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Ready to Pour the Jelly

COOKERY FOR
LITTLE GIRLS

BY
OLIVE HYDE FOSTER

NEW YORK
DUFFIELD & COMPANY
MCMX

Copyright, 1910,
By Duffield & Co.
THE PREMIER PRESS
NEW YORK

DEDICATED
To two of the dearest little girls that ever learned
to cook.

Preface

This book has been prepared with the special purpose of assisting mothers throughout the country to train their small daughters in the art of cookery. Scarcely any child can be trusted to take a recipe and work alone, as the clearest directions need the watchful supervision of an experienced woman, who can detect the coming mistake and explain the reason for doing things in a certain way.

All children like to experiment in the kitchen, and instead of allowing them to become an annoyance, they should be so directed that their efforts will result in immediate help to the mother and prove invaluable life lessons to the little ones themselves. Nothing is really more pitiable than the helpless woman who, when occasion demands, finds herself unable to do ordinary cooking. And that young wife is blessed indeed who has been prepared for her duties in the home by a conscientious mother. Therefore let no woman think it too much trouble to teach her child the preparation of various kinds of food, impressing on her at the same time the dignity and importance of the work.

The following articles, though considerably lengthened and rearranged, were written at the request of the Editor, and ran for a year in Pictorial Review; and the encouraging letters they elicited from women and children everywhere, prompted this publication in book form. The intention has been not to make a complete manual of cookery, but instead to create interest in enough branches to enable an otherwise inexperienced person to successfully put together any good recipe. Thanks are also due for the use of material appearing in The Circle and Harper's Bazar.

Olive Hyde Foster.

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

COOKERY FOR LITTLE
GIRLS

CHAPTER I

Good Things For Breakfast

(For these recipes, unless otherwise specified, make all measurements level. The use of measuring cups, divided into halves and thirds, is strongly urged, as well as the tea and table measuring spoons.)

Every mother should begin to instruct her little daughter at an early age in the different branches of housekeeping, and if taught in the right way, none will prove more attractive than cooking. When quite young the child will be eager to experiment, and generally will be careful; and with many of the simple recipes she can scarcely make a mistake, and they will prove invaluable to her later on.

Cooking is of great educational value. Aside from giving a girl that knowledge necessary to the proper conduct of a home, in the dextrous handling of utensils and food products, the concentration required, and the practice of doing certain work for certain results, it also gives excellent mental training and brings all-round development. Every girl should become a good practical cook; and in the majority of cases the mother, for many reasons, is the best teacher.

EQUIPMENT

The small cook should be provided with her own apron, sleeves and cap. Also attach to her belt a tea-towel and a small holder for lifting hot pans. This will make her feel more important and too, impress upon her the need of having everything clean and orderly. Then emphasize the necessity of always following directions, and taking the pains to make each cupful an even cupful—each spoonful an even spoonful. The pan for baking should be thoroughly greased and set aside ready for use, after the fire has first been put in good condition, so that the oven will be right, and then all the cooking utensils and materials placed conveniently at hand.

For the first lesson suppose the choice be baking-powder biscuit. When properly made they are delicious, but from the number of times that otherwise good cooks fail on this point, I have come to the conclusion that the secret lies in the mixing and handling.

Preparing to Make Biscuit

BAKING-POWDER BISCUIT

Have the child place two even cupfuls of flour in the sifter, with two level teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, half a teaspoonful of salt, and then sift. To this add one rounded tablespoonful of lard. The little maid's hands and nails should be specially cleaned so she can work this thoroughly into the flour, and it may take her five minutes to do it properly. Next, dusting her hands, have her take a table fork and stir all the time as she adds the milk. Generally three-quarters of a cupful of milk is enough, but if the flour was packed in solid it may take a whole cupful. Mix up well with the fork into a soft dough, and turn out on a floured bread-board. She must not handle it, even now, but sprinkle over just enough flour to keep the rolling-pin from sticking while she rolls it out until three-fourths of an inch thick.

Next she should be shown how to cut into small rounds without any waste, for the dough that is left to be molded over will take up more flour and consequently be thicker and not so light. As each biscuit is cut it should be carefully placed in the pan, close to its neighbor, but not crowding, and when all are ready, popped into a hot oven for fifteen minutes' baking.

This lesson should be repeated in a few days, before the child has forgotten any of the details, and thereafter it is advisable to let her make the same dough, for different purposes, at least once a week for a while. For meat pies, dumplings, or shortcake, one-half the recipe will be plenty for a family of four, and she will feel that she has learned each time how to make a new dish. Provide a small blank book and have her write down every recipe, with the full directions for mixing. This will be her very own, and as it grows will come to be a valued treasure.

BAKED APPLES

As cooked fruits are such nourishing food, let the child prepare some kind while the biscuits are baking—apples, for instance. The oven being hot, it is best to bake them, so show her how to wash, core and then fill each opening with sugar, cinnamon and a little butter. It will take only a few moments to prepare them, and while the baking is in progress the dishes that have been used should be washed and set in the closet, the materials left be put away. All must be in order before the lesson is pronounced over and the dish-pan wiped and put up. Where it is desired to serve the apples and biscuits at the same meal, the apples should be prepared first, as they take longer to bake.

CORN BREAD

Corn bread, too, is easy for any child to make. Have her mix one and one-half cups of sifted flour, one-half cup of yellow corn meal, three tablespoons of granulated sugar, one teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of baking powder. Add two well-beaten eggs, one cup milk, and one tablespoon of melted butter. Pour in buttered tin or gem pans, and bake in hot oven for fifteen or twenty minutes.

MUFFINS

Then next try muffins. Have her sift two cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, and two teaspoons of baking powder. Add one cup of milk, two tablespoons of melted butter, and two eggs, with the stiff whites last. Bake in buttered muffin tins fifteen or twenty minutes in a hot oven.

GRIDDLE CAKES

If successful with these things, she will be quite sure with a little care to make good griddle cakes. Have her sift two cups of flour with two teaspoons of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of sugar, and stir in the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, and a cup and a half of milk. When perfectly smooth, and just before baking, fold in the stiff whites. Grease a hot griddle with a piece of suet, put down a spoonful of batter at a time, and turn as soon as it bubbles well over the top. Watch carefully to keep from burning, but never turn a pancake the second time.

After a girl has learned how to make biscuit and other light breads, she should be shown at once how to prepare eggs in different ways so that she will be able at any time to serve a dainty breakfast.

