Three things.  Can I tell you three things?  Do you mind getting all up in my business for the next several minutes of your life?

Remember two short weeks ago when I was moaning and groaning about not living in the cool part of town?  I wanted to live in a loft downtown despite my disapproving pocketbook.  

Remember the part where I cleaned my kitchen and waxed on and on about appreciating the things you have…. that the grass isn’t always greener… remember I said all that?  Well… I changed my mind.  I’m moving to a loft downtown.  

I’m sharing my space with new people and I have turquoise walls.  And I have no idea how to arrange and decorate my room.  Seriously.  I need help.  I’m lost.  Can we trade room design for baking lessons?  SOS.

My little sister… the girl my heart beats for… is moving to Seattle.  We’re driving from Los Angeles to Seattle this week.  Sister road trip!  I’m looking forward to Red Vines and french fries… believe this.   If you see a giant UHaul truck puttering up the California interstate this week, please just have kindness in your heart when you cut us off.  Seattle or bust.

On the Lamb held a Violet Hour supper brunch.  

There was Creme Fraiche Quiche.

Can you see my face back there eagerly grasping for something?  What am I reaching for with such elation?  

Money… I wish I were kidding.  

Here is a fact about trying hard to live the dream with On the Lamb (the pop-up events and catering firm my friends and I started)… no one ever tells you how much gosh-dang-holy-heck-geeeeeez work it is.  My ankles are sore just thinking about it. But really… the excitement, the uncertainty, the new friends, the creativity, the occasional punching match… I wouldn’t trade it.  The oil burns and sore ankles are all so quickly mended when I remember that I’m trying to live my best life and I’m doing it with my two best friends… and all of these new friends that we get to feed!  

Thank you to Sandy and Jason of Enid and Edgar.

Thank you to Dan for taking such lovely photographs.  

Thank you to… you, for being so loyal and lovely and so… here.  

Oooooh Yea!  I’ve got a lot to be excited about!  Come on down for picnic time!

Don’t forget to send your virtual picnic pictures into joythebakerpicnic (at) gmail (dot) com …. Ok!?

You’ll also want to check back often today to see all sorts of picnic photos and updates.

Aaaand one more thing!

Don’t forget the live Twitcam broadcast at 4:30.  All you have to do is follow me on Twitter!

Update 1.40pm PST: I think we are all set.  Also, I want to post a couple of virtual picnic updates.  First, look at this photo of Ella from Western Australia

She said:

Unfortunately its winter in this hemisphere, so our picnic was a gloomy indoor affair, brightened only by the glorious CUPCAKE SUN!

Also heard from Julia from the Dozen Flours she had to work this week on her very first wedding cake but said:

(I) was channeling your picnic too because the reception had a very sweet Italian picnic theme.

Thanks for joining in.   More soon…

Update 3.01pm PST: Ok.  This is officially happening.

See you at 4:30…..

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!

There are a few reasons why you should read this post.

1.  I’m no gardener, but with a team of friends and experts, I might have just created a successful one pot garden… you can too!

2.  While this post may not be filled with butter and sugar, it is still a nice distraction from work, right!?

3.  I’m drinking wine and I’ve got a mild degree of writers block.  I’m bound to get a little punchy and make you laugh at some point.  Yes?

This year’s Spring garden… ok, my first Spring garden ever… was inspired by two things: my undying adoration of summer tomatoes and my utter annoyance at the high price of said tomatoes.

So here we are, talking tomatoes. Not just any tomatoes, but peak of the season summer tomatoes.  Besides my gradual fake tanning lotion, they might just be the best thing about the summer months.

The truth is, there’s a reason that this blog isn’t called Joy the Gardener.  I kill just about everything I put in dirt.  It’s a classic case of over enthusiasm and waaaaay too much water.  I over water and kill my plants, a fact that is sad but true.

This Spring I’ve got help.  My Mom happens to be an amazing gardener… she also happens to be retired, which leaves her plenty of time for nursery trips to counsel me on which fertilizer is best and why.  Then there’s my darling friend Rachael.  She’s blonde, beautiful, hilarious, and is oh-so-generous with the crap ton of knowledge she has about growing tomatoes.  With these two on my team, my garden can’t fail!  Now I just need someone to keep the watering can away from me.

If I can grow a tomato garden on the tiny balcony of my Los Angeles apartment, you can too.  Here’s the skinny:

I headed out to the nursery with my Mom.  It turns out… there are a TON of plants at a nursery… most of them being green.  It might have been hard for me to find what I needed, had it not been for my Mom.  It’s not that things are hard to find, it’s just that I’m not tremendously plant literate.

I had a very specific  One Pot Garden list.  If you want to play along, here’s what you’ll need

1 tomato plant  (Mine is a black cherry tomato plant.. thanks Rachael!)

1 basil plant

1 marjoram plant

1 parsley plant

1 nasturtium plant

1 giant bag of  Dr. Earth Organic Potting Soil

1 small bag of organic vegetable fertilizer of some sort.  I used GroBetter All-Purpose Organic Fertilizer.

I stake to tie your tomato plant to as it grows

1 giant pot and saucer.  Mine is about 15-inches tall and with a 15-inch diameter.  I used a plastic pot because it’s much lighter and it helps keep the moisture in the soil.

Here’s what I did:

Fill the pot about two thirds full with the potting soil.  Sprinkle with organic fertilizer as directed on the bag.  Water just to moisten the soil.  Fertilizer isn’t one of those things that you want to touch with your hands.  It’s just not a good idea.  Grab some gloves or use a scooper.

Arrange the plants in the pot, still in their plastic containers, just so you can see where everything will go.

Remove the plants from their tiny plastic containers and gently loosen the bottom of the soil, loosening their roots.  Set in place on top of the potting soil and fertilizer.  Using a large cup for scooping, place more potting soil around the plants.  Sprinkling with just a bit more fertilizer as you go.  Firmly press the potting soil and plants into the pot and add more potting soil.  You won’t fill the pot to the brim with potting soil.  Fill the pot with soil until you’re about three inches from the brim.  Water generously and set in a sunny spot.

Set the stake to the side and use it when the tomato plant starts to get too talk to grow up on its own.

Fun facts:

Tomatoes like loads of sunlight.  Don’t be afraid to put your new garden in a spot that gets at least seven hours of direct sunlight.  Your plants will love it.

Check to see if your pot needs watering by sticking your finger into the soil.  The soil should be moist and cool.  If it feels a little dry, water away… otherwise, just leave it be.

Why put all those plants in one pot!?  It turns out that all those plants work together like a team.  Whether its keeping pests away, or replenishing the soil with nutrients, all the plants in that one pot are extremely happy.  And!  Nastrutium flowers are edible.  They’re a a great, peppery addition to a salad!

Having a little garden is unbelievably satisfying.  I sit on my otherwise uninviting balcony sometimes just to watch my plants grow.  Now my balcony is like a bonus room.   I also run my fingers through the leaves of my growing tomato plant to get that fresh tomato smell on my hands.  Yes, dorky but true.

Even if you live in a tiny apartment, as long as you have a space with loads of sunlight, you can have a coy little one pot garden!  It’s true!  It makes life better! Let’s do this together!

More tomato posts and garden updates to come.

Did you have a great weekend?  Have you woken up with a lingering Easter candy tummy ache?  Do you still have confetti everywhere from the Cascarones?  Yea?  Me too.  I think I might have an Easter sugar hangover… I’m not proud.    Here’s a look at what Easter looks like when you combine a cupcake contest with a steady stream of champagne, a dog named Bunny and a confetti filled egg massacre.

Combine cupcakes and competition.  Call it a Bake Off.  What could be better!?

These are Whitney’s Derby Pie inspired cupcakes, with pie crust and  amazingly rich buttercream frosting.  So sweet.  So good!  The winner of the contest was Susie, with her Blueberry Cupcakes with mint, lemon and Brown Sugar Buttercream.

Meet Bunny the dog.  She’s begging.  Wouldn’t you if you were a dog at a cupcake party!?  Behind Bunny, Dean and possibly the cutest yellow shoes ever.

And then there’s Cascarones.  Cascarones are hollowed out, beautifully dyed eggs that are filled with confetti.  They’re like the most beautiful Easter weapon ever.  You find these eggs just like any old Easter egg hunt, but when you find then, you smash them on your friends.  Dean and Whitney seem rather polite about the whole situation.

Molly is more of a smash and run girl, leaving a trail of confetti in her wake.

Hunter tries to release confetti from her hair.  Jun has just about the best smile ever, and Molly  is unstoppable.

Bunny wants to play too.

Friends and confetti?  Throw in Bunny and cupcakes?  That’s a good day.  Fact.