For the first time in a really long time, I took (most of) the weekend off. Spent it out at the Lake with my family, baking food that requires hours of labor and not thinking about work. I managed to sneak out with the last 8 pieces of baklawa, which will last until 10am this morning before it disappears without a trace. If you've ever had truly fresh baklawa, you'll understand.

My grandfather taught me how to make it, so in honor of him, my Mom and I spent Friday night putting this together, each careful layer of fillo dough brushed with extreme amounts of butter. I was in charge of brushing butter, and my Mom kept insisting I put more on, which did not seem physically possible. After it came out of the oven and we waited 5 seconds for it to cool, she declared, "Too much butter, but still so good."

It was pretty damn glorious and I have to remind myself to do this more often. Recharging and getting out of the studio feels nice. What do you guys do to recharge?