As noted below, I spent a lot of time cooking yesterday. Before I go to A.'s today, I just have to assemble the salad, bake the sweet potatoes, and ice the cake. Speaking of same, I was disappointed that both layers came out so flat. I'm wondering if my baking powder has anything to do with this. I have two cans, both almost full, that say "Best if used by 12/08." Now, I don't put much credence in expiration dates and 12/08 wasn't even a year ago, but maybe...
Oh, well, I solved the problem by baking another single layer. I'll make half again the icing recipe, put the pieces together for a three-layer cake, and it'll be a higher cake. Clever, ain't I?
After my culinary chores, I sat for an hour or so and continued reading Under The Dome, Stephen King's new one. The damn thing is so big--1074 pages--it's hard to carry around, but I like it. King's characters are utterly predictable--as soon as they're introduced, you know whether they'll be heroes, start a romance with another character, or suffer a horrifying death. Those in Dome are no exception. Already we have Dale Barbara ("Barbie")--a male retired military officer who, due to his anti-war angst, now works as a short-order cook--and Ms. Shumway, a fortyish real estate agent who clearly (King gives you clues up front) has a tragic past. You know they're going to end up in bed together before too many pages are turned. Then there are members of the Rennie family; Dad is a corrupt town official, Junior is a psychopathic murderer, and the fun and games they foster will surely continue until King consigns them to their timely, ingeniously horrifying demises.
Lots of other stock characters show up and I recognize most of them. It's nice for King fans not to have to bother with figuring out who's a goodie and who's a badie--he does it for you.