THE DIXONS DROP IN FOR DESSERT
"COME in! Come in!" cried Bob to the Dixons. "You're just in time to have dessert with us! Bettina, here are the Dixons!"
"Do sit down," said Bettina, "and have some Boston cream pie with us!"
"Frank won't need urging," said Charlotte. "Our dessert tonight was apple sauce, and Boston cream pie (whatever it is) sounds too enticing to be resisted."
"It looks a little like the Washington pie my mother used to make," said Frank. "Only that wasn't so fancy on the top."
"Washington pie needs whipped cream to make it perfect," said Bettina, "and as I had no whipped cream I made this with a meringue."
"Dessert with the neighbors!" said Frank, laughing. "Charlotte read me a suggestion the other day that sounded sensible. A housewife had introduced a new custom into her neighborhood. Whenever she had planned a particularly good dessert she would phone a few of her friends not to plan any dessert for themselves that evening, but to stroll over after dinner and have dessert with her family. Wasn't that an idea? It might lead to cooperative meals! We haven't done our share; have we? We should have telephoned to you to have the main course with us tonight. Say, Bettina, I like this Boston cream pie! It's what I call a real dessert!"
Lamb Chops Creamed CarrotsBaked PotatoesRolls ButterBaked ApplesBoston Cream Pie Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Creamed Carrots(Two portions)
1C-carrots1T-flour1T-butter½C-milk¼t-salt1/8t-paprika
Carrots
Wash and scrape the carrots thoroughly, cover with boiling water, and allow to boil until tender when pierced with a knitting needle or a fork. (About twenty minutes.) Drain and serve with sauce. Carrots may be cut into three-fourth inch cubes or any fancy shapes, and will cook in less time.
White Sauce for Carrots
Melt butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well. Gradually add the milk, and cook the sauce until creamy.
Baked Potatoes(Two portions)
2 potatoes
Wash thoroughly two medium-sized potatoes. With the sharp point of the knife, make a small cut around the potato to allow the starch grains to expand. Bake the potato in a moderate oven until it feels soft and mealy, when pressed with the hands. (About forty-five minutes.) Break open the potato to allow the steam to escape. (Turn the potato about in the oven to insure evenness in baking.)
Bettina's Baked Apples(Two portions)
2 apples½C-"C" sugar½C-water1t-cinnamon½t-vanillaA few grains of salt
Wash and core the apples. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, and fill the cavity with the mixture. Place the apples in a small pan, and pour a little water around them. Bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven.
Boston Cream Pie(Six portions)
3T-butter8T-(one-halfC-sugar)1 egg¼C-milk7/8C-flour1½t-baking powder¼t-vanilla
Cream the butter, add the egg. Mix well. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the milk alternately with the flour and baking powder. Mix thoroughly. Add the flavorings. Bake in two layer-cake pans, fitted with waxed paper, in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Spread the following filling between the layers.
Filling
7T-sugar3T-flour1/8t-salt1 egg-yolk1C-milk½t-vanilla
Mix the sugar, flour and salt. Add slowly the egg-yolk, beaten, and the milk. Stir well. Cook ten minutes in a double boiler, stirring occasionally to prevent lumping. Add vanilla and remove from the fire. When partially cool, spread part of the filling over one layer of the cake. Allow to stand five minutes and then add more filling. Allow to stand two minutes. Place the other layer on the top. Spread a meringue over the whole and place in a hot oven long enough to brown it delicately.
Meringue
1 egg-white1/8t-salt2T-sugar1/8t-baking powder
Add salt to the egg, beat until thick and fluffy, add the sugar and baking powder and beat one minute.
RUTH PASSES BY
"M—M!" said Ruth, walking into Bettina's kitchen late one afternoon. "What is it that smells so perfectly delicious?"
"Lamb stew," said Bettina. "Bob is particularly fond of it, and we haven't had it for a long time. This is such a cold day that I thought lamb stew would taste very good tonight."
"And what are you making now?"
"Soft gingerbread. It's just ready to pop into the oven, and then I can go into the living-room with you and we'll visit in state."
"Don't, Bettina. I'd much rather talk in your shining little kitchen with the kettle bubbling on the hearth (only it's a gas stove and you won't let it bubble long if you think of your gas bill). 'Kitchen Konfidences!' What a name for a nice little domestic science book!"
"Well, we'll stay in the kitchen then, and exchange kitchen konfidences. Where have you been this afternoon in your big woolly coat?"
