On the Hunt

tam-nonlinear: BARCS, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care...

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:42:36 +0200

BARCS, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (http://baltimoreanimalshelter.org/) has been hit with several hoarding cases recently and their resources are stretched fairly thin. They are in need of adoptive homes, foster homes, and good old-fashioned donations. There are likely more cats coming in soon, from another hoarding case, it’s kitten season, and they need some help with their help.

Above are two of the cats from a recent case. That’s a five year old female and a one year old male who were two of over 36 cats in one residence (she’s his great-grandmother). They’re wonderfully sweet cats, and these two are safe, but the fate of the rest is uncertain.

If you’re in the MD/VA/DC region and can adopt or foster a cat, please contact BARCS. If you’re outside the region where fostering or adoption are reasonable, please consider making a donation. If you read this, please reblog.

I’m hoping that I can help spread the word, since I’m no where near the area to help otherwise.

What to do if you have 10,000 hours of free time?

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:59:49 +0200

What to do if you have 10,000 hours of free time?:

Amazing amount of work here!

-jackyvengeance: youtubeisnotonfire: kawaiigollum: harpalyce: ...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:11:29 +0200

-jackyvengeance:

youtubeisnotonfire:

kawaiigollum:

harpalyce:

amsterdamnedd:

voxify:

This must look so weird if you don’t speak Dutch

Honestly she’s just saying ‘mummy this one this one this one please’

i aM PISSING MYSELF

IT JUST LOOKS LIKE SHE WANTS HER MOM DEAD SO MUCH SHE JUST KEYBOARDSMASHES AT THE END

I AM SRCEAMINH

Hahhahaha the funny thing is that my native language is Dutch and I read it in English first.

omfg i did the same^

Lol, yeah, I totally read that in English first. Funny!

therantinghetaliachick: viviannbonnie: daunt: monsterinthemaki...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:50:32 +0200

therantinghetaliachick:

viviannbonnie:

daunt:

monsterinthemaking10:

all-because-of-u:

lenorehoult:

A THOUSAND RE-BLOGS! probably one of the best anti-rape campaigns I have ever seen

Exactly.. So true. Have some respect people! Don’t be that guy!

amazing campaign

hey douche bags look at this ok

I really love this campaign. And here’s a reminder for all y’all out there that want to ‘score’.

Fantastic, definitely worthy of reblogging!

euclase: It’s Only Forever by *VampireHungerStrike

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:00:14 +0100

euclase:

It’s Only Forever by *VampireHungerStrike

amydentata: thatstraightedgechickfromjersey: nonifarted: I...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:57:56 +0100

amydentata:

thatstraightedgechickfromjersey:

nonifarted:

I would put this on my wall.

My jaw literally just dropped. THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING THING I HAVE EVER SEEN.

Fictional and real-world ethics need not (and, in many ways cannot) exist separate of each other.

Reblog or like if you have ever self harmed, had an eating disorder, been bullied, hate your appearance, been suicidal, suffer from depression, anxiety or any other form of mental illness.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:05:49 +0100

seananmcguire:

the-side-people-dont-know:

I want to write down all your URL’s and put them on my wall to remind me I’m not alone. I also want to send each of you all an individual message.

You are so, so not alone.

No matter how lonely you feel, you’re not alone in this

vixyish: elasticitymudflap: ericaisawesome56: farfromgotham: ...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:05:01 +0100

vixyish:

elasticitymudflap:

ericaisawesome56:

farfromgotham:

Fun fact time: many of my old acquaintances still make joking comments whenever they see me wearing pink, because as a child (and honestly pretty much right up to high school) I would refuse to associate with any pink objects.

It wasn’t because I didn’t like pink, it was because since I appeared female I was supposed to/ it was immediately assumed that I did and therefore it pissed me the ever-loving fuck off. I was ashamed to like it, which is terrible because pink is an awesome color. But when you shove it down young girls throats it gets really old, really fast.

Give the child the fucking rainbow, and if they pick pink, it’s not because they are female and/or effeminate, it’s because they like the color pink.

THIS.

Gosh this

Reblogging again because yes.

That was definitely me. Already at the age of 4 I refused anything pink (except My Little Ponies, because ponies trumps colors). I’m still getting over the knee-jerk reaction I have to the color pink, even though sometimes (just like all the colors) it’s an awesome color.

skipperjovi: Haha OMG what is this from?! Seriously, where is...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:04:12 +0100

skipperjovi:

Haha OMG what is this from?!

