Everyone liked my cake 😊 my 2021 cake was a brain and I think I wanna keep the body part trend going for at least one more year. Might do a foot next time. Or a stomach

You know what one of the skills of a good baker is? Being able to follow a recipe.

You know what's NOT a good recipe? 'make a lemon meringue pie'.

Even if you've made a lemon meringue pie hundreds of times before, even if you know how to do it, there are things you have to consider, like ingredient amounts, bake time, accounting for baking with a different oven and possibly different temperatures, using tools you may not typically be used to using to make your pie, a TIME CONSTRAINT that may not match what you usually use.

A decent recipe would provide that information. A paired down recipe should at least give you more than 'make the fucking pie'. It should at LEAST give you amounts to work with. Or an oven temperature. Or both.

It should, at the VERY FUCKING LEAST. GIVE YOU AN INGREDIENT LIST.

Every time I think the technical challenges might be improving or might be something that actually represents technical skills a baker should know even if the recipe itself is unfamiliar, they do something like this. Or like having tacos bring your technical for a baking show. Or tossing in maid of honor tarts that nobody has literally ever heard of. Or expecting a bagel to be crunchy and being surprised when a babka is on the heavy side. Or. You know. Most of the technical challenges in the last few seasons.

Prue and Paul are awful people for doing this. The showrunners should have put a leash on them to stop them from making the technical a nightmare ages ago. Especially when, half the time, it doesn't seem to factor into the judging (remember Helena winning technical on the week she left?).

I understand the showstoppers being intricate and insane (to a degree, the portrait cakes were a mistake), because they're showstoppers. They're supposed to be special and elaborate and not something you make every day. I understand the signature parameters. They might not always be simple but they're things people know how to do.

The technical? I have NO IDEA what the technical means anymore, beyond pain and making the bakers suffer and turning their work into a big joke.

Full rest day ✅

2nd day on the job ✅

Get proper training ✅

Listen to my manager vent to colleagues ✅

Get the tea on other colleagues as a result 👀

Meet new colleagues ✅

Get my own spot on the apron rack ✅

Enjoy my new job ✅

Feel appreciated by my manager ✅

Mess up a bunch of times ✅

Learn from my mistakes ✅

See my Starbies friends after work ✅

Marble hornets not having much of a visually distinctive cast can be really frustrating, especially when ur first watching it. Then multiply that frustration 10x because of all the visual distortion/glitching. But nowadays I'm p thankful bcs wanting to make mh fanart is what pushed me to put more effort into drawing faces and making faces look distinctive from each other.

Phil. Sir. You are not allowed to cook.

A RECIPE TO HEAL YOUR HEART ♡

— Alastor x chef!reader (platonic or romantic!)

a foodie at heart!!! soft spot for a simple thing such as tasting your cooking. (especially if it’s a dish native to his roots of louisiana creole)

quite honestly does not like sweets :(. more of a savory and bitter flavor typa guy. but, still wouldn’t mind tasting your pastries if you were to make them. it’s only that he rather’d not since sweetness is an overwhelming flavor.

when he was still alive, he definitely memorized all of his mother’s recipes by heart, so it’d be a pleasure to cook them with you

^ not to mention lets him relive the innocent joy he had when he’d be in the kitchen with his mother preparing dinner

he’d be quite hesitant if you were to alter her recipes though. he’s very decisive in the thought that his mom’s recipe is law, so maybe you’d have to do it secretly…

“my! is this what i think it is?! dearest, it is!” alastor grins, delighted by the smell. he grabs a bowl full and sits down at the table with you, who was eagerly awaiting his critiques. as he eats, he hums in thought. “hm, something seems strange… did you forget any steps?” he asks as he narrows his eyes towards you. “ah, i actually used a sesame oil instead of cooking oil to pan-sear the chicken, so that might be what you are tasting!”

his smile never fades, but his eyes show clear signs of frustration. although, as he continues eating, the taste of sesame lingers in his mouth, going well with the chicken breast (not to mention making the taste juicer). “my stars, would you look at that? it’s delicious! who would’ve known!” he grinned going for another bite.

maybe the best way to make a recipe is to constantly improve it

a/n: hello everyone!! im maki and ive just gotten back into writing, nice to meet you all <33

Hey mate; in your Tags you were asking for asks and as you are the (self proclaimed) #1 Darry apologist, I thought you might want to share some of your Darry Headcanons with the world?

