Hello dear friends.
We all know what’s going on and we all know it’s not feeling great. We’re all experiencing disruption in one way or another and it’s extremely unsettling. In what is true and good news, some aspects of day to day life still go on. We’ve got each other in this little Let It Be Sunday post. We’ve still got hot coffee. We can take a long spring walk. We can grab a bucket and wash our cars (which I did yesterday and wow it oddly felt GREAT).
I hope you find a break from some of the chaos noise and a pleasant surprise in the disruption. That’s my sincere wish for you this weekend as we navigate this new and temporary reality.
The offering this week is below. As always, take only what you need. (The same goes for buying toilet paper. Geez.)
• Please take in Time’s 100 Women of the Year. (Time)
• This feels weird but necessary. Here are the Do’s and Don’ts of Social Distancing. (The Atlantic)
• It is evident now more than ever that We Are All Irrational Panic Shoppers. (The New Yorker)
• Don’t forget: disaster and crises bring out the best in people – which means it can bring out the best in me and you. (The Correspondent)
• Knowledge is power. Ologies Podcast about Virology is really fascinating. (Ologies Podcast)
• What are your pantry staples? I live with boatload of beans and onions and butter in my life, somehow always. Here is another approach at Pantry Essentials from Six Season’s author Joshua McFadden. (Savuer)
• It’s not that YOU need this, it’s that WE ALL need this: How To Clean Your Ears (Properly), According to ENT’s. (NY Mag, The Strategist)
• Here’s the lovey-dovey playlist I’m working on these days. Let it soothe: Mad About You. (Spotify)
• Currently reading this airport paperback: The Flight Attendant – here on Amazon and here on Thriftbooks. It’s a juicy little thriller and I’m enjoying the read.
• If you happen to have chocolate chips in your pantry, please please take into your life: Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Joy the Baker)
• Biscuits (and my favorite jam) stay a good idea! These can also be made successfully with a gluten-free flour blend! (Joy the Baker and Jamboree Jams)
• This weekend please watch The French Chef with Julia Child. I used to watch this as a kid just mesmerized. (Amazon Prime)
My love to you. Stay healthy. Wash thy hands.
xo Joy
36 Responses
Thank you for the Time’s 100 women of the year. I’m a pharmacist in Northen Italy, where all the worse is happening. Finding time to read such powerful things helps me a lot!
But what about your gorgeous skirt/dress, Joy? Inquiring minds want to know!
Joy! Will you ever bring back your podcast?
It kept me warm on the lonely days living in rural Japan by myself and then in New York as a grad student new to the city. I’m abroad again for work in Thailand and miss it so. Especially now that we’re transitioning to home offices. x
Joy, thank you for being awesome. I’m really disturbed by the changes that the Coronavirus is making, and I have school work that I have to finish and don’t quite have the heart and stamina to finish, but I now know that I can watch The French Chef with Julia Child on Prime at the end today, which brings me some joy. I’ve got a light at the end of what would otherwise be a depressing gray tunnel, and for that I’m grateful
Hello from Oakland, where we’re quarantined by law. This playlist is the most perfect for soothing – thank you for sharing. I always keep your browned butter cookie dough in my freezer and it’s going to be my comfort food for the next 3 weeks (at least!) until we’re released. Sending love to NOLA <3
I’ll be thinking about you all in the bay area. I’m glad you have music and (very importantly) cookie dough to ease you through. Stay well.
Is the recipe for those delicious looking biscuits at the top shared anywhere?
It’s linked in the post! The Buttermilk Biscuits!
I read your wonderful postings with tears in my eyes after experiencing Times 100 women of the year.
Right? Isn’t it powerful? I’m glad you found value too.
Thank you for this beautiful playlist! Listening to it while working out of my tiny lonely studio during this strange time is lifting my spirits!
I feel like I’m with you and I’m so glad!
I know the photo in the post is your biscuit dough. Did you just shape it up and turn it into the rectangle shape? I may be making biscuits this week since I am stuck at home. And freezing the dough of course.
So I rolled the dough into a thick rectangle as I would if I were going to cut them into rounds. I used a knife to slice them into six (this was a 1/2 recipe of my Layered Buttermilk Biscuits) and placed the whole cut slab of dough on the baking pan. I separated the juuuust slightly before brushing with buttermilk and baking.
