Birthday cakes 

As far as I'm concerned, it isn't a cake if it isn't chocolate - with perhaps some fruit to balance the rich flavour - such as these excellent examples ....


More chocolate and less cream seems to work the best.  

I also have a theory that it doesn't matter what a cake looks like, so long as it tastes good.  

However, I'm not sure if I'd feel the same if my birthday cake had been decorated by one of the people pictured on this website "some people really shouldn't decorate birthday cakes" - http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/24-people-who-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-decorate-cakes#.cv3yNvl95k

Gardening as a metaphor for marriage

From an instruction booklet for growing ornamental holly bushes:

'Plant (female bushes) in ground one to 1.2 metres apart with the male in the background, out of sight but functional." (from M. Platt, Thornton Hough, Merseyside)






See: http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/selection/ss/18-Species-of-Holly-Trees-and-Shrubs.htm

Plum-Cornmeal Cake*


1.5 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp bicarb
1/2 cup cornmeal (plus a spoonful for the top)
6 oz butter
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
cinnamon
vanilla essence
lemon juice
milk
6 or so plums

Sorbet/Sauce
2 lb plums
1/2 cup sugar
lemon juice

1. In bowl put flour, cornmeal, baking powder and cinnamon.
2. In a big bowl mix butter and sugar, add eggs gradually.
3. Add flour mixture alternating with milk, adding lemon juice and vanilla.
4. Roughly chop the plums.
5. Put half batter into a dish, half plums, rest of batter then rest of plums
6. Sprinkle some maize flour on top.
7. Cook at 350F for about 50 minutes.
8. Delicious served with sauce made from pureed plums with sugar and lemon juice, or could freeze this mixture to make a plum sorbet.

*http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/06/plum-cornmeal-cake-with-plum-sorbet-recipe.html