DARRY CURTIS HEADCANONS

﹕୨୧ ˚ ࿐

anon i love you so much oh my god. ur ask was like a gift from god or sumh💯💯🗣️🗣️ THANK U SM FOR THE ASKK IVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SHARE THESE !!!!!!!!!!!

he sleeps in his parents’ old room

secretly drinks when he’s having a tough time. the only two people that have caught him are soda and two

has dimples. this is basically canon because patrick swayze has them but its not talked ab enouhj!!!!1!!!!!1!!!!!11

has caught dally drinking from their fridge straight out the carton before and forbid him from ever going near the fridge again.

^isn’t aware that the entire gang does this (-pony and johnny because they’ve been paranoid that they’re going to get banned from the fridge ever since that incident.)

rants to tim all the time. tells ponyboy to stay away from the shepards but is also besties with the literal leader like hmmmmm,,, sometjing isn’t right here…………

was the first person dally met when he came to tulsa. literally scooped him up into his arms and brought him home.

sSPEAKING OF DAL! darry worries waay too much about him. dallys like a kid brother to him n hes just constantly paranoid something bads gonna happen to him.

((the “dally sees darry as an older brother” headcanon is literally whats keeping me going rn🙏))

sleeps with his childhood teddybear . their parents gave it to him on christmas when he was 7 and has been attached to it ever since.

actually rlly interested in literature!!! he’s tried to write a couple books by himself before but couldnt get them published.

tries to always wake up early so he gets to make breakfast (he doesn’t want their kitchen to be in flames when he wakes up)

gets genuinely upset when someone makes fun of his age. he grew up too fast cries bawls shits

would always bake with his mom!!!! they would bake together every week. it’s how he has his moms chocolate cake recipe memorized.

has really fancy handwriting. except it used to be all fancy and now it just looks like a doctors note

helps two-bits mom with cooking and his sister with her homework. also does two’s chores in return for stolen free beer (not buying it himself makes him feel less guilty)

would take every stray cat home if he could. prefers cats to dogs because he hates how noisy they are,, but he adores puppies .

I HAVE MORE BUT I DONT WANNA MAKE THIS TOO LONG SORRY🤕🤕

The Art of Manliness Guide to the Holidays

It’s the holiday season. It’s our favorite time of the year here at AoM HQ. Over the years we’ve published many articles and podcasts to help AoM readers and listeners have a holly, jolly Christmas and a happy New Year. We thought it would be helpful to put all that content in one place. From picking out and decorating a Christmas tree to how to host the ultimate holiday party, you’ll find it here. You’ll also find plenty of holiday-themed podcasts to listen to while you’re out Christmas shopping or wrapping gifts.  Get in the Holiday Spirit * 11 Ways to Get Into the Holiday Spirit * 10 Holiday Date Ideas * How to Celebrate Christmas Like Theodore Roosevelt * Podcast #859: The Unexpected Origins of Our Christmas Traditions * Podcast #566: How to Have a Hyggely Christmas and a More Memorable New Year * Podcast #262: The Santa Claus Man * 6 Books That Will Get You in the Christmas Spirit * How to Build a Fireplace Fire Without Smoking Yourself Out of Your House Procure and Decorate a Christmas Tree * The Christmas Tree Crib Sheet: How to Pick, Set Up, and Care for Your Tree * How to Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresher, Longer * How to Put Lights on Your Christmas Tree Without Swearing Up a Storm Make Your Holiday Season More Meaningful * The George Bailey Technique: Mentally Erase Your Blessings for Greater Joy and Optimism * Be a Scrooge This Year: Reflections From a Christmas Carol * NUTS! Why Remembering Christmas 1944 Can Change Your Life * Christmas Eve Manvotional: A Must-Read War Letter * Christmas Eve Manvotional: The Night of Oranges * Podcast #671: Begin the New Year by Reflecting on These 3 Life-Changing Questions * Podcast #766: The Real (Decidedly-Less-Sentimental-Yet-Still-Wonderful) Story of WWI’s Christmas Truce Holiday Fun * How to Make the Perfect Snowball: An Illustrated Guide * The Santa Claus Workout [VIDEO] * What to Do If Your Tongue Gets Stuck to a Flagpole * How to Build the Best Snowman in the Neighborhood * How to Build a Quinzee Snow Shelter: An Illustrated Guide * The Lost Pleasures of Group Singing Holiday Hospitality * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part I: Choosing a Party Theme * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part II: Guest Lists, Invitations, and Planning * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part III: A Simple and Jolly Dinner Menu * How to Throw an Awesome Holiday Party–Part IV: A Primer on Being the Ultimate Host * The Manly Art of Hospitality * The (Often Manly) History of Toasting, and Why We Should Bring It Back * How to Give a Toast Holiday Food & Drink * General Eisenhower’s 5-Star Holiday Eggnog * How to Roast Chestnuts Over an Open Fire * Your New, New Year’s Tradition: Prime Rib Roast * 5 Classic Holiday Cocktails and Drinks to Warm Your Spirit * The Surprisingly Manly History of Hot Cocoa * How to Make Perfect Stovetop Popcorn * How to Make a Cocktail With Snow: An Illustrated Guide * How to Open a Champagne Bottle With a Saber Holiday Gifting * How to Wrap a Gift: An Illustrated Guide * 15 Homemade Gifts You Can Make in an Hour or Less * How to Be Santa Claus (For Your Kids) * 50 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Men * 50+ Stocking Stuffers For Women * Free DIY Stocking Stuffer: Vintage Finger Fisticuffer Puppets Holiday Style  * 6 Holiday Style Tips For Men * The Virtue in Dressing for Others * Dressing for the Holidays: Your 60-Second Guide * DIY Holiday Beard Oil: 5 Recipes to Festive-ize Your Face Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The post The Art of Manliness Guide to the Holidays appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/SzfZhP

