starting his intense, powerful rendition of the verse he was assigned, the entire crowd roared in cheers, including Minhyuk, who whipped his head over to the boy, giving him a wide-eyed stare, mouth split in a huge smile. Jooheon was far more talented than Minhyuk could’ve anticipated, but instead of feeling jealousy or inadequacy- he only felt excitement and adoration. He resisted the urge to tackle Jooheon in a hug, but only for the sake of him continuing his incredible performance.

For the last verse, they rapped together, their different styles and tones mixing together for an exciting finish to the first song of the night. Staring into Jooheon’s eyes as they powerfully concluded the song, Minhyuk laughed, the sound bright and airy right into the mic. Chuckling alongside him, Jooheon gazed into the other man’s eyes, feeling his heart pound at the stunning, vibrant gaze that greeted him. He’d never seen someone that embodied what sunshine felt like, and Jooheon was utterly awestruck.

“WOOOO! That was awesome!” Hoseok called out, and the entire room became overwhelmed by cheers as Minhyuk collided against Jooheon, holding him in a tight hug, his face split in a wide grin.

“You were incredible!!” Minhyuk said against Jooheon’s ear, cutting through every other noise. Jooheon smiled, breathing in Minhyuk’s masculine, light fragrance, his cheeks warming.

“So were you,” Jooheon complimented, and curled his fingers around Minhyuk’s shoulders as he held him. When Kihyun catcalled from his chair across the room, Minhyuk realized they were probably hugging for just a little too long up there, and begrudgingly removed himself from Jooheon’s warmth.

The rest of the evening was spent talking with Jooheon and Hyunwoo, discovering the unique and close relationship the two had. He wondered why he’d never been introduced to Jooheon earlier, and Hyunwoo explained that Jooheon spent most of his time working on music and studying, much to Minhyuk’s disapproval.

“You need to get out more, Jooheony,” Minhyuk said, rubbing his hand along Jooheon’s shoulders in an intimate, friendly gesture. Jooheon shrugged, knowing that it was probably true.

“Maybe that’ll be my New Year’s Resolution,” Jooheon said, and chuckled, mostly joking. Hyunwoo and Minhyuk both nodded, urging the boy to do that.

“I think that would be good for you,” Hyunwoo said, and Jooheon bit his lip, eyes gazing up into Minhyuk’s.

“Well, I think I won’t have any trouble doing that with you around,” Jooheon said, and then internally chastised himself, worried that he was being too forward. Laughing excitedly, Minhyuk hugged him, squeezing the boy in his arms and giggling excitedly.

“60 seconds until New Year’s!!!” Hoseok yelled from somewhere in the apartment, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room, sparking a bright, excited vibe for the whole party. Minhyuk looked down at Jooheon, barely noticing how Hyunwoo left to probably locate his boyfriend, leaving the two of them alone. By this time in the night, Minhyuk was usually riding home with some stranger for the sole intent of getting laid- but tonight: he wasn’t doing that at all. He was still at the party, firstly, and secondly- he had Jooheon in his arms.

Time started ticking down, and the entire crowd began counting it second by second. Jooheon stared up into Minhyuk’s eyes, his expression unreadable but startlingly intense. Minhyuk licked his lip, heart pounding as he sees the way Jooheon’s eyes follow the movement of his tongue. The intensity mounts as both men become aware of what’s expected to happen once that clock strikes 12: a kiss.

“3!” Jooheon leans closer to Minhyuk, and time begins to slow. His eyes flicker into Minhyuk’s face, his gaze anticipating and eager, and Minhyuk swallowed, wondering why it was so hard to give somebody a kiss when it was so easy for him to do so much more with anybody else.

“2!” Heart pounding, Jooheon leans his face closer to Minhyuk’s, fingers curling around the taller boy’s shoulders, and all other sounds seemed to fade out into obscurity- the only sound being the clock, ticking down into something unknown and highly anticipated.

