Joy Wilson's Blog, page 119

Let It Be Sunday!

Hello, friends!  I’ve been in Boston this week signing books at the Eat Boutique Holiday Market.  If you’re in the Boston area, you must go go go!  It’s lovely.  So many great gifts for giving. I also got to make donuts with Heather at Union Square Donuts, so basically I had a DREAM food weekend packed with Pretzel Donut this, and Brown Butter Glaze that.  If you came out to see me in Boston, THANK YOU!  It really means so much to me that you’d spend time and energy to buy my book and let me write extra words in it. I hope you felt rewarded by Heather’s donuts and extra shopping.  

The Internet did it’s thing all nonstop this week:  

•  We’ve stopped getting the news and we’ve starting receiving a constant stream of true, false, hurried, and unprocessed information instead of thoughtful investigative news when news events break.  It’s because everyone has to be first, at any cost. From San Bernardino:  What the hell just happened on MSNBC and CNN?

•  A friend on Facebook shared an article… something to the effect of “how many mass shootings have really happened in the United States” as if to counteract all of the gun control urgency following the San Bernardino attacks. Isn’t one mass shooting enough?  Why mass shootings don’t convince gun owners to support gun control.  “Guns have become a last-ditch effort to impose control on a world slipping away.”  And we have so so many guns.  It’s hard to know what to do. 

•  Mark Zuckerberg kind of gave away, but didn’t really, all of his money when his daughter was born.  That sentence is probably has truth and fiction in it.  When it comes to that kind of money my eyes glaze over.  Here’s letters written by moguls to their kids.  The distilled version goes something like this… “Listen, you still have to work hard and be a good person.  That’s the life rule, ok?  Be cool.”  I think that’s what Zuckerberg was also trying to say.  

•  Even if you don’t know a lot about basketball (I’m raising my hand high), you might still enjoy and appreciate this dude:   Steph Curry Is The Revolution

•  This might give you the math sweats.  For me? Yes.  How Hard Is New York’s Algebra Exam? 

•  Jessica’s Cinnamon Rolls looks delicious and I love her heart, soul, and stories.  

•  If you live in Los Angeles, this will make you laugh because it’s funny and snotty and trite and trivial.  LA Woman Living in Atwater Full of Shit, Totally Lives in Glendale

•  “You and I are storytellers of the galaxy; nothing is impossible.”  Are we though?  Or are we just clicking through the New Age Bullshit Generator.  A new study finds that Lots Of People Think Complete Nonsense Is Profound.  Welp… there goes the neighborhood. 

•   I Was Internet Famous… and now what?  It’s awkward, that’s what.  

•  Very very serious.  Judge John Hodgman on a Wife’s Casual Texts

•  The gift of greens in your kitchen and in your salad.  I think this is pretty sweet.  Garden Box monthly gift subscription 

•  I’m thinking about your holiday party needs.  I think I have them mostly covered here.  French Onion Puff Pastry.  Cookies are a different story.  More on that soon.  

•  Be careful San Francisco:  Squirrel attacks are real. 

I love you.  It’s Sunday!

xo Joy

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Let’s Hang Out In The Kitchen, Gifts for Giving!

I have a tiny home here in New Orleans.  If I’m being honest, my house is mostly kitchen.  “Come hang out in the kitchen!”… words that always come out of my mouth when friends come over.  It’s there I’ll make you a Rum and Root Beer (yea… delicious), you thumb through cookbooks I have on my kitchen counter, and we’ll talk about life, bagels, boys, and chocolate.  It’s a good life.  

It’s that time of year where we show gratitude for one another with tokens and gifts.  Pretty sweet. I’ve compiled a few of my kitchen-centric gifts for giving.  I hope you gift and gather and smile wide about it.  

Let’s Hang Out In The Kitchen, Gifts For Giving:  

1  •  A Baker’s Dozen Wooden Spoons.  We cooks have a thing with spoons.  There.Are.Never.Enough.  These beautiful spoon set from Food52 is super special and swoony.  

2  •  The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book is that cookbook you buys as a gift, give, an then wish you would have kept for yourself.  What I’m saying is, buy two copies.  I type from experience.  

