Real Life Dinner

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I have a real life.

I knowโ€ฆ epic.  You have a real life too.  Iโ€™m not trying to pat myself on the back or anything.

I just wanted to remind you that I totally have a real life.  Itโ€™s imperfect and blurry.  Itโ€™s messy and florescent.  Itโ€™s crooked and underexposed.

Itโ€™s quietโ€ฆ with the occasional solo dance party.  Itโ€™s awkward.  Itโ€™s sometimes frustrating.  Itโ€™s often times blessed.  Thereโ€™s a lot of food in this life of mineโ€ฆ and itโ€™s not always in focus.  Itโ€™s just not.

For some reason, I think itโ€™s important that you know this.

Can I show you dinner?  Real lifeโ€ฆ I made this at 7pm in my poorly lit kitchenโ€ฆ and ate it off the coffee tableโ€ฆ dinner.

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Before dinner can be made, dinner must be shopped for, dinner must be stood in line for.

Iโ€™m the girl that answers emails in line at the grocery store.  I just am.

I also wear sunglasses in the grocery storeโ€ฆ itโ€™s LA, and thatโ€™s totally allowed- if not encouraged.

 

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Groceries home.  Iโ€™m going to make salad-y things, and tomato-y things with mussels, herbs, and wine.

Real life:  I found an easy recipe on the internet.  I read it.  I bought the stuff, and I just want dinner (and wine time) to happen quickly.

Spicy Steamed Mussels with Garlic and Herbs.

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Thereโ€™s chopping to be done, so I chop.  Leftover kielbasa, sliced garlic, and green onions.

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Directly behind me, my cat is rummaging around in the cabinet under the sink.

Heโ€™s learned how to open cabinet doors by himself.  Heโ€™s like that velociraptor in Jurassic Park.  Yesโ€ฆ that terrifying.  Donโ€™t believe me?  Come live with me for a day.  Itโ€™s actually scary.

Anyhowโ€ฆ this animal opens my cabinet, rummages around, spills stuff onto the kitchen floorโ€ฆ stuff for me to trip over, then he saunters away.

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After chopping and slicing, these little bits get cooked in olive oil.

Heavy on the red pepper flakes.  Spicy spicetown.

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Fresh basil and thyme for the chopping.

I love to finish dinner with fresh herbs.  It makes me feel like Iโ€™ve turned my house into a restaurantโ€ฆ mostly because herbs make food taste better.

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Salad for dinner too!?

Iโ€™m incredibly civilized.  Donโ€™t be fooledโ€ฆ I often have popcorn for dinner.  I made a salad because I had company over.  Casual companyโ€ฆ but still company.

When you have company over.. you have to make a salad, right?

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Real life: I was too lazy to dig for my spatula so the sides of my pan are coated in tomato sauce.  Alsoโ€ฆ I totally burnt my first round of toast.  Like, hardcore.  Like, I almost set the house of fire burnt.  Black as the day is long.  And the day is longโ€ฆ. really long.

Joy the Baker burns toast.  This is a true fact.

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Iโ€™ve never made mussels before.  They seem like the kind of food that you only eat in restaurants.  Nope.  These are so easy and delicious.

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I tend to eat dinner alone and standing.  I hear itโ€™s great for digestion.  Gravity and such.  Noโ€ฆ  I totally donโ€™t hear that.  Whatevs.

This time around, because I have company, Iโ€™m classing it upโ€ฆ weโ€™re eating hunched over my tiny coffee table.

Not ideal, but I totally have linen napkins.

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Real life dinner done and delicious.

All thats left now are dishes, and leftoversโ€ฆ and dessert to rummage through the freezer for.

Spicy Steamed Mussels with Garlic and Herbs. I love this recipe!  It feels like Mario Batali cooked you dinner.  And I made it in about 25 minutes.  Major!  Ohโ€ฆ I added capers and kielbasa, and a bit of thyme instead of oregano.

ps.  I wish I could make  YOU dinner.  pps.  I love you.  ppps.  No biggie.

All Comments

I Made This

Questions

191 Responses

  1. I just recently wandered into your lovely world here. You are astonishingly likeable!! Seriously, I hate everyone. Well, not hate maybeโ€ฆbut I am picky. I am glad you burn toast and that horrible lighting is a part of your life too. I am glad you are here telling us about it. I am glad I wandered over here. Thanks for doing this.

