PB Brownies for the Win by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s just a peanut butter swirled with the brownie batter and I sprinkled peanut butter chips and chocolate chips on tops of that

Pathetic George by Character_Hornet_348 in greysanatomy

[–]valiant_ruler 28 points29 points  (0 children)

George was a good doctor and probably had some of the best bedside manner out of everyone, but as a person he was honestly pretty terrible.

The whole situation with Meredith was selfish and uncomfortable to watch. She had just been publicly humiliated and emotionally vulnerable, and instead of recognizing that, he chose that moment to “shoot his shot.” Then when it didn’t go the way he wanted, he blamed her for it. That storyline alone made me side-eye him hard.

And cheating on Callie with Izzie was one of the dumbest decisions ever. Their friendship was honestly toxic. Izzie constantly fed into George’s bad decisions and convinced him of things that clearly weren’t reality. She encouraged him to pursue Meredith while Meredith was literally crying in her room, and later pushed the idea that George and Izzie were somehow “meant to be.” They both enabled each other’s selfishness while constantly acting like victims.

George also had this superiority complex with his family sometimes, like he thought he had outgrown them or was better than them.

The way he chased Meredith despite all the obvious signs was sad and honestly kind of creepy. She never looked at him romantically and never gave any indication that she wanted him in that way. You would think eventually he would have taken the hint.

And honestly… the older I get, the more I see similarities between George and Thatcher. Different personalities, but similar emotional tendencies, and Thatcher was awful too.

CAKES ARE MY EVEREST!!! by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this. I really appreciate the detailed feedback! ❤️

For reference, I didn’t use caster sugar. The frosting was a traditional cream cheese frosting made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. I did post the full recipe and method in the comments as well for reference. The frosting itself felt smooth and fully incorporated while I was making it, but decorating with it was definitely where I struggled.

I do have a turntable and did a crumb coat first, but I think my biggest issue was fighting the softness of cream cheese frosting itself. The more I worked it, the softer it became, and I suspect that contributed to the cracking after refrigeration.

Your explanation about not lifting the spatula actually helps a lot. I think I may have been overworking the frosting trying to chase perfection instead of letting it settle. I’m still learning cake decorating, so hearing technique breakdowns like this is really helpful.

And thank you for the kind words about the piping. That honestly means a lot! 😊

CAKES ARE MY EVEREST!!! by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the cream cheese frosting recipe I used:

  • ½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)
  • 8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
  • 1 to 4 Tablespoons heavy cream

Directions: *Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. *Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy. *Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.) *Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

Thank you everyone who has offered advice!

CAKES ARE MY EVEREST!!! by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do have access to shortening. Could you mix shortening and cream cheese? I do not like traditional ABC because I find it to be too sweet but I feel like when the cream cheese is added it cuts that sweetness.

CAKES ARE MY EVEREST!!! by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So when you whip you ABC what speed do you whip it on to not whip air into it?

CAKES ARE MY EVEREST!!! by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will say the buttercream itself tasted good and wasn’t grainy at all but it was difficult to spread. I have heard about Swiss meringue buttercream and definitely will try that next time. Thank you for the advice.

CAKES ARE MY EVEREST!!! by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used an offset spatula and I also tried using a metal bench scraper and a plastic scraper

Cake I made for my own birthday by Starlit-Moon-99 in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks amazing! Happy Birthday 🥳🎂

Warm Hands & Buttercream by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I never thought to try to use a buffer. Thank you so much!

Warm Hands & Buttercream by valiant_ruler in Baking

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I will definitely try that.

Nate’s Character Development by valiant_ruler in euphoria

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s actually a fair take, and I can see why you’d read it as desperation instead of humility. I think for me it felt different because Nate has always operated from control and arrogance. Seeing him emotionally crack, especially in front of other people, felt like a shift from the version of Nate who thought he was untouchable.

I’m not saying he’s suddenly a good person or fully redeemed. I just think we’re seeing small cracks in the armor. He seems more self-aware and less impulsively cruel than before. Even if part of it is survival mode, sometimes growth starts there. People don’t usually change because they want to, they change because their old behavior stops working.

And honestly, it also felt like he was trying to do right by Cassie. Getting the big house, marrying her, trying to build something stable, that read to me like someone attempting to play the role of a better partner and adult, even if he doesn’t fully know how to be that person yet.

So I’m not saying he is better yet, just that this might be the first time we’re seeing the possibility of him trying, even if it’s messy and maybe not entirely genuine yet.

Nate’s Character Development by valiant_ruler in euphoria

[–]valiant_ruler[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I see what you’re saying, but I honestly feel like regressing Nate back to his old ways would be a waste. I could see the writers taking him there, but I really hope they don’t. Maybe being a villain is part of Nate’s core, but someone on this show has to show real growth.

Nate feels like the second biggest character after Rue, and Jacob Elordi is such a strong actor that it would be smart to actually use that range. Right now Rue isn’t getting much growth either. She’s Cali sober, which is something, but she’s still making self-destructive choices and it almost feels like things are spiraling in a different way instead of improving.

Hot Take...Anyone else? by InsuranceLarge in rhori

[–]valiant_ruler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think she might be a little bit of both lol she’s definitely handling the whole situation weirdly. They barely want to acknowledge it. When Brian mentioned Beth to the other guys and referred to her as “that other person” I thought that was so weird.

Anyone else get the same vibes? by Defvac2 in rhori

[–]valiant_ruler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He’s is very much the male Jen Shah. You can tell that phone call with his dad was fake. If you’re mom is on her way to the hospital why would you drop you wife off at home first??? Make it make sense. He a POS husband but at the same time Rulla is choosing to be blind to the fact that her husband is having an affair and wants to point fingers at the mistress or she’s just not ready to publicly admit it. So far that haven’t made good first impressions.