3  •  Oyster shucking setup including glove, knife, and book! For your food-friend that has just about every kitchen gadget under the sun, this is a sweet gift set.  Maybe throw in a bag of really good oysters too?  Or is that too much.  Champagne.  Add champagne.  

4  •  A very sweet book about gatherings.  Casual and comfortable.  The Yellow Table Cookbook

5  •  Carry On Cocktail:  give the gift of air mixology.

6  •  The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion Cookbook is a fantastic kitchen bible.  It’s one of those cookbooks you let in your life and never let go of.  

7  •  Engraved Cocktail Muddler because WHY would you want your friends without one of these?  

8  •  Good quality baking chocolate is ALWAYS a good idea!  If someone gifted me baking chocolate I’d hug them around the neck  (That’s a good thing.)

9  •  Help me, help you.  It’s my book! Homemade Decadence.  I made it for you and your baking friends.  

10  •  I’ve got a new coffee system going in my kitchen.  It involves a Coffee Drip Kettle.   

11 •  Guittard Cookbook.  With chocolate, a chocolate cookbook!

12  •  Very Good Red Handled Kitchen Knives are fancy, and expensive, and totally a mega-gift and investment.  

13  •  Bottle Stock Corkscrew because we like nice things in our kitchen.  

14  •   Coffee Drip Scale and Timer for our new coffee ritual.  See also 10 and 18.

15  •  A food photographers dream:  Marble Slab.  

16  •  Reclaimed Wood Magnetic Grabber for good-looking, visible kitchen storage.  This is where the fancy knives live.  Kitchen show-off.

17  •  Four Barrel Coffee Subscription Coffee.  Monthly coffee. Really, very good, monthly coffee.  This gift subscription is like gold.  

18  •  6-cup Chemex Coffee Maker.  It’s a very pleasing way to make and enjoy coffee.  See also 10 and 14.

19  •  Flour Water Salt Yeast Cookbook.  For the serious baker with bread in their brain.  

Happy Holidays.  Also… I didn’t use the word ‘foodie’ even once… so, you’re welcome.  

xo Joy

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Mom’s Peanut Butter Balls + Hallmark #keepsakeit Holiday!

It’s really easy to get caught up in holiday madness.  I found myself cursing the heavens when I couldn’t find a pair of scissors to cut a perfect bow I had created on a perfect wreath I had created to hang in my (good grief) totally imperfect, tiny apartment.  

It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday fray of gift shopping, gift wrapping, re-gifting. Planning one party, hustling off to another, trying to incorporate cranberry into every meal from now until December 25th, and remembering not to tell any small children that Santa isn’t real… because he totally is.  Totally real. 

I have to remind myself that the holidays are, most importantly, that time of year when we (somehow) slow down long enough to make our homes smell like spruce trees, and gather round them… slow don’t long enough to mull our wine, make handmade gifts for people we love, and do all of those kooky family things we’ve done every year, at this time of year, since we can remember.  

What makes the holiday really special are those small, kooky, forever-ago moments.  The untraditional, strange, sometimes embarrassing, why-is-someone-always-burning-the-marshmallows-on-the-sweet-potato-casserole-moments that make the holidays feel like the holidays.   

In my family:  

•  Tis the season when Grandma makes enchiladas for Christmas Eve dinner… with the fanciest paper plates and most festive paper napkins we can find.  

•  Tis the season when we fight over the best white elephant gift in the gift exchange, and someone tragically (not really) always ends up with a (very handy) pack of batteries.  

•  Tis the season for festive wine spritzers.  Tis the season for embarrassing caroling around the neighborhood.  

•  Tis the season when we fight over who gets to / has to sit at the kid’s table.  (Everyone always has more fun at the kid’s table… but let’s keep that on the down-low.) 

•  Tis the season for tins packed to the brim with Christmas sweets.  My mom’s classic Peanut Butter Balls (you might call them Buck Eyes) are always the most coveted and the most delicious.   

•  Tis the season when I get to unpack the lifetime of JOY ornaments and Christmas keepsakes I’ve been given over the years.  Tis the season when EVERYTHING HAS MY NAME ON IT (and I absolutely love it!).  This Emerald porcelain Keepsake Ornament from Hallmark being my new treasured favorite.  

What keeps you grounded during the holidays?  What keeps you rooted in what is happy and real in the midst of holiday madness?  Is it enchiladas and Peanut Butter Balls?  I hope so.  

