Jenn Boo-lari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

So, I may be losing my apartment at the end of the year. So I got a free one in VR. Kinda nice, but it's got more beds than bedrooms (ONE ON THE ROOF).

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Simon Belmont's Porkchops

I have Cucco's Kitchen's cookbook, but it focuses on Legend of Zelda recipes. So I pilfered one he made from Castlevania.

His recipe calls for a two 2-inch bone-in pork chops. I used pork loin because I needed something to last a week. Using pork loin led to a somewhat dry slab of pork, so I'm assuming the bone-in pork chop would be jucier. I'd simmer it less next time.

The sauce is super excelent. Very savoury with a touch of sweetness, and a lot of onion flavor. I used it all cause I'm freezing the meals and when I warm them up, I want the pork chop to soak in it. I might simmer it longer without the pork to reduce it a bit.

Good stuff, no wonder Simon gets hearts for eating this.

# Belmont Pork Chops

Cucco's Kitchen
9.0 servings

4.0 pounds pork chops
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
2.0 tbsp olive oil
5.0 cloves garlic (peeled) (minced)
8.0 sprigs thyme leaves
1.0 cup onions (diced)
1.0 cup beef broth
1.0 cup red wine
1.0 tbsp soy sauce
1.0 tbsp herb de provence
1.0 tbsp Worcester sauce
2.0 tbsp unsalted butter
1.0 tbsp dijon mustard
4.0 tbsp brown sugar

1 - Season the pork chop with some salt, pepper and herb de Provence.
2 - Put a pan over medium-high heat
3 - Once it’s hot, add in the butter and 1 tbsp of oil oil, move the pan around till the the butter and oil and mixed
4 - Add the pork chops in the pan and add the thyme. We are going to sear them on both sides until they're nice and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Don’t concerned with cooking the chops through at this point, we just want a nice sear.
5 - Once both sides are seared and have a nice golden color remove them from the pan and set them aside to rest.
6 - Grab a paper towel and wipe away some of the extra grease.
7 - Add in the other tbsp of oil.
8 - Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook them till they are translucent.
9 - Once they start to become translucent add in the minced garlic to the pan and cook, stirring it until the garlic is fragrant.
10 - Add in the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcester sauce, brown sugar mustard and red wine. Cook and stir for about a minute until the sauce is combined.
11 - Next add the browned pork chops back into the pan and nestle them inside the sauce.
12 - Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
13 - Once the sauce boils reduce too low, simmer and cover for 35-45 min till the pork is fork tender. Turn the pork over once half way through the cooking time.
14 - Once time passes and the chops are ready, remove from heat. Plate the chop facing up, pour some of that delicious sauce on top and bam, the Castlevania pork chop is done!

Makes 9 servings at ~400 calories per serving

Calories 415
Total Fat 18g
Total Carbohydrate 7g
Protein 44g

Normally yields 2 servings.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Not-So-Fancy-Pants Meal: Hamburger, Deconstructed.

I wanted hamburgers, I made hamburgers. No bread for diabetic and "the half loaf I have left is too small for the burger" reasons.

Ah, all the meals have been cooked for today, and now it's time to sit back and relax with some quality educationally enriching entertainment.

So my EmuVR doesn't just do games. It'll allow you to watch videos. If you tell it to open a video, it'll spawn out a 90s era VCR and a VHS tape. Put it in the VCR, and you're watching TV in late 80s!

So, one of the VR Events I go to often will occasionally start to lag. The host usually tells us to go into "Non IKR" avatars, which are avatars without "skeletons." Usually just heads and hands. I was using one with a picture of my head for a head, and ghostly hands. I didn't like that.

So I used a NeoRoid creator to make one that is a little more me, while still just being "head and hands."

She's a cutie.

He's still alive! I gave him a quick haircut which lead to my first basil leaves. They taste STRONG. ❤

Annnd Saavik ruins the moment by referencing a line from earlier during Kirk and David's fight to the death. For a joke.

During Spock's funeral, Saavik has quite a bit more to do. There are a few added lines here and there in the script that Spock is setting her up to be the Enterprises' First Officer. This is the first time Kirk addresses her with that same mindset.

The "final" Kirk/Spock scene in Wrath of Khan is one of the finest in the entire series. Having Kirk sit there in silence as his friend dies in still heart wrenching.

The script has Saavik jump in with news to punch up the scene, but I'm glad it wasn't used - this is a solemn moment, and it needed to stay between Kirk and Spock.

The "Remember" shot was a last minute (possibly on-the-set) addition to allow for the possibility of a sequel where Spock returns. It is not in the script.

Wonder if that sequel ever happened?

Most of the Mutara Battle is exactly the same in the script as in the movie. There is one cut concept though. The child we see at the beginning of the movie, is shown as the Genesis device starts up. Again, a little on the nose.

When Khan fires a warning shot at the Enterprise, there's a quick cut to sickbay, then back to the bridge in the movie. There was actually a scene there where David leaves sickbay and Carol helps ready sickbay for wounded.

A through line that was removed was a smolder of romance between Saavik and David. The novels of ST2 and 3 kept it in, though.

Bones with a cut smackdown. David comes across as really angry in this, which seems appropriate as he's seen a lot of death in the last few hours.

The famous line:

The reveal of David as Kirk's son is again, kind of on the nose. I like how the movie implies that Jim "gets it" versus being told in a bit of melodrama.

Also, the "dumb bastard" line will come back in a very odd way at the end of the movie.

Also explains how Terrell got the phaser.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one annoyed with Uhura demanding someone contact her WHEN SHE KNEW FULL WELL THE TEAM WAS DOWN THERE ON REGULA I.

Also, a throwaway line that McCoy served with Captain Terrell at one point leads to him asking if Terrell recognizes him.

Damn, he's suave.

The scripts sequence of events is a little scrambled here, but lost in the shuffle is a scene where Khan learns about Genesis. Afterwards we have the Regula 1/Chekov scene, followed by the Regula team talking about escaping, followed by Carol attempting to contact Kirk, then oddly Kirk taking command of the Enterprise THEN asking Spock for command.