Can we take a little break from the kitchen?

I’m full of food and there’s one monstrous pile of dishes that I’d prefer to ignore for as long as possible.

A few months back I showed you exactly what my 2010 has looked like.  Let’s consider that Part One.  Would you like to see the other half?

I dump all of the pictures of my camera phone and show you what my silly world looks like.  Its fun, there’s food, I like to share… and we’re all friends here.

I had a birthday in May.  The people that know me got me bourbon.

Bless their souls.

This is the beginning of the best party of the summer. Malibu beach house.  Sunset.  Many people spinning many records.  Really not a bad life at all.

Whitney and Jenelle at the beach party.  This is before the beach cartwheels and frigid, naked ocean swimming.

…. I told you it was a good party.

Giant movie screenings in a cemetery.  That happens in LA.  Everyone here is exactly too cool for school… especially the two sneaking a smooch in the front of this picture.

Romance.

I rode my bike all summer.  It’s exactly the best thing in the world.  No… I wasn’t wearing a helmet.  Please don’t scold.

Countless backyard parties.  Some people drink Pineapple Smirnoff Ice as a joke…. a gross grooooossss joke.

Ps.  Cute bearded boys plus bonus dude belly peek.

I made Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding with Jill.  We giggled a lot…. it’s just a thing we do.

I made a wedding cake! Remember?

It was stressful and delicious.

This particular wedding made me cry like a lady cries at a wedding.  Love.  Daaaang.

Frozen.  Chocolate.  Chip.  Cookie.  Dough.  Balls. The best words ever.

One day… my computer died dead…

… then my table fell apart.  I had the entire weight of the world on it.

I don’t want to talk about it.

My dear sister lives in Seattle.  I went to there to see her…

… and bake in the company of her cat.

Charles is a fat cat with skinny legs.  He’s a little self conscious.

Delancey is exactly as delicious as you want it to be.

I bought myself a fancy tomato and made myself a fancy sandwich.  I dunno… this seemed like a big deal at the time.

I got on a train with a book and a homemade sandwich and went up to San Luis Obispo.

These red shoes are now spattered with melted chocolate, fry grease and matcha powder.  This is why we can’t have nice things.

You remember Josh, right?  We had all sorts of wine adventures which include eating grapes off the vine and getting heartburn.

But the views!!  Totally worth the heartburn.

I put everything I own in boxes and moved to the beach.  I feel like a fortunate person…. with too much stuff.

And this bike… the bike that was my heart and soul…. it got stolen.  I cried:  sobbing, ugly cry.

Until I got this dreamboat!  It’s true love.

Then I crashed that dreamboat four day after I got it.

I didn’t cry, but it hurt something fierce.  Ooooh man.

Then Tracy helped me realize how thug a chipped tooth from a bike accident can be.  That’s friendship.

I found out that Buttermilk Onion Rings do not suck at all.

Also… kittens do not suck.

They’re actually the most precious creatures around… despite their smelly butts and sharp claws.

Stevens sleeps like this.

Lord help me.

A visit to San Francisco in the Fall makes me want to wear scarves and hold hands and make out.  It’s something about the sky and the water and the wind.

I ate popcorn for dinner at least forty three times in the last five months.

I’m the boss of me.

Amen.

Every few months I go on an over-sharing spree on Joy the Baker.  I talk about all sorts of things that aren’t chocolate or butter or cake.  I sometimes tell you about my sister.  I often tell you about my tragic affection for The Real Housewives of Everywhere.  Sometimes I talk about boys and other times I doooo nooootttt.

 What’s weird about it is that… you actually like it.  

When these over-sharing moments strike, I like to show you the pictures from my camera phone.  Well… the pictures that aren’t the several hundred self portraits that take up most of my phone’s memory.    Why my camera phone?  I seem to have had my phone surgically attached to my hand so it’s with me to capture most of my moments.  Here’s a peek at 2010 so far.  

Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes.  Because why should you have to choose between hot fudge sundaes and cupcakes?  That’s just not fair. 

Here we find Whitney setting the table for one of our first On the Lamb events.  

Whatever you do, don’t say the word ‘tablescape’.  I hate that word.  I’ll punch you.  

