I rarely cook, but since food prices are ridiculous I've been trying to make foods instead of buying them ready-made.

For the holidays I hoped to make some pastries like scones and cakes, and need to try out some, so I broke down and actually bought... shortening. Crisco! This was something we never, never had in my family's house. Just like we didn't save bacon grease in a coffee can and use it, either. My father didn't let my mother add butter (or salt, for that matter) to vegetables, because he was rabidly anti-fat and anti-salt. (He tried to make us kids use his shaker of potassium chloride if we wanted salt. He had hypertension.)

So when I picked up the Crisco can and looked at it, I was confused. Wasn't Crisco made from animal fat? The stuff looks like it, which always grossed me out. But it said it was 100% vegetable. I thought maybe they changed it.

Anyway, I took it home and made a rich yellow cake with it -- and followed the recipe exactly, even as far as ADDING SALT.

It was horrible. How can a cake be horrible? I could swear I made this same cake years and years ago, but instead of half shortening, I used butter, and it was wonderful, like pound cake.

When I try the scone recipes, I will not be using shortening. I think that's what ruined it. That or so much salt.

By the way, in your grocery stores does a package of celery hearts cost $5?