that one girl

the problem with "going gay." (or, a brief analysis/open mic discussion of the ruby rose phenomenon)

2015-07-03T15:17:13Z

I'll keep this brief, if only because I want to have the opportunity to discuss this more in-depth with any takers.

There have been a number of interesting articles on the subject, and even doing a cursory Facebook keyword search for "Ruby Rose" will pull up a mélange of shared videos, tweets, pieces, and posts that underscore the issue that Mic articulates quite well in this article.

Quick, quotable quote:
"...talk of 'going gay' for Ruby Rose makes being gay sound like it's a
quick and easy choice (and the only choice)."

(One of the many quotes I was tempted to use.)

Thoughts? Comments? Declarations of intent? I'd love to hear anything and everything!

Storydale: A Modern-Day Fairytale RPG

2013-11-28T15:02:21Z

Hello and welcome to the small town of Storydale, Vermont where the inhabitants are based on fairy tale dwellers and characters from classic literature. Pick your favorite and try to imagine how they would fit into the modern world as well as interact with others.

Click the button above to check it out! Plenty of characters are available and you can always suggest some more if the one you'd like to roleplay as isn't listed. Come play with me! ;D

Major Interest in Major Crimes

2013-07-23T15:31:18Z

Emerging from lurking long enough to declare my new-found love for the series, Major Crimes!

This series serves as a continuation of The Closer, and I actually find myself liking MC's cast significantly more than its predecessor series. (Not to mention Captain Raydor practically radiates HBIC waves like it's nobody's business.) I'm scrambling to get my hands on the previously aired episodes of the second season (episode 6 and earlier), as I've only just finished watching my cousin's DVD of the entire first season. If anyone can direct me to an online source for all S2 episodes thus far, I would appreciate it! I hate waiting for my DVR to capture all of the episodes as they air on TNT. :,(

One side note: I think I'm interested in this show and its characters enough to want to write fan fiction about it. :o I haven't felt this way about a series since Glee!

into the unknown

2013-01-28T22:46:51Z

Waking up in the middle of the night, heart pounding from the vestiges of just another really effed up dream, was only the beginning of one seemingly endless, unimaginably desolate Monday.

I covet Sundays--specifically, that ethereal space in time, early on in the morning, where everything has a sense of rightness to it--I covet them and cling onto their coattails for as long as I possibly can until I have to admit defeat, complete readings and assignments, and prepare for a day of running around. I'm lucky enough to have an easy Monday, in terms of classes. With any luck, by the time Cultural Anthropology lets out and the F bus meanders its way into the circle where I am standing, anxiously waiting and vying for a seat, I'll get home around three.

The usual lack of enthusiasm for Mondays has matured into a full-blown grimace. The constant drip and drizzle of rain has turned the bald spots in the Pangaea of snow into small, fragmented streaks of white against the dreary grey of the day. Sharing my lover's grief over losing his grandfather this past week, a man I had never had the pleasure of meeting, and bearing witness to the attending priest's incredibly touching eulogy, seems to have followed me through the weekend to today. Remembering the floral smell and paltry feel of the funeral home, the frailty of his grandmother's body as I embraced her in a hug, the empowering quality of the voices carrying the grief of the situation in unison during a performance of "O Lord My God", I feel so powerfully for his oma, a woman I have only just met. I hurt for the long-lasting love that has now been splintered by the reality of death and--selfishly--I'm terrified at the thought of finding myself in her position. It's not a fear of death, but the fear of the gaping hole that follows death's footsteps.

Now on my first full week of classes for the spring semester, I am doing fairly well and staying afloat, following the ebb and flow of reading assignments being flung my way from all directions. To those who find themselves in a similar situation, I'd love to hear from you in particular: How do you personally cope with an "enthusiastic" workload? What are your reading and studying habits like?

I'm just about done reading through the first pages of Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez's Generacion Y, a series of posts that I've been eating up with gusto and have seemed to only add to my slight sense of melancholia. With deadlines approaching and the ever-looming presence of finances, I feel confined and terribly worried with what the following days will bring. In the midst of this dreary Monday evening, I will be reading Boule de Suif, memorizing as many African countries as I possibly can, and fretting over the possibility of losing what I consider to be an old friend: the maturation of my education.

and a hearty new year

2013-01-03T22:37:13Z

Here's to...
brushing teeth more,
(eventually) sorting out financial aid,
getting more hours,
baking a lot,
kneading more dough,
being in love,
and looking forward to life more this year.

