#but stuff like garlic and spinach needs to be out in the back

[unexpectedbrickattack]

idk why but you reblogging that ask u did about Peppino performing for Brick reminded me, and I just NEEDED to share this silly idea but... Peppino gardening... just, like, garlic and tomato plants n stuff, it's cheaper than buying all the time, even if he's not exactly growing enough to make that much of a dent in his bills, it's about the PROCESS PEOPLE and just aekssf Peppino in his little garden tending to his little plants and some flowers, it started out as something to help with personal costs but now it's such a soothing activity it's his little zone and he tells no one about it and making a pizza with his own home grown tomatoes just hits different when he's in a real rough mood. just yeah peppino gardening...

WAUGH this is so cute omg…I cant see him growing TOO MUCH bc some veggies are so fucking delicate but garlic seems doable! Same with stuff like basil and thyme and oregano. Its not necessarily low maintenance but you dont need to constantly get expensive resources to maintain them. Maybe he uses SOME of it for his shop but i can definitely see him using most of it for his own cooking bc hes been doing it since he was young, way back when he was still living w his parents (and he just got the habit from them)

I hc him with a small house (that hes forced to use as collateral to keep the shop open) so like, he would definitely have the space to grow some other small veggies like spinach n tomatoes. With his shop failing miserably hes got Plenty of time to at least go out and make sure theyre not dying 😭 But i can see him making it look more lively postgame when hes got the proper funds to keep the shop open. Old man tending to his tiny little garden :) its mindless work really and it keeps his hands busy. When hes more used to Gus and Brick (and any company in general lbr) coming over to visit; Brick helps with gardening too; his hugeass Rat Hands can tear up at the soil way better than Peppino and his little trowel can. And w the shop doing well he can afford to take days off and even open later in the day so he has more time to himself to do other things (like tend to his tiny garden) (or maybe fucking sleep in for once)

#answered #chattin #peppino #HONESTLY it is just WAY cheaper to buy things in bulk when ur a shop owner #so the money hed save for buying a bucket of seasonings is way more worth it than waiting for some little basil leaves to grow #but also #its about the process. i get u anon i get u 💖 #he has a bunch of little pots on his kitchen shelf and he just plucks leaves whenever he needs them #but stuff like garlic and spinach needs to be out in the back #and also…gardening kind of sucks ass if u have to plant a whole bunch of things 😭 its way more manageable when u keep less varied #so he has no more than like. 2 plant types out back. god forbid u grow some specific veg in the same soil as something else; itd explode 💥 #but this aint about technicalities its about the VISUAL and the PROCESS #and peppino in his tiny garden postgame and looking ACTUALLY happy is so cute #and also brick is there in a sun hat💙 #also peppino and noise bonding (kind of) by him making the noise do Manual Labor and watching him crack under bags of fertilizer heehee

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

for the prompts to shake things up: 21 with thb and/or anyone else you feel like from at the bureau, if you feel so inclined!

"so it was YOU who took a full bite out of that stick of butter!! please. please. why??" from this prompt list!

Taako can’t stand living with other people.

Eh, that’s a little harsh, he supposes. He can stand it just fine, he just hates it. That’s a little nicer. Probably.

It’s not so much the being around other people he hates, it’s the sharing of space. He’s very particular with how he thinks stuff should be arranged. That’s not such a bad thing, he thinks.

But the communal kitchen thing will probably kill him if it doesn’t kill a colleague first.

He swears he’s the only motherfucker on this moon who has any idea what food safety even is. Every single day he has to remind these dunces that meat can’t defrost on the counter and milk shouldn’t be stored in the door and that you shouldn’t eat two fucking deviled eggs that have been sitting out on a windowsill for gods know how long, are you actually a lunatic?

That’s why he takes advantage of the kitchen at, what some might call, whack ass hours. Nobody to bother him, nobody sniffing around his pots and pans, nobody trying to sneak a bite.

He doesn’t share food and nobody needs to know why.

He’s craving an omelet. A fancy one. One with potatoes. And spinach. And lots of goat cheese. And onions. And garlic.

He’s contemplating more components as he whips his eggs up. As he’s rummaging around one of the cabinets he’s charmed, he idly wonders whose bright idea it was to build a secret moonbase without decent storage in the living spaces. His hand closes around the cool metal of his nice copper pan and he does his best to extract it noiselessly.

He turns the burner on and looks around for his nice butter. They apparently like, sing to the cows or some shit. It’s one of the little luxuries he’ll indulge in since it just makes food taste so much better. When he pulls it out of the fridge, however, he’s horrified to see just how the damn stick’s been brutalized.

He can’t use the rest of the stick, the thought genuinely makes him want to gag. So now he’s out a nice breakfast and a few silver pieces.

Good thing he’s going to be so calm and normal about this butter abuse.

-

Attention all occupants of this dormitory, please make your way to the kitchen ASAP. Or else.

Taako, what are you—

All good here, Madam D, never you mind!

Taako, this is inappropriate use of Bureau—

The intercom cuts off abruptly. Even with having just met the guy, Magnus has a feeling that Taako means business and isn’t keen on waiting. Merle and Robbie stir and make their way to the elevator. On their way down to the kitchen, even more groggy Bureau members step onto the elevator.

Merle and Magnus find themselves quietly humming along to the tune.

They all find Taako standing in the dorm kitchen and scowling. He says nothing for a moment before marching up to Robbie. “Open your mouth.”

He looks down the line at other Bureau members. “Uh, wh—”

“Just show me your teeth and this will be painless,” Taako demands, clutching a stick of butter in other hand.

After a reasonable amount of hesitation, Robbie opens his mouth and grimaces, exposing his teeth.

Taako squints, looking from the butter to Robbie’s mouth and back to the butter. “Close it, you’re clean.”

“Taako, what’re you doing ‘sides freaking out Rusty here?” Merle asks.

“Uh my name’s actually Robbie,” Robbie clarifies before being waved off by Taako.

