Up and At ‘Em with Joy the Baker
Written by joythebaker on May 15, 2009 – 7:46 pm -
If you’ve hung around these parts long enough, you may have pieced together a few facts about me. You probably know that I have a strange and undying affection for pancakes. You probably know that my family loves biscuits, and I’ve been known to drop an entire cake all over the counter top instead of on the cake plate.
You may know that I shoot all of the food on this website with a Canon Rebel XSi and a 100mm macro lens. It’s fancy for me. Only a few months ago, my camera was worth more than my car. I love this camera, but for everyday shooting… for the shots on the fly and on the go, I reach for my camera phone. I know, it sounds crazy, right!? It’s just that sometimes my little iphone is the easiest way for me to document my happenings on the sly.
Below are some fun facts and camera phone pictures from my life this year. It’s a little peek into my world. Some food. Some shopping. Some reading and some wine. I just want you to see that not everything in my life is as staged and well lit as the stuff that I show you on my dining room table.
I’ll spare you all the shameless self portraits I may or may not have taken with my phone. Ok… I’m embarrassed. Come on… let’s play Joy the Baker’s camera phone life.
Fun Fact: The Suzzallo Reading Room at the University of Washington is one of my favorite places in the world. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen asleep while trying to study in that library. I’ve even fallen asleep and missed the last bus home. Overnight at the library? Let me tell you… not all that cozy.
Fun Fact: I’m not good at window shopping. I hate window shopping. I looooooove regular shopping. What? Colorful shirts and necklaces? Yes. Want. Please and thank you.
I fly from Los Angeles of the Bay Area often. It’s only a 45 minute flight and I’m pretty convinced that I might die every time the plane takes off. It’s not that I’m afraid of flying, it’s just that being way up in the sky and moving super fast kinda wigs me out. This brings me to my next point: the vodka tonic. Have one…. not two. Two is a mistake. Trust me.
Sometimes I sit near dudes like this on the plane. Whoa! Nice jacket! Sir, you look like a rock and roll dinosaur. I mean that in a really awesome way. One question, can I pet you? Seriously.
All of that flying from Los Angeles to the Bay Area, the plane cocktails, and the rock and roll dinosaur petting, is to get to this guy. Hey Simon. Hi. I think he likes the Suzzallo Reading Room too.
Sure, Simon’s cat Orion probably looks like a cat. Orion is actually a shark. He is unrelenting and agile. He will attack your toes in the middle of the night with exactly no remorse. He’s looking pretty smug. He always wins the toe battle, but I win the being human battle. Wait… does that count for anything?
Some Sundays I sneak off to my local library, sit on a crowded couch and read books. Here’s why that’s awesome: it’s free, it’s cooler than Starbucks, kids know to be quiet, and the people watching is too legit to quit.
Fun Fact: I can make you a beautiful chocolate wedding cake, but please please please don’t ask me to make you a cup of hot chocolate in the microwave. This task is either more confusing than it looks, or I totally suck. You decide.
It’s possible that sometimes I eat a container of Tic-Tacs for lunch. It’s never a good idea. It always gives me a belly ache. Wintergreen, how you tempt me so!
When I need more than Tic-Tacs, my Dad never lets me down. His tacos make the world right. Plus, look at that smile!
Philippe’s French Dip in Los Angeles is one of my favorite places to eat. When my parents were dating they used to go to Philippe’s . When my Grandfather worked at the post office, he used to go to Philippe’s. I’m convinced their au jus is in my blood. Hot dang it’s good!
Me: Hey! Friend! Take a picture of me holding my gelato!
Friend: Really? Joy? Really? I’m trying to order my gelato. Can you wait?
Me: No! Quick! Take a picture of me!
Friend: Ok… but you know you’re totally annoying, right?
Me: Right.
Then there’s work. I work in a restaurant that I love love love. But wait… what restaurant? Why won’t I tell you where it is? It’s not that I don’t think you’re all lovely. It’s not that I don’t have deep and tender affection for you… it’s just that I have to try to save myself from the potential creeps that might be quietly lurking around here. You understand, right?
