This is a story about a girl with bacon in her refrigerator, cookies in her jar, and snug-fitting jeans. The story goes like this: there once was a girl who had well-done bacon and chocolate-dipped cookies for breakfast. It felt good and right and she had no regrets. The End.
I’ve been breakfasting hard this week. For me that usually involves some sort of burnt bread situation.
I feel like breakfast is the one meal of the day that I have under control (burning aside). Other eating tends to be a bit irresponsible.
I’m trying out a new service called Stitch Fix. Have you heard of this? It’s like a friend shops for you, sends you bundles in the mail, and you pick and choose what you’d like to keep. I’m new to the Stitch Fix game, but so far this knitted Kensi top in blue and green has given me great hope.
I am now the proud owner of a pair of blue suede shoes. It’s been a lifelong dream.
These are Ted Baker men’s shoes. Do you know how comfortable men have it in the shoe game!? They’re doing it right. Let’s get in their game.
As we’re saying goodbye to summer (I’m kicking and screaming), it also feels like it’s time to say goodbye to popsicles.
Billy, of the blog Wit and Vinegar, went out with a bang… otherwise known as Popsicle Week.
Some of my favorites are Green Smoothie Detox Pops and Chocolate-Dipped Coconut and Rum Popsicles. Detox and chocolate. Balance!
Above: Roasted Strawberry and Toasted Coconut Popsicles.
We may be leaving popsicle season, but I’m not ready for Pumpkin Pie just yet. Almost, but not yet.
I am, however, experimenting with Pumpkin Pie recipes for the cookbook.
Pumpkin Pie lunch. Twist my arm.
I have been very fortunate to hang out with people I admire lately.
I’ve admired Matt Armendariz’s food photographer and blog Matt Bites for years… five years to be exact.
He was kind enough to welcome me into his studio to give me some food photography tips, show me his extensive prop room, and let me put a colander on my head.
Matt showed me his setup and approach to delectable food photography. He also shared funny stories and laughed at all of my jokes. There will be a video of the whole day shortly. We made a little something for you.
Seriously though… getting the chance to work with someone I’ve sooooo admired just overwhelms me. It makes me emotional just to think about it. If you chase down the thing that you love, if you do it even when it feels big and scary, if you do it through love and hate, if you just follow that thing you love… there are moments when you find yourself in a room working with one of your heroes.
That’s really cool.
Today is August 28, 2013. It’s 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech. To hear these words…. to really hear what they were, and how they’re still so raw, real, and important…. it’s a big deal for always. Some things are NOT a big deal, Miley Cyrus being one of them.
Megan - FireWifey
Sounds like a great breakfast to me!
The Queen of Dreaming
I love these photos :)
http://justsem.wordpress.com/
Mary
Hi Joy – I love your blog! I also want to try the Stitch Fix site…the website said that if you share your referral code, you receive $25 when I purchase my first Fix. Since I learned about the site from your post, you deserve the $25 credit, so send it along if you’d like! :)
Mary
ATasteOfMadness
Hahha, my boyfriend just texted me to tell me he burned his bread making grilled cheese. I thought it was just him, but then I saw this post. I guess even the best do it ;)
Jenny
This is where I don’t comment about how I love the taste and texture of the burnt crusts of a slice of bread, NOT a big deal. Martin Luther King Jr is a big deal. Funny how thinking about a person can make you sad and inspired at the same time. But these last few days have been all about the inspiration!
Yolanda Pincholos
Congratulations por tu post y por tu blog, haces un gran trabajo de la que soy una gran admiradora, soy española y te invito a que visites mi blog spanish http://yolandapincholos.blogspot.com.es/. Un saludo
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
I just love your writing! Truly.
And I recently worked with someone I admire as well, and it was super inspiring, so I know that great feeling. I wish I could see Matt in action! Love these types of your posts of yours :)
Annabel
Stitchfix is going to ruin me :) I just signed up for a package, can’t wait to see what’s in store!
Jade
OMG! My housemate works for Stitch Fix! I wonder if she styled your fix?
joythebaker
i wonder! um…. RAD!
Monika
Just signed up for Stitch Fix – thank you for letting us know about it! Sounds super cool and I can’t wait to get my clothes “fix” in a couple of weeks. I can’t tell you how happy your blog posts make me. Thanks!!
LIA : DIZZY LOVES ICY
Spot on.
And I love how you burn toast, it gives me hope ;)
x
Brittany
Beautiful photography, very artsy and inspiring! Those hardboiled eggs are calling my name! I am sad to say goodbye to summer as well.
Liz
I’ve been wearing “men’s” shoes since I was 8 and had to get Buster Browns! I suffer through dressy shoes now, but my sneakers are definitely from the men’s department. Congrats for fighting through the big and scary to go after what you love!
Michele DeMuro
I had to laugh at the beginning of your piece. My son just discovered bacon for the first time this summer (he’s 9)….he absolutely loves it! Wish it was a healthy food! But on the right things, it can be SO good! :)
Axelle the french cook
I love your last paragraph and your last sentence.. Thank you for reminding us what is important and what is not.
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats
at first i thought that was chocolate dipped cookies, bacon and tomato soup. which would be strange. but then i realized it was coffee so really that’s perfectly acceptable. carry on.
Erica
Since you’re my faaaaavorite baking blog, I present a challenge for you: create a homemade cronut recipe! You know, those half-croissant half-donuts that people line up at 5:00am for hours in NYC just to get a bite of one? I’ve been itching to try one all summer, but can’t afford really to drive to NYC in the wee hours of the morning wait in line for 3 hours for one. (And I’m sure those grocery store knockoffs they’re making aren’t anywhere close to the real thing!) I know they are probably reaaaallly complicated, but I’m sure a talented baker like you could do it! GO JOY!
Freddi
Great last line to this wonderful, encouraging blog post!
Thanks Joy!
joelle (on a pink typewriter)
Detox and chocolate? Music to my ears.
Rocky Mountain Woman
You are so stinking cute!
Love the colander on your head – you could start a whole new fashion trend!
Good
Those shoes&top are so prettyyy!
Katy Read
Loving the new jumper/leopard belt/red nail look Joy. I looked at Stitch Fix but sadly its not available in London :-(
shelly @ohshellsbells
I just started using stitchfix a few months ago, and I have had a positive experience. The first few fixes were meh but I think they get me now, which makes it a dangerous habit! Plus I love getting packages in the mail!
Mandy
I’m ALL about burnt bread. I’m a summer girl too – which means I have to make the most of the next week because that will be it for this year lol.
Sophie @ The Spotty Teapot
Well done bacon is the best kind of bacon in my opinion, nothing like a bit of crispy bacon :).
I love all these photos, it’s nice to see what you’ve been doing.
And I completely agree about Miley Cyrus, she isn’t worth any attention, and I think she needs to just disappear quietly…
X
Julia @ Basket of Juls
I’ve been breakfasting hard too. The best is waking up for breakfast and then taking a siesta after.
Also love the last tidbit of your blog post.
Nicole @the dirty oven
Might be one of my favorite posts. Word. Loves.
Glo
Always captured by your stories, with cups of humor and pinches of wit and laughter, throw in some beautiful pics of baker ingredients and I am immediately transformed into my baker persona. Thank you!
Lena
You are to me what Matt is to you.
DessertForTwo
Yes yes YES to your comment about MLK being more worthy of our lip service than Miley.
Raquel Somatra
Joy- was just recently in the shoe store, looking for boots for myself. Since all the ladies’ boots looked like they were made of daisies and clouds, I wandered to the mens’ side and fell in love with these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sumitroy30/6271266347/
I’ve decided to always check the guys’ shoes. They’re always made so much more durable.
Love, love, love yours so much. I’ve been meaning to get a grey pair like that.
Naina @ chow bella
Blue suede shoes…I’m jealous about it. I admire your breakfast skills, I never wake up in time. Breakfast For Dinner is how I compensate.
Jenna
haha, miley cyrus, I blogged about her yesterday because she is unimportant. FYI I took away more from this post than just little miss Twerk – love the blog :)
Rhonda Sittig
I couldn’t love this post more. Thanks for letting us get to know you post by post…
Allie | Baking A Moment
This is such a great post. So much of what you’ve said has resonated with me. Lovely, meaningful words, with a wink and a smile for good measure. Congratulations on your success and keep up the amazing work. I’m a huge fan ;)
fusilliamy
reading those words about chasing down what you love even when it feels big and scary…it warms my inner most heart and is exactly what i needed to hear. this life is too short (and not in that yolo way).
also, a thousand times yes to blue suede shoes and i cannot wait for your video with Matt!
Jessica
Yay! Great post. (I yelped out loud a little when I read that you are doing Stitch Fix – I just signed up yesterday) Hooray for things that are awesome!
Celina @ NerdyBaker
Carrie uses Stitch Fix. I signed up but have yet to start. Worried about finding clothes I love at a price I will have to give them up at. I know they set a price range but still. She has come up with some cute things though and I LOVE that top you got. You’re more my style. Especially when it comes to shoes! Anything flat, blue suede or otherwise, rules.
Emily @ Life on Food
Blue suede shoes are so fun. You are not the first person to mention comfort when referring to man shoes. I must try.
Kelley
Hey Joy! It’s your Seattle nail girl. :) I just saw your Kitchn post and loved your sweet kitchen, AND your kitty. I have 3 cats. I love to bake. I think I’ve eaten cat hair occasionally. Isn’t that OK?? I’d prefer it over dog hair, or monkey hair. It’s part of being a pet owner. Anyway, can’t wait for your next book. Hope you come back to Book Larder in Seattle for a tour! xo
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
ha! i’m still recovering from that miley cyrus debacle. some people’s children…
Lynda
you really are delightful. The fact that you have any talent with food whatsoever is just a bonus. Happy Wednesday!
Annie B
Well done about MLK speech. It gives me goose bumps every time I hear it, and I’m way old enough to have heard it the very first time. Half naked starlets entranced with themselves shouldn’t take a minute of our time. Good food certainly should.
Lucia
If ever in my life I will have the chance to meet you and you will let me put your colander on my head, well… you know how it would feel. Admiring you always.
Sini
I definitely feel a bit jealous ’cause you were allowed to put a colander on your head in Matt Armendariz’s prop room…. P.S. I love that picture! :) Your bangs are amazing.
Robyn
You really do burn your toast every time! X
Jamie
This explains how we all feel. http://mileycyrustwerkingonreality.tumblr.com/
joythebaker
it explains it all so well.
Erin
JOY! I love those plates that the pic is on! Do you know where you got them or what they are called?
Also- Your pancake recipes have changed my life.
joythebaker
the plates are rented from a company called Dish Wish here in Los Angeles. oh and pancakes! i’ve got some good things coming your way!
kitchen afternoon
Peach pie for breakfast here! I have a dish/porcelain love, my beau gave me an old dish set much like the one you have in the photo!
Bev @ Bev Cooks
I’ve wanted to wear men’s shoes for soooo long now. Clark’s in particular.
And I think you should go for colander hats. It’s cute!
I’ll do it, too.
okay bye.
D
Joy,
I am so glad that you’ve been such a hard breakfaster as of late. As a passionate fan of breakfast, I’m glad to see there are others in the world who appreciate it and take it as seriously as I do.
I’ve been studying the riveting T.S. Elliot lately, and your recent post inspired a poem. Can you imagine if you and Tom shared the same, marvellous mind?
Well, now you don’t have to.
Love
Caramelized, slow cooked passion
Chopped emotions, raw, tears fall
To the pan, seared skin
Love
Broiled, melted hearts
Diced feelings, exposed, eyes burn
To the oven, scorched veins
Love
Full fat mayo, caloric extravaganza
Whole-grain mustard, bitter songs
Close the kitchen, for love has finally knocked.
joythebaker
poetry!!
angela
Wow!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Joy, I love your words about working with people you admire, I needed those soothing words today! You werk it girl and deserve every bit of it, can’t wait for your new cookbook!
Sues
I’m obsessed with men’s shoes and not yet ready for pumpkin either (but very excited for when I am!). Also, SO jealous you got to hang with Matt!!
Pedantic Foodie
i’m a tiny bit jealous of that prop room…
Monta Rosa @ Cake Vs Scales
Yikes Joy – Your so stunning! It’s lovely to see you for a change (well over these last few posts)….I’m not normally a mega pie fan (I’m drawn in by brownies) but the crust on the pie above looks incredible.
I chuckled at your fab blue Ted Baker shoes – I’ve gotten some amazing lurid bright colour work shirts from Mr Baker recently…Big fan! :)
x
Nadia
I’m definitely a summer girl too, I’m a little sad it’s coming to an end :( but will definitely be making the most of it whilst we can :)
joythebaker
i appreciate anyone who uses the word ‘whilst’.
Jess Shiner
Your last line in this post (and in fact, every word that you write. Ever.) restores my faith in humanity. Thank you for being such an inspiring (not to mention fab-u-lous) blogger!! So many people need to take your kind of attitude towards life. I’m learning.
Jess x
Sarah
Hi Joy,
I’m super psyched for your new cookbook.
Kthnxbye,
Sarah
Belinda @themoonblushbaker
Wow to work with such amazing people in such a creative environment, and am super excited about your new book and up coming projects. It must be great to be living and working in something you truly love.
I hope you make the most of summer (what left of it that is) and enjoy every berry while it last.
joythebaker
every berry indeed!
Alexis @ deliciousfoodideas.net
I agree with you, I’m definitely a summer girl. Luckily, there is only about 2 months that are cold where I live. And as you finish Summer, we are starting spring and I can start making all the delicious summer recipes I have been hoarding from your blog
Averie @ Averie Cooks
One of the best days of my life (not exaggerating or being dramatic here), truly, was the day I spent about 2-3 years ago with Matt & Adam at their studio and watching them in action, learning, and just seeing it all. Truly one of the most memorable and best days I’ve ever had. I would love to do it again. It was such a gift. I can only imagine how awesome it was for you being one-on-one and having colanders on your head in between jokes. LOVE IT.
Pumpkin pie recipes for cookbooks. Oh my. This has been, and continues to…be my…project of 2013 :) Good luck finding one you love!