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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’

I am trying something new today: cheesecake. I am sure that I have made a cheesecake at some point because my lizard brain remembers the pain of a hot water bath slopping up against my forearm, and the annoyance of a leaky springform pan. That said, I don’t remember many other details because I’ve been avoiding this kind of cake for years. 

But I had a special request. Mr Man wanted a cheesecake. And not just any cheesecake, he wanted it to be chocolate.

Ok, I said. I can do that. (Pretty sure I can do that.)

After much research and a number of modifications, I am doing it. 

If you are unfamiliar, cheesecake is typically a multi-day affair. It requires a bake and then a cool and then a chill, preferably overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you can try some of the no-bake variants out there, but they still tend to require significant time in the fridge.

Here’s the base recipe I’m using: Epic New York Cheesecake From BraveTart. (No water bath! My forearms are thanking me. And how did I not realize that there is no flour at all in cheesecake?)

Modifications are required because my pan isn’t quite the right size and the original formulation is for a lightly citrus-flavored version. For Mr Man’s chocolate extravaganza, I’m using some of the changes posted by GregLasky in the recipe comments, along with most of his ingredient list: Chocolate Cheesecake.

The bad thing about a recipe like this is that I have to wait before I know if it worked. The good thing about a recipe like this? I have a whole day to imagine how great it’s going to be. 

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If I’m lucky, my cheesecake will look something like this. Except not as dark chocolaty. Or as well plated. And what is that tasty-looking beverage? Photo by Allen Rad on Unsplash

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I’m on a day job vacation at the moment and I’d hoped to get to some actual writing today. Instead, we juiced limes. Lots and lots and lots of limes. Eight pounds of limes, in the end, which is what happens when one shops at Costco’s Business Center.

On the plus side, our Lime Freeze future is assured, and the Breville Citrus Press is still one of the best presents Mr Man has ever given me. Spendy and single-use, yes, but worth it.

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Photo by Victor Figueroa on Unsplash

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This morning: hot oatmeal and a cool breeze from the patio door. We leave the door open for the fresh air, which brings the scent of wildlife to entertain the cat, as well as some of the unexpected moments of aggravation and joy that help make a life.

Aggravation: noise from a construction site down the block.

Joy: halfway through breakfast, I hear a beat, a pattern drummed out as from a wooden handle on a large metal surface. It is from the construction site, but it is not the sound of machinery or backup beeps or men shouting. Is it a wheelbarrow, a water drum, a backhoe scoop? Whatever the source, there is both intention and musicality. A bored worker, perhaps, or an aspiring musician. Or just someone inspired to create a moment of beauty in an otherwise average day. 

And then send that art out into the world, carried on the wind.

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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I love food and I love history, so imagine my excitement when I ran across this article:

How recreating ancient recipes helps one food buff bring the past to life | CBC Radio

I explored the linked video channel here:

Tasting History with Max Miller – YouTube

The recipes include a lot of interesting food, like medieval mead, garum, pirate rations, and the fascinatingly named “Hardtack and Hellfire.” Some of these items are still familiar, others not so much

I am so down with this. 

Previously, I’ve mentioned Krista Ball’s What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank, on how to feed your fantasy adventurers, but seeing these recipes come to life takes historical food to another level.

Enjoy (or at least feel happy that we have more on tap these days than sweet potato coffee)!

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Photo by Bianca Berg on Unsplash

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“Are you writing a book and worried that it’s awful and you suck and everyone who said they liked it is lying to you? Welcome to being a writer!
I’d say most of us struggle with those feelings, even people who are highly successful. Keep going, you’ve got this.”

Jessie Mihalik

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Photo by eberhard 🖐 grossgasteiger on Unsplash

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Sick by Shel Silverstein

“I cannot go to school today,”
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps…

— click through for the full poem from one of my favorite childhood authors

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Photo by Ramin Talebi on Unsplash

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What are you doing this weekend? Maybe you have plans for an all-night rave this weekend, but if you’re free at some point between the hours of dark Saturday night and dawn Sunday morning, consider the Perseids.

