First, I'm slooooowly making my way through my tobe read bookmark, and have some good uns for you.

Yes Sir, Jeeves! by skyblue_reverie R, Jeeves/Wooster, absolutely delightful and deliciously naughty. From 2006 Yuletide, hilarious and the characters are spot on, I say! How corking!

One from kyrafic: it HAS to be read today before tonight's finale episode: Ordinary People. This is Pam gen, and such a wonderful tiny moment right after "Beach Day" ends. Hands down, Pam Beesly is the best female character around right now. Utterly normal and real and coming into her own. I LOVE HER.

If You Meet Buddha On The Road, Kill Him by Nemui. Another Pam-gen, and just lovely. I love the little mental games Pam plays with herself to make the clock move.

Letters Home by likethesun2 M*A*S*H fic, Charles/Hawkeye (but subtle - squint and you'll miss it) i know. It's Hawkeye and BJ with a Hot Lips sandwich, I know! And yet... Utterly mournful and lovely. Set after the episode when Charles Emerson Winchester the Third trains the Chinese musicians to play Mozart for him. Bring a tissue.

(And oh, how I love Charles. LOVE. If you're interested, here's my Charles fic, written with Connor from Angel stuck into his life as a younger brother. Heh. "Suicide is Painless") Nothing wrong with a little self pimp, hello. :D)


I modified some bran muffins to make them better tasting to the kids, but be warned: they pack a HIGH FIBER punch. Don't down one and a cup of coffee and sit in the car for an our, if you catch my drift.

Healthy Muffins

Two packages of Martha White Honey Bran muffin mix (yeah, yeah, but we BUILD on it)
one grated zucchini
one mashed banana
1 1/3 C milk (can use soy)
1/2 C grated carrot (one large carrot)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C Uncle Sam bran and flaxseed cereal

Mix, pour into muffin cups (it's dense, so fill the cups all the way up) and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. I get one and a half dozen out of this mix. Each muffin has about 10g of fiber. O_O Uncle Sam cereal is low glycemic, for those needing that sort of thing in your diet.


Decidedly UN-Healthy Dessert: Chocolate Pecan Squares
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (divided use)
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 oz. finely grated bittersweet chocolate
10 oz. pecans, toasted (I never do this because I'm lazy)
1 C dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 C honey
2 TBSP heavy cream

Preheat over to 350. Cut 1 1/2 sticks of butter into pieces and mix with flour, light-brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in food processor or by hand with a pastry blender. Spread into 9x9 baking pan and pat evenly to make a crust. Bake in middle of oven for 25 minutes, or until golden.

While that's baking, make the topping. Chop (coarsely) the pecans. In medium-size saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter and stir in dark-brown sugar, salt, honey and cream. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in pecans.

When cookie base is done, sprinkle grated chocolate evenly over the top. pour pecan mixture over the top, spreading evenly. Bake on middle oven rack until entire filling bubbled (not just edges), about 18 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars or triangles.

WARNING: each bar has 30 g of fat. HOLY CRAP. But damn, they're good.

This weekend we're going to try out "Grand Gala" orange liqueur in our margaritas. I'm a willing test subject for you all.

And all of this rich deliciousness leads me to a "request." Anyone interested in me upping my work out playlist? It's over 2 hours long - I exercise for 75 minutes a day. I'm proud to say that I'm back to my 3-Day walking speed of 10 minute miles. *\o/* moosesal upped hers the other day. If you DO want me to post it, does it need to be divided into two dls?

I think today is a day to sit on a patio with a 'rita and some nachos and a book. Ahhhhhhhh.