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FOR THE COMFORT 
 OF THE FAMILY 
 
FOR THE COMFORT 
 OF THE FAMILY 
 
 A VACATION EXPERIMENT 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPHINE STORY 
 
 ILLUSTRATED FROM 
 PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES 
 POSED BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 NEW YORK 
 GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 
 

 COPTBIGHT, 1914, BY 
 
 GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 
 
 OCT 27 1914 
 ©CU387218 
 
 *Lq, 
 
w 
 
 i^ CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 Personalities and Paper IS 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 Reckoning-Day Dishes 23 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 The Tools of Your Trade 35 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 For a Simple and Sane Sunday 47 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 And Now to Breakfast! 57 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 Our Invalid Neighbor 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 The Emergency Cupboard 77 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 When We Eat What We Can and "Can'' What We 
 
 Can't 87 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 Ready-to-Eat Suppers 99 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Confections and Conclusion Ill 
 
 5 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGH 
 
 When the table is to be set, every necessary dish, glass and 
 
 piece of silver is placed on the papier mache* tray 
 
 Frontispiece 
 In the kitchen was installed a roll of paper toweling . 14 
 
 The papier mache' tray renders one trip only necessary 
 between refrigerator and kitchen. A card index box in 
 which is registered every cent spent in the kitchen de- 
 
 y 
 
 partment 24' 
 
 In attractive, screw-top jars sauces and salad dressings are 
 kept ready for use 28 
 
 A bread mixer saves time and energy, the cook books in 
 their washable slip covers of white linen; a card index 
 box for recipes and tools attached to the work bench 
 by chains are a few of the devices which make work in 
 the kitchen more efficient 38 
 
 The cork bulletin board has proved to be the Good Genie 
 
 of the house 42* 
 
 A bread slicer makes sandwiches for Sunday luncheon a 
 
 very simple matter 48 i 
 
 Fruit to be served in tall, cool-looking glasses for Sunday 
 supper may be prepared on Saturday and placed in a 
 
 glass jar in refrigerator 52 y 
 
 7 
 
8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGB 
 
 The next step was to substitute paper for the linen doilies 
 used on the polished table. Paper napkins, plates and 
 cups have proved dainty, magical time-savers . . 58 
 
 I discovered paper bags in which to cook chops to a state 
 of luscious juiciness, and lo! those bogies, Greasy 
 Pans, skulked shamefacedly out of sight! . . .6$ 
 
 Within easy reach on a white enameled towel-rack, such 
 as one sees in a nursery, were arranged the wraps of 
 the Princess 68 
 
 Beside the invalid's bed on a small table were an electric 
 night-lantern, a thermos caraffe, a clock with an al- 
 most soundless tick 73 
 
 When one guest arrives unexpectedly serve luncheon on a 
 tray. 'Tis quicker, easier and seems more dainty and 
 festive 78 
 
 When we serve a cool, refreshing drink to guests on the 
 
 veranda paper cups are a boon 82 
 
 My eyes are always on the watch for an odd-shaped glass 
 
 jar in which to present jams and jellies to my friends 90 
 
 Long before the apple-picking season arrives we search for 
 attractive baskets and hampers 94 
 
 That comfort of the servantless, the fireless cooker . . 100 
 
 Supper dishes which may be prepared in the morning. 
 Banbury tarts; brown bread for sandwiches; macaroni 
 and tomato sauce; deviled lobster in individual dishes; 
 cheese sandwiches ready to toast 106 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 9 
 
 PAGE 
 
 In the hour following supper confections are quickly and 
 
 easily made on the range or in the chafing dish . . 112 v 
 
 The Japanese shops and ten-cent stores are mines of op- 
 portunity in which to find attractive and inexpensive 
 receptacles for tempting home-made candies . . 116 y 
 
"Very soon there will be no servant problem, as there 
 will be no servants." — Ellen Key. 
 
 "Thou dost need to learn of our brave Captain John 
 Smith, who made his boast that he scorned to sit down 
 in a library to write of other men's exploits, but that he 
 did rather take his pen and inkhorn with him into the 
 trenches and behind the barricades where what his sword 
 did his pen writ." 
 
CHAPTER ONE: PERSONALITIES 
 AND PAPER 
 
FOR THE COMFORT OF THE 
 FAMILY 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PERSONALITIES AND PAPER 
 
 In which is recorded how one woman having 
 signed a declaration of independence put her 
 hand to the plow of determination. 
 
 Mary the Temperamental was departing. 
 In spite of the fact that she had a spirit which 
 would have dared the devil; that her cooking 
 was well-meant but depressing; such are the 
 subtleties and complexities of modern home- 
 making that there was a stinging sensation 
 beneath my eyelids as I saw her go. 
 
 In solemn conclave the night before, WE, 
 the family, had agreed that rather than spend 
 one moment of our precious vacation pursu- 
 ing that elusive, that essentially American 
 product, the general housework girl, we 
 
 13 
 
14 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 would share the household duties and go 
 it alone. The one cross-your-throat-and-hope- 
 to-die promise which my men-folk extorted 
 from me was — I being the feminine quarter of 
 the family unit — that if I found myself get- 
 ting overtired I was to confess. 
 
 Two weeks later I had forgotten that I had 
 doubted my ability to make good. I had a 
 sense of infinite opportunity. My first move 
 had been to watch for wasted minutes as I 
 went about my work. By a process of elimina- 
 tion and selection, dust-collecting ornaments, 
 furniture, superfluous silver, in fact every 
 article which did not contribute directly to the 
 artistic or material comfort of the family, 
 vanished into the limbo of discarded things. 
 The result of my clearance was a sense of 
 restful spaciousness in the house and a magical 
 increase in leisure moments. 
 
 Next I discovered the number of needless 
 steps which were taken between dining-room 
 and kitchen. In the nearest city I bought two 
 white papier-mache trays — size 22 x 16 inches 
 — which sell for $1.75 each. One of these is 
 kept in the china-closet and, when the table is 
 
'In the kitchen was installed a roll of paper toweling 
 
PERSONALITIES AND PAPER 15 
 
 to be set, every necessary dish, glass, and piece 
 of silver is placed on the tray and taken to the 
 dining-room; then back it goes to receive the 
 dishes which are to be heated in the kitchen. 
 When the food is ready it again renders one 
 trip only necessary. The second tray is kept 
 in the kitchen for refrigerator and pantry 
 use. The usefulness of the trays depends upon 
 the amount of intelligence of the woman be- 
 hind them. 
 
 My next step was to substitute paper for 
 the linen doilies used on the polished table. I 
 found such pretty ones. They look like a piece 
 of crochet, are firm, quite thick and can with 
 care be used a number of times. I bought 
 plate and finger bowl sizes and small ones for 
 the water glass by the hundred. Then I in- 
 vested in a dozen large oval doilies to use over 
 asbestos mats, under hot platters, and some 
 large round ones with a lacey edge upon which 
 to unmold a jelly, mousse or parfait. As mine 
 would have been the task of laundering the 
 linen doilies, think what an amount of time, 
 strength and energy I saved by substituting 
 paper. 
 
16 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 I bought white paper napkins at ten cents 
 per hundred. The saleswoman where I was 
 buying knew her business, for, when I confided 
 to her what I was trying to do, she fairly radi- 
 ated interest. "Have you ever tried paper 
 plates? Some folks use them for food which 
 is put in the ice-box," she volunteered. Her 
 suggestion seemed worth trying, so I pur- 
 chased plates, size 6 x 7 at 40 cents and size 
 8 x 9 at 50 cents per hundred, and you can have 
 no idea until you . try them what time they 
 save. 
 
 No more skillful device to kill interest in 
 housework was ever contrived than that drudg- 
 ery, washing dishes. The Youngest Member, 
 to whose lot had fallen this portion of our co- 
 operative housework, did his share faithfully, 
 but with such a pathetic lack of enthusiasm 
 that I set about simplifying his task. While 
 foraging for ideas I discovered paper bag 
 cookery, and, lo! those bogies, greasy pans, 
 skulked shamefacedly out of sight. I use No. 
 3 bag for roasting occasionally, but 'tis No. 2 
 which I find most useful for cooking small 
 pieces of meat or fish and in which to warm 
 
PERSONALITIES AND PAPER 17 
 
 over rolls, doughnuts, etc. Lamb chops are a 
 luxury with us, but when we do indulge we 
 approach them with glowing anticipation, for 
 we have a de luoce edition. Kidney chops are 
 cut double thickness, are cooked thirty minutes 
 in a paper bag which has been well buttered 
 inside, with the result that they are the most 
 luscious juicy morsels you ever tasted. 
 
 Another minute-saver was discovered in a 
 package of cake-tin papers which come cut to 
 fit the pan. While on the subject of cake and 
 paper jot down this suggestion: when baking 
 cake, cookies, or bread in a hot oven, slip an 
 asbestos mat under the pan. Many a heart- 
 ache, caused by the blackened bottom of an 
 otherwise delectable loaf, may be saved by this 
 method. 
 
 In the kitchen was installed a roll of paper 
 toweling, which, with its nickel fixture, cost 
 $1.75. These are used for hand towels. After 
 using they are tossed into a waste basket under 
 the table and, when I want to wipe a spot 
 from floor, table, or range, when I lift a hot 
 pan or kettle cover, I take a towel from the 
 basket. I also discovered that when used to rub 
 
18 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 up boots or shoes they worked like a magic 
 brush; but I felt that the acme of the utility 
 of the paper towel had been reached when, one 
 rainy day, I saw the Crown Prince, to whose 
 care had been assigned the floors, carefully 
 wiping his dog's feet with one before allowing 
 the astounded and aggrieved animal to enter 
 the house. Such is the beneficent and magical 
 result of having each member of the family 
 share in the housework. 
 
 Paper cups have proved a boon in which to 
 serve cool, refreshing drinks to our evening 
 guests on the veranda. The morning after we 
 are not confronted by a row of soiled glasses 
 turning reproachful, dingy eyes upon us; in- 
 stead the cups used the night before have mer- 
 rily kindled the morning fire. Some day pre- 
 pare the following concoction ; so delicious is it 
 that your friends will neither know nor care 
 whether it be served in Venetian glass or ple- 
 beian paper cups. 
 
 Squeeze the juice from four lemons into a 
 glass pitcher. Add two more lemons sliced 
 very thin; two cups of sugar and a bunch of 
 fresh mint — the juice of an orange also, if you 
 
PERSONALITIES AND PAPER 19 
 
 have it. When ready to serve add three bottles 
 of ginger ale and three of Apollinaris water 
 which have been thoroughly chilled. 
 
 One likes something to nibble with a cold 
 drink, so when there is sour cream on hand we 
 have the following cookies in the larder. Cream 
 one half cup of butter and one cup of sugar; 
 add one well-beaten egg and one half cup of 
 sour cream into which has been stirred one 
 quarter teaspoon of sifted soda. Sift two and 
 a half cups of flour with three and a half level 
 teaspoons of baking powder and beat well into 
 first mixture. Add one teaspoon of vanilla. 
 Drop from teaspoon in small rounds on but- 
 tered tin. Sprinkle with grated cocoanut and 
 bake in hot oven. 
 
 As Brownies always call forth a round of 
 applause, I record here the formula for their 
 manufacture, which is the result of much ex- 
 perimenting. Mix one cup of sugar; one quar- 
 ter cup of melted butter; one egg unbeaten; 
 two squares of Baker's chocolate, melted ; three 
 quarters teaspoon of vanilla; one half cup of 
 sifted flour ; one half cup of walnut meats cut 
 in pieces. Mix ingredients in order given. 
 
20 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 Line a seven-inch pan with paraffine paper, 
 spread mixture evenly, and bake in slow oven. 
 The proof of your success in making the 
 above delicacies will not lie in the eating but in 
 the number of times you are asked for their 
 recipes. 
 
