Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

Hope all the Americans had a good Thanksgiving and aren't going to burn themselves binge-shopping today. 😇

Coffee is brewing, tea is steeping (Irish Breakfast today), and hot water is ready for hot chocolate, tea, or even ramen.

Poultry cosplay sounds fun as long as it doesn't go too far. Someone cosplaying a plucked turkey laying on a plate would be a bit ... yeah. 😨

Hi peeps !

A beautiful day here

No shopping today if I can get a way with it ..it's too peopley outside

Peeking in the cookie jars lots of cookies

Where is the cookie bandits ?

Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

Quiet day binge watching NCIS New Orleans season 7

Stay safe

Quote by DenimAngel
No shopping today if I can get a way with it ..it's too peopley outside

I’ve never shopped on Black Friday, and I pray I never will! It sounds awful. Like, everything I hate most stuffed into one activity. Enjoy your binge. We are about to hit The Shrink Next Door and maybe binge it.

Very chill day. Leftovers, a flurry of leaf raking, more leftovers. Works for me!

A coffee and a turkey cookie please.

Well, the weekend is here. For some of us work is over for a couple days. For others, it's time to recover from turkey, football, and shopping binges.

Inspirations is here for all your recovery needs. Fresh coffee in the coffeepot, Red Rose in the teapot, and hot water with a selection of teas and hot chocolate. There's goodies aplenty, too. Just check upthread for the current menu.

So, what's up in your world? We are having our first real taste of winter here.

What a 24 hours we have had. Red alert weather warnings as Storm Arwin (strange name for a storm) from the east hit our coast which is usually fairly tranquil. Not last night! Winds of up to 90mph,snow,rain--no sleep for many, I heard. I slept through most of it. But, this morning my dear standard rose (which I wrote lovingly of recently in the 'musings' genre.) was at an angle of 45 degrees and threatening to crash land on the lawn, but the wind was too strong to risk protecting it. Yet despite all that it still showed twelve large orange blooms. Defying the devil storm.

Sooo, I'm just in the mood for a big hot chocolate and a strawberry shortbread, please.

Quote by redwriter
Yet despite all that it still showed twelve large orange blooms.

Wow. Roses are long since done here. I have a big one growing by my deck (so we can see it from the kitchen) and I gave it a fall pruning maybe three weeks ago.

I heard a bit about the storm on another board I'm on that is predominantly UK members. Sounds terrible. We occasionally get wind storms here in winter but not often. I can think of one since I've been living here that might be comparable.

Refilling the coffee and putting another pot of tea on. Quiet Saturday around here. Joined a new board. I think I'm like the third member. It's a spirituality board, somewhat similar to the one I run.

Hi peeps

A busy day here helped a friend dig out her Christmas decorations..being short has it's advantages lol . But now is time to relax.

Not quite ready to put up my itty bitty Christmas tree .

A cup of tea would be great.

Fresh cookies tomorrow

The cookie jars are still in good shape

Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats*

Stay safe everyone

looking at the coffee maker scratching my head and wanders over to the tea kettle and fills it full of fresh water putting it on the stove

Moving the old cookies to the emergency cookie tins behind the counter and filling the cookie jars To The to tippy top with fresh cookies

the tea kettle whistled I did it right

In Big Bird we have: cinnamon stars, chocolate pecan cookies , blueberry coconut shortbread and oatmeal raisin

In Cookie Monster we have : chocolate pecan cookies,ginger snaps, cherry chocolate shortbread cookies and banana chocolate chip cookies

In Elmo : pineapple coconut shortbread cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate dipped brown sugar shortbread cookies and lemon softies

Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

Stay safe

Thanks for figuring out the coffee maker Sara! I'd love a cup.

So I made mashed potatoes in the crock pot for the first time ever. They came out tasty, and with good texture, but they are...grey. They look like ectoplasm. So I'm getting a lot of crap about it this weekend. Any hints from the cooks out there?

