#i mean if you WANT chicken broth thats fine

[tooquirkytolose]

Everyone loves my moms mexican rice and proclaim it the best they've ever had and I see a lot of recipes out there that are either too fussy or too bland so I'll just list the things my mom does that she says make it good

-you really truly do not need chicken bouillon/chicken broth. Plain water is fine, my mom started omitting the bouillon when I became vegetarian so I could eat it and literally no one knows the difference its fine

- you don't need cumin or cilantro you just need onion, garlic, salt and tomato sauce (or jarred tomatoes)

-FRY YOUR RICE!!! in oil!!! Fry until golden brown and nutty, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP it adds flavor and deepens the color of the end product if you don't fry your rice in oil it looks pale and unappetizing

-blend your water, chopped onion, garlic cloves, and tomato sauce (or jarred tomatoes) add this liquid to the fried rice after you've drained the excess oil, cook like regular rice

You will now be the envy of all mexican mothers and taquerias 👍

[pocketramblr]

Idk if you've talked about this before, but how closely tied do you think the stockpiling nature of OfA is to the "passing down" nature of it? I was thinking about how Midoriya has access to the quirks of the previous holders, and I was wondering how much of that is due to the stockpiling quirk vs First's quirk. Like, if AFO had given and taken the stockpiling quirk multiple times to people with different quirks, would it have "collected" those quirks too, since it's a stockpiler? Or was it purely First's quirk that allowed the other holders' quirks to be passed on as well? Because if it's the latter, then what exactly is the original quirk stockpiling? Before realizing Midoriya could access the previous holders' quirks, All Might said OFA gets stronger each time it's passed on. Would that mean it only accumulates the holders' physical abilities unrelated to their quirks? But that can't be right because OFA has supposedly made all the quirks it contains stronger. So if it's the former, then since AfO held the stockpiling quirk at one point, did it also "collect" a copy of AFO and Midoriya will be able to access it eventually?

i did once answer an ask with a mathematical breakdown of OfA multiplying x amount of average human strength as an example to show the difference between periodic compound interest and continuous compound interest. um, because i teach economics and i always thought that making it entertaining was the best way to get it to stick. that one had showed that izuku should have a truly ridiculous amount of strength, though i dont remember the exact numbers rn. you can try to find it on this blog... good luck.

anyway, thats not really the question you're asking, so lets get into ofa and try to science a quirk that probably is just magic.

I have answered the question below the cut in three parts, plus a lightning round to try and make sure i answered all the parts of your question.

1- stockpiling quirk vs First's quirk: For this, i am going to say that i quite like the theory that First was actually quirkless, and the stockpile quirk just took a little bit of AfOQuirk with it and thats why it could be passed on afterwards. In this situation, i think what OfA does is that the Stockpile Quirk makes a copy of everything in it's holder- their memories, their dna, their energy and vitality. It does not boost any of those until it's passed on- the Stockpile was very small and could only copy AfO's genes that had the AfOQuirk, but at tenth generation would probably copy more than that if passed to someone with AfO and with a hoard of other quirks. On being passed, it then adds to the new holders strength, while working to copy their base traits. So, First got a little stronger with a boost from AfO, and his quirk though he didn't know it, while OfA ran him through a copy machine to make a vestige to paste into the next body. Second has the strength and dna of first and afo, plus some ghosts, and could use his own while it was being copied. And so on. But that's just the "First was actually quirkless theory", so lets work on the assumption that First did have a pass-along quirk

2- First's original quirk. Which doesn't even get a name, thanks guys. We know it should have something to do with passing on quirks, and on relying on consent of the giver and dna transfer, which makes it different than AfOQuirk. AfO can steal and give, but doesn't require dna. There are even some panels in the manga that imply AfO doesn't even need physical touch to take a quirk, as it appears he steals many quirks at once by jumping over a crowd of people. unfortunately, Bones decided to just cut that scene out of season five for some reason, so it's still a mystery and maybe he's using some other method. thanks, bones. hope those last two movies you had to shove painfully into quasi-canon were worth it. Anyway, different activation methods. Now, given that ofa requires on consent of the given, it does make me wonder: if someone knew about ofa, and wanted to give an ofa holder their quirk, and provided dna for it, would it stick? Can ofa both take and give, but only based on willingness? Seems like a possibility that would have never been tested. BUT i am getting super off topic bc i am writing this answer late at night, sorry. Right, so how much of this is First's quirk? Given that it's described as the ability to "Pass on his quirk(s)", i think all of the quirk-stockpiling, including the vestiges, are from First's quirk. On his own, his quirk would collect dna, which includes quirks, and quirks are just straight up haunted. On his own, without the stockpile, he could have passed on his quirk to second, and started the line like normally, but the holders would not have gotten any boost of strength, just possibly the ability to use previous quirks. Maybe only access them if they were originally quirkless? maybe not, without the 'stress' of the stockpiled they'd all be fine with multiple quirks? Who knows. Point is, thats what i think the options are. Either 1, the quirk-vestige stuff comes from afo, first was actually quirkless, and the strength is stockpile, or 2- the quirk-vestige stuff comes from first, and the strength is stockpile.

3- So what is the stockpile doing? Ok so the stockpile is like soup. bear with me. the longer you keep your ingredients in to flavor a broth or stock, the stronger the flavor will be, right? A chicken bone and some carrots in some stock for ten minutes wont' be as flavorful as a chicken bone and some carrots that have been cooking in a stock for an hour. Basically, the stock liquid is the stockpile, and the ingredients are the user's quirks. because of this, i think that it makes sense that Second's Quirk, whatever it is, has received a larger boost from OfA than, say, Black Whip has. It's been in the soup longer. That doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be stronger than black whip when izuku accesses it, because BW probably got to start off stronger, but it will have gotten more of a boost. You can also think of it as a loan- OfA took a quirk loan out from Second way before it took a quirk loan out from Banjo, so Second will have accrued more interest than Banjo, but the total sums also depend on how much was there to start with. Man i hope these metaphors make sense. BUT, but, but, but. The stockpile only has access to these quirks to boost them because of First's original quirk (or the copy of afoquirk it took) On its own, it would have just stockpiled up strength and energy- i think of it more like interest on a checking account with a bank (you get a boost just by having money in there, and it slowly grows over time.) than like a feruchy metalmind (where you would store 'strength' to use later, at the cost of being physically weaker now). While the metalmind concept does technically fit the definition of 'stockpile' to me, i don't think thats how it worked bc it doesn't sound like what AfO meant when he talked about giving it to First. and i mean, AfO has been wrong about quirks before, but still. Interest from a bank is probably how it works. On its own, the only thing the stockpile has in its bank account is physical strength. the AfOquirk copy or First's original quirk let it open up its bank account to more, including the quirks.

lightning round-

Before realizing Midoriya could access the previous holders' quirks, All Might said OFA gets stronger each time it's passed on.

Yes but AM doesn't know a lot of things about OfA. I do think it gets stronger as its passed on, either though Option One of the past user's being pasted onto the next one when it's passed, or through Option Two of it getting stronger as its used, and more passes means more holders means more use.

Would that mean it only accumulates the holders' physical abilities unrelated to their quirks? But that can't be right because OFA has supposedly made all the quirks it contains stronger.

While OFA does make the quirks stronger, i'm not sure if it did much in a user's lifespan or only after it was passed on- Banjo talks about Black Whip being much stronger for Izuku than it was in his time, but i don't remember him mentioning anything about it being enhanced significantly during his time holding ofa.

So if it's the former, then since AfO held the stockpiling quirk at one point, did it also "collect" a copy of AFO and Midoriya will be able to access it eventually?

IMO, possible- but only in Option One where First was originally quirkless. there, he'd have both a vestige and an afoquirk to deal with. In Option Two, he would have neither- except whenever tomura stops by his headspace with an afoquirk and vestige sticking out of his shoulder.

[maddiwrites]

Secrets of the Shore (Chapter 4)

Pairing: Pogues x OC, Eventually JJ x OC

Summary: This is just my rewrite of the show Outer Banks with my own twist by adding another main character which also happens to be John B’s twin sister.

Note: Changed my update schedule to two times a week (probably Sunday and Wednesdays) because three days was kind of overwhelming hahah. Again, thank you for all the wonderful reviews and feedback!! I appreciate every single one!!!

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: Being shot at?

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3

The Pogues come over later to hang out like usual. No one mentions last night's party. I don't know whether its because they don't want to talk about it or we're pretending like it never happened. I'm fine with either.

I sit next to Kie who taps her fingers on a bongo and bobs her head to her own beat. Pope's shuffling a deck of cards to my right and JJ sips on another beer across from me. It's hard to concentrate on what they're talking about. I'm too busy locked in my own head, thinking about what Peterkin said - foster care - what life would be like if we were taken away. Would I ever see my friends again? Would John B and I be in the same foster home? The thought of being separated makes me sick.

"Look, I'm calling it off. All right?" John B pulls me out of my thoughts. JJ rolls his eyes at my brother and glances at me. "Peterkin said if we stay out of the marsh, she'll help us with DCS."

"And you believed her?" JJ asks. "An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop."

John B sighs. "All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days, and she'll help me out. It doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting a gun."