CHAPTER TWO: RECKONING-DAY 
 DISHES 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 RECKONING-DAY DISHES 
 
 The domestic wheels ran smoothly. A 
 neighbor who needed a little extra money came 
 in early every morning, filled the lamps and 
 put the front of the house in order from top 
 to bottom. This being vacation, the Head of 
 the House was gardener and out-door man; 
 the Crown Prince, measuring eighteen years, 
 six feet and one inch, attended to the floors 
 and windows, while the Youngest Member 
 waited upon table and took care of the dishes. 
 I reigned supreme in the kitchen, having at 
 this late date, I confess it to my shame, just 
 discovered that the theater tickets for which I 
 had longed; books which the Head of the 
 House had coveted; sundry sorts of luxuries 
 and pleasures which we had denied ourselves, 
 had been carried out the back door in the 
 kitchen waste. 
 
 23 
 
24 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 Now an elaborate system of accounts would 
 whiten my hair and turn the edge of my tem- 
 per, but I keep a card index box in the kitchen 
 in which I register every cent spent in that de- 
 partment. In these days, when food prices are 
 emulating the aviators in their skyward nights, 
 the housekeeper who does not cater on a stipu- 
 lated allowance is steering her domestic ship 
 straight for financial reefs. 
 
 Every week has its day of reckoning; the 
 day when I realize that I must slow up or the 
 week's appropriation will be spent before its 
 time; 'tis then that I play that absorbingly 
 interesting game "Use What You Have." 
 
 To play fairly one cannot open an expensive 
 can of something, which if credited will make 
 a big hole in the week's expenditure, but one 
 must use one's imagination, skill and ingenuity 
 in fashioning into tempting meals the provi- 
 sions on hand. 
 
 For instance, suppose that my larder offers 
 only cold lamb. Lacking the courage to serve 
 it again "as is," I cut it into as uniform pieces 
 as possible, place these in a baking dish with 
 alternate layers of cooked macaroni and over 
 
ss 
 
 <.-3-C 
 
RECKONING-DAY DISHES 25 
 
 each layer pour tomato sauce. The top is cov- 
 ered with buttered crumbs and the dish is then 
 heated in the oven till the sauce bubbles around 
 the edges. 
 
 Or perchance I line a mold with rice which 
 has been boiled in salted water, fill the cavity 
 with lamb which has been chopped and mixed 
 with enough brown sauce and mushrooms to 
 make it quite moist. Cover the top with rice, 
 cover this with a plate, set the mold in hot 
 water in the oven and bake until the mixture 
 has been thoroughly heated. Unmold on a lace 
 paper doily, garnish with sprays of parsley, 
 and the result will be both tempting and de- 
 licious. 
 
 Left-over beef is most palatable made into 
 a loaf. Soak one tablespoon of gelatine in 
 one-half cup of cold water ten minutes. Heat 
 three-quarters cup of well-seasoned stewed to- 
 matoes to boiling and pour over the gelatine, 
 stirring well till gelatine is dissolved. Have 
 ready two cups chopped and seasoned meat 
 mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice; stir 
 the tomato into the meat mixture and mold in 
 an earthen dish. 
 
26 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 Sometimes I have yolks of eggs on hand. 
 Into these I break more eggs, beat them 
 slightly, add a tablespoon of milk for each 
 egg and yolk, season with salt and pepper, and 
 turn the mixture into a frying pan in which a 
 tablespoon of butter is bubbling. When the 
 mixture begins to cook around the edges of 
 the pan, slip a fork from the center under the 
 cooked part, thus allowing the liquid to run in 
 under. This makes a thick, plump, tender 
 omelette. Before folding the omelette I spread 
 it with two tablespoons of tomato chutney, or 
 pour around it a hot cream sauce in which has 
 been heated a few asparagus tips; sometimes 
 I use celery salt for flavor, or grated cheese, 
 or a bit of finely minced ham ; in fact, there is 
 no limit to the variety of delicious omelettes 
 one can make. They are most satisfactory 
 when made in this way, but do not give the 
 family one of those leathery concoctions filled 
 with frothy, tasteless whites of eggs, and ex- 
 pect them to consider themselves fed. 
 
 Oftentimes the eggs are scrambled and 
 served on toast which has been spread with 
 anchovy paste. If I have creamed chipped 
 
RECKONING-DAY DISHES 27 
 
 beef left over, it is reheated and, when piping 
 hot, is served on muffins which have been sliced 
 and toasted. 
 
 A bit of cold fish is transformed into a satis- 
 fying dish by the addition of cream sauce, cubes 
 of cold potatoes and slices of hard-boiled eggs. 
 This is put in a baking dish, covered with but- 
 tered crumbs, and baked till the top is a light 
 brown. 
 
 Perhaps my depleted cupboard offers only 
 bread and cheese and milk ; 'tis then that I con- 
 coct a dish which, because of two of its in- 
 gredients, the family have flippantly dubbed 
 "Love in a Cottage." But they like it, and it 
 is made thus : Melt three level tablespoons of 
 butter ; cook in it one and one-half tablespoons 
 of flour; one-fourth teaspoon each of salt and 
 paprika and a mere suggestion of cayenne. 
 When bubbling, stir in three-quarters cup of 
 milk ; stir until boiling, then set over hot water 
 and stir in three-quarters cup of grated cheese. 
 Continue stirring till cheese is melted and the 
 whole is of a creamy consistency, then pour 
 over toast. If there happens to be a slice of 
 pimiento lurking in a secluded corner of the 
 
28 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 refrigerator, it is chopped fine and used as a 
 garnish on the cheese toast. A touch of color 
 will often prove like the touch of a whip to a 
 flagging appetite. 
 
 Left-over vegetables, which have been thor- 
 oughly chilled and daintily cut, when mixed 
 with French dressing, make a delicious salad, 
 and, should there happen to be some cream 
 cheese at hand, it is mixed with a little cream, 
 a few chopped nuts, and rolled into balls which 
 are then lightly sprinkled with paprika. Figs 
 stuffed with this same cheese mixture make a 
 salad accessory which will cause even an as- 
 cetic's eyes to blink. 
 
 In my garden, wherever it may be, whether 
 it be large or small, there is always a plant of 
 mint. One of my favorite Reckoning-Day 
 salads is made by shredding the coarse, outer 
 leaves of the lettuce with scissors, carefully 
 arranging upon this round slices of juicy, 
 seedless oranges, over which is poured French 
 dressing to which has been added a suspicion 
 of sugar. The whole is then dusted over with 
 finely powdered, fresh mint. All the ingredi- 
 
RECKONING-DAY DISHES 29 
 
 ents must be fresh and cold, or the result will 
 be a dismal failure. 
 
 In attractive, screw-top glass jars I keep 
 the following sauces which have proved to be 
 a refuge and a strength in times of emergency : 
 
 Brown Sauce — Brown two tablespoons of 
 butter — be careful not to burn — cook in this a 
 slice of onion, a slice of carrot, a bit of pars- 
 ley and a fragment of bay leaf. Let these 
 brown in fat, stirring constantly. Add three 
 level tablespoons of flour, a quarter teaspoon 
 of salt, an eighth teaspoon of pepper. Con- 
 tinue stirring and cooking till the flour turns 
 reddish brown, then add cup of beef broth or 
 chicken stock, cook until smooth and boiling, 
 then strain. This sauce allows of infinite vari- 
 ations. To it may be added olives cut in rings 
 ■ — this goes well with warmed-over game — or 
 capers, mushrooms or strained tomatoes. 
 
 White Sauce — Melt two tablespoons of butter 
 in a small saucepan, add two tablespoons of 
 flour, one-quarter teaspoon of salt, one-quarter 
 teaspoon of pepper. Stir until blended, then 
 add one cup of milk. Stir constantly till mix- 
 ture boils and is thick and smooth. The use 
 
30 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 of cream instead of milk and the addition of a 
 teaspoon of lemon juice and a shake or two of 
 celery salt makes a delicious sauce for chicken. 
 
 Tomato Sauce — Add a slice of onion to the 
 tomatoes from one can and cook fifteen min- 
 utes. Blend three tablespoons of butter and 
 the three tablespoons of flour in a saucepan. 
 When boiling, strain into the mixture the hot 
 tomatoes, add one-half teaspoon of salt, one- 
 quarter teaspoon of pepper. Cook until boil- 
 ing, smooth and thick, which result can only 
 be obtained by constant stirring. Use this 
 with macaroni or rice, around omelettes, corned 
 beef hash, chops or steak. The sauces may 
 be reheated by setting the glass jars in hot 
 water on the range. It should be stirred, that 
 the sauce may retain its smoothness. 
 
 French Dressing — Six tablespoons of olive 
 oil, four tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar, 
 one-half teaspoon of salt, one-quarter teaspoon 
 of pepper, one-quarter teaspoon of paprika, a 
 speck of cayenne. Mix dry ingredients first; 
 stir into these the oil slowly, then add lemon 
 juice or vinegar. Mix thoroughly; shake well 
 before serving. This dressing may be varied 
 
RECKONING-DAY DISHES 31 
 
 by adding a little French mustard to the dry 
 ingredients before adding oil and vinegar. 
 
 Mayonnaise Dressing — One-quarter tea- 
 spoon paprika, one-half teaspoon of salt, few 
 grains of cayenne. Mix these ingredients and 
 into them beat the yolks of two eggs until 
 mixture thickens a little. Add slowly two 
 tablespoons lemon juice and two tablespoons 
 of vinegar. With an egg beater beat in olive 
 oil a teaspoon at a time at first, then increase 
 to tablespoon at a time till two cupfuls have 
 been used. Beat constantly till full amount 
 of oil has been added. Put in glass jar and 
 keep in refrigerator, but not on ice — the mix- 
 ture must not freeze. Should the dressing 
 separate while making or afterwards, put a 
 yolk of egg in a bowl, add a few drops of oil 
 while beating, then add the mayonnaise a little 
 at a time, when it will come smooth and thick 
 again. Add chopped gherkins, capers and 
 olives to mayonnaise and it becomes Sauce 
 Tartarre, to be served with fried fish. By 
 the addition of tomato chutney or catchup it 
 makes a delicious dressing for a vegetable 
 
32 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 salad; grated horseradish also makes a varia- 
 tion when the dressing is to be served with fish. 
 As catering is one of the homemaker's most 
 enduring and insistent problems, I consider 
 my kitchen a laboratory wherein I experiment, 
 experiment. Having the courage to dare and 
 try new combinations lifts cooking out of the 
 slough of monotony. 
 
CHAPTER THREE: THE TOOLS OF 
 YOUR TRADE 
 
CHAPTER, III 
 
 THE TOOLS OE YOUE TRADE 
 
 The trouble began early one morning. I 
 was vigorously beating the ingredients for 
 muffins when the bowl separated and a thin 
 stream of batter enriched the front of my im- 
 maculate white apron. I had known that the 
 bowl was cracked, but had taken a chance. 
 Later I tried to froth eggs with a beater which 
 balked at every third turn of its handle. Be- 
 cause I had left my spectacles upstairs I read 
 a recipe wrong, with the result that at the end 
 of four hours, when I wanted to serve it, I had 
 a gently flowing rivulet in place of the firm 
 jelly I expected. 
 
 My crowning culinary mishap came in the 
 baking of a cake. There was a refractory 
 damper in the range, but I had put off having 
 it repaired. In consequence the cake presented 
 an appearance of deep-seated dejection when 
 
 35 
 
36 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 I removed it from the oven. Craving appre- 
 ciation, I called the Judge, our black and white 
 hound, and crumpled a few fragments of the 
 alleged cake into his dish. The dog gave one 
 disdainful sniff at the offering, one reproach- 
 ful glance at me, then turned and stalked 
 haughtily from the room. He was so funny 
 in his repudiation that I laughed until I cried. 
 This relieved the tension of my feelings, and 
 I abandoned the kitchen and its disappoint- 
 ments for the sewing-room. 
 
