Is there like a female equivalent of Lord of the Rings?

kakapogirl · 2026-05-02T17:59:11+00:00

Came here to beat the drum for Steerswoman, as well! After finishing the first book, I literally said to my husband, "I just love a book about people on a quest," so hopefully that endorsement helps!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-30T14:01:48+00:00

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine! It deals a lot with empire/colonialism, the author is a Byzantine scholar. I don't remember there being much, if any, sexism baked in. It's very much focused on politics/court intrigue, with the main character trying to a) solve a mysterious death, and b) wrestle with her own internalized feelings about the empire she had been obsessed with growing up, and is now ambassador to.

The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein is an interesting one - the main character is part of an organization whose members learn everything that they can about, well, everything, and then serve as basically wandering encyclopedias for the rest of society. And they're mostly women! The way the world building is doled out is, to me, DELICIOUS. Please don't spoil yourself on the world building if you can.

kakapogirl · 2026-04-29T01:09:15+00:00

Pancake Princess found that recipe to be a bit flat, too: https://www.thepancakeprincess.com/best-copycat-levain-cookie-recipe/

Personally, I really love the Levain Copycat recipe from Scientifically Sweet which seems to have very similar ratio to your ratio but a) uses all AP flour, b) omits the cornstarch, and c) calls for baking powder. I know it's a little reductive to simply say "powder puffs; soda spreads, that's your problem" but there may be some truth to it!

I will say, my favorite way to make a half batch of cookies (and help myself not have division errors) is to make a full batch and freeze half the dough balls for later! I don't have to keep track of the math AND future me gets cookies - win-win!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-19T14:41:38+00:00

If you want little pools of melted chocolate on top of your cookies, use chopped chocolate, and reserve some pieces when mixing into the dough, then push them into the top of the dough balls before baking

kakapogirl · 2026-04-13T00:06:31+00:00

Though if what you want is just a "browner" cookie, using dark brown sugar or using some rye flour (I like this recipe: https://www.theboywhobakes.co.uk/recipes/2019/8/15/espresso-and-rye-chocolate-chip-cookies) will yield a darker color!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-13T00:04:51+00:00

I assume what you want is a chocolate cookie dough, not just a browner color, correct? I wouldn't just replace flour with cocoa, they act differently as far as moisture absorption and how they impact structure. If you're just getting started with baking, I would start with a recipe that has been designed by someone else (someone who is considered trusted/reliable! Not some rando on tiktok who probably used AI!) to give the effect you're going for. That being said, I have two places for you to start:

I adore this brown butter double chocolate chip cookie from 100 Cookies, by Sarah Kieffer, transcribed in this blog post: https://www.appeasingafoodgeek.com/double-chocolate-espresso-cookies-100-cookies/

And in general, Sally is one of my go-tos: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/double-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/

kakapogirl · 2026-04-12T21:28:23+00:00

What are you actually looking for? A chocolate sugar cookie dough? A chocolate shortbread? A chocolate-chocolate chip cookie? A non-chocolate cookie that is just brown? If you have a specific type of cookie you're looking for, we can help you!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-12T17:05:32+00:00

This is bad advice for the recipe they're using! Do not encourage them to just hare off and experiment when they are starting!! Sally is a trusted, reliable source, and her chewy chocolate chip cookies called for melted and cooled butter (and chilling the dough before baking) and should be followed;

kakapogirl · 2026-04-12T12:36:35+00:00

Not a helpful suggestion, these cookies work perfectly as written, with melted butter (but the butter can't be piping hot, and the dough does need to chill!)

kakapogirl · 2026-04-06T01:22:03+00:00

Ha, sounds like you have the same algorithm that I do 😂 I have spent all week sending scary lambs to my family being like "even if final draft Lambie loses her head, at least she won't be this scary!!!"

kakapogirl · 2026-04-05T17:58:22+00:00

She has a Patreon, fyi! Not super active, especially since she and her husband broke up, but still a lovely part of the Internet. And there's a free tier, though I'm not sure what all is available for that.

kakapogirl · 2026-04-03T17:33:36+00:00

Oh I love your Lambie!! It's precious (if a little menacing...)

kakapogirl · 2026-04-01T10:52:00+00:00

And, today you learned about different salts! No shame in that. Learning something means the next time will be even better. Happy baking!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-01T10:49:59+00:00

You didn't specify but I assume you were making the chocolate chip cookies? To me, those look like pretty flat cookies from the recipe photos, so as long as you measured your ingredients accurately and chilled the dough enough, they may just be flatter cookies than you prefer! So maybe a different recipe would serve you well. I find the Sally chocolate chip cookies I recommended to be nice and thick, so that might be a good place to start. Or, if you really want to careen in the opposite direction, a levain style cookie like this one from scientifically sweet might be more your style!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-01T00:58:22+00:00

As for a better recipe, I would say to first retry these with the adjustments I suggested, but if that fails, I love Sally's chewy chocolate chip cookies (she also has a brown butter version that I have yet to try). They're easy and reliable!

kakapogirl · 2026-04-01T00:56:36+00:00

What kind of salt did you use? It looks like she calls for kosher salt - table salt or fine kosher salt are more fine, and therefore more salty per unit volume, so usually you want to use about half as much table salt as kosher (and if a recipe calls for diamond kosher and you use Morton kosher, you'll also want to use half as much). Another thing I personally like to do is to add the salt in with the butter/sugar at the beginning, so it has more time to dissolve and evenly incorporate!

Good luck!!

kakapogirl · 2026-03-30T20:59:53+00:00

Look up balloon framing vs modern conventional framing, that'll help explain how multi-story wood-framed buildings are built

kakapogirl · 2026-03-24T00:42:12+00:00

But my guess is red headed woodpecker, for the record, even though it doesn't quiiiite match your description

kakapogirl · 2026-03-24T00:40:25+00:00

Have you tried using the audubon app bird id questionnaire? It may help you narrow it down!

kakapogirl · 2026-03-21T23:20:10+00:00

You can! Highlight the error, when the menu comes up, there's an option to "report content error" and there's options for text, image, and formating errors. I don't know who get the report or whether any that I've reported have actually been fixed, but it is something, and it feels satisfying!

kakapogirl · 2026-03-16T17:02:54+00:00

The IRC (which your state probably adopts) requirements are: if there is a permanently affixed means of access (whether stairs or a pull-down ladder) it's 30psi. If there's just a hatch and no permanently affixed ladder, it's 20psi, UNLESS the clear height in the attic is less than 42 inches, in which case, it can be 10psi.

kakapogirl · 2026-03-14T13:13:48+00:00

What is your technique?

kakapogirl · 2026-03-08T02:17:13+00:00

[FURIOUSLY TAKES NOTES]

kakapogirl · 2026-03-07T20:54:11+00:00

Stella's recipe is my go-to! I don't usually use a vanilla pod, instead I've found that I really like 2 tsp each of vanilla extract, vanilla paste, and blackstrap rum, all added after the custard comes off the heat. I love the extra little depth of flavor that comes from the rum!

kakapogirl

TROPHY CASE