A watched pot

Alexithymiaa: -Noah was sitting at the kitchen table, his chair turned around to face the rest of the kitchen as he watched the baking happen. He was pretty set on not participating in anything other than the actual eating of the lemon bars. // Olivia was busy bustling around the kitchen, her hair pulled back into a very short ponytail and her sleeves rolled up. She was following a recipe they'd found online and printed off, aand waas busy measuring dry ingredients.-
Covet: Tae was feeling in a festive-ish spirit, not enough to be listening to that music, but she'd been able to get some shopping done today and was feeling pretty good. She had another mixing bowl and was getting the lemon curd part put together so it could be ready and waiting for after the pre-bake on the crust. "Noah, Can you put the butter in the microwave for your sister, she'll need that once she's got the flour and sugar measured out and it needs to be softened. "
Alexithymiaa: -He rolled his eyes, dragging himself up off his chair and walking over to the fridge to pull out a stick of butter. He knew better than to fight being asked to do things because Olivia had yelled at him twice since they started. Tossing the whole stick in its wrapping into the microwave, he hit the thirty second button and lingered there. "How long do they need to bake?" // Olivia finished measuring her ingredients into the bowl and set it aside, looking over at Tae and what she was doing. "Oh I love that smell. It's so fresh." She said with a smile before checking their recipe. "Twenty minutes."-
Covet: "Yes, I hope 2 lemons is going to be enough for the juice, but there's a bottle of concentrate in the fridge if we need to make it a little more tart." She said then looked in a couple of drawers before finding the cheese grater that had the zester plate on the one side, because she was gonna fancy this shit up a bit. That's just for the crust, then we have to put the lemon curd on, and it bakes for another twenty.
Alexithymiaa: "That's FORTY minutes of no lemon bars time." He said with a whine until the microwave beeped. Opening the door, he saw the puddle of butter on the inside of the microwave. "Uhhhhh.... do we have more butter?" // "Oh, I thought you just meant this part." She saaid, turning to look over at Noah and the completely melted butter on the inside of the microwave. "Come on, really? You had one job, bro. Yes, I bought a package of four sticks. Get another one and put it in for ten seconds and then check to see if it's soft enough."-
Covet: "But... get some paper towels and clean that one up first." She said then shook her head slowly at him with a heavy sigh, because she didn't think they'd have to hold his hand through all of this. "Forty minutes isn't even that long."
Alexithymiaa: "Well how was I supposed to know thirty seconds was too long? I thought it would be fine." He shot back, grumbling as he ripped off some paper towels to wipe off the inside of the microwave. Pitching them into the garbage, he grabbed another stick of butter from the fridge, tossing it into the microwave and setting it for ten seconds this time. // "Common sense." She replied, setting her bowl aside and walking to the fridge to get herself a bottle of water. "You know how long it takes to cook a turkey? Forty minutes is like an eighth of that."-
Covet: "Well you know now. But if you didn't know you could have asked. You don't HAVE to learn everything the hard way." Tae said as she started running the squeezed lemon rinds over the grater and into her bowl.
Alexithymiaa: -When the microwave beeped, he checked the softened butter, bringing it over to Olivia. "Nothing Ive ever used the microwave for took less than thirty seconds. Is this soft enough?" // Olivia looked down at the butter, giving it a poke with her finger. "Yes, but I only need half of that." Grabbing a knife, she cut the mushy stick in half and added it to her dry ingredients, beginning to cut it together.-
Covet: Tae took her whisk and started mixing all her ingredients togehter. "Okay, well for baking, you're going to be doing a lot of that. That's why reading the instructions are important."
Alexithymiaa: "I was asked to put the butter in the microwave to soften. I was not told how long to put it on for." He said, walking back over to his chair to drop down onto it again. // "You have a big mouth. You could have asked." After she finished cutting in the butter, she moved it over to the greased pan, beginning to press the moist crust into it.-
Covet: "Exactly my point." Tae said, holding up her wisk. "Noah get back in here, you can't learn when you can't even see what we're doing. If you refuse to follow recipe instructions the least you could do is learn from watching."
Alexithymiaa: "I never said I wanted to learn how to make lemon bars. I said I wanted to eat them. I want to learn how to make better cupcakes and cupcakes don't use butter so that's a useless skill." // Olivia finished pressing the crust into the pan and turned to slide it into the oven, setting the timer and then looking at her brother. "What kind of ass backwards rebutle was that?"-
Covet: "It's the same concept. Baking is baking, stop being argumentative for the sake of being contrary it's not only annoying but extremely unattractive." Tae said, using an exagerated tone byt the end of it."
Alexithymiaa: "A real one..." He muttered to his sister before getting all offended that she said he was being unattractive. Pushing up off the chair, he wandered over into the kitchen amongst them. "Fine I'm here, happy?" // "Not really." Olivia shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you need anything else for that, Tae?"-
Covet: "A little." She said with a shrug then held a couple of spoons out to them, "Yes, I need a taste test, does it need anything?"
Alexithymiaa: -Noah took the spook from her and dipped it into the mixture, bringing it up to his mouth to taste. He considered for a few seconds before nodding toward the fridge. "I think you should add that lemon juice and make it more tart. It's too sweet." // Olivia followed suit, tasting it and agreeing. "Just a little bit. I don't think it needs more than a quick squirt."-
Covet: "Yeah with the concentrate you definitely don't need much." She said then got into the fridge and got the lemon juice out giving the mixture another squirt, mixing it up again. "Okay see if that's good."
Alexithymiaa: -Dipping the spoon again into the mixture, he brought it to his mouth and nodded. "That's better. I think it could be more tart, but I guess it's fine the way it is." // Olivia took another taste as well, shaking her head. "Definitely no more. Any more tart and you'll get lemon face eating these bars. It's the perfect balance of sweet and sour."-
Covet: "It will seem more tart once it's cooked too. The egg and flour raw like this kind of messes with the flavor." Tae said then stuck the bowl in the fridge before looking at the timer for the crust.
Alexithymiaa: "Good. I like sour shit." he said as he leaned back against the counter, turning to also stare at the oven. "As soon as that comes out, we can do the second part, right? We don't have to wait for it to cool?" // "The recipe is right there on the counter. Why don't you go take a look and see what it says to do?" Olivia asked, giving him a nudge.-
Covet: "Well yeah they have to cool, otherwise that burn you got on your hand will be in your mouth." Tae said "But I can't remember how long. Enough for the lemon curd to set, though. We can probably pop it into the freezer to chill it fast if there is enough room."
Alexithymiaa: -He rolled his eyes and walked over to snatch the recipe off the counter, skimming it. "It doesnt say how long to let it cool for." // "Well they get firmer the longer you let them cool for, but the freezer is a good idea." She walked to the freezer, pulling it open and just seeing a mass of Hungry Man dinners. "Ugh, are these yours?"-
Covet: " The manchild Kid cuisines? Yes they are." Tae said with a laugh. "Though I have convinced him that there is better food at the cafe."
Alexithymiaa: "I'm trying to find if there's anything about my lifestyle you're not both going to shit all over." He said angrily, shoving the freezer door closed. // "I don't know how much better that is considering he doesnt have any money. Eating out all the time isn't healthy or cost effective. Learning how to grill a burger or bake a piece of chicken is." She shot a look a Noah, that older sister thing really coming through.-
Covet: "Hmmm... You're pretty good in bed?" She said then looked at Olivia, "Sorry TMI and totally not the point." Tae shook her head then looked at Noah, "Cooking on your own does tend to be cheaper, and the upside, you get more for your money too."
Alexithymiaa: -He started to grin because that was the one thing she could have said that would redeem all of the shit talking over the last week. "Oh yeah?" He asked her in a sly voice. "I don't want to handle raw meat. Not my job." // Olivia made a fucking face at Tae and then very quickly a face at Noah. "Ugh, please stop. Both of you." When the timer went off, she grabbed an oven mitt and pulled it open, removing the baked crust and setting the pan down.-
Covet: "Yeah." She said to Noah with a quick wink, then went on, "BUT It is your job, if you intend not to die on the ice from a heart attack or stroke because your blood pressure is too high from eating pre-packaged, pre-cooked food." Tae told him, then turned to get the lemon curd out, so they could put it on the half cooked crust.
Alexithymiaa: "I'm not going to have a heart attack or a stroke." He said quickly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I'm in good shape. I'm like the only type of person who can afford to eat shit." // "No one can afford to eat shit, Noah. That's why they call it eating shit." Watching Tae pour the mixture over the crust, she smiled. She was excited for lemon bars.-
Covet: "Yeah, eventually it will catch up to you. Nothing is forever Noah." Tae said with a laugh as she put the empty bowl into the dishwasher because fuck handwashing dishes. "Twenty more minutes. It's going to start smelling so good in here."
Alexithymiaa: "But I'm active. It's different for active people." He said matter of factly, sticking to his guns. // "Oh shut up, you sound ignorant." Olivia said as she picked up the pan and put it back into the oven, resetting the timer.-
Covet: "You're only as healthy as your lifestyle." Tae said leaning over the counter, staring at the oven because it ws getting closer now.
Alexithymiaa: "And my lifestyle is very healthy." He said with a grin, getting a little closer so he could also stare into it. It's not a tv, guys. // "Obviously not if you eat that garbage every day." She retorted, hopping up to sit on the counter. "You guys know what they say about a watched pot, right?"-
Covet: "Yeah those are soooo not healthy, look at how much sodium is in them." Tae said then looked at Olivia, "I actually don't..."
Alexithymiaa: "I'm fine." He wrote it off before standing up straight, shaking his head at Olivia. "That's not a real thing. Twenty minutes is twenty minutes regardless of whether or not I stare at it." // "A watched pot never boils." She filled Tae in. "It means things feel like they take longer when you're counting down to it and focusing on it."-
Covet: "Oh, that makes sense." Tae said "The perception feels longer than what it actually is. Cooking and baking is not the only thing that applies to." She laughed.
Alexithymiaa: "I still think it's bullshit." He mumbled, giving in and going to drop into his chair at the kitchen table. "I dont even know why im waiting. They still need to cool when they come out anyway. I probably cant have one until tomorrow." // "Exactly." She said to Tae, sliding off the counter to her feet. "At least if you go to bed, they'll be good to eat by the time you wake up?"-
Covet: "Hey, we're in college we can totally have lemon bars for breakfast." She said to Noah, even though they were just talking about healthy eating. "I don't have anything going on tomorrow until work, So I'm up until these are done. I'm not going to bed without one. I've waited too long already."
Alexithymiaa: "Well SOME of us have practice tomorrow and I'm already tired. So I'm not waiting another hour for them to come out and cool just to have one and go right to bed. But I sure as fuck am eating these for breakfast." He said with a grin, turning to head off into his room for the night. // Olivia watched him walk off. "I'll wait with you. I don't have anywhere else to be anyway. And maybe I'll take a nap on the couch when we're done." She said with a smile, continuing to linger around in the kitchen.-