Plus what to eat when you don't want to eat and another fat dating update.

You’re listening to Burnt Toast!

We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and it’s time for your June Indulgence Gospel!

It’s time for a mailbag episode, so we’ll be diving into your questions about:

⭐️ Virginia’s online dating adventures 👀

⭐️ What we’re cooking right now 🧑🏻‍🍳👩‍🍳

⭐️ How we’re doing with the Target boycott!

⭐️ Plus Corinne’s best Maine recs 🦞

And so much more!

Episode 198 Transcript

Virginia

It is time for your June indulgence gospel, which I am recording while losing my voice. In addition to my voice, this is also our second take on this episode. We’re having technical difficulties, so it’s just really a banger day. So Corinne, thank you for bearing with this.

Corinne

Oh God, it’s my fault.

Virginia

Yeah, but we’re going to do this. We’re going to answer these listener questions. I’m going to make Corinne read them all so I can save my voice for responding, and we’re going to muddle through. It’s going to be great.

Corinne

It’s going to be great.

All right. Are you ready for the first question?

Virginia

Hit me.

Corinne

My daughter wanted me to bake the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for her birthday instead of buying them, and I used a box mix for the cupcakes. And I feel that this, in and of itself, was a rejection of mommy perfectionism, which is a rejection of diet culture. Yes?

Virginia

Hell yes. 100 percent. We are pro-box mix. We have a family tradition where my mom makes really amazing birthday cakes for my kids, and she does it all from scratch, but she frequently uses a box mix for the cake itself so she can save her creative energies for the frosting. And I think that’s wise. I think that’s very wise.

Taming the Terrible Chocolate Cake Monster

Corinne

I love that. I feel that box cake mix often has a tenderness to it. It feels homemade.

Virginia

Yes, it’s got a really good texture. I mean, I feel about it the way I feel about my brownie mix, which is I don’t need to make them from scratch because they perfected the box mix. So, Team Box Mix forever here.

I mean, when you want to do something fancy from scratch, that’s great. Corinne is a great baker and does that kind of thing, but especially for kid birthdays...

Corinne

How old is a kid turning where they’re demanding cake from scratch?

Virginia

Oh, this feels like peak teenage energy. Like, Mo-om, I need it from scratch.

Corinne

Rude.

Virginia

A little bit rude. So you rejected mommy perfectionism and diet culture and also modeled for your daughter that your bandwidth matters.

Corinne

All right, the next question is:

Hoping to escape the hellish Texas summer for a couple of days in August, and I was hoping to visit Maine. I would love some main recs from Corinne.

Also, would love for longer episodes to make a comeback.

Virginia

Well, we hear you, but this will not be a longer episode, because I’m losing my voice. But noted, I think we’ve mostly gone shorter because of production bandwidth issues, the amount of time it takes to edit and edit transcripts. Also shorter episodes do better in Apple and other places. So there’s pressure to be shorter these days. Blame TikTok.

Corinne

Blame TikTok. I’m going to give a couple of recs for stuff to do in Maine. However, I will note that this person did not say where in Maine they’re going.

Virginia

It is a large state by northeast standards at least.

Corinne

So if anyone is ever going to Maine and wants recs, please feel free to DM me.

I’m going to assume you’re going to Portland, because usually people go there, or at least stop there, and there’s so much good food in Portland. It’s a great place to eat. I really like Leeward for dinner. It’s kind of fancy, but the food is unbelievably good. Crispy Gai is another good dinner spot. There are also tons of good bakeries and coffee. Tandem Bakery is great. I also think if you’re going to Portland, you probably should get a lobster roll. I like to go to the Two Lights lobster shack. It’s an outdoor place where you can order lobster rolls and fried seafood stuff and sit at a picnic table. There’s a lighthouse. It’s very Maine.

Virginia

Peak Maine. Any seating notes about these places?

Corinne

They’re all places that I have eaten and sat at, so should be fine. Two Lights has picnic tables. Tandem also has outdoor picnic tables. Leeward has bench seats on one side with seat chairs on the other side.

Virginia

Great.

Corinne

You should be good. It’s also very fun to go to the beach. There’s some really sweet little beaches around Portland. I also really like Popham Beach, which is about 45 minutes away. And my last thing I’ll say is, if you’re going to the midcoast area, my friend Marjory is opening a cafe in Rockland this summer called Cafe Grazie with her friend Marcy, and you should definitely stop by there. I will be stopping there as soon as I am in Maine and I can’t wait.

Virginia

This makes me really want to go to Maine. It sounds all delightful and delicious,

Corinne

It’s a very fun place to visit. So much good food. Oh right! Also, there is a plus size secondhand store in South Portland called Artemis and we’ll put a link to that.

Virginia

Alright, what’s next?

Corinne

What are some foods that other people might label kid foods that you like as an adult?

Virginia

This is a delightful question, although we agreed that there’s a lot of overlap between what is a kid food and what is a snack food. So I would say Cheez Its, but I don’t know that Cheez Its are a kid food or everybody food? What comes to mind for you?

Corinne

Uncrustables, which I discovered probably since I started working for Burnt Toast.

Virginia

That would have been a great alternate name for this newsletter. Yeah, uncrustables, wow, they’re just so easy and portable and delicious.

Corinne

Yeah, so tasty.

Virginia

Great errand snack, hiking snack, etc.

Corinne

Also peanut butter and jelly in general. I also like mac and cheese box. Mac and cheese was a kind of childhood staple for me, at least.

Virginia

I did not grow up eating mac and cheese because I have a British mother, but I embraced it in college. So for me, I’m like, that’s a college kid food, but of course, also a childhood staple.

Corinne

College kids are kids.

Corinne

Um, I also mentioned Bambas, those peanut butter, puff, things which I thought were kid food, but are maybe just snack food.

Virginia

Yeah, unclear, but delicious.

Corinne

Goldfish. The saltier, more delicious Cheez-It.

Virignia

Okay, that’s controversial. Not everyone would subscribe to that position. I would say that’s really counter to the Burnt Toast mission. But okay. Oh, chocolate milk is another one I’m going to give a shout out to.

Corinne

Yeah, I love chocolate milk.

Virginia

You feel like it’s a kid drink, but it’s not. It’s for everyone.

Corinne

It’s so good. I love applesauce, and sometimes I buy it in the kid shaped pouches.

Virginia

I mean, portable and convenient!

Corinne

Okay. Staying on the food subject.

What recipes have you been making and enjoying lately, or just buying and eating? I love to hear about what you two are cooking up.

Virginia

So I did not cook this, but Jack made us ribs on the grill over the weekend. He grilled them for a really long time. I don’t know, two hours? And then did something else to them, and then did like another hour. There was some kind of maple spice rub, and thi