A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband with Bettina's Best Recipes. Louise Bennett Weaver
time to make so many calls as he was making now. But she refrained, knowing well that lively Alice could hold her own with any man in the universe, even though she might not be doing the things that Mr. Harrison considered worth while.
"A fine dinner," said he to Bettina, as they sat down at the table. "I admire a woman who knows how to prepare and serve food. She is paying her way in the most dignified and worth-while profession of all—that of a home-maker."
"Mr. Harrison," asked Alice severely, "may I inquire whether or not you know how to drive insects out of cabbage before serving it?"
"I'm afraid I don't."
"Well, I'm surprised, for even I know that. Bettina just told me. You place the cabbage, head downward, in cold water, to each quart of which has been added a tablespoonful of vinegar."
"Silly Alice!" said Bettina. "Don't tease! Look at my lovely pansies. Alice, I believe you gave me that flower-holder when I announced my engagement."
"When I announce my engagement——" said Alice.
Bettina saw a strange and startled look come over Mr. Harrison's face, which immediately departed when Alice added:
"Which will be years hence, no doubt—I hope my friends will give me nothing useful. I love to come here, Bettina, but I'm not a natural-born housekeeper like you. I shall marry an idle millionaire, and we will do nothing but travel aimlessly about from one end of the world to the other. That is my idea of perfect happiness!"
That night for dinner Bettina served:
Pork Chops Potatoes Maitre d'Hotel Butter
Bread Butter
Cabbage Salad Served in Lemon Halves
Cocoanut Blanc Mange Custard Sauce
Iced Tea
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
Pork Chops (Four portions)
4 chops
¼ C-water
½ t-salt
¼ t-pepper
Wipe the chops, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a hot frying-pan (no fat added), brown on one side and then turn on the other side, cooking over a moderate fire. Add the water and immediately place the cover on the frying-pan. The steam cooks the pork more quickly and prevents over-browning. Cook twenty-five minutes.
Maitre d'Hotel Butter Sauce (Four portions)
3 T-butter
1 T-lemon juice
½ t-salt
1/8 t-pepper ½ t-parsley
Cream the butter, add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and finely chopped parsley. Pour this over new potatoes which have been boiled. Garnish with parsley.
Cocoanut Blanc Mange (Four portions)
¼ C-cornstarch
¼ C-sugar
½ t-salt
2 T-cold water
2 C-milk
2/3 C-cocoanut 2 egg whites ½ t-vanilla
Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt with the cold water. Add the milk slowly, stirring well. Cook twenty minutes in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, or ten minutes over the flame, stirring constantly. Cool slightly and add the shredded cocoanut and the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Add the vanilla. One-fourth of a cup of nuts, candied cherries or preserved pineapple may be added if desired. Chill in moulds wet with cold water. Serve with cream or custard sauce made from the egg yolks.
Custard Sauce (Four portions)
2 egg yolks
1/3 C-sugar 1/8 t-salt 1 T-flour 2 C-milk 1 t-vanilla
Beat the eggs, slowly add the sugar and the flour well blended, the salt and the milk. Cook in a double boiler until thick enough to coat a silver spoon. Add the flavoring and serve cold.
CHAPTER XXVI
OVER THE TELEPHONE
BOB and Bettina were at breakfast one morning when the telephone rang. "It's Mrs. Dixon, Bettina," said Bob, his hand over the mouthpiece. "Much excited. Panicky. House afire. Hurry."
"Hello, Charlotte!" said Bettina, quickly. "What in the world is the trouble?"
"The worst yet!" came a nervous voice. "Frank's Aunt Isabel is to be at our house tonight! Oh, I wish you knew her! She never did approve of me!"
"Oh, Charlotte, you just imagine that! She wouldn't come if she disliked you so!"
"That's just it! She didn't approve of me when we lived at the hotel, and now that we've taken a house, she wants to see how things are."
"Well, things are fine! Doesn't Frank say so?"
"Yes, of course. But the meals! Two company meals to get, and for a critical person like her, too! What on earth shall I do?"
"Now, don't be nervous, Charlotte! It's easy! We'll think up a delicious little dinner that you can prepare mostly beforehand. When does she arrive?"
"Five o'clock, and leaves just after breakfast."
"Good! Two simple meals and all day in which to get them ready. Let's see. The weather is warm, so you will prefer a dinner that is partly cold. Watermelon that has been in the refrigerator all day would be a simple dessert, with no cake or anything else to think of. How about cold boiled tongue for your main dish? Sliced thin and garnished with parsley. You might also have a very good salad. Apple, celery and green pepper salad would be delicious and economical also. Then you might have corn on the cob. I've had it recently and know how good it is. That would be the only thing you would have to think of at meal time, and it is very easy to cook. You would serve it in a napkin to keep it hot. Then I want to send you some peach butter that I made the other day; that would go beautifully with your dinner. There you have it all! If I were doing it, I should add iced tea to drink, served very daintily, with sliced lemon and mint leaves."
"Oh, Bettina, how good it sounds! Will you repeat that menu for me?"
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