prison for jerks

YOU GUYS I MADE DINNER TONIGHT AND IT WAS INSANELY DELICIOUS. Balsamic-glazed salmon, green onion risotto, and roasted baby carrots (two pound bag of baby carrots tossed with olive oil and salt, cooked at 475 for twenty minutes, shaking & tossing several times in the second half of cooking; I also put them under the broiler for a few minutes at the end, because I like them ever done).

That is pretty much all I have to say. Except how heartwarming it is to read ICH comments and see how the whole community can come together on how worthless sluts are.

There have to be stories out there where Spock's human mother, Amanda Grayson, had a great-great-great-whatever-grandfather named Dick, right? That goes without saying?

I saw the movie for the second time Sunday, and it was still excellent. It went a lot faster when I was basically anticipating the next totally awesome thing to show up at all times. Seriously, though, I still love it and want the sequels all immediately. Sigh.

Also I am having some thinky thoughts about ( kinda spoilery )

In other news, I made homemade dulce de leche this morning so I can make my brother and sister-in-law these later this afternoon. I'm also might try this recipe at some point, because we have a ice-cream maker we have never used once and happy_coconut has demanded a dessert involving Kahlua.

Why do I still not have a Star Trek icon? Either movie or TOS? My life is the saddest. :(

I just got home from the hairdressers about 20 minutes ago. I was way overdue for my eyebrow waxing. They look really nice now! The thing is, though, that if our hairdresser was Captain Ahab, my brows would be her white whale. She's such a perfectionist, and she tries so hard to get them exactly even, and my face just won't cooperate. Poor Gina. My eyebrows drive her crazy. :(

Anyway. Here is a recipe for Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Mix together 3 cups of oats, 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

In a different ball, use an electric mixer or hand mixer at set to medium speed to cream together 1 cup each of softened butter (that's 2 sticks), peanut butter (whether creamy or chunky is between you and your god), granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar. When it's all nice and creamy, add one egg and beat for a minute, and then add another egg and beat for another minute. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Now turn the speed down to low and add the dry mixture a little bit at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides every once in a while so it all gets combined. When it's blended in, turn off the mixer and add 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips (or 9 oz of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate).

Stick the cookie dough in the fridge for two hours to make it easier to handle. When you're ready to bake, adjust the oven so that it's divided into three sections. Preheat to 350 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Taking about a tablespoonful of dough at a time, roll it into a ball between your hands and set on the cookie sheets, then press down with the heel of your hand to about a 1/2 inch thickness. The cookies should be about two inches apart.

Cook in the oven 13-15 minutes, two sheets at a time; 7 minutes in, you'll want to switch the sheets top to bottom and back to forward. When they come out of the oven they'll look entirely limp and soggy, but once you remove them to a metal rack to cool, they'll crisp up really nicely. (It took me a long time in baking in general to realize that the reason you use racks is because the air circulation underneath actually serves a big function and that getting them off the sheet and onto a plate or a towel won't work as well.)

Man, sometimes I forget just how much I love the Hush Sound. How so awesome, Hushies? Sing to me more, Greta. Oddly enough, my favorite song of theirs has changed yet again: now it's "Don't Wake Me Up" (even though I actually don't think the Patrick cameo fits the song at all).

SPEAKING OF FOB. How hot are they? I have to admit, both this picture and the election-themed one are just reawakening my desire for more Pete/Joe. Or me/Joe Troh. I can go either way. (BE MY BOOOOOOOOYFRIEND.)

I am cooking right now! Kasha with bacon and onions, om nom nom. I haven't had this in ages, but it's bizarrely good. Mmmm, buckwheat?

I am stealing a meme from foxxcub because, uh, I am an attention whore? I got nothing. In comments, tell me: What's your favorite story that I've written, and why?

In conclusion, I kind of want to read random het about Travie and Katy Perry being adorable on tour. I don't even know. Also inexplicable: all the dreams I keep having about being pregnant and having babies. DO NOT WANT.

This weekend I made a puffed apple pancake for Sunday brunch, which was quite good, and then this pasta salad, which was absolutely amazing, holy crap. I actually didn't have as much basil and green onion than the recipe called for and I was too lazy to toast the pine nuts, so I can only imagine it's even better if you actually follow the recipe more exactly. Seriously, though, I could have eaten that entire recipe by myself. Also I can't remember if I posted here about the big dinner I made for my cousin's last day at home with us, but that was quite good, too, a very filling Indian dish with black-eyed peas and coconut milk and tomatoes and lots and lots of spices.

Tomorrow I think I am going to get to work on a recipe I have for some sweet buns stuffed with almond paste and cream, and also chicken paprikash which I've never made before, and maybe try a goat cheese and tomato tart later in the week. And we have bags upon bags of blueberries in the freezer, and unfortunately nobody in my family actually likes blueberries, except my dad, who is rarely home, so I think this weekend might be my first foray into trying jam-making.

ALSO the fresh corn should be getting cheap soon finally, I think, so I can make my mother buy lots of that so I can try grilled corn and creamed corn and corn pudding and corn fritters and plain old classic buttered and boiled. Om nom nom nom summer.

(The point of this entry is not actually to bribe certain people into coming out so I can cook for them, but IF IT WORKS.)

You guys, I got the Gourmet Cookbook back in the end of June for, like, 80% off the list price, and man, it is some of the best eight dollars I have spent. And I haven't even got to make that many recipes from it yet! Although I am making long, long lists of all the things I want to try when I have enough time or money.

Tonight's dinner, though, was both pretty cheap and really easy -- and turned out yummy. Triple play! Seriously, though, anytime you cook apples with lots of butter and sugar until they're soft, it's going to turn out good, I think. The batter here is sweet and creamy and mild, and basically just supports and mixes in with the apples.

( Puffed Apple Pancake from Gourmet Cookbook )

HI YOU GUYS IT IS FRIDAY NIGHT AND I HAVE APPLEY GOODNESS AND POP AND THE INTERNET AND THE HOUSE TO MYSELF. COME TALK TO MEEEEEEEEEEE.

SECRET SHAMEFUL YET MEANINGLESS ADMISSION: I can never keep straight the difference between ie and eg. Never!

COOKIES ARE AWESOME: I just made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies this afternoon, num num num. Very tasty! Though I think I might have been a little stingy with the spices. Next time, maybe some chopped walnuts, too.

WHOOOOOOOOOO: Doctor Who is so awesome I can't stand it anymore. (Yes, I finally got around to watching Utopia.) Livejournal, I have to say, I am SO PROUD OF YOU for not spoiling me for ( Utopia spoiler-y thing )

OTHER STUFF: Man, I am feeling in a very selfish mood re: fandom lately. I just want people to write me fic and entertain me, which -- LAME. The whole thing about fandom is that it manages to be give *and* take, not just one-sided and stuff. I need to find a better way to contribute, but it's hard when I'm so far from being in a writing place. (I don't know how to have people entertain me unless I bribe them with their own entertainment! That's just how it works!)

ALWAYS ON MY MIND: Fraser and Ray are preeeeeeeeetty.

A reason to love Amazon.com sales: getting The Gourmet Cookbook and The Best Soups and Stews by Cook's Illustrated for 12 dollars.

In other news, if any of you know how it suddenly became June, I'd be quite interesting in hearing your thoughts!

Last night I signed up for midsummer2007 (as I am sure all of you have either already done or are about to!). brooklinegirl assures me that once again I have composed an entry email that is ridiculously and embarrassing ME and no one else. I guess I am just awesome that way!

Finally, here is a humongous picture of CKR. ( Remember, smoking is NOT sexy, no matter what he wants you to think! )

1) Yesterday I made the best macaroni and cheese I've ever made. This would be awesome anyway, but it's also, like, five times easier than any other mac and cheese recipe I've tried. misspamela, you are awesome for linking to this last week! Macaroni and Cheese.

2) I am really, really in the mood to reread Runaways. I own all of volume 1 of the series, but not any of volume 2, so I spent a frustratingly long time this afternoon trying to find torrents, without any luck. The best prospect only went up to issue 18, and it also included all of volume 1 in the torrent as well. Bleh. If anyone had, you know, sources *cough*, I am perfectly willing to bribe with anything I can.

3) speshope and I are going out this evening to the $1.50 theater. It is a thing of joy forever.

4) However, given the amount of time, effort, and financial cost involved in employing hundreds of condoms, if you want a huge dildo, we suggest you just buy a larger one rather than using hundreds of condoms to make your average-size dildo bigger.

5) I am WAY BEHIND On Friday Night Lights, you guys. I thought it was three episodes, but it's actually four, which is slightly ridiculous. This situation must be remedied as soon as I get home tonight.

One thing I cooked today: Lamb stew, as advised by several of you in yesterday's post. Stew is really the most improvisational food in the world, isn't it? Besides like sandwiches. Mine turned out to be of the "emptying kitchen cupboard" variety: lamb, onion, lots of spices, chicken stock, lentils, carrot, potato, tomato paste. The lentils gave it an interesting texture -- it's very thick and mushy, rather than being at all liquid -- but I like it this way.

One things I accomplished today: Greek midterm = YAY. At least a B, hopefully higher.

One thing I am weird about: I know I've been mentioned this before, but whatever. I still don't get why people have RayK call Fraser by his first name in slash stories! I mean... he doesn't call him that. Ever. Just like Fraser doesn't call RayK "Stan" or "Stanley" and Vecchio is the only one who calls Fraser Benny.

I guess it's just a basic difference of opinion at the really basic level: I don't think in that situation that Ray calling him Ben creates a more intimate relationship. I just don't. It feels false and sentimental to me the vast majority of the time. I guess because I think their friendship is plenty intimate already, in canon? And Ray does not call him that even once, even in the most fraught or emotional situations, which ... leads me to believe that Ray thinks of him as Fraser. And what I like best about slash, most of the time, is the relationship coming out and being an extension of the friendship they already have, rather than something completely seperate, as if that never existed.

(Stories I can remember where I believed the first name thing: resonant8's American Way and cesperanza's Passion. There were probably plenty where I didn't notice, too, but mostly? Weird quirk of mine.)

One thing that I am oddly ashamed of: You know, at this point I feel it is sort of ridiculous for me to be ashamed any of my kinks -- AND YET IT IS SO.

I mean, I can own my fondness for hetcest and underageness, and I can be fascinated by non-consensual scenarios, and god knows there are 80 million non-sexual buttons that get pressed all the time. And you would think I have been in fandom long enough -- and had enough completely TMI and smutty conversations -- that I would be without shame! Human sexuality is healthy! Fantasies are fantasies! My kink is OK, your kink is okay!

And yet there is this one thing that kind of disturbs me and yet gets me off so much, even in the most ridiculously worst written fics. WTF, brain. WTF.

(No, you sickos, it has nothing to do with piss, scat or children. It's not even that twisted; I'm just, obviously, inexplicably shy about it.)

One thing about my imaginary fandom: ( Motherhood, 400 words or so )