AOT: Being (Over) Prepared

We've all heard the phrase, "Be Prepared".  It's not a complicated one in terms of memory or verbal output, but its impact stretches wider and deeper than the cursory glance might suggest.  In fact, "be prepared" can mean so many different things to so many people,  and the question becomes "how far into 'be prepared' do you go to consider yourself 'prepared'?"

As an over-preparer, I recommend going down as many roads as possible to consider all angles before making a decision.  Hosting a party?  Things to consider:

• Are you doing all the cooking? Do you have the prep-time and oven-time available for all the dishes?  
• Are people going to be bringing things?  Will it be potluck style or will you just ask them to bring drinks?  Can they pick what to bring or will you assign things?
• Do you have enough counter space to put out all the food and still have places for folks to sit?  Will they be inside/outside entertaining and eating?  Do you have extra tables and chairs and serving items if necessary?
• Do you know what time people will arrive and leave? is it set? is it not?
• Is it a small gathering where you need to be sure everyone more or less gets along? or is it large enough that you figure people can mingle and fend for themselves?

That's just hosting a party.  Wanna get a pet?

• Do you have all the supplies you need (bowls, crates, food, treats, leashes and collars (if applicable), bedding, if they can go in the car, car covers / seats / supplies, cleaning supplies, etc etc etc)
• Do you have the financial means to care for this pet (Food, treats, preventative medicine, vet visits)?  Vet visits alone have skyrocketed in the last decade.  Paying for pet care is no small thing anymore.  And most household pets live 5-15 years, depending on the animal, and their care gets more expensive as they get older.  Does your bank account and work schedule support that?
• PS - I'm a big believer that once you have a pet, it's yours until it passes.  All problems it has emotionally or behaviorally are linked back to you, so you need to work on you AND the dog if there are behavioral things.  Physical ailments happen.  But none of that is reason to give a dog back / put it for adoption / try to rehome it.  There's already an animal crisis.  Don't add to it by being underprepared.

What about something like buying property?

• Have you considered if school districts keeping housing prices high are applicable to the area you're buying?  Some towns are exclusively private school based and so people don't care about which public school the home aligns to.  Others neighborhoods are fully driven by their school district alignment, and being on the wrong street with the wrong schools can cost you significantly in home value.
• Are you ready for preventative maintenance costs - HVAC, Water, Bugs, electrical, etc.  Getting ahead of these issues with regular maintenance keeps the big problems at bay and maybe even makes the big problems LESS of a problem because you've managed to keep everything in better condition in between.
• Can you tackle lawn care?  Do you need to hire someone?  Are you prepared for that cost?  
• Do you have an HOA and do you know what they cover and what they restrict?  So many folks get "surprised" by this by not requesting a copy of the CCRs and Bylaws before buying, and this should never surprise you.  
• Your first 5-7 years in a property is mostly interest payments.  Can you afford a little extra every month to put towards principle to help shorten the length of time you're paying a mortgage?  And, if you did have to sell in the first 1-15 years, this would help make it so you're recouping some of your principal cost.
• If it's not a brand new house, do you have more than $10K in the bank that you can put towards emergency expenses?  Yes an inspection should uncover things, but even then you likely will have to pay for them as sellers are covering fewer and fewer items in this market.  Plus, once you close, all the problems are 100% yours now, and you don't want to put off something that can create bigger problems over time (think water, electrical, roofing, etc).

Again, those are three common scenarios, but this kind of thinking applies to everything.  If you're not accustomed to 'over' preparing, take the time to sit and write a list of what could go well AND what could go wrong.  Are you prepared to cover a portion of the 'wrong' column?  If not, maybe it's not the right time for you.  If you haven't thought about those things yet, this is a good exercise to think about them so you're less surprised in the future.

Hmmm, maybe this would be a good business to start! :)

Food: Pumpkin Cake with Coffee Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache

Ok, so I have some fall favorite things I like to bake:  Pumpkin scones, Pumpkin Cake Cookies, and even Pumpkin risotto (or the version with pancetta if you want the non-vegan version!)!

