THE BIRTHDAY PICNIC
Just as Mother Blair declared that she had "_such_ a bright idea!" a
caller came in, and it was dinner-time before Mildred had a chance to
ask her what it was. And then her mother put her finger on her lip and
shook her head; so Mildred knew, of course, that it was a secret, and
waited till later on to hear what it was.
"Now I will tell you all about it," Mother Blair said, after she had
read Brownie a fairy story and tucked her up for the night. "Jack, you
can hear, too, and Father, if he wants to." So they all drew up around
the fire to listen.
"You remember how much Brownie loved the picnics we had last summer,"
she began. "She used to say that she would rather eat plain bread and
butter out of doors than ice-cream in the dining-room; and whenever we
took our supper and went off for the afternoon, she was so happy!"
"So she was," said Father Blair. "Brownie is her father's own daughter;
I love picnics too."
"But, Mother, we can't have a picnic at this time of year!" exclaimed
Mildred. "Just listen to the rain and snow coming down together this
minute; and the slush on the sidewalk is so deep you have to wade to
school."
"But this is just where my bright idea comes in! You see, next week will
be Brownie's birthday, and every year since she was two, she has had
some sort of a party; now this year, for a real change, I think it would
be fun to have a picnic for her, a lovely in-door picnic, for ten boys
and girls; and we'll have it up in the attic!"
"Isn't that just like Mother!" Jack exclaimed, laughing. "Who else in
the world would ever have thought of such a thing!"
"But think what fun it will be!" Mother Blair went on, her cheeks
growing pink as she explained all about it. "The attic is nice and
large, and empty except for the trunks and old furniture which are
tucked away around the eaves. The children will all come in their
every-day clothes, and wear their coats and hats, so they won't take
cold up there. And we can spread down in the middle of the open space
the two old green parlor carpets, for grass; they are all worn out, but
nobody will notice that. And then, Jack, you can carry up the two palms
and the rubber plant, and put them on the edge of the 'grass,' and
Farmer Brown can bring us in some little cedar-and spruce-trees from the
woods the next time he drives to town, and we will plant them in sand in
big earthen flower-pots, and stand those around, too. Can't you see how
lovely it will be? Just like a little grassy grove!"
Everybody laughed, but everybody thought it was going to be great fun to
make a picnic-place in the attic.
"And we will tie a hammock to the rafters," said Father Blair; "and
there is the old ping-pong set to play with, and the ring-toss; and the
boys can play ball, if they choose; there's nothing they can hurt."
And so it was all arranged; and Brownie was told she was going to have a
beautiful surprise for her birthday, and she must not ask a single
question about it. Mother Blair asked ten boys and girls to come at
twelve on Saturday and spend the rest of the day, and, after the notes
were sent, she and Mildred began to plan the luncheon.
"Of course all the things must be packed in baskets," said Mildred,
"exactly like a regular picnic."
"Of course!" said her mother. "And in one basket we will put a lunch
cloth to lay on the 'grass,' and wooden plates, and paper napkins, and
glasses, and forks. And they can spread the cloth and arrange everything
themselves."
"And what will they have to eat? They are sure to be dreadfully hungry."
"Well, there must be one substantial dish to begin with. We might have
cold sliced ham, of course, but I think perhaps they would like
something else better. Suppose we have veal loaf?"
"Just the very thing," said Mildred. "May I make it?"
"Of course you may, and everything else as well, if you want to. If you
will get your book, you can write down the receipts this minute. Here is
the first:"
VEAL LOAF
2 pounds of veal, chopped fine.
1/4 pound of salt pork, chopped with it.
1/2 cup of bread crumbs, soaked in milk.
1 egg.
1 teaspoonful of chopped onion.
1/2 teaspoonful each of pepper and paprika.
1 level teaspoonful of salt.
Have the meats chopped together at the market; put the crumbs in a
bowl and cover them with milk, and let them stand for fifteen
minutes; then squeeze them dry and add to the meat. Beat the egg
without separating it, and mix that in next, and then the
seasoning. Stir all together, and put in a bread tin and bake one
hour. Have on the stove a cup half full of hot water mixed with
two tablespoonfuls of butter, and every fifteen minutes open the
oven door and pour a quarter of this over the meat. When done, put
in a cold place over night. Slice thin, and put parsley around it.
"You see, this is very easy to make, and it is always good for luncheon
for ourselves, and for Sunday night supper as well. You can make it
Friday afternoon, and then, by the time for the picnic, it will be ready
to slice."
"And what are they to eat with it?"
"I think it would be nice to have some sandwiches--hot ones."
"Hot sandwiches, Mother Blair! I never heard of them. How do you make
them?"
"I invented them myself," laughed her mother. "I really did, this very
morning, when I was thinking about the picnic. Here is the rule."
TOASTED SARDINE SANDWICHES
1 tin sardines.
8 slices of toast.
1/2 a lemon.
Large pinch of salt, and as much dry mustard.
Open a can of sardines, drain off the oil, and spread them on
brown paper. Scrape off the skin carefully, and open each one on
the side and take out the back bone. Sprinkle over them all the
salt and mustard, and squeeze the lemon on. Then make the toast,
large brown slices, and butter them a little; lay two together,
trim off the crust, and cut them in strips. Open the strips, and
between each two put one sardine and press together. Put them in
the oven between two hot plates till needed.
"Oh, those do sound _so_ good! Can't I make some for lunch to-day,
Mother?" Mildred begged.
"But they belong to the surprise! Let's wait till after the picnic, and
then you may make lots of them."
"Well!" sighed Mildred, "then let me have another receipt right away, so
I'll forget them. I do want to make them so much."
"Here is another receipt you will like just as well; part of it is for
the picnic, and part of it is for a little bit of a party for you and
Miss Betty and me, while the picnic is going on upstairs."
"A party for us? What kind of a party?"
"Lovely grown-up afternoon tea!" laughed her mother. "You can invite
Miss Betty yourself won't that be nice?"
"_Perfectly_ lovely! Do tell faster!"
"Well, first you make for the picnic some sweet sandwiches like those we
planned for the school lunches; these are simply, to begin with:"
ORANGE MARMALADE SANDWICHES
Spread thin white bread and butter with orange marmalade; trim off
the crusts and cut into even shapes; a round cooky cutter makes
pretty sandwiches.
"I've made those for Jack, lots of times," said Mildred, as she wrote
this down, "only I didn't cut them in round shapes, because boys don't
care about that."
"No," said her mother, smiling, "boys don't, but girls do! So make part
of these in rounds, and put them away, and send the square ones
upstairs. And when it's time for our party, just toast ours quickly, and
you will find them the most delicious things you ever ate, especially
with tea; that's what we three will have."
"Those will be Miss Betty's surprise!" laughed Mildred, as she wrote
down the word _toasted_ after the title of the sandwiches. "Now what
next?"
"Suppose you try some very easy cookies; those are just the thing for a
picnic; you can make them Saturday morning, and then they will be fresh.
Here is the rule:"
SPICY COOKIES
Sprinkle the baking board with flour and rub it smoothly over; do
the same to the rolling-pin, and scatter a little flour evenly
also over the bottom of some shallow tins. Have a panful of sifted
flour ready on the table, as you may need to do this several
times.
3/4 cup of sugar.
3 tablespoonfuls of butter.
6 tablespoonfuls of milk.
1 egg.
1-1/2 cups of flour.
1/4 teaspoonful of soda.
1/4 teaspoonful of salt.
1 tablespoonful of hot water.
1/4 teaspoonful of cloves.
1/4 teaspoonful of cinnamon.
Melt the butter, add the sugar, and rub together. Beat the egg
without separating, and put in next. Mix the soda and hot water,
put the milk with this; put the salt in the flour; add part of the
flour to the sugar and other things, and then part of the milk,
and so on; then put in the spices and stir all together. Put the
dough on the board, roll it out thin, and with a cutter mark it
all over; then lift out the pieces with a cake turner, very
carefully, and arrange them in your pans, but do not let them
touch. Bake fifteen minutes; take them out of the pans while warm,
and spread out on a platter to cool.
"Dear me, that sounds pretty hard!" said Mildred, as she finished.
"Cookies are not quite as easy to make as some other things, but they
are so good, so nice for luncheon and suppers and other times, that I
think you will be glad to know how to make them. And Father is so fond
of cookies!"
"So he is. Well, Mother, I'll try them. And now what comes next?"
"Some cunning, easy little cakes, so easy that next time Brownie can
make them herself. They are called:"
MARGUERITES
20 round, thin crackers.
20 marshmallows.
2 tablespoonfuls of chopped nuts.
2 teaspoonfuls of butter.