Any resolutions of your own you'd like to share, FList?

ADVERTISEMENT AHOY!

2012-07-05T23:06:50Z

I've never been a girly-girl. Just ask my dad! I'm the type to go no-makeup, wearing men's tees with my lounge pants and my hair in a pony. But lately, sites like Pinterest have piqued my interest... so to speak! Lol.

Anyway, I found out about Birchbox through another pinner, and I decided there wasn't much to lose in getting a ten-dollar box of surprise beauty goodies shipped my way.

I absolutely love the products that came in June's Birchbox. I got a little sample of Taylor Swift's perfume (not really my scent, but lovely all the same), a peanut butter Luna bar, a bronzer (it looks intimidating, but it's a really great, safer alternative to tanning!), tanning wipes (bye-bye, pasty legs!), and--my favorite product by far--a lip tint that doubles as blush for your cheeks. I love using it, especially since I'm not a big lipstick user. And using it before I apply a light blush really enhances my features!

I highly recommend this site. It's great for tentative newbies such as myself, a fun way to test the waters of the beauty world.

Check it out for yourself!

(Sorry for the shameless advertising! It's really cool, yo.)

stress baking

2012-05-15T22:49:57Z

With the end of the year quickly approaching, I'm getting more and more nervous. While everyone else is doing their daily Facebook countdowns (like "25 more days then im free", or my personal favorite, "only like one more month of this bs then i can finally sleep again!!!") I'm in the corner biting my nails, thinking of the millions of things I should be getting done before graduation rolls up.

When I feel stressed, I like to bake. Due to an electrical fire in my school's bakery (no one's fault and no one was hurt), we're out of order for what looks like the rest of the year... I haven't really baked anything since April! It's crazy. And so, in hopes of easing my stress (and to kill time before I have to get ready for a movie "date"), I decided to make some pumpkin bread from scratch. It's not even remotely close to fall, I know, but seasonal-schmeasonal? I like the stuff, and my sister's been craving it for ages now.

I checked out The Pioneer Woman blog, one of my go-to's, and Ree led me to a Bobby Flay's pumpkin bread that he outlines in his recipe for pumpkin bread pudding. The pudding looks good, but all I really cared about was making the bread, sooo...

Now, I didn't know we were running low on sugar... nor did I realize that we only had whole cloves, not the ground stuff. I didn't even think to check until I was elbows-deep in the dry ingredients. So... word to the wise: always double-check to see if you're fully prepared for a recipe before you, y'know, go to make it. I ended up attacking a handful of cloves with a mortar and pestle and using approximately one cup of granulated sugar in the recipe, substituting the remainder with a generous half-cup of confectioner's sugar. My loaf's still in the oven, so I don't know if that did anything to negatively affect the texture, but it looks great. (I can also verify that it tastes good, too... so good.)

So... yeah! How're y'all doing? To those whose summer vacations are almost here, how many of you are looking forward to it? Dreading it? What do you think of desserts or foods that are "seasonal"? I'd love to hear from you guys! I miss talking to you. ♥

midnight musings = free advice?

2012-04-12T17:52:43Z

Hey, guys! It's been a while, wouldn't you say? I haven't had ample time to do more than social networking and e-mail checking these past few weeks, but after getting the headache-inducing yearbook out of the way and with spring break, my schedule's been given some breathing room!

So lately, in-between work and trying to get myself a new job (I am now a grateful employee at the local Hampton Inn!), I've been entangled in more than a little good (debatable), old-fashioned high school relationship drama. While my friends-with-benefits mess has been put to bed, so to speak, a new problem has been sprung upon me recently.

I won't go into details, but I tried and failed to be a therapist for my lovelorn friend. For a while, she heeded my advice, but love won out in the end. (I never thought I'd say that in such resigned disappointment.) I'll admit that I threw in the towel; I can only take arguing with a brick wall for so long, and being put on the spot for false allegations left a bad taste in my mouth.

