August Performer Spotlight: Ursula Undress

1. How did you come up with your stage name and tag line?  Does it have a special meaning to you?

It actually just popped into my head one day, and I mentioned it at the meet-up and told everyone "Don't steal that! I am sitting on it a while", then, as you well know - Chrystal Shawnda Leer died a quiet death while performing at an Unknown Hinson show, and was reincarnated as Ursula 

2. How did you get started in burlesque?

Before I moved here, I had already been looking at the scene and within a couple of months of moving, I went to a meet-up and met some amazing ladies! You (Katherine Lashe), Talloolah Love, Sadie Hawkins...you guys made me feel so welcome! It was nice to have an outlet for my love for the theater.

3. What has been your best moment as a performer so far?

Hrm....I think it was the first time I performed at the Texas Burlesque Festival...it was so awesome to have friends drive in to see me and be in my home state as a real performer. 

4. What is your favorite act to perform?

I think it is my Star Trek one just for the sheer joy of hearing the audience....they love the costume and the stoic face....and the Trekkies are awesome about it! 

5. What is your burlesque dream show?

OH MY STARS!!!  It would have everyone! Michelle L'Amour, Dirty Martini, Trixie and Monkey, Jo Boobs, Indigo Blue, The Jigglewatts, Ruby Revue, Perle Noire...so many more that I can't list here. And of course Satan's Angel would be there, and I would choreograph the largest strip tease that included EVERYONE in the Atlanta/Athens scene!!!

6. Where do you see your self in the next five years?

Hopefully still running The Atlanta School of Burlesque and producing shows regularly. I would also love to perform in Europe. 

7. Tell us something outside of burlesque that you are involved or interested in.

I actually have an art degree, and love to paint & draw. Currently, I sometimes design handwritten fonts. I am also getting into doing DIY stuff in my house. A pallet-wood headboard is in my near future!

8. What do you think is your greatest skill, not including burlesque?

Other than sex? (HA!)I think I am good with people.... 

9. What are you most looking forward to this year as a burlesque performer? As a civilian?

As a performer, I look forward to some collaborations that I have in the works. As a civilian, I look forward to taking up yoga again and working on my house.

10. Who is your favorite performer to watch? 

I could watch Lola LeSoleil all day! She's always interesting and innovative and so well poised. And all of her numbers are completely different!

Recipe Test: Pineapple Angel Food Cake

My Pineapple Angel Food Cake

So I got bored and was on Pinterest again...seriously, this is what I do with my off time because it's so weird to have any I feel like I should be doing something.  So I found this recipe for Pineapple Angel Food Cake  that look ridiculously easy.  It had two ingredients and all you do is dump, mix and place in oven, I could have actually slept through the whole thing and it still would have been lovely.

Their Pineapple Angel Food Cake

I used the Duncan Hines Angel Food Cake Mix
and a 20oz can of the Kroger brand pineapple tidbits in juice.  Honestly, I followed all the instructions which is what went wrong.  The recipe said to follow the cook time on the box (approx 30-40 minutes).  The box of Duncan Hines said 38-48 minutes so I did 38 minutes.  It was a lie.  As you can see from my cake there is a dark almost, but not quite, burnt layer on the top of the cake.  Other than that, the cake was great.  I had totally forgotten that Angel Food Cake is basically the cotton candy of cakes because it had been so long since I had any.  Next time, will definitely just do the 30 minutes and then check on it.  I am not sure if it's just because my oven sucks or because I didn't put it in a bundt pan because my 9x13 has a lid which makes me happy.

Good things: this was super easy to make and pretty tasty after I scrapped off the almost burned part.  Also, it says you can use low calorie cherry, blueberry, or lemon canned pie filling instead of pineapple so it's pretty versatile.  The ingredients are cheap and it makes like 12 servings so it's great for a budget.

Bad things: The box lies...don't listen to it if it says 38-48 minutes.  

Recipe Test: Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

I made these!

Sometimes I get bored and poke around on Pinterest and stare at recipes that I will probably never make.  However, lately, I have been actually trying more and more of these recipes that I have found.  The other day I made Bacon Cinnamon Rolls.  Yup, you heard me correctly.  I mixed the eewy gooey-ness of delicious cinnamon rolls covered in delicious melty icing with the duct tape of food that is bacon.  We all know that bacon makes everything better, right?

So I bought the generic Kroger brand cinnamon rolls rather than the Pillsbury Grands! that the recipe calls for.  I lucked out because the reason it calls for Grands! is because many of the prepackaged cinnamon rolls no longer actually unroll, they're a lie, and instead are cinnamon biscuits that you cover in icing.  Luckily, the Kroger brand isn't a lie so I was actually able to unroll them and shove in the bacon.

I may have over done it a bit with the bacon.  I totally didn't follow the directions and cook it first before rolling one piece in each roll.  Rather than roll one piece of bacon in the center of each cinnamon roll I did two pieces that went from end to end.  The issue was that it meant the rolls didn't have dough to seal itself with on the outside and made them want to fall apart rather than stay tightly rolled.  Also, the bacon didn't get as cooked as I wanted.  These are things that happen when you don't follow the recipe!

The pictures to the right are the ones from the website.  The one above is what I made.  I used super thick and delicious Pine Street Market bacon and it may have just been too much for those little rolls!

So over all, yum and something I will probably try again, but next time I might follow the directions and if I feel the need to have the extra bacon I'll just crumble some on top!