Heroes-feasting - Hello Bonjour

Quith-Pa

“The most common variety of elven rations, this vegetarian trail food is made up primarily of dried fruits, but regional variations can include seeds, nuts, legumes, and beyond.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 57

The best way to describe Quith-Pa from Heroes’ Feast is as a fruit truffle instead of a chocolate one. Packed with refreshing, fruity sweetness, toasty flavours, and no added sugar, it’s a great snack or dessert for those looking to try something new!

Additionally, they're small enough that you can easily pack them into a mini tupperware container and bring them with you for easy snacking on the go!

See below for my notes on the results and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 10 mins              Cook: 1h             Total: 1h 10 mins

Ingredients (makes 12 ish):

1 orange

6 ounces (1 cup) (170 g) dried apricots, coarsely chopped

¾ cup (70 g) unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted*

¾ tsp. (4 ml) pure vanilla extract

Kosher salt

* To toast the coconut: spread out the coconut in an even layer in a large, flat-bottom pan on medium-low heat. Stir frequently until almost all of the coconut has reached a toasty golden brown colour, about 8-10 mins.

Using a microplane, grate the orange peel to yield 1 ½ tsp. (8 g, about half the rind of a large navel orange) of finely grated zest. Squeeze the orange to yield 1 ½ tbsp. (15 ml) of juice.

In a full-size or mini food processor, combine the apricots, ½ cup (25 g) of the toasted coconut, the orange zest and juice, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt.

Process until the mixture is very finely chopped, uniform, and cohesive, pulsing and stopping to scrape down the sides of the work as necessary.

Put the remaining ½ cup coconut in a wide, shallow bowl.

Roll scant 1-tablespoon (~18 g) portions of the apricot mixture into 1-inch balls, gently pressing as you roll to help them cohere (you should have 15 or 16 balls).

Working with three or four balls at a time, roll them in the remaining coconut, pressing them gently to help the coconut adhere.

Place the balls on a plate and rest them (to firm up and dry out slightly) for 45 minutes.

The balls will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for about 3 days.

TIP: They will be incredibly sticky while forming them. I recommend pressing the mixture together with your fingers to create the shape of a ball and then gently rolling them between your fingers (not your palms!) to finish shaping them.

You may need to brush off any mixture clinging to your hands a couple times while rolling it into a ball because the remaining stickiness from your hands will cause formed balls to break.

NOTE: If rolling them in a deeper, smaller bowl like I was, you may only be able to work with one or two at a time.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 4/5. Although the taste is great and they make a fantastic sweet snack for anyone trying to avoid added sugar, I feel like the effort/dishes to yield is a little low. Definitely at least double the recipe if you plan on making these yourself.

BONUS picture that didn’t make the cover photo:

u ever in such a bad mood u feel urself turning evil?

Cranberry Banana Muffins

“The tang of the cranberries is softened by the subtleness of the banana and the hint of nutmeg in this recipe.” - ~mystery book~, p. 218

For holiday cookies, our minds usually go to sugar cookies, gingerbread, and maybe the odd biscotti thrown in for fun. But, if you’re looking for a change up in your typical festive treats, look no further than these delicious cranberry banana muffins!

The sharpness of the cranberries is tamed by the accompanying ingredients and substituting the regular milk for coconut milk adds a whole new dimension of flavour. Not only that, but the grated nutmeg and orange zest makes your whole kitchen smell like instant Christmas while baking!

Consider baking these with the Earl Grey Cookies for an additional change up!

(This recipe is an adaptation from a cookbook my grandmother has tucked away. However, I don’t have the title of the book and I can’t find her copy anymore so it’s of ~mystery origin~.)

Prep: 15 mins               Cook: 1h               Overall: 1h 15 mins

Ingredients*:

2 ripe bananas

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ cups (350 ml) coconut milk**

⅔ cup (151 g) butter, melted

2 tbsp. grated orange zest (about 1 large orange)

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 cups (330 g) fresh or frozen cranberries

* Makes enough for 24 large size muffins. You can make 12 muffins by halving all of the ingredients, but you’ll have to waste half a can of coconut milk.

** Use both the coconut cream and milk from the can. Freely replace the coconut milk with regular milk if you need to.

First, preheat the oven to 400℉ (204℃) and either grease, or use large muffin cups to line two muffin pans.

Then, in a large bowl, mash the bananas.

Add the sugar, eggs, coconut milk, melted butter, and orange zest and stir to combine well.

TIP: When measuring the coconut milk, pour the whole can into a glass measuring cup. Use a fork to whisk together the cream and milk until it’s mostly combined. Then, use a slotted spoon to remove any remaining larger cream pieces from the measuring cup. This should get you to ~1 ½ cups (350 ml) of coconut milk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and stir until the batter is just moistened.

Before adding the cranberries, sprinkle ~1 tsp. flour over the cranberries and stir gently to coat (top-left). This will prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they cook.

Gently fold the cranberries into the batter.

Spoon enough batter to fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way full (top-left).

Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, rotating the pans 180 degrees halfway through, or until the tops turn golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean (top-right).

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Overall, I would give these muffins a 5/5. These are AMAZING when served warm with salted butter! I wanted to try something a little different for holiday cookies a few years back and I’m so glad I gave these a go. The blend of flavours really brings home the holidays in a way you don’t expect.

I highly recommend using coconut milk instead of regular milk if it’s available to you; it provides such a depth and richness of flavour without making the muffin feel heavy. Also, although I haven’t tried it with almond milk yet, I imagine that would also yield some tasty results!

everyone needs a creative outlet to stick a creative fork into

stop everything, this is bitty doing research for his thesis

there's more lmao, unhinged bitty energy

The sheer number of kids who are straight up putting their real names and ages and location in their bios like "Natasha | 14 | Minor | New York, NY!" and occasionally putting their actual school or city in their tags just terrifies me like no stop stop stop remove that right now I cannot emphasize how unsafe that is for you I am begging you for your sake remove thst shit right now

One Pot Meal

A zero-effort dinner with great flavour and fast cook time.

Simple and nutritious meals are an important thing to have in your back pocket, especially as a student. In a previous post, I shared The Ultimate Sausage Pasta, a quick and easy recipe from my housemate’s friend.

This time, we’re looking at the One Pot Meal, one of my favourite zero-effort dinners to make when I just really don’t feel like cooking. Minimal ingredients (two of which can sit in your cupboard until you need them) and an under half-hour cook time make this the perfect meal for when you’re tired or need a break from the kitchen.

As an added bonus, the Italian sausage adds great flavour on its own, so you don’t need to worry about whether you have the right spices or not!

Check out below for the recipe!

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this world is so sick and twisted. why do strawberries go out of season but my love for them doesn't