  2. Yesterday I fried eggplants. I was in a hurry, but I was also craving for something satisfying. I didnโ€™t have breadcrumbs, only flour that got burnt and burnt oil. Eggplants were still delicious. I ate them with not-sliced tomato, just biting into its flesh. And some mayo, please. Real life dinner, this happens.

  3. Thank you, thank you for not pretending to have a real kitchen to cook in and a formal dining table to eat from. Iโ€™m glad Iโ€™m not the only one trying to make magic happen in a few square feet. Keep on, keepinโ€™ on!

  4. My husband and I are newlyweds and we eat on the coffee table right now. Itโ€™s nice, and romantic, and feels like the stuff you do when you first get married or get your first place before you get all adult and responsible and buy a dining table.

  5. The first cat I had could open cabinets, turn on lights, and open the door (the inside door and the screen door). This cat also enjoyed climbing the curtains and walking on the ceiling rods, as well as climbing the neighborโ€™s tree outdoors and jumping to the top of their roof, for a better view of the neighborhood, I guess. One time it also attempted to walk ON THE CEILINGโ€“there were little claw marks in the white acoustic tile ceiling to prove it. The cat was smart and fearless. It also crawled into the dryer one day and no one knew it was in there and my mom turned it on, and so my first pet met its unfortunate demise. RIP Patches (that was her name). To this day, I always do a thorough check of the dryer and its contents before turning it on.

  6. I totally love your blog. And I love the way you talkโ€ฆI talk this way to myself in the kitchen all the time. I could practically hear your voice. Or what your voice sounds like in my head anyways. I coffee-table most every night except when I have company..and come to think of it, yes I do serve salad when I have company. Itโ€™s the law I think. :) Keep cookinโ€™ and talkinโ€™. I like it!!

  7. Our cat opens the bathroom door (itโ€™s a knob, not a lever) and opens all the kitchen drawers too. It got so bad that we considered child-proofing everything below waist level. Now we have a kid so weโ€™ll just child-proof for her and keeping the cats out will be a bonus!

  8. I feel your pain. We had just one cat that knew how to open cabinet doors; sheโ€™s been in and out of the cabinets for months and we always knew if she wasnโ€™t readily visible, she was under the kitchen sink. Our two other cats never cared to venture into cabinets and we were fine with that, since the cabinet monster has particularly delicate feet and managed to go in and out regularly without disturbing a thing. Then we adopted two kittens . . . and they really like the cabinet monster and she really likes them in return and sheโ€™s taught them how to open cabinet doors. And now we have wrestling kittens spilling out of our cabinets at all hours of the day. Plus, theyโ€™ve taken over other cabinetsโ€“I found them sleeping in my biggest mixing bowl just yesterday. I told my husband we made need a second kitchen; one for the cats and one for me.

  9. You have given me the confidence to make mussels at home. Iโ€™ve been telling my husband I want to make them! I always order them when we go out!

  10. Joy, is that table from Ikea?? Lark, I think itโ€™s name is? We have the same coffee table!! And matching end tables, if you have them too. I love mussels, this sounds delish! I will def try it out!

  11. MMMMmmmmm, mussels :) So easy and sooosss delicious as long as they donโ€™t have any grit in. Iโ€™ve had gritty mussels before and they are HORRIBLE! Yours look gorgeous Joy :)

  12. My cat does this with doors/cabinets as well. I never made the velociraptor (sp?) connection until this moment. Itโ€™s terrifying until I realize that heโ€™s only getting into the cabinets to sleep on my towelsโ€ฆand not to devour me or trap me in ovens.

  13. MMMMMM โ€“ looks absolutely deliciousโ€ฆ and oh! what do we have here?โ€ฆ.soโ€ฆ.the nice hands fellow again huh? I see how you do Joy. I see how you do.

  14. I totally understand the toast thing. Iโ€™m a fairly accomplished home cook, training at an accredited culinary school and doing quite well. I have always, and still do, have issues with two things: toast and cheese dip. Burn city.

  15. I had to smile while reading this post. We eat dinner every night at our little coffee table. Itโ€™s just more comfortable than the dining table.

    Andโ€ฆ our kittyโ€ฆ well, heโ€™s learned how to open the sliding screen door. Heโ€™s an inside kitty, plus we live on the second floor of a duplex. The balconyโ€™s not really the safest place for him to hang out โ€“ the little stinker!

