UNCLE JOHN AND AUNT LUCY
AS Bettina was standing before a beautiful exhibit of honey in the agricultural building, she was startled by a hand upon her shoulder.
"Gracious, Uncle John!" she exclaimed. "How you frightened me! But I'm so glad to see you! Where is Aunt Lucy?"
"Here, somewhere. You know she took a few prizes herself and is probably hanging around to hear any stray compliments for her butter or preserves."
"Aren't you ashamed, John!" said Aunt Lucy, herself appearing like magic. "I was just looking for the queen bee among the others in this glass case."
"And here she is!" said Uncle John, laying his hand on Bettina's shoulder, and laughing delightedly at his own joke. "You've been looking in the wrong place."
"For that, Uncle John, I'm going to beg you and Aunt Lucy to come home with me to dinner. Won't you? When did you come in?"
"This morning, and we're making a day of it. We'd like to see the fireworks this evening, but perhaps we could go to your house and get back again. For that matter, you and Bob could go with us to see the fireworks. How about it?"
"Oh, that would be splendid! Bob couldn't come to the fair this afternoon, and I came with a friend."
"Well, we'll take you both home in the car. When shall we see you? Five o'clock? Fine! And you and Bob must come back with us this evening."
Dinner that night consisted of:
Broiled HamHashed Brown Potatoes Pickled BeetsBread ButterCoffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Hashed Brown Potatoes(Four portions)
2C-chopped potatoes½t-salta pinch of pepper4T-fat
Put fat in frying-pan, when very hot, add the potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook three minutes, allowing to cook without stirring for two minutes. Fold as an omelet and turn onto a hot platter. Garnish with parsley.
Pickled Beets(Four portions)
6 beets2/3C-vinegar2T-sugar
Wash the medium-sized beets thoroughly, and cook until tender in boiling water. Drain, cover with cold water and slip off the skins. Slice the beets into one-fourth inch slices. Cover with vinegar and sugar. Allow to stand two hours before using.
Brown Betty(Four portions)
2C-sliced apples1C-fresh bread crumbs¼C-brown sugar1t-cinnamon3T-butter½C-water
Mix the apples, all but two tablespoons of the bread crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and pour into a buttered baking-dish. Pour the water over the whole mixture. Use the remainder of the crumbs and a little melted butter for the top. Bake forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot or cold with hard sauce.
Hard Sauce for Brown Betty(Four portions)
4T-butter1C-powdered sugar½t-vanilla extract½t-lemon extract1t-boiling water
Cream the butter, add the boiling water, and the sugar gradually. Stir until the sauce is creamy. Add vanilla and lemon extract. Set in the ice-box to harden. Serve cold.
SUNDAY DINNER AT THE DIXON'S
"YOU seem to have gained in weight, Frank," said Bob, as he and Bettina sat down to Sunday dinner with the Dixons.
"And what's more, I've gained in spirits! Say, there's nothing like living in a real home! Why, people, just think of having Charlotte say to me as she did yesterday, 'Frank, Bob and Bettina are coming to dinner to-morrow, and I want you to plan the menu!' And here it is! Excuse me for seeming too proud of my own good judgment and my wife's skill in cookery, but——"
"Hush, Frank! Maybe Bob and Bettina won't like your choice of dishes or your wife's cooking!"
"What!" said Bob. "I have yet to meet the person who doesn't like fried chicken! And roasting ears and new potatoes! Sa-ay!"
"It's a man-size dinner all right, isn't it?" said Mr. Dixon. "You know ever since I was a boy my idea of Sunday dinner (at least in the summer) has been fried chicken with gravy, new potatoes, boiled corn on the cob, and ice cream with sliced peaches! Because ice cream is coming, isn't it, Charlotte? At least I ordered it, and this appears to be my lucky day!"
"Indeed, it is coming," said Mrs. Dixon. "You see, Bettina, ever since I came to keep house (thanks to you) I've longed for the time to come when I could let Frank plan a company meal that I could carry out to the last detail. I have tried all these things before, although not all at the same time. I have always suspected that he would order fried chicken andits accessories (a 'little boy dinner' I called this), so when I told him that he might plan the meal, I knew that I could cook it. You see, I have wanted to invite you and Bob—oh, I've been thinking of it for a long time, but you can cook so well that I thought perhaps you'd rather eat at home!"
"Charlotte, this is a perfect dinner—far better than I could get, I know."
