The Myrtle Reed Cook Book. Reed Myrtle
any left-over can be advantageously used in an omelet. Fish, especially salt fish, meats, and vegetables, in quantities of half a cupful or more, preserved and fresh fruits, cereals – everything but soups, salads, and puddings. Roughly speaking, any omelet mixture can be added to the eggs before cooking, but as a general rule, it is better to spread it on half of the omelet and fold the other half over it, as otherwise the omelet is more likely to be heavy.
Sweet omelets are delicious. A teaspoonful of powdered sugar should be added to the eggs before cooking, and the fruit, jam, jelly, or preserves should be very thinly spread, as flavor is desired, not a dessert. Fresh fruits are cut fine and sprinkled with powdered sugar, spread on half the omelet, and the other half folded over. In the case of juicy fruits, such as oranges, the juice of the fruit is carefully saved and poured over the folded omelet just before serving.
Among the fresh fruits suitable for omelets are Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Cherries, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Plums, Huckleberries, Oranges, Pineapples, Peaches, Raspberries, and Strawberries – all crushed very fine and sweetened; the juice, if any, being poured over the omelet.
Among the stewed and preserved fruits are Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Currants, Figs, Gooseberries, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Quinces, Rhubarb, and the various fruit jams. Rum or brandy poured over the omelet and set on fire just before serving is a pleasant addition to many of the fruit omelets, Fig especially.
QUICK BREADS
People who can eat hot breads for breakfast are always sorry for those who cannot. Quite often the internal dissension ascribed to the hot bread is due to something else, or to an undesirable combination of food elements in one and the same meal. Besides, hot bread is so good that it is sometimes eaten too quickly. This hint is of medical origin and is worth consideration. Almost any hot bread will be found harmless when baked a second time.
Four cupfuls of sifted flour, shortening the size of an egg, – equal parts of butter and lard preferred, – two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, rubbing with the finger-tips till the flour is granular, like corn-meal. Add cold sweet milk to make a dough as soft as can be handled, roll out an inch thick, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a hot oven. The dough must be handled as little as possible after putting in the milk.
Two cupfuls of buttermilk, or of sour milk, a teaspoonful of baking soda, a tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, and flour to make a soft dough. Handle as little as possible, roll out, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a quick oven.
Sift four cupfuls of flour, add a tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of soda, and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Roll thin, handling as little as possible, cut into rounds, and bake in a quick oven.
Sift three cupfuls of flour, add a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs well beaten, a tablespoonful of melted lard, and a cupful of sweet milk to which has been added half a teaspoonful each of soda and cream of tartar. Work to a smooth dough, roll out half an inch thick, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake on buttered pans.
Four cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of butter or lard, and two cupfuls of sour milk. Or, leave out the butter and use sour cream. Mix the salt and soda with the flour and sift it. Rub in the shortening, mix with the milk, roll the dough half an inch thick, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Bake from twelve to fifteen minutes in a quick oven.
Two eggs well beaten, one cupful of milk, one tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and four cupfuls of sifted flour. Roll out, cut into circles, and bake in a hot oven.
Half a cupful of cold boiled rice, two eggs beaten separately, two cupfuls of corn-meal, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, melted, a teaspoonful of salt, and two cupfuls of milk. Beat together till thoroughly mixed and bake quickly in buttered muffin-rings or in shallow baking-tins.
Pour one cupful of boiling water over one cupful of white corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt, one cupful of cold boiled rice, three eggs, well beaten, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix thoroughly and pour two inches deep into a buttered earthen baking-dish and bake till done. It should be like a baked custard and is served from the dish with a spoon. Cereals other than rice may be used, especially cerealine.
Two cupfuls of corn-meal, three eggs well beaten, one teaspoonful of salt, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Mix with enough milk to make a thin batter. Pour into shallow buttered tins and bake about forty-five minutes in a quick oven.
Two cupfuls of sweet milk, two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, three eggs, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Boil the milk and add the meal slowly, making a mush, then add the salt and butter, and cool. Add the eggs and a tablespoonful of milk in which the soda has been dissolved. Bake in a buttered pan in a moderate oven.
One cupful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two cupfuls of rich milk, and seven eggs, well beaten. Bake in a buttered cake-tin and serve quickly.
Rub half a cupful of butter into two cupfuls of flour, mix with a teaspoonful of salt and two of baking powder. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar and half a cupful of cleaned currants. Mix well, add two eggs, well beaten, and enough milk to make into a dough. Roll out, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a slow oven. The buns should be an inch thick when put into the oven.
Two cupfuls of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, two cupfuls of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful each of lard and butter, melted, and two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly, spread thinly on a buttered baking-pan, and bake in a moderate oven.
Four cupfuls of corn-meal, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of melted lard, and enough cold water to make a soft dough. Mould into thin oblong cakes and bake quickly in a well-buttered pan.
One and three quarter cupfuls of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of buttermilk. Bake in a buttered pan for half an hour.
Sift together three quarters of a cupful of corn-meal and the same of flour, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Mix with one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of thick sour milk. Bake from twenty to thirty minutes in well-buttered muffin-tins.
Make as Oatmeal Gems and bake in muffin-tins.
Mix one cupful of corn-meal with one cupful of boiling water, spread with butter, and let stand over night. In the morning, mix with one tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs, well beaten, three quarters of a cupful of sour milk, and one cupful of flour, sifted in with half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda. Bake half an hour in buttered muffin-rings.
Two heaping cupfuls of corn-meal, one cupful of flour, three eggs beaten separately, one tablespoonful of melted lard, two of sugar, two and a half cupfuls of milk, one teaspoonful of salt, and two of baking powder. Sift the dry materials into the milk, eggs, and shortening. Beat thoroughly, and bake half an hour in a buttered tin.
One cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of buttermilk, one teaspoonful of salt, one of soda, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Add enough corn-meal to roll into a sheet half an inch thick. Lay on a buttered baking-pan and bake till brown and crisp, basting occasionally with melted butter meanwhile. Break instead of cutting, and serve hot.
Pour two cupfuls of boiling water over two cupfuls of corn-meal. Add a pinch