Fetish Model & Performer, event producer, and Texas Pin-Up Model of the Year 2011 (Hot Rods and Heels), Courtney Crave is amazing both on stage, and in the kitchen.  She is kind enough to share her favorite seasonal recipes with Pin curl Magazine monthly.  For more on Miss Crave, please visit her at GermanDreamGirl.com.

Cherries in Wine Sauce

Somewhere in the back of my head I am slightly aware of the fact that not everyone likes chocolate.  However baffling this may be to me as a self diagnosed chocoholic, I want to provide a Valentine’s Day recipe for those special people.  So no one has to open another heart shaped box of truffles and say; “Chocolates, for me?  You shouldn’t have.  No really, you shouldn’t have.”  This also happens to be one of my favorite desserts from my childhood.  Let that sink in as you realize that most of the recipe is alcohol based.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry red wine, such as Chianti or Merlot
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 strips (3 inches by 1 inch each) orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 ½ pounds dark sweet cherries (the big juicy plump ones)
• Whipped cream (real whipped cream)

Directions

• Bring wine, sugar, orange peel and cinnamon to a boil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Allow to boil for about 5 minutes then cool to room temperature.  Put the cherries in a large bowl or storage bowl with a lid and pour the wine mixture on top.  Cover the cherries with wine sauce tightly and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  This can actually sit in the fridge for up to 2 days, the longer in the fridge, the more the wine becomes infused in the cherries.  Serve by ladling the cherries and sauce into dessert bowls and top with whipped cream (real whipped cream, nothing that comes in a can tub in the frozen section).  You’re also left with a wonderful cherry wine sauce to pour over ice cream or just drink straight.

Love Potion #9

I stumbled across this delicious drink while researching romantic cocktails that require a little more planning than “pour champagne in glass, add strawberry.”  Don’t get me wrong, I love my champagne, but this year I thought we could kick it up a notch for that special someone in our lives (even if that special someone happens to be yourself).

Ingredients

• 1 oz strawberry, vanilla, or regular vodka (my personal favorite for this is whipped cream vodka)
• 1/2 oz white crème de cacao
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup ice
• Strawberry for garnish

Directions

• Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend until totally smooth.  If you prefer a thicker frozen cocktail add more ice or ice cream.  If you prefer a thinner one add more berries or milk.  Pour the mixture into a chilled margarita glass and garnish with strawberry slices.

Fetish model and performer Courtney Crave is not only Texas Pin-Up Model of the Year 2011, as crowned at Hot Rods and Heels, she is a wiz in the kitchen- and she’s kind enough to share her amazing recipes (and their vegan counterparts) with us every month in Cooking with Courtney Crave!

Fudge

So much was going on with the holidays; spending time with family, avoiding being mauled by mobs while shopping, wrapping gifts, mandatory party appearances.  Want to make something yummy and simple to treat yourself for surviving that whole ordeal?  Fudge!

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans*

*Nuts are entirely optional, any type of nut will work but I prefer pecans or hazelnuts.

Directions

• Take a 9×9 inch baking dish and butter the inside.  In a double boiler on medium heat melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips and condensed milk until the mixture is smooth.  Take the mixture off the heat and add the vanilla and chopped nuts.  Pour or scoop the entire mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly.  Let it sit in the fridge about 10 minutes or until completely set.  Cut into squares and share with friends!  Or don’t, they’ll never know.

Hot Toddy

Baby, it’s cold outside.  And I know some of you like consuming cocktails just as much as I do, but at this time of year I want my hands to be warm.  There is nothing glamorous about enjoying a beverage in the mittens your great aunt Mabel knitted you with the little snowmen on them.  So I this winter I suggest that you try a classic favorite, the Hot Toddy (also great for fighting off colds, don’t take my word for it, I’m not a doctor, I just dress up like one onstage).

Ingredients

• 1 oz (2 tablespoons) bourbon*
• 1 tablespoon mild honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup boiling-hot water
• Freshly grated nutmeg

*Scotch whiskey or brandy can also be used instead of bourbon.

Directions

• Combine bourbon, honey, and lemon juice in a mug or toddy glass.  Add the hot water and mix until the honey is dissolved completely.  Garnish with a little freshly grated nutmeg.  Take off mittens and enjoy.

Vegan Crispie Treats

Since it’s July I wanted to come up with some traditionally American recipes that you could create for your 4^th of July celebrations.  I also haven’t done a vegan recipe in a while, so here’s a vegan friendly recipe that doesn’t require you to track down vegan marshmallows.  And depending on how you celebrate Independence Day, you may just end up with more of these to yourself if your friends and family go blowing themselves up with rockets.  Just grab a sparkler and crispie treat and enjoy the show.

Ingredients

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine like Earth Balance
• 6 cups puffed rice cereal or your favorite cereal
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

• In a small pot, heat the syrup over medium heat.  Add the sugar, stirring continuously until it begins bubbling at the bottom.  If it starts to turn frothy just lower the temperature.  Once the mixture looks as if it’s boiling add the margarine and stir until well combined.  While still stirring add the vanilla.  Put 6 cups of your favorite puffed rice cereal (might I suggest Rice Krispies, Fruity Pebbles, or even Crunchy Nut cereal) in a large bowl.  Pour the syrup-butter-vanilla mixture over the cereal and mix with a spatula until evenly coated.  Scoop the mixture into a 9×13 inch glass baking dish coated with non-stick oil, spread evenly, and cool.  Or don’t cool, it’s perfectly good all warm and gooey as well!

St. Germain Tom Collins

Some of you may know about my affinity for St. Germain. While I could do article after article on St. Germain drink recipes alone, I’ve tried to switch it up for you in the past.  Well this month I couldn’t resist any longer. I’m giving you my favorite twist on a truly American cocktail. Try this drink and then tell me this isn’t the most refreshing beverage ever created on a steamy summer day, I dare you.

Ingredients

• • 2 oz. dry gin
  • 2 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 oz. St. Germain
  • Soda water
  • Slice of lemon

Directions

• Place the gin, lemon juice and St. Germain in an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake vigorously to combine. Pour into a chilled Collins glass over ice and top with soda water to add some fizz.  Garnish with a slice of lemon and enjoy!

Congrats to Courtney Crave, who was just crowned Texas Pin-Up Model of the Year at Hot Rods and Heels last month!

Mini Lemonade Pies

It’s June. For those of us in Texas, we’ve been dealing with summer for a while now. For those of you not in Texas, welcome to summer! For me, summer desserts are supposed to be refreshing and cooling to save our tummies (and sanity) from the oppressive heat. Mini lemonade pies are the perfect hot weather treat for those who don’t like to share. I don’t know about you but when I get my dessert I want it for myself. So while everyone else is melting, you can keep chilly with your own oasis of zingy creamy coolness.

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 packages of 6 pre-made mini graham cracker pie crusts (I use Keebler Ready Crust brand)
• 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk, keep chilled
• 1 12oz. container of whipped topping, keep thawed
• 1 6 fl. oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen*
• Optional garnish: graham cracker crumbs or candied lemon pie

*Note: different types of frozen lemonade concentrate can create different pie flavors. For traditional lemon pie use lemonade concentrate, for a sweeter lemon pie use pink lemonade concentrate (my favorite!), or for a key lime pie use frozen limeade concentrate.

Directions

• Pour the chilled sweetened condensed milk into a medium sized bowl. Gently fold in the thawed whipped topping. Slowly add the frozen lemonade concentrate and continue folding gently until well mixed, but don’t let the mixture get soupy. You may not need to use the whole can of frozen lemonade, I usually add to taste. For a stronger lemon punch use more, for a milder creamier flavor use less. Ladle the mixture into the mini pie crusts and keep them in the freezer overnight. Before serving garnish them with some graham cracker crumbs or candied lemon peel.

White Sangria

White sangria has to be one of my favorite summer drinks. I proved this once by drinking an entire punch bowl of it on my own at a pool party (not recommended, do not drink and swim). It’s really that good, so you want to make a lot. The sweet fruit flavors go great with the mini lemonade pies, except this time you should probably share.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle sparkling pear cider
• 1 cup white brandy (or more, to taste)
• 2 bottles white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or a Spanish wine
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups green grapes, cut in half
• 2 fresh peaches, cubed (no canned fruit!)

*Note: the amount of fruit you incorporate depends on how much fruit you like to have in your sangria. I prefer a lot, it adds more flavor and you get to eat it.

Directions

• Get a giant pitcher or punch bowl. Mix all the ingredients together, minus the sparkling pear juice. Let the fruit soak in the mixture for a few hours to bring out the flavors. Before serving, add the sparkling pear juice, if you add this too early it will go flat.