Well, this year my husband wanted sugar cookies in halloween shapes with frosting or filling, so I made ganache.  Then I told him I was making my pumpkin cake cookies and he was like, "Can you just make them as a whole cake instead?! Maybe mini cakes!?"  So now I needed a frosting, and I had a lovely recipe for coffee buttercream as well.  I figured pumpkin spice lattes are a thing, so pumpkin and coffee naturally go well together.  Thus, the cake below was born!

Note, it does require a lot of dishes, and I highly recommend a mixer for the buttercream (I've tried it with just a hand mixer / beater and it's tiresome but not impossible.)

Be ready, this recipe is long as it has 3 components.  Luckily the Pumpkin Cake Cookies are already on the blog so you can find the recipe there!  The only difference is to put it into a cake tin and bake for about 35-50 minutes, depending on how many cake tins you use / how thick the batter is in each / if it's convection, etc.

Chocolate Ganache (note, I got this from a macaron class at Sur La Table and it's one of the better ganaches I've found, personally).

• 2/3c heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 tbsp butter @ room temp

1. heat the whipping cream on the stove until it just simmers (stir regularly)
2. pour the cream into a bowl with the chocolate.  let sit for a moment to start melting the chocolate
3. whisk whipping cream and chocolate together gently until chocolate is melted
4. whisk in butter
5. let cool, but continue whisking every 10 min or so to keep it well mixed and smooth

Coffee Buttercream (note, I got this from a macaron class at Sur La Table but have made some adjustments based on my personal preferences)

• 4 egg whites (I save the yolks and make fried rice)
• 1 c sugar (you can try 1/2 c if you prefer less sweet frosting)
• 2 sticks (16 tbsp) butter - room temp
• 2 tbsp coffee or espresso (you can use an instant coffee, but first mix it with water and start with 1 tbsp as it may be more potent)
• 1/2 -1tsp of vanilla to taste

1. bring water to a boil in a pot (~2 inches of water)
2. mix egg whites and sugar in the mixer's stainless steel bowl (if you aren't using a stand mixer, make sure the bowl you're using can be used as a double boiler and withstand the heat)
3. Place egg white and sugar mixture bowl on top of the boiling water (e.g. double boiler) and continue to whisk until the sugar is dissolved. 
1. I've been told this is until it reaches about 145 degrees, but it can be anywhere from 5-10 min depending
4. Once melted, place the mixing bowl in the standing mixer and mix on medium-high to high until stiff peaks form
1. this can take over 10-15 minutes, so be patient.  
2. you'll need to do this until the bowl cools down too
5. Check if the bowl is room temp.  if it's not, place an ice pack under it to cool it down
6. Add the butter 1 tbsp at a time (slower is better or you can deflate your buttercream)
7. add in vanilla and coffee to taste

NOTE:  this does NOT make enough for a basic coat AND lots of decorations.  You'll need to 1.5 or 2x the recipe if you want to make intricate designs and make it look prettier than my very basic cake above!

Once everything is cooled, you can put your cakes together!  I put the ganache in the middle layer as you can see, and I put the frosting on top and on the outside.  But the creative nature of it is endless.  Enjoy!

HH&R: Introducing a New Topic Type!

I've decided to introduce a new topic type:  HH&R (Home Help & Reminders).  Why? Because the more we look at homes and think about our home and rentals and building homes, the more I realize most people either probably know what to do to keep their home nice (or builder / rehabbers don't think about how homes are lived in when they design their updates).  So, I want to spend some space dedicated to those things.

A little background:  At one point in my life I wanted to be an architect and design homes.  That isn't the direction my life ended up taking, which can be a topic for another day, but that didn't kick my love of homes.  I love going through open houses and critiquing everything.  And as homeowners ourselves, we are meticulous about maintaining our properties.  I should also, at this point, create a shout-out to my husband without whom we would not have the amazingly clean and organized home that we do.  That's all him, and he's totally talented at it.  He thinks about things that never cross my brain and knows how to get things truly clean and organized.  I think about things like layout / flow / general home use.  We both think about maintenance.  Let's face it, those things together keep a house nice and make it so someone wants to pay top dollar when you're ready to sell.