 It was quite evident that my sins of omis- 
 sion had me at the end of their leash that day, 
 for when I attempted to sew on a few buttons 
 I found that number 90 was the only thread 
 my basket afforded. Then I tried cutting chif- 
 fon with shears as dull as an abstract on Cur- 
 rency, and later turned my piece box upside 
 down, hunting for a scrap of lawn with which 
 to mend. 
 
 As though to test my domestic equipment 
 as well as my temper, the mail brought a re- 
 quest for an article to be sent by parcel post. 
 I hunted for twine, only to find short pieces in 
 endless variety, no two alike. The wrapping 
 
THE TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE 37 
 
 paper could be accredited to the same class, 
 and when I came to the point where I must ad- 
 dress my very untidy, disreputable-looking 
 package, the ink-well was empty and my favor- 
 ite pen was apparently taking an afternoon 
 off. It was just here that I reached that emo- 
 tional stage so almost universal with the femi- 
 nine portion of humanity, a desire to scold 
 some one or cry. Having indulged myself in 
 the latter pastime with royal prodigality and 
 in consequence feeling horribly ashamed of my- 
 self, I picked up the morning paper. 
 
 The first words on the page which greeted 
 my eyes were: "You can do no efficient work 
 without the tools of your trade." "The tools 
 of your trade!" my mind echoed dully. Why, 
 at the very root of all the trouble of my tire- 
 some day lay the lack of proper tools ! Would 
 the Head of the House attempt to carry on 
 his business without proper equipment ? Would 
 any workman who stood for efficiency? All 
 that evening, paper and pencil in hand, I 
 chewed the cud of reflection. The next morn- 
 ing I started for the city. 
 
 That was two weeks ago. Now a fireless 
 
38 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 cooker, a bread-slicer — we as a family are ad- 
 dicted to sandwiches — and a bread-mixer sim- 
 plify my work and save my time and energy. 
 The white enameled shelves of my pantry, 
 where I cook, hold no unnecessary or imperfect 
 utensil. 
 
 The cereals are in glass jars, labeled. In a 
 neat pile, close at hand, are large sheets of 
 light brown wrapping paper, one of which is 
 spread on the table when I am cooking, then, 
 when the work is finished, the paper is gathered 
 up and burned, leaving the table spicky-span 
 beneath it. The cookbooks in their washable 
 slip covers of white linen are in a glass-inclosed 
 shelf within easy reach. Fastened securely to 
 that same shelf is a spectacle case containing 
 an extra pair of eyes which never leave the 
 kitchen, and on top of the shelf is a card index 
 box in which are kept the recipes collected 
 from various sources. About on the level of 
 the eyes on another shelf is a clip for holding 
 the recipe card when in use, and the cookbook 
 is kept open and clean, when being used, by a 
 small pane of glass with bound edges. 
 
 Securely attached by long fine brass chains 
 
THE TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE 39 
 
 to my work bench — that they may not be taken 
 away — are scissors, a small tack-hammer — 'tis 
 wonderful how many uses I find for that — a 
 can-opener, a corkscrew, and a bottle-opener. 
 
 The well-sharpened knives, the forks and 
 spoons which are used in cooking are separated 
 and kept in pasteboard box covers on a con- 
 venient shelf. As soon as they become in the 
 least soiled these covers are replaced. An 
 office stool stands in the pantry and another 
 before the kitchen sink. Over the sink hangs 
 a mirror and on the shelf below there is a 
 bottle of soothing cream for the hands, a face- 
 chamois and powder. Why leave the kitchen 
 with one's nose shining and glowing like a 
 beacon light, when a few simple toilet acces- 
 sories make for comfort and presentability? 
 
 For the sewing-room was purchased a cheap, 
 commodious chest of drawers in which are kept 
 materials that would fit out a miniature thread 
 and needle store. The minutes and carfares 
 which have been saved by having these articles 
 on hand have more than paid for the equip- 
 ment. In the lower drawer is an assortment 
 of wrapping paper from the thinnest of tissue 
 
40 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 to the stoutest brown and white, twine of the 
 most aristocratic down to the proletariat class, 
 and rolls of ribbon suitable for dainty pack- 
 ages. 
 
 It was on my own particular writing desk 
 that I lavished imagination and ingenuity. 
 This piece of furniture is not of the claw- 
 legged, ornate variety, but is a substantial oak 
 table desk, with four roomy drawers at either 
 end and a broad, inviting top covered with 
 blotting paper. Here one can find stationery 
 from the business kind to that for social re- 
 quirements; visiting cards with envelopes to 
 fit ; a supply of postal cards ; two cent, one cent 
 and special delivery stamps ; stamped envelopes 
 ranging from the manuscript to the ordinary 
 business size, and a pair of scales for weighing. 
 
 There is a veritable Jacob's well of black 
 ink and pens and holders in infinite variety. 
 There is also a well of red ink which I have 
 found invaluable for entering certain garden 
 dates in my diary. Social events I record in 
 blue, and birthdays and festal occasions in gold 
 ink, therefore my diary takes on the charm of 
 an illuminated missal of olden times. 
 
THE TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE 41 
 
 Between book ends there is a dictionary — 
 spellers are made, not born, in our family — a 
 book of synonyms, familiar quotations, a Bible 
 and a small atlas. On the desk top also lies a 
 calendar, an engagement book, tubes of paste 
 and glue; boxes of paper clips and fasteners, 
 rulers and erasers. There is a card index box 
 in which is kept a complete record of general 
 expenditures, school, church, investment and 
 insurance, dates and notes on garden planting 
 and the various items, a familiarity with which 
 on the part of the purchasing agent and gen- 
 eral manager of the house tends to an increase 
 in her efficiency and that of the domestic ma- 
 chinery. 
 
 There are colored tags which I use when 
 putting away clothing — each member of the 
 family has a color — and in traveling I have 
 found them most useful. Tag trunks with 
 green and it takes but a moment to pick them 
 out from a mass of baggage. 
 
 Such appealing articles as sharp shears, a 
 letter opener, a large magnifying glass are 
 chained to the desk. 'Tis not that the family 
 do not intend to return these implements when 
 
42 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 they borrow, dear no, but a lapse of memory 
 might cause me great inconvenience, as my 
 moments for desk work are not so many that I 
 have time to hunt up articles when I reach it. 
 
 It was amusing to see how the idea of pro- 
 visioning the domestic garrison to withstand a 
 siege of industry spread through the family. 
 It became epidemic, with the result that each 
 one of us did his work with more interest, ease 
 and speed. 
 
 While the family take kindly to my innova- 
 tions, successful and otherwise, they enjoy 
 good-naturedly jeering at some of them, and 
 the boys thought that the height of absurd 
 suggestion had been reached when they pre- 
 sented me with a cork bulletin board for the 
 den. But what a joy it has proved! If a 
 telephone message comes for an absent mem- 
 ber a note of it is pinned to the board. Our 
 goings-out and comings-in are here chronicled 
 — 'tis a courteous habit we have grown up 
 with, that of keeping the family posted as to 
 our plans — and many anxious moments it has 
 saved — errands to be done are posted; repairs 
 
THE TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE 43 
 
 to be made and workmen to be telephoned for 
 are here listed; in fact, this little joke on 
 Mother has proved to be the Good Genie of 
 the house. 
 
CHAPTER FOUR: FOR A SIMPLE 
 AND SANE SUNDAY 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 FOR A SIMPLE AND SANE SUNDAY 
 
 The sun was transforming the ocean to a 
 shimmering sea of sapphires. A little balsam- 
 scented breeze frolicked and flirted tantaliz- 
 ingly past the windows; earth, sea and sky 
 seemed coaxing and imploring me to come 
 forth and join in their revels, and I — I was 
 cooking a hot dinner in a hotter kitchen on this 
 glorious Sunday. 
 
 Enter the Head of the House. "Why," de- 
 manded he, standing in the fairly temperate 
 zone provided by the outer door, "Why should 
 you spend the best part of Sunday in the 
 kitchen, preparing a dinner, and I the choicest 
 hours of my weekly out-of-door day eating it? 
 With what results? You are tired and I am 
 heavy and sleepy after a hearty meal in the 
 middle of the day. The arrangement is all 
 wrong !" 
 
 47 
 
48 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 Now the normal masculine mind has a good, 
 sound, logical, common-sense outlook on af- 
 fairs domestic, if the homemaker will but ad- 
 mit it. No sentimentality disturbs its sense of 
 proportion, so I pondered well his observation. 
 He was quite right and I was wrong in my 
 expenditure of time and strength. With a 
 smiling "My lord, thy servant thanks thee!" 
 I dismissed the six feet of wisdom from my 
 kitchen door and began a study of my problem. 
 
 By Monday night, per order of the Head 
 of the House, carpenters had replaced the or- 
 dinary kitchen windows with full-length case- 
 ments, which when opened out admitted air that 
 made a marvelous change in the temperature 
 of the room, and I had a plan for simplifying 
 Sunday. 
 
 On Saturday I make out the three menus 
 for Sunday, then proceed to prepare every- 
 thing possible. In warm weather our lunch- 
 eon is taken on a large tray to the veranda or 
 out under the trees, and in winter to the living- 
 room before the open fire. Served in this way, 
 the simplest viands take on an appetizing se- 
 ductiveness which is unknown when one sits 
 
SIMPLE AND SANE SUNDAY 49 
 
 prosaically at table. This informal meal usu- 
 ally consists of soup in cups, sandwiches, cake 
 and fruit. 
 
 Tomato bouillon is one of our favorite Sun- 
 day soups, as it can be made -at any time in the 
 week if kept very cold until used. To the 
 stock, in which a fowl or two have been boiled, 
 add the bones of the fowl after meat has been 
 removed, and half or all the tomatoes from 
 one can. Cook this slowly for three hours, 
 then strain and cool. When cold remove fat 
 and put stock, which has been seasoned with 
 salt and pepper and mixed with the beaten 
 whites of two eggs, in kettle on range. Let 
 the mixture boil hard for three minutes, then 
 simmer for twenty more. Strain through 
 cheese cloth, and you have a concoction which 
 will tempt the most Epicurean palate among 
 your acquaintances. 
 
 When it comes to sandwiches their name is 
 legion, but we particularly like those filled with 
 chopped tongue or ham, or ham and chicken 
 mixed with this dressing : Mix one tablespoon 
 of salt, one-half tablespoon of mustard, one 
 heaping tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon 
 
50 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 of flour thoroughly. Add the yolks of two 
 eggs, slightly beaten, three tablespoons melted 
 butter, three-quarters cup of milk and a quar- 
 ter of a cup of vinegar. Cook in double boiler, 
 stirring constantly till mixture thickens. Strain 
 and cool. This dressing keeps in a cool place, 
 and some of it is used later in the week with 
 cold fish, which, by the addition of the coarser 
 leaves of the lettuce shredded, becomes not only 
 a delicious salad but an ornamental one as well, 
 as it is garnished with egg. 'Tis marvelous 
 what dignity a hard-boiled egg, when admin- 
 istered with imagination, will lend to the 
 humblest culinary effort. 
 
 But to return to luncheon. For dessert we 
 have cake or tarts, or, better still, filled cookies 
 which are proclaimed by strangers and inti- 
 mates alike toothsome morsels. To make them 
 take one cup of sugar, one-half cup of short- 
 ening — chicken fat is excellent — one egg, one- 
 half cup of milk, three and one-half cups of 
 flour with which has been sifted two teaspoons 
 of cream of tartar and one teaspoon of soda, 
 one teaspoon of vanilla. Roll the dough into a 
 thin sheet and cut with cooky cutter. Spread 
 
SIMPLE AND SANE SUNDAY 51 
 
 one round with filling and place another over 
 it. Bake in hot oven. The filling may be of 
 jelly, jam, or it is delectable when made of 
 raisins thus : Take one cup of chopped raisins, 
 one-half cup of sugar, one-half cup of water, 
 two teaspoons lemon juice; one tablespoon of 
 flour. Boil mixture till thick. 
 