“Well, Merle, I was just trying to make myself a bangin’ breakfast. Big ol’ omelet with a ton of shit. But do you know what the first step of making an omelet is?” Taako paces up and down the line of Bureau members he’s assembled in the kitchen, smacking the stick of butter in his hand against his palm.

“Cracking some eggs?” Avi ventures. Taako glares at him.

“Cracking some eggs,” Taako repeats, “Is but one of many ‘first steps’ in making an omelet. Don’t ask how there are multiple first steps, I am a wizard and a chef, not a fucking scientist. But perhaps the most important step is putting a big knob of butter in the pan and letting it become nice and foamy. But I can’t do that today! And do any of you care to venture a guess as to why?”

He’s met with blank stares. Typical.

“It’s because one of you has decided to bite into my stick of butter with your gaping wide maw,” Taako hisses.

“Can’t you just like, transmute some more butter or some shit? That way you don’t have to interrogate us at ass-o’clock in the morning?” Killian says flatly.

It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment, but Taako’s jaw tightens and his eyes harden a little. Whatever comes out of his mouth next is going to be some evasive shit and Magnus knows it. And he’s not sure how.

“It’s about the principle of it all,” Taako deflects. That tracks.

“Wait, I thought we were calling her the Director, not the principal,” Merle interjects.

Taako casts him a withering glare. “Also, who has the spell slots to waste?”

Magnus grimaces and puts his hand up. “Hey, listen, Taako. Don’t be mad—”

“Probably gonna be mad now, my man.”

“—But it was me,” Magnus admits. “You can check it against my teeth or something.”

“I could cast Zone of Truth,” Merle offers.

“Eh, not so sure you should be wasting your spell slots. After all, they’re so helpful when you use them,” Taako says. “Why the actual shit have you done this?”

Magnus looks around sheepishly for a minute. “Well, I was eating this spicy soup, like really spicy, and my mouth was burning and you said that drinking milk straight from the carton was a no go but I also knew that dairy soothed mouth burn.”

Taako doesn’t say anything for a little while. He pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh that could extinguish a hundred years’ worth of birthday candles. “So instead of drinking milk straight from the carton, you decide to bite my stick of nice butter.”

Magnus nods.

“I hate the moon.” He tosses the stick of butter towards Magnus. “You’re all dismissed, except Magnus who is going to Fantasy Costco, replacing my butter, and dealing with that cat at the cash register.”

#rip (reeses in pieces) #anistarrose #thanks rose!! #reese writes #taz balance #it is vital to me that we all operate under the assumption that the first dorm thb lived in did have a big communal kitchen #that was shared with the rest of the dorm #and also this takes place before murder on the rockport limited which is why they aren't calling robbie pringles yet lsdfjlsd

[brightgnosis]

We decided to do our meal planning last night, visit his mom at the Clinic, and then go do our shopping. Pretty happy with this week's meal plan again- even though I'm still carrying meals over from last week, ha.

Meatballs with Orzo, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Pulled Pork Burgers and French Fries

Steak and Lamb Gyros

Ginger-Sesame Pork over White Rice

Lasagna with Garlic Bread

And then for Shabbat tonight I picked out Chicken Eggplant Margherita with Kasha Varnishkes and Challah (obviously); Even picked out next week's Shabbat meal already, too: Fish in Peperonata Sauce.

I did mess up and buy Swai fillets for next week's Shabbat without checking to make sure it was Kosher first. It is not 🤦‍♀️ It's a type of Catfish, so it doesn't have scales. I should've googled it first, but I was thinking about what freezer space I had available and the other bagged fish were too big for what little freezer space I have left. I don't feel quite as weird eating a non-Kosher fish on Shabbat, though, compared to eating Pork. It feels more like a genuine "oops, just do better and remember to Google next time" rather than a blatant violation by eating something I know is definitively treif in every way.

I poked around after we got back and actually did manage to find my Meal Planning "chalkboard" a lot easier than I anticipated! Turns out I'd kind of just chucked it on top of the art pile in the corner of the Laundry Room and called it good, ha. It needed a really good clean when I pulled it out, though ... I can't remember the last time I actually cleaned the thing; probably never, if I'm being honest.

Got it cleaned up ... And broke it in the process ... Got it ducktaped back together, then wrote up our meal plan for the week ... Kind of.

The board is very "standard American working calendar"- which is no longer how we do our grocery shopping. So it wound up working out a little wonky. I'm going to have to go back to grocery shopping late Saturday nights (after Havdalah) or early Sunday morning (before Church rush). It still worked out well enough, though, even if I'm missing 2 days for this week's plan we did last night.

I put both the Hebrew date and the Gregorian dates on it, and even looked up the times for next week's Shabbat and Havdalah. I'm hoping this'll help me remember to keep Shabbat 🤞

It did take me an annoyingly long time to figure out where to actually put it, however. But I did want to re-do the wall next to my desk anyways, so I settled on putting it there. It took a bit, but I got it all rearranged eventually.

It should be easy enough to get up and down. Plus, it's right there where I spend most of my time when I'm not gardening or cleaning, so I should have an easier time being reminded that I need to do stuff like pull food out to defrost (which has been my largest hurdle to getting back into cooking full time again). Fingers crossed this works, ha.

This blog belongs to a «Multi-Neuroatypical + Multi-Disabled» «Queer» «Childless» «Jewish + Pagan» «NonTraditionalist» Homemaker. TradWives are unwelcome.

#Personal #2024 #Homemaking #Homemaker #Housewife #NonTrad Homemaker #NonTrad Housewife #NonTrad Homemaking #Food Is The Ultimate Love Language #Just Potential Jewish Convert Things #Jewish Studies

[dirtbag-linecook-kyloren]

Spinach Asparagus Risotto

OKAY SO @tinpotterror (WHY WONT TUMBLR EVER LET ME TAG U ILL JUST SEND IT TO U)

the first thing to cover is that recipes, like real recipes in cookbooks, have been tested and written carefully, thought about and shit

I'm going to do none of that because the few recipes I have written are so full of shorthand to be illegible to anyone else, and they're only for baking

but I start with the things I need to do before you ever get the shallots for the 'sotto going

the chicken was just chicken thighs with salt pepper oil chili powder and onion powder, cooked on 400 until done and then set to the side. i nuked it in the mike to serve because chicken thighs are forgiving abt that, chicken breast less so.

the vegetables were cooked on a sheet tray at 400 for ??? until the tomatoes started to blister. It was a pound of asparagus, ends chopped off, cut into like... 1/3-1/2 inch long pieces and a pint of... grape? tomatoes cut in half. If you have thick asparagus i'd leave teh tomatoes hole, because youll need a longer cook time, but mine were really thin which Im not pleased abt but whatever

while ur cutting veg i'd chop your shallot, I go for pieces the same size as the rice grain, when I'm adding it to any rice dish, because I DO NOT like cooked onion texture and I want to lose it in there. set it aside

ur also gonna want to grate your own parmesan, i use a microplane, pregrated cheese is covered in cornstarch to keep it from sticking together and It fucks with the consistency of everything

I also cooked 4 slices of bacon and rough chopped them, set them to the side. Save the grease if you want to use it to sautee ur onions, i did bc i wanted the extra flavor. otherwise use ur oil of choice

the most annoy part was blanching the spinach? you can ABSOLUTELY just rough chop some spinach and throw that shit in after you've added the other veg, but i had a whole bunch i needed to process that I got for free from work. You get a large pot of water, boil, dump in your spinach. dump into a strainer, squeeze out some of hte excess water, but be careful it's hot as hell, and then dump it onto a sheet tray and throw it into the freezer for a few minutes. Take it out, blend or food process it, and then put it back on the tray and then back in the freezer. i know ur about to use it, in this case, but cooling it quickly helps retain the color, some bullshit to do with chlorophyll

then you can start the 'sotto. take ur bacon grease or oil, let that get hot, then add ur shallots. when they get transparent, add minced garlic, i use the jar kind because I'm VERY LAZY, give that a minute, listen to the sizzles, dump in ur optional bacon, and then u add ur rice. get the rice to stock ratios from a random recipe online, that's what I did, and then you toast that shit for a little bit. I don't really know WHY you're supposed to do this, maybe depth of flavor maybe liquid retention?? i just know that you DO and it helps or some shit.

once it's like, toasted, (I had a lot of rice and a bit too much fat so it took like five minutes), add your stock like, 1/2 a cup at a time? I don't measure, so idk if i'm actually adding 1/2? you just add a little stock, let it get fully absorbed, and then add more. when you can scrape the bottom of the pan and the like, goo stuff, stays fully in place, thats when ur good to add more. once you've added all the stock, dump the spinach puree in, if you pureed it, because it will have to come to temp. then add the veggies you roasted, then ADD the parmesean, then let it cook a bit longer to get everything together

i don't cook with alcohol really, so I don't use white wine, but i know lots of recipes do use it? i hope that ANY of this makes sense, but that's what I did!

oh yeah and then nuke the chicken in chef mike and put it on top and BAM you got 'sotto!!!

[curvycarbivore]

Ricotta and Sausage Stuffed Manicotti (Vegan)

Yield: 5 servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Total time: 1 hour

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hungry Planet plant-based meats are truly nutritious, featuring fewer calories, less fat, no saturated fat, and no unnecessary ingredients. The sausage crumbles are especially one of my favorites; they're so easy to add to any recipe and will turn your boring jarred pasta sauce into a deliciously meaty meal. Hungry Planet also offers other easy-to-cook-with plant-based meats like grilled chicken strips, Thai meatballs, Italian sausage meatballs, and more. Find them in the freezer section at your local Sprouts Market and Shop Hungry!

Ingredients:

1 box (8 oz) of manicotti noodles

1 package (8 oz) of Hungry Planet Italian Sausage™ Crumbles

1 tbsp cooking oil (grapeseed or canola)

1 block (14 oz) of firm tofu

3 tbsp vegan cream cheese

1/2 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, divided in half

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach (or 1/2 cup of frozen spinach)

1 jar (25 oz) red pasta sauce

Directions:

Lightly grease a 9x13, 3" deep pan or glass baking dish and set aside.

Start by boiling the noodles.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the entire box of manicotti noodles.

Boil the noodles according to the "al dente" instructions on the box, usually for about 7 minutes.

Once they are cooked, turn off the heat and carefully remove the noodles from the water. Lay each noodle out on a fresh towel to dry, making sure they are not touching each other.

While the noodles are boiling, prepare the sausage crumbles.

In a medium sized bowl, add the entire jar of red sauce. Set aside.

Heat a medium sized frying pan on the stove over medium heat.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan.

Add the entire bag of Hungry Planet sausage crumbles to the pan and quickly mix to coat the crumbles in the oil.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes or until the sausage crumbles are just defrosted (do not overcook since they will be baked in the oven).

Remove half of the sausage crumbles and add them to the bowl with the red sauce. Mix and set aside.

Add the spinach to the frying pan with the other half of the sausage crumbles and cook until the spinach has wilted (or defrosted if you're using frozen).

Remove the sausage/spinach mixture from heat and set aside.

Next, prepare the tofu ricotta filling.

Remove the tofu from the package and gently press it with a kitchen towel to remove some of the excess moisture.

Place the tofu in a large mixing bowl and use the back of a fork to break it up into fluffy crumbles.

Add the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, oregano, garlic powder, and salt to the tofu and mix until everything is evenly combined.

Gently fold in the entire sausage/spinach mixture to the bowl with the tofu.

Now that you have the boiled manicotti noodles, ricotta sausage mixture, and sausage red sauce done, it's time to stuff the manicotti.

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

Using a small spoon, fill each manicotti noodle with the tofu mixture. Try to fill about 10-12 noodles (you need less filling per noodle than you think, maybe about 2.5-3 tbsp per noodle).

Place the filled manicotti noodles in the greased baking dish.

