ch_pic7SIMPLE MENUSandRECIPES
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byMr. H. S. ANDERSONFood Specialist, College of Medical Evangelists andLoma Linda Sanitarium
The art of planning and combining the food for a meal is of no small importance to the housewife or the cook. The very best foods may be served in such combinations as to bring distress to the digestive organs, and produce weakness instead of strength.
Because human beings differ so much, and their needs are so varied, it is impossible to lay down any set of rules on diet alike for all. There are general principles, however, by which all may be guided, and which, if heeded, can accomplish more for the individual or the family, in maintaining health, than all doctors' prescriptions. This is made plain by the fact that it is better to know how to keep well than how to cure disease.
It is therefore of great importance for those who have the responsibility of planning for the table, to have a working knowledge of the principles which guide in making out a balanced menu.
In the planning of a meal, careful study should be given to the combination of foods. On the one hand, only such foods as digest well together should be used at one meal. On the other hand, foods should be chosen that will supply all the needed elements in about the right proportion.
Because of the woody substances found in vegetables, especially the coarse or fibrous vegetables, such as carrots, beets, turnips, cabbage, potatoes, and others, they digest slowly, and consequently remain a long time in the stomach before they are broken sufficiently for intestinal digestion. Fruits remain in the stomach a short time, and, owing to the large amount of saccharine matter they contain, are apt to ferment if retained too long.
Fruit and vegetables therefore should not be eaten at the same meal. This has special reference to the coarse and underground vegetables; while the finer or fruity vegetables, such as green peas, corn, squash, tomatoes, etc., and some others which also ripen in the sun, may be used with almost any food.
A safe rule in planning a meal, is to be sure that thesoup, therelishes(greens, salads, etc.), and thedessert, if used, combine well together, as these are so generally used by nearly all classes of people when placed on the menu. Then if fruit is used, in salad, or as dessert, there should be on the menu at least one of the finer vegetables, such as tomatoes, corn, or the like, which can be eaten with the fruit; and if the meal is planned without fruit, any of the coarser vegetables may be used as desired.
A large variety should not be planned for any one meal. It is a great additional expense; and besides, when several articles are taken at one meal, fermentation is likely to occur and the system will not be so well nourished. Recent research work has shown that the digestive juices vary both in kind and in quantity with differentkinds of food eaten. This may explain why many persons cannot digest complex mixtures and extensive variety, and is a mighty argument for simplicity at meal-time.
A select variety, of only a few kinds of food, at any one meal, with diversity in the meals from day to day, will prove advantageous to the individual and the family, both from the standpoint of economy, and from the health point of view.
An excess of milk and sugar taken together clogs the system, and should be avoided. Fats are more digestible cold than hot, because hot fat tends to coat and intimately penetrate the food with which it is cooked. This is especially true of fried foods, part of the food being surrounded with a layer of fat, keeping the digestive juices from acting on the other food elements. When subjected to a high temperature, fats decompose, and the resulting acids are very irritating to the mucous membranes of the stomach and the intestines.
The following combinations of food digest well together:
Foods that do not digest well together are:
A balanced dietary is one that supplies in about the right proportion all the kinds of food required to nourish the body. From the earliest impressions of childhood, many persons have received the idea that the most important article of diet is animal flesh. In most cases, this idea has been accepted without question or thought, and probably has never been challenged. A careful study ofthe subject, however, will show that with the use of meat, there is great danger of an excess of protein above the minimum requirements, there being thus placed upon the liver and the kidneys an amount of work which should not be imposed on these vitally important organs.
To combine foods in such a way as to supply all the needed elements, we should choose something from each of the different classes of food elements. There should also be among these such as supply sufficient cellulose and mineral. To illustrate this point, a few menus will be given that are extremely unbalanced, or one-sided, that we may understand more forcibly, by contrast, what a good meal is:
In order to make a balanced meal out of the above foods, it would be necessary to choose something from each of these unbalanced meals, and it would not be necessary to choose a large variety in order to supply the needs of the body. Upon examination, we find that bread (entire wheat) possesses properties which so nearly represent the constituent parts of the body as to make such bread ideal for the building up and keeping in repair ofthe human body. In the matter of building food (protein), bread contains about ten per cent, or about the recognized dietary requirement.
