THE SWEET LIFE

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

- Robert Frost

I keep a lot of lists - ones for errands, for work, play, and for life. These lists fill up notebooks, notecards, and Post Its, both real and virtual. I can't always rely on my memory, as I'm easily distracted so for me it's necessary to write everything down. But I also keep lists to remind myself of what's really important in life.

My "Sweet List" is a revolving list of things I'd like to see, do, and be. I think most of us keep a similar one whether you call it your "bucket list", "things to do before I die list", "carpe diem list", etc. These lists hold our deepest desires, fondest wishes, and biggest dreams. And there's nothing sweeter than crossing off an item on that list. I've been lucky in that I've been able to cross off a lot of items off my "Sweet List". I've never let the lack of money, time constraints, or even fear stop me from accomplishing those things that I believe are worth pursuing. Life is short but sweet, and from a very young age I decided that I could do anything I set my mind to. Many of the choices I've made in life have been on account of that list. And I have very few regrets because I believe absolutely that it's never too late to do anything. When most post-grads buckled down to a career, I chose to travel. I wanted to see the world, immerse myself in the underbelly of life and live fully without regrets. I knew when I was ready to have a career it would be waiting for me, and it was. When I wanted to write a book, I made it happen for myself. And I think that's the key - you can't wait for things to happen to you or for you, you make it happen for yourself. If I'd waited for those things I desired to be handed to me, or for people to do or go with me I'd never have accomplished much. Instead, I chose to do things solo, to follow my own agendas. I've traveled the world on my own, but even then you find like-minded companions. Even when I begin a journey alone, I'm never really alone.

Family, friends, strangers - they've all told me that certain things are impossible, that responsibilities prevent them from following dreams. But I think I'm a pretty responsible person, and I've always managed just fine. Certainly it's necessary to shift priorities, shuffle around schedules, and re-think what's important to you but if you want something bad enough, and you're willing to work for it then nothing is impossible. Where there's a will, there is a way. It's for you to discover how.

So I hope you wish me happy trails as I'm off on another adventure, another item to cross off my "Sweet List"... surfing in Costa Rica.

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie

2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

single 9-inch pie crust

3 medium bananas

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp sour cream

1. Pour condensed milk into a large, heatproof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water to make dulce de leche. Cook, checking water level and adding water as necessary. Stir milk occasionally and cook until it is very thick and golden brown, about 2 1/2 hours.

2. Bake crust according to package directions. Cool on a wire rack.

3. Slice 2 bananas. Spread half of warm dulce de leche in crust; top with sliced bananas. Spread remaining dulce de leche over bananas. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.

4. Just before serving, combine heavy cream and sour cream in a bowl. Whip, using a mixer on high speed, until soft peaks form. Spread over pie. Slice remaining banana and use to garnish pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve.

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

commercial shoot, ph: slw

I apologize for my absence but it's been a busy couple weeks. I was swept up by a shoot and it's difficult to fit in anything but the project on hand. Although pies and tarts are my desserts of choice, this morning I'm baking banana bread. I have a couple of bunches of over-ripe bananas left over from the shoot, and I always say waste not, want not. A big part of my job is trouble-shooting, not only putting out fires that inevitably occur put to anticipate problems before they happen. And as much as you feel you're prepared, things happen. It's just the nature of the beast that is a live-action shoot. Every shoot I always try to figure out how to be 'greener'. Every phase of production can have an impact on the environment, and it's important that every department does their part to make a set 'green'. And it's not always an easy task, as generally

there seems to be a lot of waste in production but I believe every person can do their part in making a difference - craft service, set construction, office staff, transportation.

What are some steps we can take? Recycling and proper waste disposal. Recycle everything possible and provide recycling bins for all recyclables. We generate a lot of paper as sometimes hard copies are preferable to digital files. Print and copy double-sided, and reuse single-sided, used paper. On shoots I make sure recycle bins are on hand for paper, water bottles and aluminum cans. But not everyone follows the rules, and often times you find busy crew have mixed the recyclables in with the trash. Post-shoot most locations won't allow you to dump your trash and recyclables on their property so I contract someone to come in at the end of the

day to dispose of them appropriately. At the end of a job, all unwanted items are donated to organizations in need.

