• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Shop

Let It Be Sunday, 303!

December 27, 2020 by Joy the Baker 45 Comments

Hello friends! Welcome to the the last Let It Be Sunday in the year of our Lord 2020. 

This year I flailed. This year I stayed steady. I think I’m tired from both.  

I spent this Christmas alone in New Orleans, thinking of all the big and small ways 2020 has changed us.  I mean… we change every year, but a Zoom family Christmas is real whiplash.  In some way, 2020 brought us the usual amending of habits, searching different things serve us. I, for one, got in and out my own way constantly and that story stayed the same. This year we were called to action – to save lives, teach our children, figure out Zoom. We were called to sit with ourselves, like it or not. We were called to fog up our own glasses and live with our own coffee breath.  

I was thinking I should have kept some sort of daily diary, but these Sunday posts are a diary of sorts. Here’s a glimpse of who we were this very spring. 

What are your bright spots for the year? I bought a piano and spent a lot of time not on Instagram, but instead learning how to play. I kept my cat, several plants and friendships alive and thriving. I fell in love. I wrote a magazine. I taught baking classes virtually and learned how to talk nonstop for just about three hours straight. I cooked outside. I cooked more than I wanted to. I resigned to washing dishes constantly. I got dressed, dangit. 

I gifted my friend Suzonne a travel case and cashmere scarf for the holiday – something I pictured her wearing on travels to a new city, to see new sites, in new times.  She thanked me in a text by saying “Thank you for making a deposit on my dreams”.  Amen to that!

Instead of resolutions this coming year, let’s make deposits on our dreams.  Let’s take time this week and figure out what that means for us. I’m invested. 

The offering this week is below.  You know the drill. Take only what you need. 

•  Let’s take this straight to the bank. Bake = our weary souls.  32 Hopeful Images From 2020. (The Atlantic) 

•  Categorize this as Other People’s Juicy Business: The Journalist and the Pharma Bro and the update. I can’t. I shan’t. I am screaming inside. (Elle and The Cut). 

•  The AI Girlfriend Seducing China’s Lonely Men. Ok but would it be reasonable to ask men to like, shoulder some of their own lives instead of asking a woman to mold themselves to be their perfect companion? We really can’t do that which is why they need a literal robot to do it for them? I’m waving the white flag.   (Sixth Tone) 

•  26 of the best new apps of 2020. Honestly, it’s a wild and very technological world. (Fast Company) 

•  Let us not forget Jon’s No-Yeast No-Boil Bagels for those dark days when everyone was a new baker and there was no yeast to speak of.  (The Candid Appetite) 

•  Everyone rediscovered banana bread this year. Remember that? (Joy the Baker)

•  Currently listening to: Morning Sun by Melody Garot. (Spotify) 

•  Watching (and completely obsessed with) a new show: Your Honor. Friends have been seeing Brian Cranston around town and this show is one reason why. It takes place in New Orleans and is suoer weighty and beautiful. (Showtime)

•  What I’m craving: only potatoes, hello winter.  I think I’ve linked to this before but I pulled it up again, just for my dinner needs.  Maybe you need it to: 20 Ways to Turn a Baked Potato Into Dinner. (The Kitchn) 

•  I wonder if 2021 is the year I finally treat myself to a set of linen sheets I’ve wanted for years. The suspense is killing me. (Land’s End) 

•  New year, new calendar.  I’m not going to fool myself and start a new day planner this year. I know I only have the discipline to get to mid-February with a daily calendar.  I’m splurging on this wall calendar from New Orleans artist Kiernan Dunn.  I’ve been gifted a few of her calendars from year’s past and they’re so beautiful they’re worth saving and framing.  (Etsy) 

•  A sweetie lemon tea towel that sparks joy. (Overseasoned)  

•  I think this is such a sweet gift for a new couple on Valentine’s Day or a family: scratch off travel map.  It’s the kind of thing that says – we love each other and we love this life. Ya know? (Etsy)  

That’s it for today. That’s it for this year. I hope you know I’m so thankful you’re here. 

Happy New Year! 

My love to you! 

xo Joy

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Beyond the Kitchen

Previous Post: « How To Make Popovers For Holiday Mornings
Next Post: Three Recipes To Make For The New Year »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. Jennifer

    December 27, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    I’m so happy I found your little part of the interwebz…especially this year. Linen sheets….aaaaah, the best. It’s like sleeping in clouds. Enjoy, see you next year!