  16. Sometimes real life dinners happen, and sometimes theyโ€™re fantastic. I just made a really good portobello-spinach pasta with red wine sauce and parmesan, which also sounds fancy but is really easy and comforting โ€“ the equivalent of your mussels! Your realness is what makes you fantastic, donโ€™t stop being you :)

  17. AWESOME Jurassic Park reference. When you said your cat had learned to open doors, in my head I was thinking โ€œjust like the raptors in juraโ€ฆOH MY GOSH she just made the same reference I was about to make.โ€ Love it.

  18. Haha- I do not enjoy mussels, however I read every word of your post anyways ;) So funny. I now want a cat, will no longer feel like a lost has been movie star when I wear my sunglasses in the grocery store, and doesnโ€™t everyone check their email in line?? Either that, or flip through People magazine without buying it.

  19. Joy,
    Thank you for your imperfections. We all have them. We should ALL show them off. It would make the world a better place if more people would stop trying to look cool and just be their own imperfect selves. Way to go, starting a new fadโ€ฆ Trendsetter.
    xxoo,
    buffy

  20. My cat used to open the freezer and drop stuff out of it while I was in the kitchen. Then he learned how to undo the childproof locks on cabinetsโ€ฆno good!
    PS That Inovacion wine is super yum! I have a bottle chilling in my fridge as we speakโ€ฆand I think itโ€™s calling my name!

  21. Joy โ€“ I think our cats are related. Its not the looks so much, but the behavior. Velociraptor describes it pretty well. Does your cat like fruits and vegetables too?

    Anyway, that dinner looks wonderful and Iโ€™m making it this weekend! Wish I could make YOU dinner!

  22. I hear you on the coffee table. We live in a townhouse which was built without the builders having thought โ€œwhere will these occupants eat?โ€ We eat at the coffee table. Every night.

  23. I have never made mussels before either but I love to eat them when weโ€™re out! I had the best ones served over a slightly sweet sake-coconut-curry sauce at a Mediterranean Restaurant in Park City. Now, Iโ€™m more motivated to try making them at home. Thank you Joy!

  24. I just realized that my newish kitten looks very much like yours! I put him in my bedroom for a timeout and he squoze back out through the 2-inch crack under the door. I had to check him over to see if heโ€™d dislocated a hip or anything, but he was fine.

  25. I thought I was the only one who wrote โ€˜salad stuffโ€™ (so non-specific) on grocery lists! And, cats are so funny. I can just imagine him rummaging around in there very industriously โ€ฆ but, WHY?

  26. If the rest of the man looks as good as his hands iโ€™m jealousโ€ฆ.

    just saying.

    Awesome recipe Joy. Wish i liked mussels.

  27. My kitten does the same but in the bathroom.. and takes Q-Tips from the bag and then pulls off the cotton and leaves the sticks hidden around the house! hahaha

    Iโ€™ve never tried mussels but if you made them, Iโ€™d def eat them. :) Looks yum yum!

  28. This recipe looks yummyโ€ฆI only wish I like mussels.
    Finally, a picture of the newly groomed kittyโ€ฆhe looks just fine .
    No surprise he has learned to open the cabinetโ€ฆcats just do that kind of stuff. My very first cat learned to open the refrigerator. He loved to cruise the shelves but of course never learned how to close the door.
    I rememebr coming home one day from work and the frig door was wide open and the small roasted chicken I had made for dinner the previous evening was goneโ€ฆyep, he had consumed the whole thing and licked the plate under the stoveโ€ฆto be found a week later. I had to take to putting a bungy cord on the handle to keep the door from being opened. Such fond kitty memories!

  29. In France a man in a shop told me off because I was wearing sun glasses indoors!โ€ฆ.he said thatโ€™s very Italianโ€ฆand I am!!! :) btw Iโ€™d love LOVE love to have you making my dinnerโ€ฆthat would be fun!

    1. Thatโ€™s exactly what I was thinking! Mmmm, I love muscles. Oh, er, mussels. Oh who am I kiddingโ€ฆ

  30. Why Joy the Baker, I have that coffee table too! And I totally had to go buy that coffee table off Craigslist because I kept having โ€œcompanyโ€ over for dinner and although I was also wowing him with the foods, eating over the even tinier end table (that used to be a footstool until it lost its cushion) was just not working for โ€œcompanyโ€ who was 6 feet tall. Me, Iโ€™m 5-2, I hunch easily.
    I got to marry the company a few weeks ago. We still eat over the same coffee table. Itโ€™s a great coffee table, is what Iโ€™m sayinโ€™, full of potential.

  31. This looks very delicious!
    Whoโ€™ll come with tea was. What marshmallows? Good.

    Iโ€™m following you now, I hope you follow me too! xx

  32. Your real life looks just as awesome and inspiring as your other (less real? more stylized?) life, Joy. And how do I know this? I was drooling over the computer screen this morning with my coffee and didnโ€™t hear my boyfriend come up behind me. His words upon seeing the mussels: โ€œweโ€™re totally making that.โ€

  33. Isnโ€™t it funny how many of us have already judged your guy to be equally as yummy as your food based on a single photo of his hands? LOL! And I thought I was the only one with an attraction to well kept man hands/arms :)

  34. Looks so yummy! A meal of mussels with lemon, garlic & butter is one of my faves so I must try it with capers and kielbasa. Also, whatโ€™s up with cats setting people up to trip? The outside cat that decided it adopted me tripped me Monday and I did a face plant off the back door stairs. Must be all that gratitude for, you know, food and vet trips.

  35. You are the bomb. Iโ€™ve been following quietly for a while, baking things from your kitchen, but too shy to leave a comment. Iโ€™m a wildlife biologist who lives in my tent most the year without means for a kitchen, so when I have one (for the next two weeks) I bake like mad โ€“ like yesterday, I made your strawberry-banana bread with browned butter and it was incredible. You also inspired me to make isreali couscous for lunch today. Now Iโ€™m going to make you rosewater from the petals I picked in Alaska so I can make the cardamom-rosewater milkshake. Goodnight :).

  36. The comparison of your cat to the velociraptor from Jurassic Park just made my day perfect. Thank you for your amazing blogs!

  37. I canโ€™t be bothered to take my sunglasses off for a trip into the grocery store. In the summer. But in winterโ€ฆ they come off. Thatโ€™d just be crazy.

  38. My cat has figured out how to open cabinet doors also. He has dragged an 8 pound bag of cat food out for a midnight snack. He also know how to open drawers and has been found rummaging in my purse! Not sure what he is looking forโ€ฆโ€ฆ.:)

  39. Joy, you are the realest (word?) person Iโ€™ve come across in a long time. I love your conversational writing style and of course, the recipes are always to die for. p.s. With hands like those, heโ€™s probably a keeper. :)

  40. Psss. The arms and the knee with the cute napkin look like they are totally worth making a no biggie dinner for. Yum! I bet the mussels were good too..

  41. hmmmm. and like you keep saying โ€˜companyโ€™ like never saying โ€˜ fella in my kitchen โ€˜ โ€“ be none of our business. who you kidding ? that be a boy in your kitchen. No wonder you did linen. Smart girl.

  42. Dinner looks amazing! It is so nice to have a nice, relaxing dinner with friends, and not have to go through the fuss of 10 different items on the table. Keep it sweet, keep it simple, keep it relaxing, and make sure you have salad and your kitty under your feet, while youโ€™re having dinner. One pot wonders, are always a winner!

  43. I love you and wish you could make me dinner, too. Or I wish my mom could make you dinner because she never fails to disappoint. I make the dessert. And then it eat all. Awk.

  44. Cooking for or with friends is the best. When you have a cat though, you never eat alone. Velociraptors indeed!

    (Looks like a lovely real-life dinner, btw)

  45. I love mussels! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Now only if the boyfriend liked mussels, too. But hey, maybe Iโ€™ll just have to bite the bullett one day and eat dinner by myself. Standing up. At the kitchen counter. That sounds kind of nice. I like your real life. And your real life dinner food. This makes me want to have a friend like you. Someone who loves cooking and eating. Be my friend, will you?

  46. Your real life looks lovely! And Iโ€™m salivating over your mussels โ€ฆ and Iโ€™ve been a vegetarian for long enough that I shouldnโ€™t! Good think I live in Montana and any mussels that might be available wouldnโ€™t be โ€ฆ um โ€ฆ mussels Iโ€™d want to eat?

