Let It Be Sunday, 319!

Hello, happy Sunday! 

I hope you don’t mind that today’s Sunday intro is a personal announcement.  I’ve been working the fine folks of my favorite kitchenware store Williams Sonoma for over a year now.  The result of all of our work together is six (6!!) baking and brunch mixes! I wanted to make mixes that keep all of the Joy the Baker fun and creativity in your kitchens without any of the guess work or dirty measuring cups.  I think of these mixes as baking – light.  A little bit of technique (we’re still creaming butter and sugar), a lot of ease, and a major amount of cake rewards. Cakes and breakfast mixes for you to celebrate your happiest occasions or your most average Wednesday.  I’ve always had your back in the kitchen, friends! 

The collection includes three fantastic sheet cake mixes: Neapolitan Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Sheet Cake with Praline Glaze, and Espresso Chocolate with Peanut Butter Frosting. I think you should have all three – they’re THAT good.  

In breakfast mixes, we made you Blueberry Pancake Muffins, Carrot Cake Pancakes, and Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes.  If you’re a ride or die JtB reader you might recognize these recipes from early early blog days – we’ve turned my most loved brunch recipes into easy weekend brunch for you.  

I just feel so proud of this collaboration and I can’t wait for you to bake with it!  You can order online now and the entire collection will be in stores on May 26th.  You’ll find me standing outside a Williams Sonoma store the morning of May 26th muttering “Open open open” to myself.  See: The Joy the Baker Collection with Williams Sonoma

Thank you for letting me go on and on about it.  This opportunity means a lot to me and sharing it with you means everything to me.  

I hope this finds you well!  Ready for a restful Sunday. I’m committing to laundry and ice dyeing and really – that’s about it.  Let’s take it easy.  It’s Taurus season, afterall.  We should be napping and snacking.   

The offering this week is below.  Take only what you need and remember I’m so glad you’re here: 

•  If you only read one piece from today’s offering, let it be this.  I would sit down inside a conversation between Helen Rosner and Nigella Lawson any day and this is that:  Nigella Lawson Wants To Talk To People. (The New Yorker) 

•  I’m in the early stages of redesigning my kitchen space and I’m looking at inspiration from Queen Julia:  Julia Child’s Kitchen. I love how maximal and useful her kitchen was. Pegboards everywhere. What a cook needs, everywhere.  (Bon Appetit) 

•  Welcome to the YOLO Economy. You only live once, but I’ll be over here keeping my risk appetite mostly in check. (New York Times) 

•  2 Competing Impulses Will Define Post-pandemic Social Life. Where do you think you’ll land? I’m pushing myself to be Team YES with a budget-friendly moments of Team Couch. (The Atlantic) 

•  This hits it on the head for many of us: Languishing. (New York Times) 

•  A hiker was lost and desperate. A stranger with an unusual hobby saved him.  It feels almost hard to believe that a person can get lost these days but maybe I’m just not venturing out far enough. This read was pretty harrowing and incredible. (The Washington Post) 

•  I’ve been sitting with this lovely book from Lulu the Baker this week: Farmhouse Weekends. It’s been perfect for daydreaming myself out of my already lovely New Orleans life.  Maybe you need a little life and baking daydream, too! (Lulu the Baker, Amazon) 

•  I’m very keen to make this Yogurt Rice – like a savory, cooling, coconut, and curry rice pudding.  (The Kitchn)

•  If you need a big fat slice of chocolate cake (from scratch) today: Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Decadent Chocolate Cake (Joy the Baker) 

•  This week’s listen:  Bring it on Home to Me by PJ Morton and friends. Sam Cooke songs always remind me of living in the French Quarter. There was a man who walked down my street most every night singing A Change Is Gonna Come and I could cry just thinking about it. (Spotify)

•  This week last year: Let It Be Sunday, 268! Early in last year’s dark days. Early in so many folks’ new baking habits.  (Joy the Baker) 

I hope you have just a lovely day! 

My love to you! 

xo Joy