Author Archives: Alexander Pereira

Porotos Granados

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*For some reason I don’t have a picture of this… I’ll fix that ASAP*

tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Cubed = Actually what it says, cut the ingredients into rough cubes, much bigger than diced

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Chopped = to cut into small pieces with repeated blows

Al Dente = Pasta and/or Vegetables, Rice or Beans that are cooked to be firm to the bite. – Another way to put it is that it’s cooked but not fully cooked

Simmer = stay just below the boiling point while being heated. (small occasional bubble)

Saute = cook with oil

Fold = Mix the ingredients by scooping the bottom of the mix onto the top of the mix.

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

  1. 3 cup Beef broth
  2. 1 cup Milk
  3. 2 cup Frozen Corn
  4. 1 heaped tsp of Pesto
  5. 1 Red Onion – Chopped
  6. 1 tsp of salt
  7. 12 ounce bag of butternut squash
  8. 1 Can of Kidney or Navy Beans – Drained
  9.  4 Sausage – Johnsonville Original Bratwurst (Real specific yes but its the favorite brand we’ve found)
  10. Penne or Bowtie Pasta (Not spaghetti) –  1 serving

Necessary Equipment

  • Large Sauce Pan
  • Blender
  • Spatula
  • Barbecue/cast iron pan or frying pan

Instructions

  1. Barbecue or pan fry the Sausage, the taste is better if you barbecue or cast iron pan fry the whole Sausage but frying pan works
    • Sausage smokes a ton, be ready to run your stove fan or open a window
  2. Blend 2 cups of Beef Broth, 1 cup of Milk, 1 cup of Frozen Corn and the Pesto in the blender. Blend it coarsely, you don’t need everything to be super finely blended.
    • Set aside
  3. In the Saucepan, saute the Onion until slightly golden
  4. Add the remaining Broth (1 cup) and Corn (1cup) into the saucepan, Along with the salt, butternut squash and beans.
  5. Add the mixture from the blender
  6. Bring mixture to a boil for 15 mins
    • DO NOT PUT A LID ON, EVERYTHING WILL BOIL OVER
    • Stir Frequently
  7. Slice and add the Sausage to the mix
  8. Let Simmer for about 10 more minutes
    • Stir Frequently
  9. Add the noodles to the mix and let simmer for another 5 minutes or until pasta is cooked
    • Note: Pasta thickens the mix, if you want it thinner add less pasta and if you want it thicker add more
  10. Let sit for 5-10mins
  11. Enjoy

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 12!

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We’re still down a few familiar faces but we got Alyssa back! Join us and Special Guest Kaylin Norman-Slack for Podcast Lost in Space Episode 12 as we talk about our weeks, the Importance of staying Organized and about growing up with Autism and other disorders. **Audio Version was Delay because Youtube took forever to process**

Check out Kaylin @MrGameandAudio  and check out his game at at http://www.alicornprincessblast.com/

Follow Us: @PLISOfficial on Twitter or on Facebook at Podcast Lost In Space and on Youtube atTPLIS Official

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 11!

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It’s a strange and technical issues ridden? episode of Podcast Lost in Space as we’re down to two regular hosts and our guest speaker (aka B-team Member) Kelvin Campbell. We get into some real good discussion of Black Friday, Thanksgiving and dealing with Family while my internet craps out. It’s Podcast Lost in Space Episode 11!

Follow Us: @PLISOfficial on Twitter or on Facebook at Podcast Lost In Space and on Youtube atTPLIS Official

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 10!

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Join us for Podcast Lost in Space Episode 10! It’s the Thanksgiving episode of PLIS! Join us for a heartfelt episode where we talk about Ryan’s stupid ants again, depression and what we’re thankful for!

Follow Us: @PLISOfficial on Twitter or on Facebook at Podcast Lost In Space and on Youtube atTPLIS Official

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Extra Life Turkey Melt

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This week’s recipe is the Extra Life Turkey Melt from the 24 hour live stream! Want a simple lunch? Check it out! It’s a very very simple turkey melt sandwich that was made during the Extra-Life event two weekends ago. We paired it with store bought tomato soup (I already made one pot of soup, I wasn’t ready to make another while playing video games). We made them as tiny bite sized ones, but you can make them with your personal choice in bread.

tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Cubed = Actually what it says, cut the ingredients into rough cubes, much bigger than diced

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Chopped = to cut into small pieces with repeated blows

Al Dente = Pasta and/or Vegetables, Rice or Beans that are cooked to be firm to the bite. – Another way to put it is that it’s cooked but not fully cooked

Saute = cook with oil

Fold = Mix the ingredients by scooping the bottom of the mix onto the top of the mix.

