The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-08-13
Lunches en- Route.

The season has arrived when hun
dreds of travellers begin their summer
wanderings, and few suggestions for
putting up lunches which shall be both
tempting and satisfying may not come
amiss. With a well-flled lunch-boX one
starts upon journey with delightful
sense of independence, knowing that
one has nothing to fear from the rail-
road lunch-counter, with its overgrown
sandwiches and indigestibe pie and
cake. No pains should be spared to
make the lunch as dainty as possible,
as it will lack all the accessories of a
well-laid table. The writer speaks feel
ingly on this subject, remembering the
sandwiches wrapped in newspaper
which were thrust into her hand by a
kind but careless friend as she started
on a long journey. A box is preferable
to a basket, as it can be thrown away
when its contents are disposed of.
Select one of strong pasteboard, and
line it with white wrapping-paper, cut
ting it to fit the corners, and with pieces
overhanging the sides large enough to
cover the box when filled. Provide
also piece of brown wrapping-paper,
strong Irvine, and a small wooden
handle, that it may be a neat and easily
carried parcel Old linen napkins
which are no longer presentable at
table should be kept for travelling use.
Or better still for this purpose are the
paper Japanese napkins, which will
occupy less space. Small, thin tum-
blers are very inexpensive, and several
will add but little to the weight of the
box. The provident housewife would
do well to have a supply of these things
in her storeroom to help her in speed
ing the parting guest.
The good things provided may be some
what varied, but there are certain things
which seem indispensable. Sandwiches
are especially nice made of chicken. 1t
should be chopped very fine and well
seasoned. The bread should be spread
with butter before it is cut from the
loaf, as the slices must be as thin as
possible. Two full slices laid together
with the chicken between are then cut
into four small sandwiches. If ham or
tongue is used, it should always be
chopped fine, and little mustard may
be added. The sandwiches are wrapped
in small parcels, which may be convent
emily handled, using white tissue paper.
Stuffed eggs are very nice, and easily
prepared. Hard-boiled eggs are cut in
half lengthwise, and the yolks taken
out. These are mashed with a fork,
adding little melted butter, salt, pep
per and a little made mustard, and then
used to refill the whites. The two
halves of the eggs are laid together, and
each one is firmly twisted up in tissue
paper. If cold chicken is provided, it
chOn11 oil ho ~ ho hnnoc
as the process of removing it is not an
agreeable one without the aid of knife
and fork. 1t may be put in small
paper-lined box, or wrapped in several
thicknesses of heavy white paper. Salt
and pepper mixed in little box or tiny
paper cornucopia must not be for
gotten.
The juice of lemons, with the proper
amount of sugar added, is easily car
ried in small bottle, and will be re-
freshing addition to the ice-water which
is so freely supplied to the American
travelling public. A bottle of milk or
of cold coffee might be substituted.
There should be no space given up
to rich cake in well-ordered lunch
box. Instead might be taken some of
the delicate waters or biscuit, of which
there is great variety, or some plain
gingerbread. The recipe given below
is very nice, if carefully made and
baked, and is very good emergency
cake, as it requires only the simple in
gradients which are always in the
house.
SOFT MoLAssEs GINGERBREAD.-
One cup of molasses, one teaspoonful
of soda, two teaspoonfuls of ginger,
one tablespoonful of butter or lard,
pinch of salt, if You use lard. Stir to-
gether the lard, soda, ginger and salt,
then add the molasses and one pint of
sifted flour. Then pour on one-half of
a cup of boiling water. Bake about
one inch deep in sheet. This is very
nice if the water is boiling and the cake
well beaten, as it is added.