Regardless of the turn of events in these one-sided relationships, I think I've learned quite a bit from the recent turn of events... in all of my relationships! While my personal experience with romance has been next to none, I'd like to think I've learned a great deal. And so I bring you some harebrained advice, scratched onto some gnarly-looking paper in the middle of the night. Just please, please take this with a grain of salt!
I AM NOT A LICENSED SHRINK! I'm just a girl looking to put an end to all of this nonsense, haha.

SELF-ASSESSMENT WHEN IN A RELATIONSHIP GOING DOWNHILLHere are some good questions to ask yourself when you've seemed to have stepped into a steaming pile of crap in the path of your relationship, be it romantic, platonic, or business-related. Check 'em out and, as always, feel free to pipe up with your opinion, outlooks, criticisms, and so on in the comments!
• Open your eyes! What do I get out of this relationship? What do I contribute?
• A classic pros/cons question: What do I like and dislike about this relationship?
- Airing out the dirty laundry: How can the negative aspects be dealt with? Are the problems ones that can be discussed and resolved?
- Are the cons really as big of a deal as you make them out to be, or are you just nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking?
- Skewed and screwed: Is my perception blurred because I'm a perfectionist? Am I just looking for problems?
• Look to the future! Where is this relationship going? Where do I want it to go? Where do(es) she/he/they want it to go?
• Is it worth the headache and heartache: Do I really want to salvage this relationship? Why?

* Remember: communication is key! While it might be an uncomfortable and touchy subject to breach,it's best to get your issues resolved and your priorities straight early on in a relationship. Talking things out when the issues are fresh nip the problems in the bud and can only bolster the integrity of any good relationship.

One for the Babies

2012-03-25T23:25:10Z

I'M NOT A BABY PERSON, not by a long shot. Contrary to popular belief among friends and family, it has nothing to do with disliking children. It's more of a debilitating, innate fear I have of hurting something so small and so innocent. I absolutely hate the sound of a baby's cry because it makes me want to cry right along with them.

THIS PAST WEEKEND I gave my older cousin a visit. When we're there, all we usually do is watch anime and stay in his downstairs living area. However, a certain series of events led to us having to watch my other cousin's young daughter, Olivia. She's the most adorable little thing you've ever seen, with gorgeous strawberry blond curls. Her laugh is contagious, as is the sparkle in her eyes when those giggles bubble forth through her pearly-white baby teeth. Somehow, I found myself chasing her around the first floor of the house, matching her little pitter-pattering footfalls with my careful stomps as I chased the saccharine sounds of her unrestrained laughter.

I CAN'T HELP BUT BE ENTRANCED whenever a baby's around. My heart starts racing and I feel immersed in an anxiously bubbly, "Oh god, please don't cry when I smile at you" energy. I feel as though I'm holding my breath around them, as if the slightest thing might bring harm to them. It hadn't been until after we'd put 'Livia down for her nap that I realized I was afraid of babies and their proneness, afraid of the fact that they depend upon you for safety, sustenance, and protection.

I KNOW I'M AN AUTHOR but I'm not fictionalizing anything about this post, especially as I go on to tell you all about my latest cause. I am a registered participant for the March for Babies 2012, a fundraising walk for the March of Dimes. This foundation was created to offer support and healthcare services to families of prematurely-born babies. By donating to the March of Dimes, you're supporting research and programs meant to improve the lives of "premies". I don't anticipate I'll raise very much for the MoD at school, considering the fact that my Honors Society just had a "Hoops for Heart" event earlier this month, so I'm making it a point to turn to my loved ones for support... which brings me to the purpose of this post! I'm asking you, fellow FList (whatever friends I still have... sheesh, I've been so inactive on LJ lately!), to donate if you want to and are able. Any amount is an appreciated amount, so please... consider donating to the March of Dimes today! ♥♥

lezi @ 2012-03-17T09:25:00

2012-03-17T13:25:21Z

I haven't been doing much in the way of writing fan fiction lately, and while I've been writing a boatload of poetry because of class, my posting's dwindled down to nothing. Apologies, friends! Life's been getting in the way. Blech.

As I struggle to juggle everything, (HA, go internal rhyming!) I have the sudden urge to write a self-gratuitous original story about a ridiculous teacher crush. Don't Call Me Mister. Or was it "Sir"? Ah well, who cares. I liked that title better, anyway.

