Comic inspired recipes, fashion how-tos, and advice for everyday living from our contributors all can be found in the Lifestyle category on WWAC. Here are a few examples of the goodness that awaits you:
Cook Your Comics: Loki’s Salmon, Peppers, and Mustard Mash, January 21, 2015,
I love it when comic books contain actual recipes. It’s the intersection of two of my very favorite things. So when I read Loki: Agent of Asgard #4 and the narration described a dinner Loki cooked for a friend, I knew instantly that I was going to try making it. And now I have.
As you can see, it wasn’t a fully detailed recipe, but it was enough to get me started. I’d never heard of “mustard mash” before, but a quick Google revealed that it’s mashed potatoes with mustard mixed in, preferably whole-grain mustard. It sounded great, and I can’t believe it never occurred to me to try that before. It seems to be a fairly common dish in the UK, but it hasn’t made its way to the US…until now.
I examined a number of mustard mash recipes, but none of them included the mayo called for in the comic. Most recipes called for butter, milk or cream, and whole grain mustard. I wasn’t sure if the mayonnaise should be added with everything else, or instead of one of the other ingredients. I had a hunch it would replace the butter, since they both provide fat (the world’s leading source of deliciousness), but I wasn’t sure. So I did what any comic-reading cook would: I reached out to Loki writer Al Ewing on Twitter.
Ewing was completely lovely and helpful when I asked, and explained his whole mustard mash recipe to me so we can all enjoy it. Thank you, sir! Our household verdict is that your mustard mash is magically delicious.
Incidentally, Loki: Agent of Asgard is a series I like a lot. Ewing is doing a great job producing a fun comic that is always on the verge of heartbreaking, and artist Lee Garbett and colorist Nolan Woodard make it a treat to look at. You should check it out, and not just because one time Loki briefly turned himself into this unicorn, as if trying to appeal specifically to my eight-year-old self. (My 38-year-old self is also down with it.) READ MORE
Fail Better: Why You Should Start Cooking, January 26, 2015,
Now, I’m not talking the kind of cooking where you pop some Kraft Mac & Cheese in the microwave (as delicious as it may be). No, I mean the kind that requires the use of a knife or two, maybe the stovetop or oven. But, does the idea of busting out the knives and turning on the oven make you cringe? Well, here’s a list, because lists are persuasive:
- Creativity – Cooking is creative, and the more experience you get, the more creative you can be (or sometimes it just happens by accident which is really fun). Don’t have a certain ingredient? Substitute it. Got something about to go bad? Tweak your recipe around that. I had oranges that REALLY needed to be used up so I tweaked these two doughnut recipes into orange doughnuts by creating an orange sugarand creating a dark chocolate glaze because dark chocolate and orange = yum:
Orange doughnuts with dark chocolate glaze
Necessity is the mother of invention they say. Annie Bulloch uses comics as her creative inspiration in our Cook Your Comics feature. Also, cocktails.
- Money – Even using quality ingredients, cooking at home costs way less than eating out on a regular basis.
- Ego – Seriously, it feels awesome to be able to whip up some food and people are always so impressed. I’ve really worked on honing my baking skills and now can bake without recipes and even create my own recipes (more to come on that!), it feels so good to be able to do that.
- Yummy – Um, because food is yummy. I think that whole ego thing makes it taste better, too.
I didn’t really cook regularly until about three years ago when my course director from grad school gave me Joy the Baker’s 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes. But since then I have become obsessed, and I still eat out too much! Regardless, here are some of my own personal tips that helped me venture into cooking: READ MORE
Magical Make-Up and Lighting Tips for Girls on Films, January 30, 2015,
We have some big things underway at WWAC! Some of them require us to play a little dress-up. While discussing some tips for looking your best on camera, we decided we would share the knowledge and seek some more. Got any additional tips, share in the comments below!
Ginnis
The perfect vintage red lip!
- Apply chapstick.
- Lightly dust your lips with face powder.
- Apply your favorite color of red. (I love Smashbox’s Be Legendary.)
- Blot.
- Reapply.
And bam a red lip that stays put, no bleeding or getting on your teeth. Now could someone please tell me how to apply fake eyelashes without glueing my eyelids shut?!
Annie
If you like to wear more makeup, go for it. But if that’s not your usual thing, it might make you uncomfortable on camera. It is possible to look fine on video without putting on a huge amount of makeup. In fact, if you put on a lot, and you’re not used to doing that, it may not have the effect you want. I have very sensitive skin and am allergic to a lot of makeup, so I tend to go minimal most of the time. If you put on some basic eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick, plus powder to make yourself not-shiny, you’ll probably be fine. If you like, you can give your eyes some definition and add a little lip color.
Soft, even light will help minimize dark under-eye circles (lucky for me). You don’t want harsh shadows unless you’re telling a ghost story. READ MORE
Happy Weekend!
