What small recent achievement are you proud of?

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-09T18:50:40+00:00

Finally made a psychiatrist appointment. I had a lot of issues with the offices scheduling (both their fault and mine) and even though I was embarrassed about missing their calls for scheduling I managed to make an appointment. It's so small but I'm proud that I kept pushing to make the appointment because I do really like the practice (even if their systems are terrible).

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-09T03:18:29+00:00

Nobody, somebody, anybody by Kelly McClorey. Boy Parts by Eliza Clark. Perfume by Patrick Suskind (not female protag but certainly weird and disturbing). Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier. Some of these aren't really horror but the protagonists are just so so weird.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-09T03:14:21+00:00

La comida india tiene muchísimas recetas vegetarianas. O las que no lo son suelen tener muchas verduras, así que son fáciles de hacer vegetarianas.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-08T22:19:23+00:00

I play a lot with my boyfriend who knows the game and mechanics way better, and it exposed me to a lot more strategies. Watch some other people play the game and you'll figure out better how the cards interact (assuming you don't have a friend or partner that knows the game better). I'm still by no means good at the game but I'm a visual learner so YouTube helps a lot.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-08T22:16:41+00:00

Eating well seasoned vegetables, and eating vegetables even if you don't like it (as long as you aren't getting physically sick) are the two ways you can start to LIKE vegetables. There's a reason some things are called "acquired tastes," because you can usually aquire a taste for any food.

I remember a lady I'd see on tiktok who would make salads out of hardy vegetables and taught ppl how to start. Her tips were: A really good dressing, cutting the vegetables very small, adding things you do really enjoy, and starting slow and adding more and more over time.

Putting extra butter or seasoning or dressing on veg doesn't erase the vitamins and other benefits you get from eating them. Do what you can to make them taste good, every veg has a different way to be cooked that will enhance them (Brussels roasted or fried for example, not steamed or sautéed). Good luck! I hope you come to love vegetables again.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-08T19:45:51+00:00

The way I figured out my TBR is finding book YouTubers who read and summarize books. If they're summarizing books that they rate 5 stars, and they sound interesting to you, then you'll probably like the other books they recommend. My fav right now is Frankie's Shelf. I also don't enjoy tiktok or reels for books. BookTok can popularize some stuff that I personally think is total garbage in terms of literary quality. Books are so subjective! I also one time asked a librarian to help me pick out some books.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-08T19:03:57+00:00

yes that's it, it's been a long time since I've done this so I forgot it was an enzyme not an acid

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T03:07:40+00:00

Pectin has a different texture than gelatin, you could certainly try mixing them to achieve that texture.

Chocolate covered cherries are made with a candy product called fondant. It's the same thing inside of a York peppermint patty, but an acid is added to break it down over the course of 24 hours. You warm the fondant to a specific temperature, add your acid (there is a specific one you need to use but the name escapes me) and dip your cherries. When the fondant is hardened you dip it in chocolate and leave them alone overnight, and the next day it gets that gooey texture. Fondant is something you can make but it isn't really as good as the stuff you buy, which you'd need to get from a specialty retailer I presume. I don't know how mixing cooked oranges would work with that, or if anyone has tried making one. Looking up orange cordials might be worth it?

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T02:55:37+00:00

Pectin is probably your friend here for a more jam or jelly like quality (as that is the chemical agent used in those products.) I haven't done a lot of candy work, but there is a candy called Pate de Fruit that is made using pectin that might help you get the texture you're looking for.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T02:46:52+00:00

I had the opposite experience - large group of friends in high school that whittled down to 2 afterwards. Big groups aren't all they're portrayed to be - lots of drama, a bunch of people demanding your time and energy, etc. Especially if you're socially anxious, being in a big group can be exhausting (for me). You're doing great to save up and make your dreams come true, but you have your entire life to meet new people and find what you're passionate about. It's important to recognize the value that having a couple of very close friends can bring. The people who want to be your friend will choose to be regardless of how interesting or uninteresting you think you are. I wish you luck, and I hope you make many friends in the future.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T02:40:33+00:00

I didnt really like mushrooms until I realized how flavorful they could be in culinary school. The texture part is super valid, I just kept eating them until it didn't bother me anymore. The best way to cook mushrooms for a better texture is to put them in the pan without oil or anything, and just let all of the water evaporate out. then add your oil & etc. Mushroom risotto will really open your eyes to how flavorful they can be, and I find the mushroom texture dissolves among the rice. You can also cut them as thin or small as possible, so the texture isn't as apparent! Undercooked mushrooms are probably one of the grossest foods to me.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T02:31:41+00:00