Hi omg welcome back! Thank you so much for the detail on your description about the classes! When and if you have time, I would love to hear more! Have you had classes with Crewel yet? And are there any other teachers aside from the ones we know from the game? Thats something Ive always wanted to know! Also, have you gone to Sam's shop yet? How is he? He is my favourite staff member!

Oh and how long did you stay? Did you experience any events ingame and maybe some that werent in the game? Have you gone to anyones homecountry like the events?

PS: If there are too many questions, feel free to chose some to skip! I dont want to overwhelm you :) <3

It's not too much to answer the questions! There's only 2 asks now including this one and the other one if for one of my fanfic blogs so I should have enough energy/time now lol

First The rest of my classes for the current semester:

Animal Language Class

No Magic required

Consists of basic body language of different animals that might accompany you on your journey through being a "Proper mage" as Professor Trein would put it lol. This includes cats, dogs, rats, etc (basically any animal you can find in a Disney film.)

As the class goes on you learn how to decipher what they're actually saying verbally and non verbally. Unlike here animals are sentient, they will make fun of you later trust me. Ace and Deuce are frequently the victim of this lmfao

Its pretty difficult for me personally but I'm bad at communicating with humans so I wasn't really expecting any less lmfao Its as difficult as learning any new language in all seriousness so if you find that hard then welcome to the club I made cookies.

Difficulty: 4/5

Potions/Alchemy (Creation/material studies)

Magic materials will be provided by class instructor, minimal magic is needed from the mage

Consists of different creation techniques, what materials have what properties, what the different potions do, etc. There's a potion for anything and everything, most only having temporary effects but some are more permanent (base level and under specific conditions). Honestly this is one of my favorite classes. Its the most fun in my opinion.

It's not at all difficult because we're allowed to have our recipes at all times.

Difficulty: 1/5

Spell casting

Magic required

Now this is where being magicless really sucked (I still got a really good grade). I wasn't able to participate much in the begining and I was stuck memorizing spells I would never be able to use. I shit you not this man (The prof) looked at me and said

"You may not have the proper abilities to cast spells but I'll be sure to turn you into a grimoire of them by the end of this class"

Honestly stayed true to his word ngl. The amount of notes and textbooks and reciting the damn things, practicing proper spell casting formation/posture. I could instruct the other students at this point. I'm having flashbacks just thinking about it lmfao

The class consists of the actual spells, the motions needed to enact each spell, the proper posture to take when casting. We learn what each spell does, and the proper situations to use them in, etc. It is mostly just actually casting spells though and a I've only relatively recently learned how to use magic. I'm getting there with the help of Azul and my professors tho.

