I first started exploring domestic skills by making my college boyfriend snacks and birthday cakes. I was a firm believer in using the best ingredients and making the whole thing from scratch, but being the homemaker for our family has grown a new appreciation in me for accessible, shelf-stable ingredients and box mixes. Like my mother before me, I've found the best quick-made food comes from box or frozen altered with add-ins. For example, boxed mashed potatoes with herbs added, or, in this case, boxed cake mix with real butter and buttermilk.