Happy Thanksgiving!  (And a non-Thanksgiving dish for you …)

I’m in love with orecchiette.  Something about then looks so much more elegant and enticing than say elbow macaroni or mostaccioli.  It’s possible that I choose recipes just for their inclusion of this sweet little ear-shaped pasta.  I don’t know why I do this, though, because I have NEVER once found orecchiette at any of my grocery stores.  They are simply nonexistent.  There is cavatelli, shells, linguine, fettucine, and angel hair.  And even sometimes campanelle, which is what I substituted with in this case, but never my beloved orecchiette.  Oh I know they exist.  They exist at those little, kitschy gourmet food stores for $8/lb. but I’ve got principles that keep me from that ludicrousness.    And so I pick recipes for their cute little orecchiette and end up with pasta made from campanelle.

I’d give this recipe mixed reviews.  I liked that it highlights some lesser-used ingredients for pasta.  It’s got all the elements needed to pack some major flavor punch.  And yet it just didn’t quite get there.  I expected an explosion of flavors in my mouth and what I got was good pasta instead of great pasta.  I don’t think this recipe is dead, though, so if it appeals to you I’d encourage you to play around.

I think if I tried it again I’d do two things differently.  First, I would not mince the shallots.  I’d keep them in long stringy strips and sauté them until thoroughly caramelized.  (I don’t even eat onions, but I love the flavor enhancement that they give and know that many others consider them a real treat.)  Second, I would greatly enhance the lemon flavor.  Adding some lemon zest to the cream sauce and then upping the amount of fresh lemon juice at the end.

Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts, Gorgonzola, and Brown-Butter Pecans
From Fine Cooking 102, pp. 107
Serves 4-6

Kosher salt
20 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed (4 cups)
3-1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. dried orecchiette
1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 large shallots, minced (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled (1 cup)
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, set a heavy rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

In a food processor fitted with the medium (4 mm) slicing disk, slice the Brussels sprouts. Transfer them to a large bowl, drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with 1-1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, and toss until well coated. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and spread the Brussels sprouts on it in a single layer. Roast, stirring once about halfway through the cooking time, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and flecked with charred bits, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette according to package directions until just al dente.

In a medium heavy-duty skillet, melt 1/2 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat. Add the pecans and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter is deeply browned and the pecans are toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, add 3 oz. (3/4 cup) of the Gorgonzola and stir until melted.

Drain the orecchiette and return it to the pot. Add the Brussels sprouts, Gorgonzola sauce, and lemon juice and toss well. Serve, sprinkled with the pecans and the remaining Gorgonzola.

My husband and I traveled to France and Italy four years ago. Of course, we ate and drank our way through Paris, Strasbourg, Provence and Florence. The last place that we visited was Tuscany. Unfortunately, my husband got sick for our last 3 nights and we never got to see much of Tuscany. Luckily, we were staying in this beautiful hotel, Locanda dell’Amorosa in Singaluna. So, while I did not venture far (except to the market for the Italian version of ginger ale), I still was able to enjoy delightful food and beautiful surroundings. The food and service at the hotel were exceptional.

We drove from Florence to Singaluna and luckily were able to see Siena along the way. It is one of many beautiful hillside towns in Italy. Siena may best be known for Palio di Sienna, the medieval horse race run around the Piazza del Campotwice a year. We were not there for that event, so we will always remember Siena for its amazing Duomo, the Cathedrale di Santa Maria. It was far more impressive than the Duomo in Florence. The floor of the Cathedrale di Santa is covered up with boards all but one month of the year to preserve the amazing mosaic. Fortunately, we were there during that month. Much of the floor is roped off so that you are not able to walk on certain parts, but we were able to see the mosaic and it was breathtaking.

We also stopped for lunch in the little town of Singaluna. There were not many options, so we chose a tiny local spot that seemed lively. I could not even tell you the name of the restaurant. There was one older woman (think grandmother) that was waiting on all the tables. Of course, she did not speak English and we did not speak Italian, but when it comes to food, we can figure it out enough to get great food! The place was packed with locals eating course after course of huge plates of meats and pasta followed by bottle after bottle of red wine. We knew it had to be good with all the patrons. These big, hungry men were keeping this lady running. I was not sure we would ever get our lunch.

I did finally get my Pasta with Bolognese sauce and I must say that it was one of the best I have ever had. It was richer and had more fat than I had before in a Bolognese sauce and I am sure that is why it was so good. I have tried many recipes since that trip to try to find something similar. This was definitely a dish that I wanted to bring home and recreate as close to the original as possible. I think I have found “the one” after trying many different versions. This seems to be the most traditional recipe.

I will tell you that I tried many other recipes that included more ingredients and different types of meat, but this was the simplest and most like what I had in Italy. Tyler Florence (who I really do like and enjoy many of his recipes) adds all sorts of ingredients that are not traditionally in Bolognese sauce (bay leaves, garlic, dried mushrooms, basil) and Cooks Illustrated uses 3 meats (beef, pork and veal). Although some of the recipes I tried might use a small amount of pork, the preferred meat seemed to be good old ground chuck. Sometimes simpler is better. The following is the original recipe by Michele Urvater which was the closest recipe I found to my Italian experience with Bolognese sauce. I have noted a few changes I made to make it even more like the dish I had in Singaluna.

Classic Italian Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup minced pancetta
* 1 cup minced celery
* 2/3 cup minced carrot
* 1/2 cup minced onion
* 1 lb ground beef chuck
* salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes, chopped with liquid
* 1 lb pasta
* freshly grated parmesan cheese-optional garnish

Directions

In a 3 quart saucepan heat oil and butter. Add pancetta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until most of the fat has been rendered. Then add carrots, celery, and onions and saute for 3 minutes. Now add the beef, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the milk and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the milk is completely evaporated. Add wine and simmer until evaporated.

Finally, add the tomatoes and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours partially covered. It’s important to reduce as slowly as possible. If sauce becomes dry, add 1/2 cup water whenever necessary. When almost ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, pat dry and return to the pot. Add your sauce to the past and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

* Do use whole milk. I have tried it with whole milk and 2% milk. It is a much richer sauce with the whole milk. I use a French white burgundy for the dry white wine. Do not use an American Chardonnay as most are too oaky and will interfere with the other flavors in the sauce.

* I add several tablespoons of concentrated tomato paste during the last half hour on the cooking time. Even though there are tomatoes in the sauce, I still find that it needs a bit more tomato flavor. I also find that I do need to add the water periodically as the sauce does begin to dry.

* The Bolognese sauce that I had in Singaluna was also served over egg pasta. I use an organic tagliatelle made with durum semolina (Bionature brand). You will not need an entire pound of this pasta. An 8.8 oz. package comfortably serves 3 people. I drain the pasta, but do not pat it dry as the recipe says. Instead, I mix some of the sauce with the pasta and a little of reserved pasta water. I top it with the remaining sauce. Of course, I finish with lots of good (and freshly grated) Parmigiano Reggiano.

Mangia! Mangia!

This lovely specimen of a human is Martin. (Well, that’s what I remember his name to be after a couple glasses of wine. My dining partners insist this was not his name, but something I later made up. Maybe someone can comment and set the record straight.) That man tattooed on Martin’s forearm is his father.

Malika. Her name means “queen.”

ITALIAN LUXURY MULTY-BRAND RESORT provides an enclave of refinement, fashion and luxury right in the heart of south africa’s most beautiful metropolis.
The Italian resort is set to become a landmark hotel in Cape Town.
The Resort offers guests a rare option: the possibility to choose among the 6 high luxury fashion hotel, and share with the other members of the resort an unique and vibrant experience. that is the aim of the project: to create a new luxury area in which will coexist different fashion hotel, a sort of little village in the heart of Cape town. With the possibility to share with the others customer of the resort common services, located in the center of the resort such us: golf course, swimming pool, luxury spa, meeting’s room, cocktail party’s room and a casino.

This St Margarets Italian from the same stable as Twickenham Church St’s rock-solid duo of Pincho and Osteria Pulcinella has been open about ten days now. The first signs are that this is a major asset for St Margarets.

