Hi friends! Good Sunday morning to you. Let’s breathe it in. Let’s take a moment for ourselves.
I had a bit of a cry last Friday. It was the sort of cry that starts off about one thing (I was sad about the passing of Justice Ginsburg because it’s hard to lose a great American) and then I was just crying about all that we’ve lost this year. I’m not much of a crier but I feel especially torn apart by the news cycle and our current reality.
And yet here we are, on a Sunday where the sun shines and the coffee is hot. I’ve spend another week trying to be a good friend, a good daughter, a thoughtful sister, a decent gardener, a cuddly cat mom, an enthusiastic baking teacher, and an active citizen. I spent another Saturday teaching a BakeAway class (we made potato rolls and homemade butter) with my strong but mighty Bakehouse team and an aggressive amount of screens and flour (pictured above). We’re just going to keep going and stop to scream a bit if we need to.
The offering this week is below. Take only what you need.
• “Criminal law is not meant to respond to every sorrow and grief. And that is, that is true here. But my heart breaks for the loss of Miss Taylor.” The limits of law. (AP)
• I feel anxious about how we get through this election and how we get through this winter but time will pass and it’s to us to be steady and alert, alive and kind: How We Survive the Winter. (The Atlantic)
• The Race to Redesign Sugar. This makes me…. I dunno, tired. (The New Yorker)
• “If a person gets hot during quarantine and no one’s around to see it, are they actually hot?” The answer is yes, my friends. Also, UGH literally HOW!? Some people are getting hotter than the pandemic. How dare they? (The Washington Post)
• A neighbor asked for a tomato. This is where the story gets weird. This story is dark and honesty is feels like a New Orleans moment, too. (The Washington Post)
• Our friend Karlee made this Peanut Butter Crunch Cake that reminds me of a peanut butter version of Texas Sheet Cake and I am here for it. (Olive and Artisan)
• Please tuck me in here and say nightnight: King Ranch Casserole. (Texas Monthly)
• Cozy: Chicken and Pumpkin Dumplings (Joy the Baker)
• Have you pre-ordered what is sure to be THE BEST PIE BOOK EVER WRITTEN by our friend Erin McDowell? The Book on Pie. When you pre-order you get an extra entire chapter of the book (because Erin is an endless wealth of knowledge on pie and her editors had to cut so much) so… ya know, join me in this pre-order.
• A few of you have asked about the apron above and I’ll tell ya – it’s my favorite linen apron that wears well folded over halfway AND drapes really nicely if you wear it as a full apron. It’s our Bakehouse apron in partnership with Not Perfect Linen and you can get the best apron here!
• Correct, you will catch me in this Seemore Sausage sweatshirt truly all fall. (Goldbelly)
• It’s official – we need to figure out some sort of snack pen pal chain. (Eater)
My love to you today and tomorrow and the next!
xo Joy
photo above by pal Trevor Ekanger.
Caroline Rose
Had to laugh. Thank made King Ranch casserole last week!
akbright
I appreciate your post w/ link to the Bakehouse apron. I love that a share of the proceeds of sale are given to the Louisiana Parole Project. Second chances and help with rehabilitation are something I feel strongly about. ( And thanks in part to Justice Ginsburg, we had the outcome in the ruling in Montgomery vs Louisiana.)
Lauren Havlick
Yep I cried too, for RGB and for all we have lost and are losing… then I started a gratitude journal because ya can’t be sad when your are glad. But I needed that cry first.
Have you ever listened to Patty Griffin‘s “making pies” ?
“You could cry or die or just keep making pies” the words are divine and what you teach us to do Joy! So thank you for that ….
joythebaker
Those song lyrics feel super accurate right now – thank you Lauren!
