Link From World in Words!

    Well...I am back after a brief disappearance. :) I will be making several posts fairly soon. After I am able to get some technical difficulties sorted out on my laptop again. XD I may have to start saving up for a new one. :( Sadly, since a lot of my life and work is attached to the laptop, I won't be posting much until I can figure something out there.

    In the meantime! I was researching various crystal eggs last week, and, during my searching into Onyx Eggs, stumbled across this post --> The Tale of Three Silk Traders and an Onyx Egg by "World in Words". I was laughing so hard! It is written so well, and, I believe, will guarantee you at least a smile, dear reader. ;) I was bordering on a bad mood when I read it and it lifted my spirits immediately and left me feeling cheerful for the rest of the day. :D

    So, here is your laugh and smile for the day! <3

Have a beautiful and adventurous day, dear reader!

Love,

Bryn

NO!!!

(((WARNING: This post is more pointless than usual.)))

((27 August 2014: *giggle* Post from 19 September 2013 I apparently never posted! Fable 2 posts to come, bit I'm finding some older posts to post / finish and post too. :') This one made me laugh.))

    I had THE most horrifying dream last night! ;~; I dreamed that the gorgeously handsome Noctis Lucis Caelum had ZEVRAN'S VOICE for the English dub! No, no, NO!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME, BRAIN?! ;~; I woke up nearly in tears, I am not even kidding. I think Zevran's voice is cool and Zevran's voice is perfect for Zevran. But...I just...there are two game characters I adore almost equally. Fenris from Dragon Age 2 and Noctis from Final Fantasy Versus. Having one of them show up in a dream, I would expect it to be a pretty epic moment. AND THEN THAT VOICE RUINS IT. A godly face NEEDS a godly voice to match! Why did my brain do this to me? I really cannot say. But. If I must suffer.. ;)

    If you do not know what games I am being a geek over, dear reader - fear not! Click the name to see/hear Noctis in the Final Fantasy trailer (Japanese with English sub). [And thankfully the Japanese voice actor has an attractive enough voice to make me happy again~ Hee hee~] And click the name to hear Zevran talking in Dragon Age.

    ...You can see why I am upset, right?

Have happier dreaming than I did, dear reader~

Love,

Bryn

Recipe Time! Corn-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Cookie-Like Chocolates~!

    So, this is basically Homemade Chocolates~! but taking it a little further and making some minor adjustments. :) The ingredients are still just cocoa, coconut milk, and honey. So, part of the point of Homemade Chocolates post is to have a mostly-bitter, fudge-like chocolate. For the cookie-like chocolates, you add more honey than you do coconut milk and leave it fairly runny. Not like water or anything, but it is pretty runny. Add enough honey to make it fairly sweet. :) Or what kind of sweetness you happen to enjoy~

    I will more-or-less repeat the instructions, modifying as needed for this version, here for anyone who does not feel like clicking on the other post for the instructions. ;)

    I did not do any measurements. Just kind of eyed the amounts. Mix some coconut milk in with cocoa until it is moist. Add equal to double amounts of honey as the coconut milk. This will make the mixture more on the runny side. Sample it to make sure the sweet-to-bitter taste is to your personal liking. The goal with this one is to have it more sweet than it is bitter. :) Drop it onto parchment paper and stick it in the freezer until it is cold and solid. I left it in for probably about an hour to an hour and a half.

    When I made the fudge-like chocolates, they lasted for 3 or so days. There weren't a ton of them, since I just did a small amount...and I was craving chocolate.... ;~; I did a larger portion this time, and expect them to last as long or longer. :) Especially because my parents rarely will partake in my recipes since my food options are more limited than theirs. Even when they find my recipes satisfying. XD

    As before, do not eat too much at once if you wish to avoid a stomach ache. ;) I think that goes for any chocolate, though, haha.

    And then a special addition to half of the batch: I added raw almonds and raw sunflower seeds to them. :) YUM! This is part of why they seemed cookie-like. Especially the ones with almonds! <3 The other reason is because they are shaped like disks, and about the size of cookies. ^_^ I personally feel very fond of the sunflower seed ones. <3

    Warning: It does start to melt the longer you hold it from your body temperature - and from the plate being room temperature. ._. I do not know if leaving it in for longer will solve this or not? I'll, uh, let you know if that turns out to be the case. Or figure out a cleaner way to eat them. XD So just be prepared to wash your hands or use a napkin or something. :) Then just eat it as you want. If you happen to figure out a solution to this problem or have suggestion for something to to try, please, comment to let me know. :D

    The plain ones melt the fastest, the sunflower ones melt the slowest, and the almond ones melt kind of in-between. I am not 100% sure why this is, but I can theorize that the seeds and almonds retain the cold longer which slows the melting process. The ones with the seeds melt slower because they cover more of the surface than the almonds do. I mean, that may not be the reason...but that is my theory. XD Not that it really matters, haha. :) I just like to know why things work the way they do~ 

    Be sure to use organic and safe for you ingredients. :)

Ready to go in the freezer! :D

Almond! (After freezing~)

Plain! (After freezing~)

Sunflower seed! (After freezing~)

Me eating one. XD

    Yup. :) I hope to do some that have coconut shreds or raisins in the them in the future, and whatever else comes to mind. ^_^ If you do your own variation, feel free to comment and let me know so I can give it a try. :D I imagine for craisin fans, those would be pretty good too. :) I personally hate craisins, so won't be testing that theory. ^^;;

    If you give these a try, I hope you enjoy them! :D

Have a delightful morning, dear reader! <3

Love,

Bryn

Recipe Time! Corn-Free, Sugar-Free, Cow Dairy-Free Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms~!

    Last night I made stuffed portobello mushrooms. <3 I got the idea from my mom. She always talks about how, when she was in England, there was this guy who made cheese-stuffed portobello mushrooms. I have always thought this sounded potentially yummy. And last night I threw together my own stuffed portobello mushrooms. :D

    It actually is not that difficult to make them, and you do not need a recipe! :D Just throw stuff together, haha. But I am going to post a loose recipe of what I did here. :)

What You Need

*Portobello Mushroom

*Spinach

*Yellow Squash

*Onions

*Soft, spreadable Goat Cheese

*Salt
*Tomato

    Preheat oven to either 375 degrees or 400 degrees.

    You take the portobello mushroom, flip it over, and take off the stem. I do not use the stem, personally, but you can. :)

    Put spinach on the mushroom until it covers the whole thing. Take the goat cheese (make sure to have refrigerated it so that it is firm) and slice into it. Put it in chunks over the spinach. Enough to cover 3/4 of the spinach.

    Finely dice the yellow squash and cover the spinach and cheese. Repeat the goat cheese step, but using less cheese.

    Finely dice the onions and cover the yellow squash and goat cheese. Repeat the goat cheese step, using less cheese than the last time. Now add salt, so that the salt will help draw out the onion's flavor.

    Chunk the tomato and cover the onion and goat cheese. Add the tiniest bit of goat cheese over this. The overall goal is to give it an almost pyramid look. :)

    Place in a square, metal pan that has a little bit of water in the bottom. I personally use Crystal Geyser Water. <3 My body doesn't really tolerate water otherwise. =/ Cover pan with foil.

    Place the pan in the middle of the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, pull it out and - leaving the foil on all of the way - let it set for another 10 to 20 minutes. This allows it to cool off, but continue to cook due to the residual trapped heat. After 10 to 20 minutes, it is at the perfect temperature for eating. :D

    For me, this was the most divine thing I have ever eaten. <3 For anyone who knows me, or as previous readers may know, they know that I discovered Japanese cooking this past year and absolutely adore it. I loved the stuffed mushroom more than the Japanese cooking. That is saying something for me. :) I know that mushrooms are not everyone's thing, however, and will not tell you that you will feel the same way. XD Haha, everyone is different and unique~

    But if you are cool with mushrooms, I recommend trying this out! :D And as I said, you do not actually need a recipe! Just throw stuff together! So now you know, if you did not already, how to make stuffed portobello mushrooms. ;) Mmm! <3

Ready to put in the oven!

It should leave a bit of a bump in the foil. :)

Finished! The water will take on a dark brown color from the mushroom juices. As you can see, there is not much difference in the appearance of the dish. The big difference is that the dish is no longer a pyramid shape, but, rather, is more rounded. :) And the onions are soft, haha. ;) If you push on the bump in the foil after taking it out, you can push it down and not hit it right away!

Mmm! <3 ^_^

    Yeah. Thinking about it, I kind of wish I would have taken step-by-step photos. But...I was not sure if the dish would turn out or not. :) I may or may not remedy this in the future.

     If you try this out, I hope you enjoy it! And if you do your own variation, I would love to hear about it! :D I always love hearing about or finding new recipes!

    Oh! Be sure to use organic, safe for you ingredients! Or homegrown if you garden! :D

Have a tasty morning, dear reader! :D I will actually be posting another recipe soon. ^_^

Love,

Bryn

Links From Single Dad Laughing.

    Single Dad Laughing is such a talented writer, and he talks about important issues. I found this post to be particularly good and wanted to help spread it around. If you have not already seen this post of his, please, take a look. :) This post is called How much did YOUR kid cost?

    And then the second link is to Noah. An Adoption Tale. It is linked at the bottom of the first post, and the first one is linked at the bottom of the second. But...they are both really good. :) I loved reading the story; it was emotional. <3

Have a beautiful night, dear reader, and remember to be mindful of others.

Love,

Bryn

SLC 2013 First Annual Comic Con!! :D :D

    Yeah. It took me a while, but here it is. XD I have been so scatter-brained!

    This was the MOST INCREDIBLE weekend of my ENTIRE life!! :D :D Oh. My. GOSH.!!! :D :D <3 I am on the home computer right now, and so will have to add photos later. :) I was so happy to see so many geeks in one place! So many amazing, like-minded people! <3 AND ALL OF THOSE COSPLAYERS. AHHH!!! I wish I could be as cool as you guys~ ;~; Next year. Next year I shall make Skyrim Armor. At least, that is what I keep telling myself. XD We shall see. :) But, seriously. Everyone was into fantasy, sci-fi, video games, comic books...all was right with the world. <3 They understood all of the references. <3

    The highlights for me and my father? Meeting Dirk Benedict, the original Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica and Face in The A-Team. :) Dad's hero growing up. He was so fun to talk to! He seemed just like a regular dude, and he even started singing randomly. It was glorious. XD Meeting Tracy Hickman and his wife. <3 AHHMYGOSHEDNESS!!!! <3 <3 <3 BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE. Tracy Hickman has been a favorite author of mine FOREVER and was an inspiration to me in my own writings. :D I can't even express how excited I was! I got their autographs, got a picture with them, and then got to HUG them!! I loved them! <3 Seeing all of the cosplays - professional quality to cheap, thrown together. :D It was wonderful seeing all of them! And the children that were dressed up as superheroes and stuff were just the cutest!

    Talking to a Galadriel cosplayer, we got asked to go have our photo taken together for a site. :) I have yet to see the photo, because I failed to take note of the site...BUT STILL. Then there were these two darling girls that were going around asking all of the cosplayers (or who they thought looked like cosplayers) for their autographs - and I was one of the lucky ones they asked. XD I had quite a number of people ask me if I was a cosplayer, and I told them I wasn't and they were like, "OH! Really??" - hahaha! I got a chance to tell some of them about the Lolita Street Fashion. I love Loli. :) I don't always dress Loli, and I don't do "true Loli" either...but I do love elements of the Lolita Fashion. A LOT. <3 It is so feminine! <3 I did my versions of Loli each day of the weekend. Which leads me to...I MET THREE OTHER LOLIS. AHH!! And they invited me to join the Loli Community in our area! I didn't even know we had one! :D

    My favorite professional-level single cosplayer? A Jack Sparrow...excuse me: Captain Jack Sparrow.... ;) Haha. So a Captain Jack Sparrow cosplayer. This guy was seriously amazing. He did the walk, did the expressions, did the mannerisms, and did the voice PERFECTLY. SO. PERFECTLY. For all we knew he could have been Jonny Depp - he was that PERFECT!!

     My favorite done-up couple? A Steampunk couple. They were the BEST Steampunks we saw all Con. :) They just looked...let us say this: They are the reason people do Steampunk. :D They look at them and go, "That is an attractive fashion! I want to wear that!!" xD

    My favorite cheap, thrown-together cosplayer? This guy went and got a bathroom rug and draped it over his shoulders with a note that said, "THIS IS A CHEAP WOOKIE COSTUME". Hahaha...that made me laugh so hard, I had to knuckle-bump him. :'D

    My favorite large group cosplayers? A group of Batman characters - seriously incredible. I just...I can't even begin to describe. The picture...you will understand the beauty. <3

    My favorite small group cosplayers? Lord of the Rings...epicness. Like, seriously. Again, you just have to see the picture. XD

    It was just an amazing, amazing weekend. <3

    I shall add pictures when I get on the laptop. :) Aaand then post the link over to the Comic Con page via my dad's facebook so that people can get their pictures. >.> Just don't expect them to look amazing. ^^;; I, uh, couldn't take super great photos with how fast-paced everything felt.

    Haha...the moment we walked into there I was like, "There is a Link! Look, Tinkerbelle! AH - MASTER CHIEF! Dude, look at that Bilbo! Catwoman! A Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka! Thor! Over there - Star Wars Bounty Hunters! Jedi! AH! Zetsu!" - and so on and so forth. ;)

Have a wonderful night, dear reader. <3

Love,

Bryn

Red Loli Coord~

    Well hi~ SO COMIC CON WAS AMAZING. <3 AIEE~!! <3 <3 BEST weekend of my life!! :D :D Anyway. I am properly exhausted from the weekend. So I won't be posting about Comic Con until tomorrow, probably. XD

    But for now, a short post. I have had this red Loli dress that I have been trying to figure out what to do for an outfit. I have also had this darling white Loli blouse that came with a skirt that is a button-up. I don't wear button-ups. >///> But I wear that skirt all of the time!

    Anyway, inspiration struck me yesterday morning when I realized my black Loli dress still needs to be washed...and so do my jeans.... BUT WAIT. I have my red dress!! And then I realized I could probably put my white blouse underneath, and not have to button it up all the way. And from there, it came together. :D I loved my outfit yesterday! :D

    So, this is my red Loli coord~

Me pretending to be cool. :)

    Yeah...not much point to this post, really. I was just excited that I was finally able to figure out what to do with these two items! :D

Have a wonderful night, dear reader, and I will post about Comic Con tomorrow. :D

Love,

Bryn

Homemade Chocolates~!

    Well. I.... >.> I. Lost. ._. I lost the bet. *feeling despaired* I hate admitting defeat, dang it. >.< Anyway! I lost the bet; I did not post 31 posts last month. Oops~?

    Just for a quick post today, I made homemade chocolates. :) I've been wanting to do so for a long while, but have been having a hard time finding a recipe that is simple and allergy-friendly. My dad taught me how to make ice cream the other day, and that struck me with an idea.

    Quick. Simple. Three ingredients that we always have on hand. Allergy-friendly. :) I did not do any measurements, though. Just kind of eyed the amounts. Mix some coconut milk in with cocoa until it is moist. Add honey, and stir it in. It may make it runny, so add some more cocoa and stir it in until it is moist, but firm. Drop it onto parchment paper and stick it in the freezer until it is cold and a little firmer - 10 to 15 minutes maybe. I did not keep track of the time. Then eat it as you want. :) It is good~ I like mine a little more on the bitter side. Not bitter-bitter, just slightly sweet underneath bitter. It's tasty~ And rich, so don't eat to much or you might get a stomach ache.

    On a more awkward note: If you have trouble with your bowel movements, the more cocoa you ingest, it will help get that moving and clean out your system. :) That is part of why people say eating cocoa on a regular basis is good for you. The other part is that it helps to elevate your mood by activating your pleasure hormones. Unless you are like my father; it makes him depressed. Sad. :( Anyway, so. That is on a health note. :)

     Here is a picture. It didn't come out too clear, and I know the chocolate is not shaped super pretty, but...well, what is a Blog post without a picture, right? XD

    With that, I shall take my leave and get ready for...*dramatic pause*...COMIC CON. AHH!!!! :D :D :D Seriously!! :D ALKJASFKJ:FSJAF

    My father and I have dreamt of going to a Comic Con together ever since I was 5 or 6 years old! :D This is honestly a life-long dream come true! <3

Have a yummy afternoon, dear reader. :)

Love,

Bryn