I'll keep you updated when I finally write and post the first chapter, just in case anyone wants to try to endure my cray-cray original piece. :P

Love to you all! Stay sane in this crazy, crazy world. ♥

Here, hear some music! ;)

lezi @ 2011-11-20T16:48:00

2011-11-20T21:48:49Z

i want to write something.
I need to write something. A letter, a story, a poem...
...Okay, fact: I have to write a poem. By next month.
Yeah, I'm auditioning for Arts High again this year.
HEY THERE, PROCRASTINATION... GO 'WAY.

lezi @ 2011-10-22T16:38:00

2011-10-22T20:38:05Z

what keeps you going?
LIFE THROWS SO MUCH OUR WAY. From thesis papers to good and bad surprises, no one existential equation is the same as the next. Whether you're a planner or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants gal (or guy), you can't make accomodations for life and its many plot twists until it's plopped itself in your lap like a ginormous Persian cat.

...And some days, on days when coffee is extinct but your agenda's close to a boil-over, kitty chooses to shed all over your brand-new black suit.

I've been having quite a few of those days lately but in the end, that's the inevitable downside of life, an oopsie!-charred bit of your morning toast you just have to come to accept by hiding it in a thick coating of butter and a kiss of honey. It's not how many little tragedies you can pinpoint in your day, after all, but how you come to defeat them; how you finish your day is the resolution of an epic, no matter how insignificant or life-altering your day turned out to be.

When it comes to surmounting the incredible desire to go Grinch, I prefer coffee, heart-rending music, over-the-phone rant therapy with friends (pro: it's free!), or Pretty Woman in my pj's.
So how do you stomach the grizzle of life, FList?

P.S.: Word to the wise, I don't recommend taking frustrations out on inanimate objects... especially your coffee maker. It usually ends with coffee-grind shrapnel all over your kitchen and tears.

half-baked

2011-09-16T23:51:07Z

half-baked and harebrained Lately, I've been feeling a bit like a heaping pile of messy equations that just don't--won't add up, no matter which way I add, subtract, or PEMDAS my way around them. A part-time summer job has become a part-time leave-school-early-every-other-day-or-so job; college flyers and brochures are coming at me to the nth degree; a co-worker has evolved into a co... sexter? And I still have to figure out where yearbook club, walkathons, Parents' Night and courses at the county college fit into this mess.

Behind every fretting college-bound student, you will find sugar... and plenty of it. It seems I'm not the only one who's a little off this week: a batch of brownies from the morning class turned out... well, not very brownie-like at all, but Chef, being the waste-none cost control fiend that she is, asked me for ideas for these fallen sheets of rich, chocolaty cake.

"Ice cream," I suggested, because you can't go wrong with ice cream... or chocolate. Or chocolate ice cream with chunks of chocolaty not-brownie awesomeness.

When I awoke from the typical school-induced haze, I found myself at home, giving the thousand yard stare to a sheet tray of failed brownie. Huh.

After work tomorrow (Saturday... nghh), I'll perform a modernist miracle of making win out of fail. ...If everything adds up. I'll get back to you, lovely FList! Until then, have a nice sleep-in Saturday. ♥

the (summer) foodie

2011-08-20T19:52:07Z

When Life Gives You Bananas...

My dad has this awful habit of inviting people for dinner the day of, something which I--a hermit through and through--hate. And then comes the ominous phone call: "Hey, Lys... we're having your aunt and uncle over. I'm gonna make dinner..." It's the pause that gets my heart racing, my blood boiling, my left eye twitching. He doesn't even need to finish his sentence; I know whatever's coming will roughly amount to "Hey, you, baker! BAKE!"

I don't mind it. Usually.

Today's one of those impromptu dinner days. Since we had some devil's food cake mix up in the cabinet I decided to make an evil banana cake, and in order to not feel like a total sham of a baker, I whipped up some Italian meringue frosting, which I'll ice the cake with once it's filled with some nutella frosting and banana slices.

The mini-bites I made with extra cake batter taste delicious with the frosting when I ~~devoured them~~ tested them out, so... I'm hopeful!

'Til next time, my darling FList. ♥

foodie fun

2011-08-14T05:01:58Z

Just a tiny batch of sweet, food-centric icons because I'm getting a ltitle tired of using my cupcake icon whenever I decide to post food-related things. Enjoy!

Feel free to use any and all of these. I don't particularly care if you credit me or not. That said, I do not own any of the pictures I made these icons from; I found all of these pictures under the "cookie" tag on We Heart It.

the (summer) foodie

2011-08-13T21:22:44Z

So... I whipped up a batch of crème brûlée today, but in addition to that I made a little discovery of my own:
Slow and steady wins the race.
Not only is this a good (if overused) life lesson, but it should be written in stone as one of the cardinal rules of baking. I tried out a different recipe for pate brisee rather than going with my tried and true recipe from my shop binder--a big mistake on my part. Not only that, but I rushed the entire process: I didn't let it firm up in the fridge nearly long enough, so when I went to blind bake the shell, melted butter oozed from the tart mold to pool all over the pan I was smart enough to bake it on. I'm left with a crumbly and completely wrong crust, a slightly discouraged feeling, and a subpar dessert for tonight.

Ah well. At least I have a silky, delicious custard. (So glad I stuck to Chef's recipe on that one.) I almost had a boil-over--ALMOST!--but I was lucky enough to catch my cream in time and take it off the stovetop before I ended up with messes and (probably) tears. Another lesson, my lovelies: never text and bake!

CRÈME BRÛLÉE:
1 pint heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 stick cinnamon vanilla (either 1/2 tablespoon of extract, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder--I love this stuff!--or 1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped out)

Combine the above in a pot and heat over medium heat until it's boiling. WATCH CAREFULLY! Boil-overs happen really suddenly, especially when cream's involved.

1/3 cup sugar
6 egg yolks

Beat the yolks and sugar together in a large bowl. Don't worry about whipping them too much--all you want to do is have the sugar fully incorporated with your yolks.

Once the cream mixture's come to a boil, remove from heat and slowly pour in a little of the cream into the sugared yolks, whisking nonstop. Continue doing this--tempering your yolks--until you've poured all of your cream into the yolks. Strain and let cool before a) pouring the custard into prepared, greased ramekins or b) pouring the custard into your (hopefully not as failtastic as mine was today) prebaked pie shell.
Bake it at 350°F for about twenty minutes, or until your custard's sort of wiggly, but set.
Let cool before sprinkling with a generous amount of granulated sugar and--YAY!--torching the tops/popping it into a broiler until you've got a nice amount of caramelization on the top.

Until next time, my brave soliders.

the (summer) foodie

2011-08-07T14:53:42Z

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

...Alright, that might be a little extreme, even for me, but I have a feeling I'll be changing my tune very quickly after eating what's for dessert tonight.

After my first batch of ice cream (ironically successful with my health-conscious father; unsurprisingly a hit with my junk food-obsessed sister and her equally sweet-toothed giant of a boyfriend) my dad stocked the fridge up with pints of heavy cream. Every time I went to grab a slice of leftover pizza to eat straight out of the Ziploc, I felt like I was navigating a land mine of pressure. (It didn't help that my dad kept buying pints of ice cream, loudly explaining that he needed to get it from our local grocery store because his daughter had yet to make up another batch. Yeah, nothing like badgering me into making ice cream, dad.)

I felt obligated to make ice cream, but I was stuck on one of life's universal questions: What flavor do I make?

After some hunting around the interwebs for awesome food blogs (admittedly spending more time drooling than note-taking), I found my inspiration in the form of The Cupcake Project's recipe for cookie dough that's made to be ~~eaten~~ devoured raw. I ended up adding a bit more milk and white sugar than the recipe called for, in addition to a bit of margarine because the batch ended up extremely dry and very floury. It still tastes amazing, but next time I'm going to nix half a cup of flour and only add more if necessary. I recommend using a scant tablespoon of margarine in the dough, just because it gives it a more cohesive texture and a richer taste.

Come on. If I'm making this ice cream, I'm going all the way. It's the weekend. It's ice cream. It's cookie dough ice cream. If you want to skimp on the butterfat, try fro-yo. But for this recipe, for me, it's all or nothing.