BOILED EGGS

To boil an egg would seem to be the easiest matter possible, but it requires care just the same. Scarcely any two people in a family like eggs cooked the same length of time, and so, after ascertaining the way each one prefers, have the water boiling hard, and then check by adding a little cold water so that the shells will not crack from the heat. Put in the eggs carefully with a tablespoon, to prevent striking each other, boil the required number of minutes and remove each when its time is up, sending to the table at once. Hard boiled eggs, to be digestible, should be kept just at the boiling point for thirty minutes. The yolks will then be mealy.

POACHED EGGS

Poached eggs should be dropped in buttered gem pans and then set in a deep dripping-pan and covered with boiling water. When boiled as long as desired, lift gently on to rounds of buttered toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley or small celery leaves and serve on a hot platter.

PLAIN OMELET

For an omelet for four people, separate yolks and whites of five eggs. Beat yolks very light, add one-quarter teaspoonful salt, pepper, five tablespoonfuls milk, and lastly the whites, beaten very stiff. Mix lightly, but thoroughly, and pour in well-buttered hot frying-pan, place on stove about two minutes until well puffed up, then put in oven for a moment until firm on top. On removing, fold omelet over with a cake-turner, place on a hot plate and garnish with parsley.

FANCY OMELETS

After the little daughter has mastered this popular dish, show her how to make it into a fancy one by adding various things. A small quantity (half a cupful) of chopped ham stirred in before cooking, converts it into a ham omelet, a cupful of cold boiled rice mixed thoroughly through the uncooked eggs, a rice omelet, while a cupful of chopped meat—or better, chopped chicken—will make a meat or chicken omelet. A delicious green corn omelet has the pulp from two ears of green corn, grated from the cob, added just before cooking. This should be given a slower fire and more time. For a cheese omelet, sprinkle half a cupful of grated cheese over the eggs after they are cooked before folding over.

OMELET GARNISHING

The wise mother will suggest to the young cook that instead of always using one recipe she try to think of some way of improving or varying it. A few green peas left from dinner can be made hot and sprinkled over an omelet the same way as the cheese, or the cup of stewed tomatoes left from the day before be strained, thickened with a teaspoonful of flour, seasoned with butter, pepper and salt, and served as a sauce, this making a delicious accompaniment to a plain omelet.

CREAMED EGGS

Take the desired number of hot hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters, lay on pieces of hot buttered toast, and cover with white sauce. This makes a most appetizing dish for breakfast or luncheon. Garnish with parsley.

DEVILLED EGGS

Put on in hot water, simmer for half an hour, then place in cold water to loosen shells. When cold, cut in half, remove yolks, mash, and season with salt, pepper, a dash of prepared mustard, and a teaspoonful of vinegar, with a half teaspoonful of soft butter for each egg. Rub to a smooth paste, and pack back in the whites. For picnics, fasten two halves together with a wooden toothpick.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

Beat the desired number enough to break the yolks, season with salt and pepper, and add a tablespoonful of milk for each egg. Put in a hot pan half a teaspoonful of butter for each egg, and when melted, pour in the beaten eggs. Stir constantly, scraping from the bottom of the pan until cooked enough to suit individual taste, but watch closely, for the longer they cook the drier they become. Garnish with parsley or with dried beef, frizzled in a hot skillet with a small quantity of butter.

BACON AND EGGS

Place thin slices of bacon in a hot skillet, turn frequently to keep from curling, and remove to a hot plate when cooked as much as desired. Break eggs in a saucer, one at a time, to see that they are fresh, then drop gently into the hot fat. When done to suit individual taste, lift carefully to the center of a hot platter, and garnish with the bacon.

The secret of an attractive table, which should be made clear to every girl, is clean linen, with dishes and silver carefully arranged. Each article of food, however simple, should be carefully placed in the center of its dish, and vegetables, meats and salads garnished with parsley, celery leaves, or occasionally rings of hard-boiled eggs. The eggs are especially nice on salads and on such a vegetable as spinach.

A kitchen lesson would be incomplete without a few words regarding the care of the all-important dish-towels and dish-cloth. However many may be on hand, it is a wise plan to teach the little cook to take warm water and plenty of soap and wash them out each time, being careful to rinse them thoroughly after she is through. Then hang out in the air to dry.

CHAPTER II

Using Odds and Ends

Every mother, in teaching her little daughter to cook, should impress upon her two essential points—economy and neatness. A cook cannot be too careful to have her materials, her utensils, and herself as clean as possible. So, before beginning work, the child should carefully wash her hands, clean her nails, smooth up any stray locks of hair, and put on the cap, sleeves and apron that are to protect her from spots and flying flour. Then all fruits or vegetables which are to be used should be well washed before being peeled, and the cooking utensils wiped off. Sometimes the pans or the stewing kettle have not been used for days, and there is sure to be a certain amount of dust on these that is almost imperceptible, but nevertheless unwholesome and often dangerous.

Following the instructions regarding cleanliness, and of equal importance, is the lesson in the economical use of materials on hand. Anyone can take a recipe calling for all fresh materials and, with a little care, turn out a successful dish; but it takes a culinary artist to successfully work up the odds and ends found in the ice-box and pantry. In small families these bits can be made into attractive dishes for luncheon, or, in case of an unexpected guest, converted into an additional course. In the line of vegetables, for instance, there may be left a few leaves of lettuce, a couple of tomatoes, the remains of a roast, a small quantity of chicken, and a bottle of sour milk. Not very promising, certainly, in the ice-box, but full of possibilities. The little cook is going to be a magician, and by a wave of her wand (the cook-book,) make a grand transformation.

COTTAGE CHEESE

First the sour milk! Not attractive as sour milk, but most delicious as cream cheese. Set one quart of sour milk on the stove where it will warm slowly, and let stand until the curd and whey separate. Spread a piece of cheese-cloth or an old napkin over a colander, pour in the curds and let drain until quite dry. This may take a couple of hours, and it is a good plan to warm the milk while getting the supper and then let stand all night. Next put the curds in a bowl and rub to a paste with one teaspoonful of butter, a saltspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of cream. When smooth, mold into little balls if to be served with a salad.

NUT CHEESE CRACKERS

Nut cheese crackers are most appetizing, too, made by spreading this cheese on small saltine crackers, and sprinkling chopped nuts over the top. Any child will delight to make these, and while easy and cheap, they are attractive enough to serve any company. Or, the cheese can be served, French fashion, with a little heavy cream and a small quantity of richly preserved currants or cherries, (Bar-le-duc,) for dessert.

STUFFED PEPPERS

If there is too little of the roast to serve sliced cold, it can be chopped fine, seasoned well with salt and pepper and moistened with the cold gravy. If the quantity is still too small, it can be increased by adding a beaten egg and half a cupful of dried bread-crumbs. This works into a nice dish by taking sweet green peppers, splitting in half, washing and removing the seeds, and then packing with the minced meat. Bake until peppers are tender, about half an hour, then remove from oven, lay on squares of hot toast, and cover with white sauce or warmed-over gravy.

