FROSTING - Grows on trees, right?

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After I read this article I realized I had never bought a can of frosting. I always made my own. On occasion, I bought a German chocolate cake for my son's birthday (from a "healthy" bakery) when I didn't have any spare time, but I never bought a can of frosting. And I very rarely bought a cake mix.

When we were collecting white plastic, 5-gallon buckets for storage from the cake decorating department at the supermarket, the smell of the frosting was almost impossible to remove (strong bleach, lemon juice, orange cleaner, the hell with it, store coffee or something in there!). One day I looked at the ingredients of the "But-t-r Cream Frosting" that had been used on so many celebratory cakes. The major ingredient was shortening. Ugh! Perhaps my diabetes developed around then as a protection against being tempted by that crap!

But the point of this long boring story is that I bet there isn't anyone on this forum who didn't know you could make frosting at home. OG

Monday, December 17, 2001 MONTY S. LEITCH Icing grows on trees, right? A modern mystery

I HAD finally reached the checkout counter of the grocery store at the end of a long and frustrating shopping day, and I was mechanically unloading my full cart of carefully chosen holiday supplies, when the checker asked me, "Did you happen to notice how much this was?"

She held up the can of cake frosting - Duncan Hines, double-chocolate fudge. I sighed. Back in the days before bar codes, when little price stickers were slapped onto every item in a store, this question was never necessary. In the space of an exhausted breath, I considered all the following:

the pushy couple behind me, shoving their cart up against the back of my legs, and the pushy man behind them.

the single bag boy, trying to bag my groceries and the groceries of the shoppers at the other counter, too.

the distance to the aisle on which the baking supplies were stacked.

the multitude of Duncan Hines frostings displayed there and the length of time it would take the bag-boy to find and price-check the double-chocolate fudge.

I considered all that, and then I said, "Just put it back. I don't really need it."

At first, the checker complied, tucking the can of frosting under the counter behind her. She looked tired, too. A pretty girl of, maybe, 17.

But then she got to the box of yellow cake mix - which scanned perfectly - so she pulled out the can of frosting again. "I think it's $1.49," she said. "How about if I charge you $1.19? You shouldn't have cake without frosting."

Surprised, I agreed. Then I said, "Believe it or not, I can actually make frosting."

"You can?" she said. "How?"

I didn't really believe that I'd heard her right, so I returned my attention to the check I was writing - for some exorbitant amount, despite this generous little discount on my frosting.

She asked me again. "How? How do you make frosting?"

I was floored. She didn't know that frosting could be made?

In the space of another exhausted breath, I considered all the different kinds of frosting I know how to make: cooked caramel, seven-minute, buttercream, fudge. And what about the many pages of other frosting recipes in my "Joy of Cooking"?

Still, I could feel that impatient couple, next in line behind me, pushing. "You use confectioner's sugar and butter, and a little milk and cocoa," I said.

That seemed to satisfy. Finally, my groceries loaded in the trunk, I was on my way home.

But I've been thinking about this young woman quite a bit. Not to know how to make even the simplest frosting? Not to know even that home-made frosting is possible? For that's what the tone in her voice suggested: that she'd never had home-made frosting, that she'd never seen it made, that she didn't even comprehend the possibility.

As I've thought about her, I've remembered that my mother-in-law knew how to make soap.

Of course, many people in this part of the world still know how to make soap. But when I met my mother-in-law, I didn't know how.

Actually, I still don't know how.

But I do know that soap-making is possible, that someone makes, or can make, soap; that it doesn't appear, fully formed and wrapped, like magic on the grocery store shelves.

At this point, I could say something like, "What's this world coming to?" or "Oh, for the good old days."

But it sure is easier to get my frosting out of a can than it is to make it.

So let me just say this before you do: I want to have my cake and eat it, too.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Answers

Ooooooo. I can tell you long, boring stories about lots more that the younger generation doesn't know. The recession is going to be a real shocker to some of them. Too bad they don't seem to be teaching home ec in the schools anymore. I don't know how anyone can get by on a limited income without knowing how to cook from scratch, repair and sew at least simple clothing, give haircuts, and the other 101 things that are Life Skills. . . .

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Speaking of checkout people who seem strangely helpless, a couple of years ago I paid in a supermarket and was supposed to get back small change. I guess "the computer was down" but anyway the clerks were passing a handheld back and forth to figure out change. I told my young lady the amount I was due back, 23 cents as I recall, and she gave me a look that said "how did you do that?"

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

this article brought back memories..mom always made her own ICing..never bought it in a box!

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

SAR........you don't get it.........icing in the box IS homemade now. ;>)

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

I always make my own. Way better than the crap in the can (or on the tree).

My son had one time asked me to get the slice cookies, and let me tell ya he doesn't want them anymore. Even he has better taste than that.

Tonight, I have to make about 6 (or more) dozen cookies for a bake sale at his school on Thursday night during the Christmas program. Joy Joy Joy! Honestly, I don't mind normally, but I really should stay off the foot. They don't care, all they want is the cookies so that they can sell them back to me. HA! I'm going to make extra for home! I might make a couple of extra batches for home!

Oh yeah, son loves the bottoms and robe which I made him for Christmas. When I had him try on the bottoms so that I could see how long they were, I couldn't get them off of him for the next four hours. LOL! His friends think it is cool that his mom can do things like that. He even took the quilt I made him up there (with me holding it for him to show it off) for show and tell.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001



having a mom that can use a sewing machine is rare.

having a mom that can sew without the machine is rarer still!

congrats apoc on having a son who appreciates that!

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001


I must confess that I use toaster waffles, lol! Waffles are not anywhere in my racial memory so I don't care. But I refuse to buy pop tarts. Ugh!

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

Barefoot,

Thank You!

Old Git,

My son used to love pop-tarts. I found this out, and cured that by giving him nothing but pop-tarts for breakfast for about 3 months. Cured that one real quick. I'm lucky he still loves cold cereals and hot oatmeal. Those I don't mind.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001


Homemade frosting is good, real good, but homemade soap is awful, at least the lye soap stuff I have made. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but a grease monkey. Really, it's *powerful* stuff, that can strip the paint off of old furniture. One thing that my wife has made at home is mayonnaise. Fantastic! The first time she made it (it's easy) I suddenly realized why the French were using it in so many ways. I had never had anything but the store stuff before, like Kraft, or Hellmans. What a difference!

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

Gordon, didja know the French use mayo on french fries (pommes frite)?

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001


Speaking of homemade, and knowing a certain someone with a penchant for dressing up as someone else, here is a site that might give some ideas for next Halloween.

Hallow een Costumes http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm

And they have other holidays, like Christmas, http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/christmas/christmassitemap.htm

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001


Old Git, I never did have mayo on my fries in France, but I did in Holland. During the summer in Holland they have numerous places where you can buy fries from a quick serve "window" outside a restaurant. I was getting some one time and noticed that those in front of me were asking for mayo on theirs, so I tried it. Interesting combination, but not something I do at home. Catsup sometimes, but never mayo.

When I was in England I stopped at a quick serve fish and chips place. I had never had it there and wanted to try it. The girl at the counter said may I help you, so I asked for some fish and chips "to go." The girl hestitated, then asked me what I wanted again. Fish and chips "to go" I said. She hestitated again, then asked did I mean "to take away?" I said yes. We were now on the same page. Little differences like that are common there. I found we speak the same language most of time, but not always. The Cockney cab drivers are really a challenge to understand. I was usually working on a two second delay trying to figure out what one of them just said.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001


But did you put malt vinegar on your fish and chips? And weren't hey good? If you want to know how tomake that fish batter, I'll look it up. (Don't deep-fry any more myself.)

When Sweetie and I were on our honeymoon, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant in Liverpool. I ordered some sort of curry and the Chinese waiter asked in a thick Liverpudlian accent, "Dja want chips or rice with that?" I had forgotten--chips with almost everything.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2001


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