Joy Phenix's Blog

Are you having company over tomorrow and you need a new appetizer?  Or maybe you have a home where people drop by and you always like serving a “little sumpin’ sumpin’” to nosh on.  Well, the appetizer below is pretty much the easiest appetizer I make.  It has a few more ingredients than my “two [...]

No Corned Beef. No Cabbage. And I don’t even like beer. However, this commercial makes me want to round up my friends and hit a pub just for the fun of it all. My truly Irish friend Jane says it’s safe to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all month long (and she calls me “lassie” when [...]

I’m no organizational expert…in fact, I only get really opinionated about organization if it’s something that I use.   If you have serious organizational dilemmas, I highly recommend hiring an expert, like my friend Lindsey, to help you through the process.  Ultimately you have to figure out what’s best for you and to find a system [...]

I am fascinated by Rube Goldberg machines.  I love the creativity and the extreme effort used to make something just for pure entertainment.  It’s hard to top the OK Go music video , but the one below comes close (you just can’t dance to it). Enjoy! Share on Facebook

Can you call it call it baking if you only use TWO ingredients?  Sure you can! This is my “go to” for everything last minute: the teacher’s luncheon, the make-a-meal for a family, the surprise company.  I routinely stock my fridge with these two things, so I’m good to bake at a moment’s notice.  Please [...]

I know adults who struggle to keep a good attitude with a White Elephant gift exchange.  You know the game, right?  The rules vary according to the hosts, but it involves drawing numbers, selecting an unmarked gift, opening a gift, and, for people with higher numbers,  some form of gift swap/stealing if they don’t like [...]

I have always worked with a bunch of over-achievers, but it’s never more obvious than at Christmas. Christmas is when we have our annual White Elephant gift exchange.  There’s always the typical assortment of “As Seen on TV” gifts and hysterical graphic tees, but there’s usually a gift or two that’s over the top.  The [...]

There’s so much to love about the holiday season – and so much fun to be had in the kitchen!  Years ago I picked up a Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving cookbook and learned how to make nuts that are my constant companion until the New Year.  I usually cut myself off from making them past December because [...]

“Be Prepared” – Girl Scout Motto   -  “Do a Good Turn Daily” Girl Scout Slogan In the spirit of the Girl Scouts, I think you should be prepared to make an easy dessert at a moment’s notice.  I think you should have this skill so that you are ready to do “a good turn” for [...]

I hope the neighbors don’t hate us. We are the reason the street is so often crowded with cars.  Granted, our street is narrow and a single extra car on the street makes it feel crowded.  Still, annoying the neighbors seems like a small price to pay to have company.   I love having people [...]