"Down town to the market. And I did get something besides food—a small purchase that you advised me to buy. A box of labels—plain label stickers, you know—to stick on the boxes that I put away—out of season things and all that. I've noticed how neatly all your stored-away things are labeled."
"It saves so much time in finding things. And a label looks better than writing on the box, for the labels are white and very often the box is dark pasteboard, and pencil marks are difficult to see."
"Well, good-bye, Betty dear, I must run along now."
Bettina's menu that night consisted of:
Lamb StewApple Sauce RollsGingerbreadCoffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Lamb Stew(Four portions)
1½ lbs. lamb (from the shoulder)3T-lard3C-boiling water1 small onion2t-salt1/8t-powdered cloves1C-tomato2 medium-sized potatoes2T-rice½C-diced carrots
Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, and cut into two-inch pieces. Place the lard in a frying-pan, and when hot, add the onion cut fine and allow to brown. Add the meat and brown. Add the boiling water to the meat and onion, and cook one minute. Pour all of the contents of the frying-pan into a sauce pan, and let it cook slowly for one hour. Increase the heat a little to allow the stew to boil occasionally. Add the potatoes cut in one-inch cubes, and the diced carrots. In twenty minutes, add a cup of canned tomato pulp or fresh tomatoes to the stew. Add the seasoning (salt and cloves), and cook ten minutes. This allows two hours for the entire stew. If at this time the stew does not seem thick enough, mix four tablespoons of water very slowly with two level tablespoons of flour, stir thoroughly, and pour slowly into the stew. Allow to cook two minutes and serve.
Soft Gingerbread(Twelve pieces)
1C-molasses2T-sugar1/3C-butter and lard¼C-warm water1t-soda2t-ginger1t-cinnamon1t-salt2C-flour
Cream the butter and lard, add the sugar, molasses and warm water; mix well. Mix and sift the soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and flour and add to the first mixture. Beat one minute and pour into a well-buttered pan. Bake in a moderate oven twenty-five minutes. Serve hot or cold.
BETTINA ENTERTAINS A SMALL NEIGHBOR
"INDEED I will keep Kathleen for you," said Bettina to Mrs. Fulton. "I'll enjoy it. We'll have to invent some new plays and have such a jolly time that she won't miss her mother at all."
"You're sure you don't mind?" asked Mrs. Fulton, anxiously. "If mother were only stronger, I would leave her there——"
"Go right on, Mrs. Fulton, and don't worry one bit! Kathleen and I are going to have the time of our lives! Let's see—it's nearly three. Shall I feed her anything?"
"Well, she had an early lunch, and has just wakened from her nap. Perhaps she is a little hungry. Are you?"
"Bed'n delly," replied Kathleen with emphasis.
"Oh, I know something that's better for little girls than bread and jelly!" said Bettina, lifting the roly-poly little mite onto the kitchen table. "I'll make her some good cream toast! May I, Mrs. Fulton?"
"Indeed, you may, if you will," said Mrs. Fulton. "I'm afraid she won't always eat it, though. Well, I'll have to go, I suppose, if I get to sister Annie's train on time. Then we'll do a little shopping down town, and I'll be back for Kathleen at six o'clock sharp."
"Just whenever it's convenient for you, Mrs. Fulton. Good-bye!"
"Doodby," echoed Kathleen, apparently without the least regret.
When Kathleen was established with her cream toast at thekitchen table, Bettina said, "Now, when you're all through eating, you and Aunt Bettina will make a beautiful graham cracker cake for Uncle Bob. But first we'll clean some white gloves! Shall we?"
Kathleen nodded solemnly, her mouth full of "dood tream toast."
"Well, watch me then, honey-lamb. See, I'll put these dirty old gloves in this nice Mason jar of clean gasoline, and let 'em soak awhile. Then once in a while I'll shake 'em up like this. Then by and by I'll rinse 'em in nice new gasoline, and they'll be just as white as new. Did you know that, Kathleen?"
"'Es," said Kathleen, staring wisely.
"Oh, you little owl! You knew more than Aunt Bettina then—at least than I knew till yesterday, for I always thought it necessary to rub white gloves to get them clean. See? This way I'll drop them down in the gasoline, and won't need to soil my hands at all! I'll get them out with a clean little stick or a long fork. There! Now, are we all ready to make the cake?"