Once all the manicotti noodles are stuffed, top them evenly with the sausage red sauce mixture.

Sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of mozzarella shreds on top of the red sauce.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven, uncover, and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Top with some fresh basil leaves or oregano for a garnish.

Tips and Tricks:

The Hungry Planet sausage crumbles can also be defrosted in the microwave! Simply microwave them on high for about 1 minute, then mix in the roughly chopped spinach and microwave for another minute or until the spinach is wilted (or defrosted).

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 2 minutes or until the manicotti noodles are warmed through. Top with extra red sauce and cheese if desired.

#entrees #advertisement #vegan recipes #vegan food #pasta recipes #christmas recipes #pasta #go vegan #tofu #tofu recipe

[whentherewerebicycles]

unbelievably easy plant-based meal #6: roasted butternut squash pasta with chickpeas, walnuts, spinach, and sage

this one was delish. involved a little more mess than previous dishes but still basically a very easy meal that comes together in about 20-25 min (and not all of that time is active cooking time either).

what you need: 2 cups cubed butternut squash, 1 shallot, 1 tbs or three cloves of garlic, fresh sage, big handfuls of spinach, half a cup of chickpeas, whole wheat pasta, butter, oil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice.

what you do:

preheat the oven to 400 & roast the butternut squash for 20 min. boil water & cook pasta while squash is roasting (you’ll save 1/2 cup of the pasta water at the end btw).

thinly slice scallion. mince garlic. roughly chop sage. once the butternut squash is close or done, heat a pan over medium to medium high heat with olive oil + 1 tbs butter. cook the scallion for about 5 min or until translucent. toss in the sage for 30 more seconds.

add garlic, chickpeas and chopped walnuts if desired (okay to leave out), and the roasted butternut squash to the pan. cook until lightly browned and fragrant. add a splash of lemon juice and balsamic. (personally I didn’t love the balsamic in there and was only so so on the walnuts but both were fine.)

add the drained pasta and 1/4th cup of pasta water to the big pan with the other stuff. mix it all up over medium low heat. add a little more water if it’s sticking. if you eat cheese you can also add Parmesan or pecorino. ooh and almost forgot: throw in big handfuls of spinach and mix until wilted! I am discovering the delights of wilting things aka the single most painless way to eat lots of leafy greens without even noticing.

enjoy!!!

this one was a bit messier but I’m also a messy cook so you might not find it difficult to minimize spills lol. and it didn’t take that long to clean up so I still consider it a very easy meal. I made a ton of it and will report back on how well it reheats!

if you are interested in portion sizing notes (not required lol eat exactly as you desire), I found that a one cup serving filled me up well and I probably would’ve been just as satisfied with a smaller serving if I’d had a diff measuring cup on hand. the chickpeas definitely make it feel heavier in your stomach (without feeling like a too-rich meal). YUM!!!

#unbelievably easy plant based meals #recipe book tag

[lovemesomesurveys]

What was the name of the main character in the last book you read? Eva Rae Thomas. Do you own a pair of Disney pajamas? Yes. What are three of your favorite toppings for salads? Cheese, hard boiled eggs, olives. What was the last place you went out to eat? A local diner. Do you have a lot of clutter in your home? Kind of. We’re 4 adults in a 2-bedroom house that we outgrew a long time ago. We all just have too much stuff even though we’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff. We just need somewhere with more space.

What was the last pill you took? 💊 Pain med.  Are you happy with your current doctor? 👩‍⚕️🩺 I see a lot of different doctors and nurses here and majority of them are good. There was just one who I didn’t like. He wasn’t very friendly. Is there a bottle of Benadryl in your medicine cabinet? Yes. Do you take vitamins? Yeah, they give them to me daily here. Does your hair need to be washed right now? Yes. What was the last thing you ate? Actual food, it was a chocolate chip cookie and some chips. For over the past 2 months now I’ve been on a feeding tube and only getting supplements that way. The reason I can’t have actual food or drinks is because I have a trachea tube. :/ Do you prefer pizza or hot dogs? 🌭 🍕 Pizza. I oddly crave a hot dog now and then, though. What is your favorite pizza topping? 🍕 Spinach, feta and ricotta cheese, garlic, pesto, crumbled meatballs. Is your dad a jerk? No. What color are your fingernails painted? They’re not. Is anyone in your family currently in the military? No. What was the last thing you bought at the dollar store? My favorite chips (Andy Capp’s cheddar cheese fries). Are prices of things going up where you live? Yes. What color was the last carpet you sat on? Tan. What is your favorite dog breed? Labs and German Shepherds. When was the last time you wore make-up? 💄 Last year back in June for my brother’s grad party. What was the last thing you ordered at the last restaurant you went to? Eggs with biscuits and gravy. What was the last thing you wore that was pink? I don’t recall. That’s not a color I tend to wear. I don’t think I even have a pink shirt, actually. Name three people you know, if any, that currently live in another country. No one I know of. *shrug* Name three people you know who are from another country (and what countries?) -- What are your grandmas' names? I don’t want to share that. If applicable, who lives across the hall from you? -- Have you ever heard of "fairy har"? (It's tinsel in the hair that gets put in permanently...it's like tinsel highlights.) I have. I’ve wanted to get it for Christmastime. Have you found any gray hairs on your head? Several. :/ If applicable, how old were you when you found your first gray hair? I swear it was like the second I turned 30. Do you think you will dye your hair when it's gone gray? I’ll dye it before then. I was dyeing my hair for several years already, but couldn’t keep up with it the past couple years and my roots were so overgrown. Then I ended up chopping my hair off and it was super short, all the dyed hair was gone at that point. Once I’m able and my hair grows out more I’ll start dyeing it again. Do you have a sister-in-law? No. Do you have a brother-in-law? No. When was the last time you went swimming? 👙 ☀️ It’s been like 10 years. Do you own a bikini? Nooo. I would not be wearing a bikini.  What color is your bike, if you own one? -- If you were a rockstar, what color guitar would you have? 🎸 A rose gold one. What are three places you've been on vacation that you've enjoyed? Disneyland and a couple beachy, touristy towns. Does your home have carpeted floors? Only the bedrooms do. What color was the last scarf you wore? I don’t wear scarves. I don’t like things around my neck like that. What was the last spicy thing you ate? I haven’t been able to eat spicy food for the past 5 years now. D: I miss it so much, I was obsessed with it.  Do you like sushi? 🍣 Noo. When was the last time you had sushi? 🍱 I tried it once years ago and that was that. Can you see a box from where you are sitting right now? No. Would you rather sing or dance? 🎤 💃 Sing. What color was the last sports bra you wore, if applicable? -- What is your nicest neighbor's name? I don’t know my neighbors. Would you rather have a personal chef or personal house cleaner? Chef. Do you have any zits on your face right now? I don’t think so. Do you wear glasses or contacts? Glasses. How many Britney Spears albums have you owned? I think two. What was the first concert you went to? High School Musical in concert, ha. Do you like cheese? 🧀 I love cheese.  What are three of your favorite things to sprinkle cheese on top of? Ramen, eggs, pasta. What are three of your favorite bakery items? Muffins, donuts, cupcakes. When was the last time you went to a bakery? 🧁 I don’t recall. Do you prefer coffee or chai? ☕️ Coffee. Do you know what "chai" means? Doesn’t mean “tea”? So, when you say, “Chai tea latte”, you’re saying, “Tea tea latte?” haha. I thought I heard that. I don’t feel like looking it up. What are three other names you like that start with the same letter as your name? Scarlett, Sydney, Samantha.

What are three creative hobbies you enjoy? I like to color. That’s the only “creative” thing I do. Is there a bag or basket of yarn somewhere in your home? 🧶 No. Do you ever wear skirts? No. Do you ever find it hard to live in a world where nobody cares? I wouldn’t say “nobody” cares. What exactly are you referring to, like cares about what? I know my family cares about me. I don’t know if you’re referring to nobody caring about me or about other things. Would you rather have a tattoo of a skull or a flower? Skull. Have you ever had to take steroids? 💊 No. What are three of the worst withdrawal effects or side effects you have experienced from a medication? 💊 Flu-like symptoms. What are three things you like about church? The worship music, the sermon, and I really like my pastor. What are three things you dislike about church? There hasn’t been something I didn’t like from my experience. Does your town have a horse and carriage company? No. Who are three of the biggest jerks you know? I don’t know any jerks. Have you ever met a Jason that you didn't like? I don’t think so. Have you ever had a friend named Sarah? Yeah. Did you go to school with a Suzy? Possibly, but I’ve never known one. What was the name of the person who bullied you the most in high school? I wasn’t bullied, fortunately. Do you know someone named Matthew? No. ....Mark? No. ....Luke? No. ....John? Yes, just spelled differently. Have you ever been friends with an Ashley? No. ....an Emily? No. ....a Jessica? Yes. ....a David? Yes. Have you ever dated a Matthew? No. Who was the last person you remember hanging up on you? I don’t recall. How's your heart? Are you wounded? 💔 Not well, but not in the romantic sense. What was the last type of pie you ate? Cheesecake. Are you happy today? No. What time did you wake up this morning? Around 6AM. I got like 3 hours of sleep. And last but not least, did you enjoy this survey? It was fine. I hope you have a wonderful day! 😊

#personal #text #survey #surveys

[medicalmassagepensacola]

5 Tips to Prevent Shoulder Injuries

Did you know that shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries seen in an orthopedic practice? The shoulders have a wide range of motions, able to easily flow in and out of all planes of movement. This high mobility comes with a drawback though; it makes them much more prone to injury. Whether it’s for your job, home upkeep, or a hobby, repetitive movements of the shoulder can greatly increase your chances of hurting it. So, here are 5 tips to avoid those shoulder injuries.

#1 Check your posture

While a healthy, balanced posture is important for the proper movement of your neck and back, it’s also important for your shoulder health. When you slouch forward, you’re not just pulling the shoulder joints forward as you round your back, but also rotating them inward. This can create imbalances throughout the upper back, chest, and shoulders, putting extra strain through several of the structures that, over time, can lead to abnormal patterns of movement, making you more prone to injury.

#2 Always warm up

This may seem like a no brainer to some, but so many ignore this important step. And it’s important to remember, warmups aren’t just for workouts. If you have a physically demanding job or you’re going to be jumping into some activity your body isn’t used to, don’t skip this step. Take a few minutes to do some shoulder movements, stretches, and targeted warm-up exercises, preparing your shoulders and arms. It improves circulation, eliminates joint stiffness, and prepares your muscles for the movements ahead.

#3 Strengthen your shoulders

There are many shoulder injuries caused by weaknesses in specific muscles, so strengthening them can help you avoid injury. Oftentimes, through work or habitual motions we tend to do just a few movements within a certain plane and neglect others. Consider what motions you perform on a regular basis, and try to add in the other planes of movement. For example, if you’re constantly reaching in front of you and keeping your arms in toward your sides, try adding in some controlled movements and exercises that take your arms back, out to the side, and rotating outward. This can help balance out the strength in your shoulder, preventing many common injuries.

#4 Avoid sudden heavy loads

Let’s face it, when stuff needs to get done, it needs to get done. You may be impatient when it comes to relying on others for help, but trying to go into beast mode to take care of some heavy lifting by yourself is just asking for an injury. You have nothing to prove to yourself or anybody else, so ask for help. If you have to do things on your own, use levers, pulleys, or wheels to help. Be sure to stabilize well first, keep your elbows in toward your sides (the most stable positioning for your shoulder), and go slow.

#5 Eat healthy foods

Healthy eating is one of the most important aspects in your overall health, and your muscles and joints most definitely benefit from some specific nutrients. Protein rich foods like meats and legumes help your muscles recover and stay strong. Turmeric, ginger, and garlic are well-known for their anti-inflammatory properties. And calcium rich foods like milk, spinach, greens, and sweet potatoes can keep your bones strong. All of these work together to keep your muscles and joints working well, decreasing your chances of injury. And even if an unavoidable injury does happen, keeping your body well-nourished may speed up and enhance your recovery efforts.