Riversniffers bumped into two seasoned restaurant goers who ate at Brocca on the first Saturday. Their verdict? The best meal they’d had anywhere in 2009 – at any price – absolutely fabulous.

She had bruschetta followed by a calzone. He had aubergine and mozarella bake, followed by crab tagliatelli. They had a good bottle of Italian white. The bill? £46 including a tip.

The next day the couple went to the Wolseley. They said that the meal, although really enjoyable, was “nowhere near as imaginative as Brocca on the Saturday”.

Riversniffers can’t wait to try it out and is booked in there in the next week. There will be a full write-up here shortly afterwards.

Looks like they’ll be beating the customers off with sticks.

Book early for Christmas!

Brocca Antica

139 St Margarets Road

Twickenham

TW1 1RG

Tel: 020 8891 2644

Nathan Pacheco, Amare Di Nuovo with Italian/English Subtitles!

Dopo oltre un anno di intensivo sviluppo e refactoring, è finalmente disponibile Inkscape 0.47.
Questa nuova versione dell’editor libero di grafica vettoriale SVG porta con sé un miglioramento delle performance ed una enorme quantità di nuove caratteristiche, tra cui: auto-salvataggio a intervalli regolari, tracciati Spiro, nodi curvilinei e scolpitura, lo strumento gomma, nuove funzionalità per lo strumento ritocco, una barra di controllo per l’aggancio e una modalità di aggancio totalmente nuova, nuovi effetti su tracciato (tra cui la distorsione a busta), una enorme collezione di filtri preimpostati, nuove funzionalità di esportazione PS e EPS basate su cairo, il controllo ortografico, nuove estensioni aggiuntive, l’ottimizzazione del codice SVG generato e molto altro

ancora. Da menzionare inoltre il grande impegno che ha portato alla correzione di centinaia di bug segnalati durante tutto il periodo di sviluppo.
Per ulteriori informazioni e curiosità sulle nuove caratteristiche e su tutte le novità introdotte con questa nuova versione,
potete consultare le note di rilascio, sfogliare la galleria degli screenshot o semplicemente scaricare il nuovo Inkscape per il
vostro sistema.

Note di rilascio:
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/ReleaseNotes047

Good lord. This is the Platonic Ideal of Food.  This is Food. Capital F. When it’s late at night and I’m a bit hungry, this is what I want. All the time. Every time.

This dish will change your life.

I was browsing one of my favorite sites, YumSugar, when I came upon this daring recipe. I’ve been feeling in a food rut for the last couple of weeks, and wanted to surprise Ryan with something fun and new. And my love for macaroni and cheese led me here.

Ingredients:

- 6 T olive oil

- 1 cup chopped bacon (or Morningstar strips for us!)

- 1 small white onion, chopped

- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

- 1 lb ditalini

- 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

- 8 oz. smoked provolone, cut into cubes

- 1/2 cup parmesan

- salt to taste

Directions:

Put 4 T of the olive oil and the chopped bacon into a large/deep skillet over medium high heat.  This helps bring out the bacon fat.  If you’re using Morningstar Farms like me, you need to add a couple of tablespoons of butter to make the fat content a bit higher. Add the chopped onion and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in the cubed potatoes, making sure to cover them in oil/butter. Spread them out as much as possible to cook.

Pour in 4 cups water, and stir everything. Take care to remove anything that’s crusted to the bottom of the skillet. Stir often. Bring to a low boil and cook for 20 minutes until the soupy sauce is thicker and barely covering the potatoes. Meanwhile, be preparing the ditalini. Drain and add the the bacon-onion-potato mix at the end of the 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 T of olive oil and cook for 3 more minutes.

Stir in the diced tomatoes and cook them for about a minute. Turn off the heat and add in the cubed smoked provolone and stir. Salt to taste. Mix in the parmesan. Serve hot!

This makes a TON, which is great for leftovers. Ryan and I had so many leftovers the last time I made this that we both had seconds that night AND had seconds for lunch the next day! I was most skeptical of the potatoes in this dish, but they are just wonderful. They are velvety smooth and totally necessary. Also, smoked provolone is to die for. It is salty and creamy and smoky and delicious.

