HELPING WITH A COMPANY DINNER
"COOKING a company dinner is such fun!" sighed Mildred. "I like the
dinner part, but I always wish that the company would stay away at the
last minute."
"Oh, you'll like Mr. Jackson, Mildred. He's one of Uncle Bob's best
friends, and so nice and jolly!"
"The jolly men always like to tease, and the ones who aren't jolly are
always cross. I don't intend to get married myself. I'm going to live in
a nice little bungalow like this one and do my own cooking."
"Will you live all alone?" asked Bettina.
"I'll adopt some children--seven or eight, I think,--all girls. I don't
want any boys around."
"Your bungalow will have to be larger than this to accommodate them all
if you adopt seven or eight."
"I don't want a large one; that would spoil the fun. I'll let the
children take turns sleeping on the floor. Children always love to sleep
on the floor, and mothers never like to have them do it! I wonder why?
Now, will you let me brown the flour for the gravy?"
"Yes, dear. Put half a cup of white flour in that frying-pan over the
fire and keep stirring it constantly until it is a nice brown color,
about like powdered cinnamon."
"This way?"
"Yes, Mildred; a little darker than that, but keep stirring it so that
it won't burn. There, that's exactly right!"
That evening Bettina served:
Leg of Lamb with Browned Potatoes
Gravy
Egg and Lettuce Salad
Strawberry Shortcake Cream
Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Leg of Lamb and Browned Potatoes= (Four portions)
3 lb. leg of lamb
6 potatoes
1 T-salt
1/4 t-paprika
2 T-bacon fat
1/3 C-boiling water
Allow the lamb to stand in cold water for ten minutes. Remove and wipe
dry. Place the fat in a frying-pan. Add the meat and cook until
thoroughly browned on all sides. Place in the fireless cooker (or a slow
oven) and surround the meat with the potatoes. Sprinkle with the salt
and paprika. Add the water. (If in the cooker, place the heated disks
under and over the meat.) Cook two hours.
=Gravy= (Four portions)
4 T-browned flour
1 T-butter
1 t-salt
1/4 t-white pepper
1-1/2 C-meat stock and water
Remove the meat from the pan in which it was cooked (also remove the
potatoes) and add sufficient water to the stock in the pan to make one
and a half cups all together. Melt the butter, add the browned flour and
a tablespoon of the stock. Mix well, and add the salt and pepper. Add
the remaining stock; cook, stirring constantly for two minutes. Pour
into a heated gravy dish. Serve at once.
=Egg and Lettuce Salad= (Four portions)
8 pieces of lettuce
4 hard-cooked eggs
4 radishes
4 young onions
2 t-salt
1/2 t-paprika
1/4 t-celery salt
8 T-salad dressing
Arrange two pieces of lettuce on each plate. Slice an egg, a radish and
an onion and arrange these upon the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle each
portion with a fourth of the seasoning. Place two tablespoons of salad
dressing on each portion. Have all the ingredients cold before
combining.