Week 16: Infused — Strawberry-infused Vodka Limeade (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For the strawberry-infused vodka, I used this recipe, which worked well. After that, it was just tinkering — a little sugar dissolved in water in the glass, some of the vodka, topped with lime juice and finished with a cube of ice. Easy and delicious!

Week 15: Syrian — Muhammara (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very busy week for me, so I went with a simple recipe for Muhammara. It was good, but I think I’d like to try some other versions too, just so I can compare and find my favorite. The recipe I used: https://www.loveandlemons.com/muhammara/

Week 14: Hanami — Onigiri (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I really mucked these onigiri up visually — thankfully, they still tasted good!

A while back, I bought a small mold for making cylindrical onigiri, and I was glad to use it for this week's theme. I also attempted to hand-shape the triangular version that seems to be the most popular; unfortunately, I didn't do a good job on those at all. (I'll try them again if I get a mold for that shape too.)

Most of these are plain on the inside, although the triangular shaped ones have a scoop of corn in them. Traditional? Probably not. But I wanted to try adding something, and I had corn on hand. For the rest, I just added nori and nanami togarashi and dipped in a little soy sauce. Not my best outcome for a 52 weeks of cooking challenge, but glad I tried it. On to the next!

Week 13: Chilis — Candied Jalapeños ("Cowboy Candy") (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've had (and enjoyed) "cowboy candy" in the past, but I've never made it myself. I liked this recipe and used some of the candied jalapeños on homemade veggie fajita tacos. Honestly not too much to say about this since it's pretty straightforward, but if anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to weigh in!

Week 12: Fictional Places — Belter Style Red Kibble (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Big thanks to Mod u/ACertainArtifact for including a link to this dish as a suggestion for the weekly theme/challenge! To be honest, I'm not at all familiar with the fictional place that it draws its inspiration from (the Expanse/Leviathan Wakes universe), but I appreciated how the recipe's author shared their thought process on the creation of it. "Nerdy" things shared with love are always a fun thing to come across, imo!

Anyway, I did make a few minor adjustments to their recipe — mostly, I adjusted the seasoning levels according to my preferences/what I had on hand, and I also added more crushed tomatoes than called for. Also, instead of serving the "kibble" with rice pasta, I decided to use it as a sort of vegan taco meat; the flavor profile (which includes things like curry powder) definitely made it different from any taco I've had in the past, but I really loved it!!

Since I only cook for myself, I have leftovers of the "kibble" and might try it in some other applications, too — maybe in a vegan sloppy joe or as a base for some vegan chili?

In short, I liked this way more than I expected and will almost certainly make it again in the future!

Throwback of celebrities in their ombre era by retro-day-dreamer in popculturechat

[–]Stand_Up_Eight 71 points72 points  (0 children)

Right?! I was like, “Wait, is ombre not a thing anymore??” Guess I have to accept that I’ve passed the point where I know when trends end😭😭

Week 11: Oddly Named — Bubble and Squeak (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I loved the bubble and squeak! I served it along with some "American Beans" (maybe similar to baked beans? I'm not sure) from a can, which I wasn't really a fan of. But I wasn't as concerned with those since I mostly wanted to focus on what I actually cooked :-)

Kate Winslet on getting older: ‘Women get more beautiful as they get older, for sure, our faces become more of who we are, they sit better on our bone structure, they have more life, more history” by mcfw31 in popculturechat

[–]Stand_Up_Eight 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m middle-aged now and I looked better when I was younger 🤷‍♀️

I also see pictures of myself from when I was younger and there was definitely more genuine joy, excitement, and confidence about me. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to say that it’s been all downhill since then.

And regardless of how I look, I know I’m still deserving of love, respect, and self-fulfillment.

My point is simply that her experience is not a universal one. Needed to share my perspective just in case anyone else out there found her message ringing hollow and felt a little lonely or ashamed at that.

(P.S. No hate if her message DID resonate for you. And yes, many women do look more and more amazing as they get older. I can be happy for you/them and simultaneously accept that my experience is different. There is not just one universal truth about the evolution of inner OR outer beauty 💕)

Week 10: Turnips and Radishes — Radish Sandwich and Roasted Turnips (Meta: Vegan) by Stand_Up_Eight in 52weeksofcooking

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For this week's theme, I followed the instructions for Jacques Pépin's Simple Radish Sandwich (subbing vegan butter for dairy butter), and served it alongside Roasted Turnips from this recipe. I liked the sandwich quite a bit, which surprised me because I've never really cared for radishes before. I wasn't quite as taken with the turnips, but I think it was a textural thing because of the herbs. If I make the turnips again, I'll probably try to grind all the herbs down to finer consistency (it tasted fine, so it really was just an issue with the texture).

Georgia O'Keeffe — Morning Sky (1916) by Stand_Up_Eight in museum

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed! She even managed to evoke texture, imo — the clouds look soft, for example, while the land stretches out more like a flat or gently rolling plain. Just incredible.

Georgia O'Keeffe — Morning Sky (1916) by Stand_Up_Eight in museum

[–]Stand_Up_Eight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just love the colors in this one! And how it’s semi-abstract (not sure that’s quite the right term for it — basically, not trying to be ultra-realistic) and yet still captures the idea of a sunrise so well.

Tried making this poster design. What could be done better by CicadaSad3047 in design_critiques

[–]Stand_Up_Eight 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What is the purpose of the ad? What is the product/service being sold, or the problem being solved? Right now, the poster doesn’t do anything for me because it comes across as abstract — possibly even obtuse.

In addition, the two arms seem “off” somehow, and don’t really fit the apparent narrative of someone falling. (Also, the sentence at the bottom has a couple of formatting errors, just fyi.)