mixed fruit platter

• assorted fruit in season

Chop fruit into bite sized pieces, I used cantaloupe, honeydew melon and mango. Arrange on platter with toothpicks and serve.

The dish: This is it folks: crass commercialism has entered the red room. There's really no magic behind "chop fruit and arrange on a platter", but I felt the need to show off the cool toothpick holder I've got. You too can own one as well simply by visiting the what on earth catalog. The box he came in said "Fred", but depending on the day or week I've had he (or she) can take on any number of names. Foodies can go out and spend hundreds (thousands?) of dollars on cast iron cookware, aluminum pans and designer knives, but the one piece of kitchen equipment sure to elicit a response from most everyone is the four dollar toothpick holder. Of course, if you come over to our home and fail to notice our porous friend, you can pretty much count on him taking your name for awhile. You've been forewarned!

brownie with mango compote

• 2 fresh mangoes
• vanilla
• boxed brownies
• whip cream (we love dream whip)
• cocoa powder

Cut mangoes into bite sized cubes, drizzle with vanilla and set aside for 1-5 hours. Prepare brownies according to package. Top warm brownie with mango compote and whip cream, garnish with sprinkles of cocoa powder.

The dish: The red room has followed in the footsteps of corporate America: we've outsourced our brownie manufacturing and only do final assembly on site. Brownies are a peculiar thing in that the boxed version is far superior to anything homemade. Instant has that gooey texture that just screams "brownie", while the from scratch variety always is a little too much like cake. As you can clearly see in the above photo, Kim is great at presenting a dessert and the final mix of flavors tasted even better than it looked.

mango, pork and avocado wraps

• 1 cup cooked pork, cubed (I used some boneless pork chops that were on special)
• 2 large mangos, peeled and cubed
• 1 avocado, cubed
• your favorite sandwich wraps
• mayonnaise
• adobo (I've been rocking the light variety)
• fresh cilantro, chopped fine
• half of a lime

In a small bowl combine about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise with cilantro, a few shakes of adobo, and juice of half the lime. Stir together until fully combined. Assemble wrap by spreading mayo mixture on 1 side and placing equal amounts of avocado, mango and pork in center. Wrap it up and enjoy!

The dish: My wife is known for many things; her ravishing beauty, her sharp wit, her ivy league education, her irreproachable selection of husbands. One of her lesser known attributes is her ability to roll a wrap like nobody's business. This no doubt stems from her brief stint in the budding moments of the 1990s as a Taco Bell employee. She's a quick learner with great retention and here, many sunsets later, she can construct a wrap that is the envy of all. I am truly covetous of this, as I, someone who has some serious deli cred, can wrap about as well as I can play the accordion (read: not so hot). Working together is the foundation of any solid relationship and I'm proud to say that we get along as well as mango and pork (and avocado and cilantro lime mayo). The personalized plate was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law and I find it fitting that it is showcased in this recipe which parades one of her daughter's greatest talents.