i'm very much not good at this.

[fox]

my sister-in-law asked me the other day what i wanted for christmas, and i realized It Has Begun. so. none of you is my sister-in-law, but some of you have been known to ask me similar questions, which is why i now bring you tartanshell's Wish List Meme.

Step One

- Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two

- Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.


1. i do have an amazon wishlist. details upon request.
2. music. there is some music on the above amazon wishlist, but music it hasn't occurred to me to wish for is also very good. CD is fine; mp3 is also lovely; m4a is also great. at the moment i'm irked that if i want Queen in any sort of complete way from iTunes, i'll have to buy it one song at a time. rar.
3. books. ditto amazon and things it hasn't occurred to me to wish for.
4. DVDs. same again.
5. (stealing this one from ellen_fremedon) art for anything i've written.
6. i'll never turn down paid LJ time or extra icons. (if anyone hears about permanent accounts becoming available again, i hereby raise my hand.)
7. recipes that are simple to follow, difficult to ruin, and ideally use as few dishes/pans/etc. as possible. (i am allergic to mushrooms and mildly lactose-intolerant, and i don't eat lamb or veal or much shellfish, or especially enjoy duck or mutton -- but otherwise anything goes.)
8. (what the hell.) upgrade-ness to Comfy Class (business or first, i'm not picky) on any or all of the transatlantic flights i'll be taking over the next two years.
9. [resists the urge to say "That would be tougher penalties for parole violators, Stan. ... And also, world peace."] more seatbelts!

now would be a good time to stop reading, if you're likely to roll your eyes at me. (or, if you're likely not to enjoy rolling your eyes at me, i suppose.)

i know that is only nine things. nobody can give me #10, which is, i want my friends who are unhappy to be happy instead; i want [nope, still not over it, and doesn't that just suck? -- in fact, failing what i want, i'd settle for getting over it; anyone know where i can find some?]; and i want my aunt and my grandparents back, just for an hour.

i told you you shouldn't have read this far.

Comments

Re: Queen for you

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

[bounce] thank you! (and thank wibbble, it appears. :-D )

Re: Queen for you

[wibbble]

(After tracking through referrer links upon noticing some web traffic.)

And my mother, since some of the CDs I ripped were hers. ;o)

Re: Queen for you

[elance.livejournal.com]

Could you please screen the comment with the link in it? We've got some traffic sucking down our bandwidth that's definitely not you, but comes from this post. (I, apparently, can't screen my own comments.)

We wouldn't mind if it were just a few songs, but this person's trying to take the whole library, pretty much.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Queen for you

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

done. [beats up bandwidth hogs]

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I know I still owe you a good Mozart Requiem. It may yet end up in me buying a new desktop, the way things look, but still. You're owed.

(Or you could come collect in person, like. Spare bedroom here 'n all. The CD burner still works fine. *crossing fingers & toes*)

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

:-)

i can probably rip a good mozart requiem when i'm back at my parents' house, so if you want to owe me music, you can owe me something else in your collecton if you like. [g]

also: would be delighted to come visit, collecting on debts or otherwise, at some future date when i'll be able to get back into the UK after i've left. (see visa-related drama.) read: after the New Year. but don't think i won't show up on your doorstep!

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Goody! We can have a looooong fandom yak, which would be fun and completely un-Parisian!

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

and i won't have to hurry to get the last métro in order to get all the way the hell back to roissy. :-)

[mearagrrl.livejournal.com]

Tougher penalties for parole violators and world peace! Hahahahah!

[setissma.livejournal.com]

Recipes! Most are relatively simple. All are from Sam, because - well, where else would I manage to find recipes? I'm an awful cook. But the pancakes, for the record? Are fantastic. Try here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/copperbadge/557463.html), as well, for a hodgepodge of all sorts of stuff. :) Happy holidays, Fox!

Pureed Peanut Butter And Vegetable Soup

1 large onion diced (1 cup)
1 large clove of garlic minced (1 teaspoon; I use three cloves, cos I
like garlic)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (peanut, if avialable)
1 stalk of celery diced
2 carrots diced
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (about 1 1/2 taters)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt if desired
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
Minced parsley or green onions chopped for garnish

In a large saucepan sautee the onion and garlic in the oil until the
onions are transparent. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, and curry
powder; stir for a few minutes, then add the broth.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer
the soup until the vegs are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the
cayenne, black pepper, salt, and peanut butter. Transfer the soup to a
blender and puree it.

