I have a fantastic recipe, it may be the same as the one above. I know this one is very good. I only use a 1/2 a bottle of food coloring, its very dark with that. Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe courtesy ~ Cakeman Raven Vegetable oil for the pans 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon fine salt 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce) 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows Crushed pecans, for garnish Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed. Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely. Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans. Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 pound cream cheese, softened 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 - 1 cup Chopped Pecans With a electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.) Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Add pecans, mix in. Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. Yield: enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake

Christmas Eve is our big family gathering, we include a dinner for 20. We serve buffet style, but sit at dining tables. (I discovered that 20 is the perfect number: 10 at the DR, 10 in the sunroom at two folding banquet tables) We went with a simple dinner menu this year: beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes (two trays from costco, they were great, and pretty in my new red-orange Dansk pan) and a simple Chistmas salad my aunt made. Elegant! Appetizers were made/brought by others: just shrimp w/sauce, an artichoke dip with crackers, and my kids always make the classic Lipton soup dip. Dessert was the most complicated: DH made his mom's Walnut glory cake which calls for 9 count'em 9 separated eggs. But it's not called "glory" for nothing! Our Scandinavian tradition calls for rice pudding which, for the first time, came from my kitchen. It was a tad soupy, but delicious. And folks brought cookies and candy. Christmas morning DH made our traditional "Eggs McDH" and mimosas. We forgot to make the fruit medley, but that's okay. Then we went to my folks' and my brothers met us up there, for baked French toast (made with Challah, best French toast ever!) and bacon. Christmas night is our quiet intimate dinner at home of leftovers, at the dining room table with the party dinnerware. Me, I felt like the Very Hungry Caterpillar: I ate "one nice green leaf and felt much better". Literally, I had the salad with no dressing lol! Ahhh.

mike- High-glycemic carbohydrates and starches - this might help explain: http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/refined-carbohydrate-list/ It's not just the amount in the thickener for gravy, it's all those found in all the other gluten-free foods and products people consume, including commercial and homemade all-purpose flour blends. These highly-processed, high-glycemic starches/flours can stimulate appetite, cause insulin issues, and can contribute to weight gain, and can be unhealthy alternatives to those that contain gluten they are trying to replace. Today, approximately half of all calories consumed by most American's come from carbohydrates, and mostly highly-processed carbohydrates. Don't wonder why Type II Diabetes, and other blood sugar conditions are rampant..... Disease by fork! Just because it's gluten-free doesn't make it healthy. It's like saying apple pie is bad for me, so I'll eat cherry instead. Most foods containing wheat and wheat flour are at least "enriched" adding ingredients like vitamins and minerals. That's not true with most gluten-free options like cereals, pastas; and gluten-free grains and flours are not fortified with iron and B-vitamins. This includes common combinations with white rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch and potato starch. Also missing is fiber. There is the secondary concern from consuming high amounts of arsenic when consuming large amounts of rice flour found in virtually all all-purpose flour blends and commercial gluten-free foods of all kinds. For more information: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm This is why I STILL stick to whole grains and mill my own wholegrain flour from gluten-free grains/seeds/beans. There's a bigger picture than just eating gluten-free --- at least for me. I happen to be gluten sensitive, but people with Celiac Disease also have issues ingesting nutrients due the damage done by gluten, so eating a lot of "dead" food, even though it's gluten-free, doesn't help nourish them. It helps lead to other diseases and even premature death. I know, I watch this happen to my mother. -Grainlady

No worries, DC. I just thought you'd like to know. PM, political fundraisers often look cheap on purpose. The food looks good quality and nicely prepared, but the foil and plastic reassures donors. I wish charitable were like that, where there's a lot of la-di-dah-ness and the events sometimes barely pay for themselves. I loved the one everybody was doing in the '90's where they sent a teabag and asked you to stay home and make your own tea so they could put all the money toward the cause. People give more when there's a fancy event, however. Whereas in political, the candidate/cause leader has to look and act like an everyman and very approachable, even when it costs five figures to actually get to talk to them. (I was stuck on a fundraising committee for awhile and took classes, and now I'm a bit jaded.)