Bread is an exceedingly digestible food; and experiments taken as a whole show nearly ninety-eight per cent of the starch, or carbohydrate nutrients, and about eighty-eight per cent of the gluten, or protein constituents, assimilated by the body. See Snyder's "Human Foods," page 179; also table, page 23.
Many other grains, such as corn, oats, rye, barley, and rice, all contain heat- and energy-producing substances and tissue-forming elements in about the right proportion to meet the needs of the body. Exception is made of rice, which is slightly deficient in protein.
Bread of some kind, therefore, is the "backbone" of the meal. Around it are grouped the various fruits and vegetables for change and variety, alternating with one of the more solid foods, rich in protein, such as cottage cheese, eggs, nuts, or any of the various legumes, as peas, beans, lentils, etc. Of all the legumes, the soy bean takes the lead for building food, containing nearly twice the per cent of protein found in round steak. These more hearty foods should be used with discretion, especially during the summer months, when well baked breads, fruits, and green garden products constitute the ideal diet.
Potatoes, which are mostly starch, and eggs, which are largely albumen and fat, may be combined in such a way as to furnish all the needed elements in the right proportion. As rice is nearly all starch, and beans are rich in protein, these make an excellent combination. Nuts, rich in proteins and fats, and fruits, containing sugars and acids, also make an ideal combination. To a meal composed largely of rice and potatoes, which are deficient in fats, there may be added a little cream, a few ripe olives, a few nuts, or an egg, to give a well balanced ration.
The custom of eating a light lunch at noon, and reserving the heaviest meal for the close of the day, while actuated to a great extent by seeming necessities, or convenience, is not, as a rule, found a benefit to health. As a result of a hearty meal at night, the digestive process is continued through the sleeping hours; and though the stomach works constantly, its work is not properly accomplished. The sleep is often disturbed by unpleasant dreams; and in the morning, the person awakes unrefreshed, and with little relish for breakfast.
The practice of eating but two meals a day is generally found a benefit to health; yet under some circumstances, persons may require a third meal. This should, however, if taken at all, be very light, and of foods very easily digested, so that when we lie down to rest, the stomach may have its work all done, and it, as well as the other organs of the body, may enjoy rest.
In the following menus, some allowance is made for variety. Some persons will not require everything named on the menu; and each person will choose such things, and in such amounts, as experience and sound judgment prove to be best suited to his own necessities.
MENUS FOR ONE WEEK
Steamed Rice.—Wash one cup of natural brown rice, and put to cook in three cups of boiling water. Let boil gently until the water is absorbed and the rice looks dry; then set on the edge of the stove, well covered, to steam for fifteen minutes.
Cream Peas on Toast.—One cup drained green peas, one third cup water, three tablespoonfuls rich cream, salt. Bring the water and the peas to a boil, mash through a colander to remove the hulls, and season with cream and salt. Dip a slice of zwieback into hot milk to soften, lay on a platter, cover with a spoonful of the cream of peas, and serve.
Corn Bread.—One and one third cups corn meal, two tablespoonfuls whole wheat flour, two and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable butter, two tablespoonfuls brown sugar, one and one fourth teaspoonfuls salt, one and one third cups boiling water, two eggs. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter, and pour on the boiling water in aslowstream, stirring while it is being poured in. Add two or three tablespoonfuls of cold water if needed to make a medium batter. Separate the eggs, and beat the whites stiff. Beat the yolks, and fold them into the whites. Add the corn mixture, and mix, using the folding motion. Pour into an oiled shallow baking pan, and bake in a quick oven.
Butter Substitutes
Owing to the great increase in disease among animals, and along with this, the advance in prices of nearly all foodstuffs, a desire has been created for some substitute for dairy butter, which would prove both wholesome and appetizing. The following butter substitutes are now used to some extent both for cooking and for table use, and are easily prepared:
Emulsified Vegetable Oil.—Secure a high grade cottonseed, corn, or peanut oil. Beat one egg slightly, then add the oil in a very slow stream at first, beating continuously, and increase as the egg takes up the oil. Add two teaspoonfuls lemon juice, then more oil, until three cupfuls have been used, and the mixture is smooth and thick. Salt to taste, put into a well covered jar, and use the same as butter.
Vegetable Butter.—Take three cupfuls of any good coconut product on the market, such as kokofat or kaola, or a good brand of hydrogenated vegetable fat, as crisco.AAdd the juice of half a lemon, salt to taste, and a few drops of vegetable butter color. Mix with a spoon until the color ofdairy butter. The juice from carrots, grated and pressed, may be used instead of the lemon juice and the butter color if desired.
ANote.—The presence of a proprietary substance in a recipe must not be understood as guarantee by the authors. We know very little regarding the manufacture of the above named products; but we have reason to believe they are wholesome, and contain no animal products.
ANote.—The presence of a proprietary substance in a recipe must not be understood as guarantee by the authors. We know very little regarding the manufacture of the above named products; but we have reason to believe they are wholesome, and contain no animal products.
In harmony with the recent food pledge, saying, "Use no butter in cooking," all the recipes in these menus are prepared without the use of dairy butter. However, the same recipes may be prepared with dairy butter instead of the vegetable fats if so desired.
Beans with Noodles.—Wash one cup navy or Lima beans, add three cups water and a little salt, and let boil gently until tender. Beat one egg slightly, with two teaspoonfuls of water or milk and a pinch of salt. Add one cup of pastry flour, or enough to make a stiff dough. Knead well, and divide into two pieces. Roll out into thin sheets about the thickness of paper, having the dough well floured. Let dry a few minutes, then cut into strips about two inches wide. Lay in tiers, and shred very fine with a sharp knife. Drain the liquid from the beans, add to it enough water to make three cups of liquid, and add salt to taste. Add two teaspoonfuls of vegetable butter, and bring to a boil. Sprinkle the noodles into the boiling broth, and let cook gently for fifteen minutes. Add the cooked beans, and shake together, reheat, and serve. New peas may be substituted for beans when in season.
Corn on Cob.—Husk full ears of corn, and brush off the silks with a stiff brush. Wash, and drop into boiling water to which has been added a little milk or lemon juice. Bring to a good boil; then draw the saucepan to one side of the stove, and let simmer for twenty minutes.
Entire Wheat Bread.—Three cups warm water, one half cake compressed yeast, three tablespoonfuls brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, one tablespoonful salt, seven cups entire wheat flour. Dissolve the yeast in two teaspoonfuls of water, add the liquid, and mix all the ingredients to a mediumsoftdough. Turn out on a slightly floured board, and knead until elastic to the touch; then return to an oiled bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm room to rise until, when tapped sharply, itbeginsto sink (about two hours). Work down well, turn over in the bowl, and let rest until it begins to rise again (about fifteen minutes); then mold into loaves, and put into pans for baking. Brush over the top of each loaf with an oiled brush, and let rise until half again its original bulk; then bake in a good oven. These coarse breads must be watched closer during the rising than those made from white flour, as they get light in much less time.
Creamed Rice.—Heat some milk in a double boiler, and when it is hot, add enough cooked rice to have it creamy, butnot too soft. Add a pinch of salt, and a little rich cream, if you have it at hand, and serve.
Corn Meal Crisps.—One cup white corn meal, one cup pastry flour, one half teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, scant one half cup water. Mix all the dry ingredients, add the oil, and rub between the hands to distribute the fat through the grain. Add the water, and mix to a dough. Roll out to a thickness of one fourth of an inch, cut with a biscuit cutter, prick with a fork, and bake in a hot oven, to a light brown.
Zwieback.—Cut stale bread into slices about one half inch thick. Lay these in a baking pan, and put them into the warming oven until the moisture is evaporated; then put them into a hot oven until they are a light brown all the way through.
Steamed Pearl Barley.—Wash one cup pearl barley, and put to cook in four cups boiling water. Add one fourth teaspoonful salt, and let boil gently until the water is absorbed and the grain looks dry; then cover, and set on the edge of the stove to steam for forty minutes. This grain is preferably cooked on a hot stone in the fireless.
Scrambled Egg with New Tomato.—Rub a large ripe tomato with the back of a knife; then remove the skin, and cut the tomato into pieces. Put it into a small pan, with one teaspoonful vegetable butter and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Break two eggs slightly with a fork, put them into a hot oiled frying pan, and stir until they are soft scrambled. Have the tomato drained, add the pulp to the scrambled eggs, and mix, being careful not to cook the egg too much. Serve on toast.
