"It is very easy to make candy for Christmas boxes," said Bettina. "That is, it is no harder to make a large quantity than to fill one box. Bob helped me one evening, and we made four kinds at once. I had already stuffed some dates and made some candied orange peel, so you see when the candy was made, it was fun to fill the boxes with a variety of things. I always save boxes throughout the year for Christmas candy, and then I fill them all at once. Of course, until this year I didn't have Bob to help me; he enjoys it, you know, and two people can make it so much more quickly than one."
"Next year," said Alice, "I think I shall make Christmas candy—a quantity of it, so that I can put a box of it in every family box that I send. Meanwhile, I'll practise and experiment, and perhaps I can improve on the good old recipes, or think of clever ways of arranging and wrapping. Now will you let me write down some of your best recipes? I'll try them for Harry's brother."
The candies that Bettina made were:
Mix the ingredients in order named, and cook until a soft ball is formed when a little of the candy is dropped in a glass of cold water. Remove from the fire and allow to cool. Do not stir while cooling. When cool, beat until creamy, add vanilla and pour into a well-buttered pan. Make white fudge and pour on top. When cool cut into squares.
Mix and cook the same as chocolate fudge.
Cook the "C" sugar, milk, cream of tartar and butter until a soft ball is formed in cold water. Remove from the fire and allow it to cool. Beat until thick and creamy and add the nuts and vanilla. Shape into a loaf two inches thick and two inches wide. When cool and hard enough to cut, slice into one-fourth inch slices. Wrap in waxed paper and pack in boxes.
"What perfectly splendid news!" said Bettina. "I'm just as glad as I can be!"
"We've waited so long," said Ruth, wistfully. "Of course, if it hadn't been for the war—it did interfere so with business, you know—we would have been married last spring."
"I know," said Bettina, sympathetically, "but you'll be all the happier because you have waited."
"I'll want you to help me a great deal with my plans," said Ruth. "I've had time to do lots of sewing, of course, but I haven't thought anything about the wedding except that it will be a quiet one. And I want to ask you so much about house furnishings—curtains, and all that."
"I'd love to help!" cried Bettina with enthusiasm. "There isn't anything that is such fun. Oh, Ruth!"
"Gracious me! What?" cried Ruth, for Bettina had jumped up suddenly.
"Poor Ruth," laughed Bettina, "I didn't mean to frighten you. I forgot my cake, that was all, and I was afraid it had burned. But it hasn't. A minute longer though—you know a chocolate cake does burn so easily. But it's all right. However, you must admit that I did pretty well not to burn it while I was listening to wedding plans!"
That night Bettina served for dinner:
Wipe the steak with a damp cloth, trim the edges to remove any gristle, and pound the flour into the meat, using a side of a heavy plate for the pounding. This breaks up the tendons of the meat. Place the bacon fat in a frying-pan and when hot, add the meat. Brown thoroughly on each side. Lower the flame. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, onion and water. Cover with a lid and allow to cook slowly for one and a half hours. More water may be needed if the gravy boils down. Pour the gravy over the meat when serving. This recipe is good for the fireless.
Wash the potatoes and remove any bad places. Add the water, and cook gently until tender. Drain, and peel while still hot, by holding the potatoes on the end of a fork. Mash with a spoon or a potato masher, adding the salt, butter, milk and paprika. Beat one minute. Pile lightly in a buttered baking dish, and place in a moderate oven about twenty minutes until a light brown.
Cook the two tablespoons of sugar, water and chocolate together for one minute, stirring constantly. Cream the butter, add the sugar, the whole egg and the flour, baking powder and soda sifted together. Add the vanilla. Beat two minutes. Pour into two square layer-cake pans prepared with waxed paper. Bake twenty-two minutes in a moderate oven. Chocolate cakes burn easily and they should be carefully watched while baking.
Ice with White Mountain Cream Icing.
"But it's your very own Christmas gift to me that makes it so," declared Bettina, with flushed cheeks. For Alice's deft fingers had fashioned the rose nut cups (now holding candied orange peel), and the rose buds in the sunset shades in the center of the table. "They are almost more real than real ones! I can scarcely believe that they are made of crêpe paper."
The square luncheon cloth on the round table was of linen, decorated with a cross-stitch design in the same sunset shades, so that the table was all in pink and white. A French basket enameled in ivory color held the rose buds, and another Christmas gift to Bettina was the flat ivory basket filled with light rolls. The luncheon napkins matched the luncheon cloth, as the guests noted, and "The menu matches everything else!" exclaimed Alice.
