'I can be brave like Frida'

So this time around I am not writing from a fun, blind date filled Coffee Bean. Instead I am writing from a random vegan cafe in Culver City that is conveniently close to where my car is getting fixed this Sunday morning. This is, in no way how I anticipated spending Super Bowl Sunday, and I will have to warn you this entry may be fraught with a tidbit of pouting and a drop of disdain for my car that has died at a quite inopportune time. Aside from possibly missing the game, if the car cannot be fixed right away I could be in some trouble as far as getting back to San Diego for work tomorrow. This has my stress level spiking and my hand reaching for my drug of choice, hershey's kisses, much more frequently than is probably good for my health and my waistline.

So far since I've been here I've enjoyed some very bland oatmeal (they were out of brown sugar...on a Sunday morning. Are they crazy?!) and green tea. I feel pretty useless being in an area of town I don't really know with a few hours to kill. I'm sure the mechanic is busy, especially because it was the only one I could find that was even open on a Sunday but still, I need to get my bum back to San Diego ASAP. A word of advice to those who make the working hours at auto repair shops: Cars die and break down at all hours of the day, seven days a week. My car is not going to hold out until 9am on Monday morning. In fact in the past few months any time I have had car trouble is has happened either at 5pm on a Friday, or 9am on a Sunday. Both excellent candidates for the worst possible times and days there are. 

In completely unrelated news I have some fun stories from our first week on the road. Including some important lessons learned and entirely too many adorable children to count. Day one was at Freese Elementary. The kids were full of energy and a joy to perform for. Our second day was by far our worst show to date. I would chalk it up to second show blues, thick carpet, and performing in the strangest configuration we will probably see the entire tour. 

All of our set pieces are on wheels and each space is completely different from the last. Sometimes working on carpet is not an issue. Other times though, it makes our jobs, specifically those in the cast who are constantly moving the large flats and pushing me around on ladders very tough. Our morning show on Friday taught us that sometimes it may not be worth all the people/ladder moving. The actor who plays the teacher is perched in a rolling ladder to appear larger than life. But at the end of one of the scenes the ladder just wouldn't budge. The actress who pushes him was pulling and maneuvering as best she could but it still couldn't keep Maestro on his ladder. After almost plunging forward, all of us broke character and had a momentary, 'wtf do we do now?!' moment. An expert at thinking on his toes, the actor turned it into a schtick and although it took me a second to recover we managed to finish the show unharmed physically, and only partially terrorized emotionally. 

All of the drama of that show was wiped away though when we had a chance to perform that night for an organization that specializes in education for the children of migrant workers in San Diego. There was a handful of kids and their families and the show and all of us couldn't help but feel that the performance was extra special. They understand all the Mexican references, they have a knowledge of Frida Kahlo. It was so touching to see the kids in the front beaming up at us. For most of them it was probably their first experience with theater, and how amazing that we could bring them something that was so relevant. What a delightful way to close out of first week on the road. 

Overall the kids have been wonderful. Only a handful who think they're too cool or too young to pay attention. But their feedback makes all our work so worthwhile. I'll close this post with something a little girl at La Jolla Elementary said to me after the show. She came up to me in the middle of the crowd of kids and said "I used to be shy, but now I can be brave like Frida." Talk about melting my heart. 

More tales from the road very soon. 

E-Harmony's Coffee Bean

Okay, so today I am writing to you from a random Coffee Bean somewhere in San Diego. After our show this morning I decided it was far too beautiful our to spend the day in my very beige apartment. So I ventured out of my secluded neighborhood to a Borders and consequently a big outdoor mall. I've been sitting here for about an hour, sending emails, updating resumes and all that wonderful stuff and it has become apparent to me that I am surrounded be people on first dates. Most of which seem to be blind dates. Over and over now I've watched people walk up to each other hesitantly, laugh awkwardly while shaking hands and murmuring nice to meet you. What is this place I have entered? Is there some dating site that suggests this specific Coffee Bean as a good neutral place to meet your future mate? Luckily everyone seems to be having a good time. I haven't seen any of these daters running out screaming and running for this hills. Most are deep in conversation and hopefully unaware that I am totally stalking them. Maybe all those e-harmony or match.com commercials are true...?

