Cleveland International Film Festival

Our movie has taken us all around the country.  In the last four months we've taken "Missed Connections" to Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Boston and Ann Arbor.  There have been too many wonderful memories for me to mention all of them.  But I am going to attempt to share some of the highlights with you and I'm starting with Cleveland....

We premiered here, it was our first festival and probably one of the greatest times of my life.  The Husband and I joked that it was better than our wedding day, but we may not have been joking.  Here, we screened to four sold out 250+ seat houses.  They just kept adding screenings.  One day we had to turn away a hundred people who had waited in line for an hour.  That day the line wrapped all the way down the multiplex's corridor and around the corner into the food court.  This was taken at the premier...

We sat in the audience with our parents as the Festival Programmer, Bill Guentzler introduced the film. "This came as a submission," he said "which is really unusual.  Finding movies like this is the reason that I do what I do.  I really love this movie and I hope you do too."  The four of us held hands, cried a little and then the movie started. 

All of what I just said still seems untrue or like something that you dream about when you are a child but then you become jaded and accustomed to never attaining it as an adult.  It still hasn't really settled in, even now, four months later.  At one point, my father said to my mother, "This is the kind of thing that you hope for, for your children."  Uh....yeah.  It was unbelievable.

I love this picture above because it looks a little like a framed album cover that I have of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players.  At the closing night gala, we stepped into a grand pavilion where two thousand people stood.  It looked like this...

We were certain that although, our film had done well, that there would be no actual awards for us.  That seemed impossible.  There were bigger movies with bigger budgets (200 times bigger), they had stars and important subject matter and did I mention the budget?  We were small potatoes with our cast of friends, our stolen locations and our budget of 25K.  Who would give us an award?  

And then a man on the podium said "and the winner of the best American Independent film goes to..."  and then our name "MISSED CONNECTIONS."  It was so clear and yet, it didn't really sink in.  The words seemed to spill out of his mouth like they were slowly being written in calligraphy in the air.  I could almost see the loopy font hovering above the podium.  The Husband was already on the stage before I even realized what was happening.  Our producer, Lisa Rudin had to turn around and say "Dorien!  Come on!!"  And there it was.  We won.  I cried.

 Cleveland Rocked

I honestly didn't think that the night could get any better and then, I met Wayne White from (best documentary winner) Beauty Is Embarrassing.  This was my favorite doc from all four festivals that I've been to thus far.  You should see it.  He's an artist and he's remarkable.

We left the next day and I swear it felt like we flew home without a plane.  Here's proof...

Cleveland changed me.  The festival was so organized and so encouraging that it set the bar unbelievably high for every other festivals.  The people of Cleveland love independent movies with a feverish passion.  I've never seen anything like it.  It was simply the most rewarding experience I've ever had as an artist.  I cannot thank them enough.  They put such a fire under our asses that we are already working on another movie.  I hope I get to go back to Cleveland one day, even if I don't have a movie to show.  It's just that good.

Missed Connections (the best thing I've ever cooked up)

Most of you know that I'm an actress by trade.  I've mentioned it before, but what you may not know is that I've spent the last year making a feature film with my husband and two amazing partners/friends.  Our movie Missed Connections is premiering at the Cleveland International Film Festival next week and we could not be more happy/proud.  I guess it's one of those moments in life when, you have to take a sec to say 'thank you' and 'wow' and 'holy shit we did it!'

So 'thank you' to all who supported me and 'wow' what the hell am I going to wear and 'holy shit we did it' (I hope this isn't the last time).

If you are interested in seeing Missed Connections at at theater near you, you can like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter as we'll be updating it daily.

Homemade Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

My friend Beth got a little outdoor fire pit for her back yard.  She lives in a beautiful house in Mar Vista, just west of us.  She and her husband have worked so hard renovating their home and installing beautiful drought tolerant landscaping.  They have awesome parties loaded with southern delicacies like sweet tea vodka and 8 hour-smoked, pork butt.  Everyone loves it there, it's just a nice place to be.

