Chainmail Bikinis for All!

I'm a child of the 80s, meaning I grew up with lots of strange representations of females in fantasy. So many strange things...  But there was She-Ra, and she made up for most of the rest.  I also loved sword & sorcery and devoured the genre, cheering on chainmail bikini clad warrior women like there was no tomorrow (and, in those stories, there often was no tomorrow for most of the characters).

One of my good writing buddies, Derek Künsken, is a blogger at the online fantasy-focused magazine Black Gate, and he was kind enough to pass my name along when they were looking for more bloggers.  I'm thrilled to say that I'm now their new once-every-two-weeks Friday blogger!

My first post is a satirical look at the chainmail bikini. I'll try and post to my own blog all of the posts since I know some of you only follow me here, but Black Gate is an awesome and fun place to hang out, so consider keeping an eye on them, too!  If you want to leave a comment on this article, please do so at Black Gate. Let's spread the fun!

Happy weekend-ing!

Ah, but for the days of S'mores long past...

This summer, I participated in a week long s'mores experiment led by Roomy (experiment also known as: cottaging).  We were a bunch of friends, subjected to new s'mores recipes every night, voting on them until our tummies wanted to explode from gooey goodness.

I haven't reported back since I signed a non-disclosure agreement on the recipes (aka: Roomy can beat me in my sleep), but just as the snow invasion begins, I merrily stumbled on some quotes I wrote down during our stay.  There are *not* super secret recipes (take note, lawyers and henchmen). But these did amuse me.  My friends are a funny bunch, especially when sugared up.

• "Pass the s'mores over here before you die.  Also, my condolences."
• "Are my pants on fire?" 
• (after taking a picture): "Marie is the only one in focus. Who knew that could even be a thing?" 
• "Okay, candid shot! ... Well, that's horrible."
• "When they're older, we'll tell your children of your eyebrows."

Now, imagine you're sitting by the glow and warmth of the fire. Pop a marshmallow in there, wait for it to goo just right, and combine it with super secret ingredients... And the winter suddenly feels a tad more inviting.

Mmmm. Goo.

Cookies of Might and Magic

Linda Poitevin, all around wonderful person and talented author, tagged me for a cookie exchange. As we have coffee weekly, I believe I was the first person she tagged. Physically. It hurt. She has a good right hook. And it's hard to say no when she looks at you with big happy eyes.

BUT, as it stands, I'm an excellent baker!  Of one thing.  Roomy does the baking around the house (including bread. Think about that. I get homemade bread. Ha.)

Mmmm, bread.... Um, where was I going?  Oh yes!  So, I'm a baker of one thing. Chocolate chip cookies! Roomy keeps pretending she can't bake them to save her life, but as she can bake things with seven layers and multilple flavours, I'm pretty sure that's a ploy to keep me baking the one thing I can bake. Smart girl. So, here's a lovely recipe for you all! It's easy, as even I can do it. I've substituted pretty much every ingredient and portion, through lack of planning or lack of paying attention, and it always turns out. This recipe is magic. And, because it's so early on in the blog exchange, I can get away with such a basic recipe.  HA!

To make your religious or non-denominational holiday season on theme, stick some appropriately coloured smarties (or M&Ms for you poor Americans) on top. Voilà! Holiday magic!

I've tagged four author folk to post recipes next Tuesday, December 9.  Check out the original post for this and keep an eye out on Linda's blog for a bunch of fun recipes! My four vict... er, volunteers are:

Nicole Lavigne
S.M. Carrière
Geoff Gander
Alice Black, aka Cosplay Calamity

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE OF MIGHT AND MAGIC (TM)

Stuff you'll need

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 - 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Stuff you'll do

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth (this is the Blend of Magic Might). Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla (or do eggs and vanilla at once. BE MAD WITH POWER!).
• Mix together baking soda, salt and flour. (Be careful or FACE FLOURY DOOM)
• Blend dry ingredients in with wet messy eggy slop already created. Do so a bit at a time (re: FLOURY DOOM)
• Add Chocolate Chips (Recipe Level of Awesome +100)
• Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.   (Or small. Remember to adjust timing for baking, because SCIENCE!)
• Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven (because you pay attention to steps), or until edges are nicely browned.

Voilà!  Magic.  Might and magic. Make sure to check out next week's recipes and keep an eye on Linda's blog!