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A Little Show & Tell…

11 Nov

Happy 11/11/11 everyone!  I’ve always thought of eleven as my lucky number – so according to my calculations, today should be a blockbuster day!  Anyway, while I was on hiatus from blogging, I was also busy working on some fun projects.  Back in May, we shot that music video for Jones Street Station with Danny Pudi.  Here is a dorky picture I posted from the shoot.  I don’t think I ever showed you the finished product though, so here it is!  I didn’t shoot video on this project – but all the stills peppered through the project are mine!  Enjoy.

In July I did a fun photo shoot with our friend Dave.  Here are some of my favorites:

He’s a sexy dude – right?  All of the photos were taken inside our new apartment or outside in the neighborhood – and all with natural light and my Rebel T2i (along with some killer L Series lenses).  It’s exciting how much great light we get in our new space!  I’m planning another photo shoot with my friend Yvonne in the next few weeks.  We’re going to experiment with a seamless white backdrop (never done that before) – should be interesting.

Then – in August I helped out my friend Zita with her own blog project.  She has embarked on a year-long vegetarian cooking endeavor, where every week for a year, she will cook one of her favorite vegetarian recipes for the camera, edit and then post the video to her blog – Unnecessary Sweetness.  It’s a LOT of work!!  Zita actually told me that one of the inspirations for this project was my 365 photo project – so of course, I was eager to help a blog sister out.  This video was one of her first and was shot in our kitchen.  I was one of two shooters and I was using the Canon EOS 7D.  Most of the close-up work you see is mine.  I find it really fun shooting close-ups on food and cooking!  (makes sense I suppose).  By the way – this hummus and the couscous were both totally fresh and super tasty!  I highly recommend trying them out.

And last but not least, in October I worked with a small Bodega team on a web video for Microsoft Internet Explorer.  Adam directed and I shot.  We did 90% of the shooting in our apartment – all with natural light.  It was a blast!  Here is the video… I am very proud of it.  And Microsoft totally loved it!

This type of filming is fun for me – because it’s really just like photography.  I set up the shot just like I would set up for a still photo – looking for the light and the best angle.  I’m not moving the camera  lot – although I have been practicing a bit with finding the focus in shot (you can see in that final shot of the sparklers).  I’m going to start watching movies that are known for outstanding cinematography so I can study up on different shooting styles.  I do have a fantasy that one day I’ll shoot one of Adam’s movies.

Anyway – that’s what I’ve been up to lately (among other things).  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend if I don’t talk to you before.

Me and Cheese… A Love Affair

10 Nov

You all know by now about my love affair with cheese.  Well, whenever we’re traveling – if there is any destination having to do with cheese (cheese maker, farmer’s market, cheese shop, cheese plate, etc) – you know it makes my itinerary.  So, while visiting Banff during our trip to the Canadian Rockies last month, I read about the Grapes Wine Bar at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel.  It was highlighted as an excellent place to enjoy a delicious cheese fondue.   So of course… it became a priority.

Now – while a good cheese plate always makes me “ooh and ahh” with delight, a well-made cheese fondue takes that delight to a whole new level.  It’s the melty factor.  A piping hot pot of bubbling melted cheese set in front of me?  I mean – is there anything better in the world?  I’m salivating thinking about it.

Anyway, my dear husband gets a kick out of watching me eat delicious yummy things (especially cheese).  I guess I am rather expressive when I am in food ecstasy.  During our fondue adventure in Banff, Adam took a little movie of me, which I will now share with you.  I hope it puts a smile on your face.

nell’s kitchen

7 Nov

So I told you already that I’m getting all ‘nesty’ lately right?  I’ve been doing lots of cooking and organizing and even a little baking.  Last week I set a personal record for myself.  I cooked five nights in a row.  I seriously don’t think I’ve ever done that.  In fact – from Sunday brunch to Friday lunch I didn’t eat one meal outside our home.  That’s honestly kind of a big deal for me.  I think part of this is stemming from being pregnant.  I’ve just felt sort of cozy at home lately and it’s been fun trying out new recipes and playing with all our new kitchen gear (wedding presents that spent nearly two years at my parents house in Massachusetts because of our previously teeny apartment).  Besides that – our new neighborhood (though completely pretty and awesome) is sort of lacking in delivery options.  Back in the East Village – we had our regular spots that we craved every week.  Delivery was quick, cheap and easy – and we had just about any type of food available to us nearly twenty-four hours a day.  Fort Greene definitely has some good restaurants – but the delivery scene just isn’t really doing it for me quite yet.  So Adam and I have started trying to recreate all our favorite restaurant cravings at home.  It’s become a fun little project for us.

Craving #1: Quality Pizza

It all started with pizza.  For my twenty-eighth birthday party, I hired my good friend (and pizza maker extraordinnaire) Mark Bello to help me put together a pizza and beer pairing party at Beer Table.  Mark has since opened his own pizza-making school in the Lower East Side called Pizza-a-Casa.  He is a pizza guru and all around foodie and I am oh so happy to have him in my life.  Anyway, I got hooked on the fun of making pizza, so I registered for a pizza stone and peel as shower gifts, but I didn’t really end up making much use out of them over the last couple years.  Then recently, I discovered frozen pizza dough from Fresh Direct.  They deliver the dough in four little balls to you frozen and you just thaw it out the night before you want to make a pizza.   Thanks to my work with Mark, I have all these recipes and ideas for yummy pizzas to make at home – so lately Adam and I have been on a pizza-making kick!  With a few simple ingredients: good quality fresh mozzerella, pizza sauce (been using Mario Batali’s jarred pizza sauce from Fresh Direct – but simple good quality San Marzano crushed tomatoes from a can will also do the trick), fresh basil (growing on my windowsill), thinly sliced sopressata picante and a little freshly grated Pecorino Romano for a finishing touch (especially over the crust) and there you have it – a restaurant-worthy, super yummy pizza.  Plus – making it at home is so much fun!

Meanwhile, Adam got inspired by a breakfast pizza recipe he found on Smitten Kitchen, so he adapted it to our liking and it has since become our new favorite breakfast treat.  Last weekend (and the weekend before), we invited over friends and made breakfast pizzas – topped with scallions, chives, garlic, bacon, some ricotta, fresh mozz and then finished with eggs and some fresh-grated parm.  Stupendous!  Here is a picture of one of Adam’s specialty breakfast pies:

Adam's Breakfast Pizza

The eggs on this one were a little over-cooked… it’s more delicious when the yolks break and run over the pie – but you get the idea.  Isn’t it pretty?

Craving #2:  Indian Food

I often get a craving for super flavorful, creamy, spicy, saucy Indian food.  However the Indian delivery in this neighborhood has left me rather cold.  I mentioned in a previous post how I picked up some Indian spices recently so the other night, with my friend Robyn coming over for dinner, I decided to make an Indian menu.  I used a Cooks Illustrated recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala and a recipe for Matar Makhani – Green Peas with Creamy Sauce from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking book.  Alongside I made a simple basmati rice to soak up the yummy sauces.

Well – I must admit that the preparation for this meal took me quite a while (overall prep and cooking time was about three hours!) – however, it was SO worth it!  The flavors were incredible!  And it was rather pleasing measuring out all the beautifully colored spices and ingredients into my little ramekins (you know I have a love for ramekins).  These were the measured out ingredients for the peas… I had even more measured out for the chicken!

Ramekins a plenty

This meal totally rocked!  Here is a photo of the finished dish (with peas on the side):

Chicken Tikka Masala & Green Peas with Creamy Sauce

Robyn showed off her fancy rice presentation skills by using a ramekin to shape the rice and sprinkling a little cilantro on top – another win for ramekins. :)

Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice

Craving #3: Turkey Burgers

When we lived in the East Village, we’d order from Westville almost every Sunday.  We loved the turkey burgers there  - though the turkey burgers from Zaitzeff also became a go-to for variety.  We’d both order turkey burgers with cheddar cheese, fries and then a side of hot buffalo sauce for dipping!  Now that we don’t have Westville or Zaitzeff around, I’ve started making weekly turkey burgers at home and I must say – I am beginning to master the recipe and they have now become just as satisfying as our favorite delivery burgers.  I once again use a Cooks Illustrated Recipe from the Light cookbook!  Instead of 93% lean turkey meat – I usually just buy ground turkey breast from the farmer’s market and keep it in the freezer until the night before I’m ready to cook the burgers.  Turkey breast can get dry – but this Cooks Illustrated recipe adds in ricotta cheese (use part-skim to make it lighter), which makes these burgers juicy and moist!  I add shredded cheese to each burger for the last five minutes of cooking, which melts the cheese perfectly – and I often serve these burgers on Bay’s Multi-Grain English Muffins.  Now we just need to figure out a hot sauce that completes the dish… I’ve heard Franks or Crystal tastes the most like buffalo sauce.  I’ll keep you posted on that.