Summer is here!  In Texas, that means it’s incredibly hot!  Make it a little more tolerable with Courtney Crave’s fabulous White Sangria!

White Sangria

White sangria has to be one of my favorite summer drinks. I proved this once by drinking an entire punch bowl of it on my own at a pool party (not recommended, do not drink and swim). It’s really that good, so you want to make a lot, except you should probably share.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle sparkling pear cider
• 1 cup white brandy (or more, to taste)
• 2 bottles white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or a Spanish wine
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups green grapes, cut in half
• 2 fresh peaches, cubed (no canned fruit!)

*Note: the amount of fruit you incorporate depends on how much fruit you like to have in your sangria. I prefer a lot, it adds more flavor and you get to eat it.

Directions

• Get a giant pitcher or punch bowl. Mix all the ingredients together, minus the sparkling pear juice. Let the fruit soak in the mixture for a few hours to bring out the flavors. Before serving, add the sparkling pear juice, if you add this too early it will go flat.

Fetish model and performer Courtney Crave is a wiz in the kitchen- and she’s kind enough to share her amazing recipes (and their vegan counterparts) with us every month in Cooking with Courtney Crave!

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

It’s May, and in Texas that means we’re already pulling out the sundresses and swimsuits and gearing up for fun in the sun at Hot Rods & Heels.  I have yet to bring you a cookie recipe so here’s my cooling cookie sandwich that you can enjoy as we near summer in the south. What does an ice cream cookie sandwich have to do with hot rods, pinup models, and burlesque babes? Nothing! But I like any excuse to eat ice cream and what better way than to pack it in between two delicious cookies and not have to worry about bowls and spoons?

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter*
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs*
• 2 cups (one 12oz package) chocolate chips
• Your favorite ice cream

*For a vegan option replace butter with 1 cup of Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread and replace the 2 large eggs with Ener-G Egg Replacer which can be found in specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts.  Follow the instructions on the package and do not let the egg replacement mixture sit out long before putting it in the oven.

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 375° F (190º C). In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla extract until creamy. You can use a mixer to do this or do it by hand. Slowly add the eggs or egg substitute and beat well. Gradually mix in the mixed dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed. Drop rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. You can leave them softer and gooey-er but it makes it more difficult to create a sandwich. Let them cool on a wire rack completely before introducing them to the ice cream. To make an ice cream sandwich with the cookies, let the ice cream soften enough that you can scoop it but not so much that it’s melting. Spoon ice cream onto the bottom of a cookie, about 1 inch thick, then place a second cookie on top. Voila, you have an ice cream cookie sandwich. Do this until all the cookies are gone. I suggest being adventurous and using ice cream flavors such as coffee, coconut, rocky road, or mint chocolate chip. To preserve, wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

Black Russian

So now you’re probably thinking; “Courtney, your recipes are usually themed to a holiday or event during the month, what gives? How does a Black Russian tie into pinup and car culture?”  It doesn’t!  But it does go great with my ice cream cookie sandwich recipe. You can even dip it in your cocktail. Mmmmm. In an effort to relate this to the Hot Rods & Heels event I will say this: Don’t drink and drive!

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka (or other coffee flavored vodka)
• 1 ounce Kahlua Original, Kahlua Mocha, or Kahlua Especial

Directions

• Fill a rocks glass 2/3 of the way with ice. Pour the 2 ounces of vodka into the glass followed by the 1 ounce of Kahlua. Finish with a stir straw. Grab ice cream cookie sandwich and enjoy!

April happens to hold the ever so confusing holiday of Easter (seriously… a rabbit leaves eggs around your yard?) and my beloved boyfriend’s birthday.  To pay homage to my boyfriend and our inner child who once was able to believe in some bunny deftly stuffing candy and toys into plastic eggs and hiding them around our houses I will tell you how to make his favorite cake in every child’s favorite form: the cupcake.