“1!” Their lips crashed together in a kiss, bodies pressed tightly as they held each other. The crowd roared behind them, the muffled sound of party poppers and confetti showering over them completely ignored by the two men. The electricity passed between them, hot as fire and untainted by any impure thought or action. After a few seconds, they parted, and Jooheon chuckled, his eyes honing in on the piece of confetti stuck to Minhyuk’s cheek.

“Cute,” Jooheon mumbled, and Minhyuk swallowed, laughing softly. He felt his cheeks flush, and realized that he hadn’t been called cute since he was in grade school.

“C-can I get your number?” Minhyuk asked, almost randomly, and Jooheon raised his eyebrows, smiling sweetly. He shifted his shoulders, trying to move to pull out his phone, but realized that he couldn’t with Minhyuk holding him so tightly.

“Sure, but you’re gonna have to let me go first,” Jooheon said, chuckling warmly. Getting embarrassed, Minhyuk moved his arms away from Jooheon, and the boy took out his phone. Doing the same, Minhyuk and Jooheon exchanged devices, putting their contact info into each other’s phones.

After a few more minutes, the party was beginning to die down, and they both knew their time was coming to an end. Minhyuk bid Jooheon adieu when the boy was leaving the party, apparently he had to work on music that night, much to Minhyuk’s disappointment. Deciding that there wasn’t much left for him here now that Jooheon was gone, Minhyuk found Kihyun, sitting beside his roommate with a love-stricken expression. Looking up at Minhyuk as he sat next to him, Kihyun chuckled fondly, taking a sip of his water.

“Glad to see you haven’t broken your New Year’s Resolution yet, Minhyuk-ah~” Kihyun said, half-joking. Honestly, he was glad that Minhyuk wasn’t hanging out with more shady figures, but more important than that- he was interested in a pure-hearted, kind man who made this sensitive side of Minhyuk shine through.

“It was easier than I thought it’d be,” Minhyuk admitted, smiling fondly. There was something about Jooheon that was different than anyone he’d ever met. Honestly… he had never felt like this about another person before.

“I’m proud of you,” Kihyun said, chugging the rest of his water as jealously rose up in his throat. Why couldn’t he have somebody to kiss on New Year’s? Maybe this year, he’d find himself someone who looked at him the way Minhyuk looked at Jooheon. Not seeing Kihyun’s depressed look, Minhyuk smiled toothily, eyes sparkling at the mere thought of Jooheon.

“Kihyun… I think I’m falling for him.”

#joohyuk #lee jooheon #lee minhyuk #fic #teen #new years #new years eve #monsta x #monsta x fanfiction #monsta x fanfic #kpop fanfic #fanfic #kpop

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junker-town · 4 years

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11 staple recipes from sports bloggers who work from home A LOT

SB Nation staff have spent years working from home. Here are some of our favorite recipes, for the laziest cooks AND the more ambitious.

We here at SB Nation have been preparing for social isolation for years, in a way. We work all over the country (in fact, the world), and so have gotten quite good at feeding ourselves, thank you very much. To work remotely at an often fast-paced job, it helps to have a repertoire of cheap, easy, fast and most importantly good recipes at hand.

So without much further ado, here’s a look at how SB Nation likes to feed itself so that you can too. These recipes are sorted beginning from low effort* to high, so you can find exactly the meal you need for whatever your situation.

* Not including frozen pizzas and/or fistfuls of chips, which SB Nation also considers part of a healthy diet.

If you need something REALLY easy

Freshly meal service

OK, if you landed on this page looking for easy meals because you can’t or don’t like to cook, I am here for you. About a month before the pandemic hit, I tried out Freshly meal service. Freshly provides single-serving meals that heat up in the microwave in three minutes and I promise you that these actually taste good.

All of Freshly’s meals are gluten free, peanut free, and contain no refined sugars. They’re pretty healthy and my body honestly felt better after eating these meals for two weeks compared to what I typically eat. I promise no one paid me to write this, I just like these meals so much.

