Joy Wilson's Blog, page 12

Karlee’s Crushed Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Friends, hi! Today we have a guest post from our friend and photographer Karlee Flores.  Karlee and I met, what feels like a decade ago (though I refuse to count), in a tiny restaurant kitchen where I was trying to make ten chocolate layer cakes in about 2 hours. I was very quietly losing my mind when Karlee walked over and offered to help.  I don’t remember asking if she even knew how to bake but Lordy was I lucky that day because Karlee is an incredible cake baker.

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Let It Be Sunday, 473!

Happy holiday weekend to all who celebrate! Whether that’s the 4th, the 100th celebration of Caesar salad’s existence, or national BBQ Spareribs day, I hope you’re taking it smooth and easy this weekend. Honestly, we deserve an easy weekend.

Quick updates: I made it to vacation! Is vacation sometimes more exhausting than staycation for anyone else? The amount of energy I expend, I need a vacation to recover from… vacation. Somehow, this feels counterproductive.

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Deb Perelman Really Does Make The Best Ice Cream Sandwiches

The secret to making the softest and chewiest homemade ice cream sandwiches?  Blondie bars instead of cookies.  Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen lays out the roadmap for what will surely be the best frozen treat of the summer.

I was just trying to decide which ten of my dozens of cookbooks I’d tuck away on one of my kitchen shelves and, of course, I fell down a rabbit hole and came out the other end with these perfectly timed ice cream sandwiches.

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Let It Be Sunday, 472!

I’ve seen a meme going around lately that says “It takes a special kind of person to wake up early and still be late” which unfortunately, calls me out completely.

We’re headed to Arkansas for a weeklong vacation this weekend and I felt confident (if not bleary eyed) waking up at 4:45 in the morning to prep myself, the animals, and the house for my departure.  Despite my very best efforts, I still ended up an hour late for our departure time. 

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Toby Rose’s 2024 Summer Reading List

Summer books are not supposed to come home with you. They are not meant to be a part of your permanent collection and should never see your bookshelves. Even if the pages are stained with suntan lotion or potato chip grease, you pass them along — to friends, sisters, the next guests at the rental house. Pay it forward. We’re a long way from the holidays and this is a way to keep your gifting muscles in shape.

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Let It Be Sunday, 471!

Hello friends! How are things in your world? I ended the school year and finished the third semester of my MFA program, including a critical thesis (I’ll link my 50 pages of thoughts on using speculative techniques in nonfiction below, jkjk). It feels good to have a break and to settle into this slow, sultry time of year. I’ve been organizing my house (a thrill to my Taurus self!), hanging out with my dogs, reading, writing, and putting my body into the pool as often as possible.

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Let It Be Sunday, 470!

Friends, hi hello and Happy Father’s Day to Clifford Lesly Wilson, Jr.

My parents are currently driving due east to Bellville, TX from Los Angeles.  They’re coming to visit me at the new Bakehouse and truly, not a moment too soon.  I have fresh sheets on their bed and a cleared dresser for their clothes and besides that I need my dad to make his cookies and I need my mom to ask me where every random thing in my house belongs because nothing is where it needs to go.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 470! at Joy the Baker.

New levels of chaos unlocked

Friends, hi hello and Happy Father’s Day to Clifford Lesly Wilson, Jr.

My parents are currently driving due east to Bellville, TX from Los Angeles.  They’re coming to visit me at the new Bakehouse and truly, not a moment too soon.  I have fresh sheets on their bed and a cleared dresser for their clothes and besides that I need my dad to make his cookies and I need my mom to ask me where every random thing in my house belongs because nothing is where it needs to go.

Continue reading New levels of chaos unlocked at Joy the Baker.

Please Welcome Graham to the Fam

Friends, HI!  I barely have my whisks unpacked in the new Bakehouse kitchen. I have one mixing bowl and the location of the others is likely in the garage in a very large dish box with a bonafide Texas tarantula nested behind it.  My abject fear of spiders absolutely CANNOT handle it.  Somehow tarantulas are so big and spidery, they transcend my fear because they’re like cartoon spiders, right? They can’t be real.

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Let It Be Sunday, 469!

Hi friends, summer is almost here! I am close to being on vacation and my very life depends on getting to Cabo San Lucas in a couple weeks. I know everyone is tired, but this feels like a bone deep, soul deep, inexplicable kind of tired. Are you feeling this, too?

Currently, I’m in the midst of interviewing for a job that I am crossing fingers, toes, and eyes to get. Please, send me all the good vibes, light the nicest Selena prayer candles, and set out the good moon juice for me.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 469! at Joy the Baker.