16bitclaudes's recent activity
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Comment on The emotional support animal racket in ~life.pets
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Comment on Recipes for chicken thighs in ~food
16bitclaudes LinkHere's my recipe for jerk chicken fricasseé: 6 - 8 servings (with rice n peas) 900g/ 2lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs Marinade Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp salt 3 spring onions, sliced 1½ tbsp...Here's my recipe for jerk chicken fricasseé:
6 - 8 servings (with rice n peas)
- 900g/ 2lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Marinade
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 1½ tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp ginger (preferably fresh and grated but dried will do)
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
Other things
400ml good quality chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 - 3 scotch bonnet peppers, whole (depends how spicy you want it)
1 tbsp neutral oil (e.g. vegetable)Combine all the marinade ingredients, coat chicken thighs well and leave to marinate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
Add oil to a sauté pan over medium/ high heat. Wipe as much marinade off of the chicken as possible but don't discard it. Brown the chicken in batches and set aside (it shouldn't be fully cooked at this point).
Once all the chicken is browned, deglaze the pan with a little bit of chicken stock and scrape up all the nice crispy bits. Add all the chicken thighs back to the pan, along with the bay leaf and any scotch bonnets. Add your remaining stock to the marinade bowl, swirling to pick everything up and add that in too, topping up with water if needed. The chicken shouldn't be totally submerged, but the liquid should come up to about ¾ of the way.
Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and continue to cook for 20 - 30 minutes, or until chicken can easily be cut with the side of a spoon. Every 10 minutes or so, turn over the chicken pieces to make sure they cook evenly and check for tenderness. If you want it extra spicy, break up the scotch bonnet peppers, otherwise gently pull them out about halfway through cooking.
Once the chicken is tender, remove it from the pan and turn the heat up to high to reduce the liquid a bit into a sauce/ gravy. If it becomes too thick/ salty, just thin it out a little again with more water. Serve with rice n peas and a nice bit of salad.
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Comment on How do I fix my (stupid) use of excessive punctuation? in ~humanities.languages
16bitclaudes Link ParentYour comment gives me a lot of peace; reading this post was like looking in a mirror! I am now reassured and completely unrepentant, so I hope OP is too. :)Your comment gives me a lot of peace; reading this post was like looking in a mirror! I am now reassured and completely unrepentant, so I hope OP is too. :)
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
16bitclaudes Link ParentThis place is about an hour away from family I've got over that way, hopefully I can convince them to take a trip out there for a treat :)This place is about an hour away from family I've got over that way, hopefully I can convince them to take a trip out there for a treat :)
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
16bitclaudes Link ParentI actually bought two tins/ brands of the fabada asturiana (Litoral and El Gaitero) and I've just had the second one now for a late breakfast/ early lunch. El Gaitero was the better of the two in...I actually bought two tins/ brands of the fabada asturiana (Litoral and El Gaitero) and I've just had the second one now for a late breakfast/ early lunch.
El Gaitero was the better of the two in my opinion, but if you spot another kind and like it even more let me know! As much as I'm sure homemade will be better, it's tasty enough that I'll probably keep buying tins for the convenience.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
16bitclaudes Link ParentAside from the usual fried chicken and buttermilk pancakes, I believe there are several cheeses you can make from buttermilk. You could add some to coleslaw or potato salad for a nice tang. Stella...Aside from the usual fried chicken and buttermilk pancakes, I believe there are several cheeses you can make from buttermilk. You could add some to coleslaw or potato salad for a nice tang.
Stella Parks also has a wonderful granola recipe that I've made several times now that needs buttermilk. I make an orange and cardamom version sometimes.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
16bitclaudes LinkFabada asturiana (a Spanish bean stew with assorted meats). Not homemade this time but a convenient can picked up from a Spanish deli. It was a little bland, which was surprising considering the...Fabada asturiana (a Spanish bean stew with assorted meats). Not homemade this time but a convenient can picked up from a Spanish deli. It was a little bland, which was surprising considering the inclusion of things like chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) and smoked ham, but still overall a good flavour. I was blown away by the texture of the beans, they were incredibly creamy! Definitely given me plans to cook some.
I visited friends for the weekend and made meatballs with cheesy mash, garlic butter mushrooms and a red wine and red onion sauce. Added some green beans on the side because dinners usually feel incomplete to me without some green veg, that was pretty nice.
I also made some curry goat with rice n' peas (I know it's meant to be served with plain rice but humbug to that). One friend thought it was just right but the other unfortunately couldn't cope with the heat levels, which I felt a little guilty about! I only put a single scotch bonnet in and kept that on my plate to eat; I'll admit it was a freak of nature though - the hottest one I've eaten in years.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
16bitclaudes LinkAn Italian-ish white bean and tuna salad for lunch, butter chicken for dinner. My in laws are looking after the dog for a few days this week. FIL likes his bread so I've baked him a crusty white/...An Italian-ish white bean and tuna salad for lunch, butter chicken for dinner. My in laws are looking after the dog for a few days this week. FIL likes his bread so I've baked him a crusty white/ rye loaf and MIL does keto so she has some homemade peanut butter cups made with 85% dark chocolate as a quick thank you.
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Comment on Online shopping - how convenient is it actually? in ~life.style
16bitclaudes LinkI am a serial online shopper and have found it exceptionally useful. It allows me to explore all of my hobbies and interests with the only real limiter being finances. I enjoy insect taxidermy, I...I am a serial online shopper and have found it exceptionally useful. It allows me to explore all of my hobbies and interests with the only real limiter being finances.
I enjoy insect taxidermy, I would never be able to find unmounted A1 grade butterfly specimens on the highstreet. I make soap sometimes, I wouldn't know where to start looking for caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) in any decent quantity within a 20 mile radius. I love gardening, I've been able to find some exciting varieties of heirloom seeds and fruit bushes that aren't at my local garden centers, although I give them plenty of love too. It's great for specialist ingredients; I am endlessly grateful that I can just order a jar of cassareep online to make pepperpot with rather than having to make a 3 hour round trip on public transport to find a Caribbean grocer.
I use a cashback website wherever I can and have clawed back around £500 over the years, probably a bit more from using a credit card which gives me a small percentage of cashback on purchases too. I still support my local shops and go to physical stores for groceries but for stuff that's higher up on the pyramid of needs, online covers an awful lot of my shopping habits. I try to be conscious of my data being passed on to third parties but frankly I think they'd be too confused by all my odd purchases to know what to do with it.
I'm less worried about frivolous spending habits because I budget carefully every month and am in the habit of checking my statements regularly, especially before making a big purchase.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
16bitclaudes Link ParentI'm so sorry this is happening, I enjoyed seeing your pics of Quincy. I'm conscious of when this was posted, so I hope you've both had a really good day together.I'm so sorry this is happening, I enjoyed seeing your pics of Quincy. I'm conscious of when this was posted, so I hope you've both had a really good day together.
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
16bitclaudes LinkI found some salmon fillets that were 60% off so I made this salmon superfood salad for dinner tonight. I've made it a couple of times before and the dressing is absolutely phenomenal. It's good...I found some salmon fillets that were 60% off so I made this salmon superfood salad for dinner tonight. I've made it a couple of times before and the dressing is absolutely phenomenal. It's good with white miso but even better with brown.
Made a sundried tomato loaf for my grandparents on Sunday which they inhaled, so that must have been decent. There was only a quarter of it left when I got done visiting them.
I've also had to go into the office this week for a quarterly event, which I always bake some goodies for. This time was a huge quadruple batch of banana everything cookies, a 4 layer lemon courgette cake (practice for my wedding later this year) and a fruited tea loaf. It's a three day event but most of it's already gone!
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
16bitclaudes LinkMy beautiful boy got his KC Good Citizen Dog bronze award today. I don't have a photo to hand but I'm very proud and relieved that he passed the assessment with no issues, he's slowly on his way...My beautiful boy got his KC Good Citizen Dog bronze award today. I don't have a photo to hand but I'm very proud and relieved that he passed the assessment with no issues, he's slowly on his way to becoming a very good dog!
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
16bitclaudes LinkWent to a conference for a few days. It's the third year that the company has hosted it and it's always a good time, I was a speaker this time and I think it went fairly well. I've been asked to...Went to a conference for a few days. It's the third year that the company has hosted it and it's always a good time, I was a speaker this time and I think it went fairly well. I've been asked to present the same talk again somewhere else at a future date.
