Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays. Of course, the copious amounts of pie may have something to do with that, but even more importantly is that we get the opportunity to celebrate what we are grateful for. 

2013 has proven to be an exciting year full of many twists and turns. Every year has ups and downs, and I'm incredibly grateful to have supportive friends and family to help me weather them. So, thank you (yes, you). Because, if you're reading this, you've been part of that team.

Also, you may already know that I love to cook. In honor of the holiday, I thought I'd include my new favorite pie crust recipe for all of your delicious Thanksgiving pie needs...

I had heard that adding Vodka to your pie crust is a secret weapon, and while I had my doubts, I am now officially a convert. Because vodka evaporates during baking, it keeps your dough together when you are prepping but leaves you with a perfectly flaky crust when you are done. It also makes for a tender crust that is much easier to roll out. In short, I'm sold!

This recipe is Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Crust.

Makes 1 pie crust

• 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
• 2 tablespoons vodka, cold
• 2 tablespoons cold water

1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no un-coated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

In anything that you do, whether it's a hobby or your profession, it's important to find "your people". It's not merely about finding like-minded people. But, more importantly, people that get you. Those unique friends and collaborators who understand what you are going for and enjoy what you offer. And, guess what, not everybody is going to get you and that's a good thing.

Now, of course, this all seems obvious. We learned this in elementary school, right? I guess the revelation for me came because I realized that not only had I been striving to find "my people", but on top of that I was striving to find all of the people. Some of us (for better or worse) want to be liked, and we want to be liked by everyone. Not only is this impossible, but it isn't worth it. Something that is liked by everyone is probably not that interesting. It's probably middle-of-the-road and, well, sort of boring. And as an artist, if we make something that is aiming to be liked by all, we probably aren't making anything special.

So we specialize. We cultivate other people who inspire us and challenge us. Take Joss Whedon, for instance. People refer to the "Whedonverse" for a reason. Over his career, Joss has found actors and collaborators that inspire and enrich his work and naturally he chooses to work with them. Judd Apatow, too. He has found a troupe of funny guys (and some women) who inhabit his films and understand what he is trying to do. I could go on... Scorcese and his love of Leonardo DiCaprio, Wes Anderson, Woody Allen.


I'm incredibly grateful that I found a number of wonderful collaborators in film school, and continue to find great artists through classes and on jobs. I should also admit that I've met a lot of lovely people who aren't my people, too.

Here's to finding your people, stumbling along the way, and making great work!

Bonus reading:
Check out this article on Joss Whedon a
nd the people that make up his Whedonverse!