Yellow Cake Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients/Supplies

• 3 eggs (substitute with plain applesauce for vegan option)
• Boxed yellow cake mix (Yeah, I said it, it’s yummy and it’s easy. I prefer Betty Crocker Super Moist or Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe.)
• Cupcake cups and cupcake pan
• Olive oil

Frosting Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 egg or a couple tablespoons of milk (soy or almond milk can be used as a substitute)
• 1 generous tsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz box powdered sugar
• 6 heaping Tbsp cocoa

Directions

• I’m going to make this super easy for you and still super tasty.  Just follow the directions on the box with one exception, instead of using vegetable oil as instructed replace it olive oil, measure for measure.  For a vegan cake substitute ¼ cup plain applesauce for each egg.  Place cupcake cups in cupcake pan, pour batter into cups, and bake according to the almighty cake box instructions.  While your cupcakes are baking mix the frosting.  In a large bowl cream all the frosting ingredients together until light and fluffy.  If it’s too thick add some milk.  After removing the cupcakes from the pan and allowing them to cool frost the tops and enjoy!

Caipirinha

Giving another nod to the main man in my life I bring you the Caipirinha, which, like my boyfriend, hails from Brazil.  Have a few of these with your Easter brunch and you might find yourself willing to believe this whole magic bunny thing. If a magic bunny starts talking to you however, stop drinking.

Ingredients

• 1 lime
• 2 ounces of cachaça
• Ice cubes
• Sugar to taste (regular or raw sugar)

Directions

• Wash the lime and roll it on the cutting board to loosen the juices.  Cut the lime into pieces and place them in a rocks glass pulp side up.  The lime pieces should take up about ½ of the rocks glass.  Sprinkle the limes liberally with sugar and, using a muddle, crush the lime pieces.  Only push down with the muddle, do not twist as this will cause the drink to be bitter!  Add cubed ice to the glass and pour just enough cachaça to cover the ice.  Look at your drink!  If you have done this correctly the muddled limes and sugar will fill 1/3 of the glass while the ice and cachaça fill the remaining 2/3.  Oh, why hello there Mr. Bunny. What’s that?  You have chocolate eggs for me?

Cooking with Courtney Crave: March 2011

Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ah March, you bring such wonderful things; my birthday, the ides, and St. Patrick’s Day.  That’s right, a day where you can abuse/sexually harass (seriously, what do you think pinching is) people not wearing green and get wasted on green beer all in the name of a saint from country that chances are, you are not really from (apologies to those who are, everyone loves an Irish girl).  These delicious adult beverage cupcakes should become part of your St. Patty’s day planning.  They are a lot of work, but totally worth it.

*Fair vegans, I fear I’ve let you down this month.  In an effort to save space I didn’t include the vegan options for baking these cupcakes.  Please send a request to Pin Curl for the vegan friendly recipe and I will be sure to send it to you!

Cupcake Ingredients (makes 20-24 cupcakes)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Ganache Filling Ingredients

• 1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Frosting Ingredients

• 3 to 4 cups confections sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Special Supplies

• 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer
• Cupcake cups and pan
• Piping bag (a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (176 ºC). Place cupcake cups in the cupcake pan. In a large saucepan over medium heat bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth and let it cool slightly.  In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.  Beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl with an electric mixer until blended.  Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat until combined.  This can all be done by hand but with an electric mixer it’s much easier.  Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Fill the cupcake cups about 2/3 full with batter. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.  Time to make the frosting!  Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.  When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys or milk and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.  Don’t frost the cupcakes yet, we still have to fill them with ganache.  To make the filling, chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.  If this hasn’t melted the chocolate, return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what’s left or pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Add the butter and stir until combined.  Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Feel free to snack on those. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip or a large ziplock bag with the corner cut off and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. You’re so close!  Now is the time to ice the cupcakes, then sit back and enjoy, either by taking small sips, er I mean, bites, or by stuffing the whole thing in your mouth like a shot.

Irish Martini

If green beer or Guinness isn’t your thing on St. Patrick’s Day why not try an Irish Martini?  It’s like a little pot of gold amongst the hordes of drunk, green, leprechauns.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• ½ ounce dry vermouth
• ½ ounce Irish whiskey
• Lemon twist garnish

Directions

• Pour the Irish whiskey into a chilled cocktail or martini glass and swirl it around to coat the inside.  Drain out the excess whiskey.  Feel free to drain it right into a shot glass and consume, then continue on with the rest of this recipe.  Pour the vodka and dry vermouth into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice and shake away.  Strain this mixture into your cocktail or martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day knowing that you aren’t consuming the liquid equivalent to a loaf of bread.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

That’s right, it’s Valentine’s Day.  You can tell by the Isaac Hayes playing in the background and the soft pink glow on everything.  Okay I sometimes forget that reality and television are not the same thing.  But there is one Valentine’s Day television staple that is easy for you to make a reality on your own, chocolate covered strawberries (now made with real love!).

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20 berries)
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

• Rinse the strawberries well but leave the stems attached.  Drain them and pat them completely dry.  Put the chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl.  Fill a medium sized saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Turn off the heat and set the bowl of chocolate over the hot water to melt.  Remember to keep stirring the chocolate until it is smooth.  Once the chocolate is melted and smooth remove it from the heat.  Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper.  Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the bottom half into the melted chocolate and twist to that to chocolate covers the strawberry.  Set the chocolate covered strawberries on the parchment paper to allow the chocolate to set.  Do not eat them all during the preparation process!

Champagne Cocktail

When people in love think of things to consume on Valentine’s Day strawberries and champagne are high on the list.  People not in love tend to think about pizza and a beer or whatever may be left in that bottle of wine in the fridge.  Let’s stick with the love theme and try sprucing up a glass of champagne with a classic champagne cocktail.

Ingredients

• 3 drops bitters
• 1 sugar cube
• 1 ounce Cognac
• 4 ounces chilled Champagne

Directions

• In a small glass, soak the sugar cube in bitters.  Place the soaked sugar cube in a Champagne flute and add Cognac and Champagne.  Let the romance ignite…

Dallas based pin-up and fetish model and performer Courtney Crave talks Germany, being a klutz, dissecting brains, and body modification. Courtney is performing at Viva Dallas Burlesque’s “Dirty, Sexy, Funny” show on Friday, January 7 at the Lakewood Theater.  We thought a naked gal a much better depiction of “Happy New Year” than an old Father Time, or a baby in a diaper- we hope you agree.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka. Photos: Shoshana of DallasPinUp.com

You’re known as the “German Dream Girl,” but not everyone is aware of your background. Where were you born, when did you move to the states and why?

I was born outside of Naples, Italy, in the town Sophia Loren is from.  Interesting factoid, in parts of Italy they prefer to call people by biblical names, so from birth until about two years old everyone other than my parents called me by my middle name, Rebecca.  When I was two my family moved to Germany where German became my first language and I started in the German school system.  I’m really only 1/8 German by blood but since it was my first language and I was raised as a German that’s how I identify culturally.  I moved to the USA in 2002 after only having visited a few times as a kid.  My friends all started moving here for college and I was left in Germany feeling like I was missing out.  I lived between Texas and Germany for four years before settling in Dallas.  I still go back to visit and hope to move back permanently one day.

You spent two weeks in Germany in September, correct? What was on the agenda? What do you find that you miss the most about being there?

My boyfriend, Allen Falkner, was booked to lecture at a body modification conference called BMX.net.  We had been to it before and it’s a really great conference and a nice opportunity to see all our European friends.  I was brought out to do live translation for some classes.  We spent four days in Amsterdam visiting with friends and touring museums.  We saw the Helmut Newton exhibit, Sex Museum, and Torture Museum.  I also managed to chip my tooth at the Rijksmuseum on an exhibit, don’t ask, I’m a huge klutz.  One of our friends there has his own boat so we spent a day drifting through canals, drinking beer and eating cheese, it was amazing.  We spent the rest of our time in Berlin, which I hadn’t been to since before the Wall came down.  I wanted to see some of the famous museums (and not chip any more teeth) and see where the Wall had been.  It was tremendously sad and moving to be there as an adult and understand what was happening while I was growing up there.  Eating good food and drinking beer is always on my agenda.  The things I miss are too numerous to talk about, plus it makes me cry.  I miss my home.  I cried at the airport when we left.

You’re a model, fetish performer and burlesque performer. How and when did you get started in each of those endeavors? How do you feel you have grown as a model and performer over time?

When I was growing up in Germany people were always telling my parents I should be a child model.  My parents, however, had different plans.  They preferred that I live a “normal” life and use my “brain”.  When I moved to the USA I was approached by photographers at a local goth/fetish club.  Some were legit and some were creepy and just wanted to get me naked.  I gave it a shot and discovered I loved modeling.  I was always pulled more towards fetish, I love nudity and stockings and latex and corsets and super high heels.  Modeling for photos lead to modeling in fashion shows which lead to performing.  It all seemed like a natural progression to me.  Adding pinup modeling and burlesque was just another way for me to have fun and add to my repertoire.  I feel like I’m constantly growing as a model and performer.  Different people inspire me and drive me to better who I am and what I do.  I feel like if you aren’t growing why continue what you do?  New challenges are part of what makes this so fun and rewarding for me.  I’ve had help and support from a lot of people along the way and wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.

A little known fact about you is that you have a degree in psychology. Tell us more about that.

I have a BA in Psychology.  I managed to get my degree in 3.5 years with a 4.0 GPA in my field.  I had lofty ideas about getting my Ph.D. and forcing everyone to call me “Doctor” but was burnt out on school.  I was taking 21+ hours a semester, that’s a lot of classes.  I’m very passionate about psychology and love research as opposed to counseling or something with direct patient interaction.  I have enough of my own problems; I don’t want to spend all day listening to someone else’s.  I’m much happier dissecting brains of people who have committed suicide or analyzing lab data.

You’re open about the fact that you have OCD. What challenges does that present in your daily life? Do you have any advice for others who live with these tendencies?

I do have OCD.  For real though, not like when people want to impress upon you that they are particular or have an attention to detail.  It’s part of my larger umbrella diagnosis of Tourette’s Syndrome.  Primarily I have very obsessive thoughts about food being contaminated and things needing to be symmetrical (seriously, look at all my piercings sometime).  My TS manifests as multiple tics, I probably have about 30 that I do almost daily.  I’ve had Tourette’s since I was about 9 or 10 so I know how to mask these tics so that it’s not noticeable.  It’s hard to give advice to others with these conditions because everyone experiences them differently.  All I can really say is, be good to yourself and take care of yourself mentally because most people won’t understand what you are going through, you have to be your own advocate and number one supporter.  In that same vein, screw what other people think about your fleeting attention span, need to count things, or noticeable twitches; you have to be okay with you and not with anyone else.

You’re a big fan of vegan baking, body modification and horror films and books. Please tell us a little about each of these interests.

I became a big fan of vegan baking out of necessity.  I am deathly allergic to eggs but also highly addicted to baked goods.  If I wanted to eat pastries I had to either make them myself or risk hospitalization.  Most people assume vegan food can’t taste good and they are always surprised when they find out my cakes they’ve been enjoying are vegan.  I love tattoos and am working on collecting more.  Recently I acquired a full back piece done by Scott Ellis of Triple Crown Tattoo in Austin, TX.  I have so many friends that are tattoo artists that I would love to have work from, I just have to figure what.  I belong to Eerie Books Horror Book Club which meets monthly at the book store.  It’s great because it exposes me to authors or horror genres I might not have read on my own.  And it’s fun to meet with people and talk about what you’ve read together and dissect the story.  My all time favorite horror novel is The Shining by Stephen King.  I read that book in broad daylight and couldn’t be alone in the room with it, if my dad got up and went into a different room I would get up and follow him without ever putting the book down.  I torture myself with horror.  I’m a huge weenie, I’m scared of the dark, I startle easily, and I suffer from chronic nightmares and sleepwalking.  God knows why someone who has to sleep with a nightlight would constantly immerse herself in such horrific things but I do.  I’m sure it has to do with the interesting psychology of the characters.  The more messed up in the head someone is the more I want to learn about them and figure them out.

According to an October Facebook post, you were 13 photo shoots shy of your goal to have 52 shoots this year. Have you reached that goal yet? What are your goals for 2011?

I have to admit, I stole the idea for my goals from another Dallas model, Melissa Meaow.  I’m very close to reaching that goal, which may be the first time I’ve ever accomplished a New Year’s resolution.  For 2011 I’d like to get back to my fetish roots as a model and performer and work more outside of Dallas.  I’d also like to do more publications and covers.  I never share my personal goals; I feel a better sense of satisfaction when I accomplish them if I keep them to myself.  Then I know I’m actually doing them for me and not because I’ll look bad to other people if I don’t.  Plus if my personal goal is to eat chocolate and donuts every day or adopt five new kittens and my boyfriend knew that he would probably try to thwart my efforts.

You can find Courtney at CourtneyCrave.com and follow her at GermanDreamGirl.com for all of the latest photos, appearances, and daily musings. Looking for this month’s Cooking with Courtney Crave?