Wheat Puffs.—One and one fourth cups sifted pastry flour, one fourth cup whole wheat flour, two teaspoonfuls meltedvegetable butter, one fourth teaspoon salt, one cup milk, one egg. Make a batter of the flour, the salt, the milk, the egg yolk, and the butter, and stir smooth. Beat the white stiff, and pour the batter into the beaten white, mixing as it is being poured in, and using the folding motion, so as not to break down the lightness of the egg. Pour into hot oiled iron gem pans, and bake in a quick oven.
Stewed Prunes.—Wash dried prunes thoroughly, and let them soak overnight. Then bring them to a boil, and let simmer for two hours or more, and they will need no sweetening.
Farmer's Favorite Soup.—One half cup rich sour cream, one third cup macaroni, one small onion, one stalk celery, one small carrot, one medium sized potato, chopped parsley, salt. Drop the macaroni into three cupfuls boiling salted water, and cook until thoroughly done. Have the vegetables cut into small dice. Put the cream into a small pan, and stir over the fire until the oil separates, and the albumen turns a light brown color. The degree of browning determines the flavor of the soup. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery, and stir for a few moments. Add three cupfuls water, the diced potato, and a little salt, and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly done. Add the macaroni water to the vegetable soup; then lay the macaroni on a board, cut into small rings, and drop into the soup. Boil up well, add chopped parsley, and serve.
Roasted Potato.—Peel eight medium sized potatoes, and boil until they are about half done; then drain them, and save the water. Lay the potatoes in an oiled baking pan, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and flour, and put into a hot oven to brown.
Baked Dressing.—Two cups soaked stale bread, one half cup milk, three tablespoonfuls chopped onion, one and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable butter, three tablespoonfuls browned flour, a pinch of sage and marjoram, and salt to taste. Soak the bread in cold water until it is soft all the way through, then press it out. Put the butter, the onion, and the savory into a small pan, and let them simmer for a few moments, to soften the onion, but do not brown. Add the brown flour, then the milk, and stir smooth. Add the bread, salt to taste, and mix. Bake in an oiled brick tin, or spread among the roasted potatoes when they are partly browned, and finish baking them together.
Egg Gravy.—Two tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, one teaspoonful chopped onion, three tablespoonfuls flour, one egg,one and one half cups potato water or almost any vegetable broth. Put the oil into a frying pan, and when it is quite hot, add the whole egg. Break the yolk with a fork, turn it over, and stir until brown over the entire surface. Remove the brown egg from the oil, and chop with a knife. Add the flour to the oil, and stir until a light brown. Add the onion, and stir; then the chopped egg and one third of the water, and stir smooth. Add the balance of the water, and boil up. Let simmer for ten minutes, and serve. The egg may be omitted, if desired; but without it, the gravy will have less flavor.
Spinach.—Wash the greens in several waters. If the spinach is young and tender, it can be cooked with no additional water beyond that remaining on the leaves after washing. As the spinach ages, it absorbs bitter flavor, and should then be cooked in boiling water, with thecover off. When done, drain, cut with a knife, season with salt and a little vegetable butter, reheat, and serve.
Rye Bread.—Two cups warm water, one half cake compressed yeast, one and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, two tablespoonfuls brown sugar, two teaspoonfuls salt, four cups white bread flour, three cups rye flour. Dissolve the yeast in two teaspoonfuls water, add the liquid, and beat in three cups best bread flour to a smooth batter. Cover, and let stand in a warm room to rise for one and one half hours. Add the salt, the sugar, and the oil, and beat into the sponge. Mix in the rye flour and the remaining cup of white flour, to a medium dough. Knead on a board until elastic to the touch, then return to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise the same as for entire wheat bread, in Sunday's lesson. When ready to mold into loaves, roll out six buns, and lay on an oiled pie tin, and let rise forrye biscuit. Divide the remaining dough into two parts, and roll out into the shape of ordinary rye bread loaves. Lay in an oiled baking pan, leaving space between. Brush with an oiled brush, and cut three gashes across each loaf with a sharp knife, and let rise until light, then bake in a quick oven.
Baked Banana.—Select firm, rather ripe bananas, put them into the oven without removing the skins, and bake until the skins burst. Then remove from the oven, and serve in a folded napkin.
Tomato Sandwiches.—Peel ripe tomatoes without scalding, by first scraping them with the back of a knife; then cut into thin slices. Cut bread into very thin slices, and spread one slice with butter, and the opposite slice with mayonnaise or boiled dressing. Lay tomatoes between the slices, cut in triangles, and serve.
