Pumpkin Filling

1-1/2 C-canned pumpkin 2/3 C-brown sugar 1 t-cinnamon 1/2 t-ginger 1/2 t-salt 2 eggs 2 C-milk

Mix the ingredients in the order given, and fill the pie-crusts two-thirds full.

Jumbles= (Twenty-four jumbles)

1/2 C-butter 1 C-sugar 1 egg 1/2 t-soda 1/2 C-sour milk 1/4 t-salt About 2 C-flour Grape jelly.

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and gradually add the egg, the soda mixed with the sour milk, the salt, and the flour to make a soft dough. (One which will roll easily.) Cut into shape with a round cooky cutter. On the centers of one-half the pieces, place a spoonful of grape jelly. Make features on the rest, using a thimble to cut out the eyes. Press the two together, and bake 12 minutes in a moderate oven.

_NOVEMBER._

_Cosy fire a-burning bright,---- Cosy tables robed in white,---- Dainty dishes smoking hot,---- Home! And cold and snow forgot!_

CHAPTER LXXVIII

A FORETASTE OF WINTER

"SAY, but it's cold today!" called Bob at the door. "Frost tonight all right! I was glad I took my overcoat this morning. Have you had a fire all day?"

"Yes, indeed," said Bettina, "and I've spent most of the afternoon cleaning my furs with corn meal, and fixing those new comforters for the sleeping porch, and putting away some of the summer clothing."

"I believe we will need those new comforters tonight. How were you fixing them?"

"I was basting a white cheese-cloth edge, about twelve inches wide, along the width that goes at the head of the bed, you know. It's so easy to rip off and wash, and I like to have all the comforters fixed that way. I was cleaning my old furs, too, to cut them up. I'm planning to have a fur edge on my suit this winter. I don't believe you'll know the furs, the suit, or Bettina when you see the combination we will make together! Fur is the thing this year, you know."

"Couldn't you spare me a little to transform my overcoat? I'd like to look different, too!"

"Silly! Come along to the kitchen! There's beefsteak to-night (won't it taste good?) and I want you to cook it, while I'm getting the other things on the table. I didn't expect you quite so soon."

That night for dinner they had:

Beefsteak Creamed Potatoes Devilled Tomatoes Rolls Butter Plum Sauce Bettina's Drop Cookies

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Creamed Potatoes= (Two portions)

1 C-diced cooked potatoes 1 T-green pepper, chopped fine 1 T-butter 1 T-flour 1/2 C-milk 1/4 t-salt

Melt the butter, add the flour and salt, mix well, and add the milk slowly. Cook until creamy, and add the potatoes and the chopped green pepper. Serve very hot.

Devilled Tomatoes= (Two portions)

2 tomatoes 2 T-flour 1 T-lard 1/8 t-salt 1 T-butter 1 T-sugar 1/2 t-mustard 1/8 t-salt A pinch of paprika 1 hard-cooked egg 1/2 t-flour 2 T-vinegar 1 T-water

Peel the tomatoes, cut in half and sprinkle with flour. Place the lard in a frying-pan, and when hot, add the tomatoes. Brown nicely on both sides, and sprinkle with salt. When brown, place on a hot platter and pour over them the following sauce: Sauce--Place the butter in a pan, add the sugar, mustard, salt and paprika, the egg cut fine, and the flour. Mix well, add the vinegar and water. Heat, allow to boil one minute, and then pour over the tomatoes. (If the sauce seems too thick when it has boiled one minute, add a little more water.)

Drop Cookies= (Twenty-four cookies)

1/3 C-butter 1 C-sugar 1 egg 1/2 C-sour milk 1/2 t-soda 1/4 t-salt 1 t-vanilla 1/4 C-chopped raisins 2-1/2 C-flour 1/2 t-baking powder

Cream the butter, add the sugar, then the whole egg. Mix well. Add the sour milk and the vanilla. Mix the baking powder, soda and flour well, add the raisins and add to the first mixture. Beat well. Drop from a spoon onto a buttered and floured pan, leaving three inches between the cookies. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven.

CHAPTER LXXIX

SURPRISING ALICE AND HARRY

"WE knew you'd be here, and we've come to surprise you!" shouted Bob, Fred, Bettina and Ruth, as they opened the door of the new apartment which was to be the home of Harry and Alice. "We've brought the party with us!" and they held out several bulging baskets.

"Welcome!" smiled Alice, delightedly, as she stepped down from the box on which she was standing to hang a soft, silky curtain. Harry, tall and silent, rose, hammer in hand from the crate he was opening, and welcomed each one in turn.

"Bob and I came to be chaperones if you needed us," said Bettina, putting on a prim and disapproving look, as different as possible from her usual happy expression.

"Oh, my dear!" exclaimed Alice's mother, in a shocked tone. "Surely you didn't imagine--but then, of course you didn't--because you would naturally know that I would be here."

Alice laughed her ringing laugh. "Mother is too literal for any use, Bettina!" And Alice's absent-minded father looked up from the newspaper he was reading to ask what the joke was.

"The joke, Father dear," said Alice, "is that your foolish daughter should be about to marry this solemn and serious youth!" And she turned Harry around by the shoulders till he faced her father. "But perhaps you hadn't heard about the wedding, Father. Now don't tell me you had forgotten!"

"Forgotten? Forgotten your wedding, Alice?" said her mother, astonished. "Of course your father hasn't forgotten. Why, only yesterday he was saying that the cost of a trousseau apparently hadn't lessened since Lillian was married. Weren't you, Father? It was when your new green corduroy came home, Alice, and I was saying----" but Alice had led the girls off to show them over the apartment.

Father had retired behind his newspaper and Harry was showing Fred and Bob his own private den whither he might retire from the worries of domestic life. "Only," observed Fred sagaciously, "since it opens off the living room, you can't retire very far. I predict that married life will make you rather a sociable person, Harry."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, and said nothing. "Old bear!" cried Alice, entering the room at this point. "You don't need to be a sociable person! I like you just as you are!" And she turned to the others. "Come to the party, please. It's all in the kitchen! We've made coffee, too, and everything is bee-youtiful! I love surprises!"