"I'm glad you like it," said Bettina. "I have eaten chicken a la king often at hotels and restaurants, but until recently it never occurred to me to make it myself. And it isn't difficult to make either."
"You must give me the recipe," said Alice. For luncheon Bettina served:
Melt the butter, add the green pepper, cook slowly for two minutes, and then add the flour. Mix well and add the milk slowly. Cook until creamy. Add the celery salt and the salt. When very hot, add the beaten egg-yolk. Mix well, and add the chicken and pimento. Reheat. Serve very hot on hot toast. (Do not cook the sauce any longer than absolutely necessary after the egg-yolk is added.)
Wash the lettuce and arrange on salad plates. Lay a slice of pineapple on the lettuce and half a pear, the hollow side up, on the pineapple. Fill the cavity of the pear with salad dressing, and place one tablespoon of whipped cream on top of the salad dressing. Arrange two nut-halves, two marshmallows and one cherry attractively on each portion. Serve very cold.
Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg-yolks, the nut meats, and the flour and baking powder sifted together. Then add the milk, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat vigorously for two minutes. Add the whites stiffly beaten. Mix thoroughly and pour into two layer-cake pans prepared with buttered paper. Bake twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Ice with confectioner's icing.
Mix the cream and extracts. Gradually add the powdered sugar sifted through a strainer. Add enough sugar to form a creamy icing which will easily spread upon the cake. (More than a cup of sugar may be needed.)
"Yes, Charlotte, if you will."
"How nice it is, Bettina! How long do you cook it before you add the sugar?"
"Well, that depends altogether on the fruit. Sometimes the rind is so much tougher than at other times. You cook it until it's very tender, then add the sugar and cook until it jells."
"There's another thing I'd like to ask you, Bettina. How on earth do you cut the fruit in thin slices? Isn't it very difficult to do?"
"Not with a sharp knife. I place the fruit on a hardwood board, and then if my knife is as sharp as it ought to be, it isn't at all difficult to cut it thin."
"Well, perhaps I haven't had a sharp enough knife. Oh, Bettina, what delicious looking cake! Is it fruit cake?"
"It's called date loaf cake. It has nuts in it, too, but no butter. I always bake it in a loaf cake pan prepared with waxed paper. Bob is very fond of it. I think it's very good served with afternoon tea."
"I should think it might be."
"Tonight, though, I am serving just sliced oranges with it."
"That will be a delicious dessert, I think. Listen! Is that Bob and Frank coming in?"
For dinner that night they had:
Soak the gelatin in cold water for ten minutes. Heat the vinegar and when very hot pour into the gelatin mixture. Stir until dissolved. When partially congealed so that the fruit will not stay on the top, add the pickles, olives, peaches and rind. Pour into a well-moistened layer mould or four small ones. Set in a cold place one hour. Unmould.
Wash the grapefruit, lemons and orange carefully. Cut each in quarters. Slice the quarters through the rind and pulp, making thin slices. Weigh the fruit, and for each pound allow six cups of cold water. Allow to stand with the water on the fruit for twenty-four hours. Let all boil gently until the rind is very tender. No particular test can be given for this, as some fruit is much tougher than others. Set aside for four hours. Drain off the liquid. Weigh the fruit mixture, and for each pound allow a pound of sugar. Let cook slowly until the mixture thickens or "jellies" when tried on a dish. Be careful not to get the mixture too thick, as it will thicken somewhat more upon cooling.
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar thoroughly. Add the dates, nut meats and vanilla. Mix thoroughly, add the egg-yolks and mix well. Beat the egg-whites until very stiff. Cut and fold these into the mixture. Pour into a loaf cake pan prepared with waxed paper. Bake in a slow oven for fifty minutes.
"Just a steamed fig pudding, Ruth. The simplest thing in the world!"
"Simple? But don't you have to use a steamer to make it in, and isn't that awfully complicated? I've always imagined so."
"You don't need to use a steamer at all. I steamed this in my fireless cooker, in a large baking powder can. I filled the buttered can about two-thirds full, and set it in boiling water that came less than half way up the side of the can. Of course, the cover of the can or the mould must be screwed on tight. And the utensil in which it is steamed must be covered. I used one of the utensils that fit in the fireless, of course, and I brought the water to a boil on the stove so that I was sure it was boiling vigorously when I set it in the cooker on the sizzling hot stone. You see it is very simple. In fact, I think steaming anything is very easy, for you don't have to keep watching it as you would if it were baking in the oven, and basting it, or changing the heat."