10.0. I can’t believe I’m not eating this right now.

Continued pictures from the Gold Kids / MTL / Ghost Town show last weekend. These were mostly taken by Steph and some by Saam. Enjoy.

bahahaha! nice one CatFace!

on MTV about life on the Jersey Shore that UNICO says depicts Italians in a poor light. 

I mean, not all Italians have dark hair, you know. 

Some of us are redheads.

Forzieri Salmon Variegated Stripes Cotton Italian Dress Shirt Review

Feature

Overview
Multicolor variegated stripes on a salmon ground add a colorful element of style to this Forzieri dress shirt in premium quality cotton. Made in Italy

Nov 25, 2009 21:03:03

Before I begin, I must take an oath… “I, Ashley, will never again eat canned, jarred, or any other type of pre-prepared-store-bought pasta sauce as long as I am able to chew.”

2 recipes in 1 dinner!:

• The All-Pantry Pasta Sauce
• Hail Caesar! Salad

Talk about a lot going on in the kitchen… The broiling tomatoes, the other components of the sauce, the salad, the pasta, the croutons, some garlic bread… my goodness. It was a whirlwind. I was only left with one severe burn…

I successfully broke in the broiler in my new apartment. According to AB, the broiler is the most underused appliance in the American kitchen… and I am a perfect example of this. Turns out, broilers get pretty darn hot… so hot in fact that the heat from a pan that has been, say, holding broiling tomatoes, goes completely through oven mitts. Also turns out, this transfer of heat from roasting pan, through mitt, to hand creates one pretty nasty, painful burn.

Eggs Boilin'

Fortunately, I had my eggs for the Caesar dressing in their ice-water bath in which I could plunge my singed hand. So that worked out nicely.

This sauce required “all-pantry” ingredients (Pantry Raid!), so no fresh tomatoes: canned whole tomatoes. I like AB’s justification for using canned tomatoes rather than fresh:

Oh, I know some of you are shocked that I would make tomato sauce with canned product, but riddle me this: If you had a nice fresh, ripe, tomato off the vine, full of summer goodness, rich with perfume- perfect- what’s the last thing you would do to it? If your answer isn’t “cook it,” then you don’t deserve that fat vermillion orb in the first place.

My pantry/refrigerator included almost everything for the sauce (white wine, sugar, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, carrot, onion, celery, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper). However, there was one key ingredient that I lacked: sherry vinegar. Now, I don’t know where (on what planet/ in what grocery store) this stuff exists, but I couldn’t find it.

How, I ask you, out of THIS aisle of vinegars… this MASSIVE selection… AND after checking 2 other stores’ aisles… could I not find it?! I want to know.

I asked people, I googled on my phone, I called Ben from the store so he could google it on a people-size computer. No dice.

After 3 stores and much frustration I gave up and bought White Wine Vinegar and Sherry White Wine. I used equal parts of each and called it a day.

I don’t care… it tasted amazing. The sauce was a perfect mix of heat and sweet. It completely and utterly shattered my ability to enjoy a quick pasta dinner slathered in microwave-warmed sauce out of a jar.

The salad… I now understand what a disgrace the Caesar salad I purchase for lunch at the cafe in town is… no more of those! Also, homemade croutons… like a different food. I could eat those like potato chips.

Final dinner of awesomeness:

There are two beginning students, komencantoj, at the Stanford class on conversational Esperanto.  Since they are already polyglots, they are picking the language up quickly.  However, they still have a difficult time following advanced conversation.

Why is this? you might ask. Isn’t Esperanto supposed to be the easiest language in the world to learn?

Yes, and basic Esperanto is a breeze.  ”La ĉielo estas blua.” “Mi malsatas. Ni manĝu.” “Kie estas la necesejo?”  ”La plumo de mia onklino estas sur la tablo.”  ”Mi donis libon al Karlo.”

