Armour's Monthly CookBook

A Monthly Magazine Of Household Interest—.

VOL. II NO. 12

OCTOBER 1913.

CONTENTS

A Necessity in the Pantry [6]
Answers to Correspondents [22]
Baked Beans—A National Dish [21]
Baking Day [13]
Everyday Uses of Armour's Grape Juice [4]
From the Pantry Shelf [8]
Halloween [11]
Halloween Hints [6]
Hints for October [23]
Home Dressmaking [11]
Informal Porch Suppers [5]
Little Stories by Our Readers [18]
Making Money for the Church [19]
Prize Contest Story [9]
Sautéing and Frying [7]
Small Pieces from the Whole Ham [12]
Supplying the Meat Flavor [10]
The Daily Menu [14], [15], [16], [17]
The Subject of Desserts [4]
Where Does Your Housekeeping Money Go? [20]
Why Eat Fruit? [20]

The Garden in October

October is a fine time to plant every kind of "bulb, root and tuber," also all deciduous plants and shrubs, except those with thin bark or thick, fleshy roots (e.g., birch magnolia).

Clean up and burn diseased plants, manure the garden, plow it and leave it all winter.

Burn asparagus tops and manure the bed. Also make new asparagus and rhubarb beds and plant sets of extra early pearl onions for use next March. Put some parsley plants in a box and place it in a light cellar or in a shed.

Put some frozen rhubarb roots in a barrel of earth in the cellar where they will produce "pie-plant," for winter use. Dig chickory for salad and store in sand in a dry cellar. Blanch endive by tying lightly at the tips.

Pull up cabbages, leaving roots on, and stand upside down on shelf in cellar. Pick cranberries this month. Then cover the bog with a foot of water to drown bugs and to protect from frost. Rake up the fallen leaves and use as a mulch for flowers and shrubs. Hardwood leaves like oak and chestnut contain more plant food than those from soft wooded trees.—Garden and Farm Almanac. Doubleday, Page and Company.

Every Morning

A Little Crystal of Thought for Every Day in the Week

SUNDAY.

Most of us could manage to be fairly happy if we really tried to make the best of things.

MONDAY.

Don't get depressed even if things do seem to be going wrong at the moment. Depression will make matters worse rather than better. If you do your duty faithfully, the sun is sure to shine again sometime.

TUESDAY.

Many people pride themselves on their plain speaking. An ability to put things pleasantly is really far more valuable. Even fault-finding can be pleasantly done.

WEDNESDAY.

It always seems to me that God is probably less anxious that we should fulfil our tasks in life than that we should do our best.

THURSDAY.

Of the people who complain most bitterly that they have "no chance" probably a very small proportion would do great things if great opportunities came. "No chance" is a very old excuse.

FRIDAY.

Don't give way to selfishness—that detestable vice that we all find it so difficult to forgive in others.

SATURDAY.

Even if you don't like your work, try to do it well. It may lead on to your true vocation.

For the Automobile Visitor

It is the frequent experience of the housewife living in the country or suburbs these days to receive unexpected visits from friends who are touring in automobiles, and she finds she must have something attractive, dainty and nourishing ready at a moment's notice to supplement the cup of tea or coffee so welcome after a hot, dusty trip. It is a wise plan to keep a variety of Summer Sausage on hand, as in a very few minutes delicious sandwiches may be prepared with this, these sandwiches having the charm of novelty. It is impossible to deal in a short article with the many varieties of Summer Sausage, but there are three or four which can be touched upon. To have a thorough understanding of their goodness one must not only read about them but taste them. They are the staple diet in many foreign countries and in the Armour brand the native flavoring has been done with remarkable faithfulness—so much so that large quantities are shipped from this country every week to the countries where they originated.

Cervelat: This sausage is made of finest pork chopped fine, smoked and air dried. It is highly spiced. A very delicious way to serve this is to cut thin slices of white bread in rounds just the size of the sausage. Put the meat, cut very thin, between the slices of bread and toast for a minute with a very hot fire. This keeps the exposed sides absolutely dry and the sandwich can be eaten without a fork.

German Salami: This sausage will be much appreciated by people who like the smoky flavor of ham and bacon. In it the meat is chopped a little coarser than in the Cervelat, and the spicing is the same as that used in Germany. Serve cut very thin, with rye or bran bread.

Lackschinken: This is a very delicately flavored German titbit. It is made of boneless pork loins cured in mild sweet pickle before smoking. It makes delicious sandwiches with white or brown bread sliced thin and lightly buttered.

Mortadella, a favorite Italian sausage, is made from lean pork ham meat chopped very fine. The flavoring is delicious, the careful blending of spices giving a distinctly foreign touch.

In many restaurants throughout the country they serve, as in foreign countries, a slice or two of Summer Sausage as an appetizer before beginning the meal. This custom is rapidly spreading into the home, and Summer Sausage now has an established place in the daily bill of fare.

Armour's Monthly Cook Book

Copyright, 1913, by Armour and Company

A Magazine Devoted to the Interests of Women

Vol. II

OCTOBER, 1913

No. 12

All true work is sacred; in all work, were it but true hand labour, there is something of divineness.—CARLYLE.

Editorial

In Germany the government maintains a system of education in what is called intensive farming. Through instructors who go about the country, the farmers are taught how to get a bigger yield from the same area of soil. The work of these wonderful teachers is supplemented by women domestic science teachers who in the same manner visit the homes in their districts and instruct the good Haus Frau on how to improve, economize, and systematize in kitchen and household work.

