Inspired by @weregeek.bsky.social , I made beef stew last night. I have lots of recipes but this time I went with the classic interpretation from Serious Eats. Turned out amazing!

A few weeks ago I was talking politics with a local, highly straight, bartender. All the sudden he said: “Well, I think a big part of the problem is that so many of the people who would’ve been our progressive leaders died of AIDS & can’t help us now.” And I’ve thought about that every day since.

The wizard pours water over tea leaves and the air fills with the smell of cardamon.

Bogomil and Malo Mogge from Kelly Link’s The Book of Love. Kai from Martha Wells’s Witch King. The Ladies and the Beast from Jared Pechaček’s The West Passage. All the horrifying things in the forest in Premee Mohamed’s The Butcher of the Forest.

Had a frustration dream last night where I had to communicate with someone in French but couldn’t remember any vocabulary or grammar. Not happy that my dreams are feeling like school

see also

the only good accent work on earth is old money transatlantic american to make fun of rich people accent

I tried so hard to come up with an answer that wasn’t Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. There have been so many books that opened my eyes & changed my head around! But I don’t read any of them like clockwork at least once a year, so that’s my answer, at the end of it all: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

This is amazing!

actually angels are just the fruiting bodies of a much larger and essentially invisible organism

The absolute worst part about having just had surgery for me (aside from the pain) is that it’s starting to get cold and I can’t take a bath. That’s like, 90% of what I want to do when I’m cold!

Both recipes involved assembling and toasting blends of whole spices and resulted in absolutely mindblowing flavors. 100% worth it

Last night I made a Sri Lankan chicken curry (Kukul Mas Maluwa, recipe from NYT) and Bengali-spiced green beans (Panchphoran Green Beans, recipe from Serious Eats) and they were both absolutely amazing. No pics bc I suck.

Currently drinking a Leeward Negroni with Kota pandan liqueur in it. (Took a while bc I had to coconut-wash some Campari first.) It truly is a perfect cocktail.

right?

am i doing this right

I really wanted pandan and passion fruit to work together, but the first time I tried it, they *really* didn’t. Then I found this recipe for a passion fruit colada with pandan, passion fruit, and coconut and that, it turns out, is the magical combination. Super sippable and fucking delicious.

I turned off the “hide rude” setting and I’m still seeing the most innocuous replies hidden on here. Like what the fuck, Bluesky

I had a pretty minor surgery yesterday and I have since rediscovered how much it sucks being in pain all the time. I don’t like it! Not one little bit!!!

just casually tossing out "vampires but for other bodily fluids" like it won't revolutionize at least three distinct genres www.qwantz.com/index.php?co...

I just got my hands on a new-to-me pandan liqueur named Kota and it’s the real deal! It captures the partly vegetal, partly comforting-custardy-spices profile of pandan *perfectly*. I need to try it in a Leeward Negroni ASAP

I block tiresome accounts on here. And yet I, too, am arguably a tiresome account. This hypocrisy will not stand. <blocks own account, creating a singularity that destroys the Earth> Blissful freedom—!

Sam Sifton’s Pan-Roasted Chicken in Cream Sauce is the most delicious dish I personally know how to make. The cognac, Madeira, tarragon, and mushrooms combine to infuse the sauce with incredible flavor—just make sure to cook all the liquid down enough. It’s a bit fiddly but not at all hard.

Throwback to the time I went out for brunch in Salt Lake City and I had to explain to the waiter what “iced coffee” was. (They did not have any)

POSTER: In my post I invented the Don’t Misunderstand the Torment Nexus Metaphor as a cautionary tale CTO: At long last, I have misunderstood the Torment Nexus Metaphor from the classic post Don't Misunderstand The Torment Nexus Metaphor

Does anyone have a recipe for pandancello, asking for a friend

Back on my bullshit (buying fresh pandan leaves off of Etsy for a recipe)

I made a riff on The Witch on the Beach that’s a bit easier. I’m calling it La Strega sulla Spiaggia. 1½ oz London dry gin 1½ oz Chinola passion fruit liqueur ½ oz Liquore Strega Soda water to taste Garnish: a sprig of basil Stir ingredients in a glass with ice. Garnish w/ the basil sprig. Enjoy!

The train to Osaka.

It’s taken a little while but I am now fully in love with The Decemberists’ 2024 album “As It Was, So It Will Be Again.” And yes, that includes the 19+-minute-long magnum opus “Joan in the Garden.” I am taking no questions at this time.

Confession time: I didn’t know “Prospero” was pronounced “Prosper-o” until, like, a month ago. I thought it was “Pro-SPARE-o.” Like “prosperity”? I have no idea how I got to my current age with that misconception still intact.

It was really, *really* good, y’all. It bakes in a 375°F oven so the rice on the bottom and sides got all crunchy, and the rest of the rice was perfect, and the chicken thighs were fall-apart tender except for the skins which were crispy. omg

Making one of Sohla’s easy Instagram recipes tonight and I’m ridiculously excited. I’ve been looking for a one-pot chicken and rice dish that works for me for years: is this finally the one???

Your Halloween customer is "sexy" + the last thing you googled. Sexy <long, involved, and completely opaque Tensorflow error>

I was an insufferable little know-it-all. Sadly, I have yet to grow out of that phase

In other news, I’m working on a personal data science project for the first time in a little while and I really wish I had the energy after work to devote to things like this Does anyone have tips on how to become a member of the idle rich

Yes! Yes!!!

Feeling mounting pressure at work to use AI tools. I don’t want to be fired for not complying but I also have no interest in handing my responsibilities over to a machine. I like using my own brain to figure things out, thanks!

Just a thought: How about we stop shaming the poor for buying things that may not be essential, and start shaming the rich for making a profit off things that are essential?

I pulled a muscle today (doing what? being in my forties, basically) and now my back is slathered in IcyHot, which I’ve never experienced before. A very strange sensation. Also it smells like toothpaste.

This the Witch on the Beach, and it’s frankly amazing. Gin, Liquore Strega, lemon, and passion fruit all meld together in a bright, refreshing highball. Recipe below.

Just made the “Yellow Cocktail” that I found in David Lebovitz’s Drinking French. I was skeptical when I saw it’s made with Suze but it’s actually exquisite and perfectly balanced! Very drinkable.

I have started drinking hot coffee instead of iced in the morning so I guess fall is officially here. Spread the word

The bane of my existence (a completely, utterly incompetent coworker) has been given ownership of the only parts of my job I care about. How is this person still employed and making my life hell

yes “pansexual” is different from “bisexual”!! “bisexual” is when you’re attracted to men and women, and “pansexual” is when you lure both men and women into your labyrinth

This meme made me laugh.

I was Capital-A Addicted to Rose Estes’s Endless Quest books when I was, I dunno, seven or eight. Seeing all their cover art is definitely sending me back

as far as i'm concerned, there are 4 movie ratings: good, liked it good, didn't like it bad, didn't like it bad, liked it

the plan? be a reliable, hard worker who’s good at my job, so every time there’s a project that’s really difficult or last-minute, they turn to me. I never work on anything easy again and i’m stressed forever. it’s brilliant.