WHITE SAUCE

Good white sauce is needed for so many different kinds of vegetable, fish and meat dishes, that a child should be taught it at the beginning of her work. Have her melt one tablespoon of butter and stir in one tablespoon of flour. When smooth, add slowly one cup of milk, stirring all the time to keep from getting lumpy. If lumps do form, however, before the child has learned the secret of mixing, she can strain after it has cooked five minutes. Season with quarter-teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. For brown sauce, simply brown the flour and butter before adding the milk.

CREAMED CHICKEN

A small quantity of chicken is often left from dinner, yet not enough to serve cold. Let the mother show the child how to cut off every bit of meat from the bones—and she will get more than she expects from wings and necks. But all pieces of fat and skin must be discarded. Then for a hot dish, making a white sauce first, she can stir in the minced chicken, let it cook a few moments, and serve on rounds of buttered toast.

CHICKEN CROQUETTES

Still another way, if the quantity is small, is to add to one cupful of chopped chicken one-half cupful of rolled bread-crumbs, a half cupful of hot milk, two well-beaten eggs, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. This is to be shaped into croquettes, dipped in rolled bread-crumbs, beaten egg, crumbs again, and browned in hot fat.

White sauce served on the side will make it doubly attractive; and if the quantity is still small for the number to be served, it will go farther and be made more savory if garnished with curls of crisp bacon.

CHICKEN SALAD

If a cold dish is desired, let her add an equal amount of finely cut celery, season with salt and pepper, moisten with cooked salad dressing, and she will have a delicious chicken salad. To be particularly nice, however, she should use only the white meat.

Our little cook should be taught the first thing how to make a good salad dressing, for into a salad it is almost always possible to turn the left-overs that otherwise might be thrown out. Only one other thing (soup) will use up as many scraps in making nourishing as well as appetizing dishes.

BOILED SALAD DRESSING

As many people do not care for the flavor of oil, a nice easy dressing is made by taking two tablespoonfuls butter, rubbed to a cream, to which is added one teaspoonful salt, one-half teaspoonful mustard, a dash of red pepper, and one cupful hot milk. Stirring well, this should immediately be poured on the beaten yolks of three eggs, and then cooked in a double boiler until thick. Remove from the fire, add one-quarter of a cup of vinegar, and stir until cool. When to be used in fruit salads, add half a cup of thick cream just before serving. But eggs and milk curdle if boiled.

FRENCH DRESSING

Easily made is the French dressing, and often prepared at the table. To one-quarter teaspoonful of finely minced onion, add one-half teaspoonful salt, a little black pepper, a few grains of Cayenne and six teaspoonfuls olive oil. Stir well, add two teaspoonfuls vinegar, and mix thoroughly.

FRESH VEGETABLE SALAD

To make the best of the few vegetables we have found on hand, wash the lettuce carefully (looking out for the tiny green bugs found on some kinds,) and arrange on a plate. Peel and slice the two tomatoes, and lay lightly on the lettuce, with a few bits of celery, several radishes or some thin slices of cucumber if available, and cover with salad dressing.

For the heart salad illustrated, cut cold boiled beets into heart-shaped sections, and serve on lettuce hearts, with French dressing.

COOKED VEGETABLE SALAD

Small quantities of cooked vegetables, such as beets, string beans, asparagus, peas and boiled potatoes, make a nice salad cut into small pieces, laid on lettuce leaves and covered with French dressing. But they must be thoroughly chilled.

CABBAGE SALAD

Cabbage salad is possible at all seasons of the year, and should be one of the first that the child should learn to make. Insist on getting small, perfect heads, and have the leaves removed one at a time, examined closely and washed as carefully as lettuce, for fear of worms. After chopping finely, the desired quantity is to be seasoned with salt and pepper and served on the small, tender white leaves, with the following dressing:

SOUR CREAM DRESSING

To half a cup of thick sour cream, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of sugar, a dash of black pepper, and two teaspoonsful of strong vinegar.

FRESH FRUIT SALAD

Almost all kinds of fruit are used in salads. Bananas and oranges, alone or together, are served on lettuce with the cream salad dressing, as are also the skinned and seeded white grapes. Pineapple and grapefruit are delicious with head lettuce, served with the French dressing containing but a few drops of the onion juice. Then again, all may be combined, served with either dressing preferred, and improved by the addition of a few nuts.

WALDORF SALAD

For four people have the little cook take four pretty red apples, cut a slice off the top, and after removing the core, carefully cut out with a teaspoon the inside of each without breaking the skin. Taking half the scooped-out apple, she must add an equal amount of celery (cut in small pieces) and chopped English walnuts, one teaspoonful salt and boiled dressing enough to cover. After tossing up lightly with a fork pack in the apple shells, and when possible serve in nests made of lettuce cut in strings.

GREEN PEPPER SALAD

Take sweet green peppers, cut a slice from the top, remove seeds, and fill with either the mixed vegetables or diced cucumbers, covered with French dressing. Serve on lettuce.

CHAPTER III

Some Easy Soups

Every little cook should early be taught how to make a variety of soups, as many small quantities of food can be utilized in this way that otherwise might be wasted.

STOCK

Take, for instance, the bones and small trimmings from steaks, chops or a roast, and the remnant of a chicken. These, with a five-cent soup bone, will make the stock, which is the foundation for a great many kinds of soup. If part of the scraps have been fried or roasted, so much the better, as then the stock will be a delicate brown and have even a richer taste. The meat, cut in small cubes, with the bones well cracked, should be covered with twice the quantity of cold water and allowed to stand for several hours.

CLEAR VEGETABLE SOUP

Any kind of vegetables on hand can be put in at the same time, a small onion cut in slices, a little chopped carrot, turnip, a few string beans cut in inch lengths, half a cupful of peas, a couple of stalks of celery, a few sprigs of parsley, together with three or four cloves and salt and pepper to taste. If these vegetables with the meat fill the kettle one-third full, then it can be filled to the top with cold water. After standing several hours it should be placed where it will heat slowly and allowed to simmer for two hours, then strained and set aside to cool and let the grease come to the top. When it is cold the cake of fat can easily be lifted off.

CONSOMMÉ AND BOUILLON

Then to make the finest kind of perfectly clear soup, stir into each two quarts of cold stock the beaten white and crushed shell of one egg, place on the fire and keep stirring until it boils. Allow to cook without stirring for twenty minutes, after which set aside for ten minutes; skim and strain through a cheese-cloth bag. This may seem like a good deal of work, but if the soup is first boiled in the morning while cleaning up the kitchen and then clarified while getting dinner, it will not require much time nor trouble, and the result will be a delicious consommé or bouillon. It is called bouillon if made principally of beef with vegetables, and brown in color; it is consommé if made of uncooked meat and bones, including veal and chicken, and consequently light in color.