The manner in which these women instruct is, I am sure, of especial interest to the Cook Book readers, inasmuch as the method is in a way practically the same as what the Cook Book is doing. Where they teach by hand and mouth the Cook Book has taught through its exchange of ideas, contest stories, and recipe contests, the object being the same in both cases that of instruction, education and economy in the kitchen and saving of steps in the housework.

It is truly said of Germans that they are the most frugal and economical of all people. In the past the usual method has been to exert this frugality with what is already on hand in the larder left-overs, so to speak. One point of the modern instruction of these wandering domestic science teachers, as they go from home to home, is to show the economy of systematic buying of groceries, meats and vegetables. Where the practice in the past has been to buy a little, so there is not much expenditure of money, German housewives are now taught the economy of buying in bulk, because it is cheaper, and there is never any waste of food in a German home, no matter how much of it there may be on hand.

Neither is there any good reason why there should be any waste of food in an American home. Economy or frugality comes from knowing how, and not from any stingy purpose, as some ill-advised people think.

The methods of these teachers show that this wonderful nation is alive to the fact that the high cost of living is in our own waste and carelessness, that oftentimes we do not make the most of what we have or what we are given to do with.

The Subject of Desserts

Although a meal satisfies your hunger you should have dessert, because the educated palate craves that particular spice as a proper finish. Scientists tell us that a dinner digests better because of a tasty dessert, which, they say, gives the final stimulus necessary to dispose of the food previously received.

The simple desserts are the best desserts, and none is more pleasing to the eye and the palate or so easily made or so frequently served in an imperfect manner, than custards.

With a supply of good eggs in the pantry the housewife need never be at a loss for a tasty custard, and if she is wise enough to buy Armour's Fancy Selects when she orders eggs from her market man their goodness will be reflected in her desserts. Aside from their goodness their extra large size will always recommend their use to the wise housewife. They come packed in an extra large carton.

Custard Puddings

These being the more easily made may be considered first. They may either be steamed or baked but the mixture is the same in either case. Allow two eggs and a teaspoonful of sugar to each half pint of milk. Beat the eggs with sugar thoroughly, but do not froth them, as the custard must be as smooth and free from holes as possible. Add the milk slowly, also a few drops of flavoring essence—vanilla, almonds or lemon. Pour into a buttered mould (or into individual moulds), set in a pan of hot water and bake until firm. Chill thoroughly and turn out on serving dish. Serve with sugar and cream. A pleasing addition to the above is made by garnishing the sides of the mould with strips of Canton ginger before pouring in the custard.

Coffee Custard

Make an infusion of coffee by pouring half a pint of boiling milk on a heaping tablespoonful of powdered coffee. Put it aside to settle, and when cold strain off the milk and use with the eggs as in previous recipe.

Boiled Custard

This is also made from milk and eggs and is usually served instead of cream with stewed or preserved fruit. "Boiled" custard is rather a misnomer as on no account must the boiling point be reached in cooking, for if the custard bubbles it curdles. As soon as the custard begins to thicken the saucepan must be taken from the fire and the stirring continued for a second or two longer. If the cooking is done in a double boiler the risk of boiling is very much lessened.

Everyday Uses of Armour's Grape Juice

Give your family Armour's Grape Juice as an everyday beverage and their bodies will be kept healthy without drugs.

Instead of serving fruit in the morning serve a wineglassful of Armour's Grape Juice undiluted. If taken at the beginning of breakfast do not add ice. For children, water may be added if desired.

In moistening mincemeat use Armour's Grape Juice instead of jelly or wine. In making "Brown Betty" use Armour's Grape Juice instead of water and molasses and you will find it richer and more delicious.

In making sauce for all kinds of fruit puddings, use Armour's Grape Juice, hot or cold, thickened when necessary with a little cornstarch.

When making fruit salad to be served as a dessert, pour over the mixed fruits, immediately before serving, a cup of Armour's Grape Juice.

In serving grape fruit, after carefully removing the white pith, pour over each portion a wineglassful of Armour's Grape Juice.

Many people find it difficult to take raw eggs when recommended by their doctor. This difficulty is removed by breaking the egg into a glass of Armour's Grape Juice. The egg is swallowed easily and in addition to the nourishment obtained there is the tonic value of the rich fruit from which the grape juice is taken.

The Sweet Places

I want to go back to the sweet mysterious places,
The crook in the creek-bed nobody knew but me,
Where the roots in the bank thrust out strange knotty faces,
Scaring the squirrels who stole there timidly.

I want to lie under the corn and hear it rustle,
Cool and green in a long, straight, soldierly row,
I am tired of white-faced women and men of iron.
I want to go back where the country grasses grow.

To the well-remembered pasture's shadiest corner,
Where under the trees the wild ferns wove their laces;
Hearing the whip-poor-will's voice in its strange, rich sadness—
I want to go back to the old beloved places.

Unafraid

Sleep lifts the flower-soul with gentle hand,
And breathes upon it till the petals close
Softly and drowsily; and, faint, there grows
A melody from some far shining strand.
The waking vision's holden to, till, fanned
By vagrant winds from distant ports, it blows
The singing lips of dreams into the rose.
The white Night leans to kiss the nodding land.
Thus, in a kindred way, will Brother Death
At the appointed hour let fall his breath
Upon my soul, which such kind dreamlessness
Of pillowing, after Life's storm and stress.
I shall lie unafraid, my petals furled,
To bloom anew within some fairer world.

