Step 1: Get more coffee.

I'd like to interrupt regularly scheduled programming to introduce you to the BEST IDEA I'VE EVER HAD! (Don't worry, there will be a recipe for a lovely Lemonhead cake at the very end, but stick with me, this will be good!) See? Preview. Mmmmm.



First though, read this article or the rest will seem crazy. Done? Good.

So, today I was IM'ing with my sister and my friend Joy, reading the above article on NPR, and (ahem) finishing off my latte when a genius idea came to me! It started innocently enough.

I kind of want a live bilby for a pet," I said to Irina and Joy. "I'll call him Billy the Bilby".

Silence.

Fueled by their lack of enthusiasm, or possibly their abundance of actual work, I started thinking and IM'ing (be warned, the following is full of genius and exclamation marks):

"So um, this bilby would make the best pet EVER.
Why? He's a marsupial.
Meaning? I can hide stuff in his pouch, basically making it a pet purse.
Yes, I said it. PET AS PURSE!
We can breed them in different colors!
Save a dying species AND GET RICH!
Must include picture of the MAJESTIC pet that looks like a cross between a bunny, a rat and a kangaroo in promo material to get people to buy in on this idea."

At this point my sister told me she had to work and Joy said something about being sued in the future because someone's purse scratched their eyes out. My sweet bilby? Never! She then said something about it looking like a mutant.

"This is like a FRANKENBUNNY accessory!" I typed, "If Dr. Frankenstein had a wife, she'd buy one of these in every color."

Propelled by my own ingenuity I typed:
"Just imagine training it to carry the TV remote IN. IT'S. POUCH! That way it can still bring you a beer in it's front paws!"
"Bonus feature? He'll eat bugs so they don't bug you! Can YOUR purse do that?"

There may have been a few negative remarks from Joy after that but all in all, I think I won the argument as no one has so far come up with a single reason why this would be a bad plan (humanitarian issues will be dealt with at a future date).

So, reason I share this anecdote with you: I'm looking for investors/supporters to get this idea off the ground. If you truly want to be a part of this life altering endeavor, I strongly urge you to .....

.... Send Anna (me) more coffee!


Oh yeah, and I promised you cake.




Light Lemonhead Cake
Adapted from: Souvlaki For The Soul. I kicked up the lime and the result tasted like a moist tender reincarnation of a lemonhead candy. In other words? Awesome...though not as awesome as a bilby.

1 cup Greek yogurt, I used low-fat, but obviously fat will taste good too :D
1/3 cup of olive oil, I used Persian Lime olive oil from The Olive Tap
1 cup sugar
zest of all the limes you're going to juice (3 did it for me)
1/4 cup lime juice
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups of sifted plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lime oil (optional)

- Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
- Grease a 9" spring-form baking pan or two mini loaf pans with a bit of olive oil or butter.
- In a large bowl mix all the wet ingredients until well combined.
- Dump the dry ingredients over wet and fold in with a spatula just until combined. Don't overdo it or the batter will be too dense.
- Pour into the baking tin(s) and cook for about 45-50 mins. The cake is ready when it has browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for a few minutes and then invert onto a plate. You can either make some basic icing to top it (just mix some powdered sugar and lime juice or milk) or leave it plain. It tastes amazing along side a cup of tea.



P.S. So today we were discussing just how exactly did a male bunny end up being the bringer of painted chicken eggs and how exactly both of those things were tied to Easter and I came across a Mental Floss article on the subject (LOVE this magazine by the way). The best part though came from one of the readers who shared the following story:

"I grew up on a farm with chickens, so I knew where eggs came from: chicken butts. So when I was told the Easter Bunny laid eggs, I figured the eggs came from his butt. In anticipation of the holiday, I prepared for the holiday by making a nest for the Easter Bunny, sort of the way I would also hang a stocking for Santa. The nest would be a place where the Easter Bunny laid me some Easter eggs. But then, when the Easter Bunny left me such gifts as a BB gun and a box kite, I imagined him pooping me such toys from his butt. I felt sorry for him, imagine how much that must hurt."

You're welcome.