This long weekend I decided to work on a baking project I’ve been thinking about for a bit: a Porg Pot Pie. The inspiration was this awesome Porg pie bird that my dad got me two Christmas’s ago. Key parts of this challenge for me were to: make my first double-crust pie, successfully blind bake…
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
I am slowly getting better at pie baking, after struggling with some basic skills. I think I am finally getting the hang of blind baking a pie crust, which is the technique to pre-bake a crust so that it is browned and properly cooked when the fillings are added. Here’s the techniques that I have…
What I Learned from 12 Months of Intermittent Fasting
This week marks one year of me following the dieting method Intermittent Fasting (IF)! I didn’t have many expectations when I started. Really I was just tired of hearing raves about IF from so many friends. So I did some research and decided to try it out and see how it felt. Turns out, I…
Life Pro Tip: Offer Concrete Help Instead of Asking “How Can I Help?”
So this “Life Pro Tip” thread on Reddit has been rattling around my head for the past couple of days. Reading through the thread has moved me to tears a few times. I have definitely been guilty of being that person who asked someone who is grieving or suffering “How can I help?” without offering…
Connecting Rhythm Skating and House Dance
Happy 2021! On the last day of the year, I did a little video exploring the connections I’ve found between rhythm skating and house dance. As a dancer who has dabbled in many different forms, I’ve been interested in how to incorporate my other styles into skating. House dance, which I’ve been practicing for the…
2020 in Review: Skating, Fasting, Connecting Virtually
The year 2020 was one that no one could have anticipated. A global pandemic grinds normal life to a halt. Horrible acts of violence against Black people lead to a painful but necessarily national reckoning with the systemic racism in our society. A contentious presidential election results in (hopefully) a peaceful transfer of power. I…
First Time Making Danish Pastry!
One of my projects during the holiday break has been learning how to make one of my favorite desserts: Danish pastry! Somewhere between a brioche and a croissant, Danish seemed like a good next step in my baking journey. First step was choosing a recipe. After scouring the internets, I decided King Arthur Flour /…
A Dance Tribute to “Miracle on 42nd Street”
It was 2011 that my all time favorite holiday dance video — and one of my favorite dance videos PERIOD — came out: “A Miracle on 42nd Street.” Performed by the Yas Initiative, aka Alex Karigan and Zac Hammer, this very Broadway, very campy dance piece is just joy encapsulated for me. Fast forward to…
Art as Fishing by Todd Drake
Last week at Brooklyn Quaker Meeting for Worship, Todd Drake shared this beautiful message, which I am sharing with his permission: As an artist, I have often thought of making art as like fishing. It’s like you are throwing out bait and hoping that it catches something. That might mean a sale or some kind…
Christmas, 1978
That is one happy kiddo!