Red Wine Cake + Ghost Pepper Beer?

I SWEAR I don't have a sweet tooth.  Somehow the cupcake hunt over the summer and this blog has made it appear that I have a huge love for all things sweet.  But seriously, after eating Red Wine Chocolate Cake that was featured in the blog, Smitten Kitchen, I could eat this cake everyday.  


Who would've thought that red wine in a cake would make an amazingly moist cake.  I honestly couldn't even taste the red wine in it, although Ms. Smitten Kitchen does say that there would be a wine flavor.  I did taste a hint of something different, which ended up being CINNAMON.  The end result: a fluffy, moist and flavorful cake that isn't too sweet and perfectly delicious.  


Sadly, I wasn't the baker.  I did catch the Smitten Kitchen blog post but wasn't overly eager to bake it immediately.  Twin Sista has been spoiling me lately with invites to dinner at her apartment.  Two Friday nights ago, dinner consisted of Asian Pork Tacos + the Cake.  I'm amazed she had time to cook all that food AND bake a cake.  OMG!  

Last weekend also marked the reunion of me + gay boyfriend.  Jeremy, aka gay bf, and I went to grad school together and we've finally been reunited several years later in Houston.  SAD DAY--two weeks after I arrive in Texas, I find out Jeremy is moving away to CALIFORNIA!  WHAT?!?  

So in order to go out in style, we went out for tasty beverages (of the alcoholic kind) to Anvil Bar & Refuge.  I had some tasty concoction with my favorite--GINGER BEER.  Anvil is a chill locale with the emphasis on carefully crafted cocktails, my kind of place!  Just after a few sips, I could feel the tipsiness coming on.  

We continued our reunion at Pondicheri for some more tasty beverages and some Indian din din.  I have a brave gay bf.  He decided to order Ghost Pepper Beer, which had crushed ghost pepper seeds in a Pilsner.  

Ghost Peppers are one of the HOTTEST peppers (in 2007 it was THE hottest pepper...hmm...not anymore tho?)  Wikipedia says its 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.  Well all I can say is that after one sip, we were both dying.  My lips were burning.  Jeremy choked a lil bit and coughed but insisted he would continue nursing that "death in a glass."  Well, we had two sips each and even after the seeds were strained out, we really had no desire to keep our lips feeling like they were on fire.  

What did it taste like?  Well, beer + hot peppers.  But really, all you're thinking about is the burning.  Oh the burning...

So glad I got to see the gay bf before he relocated to glamorous L.A.  I'll miss you!!