u/AnewZootsuit

A friend of mine got this letter today from “Trump’s FTC”. The letter brags about his FTC got an award from Amazon for stealing money from Prime members or something.

Thing is, his FTC didn’t bring the case and it was settled in Sept 2025. Yet, they waited until a month before the midterms to send the checks out. How convenient. I think it’s horribly transparent that the Trump admin is just throwing money and checks out to people, just to get votes. I guess it’s no different than what other admins do, but he’s just so overt about it.

Letter and date of settlement

There are even swastikas on the spines. I know that swastikas meant ‘good luck’ for hundreds of years before WWII, but come on, man. Let it go, post WWII.

Looking for constructive critique

I would love to get constructive critique on these three paintings that I created yesterday. Please tell me your thoughts on style (going for a Miro/Klee feel) as well as composition & color and if they feel cohesive to you or are they just too different? Thanks Watercolor and oil transfer on paper. No reference used.

I am looking for critique but I’m scared. I usually love critique, but i’’m afraid bc I actually really like these. Normally I’m open to other’s opinions but for some reason, I’m afraid of rejection with these. Well, it doesn’t matter if I’m afraid bc here they are anyway. Lemme have it; Please share constructive critique or how you feel about them. Thank you. Watercolor & oil transfer

I was looking for some nostalgia videos about u68, which was a NYC metro UHF video channel in the 1980s. Imagine my surprise when I spotted who I believe is MoonVest in the commercial. ETA This is RadioMan, a/k/a Craig Castaldo a/k/a Craig Schwartz

This was found on top of my fence railing near my dog’s enclosure.

We couldn’t afford MTV until I was in my later teens, but we did have UHF channel U68. It played the same 15 videos over and over, but I loved it.

Is this a Coopers Hawk? This Photo was taken by Anthony Pascarella in 2015 credit. Taken on Long Island NY USA

I got an oil change done at our local dealership on Jun 4.

ETA: just zoomed in on the filter. Date says 2024. Looks like it’s original to the vehicle. Also ETA: The fluffiness on top is a mouse nest (or similar animal). This was stacked super high on top of the filter, while the filter was in place. I had to remove the fluff in sections, in order to get it out of the cabin filter slot.

And sadly, that fluff is actually garage attic insulation that the animal has been transporting from the attic to my vehicle.

Do you think this is older than June 4? They say they check the filter but that brown dirty filter seems much older than that but I could be wrong. Thoughts? We are in south USA. do mice nest in the summer?

First, thanks to everyone who helped me troubleshoot the mouth feel issue with my previous version. This time I used regular-fat heavy cream instead of high-fat 40% cream and that made the difference.

A couple of notes about this pie:

This pie originated at the famous Briermere Farms on the eastern end of the North Fork of Long Island, NY. I was probably in my early 20s when I first tried it and it cost $18, which was outrageous at the time, but it was a taste I would never forget. Over the years, as the farm became more popular, the price skyrocketed and it is now priced at $48 as of Aug 2026. (Still worth it). They also make other fruit-cream pies, such as strawberry, blueberry, cherry, and raspberry. If you don’t like peaches, you can add whatever fruits you want. I tried to make the blueberry version but it tasted a bit ‘one-note’ to me. I drizzled a little lemon juice on top of the blueberry filling topping and that helped a little.

A couple of other notes:

The hardest thing to nail down about this pie is the filling. I’ve seen and tried many copycat recipes over the years and I didn’t have much success, including one that was written by the NY Times. This one is as close as it gets, for me, and I still don’t think I have nailed it. To be fair, I haven’t tasted the pie from Briermere in almost five years, so I’m strictly going by memory at this point.

Full disclosure:

I did not make the crust from scratch. This is a…ehem….Keebler shortbread crust from the supermarket. To me, it worked perfectly. If you want to go through the trouble of blind baking your own crust, go for it. Briermere uses a regular pie crust, but to my taste, the shortbread works better in this application. YMMV

I also did not glaze the peaches. To me, that’s strictly for appearances (see last photo). It looks beautiful but doesn’t really change the taste. If you want to go through the trouble, go for it.

Trust me when I tell you that you must let this pie rest in the fridge at least overnight or preferably 24 hours. If you eat it right out of the bowl, the texture is slightly different than after it sits for a day in the fridge. If you can’t control yourself, that’s fine, but just know the texture will be a little more creamy instead of establishing a little bit of body.

I have never written a recipe before in my life. I know I should have done everything by grams, but this recipe was me just flying by the seat of my pants, adding ingredients and adjusting on the fly. Don’t be afraid to adjust this pie to taste as you go along, especially if you’re familiar with this pie. Maybe this pie isn’t as close as I think it is but I’m hoping someone can correct me who is more informed or has had the pie recently.

For those who have never had this pie before: It is not overly sweet and it is a bit tangy. If you’re expecting a sweet pie, then choose a very sweet fruit or add a little more sugar. Also, this pie is fattening AF. I call it ‘shame pie’ for a reason.

Thanks to Briermere farms for always being a special place for us to go as a family. The influencers have ruined it a bit and I hear they have outsourced a lot of their other pies to keep up with demand, but it’s still a special place.

Again, I’m no expert and I am a noob recipe writer, so please let me know if anything needs clarification.

—————————————————

Briermere Peach Cream Pie
(a/k/a Shame Pie)

6 - 8 ripened peaches (depending on size and how high you want to stack them)

1 - 8 oz pkg full fat Philly cream cheese
1 - 9” shortbread pie crust (I used Keebler from the supermarket)
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
3/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/16 tsp regular table salt
1 tsp clear vanilla

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine and mix the cream cheese,
sugar, salt & sour cream until creamy and there is no evidence of graininess from the sugar remaining

While still mixing, add the vanilla and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Set aside in a separate bowl.

In an ice-cold metal mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.
Do not overwhip or it will turn into butter.

Gently fold the now-whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

After thoroughly folded in, add the mixture into the pie crust and spread flat.

Place pie temporarily into the refrigerator while you slice the peaches into wedges. When peaches are sliced, place around the top of the pie in a circular fashion. Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving (24 hours is ideal).

Tips:

If you want to use a regular pie crust or a graham cracker crust, do whatever makes you happy. Briermere uses a regular pie crust, but I actually think that the shortbread crust is superior and provides more of a contrast in texture.

You can use regular vanilla if you’d like, but it may color the filling a little and taste slightly different.

Stop and taste after the cream cheese stage and after adding in the whipped cream. Don’t be afraid to add a little more lemon juice or sugar. If you’re going to add sugar after the whipped-cream stage to increase the sweetness, add a teaspoon of sifted powdered sugar and fold to combine. Then re-check for sweetness.

We like riper peaches in this household, but if you want to use firmer peaches, that’s fine, too.

If you want to add a glaze to the peaches to make it look more like Briermere, you can do that, too. To me, that step wasn’t necessary and i didn’t have it in me to try and troubleshoot that process, so I skipped it.

This pie has cream cheese, sour cream and whipped cream (made from 40% heavy cream) (and sugar, vanilla & lemon juice) and the taste is exactly where I want it to be. However, I do get a subtle film of an oily/greasy texture on the roof of my mouth. It’s barely there, but I notice it. Can you tell me what specific ingredient is causing it to happen and is there a way to sub something out so I don’t get that sensation? I was hoping the lemon juice would cut through some of the fat but I didn’t want to go overboard with the lemon. Thoughts?

Approx 8.5” from front to back. Western NC USA

Looking for a general valuation on this articulated 18k bracelet. Weighs approx 1.136 oz. Diamonds are tiny! Purchased in Italy about 40 years ago. Thanks!