Monday, July 29, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
What was that sound? - a VERY short story
“What was that sound?”
The guard tilted his head to the side, squinted his eyes tight in a vain attempt to get a better view in the torch and moonlight. He headed over to the scaffolding that was still set up along the wall from the building that morning. A quick glance around to see if any of the other guards heard it and he had motioned for the next guard to come over, but as usual the other guard had fallen asleep. He thought for a moment of yelling at him, but didn't want to cause a scene if this was just another false alarm. He made a mental note to report the sleeper to his captain at the next shift-change and he began to climb the scaffolding.
He wasn't as young as he used to be, were he as young as the newest recruits he could probably have scaled the scaffolding in half the time it took him. As he pulled himself up onto the highest portion of the scaffold he looked first at the top of the wall, just outside of his reach then back over at the sleeping guard. A glance at his own feet he noticed that one of the builders had left a bucket and masonry trough. He picked up the trough and threw it at the sleeping guard.
His aim was close but not close enough, and it just brushed the sleeping guard's foot. The guard rustled a bit in his chair but didn't wake. Flipping the bucket back over he used if for an extra boost. He lost his footing for a moment and almost fell but quickly grabbed onto the wall ledge above ceasing his fall. The bucket fell to the ground with a noisy thud. Straining he pulled himself up the rest of the way, he looked once more at the sleeping guard. Not even a a glimmer of movement.
On top of the wall there wasn’t as much light from the torches around town. He pulled his pack off his side and pulled out his torch, lighting it with some flint and steel. He raised the torch up and drawing his blade from the sheathe he began to prowl across the top of the wall. He quickly spotted something shining off in the distance. He approached it cautiously and lowered his torch to get a better look at it.
“A grappling hook...SOUND THE....”
He had been in more then his fair share of brawls over the years, but getting hit in the back of the head always dazed even the strongest of warriors, the trick was to let your knees relax for a moment so you could regain your balance before you hit the floor and went out entirely. His body may have been aging but he still remembered the tricks. He hit the floor and did his best to roll back onto his feet. A quick feint with his blade and then bringing his torch into his attackers face.
The attacker stumbled back, his sickish gray skin now turning pink from the burn. The attacker wasted no time though in pulling his own dagger and stabbed him in his torch arm. Thinking fast before the blood loss started to add up he flung his blade to the ground, grabbed onto his attacker and flung both of them off the wall and into the city. He had one shot at this, and he made it count, his attacker hit the ground first and he landed squarely on his chest. A quick jab to his assailants face to ensure he would remain unconcious. He slowly regained his feet picking up the his sword with his wounded arm and holding tightly onto it with his good arm to try and slow the loss of blood.
He took in a deep breathe and screamed as loud as he could “SOUND THE ALARM! WE HAVE ORCS IN THE CITY!”
The guard tilted his head to the side, squinted his eyes tight in a vain attempt to get a better view in the torch and moonlight. He headed over to the scaffolding that was still set up along the wall from the building that morning. A quick glance around to see if any of the other guards heard it and he had motioned for the next guard to come over, but as usual the other guard had fallen asleep. He thought for a moment of yelling at him, but didn't want to cause a scene if this was just another false alarm. He made a mental note to report the sleeper to his captain at the next shift-change and he began to climb the scaffolding.
He wasn't as young as he used to be, were he as young as the newest recruits he could probably have scaled the scaffolding in half the time it took him. As he pulled himself up onto the highest portion of the scaffold he looked first at the top of the wall, just outside of his reach then back over at the sleeping guard. A glance at his own feet he noticed that one of the builders had left a bucket and masonry trough. He picked up the trough and threw it at the sleeping guard.
His aim was close but not close enough, and it just brushed the sleeping guard's foot. The guard rustled a bit in his chair but didn't wake. Flipping the bucket back over he used if for an extra boost. He lost his footing for a moment and almost fell but quickly grabbed onto the wall ledge above ceasing his fall. The bucket fell to the ground with a noisy thud. Straining he pulled himself up the rest of the way, he looked once more at the sleeping guard. Not even a a glimmer of movement.
On top of the wall there wasn’t as much light from the torches around town. He pulled his pack off his side and pulled out his torch, lighting it with some flint and steel. He raised the torch up and drawing his blade from the sheathe he began to prowl across the top of the wall. He quickly spotted something shining off in the distance. He approached it cautiously and lowered his torch to get a better look at it.
“A grappling hook...SOUND THE....”
He had been in more then his fair share of brawls over the years, but getting hit in the back of the head always dazed even the strongest of warriors, the trick was to let your knees relax for a moment so you could regain your balance before you hit the floor and went out entirely. His body may have been aging but he still remembered the tricks. He hit the floor and did his best to roll back onto his feet. A quick feint with his blade and then bringing his torch into his attackers face.
The attacker stumbled back, his sickish gray skin now turning pink from the burn. The attacker wasted no time though in pulling his own dagger and stabbed him in his torch arm. Thinking fast before the blood loss started to add up he flung his blade to the ground, grabbed onto his attacker and flung both of them off the wall and into the city. He had one shot at this, and he made it count, his attacker hit the ground first and he landed squarely on his chest. A quick jab to his assailants face to ensure he would remain unconcious. He slowly regained his feet picking up the his sword with his wounded arm and holding tightly onto it with his good arm to try and slow the loss of blood.
He took in a deep breathe and screamed as loud as he could “SOUND THE ALARM! WE HAVE ORCS IN THE CITY!”
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Moscato Cupcakes
Okay, here is my recipe for Moscato Cupcakes with a Moscato Cream cheese icing. The same recipe should me a good cake if you prefer cakes. I will add pictures once morgaine wakes up.
Ingredients for Cupcakes:
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1 and 1/4 Cups White Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Moscato Wine
3/4 Cup Non-Skimmed Milk (I usually use skim milk for most cooking, for this one you need to use a thicker dairy product, light cream, buttermilk, and whole milk all work fantastic)
2 Large Eggs
1.5 TSP Baking Soda
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP White Vinegar
Ingredients for Icing:
1 Cup Confectionery Sugar
6-8 ounces of cream cheese (If you want you can substitute half the cream cheese with butter)
1/2 Cup Moscato
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
Optional for both or either: A dash of food coloring or grenadine to give the cupcakes some color.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Mix all ingredients together by hand. I personally prefer to mix all dry ingredients together first before adding in wet ingredients.
Step 3: Bake for 10-15 Minutes, or however long you think for them to be done.
Step 4: While letting cupcakes cool, create Icing.
Step 5: Whip icing ingredients together by hand.
Step 6: Enjoy!
WARNING: Because you never bake the Icing these cupcakes will remain Alcoholic, just remember that, while 1/2 Cup of Moscato divided amongst however many cupcakes you make is doubtful to get any adults drunk, keep this in mind around children, recovering alcoholics etc.
Ingredients for Cupcakes:
2 and 1/2 Cups Flour
1 and 1/4 Cups White Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Moscato Wine
3/4 Cup Non-Skimmed Milk (I usually use skim milk for most cooking, for this one you need to use a thicker dairy product, light cream, buttermilk, and whole milk all work fantastic)
2 Large Eggs
1.5 TSP Baking Soda
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP White Vinegar
Ingredients for Icing:
1 Cup Confectionery Sugar
6-8 ounces of cream cheese (If you want you can substitute half the cream cheese with butter)
1/2 Cup Moscato
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
Optional for both or either: A dash of food coloring or grenadine to give the cupcakes some color.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Mix all ingredients together by hand. I personally prefer to mix all dry ingredients together first before adding in wet ingredients.
Step 3: Bake for 10-15 Minutes, or however long you think for them to be done.
Step 4: While letting cupcakes cool, create Icing.
Step 5: Whip icing ingredients together by hand.
Step 6: Enjoy!
WARNING: Because you never bake the Icing these cupcakes will remain Alcoholic, just remember that, while 1/2 Cup of Moscato divided amongst however many cupcakes you make is doubtful to get any adults drunk, keep this in mind around children, recovering alcoholics etc.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Meat Muffins
My attempt at making meatloaf muffins:
Ingredients:
Meat Muffin:
20 ounces of 80/20 ground beef.
12 Saltines
1 Large Egg
Mustard, Ketchup, Paprika, Worchestshire Sauce, Black Pepper, Oregano to flavor.
Sauce/Glaze:
4 ounces of ketchup
2 ounces of light brown sugar
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375.
Step 2: Utterly Destroy youyr 12 saltines, crush them until they are but remnants of their former selves. Or you know, just crush them up.
Step 3: Mix your meat, your soul dust of saltines (crushed saltines) the egg, and whatever else you like to flavor you meat together.
Step 4: Divide your meat equally into a cupcake/muffin pan. Mine divided evenly into 6 places.
Step 5: Mix your ketchup and brown sugar together by spoon, the glaze over top of your meat muffins.
Step 6: Place in oven for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Enjoy!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Giving rites to the fallen - A Warcraft Inspired Short story
In a forest’s glen, not far from the crushing sounds of the sea against a nearby cliff, lie the remnants of a battlefield. Blood from wounds only minutes old sprinkles the snowy blanket that recently coated the surrounding area. Dozens of bodies litter the ground, their faces and dress all showing the signs of men and women who were prepared to die for their causes. Standing at the edge of the battlefield are three figures, a man and two women. Their weapons are still at the ready, and their attire sharply contrasts against those they have slain only moments before. One of the women is wrapped from head to toe in a cloak that seems a size too large. It is this woman who moves first, who kneels in front of one of the dead. The cloaked woman appears to stare at the remains of the man that lays butchered before her; his crimson tabard hiding the blood stains well, but not the wounds that caused them. He is not alone; a sprinkling of his cohorts lay nearby in similar poses of death. She speaks, not to the companions at her sides, but in actuality to no one at all.
Her voice is raspy and her words seem to make the air colder than it already is. "So far the mighty have fallen from grace. What once was a great man serving a great order is now just carrion for the scavengers."
The two at her flanks both seem to recoil a little as the woman bends over the corpse, her bony almost clawed hands sliding out of her cloak and gently caressing the face of the deceased man. The tall, thin Elfin man on her left brushes a few loose strands of his silver hair back behind his ear and quickly turns his head slightly towards the troll on her right.
"She is doing it again, isn't she Ny? I hate it when she does this."
The fiery haired troll gives the elf a small smile, her lips spreading just far enough apart to show more than a little of her razor sharp teeth. The grin quickly fades as she watches what she knows will now come to pass.
The bone-handed woman does not seem to acknowledge the elf’s words as she speaks again. "May the light you tried to serve so hard in this life guide you in the next." Her hand slowly slides down the deceased man's face and chest until stopping over his heart, her fingers spreading out and pressing hard against his chest. "For as long as there is light in this world to protect the living, there shall also forever be a shadow cast over the dead."
A dark green light seems to glow within the chest of the deceased, spilling out from the wounds in his body. The body rapidly begins to change, first its teeth and jaw growing many times larger than the rest of the face. Next, the flesh seems to rot weeks in a length of time only slightly longer then a moment. This newly created creature immediately stands up and stares obediently at his creator, patiently waiting to be commanded by his master.
As she finishes her ritual she speaks one last time, "And it is that shadow that shall serve me now until the day I die again." She lets her cloak flow freely in the cold blowing air as her raven hair and long dead face are seemingly rejuvenated by the cold. She then turns her soulless icy blue eyes towards the gates of the Keep atop the cliff in the distance. "Come my friends, we have some funerals to arrange."
The group starts to leave the glen, the undead woman leaving last. She stares over her shoulder at that which they had wrought, and she seems somewhat saddened and almost reluctant to leave. She waves her hand in an arcane gesture, and turns away, leaving the forest as little more than a memory. Slowly, with nothing but the silence of the departed to welcome it, snow begins to fall again. Within a few minutes, all signs of the battle are buried by the snow.
Her voice is raspy and her words seem to make the air colder than it already is. "So far the mighty have fallen from grace. What once was a great man serving a great order is now just carrion for the scavengers."
The two at her flanks both seem to recoil a little as the woman bends over the corpse, her bony almost clawed hands sliding out of her cloak and gently caressing the face of the deceased man. The tall, thin Elfin man on her left brushes a few loose strands of his silver hair back behind his ear and quickly turns his head slightly towards the troll on her right.
"She is doing it again, isn't she Ny? I hate it when she does this."
The fiery haired troll gives the elf a small smile, her lips spreading just far enough apart to show more than a little of her razor sharp teeth. The grin quickly fades as she watches what she knows will now come to pass.
The bone-handed woman does not seem to acknowledge the elf’s words as she speaks again. "May the light you tried to serve so hard in this life guide you in the next." Her hand slowly slides down the deceased man's face and chest until stopping over his heart, her fingers spreading out and pressing hard against his chest. "For as long as there is light in this world to protect the living, there shall also forever be a shadow cast over the dead."
A dark green light seems to glow within the chest of the deceased, spilling out from the wounds in his body. The body rapidly begins to change, first its teeth and jaw growing many times larger than the rest of the face. Next, the flesh seems to rot weeks in a length of time only slightly longer then a moment. This newly created creature immediately stands up and stares obediently at his creator, patiently waiting to be commanded by his master.
As she finishes her ritual she speaks one last time, "And it is that shadow that shall serve me now until the day I die again." She lets her cloak flow freely in the cold blowing air as her raven hair and long dead face are seemingly rejuvenated by the cold. She then turns her soulless icy blue eyes towards the gates of the Keep atop the cliff in the distance. "Come my friends, we have some funerals to arrange."
The group starts to leave the glen, the undead woman leaving last. She stares over her shoulder at that which they had wrought, and she seems somewhat saddened and almost reluctant to leave. She waves her hand in an arcane gesture, and turns away, leaving the forest as little more than a memory. Slowly, with nothing but the silence of the departed to welcome it, snow begins to fall again. Within a few minutes, all signs of the battle are buried by the snow.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Buffalo Chicken Dip
More pictures to be added when it is properly served later tonight at a party.
What you will need:
1 lb of chicken.
16 ounces of ranch dressing (optional, if you like Blue cheese substitute out 8 ounces of ranch for blue cheese, do not make a complete substitution)
16 Ounces of Cream Cheese
8 Ounces of Buffalo Hot Sauce
1-2 ounces of "HOT!" Hot Sauce.
Step 1: Boil Chicken for 30 minutes on high. If your chicken is frozen, make this 1 hour.
Step 2: Shred chicken thoroughly with a fork.
Step 3: Mix together shreded chicken with all other ingredients except for the 1-2 ounces of HOT Sauce.
Step 4: Spread out in a caserole dish or similar safe to bake dish. Sprinkle your HOT sauce directly on top.
Step 5: Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes at 350* or until the dip starts to bubble.
Step 7: Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Step 8: Enjoy!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Avocado Ranch Dip (With Hints of Lime)
Avocado Ranch Dip
Going to a party tomorrow and someone there will be a vegetarian, so in addition to my Buffalo Chicken Dip (which I'll be making and writing up tomorrow ) I decided to make a vegetarian alternative for those craving dip.
This is a great dip that can be made in under 5 minutes and is perfect for any gathering, be it a cast party or a D&D group meetup. It's great for even an amateur cook.
Avocado Ranch Dip
16 oz container of sour cream
2 Large Avocados
2 ounces of sweetened lime juice
1 oz packet of ranch seasoning mix
Optional:
Ground black pepper
Lime or Lemon based liquor
Step 1: Peel, De seed, and mash up the Avocados.
Step 2: Mix the avocados (which is now guacamole) with sour cream and your lime juice (and optional liquor)
Step 3: Mix in the ground black pepper (Optional, I use around a tbsp in mine) and ranch seasoning mix.
Step 4: Place in a resealable container (I use things like old cool whip containers)
Step 5: Chill in fridge until you are ready to serve.
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