—Exchange

To Bleach White Silk

When either white silk fabric or embroidery has become yellowed from careless washing, it may be bleached in the following manner:

Dissolve two ounces each of salt and oxalic acid in six quarts of cold water.

Soak the silk in this until the yellow tinge disappears. This will take about an hour in ordinary cases.

Rinse immediately in several clear waters.

VERIBEST CANNED MEATS—save work and worry

Informal Porch Suppers

If you are fortunate enough to possess a wide porch or a stretch of lawn do not forget your less fortunate friends, and give an occasional informal party there while the weather is still fine. Food always tastes so much better in the fresh air and when friends are present it makes the affair nothing more than a kind of glorified picnic. There are few more pleasant ways of entertaining than by giving a porch party. It is very little trouble to arrange an affair of this kind—less than the average picnic indeed—and grown people usually enjoy it more as it is much more comfortable to sit in a chair before a real table than to perch on a log or rock while eating. A porch party is an ideal way of entertaining for the woman who has to do her own work. Most of the dishes can be prepared the day before, making the serving easier.

If not convenient to have a large table a number of small card tables placed close together will answer the purpose. Charming table sets of white crepe paper can be bought for very little and save very materially in the doing up of the linen.

Prepare as much as possible early in the day. If you have sandwiches wrap them in a damp napkin; if cold drinks are wanted have them well chilled, your glasses and straws handy, have your silver and china ready at hand so that when your guests arrive you may devote your time and attention to them. The following menus are not hard to prepare and the dishes will be found most palatable and suited to every purse: Veribest Canned Meats, the standby of the housewife who combines economy of time with excellence of quality, are used in many of them. There is a wide range of these meats delicious and many ways of using them. Every pantry should have at least one shelf devoted to them so that the housewife need never be at a loss for the basis of a good meal.

Ham Moussé

One tablespoonful granulated gelatine, one half cup hot water, one can Veribest Deviled Ham, teaspoonful mustard (mixed), one half cup rich cream.

Dissolve the gelatine in the hot water, and add to the ham; season with the mustard, add the cream beaten stiff and pour into a mould which has been previously wet with cold water. Chill. Turn out to serve and garnish with parsley.

Creamed Chicken

Make a plain white sauce of one tablespoonful butter, one tablespoonful flour and one cup of milk with seasoning of salt and pepper. When this is ready add the contents of a can of Veribest Boned Chicken, gently pulling apart the flakes of meat with a fork. When thoroughly heated serve in a roll which has been hollowed out for the purpose, with a garnish of cooked asparagus stalks.

Tongue Toast

Remove the contents of a can of Veribest Lunch Tongue and cut in dice. Add a little cream and the beaten yolk of one egg. Simmer for a few minutes and serve on squares of toast.

Potatoes au Gratin

Dice enough cold boiled potatoes to measure one pint. Put one tablespoonful of butter and the same amount of flour in a saucepan with a little salt and pepper. Cook till well mixed, then add one cupful of milk and stir until smooth and thick. Add the potatoes and simmer five minutes, then pour into a buttered, shallow baking dish. Mix one scant cupful of fine, dry bread crumbs with one tablespoonful of melted butter, spread over the potatoes and place in a hot oven until the crumbs are a golden brown, then serve hot.

Marshmallow Pudding

Make a plain lemon jelly, adding a little sherry wine if desired. Put a layer of sliced marshmallows in the bottom of the mold, and when the jelly has begun to set spread a little of it over them. Continue with jelly and marshmallows till the mold is full, then put away to harden. Serve with whipped cream.

A Dainty Dessert

Lemon and grape juice frappé is another cool dessert that is also light. To make it, boil a pint of water with two cupfuls of granulated sugar for ten minutes and cool it. Then add a little cinnamon and half a cupful of lemon juice, and lastly a quart of Armour's grape juice. Freeze and serve in cups, with a little of the grape juice.

Shelving Responsibility

"I'll ask my husband."

"I don't think my husband would allow me to do that."

"I'm sure Jack would say 'No.'"

Do you know the wife who, whenever she does not want to do anything, always places the responsibility on her husband's shoulders?

She knows quite well that she can do almost anything she likes with her husband, and that there are really precious few things that he would say "No" to her doing, but she finds that to say her husband would never allow her to do this, or that, is a very easy way of saying "No" to people without offending them.

But it's not quite fair on the husband really, because, after a time, people begin to think that he really must be rather a bear to be so strict with his wife.

And he gets disliked, very often, accordingly.

If you don't want to do a thing, say so; don't make your husband the scapegoat.

Of course the wife who does this kind of thing never dreams that people will blame her husband: it's just a convenient fiction to her.

But people are apt to think less of her husband because of it.

So you'll be wise to find some other excuse when excuses are necessary.—Exchange.

A Necessity in the Pantry

"How can you get along without a ham in the house?" asked one housewife of another; "to me it is as necessary as anything we ever have in our pantry."

This housewife, in saying the above, echoed the sentiments of many others. There is no meat more "necessary" in the house than good ham. Not only is the meat there in all its nutriment but it is preserved—that is, cured and smoked—in such a way that there is given to it a piquancy which whets the appetite and gives a stimulus to the gastric juices, thus aiding—so the doctors tell us—the process of digestion.

In so many cases of convalescence where the appetite is flagging and the digestion weak, ham and bacon are prescribed, both for their tonic and nutritive value.

