"There's 104 days of summer vacation,
And school comes along just to end it.
So the annual problem for our generation,
Is finding a good way to spend it!"
—"Phineas and Ferb," The Disney Channel

If you have children between the ages of 6 and 16, you might have already heard these lyrics enough to last a couple of lifetimes. On the other hand, from perhaps the most inspired animated TV series of this generation comes a terrific idea that has inspired my daughter Liza and her best friends to make a "bucket list" of things to do to keep the summer doldrums at bay and the electronic screens dark.

Summer vacation is a time for kids to create special memories. It is an opportunity to spend lots of time with their friends, doing things they don't have time to do together during the school year. The friendships they cement during the summer months are ones that last a lifetime. What could be better and healthier for children than to plan things to do together? Outside, away from the TV and the computer.

I love the idea of a bucket list created by a group. It requires thinking, planning, collaboration, give and take, compromise and huge amounts of creativity. It's such a good idea that my wife and I are thinking of our own summer list, and there are lots of things on Liza's list that we want to do, too.

So what's on the girls' list?

Having a water balloon fight. Writing a poem. Playing favorite childhood board games. Sketching a flower growing in the backyard. Picking fruit in an orchard.

And making a fabulous dessert.

So what fabulous dessert can a bunch of 12-year-old girls make that is simple and tasty, uses the best available fresh and local ingredients, and will appeal to almost everyone?

Let's start with what's in season. One of my favorites right now is cherries. For the next few weeks, local cherries will be abundant, sweet and delicious. Among the places to find them is Cherry Hill Orchards, near New Danville. It's one of the oldest pick-your-own orchards in Pennsylvania, with more than 2,500 trees from which to gather some of the finest fruit available anywhere.

And what could these budding pastry chefs make that would whet my appetite on a hot summer evening? How about this one.

CHERRY CLAFOUTI (CHERRY PUDDING CAKE)
1 pound pitted fresh cherries

Zest of one lemon

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 tablespoon butter

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon amaretto (optional)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

4 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Powdered sugar (10X) for dusting

About an hour ahead, toss the cherries and the lemon zest in a mixing bowl with 1/4 cup sugar.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an ovenproof dish, deep-dish pie plate, or 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

Place eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, amaretto, flour and milk in a blender; blend until smooth.

Place the cherries and their juices in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit; sprinkle the toasted almonds on top of the batter.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and puffy, like a popover. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving (cake will deflate slightly). Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top with a sieve. Serve the clafouti warm. Vanilla ice cream might be nice, too.

Serves about 6-8.

This is originally a French dish, in which they use cherries with the pits in. The pits add a certain toasty flavor to the dish. It can also be made with defrosted frozen pitted cherries, or almost any other seasonal fruit, including pears, apples, blueberries, plums and peaches. When using very juicy fruit, increase the amount of flour in the recipe from 1 cup to 1 1/4 cups.

Email Jeff Thal at talking.fresh@yahoo.com" target="_blank">talking.fresh@yahoo.com or visit his blog, talkingfresh.typepad.com/blog.