these are a few of my favorite things

i've been reading bianca for years now (since 2005, in fact) and her beauty as well as her eye for it never cease to amaze me. she is, as always, way cooler than me, and therefore has a tumblr that you should REALLY check out. suenos.

mmm. my name is joy. and i fancy myself a baker. so when i want to bake or cook or just luxuriate in something, i often go looking for joy the baker. some of my faves:
vegan pumpkin walnut bread (two loaves ready to go in the fridge RIGHT NOW)
whole wheat choc chip cookies
ginger chocolate chip cookies

and sometimes i go to joy for a good soup:
ginger lentil
kale and sweet potato

deb at smitten kitchen makes my savory life worth living in all sorts of ways.

whenever i'm looking for something soupy, shutterbean makes me smile.

and when i just want inspiration, this joy+ride is a pretty awesome solution.

and then, when i want to dream about that idyllic summer day when i have nothing to do, noone to call and nothing to say except quiet murmurs shared with the friends i care for the most, i let my mind drift to the poet's loft. can't wait.

this is what i do when i can't work an ounce more and i don't give a crap about the superbowl. go figure.

challenge to self:

eat my way through new york mag's "ten best new eats under $5."

that's my month of august in a nutshell. :) and no worries, i will bring back pictures! and hopefully a verrrrry happy stomach (though i'm not so sure about the goat...)

late night food post

as i wait for my double chocolate peppermint chip cake to cool, i thought i'd share some of the food pics i've taken over the last week. check 'em out-


homemade tortilla chips frying. yum.

more delectable food photos after the jump...


mmm. chips is done.


hennepin bubbles. pretty, pretty beer.


nachos and eggs for brunch.


yummy yummy cake batter before white- and bittersweet-chocofying...


yummy yummy baked cake

i'm eating quite well, though happiness hasn't really come to visit in awhile. chocolate cake always helps, though, so after the office party tomorrow i'll be darned if i don't get the spirits up...

a cooking challenge- yay!

i've already identified my cooking challenge for next week- brunch! it's sonj's birthday on saturday, and my alcohol-soaked body will most definitely need time- and grease- to recoup. that is where homemade corned beef hash has will come in.


the gym and i need to have a good week.

sunday cooking challenge

last week i baked these yummy chocolate chip cookies. they weren't so much of a challenge, since chocolate chips are one of my standbys, hence the lack of a post.

this week, though, i am going to cook! amazing, yes, i know. and i believe i will invite a fellow over to eat what i cook, which is even more exciting. yay for audiences.
the challenge: tuscan inspired tomato and white bean soup
the (somewhat odd) recipe source: theroot.com (yes, that theroot.com, the one for black people. and yes, this is a recipe for italian food. oh, how eclectic we are! ;)).

oooh mr. cupcake, you're so yummy and misshapen!

final messy product. mm mm good!

so i decided, as my sunday afternoon challenge, to do a remix on us vs. food's buttercream quickie.

for my version, i decided to try to make cupcakes and use a minty dark chocolate in the cake. i used the same buttercream recipe (um, SO easy and light and tasty)! the choice of the cupcake "format" was...an interesting one, considering the fact that i don't own a muffin pan. you will see the folly of my decision to "wing it" manifest itself soon enough :). join me on this culinary journey...

i could smell the coffee, mint, and chocolate flavors all at once...

i should have found a freaking muffin pan. but hey, the shapes give the "cupcakes" character, yes?

this is the one freaking cupcake that turned out the right way...

these are some of the ones that didn't...

mmm, vanilla buttercream...

a few notes on the final product:
the cupcakes are moist and super-chocolatey, and the mint flavor really shines through. my friend jackie was delighted with the mintiness, and the buttercream is a nice, not-too-heavy accompaniment. also, the crazy oval shape feels all gourmet and shit, right?

thanks, us vs. food, for the great idea...

friday night=

...a long walk along 14th street
...an hour at the strand, and buying 4 books for less than 25 bucks (including a yummy soup cookbook! comfort food, anyone?)
...a manicure
...potato skins and drinks with two smart people in a diner
...more drinks at perks
...getting glared at for over-exuberance in the magic johnson theater
...good time spent with a friend.


not a bad night. not a bad night at all.

things that rock about today

1. today is the day after the second meeting of my ItAG (and the first that everyone attended). we played games from "games for actors and non-actors," introduced ourselves, and started to get a taste of what we all bring to the super-positive, awesomely radical educators' table. i left at 9:15 feeling radiant and expansive, and exhausted. good talk about good books is like crack to me, without the horrible post-hit crash :).
2. my promotion (as lukewarm as i felt/feel about it) was announced at work today. it's good to have it finally out in the open. it's also good to have a great officemate to make sense of it all with.
3. restaurant week dinner at amalia with heather and nicole. FAB! from caldo verde to balsamic-glazed short ribs to warm chocolate cake with vanilla foam and caramel ice cream, fancy dinner was worth every single penny. add the pinot/cabernet/syrah blend to that, and you've got near-perfection. good eats and good conversation-- a great way to end a wonderful 48 hours.

what's up next in this oh-so-blissful week?

• a pan-african literary forum reading at the new school tomorrow featuring our friend c. n. adichie
• maybe first fridays at the bronx museum?
• maybe first saturdays at the brooklyn museum?
• maybe a kinda silly obama-love event at piano's on thursday?

i dunno. but having to decide between this many awesome choices is priceless.

weekends are for goodies

my marble banana bundt cake, ladies and gents. with chocolate chips for extra kick!

snacks for a sunday afternoon

if you were to happen to stop by my apartment this coming sunday afternoon, you might be able to score a slice of a marble banana bundt cake.


you've been notified. do what you will. :)

good eats

good luck in the new year= black eyed peas, mommy style.

the entertainer

1) this is my 101st blog post! yay! i'm glad i'm back to writing, especially because it's about things other than my broken/breaking/confused heart. my heart has figured itself out, and i now have time to entertain.
2) entertaining is a lot of fun. i had friends over last night, and then melissa and i had a few friends over for dinner tonight, and i am such a happy camper! i am truly my parents' daughter in that i love inviting people into my home. i like to bring people into my presence. we osbornes are quite the social butterflies...though i'm more like a social caterpillar. :)

harlem, meet barack obama

my man barack, at the apollo last night. chris rock and cornel west introducing. crazy.

also, what is this tidbit about him having dinner with mr. sharpton at sylvia's beforehand? why can't people figure out that sylvia's just isn't that hot? come by my grandma's house, opa locka, fl. 33055 if you want good soul food. sylvia is just trying to make a buck off your ass.

not so good

so i'm considering ending my consumption of red meat for awhile. yesterday/today represent the third or fourth time in the last few months that my stomach has revolted against red meat i've eaten, and i'm starting to think that it's a bit of a pattern. funnily enough, the only thing that is holding me back from crossing it off of my list of foods is the thought of my favorite ethiopian dish at the neighborhood spot, zoma. :( i like my tibs wett. i want to have a last hurrah with it, but i'm in too much pain to want to chance it.

maybe swearing meat off will help with my dieting/weight loss goals. i sure hope so.