Serve the soup hot garnished with parsley and green onions.

This recipe is from Jane Brody's Good Food Book, with additions by my
mum, who's been making it for 25 years :)

Mum's Pancakes
1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk (for thinner pancakes, add 2 extra tbsp milk)
2 tablespoons oil

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine egg, milk and oil; add to dry
ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Cook on hot griddle.

Thin German Crepes
2 well beaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk

Add salt, sugar and flour to beaten eggs to make a smooth paste.. Add
milk and stir well until thin and creamy. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes
to thicken. Stir again and cook as pancakes with a hot buttered pan.
Serve with lemons and sugar, rolled up and cut, or with any
accompaniments you can think of.

Spanish Rice
2 tbsp margarine
1 cup chopped onion & celery
1 cup Long grain rice
2 tbsp salsa or enchilada sauce
1 ½ cup chicken stock

Sautee onion and celery in margarine in pan. Add rice and continue to
sautee until it begins to turn brown and/or smell nutty. Add chicken
stock and sauce. Cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until liquid
is absorbed.

Mum's Enchiladas
2 tbsp margarine
1 cup chopped onion & celery
1 cup Long grain rice
1 chicken breast (1 ½ cup chicken stock)
1 package tortillas
Enchilada spice packet
1 can tomato paste
salt and pepper
grated cheddar and jack cheese

While boiling chicken breast, make enchilada sauce as per instructions
on packet; set aside. Dice chicken breast and set aside. Reserve
chicken stock.

Sautee onion and celery in margarine in a high-sided pan. Add rice and
continue to sautee until it begins to turn brown and/or smell nutty.
Add chicken stock and two spoonfuls enchilada sauce. Cover and simmer
for about 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Once rice is cooked, mix chicken into it and add another few spoonfuls
of enchilada sauce. Stuff tortillas with meat/rice mixture and place,
rolled, in pan that has been coated with enchilada sauce. Pour
enchilada sauce over tortillas, coating thoroughly. Top with grated
cheese, salt and pepper, and bake as per spice packet instructions.

[setissma.livejournal.com]

Mum's Stroganoff
4 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 pound steak, thinly sliced (dredged in flour, salt, and pepper
optional)
Onion or garlic

Sautee steak, with onion optional, in 1 tbsp of margarine. Add a
little bit of water, then mushroom soup and sour cream. Simmer
uncovered, stirring, 30-35 minutes. Serve over noodles.

Shrimp Batter
For: 1 1/2 pounds shrimp
1/4 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon spicy seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients into thick batter, dip shrimp in resulting
mess, and let 'em fry. Makes a very floury, fluffy coating.

Beef Gravy
1/2 lb. beef
3-4 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 tbsp water

Brown beef until crumbly; remove from pan, leaving fat behind. Remove
from heat and drain off all but two or three tablespoons of the fat.
For every tablespoon of fat, add one of flour, plus salt and pepper to
taste. Add beef back into pan, return pan to heat. Add water until the
beef is in a thick gravy. Serve hot over mashed potatoes, or bake
between biscuits.

Sloppy Joe
1 lb. Beef
1/4 cup Ketchup
2 tbsp. mustard
Garlic, salt, and pepper to taste

Brown beef and drain; mix in ketchup and mustard (and etc.) until a
thick sauce is formed. Eat on toast or rolls.

Macaroni and Cheese Biscuits
2-3 cups macaroni
3/4 cup milk - warmed
4 tsp butter
4 tsp flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (or mix jack with muenster)
1/3 recipe baking mix biscuit dough OR 1/2 recipe biscuits from Pastry
section

Cook macaroni and drain; set aside in casserole dish. While you do
this, warm the milk and grate the cheese. Once milk is warmed, remove
from burner.

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add flour and whisk together to create a
roux. Add milk and whisk until smooth and slightly thickened. When
thickened, add the cheese and mix, until desired thickness. Mix the
biscuit dough and set aside.

