Friends, hi! Let’s get into it!
Let It Be Sunday, 531!
This week’s Let It Be Sunday is all about the shift from “true” summer into what I like to call September Summer—that grounding in-between season of back-to-school dinners, fresh intentions, and the very last plums on the counter. I’m reflecting on the quiet joys of summer (including a backyard family barbecue that made my whole season), sharing a few good reads on motherhood and aging, a planner spiral, some New Orleans comfort food, the best way to avoid soggy tomato pie, and even my current sour candy obsession. Plus, basil pesto, a Greek-ish salad on repeat, and TikToks about horses. IMO, it’s just right for this moment.
Read it here: Welcome to September Summer
Oatmeal Cookie Granola
I had granola on my grocery list but stubbornly knew I had everything I needed at home to make a big batch. And listen, homemade granola will always win against the store-bought stuff, we know this to be true. I’ve been making this Oatmeal Cookie Granola for the last few weeks and keeping a jar on the counter feels like such a treat. It’s crunchy, nutty, kissed with cinnamon, and makes the kitchen smell like a cookie factory. My current favorite bowl is a scoop over Noosa key lime yogurt with a handful of golden kiwi wedges. Breakfast, snack, dessert—she does it all. This morning I served it with a very large wedge of toasted and buttered Browned Butter Banana Bread with chocolate chips.
• Find the full granola recipe here on joythebaker.com: https://joythebaker.com/2014/09/oatmeal-cookie-granola/
An Interview with Melissa Bahen, author of Farmhouse Weeknights!
This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Melissa Bahen, the voice, recipe developer, and photographer behind Lulu the Baker. Melissa is all about celebrating the magic of home through food, and she does it beautifully on her site and in her cookbooks. Her latest, Farmhouse Weeknights, is filled with cozy recipes for gathering - think cinnamon rolls warm from the oven, garden-fresh salads, and hearty dishes perfect for feeding your favorite people.
Melissa lives in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where she grows much of the produce she cooks with and writes about. How cool is that? Her recipes have that grounded, welcoming spirit that makes me want to pour a cup of coffee and linger in her kitchen.
And because I know you’ll want this book on your kitchen shelf, we’re hosting a giveaway! One lucky reader will win a copy of Farmhouse Weekends - details at the end of the interview.
Let’s start with the origin story. What was the spark that made you think, Yep, this cookbook needs to exist?
Right at the beginning of COVID, when everything first shut down, my family started doing a zoom together every Sunday afternoon. My mom asked everybody at the end what they were making for dinner, and something that someone was making sounded really good, so they shared the recipe with everyone and we all made it during the week and texted pictures around. And it was so much fun that we started doing that every Sunday. We call it "What's For Dinner?" and I think we've made over 200 something recipes at this point. We take turns choosing a dish or a cuisine or a recipe, and we all try to make it for dinner during the week. That's really where the idea for the book started. For all of us, no matter how big our household is, no matter what our work week looks like, we all have to answer that question—What's for dinner?—every single night!
What’s the recipe in the book that people will come back to over and over again?
That's like asking me to choose a favorite child! I really love all of the recipes and hope everyone who makes them loves them. But I talk in the book about the taco chicken being a dinnertime MVP, and it really is. You make it in the slow cooker and it only has three ingredients, so it couldn't be any easier to make, but it always tastes great and you can use it a hundred different ways. It's great in burrito bowls, tacos, salads, enchiladas, tortas...basically everything. It's a great recipe to have in your dinner-making tool kit.
Marry, shag, kill: buttercream frosting, whipped cream, jam.
Wow, this is really difficult!! Marry: Whipped cream. Shag: Buttercream frosting. Kill: Jam. But that makes me sad, haha. I love jam, too.
What’s a cooking or baking hill you’re willing to die on?
I basically never buy or use unsalted butter. I can't remember a single time I've made something with salted butter that was too salty because of the butter. What I have done is followed a recipe and used unsalted butter and thought, "Dang. This needs more salt." It's just such a small amount overall! Like per serving, salted butter has maybe a pinch more salt than unsalted butter, but it makes a huge difference flavor-wise.
We’re going to a dinner party with a recipe from your book?
Is it a cop-out to say the chocolate chip cookies? I'm never one to turn down a chocolate chip cookie anyway, but this recipe has been my favorite for a long time now. I've made them for bake sales, class parties, family get-togethers, bbqs, and people always rave about them. They are super buttery, crispy on the edges and chewy everywhere else, and they have such good flavor. If you took those to a dinner party, I think you'd be everyone's favorite guest.
What’s the most chaotic recipe in the book?
I wrote all of the recipes in this book specifically to be NOT chaotic! That being said, there are a few that go so quickly you really have to have everything prepped first or you feel like you're in an episode of The Bear! The tropical fried rice is a good example. It's not at all hard to make, but it has a lot of components that need to be shredded or chopped or even just measured out first because once you start making the recipe, all of the steps fly by! I just make sure I have all of the ingredients completely ready to go, and it's smooth sailing. And delicious!
What’s a kitchen task you secretly love that everyone else seems to dread?
If my kitchen is messy, cooking in it feels really overwhelming to me. So even if it's tedious, I love getting my kitchen cleaned up before I start a big cooking project. And then I spend 30 seconds enjoying it before I get everything messy again.
What’s the most you recipe in this book?
I think I have to say the Cheesy Chowder! It's one of the first recipes from my blog that got super popular, and I'm not surprised because it is really yummy. Blog readers love it, my family loves it, everybody loves it. It's so yummy and really cozy. A great recipe for soup season!
What’s your current cookbook crush?
I love all of the Half Baked Harvest cookbooks. The photos are beautiful and every recipe I've tried is delicious. I love a cookbook that is super fun to thumb through because it has gorgeous pictures, and all of Tieghan's cookbooks check that box.
✨ Giveaway Time! ✨
To enter, just answer this question in the comments below:
What’s your favorite weekend tradition or weekend recipe that makes life feel extra cozy?
Entries close Wednesday, September 3rd at midnight CST. The winner will be notified via Substack message. Open to U.S. residents only.
Chocolate chip cookies are never a cop-out! See you in the comments, friends!
xo Joy
I think the “coziest” part of my weekend is watching a movie with my toddlers - also the craziest and neither of them are snugglers 😂😩
Separately, Joy, it sounds like you need to visit Willamette valley! Karlee Flores, Lulu, me….just sayin
I love to make something that takes a little more time on Sundays, but in a big batch so I have leftovers during the busy weekdays. Favorites include soups, stews, or roasts. Its feels extra cozy to have a warm meal cooking away Sunday afternoon that I know will feed us again later.