That’s right, it’s that time again, for one of the best shows in the night sky, the Perseid Meteor Shower. And unlike last year, the Moon won’t be crashing the party.

Here’s a time-lapse video from 2021 to whet your appetite:

How to Watch the Highly Anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine

The Perseids are known to treat viewers to a fantastic display, and coupled with a particularly dark sky, this year’s show is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss…

During a meteor shower such as the Perseids, Earth passes through a large cloud of debris in space. Right now, the planet is moving amid the rocks and ice left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which last was seen from Earth in 1992. The 16-mile-long comet orbits the sun over a 133-year period, which means it won’t be seen again until 2125. But every August, its remains create the radiant Perseid meteor shower.

/rubs hands in anticipation

This weekend’s Perseid meteor shower is ‘worth staying up for’ | CBC News

While there’s a major meteor shower every month, there’s nothing quite like the Perseid shower for those in the northern hemisphere, with the warm summer nights and better chances of clear skies. And this year, Canada is in a particularly favourable position for the peak night of Aug. 12–13.

And what do you know? I’m in Canada!

Perhaps you’re interested in a bunch of complicated graphs and a cool “activity level” dial? The Global Meteor Network has you covered. 

Meteor shower flux

The dial shows the peak sum of activity from all currently active showers and the sporadic background in the next 24 hours.

More interesting background information:

The 2023 Perseids Meteor Shower – YouTube

Sky & Telescope gives advice on how to watch the 2023 #perseids and explains how the #Perseids are formed in this video. 

Not into staying up late? In that case, I recommend looking for new time lapse video of the weekend event on Monday morning. 

Because this weekend, the best show in the solar system will be right on our doorstep.

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Photo by Michał Mancewicz on Unsplash

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“To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

― Thomas Edison

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Photo by Valentin Antonini on Unsplash

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For years, I was what you might call a desultory blogger. I’d pop on when I had something I wanted to note, or when I realized it had been too long between posts. Ironically, the first year of the pandemic was a particularly dry spell in terms of my online communication. 

That changed in 2021. As a way to kickstart my output and overall creativity, I decided to post daily. I’ve talked about that goal before, and I’ve mentioned the benefits of sticking with a streak. It’s been a good move for me in a number of ways, but it has produced a significant number of posts. WordPress is a useful platform in many ways, but it can get cluttered. Or maybe I’ve just dropped the ball on the keyword tags, but whatever. It’s a lot.

My mother asked me for a list of my favorite posts the other day. I think she wanted to share what I’m doing with a friend, but didn’t want to overwhelm them with a deluge of posts. 

That’s fair.

I do have a Favorites tag but it’s a bit haphazard and also still pretty extensive. So I put together a quick selection of some of my favorite posts and added that list to the sidebar. You may need to scroll down a little but you’ll see that the widget is called (very cleverly, I thought) “Favorite Posts.”

Now, these aren’t all of my favorites and they aren’t necessarily the most popular posts; that honor tends to go to the “quote and a pretty picture” post category, or ones that feature fluffy cats. (Maybe I’ll go back and tag those posts for easy access.)

I get it, some days you just need a pick-me-up.

But if you’re curious, check out these favorites. Comfortable with a little chaos? Dive right in with a random post

Whatever path you decide to take, enjoy.

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Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash

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As regular readers of the site know, Tuesday is my busiest and least fun day. Usually, anyway. Today I am pleased to support a Kickstarter by a fellow Writers of the Future cohort member.*

Death and the Taxman – A Novel by David Hankins (illustrations by Sarah Morrison)

The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain his powers before he faces Judgement for his original sin.

Did I love the short story? I did. Am I looking forward to the full novel? Yes, indeed. And are Sarah Morrison’s illustrations a captivating riot of color, character and motion? They are!

If humor and good writing and fun fantasy are your thing, check out this Kickstarter!

* Yes, another one. What can I say, they’re awesome.

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