Very basic.  Very concrete.  And if we were, say, a race of hounds who live only in the moment and only think about things they can see, taste and smell, that would be all that would be required of any language.  But human thought involves so much more than the current moment, concrete nouns and simple verbs.  We think abstractly, hypothetically and subjunctively.  We talk about things we can only infer without actually witnessing.  I have heard it said that without the subjunctive, one can only speak Italian with a limp.  I would say the same about any language.

Once ideas become more complex, the language must accommodate or it’s useless to humans.  With humans, conversations turn abstract with very little prompting, and the komencantoj quickly become lost.  Fortunately, the problem is solved with practice and familiarity.

An example of this is illustrated by the translation of the phrase, describing the Society for Creative Anachronism, “The Middle Ages as they should have been.”

The best I could do was, “La Mezepoko kiel ĝi devintus.”  (There is nothing illegal about the use of the word devintus though many experienced esperantists have warned me about it.  The preferred usage evidently is ” … kiel ĝi estus devinta.” though that sounds awkward to me.  And if you google the word devintus you’ll find it used other places by quite fluent esperantists.  ”It’s not common usage,” some will complain.  But “… should have been” also is not a common phrase.)  We are talking about the conditional past.  How more abstract can you get?  It’s easy to talk about the conditional future, even the conditional present.  But the conditional past? As if the past were a malleable thing? Generally a topic for geeks, eh?  Only a first class language could tackle that.  Is Esperanto, by this definition, a first class language?  You tell me.  For my money, the nunaj komencantoj will be slinging the subjunctive lingo inside six months.  A year tops.

I have used MANY different products haircoloring in the past and decided to try Herbatint because of all the good things I read about this product. I have used Herbatint 3N Dark Brown (which is my natural color) on my hair. After application, I noticed a change in my hair. My hair was softer and shinier. The only black spot was dark brown like most about my hair black. The Herbatint covered all my hair gray and color lasted 6 weeks before the show looked gray. IUse a shampoo and condition of color-treated hair may be the reason why the color has lasted as long as she did. I wanted to go lighter and I made the mistake and ordered Chestnut 4N thinking it would make my hair already dark light …. he did not. What he did do is make more black dye my hair black, which made it even darker … if possible. Overall, I would recommend this product. The advice I can give is to make sure you take a 3-tone shade lighter than your natural hairCOLOR. I suppose I Herbatint colored my hair the first time with Dark Blonde 6N. I am now trying to get the black shadow which is a very slow process. Perhaps when the dark shadow is finally out of my hair I'll try the shadow 6N to see if I can get a medium brown color. Note also inorder to keep hair color fresh and sustainable use of shampoo and conditioner for colored hair color or hair color wash really fast!

Herbatint Herbal Hair Color Gel To Cover Gray Hair No Ammonia Italian Reviews

HERBATINT permanent dye for hair is a gel with vegetable extracts that very delicately colours the hair without damaging its structure, thanks to its special formula, free from ammonia and aggressive chemical ingredients.

Herbatint Herbal Hair Color Gel To Cover Gray Hair No Ammonia Italian Features

• Herbatint comes in a complete home coloring kit. The kit includes everything you need to achieve beautiful lasting color.
• Herbatint has no ammonia which eliminates the usual “fume” odor, and protects the scalp with nourishing ingredients and does not stain the scalp
• Herbatint does not damage the hair.
• Herbatint allows you to achieve even coverage simply by combing it through the hair. This creates the most natural looking color possible.
• Herbatint was designed for use by chemically sensitive people. The natural herbal ingredients have been meticulously blended to achieve beautiful lasting color without resorting to harsh or dangerous chemicals.