    Reply
  2. Ashleigh

    December 27, 2020 at 7:28 pm

    Joy, that bagel link was everything this morning. Thankful for weekly links and thankful for YOU!

    Reply
  3. Megan

    December 27, 2020 at 6:59 pm

    Thank you Joy! These weekly posts are something I look forward to every week. Have a Happy New Year and keep up the good work!

    Reply
  4. Anna

    December 27, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    Buy the sheets! Linen sheets are wonderful and we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed. (Yes, I know that I sound like a commercial.) Be as good to you as you are to us :)

    Reply
  5. John Popovich

    December 27, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    We all need love in our life. So happy you found some. I have enjoyed your your work on Sundays and all the recipes you give us. Happy New Year Joy. We deserve it.

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      January 4, 2021 at 7:14 pm

      Thank you, John!

      Reply
  6. Susan Jackson-Rafter

    December 27, 2020 at 3:26 pm

    Buy the sheets! Life is too short not to sleep on linen. Winter and summer, they’re the best!

    Reply
  7. Sherril Cohn

    December 27, 2020 at 3:18 pm

    Joy, you give the heart of this California-living, 71 year old New Orleans native such JOY! Great recipes notwithstanding (that’s what brought me to you), where your head and heart are is what makes your site something to truly look forward to! Let us all continue loving and putting up with one another as we approach 2021. Keep the good stuff coming.

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      January 4, 2021 at 7:14 pm

      I’m really happy you’re here, Sherril!

      Reply
  8. Stella

    December 27, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    Thank you Joy, for another mindful read. For all of us, may the promise of a Happy Healthy New Year be true. 2021 I’m looking at you.

    Reply
  9. Karen

    December 27, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    Enjoy your new sheets and have wonderful, pleasant dreams. Hope that 2021 is better for everyone. Thanks Joy for bringing some light into my Sunday mornings.

    Reply
  10. Barbara

    December 27, 2020 at 11:13 am

    Happy New Year, Joy!

    Don’t dunk too hard on Chinese men looking for love where they can: thanks to the one-child policy and sex-selective abortion, China has about 30 million more men than women. That’s a lot of guys that never get a chance to hone their relationship skills with a real woman, and many more whose only relationships begin and end with monetary transactions.

    Reply
  11. Cyndie

    December 27, 2020 at 11:12 am

    Happy New Year Joy!

    Reply
  12. Anna Robinson

    December 27, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Happy last Sunday to 2020, Joy. I can’t wait to say goodbye to this year! Thank you for your Let it be Sunday collection. This weeks potato article reminded me of a small university place in Berkeley, CA that fed us baked potatoes of all sorts on the cheap. I think you could even just order a plain baked potato for $1.50 (very in tune with a students budget back in the 90’s). This year really taught me to enjoy the small things in life and be kind to myself.

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      January 4, 2021 at 7:15 pm

      I remember those extra tight budget days! For me it was a can of beans and a bag of rice that would get me through a week.

      Reply
  13. Ro

    December 27, 2020 at 10:58 am

    Happy New Year, Joy! 2020 has been a punch in the gut. Trying to see the positives and keep the hope…but I’ve never been happier to see a year end. I love your advice on making deposits on our dreams. I will take that with me and spread it those around me. Blessings to you in the new year!

    Reply
  14. Jamie Langley

    December 27, 2020 at 10:28 am

    In February I gifted my daughter a spot for your spring Drake on a Cake, and then our world shifted. Event was put on hold, and then canceled. Hoping the future holds another opportunity to share the event with you in the future.

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      January 4, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      Yes it definitely will!

      Reply
  15. Barbara N.

    December 27, 2020 at 10:25 am

    Joy..to me it sounds like you had a fabulous year with a lot of amazing things that have come your way. Here’s to 2021 and make more great memories..

