Menorah Salad

What the subject line says. From The Complete American-Jewish Cookbook (London and Bishov, 1971), page 411:

Cut a banana in half crosswise. Stand upright in a round slice of canned pineapple on lettuce to form the candle. Place a maraschino cherry on top of banana to represent flame. Make handle from strip of green pepper looped into pineapple at base of candle. Pour a little mayonnaise down side of candle and base to represent dripping wax.

rec round-up

This morning's Snupin Santa postings are both winners: gorgeous art for snegurochka_lee (NWS) and The Cold Comfort of the In-between (NC-17, beautifully written, skillfully calibrated angst).

Untitled's Ginny-Bill scene made me tear up.

The Death of a Soul, A Blowjob Beneath a Table, and the Rain of Toads That Followed (Harry/Draco, NC-17, smutmas for ishafel). I haven't seen Magnolia, so I'm sure I missed 90% of the references, but the title alone owns me. That, and unsympathetic!Lupin:

This time Lupin actually rolled his eyes, which Severus thought extremely disrespectful of a headmaster of Hogwarts School. "Oh, I rather think I do understand, actually. You're punishing yourself with this position. Really, Severus, it would be much easier to put an advert in the Prophet—Naughty boy seeks dominatrix to purge him of past transgressions. Own equipment a plus but not required."

Public Display of Affection (NC-17, Draco/Ginny, Snape/Hermione). Library sex. Lots of it. Glee!

Draco/Remus/Severus art by peach_gurl. I love her faces -- this may be the closest someone's gotten to my mental image of Lupin. Someone to keep an eye on, to be sure.

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Plan for the day: whale at the RL to-do lists for a while, get some actual work done, and then try to nail down the first 1/5 of yuletide and the second section of dearsanta. (The dearsanta plotbunny is far livelier, but yuletide's due sooner. *pokes at them both*)

of light squibs and hearty cooking

John Donne wallpaper, y'all! Including his Nocturnall on St. Lucie's Day:

'TIS the year's midnight, and it is the day's,
Lucy's, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks;
    The sun is spent, and now his flasks
    Send forth light squibs, no constant rays;
            The world's whole sap is sunk;
The general balm th' hydroptic earth hath drunk,
Whither, as to the bed's-feet, life is shrunk,
Dead and interr'd; yet all these seem to laugh,
Compared with me, who am their epitaph...

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Made pumpkin-chickpea-beef curry tonight. It can be made suitable for vegetarians or vegans by omitting the beef.

( Pumpkin-chickpea curry )