The great Betty Crocker backlog, 2008

When my dad died in the middle of the summer, we went to his new-ish house for the first time, to see what we would need to start dealing with. After we looked for paperwork and valuables we checked out the fridge for stuff needing immediate attention. Lots of stuff (paperwork and perishables) we couldn't quite make decisions on, so doors were closed, drawers re-drawn, boxes shut and decisions deferred.

Being a bit on the nosy side, I opened lots of cupboard doors and assessed my dad's recent (post-divorce) lifestyle. So much was so typically dad, from brands and types of foodstuffs to the sheer volume of stuff, and the scant regard for sell-by dates.

There was a huge great drawer full of baking stuff, lots of it opened and half-used and out of date, where he'd clearly had a real flurry of baking last year and not touched in the last 10-12 months.

And then I found the bounty. High up in a cupboard in the corner, boxes and boxes of Betty Crocker. Cake mixes, brownie mix, cookie mix and Bisquik. And all the requisite frosting too. Oh yes, my provincial English daddy loved his trashy American branded bakery! There was a Pilsbury brownie mix and Eagle Brand Turtle Temptations to boot. (Now, they are such a gosh-darned novelty they deserve a link: http://www.eaglebrandkits.com/products.asp). Of course, 2/3 of them were out of date, and the rest were within an inch of it, but I took each and every one and stuffed them in the boot of our car.

And now, the great Betty Crocker bake-off commences. This week, in a snatched moment while Babs was sleeping (mixes really do have the time advantage), were made 18 quite delicious oatmeal raisin cookies. Here are the 12 that remain:


Thank you, daddy.