A DINNER FOR THE BRIDAL PARTY
THE bridal dinner, given for the wedding party by Alice's parents, was
truly an elaborate affair. As the young people, who knew each other so
well, and had spent so many merry hours together, glanced across the
softly lighted table, a little feeling of shyness and constraint came
over them because of the formality of the occasion. Even Alice, usually
the ringleader in all their fun, was a little silent.
"Shucks!" thought boyish Fred. "None of this in mine! I'd elope first!
Wonder if Harry likes it! (Bet he doesn't.)"
Ruth was thinking, "Oh, how lovely! How perfectly lovely! I believe
after all--as a time to remember through all the years----" But Fred
could not read her thoughts, and saw only the particularly happy smile
that she gave him.
"How do you like the nut cups?" Alice asked. "Bettina made these yellow
'mum' nut cups as a Christmas gift to me, and gave them to me now for
this dinner! See, they just match the real chrysanthemums! I'm sure I
don't know which I like best!"
The girls exclaimed so heartily over the nut cups that Bettina declared
to herself that she would make sets for each of them, of different
colors and kinds. These of Alice's were really charming. Their wire
handles were wound with green maline and tied with a green bow. They
were filled with pecans, and pink and yellow bon-bons, which were grapes
covered with colored creams.
The place cards were tied with narrow green ribbon to little china
slippers, cupids, doves and hearts. Besides the yellow chrysanthemums,
which were the table decorations, there was for each of the girls a
corsage bouquet of pink roses, and for each of the men a boutonniere of
pink rosebuds in a tinfoil case. Flower pins were tucked in the maline
bows of the bouquets as favors for the girls, while scarf pins were
favors for the men.
When the dinner was over, and the guests were passing into the living
room for dancing and music, Alice slipped her arm through Bettina's.
"The dinner was lovely; wasn't it?" she said. "I did think I was too
tired to enjoy it, but my heart is as light as a feather now! I am going
to dance all evening till my last guest goes!"
The menu was as follows:
Grapefruit Cocktail
Cream of Asparagus Soup Croutons
Sautéd Halibut Potato Rosettes
Cabbage Relish in Green Pepper Cases
Peas in Timbale Cases
Celery
Hot Rolls Currant Jelly
Vegetable Salad Cheese Wafers
Brick Ice Cream Individual Cakes
Coffee
Pecans Bon-Bons
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
RECIPES OF THE BRIDAL DINNER
=Grapefruit Cocktail= (Twelve portions)
6 grapefruit
12 T-powdered sugar
12 cherries
Cut the grapefruit in halves crosswise. Half a grapefruit is one
service. Remove all the seeds. Insert a sharp-pointed knife between the
outside skin or shell and the pulp, and cut out around the inside. Cut
the skin away from each section of the pulp. Insert the knife under the
core and cut free from the shell, lift out the core and membranes in one
piece, leaving the pulp. Sprinkle each grapefruit half with one
tablespoon of powdered sugar. Garnish with a maraschino cherry in the
center and a mint leaf on each side. Serve very cold on a paper doily
with some green rose leaves under the grapefruit.
=Cream of Asparagus Soup= (Twelve portions)
4 C-strained asparagus pulp
5 C-milk
7 T-butter
9 T-flour
2 t-salt
1/4 t-paprika
Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well, and
gradually add the milk and asparagus. Cook until slightly thick. (About
two minutes.) Serve hot.
=Croutons= (Twelve portions)
8 slices of bread
2 T-butter
Cut the bread into one-third inch cubes, add the butter melted, and
salt. Mix well and brown in a moderate oven, stirring occasionally to
permit the bread to brown evenly.