XXVII Bettina Has a Baking Day

Pan-broiled Sirloin Steak Mashed Potatoes Carrots Head Lettuce Thousand Island Dressing Sliced Bananas Quick Cake Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level) Pan-Broiled Steak (Six portions) 2 lb. sirloin steak an inch and a half thick 1 T-butter ½ t-salt 1 T-parsley 1 T-lemon juice

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth. Have a tin pan sizzling hot. Place the meat in the pan and cook directly under the broiling flame. Turn frequently with spoons, as a fork will pierce the meat and allow the juices to escape. A steak an inch and a half thick should be cooked from eight to ten minutes. Place the steak on a hot platter. Sprinkle with salt, lemon juice and parsley. Dot with butter. Serve very hot. Gravy (Six portions) 2 T-drippings from the steak 2 T-flour ½ C-water ½ C-milk ¼ t-salt

Pour the drippings from the steak into a pan, add flour and mix well. Allow the flour to brown, add water and milk very slowly to the flour and drippings. Add the salt and allow to cook until the gravy thickens. If there are not two tablespoons of drippings, add sufficient butter to equal the amount. Carrots (Six portions) 6 medium-sized carrots 2 T-butter ½ t-salt ¼ t-pepper

Wash and scrape the carrots, cut into two-thirds inch cubes and cook until tender in enough boiling water to cover. (About fifteen minutes.) Drain, add the butter, salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly and serve. Carrots may be scraped and steamed whole or cooked whole in boiling water. Quick Cake (Sixteen pieces) 1/3 C-butter 1½ C-brown sugar 1 egg ½ C-milk

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¼ t-salt 12/3 C-flour 3 t-baking powder 1 t-cinnamon ½ t-nutmeg 8 dates, cut fine

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg and milk, salt, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and dates. Beat for two minutes. Bake in a wellbuttered loaf cake pan for thirty-five minutes.

Icing

1 egg white 2 T-cold water ¾ C-powdered sugar ½ t-vanilla

Beat the egg white until very stiff; add water and sugar gradually. Beat thoroughly and add the flavoring. Beat until it will stand alone, then spread on cake. More sugar may be added if necessary. Thousand Island Salad Dressing (Six portions) ½ C-olive oil juice of half a lemon juice of half an orange 1 t-onion juice ¼ t-salt ¼ t-paprika 1 t-Worcestershire sauce ¼ t-mustard 1 T-chili sauce 1 T-green pepper cut fine 1 t-chopped parsley

Place all the above ingredients in a pint fruit jar, fit a rubber and top tightly on the jar, shake vigorously until well mixed and creamy, and pour over head lettuce, tomatoes, asparagus, peas, beans or spinach. Serve as a salad.

CHAPTER XXXVII

THE BIG SECRET

"C

OME in, Alice! Now do say that you'll stay to dinner, for we can talk afterward." "Well, if you'll take me out into the kitchen where you are working. You see, I have all this to learn, and I'm depending on you to help me."

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"Of course I'll help, Alice, but you are so clever about anything that you care to do that I know you'll soon outstrip your teacher. Tell me first, does anyone know the Big Secret yet?" "Not a soul but Bettina, Bob, and my family. That is what I came to talk about." "Oh, Alice, I'd love to be the one to give the announcement luncheon, or the breakfast, or whatever you prefer to have it!" "Would you do it, really? Bettina, I've been longing to have you offer, but it is work and trouble, and I didn't want to suggest it." "Why, Alice, I just enjoy that kind of work! I'd be flattered to be allowed to have it here. Of course, you know that I can't do anything very elaborate or expensive, but I'm sure that between us we can think up just the prettiest, cleverest way of telling it that any prospective bride ever had!" "Bettina, my faith is in you!" "When do you plan to be married?" "Late in October or early in November, I think. And I'd prefer not to have it announced for a month. You see, I don't want to allow time for too many festivities in between." "Oh, Alice, if you take my advice, you won't have any showers or parties at all. I know you! If you do allow it, you'll have more excitement than any bride in this town!" "Well, Harry advises me not to, but oh, Betty, you know how it is! I know so many people, and I do like fun, and then Mother likes to think of me as the center of things. She's afraid that when I am married to Harry I'll become as quiet as he is, and then too, I honestly don't think she'd feel that I was really married without it. You know sister Lillian had lots of excitement and more parties crowded into a day than——" "Yes, and she was so tired that she nearly fainted when she stood up to be married!" "That's true, but she liked the fun, anyhow. She says that a girl can have that kind of fun only once, and she's silly to deny herself. Well, I'll have a whole month to think it over in. I've been sitting here all this time, Bettina, trying to decide what it is that you are making—those croquettes, I mean." "They are potato and green corn croquettes, and Bob is very fond of them. I made them because I happened to have some left-over corn. Until I learned this recipe, I didn't know what to do with the ears of cooked green corn that were left." "And what is the meat dish?" "Well, that is made of left-overs, too, but I think you'll like it. Creole Lamb, it is called. It is made of a little cold cooked lamb that was left from last night's dinner. The rhubarb sauce that I am serving with the dinner was our dessert last night. But I do have a very good new dessert!"

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