I've never made it because of the large amount of food coloring. I went looking for an alternative: Red Devil's Food Cake Made With Beets 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 8 1/4 ounce can beets 2 1/4 cups allpurpose flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup buttermilk 2 tsp. cider vinegar Frosting: 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 tsp. cream of tartar Pinch of salt 6 large egg whites 1/4 cup cold water 2 tbs. vanilla Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Butter and flour two 9 by 2 inch cake pans. Melt chocolate in double boiler and set aside to cool. Drain beets and puree in a blender or food processor; you should have 1 cup. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate. With mixer on low alternately beat in flour mixture (in fourths) and buttermilk mixed with vinegar (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour. Beat until incorporated. Add pureed beets and mix on medium until blended. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and top of cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and invert onto racks to cool completely. Make frosting: In a bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water beat sugar, cream of tartar, salt, egg whites and water with mixer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture holds stiff peaks. Remove bowl from pan and beat icing for 3 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. To assemble cake: On serving plate spread one cake layer with a third of frosting and top with second layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Yield: 9 inch Layer Cake, 8 to 10 servings _________________________________________________________ Unique Red Velvet Cake Beet juice is the secret ingredient that substitutes for red food color in this traditional Southern specialty cake. Some people prefer a boiled white frosting, but I cannot imagine this cake without cream cheese frosting. Make this cake when you want to dazzle people -- or when you want superb taste. This is the kind of cake to take to a party. CAKE 4-1/2 C cake flour, sifted 1-1/2 t salt 4 T Cocoa 4 oz. beet juice (drain from one 15 oz. can of beets - add water to make 4 oz., if needed) 1 C vegetable shortening 2-3/4 C sugar 4 large eggs 2 C buttermilk 1-1/2 T vanilla extract 2 T white vinegar 2 t baking soda Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Remember to use glass and metal utensils to avoid beet-juice stains. Add salt and cocoa to sifted flour and sift again. With mixer on medium, cream together vegetable shortening and sugar for at least five minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating at least one minute after each addition. Add beet juice and vanilla to buttermilk. Alternate adding these liquids and the flour-salt-cocoa mixture to the shortening/sugar. Use a spatula or put your mixer on low -- don't overbeat. Put white vinegar in a small bowl and add baking SODA (not powder). It will foam up briefly. Fold into the cake batter -- DO NOT BEAT. Batter should be somewhat thick, but add water, if needed, to make a pourable batter. Pour batter into prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 30 minutes in a 350 oven. Allow layers to cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake tins. Cool cake completely before frosting. Cut each layer in half to create a four-layer cake. CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened (Neufchatel tastes great, too, and has less fat -- as if that mattered given the rest of the recipe) 2 sticks butter or margarine 2 T vanilla 4 C powdered sugar water or milk to thin, if needed

This one is good and easy to make -- not sure if you want something this casual Chill Chasers 1 20 oz box devil's food or dark chocolate cake mix (tested with Duncan Hines) 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ancho chili powder 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne (I used 3/8 tsp) 1 egg 1/4 c water 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup sliced almonds, very finely chopped Stir spices into cake mix in mixing bowl. Add egg and water, then stir in chocolate chips. Divide dough (a bit sticky) into half and shape each into a roll about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Roll each roll in the finely chopped almonds, then wrap in waxed paper and chill or freeze several hours. Slice chilled dough about 1/4" thick and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees about 12 min. Makes about 3 dozen. I was thinking that a Texas Sheet Cake would also be good made with a similar amount of chili and cayenne in the cake batter. I want to try that. Here's the classic recipe -- Texas Sheet Cake 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup butter or margarine 4 Tbsp. cocoa 1 cup water 2 eggs ý cup buttermilk 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla Prepare a 9x13 pan or a sheet pan (11x15 �" cake will be thinner) by greasing and flouring or spraying with nonstick spray. Measure flour, sugar and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Place butter, cocoa and water in small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn off heat and pour hot mixture over flour mixture and stire to blend. Add eggs. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add to mixture with vanilla. Blend together. Bake at 350 until cake tests done in center (about 25-30 min for sheet pan and about 35 min for 9x13). Make frosting while cake is still hot and pour over warm cake. Spread just enough to cover cake and let cool without disturbing. If you want to use buttermilk powder, add the powder (2T) to the flour and sugar and mix well. Dissolve the baking soda in ý c water and add with vanilla. Chocolate Fudge Icing 1 cup sugar or 1 lb powdered sugar (1 box or ý large bag) ý cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 4 T cocoa ü cup milk 2 tsp vanilla 1 cup pecans (optional) Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix well from beginning to avoid lumps. Stir constantly and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and beat until thick enough to spread on cake. Spread over warm cake, spreading just to move into corners. Icing will cool and form a skin that will crack and crinkle if you continue to spread, but it will usually settle over the warm cake on its own.

