baby rambutan

i wanted to have another go at red velvet cake. trying to recall any distinct flavor memory from that first time, well, i couldn’t.
it was featured as the “cover girl” (she does kind of look like a girly kind of cake doesn’t she?) of this month’s Saveur magazine, so i got enticed into making it again. besides, as with my first try at it, i was feeling low and blue, and baking almost always lifts me up to a better place.

2 bottles of red food coloring…i watched too much of a vampire tv series! Being Human, UK original. that’s why.

i used a lot more cocoa than called for but followed the rest of the recipe accurately.
it was unbearable for the kids, having to wait for the layers to cool and for me to frost with lightly sweetened whipped cream.verdict: YES, finally, i love red velvet cake.
Saveur recipe… (more…)

this is what i hunger for, when i’ve overindulged and i’m feeling guilty. there’s a lot of fun in scrounging around the veggie bin and the pantry shelves, checking for the ingredients, and afterwards i almost feel smug.
just a composition of fresh and green arugula (rocket), solid tuna in olive oil, warm barely-hard-boiled eggs, sliced Kalamata olives, anchovies, tomatoes, and the astringent dressing of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil fired up with freshly-crushed garlic and cracked black peppercorns.

i have decided to create a parallel universe for my poor sweet baby rambutan….commercial-free and more zen-like in atmosphere, possibly liberating my meditations free too. be warned though there might be more foolishness and silly karaoke-type singing there. and an odd rant now and again.
i hope anyone interested still in my recipes and in my conversations with myself, will bookmark the newborn my baby rambutan, where the recipes and food will also be posted concurrent to those i cook up here.
just in case.