Friday Bitch & Brag
October 6, 2023 Edition
Exclusive for paid subscribers: the Corinne Channel is a roundup of what I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to over the past week. This list will be included at the end of each Friday Bitch and Brag.
In case you missed an older Friday Bitch & Brag, you can check out the index here.
Gather round, kiddies!
Bitch: There were a couple cooking fails this week.
1. I bought some beautiful looking basil at the farmers market on Sunday, stuck it in a glass of water and put it in the fridge, only to have nearly the entire bunch go bad. So much for a breakfast of eggs, pesto, French white bread, and heirloom tomato.
2. I made a broccoli-cauliflower soup with basil and Parmesan from my favorite soup recipe book, but I blended the solids too long and while the soup still tasted very good, it was very ugly. I will spare you from looking at a photo.
Brag: I had a baking win with hummingbird cake cupcakes. The recipe from Southern Living made 24 cupcakes and I froze half of them. I’m still a bit puzzled as to why I had so much batter left over: I followed the directions carefully and I filled the cups 3/4 full as instructed. My solution for that problem when making cake, muffins, or quick bread is simple: spray the inside of a large mug with cooking spray (baking spray is great, too), pour in the leftover batter, and microwave on High for about 90 seconds (1 minute if there’s not much batter in the mug; closer to 2 minutes if the mug is pretty full). Remove from microwave and let the mug sit for a minute (if you can bear it) and voilà, you have a mug cake and you didn’t have to wait for the goodies to come out of the oven.
Bitch: I ordered a new pair of slippers from that online behemoth I won’t name, and they came yesterday without any extra packaging other than the manufacturer’s plastic bag packaging. Yay for no excess waste, but nay for nothing much to protect the slippers from getting damaged in transit. (The slippers are okay and on my feet as I type this.)
Brag: I am finally making the effort to clean my blue tea kettle, which I’ve had for years because I love how it adds a spot of color in the kitchen. I admit to being lax in cleaning and maintaining its royal blue enamel exterior, not to mention the interior.
Bonus Item: Pops and Mari are slowly becoming cat people, though Mari vehemently denies she likes Max the cat, even as she talks to him and buys him special bowls and treats and high quality cat food. I saw her pet Max last weekend and I nearly fell over in shock, but I did not say a word. I think it’s great for both of them to have a little furry buddy to entertain them and care for, even if he’s outdoor only and doesn’t come around all the time.
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Bitch: For more than a week, my left eyelid was swollen and puffy & I couldn’t figure out the reason, though my guess is allergies. What I don’t understand is why it was just the left eyelid and not the right, but I won’t complain about the lack of symmetry. Fortunately the swelling went away yesterday.
Brag: After several months of looking for work and a summer of tight finances, I reconnected with a former colleague/client/friend and I’ll be working for her and her slate of business ventures. I am THRILLED because we’ve worked well together in the past and I have such respect & admiration for what she does in the creative community.
And now for this week’s media wrap-up on The Corinne Channel: speculative fiction with shades of The Handmaid’s Tale, a 14-year-old Disney feature, reality TV disappoints me yet again, and totally tubular tunes!
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