On the crisp snappy mornings of autumn when a hearty breakfast is necessary and the appetite has not yet recovered from the jading effects of the hot weather what could be more tempting and more nourishing than a slice of broiled ham—broiled just enough to be thoroughly cooked and yet not enough to discolor the delicious appetising pink color of the meat. Even the aroma thrown out in the process of cooking sends a tempting appeal to the stomach that is impossible to resist.

Buying a whole ham at a time is the best and most economical way of buying ham, as experience will prove. It can be boiled or baked whole and sliced for whatever purpose intended. When baked ham is broiled for breakfast it requires to be cooked just long enough to get hot all the way through.

It is many years since the curing of ham was first tried and in those years much has been accomplished. Today Armour's Star Hams represent perfection in cured ham. In them the highest quality is allied to skillful curing and careful smoking.

From many thousand hams those intended for the Star brand are chosen; the process of curing is a specialty of Armour and Company, and careful smoking over green hickory logs gives the final necessary touch.

They say "the proof of the pudding is the tasting of it" and this applies to Armour's Star Hams as well.

[Many ways of using this, to most people, necessary meat, will be found on page 12.]

Built in Cupboards and Shelves Economize on Space and are Especially Nice for Linens

Halloween Hints

Witch Apples

Bake large apples from which the core has been removed until soft, but not long enough to burst the skin. When cooked, insert a marshmallow into the core space, put a teaspoonful of sugar on top and a few maraschino cherries. When ready to serve turn over each a scant teaspoonful of brandy and light just as the table is reached. The brandy will burn with a ghastly flame and melt the sugar and marshmallows. Whipped cream served in a bowl is a delicious addition.

Witch Cake

Cream one half cupful of butter with one and one half cupfuls of sugar; add three eggs and beat five minutes; add one cupful of milk. Sift together one third cupful of cornstarch, and two cupfuls of flour, one and one half teaspoonfuls of ground mixed spices, and three teaspoonfuls of baking powder; then add to the mixture. Now add one cupful of seeded floured raisins, also one cupful of chopped nuts. Turn into a well greased loaf cake pan and bake in a moderate oven about forty-five minutes. Frost with a white boiled icing. Melt sweet chocolate to equal one third cupful, flavor with a teaspoonful of lemon juice, add one cupful of boiled chestnuts which have been run through the meat grinder, and enough confectionery sugar to make a paste easily handled. Roll and cut (by pasteboard pattern) black cats or any other Halloween figure, press them into the icing on the sides of the cake.

Sautéing and Frying

"What is the difference between sautéing potatoes and frying them?" asks a young housekeeper from South Dakota in the Day's Work, and as the subject is of much importance and deserving of more space than may be given to it in the correspondence columns it is answered here.

In a word, to sauté—pronounced sotay—anything, is to cook it in a shallow frying pan with a little fat, turning as one side is browned to let the other color. Cooked potatoes are often warmed over this way. To "fry" potatoes, croquettes, etc., is to cook them in deep boiling fat, immersing the object to be fried while the fat is boiling hot.

That is the difference between sautéing and frying but there are one or two points about frying—this much abused way of cooking—that must be borne in mind if one would have the best results. In frying, a deep kettle must be used and it is wise to keep one for this purpose only. The one called a Scotch bowl is especially made for this purpose and is most satisfactory.

Use only the best fat for frying—an absolutely pure leaf lard which contains neither water nor salt and have your kettle two thirds full, that is, deep enough to quite cover the article to be fried. Once started, this quantity must be kept up, as it reduces slightly with each frying, but the same fat may be used again and again if care be taken to keep it clean and of a good color. After each frying let the fat cool a little and strain to remove crumbs, etc., which would otherwise burn and spoil the fat. If strained when very hot it is apt to unsolder the strainer. Wipe the kettle clean, return the strained lard and set aside until wanted again.

French Fried Potatoes are sliced thin or cut lengthwise in strips laid in ice water for half an hour; then dried thoroughly between two towels and plunged into boiling deep fat. As soon as they are delicately browned they are fished out with a split spoon and laid in a hot colander to drain off every drop of fat. Serve at once.

German Fried Potatoes are as a rule cooked and cold before they are sautéed. Some prefer them to the French. To many minds they never get quite rid of the stale taste that clings to the cold potato. The same may be said of stewed cold, cooked potatoes. The least objectionable way of serving them as left-overs is to sauté them.

Simple Furniture of Quaint Shape and Design

"To have bread excite thankfulness, and a drink of water send the heart to God, is better than sighs for the unattainable. To plough a straight furrow on Monday, or dust a room well on Tuesday, or kiss a bumped forehead on Wednesday, is worth more than the most ecstatic thrill under Sunday eloquence. Spirituality is seeing God in common things and showing God in common tasks."—MALTBIE D. BACOCK.

The School Child's Sleep

The mother who has a child at school may not be able to help him with his lessons, but there is one thing she can do for him which will benefit him even more, and that is to see that he gets enough sleep.

Insufficient sleep affects the nerves, the temper, the digestion, the mental quickness, and even the morals of children. The child who gets enough sleep is the one who is bright and quick mentally, who grows normally and well, who eats properly and who is not peevish and irritable.

An early supper and an early bedtime are the things for the school child. Then put him in a well-ventilated bedroom and let him have ten or eleven full hours of slumber and he'll wake up bright and healthy and good, too.

