A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband With Bettina's Best Recipes (16 page)

Stuffed Tomato Salad
(Four portions)

4 tomatoes
1 C-chopped cabbage
½ t-salt
¼ t-paprika
4 T-salad dressing

Stuff fresh tomatoes with cabbage, seasoned, and mixed with salad dressing. Arrange the tomatoes on lettuce leaves and place one tablespoon salad dressing on the top. Add a small piece of green pepper or a sprig of parsley to the salad dressing.

Blueberry Tarts
(Four portions)

Fill muffin pans with plain pastry. Place two tablespoons of mixture on each crust. Cover with pastry strips and bake twenty minutes.

Blueberry Mixture

½ C-blueberries
¼ C-sugar
1 T-butter
1 T-vinegar
1 t-cinnamon

Mix the berries, sugar, butter cut in small pieces, vinegar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, over a moderate fire for three minutes.

"W
E had no such steak as this in California!" declared Bettina's father with satisfaction, as Bob served him a second helping.

"But then," said Bettina's mother, "did you find anything in California that you thought equalled anything in your own state? Father never does," said she, laughing. "He seems to enjoy traveling because it makes him feel that his own home is superior to every other place on earth. And it is," she agreed, looking about her happily. "I can say that after a summer spent in California, I'm more than thankful to be back again."

"I was afraid that you and father would be so anxious to open up the house that you wouldn't agree to come here for your first meal."

"Of course we're anxious to get home," said Mother, "but after you wrote Father that if he would come here to dinner tonight you would have a steak cooked just to suit him, he was as eager as a boy to get here."

"Well, who wouldn't look forward to it, after a summer spent in hotels?" said Father. "And I must say that Bettina's dinner justifies my eagerness. It's exactly right—steak and all."

"Now for dessert!" said Bob. "This coffee that I've been making in the percolator is all ready, Bettina!"

For dinner that night they had:

Pan-broiled Sirloin Steak Mashed Potatoes
Carrots
Head Lettuce Thousand Island Dressing
Sliced Bananas Quick Cake
Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Pan-Broiled Steak
(Six portions)

2 lb. sirloin steak an inch and a half thick
1 T-butter
½ t-salt
1 T-parsley
1 T-lemon juice

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth. Have a tin pan sizzling hot. Place the meat in the pan and cook directly under the broiling flame. Turn frequently with spoons, as a fork will pierce the meat and allow the juices to escape. A steak an inch and a half thick should be cooked from eight to ten minutes. Place the steak on a hot platter. Sprinkle with salt, lemon juice and parsley. Dot with butter. Serve very hot.

Gravy
(Six portions)

2 T-drippings from the steak
2 T-flour
½ C-water
½ C-milk
¼ t-salt

Pour the drippings from the steak into a pan, add flour and mix well. Allow the flour to brown, add water and milk very slowly to the flour and drippings. Add the salt and allow to cook until the gravy thickens. If there are not two tablespoons of drippings, add sufficient butter to equal the amount.

Carrots
(Six portions)

6 medium-sized carrots
2 T-butter
½ t-salt
¼ t-pepper

Wash and scrape the carrots, cut into two-thirds inch cubes and cook until tender in enough boiling water to cover. (About fifteen minutes.) Drain, add the butter, salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly and serve. Carrots may be scraped and steamed whole or cooked whole in boiling water.

Quick Cake
(Sixteen pieces)

¹
/
₃
C-butter
1½ C-brown sugar
1 egg
½ C-milk
¼ t-salt
1
²
/
₃
C-flour
3 t-baking powder
1 t-cinnamon
½ t-nutmeg
8 dates, cut fine

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg and milk, salt, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and dates. Beat for two minutes. Bake in a well-buttered loaf cake pan for thirty-five minutes.

Icing

1 egg white
2 T-cold water
¾ C-powdered sugar
½ t-vanilla

Beat the egg white until very stiff; add water and sugar gradually. Beat thoroughly and add the flavoring. Beat until it will stand alone, then spread on cake. More sugar may be added if necessary.

Thousand Island Salad Dressing
(Six portions)

½ C-olive oil
juice of half a lemon
juice of half an orange
1 t-onion juice
¼ t-salt
¼ t-paprika
1 t-Worcestershire sauce
¼ t-mustard
1 T-chili sauce
1 T-green pepper cut fine
1 t-chopped parsley

Place all the above ingredients in a pint fruit jar, fit a rubber and top tightly on the jar, shake vigorously until well mixed and creamy, and pour over head lettuce, tomatoes, asparagus, peas, beans or spinach. Serve as a salad.

"C
OME in, Alice! Now do say that you'll stay to dinner, for we can talk afterward."

"Well, if you'll take me out into the kitchen where you are working. You see, I have all this to learn, and I'm depending on you to help me."

"Of course I'll help, Alice, but you are so clever about anything that you care to do that I know you'll soon outstrip your teacher. Tell me first, does anyone know the Big Secret yet?"

"Not a soul but Bettina, Bob, and my family. That is what I came to talk about."

"Oh, Alice, I'd love to be the one to give the announcement luncheon, or the breakfast, or whatever you prefer to have it!"

"Would you do it, really? Bettina, I've been longing to have you offer, but it is work and trouble, and I didn't want to suggest it."

"Why, Alice, I just enjoy that kind of work! I'd be flattered to be allowed to have it here. Of course, you know that I can't do anything very elaborate or expensive, but I'm sure that between us we can think up just the prettiest, cleverest way of telling it that any prospective bride ever had!"

"Bettina, my faith is in you!"

"When do you plan to be married?"

"Late in October or early in November, I think. And I'd prefer not to have it announced for a month. You see, I don't want to allow time for too many festivities in between."

"Oh, Alice, if you take my advice, you won't have any showers or parties at all. I know you! If you do allow it, you'll have more excitement than any bride in this town!"

"Well, Harry advises me not to, but oh, Betty, you know how it is! I know so many people, and I do like fun, and then Mother likes to think of me as the center of things. She's afraid that when I am married to Harry I'll become as quiet as he is, and then too, I honestly don't think she'd feel that I was really married without it. You know sister Lillian had lots of excitement and more parties crowded into a day than——"

"Yes, and she was so tired that she nearly fainted when she stood up to be married!"

"That's true, but she liked the fun, anyhow. She says that a girl can have that kind of fun only once, and she's silly to deny herself. Well, I'll have a whole month to think it over in. I've been sitting here all this time, Bettina, trying to decide what it is that you are making—those croquettes, I mean."

"They are potato and green corn croquettes, and Bob is very fond of them. I made them because I happened to have some left-over corn. Until I learned this recipe, I didn't know what to do with the ears of cooked green corn that were left."

"And what is the meat dish?"

"Well, that is made of left-overs, too, but I think you'll like it. Creole Lamb, it is called. It is made of a little cold cooked lamb that was left from last night's dinner. The rhubarb sauce that I am serving with the dinner was our dessert last night. But I do have a very good new dessert!"

"New or not, the dinner does sound good. There is Bob, now, and I'm so glad, for I confess that my appetite is even larger than usual!"

The menu that night was as follows:

Creole Lamb
Potato and Green Corn Croquettes
Rhubarb Sauce
Bread Butter
Head Lettuce French Dressing
Lemon Pie Cheese

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Creole Lamb
(Three portions)

1 T-butter
1 T-chopped green pepper
½ T-onion, chopped
1 T-flour
¼ C-meat stock or water
¼ C-tomato pulp
½ t-lemon juice
½ t-salt
¹
/
₃
t-horseradish
½ C-cold cooked lamb, cut in cubes
3 pieces of toast

Melt the butter, add pepper and onion. Cook two minutes and add flour, stock, pulp, lemon juice, salt and horseradish. Boil two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the lamb. Heat thoroughly, and serve on toast strips.

Potato and Green Corn Croquettes
(Three portions)

1 C-hot mashed potatoes
1 C-green corn pulp, cooked with
1 T-butter
½ t-salt
½ t-pepper
1 egg yolk

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Shape into cylindrical form, roll in bread crumbs, dip in beaten egg, roll again in crumbs. Deep fry. The egg yolks for croquettes may have a tablespoon of water added for each yolk. The whites as well as the yolks may be used for covering the croquettes. To get the corn pulp, cut the kernels lengthwise of the rows, and press out the pulp with the back of the knife. This recipe is good for left-over corn.

"T
HERE is nothing so exciting as a circus," said Ruth, "but oh, how comfortable and peaceful it seems to get away at last from the crowds and the noise! How quiet and cool this porch is, Bettina. In two minutes I'll get up and help you with dinner, but you made a mistake to put such a comfortable chair here in this particular spot."

"Ruth, stay just where you are! This meal is supper, not dinner, and it will be ready in the shortest possible time. Where are the men?"

"Going over the plans of our house, I suppose. Fred has worn them almost in pieces by exhibiting them so often. There seem to be a great many details to settle at the last minute. As for me, I'm perfectly satisfied, for I'm going to have a kitchen exactly like yours. Bettina, what lovely nasturtiums, and how delicious that cold sliced ham looks with more nasturtiums to garnish it!"

"Yes, and I have nasturtium leaves lining the salad bowl—and see, I'll put one large flower on each plate!"

"Don't nasturtiums always seem cool and appetizing? The whole supper looks that way!"

"Well, circus day is almost invariably warm, and people are tired when they come home, so I planned to have a cold and simple meal."

"Isn't boiled ham hard to prepare?"

"No, indeed, nothing could be simpler. I bought a half of a ham—I like a piece cut from the large end—and I soaked it for an hour in cold water. Then I brought it to a boil in
fresh cold water and a little vinegar, and transferred it to the fireless cooker for five hours. Then I baked it for an hour in the cooker, having first trimmed it, and covered it with brown sugar and almost as many cloves as I could stick into it. It is very tender and good, I think—one of the best of my fireless cooker recipes."

"I am planning to have a fireless cooker when I keep house."

"That is fine, Ruth! You have no idea how they save both gas and worry. Some day I'll give you all of my best fireless recipes; I use my cooker a great deal. For instance, this brown bread was steamed in the cooker. A fireless is invaluable for steaming. I usually plan to have Boston Brown Bread, Tuna or Salmon Loaf and a pudding all steaming in the large compartment at once. Then I've learned to bake beautiful beans in the cooker! I wonder what our grandmothers think of Boston Baked Beans and Boston Brown Bread all made in the fireless! I'm sure I could prove to any of them that my way is just as good, besides being much cooler and more economical! Well, shall we call Fred and Bob?"

The circus day supper consisted of:

Cold Sliced Ham
Boston Brown Bread Butter
Blackberries Cream
Spiced Cake
Iced Tea Sliced Lemon

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Spiced Cake
(Sixteen pieces)

¹
/
₃
C-butter
1 C-sugar
2 egg yolks
²
/
₃
C-sour milk
1½ t-cinnamon
¼ t-ground cloves
¼ t-mace
1 t-soda
2 C-flour
1 egg white
1 t-vanilla

Cream the butter, add the sugar and egg yolks. Mix well. Mix and sift all dry ingredients. Sift and add alternately with sour milk. Add vanilla and stiffly beaten egg white. Bake in a loaf cake pan, prepared with waxed paper, in a moderate
oven for twenty-five minutes. Cover with "C" sugar icing.