30: Elevated Boxed Cake and Summer Loves

Zing! is thirty, flirty, and thriving! In our 30th episode, Anabel makes a heart-shaped strawberry cake (is that not the cutest shit you've ever heard) from a BOXED mix! She takes you through her fool-proof way to elevate any boxed cake mix, so much so that your friends will think it's homemade. This is absolutely confirmed. Then, she is joined by the bestie, Abby, to chat their current summer loves, including food, drink, media, and even concepts! This episode really has it all, friends!! Of course, they end with entertainment recs of the week. (I tried to find that scene from Hacks that everyone *must* watch but it's not anywhere online. It is in episode 2 at the 9 minute 57 second mark.) Elevated Boxed Cake: Boxed cake mix of your choice A lot of butter (at least 1 cup, probably) Milk of your choice (I used almond and it totally worked!) 1/2 Vanilla pudding mix Eggs Prepare boxed mix exactly as stated on the package, BUT: - Replace water with milk - Add an extra egg - Replace oil with butter, then double the amount - Add 1/2 vanilla pudding packet and fresh fruit, chocolate, etc. to spruce her up! Anabel's Summer Loves: Old Summer Blockbusters (The Heat (2013), Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)) Taking care of her plants Summer TV Shows (Big Little Lies, Never Have I Ever, Mare of Easttown) Liane Moriarty Books (The Husband's Secret, Truly, Madly, Guilty, Nine Perfect Strangers) Abby's Summer Loves: Trader Joe's Dill Pickle Potato Chips Banneker Pool (basically, your local pool) French 75's Getting the COVID-19 vaccine Anabel's Entertainment recs of the week: Hacks on HBO Max (must be HBO Max) The White Lotus on HBO (does not have to be HBO Max) Abby's Entertainment recs of the week: Freedom (2010) by Jonathan Franzen Fleishman Is in Trouble (2019) by Taffy Brodesser-Akner