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dickwheelie · 4 years

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this is a few days late but it’s still technically Hanukkah, so! here’s a fic about Jon and Martin celebrating Hanukkah in the safehouse (shhh timelines aren’t real) because I like to project and I really like the idea of Jon being Jewish. a lot of us are having weird holidays this year, away from friends and family, so the boys having a weird one too seemed appropriate. in particular, Jon not having a menorah because I don’t have one this year either :(

the stuff in this is based on my own experiences celebrating Hanukkah growing up in a pretty secular household, so if you see anything that’s “wrong” then that’s why, lol. the prayer is accurate as far as I know though, it’s the same one my family and I sing every year.

(also this is not a good representation of how to make rugelach! if you really want a good recipe, hmu and if you ask nicely I might share my mother’s 😁)

enjoy and Happy Hanukkah!! 💙🕎✡️💙

___________

“I just feel bad,” Martin said, watching from the sofa as Jon put the challah in the oven. “You’re doing all this cooking, and I’m just sitting on the couch like a lump. And this is supposed to be your holiday.”

“Martin, for the tenth time, it’s fine. Besides, the holiday doesn’t actually start until sundown,” Jon called, cheerfully enough, from the kitchen. Jon liked cooking, Martin knew, and he didn’t really see it as a chore in the same way Martin did. Still, this was a special day for Jon (well, eight days, really), and Martin wanted to be of some use. He’d offered to do everything from peeling potatoes to rolling matzoh balls, but Jon, ever the control freak in the kitchen, had stopped him at every turn. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about not helping out as Jon bustled about, trying to make Hanukkah dinner for the both of them.

More than helping out, really, Martin just kind of . . . wanted to share this with Jon. The way Jon talked about it, it sounded as though he’d had more Hanukkahs alone than with friends or what little family he had. Martin wanted to make Jon feel like he didn’t have to be alone this year, and even if Martin was new to this, he was game to learn. Jon had already told him about the holiday and all the different foods he was making, but there was still some distance there, a disconnect, that Martin knew Jon wasn’t putting between them on purpose. It seemed to Martin more like a force of habit than anything else.

After setting the timer for the challah, Jon nodded, satisfied, and came over to join Martin on the couch. He slouched against him comfortably, and Martin automatically put an arm around his shoulders. Jon had a bit of flour on his nose, and Martin gently swiped it off, which made Jon’s face wrinkle up like a disgruntled cat. Bloody adorable, Martin thought.

“I get a bit of a break before I have to start on the latkes in a few hours,” Jon said. “Got to make those right before dinner so they’re fresh.”

“Can I please help with those?” Martin said, half-joking.

“Fine,” Jon laughed, “yes, Martin, you can help with the latkes.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“I’m sure.”

“Is there dessert?” Martin asked, offhandedly. He hadn’t noticed Jon getting out any sugar or making anything sweet that day. “Do people eat anything sweet on Hanukkah?”

“Well, there’s gelt,” Jon says. “Chocolate coins. But the grocer’s didn’t have any. Unsurprisingly.”

Martin laughed. “Yeah. Probably not a huge priority in the Highlands.”

“People also make rugelach, sometimes.”

“Arugula?”

Jon laughed, not unkindly. “Rugelach. Different from the vegetable. Very different,” he said. “It’s a pastry. A kind of holiday cookie, I guess you could call it. Sweet dough with chocolate or cinnamon inside. It’s simple to make, but I didn’t buy the right stuff for it, and honestly I have enough cooking to do.”

“Yeah? How d’you make it?” Martin asked, innocently enough, though an idea was brewing.

As Jon explained, he waved his hands in the air, miming the process. “You just roll out some pastry dough, cover it with chocolate or cinnamon or walnuts or whatever you like, cut it into strips, and roll them up.” He thought for a moment. “They look a bit like seashells.”

“Huh,” Martin said. “Seems easy enough.” He’d never made dough before, but how hard could it be, really. The hardest part, he figured, would be actually making the things in their tiny cabin and even tinier kitchen without Jon finding out.

Soon after that, the oven timer started beeping, announcing that the bread was done. Martin took advantage of Jon busying himself in the kitchen to slip out the door, giving him some offhand excuse about wanting to get some air, to which Jon waved him off.

In the baking aisle at the grocer’s, Martin quickly realized he was out of his depth. He stared at the display of flour and sugar and baking powder and all sorts of other stuff, utterly at a loss as to what one needed to make pastry dough. He tried, once again, to Google a recipe on his phone, but once again, there was no service and no wifi.

Well, there was always pre-made, frozen dough. Not ideal, but it’d probably work in a pinch. Much faster to make, too, Martin thought as he dropped a couple cans of it into his basket. The filling, at least, he knew he’d be able to handle; he grabbed a few bags of baking chocolate and a shaker of cinnamon, and brought everything up to the checkout counter.

Martin didn’t even know which lucky stars to thank when he arrived back at the cabin to find the kitchen empty, and Jon passed out on the bed in a post-challah, pre-latke cooking nap. Martin gently closed the bedroom door and immediately set to baking.

Going by Jon’s vague descriptions, he rolled out some of the dough into a flat oval shape, but the pre-made kind wasn’t meant to be used all at once, and the end result was a sort of lumpy mass. Digging around in the cupboards, he was able to find some flour, which helped make the dough less sticky, at least. Eventually, he was able to get it flat enough to cover it with the filling, like Jon had told him. Half of the dough he covered in cinnamon, liberally shaking it out all over the dough. The other half he covered with the baking chocolate, which came in little chunks, but he figured it would melt in the oven just fine.

Next, just as Jon had described, he cut the dough into even strips, thin and rectangular, and rolled each of them up, so the filling made a little spiral shape inside. The chocolate ones were a bit chunky and awkward-looking, but, well, it was the taste that counted, wasn’t it.

Martin turned to face the oven, realizing he had no idea how long they ought to bake for, or at what temperature. He checked the instructions on the tins of pre-made dough, deciding to go by whatever they suggested. It wouldn’t do for the dough to be raw, he figured.

Soon enough, the pastries were in the oven, and Jon was still dead to the world, none the wiser. Martin felt quite satisfied as he cleaned up, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well- and stealthily-done. He’d hide them in the oven, he decided, until after dinner, and then he’d surprise Jon. Smiling, he went to join Jon in bed, curling up next to him as he slept, until he fell asleep himself.