I've been scrounging around for a good ice cream base for a while now, ever since I've lost... and found and lost the recipe I got from my shop teacher. Last night I discovered The Best (caps necessary) ice cream base. Ever.

I found my dairy-dessert muse in the form of Ben and Jerry's sweet cream base from the Ice Cream Geek Blog. If you see 'Ben' and/or 'Jerry' in its name, you know you've found a recipe that means business. And believe you me, one "accidental" taste of this tear-jerkingly thick, luscious custard as you're lovingly nudging it into your ice cream maker will have your head reeling. (I know it had me scrounging around the frozen remains like Winnie-the-Pooh with an empty pot of Hunny, watching through the window just in case my dad's car pulled into the driveway.)

It was so decadent and whipped. I think it had a lot to do with the fact the recipe called for the the eggs to be whipped to death before you added your sugar. I found a candy/deep-fry thermometer in the black hole that is my kitchen, so I was able to regulate the temperatures for each step and got an end product with zero curdling. Zero.

I'm sorry Chef, but this is my ice cream base recipe now.

At ten in the morning, I'm left to suffer in wait for five o'clock. Chocolate chip cookie dough in ice cream's a perfect, safe dessert to bring to my momma's Sunday dinner, but am I restrained enough to wait it out without sneaking any tastes? Only time will tell.

Until next time, my loves! (If you have some of your own foodie stories to share, post 'em in the comments! You know I always love hearing from y'all.)

in a nutshell:

2011-08-04T23:53:47Z

My summer vacation so far, summed up, has been...
six am
     muffins
  quiches
           The Fountainhead
   muffin boxes
        coffeecoffeecoffee
  "My laptop's breaking in half."
quiches
        muffins
    "...My laptop's frozen."
      oatmeal... and coffee
  MUFFINSFML.

The end.

What're you up to, FList?

original fiction prompt table

2011-07-24T01:13:50Z

the bystander effect (orig fic): 50scenes prompts

001.	Needles.	002.	Cold.	003.	Embryo.	004.	Paper.	005.	Chemical.
006.	Birthmark.	007.	Gasoline.	008.	Avarice.	009.	Guarded.	010.	Writer's Choice.
011.	Effulgent.	012.	Mist.	013.	Friction.	014.	Passenger.	015.	Stop.
016.	Nocturnal.	017.	Decadence.	018.	Lotus.	019.	Rental.	020.	Writer's Choice.
021.	Subliminal.	022.	Turquoise.	023.	Radical.	024.	Androgyny.	025.	View.
026.	Here.	027.	Dying.	028.	Lullaby.	029.	Overdrive.	030.	Writer's Choice.
031.	Response.	032.	Withdraw.	033.	Note.	034.	Idea.	035.	Abyss.
036.	Fever.	037.	Insomnia.	038.	Raw.	039.	Apple.	040.	Writer's Choice.
041.	Kiss.	042.	No Return.	043.	Masked.	044.	Homeland.	045.	Paranoid.
046.	Medication.	047.	Special.	048.	Saturnine.	049.	Sacrifice.	050.	Writer's Choice.

the (summer) foodie

2011-07-09T21:21:31Z

Behold, muffins that taste like doughnuts! One look at this recipe will make your arteries clog and your heart stop, but that doesn't even begin to describe the utterly sinful feeling you get when you're fingers-deep in pools of melted butter. I felt like I'd gone to the beach once I finished tossing these little beauties in cinnamon sugar: that shit got everywhere.

I'm still (im)patiently waiting for the sugary devils to cool and form their lovely crisp sugar crusts. Unless I snuck a premature sample that had seemed much too sugar-coated to exist, I couldn't rightly tell you how awesomazing these are.

Try this recipe out if you dare! (Also, apologies for yet another lame-o photo.)

____________________

In other food-related news, I've made two sorbets with my ice cream maker since my mango ice cream experiment. they came out... alright, but way too sugary-sweet for my tastes. I'll post a recipe once I get the ratios right, lovelies!

i hate...

2011-07-02T16:36:32Z

MISSING OUT ON SLEEPING IN.
I had a feeling it would happen, but STILL. It's the summer, it's my day off (dude, the novelty of saying that...!), and all I want is to sleep until about noon.

