nverland: (Cooking)
nverland ([personal profile] nverland) wrote in [community profile] creative_cooks2025-12-09 04:34 am
Entry tags:

Cream Cheese Mints

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Cream Cheese Mints
Prep Time 10 minutes Total Time 10 minutes Servings 8 dozen

Ingredients

8 oz package cream cheese, full fat, softened
1/4 cup Challenge butter, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 - 2 tsp mint extract
gel food coloring
1/2 cup powdered sugar for rolling mints

Instructions

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Add the mint extract and mix until combined.
Gradually, add the remaining powdered sugar until smooth and consistent. You can do this with a stand mixer, food processor, or by hand.
Separate the mixture into four separate bowls, or however many different colors you want.
Add a small amount of food color to each bowl and stir in until the color is uniform.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to handle. You don't want it sticking to your hands.
Line 2 quarter sheet pans with parchment paper and liberally dust with powdered sugar. Set aside.
Pinch off small amounts of the dough and form into a 1-inch balls.
Roll each ball in powdered sugar and place on prepared sheet pans.
Gently press the tines of a fork into the top of each ball. (You can also use the bottom of a shot glass if you don't want the lines. Just dip the bottom of the glass into powdered sugar to keep it from sticking.)
Let stand, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or until the mints are firm. If the bottoms have any moisture, flip over and let stand again until the bottoms of the mints are also firm.
Store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment or waxed paper, for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Mints can be refrigerated or frozen if desired.
nverland: (Cooking)
nverland ([personal profile] nverland) wrote in [community profile] recipecommunity2025-12-09 04:33 am
Entry tags:

Cream Cheese Mints

image host

Cream Cheese Mints
Prep Time 10 minutes Total Time 10 minutes Servings 8 dozen

Ingredients

8 oz package cream cheese, full fat, softened
1/4 cup Challenge butter, softened
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 - 2 tsp mint extract
gel food coloring
1/2 cup powdered sugar for rolling mints

Instructions

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Add the mint extract and mix until combined.
Gradually, add the remaining powdered sugar until smooth and consistent. You can do this with a stand mixer, food processor, or by hand.
Separate the mixture into four separate bowls, or however many different colors you want.
Add a small amount of food color to each bowl and stir in until the color is uniform.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to handle. You don't want it sticking to your hands.
Line 2 quarter sheet pans with parchment paper and liberally dust with powdered sugar. Set aside.
Pinch off small amounts of the dough and form into a 1-inch balls.
Roll each ball in powdered sugar and place on prepared sheet pans.
Gently press the tines of a fork into the top of each ball. (You can also use the bottom of a shot glass if you don't want the lines. Just dip the bottom of the glass into powdered sugar to keep it from sticking.)
Let stand, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or until the mints are firm. If the bottoms have any moisture, flip over and let stand again until the bottoms of the mints are also firm.
Store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment or waxed paper, for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Mints can be refrigerated or frozen if desired.
icon_uk: Mod Squad icon (Mod Squad)
icon_uk ([personal profile] icon_uk) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-12-09 08:37 am

Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.

In deeply unfortunate moves in the UK, both girlguiding and the Women's Institute have announced they will no longer accept trans girls and women as members, both made it clear that they still believe transwomen to be women, and are only doing so is due to concerns regarding possible legal action following the UK Supreme Courts recent ruling that gender, under law, is solely defined by biology at birth.

In more surreal news from the US, and in an inspired bit of trolling, FIFA presented POTUS 47 with an entirely made up "Peace Prize" at the World Cup Draw. The ultimate participation trophy, and a medal he hung aorund his own neck, grinning like a five year old.

An interesting piece from the Sedgewick County Zoo, on the dangers imlpicit in AI animal content videos, and how to spot them.

In the run up to the release of "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery", a tribute of sorts was shown by, of all things, "Sesame Street" with their guest star Beignet Blanc, starring in "Forks Out".

In fact the only thing which could make this cooler ALSO happens, as we got a reaction video

The UNIT based miniseries, "The War Between the Land and the Sea" debuted with two episodes on Sunday (in the UK at least, those accessing it via Disney+ will have to wait until January 2026) and, believe it or not, it was terrific! Classic RTD firing on all cylinders. We met new kinds of Homo Aqua, Russell Tovey as an everyman stuck into a high stakes situation more or less by accident carries the role brilliantly, and the effects were GORGEOUS! PLEASE let this be as consistently good as these two episodes!
stonepicnicking_okapi: letters (letters)
stonepicnicking_okapi ([personal profile] stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote in [community profile] 1word1day2025-12-08 04:17 pm

Monday Word: Saturnine

saturnine [sat-er-nahyn]

adjective

1. sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.
2. having a sardonic aspect
3. suffering from lead poisoning, as a person.
4. due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders.
5. born under or influenced astrologically by the planet Saturn

examples
1. But even in that calm gloom, my eyes slowly acclimated to the 14 grandly saturnine paintings, made by Mark Rothko in the late 1960s. New York Times. 21 Feb 2022. "At Mark Rothko's chapel, a composer is haunted by a hero."

2. For two years, she kept them dancing attendance on her--the fair-haired, athletic, good-looking Thord; the saturnine, intelligent, lion-hearted Olaf. "Pattern of Revenge" by John Bude.

origin
It comes ultimately from Sāturnus, name of the Roman god of agriculture, who was often depicted as a bent old man with a stern, sluggish, and sullen nature.

eeyore
nverland: (Cooking)
nverland ([personal profile] nverland) wrote in [community profile] creative_cooks2025-12-08 04:35 am
Entry tags:

Cowboy Meatballs

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Cowboy Meatballs
Active Time: 50 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb. 93/7 lean ground beef
5 slices (5 oz. total) bacon, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated yellow onion (from 1 small [5 oz.] onion)
1/4 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs) or finely crushed saltine crackers
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 1 cup), divided
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from 1 [7-oz.] can), divided
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 (10-oz.) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes and chiles (such as Rotel)
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F
Gently mix ground beef, bacon, egg, onion, panko, chili powder, garlic, pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheese, 1 tablespoon of the chipotle chiles, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl until combined.
Portion and roll meatballs into 12 (2-inch) balls (2 oz. each); arrange at least 1 inch apart on a parchment- or foil- lined baking sheet.
Bake meatballs in preheated oven until browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
While meatballs are baking, stir together tomatoes and chiles, barbecue sauce, chicken broth, tomato paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon salt in a large skillet. Bring to simmer over medium-high, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often and pressing down on tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon or with a potato masher, until tomatoes are broken down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Transfer browned meatballs to sauce and return to medium. Cook, stirring gently and spooning sauce over meatballs, until evenly coated and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatballs registers at least 160°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover, and let cook, undisturbed, until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with scallions.
nverland: (Cooking)
nverland ([personal profile] nverland) wrote in [community profile] recipecommunity2025-12-08 04:34 am
Entry tags:

Cowboy Meatballs

image host

Cowboy Meatballs
Active Time: 50 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb. 93/7 lean ground beef
5 slices (5 oz. total) bacon, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated yellow onion (from 1 small [5 oz.] onion)
1/4 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs) or finely crushed saltine crackers
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 1 cup), divided
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from 1 [7-oz.] can), divided
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 (10-oz.) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes and chiles (such as Rotel)
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F
Gently mix ground beef, bacon, egg, onion, panko, chili powder, garlic, pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheese, 1 tablespoon of the chipotle chiles, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl until combined.
Portion and roll meatballs into 12 (2-inch) balls (2 oz. each); arrange at least 1 inch apart on a parchment- or foil- lined baking sheet.
Bake meatballs in preheated oven until browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
While meatballs are baking, stir together tomatoes and chiles, barbecue sauce, chicken broth, tomato paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon salt in a large skillet. Bring to simmer over medium-high, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often and pressing down on tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon or with a potato masher, until tomatoes are broken down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Transfer browned meatballs to sauce and return to medium. Cook, stirring gently and spooning sauce over meatballs, until evenly coated and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatballs registers at least 160°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover, and let cook, undisturbed, until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with scallions.
tcampbell1000 ([personal profile] tcampbell1000) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-12-08 12:21 am