"This salad is an acquired taste with me," put in Mr. Dixon. "In my boyhood, my ideal dinner did not include salad, but Charlotte said there must be one, so this was my choice. I mixed the oil-dressing myself," he added with pride.
"It was a simple dinner to get," said Mrs. Dixon. "But now, Frank, we mustn't boast any more about our own dinner, must we? Bob and Bettina will laugh at us. You see, we're regular children since we took the house, but we do have lots of fun. I wouldn't go back to hotel living for anything in the world!"
"And neither would I," said Frank, "if for no other reason than the joy of entertaining our friends at dinner this way!"
Their Sunday dinner consisted of:
Fried Chicken New Boiled PotatoesCorn on the CobBread ButterSliced Cucumber, Tomato and Onion SaladOil DressingVanilla Ice Cream with PeachesWhite Cake Iced Tea
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Vegetable Salad(Four portions)
2 medium-sized tomatoes½ cucumber1 onion
Dressing
4T-vinegar2T-oil½t-salt¼t-paprika
Cut the peeled tomatoes and cucumber in one-third inch cubes, mix with the onion chopped fine. Add the dressing,which has been well mixed, and allow to stand ten minutes in a cold place. Serve on head lettuce.
Peaches for Ice Cream(Six portions)
2C-peaches, sliced2/3C-sugar
Add the sugar to the peaches and allow to stand in the ice box for ten minutes. Place peaches around the ice cream.
White Cake(Twenty pieces)
½C-butter1½C-sugar22/3C-sifted flour5t-baking powder1/8t-salt1C-milk4 egg whites, beaten stiffly1t-vanilla½t-lemon extract
Cream the butter, add the sugar, and continue creaming for two minutes. Alternately add all the dry ingredients and the milk. Beat well. Cut and fold in the egg-whites. Add the flavoring. Bake in two buttered layer-cake pans, twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Cover with "C" sugar icing.
"C" Sugar Icing(Twenty portions)
3 egg whites3C-"C" sugar2/3C-water1t-vanilla
Cook the sugar and water together without stirring until the icing "clicks" in cold water. Remove from the fire and pour very slowly over the stiffly beaten egg-whites. Beat vigorously and continuously until the icing gets thick and creamy. Add the vanilla. Spread on the cake.
Vanilla Ice Cream(Six portions)
1 qt. cream¾C-sugar1T-vanilla1/8t-salt
Mix cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Place in a scalded and chilled freezer. Turn until the mixture stiffens. Pack for two hours to ripen.
A RAINY EVENING AT HOME
"THIS is just the kind of a cold, rainy evening," said Bob as he pushed back his chair, "that makes me feel like making candy."
"Fine!" said Bettina. "What kind shall it be?"
"Penoche, if you have all the ingredients."
"I think I have. Let's see. It's better when it's made partly with 'C' sugar, and I have that. I wonder if there will be enough milk left for breakfast if we use a little! Well, penoche really tastes exactly as good when it is made with water instead, though, of course, it isn't so rich. But then, I think, we do have enough milk."
"First of all, though," said Bob, "we'll wash these dishes. It was a mighty good dinner tonight, Bettina. The nice kind of a hot meal that it seems good to come home to on a night like this."
"It was an oven dinner, Bob. You see, the meat loaf, the escalloped potatoes, and the rice pudding were all in the oven at once. I always try to use the oven for more than one dish if I am using it at all."
"We seem to have eaten all of this tomato sauce," said Bob, as he carried out the dish, "but there is a good deal of meat left. Will you have to make more sauce?"
"No, I planned just enough for one meal. Then, tomorrow, I'll serve the rest of the meat cold without a sauce. How did you like the rice pudding hot as it was tonight? You know I usually serve it cold."
"It tasted very good for a cold evening. There, all thesedishes are ready to wash, Bettina. Will you get out some tea towels for me?"
The dinner that night consisted of:
Hot Beef Loaf Tomato SauceEscalloped PotatoesBread ButterRice Pudding
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Beef Loaf(Five portions)
1lb.beef cut from the round¼lb.salt pork½t-salt¼t-pepper1/8t-onion salt¼C-cracker or bread crumbs1 egg yolk1T-milk1T-butter
Grind the meat well, and mix all the ingredients excepting the butter. Pat into an oblong shape and place in a well-buttered pan. Add three tablespoons of water to the pan, and place the butter in small pieces on the top of the loaf. Cover the pan and bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.