What's something you can't stand, dear FList?

the (summer) foodie

2011-06-26T15:23:27Z

I know I said the same thing last summer, but this summer I vow to embrace and further cultivate my inner foodie by eating (not necessarily good-for you) good food and making enough of my own dishes to make my head spin.

I'm off to a good start this summer! It's not even noon on my first Sunday of vacation and I gave my new-used ice cream maker a go.

I really need to find the digital camera I just had to have that I got for Christmas; subpar cell pics are subpar. Apologies!

In a fit of irony only I seem to be privy to, the moment I needed my ice cream base recipe, I've conveniently misplaced the crumpled-up lined paper in--you guessed it--my bedroom. (I swear a monster lives under my bed and waits until I'm gone to crawl out and gobble up the papers strewn all over the floor.) Fortunately the Internet connection's been kind. I was able to find a decent recipe online that sort of resembled what I've seen in my baking shop. My dad ~~demanded~~ suggested I use the mangoes he brought home, but sadly only one of the three plump, slippery devils were ripe enough to use. Canned diced pineapple made for a nice improv, and I used a little more lemon juice in the puree to cut the sweetness.*

I'm still waiting for the final product to freeze up, but the numerous tastes we took from the ice cream maker as it mixed made the occasional painful whack from the mixer's paddle worth it.

I'll update with the verdict (as well as the recipe) later on! (:

*: The ice cream base pre-churning is ridiculously, fiercely sweet. I was worried at first, but it turns out that the sweetness is dramatically subdued during the churning process. The potent sugaryness backed down to let the fruity flavors shine. (Thank God.)

ETA: So... this recipe was a success! I definitely need to work on my timing when it comes to taking the ice cream out of the machine and into the freezer--I think that's why this batch had a slightly icy consistency to it. The flavors, however, were brilliant. I might cut the sugar a bit next time, but the mango and pineapple flavors really popped. It was especially good drizzled with macerated strawberries. Definitely going to tweak and work with this recipe again!

RECIPE:
1 mango 1 can of diced pineapple, strained
I can't remember how many ounces it was; use your best judgement! The recipe called for one and three-quarters of a cup of fruit puree.
1 T (or more; to taste) lemon juice Puree and strain.
__________
1 ¾ c milk
½ c heavy cream
vanilla, to taste
- - - - -
4 egg yolks
1c sugar

Bring milk, cream and vanilla to a low simmer in a medium saucepan.
Beat yolks and sugar together until pale and lemony.
Temper yolks by whisking small amounts of the hot liquid into the yolks until they are heated.
Add back to pot; cook on LOW HEAT until thickened slightly.
Strain into bowl; let cool for 5-6 min.
Mix into fruit puree and refrigerate (preferably overnight) before placing into ice cream maker.

If you try this recipe out, let me know how it was! I'm very interested in hearing about flavor experiments as well.

summer goals:

2011-06-25T21:48:59Z

because i don't want to forget about this list. ~~(or lose it in my bedroom)~~

1. Increase my reading level to 1000+ words-per-minute. (Current wpm: 650-700)
2. Zen out to music with Laur.
3. WRITE... original fiction.
~~4. Draw a lighting-bolt scar on Mel's face while she's sleeping.~~
Somehow, it mysteriously vanished and she didn't know about it! Thankfully, I had picture proof. (To be posted!)
5. Overachieve.

what it means to be a gleek:

2011-06-24T23:44:30Z

Accidentally writing "ambadassador" on your History finals.

What's your gleek moment?

+ WOO FOR SUMMER VACAY/BOO FOR BROKEN LAPTOP! What a pro/con.

dada

2011-06-02T02:06:13Z

My dada poem, pre-scrambling:

I hang up the phone, words and secondhand gratitude floating around my dazed mind like bees buzzed from fermented fruit. The ringing in my ears rises and swells. I am a buoy, riding the frenzied currents of realization.
Before I know it, it's raining hopes and dreams into the palms of my cupped hands and my lips are stretched taut, a gaping grin gasping out an epiphany.

+ Having a Word doc open for so long really ticks me off. x)

Well, time to do culinary math! WOO! (Just playing; anyone want to do it for me?)