So as you go about your daily routine, consider adding in some of these tips to keep your body healthy and injury free! 

#wellness #shoulder injury

[drvitaltips]

#FattyLiver #FoodstoAvoidwithFattyLiver

[hasufin]

Knoblauch

A while back, I got a trail camera. You see, I was trying to grow an herb garden.

(As an aside, I think herb gardens are great. Most herbs are hardy, take well to container gardening, and it’s practical to grow enough to have a substantial effect on your cooking - in contrast to vegetable gardening, which is comparatively fussy, takes a lot of work, and you need to grow a LOT for it to mean more than a handful of meals)

Now, I had some successes and failures. My dill was completely destroyed by caterpillars. My spinach didn’t come up at all. But the most frustrating was the garlic. I planted that and something was digging it up, sometimes within minutes of me planting it! It’s like I had a backyard vandal who had specifically decided I was not allowed to have garlic.

Thus, I set up a trail camera. I just wanted to know what was happening.

Now, the simple answer is: chipmunks. I have a chipmunk which really, really loves garlic. Maybe he’s Italian, I don’t know.

But once you have a trail camera, might as well use it. A while ago I’d cut a path from our backyard into the greenway between houses: a neighbor’s dog had gotten back there and I couldn’t catch her because of the overgrowth. So I’m thinking that I’d probably made basically a wildlife highway and wanted to confirm.

Yes, yes I did. So many foxes. And there’s a family of raccoons under the deck. Saw a couple of mice, but those not too often (thank you, kind foxes). Deer periodically. A few neighborhood cats. Squirrels and chipmunks, of course.

I learned that trail cameras are often not that great. A few millisecond delay makes a big difference - I got a lot of pictures of fox tails. The picture quality isn’t awesome, they’re usually kinda blurry.

Most animals are crepuscular - active mostly at dawn and duck - which I knew from working at a zoo. Which means I get very few daylight shots of anything. I learned that infrared actually sucks a lot of power. That you really need a solar array to do this, or you’re going to have to replace batteries daily.

I learned that placement matters a lot. You need to know the routes the animals take - which is predictable, and when you know the signs, pretty obvious. For the record, there’s no magic to it: nobody likes to go through thick brush if they can help it, which yes means you can totally make a path for the animals and set up your camera. But I also found they make circuits, you often won’t have a fox going away from the camera and then coming back later. 

I also learned that you’re going to get a lot of undignified stuff. My neighbor is wondering why this tree he planted isn’t growing. It’s not growing because half a dozen foxes pee on it every night. They pee everywhere. (If you grow your own vegetables, please please please wash them, someonething has definitely peed on them, I guarantee it.).

I’ve learned that the lines between carnivore and herbivore are as fuzzy as the subjects themselves. Yes, anything will opportunistically eat meat. But they’ll also opportunistically eat grain! I tossed some cornbread out, and it was a family of foxes which ate it! And the time I had a tree taken down, with the crown of the tree on the ground, a herd of deer - in my suburban backyard - descended on it and stripped off all the leaves. Who’d have thought?

But wow, I’ve got a lot of videos of foxes peeing.

[annabellshortbein]

Palak Paneer

Springtime continues and you have an abundance of leafy greens.  A great way to consume a lot of them fast is a home made palak paneer.  This does not actually take a lot of time to make, but there’s a bit of prep involved. 

Obviously, you need to go and pick your greens.  I went for some humble spinach, arrogant cavalo nero and a few sprigs of rocket.  Anyone who wants to assign the attribute ‘peppery’ to rocket can fro - I have no time for poetry slam quality food descriptions.

Next you vacuum the kitchen.  Important not to skimp on this step, as you really do not want a crumbly floor for this one.  While you’ve got the vacuum out, you may as well vaccum a little farther.  Then wipe down all surfaces in the kitchen and tidy clutter.  Go on, you’ll love the result. 

Wilt the leaves in a steamer, blitz them in the nutri with some tomato, garlic and ginger and pour over the below pictured type of stuff which was gently frying away in your biggest and heaviest pan:

Clean up as you go - the green sludge is easy to rinse off things if you do this immediately.  It is painful to clean up once you let it sit around for a while.  Be wise here.  

By now you may have noticed that I approach making this dish with a focus on cleanliness.  As we have all learned in the current post covid ‘psychologists will save us’ themed time, our approaches to tasks and thoughts are likely connected to past trauma.  Often from childhood, but not necessarily that far back. If you believe the hype, mindfulness, meditation, buying bamboo yoga activewear and eco drink bottles, psychotherapy, mushroom elixirs and handfuls of pills will make it all better. I wonder if anyone has told Mr Zelensky.  

I believe that my approach to palak paneer underlies my past trauma of living in a Brooklyn flat with a selection of maturing dads, who enthusiastically made palak paneer on a rainy, windy Wellington evening and the green sludge went absolutely everywhere.  And stayed there for months. There was no mould in that kitchen - just rotting splatters of palak paneer all over the walls. 

This is probably an appropriate time to offer up the thesis that I do not believe psychologists will save anything or anyone in the current circumstances.  Maybe a little more general distress would actually prove more useful to overthrow the mullahs that are telling us to stay focussed on self-improvement and salvation.

The most important aspect to remember about palak paneer is that it tastes best eaten in heavy rain, or after dark - ideally both. Hopefully by the time you finished vaccuming, cleaning and cooking, it is at least dark.

#palakpaneerinuruti #showmeyourvowels

[islandpcosjourney]

Day 1 - May ‘22 challenge

9th May 2022

I can’t believe I’m doing another one of these so soon after my last cleanse BUT I have been naughty recently, I am unfit, I still have a long way to go with my end-goal target weight, Kevin left for sea again today so why not? I won’t do a full-on, pics every day, in-depth writing kind of blog for 28-days as that’s quite intense and requires some stimulation for subject inspiration so I’ll keep it simple.