A few weeks ago Beth mentioned that she was going to throw herself a birthday party.  As usual, I was super excited.  We brainstormed a little and I said that I would make some homemade marshmallows to roast on her new fire pit at the party.  It made me think about camping trips when I was little and cold winter nights with my friends, circled around the flames.  Who knows, maybe I'd even bring some graham crackers and chocolate...

But then the news came that The Husband and I booked a gig that night and I was going to have to miss all the fun.  I was so bummed to miss the party but I figured I would make the marshmallows anyway.  I mean, I love this girl like a sister and if I can't be there at least my marshmallows can.

I used Martha Stewart's recipe and made the yummiest batch of 'shmallows I've ever tasted.  I toasted and ate like four of them before I had to force myself to walk away (for fear of passing out on the kitchen floor in a diabetic coma).  They had the yummiest consistency.  Not at all like the store bought kind.  The are more substantial and when toasted, they develop an almost creme brule type crust around the outside while turning to pudding inside.

Since I missed the party, I think I should make it up to myself by going 'camping' in my back yard more often.  Maybe I'll spend a little time outside around a flame (even if that flame is a brule torch).  Maybe I'll surround myself with friends and sing campfire songs (or because we're work-a-holics, the 'idea' of friends and our ipod doc).  Perhaps I'll sit under the stars and think about life (or maybe just the moon, because I live in LA and we never see the stars).  It's not perfect dream but it will do.

Happy Birthday Beth! I love you this much...

Nomad Chef Secret Dinner

When we were in London last May, we were invited to a Nomad Chef Secret Dinner. It's a sort of a pop up restaurant that is held in a beautiful home in Notting Hill. Twenty strangers and a few regulars come together for one night of brilliant, themed food and company. The last time we went it was Cinco de Mayo and we had four courses of Mexican wonderful, including a lovely mole, empanadas and killer margaritas. Not a small feat when you are all the way across the Atlantic ocean. That night we met people from all over Europe, most of whom had heard about the dinners through word of mouth and blogs but had never met before. It was by far one of the best meals we had on our vacation but the company was my absolute favorite. It's no wonder it sells out every week.

So now that you know the deal, here's the secret... There is going to be a Nomad Chef Secret Dinner in Beverly Hills on March 26th. The theme is the Kubrick film "Eyes Wide Shut." Get your head out of the gutter, it's not a crazy sex party, just a meal of passionate food and drink. You won't be disappointed. The Chef has also hired a musician for live music all night. You can read more about it on the facebook event page or just buy your tickets here (it's just a donation to cover food costs). For those of you who are tight on funds, I have a secret chef-secret code to knock off a lot of those bucks. If you want it, leave a message in the comment box and I'll email it to you.

By the way, I know the secret menu, ooooooo, this is going to be good! Bring a bottle of wine and someone you love and come out and have one of the best nights ever. See you there!

The Bride, The Groom... & Fernando The Taco Man

A few weeks ago, The Husband and I threw an engagement party for our good friends Rick and Robin (whose wedding we are officiating in June). This party was so much fun to put together. We gave it a vacation theme because Rick and Robin's initials are R&R and also because, well, they like to party. We live in the front house of a triplex and our neighbors in the back have a huge beautiful yard. With their generosity, in two days, we turned that yard into a vacation-party paradise.

Meet the bride and groom...

This is Fernando the Taco Man. I'm in love with his Tacos. Like crazy in love. We had to feed 35-40 people at our party, so instead of working myself to the bone, I made drinks and cake and Fernando took care of everything else. It was awesome.

He brings his cart and all the ingredients and stays for 4 hours. His tacos are fresh, well seasoned, and delicious. We had, pastor, carne asada, carnitas, chicken, grilled onions, grilled mild peppers, rice, beans, guacamole, chips, two salsas, cilantro chopped onions, radishes and limes wedges. If you are planning a party where you have too feed 30+ people, I absolutely recommend Fernando (his number is (626) 278-6327). He was such a nice man, with such an amazing service. Look at all this yum....


The Husband ate seven tacos that afternoon. Seven. And the best part was that there were plenty of leftovers for dinner that night (and then some).

I made homemade margaritas with fresh squeezed orange juice.

We bought Mexican Cokes made with cane sugar. Yum.

And the Bride's favorite beer.

I made a double batch of The Pioneer Woman's Tres Leches Cake and managed to tier it.

And this Lemon bundt cake is my favorite recipe from the book 'Under The Tuscan Sun' buy Francis Mayes (I'll blog this one soon, it's too good).

Rick has an affinity for beer coozies, so we stole all of his collection and added some of our own for everyone to use. This one was epic.

Until...

The whole day was so fun because I didn't have to kill myself in the kitchen and we could still eat like a kings. But best of all, Rick and Robin had a blast and all their friends left happy and full.
We cannot wait for next Summer! These people, know how to party. Love you R&R.

The Santa Barbara Mojito Party

My Mother loves mojitos. This wouldn't normally be adorable and strange except for the fact that most of my life, my parents never drank. Growing up, we had a stocked bar in the house but only used it for parties. Every once and a while they would maybe have a glass of wine, but that was rare and reserved for special occasions. It's astounding that my sister and I share their genetics. I'm not sure what happened to my Mom and Dad exactly but somewhere between becoming empty-nesters and retirement, my parents started to drink a little more often. Usually it's just one (lets not get crazy now) at a dinner party or restaurant. My mother loves a mixed fruity drink and my father a glass of red wine. I'm not sure why I find it so endearing. It's just that they have always been such highly functioning, by-the-book intellectuals it's nice to see them (in their 70's) throw caution to the wind and have a mojito every once and a while. Who says people can't change.

I grew up in Santa Barbara. I am totally bias but, I think it is the the most beautiful place in the world. My parents lived there for 40 years and then two years ago, they moved and retired to North Carolina. I am still coming to terms with this fact. I mean, North Carolina is beautiful and they are happy there but it seems pretty fucking crazy to me that anyone would voluntarily move out of Santa Barbara. I mean I moved, but I was also, 22 and I have never claimed sanity.

My Mom and Dad still come 'home' every now and again to visit their doctors, dentist, friends and daughter. But I think they are missing us less and less. North Carolina is a charmer. A month ago when they came to town, I threw them a big fat (don't you miss us) party. And to sweeten the pot, I made mojitos. There were a lot of mojitos and Cuban fish tacos. It was quite a feast.

Dorien's Mojitos
In an empty rocks glass (the short fat kind) muddle together
One T Sugar (NOT POWDERED)
Fresh juice of one lime
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves
Add ice to glass
Add one shot of light rum
Top off with sparkling water
Mix with spoon
For extra flavor add a floater of one T dark rum (optional)

I didn't take any photos of the cocktails because I spent most of the night muddling them and they were consumed in seconds. Mea Culpa. Here was my spread...


This fish taco recipe was taken from ALL RECIPES and they were the best grilled fish tacos I've ever made/eaten. The chipotle-lime crema was to die for.


I also made this awesome and incredibly SIMPLE SALSA From Mary and Alison's beautiful blog. I've made both the salsa and fish tacos again since this meal. I cannot reccomend them enough.

My godparents hosted the party at their beautiful Upper West Side Spanish bungalow, a home that I practically grew up in. All the usual suspects showed up. Friendships that my parents have cultivated for 30 plus years picked up right were they left off. We ate and drank and laughed into the night. I would be fooling myself if there wasn't a little part of me that hoped that they would be convinced to stay but the following week they packed up their little red car and drove back across the country. Yes they drive. Somethings are not subject to change.

Seattle - Wedding and Food

The wedding day came and The Husband and I were lucky enough to officiate the ceremony. It was the greatest honor that the two of us had ever been given. We read poems and stories pasted to the inside of cookbooks and saw a hundred and fifty people come together with one single purpose. When we walked down the isle after the I dos were done, our hearts were racing. I've never seen two people more in love than Liam and Audrey. There were times during the ceremony when I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's private moment. I had to remind myself in the middle that I was an integral part of the whole marriage ceremony instead of a voyeur.

But now, I'm sharing photos with you, so voyeurism is welcome.

Audrey's Mom made her dress out of a silk/hemp blend, it looked beautiful on her. And Liam, well, the man can wear a suit with the best of them.

The ride was a gift from a friend who knew the bride and groom all too well.

The reception was held in the backyard of Audrey's childhood home. These trees dotted the property and gave us dappled light all afternoon.

The cake with the little mushrooms on top.

Audrey and Liam cured and smoked the fish themselves. It was the best smoked salmon of my life. I think only the heads were left at the end of the night.

Hey buddy, how ya doin'?

At a Greek wedding, yes, we roast meats. As a matter of fact 'roasted meats' were mentioned on the invitation to this wedding. We even made a note during the ceremony about how much the groom loves Lamb. Here you see a whole lamb and six lamb legs that were tended to by a crew of Greek and Armenian friends/chefs.

Roasting an animal on a spit is always somewhere between cooking and construction.

Liam and Audrey made this potato salad with fresh dill and mustard seeds.

A dramatic bowl of tzadziki.

Brilliant colors and loads of local produce were on every table. Those cherries are Lapin Cherries, that grow on a 70 acre farm and are only harvested one month out of the year. They were crisp and explosively juicy and I loved them so much that I probably ate an entire pound.

Heirloom tomato salad that may have changed the way I feel about tomatoes or maybe just reminded me what a tomato should really taste like. And I love tomatoes but these, these were on a whole new level.

My dinner clockwise; heirloom tomato salad, feta cheese, french bread, potato salad, herbed cream cheese, smoked salmon, grilled corn medallions marinated in herbs and oil, tzadziki, Greek olives and roasted red pepper hummus (I think). I ate it with a really nice, dry glass of rose (well it was a wedding, so probably like 4 glasses). I don't eat lamb but The Husband is still talking about how remarkable it was. At the end of the night, I found him sitting in the corner by himself. He was eating another plate of food, but this one was piled high with only tender lamb goodness. Again, I had that feeling of cutting in on someone's private moment.

As the night died down, we danced into it. Our, belly's filled with some of the best food I've ever eaten. I hugged my cousin and thanked him for an amazing day, for letting us be such a big part of it, for his friendship, for everything. He paused and said "How was the food...?"

Yeah, he's got his priorities straight.

Audrey's Seattle Shower

Once I landed in Seattle, my Mom and Dad picked me up at the airport and whisked me off to a beautiful bridal shower for my cousin Liam's betrothed. There is something special about Seattle in the Summer. All that rain pays off I guess...
The shower was held on Audrey's friend's porch. After this, yeah, I want a porch.
We all gathered around and showered the bride. She made out. I bought her three pairs of Hanky Pankys (best underwear in the world).
She was glowing. I know it's a cliche but she was. She's also just awesome, so one might argue that she's always like this.
Audrey's mother gave her a silver art deco tea set. The same tea set that Audrey's great grandmother gave to her grandmother and that her grandmother gave to her mother on their wedding days. There were tears... all around.
The flowers were provided by our lovely host. I think they were from Pike's Market. Please understand that the flowers in the summer in Seattle are better than anywhere in the world. These Dahlia's took my breath away.
Our hostess made a blackberry sauce that we added to Prosecco. Blackberry Belinis. My goodness they were fantastic. I had four.
And the food was, a green chili and chicken strata...

Spinach and goat cheese strata,
Bacony-potatoes,
There were berries growing everywhere up there, I ate blackberries off a bush at the park. I hope they weren't poison. These obviously weren't but my god, the climate in Seattle is perfect for berries.
The favors were so cute and creative. Our hostess was a wonderful cook and she made these...


Adorable cupcakes. I brought one home for the husband, marshmallow frosting and a cute little bride and groom. After the shower, my belly loaded with brunch-wonderful, I perfected the art of stealing shit. Audrey and Liam are both professional chefs. So, I had the idea to perform their wedding ceremony out of a chef's bible...
I broke into Audrey's apartment and stole her copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and then the husband and I taped the ceremony inside and prepared ourselves for the most delicious wedding-weekend of all time. Because when chefs get married, everyone wins.