Hello dear friends!
Welcome to another fine Sunday! We made it through January! I’m not alone in feeling like January was a full 7 years long, right!? Like… I full abandoned and then recommitted to my New Year’s Resolutions all within the first month of the year. What a trip, honestly. Let’s see what February has up its sleeve. Another month of hustling to make dinner / our own dreams come true? Sure. We’re up for it.
I hope this Sunday finds you well. I hope you give yourself what you need. Hydrate, if nothing else.
This week’s offering is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. We’re a little all over the place… and we’re off the grid with an emotionally unavailable man so… I apologize for getting us into that mess.
Please, as is always the invitation – take only what you need.
• We’re workin’. I know you know. The Second-Best Me I Could Possibly Be. (The New Yorker)
• Ask Polly: “I Moved Off-Grid With An Emotionally Stunted Older Man”. Woof… I mean, we can all relate in one way or another, right? (The Cut)
• I was looking for the right words for this and I found some of the right words here: Kobe Bryant and Complicated Legacies. (jill.substack.com via Ann Friedman)
• A Night at the Door With Three Aspen Bouncers. (Punch – which… if you don’t already know – has the best wine and drink writing on the internet)
• A read: The New Trophies of Domesticity. (The Atlantic)
• Have you watched Cheer on Netflix yet? Lotta heart. Hard work and a lot of heart. And my friend Whitney talked me into watching a few episodes of Goop Lab and I really enjoyed the episode on aging. To be honest, I was pretty out on both of these shows because of the hype but good news… they’re great, duh. (Netflix)
• Our friend Scott Hocker speaks to my heart with this talk of Cream of Wheat: New Wave Chicken Fried Steak . (Taste)
• I’m working on my latest New Orleans guide but here’s a quick spoiler. If you’re in town anytime soon, please stop in for ice cream at Sundae Best at the Peter and Paul Hotel. (SundaeBestIceCream)
• This week I made sushi rice, onigiri, and some little lamb wontons I found on Instagram. I often need a kitchen adventure that I don’t have to document in photographs. What’s your next kitchen adventure, please?
• Instead of emptying the dishwasher I googled ‘why is it so hard to empty the dishwasher’ and came across this: 3 Smart Tips That’ll Make Unloading the Dishwasher Way Easier. Will it help? (The Kitchn)
• A sweetie little spice grinder. (W&P)
• These downloadable Galentine’s Day cards are so cute! Get on it! (Etsy)
Take good care today!
My love to you.
xo Joy
Lia
I’ve never before posted to any account, but I am absolutely floored that you would use this platform to encourage your readers to indulge that highly insensitive and linear diatribe on Kobe Bryant. I thought your blog was a safe space [about food and lifestyle]…how utterly insensitive of you and the author of that article. I’m completely and reasonably taken aback — shame on you [for that read recommendation] and to all that were complicit.
joythebaker
I did not feel linear to me and I don’t need your shame.
Janet Beasley
I simply love the galentine cards!
Suzonne
Polly gets it! :)
Caitlyn
I love your lists as always. Especially the Second-Best Me I Could Possibly Be – cracked me up.
I am interested in seeing Goop’s show but I just cannot because I cannot support Goop at all. I think Gwyneth Paltrow is taking advantage of women searching for answers to real needs with pseudoscience some of which I find dangerous. Don’t put weird things in your vagina! That being said if you’re enjoying it then enjoy it, just be cautious of any advice. If you want science-based perspective on some of the Goop ways, may I recommend checking out Jen Gunter (google her) on Twitter and Youtube. (Sorry I usually avoid being the ranting-on-the-internet type of person but I just feel so strongly about this).
Alli
Joy, I always look forward to your Sunday recaps. Thank you for the thoughtful Kobe article- this is the pov I was looking for.
I am going to New Orleans on Saturday for my first trip- have obviously referenced your guide! Any chance the new one will come out…this week? ha. If not, is there a can’t miss food experience?
Terri Ozanich
Thank you, Joy, for including the “KobeBryant and Complicated Legacies” piece by Jill Filipovic. It was…what I needed. It was in some way soothing.
Amy Wilke
My current kitchen adventure is recipe testing for Annie Mahle’s (of the J.&E. Rigging) new cookbook. I discovered them through your blog and created an incredible relationship which included working on board for 2 months a couple years ago. So thanks. <3
joythebaker
Oh my goodness, AMY!!! That’s incredible! My love to all of you!
Vaughan
Ah, the dishwasher.
I have my first one as an adult (I’m old) as I thought they were unnecessary. Well, I’m a convert as they work great and they really do use less water. Y’all probably know all that. I too hated unloading them as a kid.
The deal was I would agree to get one if my husband would unload it every morning (he and my best girlfriend had been trying for years to talk me into getting one). I do almost all the cooking and load it throughout the day as I go. We just run it once, after dinner.
He is half asleep in the a.m. and unloads it as he makes his morning shake. Routine.
Seems to be a good compromise and like I said I do love it. Also, in the 40 years I waited to get one they have certainly improved, so quiet and well designed.
joythebaker
That’s a great compromise! I’m going to hold that one with me for when I get married.
Cyndie
I’ll be anxiously awaiting your next NOLA favorites! I made my first visit a couple of weeks ago and loved the city. My daughter and I planned our trip exploring many, many of your favorites from your last favorites post. I’m disappointed I didn’t find a signed copy of one of your cookbooks at the Garden District Bookshop—but what a great bookstore. Thanks for your suggestions, you helped make our trip very memorable.
joythebaker
I’m so happy you had a lovely trip! I’m sorry there wasn’t a signed copy of my book at the bookstore but I’m glad you got to stop in! Love to you and your daughter!
Carla
Hi Joy, I’ve never left a comment but I”ve been a quiet Sunday reader for a long time. Thank you for what you do! You are oh so appreciated!
joythebaker
I’m glad you’re here Carla!
Meghan
Good morning, Joy!
I read this with a cup of coffee and a slice of your tahini banana bread. I brushed some maple syrup on top with a pastry brush for the last 5 minutes of cooking. It’s delicious! Thank you for all you bring to the world!
Meghan
joythebaker
That sounds absolutely delicious! What a happy Sunday!
Chrissy
Emptying the dishwasher was one of my main chores as a kid and I still despise it. I hand wash as much as possible unless I have a day where I just HAVE to run it. Dishwasher and picking the pinecones up off the lawn so my dad could mow it. Both traumatic childhood experiences. The kitchen experiment I don’t have to document this week is coming in the form of a short rib flatbread with caramelized onions and fresh mozzarella. The crust is an easy naan because pizza dough success has eluded me.
joythebaker
Ooooh that sounds delicious!
Betsy LM
Thank you so much for sharing the article about Kobe Bryant’s legacy. It so perfectly summed up the conversation I have been wanting to have about his death and friends’ reactions to it.
Kristen Berry
So happy to see I am not the only one who puts off instacking the dishwasher! I love stacking it knowing I don’t have to wash! but then…LOL Also thank you for posting the article about Kobe and how it is complicated.
joythebaker
Thanks for being with me! I appreciate you.