This is a late one, but I’ve crept in just before the deadline.

The week got away from me this time, and as much as I tried to get this post started in the early hours, I was a little distracted. First someone stabbed my finger. Then my arm. Then I was told not to move for an hour and half. Will the cruelty never end?

I usually try to get an early morning appointment for platelet donation so I can get stuff done later in the day. Or I would get stuff done if it wasn’t completely exhausting. My post-platelet brunch was an attempted restorative. The ultimate fried egg sandwich, with smoked paprika, Cornish Cruncher cheddar, and fried jamon Serrano. Does it end there? Nope. Finished off with ketchup and Sriracha. Platelet donation does strange things to my appetite…

This has been a food-filled weekend. My go to enchilada recipe is based on a Sorted Food recipe which has subsequently disappeared off their website, although the video still exists. I usually use a couple of chicken breasts, two peppers, a red onion, and a tin of mixed beans. The spice mix is a combination of smoked paprika, chilli powder, garlic granules, cumin, and oregano. The sauce is a mole-inspired tomato base with cocoa powder, chilli powder, and honey. Top with grated cheddar cheese and whack it in the oven. It makes for some great enchiladas.

That’s not all! Friday night brought vegan Korean fried chicken and a vegan chocolate cake from Nora Cooks. I haven’t done much vegan baking at all but my first attempt at a chocolate cake went quite well. It could have done with a bit longer in the oven but it had quite a fudgy texture and great flavour.

The egg replacement in this particular recipe is apple sauce but I opted to try aqua faba (chickpea water) instead. This was my first time cooking with it and it was amazing just how much volume it gained. The resultant foam wasn’t as robust as egg white but it still did a decent job. This wasn’t the greatest application as the batter was very dense, but I could see it working better in a sponge cake. I might have to attempt a pavlova with aqua faba in the near future.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

This is an incredibly odd game, just like it’s predecessor. There is a near endless selection of mini games embedded within the world including fully fledged fighting arcade games, and a text-based dating sim. The story flits between serious gang violence and pet lobsters at the drop of a hat. It’s hard to fully describe how nuts it is without playing it.

There’s a whole Pokémon-esque battling system where you recruit Sujimon who fight for you in tournaments. These battles are completely distinct from the main game combat but add a bit of fun on the side. The way you catch new Sujimon involves offering them gifts and showering them with compliments, and it’s up to the individual whether they join you or not. I have only dabbled in it so far as I find the main story more compelling, but you could spend hours doing side quests and minigames without ever advancing the plot if you really wanted.

Projects

Sarah picked up a mirror in Dunelm as the removal of the sliding doors left Evie’s room mirrorless. It was my job to make it into something slightly more aesthetically pleasing. There was an MDF lattice covering the gap before I got fed up and ripped it off. The fixing method I decided on was to make a couple of battens for the top and bottom, and glue the mirror into place. The lightweight nature of the mirror meant it didn’t need serious fixing. The next step is to cover the remaining gaps with wood panelling to tidy up the final product.

Dinomania

Dinosaurs? In Plymouth? Yes, Dinomania returned to the YMCA again this year with a full compliment of realistic puppets. They’re incredibly detailed and the whole experience was well executed. As much as Evie enjoyed it, she was a little terrified by the end. I think a fear of dinosaurs is incredibly reasonable one – humans wouldn’t have fared particularly well paired with a T-rex.