Ideas, leg sleeve

Hi Josh, here’s some reference material.

The sun… I like this version that shows so much activity, including a solar flare.

Another option

Third option

Mercury is an ugly little planet, but it is what it is.

The image on the left is false color, I’d probably want to go with the monochromatic reality of the left image.

Venus.

Earth and the moon

For scale purposes, this is how big they are / distance:

Mars

Wouldn’t be mad if we could work in the ship Hermes from The Martian…

Saturn

Not sure what Saturn’s best angle is

Maybe from the back side is best?

Jupiter…

Jupiter’s got a ton of moons, but the four main ones are Europa:

Jupiter and Europa for scale:

Ganymede:

Here’s Jupiter and Ganymede for scale:

Feels like Discovery One from 2001 A Space Odyssey could be somewhere nearby.

Uranus

From The Expanse, The Ring is outside of Uranus’s orbit. A bit with the Rocinante decelerating (engine pointed towards the Ring) would be sweet.

Neptune

Pluto

Outside Pluto’s orbit… Voyager 1?

And because I’m a geek like that, it would be cool to have a small bit of Star Wars… was thinking something showing an X-Wing and the M-Falcon going after a couple of Tie Fighters.

Worth noting, I don’t want an all black leg.

The Milky Way should stretch across somewhere…

Another version of the Milky Way for inspiration

Nebula are awesome, yes?

Tarantula

Cats Eye Nebula

Or this comet:

Or this one

Andromeda needs to be included…

This is an optional galaxy:

Another galaxy (also optional)

Whirlpool Galaxy (from Hubble)

Sticky Buns

I use a bread machine, and this recipe is perfect for the dough setting.

Buns: Place these ingredients in the bread machine in this order:

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 package instant yeast (or 2.5 teaspoons)

Set machine to dough, note when it will finish, and be ready with your topping and filling when the dough is ready. Roll the dough into a roughly 12×15 rectangle and spread the filling ingredients (in order) on the dough:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of softened butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• at least 1 tablespoon cinnamon (I do it by feel and it seems to be around 3 tablespoons – do what your heart tells you).

Topping / caramel:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup pecans, chopped (optional: toasted – be careful, they go from being under-toasted to burnt in the blink of an eye)

Combine all but pecans in a saucepan over low heat and cook until sugar is completely incorporated (it will NOT be grainy). Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan, add pecans to baking pan, and pour the caramel over the pecans.

Roll your dough (along the 15 inch side) into a log, pinching the end seam shut. Cut into 12 equal buns, and place in baking pan on top of the caramel. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if desired. The first time I made this recipe I let the dough rise before refrigerating, next time I’ll try going straight to the refrigerator… I’m sure it’s good either way. If you refrigerate overnight, you’ll want to remove from the refrigerator half an our before baking, place in a warm space to finish rising. Here’s what mine looked like before they rose:

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

When you remove from the oven, place your serving tray upside down over the pan. Carefully flip everything over so the sticky buns release from the baking pan onto the serving tray.

Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe is Deb Perelman’s “favorite buttermilk biscuits” found on Smitten Kitchen. I’m presenting the measurements as “for one” (makes about three biscuits), “just right” and “a little bit extra.” Depending on how voracious your carbivores are, that little extra may be just what you need.

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Ingredient	for 1	just right	extra
flour option 1 (cups)	3/4 c	2 1/4 c	3 c
flour option 2 (grams)	95 g	280 g	375 g
sugar (tablespoons)	1/2 T	1 1/2 T	2 T
baking powder (teaspoons)	1 t	3 t	4 t
Salt (teaspoons)	1/4 t	3/4 t	1 t
Baking soda (teaspoons)	1/4 t	3/4 t	1 t
Butter (tablespoons)	3 T	9 T	12 T
Buttermilk (cups)	1/4 c	3/4 c	1 c

A couple notes:

I like to weigh flour instead of measuring in cups; both measurement options are presented here.

Butter should be unsalted, refrigerated, and cut into small pieces.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butter into roughly 1/2 inch cubes. Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Add butter, and using a pastry blender incorporate into flour mixture (I like this one from OXO). Work until butter is just incorporated, it should look like small pebbles. Do not overwork the dough.

Add the buttermilk. Using a rubber spatula, work the buttermilk until just barely incorporated. It’s important not to overwork the dough, as this would encourage the glutens in the flour to create longer chains, which will prevent your biscuits from rising. Press or roll the dough to about 1/2 inch flat and cut biscuits. Bake for 12-15 minutes… as soon as the start to get golden brown, it’s probably time to pull them. The butter fats will burn if left in too long.

Enjoy!

Danger Cookies

I’ll take some pictures the next time I make these. For now, this recipe is adapted from the one found at Stone Soup.

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter (room temperature), 150 grams or 2/3 cup
• Light brown sugar, 250 grams or 1 cup
• 1 egg
• Baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon
• Baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon
• Flour, 225 grams or 1 cup
• Dark chocolate chips, 1 cup
• Butterscotch chips, 1 cup
• Pecans (lightly toasted is best), 1/2 cup
• Maldon salt flakes

I use a stand mixer; you can use whatever tools that you like (hand mixer, food processor, strong arm and a whisk).