 Supper — we have no dinner on Sunday — is 
 served at seven. Sometimes we have cold 
 meats, alternate slices of ham, beef and chicken 
 served with vegetable salad, or perhaps some 
 member of the Newburg family cooked in the 
 chafing-dish, either lobster, chicken or shrimp. 
 The latter is easily prepared and is delicious. 
 Put the beaten yolks of two eggs mixed with 
 a cup of thick cream in the chafing-dish over 
 hot water. Stir constantly until thick, then 
 add whatever fish or meat you are using. Heat 
 thoroughly, add a wineglass of sherry, salt and 
 a suspicion of cayenne. The mixture must not 
 boil, but should be hot — not lukewarm, hot! 
 Serve on thin crackers or crisp toast. With 
 this course we have thin bread and butter. 
 Muffins are taboo Sunday night — they mean 
 too much work for the cook. 
 
52 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 For the second course we have salad with 
 French dressing. The dressing is made on 
 Saturday and is put in a glass jar which will 
 admit of vigorous shaking. Lettuce with cubes 
 of pineapple, or round slices over which has 
 been grated cream cheese; lettuce and grape- 
 fruit garnished with strips of pimiento ; lettuce 
 and asparagus tips; California cherries filled 
 with cream cheese and arranged on lettuce are 
 some of the luscious combinations which bring 
 a gastronomic glitter to the eye. For richer 
 salads there are peeled and chilled whole to- 
 matoes filled with chopped pecan nuts and 
 tender celery mixed with mayonnaise, which 
 are served on lettuce hearts; there are peeled 
 bananas covered with mayonnaise, then with 
 chopped nuts, which, served on lettuce, are 
 more than satisfying. Then there is a chif- 
 fonade dressing made of two tablespoons of 
 finely chopped parsley, two tablespoons of 
 finely chopped red pepper, one teaspoon of 
 finely chopped chives, one teaspoon of salt, 
 one-half teaspoon of black pepper, one-fourth 
 teaspoon of paprika, a suggestion of cayenne, 
 five tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons 
 
SIMPLE AND SANE SUNDAY 53 
 
 of vinegar. This is delicious on lettuce and 
 when served with that and toasted cheese sand- 
 wiches is almost a meal in itself. 
 
 For dessert we have jelly or custards, any 
 sweet, in fact, which may be prepared the day 
 before. Orange meringues are favorites, and 
 if made well fairly melt in the mouth. To 
 make filling for these, mix four tablespoons of 
 flour, one cup of sugar, add two eggs slightly 
 beaten, grated rind and juice of an orange, 
 one tablespoon lemon juice and one teaspoon 
 of butter. Cook in double boiler, stirring con- 
 stantly as one would a custard. Turn the mix- 
 ture into individual, thin pastry shells which 
 have been previously baked, cover with mer- 
 ingue and bake until slightly brown. For the 
 meringue take the whites of two eggs beaten 
 until stiff, four tablespoons of powdered 
 sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla. 
 
 If we are having a vegetable salad, for the 
 last course we have fruit served in tall, cool- 
 looking glasses. Take three or four fruits 
 which are in season — there is almost no limit 
 to the variety — cut in cubes, sugar lightly and 
 chill thoroughly before serving. After the 
 
54 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 fruit is in the glasses and just before serving, 
 pour over it melted marshmallows and add one 
 or two Maraschino cherries; or, if you feel 
 particularly reckless and extravagant, add to 
 the mixture some preserved marrons. We 
 bring our feast to a close in the living-room, 
 where coffee and nuts are served. 
 
 This arrangement of meals has resulted not 
 only in a saving of labor, but of money as 
 well. Sunday has become a day of compara- 
 tive leisure for me; the Head of the House 
 gets the sunshine he craves and, best of all, 
 we have no Monday Morning Moods to com- 
 bat. No one has had too much food with too 
 little exercise; that combination which, I have 
 observed, is quite sure to start on a rampage 
 those Monday morning imps, Indigestion, Ir- 
 ritation and Inefficiency. 
 
CHAPTER FIVE: AND NOW TO 
 BREAKFAST! 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 AND NOW TO BREAKFAST! 
 
 During the reign of Mary the Tempera- 
 mental the kitchen was a gloomy place in the 
 morning. Now peals of laughter floating up- 
 wards rouse the laggard and hurry him down 
 to join in the fun, for the food laboratory has 
 become the most popular room in the house. 
 
 Both boys, in anticipation of camping trips 
 into the wilderness, have learned to make, and 
 make them well, omelettes, corn-cake, baking 
 powder biscuit, coffee and cocoa ; they can also 
 cook bacon and chops and scramble eggs. The 
 Judge, who is not allowed within the precincts 
 during cooking lessons, sits on his haunches at 
 the outer edge, one black ear erect, one flop- 
 ping dejectedly, watching the proceedings and 
 occasionally sniffing appreciatively as the sa- 
 vory aroma of bacon assails his nostrils. 
 
 As breakfast is the meal which requires the 
 
 57 
 
58 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 most ingenuity on the part of the homemaker, 
 I summon to my aid all the help possible in 
 the way of accessories. In the center of the 
 breakfast table is a bowl of yellow blossoms, 
 the size varying with the season and its toll for 
 flowers. There are white doilies on the bare 
 table and the breakfast china is white, with a 
 spray of delicate yellow flowers. There are 
 two cream jugs and two sugar bowls of a clear, 
 soft yellow ware ; a dainty glass dish of golden 
 marmalade, and at each place halves of grape- 
 fruit or orange. The impression received as 
 one enters the dining-room is of a sunshiny 
 breakfast table even though the day be dark 
 and lowering. 
 
 By the kitchen window grow nasturtiums 
 in a box — in the winter inside, in the summer 
 out — that I may have the leaves of this hardy 
 plant to lay beside the fruit on the plate. They 
 give a vivid, refreshing touch and make the 
 simplest meal seem like a party. 
 
 As the Head of the House has paid us the 
 compliment of never acquiring the buried- 
 behind-the-newspaper-at-breakfast habit, and 
 as he insists that only animals feed and that 
 
AND NOW TO BREAKFAST! 59 
 
 humans should be able to take their meals lei- 
 surely, conversation flourishes and the day 
 starts out with merriment and good comrade- 
 ship. 
 
 To carry out the yellow and white color 
 scheme I should, of course, insist upon a morn- 
 ing diet of eggs. Alas! My men folk re- 
 fuse to be laid upon the sacrificial altar of my 
 love of color and demand the prosaic chop — 
 cut double thickness and cooked in a paper 
 bag — or Hamburg steak, with which they en- 
 joy a crisp little sausage; corned beef hash 
 which is moistened with beef stock before 
 browning, or perhaps broiled fish or calf's liver. 
 This latter dish has acquired popularity since 
 we have had it cooked in the following way: 
 Cut a pound of calf's liver into slices and 
 cover with boiling water; drain; wipe with 
 cloth and chop fine. Melt a heaping tablespoon 
 of butter in a saucepan and add three table- 
 spoons of boiling water; into this put the liver, 
 cover, and let simmer one hour, stirring occa- 
 sionally. Season with paprika and salt, mix 
 thoroughly and serve on rounds of toast. 
 
60 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 This is a particularly delectable dish to serve 
 with baked potatoes. 
 
 Creamed finnan haddie is also delicious with 
 potatoes; then sometimes, when the family 
 craves fish, I pile flakes of snowy boiled cod, 
 haddock or halibut on a platter, give it a liberal, 
 very liberal, covering of cream sauce, over that 
 sprinkle buttered crumbs, and brown it in the 
 oven. When it emerges piping hot it is a dish 
 which would tempt the most exacting. 
 
 Chipped beef and cream is an easily pre- 
 pared offering, and when the beef is cut very 
 fine with scissors and the whole concoction 
 poured around a mound of scrambled eggs, it 
 appeals even to the hypercritical. 
 
 If there is a left-over of rare roast beef it is 
 cut in thick slices, delicately broiled, seasoned 
 with salt, pepper, melted butter and finely 
 chopped parsley, and is served with corn frit- 
 ters and cosily curled up strips of bacon. To 
 make the corn fritters, beat one egg till light; 
 add one cup of corn pulp — canned or fresh — 
 and one-third cup of milk. Sift one-half cup 
 of pastry flour, one-half teaspoon of baking- 
 powder, one-half teaspoon of salt, and beat 
 
AND NOW TO BREAKFAST! 61 
 
 thoroughly into first mixture. Fry as griddle 
 cakes. 
 
 When it becomes necessary to serve cold 
 meat for breakfast, candied sweet potatoes is 
 the most satisfactory dish to have with it. 
 Slice six boiled and peeled sweet potatoes in 
 rounds into buttered baking-dish. Sprinkle 
 each layer with brown sugar, using one cupful 
 altogether. Pour over it one-half cup of 
 melted butter in which has been added two 
 tablespoons of boiling water. Cook in hot 
 oven, basting often with butter in dish, till it 
 becomes like sirup. 
 
 Of course we have eggs occasionally, so I 
 rack my brain for a variety of ways to serve 
 them, sometimes making a distinct hit with my 
 experiments — at others, well, the failures will 
 not be recorded here. 
 
 Dropped eggs served on toast over which 
 has first been poured tomato sauce, the whole 
 garnished with curls of bacon and sprays of 
 parsley, always proves appetizing. Some- 
 times on rounds of toast are placed paper-thin 
 slices of broiled ham — the cooked ham which 
 one may buy at the market is the best for this 
 
62 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 — this in turn is crowned with dropped eggs. 
 Just before serving Hollandaise sauce in 
 plenty is poured around the toast; of course 
 garnished with parsley. A dish without some 
 green embellishment is as out of place at the 
 breakfast table as a man without a collar. 
 Creamed celery around toast upon which eggs 
 are served is also a delicious combination. 
 
 Then there are omelettes of all sizes, flavors 
 and nationalities, and there is golden toast 
 made by heating the diced whites of hard- 
 boiled eggs in cream sauce, pouring this mix- 
 ture over toast, and adding the crowning glow 
 by grating the yolks of the eggs over the 
 whole. 
 
 Cereals are put on to cook the night before 
 in the fireless cooker, and very stimulating it 
 is for the cook, when she comes down in the 
 morning, to be able to help herself to a nice 
 little dish of deliciously cooked cereal, liberally 
 bedewed with the thickest of the cream, before 
 commencing the day's work. After breakfast 
 any cereal left over is turned into a small size 
 baking-powder tin. When occasion arises to 
 use the left over, the tin is set in boiling water 
 
AND NOW TO BREAKFAST! 63 
 
 and when the cereal appears upon the table in 
 little round, hot slices it is most appetizing. 
 These same slices delicately browned in butter 
 and served hot with maple sirup are decidedly 
 toothsome. 
 
 We rarely have muffins for breakfast, for 
 when I do make them the request is sure to 
 come that they be sliced and served cold and 
 lightly buttered for luncheon or supper, and 
 they are more tasteful that way. Toast is the 
 breakfast bread most enjoyed in our house- 
 hold; perhaps because there is always jam, 
 marmalade or honey served with it. 
 
