Pilot Season is here. It's nuts. (Read this if you have no idea what I'm talking about.) And even if Pilot Season has no affect on you personally, mercury is in retrograde so can we all agree that life is its own brand of crazybananas right now? Here's my solution: let's hide out inside a waffle. It might not make it *all* better but it will most certainly distract us enough to take the edge off.

My sweet little waffle iron was super dusty when I climbed up on a chair to retrieve her in my uppermost kitchen cabinet the other day. It made me think: why does she have to be a special-occasion appliance? I guess it mentally feels like a hassle to get out a special apparatus that's only good for one thing but in reality it's so easy. She's a pretty low maintenance gal--you just plug her in, do your thing and you don't even have to clean her--just wipe her off with a paper towel. Ok, this analogy is getting weird.

These waffles took a few times to get right but that didn't stop me from eating the tests along the way. Because I was doing it for YOU GUYS! (See how committed I am to Joeycake?:)) They're gluten-free by way of whizzing some oats til they become their own flour, and then mixing it with maple syrup and eggs and butter and all other yummy components that  make waffles delicious. They are a special occasion all in themselves! Even on a random weekday morning when pilot season (or mercury) is making you her bitch.

Let's curl up in here, shall we?:

Gluten-Free Maple-Oatmeal Waffles
makes about 5  4"x 4" waffles (serves 2-3)

2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (or regular rolled oats if you're not concerned about the GF factor)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk (I used almond but any will do. And buttermilk would also be awesome here.)
2 T maple syrup
1 generous t vanilla extract
1/2 t salt
4 T melted butter (or coconut oil)

Melt the butter or coconut oil and set aside to cool.

In a food processor, pulse the oats until they become a coarse flour. Add the baking powder and cinnamon and pulse until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla, and salt. Add the dry ingredient mixture and the melted butter/oil and stir until just incorporated. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes to thicken while the iron heats up.

Pour into a hot waffle iron and cook 4-5 minutes or until desired crispness. You can also keep warm and/or crisp these even further in a 200 degree oven on a baking sheet if you're not serving them right away. Serve with maple syrup, honey, fruit or whatever your heart desires.

xoxo
jolie

Happy Sunday, Lovelies.

Debbie Ford, best-selling self-help author, lost her long battle with cancer and made her transition last week. This quote from her facebook page touched me deeply and seems apropos of so many conversations I've been having lately: on Joeycake, with my acting classes and my friends...

"If you're going to be courageous, an example for all those who are ready to step into their power, then you must be willing to show the world all of who you are. You must have the guts to throw off the chains of modesty and mediocrity in order to be the light that the world needs."

Hope it means something to you too.
Thinking of you.
xoxo
jolie

feta guacamole/a day in the life of pilot season

Pilot season is here again. It's that time of year when the TV networks are casting all the potential new shows for fall. This makes for a potentially stressful/harrowing time in an actor's life, as auditions abound (if you're lucky) and the pressure is on to book the needle-in-a-haystack. It's not uncommon to have a blitz of appointments all at once that (of course) cannot be rescheduled. I thought I'd give you a window in, so you get the picture. This happened Friday:



A Day in the Life of My Pilot Season (in numbers)

auditions: 3
audition-prep rehearsals: 2
number of Pandora radio stations required for getting-ready inspiration: 4
terrifying encounters with a curling iron spewing sparks/fire: 2 (!!!)
fuses blown: 1
trips to electrical panel outside: 2
bugs on electrical panel: 14
curling iron funerals: 1
backup curling irons employed: 2
hair products needed to complete look: 8
makeup applications: 1
makeup touch-ups throughout day: 147
wardrobe changes: 2
wardrobe changes in car: 1
lucky passersby who most likely caught a glimpse of side-boob while car-changing: 1-3
hair-thwarting wind tunnels between parking lots and waiting rooms: 1
waiting rooms: 3
minutes waiting in waiting rooms: 165
hugs in waiting rooms from actresses who thought I was someone else: 1
girls in waiting rooms preparing to use live pugs as props: 1
pages of sides prepared: 24
actual pages of sides read in auditions: 14
other auditions heard through paper-thin walls: 6
number of producers/writers/casting directors seen: 15
number of courtesy laughs received: 7
number of auditions for which I expected a callback: 1-2
number of callbacks received: 0
total miles driven: 70.3
glasses of wine consumed before 6:30pm: 2-3
entire batches of feta guacamole snarfed: 1

Feta Guacamole
serves 4ish

This will make it all better. And also, it is like crack. (I'm sure for some people crack makes it all better?) Serve it with tortilla chips, toasted pita triangles, on a burger, atop scrambled eggs or my favorite: while toasting/mourning a very decent curling iron.

1 large ripe avocado, cut in half
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 T finely chopped red onion
1 small serrano chile, seeded and minced
3/4 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
2 T fresh lemon juice or to taste
2 T chopped cilantro
several cracks freshly ground pepper
sea salt to taste

Cross-hatch the flesh of your halved avocado and scoop the cubes into a bowl. They'll smoosh a little (depending on their firmness) and that's okay. You just want to retain some texture. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Taste as you go and add more lemon juice/salt/pepper. Note: the feta is salty so you'll probably need less salt than you think.

xoxo
jolie