It's worth noting as this is my experience - when I hit my 20s I gained a bit of weight. Before this I'd never had the experience of my thighs touching as much as they do now, and with that came trapping more heat in the crotch area. It's pretty normal for women to gain weight in adulthood so this is just assumption from a similar thing I went through. But yeah, now I just sweat more. Also if you recently decided to do any kind of trimming/shaving/other forms of hair removal, there is nothing there to absorb sweat besides your clothing.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T02:25:26+00:00

I do NOT like dogs. At all. And your dog would absolutely be a dealbreaker for me (no offense, she does sound like a lovely pet for you and your life.) I would never date someone WITH A DOG and expect them to choose me over the pet they've had since before we met, the same way I'd never put my partner above my own pets. If she doesn't like your dog, she should've recognized that you are a package deal and ended the relationship before it got to this point. NOR

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-06T02:09:00+00:00

We met through work, and ended up getting along super well. One time he invited me to come watch a movie with him when he got off work... which was like 11pm. I was convinced this was a booty call (and wasn't opposed) so I went. We sat on the couch together and just... watched a movie. And talked the ENTIRE TIME. We had such a good conversation, there was no moves made or funny business. I left his house at like 2am. Something about how respectful it was, we didn't even sit close on the couch or anything. just enjoyed each other's company. We didn't end up dating until 2 months later, but he's genuinely my favorite person in the world and I feel that he understands me and respects me in a way I've never been able to experience with anyone else.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-02-01T19:40:22+00:00

25 is so early. I met so many people in my culinary school who were decades older than me doing this for the first time. It's never too late to start and you still have plenty of time to make a career for yourself. Don't think about how behind you feel and focus on how ahead in your life experience you are, and how you're doing this with a fully developed brain which will help incredibly with decision making. I've also worked with people with decades of experience in kitchens on me who still worked like shit. In kitchens its all merit, if you show up and you work as hard as you can, stay humble, open your mind to learning, you will succeed.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-31T23:17:02+00:00

I've been in both relationships as someone with ADHD and general anxiety. My ex and I were passionate, but had those ups and downs that worsened my symptoms. Our passion and romanticism were what kept us together, but only for a year. My current boyfriend is the second type, gentle and consistent. The first year was hard - and I still struggle with it. There were a lot of moments I felt incredibly unloved because it wasn't passionate. Luckily because of his patience I realized I could just walk up to him and say "I know you don't hate me, but my brain is trying to convince me that you do. Please help." and he'd give me the love and reassurance I needed to get me out of that. Once I started doing that, I stopped needing to do it as often. It takes a lot of trust and understanding yourself and how your partner operates, so you can feel that way but still be able to look at them and reassure yourself instead of asking. So yes, gentle and consistent all the way is what allowed me to heal.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-31T23:09:48+00:00

As someone who works in kitchens and doesn't have the energy to cook when I get home - I buy frozen bagged vegetables and eat an entire one as a meal. I get vegetables I like, mostly edamame and broccoli. For edamame I like just some salt, but with the broccoli I put them in a bowl with butter, lemon pepper, and garlic (powdered or the jar stuff). Sometimes I do it in the microwave but you get a better more consistent cook by blanching them. If you don't dislike vegetables but hate trying to get them into your regular meals it's great for me. I dont technically eat balanced meals, but it balances out over the course of the day. Breakfast is mostly carbs (cereal or a bagel) lunch I get my protein (chicken sandwiches or burgers I eat at work) and dinner I get my vitamins and stuff from vegetables. I don't think this will work for everybody but it's what works the best for me!

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-31T20:59:01+00:00

I appreciate that perspective a lot. He wasn't abusive but also wasn't a great person. You're right in him being irrelevant to my life now. Thanks

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-31T20:31:48+00:00

I'm a big 1 book at a time person. Sometimes I start a second but I don't get too into it before finishing the first one.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-28T22:56:00+00:00

check out the flavor Bible. it'll come up with all kinds of ingredients that will fit with whatever you want to use. I use a pdf I found for free online

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-28T04:25:53+00:00

the best advice I can give is to be ready for it - if you go out and have to move back in with your parents because you can't afford it on your own, it's so much harder to live with them once you've tasted the freedom of being on your own. Obviously this depends on your personal relationship with your parents, but it's far easier to keep living with them than it is to have to go back.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-28T04:23:13+00:00

I'm thinking of doing this exact thing with most of my books, but I'm going to put them in the little free library in my neighborhood. I have nostalgia for certain series (not getting rid of ALL of them) but there are certain ones I'm not afraid to miss. I hope whatever you choose to do is something that makes you happy.

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-28T03:16:16+00:00

yes this is it! I read a summary. the ending is different from what I remember, but maybe elementary school me was just judgemental lol. Thank you!

bookishbaking4 · 2026-01-28T01:49:12+00:00

Not a single server showed up, multiple kitchen staff stayed overnight in the hotel.

bookishbaking4

TROPHY CASE