I wouldn't say its the worst difficulty wise but my memory is decent when it comes to academics.

dificulty: 3/5

Astrology

This class consists of studying the stars, constellations, planets, and the moon cycles and how they affect the magic we produce.

"Just as the ocean is affected by the moon and the stars, so too is our energy and magic."

Corny shit but accurate and factual lmfao. It's a really easy class and that's really all there is to it. It's mostly so you understand why your magic is stronger/weaker on different days. this also used as a reference in other classes. Like "X spell is more affective during Y Moon cycle"

Difficulty: 1/5

There's definitely more classes that I don't know of yet but we'll get to them eventually!

''Have you had classes with Crewel yet?"

Yes! I'm actually his favorite student weirdly enough lol. He's chill as long as you act right (paying attention to the lesson, doing your classwork/homework, etc). This man fr defended me from these bitch ass guys who were like

"She doesn't even have magic why does she have the top scores????"

To which he responded "Maybe if you were as diligent of a student perhaps you could also be part of the top scores, until then however, return to your seat"

Never felt safer with a teacher I swear.

"Are there any other teachers aside from the ones we know from the game?"

Yeah. I can't remember their names right this moment cuz I haven't been back there in a minute. My mental health has been ass and I fell out of love with shifting for a long while but I'm back now! I'm hopefully going back soon. I miss my boys and my classes. Mostly my boys tho. I'll have to share who they are and what their names are after I go next.

"Have you gone to Sam's shop yet? How is he?"

I have! Actually when I got my monthly allowance from Crowley (I manifested that in with the intention method cuz I'll be dammed if that cheap bitch fucks me over) it was the first place I visited. He sells damn near everything you need to live on campus. I got soap, an African net sponge (its called Savanna net sponge cuz ✨Afterglow/Sunset Savanna✨) and some lotion. I barely had enough for my groceries after that month. I was living on Ramen and the school allotted lunch (。﹏。*) This being said be prepared for Sam to over price everything. This is a rich people school and I mean eat the rich and all but PLEASE HAVE MERCY

As for how he is as a person, he's really chill. Very nice but he is still a salesman so keep that in mind with your interactions. He may have mercy if he's feeling generous (pity) lmfao. Jokes aside hes actually pretty nice outside of his business. He allowed me to talk to him about struggling with living with Vil for that month with his unseasoned dry ass chicken 😭

"How long did you stay? Did you experience any events in game and maybe some that weren't in the game?"

Currently I'm dealing with STYX and Idia's overblot. Up until that point its been about 6-7 months over there. Everything in the main game happens so fast and in such quick succession. I've experienced the Halloween events, birthdays, and the New Year events. I didn't participate in Sams event cuz I was dealing with living with Vil training for the SDC/VDC and calming down from everything with Jamil. TBH there might have been events that weren't showcased but I was just too busy with the main events and classe/hanging out with other students.

"Have you gone to anyone's home country like the events?"

Not yet but we are staying at Rooks many homes while on our way to STYX to rescue everyone rn. Hopefully soon tho because Idk it seems like a lot of fun to learn more about my friends and their homes.

do you keep spell or divination records in any format? why or why not?

Yes and no! I keep a record of my spellwork now, mainly bc i did one spell and I wanted to tweak it/replicate it and i couldnt find the recipe in my old grimoire. Ive started keeping two journals, one of life stuff and one of magic stuff. I forgot who exactly said it but they said 'to treat your practice like a science experiment, the better notes you keep the more easily you could replicate it or tweak it if ya wanted to.' (Notes look different to different ppl too! So not necessarily stuffy study notes, but a list of ingredients, date, and spell intent is super helpful to me) It might have been from Dedicant Devotee Priest now that i think about it. (10000/10 book, i joke its the holy text of my practice bc theres smth new to learn every time i read it. Its been highlighted and noted to high heavens)

But yeah! It seems more practical to me to remake a tea or specific oil that worked well.

