Sink Your Teeth Right Through My Bones, Baby

Hey, everybody! Yesterday on ushobwri (You Should Be Writing), the most wonderful brumeier posted about More Joy Day, started by sdwolfpup. The idea is simple: there's enough awful shit in the world, so why not mitigate it by spending a day being nice?

Obviously most of us try to be nice all the time, but I love the idea of a special day specifically for it. SdWolfPup has a lovely post about her motivations for it here.

Brumeier wrote me a story! So my day is already joyful. <3 I'm lucky to have her as a friend.

(And if y'all would like to participate, you can post about what you've done here.)

Unfortunately I don't have much reason to go out of the house today, but the box o' pencils I ordered arrived in time for my kid to donate them to his classroom today, which is awesome. And I plan to bake cookies for some of my neighbors and maybe my kid's Taekwondo instructors, if I have enough. :)

And for you guys, here's a video of a cat being awesome:



And information I got recently on a UK and NZ-based website which presents itself as a safe place to help yourself deal with emotional issues, with the guidance of trained professionals available 24/7. Please note that I haven't joined it, but I looked at a lot of the site and it seems to be both free and legit. :) Big White Wall

And finally, my favorite, super-simple recipe for a really delicious single-serving microwave cake:

2 Tbs of any kind of nut butter (we've tried it with almond and peanut; both are great though almond rises better).
1 or 2 Tbs of honey, depending on how sweet you like it (maple syrup, corn syrup or cane sugar, would work just as well, or regular sugar, though you might want to add more liquid).
2 Tbs of cocoa powder.
1 Egg
1 Tsp vanilla or essence of choice (I also like almond).
1/2 tsp baking powder
About 1 Tbs chocolate chips, if desired (or available where you live).

(Omit the egg and baking powder for a delicious, pudding-like version)

Directions: Mix everything into a microwave-safe mug or bowl, adding baking powder last, if using. Microwave for one minute. Eat out of the container with a spoon. :D

Have a wonderful day, guys!

I like to bake. Occasionally I suck at it, though to my credit I've yet to harm anyone other then myself. Luckily baking soda isn't generally poisonous.

With this background in mind, attend, O best-beloveds, my adventures while trying to make this recipe.

( It won't be too painful, really. And yes, I f**ked up enough to need a LJ-cut. )

Help me decide what to cook, guys!


[Poll #1720567]

And hey--what're you all having?





(Psst! Bid for my stuff at help_japan!)

Today, my son had a dentist appointment to cap two of his teeth. (Unfortuly, as he would say, when he began to brush his teeth without supervision he stopped brushing his side teeth, so he got cavities. Now his daddy has to floss Jav's teeth because I refuse to.) After the dentist put in the bling he told us to feed him a liquid lunch so he wouldn't accidentally gnaw on his numbed chipmunk-cheeks, so we decided just to keep him home for the afternoon. This meant a lot of parent-approved children's television, including Curious George (who is a Chimpanzee, not a monkey, damn it. And don't even get me started on that poacher, the Man in the Yellow Hat). One of the episodes featured doughnuts, so naturally Javier and I got a craving and we decided to make some together.

( Cut so my FList doesn't kill me )

Health warning of the week, O best-beloveds: be careful about using baking soda when you run out of 'Tums'.

This came up because ( of the epic fail )

Edit: I meant Chickpeas! Not Lentils! However, I'm sure the recipe would be fine with both. :)

(Irrelevant comment: Wow, Battlestar Galactica is really, really depressing. For so many reasons. Anyway)

Chickpea, Carrot and Parsnip Curry

I don't have any ingredient amounts, because this is very arbitrary. But I used:

Olive oil for frying
One half or one onion (depending on size), chopped
Some garlic, chopped
Vegetable broth
One can chickpeas
One or two parsnips, peeled and grated
One or two carrots, peeled and grated
One tablespoon or more curry paste of your choice

In a pot suitable for frying in, fry the onions in olive oil. Add one or two cups of vegetable broth (I use water and a bouillon cube) with the curry paste mixed in until it dissolves. Add the lentils, parsnips and carrots. Simmer until finished. Enjoy over rice or with bread.

Ta-dah!