Red Hair, White Hair, Blue Fare: JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #28 (JLI 34)



Was Guy Gardner mellowing or not? Since his return to his original personality in issue #18, he’d been sending mixed signals (#19, #23, #26, #27, Wonder Woman #26, Invasion #3).

Which itself is a classic asshole move, so add that to the mix. )
rocky41_7: (Default)
rocky41_7 ([personal profile] rocky41_7) wrote in [community profile] books2025-12-07 04:32 pm
Entry tags:

Recent Reading: Brahma's Dream

Brahma's Dream by Shree Ghatage was a book I snatched out of a pile of stuff my sister was giving away last year, but she'd never gotten around to reading it herself, so she couldn't give me a preview. Brahma's Dream is set in India just before it gains self-rule, and concerns the family of Mohini, a child whose serious illness dominates her life.

This is one of those middle-of-the-road books that was neither amazingly good nor offensively bad, and therefore I struggle to come up with much to say about it. That makes it sound bad, but it isn't--I enjoyed my time with it. I thought Ghatage did a good job with exploring life on the precipice of great political change, although the history and politics of 1940s India is more backdrop to the family drama than central to the story. I liked Mohini and her family; because the nature of her illness necessitates a lot of rest and down time, Mohini is naturally a thoughtful child, as her thoughts are sometimes all she has to amuse herself. However, she never crosses the line into being precocious, which was a relief.

Neither did I feel like the book leaned too hard on Mohini's illness to elicit sentimentality from the reader. Obviously, an illness like hers is the biggest influence on her life, and on the lives of her immediate family, and there are many moments you sympathize with her because she can't just be a child the way she wants to be, but I didn't feel like Ghatage was plucking heartstrings just for the sake of it.

Reading the relationships between Mohini and her family was heartwarming, especially with her grandfather, who takes great joy in Mohini's intellect and is often there to discuss the import of various societal events with her. 

Ghatage's descriptive writing really brings to life the India of the time, with the colors, smells, sounds, and sights that are a part of Mohini's every day.

It reminded me of another book I read about a significant event in Indian history (the separation of India and Pakistan) told through the perspective of a young ill girl, Cracking India

On the whole, this was a sweet, heartfelt book. It's not heavy on plot, but if you enjoy watching the story of a family unfold and the little dramas that play out, it's enjoyable.
icon_uk: (Default)
icon_uk ([personal profile] icon_uk) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-12-07 11:42 pm

So let's start the week with something both hot AND cold

By which I mean, my pick of this years DC "Sweater Weather" covers, due in February 2026.

And it wasn't exactly a difficult choice as it's: Nightwing #134

Travis Moore draws m'boy again )
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
marycatelli ([personal profile] marycatelli) wrote in [community profile] books2025-12-07 11:32 am

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14 by Nekokurage

The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.

Read more... )
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
marycatelli ([personal profile] marycatelli) wrote in [community profile] book_love2025-12-07 11:32 am

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14 by Nekokurage

The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.

Read more... )
nverland: (Cooking)
nverland ([personal profile] nverland) wrote in [community profile] creative_cooks2025-12-07 07:41 am
Entry tags:

Candied Bacon Crackers

image host

Candied Bacon Crackers
Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 8

Ingredients

32 rectangular buttery crackers (such as Club) (from 1 [13.7-oz.] pkg.)
10 to 12 center-cut bacon slices, cut into 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-in. pieces
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, divided
Freshly ground pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Arrange crackers on an oven-safe wire rack fitted over a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Arrange bacon pieces evenly over crackers lengthwise, and carefully tuck any overhang under cracker edges (bacon will shrink when cooked).