(Sorry – no pictures of the turkey burgers just yet – but I’ll be sure to take one the next time I make them).

Meanwhile, other cravings on our list include:

  • Thai – I’d like to master a yummy Pad Thai recipe along with a curry (perhaps Masaman?).
  • Ramen – we sorely miss our visits to Minca in the East Village and are interested in trying out Ramen at home!
  • Mexican – I’d love to make Huevos Rancheros and Chilequiles Verdes
Oh – and I’ve decided, with so much cooking going on lately I should get an awesome “nell’s kitchen” sign made to hang up in our kitchen.  Right?  That thought makes me happy.

Three and a Half Months Later…

1 Nov

Well hello my long lost friends.  Happy November 1st.  I know – I said “blogging will resume” back in July and now it’s almost four months later!  I owe you all a big apology.  I dropped off the face of the earth without so much as a warning or a note that I was alive and well.  But here I am… alive and well and I’ve missed writing and connecting with all of you.  So I hope you forgive me and my crappy communication.

Meanwhile, I have exciting news to share, which I hope makes up for my long absence!  Adam and I are now the proud parents of this little guy:

Baby boy at 16 weeks

That’s right!  We’re having a baby.  I’m currently five months pregnant and feeling great!  The pregnancy has been quite smooth thus far – absolutely zero morning sickness, energy’s remained pretty high and as far as we know – baby is doing swimmingly.  For the most part, I haven’t been turned off or turned on by any weird foods – actually… just milk.  I’ve been craving tall glasses of cold milk, which is definitely a new thing for me.  Though you all know my obsession with dairy products, so I guess it’s just heightened a bit.  Other than that, I’ve been eating like I always eat – while trying to keep it a little healthier by cooking more and adding in extra fruits and veggies.

In this ultrasound photo the little babe’s chilling upside down.  He looks pretty happy – sort of looks like he’s smiling right?   And just look at that spine and those skinny little legs!  CRAZY!  At our twenty-week scan last Wednesday we saw him sucking his thumb and just this past week I’ve started feeling him moving around a little.  What a trip.

As for me, I’m totally getting all ‘nesty’ already.  I’m finding myself cleaning, cooking, organizing and doing more laundry than I’ve ever done in my life.  I’m enjoying settling into our new home in Brooklyn and my domestic goddess is emerging in full force.  I even bought myself some Indian spices the other day and experimented with a lovely silken chicken recipe from Madhur Jaffrey. It came out delish!

Now to fill you in on the last few months… I’ve worked on some fun projects and actually earned some money, which is quite exciting!  I did some head shots, worked at a commercial casting session and shot my very first spot as Director of Photography (with Adam directing) for a major brand (I’ll post it on the site and give more details once it’s officially wrapped up).  We also took a fantastic trip to the Canadian Rockies, Calgary and Port Townsend, WA for the Port Townsend Film Festival, where Hello Lonesome took home a Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature – HOORAY!  Here are some of my favorite photos from our trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks:

Crazy-looking flower

Another crazy-looking flower

Glacial Lake along Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper

View over Jasper after taking the gondola up and up and up

Adam daydreaming on top of the world

Adam and me on top of the world

What's up chipmunk?

Canoeing on Patricia Lake - Jasper

Dragonfly

Maligne Lake - near Banff

Lake Louise

View from the Teahouse above Lake Louise after hiking 3.5 km straight UP! The tea was gooood.

So friends… that’s all for now.  I am glad to be back and hope you are all doing well!  Feel free to say hello.

xoxo -

nell

A New Cheese In Town…

30 Jun

Yes, that’s right.  New York City is the proud home of a brand new cheese palace called Beecher’s Handmade Cheese.  Beecher’s comes to our city from Seattle’s Pike Place Market, where it opened in 2003, becoming the first artisanal cheese maker in Seattle!  Now we’re lucky to have their second retail store in the Flatiron district of Manhattan.  The shop opened on Monday so of course I HAD to go check it out this week!