Here’s the view from the top on market day. Zak is unpacking produce from the farmer’s market. Pretty dreamy, the produce that is. Zak’s not such a sight for sore eyes either… but don’t tell him I said so.
Here’s a view from the bottom on cheese day. Boxes and boxes of gorgeous Italian cheese. More fun to eat than unpack. Fact.
Sometimes I’ll walk past these beauties in the kitchen at the restaurant. Octopodes. Does this gross you out? A little? Yea.. me too.
Is this better? Loads and loads of cookbooks? Yea… I thought so.
Fun Fact: That was a dang good cookie.
My one pot garden has grown leaps and bounds since this photo was taken. Also, a spider has moved into the pot. A spider!!!!!! In my garden!!!!! I know… it’s normal. It’s good. It’s not that I’m afraid of spiders… it’s just that I’m totally and completely afraid of spiders.
That spider is important. It will eat little critters that try to hurt my precious tomatoes. Still, I don’t exactly like it.
I’m working on videos. This means a lot of cables and buttons and lighting. It’s fun… you’ll see.
My friends and I? We like to eat. We like to eat and drink. Here, friend Rachel works on a giant bowl of Japanese noodles. There’s a hard boiled egg in that bowl. I know because I took a giant bite out of it. Success!
We like to combine food, holiday and competition. Remember the Easter Day Cupcake Bake Off? Yea… we did that. Here, Dean talks about her crazy sausage cupcakes with sage butter. Holy heck!
We also like to drink from brown paper bags. This is a blind Sauvignon Blanc taste testing. Which is from Chile? Which is from California? Which is from France? Let’s talk about it…. ok, now let’s drink it all! Sweet.
I live in Los Angeles, and this sort of scene and the related traffic jam is a weekly occurrence. It’s really not all that bad. Truth be told, I think it’s kinda cool.
Geez! Giant rose! If you can guess the amount of petals in this rose you win the rose. Ok… not really.
Life is pretty rosy these days. Hope you enjoyed the peek into my camera phone world!
Tags: camera, life, Thoughts
Posted in Beyond the Kitchen, Thoughts, around town, friends, life | 77 Comments »
Joy,
Like so many, I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while now. I absolutely love it! Your love for breakfast has inspired me. Yesterday I found myself driving home thinking, “I’m going to try one of Joy’s breakfast recipies.” Really. I did.
After a quick search, it didn’t take long to decide on the chocolate chip pancakes. They were amazing!! A recipie I will be keeping, for sure.
So, thanks! Hope you had some wonderful Sunday breakfast as well
Lori
This just might be my all time favorite post! Thanks for sharing the behind the scenes!
What a lovely post! Your days look just fabulous. And, yes, those octopodes are GROSS looking. EW. I’m much more likely to have my eye on that chocolate chip cookie. Oh, and it is hard to make microwave hot chocolate; it’s not you.
Cooking videos? Are you the next Rachel Ray except a little bit sweeter? In person and in cooking? Just don’t make dog food or cat (shark) food for that matter. Deal?
Thanks for sharing so many pics and funny stories about your daily life. I must admit that I am slightly jealous aobut all the lights, cables and the rebel.
Thank you for the lovely camera shots. I hated my iPhone with a passion for about two months, am now learning to love it and use it increasingly as a backup for my Canon Rebel XTI. Recently discovered your lovely site on a link from SmittenKitchen, who I found through Pioneer Woman. You are fun! And you have great taste.
Fun airplane shots! (I actually work for them – and yes, we get lots and lots of characters on our planes.)
I love your blog, and your recipes are yummy! Thanks for sharing with all of us.
I just have to say “Yay!” for your dad wearing a Tom Petty hoodie. Love the site, your pictures are always awesome.
That is one serious cat!! Is it a particular breed – it looks like one I would love to have in my house.
