Hello dear friends.
How are you holding up? We’ve made our way to another sweet Sunday though much of the week feels more more unmoored than usual. That’s ok. We can still be lighthouses – the duty of such steadiness, for me, shifts from friend to friend as we ebb and flow through various states of freakedoutedness. That’s a word.
I’m writing this laying on my little backyard deck. I’ve literally never laid out here before and I can’t think of a single good reason besides the deep summer heat and incessant mosquitos (who miraculously have yet to decent upon New Orlean). We have other problems that need no mention.
In the distance I can hear some neighbors I can’t identify. A woman upset and a man less upset. A train horn. A trio of hammers on a rooftop. Several trees rustle. Normally I’d be writing this post inside (in something not a bathing suit), but when everything is different, why not just do everything differently?
I hope this finds you well and healthy. All of you. I think of how you’re feeling and who you’re feeding and if you’re cutting your own hair yet.
The offering this week is below. Take exactly what you need and don’t fuss with the rest.
• In rebuilding a broken world, we will have a chance to choose a life less hurried. I know not all of us have ‘a life less hurried’ right now – some of you are caring for the sick, caring for your families, working harder than ever and I appreciate you deeply. There is something here… something we get to choose. Something we have to remember not to forget. (The Atlantic).
• Those We’ve Lost: William Helmreich (The New York Times)
• Wild: What I learned from living a socially isolated life for the past two years. You’ll take a good deep exhale after this as I did, I’m sure. (Curbed)
• We’re all Larry Davids Now – actually pretty accurate. Have you seen the episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Larry David? He’s horrified by food, it’s hilarious. (The Atlantic, YouTube)
• In an act of sheer forward optimist, I’ve ordered summer peaches from The Peach Truck. (The Peach Truck)
• This week my friend Nicole did a homemade food swap. I made homemade hotdog buns and paired them with Seemore Sausages while she made pupusas and turnip burgers. This inspired next week’s kitchen adventure: homemade pupusas. (The Flavor Blender, Goldbelly, Bon Appetit)
• This weekend’s picnic meal: King Arthur Flour’s Sandwich Bread with my cold Turkey Meatloaf. Absolutely over the top but I’m making sure the last of my precious yeast goes out with a bang! (King Arthur Flour, Joy the Baker)
• Online baking workshops with y’all have saved me this week! Thank you for baking with me! I’m teaching two online workshops in April! They’re meant to be taken together. On Saturday we’ll make pie crust. On Sunday we’ll roll out our crust and make a strawberry (or Chess, if you can’t get ahold of strawberries) pie! How to Make Pie Crust and How To Make Strawberry Pie. (Eventbrite)
• New Orleans lost a legend but we still have so much from Ellis Marsalis. Please listen this weekend: Heart of Gold. (Spotify)
• This is one of my favorite albums of all time and the world was a better place for having Bill Withers in it. (Spotify, PBS)
• The first weekend of April 2019: Let It Be Sunday,217 ! (Joy the Baker)
Stay well.
My love to you!
xo Joy
Karen
As of last Sunday, Bakers Authority website had yeast available!
Susan
thank goodness for inadvertently stocking up on a few things back at the beginning of the year–like yeast (kept in the freezer), flour both bread and AP, TP (Costco run!) and good tea that I usually buy when I visit my mother, which I can’t do right now. I got TP for my sister and she was aghast when she saw the size of the package. Then the shortages hit and she just laughed
Nancy Moskal
I’m going to make the Turkey and Bacon Meatloaf. I’ve never worked with ground turkey but this recipe sounds delicious! Thank you, Joy
Samantha
I’ve disovered The Peach Truck and now I’m so disappointed that they don’t ship those fabulous jams in Italy!
Amy
You and Tracy should bring your podcast back. I miss that.
Beth Cole
I participated in your Tuesday class——so fun and learned so much. I let my butter soften much more than usual for my cookies and it made a difference! Love your turkey and bacon meatloaf—-I accidentally doubled the red pepper flakes once and we liked it so much we kept it that way.!
Sara
Dear Joy,
Thank you for keeping up your wonderful site. I’ve been following you for over a decade. Learnt cookies and pastries from your blog. I recently made your upside down banana cake and it was the most delicious thing. It was eaten even by my niece who only likes chocolate cakes.
Thank you for featuring Professor Helmreich’s obituary. He was my professor at the Grad Center when I was doing my PhD. He was a lovely lovely man. It’s nice to see him being celebrated and remembered.
Love,
Sara
Lexie
Every time I see you with Seemore Sausages I crack up. Great branding!!! Joy all around!
Rob
THANK YOU JTB for spreading some happiness !!
TL
What is on your plate? They look like Jamaican Bammies.
joythebaker
It’s pupusas and a hard boiled egg!
Haley
Tell me more about these turnip burgers, please!
Isabel
Have you considered starting a sourdough baby? I’ve had one for the past year-ish and it’s a lifesaver right now! I used some of it to make your small batch cinnamon rolls on Friday and it worked like a dream. (Thank you, by the way!! Your baking workshop was a ray of sunshine in my week.)
Morgan
Joy, your sunday updates are more of a balm than ever at the moment. Thanks for putting them out there– it’s so nice to be able to count on seeing this one nice thing every weekend.
Gail Hardie
So very true! I look forward to them every weekend. Thank you Joy and also thanks to the unknown neighbor who left a bag of flour on my porch. It is difficult to find in Charleston – so no baking for weeks. Somehow someone knew I would be missing it. Take care all and stay well – xx