Critiquing all day today, so no writing. I have a whole book to finish critiquing by the 1st. Yikes.

Coffee and a procrastination-shaped cookie please.

Quote by verbal

Thanks for figuring out the coffee maker Sara! I'd love a cup.

So I made mashed potatoes in the crock pot for the first time ever. They came out tasty, and with good texture, but they are...grey. They look like ectoplasm. So I'm getting a lot of crap about it this weekend. Any hints from the cooks out there?

Critiquing all day today, so no writing. I have a whole book to finish critiquing by the 1st. Yikes.

Coffee and a procrastination-shaped cookie please.

Only advice I can give you is with mashed potatoes in the Crock-Pot is LOTS of butter and other tasty spices you might like .

Quote by verbal

Thanks for figuring out the coffee maker Sara! I'd love a cup.

So I made mashed potatoes in the crock pot for the first time ever. They came out tasty, and with good texture, but they are...grey. They look like ectoplasm. So I'm getting a lot of crap about it this weekend. Any hints from the cooks out there?

Critiquing all day today, so no writing. I have a whole book to finish critiquing by the 1st. Yikes.

Coffee and a procrastination-shaped cookie please.

Dude, by far the best way to creamy mashed potatoes is a pressure cooker first, but boiling with lots of salt, more than you’d expect, it okay. Pressure cooker is way better. Only russet potatoes. Thems best for mashed. The pressure cooker actually dries the potatoes too. Now the fun part.

Use a ricer, you know, that metal contraption that squishes things into long, narrow noodle like strands. No more lumps. Then, add a warmed mixture of melted, unsalted butter and milk, not cream, but milk. 2% or whole is best. This mix returns the moisture back to the tators. If dine right, the potatoes will be a thick, soupy mess, but that’s what you want. You then use a electric hand beater for about two minutes. It not only whips those bastards to fluffy glory, but they are creamy AF. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Best. Mashed. Potatoes. Ever. You can add some garlic to this mix too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Best. Ever. My daughters favourite. Never seen a kid savour anything not ice cream like her and this.

Off to make some Peña Coladas. Just cuz I can and I’ve got the ingredients.

Bring on the next comp! Well, a hint, at least. Chances are, we’ll need to wait until January.

Quote by Ping

Quote by verbal

Thanks for figuring out the coffee maker Sara! I'd love a cup.

So I made mashed potatoes in the crock pot for the first time ever. They came out tasty, and with good texture, but they are...grey. They look like ectoplasm. So I'm getting a lot of crap about it this weekend. Any hints from the cooks out there?

Critiquing all day today, so no writing. I have a whole book to finish critiquing by the 1st. Yikes.

Coffee and a procrastination-shaped cookie please.

Dude, by far the best way to creamy mashed potatoes is a pressure cooker first, but boiling with lots of salt, more than you’d expect, it okay. Pressure cooker is way better. Only russet potatoes. Thems best for mashed. The pressure cooker actually dries the potatoes too. Now the fun part.

Use a ricer, you know, that metal contraption that squishes things into long, narrow noodle like strands. No more lumps. Then, add a warmed mixture of melted, unsalted butter and milk, not cream, but milk. 2% or whole is best. This mix returns the moisture back to the tators. If dine right, the potatoes will be a thick, soupy mess, but that’s what you want. You then use a electric hand beater for about two minutes. It not only whips those bastards to fluffy glory, but they are creamy AF. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Best. Mashed. Potatoes. Ever. You can add some garlic to this mix too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Best. Ever. My daughters favourite. Never seen a kid savour anything not ice cream like her and this.

Off to make some Peña Coladas. Just cuz I can and I’ve got the ingredients.

Bring on the next comp! Well, a hint, at least. Chances are, we’ll need to wait until January.

Don't own a pressure cooker or a ricer or a masher. I mash my potatoes with STICKS, like in the olden days! Gonna go back to just cubing and boiling them next year.

Mets made some big moves - got Sterling Marte for center field, and looks like they're on the cusp of signing Sherzer too. There's acting like the Yankees of old (or the Dodgers of now).

I have a tiny cold, but I also have nothing planned, so I will push through and try to get a full chapter done today. It's action, how hard can it be?

The Get Back Beatles' doc is frikkin superb. I'll no doubt fanboy out on a TV thread somewhere about it. Just a great document about the creative process and artistic collaboration. And the music is timeless.

Coffee and a cookie would be a dream come true.

Quote by verbal

Quote by Ping

Quote by verbal

Thanks for figuring out the coffee maker Sara! I'd love a cup.

So I made mashed potatoes in the crock pot for the first time ever. They came out tasty, and with good texture, but they are...grey. They look like ectoplasm. So I'm getting a lot of crap about it this weekend. Any hints from the cooks out there?

Critiquing all day today, so no writing. I have a whole book to finish critiquing by the 1st. Yikes.

Coffee and a procrastination-shaped cookie please.

Dude, by far the best way to creamy mashed potatoes is a pressure cooker first, but boiling with lots of salt, more than you’d expect, it okay. Pressure cooker is way better. Only russet potatoes. Thems best for mashed. The pressure cooker actually dries the potatoes too. Now the fun part.

Use a ricer, you know, that metal contraption that squishes things into long, narrow noodle like strands. No more lumps. Then, add a warmed mixture of melted, unsalted butter and milk, not cream, but milk. 2% or whole is best. This mix returns the moisture back to the tators. If dine right, the potatoes will be a thick, soupy mess, but that’s what you want. You then use a electric hand beater for about two minutes. It not only whips those bastards to fluffy glory, but they are creamy AF. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Best. Mashed. Potatoes. Ever. You can add some garlic to this mix too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Best. Ever. My daughters favourite. Never seen a kid savour anything not ice cream like her and this.

Off to make some Peña Coladas. Just cuz I can and I’ve got the ingredients.

Bring on the next comp! Well, a hint, at least. Chances are, we’ll need to wait until January.

Don't own a pressure cooker or a ricer or a masher. I mash my potatoes with STICKS, like in the olden days! Gonna go back to just cubing and boiling them next year.

Mets made some big moves - got Sterling Marte for center field, and looks like they're on the cusp of signing Sherzer too. There's acting like the Yankees of old (or the Dodgers of now).

I have a tiny cold, but I also have nothing planned, so I will push through and try to get a full chapter done today. It's action, how hard can it be?

The Get Back Beatles' doc is frikkin superb. I'll no doubt fanboy out on a TV thread somewhere about it. Just a great document about the creative process and artistic collaboration. And the music is timeless.

Coffee and a cookie would be a dream come true.

In the olden days, we’d put a pad of our homestead-made butter in our mouth, add some freshly-boiled potatoes, and chew, chew, chew, until we could squish the mush threw our gap-toothed smile into the awaiting serving bowl. After we did this a few times, we’d have about five pounds of mushy madness for the dindin table. Later, I bought the pressure cooker and ricer, but in a pinch, a little between the cheek and gums…

He uses sticks. Please. 🙄

I just heard someone call the cream filling of a dessert, fecal nut instead of hazelnut. I surely hope they misspoke. Regardless, I passed on their pasties today. PASTRIES! Darn autocorrect. I’d never pass on their pasties, unless of course, that’s the only thing Verbs wears when he’s sticking’ it to his potatoes. Wow. I got more image of that than I expected. Lots to unfold and innuendo-ize there. Now I got shivers too. I should write a story about that image. It might rival the story about a hand puppet in a church basement during a group session for addiction. You can tell a lot about a man and which direction he twirls his pasties. If Verbs is a right hand Dom, then they twirl to his clockwise.

I wish the snow and cold would go away. I can’t believe we have another four to five months of this. Time to relocate.

Hi peeps

Jeff you aren't the only one who doesn't own a pressure cooker they are a pain in the butt

LIBRARY DAYnot sure what movies I'll pick up . Need to replenish the books too.

