STRAWBERRY TIME
Early in the morning of the next Saturday came a note from Miss Betty,
which said:
Dear Mildred and Dear Brownie:
Just to think that I forgot to tell you I wanted you both to help
me cook the luncheon for our party! Do come over at about eleven,
and bring your aprons. And please tell Jack that if he wants to
come and help too, I'll find him something perfectly proper for a
boy to do.
YOUR LOVING BETTY.
"Oh, goody!" exclaimed Brownie, as she read the note over Mildred's
shoulder. "The very best fun of parties is getting ready for them, and I
know Miss Betty will have something nice for us to do."
"What do you suppose Miss Betty wants _me_ to do?" asked Jack,
curiously. "I just believe it's a joke, and she really means to get me
to make cake, or some other kind of girl's cooking. I don't believe I'll
go till lunch-time."
"Oh, it's an invitation!" said Brownie, much shocked. "You _have_ to go!
And it's Miss Betty, too!"
Jack laughed. "Well, all right," he said. "Miss Betty is such fun that
perhaps I won't mind."
"Take your clean apron, Jack," said Mildred, teasingly.
"Pshaw!" sniffed Jack, with a lordly air.
Miss Betty's house was just across the lawn; when they reached it, she
met them at the door and told the girls to go right in and get their
aprons on. "Now, Jack," she said, dimpling, "I'm afraid I've brought you
over under false pretenses, for I really don't want you to cook at all.
I only hope you won't be too disappointed! But the weeding man who takes
care of the garden has not come to-day, and I want some strawberries.
Would you mind picking some for me?"
Jack's sober face lighted. "Why, I'd love to do it! That's what I call a
man's work, Miss Betty. How many do you want?"
"Well, I want two kinds; first about a quart of ordinary ones, and the
rest the very biggest in the garden; here are two baskets for them, and
you may pick in one as you go along, and in the other lay the big
berries on the freshest, prettiest strawberry leaves you can find. I
want eight berries apiece for us--let me see--eight times four--" but
Jack was off before she finished.
"Now, girls," Miss Betty said, as she tied on her own apron, "we will go
right out to the kitchen and begin. But first, Brownie, can you lay the
table for us?"
"Cer-tain-ly I can," said Brownie, proudly. "You can just tell me what
you are going to have to eat, and show me where you keep things, and I
can do it all alone."
So Miss Betty gave her a pretty square lunch-cloth to put cornerwise on
the round table, and showed her where she kept the napkins and silver
and china. "We are going to have creamed chicken, and iced cocoa, and
salad, and strawberry shortcakes," she said.
"Hot plates for the chicken," murmured Brownie, counting out four, "and
cold plates for salad; tall glasses for cocoa; hot or cold plates for
shortcake, Miss Betty?"
"Just warm, I think. I'll help you carry all these out to the kitchen so
they will be ready when we want them. And are you sure you do not want
me to help you put on the silver?"
But Brownie shook her head, and went on talking to herself as she
arranged the forks:
"Never use knives except to cut up meat with; so forks for creamed
chicken, and forks for salad, both on the right, because everybody is
right-handed; and the chicken fork farthest away, because that comes
first, and the salad fork next the plate, because that comes after.
Shall I put on a fork or a spoon for the shortcake?"
"We shall need both, but I think we will lay those right on the plates
when we put them on the table. Here are the finger-bowls; we will put
them on these small, pretty plates with a little doily under each bowl;
and to-day we will stand them at the top of the place, not directly in
front."
"Mother always puts the fruit plate and finger-bowl right down in the
middle of the front," said Brownie, doubtfully; "not at the top."
"That is the way when you are going to eat an orange or peach on the
plate; but you will see by and by why it is different to-day. Now I know
Mildred wants me in the kitchen, so I'll leave you to finish the table
all by yourself."
As soon as Miss Betty appeared, Mildred asked, "Now what first?" and
pushed up her sleeves.
"First we must start the salad. I really ought to have done that long
ago, but I waited for you. It is much better when it stands."
She brought in three large tomatoes and washed them and cut out the
stems. Then she put them into a saucepan and poured boiling water over
them, and, after they had watched a moment, they saw the skin all around
the edge of the stem-hole begin to curl up; then they poured off the
water, and Miss Betty put a fork into one and with a small sharp knife
quickly pulled off all the skin; then she gave the fork to Mildred, and
let her finish the others and put them away on the ice while she washed
the lettuce and rolled it up in a towel and put that on ice, too, to
make it get crisp. Then she read her this rule:
PLAIN TOMATO SALAD
Scald and peel the tomatoes, and put them on ice for an hour. Wash
the lettuce after separating, roll in a towel, and put on ice
also. When it is time to use the salad, slice the tomatoes and
arrange with the lettuce on plates or in a bowl. Make the usual
French dressing, and put it in a cream bottle; just before using,
shake this very hard and pour over at once.
"You know how to make French dressing, don't you, Mildred?"
"Oh, yes, indeed! I learned that long ago, when I was putting up
luncheons for Jack. But I never put it in a bottle--I just mixed it in a
bowl."
"My dear, I've only just learned to put it in a bottle! You will be
surprised to find how much better it is for a hard shaking, such as you
cannot give it in a bowl. It is thick, and so well mixed that it is
twice as good. I found that out myself the other day.
"And here is a special receipt for you, Brownie," continued Miss Betty,
as Brownie came into the kitchen; "such a cunning little one!"
YELLOW TOMATO SALAD (BROWNIE'S)
Scald and peel little yellow tomatoes; chill, and lay on lettuce
leaves; add French dressing just before serving, or mix the yellow
tomatoes with little bits of red ones.
"Oh, that must be lovely!" said Brownie. "I'm going to copy that in my
book, and put my name after it, as my very own salad!"
"Now what next?" asked Mildred, as she set away the French dressing in
the cream bottle.
"Delicious little strawberry shortcakes; do you remember your rule for
biscuits?"
"Indeed I do! I've made those so often I never even look in my
cook-book."
"Well, then, you may make a panful of those; only remember to roll the
dough out very thin--not thicker than half an inch; and do not let the
biscuits touch each other in the pan. Now, Brownie, here is a platter of
cold roast chicken, left from dinner last night, for you to pick off the
bones and cut up in little, even pieces about the size of the end of
your thumb. Use the white meat first, because that looks best creamed,
and if there is not enough, then use some of the dark. Here is the
rule:"
CREAMED CHICKEN
1 large cup of thick white sauce.
2 cups of cold chicken in small pieces.
1/2 teaspoonful of salt.
1/2 teaspoonful of chopped parsley.
1 shake of pepper.
Make the usual white sauce, but use two tablespoonfuls of flour to
one of butter, so it will be thick (see your rule). When it is
done, add the seasoning and then the chicken; keep very hot, but
do not let it boil again.
"You can serve this on squares of buttered toast, or just as it is in
little dishes, or on one round platter."
Mildred's biscuits were all ready to go into the oven by this time,
and Miss Betty said they were lovely, but told her to put a bit of
butter on top of each one, so they would be brown. "Now copy off your
rule," she added.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
Make the usual rule for biscuits, but divide it, unless you wish a
good many. Butter the top of each biscuit; when baked, gently
separate them into two layers. Put a little butter on each half.
Crush some ripe strawberries and sweeten them; arrange the lower
halves of the biscuits on a dish, or put one on each plate; cover
with the berries, put on the tops, sift sugar over them, and add
two or three berries to each. Pass cream with them.
"If some day you want to make one large shortcake, Mildred, all you have
to do is to make one very large biscuit, and split it open just as you
have done these small ones."
"Shall we make the cocoa now?" Mildred asked, as she finished writing
her receipt.
[Illustration: "Here Comes Jack with the Berries, just in Time!"]
"My dear, that had to be very, very cold for luncheon, so Ellen made it
right after breakfast, and put it on ice; but it doesn't matter, because
you know how to make that. However, as we can't put any ice in it--that
makes it horrid and watery--you may put a piece of ice in each of these
tall glasses to chill them, and that will help make the cocoa cold; we
will take it out at the last moment and put the cocoa in. Here comes
Jack with the berries, just in time!"
Jack had two baskets of them, one of the biggest, loveliest ones, all
laid on pretty strawberry leaves. Those Miss Betty washed and dried and
put on the ice at once, with the leaves; the smaller ones she gave to
Brownie to hull after washing. Then she read this receipt aloud:
STRAWBERRIES FOR A FIRST COURSE
Wash, dry, and chill the berries, but do not hull them. Put a
little paper doily on a small, pretty plate and arrange the
berries on the leaves around the edge in a circle, the points
toward the center; in the middle put a little heap of sifted,
powdered sugar. To eat them, take them by the hulls and dip in the
sugar.
"There!" she said, as she and Mildred finished arranging them, "don't
they look pretty? I think for breakfast or luncheon they are delicious
this way. Now you see, Brownie, why the finger-bowls had to go at the
top of the plate; these small plates go right before you on the table,
and when Ellen takes them off, she can take off the others, too. Aren't
the biscuits done yet, Mildred?"
Mildred ran to look--she had forgotten all about them, but luckily they
were exactly right, a beautiful brown. So she took them out of the pan
and carefully opened them at the side, using a knife at first, and then
tearing them gently apart so they would not be heavy. When Brownie
finished the berries, Mildred crushed them a little and sweetened them,
but did not put them on the biscuits; Miss Betty said that must be done
only just before serving, or the crust would be soaked with the juice.
So she helped fill the glasses with water, and put on the bread and
butter and cocoa, while Miss Betty and Brownie arranged the salad on
plates and put the hot chicken in little dishes, each with a bit of
parsley on top. Then they all sat down and ate up the luncheon, and
nobody could say which was the best thing, the beautiful berries, or the
lovely hot chicken, or the ice-cold cocoa, or the salad, or the
shortcakes--it was all so good.
When they had finished, Mildred said there was only one fault to find
with the lunch--that they had strawberries only twice.
"That's exactly the way I feel!" nodded Miss Betty. "In strawberry time,
I want to have them in the place of meat and potatoes and bread, and
everything else, and at least at all three meals a day, and between
times, too! Now would you like some more strawberry receipts for your
cook-book?"
"Yes, indeed!" said Mildred, running to get a pencil. Then Miss Betty
gave her these:
STRAWBERRY CAKE
1 small cup of sugar.
1/2 cup of butter.
1 cup of cold water.
1 egg.
2 cups of flour.
3 rounded teaspoonfuls of baking-powder.
Put the baking-powder in the flour and mix well. Rub the butter
and sugar to a cream. Beat the egg without separating, and add
this; add a little water, then a little of the flour, and so on
till all is in. Bake in two shallow tins. When done, and just
before serving, put a layer of crushed, sweetened berries between
the two layers and cover the top with whipped cream dotted with
whole berries. Or cover with powdered sugar and whole berries and
pass plain cream.
"This rule makes perfectly delicious raspberry or peach shortcake, too.
Try it as soon as raspberries come, Mildred, for you will love it. Now
just one more rule, and this is especially for Brownie."
STRAWBERRY RUSSE
Get a dozen ladyfingers, split them in halves, and cut each one in
two. Arrange these around the edge of small glasses; fill the
centers with berries cut in halves and sweetened, and cover with
whipped cream; put one berry on top of each.
"Oh, Miss Betty give me one more, please!" begged Brownie. "I love
special ones, just for me."
"Very well; here is one of the cunningest ones you ever saw."
BOX SHORTCAKES
Get from the baker's some small, oblong sponge-cakes; with a sharp
knife mark all around the top edge, and then take out the middle
part, leaving small, empty boxes. Fill these heaping full of
sliced berries, or, if you can get them, small field berries, and
cover the tops with powdered sugar; pass a pitcher of cream.
"Of course you can make little cakes at home for these instead of buying
them at the baker's, but really, for this particular receipt, the bought
ones are better. Hark! Isn't that your mother calling?"
It was, so they called Jack, who was reading "Kim" in the library, and
all went home.