This is the first time I ever seen a comment like this. And mind you all she got was A cup of sliced apples, 2 bottles of Fiji water and 4 donuts… I’m not mad at her either I think it’s very enlightening🤣🥹

I’m just starting my baking business and I have someone that wants to order a cheesecake, peach cobbler, and an apple cake This is the cake I want to make for them: Apple cider cake layers with shortbread frosting, apple pie filling, streusel filling and vanilla bean buttercream. How much would you charge? Picture of the cake

I need the Reddit hive mind to weigh in on this.
10/15/21 - I make a 2 week fermented beer mustard. It’s freaking delicious.
12/1/21 - Almost out of beer mustard. I make a big batch this time, decide I’m going to let it ferment a month and break it out on New Year’s Day. This is going to rock! After a week of burping, I move the jar to a closet to reclaim counter space.
Today, 6/3/23 - finds the long forgotten jar in the back corner of a closet.
I figured I was tossing this, there’s no way it still is good, right? But then I cracked the jar to dispose of it and…dare I say it smells good? I’m somewhere caught between “better safe than sorry, dump it” and “it smells good, no sign of mold, could this possibly be okay?”
I guess my biggest concern is the top inch or two of brine is discolored. But is it? I’ve got brown mustard seeds and a dark beer in here… could that just be the nature of what’s in the ferment? Mustard is my first foray outside of fermenting peppers for hot sauce, so I’m not sure if color leeching is a real thing, but it kind of makes sense in my head because mustard stains, right?
Here was the rough recipe I used if it makes any difference.
2:1 ratio of cups yellow & brown mustard seeds 3:1 ratio dark ale & apple cider vinegar 3:3:1 ratio caraway seed, minced dried onion, minced dried garlic
So this batch looks to be 3 cups mustard seeds, 3 cups beer, 1 cup ACV, 3 tbsp caraway seed, 3 tbsp dried onion, 1 tbsp minced garlic. Jar has been sealed since approx 12/14/21.
What would you do?

My hair has only been dyed once. I've used raw aloe, honey, 100% raw African Shea butter, Marron oil, Argan oil, castor oil, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, rice water, fresh eggs from my chickens, oat meal and coconut oil. After I wash it, it coils. If I brush out the knots it frizzes extremely bad. It's often staticey and is dry. I use oils once a week overnight to help it from drying to bad. Any advice on how to save it? (Photos are of my hair unwashed with argan and Moroccan oil)

That's a wrap, folks! Feis Ile 2023 has been an incredible experience, and it ended with a bang on Ardbeg's open day today.
The chosen crew for Operation Smokescreen, a free single-cask tasting panel

