(no subject)
What happened to the sun? It's gray and icky looking out. Oh well. I'm exhausted for some reason, and I desperately hope that reason is not that I'm getting sick. I feel okay- just tired- and I can't seem to shake it. The gray is not helping.
Went down to the mall last night. I took the kids to do the free Lego mini-model build (Lego penguins!), and they got new shoes as well. I knew Toby needed them, and for all you Avengers fans on my f-list, allow me to make you bask in envy at my son's new shoes:
I've gotta admit, they're pretty cool. I wish my running shoes looked that cool. (I just bought myself new running shoes the other day, too, but I wear a certain brand and model, no matter what color that shoe is this year.) While I was there, I had the salesman (who was AWESOME) measure Trevor. Trevor was complaining his shoes were also too tight, but I also knew he really, really wanted a specific pair. Well, the guy measured him and it turns out that Trevor went up a whole size. Oops. I swear, the way these kids just grow.... Anyway, Trevor got the pair he's been coveting, and oh my god, you should see just how proud he is of his new shoes. And since he'd kill me if I didn't show them off:
So superhero/firetruck shoes and Lego penguins- how much better can a day get? Plus, we went for pizza after at my favorite place, Peace-a-Pizza. The boys always get plain cheese, but I love their specialty slices. I got a Greek salad slice, which is a slice of pizza that's first baked and then covered with spinach, basil, artichokes, roasted red peppers, purple onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese (and probably some sort of flavored oil as well), and then warmed up when you order it so everything is nice and toasty. It's not my favorite slice there (the Philly cheesesteak one wins for that!), but it's definitely in the top five. So a good night with the boys, and some friends who joined us.
Also am making a cake today. It's one I've made before that I got out of a Weight Watcher's magazine. Fairly low-fat (compared to other cakes), but very tasty. I can't find a picture, but recipe under the cut:
0.) Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.
1.) Place 1.5 cups 1% milk in a small saucepan. Add in 1 package cook-and-serve chocolate pudding. Whisk to dissolve. Cook over medium heat until boiling (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 2 teaspoons butter and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. Set aside, and if you're going to be a while, cover with plastic wrap to keep skin from forming. (Put plastic wrap right onto pudding.)
2.) In a large bowl, combine 1 package devil's food cake mix with pudding (I use Betty Crocker), 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 eggs, and 3 egg whites. Mix on low for 30 seconds to moisten, then mix for 2 minutes on high to blend. (You could probably to this just fine without a mixer, just mix a LOT.)
3.) Remove 2 cups of batter and reserve; add the rest of the batter to the prepared bundt pan. Whisk the pudding again, then carefully spoon it onto the batter in a ring. Be careful not to let the pudding touch the sides of the bundt pan. Top with the reserved 2 cups of batter, making sure the batter covers the pudding.
4.) Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. (Do not use toothpick method of testing for doneness.)
5.) Cool for 20 minutes in pan. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove cake to rack/plate, cool completely.
serves 20.
There's a recipe for glaze, too, but I never make it. Frankly, it goes best with a little whipped cream or nothing- you really don't have to bother. It's a good party or potluck dish, not very difficult, but the pudding all ends up at the top of the cake it gets fudgey and it's really quite wonderful.
Working on writing- I'm really happy with how my crossover exchange fic is coming out. Well, mostly happy. I figured out what was initially wrong with it and it's been flowing, but I'm also discovering that the character I'm writing is tough to write because they are so in control and measured and taciturn. Right now I feel like they're just observing and reacting to things, even though that's not true. I'm also really in the mood to write more of my Gaeta and Hoshi get married on New Caprica AU, and maybe even to play a little with Fathers and Sons. I think I want to write one short ficlet from Sam's POV, and then write the attacks. It's kind of funny that I haven't written anything in that universe from Felix's POV, but that would be boring because right now, Felix has no idea anything's up.
What I'm actually in the mood to read right now is something with Adama and Gaeta. You know what I'd love to read? Something where Adama does have an idea about Gaeta's lovelife, and his internal reaction to it. It wouldn't necessarily be a long thing, but something about that. Obviously it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Gaeta likes men (Bill would not care about that at all), but I'd love to see his reflections on Baltar and Hoshi through that lens. It's not really necessarily something that Bill would think about all that much- I have the impression he prefers not to know about his crews' lovelives- but it's just what I'm in the mood to read. I forget, is there a fic out there that deals with that at all?
Also, I've been remiss in not reccing the gift I got from bsg_epics Holiday Swap! (Frankly, I've assumed that if you follow me for BSG on LJ, you also follow bsg_epics.) Anyway, puzysty is writing To Protect and Serve, which is a Gaeta/Hoshi AU where Hoshi was a former cop before he joined the military. It's awesome so far, and I'm very much looking forward to more. I love the variety of Hoshi backstories that have been put out there, and this is a really intriguing one.
It's also getting close to time for bsg_remix. I wasn't sure if it would be happening again this year, but it seems like people are still interested. It's usually a pretty low-maintenance challenge, and one thing I've always liked about it is that we're able to match people to their pairings or as far out of them as possible, depending on what people want. I think this year will have to carry a caveat that if you want to be matched in your pairing, you might get someone you've remixed before, especially for anyone not in A/R or K/L.
