#rice cookers are 15-20$

[asidian]

Set breakdown time! Next up: Niko's room.

As before, I've circled the points of interest and numbered them to make them easier to talk about. Cool? Cool. Let's do this!

1: Niko's mom's name! This part is her and Niko's surname. The kanji are 佐々木.

佐 – sa, meaning help or aid

々 – an iteration mark. When you see this, basically it means "exactly what the last one said, one more time." So another sa meaning help or aid

木 – ki, meaning tree

It's really neat that they picked a last name for her that doubles down on her role in the narrative. Just like Niko is there to support and help other characters in whatever way they seem to need, her surname hammers it home by including 佐 not once but twice.

2: Riza (リザ) Niko's mother's given name. Somewhat odd here is that it's written in katakana and not kanji. Without getting sidetracked too much (you can pop over here to read more if you're interested) most Japanese people write their names in kanji.

Katakana seems like a bit of a strange choice here, unless a) Niko for some reason doesn't know the kanji for her own mother's name (weird, given that she's in high school) b) her mother is a foreigner (a possibility; foreigners usually write their names in katakana) c) the set designer/whoever prepped the letters didn't know the appropriate kanji for "Riza" (seems unlikely, given how accurate all the rest of this is) or d) some sort of personal habit. An interesting side note is that her letter to Niko also puts Niko's name in katakana.

3: Cutesy stationery, used for marking your place in a document or book

4: A cute blue purse!

5: Watermelon! Judging by the shiny material and placement near the other bag, I'm going to guess this is another purse

6: Niko's clothes :>

7: Pink luggage

8: Lots of instant noodles

9: A rice cooker

10: Rice vinegar

11: This girl LOVES her some plants

12: Probably food items…? The one on the right looks like it might be a five-pound bag of rice, but I don't recognize the brand

13: Lots of unwashed dishes

14: A toaster oven

15: Chopsticks

16: A cute octopus pillow. I think I saw someone mention that it's from Ikea :>

17: She often leaves dirty dishes sitting on the bedside table

18: A painting of what seems to be a skyscape

19: Brightly colored pillows

20: Metal art in the shape of a moon

21: A decorative window hanging

22: More plants :)

23: Candles

24: Her tv

25: Cute pens with pompoms on the end

26: Regular tape

27: A cute cat statue

28: Marble Pop Ramune, strawberry flavor. Ramune is a type of soda that's a popular festival drink in Japan. It's sealed with a  glass marble and you have to pop the marble down into the little catch basin before you can drink it.

29: Anime wall décor

30: Fruit jelly cups. In Japan, small gelatin based snacks like this are popular. They're tiny, about an inch tall, and you eat them in just one or two bites.

31: Niko's laptop. She has stickers on it

32: Washi tape! It's decorative Japanese tape, often with bright colors and patterns, used for crafting.

33: A lot of cute magnets, including the bunny one, which serves double-duty as a kitchen timer

34: Niko's grocery list. The only thing on here that's here because she wants it is strawberry ice cream. The rest of the items, licorice tea, manuka honey, and Epsom salts, are all natural remedies. She's been trouble-shooting how to get rid of the effects of the sprites. She knows she's sick, but not why

35: Cutesy craft supplies! Sequins, glitter, and pompoms

36: More washi tape!

37: Niko's manga collection. She is that particular brand of organizational mess that does not put her numbered volumes in order. She has made an exception for the series that makes a complete picture when you line them up, though

38: More plants :)

39: Manga posters! Issho is one of the series that she has on her shelf

40: A decorative jar

41: Little metal bird sculptures

42: What seems to be the only framed picture in her room. The angle is wrong to see what the photo is, but it's interesting that they added just one in here. Maybe it's her family…?

[linguisticsho]

Anti capitalist + anti consumerist + anti work master list

*originally started writing this as a reference for myself. may add more later

No buying/no spending options

Libby (books, audiobooks, magazines). you can use multiple library cards. harris county and queens allows you to sign up for a card with just your number.

Hoopla (music)

Kanopy (movies, tv, docs)

Anna's Archive (books, academic papers)

Tubi (movies, TV, docs)

Your local libraries

Bartering. they got facebook groups for this. if you still use that.

