Recipes from "Knox Gelatine Desserts, Salads, Candies and Frozen Dishes"
I received a little booklet from a friend in Maine, who has a knack for picking out tiny publications that are exactly to my fascination and excitement. There are so many incredible sentences and recipes in this particular booklet, I can barely decide where to begin. So I will provide a few of the more interesting reci

Grandma Dot's Lemon Cake
Recently the Emergency Food HotlineGRANDMA DOT'S LEMON CAKEingredients:1 box lemon cake1 box lemon instant pudding1 box lemon jell-osome real lemon juice, about 1/4 cup altogether give or takeheavy whipping cream-some sugar to taste (you don't want this very sweet)-vanilla extract1.make the cake, let it cool2.make the jell-o using slightly LESS water than the box says, and add some healthy squeezes of lemon juice, set aside (let it set almost all the way but not completely, it should be pourable still without being hot by the time you get to step 6)3.whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer, a

Alicia's Zucchini Pie
My friend Alicia has been a constant inspiration for the Emergency Food Hotline. She has invariably requested advice down to the most specific of steps and measurements (unsatisfied with generalities or un-verified amounts), as well as trusting me every step of the way. From the amount of time to soak black b

A Dinner Party
Well, it has been quite a couple of weeks here at the Emergency Food Hotline. There were a few of the usual queries regarding Zucchini Pies and wondering what the difference between half & half and heavy cream is, and heartbreak over the demise of Gourmet Magazine...but the main focus of the week was last Sundays’ dinner. A dear friend was having a birthday, and I offered to cook. The number attending added up to about 30 guests, and we planned the menu well in advance to assure all taste buds would be satisfied. A few of the guests would be vegetarian, so we wanted to make the most efficient amount of dishes while attending to the needs of both veggies and omnis. And since it is

Quick Crumb Coat
A week or so ago, I visited my friend Rhonda in Las Vegas for her birthday. Both her mom and her grandmother were going to bake cakes. Her grandmother always bakes her standard Lemon Cake, which involves pudding and jello and all sorts of yummy things. Her mom, Ruth, wasn't sure what cake to bake, so Rhonda consulted one of my favorite cake recipe books (which of course I always carry when traveling) - "James McNair's Cakes." Rhonda settled on one of my faves - the Red Velvet! It's an old standby for me, this recipe. I love it to bits.