"We haven't a cooker, you know. Could I make a steamed pudding that same way on the stove?"
"Yes, indeed the very same way. Just set the buttered can filled two-thirds full in a larger covered utensil holding boiling water. Keep the water boiling all the time."
"I shall certainly try it tomorrow, Bettina!"
For dinner that night Bettina served:
Wipe the meat with a damp cloth, and cut into four pieces. Mix the egg, water, salt and paprika, and dip each piece of meat into the egg mixture. Roll in the crumbs and pat the crumbs into the meat. Place the lard in the frying-pan, and when hot, add the meat. Brown well on one side, and then turn, allowing the other side to become the same even color. Lower the flame under the meat, and cook thirty minutes, keeping the pan covered. When the meat has cooked twenty-five minutes, add the butter to lend flavor to the lard.
Remove the breaded veal from the pan, and place on a hot platter. (Keep in a warm place.) Loosen all the small pieces of crackers and meat (if there are any) from the bottom of the pan. If there is no fat left, add butter. Allow the fat to get hot, and add flour and salt. Mix well with the heated fat, and allow to brown. Stir constantly, and add the water. Mix well, and add one-fourth cup of milk. Allow to cook one minute, stirring constantly. If a thinner sauce is desired, add another one-fourth of a cup of milk. If a thicker sauce is desired, allow to cook for two minutes.
Mix the flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and suet. Add the figs, raisins, molasses and milk. Stir well. Add the lemon extract. Fill a well-buttered pudding mould two-thirds full. Steam an hour and a half, with the water boiling. Serve hot with foamy sauce.
Beat the egg vigorously. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the hot water and stir vigorously. Add the lemon juice. Serve, (This sauce may be reheated if desired.)
"A valentine luncheon? With red hearts everywhere, I suppose?"
"Yes, everything heart-shaped, and in red, too, as far as possible. Mary had twelve guests at one large round table. Of course, there were strings and strings of red hearts of various sizes decorating the table—not a very new idea, of course, but so effective. And everything tasted so good; cream of tomato soup, the best stuffed tenderloin with mushroom sauce (I must find out how that is made), and the best sweet potato croquettes!"
"Sweet potato croquettes? That's a new one on me!"
"I'll have to try them some time soon. And Mary had peas in heart-shaped baking powder biscuits—the cunningest you ever saw!—heart-shaped date bread sandwiches with her salad, and heart-shaped ice cream with individual heart cakes."
"That was Valentine's day with a vengeance; wasn't it?"
"Yes, but it was lovely, Bob!"
That night Bettina served:
Boil the water, add the salt. Add the macaroni cut in small pieces. Boil until tender (about fifteen minutes) and drain. Butter a baking dish. Add a layer of macaroni, a layer of tomatoes and some green pepper. Sprinkle with salt, celery and onion salt. Add the cheese, and continue with the layers until the dish is full. If available, use meat stock, if not, milk. Pour the liquid over the mixture. Melt the butter, add the crumbs and place on the top of the food. Place the dish in a moderate oven, and allow to bake twenty-five minutes, or until brown.
Mix thoroughly the corn starch, sugar and salt. Gradually add the cold water and then the juice. Cook over hot water until the mixture becomes quite thick. Add the egg-yolk. Mix well, cool slightly and add the egg-white stiffly beaten. Pour into a well-moistened custard mould. Allow to stand for half an hour or more. Serve with cherry sauce.
Mix the flour, salt and sugar. Add slowly the cherry juice and water. Cook two minutes. Add the cherries and extract. Serve hot over the cold pudding.
"She wouldn't let me come earlier, Bob," explained Bettina as they rang the bell. "I wanted to help her, you know, but she said her father and mother were out of town and Fred was to be the only guest besides ourselves, so she was sure that she could manage alone. There she is now!"
But it was not Ruth after all.
"Why, Fred; hello!" said Bob. "Did you come early to assist the cook?"
"I did," said Fred, "but she informed me at once that she wanted no inexperienced 'help' around. So I've been sitting in the living-room alone for the last half hour. She did say that I might answer the bell, but as for doing anything else—well, she was positively rude!"
And Fred raised his voice so that its penetrating tones would reach the kitchen. "The worst of it all is that I've been hungry as well as lonesome. I might endure sitting alone in the living-room if I hadn't gone without lunch today in anticipation of this banquet. And now——"
"Shame on you, Fred!" interrupted Ruth, coming in with flushed cheeks above her dainty white apron. "Did he receive you properly?"
