Using Odds and Ends
Every mother, in teaching her little daughter to cook, should impress
upon her two essential points--economy and neatness. A cook cannot be
too careful to have her materials, her utensils, and herself as clean as
possible. So, before beginning work, the child should carefully wash her
hands, clean her nails, smooth up any stray locks of hair, and put on
the cap, sleeves and apron that are to protect her from spots and flying
flour. Then all fruits or vegetables which are to be used should be well
washed before being peeled, and the cooking utensils wiped off.
Sometimes the pans or the stewing kettle have not been used for days,
and there is sure to be a certain amount of dust on these that is almost
imperceptible, but nevertheless unwholesome and often dangerous.
Following the instructions regarding cleanliness, and of equal
importance, is the lesson in the economical use of materials on hand.
Anyone can take a recipe calling for all fresh materials and, with a
little care, turn out a successful dish; but it takes a culinary artist
to successfully work up the odds and ends found in the ice-box and
pantry. In small families these bits can be made into attractive dishes
for luncheon, or, in case of an unexpected guest, converted into an
additional course. In the line of vegetables, for instance, there may be
left a few leaves of lettuce, a couple of tomatoes, the remains of a
roast, a small quantity of chicken, and a bottle of sour milk. Not very
promising, certainly, in the ice-box, but full of possibilities. The
little cook is going to be a magician, and by a wave of her wand (the
cook-book,) make a grand transformation.
COTTAGE CHEESE
First the sour milk! Not attractive as sour milk, but most delicious as
cream cheese. Set one quart of sour milk on the stove where it will warm
slowly, and let stand until the curd and whey separate. Spread a piece
of cheese-cloth or an old napkin over a colander, pour in the curds and
let drain until quite dry. This may take a couple of hours, and it is a
good plan to warm the milk while getting the supper and then let stand
all night. Next put the curds in a bowl and rub to a paste with one
teaspoonful of butter, a saltspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of
cream. When smooth, mold into little balls if to be served with a salad.
[Illustration: A TABLE SET FOR A VALENTINE LUNCHEON]
NUT CHEESE CRACKERS
Nut cheese crackers are most appetizing, too, made by spreading this
cheese on small saltine crackers, and sprinkling chopped nuts over the
top. Any child will delight to make these, and while easy and cheap,
they are attractive enough to serve any company. Or, the cheese can be
served, French fashion, with a little heavy cream and a small quantity
of richly preserved currants or cherries, (Bar-le-duc,) for dessert.
[Illustration: FRESH VEGETABLE SALAD]
STUFFED PEPPERS
If there is too little of the roast to serve sliced cold, it can be
chopped fine, seasoned well with salt and pepper and moistened with the
cold gravy. If the quantity is still too small, it can be increased by
adding a beaten egg and half a cupful of dried bread-crumbs. This works
into a nice dish by taking sweet green peppers, splitting in half,
washing and removing the seeds, and then packing with the minced meat.
Bake until peppers are tender, about half an hour, then remove from
oven, lay on squares of hot toast, and cover with white sauce or
warmed-over gravy.
WHITE SAUCE
Good white sauce is needed for so many different kinds of vegetable,
fish and meat dishes, that a child should be taught it at the beginning
of her work. Have her melt one tablespoon of butter and stir in one
tablespoon of flour. When smooth, add slowly one cup of milk, stirring
all the time to keep from getting lumpy. If lumps do form, however,
before the child has learned the secret of mixing, she can strain after
it has cooked five minutes. Season with quarter-teaspoon of salt and a
dash of pepper. For brown sauce, simply brown the flour and butter
before adding the milk.
CREAMED CHICKEN
A small quantity of chicken is often left from dinner, yet not enough to
serve cold. Let the mother show the child how to cut off every bit of
meat from the bones--and she will get more than she expects from wings
and necks. But all pieces of fat and skin must be discarded. Then for a
hot dish, making a white sauce first, she can stir in the minced
chicken, let it cook a few moments, and serve on rounds of buttered
toast.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES
Still another way, if the quantity is small, is to add to one cupful of
chopped chicken one-half cupful of rolled bread-crumbs, a half cupful of
hot milk, two well-beaten eggs, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and
salt and pepper to taste. This is to be shaped into croquettes, dipped
in rolled bread-crumbs, beaten egg, crumbs again, and browned in hot
fat.
White sauce served on the side will make it doubly attractive; and if
the quantity is still small for the number to be served, it will go
farther and be made more savory if garnished with curls of crisp bacon.
CHICKEN SALAD
If a cold dish is desired, let her add an equal amount of finely cut
celery, season with salt and pepper, moisten with cooked salad dressing,
and she will have a delicious chicken salad. To be particularly nice,
however, she should use only the white meat.
Our little cook should be taught the first thing how to make a good
salad dressing, for into a salad it is almost always possible to turn
the left-overs that otherwise might be thrown out. Only one other thing
(soup) will use up as many scraps in making nourishing as well as
appetizing dishes.
BOILED SALAD DRESSING
As many people do not care for the flavor of oil, a nice easy dressing
is made by taking two tablespoonfuls butter, rubbed to a cream, to which
is added one teaspoonful salt, one-half teaspoonful mustard, a dash of
red pepper, and one cupful hot milk. Stirring well, this should
immediately be poured on the beaten yolks of three eggs, and then cooked
in a double boiler until thick. Remove from the fire, add one-quarter of
a cup of vinegar, and stir until cool. When to be used in fruit salads,
add half a cup of thick cream just before serving. But eggs and milk
curdle if boiled.
FRENCH DRESSING
Easily made is the French dressing, and often prepared at the table. To
one-quarter teaspoonful of finely minced onion, add one-half teaspoonful
salt, a little black pepper, a few grains of Cayenne and six
teaspoonfuls olive oil. Stir well, add two teaspoonfuls vinegar, and mix
thoroughly.
FRESH VEGETABLE SALAD
To make the best of the few vegetables we have found on hand, wash the
lettuce carefully (looking out for the tiny green bugs found on some
kinds,) and arrange on a plate. Peel and slice the two tomatoes, and lay
lightly on the lettuce, with a few bits of celery, several radishes or
some thin slices of cucumber if available, and cover with salad
dressing.
[Illustration: HEART SALAD]
For the heart salad illustrated, cut cold boiled beets into heart-shaped
sections, and serve on lettuce hearts, with French dressing.
COOKED VEGETABLE SALAD
Small quantities of cooked vegetables, such as beets, string beans,
asparagus, peas and boiled potatoes, make a nice salad cut into small
pieces, laid on lettuce leaves and covered with French dressing. But
they must be thoroughly chilled.
CABBAGE SALAD
Cabbage salad is possible at all seasons of the year, and should be one
of the first that the child should learn to make. Insist on getting
small, perfect heads, and have the leaves removed one at a time,
examined closely and washed as carefully as lettuce, for fear of worms.
After chopping finely, the desired quantity is to be seasoned with salt
and pepper and served on the small, tender white leaves, with the
following dressing:
SOUR CREAM DRESSING
To half a cup of thick sour cream, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a
teaspoonful of sugar, a dash of black pepper, and two teaspoonsful of
strong vinegar.
FRESH FRUIT SALAD
Almost all kinds of fruit are used in salads. Bananas and oranges, alone
or together, are served on lettuce with the cream salad dressing, as
are also the skinned and seeded white grapes. Pineapple and grapefruit
are delicious with head lettuce, served with the French dressing
containing but a few drops of the onion juice. Then again, all may be
combined, served with either dressing preferred, and improved by the
addition of a few nuts.
WALDORF SALAD
For four people have the little cook take four pretty red apples, cut a
slice off the top, and after removing the core, carefully cut out with a
teaspoon the inside of each without breaking the skin. Taking half the
scooped-out apple, she must add an equal amount of celery (cut in small
pieces) and chopped English walnuts, one teaspoonful salt and boiled
dressing enough to cover. After tossing up lightly with a fork pack in
the apple shells, and when possible serve in nests made of lettuce cut
in strings.
GREEN PEPPER SALAD
Take sweet green peppers, cut a slice from the top, remove seeds, and
fill with either the mixed vegetables or diced cucumbers, covered with
French dressing. Serve on lettuce.