Jaymes

I'd also suggest you go buy one of those "recipe collection" notebooks at your local gourmet store - they have loose-leaf pages, and are divided into categories. Write down some of your favorite recipes in them, and even though you said that few of the rest of the family cooks, everyone has at least one or two favorite preparations. So pass out some of the pages to other members of the family and have them write a couple of recipes in their own hand, date them, and include a brief sentence or two as to where they got that recipe, why it's special, any important or noteworthy occasions when they served it, etc. - that kind of thing. Those books are not expensive, and it will be a treasured momento to which they can add their own favorites as the years pass. I have done this for everyone that has married into my family and they are much appreciated. I did the same thing with recipe boxes before the notebooks were widely available but now prefer the notebook. Give that and a good cookbook as discussed above. And I like the idea of a herb/spice collection. Especially for kitchen showers, I buy an attractive gift basket at one of the "craft" stores like Michael's, and fill it with herbs and spices and a nice cookbook. I think it's welcome.

I would say that probably there are major differences between the types of "Indian foods that Asians and Westerners like," especially when said Westerners have not eaten a great deal of very spicy food. And I do empathize with the beleaguered restaurant staff that on very crowded holidays is faced with having to prepare special dishes for a few customers. The obvious and easy thing would be to say that this restaurant should just select a market and cater to it and prepare what they wish in order to please that market and that those that are not pleased by what the restaurant has to offer can just go somewhere else. But in real life, that's not what happens. Customers do go to that restaurant and then complain about it to everyone - to the staff, the management, the owners - and to all of their own relatives, friends, neighbors. In order to deal with this problem, the management of the restaurant has decided to enact a temporary "you people" policy. In other words, "we don't want to deal with 'you people' because you are too much trouble." I am not familiar with the laws against discrimination in the UK, but I can tell you that here in the States, the restaurant owner/management would promptly find themselves facing a lawsuit. They would soon discover that adding a few extra spices to some of their dishes is much less trouble than hashing it out in a series of costly and unpleasant court appearances which might result in damages being awarded to the "you people." I'd suggest that rather than lying to customers with Asian-sounding names by saying that they are fully booked, they'd be better off to tell everyone that calls that their policy on dining in that restaurant on holidays is that they will not be "customizing" any of their dishes, or making any other substitutions, or otherwise deviating from the menu, just for that day. And I'd also put a little notice that says the same thing on the menu. Make it clear that it is temporary, there's a good reason, if you like your food spicier or whatever, perhaps you might prefer to visit us another time when we are able to give your individual tastes special attention. But the "you people" approach is rarely productive. And quite often, as with the publicity created in this case, can have extremely detrimental consequences.

Speaking of Cap-Ferrat - I had a very lovely dinner at a restaurant there - Le Skipper - and I'm wondering if any of the rest of you have ever heard of that most delightful, inexpensive, unpretentious little cafe by the sea?

I really have to put in a good word here for my ketchup-based meatloaf glaze. It's really, really good - if you're a fan of ketchup on your meatloaf. And easy - ketchup, little mustard, horseradish, Worsty, little brown sugar... And I usually do drape a few bacon strips overall as well. The recipe (with exact amounts of ingredients) is in the recipe archives - and I swear to you that if you try it once, you won't go back to just plain ketchup ever again.

Meatloaf Glaze 1/3 c catsup 1 tsp Worsty 1 T dark brown sugar 1 T yellow mustard 1 tsp (or more to taste) horseradish Mix all ingredients together, brush over meatloaf. Lay bacon strips on top if desired. Keywords: Sauce ( RG478 )

In keeping with the e-bakeoff, I'd like to try this version as well. Maybe will do that next week.

I'm pretty sure it's just for the unique color. When making this cake for "just us," I usually left it out. But the color is such a distinctive part of the whole "mystique" thing, that I put it in whenever I made it to "carry," as we say in the South.

The greens were wonderful. Several people ordered them, and they were kind enough to pass out bitesful. For sides, I got the sweet potatoes and broccoli/cheese/rice casserole, both of which were delicious, but after tasting the greens, decided that next time I'm goin' for the sweet taters & greens. I didn't have the CFS, but those that did said that they thought they were the best in town. Heavy on the tasty meat and light on the crunchy crust. This place is a real winner and deserves to succeed. I just somehow wish that all of this was over in Austin Food Trail - (where in fact I did post about our lunch as well) - because I'm afraid folks might miss it here in Crimson.... But that's probably a silly concern, right. I mean, we have so few of us Austonions that I guess we eagerly devour anything that pertains to us.

Well, as I said, I haven't made it in ten years either. But I do recall being a smash hit at every party I took it to. RE - the chocolate. It already calls for a little bit more than many Red Velvet Cake recipes. The point is to have a buttermilk-vinegar, kind of sweet and sour flavor, with an underlay of chocolate. I'm intrigued by the fact that you doubled it. Was the flavor a strong chocolate??? RE - the oil. So is your recommendation that next time you're only going to use half the TOTAL amount of oil for a total of 1 cup oil, or that you are going to use half the amount of BUTTERY oil, still putting in the total of the original 2 cups oil called for? And lastly - I am really glad you liked it. I guess there is a reason why Red Velvet Cake furor swept the nation. I'm going to make it for my next party for sure. This thread has totally inspired me.

I too love fresh bay leaves, the California variety which are so flavorful. They are not always easy to find on the East Coast. Where are you located? I would certainly plant a tree if I thought it would grow here. I am in Central Texas - but my bay is in a pot. I haul it in and out depending on the weather. It's done very well but I don't know how it'd do in the ground here. I live in a condo and only have a balcony to grow things on, so it'd be in a pot in any case. I just haven't investigated the ideal growing conditions. I'd suggest you try that. Go to the nursery and talk to them about the ideal conditions, and if you don't have them - grow it as an inside/outside plant.

Well, the original award-winning recipe only called for vegetable oil, so just go ahead and use that and see what y'all think. I only started using the "buttery flavor" because it looked so, well, buttery.

You will LOVE your laurel bay. I enjoy mine so much that a small bay is now my standard "hostess" gift when dining at the homes of friends. And I often cut off a nice sprig with several leaves and use it to decorate wrapped packages when giving presents for other occasions.

I love fresh bay leaves. LOVE 'em. They are softer (obviously) and much more flavorful. Of all the herbs I grow in my garden, I really think I'd have to say that my bay is my favorite. Although maybe it's a tie, come to think of it, between bay and basil.

I'm not really much of a food chemist - and don't know how that "topping" oil would compare to a regular for-cooking vegetable oil, but I'd be a little hesitant to try it in a cake. My "armadillo cake" incident took place in Panama in 1976. Probably like Steel Magnolias and your Elmo, when Red Velvet Cake was THE most popular type of cake, there were undoubtedly lots of similar gruesome stories regarding hostesses that thought they were being clever.

Terrific! If you don't like it, please PM me. If, on the other hand, you love it, please feel free to post an effusive, flowery, braggy report right here.

Well, this recipe did have its heyday in those bad ol' 70's, you know. And after all, it IS CAKE, a dessert, the traditional refuge of guilty pleasures. I mean, it's not like I'm pouring a quart of oil into my squash and then talking about how good vegetables are for you. And I also doubt that any recipe that calls for a bottle of red dye is masquerading as being a paragon of healthy eating. As to the "buttery flavor" thing. In the days when I and my compatriots were engaged in competitive hostessing, having the best food (tastewise) was most important. We were all hauling Red Velvet Cake to this function and that. It would have cost me dearly, reputation-wise, to have had the driest version in town. Actually, this reminds me of my favorite Red Velvet Cake story. A friend was moving to Texas, and at their going away party, the erstwhile hostess thought it'd be terribly clever (considerable extra bonus points) if she made an "Armadillo Cake." So she did. And it wasn't a flat sheet cake, it was a rounded mound, frosted and decorated such that it did look exactly like an armadillo. Only the inside was Red Velvet Cake. So when you sliced into him, it looked just like you were indeed cutting open an animal (and a fairly unappetizing one at that - one that we were all accustomed to seeing as roadkill). Everyone screwed up their faces and in unison, went "Eeeeeeuuuuwww." But back to the "buttery flavor" thing. I had a friend that entered cooking contests for fun and profit. She won many, many awards. One of her most reliable entries was this Red Velvet Cake recipe. Finally I finagled it out of her (promising not to give it out or enter it into any contests, but here some 25 years later, I doubt she'll care). Her recipe just called for vegetable oil. I thought butter might give it a better flavor, and began experimenting with different amounts of butter. But the oil, 2 cups of it, invariably turned out a superior-textured cake. So in the store one day, I saw that someone (one of the "biggies" - Crisco, Wesson, etc.,) had brought out a "buttery flavor" variety. Which I used, to great success. I haven't made this cake in at least ten years, and so do not know if that buttery flavor is still being produced. But thought I'd put it in there, just in case. Good cooking, Claire. I can hardly wait to hear your comparisons. If another recipe is superior to this one, rest assured I will jettison "mine" immediately. I carry no false pride or proprietorial interest in recipes. It's just food. And like always, I prefer the best. Even when it's someone else's.

Claire - I think we should appoint you the Official eGullet Red Velvet Cake authority. Seek out and try all these recipes and compare. Then, we'll post the best one as the winner of the eGullet Red Velvet Cake eCookoff.

Six minutes. Damn you're good. How do you DO that?

So okay - here's mine. It does use a large amount of oil - 2 cups, but it sure ain't "dry." I haven't made it in years, but in the "olden days" there were frequently "Red Velvet Cake cookoffs." This recipe won the blue ribbon at several state fairs. Red Velvet Cake 2 1/2 C sifted cake flour 2 C sugar 1 C buttermilk 1 t soda 1 t vanilla 1 t salt 3 eggs 2 T cocoa 1 T white vinegar 1 oz red food color 2 C vegetable oil, "buttery flavor" Combine all ingredients; mix well and pour into 1 large or two small buttered and floured cake pans. Bake 300º for about 40 minutes, or until done. Cream cheese frosting: 1 stick butter 1 t vanilla 8-oz pkg cream cheese 1 box powdered sugar dash salt 1 C chopped pecans Cream well, then frost well-cooled cake.

Well, that was a gift. Thank you, Varmint.

Red Velvet Cake It does use a large amount of oil - 2 cups, but it sure ain't "dry." Red Velvet Cake was very popular back in the late 60's & 70's and there were frequently "Red Velvet Cake cookoffs." This recipe won the blue ribbon at several state fairs. 2-1/2 c sifted cake flour 2 c sugar 1 c buttermilk 1 tsp soda 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp salt 3 eggs 2 T cocoa 1 T white vinegar 1 oz red food color 2 C vegetable oil - regular "buttery flavor" is good but, if you can't find it, use 1 Cup Orville Redenbacher Buttery Flavor Oil for Popcorn (available in the popcorn section at the store) and 1 cup regular vegetable oil to make a total of 2C oil Cream cheese frosting: 1 stick butter 1 tsp vanilla 8-oz pkg cream cheese 1 16-oz bag powdered sugar dash salt 1 c chopped pecans Cake Combine all ingredients; mix well and pour into 1 large or two small buttered and floured cake pans. Bake 300º for about 40 minutes, or until done Frosting Cream well, then frost well-cooled cake. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG466 )

And buñelos. And churros.

Cruising season is upon us, and it appears that I might have an opportunity to sail to Alaska sometime in the fall. Thought I'd bring this back up to see if anyone has any recent cruise experiences they'd like to share.

Clearly she's been reincarnated from a previous life in Marin County. She's probably as startled as you are.