Cake Mix

When members of Congress tour their districts, their stated purpose is to listen to their constituents. It is unfortunate then that when Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett visited Carroll Food Sunday in Wesminster last week, he didn't hear all that Tom Canon, manager of the food bank, was telling him.Since its inception, Carroll Food Sunday has been staffed and financed through private donations. The organization has done an admirable job of helping to meet the needs of thousands of hungry people in Carroll County.

THIS SIMPLE DESSERT, which uses angel food cake mix a its base, has a creamy melon flavor. It's the perfect way to use cantaloupes from the backyard or a farmer's market. The dessert can be prepared up to 24 hours before serving.9- This recipe is from Thomas J. Lipton Inc.Angel Food Torte with Cantaloupe Mousse1 18.25-ounce package angel food cake mix1 envelope unflavored gelatin1/4 cup cold water1 teaspoon fresh lime juice3 cups cantaloupe, about 1 medium, pureed1/4 cup sugar1 teaspoon fresh grated lime peel1/2 teaspoon rum extract, optional1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawedBake angel food cake mix in 10-inch tube pan according to package directions; cool on wire rack.

It was an angry letter from a loyal reader. Written in bold strokes with bright red ink, some of the sentences were underlined -- some twice.Why hadn't I tried her recipe for chocolate cookies? Not only are they easy, she wrote, but they are a lot better than most of the recipes that appear in the newspaper.Dumbfounded, I scanned the recipe. Chocolate cookies made with chocolate cake mix, chocolate chips, vegetable oil and eggs. Better? I didn't think so, but I decided to find out.It took about eight minutes of preparation time and those beauties were in the oven.

"I want a recipe for a cookie made with a cake mix, something quick and tasty for lunch boxes and snacks," wrote Mrs. H. Hefner of Baltimore.Responses poured in, and tester Laura Reiley chose the Duncan Hines peanut butter cookies sent in by Shelley Silver of Baltimore.Josephine C. Elsen of Wheaton, Ill., requested a recipe for Genessee chocolate -- "a rich fudge that has some molasses in it." The chosen response came from Gail Jones of Bend, Ore., who found the recipe "in the 'American Heritage Cookbook.

Joanne Johnson from Fort Bragg, Calif., was looking for a recipe for an apple kuchen. Her grandmother used to make this and, unfortunately, Johnson failed to get her recipe before she passed away. She said she has found and tried several recipes for apple kuchen but has had little success re-creating one she liked as well as her grandmother's. Most recipes for traditional apple kuchen are rather time-consuming and involve mastering sweet yeast dough. Andrienne Greatorex from Winchester, Va., sent in a recipe for an apple kuchen which appears to have come from the back of a Betty Crocker cake mix. The recipe uses a yellow cake mix for the dough in place of a yeast dough.

For 25 years, Frank Lutzi toiled behind the stoves and counter tops of Baltimore's Calvert House restaurant, which for decades has enjoyed a successful existence just beyond the shadows of Inner Harbor establishments.As the restaurant's chef and one of its owners -- his mother, Rose Herrin, bought the Calvert House in 1964 -- Mr. Lutzi, 46, has spent more than half his life focused on cooking.Last April, however, Mr. Lutzi stumbled upon an idea that, while it may not revolutionize the food industry, has expanded his vistas beyond the tight confines of a kitchen.

Douglas Sloan of Sevierville, Tenn., was looking for a recipe for a molasses cake similar to the one his mother used to make. Kathleen Kosinski of North East sent in a recipe she found in her copy of Great Recipes From the Women's North East Civic League. The cake has a nice, moist texture and a rich molasses taste. It is particularly delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Molasses Cake Serves 12 1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup shortening 1 egg 3/4 cup molasses 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 3/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon TOPPING: 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup raisins, soaked until soft Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lions and tigers and Oz movies, oh my! With the recent release of Disney's “Oz the Great and Powerful” and the expected release this year from Summertime Entertainment of the animated “Dorothy of Oz,” we think it's the perfect time to plan a birthday party down the yellow brick road. Click your heels three times, and follow us to Oz for step-by-step instructions on how to throw a DIY birthday party that will have your child and his or her guests over-the-rainbow. The Big Surprise Some of the best advice we can pass on for party planning is this: Always plan an element of surprise that no one will be able to stop talking about.

The high cost of cake from mixWilliams-Sonoma's new cake mixes and frostings taste good. There's no disputing that. But you may suffer sticker shock when you realize what a finished cake costs you. One crystallized ginger spice cake mix: $9 -- it makes three 8-inch layers. Two jars of white chocolate ganache frosting: $9 each. (One jar frosts two 8-inch layers.) By the time you add eggs, buttermilk and unsalted butter, making the cake isn't exactly a quick process either.A side of salmonEtta MacKay from Olney, a k a the Salmon Lady, sells a fine holiday gift: Tobermory Scottish smoked Atlantic salmon (traditionally cured and single malt whisky cured)