ANOTHER OVEN DINNER
BETTINA heard a step on the porch, and quickly laying aside her kitchen
apron, rushed to the door to meet Bob. Her rather hilarious greeting was
checked just in time, at sight of a tall figure behind him.
"Bettina, this is Mr. MacGregor, of MacGregor & Hopkins, you know. Mr.
MacGregor, my wife, Bettina. I've been trying to get you all afternoon
to tell you I was bringing a guest to dinner and to spend the night. The
storm seems to have affected the lines."
"Oh, it has! I've been alone all day! Haven't talked to a soul! Welcome,
Mr. MacGregor, I planned Bob's particular kind of a dinner tonight, and
it may not suit you at all, but I'm glad to see you, anyhow."
Mr. MacGregor murmured something dignified but indistinct, as Bob cried
out heartily, "Well, it smells good, anyhow, so I guess you can take a
chance; eh, MacGregor?"
Bettina had a hazy idea that Mr. MacGregor, of MacGregor & Hopkins, was
somebody very important with whom Bob's firm did business, and although
she knew also that Bob had know "Mac," as he called him, years before in
a way that was slightly more personal, her manner was rather restrained
as she ushered them into the dining-room a few minutes later. However,
the little meal was so appetizing, and the guest seemed so frankly
appreciative, that conversation soon flowed freely. Bob's frank comments
were sometimes embarrassing, for instance when he said such things as
this:
"Matrimony has taught me a lot, MacGregor! I've learned--well, now,
you'd never think that all this dinner was cooked in the oven, would
you? Well, it was: baked ham, baked potatoes, baked apples, and the
cakes--Bettina's cakes, I call 'em. You see, my wife thinks of things
like that--a good dinner and saving gas, too!"
"Oh, Bob!" said Bettina, with a scarlet face.
"You needn't be embarrassed, Bettina, it's so! I was just telling 'Mac'
as we came in, that two can live more cheaply than one provided the
other one is like you--always coaxing me to add to our bank account.
It's growing, too, and I never could save before I was married!"
The dinner consisted of:
Baked Ham Baked Potatoes
Head Lettuce Roquefort Cheese Dressing
Bread Butter
Baked Apples
Bettina's Cakes
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Bettina's Baked Ham= (Three portions)
(Bob calls it "great")
1 lb. slice of ham three-fourths of an inch thick
14 cloves
1/2 C-vinegar
1/2 C-water
2 T-sugar
2 t-mustard
Remove the rind from ham. Stick the cloves into both sides. Place in a
pan just the size of the meat. Pour the vinegar, water, sugar and
mustard (well mixed) over the ham. Baste frequently. Bake in moderate
oven until crisp and tender (about forty-five minutes).
=Head Lettuce with Roquefort Cheese Dressing= (Three portions)
1 head of lettuce
1/2 t-salt
3 T-oil
1/8 t-pepper
1/4 C-Roquefort cheese
1 T-vinegar
Cream the cheese, add salt, pepper and vinegar. Add the oil gradually.
Mix well, shake thoroughly. Pour over the lettuce and serve.
=Baked apples= (Four portions)
4 apples
6 T-brown sugar
4 T-granulated sugar
1 t-cinnamon
4 marshmallows
1 t-butter
Wash and core apples of uniform size. Mix the sugar and cinnamon
together. Fill the apples. Press a marshmallow in each apple also. Dot
the top with a piece of butter. Place the apples in a pan, add the
remaining sugar, cover the bottom with water, and bake until tender
(twenty-five to thirty minutes), basting often. Serve hot or cold.
=Bettina's Cakes= (Eight cakes)
1 C-flour
1/2 t-cinnamon
1/4 t-powdered cloves
1/3 C-sugar
2 T-melted butter
1/2 t-soda
1/4 t-baking powder
1/8 t-salt
1 egg
1/3 C-sour milk
Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Add the egg and the sour milk. Beat
two minutes. Add the melted butter; beat one minute. Fill well-buttered
muffin pans one-half full. Bake in a moderate oven twenty minutes.