PLEASING VARIATIONS

Stock made thus can be simply reheated or changed to any desired kind of soup by the addition of a particular garnishing. For rice soup, either a few teaspoonfuls of uncooked rice or half a teacupful of cold boiled rice can be added; for vegetable soup a cupful of mixed vegetables cut in small pieces can be put in and boiled until tender. Macaroni, broken in inch lengths, washed and then cooked in the stock until it is done makes a nice change, called Italian consommé, while a cupful of tomatoes will convert it into a tomato soup. If the additions suggested are to be made, however, it is not necessary to clarify the stock. It takes common sense to make good soup, as well as time and patience, and one must learn to be guided by the taste if trying to use up left-overs instead of following a regular recipe.

Cream soups, however, do not require any stock, and so are easily and quickly made. They are delicious, too, and something any bright girl could make while her mother got up the rest of the dinner. They take the name of the kind of vegetable used, but all are put together in about the same way.

CREAM OF CELERY

For cream of celery take two cupfuls of diced celery, using the leaves, ends and coarse pieces not good enough to send to the table uncooked. Cover with two cupfuls of cold water, season with salt and allow to cook until tender—about twenty minutes. While this is boiling the little maid mixes in another pan two tablespoonfuls of melted butter with two tablespoonfuls of flour. Placing it over the fire, she adds three cupfuls of milk and stirs for five minutes while it boils. After seasoning with salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper, pour in the strained water from the cooked celery and boil all gently on the back of the stove for five minutes before serving.

PEA AND ASPARAGUS

For cream of pea soup, simply substitute two cupfuls of cooked peas that have been pressed through a colander. For cream of asparagus boil up first two cupfuls of the tough ends of the asparagus that would not do for the table, or take two cupfuls of the water used in cooking the asparagus for dinner and put with the thickened milk. But in order to avoid giving the family the same vegetable twice at a meal, it is best to save the asparagus water or the celery ends until another time, putting in the ice-box to keep fresh. We all like variety, and in this way it can be had without extra expense.

CREAM OF POTATO

Cream of potato soup is made by adding two scant cupfuls of mashed potato to the milk foundation given. Some people like the addition of a half-teaspoonful of onion juice to flavor or a tablespoonful of chopped bacon. If too thick it can be thinned with some of the boiling potato water.

It is advisable for the mother to have the child make a certain cream soup twice in close succession to be sure that she thoroughly understands the process, and then make each of the other kinds soon after, so that she will get used to using up whatever left-overs she finds on hand.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Black beans make a particularly nice soup for a company dinner. To two cupfuls of the dried beans use four cupfuls of cold water and let stand over night. Next day add two cupfuls of boiling water and cook until the beans are perfectly tender, with one small chopped onion, three cloves, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter, stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour, add a cupful of cold water; cook the same as the milk foundation and add to the beans after they have been put through a colander. Boil up well together, stirring to blend well. Put a couple of thin slices of hard-boiled egg and lemon in each plate and pour the hot soup in. If desired, the soup can be additionally flavored with a small wineglassful of sour wine.

CREAM OF TOMATO

Before leaving the soup question, let me say that the cream of tomato is made by heating two cupfuls of canned tomatoes to the boiling point, then straining, and after adding a good-sized pinch of soda, which must be stirred in well, poured slowly on to the milk foundation, prepared in another vessel. This must be served immediately, as it is not so good when allowed to stand.

Tossing Up a Salad

DELECTABLE GARNISHES

Instead of always serving the ordinary crackers, teach the child how to prepare some simple little extras for nice soups. Plain square crackers spread with butter, salted and then browned in the oven will taste quite different; another time let her grate the least bit of cheese over before the toasting. Or she can take stale bread, cut in long narrow strips, spread with butter, season with salt and pepper and bake a light brown in a slow oven. Croûtons, too, are a welcomed variety, made by cutting bread in half-inch cubes, dipping in melted butter and frying crisp. A few of these are scattered on top of each plate of soup just before sending to the table. Such extras require but little time, yet they mark the experienced cook; and if our small maid has been paying due attention to her directions (and consequently getting good results in her work,) she ought now to be so interested that she will be eager to try every new dish suggested and desirous of making the greatest possible number of dishes out of each particular kind of food.

Now let us review and see what we have out of the odds and ends that we found that we had on hand to start with, and what a luncheon it would make. We should have either a soup or the stuffed peppers for a first course, salad for a second, and the cheese crackers served with a small quantity of jam or preserves for a finish! Quite a nice meal, and one we need not hesitate to set before an unexpected guest. Besides, from any reasonable quantity of left-overs there would probably be enough for four people.

CHAPTER IV

Fish, Fresh and Dried

Fresh fish, in the first place, must be absolutely fresh. They will have little odor, the eyes will be full and clear, and the flesh firm. They are usually delivered from the market cleaned and scaled, but they should be washed with cold water, and sprinkled with salt if not used immediately.

SMELTS, TROUT AND PERCH

Smelts, trout, perch and other small fish, are fried whole, while the larger kinds are cut in pieces called fillets. After washing, drying and seasoning with pepper and salt, each piece should be dipped in finely rolled, dried bread or corn meal, and laid on the bread-board. When all through, beginning with the first, dip each one in well-beaten, seasoned egg, and then in the crumbs again, taking pains to have them covered completely. Lay back on the board to dry before cooking. Heat a half cupful of lard in a skillet until smoking hot, then put in the fish and fry on one side until brown. Turn carefully to avoid breaking, and brown on the other side, but do not turn more than once, and watch to keep from burning. Many cooks use flour or rolled crackers for covering the fish, but the bread crumbs do not hold as much grease, and the fish always seem to fry better than when dipped in anything else. When cooked a deep, rich brown, lift out on to brown paper to drain, and then slip on to a hot platter and send to the table at once, garnished with slices of lemon, parsley or water cress.

HALIBUT

A halibut steak is fine when, after washing thoroughly, it is put in a dripping pan, seasoned with salt and pepper, covered with boiling water and cooked in the oven until done,—from twenty minutes to half an hour. While it is cooking, our little maid can prepare her favorite white sauce, only now she must add a cupful of strained tomatoes and season with red pepper. When the fish is ready, she must serve it on a hot platter, covered with the hot sauce. A steak of this kind usually weighs about two pounds, and is ample for four or five people.