My Murgh Makhani is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's recipe in her Indian Cookery book. It starts with freshly made tandoori chicken, which I kind of cheat when making, starting with a ready-made masala I buy at my local Indian grocer. Tandoori Chicken: Combine 2 tbsp tandoori masala with 2 tbsp plain (really plain - no gelatins or other weird ingredients) yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tbsp veg oil and marinate 1 kg skinless chicken parts for at least 6-8 hours. Cut gashes into the chicken flest and rub in the marinate for maximum infused flavour. Grill over hot coals until done OR bake on a rack in a 450F oven for about 30 minutes. Murgh Makhani: 1 recipe freshly made tandoori chicken 4 tbsp tomato paste + enough water make 1 c. 1 cubic inch of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 1 1/4 c. 10% cream 1 tsp garam masala 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 1 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste 1 tbsp chopped cilantro 4 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds Combine these ingredients and mix well. This can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed. When chicken is ready, heat 1/2 c unsalted butter in a saute pan. Once melted, add the combined liquid ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook on med heat for a minute or so, whisking in the butter. Add the still-warm chicken pieces, and serve as soon as everything is heated through.

Our favorite comes from The Splended Table. We use Manchego, Gruyere and a bit of Asiago 21st-Century Mac 'n' Cheese Excerpted from The Splendid Table's® How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift Serves 4, and doubles easily 8 to 10 minutes prep time; 30 minutes oven time You could assemble the dish a day ahead to bake when you walk in the door Never underestimate the healing power of macaroni and cheese at the end of a day from hell. Make this as rich as you'd like by selecting milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream. 3 quarts salted water in a 4-quart pot 1/2 pound (2 cups) imported elbow macaroni or penne pasta 1 large egg 1 cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream 1 small garlic clove 3/4 medium onion, coarse chopped 1 generous cup (5 ounces) shredded good-quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese 5 ounces cream cheese, crumbled 2/3 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Manchego cheese Generous 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes Generous 1/8 teaspoon salt Generous 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper Generous 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika, Hungarian or Spanish 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 12 saltines, coarse crumbled 1. Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop in the macaroni or penne. Boil, stirring often, until the pasta is tender but still with a little firmness. Drain in a colander. 2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a shallow 1-1/2-quart baking dish, and add the cooked macaroni. 3. In a blender or food processor, combine the egg, milk, and garlic. Process for 3 seconds. Add the onion, cheeses, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and paprika, and blend for 10 seconds, or until the onion is cut down to small pieces and the ingredients are blended. Turn the mixture into the dish, folding it into the macaroni. (The casserole could be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours at this point.) 4. To bake, bring the casserole close to room temperature if it has been refrigerated. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the saltine crumbles, and coat them with the butter. Spread them over the top of the casserole. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick yet creamy. If the top is not golden brown, slip the casserole under the broiler for a minute. Remove it from the oven, let it stand for 5 minutes, and serve. LYNNE'S TIPS An egg and cream cheese are the secret ingredients here. They give creaminess and body to the dish so you can sidestep the time-consuming white sauce often called for in macaroni and cheese recipes. The Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Manchego cheese gives a nuttiness and another layer of flavor beyond cheddar cheese alone.