Brush 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup evenly over bacon.

Bake in preheated oven until browned and crispy, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven; carefully brush evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and let cool on wire rack 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm with a few grinds of pepper, if desired.

Variations

Make these bacon crackers more personal to your tastes. Add ingredients like hot sauce, jalapeños, and crushed red pepper on top of the bacon. Serve with a creamy dip or dollop each one with a herb-infused sour cream dollop.
nverland: (Cooking)
nverland ([personal profile] nverland) wrote in [community profile] recipecommunity2025-12-07 07:41 am
Entry tags:

Candied Bacon Crackers

image host

Candied Bacon Crackers
Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 8

Ingredients

32 rectangular buttery crackers (such as Club) (from 1 [13.7-oz.] pkg.)
10 to 12 center-cut bacon slices, cut into 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-in. pieces
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, divided
Freshly ground pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Arrange crackers on an oven-safe wire rack fitted over a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Arrange bacon pieces evenly over crackers lengthwise, and carefully tuck any overhang under cracker edges (bacon will shrink when cooked).

Brush 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup evenly over bacon.

Bake in preheated oven until browned and crispy, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven; carefully brush evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and let cool on wire rack 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm with a few grinds of pepper, if desired.

Variations

Make these bacon crackers more personal to your tastes. Add ingredients like hot sauce, jalapeños, and crushed red pepper on top of the bacon. Serve with a creamy dip or dollop each one with a herb-infused sour cream dollop.
sallymn: (words 6)
Sally M ([personal profile] sallymn) wrote in [community profile] 1word1day2025-12-07 11:00 am

Sunday Word: Couchant

couchant [kou-chuhnt]

adjective:
1 lying down especially with the head up; crouching
1 (Heraldry) represented as lying on its stomach with its hind legs and forelegs pointed forward.


(click to enlarge)

Examples:

We see Kim getting dressed or undressed, lounging poolside or couchant on beds or 'in my closet in Miami trying on clothes.' (Stephen Burt, Kim, Caitlyn, and the People We Want to See, The New Yorker, July 2015)

As a boy I first scaled this lion couchant by scrambling up the gritstone box of its nose and grabbing handfuls of its mane, namely long, wiry grasses. (Tony Greenbank, Cafe with a view - and a mugful of memories, The Guardian, January 2016)

The centre, which is in the light, is occupied by a couchant lion growling, his one paw on a bundle of arrows, the symbol of the United Provinces. (Sarah Knowles Bolton, Famous European Artists)

It may be seen in various forms on a number of monumental effigies and brasses, usually with the couchant white lion of the house of March as a pendant, but on the accession of Richard III the lion was replaced by his silver boar. (Hope, Sir W H St John, Heraldry for Craftsmen & Designers)

Ahead could be discerned the famous rock, although viewed from an altitude and 'end on' its well-known appearance as a lion couchant was absent. (Percy F Westerman, The Airship Golden Hind)

Origin:
Heraldic couchant ("lying down with the head up") is late 15c, from the French present participle of couch c1300, 'to spread or lay on a surface, to overlay,' from Old French couchier 'to lay down, place; go to bed, put to bed,' from Latin collocare 'to lay, place, station, arrange,' from assimilated form of com 'with, together' + locare 'to place,' from locus 'a place' (Online Etymology Dictionary)

tcampbell1000 ([personal profile] tcampbell1000) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2025-12-06 09:19 am

Beetle + Bee = Zombie Ant: JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #26-27 (JLI 33)



Warning for psychological horror. This isn’t Black Swan or anything, but there’s some scary mind-control stuff, and the penultimate page shown here has an image that stayed with me for a few days. Also some mild misogyny.

The series title shifts from “Justice League International” to “Justice League America” (no “of”) to distinguish its team from Justice League Europe.

The story starts with that American team avoiding the ringing phone like a bunch of Zoomers.

Don’t fret, fellas, I’m sure the Atom didn’t REALLY need to reach you guys anyway. )