#The water and pan lid thing definately helps

[littlefoxwithbighat]

I love you fried eggs, I love you fried eggs, I love you fried eggs, I love you-

#On a definately unrelated note does anyone have any tips for frying diced potatoes #The water and pan lid thing definately helps

[theladyofdeath]

Alone in the Ashes {4}

A Court of Thorns and Roses fanfction, characters belong to Sarah J Maas. Modern au. Revolves around Nesta x Cassian, Feyre x Rhysand, and Elain x Azriel. Other characters appear throughout. Based on multiple prompts sent in by anons tbr below.

Warning: Mature content. Alcohol abuse, verbal abuse, sex, language, eating disorders.

For summary & chapter index, click >  Alone in the Ashes {Acotar}

Word Count: 4.0k

A/N: Sexual tension, anyone?

Also, shoutout to John Hughes for making some kickass movies in the 80s.

Comment to tell me what you think, or to be tagged! x

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard you that you forget you ever met that asshole.” 

Feyre’s eyes flared, her fingers slowly running down Rhysand’s chest. His skin was warm, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. He’d forgotten how to breathe. 

“Is that so?” she crooned, those slim, delicate fingers trailing down his abdomen, until they were looped in the waistband of his jeans. 

A strangled noise fell out of his mouth, his head tilted back, his eyes closed. 

“I love exploring you,” Feyre whispered, her lips pressing tenderly against his neck, just below his jaw, down to his collarbone. “Your neck, your shoulders…” Her tongue slid down his chest, lips pressed against his stomach, praising each defined muscle. 

His jeans came undone.

Her lips wrapped around his-

A loud crash came from the kitchen and Rhysand shot up in his bed, sheets wrapped around his body. The crash came again, and Rhysand was on his feet. Between his bed and the end of the hallway, Rhysand thought of as many horrible, miserable things as possible to help his heart stop racing, and his cock not be so painfully erect. 

“Feyre?” he called, rounding the corner into the kitchen. 

She was standing on the countertop, one of Rhysand’s shoes in her hand, concentrating on a corner above the cabinets.

Rhysand let out a long, slow breath. “What the hell are you doing? It’s seven in the morning.”

“Yes it is, and I’m getting ready for work,” Feyre said, keeping her concentration. 

Rhysand’s eyes lingered on her legs, her black boyshorts, for a second too long. “I think we need to set a rule of wearing robes in the house when we aren’t wearing pants.”

Feyre did look over her shoulder at this, brow raised. “Don’t act like you’ve never seen a woman in her underwear before. Just because you didn’t get any last night doesn’t mean you’ve never gotten any.” 

An image popped into his mind from the dream he was so horribly awoken from with her obnoxious banging. He looked to the floor where a pan and a cookie sheet had landed. She must have knocked them down when she was climbing across the countertop.

“If you’re done mocking me, would you like to enlighten me as to why you’re finding such fascination in the tops of the cabinets?” he asked, leaning against the doorway. 

“Yeah, well,” Feyre sighed, leaning up on her tiptoes. “I was about to make myself some eggs, right? Then a bigass spider came out of nowhere, and I panicked, so I started trying to kill it - obviously - and...well, it climbed up, and now it went somewhere up here, but I lost it.”

“So, maybe you should come down, then,” Rhysand laughed, coming up behind her. “Come on.”

He grabbed her waist and pulled her down. With a yelp, Feyre fell into his arms. 

She looked at him, eyes narrowed, and Rhysand couldn’t convince himself to put her down. Her hair was a mess, her face clear, eyes bright. She was smiling, brightly, as she looked up at him, her arms around his neck. 

“Thank you,” she said, laughing. “Now, if you could find Harold, it’s time for him to meet his death.” 

Rhysand grinned. “Harold?”

“The spider, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Rhysand repeated. 

They stood like that for a moment, the early morning light pouring into the kitchen, Feyre cradled in Rhysand’s arms. 

Feyre’s smile had grown soft. She was still looking up at him as he cleared his throat, and set her down on the tile. 

“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” Feyre began, quietly. “I have to get ready to go.”

“No eggs?” Rhysand asked, taking a step back. 

“No time! Spent it all hunting a spider,” she said, disappearing down the hallway. “Have to be in the office at eight.” 

She closed herself in the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Rhysand couldn’t move from the middle of the kitchen.

He wanted her.

His body ached for her, it was all he could think about it. All he could dream about. Just now, holding her in his arms, against his chest, smiling up at him...He was in love with her.

Being in love with someone who didn’t love you back was an odd sensation. A personal hell, one that he never wanted to leave, because if he left, he would lose her, and having her as his friend was better than not having her at all.  

Then again, what if he did tell her? What if he risked it, and pulled her aside, and poured out his heart and his soul? Even if she pushed him away, wouldn’t it be better to get everything out, lay everything out on the table?

But it was that chance, that risk, that part of him that knew that if he told her, she would have him. She would control him. And it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be controlled by her. Being controlled by Feyre was not what scared him. 

But having his heart broken by her terrified him.

If he told Feyre how he felt, and she didn’t feel the same, and he lost her...the thought was unbearable. 

He was still standing in the kitchen when she got out of the bathroom, and by the time she had gotten dressed and left her bedroom, he had at least moved to the table and was sipping a cup of coffee. 

In a set of deep purple scrubs, she pulled a cup out of the cabinet and poured the rest of the coffee in it before securing it with a lid. 

“Wanna do take-out tonight?” she asked. “Maybe watch a movie?” 

“Sure,” Rhysand said. “I’ll be home just after seven.”

She nodded, ruffled his hair, and left.

Rhysand stayed at the table for an hour, his coffee cup empty for the majority of it, before finally getting off his lovesick ass and getting ready for work. 

~~~~~

“Uncle Az,” Mila called from where she sat on the garage steps, playing a game on his phone. “I’m hungry.”

Azriel had the garage door up and his tape-measure out. The Archerons had cleaned all the bins out the day before, thankfully, because it had been full of clutter. 

“Look in the backpack,” he said. “There’s some crackers.”

“I want chicken nuggets.”

“Maybe for lunch.”

“When’s lunch?”

“A few hours.”

Mila groaned. “I’m so bored.”

“We’ve only been here for twenty minutes.” It was going to be a long day, Azriel was sure of it. Bringing a four year old to work wasn’t ideal, but he had to do what he had to do. 

He got another hour and a half in before she had to use the restroom. He sighed, setting down his water bottle, and knocked on the door that went from the garage to the kitchen.

Elain opened it a second later, as if she’d been sitting just inside.

“Hey, sorry to bother you,” Azriel began, rubbing the back of his neck. “I have my niece with me.. Can she use your bathroom?”

Elain blinked. “Of course. Come in.” 

Azriel stepped inside, Mila close behind, yelling, “I have to pee!” 

Elain laughed, quietly. “Just around the corner.” 

With a mumbled thanks, Azriel walked her to the bathroom. Mila closed the door after ordering Azriel to stay put, right outside.

“Can I get you anything?” Elain asked, from the end of the hall. “While you work?” 

“No, Azriel said. “Thank you.” 

“I have a few board games,” Elain began, nodding toward the door. “I have nowhere to go. She can play with me while you work.” 

Azriel hesitated. He was protective of Mila, but then again, Elain was Feyre’s sister, she couldn’t be that bad. She seemed a little too into herself, if Azriel had any say in it, but harmless. “I don’t wanna be a burden. I’ll try to find a sitter after toda-”

“I really don’t mind,” she said, smiling. 

Azriel nodded, curtly, as Mila opened the door.

Azriel narrowed his eyes. “Wash your hands?”

Mila nodded.

“Alright, this is Elain, she says she has some games you can play together while I work for a while,” he said, head tilted. “Cool?”

“Cool,” Mila repeated. “I like games.” 

“Come get me if you need anything,” he said.

Mila nodded, and clapped, excitedly. “Yay! Games!”

With a chuckle, Azriel nodded his thanks to Elain and went back into the garage. There would be a lot to do, and in these big projects, Azriel always found himself overwhelmed at first. He had to remember not to look at the end product, but at each little project, individually. 

By the end of the afternoon, he had the garage door out and had framed the replacement wall. After packing up his truck, he let himself inside, where Mila was sitting across the kitchen table with Elain playing Go Fish.

“Uncle Az!” Mila beamed. “Lain is so much fun. I want to play with her again tomorrow.”

“Yeah?” Azriel asked, looking at Elain before looking back to Mila. “I’m sure she’s busy.”

“Oh, not at all,” Elain smiled. “I’ll be home for...the next few days. So, she’s more than welcome. I had fun, too.”

Mila jumped up and down, only stopping when Azriel picked her up. 

“Well, thanks,” Azriel said, attempting a smile. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Elain said, clearing her throat. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” 

Azriel nodded, slowly, unable to look away from her bright, brown eyes. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

They left, and the moment Azriel strapped Mila into her carseat, she was yawning. 

Instead of driving home, they drove to a bar and grill close to Azriel’s apartment and met Cassian, who was already seated at a table near the bar.

Mila was still asleep on Azriel’s shoulder as they slid into the booth opposite of him. 

“Get worn out working, did she?” Cassian asked, in way of greeting.

Azriel snorted. “Yeah, well - she played with Elain all morning, and all afternoon, so.”

“Yeah?” Cassian asked. “Feyre said she’s going through some shit. Her fiance cheated on her a few months ago.”

Azriel hadn’t known. 

Although Azriel wasn’t sure what to think of Elain, no one deserved that.

“Do you remember her from high school?” Azriel asked, patting Mila on the back to keep her relaxed. 

“She was in our class, right?” Cassian asked. Azriel nodded. “Cheerleader, if I remember, and smart. Too smart. The kind of girl that knew she was smart. Annoyingly smart.”

Azriel nodded. “Annoyingly smart.”

Cassian shrugged. “Oh, well. Still hot?”

Azriel rolled his eyes. “She’s pretty, yes.”

“Pretty and hot are not the same thing,” Cassian explained. “Ah, here he is.”

He waved his hand in the air and Rhysand came strolling over. 

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Well, I rebuilt a motor today, and Azriel here spent his day thinking Elain Archeron is pretty.” Cassian grinned, looking across the table. “Also, talked to Amren today. She’ll be back the same day as Mor. Looks like we’ll all be in town for the Summer.”

Azriel smiled, fondly. Having everyone back for the Summer made it sound like they were young again, out on Summer vacation. Back then, they all went to the beach and smoked pot all day, every day, until school started back up. Now, Azriel’s summer consisted of working and taking care of a four year old.

Which wasn’t a complaint.

Although he could use a tray of Cassian’s old famous brownies right about now.

“Nice,” Rhysand grinned. “Well, tell me what you want. You can have my discount if you pay before I leave.”

Mila woke up just before their oven-baked pizza arrived half an hour later. She cried for not having chicken nuggets; which, Rhysand wouldn’t have, and brought her a giant plate full. 

And when they were done, they hopped in Azriel’s truck and drove home. 

He didn’t get out of the truck right away, though.

He could see her standing on his doormat from the parking lot. He was going to put it in reverse, was going to get away, but it was too late, because Mila had already seen her.

“Mama!” she called, excitedly.

And with a sigh, Azriel got out of the car and carried Mila to the front door, where she wiggled down and ran toward her mother.

She wore big, dark sunglasses and a baggy jacket that drowned her frame. “Hello, little brother.”

Azriel watched Mila jump into her mother’s arms. 

“Amarantha.” 

~~~~~

Nesta stormed into her apartment and slammed the door behind her.

Fired.

She’d been fired.

Four years she spent slaving away to that man, giving into every wish and demand that he had so that she could get a shitty paycheck every two weeks.

And he had fired her.

She hadn’t even done anything to deserve it. Sure, she had been late a few times, had shown up high once or twice, but it never hurt her performance. He kicked her out the door, told her that she no longer fit the position, and that was it.

No longer a bartender.

Surely, there were plenty of other bartending jobs in the city, but it had been a miracle she’d gotten that job with her interviewing skills. The thought of going through another round of interviews was agonizing. 

She threw open the fridge, grabbed a beer, and popped off the top before bringing it to her lips. She suddenly wished Tomas was still around, wished he could distract her with the slightest bit of fun and pleasure. Even though it was Tomas, and he was lacking in those two categories lately. 

“Fuck!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the silence. She leaned back against her kitchen counter, her face falling into her hands. 

She was hardly getting by as it was.

Living paycheck to paycheck. 

Rent was due next week.

Her phone rang.

By the ringtone, she knew it was Elain. She couldn’t talk to her right now, couldn’t have a conversation with sweet, gentle Elain. Nesta would only bite her head off. 

She let it go to voicemail. 

After another sip from the bottle, Nesta lit a cigarette and took it out to the balcony. Summer had come, and the breeze coming off the Sidra was the only thing to keep her cool as she plopped down in an old lawn chair. 

Maybe she should get a dog.

No - dogs were too energetic, too….friendly.

A cat.

She should get a cat.

A cat would be better company than Tomas. At least she would be able to hold an interesting conversation with a cat. 

The door slid open at the apartment to her right, and Cassian stepped out. His chest was bare, jeans low on his hips. He didn’t see her, didn’t acknowledge her, as he sat on a wooden stood, a glass of what looked like whiskey in his hand. His golden-retriever laid at his bare feet. 

He was handsome, and for someone who had only had Tomas for so long, the sight of him half-nude on his balcony made Nesta thirsty. 

But he was cocky. Far too sure of himself. She could tell, but the way he spoke when he picked her up on the side of the road, from the way that he looked at her.

He thought he was better than she was.

Thought she was a trashy, low life woman with nothing going for her. 

And maybe he was right. What did Nesta have going for her? She finished high school, barely, didn’t go to college. She knew how to mix drinks, thanks to all the parties she crashed through the years, which was how she landed her last job in the first place.

What the fuck was the purpose of it all, anyway?

Graduate. Get a job. Get married. Blah, blah, blah.

It was pointless.

Nesta glanced back at Cassian, who drained his glass and was scrolling through his phone. She wondered if that’s what he had done. Gone to school. Graduated. Got a job. Was there a woman? What kind of woman would he even want? What kind of woman would even want him?

Some whore, no doubt. She imagined he liked things a particular way in bed, liked to be dominant, liked to be in charge. 

He probably liked to be in charge all the time. He radiated alpha male, dickwad energy. 

Mother help the woman that ended up with him. 

No matter how well he knew his way around the bedroom.

Or a kitchen table. 

Nesta picked up her phone and listened to Elain’s voicemail. Hey, Nesta, it’s Elain. I assume you’re at work. Dinner, friday night! I’m cooking. Feyre’s coming, too. Don’t forget - bring Tomas! Love you, Nesta. Talk to you soon.

Bring Tomas. Ugh. Nesta would reflect on that later. She didn’t have the patience for it right now. 

“You know, it’s more fun if we drink together. No point in drinking alone.”

Nesta looked over to Cassian, who was now leaning against the side railing, looking at her with a stupid grin on his face.

“Just because we’re neighbors doesn’t mean you have to try so hard to be friendly,” she said, setting her beer on the ledge and crossing her arms.

He nodded to her cigarette, “Smoking is bad for you, you know.”

Nesta snorted. “I have a feeling you’ve done a lot worse in your time.” 

His grin widened. “Come over. Have a drink.”

“No, thanks, I’m fine.”

“Are you always this welcoming?” he asked, head tilting to the side.

Nesta’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re implying that I’m a bitch, you’re not the first one to do so.” 

“I would never say such a thing to a lady,” he crooned.

Nesta shook her head, cigarette between her lips. “I’m no lady, but I’m sure you’re already thinking that.” 

“Come over,” he said, again.

“No.”

“Alright,” Cassian sighed. “But if you change your mind-”

“Look, asshole, I’ve had a shitty day. Okay? The last thing I need is you bothering me, so if you don’t mind, shut the fuck up.” 

Cassian chuckled, shaking his head. “All the more reason for you to come have a drin-”