Jessie
I love you, Joy. Thanks for keeping it real and bringing upliftment every Sunday. It’s one of the little moments helping my pandemic weeks still feel somewhat normal, <3
Karen
The tomato and plant story was a shocker! I followed some of the links and ended up elsewhere reading articles about current events and they were also interesting. I do want to comment on the apron. Although it is lovely and I know I want it, I really could not afford $65 for an apron. I am on a fixed income and that doesn’t allow for things that are this expensive. I read quite a few bloggers that must make a good income from blogging. I congratulate you on making the most out your talent, however, sometimes stop and think about those that are like me on a fixed income or maybe have no income at all due to the pandemic. We all like nice things and even though for me an apron is practical, I am messy sometimes in the kitchen because i cook a lot! I use many of your recipes. Just made the apple biscuit things this past week, I couldn’t see myself using money for an apron when I could buy food items for my family. Just a thought for future reference. I love your blog, recipes and links. You are the best Joy! I hope it doesn’t come off as a criticism because it is not. It is just a thought because since the pandemic, I think we all need to look out for each other and our feelings. Love you much.
Kathy
Same here – thanks
Paula K
me too! Many bloggers promote lovely but pricey items….self employment is hard right now. And with potential lockdowns coming again this winter (i pray not!), we need to be like squirrels storing away for the winter. “fancy” things can be admired.. Like the old saying goes, ” Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!’
joythebaker
You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to buy, Karen. Thanks for being here and take good care.
(Another) Karen
Karen – kudos for living within a budget! That is being responsible and realistic, the best place to be, especially during these trying times. Regarding your want for this apron – maybe instead take the out-of-your-price-range item, and use that as inspiration for an apron that fits your situation – sew one (mimic the design of Joy’s), or find one at a thrift store, or see if Etsy has one at a lower price. There will always be things “out of reach”, and it’s easy to get stuck in the “I want it/I can’t have it/This stinks” reaction, but go a step further – how do you obtain it within your means? Or, add it to your wish list, and at some point, I bet the “perfect” apron (perfect b/c it fits your criteria – budget AND design) will come along – and it’s always better when you’ve waited for it.
Kelly
(Another) Karen, this is the perfect response. Instead of dwelling on what we can’t have, let’s work with the options available to us. There will always be things that we cannot afford that others are recommending and/or are able to afford themselves. With everything going on in 2020, we should all try living with more grace and positivity when possible. And thanks for sharing a link to your apron collaboration, Joy. It’s lovely.
Stella
Hi Joy, thank you for expressing what I too was feeling this past week with the passing of the glorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the unprecedented suffering caused by COVID-19 and the tone deaf injustice to Breonna Taylor’s murder. I feel so weary and yet, like you must find a way to fight on. I know in my heart things will turn around just as sure as you will find the silver lining in things to share with us. Bless you for all you do. And still we persist.
Jill
Joy – thanks for expressing it like it is… Nice to be able to share things with you to help us get through this very difficult time!
Milo
I cried too….couldn’t stop. So much seems so uncivilized. Thank you for grounding things.
REBECCA CLARK
Do you have a favorite digital scale for measuring dry ingredients for baking? I bought one that broke pretty quickly so I’m interested more in quality than price (and don’t want something that’s too big). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
REBECCA ARK
Do you have a favorite digital scale for measuring dry ingredients for baking? I bought one that broke pretty quickly so I’m interested more in quality than price (and don’t want something that’s too big). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Allison
Thank you for showing up every Sunday and showing us some days you’re up and some days you’re down. I find inspiration when women, with a platform such as yours, make being authentic look easy and beautiful. During this pandemic, since things have slowed down, I can’t easily silence my inner voice reminding me to present my authentic self. So I am enjoying the freedom that comes with being me!
Jessica
Oh my god!!!! The tomato plant story. I did not see that coming. Also, I am making the chicken and dumplings today. I am so excited about it. Thank you for all you do Joy! I love reading every Sunday.
Vaughan
Oh, Joy, just wish I could hug you. Everything is hard right now, as you so emotionally show.
The here-and-now is all just SO MUCH to deal with.
Know that you have many “fans” who have come to very much appreciate all your work. And it is work as baking is only a small part of it all, along with cleaning, developing recipes, ordering supplies, technology, etc.
Onward and thanks.
(My favorite recipe from you is still the yeasted cinnamon muffins!)
Lise Ode
You’re just the best. Love all your posts on any platform. And this photo of you. You’re amazing and it reminds me of the famous photo of Julia Child dong The French Chef with a bunch of behind the scenes people crouched below her counter.
Karen Tannenbaum
You have touched on all the elements of my feelings in this newsletter. Bless you. The soup and pumpkin dumplings…for real? Oh my!!!!! Thank you and have a great week!