Monday, February 25, 2008

A Very Rocky Horror V-Day!

Not to let Valentines Day pass me by without some sort of silly celebration, I decided I was going to have a small party in honor of one of my favourite movies, 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'.

I've always been a huge fan of this zaney cult-classic. This raunchy, ridiculous, hilariously crazy, over-the-top rock musical has me written all over it! After years of watching the movie (and going to the play), I finally decided to celebrate it's unique awesomeness through a showing of the film including themed food, drinks and music. I guess the inspiration truly came from the fact that two of my friends (and band members) had not seen the movie before. Ah, what shame! At least now they can no longer say that.

I must warn some of you, do to the nature of Rocky Horror and the more adult side of Valentines Day, you may find some slightly offensive language and content in the paragraphs to follow. If this type of thing doesn't fit your sense of humour and isn't quite your cup of tea, go ahead and skip this post. I'll be back with a new post next week.

Now, onto the themed food!

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To celebrate those infamous lips that sing to us in introduction and grace the cover of the dvd, I made lip-shaped sugar cookies! It's difficult to get a real red color with India Tree Die, so the royal icing is more of a magenta color. It's okay, 'cause it still fits (as you'll see later).

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These were the first to be gobbled up. I have to admit, it's the most delicious sugar cookie I've ever made (Joy of Vegan Baking!!!).

Now for characters!

First, we shall start with my personal favourite (and probably many others'), Dr. Frank N. Furter, played by one of my heroes, Tim Curry.

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Frank is a transvestite that enjoys the pleasures of both men and women as well as wearing glitter, haut couteur, sequins and platform heels (he also has an amazing singing voice!). However, there is more to this effeminate man than meets the eye. He is a mad scientist! Like Frankenstein, he learned how to create life itself using crazy colored chemicals and god knows what else in his laboratory.

In honor of Dr. Frank N. Furter, I whipped up a batch of Pigs in a Blanket. Only I didn't call them that. This vegan version of an old favourite has been renamed:

'Franks-in-a-Blank'!

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I used a homemade biscuit recipe, wrapping the dough around tofu pups and throwing them in the oven at 450 for 15 minutes. They were a huge hit! This title is not only named after the mad scientist, but also falls along the lines of sexual innuendo. I mean, they are wieners, afterall.

Then there is, of course, Frank N. Furter's prized creation, Rocky. Rocky is a buff, strong, muscle man, 'born' the day of Janet's and Brad's unexpecting visit to the castle. His perfect bod gets Charles Atlas' 'seal of approval', according to Frank.

Rocky

In honor of his name, I purchased some Rocky Road Ice Cream!

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Only... they really didn't have vegan Rocky Road. So instead, we had chocolate with pecans and carob with almonds. Close enough! The important part is that it had lots of nuts in it, rocky and bumpy just as Rocky's hard-as-steel muscle and rocks in his head!

Next we have Eddie. Eddie was a no-good, rebellious punk who ran away from home. He got mixed up with the 'wrong crowd' and ended up dying (cause unknown). He found his way in Dr. Frank N. Furter's hands and was brought back to life. He was even crazier in the end after emerging from the freezer on his bad-ass motorcycle.

Eddie

If you haven't seen this movie, you wouldn't know that this character was played by the famous recording artist, Meatloaf. I'm pretty sure you can guess what food we had in honor of him?

You guessed it- Meatloaf.

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My cousin, Robyn, whipped this up from a recipe found online. It was so delicious. I remember hating meatloaf growing up, but this is the veggie version, so of course it tasted ten thousand times better. The seasonings lended a much fancier flavour than your average loaf.

Up next is Dr. Everett Von Scott. He is a professor of physics and chemistry who ends up getting caught in Frank N. Furter's laboratory after snooping around, looking for his nephew, Eddie. Frank believes his true plan is to search for extraterrestrial life (he's onto Frank's plan).

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If you know anything about this movie, you'll know that plays and theatre productions always bring in the cult fanatics, wearing boas and glitz and ruby red lipstick. They're most known for the audience interaction, in which there is a well-known script for the fans to shout out during certain scenes in movies as well as throwing items at the screen and getting up and dancing during certain numbers. Well, for Dr. Scott, what better item to throw than toilet paper? Toilet paper really has nothing to do with this character other than the fact that a huge brand name is 'Scott Tissues'.

So, Elly Blue fixed up a batch of cinnamon rolls we named 'Dr. Scott Rolls'.

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We ate them with a simple sugar glaze, but to keep with the theme of the night, I sprinkled powdered sugar on one of them to somewhat resemble toilet paper.

The next characters I will present are Brad and Janet. They are an innocent, healthy couple that took a wrong turn on the way to Brad's friend and colleague Dr. Scott's house. After blowing a tire, they decided to make their way to a mysterious castle they passed a few miles back. Of course their lives were changed forever after ringing that doorbell.

Janet is a sweet, naïve woman who is a virgin in dire need of some passion.

Janet

A few scenes after cheating on her fiancé with the very persuasive Frank N. Furter, an angry song is sung to her by the Doctor himself in which this line is said: 'Your apple pie don't taste too nice!'

So very appropriately, I made 'Janet's Apple Pie'.

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I got this recipe from 'The Joy of Vegan Baking'. If you do not have this book, I strongly urge you to purchase it. I haven't heard too much about it on the blogosphere, and it makes me sad. I've made several dishes from her book and I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious each and every recipe is. Everyone- including omni friends and family- just love these recipes. This was my first pie crust. The author walked the reader through it so perfectly that it came out pretty darn good! So go buy it! Now!

The apple pie, much like Janet, is sweet and sexy. But quite contrary to Frank N. Furter's opinion, this apple pie tasted quite nice!

Brad, on the other hand, is a geeky, overly-confident, egotistical man. He's a quite rude to his fiancé at times. He also took part in some cheating. So it's no wonder he was dubbed 'asshole' by the audience. Every time he appears, the whole theatre shouts it out loud, throwing popcorn at the screen.

Brad

In honor of his name, Mike made a 'Brad's Asshole Cake'.

I put this under a cut in case you don't have a sense of humour. The cake is definitely a naughty one, but much more comical than dirty.

Mike used two rounded casserole tins for a chocolate cake. Once they were done, he proceeded to shape and frost the bum cheeks. We used India Tree Natural dye for the frosting, putting in a drop of pink and a couple drops of yellow for a realistic-looking skin color.

Next is my second-favourite, Magenta. She is a 'domestic', or maid, who is a quiet watcher. She sees just about everything going on in that castle- nothing gets past her eyes.

Magenta Full New

To celebrate in honor of the name, very appropriate due to her raspberry red lips and wild red hair, I blended a Magenta Smoothie.

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Nothing says 'magenta' like juicy, fresh raspberries!

Onto drinks and the remaining characters! (This is the unhealthy part of the party... so sue me!)

Riff-Raff is Frank N. Furter's lowly servant, brother to Magenta.

Riff Raff

He has a very dry sense of humour, very quiet throughout most of the movie. He's pretty bitter, so you'll find him drinking quite a bit and doing just about anything to foil his Master's plans. Spoofing Frankenstein's Igor, Riff-Raff has a hump on the top of his back, adding some creepiness to the atmosphere.

After looking online, I found a drink mix called, 'Dry Hump'. Perfect, for his dry personality, the hump on his back and, of course, the obvious connotation.

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This was a very hard mix of liqours. I only had a small, taste, myself. When I do drink, I am more of a fruit mix kinda gal.

The next drink on the list is named after Columbia. Columbia is Frank N. Furter's groupie.

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She's been around the castle for a long time, falling for Frank's original experiment, Eddie. She's a very loud, squeaky, fiery girl, who presents quite an impressive tap dance for us in her introductory song (with a funny tumble at the end). Thus, the drink is called 'Tap That Ass'. Another fun combo of symbolism and innuendo.

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It's a very fruity drink with blends of tropical plants and organic cranberry juice. Most loved this one the best.

Lastly, I give you a very general drink, simple entitled 'Transvestite'.

The song 'Sweet Transvestite' is my absolute favourite number. It really sets the mood for the entire movie.

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The drink is a blend of lemonade, vodka and peach. This was my favourite as it was very light on the liver as well as the taste buds. I stuck to this until the lemonade ran out!

Thanks for sticking around to the end. If you haven't seen 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', go watch it, now! You might enjoy it even more if you find a play going on in your area. It's a crazy, wild, nonsensical movie that's not afraid to poke fun at sexuality in all humans and that's what makes it so great!

So good day, my unconventional conventionalists! We really must do the Time Warp again real soon!

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was so much fun. It's such a great movie. All the food was really good. And I got to make an asshole cake! It doesn't get any cooler than that.

-:>D

Anonymous said...

Hot patootie, bless my soul--what a gas! Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Back in the day (waaay back), my high school buddies and I would to see the midnight show of Rocky Horry at the local revue cinema like, once a week. We got all dressed up, threw toast at the screen (do they still do that??), etc.

Loved all the dishes--this is probably the best recap of the characters I've read. And how can you NOT love that Tim Curry? Talk about talent. . .

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

I am sooo offended that you would post this...

JUST KIDDING!

LOL girl, you crack me up. You seem like such a fun person to hang out with; all your parties sound awesome :o). I love the theme... and that cake is hilarious (although, knowing what it represents, I've gotta say, it does not look appetizing!!!)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

P.S. Do you know how to add a Google Analytics or Sitemeter account? (If not, let me know.) Once you have on of those accounts, you can look at the searches people use to find your blog :o). I bet you'd get some pretty funny ones!

Jess said...

Oh, my god. You are too creative! Holy crap. There are so many things I want to comment on--but I will sum it up by saying a) That looks like a REALLY fun time, and b) All of your food looks delicious. I can't believe how well you made that Rocky Horror theme come to life--even the tiny little details!! Send some of those cookies my way... :)

And I love Meatloaf. Haha. (The singer, not the loaf.) Shameful, I know, but I can't help it. I always sing "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" when doing karaoke with my friends... And karaoke--I know that's shameful, too. Don't judge!

Jess said...

AND, I just looked at the "asshole cake." I somehow missed that on my first read-through of this entry... TOO FUNNY! Hahaha. Who ate the hole part??

Vegan_Noodle said...

Whoa, you are too creative!!! I haven't seen this movie (where have I been?) and now I desperately want to, although I don't know how much I would enjoy it knowing I missed out on all the fun themed food! How long did this take you to plan? I am in awe of your skillz.

urban vegan said...

A fun twist on what can be a predictable holiday!

Theresa said...

I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that ass... ahha, just kidding, I couldn't help myself!

I *love* rocky horror picture show. Wednesday nights on the ABC (the one tv channel which is played on the radio) there is a music quiz show, and this week one of the guests was Richard O'Brian, aka Riff Raff!

I love the way you've given each character a food or a drink. Next time, I want an invitation!

Ruby Red said...

You're not kidding when you say you're a fan. You put so much thought behind all the goodies! I have to admit that even though I am an avid theatregoer, I never got into Rocky Horror so I still feel like a lot of this stuff is over my head. The lip cookies look so good! Did everyone give theirs a kiss before taking a bite?! I would have.

The apple pie and the almost-rocky road ice cream are looking too yummy. Even though I don't think I would appreciate Rocky Horror (please don't hurt me for saying that!), I bet your party was funnn. Oh man, this post makes me think that themed food parties should be necessary before I go to see any play!

Anonymous said...

Gosh I love that movie so much. SO much! Your cookies look amazing. I'd kiss them before eating them!

TB said...

woah, this is one of the greatest ways to celebrate vd i have ever seen. such fun and thoughtful food! everything looks amazing. i have the joy of vegan baking but i haven't made anything out of it yet... must get on that real soon!