Today's commentary:  Please clean your house before a showing.  We went to an open house this weekend and then a private showing, and the open house was covered in spiders.  Spiders everywhere.  And that's not the first time we've been to an open house where the person showing the house hasn't cleaned up right.  But for now, let's focus on spiders.  Seriously, someone walking around your house (esp if you want them to consider paying top dollar) is going to be put off if every hallway and every turn has them checking to see where to step.  If you couldn't spend the 10 minutes with a duster or vacuum (seriously, just a Swiffer) walking the perimeter of your home and shooing away the visible intruders, they're going to wonder what else you didn't bother to clean.

Feel free to recommend topics you'd like covered!

LMOH: Seeing My Art in the Wild

The other day it made me really excited when a client sent a picture of their kid reading my book and when a friend asked for some of our blank-inside cards to use as her general Thank You (or otherwise) cards.  I love that the Ein & Faye collection gives back to local rescues, and I love that our novels and quote books bring great information (and inspiration or critical thinking?!) to others.

Take a look for yourself!  Maybe you'll find something you love!

Last Bite Publishing Main Page 

Our Etsy Store

LMOH: Big Dipper Alternatives

I was looking at the stars last night - it was a gorgeous evening whispering that fall is close - in awe of the stars.  Always have been.  They're fascinating.  I saw the Big Dipper and I found myself looking at it going, "You know, if someone hadn't decided it was a giant ladle, what else could it have been?"  Two ideas came to mind:  a giraffe, and a brontosaur.  Maybe even something like a stunk flicking its tail.

The thought made me smile.  It made my husband lower his head and laugh.  Wonder what other constellations we can reimagine!

LMOH: That First Fall-Feeling Day

I was talking to someone I know through work, and she was telling me how much she loves summer.  Just absolutely loves it.  Loves the heat, loves the sun, loves all of it.  I think she is the minority.  I prefer fall.  I love fall.  I love the cool breeze after a hot summer.  I love the changing leaves.  I love the foods.  I love that it leads into holiday season.  And I love the first days of summer that finally start to make you realize fall is on the way - that first morning that opens below 60 degrees.  The first day that peaks in the 70s.  The first day that has a breeze that finally feels cool and like you might need a jacket instead of hot and humid and reminding you that you live in a sauna.

So, to my "first fall days" - I look forward to you.

AOT: Midlife Crisis + Rewatching Shows

I know I've said this before, but the midlife crisis is real.  And as we go through it, and the anxiety and dread and sense of 'stuckness' continues to grow, we have two choices:  face it, or cry in a corner, curled up in a ball.

Ok, I lie.  We can still face it and also cry in the corner in a ball.  They're not mutually exclusive.  One can face their future and also sometimes feel the necessity to curl int a ball and cry.  I support both.  Just be sure if you're crying your'e also facing your future at the moments when you're not crying.

But that got me thinking - you hear about how rewatching your favorite shows or movies is actually a sign of high emotional IQ because there's a sense of comfort in knowing what's coming and when you're stressed that sense of comfort is, well, comforting.  We do that a lot here - lots of rewatching shows and movies.  But we also did that a lot growing up, and that made me realize - our parents were self-soothing in the same way: rewatching shows.  We thought it was fun to rewatch a movie we'd already seen and quote it more, but no no, it's an incredibly smart emotional tactic. You get the benefit of less stress, the joy of reliving the highs, and greater TV- and movie-quote recall through repetition.  How ingenious!

Now the question is - what are the TV shows and movies you find comforting enough to rewatch? 

AOT: What's After Post-Colonialism?