In other news Frida Libre is going gloriously! Well I should rephrase that, I am having an amazing time performing in what I keep calling a total gem of a show. Today's performance though, (our last preview before we officially open tomorrow) was rough to say the least. Yesterday the kids who got to see parts of our rehearsal process finally saw the whole thing with costumes and sets, the whole she-bang. And that show went great. The kids were so receptive and delightful. After the show we have a small question and answer period and it is really interesting how perceptive some of the kids are. Sure we get the usual little kid questions such as "do you really like to paint?" or "do Alex and Frida loooove each other?" but sometimes they are truly insightful. As if I couldn't love kids enough, hearing their awe and laughter is truly amazing.
Today's show however was our first one in a brand new space we had never seen before and boy did it make us work for our money today. That's the beauty and pain of touring. Showing up, seeing what you got, and making work as best as we can. The space was a sort of inverted "kiva" as they called it. The kids sat on stairs while we performed on the flat space below. On top of that they were seated in a thrust formation. Meaning instead of having audience just in front of us there were little people sitting on THREE sides of us. Talk abut making adjustments. Unfortunately this meant masking the backstage was impossible and a handful of kids saw EVERYTHING we were doing back there, but hey, it's an educational experience right? Watch a fun show and see how all the magic happens behind the scenes. On top of our thrust formation the room was thickly carpeted which made it very difficult to move our sets and props that were on wheels. Oye, apparently at one point our big flat almost tipped over on me and the amazing Rae had to save the day. I had no clue until after the show...oops

I think tomorrow will be our first real test. Sadly, all the creatives have now left us, and from what I understand we will be entirely on our own for the set up and strike of the set. Once again we will be in a new space figuring it all out all over again. There are trying moments, and heavy pieces which will hopefully turn into nice ripped biceps by the end of the run. I cannot express how much fun I am having. It's such a wonderful little piece of theater with a lot of sophistication that most would never expect from a children's show.

Along with my adventures as Frida I have been choreographing a dance piece to be a part of Dance in Flight as Pepperdine University which also runs this weekend. I spent my day off driving up to Malibu to tech and light my dance on the stage before rushing back to San Diego for an 8:30am call time on Monday. I am so proud of my dancers and the whole show in general, directed by the amazing Bill Szobody whom I've assisted in the past, is going to be fantastic. I can't wait to see it this weekend.

Many more stories and fun to come. Who knows maybe I'll come back to this Coffee Bean just to people watch and witness more blind dates. Or is that creepy? ;-)

Greeting From San Diego!

Okay, it has been entirely too long since I've posted.

I have been in San Diego for almost two whole weeks now and I could not be having more fun. The show has definitely turned out to be more work than I had anticipated but it is 100% worth it. I'm staying in my own apartment that is almost entirely beige. One cast member said it looks like I live inside a paper bag, I thought it was a good observation. Since moving in I've been back to LA once and brought a second crop of my belongings including an orange comforter and my UCLA throw blanket to add just a splash of color. I also brought a handful of my kitchen necessities because the kitchen here is a little less than inspiring. And it has an electric stove. Womp womp. Just takes some getting used to. I have already begun creating new recipes including some BOMB mahi mahi tacos which hopefully I can post the recipe for when I have a little more time. 

Since rehearsals began I have delved even farther into the land of old lady-ness. Our rehearsals start every morning at 9am. And since our rehearsal space is a minor drive I get picked up each day at 8:20. Oye, for all you theater people out there you know how tough it can be to get up at such an early hour. This means I have to be showered, packed, warmed up physically AND vocally all before about 8am and ready to belt my face off by 9am. Phew now you see why I've turned into a grandma. Due to these early hours my bedtime has creeped lower and lower. I think my earliest shut eye time has been 10pm, and it's happened more than once. Dear early 20's I apologize for making you miss being a real person, but for now my body and vocal chords are needing some 70 year old resting time. 

Despite my new schedule the show is going fantastically. Our creative team is fantastic and amazingly collaborative. Working on a brand new musical means many changing lines and lyrics everyday and although it can get confusing, it's a wonderful adventure. Today will be our first "tester" audience of children. It's not a preview, but rather a stumble through with kids present to get a feeling for how they will respond. I'm excited for them to see it, especially since this is my first real Theater for Youth show. Also on the bill for the next few days is a real day off on Sunday since I spent last week's day off rehearsing in Malibu. AND on Monday our playwright returns to rehearsals to see our progress which will be a very exciting day. I have to admit when I signed up for this kids show I anticipated the usual ABC, cheesy, campy kids bunk, but this show is far from that stereotype. The music is sophisticated and melodic, the subject matter (some of which is based on Frida Kahlo's life) is anything but simple. I really can't wait to see how the kids take it. If they get squirmy in our short, but more serious moments. 

I must be going to catch my ride, but expect an update soon! 

PS Our show has it's own twitter page so if you want to follow we update it a few times per day and often include at least one picture. A few days ago I was the picture tweeted on the official La Jolla Playhouse twitter page. I felt pretty fancy. 

www.twitter.com/LJPPOPtour

New Year's Reading and Christmas Cooking

Happy 2011!

The new year is officially here, and after waking up way too early for work on New Year's Day I have subsequently nestled myself on this rainy Los Angeles day in my apartment with my nose in a book. The book is Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls. Up until today I had read and enjoyed the book mostly just before bed and in increments of about 10 pages at a time. But today, with nothing better to do I dove in and have only stopped briefly to do some chores, and get my bum off the couch to grab some last minute veggies to cook for friends tonight. I've only 50 pages left in the book and I must say I am in love with it. Walls' first book, The Glass Castle is one of my all time favorites and her second is seemingly going to be a part of that list very soon. I will not bore anyone who actually reads this blog with a synopsis of the book, only because I suck at writing them, and if you really want to know what they're about look them up or go visit a bookstore. What I can say though is both books are filled with fascinating characters, specifically women, who are brave, insane, and amazing.

Walls' books are both about her family, the first centering around her upbringing and the second about her mother's. Truly fascinating stuff. If you've got the time go check them out. Seriously. You won't be let down.

Now that I'm done pitching her book a little about the New Year. Mine was mellow. Went out with a few girlfriends, drank some champagne, enjoyed being out at a bar with other young people since it's something I do so rarely. I've been Martha Stewart-ing all of December and consequently cemented my place as an old lady for the moment. I can however at this point share some of my foodie pictures from Christmas since I haven't done so yet.

First off is the yummy breakfast spread I made with my friend Steve. Although neither of us is Jewish we decided to pay some respect and make latkes from scratch. They came out pretty good, but since I only have a lightweight non-stick pan they didn't all come out as brown and crispy as I would have hoped. Included in the spread is the latkes, cinnamon applesauce, fruit salad, and a side of spinach and tomatoes with lemon juice as a light dressing.

This is just a yummy peppermint cocktail my roommate made us while we watched Love Actually. An on going tradition at Christmas-time that this year coincided with her last day of work at  the job she hated. YAY!







And now comes the fun part. All my cookies! The only things I didn't snag a picture of was the Chocolate Madelines which I generally only make during Christmas for my family because although they are a delicious, require a little more work than most of my other cookie recipes.

 Here's some peanut butter cookies that didn't quite turn out as I had planned, but after baking I melted peppermint chocolate kisses over the top that managed to save otherwise dull cookies. In the end they were festive AND delicious.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are quite honestly one of my favorite kinds. For as long as I can remember I've always loved anything with cinnamon and raisins, so it's not all that shocking. I made this batch specifically for someone who is allergic to chocolate and nuts and wouldn't be able to eat most of my other cookies. Oddly enough, they were my favorite batch this year. I made them with golden raisins instead of dark ones because that's what I had on hand. But I think they make the cookies look a little more elegant.