Pour cheese over macaroni. Mix well and top with biscuit dough. Don't
worry if the dough doesn't cover completely; it will spread. Bake at
350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cheddar Potato Soup with Bacon
2 bacon slices, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream or to taste
grated Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until
crisp. Add onions and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the
flour, cook for 1 minute stirring constantly and then add the chicken
broth, potatoes, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, or until
potatoes are soft. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, stir in sour
cream until blended. Pour into blender and puree in small batches;
return to pan. Stir in cheese to taste.

Pumpkin and Peanut Soup
1 small onion, finely minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
2 T butter
2 T flour
5 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
OR equivalent fresh cooked pumpkin (3 - 4 cups)
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 tsp. cayenne or curry powder
1 1/2 T grated fresh ginger

Melt the butter in your stock pot and saut? the onion, celery and
garlic in the butter for about five minutes or until soft. Add flour
and stir.
Add the stock, followed by the remaining indgredients, whisking the
mixture so it remains smooth.
Simmer for about fifteen minutes and serve.

Grandma's Scottish Shortbread
1 c unsalted butter
1/2 c confectioners sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups flour

Soften butter. Stir in sugar, salt, and egg yolk. Add flour a little
at a time until mixture is too stiff to work with a spoon. Turn onto
floured board and knead lightly drawing in flour all the time until
the lump just begins to crack. Divide into two balls, pat out into two
rounds, about 1/2 inch thick, on ungreased cookie sheet. Pinch edges
of rounds like pie and prick all over with a fork. Bake at 350 until
delicately brown. Cool on cookie sheet.

[setissma.livejournal.com]

Crisco's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup butter flavor crisco
1 1/4 cups firmly packed browns ugar
2 tbs. milk
1 tbs vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Cream crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in
large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture
gradually. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop rounded measuring
tablespoonfulls of dough 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 8
minutes for chewy, 13 for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheet 2 mins.
Makes 3 dozen 3 inch cookies.

Alton Brown's Puffy Cookies
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
31/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 eggs
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the shortening, sugar, and brown
sugar in the mixer's work bowl, and cream until light and fluffy. In
the meantime, sift together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder
and set aside.

Add the egg, add vanilla. Increase the speed until thoroughly
incorporated.

With the mixer set to low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the
shortening and combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the
dough. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 per sheet. Bake for
13 minutes or until golden brown and puffy, checking the cookies after
5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool and store
in an airtight-container.

Recipes

[adeliedreams.livejournal.com]

Most of my recipes are one pot, freeform deals. Most also involve cheese, so won't share them here.

But...

Blackberry Couscous

One cup blackberry wine
One cup water
A healthy dose of cayenne pepper and mustard powder
A smaller dose of coriander, cardamom, salt and black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
random vegetables - whatever you have floating about will work, or carrots, celery and thinly sliced radishes work quite wonderfully
a lot of couscous

Throw the wine into a pot, and bring to a boil for one minute. Add the water, vegetables and spices, stir, and bring back to a boil for another 2 or 3 minutes. Longer if the vegetables are particularly hard (rutabega or anything of the sort). Add enough couscous to evenly fill the pot with about a half inch of liquid above the couscous. Stir, and then remove from heat, moving the pot from the heat.

Walk away. Come back 5-10 minutes later. Poof, it's done.

I've never believed in hard measurements, as the amounts of spices and vegetables used will vary depending on the audience. 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder could work in place of the cayenne, mustard powder, cardomom and coriander, in a pinch (and poorly stocked kitchen).

Re: Recipes

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

do i cover the pot when i take it off the heat?

thanks!

Re: Recipes

[adeliedreams.livejournal.com]

Nope, just walk away. :)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'm going to send you some recipes, but not tonight.

Do you have a problem handling yogurt/milk in baked goods? Small amounts of cheese?

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

even medium amounts of cheese i can handle -- and creamy soups, you know, whatever, i can control the reaction pretty well. just if things are already heavy and rich, and then smothered with cheese, or if there's a recipe like start with whole milk, add ricotta and sugar, turn out onto a plate and garnish with whipped cream, then yeah, i'm going to avoid that. :-)

in baked things, no problem. apart from, like, cheesecake, i have to be sort of careful. but see above.