Wednesday, March 14, 2018

where's the catsup?

Catsup bottles seem to go with angel food cakes, at least in my mind. I can still see the kitchen of my childhood and a tall catsup* glass bottle on the counter with the angel food cake in the pan resting upside down. 

This week was DIL's birthday and since our oldest granddaughter (who I used to call Little One) loves to cook, we decided to cook a meal together to celebrate her mom's birthday. I let her plan the menu according to what she considered her mom's favorites. It was a full one (and I even cut out a few items): spaghetti with meatballs, cheese pizza, salad, garlic bread and angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream for dessert.  

Little B's teacher let me take her out of school an hour early so we had plenty of time. We donned aprons and began first with the cake (the spaghetti sauce was simmering in the crock pot.) I could not remember the last time I made an angel food cake, if I ever did. I was happy to find, after basically crawling into that dark, dungeon-like space under the corner counter, my mother's angel food cake pan--far better than the cheaper one I had owned and given away when hers arrived in my kitchen. We used a mix. Somehow separating 12 eggs sounded like an ordeal, so we let Betty C. do it for us. 

Little B. did great. She insisted we follow directions to a T, including removing the extra oven rack and placing the other one at rock bottom of the oven, very nearly touching the heat element. We measured the pan so we knew for sure we had four inches for the cake to rise.

Brown and cracking on the top, the cake was baked and we instantly (per directions) turned it over and placed it on --- what? to cool. No glass catsup bottle in my frig. We finally found a bottle of oil that 
was narrow enough to fit the hole in the pan.
It worked so smoothly (it pays to follow directions!) that I feel like I 
would make another one without hesitation.
Little B. did a fine job decorating the cake according to her creative druthers.
She made place cards for us and created a game involving saying good things about her mom.
Table was set, water in glasses, candles lit, and all was in readiness when the rest of the family arrived.
* So I looked up catsup and ketchup and found they indeed
mean the same, but in the 50s, when I was a child, catsup
was more commonly used, so I chose that spelling for today. 


15 comments:

  1. Always known as ketchup here!

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  2. Here, too. Catsup/ketchup may be a regional thing. What a lovely time planning and orchestrating together! Whatever will you call your darling girl now that she is no longer a “little one?”

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  3. I have never made an angel food cake. It always seemed too difficult. And my husband dislikes them. Your cake is beautiful. As for the tomato sauce -- I grew up in the 50s knowing it as ketchup although the store brand was catsup. I always thought the catsup was a cheap knock-off of ketchup.

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  4. Lovely! I am very pleased to know that Betty Crocker also helped. I love angel food cake but, like you, find the egg cracking daunting (plus, what to do with the yellows). I didn't know that BC had a box for that. I'm going to invite her into my kitchen soon.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  5. I bought the same angel food cake pan at the thrift store recently. And I love your stories. Always.

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  6. What a lovely idea for you and your granddaughter to make such a lovely dinner for her Mom!

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  7. What a nice activity for the two of you. I'm sure her mother appreciated all the effort for her special birthday dinner. The cake is beautiful. ♥

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  8. We always have said Ketchup! What a lovely dinner and precious grand.

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  9. That special birthday cake turned out beautifully! How sweet that your granddaughter wanted to make a special meal for her mom's birthday and what a precious gift that you made it possible! I think everyone wins in this effort . . . your daughter-in-law, your granddaughter, and you!

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  10. Haha...that was the first thing I thought about when I started reading your post, the spelling of catsup vs. ketchup! I remember calling it ketchup and spelling it catsup at times! Little B. certainly did a fine job with that cake, let alone planning the menu and activities. I'm pretty sure her mama was pleasantly surprised! Nothing like making precious memories like this!

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  11. I am sure your granddaughter will never forget this day. Very kind of you. It was ketchup in Iowa in the 50's.

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  12. A beautiful cake! We used to use a coke bottle. Our family tradition had us icing it with 7-minute icing, until our son was diagnosed with diabetes. Angel food cake was okay without the icing. Wishing you a happy day!

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  13. We are of the Ketchup variety. :)
    Nice day in the kitchen with your granddaughter. Pretty cake!

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  14. How very, very special Little B's momma must have felt!! Memories being made all around in this venture!! I love that her teacher let her out early to prepare this special meal with you. And, I love that you have planted the seed of hospitality and service in Little B, once again. Sweet!!! blessings and hugs ~ tanna

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  15. What a special time to spend with your granddaughter, and for her to learn how to make angel food cake along with you! I remember making it as a child, but have not ever made one since, and I knew immediately why catsup and angel food cake go hand in hand, ha! Those old skinny bottles, you can't even find them any more can you? But I wonder if an old coke bottle would work too. Those can be found at Mexican grocery stores where they make Coca Cola with cane sugar and in tall skinny bottles. What a beautiful celebration it must have been for your daughter, the preparation and time spent together a treat too! A joyful fun celebration for sure :)

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