Here we go.

"You know what I should have done? Just let Topper drown your ass."

"Topper was gonna drown me?"

"Sure looked like it."

"Funny," John B deadpans.

"Have you looked in a mirror?"

"Tell me some more. Come on." I can tell by the look on John B's face that he's getting annoyed. It's pinched and he keeps rolling his eyes.

JJ steps closer to him. "They always win, don't they, man? Kooks versus Pogues. They always, always win!" He turns around and punches one of the small volleyballs we have tied in a string like a decoration.

"Look, it's okay!" Kie tries to calm him down.

"No, it's not okay! It's not! They don't want us to go down into the marsh." JJ comes back. "That means there's something valuable down there, and you know it." He turns to me and points. "I know you do." Then he looks at Pope. "I know you do. And I understand why you don't wanna go. You're the golden boy. You got way too much to risk. And you -" He turns to Kie. "I mean, you're already rich as fuck anyway. Why would you bother? But you and me, and Marleigh, man, we got nothing to lose! We really don't all right?"

"JJ -" I sigh.

"And I know it didn't use to be that way for you -"

John B shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about this. I don't want to talk about it!"

"So that's it?"

John B shoves past JJ. "Just get out of my way, bro."

"John B, listen to me. I have a plan." Well thats never good. "You got the key to Cameron's big boat right?"

"No," John B says, already knowing where JJ's head is at.

"There's scuba gear. We borrow that, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man. You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?"

Here's the thing about JJ. He can be really convincing, which is usually the reason he and I get into the most trouble. Because I always fall for what he's saying. He gives me hope when I don't think there is any. He can be surprisingly optimistic sometimes. And when he is, I fall for his charm and agree with everything he says. If he told me to jump off a bridge, I probably would.

When he looks at me, my lips tug upwards into a smile. This creates a domino effect, and soon the other Pogues get excited. John B looks at me, trying to look disapproving but I shrug in response. I mean, JJ's right. What do we have to lose?

                                                       ~ ~ ~

I light a match and ignite my gas stove to make myself lunch. A can of chicken noodle soup that's been in my food closet for who knows how long. John B left to grab the tanks from the Cameron's boat, so the rest of us are waiting here until he comes to pick us up.

"You're eating soup? Its like a hundred degrees outside." JJ walks into the kitchen and lifts himself up on the counter next to the stove.

I stir the liquid around with a wooden spoon and smirk. "Do you see any other edible food around here?" JJ chuckles at that. He knows better than anyone how horrible John B and I are at food shopping. "I meant to go to the store today but..." I sigh. "I've been busy."

JJ pauses, causing me to look up at him. He's usually so quick with his wit and humor. Something I admire and love about him. How he always manages to put a smile on my face with some dumb remark or a sarcastic reply. Only now he's staring at me with curiosity. "Are you okay?"

"You mean other than the impending doom that is foster care that's going to hit me and John B in the near future?" I say sarcastically. I turn the stove off and grab two bowls out of the cabinet behind JJ's head. He ducks for me and my waist presses against his thigh. I pour half the soup in each bowl and hand him one with a spoon.

"Yeah, I mean other than that," JJ says. I blow on the liquid on my spoon to cool it down. The steam that comes up from my bowl already makes me feel hot.

"I'm fine," I tell him.

He gives me a look that says he's doesn't believe me, but I ignore it and he doesn't press me on it. Truth is, I am fine. I just have a lot of my mind but I'm going to do my best not to let it ruin my summer. JJ got me excited again. He's promising an adventure and possibly a fortune. He's right. John B and I have nothing to lose. If we don't go on the marsh today, DCS will find another reason to snatch us. So why hold ourselves back?

"Mar, JJ, he's back!" Kie calls out to us from my yard.

JJ sips the last of his broth out of the bowl and I shovel in the last couple of scoops into my mouth. We throw the bowls in the sink and run to the dock where John B and the others are waiting for us.

Pope directs John B to the part of the marsh where we found the wreck. I sit next to Kie in the front of the boat. She's looking at the two tanks that John B was able to snag off the Cameron's boat. Her brows are furrowed in confusion as she studies the gear.

"This is empty," Kie says, looking up at my brother who stops the boat when we find the sunken Grady-White. "You took empty tanks?"

"I..." John B says slowly. He definitely didn't look at it before he took it.

"Okay, this one's a quarter full," Kie says, pulling the tank to her left closer to her. "Its enough for one of us."

"Love it when a plan comes together," I say sarcastically and pass a look to JJ who rolls his eyes.

"Does anybody know how to dive?" Kie asks.

I purse my lips and look around at my friends and brother. None of them speak up.

"Uh..."

"Anybody?" Kie asks.

"It's kind of a Kook sport," I say.

Pope raises his hand. "I...read about it."

"Great, Pope read about it so someone's gonna die," Kie says.

JJ walks towards us and picks up the mouth piece and shrugs his shoulders. "Look, you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard could it be?"

Pope answers, "If you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood, and you get the bends."

JJ glances between Pope and the rest of us. "Bends like..." JJ bends forward, purposely sticking his butt out, "bend over and..."

Pope cuts him off. "The bends kill you."

JJ snaps straight up. "Right."

I roll my eyes and stand up. "I'll do it."

"Uh, I don't think..." JJ starts to say but my brother cuts him off.

"No. I'll do it."

"What, why?" I turn to my brother and send him a glare.

"Because Pope just said it can kill you and you don't listen to instructions very well." My brother glares back at me. I roll my eyes. He does have a point and evidence to prove it. I usually follow my own gut and ignore others' directions. And because I don't want him to bring up past events, I decide not to fight him on it.

"He has a point," JJ says, earning a punch in the bicep from me. He looks at my brother. "You can dive. I'm cool with that."

"Since when can you dive?" Kie says not liking the idea any more than me.

He shrugs. "I'll do it. It's fine."

"Let me do some calculations real quick," Pope says as John B starts putting on the scuba gear.

"You serious?" JJ asks.

"That boat's about thirty feet down. Okay? So it'll take twenty five minutes at that depth. Twenty five. Which means you need to make your safety stop at about...ten feet."

Contrary to popular belief, I do the actual listening to instructions, I just don't always follow through. But I process everything Pope just said and think of a way to make this easier for John B.

I shimmy out of my jean shorts and pull my top over my head, leaving me in a purple and white striped bikini. Without saying anything, I jump into the water with my shirt.

"Uh..." Pope says, looking into the water where I just disappeared. "What was that about?"

"I don't know. But I liked it. A lot," JJ says, staring at the same spot. John B slaps the back JJ's head and glares daggers in his direction. JJ pretends to clear his throat and turns away from John B.  "Uh, so..."

Pope pretends to focus on his calculations again, not wanting to get caught by John B for staring at his sister too. "Yeah. Uh, when you uh, when you're down there, you look for the cargo hold. You stick this thing inside and twist and pull, okay?"

I guesstimate how deep ten feet is and tie my shirt around the chain attached to our anchor. I look one last time at the blurry image of the sunken boat and pull myself back up.

"Hey," I say to grab their attention. They all look at me. "I tied my T-shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. It's where you need to do your safety stop."

John B nods. "Cool."

I stay in the water, loving how the water feels around me like a protective blanket. I listen to Pope explain the important parts of diving. There's some kind of meter he has to pay attention to to keep track of time.

"Okay, how much do I need?" John B asks.

"Unclear," Pope answers. "Breathe as little as possible."

JJ slaps John B on the shoulder. "Zen. Think zen, you know?"

John B turns to the water, preparing to jump in next to me.  "Yeah. Got it."

"Hey," Pope says, stopping him. "If we get caught in the marsh, we're basically screwed, so better get a move on."

"No pressure or anything," I add.

"Copy that," John B says.

Kie approaches my brother and stands in front of him. She's really close to him, almost inches away from his face. Then she leans in and kisses his cheek slowly. Way more intimate than usual. My eyes widen in surprise and I look at Pope and JJ to see their reaction. They mirror mine.

"Diver down?" Kie says softly.

"Diver down." John B says just as softly.

"See ya, dude," JJ says.

John B jumps in the water and sinks down below me. I lay on my back in the water and bathe in the warmth of the sun above me. I even close my eyes, letting relaxation overcome me. I could probably sleep here if I wanted too.

"Shit, JJ," Pope curses, catching my attention.

"Guys, that's the police," Kie says.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," JJ says, glancing at me.

My eyes go wide with anxiety. I swim closer to the boat and look up at JJ. "JJ, they can't know I'm here. If they find me-"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's gonna be okay. They're not going to, just stay there."

I nod and press myself tighter against the boat.

"Just act freaking normal," Kie says through clenched teeth.

I can hear the sirens coming closer until I feel their boat bump against ours. I flinch against it and kick my feet faster to stay afloat. I look down at the water, but I can't see John B. My heart races at the thought of him running out of air.

"Evening," I hear one of the cops greet my friends.

"JJ, tie it off," Pope says.

"How you kids doing? You know the marsh is closed?" The officer asks them.

"No."

"No. Wow."

My friends play dumb. I look up, finding comfort in seeing JJ's long hair. I can tell he's trying hard not to look down at me.

"Why - why is it closed?" Pope asks.

"Well, we're conducting a search out here. Boat went down." The officer explains.

"Oh."

"See anything?"

"No." JJ purses his lips and shrugs.  

"No boats," Kie says. "No."

There's a pause and for a split second I think he's gonna call their bluff. But he doesn't. "Where are the other two kids you always hang with? The twins? They here?"

I bite my bottom lip hard in anticipation for what's to come. He knows we're here. He has to. I can tell by how suspicious he sounds. I look back down in the water, John B still invisible to me. I don't know how much time he has left, but he's definitely running out of it.

"They both had to work," I hear Kie answer.

"Hm," The officer hums. "I'm gonna check your little boat out."

Shit, shit, shit, shit. I look around for a place to hide, but the only thing surrounding me is water. I'm going to have to go under.

"Yeah." JJ coughs, risking one last look at me before pretending to help the officer into the boat. "Yeah, hop aboard."

I push myself under the water and swim directly underneath the boat. I open my eyes, ignoring the sting of the salt water. I can see John B's silhouette by my T-shirt and the blurry light of his timer.

Thirty more seconds pass. I swing my arms upwards, pushing myself deeper into the water. The shadow of the cops' boat is still next to ours. My lungs are screaming at me for for air like they're tearing into my chest. Just like John B, I don't know how long I'm going to be able to last down here.

My body reactively gulps for air, forcing myself to swallow the salt water. It feels like a stab in my chest, my throat on fire. I've got to pop back up to the surface or I'm going to drown.

Just as I'm about to reveal myself, the shadow of the boat drives off. I push myself up, coughing up the water I swallowed and gasping for air. Less than a second later, John B pops up next to me.

"Oh, god! Jesus Christ," Kie says with her eyes closed and her head looking up.

"Don't scare us like that!" Pope says.

JJ watches me instead of John B, concern laced into his features. As I feel my heart go back to its normal pace, I smile at him and laugh the anxiety off. "You good?" He asks me. I nod and let him help me back up to the boat. "How'd it go down there?" He asks my brother. "Did you find anything?"

"Did I find anything?" John B scoffs and holds up a dark velvet bag.

"Yeah, there we go!" JJ claps his shoulders. "That's my boy!"

"Jeez, dude," Pope sighs.

"You okay?" Kie asks John B.

John B pants as he swims closer to the boat. "Yeah, I ran out of air."

"You and me both," I tell him.

John B pulls himself up. When he stands, he's met face to face with Kie who shoves him back playfully. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Yeah, the cops were up here, but, uh...we took care of 'em." Pope says, trying to act like he wasn't going to piss his pants the entire time he was talking to them.

"My bad," John B laughs.

"You're all good."

"Yeah, you kinda missed the show, brother," JJ says.

I move to the back of the boat to ring my wet hair out when something catches me eye. Its another boat, but it doesn't look like the one the cops were just using.

"Hey, guys? Guys!" I call louder to grab their attention. "Bogey, two o'clock."

"What?" JJ comes up next to me and eyes the boat that's making its way closer to us.

"Do you recognize the boat?" Pope asks.

"I've never seen it," I answer.

A bad feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. I can make out two people, I think men, standing in the front. They keep their eyes straight on us. No laughing or talking like a couple of buds would on a boat day in the marsh.

"What are they doing here? The marsh is closed," Kie says.

"Let's not stick around and find out." JJ places his hands on my bare waist and pulls me to the side so he can pull up the anchor.

"JJ get the bowline," John B says, not realizing that JJ was already on it.

"Yeah."

"Should we wait on 'em?" Pope asks.

"No. No. We should leave now. Right now," Kie says, looking directly at John B.

"Go get the stern," John B tells me. "Go!"

I kneel next to JJ and help him. Similar to how I felt in the water, my heart beats violently against my chest and my breathing becomes static. I try not to think of the fear that creeps through my veins as I help release the boat from it's hold in the marsh.

"Guys, don't wait for us! Go!" JJ yells.

"Go!" Kie says.

"Pull out the stern!" Pope yells at us.

I yank the chain hard, revealing the slimy anchor covered in seaweed and moss.

"I don't like this," I mutter to JJ between clenched teeth.

John B pulls away from the wreck. JJ looks between me and the boat that still driving in our direction. "Are they coming for us?"

"Maybe they're fishing," Pope says.

"Go, go, go, go!"

"Go into the marsh," I tell my brother, constantly glancing between him and the other boat.

"Let's go," Kie says. I can hear fear creep into her voice and her hands shake around the drivers seat she's holding with a death grip.

"I'm going. Act natural!" John B hisses and revs the engine of the boat.

He takes a left turn into the marsh. I watch anxiously for the people in the other boat to make its move.

They turn left.

"Guys, they're following us!" Kie says.

"This can't be good," Pope says.

"Dude, you gotta go faster!" JJ says.

"I'm going!" John B yells back.

"Gun it!"

I look behind the boat. They're getting closer. Too close. Can't say I'm surprised. The HMS Pogue is no match for their boat that looks more expensive than my house. However, something catches my eye. Something long the guy in the passenger seat is holding and pointing right at us.

"Is that..." I mutter before I'm cut off by exactly what I was going to say.

The gun shot rings through my ears as if the person who shot it was standing next to me. Before I can react, JJ pulls me down to the floor of our boat by my waist and covers me with his own body. I gotta say, this isn't how I pictured him being on top of me. His left arm outlines my head, keeping me face down while other bullets pass our boat. The cries of my friends are dull through the blood pounding in my ears and my heart inching its way up my throat.

"Holy shit!" Kie shouts.

"John B, get down!" JJ yells.

I try looking up at my brother but JJ's hold is strong. John B's still behind the wheel, trying his best to duck from bullets without crashing the boat.

"We're gonna die!" Pope yells.

I try looking around the boat for anything we can use against these guys. Of course JJ decides to leave the gun he stole at my house for the day, leaving us practically useless against these two strangers.

My eyes find a net pooling in front of Kie's face as she keeps her head down. I try crawling out of JJ's embrace which only makes him tighten his arms around me.

"Kie!" I shout. She looks up at me with wide eyes. "The net!"

Immediately she understands what I'm trying to tell her. She pulls herself away from Pope and army crawls to the wide net. This only makes my friends yell at her, telling her to get down, but she doesn't listen.

"Get down, Kie!" John B shouts.

Another gun shot echoes through the air, making me flinch closer into JJ.

Kie throws the net overboard towards their boat and drops back down to her knees. The sound of the other boat's engine clanging against the net gets my head to perk up and I watch Kie's reaction. She's surprisingly smiling. When she looks at me, she lets out a breathy laugh and shakes her head in disbelief because that just worked. Their boats gets stuck.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go," Pope says.

One last gun shot rings through my ears before we make our getaway.  I pull myself off the floor and look back at the boat one last time. We severely underestimated how important finding that boat was. Whatever John B found was worth killing us for.

A couple minutes later, John B pulls the boat up to the Chateau and docks it by the wooden slacks that I used as a bed last night. My friends cheer and actually smile after what just happened.

"That was insane!" Kie says.

"Whoo!"

I look at my brother with adrenaline rushing straight to me head. I feel giddy about finding out what JB found - what must be so important. "What do you think it is?"

"Gotta be money, right?" He asks, looking at me.

"That or a couple of keys with street value to the low-to-mid-mills," JJ says, leisurely danglingly his arm around my shoulders.

"Can we please just open the bag?" Pope says loudly, forcing everyone's attention at him who now looks at us sheepishly.

"Wow, Pope," John B laughs. "That's a rare outburst of emotion."

"Okay, you guys are literally killing me with anticipation," He says. "Open the bag!"

"Jeez." JJ whistles.

"We almost died over this," Pope says like its an explanation. But he's right. We did almost die for this, which is why I need to know what's in it now.

John B opens the velvet bag. Something heavier than money falls out of it with a thunk. Its round and metal. Dirty and dented. Physically ugly and maybe priceless, but it looks familiar. I narrow my eyes at it, trying to study it and rack my brain through where I've seen it before.

"Oh, wow. Yup. That's about right," Pope sighs at the sight of our treasure. "Good job, everybody. We found a compass."

The word compass hits me like a train and my body goes slack like my limbs just turned into jell-o. John B is already looking at me, shocked at the real meaning of what we just found. I push myself in front of JJ and look down at the object he's holding. Priceless maybe true to the others but not to me. Not to John B. This means everything.

JJ looks between John B and I and laughs nervously at our reactions. "Dude, what? It's not worth anything."

My brows furrow together in confusion as I try to wrap my head around how we just found our dad's possession on another man's boat. A dead man's boat. But I feel blank. Like someone just wiped all my thoughts and memories.

"This was our father's compass," I say emotionless, keeping my eyes on JB who looks equally as terrified.

Tag List: @notyourcupofteax @acvross-the-universe @jjmaybankzz  @jeeperky​ @realistic-breadstick  @moniamaybank  @urbinoutfiters​ @brebear121​  @x-lulu​

[andossp]

I see a lot of posts on a lot of different platforms about people struggling to cook during the virus because they don't know how so uh here's some white girl tips

Use seasoning, even if it's just salt and pepper. It will make whatever you cook taste better, even if it's not very good.

