Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
What I ate last week. Ranked #182 in food podcasts in Mexico according to an email I just got.
NEWS & UPDATES
I keep getting muscle milk ads and I have to say I can’t believe it is still around. I was howling when I first encountered a product called muscle milk circa 2008
Speaking of Chinese places next to Food Lions, Chinese take out places here don’t have sesame / peanut noodles on the menu like in the northeast.
Wegman’s has rainbow cookies; King’s red and white has a lot of local products
https://www.wtae.com/article/pennsylvania-missing-little-debbie-fraud-case/73283241
I was trying to think of what trending fat cookies look like: a fist that wants to punch you in your mouth
Fruit update: aprium best texture, flavor, tartness
Scrolling the NYT app this week looking for recipes when it occurred to me: should I specialize like a good restaurant instead of trying different recipes all the damn time? Mostly corn recipes. Then this came up, which Brian’s mom made once for a vegetarian guest and it turned into a tray of water. User error I think. Really oven error. Brian’s mom generally has a rule that she told me that she won’t cook special meals for guests. Everyone has to eat what is made. She made this as an exception because the guests had just lost their father. Reminds me of the time someone visited and needed three different meals created. If I have guests I’ll make a meal based on the strictest diet of the bunch and then everyone has to eat that, with consideration for any allergies or strong dislikes, of course. This recipe looks good but in reality could become a soggy mess if you’re not used to roasting a whole different bunch of vegetables together. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021277-sheet-pan-baked-feta-with-broccolini-tomatoes-and-lemon?unlocked_article_code=1.1VA.dMLP._UBKVr3UXeeJ&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
The faculty member who keeps recommending me things to watch on Netflix like eat pray love. Next time he asks me if I have Netflix (he’s asked multiple times at this point) I’m going to say no. I’m going to make him a letterbox account that he doesn’t know about and add the movies he recommends me. He went on a beach trip with his family last week and left early because the beach was too loud.
Thinking about the Broma Bakery vanilla cake I made and how it compares to the King Arthur sour cream coffee cake, which was super light and fluffy. Basically the same recipe except KA uses more flour and buttermilk compared to a halved Broma recipe.
KA uses 2 cups or 240g flour compared to Broma 1.5 or 180g of cake flour; KA uses full cup of buttermilk compared to Broma 2/3c .
I might honestly just use the KA recipe moving forward; I think the extra flour gives it a dry fluffiness that I’m looking for. I would just add vanilla because the KA cake only adds vanilla to the streusel.
Plus sub half oil
SCENTS
Gap rerelease
Trudon Deux
Official description: https://trudon.com/us_en/deaux-perfume-100ml.html
My blind review: Walking through a garden center, shredded lettuce, standing in line behind someone who smokes menthols, watery grocery store tomatoes, winterfresh gum, peppery tropical plants, cold water
This was refreshing! Finally something that intrigues me.
INTERNET
Google Maps
Geothermal bakery which I tried to pitch in New Mexico https://maps.app.goo.gl/65TSnbDg9gRUmRzn6?g_st=ic
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qU8rhmTcruSRiHwx6?g_st=ic
Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/1v9wpez/tifu_and_was_crapping_orange_wax_from_david/
https://www.cracked.com/article_28476_the-potato-chip-that-destroyed-bowels-america.html
most 10-year-olds would indeed be a little alarmed to observe a parent suddenly crap their pants so hard the car's airbag goes off
TIKTOK
The Harris teeter bar in charlotte has its own TikTok: teeter_tavern
Ellen degeneres cheese grater https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8tsYCoT/
ED (erectile disfunction) by Ellen Degeneres
Google’s AI overview that you can’t avoid now claimed that this was a hoax but it’s definitely real. Confirmed via searching for products on ebay, of which there are many random products available, like holiday bowls and tweed jackets, plus wikipedia page with citations.
DeGeneres launched her lifestyle brand under the name ED by Ellen in the summer of 2015. After her initial collections, the brand name then changed to ED Ellen DeGeneres to incorporate the licensed arm of her brand. The collection includes apparel, shoe, accessory, pet, baby and home items. DeGeneres's dog collection at PetSmart was launched in February 2017,and a cat line was introduced later that year.
Fried red tomatoes; great the next day https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8tbH158/
Fermented mayo https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8tG1Yyj/
Squishy cakes https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8neJ7FF/
July 27, 2026 (Monday)
8am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
9:30am: Leftover panang curry over rice.
1pm: A slice of vanilla cake and a bottle of Health-Ade cayenne kombucha.
3pm: Vietnamese chicken salad, made at home.
5:30pm: Tavern cheese pizza with onions and Texas Pete garlic hot sauce, made at home.
6:30pm: A slice of vanilla cake.
Vietnamese congee and chicken salad https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8t9XFWf/
Perfect way to use up the three whole chickens I have in the fridge
Gỏi gà (chicken salad)
- Cabbage
- Cilantro
- Chicken (tossed with ginger scallion oil, salt, & pepper)
- Vinegar onions (yellow onion, salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar)
- Sambal (chili paste)
- Fish sauce
I didn’t have cilantro (FOR SAFETY); I didn’t have ginger scallion oil so subbed S&B chili oil with crunchy garlic, subbed sriracha for sambal, used vegan pineapple fish sauce. This was pretty good. Idk if I would make this again. I love mayonnaise.
Tavern pizza (Dave’s Pizza Oven)
182g bread flour
7.5g cornmeal (4%)
1g instant yeast (.5%)
4g salt (2.1%)
2g sugar (1%)
95g water (90°) (50%)
15g olive oil (8%)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0piTZs4ZHOA
Made it on Saturday, rolled out and docked to about 13” even though the dough does 14-16”, but I don’t have a pizza stone large enough, and cured it in the fridge on Sunday, baked on Monday
12” was thin enough. Can’t imagine doing 16. Baked at 500 for about 12 minutes. Was 8-10 but mine was thicker so I baked for longer. Topped with parm. Tastes like a home run inn frozen pizza or a giant cheezit. We ate the whole thing.
July 28, 2026 (Tuesday)
8:30am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
9:30am: Leftover panang curry over rice.
12:30pm: A pour of Health-Ade blood orange, carrot, and ginger kombucha.
1:30pm: A slice of vanilla cake
5pm: Udon noodles and baby bok choy in chicken stock, made at home.
6:30pm: A chocolate chip cookie, made at home.
Added an S&B japanese seasoning and soup mix to fresh chicken stock and it tasted like eating Cheetos in the way that the taste of msg haunted me when I was little for years until I figured out that what I was craving was Cheetos. I would watch a clip from Winnie the Pooh where these crows would eat cheese puffs and it would make my mouth salivate in this way that I didn’t understand; it wasn’t cheese flavor that I was craving but I didn’t know what it was.
Riyana on tiktok which has 1m likes despite not having accurate recipe measurements https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8tb68en/; deciding between this and another chocolate chip cookie recipe that would recreate the grocery store style, soft chocolate chip cookies from my school cafeteria. I want it to be lustrous like a greasy potato chip, not matte, and these looked perfect, so I decided it was worth the gamble to make a random tiktok recipe without accurate flour measurements. My sisters chose this one based on the flatness compared to the other recipe’s slight height.
113g melted butter
1/2c light brown sugar
1/4c sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
1c flour
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
Dough was super wet. After a 2 hour rest in the fridge it set up and I baked off four cookies; these spread way too much; needed a longer rest. Or, need a more accurate flour measurement than by cup because maybe mine didn’t have enough flour. Reminded me of the time I confused ¼ cup of butter for ¼ pound of butter and my cookies spread out into a giant sheet of paper from all the butter. I generally avoid melted butter chocolate chip cookie recipes because they spread so much in my experience. I remember when my mom got into melted butter chocolate chip cookies in the late 90s / early 2000s and they made me mad; I do not like this style of cookie. I want a fat but flat cookie that is soft all the way through, but not cakey. Fortunately I only baked off 4 cookies so I can try baking the rest off after a longer hydration period. Added a little more flour and let the rest set up for longer.
July 29, 2026 (Wednesday)
7am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
9:30am: A bacon, egg, and cheese wrap from Whole Foods and a can of Stumptown Cold Brew Delight with creamer.
Cake room: NYT Cooking Page-a-Day calendar recipes for No-Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Salad Pizza With White Beans and Parmesan, Seared Chicken Thighs With Cherry Tomatoes and Olives, Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Wings, and Bacon, Egg and Cheese Fried Rice.
1pm: A cup of coffee with creamer at the office.
4pm: Back to Nature white cheddar cheezy crackers and a pour of Health-Ade blood orange, carrot, and ginger kombucha.
7pm: Panang curry with pork, tofu, broccoli, and Thai basil over basmati rice, made at home.
8:30pm: Tony’s white chocolate.
I remember the WF breakfast burritos being better the last time I had one in Chicago like 5 years ago or so. This was kind of sloppy and wet with nasty, fatty bacon. Should have gone with the potato. Don’t tell Brian I ate this. He can’t stand WF pre-made food after working there for years on end and eating it which I get.
Almost ate the whole box of these white cheddar crackers. As good as the cheezit version.
Baked off a single cookie that had some cake flour and a touch of baking powder added. Rolled into a tight ball this time then onto a sheet pan and into the chest freezer for 40 minutes or so. A lot better this time but still spread more than I prefer. I want a hockey puck shape but thinner. Added more flour and let set overnight. I wonder if my baking soda is old. I wish I still had the pies n thighs chocolate chip cookie recipe because they were so soft in the inside.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
July 30, 2026 (Thursday)
8am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
9am: Leftover panang curry over rice.
12pm: Back to Nature white cheddar cheezy crackers, a bottle of Health-Ade lemon ginger kombucha, and a chocolate chip cookie, made at home.
6:30pm: Greek moussaka, made at home.
7:30pm: Chocolate chip cookies.
Baked off another cookie after rolling it and sticking it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. It look 18 minutes and was more of what I was looking for. The flour helped. Not 100% there but remarkably better than before.
Potato salad for a potluck at Brian’s work
Potatoes, boiled per Kenji with salt, vinegar, and sugar, then put onto a sheet tray to cool with more vinegar
Duke’s mayonnaise, grainy mustard, jammy boiled eggs, a ton of chives, diced homemade pickled jalapenos, apple cider vinegar, grated garlic cloves, garlic powder, salt and pepper
The potatoes sort of formed a skin as they cooled on the sheet tray. I kept having the urge to shake them in the pot as you do before you fry potatoes so that they are all nice and craggy. In retrospect, I should’ve done this because I do like that sort of more cohesive slightly mashed potato salad rather than diced potatoes tossed in a white sauce.
Insanely my NYT Cooking app widget then displayed a recipe for pepperoncini potato salad which is almost exactly what I made except they used tahini and parsley. Avoiding parsley for safety.
Greek moussaka – same as last time except didn’t have zucchini which was sorely missed. Added a bit of freshness.
Guittard chocolate chip cookies were great after resting. Milk chocolate chips were good but would go back to semisweet. They got kind of dry on the outsides. My cat liked the cookie and tried to eat Brian’s.
July 31, 2026 (Friday)
8:30am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
9:30am: Leftover panang curry over rice.
12:30pm: Leftover panang curry over rice.
2pm: A chocolate chip cookie, made at home.
6pm: Udon noodles in chicken stock with S&B japanese soup mix and seasoning.
7pm: Chocolate chip cookies.
Another tiktok chocolate chip cookie recipe by Bri Hines; this is the other recipe that my sisters did not choose, but they look like perfect grocery store or entenmans cookies to me. I saw a similar recipe that had a package of vanilla pudding mix added, but they came out sort of domed and puffy and matte instead of glimmering with fat. With over 750k likes and slightly more accurate measurements, Perfect Chocolate chip cookies https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8t9VuF6/
1 softened stick butter
1/2c white sugar
1/4c packed brown sugar
1 egg (don’t over mix)
1tsp vanilla
1.5c AP flour
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
3/4c chocolate chips
350 for 9-11 minutes, no chill time, leave on hot pan for 30 minutes
These were good and I was shocked they worked without any chill time. I think I liked the other cookie better probably because I added more salt to the batter, plus more brown sugar, but still a good option. I would make it again, but with a lot more chocolate chips and especially semi sweet chocolate chips. I would also cream the butter less than I did because I whipped the butter and sugars together maybe a little too much compared to what the video was doing. Also try half oil
August 1, 2026 (Saturday)
8am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
10:30am: A cold brew with half & half from Liturgy Beverage Company in Durham, North Carolina.
11:30am: A Doritos walking taco and cheese curds from Cook Out in Creedmoor, North Carolina.
2:30pm: Two chocolate chip cookies.
7pm: Soft boiled egg, potato, and ham gratin, made at home, and two glasses of KLOSTER NEUSTIFT ABBAZIA DI NOVACELLA Kerner.
I went all the way to my least favorite place, the farmers market, where people love to stand in huddles and move at a glacial pace to get the sprouted flour from red tail, and the person in front of me bought the last bag
Fosters coffee had an insane line so I simply walked Nextdoor into the food hall and immediately got a coffee from a coffee shop that sometimes serves Heart. I was wondering if they were super Christian because of their name and maybe that’s why nobody wanted to buy coffee from them in 2026 Durham but I remembered that only a few minutes prior a couple blasting the most aggressively Christian hyper pop on bicycle speakers rolled up to the farmers market so they are def out there.
Buttered individual gratin dish, leftover cooked potatoes, seared Niman Ranch applewood smoked uncured ham steak, soft boiled eggs, leftover bechamel, thinly sliced cheddar, chives
Delicious Eggs Gratin with Ham and Bechamel Sauce | Jacques Pépin Cooking at Home | KQED
https://www.skurnik.com/sku/kerner-abbazia-di-novacella-3-2-2-2-4-2-2-2-2-2-2/
August 2, 2026 (Sunday)
8am: Counter Culture coffee with half & half, made at home.
9:30am: Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and salted Danish butter, and North Country applewood smoked bacon, made at home.
1:30pm: Two chocolate chip cookies.
5:30pm: Sanmaruko fried vegetable croquettes with Bull Dog tonkatsu sauce, baby bok choy and cabbage slaw, and leftover basmati rice, made at home.
North Country bacon was buy one get one. This was great bacon, actually.
Buttermilk Pancakes without eggs: did a wacky cake version of the Alison Roman perfect buttermilk pancake recipe because I ate all the eggs. Two packs of bacon, no eggs
1 cup of flour (mostly AP, 2 TB cake flour, 1/4c freshly milled hard white wheat)
1.5TB sugar
3/4tsp baking powder
3/4tsp baking soda
Heaping 1/2tsp diamond crystal kosher salt
Heaping 1.25c buttermilk (to account for no egg)
1.5TB oil (felt dumb to melt 1.5TB butter, but oil is very wacky cake)
Let set up for 30 minutes at room temp while also bringing salted butter and maple syrup to room temp for serving
felt denser than usual but still pretty good
Tried to get a question but they aren’t available in my area
Never had raw bok choy before. Sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder. Let the water come out and then salted again and touch of sesame oil.
Honorable Mentions
NYT black & white cookies
NYT crumb cake
KA blueberry buckle
Wacky cake with mayonnaise
Iambaker / cupcake project vanilla cake
KA sour cream coffee cake but with Preppy Kitchen vanilla buttercream
Chocolate chip cookies
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
https://www.afamilyfeast.com/copycat-entenmanns-chocolate-chip-cookies/
South shore bar pizza
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8ndDN55/
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/south-shore-bar-pizza-recipe