So hello there. Been a bit. And certainly will be fairly soon for the next one. But I did just want to take the initiative on a few things. First and foremost, about that side-project I’ve previous mentioned, it’s there, I’m just being held back by sheer self-doubt. You know, the usual. I have the first part ready and written, it’s just the secondary work that fills me with immense dread. Anyway, the other one is, as stated, inane. Really, really inane. Because, as those you who follow my Twitter for some crows-begotten reason may know [ Footnote 1]. I’ve been playing through Trails in the Sky recently [Footnote 2]. Yes, I’ve moved on from Ys to invest effectively my entire life into Trails. Check back in a year or so to see how I like the series as a whole. But the point of this is, because I take humor from strange things, I have decided to just post my thoughts as I play through the series here on my site. you know, so I can stay in the Lawful-Sky section of the Trails Alignment Chart [Footnote 3]. So get ready for that, I guess. Otherwise, I do have a few baked goods from recent times to share, just for fun.
And that there is a fairly old bit of sweets I made some months ago when I thought I had an update. Turns out I didn’t. Anyway, they’re no-bake peanut butter and chocolate oat cookies. And I love them so much. I don’t know that I have a specific recipe, but you can probably find the gist if you just look up ‘no-bake peanut butter and chocolate oat cookies recipe’ since it seems fairly common. They’re pretty simple and what you see is what you get. But the reason I love them is actually a somewhat silly little thing, a memory from a long, long time ago. I don’t even know it was actually the same thing, but the summer before I entered high school, my family went on a trip which included a visit to the Washington state. And while we were there, we visited one of my dad’s friends. I have very fond memories of hanging out with that friend’s kids who were close to my age and also really like Legend of Zelda [Footnote 4], and they’re tied up in some kind of dessert I ate that at least feels similar in my memory to these. So yeah, I really like these no-bakes, for all their simplicity.
Then there’s these. A rather simple scone I made recently. But then I ate half of the batch myself in a single night, so you could say I like them. For hose of you curious, the black flecks are actually tea leaves, as the recipe I use for these has a variant for ‘tea scones’. I think it makes them much better by giving the whole bake a little more of a subtle flavor; not obviously ‘tea’, but more than just ‘scone’. Great with jam, of course, because scones are cakes. The recipe I used is actually, to show how far gone I truly am, from Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family. Volume 2 of the manga. It’s a little wonky since they give all measurements in weights and I… have thoughts about that [Footnote 5], but the recipe’s good. And comes with a Stay Night slice of life vignette, so it must be good [Footnote 6].
Finally, a little Tarte Tatin. As it happens, I’m going through old Great British Bake-offs with my Mom because we felt like we’d missed some of the early seasons. And one of the challenges was to make Tarte Tatin. As I watched it, I thought to myself ‘that looks good’ and ‘I can probably make that’. So I did. And I actually have the recipe I used this time to, or at least the website I can link you to [Footnote 7]. I really like this one, at least. I expected it to be kinda apple pie-ish, but it’s a different type of thing. the pastry’s flakier and the apples have a more apple taste than the sweeter pie flavor, because of how they’re cooked. Would recommend you give it, or another Tarte Tatin, a try. Also a happy coincidence since I started watching Case Study of Vanitas with literature-friend while I was away for Anime Expo. Funny how these things work out, eh?
Footnote 1: Granted, that’s like five people right now, so not a huge chance of that, eh?
Footnote 2: For those of you keeping track, lunch-friend is actually the one who first recommended Sky to me, some… seven? years ago. I made it through the first section with Emelas tower in the prologue and then other things like college got in the way. Would’ve languished there forever if Ys didn’t remind me of it.
Footnote 3: If you don’t know, just… don’t. Not worth the time to look into it [Footnote 3A].
Footnote 3A: For the record, I actually don’t really think I fit into Lawful-Sky. I think I’ll probably end up at either Neutral-Sky or Lawful-Cold Steel because I am certainly separate from the fandom, but for as much as I like Sky (and I do, I love it), I can easily see myself absolutely adoring Cold Steel. Because I do have a certain affection for the harem genre [Footnote 3B] and I think it could strike that same chord. But! I think I’m fairly confident that Crossbell won’t be my favorite just because the vibe doesn’t quite have the same adventurous spirit as Sky or cheesy high-school drama as Cold Steel. We’ll see though.
Footnote 3B: That’s a longer discussion. The short answer is: ‘What’s better than one rom-com arc? Two rom-com arcs! What’s better than two rom-com arcs? Six rom-com arcs!
Footnote 4: Again, a longer discussion. Simply put, Zelda is probably the first series I truly deep-dived into.
Footnote 5: While I appreciate that cups, teaspoons, and tablespoons aren’t exactly as ‘scientific’ and ‘standard’ as weights — some might even say arbitrary — I really, really don’t want to have to get out a kitchen scale whenever I want to bake something. I really like just being able to scoop, smooth, and pour.
Footnote 6: You have no idea how much I love Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family. No idea. So obviously, from context, I also like Fate/Stay Night [Footnote 6A], but that’s a longer discussion. And that’s why I love Today’s Menu. Because just seeing the characters interact is beautiful. And the recipes. The recipes! They’re all really good and genuine recipes you can follow. For a hobbyist cook (and more baker, but I digress) like myself, it’s perfect. I do also have the Switch game as well, of course.
Footnote 6A: The Realta Nua version of course. In accordance with the regulations of the website and the standards I hold for it, I know nothing of any other versions of the VN and will not discuss them.
Footnote 7: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/tarte-tatin-recipe-1945295
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