Last night I handed him the last of the crispy M&Ms and he offered me a few. I said no, I genuinely didn’t want them. “It’s a choice” I said, and it is. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s mindset, not willpower. Every challenge shows me something different about my mindset. Every challenge has its ups and downs. Every challenge ends in me craving Morrison’s own pitta bread! Maybe one day that’ll change? Maybe not, who knows. I would love to never crave carbs again, but I know why I do – because my body needs it. We need complex carbs to live. We need protein to live. We need essential fats to live. We need fruit & veg to live. We need water to live.

This morning was a challenge, simply because while making the most amazing roast dinner yesterday – oh my goodness, it seriously was the tastiest I’d had in a while! Venison injected with bacon fat & a sensational homemade rub by Kev & smoked on the BBQ, yorkies, dauphinoise potatoes, honey-glazed carrots using the last of the local raw honey our friend produces & fine beans, sugar snap peas & baby corn cooked in garlic butter with smoked sea salt. I’m salivating just thinking about it again. However, while making the dauphinoise, I sliced my finger on the mandolin and I’ve been in pain ever since. Using a knife is difficult and makes me think about how grateful I am that I have 5 fingers as it’s tough to balance and get a grip. I know people adapt but it certainly wasn’t easy cutting pineapple or apples, as quickly as I normally do.

Today’s green machine juice (it’ll do part of tomorrow too) 10 apples 8 celery sticks 6 asparagus spears Whole bag spinach (250g) Half bag Kale (c.90g) 1 Pineapple 1 Lime 1 Courgette ¾ cucumber Blended with 1 avocado

I had a massage booked (rescheduled from last week) in town @ 10 so I had to get up early to get Kevin his final cup of delicious tea made by me (I’m the tea queen, despite not being a tea-drinker myself), juice my day’s food, get ready and out the door by 9.15am. I managed it and was actually early for a change. I suppose I wasn’t really “getting ready” as I wasn’t putting on a full face of make up or doing my hair because I’d be having a shower when I came back as I usually ended up with oils in my hair and of course on my back, which I wouldn’t want to get all over my nice popsy dresses – I just wear clothes I don’t like anymore.

It was bliss, especially after being at the peats on Saturday. I had a sore back and shoulders after the throwing (yes I’m unfit!) and she found tons of knots in my muscles today, so it was such a great release when she got them out. However, I was driving Kevin’s classic Audi (Daisy) as mine was having its service and the heater is disconnected just now so it was torturous driving in the cold wind & rain in Daisy. By the time I got home, I decided against a shower as I needed a long hot soak in a bath instead! I’d wear my hair up today, no biggie!

So now, Kevin is nearly in Aberdeen to join his ship, I’ve finished work for the day, the dogs in a huff because “I made Dadaidh leave again” 🤦🏻‍♀️ and the house is just quiet and empty because the love of my life has left me for 5wks again – juicy time!!! 😂 I can’t juice properly when he’s here. I have all the best intentions and I did have quite a lot of juice leftover in the freezer, so I drank all of that during his last leave, but he just kept leaving stuff all over the kitchen table and that’s where I need space to do my juicing, that’s where all the equipment sits. Och, I’m making excuses and he’ll call me out on blaming him, but it basically comes down to mindset again. He’s eating food, I’m seeing food around and it makes me want food! Simples! Most of it would be fine, he cooks good healthy food, but I get tempted by the Irn Bru pastilles and Tunnocks Caramel wafers and it gives me bad ideas. I’m influenced, I know I am. I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and I am just human. We want what we shouldn’t have. It’s been happening since the Garden of Eden. It’s no excuse but it’s proof that we can be tempted and fail. But we get back up again. We try again. We keep going. I am so focused when he’s not here as I have no temptations surrounding me. Only fruit & veg is left in the fridge, he cleaned out the last of the food today and Holly got a big plate of treats too – spoilt doggy!

I have felt a little tired today and I do feel a bit hungry, but I know I’m just adjusting to toxins leaving my system. I’ve passed loads of water today and that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t end up finishing my juice, because I was on the road many times today and teaching in people’s homes and the last thing I wanted was to be running to the loo every 20mins, which I can do at home easily or even teaching in town. I’m very aware that I haven’t had any separate water although there’s water in the veg of course and I don’t think I had any tea this morning. I’ll have to have a spearmint tea tonight and also some plain water. I will need to juice in the morning, even though I have left over from today, so the best idea is to get up at a similar time and juice straight away. That way I wake up with my ginger shot and the productivity begins. I’m not technically working until the afternoon but I do have quite a sizeable to-do list relating to work so I should just get on with it.

Time for bed! Day 1 over.

[nanikatabetai]

Cabbage shaped dumplings

I made these for Chinese New Year this year. They’re super fun (just don’t make with other more intricate shapes like me at the same time and take all day shaping and packing them). Dumplings look hard but are actually pretty easy and fun once you get used to it and is a fun group activity.

Skin (around 30 wrappers):

- 250g all purpose flour. Any is fine, but you should go for medium gluten (around 10g protein per 100g flour) for a nice and springy skin, but if you are new to dumpling wrapping and are nervous, you can go for a higher level of gluten as that would make the dough more resilient.

- 125g water. This depends on factors like how much protein there is (the more protein, the more water you might need), and the humidity of your place (I need to reduce usually as it’s super humid here). Over time you can tell but 2:1 ratio is a good place to start.

- Colouring: I used spirulina powder and turmeric to mix into green cos that was what I had. You can boil spinach for the water, but you would have to split the flour into one third for the green dough and knead separately from the white part as you need to factor in the green water as water weight. You can also use spinach powder or green food colouring.

