My mother is on vacation and I am not
I sent the draft of Jasmine Book 2 to my editor at 9:32 on Monday morning, yay! I did nothing on Saturday but work on it, and went to bed Saturday night feeling like it was terrible and two key chapters didn't work. And then I woke up on Sunday morning and tried to fix them one way, which felt false and I hated, and then I tried to fix them another way, and it made me feel so much better. And just when I'd decided to take a break, I got a text from a friend asking me how the writing was going, so I told her the above, and then she said the magic words "Great, then come to Sephora." Reader, I did. I put non caftan clothing on, I had an idea for how to fix one more thing while in the shower, I met two friends at Sephora where we played with makeup and bought too much, and it was a perfect break. Afterward, I came home and spent four more hours working on my book, and I felt good about it when I sent it in (I hope that feeling lasts!). But on the way to Sephora, I thought "I really think I need to get my friend to buy some blue eyeliner today, it would look amazing on her." And lo, she tried this on (in Marine) while we were in the store, and it looked fantastic on her, and she bought it. I'd never worn blue eyeliner in my life until a few years ago when I got one in a Birchbox, and I was like "Why would they send me blue eyeliner, this is ridiculous," and then I tried it on and loved it, and I now own like four blue eyeliners and I get compliments whenever I wear it. So the moral of this story is you should all take breaks when working on a big project and also wear blue eyeliner.
My mom is spending this week at the beach, and she keeps texting me pictures of herself at the beach, or partying with her girlfriends, or out to dinner, and I'm very happy for her and also very bitter that I'm not doing those things right now. Summertime and beaches always makes me think of Sarah Dessen's books, because she writes so many books set in beach towns and over the summer. My favorite of all of her books is The Truth About Forever, about a serious, studious, teenage girl who spends a summer doing something out of character. I might take off to a local beach at some point this weekend or next week. It'll be foggy and overcast at all of the Bay Area beaches, but that's normal beach weather to me. Email me your favorite books set at the beach, so I can read them all!
I celebrated meeting my deadline by getting a root canal, which was a terrible way to celebrate anything. Therefore, my mouth has been sore all week, which I've been complaining about a whole lot. I can only eat soft foods, and I loathe the vast majority of soft foods, so this has been a real struggle. But this weekend, I'm going to make a big batch Chile Cheese Pan Souffle. This is a recipe I got from a family friend who is very much part of the family (neither my sister or I would have never learned how to drive if it hadn't had been for her, for starters). She made it for a Thanksgiving brunch one year, and ever since then I've made it for a ton of brunches. It's easy to prep, it's delicious, it can serve a bunch of people, and it reheats well if you have leftovers. This recipe is for a 8x8 inch pan, but I usually double it for brunches and make it in a 9x13.
Chile Cheese Pan Souffle
(double the recipe for a 9x13 pan)
4 ounces butter, melted
6 eggs
1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped roasted mild chilis (either fresh or canned) or a half of a jalapeno, chopped
1 cup cottage cheese
12 ounces shredded cheese (I usually use half cheddar and half monterey jack, but you can use all of either one)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the 8x8 pan. Beat the eggs in a large bowl; add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat again. Add the melted butter, chilies, cottage cheese, and cheese, and mix until just combined. Bake for 35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Have a great weekend!
Jasmine