Check Price and Read More Details of Herbatint Herbal Hair Color Gel To Cover Gray Hair No Ammonia Italian…>>

Herbatint Herbal Hair Color Gel To Cover Gray Hair No Ammonia Italian Customer’s Reviews

Pretty hair color with no scalp itch! – Margo –
I have been using Herbatint for about 8 years and love it. I tried Revlon and Clairol, but my scalp itching for three weeks. Herbatint is odorless and gives me a beautiful hair color. After Herbatini put conditioner on my hair is nice and soft. At 34 my hair turned gray, and luckily I saved clippings from a haircut I had at the age of 29, which matched the sepia pencil Pencil in the Crayola box. In my early 20's my hair color is chestnut (about 80% brown and red, 20%). WithHerbatini you must choose a hair color much lighter than your natural hair color – Blonde 7N gives me a light brown color that matches the sepia pencil. If I 7C Ash out comes a beautiful honey color which is nice for summer. I would try to return to the brown since my eyes are blue and my cheeks are pink and it would look nice, but I do not know exactly what shade to try – copper or mahogany? Copper seems too orange and too dark mahogany. If yougray and can not find your natural color, it is preferable to pass the light rather than too dark. You'll be disappointed if it's too dark.

Toxic – wings – New York
According to the database cosmetics (easily accessible through Google), a nonprofit that provides information on the toxicity of cosmetics, Herbatint presents a risk of / toxicity score of 7 out of 10, only 1 point Unless Clairol's 8 out of 10. Although it is sold at Whole Foods and cleverly packaged in a green box, it contains the following ingredients: Water, Nonoxynol-6 Nonoxynol-4, ethanolamine, propylene glycol, EDTA, sodium metabisulfite, WALNUT EXTRACT , RHUBARBEXTRACT EXTRACT CINCHONA, p-Phenylenediamine, Resorcinol, O-Aminophenol, m-Aminophenol. GLYCOL DEVELOPER: Water, Glycol, Hydrogen Peroxide, diphosphonic acid, EDTA. One of the ingredients, p-Phenylenediamine is a known carcinogen and has been rated 10 out of 10 on the scale of toxicity to humans. Whole Foods sells this color with other so-called "natural" or "nontoxic" products from hair coloring, but all are laden with chemicals that common alternative (with a littleextracts added to give the idea that they are much better for you). Please check the cosmetics database and tell you – not based on empty claims and smart packaging.

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

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• Brown 2N 4.5 oz.

Ok there are about a hundred recipes for this on the internet. But it’s so yummy and easy I decided to post it here! Besides serving this when friend are comming over it’s also perfect for when you are on a diet

Ingredients

• 1 french bread
• Some tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Peper & salt

1. Cut the bread intro pieces and put them in the oven untill nice and crispy. Since I love bread I tend to make the pieces really big :3
2. Cut the tomatoes and mix it with the olive oil
3. Crush the garlic and mix it with the tomatoes
4. When the bread is ready top it with the mixture, then put some salt & peper on it. LOTS of peper :3

Waaay too easy right? Sometimes I also add some onion.

Around 9:30pm last Sunday, as I was watching “Inside the Actor’s Studio”, my phone rang. I am not a fan of answering my phone on Sunday night but the call was from a nameless indy filmmaker so I was curious. I received a proposition. Since I am pretty fearless he thought I might consider being “gangster” and “collaborating” with them to help make a PR scam to springboard the career of a soon-to-be famous model. The scam was to create a fake sex tape, inspired by the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee genre of the 90s. I was promised that it would be “artful” (Pamela was artful?) and only reveal body parts and kissing.

Now, there was no way in hell I was going to do this. Besides the fact that I don’t want to be involved with shadiness my mother would kill me. Because even though anonymity would be “guaranteed”, I have one jillion cousins around the world who would somehow find out. My mother in particular scours the internet morning and night to find every little thing that I have ever done. She has found projects posted that I thought it never made it to the final editing stages. How could I ever explain that I thanked her for her support with a vain attempt at a scandalous PR hoax? Also, I could never say yes to this project because I like the filmmaker who-shall-remain-nameless, and would like to ensure his safety as there is nothing like the wrath of an angry Italian mother. Not to mention brother, father, uncles, cousins…

At the end of this phone conversation I asked out of curiosity: “How much?” The answer I got included lots of stuttering and delay tactics, which makes me believe that the usual low-budget indie-film rules will apply. Meaning that after the interns the actors will be the least paid people on set. Oh, but it’s for the art! Sometimes it is, but not in this case.

I spent the rest of the night thinking…well, if I wanted to, how much would I do it for? I’m still not sure, but how much would you make a sex tape for? Leave a comment and let me know!