Tomato Sauce(Three portions)
1C-tomatoes, cut up½C-water2 bay leaves1t-sugar¼t-ground cloves1 slice of onion or1/8T-onion salt2T-butter2T-flour1/3t-salt
Simmer for fifteen minutes the tomatoes, water, bay leaves, sugar, cloves and onion. Strain and press out all the pulp. Melt the butter, add the flour, blend well, slowly add the strained tomato and salt. Cook one minute. Serve hot on the meat.
Escalloped Potatoes(Three portions)
4 potatoes (medium sized)2T-flour2T-butter1t-salt¼t-peppermilk (about one cup)
Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice very thin. Mix through the sliced potatoes, the flour, salt, pepper and the butter insmall pieces. Place the mixture in a well-buttered pan or baking dish, and cover with milk. Usually one cup suffices. Bake in a moderate oven forty-five to fifty minutes. (Do not fill the pan more than three-fourths full, as the potatoes will boil over.)
Rice Pudding(Three portions)
1¼C-milk1 egg4T-sugar¼t-salt1t-vanilla1C-cooked rice1t-butter1/8t-grated nutmeg
Beat the egg, add the sugar, salt, nutmeg, vanilla, and milk. Add the rice. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered baking dish and dot over with the butter. Bake in a moderate oven twenty-five minutes. It may be served hot or cold. Cream may be served with it if desired.
Penoche
2C-"C" sugar1C-granulated sugar1T-butter2/3C-milk¼t-cream of tartar¼C-nut-meats1t-vanilla
Mix the sugar, butter, milk and cream of tartar. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent from scorching, until a soft ball is formed when a little candy is dropped in cold water. Remove from the fire, and do not stir until it is cool. Put back on the stove for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from stove, and beat vigorously until very creamy. Add the nuts and vanilla. When hard and creamy, remove from the pan, patting into shape and kneading until soft and creamy. Place on a buttered pan, patting to the thickness of three-fourths of an inch. Cut into the desired shape.
Apple-tree, apple-tree, crowned with delight,Give me your fruit for a pie if you will;——Crusty I'll make it, and juicy and light!——Give me your treasure to mate with my skill!
woman holding up a pie, cherub on table
RUTH MAKES AN APPLE PIE
Woman rolling out a pie crust in front of an open window
"I'LL tell you, Ruth," said Bettina, in answer to some questions, "you come home with me now, and make an apple pie for our dinner! I'll watch and direct you, and perhaps I can show you what made the crust tough on the one you made at home. Do come. I can't promise you an elaborate dinner tonight, for my funds are very low and I must be careful. But I had planned to make an apple pie myself. Bob is so fond of it that no matter what else we may have, an apple pie dinner is a feast to him."
"But goodness, Bettina! I might spoil it!"
"No, you wouldn't, and I would show you just what to do. I suspect that you handled the dough too much before and that was what made the pie seem tough."
"I suppose I did; I was so anxious to have it well mixed."
"Did you use your fingers in mixing in the shortening? I know that many good cooks do it, but it is really better to use a knife, with the blade flat. And then roll the pastry out just as lightly as possible."
"Do you make pastry with lard or butter?"
"I usually make it with an equal amount of each. Lard makes a more tender crust than butter, and a whiter crust, but I think butter gives it a better flavor."
Bettina and Ruth had reached home by this time, and Bettina brought out the materials for Ruth's pie. "I'll give you ice-water to moisten the pastry," said she; "it isn't necessary, but it is really better in the summer time. And while you're mixing in the shortening with this knife, I'll be cooking some eggs hard for eggs a la goldenrod which I am going to give you tonight."
"Eggs a la goldenrod!" exclaimed Ruth, "How good that does sound!"
"It is a very good luncheon-dish, but I find it also good for dinner when I'm not having meat. I think it looks appetizing, too."
"I must learn how to make it. You know Father comes home at noon, and it is hard to think of a variety of luncheon-dishes. I usually have eggs or cheese in some form or other, but 'eggs a la goldenrod,' are new to me."
"We also have cottage-cheese tonight," said Bettina. "I plan to make it about once a week. Ruth, I believe I hear Bob now! Well, he'll have to wait half an hour or more for his dinner!"
That night they had:
Eggs a la Goldenrod Potato CakesStrained Honey Cottage CheeseBread ButterApple Pie Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Eggs a la Goldenrod(Four portions)
3 hard-cooked eggs3T-butter3T-flour1½C-milk½t-salt1/8t-pepper1/8t-parsley
Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the milk gradually. Cook until a white sauce consistency. Add chopped egg-whites. Pour this mixture over slices of toast arranged on a platter. Force the yolks through a strainer on top of the sauce on the toast. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Potato Cakes(Four portions)
2C-mashed potatoes1T-lard1T-butter
Form cold seasoned mashed potato into cakes two inches in diameter. Dip the cakes lightly into a little flour. Allow one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon lard to get very hot in a frying-pan. Put in the cakes, brown on each side, and serve.
Cottage Cheese(Four portions)
1 qt. sour milk1t-salt¼t-paprika1T-cream
Place thick freshly soured milk over a pan of hot water, not boiling. When the milk is warm and the curds separate from the whey, strain off the whey in a cheese cloth. Put into a bowl, add salt, pepper and cream to taste. Stir lightly with a fork.
Some of Bettina's Pastry Rules
One—All the materials must be cold.
Two—Always roll one way and on one side of the pastry.
Three—Shortening should be handled as little as possible.
Four—Dough should be mixed with a knife and not touched with the hands.
Five—Shortening should be cut in with a knife.
Six—Cook pastry in a hot oven having the greatest heat at the bottom so that it may rise before browning. Crust is done when it slips from the pan.
BETTINA MAKES APPLE JELLY
"WHAT have you been doing?" asked Bob, as he and Bettina sat down to dinner.
"Oh, Bob, I've had the nicest day! Mother 'phoned me this morning that Uncle John had brought her several big baskets of apples from the farm, and that if I cared to come over to help, we would put them up together, and I might have half. Well, we made apple jelly, plum and apple jelly, and raspberry and apple jelly. I had made all these before, and knew how good they were, but I learned something new from Mother that has made me feel happy ever since."
"And so you came home, and in your enthusiasm made this fine dandy peach cobbler for dinner!"
"Bob, that was the very way I took to express my joy!"
"Well, what is this wonderful new apple concoction?"
"Perhaps it isn't new, but it was new to me! It is an apple and mint jelly, and I know it will be just the thing to serve with meat this winter."
"How did you make it? (I hope you are noticing how interested I'm becoming in all the cooking processes!)"
"Well, I washed and cut into small pieces four pounds of greening apples. Then I washed and chopped fine one cup of fresh mint, and added it to the apples. I covered the mixture with water, and cooked it all till the apples were so tender that they were falling to pieces. I strained it then, and used three-fourths of a cup of sugar for each cup of juice. I cooked this till the mixture jellied, and then I added four teaspoons oflemon juice and enough green vegetable color paste to give it a delicate color."
"Isn't that coloring matter injurious?"
"Oh, no, Bob! It's exactly as pure as any vegetable, and it gives things such a pretty color. Why, I use it very often, and I'm sure that more people would try it if they knew how successful it is! It is such fun to experiment with. Of course, I never use anything but the vegetable coloring."
"Well, go on with the jelly. What next?"
"That's all, I think. I just poured it into glasses, and there it is, waiting for you to help me carry it home from Mother's. Now, Bob, won't that be good next winter with cold roast beef or cold roast veal? I know it will be just the thing to use with a pork roast!"
"I'm growing very enthusiastic. Sounds fine. But speaking of cooking, this is a mighty good dinner. I like peach cobbler as well as any dessert there is."
"I'm glad you like it. But I forgot to tell you, Bob, that I'm to have all the apples I can use in the fall. Uncle John has promised them to me. Then Mother says we'll make cider. Won't that be fine?"
"I should say it will! Cider and doughnuts and pumpkin pie! Makes me long for fall already! But then, I like green corn and watermelon and peaches, so I suppose I can wait."
That evening Bettina served:
Sliced Beef LoafSautéd Potatoes Creamed CornCinnamon Rolls ButterPeach Cobbler Cream
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Sautéd Potatoes(Two portions)
2 large potatoes cooked2T-lard½t-salt¼t-pepper
Peel cold boiled potatoes. Put two tablespoons of lard in the frying-pan. When hot, add the potatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Brown thoroughly on all sides. (They should cook about ten minutes.)
Creamed Corn(Two portions)
1C-corn cut from the cob½C-water1t-butter1T-milk or cream½t-sugar¼t-salt
Cook the corn and water together very slowly for twenty minutes, or until the water is all cooked out. (Place on an asbestos mat to prevent burning.) Add butter, milk, sugar and salt. Serve hot.