WHITE, WEAK AND BLUE FISH

White fish, weak fish, blue fish and similar kinds I like best when large enough to have the bones first removed and the fish then spread, skin down, on a wire broiler, or an oak plank. Spread with a little butter and seasoned with pepper and salt, it may be cooked in a gas stove or before a hot fire. This will take from twenty to thirty minutes. When thoroughly done and browned on top, garnish with roses of mashed potato, lemon or parsley, and serve immediately,—right on the plank if desired. Any left over can be picked into small pieces, and worked up with an equal amount of cold mashed potato, into cakes, to be fried for breakfast.

There are many kinds of smoked and canned fish that make specially appetizing dishes for breakfast or luncheon. They should always be kept in the house, with other shelf supplies, and will prove "a friend in need."

FINNAN HADDIE

Finnan Haddie can be served in several ways. After washing and wiping off with a cloth, it can be buttered, seasoned with salt and pepper and either broiled or fried. Or it is even better if boiled first for five minutes (put on it cold water), then picked into small flakes and stirred into our little maid's standby, white sauce. After cooking five minutes longer, it should be served on rounds of hot buttered toast, garnished with parsley.

SMOKED FISH

Smoked halibut, salmon and sturgeon can all be bought in small pieces (even as little as half a pound), and are most inviting when cut into thin slices and made hot in a skillet with just enough butter to keep them from burning.

SALT COD

But in talking of dried fish, we must not forget our old favorite, creamed codfish. As the boxed codfish is always so salty, it is necessary, after picking it carefully apart and removing the bones, to let it soak in cold water for half an hour, then drain. Put half a cupful of fish on in a stewpan, cover with cold water and let come to a boil. Pour this off immediately, cover with fresh boiling water, and let gently simmer for ten minutes. While it is cooking, our small maid should rub to a smooth paste one tablespoon of flour and one tablespoon of butter. Then adding one cup of milk and one well-beaten egg to the codfish, she next puts in the paste, and continues to stir for five minutes more while it is cooking. It should then be served on rounds of hot toast.

Creamed Codfish and Coffee for Father's Breakfast

SALT MACKEREL

Salt mackerel should be covered with cold water and left skin side up to soak over night. For breakfast, dry in a cloth and broil, with the flesh side toward the fire, or else brown in a hot pan with a little butter, and serve on a hot platter garnished with slices of lemon.

I have purposely avoided giving recipes calling for frying in deep fat, as there is always more or less danger of an inexperienced child meeting with an accident in handling any quantity of melted lard, but mothers who wish to use it will find that fritters, fish and other things when cooked that way get a nice color and really take up less fat than when fried (sautéd) in the more common style.

CHAPTER V

Simple Meat Dishes

Here let me put in a few words about some easy ways of cooking meat. The recipes are simple, but everything depends on your getting in plenty of seasoning, cooking as directed, and—not burning. Be sure to have veal, lamb and pork well done, as no one likes these rare or even pink, but study the family taste about the length of time to cook beef. I have purposely omitted the ordinary dinner meats (I couldn't tell you everything in one little book!), but if you learn to make what I do tell you about, you will certainly become a good cook.

PAN-BROILED LAMB CHOPS

Lamb chops are particularly nice pan-broiled. First scrape off any fine particles of bone, trim off superfluous fat, and then place in a hissing hot skillet. Turn often until well seared, to prevent escape of juices, and cook until brown, about ten minutes. Serve on a hot platter, season with salt and pepper, dot with butter, and garnish with parsley, peas, or a ring of mashed potatoes.

PORK CHOPS

Pork chops need to be thoroughly cooked, and after washing, I always parboil ten minutes first in a covered frying pan, then season with salt and pepper and brown in fat. They are often served with tomato sauce.

VEAL CUTLETS

The veal for this purpose, sometimes called Mock Reed Birds, should be sliced thin, then cut in four-inch squares. Spread lightly with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and scatter with finely minced parsley and celery, or either one alone. Roll each piece up tightly and tie with a piece of white string. Place "birds" in a hot skillet with a little water and melted butter, cover and simmer for twenty minutes, then brown in butter or fat as preferred. Serve on rounds of hot buttered toast, with brown gravy.

BEEF STEW (BROWN)

Take one pound of round steak, cut in small pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put a little suet in a hot kettle, or melt two tablespoons of butter, and add a couple of slices of dry onion, turning frequently until brown, then put in the meat. Stir to keep from scorching until well seared on all sides, cover with boiling water, and set on the back of the stove to simmer for at least three hours. As it boils down, allow to brown before filling up again, and have the meat covered with the broth when done. Thicken with two tablespoons of flour stirred to a smooth paste in half a cup of cold water. Add more salt then if necessary. Send to the table in a covered dish, and serve with mashed potatoes.

SOUTHERN BAKED HAM

When there is going to be company, baked ham is one of the nicest kinds of meat that can be had. Take either a small end or half a ham, as needed, and soak several hours in cold water. Wash well and put on in a kettle with cold water to cover and boil slowly, allowing at least twenty minutes to the pound. After boiling half an hour, remove one-third the water, and fill up with fresh boiling water, and keep covered until done. Then set aside and allow to cool in the liquor. When cold, lift out, trim off the brown skin, cover the fat with brown sugar, stick with whole cloves, and bake brown—about twenty or thirty minutes. This is delicious either hot or cold.

BEEFSTEAK

Different kinds of steak need to be cooked in different ways. Tenderloin, porterhouse, and sirloin are best broiled over a hot fire, or pan broiled by being turned frequently on a very hot skillet, with only the fat that comes from the steak itself. Serve on a hot platter, with butter, pepper and salt. Round steak is nice cut in small pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, rolled in flour, and cooked quickly in some of the suet, first put in the pan until tried out. Lift browned pieces of the steak (for this needs more cooking than tenderer meat), on to a hot platter, add a little butter to the fat in the pan, stir in a scant tablespoon of flour, stir well until smooth and brown, then pour in quickly a cupful of cold water, and continue to stir until well thickened. This gravy will be smooth and of nice flavor, and can be poured over the meat. Season, of course, with salt and pepper to taste.

HASH

Hash, though a dish often laughed at, is always appetizing when well made. Corn beef hash indeed has quite a reputation, and is made by chopping cold corn beef rather fine, adding an equal quantity of cold boiled potatoes, chopped, wetting with enough boiling water to keep from burning, seasoning with salt, pepper and a little butter, and then allowing to cook gently for at least twenty minutes. All kinds of hash need to simmer for quite a while, in order to blend the flavor of the meat and the potatoes, and give the delicate taste that marks a carefully prepared dish. Beef, particularly browned scraps, finely minced, and mixed with an equal quantity of minced cold boiled potatoes, seasoned and prepared as just directed, is very good for breakfast served on rounds of buttered toast. And either kind can be allowed to brown down in the pan and then turned out on a hot plate, rolled over with a nice thick crust. Any kind of meat can be used, however.

LAMB PIE

A lamb pie is an attractive way of using up small pieces of cold lamb. Cut off all scraps and gristle, and add enough cold gravy to cover. Season well with salt and pepper, and simmer twenty minutes. Take a pudding dish, invert a small cup in the bottom, pour in the hot meat, add half a can of peas, cover with a crust of light biscuit dough, and bake until brown. Before sending to the table lift crust and remove cup, which has drawn up the gravy. Serve with either mashed or baked potatoes.

DRIED BEEF

Dried beef dressed in cream is always an appetizing dish and very quickly made ready. The child should first take a half-pound of chipped beef and tear it into small pieces, removing all strings and fat. Then put in a stew-pan, cover with cold water and let come to a boil. While it is heating, however, she should stir smooth one tablespoonful butter and one tablespoonful flour. When the water boils on the beef she must pour off half (or it will be too salty), and add an equal amount of milk. Into this stir slowly the mixed butter and flour, season with pepper and let boil until thick. Some people like the addition of two well-beaten eggs, but I prefer the beef plain, with the gravy rather thick, served on rounds of hot buttered toast. The toast could be made first and set where it will keep warm, and thus save the time of making afterwards, for a dish of this kind cools very quickly, and should be sent to the table as soon as ready.

ROAST BEEF

A roast of beef, after being scraped and wiped free from all particles of sawed bone, should be seasoned well with salt and pepper, and dredged with flour. Put it in a hot oven, and when it has seared on top, to keep in the juice, turn over and allow to sear on the bottom. Then pour in the pan enough boiling water to keep from burning, and baste frequently. Allow about one hour for a five pound roast rare, and an hour and a half to cook well done. Serve a rib roast, left on the bone, standing as shown in the illustration, garnished with parsley.

CHAPTER VI

The Interesting Potato

Every girl should know how to cook potatoes properly; yet really there is scarcely any other one vegetable that can be prepared in so many ways and still is often so poorly cooked as to be practically unfit to eat. It would seem an easy thing to make a light, appetizing dish of mashed potatoes—and what is more inviting?—but how often are they served wet and soggy! To understand the right way to cook and serve potatoes is as much an art as to make a salad or bake a cake.

BOILED POTATOES

Plain boiled potatoes, with the skin on, are delicious when cooked as they should be. The requisite number should be selected, perfect in form and uniform in size, and scrubbed with the vegetable brush, but the skins not broken. If they are old they will be better for soaking half an hour in cold water. A half hour before dinner-time, if they are of medium size, they should be covered with boiling salted water and placed on the stove, where they will boil gently, not hard, until the skins begin to crack open. Test with a fork, and as soon as they are tender, drain off all the water and set on the back of the stove to steam dry. Serve in a hot, open vegetable dish; and if there is company or you are very particular, remove the skins (without breaking the potatoes) just before sending to the table. In case there is to be fish or a meat dish without gravy, serve the potatoes with the white sauce our little cook was taught to make in one of her first lessons.

MASHED POTATOES

For mashed potatoes the mother should tell the child to pick out the imperfect ones, or those too large to bake, to be peeled and cut up. Have her put them on in boiling salted water half an hour before dinner-time, cook until perfectly tender, then drain and let steam dry. After standing a few moments (in a hot place), have her mash them thoroughly, first with an old-fashioned wooden masher until all the lumps are removed, and then with a wire one. To each cupful of potato add a teaspoonful of butter and a tablespoonful of hot milk. They should be beaten up creamy with the wire beater, then turned out into a hot covered dish, with a lump of butter in the center and a sprinkling of pepper over the top, and served at once.

If dinner is delayed, however, and there is danger of their getting cold, have her put them in a baking-dish or tin, smooth them nicely over the top and set where they will keep warm. Then when needed, if she will grate a little cheese over the top and put in the oven for a few minutes to brown, she will find that they are even nicer than when first made. The mashed potatoes left from dinner can be worked up with a little cream and molded into small round cakes, to be fried brown next morning.

CREAMED POTATOES

Often in buying potatoes one finds a quantity of little ones usually considered "too small to be bothered with." They seem hardly worth peeling, but if scrubbed clean and boiled as directed the skins can be removed quickly when they are tender. Then if a white sauce is made, these little potato balls can be dropped in and served garnished with finely chopped parsley on top. This is a favorite way of preparing new potatoes and most appetizing.

LYONNAISE POTATOES

If the mother prefers, she can have the child take these little balls (peeled after they are cooked), cut them up fine, and fry them as follows: In a hot pan melt two tablespoonfuls of butter and add a teaspoonful of finely chopped onion, which should be cooked until a delicate brown before the seasoned potatoes are added.

CHEESE POTATOES

Parboil sliced potatoes, or slice cold boiled ones, line the bottom of a baking dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper, a little flour, grated cheese, and dots of butter. Repeat until the pan is nearly full, cover with milk, sprinkle the top with the grated cheese, and bake until brown, or about half an hour. Cheese potatoes are particularly good served with cold meat.

BAKED POTATOES

Potatoes for baking should be of uniform, medium size and perfect. After being well scrubbed they should be wiped dry and put in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour before meal-time. If the meal is delayed for any reason they should be pricked with a fork in several places to let out the steam, and then set where they will keep hot, but not in a covered dish, or they will get wet and soggy.

STUFFED POTATOES

If it is necessary to keep them any length of time, cut off the end of each potato, scrape out the inside, season with salt, pepper, a little butter, a small quantity of cream and to every three potatoes one egg, the white beaten stiff. After whipping up light put back in the shells, where they will keep warm. Just before sending to the table, put in the oven for a few moments, until they puff up and brown at the ends.

FRIED POTATOES

Cold boiled potatoes can be used in so many different ways that where there is no servant in the house it often is a saving of time and labor to boil a quantity at one time and then heat up as needed. They are nice simply sliced thin and fried brown in butter.

HASHED CREAM POTATOES

If this is considered too rich, half the amount of butter will be sufficient to flavor and keep from scorching, and then when they brown as they are hashed in the pan pour in a few spoonfuls of cream. Season well, allow to brown down again, then fold like an omelet and serve on a hot platter garnished with parsley.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Scalloped potatoes are very nice for a supper dish, as they can be prepared early in the day and set away until needed. The little cook, after washing and peeling her potatoes, next cuts them in thin slices, enough to fill the dish needed and parboils in salted water for ten minutes. Then drain. Arrange a layer of these, with a sprinkling of flour, pepper and salt and a few small pieces of butter, repeating in layers until the pan is full. Pour over enough milk to cover. When ready to cook, allow half an hour for the baking, and from time to time add a little extra hot milk. It is well to set a large pan containing water under the baking-dish to catch any milk that might boil over and burn on the bottom of the oven.