Many of the little whining nervous children we see are simply suffering from lack of sleep. Many small naughtinesses simply come from tired nerves and weariness of mind and body. So many mothers notice such a difference in the behavior of children once they have started to school and are at a loss to understand the reason. It is because the daily nap which the child took before he went to school has been given up, but the bedtime hour has not been changed. Consequently the nerves of the child suffer.

Try giving the school child supper at half past five, a nourishing and easily digested supper, too. Then at eight, promptly pack him off to bed. If he doesn't sleep let him sip a cup of hot milk, and sit beside him until he drowses off. Sleep is largely a habit and will be easily acquired in a few evenings. And oh, the difference it will make to the child in every way.—Exchange.

Hints on Picture Hanging

Hang the pictures from the ceiling or picture rail by means of a thin cord as nearly as possible the color of the walls. When this is done you may, if you like, fill up the spaces left above the smaller pictures by placing therein a miniature, or an old blue plate, or a little plaster relief. This arrangement gives all the space, above or below, upon which to rest your eyes, and is infinitely preferable to the usual way of hanging pictures one over the other or all up and down the walls. Fishing line makes an excellent substitute for picture wire and is much less conspicuous.

From the Pantry Shelf

Keeping the pantry shelf supplied with foods that are easily prepared and served is one of the things which mark the careful housewife. The Veribest list of prepared foods embraces soups, meats, baked beans and many varieties of potted ham, veal, chicken, etc., all of which are perfect. Their use means a saving of time, fuel and energy—with satisfaction for the whole family.

CHICKEN MOUSSÉ

One cup of chicken stock (made from Armour's Chicken Bouillon Cubes), one half teaspoon of salt, a pinch of celery salt, one cup of Armour's Veribest Boned Chicken, two teaspoons of granulated gelatine, two tablespoons of cold water, one cup of beaten cream, one tablespoon of chopped olives, and whites of two eggs. Heat the stock, seasoning and gelatine which has been soaked in cold water. When dissolved, add the chicken finely minced with fork, and the cream. Beat well and fold in the well-beaten whites of eggs. Pour into buttered molds and chill for two or three hours. Serve as salad with mayonnaise.—MRS. A. E. RICHESON, 830 Canal St., Mt. Vernon, Ind.

CHICKEN AND MACARONI

Put one half package of macaroni in boiling salted water and boil until tender. Drain off all but a very little water and add grated cheese. Stir well, cover and keep hot until the cheese is melted. Have ready a cream sauce made from milk, flour and butter, and when hot add one can of Armour's Veribest Boned Chicken. Mix the macaroni and creamed chicken lightly, and serve on buttered hot toast.—MRS. H. B. HILL, Sarver, Pa.

CASSEROLE OF RICE AND BEEF

One can of Armour's Veribest Roast Beef, one half teaspoon of salt, one fourth teaspoon of pepper, one egg, one tablespoon of chopped parsley, one fourth cup of fine bread crumbs and three cups of cooked rice. Season the meat and mix with crumbs and egg. Add just enough stock to bind. Make stock of one fourth teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef and one half cup of hot water. Line a mold with half the rice. Fill with the seasoned meat and cover with the remainder of the rice. Cover tightly and steam thirty minutes. Serve with tomato sauce.—MRS. FRANK GROUNDWATER, Elma, Wash.

JELLIED VEAL

Make a rich gravy by browning one tablespoon of flour in one tablespoon of Armour's Simon Pure Leaf Lard, and add one large onion cut fine, one fresh tomato or tomato pulp, and one teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef. Season with salt and pepper and let the gravy simmer until it thickens, then add one can of Veribest Veal Loaf, and mix it thoroughly in the gravy. Dissolve a package of gelatine in boiling water and mix it thoroughly with the veal and gravy. Put aside to cool and then set it in refrigerator for a few hours. Slice and garnish with parsley and a few slices of lemon.—MRS. VIOLA MICHEL BODE, 2865 Fortin Street, New Orleans, La.

MACARONI MILANAISE

Cook one half package of macaroni in three quarts of salted water (boiling) until tender. Drain well and cover with cold water for ten minutes or more. Cook one can of tomatoes for fifteen minutes with a bay leaf, a bit of mace, onion, cloves, parsley, salt and pepper. Strain and thicken with one fourth cup each of butter and flour blended together. Drain macaroni again and mix with the sauce. Add one cup of chopped green peppers parboiled, and one can of Veribest Tongue chopped, and put in baking dish. Sprinkle top with grated cheese or buttered cracker crumbs and bake one half hour.—MRS. C. F. FRANKLIN, 214 North Union Avenue, Shawnee, Okla.

CREAMED CHIPPED BEEF ON TOAST

One half can of Armour's Veribest Chipped Beef, two tablespoons of cornstarch, a little paprika, one and one half cups of milk, and three fourths cup of tomato catsup. Heat the milk and add the cornstarch which has previously been moistened with cold water, add the paprika, and stir until thickened. Then add catsup, stir in the beef and let it become thoroughly heated. Serve on hot buttered toast.—EDITH EVELYN RUNGE, 15th Ave. and Ray St., Spokane, Wash.

ITALIAN TONGUE

Slice one Veribest Canned Tongue and pour over it the following sauce: Put one half cup of olive oil in a sauce pan and when hot add one pint of tomatoes, a teaspoon of salt, twelve olives pitted and cut in two, one bayleaf, two cloves, one fourth cup of chopped raisins. Let boil, then simmer forty-five minutes. Pour over the tongue and serve.—MRS. L. R. FINK, New Ulm, Texas.

SCALLOPED TONGUE

One cup of brown sauce, made with Armour's Extract of Beef, one can of Veribest Ox Tongue, split, one half cup of buttered crumbs, one tablespoon of catsup, one teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce. Sprinkle baking dish with crumbs, and arrange the split tongues in dish. Pour over them the sauce to which catsup and Worcestershire Sauce have been added. Cover with the remainder of the crumbs and bake in hot oven until the crumbs are brown.—MRS. C. B. COLPITTS, Kansas City, Mo.

LUNCHEON DISH

Split and broil Veribest Vienna Style Sausage and place between hot buttered toast. Add a crisp, dry lettuce leaf and a thin spread of mayonnaise. Serve in folded napkin with olives and sweet pickles.—MRS. R. F. THURSTON, 2717 26th Avenue, Fruitvale, Cal.

BEEF BALLS

Two cans of Armour's Veribest Potted Meat, one onion minced very fine, three cups of mashed potato, salt and pepper to season, and one egg. Beat well and form into balls. Roll them in flour and fry in deep hot Simon Pure Leaf Lard. Garnish with parsley or lettuce leaves and serve hot.—MRS. M. E. BESSEY, 133 Main St., Biloxi, Miss.

HASH WITH SPANISH SAUCE

With one can of Armour's Veribest Corn Beef Hash mix one cup of boiled potatoes chopped fine. Season to taste and sauté in hot Simon Pure Lard until brown, and pour over the following sauce: Boil together for ten minutes one can of Armour's Veribest Tomato Soup, one half can of shredded pimentoes, one half can of button mushrooms; season with salt, paprika, butter and a small amount of onion juice.—MRS. J. M. AINGELL, 2704 Nueces, Austin, Texas.

CALGARIAN SALAD

Chop one tin of Armour's Veribest Boned Chicken. To this add one cucumber pared and cubed, one cup of chopped walnuts, one half cup of French peas, one cup of celery washed, scraped and cut into small pieces. Moisten with mayonnaise, mold in bowl, mask with dressing. Garnish with strips of canned red peppers and celery tips.—MRS. G. B. CONTTS, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

"Kissing don't last; Cookery do."—GEORGE MEREDITH.

Saving Steps in the Kitchen

The kitchen should be characterized by cleanliness, system and order. Two maxims that will help save steps are: "A place for everything, and everything in its place;" and "Plan your work, then work your plan."

1. Arrange kitchen as conveniently and systematically as possible. Walls and floors should be easily cleaned. No superfluous furnishings or worn-out utensils should be tolerated. Arrange stove, sink, shelves, table or kitchen cabinet near together and in logical order, so that in preparing a dish one can move from raw material at table or cabinet around to the washed dish at sink. Have shelves and hooks within easy reach. Have drain-board and shelves for dishes convenient to sink. Keep stove lifters and cloths for managing hot dishes upon hooks near stove. Arrange those utensils and raw materials in constant use close at hand, placing utensils used in same kind of work together. In storeroom and pantry arrange shelves in certain order, with things seldom used on highest shelves and those used oftener on lower shelves. Place together ingredients used for salad-making, as vinegar, mustard, etc.; things used in laundry together, etc. Other groups will suggest themselves. Keep all groceries possible in air-tight labelled cans or glass jars.

2. Stock your kitchen with as many labor-saving devices as you can afford, making sure they are suited to your needs. Keep all utensils and tools in good repair. Glass oven-doors, small tables upon rollers which can be wheeled into dining room, indexed cook books and clipping-files are step-savers.

3. Plan each day's work ahead and have materials and utensils for that day's work handy.

4. Do all kitchen work in a certain order, using that routine which experience has proved best.

5. Think before you step. When in storeroom or pantry bring as many needed articles as possible at one time. Baskets and waiters are great helps here. In preparing a certain dish first gather together all necessary ingredients and utensils. Do not begin work until everything is ready. When possible prepare several things for the stove at once.

6. Clean and straighten as you go, replacing disarranged utensils, etc. Have plenty of hot water handy, placing in soak those articles which cannot be washed immediately. While preparing one meal do as much as possible toward getting the next ready. If meals are planned ahead, many things for supper can be cooked with the noon-day meal, also the breakfast cereal. After each meal leave everything ship-shape for the next.

Mrs. L. H. McRaven, Meridian, Miss.

"Nobody knows the work it takes
To keep the home together;
Nobody knows the steps it takes,
Nobody knows but Mother."

Keep a small market basket handy. In it place the things to be taken upstairs when you are going up and when you are making the beds and dusting, the things which are to be brought down.

"Make your head save your heels." Think, in making trips to pantry, cellar or icebox if you cannot both take things and bring others on the same trip.

Keep a chair or revolving stool in the kitchen and whenever possible sit down to work. Vegetable paring, cake beating and even washing and ironing may be done sitting.

Have a method in your work. Occasionally take time to sit down and think over the day's work, and remember how many unnecessary steps you took yesterday.

Have your kitchen shelves arranged to suit your own height, so that there is no unnecessary straining to reach up or bending over to reach one set too low.

Supplying the Meat Flavor

There are many meat dishes very nourishing and wholesome which are total failures because of their lack of flavor. This lack of flavor seriously impairs their value in nutriment. A little Armour's Extract of Beef will in every case provide that touch of flavor which appeals to the palate and finds ready response from the digestive juices of the stomach. This extract is very highly concentrated, so that only a little is required.