Savory Hash.—Two cups cold boiled potatoes cut in dice, three fourths cup of the baked dressing as given in Monday's lesson, cold, and cut into small dice, one and one half tablespoonfuls diced onion, one and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable butter, one tablespoonful brown flour, a pinch of sage or marjoram, one half cup milk, and salt to taste. Put the butter, the onion, and the savory into a small pan, and simmer for a few moments; then add the brown flour and a little of the milk, and stir smooth. Add the balance of the milk, and boil up. Salt to taste, and add the diced food. Sprinkle the diced potato with a little salt, add the gravy mixture, and mix with a fork. Put into an oiled baking pan, brush over the top with a little cream, and bake in a hot oven to a nice brown.
Jellied Egg.—Put one pint of water into a small, narrow saucepan, and bring to a boil. Drop in one egg with a spoon, and set the saucepan immediately on the table for from seven to eight minutes; then serve. If more eggs are added, the amount of water must be increased proportionately.
Corn Dodgers.—One cup corn meal (preferably toasted lightly in the oven), one and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, one half teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful brown sugar, one and one half cups boiling water. Mix all the dry ingredients, add the fat and pour on the boiling water and stir smooth. A few more tablespoonfuls water may be added if needed to make a batter of such a consistency as to drop from a spoon, but not run. Drop from the side of a spoon, onto an oiled baking pan, and bake in a quick oven.
Corn Cake.—Use the above recipe, and spread in an oiled baking pan one fourth inch deep, and bake in a hot oven.
New England Dinner.—Six medium small potatoes, four small carrots, four small turnips, six small onions, one halfsmall cabbage, one and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable butter, and salt to taste. Quarter the peeled turnips and carrots. Add the onions whole, and put into a saucepan with water enough to cover the vegetables, and salt, and bring to a boil. Separate the cabbage leaves, and drop them into another vessel of boiling water, to blanch them for five minutes; then drain, and add to the boiling vegetables. Add the potatoes, and let boil gently until nearly done; then add the vegetable butter, and let simmer until thoroughly done.
Cream Rice Pudding.—One half cup uncooked white rice, five cupfuls milk, scant one third cup sugar, vanilla flavor. Wash the rice thoroughly, add the milk, and cook in a double boiler for three fourths of an hour. Add the sugar and the vanilla flavor, and pour into an oiled baking pan and bake in a moderate oven. As soon as the first crust forms, stir it down, at the same time stirring the rice. Then allow the last crust to form and brown, and remove from the oven.
Milk Toast.—Put a piece of zwieback into a bowl, pour scalding hot milk over it, and serve.
Raisin Sandwich.—Chop one half cup seeded raisins fine, and add one fourth cup ground walnuts. Add one and one half tablespoonfuls mayonnaise dressing and one teaspoonful lemon juice, and mix well. Spread between slices of thinly buttered bread, cut in triangles, and serve.
Rye Wafers.—One cup rye flour, one cup pastry flour, two and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, two tablespoonfuls brown sugar, one half teaspoonful salt, one half cup water, or barely enough to mix to a stiff dough. Mix all the dry ingredients, add the oil, and rub the flour between the hands to distribute the oil evenly. Add the water very slowly, stirring meantime to avoid getting any part of the flour wet and sticky. Work on the board until mixed, then roll out to one fourth inch thickness, cut with a biscuit cutter, prick with a fork, and bake in a hot oven to a light brown.
Rye Sticks.—Take the above dough, roll out one half inch thick, cut into long strips about one third inch wide, then crosswise into three-inch lengths. Lay in a baking pan, leaving a little space between, and bake to a light brown color.
Steamed Wheat.—Pick over one cup of wheat, and wash in several waters. Let soak overnight; then drain, add four cups boiling water, and let boil slowly until the water is evaporated and the wheat looks dry. Cover, and let stand on the edge of the stove to steam for forty minutes. This grain is best cooked on a hot stone in fireless overnight.
Plain Omelet.—One egg, one tablespoonful milk, a pinch of salt. Beat the yolk until thick, add the milk, and mix well. Add a pinch of salt to the white, and beat stiff. Fold the yolk into the white, and pour the mixture into a hot oiled fry pan, and set into the oven until just barelyset. While still in the pan, turn one half of the omelet over the other half, by slipping a knife under one side and turning it over on the other section. Invert on a hot platter, and serve.
Corn Meal Puffs.—One cup pastry flour, one third cup corn meal, one half teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls vegetable butter, one scant cup milk, one egg separated. Make a batter of the milk, the flour, the corn meal, the salt, the melted fat, and the egg yolk, and stir smooth. Beat the white stiff, and fold the batter into it. Pour into hot oiled iron gem pans, and bake in a quick oven.
Vegetable Julienne Soup.—One medium small potato, one small carrot, one small turnip, one stalk celery, one half cup cauliflowerlets or string beans, peas, or any fresh green vegetable, one small tomato, one teaspoonful vegetable butter, two cups cold water, two cups vegetable broth, salt to taste. Cut all the coarse vegetables into very thin shreds, and put into a small pan with the vegetable butter and one fourth cup water, and let simmer until the moisture is absorbed; then add the rest of the water, and boil up. Add the cut potato and tomato and the vegetable broth. Salt to taste, and let cook until the vegetables are thoroughly done. Add a sprinkle of chopped parsley, and serve.
Macaroni Family Style.—One cup macaroni raw, one cup tomato pulp, one tablespoonful vegetable butter, one tablespoonful chopped onion, a sprinkle of sage or thyme, one egg, andsalt to taste. Break the macaroni into inch lengths, drop into salted boiling water, and let cook until thoroughly done; then drain in a colander. Put the butter, the onion, and the savory into a small pan, and simmer for a few moments, but do not brown. Add the tomato, bring to a boil, and salt to taste. Pour the hot sauce into the egg, stirring as it is being poured in. Add the cooked macaroni, pour all into an oiled baking pan, and bake to a light brown.
String Beans.—Select young and tender beans, string them, and break them into short lengths. Wash, and lift them out of the water; put into a saucepan with enough boiling water to cover the beans. Add salt, and let cook gently, having the cover drawn to one side of the saucepan. When done, add a little vegetable butter and serve. When the beans are aged, they should be lifted out of the water and put into a covered vessel containing a little hot vegetable oil, and stirred over the fire for ten minutes before the water is added to them; and when cooked, they will be very tender.
Raised Corn Bread.—In order to incorporate in corn bread enough moisture so that it will not dry out after baking, a certain proportion of the liquid used may be poured over the meal boiling hot; thus the needed moisture is absorbed before making into bread, as follows:
Three cups water, one half cake compressed yeast, four cups best bread flour, two cups corn meal, one tablespoon salt, three tablespoons sugar, two tablespoons vegetable fat. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and leave space at one side of the flour for the sponge. Dissolve the yeast in two teaspoons water, add one cup warm water, and pour on one side of the flour. Stir enough flour into this liquid to make a thin, smooth batter. Cover, and set in a warm room until light (about one and one half hours). Put the corn meal into a small bowl, and pour on gradually, in a slow stream, two cups boiling water, stirring as it is poured in, and let stand one half hour.
When the sponge is sufficiently light, add the salt, the sugar, and the vegetable fat, and mix well. Add the scalded and warm corn meal, and mix all into a soft dough. Turn out on a floured board, and knead until elastic to the touch. Then return to an oiled bowl, cover, let rise, and finish the same as for entire wheat bread.
Wheat Gruel.—Take the steamed wheat left over from breakfast, add water to cover, and let cook gently until well done. Mash through a strainer, season with salt and a little cream or canned milk, and serve.
Rye Sticks.—The recipe for rye sticks is given following the recipe for rye wafers in Tuesday's lesson.
Grano Cereal.—Two cups pastry flour, one third cup rolled oats, one fourth cup corn meal, one fourth teaspoonful salt, large one half cup water. Mix all the dry ingredients, and add the water slowly, stirring constantly to a very stiff dough. Knead a few moments, then roll out one fourth inch thick. Cut into strips about three inches wide, prick with a fork, lay in a baking pan, and bake in a medium oven until a very light brown and fairly crisp. When cool, grind through a food chopper, using a coarse knife. Serve with milk or cream.
Grano with Dates.—Two cups water, one cup grano cereal, one half cup washed and pitted dates, a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, and sprinkle in the grano. Stir until thick, then add the dates, and serve with cream.