  47. My cat is always going in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Sometimes he quietly go up to the cabinet as if he thinks thereโ€™s a monster or something in there. Okay heโ€™s a little nuts but then most cats are.LOL
    Your cat gets cuter every time I see him.

  48. Looks like heโ€™s recovered nicely from his near-death popcorn wine related haircut icident. :) Itโ€™s so nice to know you can have something delicious very quickly, isnโ€™t it? Last night for dinner I had In N Out cheeseburger, and every fry in the box (while on the 134 home from Pasadena), and then came home and invented Sโ€™moremoas with girl scout cookies from the wayback of the fridge. And it was awesome. But very very sad, compared to your lovely mussels!!!

  49. Okay, the dinner looks awesome, but Iโ€™m a knitter, and Iโ€™m totally distracted by your skirt โ€“ is that hand-knit? It looks like itโ€ฆ. it also looks absolutely beautiful, btw ^_^

  50. I have a cabinet cat too! I took advantage of her skills and now keep the litter box under the bathroom sink. It really works. Try it.

  51. Yum!

    My cats open cabinets, go in and knock stuff over, then exit and shut the door behind them. For real.

  52. Totally true โ€“ you do have to make salad when you have company. And you put it in a separate bowl and everything. Itโ€™s like salad-rules.

  53. Love the Kitteh Kat โ€“ i have two calico girls, yes double trouble,what was i thinking!

    Your article today was happy and makes me want to do the very same thing this evening except i need to find a man hmmmmmm โ€“ thanks for writing such fun stuff and keep us posted on โ€œthe manโ€ we wanna hear more details on that! LOL

    Ciao Bella

  54. I can see lettuce and lemons and avos etc. Where do you find Real food in America? My husband went to California for a month and said it was really hard to find real food, and if I go with him next time I NEED to know where the real food is. (He is a man and I doubt he looked hard.) Help?

  55. I really appreciate the real-life-ness of this. Not everything is pretty and picture perfect. Real life, as you said, is messy, and quick, and delicious. :)

  56. Real life was very much enjoyed!! sorry about the toastโ€ฆI guess we are all human! At least you didnt carry out for dinnerโ€ฆ.that would have been my lazy way out

  57. โ€œIโ€™ve never made mussels before. They seem like the kind of food that you only eat in restaurants. Nope. These are so easy and delicious.โ€

    Ive never made them either and glad to hear theyโ€™re easy. One day maybe I can pull them off!

    And wearing sunglasses in stores is also quite common here in San Diego, too :)

  58. Iโ€™m jealous your life consists of mussels. I donโ€™t have friends that enjoy seafood. Can you imagine that? NONE OF MY FRIENDS LIKE SEAFOOD!!! My husband only like a little. Me? I love it. So I have to love it all by myself which isnโ€™t the same (which is just like sex when you think about it)โ€ฆ

  59. Your the best. Real life dinner for me if I lived alone would consist of Cereal or Eggs and Toast. In fact I declare one night a week a free for all night so I can have my eggs and toast. Loving the mussel idea though. Ps- my can can open cupboards also- heโ€™s sneaky which is weird cus he weighs 20lbs.

    Thanks for the post- your blog always makes me happy- and I was having a very unhappy day!

  60. i know that velociraptor! (is that how you spell velociraptor?) and it still gives me nightmares. i can picture little jules opening up a cabinet. all you see is her paw from the other side. classic. thanks for having a real life. oh. and i want a kitty. YOUR kitty. muah. ha. ha.

    kidding.

  61. Haha sunglasses in the grocery store, so cool!
    Real life IS life and thatโ€™s what I love in your post! Itโ€™s comforting and truly appreciable because a dinner like yours is full of conviviality.

  62. Whew! Iโ€™m glad you have a real life. I was starting to feel bad about eating bread and butter for dinner for three nights in a row. :)

  63. My husbandโ€™s grandma always told him to eat standing up. You can eat more because the food goes to your toes! Ha! Ha! She was a funny lady and very missed.

  64. you just make me smile! i love your posts and your tidbits of life โ€ฆ i helps me to remember that those simple, crazy, life-normalizing moments are most special because their ours โ€ฆ
    p.s. โ€ฆ my 5 โ€“ year-old is addicted to recipes off of your site. anytime he wants something sweet as a treat, itโ€™s โ€œlets see joy baker โ€ฆ she has something yummy!โ€
    high praise from my little man โ€ฆ =)

  65. It sounds great, but I live far, far away from any fresh seafood. I canโ€™t imagine what mussels from my middle American grocery would taste like. Bleh. At any rate, Yay! for having a life! Woot!

  66. Mussels are amazing.
    Cook them with some onions, garlic, cream and a little bit of white wine and a massive chunk of French baguette. Absolutely fantastic.
    My cat likes to cause trouble in my kitchen too. He doesnโ€™t clean up after himself either.

  67. Popcorn for dinner โ€“ I try to do it once a week at most. (air popped with REAL butter, and salt, mmmmmm) Way back when I was young and had my first apartment, I had a financial crisis, and had to eat popcorn for dinner for a week. Youโ€™d think that would have made me never want popcorn again. But, it didnโ€™t.

  68. Isnโ€™t it fun working with something youโ€™ve never made before ? Yours turned out beautifully from what I can tell. And yes, company REQUIRES a salad. Company, therefore, makes one healthier. What a nice friend-confirmation.

  69. I love mussels so much and my local indoor market sells them for dirt cheapโ€ฆdinner tonight? Maybe. Love the catโ€ฆ.

  70. I always say my kitten (cat, just canโ€™t let go of the kitten stage, plus, sheโ€™s tiny) is a little velociraptor!

    And yes, you always have to make a salad to go with dinner when you have company, even if you never make salad as a side for yourself. Itโ€™s written somewhere; Iโ€™m sure of it.

    Looks delicious! :)

  71. I canโ€™t quite explain it, but this post made me very happyโ€ฆ. I also have to make this recipe this weekโ€ฆ it has to happen. I still need to make your Bourbon BBQ sauce, because Iโ€™ll win major points with the man.

    I feel the need to go and cook now. Thanks for the recipes Joy! Your blog always makes me happy.

  72. Yeah, groceries shopped forโ€ฆI have week-old strawberries that were supposed to be pie, mocking me in my fridge โ€˜cuz my oven died. My cat likes to open cupboards & roam around, too, so Iโ€™m the only person I know with cat-proof locks on my cabinets. Not as high-tech as kid locks, nope, just rubber bands over the knobsโ€ฆjust enough to deter the cat.

  73. When we moved to this house, we didnโ€™t have space for both a coffee table and a dining table and I thought โ€œman, I wonโ€™t miss a dining table. Coffee table FTWโ€ of course, now, I completely miss having a dining table and it is a non-negotiable term that for our next abode we have to have space for a dining table. No ifs, no buts!

    I also love that your real life dinner is mussels. My real life dinner is a quickly thrown together pizza. And, yeah, I also make salad when guests come over. Everyone takes some just to look polite and healthy but no one ever eats it. Ever. I have lettuce-phobes for friends.

    1. ohh we just moved into an older house with a 3 ft long nook by 2ft. no joke! no room for a table at all. I thought same thing oh weโ€™ll just eat in the living room no biggie. Yeah next house will have the biggest dining room possible!!!!

  74. oooooohh! i have never had mussels but they always look so yummy.. i need to go somewhere closer to the ocean and far away from this heat and find them and attempt to cook this in my hotel room. i could use the iron as a burnerโ€ฆ that would totally work right?

  75. This is the all time best cooking blog post ever. EVER! Because it is real. I like the behind the scenes/back story. It makes me feel better. Because I can never figure out how some of the food blogs can be done in real time/real life. And then it makes for a love/hate relationship. And I donโ€™t quite believe them. I always believe you. You keep it real. You should have a cooking show for exactly that reason.

  76. my dog opens doorsโ€ฆmy husband taught her, it makes me crazy!
    salad with dinner makes you feel like youโ€™re being an adultโ€ฆitโ€™s just a fact. even if you are eating hunched over your coffee table. i do this all the time, i admit it.

    those mussels look classyโ€ฆand i always burn the toast!

  77. I just love the conversational way you make the exotic into everyday deliciousness. Thank you, you never fail to make me smile. And uh I am so trying this mussel recipe!