Don't be ashamed of starting small. I started cooking when I was like, 7, but at the time I could only make scrambled eggs and box mac and cheese. Now that I've had 13 more years of practice, and also graduated from a culinary technical program and also went to culinary school but then dropped out because I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do, I can make just about anything.

Recipes are useful guides. Learn the techniques from them, but don't confine yourself to the ingredients. This ONLY works for cooking. Baking is a science.

Chicken needs to be cooked all the way. Pork and beef have some wiggle room. If you're worried, use a thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, poke it. If it's still pretty squishy, it's probably not done. If you're still not sure, cut it in half and look for yourself.

Sauteeing is one of your best friends. Put a little bit of oil/butter in a pan over high heat, let it heat up, then add your ingredients in order of how long it takes to cook them, for instance if you want to make a nice pasta dinner and you have chicken, onion, garlic, spinach, and broccoli, you'll want to add it in this order:

Onion, broccoli, chicken, garlic, then spinach, because thats the cooking time length. Use a bigger pan than you think you'll need, because when you saute you need to stir the food constantly to keep it from burning. Add your pasta at the end, along with a little bit of pasta water (just a splash, maybe 1/8th of a cup) to help incorporate whatever sauce you've ended up in the pan with into your dish.

The home cook in me always adds the onion and garlic at the same time, which is fine, but it's easy to burn the garlic that way.

If your food starts to burn, turn the heat off and take the pan off of the heat. Let it cool down a bit, then continue cooking it (if needed) over a lower heat.

If you're cooking and you notice a layer of brown on the bottom of the pan, don't panic. That's called fond. It's essentially built up flavor. You'll want to deglaze the pan. That means adding alcohol (wine, bourbon, scotch, tequila, you name it) or broth to the pan (just a splash will do ya, but if you need more, add more), then gently scraping the fond off of the bottom and incorporating it into your dish. Both the alcohol and the fond will make your food taste better.

The trick to seasoning for most things is to do it at the end. Eventually you'll get a better taste for it and you'll be able to add some seasonings at the begining too, but always make sure to taste your food before you serve it, then season as necessary. For stuff that cooks for a long time, like chili or pot roasts, you need to season it first so that the flavors have time to develop with one another. Bay leaves always go in at the beginning, and you usually only need one or two. Thyme should go in at the end because the flavor will get less intense over time. If you're not sure, Google it.

The most helpful bit of advice I've gotten in the five years that I was in the culinary industry was from an Iranian woman who I worked with for about a year or so. If you taste your food and you feel like something is missing, add lemon juice. Add an acid. Tomato, lemon, lime, orange, pickles, olives, capers, even anchovy to an extent.

If anyone wants to know more about sauces or soups or anything I can make another post about it.

And remember that cooking is a skill. You won't be perfect at it at first and that's ok. It takes time to learn, just like painting and writing and knitting and everything else under the sun.

[mythicaliz]

cheap eats tips

I got these asks last night but wanted to wait until i was on my laptop to answer them. so here are some ideas. they arent really recipes, just tips

tl/dr

Equipment

my number one way to save money is a chest freezer. obviously not everyone has the money to buy one or the space for one but you can find smaller ones on kijiji. alternatively, if you have a parent or friend who has a large freezer that you can easily access and is willing to give you some room in it that works too. we used to have a basket in my husband’s parents freezer before we got our own, and we give up some space in ours to a friend who lives near by. that being said, use whatever freezer space you have to stock up on things (more on this below)

a crockpot is also a great tool to have and you can find them cheap at thrift stores. It means spending 5 minutes in the morning and coming home to dinner already made. it can be used for so many things. there are no shortage of quick, cheap crockpot recipes on the internet but ill include some ideas below

Meat

- i pretty much only buy meat on clearance or sale. clearance meat is just a day or 2 before the sell by date so they have to get rid of it fast. it’s still fine quality. i just freeze it immediately (if you aren’t going to use the whole pack in one meal portion it out into freezer bags). This is why having a big freezer is handy. Once a pack of 3 chicken legs was on clearance for $2. we bought 24 of them and used them on the bbq, baked, in soups and stews, pulled the meat off for casseroles etc. we had like 6 months of chicken for under $50

-save your bones and scraps. have a bag on the go for beef scraps and one for chicken scraps in the freezer (do the same with vegetable peelings, ends, onion skins, etc.) throw a bag of veggie scraps and meat scraps/bones in your crockpot. cover with water and add whatever spices you like, peppercorns, bayleaf whatever. add a good amount of salt and a splash of vinegar. both of these help break down the bones and pull all the minerals from them. cook in the crockpot for 12-24 hours (you may need to add more water). strain it and you now have amazing bone broth which is incredibly good for you and a base for any soup. if you have the space you can freeze in ice cube trays and then put in a ziplock to have convenient broth chunks to throw in pretty much anything. but you can also just freeze it in tupperware, or zliplock bags or whatever.

-if you eat bacon save your grease. keep a mason jar in the fridge and drain any grease off into the jar. then you can sautee veggies and stuff in it and it’s already so delicious

-cut up meat and put it in soups, stews, casseroles etc rather than making it the centre of the dish. if you have 2 people you’re likely to cook 2 full chicken breasts if that’s the main part of your meal, but you could probably get away with one if you are making a dish where the chicken is cut up with lots of veggies and maybe some beans on top of pasta. get it? 

-not meat but eggs are always good to have on hand. inexpensive and so much you can do with them. (in an oven proof skillet: sautee up some veggies, whisk up some eggs and throw them in. top with a bit of cheese if you like. throw it in the oven until eggs are set. you have a fritatta you can eat for dinner or cut into wedges and eat hot or cold for breakfast or lunch)

Produce

-lettuce is a scam. don’t buy it. it’s expensive, has almost no nutrition and is pretty shitty for the environment. Spinach or cabbage is a better choice because you can make salads with it but if it starts to get past it’s prime you can cook it or freeze it and throw it in a soup or stirfry later

-root vegetables last a long time and are great. plus they add heartiness to any meal

-use your most perishable produce first, then move onto the heartier stuff. frozen is also great, and sometimes is more nutritious than fresh thats out of season

-apples. they last forever and if they get sad you can make apple sauce (in your crockpot! cup em up, skin on and all, add a little cinnamon and some water and cook until mush. then blend it up) or baked apples (cut em in half and scoop out the core a little. add a bit of butter and brown sugar in the hole. if you have walnuts or pecans you can throw some in there too. bake until soft)

Legumes etc

-legumes, beans, pulses are all amazing sources of protein and inexpensive. you can save even more money buy buying dried ones and rehydrating them in your crockpot. (rinse beans and put in crockpot with 2 inches of water above beans. they should take about 6 hours on high to be tender)

-lentils are also great and have a really nice flavour. you can also use them to thicken soups, one of my favourite dishes is called  Mujadara. it’s lebanese (like me!) you slowly cook a cut up onion in olive oil until it’s all caramalized and delicious. set it aside and cook equal parts rice and brown lentils. you can use water or broth for more flavour. cook until tender, top with your friend onions and it’s like heaven. i’ll cut up a tomato and cucumber and make a little salad on the side with it. 

shopping

-stock up on things when you can. say canned tomatoes are on sale. maybe you can’t afford to buy 10 of them, but even if you buy one or two extra cans then you’ve paid less and have them on hand when you need them. also, i realize room can be an issue. don’t feel like all your food has to stay in your kitchen. in college i had a bin under my bed with canned goods and pasta etc. as long as it’s nonperishable keep it wherever you can. 

-buy the largest size you can afford. for most things, it pays to buy in bulk. maybe you have a friend you can go halfsies on bigger items with. an example is rice. gigantic bags that could feed you for a year go on sale for $10. if you can, buy it.

-a lot of people live in food deserts. what that means is you live somewhere that it’s nearly impossible to walk to a grocery store so you end up shopping at convenience stores, gas stations and eating fast food. I suggest a well planned monthly shopping trip to a store that has good deals. Yeah you’ll pay for an uber, but you’ll save more than in the long run and have much healthier food. 

-don’t force yourself to eat things you dont like. so many people try to choke down kale. or rather they buy it and let it rot in their fridge. personally, i like kale, (im sure it helps that i fry up onions in bacon grease and then wilt kale in that :P) but just because it’s some super food doesn't mean you have to eat it or feel bad for not eating it. 

anyway that’s some advice!

[juilojio753]

Maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot). I love that with Makloubeh, you get it all. Begin layering the makloubeh in a deep pot. Begin by laying the tomatoes down at the bottom of the pot.

This Middle Eastern rice dish known for flipping upside down and sometimes maintaining its shape is a very popular traditional meal. Eat as is or flip the pot onto a large platter and slowly lift it up to have the effect of an upside rice dish. It may not hold its shape but.

Hello everybody, it's Louise, welcome to my recipe site. Today, I'm gonna show you how to make a distinctive dish, maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot). It is one of my favorites food recipes. This time, I will make it a little bit tasty. This will be really delicious.

Maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot) is one of the most popular of current trending meals in the world. It is simple, it is fast, it tastes yummy. It's appreciated by millions daily. They are fine and they look fantastic. Maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot) is something which I've loved my entire life.