Thanks for the peek into your life. And thanks for sharing all the great recipes!
I love that you’ve dedicated this post to photos from your phone! Phone photos are soo great – they show all those random priceless moments when we just didn’t have our super-dooper amazing cameras on us. Awesome!
P.S. Hot chocolate in the microwave: Mug. Milk. Cling film over the top. Stab with fork to make holes. Microwave for 2 and a half minutes. Stir in hot chocolate powder really well. xx
What a fun peek into the life of Joy!
Lovely shot of the library! I love that campus and spent 5 yrs there in Seattle… miss the cherry blossums…Thanks for visiting our new blog!!
Very cool. Love to see the moments from a life.
My 12 yr old daughter Sophie is baking your flourless peanutbutter cookies as I type. She’s been on a roll with them since we found you and the recipe one Saturday about a month ago. She even took them to an end of the year homeschool thing. Makes her proud that we love ‘em so!
Thanks!
Very cute post. Your life seems just fabulous!
Dearest Joy, I just discovered you site thru a friend Im a mixed media Artist My name is Cheyenne I live in Henderson Nv and i love to bake , I love your recipes and i would love to be as talented as you are. You are also a very beautiful girl and im sure any one with at least one eye can see that. I used to work in LA down town and the office guy would go to Philipes and bring back Roast beef Sand with Au juice cant spell it. My hubby wants me to take him there when we come to LA again since im from Westwood Village and lived in Huntington Beach all my life ,until we moved to the Las Vegas area of Henderson. I would love to come watch you bake and talk. I bet your a great baker and you look like such a nice girl Im Italian and German and you look Italian your dad looks like a great guy and im sure hes a great cook too. Thank you so much for the joy you have brought me Im new to your blog and plan to make some of the cakes and yummy things If you ever want to come to the Las Vegas area and you would like some one to show you around i work for cake or cookies please let me know. Im not a wierdo i promise just a lover of sweets I love to talk about food and esp deserts I would love to hear from you and get to talk to you about your passion FOOD I also have a ton of cook books i love mexican food and Italian food i could live off it every day just looking at your dad making Tacos makes me want to come over . Have a great week and again Thank you . Cheyenne from Henderson Nv
Eating noodles, Phillipe’s AND you can’t make hot chocolate in the microwave: we must be separated at birth!
Joy, this is a great montage of stuff and I’m so completely jealous that you work in a professional kitchen that I can’t even explain it! Very cool stuff though
Joy – I’ve been following your blog for a while and live in LA as well, and I almost yelled out loud when I saw that photo of you with the gelato – I LOVE that place! It’s on Tujunga, right? Soooooo good. Love your blog!
I totally got a kick out of taking a picture of the random man on the airplane…something I ALWAYS want to do…but chicken out he may turn around and see me. So dang funny!
^__^
Joy! I came upon your blog a couple of months ago and I’m just in love with your absolutely wonderful posts and recipes but strangely this is my first comment. I’m from Jamaica and I love baking and cooking. I spend most of my days on foodie sites like yours. I love yours best – Shhh! But yeah this peek into your life was just adorable
Joy the Baker, I ran across your blog while Googling “how to season a cast iron skillet” for my husband. (Your instructions helped a lot, by the way!) Anyway, I loved your blog the instant I saw it. The photos, the design, the “foodiness” of it. I’m not much of a cook or a baker, but I do have an appreciation for the art! Thanks for sharing the wonderfulness that is your blog!
I loved the post Joy. Now off to see if you included recipes with the cupcake contest post. I need a really good cupcake recipe.
Joy,
Yay for the Reading Room! I am actually in Suzzallo this very moment. I have a student job here and one of my more common responsibilities is to shelve all of the books in that gorgeous room. The other day I had to count them all by myself too. (7,899 if you were curious)
Keep up the lovely blogging.
I LOVE SUZZALLO! It makes me feel like I’m in Harry Potter!
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