A COMPANY DINNER FOR BOB
"SOME dinner tonight," remarked Bob, as he sat down at the table. "Were
you expecting company that didn't show up?"
"No, indeed," laughed Bettina. "I expected just you and nobody else. But
maybe I did cook a little more than usual. You see I was over at Alice's
this afternoon inspecting her list of next week's menus. You know she is
trying to economize, and she is really doing it, but in spite of
economy, Harry is having elaborate meals. I do hope he appreciates it.
Nearly all of her dinners are three-course affairs, most carefully
planned to look like 'the real thing' as she calls an expensive dinner.
I tell her that hers are the real thing, only almost too elaborate. You
see, she is trying to disguise her economy so that Harry won't miss the
first meals she gave him. She makes me almost afraid that I'm not
feeding you enough."
"No danger of that," said Bob, emphatically. "But what are all these
economical things she is serving?"
"Wait, I wrote some of them down. Listen. Here is one:
Peanut Croquettes Olive Sauce
Duchess Potatoes Creamed Beets
Parker House Rolls
Orange Marmalade
Pea and Cheese Salad Wafers
Apricot Ice Sponge Cake
"How's that? And here's another:
Creamed Tuna
Stuffed Potatoes Mock Egg Plant
Whole Wheat Muffins Grape Jelly
Russian Salad
Fairy Gingerbread Hard Sauce
"Well," said Bob, "they sound good, but not so good as the dinners you
give me."
That evening Bettina served:
Escalloped Salmon Baked Potatoes
Creamed Cabbage
Egg Rolls Currant Jelly
Chocolate Kisses
Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Escalloped Salmon= (Two portions)
2/3 C-flaked salmon
1 T-butter
1 T-flour
2/3 C-milk
1/2 t-salt
1/4 t-paprika
1 hard-cooked egg
1 t-lemon juice
3 T-chopped sour pickle
1/2 t-minced parsley
4 T-cracker crumbs
1 T-butter
Melt the butter, add the flour and mix well. Add the milk and cook one
minute. Add the salmon, salt, paprika, egg diced, lemon juice, pickle
and parsley. Mix thoroughly with a silver fork, being careful not to let
the mixture get pasty. Pour into a well-buttered baking dish, melt the
butter and add the crumbs. Place buttered crumbs on the top. Bake
twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven.
=Egg Rolls= (Two portions)
1-1/2 C-flour
2 t-baking powder
1/4 t-salt
2 T-lard
1 T-egg
1/2 C-milk
=For the Top=
1 T-milk
1 t-sugar
Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the fat with a
knife. Add the egg and milk, using the knife to make a soft dough. Toss
onto a floured board. Roll out to a thickness of one-fourth an inch.
Cut out with a round cooky cutter, three inches in diameter. Brush over
with milk. Fold over like pocket-book rolls. Place in a tin pan and
brush over the top with one tablespoon of milk to which has been added
one teaspoon of sugar. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes.
=Chocolate Kisses= (Fourteen kisses)
1 C-powdered sugar
2 egg-whites
1 C-fine bread crumbs
2 ounces melted chocolate
1 t-cinnamon
1 t-vanilla
1 t-baking powder
Beat the egg-whites very stiffly. Add very carefully the powdered sugar.
Cut and fold in the bread crumbs and the baking powder. Add the
chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. Drop the mixture from the tip of a
spoon, two inches apart upon a well-greased pan. Bake in a moderate oven
twelve to fifteen minutes.