Freshly also has tons of meals options to choose from, and the app is so easy to use it’s almost fun. And the best part? No cooking. Just throw these in the microwave and you have a truly tasty meal. I put them on a plate afterwords just to make myself feel like I cooked.

I can’t advocate for it enough if this fits your lifestyle.

— Whitney Medworth

Just throw a bunch of stuff in an Instant Pot

Do you have zero patience for cooking? Do you like tender, pull-apart meats and poultry that falls off the bone? Do you appreciate the danger of using deadly atmospheric forces to imbue flavor to bland meats?

Hoooo buddy, then the Instant Pot is for you. It’s basically a pressure cooker/crock pot hybrid that can give you slow-cooked tenderness in one hour instead of six. Since my cooking philosophy boils down to “chop stuff, put it in a pot, stir occasionally,” this magic food cylinder quickly became a trusted ally in my battle against poorly cooked meals.

Here’s my go-to chicken burrito bowl recipe.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken thighs (can be boneless or skinless, your call) 2 cans corn 2 cans black beans 2 cans diced tomatoes (adding some salsa here is optional. I throw a bunch of salsa verde and sour cream into the mix after everything’s cooked) 2 cans green chiles (the little ones) 1 white onion Maybe some chopped bell peppers A bunch of taco seasoning (or get creative) Approximately 1/4 cup chicken broth

Start with the broth, then add the chicken to the pot. Coat the chicken liberally with seasoning. Add the vegetables. More seasoning. Stir the mix on top of the chicken. Then seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. It will take longer than that because the machine needs to heat up and then, later, release all the pressure that just made your chicken a juicy damn delight.

If you get the “burn” notice on the machine, transfer everything to a big pot, clean out the instant pot, and try again with more broth at the bottom of the cooking vessel. In the end, you should get chicken that shreds apart when you stir your finished product with a little force. Ladle that beautiful mess over rice (which you can also cook easily and masterfully in an Instant Pot), or in tortillas, or over tortilla chips.

Plus, it reheats well, so you can glean two to three meals for a three- or four-person household. Feel free to play around with the recipe, too. Add what you like. It’s incredibly hard to screw up with an Instant Pot.

— Christian D’Andrea

Simple, good salad dressing

This is the salad dressing that mom my made almost every day when I was growing up, and that I still make because I’m a creature of habit and somehow still haven’t gotten sick of it after 30-plus years.

Ingredients

Diced shallot (to taste, really. I like lots, but let’s say half a medium bulb) Approximately 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (I eyeball) A little more than that of olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Optional: 1/2 tablespoon (approximately) Dijon mustard

Throw diced shallot at the bottom of your salad bowl. Pour balsamic on top. Sprinkle with salt. You can let this sit as you make the rest of your meal. The vinegar will dissolve the shallot and salt in the mean time.

Whisk in olive oil and crack pepper on top. I do a bit more oil than vinegar, let’s say a 1.2:1 ratio, but really it’s to your taste; some people like the pucker. Throw lettuce in the bowl, mix, and hey look you have a salad. I like to mix in a big dollop of Dijon mustard into the dressing, too, which also helps bind the dressing to the lettuce.

— Louis Bien

If you want to feel like you cooked

Fooch’s spaghetti sauce

Ingredients

2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce cans — can cut in half for smaller serving) 2 to 3 cans tomato paste (6 ounce cans — depending on thickness you want) Roughly 1/2 a green bell pepper, chopped Roughly 1/2 a small yellow onion, chopped 6 to 10 cloves of garlic, minced (feel free to add more) Some red wine or sherry Mix of seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, black pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning (can try whatever seasonings you’ve got) Olive oil

I don’t use precise measurements for the seasonings, the wine or the total amount of green peppers and onions. Pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your sauce pan. Heat it up on medium, then drop in the green peppers and onions. Simmer it a bit and then add in the garlic and let simmer a bit longer. Add the mix of seasonings, nothing too crazy in terms of amount. Don’t let the garlic burn.

Add the diced tomatoes, paste and some wine/sherry and mix everything. Add some more of the seasonings. Mix it all together and once you see it bubble a little, turn the heat as low as possible while still keeping the burner on. Stir every 10 to 20 minutes. If I do one of each can, I cook the sauce for a little over two hours. If I cook two of each can, I cook the sauce 2.5 to three hours.

If you have meatballs, drop them in with about an hour left of cooking, and let them cook up in there.

— David Fucillo

A James-Fooch interlude

James: omg i had something planned to write but im reeling at fooch using 2-3 CANS of tomato paste in his red sauce

Fooch: James, worth noting they’re smaller cans. Let me get the oz total

James: i dont care the can size, david. that is too much paste

Fooch: not even a little bit

James: YOU MADE IT WORSE FOOCH.... 12-18 OUNCES OF PASTE ... that’s a either just unde or over a POUND of tomato paste

Fooch: I’m curious to see what kind of runny sauce you roll out there

James’ spaghetti sauce (AKA, the one not cooked up in a lab by a monster)

I had planned to share a unique recipe to separate myself from my colleagues, but after reading how much tomato paste Fooch puts in his sauce I felt an intervention was needed.

When I make a red sauce I like to make a lot of it. It freezes well, and when you put the time and effort in that this sauce requires, you deserve to be able to have some on-hand whenever you need it.

Ingredients

2 cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounces each) 1 can of tomato paste (6 ounces) 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 yellow onion, diced 1 Parmesan cheese rind Red wine 2 cups fresh basil Salt Pepper Olive oil Red pepper flakes

Heat a Dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil until it’s shimmering, but not smoking. You can use whatever you have on hand, but I prefer light olive oil for this because it has a higher smoke point. Add the onions and cook until they’re translucent (roughly three to four minutes). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

At this point you want to add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Stir continuously and watch for the paste to deepen in color. It’s likely you will have some stuck to the pan, and that’s OK — that’s good. Deglaze the pan with red wine, roughly one cup.

Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and put a lid on the pot — slightly ajar to let out steam. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes, which at this point should have collapsed and mash easily. Stir the sauce together and add the rind of a piece of Parmesan cheese, which sounds fancy but you’ll have it from any decent hunk you buy. This is also the point when you can add any meat, should you so desire. Brown meatballs, Italian sausage or ground beef in a separate pan, add to the sauce. Simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove 10 to 12 leaves of fresh basil, chop and reserve them. Put what remains of your bunch of basil, stalk and all, into the pot and let the sauce simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed. Remove the basil stalks and Parmesan rind, remove the sauce from the heat and add the remaining chopped basil just before plating.

If you find the sauce is too thick from reducing, reserve some pasta water from the noodles you’re cooking and use it to thin the sauce. Do not use stock or regular water.

— James Dator

Simple, good roast chicken

The New Best Recipe from America’s test kitchen is cheap, MASSIVE and has taught me a helluva lot about cooking. It doesn’t just list recipes, it explains how those recipes were created by telling the story of failed variations that came before, going into minute detail about almost every ingredient.

The recipe for roast chicken is the most abused page in my copy. Their version solves for a common problem: How do you get the white meat and the dark meat both tasting good on the same bird? Too often, you have to choose: perfect chicken breasts and underdone legs; juicy legs and dry, overdone breasts.

You don’t have to sacrifice anymore. This recipe works best with a v-rack, but if you don’t have one a simple pan will do fine. Just check out the alteration below.

Ingredients

3.5 to 4 pound whole chicken 2 tablespoons melted butter Salt and pepper to taste Vegetable oil

With v-rack

Set oven to 375 degrees. While it preheats, pat chicken dry then brush the outside with butter. Season with lots of salt and pepper.