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potatoes that have been boiled are particularly nice when cut in half, buttered, seasoned with very little salt and pepper and then sprinkled over the top with granulated sugar and browned in the oven. "Candied sweet potatoes" they are called when served in hotels as something extra.

Cleaning Up

CHAPTER VII

Different Kinds of Vegetables

A mother can make the cooking of potatoes and the plainer vegetables interesting if she will use a little tact and stimulate the child's desire to make, first, as many different dishes from each article as possible, and second, to make them as appetizing as she can. Doubtless many a girl who will not eat plain food now could be taught to like things by getting her interested in cooking, for then she has to taste and make sure she has seasoned properly.

TURNIPS, CARROTS

Such winter vegetables as turnips, carrots and parsnips should be well washed, peeled, cut in small pieces and cooked in boiling salted water for sixty minutes, more or less, depending on the age of the vegetables, as the older they are the longer they will take to get tender. When sufficiently cooked they should be drained and may then be mashed, seasoned with pepper and salt and butter and served in a hot covered dish. Or if preferred they can be left in the cubes and served with our little cook's favorite white sauce poured over. If mashed they are to be served on the dinner plate, but if in cream sauce they will have to be put in individual sauce-dishes.

PARSNIPS

Plain boiled parsnips are delicious if cut in slices and fried in butter, as they acquire a sweetness not brought out in any other way of cooking. If the left-over quantity is mashed, it can be made into little flat cakes and browned in butter. The child should be encouraged to think of as many different ways as possible and then allowed to experiment and see the result.

WINTER SQUASH

Winter squash is good prepared in the same way as the mashed parsnips—that is, plain boiled and then mashed, but I prefer the Hubbard variety, cut in large squares and baked in the shell—without being peeled. Season before putting on the oven shelf, spread with a little butter and add a slight sprinkling of granulated sugar. This will take about three-quarters of an hour to bake, and should be a light brown over the top. The child may have some difficulty in cutting a Hubbard squash, as it is so hard, but she can prepare it after it has been cut for her.

DRIED LIMA BEANS

Put to soak half a pound of dried Lima beans in a small quantity of cold water. Next morning set where they will simmer slowly for two hours in salted water enough to cover. At dinner-time drain, and serve on the dinner plates simply seasoned with butter, pepper and salt. Or, if preferred, they can be served in sauce dishes, with white sauce.

BOILED CABBAGE

A nice way to serve cabbage hot is to chop fine after it has soaked half an hour in cold water, put on in boiling salted water, and cook in an open kettle with a pinch of soda, about forty minutes or until tender. Then drain and serve immediately with butter, pepper and salt, or with white sauce. Some people prefer to add simply a little vinegar, so find out the family taste.

BAKED BEANS

For a small family, soak one pint of the small navy beans over night, and next morning boil gently until nearly tender. Drain, throw away that water, and add a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoon of molasses and a cupful of boiling water. Cut a quarter of a pound of salt pork in small pieces, put half of the beans in a baking dish, add a layer of half the pork, fill up with the rest of the beans and lay the rest of the pork around over the top. Cover the beans with boiling water, put a tin over the dish, and bake a number of hours,—the longer the better. As the water boils away, add enough more to keep from burning, and half an hour before serving, uncover and allow to brown over the top. If a slow fire is going in the range, the beans will be the better for cooking most of the day, but they must be watched to keep from burning. However, they will taste very fine if boiled longer at first,—until perfectly tender, and then baked only an hour.

CREAMED ONIONS

Peel off the outside skin, cover with boiling water, cook five minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water, well salted. Cook until tender, the length of time depending on the size, then drain and serve in a hot covered vegetable dish with white sauce, made while the onions were cooking.

BAKED ONIONS

First boil as above directed, then lift into a piepan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place a small lump of butter in a little hole on top of each, and bake until brown.

ASPARAGUS

With the coming of the spring vegetables will be opened a new field for the child to explore. Asparagus, one of the first in the market, is considered one of the choicest, and it is also one of the most easily prepared. To retain all the delicate flavor many people think it should be served plain. For this, tie the asparagus in bunches, after washing carefully and snapping off the tough ends. Set upright in a deep kettle and pour over boiling salted water enough to reach nearly to the tips, but do not cover. The tender ends will cook enough at first, for ten minutes, in the steam, and then the bunches should be turned down sideways for thirty minutes more. Lift carefully with a skimmer, allowing the water to run off, lay on a hot platter, remove the strings and serve immediately with tiny lumps of butter and a dash of pepper over the top. Or the asparagus can be first cut in small lengths, boiled until tender in salted water, then drained, laid on hot toast and covered with cream sauce. As mentioned before, the water in which it has been cooked can be set away to be used for soup, with a few tips added if desired.

CUCUMBER JELLY

Take one pint of well-seasoned bouillon, and while still warm, add the quantity of gelatine stated on the package necessary to make one pint of jelly, and when thoroughly dissolved, set away until it begins to stiffen. Then slice one cucumber, after peeling and ridging the sides, season with salt and pepper, and lay in vinegar for a moment. Rinse out the mould in cold water, lay around the cucumber in any pattern desired, and fill up the mould with the thickening jelly. Leave on ice after set, until ready to serve.

STRING BEANS

Wax or string beans should be snapped in small pieces and all strings removed, then washed and put on to boil in hot salted water. Cook until tender (generally this requires about forty minutes), drain and serve in a hot dish with butter, pepper and salt, or, if preferred, the cream sauce. Our young cook will have many opportunities to use her recipe for white sauce with the spring vegetables, for almost all kinds are improved when it is added.

PEAS AND LIMA BEANS

Peas and Lima beans, after being shelled and covered with salted boiling water, are cooked until tender (forty to sixty minutes) and then served either plain, as directed for the beans, or with the cream sauce, which, by the way, is better for such vegetables if thinned with more milk than when used in other ways.

CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower, after being carefully washed, should be tied up in a piece of cheese-cloth to keep the shape, and after soaking for an hour in cold water, cooked in boiling salted water at least half an hour. When tender, it should be carefully lifted to the vegetable dish and the cream sauce poured around the base. A little chopped parsley scattered on top the sauce improves the appearance.

BEETS

Young beets have to be washed carefully to avoid breaking the skin, and have roots and half an inch of the tops left on while cooking. They should be kept covered with salted boiling water, and cooked until tender, allowing at least an hour for new beets, and possibly even three for old. When perfectly tender (on being tried by the prong of a kitchen fork), remove from the fire, drop into cold water for a moment to cool enough to slip off the skins, and then slice in a hot dish. They can be served plain, with butter, pepper and salt, although our grandmothers preferred the addition of a few spoonfuls of warm, thick cream. Many, however, like a little vinegar instead.

TOMATOES

Baked tomatoes are made by taking the fresh tomatoes, scooping out the centers and mixing with bread crumbs, seasoning with butter, pepper and salt, and then refilling the shell, sprinkling a few crumbs on top. They require about twenty minutes to bake, and can be served on rounds of toast, with cream sauce. In winter, however, canned tomatoes, alternated with layers of buttered bread, seasoned with butter, pepper and salt, are nice baked in a dish, with crumbs browned over the top.

GREEN CORN

Green corn "on the cob" must first have the husks and silk carefully removed and then be dropped into boiling salted water and kept boiling (under a cover) for from ten to twenty minutes, according to the age of the corn. If very fresh and tender, it will cook quickly, but it should be served as soon as removed from the water.

CORN OYSTERS

Any corn left from a meal can be grated off the cob and used for corn oysters. To one cupful of corn, add half a cup of milk, one beaten egg, half a teaspoon of salt, and one tablespoon of melted butter. Into this stir one-half cup of sifted flour, and bake like pancakes on a hot, well greased skillet. Be careful to avoid too hot a fire or they will scorch on the bottom before cooking through, and they must not be raw in the middle. It may be necessary to put a little extra butter in the pan when they are turned, but they have to be watched carefully all the time.

CHAPTER VIII

For the Unexpected Guest

Entertaining can be made easy by some forethought, and a little girl should be made to realize that hospitality, of all things, should be genuine. In the case of expected company it is well to get whatever is needed in plenty of time, but the unexpected guest should receive none the less cordial greeting while the housekeeper hurriedly reviews her resources in the way of material available.

One of the most important lessons to teach the little girl is that of making simple dishes so attractive that no hesitation need be felt in asking friends to share the family fare. This is particularly true in the case of dishes for supper. They should not require much extra work, but be quickly prepared and preferably of what one happens to have in the house. For a light supper it is desirable to have one hot dish, beside a warm bread, cold meat, fruit, cake and tea.

If the child has become proficient, she should be allowed as a special favor to make the baking-powder biscuits by herself. Have her use a small cutter not more than two inches in diameter, as small biscuits are more appetizing; and be sure to have them baked to a light brown.

POTATO SALAD

Potato salad makes a good chief dish for the unexpected guest and is easily prepared. The child should be told to select medium-sized potatoes, at least one for each person and after scrubbing with a brush to get perfectly clean, put on with boiling water enough to cover and boil gently until tender, then drain and set aside to cool. This can be done at dinner time, when the fire is hot, and save extra trouble. When the potatoes are cold the skins can be easily removed, and the potatoes then cut in thin slices. Next she should peel and cut in very thin slices one small onion (unless the family taste prefers more) and arrange the alternate layers of sliced potatoes and onions, well seasoned with salt and pepper, in a pretty salad bowl. It looks attractive, too, tossed lightly on lettuce leaves arranged on a small platter. Over the whole then pour the boiled salad dressing, or the French, as the family prefer, and when the potato salad is ready to serve it should be garnished with sprigs of parsley and slices of hard-boiled egg.

SCALLOPED OYSTERS

Scalloped oysters make a fine supper dish on a cold night, and there are several ways they can be prepared. The one I like best I will give first. The child should butter a number of thin slices of bread and spread on the bottom of a dripping-pan, laying on next a layer of oysters, with pepper and salt; then another layer of the thin buttered bread, another layer of oysters, and the top finished with a layer of bread, well seasoned. Over the whole pour the oyster juice and one-half cupful of milk. This will require from twenty to twenty-five minutes in a hot oven, when the bread on top will be toasted crisp. Many people like scalloped oysters prepared with crackers, and in that case the rolled cracker-crumbs are used instead of the bread, but the taste of the two dishes is different.

CREAMED OYSTERS

Cook one pint of oysters in their own liquor or in a few spoonsful of salted water until they curl at the edges. Have ready a thick cream sauce, stir in the oysters, and cook a few moments longer. Serve in baskets made by removing the inside of the light rolls, brushing with melted butter and browning in the oven. Make handles from crust, and insert after filling.

FRIED OYSTERS

To fry oysters, select large, choice ones, and dry in a napkin. Taking one at a time, roll in cracker crumbs, season with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, and cover thoroughly again with the rolled cracker. Spread out on a bread board and allow to stand a little while for this covering to set, then cook either in a skillet with a small amount of butter, or in deep fat, until lightly browned. Lift on to a piece of wrapping paper to drain, but keep hot, and serve garnished with parsley and sliced lemon.

WELSH RAREBIT

This is another good dish for an evening supper. Crumble half a pound of grated cheese, and put in a chafing-dish or a double boiler. Season with half a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of prepared mustard and a dash of red pepper. When it begins to melt, stir constantly, and as soon as it begins to look the least bit "stringy," pour in slowly a quarter of a cup of cream and one beaten egg. As this blends, add a teaspoonful of butter, cook until smooth, and serve immediately on rounds of hot toast or square soda crackers.

FRITTERS, APPLE AND BANANA

Fritters help out nicely, too, for company, and can be fried in a small quantity of very hot fat instead of in the deep fat if mother prefers. Sift one cup of flour, add one-quarter teaspoon salt, a tablespoon sugar, two-thirds of a cup of milk, one tablespoonful melted butter, and the yolk of one egg, beaten light. Stir to a smooth batter, add the stiffly beaten white, and lastly several sour apples, cut in thin slices, or three bananas, cut a little thicker. Drop by the spoonful in the smoking hot fat, set where they will not scorch, and if in a frying pan, turn over as soon as brown around the edges. Serve with powdered sugar.

MILK TOAST

Put on in a double boiler two cups of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, salt to your own taste, and allow to come to a boil. Have ready four squares of nicely browned toast, put in a hot vegetable dish, pour over the milk, clap on the cover, and serve at once. Some people like the milk thickened with a teaspoonful of flour that has first been moistened with a little cold milk, but I prefer it without.

Every housekeeper should impress on her young daughter the importance of keeping on hand a small quantity of canned goods to provide for the unexpected guest, and this should include sardines, salmon, shrimps, lobster, French peas, olives and orange marmalade. These things will all keep for months in a cool place, yet are indispensable in an emergency. The can of shrimps, opened and placed in cold water for a little while, will taste as good as the fresh, and the salmon, with the skin and bones removed, will be ready on short notice to be served in a number of ways.

CANNED FISH SALADS