Christmas Wishlist of DOOOOM!

As is tradition, I like to provide a Christmas wishlist for all of those people who inquire or wish to do any gift-giving towards me this upcoming birth celebration time. Do I expect anyone to ever get me anything? Not really, but there are a number of people who do inquire as to what to get me so I try and make my options varied and wide.

Electronics:

. XBox 360
. PS3

. New Laptop battery
. Blackberry Cellphone Charger
. World of Warcraft game-time cards
. iPad 2
. iPod Touch
. External storage drive
. Flash drive

Clothing:

. Blue jeans (36 waist)
. Black socks!
. Linen fabric for making clothing with (white, blue, red, brown, green and black preferred), minimum 6 yards
. Elbow pads
. Catcher greeves
. Leather boots (preferably in a 14th century style)

Books:


. Apicius (Roman cook book)
. Wolfheart
. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (hardback)
. Take A Thousand Eggs or More
. Stormrage
. Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War

Media:

. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger tides (Blu-ray)
. Lord of the Rings Extended edition: Fellowship of the Ring (Blu-ray)
. Howl's Moving Castle (Blu-ray)
. Troll Hunter (Blu-ray)
. The Lion King (Blu-ray)
. Captain America; The First Avenger (Blu-ray)
. Thor (Blu-ray)
. Marble Hornets season 1 (DVD)
. Marble Hornets season 2 (DVD)

Miscelanious:

. Basic weight lifting set
. Saffron
. Grains of Paradise
. Cubeb
. Kiddie pool (big plastic inflatable one)
. Potting soil
. Onion, Green pepper, basil, rosemary or sage seeds
. Camping lantern
. Fire pit
. Razors
. Gift cards to Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Books-a-Million, Michaels or Jo-Anne's
. Ticket to Ride (board game)
. Honey (by the gallon)
. 1 gallon carboys
. Surgical tubing
. corks (for bottling of booze)
. surgical clamps
. fermentation locks

Random Cookery - Yuletide Soup

So today, instead of posting more about Mayanmas like I had planned I will be posting this amazing recipe I made up today while bored.

Julie's baby shower is today, and one of the dishes I'm bringing in a proper 12th night English meat pie. I had about a pound and a half left over ground beef so I decided to test cook one of my dishes for the Chalice Feast (another blog post on the meatballs later).

I had 9 cups of leftover beef broth when I was done, and still itched to cook more. Ever suggested I use barley with the broth to make a nice soup. Loving the idea (also because I had a half-empty box of barley that needed to be used), I decided to go a little hog wild and make myself a soup. Its amazing, delicious and will post the recipe here for you to enjoy on your own!

Yuletide Soup

. 9 cups of beef broth
. 2 1/2 cups barley ( I used medium quaker oat variety)
. 1 small onion, chopped
. 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
. 2/3 cup of feta cheese, crumbled and not packed
. Salt and pepper to taste

1) The beef broth was still warm, so for me it was simple. Bring the beef broth back up to a soft boil and add in the barley, onion and garlic.
2) Let stay at a soft boil for a few moments. Sprinkle the feta cheese in the soup, 1/3 cup at a time in 5 minute intervals.
3) After the barley has been cooked, pull the soup off the burner and stir rapidly to make sure all the feta is melted and blended in.
4) Sprinkle the salt and pepper in and give one last stir, season to taste.

This is a really great taste, the feta cheese has a nice soothing taste over the bite that I typically find in barley. A nice roll of bread to dip really completes this meal, it coats my throat and has a warmth that stays all the way down to my tummy. A nice and hearty soup for a cold Yule season, perhaps I will leave some out on Krampus Night to ensure I'm not beaten by sticks this year!

Thank you's

I have a list of thank you's to get through, this is going to be the first of several posts in regards to Mayanmas Moot because there is a lot to cover. I'm sure Sarah also thanks you people for keeping me more-or-less sane and not getting even more cranky in her general direction :p

• I wanna thank Amanda and Kristin for letting me be a part, even a small one, with all the Mayanmas set-up. Decorating the hall was a blast, I loved hearing about all the different Mayan Kings and Gods posted about and being made to feel included was just a very cool thing :). I am also very thankful that I did not remember to unpack my trunk!
• Thank you to Ed, Molly, Sarah, Jake and Lana for all your help with the Baronial gates. I could not have built those without you, nor could I have kept sane without your input and assistance with them!
• Thank you to Julie, Brian, Maddie and Shae for being a constant source of inspiration and support for me. You guys help me to feel confidant and strong in myself, and encourage me to do what I desire when I need that encouragement.
• Thank you to Philippe and Jana, marching with you made me feel like one of the cool kids! I think I looked really sharp in your entourage :).
• Thank you so much to both Gavin and Ilene, you guys are seriously great. You've make me feel welcomed and a part of your circles since the day I first met you guys, and I've never felt excluded or unwelcomed. Your words of encouragement always seem to come at just the right time or when I need to hear them, your hearts are kind and warm which I feel is so important to any Baron/Baroness combo. I look forward to working with you more closely in the future!
• Oh Beth, I had SOOO much fun hanging out with you and had a great time cooking alongside you. You're funny and can explain things in a way I get them the first time, you got a great personality that shows your love of the art. You're also patient when I ask the "dumb" questions, which is always a great thing in my book! I can't wait to hang with you again and work alongside you in the future! Thank you for welcoming me into your life as openly as you did, I hope that one day I can be even a fraction of the friend you are to Andi.
• Jake, Lana and Kaoru, I could not have done all this stuff without you guys. You helped support me even when I get batshit ideas that require me to be reigned in, you let me be in your lives and have a meaningful impact and you encourage me to be myself in all things in ways few others are capable of. We've shared tears, laughs, heartaches and loves together which I think has only made us stronger and more united. You're more family to me than most of the ones I'm related to some days, and I know I'm a better person for having you in my life.
• Andi, I want to thank you for everything. This weekend was an AMAZING experience, frantic start to drunken finish, and I'm SOOO glad I was able to have a part in it. I'm sorry for the mistakes I made, but happy that I was able to learn from them with your guidance. Every moment in the kitchen with you has been a blessing and a shining point in the SCA, you inspire me and encourage me to be a better person not just in the kitchen but in total. You teach me not just directly but indirectly as well, and I know some day I will be a great cook in the Knowne World and it will be in large part because of you. 
• I got no words to say how thankful I am to Sarah for everything she has done for me. She's put up with me when I'm intolerable, helped me see through the darkness to find a glimmer of hope and supported me in everything I've done no questions asked. She knows what to say when I need to hear it, and as no issue with smacking me around and keeping me in line when I need it :p. She is my inspiration and a major source of light and joy in my life. I am able to be who I am and do what I can because she's willing to help me, so always make sure to thank her yourself if you like what I do.