Not being quite as temporarily enhanced as some of the other members of the echo, I remember Kate Smith as an older buxom gal who could really belt out a tune and was fond of wearing her trademark low-hemmed, dark, long-sleeved, V-necked dresses. I was unaware that in her younger days she had another persona. She was a radio personality with a cooking show. I know 'cause last weekend I picked up a copy of her 1940 cookbook, "Kate Smith's Favorite Recipes, Anniversary Edition".

The cover is worth framing. It shows a very young Kate Smith in her signature dress wearing a French maid type apron, bent forward a bit at the waist and holding a wooden spoon up in her right hand. She looks mostly like a clean shaven Dom Deluise in drag getting ready to whack some unruly kid's knuckles. The sponsors of her show were Calumet Baking Powder and Swan's Down Cake Flour, both of which I believe are still going concerns. I think we should adopt Kate as the patron saint of the echo and distribute a .gif of the cover of this book with the "Cast" .gifs.

Here's a number from the book that utilizes both of her sponsor's products.

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt and sift together three times. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add flour, alternately with milk, a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.

Add flavoring. Fold in egg whites quickly and thoroughly. Bake in three greased 9-inch layer pans in moderate oven (375F) for 20 to 25 minutes. Spread Chocolate Cream Filling between layers and Hungarian Chocolate Frosting on top and sides of cake. When frosting is set, write the numbers from one to twelve around top of cake with white frosting to represent the face of a clock. Place hands of clock at twelve o'clock.

Chocolate Cream Filling:

Add chocolate to milk and heat in double boiler. When chocolate is melted, beat with rotary egg beater until blended. Combine sugar, flour, and salt; add gradually to chocolate mixture and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Pour small amount of mixture over egg yolks, stirring vigorously; return to double boiler and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add butter and vanilla, and cool.

9- inch layers. Use this filling in small cup cakes. Use 1/2 recipe for filling 2 1/2 to 3 dozen small cup cakes.

Hungarian Chocolate Frosting:

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Remove from boiling water, add sugar and water, and blend. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating will after each. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, beating thoroughly after each amount.

Makes enough frosting to cover the top of one 9-inch layer and sides of three 9-inch layers, or to cover the tops and sides of two 9-inch layers. Eat lots of this and you too can look like Kate Smith! Probably won't be able to sing as well though...