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Let It Be Sunday, 339!

September 19, 2021 by Joy the Baker 25 Comments

Friends! Hello and happy Sunday!

I’m back at The Bakehouse in New Orleans.  Will drove Tron and me back from Houston last Saturday. The drive was smooth, Tron settled in, I rested my eyes.  As we neared New Orleans, the trees along the freeway were roughly sheered in half. You could see the fury of the storm.  Power is back in most of New Orleans but echos of the hurricane (and so much rain) still remain.  It’s funky right now, and that’s an understatement.  New Orleans feels like a challenging place to be right now, still I’m glad to be back.

South of the city, along the Louisiana coast, our neighbors are struggling but resilient.  Melissa Martin of Mosquito Supper Club is doing tireless work to distribute funds and information and if you’re in any way inclined to support, please consider bayoufund.org.

We’re just still in it.  But how are you? Tell me about sunshine. (See? I left Seattle for a reason…)

This week, Dad (king of Sweet Potato Pie) celebrated his birthday. Tron tried to eat my lunch every day. I ordered ice cream over the internet. I put all my laundry away. I donated money. I dropped shampoo and laundry detergent to be delivered down the bayou. I continued my half marathon training that I haven’t told you about because I’m scared I can’t do it.  I did all the things that life requires.  Pretty dang good if you ask me… and you sure didn’t.

The Sunday offering is below.  It’s a reflection of what I needed so I hope you find something here that resonated.  As always, take only what you need.

•  On our primate brains: You’re Not Alone: Monkeys Choke Under Pressure Too. I exercised my primate brain on one of my training runs for a half marathon last week.  I psyched myself out of running the 6.2 miles I needed to run. I finished it eventually but I sure did choke along the way. It was ugly.  I’ll be back to try again tomorrow.  (Wired)

•  A free e-book from Dave Eggers: The Captain and The Glory I’ll dive into soon. (McSweeney’s)

•  Start more friendships but going for walks together. (I think this might also be true for difficult conversations you have in romantic relationships?) The Value of Friendships That Don’t Come Easy. (The Atlantic)

•  Let’s all admit to having The Laundry Chair in our bedrooms.  I’ll have you know I “cleaned” my laundry chair this afternoon and it still has two jackets and a purse I should just donate on it. That’s clean – I’m satisfied. (Apartment Therapy)

•  Only interested in a Randy Travis kind of love, thank you. (Spotify)

•  I’m cleaning up (aka deleting) a lot of the waaaaay back posts here on Joy the Baker which means I’ve been faced with my very self from 2008 and that’s for sure very cringe.  I ran across this old post and you’re invited to take it in before I delete it: Six word story. (Joy the Baker)

•  Jon’s Nashville Style Hot Potatoes look like a spicy version of Shakey’s Pizza Parlor potatoes. If you know you know  (The Candid Appetite)

•  Do you have a lucky meal?  I don’t and I feel like I’ve been missing out. (Cup of Jo)

•  I always want to make a friendship bracelet so this DIY Woven Macrame Bracelet tab has been open on my computer for a few weeks now. I think I need to start thinking about holiday cookie boxes and homemade gifts for giving.  I’m thinking felted soap. That’s a sweet little functional gift, right?    (HonestlyWTF and Etsy)

•  I could watch Jeni Britton Bauer poach peaches all day. She’s so easy and stylist and funny. I admire her as much as I love her bonkers ice cream.  (Instagram and Jeni’s Ice Cream)

•  One of the best fall recipes on the site are these Ina’s Apple Pie Bars.  I’ve made them every season since 2016 and I highly recommend you hop upon this bandwagon.  (Joy the Baker)

•  Our baker friend Vallery’s new book came out this week Life Is What You Bake It by Vallery Lomas. There’s a recipe in here for homemade Old Fashioned Doughnuts that I must make immediately (as soon as I have houseguests so I have folks to share them with). (Bookshop.org)

•  My favorite clothing brand and my favorite new chambray shirt. (Sezane)

Have a lovely Sunday, friends.

My love to you.

xo Joy

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  1. samantha campanini

    October 4, 2021 at 10:18 am

    Great reads as always!

    Reply
  2. Rebecca

    September 24, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    I do love that Randy Travis song!

    Reply
  3. Katie

    September 22, 2021 at 11:44 am

    Good luck on the half marathon!!!! I did my first (and last) with a friend a few years ago where we very haphazardly trained. We gave each other a long look when we came to the crossroads between the 5k and the half marathon, but ended up doing it… well we did run a mile, walk a mile, but still we finished it! Even after a downpour on mile 11 that ended up breaking my friends headphones! Moral of the story – you can do it!!! :)

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      September 27, 2021 at 7:35 am

      Hahah! Thank you for this story, Katie! You did it and that’s what counts! xo

      Reply
  4. Brook

    September 20, 2021 at 9:07 am

    Everyone else is discussing overcoming self-limiting beliefs and pushing their physical boundaries with running and I’m over hear like, now what in the world is felted soap?? Lol. Thank you for sharing your Sunday musings and I’m glad you were able to make it home safely.

    Reply
  5. Kiante

    September 20, 2021 at 9:00 am

    You’re going to smash that half marathon! You can do it, because you believed in yourself to sign up for it and you continue to believe in yourself by continuing to train. If you use Nike Running app, the guided runs are helpful with showing perspective about runs/running. I highly recommend! I ran my first half a few years ago, it was tough but I was glad I did it.

    Reply
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Two Giant Peanut Butter Cookies⁣
(or four smaller cookies) ⁣
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1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted⁣
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed⁣
1 large egg yolk⁣
A splash of vanilla extract⁣
1/4 cup peanut butter⁣
1/2 cup all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend⁣
1/4 teaspoon baking soda⁣
1/4 teaspoon salt⁣
Coarse sugar and/or sea salt for sprinkling, optional⁣
⁣
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. ⁣
⁣
I’m a medium bowl, whisk together warm melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and mix to combine. ⁣
⁣
Add the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all the ingredients together. Divide in two big portions (or four smaller portions) onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and salt if you’d like. ⁣
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Bake two giant cookies for 12-14 minutes, or four cookies for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with cold milk.
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