#instant pot review

[catchymemes]

[bargainsleuthbooks]

Book Reviews: Reagan: His Life and Legend; Fix-It-And-Forget-It Budget Meals; Friends and the Golden Age of Sitcom; Hemingway's Passions: His Women, His Wars, and His Writing #NetGalley #Edelweiss #ARCReviews #NewBooks #BookReviews

Time for another round-up of #BookReviews! A new book taking a look at Friends and the television landscape in the 1990s, a cookbook with budget meals, a book about #Hemingway and the women in his life, and a new biography on #RonaldReagan

I’m cruising along and getting through all my Advanced Reader’s Copies from NetGalley. In order to keep up with blogging about them all, I’ve decided to do more roundups like this. These books have either recently been published or will be published in the near future. Most books can be found at the affiliate links below or try your local library when they are released! (Amazon US) (Amazon CA)…

[bestsellersfromamazon]

10 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets to Simplify Your Cooking Routine

Cooking at home can be incredibly rewarding, but let’s be honest, it can also feel like a bit of a chore without the right tools. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or just starting out in the kitchen, having the right gadgets can make all the difference. Here are ten must-have kitchen gadgets that have transformed my cooking routine and can do the same for you. 1. Instant Pot I was skeptical about…

[twiceastasty]

Slow Cooker vs. Instant Pot

Ever wondered whether you should use a slow cooker or an Instant Pot? My new article aims to provide some answers. Learn about choosing and using slow cookers and Instant Pots.

I’ve been focused on sourdough this month and my annual sourdough giveaway, but my recent piece for The Spruce Eats may offer you some ideas of things to eat with all of that bread you’re now baking—and the tools to prepare them in. If you’ve ever wondered whether you need a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, or which to use if both already live in your kitchen, this article aims to provide some…

[iphonepro14]

Instant Vortex Plus XL 8-QT Dual Basket Air Fryer Oven 

This Instant™ Vortex™ Plus has a ton of useful features, but top of the list has to be the ClearCook window. The see-through window works with a perfectly placed light inside so you can check on cooking progress without opening the basket. The dual baskets mean you can cook double up cooking, or cook two separate foods at the same time. SyncCook and SyncFinish automatically match settings for cooking or match the finish time between the two baskets

[dedarul99]

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Review Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart.

[suashii]

kuroo + making dinner ﾉ a late night snack wif him in a college au ? i hope ur week treats u well bbie <3

such a cute suggestion — thank u for sending it! hopefully u enjoy :3

you’re usually better about not leaving a mess by the door when you return to your apartment, but tonight is different. you can’t help but messily kick off your shoes and shed your book bag in the growing pile at the entrance. after a long, draining study session, you can’t be bothered to keep a clean house at the moment. anyway, once you catch sight of your carelessness in the morning, you’re sure you’ll be rushing to pick things up.

“hmm,” you hum, stretching your arms above your head. the action feels good after being stuck in a chair for the past few hours and it seems like now that you’re home, just within reach of your bed, the exhaustion is finally catching up to you. “to eat or to sleep…” you ponder over your choices.

“i vote for the former.” kuroo chimes in from behind you. he replicates your movements, dropping his bag and stretching a bit before he turns and makes his way to the kitchen. “food is fuel, you know,” he tells you matter-of-factly.

“yeah, well, so is sleep. and that sounds like it’ll take a lot less energy than eating.”

he snorts at your reasoning as he surveys the contents of the refrigerator. it’s more bare than he remembers it being—the two of you are past due for a trip to the grocery store. still, he doesn’t let that stop him from trying to convince you to stay up just a little longer for a meal. “fair, but we skipped dinner. you should try to stomach something small at the very least.”

your bed is calling your name, you can hear its tempting whispers from down the hall, but you sigh and nod, joining kuroo in the kitchen to find a replacement for the dinner you missed in favor of reviewing powerpoints. the task seems like a tall one when you get a look in the fridge.

“what do you suggest?” you ask from beside him, “loose lunch meat doesn’t sound too bad.”

he laughs and pinches your arm at your unserious approach, which earns him a pinch back for ever daring to pinch you. 

“what about ramen?” kuroo proposes, lifting an arm to open the cabinet that holds your shared supply of noodles. unsurprisingly, there’s quite a selection of instant ramen at your disposal. “we’re never short on that.”

you take a few seconds to consider it before agreeing—something quick and warm should be satisfying enough.

“take your pick.” kuroo gestures to the multiple differing packages and you point at one—your favorite brand—for him to pull down. he grabs that and one for himself, closing that cabinet and opening the one that houses your pots. the kitchenware clangs loudly as they knock against each other but kuroo doesn’t seem to mind as he juggles the two, carrying them to the sink to fill them with water.

you busy yourself with opening the colorful packages and fishing out the seasoning packs while kuroo brings the pots of water to a boil. other than the gas from the stove and the occasional rustling  of  plastic, a still quiet falls over the kitchen. it’s far from tense or awkward and there’s a beauty that comes with it—being able to enjoy the company of someone without having to share words. and it isn’t lost on you how kuroo tries to take on the bulk of the work, emptying flavor packs and stirring the contents before you get the chance to grab the chopsticks.

he even pours the noodles into your preferred bowl and takes it over to your tiny dining table for you.