RICE SOUP

Dissolve one teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef in one quart of water, add one half cup of cooked rice, and a tablespoon of onion juice. Add one teaspoon of celery seed and cover closely. Simmer ten minutes and just before serving add one fourth cup of sweet cream or a tablespoon of butter. If too thick, add a little boiling water or milk.—-MRS. W. V. COPELAND, 227 N. Lake Street, Topeka, Kans.

SPINACH AND SAUCE

After spinach has boiled for twenty minutes in salt water, drain it and serve with this sauce: Dissolve one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef in a cup of hot water, add two tablespoons of butter, break in two eggs and use half teaspoon of lemon juice. Stir constantly and cook for a few minutes.—MRS. W. I. COLE, Punta Gorda, Fla.

TOMATO ASPIC JELLY

One fourth teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef, one can of Veribest Tomato Soup, one half package of gelatine, three hard-boiled eggs, and chopped olives. Heat the soup with an equal amount of water. Soak the gelatine in half cup of cold water and dissolve in the soup. Add Extract of Beef dissolved in a little water. Let cool. Add chopped hard boiled eggs and olives. If there is cold chicken at hand, a half cup of chicken chopped will improve the jelly. Pour into mold and put on ice. Serve with mayonnaise on lettuce leaves.—MRS. R. M. BRUMBY, Anona, Fla.

STUFFED TOMATOES

Remove seeds and centers from six tomatoes. Chop three green peppers and one onion and fry in butter until the onions begin to brown. Add a small lump of butter, some chopped nuts and dried bread crumbs, salt and pepper to season, and one third cup of hot water in which one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef has been dissolved. Put the tomatoes in baking pan and fill with this mixture. Sprinkle crumbs over tops and bake fifteen minutes.—MRS. L. C. STUMP, 444 N. Denver Ave., Kansas City, Mo.

BREAD OMELET

Cut one cup of stale bread into tiny bits, beat the yolks of two eggs, add a pint of milk and the crumbs. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef. Let stand ten minutes, and then sauté in Armour's Simon Pure Leaf Lard until a nice brown. Add the whites whipped just a moment before taking from the fire.—ELLA R. STAHL, Roundup, Mont.

FRIED ONIONS

Into a small amount of hot butter slice six good-sized green onions, tops and all. Cook until wilted, add a little water and boil until it has evaporated. Scramble in a spoonful of Armour's Beef Extract, three eggs, pepper and salt to taste. Cook until creamy and serve hot.—MRS. OLLIE H. THOMAS, Mansfield, Ark.

MUSHROOM SAUCE

Use the liquor from one can of mushrooms and enough water to make one cupful. Chop the mushrooms, add one teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef, and slightly thicken with flour blended with water. Cook six minutes and serve with broiled steak.—GRACE M. SEARS.

PEA SOUP

One can of peas, one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef, two tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon of flour, one teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper, one half teaspoon of sugar, one quart of milk or half milk and half cream. Rinse the peas, add some water and boil until soft, then rub through a colander. Add Armour's Extract of Beef to hot water and peas, making one quart in all. Melt the butter and add the flour, then gradually the hot soup. Cook until smooth, add the seasoning, and the milk and cream last.—KATHERINE SORLIE, Buxton, N. Dak.

CORN SOUP

Cook in two tablespoons of butter one onion and one sprig of parsley (cut fine) for five minutes. Add one cup of chopped corn and a cup of hot water in which has been dissolved one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef. Cook fifteen minutes. Add salt, pepper, one cup of milk, and bind with two tablespoons of flour and butter blended. Serve with toasted croutons.—MISS AMANDA STEVENS, South Lee, N. H.

JELLIED BOUILLON SALAD

Make a clear bouillon, using one teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef to one pint of hot water. Dissolve one spoon of powdered gelatine and stir into the hot liquid. Stir in a few button mushrooms sliced, or some cold veal. Add the pulp of one orange, having it peeled, sliced and torn in sections. When cool turn into cups or molds moistened with cold water. Stir and divide the material about equal in each cup. Set on ice to harden. Slice firm tomatoes and lay one each on lettuce leaf. Turn the bouillon molds onto these and place a large spoon of dressing over each.—MRS. SADETTE HARRINGTON, Elkhorn, Wis.

EGG SANDWICHES

Mash six hard-boiled eggs very fine, adding pepper, salt and a small lump of butter. Mix with one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef dissolved in a tablespoon of hot water, and one third cup of mayonnaise dressing. Add one cup of finely chopped pecans or peanuts. Mix well and serve between fresh crackers and thin slices of bread.—NELLIE TONEY, 215 West Church St., Greenwood, Miss.

POTATO PUFFS

Bake four large potatoes and put them through potato ricer. Season with butter, salt and white pepper and add one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef. Beat into this the stiffly beaten white of one egg. Mold this well and roll out on molding board. Cut into cakes and place on buttered sheet. Bake in hot oven until a golden brown. Serve on platter with meat, garnished with cress or parsley. MISS S. MAY KIMBALL, 7 Tahanto St., Concord, N. H.

WILTED LETTUCE SALAD

Wash two heads of lettuce and lay them on ice until wanted, then cut in small bits and lay in salad dish, adding salt. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil and pour over the lettuce. To one half cup of white wine vinegar add one teaspoon of sugar, one half teaspoon of Armour's Extract of Beef, one tablespoon of mayonnaise dressing. Pour over the lettuce and garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.—LOUISE MALLOY, 464 Bayou St., Batesville, Ark.

Armour's Star Ham—for half a century the best

Home Dressmaking

This is an age of good ready made clothes and it is also an age of clever amateur dressmaking. With excellent patterns which may be easily handled there is no reason why the woman who can sew should not make her own clothes, and have smart clothes at a reasonable price—that is, provided she has the time to give to sewing.

Before starting a dress—even before buying—make a tour of the shops and see for yourself what is being worn with a keen eye for the little details which lift a gown from the home made to the professional class. If you live far from town and can not go to the shops look through the magazines which make a feature of dress and study what is best suited to your particular style and requirements. Study materials and buy economically, which means paying a little more if necessary rather than have shoddy goods.

Good patterns are essential and these usually have full directions as to the manner of using. It is a very good plan to have a pattern drafted to your own measure but if you have not this take some finished garment which is satisfactory (unless there is someone at hand to take the measures that a person cannot very well take for herself) and measure the lengths in different places such as front, back and under lengths on a blouse and the width across both back and front where it is broadest. Write these down and proceed to take the same measures on the pattern to be used. In taking measures be sure to take a correct position or it will be impossible to get correct measures and you cannot hope for success if this—the initial step—is taken wrongly. For instance, stand erect with the chest raised and the abdomen held in and you will find in taking the width measures across to where the arms and body join the armhole will be straight and even looking instead of pointing in and out in places.

Make sure of your measures before starting to apply your pattern to the cloth. A careful study of this will save many irreparable mistakes later.

Halloween

The date of this oldtime celebration is always October 31st, the crucial moment 12 o'clock. To be sure, the original observance of All Hallows Eve has been considerably distorted during the course of years but the fun it affords the young folks in its present manner of keeping cannot be gainsaid and needs no changing. Halloween is the night when a magic spell enthrals the earth. Witches, bogies, brownies and elves are all abroad to use their power. Superstition proves true, witchery is recognized and the future may be read in a hundred and one ways.

No occasion gives more opportunity of enjoyment and no party is gayer than a Halloween party.

It is not necessary to spend a great deal of money in giving a Halloween party. With a little time, some suitable paper and a pair of sharp scissors the witches, pumpkin faces, cats and bats, which are the distinctive features of this decoration, may be easily made at home. Yellow, red and black are the colors and the most fascinating crepe paper can be had for a few cents. This is the best material to use, as it lends itself so well to all sorts of schemes.

Not only is it made in plain colors which may be decorated at will but for every festival and occasion there are special designs which make the work of decoration very easy indeed.

For Halloween there is a design of witches with brooms, or cats and bats in black on a yellow ground. This is ready to be laid on the table as a cover or around the room in the effect of a frieze. There are napkins to match and a crepe paper rope to finish the edge.

A weird effect of lighting is obtained by making lantern boxes from any discarded boxes which may be in the house. Cover them with crepe paper, cut eyes, nose, ears and mouth, paste colored tissue paper behind the features and set a lighted candle inside.

The wise owl must not be forgotten in the Halloween decorations. Grey paper is best for him. Paste the edges of a square piece of grey crepe paper together lengthwise of the grain and gather in at the bottom. Stuff this bag with soft paper or cotton and gather again some distance from the top. Shape the top into ears and make two rosettes with black centers for eyes. A beak of black stiff paper protrudes between the eyes. Mount the owl on a branch by sewing with heavy black thread in a way to resemble claws.

Make witches' brooms by tying slashed paper tied on any old sticks or brooms to give the effect.

How to Clean It

Brass Ornaments

Any brass which is exposed to the air is likely to tarnish very quickly. To obviate this, after I have cleaned and polished my brass vases etc., in the usual way I take a rag, and with this smear just a tiny scrap of vaseline over the brass. This keeps it bright and prevents it from tarnishing.

Wicker Tables or Chairs

To take stains out of white wicker-work, I get some oxalic acid, and with an old toothbrush dipped in this I brush the stained parts well. Then I rinse the article thoroughly, first in clear, warm water, and then in cold. The brush should be destroyed after use, as oxalic acid is poisonous.

To Wash Chiffon

To wash chiffon, wind the material round a bottle. Make a good lather of soap and water. Immerse the bottle, and move backwards and forwards in the lather for about five minutes. Rinse in clear, lukewarm water in which has been dissolved a small piece of gum arabic. Then unwind the chiffon, spread on the ironing board, lay a clean, thin cloth over it, and iron with a very hot iron.

A Black Hat

The very best way to clean a black hat, whether it be chip, mohair, or tagel, real or imitation, is to make some rather strong tea, and, after brushing all dust from the hat, apply this with a small brush. Saturate the hat thoroughly, and when dry it will be as perfect in colour and appearance as when first bought.

If you want the hat to be stiff, add half a teaspoonful of liquid gum to the tea, and mix well before applying. The hat will then keep its stiffness, but will not have a glossy appearance.

Real Lace

Real lace should never be washed, but can be cleaned in the following way. Put it between layers of tissue paper well sprinkled with calcined magnesia, place between the leaves of a book, and under a heavy weight for three days. Then shake the powder out and the lace will be perfectly clean.

Small Pieces from the Whole Ham

The economy of buying a whole ham at once instead of a pound or a slice is apparent to every housewife who studies her weekly bills. The initial cost is less—many trips to the store are saved and the housewife has the chance of using all of the ham—trimmings, skin, bone, etc., etc.