And I've been procrastinating long enough. Back to writing, or folding laundry. (Writing sounds much more fun.)
Went down to the mall last night. I took the kids to do the free Lego mini-model build (Lego penguins!), and they got new shoes as well. I knew Toby needed them, and for all you Avengers fans on my f-list, allow me to make you bask in envy at my son's new shoes:
I've gotta admit, they're pretty cool. I wish my running shoes looked that cool. (I just bought myself new running shoes the other day, too, but I wear a certain brand and model, no matter what color that shoe is this year.) While I was there, I had the salesman (who was AWESOME) measure Trevor. Trevor was complaining his shoes were also too tight, but I also knew he really, really wanted a specific pair. Well, the guy measured him and it turns out that Trevor went up a whole size. Oops. I swear, the way these kids just grow.... Anyway, Trevor got the pair he's been coveting, and oh my god, you should see just how proud he is of his new shoes. And since he'd kill me if I didn't show them off:
So superhero/firetruck shoes and Lego penguins- how much better can a day get? Plus, we went for pizza after at my favorite place, Peace-a-Pizza. The boys always get plain cheese, but I love their specialty slices. I got a Greek salad slice, which is a slice of pizza that's first baked and then covered with spinach, basil, artichokes, roasted red peppers, purple onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese (and probably some sort of flavored oil as well), and then warmed up when you order it so everything is nice and toasty. It's not my favorite slice there (the Philly cheesesteak one wins for that!), but it's definitely in the top five. So a good night with the boys, and some friends who joined us.
Also am making a cake today. It's one I've made before that I got out of a Weight Watcher's magazine. Fairly low-fat (compared to other cakes), but very tasty. I can't find a picture, but recipe under the cut:
0.) Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.
1.) Place 1.5 cups 1% milk in a small saucepan. Add in 1 package cook-and-serve chocolate pudding. Whisk to dissolve. Cook over medium heat until boiling (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 2 teaspoons butter and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. Set aside, and if you're going to be a while, cover with plastic wrap to keep skin from forming. (Put plastic wrap right onto pudding.)
2.) In a large bowl, combine 1 package devil's food cake mix with pudding (I use Betty Crocker), 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 eggs, and 3 egg whites. Mix on low for 30 seconds to moisten, then mix for 2 minutes on high to blend. (You could probably to this just fine without a mixer, just mix a LOT.)
3.) Remove 2 cups of batter and reserve; add the rest of the batter to the prepared bundt pan. Whisk the pudding again, then carefully spoon it onto the batter in a ring. Be careful not to let the pudding touch the sides of the bundt pan. Top with the reserved 2 cups of batter, making sure the batter covers the pudding.
4.) Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. (Do not use toothpick method of testing for doneness.)
5.) Cool for 20 minutes in pan. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove cake to rack/plate, cool completely.
serves 20.
There's a recipe for glaze, too, but I never make it. Frankly, it goes best with a little whipped cream or nothing- you really don't have to bother. It's a good party or potluck dish, not very difficult, but the pudding all ends up at the top of the cake it gets fudgey and it's really quite wonderful.
Working on writing- I'm really happy with how my crossover exchange fic is coming out. Well, mostly happy. I figured out what was initially wrong with it and it's been flowing, but I'm also discovering that the character I'm writing is tough to write because they are so in control and measured and taciturn. Right now I feel like they're just observing and reacting to things, even though that's not true. I'm also really in the mood to write more of my Gaeta and Hoshi get married on New Caprica AU, and maybe even to play a little with Fathers and Sons. I think I want to write one short ficlet from Sam's POV, and then write the attacks. It's kind of funny that I haven't written anything in that universe from Felix's POV, but that would be boring because right now, Felix has no idea anything's up.
What I'm actually in the mood to read right now is something with Adama and Gaeta. You know what I'd love to read? Something where Adama does have an idea about Gaeta's lovelife, and his internal reaction to it. It wouldn't necessarily be a long thing, but something about that. Obviously it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Gaeta likes men (Bill would not care about that at all), but I'd love to see his reflections on Baltar and Hoshi through that lens. It's not really necessarily something that Bill would think about all that much- I have the impression he prefers not to know about his crews' lovelives- but it's just what I'm in the mood to read. I forget, is there a fic out there that deals with that at all?
Also, I've been remiss in not reccing the gift I got from bsg_epics Holiday Swap! (Frankly, I've assumed that if you follow me for BSG on LJ, you also follow bsg_epics.) Anyway, puzysty is writing To Protect and Serve, which is a Gaeta/Hoshi AU where Hoshi was a former cop before he joined the military. It's awesome so far, and I'm very much looking forward to more. I love the variety of Hoshi backstories that have been put out there, and this is a really intriguing one.
It's also getting close to time for bsg_remix. I wasn't sure if it would be happening again this year, but it seems like people are still interested. It's usually a pretty low-maintenance challenge, and one thing I've always liked about it is that we're able to match people to their pairings or as far out of them as possible, depending on what people want. I think this year will have to carry a caveat that if you want to be matched in your pairing, you might get someone you've remixed before, especially for anyone not in A/R or K/L.
And I've been procrastinating long enough. Back to writing, or folding laundry. (Writing sounds much more fun.)