These were another new creation spurred by the fact that I had many left over cans of pumpkin puree and nothing to do with them. I had set out to make just plain pumpkin cookies, but the recipe I had found made thick doughy cookies that I felt wouldn't be able to stand on their own. So...I whipped up some cream cheese frosting and made pumpkin whoopie pies. They were sinfully delicious and a great new addition to my baking repertoire.

These bad boys are a Christmas staple in my household. Once December rolls around there are a few things you can count on. Meatballs, tamales, and Snow Balls. These little tasties are a piece of heaven. I ended up making a total of 4.5 batches this year. If that's not proof of their high demand then I don't know what is.






Happy New Year and Happy Eating!

My Top Ten of 2010

So it is almost the end of the year.

Not sure how that happened but it seems to have really come out of nowhere. It feels like just yesterday I was chumming it up with our customers at Banana Republic about playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving had even hit and now Christmas is over! With 2010 coming to a close I, like may others, am reflecting on the year. There have been many highs and lows, if I were to sum it into one word I think I would call it bipolar. I think that once 2011 hits I'll have to stop telling people I've just graduated from UCLA when they ask me what I'm up to. Just implies recently, like in the past month or so and truthfully it has been over six months now. Oye, that's mildly frightening. I cannot express how thankful I am to be going into the new year with a job lined up and prospects for more on the horizon. I think it is a good omen of a better year to come. Although I'm not sure if that's a fair statement. I don't think 2010 was by any means a bad year, I think it was more than anything a transitional year, and I don't think I was the only person who felt that way.

Although I am more than ready to waive goodbye to this year and give 2011 a good sturdy handshake, first impressions really matter you know, I've compiled a list of the top 10 moments of the year. These are in no particular order and to be honest I am positive I will leave out many magnificent moments only to be added to some other list perhaps in a different post.

Number 1 (This should be quite obvious) : Graduating from college! I have a Bachelor in Theater Arts, Check me out, cause I'm super fancy.

Number 2 : Sweet Charity. Dream role, amazing show with amazing people. I couldn't have asked for a better way to close out my time at UCLA.

Number 3 : Discovering I actually like, who'd-a-thunk, yoga! And I use the term "like" very loosely because I think the more appropriate description may be that I'm completelyandutterlyobsessed.

Number 4 : Landing an agent, and my first job post college assisting at the Goodspeed Opera House in the same week, before even graduating. And attached to that my entire Goodspeed experience. Period.

Number 5 : Having the opportunity to assist a Tony nominated director on How to Succeed and a Tony nominated Broadway Diva on Cabaret simultaneously.

Number 6 : Sloppy Senior Day, my birthday, and cast party debauchery.

Number 7 : Getting the best graduation gift a foodie like myself could ask for...My bright orange kitchen aid mixer. I named him Nemo. He is currently the love of my life. If he had a facebook we'd be in a relationship.

Number 8 : Although it stressed us all out to no end, Senior Project and the fact that we actually pulled it off! That's right we rock.

Number 9 : Gaff-taping my La Duca's to avoid standing out while swinging in Cabaret. The rush of performing in front of a live audience after rehearsing each number only twice on my feet the day of the show was in a word exhilarating.

Number 10 : Sharing another amazing year with so many new and old friends. Couldn't ask to be surrounded by more amazing people.

*Number 11 (for good luck) : Here's to many more good memories for 2011

Cheers and Happy Holidays

Autumn Foodie Creations

As promised I am double posting today, only because I have so many amazing recipes to share. Many of these recipes come from Cooking Light Magazine and when possible I have attached the links.

My autumn food adventures began with a small feast a friend and I made in early November. The feast consisted of Rosemary Sweet Mashed Potatoes that were supposed to be topped with caramelized shallots but I ended up mixing them into the sweet potatoes so that every bite had that bit of sweetness to it. I also altered the recipe slightly by adding a few tablespoons of brown sugar to the potatoes and I believe a dash of cinnamon. Truly scrumptous. Also I would suggest caramelizing the shallots last, after boiling the potatoes instead of first as it suggests in the recipe. We did it first and the shallots hardened before the potatoes were ready.

Also on the menu that night was Brussel Sprouts Gratin. The name of the dish is a little deceiving. When I think of a 'gratin' dish I immediately think of thinly sliced potatoes baked with lots of cheesy creamy goodness, but there is no cheese to be found in this dish. The recipe is pretty simple, and I've already made it again since. I used turkey bacon which doesn't give off the same amount of fat or flavor, so if you can spare the calories I suggest using full-fat, pig bacon. Also be sure to really toast your bread crumbs. I got lazy and didn't the second time around and it made what should have been a crispy crust quite soggy. 

As Thanksgiving approached it was time for me to tackle what has become one of my favorite days of the year. A Thanksgiving feast for my closest girlfriends which allows me to make and experiment with a giant turkey for the past 3 years straight. This year my project was brining the turkey. I was inspired by the Food Network's Sunny Anderson and used her Daddy's Game Changing Turkey recipe as a guideline for my brine and gravy. The brine, or as my roommate and I joked, my turkey's over night spa consisted of water, a whole lotta salt, thyme, sage, rosemary, lemon and some peppercorns. After letting it soak in a styrofoam cooler in my kitchen overnight I let it come to room temperature and got to work on the rub. I used lots of thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper of course, olive oil, and my secret ingredient, honey! Inside the bird I followed Sunny's lead and put some sage, thyme, lemon, onion and garlic, along with onion garlic and broth in the pan to get those gravy drippings going. Here's what it looked like precooking:

And here is what it looked like after a mere 4 hours in the oven. I credit the gorgeous golden brown color to the honey in the rub, the dark pieces are the fresh herbs that couldn't quite take the heat. I think next year I'll use dried herbs in the rub. 

The gravy, although not pictured was Sunny's recipe from the link above and it came out DELICIOUS. It was the first year I made a successful gravy and I think it was because I finally curbed my anti-recipe, I can figure it out on my own, voice and followed tried and true directions. Like i said, I was very proud. 

The stuffing was sort of a no brainer, I cheated a bit here merely because i was too lazy to either buy bread ahead of time and let it get hard or roast a bunch of cut up bread the day of. I use Trader Joe's Cornbread Stuffing as the base but add a few things of my own. I saute LOTS or aromatics, aka about 2 onions and a whole bunch of chopped celery. Add a hefty amount of parsley and let that cook down for about 20 minutes. Just before it's all softened I add salt, pepper and thyme. I toss this mixture with the bread pieces and then proceed to make the seasoning package that comes with the stuffing. I never use all of the seasoning liquid because it makes for mushy stuffing and although mine came out a little drier than I'd like this year, I'd much rather is dry that mushy. Here's the stuffing pre-baking.

Although I could not go home for an actual Thanksgiving holiday I was able to spend it with a dear friend and her family. But since I was barging in last minute to her family's meal I couldn't show up empty handed, also it felt wrong not to be doing something in the kitchen on this festive Thursday in November. So...I made a double batch of Pumpkin Mini Muffins whose recipe also came from Cooking Light to take to Thanksgiving dinner and work the next day. This recipe was insanely easy. I read a few of the comments and altered the recipe just slightly. I substituted 1.5 cups of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour which added a little more nutrition, I also doubled the amount of cinnamon and added about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the dry ingredients. Like I said these were super yummy, and if I were looking to make them more decadent I think they would taste heavenly with a dollop of cream cheese frosting. 

AND to round out this very long, food filled entry --I imagine you are becoming quite hungry by now, I made a huge pot of chicken soup day before last because I am flirting with a cold that I really wish would go away. The recipe is really simple, and essentially reminds me of my mom like no other. After the soup had been simmering on my stove for about an hour I stuck my nose into the pot, took a big whiff and was immediately transported to my house in El Cerrito eating soup with what we called 'dot noodles' on a rainy day with my mom and dad. But isn't that what food and cooking is all about? Bringing us together, making fond memories, and full tummies?

Nothing like a bowl of mom's chicken soup. Ask me nicely and maybe I'll give you the recipe. Unlike all the above foods this one has no link except that it comes from my home with love. 

Stay tuned to the next foodie entry, for tomorrow, in the spirit of Chanukah I will attempt to make potato latkes from scratch with my good friend Steve! 

Frida Libre!

Okay once again I've waited entirely too long to update my blog. I have many recipes to share and even more exciting news about my big girl life. Try not to judge me as I am sure to write far too much in this entry, if not add a second entry just for all the food I've been making over the past month.

I'm still working at Banana Republic which has managed to fill up my daily schedule quite a bit. I've been yoga-ing less, unfortunately, and feeling a need for the yogi strength and wisdom. But standing for essentially 4-6 hours straight can wear a girl down!  I finally got myself to a late night yoga class day before last and it was quite possibly the best thing I could have done for myself. I have been over eating a tinge since Thanksgiving (but then again who hasn't) and feeling the need to mentally and physically detox. During the class I found myself in a twisting reverse warrior pose, and while exhaling through it I literally felt like I was wringing the gunk out of my internal organs. This may sound strange, but I felt like all the sugar and junk I had been eating was finally being processed out of my system. Dear yoga, I never thought I'd say this; but you are my soulmate. Love Cami

In other news, I landed my very first professional theater job!! The show is called Frida Libre. It is a new children's musical being produced in conjunction with the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego that will tour San Diego county schools. I start rehearsals in San Diego January 11th 2011 (can you believe 2010 is almost over?!) and will be performing from February through early April! I got the news while I was driving up Hwy 5 to visit my fam in Northern California. My caller ID was blinking my agent's number and I just was praying they were going to tell me I had gotten the job, and I did! As soon as I hung up the phone, still driving, I literally began to weep. I have never been so overcome with emotion so instantly. Since graduation I cannot begin to count how many times I have sat down and thought to myself "what the hell are you doing?! You can't do this, this isn't real." But finally landing a job gave mt the validation I needed to remind myself that I'm actually good at what I do, and I love it enough to keep trying no matter what. Holy crap it was a good feeling.

I cannot begin to explain how proud I am of the successes my peers have been fortunate enough to have in these short six months since graduation. I was talking to the amazing Angelica Richie, whose blog can be accessed here, about this today and it truly is fantastic. To think that so many of my friends are working in New York, Los Angeles and all over the county is ridiculous. (To tune into the UCLA c/o 2010 progress click here.) The life we have all chosen to lead is by no means an easy one. We have given ourselves over to the theater and entertainment gods in hopes of finding just a tiny bit of gold at the end of our long and difficult rainbow. Scary thought right? And yet, as idealistic or perhaps egotistical as it may sound I feel that we all belong here. I feel that through the hard work, blood, sweat and many, many tears that we all put in everything will work out in the just the way it is meant to. There were many jobs I was not have been cast in that caused me a lot of heartbreak, but all of those previous jobs would have made me ineligible for Frida. And from what I understand, this is going to be an opportunity to create a title character role in a new musical that will be performed for kids, which we all know are my favorite people! I hate to say that everyone was right when they said the right projects will come along, but in this case I think they were.

I've got lots of recipes to share since it is officially that gluttonous time of year and I've already started cooking and baking up a storm, but I am choosing to put them in a separate post merely for the sake of brevity (and my tummy is rumbling for dinner so I need to take a quick typing break to feed my appetite.)

More fun to come!