Football? That Ain't Football!

I never watched football before coming to Oman. You know what football looks like to an Americano? This:

Go Patriots!

Oh wait. This is football:

Phew

The other stuff is soccer. 

Just a tad different. Bless them.

The problem is, nobody here gives a crud about football. Er...American football. Outside America, everybody watches football. Er...I mean soccer. Sweet heavens it's confusing for a Stateside girl. I listen to people scoff about my football. It's a ridiculous game, I've heard, with all that padding and the constant penalty calls. Hardly worth watching at all. Honestly, I don't understand half of what I'm seeing either. I still love it. Yeah, I understand that soccer is a game with more finesse. I get that it is "real" football. I just can't connect with that game the way I connect with football. Football is violent and exciting, and the best players are American gods. We know nobody else cares about the Green Bay Packers, or the New York Giants, or the New England Patriots. But any given Sunday during the season, we care. We care a lot. We care about Friday nights, when we go to the local high school in our hometowns and watch the boys play the game. It is the quintessential American experience. Yes, American students play soccer. You know who goes to those games? Their mothers. 

But I live in Salalah now. I adapt. I watch football games with my husband sometimes, and I tuned in to the FIFA games with my son in law occasionally so I could stay lateral with my Oman buddies. It's cool enough. But it ain't football. 

Moving on to cake, last night's cake was a simple yellow cake. I planned to get all crazy cooking a three layer pumpkin cake with marscapone frosting, but someone wanted a simple, inexpensive cake for tea. So that is what I made. It was boring. It was so boring, I forgot to take a picture. 

Quick One Layer Butter Cake

1 cup flour 

2/3 cup sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 cup shortening 
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 egg 

Preheat oven to 350? 

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add shortening, milk and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat for 30 seconds more. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Allow cake to cool before frosting. 

As for a cake a day, it would take a miracle. I calculated the cost over a year (perhaps should have thought that one through at the start) and figure it is about 3000 usd. No can do. I will continue to bake for my standing order on Wednesdays, and for loved ones, and a challenge cake weekly. Something like that. I can always write, and perhaps eat cake the other days. Haha. I will think of something.

Love,

Felicia El Aid. aka Epic Cake Challenge Failure