"I leave it to you, Bettina, to say that I've received harsh treatment! Here I went and purchased four good seats for the Duchess theatre tonight."
"You did, Fred," cried Ruth. "Why, you dear boy! For that, I'll see that you are certainly fed well! Dinner is ready, people! Will you walk into the dining-room?"
Ruth's dinner consisted of:
Remove the rind from long, thin slices of bacon. Place two or more oysters upon each slice of bacon. Sprinkle the oysters with salt and pepper. Roll up and tie with a white string. Saute in a hot frying-pan until nicely browned. Garnish with parsley.
Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Cook in boiling water until tender when pierced with a knitting needle. Drain and peel when cool enough to handle. Cut in slices lengthwise, three-fourths of an inch thick. Make a syrup by boiling the sugar, butter and water five minutes. Lay the potatoes in a pan, sprinkle with salt and pour the syrup over them. Cook in a moderate oven until the potatoes are browned, basting frequently.
Remove the skin from the egg-plant, and cut into slices a quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle the slices with salt, pile one above the other, and place a weight on the top to extract the juice. Allow to stand one hour. Wash off, and cut into quarter of an inch cubes. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and pepper. Mix well, gradually add the milk and cook two minutes. Add the egg-plant and pour the whole mixture into a buttered baking dish. Bake thirty minutes in a moderate oven.
Mix the flour, baking powder, "C" sugar, dates and salt. Add the egg, milk and vanilla. Stir vigorously and beat one minute. Add the melted butter. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven, and serve hot with cream.
"Getting dinner? That is what I must be doing very soon. I stopped in for only a minute on my way home."
"I am getting dinner, and I want to tell you that it is a very economical dinner. And it's going to be good, too. I thought and thought about your advice, and decided to practise it. So I searched through all my cook books for the recipes I wanted, and finally decided on this particular menu. But, Bettina, now I can tell you the flaw in your system of economy!"
"What is that? Harry doesn't like it?"
"Goodness no! Harry was delighted with the idea! My argument is this: It's going to take me an endless amount of time to plan economical meals that are also good, time that I ought to spend in polishing silver and making calls, and sewing on buttons, and——"
"I don't believe it'll be as bad as you think, Alice, dear," laughed Bettina. "For instance, if this meal tonight is good and economical, and Harry is pleased, don't forget the combination, but write it down in a note-book. You can repeat the menu in two or three weeks, and you have no idea how soon you will collect the best combinations, and ideas of economy! Tell me what you are having tonight."
That night Alice served:
Butter two individual moulds, and break an egg into each. Mix the salt and pepper in the milk, and pour half of the mixture over each egg. Melt the butter, and add the crumbs. Place the buttered crumbs on top of each egg. Bake in a moderate oven twenty minutes. Serve in the moulds.
Broil the bacon, cut each piece in three parts. Butter a casserole and place in it a layer of peeled sliced potatoes. Sprinkle part of the flour, salt and paprika over the potatoes, and add three pieces of bacon. Continue in this manner until the dish is filled. Pour the milk over the contents, and bake forty minutes in a moderate oven.
Mash two peach halves, add the egg, milk, vanilla, melted butter, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix thoroughly. Place a tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of a well-buttered baking cup. Add a peach half, and cover with the batter. Sprinkle one tablespoon of granulated sugar on the top and bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Turn from the cups and serve hot with peach sauce.
Mix one tablespoon of the peach juice with the flour. Gradually add the rest of the peach and lemon juice. Add the salt Cook one minute. Add the butter. Serve hot.
"No, indeed," laughed Bettina. "I expected just you and nobody else. But maybe I did cook a little more than usual. You see I was over at Alice's this afternoon inspecting her list of next week's menus. You know she is trying to economize, and she is really doing it, but in spite of economy, Harry is having elaborate meals. I do hope he appreciates it. Nearly all of her dinners are three-course affairs, most carefully planned to look like 'the real thing' as she calls an expensive dinner. I tell her that hers are the real thing, only almost too elaborate. You see, she is trying to disguise her economy so that Harry won't miss the first meals she gave him. She makes me almost afraid that I'm not feeding you enough."
"No danger of that," said Bob, emphatically. "But what are all these economical things she is serving?"
"Wait, I wrote some of them down. Listen. Here is one: