A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband With Bettina's Best Recipes (31 page)

Mix the mustard, oil, salt, sugar and vinegar. Add the green pepper, pimento and cabbage. Fill the peppers with this mixture. The peppers are prepared by cutting off the stem end, removing the seeds and washing thoroughly.

Glazed Sweet Potatoes
(Twelve portions)

6 sweet potatoes
1 C-brown sugar
½ C-water
3 T-butter

Wash, pare and boil the sweet potatoes. When tender, drain, cut in lengthwise slices one-half inch thick, and lay in a buttered pan. Cover with a syrup made by cooking the brown sugar, water and butter for two minutes. Baste frequently. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

T
HE stately wedding ceremony had taken place in the big church, and Bettina, climbing into the automobile for the drive to the reception, had, for all her own part in the affair, only a confused memory of music, lights and faces, soft lavender and soft pink, and Alice and Harry murmuring their vows.

"Wasn't it lovely, Bob? Wasn't it stately and impressive?"

"Say, aren't you cold?" was his prosy reply. "That church was too warm; take my coat!"

"No, indeed; I don't need it! Oh, wasn't it a beautiful wedding! Did Lillian and I walk slowly enough?" And she chattered on about all of the details until the house was reached.

The bride and groom were already there, and gay congratulations followed from the many guests. The dining-room, where the dainty wedding supper was served, was elaborate with palms and high baskets of roses. Tables about the room held six, and in the center, a large round table, decorated with a broad, low mound of violets and roses, was arranged for the bridal party. Here also was the bride's cake, and the small boxes of wedding cake which the guests received upon leaving the room.

When Alice cut the bride's cake, the thimble fell to Ruth, which occasioned much merriment, while the dime was discovered by Harry in his own piece. The ring went to Mary, who emphatically denied that the omen spoke truly. But
when Mary also caught Alice's bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley, the young people refused to listen to her protests.

"Dear Alice," said Bettina, as she helped the bride into her traveling suit, "may your whole life be as beautiful as your wedding!"

The wedding supper consisted of:

Chicken and Mushroom Patties Fruit Jelly
Hot Rolls
Olives Pickles
Ice Cream in Individual Slipper Moulds
Violet Decorated Cake Salted Pecans
Fancy Candy in Tiny Baskets
Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

THE WEDDING RECIPES

Chicken and Mushroom Filling for Patty Shells
(Fifteen portions)

2 C-cooked chicken, diced
1 C-button mushrooms, diced
3 T-pimentoes, cut fine
1 t-salt
¼ t-paprika
²
/
₃
C-flour
²
/
₃
C-chicken fat
3 C-milk

Melt the fat, add the flour and salt; mix thoroughly. Add one-half a cup of milk. Cook until thick, remove from the fire and heat one minute. Add one cup of milk and reheat. When it thickens, beat vigorously until creamy. Add the rest of the milk, and cook until thicker than vegetable white sauce. Add the chicken, mushrooms and pimentoes. Serve hot in patty cases.

To prepare the cases for serving, heat until hot in a moderate oven.

To obtain the chicken fat, cook a fat chicken slowly for a long time. Remove the chicken from the stock and allow the stock to cool. The fat will rise to the top. Use this instead of butter. It has a better flavor and is cheaper.

Fruit Jelly
(Fifteen portions)

4 T-granulated gelatin
²
/
₃
C-cold water
4 C-boiling water
²
/
₃
C-lemon juice
2 C-sugar
1 C-white grapes, seeded
½ C-diced pineapple
½ C-maraschino cherries, halved

Soak the gelatin twenty minutes in the cold water, and dissolve in the boiling water, stirring till all is thoroughly dissolved. Strain through a moistened cheese-cloth and add the sugar and the lemon juice. Place in moistened individual moulds or one large pan. When the mixture is slightly thick and cool, add the fruit, well-mixed. Set in a cold place for one hour. Cut in squares when desired for use.

B
ETTINA had finished her morning's work and was busy with her mending when the telephone rang.

"Why, hello, Bob!" she answered, surprised to hear his voice at this time of day.

"Bettina," said he, "could you possibly arrange to let me bring Carl Edwards and his wife home to luncheon? They blew in a few minutes ago and leave at two-thirty. We haven't much time, you see, and they are especially anxious to see the house. They are planning to build for themselves soon."

"Why, of course, Bob," said Bettina, hesitating for the briefest possible second. "It's after eleven now, but I'll be glad to have you bring them. Let's see—I'll give them the salad I had planned for tonight, but I don't know what else—but, then, I'll manage somehow."

"All right, dear; that's fine. We'll be there early—a little after twelve."

Bettina's "emergency shelf" was always well stocked, and before her conversation with Bob was over her mind had hastily reviewed its contents. In a very short time, her oven held escalloped salmon, graham gems and "quick pudding," and she was setting the dainty porch table. "I'm glad the weather is so beautiful," she said to herself, "for it is so much fun to have a hurry-up luncheon like this out-of-doors. Well, whatever the guests think, I'm sure that Bob will like my menu, for 'quick pudding' is a favorite dessert of his, and he can always eat several graham gems!"

For luncheon they had:

Escalloped Salmon Graham Gems
Apricot Sauce
Bettina's Vegetable Salad
Chocolate Marshmallows
Bettina's "Quick Pudding"

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Escalloped Salmon
(Four portions)

1½ C-salmon
3 T-sweet pickles, chopped fine
1 T-lemon juice
½ C-cracker crumbs
1 egg
¼ t-paprika
½ t-salt
¼ C-milk
2 T-fresh bread crumbs
1 T-melted butter

Pick the salmon apart with a fork and add the pickles, lemon juice, cracker crumbs, egg, paprika, salt and milk, using a fork for mixing. Place in a well-buttered baking dish. Melt the butter, add the fresh crumbs and spread evenly over the top. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

Graham Gems
(Ten gems)

1 C-graham flour
1 C-white flour
1 t-salt
¼ C-sugar
¾ t-soda
¾ C-sour milk
1 egg

Mix the graham and white flour, the salt, sugar and soda, add the milk and egg. Beat two minutes. Fill well-buttered muffin pans one-half full. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

Apricot Sauce
(Four portions)

¼ lb. dried apricots
2 C-water
½ C-sugar

Wash the dried apricots well. Add the water and allow them to soak for three hours or longer. Cook very slowly in the same water until tender. Add the sugar, and cook three minutes.

Bettina's Vegetable Salad
(Four portions)

½ C-cooked peas
½ C-diced celery
¼ C-green pepper, chopped
½ C-diced cooked potatoes
1 T-chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, diced
2 t-salt
²
/
₃
C-salad dressing

Mix the peas, celery, green pepper, potatoes, onion, egg and salt thoroughly. Add the salad dressing, and serve cold on lettuce leaves. Garnish with rings of green pepper and egg slices.

Bettina's "Quick Pudding"
(Four portions)

2 egg-whites, stiffly beaten
4 T-powdered sugar
10 dates, cut fine
3 T-nuts, cut fine
½ t-vanilla
¹
/
₈
t-salt
¼ t-baking powder

Beat the eggs stiffly, add the nut meats, dates, vanilla, salt, sugar and baking powder. Place in a well-buttered tin mould or a pan and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Allow the mould to stand in a pan of hot water while in the oven. Serve hot.

"W
ELL, well! In time for dinner; am I?" said Uncle John, letting in a gust of snow-filled air as he opened the front door.

"Why, Uncle John, I should say you are!" answered Bettina with delight as she removed her kitchen apron. "Do you smell my date buns? I believe you'll like them!"

"Date buns? Never heard of anything so absurd in my whole life! What are they?" And then, without waiting for an answer, he went on, "A regular blizzard tonight, I do believe! I telephoned your Aunt Lucy that I wouldn't be back to the farm till morning, then I found a place to leave my car, and came up here to see if I couldn't get a bite to eat. But date buns! I don't know about that! I'm not used to anything so fancy."

"Well, Uncle John, there's a salmon loaf baking in the oven, and also some lemon rice pudding, so I believe there'll be something you'll like."

"Maybe!" said Uncle John, doubtfully, but with a twinkle in his eye that belied his words. "But let me see! Aunt Lucy sent you something; what was it? Oh, yes, some cream!" And he took a glass jar from its wrappings.

"Oh, Uncle John, how lovely!" said Bettina. "Won't we just revel in cream! There comes Bob now! Get behind the door, Uncle John, and say 'boo'! the way you used to do with me when I was a little girl!"

That night for dinner Bettina served:

Salmon Loaf Creamed Potatoes
Date Buns Butter
Cranberry Sauce
Lemon Rice Pudding
Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Salmon Loaf
(Three portions)

1 C-flaked salmon
½ C-fresh bread crumbs
²
/
₃
C-milk
1 egg-yolk
½ t-salt
¼ t-paprika
1 t-melted butter
1 t-flour

Mix the salmon, bread crumbs, milk, egg-yolk, salt and paprika. Pack down in a well-buttered pan. Pour one teaspoon of melted butter over the top. Dredge with flour. Bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot or cold.

Date Buns
(Twelve Buns)

3 C-flour
½ t-salt
1 yeast cake
2 T-sugar
¹
/
₃
T-butter
¾ C-milk
1 egg
²
/
₃
C-dates

Mix and sift the flour and the salt. Add the dates, which have been pitted and cut into small pieces. Mix with sugar the yeast cake (broken up). Heat the milk and add the butter. When the butter is melted, cool the milk mixture slightly, and add it to the yeast mixture, stirring carefully until the yeast is dissolved.

Add the egg well-beaten to the milk mixture, and add this to the flour. Mix thoroughly and toss onto a well-floured board. Knead two minutes. Place in a warm place and allow to rise one hour. Divide into twelve pieces by cutting with a knife. Allow to rise ten minutes. Brush the tops with one tablespoon of egg to which has been added one tablespoon of milk. Bake twenty minutes in a hot oven.

Lemon Rice Pudding
(Three portions)

²
/
₃
C-cooked rice
¼ t-salt
1 C-milk
1 egg
1 T-lemon juice
¼ C-sugar
1 T-powdered sugar
1 t-lemon juice

Beat the egg-yolk, add the sugar, salt and lemon juice. Add the milk and the rice. Cook one minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Pour into a well-buttered pudding dish. Beat the egg-white very stiff. Add the powdered sugar and the lemon juice. (One teaspoon.) Pile lightly on top of the pudding. Bake thirty minutes in a slow oven.

"S
O you'll not be back until dinner time?" Bettina had said at the breakfast table to Bob's cousin, Edna, and her friend, Catherine. "A whole day of it! How tired you'll be!"

Edna laughed her ripply laugh that always made everyone else laugh, too. "Tired getting me a hat and a suit? Oh, Bettina! That makes me feel livelier than ever!"

Catherine looked troubled. "Now, Edna," she said, "you positively mustn't miss that afternoon meeting. I know it will be so inspiring! Remember what Professor Macy said!"

Edna laughed again. "Catherine always quotes Professor Macy as if he were an oracle or a sphinx or something instead of a nice solemn young high school teacher who's getting a little bald!"