Baked Garbanzos (chick peas).—Wash one cup garbanzos, and soak overnight. Drain, add two cups boiling water, and let boil gently until thoroughly done, or cook in fireless overnight. Return to the fire, add salt to taste, and let cook gently until the liquid is reduced; then put into the oven in a covered dish, and bake until they begin to brown slightly on the bottom.
Navy Bean Soup Army Style.—One cup navy beans, seven cups water, two thirds cup diced carrot, one third cup diced onion, one tablespoonful vegetable butter, salt to taste. Wash the beans, and cook very slowly until tender, adding the salt when they are about half done. Put the butter, the diced carrot, and the onion into a small pan with three tablespoonfuls water, and stir over the fire until the water is absorbed; then add to the bean soup, and let boil gently for thirty minutes or more. Add a sprinkle of chopped parsley, and serve.
Stewed Carrots.—Two cups sliced young carrots, one and one half cups hot water, two teaspoonfuls vegetable butter, one teaspoon flour, salt. Wash and scrape young carrots, andslice quite thin. Add the hot water, and salt to taste, and let cook gently until the liquid is reduced to one half cup. Rub the flour and the butter smooth in a small pan. Add one third of the liquid, and stir smooth. Add the balance of the liquid, and boil up. Add the carrots, reheat, and serve. A little rich cream or canned milk may be added if desired.
Noodles au Gratin.—Roll out and cut noodles the same as given in recipe for Sunday dinner. Sprinkle into boiling salted water, and cook the same as macaroni, or about fifteen minutes. Drain well, saving the liquid for gravies or sauces. Make a cream sauce by rubbing together in a saucepan two tablespoonfuls vegetable butter and two tablespoonfuls flour; then add one third cup hot milk, and stir smooth. Add two thirds cup more milk, boil up, and salt to taste. Add enough of the cream sauce to the noodles to flavor them and not have them too soft. Pour into an oiled baking pan, and grate fresh bread crumbs over the top, pressing them down with a spoon to moisten them. Sprinkle with cream or bits of butter, and bake to a nice brown.
Steamed Raisins.—Dip cluster raisins into water, drain, and lay between two pie tins; put into the oven until hot through; then serve.
Banana Rice.—Take the recipe for creamed rice as given in the lesson for Sunday evening luncheon. Slice one large banana, sprinkle with a little sugar, mix lightly into the hot creamed rice, and serve.
Nut and Jelly Sandwiches.—Add finely chopped or ground walnuts to jelly in the proportion to spread nicely on bread. Cut bread into very thin slices. Spread one slice with butter, and the opposite slice with the nut mixture. Fold together, cut in triangles, and serve.
Buckwheat Sticks.—One cup pastry flour, one cup buckwheat flour, one half teaspoonful salt, two and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable fat, two tablespoonfuls brown sugar, scant one half cup water, or barely enough to mix the flour to a stiff dough. Mix all the dry ingredients, add the fat, and rub between hands to distribute the oil evenly. Add the water very slowly, stirring meantime; and as soon as the flour can be worked together by sufficient moisture, lay on the board, and work for a few moments; then roll out to one third inch thickness. Cut into strips one third inch in width, then crosswise into sticks three inches long. Lay in a baking pan, leaving a little space between, and bake to a very light brown.
Buckwheat Wafers.—Take the above dough, roll out one fourth inch thick, cut with a biscuit cutter, prick with a fork, and bake the same as sticks.
Corn Meal with Raisins.—Wash one half cup raisins, and put them between two pie tins in the oven until hot through. Put one cup corn meal into a baking pan, and toast lightly in the oven; then sprinkle it gradually into three and one half cupfuls of boiling water, with one fourth teaspoonful salt, and let cook gently for ten minutes. Add the raisins, let cook for twenty minutes more, and serve.
Poached Egg.—Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, break the egg into a separate dish, and drop carefully into the boiling water. Set immediately to one side of the stove until the egg is firm enough to remove, and the white will be tender and jellylike.
Cream of Tomato Soup.—Two cupfuls strained tomato, one cupful water, two teaspoonfuls vegetable butter, one tablespoonful light brown flour, one cupful canned milk or rich cream, salt to taste. Bring the water, the tomato, and the butter to a boil. Thicken with the flour made smooth with a little cold water. Salt to taste, add canned milk (unheated), strain, and serve. If cream is used, omit the butter.
