A Monday Permission Slip

Slow down, catch your breath, and maybe make these bonbons.

Friends, this week’s Baked In comes with a gentle permission slip: to slow down, take a breath, and let yourself be right where you are - even (especially?) on a Monday. It’s the thickest part of August. Did we even get a summer vacation!? I’ll let that be a rhetorical question because I don’t like the actual answer. In this week’s Sunday post Abby reminds us that healing, heartbreak, and even sweaty corn summers don’t follow a tidy timeline. Neither do our inboxes.

Summer hours are nearly behind us, and going forward our weekly letter will arrive on Monday afternoons. It’s the rhythm that works best for me - and I hope it works for you, too. Think of it as a bright little start to your week, packed with snacks, giveaways, and the links you didn’t know you needed.

Give yourself a scroll today, daydream about next weekend’s muffins and take your permission slip to linger here for a while. Also, leave a little room in your week to make these straight-to-the-freezer Peanut Butter Banana Bonbons because dang - they hit just right!

Let It Be Sunday, 529!

This week on Let It Be Sunday, Abby Mallett is writing from the thick of heartbreak — and somehow still making us chuckle, cry, and immediately Google “adult swimming lessons” (which I actually did because I too, need to be a better swimmer). Abby’s relearning how to be alone, and daydreaming about a drama-free tiny-house utopia run entirely by retired women.

Plus there’s this pretty perfect brunch cocktail contained in a can.

You’re not going to want to miss this, friends!

Read it Here: Healing vs Healed

Blueberry Picking in Mississippi, 2023

Too Soon to Think About Next Weekend?

Save this one for your weekend baking list: Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins. A Joy the Baker classic since 2009, these muffins are packed with bursting blueberries and that nutty browned butter flavor we’ll never get over. They’re the kind of muffin that feels just right for this in-between season—still summer but leaning into fall. ✨

An Interview and Giveaway with Alexis De Boschnek on her new book Nights and Weekends!

Alexis de Boschnek is a Catskills-based cookbook author who makes smart, seasonal cooking feel like second nature. Her first book, To the Last Bite, turns scraps into showstoppers, and her latest, Nights and Weekends, helps you crush dinner whether you’ve got twenty minutes or all Sunday. She’s written for Bon Appétit, Food52, and The Kitchn, and is an absolute must-follow on Instagram.

Let’s start with the origin story. What was the spark that made you think, Yep, this cookbook needs to exist?

The short answer: who doesn't want more weeknight dinner inspiration?

The long answer: my husband and I live with my mom on a 100-acre farm in the Catskills called Uplands where we have 14 Icelandic horses and raise pastured poultry. A few years ago my mom had a pretty major accident which thrust me temporarily into a full-time caretaking role while I was simultaneously running the farm and my career, and, and, and...It just really struck me in that moment how life had shifted from the days where I could spend hours dreaming about dinner to a moment where I had maybe 20 minutes to get a meal on the table. I knew I wasn't alone in that plight. So many of my friends were experiencing the same thing as they began having kids, getting promotions, or just taking on more responsibilities in life. At the same time, I love cooking for friends and wanted to include recipes for those days when you have a little more time on your hands.

What’s the recipe in the book that people will come back to over and over again? That one deeply satisfying dessert, cozy weeknight dinner, or “this always works” recipe that feels like an instant classic.

The One-Pot Gnocchi Ragu (page 27) is one of those perfect weeknight dinners that's equal parts delicious and easy that it's bound to be part of your weekly dinner rotation. You make the sauce in 15 minutes flat and then tuck shelf-stable gnocchi in the ragu to cook through, which takes just a few minutes. You could totally use pasta here but I love the soft, pillowy texture of the gnocchi (and how fast it cooks).

Marry, shag, kill: buttercream frosting, whipped cream, jam.

Marry: Whipped Cream

Shag: Jam

Kill: Buttercream

What’s a cooking or baking hill you’re willing to die on?

Ice baths are overrated. Instead I just add whatever needs to chill --blanched vegetables, poached shrimp, eggs--to a colander and let them sit under cold running water for a minute. It works just as well, no ice bath required.

We’re going to a dinner party with a recipe from your book?

If we're short on time (and have access to a freezer), Spumoni (page 259). This Italian dessert is made with store-bought ice cream and a handful of add-ins. I keep it classic with cherries, pistachios, and shaved chocolate, but you could add literally any type of fruit, nuts, or candy in. It's more-so about the assembly than any real cooking, but I promise when you unveil a loaf of Spumoni the whole dinner party will be clamoring for seconds.

If we've got some time to spend in the kitchen, you can't beat a Party Pavlova (page 251), which is my all-time favorite dessert. Two discs of meringue are layers with lemon curd and whipped cream and decorated with whatever fruit is in season. It's a total showstopper.

What’s the most chaotic recipe in the book?

This feels like an answer that you'd give when getting interviewed that asks to talk about your weaknesses and you say something like "I'm just too dedicated to my work and sometimes need to step away!". But, it was really important to me with this book that the recipes were easy and approachable whether they were weeknight dinners or dishes you would make on the weekends. If I was having too much trouble in the development stage with a recipe, I cut it. If I HAD to choose, maybe the Sticky Rolls with Pistachios and Caramel (page 198), only for the fact that I think people can get intimidated by yeasted doughs and caramel.

What’s a kitchen task you secretly love that everyone else seems to dread?

I love peeling shrimp. To be clear, I find deveining kind of gross, but I really love peeling shrimp shells.

What’s the most you recipe in this book?

I'm always trying to sneak in greens anywhere I can and also feel best when I'm eating fish and rice. The Cod in Green Sauce (page 140) does just that while delivering all the other requirements of an easy weeknight dinner (limited dishes, a handful of ingredients, fast cooking) which I'm known for. To make it, you add coconut milk, spinach, herbs, and a few other pantry staples into a blender to make a sauce. Then you add it to a pan and simmer cod (or any other flaky fish) in it until just cooked through, which takes less than 10 minutes. It's exactly the kind of dish I want to be making and eating with regularity.

What’s your current cookbook crush?

My friend Casey Elsass* recently came out with his debut cookbook What Can I Bring? and I've been loudly obsessed with it, to the point where I've already gifted copies to all my friends. While there's so many books on hosting there's not a ton that guide you on how to be a good guest and What Can I Bring? answers that. While you could of course bring a bottle of wine when you're going over to your friend's house, I love that Casey offers approachable, interesting recipes that you actually want to eat, along with sage advice and cooking tips and tricks he's picked up along the way.

*You can read our interview with Casey here!

✨ Giveaway Time! ✨
We’re sending one lucky Baked In reader a copy of Nights and Weekends!

To enter, answer this question in the comments below:
What’s your go-to “I’m too tired to cook but still want something amazing” meal?

Entries close Wednesday, August 20th at midnight CST. Winner will be notified via Substack message. Open to U.S. residents only.

See you next Monday, friends!

xo Joy