Compost Pile

Let your brain rot while reading this, just like that banana that's been sitting in your freezer for 6 months. Just throw it away, you're never going to make that banana bread.

In addition to the magical weekly-ish posts you’ll get from Julie, Elizabeth and me (Maxie), we’re also slipping in an extra treat - a periodic post from all three of us. Just like the Power Rangers would come together to become the mighty Megazord, we three will come together to be the mighty… compost pile? IDK, I’m trying to stick with the kitchen theme here.

Photo by Nareeta Martin on Unsplash

Compost Cuestion Corner:

• What’s been sitting in your shopping cart the longest and why haven’t you pulled the trigger?

  • Elizabeth - This inflatable one-size-fits-most lobster costume. If you are in the market for a novelty lobster costume, it’s an Amazon steal under $50. So why haven’t I pulled the trigger? I’m nervous I’ll end up in a who wore it better sitch during our annual Lobster Roll Off lobster roll making competition later this summer. I’m accepting questions.

  • Maxie - I’ve had this Rachel Antonoff pasta-print puffer jacket in my cart for over a year. It’s pretty spendy ($425 eeeeek) and I already have a whole closet full of coats that I barely wear… but just imagine me strolling around this winter wearing a pasta coat! Eating a warm bowl of rigatoni in my pasta coat! Lounging in a bathtub full of pasta while wearing my pasta coat! Sorry, I may have gone too far with the fantasy…

  • Julie - I may be cheating, because I have abandoned carts littering the internet with items from days, weeks, and years ago. However, this Farm Rio dress has been in my cart for a long time, and more importantly, I think about it at least once a day. It would be a splurge for me, which isn’t even the biggest problem. Could I wear it to officiate my brother’s wedding in August? What would my boobs do in it? Can I wear it more than once? If 10 people comment on this post I’ll just buy it (peer pressure really works on me). I need it, right?

• What luxury item do you wish you could buy on the regular basis, but don’t because you’re not that irresponsible?

  • Elizabeth - Over the top excessive hairbows by Jennifer Behr! But I found more affordable options like this blue velvet from Amazon for $15 or this Lele Sadoughi pink bow for $49 to scratch this itch.

  • Julie - For me, this answer is easily Botox. I desperately need it, I want it, but I’m just not wanting to commit to spending $500 multiple times a year on my face…yet. However, in its place, I have these Frownies on their way to my house and I use this Neutrogena Retinol Moisturizer in the meantime.

  • Maxie - This one is hard because I trend more “constantly irresponsible” than “saving for retirement like a normal adult,” but I have a really hard time shelling out more than $50 for a candle. I long to fill my apartment with Hotel Lobby Candles. I dream of going all Bonus Sweep from Supermarket Sweep on the aisles of a Diptyque. In the meantime, I’ll settle for this delightful $38 Brooklyn Candle Studio Balsam Noir candle. I love smelling like I’m inside of a Christmas tree year round.

• What have you been watching / listening to / reading?

  • Maxie - I’ve been reading so much that I haven’t been watching much TV, which is very out of character for me and frankly a little concerning. Do you think I may have been body snatched? I just finished Rebecca Serle’s Expiration Dates and it was excellent. Beyond that, I won’t shut up about the Handsome Pod. It’s the funniest thing to ever enter my ears, and this is coming from someone who saw Wedding Crashers 11 times in theaters, so the bar is high.

  • Elizabeth - If you like chaos, you’ll love John Mulaney’s Everybody’s in L.A. on Netflix. To quote Rolling Stone, “there’s no real reason for Everybody’s in L.A. to exist.” Not unlike this newsletter.

  • Julie - I am currently watching 45 second clips of the old medical TV drama ER on TikTok, desperately searching for the next clip, and letting my brain rot for 25-60 minutes every night before bed.

• What have you been eating or cooking?

  • Elizabeth - A recent Instacart fail has bestowed upon me five pounds of carrots. Send recipes!

  • Julie - Chaotically, having air conditioning blast in my house makes me want soup. So right now I am planning to make my homemade broccoli and cheese soup this week, which is made with extra cheese, extra broccoli, and vibes (no recipe to share, sorry). Also, I top it with a little bit of the Momofuku Chili Crunch because that deserves to be on everything. My husband thinks I’m crazy but he will still buy me crusty bread to go with it.

  • Maxie - Tragically, my beloved fajitas went up FOUR AMERICAN DOLLARS in price, so I have only had them once this week. I may have replaced them with something even more magical, though. A few friends introduced me to Spice Bag at a local pub and holy shit, it’s incredible. Chicken tenders + fries + onions + peppers, covered in five spice and curry. It’s so good that it’s almost making me forget about my estranged fajitas. Almost.