AND WHERE WAS THE DINNER?
"HELLO!" called Bob at the door one evening.
No answer.
"Hello, Bettina!" he called again. Again the dark house gave forth no
reply.
Feeling, it must be admitted, a little out of harmony with a world that
allowed weary and hungry husbands to come home to dark and empty houses
when the clock said plainly that it was a quarter after six, Bob made
his way to the kitchen. Perhaps Bettina had left his dinner there for
him; perhaps she had been called away, or perhaps, even, she had rushed
out on some errand after dinner preparations were begun. The kitchen,
however, was so immaculate as to seem distinctly forbidding to a hungry
man whose appetite was growing keener every minute. And he had been
thinking all the way home that a hot dinner would taste so good!
At that moment a clamor of voices at the door aroused him.
"You poor old Bob!" cried Bettina, kissing him twice before Fred and
Ruth without the least embarrassment. "Have you waited long?"
"It seemed hours," admitted Bob.
"Ruth and I have been to a tea for Alice. Fred came for her there, and I
persuaded them to come home to dinner with me. I'll give you each
something to do while I stir up a little cottage pudding. Then dinner
will be ready in half an hour."
"Half an hour?" cried Bob. "But, Bettina, where is the dinner? I didn't
see any!"
"In the fireless cooker, you crazy boy! Are you 'most starved?"
"Well," said Bob, "that cooker was the neatest, stiffest-looking thing
in the kitchen! I didn't dream that it was busily cooking a dinner. Say,
I'll be glad to see a hot meal again!"
The dinner consisted of:
Round Steak with Vegetables
Dutch Cheese
Bread Plum Butter
Cottage Pudding Vanilla Sauce
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Round Steak with Vegetables= (Six portions)
2 lbs. round steak
6 potatoes
6 carrots
6 onions
2 T-flour
2 T-lard
2 t-salt
1/4 t-paprika
1/4 C-water
Pound the flour into the round steak with the edge of a small plate.
This breaks the fibers of the meat, making it more tender. Wash and peel
the potatoes, slicing in half lengthwise. Scrape the carrots, and cut
into one-half inch slices lengthwise. Wash the onions and remove their
outside skins. Sprinkle the vegetables with one and a half level
teaspoons of salt, and the paprika. Add the water, and place in the
bottom of the large fireless cooker utensil. Place the lard in a frying
pan, and when hot, add the meat. Brown thoroughly on each side. Salt the
meat with one-half level teaspoon of salt, and place in the kettle on
top of the vegetables. Place the heated disks of the fireless cooker
over and under the utensil, and cook at least one hour in the cooker.
=Cottage Pudding= (Six portions)
1-1/2 C-flour
3 t-baking powder
1/4 t-salt
1/2 C-sugar
1 egg
1/2 C-milk
1/2 t-vanilla
3 T-melted butter
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the egg, milk and
vanilla, and beat one minute. Add the melted butter, and pour into a
well buttered tin pan. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve
warm with vanilla sauce.
=Vanilla Sauce= (Six portions)
2/3 C-sugar
3 T-flour
1 t-vanilla
1/2 t-lemon extract
1/4 t-salt
1-1/2 C-water
1 t-butter
Mix the sugar, flour and salt thoroughly. Add the water slowly. Boil two
minutes. Add the vanilla, lemon extract, and butter. Beat one minute and
serve. If too thick, more water may be added.