#365Ways | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’

I’ll Take It

Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, food, recipes on August 19, 2023| 2 Comments »

Good news, Peoples of Earth! I am happy to report that the recent chocolate cheesecake experiment was a success.

Difficulty rating: easy, except for questions around the pan and the ingredient updates, but now I’ve got the process figured out. Also, my current pan makes cutting difficult.

Appearance: not terrible, despite the cracks caused by over-baking. Next time I’ll stick to the temperature guides and ignore the jiggle factor. The 9” x 3” pan made that less than reliable. Also, next time I’ll fancy it up with whipped cream and fruit.

Flavor: Mr Man’s assessment, and I quote, “F’ing delicious.”

I’ll take it.

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Again, here is the original recipe and my version of the updates, recorded here for posterity (and by that I mean the next time I make this, which will be soon!):

Epic New York Cheesecake From BraveTart

Chocolate Version

Crust:
225g Biscoff cookies
57g melted butter
pinch of salt

Cheesecake:
905g full-fat cream cheese, brought to about 70°F/21°C
112g fresh goat cheese (not pre-crumbled), brought to about 70°F/21°C
32g Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp espresso powder (didn’t have this so I steeped 6 coffee beans in the cream, remove after boiling)
15g vanilla extract
1g Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
250g plain sugar
300g/6 large eggs
170g heavy cream
225g semi-sweet chocolate, added to the cream after boiling and stirred until melted

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*Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash*

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Worth Every Minute

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, fun, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

“If you love what you do and are willing to do what it takes, it’s within your reach. And it’ll be worth every minute you spend alone at night, thinking and thinking about what it is you want to design or build. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
― Steve Wozniak

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Adventures in Baking

Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #fuelforwriters, baking, home on August 17, 2023| 2 Comments »

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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Lime Sublime

Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #frostyadultbeverages, #notwriting, home on August 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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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Art on the Wind

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, art, creativity, happenstance, home, inspiration, Thoughts on August 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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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Mmm, Tastes Like Garum

Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #foodforwriters, fun with history, inspiration, Writers, writing on August 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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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Imposter No More

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, impostor syndrome, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

“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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Time to Play

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, inspiration, Saturdays, Thoughts on August 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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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Worth Staying Up For

Posted in Entertainment, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, look up, yay on August 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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