Cake Mix

She may not wear a halo, but Joan Scott-Cruise is definitely an angel. What else would you call a woman who treats co-workers to her baked goodies year round and invites 250 friends and acquaintances to an annual Christmas open house? Did I mention that during this hectic month she also invites kids from her church over and teaches them how to make gingerbread houses and that -- weather permitting -- she gets up on Christmas morning to smoke a turkey on the grill?Tell her she's too good to be true, and Scott-Cruise -- on a break from ironing her Christmas curtains -- just shrugs.

A nut-bread recipe that was on the old Bisquick box was the request of Frankie Zehrung of Shelton, Wash.A host of nut-bread lovers responded with the recipe. They included Jan Miller of St. Augustine, Fla., Lily M. Butt of Perry Hall, Mrs. Arthur R. Mason of Baltimore, Peggy Winchell of Fayetteville, N.C., and Vivian J. Glover of Joppatowne.Nut bread3 cups Bisquick1/2 cup sugar1 egg1 1/4 cups milk1 1/2 cups chopped nutsPreheat oven to 350 degrees.Blend first four ingredients and beat hard for 30 seconds.

Baby cakes are a relatively new phenomenon, but they're catching on quickly. In today's smaller households, the traditionally sized cake is often too big to get eaten in a timely fashion. These single-serving cakes, nicknamed baby cakes, make a great conversation piece for a party and offer guests some variety.The beauty of single-serving cakes is that you can accessorize each one differently with sauces, frostings, fillings and garnishes. Imagine, at your next party, a table loaded with tiny cakes, all the same.

This week's recipes for Harvey Wallbanger cake and English toffee are quick and easy with delicious results.The cake was requested by Missy Silver of Owings Mills and the request for toffee -- the English version of taffy -- came from G. Carl of Laurel, who noted, "I think it has butter, corn syrup, milk or dark chocolate in it and is covered with chopped peanuts."Many readers, knowing the Harvey Wallbanger cake's powers of taste, replied to Missy Silver. Chef Kent Rigby chose a recipe from Nancy Evans of Catonsville.

Ah, sensible January. New year's resolutions in place, sweet temptations are out with the old year.But if you've resolved to shed pounds, beware the occasional office birthday party complete with butter cream frosted sheet cake. Forget about that extra cupcake from the batch you've baked for your preschooler's winter carnival. And ignore that craving for devil's food, even after a Spartan weeknight dinner.Too much to bear? Manufacturers have an alternative -- reducing the fat when preparing the cake mixes that have become staples in American pantries.

For most of her 78 years, Elizabeth Reynolds of Richmond, Va., never worried about fat or calories in food. Then, her husband, Oscar, survived a heart attack. Since then, the retired couple has searched for ways to reduce fat in their diets without completely abandoning the foods they have long enjoyed.The Reynolds thought they would have to give up their favorite sherry cake, but a few fat-lowering adjustments to the Southern-style recipe shaved off almost 10 grams of fat per serving without changing the cake's flavor.

When congressmen tour their districts, their stated purpose is to listen to their constituents. It is unfortunate then that last week when Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett visited Carroll Food Sunday in Wesminster, 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.

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.

Although mock turtle soup and Key lime cake are miles apart in taste and in preparation, just plan to take your time and enjoy the whole experience.Landon Godsey of Baltimore requested a recipe for mock turtle soup and Henriette Harman of Severna Park responded with the recipe and this note. "I have had a fondness for terrapin soup since first tasting it at the Tidewater Inn in the late 1950s. Not wanting to further endanger Maryland's dwindling supply of terrapin, I treasure this recipe which closely resembles the real McCoy."