Cinnamon Rolls(Twelve rolls)
2T-sugar½t-salt1C-milk (scalded and lukewarm)1 yeast cake¼C-lukewarm water1½C-flour3T-butter4T-sugar¼C-butter½C-sugar
Mix sugar, salt and scalded milk. When lukewarm, add the yeast cake dissolved in one-fourth of a cup of lukewarm water. Add one and a half cups flour. Cover and set in a warm place to rise. When double in bulk, add the butter (melted), four tablespoons sugar and more flour (enough to knead). Let rise, knead and roll into a sheet half an inch thick, spread with a mixture made by adding melted butter, one and a fourth cups sugar and the cinnamon. Roll up like a jelly roll. Cut in slices three-fourths inch thick. Place in a pan one inch apart, let rise again. Bake in a moderately hot oven twenty-five minutes.
Peach Cobbler(Two portions)
1C-flour1t-baking powder1/8t-salt1T-butter¼C-milk3 good-sized peaches1/3C-sugar¼t-vanilla¼C-sugar¼C-water
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients (baking powder, salt and flour), and add the milk. (The resulting dough should be of biscuit dough consistency.) Peel and slice the peaches, mix well with the sugar (one-third cup) and place on the bottom of a baking dish (not tin.) Place dough shaped to fit on the top of the peaches. Make three holes to allow the steam to escape. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Boil the sugar and water four minutes. When the cobbler has cooked for twenty minutes, pour the syrup over it and allow to cook ten minutes more. Cream may be served with the cobbler if desired.
AFTER A PARK PARTY
"A BEAUTIFUL day," said Bettina at the breakfast table. "September is doing better than August."
"I was just thinking," said Bob, "that it might be fun to get Harry and Alice, and go out to Killkare park this evening. I don't believe you've been on a roller coaster this year."
"It would be fun to go," said Bettina, "although I haven't missed the roller coaster."
"Well, let's ask them to go. We can stay there awhile and then——"
"Then what?"
"Oh, nothing. Then go home."
"Bob, you meant—come here afterward and have a nice little lunch; didn't you?"
"I confess that I thought of that, and then I happened to remember that you were going out this afternoon and wouldn't want to bother with any preparations for a party."
"Going out this afternoon would not worry me at all—it is just that my funds are getting a little low, and I couldn't serve anything expensive. Let me think what I have on hand—yes, I believe I could do it by serving a salad and a dessert out of my own head."
"A Bettina salad? That's the very best kind. And what will the dessert be?"
"A Bettina dessert, too. I have some lovely apples, Bob, and I just can't afford anything very expensive. I know this willbe good, too, but you mustn't complain if I have sponge cake to eat with it."
"I should say not, Bettina. Whatever you give us will tickle me, and Alice and Harry are in such a state of blindness that they won't know what they're eating."
That evening they had:
Bettina Salad Boston Brown Bread SandwichesBettina's Apples Sponge CakeCoffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Bettina Salad(Four portions)
1C-chopped New York cheese12 Pimento stuffed olives, chopped3 sweet pickles, chopped very fine¼C-chopped roasted peanuts¼t-salt1/8t-paprika4T-salad dressing4 pieces of lettuce
Put the cheese through the food chopper or grate it, add the olives chopped, the sweet pickles, peanuts, salt and paprika. Blend well, and form into balls, one inch in diameter. Arrange several on a lettuce leaf. Serve salad dressing with the salad.
Bettina's Apples(Six apples)
6 apples1C-"C" sugar1C-water8 marshmallows½C-cocoanut shredded6 cherries
Peel and core the apples. Drop into the sugar and water which has been boiled for ten minutes to form a syrup. Place a lid on the pan and cook the apples until tender. Remove from the syrup and roll in the cocoanut. Add the marshmallows to the syrup (which has been removed from the fire) and allow them to melt. Stir them in the syrup. When the marshmallows are dissolved, stir the mixture to mix the marshmallows with the syrup. Pour around the apple, and fill the hole in the center of the apple. Place a red cherry on the top of each.
Hot Water Sponge Cake(Eight portions)
2 egg-yolks1C-sugar½C-boiling water1T-lemon juice1t-grated rind lemon2 egg-whites1C-flour1t-baking powder¼t-salt
Beat the yolks until thick and lemon colored, add the sugar gradually and beat for two minutes. Add the flour, sifted with the baking powder, and salt. Add the boiling water, lemon juice, and grated rind. Beat with a Dover egg-beater, two minutes. Fold in whites of the eggs. Bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven in an unbuttered pan. Do not cut sponge cake, except through the crust, then break apart.