Martin woke groggily several hours later to Jon gently shaking him awake, telling him it was time to make the latkes. He’d already got the batter done, a thick, floury mixture of potato and onion, and a pan of oil was bubbling on the stove. Jon showed Martin how to drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan, patting them down to shape them into little fist-sized “pancakes.” He let both sides brown in the oil until they were nice and crispy, before transferring them onto a paper towel-covered plate to cool. It was simple enough, and Martin was able to finish up the batch as Jon set the table, bringing out the challah and matzoh ball soup he’d made, as well as sour cream and apple sauce to dip the latkes in.

Once the latkes were done (and Martin was quite proud to say they’d come out very nicely), Jon retrieved some red wine he’d gotten in the village and poured them both a glass. Then, as Martin was getting ready to sit down, Jon glanced around sheepishly, gesturing at an empty space on the kitchen counter.

“I, ah, normally I’d have a menorah to light. But obviously I didn’t bring one when we came up. And out here, well, it’s the same as with the gelt. No real place to buy one.”

“Oh,” Martin said, heart sinking. He reached out to squeeze Jon’s hand. “That’s a shame. I’m really sorry.”

“Really, I just wish I could show you,” Jon said, shaking his head as he took his seat at the table. “It’s really lovely. You light a new candle every night, and when they’re all lit . . . I’m sure it’d look nice here, especially.” He gestured at the space in front of the darkened kitchen window.

“Yeah,” Martin agreed, wistfully. He’d seen photos of menorahs before, and he could just picture it, he and Jon gathered around, lighting candle after candle as the eight nights passed.

“Well,” Jon said, turning back to face Martin at the table, “we may not have a menorah, but I can still do the blessing.”

“Blessing?”

“Yes. You’re supposed to do it while lighting the menorah, but, well. I’m sure this will do, given the circumstances.” Jon reached his hand across the table, and Martin took it.

“Alright.” Jon cleared his throat, almost self-consciously, and then began to sing in Hebrew, a melodic, practical tune that sounded comfortable and familiar on his tongue, like a well-worn shawl. “Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu, l’hadlik ner, shel Hanukkah.”

Martin couldn’t really sing along to the words, but he nodded along to the melody, and when Jon was done he looked up at him and smiled, and Martin beamed back. They both raised their glasses and drank.

They ate heartily, or at least Martin did, because Jon kept shoving second and third bowls of soup at him, and insisting he finish off the latkes. Not that Martin was complaining, of course; it was all delicious, and Jon did praise him for how nice the latkes had come out.

They left the dirty dishes for later (or, knowing the two of them, tomorrow morning), and after dinner they went straight for presents. Though his options were limited without online shopping or anything outside of the tiny village, Martin had managed to find an adorable little painted china Highland cow in a local antiques shop.

“I know you think they’re cute,” Martin said as Jon lifted it out of the box.

“How did you know,” Jon deadpanned, but he grinned as he brought it up to his nose and stared at its little painted snout. “I love it, Martin, thank you.”

Jon had gone the homemade route, and knitted Martin a scarf. And a pair of mittens. And an entire bloody sweater.

“Oh my god, Jon,” Martin said, staring in disbelief at the mounds of knitwear before him. “How did you find time to do all this? How did you find time to do all this without me knowing?”

Jon looked away sheepishly. “I, uh, I’m a fast knitter.”

Martin shook his head fondly. Unbelievable. But he immediately took off the sweater he’d been wearing and pulled on the one Jon had made. It fit rather well and was as cozy as it looked. “Thank you, Jon,” he said, feeling the sleeves, knowing that every loop and stitch of the fabric had been purposeful. He could practically feel the care and love Jon had put into each one of them. “I love it,” he said, leaning over to kiss Jon at the corner of his eye.

“Well,” Jon said, cheeks darkening, “Happy Holidays, then.”

“Oh,” Martin said, rising from the sofa, “I’ve actually got one more thing. Sort of a last-minute gift.”

“Hm?”

Martin went over to the oven and took out the trays of rugelach. He’d checked them earlier to see if they were cooked through, but hadn’t gotten the chance to taste one yet. “Tried my hand at a bit of dessert,” he said, selecting a couple nice-looking ones and putting them on a plate for Jon to try.

Jon had followed Martin into the kitchen, and was staring at the pastries lined up on the trays. “Oh, well, thank you,” he said, surprised, taking the plate Martin handed to him. “What are they?”

Martin cocked his head at him. “Rugelach,” he said. Wasn’t it obvious?

Jon’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Ah,” he said, voice strained with positivity. “Of course. Right.”

Martin was starting to get a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Gingerly, Jon took one of the rolled-up pastries, and bit into it.

Martin tried one as well. It was one of the chocolate ones, and it was . . . crunchy. Very crunchy. The chocolate, it seemed, had only partially melted in the oven, and the pastry dough itself was a bit hard to bite through. Besides that, it wasn’t very sweet, the chocolate being too dark and the dough being too salty.

He tried a cinnamon one. Again, the dough was crunchy, and the cinnamon was overpowering without any sweetness to it. Martin considered the possibility that perhaps he ought to have added sugar.

Jon, for his part, was doing his best impression of a person who was very much enjoying the pastry they were eating, honest. “Mmm,” he said, demonstratively, as he swallowed one of the cinnamon ones. “Thank you, Martin, these are . . . delicious.”

Jon was actually reaching for seconds, which Martin knew he was only doing to make him feel better, so he reached out a hand and placed it on Jon’s, stopping him short.

Jon looked up at him. Martin shook his head wordlessly. Jon cracked a smile.

“They’re not good,” Martin said, putting them back on the trays one by one.

“Martin--”

“It’s okay,” Martin said, smiling back at him, “I know. They’re rubbish. I didn’t even use a recipe, of course they were gonna turn out--”

“Well,” Jon said, stubbornly, “you tried. It’s the thought that counts. Thank you, Martin, really,” Jon said, bringing up Martin’s hand to kiss the back of it. “It was very sweet of you to put all this effort into it.”

“Next time, I’ll look up a recipe,” Martin said, bringing one of the trays over to the kitchen bin. Jon was quick to assist him.

“There’s seven nights of Hanukkah left,” Jon said, after a moment’s thought. “We can always try again. Tomorrow, we’ll get more ingredients, and I’ll show you how to do it properly. It really is easy, you just need . . . well. Sugar, for one.”

Martin laughed as he tossed the last of the batch away. “Okay. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

“I mean it, though,” Jon said, looking at him fondly. “Thank you. For this, and for the cow, and for sharing the holiday with me. It’s . . . this has been really . . .”

Jon was gesturing in the empty air, struggling for the proper word, but Martin understood well enough. “Yeah,” he said. “And thank you, for sharing it with me.” He pressed a kiss to Jon’s cheek.

“Happy Hanukkah, Jon.”

#tma #the magnus archives #jonmartin #martin blackwood #jonathan sims #gwyneth writes #oh shit this is long #it's 2.4k #btw not pictured in their spread is gefilte fish which is a staple in my holiday dinners #but again idk if you could find it in the scottish highlands lmao #not a ton of jews out there i imagine #anyway happy hanukkah yall i love you

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citamutiara · 4 years

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Being able to function normally during the pandemic and political turmoil sounds like a frivolous idea. This week, work was a little busier than usual and my plan to study German properly seemed to wither away (I mean how could you study, wenn alles irgendwie anstrengend!). So, this time I just want to share books I have read featuring female writers from different background i.e POC, LGBTQ, immigrants, cis-gender white female among others.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation – Ottessa Moshfegh

A strange novel about an educated, white, thin, pretty, young, rich (basically uber-privileged lady) who can afford to experiment in narcotic hibernation, aided and abetted by one of the worst psychiatrists. She lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like everything else, by her inheritance. In other words, she can live comfortably without having to do any jobs *gasp*. Reading this book is like an ode to go against the current and escape capitalism where our life is measured by productivity and if anything the heroine in this book could proof that doing nothing is a luxury.

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy

This is a solid Greek tragedy and I am not even exaggerating. Set in Kerala, India, the story hovers around the life of a twin who went through A LOT (and still not exaggerating) including the caste system, religious tensions, communism, forbidden love, history and colonialism, class, culture, among others. I can imagine the atmosphere of book to be grim and uncomfortable, but the prose, choice of words and metaphors are too pretty to be missed (even when the ending was a little bit of a shocker!). Please read this, hmu when you have finished and let’s have an angry crying fest.

Alien & Anorexia – Chris Krauss

After I Love Dick and now this! Fun, tongue-in-cheek yet stylish and full of panache kind of title. Chris Krauss combined philosophy, part memoir, part biography, and art criticism in a whole ass book pondering the life and work of Simone Weil (an ‘anorexic’ French commie philosopher), Ulrike Meinhof (a West German far-left militant who allegedly committed suicide in her prison cell) and Paul Thek (an American artist).

The story hovers around those notable beings interpolated with Chris Krauss’ narrative and/or personal essays as a bulimic writer purging words from a mind that wants to empty itself, become alien, de-create. Sex. S and M phone sex with ‘Africa’. Her failed movie project, Gravity & Grace. Extra-marital affairs. Sounds like a recipe of a disaster but Chris Krauss managed to string them beautifully that I thoroughly enjoy this book. Brilliant -if not sublime. MUST READ.

A Mercy – Toni Morisson

A story of four females (three slaves and one mistress) trying their best to carry on with their lives in the 1680’s when slave trade was still in infancy where class division, prejudice and oppression were rampant. The four voices echoed through the book are Florens who were casted off by her mother to another master wishing to save her but ended up never able to exorcise that initial abandonment only to experience another bigger and destructive abandonment that change Floren’s course of life forever; Lina, an aborigine whose tribe was decimated by smallpox and was so damaged that she avoided love at all cost; Rebekka the mistress, who flee from religious intolerant England with the promise of new land in America only to be embittered by childlessness and husband’s early death; lastly, Sorrow, the weird girl with no re-collection of her earlier life trying to cope with her new life as a slave. Beautifully written but I feel the character development is lacking and when the book finally ended, I was underwhelmed and parched for wanting to know more about them.

Home Fire – Kamila Shamsie

The story focused around three orphans of Pakistani descent who lives in the United Kingdom. Another tragic story where family were torn apart when their father, who had been a jihadist had died in American custody. This is set at the time when the attraction of going to Raqqa, Syria to join ISIL was there for some Muslim youth and the family are being watched because of their father.

Another main character is Kamarat Lone, the UK’s Home Secretary, who were brought up as a Muslim but has been very critical against British Muslims saying that they are not British-enough (which I would like to argue that British-ness is a very vague concept). This book brings us the question of self-identity as a Muslim in a secular world where one has to follow the ‘norm’ in order not to be prejudiced as well as question about nationality, citizenship, loyalty and betrayal.

Self-Help – Lorrie Moore

A collection of short stories rich with characters and wit that it did not need to be a whole-ass hundred pages of explanation to get the points across and to evoke hear-pangs to the reader. It started strongly with ‘How to be an other women’ (which kinda explain why the anthology is called Self-Help) telling story of a woman who learns how to conduct an affair, followed by a tale of one’s life seized by a cold man, kid’s guide to divorce, a woman with terminal illness contemplates her exit (disclaimer: those who are suicidal please refrain from reading this story!), a woman contemplates ways to end a dying relationship, notes on how to talk to one’s mother and how to become a writer. Solid book! 10/10 would recommend.

Jenny Hval – Paradise Rot (not pictured, read the E-book version)

Ok I am tired of typing but I have so many questions after reading this book, is Carral (one of the main characters in the book) is real? If not is she a ghost? Monster? Zombie? Or a.. mushroom? Also did Jenny (also one of the main characters) were taking so much shrooms that she had her brain damaged and Carral was actually a figment of her imagination thanks to her rotten brain? Anybody wants to have discussions about Carral’s existence?

#reading #bookworm #bookclub #bookish #bookaddict #bookstagram #books #bibliophile #booktube #goodreads #read

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queenshounds · 7 years

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i was tagged by @wellhalesbells. and oh man, i haven’t done something like this in ages, but it reminds me of these scrapbook-type notebooks we had in elementary school, where you’d write a bunch of questions, each on its own page, and then give it to people you wanted to know more about to fill out. it was always really interesting to see what people wrote in it.

A - Age: 22 (someone recently asked me how old i am, and i was like hmmm…) B - Biggest fear: uhhh, being stuck in your own brain forever and ever. either because i’d be too self-centered, or because of some illness. C - Current time: 4:26 pm. i just got home from uni. D - Drink you had last: blackcurrant juice E - Every day starts with: me not wanting to get out of bed (i don’t mind being awake though, i just have issues with actual, literal getting out of bed.) F - Favorite song: i… don’t have one. dancing in the moonlight never fails to make me happy, but this is a song i never seek out on my own (except for linking purposes). i think it would ruin the magic of it. instead, i wait for it to turn up on the radio or wherever. also, today i really like lorde’s homemade dynamite. G - Ghosts, are they real: nah. though, wouldn’t it be awesome H - Hometown: this really small town in Zagorje, Croatia (subjectively the best part of Croatia) I - In love with: yoga, books - though, maybe i should say stories, seems more correct. J - Jealous of: people who know what they want and how to get it. i’m constantly flailing about in the darkness. K - Killed someone: we’re not counting this awful(ly) huge breed of mosquitos that turned up a few years ago, right? L - Last time you cried: i have no idea. i tear up every once in a while when i’m reading news/fics/books, but a proper cry… i couldn’t tell you. sometime in the last two months, maybe?! M - Middle name: people around here don’t usually have one. and it’s really weird if someone does (”couldn’t they just decided on one name?” is the most commonly heard thing about it.) N - Number of siblings: one. O - One wish: to stop getting in my own way, i could do anything then. P - Person you last called/texted: my bro. it was about where i am, the fifth american gods episode, and healthy eating - no, wait. i texted dad to see if he could come and get me from the train station. Q - Question you’re always asked: “what?” meaning “could you please repeat? preferably louder.” i am notoriously quiet. R - Reason to smile: i looked like sunshine today. S - Song last sang: sorry seems to be the hardest word and it’s a wonderful life this morning in the car. (and then i later i mouthed along to interpol songs. i love interpol). T - Time you woke up: 5:30 am. (i’ve been waking up at 5:30 for most of my life and every time i have to wake up at 5:00 am, it’s like the worst torture ever imagined.) U - Underwear color: it’s black today. V - Vacation destination: if we’re talking about where i’ve been and would like to go again, then Zgornje Jezersko, Slovenia where we went hiking for the first time (i was wearing chucks - decidedly not the smartest decision i’ve ever made). but this summer i would really, really, really like to go to berlin. there are tenative plans to make this happen. (i’m gonna cry if i don’t end up going after all.) W - Worst habit: when i let my (extremly) contrary nature mix with my procrastionation tendencies. i just break my own damn heart. (it’s the worst. don’t recommend it.) X - Xrays you’ve had: to check if my finger broke when the girl slammed a basketball at me (it didn’t) and to see if my tooth was okay under the filling (it was, i just have really sensitive teeth). Y - Your favorite food: we call it french potatoes (no idea why because it’s the most zagorski thing ever). layer a few sliced potatoes (cooked in skin, but whatever works), a few boiled eggs, some finely chopped and fried bacon, then potatoes again in a pan that you can stick in an oven. then pour mileram (any sour cream will do, but runny is better!) all over that and bake it for 30 min at 180°C. (a surprise recipe! yay) Z - Zodiac sign: pisces

i accidentally hit ctrl+enter so if you’re seeing this again, sorry. i had no idea this is a shortcut to post. anyway, since i’m pretty much too awkward and shy to... live, really, and make friends like a normal person, it falls to you, reader, take it in your hands. so if you’d like to be friends ( acquaintances, mutual followers), fill this out and tag me.

#meme #abt #you have to make this #we don't eat it often #but when we do i have it for lunch dinner and breakfast the next day #it's that good.#hmu if this recipe is too vague for you

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space-kitten-606 · 6 years

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Happy Birthday, Emma!

Good morning, my dear! So today is finally the day (if my memory doesn’t fool me) on which I can gift you that thing I’ve been working on for way too long and totally not because I forgot about it for some time, no way!

I hope you’re having a wonderful day today with lots of good vibes and cake and cuddles from your lovely babies. I know life’s been hard on you lately, so I think it’s about time you get something back. Thank you for being there for me when I needed someone, despite barely knowing me. Thank you for becoming my friend, when I least expected it. Thank you for always being so open, honest and helpful. Your messages bring a smile to my face no matter how stressed I am. So as much as you managed to give me some refuge from my stress, I hope this also manages to cheer you up a little (or a lot, if you need it) since my skills of being helpful or calming are...not....that helpful! Anyway, again: Happy Birthday @googlesnoodles! I hope it is okay for you that I used your actual name, since it is in your blog description; if you want that changed, you know the deal. Just hmu and I’ll fix it! ^-^

Carefully not to wake his wife, Saeyoung climbed out of their shared bed. It wasn't easy to contain his excitement but the day he had been working towards to for months had finally come. Before he snuck out of the room, he turned around once more, just to make sure he didn't make too much noise. Glad to see his love was still rolled up in her blanket, enjoying the sweet embrace of sleep, he closed the door carefully and hurried into the kitchen.

„It's about time“, his brother snarled, throwing a pair of oven mitts his way. “I almost thought your weird colleague was right when he said you'd just end up letting me do all the work.”

Ignoring his sibling's tone the former agent pulled the warm cake out of the oven. The warm air emitting from the pastry smelt sweet, instantly making his mouth water. He'd love to stuff his face with just the warm dough, but it would render the effort he and Saeran had put into the day useless. Deciding to listen to his common sense, he set the naked cake down instead, letting it cool down for the time being.

“Well you're just so much better with things that require patience. Especially considering food.”, Saeyoung grinned as he looked over the others shoulder, who was cleaning of the fruit they would use for decoration later. After trying to steal a few bites and failing miserably he added , “Do you think the coloring worked?”

Saeran just shrugged. Unlike his twin he wasn't very talkative in the first place, but especially now he didn't think it was the right time to talk. He wanted to focus on doing everything right. The dough, the fruit, the sugar coating-

The sugar coating! Wide eyed he hurried over to his phone to check the recipe, pushing Saeyoung out of his way carelessly. Ignoring the others fake whining, his eyes flew over the text on the small screen. When he found the passage in question, he let out a relieved huff. The coating was supposed to go on when the dough had cooled down, not beforehand. Meaning he had enough time to spare to clean up the baking utensils, while the other started to fix the other snacks. If he was being honest, he thought the look his brother had chosen for the cake was way too complicated. Hell, he didn't even know if the extra things Saeyoung wanted to add would work, also just thinking of the coating already made him want to groan in agony, but after all his sister in law had done for them he was at least somewhat willing to lose his mind over some pastry. Also his brother promised to take over Saeran's chores for the next few months.

Vaguely aware of the voices bickering in the kitchen Emma stretched out her tired limbs. The room was still engulfed in darkness, the heavy curtains in front of the windows keeping the dim autumn sun outside. There, the quiet sound of leaves rustling and birds singing to each other put her at peace. According to the forecast she saw last night, it was going to be a nice day. A good balance between the warmth of the sun and a steady autumn wind, cooling the overall temperature down a little. Perfect. Not fully willing to get up yet, she stared at the ceiling above her. It was her birthday, but she didn't have anything specific planned yet. Maybe she would just drag Saeyoung to the next supermarket to pick up a nice treat and invite a bunch of friends over for the afternoon. It was simple, but a welcoming change to the stress she went through lately. There was no way she could deny she was having a rough time. And if it wasn't for her friends and new found family...well. For a moment she considered throwing her last minute plan out of the window. Staying at home enjoying her peace and quiet was pretty tempting after all. Sighing, she pulled the blanket back over her head. She'd decide what to do when she felt like actually getting up.

“Jesus Christ, Saeyoung! Stop touching it!” Saeran was finally losing his patience. How old was his brother again?!

“But it looks so neat. It's fascinating.”

“Well, it won't if you keep leaving traces in it with your fingers. I don't feel like making even more, just to even out your fingerprints. If you won't stop doing that, I'll just stop caring what the coating ends up looking like.”, he scoffed, as he stroked a new layer of coating over the spots left by his twin.

What a bore, Saeyoung thought to himself, despite knowing Saeran was right to put him in his place. He didn't have to help him out this much, but he did so anyway. Thinking about it, he probably wouldn't be able to pull the entire thing off without him.

Letting out a soft sigh he carefully put the snacks he had prepared one by one in the cooling box by his feet, making sure he put them as close to each other as possible to ensure they wouldn't just fall all over the place during transportation. Not that he expected his brother to throw it around, but still.

After several times of waking up and turning around again, the blonde freed herself from the blanket warming her limbs and shuffled to the shower. The day was starting out pretty slow, but she was appreciating it.

The hot water on her body helped her washing off the tiredness that still stuck in her bones, making her limbs feel less heavy. Hopefully it wouldn't be one of those days, she thought to herself. She could stay inside that shower forever, enjoying the feeling of her troubles melting away with each drop.

“Hurry!”, Saeyoung whispered to his sibling, trying to hide all the traces still left from their baking.

“Stop pushing me, or do you want me to drop the stupid cake?!”

Stopping in his tracks, Saeyoung considered protesting. If she was already in the shower it was only a matter of minutes until she came to join them. And if the utensils wouldn't be out of the way and clean by then...! To his terror, he heard the bathroom door open, and silent humming filling the air inside the hallway.

“Go, go, go!”

“I said, stop it!!”, Saeran hissed, as he closed the fridge and leaned back against it, acting “natural”.

The steps that were steadily closing in on them halted at the kitchen's door frame, as the freshly showered lady took in the scene in front of her.

Her husband and her brother in law, both of which looking rather disheveled, staring in each other, obvious annoyance written on their features. What in the world happened? She didn't get a chance to voice her question though, as her significant other stepped over to her, greeting her with a soft kiss.

“Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”

“I slept alright. You got up pretty early this morning, is something up?”, she asked innocently. The entire room was engulfed in the smell of pastries, and considering the way the boys behaved right now, it was obvious what they were hiding. Still, she didn't want to ruin the surprise, so she settled with pretending to not being able to put two and two together. Turning her around, Saeyoung led her out of the kitchen, softly pushing her into the general direction of their garage.

“Well, since you're washed and dressed and looking as gorgeous as ever”, Emma rolled her eyes at that, despite it making her feel a little fuzzy inside, “we can just move on with today's plans, which is great, because I have been looking forward to today for ages!”

The young woman couldn't help but letting out a small giggle at that. It was her birthday, but it almost seemed like Saeyoung was a lot more excited than she was.

After reassuring her several times that there was really no need for her to go back and bring a bag, they jumped into the car, driving off to god knows where. Well, Saeyoung knew. But he didn't feel like telling her yet, not wanting to spoil the whole thing for her.

Though the almost two hour drive was really long, as soon as they got out of Saeyoung's baby, Emma finally felt some excitement bubbling up inside her as well. In front of her was a huge building she remembered seeing on a pamphlet in her husband's office one day. So that's why she wasn't allowed to take a closer look at it. Closing in on it, she had to resist the urge to just make a run for the entrance.

There were several huge rocks placed around the building, all accompanied by little signs, explaining what they were, their components and probable age. The building itself was huge, white and generally reminded of a bone of some sort. On the top left a set of black steal letters announced it being a geological museum. The excitement vibrating in her bones made her feel extremely giddy.

A wide smile on her features, she turned around to her husband.

Amazing. Seeing her like this was the greatest gift to him. The positive nervous energy she was emitting was extremely contagious. He quickly caught up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her shoulder.

“So, I guess you like it, huh?”, Saeyoung whispered.

Not to keen of being held back right now, Emma struggled in his arms, trying to wiggle herself out of his embrace. She really enjoyed being close to him, but at the moment she could barely stand holding still.

In between the fast rush of words coming out of her mouth, he could barely make out a “Yes! Thank you!”, before she gave him a quick peck on the lips and made her way for the entrance door.

The exhibition was great. There were so many things even Emma hadn't seen yet. Each and every piece making her eyes light up like those of a child on Christmas. She was soaking the information around her up like a sponge, making mental notes here and there, excitedly telling her husband about the additional info she had only just learned. Saeyoung was all for listening to her instead of reading the information for himself, as her passionate explaining made him fall for her all over again. Sometimes she would stumble over her own words, or jump back to explaining a part of another thing she forgot. It was endearing.

As unfortunate as it was inevitable after a few hours of walking around, looking at every piece in detail, giving strange looking fossils hilarious names and throwing out a set of puns they got to back to the entrance. The realization of that made Emma's excitement fade away, and a sense of comfortable sleepiness overcame her. How long exactly had they been in there? Outside the afternoon sun was already on her way downwards, making space for the moon to take her place soon.

“Soo...”, the young woman started, barely able to contain a yawn, “home?”

Grinning, Saeyoung shook his head.

“Not quite.”, he said, taking her hand and walking to the car with her. “But you can nap in the car if you like. I won't bother you, pinkie promise.”

Despite her protesting that she didn't have to get some shut eye that badly, her body and mind betrayed her falling asleep almost instantly as soon as they were moving. The former agent used the chance to get in contact with his brother. After all there were still some last preparations to be made. It was also a little later than he had originally planned, but if he was lucky they could still make it at least almost on time for what he had wanted. Fingers crossed.

Letting out a yawn Emma opened her eyes. She had now idea for how long she had slept, but looking out the window, they didn't seem anywhere near home. This didn't even anything like Seoul. Next to her, Saeyoung's gaze was fixed on the road. If she didn't know better he looked slightly unnerved. Maybe the traffic had been bad? When he looked over at her, his scowl was quickly replaced by a cheeky grin.

“Hello there, sleeping beauty. Excellent timing, we're almost there!”, he exclaimed.

Knowing it was too late to protest to his further plans she turned to the window, trying to make out where they could be. By now the sun was already setting. She must've been passed out for quite a while.

Turning off the motor, Saeyoung looked over at her. Again, he seemed slightly nervous, reminding her of the vibes he gave off that morning.

“Ready?”, he asked, taking her hand in his. Emma nodded, even though it felt like the question was actually directed at himself. She turned to the door in an attempt to get out, but the hacker stopped her.

“One more thing.”, Saeyoung mumbled, reaching for the glove compartment. His golden eyes not leaving hers, he pulled out a dark blindfold, and held it up next to his face. “You trust me, right?”

The other nodded, not missing a beat. Smiling, he asked her to hold still and put the fold over her eyes. After fixing the knot and making sure it wasn't too tight, he got out of the car, hurrying to the passenger side to help his lady out.

As he carefully led her to his desired destination the sound of calm waves reached her ears. The air was clear and a little salty.

“Careful now.”, Saeyoung whispered as she took her next step. The ground underneath her feet felt soft and gave away lightly. Sand. Going further a crackling fire came into earshot.

Finally they stopped. Not saying anything, Emma took in the sounds around her. The waves, the silent wind, the flames eating away on the wood and last but not least, her husbands footsteps, as he relocated himself behind her.

Silently, he reached for the threads holding the blindfold in place and carefully undid the knot he put earlier. Slowly he took it off, pleased to see the other still kept her eyes closed. Perfect. Taking a deep breath, he scrunched the fold in his hands and shoved it in his pocket.

“You can open your eyes now.”, he whispered, his hands resting on her shoulders.

The view was absolutely breathtaking. Only a few feet in front of them someone had build a small campfire close to a soft blanket, on top of which there were several handmade snacks and a small cake. Silent music was playing from a set of small speakers, quiet enough to not drown out the sound of the sea. And last but not least the sun, slowly setting behind the horizon, making the sea shimmer as it lightly reflected the colorful sky above.

“I- what? How?? When??”, she stuttered, turning around.

“The ways of God 7 are a mystery.”

It didn't take her very long to solve his mystery. Considering the scene she saw this morning, it seemed like she would have to thank Saeran later, as well. Maybe she could get him a nice bouquet? Her stomach growled lightly, immediately redirecting her attention to the food on the blanket sprawled out in front of them. The snacks really didn't disappoint. There were sandwiches, small bowls with vegetables, dips for everything and anything, chips and several kinds of sweets. What was standing out the most though, was the cake. It's shape was not particularly outstanding but the coating and little extras? That must've taken ages. She was in awe.

“Would you like to cut it yourself, or should I do it?”, Saeyoung asked, waving a the knife he was holding back and forth. Emma shrugged. If she could, she would prefer to leave it in one piece, and place it somewhere to look at. Unfortunately this was not an option. With her finger, she reached out to the pastry, letting it hover only mere centimeters over the coating made of several blues and purples decorated with small white dots all over, making it look like a colorful night sky. On top and around the already fascinating cake there were small pieces in somewhat round shapes, colored to look like small planets floating in, and apparently around space.

“I think you should cut it.”, she finally decided. “I wouldn't want to mess anything up.”

Laughing the other took one of the plates standing next to him, holding it with one hand while cutting out a piece with the other. “I don't think you can mess up cutting a cake.”

Carefully making sure the piece won't fall to it's side, he handed her the plate. Now she actually had a chance to see the inside as well. The dough was died black, with, again, little planets drawn inside. Incredible. Raising a brow, she looked over to her lover. There was no way he did that all by himself, right?

Almost as if able to read her mind, Saeyoung murmured: “Saeran made it.”

“I didn't know he was so good with this stuff.”, she admitted, turning the plate in her hand to look at the piece from all angles. “It's flawless.”

“Well, we did have a few practice cakes, to say the least.”

Happy to finally get to try the pastry, Saeyoung shoved the small fork into his mouth. “Mmmh. Emma, you should try it. It's amazing.”

Nodding, she followed his advice, taking a good bite.

Wow. It was soft and juicy. The dough tasted sweet, but not too sugary, so the coating rounded the the taste well. And the little planets on top were made of fruit, giving the entire taste a hint of sweet freshness. She would've never guessed it was homemade. Unsurprisingly, the cake was gone in no time. The young woman would be lying if she said she didn't regret keeping a few pieces for later, but they both couldn't help themselves.

Letting his wife rest after their huge meal, Saeyoung put the left over snacks back into the cooling box, keeping them fresh. They would have plenty of time to eat some more later should they feel like it.

When he was done, he took his place next to Emma, who was enraptured in watching the stars shining down on them. The sun had gone down several hours ago, leaving the scene to be solely enlightened by the crackling fire next to them. Around them, the natural sounds set a calming mood. So calm, it made the concept of time feel almost unreal. Closing his eyes, Saeyoung wished he could stay right here forever. Listening to the waves washing up on the shore, trees silently rustling not so far away in the cool breeze, as the two of them lay with each other, warmed by the flames feasting on the wood. Silently, Emma shuffled over to him wrapping her arms around him.

Nuzzling her face into his chest, he could barely make out a muttered “Thank you.” Saeyoung smiled softly at that tightening his grip around her and placing a soft kiss on his angel's temple.

“Happy Birthday, Emma.”

#mystic messenger 707 #mystic messenger saeyoung choi #mystic messenger luciel choi #707xemma #;)#my writing

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jewishtango · 7 years

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apple&honey macaron for a sweet new year

l’shana tova everyone!! i started making these last year and they were a big hit so i thought i’d share the recipe for you all, which is really a combination of recipes adapted from different sources. i’m going to start with the fillings, bc i always make them in advance. i make two fillings for this particular recipe, but if you want to try to combine them, that’s up to you. this is long so bear with me

the first is apple butter. this is adapted from cooks illustrated, who bless their hearts made some p glaring errors imo

1lb macintosh apples 1lb fuji apples 1/2 liquid cup apple cider 1/4 liquid cup calvados/applejack/some other apple alcohol 1/4 liquid cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar reasonable splash of lemon juice (approx 1.5 tablespoons) sprinkling of salt spices!

1. cut up your apples into little chunks KEEPING THE PEELS ON. put em in a big ol dutch oven with the other ingredients and stir a bit to get the apples coated in em. the original recipe doesn’t call for spices, claiming it takes away from the apple flavor, but theyre clearly idiots so go wild. i throw in a single star anice, generous cinnamon cloves and nutmeg, and a little dried lemon peel bc why the hell not

2. put the pot on the stove over medium heat and bring the liquid to boil, stirring occasionally.

3. turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pot, and leave that fucker for half an hour. in the wise words of my grandma, DON’T PEAK

4. i used a food mill to process the contents of the pot but i guess a strainer could work too. in any case, get rid of those skins and chunky bits, put it all in a smaller pot.