A key part of a smooth shoot is to make sure my crew is fed, and fed well. Empty stomachs not only cause growling stomachs, it affects the crew's attitude. Shoot days tend to be long, and it's important to keep their energy levels up, hence craft service. I hire someone specifically to take care of this. They keep the crew supplied with snacks throughout the day that compose of sugar, salt, and protein. For lunch I hire a catering company to feed us a healthy but delicious meal, but sometimes they fall short of the order. I don't think it's too much for crew to expect a

great lunch and if a caterer disappoints I usually don't hire them again. When it comes to lunch you also never want to run out of food. I usually know how many people to feed, but if the caterer miscalculates on their end, you find yourself short or with too much food. What happens to the left-overs? Most of the time I ask the caterers to wrap it up for hungry production assistants to take home - they tend to be young and lean in the pockets, and with roommates who appreciate the gesture. But this doesn't always happen. My hope is that the caterers donate the left-overs to food banks. Encourage both your craft service and caterers to buy local organic food, fair trade coffee and teas, to purchase in bulk, and carry groceries in canvas bags. Also encourage the use of reusable dishware and mugs. Provide unbleached, recycled paper towels, plates and cups, and when possible avoid disposable. And ask caterers to

provide only recyclable serving containers, like aluminum pans. Avoid styrofoam at all costs.

In set design and construction reuse and recycle sets, and donate unwanted lumber, fencing and other supplies to local organizations. Use sustainable wood products. Purchase low-emission (low VOC) and less toxic alternatives of chemicals, paints, flooring, etc. Use sawdust to make sweeping compound, clean painting equipment like brushes and buckets, clean moisture spill, mix into plaster instead of sand, or sell as composting material to make natural fertilizer. Use canvas drop cloths instead of paper products to protect floor while painting. Clean and reuse paint brushes instead of throwing them away.

For transportation, encourage carpooling and the use of public transportation. Ask suppliers of trucks, buses/trailers if they have vehicles that run on natural gas, biodiesel or fuel cells. Turn off production vehicles when not in use. Utilize electric or hybrid vehicles if available.

Another thing you can do is to purchase with the environment in mind. Buy products from companies that provide technical assistance, products and/or services that conserve energy, reduce water consumption, preserve the quality of air and reduce the generation of solid wastes. And when possible utilize natural gas, biodiesel or solar generators and refrigeration systems.

More and more, shoots are going 'green' and it's a great thing. There are companies out there that hire out their services to help you do that. But we can all do our part to lessen the impact on our environment, and minimize our carbon footprint.

GOING BANANAS

ph: slw

Banana Bread

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup light brown sugar (or lessen to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. No mixer needed for this recipe. With wooden spoon mix butter to mashed bananas.
3. Mix in sugar, egg, and vanilla, then the spices.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over mixture and mix in.
5. Add flour last.
6. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 loaf pan, or 2 smaller ones.
7. Bake one hour.
8. Cool. Remove from pan. Slice and serve.

MEALS ON WHEELS

When I lived in New York City, I rarely made it home for Easter. We weren't necessarily a religious family, so Easters were reserved for chocolate bunnies and egg hunts for the kids, and a chance for the family to get together and feast on good home cooking. When I couldn't make it home for the holiday, my friends and I would end up in Chinatown for Dim Sum. In fact, my friends and I reserved many Sundays for Dim Sum. I'm not necessarily a big fan of dim sum dishes, but it became a sort of ritual we indulged in as the food was always cheap, and there was nothing more entertaining than sitting around a big round table daring one another to try some of the more exotic dishes that came by on rolling carts. I rarely had room for sweets afterwards, but one of the more popular desserts on offer were tiny egg custard tarts.

Egg custard tarts are popular in many parts of the world, particularly in Chinese and Western European cuisines. Custard tarts were introduced in Hong Kong in the 1940's by "Cha Chaan Tengs" or "tea restaurants" which is a Hong Kong version of grassroots American diner. Custard tarts were then introduced in western cafes and bakeries to compete with dim sum restaurants, or yum cha. Yum cha literally means "drink tea" and describes the dining experience of drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes. Dim sum is a varied range of small dishes, not unlike tapas, eaten for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea. Mini egg tarts are now a common dim sum dish. Hong Kong egg tarts are typically encased in shortcrust pastry or puff pastry, and traditionally use lard rather than butter or shortening. This is just one of many variations of the recipe.

