Jenn Boo-lari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

AND HER SUBJECTS GREETED HER WARMLY

My friends. I have crossed the Rio Grande. And you know what that means.

THE IMPERATRIX OF THE PEOPLE'S SOCIALIST DEMOCRATIC FEDERATED REPUBLIC OF TEXAS (REFORMED) (CLAIMANT IN EXILE) HAS RETURNED TO HER SUBJECTS.

...for a little while.

A much better view of Los Angeles than when I flew in for Star Trek: The Motion Picture....

On the ground in Sacramento and...oh, that's not good.

Where I am now.

Do I eat the $78 dollar hamburger now while I have time and a two hour flight, or wait until my second leg, where I've got 45 minutes to grab something before a 5 hour flight?

THE VPN WORKS AT THE AIRPORT! I was worried it wouldn't work once I was out of town for some reason.

My spinal doctor is great. His office, not so much.

"So your insurance said you didn't do six weeks of conservative physical therapy treatment before hand."
"I did seven. You know, my insurance denied my injection at first because none of the paperwork was sent in correctly, for the same reason. Was that sent this time?"
"....................................let me reissue this to the insurer."

American healthcare system, everyone.

Flying out Friday for Texas, so I have some time to relax before then. What do you suggest I watch, Youtube.

Really?

"I'll load a few games onto my 3DS for the plane ride...."

...24 Hours Later...

"I HAVE GONE MAD WITH POWER"

Second Cheat Day Meal: Espagueti Verde

From the first moment I saw this I wanted it. Spaghetti. Cream Poblano Sauce. Cilantro topping. What's not to like?

Turns out - the whole thing.

The sauce is simply far too thick for this spaghetti and it's a chewy mess warm and "chewing a block of coagulated sauce and pasta" as it cools. It's not bad tasting. It's just...a texture nightmare. I thought maybe I did it wrong, so I watched the video where I got the recipe from, and no, it's just as thick there, too.

It took me an hour to make, two bites to not like, and I'm glad I had some of the flat bread left over cause that's what I ended up eating.

Not even sharing the recipe, it's that bad. You want it, it's at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbtmF5bI6UU

I don't normally cook on my cheat days, but given that this is my last real unemployment check till it runs out, and I'm leaving for Texas at the end of the week to see family, I decided to splurge and make TWO meals I wanted for today.

Here's the first. I did slightly over cook it, because the instructions said to cook on medium, and in my opinion, that usually means "medium high." My opinions are often wrong. :)

Also, the honey chili sauce is good, but unecessary. I prefer it without it, but it is kinda dry without a dipping sauce of some kind...

# Cheese and Potato Stuffed Flatbread

Allrecipes

1.0 whole russet potato
1.0 cup all purpose flour
0.25 cup milk
2.0 tbsp water
0.25 tsp salt
1.0 tbsp butter (melted) (dough)
1.0 whole green onion (thinly sliced)
1.0 whole green chilies (minced)
4.0 ounces mozzarella cheese (cut into small cubes)
1.0 ounce cheddar cheese (shredded)
3.0 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)
salt
pepper
3.0 tbsp butter (melted) (dipping sauce)
2.0 tbsp honey
1.0 tsp red pepper flakes
0.5 whole green onions (thinly sliced) (dipping sauce)
2.0 tbsp butter (frying)
1.0 tbsp butter (for brushing)

1 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2 - Place potato in a baking dish, and pierce skins several times with a knife.
3 - Bake potato in the preheated oven until very tender when tested with a knife, about 1 hour.
4 - Remove from the oven, cover with a towel, and cool potatoes to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
5 - Place flour in a bowl, and make a small well in the center with a fork.
6 - Pour milk, water, and salt into the well, and stir with a fork to form a shaggy dough.
7 - Pour in the melted butter for the dough, and continue to mix with a fork until dough begins to come together.
8 - Lightly flour your hand and knead in the bowl until the sides of the bowl are clean, and dough forms into a ball.
9 - Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and slightly elastic, 2 to 4 minutes.
10 - Wrap dough in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
11 - Scoop out the potato into a bowl and mash with the back of a fork, until slightly chunky or completely smooth, as desired.
12 - Add green onions, green chilies, mozzarella, Cheddar, and feta cheese and stir thoroughly to combine.
13 - Season with salt and pepper.
14 - Mash filling into a compact disc, about 5 inches in diameter, in the bottom of the bowl.
15 - Turn filling out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly, give filling a final shaping, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
16 - Roll dough out on a well-floured work surface into a 10- to 11-inch circle.
17 - Place chilled filling disc in center of dough circle.
18 - Working around the circle, fold dough up toward the center to cover filling completely, pleating dough as needed and using a moistened finger to stick dough together where it overlaps.
19 - Flour the top, and flip over so the seam side is down.
20 - Again, flour the top of filled dough, and roll gently into an even circle, 3/4- to 1-inch thick.
21 - Melt half the butter for frying in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
22 - Gently place filled bread in the skillet and cook, covered, until the bottom is a light golden brown, about 5 minutes.
23 - Carefully flip over, and cook, covered, until the other side is golden, about 5 minutes.
24 - Turn bread back over, and brush top and sides with melted butter for brudhing. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. If flatbread begins to bulge, poke a small hole with a knife to release steam.
25 - Transfer to a cutting board and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
26 - Meanwhile, stir honey and pepper flakes together in a small bowl.
27 - Sprinkle flatbread with green onions, cut into wedges, and serve with spicy honey.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

Cheat day meal number one. Stuffed flatbread. :9

I have to retune the recipe a bit, but recipe soon....

The only thing I regret about my transition is my boobs don't make this noise when touched. Maybe I started my transition too late for the sound effects to kick in....

So, that spinal injection? Works pretty well if you ask me.

My first art since the whole pinched nerve thing started. An image I had in a dream a few weeks ago that's been haunting me....

My egg had LONG since cracked when I first saw this, but Ranma 1/2 crushed that shell when I first saw it back in 1989. Got it through a penpal off the air in Japan. No subtitles, just a lot of guessing based on context. And I got all the context I needed.

Find it kinda funny that a lot of people recognize the Macross influence in my comics (and to be sure, it's there), but there's also a bit of Dirty Pair in there.

I don't really talk much about Dirty Pair versus Macross, but one of the things | love about Dirty Pair was their anatomy design. Minmei and Misa/Lisa are fairly thin, while Kei and Yuri have a more thicker, buffer (but not overly muscular} physique, that I've always liked.

And Carrie and Allison are kind of Macross Adpations of Kei and Yuri. With Carrie and Allison being trans, I've tried to work that physique in them (Although Allison ended up tall and thin anyways).

Surf Color Safe Bleach Commercial (1996, Director: Quentin Tarantino)

This is a major achievement. The first laundry I've managed to fold since the whole pinched nerve thing started.

Last Boost: Advertisers do stuff like that on purpose to get your attention. My fave is the Lion King "Bikini" poster. If you see it out of the corner of your eye, it's a bikini. Then you turn your head for a better look and realize it's a Lion King poster. The poster got your attention, which is the point.