• Ardbeg Committee members could enter a lottery for a free experience called "Operation Smokescreen" in the runup to the Feis. I signed us both up, and my wife won a place! Here's what she could disclose to me. During the Operation, the fortunate 50 or so fans entered an elaborately decorated mad scientist's lab, where they tried samples from five Ardbeg single casks and Ardbeg 10 at cask strength. The mad scientist in question was Gillian Macdonald, the company's master blender. Working in teams, the lucky ducks offered tasting notes on the five casks using Ardbeg 10 as a reference point. My wife guessed that the Ardbeg crew will blend these cask types to make a new expression, perhaps an upcoming Committee release.
• This year's open day single cask release (495 pounds) was an 11.5-year-old whisky aged in a first-fill amontillado sherry cask. Even at that steep price, the line was massive, and it kept up all day, never letting up as new arrivals joined in. I saw stray bottle flippers grabbing as many as they could and then immediately leaving festival day, which is a real shame.
• I missed Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain days doing activities at other distilleries, but I cannot imagine anyone does it better than Ardbeg. Their day is a fitting capstone to the week because they go all out. Elaborate decorations (this year, giant green octopus tentacles hanging from the windows, and comic panels all over the walls); staff in sci-fi and superhero costumes, along with savvy guests; and by far the most activities and games of Feis week. The entry ticket was 10 pounds but was a bargain: two drams, a "smokie" (a smoked fish), a mini-glencairn glass, and a scavenger hunt-style game that could earn another dram. And the crowds were the biggest we saw all week, by far.
• Aside from offering the whole core range and the Heavy Vapours festival bottle as those two included drams, Ardbeg also had a cash bar with very reasonable prices for rare or pricey whiskies, including Ardbeg 25 for 20 pounds and Supernova 2014 and other old Committee releases or Feis bottles for 10 pounds. The bartenders also had very heavy hands. A single pour was enough for my wife and me to split, with me filling up a 20 ml sample bottle and still having leftovers to nose and sip. There was also a fun game of chance where, for five pounds a play, we drew a surprise dram from a set of small mailbox-like lockers. The pours ranged from the standard Ardbeg 10 up to Twenty-something, Renaissance, Alligator Committee Release, 25, etc. In our three plays, we got the Heavy Vapours, 8-year-old For Discussion, and Traigh Bhan 19-year-old Batch 4. Not too bad!
• There were tons of games and activities. One of our favorites was a comic workshop where people could draw this year's "Heavy Vapours" villains or heroes (from the Planet Ardbeg comic book series) on merchandise they purchased at the gift shop. In my wife's case, she got a free lab coat from Operation Smokescreen and later added her own hand-drawn touch to it.

The angry smokecloud residing in every bottle of Heavy Vapours

• In contrast to other distilleries, Ardbeg festival day tastings are booked day-of. We jumped on the 1:30 tasting, led by distillery manager Colin Gordon and two employees, including Emma, our tour guide from yesterday. The tasting covered (1) new make; (2) Heavy Vapours; (3) Blaaack; (4) Supernova 2014; and (5) this year's Amontillado single cask. The price was 50 pounds, up from 40 pounds last year, and was held outside thanks to the spectacular weather. While it was nice, it was also mobbed - there must have been over 70-80 people in our tasting group. The pours were well worth the cost, although I preferred other experiences earlier in the week with smaller groups or more organization.
• We saw the swan couple again alongside the Ardbeg pier. Throughout the week, they proved themselves more dedicated festival attendees than we were.
• Note from last night: Lucci's Bar at the Bowmore Hotel is another iconic Islay watering hole, and Peter is an absolute encyclopedia of whisky knowledge. The bar had live music on Friday night; we left around midnight to a heartwarming rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
• Looking back at my notes, I tried 85 whiskies in 8 days on the island, so I'm ready for a vacation from this vacation. We're heading to Skye next and will visit three more distilleries in the next week or so, but nothing like this pace (thankfully).

Farewell to another spectacular week with the best whisky-makers in the world
Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Festival Bottling - This is the 46%, slightly diluted version of the Committee Release we tried yesterday, but it's very similar. It has a dry presentation missing some of Ardbeg's brighter fruit notes, so it almost seemed to have a hole in the middle of the palate. I'm not a big fan, so I wasn't tempted by its 120-pound price tag.
Ardbeg 8 y.o. For Discussion - I'm wondering why Ardbeg would release an 8-year-old whisky, but it's hard to complain about a new, age-stated, higher ABV (50.8%) Ardbeg at a fair price of 60 pounds. This pretty much tastes like a champion's breakfast of a lemon muffin and two cigarettes. If released in America, we'd call this "Ardbeg Bottled in Bond." Good stuff.
Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release - Alright, hello, this is different. This has lots of ripe orchard fruit, berries, and other rich flavors. On the finish, moreso than on the nose, I get a healthy dose of vanilla. Subsequent sips got more acidic and less pleasurable.
Ardbeg Supernova Committee Release 2014 - This whisky epitomizes what it means to be peaty, not smoky. This whisky is a blend of very peated barrels (or barrels that expressed that character more than normal), but the type of peat is a vegetal, floral, and earthy melange, not the ashy smoke typical of Ardbegs. It's surprisingly mellow on the palate, and on one particularly good sip, there were hints of Boston cream donut on the finish.
Ardbeg 11 y.o. Amontillado Single Cask Feis Ile 2023 - In watches, one way to distinguish between quartz watches and mechanicals (which are more of a luxury item) is by the movement of the seconds hand. Quartz watches tick, while mechanicals have a sweeping, smooth motion. But some super-high-end mechanical watchmakers include a feature called a "dead-beat" seconds hand, which ticks like a quartz watch. So for an extra $10,000 or $20,000, that feature makes a very expensive luxury watch look, in one way, like a regular quartz. That wasn't just random wristwatch trivia, folks; it was a very long metaphor for the fact that this single cask tastes a lot like my favorite bourbon, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. It has a very oaky but sweet nose, and then a mix of fruit, brown sugar, and more charred wood on the palate before wrapping up with a dried-fruit-and-oak finish. On the one hand, I love every part on it. On the other hand, why would I pay $620 for a scotch that tastes like my favorite $80-100 bourbon? This is the dead-beats seconds hand of the scotch market.
Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 4 - I started getting palate exhaustion by this point. This dram seemed very subtle and balanced, especially in this day and age when almost all Ardbegs are well under 10 years old. The dried glass surprised me with a distinct deli ham note when we got home from festival day. This is a savory Ardbeg, and pretty different than the original Traigh Bhan from 2019.
Ardbeg 10 Cask Strength - OK, one quick pour at home, just to confirm this is as good as I would expect. It is. The "soot and fruit" core character of Ardbeg shines through. Yesterday, I almost asked our tour guide yesterday whether Ardbeg would ever consider doing a 10 at cask strength, since Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is my favorite series of whiskies. After tasting this, I am holding out hope. Delicious.
And some stray notes from the Bowmore Hotel last night ...
Bowmore Vault Edition No. 2 Peat Smoke - It's so funny, this dram was supposed to highlight the peaty/smoky side of Bowmore's moderately peated spirit. Instead, it hit me with the clearest, most powerful prune note I've ever gotten in a whisky. Not the most complex, but a delightful surprise.
Kilchoman STR Cask 2019 - STR is an experimental cask finish involving shaving, toasting, and recharring (hence, S-T-R) old wine casks to mature whisky. Based on this one, I'm not the biggest fan. Like a dried-out bourbon that had its sweet notes sucked out of its nose before mummification.
Arrrrrrrdbeg! - This pour was pretty pricey, but damned if it isn't worth it. The nose is minty and features starfruit, anise, and mukhwas, with more of those fresh fruit and spice characteristics on the palate, along with a balanced dose of cigar smoke peatiness. A mellow and self-assured Ardbeg, and a fitting tribute to longtime distillery manager Mickey Heads.
Bunnahabhain 12 Cask Strength 2022 ed. - Aberlour A'bunadh is like the Two Face of whiskies for me; half is amazing, but half is harsh and hot (even though we mostly drink cask-strength whisky). This dram is the good half of A'bunadh: spiced cider, sultanas and trail mix dried fruits, cocoa powder, all in a rich and syrupy whisky.
The complete week's recaps are here:
Day One, Lagavulin
Day Two, Bruichladdich - but we skipped and did Bunnahabhain
Day Three, Caol Ila
Day Four, Laphroaig
Day Five, Bowmore and Ardnahoe
Bonus notes from Days One through Five
Day Six, Kilchoman
Day Seven - Bunnahabhain Day, but we did Lagavulin and Ardbeg warehouse tastings
Slainte all, and thanks for reading! I plan to do two followup posts. Tomorrow, I'll compile a "best of the week" list to recognize which distilleries did which parts of the week well, and then I'll do a writeup in the next few weeks with some booking and logistics advice, if people are interested.