Brush v-rack with vegetable oil and place it in a shallow roasting pan (you can line the pan with foil for easier clean-up). Place chicken wing-side up in the v-rack and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Then, flip the chicken so the other wing is up, and give it another 15 minutes in the oven.

Turn the oven nob up to 450 degrees (no need to wait for the temperature to rise unless you know your oven is particularly slow) and place the chicken back in the oven breasts up. For a chicken on the smaller end, 20 to 25 minutes may be enough. On the bigger end, you may need 30 to 35 minutes. Thermometers are your friend: white meat should be at approximately 160 degrees when it’s done, while dark meat should be at 165 degrees.

Once your chicken’s done, take it out of the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, carve, and eat. I made this last night and can confirm that both the white meat and dark meat were damn juicy and delicious.

Without v-rack

Total roasting time should be approximately the same, but you’ll want to roast the bird starting breast-side down for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Then crank the nob to 450, flip the chicken so it’s breast-side up, and cook until done — another 30ish minutes for a smaller bird, 40ish minutes for a bigger bird. The skin probably won’t be as crispy, but you should still have a tasty roast chicken at the end of the process.

Addendum

Butter, salt and pepper is all I need most of the time, but feel free to rub on whatever herbs and spices you’d like into the skin after you’ve buttered it. It’s hard to go overboard. Also shout out to Cervo’s in New York City. I used their Piri Piri rub on my last roast chicken the other day and it was :chefkiss:

— Louis Bien

Spinach-pecan pesto (vegan)

Ingredients

2 cups spinach 1/4 cup raw pecans 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 to 3 garlic cloves, depending on your taste Salt and black pepper to taste

The biggest issue many of us have in isolation: How do I eat pasta differently for the seventh day in a row? And how do I make meals that don’t require 5,000 different ingredients, especially if grocery stores are out of stock?

You’re in luck. You can prepare my variation of this pesto as a marinade for chicken or as a pasta sauce.

Toast raw pecans over low-medium heat until fragrant, then allow to cool.

Food processor pecans, spinach, and garlic until minced.

Slowly add olive oil until blended to your preferred consistency.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: My preferred way to eat this is sautéing onions or shallots in 1 tablespoon of butter or oil, adding shrimp, and tossing it altogether with the marinade and whole wheat pasta.

— Brittany Cheng

Vegetable fried rice

Serious Eats is one of my go-tos when I’m trying to cook something I’ve never done before, for two reasons. First, they don’t just explain how to make a dish, they get into why you take certain steps. Second, Serious Eats recipes understand that you, the humble home cook, may not have every preferred ingredient or piece of equipment available, and adjust when they can by showing you where you can substitute or change course in the recipe and still make something delicious.

Their guide for vegetable fried rice is no exception. You can make this with fresh rice or leftover rice. You can use a wok or a cast iron skillet. You can add meat or eggs if you like, but you also don’t have to. The result is delicious and comforting. I offer only these pieces of advice as you set out on your fried rice journey.

Read the whole recipe through beforehand and do your prep work ahead of time (cut your onions, your carrots, and so on, and put them off to the side so they’re ready to go). You don’t want to be racing to chop things.

Open a window and get your oven hood fan cranking. You’re gonna be working with very high heat and probably end up with some smoke.

If you add a fried egg to yours, go ahead and add a second. You deserve it!

— Ryan Nanni

Sweet potato black bean tacos with guac (vegan)

Ingredients

1 sweet potato 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained 1/3 an onion, chopped Chopped Red pepper Garlic salt, smoked paprika for taste

For the guac:

1 avocado, ripe 1 lime Red onion or shallot 2 cloves of garlic

As a runner I live on sweet potatoes. They’re packed with nutrients and taste great. What more do you need? Sweet potatoes are also incredibly versatile. They can be roasted, boiled or nuked and added to any dish. For a simple, and super healthy, alternative to regular old tacos, swap out the meat for a can of black beans and pack the tortilla with sweet potatoes.