Nesta was shutting her sliding door before he had the chance to finish. 

~~~~~

Feyre got home with a bag of tacos. It had been a long day. At one point, a tiny, angry chihuahua came in for its shots and Feyre, as the vet’s assistant, had to hold it down the entire time. The yapping never stopped, nor did the biting. 

Chihuahua’s were not dogs. They were an entirely different creature of beastiness. 

She took a quick shower and put on a sweatshirt and some shorts, not bothering with a bra. It was the end of Monday. Bras were irrelevant. 

She was unloading the to-go bag when Rhysand came in, groaning. 

“Bad day?” Feyre asked, holding out a taco.

Rhysand went to the kitchen island and sat on top of it, gladly taking the taco from her hand. “That’s the simple way of saying it,” he muttered, unwrapping the goodness before devouring it. “You?”

“Spent nearly an hour with an angry chihuahua,”  she muttered, finishing off her taco and grabbing a second. “So.”

Rhysand chuckled. “Well, at least the work day is done. What’s our movie of the night?” 

“You pick.”

“I’m too tired to pick.”

“Then it looks like we’ll be standing here all night, staring at each other while we eat these magnificent tacos.”

“They’re pretty good,” Rhysand laughed, unwrapping another. “Doesn’t sound like a bad night.”

Feyre watched him through the side of her eye. She couldn’t help but remember that morning, Rhysand’s arms around her, her face way too close to his. It hadn’t been horrible, either, the thoughts that had gone through her mind at his touch.

Her and Rhysand had been in more compromising positions before, but this time it was different. This time, a feeling sparked in the pit of her stomach, and she could imagine leaning in, tasting his mouth. 

And the thought was nice. 

But it was Rhysand.

The lanky little freshman who she was paired up with for a biology assignment, who she clicked with instantly...they were inseparable, the two of them, ever since. He was the boy her parents never worried about, had no reason to worry about, because they were only friends.

He was her closest friend.

He was her family. 

He surely didn’t feel anything romantic, that she knew. Even before Feyre had started dating Tamlin all those years ago, he never tried anything. Feyre had been living with him for weeks, now, and he was the same Rhysand he had always been. 

Is this what a rebound felt like? Gravitating toward someone after a long, horrid relationship. But it was Rhysand. Rhysand. She would never do that to him, would never put him in such a position. 

As time went on, whatever she felt that morning would fade. 

She knew it.

“Why do I feel like you’re in deep thought?” Rhysand muttered, tossing his trash in the garbage. 

“Blame it on the chihuahua,” Feyre muttered.

Rhysand snorted. “Wanna drink?”

“Pour me something sweet,” she grinned.

She watched him as he opened up the cabinet above the dishwasher and pulled out two wine glasses. He took a bottle of peach moscato from the counter and stuck it in the freezer.

“The Breakfast Club,” Rhysand said, leaning against the counter by the fridge. “Or, Sixteen Candles.”

“Ah, so we’re going back to the eighties today, then,” Feyre chuckled. “Our two most watched movies in high school.” 

“As someone who was a nerd in high school, I found any movie with Anthony Michael Hall to be highly relatable.” Rhysand grinned, noticing Feyre’s amused expression at his self-proclaimed nerd status. “And, Molly Ringwald always gets the guy. Happy ending, guaranteed.” 

Feyre chuckled. “Must a woman get a man in the end to be happy?”

Rhysand’s eyes softened as he crossed his arms. The look, the gesture, made that same tingly sensation grow in the pit of Feyre’s stomach. “No, of course not. But it doesn’t hurt, either.”

Feyre nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip, her half eaten taco forgotten on the island behind her. “You were right. All those times you said that I shouldn’t have been with Tamlin. You were right,” she said.

Rhysand’s smile faded, completely, eyebrow arched. “I thought you said I pried too much. That I should keep my mouth shut.”

Feyre nodded. “When you’re with someone for a long time, you just start thinking that’s the way it has to be. I started dating Tamlin when I was seventeen, before I even knew who I was, and by the time I found out who I was….you were right. I shouldn’t have been with Tamlin. We weren’t right together.”

Rhysand kept quiet, but he nodded, slowly. 

“Tamlin was right, too. You’re the reason I left him,” Feyre said. “But not because of what he thinks. Because you reminded me that there’s something more out there for me and I can’t spend my life being unhappy with someone just because I’m so damn used to being with them. I stayed with Tam because I had been with him for so long, but you gave me the courage to leave, Rhys.” 

Rhysand cleared his throat and took a step closed to Feyre. “So, you’re thanking me for endlessly butting into your love life, then?” 

“I suppose so,” Feyre said, huffing a laugh. “I’m grateful for you, Rhys. Grateful that you’ve always been there for me.”

He was close enough now to reach up, to brush the hair out of her face, the hair that had fallen out of her braid. 

That damned sensation returned to the pit of her stomach. 

His eyes flared, as if he felt it, too; but, surely, Feyre was just imagining it. It had been a long day.

“Wine,” she breathed.

Rhysand blinked, his hand falling back down to his side.

She swore his hands were shaking as he turned around, opened the freezer, and pulled out the bottle of wine.

“Chilled?” Feyre asked. 

“Chilled enough,” Rhysand said, voice low.

He pulled the cork out and filled the two glasses on the countertop. He handed a glass to Feyre, and held up his own. 

“To angry chihuahuas and middle aged men who leave shitty tips,” he said, smiling now.

Feyre laughed, clinking her glass against his before taking a sip. “I vote Sixteen Candles.”

Rhysand nodded, yanking on the end of her braid as he passed her. “Sixteen Candles, it is.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Prompts:

{ “I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever met that asshole” - Feysand } -anonymous

{ “How about Nessian needing to fake date when they go home for the holidays?!” } - anonymous

{ “could u pls do like an elriel fic where azriel is like this mysterious bad boy and elain is a goody two shoes lik aaaaa i cant get that image out of my head” } - anonymous

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #fanfic #fanfiction #modern au #nessian #feysand #elriel #nesta #cassian #feyre #rhysand #elain #azriel #archeron #tacmc AITA #sjm

[michael-langdon-appreciation]

part 11 of the foursome please queen? ❤️

Your wish is my command. 

Hold onto tight and keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times please. 

Part 11

——————————————————————————————-

JIM

He knows he’s being a helicopter dad, but Jim can’t help himself. Nothing matter more in the world to him than the health of his little baby. It is paramount as he lifts his head up from Y/N’s laptop for the third night in a row. Her hand strokes his back gently, a cup of coffee wafts in front of his face as Jim blinks and rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

Y/N’s expression is forlorn, ‘You can’t keep doing this to yourself.’ She cautions, her voice light as if speaking to a nervous cat. ‘You’re burning yourself out.’

The research has become one big fog of mumbo jumbo for Jim anyway. He takes the mug of coffee and blows on it, ‘Anything I can do, anything I can try to help-’

‘You aren’t helping anyone by not taking care of yourself.’ 

Jim swallows a big gulp of coffee. It’s strong and a little too hot still as it travels down his throat, ‘You’re right.’ He mutters, putting the mug down. ‘I just-’

‘You just can’t help yourself.’ She finishes off, making Jim smile. 

‘Bingo.’ 

Y/N pulls up a seat beside him, sharing the desk space with him. She closes the laptop lid and ruffles Jim’s hair, ‘You’re going to be an incredible father.’ 

Bitterness burns Jim, the rage he still carries with him every single day. The outrage and spark for justice, that his baby is fighting for its life every day, every minute, every hour. His hand falls onto Y/N’s stomach, the bump noticeably prominent since Jim has been living at the apartment. ‘It’s only been two weeks,’ Jim mumbles. ‘But already they are getting so big.’ 

‘They are playing hell on my back.’ Y/N smiles, ‘Every time I wake up I feel completely wrecked.’ 

‘A good wrecked?’ Jim asked, ‘Like you used to say after we’d gone a few rounds?’ 

His hand squeezes her thigh as Y/N’s laugh fills the office, ‘You could say that I suppose. But a bath would usually fix me right up.’

‘Then that’s what you need.’ Jim decides, finding the energy to drag himself and Y/N to the bathroom. ‘A good long hot bath. Some aftercare, just like the old times.’ 

Jim starts running the tub, putting the plug in and dumping in some bath oils. Y/N watches him, her tongue poking out of her mouth, it’s adorable to Jim, mostly because Y/N never realises she does it. It’s a habit she displays whoever being spoiled. Usually Duncan was the most privy to it, but Jim’s vision seems to brighten as he drops a couple suds on her nose. ’Are you going to pamper me, Jim Mason?’ She asks, her voice coy. Y/N teases the bottom of her pyjama shirt, running her fingers along it to expose a hint of flesh. 

Jim’s eyes are glued to it, ‘Yes.’ 

‘Will you do whatever I want this morning?’ The top slips higher, revealing the bump and just under Y/N’s breasts. It reminds Jim of his favourite swimsuit at once, the one that teases him all day with the under-bust visible for everyone’s eyes. Jim swallows, forcing down the rush of blood that is running to his cock. 

This morning is about Y/N, not him. 

Y/N’s eyebrows rise, waiting for his answer and Jim supplies it on instinct. ‘Yes.’ 

She could have asked him to jump off Mount Everest and Jim would still say yes. 

Jim tugs off his own shirt, along with his trousers. ‘I’m getting in.’ He decides, ‘I think we are long overdue for some alone time away from Duncan and Jerome.’ 

Y/N climbs into the tub, waiting for Jim to take his place. ‘Such much male ego about the place, it’s nice to have some time just us.’ 

Jim leans back against the bath, his muscles singing at the hot water. Bubbles flutter around him as Y/N relaxes back against his chest, jasmine and honeysuckle trickle through the air as she presses a kiss to his chest. Jim’s eyes fall shut, his girl’s weight resting against him. His fingers dip into her hair, stroking gently. 

Paradise. 

How Jim took the simple things for granted. 

‘I’m glad you stayed.’ She murmurs, ‘You’re growing Jim. You put aside your temper and…possessiveness for the good of us and our baby.’ She peeps up at him, ‘That’s still so weird to me. Our baby.’ 

The chloroform rag dances in Jim’s mind and he squashes it immediately.

No.

He’s past that. 

Y/N right, never again will he resort to such levels. 

‘I was reading about this hospital in Philadelphia who specialises with difficult births.’ Jim reveals, ‘They have an incredible success rate. Most of the births happen in water and stuff so it’s natural and helps. You know, gravity and stuff.’ Y/N nods, her mind not really with him. Her eyes have that far-away look as Jim peers closer at her, ‘What is it?’

She hesitates, and then plunges on, a finger tracing over Jim’s chest. ‘I know you have your concerns.’ She begins, ‘But I believe with every fibre of my being that Michael will never let anything happen to our baby.’ 

‘It’s about precautions.’ Jim fights to keep the edge from his voice, ‘It’s about being in the right place. Michael is…many things but he isn’t infallible.’ 

‘I have faith in him.’ 

‘Yeah.’ The mood has been ruined for Jim, he’s over-heating in the hot water. He wants to be back at the laptop, just as he does every time the Antichrist is mentioned these days. 

‘You won’t keep him away Jim.’ Y/N’s voice too has hardened, ‘No one will be able to keep Michael from the birth of his child.’

‘As long as he stays back unless needed.’ Jim says, ‘And lets me have my moment with my child.’ 

Y/N’s eyes glint, ’Our child.’  

Jim smirks down at her, ‘My apologies, our child. Of course.’ His lips press against her forehead, ‘Our beautiful child.’ 

The moment relaxes, Y/N turning round to rest her back against Jim. His hands skirt over her belly, cupping water to pour over her exposed shoulders. ‘Have you thought about names yet?’ 

Jim thinks, ‘Not really.’ He admits, ‘I’ve been too focused on making sure the pregnancy goes well. That our baby survives.’ 

‘Maybe we could look up names that mean fighter, or survivor?’ 

Jim scrunches up his nose, ‘Nah, I don’t want this moment to define her.’ 

‘Her?’ 

‘Them.’ Jim corrects himself, ‘I feel it’s a girl.’ 

Y/N hums, ‘I’d like a girl and a boy.’ 

Jim grins, ‘Well what you want, baby. You get.’ 

Y/N splashes some water at him, ‘I’m not that entitled.’ She protests, ‘Not my fault Duncan likes to splash his cash.’ 

‘Yeah adding a specially modified twin baby-seat to his jet was real necessary.’ 

Y/N giggles against him, some of the water slopping out of the bath. ‘Oh absolutely.’ She grabs the shampoo bottle and squirts some into her hand, reaching for Jim’s head. ‘Either way, they will be…blank Mason.’ 

‘Blank?’

‘Till we have a name.’ She grins, ‘But the baby will carry your last name.’ 

‘I never expected anything less.’ 

The bathroom door swings open as Jerome walks in, newspaper in hand. Y/N freezes beside Jim, her hands stuck in his hair. Suds drip down Jim’s face as he makes sure Y/N is obscured by bubbles. Jerome recovers first, ‘Can I join?’

‘Get out!’ Jim bellows, tugging Y/N to him.

Jerome smirks, ‘You really should lock the door, that’s what it’s for.’ 

‘Out, Jerome.’ Y/N echoes watching as the Salesman backs out of the bathroom with a snicker. 

‘Well don’t be long.’ He calls, Shepherd is in the en-suite and you know it takes him an hour to do his beauty routine and my bladder won’t hold out that long.’ 

——————————————————————————————-

DUNCAN 

The bathroom door squeaks, the hinges protesting horribly as it is treated to yet around round of pounding. ‘You’d better be taking that long cause today’s the day.’

‘None of your business.’ Duncan calls back through the door. He smoothes a strand of hair into place, his fingers jumping through the array of hair products dumped along the sink. 

‘Come on man I’m dying.’ Jerome whines, ‘Y/N and Jim are having a precious moment in the bath and you’ve beaten your hourly record. I’m sure you’re beautiful, sport. Now let me in!’ 

Duncan sighs, opening the door as Jerome barges inside. ‘You’re welcome.’

Jerome stops his watch as he sits on the toilet, ‘An hour and twenty minutes, congratulations on the new record.’

‘Fuck you.’ Duncan turns back to the mirror as the Salesman starts undoing his belt, ‘Seriously?’

‘You won’t leave.’ The trousers fall down, ‘I’m desperate. This is what you get, buddy.’ 

Duncan rolls his eyes, abandoning the task. ‘Fine, but you’re cleaning up.’

‘Abuse the Nanny, I see how it is.’ 

Duncan slams the door shut and leans against the wall. He doesn’t know why he hasn’t left as he waits for Jerome to finish up, ‘Maybe today is the day.’

The toilet flushes and Jerome emerges, his eyes triumphant. ‘It’s about time. I’ve had to hide the ring twice to stop Jim finding it.’

Duncan’s insides twist. He is hiding this from Jim, isn’t he? 

Jerome leads the way to the kitchen, ‘So how are you doing it? Dinner? Walk by the beach? Take her up in the jet?’ 

Fear grips Duncan for the umpteenth time that day, ’I….don’t know.’

‘You’ve had two weeks.’ 

‘Someone else plans events for me.’ The panic is evident in his voice, but Duncan can’t calm himself down. He twists his fingers together, ‘My Mom or someone. I don’t do this kind of thing for anyone.’ 

‘Well it’s time to toughen up, cookie.’ Jerome starts cracking eggs into a pan. ‘If you don’t do it tonight, I’m telling her.’

‘You’re an asshole, you know that?’

‘Yes.’

Duncan groans, ‘Fine. Tonight I will do it.’ 

The bathroom door opens, Y/N emerging first in just a towel. She smiles at Duncan, before catching Jerome’s eye. ‘Be out in five for breakfast, thank you so much Jerome.’

The Salesman winks back at her, ‘Sure thing. Just no Round Two with Jimmy boy in the bedroom.’ 

Her cheeks flood with colour, her eyes skipping too Duncan. The spark of jealousy is there, but not as strong as before, as if the tip of the knife has been dulled. 

Duncan offers her a small smile, ‘When you’re out, can we talk?’

Y/N frowns, ‘Never good words, Duncan.’

‘I promise it is.’ 

She nods, ‘Sure. I’ll just-’

Jim appears in the doorway. A towel hangs low on his hips, exposing that perfect V sculpted from so much swimming and surfing. He flicks his wet hair out of his eyes, droplets dancing on his chest. ‘Do I smell bacon?’

‘In the oven.’ Jerome supplies, busy slicing peppers. 

Duncan tears his eyes from Jim to help with breakfast. From behind he can hear the shuffle of Jim as he shuffles into the spare bedroom while Y/N makes her way to Duncan’s. 

Jerome eyes him over the omelettes he’s got on the go, ‘You don’t get mad, seeing them like that?’

‘Like old times.’ Duncan says, pouring orange juice into four glasses. ‘You get used to it and cooking for four.’ 

There’s a slight pause, the absence of Michael echoing in the air. 

Duncan presses on, ‘Besides, Y/N sleeps with me every night. It’s only fair Jim gets to spend some time with her on their own.’ 

‘Seems like things are back to normal than for the three of you.’

‘It will never be normal without Michael.’ Duncan blinks, having spoken before he realises it. He brings the glasses onto the dining table and rests his hands on it. 

Jerome brings over the plates, ‘Well you said it. Not me.’ 

The weight of his words drags Duncan down. 

He misses Michael. 

It’s not that surprising. Not really. Michael has been there since Day One, a couple days after Duncan was released from prison. Together they scraped Duncan’s life back together, Michael giving Duncan a senior position with Kineros before the Media Mogul had enough to win back his empire. But Duncan cannot overlook what Michael has done. Every time he sees Y/N, sees that bump and how Jim isn’t functioning properly out of fear and desperation. He cannot forgive him for putting the two people he loves through hell. 

Maybe that is what Michael will always do.

He is the Antichrist. 

Jim emerges first. His denim jacket is strung over one arm as he takes a seat at the table, ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’ 

‘More like thinking about one.’ 

Jim’s eyes flick down to his lap, ‘I miss him too.’

‘We all do.’ 

When Jim’s eyes flicker up again there’s something defiant in them. ‘It doesn’t change anything.’ He spits, ‘I won’t kill him when I see him, I won’t do anything stupid but I’m not having him near my kid.’

‘That’s your decision to make.’ Duncan nods, he knows it isn’t his place to fight Jim on what the beach boy thinks is best for his child. Duncan takes the seat opposite Jim and waits till Jerome is out of earshot before speaking. ’Does that mean…the plan is off?’

‘I…don’t know.’ Jim’s fingers run over his plate, ‘I kinda made a promise to myself not to do underhand shit again. Trying to be a better person.’

The ring flitters through Duncan’s mind.

He has to tell Jim.

If he doesn’t, he’s just as bad as Michael. 

Isn’t he? 

‘You two seemed to have a nice bath.’ 

Jim smiles, ‘It was nice, if not punctuated with Michael.’

‘He’s everywhere.’

‘Always.’ 

‘I’m going to ask Y/N to marry me.’ The words rush out of Duncan before he can stop himself. ‘I have a ring, I’ve had it for about two and a bit weeks now. Made my mind up before you came back.’ Jim’s eyes burn into him. He doesn’t say a word as Duncan rushes through his words, ‘You have a baby coming.’ He says, ‘Michael has a baby too. ‘I….’ Duncan gulps, ‘I have nothing. There’s nothing that ties me to her. To all of you, not in the same way. Nothing that meaningful or official. You’ll always be together because not only do you both adore each other, but you have a child to care for. I….I need something like that too. And the only way I can think to do that is to marry her-’

‘Okay.’

The air is punched out of Duncan’s lungs. ‘What?’

Jim’s eyes are soft. The softest Duncan has seen them in a very long time. His hand reaches out across the table and rests over Duncan’s. ‘I can’t imagine how hard it is for you. Seeing Y/N pregnant. You knew before anyone else and you’ve done nothing but respect her and me. You’re a good guy, Duncan.’ Jim presses his lips together, his eyes becoming glassy. ‘I know you’ll give her the life she deserves. I hope I can continue to be part of it, God I need it so bad. But you should marry her. You deserve each other, so…you have my blessing. If that’s what you want.’

Tear tracks drop down Duncan’s cheeks, he sniffles hard unable to keep himself in check. Jim stands and crosses round the table, Duncan stands too as Jim pulls him in for a hug. Duncan holds his Beach Boy as tight as he can, taking in the scent of jasmine lingering on his skin. ‘Thank you.’ 

‘Don’t cry.’ Jim orders, ‘Ask her, today. You put a ring on that finger and make it the most special proposal a girl has ever had.’

‘She still has to say yes.’ 

Jim smiles, ‘Do you think she’ll say no?’

‘Maybe!’

Jim chuckles, ‘She shares a bed with you, Duncan. You have nothing to worry about.’ 

They pull away as Jerome sets down breakfast. The Salesman is astute enough to make himself invisible, but Duncan catches his smile of approval. 

Bastard must have been listening in.

‘This doesn’t mean you aren’t in her life.’ Duncan is quick to say it as he takes his seat again, ‘It’s just like before, before this whole mess. When we’d go to dinner all of us and get up to…things under the table and have fun and love each other. That’s all I want.’

‘Just with babies added in the mix.’ Jim supplies, making Duncan smile.

‘I guess it was gonna happen someday.’

Jim glances at Duncan’s bedroom door, ‘As for the plan…I think we keep it on the back burner and see if we need it. She’s only like…three months right now. Anything could happen.’

Duncan downs his orange juice, wishing he could slip a little vodka in. ‘If that’s what you think is best, I’ll respect your decision.’ 

Y/N emerges, her hair up in a towel as she takes her place at the head of the table. ‘Sorry! I was trying to get the hairdryer to work but the fuse has blown. It’s just growling at me and might explode so….’

Jerome is the last to take his seat. Together the four begin eating, Duncan shoving his omelette down as fast as he can to try and settle his stomach. 

Jim is okay with it.

Jim said yes.

Now he has to do it. Now Y/N has to say yes too. 

Her eyes slide to Duncan, Y/N putting down her knife and fork, ‘So Duncan. What did you want to talk to me about?’ 

——————————————————————————————-

MICHAEL 

He knows the risk she is taking by seeing him. Michael has the evening set out with the most perfect precision. A finger straightens the wayward fork, just a centimetre off-kilter. Before it threw off the perfection of the night, but now, now Michael is sure that nothing can ruin the evening. He waits sitting in one of the chairs, his jacket pressed and freshly dry-cleaned. The velvet, so luxurious against his skin comforts him. The only friend he’s had for a month, the only touch he’s received. 

Tonight that all changes.

Tonight he will remind her why she loves him. 

Why it is he who she risks everything to see. 

The knock comes and Michael opens it with a wave of his hand. No one can see him at the door, he cannot trust Shepherd not to have had her followed. 

Y/N steps into the apartment, her eyes roving round the dark interiors. Everything is black marble and stonework, the high arched windows each a work of art. Michael rises to greet her, taking her coat in his hand. She hands it to him without giving anything away. Without the coat there, her baby bump is evident. Peeking through and smiling at him through her red dress. The dress Michael gave her, his beast purrs with satisfaction. 

It proves she cares. 

‘I am so glad you came.’ 

‘It isn’t right to deny you the chance to see your child.’ She says, ‘To have a part in the pregnancy.’ Michael’s arm beckons her to the dinner table, the single candle flickers and illuminates the two plates set out. The silverware glimmers as Y/N ventures closer, ‘This is very elaborate.’ 

‘You know that’s how I do things.’ He turns her round, capturing her lips with his before she can protest. Michael engulfs her, his arms holding her gently to him as he takes her breath away. He’s determined to give her his entire everything in one kiss. To show. To prove to her. When they slip apart, Y/N’s eyes are wide. She has that same look in her eyes she did that first night, when Michael stole their first kiss, sucked on those succulent lips and bruised them as he pounded into her. 

‘That may not be such a good idea.’ She whispers in the gap between their lips. 

‘Why, because of this?’ Michael lifts the ring, nestled on Y/N’s finger. ‘You must know I’d find out about it.’

‘It wasn’t a secret.’ Y/N pulls her hand, complete with the engagement ring out of Michael’s grip. 

‘I’m happy for you.’ 

‘Don’t lie. She scolds, crossing to the dining table. 

Michael’s jaw clenches, ‘Do I wish it was me, of course. But I understand Duncan’s desire to make you his. I know it all too well.’ 

‘You’ve made your claim pretty clear.’ 

Michael takes his seat opposite her, ‘Yes, I did.’ He uncorks the wine and pours a decent measure into her glass, Y/N holds it aloft in a practised manner for him. She makes sure to sample the wine with her engagement ring on show. ‘Let me guess, Harry Winston?’

‘You know my motto.’ Y/N smiles, ‘If it isn’t Harry…’

‘Don’t marry.’ Michael finishes, ‘You used to love singing that whenever we were in Barneys.’ 

‘Jim said I was spoiled.’ She says, ‘I think maybe he’s right.’ 

‘You are completely spoiled.’ Michael smirks, ‘But we can’t resist treating you. You’re so precious to us. I’d do anything for you.’

She nods, Y/N’s eyes flickering back round the apartment. She takes a long drink from her wine glass, ‘They’d be mad if they knew I was here.’

‘I’m sure they would.’ 

‘They don’t trust you.’ She offers, ‘But they do miss you. I heard them talking about you.’ 

‘I miss them too.’ Michael makes sure he is looking directly into her eyes, ‘They may think all I wanted was to put my child in you, but I want all of them.’

‘Seems like we all want the same thing.’ 

A silence falls as Michael rises to take dinner out of the oven. It’s takeout, he can’t cook for shit but he knows Y/N will appreciate it. He puts the steak with Bourderlaise sauce before her complete with new potatoes and asparagus. ‘I don’t think that’s exactly true.’ 

She doesn’t take a bite. Michael knows that Y/N knows him well enough to catch the subtly in his words. ‘Why am I here, Michael?’

Michael sighs, putting his own plate down. ’Straight to it then.’ He laces his fingers together, ‘I would give my life for you and our child. Do not think I don’t know my actions have caused me to be ostracised. Perhaps I was right to do so, perhaps I went too far. What I do know is the plan that Jim and your fiancee are planning. Something I will not let happen.’ 

She stares at him. ‘I am sick and tired of your drama, Langdon.’ 

‘Oh believe me, I would rather my own Grandmother rise from the dead before this happened.’ Michael’s tone has a bite, ‘You will hear me out.’ 

Y/N sits there, waiting for him to continue. She waves her hand, gracing him to do so. ‘When you check in for your next appointment, Duncan has the measures in place to abort my child-’

‘Our child.’ 

‘Our child.’ Michael nods, ‘It’s been in place for rather a while now, but ever since the Doctor’s last reports indicated the runt’s trouble with getting enough nutrition they’ve become desperate.’ Michael leans forwards, ‘When you next go in, they will drug you and remove our baby. They will kill it, the monster, to ensure Jim’s lives.’ 

He watches as the horror slowly expands all over Y/N’s face. ‘You’re a liar.’ 

Michael’s hand slams on the table, ‘I have NEVER lied to you.’ 

She’s stuck to her seat, completely frozen in place. ‘I…won’t let them.’ 

‘They won’t give you that choice.’ The Antichrist explains, ‘It’s already been decided for you. They’re going to force your hand.’ 

‘I can’t believe you.’ 

‘Because you thought they had changed.’ Michael nods, ‘I had hope for Shepherd. I thought he would be shining example for the rest of us. But sadly, it isn’t the case.’

‘I won’t marry him. I’ll fight it. I’ll go and challenge them about it right now.’ She stands, heading for the door. ‘Why would you go through all this just to tell me!’ She demands, ‘You have a dinner in place with fucking candles only to tell me one of my babies is going to be ripped from me.’ 

She tries the door, but it doesn’t move. Y/N doesn’t face him, ‘Unlock it. Now.’ 

‘I’m afraid that isn’t going to happen.’ Michael drifts closer to her. His hands ghost along her shoulders, ‘You see, my sweet Y/N I cannot take any chances when it comes to my child. You are potentially carrying the next Antichrist in your stomach, our child.’ His hands snake around her middle, resting over her bump. ‘I will make sure both your babies are born alive, happy, healthy.’ He coos into her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple. ‘But you won’t be leaving this apartment again until after they are born.’ 

——————————————————————————————-

TAGGING: @michael-langdon-owns-my-soul @langdonsinferno @pastel-cloudz @misslanabananaa @lovelykhaleesiii @lostin-fern​ @lvngdvns@ccodyfernn @asstichrist@yourkingcodyfern @langdonsdemon @satcnas @russianspacegeckosexparty @rosy-pugs @luxuryglitterhoe @langdonsoceaneyes @sodanova @petersfern-fics @avesatanormalpeoplescareme @sassylangdon @confettucini @sammythankyou @wroteclassicaly @Sloppy-Wrist @Langdonalien @alexcornerblog @sevenwondr @queencocoakimmie @sojournmichael @langdonsdemon@satcnaskinlovecody @kylosbabe @americanhorrorstudies @xxpixiefromdixiexx @elenareginaauditore@dadddysprincessss@gremlinkween @readsalot73 @astir-bread @i-will-die-for-jim-mason@ms-mead @mega-combusken@hanhanxx@kahhlo@thelangdoncooperative @langdonsrapture@ritualmichael @cryptid-coalition @sloppy-little-witch-bitch26 @infernal-langdon @jim-mason2 @duncandimension @dark-jim @jimmlangdon  @xtheinevitableprophecyx @moontheweirdpan @moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown @bbyduncan @divinelangdon @theladynymph@xlangdons-evilbabygirlx​ @dark-duncan​ @divinelangdon @codyswhore-blog @blakewaterxx 

#the foursome #michael x jim x duncan x y/n #michael langdon #Jim Mason #Duncan Shepherd #the plot thickens #plot twists #oooooh #the runaway saga #the kinky quartet #the reign of Michael isn't over #it's just beginning #Michael Langdon x reader #y/n

[knockoutvirginhair]

Tips to Consider While Applying Eye Shadow Mixture

When we usually talk about applying eye makeup, we mean which colours to use and where to apply them on the eye. But, this not an easy task as it looks like indeed, this is a practice that takes dedication, hard work, and most importantly a proper perfection because it's an art that can't be learned in a fortnight.

To help you out we have compiled a guide that will let you know step-by-step execution and measurements to make.

1.       Take Your Time

Before you put your hands forward to grab a blending brush, you have to take care of the following steps:

·         Inch Perfect applying of an eye shadow primer

·         Bake your lid

·         Make your pigment to pop for all-day-long effect.

·         Prioritize your Eye shadow & Eye Shape

Pigment payoff often comes at a cost as a result of fall out, but that seems like a little price against the value. So, try to keep your pan clean after each brush use.

Secondary, you can opt to start with eye shadow first before moving onto your complexion makeup. Doing so will keeps your cake face being messed up from any potential fallout.

Apart from that, Getting to know your eye shape is also essential as the eye shadow mixture.

2.       Perfect Brush

Always, remember this is where this game starts having a good set of makeup brushes is all you want because your makeup skills count a nothing if you don't have a perfect tool.

> A neon eye shadow pigment set is perfect for you.

3. Blending

Never ever afraid of doing experiments there. Instead, we are encouraging you to try out the most outrageous moves like:

·         Mix eye shadows: Try it out to get a more harmonious look that blends more seamlessly.

·         Blend outwards: An old tradition but works perfectly today too. Just, open up the eye & drag the eye shadow a little outwards. This will create a subtle cat-eye effect.

Pro Tip: One can also add up the water to intensify the color & always keep your hand hard because having a darker eye shadow in circular motions blends the color more easily.

4.       Crease Defining

From natural to a Smokey eye or whatever look you’re going for – always define your crease.

At last, if all this really looks like a tough thing for you then a professional can help you & Danyel is regarded as the best Las Vegas Makeup Artist.

Book your appointment on here!

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[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: The Green Chile Cheeseburger (from The Great American Burger Book by George Motz)

The New Mexican chile graces nearly every single menu in the state and is rarely found elsewhere. It is a defining aspect of New Mexican cooking and is served either green or red. Green chile has a subtle, earthy flavor, whereas red chile (left on the vine to ripen after the initial fall harvest) has a deep, smoky essence. Both can be found hot or mild, but the best New Mexican chile falls right in the middle, where you can feel some heat and still taste that chile. It’s one of the most distinctive natural flavors in America.

But green chile is not native to New Mexico. The story of how the pepper found its way to the region is fascinating, and begins with Christopher Columbus’s second journey to the Caribbean in the late fifteenth century. He returned to Spain with seeds, introducing Europe to a spicy pepper for the first time. Fifty years later, as Spanish conquistadors colonized the Southwest, they brought their peppers along, altering the area’s generally bland diet forever. Unless you’ve had the great fortune to taste this pepper firsthand it’s somewhat difficult to describe. Imagine a mild Anaheim pepper (a close relative) crossed with a spicy jalapeño—but even that’s not accurate. Most New Mexicans roast their chiles over an open flame to enable easy removal of the skin, leaving the flesh of the pepper soft and smoky. Add this, chopped and stewed, to a thick cheeseburger and prepare your mouth for an out-of-body experience. Every single person I have ever introduced to the Green Chile Cheeseburger has gratified me with an ear-to-ear smile following their first bite. And when my wife (a vegetarian, yep) took a break from her diet after seventeen years, her first burger upon reentry? The most famous in its class the Green Chile Cheeseburger at the Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Hit up a touristy spot in New Mexico and, most likely, green chile will be served mild on your burger. Head to the locals’ favorite spots for real-deal heat. It’s never too hot, but usually served just spicy enough to give you a little endorphin buzz. Writer John T. Edge once described the sensation as how you might feel after shotgunning two beers in rapid succession. He’s not far off.

By design, there’s not much to a great green chile cheeseburger, except, of course, the right chile. Many suppliers near Hatch, New Mexico, will ship you fresh green chiles that you can roast, peel, and eat, but the season is brief (September). New Mexicans are big on freezing chopped chile, making it available by mail all year long. And as for condiments, they are not necessary here. Keep things simple so that you can taste the unadulterated beauty of green chile and beef. Use a good, sharp melty cheddar to glue the whole thing together.

Makes 6 cheeseburgers

Equipment

A small saucepan

A 3½-inch (9-cm) food ring or round cutter (recommended, but not required)

Parchment paper

A seasoned cast-iron skillet or flat top

2 or 3 medium-size metal bowls

The Burger

3 cups (450 g) roasted, peeled, and chopped New Mexican green chiles

Splash of water or beef stock

2 pounds (about 1 kg) fresh-ground 80/20 chuck

Peanut oil, or other neutral oil

Salt and black pepper for seasoning

White cheddar cheese, sliced

6 seeded soft white buns, toasted

The Toppings

Don’t even think about it. Toppings other than chile and cheese are unnecessary.

Add the green chiles to the small saucepan with a splash of water or beef stock (just enough to let the chile steam slightly, but not so much it turns into soup). Cover and heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from the heat, keep covered, and set aside.

Divide the beef into 6 even portions (a little over 5½ ounces/155 g each).

Line a clean surface or cutting board with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Working with the food ring, gently press one portion of the beef into the ring to create a perfectly round patty. Don’t over press—you want it to maintain a somewhat loose grind. Repeat with the remaining beef.

Add a few drops of peanut oil to the cast-iron skillet, using the spatula to spread the oil, and crank it up to medium-high heat. When the pan just starts to smoke, it’s ready.

At this point, and not before, season both sides of the patties with a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Salting too early will bind the muscle fibers together and make the burgers tough (not good).

Place the patties in the hot skillet—the beef should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan—and cook for 4 minutes without disturbing them. The goal here is to sear your burgers, sealing in the juices. When you see red liquid start to form on the top of the patties, it’s time to flip them.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook the second side of the patties (without disturbing them) for an additional 6½ minutes. After 4 minutes, add a healthy pile of the green chiles to the top of each patty followed by a slice of cheese. To help melt the cheese, cover the burgers with a metal bowl or large pot lid for the final 2 to 3 minutes of cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the burgers to rest for 1½ minutes. The internal temperature of the burgers should be about 143°F (62°C) for medium-rare. Transfer to the toasted buns with nothing else. Serve immediately.

The Great American Burger Book is the first book to showcase a wide range of regional hamburger styles and cooking methods. Author and burger expert George Motz covers traditional grilling techniques as well as how to smoke, steam, poach, and deep-fry burgers based on signature recipes from around the country. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific regional burger, from the tortilla burger of New Mexico to the classic New York–style pub burger, and from the fried onion burger of Oklahoma to Hawaii’s Loco Moco. Motz provides expert instruction, tantalizing recipes, and vibrant color photography to help you create unique variations on America’s favorite dish in your own home.

For more information, click here.

#abramsbooks #abrams books #the great american burger book #great american burger book #george motz #green chile cheeseburger #new mexico #recipe friday

[sabeburk]

October 1, 2017

around 9:40 pm i sent my husband a text "gotto go jason aldean is on!!!!!!!!" his reply "have fun".

i was having fun, too much fun, the festival had been amazing, so many talented performers and the most wonderful crowd of people!  i was there with sarah we have been friends for 28 years. she treated me to the concert it was a special weekend we would always remember....then it turned into a night i can never forget.

we were standing on the far left of the stage, kind of at the edge of the crowd, dancing, singing just enjoying the show. it was my first time seeing aldean perform and i was loving it! all of the sudden we heard a strange popping noise at first i didnt even notice then it happened again- firecrackers? i thought maybe someone through a pack of firecrackers on stage. even as aldean fled and the stage went dark i still had no idea what was happening. the crowd started to move and sarah grabbed my arm and pulled me and said we need to move now!

we went with a crowd to the left of the stage sort of ducking sort of running those moments are little but blurry i just remember saying what is going on? no way it was really gunfire! i was confused, shocked, frightened, just could not believe we were actually being shot at. the bullets sounded like they were right behind us. i never looked back.

i don't know how or why but we made the desicion not to make a run for it and we followed a small crowd into a tent that i believe was the performers back stage area. there was a man who had fallen we stopped to help him up. we didn't want to stay in the tent feeling trapped and ended up behind it in what was i assume the caterers food prep area. we quickly ran to a food cart/table and ducked our heads under it. we still had no idea where the gunfire was coming from or how many shooters there were. everyone with us was doing their best to hide wherever they could. a security guard was there and he told everyone to be still and quiet. at one point a girl near us started to cry loudly and i remember him saying be quiet you'll lead them right to us!

the gunfire just kept going and going. everytime it stopped for a second we hoped it was over. we couldn't understand how it was lasting so long and why they hadn't captured the man or men yet. we grabbed large metal food trays still covered in old sauces and did our best to cover ourselves. there was a trash bin behind me and i pulled the lid over the table to try provide more cover. i expected at any moment the gunman to burst through the tent and shoot us. we were so isolated we had no idea what was happening out in the open - if everyone was dying. sarah and i held hands and i prayed.

it seemed like it was never going to stop so i pulled out my phone to text my husband - i did it quickly because i didn't want to make light or sound and i typo-ed the whole messsage. it said " i theres a shout out u i luv y" after what seemed like forever again and it still wasn't stopping and i really believed that i was going to die, that there was no way out of this i decided to call my husband to tell him i love him. he happened to be driving home in an area where he loses reception and i was crying telling him i love him and he just kept saying what? what? then the line went dead. it wasn't until the next night when i got the message he left on my phone soon after that, when he had an idea what was really going on, and the sheer panick in his voice asking what is happening?? please call me back! as we were sitting there hiding listening to rounds that sounded so close the emotions i went through from disbelief to absolute fear to - NO i am NOT going to die here!!

after what seemed like an eternity, a man, im not sure if he was a police or security guard appeared and told us they had an opening in the fence near where we were hiding and we needed to get out! we went very quickly and as were trying to get out the swat team was running past us, going in, at some point sarah asked someone did you get him? and we were told NO - YOU NEED TO RUN! as we climbed through the downed fence the first thing i saw was someone on the ground- i don't know dead or alive but surrounded by people helping. i told sarah don't look, but she looked. i think it was probably a split second as we took in the scene on the street - bodies, victims in the street being loaded into the back of a truck. sarah asked should we help them? i don't want to sound selfish or uncaring because if there was someone who we could have helped or something we could have done in that moment to change things i wouldn't have hesitated. and i am so lucky to not have been standing next to someone who got shot - i didn't have to throw my body on anothers to save their life or hold someone as they bled and died. but these people were all being helped - we aren't doctors or nurses, there was nothing we could do at this point but get in the way and all i could think was run run run until we are safe - i was going to hug my kids again. i had a responsibilty to my family to be there for them and sarah had her daughter. we didn't know that the shooting was over - we didn't know that it wasn't going to start again and now we weren't hiding, we were out in the open. so we held hands and we ran, i tried not to look - you can't help but see what is happening, but i tried not to look at it - just keep straight ahead and not notice the disheveled people, the shoes left behind, the chaos and just focus on getting back to our hotel room - not stopping until we locked ourselves in.

we didn't stop running- just went in the direction of the big green hotel - it was blocks and blocks, we didn't stop until we ran though the hotel door, only then did we pause to catch our breath. the lobby was filled with concert goers - dirty, shaken and in shock - there were people covered in blood... but we didn't stay there. we still didn't know if a gunman/men were going to come bursting in blasting more gunfire into the crowd. we had to get back to our room. at this point the adrenaline was still pumpimg but the reality of what had happened was starting to set in. we walked though the casino and got separated  - i think sarah slowed to call her boyfriend and then i was in a hallway and realized i was alone. i finally just collapsed and started crying uncontrollably - totally lost it. a group of people nearby asked me if i was ok - through heavy sobs i tried to explain to them what had happened and why i was so upset - they told me they knew, it was already on the news and they helped me find sarah. as we hugged and cried i was still adament that we get back to the room right away. as we walked i called my husband to tell him i wasn't hurt. then i texted everyone who knew i was at the concert that i was alright. we got to the room and i immediately stripped off my clothes - filthy, pee soaked, my hair covered in sauce drippings from the food pans- and got in the shower . i don't know how long i sat on the floor under the water, crying, shaking, i threw up. after that we sat watching the news trying to process what we had just been through - it still was just not real. and also at this point being told there were still active gunmen and the strip was on lockdown - or shelter in place is the term, basically stay where you are and don't go outside- we were so scared. it didnt help that the view from our room looked directly at the concert grounds - right at the stage. i have never seen so many blue and red lights in my life.

we stayed there glued to the tv looking for answers from the news, horrified when we heard 2 people had died - 2...... that number just kept going up. we didnt leave the room until the police said they were positive it was only the one gunman and he was dead. we went warily down to the casino. it was very eerie not one restarant or bar open - no gambling except a few people at slot machines. the mgm had pulled almost all their staff off the floor. but people were just sitting around - i guess with nowhere to go still waiting to be told it was safe to leave. we went back to our room - you couldn't even get room service, not that we were hungry, we turned off the news and tried to sleep but we didn't sleep. i haven't slept well since.

i am here and i am physically ok - except for a couple bruises and scrapes. people tell me you were watched over or blessed or it wasn't your time and i completely believe in god and angels but i also have a hard time hearing that and definately have some survivor guilt because you can't tell me all those people who were shot weren't being watched over too. they were mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, young adults with so much hope for the future.... it was just crazy luck - where i was. that we had been so close to a safe hiding place and didn't decide to make a run for it out in the open. if i had been standing ten feet in a another direction my story could have a much different ending. i don't know why i was spared but i won't take it for granted, i won't stop feeling grateful for every breath i take.

[kbbeautyblog]

Huda Beauty recently released her new eyeshadow palette – the Desert Dusk Palette- and today, I am going to be fully reviewing and analysing each shade, and the palette as a whole. This post is pretty long because I talk about each shade in-depth, and then provide my overall thoughts on the palette as a whole after that. If you want to scroll to my final thoughts and not read about each shade, just scroll down to the end!!

My Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette Eyeshadow Look Post- Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette Eyeshadow Looks!! x 14 different looks

My Huda Beauty First Impressions + Arm Swatch Post- Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette First Impressions + Swatches

I will also link these at the end so you can read this first.

Skip to overall conclusion/summary section (& skip single shade review)!!

Overall Conclusion + Palette as a Whole

Desert Sand is a Creamy Yellow Shade with a Matte Finish. It has a soft powdery consistency and for this reason, does have a tiny bit of kick up/fall-out. The fall out level is in the medium range and it’s certainly not as bad as it could be, but you do get a little bit of dust kick up when you tap your brush into it.

Desert Sand does have pigmentation, but you do need to build it up a lot to see it, especially on my pale skin. This shade will most likely come up better on someone with darker skin than me, but because this shade isn’t far off my actual skin-tone, it just doesn’t come up on me. Although it does have some color pay-off, it is such a light shade and it’s hard to see it.

When I first looked at it, I thought it might be good for eye preparation,  and as a base color on the lid to help other shades go on better. However, I found that because it was so close to my skin tone, it didn’t work very well for either of these things.

For one, it doesn’t set the eyes very well and doesn’t give them a nice, caked up appearance. When I’m prepping my eye area, I use concealer first, and then I set with a powder and what it does is give the eyes a ‘cakey’ feel/look, which makes eyeshadows go on SO MUCH better and it leaves the eye area looking so clean and cut. As I said, Desert Sand just doesn’t do the job for me and I would prefer to prep with a slightly darker, brighter powder.

  Secondly, it isn’t anywhere near as bright or pigmented to be a good lid base shade. Instead of coating the lid and giving a nice, opaque finish that is perfect for layering other shades on top of, it just kind of blends into the skin on my lid. It doesn’t really show up and is a bit more yellow toned than I like on the lid. When you apply a yellow based shade to the lid first, instead of helping other shades look better or brighter, it makes other shades look worse and can give them a yellow tint.

Additionally, Desert Sand is not bright or pigmented enough to look good on the lid alone, and it is way too light to be a good transition shade (people with darker skin might like it in the crease, but even then, it’s not going to do much at all).

This means that I can’t find any use for this shade, none. I can’t use it to prep the eyes (I could, but I would rather something else), I can’t use it as a base on the lid and I can’t wear it alone in the crease or on the lid. If this shade wasn’t in the palette, I would have absolutely no problem with it because I won’t reach for it much, if at all. I think that it would of been better to swap Desert Sand for a pure white shade, which everyone could get use out of.

All in all, Desert Sand has a good formula and works well but the shade/tone of it just isn’t my favourite and as I said, I just can’t think of anything I could do with it. I do think a shade like this is needed in all palettes, but the specific tone is just too yellow based for me and I really just can’t make it work on my skin.

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Musk is a Cool Toned Light Brown Shade that has a soft, powdery consistency. Just like Desert Sand, which also has a soft matte consistency, Musk does have a bit of fall-out and kick up when you tap your brush into the pan, but it’s nothing crazy and I would say the fall-out is in the medium range.

This shade has medium pigmentation and you do have to build it up on the eyes for it to show through. The good thing is that it builds up relatively easily and blends out extremely well. I think because it does blend out so well, you do have to spend more time building it up because it just blends out like a dream and is fairly light in terms of color, so it tends to blend into the skin a little too much.

I can say that if you are going for a really bold look and you want to have a well defined crease, you will have to use another, darker shade on top of it. Musk does work extremely well as the first crease transition shade, but will be too light for some people to want to use it alone in the crease.

Personally, I really love using this shade alone in the crease because it gives the eyes a beautiful, subtle, flash of definition without adding too much pigmentation. However, I am extremely light skinned and the shade is already very light on me, so I am pretty sure that it may blend out too much on darker people’s skin and not show through at all, just like Desert Dusk (the above, creamy yellow shade), did on my light skin.

What I LOVE about Musk is that it is the ONLY brown toned shade in the palette that doesn’t have neutral, or red-based, undertones. It frustrates me when palettes only come with red-based crease/transition shades because I really DO NOT want to have a warm look every single day, and I do prefer and reach for cool-toned shades more.

Musk is my go-to shade to use in the crease when I wan’t to avoid the red shades and neutral looks.  What I have found is that when you use red-toned crease shades, the look ends up being very similar to the last look you created. There is only so much in terms of differences that you can do with them. When you have cool-toned transition shades however, you can create A VARIETY of different looks because they don’t totally dominate the whole look like red-toned shades do.

I am glad Huda put Musk in the palette because without it, there wouldn’t be as many possibilities in terms of producing different looks. However, I would of loved it if she put at least one darker, cooler-toned brown shade in the palette, which would of worked amazingly in combination with Musk. Oud (shade 6) does have less red-tones than the other brown matte transition shades, but it does still have some slight red undertones. In summary, I would certainly say that as a whole, the palette lacks cool toned matte shades, and I really like Musk because it is the only shade I can go to all the time when I want to avoid red (which I tend to want to avoid frequently).

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Eden is a Light Orange Peach Shade with a soft, powdery, matte consistency. It has the same soft consistency as the last two mattes (Desert Sand and Musk), and just like them, it does have a tiny bit of fall-out and kick up when you dip your brush into it. The fall-out is nothing too crazy and again, it is in the medium range. You just have to make sure you are tapping the excess off your brush before you apply it, and I don’t find that it has much fall out on the face, but when you dip the brush into the pan you will get a bit of kick-up. The kick up/fall-out of this shade really doesn’t worry me in the slightest but I think it’s worth mentioning.

Eden has a medium pigmentation/colour pay-off and medium opacity, and it is highly build-able. You can build it up to give you full pigmentation very easily, you just have to apply, dip back in, apply, dip back in, a few times.  The high build-ability, and high blend-ability of this shade makes it an amazing crease/transition shade. It just blends out extremely well in the crease, and you can use it and build it up to be your main crease color, or you can use it as a first or second transition shade to give you more definition and to create a gradient effect.

Eden can be used on the lid also, but because the consistency of it is so soft and the finish is matte, it is best used wet on the lid. You can deffo wear it on the lid alone by packing it up dry, but to really make it pop, it applies better when you wet your brush by spraying it with spray fix plus or dampening it with water. When you apply it dry to the lid, little bits of powder do seem to fly around a bit, but it can certainly work as a lid shade especially if you build it up dry and then wet your brush and pack it on wet. Using this method intensifies the color, and you can pretty much use any matte on the lid by doing this.

In terms of what brush works best with Eden, fluffy blending brushes work amazing with it in the crease. For the lid, synthetic shader brushes work the best. Usually I would pack a matte shadow onto the lid with a flat shader with natural hairs (like the MAC 239 Shader Brush), and then pack it on wet with a synthetic flat shader brush (like the MAC 249 Shader Brush), but I found that a synthetic flat brush works best when packing it on dry AND wet. This is just because the consistency of so soft, and natural hair brushes are not going to stick the shade to the lid like synthetic hair brushes will.

All in all, Eden is an amazing shade and I really like it. You can get so much use out of it and it is a PERFECT crease shade. It is pigmented, and is so easy to build up to give you the intensity you want. It blends like a dream, and you don’t have to fight the shadow for it to work, it just blends beautifully and works really well on the eye.

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Amber is a warm, medium red brown shade with a Matte finish. It has the exact same soft, powdery consistency as the last 3 mattes I talked about, and performs the exact same way as they do. It is pigmented, but is not extremely pigmented straight away, so you do have to build it up but the good thing is it is extremely easy to build up.

You don’t want matte, transition shades like Amber to be extremely intense straight away and you do want them to be build-able, so the pigment level of it is perfect in my opinion. The soft consistency of Amber means that you will get a bit of kick-up when you tap your brush in, but this fall-out mainly happens in the pan and I didn’t notice any fall out on the actual face (you do have to tap of the excess prior to applying though).

Amber works extremely well with the other mattes in the palette – it can be used to make the lighter shades deeper, or can be used under darker shades (like Oud and Saffron) to create a nice deep, gradient effect in the crease. It also looks really good in the outer corner of the lid and crease and when you apply it there, it deepens and defines the eyes.

All in all, this shade has been a dream to work with. It has just the right pigmentation, is so easy to build and blends out amazingly.

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Blood Moon is a bronze shade that has a Pressed Pearl (Shimmery) finish. When you look at this shade in the pan, it looks way more red based than it comes up on the eye, and at first I thought it was a full bronzy gold colour until I noticed that it does come up slightly red aswell. The consistency of Blood Moon is a soft, gritty, shimmery powder that has some kick-up and fall out, but not much at all especially if you are using a synthetic flat shader (or concealer) brush to apply it.

Blood Moon has a very high pigment level, and it works and applies to the eyes and lid extremely bright and opaque using ALL methods (i.e, fingers and brushes, with a dry brush and with a damp/wet brush). Sometimes shimmer shades NEED to be applied wet (or sprayed with fix plus) for them to pop out and have a metallic, high colour finish, but this shade is not one of them because as I said it works with all methods and DOESN’T need to be wet to get it to high intensity. However, when you use it wet it does go brighter, and I usually apply shades like this with my fingers, and then I pack it up with a brush, which gives maximum intensity.

Im regards to where Blood Moon is best placed, I absolutely love it as a lid shade, and as an undereye liner shade. It looks absolutely amazing smoked out under the eyes, and makes the eyes shine! It also looks really nice all over the lid, or put in the inner and outer corner and into the crease to create a beautiful, bronzy eye with a tint of red.

All in all, this shade is absolutely beautiful. It is so pigmented and it takes literally no effort to build it up. It is versatile and can be used for many purposes, and as I said, it looks amazing under the eyes.

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Oud is a matte, deep red brown shade. It has some purple tinges to it and I would say that it leans slightly more towards purple, but there is no denying it does sway red and I would class it as a warm toned brown rather than a cool toned brown shade. Oud has the same soft, powdery consistency as the rest of the mattes (with the exception of Amnetyst, which is more dry and seems to be pressed harder than the rest of the mattes, more on this below). Oud shares the same fall-out level as the soft mattes and works the exact same way as they do.

Like I have said when I have talked about the previous mattes in this row, I would class the fall-out and kick up level as medium, and while it is nothing bad and something you can live with, when you did your brush int he pan, you will experience a tiny bit of kick back, so make sure you tap softly at first while you get used to it.

Oud is an amazing crease shade and works really well with the other matte crease/transition shades in the palette. It can be used in combination with the other shades in the crease, or can be built up alone and worn as the only crease shade. It is a nice shade to use to define the outer corner of the lid and crease, and when you build it up there, it defines everything.

What I love about Oud is that it is the ONLY other slightly cool toned brown shade in the palette (apart from Musk, which is shade 2 and the coolest transition shade in the palette). Oud does have a lot of red tones, but it also has slightly purple tones which distinguishes it from the other red toned transition shades in like palette.

When you use Oud in combination with Musk, you can create a look that isn’t going to be warm or red toned. Something that annoys me (which I mentioned when I talked about Musk) is that when palettes have too may red toned matte shades, you start to reach a road block in terms of different looks you can create. If there was an even number of cool toned crease shades vs warm toned crease shades, you could create so many more looks. Warm toned shades tend to dominate the look and can make them look the same, whereas cool toned transition shades don’t dominate the look so much.

All in all, Oud performs really well and is pretty much an absolute dream to work with. It has high colour pay-off but it is build-able and blends really, really well.

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Celestial is a Duo-Chrome Topper shade that has a yellow base and light pink/purple reflects. In the pan, Celestial looks way more red based than it actually is, and when you put it on the eye, it is certainly more yellow based with pink sparkles. The consistency of this shade is a gritty, shimmery/glitter that has bigger particles than most traditional shimmers.

Celestial is intended to be a lid topper and a shade you apply over other shades to give a gradient effect, but like all of the duo-chrome topper shades in the palette, it can be worn alone and is pigmented enough and has enough colour pay-off to perform well as an intense lid shade. I will say, I do prefer this shade on the lid alone because when you wear it on the top of other shades, it kind of blends in and is very subtle.

Other than performing as an amazing full lid shade, Celestial looks nice and applies super brightly when you cut the middle of the lid with concealer, apply it and apply a darker shade (like Oud) on the outer and inner corner of the eyes. It can also be added over the top of full lid colors, which won’t give you too much colour, but will intensify the glitter in your look!

All in all, Celestial works perfectly in terms of the formula. It is easy to work with, applies brightly wet or dry, and just generally works well. I just don’t think the yellow base is a good idea because it just blends into the other colours on the lid, which takes some of the intensity away!

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Nefertiti is a soft gold shade that has a Pressed Pearl (Shimmery) finish. The consistency of Nefertiti is a gritty, shimmery powder. What I mean by gritty is that the fine particles in it are slightly larger than typical shimmery shadows from other brands are (all of Huda’s shimmer shades have this consistency).  For this reason, the shade does have a bit of fall out but it’s nothing crazy.

Nefertiti looks really good in multiple places on the eye. It is amazing as an full lid shade, and it applies directly to the eyelid so easily and pigmented using multiple methods. For example, it works dry, it works wet, it works with synthetic shader brushes and it works with the fingers, delivering a high colour pay-off no matter what method you use. I like to apply Nefertiti to the lid with my finger, and then go in with a flat shader brush to build up the intensity.

  It is also a good shade to put in the middle of the lid between darker colors to create a beautiful, halo-like gradient effect, and looks amazing on the lower lash line and as a brow.inner corner highlight shade.

All in all, Nefertiti looks amazing in multiple places on the eyes so is very versatile in that aspect. It applies really well , is easy to build up to the intensity you want and delivers a very opaque, high colour pay-off.

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Twilight is a pale lavender shade with white, blue and purple reflects. It has a Duo-Chrome/Topper finish and has a soft, gritty powdery consistency. Just like the other shades, it does have a bit of fall-out and kick up when you apply it, but it’s nothing bad.

Even though it is a duo-chrome shade, it applies SOO pigmented and can be worn alone because it is so intense. You don’t even have to wet your brush to get high colour pay-off, you just get it straight away (of-course when you do wet your brush prior to applying, you can build the intensity up even higher), but it’s certainly not necessary which is a big bonus because most shimmery shades require some help from time to time.

Twilight looks amazing in soooo many different places on the eye. It is absolutely stunning to wear all over the lid alone, and pretty much goes with every single other shade in the palette.