  78. I canโ€™t eat mussels (allergic) but I sure would enjoy the salad and the wine! :) Your kitty is very clever learning to open your cabinet doors. Bet he was going crazy smelling the mussels cooking! :)

  79. My cat not only knows how to open the cupboards, but the outside door too. I have met so many neighbors because of his escapadesโ€ฆthey think heโ€™s cute, but thatโ€™s just his cover! Now I just stake him outside like a dog, heโ€™s happy, trust me.

    I love mussels. I love to make mussels. I love to make mussels for people. Because I can have them ready in 30 minutes even when I find out youโ€™re coming for dinner because we need to catch up and you donโ€™t want to cook. I love making mussels because they are simple, quick and seemingly sophisticated. I love making mussels because itโ€™s another chance to cook with wine, garlic, cream, spice, and of course, fresh herbs. I love making mussels because they make you feel like youโ€™re the Audrey Hepburn of hostessing.

  80. iโ€™ve hosted many dinners sitting on the floor at my coffee table/standing at the kitchen counter. just got a dining room table though! exciting!

  81. Even your โ€œreal lifeโ€ dinners are glamorous and beautiful :) my โ€œreal lifeโ€ dinners often consist of frozen vegetables and mac-n-cheese!

  82. I remember those โ€œcoffee table dinnerโ€ days. I wish Iโ€™d had your recipe last week. We were in Nova Scotia & PEI where mussels are everywhere. I love the fact that mussels are part of your โ€œreal lifeโ€.

  83. My cat has also taught himself how to open the kitchen cabinets. Often, I come home and find him sleeping on top of our cutting boards. Itโ€™s a problem.

  84. It takes my cat a good 10 minutes to open one cabinet door. Heโ€™s a bit slow on the uptake, but it keeps him busy I guess. And donโ€™t let me get started about him trying to push the door open to get outโ€ฆitโ€™s a sad sight.

  85. Ok, Joy, fess upโ€ฆwhoโ€™s the boy!? He definitely has nice-looking hands ;) Love how you innocently snuck in that photoโ€ฆshowing just enough for us to know that it was a guy!

  86. I love your real life! I would love to be able to eat off the counter or coffee table again. Youโ€™re an inspiration to us all.

  87. Your real life dinner looks delicious!! Iโ€™ve only eaten mussels at a restaurant but Iโ€™ll have to try this recipe. Iโ€™m glad to know Iโ€™m not the only one eating dinner at my coffee table. :-)
    My cat has not learned how to open cabinets โ€“ yet. He has terrified me by opening the bathroom door while I was in the shower though! Sneaky kitties!

  88. Joy, I have friends over and eat off my coffee table too! Also, can you tell people here in D.C. that itโ€™s okay to wear your sunglasses to a grocery store? โ€˜Cuz they think its weird. And Iโ€™m much too lazy to take off my sunglasses.

    The recipe looks amazing! I just might have to make it when I have friends over soon :)

  89. First time commenting but I have been following you for awhile. I just had to share something and this is going to blow your mindโ€ฆ.I have the same pad of paper hanging on my fridge to keep track of grocery stuff.

  90. PPPPS: I love you too. Is all good.

    Also, I regularly hosted a Tuesday Night Dinner that brought four friends to my house, and the five of us, plus a dog, would elegantly dine aroundโ€ฆmy coffee table. Whatevs, itโ€™s memories, man. I love that coffeetable. It knows some secrets, yo.

  91. Joy! I almost burned my house down yesterday because I was trying to make breakfast, watch the Bachelorette, and read food blogs all at the same time. Thanks for being real- totally appreciate it.
    p.s. this looks good.

  92. Must show us more of the boy attached to those hands!

    And Janet, you made me laugh with this: โ€œthey might find me milling about the tomatoes, those stripey zebra ones in a big hat and ubiquitous sunglasses.โ€ I know what you mean, but now Iโ€™m picturing really cool tomatoes wearing big hats and glamorous sunglasses.

  93. I think your cat and my cat should get together and go bowling. I actually had to put child-proof latches on mine so Diego wouldnโ€™t get under the kitchen sink cabinet and into the chemically-stuff.

    Bravo on dinner. It looks absolutely INCREDIBLE and if it makes you smile, my boyfriend and I have โ€œfloor picnicsโ€ just about every evening though I have the most incredible new table from Cost Plus World Market. Yep, we love sitting on the floor to eat whatever โ€œJoy the Bakerโ€ recipe I made for him.

    Yep, that is how we roll.