Low buy/low spending options

Bookbub

Dollar stores

Thrift stores

Only buy when you need/run out of it. you don't really need another damn notebook (note to self)

lowkey thinking about buying that $25 tablet from five below

Going analog

Book Outlet

Thrift Books

Thrift stores

Blank cd's and an external drive

Food

Learn. To. Cook. get a rice cooker from family dollar. some rice, sausage, chicken, ramen, eggs, frozen mixed veggies,et c etc. get some spices. you can just throw this in for 15-20 min and have a meal. do some experimenting while you at it. start looking at those big back recipes from tik tok while it's still around.

eat less shit. less fast food. less processed snacks.

TooGoodtoGo. pay about $5 to get some surprise bags from different restaurants.

Companies to boycott (if you are able to)

Amazon. you know why.

Walmart. gets tax subsidies for employees on welfare. they aint never giving them a payraise, despite their profits. anti dei

McDonald’s.

Trader Joe's. anti union.

Companies to support instead

Local.

Black owned/BIPOC. buy essentials.

...or make your own shit. read some books, watch some videos to teach you to make skin care, set up raspberry pi, whatever you wanna learn

Making money (for anticapitalist, antiwork, anticonsumerist, autistic, young, wild, free)

Writing on Medium. something i've been doing a little of.

Micro investing. invest $5 here and there to make a little money.

All in on specific niches. see where it takes you.

Qapital. an app where you can save money without having to think about it. this has helped me in a pinch.

Prolific. good way to make a little money. pays thru paypal tho.

anything you're capable of doing

Skills that could actually matter

Herbalism. make natural remedies for chronic issues.

Gardening. grow your own food and kush. (if possible)

Reading. a skill often taken for granted. read all that you can. do annotations. actually do media literacy and ask yourself why you like or don't like a movie, TV show, anime etc etc.

Archiving. with the tik tok ban coming, i've been made more aware of the importance of saving shit. download things. write info you learn down in a notebook or notion.

Self defense. hand to hand combat or a glock. even if you start with practicing with a toy gun.

Sailing the seas

just look up 'pirating' on here

[wanderingsimsfinds]

WanderingSims Fave CC - Kitchen Decor List 2

1 - Ameriko Steelie - 4t3 Mechtasims Back To School Mini Fridge

2 - HydrangeaChainsaw - Kitchenware Set Stand Mixer Kitchen Aid V2

3-4 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Aira Daisy Set Colorful Marbled Plates & Bowl A

5 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 novvvas Holz Kitchen Basket

6 - HydrangeaChainsaw - Keurig Coffee Maker Functional

7, 21 - HydrangeaChainsaw - Kitchenware Set Utensils in a Jar & Vintage Cutting Board

8 - HydrangeaChainsaw - Boba Tea Mini Fridge

9, 17 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Leosims Free May 2023 Content Coffee Mug Rack & Electric Whisk

10-11 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Sims-KKB Kitchen Utensils 2 Dish Drying Stand & Rice Cooker

12-15 - breadcrumbss3 - Modern Farmhouse Kitchen (Pot, Smeg Water Heater, Jars, Utensils)

16, 25 - Martassimsbook - 4t3 Destruam Life Is Strange 2 Objects Pack 1 Knife Block & Spice Rack

18 - sim_man123 - Akira Mug Rack (TSR)

19 - Kelly & Co - Kitchen Shelving

20 - HydrangeaChainsaw - Neko Tea Pot Functional

22, 24 - kriselizabethsims - 4t3 Slox Compact Kitchen Pan 1 & 2

23 - SugarSSims - 4t3 ddaengsims Lemon Drop Set Kettle

[expresso-bean]

Then Man Out of Time [A Shadamy and Silver Story]: Chapter 26

Pairing: Shadow the Hedgehog x Amy Rose

Description: It has been seven years of peace following the grueling war with Eggman and his army. Though it took time to rebuild what they have lost, life for the Freedom Fighters could not be better. Whether it's finding love or trying to run from their past, celebrating post-war times has been different for each of them.

All is well until a silver hedgehog comes knocking on Amy Rose's door to deliver the tragic news about an incredible force that seems to be the cause of the future's destruction.

Will anyone believe the mysterious hedgehog's cry for help? Or will he be left to fight for his future alone? Read to find out!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.8k

POV: Shadow the Hedgehog

!! I do not own any of the art/gifs/borders used in my chapters. All credits to the rightful owners !!

