Depends on where you are and how "authentic" you want to be.

Clafouti/s is a custardy fruity dessert which is totally out of fashion these days. Which is a shame, because it is super easy and super deliscious. And, when it comes down to it, much better for you than many alternatives. I made some this evening, basically just doubled a recipe from Betty Crocker (hers was for an 8x8x2 dish, I used a 9x13x2):

FRESH CHERRY CLAFOUTI
4ish cups pitted fresh sweet cherries (just pitted, don't cut them up)
5 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350*F, and grease up your favorite 9x13x2 baking dish with butter. Yes BUTTER. I used salted, unsalted would also be fine. Got imported sweet cream Irish butter? Go for it. Be fancy and use Yak butter for all I care. Just don't use margerine. Or FSM forbid, Aerosol Baking Lubricant (such as PAM). *shudder*
2. Lay in the cherries - you want a solid layer covering the bottom. I needed 4 1/2 cups for this - kind of depends on the size of your cherries. [go ahead and giggle]
3. Mix eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and vanilla with either a hand mixer or a whisk until the batter is smooth and free of lumps. I have good baking muscles, so it took me about 2 minutes by hand.
4. Pour batter evenly over fruit - some of it may begin to float. That's totally fine.
5. Bake at 350*F for 50-60 minutes. It will have the consistancy of a quiche or baked custard. If you are unfamiliar with these items...um, Jell-O. It'll be like well set Jell-O. Just, you know, hot.
*YEILD is 10-12 servings. And if you actually eat only 1 of the 12 servings, Betty's approximate calorie count is 175.

It holds together really well, and the cherries are these little explosions of delisciousness when you bite into them.
Betty suggests topping with powdered sugar. I say have it warm with some vanilla ice cream. Either will increase calories, and therefor, tastiness.

Other accomplishemnts for today included reorganizing my bookshelves, locating and purchasing a cherry pitter (at the 6th place I tried), picking up a few more items for my MadScience classes on Weds and Thurs, taking a little afternoon stroll, inquiring towards some voice-over work, making a nommy dinner including green bean salad and turkey burgers, and shaking my head over the fact that a job I turned down - for which I KNOW I was not the only candidate - has been re-posted. Wonder if they'll realize no one with the amount of experience they want will work for what they want to pay.

Qote of the Day is stolen from barbie_toes (via Twitter):
Cnn sez "'Bruno' is no 'Borat'". To me, this is like saying "ptomaine is no dysentery".

Tags: quote, recipe

Still peddling my resumes to anyone who has a job even remotely related to what I can do. Signed on with a temp agency. Still need a real job. Anyone? Bueller?

In gooder news, tomorrow we are venturing up to ME to see Big Brother and associated peoples for the Summer solstice Shindig. I made some REALLY kick-ass lemon squares, recipe below.

There is Bacardi in the house. I will be enjoying some of it shortly.

And my show for tonight was cancelled. *sigh*

RECIPE FOR SUPER-LEMONY LEMON BARS

CRUST:
1 1/2 C. AP flour
2/3 C. confectioner's sugar
3/4 C. unsalted butter (room temp)
1/4 tsp. salt [if using salted butter, omit salt]

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine sugar, flour, and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in butter w/pastry cutter until dough is evenly crumbed. Pat into well greased 9x13x2 pan to cover bottom. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the FILLING:
6 whole eggs
6 Tbls AP flour
1 C FRESH lemon juice
1 3/4 C. sugar
1 Tble lemon zest (optional)

Mix all filling ingredients in large bowl, using wire whisk, until frothy. Pour over hot crust, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until filling is set. Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes, then cut into squares (I cut 6x4 for a total of 24 bars). Remove from pan with spatula and set squares on wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar once cooled.

This is a VERY tangy bar.

Tags: recipe

First of all, Happy birthday to pamlin!

I am currently feeling a little floaty, due to an onset migraine and the ingestion of meds. The rod through the temples is still there, as are the occasional fire-flies and the gritty-eye and the little auras, but the pain is pretty much staying away.

I pick up my car tomorrow afternoon! Therefore, I start work on Friday. Awesomeness!

And tonight, I made burgers. REALLY good ones. I remembered how much I LIKE making burgers. So, if you are curious (and so I can remember what the hell I did this time), ( here is the recipe )

Tags: bday, recipe

Hey! You! Foodie! I know you're out there, and you should go here:

http://foodieranch.com/

Designed by the talented and handsome madmage01, it's a user-driven site full of recipes, forums, polls (like charcoal v/s gas when grilling), and so on. OK, so it's not 'full' yet, but that's where YOU come in! Go to the site, sign up, poke around, be one of the first to post a recipe! Get your friends in on it. Brag about being in the know!

Speaking of, I made some excellent sage-roasted chicken, and some butternut squash for dinner this evening. And if my head doesn't listen to the Advil and the sinus medication, I'll be going to bed with some tramadol to stave off the migraine.

Tomorrow, I interview with North Shore Music Theater, for the propmaster position. 11am, if you care to direct your crossed fingers and/or good juju in my direction at that time.

And tomorrow evening, I get a Jess and an Al! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!

Quote of the day, from the DropDeadGorgeous vault:
"You look like an absolute sweetheart of a girl, but don't tell them I said that - I don't want to get in trouble." -The grizzled sound guy at Don Hills

Tags: link, quote, recipe

My hubby just got Extra Super Sneaky Husband Points: He just came in with an adorable random card for me.
And, as I was reading it, he got a couple Bonus Extra Cute Husband points, because he grabbed a pen and fixed a grammatical/word choice error.

In other news, we cleaned today. Bathroom, vacuuming, floors, dusting, putting away of cold-weather bedding, fluffing up couch pillows, all accomplished. The only thing left to do is mine: finish the kitchen. Since I made baked eggplant/meatball parmesean for dinner, I figured I'd wait to clean in there.

Recipe is ( back here )

Tags: hubby, recipe

I managed a really nummy dinner this evening, which was both budget-conscious AND low-carb!

Recipe and cost ( back here )

Tags: recipe

...since I got cast in a film today! Student film for part of the CDIA at BU program, but it is a paying gig, and I'll actually have material for a REEL! Now, if only I could track down the PSA I did in college...I film next week.

Anywhat, that's a big plate of yay, with hooray sauce and a side of woot. So I'm really acting again...huh.

What else...yesterday I popped by VDA to work on Molly's dress. All the pieces are cut out, now I just need to sew them together. Tonight I made a REALLY good dinner, recipe behind the cut lower down. It feels extravagant while using leftovers. Mostly because I splurged on one item...but go read if you are interested.

Today there was also snow, of various flavors, from the big fat floppy lazy flakes to the little stingy blow-right-into-your-eyes flakes. But I got to enjoy it, walking from the parking lot to the CDIA building. Which is on the next block from the awesome toy stores on Moody, so I went in and played with toys for a while. And straightened the shelves of puppets in the back room. I felt bad for them. Whomever set up that section had (A) no idea how to merchandise, (B) no concept of shelf-height (or eyeline, for children and adults alike), and (C) no ability to keep order of any kind. I sold a man a puppet while I was there, becuase I was playing with it. It was one of those 'Folkmani' puppets, the Harbor Seal one, and he thought I had a little pet of some kind. Then I showed him how to use it, and his eyes lit up and sometime this weekend a granddaughter is going to have the best day ever when she not only gets to see the seals at the Aquarium, she gets to OWN one later that day. I suppose, what with the entire store only having ONE employee (who was apparently told he was NOT to leave the register), it was understandable...then again, no one is on vacation this week, and it was around 11:30-Noon while I was there, and I have a REALLY hard time believing that any children who were in there with a parent/guardian could have cuased such a tornado in the 2.5 hours the place had been open so far that day.

I'm working more often, and for more companies. Playing phone tag with a couple others. Hopefully that will come to a happy ending soon.

My hubby is snoring on the couch. I should probably wake him, or he'll be up all night.

[pause]

Husband has been prodded. His napping knows no bounds.

And now, the recipe for ( Leftover Grains with Mushrooms and Pancetta )

Tags: acting, recipe, thrifty, work

Slept in yesterday and today, which I DEARLY needed.

This weekend we accomplished laundry, getting to Borders (with gift card and coupon!), cleaning a bit, making (and eating) apple pie, dinner out, dinner in, some nice Fall walks, grocery shopping, some other small, assorted errands, and sorting and filing various piles of paperwork.

Your quote of the day is something I found scribbled down on a random scrap of paper, with the notation that is was while I was on tour somewhere in South Carolina:

(Three local gruffs talking about war, retribution, and forgiveness)
MAN 1: We should just bomb the hell out of 'em!
MAN 2: Didn't you just hear the same sermon I did?
MAN 3: About turnin' the other cheek, you mean?
MAN 2: Jesus said it.
MAN 1: *grumble* Yeah well...
MAN 2: Hmm?
MAN 1: You know, if he wasn't our Lord and Savior, I'd say Jesus was a panty-waist.

( No-Worry-Crust Apple Pie...cuz I know I'm not the only one who can't make a pie crust )

Tags: quote, recipe

...or anyone who wants a new chicken recipe, I've got a new one (I made it up as I went along this evening).

But first, your quick tip: Save lots of time and aggravation making spaghetti squash: Do it in the microwave! Stab a hole in it, cook on HIGH 2 minutes. Cut in 1/2, wrap each half in cling-film. Nuke on HIGH 5 minutes, let sit 3 minutes. Check for tenderness. I usually go with a total of 7 minutes, plus 5 minutes to complete steaming.
And now, to the chicken ( back here! )

Tags: recipe

First things first, be it a little late: Happy Birthday redleatherbound!!!

Nextly, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Weasel Stomping Day. My family and friends gathered chez moi for enough food to gag a Bogie (and as the saying goes, "It takes a heap o' vittles to gag a Bogie). I am posting the recipe for Stained Glass pie below. It's REALLY easy. For low-carb, simply substitute sugar-free Jell-O, and swap Splenda for sugar. I found (and used) some sugar-free ginger-snaps instead of graham crackers in mine...excellent substitute.

( STAINED GLASS PIE )

Tags: holiday, quote, recipe

Sent more resumes.
Picked apples.
Laughed a LOT.
Hung out with firends and family I see all too rarely.
Did laundry.
Did final Chamber Prop Junk organization.
Had breakfast at the new (franchise) diner in Lincoln Plaza...eh. The bacon, however, was very good.
Did some miscellaneous shopping.
Laughed more.
Poetry slam at The Asylum ROCKED.

Today I baked the cookies I owe James. I made some extra for The Pregnant Lady(tm) and The NJH(tm). Since I can't eat them myself to check them, my Gram made the sacrifice...she liked them a lot. Recipe at bottom.

Quote of the day:
"Some day I am just going to buy you a damn childhood!" -Bob

A piccy:

My honey with Jenna at Madame Tussaud's in Vegas

And ( Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies )

Tags: quote, recipe, weekend
Feelin'...: Cookies!