The "party" consisted of:

Apples Popcorn Balls Nut Cookies Maple Fudge Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Popcorn Balls= (Eight balls)

3/4 C-light brown or "C" sugar 3/4 C-white sugar 1/2 C-molasses 1/2 C-water 2 T-butter 1/4 t-soda 2 qts. freshly popped corn 2 t-salt 1 T-vinegar

Place in a sauce pan, the sugar, molasses, water, vinegar and butter. Cook without stirring until the candy forms a hard ball which clicks against the side of the glass when dropped into cold water. Add the soda, stir well and pour over the corn, which has been salted and placed in a large pan. Mix the syrup thoroughly with the corn, and when partially cool, moisten the hands and press the corn into balls of uniform size. Popcorn balls should be kept in a cool place.

Nut Cookies= (Three dozen cookies)

1/3 C-butter and lard mixed 2/3 C-"C" sugar 1 egg 4 T-milk 2 C-flour 2 t-baking powder 1/3 C-chopped nut-meats (preferably black walnuts) 1 t-powdered cinnamon 1/4 t-powdered cloves 1/4 t-mace 1/4 t-nutmeg

Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg and milk and then the flour, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg and baking powder. Place the dough on a floured board. Roll it out one-fourth of an inch thick and cut with a cooky cutter. Place on a well-buttered and floured baking sheet. Bake twelve minutes in a moderate oven.

Maple Fudge= (Eight portions)

1/4 lb. maple sugar 2 C-granulated sugar 1/4 t-cream of tartar 2 T-butter 2/3 C-milk

Mix all the ingredients in the order named. Cook until the candy forms a soft ball when a little is dropped in a glass of cold water. Remove from the fire and let it cool. When cool, beat until it becomes creamy. Pour into a buttered plate.

CHAPTER LXXX

A DINNER FOR THE BRIDAL PARTY

THE bridal dinner, given for the wedding party by Alice's parents, was truly an elaborate affair. As the young people, who knew each other so well, and had spent so many merry hours together, glanced across the softly lighted table, a little feeling of shyness and constraint came over them because of the formality of the occasion. Even Alice, usually the ringleader in all their fun, was a little silent.

"Shucks!" thought boyish Fred. "None of this in mine! I'd elope first! Wonder if Harry likes it! (Bet he doesn't.)"

Ruth was thinking, "Oh, how lovely! How perfectly lovely! I believe after all--as a time to remember through all the years----" But Fred could not read her thoughts, and saw only the particularly happy smile that she gave him.

"How do you like the nut cups?" Alice asked. "Bettina made these yellow 'mum' nut cups as a Christmas gift to me, and gave them to me now for this dinner! See, they just match the real chrysanthemums! I'm sure I don't know which I like best!"

The girls exclaimed so heartily over the nut cups that Bettina declared to herself that she would make sets for each of them, of different colors and kinds. These of Alice's were really charming. Their wire handles were wound with green maline and tied with a green bow. They were filled with pecans, and pink and yellow bon-bons, which were grapes covered with colored creams.

The place cards were tied with narrow green ribbon to little china slippers, cupids, doves and hearts. Besides the yellow chrysanthemums, which were the table decorations, there was for each of the girls a corsage bouquet of pink roses, and for each of the men a boutonniere of pink rosebuds in a tinfoil case. Flower pins were tucked in the maline bows of the bouquets as favors for the girls, while scarf pins were favors for the men.

When the dinner was over, and the guests were passing into the living room for dancing and music, Alice slipped her arm through Bettina's. "The dinner was lovely; wasn't it?" she said. "I did think I was too tired to enjoy it, but my heart is as light as a feather now! I am going to dance all evening till my last guest goes!"

The menu was as follows:

Grapefruit Cocktail Cream of Asparagus Soup Croutons Sautéd Halibut Potato Rosettes Cabbage Relish in Green Pepper Cases Peas in Timbale Cases Celery Hot Rolls Currant Jelly Vegetable Salad Cheese Wafers Brick Ice Cream Individual Cakes Coffee Pecans Bon-Bons

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

RECIPES OF THE BRIDAL DINNER

Grapefruit Cocktail= (Twelve portions)

6 grapefruit 12 T-powdered sugar 12 cherries

Cut the grapefruit in halves crosswise. Half a grapefruit is one service. Remove all the seeds. Insert a sharp-pointed knife between the outside skin or shell and the pulp, and cut out around the inside. Cut the skin away from each section of the pulp. Insert the knife under the core and cut free from the shell, lift out the core and membranes in one piece, leaving the pulp. Sprinkle each grapefruit half with one tablespoon of powdered sugar. Garnish with a maraschino cherry in the center and a mint leaf on each side. Serve very cold on a paper doily with some green rose leaves under the grapefruit.

Cream of Asparagus Soup= (Twelve portions)

4 C-strained asparagus pulp 5 C-milk 7 T-butter 9 T-flour 2 t-salt 1/4 t-paprika

Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika. Mix well, and gradually add the milk and asparagus. Cook until slightly thick. (About two minutes.) Serve hot.

Croutons= (Twelve portions)

8 slices of bread 2 T-butter

Cut the bread into one-third inch cubes, add the butter melted, and salt. Mix well and brown in a moderate oven, stirring occasionally to permit the bread to brown evenly.

CHAPTER LXXXI

REHEARSING THE CEREMONY

ALICE'S wedding day dawned clear and cold, and Bettina realized with a start all that was before her. She had as house guests two school friends of Alice's, gay and charming girls who were, nevertheless, somewhat difficult visitors, as the little bungalow was soon strewn with their belongings and as they were completely indifferent to such a thing as punctuality.

"S'pose Geraldine'll be in to borrow my mirror in a minute," grumbled Bob. "How long'll they stay?"

"'Till tomorrow morning, dear. Hurry! You know we have to rehearse at ten o'clock."

"Ushers and all?"

"Of course. You wouldn't know what to do without a rehearsal, would you?"

"I suppose not. But what if I can't get away from the office?"

"You'll have to, Bob, for Harry's sake. Surely you can manage it for once."

Bob went on grumbling about the foolishness of "these fancy weddings" until Bettina consoled him with the promise of waffles for breakfast.

"And we'll simply have to call Geraldine and Lenore," said she. "They are going to the rehearsal with me, and I must have my morning's work done before we start. You see I shall have them here for luncheon, and we won't be back 'till noon."

Bettina, with some effort, managed to reach the church with her guests shortly after ten o'clock. The nervous and excited wedding party stood about in chattering groups, and when summoned, went through their parts with many mistakes and giggles.

"How can it ever seem beautiful and solemn," thought Bettina in despair, "when we all do it so stupidly? I'm afraid we are going to spoil the wedding!"

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

MORE BRIDAL DINNER RECIPES

Sautéd Halibut= (Twelve portions)

2-1/2 lb. halibut steak 1/4 t-pepper 1 t-salt 1 T-lemon juice 1/8 t-onion juice 4 T-egg-yolks 1 T-water 1-1/2 C-cracker crumbs 4 T-fat 2 T-melted butter

Mix the pepper, lemon juice, onion juice, salt, butter, egg and water. Wipe the halibut with a damp cloth and then cut into strips two and a half by four inches. Dip each strip into the above mixture and roll in cracker crumbs. Place the fat in a frying-pan, and when hot add the halibut. Brown thoroughly on each side and garnish with lemon and parsley.

Potato Rosettes= (Twelve portions)

3 C-mashed potatoes 3 T-milk 1 t-salt 1/4 t-paprika 2 T-butter

Mix potatoes, milk, salt, paprika and butter. Beat one minute. Place the hot potato mixture in a pastry bag and press rosettes on a flat buttered tin pan three inches apart. Set in a moderate oven twenty minutes to brown. Remove from the pan with a spatula.

Cabbage Relish in Green Pepper Cases= (Twelve portions)

12 green peppers 3 C-finely chopped cabbage 3 T-pimento, cut fine 1 green pepper, cut fine 2/3 C-vinegar 2 T-"C" sugar 1 t-salt 1 t-mustard 1 T-olive oil

Mix the mustard, oil, salt, sugar and vinegar. Add the green pepper, pimento and cabbage. Fill the peppers with this mixture. The peppers are prepared by cutting off the stem end, removing the seeds and washing thoroughly.

Glazed Sweet Potatoes= (Twelve portions)

6 sweet potatoes 1 C-brown sugar 1/2 C-water 3 T-butter

Wash, pare and boil the sweet potatoes. When tender, drain, cut in lengthwise slices one-half inch thick, and lay in a buttered pan. Cover with a syrup made by cooking the brown sugar, water and butter for two minutes. Baste frequently. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

CHAPTER LXXXII

AFTER THE WEDDING

THE stately wedding ceremony had taken place in the big church, and Bettina, climbing into the automobile for the drive to the reception, had, for all her own part in the affair, only a confused memory of music, lights and faces, soft lavender and soft pink, and Alice and Harry murmuring their vows.

"Wasn't it lovely, Bob? Wasn't it stately and impressive?"

"Say, aren't you cold?" was his prosy reply. "That church was too warm; take my coat!"

"No, indeed; I don't need it! Oh, wasn't it a beautiful wedding! Did Lillian and I walk slowly enough?" And she chattered on about all of the details until the house was reached.

The bride and groom were already there, and gay congratulations followed from the many guests. The dining-room, where the dainty wedding supper was served, was elaborate with palms and high baskets of roses. Tables about the room held six, and in the center, a large round table, decorated with a broad, low mound of violets and roses, was arranged for the bridal party. Here also was the bride's cake, and the small boxes of wedding cake which the guests received upon leaving the room.

When Alice cut the bride's cake, the thimble fell to Ruth, which occasioned much merriment, while the dime was discovered by Harry in his own piece. The ring went to Mary, who emphatically denied that the omen spoke truly. But when Mary also caught Alice's bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley, the young people refused to listen to her protests.

"Dear Alice," said Bettina, as she helped the bride into her traveling suit, "may your whole life be as beautiful as your wedding!"

The wedding supper consisted of:

Chicken and Mushroom Patties Fruit Jelly Hot Rolls Olives Pickles Ice Cream in Individual Slipper Moulds Violet Decorated Cake Salted Pecans Fancy Candy in Tiny Baskets Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

THE WEDDING RECIPES

Chicken and Mushroom Filling for Patty Shells= (Fifteen portions)

2 C-cooked chicken, diced 1 C-button mushrooms, diced 3 T-pimentoes, cut fine 1 t-salt 1/4 t-paprika 2/3 C-flour 2/3 C-chicken fat 3 C-milk

Melt the fat, add the flour and salt; mix thoroughly. Add one-half a cup of milk. Cook until thick, remove from the fire and heat one minute. Add one cup of milk and reheat. When it thickens, beat vigorously until creamy. Add the rest of the milk, and cook until thicker than vegetable white sauce. Add the chicken, mushrooms and pimentoes. Serve hot in patty cases.

To prepare the cases for serving, heat until hot in a moderate oven.

To obtain the chicken fat, cook a fat chicken slowly for a long time. Remove the chicken from the stock and allow the stock to cool. The fat will rise to the top. Use this instead of butter. It has a better flavor and is cheaper.

Fruit Jelly= (Fifteen portions)

4 T-granulated gelatin 2/3 C-cold water 4 C-boiling water 2/3 C-lemon juice 2 C-sugar 1 C-white grapes, seeded 1/2 C-diced pineapple 1/2 C-maraschino cherries, halved

Soak the gelatin twenty minutes in the cold water, and dissolve in the boiling water, stirring till all is thoroughly dissolved. Strain through a moistened cheese-cloth and add the sugar and the lemon juice. Place in moistened individual moulds or one large pan. When the mixture is slightly thick and cool, add the fruit, well-mixed. Set in a cold place for one hour. Cut in squares when desired for use.

CHAPTER LXXXIII

A "HAPPEN-IN" LUNCHEON

BETTINA had finished her morning's work and was busy with her mending when the telephone rang.

"Why, hello, Bob!" she answered, surprised to hear his voice at this time of day.

"Bettina," said he, "could you possibly arrange to let me bring Carl Edwards and his wife home to luncheon? They blew in a few minutes ago and leave at two-thirty. We haven't much time, you see, and they are especially anxious to see the house. They are planning to build for themselves soon."

"Why, of course, Bob," said Bettina, hesitating for the briefest possible second. "It's after eleven now, but I'll be glad to have you bring them. Let's see--I'll give them the salad I had planned for tonight, but I don't know what else--but, then, I'll manage somehow."

"All right, dear; that's fine. We'll be there early--a little after twelve."

Bettina's "emergency shelf" was always well stocked, and before her conversation with Bob was over her mind had hastily reviewed its contents. In a very short time, her oven held escalloped salmon, graham gems and "quick pudding," and she was setting the dainty porch table. "I'm glad the weather is so beautiful," she said to herself, "for it is so much fun to have a hurry-up luncheon like this out-of-doors. Well, whatever the guests think, I'm sure that Bob will like my menu, for 'quick pudding' is a favorite dessert of his, and he can always eat several graham gems!"

For luncheon they had:

Escalloped Salmon Graham Gems Apricot Sauce Bettina's Vegetable Salad Chocolate Marshmallows Bettina's "Quick Pudding"

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Escalloped Salmon= (Four portions)

1-1/2 C-salmon 3 T-sweet pickles, chopped fine 1 T-lemon juice 1/2 C-cracker crumbs 1 egg 1/4 t-paprika 1/2 t-salt 1/4 C-milk 2 T-fresh bread crumbs 1 T-melted butter

Pick the salmon apart with a fork and add the pickles, lemon juice, cracker crumbs, egg, paprika, salt and milk, using a fork for mixing. Place in a well-buttered baking dish. Melt the butter, add the fresh crumbs and spread evenly over the top. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

Graham Gems= (Ten gems)

1 C-graham flour 1 C-white flour 1 t-salt 1/4 C-sugar 3/4 t-soda 3/4 C-sour milk 1 egg

Mix the graham and white flour, the salt, sugar and soda, add the milk and egg. Beat two minutes. Fill well-buttered muffin pans one-half full. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

Apricot Sauce= (Four portions)

1/4 lb. dried apricots 2 C-water 1/2 C-sugar

Wash the dried apricots well. Add the water and allow them to soak for three hours or longer. Cook very slowly in the same water until tender. Add the sugar, and cook three minutes.

Bettina's Vegetable Salad= (Four portions)

1/2 C-cooked peas 1/2 C-diced celery 1/4 C-green pepper, chopped 1/2 C-diced cooked potatoes 1 T-chopped onion 2 hard-cooked eggs, diced 2 t-salt 2/3 C-salad dressing

Mix the peas, celery, green pepper, potatoes, onion, egg and salt thoroughly. Add the salad dressing, and serve cold on lettuce leaves. Garnish with rings of green pepper and egg slices.

Bettina's "Quick Pudding"= (Four portions)

2 egg-whites, stiffly beaten 4 T-powdered sugar 10 dates, cut fine 3 T-nuts, cut fine 1/2 t-vanilla 1/8 t-salt 1/4 t-baking powder

Beat the eggs stiffly, add the nut meats, dates, vanilla, salt, sugar and baking powder. Place in a well-buttered tin mould or a pan and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Allow the mould to stand in a pan of hot water while in the oven. Serve hot.

CHAPTER LXXXIV

UNCLE JOHN A GUEST AT DINNER

"WELL, well! In time for dinner; am I?" said Uncle John, letting in a gust of snow-filled air as he opened the front door.

"Why, Uncle John, I should say you are!" answered Bettina with delight as she removed her kitchen apron. "Do you smell my date buns? I believe you'll like them!"

"Date buns? Never heard of anything so absurd in my whole life! What are they?" And then, without waiting for an answer, he went on, "A regular blizzard tonight, I do believe! I telephoned your Aunt Lucy that I wouldn't be back to the farm till morning, then I found a place to leave my car, and came up here to see if I couldn't get a bite to eat. But date buns! I don't know about that! I'm not used to anything so fancy."

"Well, Uncle John, there's a salmon loaf baking in the oven, and also some lemon rice pudding, so I believe there'll be something you'll like."

"Maybe!" said Uncle John, doubtfully, but with a twinkle in his eye that belied his words. "But let me see! Aunt Lucy sent you something; what was it? Oh, yes, some cream!" And he took a glass jar from its wrappings.

"Oh, Uncle John, how lovely!" said Bettina. "Won't we just revel in cream! There comes Bob now! Get behind the door, Uncle John, and say 'boo'! the way you used to do with me when I was a little girl!"

That night for dinner Bettina served:

Salmon Loaf Creamed Potatoes Date Buns Butter Cranberry Sauce Lemon Rice Pudding Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Salmon Loaf= (Three portions)

1 C-flaked salmon 1/2 C-fresh bread crumbs 2/3 C-milk 1 egg-yolk 1/2 t-salt 1/4 t-paprika 1 t-melted butter 1 t-flour

Mix the salmon, bread crumbs, milk, egg-yolk, salt and paprika. Pack down in a well-buttered pan. Pour one teaspoon of melted butter over the top. Dredge with flour. Bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot or cold.

Date Buns= (Twelve Buns)

3 C-flour 1/2 t-salt 1 yeast cake 2 T-sugar 1/3 T-butter 3/4 C-milk 1 egg 2/3 C-dates

Mix and sift the flour and the salt. Add the dates, which have been pitted and cut into small pieces. Mix with sugar the yeast cake (broken up). Heat the milk and add the butter. When the butter is melted, cool the milk mixture slightly, and add it to the yeast mixture, stirring carefully until the yeast is dissolved.

Add the egg well-beaten to the milk mixture, and add this to the flour. Mix thoroughly and toss onto a well-floured board. Knead two minutes. Place in a warm place and allow to rise one hour. Divide into twelve pieces by cutting with a knife. Allow to rise ten minutes. Brush the tops with one tablespoon of egg to which has been added one tablespoon of milk. Bake twenty minutes in a hot oven.

Lemon Rice Pudding= (Three portions)

2/3 C-cooked rice 1/4 t-salt 1 C-milk 1 egg 1 T-lemon juice 1/4 C-sugar 1 T-powdered sugar 1 t-lemon juice

Beat the egg-yolk, add the sugar, salt and lemon juice. Add the milk and the rice. Cook one minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Pour into a well-buttered pudding dish. Beat the egg-white very stiff. Add the powdered sugar and the lemon juice. (One teaspoon.) Pile lightly on top of the pudding. Bake thirty minutes in a slow oven.

CHAPTER LXXXV

DURING THE TEACHERS' CONVENTION

"SO you'll not be back until dinner time?" Bettina had said at the breakfast table to Bob's cousin, Edna, and her friend, Catherine. "A whole day of it! How tired you'll be!"

Edna laughed her ripply laugh that always made everyone else laugh, too. "Tired getting me a hat and a suit? Oh, Bettina! That makes me feel livelier than ever!"

Catherine looked troubled. "Now, Edna," she said, "you positively mustn't miss that afternoon meeting. I know it will be so inspiring! Remember what Professor Macy said!"

Edna laughed again. "Catherine always quotes Professor Macy as if he were an oracle or a sphinx or something instead of a nice solemn young high school teacher who's getting a little bald!"

"He isn't bald and he isn't solemn," declared Catherine with some spirit.

"Forgive me, Catherine dear! He is a lamb and a darling and everything else you want me to say!"

"I want you to say? Why, Edna, aren't you ashamed!" said Catherine, growing very red. "Who ever heard of such nonsense?"

"I love to tease you, Catherine. It's so easy! So you won't help me get my hat? I want a beautiful purple one--or else a perky little black one. I haven't decided whether to be stately and gracious, or frivolous and cunning. But I do know that I will not look as if I were about to cram the multiplication table into the head of some poor little innocent!"

"Don't worry, Edna," said Bob. "You won't look that way at all. In fact, I wonder that you can be serious long enough to impress the members of the school board when they come visiting."

"She doesn't try to impress them; she just smiles at them instead, and that does just as well," said Catherine. "But she's not so utterly frivolous as her conversation sounds. She wants to hear the convention addresses just as much as I do--and I know she'll be there this afternoon. In fact, I intend to save a seat for her."

"Between you and Professor Macy?" asked Edna, innocently. "Or on his left?"

"Shame on you, Edna," said Bettina. "Now you girls tell me just what you'd like for dinner! Aren't there some special dishes you're hungry for?"

"Pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes!" said Edna. "Our landlady never has them, and I often dream of the joy of ordering such delicacies!"

And so that evening for dinner Bettina had:

Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potatoes Baked Apples Bread Butter Cottage Pudding with Chocolate Sauce Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potatoes= (Four portions)

1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin 1 t-salt 1/4 t-pepper 4 large sweet potatoes

Wipe the tenderloins which have been prepared by cutting into small pieces (by the butcher). Place in a small roaster and put in a hot oven. When brown on each side, season with salt and pepper. Pare the potatoes and place in the pan with the meat. Baste every ten minutes with one-fourth cup of water if there are not sufficient drippings to baste both the potatoes and meat. Cook until the potatoes are done (about forty-five minutes).

Baked Apples= (Four portions)

4 Jonathan apples 8 T-"C" sugar 2 t-cinnamon 1 C-water 1/2 t-vanilla

Wash and core the apples. Fill each with one tablespoon of sugar and one-half teaspoon of cinnamon. Place in a small tin pan just large enough to hold them. Add the water and the rest of the sugar, and bake forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Baste frequently with the syrup. After the apples have cooked thirty minutes, add the vanilla to the syrup.

Bettina's Cottage Pudding= (Four portions)

1/2 C-sugar 1/4 t-salt 1 C-flour 2 t-baking powder 3 T-chopped nuts 1/2 t-vanilla 1 egg 1/2 C-milk 3 T-melted butter

Mix the sugar, salt, flour, baking powder and nuts. Add the egg and milk and mix well. Add the vanilla. Beat vigorously for two minutes, and then add the melted butter. Pour into well-buttered gem pans, filling each half full. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce= (Four portions)

1/2 C-sugar 2 T-flour 1 C-water 1/8 t-salt 1 square of chocolate 1/4 t-vanilla

Mix thoroughly the sugar, flour and salt. Add the water and the chocolate. Cook slowly until the chocolate is melted (about two minutes). Add the vanilla and serve hot. If too thick, add more water until the desired consistency is reached.

CHAPTER LXXXVI

A LUNCHEON FOR THE TEACHERS

"I'LL stay at home and help you this morning; may I, Bettina?" asked Edna, looking wistfully around at Bettina's white kitchen.

"No, indeed, my dear. It is such a simple little luncheon that I have planned that I can easily do it all alone. And you must go to the meeting. All I ask is that you won't forget to come home at noon."

"Edna would much rather fuss around with you in this dear little kitchen than to go to the meetings," said Catherine, "but I won't let her. She is always crazy to cook and do housework and things like that, but she came to this convention with me, and I intend to have her get the benefit of it. Do you hear me, you bad girl? It's almost time for us to be there. Go and get your things!"

"This is the way I'm managed all the time!" complained Edna to Bettina. "Do you wonder that I look thin and pale?"

"Poor Edna!" said Bettina, smiling at her round figure and rosy cheeks. "Now do run along with Catherine. But don't forget we'll have three other guests at noon! So wear your prettiest smile!"

"And I'll help you serve!" Edna smiled back.

That day for luncheon, Bettina had:

Creamed Oysters on Toast Pear Salad Brown Bread Sandwiches Pecan Ice Cream Sponge Cake Mints Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Creamed Oysters on Toast= (Six portions)

6 pieces of toast, cut circular 3 T-butter 4 T-flour 1/4 t-paprika 1 t-salt 1-1/2 C-milk 2 C-oysters

Pick over the oysters, and drain off the liquor. Melt the butter, add the flour, salt and paprika, and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the milk, cook until thick and creamy (about three minutes), and add the oysters. Serve very hot on toast. Garnish with parsley.

Pear Salad= (Six portions)

6 halves of pear 1/2 C-cottage cheese 1 T-chopped pimento 1 T-chopped green pepper 6 halves of walnuts 1/8 t-paprika 6 T-salad dressing 6 pieces of lettuce

Arrange the pears on the lettuce leaves. Mix the cheese, pimento, green pepper and paprika thoroughly. Fill the half of the pear with the mixture. Place salad dressing over the mixture and lay one nut meat on top of each portion. Serve cold.

Pecan Ice Cream= (Ten portions)

1 qt. of cream 3/4 C-sugar 1-1/2 T-vanilla 1/2 C-pecan meats, cut fine

Mix the cream, sugar and vanilla. Fill a freezer half full of the mixture. When half frozen add the pecan meats. Continue freezing until stiff. Pack and allow to stand two hours to "ripen" before serving.

Sponge Cake= (Ten portions)

6 egg-yolks 1 C-sugar 1 t-lemon extract 6 egg-whites 1 C-flour 1/4 t-salt

Beat the egg-yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating, using a Dover egg-beater. Add the extract and whites of the eggs very stiffly beaten. Remove the egg beater and cut and fold the flour which has been sifted four times, the salt having been added to the last sifting. Bake one hour in an unbuttered, narrow pan in a slow oven.

Genuine sponge cake has no baking powder or soda in it. The eggs must be vigorously beaten so that the cake will rise. A very slow oven is necessary. Increase the heat slightly every fifteen minutes.

Do not cut sponge cake; it should be broken apart with a fork.

CHAPTER LXXXVII

RUTH COMES TO LUNCHEON

"BETTINA, what makes the gas stove pop like that when I light it? I've often wondered."

"Why, Ruth, that's because you apply the match too soon. You ought to allow the gas to flow for about four seconds; that fills all the little holes with gas and blows out the air. Then light it, and it won't pop or go out. The flame ought to burn blue; if it burns yellow, turn it off, and adjust it again."

"Well, I'm glad to know that. Sometimes it has been all right and sometimes it hasn't, and I never realized that it was because I applied the match too soon. I'm glad I came today."

"I'm glad, too, but not because of instructing you, I'm not competent to do that in very many things, goodness knows! When I called up and asked you to lunch, it was because I had such a longing to see what lovely things you'd be making today. You will have the daintiest, prettiest trousseau, Ruth!"

"I love to embroider, so I'm getting great fun out of it. I tell Fred it's a treat to make pretty things and keep them all! They were usually for gifts before! Oh, lobster salad?"

"No, creamed lobster on toast. There, Mister Lobster, you're out of your can. I always hurry him out in double-quick time onto a plate, or into an earthen-ware dish, because I'm so afraid something might interrupt me, and I'd be careless enough to leave him in the opened can! Though I know I never could be so careless. Then I never leave a metal fork standing in lobster or canned fish. It's a bad thing."

"I knew about the can, but not about the fork, though I don't believe I ever do leave a fork or a spoon in anything like that."

"Would you prefer tea, coffee, or chocolate with these cookies for dessert?"

"Coffee, I believe, Bettina. Aren't they cunning cookies! What are they?"

"Peanut cookies. I think they are good, and they are so simple to make. They are nice with afternoon tea; mother often serves them. There--lunch is all ready but the coffee, and we'll have that last."

Luncheon consisted of:

Creamed Lobster on Toast Head Lettuce French Dressing with Green Peppers Bread Butter Peanut Cookies Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Creamed Lobster on Toast= (Two portions)

2/3 C-lobster 2 T-butter A few grains of cayenne pepper 1/3 t-salt 2 T-flour 1 C-milk 1/2 t-lemon juice 1 egg-yolk 3 slices of toast

Melt the butter, add the salt, cayenne and flour. Gradually add the milk, cook until thick, stirring constantly unless in double boiler. Add the egg-yolk. Add the lobster, separated with a fork, and the lemon juice. Serve very hot on toast, garnished with parsley.

Head Lettuce= (Two portions)

1 head lettuce

Remove the outside leaves and the core. Soak in cold water with one-half teaspoon salt in it, with the head of the lettuce down. Cut into quarters. Serve a quarter as a portion.

French Dressing with Green Peppers= (Two portions)

1/2 t-salt 1/4 t-pepper 2 T-vinegar 4 T-olive oil 2 T-chopped green peppers

Mix the salt, pepper, and green pepper. Add the vinegar. Beat well and add the olive oil slowly. Beat with a silver fork until the dressing thickens.

Peanut Cookies= (Two dozen)

1/2 C-sugar 3 T-butter 1 egg 1 t-baking powder 1/4 t-salt 1 C-flour 1/2 C-chopped peanuts 1/2 t-lemon juice

Cream the butter, add the sugar, mix well, and add well-beaten egg. Add the baking-powder, salt, flour, chopped peanuts, and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, and drop two inches apart on a greased baking-tin or in pans. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven.

CHAPTER LXXXVIII

THE HICKORY LOG

"SAY, this feels good!" said Bob, as he warmed his hands by the cheerful blaze.

"Doesn't it!" said Bettina, enthusiastically. "And see, I've set the dinner table here by the fireplace. It's such fun when just the two of us are here. Isn't the log burning well?"

"I wondered if we could use one of our new logs tonight--thought about it all the way home. And here you had already tried it! November has turned so much colder that I believe winter is coming."

"So do I, but I don't mind, I don't want a warm Thanksgiving."

"Dinner ready? M--m, what's that? Lamb chops? Escalloped potatoes? Smells good!"

"Come on, dear! After dinner, we'll try those nuts we left so long out at Uncle John's. Do you think they're dry enough by this time? Charlotte phoned me that they had tried theirs, and found them fine. By the way, she and Frank may come over this evening."

"Hope they do. Listen--I hear a car outside now."

"Sure enough, that's Frank and Charlotte. Go to the door, Bob! We'll persuade them to eat dessert with us. . . . Hello, people! Come in; you're just in time to have some tea and a ginger drop-cake apiece."

"That's what we came for, Bettina!" shouted Frank, laughing. "And then you must come out in the car with us. It's a beautiful, clear, cold night, and you'll enjoy it--if you take plenty of wraps!"

For dinner that night Bettina served:

Lamb Chops Escalloped Potatoes Egg Plant Bread Butter Ginger Drop-Cakes Tea

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level).

Broiled Lamb Chops= (Two portions)

2 lamb chops 1 t-salt 1/4 t-paprika

Wipe the chops and place in a red-hot pan over the flame. When the under surface is seared, turn and sear the other side. Turn often for twelve minutes. When nearly cooked, sprinkle with salt and paprika.

Escalloped Potatoes= (Two portions)

1-1/2 C-raw potatoes, sliced 1/2 t-salt 1 T-flour 1/2 C-milk 1 T-butter 1/8 t-paprika 1 T-chopped green pepper

Mix the potatoes, salt, flour, paprika and green pepper. Place in a buttered baking dish or casserole. Pour the milk over the mixture and dot with butter. Put a cover on the dish and allow to cook for half an hour. Remove the cover and allow to cook twenty minutes more. More milk may be added if the mixture is too dry.

Egg Plant= (Three portions)

1 egg plant 1 t-salt 1 T-egg-yolk 1 T-water 1/2 C-cracker crumbs 2 T-lard

Peel and slice the egg plant in slices one-half an inch thick. Sprinkle each slice with salt. Place the slices on top and allow to stand for two hours. This drains out the liquid. Wipe each piece with a cloth and dip in the beaten egg-yolk, to which the water has been added. Dip in the cracker crumbs. Place the lard in a frying-pan, and when very hot, add the slices of egg plant. Brown thoroughly on both sides, lower the fire and cook five minutes. Serve on a hot platter with the slices overlapping each other.

Ginger Drop-Cakes= (Fifteen cakes)

1 C-molasses 1/2 C-boiling water 2-1/4 C-flour 1 t-soda 2 t-ginger 1/2 t-salt 1/2 C-chopped raisins 4 T-melted butter

Put the molasses in a bowl, add the boiling water and the dry ingredients, sifted. Then add the raisins and the melted butter. Beat well for two minutes. Pour into buttered muffin pans, filling the pans one-half full. Bake twenty minutes in a moderate oven.

CHAPTER LXXXIX

SOME CHRISTMAS PLANS

"CHRISTMAS is in the air today, I believe," said Charlotte as she took off her hat and warmed her cold hands at Bettina's open fire. "You ought to see the children around the toys downtown--swarming like flies at the molasses! Still, we ought to think about Thanksgiving before we begin our Christmas plans, I suppose."

"I try to get all my Christmas packages ready by Thanksgiving," said Bettina. "Of course, I don't always succeed, but it is a splendid aim to have! There is always so much to do at the last minute--baking and company and candy making! This year we plan to give very few gifts--but to send a card at least to each of our friends. We're racking our brains now to think of something that will be individual--really ours, you know. I think a tiny snapshot of yourself or your home, or your baby or your dog--or even a sprig of holly or a bit of evergreen on a card with a few written words of greeting means more to a friend than all the lovely engraved cards in the world! Of course, some people can draw or paint and make their own--Alice will, I'm sure. One girl I know makes wonderful fruit cake, and she always sends a piece of it, in a little box tied with holly ribbon, to each of her friends. Aren't the little gifts that aren't too hard on one's purse the best after all--especially when they really come straight from the giver, and not merely from the store?"

"Bettina, I'll be afraid to send you anything after such an eloquent sermon as this!"

"Oh, Charlotte, how you talk! I'm telling you my idea of what a Christmas gift should be, but I'll probably fall far below it myself! Luncheon is ready, dear."

For luncheon Bettina and Mrs. Dixon had:

Mutton in Ramekins Rice Peanut Bread Butter Apple Sauce Tokay Grapes Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Mutton in Ramekins= (Three portions)

1-1/2 C-cold mutton 2/3 C-brown gravy 1/2 t-salt 1 t-chopped mint 1 egg-yolk 1 egg-white, beaten stiff

Mix the mutton, gravy, salt, mint and egg-yolk thoroughly. Add the egg-white. Turn into well-buttered ramekins or china baking dishes. Bake in a moderate oven in a pan of hot water for twenty-five minutes. Serve in the ramekins.

Rice= (Three portions)

1/2 C-rice 2 qts. boiling water 1 t-salt 1 T-butter

Wash the rice, add slowly to the boiling salted water. Boil twenty minutes. Pour the rice in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Place in the oven for five minutes to dry. Serve warm, dotted with butter.

Peanut Bread= (Twelve slices)

2 C-flour 4 t-baking powder 1/2 t-salt 4 T-"C" sugar 1 egg 1/2 C-chopped peanuts 3/4 C-milk

Mix thoroughly the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and peanuts. Add the egg and milk. Stir vigorously two minutes. Place in a well-buttered bread pan, and bake thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.

CHAPTER XC

AFTER THE FOOTBALL GAME

"THERE are the men now," said Mrs. Dixon, rolling up the hose she had been darning. "Good!" said Bettina. "The dinner is just ready for them, and I'm glad they didn't keep us waiting."

"Hello! Hello!" shouted Frank and Bob, letting in a gust of cold air as they opened the door. "Whew! It's cold!"

"How was the game?"

"Fine! 39 to 0 in favor of Blake!"

"Not very exciting, I should think."

"Still, Frank here wanted to bet me that Blake would be badly beaten!"

"Frank!" said Charlotte in exasperation. "Is that the way you show your loyalty to your home college?"

"Shame on you, Frank!" grinned Bob. "Well, dinner ready? I'm about starving!"

"Bettina has a regular 'after-the-game' dinner tonight," said Charlotte. "Just the kind to make a man's heart rejoice!"

"Hurray!" said Bob, stirring up the grate fire. "And afterward we'll have our coffee in here, and toast marshmallows. Shall we?"

"Suits me!" said Frank. "Anything you suggest suits me, if it's something to eat."

"Dinner's ready," said Bettina. "Come into the dining-room, people, and tell us about the game. Charlotte and I have mended all your hose this afternoon, and we deserve a royal entertainment now."

"Bettina," said Frank, "do you expect us to talk when you set a dinner like this before us?"

The menu consisted of:

Flank Steak, Braized with Vegetables Cabbage Salad Bread Butter Brown Betty with Hard Sauce Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

Flank Steak Braized with Vegetables= (Four portions)

1-1/2 lbs. flank steak, 1-1/4 inches thick 2 T-flour 2 t-salt 1 T-butter 1-1/2 C-sliced, raw potatoes 1/2 C-thinly sliced onions 1 green pepper, sliced thin 1 C-tomato pulp

Cut with a knife across the grain of the flank steak, to prevent it from curling up. Sprinkle the flour and one teaspoonful of salt on both sides of the meat. Dot with butter, and place in an oblong baking pan. Over the meat place a thick layer of sliced raw potatoes. Add the green pepper, and season with one-half a teaspoonful of salt. Place the onions next and the rest of the salt. (One-half a teaspoonful.) Pour one cup of stewed or raw tomato pulp over all the mixture, and cover the baking pan tightly. Cook slowly in the oven for two hours. One-half hour before the meat is done, remove the cover to allow it to brown. Water may need to be added to prevent burning. In serving, very carefully transfer the steak to a hot platter, preserving the various layers of vegetables. To serve, slice down through the layers as through a loaf.

Cabbage Salad= (Four portions)

2 C-chopped cabbage 2 pieces of celery 1/2 t-salt 1/4 t-paprika 1/2 C-salad dressing or enough to moisten

Chop the cabbage and the celery fine. Add salt, paprika and salad dressing. Serve cold.

Brown Betty= (Four portions)

2 C-bread crumbs 2 C-sliced apples, pared and cored 1/4 C-sugar 1 t-cinnamon 1/2 C-water 1 T-lemon juice 1 T-butter 1/8 t-salt

Mix the crumbs, apples, sugar, salt and cinnamon well. Pour water and lemon juice over the mixture. Place in a buttered baking-dish. Place the butter over the top in small pieces. Cover the pan with a lid and bake in a moderate oven forty-five to sixty minutes. Remove the lid after the Brown Betty has been cooking twenty-five minutes. More water may be needed if the apples are not very juicy.

Hard Sauce= (Four portions)

3 T-butter 1 t-boiling water 1/4 t-lemon extract 1/4 t-vanilla extract 3/4 C-powdered sugar

Cream the butter, add the water and slowly add the sugar. Continue mixing until very creamy. Add the lemon and vanilla extract. Form into a cube and place in the ice box. Allow to stand half an hour, then cut into slices and serve on top of the Brown Betty.

CHAPTER XCI

A THANKSGIVING DINNER IN THE COUNTRY

AFTER all the excitement of Alice's wedding, Bettina was more than delighted when she and Bob were invited to a family dinner at Aunt Lucy's on Thanksgiving day. "It always seems to me the most comfortable and restful place in the world," said she to Bob. "And Aunt Lucy is such a wonderful cook, too! We're very lucky this year, I can tell you!"

"Who's to be there?"

"Father and mother--we are to drive out with them--and Aunt Lucy's sister and her big family. Thanksgiving seems more natural with children at the table, I think. And those are the liveliest, rosiest children!"

Bob had slept late that morning, and consequently had eaten no breakfast, but he did not regret his keen appetite when Uncle John was carving the great brown turkey.

"The children first, John," said kind Aunt Lucy. "The grown folks can wait."

Little Dick and Sarah had exclaimed with delight at the place cards of proud turkeys standing beside each plate. In the center of the table was a great wicker basket heaped with oranges, nuts and raisins.

"It doesn't seem natural without pumpkin pie," said Aunt Lucy, "but John was all for plum pudding instead."

"We can have pie any day," said Uncle John, "but this is a special occasion. What with Dick here--and Sarah--and Bettina--who's some cook herself, I can tell you!--I was determined that mother should show her skill! And she did; didn't she?"

The menu was as follows:

Turkey with Giblet Gravy Oyster Dressing Mashed Potatoes Creamed Onions Cranberry Frappé Bread Celery Butter Plum Pudding Hard Sauce Nuts Raisins Coffee

BETTINA'S RECIPES

(All measurements are level)

THE THANKSGIVING DINNER RECIPES

Roast Turkey= (Fourteen portions)

1 12-lb. turkey

The turkey should be thoroughly cleaned and washed in a pan of water to which one teaspoon of soda has been added to each two quarts of water. Wash the inside with a cloth, rinsing thoroughly, allowing plenty of water to run through the turkey. Dry well and stuff. Season all over with salt, pepper and butter. When baking, lay the fowl first on one side, then on the other until one-half hour before taking from the oven. Then it should be turned on its back, allowing the breast to brown. A twelve pound turkey should be cooked three hours in a moderate oven, basting frequently.

Oyster Dressing= (Fourteen portions)

6 C-stale bread crumbs 1/2 C-melted butter 2 t-salt 1/2 t-pepper 1 pt. oysters

Mix the ingredients in the order given, adding the oysters cleaned and drained from the liquor. Fill the turkey and sew up with needle and thread.