Thank you for your very appropriate and comforting post. I agree that life goes on….we have a dog that has to be walked as we are in an apt. So, we get out 3 X a day no matter the weather and right now it is cold in NY. It is great to get out and get a 20 minute boost. We are over 60 and mostly being smart about what we do and where we go, and we eat well, but eating well, trying new recipes, baking seem even more important now. If we are hunkering down, we’re eating well and that includes some comfort food. I am trying new recipes along with my regular baking. Stay well my friend. Thank you again.
You stay well too, Karen. Fresh air and a sweet dog walk helps in these times. I’ll be thinking about you!
I loved the piece in The Correspondent. Thanks for reminding us of each other’s humanity. Lots of love to you and everyone else.
Love to you too, Catherine!
Thank you Joy for bringing me a little bit if zen and a lot of perspective every week!
“As always, take only what you need. (The same goes for buying toilet paper. Geez.)” I am cackling at this, alone in my apartment.
I made three of your recipes yesterday! Biscuit dough, rolled and cut then frozen so I can have fresh biscuits someday soon. I made the carrot cake loaf too, and it’s going FAST. And also your pie crust for an apple crumble pie. Stress baking is real, and you never lead me wrong. Thanks for all you do, continuing to create normalcy and routine here on your blog. We all need it right now.
You are basically a professional stress-baker and I’m really proud of you! Be well Erin! I’m out here thinking of you!
I never posts comments, but had to reach out and thank you today. Thank you for your recipes, your thoughtful words, your links to interesting and important articles. I loved watching Julia Child as a young girl, and thanks to you, I watched her again today. Just what I needed on this stay at home day. Many thanks, Joy!
Your comment, and the fact that you come here and read these words means so much to me Cindy! I’m so glad you found something you needed.
Thank you for all of your posts during the week. I especially enjoy your Sunday thoughts. I can’t tell you how much we need your empathy, wisdom, humor, and what you share with us. Please keep these posts comings. Stay well!
I absolutely will!
I’m also in Washington state and I won’t be leaving the house until I need to go back to the grocery store. I’m trying my best to convince my 82 year old mother to stay in as well. I’ve told her to make a list and I’ll shop for her, but she insists on going out. Thank’s for this Joy! I don’t usually comment, but I’m here every post you make. It’s comforting to have this Sunday routine with you. Stay healthy!
I appreciate you so much, Lynne. Stay well! I have you and your mom in my thoughts!
Thank you for sharing the Time’s 100 Women of the Year piece. With everything going on, it was the perfect Sunday read.
I am amazed that with all the advice about social “distancing” that people are doing incrediblly ill-advised things. Things like this: when my boss’ kids’ school closed she simply brought her kids to work for the employees to “babysit.” Except…one slight problem. Most of the employees are past middle age (considerably…) and many have chronic health issues such as heart problems, diabetes and asthma and….wait for it….the kids were coughing nonstop, had been in a school where there was rampant colds and flu (and the boss admitted that just earlier in the weeks “the kids have the flu”). Oh and the kids were not covering coughs, maybe at 5 and 7 they hadn’t been tought this? And wiping runny noses with hands and then roaming around the office unsupervised touching everything….while mom was doing the social media thing on her smart phone. “Social distancing”? Maybe EVERYONE should read and have a pop quiz on the Atlantic article!!
POP QUIZ!
I’m a long time reader and rare commenter. Just want to say thank you for being here. The Sunday posts are my favorite, but I’m here for everything. I just made your coffee ice cream pie from the first cookbook for my husband’s birthday a few weeks ago.
Pretty much in isolation mode here in Washington state and and your chocolate chip cookies are definitely in order. Maybe I will leave some on my neighbor porches too….
Stay well!
It’s a nice gesture to leave cookies on your neighbour’s porches but I definitely wouldn’t eat them, not right now. Maybe you could leave the cookie dough instead so the baking can kill any potential virus?
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment Laura. It means a lot to me and I’m thankful you’re here and also very thankful you remember that old coffee ice cream pie recipe! Stay well! You’re in my thoughts!
Thank you Joy! I think biscuits are the answer.
They so often are!
Such crazy and surreal times! My daughter sent this to me this morning and I think it’s a really great way of understanding how the way in which we should be responding (while still being able to bake and make soup!)
https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4