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Cream Toast(Two portions)
½T-butter½T-flour½C-milk1/8t-salt2 pieces of toast
Melt the butter, add the flour, mix well, add the milk slowly. Add the salt and boil two minutes. Dip the toasted bread into the white sauce, and when soft, remove to the serving dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the toast and serve hot. One teaspoon of sugar may be added to the sauce.
Graham Cracker Cake(Twelve pieces)
1/3C-butter2/3C-sugar2 egg-yolks1C-milk3t-baking powder2 egg-whites, beaten½t-ground cinnamon½t-vanilla2/3lb.graham crackers rolled fine
Cream the butter, add the sugar and heat. Add all the dry ingredients mixed together alternately with the milk. Beat two minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg-whites, stiffly beaten. Bake in square tin pans for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven.
White Icing
¼C-sugar¼C-waterSifted powdered sugar½t-vanilla
Boil the sugar and the water five minutes without stirring. Remove from the fire. Add the flavoring, and sufficient sifted powdered sugar to spread evenly on the cake.
A SUNDAY NIGHT TEA
"STIR this chicken a la king a moment for me, will you, Ruth?" said Bettina. "I'll warm the plates in the oven."
"What is that brown paper for?"
"To put under the dishes I'm warming. It breaks the heat and prevents cracking. There, that cream sauce has cooked enough now. I'll take it and beat it for a minute. See? There, now it's ready for the egg and the chicken mixture."
"Shall I stir it now? Don't you put it back over the fire?"
"Just for a minute. You see, if any custard or egg sauce is allowed to cook more than a minute after the egg has been added, it will curdle."
"Oh, is it done now? Let me toast the bread for it, will you, Bettina? I like to make cunning little light brown triangles."
"I hope I have made enough of this chicken a la king."
"For eight people? I'm sure that you have, Bettina. Even for people with as good appetites as Fred and I have! Are you ready to serve it now?"
That Sunday evening Bettina served:
Chicken a la King ToastCakes with Bettina IcingCoffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Chicken a la King(Eight portions)
1½C-cold boiled chicken, cut in2/3-inch cubes½t-salt1/3C-button mushrooms, cut in fourths4T-pimento, cut in half-inch lengths2T-green pepper, cut fine5T-butter or chicken fat6T-flour1½t-salt½t-paprika2C-milk2 egg-yolks8 pieces of toast
Boil the green pepper slowly for five minutes. Drain off the water. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika, mix thoroughly, and add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook three minutes or until quite thick. Remove from the fire, beat one minute, reheat, add the egg-yolk, mix thoroughly, and add the chicken mixture. Heat again. Serve immediately by pouring over slices of toast.
To prepare the chicken mixture, thoroughly mix the chicken, half a teaspoon of salt, the mushrooms, the cooked green pepper and the pimento.
Small Cakes(Fourteen cakes)
1¼C-sugar1/3C-butter2C-flour4t-baking powder1/8t-salt2/3C-milk1t-vanilla½t-lemon extract2 egg-whites
Cream the butter, add the sugar slowly and continue creaming. Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add these and the milk, vanilla and lemon extracts to the butter and sugar. Mix well and beat two minutes. Beat the egg-whites till very stiff and fold these very carefully into the cake mixture. When thoroughly mixed, fill the cake pans (which have been prepared with waxed paper) two-thirds of an inch deep with the mixture.
Bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven, allow to stand five minutes, then slip a knife around the edges and removethe cake carefully from the pan. Turn over, remove the paper and allow the cake to cool. Ice on the bottom side. When ready for serving, cut in two-inch squares.
Bettina Icing
1 egg-white 1T-cream 1t-vanilla ½t-lemon extract 2C-powdered sugar
Beat the egg-white add part of the sugar. Add the cream, vanilla and lemon extracts. Keep beating. Add the rest of the sugar gradually. (A little more sugar may be needed.) Beat the icing till very fluffy and until it will spread without running off the cake. Spread each layer.
A SHAMROCK LUNCHEON
BETTINA was entertaining "the crowd" at a shamrock luncheon, and each guest, to show her enthusiasm for the charms of "ould Ireland," was wearing somewhere upon her gown, a bit of green.
A green basket filled with white carnations and green foliage stood in the center of the table. White glass candlesticks with green shades also carried out the color scheme, while white crocheted favor baskets, filled with dainty green candies, were at each plate. The table was set for six.
The name cards were white shamrocks outlined with green ink and edged with gilt, and the name on each was written in green.
