Notes
December, 2025
this was the first month where I've put effort into making actual seasonal foods the whole way through, rather than just throwing in something at the very end because I got executive dysfunction.
- use heavy cream instead of milk for instant pudding, especially with puddings that you want to be more filling but don't want to change the flavor of with a nut butter.
- spiciness is really good when it compliments an already hearty flavor, like garlic and/or onion.
November, 2025
this first entry is a collection of the things I've figured out over the past, uh, however since I've been cooking, since I can't really pinpoint what I learned each month before I actually sat down to think about it for the sake of putting it on the internet. I'm talking about myself when I say "you," but my hope is that the advice in it will help other people too.
- always take all the ingredients out first. it is incredibly annoying to have to run around and grab them while trying to follow the steps of a recipe. also, it's better to notice that you need to grab more of something before you actually start cooking.
- the estimated time for a recipe assumes that you have already prepped and measured ingredients. if you have to chop a bunch of vegetables, it's going to take wayyy longer than the recipes says it will.
- baking is not as insanely exact as you were originally led to believe. yeah, missing a tiny bit of sugar will make the recipe a little less than perfect, but it's still going to taste good. the things that need to be exact are usually the ingredients that come in small quantities, like baking powder.
- condiments that you normally think are gross add nice, distinctive flavors when used in a recipe. siracha sauce is good for a steak marinade and mustard in a batter adds a moist tanginess to chicken tenders.
- using a pan over the stovetop is not that scary. except when you have to flip something quickly, then it's scary.
- melted cheese/cheese sauce is actually good on pasta when it's not cheddar. parmesan cheese normally smells disgusting, but it's nice as part of alfredo sauce.
- siracha sauce tastes kinda salty, at least when you use it as part of the batter for chicken tenders. if you add siracha sauce into part of a recipe to make it more spicy, use less salt.
- you tend to underestimate the amount of seasoning that goes into something when you're winging it. it's better to have a little too much than it is to have not enough. you can't know what exactly needs to change if it tastes like nothing and you are too cautious to accidentally go overboard while trying to add more flavor.
- do not trust a recipe for a buttery pasta sauce if it says to use dried herbs under any circumstances. the texture is terrible and it tastes like soap.
- marinara sauce from a jar is kinda boring. cook some chopped onions and minced garlic in like a tablespoon of butter over the stove, then pour the sauce into the pan and mix it over heat until the pasta is done.