Masterlist ❀ Ch.1 ❀ Ch.2 ❀ Ch.3 ❀ Ch.4 ❀ Ch.5 ❀ Ch.6 ❀ Ch.7 ❀ Ch.8 ❀ Ch.9 ❀ Ch.10 ❀ Ch.11 ❀ Ch.12 ❀ Ch.13 ❀ Ch.14 ❀ Ch.15 ❀ Ch.16 ❀ Ch.17 ❀ Ch.18 ❀ Ch.19 ❀ Ch.20 ❀ Ch.21 ❀ Ch.22 ❀ Ch.23 ❀ Ch.24 ❀ Ch.25

I looked down at the bowl of smushed tomatoes that I had cruelly bludgeoned to a messy pulp. Whatever was in the bowl would hardly considered to be a sauce.

'It looks like a massacre,' I wanted to whisper. 'Maybe I need to add another tomato?'

I looked beside me to S opening the rice cooker and lifting up the vapor plate. He carefully poured the contents of the plate into a pool of brown sauce that he'd been preparing for the past ten minutes. The sweet smell of the vegetables made my mouth begin to water slightly.

'Anyone could see that his abilities put mine to shame,' I continued to smoosh the contents of the bowl with so much force that the juices began to stain my white gloves a bright red color. 'Not that I would ever make that known to him.'

I put down the fork I was using and grabbed the salt from the spice rack on the countertop. I unscrewed the top of the shaker and began lightly sprinkling the salt in.

'How much should I even put in?'

I shook the shaker a few more times, still feeling unsatisfied. 

'I did say that I like salty things. Maybe she expects it to be salty?' I shook the shaker harder for a few more seconds until I could no longer see the tomatoes anymore. A crusty, pinkish layer was all that was visible. 'I think that is enough?'

"How is the sauce coming along?"

As he looked down at the content of the bowl, his eyebrows raised. I did my best to not look insulted. Though, I knew it was warranted. 

"I've only just started."

"Can I try?" I nodded. He took a fork and slushed the 'sauce' around before putting some in his mouth. His lips scrunched up as tears pricked at his eyes. "Ooh, that's pretty salty." He heaved out, placing the fork onto a small plate I had set aside for the utensils. "How much did you put in there?"

"Aren't they supposed to be salty?"

S shook his head. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and stood next to me by the sink. I gave up smashing the tomatoes from the bowl. It was nothing but a slop of juice and pulp.

"Not like that," He poured himself some water straight from the sink. I would have told him about the cold, purified water in the refrigerator. But his remarks on my culinary skills made him worthy of the lukewarm tap water he was going to consume. "Where is Amy anyway?" He gulped down the water so fast that he nearly choked at his first inhalation of fresh air. "Ow, maybe I shouldn't have drank it that fast."

'You think?'

S doubled over, holding his side.

'He...is more strange than usual,' S grunted again. He tried to say something through his teeth, but failed. 'Or is he dying?'

"You made your stomach cramp from drinking the water too fast. Steady your breathing and rub the area. If you panic, it will make the pain worse."

S unfolded himself and with a shaky arm he grabbed onto the countertop and hoisted himself up. His body shivered as he tried to breath.

"G-got it..."

He rubbed his side slowly. He bit back grunts of pain in between rubs. I stood there watching him repeat the same process over and over again.

'He's so helpless sometimes.'

"You think I'd be used to it by now. My stomach always get sensitive from traveling."

A hum in response is all I could muster. Just watching him frail up like that was enough for me to pity him and allow him to air out his story.

'No one knows anything about him other than the role he plays in a future wasteland. This could be the chance to try and see who he really is.'

"I was only fourteen when I began the practice trial runs. None of us knew what to expect from it. One the day of my first one, my father gathered the whole neighborhood to send me off. This couple prepared some soup for me made from rice noodles and a wild boar her partner had captured. It scared my father a bit because meals like that are only supposed to be served on special occasion like if someone is born or if someone dies," S' interrupted himself by coughing. He grunted, holding his side and trying to maintain his posture. "S-sorry..." He whispers.

"Your straining yourself."

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm almost done," He breathes in and out slowly before continuing. "I was meant to stay for half a day since the time device needs to be in idle for twelve hours before it is used again. When I finally got the chance to eat some of the food, well, it didn't go so well for me when I jumped back into my current time."

'The watch's ability to allow him to jump through time puts momentous strain on his body? I may have been underestimating his competency.'

"I learned the hard way why you should travel on a full stomach. I still can't eat pork belly to this day. My stomach refuses," He laughed. "I can eat noodles funnily enough. It was hard at first, but I got over that hurdle."

I hummed again only to indicate I was still paying attention to his incessant rambles. I could hear his breathing slowly going back to normal the more he spoke. The breathing technique I showed him seemed to be working.

"So far, I've been snacking on the instant noodles you guys have. They're amazing!" He gleamed. "It sucks, though. The more I enjoy the innovations of this timeline, the more I think about all the starving people this could have helped in the future."

I then turned to look at him. Even through his pain, he sounded confident in his ranting, not caring if he had an audience.

Glimpsing at him was like putting up a mirror to my past. All those moments after escaping my prison, standing alone plotting revenge, monologuing to anything in my sight.

'That feeling. I know it so well,' I kept my mouth shut, not even bothering to look at him. 'Why is he telling me this?'

"I don't mean to ramble. Talking distracts from the pain. Tails taught me that."

"He was your uncle, right?"

S looked conflicted for a moment. With his body still doubled over, he managed to smile softly.

"Tails raised me, along with Cream and my father. The three of them taught me a lot."

"I'm sorry." I meant my apology with all sincerity. A pang of guilt shot through my body. It wasn't until now I realized how much we truly have in common. It was in that moment of my weakness I realized this was the most I have spoken to him since he got to this timeline.

'I know what it is like to lose yourself for so long,' I sighed. Memories flowed back to me as hard as a wave crashed against rocks on the shore. I forgot how hard it was to experience all that loss on my own. How heavy the burden of loss is to a lonely person. 'He lost everything. Through the impossible, he found a way to travel through time to repair everything that had been broken. To help people that he did not even get to meet in his own lifetime.'

The more I stare at the red hue of the sauce, the more I think of Rose. I would not be standing here making a mockery of culinary art without her kindness and belief that I had something stronger within me than revenge and hate. She found love still resided in me—love for creatures and beings alike.

Love for the place Maria adored and called home.

I swore I would die to protect it. I would die to protect Rose and the people she loves. But the one person who could help is the same person I have been pushing away since he arrived.

'He has a good heart. I have not been exercising the kindness both of them fostered within me.'

"I..." When our eyes met, my voice trailed off. There was a familiarity within them.

'Where have I seen them before?'

I cleared my throat and tried to brush my question off. S tilted his head as he, no doubt, waited for me to finish my sentiment.

"Yeah?" He questioned, still slumped over.

"You asked earlier where Rose went. She is at the store, grabbing some refreshments. She mentioned some things she wanted you to try."

"Really!" He gasped, and I flinched at his eager response. "I hope she gets the fruit stuff again. Those things are GOOD!" 

"Keep yourself composed before you go on and hurt yourself again."

"Oh, you're right," He chuckled. I could tell his voice was slightly strained from his groaning in pain earlier. "What is that stuff I ate anyway?"

"It's sauce."

"THAT is the sauce?" S covered his mouth and mumbled out what I think was meant to be an apology. "I didn't mean to say it like that. It, um, has a good color to it."

'So my suspicions were right. This is wrong,' I put what I had been clenching in my fist down back in the bowl and sighed. 'I've never made anything like this before, I have no choice but to...'

"S?"

"Huh?" He hummed.

'Ask him for help.'

"I need..." My voice trailed off. The words were stuck in my throat, which was now dry.

'Why is my chest so heavy? It's just a request. The worst he could say is no,'

"You need...?" He questioned, a nervous smile on his face. I could tell I was making him uncomfortable with the silence between us.

'I retract that. The worst thing is asking him of all people for a request.'

"I need to learn how to make a pasta dish,"

'Finally. That was...hard.'

"It's for Amy. She deserves to have something nice to eat in these times."

My face grew hot with embarrassment. 'Why did I phrase it so strange?'

"Oh, that's easy! I'd love to help!"

'Really? Just like that? Has it always been this easy to ask for favors?"

"Perfect timing, too. I helped Amy pick up some groceries the other day. We can make the sauce tonight. Do you want me to show you how to make it?"

"That would be...a lot of help."

"Cool," S smiled, moving away from the counter and stretching his body upright. A few of his joints popped as his back adjusted itself. "Let's wait till she goes to bed; it shouldn't take long to make, so you'll still be able to get some rest."

"Hm. I agree."

'Never in my life would I put myself in this predicament, but for Rose, I'd do this and more.'

[themodethecitythesoul]

Red Beans And Rice

So with all the shit going on, it's time i started sharing my cauldron-o'-food recipes. Because im physically and financially incapable of cooking for all of you, but I CAN do this.

So. My family's red beans and rice recipe.

Equiptment Get:

large pot

stirring implement

cutting board

knife

(optional) instant pot/pressure cooker

(optional) rice cooker

Food Get:

1 bag(1lb) of dry red beans. Or really any beans

2 links of basic-ass-bitch smoked sausage. Can also use other smoked meats but this is cheap and low spoons

1 onion. chopped

3-6 cloves of garlic. Canned+minced or fresh and minced whatever's there

spices. Salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper are my good tos

rice. however much you and your family are gonna eat

pepper vinegar. while this is a condiment and technically optional, it's a must for me. How to make listed below

0.5: Pepper Vinegar

This needs to be done like 3 months ago. Locate some vinegar(i like white wine). Locate some spicy peppers. Boil the vinegar and sterilize the bottle. Shove the peppers in the bottle. Pour the vinegar back into the bottle and seal. Leave for a few months

1: Prep Beans

There are 3 ways.

Cover beans in water in the large pot and soak overnight

Cover beans in water in the large pot and boil for 2 hours(Grammy's hack)

Cover beans in water in instant pot/pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes before releasing pressure(my hack)

Add a little bit of baking soda at this point. It breaks down the stuff in beans that gives you gas and helps the texture

2: Sautee

Heat a couple tablespoons of neutral oil in the large pot(or skillet if using the large pot to soak/boil beans)

Cook chopped onion until fragrant

Add minced garlic and spices and continue to cook until garlic is fragrant

Add chopped sausage pieces and cook until sausage has shrunk down a little

3: Simmer

Combine beans and onion+sausage mixture in the large pot.

Add enough water to cover.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2ish hours, or until beans have softened, liquid is thickened, and flavors are melded

4: Rice

Cook rice according to your preference while the beans cook. I use a $20 rice cooker from target and it's great, but whatever works

5: Eat

Serve beans over rice and add pepper vinegar and/or hot sauce to taste

If you don't like spice just a splash of plain white wine vinegar is still amazing

So yeah. This recipe scales pretty much as far up as your biggest pot. You can feed tons of people with this and it's filling af. Also has a comfort food vibe which we all need right now tbh

See pictures of finished pot and also the dregs of my dinner lol

[lesbian-cookin]

A staple of being broke is beans and rice. Here’s how I make it the most

Sometimes I put it in tacos or burritos if I have them from the food pantry or they were on sale

Note: I like mine a little on the mushy side, so you may need to adjust water to preference

1 cup rice of your preference (I like white or jasmine)

1 can black beans, or 1 1/2 cup dried beans (if you use dried beans add extra water, it won’t cook right otherwise). I really only use canned beans bc they’re so prevalent in my local food pantries.

1 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, 1 can mixed vegetables (drained), or 1 small can of corn, 1 small can green beans, and 1/2 cup shredded carrots (really whichever you have and what’s available to you)

SEASONING. THIS IS IMPORTANT! I usually use Umami Seasoning by McCormick and Elote Seasoning by Trader Joe’s but broken down it’s essentially: salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, shiitake powder, ground mustard, red pepper, thyme, chile powder, cilantro, and cumin

For canned beans and rice, I do about 2.5-3 cups of water. This can all be thrown into a rice cooker, but when you cook dried beans I prefer to cook it in a pot with at least an additional 4 cups of water to make them soft.

In a pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a simmer and cover. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beans and rice are soft.

[inkwingart]

Had a crack idea for one of those month-long drawing challenges and it’s called Panuary, and it’s just 31 days of drawing cookware—

But hear me out!! Cookware is actually an excellent subject matter for practicing! Lots of different materials and textures to experiment with but with very simple forms! The perfect combo of easy + challenging, with enough variety that you won’t get bored, and there are tons of reference images! And maybe as a weekly extra challenge, draw the prompt cookware with food in it!

Basically just a fun skill-building challenge with very specific prompts but not so rigid that you can’t be creative with them. A really good way to try new styles or techniques!

Anyway we’re a little far along to be starting Panuary but it was just a fun thought.

If anyone wants to actually do this, here’s a prompt list for the remaining days of January:

11. canning jar

12. Dutch oven

13. saucepan

14. rice cooker

15. baking sheet

16. wok

17. hibachi

18. steamer

19. bundt pan

20. cauldron

21. tandoori

22. waffle iron

23. tajine

24. casserole dish

25. stockpot

26. springform

27. disposable

28. ramekin

29. hotpot

30. kettle

31. skillet

[clatterbane]

Time for a batch of one of my old "I was a teenage vegetarian in the early '90s" cooler weather comfort foods! Which also helped keep me fed through my broke-ass 20s.

Plus, Mr. C is gone for the weekend, so it's time to samefood on some things he's not as enthusiastic about! (Though yeah he is fine with various spiced-up beans and rice--just probably not for several days straight. And we both might suffocate in our sleep, with his system extra-unused to that.)

Today, I'm rounding it out a bit and actually turning out palak rajma--through the simple expedient of throwing in some frozen spinach towards the end.

This batch is going to be both an Instant Pot and Crock Pot version, in a way. The current (Crock Pot branded!) one may be slightly busted and refusing to seal properly to pressure up, but everything else works fine. So yeah, I decided to set the (unsoaked this time) beans to stew on its slow cook function before I went to bed.

Being red kidney beans, I did bring it up to a rolling boil for 15 minutes first before setting it to slow cook on low--but, if any slow cooking appliance is well set up to boil the hell out of something without using a separate pot on the stove, this is it! In-pot searing/sauteing too.

This was actually my trial run using it as a slow cooker, believe it or not. We had a dedicated one in the UK, and I just hadn't yet here. They do have a reputation for not being nearly as good for it as the purpose-built models. Not least because it isn't designed with the wraparound heating.

But, I should be used to working with that! Somebody actually gave my mother one of these fuckers. I think it came from a work Secret Santa thing or something like that. It's been a long time.

How '80s! We even had that pattern.

Now, that type was really not very good. We mostly kept it for backup purposes. That is indeed a nonstick pot set on top of an underpowered hotplate. They pushed it as being great for an all-in-one experience, with searing directly in the pot. If so, you'd better do that on the stove and then move it over onto the simmering hotplate. Because that thing won't even bring water to a full boil. We tried when our stove broke temporarily.

But, it was better than nothing. Which was sort of my conclusion with the pressure cooker that won't. Only it will get extremely hot if you want it to! And the whole unit is much better heat insulated.

I figured it would be hard to fuck up plain cooked beans too badly, and I did wake up to some perfectly fine beans still on "keep warm". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It did lose more liquid than expected, but I did know full well that steam was escaping where it shouldn't. Easy enough to adjust for. And at least I used enough water that the beans didn't dry completely out.

Next up, probably: some kind of stew, cooked entirely in there. (And, erm, hopefully another unit with fully functioning valves soon.)

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

@dira333 ok!

Here’s my favourite comfort food! We call it crack chicken because it is ADDICTIVE.

This is a slow cooker or instant pot recipe

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

1 cup cream cheese

1/3 cup pesto

2 tbsps minced garlic

Method:

Put everything into the pot together.

Instant pot: set on meat setting for about 15-20 minutes, manual release the pressure when it’s done, mix and shred the chicken

Slow cooker: cook for 3-4 hours, mix and shred chicken.

Serve over rice, pasta or (my favourite) salad

This is easy and delicious and is my ultimate “crappy day at work” comfort food

[bluesuedeclogs]

may 7, 2024 gratitudeposting:

1. scented bar soap

2. people who are good at scheduling

3. experimental opera companies

4. supportive shoes

5. liquid nitrogen ice cream

6. reconnecting with people

7. when a show comes into your life at the c right time

8. dramatic eyeliner

9. electric rice cookers

10. working from home multiple days a week

11. abundant hot water

12. the tiktokker who coined the concept of "silly guy time"

13. cole escola

14. polymer clay earrings

15. walking home from work in gorgeous weather

16. curbside mattress recycling

17. beaded clothing

18. house slippers

19. a (so far) mild allergy season

20. skittles

21. my walkable neighborhood

22. whoever programs retirement and mortgage and similar calculators

23. my smartypants younger siblings

24. novelty pillows

25. fresh sheets

26. tiny cards

27. stationery shops

28. cute luggage

29. houseplants which stay alive despite neglect

30. when a papercut doesn't hurt

[askwhatsforlunch]

Butternut and Pork Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

These Butternut and Pork Stuffed Cabbage Leaves may take a while to prepare, but the effort will be rewarded with a deliciously fragrant filling wrapped in bright green leaves, an Autumnal lunch (or dinner) worthy of a day off! Happy Thursday!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 cup brown rice

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/4 large butternut squash (from the top half), rinsed

1/2 onion

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes

12 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

4 beautiful, large outer leaves of a Savoy cabbage

1/4 Savoy cabbage

200 grams/7 ounces Toulouse Sausages (or other good quality pork sausages)

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 large egg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 200°C/395°F.

In a rice cooker or small pot, combine brown rice and coarse sea salt. Cover with a cup of water, and cook, until tender and fluffy, about 20 minutes.

Cut butternut into large chunks, and arrange onto a roasting tin. Cut onion into quarters and add to the tin as well. Sprinkle with rosemary, fleur de sel and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast, at 200°C/395°F, for about 35 minutes.

Bring a large pot, filled to three-quarters with water, to the boil. Once boiling, stir in coarse sea salt until dissolved. Then, add bicarbonate of soda. Plunge in the large cabbage leaves and blanch, 2 minutes.

Then, cool them under cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside.

Place Savoy cabbage quarter into the pot, cover with a lid, and cook, about 12 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the pot and drain thoroughly. Allow to cool a bit. Set aside.

Remove Toulouse sausage meat from their casings, and into a large bowl. Crumble with your fingers.

Roughly chop Savoy cabbage, and add to the bowl, along with cooked brown rice. Give a good stir, to mix.

Peel the skin off the roasted butternut, and chop roughly, along with the onion. Add to the bowl, and season with black pepper. Break the egg in the middle, and mix well with clean hands. Set aside.

Thoroughly pat Savoy Cabbage leaves dry with paper towels. Stuff each with a cup of the butternut and sausage mixture. Wrap well, tucking the filling in, and tie with kitchen twine.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is just foaming, add stuffed cabbage leaves, turning them in to coat in butter. Cook, a couple of minutes, then pour in 1/2 cup of the cabbage water. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook 12 to 15 minutes, adding more of the cabbage water if necessary, as it will evaporate.

Remove stuffed cabbage leaves from the skillet and cut off the twine.

Serve Butternut and Pork Stuffed Cabbage Leaves hot, with a robust red wine, like a French Ventoux or an Australian Shiraz.

[snorlaxlovesme]

Rice cooker anon back again (whoops). Rice cookers are also typically cheap as hell. Yea some can go for more money if you get a fancy one or an expensive brand but you can get a regular old rice cooker that works perfectly fine for like $20-30 CAD so like roughly $15-25 USD according to the conversion rate I just googled. So they’re relatively affordable as an appliance too. This has been a rice cooker propaganda message

[kafkaoftherubble]

gotta thank you again for translating my rice cooker, I just used the turbo setting and got my rice done in just 15 minutes 😍 I am never waiting for 20+ minute rice EVER AGAIN you have expanded my rice cooking potential, I am limitless, my house is flooding with perfectly cooked rice

GAHAHAHAHHA! My pleasure! Is the texture and all that compromised though? I hope not!

[clayscookbook]