Bettina used green ferns for decoration in every possible place where they might add to the attractiveness of the table, under the glass dishes and around the baskets containing rolls, cakes and croutons.
"You might be Irish yourself, Bettina," said Mary, "you have such a feeling for green! And isn't the table lovely, girls!"
For luncheon Bettina served:
Grapefruit CocktailCream of Celery Soup Shamrock CroutonsBettina Meat Timbales Brown SauceAsparagus on ToastMashed Sweet Potato CroquettesShamrock Rolls Mint JellyPepper Salad SandwichesBombe Glace Shamrock CakesCoffeeShamrock Candies
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Grapefruit Cocktail(Six portions)
2 grapefruit1/3C-sugar6 green cherriesSmilax or fern leaves
Peel the grapefruit, remove the white part and the tough membrane, leaving the fruit. Cut with the scissors into one-inch cubes. Place in a bowl, add the sugar and allow to stand in a cold place for one hour. Arrange the servings in six sherbet glasses. Place one green cherry on the top of each and garnish the plate with smilax or a fern leaf. Stand the sherbet glasses on a paper doily on a small serving plate. Arrange a bit of the green leaf under the sherbet glass (on top of the doily) so that the green color will be visible through the glass.
Cream of Celery Soup(Six portions)
2/3C-celery, cut fine1½C-water4T-butter6T-flour2½C-milk2t-salt¼t-paprika1t-chopped parsley2T-whipped cream
Wash the celery thoroughly, and cut into small pieces. Add the small leaves and the water. Simmer for thirty-five minutes. Strain through a coarse strainer, rubbing all of the pulp through. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Add the milk and cook two minutes, stirring to prevent scorching. Add the celery stock and the pulp. Cook one minute. Fill bouillon cups three-fourths full, add two pinches of parsley and one teaspoon of cream to each serving.
Shamrock Croutons(Six portions)
6 slices bread2T-butter¼t-salt
Cut the slices of bread half an inch thick and cut pieces out of each with a shamrock cooky cutter. Toast on each side until a delicate brown. Butter and sprinkle with salt, serve warm with soup.
AT DINNER
"MARY gave a waffle party today," announced Bettina at the dinner table.
"A waffle party in the afternoon?" said Bob. "That was queer! Usually at afternoon parties you women serve tiny little cups of tea and dainty olive sandwiches, almost too small to be visible; don't you? Waffles are more sensible, I think, but it seems a shame that we men had to miss such a party."
"Well, I'm afraid I'll have to acknowledge that we had a very good time without you," laughed Bettina, wickedly. "It has been cold today, you know, and Mary's kitchen was so warm and bright and cozy! We all went out there and took turns baking the waffles. We consumed a large number of them, and had a very jolly informal kind of time. We housekeepers compared notes and gave each other advice and really learned a great many things."
"Such as——"
"Well, Alice tells me that when she makes a devil's food cake she removes all of the melted chocolate from the pan by adding a little flour which mixes in thoroughly and saves any waste of chocolate. Surely that is worth knowing."
"It certainly is, though I'll admit that I don't quite understand your language."
"Well, cheer up, Bob! There are times when I confess that I don't quite understand the automobile explanations you so often give me of late!"
Their dinner that evening consisted of:
Pork Chops Mashed PotatoesCreamed Carrots Bettina SaladOrange DessertCoffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Pork Chops(Two portions)
2 pork chops½C-cracker crumbs1T-egg1T-water1T-bacon fat
Wipe the chops with a damp cloth. Mix the crumbs and the salt. Beat the egg and the water together. Dip the chops in the crumbs, then in the egg mixture and then in the crumbs. Place the bacon fat in the frying-pan and when hot add the chops. Brown thoroughly on both sides, add half a cup of water, and cook over a moderate fire until tender. (About thirty minutes.) Cover with a lid while cooking. More water may be needed to prevent burning.
Bettina Salad(Two portions)
1 tomato1 green pepper2T-pimento cut in small pieces2T-grated cheese1t-salt¼t-onion salt¼t-celery salt1/8t-paprika½C-salad dressing2 pieces of lettuce
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate. Place a slice of tomato, two slices of green pepper, one tablespoon of pimento and one tablespoon of cheese on each serving. Mix the salad dressing with salt, paprika, celery and onion salts. Pour half of the mixture over a portion of the salad.
Orange Dessert(Two portions)
2 slices of sponge cake1 orange2T-sugar2T-nut meats, cut fine2/3C-whipped cream1t-vanilla
Add the vanilla and the sugar to the whipped cream. Arrange the slices of cake on the plates. Place one-fourth of the orange, divided into sections and sprinkled with sugar, on each slice. Pile the whipped cream on the orange. Place one tablespoon of nut meats and the remaining fourth of the orange (cut small) on each portion. Do not arrange this dessert until just ready to serve.
AN ANNIVERSARY DINNER
"THIS is some dinner, Bettina!" said Bob, over his dessert. "It's like a celebration, somehow, with the pink candles on the table, and the flowers, and the company menu. Why, Bettina, I do believe it is an anniversary! Isn't it? Let me see! The second anniversary of our engagement!"
"I've been waiting to see if you would remember that, Bob, and I must say that I'm a little ashamed of you! After all, it took the pink candles and the company dinner to make you think of it! Well, I suppose men are all alike!" And she sighed the sigh of deep disillusionment.
Bob waited for a moment to see the dimple reappear in her cheek, and the twinkle in her eyes, and then he, too, sighed—a sigh of relief.
"Bless your heart, Bettina, don't you sigh like that again! You almost had me thinking that you were in earnest. Now you took the very nicest way to remind me of that anniversary. Instead of feeling neglected like some women——"
"What do you know about 'some women,' Bob?"
"Only what I've read in books——"
"Well, the books don't know. But I give you fair warning, Bob, that on the next anniversary you fail to remember, I'll feed you bread and milk, and not chicken."
"This is a fine dessert," said Bob meekly and tactfully.
"Do you like it? I enjoy making it, it looks so light and fluffy. I pile it very lightly into the glass dish to make it that way. I prefer gelatin in glass dishes, don't you, Bob?"
"You bet I do! Everything about this anniversary dinner is fine except for my own stupidity!"
That night Bettina served:
Bettina's Chicken En CasseroleWhole Wheat Bread ButterCranberry JellyHead Lettuce with Salad DressingBettina's SpongeCoffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Bettina's Chicken En Casserole(Two portions)
4 pieces of chicken2T-flour1T-lard1C-boiling water1t-salt2T-butter½C-cooked potatoes, cut in cubes½C-cooked carrots¼C-cooked celery1T-raw onion1t-salt
Roll the chicken in the flour. Place the lard in the frying-pan, and when very hot, add the chicken, browning thoroughly on all sides. Season with the salt. Place in the casserole and add the boiling water. Cover, and place in a moderate oven for one hour. Melt the butter, and when hot, add the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and salt. Stir constantly, and when well-browned, add to the chicken mixture. Allow to cook for half an hour. More water may be needed. Serve in the casserole.
Bettina's Sponge(Three portions)
2t-granulated gelatin1T-cold water4T-sugar1T-lemon juice1C-boiling water½C-whipped cream6 cocoanut macaroons, crushed8 candied cherries, cut fine2T-nut meats, cut fine
Add the cold water to the gelatin and allow it to standfive minutes. Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Mix well, and add boiling water. When thoroughly dissolved, allow to cool. When the mixture begins to congeal, or thicken, add the whipped cream, crushed macaroons, cherries and nut meats. Beat until the mixture begins to thicken. Pile lightly into a glass dish and set away to harden for one hour.
RUTH COMES TO DINNER
"HOW do you like this kind of meat, Ruth?" asked Bob. "It is a little invention of Bettina's own. I call it a symphony and no 'mis-steak.'"
"It is an economy, not a symphony," said Bettina, "but if it leads you to make such dreadful puns as that, I'll wish I had fed you something else for dinner."
"To me," said Ruth, "this dish is a delicacy and a despair. How can you think of things like this? I know I never could do it in the wide world!"
"I can't compose symphonies or poems," said Bettina, "so I express myself in this way. And most of my music is played in a simple key. It is difficult to think of a variety of inexpensive meat dishes, and sometimes I have to invent them in order to keep within my allowance, and still vary my menus. Creamed onions are economical and healthful, too, so you see that my whole dinner is inexpensive."
"And also delicious," said Ruth. "I don't see how you manage to keep cooked onions from having a strong smell, and to keep the house so free from the odor."
"O that someone would patentThat someone would patent and sellAn onion with an onion tasteAnd with a violet smell,"
quoted Bob.