Got back home at nearly midnight and then straight back to work the next day, followed by a pub quiz with our new neighbours in the evening which was a good laugh! They're basically perfect and I'm really glad we all get on so well.
Made a big fuss of my partner and pets, who I missed a lot. Preparing my dog for his KC Good Citizen Dog bronze assessment tomorrow - he knows the material but he's a teenager so it's a complete dice roll as to whether he'll actually feel like doing it!
Also made some dough for a sundried tomato loaf this afternoon, which is currently cold proofing in the fridge. That'll be baked tomorrow and given to my grandparents on Sunday.
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Comment on What are some of your favorite PlayStation 1 games? Any odd or unique ones worth playing? in ~games
16bitclaudes Link ParentI hope you love Klonoa! It was one of my favouritesI hope you love Klonoa! It was one of my favourites
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Comment on Favorite hobby / subculture YouTube channels? in ~hobbies
16bitclaudes LinkAtomic Shrimp - gentle paced videos about weird stuff in cans, foraging, budget food challenges and scammers Africa Everyday - a former scammer that befriended Atomic Shrimp and sometimes...Atomic Shrimp - gentle paced videos about weird stuff in cans, foraging, budget food challenges and scammers
Africa Everyday - a former scammer that befriended Atomic Shrimp and sometimes collaborates on recipes with him, makes videos about his life in Nigeria
Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't - "a low-brow, crass approach to plant ecology & evolution"
Drew Gooden - comedic commentary on YouTube/ internet/ pop culture
Gavin Webber - cheerful cheesemaking for curd nerds!
GeoWizard - walks all over the land, fascinating challenges like walking across Norway in a straight line, plays a lot of Geoguessr
Henry Phillips - comedy in painfully sad cookery
Honest Tries - a guy tries infamously terrible recipes in earnest
Jay Foreman - silly and educational videos about maps and the places on them
Luke Towan - amazing scale models and dioramas
Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games - the director of several Kirby games and Super Smash Bros. reflects on the principles of good games design/ gamedev
OneShortEye - classic PC game speedrunning history
Ordinary Sausage - sausages
Scott Rea - good, proper butchery
TierZoo - if the world was an MMORPG, what would the best character build in nature be?
TwoSetViolin - two professional violinists having fun
Soft White Underbelly - interesting and often sad interviews with people who have lived remarkable lives.
Ziang's Food Workshop - mum and son duo making British Chinese takeaway favourites
Masaru - a fisherman who catches, processes and eats all kinds of different fish. Has had pretty bad poisoning from it at least a couple of times but still forges ahead
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Comment on VHEMT: the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement in ~life
16bitclaudes Link ParentMaybe at some point :) variety is the spice of life and the world is a more interesting place when we have different perspectives but I think you're right that if I'd given a bit of preamble we...Maybe at some point :) variety is the spice of life and the world is a more interesting place when we have different perspectives but I think you're right that if I'd given a bit of preamble we would have all been more likely to be on the same page about it, whether we agreed or not.
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Comment on Have you ever "homebrewed" fermented beverages? in ~food
16bitclaudes LinkMy first attempt at homebrewing was some strawberry wine. I used a 25 gallon brewing bucket for my initial ferment and then racked it all off into smaller demijohns. I spent maybe £100 total on...My first attempt at homebrewing was some strawberry wine. I used a 25 gallon brewing bucket for my initial ferment and then racked it all off into smaller demijohns. I spent maybe £100 total on all the equipment and ingredients, including a few big bags of frozen strawberries from Costco. I also got some freebies from a lady at work who used to homebrew in her younger days.
I can't remember how long it was before I first tasted it, but I remember being excited: this was it! I made alcohol! Real alcohol! It didn't taste terrible either, the nose and flavour was lovely (to me at least, but I'm very much not a sommelier) but because it was such a young wine the finish was like drinking rocket fuel, haha. My mum didn't seem to mind though and she ended up guzzling a lot of the stuff I bottled and corked before it got a chance to really age to any significant degree. Fruit or country wines aren't really one that you can tuck away for 10 years and enjoy as a fine vintage anyway.
My lesson learned would be: take the ABV measuring seriously. I wasn't very good about using the hydrometer before/ after fermentation so had no hope of calculating the final gravity, I just knew it was boozy.
I agree with u/lupusthethird that once you start attempting mead it gets rather pricey - especially using good quality honey. It's a fun hobby if you have some space in a dark cupboard and you're patient and keep all your equipment clean. The Homebrew forum has some really good recipes and advice for beginners.
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Comment on VHEMT: the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement in ~life
16bitclaudes Link ParentHonestly I regret the original timing of this post; I shot it off and then got buried in work and only re-entered the discussion at a relatively late stage. I don't think it helps that the...Honestly I regret the original timing of this post; I shot it off and then got buried in work and only re-entered the discussion at a relatively late stage. I don't think it helps that the direction of the discourse has been shaped by some early commenters having a very visceral reaction to the name alone and not really looking much further into it. I would find it rather bewildering if somebody read the material and still came to the conclusion that this was a call for genocide.
There are definitely valid criticisms to be had and questions to be raised (which I've enjoyed reading and discussing!) but some of the more highly rated comments about genocide and facism feel like they've come about as the result of a sideways glance at things rather than an earnest look.
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Comment on VHEMT: the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement in ~life
16bitclaudes Link ParentAnd yet, more people are choosing not to have children. Many of them without believing in or being aware of VHEMT and having other motivations. Even if they aren't part of the movement, it's...Add to that the fact that you'll never convince a notable minority of people, let alone a majority, to reduce the population
And yet, more people are choosing not to have children. Many of them without believing in or being aware of VHEMT and having other motivations. Even if they aren't part of the movement, it's considered a success every time somebody chooses not to reproduce.
True it's unlikely that the majority of people will ever be convinced of this school of thought, but it's being reported that the birth rate is dropping across the world anyway. I am only sorry that some of it will be for sadder reasons (i.e. people not being able to afford it), but as someone else pointed out earlier there are some good ones too, like a reduction in the stigma of being childless/ childfree.
Instead of ridding the Earth of humans willing to cooperate, I recommend trying to influence the world by making as many cooperators as possible in the hopes of vastly outnumbering the people who selfishly cause artificial shortages.
I don't think that's the aim. Of course we want people to co-operate, that's how problems get solved. It seems rather wasteful to just keep churning out new people when we could also be trying to make more co-operators of our existing population too. It's like that Stephen Jay Gould quote:
“I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.”
We probably already have the next generation of big problem solvers here, I dread to think how many of them aren't realising their potential because of this inability (or more accurately, unwillingness by a select few) to distribute our resources sensibly. It's a stupid game and I increasingly feel like the only way to win is not to play.
We can have fewer people AND more teamwork, and in fact that's the gold standard outcome I'd like to see.
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Comment on VHEMT: the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement in ~life
16bitclaudes Link ParentThank you, I promise I am being completely sincere and operating in good faith. I don't think I'm confused, but I do think that you misunderstand the movement, which is why you think VHEMT is...Thank you, I promise I am being completely sincere and operating in good faith. I don't think I'm confused, but I do think that you misunderstand the movement, which is why you think VHEMT is suggesting that genocide isn't evil.
The definition of genocide is "the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group." At face value, this does seem like what's being asked for. However, VHEMT is not calling for anybody to be killed - and certainly does not single out any particular nation or ethnicity. They're asking for people in general to stop being born.
Moreover, the very first word "voluntary" takes priority. If you're going to read anything about the movement, I think it's got to be this summary. They very much want to make the world a better place too, and they think this is the way to do it.
I should emphasise that I largely agree with the philosophy but I don't expect or particularly want it to be taken to its literal end goal of a population of 0 people. In fact, most people that subscribe to the movement's beliefs don't actually want this and the founders themselves acknowledge and are realistic about it. In that sense, the name of the movement is rather sensationalist.
If we could just magically cure all allergies to animals overnight and it was far more of a cultural expectation that we should have well behaved dogs, I'd agree with you. I don't need most places to be dog friendly, but I do wish that more of them were - especially hotels. It's also a bummer that some hotels tend to restrict guests to only small or medium breeds. I don't think my dog is massive but he'll be somewhere between 25 - 30kg when he's fully grown which tends to put him on the lower end of large.
As it stands, we'll generally only be able to have certain types of holiday with the dog but luckily we like those sorts of holidays (we'll be spending our honeymoon with him in a self catering dome in the forest later this year). I'm looking casually at boarding kennels so that we can go off on a different sort of holiday in a few years but I know I'll miss him horribly.