when i say shotgun you say wedding, shotgun wedding shotgun wedding

You know what's really, really sad? When you can't find a piece of paper so you have to write your in-progress shopping lists on your livejournal.

( menu and shopping list for shindig )

So! I have a few questions, oh mighty f-list, which I am going to ask of you and also of food_porn because they're also clever.

+ I'm icing sponges and in the past I've used cointreau or some other liquor or liqueur to soak over the sponges (in smallish amounts). I don't have access to that or anything like it. What could I replace it with?
+ I'm cooking sausages and it always takes ages. Is it okay to zap them in the microwave first to precook them? If yes, how long and at what temp?
+ I had another question but I forget it.