"Well," said Bettina, "I'm afraid that a house in which onions have recently been cooking, can't be entirely free from the odor, but I largely overcome the difficulty by peeling them under cold water, and then cooking them in an uncovered vessel. Then, too, I wonder if you know that boiling them for five minutes and then draining them and covering them with boiling water again—even draining them twice and finishing the cooking in fresh boiling water—is a splendid thing for taking away the strong taste."
"No, I didn't know that. Bettina, dear, your kind of apple sauce is as fine a dessert as I ever ate."
"You're good to say so, Ruth. I was afraid when I urged you to stay tonight that you might think this meal very plain and simple for a guest, but I know it is healthful and economical and Bob seems to thrive, so I'll not be remorseful."
"Just let me ask you what gives this apple sauce such a delicate flavor. It isn't a bit like common, ordinary apple sauce."
"I don't know; maybe it's the butter. I always put that in, and a few grains of salt. This has also a thin slice of lemon cooked in it—rind and all—and of course there is a little cinnamon, though some people prefer nutmeg. Then I try to be careful in putting in the sugar, for I know that some apples require more than others. These were tart apples; I like them better for apple sauce."
"The reason why I'm never crossIs 'cause I'm fed on apple sauce,"
remarked Bob complacently.
"But I am sure you'd fret and cryIf fed instead on apple pie,"
added Ruth.
"Not Bettina's apple pie!" said Bob decidedly. "You may just be sure that it would improve any disposition!"
Dinner that night consisted of:
Bettina SteakNew Potatoes with Maitre d'Hotel SauceCreamed OnionsApple SauceBread Butter
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Bettina Steak(Four portions)
1lb.ground beef from the round¼C-bread crumbs¼C-milk1 egg, well beaten1/8t-grated nutmeg½t-onion juice or onion salt½t-chopped green pepper1t-salt¼t-paprika½t-chopped parsley
Soak the crumbs in milk for three minutes, add the meat, egg, nutmeg, onion juice, parsley, salt, green pepper and paprika. Mix well. Pat into shape one and one-half inches thick in a well buttered tin pan. Cook five minutes under a very hot broiler. Turn down the heat a little and cook ten minutes more. Turn the steak into another buttered pan the same size and cook that side ten minutes. Pie tins may be used to cook the meat in.
Creamed Onions(Four portions)
6 onions1½C-vegetable white sauce
Peel six medium sized onions under cold water. Place in a stew-pan and cover with boiling water. Boil five minutes, drain, cover again with boiling water and cook ten minutes. Drain, recover with boiling water and cook ten minutes longer or until tender. Serve with hot white sauce.
Apple Sauce
6 tart apples½C-water½C-sugar1 thin slice of lemon1/8t-cinnamon½t-butterA few grains of salt
Wash, peel, quarter and core the apples. Add the water, cover the kettle with a lid and cook till apples are soft. Add other ingredients. Cook enough longer to dissolve the sugar. Mash or put through a colander, if desired.
Tell me, housewife blithe and fair.How does your garden grow?Crisp and green the lettuce there,——Onions, row by row,——Radishes beyond compare!Spring and I with tender careWatch them well, you know!
woman gardening
MILDRED'S SPRING VACATION
Woman reading cookbook, girl watching
"IWAS so afraid Father wouldn't let me come, Aunt Bettina!" exclaimed Mildred, after the first greetings. "And your letter sounded so jolly—about the cooking and all—well, if Father had said 'no' I should simply have died."
"Died, Mildred?" asked Bob. "I must say you look fairly healthy to me, too much so to pine away soon!"
"I don't intend to die now, Uncle Bob! I'm going to live and have the most fun helping Aunt Bettina! I like that so much better than lessons. I brought two aprons in my suit case; Mother said I acted as if I wouldn't meet anybody in a three day visit but your kitchen stove. And to tell the truth, Aunt Bettina, I just hope I won't! I'd rather help you cook than see sights or meet people."
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Bob tragically. "Just when I was counting on you to climb to the dome of the capitol with me, too! Why was I ever born?"
"You'll have to do your climbing alone, I'm afraid," Mildred replied cheerfully. "Now, Aunt Bettina, may I set the table for you? Do show me what you are going to have for dinner! Little custards? Oh, how cunning! Made in moulds and served cold with maple syrup? AuntBettina, I just believe I could make that dessert myself! Will you teach me while I'm here?"
The dinner consisted of: