Ember
After the boys head off to school, I swing by the kitchen, sticking the meat in the oven to slowly roast. Elise used to use slow cookers, but we don’t have ones big enough; Alma showed me how she cooks the joints, so it works similarly to a slow cooker.
Miles and I then head into his room to watch Braveheart.
We quickly upload the new mate contracts that came in and set the camera feed up on the tablet so we can watch from the warmth.
We talk a little about Miles’ mates and I show him the photo Bram sent this morning which he gets flustered over before setting as his phone background, Miles is such a sweetie but I’m glad he’s not like the omegas in books that submits as soon as an Alpha walks in the room, he asks me to add a dragon claw to the bracelet I made him, that Bram gave to him and he also passed me a braid made from Bram, Dex and Levi's Hair/Fur but he was more shy of that one I just smiled and got it sorted so he could put it back on before anything got too uncomfortable.
Some guy comes over and tries to pull the projector screen over, kicking the supports and everything before he storms off towards the pack house and then we hear yelling, we just burst out laughing and text the guys on the group chat to check the feed, we didn't see who it was as his back was to the camera, but it wouldn't take a lot to find out.
Eventually, Miles pulls out his laptop and works on his college work; he decides to do online courses, so he isn't a lone Omega on campus. He goes in twice a month to discuss his work with his professors, and one of the guys goes with him, normally Trent or Xander.
“Did you get stuff done or just eat cookies in bed all day, kitten?” Brayden asks Miles, who blushes, so I smack Brayden’s arm,
“We got loads done”, I pass my sketch pad to Devin.
Miles is talking to Bray about one of his projects.
He wants to be a personal stylist when he graduates, but not just clothes; he wants to be someone you hire to give your closet and home a new lease of life.
He's also decided I’m going to be his test dummy 'joy’.
At lunch, I came down and got all the veg done, and some of the desserts, but Alma, who had done a stock take, cleaned her pantry and sorted her fresh herbs out, was bored, so she said she would do the grunt work, I head to the kitchen to show her how to do the Yorkshire pudding batter, but unfortunately she’s playing castle guard to the kitchen now the guys are home.
“Note to self, don’t have more than one access point to a kitchen when I get my own place” Trick and Bram are currently trying to quality check the desserts, and I just heard motorbikes, so it’s about to get worse.
Alma makes an exasperated noise as Pops and Paxton fill another doorway with the Hounds at their back, empowering my inner Nonna, I stand with my feet spread and hands on my hips.
“If anyone but me or Alma steps foot in this kitchen, they will get toast for dinner, not roast! Now go!” The hounds move like pups caught rolling in mud at Nonna’s old threat after all suffering through it in the past; Paxton double takes on their reaction, and 'smart lad’ he follows suit when he realises even Pops scampered.
Trick and Bram both grumble, then head out the door; I nod and then crack on with what I am doing; most of my favourite meals are bang it in and hope for the best, Yorkshire puddings, which is one of the few things I measure out.
I used equal parts Milk, all-purpose flour and eggs – so when it was just me, I would get 2 matching mugs, and put 3 medium eggs in one, then fill the flour in the second to the same level, pour the eggs into a big jug then fill the milk in the first cup to the same level as the flour then put them both in the jug, or if doing a big batch 1pint of milk, 1pint of flour and 1pint of eggs and mix until light and bubbly – you need all-purpose flour NOT what you use for cakes as they don’t puff up right.
Using a metal muffin tin, put a teaspoon of oil in the base of each hole, Elise liked using goose or duck fat and stick in the oven until the oil is sizzling ' this part you need to be quick but safe ' when the oil is hot enough, slide the shelf forward so you don’t take too much heat away half fill each hole with the batter, it will spit because of the oil and then put back in the over, my 3 egg batch took 30 minutes to cook on a medium heat in an electric oven but a bigger batch will take a bit longer, so I keep an eye on these, I have never cooked with a gas oven before or such a large batch, when they are brown and puffed up they are ready, take them out and repeat the process if you need more, which I do.
I made 48 and then stick another 12 in after a quick thought as I know what Trick is like, I pick one up tear it in half and then dunk it in the gravy and hand to Alma, she grabs another and repeats when I raise an eyebrow she just shushes me and says these will become a regular, then proceeds to correct my measurements as I learned from Elise who makes with British ones, I chuckle as Alma writes it all down step by step on a recipe card and files it away.