ALICE GIVES A LUNCHEON
"THESE are the first baking powder biscuits I have ever made for
company," said Alice, "but I knew that I must begin some time. Mother
has gone out to spend the day; I persuaded her that my efforts to serve
a luncheon would upset her nervous system completely. Just think, girls!
You are at my mercy--for I have prepared this humble repast with my own
useless hands!"
"Shame on you, Alice! Don't pretend to be so humble. You do everything
so easily that I'll not be surprised to see you papering your own house
and acting as your own plumber and doing every other hard thing. A
useless butterfly like you who turns out to be so competent after all is
the despair of all us plodders who have always plodded and always will!"
And Ruth sighed.
"Never mind, Ruthie," said Bettina. "I've eaten a mighty fine luncheon
that you cooked yourself--four or five courses, if I haven't forgotten!"
"Yes, and I worried every minute during that day!"
"We all do at first, except maybe Alice!"
"Why worry?" said Alice. "(Seems to me I've heard that expression
before.) You girls won't die if the biscuits do fail--I'll give you
bread. Harry and I are going to laugh at our own mistakes--and enjoy
them. Isn't that a good philosophy? But, girls, to get down to biscuits.
I want to ask you--one and all--collectively and individually, to be in
my wedding party. With the addition of Sister, who isn't here. She and
Bettina will be the matrons of honor. Will you?"
"Will we!" they all cried with enthusiasm.
The luncheon menu was as follows:
Salmon Salad
Green Beans Butter Sauce
Baking-powder Biscuits
Watermelon Pickles
Cream Puffs Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Salmon Salad= (Six portions)
1 C-salmon
1 C-diced celery
1/4 C-sweet pickles, cut fine
1 t-salt
3 hard-cooked eggs, cut fine
1 C-salad dressing
Break the salmon apart carefully with a silver fork, add the diced
celery, sweet pickles, salt and hard-cooked eggs. Mix together well, and
add the salad dressing. Arrange on lettuce leaves in a salad bowl,
garnish with hard-cooked eggs to represent daisies, and pickles cut in
strips. Serve very cold. (To represent daisies, cut the whites of each
hard-cooked egg in six long petals. Arrange these on the salad. Cut the
yolks in half, and place in the center--round side out. Arrange the
pickle to represent stem and leaves.)
=Green Beans, Butter Sauce= (Six portions)
2 C-green beans (canned)
1 T-water
1 t-salt
1/4 t-paprika
3 T-butter
Remove beans from the can and rinse with cold water. Add water, salt,
paprika and butter. Cook over a moderate fire for three minutes. Serve.
=Cream Puffs= (Twelve Puffs)
1 C-boiling water
1/2 C-butter
1/4 t-salt
1 C-flour
3 eggs
Place the water and butter in a sauce pan. Heat to the boiling point,
then add the flour, all at once, and stir till smooth. Cook till the
paste comes away from the sides of the pan. (A very short time.) Remove
from fire, and when cold, add the unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating
thoroughly after each egg is added. (The mixture should be stiff enough
to hold its shape without spreading.) Chill the paste by placing in the
ice-box and then drop by tablespoonsful on a buttered sheet. Bake
thirty-five minutes in a hot oven. When cold, make an opening in the
side of each and fill with cream filling.
=Cream Filling= (Twelve portions)
1 C-milk
1/2 C-sugar
1/4 t-salt
4 T-cornstarch
1 T-flour
1 egg
1 t-butter
1/2 t-vanilla
Mix the sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour. Gradually add the milk and
egg. Cook until very thick, in a double boiler. Add the butter and
vanilla. Beat one minute. Cool before using.