of various kinds come in nicely for breakfast. They can be of ordinary
toast, fried bread, or shredded wheat biscuits. The latter are particularly
dainty, and may be prepared thus:--Put in buttered baking tin, with plenty
of butter on top of each, and place in brisk oven till crisp and
brown--about 10 minutes. Pile high with following mixture:--In an enamel
frying pan put a teaspoonful butter, and two tablespoonfuls diluted extract
or ketchup and water for each egg. When nearly boiling, break in the eggs
and stir gently round over a very moderate heat till just set. Season to
taste. A little of the sauce made hot might be first poured over the toast
or biscuits.
Bread Cutlets.
Have a number of neat pieces of bread about 1/2 inch thick. Dip in milk,
gravy, tomato juice, &c., and drain. Do not soak. Brush over with egg or
dip in batter, and fry. Serve as they are or with some savoury mince,
tomatoes, &c.
Stuffed Tomatoes.
Have number of tomatoes required, equal in size but not too large. With a
sharp knife take off a small slice from the stalk end. Scoop out a little
of the centre part, mix this with some forcemeat, or sausage mixture, beaten
egg, &c., and fill in the cavity. Put some butter on the top and bake. A
few chopped mushrooms with crumbs, egg, &c., make a delicious filling.
Cheese Fritters.
Mix 2 tablespoonfuls flour with 1/2 teacupful milk, 2 ozs. grated cheese,
teaspoonful made mustard, and the whites of 2 eggs stiffly beaten. Mix
well, and drop by small spoonfuls into hot fat. Fry a nice brown and serve
very hot.
One might go on indefinitely to detail breakfast dishes, but that is quite
unnecessary. It is a good thing, however, to have some simple,
easily-prepared food as a regular stand-by from day to day, just as porridge
is in some households, and bacon and eggs in others. Variety is very good
so far, but we are in danger of making a fetish of changes and variations.
Most of you know the story of the Scotch rustic who was quizzed by an
English tourist, who surprised him at his mid-day meal of brose. The
tourist asked him what he had for breakfast and supper respectively, and on
getting each time the laconic answer "brose," he burst out in amaze: "And do
you never tire of brose!" Whereupon the still more astonished rustic
rejoined "Wha wad tire o' their meat!" "Meat" to this happy youth was
summed up in brose, and to go without was to go unfed.
Well, I am afraid the most Spartan _hausfrau_ among us will scarcely
attain to such an ideal of simplicity, but we might do well to have one
staple dish, either in plane of, or along with porridge. For this purpose I
know of nothing better than
Shredded Wheat Biscuits.
These have been referred to several times already in various savoury
recipes, and, indeed, the ways in which they may be used are practically
unlimited. For a
Standard Breakfast Dish,
especially in these days of "domestic" difficulty, they are exceedingly
useful. For some years now we have bought them through our grocer by the
case of 50 boxes--which, of course, brings them in much cheaper than buying
these boxes singly--and use them week in, week out, for the family
breakfast. Most people are familiar with the appearance of these, but any
who have not yet sampled them should lose no time in doing so. Fortunately,
they can now be had of all good grocers. When some of us began to use them
first we had no end of bother sending away for them to special depots.
To prepare:--Have a flat tin or ashet large enough to hold the biscuits side
by side. Spread the tin liberally with butter, lay in the biscuits, put
more butter on the top of each, and toast till nicely crisp and brown in
good oven, or under the gas grill. If the latter, turn to toast the under
side. Be very careful not to burn. If toasted on an ashet serve on same
dish. One can now have fire-proof ware which is not unsightly. There is a
very artistic white fire-proof ware which is specially suitable for using in
this way, so that besides the saving of trouble, one can have the food hot
and crisp from the oven--a rather difficult, or at least uncertain
consummation if there is much shifting from one dish to another. These
"Shredders,"
as we familiarly dub them, are most toothsome served quite simply as above,
but they may be acceptably varied with sundry relishes. A very good way is
to have a little gravy prepared by diluting half a teaspoonful "Marmite" or
a teaspoonful "Carnos" in a half teacup _boiling_ water. Pour a very
little over each biscuit, and serve on very hot plates. Prepared thus they
may serve as toast for scrambled eggs or any savoury mixture. For