Supermarket Poke Bowls

For reference, it's been months since I wrote a recipe. This recipe has, by default, no raw fish, but you are welcome to prepare raw fish at your own risk to add. It also has rice, so I don't know if it's gluten-free. This is ultimately a modular recipe, so you can change out anything you like for other items, but this is my recommendation. Some items might be less accessible at an average supermarket, I'll mark them with an asterisk (*) to indicate them. Ingredients: Cooled/Leftover Sushi Rice* or white rice (short or medium grain) Cucumber Carrot (You can use shredded carrot if you don't wanna cut your own) Half an Avocado Pre-cooked tail-off frozen shrimp Smoked salmon (most packages at the store are pre-cut) Imitation Crab Meat (I used flake shape but stick/"leg" shape works too with some cutting) Optional: Pickled Daikon Radish* (there's not really any good replacements, but it's also an acquired taste in my experience. It's really sweet.) Optional: Nori* (Like the little snack seaweed stuff, seasalt flavour is probably the best in my opinion.) Optional: Toasted sesame seeds Optional: Sriracha* (I hear there's some kind of shortage? If you know any alternatives you can use that, but vinegar-based western hotsauce is not a good substitute here. You can also just not use it if you don't want spicy.) Optional: Japanese mayo* (Regular mayo also not a good substitute, but my local supermarket carries it at a cheap price recently) Sushi rice addendum: Sushi rice is of course the uncooked sushi rice, the water needed to cook it, and then cooking sake, rice vinegar, and mirin. I don't know the exact amounts you want for these things; for 2 cups raw rice i used 2.5 cups water and 1/3rd cup cooking sake, 1/3rd cup rice vinegar, and I think 1-1/3d cup mirin. (You can sub out any of these ingredients for equal parts the other ingredient, except maybe using all rice vinegar or all cooking sake.) I set it to boil, and once it reached a boil turned the heat off for 1 minute, then simmered it for 20 minutes. Then I folded in the mixture and let it cool- then I made sushi rolls with it, and used the leftovers for the poke bowl. TLDR: Cook rice as per instructions and if you have the stuff you can make it sticky rice by adding specific stuff to it. There are other alternative sticky rice mixes you can use on the internet too.

Equipment: Whatever you need to cook the rice (Rice cooker? Tall pot and stovetop?) A spoon or rice paddle Cutting board Paring knife/kitchen knife (Multiple, really) Spoon for avocado Bowl to serve in Instructions: Prepare rice as necessary (see above Sticky rice addendum) Cut cucumber in half or quarters length, then cut into thin paddle-like shapes (or just cut into julienne slivers, or however else you want to cut it)

Cut avocado in half, starting by stabbing it next to the stem and pressing the knife around in a circle around the pit. Then twist the hemispheres apart and remove the pit by chopping it with your knife to get it stuck on the knife. Afterward, remove the flesh from the skin with a spoon and place the flesh cavity-side down. Cut the flesh length-wise into slices. Cut the carrot into julienne slices or shred as needed; if you bought pre-shredded you can skip this step

If you have pickled daikon, cut it into roughly centimeter size cubes.

Thaw the frozen shrimp in the microwave for 15 to 60 seconds based on your microwave and the frozenness of your shrimp. Just cook until no longer frozen; maybe just in 15 second intervals. You don't want them to be hot, though.

Do any more additional preparation as necessary, such as cutting imitation crab sticks.

Add rice to the bottom of your bowl, enough to cover the bottom with at least half an inch thickness

Add your vegetables to your bowl starting with the cucumber at the 12 o clock position, and your carrot at 11 o clock, and avocado between them and yourself. Add the daikon if you have it at the 2 o clock position. at 1 o clock add the thawed shrimp, then add your smoked salmon at the 7 o clock spot, probably overtop the avocado. Then add the imitation crab at the remaining space.

From here, you can optionally drizzle the mayo and sriracha, shred the nori sheets up with your hands and place it in the center, then add sesame seeds.

Note: this photo features an additional ingredient that is not easily found, tobiko (fish eggs). It's a raw fish ingredient and I don't actually count it as a necessary part of the recipe, just decoration.

[whentherewerebicycles]

I was like god why is my brain SO fried right now it’s 4pm but this feels unreasonable. and then I was like oh wait hang on when you start at 6am that’s now ten hours of work lol. or idk I guess that includes 20-30 min of getting ready and a 40 min round trip commute so nine hours. I have one meeting left from 4:15-5 that is going to involve a lot of planning work (RIP my poor fried brain) but then I am done and I think I’m just gonna make myself that quinoa peach & arugula salad tonight which comes together so easily. I also give myself full permission to only do a very short walk with the dogs tonight if I want… it’s fine to take a day to recover from a long travel day right? lol ok. the rest of the day:

4-4:15 brain break/lounge in bed

4:15-5 onboarding meeting with KA 🫠

5-5:30ish start the quinoa in the rice cooker and then get myself out the door to walk the dogs right away. if I crawl into bed it’s over

5:30ish grocery store. buy ingredients for the big salad plus yogurt & berries for breakfast plus almond milk. I can do a big shop when I’m less tired

assemble the salad yum yum

collapse into bed and read

do 3 x 15 min of podcast editing bursts. it should actually be easier with only two tracks