I grew up on movie soundtracks.  They graced many a car rides and roadtrips.  All these year later, I still have many of them uploaded to my iTunes and when I put it on shuffle, sometimes they pop up.  This morning was no different - the Pocahontas soundtrack popped up between a myriad of other songs.  But it got me thinking - if we're in the post-colonial era, what's next?  What is the era after this going to be?  While it's true (and unfortunate) history tends to repeat itself and you can study it to understand where we are and where we're going, in terms of "eras", I'm not so sure they repeat themselves the same way.  Do they?

If so, what comes next?  I hope it's more environmental and animal protections, but there's always a (scary) chance it's the far other end of the coin.  

Food: Fried Rice ... Homemade

I'll admit, I'm a huge sucker for fried rice.  Love it.  Always have.  But there's something magical about restaurant fried rice because I never knew how to make it at home.  I figured "sure, easy enough - cold rice, soy sauce, veggies, eggs, and meat.  How hard is that?!" 

Well, apparently REALLY hard because for years I kept trying and trying and we would eat what I would make and would both agree "nope, restaurant is way better."

And then I saw Jet Tila's episode on HBO Max where he makes fried rice, and (insert magic happy sounds here) everything changed.  I figured it out!  It works!  I recently made it, and let me tell you, it looks AND tastes like restaurant fried rice, and it couldn't be easier.

THANK YOU, JET TILA!

AOT: The Tether of Career + Identity

Maybe you haven't thought about it before now, maybe you have, but the idea of career = identity is long rooted in history.  It's about as synonymous as breathing = needing air.  We've been defined by what we do.  Even back to cave and prehistoric times = Men hunt.  Women gather.  Men fight.  Women raise families.  I'm sure there were men who gathered and women who hunted, but the exceptions aside, you can follow that idea of Person = Job throughout history.  Gladiators fought.  Soldiers fought.  Oracles say the beyond.  Healers healed.  Medicine wo/men healed.  Teachers taught.  Blacksmiths forged.  Cooks cooked.  And on and on and on.  

And if you look at that long enough you realize people were essentially raised into a (one) specific career (unless they were conquered and forced into another, but even then it was still basically ONE area of focus).  And humans died young.  Living to or beyond 50 was not the norm (why we have midlife crises early and not at 50).  Even the concept of last names stemmed from the idea of being derived based on WHAT you did (smith = blacksmiths;  housers = worked in the house; cooks = cooked) or WHERE you were from (Saxon, etc).  https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/norman-saxon-surname/

So all this to say, the idea that today's attempt to break free from your career as your sole identity, having to get permission from one career to partake in another, etc., may seem annoying or even blasphemous, but, in reality, it's one of the most historically-based things we have.  I don't think it's right anymore.  I think humans and the human spirit is changing at a pace quicker than we can emotionally or social evolve, but I am not surprised it's hard to separate one from the other.

LMOH: The Health "Chalk Line"

I love knowing things.  Data and facts.  Facts and data.  There is power in knowledge, and I wish more people (companies, etc) followed that.  In fact, especially when it comes to you and your body, facts and knowledge are key.  I always wondered why we don't have more 'baseline' tests when you're in your 20s to see what the the status of things is so that in your 30s and beyond you can identify changes early.  E.g. blood test everything; do the full-body MRI or CT, ultrasound more sensitive areas, etc.  Do the test.  Know what 'normal' is early so that you can find abnormal early and treat for it!

So that's why when I get new test results back, it always makes me happy.  Now I have a new baseline.  A new "chalk line" for what 'normal' looks like, or if those changes we see are still 'normal' for me.

I hope you get to find your baselines!  Be your own advocate.  Speak up.  ASK for the test.  You deserve it, and your future self will thank you!

LMOH: The Unexpected Happy Surprise

The other day I received an email that my poem I submitted to an amateur poetry contest made it to the semi-finals!  Now, I know that doesn't mean a lot to everyone, but the momentary spark of happiness it generated in my day was so wonderful.  It's not often you get a happy email!  

But maybe for you it's not a poem update.  Maybe for you it's the surprise cup of coffee a friend brought you, or coming home to your partner having gotten takeout so you don't have to cook, or just an evening with a great breeze so you can sit outside in the summer and not be stifling hot.

Whatever the unexpected surprise of your day might be, I hope it brought a genuine smile to your face and paused all other life stressors because those breaks in the day are needed and help us reset.

Feel free to share your unexpected happy surprise!

AOT: The New Midlife Crisis

It's strange.  Growing up we saw people go through midlife crises by buying things, often expensive and unnecessary things, and many of us didn't get it.

Now, many of us are at the age where we finally do.  We get it.  Why?  Because we're at that age, too.  I've found the MC (midlife crisis) is usually triggered by one if not two things (below), but the results of those things today often look different (further below).

The Triggers:

1. You feel like you're falling in an abyss and there's no real end in sight
• We're 40 (ish, give or take a handful of years).  We've been working for 20 years and we realize we're only halfway there, if we're lucky.  We're exhausted and don't know how it's possible to do 20 more years of the hamster wheel.  
• And everything around us seems to be on fire all the time.  There are only so many 'once in a lifetime events' one can handle and, for most, they seem to be coming at us like an automated revolving door.
• There's a certain anxiety, energy, and exhausted despair that goes with that, kind of like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch when he throws one of his tantrums.  That's how it feels.  And you wonder how this will be possible for t-w-e-n-t-y more years...
2. You realize that "doing all the right things" isn't fulfilling
• This doesn't mean you dislike, hate, regret, or otherwise don't want your life or family.  You probably love them.  However, you realize you've spent 35 years of your life (b/c at 40, you don't really remember the first 5 if we're being honest) doing all the things you were told you were supposed to do without questioning if they were right for you.  Did you want to do all the things you did in the order you did them?  Would you do it again the same way?  Would you push back in certain areas more to give yourself more space, love, freedom, self-knowledge if you had it to do again? (assuming you had money to do things in a different order, of course, and that itself is a certain type of freedom).
• Schooling, possibly advanced schooling, marriage / relationships, kids, house, cars, want to climb the ladder by working yourself 60+ hours a week b/c that's supposed to be the way forward...etc etc etc, and also somehow fitting in pets, working out, cooking, cleaning, etc...
• ...and probably mostly all yourself too, because who has extra money these days to hire help and who lives close enough to family to create a fall-back community who can help you with these things when you're exhausted?
• It's not that you don't want your life.  Life can be great!  It's that, at 40, you finally start questioning.  You wake up and go, "Wait, now what?  Just more of this and then retire and maybe travel and die? There has to be more."
• But what does "more" look like?!?!
  

For the last generation, "more" was buying yourself the thing you thought you were denied - the extra house, the sexy car, maybe a divorce, a trip, clothes...you get the point....but us?  Most of us can't afford any of that.  Most of us are still wondering how we've managed to survive paycheck to paycheck with even bigger expenses ahead of us (e.g. healthcare costs, kids and schooling, house repairs, aging parent care, just inflation in general...)

The Outcomes:

So, without all the extra available cash or purchasing power, what are MCs (midlife crises) looking like today?

• If you're lucky - quitting your job and finding your passion.  This is probably lowest on the list, though, b/c healthcare and life costs are so high most of us can't do this...
• Also if you're lucky, buying something nice and expensive...but again, expensive, so for most this is not plausible...
• Crying a lot
• Regular venting sessions with your friends where you both express your frustration, realize you're not alone, maybe drink, and then plan to do this on repeat because it's free to call your friend
• If you're lucky, hiring a therapist
• Picking up childhood hobbies, ones you either loved doing and want to do again or the ones you were denied
• Can be as innocuous as replaying video games, finding memorabilia to buy that makes you feel special but doesn't break the very small bank account you have, or following accounts that showcase this because you still get the dopamine hit, but it's free
• Finding the cheap hobbies (usually joked about as historically reserved for 'old' folks) - gardening, bird watching, getting the tactile satisfaction of a hard-copy newspaper, trying a new baking recipe, quilting, crocheting, etc
• Crying again
• Rewatching shows (possibly from your childhood but ones from your 20s and 30s you loved) because it's like an emotional blanket - you know what's coming, it's not stressful, it's comforting and familiar, and they make you feel safe and capable.  
• They help reduce the amount of crying and bank-account-induced panic attacks.

