Joy Wilson's Blog, page 36

Let It Be Sunday, 369!

Hello, friends!

I promised I’d give you an update on my work as a substitute teacher so, let me tell you, elementary school classrooms are a whole production. And I’m just the understudy dropping in during the third act, scrambling to learn my scenes. It makes me feel like the dude from Quantum Leap. My first order of business is always finding the one girl—yes, it’s always a girl—who’ll help me through the day.

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Easy Ham and Cheese Croissants

I’ve got 30 solid minutes of your weekend planned out for you.  You’re going to be standing in the kitchen, but I promise it won’t be long. Pour a cup of coffee – that’ll help with everything.  Within your 30 minutes you’re going to pull bakery-quality ham and cheese croissants out of the oven.  I’m trying to be as humble as I can here but this is a weekend life hack that deserves the hype.

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My Best Strawberry Crumble Pie Recipe

Okay, there’s something I haven’t told you about Louisiana.  It’s not about the best jazz at Preservation Hall or the sazeracs at The Roosevelt. The secret is that Louisiana not only grows the best strawberries I’ve ever had, but Louisiana harvests those berries TWICE a year. It’s an embarrassment of riches, honestly.  That’s probably why I’ve kept it to myself.

I’m currently trying to grow my own strawberries in the backyard which… will be more like an embarrassment in gardening rather than embarrassment of riches.

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A Belated Let It Be Sunday, 368!

Hello friends! Happy Sunday turned Monday.

This springtime soft sun, breezy days, and Easter gatherings beckoned me this week. I shut my laptop and went out to live a happy life.  I hope you took a bit of a spring break one way or another this month. It’s just too good not to. I said yes to everything that involved not work and found myself at a grownup sleepover in the country on a Monday night and out learning to drive a horse trailer behind Will’s big truck on the farm.

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Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

What if I told you there’s a cake that tastes like buttery baked cake AND cake batter at the same time?  These are dreams appropriately named Gooey Butter Cake.

I didn’t have nearly enough early exposure to the concept of a Gooey Butter Cake save for all the batches of blondie brownies I under-baked due to impatience.  We were a Texas Sheet Cake family (still are thank you) despite the fact that my grandfather came to California from St Louis – land of ooey gooey butter. 

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Easy Easter Eats

Easter holds incredibly distinctive memories for me. The night before was always filled with tears as my mother pressed my hair with an iron comb hot from the stove. Every year I was sure she was going to burn me. My mother guaranteed I wouldn’t get burned if I didn’t move. Every year I got burned. I wore fluffy dresses against my will with ruffly socks – my only solace was a pair of patent leather Mary Jane style shoes with a *heel.* You couldn’t tell me NOTHIN’.

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Let It Be Sunday, 367!

Hello from not-Joy! Hi, it’s me, Kim, aka Joy’s “Villain Blogger.” Too soon? Apologies to whoever thought they were insulting me by calling me that, but I was long overdue for a rebrand and have fully integrated ‘villain blogger’ into my personality. However, do please get in touch because I would like to invoice you for all the jackets I had monogrammed with my new initials, “VB.”

This month we’re talking about friends writing books, who still uses email, a new TikTok trend, Jock Jams, and so much more.

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Easter Hot Cross Biscuits

Where do you land when it comes to Easter brunch?  Are you a ham, roasted lamb, and scalloped potato family?  Are you more of a quiche salad and biscuit clan?  Do you skip directly to the jelly beans and Cadbury mini eggs?  I’m nodding my head yes – there’s no wrong way to do it.  We are a ham family.  Ham and biscuits.  Ham, biscuits and plastic eggs filled with either chocolate or the coveted one dollar bill. 

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Taylor Swift’s Strawberry White Chocolate Chai Sugar Cookies

We’ve made MANY A COOKIE here on Joy the Baker over the years and the problem is, each cookie I make is my new pride and joy. But you’re the real decider around here.  Well… you and the search engine god Google.  While my latest Moon Pie Bars (and all their gooey marshmallow) might be my favorite, y’all decided last fall that your favorite are Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookies.

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Let It Be Sunday, 366!

Hello friends and welcome to your Sunday.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a beautiful one!

This past week I was in Los Angeles spending time with family!  We hadn’t seen my little sister Lauren in two years (ugh panini) so we celebrated her trip down to Southern California with dad’s enchiladas and guacamole and eating outside in the backyard.  We were also able to celebrate my Uncle Dan’s birthday and experience Will Smith’s slap together as a family.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 366! at Joy the Baker.