To microwave the sweet potato, rinse thoroughly and prick the exterior with a fork. Wrap the potato loosely in a wet paper towel and put in the microwave on high for six minutes, or until tender. (Many microwaves have a setting for potatoes. Use that if available.)

Rinse and drain the black beans and set them aside. Chop the onion and pepper and drop them into a skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive or canola oil, giving the onion a chance to caramelize. Add the black beans and flavor with a dash of garlic salt and smoked paprika. (You can use any spices you like. Get creative and funky.)

Cook for about two to three minutes, or until tender.

Guacamole is my go-to in almost every situation, but you can use any other topping you like. To make your own guac, slice an avocado and scoop out the filling into a bowl, mashing lightly with a fork. Add salt, onion and garlic along with the lime and stir until you get your desired consistency.

Throw everything into a tortilla and enjoy.

— Paul Flannery

If you have some time on your hands (LOL) and want to go all-out

Homemade dumpling recipe

Ingredients

2 packages of dumpling wrappers

Dumpling filling:

1/4 cup vegetable oil (no substitute) 1 1/4 pound ground meat (or vegetable filling of choice, such as cabbage and carrots) 1 egg (remove if allergic) 2 bunches of Chinese chives or scallions 3 tablespoons sesame oil (no substitute) 1/4 cup soy sauce

Egg wash:

1 egg 1 tablespoon water

Egg wash substitute, if allergic:

1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Warning: Making dumplings usually takes me about three hours, but if you’re up for the task, it’s so rewarding. The hardest part about making dumplings is finding the wrappers. If you don’t live near an Asian grocery store, you can sometimes find them in Giant or Safeway, which carry Nasoya gyoza wrappers in the tofu section. Do not use wonton wrappers.

If you have two extra hours on your hands, you can make homemade wrappers by following these instructions by Woks of Life, whose pork-chive dumplings were the original version of my recipe.

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat, roughly seven minutes. Cool to room temperature. I can attest this does create a “nuttier” and deeper flavor.

Mix the ingredients of the dumpling filling together. I use ground pork. You can stir-fry the mixed filling to sample the taste before assembly and make adjustments.

Make egg wash or my egg-free substitute by whipping those ingredients.

Assemble about 150-200 dumplings using 1 teaspoon to 1 1/2 tsp of meat per wrapper, using the wash to seal. Keep most of dumpling filling in the fridge and take portions out as needed.

To store:

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and put dumplings on there. Stick batches into the freezer as you go. This freezes the dough so dumplings won’t stick to each other.

After each batch spends 30 minutes in the freezer, they can be tossed into gallon freezer bags for storage.

To pan fry:

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (vegetable, canola) to non-stick skillet over medium-high. Do not let oil burn.

Arrange dumplings and cook for four minutes, or until the bottoms of the dumplings are light golden brown.

Add 1/4 cup of water, immediately place lid over skillet, and turn to low to low-medium heat to steam for about four minutes.

Remove lid and cook until the water is mostly evaporated.

To boil:

Bring salted water to a rapid boil.

Cook dumplings in boiling water for about five to six minutes (add two to three minutes if they’re frozen) until they float. Stir occasionally.

— Brittany Cheng

Simple, good cassoulet

Cassoulet is my favorite dish in the world, and I’m on a mission to perfect it. The hardest part may be acquiring all the ingredients. You may need to visit a bougie grocery store to find duck confit and duck fat, for example. But once you have the goods, cooking cassoulet is a trial of patience more than anything.

Here’s my great, relatively simple recipe that I adapted from a French cookbook called Connaître la cuisine du sud-ouest by Francine Claustres. If you can read French or are willing to put in some effort translating, it has multiple variations of cassoulet, from Toulouse, to Carcassonne, to Castelnaudary and beyond. Trust me, once you try one cassoulet, you’ll want to try them all.

— Louis Bien

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