Hong Kong Style Egg Custard Tarts (Dan Tat)

Pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup lard

1/3 cup butter

4 tbsp hot water, or as needed

Custard Filling:

2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups whole milk

4 ounces sugar (castor or superfine if possible)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

yellow food coloring (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease the tart pans.
2. Cut the lard. Use a sifter to sift the flour into a large bowl. Work the lard and butter into the flour with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture has the appearance of coarse breadcrumbs. Continue kneading, adding the hot water. Roll the dough into a large ball, cover with wax paper and refrigerate while preparing the custard filling.
3. Lightly beat the eggs, taking care not to produce any air bubbles. Stir in the milk and the sugar. Add the yellow food coloring if using.
4. On a large, lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick). Cut the dough in half before rolling out if needed. Use a pastry cutter to cut out 18 circles that are 3-inches in diameter. Fit the circles into the tart shells.
5. Pour the filling into the shells. Bake until the custard is cooked and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (about 35 minutes). Cool.

FLASHBACK & FLASH FOWARD

Joseph Sterling's The Age of Adolescence was a documentation of the life and milieu of the American teenager in the late fifties and early sixties. This series of images explores the sometimes tentative, sometime explosive atmosphere that surrounded the rites of passage from childhood to adulthood during those years.

Juxtaposed with Sterling's photographs are 15 year-old Olivia Bee's teen diary-style photography. Capturing life raw as it unfolds in her own personal coming of age.

HIGH NOON SHOWDOWN

via death becomes her

"There was a blur, and then shootin'. I didn't see no draw."

PUCKER UP BABY

Since I'm feeling sour about celebrating yet another birthday I thought I'd whip up a classic lemon tart. When life serves you lemons, bake a tart!

Classic Lemon Tart

1 recipe for Sweet Rich Shortcrust Pastry (recipe below)

1 egg, beaten, to seal the dough

sour cream or creme fraiche, to serve (optional)

6 extra large eggs

2 1/3 cups sugar

finely grated zest and strained juice of 4 juicy unwaxed lemons

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, melted

a false-bottom fluted tart pan, 9 inches diameter

1. Bring the doug to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured work surface., and use to line the tart pan. Chill or freeze for 15 minutes, then bake blind (instructions below).
3. Turn the oven down to 300° F. To make the lemon filling, put the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and butter into a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Set the baked pie curst on a baking sheet and pour in the filling. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour (it may need a little longer, depending on your oven), until just set. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.
5. Serve at room temperature, maybe with a spoonful of sour cream or creme fraiche, if using.

Note: You can also decorate the tart with candied shreds of lemon zest. Peel the zest only from 3 or 4 lemons, leaving behind any white pith. Cut the zest into very fine shreds with a very sharp knife. Make a sugar syrup by boiling 6 tablespoons of sugar with 2/3 cup water. Stir in the shreds and simmer for 10 minutes until tender and almost transparent. Carefully lift out the syrup, drain, and sprinkle around edges of tart while still warm, to form a ring. Cool before serving.

Sweet Rich Shortcrust Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp confectioners sugar

9 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and diced

2 large egg yolks

2 tbsp ice water

1. Sift the flour, confectioners sugar, and the salt together in a bowl, then rub in the butter.
2. Mix the egg yolks with the 2 tbsp ice water. Add to the flour, mixing lightly with a knife. The dough must have some water in it or it will be too difficult to handle. If it is still too dry, add a little more water, sprinkling it over the flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Invert the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface.
4. Knead lightly with your hands until smooth.
5. For the dough into a ball.
6. Flatten slightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Rolling out, lining a tart pan, and baking blind

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out the dough as thinly as necessary, about 1/8 inch thick, to line the dish you are using.
2. To line the tart pan, roll the flour-dusted dough around the rolling pin to help you pick it up – this will avoid stretching the dough, which might shrink during cooking. Lower the dough over the pan and unroll to cover. Use a small piece of extra dough wrapped in plastic wrap to help to push the dough into the edges of the pan. Once this is done you can press the dough up the sides of the pan.
3. Use the rolling pin to roll over the top – it will cut off any excess dough very neatly (or cut off the overhang with a sharp knife.)
4. Prick the base all over with a fork, then chill or freeze for 15 minutes to set the dough.
5. Line with foil or parchment paper, then fill with baking beans. Set on a baking sheet and bake blind in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove the foil or parchment paper and the baking beans, and return tart crust to oven for 5-7 minutes longer to dry out completely.
7. To prevent the crust from becoming soggy from liquid filling, brush the blind-baked crust with beaten egg – you can do this when it is hot or cold. Bake again for 5-10 minutes until set and shiny. This will also fill and seal any holes made when pricking before the blind baking.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

via bird flew

"All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways." - Yann Martel Life of Pi

GO PEAR-SHAPED

There's a Dutch idiom that goes like this, Hid zit met de gebakken peren, which literally translates to 'he sits with the baked pears', but is used to express being stuck with the negative consequences of something another caused. The idiom dates from a time when baked (or poached) pears were a special delicacy. If the guest didn't show up, the host who took the extra effort, cost, and preparation of the dish was 'stuck with the baked pears'. The English idiom 'go pear-shaped' means a plan went awry or failed. Baked or poached pears are in fact delicious. Poached pears in particular are one of the simplest desserts there are, and ones poached in wine absorb the deep essence of the wine and turn a rich jewel color. These tender and succulent pears can be paired with pastry cream, ice cream, or even blue cheese. A sprinkle of crushed praline and you have a classic dish that takes very little effort. I've decided to use them in a tart recipe. You can choose from a variety of pears but make sure they aren't fully ripened or they will fall apart while poaching. The trick is to leave the pear in the slowly simmering liquid for as long as possible. The longer it poaches the more the pear takes on the flavor and the color of your syrup.

Drunken Pear Tart

1 recipe for Pâte Brisée

8 large under-ripe pears

1/2 vanilla bean split and scraped (throw the whole bean in the pot to release all the seeds)

1 star anise

6 whole peppercorns

4 whole cloves

1/3 cup sugar

2 3/4 cups full-bodied red wine

slivered pistachios or almonds, for sprinkling

crème fraiche or whipped cream, for serving

a cast iron skillet, 11 inches diameter

1. Bring Pâte Brisée to room temperature before rolling out.
2. Peel the pears, halve lengthwise, and carefully scoop out the core with a teaspoon or a melon baller. Arrange them around the base of the skillet in concentric circles, wide ends outwards and the points facing into the center. Any pears remaining should be cut up and used to fill any gaps.
3. Add all the spices over the top and sprinkle with the sugar. Carefully pour the red wine, then bring to a boil. Lower the stove to medium low heat. Cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour or until tender. A fork should slide easily into the flesh, but it should not be mushy, like canned pears.
4. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Uncover the pan and hold the plate or pan lid over the pears to hold them back while you pour off the juices into a saucepan. Boil the juices hard until well reduced and syrupy, then sprinkle them back over the pears.
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a circle slightly larger than the diameter of the pan. Lift the dough over the pears and tuck the edges of the dough down into the a pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the curst is crisp and golden.
6. As soon as it is ready, invert the tart onto a plate or it will stick - the fruit will be very hot, so be careful you don't burn your fingers. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with the pistachios or almonds and a good dollop of crème fraiche or whipped cream.

WATCH ME

via flickr

As a kid whenever I said, "I can't", as kids often do because I was tired, grumpy, or scared my father would always respond, "how do you know if don't even try". Back then that sort of logic only reinforced my belief that adults just didn't get what it was like to be a kid. If was easy for them because as grownups they could do whatever they wanted. Little did I know. The fact is the older we get, and the more responsibilities we take on, the less we can do whatever we want. So take it while you can.

I'm in awe of youth today. They're so creative and talented, with so many bright, cool ideas. They're no longer simply kids or teenagers, but artists, inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. They're not afraid to embrace life, tackle it if they have to in order to get the most from it. They haven't learned to be tired and jaded, with too much cynicism for their own good. Neither have they lost their optimism, or their ambitions. They pursue life with almost reckless abandon, with a determination that exceeds their age or experience. That's what I love most about young people, that innate confidence that doesn't allow them to question if they'll succeed. Failure just isn't an option. Even as another birthday comes barreling at me, I'm comforted in knowing that as long as I haven't lost my hunger and continue to gnaw at the marrow of life, then age is just a number. And in my heart, I'll always be at the peak of my life. Watch me.

A BITE OUT OF LIFE

There are several variations on Yum Yum Pie, most of which call for cream cheese, instant pudding, and Cool Whip. The idea is to create layers of deliciousness. You can substitute Cool Whip for the real thing but I like to make my own whipped cream.

Yum Yum Pie

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick butter, softened (room temp)

1 cup of nuts

8-oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

1 package (3.5-oz) chocolate instant pudding

1 package (3.5-oz) vanilla instant pudding

milk

1. Lightly grease an 9-inch deep pie pan. Combine flour, butter, and nuts. Press firmly into pie pan. Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Mix cream cheese and sugar thoroughly. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over cooled crust to make first layer.
3. For second layer: mix pudding mixes and the amount of milk called for on package directions to make pie filling. Pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until cool.
4. Before serving, top with whipped cream, shaved chocolate and nuts.