The Bakehouse Almanac, March 2026

Welcome to The Bakehouse Almanac; a monthly ritual I’m so glad you’re here for. At the top of each month, this little almanac will land like a note taped to the fridge accompanied by a mug of coffee slid across the counter. It’s our monthly guide of sorts: a mix of good intentions, short lists, seasonal thoughts, and a few personal notes from me as we move through the year together. Think of it as a vibe check as we step into each new month. An intentional break from the news cycle.

This is very much a shared table situation. A dialogue, not a monologue, if you will.  In the comments, I’d love for you to check in too! Tell me how March feels where you are, what’s playing in your earbuds, what’s baking in your oven (or what you’re hoping to bake this month). We’re doing this together, one month at a time, with dirty dishes in the sink and the very best of intentions. Here’s how we felt about February.  

This March feels like standing in a doorway. Behind me is winter – the freeze that browned the garden, the leaves that fell late and still need raking, the work I’m procrastinating of cutting back plants that didn’t make it through the cold. Ahead is the soft beginning of spring: tiny green shoots coming up on lawn, the fragile blossoms on the peach tree, and the light staying just a little longer each evening thank goodness. And right here in the doorway I’m standing between pregnancy and motherhood, which will, very casually, change everything. It feels fitting that this threshold arrives with the start of spring.

I wonder if you’re at a threshold of your own these days. What’s behind you, and what do you hope waits on the other side? As always, we’re in it together.

Spring always seems to arrive first in color (see the color mood board above!). After months of winter’s browns, greys, and blue light, I’ve felt the palette shift this last week to the pinks and oranges of Texas wildflowers along the side of the road, dusty peach skies at the end of the day, and my eyes are drawn to turquoise everywhere. March feels like it’s  just now washed in sunlight hopeful colors and – I just love it!

Here’s what’s going on at The Bakehouse Texas this month!

The Nesting Kitchen

This month I’m cooking like someone who knows she’ll need tenderness later (at least, I’m trying to with the hours it doesn’t hurt to stand): breakfast sandwiches wrapped in foil from sourdough and bacon I already have stashed away, cookie dough portioned and waiting, a loaf cake that tastes like Easter is near, a very nostalgic pot of beans, so much soup (!) and granola I can eat by the fistful of over a few spoons of yogurt.  Here’s exactly what’s on the list:

•  Oats, flax, and brewer’s yeast for the win — yes, we’re talking about Nursing Cookies. But let’s be honest: these taste like a very good bakery-style oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that just so happens to be working overtime. The recipe is based on my favorite Texas Bakehouse Chocolate Chip Cookie.

•  Browned Butter Carrot Loaf is like banana bread but with carrots — which feels exactly right for March. The browned butter gives it that nutty, toasty depth, and the carrots make it tender and perfectly sweet. A sure sign that spring (and Easter) are near, even if the mornings are still cool and slow.

•  The filling for several  Chicken and Biscuit Pot Pies  is portioned and tucked into the freezer as we speak. Biscuits resting nearby in a zip-top bag, ready to marry in the oven next month like the most comforting little union.

•  A very large pot of New Orleans Red Beans and Rice because this recipe lives in my bones.  It’s the bowl I make when I miss New Orleans and I know Jazz Fest is on the horizon. Sigh.  It’s going to be a good one, y’all (the beans and the fest).

•  A true staple: Baked Turkey Meatballs  I bake the meatballs, simmer them in sauce, then slide the whole situation into a freezer bag. When it’s time, all I have to do is boil pasta or roast vegetables and dinner feels done done.

•  Ok this one became a craving a few weeks ago: Cashew Turmeric Granola . Toasty cashews, warm turmeric, clusters that shatter just right. I love it with raspberries – either freeze-dried for punch, or fresh for juiciness, along with a generous scoop of Noosa coconut yogurt. Elite! 

•  More vegetables in muffins, please! Vegan Carrot Zucchini Harvest Muffins  Carrot, zucchini, flax seed – all tucked into something tender and perfectly snackable. These are freezer gold. Toasted and buttered, they’re ideal for one-handed mornings. Have we talked about how many crumbs I’m going to drop on this baby? Likely a lot. Lemme find out.

Here’s What’s Playing in the House

Both of these albums have an element of fresh dirt to their sound which I’ve been craving lately and I can’t explain it any further than that. Sometimes describing why music appeals is like describing why wine appeals and the only words you can come up to describe it are “fresh dirt” or ” sheep feet on new grass” and that just is exactly how you see it.

I’m loving Gillian Welch’s Time(The Revelator) all over again. And I often come back to this New Orleans album  The Deslondes’ Hurry Home.

Over on Substack’s Baked In Weekly Newsletter

Last week on Substack I asked for your Postpartum Wisdom and the comment section is absolute gold!  I’ll be back scrolling these comments in the wee hours of the night, mid-infant feed.

I’ll be taking a step back from the weekly newsletter in April because… again, the midnight feeds.  But I have some really great guest contributors scheduled to bring you new thoughts and recipes every week! Each post will be free and it’s a great time to sign up and enjoy! We’ve got work from Bri McKoy, Nicole Prince, and Abigail Koffler just to name a few!

And just a reminder, the majority of the Substack newsletter is free and I just love that you’re part of the community there, but a paid subscription get’s you ad-free access here at joythebaker.com and that’s pretty great too! You can subscribe to the newsletter here! 

March Ins and Outs

Decidedly IN

1. Leaving the front door open in the afternoon for the very short lived Texas spring breeze. 

2. Throwing the tennis ball for the dogs to witness pure joy.

3. This Chicken, Red Date, and Ginger Soup. 

4. Responding to text messages.  Oddly, sometimes this is out, but this month… IN.

5. Being a Baker at the Inn.

6. Butter yellow everything, also butter. Currently contemplating these clogs. 

7. Summer House and Southern Charm. Thank you, Bravo. 

A Bit OUT, respectfully

1. Asking what’s for dinner. 

2. Plans on Sunday evening. 

3. Heartburn, please God. 

Friends, truly – thank you for being here! Tell me what you’re reaching for this March. What’s warming your kitchen? Are you at a threshold? I’ll see you in the comments, as always.

xo