5. on the lowest of heat and stirring constantly, reduce what is now essentially applesauce down into jam. this is going to take a while, so make sure youve got everything u need first or someone to take over if you’ve gotta leave the pot alone. the jam should darken and once you’ve got it down so it sorta glops down from the spoon in masses rather than pouring off of it, get that shit in a jar. let it cool on the counter until its about room temp, then get a lid on it and refrigerate. you’re done!

the honey buttercream is from my dear rose beranbaum’s cake bible, which is a title i’ve always found sort of ironic considering she’s jewish, but that’s beside the point

3 egg yolks (if you can, use the ones left over from the macaron recipe!) 1 cup butter, cut into chunks and softened 1/6 cup (approx) clover honey

1. using an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks until they’ve lightened

2. get a glass heat-proof container ready. in a small saucepan, heat the honey up, stirring constantly, until it gets to a roiling boil (what’s a roiling boil? the entire surface will get bubbly and frothy. its kinda hard to miss when it happens i promise) QUICK. take it off the heat and transfer immediately to the glass measure to keep it from cooking further

3. asap, start mixing the eggs while slowly pouring in the honey. this’ll cook the eggs so don’t go worrying about salmonella. keeping whisking til the mixture cools completely.

4. add the butter in chunks as you keep mixing, whisk until smooth. voila! put it in the fridge to cool a bit.

finally are the macarons. i use notsohumblepie’s macaron recipe which i’ve fiddled with to make work better for my oven, which is always at least five degrees too cold and takes longer to bake things. i like this one in particular bc it gets into some of science, why you don’t tend to flavor the shells, and the maturation process which is EXTREMELY important. here are some notes from my experience w the process

the recipe calls for aging your egg whites, which means measuring them out ahead of time and sticking them in the fridge for a couple days lightly covered to get rid of any additional moisture. make sure the bowl you use is ABSOLUTELY clean and dry, which i usually accomplish by taking a paper towel slightly dampened with vinegar and wiping the inside with that. also keep in mind that things like humidity WILL affect your macarons, which tend to like drier environments—my dishwasher is by the stove and everyone else in the house knows not to open it while macarons are in progress.

i use bob’s red mill almond flour, but i also find it helpful to grind the almond flour further in a food processor. i sift and measure out 125 grams of almond flour and powdered sugar and process for longer than i think i should, then sift and measure out the other 100 grams of powdered sugar, add that, and then process again for awhile. then i sift the entire contents one last time.

the recipe says to beat the eggs until foamy before adding the sugar/egg white powder mix, which is sort of vague. i interpret this to mean “foamy like a cappuccino” if that helps you at all

it also says to add the food coloring (GEL. ALWAYS GEL) before the macaronage/folding process, which i usually follow. in this particular case, fold in the almond flour mixture a third at a time first, then separate the batter into somewhere between 1/3 & 2/3 and 1/2 &1/2 and add red food dye to the larger portion and green/yellow to the smaller. individually finish the folding process with each until you can do the figure-eight test and the batter resembles lava. put some of the green and some of the red into your pastry-bag-thingy and pipe ‘em out, you should get a cool swirly thing if you do it right, which is to say the green and red are on diff sides, not on top of each other.

assembly!!

make a little circle of buttercream, and place a dab of apple butter in the center for each lil macaron sandwich.

feel free to hmu with any questions or problems!!

#rosh hashana #recipes #jumblr #jewish cooking #halle says some words

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toranj · 7 years

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Low Budget Recipes

As requested, my favorite recipes/how to cook (vegan) on a low budget!

In good times I have about 50€ a month for food for both me and my cats (and alcohol), which boils down to about 1€/day. I’ve been vegan for over five years now, and have never had any kind of vitamin deficiency or what have you.

The instructions may be a bit vague because I don’t use measurements when cooking, I just add stuff on instinct. If you’re not very experienced with cooking and are not sure how much to add, feel free to hmu! Also most of these recipes are more or less ground recipes, you can add (or leave out) whatever you like!

All of the recipes are vegan. Very long text under cut, but here is the gist of it:

Basics:

Emergency Bread

Cream Sauce

Hot Pepper Sauce

Recipe for mayonnaise and all kind of dips

And:

Goulash

(Sweet-) Potato Stew

Chili Stew

Tarte flambée / Flammkuchen

Tabbouleh Salad

Noodle Salad

Flädlesuppe (A very German Soup)

Pudding

-----------------

Goulash

(It doesn’t really taste like goulash. Still amazing!)

What you need:

Potatoes

1 red paprika

1 onion

1 can of sieved tomatoes (or anything resembling it)

Vegetable broth

Tofu (Optional, since expensive)

Spices: Pepper, salt, cumin powder, paprika powder, curry powder (very little)

Take 1 potato, 1 onion, 1 red paprika and cut them into small pieces. Put them into a pot with some oil and steam them at a low temperature for about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth (water mixed with vegetable broth powder) so the vegetables are just about covered. Add the sieved tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes until it’s boiling, then take it off the stove and blend it with a blender until it is smooth. If it is too thick, add some more water. If it’s too liquid, no worries: Now you cut the potatoes into very small dices – this way they cook faster – and add them into the pot. Cook until the potatoes are done. Now add the spices – and done!

(Sweet-)Potato Stew

This one originates from South Africa, if I remember correctly. It’s usually done with sweetpotatoes, but since they are rather expensive I use normal potatoes.

What you need:

Potatoes

Onions

Garlic

Ginger

Chili peppers (ideally fresh ones, but canned ones are cheaper)

1 can of sieved tomatoes

1 table spoon of peanut butter

Spices: Pepper, salt, cumin powder, cucurma powder, fenugreek powder, curry powder (very little)

(Fresh mint)

Cut the onions, garlic and chili peppers and a bit of ginger in very tiny pieces and roast them in your pot with some oil. Add the can of sieved tomatoes with a bit of water and heat it up until its boiling. Add 1 table spoon of peanut butter and cook for about 10 minutes. Cut the potatoes into small dices, add them into the pot and cook until they are done. Add the spices. It’s even better with a bunch of fresh mint leaves as topping.

Tastes even better with couscous as side dish.

Chili Stew

What you need:

1 can of kidney beans

Red paprika (Optional, since expensive)

Corn

Onions

Tofu (Optional, since expensive)

1 can of sieved tomatoes

Spices: Pepper, salt, vegetable broth, chili flakes, paprika powder, cumin powder (very little), curry powder (very little)

Cut the onions into small pieces and roast them in your pot with some oil. Add the can of sieved tomatoes with some water and vegetable broth. Add the spices and heat everything up until it’s boiling. Add kidney beans, corn, more cut onions, and whatever else you want to add. Cook for a few more minutes until all ingredients are done.

