Everybody Loves Red Velvet

Cupcakes that is.

I have always enjoyed them myself, but I had never tried to make them. But when it's the birthday of one the best of your best friends, and she drops the knowledge that those are her favorite, you make the effort.
I researched many recipes and decided: I was going to use shortcuts because this takes a lot of precise measuring. So I got out a box of yellow cake mix I conveniently had in my cupboard, and went out for the other special ingredients (food coloring, butter milk, unsweetened cocoa, etc... )

Unfortunately, the closest supermarket to me is a Gristedes. And it sucks. If I'd wanted to walk farther (and pay more) there is a Gourmet Garage and a Whole Foods only a few blocks farther away, but it was cold out, what with it being winter, and I wanted to get out and back as fast as possible.

(Dear Gristedes: It is five days from Valentine's Day, and you have no red food coloring. You have boxes and boxes of green food coloring, which are most likely left over from Christmas, and will probably still be there when St. Patty's Day rolls around. But at Valentine's Day, you should definitely restock your red food coloring!!!)

Anyway, I made my way through it all and they rose beautifully. I even managed to let them cool without eating any of them.

Of course, one I iced them, one or two might have disappeared from the final count...

Iced, packed up, and ready to go, they came with me to karaoke (well, minus one that I gave to a man on the subway, who asked if I "needed all that food" hidden under tinfoil. I couldn't very well say, "Yes. Yes I do.")

So it was at karaoke that I discovered Red Velvet is everybody's favorite cupcake. The birthday girl, Steve, Tom, and apparently anyone else who could smell icing.
They were a hit. And worth the effort of baking.


Man, even to me this post seems dull. Soooooo... I shall end with a photo of me with the birthday girl laughing at our favorite Monday night hangout.

At least if we get snowed in tomorrow, Mike and I will not starve, what with the leftover roast chicken and extra dozen cupcakes still in our kitchen ;)

Fun side note: if you eat enough red velvet cake, you will pee pink due to the two entire bottles of food coloring in it..
 (Ahhh MQA, I remember that birthday party in college when you thought you were seriously ill for a moment... heeee :)