Vegetable Loaf.—One and one half cups soaked stale bread, three fourths cup cooked and left-over food (brown beans preferred), one and one half tablespoonfuls vegetable butter, two teaspoonfuls chopped onion, a sprinkle of sage and marjoram, one tablespoonful brown flour, one third cup milk, one egg, and salt to taste. Soak the bread in cold water until soft all the way through; then press out lightly. Put the butter, the onion, and the savory into a small pan, and simmer for a few moments. Add the brown flour, then the milk, and stir until smooth. Mash the beans with a spoon, beat the egg slightly, and mix all the ingredients. Bake in an oiled bakingpan until set, and brown on the top. Loosen with a knife along the edge, turn out on a platter, and serve.
Country Gravy.—Cook down a little sour cream in a pan until the oil separates and the albumen turns a very light brown color; then add enough flour (previously browned in the oven) to take up the fat from the cream. Add a little hot milk, and stir smooth. Add more milk, and bring to a boil and the thickness of medium thin gravy.
Stewed Corn.—Take cooked corn cut off the cob, add a little hot water, and bring to a boil. Season with a little cream or vegetable butter, reheat, and serve.
Fruit Soup.—Two cups blackberry or strawberry juice, four tablespoonfuls sago, two teaspoonfuls lemon juice, two cups water, sugar to taste. Wash the sago, drain, add to two cups boiling water, and let cook until clear. Add the fruit juices, and sweeten to taste. Preferably served cold.
Buckwheat Wafers.—This recipe follows the recipe given for buckwheat sticks in Thursday's lesson.
Cream Hominy.—Heat a little cream, or a little milk and a small seasoning of vegetable butter. Add enough lye hominy to make the food creamy and not too milky. Add a pinch of salt, and serve.
Soy Toast.—Duplicate the recipe for cream peas on toast, as given in Sunday's breakfast lesson, substituting thoroughly cooked and mashed soy beans for the peas, and serve.
Whole Rice with Peas.—One half cup uncooked natural brown rice, one and one half cups boiling water, one and one half cups cooked new peas, one tablespoonful vegetable butter, two teaspoonfuls flour, salt. Wash the rice thoroughly, putto cook in one and one half cups boiling water, and let boil steadily until the water is evaporated and the rice looks dry; then cover, and let stand on the edge of the stove to steam for fifteen minutes. Add enough hot water to the peas to cover them, salt to season, and let cook gently until the liquid is reduced to one half cupful, and the peas are tender. Rub the flour and the butter together in a saucepan. Add a little of the liquid from the peas, and stir smooth. Add the balance of the liquid, and boil up. Add the peas to the rice, pour on the thin sauce, and mix with a fork. Put into a covered dish, and set into the oven until hot through.
Summer Squash.—Wash the squash, peel very thinly, remove the seeds if they are large, and steam the squash until tender. Mash, season with a little cream or vegetable butter, and serve.
Raisin Pie.—One and one half cupfuls seedless sultana raisins, two cupfuls water, one tablespoonful lemon juice, one scant tablespoonful cornstarch, one third cup sugar, one teaspoonful vegetable butter. Wash the raisins thoroughly, and soak overnight. Bring to a boil with the two cupfuls water; then add the sugar mixed with the starch, a pinch of salt, and let boil for about ten minutes, or until the liquid is reduced suitably for one pie. Let cool.
Pie Crust.—One and one fourth cups pastry flour, four tablespoonfuls solid vegetable fat, one eighth teaspoonful salt, about three tablespoonfuls water. Add the salt and the shortening to the flour, and mix with the finger tips. Add the water very slowly, mixing with a fork, as it runs in, to a soft, light dough. Line the bottom of a pie tin with crust, being careful to press the crust well down into the tin; then pour on the stewed raisins. Add the lemon juice and the vegetable butter; then cover with a perforated top crust, having the edges wet, so as to stick the crusts together. Brush over the top with milk, and bake in a quick oven.
Cream Rolls.—One and one third cups pastry flour, two thirds cup whole wheat flour, one half teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful sugar, one third cup double cream, one fourth cup cold water. Mix the water and the cream thoroughly. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl, and pour on the wetting in a very slow stream, stirring constantly, so as to get the moisture evenly blended through the flour. Work into a dough, roll out to about one half inch thickness, and cut into long strips about one third inch in width. Roll each piece on the board, and cut into three-inch lengths. Lay in a baking pan, leaving a little space between, and bake in a medium oven, to a light brown.