Beecher's Handmade Cheese on 20th and Broadway

As I walked in the door I was greeted with a sample of delicious fresh cheese curds made in house that day.  Cheese curds are super yummy – with a simple, mild cheesy flavor and a springy/rubbery texture.  They sort of squeak when you bite them!  I read that in the midwest, it is common to find fried cheese curds at carnivals and local food joints.  That sounds divine – like mini mozzarella sticks (yes, mozzarella sticks are my weakness from back in the day.  I was always a cheese lover – even before I had access to all these fancy cheese shops!).

Cheese curds made fresh in house!

Anyway, cheese curds only stay fresh for a matter of hours, which brings us to the coolest part of Beecher’s… they have a cheese-making facility right inside the store where they will be making their Flagship cheeses (but with fresh milk from Albany).  It’s awesome that cheese is now being made right in NYC!

The cheese-making facility inside the shop

Here’s a peek at the cheese-making room.  They weren’t making anything when I was there so I’ll have to go back for another visit soon.  In fact, they have little stools set up so you can grab a sandwich (or some cheese and crackers), plop down on an old milk container and watch them make cheese through the glass.  Sounds like an excellent way to spend an afternoon!

Pull up a milk container and watch the pros make cheese!

PS… I kind of want milk container stools in our new apartment.  Aren’t they cool?

Here are a couple more pictures of the very well designed retail space:

Cheese cases

Sweet chandelier

The Cellar - cheese lounge downstairs

Even more amazing… they have a little cheese lounge called “The Cellar” downstairs, where they serve a full menu along with wines and spirits.  They also use the “Cellar” to age their Flagship cheeses made upstairs in the cheese kitchen!  Awesome.

Ok – so I did my browsing… it was time to head over to the cheese counter and make a selection.

Nice little cheese bounty

Right away I told the cheese monger that I’m obsessed with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar (which they sell at Beecher’s along with a variety of cheeses produced all over the United States) – and I wanted to try Beecher’s Flagship cheddar to compare.  My monger, Emily, was a delight!  She put together a little Beecher’s tasting for me to allow me to taste the subtle differences between a few of their specialties.  I tasted:

  • Beecher’s Flagship – a semi-hard cow’s milk cheddar aged eighteen months with a delicious nutty flavor
  • Beecher’s Four-Year Aged Flagship – the same as the original – just aged longer – developing a richer, flavor with more depth
  • Beecher’s Flagship Reserve – made with the very best of the milk and wrapped in cloth to age, which results in the cheese losing about eighteen percent of it’s moisture and the flavor being even more concentrated!
  • Beecher’s Flagsheep - made in similar fashion as the Flagship but with the addition of sheep’s milk and then clothbound and aged to nutty, sweet perfection!
All of the cheeses were DELICIOUS … and all very different in flavor than the Cabot Clothbound.  I think I’ll just have to alternate. In the meantime, I brought home two cheeses:  The Four Year Aged Flagship and the Flagsheep.

Beecher's Flagsheep and Beecher's Flagship reserve cheddar aged four years

Mmmmmm.  I’m sitting here tasting bites as I write.  Here’s what comes to mind when I smell and taste each:
Four Year Aged Flagship – smelling it, I am brought back to the toasted cheese sandwiches they used to serve for school lunches… the best part, was when the cheese melted down the side of the bread and got extra toasty and sort of caramelized.  This smells like that.  Yum.  When I pop a piece in my mouth, I am overwhelmed with flavor.  The texture is firm but creamy with the little crunchies that I love.  It’s salty and tangy and nutty and rich.  Wicked tasty.
Flagsheep - this one has a milder, nutty, sheepy smell (not barnyard sheepy – but that lanolin kind of sheepy).  Tasting this one – it’s a little more subtle than the four-year Flagship.  I can taste the sheep’s milk – it’s still nutty and tangy (but less tangy) and the finish in my mouth is sweet – like the sweet taste in your mouth after you drink a glass of fresh milk.  Mmmmm.
Wow.  So excited to go back and try more!  And I can’t wait to go to the Cellar for dinner.  They have a super appealing menu with six varieties of mac & cheese, a whole mess of artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, veggies, salads, soups and main courses.  Anyone want to join me next week?
Finally – on a non-cheese note, Amie and I are doing the pillow shoot tomorrow, so I have no pictures to share today.  I got hired for another photography gig – shooting photos of an apartment for the broker who found us our place!  I did it today and had a lot of fun!  It was stress-free, I was able to get great results from the equipment I have and I love getting a sneak peek into new apartments!  Maybe I can turn this into a little side gig.  As for this fourth of July weekend… we are in pack/organize/purge mode! So enjoy the weekend and the fireworks everyone!  And goodbye June – hello July!

 

 

Recuperating from Bachelorette Madness

27 Jun

As I sit here blogging, a woman from Flat Rate moving company is sitting on our couch making a list of all our belongings that will be accompanying us to Brooklyn next month so she can give us a cost estimate.  Ahh… moving.  I can feel the anxiety begin to bubble inside.   There’s so much to do… sort, purge, pack, change our address, get cable and phone hooked up in the new place, buy some new furniture, measure, blah blah blah.  I did a search online today for a “moving checklist” thinking I’d be all organized and start crossing things off early.  Well according to Real Simple, I should have started this all two months ago!  Oops. Oh well – just like every other big task, it’ll all get done and before I know it, we’ll be settled in our new apartment.  I can’t wait!

As for the bachelorette bonanza this past weekend… I had a great time!  It was full-on Sex & The City-style NYC action starting with dinner in Chelsea Friday night at a new Spanish/tapas restaurant called Selenas.  There we ordered one of my favorite new (to me) bar snacks… Shishito peppers with sea salt.  Have you ever had them?  They’re mini sweet/hot green peppers from Japan – not too spicy, but every once in a while you’ll pop a hot one in your mouth!  They’re super delish.

Here are a couple pics from Friday night:

Pam (Bachelorette in red) and her bridal party minus me.

The metal grate behind the girls was the inspiration for my color scheme in this photo… I wanted to give it a music video/grungy/urban vibe.  It’s fun to mess around in Lightroom.

 

And here is Steph (bridesmaid), Pam (bride) and me – being a goofball… trying to do a sexy face… but definitely more goofball than sexy. :)

The party continued Saturday night with a ridiculous hotel suite at the Bryant Park Hotel, where we pre-partied and then slept over. Dinner followed at a crazy scene of a restaurant called Beauty and Essex and at midnight, we left the restaurant to go dancing at the hot, sweaty alphabet city spot No Malice Palace, where we proceeded to shake our butts for three hours.  I have to say… I’m pretty much over the whole hot, sweaty bar/club scene (wine over dinner out is more my speed these days), but I do love myself some hip hop and it was fun getting my groove on.  Plus, I got to show off my rapping skills.  Really – in this little head of mine I’ve managed to store every word to hundreds of hip hop songs from high school and college and for a white girl from Massachusetts, I’ve got some serious flow.  Anyway, we got back to the hotel suite at four in the morning.   A crazy night for sure.  It’s nice to know I still have it in me every once in a while!

Meanwhile, I must have left my contact lenses in for too long and not slept enough because today my eyes are all watery and sore.  And you know how when your eyes tear, your nose starts to run too?  Like when you’re crying?  Well I’m a total mess today.  It’s not pretty.  I’m all stuffy and I’m in my glasses and I’m afraid to go outside because it’s super bright out.  So I think I’m going to continue to hibernate for the rest of the day.  A girl’s gotta rest after a weekend like that right?

Later this week Amie and I are planning another photo shoot with her beautiful Guatemalan pillows.  This time we’re going for an organic, overgrown natural look and we’re setting up shop in a little garden on our block.  I’ll report in on Thursday and hopefully I’ll have some shots to share with you then. Bye for now!

Photo of the day… “Clementine”

8 Jun

 

It’s 92 degrees outside today.  Wow.  No wonder I don’t feel like moving.  Oh yeah… I also did a killer yoga class yesterday and my entire body is hurting… but that’s a good thing.  Yoga makes me feel strong.

Anyway, I’m going to go brave the ridiculous heat and take a trip to Fort Greene and wander around the neighborhood with my camera for a bit before meeting some friends for dinner.  We’re going to eat at Habana Outpost – owned by the same people who own Cafe Habana in Soho (this is where I first tasted and fell madly in love with CHILAQUILES).  I’m quite excited to start sampling the Fort Greene restaurant scene.

Oh, and I’m doing a little research for a potential project so maybe you all can help me out.  Out of curiosity, what’s a subject you’d like to learn about or a craft you’d like to try out?  Like anything whatsoever – however random the topic?  Here are a few of my ideas:

  • Flower arranging
  • Improving my memory
  • Recipes for satisfying vegetarian meals
  • Perfume making and what scents work with my body chemistry
Thanks for ideas!
Stay cool!

 

Hello Lovely Weather

3 Jun

Flowers on a Windowsill

So now I just want to freeze time.  It is so amazingly beautiful out today.  It’s that lovely mid-seventies springtime weather that is my absolute favorite and unfortunately, typically lasts for just a few weeks before the hot, sweaty, smelly summer rolls in to NYC.  Adam is out of town on a shoot this weekend, so I’m enjoying a girly weekend with my dear friend Faye – a friend since childhood.  Faye is a little over five months pregnant, which is a total trip for me!  She’s got her cute bulgy belly and everything.  I keep freaking out every time I look at her (in a good way)!

I’m enjoying feeding her while she’s here.  I think my future kitchen-to-be is inspiring me to get my cook on!  Last night I made turkey burgers, roasted asparagus and a salad.  This morning I made egg sandwiches and I just made her one of my new favorite snacks that I make for myself all the time for lunch.  I had it in a restaurant and decided it was easy enough to re-create at home.

Avocado Toast:

1/4 ripe avocado (easily spreadable)

Good olive oil

Sea Salt & Pepper

Parmigiano Reggiano (shaved thin)

Lemon

Piece of healthy bread (I’m using whole wheat)

Toast the piece of bread in the toaster.  While it’s toasting, cut the lemon in half, shave some thin slices of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and slice the avocado open.  When the bread is toasted, put it on a plate, drizzle it with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt.  Then scoop out 1/4 of the avocado and spread it on the bread.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top of the avocado and then add the shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  Sprinkle a tad more olive oil on top and add one or two twists of the pepper mill!  Voila!  A super easy, tasty, snack that is nice and filling.  It also has fiber (bread & avocado), protein (cheese) and good fats (avocado and the olive oil).

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

PS – I took the above photo walking around in the west village.  It totally feels European to me – the faded green watering can, the bright flowers, the open window with no screen.  Charming isn’t it?

“The days are long but the years are short”

24 May

This is a quote from a book I’ve been reading called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben.  It is one of the four splendid truths she uncovers during her year-long quest to find her inner happiness and make herself an overall better/happier person.  I haven’t finished the book yet, but I’m enjoying it very much so far and it’s a thoroughly appropriate read for where I am in my life right now. I’ll write more about it once I’ve finished.

The Happiness Project

Meanwhile, though I believe that quote has so much truth to it, lately, my days have NOT been long!  They’re just flying right by like crazy – hence my lack of blogging.  So – please forgive my absence.  Here’s what’s been going on the past couple weeks – the condensed version:

I had some friends over and did a little experimenting with Mindy Fox’s roast chicken cookbook myself.  Last time my friend Amie made the chicken and it was FABULOUS!  So I pretty much wanted to recreate her success.  The menu was as follows:

  • Vermont Creamery Bonne Bouche – aged goat’s milk cheese from VT with fresh sliced baguette and honey to start
  • Roast Chicken with Green Olives, Fennel Seeds and Thyme (out of this world – best chicken I’ve ever made)
  • Roasted Red & Golden Beets with Basil (beets are a bit labor intensive – but delicious)
  • Warm Sugar Snap Peas with Mint
  • Basmati Rice cooked with sauteed shallots
  • A beautiful raspberry cinnamon tart that my friend brought over for dessert

Everything came out wonderful!  I can’t wait to try out some more of her roast chicken recipes.  The  next on my list is Peruvian Roast Chicken with Avocado Salad.  Mmmmmmmm.

Last Tuesday I worked with a small team from Bodega (Adam’s company) to shoot a music video for Jones Street Station‘s new track “The Understanding” (click for free download).  This was actually quite exciting.  The video stars Danny Pudi from the NBC show Community.   Here I am with Danny Pudi and Joel McHale (ran into him on the street while shooting nearby – NBC upfront in town)

Yes - I look like a nerd. But I was excited to be sandwiched between these two.

I’ve also been doing some Brooklyn apartment hunting.  I’ve seen about six apartments in the last couple weeks – none of which feel right… oh Brooklyn brownstone on a majestic tree-lined street… why do you elude me so?  Two of the apartments I saw last week didn’t have doors to any of the “two bedrooms” they boasted.  One of them didn’t even have a sink in the one bathroom.  And of course these apartments cost thousands of dollars a month.  Insanity!  However, now that we’re going month to month in our current apartment, I feel much more relaxed and comfortable with the fact that we’ll just wait until we find the right thing.  But this is what I’m talking about… ahhhhhh.

Lovely Brooklyn Tree-Lined Street

Last Thursday I helped my friend Beck shoot some tests for an amazing new stop-motion music video she’s putting together.  It was so cool to see the process that goes into stop-motion.  It’s kind of magic.

Then Friday we flew off to Jacksonville, FL for the weekend to celebrate the twenty-five year marriage anniversary (and vow renewal) of some very dear friends/extended family of ours.  Turns out… a weekend away with loved ones was EXACTLY the kind of breather we needed!  Because during all of this we’ve been preparing for…

THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF HELLO LONESOME IN NYC THIS FRIDAY 5/27!!

Yes, that’s right – Adam’s film is opening at the Cinema Village theater this Friday night where it will run for a week.  If you live in NYC, you should totally come!!  You can buy tickets online right HERE!  Check it out – on the Marquee!  So exciting!

Hello Lonesome on the Cinema Village Marquee

Oh – and if that’s not enough, we got contacted by Jdate, because they’re in love with the short film Adam surprised me with at our rehearsal dinner and they want to use it for a national television commercial!  Craziness.  Many of you have seen it already – but it’s so special so I’ll post it again for you in case you haven’t seen it.

So that’s been my world since we last met.  I felt a void not blogging over the past two weeks so I’m going to try to carve out some morning time for myself so I can make it more of a regular thing again.  I missed sharing with all of you!

When I grow up…

10 May

When I was little, I told my parents I wanted to be a waitress and a cheerleader when I grew up.   I did both by the time I was twenty-two.  In trying to identify the career path I should explore next, I thought looking back to my childhood ambitions would give me clues.  So a waitress and a cheerleader…  well, it kind of makes sense:

Waitressing – I love food.  I love restaurants.  I love being around food, tasting food, learning about food.  I also get bored easily and I like a fast pace – where I’m not sitting behind a desk all day.  Instead, I’m running around, on point, remembering things, working quickly, multi-tasking.  I’m also quite social and when waiting tables, you’re meeting and interacting with people all day long, working with your fellow servers and the cooks and making sure your customers are comfortable and happy.  In addition to that, I like performance-based compensation and when waiting tables, the nicer you are and the better you do your job, the higher your tips!

Cheerleading – I like to encourage and inspire!  I like to give advice and cheer people up.  I like to surround myself and others with positive energy!  I like being happy!  I like being active!  I like being outside (again – out of an office).  I like being part of a team.  When I think about it – I’m a cheerleader now to everyone I care about in my life.

So what does this mean?  I don’t know – I am looking at the deeper picture here – what are the qualities of these two areas of work that attract me?  What are the skills I use in these positions that I enjoy using and what types of work call for these same skills?

I told Adam last night I was thinking about getting a part-time job waiting tables in the neighborhood – just breakfast and lunch shifts – to make a little extra dough and to add a little structure to my days until I decide what it is that I really want to do.  I explained to him that waiting tables was always sort of my favorite job (though that was in my twenties… not sure if I’ll still feel the same ten years later).  He thought this was hilarious!  He put it perfectly.  Most waitresses out there are just waiting tables to get by… they’re really dying to break out and make it big as actors or models.  Here I am, married to a film director, who wants to make me the star of his projects – and I want to be a waitress.  I guess it is kind of funny.

Will think about this some more – feel free to share comments. :)

Here are some pictures I’ve taken recently:

Risotto with peas and seared scallops

I made this last week for dinner… my first crack at Risotto.  It came out delish!  Next time I want it to be a little creamier though.

Peeling paint in the subway

I liked the design created by this peeling paint.

Dog on stoop reading the paper

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