Chilly day so I'll help myself to a hot chocolate since I can operate the tea kettle without a problem.

Have an idea for a story hope to get something written it's been too long since the last story .

Peeking in the cookie jars where is the cookie bandits?

Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

Stay safe and warm people

Oh DA, you are thinking about the old pressure cooker bombs. They were awful. The new ones, especially like style I have - Fagor Duo - is ultra easy. A lid and it’s seal, the pot, and a colander, if you’re steaming veggies. And they are cheap too, unless you buy the Uber expensive ones. No need for that.

Potatoes - 5 minutes

Stews - 20

Mac ‘n cheese - minutes

Most meals that take hours upon hours - within the hour.

Plus, a major benefit of pressure cookers is that they retain flavour. Think on that for a moment. When you smell something cooking, flavour is escaping. A pressure cooker is a sealed, pressurized unit that sits on the stove, just like any pot. But it keeps all the goodness in.

Goodness. Gracious. Now let’s talk silicone sheets versus parchment paper and/or spray. Major game changer. Get some good quality silicone sheets.

And a ricer.

And a pressure cooker.

And a bottle of dark spicy rum.

That last one is for me.

I was referring to the new pressure cookers as well. They aren't really all that cheap cheapest one I have seen in the past was $100.00

And I tried silicone sheets for baking and HATED it.

But everyone is entitled to their opinion .

LOL. I knew you’d hate silicone sheets. That’s why I mentioned them. 😁

I do know crappy ones from Walmart and other big boxers aren’t as good as commercial ones. I have Russell. They are brilliant. From chicken to cookies to bacon to, goodness, anything. Fab. No stick. Nicely brown. And only $20 CDN for the half sheet size. And they easily rinse off with a wee bit of soap and hot water.

I agree some of the new pressure cookers suck. Complicated. Don’t keep their pressure. But I bought the Fagor because it wasn’t complicated, held its pressure, highly rated, and was discounted. $100 bucks is not bad for a quality cooker. But look for deals. I got my $500 Dutch Oven for $150. Best purchase ever. It was a discontinued colour. Didn’t bother me. I use that ceramic-clad cast iron bad boy several times each week. Possibly my favourite kitchen utensil. My curved Victorinox boning knife/go to B & E stand-my-ground self-defence weapon is a close second.

Stay away from deep fryers. Good lord. Keep them out of your kitchen and off the premises. 😉

Quote by Ping

Quote by verbal

Quote by Ping

Quote by verbal

Thanks for figuring out the coffee maker Sara! I'd love a cup.

So I made mashed potatoes in the crock pot for the first time ever. They came out tasty, and with good texture, but they are...grey. They look like ectoplasm. So I'm getting a lot of crap about it this weekend. Any hints from the cooks out there?

Critiquing all day today, so no writing. I have a whole book to finish critiquing by the 1st. Yikes.

Coffee and a procrastination-shaped cookie please.

Dude, by far the best way to creamy mashed potatoes is a pressure cooker first, but boiling with lots of salt, more than you’d expect, it okay. Pressure cooker is way better. Only russet potatoes. Thems best for mashed. The pressure cooker actually dries the potatoes too. Now the fun part.

Use a ricer, you know, that metal contraption that squishes things into long, narrow noodle like strands. No more lumps. Then, add a warmed mixture of melted, unsalted butter and milk, not cream, but milk. 2% or whole is best. This mix returns the moisture back to the tators. If dine right, the potatoes will be a thick, soupy mess, but that’s what you want. You then use a electric hand beater for about two minutes. It not only whips those bastards to fluffy glory, but they are creamy AF. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Best. Mashed. Potatoes. Ever. You can add some garlic to this mix too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Best. Ever. My daughters favourite. Never seen a kid savour anything not ice cream like her and this.

Off to make some Peña Coladas. Just cuz I can and I’ve got the ingredients.

Bring on the next comp! Well, a hint, at least. Chances are, we’ll need to wait until January.