As far as readings, i dont necessarily see the point? Not in a bad way, but imo right you wouldn't record every conversation you have with your friends or supervisors or parents, so why would you record the details of a reading thats only ment to help you get through the day or the choices that need to be made at this specific point in your life? On that note i do keep a record of motivational/lperspective changing phrases ive gotten from guides. I keep em in the front of my grimoire so i can just look at em if i want a quick burst of realization or changed lines of thought! I also keep a few spreads in my grimoire, but i have my big ones memorized :)

14, 18, 19 for end of year asks?

omg thank u!! 14. best book i read this year? i have been flopping largely with reading whole books there's just been so much shit going on. hmm but i read most of the house of forgetting by benjamin alire saenz (actually i need to see if i have my copy w me i wanna finish) and liked it. im reading tsh for the first time now and enjoying it so far! im really hoping to do more reading in the new year and i think i can finally be successful in that now that im winding down in school yk. it's been a bit hellish

18. a memorable meal this year? hmmmmm... i went to the smokehouse grill and me and two of my friends got high beforehand lol and then i was sitting next to this alum whose movie ive seen now like. 3 times? and felt like i was making such awkward conversation but he was cool. and our prof was walking around and he was so stressful lmfao but like we were at the finish line that was the last day of class i think so we'd all been thru hell u just have to trust me there. and one girl got the dinner singer to sing happy birthday to him which was just really funny (was not his bday) and also our ta's girlfriend (who was just there. instead of us say having a second ta to help. i forgive them the tiniest bit for being lesbians even tho they're boring) got up on stage to sing and ATE HIS ASS UP. oh i bet that guy was embarrassed lolll. i also started following recipes and getting more experimental with cooking this year so that was nice!

19. whatre you excited about in the new year? NOT BEING IN SCHOOL HALLELUJAH GET ME OUT OF THERE. then there's the Horrors of adulthood but im not even that worried i am so sick of being in school i am barely making it out alive each semester. it'll be cool to have time to try and create a life that i enjoy without having to account for like. classes. fuck college fr. and im also excited to just be able to hang out with friends and have more little adventures and just be a little weirdo and make out with some people idk

for the end of year ask meme: 4, 18?

18) a memorable meal this year?

Ok, so I got this vegetarian cookbook this year. I just wanted tasty meat free options to cook, because you can't choose not-meat if not-meat sucks. Then like a week after I got the cookbook I got a text from an acquaintance/friend of mine asking to do dinner with them and my partners. This was a big deal for a LOT of reasons-- 1) ive been spending a lot of these past 2 years trying to build platonic relationships from scratch after wasting most of my 20s on an energy vampire and 2) i had never hung out with pretty much any friend in an ADULTS COOKING DINNER TOGETHER capacity, usually we order pizza??? And 3) he had never met my girlfriend and i had to ~impress~. So I yanked this zucchini fritter recipe out of my new cookbook, never cooked ANYTHING without meat or for anyone other than my husband before, and showed up with like a full grocery trip worth of shit. My girlfriend brought zucchinis and they gave me eggs from their chickens. And me, my partners, and these new friends I'd spent months and MONTHS working on developing a relationship with just. Hung out and shredded zucchinis and talked and it was. Really Really nice. And the fritters turned out pretty good too.

4) movie of the year?

I'm not up on new releases so I'll refer to my fallback and favorite rewatch movie, Mad Max: Fury Road, simply for giving me this pic.

The Spot where Sausage is Supreme and Charcuterie is above all the rest. Among the best places to eat at the historic plaza in the town of Sonoma is The Sausage Emporium. Few people know the real details about sausage and “cold cuts” as owner Miranda Ives does.

She also knows how to pair beverages with the right combination of sausage and meat. This reporter had the opportunity to chat briefly with Ives while enjoying a favorite of mine from the regular menu.

The Vietnamese Banh Mi, made with The Sausage Emporium’s own pork sausage, paté, house pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, fresh mint, jalapeño and sriracha creme is yummy. What surprised me was the fresh baked bread-roll (actually it’s a short baguette) it was served in. The aroma alone made for an exceptional culinary experience as that baguette was soft yet slightly crisp and warm. The reviews and ratings for the Sausage Emporium are high and raves.

The harmony of hot, spicy and subtle tangy flavors was very satisfying. The other aspect to The Sausage Emporium I noticed is that there’s a variety of sausages and meats that can gratify just about any palate.

Being in Wine Country, Ives knows her stuff and can prepare a dish that will do more than impress; it takes the taste buds to new levels of experience. Being able to pair a particular wine with a food is a talent and I think it’s crucial.

For example, there are many wonderful wineries and wine-makers in the Sonoma Valley that are eager to have their wine served at a restaurant. Yet in efforts to sell wine and promote it, few tasting rooms take the time to really pair food with what they want to sell.

A really fine Cabernet Savignon like the one I had at the Zina Lounge at the Ledson Hotel, a glass of something sparkling at SIGH, or a Petite Syrah such as the one offered at St. Francis upvalley in Kenwood needs to have something exceptional to go along with it.

Ordinary grocery store cold-cuts truly don’t do a fine wine justice. I’m sorry to say that some of the tasting rooms at the plaza and elsewhere don’t understand this fact. A Sonoma or Napa Valley wine that can truly rival that of any in Europe must have a good food pairing to highlight its own flavor and regional characteristics.

Certainly Sonoma and Napa area can make fine cheeses but quality meat, specifically a sausage or local bologna? Hmm! Here’s where Ives and her staff can help. Charcuterie board servings are popular and The Sausage Emporium makes them.

Not many people know this but to make real bologna or mortadella, prosciutto, etc. is a “slow-food” art. Oscar Meyer or Hormel and others does only the mass produced type; of which Americans are used to.

Pepperoni for instance is essentially an American version of salami, something close to what Italians might call ‘salame piccante.’

As Ives knows, it’s a generic term that means “spicy salami.” It’s made from beef and cured pork mixed together and then seasoned with a blend that usually includes paprika, garlic, black pepper, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard seed, and fennel seed.

Ives of course has her own recipe. Still, just about every pepperoni producer uses a different mix and ratio of ingredients, but paprika is always present. The paprika is the ingredient that give pepperoni its color. And most likely according to food historians, perhaps paprika had something to do with the name “pepperoni.”

Only someone like Ives would know that and provide a customer a more discerning understanding of what really good pepperoni is.

For foodies it’s also important to know that The Emporium’s ability to pair food with beverages doesn’t stop at wine and beer. Sausage Emporium serves delicious coffee and is even promoting its own holiday blend just for the winter season called “BeanWrks.”

The Sausage Emporium is Women-owned and operated, with an unpretentious, casual dining area in a memorable and friendly atmosphere, serving breakfast and lunch, along with as mentioned charcuteries, retail sausages, salumi, local wine, champagne, craft beer, and cider.

Open Wednesday through Sunday The Sausage Emporium begins serving breakfast at 8:30 AM and closes after lunch at 3:00 PM. Weekends- Saturday & Sunday doors open at 8:00 AM and close at 4:00 PM. See The Sausage Emporium for website details.

18, most memorable meal? happy almost new year! :-)

happy almost new year q!!

ive gotten really into cooking as a hobby this year so a recipe ("recipe" lmao) that i kind of came up with/is mostly borrowed from existing recipes. one night a few months ago i cooked some spicy (kinda) cajun seasoned chicken with lemon and just messed around and made a cream sauce in the same pan the chicken cooked in and made some pasta with it and it is sooo yummy. i make it like once every couple of weeks and i would do it every day if i knew i wouldn't get tired of it

Oooh, can I hear about "Note: Hands and Heart Required for this Recipe"?

figured id answer these at the same time since you both asked! also hi charlie lmao @teenagemutantninjatrauma dw the masses will get to see the donnie madness. also adding a read more bc frankly this got LONG i really like this wip so i ended up talking abt it WAY too much alkfsdj

this is a little baking fic ive been putting together! the idea is that donnie starts out being offended that people in baking videos say macarons are hard and tries to make them with a stand mixer he made himself. he Fails Horrifically. then he goes back to brownies, and is Instantly compelled by the kind of science that baking entails. the thing as a whole is kinda of...it turns into a coping mechanism, for him to say, i have something other than tech, another way for him to be useful, a way to support emotionally as well as physically. hell make muffins when leo seems crabby, hell make bread when mikey has been down, hell make cake when raph's smile is straining, and hell smile the whole time, hell put his weight into kneading that dough, hell put his heart into this. thats why its called that! its kinda like those notes at the beginning of recipes like 'btw youre gonna need a stand mixer and a springform pan for this' but saying 'welcome to baking! pick up your heart and hold it close, and make sure your hands are ready, because while machines can do what we can, whats the point? dont give me that look, youll understand soon enough.'