Seriously, where is this from?! (so funny!)

To do list: [x] Email head of the Master program I want to do [x] shower [x] wash & dry the...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:47:00 +0100

To do list:

[x] Email head of the Master program I want to do

[x] shower

[x] wash & dry the sheets

[x] fold & put away sheets

[x] put clean sheets on bed, make it!

[x] make the menu plan for the week

[x] put away the clean dishes

[x] run a load of dirty dishes in the dishwasher

Thank you

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:49:38 +0100

to the woman who created UnFuck Your Habitat.

Like the woman whose Mother-in-law was coming, I had a friend I just decided to invite over the next day. Usually, I wouldn’t do that, because I would be terrified of the mess she would see, but all I had to do was about 20 minutes of cleaning, most of it stuff I had already planned to do.

My habitat is slowly becoming better, and so are my habits. I’m starting to shift away from either doing ALL THE THINGS vs doing nothing but sitting on the couch. I’m doing this by making more lists, mostly, and setting alarms, and letting your reminders get me, because if I forget to do something in my own timezone, I come across your reminder the next day while browsing the internet and I know that I have the time.

Today I:

showered
put the sheets that were on the bed in the washer
put clean sheets on the bed and made it
put the dirty towels in the hamper and put clean towels in the bathroom

all within the first hour after getting up.

Things aren’t how I want them to be just yet, but I’m seeing myself getting there. Please, keep cursing at me and reminding me there are no excuses, that it doesn’t take as long as my brain keeps telling me it does. Seriously, I always think folding laundry takes forever, but all it usually takes is about 20 minutes.

Soon my alarm will be going off to remind me to move the sheets over to the dryer. I’ll have another alarm to remind me to take the sheets out of the dryer, fold them and put them away.

So, thank you. I’m still a work in progress, but at least it’s progress, and every little bit helps.

Menu Plan, week 8; review week 7

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:07:36 +0100

No big plans this week, really. Just trying to make sure I don’t have to buy too many extra things. ‘Shopping my cupboards’ so to say.

——————————————

Monday: Red Kidney Bean Curry [Vegetarian]

An old favorite that we haven’t had in awhile. Very tasty, very easy.

Tuesday: Garlic Chicken with Orzo Noodles

Another oldie that we haven’t had in awhile. A really tasty way to eat spinach.

Wednesday: Burritos

Yeah, I’m feeling uninspired, and I love burritos.

Thursday: eating out

Friday: Cashew Chicken [new]

The new recipe this week. Here’s hoping it’s tasty.

Saturday: Meatballs & Pasta

Yup, an old favorite. I love this recipe.

Sunday: Aardappelkoek met ham en kaas

The one meal Mark cooks every single time we have it. It is delicious. I’ve written it up on tumblr, and translated it, just in case anyone wants to give it a try.

The only new recipe last week was the Beef & Potato Curry. It was tasty, relatively easy, and I think we’ll be having it again. The only thing I’d change is maybe add some frozen peas towards the end to give it a splash of color and some more vegetables.

Otherwise, I did actually make everything I had planned on making and it was tasty, as expected.

Aardappelkoek met ham en kaas\Potato pie with ham and cheese [English below]

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:57:00 +0100

1 pot (ca. 350 gram) groente-macedoine

3 eieren

100 gram ham, in blokjes

1 pak (600 gram) diepvriesrösti, ontdooid

4 eetlepels taco-kruidenmix

4 eetlepels olie

75 gram geraspte belegen Goudse kaas

1 Laat de groent-macedoine uitlekken. Klop de eieren los in een grote kom. Voeg de hamblokjes, de ontdooide rösti, de groente-macedoine en de taco-kruiden toe; meng alles goed door elkaar.

2 Verhit de olie in een grote koekepan met anti-aanbaklaag. Schep het röstimengsel in de pan en druk de massa stevig aan; let het deksel schuin op de pan en bak de onderkant van de aardappelkoek op een matig vuur goudbruin in ca. 10 minuten. Keer de koek met behulp van een deksel en bak de onderkant goudbruin.

3 Strooi de geraspte kaas over de aardappelkoek en laat de kaas met het deksel op de pan smelten. Laat de koek op een bord glijden en snijd hem in punten.

