Dimetapp Pie and really good pie

This is what happens when you invite an unknown entity to your Thanksgiving:

He wasn’t all that unknown, he was a friend of my brother, but he likes to play mad scientist in the kitchen, and this pie, which my brother bravely tasted for us, is what he brought.

In order to preserve his anonymity we’ll call him MadMan, or MM for short.

MM made Kool Aid pie. It is like key lime pie without the eggs. It involves Kool Aid and sweetened condensed milk. I feel like perhaps grape was just the wrong flavor for this pie that reeked of white trash, but I suppose I am just an optimist who will live out her days in a trailer.

Except I am planning on my trailer being my Starwagon on the set of my sitcom.

Back to pie. Kool Aid pie was mostly a joke since everyone knew I was making both pumpkin pie and THE Pie.
MM more than redeemed himself from his pie, to the extent that I feel he ought to share his name. He needs to take credit for his cranberry sauces. He made a whiskey-orange infused version and a bacon version. Delectable. I did not taste the bacon one, naturally but i hear it was wicked good. When I get the recipes to both sauces I shall blog them.

Aannnnnnnd, that’s all I have for you this week, folks. I barely have time to write this so why do I even think you have time to read it?

Never mind. Read it anyway. Go back and read all my blog entries. And pretty please comment! I talk back.

Ok, I gotta go learn lines. Audition lines and a script for a shoot I’m doing this weekend. Yeaaaaaa, December acting work.

Cheers, y’all!

Surprise, surprise

Happy Thanksgiving!
The surprise is this…surprisingly delicious drink.
I know everyone has their menu for the big day set so I figured I’d give you a drink with some holiday-ish ingredients. It has cranberry juice anyway.

And lord knows a good pilgrim carries vodka.

First I will be self indulgent and say thanks for just a few of wonderful things in my life.
I am thankful:
That I can spew out whatever is on my mind, add a recipe, and that you read it.
For the most amazing and supportive family.
That I get to work as an actress in LA (see above).
That I have a fwife. That’s a friend who I’d marry if friends who know they will love each other unconditionally all of their lives could have a ceremony/celebration of their friendship.
That I have people in my life who are true friends.
For the public library, half a block away.
For my agent and manager.
That I have a group of people to practice improv with at long last.
That I get to visit Chicago and St. Louis for the holidays.
That people beyond my family have been eating the pie I bake.
That my folks take care of my kitty Java and he gets to frolic outside.
For free recipe apps.

All that is really the tip of the iceberg. I could go on. So let’s have a drink and rejoice in the abundance of the world. Sorry if this post is trite. But I get a bit maudlin around the holidays. Oh yes, vodka.

Given as how vodka drinks are dismissed as lame, unsophisticated, and tragically unhip these days, I was surprised how lovely this was. I’ll shut up and give you the recipe for this diminutive cocktail.

Robin’s Nest from the Drinks Free app
1 oz. vodka
1 oz. cranberry juice (I used a cranberry juice cocktail-double the cocktail for this cocktail, double the cock, double the fun)
1/2 oz. clear creme de cacao
Shake all over ice and strain into your drinking vessel of choice. Whee. Sip. Yea! Thank you.

Pomegranates. Limes. Bran. Little Things.

I don’t know that I have a graceful segue from from my random musings into the recipe today.
Metaphor? Not really.

Simile? This cake is like a golf cart.
No.

How’s about an analogy? Little things are to actors as pretty pink fruit is to a cake. Both bring stupid amounts of joy.

I will settle for that.

Because it is the little things. Case in point: I had an audition on the lot at Fox studios. Which is wicked awesome because it means I was auditioning for something a large amount of people watch.
No offense at all to all the smaller projects I generally work on AT ALL. But I wouldn’t mind whoring my acting capabilities around on network tv too.
Anyway, going on the lot is always a treat, even if auditioning actors are now made to park in a lot across across a major intersection from the studios that is a loooong twisty hike just to the studio gate from which you will blaze a decent sized trail to find the casting director’s office. I needed two maps to find my way from my car to my audition. But I made it. I auditioned. I think it went well.

I left the office and looked around the lot hoping to see a bathroom near me. Stopped a guy cruising around in one of those carts to get directions. He only knew where the men’s room was (right around the corner, naturally) and stopped a woman to ask her if she could direct us to the ladies room and it sounded like it was going to be another hike. So he said “hop in”.

Nothing to make you feel like a real actor like cruising round a studio in one of those carts.

That guy made my day.

This cake, super-sweet, quite pretty thanks to the pomegranate seeds, tasty, and thanks to my adaptations decently healthy, will hopefully bring a little happy happy joy joy to you too. Woot!

Dig it.

Pomegranate and Lime Cake adapted from Bon Appetit

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. pomegranate juice
2 tsp. grated lime zest, divided
1/4 c. Greek yogurt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. pomegranate seeds
Heat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with nonstick foil and spray with nonstick spray.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Whisk in bran.
Whisk sugar and applesauce together. Whisk in 1/4 cup juice and one tsp. lime peel. Beat in flour mix. Stir in yogurt. Spread it in the pan. Bake until done. Use your senses. Allow to cool 15 minutes.
Sift powdered sugar, then whisk in juice, vanilla and 1/2 tsp. line peel.
Poke holes in cake with a fork an inch apart. Pour on the glaze and spread. Once cool, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and lime peel. Purty!

I never fake it

BEFORE we get to the fake meat, two things:
1) Last night was a veritable orgy of my pie, wine, friendship and massive celebration at City Sip as we watched Obama win! I am so happy that we get him for the next four years.
2) I am excited to share that I was featured on a vegan blog. Shin’s Vegan Lovin’ is friggin’ adorable. Her vegan bento boxes will make you swoon. Not faint. Swoon. Her post featuring moi is found here.
So in honor of her, and her delightful vegan eats

Vote Pie Party, Go to Pie Party

Finally you, yeah YOOUUUUUU can eat my pie. The one I bake. Please.
Last I blogged about The Pie I believe it was to tell you about entering it in the KCRW pie contest.
I’ve also discussed the ever controversial pie crust. Some people are shortening crust people, some butter, some like a combo. I am actually becoming bi-partisan. Some pies demand sweeter more flavored crusts, some like The Pie demand a saltier, plainer flaky crust to set them off.
To experience the magic, The Magic!, oh yes, of my pies in November I am telling you to get yourself to my favorite wine bar, City Sip because they will not only be carrying The Pie, they also will have my pumpkin pies. Two kinds of pie, two kinds of crust, and wine!
And they are kicking it all off with an election night party this Tuesday.
More details here.
Oh, and bring your voter sticker for one buck off your beer or vino.
Cheers!

City Sip
2150 W Sunset Blvd.
LA, CA 90026