So, in short, we are still in crisis during our midlife, but we don't have the funds, space, or time availability to do what were historically seen as 'MC' events.  So we've come up with cheaper alternatives to help 'get us through' and make that dark abyss more comforting :)

Share your MC event!  You're likely not alone!

LMOH: Simplifying Presentations

Most of us have day jobs (or night jobs, but those 40+ hr a week jobs).  Some of us have to give presentations.  There's nothing more satisfying than a well-put-together presentation both in language and layout.  Cluttered or disjointed slides just create more visual chaos which hurts everyone's brain.  The best thing is when it's simple, clear, to the point, and easy-to-follow.  

Tips for your next presentation:

• Manage your colors
• You should have one color theme for the whole presentation - usually no more than 3 colors / color families, and for many of us, it's the company colors (so if you have company-preferred colors, stick to them).  1 or 2 is preferred!
• NOTE - RED usually means RED FLAG - if your company uses red, try to only use red when you're actually yelling at someone or calling out risks / concerns / things that are behind schedule.  Otherwise, please pick a different color!

• Coordinate colors
• If you use blue for new items, keep using blue for new items.  Don't suddenly also use blue for closed items.  Use a different shade of blue or a different color completely (like grey) for closed items.

• Simplify your language
• Don't use 10 words when 4 will do
• Example:  
• Original:  The results from last quarter (Q2 2025) clearly state that there is a 10% increase in incoming work volume
• Simplified:  Q2 results - 10% work volume increase

• Make sure bullets / boxes / things align
• There's a function in PowerPoint under Shapes called "align" and you can select your boxes or bullets you want to align and pick "align left" and they'll all align.  But if you can't make that work, still do your best to align boxes and bullets. There are guidelines that show when you move objects in PPT that help you do this.  Balance (including enough whitespace) helps your message come across clearly!

Food: Softened vs Melted Butter in Cake

 Ok, I'll first admit I'm not a baker.  I enjoy baking, but that doesn't make me anywhere near someone who could call themselves a baker.  I don't know a lot of tricks, I almost always need to see the recipe because I don't bake anything often enough to remember everything exactly, and I don't know the science behind why things work the way they do.  What I mean by that is I don't know a lot of things I would expect professional bakers to know, like why baking soda is better than baking powder or when I'd use either one, how the number of eggs in a recipe changes the dessert, or why sometimes it's melted butter and sometimes it's softened butter.

This week, however, I decided to experiment on one of our favorite recipes: Apricot cake.  The recipe called for melted butter so I made two cakes, one with melted and one with softened butter.  The end result?  The one with melted butter had more moisture in it and the one with softened butter had a more crumb-like consistency.  I like them both.  My husband prefers the one that's got more of a crumb to it.  But that's good to know!  I learned something!

Want to try the cake?  Recipe below!

Ingredients:

• ~15 apricots chopped up
• 1 1/4 c flour (I use gluten free) and 1/2 cup almond flour (you probably can use 1 1/2 cup flour if you don't want to use both flour types)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 12 tbsp butter (melted or softened! you pick!)
• 1/4 tsp almond (a little more if you're not using the almond flour)
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 c milk (I use unsweetened oat milk)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to convection bake 350 degrees F
• Chop apricots 
• Mix flour(s), baking powder, and salt in a bowl, set aside
• Mix butter, milk, sugar, and almond extract in a bowl
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients
• Add in chopped apricots
• Pour into pre-greased cake pan
• Bake 40-45 min (probably closer to 50-60 min if not using convection bake)
• Let cool and enjoy!