Using paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, baking soda and flour. Add flour mixture to stand mixer and stir together on the lowest setting until just combined. Add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and pecans. Separate cookie dough into ten equal pieces and roll into balls. Refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes (I like an hour here).

Before placing them in the oven, I sprinkle Maldon salt flakes on top. Note: they’re going to spread out quite a bit, so leave plenty of room between the cookies. Bake on parchment paper at 350 degrees. Bake for 18 minutes or so until cookies are golden brown, then allow them to cool on the tray.

I’ve modified the original recipe to my tastes. Here’s the original recipe from in its video format from Jules Clancy.

Crispy Chicken with Lemon Sauce

This dish was inspired by Rao’s restaurant in New York and re-imagined by America’s Test Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salt (to brine chicken)
• 3 pounds bone in, skin on chicken
• vegetable oil (I recommend grape seed or avocado oil as it has a high heat tolerance)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• the zest and juice of two lemons (~4 teaspoons zest & half a cup of juice)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves (or 1 teaspoon dry)
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dry)

Let’s talk chicken first. You can either break down a whole chicken or buy chicken pieces. We’ve made this with just chicken quarters. If you use a whole chicken, be careful with the wings that you don’t overcook them. For what it’s worth, the next time I make this I plan on starting with bone-in chicken thighs, and deboning them before I cook. If you use a whole chicken, I recommend cutting the breasts in half. In these directions, I’ll assume you have two breasts, halved, two thighs, and two legs.

Combine salt with a couple quarts of cold water and brine the chicken for 30-60 minutes. If you leave it on the countertop, add some ice to retain its temperature. Remove from water and dry with paper towels, or allow the chicken to dry on a wire rack.

Heat one teaspoon oil in a high walled skillet until just below its smoking point, and add chicken, skin side down, for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove breast pieces, and flip thighs and legs. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour off and discard oil from pan. Add butter, minced shallot, and minced garlic, and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk thoroughly. Cook until flour is lightly browned, then add chicken stock and lemon juice. Cook for two to three minutes, then add most of your lemon zest (save 1 teaspoon for later).

If you’re using a large enough oven safe pan, you can add the chicken to the sauce (skin side up) and place it in the oven. Otherwise, choose a large enough cooking dish, and pour every bit of the sauce into the tray. Scrape the pan, this stuff is amazing. You want it all. Place in oven and roast for 10-12 minutes. Breasts should be at 160 degrees, thighs and legs at 175 degrees.

While the chicken cooks, chop the parsley, oregano, and remaining teaspoon of lemon zest together until well combined and finely minced.

When the chicken is done, remove from oven and place chicken on a serving platter. If you’ve used a separate pan, use a rubber spatula to return all the sauce to your skillet. There are likely little bits of chicken stuck to the pan, and that’s great flavor for your sauce. Deglaze the cooking dish with a little bit of chicken stock or dry white wine, and get all those delicious bits into your skillet with your sauce. Add 3/4 of your herb mixture to the sauce and stir. Simmer very low for about five minutes.

At this point, it’s time to serve. Sprinkle the remaining herb mixture on top of the chicken, and place the lemon sauce in a pitcher suitable for passing at the table. This dish can be served over egg noodles or rice, or next to boiled potatoes… whatever makes your heart happy.

Dinner Rolls

Original source: Smitten Kitchen

• 1 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (diced small)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (we use Diamond) – halve this if not kosher
• 1 package instant yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)

Bread machine: place ingredients in the order displayed in the bread machine and select the dough setting.

Stand mixer: whisk everything but flour together and place in stand mixer with dough hook, knead on low speed for about two minutes until everything is incorporated, then increase to medium for 8 minutes.

Either method: the dough will be sticky. When complete, placed in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. If you’re preparing for today, let the dough rise until doubled, a couple hours. I like to make the dough the day before and refrigerate… your yeast will develop slowly and have better flavor.

I really like USA Pan’s baking supplies, here’s a link to the pan I use. This recipe is optimized for a 9×13 pan. You can cut the rolls into 24 pieces (and arrange them in a 4×6 pattern) or 20 pieces for a slightly larger roll (4×5). The important thing is your rolls are roughly the same size. You don’t have to be like me and weigh your dough before separating it into equally weighted pieces to the nearest gram… but your rolls will be more uniform if you do. Roll them by hand to a smooth, consistent sphere like shape.

Bump up the flavor of your rolls: melt a couple tablespoons of salted butter in a skillet, then coat the rolls with melted butter as you arrange them in the 9×13 baking pan. I tilt the pan to one side, and roll the dough in the side of the pan that doesn’t have the melted butter in it to lightly coat the rolls. Arrange the dough in the pan as described above, then allow the dough to rise again. I like to sprinkle Maldon salt flakes on top of the rolls after they rise to give them a little more punch.

Bake at 400° Fahrenheit until the tops are golden brown; 10 to 14 minutes, and serve warm.

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