initially this was going to be a oneshot but it QUICKLY evolved. i havent even finished writing the brownies part and its already about 4k. also leo appeared and made himself Known as he always does, so its a lot of disaster twins so far. i do have some of this one written though, so i can find a snippet! lemme see, uhhh...ok you guys are getting at LEAST two i cant choose. here, this first one is from earlier on, it points out the earlier reasoning/the theming kinda well:

He finally threw his hands in the air after an hour of this, giving a loud ‘UGH!’ and pausing it, setting his work aside. “Fine!” He huffed, stomping over to his blueprints table. “If you’re so insistent that it’s so difficult, I guess I’ll have to prove you wrong!” He’d already been proven wrong so many times that his tech, his projections, his work couldn’t stand up to a challenge. That it would crumble under the grasp of the sharp claws of a demon, or the megaton punch of a battle suit.  He was 15, and he was sore, and he wanted to prove himself.   Well, he’d thank himself later, but for now, he pulled out the blueprints and called, “Shelldon, pull up schematics for commercial stand mixers.” He’d proven he could do better, with Shelldon and with Raph’s eye and his shells.  He could do something as simple as this. 

dont ask me how shelldon is alive i didnt think that hard abt it. just . the robots alive get used to it. this next snippet is later on, and is more on the disaster twins/donnie knowing his family kind of side

Leo leaned back and curled into himself, hand rubbing at the back of his neck, eyes averted. Jeez, he really felt bad, huh? Well, in that sorry, man way and not I’m sorry I’m not good enough way, but still. “But this seems like you’re really getting into, you know? I didn’t wanna criticize you right when you started out. “ Donnie thought, for a moment.  A lot of times, Leo did things because he was projecting.  This was, often, perfectly fine. He rarely did it in a bad way, but in this sort of sense? When he was saying, I didn’t want to criticize you right when you’re starting out? Leo knew Donnie could take criticism.  It’s Leo who can’t.  And Donnie can still remember Raph asking if Leo could really memorize all that medical knowledge, and Mikey asking for Raph instead, and Donnie having to guide him through a lot of the bigger words, getting frustrated now and then.  Or when he started drinking tea, and they all called him an old man, because they expected him to bounce back, to bite back, to be fine with it.  Or when he got his first scarf from April and Donnie asked him why he was still wearing it around 2 days later. (Hypocrite.)  And he wondered why they rarely saw him drinking tea even if the bags dwindled, why those scarves disappeared for a year or two. 

ok i was lying take ONE more snippet. i really like this doc it all came together pretty well even if it isnt quite finished yet/i wrote it at 8-10 pm the night after an all nighter

The whole time, Leo had this smile on, a little childish and fun. Not…not quite as blinding as it had been in the past, or as blinding as it might ever be again, but big and bright and simply excited. Like eating the brownies his brother made by hand was the only thing on his mind.  It settled something worried and loving and warm in a corner of Donnie’s heart, the same something that settled when he made machines and modified security and kept careful watch when he noticed something amiss.  He let it happen, let it settle, let this be warm.  Leo was the one who was sent to tell the others there were brownies, because he was excited and Donnie had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to sit still around them while they cooled for longer than the two minutes he had already been sitting there.  Donnie only chuckled something fond under his breath as he gathered up some small plates. 

my favorite thing about this doc is just. leos so excited the whole time and its this part of him i dont get to discuss NEARLY enough when i write. hes so bouncy the WHOLE time and its genuinely perfect. donnie agrees, too, so it all works out, hehe.

For the emoji ask: 🍴favourite food? (and bonus, do you have a favourite recipe you like to make?)

my favorite food is prolly poke bowls!

theyre sushi rice with stuff like mangoes and raw fish and veggies on top, and theyre delicious!

as for my favorite thing to cook, prolly bread or mac n cheese--i like kneading, and my mac n cheese recipe is something ive memorized and have a lot of happy memories around :D