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

  • Bread (2 pieces per sandwich)
  • Turkey lunch meat
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Swiss cheese
  • Roma tomatoes (assume half of one per large sandwich and one fifth if you’re doing mini sandwiches)
  • butter

Necessary Equipment

  • 1 cookie sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 bread knife (if bread isn’t already cut)
  • 1 cutting knife

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. While the oven is pre-heating, grab your cookie sheet and put a piece of parchment paper on it.
  3. Thin slice your tomatoes, slice your cheddar and Swiss cheese if it hasn’t been already, and slice your bread if it wasn’t pre-sliced.
  4. Butter one side of each bread slice you plan on using.
  5. Place a piece of bread for each sandwich you plan to make (butter side down), then cover the bottom with cheddar cheese, place tomato slices over that, next some turkey lunch meat, then cover the turkey with Swiss cheese, and finally place another slice of bread on top of the Swiss (butter side up).
  6. Once the oven has been pre-heated, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake them for 5 minutes. At 3 minutes I prefer to flip them over so both sides get toasted.
  7. If at 5 minutes the bread is not as toasted as you would like, extend the time. If you’re happy with the toasted-ness of your bread pull the sandwiches out of the oven.
  8. Slice your sandwiches (if they aren’t mini) and enjoy! We enjoyed our mini ones with tomato soup.

Podcast Lost in Space Episode 9!

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PLIS Episode 9! Join us for a silly, then dark, then serious then silly episode of Podcast Lost in Space! Seriously, we talk real serious about the terror attacks on Paris, Beruit and Baghdad  and then shift over to a fairly serious talk about the Friendzone too.

In a new shift, technical issues held this one up for a few days sorry!

Follow Us: @PLISOfficial on Twitter or on Facebook at Podcast Lost In Space and on Youtube atTPLIS Official

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Extra Life Recipe: Loaded Potato Soup

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All By Seneca

Today’s recipe was made during the Extra-Life event this past weekend. The original recipe was given to me by one of the families I tutored for during my sophomore year at undergraduate school. Over the years I’ve modified it little by little into what I now use as a simple at home recipe for when the weather is a bit too cold for my liking. The family called it potato goulash, but I think of it more as loaded potato soup.

tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Cubed = Actually what it says, cut the ingredients into rough cubes, much bigger than diced

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Chopped = to cut into small pieces with repeated blows

Al Dente = Pasta and/or Vegetables, Rice or Beans that are cooked to be firm to the bite. – Another way to put it is that it’s cooked but not fully cooked

Saute = cook with oil

Fold = Mix the ingredients by scooping the bottom of the mix onto the top of the mix.

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs of red potatoes
  • 3 pieces of garlic – fresh
  • 10-11 ounces of cream of chicken
  • 10-11 ounces of cream of celery
  • 1-2 pounds of bacon (depends on preference)
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp of butter
  • Salt – for taste
  • Half a quart of whole milk (even 1% works, it just won’t be as thick)
  • 2 bunches of chives (maybe only 1 if you’re not a chive addict like me)

Necessary Equipment

  • 1 large pot (at least 2 quarts)
  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 sharp knife
  • 1 wood spoon
  • 1 serving soup spoon
  • 1 pan
  • 1 mug

Instructions

  1. Fill up the large pot 2 thirds of the way full with water, and put it on the stove top to boil. Don’t forget to salt the water! Heat the water on high.
  2. While the water is heating up, wash and then chop up the potatoes into slightly larger than bite size pieces. I personally like to leave the skin on. While chopping the potatoes remove any off looking bits (brown, root, etc).
  3. Put all the chopped potatoes into the water once it starts to simmer and let the potatoes boil for 20-30 minutes. This can depend on the heat of your stove, a good way to tell if you’re ready to move onto the next step is if the potato skins are starting to pull away from the rest of the potato chunk. Make sure the stove’s temperature is so that the water is simmering, not boiling.
  4. Once you’re potatoes are ready, place the mug at the bottom of the sink and pour our all of the water except 2-3 inches of it. Pour the water over the mug so that you have more if you accidently pour out too much.
  5. Once the water is drained, set the pot back on the stove top. Put the cream of chicken and celery in the pot and half a quart of milk. Stir well, if the soup still looks too thick add more of the original stock to the mix. Stir before you add more. The soup should be simmering, not boiling or you will get soup all over your counter tops and stove top. The soup will take at least an hour to cook down fully, what you’re looking for is the potato chunks to dissolve and the soup to become less chunky.
  6. Peel and chop three pieces of garlic, then cut the bacon into small bite sized pieces.
  7. Heat up the pan and melt the butter in it, once the butter has melted sauté the garlic in the butter until it turns golden and the smell of garlic is wafting up at you. Then move the garlic from the pan to the pot, stir the soup well.
  8. Use the pan to now cook the bacon, watch the bacon carefully to ensure that it does not become crispy. Once the bacon has been cooked (feel free to do this in stages if you only have a small pan), move the bacon and the bacon fat that has pooled at the bottom of the pan to the pot. Stir well every time you add more bacon or bacon fat. If you want extra bacon on top, feel free to reserve some for later. The bacon you reserve can be cooked longer for a more crispy bacon topping.
  9. Now you should have some time to sit back and relax a bit while the soup continues to cook. If you bought un-shredded cheese now would be a perfect time to shred it. Check up on the soup ever 15-30 minutes until the consistency is right. Make sure to scrape your spoon into the sides and corners of your pot so that the potato soup doesn’t stick to the pot there.
  10. Once the potatoes have dissolved into the soup, turn the heat down to low. Chop the chives if you haven’t yet. Once the bacon, cheese and chives are prepped and the soup is done serve yourself a wonderful bowl. For a nice presentation like the one above put the chives, bacon, and cheese on top of your soup.
  11. Enjoy your soup! Maybe share with a friend.

