I was sorry I asked, and for a nanosecond I considered putting it back, but as I yawned again and weighed fresh strawberry shortcake or a 30-minute catnap, I chose the nap. Our Memorial Day dinner ended with a grocery store cake mix with whipped cream and strawberries.

I didn't think it was too bad, but three days later, it sits in my refrigerator with only three slices missing. Oh well, the grandchildren are coming this weekend. They'll eat it.

I don't want to sound like a cake snob. Just so you know, up until all my children had moved out of the house, all birthday cakes were put on the table in a plastic dome-covered cake carrier with a Winn-Dixie price tag on it. I always joked that I baked it for them - and they always asked why it had a price tag on it. The first birthday after I went into business, I presented a cake in a plastic dome-covered cake carrier only with a Miss Sophie's price tag on it, and we all enjoyed the laugh. I don't allow cake mixes in the restaurant because I feel that if you pay me to make you a cake, it should be made from scratch. With that said though, I have tasted some great cakes and made some really good cakes from cake mixes, and, hey, I buy cakes so who's to say you won't find me pushing a cart with a cake mix in it (please pretend you don't know me!) The first cake mixes arrived on the shelves in 1930 but didn't become popular until after World War II. Flour companies were looking for a way to regain their "baking" customer that the readily available pre-made breads had taken away. They reasoned that if they could come up with some way to make baking foolproof and quick, they could appeal to their lost customer base. The theory worked, and cake mix sales doubled between 1947 and 1953.

The first cake mixes were complete with dried eggs and only required water to be added. When cake mix sales began to decline, a consumer psychologist, Ernest Dichter, after interviewing many housewives, came up with the "egg theory." He concluded the simplicity of just adding water made woman feel "self-indulgent" and devaluated her job, threatening to put her out of work. He reasoned that if a woman had to add fresh eggs to the mix, she would feel like she had some part in the making of the cake.

The claim that the "egg theory" is what boosted cake mix sales is debatable, since the one volatile ingredient in the first cake mixes was dry eggs, which often produced unpalatable results. Whether it was a psychological study revealing an inner guilt or a matter of taste, manufacturers removed the dried eggs and began producing the cake mix as we know it today.

A cake mix, though designed to be foolproof, does require some basic knowledge, the first of which is the ability to read. If you don't follow directions, your chances of baking a good cake decline. In her book "The Cake Doctor" (a copy of which is in my library), Anne Byrn gives 10 essential steps to sensational cakes, such as: preheat your oven using an oven thermometer to ensure proper temperature, bake in the center of the rack, measure ingredients properly in the proper device, blend for the time specified, etc.

Byrn uses cake mixes as a base for creating delicious cakes and cookies by adding ingredients to the mix to augment the flavor. I have made several of her recipes, and they are delicious. You can view some of her recipes and purchase her books at cakemixdoctor.com.

There is one cake I still buy a cake mix for - a dump cake, which is really more like a cobbler than a cake. The basic recipe uses canned pie filling, but the fresh blueberry crunch is scrumptious, especially when the blueberries are in season.

Oh, and just for the record, my Memorial Day dinner included made-from-scratch pesto and red potatoes tossed with butter and fresh dill from my garden, all of which I made after my nap, and a store-bought dessert. Teri Bell is the co-owner of Miss Sophie's Marketplace at the Mighty Eighth in Pooler. For information, go to sophiesmarketplace.com.