For example, if you want an intense, deep look you can combine Twilight with any of the deep and darker mattes/shimmers in the palette. If you want a soft look, you can wear Twilight alone or pair it with other light shades. It just works so good with every shade and there is honestly so many possibilities for this shade.

Twilight also looks really nice as a lower lash line smokey shade, as a brow bone highlight, as an inner corner highlight, and pretty much everything else.

I have to say, I think this shade is my FAVOURITE in the palette. Every-time I look at the palette, my eyes go straight to this shade and I had to pull myself away from it in order to try out the other shades lol!! It is just such a beautiful, pigmented, glittery shade that looks amazing on the eye.

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Amethyst has a harder, more dry consistency that the other matte shades, which is most likely due to the fact it is a purple shade which can be hard to formate and perfect, especially in a matte finish. In terms of differences between all of the matte shades in the palette, Amethyst is the only matte that is different to the rest and the consistency is extremely more dry than the others which have an extremely soft feel. The harder consistency of Amethyst means that unlike the other mattes, it has virtually no fall-out or kick-up at all. It also means that you have to dig into the pan to coat your brush harder than you do the other shades.

In terms of pigmentation and colour pay-off, it is build-able and you can build up the intensity to give the shade full opacity, but it is certainly more bright in the pan than it comes up on the eyes. I tried Amethyst on multiple places on the eye, and I found that it works well as a lid shade, a crease shade and an undereye liner shade.

On the lid, Amethyst can be built up to give a nice, pigmented finish, but the intensity really comes when you wet your brush and apply it. I did apply it all over the lid dry at first, but it just wasn’t giving me what I wanted so I decided to wet the brush and when I did, it come up way more pigmented and like I wanted it. It was also patchy, and kind of streaky even though I kept building it up and blending it around. I think the best method of using Amethyst on the lid is to build it up dry, and then go in and pack it up wet. Even then, you might want to put one of the duo-chrome shades over the top of it just to give the eyes more colour because it can look dull. In saying that, Amethyst works amazing as a base lid shade when you want to create a nice purple based look, and I find it extremely handy for that reason.

In the crease, Amethyst works slightly different than it does on the lid. It is nowhere near as bright, and I found that I really had to keep going in and building it up multiple times before I started to get the colour pay-off I wanted. Even then, it didn’t come up quite as pigmented and bright as I wanted even though I had dipped back in and built it up close to 15 times, but it did come up pretty well and does work good in the crease. If you are expecting it to look the same on the eyes as in the pan you will be disappointed though. I think because I expected it to be a bright purple that I was let down by the opacity of it.

Amethyst also works really, really well under the lower lash line as an eyeliner shade. It is extremely easy to build up pigmentation here, and gives the eyes some definition and colour. It looks good ran under the lower lash line with other purple shades, but it also looks good here when you create totally different looks. For example, if you create a really bronze eye with the palette, you can run this on your lower lash line which will give the look a pop of colour and contrast with the colours on your upper eye area.

All in all, I am happy with Amethyst but I do wish it performed slightly better. I found that I had to take heaps of time building it up to how I wanted it, and I just had to keep going back and fourth and back in fourth, which got quite annoying at times. Even then, it didn’t come up as bright as I wanted it to. I think this is because looking at it in the pan, you form an expectation of the level of pigmentation you want and how you want it to look on the eyes, and then when it doesn’t come up exactly that way, it’s a bit of a let down. However, I think this shade is essential to the palette, and it DOES work but takes a little more effort. Other than Eden, the matte orange shade, there is no other matte coloured shade and because Amethyst is in the palette, you do have many more options in terms of creating different, distinguishable looks than you would if it wasn’t in it.

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Royal is a Deep Violet Shade with a Pressed Pearl (shimmery) finish. The consistency of Royal is a gritty, shimmery powder and it feels the exact same in texture as the other Pressed Pearls in the palette.  Royal has extremely high pigmentation, and applies to the eyes fully opaque with or WITHOUT spray fix plus or wetting the brush, which is a massive plus for me because not all shimmery shades have such a high color pay-off and do require a wet brush to pack up to full intensity. One swipe of Royal on the lid will fully coat it and it is extremely easy to apply. It looks the exact same on the eye as it does in the pan.

In regards to what brush works best, I found that on the lid, synthetic flat shader brushes work really well, and packing it on with the finger also works amazingly. To get full intensity, I like to apply it with my finger and then go back and pack it on with a brush, but if I want full precision, I will use the brush alone. There is absolutely no reason to apply it wet, but if you want to you of course can. For applying it under the eyes on the lower lash line, I also found that using the tip of a flat synthetic brush gave the best colour pay-off as well as giving full precision.

All in all, Royal is a beautiful, pigmented and fully opaque shade that looks absolutely stunning all over the lid and on the lower lash line. It is one of my favourite lid shades in the entire palette and I have nothing bad to say about it because it performs extremely well.

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Retrograde is a Duo-Chrome/Topper shade that has a burgundy base and purple, green and silver reflects. The consistency of Retrograde is gritty, shimmery and powdery and it has more glitter particles in it than actual pigment. As you can see in the above picture of Retrograde on the lid alone, the burgundy, purple base is clearly visible, and you can see that the glitter particles sit on top of this. When you apply it over the top of other shades however, the base doesn’t come up much and you can really only see the fine glitter particles. Before I applied this alone, I used it on the top of a deeper shade on the lid and was shocked by how sheer it was in comparison to Twilight (the light purple, duo-chrome shade that I talked about above), which applies extremely pigmented when you apply it over other shades.

This doesn’t really matter because the shade performs perfectly as a topper, but when you apply it over other shades, just expect glitter and not much actual pigment. This can be a good thing because it means that Retrograde can be applied over the top of other shades without totally messing it up and changing the colour and just adding little specks of glitter instead.

All in all, Retrograde performs well, has nice glitter reflects and can be applied all over the lid and worn alone or added to the top of colours on the lid to add a pretty glitter effect. However, I have to say that this shade is one of my least favourite just because I don’t really reach for it much and much prefer the other duo-chrome shades. Still, the shade is beautiful and can turn a look from dull to pretty and sparkly.

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Cashmere is a Silvery, Champagne shade that has a Pressed Pearl (shimmery) finish. It has the same soft gritty, shimmery consistency as the other pressed pearl shades and does have a tiny bit of fall-out when you dip a brush into the pan. It applies to the lid extremely pigmented, and is fully opaque. It can be worn all over the lid alone, used in combination with other shades on the lid and can be applied under the eyes as a lower lash eyeliner.

Just like the other pressed pearl shades, it works best when applied with the finger and/or a flat synthetic concealer or eyeshadow brush. You do NOT need to wet the brush to make it intense and fully pigmented, but it does work to brighten the shade when you do. You might also have to build the shade up once or twice, but when you build it up it looks beautiful.

What I really like about Cashmere is that it is totally different than the pink and purple shades in the palette, and produces a completely different, smokey, light gold look. This gives the palette more variety in terms of the different, distinguishable looks you can create with it. I have to say, this shade wasn’t the first my eyes were drawn too, and it wasn’t until after I had tried most of the shimmer/toppers that I actually applied it and I was surprised by how much I actually do like it.

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Angelic is a light pink shade that has a Pressed Pearl finish. Unlike the other Pressed Pearl (shimmery) shades, it has yellow reflects dispersed through-out it, giving it a beautiful, duo-chrome finish even though it is classed as a Pressed Pearl and NOT a duochrome/topper shade. Angelic works in the exact same way as the other Pressed Pearls, and has the same soft, gritty and powdery consistency with a tiny bit of fall-out.

The pigmentation of Angelic is really good, and the shade applies fully opaque to the eye area. I did find that it worked way better and applied smoother and more pigmented more quickly using the finger, but it does work with a brush too. The only difference is that you do have to build it up and pack it on more with a brush than the finger, which is nothing bad but will take more time.  I think when you apply the product with the finger first, and then go in and pack it up with a brush, it will take less time and is a really good method for making eyeshadows pop. I do recommend using a flat synthetic shader or concealer brush when applying this shade because anything with natural hairs won’t stick it down as well. While it’s not necessary, when building it up with a brush it might be best to slightly wet or spray your brush, but you will be able to reach full pigmentation without it, it will just take a tiny bit longer to build up.

Even though Angelic looks amazing alone, it also looks really nice over the top of other eyeshadows on the lid. The yellow duochrome reflects that are imbedded in the light pink pigment gives other eyeshadows a hint of shimmer when you apply it over them. This looks beautiful on the lid and gives the eyes a nice halo effect, especially when dabbed in the centre of the lid.

I am extremely impressed with this shade. It performs extremely well, is fully opaque and pigmented and looks absolutely beautiful packed on the lid alone, I have to say, this is one of my favourite shades in the palette and I will wear this constantly on the lid as a simple, easy, one-shade look.

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Cosmo is a Pure Glitter shade that has a red base and purple, yellow, pink and purple reflects. It has an extremely gritty, rough consistency and feels like the typical pressed glitter. Cosmo does have a lot of fall-out, as you can imagine, but it’s not AS bad as I initially anticipated it would be. However, there is NO denying that you should probably apply it before foundation because you will need to go in and clean things up.

In terms of application, Cosmo does adhere to the lid without glitter glue, but I found that when I applied it without glitter, little particles kept jumping around everywhere every-time I moved my eyes in the slightest. This means that while it is stuck to the lid , it is not probably sticking to it properly because it flings around, so using glitter glue is the best option although it’s not necessary.

The ratio of pigment to glitter leans more towards the glitter side, and it’s only when you use Cosmo alone on the lid or use glitter glue that you start to see the red base that is dispersed throughout the glitter (or the glitter throughout it). When you layer Cosmo over the top of other shades on the lid, you don’t see as much red pigment and you see more glitter. At first, I used this over the top of a shade on the lid and I thought that it had absolutely no pigment and only glitter, and it wasn’t until I tried it alone that I noticed it does have some red pigment to it. Even when I applied Cosmo over lighter shades on the lid, it didn’t come up as red as it does when it’s applied alone, which is a good thing in my opinion because it means you can use it over pretty much any shade and it won’t dominate or alter the pigmentation/colour too much.

Even though I love this shade and it performs well, I try and avoid it as much as I can because it’s just so messy. This just isn’t with this glitter, all cosmetic glitter’s are messy and I don’t like using them all the time. Still, I think it’s good that Huda added this shade into the palette because it gives you a lot more options, and is there when you want to create a nice, glittery look.

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Turkish Delight is a red, burgundy shade that has a Pressed Pearl (Shimmery) finish. It has the same soft, powdery consistency as the other Pressed Pearl shades, and works pretty much the exact same way as the rest do. Turkish Delight has full pigmentation and opacity, and applies to the eyes extremely brightly and you do not need to use spray fix plus or wet your brush for it to pop up.

This shade looks beautiful on the lid, and really nice on the undereyes as liner too. The best brush to use is a synthetic shader/concealer brush, I like to apply first with my finger, and then start to pack it up using a brush. If you want Turkish Delight to pop even further, adding spray fix plus to your brush will do the trick but again, it’s not necessary and it shows up extremely pigmented without the help of spray fix plus.

All in all, Turkish Delight is extremely pigmented, performs exceptionally well and looks really nice on the lid. It complements most of the other shades in the palette and looks good on the eyes alone or in combination with other shades. This isn’t my favourite colour though. I don’t like red-based, warm looks very much and this shade is extremely warm. Nonetheless, it is a good quality eyeshadow!

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Saffron is a red brown shade with a Matte Finish that has the same soft, powdery consistency as the other mattes in the palette (except Amethyst, which is drier). It has a bit of fall-out, but it’s nothing crazy and nothing to worry about.

Saffron applies extremely well to the eyes, and has extremely good blendiability and build-ability. It is pigmented and opaque, but not too pigmented which is good because you can build it up in the crease little by little instead of getting a massive colour pay-off straight away, which can be hard to blend out. I did find that it comes up more brown on the eye than it does in the pan, and while I wasn’t bothered by that it’s something to take note of.

Saffron works really well with the other shades in the palette, especially the other red-based, brown matte shades. When you apply Saffron over the lighter red-brown shades (amber and oud), or even the orange shades (Eden & Blazing), it deepens everything up and gives the look a finishing, defining effect.  It performs really well and is an amazing crease shade. I do think it is pretty similar to Amber, even though it is certainly more red based, you could most likely build Amber up to look similar to Saffron, so I am not sure if this shade was necessary for the palette but nonetheless, it’s a good shade.

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Blazing is a bright, pure orange shade with a soft, matte consistency that is the same as the other mattes in the palette (again, except for Amethyst). It performs extremely well, blends out on the eyes absolutely perfectly, and has a high colour pay-off with high opacity. This shade is one of my FAVOURITE matte shades in the palette. It just looks so amazing in the crease area, it and can be worn alone or added over or under other shades to give a gradient/defined effect. Just like the other mattes, it works best in the crease with a fluffy blending brush.

Blazing also works on the lid, but like it’s paler, orange sister (Eden – shade 3), it does take a bit of patience to build up here. I recommend using a synthetic brush dry to build it up, and then going back in with a wet synthetic brush (spray fix plus or water) to make the colour pop. Even then, I do prefer Blazing as a crease shade, but it can certainly be worn on the lid and look good, especially when you add a duo-chrome shade on top of it.

All in all, Blazing performs amazing on the eye, blends extremely well and can be built up to whatever intensity you want it to be. It has a high colour pay-off, and is just a good shade to work with in general.

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Overall Review/Conclusion Under Swatches!! Keep Scrolling 🙂

The Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette, which has 18 eyeshadows in 4 different finishes and is a pretty good, valuable palette for the price. Each shade performs extremely well, and I found that the palette doesn’t have any extremely horrible or bad shades. Only 1 shade in the palette – Desert Sand, which is shade 1- was ranked lower than 6.5, and the only reason I ranked it so low is because it looked extremely sheer on my pale skin. It came down to preference and how ,much I liked the shade, and the low ranking wasn’t due to performance, just preference. This means that every shade performed and ranked extremely well and I really did not have trouble with any of the shades. They are all very useable, and are pretty much a dream to work with, with the exception of Cosmo (the pure glitter shade), that get’s quite messy.

I am now going to talk briefly about how each finish performed. Remember, there are 4 finishes in the Huda Desert Dusk Palette – Pressed Pearls, Mattes, Duo-Chrome Toppers and a Pure Glitter

Mattes Shades (x8)

Desert Sand, Musk, Eden, Amber, Oud, Amethyst, Saffron and Blazing

The 8 matte shades in the Desert Dusk Palette all perform extremely, extremely well. Each one – except for Amethyst– has the same soft, powdery consistency and work the same way on the eye. Amethyst , which is the bright purple matte shade, has a more dry, hard consistency and in comparison with the other matte shades, is harder to build up on the eyes and is slightly patchy and less pigmented. However, it still works and you just have to spend some more time building it up. It certainly isn’t a bad shade, but is different to the other mattes which is probably because purple shades can be hard to formulate.

In terms of application, all 8 matte shades work beautifully in the crease, and they blend out so effortlessly with a fluffy blending brush. They also look really good in the outer corner to add definition, and can be worn on the lid. Some shades are more pigmented than others and will require more building up. For example, the two orange shades – Eden and Blazing – tend to be more pigmented upon first application, whereas the other shades require a bit more building up.

All in all, the matte shades in the palette are a breeze to work with, and I can get good use out of each and every shade (with the exception of Desert Sand, which is too light for me). The downside is that I wish that there was less red-toned, warm mattes and more cool toned, brown mattes. Musk is the only cool brown shade, and the rest are very warm. Oud is the only other slightly cool brown shade that I can use with Musk and use when I want to AVOID red, but even then, it has red and purple tones and isn’t fully cool. The colour set-up is great for people who like warm shadows in the crease, but I really prefer cool brown shades over red’s because I just don’t like warm eyeshadow looks all that much.

DUO-CHROME Shades (x3)

Twilight, Retrograde, Celestial

The Duo-Chrome Topper shades in the palette are very glittery and sparkly, but have a base pigment and a tint of colour to them. I found that Twilight is more pigmented than Retrograde and Celestial, and looks better on the lid alone, but each Duo-Chrome comes up fully pigmented and bright on the lid. I was NOT expecting the duo-chrome shades to actually be so pigmented and look so good on the lid alone because in my head, I imagined really sheer shades that would only come up on top of other shades, but thats deffo not the case so I was pleasantly surprised.

Pressed Pearl Shades (x6)

Nefertiti, Angelic, Royal, Turkish Delight, Blood Moon and Cashmere

The 6 Pressed Pearl Shades in the palette share the same soft, gritty and shimmery consistency. They are all extremely pigmented and apply to the eyes with full opacity, and you do not need to use spray fix plus to get them to show up, which is common with other shimmery eyeshadows on the market.

I did find that Angelic, Cashmere and Nefertiti have some duo-chrome reflects to them, and Blood Moon, Royal and Turkish Delight are one colour and have no reflects. At first I did think the first 3 were duo-chrome shades because they have that nice, reflective effect to them but they are deffo classed as Pressed Pearls and you can tell because they have a more opaque finish than the duo-chromes do, and they don’t have any visible sparkles in them.

Every single Pressed Pearl shade is absolutely beautiful on the eyes. I find that they look the best all over the lid, and applied under the eyes as lower lash eyeliner. They have such a high colour pay-off, and there is not ONE shade that I dislike.

Pure Glitter (x1)

The 1 Pure Glitter shade in the palette – Cosmo – performs the same way as any pressed glitter in a palette does. It is messy, but it applies to the eyes really well.

In terms of the colour selection/theme of the palette, I do have a few things to say. For one, I found that there were way to many red-toned/warm crease and matte shades, and not enough cool toned, matte crease shades. For example, Musk is the only cool brown shade in the palette that has a matte finish, and there are 5 matte warm, red and orange shades which is annoying to me. I am someone who prefers cool shades WAY more than red shades, I just can’t wear them everyday. I think instead of adding Saffron or Amber, which are pretty much the same red brown shade with Amber just being slightly lighter, Huda should of picked one and then added a deep cool brown shade. You really do not need this many neutral/warm shades in one palette when each one is going to pretty much look the exact same way on the eyes anyway.

Another thing that annoyed me a bit was the number of glittery shades. The duo-chrome topper shades are very glittery, and most of the shimmer shades do have a bit of glitter too- like Angelic and Nefertiti. It does gets to the point where you are sick to death of glitter and want to create something without it, but after a while you do run into road blocks in terms of the different looks you can produce that do not involve glitter or the duo-chrome shades. After using the palette for a while, I am kind of sick of glitter at this point, but I am sure once I have a break I will be loving it again but still, it can be annoying so take that into consideration. If you do not like glitter, you will not like this palette because it is full of glitter.

All in all, as you can see, you can get so much use out of the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette. All of the shades perform extremely well on the eyes, and there is enough variety for you to be able to create 14+ different looks. I think when palettes are priced in the mid range like this palette is, you have to be able to get multiple, distinguishable looks out of it, and Huda’s palette has lived up to that. Even though I get slightly annoyed with glitter and want more cool toned matte shades, there is no denying that this palette is very unique and extremely beautiful and it works perfectly. I am a big fan!!

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What do you think of the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette?? Let me know in the comments below babes!!!

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Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette Full, In-Depth Review!! Huda Beauty recently released her new eyeshadow palette - the Desert Dusk Palette- and today, I am going to be…

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The Secret Of Movie Theater Popcorn Machine Recipe Finally Reviewed!

What is the best thing about going to a movie with your friends or family? Well, I don’t know about you, but for me, the smell of freshly made popcorn coming out of the vending machine is why I usually go to watch a movie. Jokes apart, but I love the popcorn made by the movie theater popcorn machine. Are you curious to know more about movie theater popcorn machine recipe?

Don’t worry as today you can easily get to know more about how popcorn is made in the movie theater popcorn machine and which ingredient gives them a distinct flavor.

Although popcorn might lean more to the unhealthy side of snack but there are some natural and organic options out there that make this snack so much less evil to your health. So, are you looking to make movie theater popcorn with popcorn machine? Read on the article as we are sharing the best movie theater popcorn machine recipe with you today!

Popcorn is a delicious and can be quite a healthy snack if not taken moderately. If you pop the kernels in an air fryer, microwave, popcorn maker or on the stove, you can enjoy a whopping 2 cups of popcorn without consuming more than 100 calories. If you think about it, in just 100 calories, you are enjoying an amazing dose of vitamins, whole grains, and minerals and satisfying your hunger in a delicious manner.

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Quick Navigation

How To Make Butter Popcorn In Microwave?

Flavacol – The delicious popcorn flavoring

What is the Difference Between Artificial and Natural Flavors?

Natural Flavors

Artificial Flavors

Movie Theater Popcorn Machine Recipe

Cooking steps:

Best Kernels for Movie Style Popcorn

How To Make Butter Popcorn In Microwave?

If you are planning to air pop the kernels in the microwave, you just need popcorn, butter, and a small brown paper bag. Put in the popcorn in the bag, pour in some butter, salt, and fold the top twice to secure it. Microwave the bag on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until you stop hearing the popping of the kernels. Isn’t it an easy way to enjoy a bag full of delicious popcorn?

While this is an easy way to enjoy homemade popcorn, it cannot beat the movie theater popcorn as they are amazingly delicious as they come mixed with interesting spices and more. The popcorn is salty, buttery and leaves you asking for more. Sometimes, you may try pouring butter over the popcorn but you cannot get the same taste. Don’t lose your heart as you will soon get to know the best movie theater popcorn machine recipe.

Flavacol – The delicious popcorn flavoring

Do you know there’s a secret ingredient that really makes the theater popcorn delicious and tempting? Well, the answer is Flavacol and popcorn oil. Even if you have tried making popcorn theater-styled but were unsuccessful the first time, there’s always another time. You can purchase Flavacol on Amazon and it is an ingredient that attracts consumers rather than the theater attendants to eat more popcorn.

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The 9 Best Popcorn Kernels for Your Every Occasion Treats August 4, 2017

9 Best Oil for Popcorn Machine to Pop Movie Theater Quality Popcorns August 23, 2017

The Secret Of Movie Theater Popcorn Machine Recipe Finally Reviewed! September 13, 2017

What is the Difference Between Artificial and Natural Flavors?

Advancement in technology has given us the freedom to control what we eat and how we eat it. It has allowed humans to create new or modify new food. Have you come across food products that contain artificial flavors? Do you often wonder how the artificial and natural flavor differs?

Natural Flavors

Natural flavor is often defined as the essential oil, essence or protein hydrolysate that contains flavoring often derived from vegetable juice, spices, plant material, fruit juice, edible yeast, dairy products, and herbs. The significant function of these products is to flavor the food rather than offering nutritional value.

Artificial Flavors

There are some products that are labeled with “Artificial flavoring label.” Artificial flavoring means unnatural and cheap imitation products. Now, are you thinking why do people still use these flavors in their food? The answer is simple, the synthetic chemical generally cost less and are potentially safer as they have been tested and used rigorously.

For instance; the compound vanillin exists both as natural flavor and artificial flavor. While processing and extracting vanillin from the orchid native to Mexico is a lengthy and expensive process, the synthetic version of vanillin is far easy to make and is a less expensive process.

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Movie Theater Popcorn Machine Recipe

To make movie theater popcorn need to start by collecting the ingredients.

1/2 cup of kernels

Flavacol

Movie theater popcorn oil (clarified butter)

Tips: Do you know that while making popcorn, movie theaters don’t use real butter, they use Flavacol which is considered as a secret ingredient? Flavacol consists of sodium, FD&C Yellow #5 Lake (E102), artificial butter flavor (ABF), Yellow #6 Lake (E110). While salt is the primary ingredient, Yellow #6 Lake (E110) and FD&C Yellow #5 Lake (E102) gives the popcorn an appealing bright yellow color.

Cooking steps:

1. The first step is to clarify the butter which is generally known as movie theater popcorn oil (butter flavored oil). If you are using ghee, skip the part and begin by melting the ghee. But for people who are not using ghee, they need to clarify the butter. Start by putting in a stick of butter in a measuring cup.

2. Microwave the butter on high for 30 to 40 seconds while stirring in between. The butter will be melted and foam.

3. The butter will separate the butter in three layers – top layer is the foam, second clarified butter, and the third layer is the milk solid. Don’t worry if you don’t find the layers to be super clean after taking it out of the microwave. As soon as the butter cools down, the layers will become clean. We are indulging in this step to get rid of water to keep the popcorn crunchy.

4. Next, take a spoon and skim off the foam from the top. Again, here no need to work with precision but try to remove as much as possible.

5. After removing the foam, you will be left with a clear layer of clarified butter. Set it aside.

6. Next, we will start the popping process. Start by placing a big pot on the fire with a lid. Don’t use a pot with the heavy base because you will need to shake the pot throughout the process.

7. Put the pan on high heat and in coconut oil.

8. After the oil melts completely, put in the kernels.

9. Shake the pot and make sure the popcorn gets a nice coating of oil.

10. Shake the pan after some time to mix up the kernels and keep them from burning.

11. You will soon start hearing the kernel pops. Now you will be more excited to see the action happen quickly.

12. Next, put the lid on while keeping a slight space to release the steam. If you don’t put up the lid, the popcorn will fly all over the kitchen.

13. You still need to shake the pot frequently. The cooked corns will come on the surface while the unpopped ones will stay at the bottom.

14. After a few minutes, the sound of popping will slow down. This is when you need to turn off the burner and let the popcorn sit for a few minutes.

15. Go on and grab the butter and slowly start to pour it into the popcorn. In the beginning, you will see nothing but bright yellow clarified butter.

16. At the end of the butter, you will see the third layer. Stop before you pour it into the popcorn. You can use the milk solids to make some other interesting dish.

17. Stir up the popcorn so that they get a touch of the delicious butter.

18. Sprinkle on the secret ingredient – flavacol and add some flavorings if you want.

19. Finally, start a movie, choose a cozy place and enjoy the delicious movie theater popcorn.

Tips: Serve the popcorn immediately while the kernels are warm and before they become soggy. However, popcorn can be stored in an airtight container for a day.

Best Kernels for Movie Style Popcorn

Popcorn used by movie theaters pop into large snowflake shapes which come from butterfly kernels. While you can get your hands on a variety of popcorn, white and yellow colors are prominent. You can easily get your hands on commercially used popcorn at a grocery store near you or buy at online.

So, if popcorn is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words – crunchy, hot, salty and buttery then make sure you try your hands at the best movie theater popcorn machine recipe, above. The aroma of freshly baked popcorn is hard to resist and the secret ingredient makes the recipe mouthwatering.

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