Hello there, February.
Some updates here and there. And some movie recs.
The start of the year (a goodbye)
January felt like an eternity…like a year. So much happened in just 31 days, and I’m left with still so many questions.
I said goodbye to a lovely friend this January. She fought hard for a very rough year, and STILL wanted to get together to do all the fun things. We’ll miss you so much Amy.
Losing someone close to you can make you almost manic. Immediately, I fell into a panicked state of needing to keep busy. I spent many nights with my best friends. We stayed up so late, talking about Amy, playing games, and honestly avoiding the opportunity to even process. I did not need sleep, because it wasn’t like I was going to function well at work the next day anyway.
Now that it’s February, and the sorting of books and apartment clearing and re-homing of cats have settled, I think it could be time to process. It just does not feel real. And I'm still in denial.
Time has no way to be fair. Time is just time. Here are some things time has taught me:
Take the stupid photos, no matter how much you hate it. Are your friends there? Capture their radiance and their energy. I am someone who practices living in the moment; however, I do understand the importance of photography.
The different perspectives that are shared around a photo complete the memory.
Another thing. A good friend is okay with being a little uncomfortable from time to time. If you can bend over backwards, bend just a little more.
Changes to accessing my recipes
Going forward, the Concha Emoji newsletter will be the only place I share new recipes. I will not renew my website, cakelambbakes.com, come 2025 (it’s too expensive, and the newsletter is much easier for me to manage right now).
I will be transferring recipes over from my website to the newsletter, and those will remain free. It’ll be so nice to have everything all in one place.
Offering recipes behind a paywall helps me out tremendously as well, considering recipe work takes up the majority of my free time. I love it immensely, but time is very precious.
Compensation for the work means so much to me. Thank you to everyone who has supported me!
Upcoming recipe work
I have a strong sense that cakes and cheesecakes will be big for me this year. I want to experiment with Burnt Basque Cheesecakes, as well as some classic layer cakes. I’m determined to rework and rebuild some of my old cake recipes from my cottage bakery days.
Speaking of cakes, it is King Cake season, y’all!
Bronwen Wyatt of Bayou Saint Cake was kind enough to email me updated versions of her king cake recipe, which included an assortment of new flavors. The two that I ended up making were the Funfetti (pastry cream, funfetti cake chunks and rainbow sprinkles) and Whole Wheat Honey Pretzel (classic cinnamon filling, lathered in butter and sprinkled with chunky sea salt and cinnamon sugar) variations.
Her King Cake class is available to purchase now through Mardi Gras, and I could not recommend it more.
Some things I watched recently
The Red Shoes ★★★★★
Had the pleasure of watching this on the big screen last month at the historic Texas Theatre. Not only are the visuals stunning, I am forever indebted to this film for inspiring what I think is one of Kate Bush’s greatest albums ever. The costumes, the dancing, the color RED. The vibrancy alone is what dreams are made of.
When Evil Lurks ★★★
TikTok Horror fans were raving about this movie, calling it “mean” and emphasizing the sheer brutality of the film. The movie doesn’t give the audience many moments to breathe or grieve; it is what everyone says. For an IFC horror film, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of gore. I don’t think you’re supposed to like any of the characters, either, making the film overall a bit dreadful (but in an enjoyable, horror way).
I love a sort of “tag, you’re it” horror movie trope, and this movie was just that. So much fun.
The Rose Tattoo ★★★
Burt Lancaster’s haircut in this movie is a crime, who did that man so dirty like that??
Sabrina the Teenage Witch ★★★
My first watch! Baby Ryan Reynolds! Who doesn’t love a coming-of-age witch story?
May December ★★★★
Thankfully, I was able to squeeze this one in before I lost access to Netflix (I refuse to pay for it). Charles Melton deserves much recognition for his performance. The way he portrays innocence and naivety is so well studied, and so heartbreaking. Film professors will break down his performance for years to come.
PS I made some updates to the aesthetic of the newsletter, I hope y'all like it! I'm a Libra Rising so aesthetic is kinda/sorta everything to me.
I often have this sense of romance about my baking and recipes, so I wanted to reflect that a little more in the newsletter.
Thank you for reading, and Happy New Year (so late, I know). <3
Loving the new banner!! 🐚