Running With Scissors
Saturday, December 16, 2006
On Friday night I went Christmas shopping at Myer, which was open til 9pm. I think they must have anticipated hordes of last-minute shoppers, all eager to spend. Instead it was pleasantly quiet. Everyone must have been out drinking. Ben was. I had planned to meet him, but he informed me that the venue was really smoky, so I decided to wander around a department store instead.
I do love department stores, but only when they are quiet. (Feel free to throw things at me for being revoltingly consumerist or capitalist or something. Nyah.) I spent a while in the Christmas decorations department, looking for some decorations small enough for my miniature Christmas tree. I bought two stripy glass baubles, something that I have always wanted but never purchased for some reason, and a ceramic golden-retriever like dog wearing a Santa hat. I lingered at a coffee-maker display, and drank a complimentary cup of decaffinated coffee prepared for me by the demonstrator lady using the New Phillips Senso Coffee Maker. I looked at bed linen and books. I browed the man department for presents for Ben.
Then I went home, drank tea, and ate a Mandarin Slice biscuit.
The End.
Fiona expressed these musings at 7:32 PM
Synopsis
The life and times of a girl who likes cake.

The Cast And Crew
Fiona: A genius musicologist with a giant brain, who loves cake, pies and aeroplanes. Captain of Skybed 2.
Rob: Fiona's gentleman caller, also owner of a giant brain, and captain of Skybed 1.
Vanessa: Sister of Fiona, recently returned from a jaunt around the Continent.
Timothy: Friend of Fiona and gentleman caller of Vanessa, currently swanning around in Paris.
Nicholas: Friend of all of the above.
Helen: Platonic wife of Fiona, artist, and senior lecturer.
Mother: Self-explanatory.

Links to Alleviate Your Boredom
www.engrish.com
home.iprimus.com.au/ncarvan/
Other Blogs
News, Rants, Soliloquies and Reveries
Seventeenth

Recipe Of The Week: Orange and Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
125g margarine
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
2 eggs, or egg replacer equivalent
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice
3/4 cup raspberries. If you use frozen ones, don't thaw them, please.

1.Grease deep 20cm round cake pan, line base with baking paper, sprinkle with sugar.This helps your cakey to rise, as the mixture clings tenaciously to the sugar as it climbs up the sides of the pan.

2.Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl til all light and fluffy.

3.Beat in eggs one at a time, beating til just combined between additions. Or, if you are using egg replacer, divide it in half, pretend it's eggs and do the same.

4.Fold in flour and juice, in 2 alternate batches, ending with a flour batch.

5.Fold in 1/4 cup raspberries, gently now..

6.Now, assemble your cakey. Spread 3/4 of cake mixture into your pan, sprinkle with remaining raspberries. Spread with remaining cake mixture.

7. Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees) about 1 hour. Stand cake in pan 5 min,then cool on a wire rack.

8. Ice your creation. Orange or passionfruit icing would be nice with this one, I think. I usually just sift some icing sugar until I get sick of it, then add enough orange juice or passionfruit pulp to make a nice consistency.

9. Share with your friends and bask in praise (it'd be nice if you mentioned me, but if you don't, I'll forgive you). Or,
consume alone.