ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI: ATTACK OF THE KILLER FROSTING

To say the least, Debbie was not a cook. To say the most, she should have been banished from the kitchen. But every so often she would convince herself that if everyone else could cook, so could she. This was always a faulty assumption on her part, and one summer afternoon, in 1967, she created the monster frosting.

When I answered my telephone that afternoon, there was Debbie's frantic voice mumbling something about being attacked by white frosting! Suddenly, I was standing in her kitchen stunned that two egg whites could have covered everything -- including Debbie. Apparently, Debbie and the mixer had fought -- and the mixer won!

I noticed the mixer on the counter, but saw no beaters. When I asked where the beaters were, Debbie pointed to the double boiler still sitting on the burner. To my amazement, the beaters were standing upright in the frosting. All the king's horses and all the king's men could not remove those beaters from the frosting, nor the frosting from that double boiler!

What went wrong that afternoon is inexplicable, for Debbie was using my Grandmother Mays' white frosting recipe, and it is one of the best (and easiest) frostings I've ever made. Now, whenever I make it, laughter and happy memories of Debbie fill my kitchen.

Grandmother Mays' White Frosting

2 eggs whites

1 cup light corn syrup

8 tablespoons marshmallow cream

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place egg whites and corn syrup in top of double boiler over simmering water.

2. Beat with a hand-held mixer or rotary beater until fluffy.

3. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla extract; beat until stiff.

4. Spread over cooled cake.

Yield: enough for a 9x13-inch or 2-layer cake.

Angie Holtzhouser is author of Drop Dumplin's and Pan-Fried Memories ... Along the Mississippi. Her cookbook is available at local bookstores. In addition, it can be purchased through the mail at: Drop Dumplin's, P.O. Box 10, Lilbourn, Mo. 63862. The price is $19.95, including tax and shipping.