This post in partnership with Hallmark and Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments #KEEPSAKEIT.  

Let’s talk about these Peanut Butter Balls!  I don’t want to delay this peanut butter and chocolate situation any longer.  

In my family, we’ve made Peanut Butter Balls (a very technical term for this very technical dessert) since the beginning of time… or since my Mom got a hold of the recipes sometime in the early 1970’s.  

They’re a simple mixture of peanut butter (I totally used the not all-natural peanut butter), softened butter, powdered sugar, and melted chocolate.

I’ve added  pure vanilla extract and fancy sea salt because I can’t help myself, and more is more.  

We always made this recipe by hand, on the tiny kitchen table, in the largest plastic bowl we had in the kitchen, with peanut butter up to our elbows and a fine powdered sugar dusting from the dining room, through the kitchen, all the way to the back bedroom. 

We didn’t get snow in Los Angeles… we had to make it feel festive somehow.  

When I made this batch as an adult, home in New Orleans, I reached for my largest bowl and prepared myself for the dirty elbows and powdered sugar parade.  Halfway through mixing I had a EUREKA moment:  a stand mixer!!!  I have one of those!!!

Into the mixer we went.  

The peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar (with vanilla and salt bonuses) come together into a thick dough.  Not dry, just thick.  

I scooped out heaping tablespoons of dough, rolled the dough between my palms to create a compact peanut butter package.  Onto a lined baking sheet and into the refrigerator to chill.

This cookie scoop works wonders for the initial scooping:  

Chilling the balls will help make them be easier to handle when it comes time for dipping. 

Dark chocolate (chips are great!) are melted in a double boiler.  I added a tablespoon of coconut oil to the chocolate, helping it melt into a beautiful chocolate gloss, that hardens as it cools.  

You can go for a full dip or a half dip.  You decide!  

Packed in festive tins, or gathered in little holiday bags… these peanut butter balls are an easy, happy, heartwarming way that I share tradition.  They’re no-bake, so for sanity’s sake, we’re in business.  

I hope you’re happy and well this holiday season.  Doing all of those small, happy, quirky moments that make your holiday feel keepsake special!  

xo!

Mom's Peanut Butter Balls 2015-11-30 14:13:39






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Prep Time
1 hr

Prep Time
1 hr
Ingredients 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used not the all-natural peanut butter) 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 cups powdered sugar 18 ounces dark chocolate chunks (about 1 1/2 bags chocolate chips) 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla, salt, and half of the powdered sugar. Blend on low speed until the mixture begins to come together. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the remaining powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be very thick, but not dry. The powdered sugar should incorporate easily. Remove the bowl from the stand and use a small cookie scoop to scoop dough and roll peanut butter balls between your hands to make a tight, round ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. In a heatproof bowl combine chocolate chunks and coconut oil. Place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and let sit until chocolate begins to melt. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and reduce heat so the water is just at a low simmer. Remove the balls from the refrigerator and using your fingers, dip half of each ball into the melted chocolate, and return to the parchment lined sheet. Repeat until all balls are dipped and place in the refrigerator to chill and harden the chocolate. Keep peanut butter balls covered and stored in the refrigerator, or pack them in holiday tins and stored in the refrigerator for gifting. Peanut butter balls last up to 2 weeks if covered well and cool.
By Joy the Baker Joy the Baker http://joythebaker.com/

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Chicken Spinach Meatball Soup with Broth and Rice

I have a few kitchen de-stressers that I employ when the days start to overwhelm me.  I’ll get in the kitchen and chop every single fruit and vegetable in my refrigerator (and usually emerge with this Marakesh Carrot Salad), I’ll make meatballs (usually turkey, always delicious), or I’ll stand at the kitchen counter, stare blankly into space and thoughtlessly eat whatever salty snack food I have in my cupboard (usually popcorn, sometime cheetos).  

This week, coming off the Thanksgiving holiday and launching into full-trottle holiday madness has me a little wide-eyed, so I’ve taken to the meatball, making wonderfully flavorful balls in a very simple broth with rice.  

Comfort food, de-stress, meatball production… we’ll all get through this together.  Promise. 

Here’s what our kitchen counter will look like… except way more messy, because I gussied this up to make my life look much more put together than it actually is.  

Ground chicken (you could also use ground turkey), onions and garlic, lemon zest and breadcrumbs, mustard, and parmesan cheese.  

For mega flavor we’re also adding a box of frozen spinach, coriander, fresh grated nutmeg, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Because our broth is so simple we’re turning up the volume with our meatballs… which… is that even ok to say?  

Turnt up.   That’s definitely not ok to say.  I better hit ‘publish’ fast.  

Hallelujah to a box of frozen spinach!  The earthy spinach is defrosted easily and adds bulk and vegetable vitamins to our meatballs.  A kick of Dijon mustard and lemon zest really compliment the spinach flavor.  

A wooden spoon will only get us so far.  

We have to get in there with our hands to break up the spinach clumps and incorporate all of the breadcrumbs and egg.  No need to be shy! 

I used this cookie scoop to shape the spinach-y meatballs before baking.  Those scoops are a dang life-saver.  Not literally.  They don’t know CPR. 

Very good chicken stock is the key to this simple soup.  Essentially we’re floating meatballs in stock with rice, so… the stock has to be really delicious.  If it’s not homemade, I really love this chicken stock base.  Much deeper flavor than the boxed stock.  

I added finely diced onions, sliced garlic, a bay leaf, and a big dose of fresh lemon juice to the chicken stock.  Just to layer flavors, and enhance the flavor of the meatballs.  

I used a round biscuit cutter to shape white rice, because I’m nothing if not incredibly fancy.  

Warm broth and roasted meatballs to surround the rice.  Parsley and salty parmesan for soup enhancement.  

This is a cozy-warm dish.  Supremely comforting without being overly rich and overbearing.  It’s good vibes and that counts for a lot this time of year.

For leftover and reheating purposes, I would store the rice separate from the broth and meatballs.  Re-heat separately, then ladle the soup over the warmed rice.  You certainly can store the the soup together, rice and all… the rice will puff as it absorbs as much liquid as it can.  Equally delicious, just depends on how mushy you like your rice.

Chicken and Spinach Meatballs with Rice in Broth 2015-12-01 18:20:32 Serves 4 Comfort and warmth! Simple meatball and broth soup. Flavorful and delicious.






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Prep Time
20 min

Cook Time
30 min

Prep Time
20 min

Cook Time
30 min
For the Meatballs 1 pound ground chicken 1 box frozen spinach, thawed and water pressed out 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 large egg 3 tablespoons whole milk
For the Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup finely diced onion 1 clove garlic, sliced 6 cups good chicken broth 1 dried bay leaf 2 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 cups cooked white or brown rice salt (not very much) and pepper fresh parsley and shaved parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions To make the meatballs, place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside. In a large bowl bowl combine ground chicken, thawed and pressed spinach, onion, garlic, mustard, lemon zest, salt, peppers, coriander, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Stir until just combined. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Add the egg mixture to the meat mixture and use your hands to incorporate well, breaking up the spinach and making sure that all of the ingredients are evenly mixed. Use a cookie scoop to scoop heaping tablespoonful balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Space balls about 1-inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Makes about 30 meatballs. Make the broth while the meatballs bake. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent and softened, about 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, and lemon juice. Bring to a very low simmer. Add the cooked meatballs to the broth and simmer for 10 minutes. To serve, spoon a small amount of rice into the bowl. Ladle in broth and meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese. Enjoy!
By Joy the Baker Joy the Baker http://joythebaker.com/

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Chocolate Almond Ginger Bark

I’m brainstorming all sorts of sweet, gifting treats for us to make this month, and lemme tell you… it’s an exercise in self-control.  

Actually… it’s more like observations in my utter lack of self-control.  

This combination of dark chocolate, toasted almonds, and candied ginger makes for an incredibly delicious, mega simple, way decadent holiday gifting treat… or you can personally hoard it for your own cookie jar.  Both make good sense. 

This recipe comes from the Guittard Chocolate Cookbook.  Full of so many delicious things.  I’m making Chocolate Caramels next.  I won’t be stopped.  

This bark is simple and highlights crisp almond flakes, sweet and spicy ginger, and really great chocolate.  Sea salt, the fancy kind, enhances the sweet.  It’s balance.  Simple, happy balance! 

If you’re looking for other gift-friendly sweets, here are a few delicious ideas:  

•  Peppermint Pretzel Marshmallow Fudge.  If ever fudge could   stop the show… this would be that fudge.  Gifts-on-the-go packed in festive candy boxes!   

•  Milk Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cookies.  Just the best cookies on earth.  Packed sweetly in these scalloped treat boxes.  

•  Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips.  Little bites of salty sweet genius.  Gifted in craft paper bags with a peekaboo window.  

Dark chocolate baking wafers.  Just a hint of bitterness (like me on  a Monday morning).  

Melting chocolate can be a frustrating process.  Sometimes chocolate will seize as it melts, making that glossy, smooth melted chocolate impossible to achieve.  

I’ve had the most luck melting chocolate in the microwave, believe it or not.  I place the chocolate pieces in a medium, microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 second increments, removing to stir the chocolate after each 30 seconds until glossy and melted to divinity.  

The almond slices are mixed with corn syrup, a dash of warm water, and powdered sugar until the sugar dissolves.  The nuts are spread on a baking sheet and toasted until irresistibly fragrant and golden brown.  Perfect!  

If makes sense if you want to eat all the almond just like this.  Me too.  

The toasted almonds will be in clusters.  I didn’t break them up, leaving them mostly in big (delicious) clumps.  I tossed candied ginger, sliced thin, with the cooled almond clusters.  

I love the way the slight spice in ginger plays with the almonds and dark chocolate, but if you’re ginger-opposed, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or dried apricots would also be fantastic.  

Melted chocolate is quickly poured over the almond and ginger mixture and tossed to coat.  Chocolate for everyone! 

Quick stir and quick spread.  

The mixture won’t be entirely smooth as it’s spread.  Nothing to fret.  The almond and ginger clusters will come to stick together as the chocolate cools.  

Sprinkle with fancy sea salt before the chocolate hardens.  

Chilled until the chocolate is hardened, broken into big bite-size pieces, and hoarded selfishly… or packed neatly and gifted generously.  It’s so so so addictive.  Be careful when snacking.  

Chocolate Almond Ginger Bark 2015-11-29 18:47:13 Serves 4 Delicious, simple, crunchy, sweet, chocolate-y almond bark. Perfect for holiday gifting!






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Prep Time
3 hr

Cook Time
15 min

Prep Time
3 hr

Cook Time
15 min
Ingredients 2 cups sliced almonds 1/4 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 tablespoon warm water 1/2 cup candied ginger, or any other dried fruit you like, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 2 1/4 (340 g) cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate baking wafers, Guittard would be the way to go! coarse sea salt, for topping
Instructions Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the almonds, powdered sugar, corn syrup, and water and toss to combine until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the almond mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer, covering the entire sheet. Toast the almond mixture for about 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the almonds are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. When cool, place in a medium bowl and toss in candied ginger pieces. Place a new piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet and set aside. Place the chocolate pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, remove from the microwave and stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds, remove from the microwave and stir. Continue until the chocolate is melted and glossy. Quickly stir the completely melted chocolate to the almond and ginger mixture and stir to coat. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared sheet and use an off-set spatula to quickly spread the mixture into an even layer. The shape doesn't have to be perfect. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes then refrigerate until chocolate has hardened, at least 3 hours or overnight. Break the chocolate bark into pieces, store in an airtight container (or little gift bags or tins) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
By Joy the Baker
Adapted from Guittard Chocolate Cookbook
Adapted from Guittard Chocolate Cookbook
Joy the Baker http://joythebaker.com/

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Let It Be Sunday!

Happy Sunday, my friends!  Are you still working on leftover turkey?  We’ve blown through our cranberry sauce and gravy so now… what’s the point of turkey?  

I hope this weekend has been loud and rowdy, with loads of laughter and way too many dirty dishes.  That’s how you know you’re doing it right.  

I spent the holiday in Palm Springs with my family.  This is my grandmother’s kitchen window and giant roses I thought were fake for two days.  They’re real.  Now I’m back in New Orleans YouTubing how to hang shelves and putting up Christmas decorations.  Simple things, but it feels like a very good life.  

Here’s some Internet thoughts and words:  

•  How ‘Treat Yourself’ Became a Capitalist Command.  From indulgent introspection to reflexive consumerism.  Have we been fooled? 

•  7 Habits of people with remarkable mental toughness.  We’re gritty.  We’ve got this.  

•  Is it OK to listen to R Kelly?  The answer is NO. 

•  I think these are beautiful images.  The 12 o’clock boys, photos from Baltimore

•  OMG!  The Hyperbole of Internet Speak.  Not literally dying… not even figuratively dying.  ‘Laughed a little on the inside’ is probably most correct.  

•  It’s gotten so weird, you guys.  The Five Stages of Ghosting Grief

•  Five more things?  5 Things to learn from Julia Child’s kitchen.  Let’s be kitchen maximalists.  

•  A top NYC street photographer’s five favorite backdrops and tips.  

•  Never too late for this life skill:  How to get the perfect first pie slice.  

•  Mustard Bath… this has got to be good, right?

•  I made one of my Instagram prints available as a print:  Macaron wrapped canvas print and Macaron poster (great in 12×12 high-gloss or archival matte).

•  I know a good apron when I tie one around my waste.  I LOVE this LumberJill apron.  Extra long and chic. Plus!  30% off with the code THANKFUL.  

Have a happy day.  Rest and be easy.

xo Joy

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Here’s The Word, Turkey-Bird

Listen, I know I can’t compete with your Aunt Martha’s green bean casserole, or your Uncle Steve’s ultra-moist stuffing.  I know.  Thanksgiving is sacred and we shouldn’t be in the business of reinventing the turkey wheel.  No one wants that.  Also… no one wants salad at their Thanksgiving table.  Exactly no one, I took a global survey.  

I’m here with some humble suggestions and humble helpers.  I want our holiday table to be as easy, as delicious, and as wine-filled as it can be.  Let’s do the dang thing.

Here’s the word, turkey-bird:  

•  Don’t but that stupid little jar of pumpkin pie spice.  Just… don’t.  Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

•  Pumpkin Pie Bars, for when pie crust feels like too much.  I do understand.  Also… cream cheese, so… WIN!

•  Actually.  Don’t even make a Pumpkin Pie.  My Dad invented Sweet Potato Pie (not true) and it’s perfect (actually true), and you really must make this.  I’m not often emphatic and unrelenting:  Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie.  

•  For non-traditional traditionalists:  Apple Cranberry Pie

•  I get a google alert any time anyone buys a pre-made pie crust from the grocery store and every single time it makes me cry.  It’s like an angel losing it’s wings.  Me being the angel.  You catch my drift.  Five Tips To Make The Best All-Butter Pie Crust

•  Thanksgiving is no time for appetizers, but if we’re going to eat before we eat, hows about:  Persimmon Pear Caprese Toast, Extra Special Deviled Eggs, or Whipped Ricotta with lemon and olive oil

•  Also, I mean… this cheese with warm jam is like, bonkers good.  Warm Herb and Jam Goat Cheese Spread

•  Sides be sides.  Don’t let anyone mess with your mashed.  Mushrooms and Mashed (Potatoes)  

•  Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving.  Glory be.  That sandwich on Friday is a YEAR-MAKER.  Also consider, waffles:  Mashed Potato Waffles with cheddar and chives.  

•  Leave it to me to make a dang grilled cheese out of and dang thing.  Supreme:  Cranberry and Brie Grilled Cheese

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got my eat-pants folded and ready at the foot of my bed.  It’s about to go down.  

xo Joy

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Let It Be Sunday!

Hello my friends!  How has your internal dialogue been this week?  All positive?  All complimentary?  All like, you-can-do-it?  Maybe yes.  Maybe mostly.  Maybe nooooo.

It’s cool.  I’m here to tell you something.  You’re great.  Do the very dang best you can do… then try to do just a bit better than that.  There… as long as you’re doing that, that internal voice that might occasionally tell you that you’re not allowed or not enough… that voice is a jerk.  And you know it’s a jerk because you know you’re doing your very best, and then some.  

Phew. 

Let’s talk about what happened on the Internet this week.  A lighter list because we need it:  

•  That voice inside my head that says I’m a baking fraud, a trifling blogging faker, a creative overachiever, undeserving nuisance… that voice has a name.  Learning To Deal With the Imposter Syndrome

•  Inside the world of for-profit snuggling.  I am WAY to specific about how close my body gets to other people’s bodies… there’s just now way.  No way ever. 

•  The most Instagrammed spot in every state. Bourbon Street, et al.  

•  I found this lyrical and poignant, even in my very-not-pregnant state:  The last days of pregnancy.  

•  I mean… this can’t be the answer, right?  I Hired a Millennial Life Coach

•  I’m not going to sit here and boss you about what appears on your Thanksgiving table, but I will say… if you don’t make Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie not really having Thanksgiving at all.  How’s that for passive aggressive?

•  Vogue Says:  Starve Yourself Now, Don’t Wait Until January. Solid Thanksgiving advice, right? 

•  Men Eat Nearly Twice As Much Pizza When They’re Eating With Women, which is the title of an actual article, which you don’t really even need to click through to now.  Let me tell you what it really is, Women Eat Half As Much Pizza As They’d Really Like When Eating With Men.  I mean… perspective, people. 

•  My friend Heather Christo has a new line of allergy-aware baked goods at Costco!  Heathermade! 

•  I’m trying to think about cohesive holiday gifting this year.  Everyone is getting 90’s flannels and burgundy lipstick and Nirvana cds.  We’re taking it back.  

Good day to you and yours.  

xo Joy

Hats above from Goorin Bros.  Winter hat shopping on point. 

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Roasted Vegetable Winter Crumble

It’s that time of year when we need to draw deeply upon our super powers.  It’s the holidays, there’s no denying it… and all of us are supposed to know how to bake a turkey.  I don’t.  Also I don’t care to know.  I have other super powers.  They have to do with multi-tasking, pie baking, patience (usually), understanding (often), and crumble-making.  

Let’s draw upon those holiday-necessary super powers and leave the turkey roasting to someone else.  Preferably someone we trust.  Preferably someone who values a moist turkey.   

This savory, comforting, vegetable crumble would be a lovely addition to a Thanksgiving table.  Or, you can be like me and eat most of if while watching Season 5 of Grey’s Anatomy in your bed at 10pm on a Tuesday.  I mean… equally festive.  

This Winter Crumble is from this book:  Dinner Pies.  Full of satisfying and savory treats that feel extra cozy in these chilly months.  My great hope is that the sequel to Dinner Pies is After-Dinner Pies… because that seems only natural.  

No need for oats, brown sugar, and toasted pecans.  

We’re sticking to savory, which means panko bread crumbs, crushed butter crackers, black pepper and thyme.  Butter of course.  We can’t be without.  

Earthy cremini mushrooms, robust (is that a good adjective…? maybe not) Brussels sprouts, and sweet carrots.  I like this blend in our Winter Crumble because they all cook down to soft in a skillet.

The mushrooms will soften, release a lot of their moisture, and then cook down to caramelized brown.  The Brussels sprouts and carrots will mellow to a soft bite.  It’s a very good situation.  

The sautéed vegetables are coated in a bit of flour then chicken stock and heavy cream are added.  We’re making a gravy to keep our crumble juicy.  

I pressed some of the cracker crumble into the pan and baked it to golden brown.  A little savory support for our vegetable filling.  

Also gruyere cheese.  Because we’re homo sapiens.  

The vegetables are cooked through to soft. They just need a little extra loving’ in the oven.  

Topped with the last of the cracker crumble, of course.  

Warm, crisp, buttery, is this healthy(?), and supremely satisfying.  It’s dinner.  It’s a side.  It’s good news from the oven.  

This recipe can be modified to meet you needs.  

•  Use gluten free crackers, breadcrumbs, and flour if your diet requires.  I think Glutino brand has good versions of all of those things.

•  Use vegetable stock to keep things more vegetarian.  

•  Vegan butter can be used if you’re opposed to dairy.  Omit the cream and add additional vegetable broth. 

Roasted Vegetable Winter Crumble 2015-11-19 00:23:25 Serves 6






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Prep Time
20 min

Cook Time
15 min

Total Time
40 min

Prep Time
20 min

Cook Time
15 min

Total Time
40 min
For the Crumble Crust and Topping 1 cup crushed Ritz (or any buttery) crackers 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the Vegetable Mixture 2 tablespoons olive oil heaping 1/2 cup diced yellow onion 1 clove garlic, sliced heaping 2 cups trimmed and quartered Brussels sprouts 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices heaping 2 cups trimmed and quartered cremini mushrooms 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh thyme salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup finely shredded gruyere cheese
Instructions Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie dish (a deep one), and set aside. In a medium bowl combine crackers, bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, thyme, and butter. Toss to coat everything in butter. Spoon just less than half of the mixture into the bottom of the pie dish and slightly up the sides. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Add the brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and let the vegetables saute down until well softened, browned, and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper as the vegetables cook down. The mushrooms will release a lot of their moisture and then the mixture will brown and cook down. When vegetables are cooked down and softened, reduce heat to medium, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour disappears. Slowly add the chicken stock and stir, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer to thicken. Finally, stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Spoon mixture onto the browned crust. Sprinkle with gruyere. Top with the remaining crumble crust. Place in the oven to bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until top crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving warm.
By Joy the Baker
Adapted from Dinner Pies
Adapted from Dinner Pies
Joy the Baker http://joythebaker.com/

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Cranberry Orange and Cream Clafoutis

Clafoutis  //  noun, super French, [klah-foo-tee]:  An almost breakfast-y tart kind of dessert that’s eggy, custardy, fruit-studded, and somehow cake-like in structure and substance.  Best enjoyed warm, with soft whipped cream, powdered sugar, and your third cup of coffee for the morning.  Fruit is essential.  Cherries are traditional.  Cranberries are happening.  

See also:  firm but still really good flan.  See also:  really eggy cake.  See also:  Stop making poor comparisons when French breakfast dessert is what is, aka DELICIOUS.  

Did that get weird?  (Rhetorical.)

We’re making a French, custardy, I-want-to-call-it-breakfast-cake with fresh cranberries because tis the season.  Here’s where we start!

First let’s flavor our sugar.  Why not?  

When recipes have just a few simple ingredients, it’s important to pull out a few of our baking tricks.  This one:  rubbing fresh orange zest into granulated sugar to maximize flavor and aroma.  

Eggs are beaten into the orange sugar.  Structure and custard.  That’s where we’re going with this! 

Flour into the sweet, eggy mixture.  

We’re not using baking soda or baking powder.  We’re relying on the power of eggs to give us body and lift.  

Half-and-half is whisked into the mixture, creating a loose, pancake-like batter.  Sweet and lovely and ready for baking.  

Our pie dish is brushed generously with butter and filled with fresh cranberries (whole and chopped).  

Our clafoutis batter is poured over the cranberries, and the tart is ready to bake!  

After 30 minutes in the oven, we’ve got a slightly puffed, just golden brown, cranberry-busting, eggy tart.  

There’s no time to waste.  This tart is best served warm! 

Dusted with powdered sugar and served with sweetened whipped cream and coffee.  

The texture of this tart is in between custard and cake.  Some might call it rubbery, but that’s unkind (though just slightly accurate).  I love its unique texture, especially when warm and the tart cranberries add the perfect burst of Fall flavor.  

Cranberry Orange and Cream Clafoutis 2015-11-16 15:40:44 Serves 6






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Prep Time
15 min

Cook Time
30 min

Total Time
45 min

Prep Time
15 min

Cook Time
30 min

Total Time
45 min
Ingredients 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 cup granulated sugar, divided 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest 2 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour scant 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cup half-and-half or whole milk 2 cups cranberries (1 cup whole, 1 cup coarsely chopped) powdered sugar and whipped cream for topping
Instructions Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 or 10-inch pie plate with butter and add two tablespoons of sugar. Tilt the pie plate around so that the sugar coats all of the butter on the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine remaining sugar and orange zest. Use the back of a spoon to work the zest into the sugar, creating a fragrant, orange-tinted sugar. Whisk in the eggs until thoroughly combined and slightly thickened. Add the flour and salt and whisk to combine. Lastly, add the half-and-half (or milk, if using) and carefully whisk to combine. Add the cranberries (whole and chopped) to the prepared baking dish. Top with milky mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and just lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving warm dusted with powdered sugar and dolloped with whipped cream. I like this tart best, warm, the day it is made.
By Joy the Baker
Adapted from Mark Bittman
Adapted from Mark Bittman
Joy the Baker http://joythebaker.com/

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