MRS. DIXON AND BETTINA'S EXPERIMENT
"I'M so happy!" said Mrs. Dixon, as she stopped at Bettina's door one
cool morning. "But I'm nervous, too! What if Frank shouldn't like it?"
"Oh, but he will!" Bettina assured her. "He'll think he's the luckiest
man in town, and I almost believe that he is! He'll love that dear
little white house with the screened porch! Why, the very grass looks as
if it longed to spell 'Welcome' like some of the door mats I've seen!
And think of the flower boxes! You were very fortunate to rent it for a
year, furnished so nicely, and probably when that time is up you'll be
ready to build or buy one of your own."
"You are a dear to cheer me up this way, but I'm nervous in spite of
you. Perhaps I should have consulted Frank before I promised to take the
house."
"But he has been urging you to keep house for so long! And I know he'll
be grateful to you for sparing him the worry of hunting one himself.
Besides, he'll like being surprised."
"Well, I'll go back to the hotel for luncheon with him, and then I'll
phone him later to meet me at the house. I won't tell him a thing; I'll
just give him the address. I'll say it's very, very important. That will
surprise him and perhaps will frighten him a little. He never does leave
his office during business hours, but it will take only a few minutes
for him to run out here in the car. Goodness, I'm forgetting what I came
for! Do you suppose I am too stupid to try to make those Spanish buns
Frank liked so much? We had them at the picnic, you know. I have three
hours after luncheon until he comes, and I just long to give him some
good coffee and some Spanish buns that I've made myself! That little
kitchen looks as if it would be so nice to work in! I tried coffee a
little while ago over at the house, and really--it was fine! It looked
just like yours! I was so surprised! To think of my doing such things!"
"Of course you could make Spanish buns; it would be fine if you would.
I'll tell you,--why not let me come over for an hour right after
luncheon and superintend? Then I'll slip home so that you can be alone
when Frank comes. I could tell you some other things about cooking while
we're there together,--things you may write down in your new notebook.
For example, I've often wondered that so few housekeepers can make good
white sauce."
"What in the world is that?"
"It's used in cream soups, and it's the cream part of creamed vegetables
and meat and fish, and then there is a thicker white sauce that is used
to bind croquettes--that is, hold the ingredients together. There are
really four kinds of white sauces and they are very simple to make. I
think everyone should know the right way to make them, for they are
useful in preparing so many good things."
"I'm glad we'll be near you because I can ask you so many questions."
"And I'm glad that it is summer, because you can have so many things
that require little or no cooking, and by fall, I'm sure you will be an
accomplished housekeeper."
"Will you come over at two, then, or earlier if you can?"
"Of course I will!"
And as Mrs. Dixon hurried away Bettina felt a sympathetic thrill at the
happiness two other people were about to find.
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Spanish Buns= (Twelve Buns)
1/2 C-butter
1 C-sugar
1 egg-yolk
1/2 C-milk
1-3/4 C-flour
3 t-baking powder
1 t-cinnamon
1/4 t-powdered cloves
1 egg-white beaten stiffly
1 t-vanilla
1/2 C-currants
Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg yolk. Mix and sift the flour,
baking powder, cinnamon and cloves; add these and the milk to the first
mixture. Beat one minute. Add the vanilla and the stiffly beaten egg
white. Bake in well buttered muffin pans twenty minutes in a moderate
oven. Ice with confectioner's icing.
=Confectioner's Icing= (Twelve portions)
3 T-cream
1 t-vanilla
1 C-powdered sugar
Mix the cream and vanilla, add sugar slowly until the consistency to
spread (more sugar may be needed). This is a most satisfactory frosting
and is easily and quickly made. It is suitable for hot weather.
=White Sauces= (Four portions)
=1--Soup=
1 T-flour
1 T-butter
1 C-liquid
1/4 t-salt
This is the consistency for creamed soups.
=2--Vegetable Sauce=
2 T-butter
2 T-flour
1 C-milk
1/4 t-salt
This white sauce is used for creamed vegetables, creamed fish, etc. This
amount is required for two cups of vegetables.
=3--Pattie Sauce=
3 T-butter
3 T-flour
1 C-milk
1/3 t-salt
This sauce is used for oyster or other patties.
=4--Croquette Sauce=
3 T-butter
4 T-flour
1 C-milk
1/3 t-salt
This is called a binding white sauce and is used to hold other
ingredients together.
=Method of Preparing White Sauces=
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour and salt, stirring
constantly. When well mixed add the liquid, a little at a time. Bring to
a boil, stirring constantly. This is far better than mixing the flour
with a little of the liquid when cold, as so many people do when
creaming potatoes or other things. If the white sauce seems too thick
for the purpose, thin with a little more liquid before removing from the
fire.