BETTINA SPILLS THE INK
"WHERE are you, Bettina?" called Bob one September evening when Bettina failed to meet him at the door. "Oh, Bettina!"
"Here I am, Bob, in the kitchen! I'm so ashamed of myself!"
"What for?"
"My carelessness. I just spilled a whole bottle of ink on this new apron of mine! I had begun to get dinner, and as it was a little early, I sat down for a minute to finish a letter to Polly. Then all at once I thought something was burning, and jumped up in such a hurry that I spilled the ink. I ought to have known better than to try to do two things at once! Luckily, the dinner was all right, but look at this apron! And it was such a pretty one!"
"Well, Bettina, I'm always getting ink and auto grease on my clothes, and you seem to keep yours spotless. So it is a surprise to me that it happened. Still, spoiling a new apron may be unfortunate, but I shouldn't call it tragic. Is it really spoiled?"
"No, I think I can fix it up so it will be almost as good as new, but it's a nuisance. See, I'm soaking it in this sour milk. I'll leave it here for four hours, and then apply some more milk for awhile. Then I believe the ink will come out when I rinse it."
"Well, Bettina, I'm glad you didn't spill ink on the dinner. Something smells mighty good!"
They had:
Beef Balls GravyMashed PotatoesBettina's Celery and EggsCinnamon Rolls ButterWatermelon
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Beef Balls(Three portions)
1lb.round steak1t-salt¼t-paprika1/8t-celery salt¼t-onion salt
Grind round steak, season, shape into round cakes and broil them for seven minutes under the flame. While they are cooking, prepare the horseradish sauce.
Horseradish Sauce(Four portions)
2T-butter2T-flour1C-milk2T-horseradish½t-salt
Melt the butter, add the flour. Mix well, add the milk and cook one minute. Add the salt and the horseradish. Serve immediately.
Mashed Potatoes(Three portions)
4 medium-sized potatoes1½T-butter½C-milk½t-salt1/8t-pepper
Cook the potatoes (peeled) in boiling salted water. When done, drain off the water, pass through a vegetable ricer, or mash well with a potato masher. Add butter, salt, pepper, and the milk. Beat vigorously, reheat and pile lightly in a hot dish.
Bettina's Celery and Eggs(Three portions)
1C-cooked diced celery2 hard-cooked eggs sliced2/3C-vegetable white sauce1T-butter3T-fresh bread crumbs
Add the sliced hard-cooked eggs and cooked celery to the white sauce. Mix well. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered baking dish. Cover with the crumbs which have been mixed with melted butter. Bake in a moderate oven until a delicate brown. (About twenty minutes.)
BETTINA ATTENDS A PORCH PARTY
"WELL, what have you been doing today?" asked Bob, after he had finished an account of events at the office.
"I've been away all afternoon, Bob, at the loveliest little porch party at Alice's! You know her porch is beautiful, anyhow, and her party was very informal. She telephoned to five of us this morning, and asked us to come over and bring our sewing; the day was so perfect. She served a delicious little luncheon from her tea cart, very simple but so good! And the beauty of it was that she had made everything herself! She didn't tell the girls, but she whispered it to me. Of course, if she had told the others, she would have given herself away; they are a little suspicious of her now because she is seen everywhere with Harry!"
"He told me he wished they could announce it right away! He doesn't like to make a secret of it."
"It won't be very long now—you know they are to be married in October or November. But, Bob, as I was telling you, Alice did all the cooking for this party herself. Of course, it was simple, but really, I think she is quite wonderful. She has never done anything useful before, but she is so clever, and she has such a 'knack' that it will really be easier for her than for Ruth. And Ruth will work twice as hard. Alice says that she is going to give other little parties this way, and practice on her guests. She says she is determined to do things just as well as anybody else, and now that she is interested, she has a tremendous pride in being a success. You know howhigh-spirited Alice is. Well, she isn't to be surpassed by anyone in anything she cares to do! Oh, I forgot, Bob, she gave me some cakes to bring to you, and also some salted nuts."
"Hurray for Alice! She's some friend all right! What else did you have at the party?"
"Such good salad—she gave me the recipe—well, her menu consisted of: