FEEDING THE ROOMIES

For the past three weeks I have been "living" in my friends' living room; I'm the "guy on the couch." When the company I work for decided to uproot itself (earlier) this year to create a new home-base on the East Coast, I had to make a decision --my lease was ending May 31st. (!!!) I decided that I wouldn't renew, and one of my roommates hooked-up with another friend of ours to get a 2-BR. I, on the other hand, with less than two months to spare in SoCal, had no place to go...! But that's why I have friends whom I love. They've let me be their 'spare tenant' as I prepare for my journey Eastward.

I honestly don't know how to repay them, really. But I know one thing I can do is cook them up a feast every now and then. I finally got the free time to do so yesterday, and so I prepared them my own rendition of pork and chicken adobo, and a free-hand dish of shrimp and veggies cooked in a Thai green curry sauce.

Oh, adobo...

Shrimp & Veggies in Thai Green Curry Sauce

Adobo is adobo. iIf you're in the know, then you know what's up. The other dish was something I decided to whip up on a whim. At Trader Joe's I decided to pick up a few things: baby bok choy, yellow squash, yellow onions, haricots verts (green beans), Mexican white shrimps, TJ's Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce, and TJ's Thai Lime and Chili cashews. I chopped up the veggies, and sauteed them in a little olive oil... adding some freshly ground pepper, white pepper powder, garlic powder, and a tablespoon of light soy sauce. I set the veggies aside after browning them a little. Then I took the thawed-out shrimps and sauteed them with the same spices/sauces. I then poured half a jar of the curry sauce into the sauce pan, and let the shrimp simmer. After a few minutes, I added the veggies. After a few stirs, I added a half cup of the cashews. A couple of stirs here and there, dinner was served - much to my roommates' delight.

Survey says: the shrimp/veggie dish will now be added to my permanent repertoire. And I've got a about a month more to share more 'food' with the roomies.

RED VELVET: FROM CAKE TO COOKIE

Red Velvet Cake.

It is easily the Grand Dame among cakes, especially in and around the Southern U.S. It is rich, heavy, and delectably sweet; virtually a heart-attack straight from the oven (especially if Paula Deen makes it... but hey, we all love us some Paula Deen!). You either love it, or hate it.

Photo from Feb. 13, 2008-post by Mary Audet on Blisstree.com

Red Velvet takes its name from the distinct color of the cake: usually a dark to bright red, or a reddish-brown. It is usually made of cocoa powder, flour, buttermilk, and tons of butter. Sometimes, the reddish tint is made from the use of food coloring or beets. Cream cheese butter-cream frosting is normally paired with the cake, but it is most popular with a butter-roux icing. (Is your mouth watering yet?)

In cupcakeries across the country, the Red Velvet cupcake tends to be a 'best seller.' This is probably due in part to the resurgence of the cake's popularity after it was featured in both Oprah Winfrey's show and O Magazine back in '06/'07. Since then, the cake has made its rounds as the celebrity cake of choice, showing up at birthday celebrations, weddings, and other special events.

One of Sprinkles' best: Red Velvet (Photo by Janelle Albino from the Mar. 11, 2008-post on "What I Ate Today")

In pop culture, the cake itself has made quite a name for itself. Much in the same fashion as the fabled Nieman-Marcus cookie story, there is an urban legend about a woman who ordered the cake while dining at NYC's Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Because she was enamored by the dessert, she asked for the recipe. Subsequently she was billed heftily for the recipe alone. As a result, she spread the recipe far and wide via chain letter. Fact, or fiction?!

The Red Velvet craze, while infamous in its cake form, is also making its mark as a cookie. Check out this recipe from recipezaar.com:

SINFUL RED VELVET COOKIES
(Based on a Paula Deen recipe)

17 minutes | 5 minutes prep.
Serves 5-7; 24-30 cookies per batch

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) brick cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, at room temperature)
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (18 oz) box red velvet cake mix
confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth (with an electric mixer)
2) Beat in the egg
3) Beat in the vanilla extract
4) Beat in the cake mix
5) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls
6) After batter is chilled, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF
7) Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon-sized balls, and then roll them in confectioners' sugar
8) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2-inches apart
9) Bake 12 minutes; cookies should remain soft and gooey
10) Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar (if desired)
11) Top with cream cheese frosting to make even more rich, or serve as is

An interpretation of Red Velvet Cookies (Photo from Mar. 7, 2009-post on heidibella.com)

It's been said that this cookie takes the cake. Give it a try, and you be the judge!