“i would have eaten this straight from the pot, you know,” you tell him, sliding into the chair and picking up your utensils to dig in. 

he’s known you long enough to be able to read between the lines of your speech—what you really mean to say is that he made extra dishes that you have no intention of washing. it makes him smile on the other side of the table. “i can handle the dishes.”

“don’t worry, i’ll help you,” you say in between bites. you hold his gaze, blowing on the noodles hanging from your chopsticks. “as long as we do it in the morning.”

he swallows a bite of his own. “deal.”

[openmindcrimecook]

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[fulgurbugs]

It’s time for another doll review!

today, i’m unboxing venus mcflytrap, the newest in the series of core students for monster high g3. she’s been showing up in targets sporadically, though my targets tend to be late on the pickup so i ended up ordering her for delivery as soon as she was up on the website.

she was delivered a few days early and i sent her to my moms house, so i was dying to go back there to open her up for those few days. here’s her in box! she’s quite tall, though without an abbey to compare im not sure if she’s about the same size as her?

freed from the box! once again the star jar is my prop-up instead of a proper stand, though venus is actually sturdy enough to stand on her own without too much trouble.

of course we’ll take a look at the shoes. g3 loves a gradient boot, and i’m a fan here. the look like concrete planters before they fade to pink, and the teeth are just hilarious.

the vines are rubbery and removable. the bottoms of them have a peg that secures them to the boots.

another detail i wanted a close up on is venus’s molded vine details. i love that g3 is going more in with the monsterey details, and these are awesome. they peek out just above her mismatched legging pieces

the face: venus’s mold and makeup are both great. instead of the shaved side of her g1 version, she has molded braids, which still give her that asymmetrical look. her ear mold also has a leaf look to it as well. her hair is some kind of yarn, i believe. i’m not sure how durable the ends are, though, so i may see if there’s a need to seal them to preserve them. (in addition, one minor defect i have seen people have with their venus rooting is that the larger yarn plugs seem to sometimes tear her scalp slightly, so it may be something to check for if you’re buying her in person.) i’m a very big fan of the black features they’ve added to venus this generation, which i think has been the general consensus on her design that i’ve seen online. her reception has been overwhelmingly positive, and she is the doll that has many people warming up to g3. and id have to agree! i’m a little picky with what dolls i want (unless they’re draculaura dolls, lol) and she was an instant note on my wantlist as soon as those stock photos were out.

accessories! venus comes with a clear open backpack, icoffin, energy bar, water bottle, a hair product bottle (if someone knows specifically what product it is please let me know, im not sure off the top of my head), sunglasses shaped like venus flytraps (of course) and her pet, chewlian.

chewlian is well… definitely a pet! he does come out of the pot, though. i said this in a previous review, i think core lagoonas, but i’m continually baffled and amused at the ability of g3 to turn every pet into a dog or cat version of it. while the pets have never been a draw for me, this is just comical. i think i’ll stick by a previous joke i made that chewlian just ate someone’s dog, and that’s why he looks like that.

the backpack can hold one (1) chewlian or all of her other accessories. something about the way this backpack sits on her or the silhouette or something is awesome to me, i love it a lot. it’s super cute, and i want to display her with the bag instead of storing the backpacks like i usually do.

one last little thing, while i don’t have abbey, my draculauras, or even twyla to compare her too, i think venus is about abbey height, though i think she’s got a slimmer body and hips. here’s her next to frankie. venus also uses the clawed hand mold.

of course, we have to have the obligatory .5 shot

and that’s venus! one last note i want to make is there’s been a lot of fomo around her, but i want to remind people she is going to be widely available as abbey and clawd are. she is going to stick around for a long time compared to other lines, so there’s no need to pay scalper prices for her (i know i say this as someone who bought her as soon as i could, but that was as soon as i could for strictly retail price. i’m just saying i get it, lol.)

i also recognize that that’s a bit america-centric, but she also did start showing up in person in the UK before the US, so hopefully her international release isn’t as frustrating as other lines and characters.

thanks for reading! big g3 venus fan now and forever, and i’m excited to see her eventually show up in other lines, too!

[bits-and-babs]

🗝️ Some kind of a guide seems fitting for him and because it’s me, I always think he’s out guiding a team or just you and all hell breaks loose!

Trekking through the Sahara or the Amazon or the Himalayas. Summoning Everest or just going on a fun outing for a weekend camping. It all seems like such a good fit for a Mills AU because he’s so rugged! Anything you like would be amazing!

Thank you for sharing your talent! 💗

⋆𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄

pairing: TourGuide!Mills x f!Reader

word count: 2k

warnings: 18+ MDNI, references to slow-ish burn, yearning, 69ing, spanking, dirty talk (he talks you through it 😩)

summary: Heartbreak takes you on a tour of the Zambian safari plains, where you trip into a vacation romance- literally.

mills masterlist | main masterlist | follower celebration | taglist

Waxing and poetic reviews of the ‘life changing’ tour of Zambia’s safaris had led you to book a flight at four in the morning while three glasses of wine into your ridiculous display of moping heartbreak following another failed tinder romance. Yes, the giraffes interested you, but you’d be lying if the reviews detailing how sexy the tour guide was didn’t sway your decision.

When Mills introduced himself to the group, you swore your jaw nearly hit the grasslands in shock. He was gorgeous, the golden sunshine melting his gilded irises and warming his face. You had mentally scolded yourself on the first day, because you swore you spent more time ogling his, frankly ridiculous, body than observing the herds of zebras that plodded along the dusty tracks.

