Patron Saint of Falling Over Things

The weather is bleeeugh. Humid and hot enough to be draining, even if it's not roasting hot. And we have a simultaneous flood and fire warning. Fucken Lolstralia.


I swear a lot. I only really noticed it after the last friending meme, and I realised that I was dropping f-bombs in front of people that I didn't know so well. I'm not going to stop, though, so maybe I should have had a warning or something. I'll remember that for the next meme.

Other things I have to remember:

- make Christmas cards in June, so I can send them out during NaNo.

- note down peoples' fandom_stockings when they're posting them, because it's so much easier than rummaging through the comm.

- pants first, then shoes. Lefty-loosey, Righty-tighty. (I can't do taps. Faucets, or whatever you call them over there.)


fandom_stocking: in the end, I got four done!! I surprised myself. ( Agents of SHIELD:Tony Stark/Leo Fitz, MCU: Clint/Natasha/Bucky, Agents of SHIELD: Fitz/Mac, an Elementary drabble )



I used to do this thing I called Recipe Friday, then I kind of tailed off. But it's Friday, right? And I cooked heaps of things over Christmas, so I'm going to do it.


Something I've cooked recently:

Gluten-Free Shortbread

This is where I learned that not all gluten-free flour blends are the same. The dough looked great but they turned into beautiful lace doilies in the oven. Really tasty lace doilies, but not very presentable. From the comments, I wasn't the only person this happened to. I need to check the brand, or use a recipe that lists single ingredients.


Coconut Macaroons

My fall-back option for my gluten-free guest. I was in the middle of the recipe when suddenly I realised that Nigella makes this into EIGHT macaroons. "Form into clementine-sized domes", it says. I got about twenty regular macaroons shaped with my tablespoon measure. But you need to bake them for a much shorter time - it was lucky I checked the oven when I smelled toasty coconut because they were done. A little overdone, maybe.

Next time, I'm using an extra egg white for this quantity. And drizzling them with chocolate.


Chocolate Crackle Slice
2 cups of Rice Bubbles
1/2 cup of icing sugar
5 tablespoons of cocoa
1 cup of dessicated coconut
250g coconut oil, melted
100s & 1000's or your choice of sprinkles

Mix all of this. Squash it into a lined slice tray (or small tin or whatever you make your bar cookies or brownies in), sprinkle with 100's and 1000's, stick in the fridge to set. Take it out, slice it how you like it. Store in the fridge.



Something I'm planning on cooking soon:

Feta and Vegetable loaf
As soon as I can get my hands on more spinach. I need iron. You could say I crave that mineral.


Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Squares

Because I have leftover puff pastry in the freezer. And a ham nugget in the fridge. (It's this cute little off-cut of ham from the Otway free-range pig farm.)


Fruity Irish Soda Bread
Man, soda bread is where it's at when you want bread now, NOW, NOW. I made this a couple of times while I had visitors, because it's quick and it's impressive and it's easy to make with a hangover. It's basically a giant scone you can slice up and butter. I put in more fruit than this recipe calls for, though. I use currents, sultanas and raisins. I don't fuck around when it comes to vine fruit. I want it all.


Something I'm idly thinking of cooking:

Calabrian Walnut Cake
Because (a) gluten-free, and I need to expand my repertoire. And (b) I've got a big bag of walnuts in the pantry. And (c), my Nonna has a Calabrian neighbour at her nursing home, and their intense rivalry cracks me up. (Nonna is Abruzzese, but I am not informed enough to tell what's going on there. She says they're all gangsters, but I'll bet that's what her neighbour would say, too.)


Fruitcake Bar
David Lebovitz's recipes are always reliable, and this looks really nice.