Van het koekboek Eénpans eetplezier

———————-

Potato Pie with ham and cheese

1 can (about 350 grams\12 oz) diced mixed vegetables

3 eggs

100 grams\3.5 oz ham, diced

1 600 gram\21 oz bag frozen rösti, thawed (grated potatoes)

4 tablespoons (or one package) taco seasoning

4 tablespoons oil

75 grams\a little over 2.5 oz grated Gouda cheese (cheddar would also work)

1. Drain the can of mixed veggies. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the ham, the rösti, the veggies, and the taco seasoning, mixing everything thoroughly.

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Spoon the rösti mixture in to the pan and press it down. Put the lid on but leave it a little crooked and cook the potato pie golden brown on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Using the lid (or another plate, or a cutting board), turn the pie over and slide it back in to the pan to cook the other side golden brown.

3. Sprinkle the grated cheese on to the potato pie. Put the lid back on and let the cheese melt. Slide the potato pie on to a plate or cutting board and cut it in to wedges.

Not quite so productive

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:39:05 +0100

Today I didn’t get quite as much done. Yesterday we found one of our pet rats, Cigfa, dead in the cage. That leaves us just 1 girl left out of the original 4 sisters. Today, this morning, I had the task of burying Cigfa. You can imagine that this did not do much good for my mood.

Otherwise, I’ve made my bed (which, considering I almost never made my bed growing up, is something), and I’ve planned out the dinners for the rest of the week. It looks like we’ll be coming in well under budget as well, which is nice.

I don’t think I’m going to get much else done today. I’m glad that this is a busy week and I won’t have too much time to sit around and brood on the death of Cigfa or the fact that another of my brother’s birthdays is coming, and he’s not here to celebrate it.

My hope this week, cleaning-wise, is to at least get the upstairs hallway clean, and I mean really clean. Currently we have some shoes up there that need to be thrown out or cleaned and put away, and the hallway it self needs vacuuming and mopping. (There is a mystery stain there that should come up easily enough, but I want it gone.)

Otherwise, continuing with subtitling and also actually start on my translating the Stories of the Táin, so that I don’t lose all my Old Irish skills. At least the first story, and then maybe I’ll switch to a Middle Welsh story, and so forth, so I just rotate through the languages I want to keep fresh. Also, that way I won’t get too bored.

Menu Plan, week 7; review week 6

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:42:00 +0100

This week, I’m hoping to make a bit of a dent in our huge sack of potatoes. Also hoping not to spend too much on extra groceries that aren’t on offer at the supermarket. So the chicken is on offer, as well as the stewing beef, while the pork is from our freezer from a previous offer, as well as the ground beef.

——————————-

Monday: Mozzarella Chicken, penne

This recipe is titled ‘Chicken Parmesan’ at the website, but I don’t consider it such. It’s a favorite and I’ve deviated from the recipe some for quite awhile now, but I thought I would put the original recipe up as a link, for those who are interested.

Tuesday: Beef & Potato Curry, rice, naan

A new recipe I haven’t tried yet. The link goes to a tumblr post I made where I sized it down for 2 people, but that post has a link to the original post.

Wednesday: eating out due to MA evening

Wednesday is Master’s evening, where I will go to find out more about the translation Master. Afterwards, we’re going to celebrate Valentine’s day a bit early, what with it falling on Thursday, when I have choir practice. The plan is to eat at this fantastic little Greek restaurant in Waddinxveen called Kreta. We’ve eaten there before, but it’s been awhile.

Thursday: eating out due to choir

This will probably end up being junk food like Burger King, but we’ll see. It might end up being something else.

Friday: burritos

There isn’t really a recipe for this. We usually buy a seasoning packet (though sometimes I make my own, and when I do I prefer this recipe), we usually buy the tortillas (though occasionally I make my own), we buy pre-made salsa, I chop up one bell pepper per person, and it’s about one chicken breast per person cut into bite size chunks then cook the chicken until lightly browned in about a tablespoon or so of oil, then add the bell pepper and cook until it starts smelling really good (and the edges of the bell pepper are starting to brown), then add seasoning packet. Serve with lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa. Simple really.

Saturday: Sweet & Sour Pork, kroepoek, basmati rice

A repeat. We had this last week as well, but it is very easy, very tasty, and all I need to buy for it this week is the pineapple, which makes it less of a worry, shopping wise.

