XXVIII Polly and the Children

"New or not, the dinner does sound good. There is Bob, now, and I'm so glad, for I confess that my appetite is even larger than usual!"

The menu that night was as follows: Creole Lamb Potato and Green Corn Croquettes Rhubarb Sauce Bread Butter Head Lettuce French Dressing Lemon Pie Cheese

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level) Creole Lamb (Three portions) 1 T-butter 1 T-chopped green pepper ½ T-onion, chopped 1 T-flour ¼ C-meat stock or water ¼ C-tomato pulp ½ t-lemon juice ½ t-salt 1/3 t-horseradish ½ C-cold cooked lamb, cut in cubes 3 pieces of toast

Melt the butter, add pepper and onion. Cook two minutes and add flour, stock, pulp, lemon juice, salt and horseradish. Boil two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lamb. Heat thoroughly, and serve on toast strips. Potato and Green Corn Croquettes (Three portions) 1 C-hot mashed potatoes 1 C-green corn pulp, cooked with 1 T-butter ½ t-salt ½ t-pepper 1 egg yolk

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Shape into cylindrical form, roll in bread crumbs, dip in beaten egg, roll again in crumbs. Deep fry. The egg yolks for croquettes may have a tablespoon of water added for each yolk. The whites as well as the yolks may be used for covering the croquettes. To get the corn pulp, cut the kernels lengthwise of the rows, and press out the pulp with the back of the knife. This recipe is good for left-over corn.

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CHAPTER XXXVIII

AFTER THE CIRCUS

"T HERE is nothing so exciting as a circus," said Ruth, "but oh, how comfortable and peaceful it seems to get away at last from the crowds and the noise! How quiet and cool this porch is, Bettina. In two minutes I'll get up and help you with dinner, but you made a mistake to put such a comfortable chair here in this particular spot." "Ruth, stay just where you are! This meal is supper, not dinner, and it will be ready in the shortest possible time. Where are the men?" "Going over the plans of our house, I suppose. Fred has worn them almost in pieces by exhibiting them so often. There seem to be a great many details to settle at the last minute. As for me, I'm perfectly satisfied, for I'm going to have a kitchen exactly like yours. Bettina, what lovely nasturtiums, and how delicious that cold sliced ham looks with more nasturtiums to garnish it!" "Yes, and I have nasturtium leaves lining the salad bowl—and see, I'll put one large flower on each plate!" "Don't nasturtiums always seem cool and appetizing? The whole supper looks that way!" "Well, circus day is almost invariably warm, and people are tired when they come home, so I planned to have a cold and simple meal." "Isn't boiled ham hard to prepare?" "No, indeed, nothing could be simpler. I bought a half of a ham—I like a piece cut from the large end—and I soaked it for an hour in cold water. Then I brought it to a boil in fresh cold water and a little vinegar, and transferred it to the fireless cooker for five hours. Then I baked it for an hour in the cooker, having first trimmed it, and covered it with brown sugar and almost as many cloves as I could stick into it. It is very tender and good, I think—one of the best of my fireless cooker recipes." "I am planning to have a fireless cooker when I keep house." "That is fine, Ruth! You have no idea how they save both gas and worry. Some day I'll give you all of my best fireless recipes; I use my cooker a great deal. For instance, this brown bread was steamed in the cooker. A fireless is invaluable for steaming. I usually plan to have Boston Brown Bread, Tuna or Salmon Loaf and a pudding all steaming in the large compartment at once. Then I've learned to bake beautiful beans in the cooker! I wonder what our grandmothers think of Boston Baked Beans and Boston Brown Bread all made in the fireless! I'm sure I could prove to any of them that my way is just as good, besides being much cooler and more economical! Well, shall we call Fred and Bob?"

The circus day supper consisted of:

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Cold Sliced Ham Boston Brown Bread Butter Blackberries Cream Spiced Cake Iced Tea Sliced Lemon

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level) Spiced Cake (Sixteen pieces) 1/3 C-butter 1 C-sugar 2 egg yolks 2/3 C-sour milk 1½ t-cinnamon ¼ t-ground cloves ¼ t-mace 1 t-soda 2 C-flour 1 egg white 1 t-vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar and egg yolks. Mix well. Mix and sift all dry ingredients. Sift and add alternately with sour milk. Add vanilla and stiffly beaten egg white. Bake in a loaf cake pan, prepared with waxed paper, in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Cover with "C" sugar icing. "C" Sugar Icing (Sixteen pieces) 1 C-"C" sugar 1/3 C-water 1/8 t-cream of tartar 1 egg white ½ t-vanilla

Mix the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook until the syrup clicks when a little is dropped in cold water. Do not stir while cooking. Have the mixture boil evenly but not too fast. Pour gently over the beaten white of the egg. Stir and beat briskly until creamy. Add vanilla. Place on the cake. If too hard, add a tablespoon of water.

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CHAPTER XXXIX

MRS. DIXON ASKS QUESTIONS

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"I HAD resolved," said Mrs. Dixon, at Bettina's dinner-table, "not to accept another invitation to come here until you people had eaten again at our house. But your invitations are just too alluring for me to resist, and your cooking is so much better than mine, and I always learn so much that—well—here we are! For instance, I feel that I am about to learn something this very minute! (Now, Frank, please don't scold me if I talk about the food!) Bettina, how did you ever dare to cook cabbage? It looks delicious and I know it is, but I tried cooking some the other day and the whole house has the cabbage odor in no time. Yours hasn't. Now what magic spell did you lay on this particular cabbage?" "Let me answer that," said Bob. "I want to show off! Bettina cooked that as she always cooks onions and turnips, in a a large amount of water in an uncovered utensil. Isn't that correct, Bettina? Send me to the head of the class!" "Yes, you're right. I did boil the cabbage this morning, and of course I have a well-ventilated kitchen, but I don't believe the odor would be noticeable if I had cooked it just before dinner." "I never used to eat cabbage," said Bob, "but I like Bettina's way of preparing it. She never lets it cook until it gets a bit brown, and so it has a delicate flavor. Most people cook cabbage too long." "Another question, Teacher. How did you manage to bake these potatoes so that they are so good and mealy? Mine always burst from their skins." "Well," said Bettina, "I ran the point of the knife around the outside of the potato. This cutting of the skin allows it to swell a little and prevents it from bursting. Then I baked it in a moderate oven. Another thing. I've discovered that it is better not to pierce a potato to find out if it is done. I press it with my fingers, and if it seems soft on the inside, I remove it from the oven and press the skin until it breaks, allowing the steam to escape. If I don't do that, a mealy potato becomes soggy from the quickly condensing steam." "Oh, Bettina, I'm so glad to know that! I like baked potatoes because I know they are so digestible, but I never can make them like these. Now I won't monopolize the conversation any longer. You men may discuss business, or the war, or anything you choose."

The dinner that night was as follows: Hamburger Steak Lemon Butter Baked Potatoes Escalloped Cabbage Bread Butter Prune Soufflé

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level) Hamburger Steak (Six cakes) 1 lb. of beef cut from the round ¼ t-salt

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