 When I arise early and feel unusually ven- 
 turesome and daring I make pop-overs for 
 breakfast in this way: Beat two eggs light; 
 add two cups of milk and beat constantly 
 while adding two cups of pastry flour and one- 
 half teaspoon of salt which have been sifted 
 together. Butter the cups of an iron gem 
 pan and into each cup put one teaspoon of 
 melted butter, then pour the mixture into them. 
 Bake in a moderate oven thirty-five minutes. 
 This recipe makes a dozen muffins. If they 
 are a success there will be none too many; if 
 
64 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 they are not, you will have just twelve more 
 than you need. There are no degrees of ex- 
 cellence in pop-overs ; they are good or they are 
 impossible. 
 
 We enjoy bran muffins when cold and sliced 
 more than any others. Mix and sift one cup 
 of flour, one teaspoon of soda and one teaspoon 
 of salt. Add two cups of bran, one and one- 
 quarter cups of milk, and one-half cup of 
 molasses. Beat thoroughly and bake in but- 
 tered gem tins, having placed strips of date on 
 each muffin top before placing in oven. 
 
 The time and thought spent on the first meal 
 of the day is the most momentous expenditure 
 in the twenty- four hours. Start the members 
 of the family off to office or school, after an 
 appetizing, nourishing breakfast, with a kiss 
 and a Godspeed, and the clouds of fortune 
 must roll up very heavy, dark and threatening 
 before they can spoil the day which has begun 
 so happily. 
 
CHAPTER SIX: OUR INVALID 
 NEIGHBOR 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 OUR INVALID NEIGHBOR 
 
 After we had become friendly with the fam- 
 ily across the way and had visited the invalid 
 we named her room The Abode of the Princess. 
 Every comfort which love and thought could 
 procure without much expenditure — alas, there 
 was little money to use ! — was there. The walls 
 were of a soft cafe-aulait color, while muslin 
 curtains of the same delicate tint draped the 
 windows. They told me the secret of those 
 curtains. White ones had been dipped in 
 water which had been colored with coffee until 
 the desired shade had been obtained. 
 
 The hard pine floor, which had been stained 
 and waxed, had soft-toned rugs, small enough 
 to be easily and often taken out into the sun 
 and air. There were few pictures on the walls 
 and no ornaments anywhere. The room gave 
 one a sense of restfulness as soon as one en- 
 tered it. 
 
 67 
 
68 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 There was a wicker chair in the sunny win- 
 dow, but near at hand a light screen with 
 bamboo frame stood ready to be pulled into 
 place to shelter the invalid from breeze or sun. 
 There were a few tiny pillows which when 
 needed could be tucked behind a tired back, 
 and there was a footstool in front of the chair. 
 
 A small white enameled towel rack, such as 
 one sees in a nursery, stood on castors within 
 easy reach. On this were arranged the wraps 
 of the Princess; a soft, woolly thing to throw 
 over her knees; a dainty knitted jacket and a 
 flimsy scarf gave variety for different temper- 
 atures. 
 
 A light table, high enough to allow her knees 
 below it, was fitted out with every conceivable 
 requisite for writing. There was stationery 
 from grave to gay; a fountain pen; stamps; 
 pencils ; pencil sharpener and penknife ; eraser ; 
 scissors; tubes of paste and glue, and a card 
 index box in which to file clippings. There 
 was a dictionary and a calendar and there was 
 even a finger bowl half filled with water and 
 a dainty towel for restoring pasty fingers to 
 a state of smooth efficiency. 
 
OUR INVALID NEIGHBOR 69 
 
 Another table of the same kind held toilet 
 accessories that the invalid might beautify and 
 refresh to her heart's content without using an 
 ounce of her carefully conserved strength 
 searching for materials. Beside the bed on a 
 small table was an electric night lamp, a ther- 
 mos bottle for cold, water — perhaps for a hot 
 drink — a glass and a clock with an almost 
 soundless tick. 
 
 A completely equipped work basket made 
 the Princess a person of great importance and 
 kept her in constant demand, for the family 
 flew to her when a refractory button journeyed 
 off into space or a garment required the pro- 
 verbial stitch in time. There were no fingers 
 quite so nimble as hers, I was assured, nor a 
 personality more soothing when things went 
 wrong. 
 
 There were books and magazines and al- 
 ways flowers, in the Abode of the Princess, 
 sometimes a bowl full of lovely blossoms, often 
 but one beautiful spray. 
 
 The trays when arranged for her meals were 
 things of beauty. The china was inexpensive 
 but charming. Sets with pink tones, white and 
 
70 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 gold, a delicate green, and pale yellow for the 
 breakfast tray. There was even a gaudy 
 decoration of splashy red flowers with blue 
 leaves which the invalid laughingly explained 
 they used when they wanted to "handsome-up" 
 a lamb stew. There was always a flower on 
 the tray or a bit of green to give the meal a 
 festal air. 
 
 And those meals! Simple, perhaps, but so 
 delicious. Some of the recipes I procured, but 
 having been cooking for weeks for a hungry 
 horde I felt as I read the amount of the in- 
 gredients that I had a prescription for bird 
 feed. 
 
 There was a delicious celery soup made by 
 cooking one stalk of celery which had been 
 chopped in two-thirds cup of milk in double 
 boiler twenty minutes, then thickened with 
 one-half tablespoon of butter and three-quar- 
 ters tablespoon of flour which had been cooked 
 together. The mixture was then cooked one 
 minute, seasoned with salt and pepper, and 
 served with a floating island of whipped 
 cream. 
 
 One day, as the tray for the Princess was 
 
OUR INVALID NEIGHBOR 71 
 
 being carried by, I caught the aroma of oys- 
 ters. Oysters in shells had been used. These 
 had been washed and scrubbed, then placed 
 on rock salt in a tin pan, so that the shells 
 would not tip. They were then baked in a hot 
 oven till the shells opened. The flat side of 
 shell was removed, leaving oysters in the deeper 
 half. These were arranged on a napkin in a 
 soup plate and each oyster was dressed with 
 melted butter to which had been added a few 
 drops of lemon juice, salt and paprika. 
 
 Three fresh, tempting mushrooms which 
 the Youngest Member discovered in the pas- 
 ture were sauted in butter three minutes, then 
 covered with hot cream and served around an 
 egg timbale. This was made by melting one 
 teaspoon of butter to which was added one tea- 
 spoon of flour, and when smooth one-fourth 
 cup of scalded milk. When this sauce was cold 
 the yolk of one egg was added and the mixture 
 beaten two minutes, after which the white of 
 the egg beaten till stiff was folded in and one- 
 eighth teaspoon of salt was added. This was 
 turned into a buttered mold, set in a pan of 
 hot water, and baked in slow oven till firm. 
 
72 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 I have tried this same timbale surrounded by 
 fresh green peas or asparagus tips and it is 
 equally delicious. 
 
 Then there was a tempting cake of chopped 
 beef which had been cooked on a hot griddle 
 for five minutes and was served in a little pool 
 of its own succulent juice, which had been 
 lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and melted 
 butter. Sometimes there is creamed chicken 
 in a halo of delicately browned mashed potato ; 
 with this is served a tiny mold of currant jelly 
 or a tempting lettuce sandwich. 
 
 The salads are of the daintiest. There is 
 one made by arranging the delicate green 
 leaves of lettuce in nest shape. In the heart 
 of this snuggle three egg-shaped balls of cream 
 cheese — which have been mixed with cream 
 and tinted with vegetable coloring until the 
 delicate hue of a bird's egg — flecked with 
 paprika. Over it is poured French dressing. 
 
 Another tempting salad is made by taking 
 two sections each of grapefruit and orange, 
 removing the membranous covering and lay- 
 ing them alternately on a bed of tender lettuce. 
 Outline the top of each section with a tiny 
 
OUR INVALID NEIGHBOR 73 
 
 thread of pimiento and pour over it French 
 dressing. Brown a saltine, which has been 
 buttered, in the oven and when crisp pile on it 
 lightly cream cheese which has been mixed 
 with cream. In the center place half an olive 
 and serve with the salad. 
 
 One day while serving ice cream — to which 
 had been added, before the final packing, 
 chopped preserved marrons and a dash of 
 sherry — I had an inspiration. I filled a mini- 
 ature stein with the ice cream, heaped whipped 
 cream on the top, and sent the foaming tank- 
 ard to the Princess across the way. 
 
 Meringues which seem about as filling as 
 sweetened air to the normal appetite have a 
 very enticing way with an invalid. Beat the 
 whites of two eggs until stiff; add gradually 
 one-half cup of fine granulated sugar, beating 
 till mixture will hold its shape. Shape with 
 spoon on buttered white paper which has been 
 spread on wet board. Bake thirty minutes in a 
 slow oven. When baked lift from paper and 
 remove from flat side the soft part of 
 meringue. Dry shell in oven. Cut white wine 
 jelly in cubes, mix with sweetened whipped 
 
74 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 cream and fill two meringue shells. Lay the 
 pair together on a plate, allowing the wine jelly 
 to appear between them. 
 
 White Wine Jelly — Soak one and one-half 
 teaspoons of granulated gelatine in one table- 
 spoon of cold water. Add two tablespoons 
 of boiling water, and when gelatine is dis- 
 solved four tablespoons of sugar, eight table- 
 spoons of white wine and two tablespoons of 
 orange or lemon juice. Strain, turn into flat 
 dish and chill. 
 
 As I keep on hand a sirup for fruit drinks 
 made by boiling an equal quantity of water 
 and sugar together twelve minutes without 
 stirring, a refreshing hot day beverage is 
 quickly concocted. Two tablespoons of lemon 
 juice, one and one-half tablespoons of sirup 
 a crushed mint leaf, the glass filled from a 
 siphon of soda which is kept on the ice, never 
 fails to bring a smile and an "Oh, you are so 
 good!" to the lips of our invalid neighbor. 
 
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE EMER- 
 GENCY CUPBOARD 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE EMERGENCY CUPBOARD 
 
 The co-operative housework experiment 
 was working- to a charm. It was proving to 
 the satisfaction of my immediate family and 
 its collateral branches that there need be no 
 "servant problem" in the life of an able-bodied 
 woman who has no small children. The labor 
 and the cost of living had been reduced with- 
 out sacrificing the amenities of life. The 
 neighbors were interested, but shook their 
 heads with a "Wait till friends appear unex- 
 pectedly!" Ah, they little knew the soothing 
 consciousness of a well-stocked emergency cup- 
 board on the shelves of which were ranged 
 large cans and small cans, jars, bottles and 
 packages in infinite variety. 
 
 As canapes make a most auspicious begin- 
 ning for an emergency luncheon, I keep on 
 hand Russian caviar. This spread on a crisp 
 
 77 
 
78 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 round of toast, sprinkled with a few drops of 
 lemon juice and garnished with the diced 
 whites and powdered yolks of hard-boiled eggs, 
 at once makes one's guest at peace with the 
 world — that is, of course, provided he or she 
 likes its racy flavor. 
 
 A canape of more subtle quality is made by 
 creaming anchovy paste with butter — anchovy 
 paste is one of the most popular and respected 
 occupants of the emergency cupboard — 
 spreading a crisp round of toast with the mix- 
 ture, this is covered with mayonnaise with 
 which has been mixed enough tomato catchup 
 to color it a delicate pink; it is then garnished 
 with hard-boiled egg and a half of an olive 
 is placed in the center. 
 
 Major Grey Chutney is a condiment which 
 is a prime favorite when used as an accom- 
 paniment to creamed chicken. Chopped very 
 fine and served on a round of toast which has 
 been spread with mayonnaise, it makes a deli- 
 cious canape, and when this concoction is 
 crowned with a slice of fresh tomato, also 
 thinly spread with mayonnaise, upon the center 
 of which curls an anchovy, and the whole is 
 
EMERGENCY CUPBOARD 79 
 
 garnished with hard-boiled egg, it becomes a 
 very hearty, satisfying forerunner to a simple 
 luncheon. 
 
 Another canape, which has a decided tang 
 when served with afternoon tea, is made of 
 bread cut in diamond shape and spread with 
 butter with which has been creamed an equal 
 amount of fresh cheese grated. The canape 
 has a border of pimiento which has been 
 chopped fine and mixed with mayonnaise; in 
 the center gleams a tiny scarlet star of the 
 pimiento. 
 
 On the shelves are cans of soups, mostly in 
 the smallest size, for one can will serve two 
 persons and when a larger quantity is desired 
 a delicious result is obtained by mixing tomato 
 and mock turtle. A soup which, while it does 
 not come under the emergency list, is so simple 
 that it may be recorded here is Clam Bisque. 
 Cook one quart of clams in shell, one pint of 
 cold water and one slice of onion, twenty min- 
 utes. Mix one tablespoon flour and one table- 
 spoon of butter to a cream ; add one pint of thin 
 cream and cook in double boiler while clams 
 are cooking. Strain the clam water on to this 
 
80 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 mixture, season with salt and pepper, and 
 serve very hot. 
 
 Then there is ox-tongue in glass, which 
 when served in dainty slices with a vegetable 
 salad, or baked bananas, or cold potatoes diced 
 and stewed in cream, is most satisfying. 
 Canned chicken diced, heated in cream sauce 
 which has been flavored with lemon juice and 
 celery salt, and an extra touch given by the 
 addition of a few teaspoons of chopped pimien- 
 tos, may be speedily prepared; supposing, of 
 course, that one is forehanded enough to have 
 a jar of cream sauce on hand. There is corned 
 beef which, when taken from the can, may be 
 quickly transformed into hash, and when 
 crisply browned and served with sweet-pickled 
 cucumbers is most delicious. Finnan haddie 
 is another glass-inclosed product and is delect- 
 able when creamed ; and as for canned salmon, 
 well, that, by the addition of crisp lettuce 
 leaves and boiled dressing, may be whisked 
 into a tempting salad at a moment's notice. 
 
 Baked beans from a can, either heated and 
 served with tomato chutney or made into a 
 palatable soup, has many times cheered me on 
 
EMERGENCY CUPBOARD 81 
 
 my hospitable way. To make the soup, cook 
 one cup of baked beans and one-half an onion 
 in one cup of cold water till soft. Strain. To 
 one cup of bean pulp add one-half pint of 
 liquid from stewed and strained tomato. 
 Thicken with one-half tablespoon of flour 
 which has been mixed with one tablespoon of 
 water. Let the mixture boil a few minutes 
 after adding flour. Serve with thin slices of 
 lemon and hard-boiled egg. 
 
 With cold meats may be served slices of 
 pineapple which, after being" taken from the 
 can, have been carefully drained of all sirup 
 and then sauted to a delicate brown in butter. 
 There are cans of asparagus tips which may be 
 served hot on toast or chilled for a salad with 
 French dressing, or they may be added to a 
 savory omelette. There are new beets which 
 should be first scalded and then chilled when 
 taken from the can, then diced and mixed with 
 mayonnaise dressing and served on lettuce with 
 a garnish of hard-boiled eggs. The shelves 
 also offer a variety of canned vegetables which 
 prove a tower of strength in an emergency. 
 
 From the contents of my preserve closet I 
 
82 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 can always present a delicious dessert, but I 
 do keep on hand one can of plum pudding in 
 case of need; when that is served piping hot 
 with a hard sauce made by creaming one-half 
 cup of butter and adding to it gradually one 
 and one-half cups of confectioner's sugar, 
 stirring constantly, flavoring with vanilla or 
 sherry, and crowning the lightly piled mass 
 with grated nutmeg, it proves a great success. 
 
 Figs in glass, preserved marrons, Mara- 
 schino cherries and Guava jelly are some of 
 my other friends in need. The jelly, sprinkled 
 with chopped nuts and served between thin 
 crackers, makes a delicious adjunct to after- 
 noon tea ; and, as there are always dates in the 
 cupboard, these date cakes may also be made 
 for the five o'clock festivity. 
 
 Date Cakes — Whites of four eggs beaten 
 stiff; one cup of powdered sugar; one cup of 
 dates cut in pieces; one cup of pecan or walnut 
 meats; one-quarter teaspoon of cream of tar- 
 tar. Bake in moderate oven. 
 
 While on the subject of tea, let me record 
 a new kind of bread which I have learned to 
 make for sandwiches. Scald one cup of milk 
 
EMERGENCY CUPBOARD 83 
 
 and add to it one and one-half tablespoons of 
 molasses, three-quarters teaspoon of salt, one 
 tablespoon of butter. When lukewarm, add 
 yeast cake, half cup of white flour, and enough 
 entire wheat flour to knead. When risen add 
 half cup of orange peel cut fine — or one-half 
 cup of raisins seeded — and one-half cup of 
 English walnuts cut fine. Bake in bread tin 
 and when served butter on the loaf and cut 
 very thin. 
 
 Hot scones with strawberry jam is another 
 afternoon-tea delicacy which is popular in the 
 family. Take two cups of pastry flour with 
 which has been sifted three times four level 
 teaspoons of baking-powder and one teaspoon 
 of salt. With the tips of the fingers work into 
 this three tablespoons of butter. Add slowly 
 two-thirds cup of milk, mixing the dough with 
 a knife. Turn on to floured board and knead 
 with tips of fingers till smooth. Roll into a 
 sheet about three-quarters inch thick. Cut 
 with diamond-shaped cutter and bake in but- 
 tered pan. When baked, cut from the top of 
 scone a diamond-shaped piece and fill cavity 
 with strawberry jam. 
 
84 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 After all there is nothing more delicious to 
 serve with a cup of tea than cinnamon toast, 
 and its simplicity is an added recommendation. 
 Spread crisp, thin, finger slices of toast with 
 butter; be sure the toast is hot, dust it lightly 
 with sugar, then with powdered cinnamon. 
 
 Among emergency provisions for afternoon 
 tea are boxes of chocolate-covered crackers, 
 saltines and marshmallows. Place marshmal- 
 lows on buttered saltines and brown in the oven 
 until the marshmallow is melted but not shape- 
 less. A bit of butter should be placed on top 
 of the confection before it is browned; this 
 leaves an indentation into which may be 
 dropped half a pecan, a candied cherry, or a 
 bit of currant jelly. 
 
 Tucked away in a remote corner, that I may 
 not be tempted to use it often, is a can of 
 coffee crystals. A teaspoon of this added to a 
 cup of boiling water becomes in the twinkling 
 of an eye a cup of delicious coffee. Think of 
 it! No coffee pot to wash and scald and dry 
 and polish, no coffee grounds to dispose of! 
 Truly the way of the hospitably inclined is 
 made easy in this day and generation! 
 
CHAPTER EIGHT: WHEN WE EAT 
 
 WHAT WE CAN AND CAN 
 
 WHAT WE CAN'T 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 WHEN WE EAT WHAT WE CAN AND "CAN" 
 WHAT WE CAN'T 
 
 At the first sight in the spring of the great 
 pink buds of the rhubarb showing above the 
 brown earth, the preserving fever begins to 
 course in my veins. How eagerly we watch 
 the stalks of that succulent plant as they soar 
 skyward. They barely have a chance to grow 
 out of infancy before they are plucked and 
 the bulletin board announces : "Rhubard Tart 
 for Supper !" In the middle of a deep baking 
 dish invert a small cup — this collects and holds 
 the juice while cooking — surround it with rhu- 
 barb peeled and cut in inch pieces, a liberal 
 amount of sugar and a sprinkling of nutmeg. 
 Fill the dish very full, cover with pastry and 
 bake, and you have the tart. Serve with it 
 Swiss cheese. 
 
 Later there is rhubarb conserve to be made. 
 
 87 
 
88 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 Wash and peel four pounds of rhubarb and 
 cut stalks in inch pieces. Put in preserving 
 kettle; add five pounds of sugar, one pound 
 of seeded raisins, grated rind and juice of two 
 lemons, and an ounce and a half of candied 
 ginger cut fine. Mix, cover and let stand one- 
 half hour. Bring to boiling point and let sim- 
 mer for three-quarters of an hour. Stir often 
 to prevent catching on bottom of kettle. Turn 
 into glasses and seal. 
 
 The next fruit to make its entrance on our 
 garden stage is the strawberry. What could 
 start the day better than a circle of these large, 
 luscious, crimson berries with their green caps 
 on surrounding a snowy cone of powdered 
 sugar on a plate of vivid green strawberry 
 leaves? The smaller berries which have been 
 discarded for the breakfast table are sliced, 
 covered with sugar, then set away in the cold 
 till it is time to serve them as a sauce for plebe- 
 ian boiled rice which has been molded in melon 
 shape. Strawberries, washed, hulled and cooked 
 with their equal weight in sugar, make a de- 
 licious jam. They should be cooked until the 
 liquid when dropped on a plate will jelly; if 
 
WHEN WE EAT WHAT WE CAN 89 
 
 cooked too long they lose their color and a 
 good deal of their flavor. Often one has a 
 few berries left over after a meal; it is well 
 worth while to turn them into jam, and it is 
 quite surprising what a shelf full of goodies 
 one can accumulate in this easy way. 
 
 When the robins begin to haunt the cherry 
 trees, the Crown Prince and the Youngest 
 Member also get busy. There are cherries 
 enough for all, as when we planted we took 
 into consideration the needs of our feathered 
 neighbors, so the birds do not miss the fruit 
 when on our breakfast table appears a great 
 wooden bowl — you have no idea what an artis- 
 tic bit the chopping bowl becomes when util- 
 ized in this way — filled with clusters of black- 
 heart and white-heart cherries and their leaves. 
 Often for dessert at this season we have a 
 cherry pudding which is made by sifting two 
 cups of flour with four teaspoons of baking 
 powder and one-half teaspoon of salt. Stir 
 into this one cup of milk; add one cup of 
 cherries stoned; turn into buttered baking- 
 powder tins, and steam two hours. Serve with 
 hard or cream sauce. To preserve cherries, 
 
90 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 select large firm fruit. Make a sirup of two 
 parts granulated sugar to one of water; skim 
 thoroughly; stone cherries and cook until soft 
 in boiling sirup. Pack cherries in jar; fill to 
 brim with hot sirup and seal. Strain remain- 
 ing sirup in which cherries have been cooked 
 into jars or bottles; seal and use for fruit bev- 
 erages. Cherries make a delicious jam as 
 well. 
 
 Sometimes when making vanilla ice cream in 
 the raspberry season, I line a melon mold with 
 the frozen mixture and fill the cavity with these 
 luscious berries which have been lightly sug- 
 ared. The mold is then filled to the brim with 
 ice cream, a sheet of paraffine paper laid on 
 the top, and the cover pressed down. It is 
 then packed in ice and salt for two hours, not 
 longer, as the berries should not freeze, un- 
 molded and surrounded with whipped cream 
 which is garnished with berries. Raspberry 
 jam is made the same as strawberry and gives 
 variety to divers desserts. 
 
 On a July day, so hot that all the world 
 stands idle in the market places, a currant ice 
 will alter one's outlook upon life. Make a 
 
WHEN WE EAT WHAT WE CAN 91 
 
 sirup by boiling equal quantities of sugar and 
 water together. Cool and add sufficient cur- 
 rant juice, pressed from fresh fruit, to give 
 it a rich, deep crimson. Add the juice of one 
 or two lemons, that depends upon the quantity 
 made, and freeze. As the mixture loses sweet- 
 ness in freezing, currants require a sweeter 
 sirup than other fruits. A water-ice which is 
 not sweet enough is about the flattest produc- 
 tion in the culinary world. 
 
 Of course in the season every one makes 
 jellies, but I also store away bottles of fruit 
 juices. To make these, wash fruit — currants, 
 raspberries, strawberries or blackberries — mash 
 and put in preserving kettle on range and let 
 them slowly heat to boiling point. Cook about 
 twenty minutes, then strain through cheese- 
 cloth, pressing out every drop of juice pos- 
 sible. For each quart of juice allow one-half 
 cup of granulated sugar which has been heated 
 in the oven; boil five minutes and turn into 
 sterilized jars or bottles. 
 
 Spiced gooseberries make a delicious accom- 
 paniment to cold meat or creamed chicken. 
 Cook six quarts of gooseberries — which have 
 
92 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 been washed and prepared — with nine pounds 
 of sugar, one and one-half hours. Then add 
 one pint of vinegar, one tablespoon each of 
 powdered cinnamon, clove and allspice. Boil 
 until the liquid jellies when cooled; store in 
 jelly glasses or jars. 
 
 Blackberry shortcake is a delicacy which 
 few seem to know. Very large, juicy berries 
 should be used in the same way that straw- 
 berries are used. Whipped cream is a very 
 delectable addition, but should always be served 
 heaped in a glass bowl, that it may be added 
 when desired. 
 
 When tomatoes appear in the garden some 
 fine specimens are peeled and sliced into a bak- 
 ing dish. Between layers is shaken salt, pep- 
 per, sugar and small pieces of butter are 
 added. This is baked slowly in the oven two 
 or three hours. When baked it is sprinkled 
 with grated cheese and garnished with whipped 
 cream. 
 
 Tomato conserve is delicious with cold meats 
 and is made by peeling four quarts of ripe 
 tomatoes to which are added six lemons sliced 
 very thin — be sure that no seeds escape into 
 
WHEN WE EAT WHAT WE CAN 93 
 
 the mixture — cut one and one-half ounces 
 candied ginger very fine ; add one cup of seeded 
 raisins and four pounds of granulated sugar. 
 Put ingredients in preserving kettle, heat 
 slowly to boiling point and cook till the con- 
 sistency of marmalade. Seal in jars while hot. 
 
 The cucumbers which, having eluded the 
 eagle eye of the Head of the House, have 
 grown to corpulency, are transformed into 
 sweet pickle. Peel and cut cucumbers into 
 rings, removing seeds. Boil one ounce of alum 
 in one gallon of water and pour over the sliced 
 cucumbers. Let stand on back of range where 
 it will simmer slowly four hours. Remove cu- 
 cumbers from alum water and let stand in cold 
 water till thoroughly cool, then drain. Boil 
 one quart of vinegar and four pounds of 
 brown sugar together and strain. Add this 
 sirup to cucumbers with one ounce of stick 
 cinnamon and a half -ounce of whole cloves. 
 Boil until cucumber rind may be pierced with 
 a straw, then store in an earthen crock. 
 
 If you have a bit of land plant a plum tree. 
 It is hardy, a thing of beauty when in blossom, 
 
94 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 the fruit is luscious, and you may then experi- 
 ence the joy of plum jam with your matutinal 
 toast. Wipe ripe plums, cut them open, weigh 
 and boil in preserving kettle twenty minutes. 
 The stones will rise to the top ; skim them off. 
 For each pound of plums allow three-quarters 
 pound of sugar. Heat sugar in oven and add 
 to the hot plums. Cook until juice jellies 
 when dropped on plate. 
 
 Delicious peach jam is made in the same 
 way as plum, save that the peaches are stoned 
 and peeled; but 'tis peach shortcake which 
 makes the family fairly purr with content- 
 ment. Bake sponge cake layers as for Wash- 
 ington pie, fill between and on top with sliced, 
 chilled and sugared peaches and crown the 
 masterpiece with snowy whipped cream. 
 
 Somehow sweet pickle pears seem the proper 
 accompaniment to roast beef, so I prepare 
 them in this wise : Peel seven pounds of pears 
 and stick them with whole cloves. Boil one 
 quart of vinegar and four pounds of brown 
 sugar and one tablespoon of whole allspice. 
 Add the pears and cook until soft, being care- 
 
"Long before the apple picking season arrives 
 hampers." 
 
WHEN WE EAT WHAT WE CAN 95 
 
 ful that they do not break. These may be 
 kept in a stone crock. 
 
 The storeroom shows all varieties of apple 
 jellies, from the vivid green of mint to the 
 pink of the rose geranium flavor, and now that 
 I have learned to cook a few apples with 
 grapes when making grape jelly I can pro- 
 duce with pride a grape jelly which really 
 "jells." 
 
 In such ways does the garden help reduce 
 the expense account — but that is not all. Who 
 does not know the effort of mind expended 
 and often the strain upon the purse — when 
 trying to procure a gift for a friend already 
 laden with the material goods this world af- 
 fords? The garden has solved that problem 
 for me. My eyes are always on the watch for 
 an odd-shaped glass jar in which to present 
 jams or jellies, and long before the apple- 
 picking season arrives I search for odd baskets 
 and hampers — the markets and ten cent stores 
 are mines of opportunity — which I pack with 
 choice specimens of apples and pears. The 
 fruit is carefully separated by little tufts of 
 
96 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 green paraffine paper, such as florists use, a 
 spray of green leaves or holly decorates the 
 top layer, and I have an offering which will 
 make the eyes of the most gilded, dyed-in-the- 
 wool city dweller glisten with anticipation. 
 
CHAPTER NINE: READY-TOE AT 
 SUPPERS 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 READY-TO-EAT SUPPERS 
 
 Every woman who is her own cook dreads 
 that feeling of revolt which sweeps over her 
 when, the noon meal just finished, she con- 
 fronts the problem of supper. The recurring 
 monotony of meal-getting is the rock upon 
 which many a home ship has dashed to pieces. 
 
 Here was an efficiency proposition which 
 kindled my imagination ! To assure myself of 
 leisure in the afternoon I must accomplish the 
 feat of preparing supper in the morning. 
 
 Well, it did not require half the puckered- 
 brow thought to solve this problem that I had 
 given to a game of bridge in less enlightened 
 days. In the first place I made the tireless 
 cooker work for me. Had it not been for that 
 comfort of the servantless, I could not have 
 motored all one crisp, bracing autumn after- 
 noon and yet have regaled the family with a 
 hot, savory mutton stew for supper. 
 
 99 
 
100 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 After luncheon I browned two cups of two- 
 inch cubes of mutton in one-quarter cup of 
 butter ; placed this in flreless-cooker pail ; added 
 two-thirds cup of tomato, one onion sliced, one 
 tablespoon chopped parsley or a dried celery 
 root, two cups of pared potato cubes, which 
 had been parboiled, one teaspoon of salt, one- 
 eighth teaspoon of pepper, and covered the 
 whole with two cups of water. This was placed 
 on the range and allowed to boil five minutes, 
 after which the pail was placed in the fireless 
 to cook from three to four hours. When re- 
 moved, the pail was set on top of range and 
 into the mixture was stirred one-third cup of 
 flour, which had been mixed to thin paste with 
 water. The stew boiled for five minutes before 
 serving. 
 
 With this was served escalloped tomatoes 
 which had been prepared in baking dish in the 
 morning, with buttered crumbs on top, all 
 ready to be set in the oven at night and 
 browned. Toast had been the bread served, 
 and the dessert was of individual custards with 
 caramel and nut sauce; this also made ready 
 before noon. 
 
"That comfort of the servantless, the fireless cooker. 
 
READY-TO-EAT SUPPERS 101 
 
 Veal loaf, which may be prepared at any 
 time and served cold, is a delectable supper 
 dish. Chop three pounds of veal and one-half 
 pound of ham or salt pork very fine. Mix into 
 it two eggs well beaten, one cupful of fine 
 bread or cracker crumbs, one teaspoon of salt, 
 one-half teaspoon of pepper, one teaspoon of 
 onion juice, one-half teaspoon of ground mace, 
 one-half teaspoon of allspice, mold into a loaf 
 and place on baking dish. Glaze with beaten 
 egg and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cook in 
 moderate oven two hours, basting often with 
 melted butter and water. 
 
 Macaroni and tomato sauce, hot and tempt- 
 ing, is served with the slices of veal loaf, as the 
 former is a dish which may be prepared early, 
 ready for the final browning at night. We 
 have thin brown bread sandwiches with this, 
 and a rather rich dessert of Banbury tarts. 
 These also are made in the morning, and are 
 slipped into the oven for a moment before 
 serving. To make: chop one cup of seeded 
 raisins ; add two teaspoons of very thinly sliced 
 citron, one-half cup of sugar, the grated rind 
 and juice of one lemon, one egg beaten light, 
 
102 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 and one-eighth teaspoon of salt. Cut rounds 
 of pastry, place spoonful of mixture on one 
 side, moisten edges of round with water, fold, 
 press edges together, and bake. 
 
 One day when I opened a cookbook which 
 had belonged to my grandmother I saw, in her 
 fine writing, "Spiced Mackerel." In a flash 
 the years rolled back, and I was a little girl 
 again trying to peer over the edge of her 
 kitchen table at the mass of tinkers which lay 
 glistening there in all their bravery of silver, 
 green and red. The memory made me am- 
 bitious. I tried spicing some mackerel, and 
 they were greeted with such acclaim that I will 
 here record the method. Clean and wash small 
 mackerel. Put them in layers in a crock with 
 a little salt and cayenne pepper sprinkled be- 
 tween each layer. Mix one even tablespoon of 
 mustard, two of brown sugar, salt to taste — I 
 am quoting Grandmother — quarter cup of pep- 
 per corns, stick of cinnamon, and four cloves. 
 Cover crock with an old plate and simmer in 
 oven one hour. These are to be served cold 
 and will keep in the crock, if kept cool, for two 
 weeks. 
 
READY-TO-EAT SUPPERS 103 
 
 As creamed potatoes, save for the final 
 browning, can be prepared in the morning, 
 they are very delicious to serve with the mac- 
 kerel and cold bran muffins sliced and but- 
 tered; and jelly roll for dessert makes a well- 
 balanced meal. 
 
 After breakfast lettuce may be washed, 
 dried and placed in cheesecloth bag on the ice, 
 cooked vegetables diced, and French dressing 
 mixed for the supper salad. To serve with 
 this, some time try stuffed eggs creamed. Put 
 six eggs in boiling water in top of double 
 boiler with boiling water in bottom part; let 
 stand over low fire thirty-five minutes. Cool 
 eggs and remove shells. Cut eggs in half, 
 mash yolks with one teaspoon of melted but- 
 ter (or olive oil) ; one teaspoon of anchovy 
 paste and a few grains of cayenne, and a bit 
 of paprika. Fill whites with this mixture, dip 
 edges in beaten white of egg and press to- 
 gether. Line bottom of buttered baking dish 
 with the yolk mixture left; arrange stuffed 
 eggs in dish; pour over them white sauce; 
 cover with buttered crumbs and put in cool 
 
104 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 place till ready to brown and heat in oven. 
 This takes about fifteen minutes. 
 
 Thin white bread and butter, or slices of nut 
 bread buttered, seem to fit in with this supper, 
 and prune pudding makes a delicious dessert. 
 To make: cook one-half pound of soaked 
 prunes with one-quarter cup of sugar and two 
 cups of water; when prunes are soft, drain, 
 stone and chop; add meats from eight prune 
 stones to mixture ; heat two cups of the liquor 
 and add to two tablespoons of granulated gela- 
 tine which has been dissolved in one-quarter 
 cup of cold water; add juice of one lemon or 
 orange and two teaspoons of sherry ; mix with 
 chopped prunes; turn into individual molds 
 and chill. Unmold on lace paper doilies and 
 surround with whipped cream. 
 
 Sometimes, after consomme in cups, we have 
 Italian salad. This is a wicked dish, but so 
 delectable that its sins of indigestibility are 
 forgiven it. In the morning marinate cubes 
 of cold boiled potatoes with French dressing, 
 in which lemon juice has been used instead of 
 vinegar. Keep in a cold place. When ready 
 to serve, heap potatoes on a platter; coat with 
 
READY-TO-EAT SUPPERS 105 
 
 mayonnaise dressing and garnish with sardines, 
 shrimps, pimolas cut in rings, and hard-boiled 
 egg. Thin bread and butter is best to serve 
 with this rich dish, and fruit in glasses for 
 dessert. 
 
 Deviled lobster may be prepared in the 
 morning for a later heating. Take the meat 
 from two lobsters, each weighing about two 
 and a half pounds, one pint of cream, two 
 tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon of mus- 
 tard, a speck of cayenne, salt, pepper, and a 
 scant pint of bread crumbs. Put the cream on 
 to boil, mix the flour, mustard and pepper to- 
 gether, and add three spoonfuls of boiling 
 cream; stir all into the remaining cream and 
 cook two minutes. Add the lobster cut in 
 pieces, salt and cayenne, and boil one minute. 
 Fill individual shells, or a baking dish, with 
 the mixture, cover with bread crumbs, and 
 when the time comes brown for twenty minutes 
 in a hot oven. With this serve crisp, thinly 
 sliced cucumbers in French dressing, and cin- 
 namon rolls, which, while they may be made in 
 the morning, really take little time and are 
 much more delicious when freshly baked. Cin- 
 
106 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 namon Rolls : Sift together twice two cups of 
 sifted pastry flour, one-half teaspoonful of 
 salt, four level teaspoons of baking-powder. 
 Mix, and into this work one-quarter cup of 
 butter with the tips of the fingers. Add one 
 beaten egg and one-half cup of milk and mix 
 to a dough. Knead the dough slightly, and 
 roll into oblong sheet about one-third of an 
 inch thick. Brush the sheet with softened but- 
 ter; sprinkle with granulated sugar, about 
 three even tablespoons, and rather lightly with 
 powdered cinnamon; then with a quarter of a 
 cup of chopped, seeded raisins and one-quarter 
 of a cup of chopped walnut meats. Roll the 
 dough into long roll and cut in pieces an inch 
 long. Set these in buttered baking pan and 
 bake. 
 
 If the evening promises to be cold, the ap- 
 petites clamorous, and the first course of the 
 supper light, 'tis then that I summon the fire- 
 less to my aid and prepare a steamed pudding. 
 The fruit in it may be figs, dates or raisins, 
 the foundation is the same. Sift together one 
 cup of entire wheat flour, one-half cup of white 
 flour, one-half teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon 
 
READY-TO-EAT SUPPERS 107 
 
 of soda, one teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix and 
 add one beaten egg, one-half cup of milk, one- 
 half cup of molasses, four tablespoons of 
 melted butter, then a cup of fruit. Turn into 
 buttered baking-powder tins, filling them only 
 two-thirds full, tie down the covers firmly, and 
 place in fireless cooker pail, in which is boiling 
 water, on top of range. Cover, and when the 
 water has boiled in pail one-half hour, place 
 the pail on hot disk in the fireless and cook 
 about three hours. Serve the pudding with 
 hard sauce. 
 
 On Saturday the brown bread is mixed after 
 luncheon and left to cook at its own sweet will 
 in the fireless. Truly the woman who has not 
 yet adopted the fireless cooker will have fas- 
 cinating fields of experiment open out before 
 her when she does. 
 
CHAPTER TEN: CONFECTIONS 
 AND CONCLUSION 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 CONFECTIONS AND CONCLUSION 
 
 All day the domestic ship is steered by the 
 compass of System, but as the sun goes down 
 we let a blissful sense cf irresponsibility take 
 the helm. There being no temperament in the 
 kitchen to be disturbed — and very justly — if 
 we are an hour late, we motor, sail or tramp to 
 our hearts' content, then congregate for sup- 
 per, each one very happy, very hungry and 
 very helpful. 
 
 After supper the dishes are washed, scalded, 
 
 placed in a dish drainer, covered with a fresh 
 
 towel, and left to dry until morning, when 
 
 clean, shining, spotless, they will be put away. 
 
 The Head of the House under his own special 
 
 light enjoys his evening paper; at the round 
 
 table the Crown Prince and I become absorbed 
 
 in our books, while on the rug, his back to the 
 
 jolly crackling log fire, the Judge lies stretched 
 
 111 
 
112 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 in serene contentment, one eye closed, the 
 other fixed in unwavering watchfulness upon 
 the door through which he knows the Youngest 
 Member will enter, whose self-appointed duty 
 it is — between the baseball and football sea- 
 sons — to keep the family provided with sweets. 
 
 Sometimes it is a peanut candy with which 
 he regales us; the kind which is so deliciously 
 brittle that it shivers into little bits as one 
 nibbles it. To make it: add to three table- 
 spoons of melted butter two cups of molasses 
 and two-thirds cup of sugar. Boil until mix- 
 ture is brittle when tried in cold water. Stir 
 into this the meats from a quart of peanuts, 
 skinned and split. Cool in buttered pans. 
 
 One day, being in a reminiscent mood, I 
 showed him how we used to pop corn in the 
 eighties by putting a small quantity of butter 
 in a preserving kettle, and when this had 
 melted adding shelled corn. At first the corn 
 has to be stirred to prevent burning, but when 
 the first "white man" appears in the mass of 
 brown ones, the cover is clapped on the kettle 
 and the battle royal begins with the heavy can- 
 nonading, until with a final splutter the last 
 
"In the hour following supper confections are quickly and easily made on the range 
 or in the chafing dish." 
 
CONFECTIONS— CONCLUSION 113 
 
 brown kernel is vanquished. A mass of beau- 
 tifully popped corn, slightly buttered, is the 
 result. 
 
 This suggestion led to a veritable corn-ball 
 fest and we were treated to that filling but 
 difficult-of-consumption dainty till we cried 
 "Hold, enough!" The balls were made by 
 using corn popped in the regulation way, 
 great care being taken to discard any hard 
 kernels. Into a saucepan in which had been 
 melted a tablespoon of butter is put one cup 
 of molasses and one-half cup of sugar. Boil 
 the mixture until it is brittle when dropped in 
 cold water. Put selected corn into large kettle, 
 shake over it a very little salt, and pour into it 
 gradually the hot mixture, stirring constantly. 
 When thoroughly mixed, shape into balls, but 
 do not make them too compact. 
 
 Chocolate fudge coming first on the list of 
 quick-and-easy confections, we are liberally 
 provided with that dainty, though to do the 
 Youngest Member justice he uses great in- 
 genuity in varying the formula. For fudge, 
 pure and simple, put three tablespoons of but- 
 ter in a saucepan; when melted add two cups 
 
114 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 of sugar, one cup of creamy milk, two squares 
 of unsweetened chocolate. Bring to boiling 
 point and let boil thirteen minutes; add tea- 
 spoon of vanilla. Remove from range and 
 beat until creamy (in the amount of beating 
 lies the secret of a smooth, delicate fudge), 
 turn into pan and cool. Marshmallows cut in 
 quarters may be added before the mixture is 
 turned into the pan, or one cup of chopped nut 
 meats, or nut meats and figs, or raisins. 
 
 Peanut butter fudge is a very smooth con- 
 coction for an after-supper nibble. Put two 
 cups of sugar and two-thirds cup of milk in 
 saucepan. Bring to boiling point and let boil 
 until a soft ball may be formed when mixture 
 is tested in cold water. Remove from range, 
 add four tablespoons of peanut butter and 
 one teaspoon of vanilla and beat until creamy. 
 Turn into buttered pan, cool and mark in 
 squares, placing a split half of a peanut on 
 each square. 
 
 Penuche is hailed with acclaim when it ap- 
 pears. If you wish to try it, melt one table- 
 spoon of butter in saucepan, add two cups of 
 brown sugar and one of white, and one cup of 
 
CONFECTIONS— CONCLUSION 115 
 
 thin cream. Boil until mixture will form a 
 soft ball when tested in cold water. Remove 
 from range, beat until creamy, then add one 
 cup of finely chopped walnut meats and figs in 
 equal quantity. Turn into pan and cool. One 
 cupful of nut meats alone may be used; the 
 flavor of the candy is improved by sprinkling 
 these lightly with salt. 
 
 A delicious cocoanut candy is made by melt- 
 ing one tablespoon of butter in a saucepan; to 
 this add two cups of sugar and one-third cup 
 of creamy milk. Boil until soft-ball stage is 
 reached; remove from range and beat until 
 creamy; add one teaspoon of vanilla (or one 
 tablespoon of orange juice to which has been 
 added a suspicion of the grated rind) , and two- 
 thirds cup of shredded cocoanut. Turn into 
 buttered pan and cool. 
 
 When our next-door neighbor returns from 
 school she brings new recipes with which the 
 Youngest Member promptly experiments 
 upon the family. The last time it was choco- 
 late caramels. Put two and a half tablespoons 
 of butter in a saucepan and when melted add 
 two cups of brown sugar, two tablespoons of 
 
116 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 molasses, and one-half cup of creamy milk. 
 Bring to boiling point and add four squares of 
 unsweetened chocolate, stirring mixture con- 
 stantly until chocolate is melted. Let boil till 
 it forms a firm ball when tested in cold water. 
 Add one teaspoon of vanilla, turn into buttered 
 tin, cool and mark in squares. 
 
 We clamored for chocolate peppermints. 
 The Youngest Member was adamant. "Too 
 much work to make fondant," he declared. 
 One day, however, he gleefully produced some 
 delectable chocolate peppermints made from 
 the following rule: Mix confectioners' sugar 
 with water until stiff enough to mold. Flavor 
 with a few drops of oil of peppermint, mold 
 into shapes and lay on paraffine paper in a cool 
 place to harden. When cold, dip peppermints 
 in melted unsweetened chocolate (or the new 
 kind which comes sweetened and flavored), 
 and again place on paraffine paper to dry. This 
 same mixture of confectioners' sugar and 
 water, flavored with vanilla, makes a delicious 
 filling when placed between two halves of Eng- 
 lish walnuts, or when covering an almond, or 
 used as a filling for dates. 
 
CONFECTIONS— CONCLUSION 117 
 
 Here is a recipe for very delicious plain pep- 
 permints. Boil one-half pint of granulated 
 sugar and three tablespoons of boiling water 
 hard for three minutes. Drop six drops of 
 oil of peppermint on four heaping tablespoons 
 of confectioners' sugar; mix rapidly with hot 
 sirup and drop quickly on to marble (almost 
 every one has some marble relic of the dismal, 
 melancholy black walnut era) . This same mix- 
 ture may be flavored with oil of wintergreen 
 and colored a delicate pink with vegetable col- 
 oring ; in fact, it may be used as the foundation 
 of mints in an infinite variety of flavor and 
 color. 
 
 We have dates stuffed with candied ginger, 
 cream cheese, or nuts which have first been 
 rolled in confectioners' sugar which has been 
 mixed to a stiff paste with cream; after the 
 date is filled it is rolled in granulated sugar. 
 Then we have nuts in all varieties from the 
 Jumbo peanut down to the filbert, all of which 
 are made tempting by being placed in a pan 
 containing a little olive oil or butter, then 
 lightly salted, and delicately browned in the 
 oven. 
 
118 COMFORT OF THE FAMILY 
 
 As the back-log parts and falls, sending a 
 shower of sparks up chimney, the Judge, 
 roused from dreams of victory over the bull- 
 dog next door, patters upstairs to bed; chairs 
 are put into place; papers picked up; slouchy 
 pillows plumped into shape; "Good Night!" 
 is said and the lamps extinguished, and one 
 more happy day of our successful co-operative 
 home-making experiment slips silently into the 
 Past. 
 

 
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