Writer’s Corner: Why I don’t like NaNoWriMo

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(Intentionally mildly pretentious image of me writing? Check!)

I wasn’t going to do it. You couldn’t have made me. There was no way in hell you were going to get me to throw in my hat into the “Hey guys it’s time for NaNoWriMo!” ring if you held me at gunpoint. But suddenly, here I am. Of course, it’s one of the biggest events for beginning and amateur authors of the year. Confused about what I’m talking about? No worries, it confused me at first. It’s November! Which means that NaNoWriMo is starting up (hey peeps, it already started by the time you’re reading this!). NaNoWriMo stands for National November Writing Month — go here: http://nanowrimo.org/ — The idea behind this event is to give you, the budding author, or the lazy one, a deadline and timeline to force you into writing a 50,000-word ‘novel’. It doesn’t have to be good, it doesn’t have to be trash, it just has to be 50,000-words or greater. What do you get for completing this Herculean task you ask? Why absolutely nothing, aside from the soul-affirming knowledge that you finished a 50,000-word novel in THIRTY DAYS. Oh and you have a 50,000-word novel now, of course. Why wasn’t I going to talk about this great idea some genius put together way back in 1999? Because, I don’t like it.

Now, don’t get me wrong I don’t think there is anything wrong with the program. I’ve ‘tried’ for the last three years. I have a bunch of writer friends who love it, it’s a fun sort of marathon for all us writer nerds, but it’s not for everyone.

I don’t know about any of you, dear readers, but November might be the most hectic and chaotic month of the year for me. It’s midterm season for many of the students in the US, you have Thanksgiving (American) and the whole month always seems to get really damned full. That’s the first reason I don’t like NaNoWriMo (hence forth Nanowrimo because capitals suck). November is an awfully busy month by dint  of not being December, when everyone is home with their families and being far enough from September that school tends to be really crunching down.

My second reason for not liking it? I don’t write in a way that’s conducive to Nanowrimo. I’m a procrastinator by nature –- yes, I’m sorry Sennie but this is not quite late! –- so I need deadlines and Nanowrimo’s fantastic for that, true. Yet while I have proven I can write novel length books at a George RR Martin speed (Seven years from inception to my first ever –- read: crap –- novel is pretty good in my defense) and I know I want to write novel length books, I just don’t like to focus on them. I created a rich and complex world while working on my first book and I love it dearly but it’s big enough, and I was stupid enough, that I have to create languages. Not one, multiple. The number of which will only go up as I explore this wonderful world. World-building is one of my favorite parts of writing, but the words and time I put in to world-building don’t count toward Nanowrimo. The fifteen short stories I run off to record as inspiration hits me don’t count either, sorry me. Part of this is a discipline problem, I should be able to write down the idea for those short stories and move on; I shouldn’t feel the burning desire to write a small essay about the caliber system used by the primary species in my story (because their guns don’t use bullets), or a 100-word history/bio about the pistol my main character loves… or the eight other weapons that manufacturer makes and their fire rates, ranges, accuracy, general methods of use and history. But for me, for a long time, that was fun and sometimes that’s all you need.

I wanted to –- read: want to and am still working on –- write novel length piece because it’ll show off all the wonderful world-building I love to do but Nanowrimo has proved to be an actively discouraging experience. Just because I can’t write 1600-words a day for an entire month because my life is busy or I’d rather spend that hour or two crafting a half-dozen civilian corporations that may matter later, but I’m inspired to do them now; I was starting to feel like I was less of a writer than my dear friends who were doing it with me. Which was ridiculous because if you’re not careful I have a forty-five-minute lecture on caliber (I call it TEOIS, which stands for Total Energy Output and Impact Strength) that comes all off the top of my head.