Don't own a pressure cooker or a ricer or a masher. I mash my potatoes with STICKS, like in the olden days! Gonna go back to just cubing and boiling them next year.

Mets made some big moves - got Sterling Marte for center field, and looks like they're on the cusp of signing Sherzer too. There's acting like the Yankees of old (or the Dodgers of now).

I have a tiny cold, but I also have nothing planned, so I will push through and try to get a full chapter done today. It's action, how hard can it be?

The Get Back Beatles' doc is frikkin superb. I'll no doubt fanboy out on a TV thread somewhere about it. Just a great document about the creative process and artistic collaboration. And the music is timeless.

Coffee and a cookie would be a dream come true.

In the olden days, we’d put a pad of our homestead-made butter in our mouth, add some freshly-boiled potatoes, and chew, chew, chew, until we could squish the mush threw our gap-toothed smile into the awaiting serving bowl. After we did this a few times, we’d have about five pounds of mushy madness for the dindin table. Later, I bought the pressure cooker and ricer, but in a pinch, a little between the cheek and gums…

He uses sticks. Please. 🙄

I just heard someone call the cream filling of a dessert, fecal nut instead of hazelnut. I surely hope they misspoke. Regardless, I passed on their pasties today. PASTRIES! Darn autocorrect. I’d never pass on their pasties, unless of course, that’s the only thing Verbs wears when he’s sticking’ it to his potatoes. Wow. I got more image of that than I expected. Lots to unfold and innuendo-ize there. Now I got shivers too. I should write a story about that image. It might rival the story about a hand puppet in a church basement during a group session for addiction. You can tell a lot about a man and which direction he twirls his pasties. If Verbs is a right hand Dom, then they twirl to his clockwise.

I wish the snow and cold would go away. I can’t believe we have another four to five months of this. Time to relocate.

Fecal nut pastries. Hard pass.

Actually, we just throw the potatoes against the wall until they're soft. Snowflake. I've never had good luck with taking an electric mixer to the spuds. They get all gluey. I smoosh them with a masher, lotsa butter, milk.

Allergies are bad yesterday/today. Fighting out of a Benadryl daze this morning after I took one last night. Those things hit me hard.

Time to write. More action today! The Greyboys are breaking into the house!

Coffee and a John Lennon shaped cookie would be swell.

Quote by verbal

Fecal nut pastries. Hard pass.

Actually, we just throw the potatoes against the wall until they're soft. Snowflake. I've never had good luck with taking an electric mixer to the spuds. They get all gluey. I smoosh them with a masher, lotsa butter, milk.

Allergies are bad yesterday/today. Fighting out of a Benadryl daze this morning after I took one last night. Those things hit me hard.

Time to write. More action today! The Greyboys are breaking into the house!

Coffee and a John Lennon shaped cookie would be swell.

Wouldn’t fecal nut pastry be a soft pass? 💩

Reminds me of that cat gut coffee. Ya know, the one that has cats ingest the coffee beans and then after they pass through the old kitty digester and cleanser unit, they grind those refried beans and charge, like, I don’t know, $50 per cup of Cat Java.

Those that live in drywalled houses shouldn’t throw raw potatoes. Ever try to eat a raw potato? It only works if you’re stoned or drunk. So, you have then. 😁

Day 17. Snow is mocking me again. Unsure why. We’ve never had words or reason for sincere dislike for one another until this year. Decided to tend to it’s uncalled for behaviour by releasing the full-bladdered little hounds upon it. In protest, I shall sign my name as well.

We have an Instant Pot and mostly use it as a pressure cooker (it's multifunction). Works well. We still have an old style manual pressure cooker in the basement, too, but haven't used it in eons.

Quote by Ping
Snow is mocking me again.

Out there's tooz eh. Had to shovel for the first time this season. If Mrs. M hadn't had to go shopping, probably could have let it go. Warmer temps and showers expected tomorrow.

Hi peeps

A beautiful day here even if it's chilly got a slight headache but it will eventually go away

A large iced coffee sounds good to me.

Jeff finding just John Lennon cookies was a pain

Today's cookies are Beatles theme.

The anniversary of John Lennon's murder is right around the corner (Dec 8 1980)

Today's cookies are : the Abby road album cover , pictures of John Paul George and Ringo, strawberries for Strawberry fields and a yellow submarine

Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

Stay safe everyone

I remember hearing the news, even if I really didn't know much about the Beatles beyond them being a famous British rock band and having heard a few of their songs (I was fifteen at the time, and they had broken up when I was in kindergarten). I think I had seen Yellow Submarine at some point, too. Sad how he went and one wonders how much more great music he still had in him. Double Fantasy, his last studio release, is one of my favorite of his solo works.

I'll take a Yellow Submarine and a Rubber Soul with my afternoon tea, I think.

Thanks for all the cool Beatles cookies, Sara! Those're cool.

Wah! I'm sick. And it's No Talia Wednesday, so she isn't here to take care of me. And the stupid cats are staying away from me, probably afraid of getting cat colds. Snowflakes!

So, I'm gonna stay in bed and listen to history being made today in the Supreme Court, regardless of how they decide. Fascinating stuff. Sotomayer was kicking ass and taking names earlier.

When I first moved to NYC a friend was showing me around, we were near Central Park, and we turned a corner and he pointed to a spot and said stand over there. I did, and he said That's where John Lennon was shot. Chilling. That's another thing about the Get Back doc, Lennon seems so happy and helpful and lively after things get rolling, kinda busting the myth. And Yoko seems pretty chill.

A coffee and that Strawberry Fields cookie please.

I think I walked past the brownstone where he lived when I visited NY about 11 years after his death but not sure I even thought of it at the time. My mind was more on opera on that trip (we went to a performance of Don Giovanni at the Met).

As mentioned in another thread, i didn't make the cut in the Ghost Orchid Press comp but, dang, 200+ entries. Wow. Having an extra tea and a peace sign cookie to commiserate/celebrate. Story will show up here eventually.

Hi folks

A large coffee would be great!

Peeks in the cookie jars we are in good shape still

Where is the cookie bandits

Never been to NYC but wanna go sometime and see the ZOOs for research purposes!

Not much going on this afternoon.

Spent the morning untangling family trees so much fun

Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

Stay safe everyone

Quote by DenimAngel
Where is the cookie bandits

Apparently, they aren't Beatles fans. Well, except Verbs and I.

Quote by Mendalla

Quote by DenimAngel
Where is the cookie bandits

Apparently, they aren't Beatles fans. Well, except Verbs and I.

Lol apparently

.'Here, There and Everywhere' was our favourite track after we learned that the Beatles were not just "another one beat pop group". In fact on the night of one wedding anniversary, the hotel band asked for one more request. I asked for that, and since there were no dancing couples left. we had it to ourselves--so romantic. Pity that I danced more like Kermit the Frog than like Gene Kelly. Sweet memory.

Now how about a Beatles cookie and a hot chocolate. Thank you.

Hi everyone!

Just poppin' in to say hello. Also there is a really funny story on the Home Page called, "Santa vs Zombies". I really enjoyed its creative storytelling.

Have a great day!

I put my money on Santa (no, I haven't read it). Now Santa vs. Vampires might be a tougher fight. 😜

Good morning. Booked my cataract surgery for January. Yay, no more blurry left eye (assuming all goes well).

Coffee is brewing and there's Irish Breakfast in the pot. Hot water urn is full for those wanting other teas or hot chocolate. Still lots of Beatles cookies.

Quote by redwriter

.'Here, There and Everywhere' was our favourite track after we learned that the Beatles were not just "another one beat pop group".

Not sure I have a "favorite" Beatles song, but there's a pretty long list of ones I like. That one is on it. I'm a bit of a George fan, so While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something are pretty high on my list, too.