A Lasagna Recipe Review

Greetings from Nelson, BC! I’m writing this while sitting outside John Ward Fine Coffee, enjoying a decaf latte and soaking up some much-needed sun during my vacation. For anyone interested in joining the YEGwords Book Club (not a real thing), I’m currently burning through All’s Well by Mona Awad after being thoroughly entertained by her previous novel Bunny. As an aside to the avid readers out there, I highly recommend using Storygraph over Goodreads - it’s a small, Black-owned alternative to the Amazonian giant and works just as well for me.

Since I’m in a vacation mood, we’re keeping the theme light this week in an unconventional 13×10 grid. Some goofs, gaffs, and even a few laughs - I hope it gives you a nice little break for the end of your week :)

Discussion (and spoilers!) below the break.

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A Lasagna Recipe Review by Brandon Cathcart

Discussion

This theme is based on a running joke my partner and I have after reading so many recipe reviews online. “So good! I just made these substantial changes…”, “Terrible! I barely followed the recipe but…”, and other such paraphrased comments made me jaded about any recipe’s rating (and honestly, much more of a cookbook fan), but I also love the comedy in it.

Oh, and I also got to include Kendrick and Kesha in there, so good music puzzle. Here’s a little DAMN for you with a great music vid.

Today’s Theme

The theme clues are all parts of a (made-up) review for a lasagna recipe. The user makes a few choice substitutions, ultimately turning the dish from lasagna into a GRILLED CHEESE sandwich. 5 stars.

Behind the Clues

13A. I thought about whether I was allowed to have a clue about peeing in the crossword, then I realized the answer was yes. But I tried to make it a little more formal. [Urinate, with “oneself”] is to RELIEVE oneself, something that I personally enjoy doing throughout the day.

24A. ["___ card": Me during my magician phase in junior high]. Just like everyone else, I had a few years where I was into magic and making people PICK A card. Got a few books, learned some card tricks, bamboozled some classmates, watched a lot of Penn & Teller Fool Us. Great show, by the way.

32A. I hadn’t thought about it until making this puzzle, but is it not a little weird that you call a [French boy or waiter] the same thing? Oui, garçon. Boy in the suit at this fancy restaurant, bring me plus de champagne, s’il vous plaît.

4D. [Maggie, to Homer, as per the iconic "DO IT FOR HER" scene in The Simpsons]. Honestly, take 3 minutes and watch it now. It’s these moments that prove the brilliance of the writers of The Simpsons beyond the gags and topical moments.

8D. Do I make to many drag references? The jury is out on it. Wait, the jury is back in. Verdict: No, I don’t. Especially when it’s the [Punnily-named U.K. drag queen TIA Kofi]. Get it? If not, say it out loud a few times. So good.

34D. Anyone joining me on this? Everyone thinks “guac” is cool, but [What I call guac (it’s not catching on)] is OLE and for some reason, if you take the last part, it’s not cool? I’ll have a side of ‘ole with my nachos, please.

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle!

Until next Friday,

Brandon