Personal notebook

Josh Cherwinski

Recipes, notes, cost breakdowns, podcast picks, and New England opinions.

A personal notebook for things I cook, test, overthink, price out, and occasionally rant about.

RecipesNew EnglandTravelEVsCredit CardsPodcastsAdventures

Latest posts

The newest entries across the whole site, from recipes to travel math.

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Recipe
4 min read

Sweet Potato Cheeseburger Pie

A cast-iron cheeseburger pie with a thick sweet potato crust, seasoned beef, melted cheese, and burger toppings added after baking.

Ground BeefSweet PotatoCast IronDinner
Recipe
4 min read

Large Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

Six oversized blueberry muffins with the high-heat start that gives you the big domed top instead of flat grocery-store energy.

BakingMuffinsBlueberriesBreakfast
Notes
2 min read

The Rain Towel Hack for Cleaning Pollen Off a Deck

If your Northeast pool-opening weekend lines up with a deck covered in pollen, use the overnight rain instead of fighting every spindle with a power washer.

HomePool SeasonNew EnglandCleaning Hacks
Recipe
4 min read

Greek Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls

Greek-marinated chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, cucumber-tomato salad, feta, tzatziki, and pita in one solid meal-prep bowl.

ChickenSweet PotatoMeal PrepMediterranean
Recipe
4 min read

Chewy Bagel Formula

A straightforward homemade bagel formula with the boil step that actually makes it taste like a bagel.

BagelsBreadBaking

Recipes

Things I actually cook and want to find again.

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Recipe

Sweet Potato Cheeseburger Pie

A cast-iron cheeseburger pie with a thick sweet potato crust, seasoned beef, melted cheese, and burger toppings added after baking.

25 minutes prep 35 to 42 minutes cook
Ground BeefSweet PotatoCast IronDinner

Recipe

Large Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

Six oversized blueberry muffins with the high-heat start that gives you the big domed top instead of flat grocery-store energy.

15 minutes prep 22 to 28 minutes cook
BakingMuffinsBlueberriesBreakfast

Recipe

Greek Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls

Greek-marinated chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, cucumber-tomato salad, feta, tzatziki, and pita in one solid meal-prep bowl.

20 minutes active, plus at least 30 minutes marinating prep 35 to 40 minutes cook
ChickenSweet PotatoMeal PrepMediterranean

Money & Travel

Useful, practical, and occasionally a little too interested in the math.

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Money & Travel
4 min read

What the Carnival Drink Package Actually Costs

The sticker price is only the beginning. The useful number is the all-in cost per day and the break-even point against what you would have ordered anyway.

Cruise MathCost BreakdownTravel

Podcast Episodes Worth Saving

Business mechanics, useful tech, markets, and mountain people doing unreasonable things.

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Show

high

Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

Useful when the conversation gets past gadget chatter and into products, platforms, Apple, Google, OpenAI, and what people may actually use.

consumer techproduct strategyAppleGoogleAI

Fun adventures

Hikes, rides, cruise stops, race weekends, and local outings worth remembering.

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Adventure

Pemi Loop Notes

The sort of hike where logistics matter almost as much as fitness, especially if you want the day to feel hard but not stupid.

Location: White Mountains, New Hampshire Distance: About 31 miles Time: Very long day Cost: Gas, parking, and a lot of snacks
5 min read
White MountainsHikingNew Hampshire

Adventure

Mambo Beach Without the Cruise Excursion

A practical way to do Mambo Beach from the cruise port without paying cruise-excursion prices.

Location: Curacao Time: About 90 minutes on the island tour plus about 90 minutes at Mambo Beach Cost: About $25 per person
4 min read
CuracaoMambo BeachCruise StopPort Day

Adventure

Rhode Island Beach / Cliff Jumping Ideas

A shortlist of warm-weather ideas that feel more local than formal, with enough context to avoid turning them into a dumb day.

Location: Rhode Island Time: Half day Cost: Usually just parking and snacks
3 min read
Rhode IslandSummerLocal Finds