Jen said...

where do i even start?

seriously.

this was hilarious and so totally impressive. the a-hole cake? omg. i throw toast at you!

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

ahhhhhh!!!! I'm booking a plane and you are throwing another one of these because holy shitake-in-an-inner-tube, this is the coolest theme party ever!! The butt cake would have made me do a spit-take if I'd been drinking anything at the time. I wish I had been drinking summa that Dry Hump. Seriously, seriously, seriously awesome, plus it all looks scrumptious, and I've been eyeing the Joy of Vegan Baking recently - your apple pie and sugar cookie perfection is definitely making me think I need to find this one!

Lizzy said...

Ahahaha, I LOVE the asshole cake! Oh my god how, awesome is that? =p

I love the whole idea and you came up with so many great things! Perfectly done, I'm impressed =)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

oh my goodness gracious, you should totally open up a party-planning business - you're so clever with your themed celebrations; and this Rocky Horror Picture Show one HAS to be my favorite so far!! Too fun!! :0D

Ashasarala said...

Ricki- I don't recall any toast-throwing at the theatre I went to, but then again, I'm sure every city has it's special rituals. Tim Curry is definitely my hero. I wish he would get back into movies!

Chocolatecoveredvegan- I know most of you wouldn't be offended by this silly stuff, but I thought I'd be extra careful because there are some prudes out there, ya know? So they can't say I didn't warn them! And thanks for the compliment. I try to be fun. :) You, too, sound awesome to hang with. I want to try some of your cutely decorated cupcakes! But don't you have to pay for that Google thing?

Jess- I love Meatloaf too! That's one of my favourite karaoke songs to do, but the clubs and bars always seem to get so annoyed with it. It's very long and over-played, I guess. One place actually had a sign up that said it could only be sung once per night! LoL And we just split the cake in half, so the hole was destroyed! ;)

Vegan_noodle- Thanks! It only took me a couple of weeks to plan. I had some help, so it wasn't a huge deal. A little on the expensive side, yes. But that's what parties do to ya!

Ruby Red Vegan- It's okay you don't like Rocky Horror. It's not for everyone! But I totally didn't even think of kissing my cookie. I was too busy running around. But that would have made such a cute picture! I'll have to make them again...

Liz- Thanks so much! Dry Hump was VERY strong. Is that your type of drink? I am weak. I go for fruity. And yes- buy Joy of Vegan Baking right now!!!

Thanks for the compliments everyone. :-D

Kang Doy's Bloggy Blog Blog Blog said...

Best party, food, drinks and people ever!!!

I'll have to keep watching the movie and memorize quotes and phrases. I'm sad that I didn't get the chance to try the apple pie. I think I was too busy chowing down the lip cookies. Everyday did an awesome job! Yay!

And now....onto a Labyrinth themed movie party! :-D

Sarah P said...

GENIUS!!! I love it.

I have never understood how girls can love Sean Connery - MY "old man crush" always was/is/will be tim currry <3

vko said...

You are simply brilliant!

Emilie said...

oh godz. i worship themed dinner parties and this is a shining example. you've floored me. rock it out!

Anonymous said...

Oh wowwww! Just found your blog and I'm obsessed with this entry. So awesome that you did all this!!! I've always wanted to dress up as Columbia for Halloween - maybe this year.

DJ said...

Wow - sounds like you had a great night - themed parties are the best!

Don't Get Mad, Get Vegan! said...

i just read this post as someone linked to it on the ppk. amazing.

you're my new hero.
just sayin ;)

vegan_cazza said...

OMG!!! That is totally awesome. I want the recipes as I am having a Rocky Horror new years. Was totally not looking forward to my housemate planning all meat foods. I totally love all the ideas you had we were just going to theme red food but ur foods were much better. I want the lips. Mmmm bikkies.

kat83709 said...

hahaha
this really made me laugh. i love the ass cake. and i absolutely adore the rocky horror picture show. i have watched it at least 200 times in the past year and a half since i first saw it. i know almost every line to that movie. thanks for the ideas, i think i might just throw a rocky horror party of my own one day!