Filling:

- Around 250g of the base meat/veggie is a good place to start but it depends on how much you stuff into a dumpling (I stuff mine really fat so I need more). You can use almost anything for filling. For meat minces, use fatty meat for juicier fillings, and mix beef with pork if you can at a 80% beef to 20% pork ratio for flavour and fat balance. If using chicken mince, you can add sesame oil into the mince to make up for the fat and juiciness. For vegetarians, you can try minced mushrooms, carrots and panko (and egg as a binder if you can eat those if not add some starch) and chives. You can also mix those veggies into the meats as well. Chives, shrimp and water chestnut are also great combinations. Season with salt, pepper, msg, shaoxing wine, spices, chilli, cooked onion/garlic, be creative.

1. Mix the flour with water gradually and mix with chopsticks/fork until there is no loose flour. Knead with your hand for a while and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes, covering the bowl with a wet cloth or cling wrap. Come back and knead some more until it becomes a smooth ball. Do not panic and refrain from adding more flour if it seems too wet and sticky, as it will gradually become less so after some time kneading. Only add flour if it seems like it’s still too wet after some time. Cover and rest the dough again for 30-60 minutes until soft.

2. Flour the surface and roll the dough into a stick shape and cut one third of the dough and mix spirulina+turmeric powder/spinach powder/green colouring into it for the green dough. Roll out the green dough into a flat length and wrap it around the white dough, like in the dough indicated with the arrow in the image below (I made separate green and pink (using beetroot powder) doughs for different shaped dumplings.

3. Keeping the surface well floured, slice the dough into thin discs and using a rolling pin, roll them as thinly as possible. The beauty of this is that because they are cabbage shaped, they don’t have to be perfectly round, which makes them even more beginner friendly. Focus on making them as thin as you can, as the thinner the skin is the more delicious. Place a sphere of the filling in the center. Try to be generous, but with enough room for the dough to wrap around it. The skin can stretch when wrapping, but if unsure, make sure to have just enough skin to touch the top.

4. As they are cabbages, you don’t need perfect pleats. Just pinch the pleats together by folding and pinching the edge, then folding the nearest part on top and pinching, and repeat until the end. After that you can shape it some more to look more cabbagey. This may take some time unless you make it a group activity, but it’s repetitive so I was just watching stuff while folding.

5. They can then be frozen until ready for cooking. Place them on a tray/large container with baking paper underneath, making sure they are not touching each other, and freeze for a couple of hours before you can transfer them into a glad bag/container. Make sure they are frozen hard enough so they retain their shapes even if you keep them touching each other in a bag.

6. You can steam them or pan fry them, but for the colour I would recommend steaming them. You can use any steamer. I used a bamboo steaming basket, which you place into a wok/pot with boiling water ready. Fresh dumplings steam for around 8-10 minutes, and frozen around 15-20 minutes, depending on the size. For pan frying, heat oil to medium high, and drop dumplings in to sear for around 3-4 minutes. Then add about enough water to cover the dumplings halfway, and cover with a lid and steam until all the water has evaporated.

Recommend dips would be black vinegar with thinly sliced ginger, and/or chilli oil (with fried garlic in the chilli oil if possible).

I’ll do the other dumpling shapes another time. Those need some drawing to show how to fold them. BotW recipes will come in time, but I definitely need to draw those.

#dumplings #food #recipes #cooking #food art #I’m sure posting a lot of recipes tonight huh this is supposed to be more of an art blog

[thessalian]

Thess vs Herb Garden Day 49 - In Pictures

I was going on about my (mostly) indoor herb and veggie garden the other day but didn’t have pictures. Now I have pictures, so here’s the kitchen:

Parsley still doing well post-haircut. Note the massive sprouting in the beetroot and to a lesser extent the carrot.

Green onions and three of my potato plants, all grown from stuff I bought but didn’t use all of. Now, I did originally have six of these, so here’s where the rest went:

Grow-bag on the balcony! I really want to get a sort of tiered shelf to make the most of the light in that corner, and there are some nails embedded in the walls where I’m going to hang some plant pots later, but I only had enough potting soil to transplant three of my potato babies. Payday next week. Anyway, on to the study:

My one lone lemon balm plant, dill flanked by strawberry and rosemary, and healthy growing basil with some sprouting oregano. (The rest of my basil is in a bigger pot on the other windowsill; I’ve already shown that off with the chives, so we move on.)

Mint is growing like a maniac, and one of my cucumber plants has sprouted. Huzzah! And now, the bedroom:

On the left, spinach (needs a harvest again). On the right ... well, remember when I said I was worried my coriander hadn’t survived the cold snap? Well. That is my coriander, growing like a maniac. Probably needs repotting. I will have to buy so much dirt, and maybe some herb fertiliser.

Lettuce. I actually harvested some of that the other day, and had a nice little leafy salad with home-made vinaigrette. Also more strawberry, leftover chives, and some coriander getting in on the act because seriously, it is growing like a maniac. Still no love from any of the peppers, though. Nor the garlic. Nor the lavender. I should try planting different seeds; I might have just got unlucky.

(Please see also: my bunny slippers and “skinned a polka-dotted Muppet” bathrobe. I am not getting dressed today if I don’t absolutely have to.)

These guys, though... You can probably see the labels, but everything’s sprouting. That onion far in the back is not entirely my doing, though; I had a leftover onion that had started to sprout so I used what I could of the onion in a bolognaise and planted the sprouting bit in the centre. It’s doing well and will also need repotting soon. But everything else - the other onions, the various tomatoes, the courgettes and the peas (DAMN look at the peas) ... that’s all me.

So that’s the garden at the moment. I have plans. These plans involve saving a lot of my jars, actually. Home-made pickled beetroot. Home-made dill pickles. Mint sauce. I intend to get a jam pan and start making preserves - not just out of my strawberries, either. My entire neighbourhood is covered in blackberry bushes (particularly around the perimeter of the local cemetery, which winds up with a lot of blackberry creeper leaning out into pedestrian areas, just ready for the picking), so who am I to let something like that go to waste?

I know a lot of this started because of stress about food scarcity, but I am having fun with it. Sorry for the picture spam; I’m just really proud. This is all in under three months!

#Thess on gardening #long post sorry