I live in Los Angeles.  Why am I standing next to a NYPD police car in the middle of a Los Angeles park?  Movie magic, friends.  I think they were filming some show called Castle.  So douchey LA.  Please feel free to make fun of my yellow sweater or the fact that I’ve paused my hike to stand by this police car.  I can handle it. 

Q:  Are my friends and I always taking pictures of food?

A:  Yes.  Duh.  

I found a lemon inside of another lemon.  No joke… rind and all.  

Also… I know a cat named Lemon whose tender skull I smashed in a doorway.  It was an accident.  It all happened so fast.  By bad Lemon.  My bad. 

By now it may look like these are the only two people I hang out with.  Maybe that’s true.  But look at this..!  They’re texting…. like, a lot.  So there are obviously other people in our world.  Texting.  Just let it happen.  

Whitney is mixing up tequila, smoky tea and a homemade citrus mixture.  Magic.  Supersize me.  Please and thank you. 

This cake from the Nickel Diner has chocolate, peanut butter and potato chips.  

I’d like to go ahead and push the pause button on life.  Seriously.  Amazing.

In other new, yes… I like ice in my milk.  

I love these three heads, except the girl in the middle is kind of a hussy.  

Once we saw a rainbow.  Once we freaked the heck out.  

I made these Sweetheart Rose Cupcakes and then ate seven for dinner.  Judge me… I dare you. 

Earlier this year I drove up to San Francisco to teach a cooking class.  I was nervous… and proud of myself.  This is my ‘heck yea I’m proud of you Joy” face.  I’m looking at this…

I love this bridge.  If this bridge were a man, I’d totally marry it. 

Before the cooking class I went to a huuuuuuggee wine event on a pier in San Francisco.  

There were exactly 1,236,339 people there… and lots of wine talk.  The place was abuzz with winos and the words “leather” “berry notes”  ”finish”.  Not exactly my scene…

I was actually looking out the window longing for the serenity of Alcatraz Island.  

I taught a bunch of people how to make breakfast.  I’m pretty sure they already knew how… but it was nice of them to pretend they didn’t for my sake.  

I drove from Los Angeles to Seattle with my little sister Lauren.  Remember that?  I do…. I ate my weight in Chex Mix and drove through the snow in a moving truck.  And yes… I wore my thick-thighed jeans.  

The drive?  Long.  The result?  Getting to hang out with my sister in her first apartment in Seattle.  Geez I love this girl. 

This sign lives outside my favorite little neighborhood market in Seattle.  I’m glad someone correctly added the letter e to the word douchebag.  Nice move. 

I found my dad making my Avocado Pound Cake recipe.  He had printed it out and everything.  High five father. 

I also stumbled upon my dad’s high school graduation picture.  Hot dang.  

Ps.  Say nothing of the possible lazy eye.  Not one word.  

I moved and painted.  Those two things were exactly as exciting as they sound.  

I hella heart this Poppy Seed Cake with Blueberry Glaze.  Whaaat?  Blueberry Glaze?  Yea… I dreamed that mess up. 

My friends and I taught a strawberry themed cooking class in Los Angeles.  I was nervous.  I was sweaty.  I was a mess… and then I wasn’t.  Not to worry, it all worked out in the end. 

I flew to Orlando.  I stayed in a fancy hotel.  I ate a lot of room service.  

I took pictures of the Pillsbury Bake Off.  Competitive cooking stresses me out…. that’s my excuse for all the room service. 

This might be a Not Safe For Work Situation… but we’re all ladies here, aren’t we?  This is what I wear under my apron when I’m baking at home.

Ok… so it’s not.  

Yes… I really really want it to be what I have on under my apron.  

Clearly… I’ve lost my mind for sharing such things with you.  Noted. 

In other (more clothed) news, the video I made with Jill is nearing completion.  We made pudding.  We laughed a lot.  I said some really inappropriate things.  It was like magic.  

Love on the Rocks.  My friend Asher made these for us.  Love… on the Rocks. 

Last but not least…  Malibu.  I’ll be seeing a lot of you this summer dear Malibu.  Count on it.  

Holy Heck!  When did Fall sneak up on me!?  I could use a deep breath… how about you?

Here we are at the end of September and I’m more than ready to go shopping for winter tights and oversized sweaters… not to mention jumping in the kitchen to bake up my favorite pumpkin cookies.  Seriously.  Have you made these pumpkin cookies yet?  They’re my reason for living from October through January.  

Now is not the time to talk cookies.  Can I show you a few things!?  I want to show you what my summer looked like…. up close… personal… on the fly.  All captured by my trusted camera phone.  Remember when we played the camera phone picture game a few months back?  I’m at it again.  Come take a peek and then tell me what you were up too all summer long!

Q:  How many Fried Chicken Sandwiches from Bakesale Betty’s did I eat this summer?  

A:  One.  That’s not nearly enough.  I’ve let myself down.  I’m working on it.  

My friend Zak makes his own sausage.  He’s badass like that.  He also likes compliments on his tattoo…. aaaaaand go!

No… my friends and I aren’t chef groupies.  That would be weird.  Right?  Weird.  

Have you ever seen a fresh garbanzo bean?  Well.. you have now!  Rad. 

There were many…. many bottles of wine consumed between the months of May and August this year.  Wine tastings at Silver Lake Wine are ultra lovely, super approachable, and my preferred way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Now you know.  

My friends and I also hold our own tastings where we sip and sit, chat and talk about wine in a way that makes us feel warm and snobby.  

The making of Thomas Keller inspired Espresso Sandwich Cookies.   Can I tell you a secret?  I shared a grand total of two of these cookies with my friends.  The rest were for my belly only.  True story.

Flipping hot pans, taking a little trash, listening to R. Kelly and workin’ the line.  Meet Zak and Duke.  

I bought all this…

And set up all this…

So I could have a bumpin’ party like this!!

And then I drank wine.  Don’t judge me. 

I love when my little sister helps me bake.  Frosting cupcakes takes some intense and deliberate dedication…

The same sort of dedication that goes into picking just the right mushrooms at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  

Blue Bottle.  I love you.  You know it’s true.  Let’s take a closer look at this picture.  Skinny boy.  Skinny jeans.  Cute hat.  Making the best coffee in the world.  He even has a tattoo that said ‘let no man fall’…. Come on ladies.  Swoooooon!

Q:  How much bread is on this table at Zuni Cafe?

A:  Lots.  So much and not enough.  Um… Waiter!?  More bread please!

Simon made a pumpkin pie and took pictures of it with his phone. I watched Simon make a pie and took picture of him taking pictures of his pie with my phone.  We’re just strange enough for each other.

Yes.  This is happening.  This is a picture of my thighs in spandex.  These are the very thighs and fancy clippy bike shoes that are going to peddle my butt up to the top of a treacherous hill in Oakland.  

Yes.  This is happening.  This is a picture of my big head in a helmet.  Safety first friends.  Seriously.  Here I am halfway up the treacherous hill in Oakland.  It hurts and it sucks and I’m tired….. and I’m making it to the top of the hill so help me God!

Here is the face of success.  Oooh yes.  Top of the hill success.

And now I start boasting about how easy that was.  That hill wasn’t really all that hard.  The part where I was swearing and crying at the same time…?  Yea… I didn’t really mean that.

Can I be honest?  I am not an easy person to ride through the Oakland hills with.  I’m slow.  I freak out sometimes.  I’ve been known to get locked in my clip shoes and topple over.  And well…. Simon must be some sort of angel because he’s still smiling.  I’m lucky.  

Pasta.  I’m going to humbly say that I knocked it out of the park with that one.  Daaang.  

Leave it to me to find the man with the most wine at Blogher San Francisco this past weekend.  Leave it to me…

Leave it to me to find NotMartha and make her be my new best friend.  

Leave it to me to befriend crazy/lovely/hilarious Tracy of ShutterBean.  Um…. Tracy.  You and I both know that that’s not your wheelchair…. and oh how my love for you grows!!

So!  That’s how I’ve been livin’ this summer!  What about you?  What were your highlights of the summer season?  Do they involve new friends in wheelchairs that don’t belong to them?  Probably…. that makes sense.  

You know what you should do?  Show off your summer.  Leave a comment with a link to a photo of your favorite summer memory.  Come on!  This’ll be fun!