March Movie Dump, Reads & Other Things

A gathering of thoughts and opinions.

Happy Spring and Happy Pre-Eclipse 2024!

My birthday happened in March. My friends and I stayed in a cabin in Broken Bow, OK and we did some fun things for the weekend (karaoke + watched way too much 90 Day Fiancé). We also went outside!

The theme this year was Café, inspired by a TikTok I saw of someone hosting a personal café in their apartment for their friends.

So, for the weekend, we ran a coffee shop called Squatch Bros. (Broken Bow is really into the Sasquatch aesthetic, have y’all seen Gasquatch?).

Crookiessss…

We listened to some jams, made some drinks, and I was gifted the cutest mini panaderia and crochet concha (my friends are literal angels).

Highly recommend hosting a café party with your friends! I also highly recommend having friends.

Favorite reads/listens this month:

Teresa Finney’s essay series on Internet Recipe Culture

I love the essay A Digital Deluge of Recipes by Teresa Finney (At Heart Panadería) so much, and it couldn’t have been more timely for me, personally. As someone who does not do recipe work full-time (yet), the pressure and struggle to write more recipes quickly to remain relevant is constantly looming over me.

Teresa reminds us of the foundation of sharing recipes and it’s purpose; to connect and educate in an environment that is constructive and supportive of detailed recipe work. In order to put out a quality recipe, you must put in quality testing, research and writing. There's a lot of trust that is put into the process, the writer and the home baker.

For me, a recipe usually takes at least 2 month’s worth of testing before I even consider putting it out there for y’all. 9 times out of 10, the recipe is testing ME.

As recipe developers, we want you to thrive in your home kitchen. I sometimes lose sleep when someone tells me they didn’t have success with one of my recipes because all I can think about is the money they put into gathering ingredients, all the time spent, etc. only for it to flop??? It happens, and it SUCKS.

This is why I share written recipes versus recipes in video format, such as TikTok or Instagram Reels. There are too many things to say about a recipe, too many tips to share, and honestly so much culture that cannot be captured in a 60 second video.

Teresa Finney is an Atlanta based baker, recipe developer and writer. Her garden cakes, conchas and masa harina based pastries and treats are something to be appreciated as often as possible.

Kitchen Tape Podcast

Kitchen Tape is a podcast by Rose Wilde (EAT MORE) and Kassie Mendieta (bake chats), two LA based recipe developers and pastry pioneers.

I reference Kassie in my newsletter often because she has been an integral source for a lot of my baking education. I’ve learned so much about baking technique (both fundamental and aesthetic), flavor experimentation and ultimate use of ingredients from her.

The Kitchen Tape podcast highlights guests from a variety of culinary backgrounds, breaks down recipe development processes (which I loooove) and explores food trends and hot culinary takes, along with the occasional Q&A.

It’s a very good time.

Beach House - Once Twice Melody (2022)

I downloaded this album when it first came out and listened to a few songs, but never fully through. Now I’m finally making my way back to it, and it’s exactly what I love about Beach House. They never sound quite the same as the previous album. Each song plays as if it has it’s own soul (an old soul, too. one that predates all of it’s listeners and beyond). And the soul of one song is connected to another song’s soul, and another, and another…it’s hard to explain. The way their music sounds is what I imagine sorcery actually looks like…feels like.

They must be a cult or something??

Beyoncé - COWBOY CARTER (2024)

I mean…DUH! RIVERDANCE???

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Some Movies I Have Watched Recently

Love With the Proper Stranger (1963) ★★★★★

It’s wild to me that no one really talks about this movie (probably because it's OLD). Two strangers (Steven McQueen and Natalie Wood) meet again after a night in the mountains, but this time under stressful circumstances (she’s pregnant). They do not want to be married (gasp) AND…they don’t even LIKE each other (at first).

But of course, their destinies are intertwined.

Add in an overly protective gang of nosey older brothers, an amusingly awkward outside “love” interest, and the BEST on screen kiss I’ve seen…ever (?), and you’ve got yourself the blueprint for one of the best romantic comedies.

From Here to Eternity (1953) ★★★★

I will probably never watch this movie again for a variety of reasons, but I am thrilled to announce I finally watched the movie with the infamous beach kiss scene. You know the one.

Trapeze (1956) ★★★★

A love triangle between trapeze artists. Do I even need to say anything else?

Burt Lancaster performs his own stunts, playing an injured tent pitcher post his flier glory days (after an accident ended his career). He reluctantly becomes a catcher for an ambitious new flyer named Tino (they become besties), who has eyes for ANOTHER trapeze artist named Lola. The trio decide to work together on a trapeze act and, well…things get real messy after that.

There’s also this incredible mid-aerial stunt kiss. Love, betrayal and lies under a circus tent is what I live for.

Wonka (2023) ★★★

Okay here me out. It’s NOT BAD. I actually thought the movie was very sweet. If you enjoy the Paddington movies or aesthetic, and you have a genuine appreciation for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (plus, there’s a sweet little side story that is so reminiscent of Matilda I could cry just thinking about it), I truly think you will enjoy this movie.

Past Lives ★★★★

I held my emotions together until the very end of the very last scene. I can’t say any other movie has made me sob (quite literally) like Past Lives. As someone who has been privileged to have never felt any sort of intense longing for a past love (or a person in general), DAMN this movie will make you feel like you have. You will feel it all.

Priscilla ★★★

Jacob eLORDi.

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral ★

NSFW.

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You may have noticed I’ve already begun transferring recipes over from my website. As I make this transition, there’s a possibility some small changes and updates will be made to the recipes. All I can ask for is a little trust. <3

I haven’t done anything major yet, but any changes I do make will be noted at the top of the recipe with a date (along with some photography updates because aesthetic).

Thanks for reading! I'll be back with some cake recipes real soon. Until then, enjoy a lil’ Nutmeg.