#tray wellington

[krispyweiss]

Woody Platt and Steep Canyon Rangers to Appear at Mountain Song Festival

- No word on whether singer will perform with his former band

Woody Platt will share the Mountain Song festival stage with Steep Canyon Rangers. But it’s unclear if the singer and guitarist will perform with his former bandmates.

Slated for Sept. 6-7 in North Carolina, the festival will feature Platt and his wife, Shannon Whitworth, playing just after the Rangers’ opening set. The band, which has hosted the festival for 18 years, will also close it out.

“We are super excited,” Aaron Burdett, who replaced Platt, posted on Facebook.

Neither Platt, who in 2022 left the band he co-founded a quarter-century earlier, nor the Rangers have made any mention of the significance of the bill.

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Zach Top, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley, Tray Wellington and Hank, Pattie & the Current are also slated to perform.

Ticketing info here.

4/3/24

[fossore]

when we first got a speaker for the lab I tried to play generally palatable stuff but now it’s like... hey here’s 45 minutes of banjo music, say something if you hate it

[jpitha]

Superweapon Surprise

Gemilin bounds into the cafe, practically skipping. Their tail swishes and their ears and eyes are roving the crowd, looking for someone. Finally, the K’laxi sees who they’re looking for.

“Lina! Lina! I need your help!” Without waiting to be invited to sit, she joins Lina at her table.

“What is it you need, Gem?” Lina is pretty sure that she’s Gem’s only human friend, so she tends to find her when she has a question about humanity. She’s also pretty sure Gem has a crush on her, but she tactfully doesn’t mention that part.

“Can you design a weapon for me please?”

Lina almost chokes on her coffee. The cafe is one of the few places the popular stimulant is allowed, and all other sapient species have to sign a waver to enter. Lina is one of the humans who visits every day for coffee. “Gem, I work on thrusters all day long. I don’t design weapons!”

Gemilin nods excitedly, her ears flicking. “Yes, yes, I know, but you’re also a human. You are practically predisposed to designing weapons that would make the rest of the Galaxy splorch their vivnax!”

Lina turns her head to the side. “What was that Gem, I don’t recognize those words?”

“I know! Isn’t it neat! Hari over in Environmental Processing said it would sound ‘cute’ if I colored my speaking with words from my birth language. Is it cute?” Gem’s fur ripples a blush and she is practically vibrating with excitement.

“Gem… did you drink any coffee? You are sure… animated today.”

“No, silly! That level of stim would kill me. So, a weapon?”

Lina puts down her coffee cup and busies herself putting her silverware and napkin on her now empty tray. “Why though? Why me? Why a weapon?”

“I already said! Humans are great at weapons. As for you, well-“ Just for a little bit, Gemilin looks down at the floor. “-You’re the only human I know that would actually try and come up with an answer instead of just brushing me off.”

“Hmm. Okay then. Walk with me.” Lina stands up and makes her way to the bussing table. She drops off her tray and coffee cup and starts down the hall. Gem follows, trotting just a bit to keep up with Lina’s long strides.

“Okay, so the thing that I’ve been thinking about is the fact that we’ve had the wormhole generators for hundreds of years, and haven’t really tried to weaponize them yet, right?”

Gem stops, but Lina doesn’t notice. She bounds to catch back up. “The… wormhole generators? How would you weaponize them.”

“Well, they take the ship and open a wormhole and the ship moves through the wormhole to any other part of the galaxy pick right? So long as we have the energy and the navigation solution, it works. What if we didn’t use a ship.”

“What would you use instead Lina?”

“Well, like a bomb for example. Or!” Lina is becoming more animated. She’s looking up as she thinks and walks. “Okay, try this. We take a stardrive from an old Starjumper, stick it on a few thousand tonnes of tungsten, then accelerate it up to around 80% C.”

“Yes, a relativistic impactor. You used them against New Wellington.”

Lina’s head snaps down to Gem. “That was Parvati, not me, I’m from High Mars Lilac. Anyway, how did you know about that?”

Lina’s reaction causes Gem to flinch. “Sorry! I forgot that it was Parvati. I learned it when I was looking up human weapons.”

“Anyway. Yes, like a relativistic impactor, except this one also has a wormhole generator. Now, once it’s up to speed you link a few thousand feet over the surface of a planet.”

“Not to strike the planet?” Gem’s bouncy nature is gone, and she is giving Lina her full attention.

“No, that’s too wasteful. Send it over the city you want to destroy. The wormhole link will open, and the impactor will scream into the atmosphere. At 80% C it would generate all kinds of wild particles and interactions with the atmosphere. With those speeds any atmosphere would be like hitting a wall. The impactor would still be destroyed of course, but the devastation would be so much greater! With good enough maps, you could set it to strike multiple cities just by virtue of the size of the explosion. It would be like a lance of gamma radiation and exotic particles stabbing multiple cities instantly.”

Gem stops walking. Lina notices this time and stops along side her. They’re both at one of the large windows that are along the promenade. Gem’s ears are flat against her head and her tail is limp. “You… you did it. Lina, that weapon would kill millions.”

Lina nods. “Hundreds of millions depending on where and when you struck. And, I haven’t heard of it being done before. So there, I made you a weapon.”

The small K’laxi looks around for a bench and flops into it. Lina sits down next to her and looks down at her friend. “What’s the matter? You asked for a weapon.”

Gem looks up at Lina’s kind face. “I didn’t think you could do it though. And so easily… and with such destruction. If someone asked me to come up with a weapon I’d probably say something like ‘a human slug thrower but bigger.’ You thought of a way to destroy civilizations… off the cuff. Do all humans think like you?”

Lina looked out the window. Space was large enough that one really could not see the traffic around the station, but she knew it was there, circling like shoals of fish. “I don’t know, Gemilin. I haven’t met every human. Lots do though. We’re pretty good at thinking of unusual ways to use things, especially when it comes to fighting and weapons.” She turns back to Gem. “Now, will you tell me why you wanted me to come up with a weapon?”

Gem’s shoulders fall. “I was just looking for an excuse to talk to you. I couldn’t think of anything else, and Pen in traffic control said that humans are good at weapons. They thought that it might be a line of conversation.”

“Oh, Gem.” Lina smiled sadly. She reached down and ruffled the fur between Gem’s ears. Her head moved slightly to get a better angle from the touch. “You didn’t need to make up an excuse to talk to me. I’m always happy to talk to my friends.” Lina’s pad chimes angrily at her. She glances at it. “I have to go back to work, but I’m free tonight. Do you want to get dinner? We can talk about whatever you want, just… no superweapons, okay?”

Gem’s fur rippled a blush. “I’d… I’d like that Lina. I’ll see you tonight.”

[asweetsimmer]

“cinnamon girl” aesthetic CC finds

⟡ stock pot ⟡ rice cooker ⟡ bread basket ⟡ baguette ⟡ hair brushes ⟡ butter dispenser ⟡ egg tray ⟡ book ⟡ wellington boots ⟡

all CC is free/public access! all credit to the amazing creators @madameriasims4 @aira-cc @harrie-cc @felixandresims @pierisim <3

check out my other socials for more sims content!

⟡ tumblr ⟡ pinterest ⟡

[myceliumbutch]

Ok so I've heard some off comments about folk so I'd like to remind everyone that folk and bluegrass is not a fucking white genre and white people did not invent bluegrass.

The banjo is fundamentally an african-american instrument with similar instruments still being played in a similar way to banjos here in america. Jokes about hearing banjos as code for being near some rural racists remove the fact that the banjo is a fundamentally black instrument.

And the fact that you hear about Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe but not Arnold Schultz is criminal, some of the most foundational artists in the modern conception of folk were BIPOC.

In addition some of the best (imo) folk artists out there are black! Like Rhiannon Giddens, Kaia Kater, and Tray Wellington.

I'm just begging y'all to stop seeing the south and appalachia as a stronghold for white racists and acknowledge the massive contributions of black and indigenous people.

[mysteriesmuse]

Bribery w/ Beef Wellington

Katsuki’s not sure how he got here. Sitting in your room on the plush pink brocade sofa that’s way too opulent and flowery. And he’s staring down at the decadent silver trays filled with delicious salami and cheese and slices of mandarins. The bowl of salted nuts next to the platter of truffles and chocolates. A huge beef Wellington that you’re slicing rounds off of and plating right under his nose. Oh - and you’re handing it to him. With a couple of the cheese and crackers his likes on the edge. “Not to be rude your majesty, but what am I doing here? Huh, Princess?” He asks, speaking as tentivly as his voice could. You’re already pouring him a glass of whiskey. A glistening silver mug filled with beer on the edge of the table for him as well. You continue in silence fiddling with the beading on the corset of your dress and sit on the pink velvet chair across from him. These mouthwatering table of gifts and goodies set there to distract and placate - or maybe a bargain. Your lips pursue together and disappear until you grab the flask and determinedly pop a swing of whiskey and place the bottle back on the table. A shiny bottom lip print staring back at him from the bottle. He wants to know what that gloss on your lips tastes like, but he takes a sip out of the glass that you poured for him. His questioning tongue darting out and licking the burn off his lips, “Princess?” Katsuki eyes you, looking up between blonde spikes. Your cheeks were flushed before you took a swing and that action only seemed to encourage it. Freckles of pink draped across your cheekbones as you heaved a deep sigh. The corset making the top curvature of your breasts rise Bakugou shakes his head, averting his eyes, and takes another sip, “Wouldn’t have dragged me out of my quarters on my day off if it didn’t matter. Y’er royalty,” he pauses swirling the glass with his wrists before thinking better of himself. He wanted to say and we’re friends, but instead said “- speak your mind.” His stunted sincerity must have spoken to you because you shout, “Bakugo, I need you to escort me this week. I want you to accompany me because I trust you.” Katsuki sees you eye the bottle and pours the rest into his glass to remove the temptation,

“- And I’m fully prepared to pay you extra since I’m aware you weren’t originally posted for my escort. Because I know this isn’t a big affair, mostly an event for lower nobility of the kingdom. The perfect time to train some new blood in the royal guards and the perfect time for you to take your mandatory vacation. However, to speak simply, I hate the lords and the sons of the lords. They’re all perverse men and I want someone whom I feel safe with here with me. I don’t wish to interact with them any longer than necessarily ordained by court niceties.” you pause, twisting a bejeweled ring around your finger.

“So, would this arrangement be acceptable to you? Go ahead and name your price.” Katsuki is stunned at first, not at the offer, but by the way you’ve laid out this whole table with things he likes. Things that you shouldn’t know he likes. You’ve arranged all this food and the new silver polish and wet stone that he’s seen peaking out from underneath the ottoman as a means of getting him to agree. As if you weren’t sure he was going to already. He sets his drink down onto the table and stares into your bold face; tears lining the bottom of your waterline. Your lashes blinking rapidly as if to stow them away, except you maintain eye contact with him. Him, a royal guard and you don’t reach for a napkin or your handkerchief. No, you’ve laid it out raw for him. Katsuki pats the cushion next to him, “Come here and I’ll tell you my decision.” Finally you break eye contact, sniffing as you plop on your couch next to him. Once again eyeing his glass of whiskey on the table. Like you’re itching to get a decline over with and to drink your troubles away for the night. Katsuki pulls his kerchief out of his breast pocket and presses it into his fist, gently pressing his thumb against the folded fabric and padding the light streaks of tears against your face. You stare up at him in tender surprise. A gentle giant as he blots your face without hesitation. His crisp carmine eyes still examining your face as his voice picks up Bakugou’s semblance of a whisper. It comes out in a deep growl, “Of course I accept, princess. Your lovely gifts and effort aside. I’d have done it regardless of how you asked.” A gasp gets caught in your throat as more tears of relief flood down your face. Suddenly his warm calloused hands are all over your face the soaked kerchief forgotten in sake of him trying to keep up with his thumbs. And as your tears start to slow down, the week of preparing and stressing over the outcome of this proposition escaping in a few loose hiccups Katsuki takes it as his turn to speak again, retracting his hands - you grab hold of his wrists, staring at your lap as you weakly beg for him to keep his comforting touch in place. Katsuki sports what’s a dashingly prince-like smile as he continues stroking your face, “I promise to keep you safe and be by your side for their whole visit. Vacation be damned if I’m the only one here who can do the job to your liking then I’ll be there.” You swallow and open your mouth a few times. Only for hoarse noises to come out and instead you let your hands slip into your lap and nod at him in thanks. Katsuki still has that dashing grin on his face when you finally look up at him. And you suddenly feel very hot in this room and in the gown. “Now, do you have signals?” He inquires, watching your face morph as you shake your head. “All well then,” he crosses his arms against his pecs, “if this is a proper mission then we have to have a code or signal. Make it discreet so they don’t catch on and get offended.” You raise a brow, “Ah well I suppose that could be helpful . . . and a bit fun, but Bakugou you’re already so intimidating I think your presence along will ward them off. It’s the most notable thing on your resume.” He chuckles and you can feel it through the cushion, “Suppose I’ll just give them the middle finger if they get too chummy with you then huh?” You laugh, scratching the side of your face, “I suppose that would do just fine. If only that didn’t incite an upset from the lords.” Katsuki laughs at then again, more of a bark than anything. And it makes your own smile appear for the first time this evening. “We’ll work on it, princess.” Katsuki then gestures to the table, “but since you put out all the stops let’s enjoy shall we? I know I’m not the only one who has favorites on this table. Chocolate?” You don’t even answer and he’s already plucked several off the platter and has slid the plate onto your lap.

[carlos-in-glasses]

This is what TK Strand fucking went through to make a Beef Wellington for Carlos Reyes.

Method (per BBC Good Food)

STEP 1 - Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

STEP 2 - Sit the 1kg beef fillet on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.

STEP 3 - While the beef is cooling, chop 250g chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don’t become a slurry.

STEP 4 - Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture.

STEP 5 - Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred.

STEP 6 - Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.

STEP 7 - Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row.

STEP 8 - Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over.

STEP 9 - Use the cling film’s edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go.

STEP 10 - Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.

STEP 11 - Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet.

STEP 12 - Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm.

STEP 13 - Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry.

STEP 14 - Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry’s edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet.

STEP 15 - Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides.

STEP 16 - Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle.

STEP 17 - Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry.

STEP 18 - Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

STEP 19 - Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp – 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

Sorry but. Heavens to Betsy. That's nineteen steps and it takes 2.5hrs. Baby was not messing around lol

[mariacallous]

On the same day U.S. President Joe Biden hosted the first-ever United States-Japan-Philippines summit at the White House, a much less conspicuous meeting to strengthen the U.S. alliance network in the Indo-Pacific took place a few blocks away.

On April 11, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken convened for talks at the State Department, declaring in a joint statement that their two countries are “working more closely than ever.” In almost any other case, this could be dismissed as meaningless diplomatic boilerplate. But in this case, it was a clear sign that a new era in New Zealand’s foreign policy was underway. Given that U.S.-New Zealand relations have long been strained—in part because Wellington charted a China-friendly course—the meeting was the latest example of Beijing’s behavior in the region driving countries into Washington’s welcoming arms.

The frostiness between New Zealand and the United States dates back to the 1980s, when a Labour government in Wellington declared its part of the Pacific a nuclear-free, disarmed zone and refused to allow port visits by U.S. nuclear-powered submarines. The Reagan administration, in turn, suspended U.S. obligations to New Zealand under the Australia-New Zealand-United States security treaty. The estrangement lasted many decades as New Zealand parted ways not only with the United States but also neighboring Australia to pursue a nonaligned foreign policy.

Relations began to thaw in 2010, when New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s government signed the Wellington Declaration, which called for elevated strategic engagement and practical cooperation with the United States in the Pacific. Two years later, the two countries followed up with the Washington Declaration, which specifically strengthened defense cooperation and lifted a Reagan-era ban on New Zealand warships in U.S. ports—while leaving Wellington’s nuclear-free zone intact.

The rapprochement also survived the transition back to a Labour Party prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. In fact, the Ardern administration doubled down on the new policy. In 2022, Ardern became the first New Zealand prime minister to attend a NATO summit. Her Labour successor, Chris Hipkins, did so again in 2023. At these summits, New Zealand’s leaders expressed serious concerns about not only Russia but China as well, with Ardern in 2022 stating: “China has in recent times also become more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms. Here, we must respond to the actions we see.”

Criticizing Beijing is a new tactic in New Zealand’s playbook. In 2008, the two countries signed a free trade agreement—Beijing’s first with a Western state. Since then, New Zealand has generally focused on business ties while ignoring or minimizing China’s worsening repression at home and rising assertiveness abroad. To its ostensible Western allies, Wellington’s “supine” attitude toward China was unnerving. In 2018, a Canadian government report called New Zealand the “soft underbelly” of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which also includes Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States.

Wellington might have continued on this course, were it not for Beijing’s own actions that made it think twice about engaging—a clear trend that most recently pushed the Philippines to seek closer military relations with Japan and the United States. In New Zealand, it was the discovery of widespread Chinese political interference in the 2017 national elections that began to shift the China narrative from opportunity to concern. It also turned out that a Chinese-born member of the New Zealand Parliament until 2020, Jian Yang, who sat on the foreign affairs, defense, and trade committee, was not only once a member of the Chinese Communist Party but also worked as a trainer of People’s Liberation Army spies. These incidents, as well as Beijing’s turn to bullying smaller countries in the region, awakened New Zealand to the potential geostrategic threat posed by China, including in its own neighborhood.

These developments prompted Ardern to go against the grain of her country’s dovish China policy. In May 2022, New Zealand became a founding member of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework—a limited policy that seeks to enhance trade and investment relations among friendly countries, not including China, while stopping short of being an actual free trade agreement. Addressing China directly, Ardern and Biden agreed in Washington that “the United States and New Zealand share a concern that the establishment of a persistent military presence in the Pacific by a state that does not share our values or security interests would fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region and pose national-security concerns to both our countries.” A month later, New Zealand also joined the Biden administration’s Partners in the Blue Pacific—a group of countries coordinating on Pacific islands strategy, including Australia, Britain, and Japan.

Wellington’s harder line on China now permeates the government. In July 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a new strategic foreign-policy assessment that cited Beijing’s growing assertiveness throughout the Indo-Pacific region as the “primary driver of strategic competition,” adding that the “risk of a shift in the strategic balance in the Pacific is now a present and serious concern in the region.” One month later, Wellington released a first-ever National Security Strategy, arguing that Beijing has become “more assertive and more willing to challenge existing international rules and norms.” A simultaneously released defense strategy implied increased defense spending to meet the emerging China threat.

More recently, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his conservative coalition government, elected in October 2023, are sending strong signals that they plan to stay on this track, in spite of previously promoting China-friendly policies. The appointment of Peters as foreign minister, for example, does not bode well for Beijing. In 2018, Peters was the mastermind behind Wellington’s Pacific reset strategy designed to counter Beijing’s growing clout in the Pacific islands region. In a recent speech, Peters questioned the very basis of Wellington’s foreign policy: progressivism and nonalignment. While this policy has played especially well in the postcolonial, post-Cold War Pacific islands region, Peters seems intent on trading it in for aligning New Zealand in great-power competition against China.

Specifically, Peters has called for Wellington to elevate its role in Five Eyes, the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security pact, and NATO. AUKUS could soon see New Zealand cooperating on nonnuclear security topics, including cyberwar, hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, undersea capabilities, and others. On his first overseas visit in Australia, Luxon strongly suggested that Wellington was moving forward on AUKUS cooperation. Defense Minister Judith Collins has been more circumspect on AUKUS, but her recent contacts with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell have deepened the intrigue.

Peters also confirmed this month that New Zealand is pursuing a formal partnership program with NATO. If the agreement is concluded before Luxon’s participation in the NATO summit this summer, it would be another monumental shift in Wellington’s foreign policy away from nonalignment and toward integration with other democratic nations.

From a U.S. perspective, it is easy to get overly excited by these developments and conclude that a restored ANZUS alliance is near. But New Zealand and the United States still seem far apart on restoring a formal alliance, and there have been no public indications that any such step is afoot. A signal of this magnitude to China that New Zealand is siding against it is probably a bridge too far for Wellington, which still seeks to maintain a healthy economic relationship with Beijing and not endanger economic growth.

Still, Wellington’s strategic pivot is good news for Washington and its allies—even if it is still unclear how, exactly, New Zealand’s pivot will support concrete U.S. objectives in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. However, the United States should temper its expectations: New Zealand is likely to continue to preserve productive relations with China while it emphasizes the importance of stronger security ties with Washington.

[actualalligator]

Hi Al :)

Buddie. AU….Buck hosts cooking classes that Eddie attends.

My mind is going weird places.

Hi Tanis!! Thanks for the ask!

I read an au of this back in the fall. Couldn't tell you by who, but it was so cute!!

1. The classes were a gift FOR Eddie (from either Abuela or Tia Pepa who both give him shit for not being able to cook).

2. Buck wears a different apron every lesson and about half of them have bad dad jokes on them, but he finds them delightful.

3. Buck is gone basically from day 1 on this handsome kitchen disaster, and so when Eddie shares that his kid saw Gordon Ramsey make a Beef Wellington on one of the cooking shows he watches with his Abuelita and now wants it for his 8th birthday (Eddie has already failed twice on two practice Wellingtons he made with markdown ham [he can't afford to fuck up with beef]), Buck immediately offers to help (and Christopher falls for Buck immediately).

4. Christopher insists that his dad invite Buck over one night for dinner because he made cupcakes with Tia Pepa, and he wants Buck to be there for dessert (but he knows the rules, dinner first, so obviously Buck has to come for dinner). Eddie is embarrassed because that means Buck is going to learn about his "world-famous chicken parm," Christopher's favorite meal. It is spaghetti with jarred sauce, chicken nuggets and Eddie springs for the "fancy" shredded parm. Buck says it might be the best chicken parm he's every had 🥺.

5. They kiss for the first time while baking Christmas cookies. Eddie (affectionately) bullies Buck a little, and Buck ends up throwing flour at him. It starts a little bit of a flour war before Buck slips from a combo of socks and flour on the hard floor and lands hard on his ass. He's laughing. Eddie's laughing but also trying to make sure he's okay. They are both on the floor, and when Eddie's face gets close enough, Buck cups it between both of his hands and kisses him. They end up making out there, Buck laid out on the floor, Eddie on top of him. A whole tray of bells end up burnt. Buck says it's okay because sometimes the first of any baked good has to be sacrificed to the gods, like with a first pancake.

[detective-giggles]

Questionable Taste

So close! And, as my lovely beta pointed out, cooking and baking are technically different but this is the third time I’ve started the fic and I’m gonna roll with it. (Believe it or not, the first version had TK making Beef Wellington 🫠🫠. Of all the things for me to manifest this season, it was the beef welly!) but, I will allow the lovely Maker Of The Card decide if they want to accept it or call foul.

🍪🍪🍪🍪

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, seriously, what? You’re giving me that look.”

“You’re kinda hot in that apron,” TK admits, taking a step closer. “In fact, if we were at home, I’d-”

Carlos chuckles and takes a step back. “But we’re not at home; we’re in public, and I don’t want to go home with a felony.”

“Spoilsport,” TK mutters. He slips his own apron over his head and looks over the copy of the recipe they’d be preparing today. Carlos had found them a beginning baking class, so nothing too difficult, just a couple of different kinds of cookies.

He was surprised to see two sets of ingredients on their counter; he figured they’d be working together on their desserts. TK throws his ingredients in a bowl and mixes. He’s disappointed; he had really planned on watching Carlos do most of the work tonight. There was just something sexy about the confidence and grace with which Carlos moved around the kitchen.

Not that TK can’t bake or cook, of course. He can follow a recipe and even occasionally improvise with ingredients. He just doesn’t enjoy either the way Carlos does, especially with cooking. Chopping and dicing were just so boring. TK’s pretty sure Carlos enjoys the preparations of cooking more than actually eating the meal he prepared.

They measure out the dough onto baking sheets and pop them into the oven. TK sticks his finger into the bowl and scoops out a little cookie dough and pops it into his mouth.

Carlos doesn’t say anything, but TK knows what he’s thinking so he doesn’t do it again. Instead, he helps Carlos clean up their station and they make small talk with the rest of the class - two more things he was loath to do on a date night - as they wait for their first batches to be done.

Carlos grabs the oven mitt first and pulls both batches of cookies out, setting them on the workstation.

“I still think you’re hot in that apron,” TK murmurs as they move the cookies from the tray to the cooling racks. He reaches for one immediately and then tosses it from hand to hand as he tries to cool it faster. He takes two bites and then passes it to Carlos before reaching for one off of the other cooling rack.

“I’m just seeing which ones are better,” he says when Carlos gives him a pointed look.

“They’re going to taste the same,” Carlos insists, biting into the cookie in his hand.

“I’m sure one has to taste better. I put extra chocolate in mine,” TK points out.

“Oh yeah, that’s going to make a huge difference.” Carlos teases as he watches as TK bites into one of his cookies, makes a face, and then sets the cookie on the counter, shrugging.

“Really?” Carlos eats the rest of the cookie. “Uh, huh. Yours is better. Hands down.”

“You’re just saying that,” TK whines.

“Yes, yes I am.”

“I know how we can settle this,” TK says.

***

“This is so stupid,” Carlos mutters. He stands next to TK and crosses his arms; the two plates of cookies are on the kitchen island between them and the rest of the 126.

“They look delicious,” Marjan says, reaching for one.

“Wait. Everyone has to try a cookie from each plate and tell us which you like better,” TK instructs. “Which will be mine,” he teases.

Carlos rolls his eyes fondly, and together he and TK watch as the rest of the crew try their cookies.

“They’re both good,” Paul says, shrugging. “I don’t know if I have a favorite.”

“Mateo?” TK asks.

The firefighter shrugs. “I mean, anything with chocolate is good with me!”

“They taste the same, dude,” Nancy finally points out. “I mean, they’re both really good. They just taste the same.”

“But one has to be better?”

“TK, baby, we literally used the same recipe,” Carlos says. “Can we stop this nonsense and get on with our night?”

TK’s face falls as everyone grabs another cookie and heads out to the living room to get the game set up. There’s one cookie left - one from Carlos’ plate. Carlos grabs the cookie and breaks it in two, handing half to TK. TK pouts but bites into his cookie. “This is really good,” he admits. “Why did we let them eat them all?”

Carlos laughs. “It’s okay.” He pulls TK in close and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “Since yours were so good, I’ll let you make us another batch tomorrow.”

Taglist: @chaotictarlos @noxsoulmate @plaidbooks @tailoredshirt @meditating-honey-badger

Thank you to T for the prompt, noxy for the beta, and @creativepromptsforwriting for the title. I wanted to name it something that started with a Q as a favor to my beta for putting up with me (and my extra commas!)

[empirearchives]

A hunt in the forest of Compiègne.

The Emperor is wearing the green and gold coat of the Imperial Hunt. Roustam is behind him. This Sèvres tray comes from a set originally destined for Madame Mère, which was given to Wellington in 1814.

[catwire]

You want a"struggle meal" recipe? My family calls this "Weenie Wellington."

You take the cheapest brand of hotdogs you can find (usually sold in a pack of 20) and one or two cans of those Pillsbury Grands rolls that come in a tube. You Take one of those raw discs of dough and you work it until you can wrap it around one of those wieners, then pinch off the seam as best you can and put it on a paper-lined cookie tray. Repeat for as many rolls you have, usually around 8, then toss those sum'bitches into the oven at 350F for 15 or so minutes (whatever the instructions on the biscuit tube say).

By the time they're done, they should be golden brown on top and reduce your overall lifespan by around 27 minutes, each.

the fuck do you mean struggle meal i used to eat these weekly up until a few years ago

[askwhatsforlunch]

Hot Burrata Margherita

After spending most of the day gardening, Ava and I cosied up in the sofa last night, sharing this delicious Hot Burrata Margherita, with a glass of New Zealand Sauv Blanc, and the first series of Pot Luck (one of our favourites, and it so make us want to return to Wellington!) Ava reckons Mel, Beth and Debs would all love this pizza if I brought it on one of the Tuesday night gatherings!

Ingredients ( makes 1 pizza):

1 1/2 tablespoon Chili and Herb Oil

a dozen ripe Cherry Tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

half a dozen leaves fresh Basil

a heaped teaspoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons Modena Balsamic vinegar

a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper

a little water

1/2 tablespoon caster sugar

255 grams/9 ounces Pizza Dough

125 grams/ounces burrata (di bufala)

half a small hot chili pepper

freshly cracked black pepper

4 large leaves fresh Basil

In a small, deep skillet, heat Chili and Herb Oil over a high flame.

Halve or quarter Cherry Tomatoes, and add them to the hot Oil, allowing them to release their juice and soften. Season with dried oregano and dried thyme. 

Finely chop Garden Basil, and stir into the Tomatoes. Add tomato paste, and cook out, 1 minute.

Deglaze with Balsamic Vinegar, and cook, 1 minute more. 

Finally, season with salt and black pepper, and loosen with just a bit of water; the sauce must coat the wooden spoon generously. Stir in caster sugar until dissolved.

Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

Preheat oven to 250°C/485°F. Lightly oil a large pizza pan, or line a baking tray with baking paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roughly roll out Pizza Dough (you can also hand-stretch it, if you prefer. Place Pizza Dough onto prepared pizza pan or baking tray.

Generously spread tomato sauce onto Pizza Dough, just leaving out the edges.

Cut the burrata into quarters, and arrange onto the tomato sauce.

Place pizza in the hot oven, and bake, at 250°C/485°F, for about 14 to 17 minutes, until crust is beautifully golden and cheese is bubbly.

Cut chili pepper into small, thin slices.

Remove pizza from the oven, and scatter chili pepper generously all over. Top with fresh Basil leaves.

Serve Hot Burrata Margherita immediately, with a glass of chilled, crisp Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

[beyondedenton]

He hummed his approval at the touch, savouring even that small trail of warmth. He missed it as soon as it was gone, but took the opportunity to settle himself back against the plush pillows, arms folded behind his head.

"You won't hear any arguments from me, my love. I'll keep the bed warm for you."

The beef wellington and fries needed a little help with their crisp. Ah yes, crisp. He smiled at their short-lived argument on the word, almost chuckled in the silence before hauling everything on a large tray. Bottle of red wine and gin floating behind. Only one large plate to share. Despite his favorite meal, he wasn't that hungry. His mind was elsewhere, as it often was on their anniversary.

The tray was placed at the foot of the bed.

"Is there anything else ya want, professor?"

[salonshop]

Ocula

Wellington gallery Envy's booth was likewise transporting, thanks largely to Dr P's Breakfast With Broodthaers (2023).

The mixed media installation of fishbones and shellfish on steel and aluminium kitchenware—including a pot of mussel shells trapped mid-explosion and a tray of chemically-fixed bread rolls—painted a portrait of a harbour dweller surviving on kaimoana and copies of the New Zealand Herald.

Sam Gaskin, Aotearoa Art Fair Receipts: Tarot Cards and Mussel Shells (Auckland: Ocula, 19 April, 2024)

[rotterdamvanalles]

The best of bluegrass and beyond! 28 I 29 I 30 June in Rotterdan, 🪕Line-up Noorplein zie ALT

🪕𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝘂𝗽 (so far)

Annie Bartholomew (US)

Bertolf & Friends (NL)

Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy (US)

Damn Tall Buildings (US)

Delaney Davidson (NZ)

The Dirty Grass Players (US)

Dom Flemons (US)

Golden Shoals (US)

Hezekiah Procter (CA)

The Kody Norris Show (US)

Mary Lee Family Band (BR)

Nat Myers (US)

New Valley String Band (SE)

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (US)

The Slocan Ramblers (CA)

Tray Wellington (US)

Riley Baugus (US)

...𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥

Discover the line up via www.bluegrassfestival.nl and buy your tickets now!

𝐴 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒-𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠 €40 🌸