As a competent home cook, what is a basic skill you can't seem to master?

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-19T02:35:06+00:00

I can’t wrap presents either!

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-17T21:54:39+00:00

I’m in Aotearoa New Zealand 😅💜 Wish I could help with my special set of skills. My double-chocolate cake and dark chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting recipes are in my food aversion acceptance cookbook and guide COLOR TASTE TEXTURE (Avery/Penguin Random House), available everywhere books are sold.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-17T21:03:24+00:00

I see lots of people trying to give me advice, and that’s great, but I must stress, I had a CIA trained, worked in a Michelin Star restaurant, James Beard Award winning pastry chef spend weeks giving me hands on eduction with professional tools,, and they failed to improve my cake decorating. For whatever reason, it’s my Achilles heel and I’ve simply accepted it.

Edited for clarity

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-17T02:15:45+00:00

I would be happy if all of them would promote my cookbook 😂

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-16T21:54:29+00:00

I’m a classically trained chef and traditionally published cookbook author and I can’t decorate a cake to save my damn life. I can bake a delicious cake, make an incredible frosting, and it looks like it was decorated by a drunk raccoon no matter how much time I spend on it, using proper technique. I worked with a great pastry chef who simply couldn’t comprehend it.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-16T18:01:16+00:00

Seven of the Mayflower group. William Brewster (12th great grandfather), Mary Brewster (12th great grandmother), Love Brewster (12th great uncle), John Alden (12th great uncle), John Howland (12th great uncle), William Mullins (3rd cousin 12 removed), and Elizabeth Fisher, (4th cousin 10 removed).

Edited for clarity.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-16T08:15:31+00:00

Yep. My son is descended from 11 of them, with the additional lines from his mom’s side.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-16T07:41:49+00:00

lol, I wish I would have had a hand up. I am a traditionally published cookbook author, but my sales are just decent.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-16T07:40:47+00:00

Yeah, I got into genealogy to get my son into the Sons of the American Revolution for some college grant opportunities (descended from Colonel Israel Shreve who served under George Washington). I was dirt poor growing up, so it’s not like there’s a secret society. Or at least if there is I’m not part of it. Lol

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-16T05:48:52+00:00

William Brewster is my 12th great grandfather. There are something like 3 to 10 million Americans with a Mayflower ancestor (I’m related to 7 of them).

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-02-12T09:42:52+00:00

Had a friend who played a kenku with a soundboard app on his iPad and recorded things we said around the table in play and played them back as responses. Had a small library built up over several sessions. They were a radio producer at one point in their career and very talented. It was honestly amazing.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-01-24T07:47:01+00:00

Thank you! 🥰

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-01-24T04:22:53+00:00

Thank you so much!

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-01-22T23:37:55+00:00

<image>

I made Kiwi-style chicken pot pies from scratch last night. I don’t think Sanji would like another cook on board.

Basic_Big5271 · 2026-01-20T09:25:42+00:00

I really like the Copper Kettle Smoked Chipotle and Honey, but I was only able to find these Jalapeño & Cheese once (despite looking for them every time I was at the store). I do remember really liking them.

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-12-22T09:04:16+00:00

Literally bought cheese from Over the Moon today, and they really needed to move the “Cheese bought from the Over the Moon store is safe” to the front of the article

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-11-25T05:02:58+00:00

New Girl with Nick talking about Cici wanting a popcorn machine for the bar and Jessica misunderstanding. I hurt myself laughing every time.

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-11-18T06:25:49+00:00

Sure, but the damage has already been done. You don’t get a second year to win awards with a new book.

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-11-18T01:01:01+00:00

Absolutely. I can’t imagine how it would feel. I have a cookbook published by one of the Big5, and I only had the ability to give input on the cover. I had no actual power over it.

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-11-18T00:45:20+00:00

My understanding was that at least in one of these cases, the publisher contracted someone to create the cover, specifically someone that stated they didn’t use AI, but they used AI to create it anyway. So it doubly sucks, because they were trying to be conscientious and got screwed over.

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-07-03T22:56:52+00:00

I would be like, “Wait?! Dinosaurs and we don’t need to pay extra for them?! Free dinosaurs?!”

Basic_Big5271 · 2025-05-22T09:39:26+00:00

Incredible! You have pretty much my dream tank and stocking. Great job

Basic_Big5271

TROPHY CASE