Let It Be Sunday, 316!

Hello, friends! Happy spring! Happy floral dress season! Happy Easter!  

We made it through another April Fool’s Day and I gotta say, April 2nd might be my favorite day because we have an entire year mostly free of pranks. You’re either a prank person or you’re not and, as your most gullible friend, I’m here to say that I’m just not a prank person. 

I had a friend post an entire wedding photoshoot on Instagram on April Fool’s Day to announce their um… marriage? When everyone congratulated them they were like GUYS THIS WAS A JOKE.  Ok, how am I supposed to know an entire wedding dress, suit, and bouquet of flower are meant to make me feel like a fool? I’m gullible but it just means I’m trusting. Fool me once, and it better be good because it’ll never happen again. 

Are you celebrating this weekend? Are there cinnamon rolls? Are you hiding Easter eggs? Are you taking it easy? Are you recovering from your second vaccine shot? Are you going for a long Sunday drive to a hidden beach? I want all of it for you… in the most relaxed way possible. 

The offering this week is below. Take only what feels good to you today and just know I’m glad you’re here. 

•  I have so many things to say about today’s first read. It’s absolutely fascinating.  I love a story of a cat returning home. I mean… if you didn’t cry at Homeward Bound, are you even human? How’s your “map sense”? I’ve always prided myself on having a good sense of direction but that would absolutely fall apart if someone kidnapped me and dropped me in the southern hemisphere in the middle of the night. Lastly, whose job is it to trap migrating birds and send them to New Jersey? That seems particularly unkind.  Why Animals Don’t Get Lost

Tron got lost for a few days when I lived in the French Quarter.  I’m beginning to think he just went on a bender in the alleys of Bourbon St. 

•  Things I feel anxious about this week include the daily reports from the trial of Derek Chauvin and the fact that Voting rights are under attack in Georgia and hi, we’re paying attention. (USA Today) 

•  I feel like I made the right decision for myself in moving to New Orleans just so I didn’t have to miss New Orleans. How To Pretend You’re In New Orleans Tonight. It feels like we’re slowly coming out of our panini freeze and more of you are coming to town for a visit. I’ll have my spring 2021 New Orleans recommendations up on the blog next week. Unsolicited but I just want you to drink our best wine, eat our best tacos, and dance in the street like we do.  (The New York Times) 

•  A Room of One’s Own Sounds Great… But What If You’re A Mom. The acrobatics that moms do just astounds me. (Lit Hub) 

•   I’ve cooked on TV for a decade. It’s time to take body shaming off the menu. Alejandra’s openness made me think back to some of the times simply having a female body has gotten me scolded. My goodness, thank goodness we get old and wise enough to recognize it as not ours to take on. (Today) 

•  Megan Braden Perry to let us know that it’s ok if it’s still scary and we’re not alone. Pandemic Assistance Helped Me Make Ends Meet… But I’m Worried About What Comes Next (Apartment Therapy) 

•  The world moves so fast and it’s important to remember to slow down for each other.  Former Prisoners Struggle To Reenter Society. Of course this article made me think of the work of our friends at Louisiana Parole Project and in loosely related news, we’re having a Prop Sale at The Bakehouse with proceeds going to Parole Project! (NBC, Parole Project, Eventbrite) 

•  Next weekend is one of our last virtual Bakehouse classes for a bit! We’re making Strawberry Pie together/apart.  We have a few in-person classes (can you believe!?) next month (more added soon!) and will continue will a mix of in-person and virtual classes through the year. (Eventbrite) 

•  This week while gardening I enjoyed this You’re Wrong About podcast episode about how Vanessa Williams super casually because the first black Miss America. (Apple Podcast)

•  If you’re a gardener or aspiring gardener I highly recommend you follow my friend  Kristin of Dine x Design on Instagram. She planting her spring garden now and offering all sorts of thoughts and tips.  Here’s Kristin on terra cotta pots! And with that I’m transplanting my soggy aloe vera plant to terra cotta tomorrow. (Instagram)

• Very popular on the site this weekend: Lemon Ricotta Poppyseed Waffles.   (Joy the Baker)

•  I love Amy Chaplin’s food (do you have her cookbooks, they’re beautiful!)  and want to make a batch of her seeded crackers soon: Seeded Brown Rice Crackers (Instagram) 

•  There are so many great cookbooks out this spring. One I’m most excited about is the grain-free cookbook: Sweet Laurel Savory.  I’ve talked about Sweet Laurel’s first cookbook before. She makes my favorite grain-free chocolate cake and the best almond flour snickerdoodle. (Sweet Laurel, Joy the Baker)

•  I’m very excited about the forthcoming issue of Cherry Bombe magazine: The Julia Child Issue. (Cherry Bombe) 

•  The dress pictured above is a Farm Rio papaya dress that I’ll find truly any excuse to wear. (FarmRio) 

I hope you enjoy this Sunday! May all your Easter eggs be filled with cash and mini Cadbury Cream Eggs. 

My love to you.

xo Joy