I’ve waited on this magnolia in my backyard for weeks and weeks and here it is in all its glory. It smelled like sweet new syrup and the bees were absolutely love drunk.
This week synopsis with a lot of omissions: I found a package of peanut butter cups in my travel purse this week and thanked my past travel self for the indulgence. I walked in the sunshine, had one of those weird nightmares where I screamed myself awake, had dinner with my older sister and her boss, and drove to Ponchatoula Louisiana for the best strawberries I’ve ever eaten. Listen… you take the good/ you take the bad / you eat the peanut butter cups.
Here is my offering this week. A smattering of things that might not have crossed your path during regular Internet news consumption:
• What We Lost In Austin Bombing Victim Draymen Mason. A lot of good, a lot of beauty, and it’s a heartbreaking shame. (Texas Monthly)
• Our skin – the largest organ of our bodies and our most outward presentation. This resonates: The Classist Implications of “Bad Skin”. (Racked)
• The Sanitized Words of Complicated Women. Sidetone: we’re all complicated. Let’s look at it all. (Shondaland)
• Asking Polly: Should I Leave My Amazing But Incredibly Frustrating Relationship? Some things are hard to know from the inside, and DAMN POLLY lays it down. (The Cut)
• The Law Is Coming, Mr. Trump. (NYT)
• Deeply,unflinchingly relevant: How Do We Write Now?
• If only… The rise and demise of American Airlines $250K lifetime ticket. Nonstop to the moon, please. Thankyouverymuch. (The Hustle)
• In other important news: How to Do Salad for Dinner Like They Do in Paris. (The Kitchn)
• It’s a dress / It’s a duster (sorta). (Everlane)
• Letters: Who Handles The Dishes? These feels voyeuristic is a weird way. (The Atlantic)
• We’ve been making Strawberry Pies at The Bakehouse all weekend (literally) and I switched things up by thickening these berry pies with quick-cooking tapioca instead of cornstarch. GAME CHANGER! Check out this knowledge from King Arthur for your summer pie baking: Pie Filling Thickeners.
• We’re in the last few days of our Kentucky Derby Trip Giveaway contest so be sure to get your #DerbyDishContest photos up on Instagram. Y’all… one of you will win a trip to the Derby! Find details and inspiration here! (Joy the Baker)
More soon, friends! Enjoy this day!
xo Joy
Laura Gillespie
I think that KAF’s Instant ClearJel is the magical thickener for any baked fruit dish!
Love your magnolia.
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/instant-clearjel-8-oz?gclid=CjwKCAjwk9HWBRApEiwA6mKWafyIqMDtPcO-rTFKHQR1gGGDq-TlKXfwSIry3eY_0yRn3zKSLsDKbxoCRK4QAvD_BwE
Stella P
Hi Joy, thanks again for another enlightening and illuminating Sunday read. The Ask Polly advice article is fantastic and spot on. I copied and stored it for future use whenever I hear a loved one or close friend whine “but I love him/her” after repeated complaints about how awful said person is to him/her. Polly’s advice cuts through all the BS and does it so forcefully and with brutal honesty; hopefully these words will resonate and be the impetus to save themselves. Thank you for sharing.
Ashley
I grew up with my Grandma making pies using tapioca. It is better than any other option. Literally just soaks up the flavors around it but doesn’t add any weird thick gummy-ness or make the juices look cloudy. And in blackberry pies it blends in perfectly with the berries. Can’t wait to see strawberry pie recipes!
Elizabeth C. Hying
I enjoy reading your recipes, however I find myself disagreeing with your weekly articles.
How do I UNsubscribe to your weekly emails?
Liz
joythebaker
The unsubscribe link is at the bottom of the email. Easy to find!
Lin
Thank you Joy. I found you under Baker, I return because you are much more than that. I especially loved the pieces on Words (Sanitized and How we write now). Time to step up to the mic. You inspire!
HumanRobot
About those pie filling thickeners: why is quick-cooking tapioca better than cornstarch? I’ve never used it before, I’d like to know more about it :)
Davena
I think it’s because cornstarch lends a cloudy sheen to the filling when it firms up, whereas tapioca keeps it clear. So, for presentation purposes.
Karen
Good article in the NYT. The world is a scary place right now. Keep us all informed, Joy.
Beth
I would have love to have met you in Ponchatoula. I live 6 miles from there. The strawberries have been so sweet this year. Can’t seem to get enough. Where did you get them?
Kari
I like that Who handles the dishes article.
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/passion-fruit-colada/
Kansas Gal
I can relate to the Ask Polly article. I was emotionally & physically abused for five years by the man that I “loved” but stayed with until he divorced me. Now, 39 years later, I’m still single and happier than I ever was when I was married, when I walked on eggshells every day, just as I learned to do with my father.
Mlisa
New to me and so thank you, JTB, for the intro. A big thank you… How Do We Write Now? PATRICIA LOCKWOOD
nancy k
I have decided that you need a Food Network show called “The Bakehouse” in which we can enjoy your amazing recipies, partake of your knowledge of cooking /baking /recipe development and enjoy your charming personality. And…we might even get to see a bit of Tron here and there. I am serious. It could take the form of a cooking session at your home for all of us who live far away frrom New Orleans and envy those who can attend your workshops.
Just sayin’…
Karen
I agree Nancy. New Orleans is just too far to travel and I would love a workshop.
Melissa
The skin article…wow. @ Glossier.
and now I need pie
tracey
Loved the article about doing the dishes. We do not have a dishwasher and my husband washes every single dish! I clean the entire rest of our home, but he’s the dish person and it’s the best.
Cori
Love the bees picture! My grandmother taught me to use tapioca in pies. I love little signs that she was a baking genius.
Taste of France
Those bees!
I really want to add bee-friendly plants to my yard. We (humans) have been so bad to the bees.
The skin article is interesting as I have a teen in constant battle against acne. Have you noticed that in literature, even going way back, having good skin was a sign of class? Now it’s also teeth–straight white ones show either that you were born lucky or that your parents had good insurance (which also is being born lucky). There’s the same implication that bad teeth–even crooked ones–show a lack of hygiene.
a
I have a black thumb, so I’m not too interested in adding plants to my yard (unless someone else takes care of them), but I am intrigued by the “insect hotels” I’ve seen. https://insteading.com/blog/insect-hotel/