nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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5-Ingredient Smoked Salmon and Potato Salad
Prep 5 mins Cook 15 mins Active 15 mins Total 20 mins Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds fingerling or new potatoes, preferably a red or yellow waxy variety, sliced into 1/2-inch coins
Kosher salt
3/4 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
3 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon, or scallions
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, cover potatoes with water by 1 inch and season heavily with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a wooden skewer or the tip of a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine sour cream lemon juice, chopped salmon, and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When potatoes have cooled slightly but are still warm, add to bowl and toss to combine and coat with dressing. Serve. Salad can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve cold or allow to come to room temperature.

Intro

Jun. 4th, 2025 09:14 am
luna_moon: A photo of a maned wolf (LunaMoon)
[personal profile] luna_moon posting in [community profile] gardening
Hello! My name is Luna. I am new to this group and also somewhat new to Dreamwidth! I keep a small backyard garden of mostly veggies and herbs. I grow most of my plants in containers. I use a variety of pots, grow bags, and upcycled totes for growing. Helps keep weeding a lot easier and I don't have to bend over quite as much/often (I have POTS). I live in the middle of the city, close to our downtown district. I don't have a lot of yard space, or the space I have may not be suitable for growing in ground. I am still working on them, but I have a few ideas for posts about composting and upcycling in the garden that I hope I can share in the future!

Below the cut is a small garden tour! This isn't everything I have, and I am still working on adding a few more things. :] 

Korean Potato Salad

Jun. 4th, 2025 04:53 am
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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Korean Potato Salad
Total Time 45 minutes (plus 1 hour for chilling) 6 servings

Ingredients

1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 small carrot, peeled, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more
1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled, cut into 8 equal pieces
2 large eggs, rinsed
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 1 ear; optional)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. yellow mustard (such as French’s)

Preparation

Step 1 - Place 1 small red onion, finely chopped, 2 Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise, 1 small carrot, peeled, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in medium bowl and massage until vegetables look shiny and are just starting to release some liquid. Let sit while potatoes cook to allow vegetables to soften further and release more liquid (at least 15 minutes).
Step 2 - Place 1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled, cut into eight equal pieces, in medium saucepan and pour in cold water to cover by 2". Season generously with salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Carefully lower 2 large eggs, rinsed, into pan. If using 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 1 ear), add to pot. Cover and cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, 10 minutes (exactly). Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water. Slide a skewer into a potato piece; there should be no resistance. If potatoes aren’t tender, continue cooking until they are, up to 5 minutes longer. Drain cooked potatoes and corn (if using) in a fine-mesh sieve; return to pot.
Step 3 - Peel eggs and add to pot with potatoes. Using a potato masher or fork, smash eggs and potatoes until broken up into small, irregular pieces (exact size doesn’t matter).
Step 4 - Drain vegetables in same sieve, squeezing fistfuls very hard to remove excess liquid. Add to potato mixture along with ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. yellow mustard (such as French’s), and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; mix well with a rubber spatula to combine (potatoes will break up further and become creamy). Taste and season with more salt if needed. Transfer potato salad to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, before serving.

Do ahead: Salad can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
full_metal_ox: A National Geographic cover mock-up, with three marigolds in an analogous orange-yellow color harmony. (Nature)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] common_nature
Taken on 21 June 2024 at 20:33 US Eastern Daylight Savings Time, as I hurried up the street through the break in the rain.





My limited equipment does the scene nothing even remotely resembling justice: neither the gauzy rainbow-sherbet luminosity nor the grand theatricality of the skyscape, with the air of a vintage book illustration or a meticulously painted film backdrop. A detail I particularly like is the small dark cumulus cloud at bottom center that suggests a person astride a charging (pig? bear? huge dog?)

Photos: House Yard

Jun. 2nd, 2025 12:17 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] common_nature
These pictures are from Sunday, but it's after midnight, so the post says Monday.

Walk with me ... )

Lemon Meringue Pie Cocktail

May. 31st, 2025 07:16 am
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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Lemon Meringue Pie Cocktail
Yield: 4 dessert cocktails Prep: 30 minutes Chill time (Optional): 1 hour Cook: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup lemon curd store-bought or homemade lemon curd
180 mL vodka 6 fl oz
120 mL limencello 4 fl oz
60 mL freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 fl oz
Ice optional
simple syrup optional
Swiss meringue topping (for 4 cocktails)
2 egg whites 60 mL
100 g white sugar ½ cup
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 pinch sea salt
Garnishes
4 lemon oatmeal lace cookies or any kind of plain wafer / or biscoff cookie

Instructions:

In a large jug or blender jug, place the lemon curd, vodka, limoncello, and lemon juice.
1 cup lemon curd, 180 mL vodka, 120 mL limencello, 60 mL freshly squeezed lemon juice
Blend until combined with a blender or stick blender.
Taste and add more simple syrup or lemon juice to get the desired tangy / sweetness flavor balance.
simple syrup
If using immediately, add a generous amount of ice and stir to chill the cocktail.
Ice
Immediately strain the drink into 4 cocktail glasses.
Alternatively, you can cover the mixture and place it in the fridge to chill, so you can serve it later.
Swiss meringue topping
Follow my step by step recipe to make swiss meringue for more detailed tips. Since this is only for 2 egg whites, it'll be easier to make the meringue with a hand mixer. For 4 or more egg whites, use a stand mixer. It can be made with a whisk too, but this will take a while. Use a large balloon whisk to make the process easier by hand.
Make the swiss meringue just before you’re ready to serve the cocktail.
In a small pot, place some water (about 2 – 3 inches) and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
In a clean metal bowl, place the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar. Whisk together to mix all the ingredients.
2 egg whites, 100 g white sugar, ¼ tsp cream of tartar, 1 pinch sea salt
Place the bowl over the simmering pot of water and whisk the egg white and sugar mixture continuously until the mixture registers between 170 – 175°F with an instant read thermometer. The time will depend on the heat and the bowl size, but it usually takes me about 10 minutes for 2 egg whites.
Once the correct temperature is reached, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk with an electric hand whisk on high speed until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
Use immediately.
Assembly
Divide the chilled lemon meringue martini between 4 glasses.
Top it with a generous dollop of the swiss meringue and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the surface.
Garnish with a lemon oat lace cookie, or alternatively serve with a wafer or biscoff cookie.
4 lemon oatmeal lace cookies

Osprey nesting

May. 29th, 2025 10:41 am
pauraque: bird flying (Default)
[personal profile] pauraque posting in [community profile] common_nature
I got to see an Osprey sitting on its nest!

brown and white raptor sits on a nest at the top of a wooden pole

When I came back later to show my partner, we talked to another birder who said this nesting platform has been there for a long time but in past years Ospreys have only stayed for a short time and not fledged any young. This year they've stayed much longer than usual so hopes are high for a baby! The other adult was perched in a tree nearby.

Ospreys eat only fish. (The platform is above a river.) It's interesting that small birds seem to realize they're no threat, and completely ignore them. While we were there, we saw a flock of blackbirds furiously mob and chase away a Cooper's Hawk while the Ospreys calmly looked on.

David Dastmalchian interview

May. 28th, 2025 02:29 pm
marthawells: Murderbot with helmet (Default)
[personal profile] marthawells
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/david-dastmalchian-murderbot-dexter-resurrection-interview/

"Now I feel much more comfortable advocating for [what I need]. To give you an example, on the set of Murderbot, going to my directors and writers, the showrunners, Chris and Paul [Weitz], and saying, ‘I'm really sorry, but on Wednesday at 2pm - I know I'm on the schedule that day, but is there any way I could be in my trailer for 45 minutes to have a therapy session?' and them being so supportive and loving and saying, ‘Of course, we will get you a Wi-Fi booster,’ because we were out in the middle of nowhere.

California Melt

May. 28th, 2025 04:41 am
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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California Melt

Ingredients

4 slices whole-grain bread, lightly toasted
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
1 tomato, sliced
4 slices Swiss cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven broiler.
Lay the toasted bread out on a baking sheet. Top each slice of bread with 1/4 of the avocado, mushrooms, almonds, and tomato slices. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese.
Broil the open-face sandwiches until the cheese melts and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Serve the sandwiches warm.

Turtle from the Kyzylkum desert

May. 28th, 2025 02:43 pm
pilottttt: (Default)
[personal profile] pilottttt posting in [community profile] common_nature


For more details about our trip to this desert (in Russian), see here: https://pilottttt.dreamwidth.org/445028.html
full_metal_ox: A National Geographic cover mock-up, with three marigolds in an analogous orange-yellow color harmony. (Nature)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] common_nature
Taken last year, this is pictorial tax for my previous post; this little guy was one of a family headquartered in a vacant lot along one of my habitual shopping routes.





Note the ropes cordoning the space off, as well as the designated perch set up for the owls. In the upper background, across the path, is another staked-off owl nesting site; unusually for birds of prey, Burrowing Owls are social animals who sometimes form communities of multiple families.

(If I’ve slipped into Earnest School Essay Mode, it’s because this is stuff I myself am very much newly learning.)

New neighbors!

May. 26th, 2025 12:54 pm
full_metal_ox: A National Geographic cover mock-up, with three marigolds in an analogous orange-yellow color harmony. (Nature)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] common_nature
Lizards have been somewhat fewer in the apartment complex than last year, and the other night I learned a possible reason: a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) couple have set up housekeeping on the back lawn next door! (No pictorial tax as yet: their nest, less than five feet from the curb, overlooks a back alley heavily travelled by garbage, service, and delivery vehicles as well as human cyclists and pedestrians—meaning that they’re probably experiencing botherance enough without amateur paparazzi. (1)

Burrowing Owls are regarded as local mascots and rigorously protected here; standard procedure upon discovering an inhabited burrow is to erect a little designated perch for the owls and cordon it off, crime-scene style, halting any human construction until the young have left the nest.

(1) Rule of thumb is that if the owls are reacting to your presence, you’re too close; the risk of attracting gawkers is one reason that doxxing Burrowing Owls nesting on private property is frowned upon around here. Schools, museums, and other such facilities, however, will encourage on-site nesting, observable by remote cam.

I’m finding varying accounts of how capable they are of digging their own burrows, but certainly the owls prefer the convenience of found housing when they can get it, not only taking over burrows constructed by other animals but occupying such human artifacts as PVC pipes; it’s quite possible to build artificial burrows to attract them.
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