I love that with Makloubeh, you get it all. Begin layering the makloubeh in a deep pot. Begin by laying the tomatoes down at the bottom of the pot.

To begin with this recipe, we must prepare a few components. You can have maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot) using 11 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.

The ingredients needed to make Maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot):

{Take 1-1/2 of uncooked cups of basmati rice.

{Make ready Tsp of biryani spice over rice.

{Take Pinch of Saffron (optional for rice) some like to add tomatoe paste to rice.

{Prepare 2 of medium chicken breast cut into slices.

{Prepare 2 of medium thickly sliced tomatoes.

{Get 2 of medium sliced bell peppes.

{Take 2 of medium thickly sliced potatoes.

{Prepare 3 of medium sliced eggplants.

{Get 2 of medium carrots.

{Get 3 of medium sliced onions.

{Get of canola oil for frying vegetables.

Maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot). uncooked cups of basmati rice•biryani spice over rice•Saffron (optional for rice) some like to add tomatoe paste to rice•medium chicken breast cut into slices•medium thickly sliced tomatoes•medium sliced bell peppes•medium thickly sliced potatoes. Easy Maklouba Recipe, Upside Down and Delicious. Maglouba can also be spelled magloubeh, maglouba, maqluba, makloubeh and sometimes ma'aloubeh, and has its Vegetables first and rice second, folded with a mix of traditionally Middle Eastern flavours. When the rice is ready, the pot is flipped over, revealing the tempting toppings.

Steps to make Maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot):

First you want to soak your basmati rice in some water with a pinch of saffron for 10-15 mins. And cook it in a pot how you normally like your rice..

Cut the chicken into square shaped slices and boil in some hot water with some salt. 5-7minutes..

Now you want to get a medium pan ready with some canola or vegetable oil for frying your veggies. Its much better to slice your vegetables in a thick round form as it makes it easier to stack so when you turn the pot over it holds toegther nicely..

Theres a specific order when it comes to frying your vegetables because the potatoes need to cook longer and take up more oil..

Check your rice and see if its done cooking. And stir/turn it around with a spoon..

So first start by frying your potatoe slices until golden, then the bell peppers Carrots Eggplant - by this time there should be some oil left and thats when you add the tomatoe slices and fry them..

Once you finished frying your vegetables saute the round onion slices with the sliced boil chicken and biryani spice and some squeezed lemon juice..

Okay now you want to get one large pot to fit in your fried vegetables and rice. Whichever vegetable you layer first is the one that will appear on top as we will flip the pot upsidedown..

Now to layering your maklouebah Start by placing the sliced chicken at the bottom then the Tomato Potaoe Bell Pepper Carrot Eggplant Onion And finally scoop out the rice from its original pot and place it on top of your layered veggies and put it on the stove on low to medium heat for 10mins..

After its done take the pot off the stove and get a large round tray and carefully place the tray on top of the pot. This is the hard part. The FLIP. You want to make sure you have a tight hold of the pot. Place one hand on the pot handle and the other above the tray and quickly flip the pot. And remove the pot and now you have maklouebah. Enjoy :).

This upside-down cake is known by many names and spelled in a variety of ways including Maglooba, Makloubi, Maqluba. Makloubeh, a Middle Eastern upside down rice dish with spiced rice cooked in meat broth, meat pieces, eggplant and cauliflower. It has many spellings that basically mean the same thing. Makloubeh literally translates to "upside down". Makloubeh (which translates literally into "upside down") is a famous Levantine one-pot rice, spice, and vegetable dish.

So that is going to wrap this up with this special food maklouebah (upsidedown veggie/rice/chicken pot) recipe. Thank you very much for your time. I'm confident you can make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food in home recipes coming up. Don't forget to save this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!

[cannotollie]

Day 0 to 9 How I Survived My TONSILLECTOMY

🧸Welcome back to my tumblr page! 🧸

I’m here to share you some of my latest nightmare, cruelity, disgusting experience about my tonsillectomy surgery !

If you have no idea what is tonsillectomy, shortly, it’s a surgery to remove your tonsils. And what are tonsils? It’s the twin egg that stays in the middle of your throat to prevent your from infection but if you’re unlucky they turn into a self destructing machine to gets your sick every. Single. Month. And YES I HAVE SORE THROAT EACH MONTH 😒 thanks to my overly inflamed tonsils. Moving on... I’ll just leave a link about tonsillectomy

These past week has been the hardest week of my life. Not being able to eat solid food, lost 12 lbs in 5 days, midnight suffering and many more. I have written you my day by day experience, I hope you enjoy reading it 😊

Day 0

I was told to fast at least 6 hours before the surgery this means I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything before the surgery

Day 1

operation at 9am, they changed my clothes even my underwear and injected me with anesthetic medicine ( I heard that it was morphine ), I coughed for several times until I finally passed out

after 2/3 hours I woke up in my nursing room, I was still super unconscious and right after the anesthetic had clearly gone they gave me cold water ( no popsicle they said they ran out of it 😡 )

My nose bled because they put tubes inside me to help me breath

tried to get up and grab some water but I felt extra nauseous, I threw up that day for like 7 times. At first I was so afraid to throw up because I’ll definitely throw up blood, but then it gets so much better after you get them out, they said that it was because of the anesthesia

they injected some pain killers every several hours so I didn’t feel that much pain

didn’t eat anything on day 1 because I was feeling super nauseous

mom bought some ice cream but dairy products produced so much mucus on my throat so I stopped eating dairy. I can only drink cold water and also ice packs was my best friend

Day 2

they gave me some porridge with chicken broth, but I was still not able to eat anything. I probably only ate 2 spoon of porridge that day. Day two I didn’t feel that much pain (but there were definitely pain )probably because they still gave me pain killers intravenously every 4 hours

In the afternoon my ENT doctor came to visit me and told me that I was ready to go home, great!!! But this was where all the pain started 🤣😂

The doctors gave me some antibiotics, and some pain killers, but I have to switch the pain killer with some OTC products that is made for kids called ‘rhelafen’ because the one that the doctor gave me made my stomach hurts like hell

Day two the pain was increasing continuously and I was still not able to eat anything. My mom bought me non dairy popsicle and that helped me so much, also I never stop the ice pack because that really helps to numb the pain

I can talk but the more you talk the more you have to swallow your saliva so I suggest you not to talk too often. The more you have to swallow your saliva the more it hurts

I woke up at 2 am in the morning because of the sharp pain on my throat, I even cried that night, I really can’t help it but I didn’t take any pain meds I just put ice packs on my neck and tried to suck popsicles as much as I could

Day 3

was hell, I woke up with sharp pain on my throat.

Day three was like the very downhill of this recovery process

I started to take pain meds more often (every 4 hours) the pain lasted throughout the day, I also have light fever because of the infection

Swallowing and talking was even harder than day 1 and 2

I didn’t do anything on day three because I feel so hopeless but I was able to eat some scrambled egg because I was super super super hungry

Day three I have thick blood coming out of my nose

Night time was the hardest, It’s even harder to fall asleep, and again I woke up in the middle of the night to put ice packs on my neck because my throat hurts so damn much, it felt like glass coming out of your throat.

Day 4

The pain was crazy when I woke up in the morning I forced myself to eat some porridge and took my pain meds

But it gets so much better during the day, I felt less pain, I can do a lot of stuff I can even made a banana smoothie to brought in some vitamin

I can see the scabs (the white thing that covers the open flesh around the tonsils we’re getting thicker

I felt pain when I wanted to go to sleep but then it was not as much as the midnight pain. I woke up suffering (it’s always worst during this hours I have no idea why)

I took my pain meds again, because I really couldn’t sleep because of the pain

Day 5

day 5 was pretty much the copy of day 4

Burning sensation when I woke up in the morning, sharp pain when I woke up in the middle of the night

And less pain during the day

Woke up in the middle of the night to put ice packs and took my pain meds

My nose were still bleeding and the weirdest thing is that everything I tried to drink something it got to my nose, tasted to weird... 🤮

Day 6

The pain felt exactly the same like day 4 and 5

Everything goes uphill during the day, I even tried to swallow some super soft chicken breast my mom brought

Wake up at 3 in the morning the pain was crazy, so I woke up and took my pain killer but I stopped compressing ice packs because it gets way too cold, pain killers helped me that night

Day 7

I woke up today feeling frustrated because my throat is burning, I think I took too many pain killers that I was getting resistant to it :( I really couldn’t swallow barely anything that morning so I took my pain killer before having my meals

I took a look at my tonsils and i saw some of the scabs were falling off. Maybe that’s why I have sharp pain just by drinking water and also the metal taste caused by the blood

Everything was fine during the day, I ate more today, drank some carrot juice, I stopped taking pain killers in the afternoon because I had too much of it and it’s not good I already had 4 bottles of OTC pain killer

However, I slept better that night, I didn’t even wake up to take my pain meds

Day 8

the morning was less horrible than day 7, but I still have to take my pain meds before I can actually swallow anything

Today I went to see my ENT doctor Yeay! She was surprised because I didn’t bleed and my breath wasn’t stink

I got soo confident after seeing my doctor because she told me that I’m actually doing great compared to her other patients and that the pain I was dealing with was normal

She also told me that after my first weekly check up everything is going uphill, I really hope so

I still take my pain meds before going to bed, but never in the middle of the night anymore since that day

Day 9

she was right! Everything is going uphill. I can even eat some rice and noodle but it still felt pretty rough

I didn’t take any pain meds unless I feel pain swallowing something

I slept well that night with only 1/10 pain

THATS ALLL~

Right now I’m on my 10th day, and everything is going waay waaay waaay better than I expected. Still not able to eat solid or spicy food but I gained some weight and feeling a lot better than before. The doctor told me that the full recovery takes up to 1 whole month.

For anyone that’s asking does my voice change? I guess I can say yes just a little bit, even my boyfriend told me that I sound different, heavier, I guess it’ll fix itself after I’m fully recovered

🧸TONSILLECTOMY RECOVERY TIPS 🧸

1. Stick to your medicine (I took antibiotics, pain meds and dexametashone)

2. BRUSH YOUR TEETH! it helps you to get rid of the bacterias, not just brush your teeth, do daily hygiene as much as you could

3. Less talking and don’t force yourself to eat solid food to prevent bleeding

4. Use ice packs and buy tons of popsicle

5. Drink some juice, don’t starve... eating helps you to heal faster

6. Take a 10 days rest, just stay inside the house and focus on your healing

7. Take pain meds in the morning before having your meals to help you swallow

8. STAY HYDRATED

Thank you for reading this, if you like my writing please leave some notes. If you have anything to ask text me on my social media account 💝ifafathika💝

If you like to play mobile games add my on pubgm : Prynncess

Bye

[monbabi]

Can you do them reacting to their S/O being good at baking but horrible at cooking?

ofc!! sorry it took so long exams have been kickin my ass

shownu

• u two are baking brownies for the boys since theyve been stressed lately and u wanted to do something nice for them• shownu watches in awe as u expertly pour in and mix the brown batter in the bowl• u always had some kinda magic touch when it came to baking, u knew how much sugar and flour to add in and when to add the vanilla extract• it just made shownu smile bc wow how cute is that ur working ur butt off for some sweet treats for him and his members• “hey (y/n) i’ll take over the stirring can u make eggs or something? i havent eaten all day”• u freeze and give him a smile• “sure”• u hand him the bowl and walk over to the fridge to grab some eggs. easy enough right?• u crack the eggs into the pan, not failing to leave some egg shell in the yolk thats starting to sizzle in the pan• u turn to shownu whos diligently mixing the batter, workin up a sweat • tbh he looks real good• hes totally shirtless, wearing grey sweatpants and to top it off, a cute little pink apron that looks like its gonna bust open at the seams• u lean against the stove, basking in the appearance of this actual adonis in an adorably domestic setting • unfortunately u totally forget that stoves are hot and pull ur hand away as it stings with heat• shownu puts the bowl down and rushes over to u, holding ur hands and blowing frantically at them• “babe are u okay?” he asks worriedly, his eyes watching ur reaction closely to see if ur in any great pain• u reassure him “im fine” until u hear the beeping of the fire alarm• “oh my GOD”• u turn around to see the pan totally covered in SMOKE and shownu switches the stove off • ur kinda upset that u cant even make eggs for ur boyfriend but shownu just chuckles and kisses ur forehead• “next time i’ll cook okay?”

wonho

• “baby are u hungry?” wonho comes into ur shared room where ur sitting in bed on ur phone. he wraps his arms around ur waist and nuzzles his nose into ur neck• u smile at the sensation. “mm kinda? what do u wanna eat?”• he gives u a knowing smile and u sigh and get up from the mattress• “ramen?”• he smiles and takes a hold of ur hand, stroking ur index finger with his thumb • u know me so well"• the two of u chase each other to the kitchen and u grab the very familiar plastic bowl labelled shin ramen • u rip off the lid and unlock the hot water dispenser, filling the bowl to an unsteady level where the water is teetering around the edges. u put the bowl in the microwave and punch in 50 seconds• all seems well until u hear some popping noises from inside the microwave• “um. babe”• “yea?” u ask, too scared to turn around and see what happened inside the microwave• “did u take out the sauce packet before adding water and putting it in there?”• “oh my g-”• BEEP• wonho moves u out of the way and opens the microwave, his face contorting at the smell of burning plastic and the sight of ramen sauce power all over the inner surface. some soup flowed over the top too• u laugh nervously, put ur hand over wonhos, and close the microwave. u head over to the fridge and take out a plate• “how about we eat the macarons i made yesterday?” u give a sheepish smile• a smile creeps onto his face and a goofy laugh escapes his lips. ur hysterically laughing and he’s bent over his knees, so thoroughly amused by ur antics• “man i dont know how u do it. but yea i’ll take a macaron” he opens his mouth. u pop one into his mouth and he chews then hums with delight• “these are so good??? what happened just now? are u the same (y/n) i know and love?”• u two laugh again and he puts u in a playful headlock and plants kisses on the top of ur head

minhyuk

• u got a text earlier that ur boyfriends gonna come home late so u wanna surprise him with a nice meal• u can bake a mean cake but ur not too confident about ur cooking abilities• but u’ve baked minhyuk so many cookies and cakes and cupcakes ur worried for that boys blood sugar• so after watching 3 youtube tutorials u try to make kimchi stew, one of his favorites• u roll up ur sleeves and get to work. u throw some broth and vegetables into the pot• u cut some kimchi then some fishcake some spring onions u get the pork out of the fridge• u think its going well • until u get a text from minhyuk that he’s on the way home• according to ur calculations he was supposed to be coming home late• shit• u do some quick math if u boil the stew at maximum heat for 2 minutes u’ll finish in time before minhyuk gets home so u crank that stove up and • KACHOW the pot overflows• soup is everywhere, the kimchi is on the floor, ur kitchen looks like a natural disaster• “honey! where are u???”• he comes into the kitchen sweaty from practice and ur just on the floor crying next to ur empty pot, food is scattered around the floor• “oh baby what happened?” he cooes at u and crouches down next to u, wiping ur tears with his thumb• u barely manage to get a sentence out• “i-i tried to cook u” u hiccup, “something but e-everything just fell apart” • he kisses u on the forehead and stands up to grab his phone• “well i like pizza. how about we order some pizza and we watch kitchen nightmares yea?” u flinch at kitchen nightmares. “okay how about we watch house hunters” u nod frantically and smile• totally ignore the mess on the floor• u clean it up eventually dont worry

kihyun

• u made a deal with minhyuk that at the next house party u were gonna cook something to bring and kihyun was gonna bake a cake to bring along with the food u made and in return he was gonna make a video of himself flicking a booger and post it on instagram• the problem? minhyuk knows u cant cook for shit and kihyun cant bake for shit • kihyun originally protested saying “he doesn’t want his house to end in flames” but after minhyuk kept egging him on saying he was a wuss, he threw on his apron and started reading martha stewart books• so u and him are in ur kitchen, face in hands and sitting at the counter• “why did i agree to this”• “why did i let u agree to this”• u sigh and slide off the stool. “i mean i can make like, fried rice right?” kihyun groans. “knowing u it might result in a call to 911” u shoot him a glare. “hey bobby flay at least i know how to bake a cake”• he scratches his head and gets off the stool. “how about we make this a competition between ourselves. whoever makes the better dish wins”• “ur on yoo kihyun”• its like iron chef u two start scrambling around ur kitchen, opening cabinets and packages • u lift the lid of the rice cooker and groan in frustration as u see a clean, empty container• kihyun indulges himself in a shrill giggle until it abruptly stops when he’s opened the last cabinet and found no cake mix• “u’ve got to be kidding me” • u hover over the grey pot, finally shutting off the faucet when the rice grains look like they’re drowning in tap water • kihyun’s throwing sugar, flour, and eggs into a bowl, trusting his “chef’s intuition” that he doesn’t need measuring cups for a mere cake• u throw the soggy rice into the pan and just start adding stuff u think will taste good together in there. zucchini, bits of kale, ketchup, leftover chicken that probably has been sitting in ur fridge for at least 2 weeks • it smells pretty goddamn awful but when u look over at kihyun u think u have a good shot at winning• he’s gotten green food coloring all over his hands and t-shirt and the batter’s completely runny• “how u doin ogre there”• “im never doing this ever again”

hyungwon

• u two are laying on opposite sides of the couch, sitting up to show each other dog pictures and whatnot• u see a video on instagram showing u how to make this yummy looking beef over rice thing• u lean over hyungwons knee, excitedly showing him the video and how u should make it for him• he gives u this knowing look • “(y/n) do u remember the last time u cooked something?”• “no why”• “i was taking a nap and u tried to make this weird chicken thing u saw on youtube”• “uh huh”• “and when i walked into the kitchen”• “yea?”• “i have never seen so much fire-”• u playfully slap him on the thigh, pouting. “i forgot to turn the stove down while it was boiling!!!” u huff, turning away while crossing ur arms• hyungwon laughs and sits up to ruffle ur hair• “but u made it up by baking cupcakes to give to the very nice firemen who saved our apartment”• u giggle and bring ur knees up to ur chin, reminiscing in the time u almost burned down ur entire apartment complex• hyungwon sits crosslegged facing u, staring at ur face• “what?”• “im just wondering how the hell u managed to do that”• “no cupcakes for u then”• he whines and the two of u share a laugh and settle back into the sofa to continue laughing at twitter memes

jooheon

• he never fails to send u a text asking if u’ve eaten yet and if ur free, to go out and get lunch together• its the sweetest thing and u decide u wanna do something nice for him• so u roll up ur sleeves and make a lunchbox for him. its kinda childish but it seems easy to make and for ur……limited cooking skills, its ideal• ur in the kitchen, scraping an egg off the pan as it burns to a crisp• “aw man that was the last egg,” u whine, looking at all the failed prototypes on a plate next to the stove• u begrudgingly roll up the burnt egg in the lunchbox and set up some lettuce on the side, trying to make it presentable at least• now time for the Meat• the last time u cooked meat was when u and jooheon were out eating kbbq and whenever the tongs were in ur hand u’d somehow toss the meat in a way that cooked it. lets say well overdone• jooheon had to call a worker to get the fire down even tho it was at its lowest heat. nobody on the restaurant knows how u did it• so yea ur not the best at cooking meat but hey second times the charm• so u slide the beef into the pan, satisfied with the sizzling sound that came after• now the hard part. knowing when to flip it so it doesnt slowly burn into charcoal. so u just keep flipping it mindlessly, too scared to let it burn• the beef is just NOT turning the brown that it usually does when jooheon cooks it and u settle for when the beef is a weird brown, pink, red—u dont even know what color it is but its 12:30pm and jooheons lunch break is about to start• u shrug as u pack the lunchbox. u made cookies before this mess so• u drive up to the building complex and climb up the stairs to his studio. u punch in the passcode and pop the door open• jooheon hears the door click and turns around in his chair, giving u that sweet dimpled smile • u show him the lunchbox and bag of cookies u’ve been hiding behind ur back and he opens his arms to bring u into a hug• “how did i get so lucky?” he kisses the top of ur head and sits u down on his lap• he turns the chair around and u place the lunchbox and the cookie bag on his desk in front of his monitor and open it• he has to stop himself from laughing, the corners of his lips trembling to rise into a smile. u flick him on the arm, a smile growing on ur own face. “shut up i tried my best!!!!!”• jooheon kisses ur temple, a small chuckle leaving his lips still dumbfounded by the mess of food in the lunchbox• “i made cookies?” u suggest• “yea we can share those” jooheon closes the lunchbox

changkyun

• u guys ate out at this one restaurant that had really good pork stir fry• so naturally u two went to the internet and searched up recipes to cook at home, inspired by the dish• after finding a seemingly easy recipe online, u and changkyun head to the kitchen and grab whatevers in ur fridge• oh by the way its 1 in the morning so theres no supermarkets still open • it sounded like a good idea at the time• anyways u two are jus rummaging through ur kitchen, substituting whatever needs to be substituted• “hey kyun we’re outta sugar”• “we have lucky charms”• “that works” • u and him lay out the shabby ingredients on the counter• pork? eh leftover hot wings should do• bok choy? iceberg lettuce thats been sitting in ur fridge for 3 months• but at least u have soy sauce• u start choppin up the lettuce, slicin and dicin and ignoring whatever wilted leaves u see bc hey food is food• changkyun: hey how do i start the stove• “…….ur kidding right”• u put down ur knife and walk to the stove, hesitant to turn any knobs• “um its this one right?”• u switch on the stove on the inner right corner which seemed fine to u…….until the roll of napkins next to it caught fire• “HOLY SH-” “HOLY SHIT”• the fire alarm starts beeping and u freak out and start blowing on it until changkyun shoves his hand into ur face. “DONT BLOW ON IT ITLL GET BIGGER” • “WHAT DO WE DO THEN”• luckily ur dating the son of a scientist so he grabs a pot lid from the cabinet underneath and throws it on top of the fire, stopping the flow of oxygen and u hear the sizzle of ur bounty napkins • u and changkyun breathe out a relieved sigh and u lean on him• u suggest making cookies tomorrow and changkyun insists on putting lucky charms in them• u roll ur eyes, “yea yea whatever lets clean up and go to bed”

[bruhnushka]

Something (lafayette x reader)

summary : its laffy taffy birthday and u cook him somin and he duznt kno u speak french 

warnings : crappy french & fluff,, cussing?? and mumbaiya hindi- basically the slang of hindhi which is the only hindhi i ever learned,, fite me 

992 words m8 thats so little but f1t3 m3

a/n : i wrote this during math class bc i already know all this shit so excuse me if its bad. 

It was laf’s birthday. he was out with the boys celebrating, so you had decided that try to cook for him. He’d be back in 4 hours, so you decided to call your grandma in france. Laf was your best friend, so close you lived together, but you had managed to keep the fact you spoke french a secret from him. Laf muttered under his breath and talked to Alex in French, and never realized you could understand everything they were saying. You remembered last week, when you had overheard the most peculiar thing. 

“Je n'aime pas la façon dont elle regarde John” he muttered to Alex. (I do not like the way she looks at John)

“Qui voulez-vous dire, notre John?” Alex replied (Who do you mean, John?)

“Oui, bien sûr, notre John” (Yes, of course, our John)

“Que fait-il?” (What is he doing?) “Regardez-les, tous amoureux, c'est dégueulasse” (Look at them, all love, it’s disgusting)

you snorted at this, and Lafayette turned red. “Connait-elle le français???” he practically screamed. (Does she know French ???) you looked away, hoping he didnt notice. Alex shook his head. “I don’t think so” he replied in English. 

“Don’t think what?” you asked, innocently. 

“Laf here was wondering if you speak french?”

“Oiu Oiu Baguette?” You laughed, trying to butcher the word and visibly seeing Laf cringe made you laugh harder. 

But you couldnt get the thought out of your head. Did Laf like you?

you were with your grandmother, cooking a wonderful smelling broth. she had recently moved to the city to help your mother get back on her feet after her recent run in with cancer. since you did not eat meat, she was cooking the chicken while you prepared the desserts and broth the meat was to rest in. 

you tossed in the potatoes and carrots, adding a bit of indian spices from your fathers side to spicen it up. 

“Vous faites tout cela pour un garçon?” she asked you. (Do you do all this for a boy?)

“Alors, que faire si?” (So, what if?)

“Rien, rien, juste vous deux peuvent vraiment avoir quelque chose de spécial” (Nothing, nothing, just you two can really have something special) she winked suggestively. 

“Amama(hindi)! Nous ne sommes plus que des amis” (Grandma! We are only friends)

“Est-il un garçon français?” (Is he a french boy?) “Peut-être” (perhaps)

“Ensuite, j'approuve” (Then I approve). 

“Amama,Est-ce que je peux te dire quelque chose” (Grandma, can i tell you something?) “Oui chérie, qu'est-ce que c'est” (yes, darling what is it)

“Je ne pense pas que je suis amoureux, mais je veux que nous soyons plus que des amis” (I do not think I am in love, but I do want us to be more than friends)

You heard a loud choking noise from the door and you turned to see Lafayette, mouth agape, red in the face. 

“Ye wala he?” your grandmother asked in hindi, knowing he could speak french. (Its this guy?) 

“hanjee. ye mera dost he” (Yes ma'am, this is my friend).

“both acha dekte” she winked. (He looks very good)

“merku malum. usku malum. sab malum” (i know, he knows, everyone knows) “uska baal merku both acha lakte” (I like his hair a lot) “me too” you said in English, laughing slightly at his confused face, then frowning. 

“wait- how long were you standing there?” 

“I just came- you speak french? what? wait?” he stuttered out. 

“enough to get by.” “it is her second language” your grandmother adds. “hindhi being her first”. he can only nod slightly in response. 

“Merde, ma vie est un mensonge. Je ne peux pas y croire. Comment parle-t-elle le français? Elle le sait tout, n'est-ce pas?” he muttered angrily under his breath. You were only able to catch a few words. 

“Je suis désolé de ne pas vous le dire. Je voulais que ce soit mon petit secret” (Im sorry I did not tell you, I wanted it to be my little secret)

“its fine. I just- wow. wow. you speak french thats really… hot. did i say that aloud? I mean like its just cool like i can bitch about john to you and-” he stopped himself. 

“you’re cooking for me?” 

“yessiree. coq au vin and tarte tatin. i asked amama to come over to help prepare the meat. we are almost done. take a seat, Lafayette, its your birthday.” you say, pulling out a seat for him to watch you two cook. 

your grandma was telling laf embarrassing stories of your past. you laughed at the both of them, fluently talking in french, as you added the finishing touches. 

“dive in!” you exclaim, setting down the meal in front of him. he smiled as he finished it in one go. “reminds me of my ma’s cooking. la magnifique!” he laughs. you look at his eyes, twinkling with happiness. then you heard someone clear their throat behind you. 

“tera pedas or kya ne” she laughed. (your sweets or what not). you nodded and pulled it out, handing it to Laf. 

“Happy Birthday to my favorite boy ever!” you exclaimed, watching him almost moan at the flavor. Your grandmother slipped outside and onto her motorcycle, speeding away. what a badass. 

“so. about earlier” you knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“I’m sorry- i didnt mean it just,” you took a deep breath. “fuck it. I fell in love with you. or something like that. I noticed it the first time you punched Jefferson in the face for calling Alex’s mother a whore. Something fluttered inside me and its been growing. I don’t know if its love Laf- I just feel something, here” you say, and point to his heart. He looks at you, studying the lines of your smile and your hopeful eyes and realizes you needed an answer. 

“you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that” he said, and brought his lips up to you. It wasn’t movie fairytale firework explosive everywhere kissing, but it was goddamn something. it felt good, and thats all you needed to validate this feeling. you pushed the dessert out of the way, and jumped onto the table, Laf continuing to makeup with you. His eyes were closed in bliss, and his hands made his way up your shirt. 

“Je veux vous baiser si bien” he growled and attacked your neck.  (google translate it its too vulgar for my innocent eyes)

[anoopkam]

This is something that was overdue for quite a long time as I have been wanting to visit the Slice of Spice restaurant ever since they opened and I heard about it… The restaurant is located at the same location inside Anna’s Arcade near Spencer Junction where Pizza Corner used to be… Finally after a long wait I got the chance to visit the place for lunch… The exterior looks pretty much the same as how the place looked back when Pizza Corner used to be except for of course the signs… Clearly they are proud of their Al-Ashrouf grills… On the inside however, I was quite surprised to be greeting by a lot of post-it notes everywhere on the walls and even on the false ceiling… If you can zoom into those pics, you can see that many of them are quite funny to be completely honest 🙂

Slice of Spice – Exterior

Slice of Spice – Exterior

Slice of Spice

Slice of Spice

Slice of Spice

Slice of Spice

A couple of weeks ago, one of the owners of this restaurant, contacted me and invited me for a private tasting event organised to test out some new items that they were planning to introduce… Unfortunately, being engaged elsewhere, I couldn’t attend the same… Hence, I contacted that owner before going there first of all to confirm the location and also to know if any of the new items are available and which they are… So, he basically informed me about a new series of grilled items in their menu, which they call as Rottsy…  Apparently it has only been a week since they started serving it… From the brief conversation with the owner and. the manager at the restaurant (whom to my surprise is somebody I have met before as manager of another restaurant which was one of my favourites when it existed), I came to understand that Slice of Spice prides itself on the special spice mixes that they have come up with… The one they call Al-Ashrouf apparently was a hit and now the Rottsy is a new one they came up with which they hope will also be a hit… The owner also recommended that I try the leg piece option unless I am a die-hard breast fan… Its not secret that the dark leg and thigh meat in a chicken tastes better than the white breast meat… He also recommended that among the beverages, I try their new Expresso Milk Shake as well…

Hence, I decided to try a piece of the Rottsy Grilled Chicken as the appetiser, while leaving the Al-Ashrouf for next time and along with it I had the Smoked Chicken Balls Soup and for mains their Malabar Dum Biriyani and for dessert, tried their Rabri Falooda… I first didn’t plan on getting the dessert and so ended up ordering an Expresso Shake as recommended by the owner at first… The decision to order dessert was made in the last minute… However, to my surprise, they made the Expresso Shake as complementary and let me express my thanks to the owner and manager for doing that…

Smoked Chicken Balls Soup

Rottsy Grilled Chickenl Leg

Malabar Dum Biriyani

Rabri Falooda

Expresso Shake

Now, coming to the food, the first to arrive as expected was the soup they call their Smoked Chicken Balls Soup… It came as shown in the pic… From the outside, it pretty much looks like any other non-cream Chicken soup, but on the inside are two chicken meat balls, that appear to have been grilled because of the grill marks as can be seen in the pic below…

Other than the meatballs, the soup is a thickened chicken broth with eggs and green onions and cilantro… My only problem with the soup was that the broth was made too thick with starch, which I believe is completely an unnecessary thing to do… Leaving that aside, its definitely one of the best tasting chicken broths I have ever had… The meatballs made up of smoked chicken was also incredibly flavourful… The soup was also perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper… Great tasting soup that I’ll recommend to try at least once… 🙂

As I was almost done with the soup, the starter that I order, namely the leg piece of the Rottsy Chicken had arrived… They served an entire leg of the chicken that was grilled in their charcoal grill as the manager informed me and it came with some spicy mayonnaise dip and some salad… I must say that this turned out to be one of the rarest of rare instances when you get grilled chicken thats not dry at all throughout the piece… Usually if a restaurant doesn’t make it completely dry, only the parts at the centre and nearby are somewhat moist… Here on the other not only was the entire piece moist, but it was really juicy with the meat simply falling off the bone very easily…

Regarding its taste, I found it to be an incredibly complex taste thanks to their top secret marinade on the meat… But from what I could understand, which could be completely wrong, it kind of felt like the Chermoula spice mix combined with smoked paprika and black pepper and then cooked with butter if I am not mistaken… I am not 100% sure, but I think I felt a slight hint of cardamom in it as well… Anyways, its their secret… The mayo dip appears to have been spiced with smoked paprika as well and the salad appears to have been seasoned with salt and red chilly powder and it was exactly like the salad we get with tandoori items usually in most places… However, one thing I can confirm is that this Rottsy Grilled Chicken is the best grilled chicken that I have ever had so far… I’ll definitely will be getting it again in my future visits… I almost ordered some more to be taken as takeaway, but since I was not going back home directly, I left it for my next visit… 🙂

Next came the Malabar Dum Biriyani… The waiter had informed that its a Thalassery Style Biriyani, which being a Thalassery guy who has had whats called “Thalassery Biriyani” from some of the other restaurants, made me a bit skeptical but since I was really hungry, went for it anyway… So, the biriyani came in a bowl that sort of looks like a spoon as can be seen in the thumbnail pic :),  served with what I consider an unfairly tiny cup of raita (I can never understand the idea behind such severe rationing of the raita in most restaurants) and dates pickle… The biriyani came with two pieces of chicken with one of them being a drumstick piece 🙂

Unfortunately, the only part about this that I liked was the dates pickle which was awesome… Great flavour of dates and spices in it that I wish they would actually sell bottles of it as its way better that the ones we already get in the supermarket… 🙂 The raita, well, is as good as it can be… However, the actual biriyani was not as good as I had hoped… I guess it was a bad day for the chef who made it… On the positive side, the pieces of chicken was cooked perfectly and by themselves tasted good enough… However on the downside, the rice felt to be overcooked and I am not sure that actual Jeerakasala rice was used or not as I couldn’t detect the fragrance of that rice in it… The rice and the masala felt like it needed more seasoning and more spices in it… Also, one of the most important thing is the presence of the fragrance and flavour of ghee which I felt was completely missing from this biriyani… However, what amazed me is that the dates pickle that was given ended up compensating for the pitfalls of the biriyani… I say this because, when I mixed in the pickle with. the rice and the masala, the whole thing tasted quite nice… So, if you are having this and find yourselves having the same experience as myself, just make sure to ask for extra pickle and it will be fine… 🙂

By this time the expresso shake had also arrived and I really liked that one… Good taste of the coffee in there…

Having skipped breakfast, I felt like having a dessert as well and so in their menu, the Rabri falooda caught my eye… Because that reminded me of the faloodas I had in Mumbai and got it hoping to get something similar… It came as can be seen in the pics below… It had vanilla ice cream, fresh fruits, the rabri, vermicelli, cashewnuts and some blobs of butterscotch, which I think are attempts at making the English Toffee and topped with caramel and some cashew nuts…

Rabri Falooda

Rabri Falooda

Rabri Falooda

I had mixed feelings about this one… Let me tell you why… As you go from top to bottom, first you get the scoop of vanilla ice cream with roasted cashew nuts and caramel, which is great… Then as you dig further, you get the first wave of the English Toffee attempts, which are ok but I felt that they could be better… Then when you hit the fruits, then also its great… However, what all comes after the fruits in the problem… The vermicelli definitely needed some more time being cooked and since this is a falooda, I expected a lot more of the rose flavour in it… Then below the vermicelli were the 2nd wave of the English Toffee attempts and then there was the Rabri and some more ice cream at the bottom… Honestly, I felt that the flavours of the butterscotch blobs (English Toffe attempts) and the caramel didn’t quite work with the Rabri and the vermicelli and that was the problem… I mean I think if the vermicelli was properly cooked and the butterscotch and caramel was replaced with Kulfi, this would have been an excellent Falooda… I say this because I liked the taste of the Rabri used… Overall, I believe that this recipe needs to be redesigned…

After leaving the restaurant, I contacted the owner and discussed about the negative aspects of my experience… After apologising for it all, he informed me that he’ll talk to the chefs and fix them very quickly… Apparently they are in the process of completely revamping their menu… That is, more new items to be added plus, recipes of existing dishes revised and corrected if needed… Once everything gets implemented and ready, I hope that this place flourishes and truly be one of the best eating spots in Trivandrum… I for one will be eagerly waiting for it…

Slice of Spice – First Visit – New Rottsy Grill This is something that was overdue for quite a long time as I have been wanting to visit the Slice of Spice restaurant ever since they opened and I heard about it...