So this is me talking to all those other writers who struggle with Nanowrimo incredibly but know they can stick to a proper writing schedule. That when they sit down and focus, they can punch out a prodigious amount of words in a very short time and have already finished a writing project of some length before. It’s okay. Don’t feel bad, Nanowrimo is to help light a fire under people’s asses; it’s not a contest or a measuring stick for writers to beat themselves up with, so don’t. Cheer on your friends who really do try it, help them out and all the while keep chipping away at your own. Do what you love, and do what you’re comfortable with. And HAVE FUN (or at least enjoy emotionally torturing your readers) because that’s why we started writing. We wanted to tell stories bubbling inside of us and we found the written word as our medium.

So keep writing 300-word break downs of every star nation’s ship classes and their traditional and non-tradition tactical and strategic roles… oh. That’s just me isn’t it? Very well then. How about we end with, keep writing.

Shameless plugs:

In case you were wondering, my big writing project a 200,000-word, seven-years in the making novel that is very much not for sale and a pair of short stories on Amazon that I self-published because I could.

Check them out:

Jirvaerka Anniversary:

http://smile.amazon.com/Jirvaerka-Anniversary-Tales-Iradathka-Shorts-ebook/dp/B00W43DNWS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1445924818&sr=8-2&keywords=alexander+pereira

Project Implacable

http://smile.amazon.com/Project-Implacable-Tales-Iradathka-Shorts-ebook/dp/B00W3CG33Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445924818&sr=8-1&keywords=alexander+pereira

Penne Lasagna – A Mother’s Special

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*Picture May Be Coming*

Hey! We’re finally back with another Recipe! This time, we’re going to have Ryan attempt to create Penne Lasagna! And yes, my Mom gave us this one. She gave us a lot of these over time obviously, since everyone lets me do the Recipes.

tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Cubed = Actually what it says, cut the ingredients into rough cubes, much bigger than diced

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Chopped = to cut into small pieces with repeated blows

Al Dente = Pasta and/or Vegetables, Rice or Beans that are cooked to be firm to the bite. – Another way to put it is that it’s cooked but not fully cooked

Saute = cook with oil

Fold = Mix the ingredients by scooping the bottom of the mix onto the top of the mix.

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

 

 

  1. 1.5 lbs of Ground Beef (Lean so 80/20 [20% fat)
  2. Half of a Large Onion – Chopped
  3. Half of an Orange or Red Bell Pepper – Chopped
  4. 2 Large Carrots
  5. 1 tsp of Salt – Also Salt to taste
  6. 1.5 tsp of Dry Oregano
  7. 1 Can of Stewed Dice Tomatoes
  8. 1 Box of Penne Noodles – 1lb
  9. 1 Jar of Prego Mushroom Sauce [Mushroom flavored spaghetti sauce]
  10. 1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
  11. 1 Cup of Grated Mozzarella Cheese
  12. Olive Oil

Necessary Equipment

  • 2 Medium pots
  • Lasagna Pan
  • Oven – Heated to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit (350 Degrees Fahrenheit for Convection)
  • Measure Utensils
  • PAM/Non-Stick Spray

Instructions

Part 1 – The Meat Sauce

  1. Spice the ground beef with salt and oregano
  2. Saute the ground beef in the medium pot until brown
  3. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrots, and onions to the meat.
  4. Cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the Can of Stewed Diced Tomatoes and Spaghetti Sauce.
  6. Cook for 20 minutes with cover on. Stir Occasionally.

Part 2 – The Noodles

  1. Boil the Penne Noodles for 6 minutes in salted water
  2. Drain and add a small amount of Olive Oil to prevent sticking

Part 3 – Building the Lasagna

  1. Spray Pam on the Lasagna Pan
  2. Layer 1: Add about 1/3rd the Meat Sauce, make sure to coat the bottom
  3. Layer 2: Add 1/2 the Penne
  4. Layer 3: Add about 1/3rd the Meat Sauce and sprinkle 1/2 the Mozzarella Cheese on top
  5. Layer 4: Add the Remaining 1/2 of Penne
  6. Layer 5: Add the last remaining 1/3rd the Meat Sauce and sprinkle the Parmesan Cheese on top
  7. Bake for 20 mins
  8. Remove from the Oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the Mozzarella Cheese
  9. Bake for 10 more minutes

ENJOY!

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 8!

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Join the Podcast Lost In Space for a mildly technical issue ridden episode of Podcast Lost in Space! We talk a bit about crisis’s a bit about people’s lives and Relationships. Lots of relationship talk. We also hit Episode 8! That’s two whole months!

Check out Our Extra Life page and Donate! It’s for the Kids!
Follow Us: @PLISOfficial on Twitter or on Facebook at Podcast Lost In Space and on Youtube atTPLIS Official

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne