Lord, the women you put on this Earth to look beautiful and bake cookies are having to wash dishes in their bathtub. Lord…
Y’all, my apartment management is a mess. I was without a properly draining kitchen sink for over two months. TWO MONTHS! I submitted several maintenance requests, I tried to fix it on my own, and I even had to resort to washing cereal bowls in my bathtub. (I know it’s gross!) Because of this, I did not want to be in the kitchen at all, and given that it was during peak holiday baking season, it was all very distressing. All I wanted to do was bake cookies and yet, there I was eating Pringles and baby carrots for dinner. ☹️
I do not like to complain, as I am very conflict-averse, but sometimes it really is the only way to get things done. Below was my final email to the property manager, the one that finally got a response. Please note the following format choices that I believe to be the winning combination:
The strategic use of italics, bolds and underlines to really convey emotion.
Utilizing colors to grab the reader’s attention. Red really gets the job done!
Backing up my claims with links. (Always cite your work!)
I got an immediate response (which did not include an apology, by the way) and a plumber was at my door two hours later.
January Book: Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between by Erin Jeanne McDowell
While I’m still mourning all of the holiday baking I did not get to do last year, I am excited to finally dive into Erin Jeanne McDowell’s newest book, Savory Baking. I really struggled with her pie recipes in the past (examples here and here), but I’m hoping to have better luck with this book. First up, the sun-dried tomato, goat cheese and walnut monkey bread (pg. 127). I really wanted to like it, especially since it took me an entire afternoon, but something wasn’t quite right about it. My theory is that my apartment was too cold to proof the dough and that I should’ve waited overnight to bake. 🤷🏻♀️
For breakfast one morning, I made the corn muffins (pg. 18) and Erin’s best bacon (pg. 44). For the bacon, Erin offers two ways to elevate – adding lots of black pepper and ceyenne or making it candied with a sprinking of brown sugar. I support both of these, but the candied bacon is such a game changer! If you’re ever hosting people at your house for breakfast, this will definitely impress. (Also, #TeamOvenBacon all the way.) The corn muffins aren’t anything to write home about but they are good and moist. That’s the most you can ask of a cornbread.
Thanks for reading, sweeties! 🍎
1. Love the whole sink debacle story. Great job embracing the power to complain and fantastic email! I'm so proud!
2. I am thinking you need to combine the two bacon recipes and add cayenne to the candied bacon. If you want to sample the idea, go to First Watch and order the "Millionaire Bacon." I want to drive to San Antonio to order some! (But I think it's a nationwide chain.)