  94. Thatโ€™s a BOY!!!!!!! =)

    Come to Baltimore and we will have dinner together. And we can shop wearing our sunglasses too.

  95. Ha! I just dropped my boss a note that I was sick today because I am and I work really hard. You caught my attention yet again and I remembered, itโ€™s Santa Monica and itโ€™s Wednesday! If any of my co-workers looked hard enough they might find me milling about the tomatoes, those stripey zebra ones in a big hat and ubiquitous sunglasses.

    I feel better already. Thanks for another beautiful pick-me-up!

  96. I love mussels, I eat them all the time!! They are cooked in munutes. You have fancy dinner in minutes!!
    Wine, crusty bread and mussels. I donโ€™t need anything else, just keep them coming (and keep pouring).

  97. Omg! Sorry thatโ€™s the only word on my mind right now!

    This dish looks absolutely amazing and I love mussels. Can I come over with a vanilla bean pound cake with a vanilla syrup and a vanilla glaze in exchange for that amazing dinner?

  98. I wish you could make me dinner, too.

    I am embarrassed to admit this, but last night my dinner consisted of canned biscuits, followed by some Uncle Benโ€™s rice out of a box. Just did not feel like shopping or cleaning up the kitchen to really cook.

    Your cat is one of the prettiest cats Iโ€™ve ever seen!

  99. When I was a kid I had a cat who learnt to open the fridge by himselfโ€ฆ go figure the next step for yours!
    We had to put elastic luggage to the door to have something left to eat different than vegetables and fruit. I love your casual dinner for two.
    Martina

  100. You canโ€™t just show boy hands wearing that fancy watch and not give more to go on.

    I meanโ€ฆ you can, but itโ€™s not enough. Know what Iโ€™m sayin?

    Oh, and mussels. Yes. I want some crazy fantastic dinner tonight, instead of my pb&j.

  101. Your real life dinners are pretty damn classy! But wait, a little tiny bit of effort and dinner can be classy in a snap. Fresh herbs can pep up anything! You are a sweetie!

  102. We have nine indoor cats. At least four of them also open cabinets. And pantry doors (the folding kind). One of them can even get a pull drawer open. I hear you on the โ€œterrifyingโ€ bit. (:

  103. โ€ฆYouโ€™re a class act Joy! You burn toast A-N-D have steamed mussels for dinner = [singing the word] โ€œc-l-a-s-s-a-yโ€! ;o)

    โ€ฆAnd your dinner guest there is that is that cute guy that you featured some time ago, isnโ€™t it? Go ahead, tell us, isnโ€™t it? *wink*wink*nudge*nudge* Mmmm hmmmโ€ฆ :o)

    โ€ฆThe photo of the red sauce is just divine! Makes me long for pasta, salad, bread and itโ€™s only 10 amโ€ฆand itโ€™s 450 degrees outsideโ€ฆughโ€ฆ*sigh*

    โ€ฆThank you Joy! Enjoy your day!

    โ€ฆBlessings :o)

  104. My cat totally does the same thing with the cabinet doors. He can also open drawers. When he reallty wants to โ€œhelpโ€ me, heโ€™ll open them all for me while Iโ€™m at work and pull the onions out. So I come home to him sleeping on top of the fridge with all of the lower cupboards and drawers open, onions rolling all over the apartment.

    ps. I totally burn my toast on purpose. Itโ€™s crazy delicious with extra butter. noms.

  105. hehe sounds like my cat.. I ended up putting child locks on my cabinet doors to prevent her from opening them. It has worked.

    Dinner looks Yummy!! I Love mussels!!

  106. I wear glasses in the grocery store too. Usually itโ€™s because I was too lazy to put on make-up. Never have made mussels either, so going to try this. Thanks!

  107. An amazing real life dinner! I just tried mussels or the first time in a beer battered broth! And what? You ave a life outside making us drool?

  108. We eat everything off our coffee table, it just tastes better that way. This is such a grown up meal though โ€“ it even involves cutlery! Looks super delicious though and I donโ€™t usually like seafoody stuff.

  109. I love that your version of an โ€œreal life dinnerโ€ is mussels. Iโ€™m super impressed. Mine is totes pasta. Even if I am eating with company. If Iโ€™m feeling fancy, maybe some veggies are included. Iโ€™d be company at your dinner any time!

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