Sunday: Cottage Pie

This recipe is originally entitled ‘Shepherd’s Pie’, but that’s wrong. Shepherd’s Pie, as the name would suggest, is made with lamb, Cottage Pie is the one made with beef. I have corrected the name here. I’ve also made this before, and I’m pretty free with the amounts, just winging it depending on what I feel like when I make it.

Last week was a week of old favorites, and so could not disappoint us. The only new thing was the Mac & Cheese that I halved and made for myself for dinner on Thursday. I used a slightly too young Gouda, which made it slightly stringy when it melted, but otherwise it was very tasty and ridiculously easy, I would suggest it to anyone who is looking for fast and easy Mac & Cheese who doesn’t want to use the (in)famous blue box or can’t find it (due to living abroad, like me).

I would actually recommend any of these recipes. When I find good recipes, it should take my at most 45 minutes (including prep) to make the dish, though usually it only takes me 30. So these are all relatively fast and simple dishes with loads of flavor.

Beef & Potato Curry

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:59:00 +0100

source: Beef & Potato Curry, Tramie’s Kitchen

Ingredients

1/4 onion

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

2-1/4 teaspoons grated ginger

2-1/4 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika powder

1-1/2 teaspoons curry paste

about 8 ounces or 226 grams stewing beef cubes

1 large potato, cubed

3/4 cup beef broth

Directions

Heat the oil and cook the garlic and onions for a few minutes on medium-low heat in a large pot. Then add the coriander and cumin and cook until fragrant. Stir in the ginger, curry powder, curry paste, turmeric and paprika.

Turn up the heat to medium high and add the beef and potato. Stir it until evenly coated before adding the broth. Bring to a boil, then drop it down to simmer for about an hour or until the beef is tender.

Serve with rice or naan.

[The only real change I’ve made is to drop this down to a 2 person serving.]

Productive!

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:52:46 +0100

I have no photos, but yesterday I was very productive. I remembered the other to steps to doing laundry (after it is dried, you fold and put away.) I also did a chore that needed to be done before it became a serious issue.

I cleaned my oven!

On top of that, also planned the dinners we would be having all week, so that I wouldn’t ever stand by the fridge around 18:00 and think ‘oh, shit, I have to go to the grocery store now, we have nothing to eat!’

So, yeah. All in a row..

made the bed
dried, folded, and put away the laundry
set the timer on the washer to start another load today
planned the dinner menus for the week (taking advantage of special offers!)
cleaned the oven
cleaned up from the failed attempt at Moussaka the day before, the pizza boxes when we ordered out after the failed Moussaka, and ran all the dishes in the dishwasher and then I actually put them away.
Made a kick-ass vegetarian meal for M and I.

Maybe some day I’ll get to the level of taking befores/afters of my attempts to clean and organize my house. At least now, with a little help from UFYH (UnFuck Your Habitat), it seems possible that I’ll have an organized and clean home.

Menu plan, week 6

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:50:00 +0100

(Inspired by Orgjunkie.org)

Monday: Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

Tuesday: Chicken Gyros with Dill Sauce, fries

Wednesday: Sweet & Sour Pork, rice, kroepoek

Thursday: Mac & Cheese

Friday: beef burritos

Saturday: rundervinken, broccoli, & potatoes

Sunday: Coconut Basil Chicken Curry, rice

After my failure in planning last week (2 new dishes tried, 2 complete failures to never eat again), this week we’re sticking with some more familiar recipes. While some haven’t been eaten in a few years, they’ll seem new without actually being a worry about tastiness.

Chicken Gyros with Dill Sauce

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:35:00 +0100

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1 large garlic clove, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 lb (450 grams) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

4 fresh pita bread rounds, heated

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In small bowl blend together yogurt, 1 tablespoon dill, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken with oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dill, salt and pepper. Sauté until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet and sauté onion until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Return chicken and any juices to skillet. Add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir until heated through, about 2 minutes.

4. Top pita rounds with chicken mixture. Spoon dill sauce over chicken and serve. This sandwich is folded in half and eaten. Pass the extra sauce, as desired.

seananmcguire: lilyliqueur: Fortunate Pumpkin Carriage...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:31:14 +0100

seananmcguire:

lilyliqueur:

Fortunate Pumpkin Carriage Engagement Ring

I…I would wear this engagement ring.

It’s all over for me. The Disney has gone terminal. Save yourselves.

ok, that’s just beautiful, I would totally wear that…