Butter the crackers on one side, just a little; put a marshmallow
on each, a tiny bit of butter on it, and a sprinkle of chopped
nuts of any kind. Put them in a shallow pan, and bake till they
are soft and brown; eat while fresh and warm.
"Oh, lovely! Mother, I must have some of the girls in and have those for
myself!"
"So you shall, any day you want to. Now don't you think that is almost
enough for the picnic?"
"I think we ought to have something to finish off with--to eat with the
cookies and marguerites; don't you think so?"
"Yes, I do; something in the way of fruit. Suppose we give them
this--it is much nicer than plain oranges or bananas; write it down,
dear."
ORANGE BASKETS
6 large oranges.
2 bananas.
2 tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar.
Cut the oranges in halves; take out the pulp with a spoon, and put
it in a bowl. Scrape out the inside, leaving nice, clean shells,
and then scallop or point the edges with the scissors. Peel the
bananas, cut them in long, narrow strips, and these into small
bits, and mix lightly with the orange, and add the sugar; heap in
the baskets and set away to grow cold.
[Illustration: Making "Orange Baskets"]
"If we happened to have any pineapple or white grapes in the house, I
should put some of those in too; but these will be delicious just as
they are. Now anything more?"
"Something to drink with the lunch. I think pink lemonade would be
nice."
"Perfectly lovely!" laughed Mother Blair. "We will get a can of
raspberries out of the fruit closet, and make something for them that
will be ever so good. This is the rule:"
PICNIC LEMONADE
8 lemons.
12 glasses of water.
3 cups of sugar.
1 cup of raspberry juice.
Roll the lemons till they are soft; cut them and squeeze the juice
out. Put the sugar in a little pan with a glass of water, and boil
it two minutes; add this to the lemon and raspberry juice, and
strain it; add the rest of the water; serve with broken ice in a
glass pitcher.
"Be sure and boil the sugar and water together, Mildred, whenever you
make any kind of drink like lemonade; it is so much better than if you
put in plain sugar. When it is all done, if it is not quite sweet
enough, you can add a little powdered sugar without hurting it."
"Mother, we forgot the surprise! You remember, 'every luncheon must have
a surprise,' you said; see, here it is in the book."
"Dear me, so I did! What shall it be, Mildred? I can't seem to think of
another thing for that picnic."
"Neither can I."
"Stuffed dates!" exclaimed Mother Blair, presently. "I knew there must
be something, and those will be exactly right."
STUFFED DATES
Wash the dates and wipe them dry. Open one side and take out the
stone; in its place press in half a pecan or other nut; close the
edges, and roll each date in powdered sugar.
"I do hope there will be some of those over for us," said Mildred, as
she put her book away. "Those children are going to have a _wonderful_
lunch!"
Brownie could not imagine what her birthday surprise was to be. She
could not help guessing, but she never once was "warm." When Saturday
came, and the boys and girls arrived in their every-day clothes and even
kept on their wraps in the parlor, she did not know what to think; and
there was actually no lunch for them in the dining-room! She began to
look very sober.
But when everybody had come, Mother Blair said: "Won't you go upstairs?"
and Mildred and Jack ushered them up to the attic.
It was such a lovely surprise! The big green carpets were spread down on
the bare floor, and all around were set little green trees in pots. The
canary was hung up out of sight, and he was singing as hard as he could.
It was not a bit too cold, for the door had been kept open all day and
the sun was shining in at the window.
And just then appeared Mother Blair, and Norah, and Jack, and Mildred,
all carrying baskets, which they put down on the floor. Then the picnic
began!
There was first the cloth to spread down on the grass, and paper plates
and napkins to be passed around. The veal loaf was found, a platter of
it tied up in a large napkin, and hot sandwiches between hot plates,
tied up in another napkin, and marmalade sandwiches folded in paraffin
paper by themselves. Last of all were the orange baskets, each one
twisted up in a paper napkin with a funny little frill on top made of
the ends of the napkin; and the dates were in little square paper boxes,
one box for each child.
[Illustration: Jack and the lemonade]
As they began to eat, Jack came up with a big, big pitcher of beautiful
pink lemonade, and little glasses to drink it out of. Oh, such a picnic
as it was! Such a perfectly lovely picnic! Out-of-door picnics were
nothing to it And when they had eaten up every crumb and drank up every
drop, they played games until the attic grew dark; and then they all
went home, and the birthday was over.