Delusions set in by day three. Eating the fruits that were provided at the safari lodge, you were convinced he would glance up at you from his cereal, his eyes flicking back down to the bowl that his hands engulfed. Talking yourself out of the absurd notion only got harder when you eventually did catch him looking at you, distracted and enamoured by the mother elephant pushing her calf along with her trunk. His eyes had been warm, honey pots dripping with amusement as he absorbed your excitement, appreciating your interest in the animals he had clearly grown to love.

Day five is when shit hit the fan. In your defence, the sun was in your eyes and you’d left your sunglasses on your pillow back at the lodge— there was absolutely no way you would have noticed the fallen branch from the Baobab tree, even if you had been watching where you were going rather than ogling Tour Guide Mills’ ass. You trip over it unceremoniously, hitting the sun-baked ground with a sickening thud.

Tears spring to your eyes almost immediately, pain shooting up your ankle and catching you entirely off guard. You’re unsure if it was the sound of the impact or the agonised gasp that grabs Mills’ attention, but he’s over by your side in an instant.

“Are you alright?” He asks you, his voice both music and ridicule to your ears. Of course you would make a tit of yourself in front of him, karma loved to keep you on your toes-

“I’m fine,” you wheeze, but you are not. The stabbing pain in your ankle indicates you are far from fine, but fuck, Mills is. When you look up at him it almost takes your breath away, his long black hair tied into a bun to keep the heat of the baking sun off his neck. Strands have come loose in the breeze, framing his face as he leans close to look you over.

“You’re hurt,” he speaks plainly, and you wish a leopard would just launch itself from the bushes and carry your pathetic carcass up a tree rather than face the mortification of being the reason he had to stop the tour.

“It’s just my ankle, I’ll be oka-“

“Phiri,” Mills calls to his fellow tour guide, catching his attention with a wave of his gigantic palm, “Can you continue on your own?”

Phiri must nod, because Mills is scooping you up bridal style before you even have the chance to insist upon struggling through the rest of the tour. Your arms dart out quickly at the height he stands at when he rises effortlessly to his feet, a totally subconscious action that causes heat to swirl in your cheeks as he begins the journey back to the lodge.

It must only be fifteen minutes at the very most, but it feels like hours. Mills smells mind-numbingly delicious, a mixture of the perspiration drawn out by the sunshine and something earthy, woodsy. Soon, despite the fact you were doing nothing other than tremble in his arms, you’re sweating more than Mills is.

You can’t bear to look at him, but you can feel his eyes on you. There’s a rumble in his chest, one that sounds vaguely like a chuckle. Perhaps for the sake of not shrivelling up and dying while the vultures pick at your poor, humiliated bones, you elect to ignore the sound of amusement from him.

Hauling you into the doctor's office, Mills is a silent, hulking presence in the doorway as the doctor checks you over. The professional indicates it is most likely that you have mildly sprained your ankle, informing you that you should be back to normal within a couple of days. He concludes with a devastating blow: ‘You need to rest, though. Don’t walk on it.’

This piece of advice leads to Mills insisting upon carrying you to your lodge. This time, you find yourself leaning into the broad expanse of his shoulder, grasping the cotton of his khaki t-shirt and taking in the oaky scent that you swore if you breathed in any deeper you’d inhale the whole man.

“Here we are,” he says, the man of little words, as he moves to slowly sit you down on your mattress. You clocked the stupid fucking sunglasses on your pillow, just where you remember leaving them.

Mills, as much as he is absolutely not being paid for this, takes his time ensuring your comfort. He props up pillows for your back, your shades placed neatly on the bedside table. When you’re all settled, however, he doesn’t rush to pull away.

His eyes are dancing over the frame of your lips, flicking up to your eyes when he realises how long he has stayed in your personal space. You don’t complain.

“… How can I thank you?” You whisper. It comes out breathier than you plan, a lilt to your tone that makes it sound far closer to a moan than a steady question.

“Don’t mention it at al-“

It’s not him. It’s not you, either. You both crash into each other with insistence, moans of relief bleeding into each others mouths as you finally embrace after days of craving each other. It’s an oasis, whetting the insatiable lust that had clouded your concentration and judgement. There were only so many times you could pretend your fingers were Mills, and you had far surpassed that total only two nights into your trip.

“Hah-“ you gasp softly into the kiss as Mills’ hands wander over the tops of your thighs, squeezing at your hips and tugging your body slightly closer to him. He seems equally as needy, chasing your lips when they part from his for breath.

“Come here,” he orders softly, though it sounds more like a plea. You can’t deny him, delivering kiss after hungry kiss to his open mouth as your fingers fiddle with the hem of his cotton T-shirt.

It all happens so fast, without contemplation. He’s stripping you out of your clothes delicately, making sure to avoid your tender ankle as he carefully pulls the leg of your trousers over it. The groan of delight that rumbles in his chest when he sees your lacy white set beneath your safari garb makes your heart stop.

“Pretty Thing,” he murmurs, tracing your nipple through the lace of your bralette. It’s Mills, and the touch causes a shuddering exhale to creep from your lungs. “Here.”

That order again. It flips your stomach over, and soon Mills is moving you like a ragdoll, with such ease that it’s almost dizzying. Mills spins your body, facing you away from him before grasping your hips and pulling you back towards him.

When his mouth meets the soaked crotch of your panties, you’re arching back into his face without thinking, a loud sigh of bliss escaping you. At first he sucks at your clit through the fabric, but he loses patience and pushes the panties aside, delving into you and enjoying your taste as he laps at you with his tongue. Meanwhile, his hands explore the plains of your body, hands squeezing at the flesh of your ass and thighs. Without looking at them, they feel gigantic against your body, covering an expanse of your skin that puts the distance of the Sahara in the north to shame.

You don’t need prompting. Your hands are pushing the elastic waistband of his boxers down, his cock resting against his stomach as you push them over his thighs. Greedily, you take him into your mouth without even bothering to take in the view, desperate to taste him. The salt of his precum coats your tongue, and you both moan in unison.

“Fuck,” Mills breathes, his palm cracking against the curve of your ass. It’s not too hard, but the spank sends your heart wild, swallowing down his length and whimpering at how he stretches your throat and fills your mouth.

The veins on the underside of his cock pulse against the roof of your mouth, his hips jolting slightly as your tongue traces his frenulum. You’re so needy, letting him fuck your face despite the threat of a gag pulling at the back of your throat. It’s messy, the wet, sopping sounds obscene to your own ears.

Mills’ hands travel all over your body, up your waist, reaching forward and under to squeeze your tits. You’d wanted to make this some form of an appreciation for him carrying you across the safari-lands, but he’s insistent upon making you feel good too.

“Oh, shit-“ he gasps when you take him particularly deep into your throat, gagging around him. Mills’ head falls back onto the pillows, rocking his hips up involuntarily until your nose is pressing into his pubic bone. He’s rambling a sorry, the apology slurred and almost indiscernible over the sloppy sounds of you sucking his dick.

“That’s it,” he whispers, his hand moving between your legs to rub rapidly over your clit. You’re caving inwards at the sensation, hands grasping at the tops of his thighs as he talks you towards your orgasm. “You’re so fucking good. So hot—wanted to drag you into my room the minute you walked in here, giving me those ‘fuck me eyes’ all the time. Can you feel it coming? Huh? Your thighs are trembling. There it is- there it is.”

You cum with a whimper around his dick, mouth stuffed full of him and unable to make much of a sound— but fuck, it utterly obliterates you. Rocking back onto his fingers, onto his face, you sob as he juts his hips up once, twice. He cums down your through with a haggard groan, sinking his teeth into the flesh of your ass in an attempt to muffle the sound he makes.

It becomes a frequent pastime. A long safari ending with a quick, desperate fuck. You discuss what will happen when you return home, the two of you skirting around the fact this has become far more than a vacation hook up. He gives you his number, of course it’s a shitty Nokia phone, but it makes so much sense.

“One of the vervet monkeys took my iPhone,” he grumbles when you arch a brow at his brick phone.

For now, without the stress of leaving, Mills holds you in his arms, your hips slotted between his thighs and head resting on his chest. You’re exhausted, still recovering from your injury while enjoying as many safaris as you can— and fucking Mills every waking minute.

You feel Mills gently touch your shoulder, rousing you from the blissful sleep that almost had you. A whine creeps past your lips, eyelids heavy.

“What?” You mumble, pausing when you see Mills press a finger to his lips and point to the sliding glass doors that he had left open.

A baby giraffe, a few months old, peeks its head into your cabin. Its eyelashes flutter as it looks over the box room, blinking slowly. You can’t help but wake, a grin pulling at your lips as it slowly backs away, unamused by the lack of edible greenery.

“Wow,” you whisper, watching it begin its slow journey back to the herd, tail swishing behind it.

“Worth it?” Mills murmurs, brushing his fingers up your spine softly.

“Worth every single penny.”

END

🏷️ join the Taglist:

@pansa-1-san , @safarigirlsp , @heart-atttack , @crybaby-blue-blog1 , @queeniebee , @lumberjack00fantasies , @wingedgothapricot, @glassbxttless

[doasyoudesireandlive]

Hearts beating as one

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader, friends to lovers, roommate AU

Summary: Cuddles and a movie with your cute roommate.

warnings: fluff, petnames, dumb humour lol

word count: 900ish

A/N: This is for @chrisdrysdale one year anniversary writing challenge! congrats honey! the theme of the challenge was "love and cuddles" hope it makes you warm and fuzzy <3

(English is not my first language, and this is proof-read by me! sorry for any mistakes)

You tug your coat, burying your nose in your scarf. The wind is icy cold, the December air having no mercy. You are on you way home to your flat after a meet-up with old friends. It was so nice catching up and you had stayed there for a few hours, chatting away about the good old days and about the present. Your friends had mostly settled down, and they kept nagging you.

“Y/N, when are you settling down? Anyone special in your life?” and so on.

You answered as you always did “I’m in no rush, and no – I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.”

They all showed you pics of various bachelors,  in an attempt to play matchmaker. You just laughed it off, but deep inside you knew. Your heart already belongs to someone else. You’re just not sure if he knows it…

Finally reaching the flat you quickly get inside. “I’m home!” You call out.

A cheery baritone voice answers. “Hi, honey! Did you have a good time?”

You smile, warmth seeping into your body. “Sure did, dear – it was great!” You take off your coat, scarf and boots and walk into the kitchen.

Bucky is standing by the stove, stirring in a big pot. You pour yourself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot and peek into the pot. “What is that?”

Bucky looks at you, laughter gleaming in his eyes. “You just came home, and the first thing you do is diss my cooking? Tsk, tks, that’s low… kitten” The last word is said so sweetly that you can almost taste it.

You look at him and tilt your head. “diss? Nah, Buckyboy, that was curiosity” He gives you a look, a faint blush showing on his cheeks.

“whatever you say, babe, whatever you say” You simply smirk, and go to lay down in the couch.

You and Bucky had been roommates for about two years now. You moved in right after a really messy break-up. Your ex, John, had been the harassing and controlling kind. Bucky had been your salvation. You had arranged the moving before you broke up with John, knowing you had to get away quickly. You had not planned to tell Bucky the truth, but the instant his beautiful blue eyes stared into yours you had to. You felt safe, for the first time in ages.

After that day Bucky had protected you many times. John came to the flat multiple times, but finally left you alone after Bucky gave him a black eye. The friendship with Bucky came easy. 6 months passed and you were besties. But something other than friendship was blooming between you. You knew it now, after 2 years, that you were in love with Bucky. You kinda want to tell him, but at the same time, you don’t wanna risk your friendship….

“Honey? Food is ready. If you dare eat it…” Buckys teasing voice lured from the kitchen. You joined him and ate with him.

“Wow, this tastes way better than it looks! Its sooo good” You praise, mouth full of food.

“Well, thank you, sweetheart. Nat gave me the recipe, its some form of Russian stew I think. “ he eyes the food suspiciously, as if hes not sure if he trusts it.

After a few seconds he shrugs and continue to eat. When youre both finished eating you do the dishes while Bucky lounge on the couch.

“Up for a movie, doll?” Bucky calls from the sofa.

“Yeah! As long as we don’t have to see The Hobbit AGAIN, I’m so tired of that movie” You can hear Bucky huff, and you laugh softly to yourself. You get some snacks and drinks and go to sit down.

Bucky has already found a movie, some new sci-fi with good reviews. He gets comfy on the sofa and gestures for you to tuck yourself into his side. You smile, and sit down. His arm curling around your body and holding you close, like he is afraid you’re gonna flee any moment. Cuddling like this came natural to you and you had spent countless hours in Buckys arms.

The movie is ok, but youre having a hard time focusing. Youre now turned bit so you are basically sitting in Buckys lap. You start to squirm, the situation making your heart race.

Oh, if you only were brave enough to kiss him now. You stare at his lips. Full, pink, and pillow soft. You are lost in your daydream when his voice pull you out. “Wanna taste?”

Your eyes flicker up his and before you know it you are kissing him. He is taken by surprise, going stiff for a half second. Then he kisses back, with everything hes got. Pouring all your feelings into the kiss, youre soon panting. Pulling back and looking at each other with lust filled eyes.

Bucky is the first to speak. “I just.. I wanna… Well. Oh darn, I love you, Y/N” a glint of hope glimmer in his eyes and you giggle “I love you too, more than you could ever imagine”

You meet in a kiss again, pouring all your love and care into it, until your hearts are beating as one.

Bucky pull back. “And by the way… I was talking about the chocolate,” he says – pointing to the mars bar on the table, with one bite taken out of it.

“You fucking moron” You say, laughing loudly – peppering Bucky in kisses.

Taglist: @animnerd @late-to-the-party-81

[copperbadge]

Hi Sam. I have a rump roast I want to use and it's apparently very popular for French Dips, Italian Beef sandwiches, and roast beef deli meat. You've made a version of Italian Beef before as and have posted pictures of it plus a general method of what you did. Do you have a specific recipe you use? (I mostly need it for measurements. I've made BBQ briskets and Mississippi Roast enough to wing it, but it's~ 4lb of beef and I don't want to mess it up.)

Thanks!

The recipes I've found online for italian beef are pretty vague, I'll be honest, so I've developed something closer to a widely-applicable technique, because really you're just doing a steam-braise that also creates a jus. So, my advice for cooking about four pounds of rump roast for sandwiches is as follows, a lot of it may be review for you :D

Trim the roast to a thickness that you'd be comfortable slicing, and a width and length that will fit in your slow cooker. I also trim off large chunks of fat. I usually do three pounds of beef, cut into 1lb segments that are roughly 1" thick, piled atop one another.

Use enough beef broth to cover the bottom of the slow cooker. I use 3 cups in an instant pot slow cooker, which is tall and narrow. You probably don't need more for 4lbs, just make sure it covers the bottom of the pot decently. If you don't have beef broth, chicken broth will work, or even water in a pinch; the beef will drain a lot of fat/flavor into it regardless. You can boil trimmings to get a decent broth, though that takes time. At this point I just have a "mother broth" of leftover jus that I use for the next batch, I just add some water or beef broth each time to make up 3 cups.

Put some kind of rack or platform on the bottom of the slow cooker. It doesn't have to raise the beef much, just keep it mostly out of the liquid.

Season the beef as you like (I use a steak seasoning blend). Place the liquid in the pot first, then layer the beef into the slow cooker on top of the rack or dish. It can touch the liquid, that's fine, just shouldn't fully immerse in it.

Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fully cooked through. If you take the temperature it should be at least 145F, and should not be pink at all in the middle. Remove and let cool; refrigerate before slicing. And that's it really, no special trick.

For jus, boil the liquid left in the slow cooker for minimum five minutes at a full boil. After boiling, strain it, cool it, and store it. It should still be somewhat cloudy, that's flavor baby!

I slice the meat very thin and of course across the grain to keep it tender, but you can slice it any thickness you like. Once sliced, I store the meat packed in jars and covered in jus; it freezes well (just don't tighten the jar lid until it's frozen) and reheats best when heated in liquid (I microwave, but it heats as well, just slower, in a pan on the stove top). Then just pull the beef out of the liquid, toss it on a crusty roll, and dip the roll in the liquid for extra flavor if desired. Or eat it cold, it's good that way too.

For the best possible italian beef, I've found that it's ideal to take the roll, stuff it with warm-to-hot beef, dip it thoroughly in the jus (doesn't have to be hot), wrap it in lightly greased foil, and bake in a toaster oven at 450 for about 5 minutes. I've been experimenting with mine and have enjoyed adding a variety of cheeses before baking, and I've also found a sliced hard-boiled egg a nice addition.

[dream-fighter]

Also, the roomie saw the new Planet of the Apes movie on Sunday and told me the ending during his review - Comrades, I unintentionally launched into a long af rant and unnecessary explanation of how that ending would not function from a space engineering/hardware standpoint. It was so long that he was able to finish making a pot of Samyang carbonara instant ramen like what is wrong with me???

I dunno how he's put up w/ me all these years.😭

[captain-grammar]

Netflix cancelling a BUNCH of their shows featuring diverse casts and WLW characters reminded me of a rant I had earlier in the year on Twitter with regards to The Old Guard but didn't share here. So, here it is.

I've seen tweet after tweet on yonder Twitter from people who were unaware that there's going to be a sequel to The Old Guard so if you'll indulge me, I'm about to don a tin-foil hat and speculate wildly as to why it's slipping in under the radar and what might be the reasons for that.

Within the first week if The Old Guard being released in July 2020, it was already in the top 10 most streamed movies on the platform at reached around 72 million households in a month. Incredible viewing figures. It was well-reviewed by critics and a runaway smash hit with viewers - "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes - and gained an active, passionate fanbase online the instant it was released (hello, welcome to Tumblr) due in part to the fresh take the movie had on the dull, formulaic action-movie genre.

Netflix had momentum. They had the stats to work with and a fanbase to back them up. They could have announced their intention to make a sequel back when interest was fresh (as they did with the likes of The Gray Man) and gotten everyone excited while it was being talked about. Because it was being talked about. A sequel was in the works fairly early on with the cast and crew pretty much confirming as much on social media. But in this fast-paced, binge-consume world, Netflix seemed to wait until all the hype had died down before making it official.

WHY? Why take a big-hitting, genre-bending, record-smashing movie that you KNEW had proven to be a success and KNEW had a follow-up in the pipeline and let it die? A hugely sceptical part of me has a theory that it was down to just how genre-bending it was.

From my experience online, the vast majority of those who enjoyed it reflect the characters of the movie and the team behind it - diverse, LGBTQ+ individuals who rarely see themselves on screen without it feeling like a kind of tokenism. The movie was directed by the amazing Gina Prince-Bythewood - a black woman. The cast was lead by two strong females who were neither sexualised or portrayed as damsels in distress. Two of the men were unashamedly in love with each other. All of the main male cast were allowed to be emotional and even cry. In the action genre, these things are all but unheard of. Male characters are rarely given emotional complexity beyond revenge and women are usually relegated to the role of side-kick, love interest or doe-eyed ingenue learning from the "best".

Because the genre tends to lean towards a stereotypical male audience.

A part of me wonders whether that's why Netflix didn't give it much promo and kudos and have let the pot come off the boil in terms of hyping The Old Guard's return. The service has a history of platforming voices that are anti-LGBTQ and cutting diversity within its ranks. And now they're at it again, axing a slew of shows after only one or two seasons that all seem to feature wlw relationships fairly prominently.

If you're not a straight, cis, white male then they're not interested in catering for you. If you're a minority, too bad. The fact that The Old Guard was a hit with the very communities they seem to be actively oppressing is a hurt that Netflix seemingly refuses to live with.

I'm just sick of "was the movie/show popular among straight white men?" being the metric against which a piece of media's success is measured. As if that demographic is the Holy Grail and if your fans aren't 28 year-old cis dudes, you've somehow failed.

I thank Netflix for bringing some truly great stories to life but at this point, I cannot trust them to keep them safe any more.

[ssreeder]

welcome to leekie’s baking exploits, where leekie attempts recipes she doesn’t read all the way through and realises she doesn’t know wtf she’s doing when she’s already in the middle and it’s too late to back out :)

okay so basically I decided against making an “easter log” bc the reality is that my sister will eat like one (1) slice and then I’ll be stuck with an entire cake by myself and then it’ll just get old and stale and Nobody Wants That, so instead I was like oh I’ll make pear sorbet that should be easy.

(famous last words fr)

have I ever made pear sorbet before?? no. have I ever made SORBET before?? no. did I consider that maybe I should do some fucking Research beforehand?? haha what do you take me for

ANYWAYS so I buy the pears and whatever else I need, and I’m like okay time to make some sorbet !! and I start peeling the pears and that’s all fine unTIL I realise oh shit we got rid of our apple/pear/whatever-else-fruit corer BUT I TELL MYSELF oh it’s fine I’ll just use a knife… idk if you know this but pears are actually really slippery once they’ve been peeled?? which means they like to slide out of your hand while your sticking a knife into them and then when the knife gets stuck in the pear it’s very difficult to get out bc you can’t actually get a proper grip on the pear to pull it out and so you can’t regulate how much strength you have to use aND THEN YOU USE TOO MUCH STRENGTH AND THE KNIFE *schicks* OUT SO FAST YOU ACCIDENTALLY STAB IT BACK THE OTHER WAY WHEN YOU RECOIL AND NEARLY END UP BLEEDING TO DEATH OUT OF YOUR THUMB but luckily your reflexes are impeccable and so you avoid certain death with your only takeaway from the experience being well that was almost traumatic :D

and then you go through that process 3 more times bc you need 4 pears for this recipe and then you realise uhhh now I’ve gotta sous vide these pears which you have never done before so Obviously you don’t have a sous vide machine. So naturally,, you then google how to sous vide without a sous vide machine, and google tells you that if you use the wrong type of plastic bag then you might end up giving yourself cancer bc the plastic will release toxins when heated and you don’t know if you have the non toxic kind of plastic but they’re the only plastic bags you have on hand so you’re gonna have to risk it babyyy

BUT THEN the bags you have are Small and you can’t get all the air out of them to vacuum seal them AND THE POT YOU’RE USING IS SMALL TOO SO YOU HAVE TO SPLIT THE PEARS INTO TWO BATCHES AND GO THROUGH THE WHOLE SOUS VIDE PROCESS TWICE which takes you an hour but at least it’s just Waiting and not fighting demons like the first hour of this adventure

ALAS I WAS STILL STUCK IN MY WOEFUL ERA AFTER THAT bc I had to Strain the mushy blended up pears through a sieve. which doesn’t sound awful. but it is. BC THAT TOOK ME ANOTHER WHOLE HOUR BC THE PEARS WERE TOO GODDAMN THICK TO GO THROUGH THE SIEVE WITHOUT HELP (which is the whole point of straining but stfu nobody asked) AND I HAD TO MASH THE PEARS DOWN and my arms literally felt like they were gonna fall off idk if I’ll ever recover honestly

anyway FINALLY I put that away after I engaged in battle with the freezer to make enough space for my pears and then I check the recipe… and the pears have to freeze overnight. Which means. I don’t even get to enjoy the product of this ordeal on the same day as a reward and instead it was just Suffering (really resonated with jesus this good friday)

so bc I want Something to reward myself I’m like okay time to make panacotta,, which I also have never made before but fortunately!!! is not very hard. HOWEVER. panacotta also has to chill in the fridge for 4 hours. so I still had no instant gratification.

nevertheless I persevered, and at 9pm my panacotta was just barely chilled enough and so I ate that :)

panacotta review: good but honestly too sweet bc this was a butterscotch flavoured one and I forgot how sweet butterscotch was so I didn’t think to adjust any of the ratios

MOVING ON the next morning I’m eating brekkie and I’m like oh might as well finish up my sorbet bC AFTER ALL THAT IT STILL WASN’T DONE so I get my massive hunk of frozen pears out of the freezer and then I realise, I’m supposed to blend this shit. and it’s too big to fit in the blender as is. so I’ve gotta chop it into smaller chunks.

anyway long story short I almost died again bc my fingers went numb bc the pears were FROZEN and so obviously I couldn’t feel them and I nearly sliced myself open with the knife I was using to finagle the pear slab into manageable pieces for the blender bc surprise surprise, the frozen pears did not want to be cut. BUT I DIDN’T DIE!! so I got them all crushed and blended and whipped and then popped the sorbet back in the freezer !! IN ITS FINAL FORM !! which means I don’t have to touch it again until I’m eating it :D

pear sorbet review: i am SO MAD bc the pear sorbet is really fucking good which means I have absolutely not learnt my lesson and I Will be doing this shit again

to conclude, here’s my baby:

she’s a little ugly but she tastes amazing (misshapen ball is sorbet, funky rectangle is panacotta)

(also the next day I made mini chicken pies but I was like oh I want more veggies in this so I added more but Unfortunately one of the veggies I added wAS A WHOLE ENTIRE LEEK which has a very high water content I didn’t account for, so my pies were LEAKING fucking everywhere and also I had like x4 the amount of filling I was supposed to BUT !! it’s not all bad bc I just froze the rest and now I have low effort dinner ready if I’m in a pinch :D)

so pretty much, in conclusion, my toxic trait is not reading recipes all the way through before I attempt them and assuming I can alter them however I want and they’ll turn out fine. I am plagued by hubris <3

anyways genuinely sorry to anybody who’s read this catastrophe that’s not sreedie bc sreedie asked for this so they can suffer xx

This is an exact image of me reading this ask.

I adore YOU, and I’m sorry but that fucking dessert looks soooooo so so so much better than that weird Easter log thing. I want a bite so bad and now I’m really pissed we didn’t get together this Easter.

So here’s the plan, we will have our own holiday & it is going to be the “Peary divorce holiday” and you will make me this fucking dessert and I will enjoy it and I can cook dinner :)

I May still love you (in celebration of may) but thank you for showing me this I’m sorry I sat on it so long but I read it like 20 times haha:)

[thecommandertable]

Lost Caverns of Ixalan Artisan Set Review: Part 1

Which common and uncommon cards in Lost Caverns of Ixalan might make their way into your Artisan Commander decks? Part 1 will cover the monocolor cards, and Part 2 will cover the multicolor and artifact cards. Let's take a look:

White

Manglehorn is an existing card but doesn't see much play in Artisan. Making your opponents' artifacts enter tapped has a larger impact in regular EDH where it hits mana rocks like Grim Monolith and Mana Vault, not to mention slowing down big treasure makers like Dockside Extortionist and Smothering Tithe. In all, I don't expect to see too much of Dauntless Dismantler in Artisan games.

Blue

An upgrade over Supreme Will, which sees some play. Putting the extra cards into the graveyard instead of the bottom of the library is relevant for spells decks with payoffs that count the number of instants/sorceries in the graveyard: Crackling Drake, Gandalf's Sanction, Rise from the Tides, etc.

Black

The closest comparison is to Infernal Grasp. Bitter Triumph can hit planeswalkers, but there aren't very many of those in Artisan. The larger difference is the flexibility in the additional cost: when you don't want to pay life you can discard a card instead and vice versa. Some decks, such as reanimator, want discard outlets anyway. I expect to see Bitter Triumph at similar rates as Infernal Grasp and Go For the Throat.

A Deadly Dispute that creates a Map token instead of a Treasure. A lot of decks that run Deadly Dispute will want this card too: Juri, Gut, Thalisse, etc.

This card's pretty interesting. It has shades of Deadly Wanderings to it, except that it only needs you to attack with a single creature instead of controlling only one creature, which is a pretty significant difference. Obviously, you'll want to put this in a deck that can attack with a single large creature. This card's not worth running over a card like Ancient Craving if you're not going to profit off the front side. I'm thinking something like Yargle or Rael Rilsa.

Ichor Wellspring is played in lots of decks that like to sacrifice artifacts. Mephitic Draught is essentially a second copy for black decks.

This card's not far from Doomed Necromancer, which has always struck me as a rare that's ripe for a downshift. The finality counter and sorcery speed are a bit of a bummer, but Soulcoil Viper is something to consider when building Barrowin of Clan Undurr, or if/when they downshift Alesha, who Smiles at Death (fingers crossed)

Any self-mill deck that can easily get four or more permanent cards into its graveyard will like this little guy. Deathtouch means you will often be able to find someone to attack who doesn't want to block, and in a pinch you can leave it back to dissuade a big creature from attacking you.

Red

I'll talk about Caparocti Sunborn when I get to the multicolor cards, but yeah, if you plan on discovering a lot, this card seems deece.

It's a red Prying Blade except: A) it's indestructible, B) it gives an extra point of toughness, and C) gives you the treasure on attack, not when it hits an opponent. Overall that's pretty good.

This card looks excellent in an artifact-heavy deck. It can provide creatures haste in a pinch on its front side, but flipping it shouldn't be very hard, in which case it turns into a land with a very powerful activated ability. Even if you never use that second ability, it's still a card that ramps you.

It's going to be fairly difficult to trigger descend every turn, even in decks that go out of their way to sacrifice stuff. Keep in mind that tokens are not cards, so sacrificing treasures or Eldrazi Spawn tokens or whatever won't trigger this. That said, getting just two or three treasures out of a two-mana creature is pretty good, and it has two relevant creature types.

Sunshot Militia is yet another creature that goes infinite with Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and a way to turn it into a pirate. Aside from that, it's still a card with a ton of potential. It works great with Curiosity effects, for one thing. But any deck that has lots of stuff hanging around, be it treasure tokens, food tokens, equipment, or dispensable creature tokens could use Sunshot Militia to deal good chunks of damage at low cost.

Great for my Syr Carah deck.

Green

Ok so a lot of these dinosaur payoffs I'm skipping over because the red-green signpost dinosaur legendary doesn't look very compelling as a commander- I'll get to it in Part 2- but Earthshaker Dreadmaw is a house.

This card reminds me of Afiya Grove, which not only is a rare but also on the reserved list. And Explorer's Cache is... better? It enters with one fewer counters on it, but gives you a lot more control over when you dole out the counter (a big mark against Afiya Grove is that you have to give the +1/+1 counter to an opponent's creature if you don't control any creatures), and of course, it recoups counters if your creatures die. I'd put Explorer's Cache into any deck that has a lot of +1/+1 counter synergies and proliferate. It also works very well with Kami of Whispered Hopes.

Poison Dart Frog looks like a decent mana dork/rattlesnake card. Pretty nice that it can block a creature with flying, then tap to help pay for its own deathtouch ability. That said, I wouldn't run a two-drop mana dork if I don't need the mana fixing; if I just want to ramp, I'd go with Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic/Fyndhorn Elves instead.

This is the biggest, baddest green mana sink we've gotten in Artisan. Previously the best was probably Centaur Glade. Sachi decks will be able to use this, and maybe(?) Rishkar and/or Tatyova decks. If you're making infinite mana with something like Devoted Druid + Vizier of Remedies, I'd recommend putting that mana into something like Goblin Cannon for the win; as cool as turning all your lands into 7/7s is, you have a limited supply of them, and they don't have trample-- you don't want to pass the turn only to have them all destroyed by a Slaughter the Strong or Kirtar's Wrath.

Alright, that's all the monocolor cards! See Part 2 for multicolor and artifact cards!