    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Beyond the Kitchen

New Year, New Orleans

If you can spend a holiday away from home, do it. Christmas on a beach with a cocktail? Yes, please. Santa can bring his swim trunks! This year I decided to ring in the new year in New Orleans, my favorite place outside of Chicago, with my girlfriend Breyon. A bae-cation, if you will. We…

Read More

An Update from Joy

Hi friends! Thanks for letting me pop into your Saturday. What are you up to this weekend? If I were to guess the goodness of your life, I’d say you’re putting an elf on a shelf, drying oranges slices into ornaments, and going for an epic no-budget Trader Joe’s run. Since I have a habit…

Read More

My 12 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

We want to make sure your holiday cookie tin is the best because you are the best. This is not a competition, but obviously, if we were to momentarily think of this as a competition –  you have to win. We’re giving you only the best 12 holiday cookie recipes ensuring instant victory at any…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.

Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

Baked pull apart garlic bread baked in a loaf pan.

Erin’s Roasted Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Bread

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

Raspberry linzer cookie recipe stacked on baking sheet.

Raspberry Lemon Linzer Cookies

Iced Oatmeal Cookies layered on a cooling rack.

Eggnog Iced Oatmeal Cookies

My 12 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
My prayer is that we are fortified, flexible, and My prayer is that we are fortified, flexible, and well fed this year.
Homemade Hamburger Helper with Sneaky Veggies. ⁣ Homemade Hamburger Helper with Sneaky Veggies. ⁣
⁣
The thing is, you think you’re making enough for leftovers but somehow it’s all gone in one sitting. It’s that good. Recipe linked in the bio. Xo
I made these Almost Almond Croissant with a sheet I made these Almost Almond Croissant with a sheet of puff pastry and half a log of almond paste. Consider this a max volume weekend treat. ⁣
⁣
You’ll need:⁣
- A thawed sheet of puff pastry, fridge cold⁣
- 3.5 ounces or half a log of almond paste cut into 12 even-ish pieces⁣
- An egg beaten for egg wash, with a splash of heavy cream and a glug of vanilla bean paste for extra luxury⁣
- Sliced almonds⁣
- Powdered sugar ⁣
⁣
Lightly roll a sheet of puff pastry and slice into six rectangles. ⁣
Brush each rectangle with egg wash. Arrange each with two slices almond paste. Pull two corners of the puff pastry up and over the paste, pressing lightly to seal. Brush lightly with egg wash. ⁣
⁣
Transfer to a small, parchment lined baking pan and allow to rest in the freezer while the oven preheats to 425 degrees f. ⁣
⁣
Bake from chilled for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and again lightly brush with egg wash. Top with almond slices and bake for 6-8 minutes more. Keep an eye as to not burn the almonds. ⁣
⁣
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before dusting with powdered sugar and enjoying warm.
No hesitation. Marshmallows in every cookie. ⁣
⁣
Peanut Butter Fluffernutter Cookie recipe linked in the profile. 💋
🙋‍♀️ if you buy bananas just so they can 🙋‍♀️ if you buy bananas just so they can languish on the counter long enough to be baked. ⁣
⁣
These Almond Flour Banana Bread cookies are stacked with walnuts and chocolate and one of the best way I know how to celebrate a speckled banana. Find the recipe linked in the profile! xo #bananabread #glutenfreerecipes #joythebaker #cookies #bakingrecipes
Just tryna get the most cheese on my most simple s Just tryna get the most cheese on my most simple small-batch bagel recipe. Get in on this with me: ⁣
⁣
2 Easy No Yeast Bagels⁣
1/2 cup self-rising flour⁣
4 tablespoons greek yogurt (plus a teaspoon or two more if needed)
1 large egg, beaten for egg wash⁣
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated gouda or gruyere⁣
Everything bagel seasoning⁣
3 tablespoons baking soda with 2 cups of boiling water. ⁣
⁣
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper lightly with nonstick spray. ⁣
⁣
In a small bowl, use a firm spatula to work together the flour and yogurt. Add a few teaspoons of yogurt if it feels dry and knead into a cohesive ball for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with a bit more flour if it gets overly sticky. Cover with a damp paper towel and gather your toppings. ⁣
⁣
Divide dough in two and roll each piece into a roughly 8-inch rope. Bring the ends around and pinch into a circle. ⁣
⁣
Sprinkle the bottom of the prepared pan with grated cheese in two spots.  Pour boiling water over the baking soda and float each bagel in the water for 20 or so seconds.  Use a slotted spot or spatula to transfer the bagels on top of the cheese.  Brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle with more cheese and everything bagel seasoning. ⁣
⁣
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and smearing with cream cheese.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up