Emergency Bread

(A bad version of arabic bread, it’s probably insulting to even call it that. It’s really great if you have no food at home or no money left though and it tastes way better than it sounds!)

What you need:

Water

Flour

Salt

Mix water and flour in a bowl until you have a liquid substance. It should not be thick-ish since you want to spread it very thin! Add salt. Heat up a pan, add a bit of oil – just a few drops. Add the water-flour-mix until the base of the pan is barely covered with it. Remember, it has to be as thin as possible! Fry it for a few minutes until one side is done. Turn it around and do the same with the other side. You know it’s perfectly done when it’s no longer doughy inside!

Flädlesuppe

Can’t translate this one into English since it’s a very (Southern) German dish. It’s basically pancakes cut into stripes and put into vegetable broth. Probably sounds weird, but it tastes better than you think!

What you need:

Emergency bread (see recipe above)

Vegetable broth

Spices: Pepper, salt

(Onions)

You want to make some emergency bread first, except this time spread the dough a little bit thicker so it’s still soft inside after it’s done. Like a pancake! Cut the pancakes into small stripes and put them into a pot of hot vegetable broth. If you like onions, add some of those too. And done! You should eat it fast before the pancakes soak up all the broth though.

Recipe for mayonnaise and all kind of dips

When I have enough money left for milk, I usually make mayonnaise, but you can also use recipe this for e.g. a curry dip or salad dressing.

What you need:

1/3 of soy milk (Doesn’t work very well with other milk)

2/3 of sunflower or rapeseed oil

Spices: Salt, pepper, mustard, vegetable broth powder, lemon juice

Mix the soy milk and the oil (e.g. 50ml of milk and 100ml of oil) and use a blender to mix it for a few seconds. Ideally it has now the consistency of mayonnaise, but no worries if it doesn’t, we can fix that. Just add the spices and stir it, that will make it more solid.

For a curry dip, just add some curry powder, salt and pepper instead. Or other spices, whatever you fancy! Basically you can use this for any kind of dip that you can think of.

For the salad dressing use the same spices as for the mayonnaise, but add a little bit more milk in the end.

Tarte flambée / Flammkuchen

What you need:

Emergency Bread (see recipe above)

Mayonnaise (see recipe above)

Onions

Tofu (Optional, since expensive)

You can either use the emergency bread and put warm ‘mayonnaise’ and roasted onions on it.

Or you can use 250g flour, 20g yeast, 150ml water, salt, sugar and olive oil to make a dough and let it rest for at least 45 minutes. Roll the pastry so it’s very thin, add mayonnaise and cut onions and put the whole thing into the preheated oven for around 5 minutes.

Cream Sauce

This one is a classic and great for any kind of noodle recipes, or vegetables like potatoes. Or, if you have the money, broccoli, cauliflower and tofu.

What you need:

Margarine

Flour

Hot water

Tofu (Optional, since expensive)

Spinach (Optional)

Spices: There are many versions for this recipe, I listed them further down

Heat up a pot and put margarine in it – at least two table spoons. When it’s fully melted add about the same amount of flour, little by little. Stir it with an eggbeater. Now add hot water, again little by little and constantly stirring until you have a thick sauce. If it’s too thick, add more water. If it’s too liquid, add more flour.

For the classic version, add only salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg.

It’s important to eat green vegetables too. :P Add some (frozen) spinach and done!

I also like to mix it additionally with oregano and parsley for “Italian” noodle dishes. And if you have the money, take half a block of classic tofu, mash it with a fork and add it into the pot to cook for a bit. (No spinach in this version.)

Hot Red Pepper Sauce

What you need:

Hot Red Pepper Paste (I always buy it at Turkish grocery stores, but I heard Korean grocery stores have it too)

Water

Spices: Pepper, salt, vegetable broth, paprika powder, chili flakes

Heat up water in a pot and add hot red pepper paste until you have a smooth sauce. Add the spices and you’re done! Tastes especially great with rice and, if you can afford them, fresh vegetables.

Tabbouleh Salad

The perfect thing for hot days! Plus the vegetables you need for this are usually cheaper during summer too.

What you need:

Bulgur

1-3 Onions

½ Cucumber

2 big tomatoes

A big bundle of fresh mint leaves

Salad (Optional)

Spices: Salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil

Take about 150-200g of bulgur and soak it in cold water for an hour, then put it in a sieve to drain off the water. Put the bulgur in a big bowl or pot. Cut the onions, cucumber, tomatoes and mint leaves into small pieces and add them. (The original recipe has 3 big onions, which is a lot. Most people I know are more than happy with only one.) Add salt, pepper, a bit of lemon juice and 4-5 table spoons of olive oil. Optionally you can add a bit of fresh salad too.

Noodle Salad

What you need:

Noodles

Kidney beans

Onions

Corn

Paprika

Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Cook the noodles and let them cool. Add everything else. Done!

Pudding

Sweets are expensive too. So whenever I have money left for milk, I make pudding. I have two versions for you:

1.) Chocolate or Vanilla pudding

You know pudding powder? Every grocery store has those for a few cents, so go get some. The instructions are on the back. Takes about 5 minutes to make!

2.) Semolina pudding

You need:

200g semolina

200ml vegan milk

2 table spoons sugar

Heat up the milk in a pot. Add sugar. Add the semolina and stir for about 5 minutes until you have gooey substance. Fill it into a bowl of your liking, let it cool, then put it into the fridge for a few hours. Add some nuts, if you can afford them!

----------

And a bit of advice:

If it’s too liquid, add more spices or a bit of flour

If it’s too spicy, add sugar, syrup and/or lemon juice

Don’t search for vegan recipes since they usually include super fancy and expensive ingredients. Instead take normal, simple recipes you already know. You can turn literally anything vegan. Usually it’s enough to replace a few things, most commonly:

Soy/Almond/Rice milk instead of cow milk

In many cases you can even replace yoghurt with milk

Half a banana instead of an egg Or vinegar mixed with natron instead of an egg (Baking only)

Every household needs at least one mint plant. :P You can add them to every kind of spicy dish as topping

Get more spice plants!! They are cheap and you have a seemingly endless source of fresh spices

I don’t know about other countries, but here in Germany spices can be really expensive, at least in most German grocery stores. And they aren’t even good or spicy. I always buy them at Turkish grocery stores – the spices are affordable and actually spicy. Arabic, Korean, Chinese (etc.) stores have great spices too!

#cooking #recipes #vegan #jammerlappen #there are probably a lot of mistakes in this bc i didnt proof read and writing recipes in english is a lot of work

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