Make Out Already

The next #MakeOutAlready recap will be Girl Gone Viral by her royal highness Alisha Rai. The second book in the Modern Love series features a shy ex-model escaping the spotlight for some seclusion with her hunky bodyguard. Steamy forced proximity ensues! Join us back here at the end of May for the Make Out Already review of Girl Gone Viral, and until then, follow us on Instagram @makeoutalreadypod, on Twitter @makeout_already, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Air kisses!

On this episode of Make Out Already, we bask in the brilliance of Get A Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert. We talk about how the book achieves the perfect comedic tone without being slapstick; fan cast models, pop stars and American congresswomen; and delight in a hero who cooks, goes to therapy and knows how to rev up the motor, if you know what we mean. We show our complete ignorance of British cuisine, and have an existential meltdown over the writing.

This was a sweet, funny book that gets into some heavy stuff. So if hearing about intimate partner violence and emotional abuse isn’t something you want to deal with right now, our feelings won’t be hurt if you skip this one.

Make sure to subscribe and follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and follow us on Instagram @makeoutalreadypod and Twitter @makeout_already.

Have a book recommendation for us? Slide into our DMs, or email us at [email protected].

Some stuff we mention:

The World’s Saddest Google Commercial: https://youtu.be/6xSxXiHwMrg

Recipes:

Meg’s small batch salted chocolate ginger biscuits are adapted from Hummingbird High.

Makes 3 cookies!

-3/4 c powdered sugar, sifted

-3 tblsp cocoa powder, sifted

-a pinch of kosher salt

-1 large egg white

-3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

-1 tsp chopped candied ginger

-1 tblsp finely chopped walnuts/pecans

-1/4 c chocolate chips

-sprinkle of flaky salt

Mix the dry ingredients, then add in the wet and mix just until combined. Fold in the mix-ins. Portion 2 tblsp blobs of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 15 min in a 350 degree oven, then sprinkle with flaky salt. Pairs well with a romance.

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To make a chamomile latte, heat one cup of milk over medium on the stove, careful not to to let it boil. Stir in a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to taste. Pour the mixture over a chamomile tea bag and steep. Great tonic for the nerves when your book’s heroes don’t act right.

Liz made a cinnamon roll mug cake adapted from Kirbie’s Cravings. She tried this with chocolate milk in the batter and it was very tasty. Recipe available here: https://kirbiecravings.com/cinnamon-roll-mug-cake/

On this episode of Make Out Already, we discuss the movie The New Romantic, which you can currently stream on Netflix. It’s about a college student who enters into a mutually beneficial relationship so she can document her sugarbaby experiences in hopes of winning a journalism grant. We’ll talk about whether the movie fits the criteria for a romance and what the movie says about the genre, and we’ll bring in an expert to talk about the movie’s exploration of sex work through an academic lens. We’ll go off on tangents about time travel, disagree heatedly about Brett Dier, and declare our undying love for the BDE of one Camila Mendes.

We would very much like to thank our guest this episode, our resident sexpert @shawna_felkins, PhD candidate in gender and women’s studies, sex work researcher, and all-around badass.

Make sure to subscribe and follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and follow us on Instagram @makeoutalreadypod and Twitter @makeout_already.

Have a book recommendation for us? Slide into our DMs, or email us at [email protected].

To make the Hopeless Romantic Float, use Fentimans Traditional Rose Lemonade (Liz got hers from Target) and homemade vanilla ice cream. For the ice cream, she used a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, a cup of milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla.

Stir the ingredients together, chill for 30 minutes before putting into an ice cream maker for 10 to 20 minutes, then store in the freezer for a few hours. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just put the mixture straight in the freezer.

Add two scoops to your prettiest glass, pour the lemonade over the ice cream, and sip while daydreaming about your crush. Spike it if you wanna! This was decadent and so delicious.

Need a little excitement but maybeee don’t want to go as far as getting drugged by your roommate? Us too. Try these Cupcakes for Two. Use @howsweeteats recipe at www.howsweeteats.com/2011/03/one-bowl-vanilla-cupcakes-for-two and add a little food coloring (instead of molly 😉).

Coming up next week on Make Out Already, we’ll be discussing the movie The New Romantic, which you can currently stream on Netflix. It’s about a college student who enters into a mutually beneficial relationship so she can document her sugar baby experiences in hopes of winning a journalism grant. We’ll talk about whether the movie fits the criteria for a romance and what the movie says about the genre, and we’ll bring in an expert to talk about the movie’s exploration of sex work through an academic lens. Add the movie to your Netflix binge and meet us back here next week. We’re also excited to announce our next book, Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert. It’s about a wealthy, chronically ill computer geek on a mission to add adventure to her life, and the sexy motorcycle-riding handyman who will help her check all her boxes. We’ll be dropping this episode in two weeks, and in the meantime, make sure you follow us on Instagram @makeoutalreadypod, where we might have some surprises in store for our listeners. Until next time, virtual air kisses.

Welcome to the Make Out Already recap and review of Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. On this episode, we talk about why we chose a male/male romance for our first episode, give some tough love to our beloved heroes, share drink recipes inspired by the novel, bask in the glow of the delightful alternate universe the novel creates, and do some fan casting.

Make sure to subscribe and follow wherever you listen to your podcasts, and follow us on Instagram @makeoutalreadypod.

Have a book recommendation for us? Slide into our DMs, or email us at [email protected].

Shoutout to Crabicurious Design Studio for our amazing logo! Visit them on IG @crabicurious. Use promo code “crab” for free design work!

Champurrado recipe: https://youtu.be/oKCVI9fbdzA

Boozy Early Grey Cocktail Recipe:

2 T loose leaf Earl Grey

1 sprig rosemary

1/2 c water (boiling)

1 T honey

1 shot whiskey (or bourbon!)

1 splash orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier)

1 dash orange bitters

Squeeze of fresh lemon/orange juice and slice to garnish

(Adapted from Bon Appetit’s Earl Grey-Bourbon Punch)

Steep the rosemary and Earl Grey in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and add the honey, then let cool. Fill a glass with ice, the whiskey, orange liqueur, orange bitters and fruit juice. Pour the tea concentrate over, stir, garnish and drink while reading RWRB!

Our first recap will be the adorable Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston! This rom-com features the first son of the United States in an enemies to friends to lovers romance with the Prince of England. Subscribe to know when the episode drops, and follow us on Instagram @makeoutalreadypod.

Welcome to Make Out Already, a romance novel podcast where two friends and feminists recap contemporary romance novels. Find out why we love the wildly misunderstood genre, and what you can expect in future episodes. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.