The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-12-22
THE SUNDAY-NIGHT SUPPER.

One of the pleasantest memories of
my childhood is the Sunday night sup
per. II was my mothers custom to let
the servants go after the two o'clock
dinner, and supper, which was delayed
until seven o'clock or later, was family
meal in every sense of the word, for it
was not only eaten but prepared by the
members of the family.
Mother, with flock of children about
her, repaired to the kitchen. Some of
us were sent to the dining-room to set
mother. The boys, who were not sup
posed to be versed in the intricacies of
delicate cookery. were given simple
things to do, such as toasting the bread
or waiting on the chief. We girls used
to vie with each other in connecting
dainty messes for the Sunday night sup
per, and blushed with pleasure as mother
remarked with her lovely smile:
This is Jennie's DISH" or "Addie
made this"
1t was a gay meal. The children
laughed and chartered unreproved;
jumped up from their places to wait on
their elders or to run for some forgotten
dainty, little pickle or tumbler of
jelly. There was always cold boiled
ham or tongue, part of the chicken or
roast lief. from dinner, pot of tea or
coffee for the grown ups and pitcher
of milk for the children. A salad pre-
pared on Saturday, cake or tea cakes
with fruit and anything else we could
find in the PANTRY. Oysters were fav-
orite hot dish, because there is nothing
more delicious and nothing more easily
cooked.
Our favorite method of cooking the
oysters was what we called ''fancy
roast" Two tablespoonful of butter
were put into skillet with quart of
oysters, little salt and pepper. They
were allowed to cook until they began to
look plump and curly about the edges,
then they we're poured over slices of
toast arranged on a large platter. They
must be eaten steaming hot to be good.
Then we had, too, our loaf of brown
bread with the Boston baked beans
that were quickly heated over. Scram-
bled eggs with little chopped ham and
slices of cold beef or mutton, slightly
sailed and thoroughly heated in sauce
made of one tablespoonful of butter
melted with one tablespoonful of to-
mato catchup, we're found very appetite
ing.
All these dishes may be prepared in
half an hour, as may also stewed oysters,
which all children love. Take three
pints of milk, lump of butter the size
of an egg, salt and pepper to taste and
let it come to boil Have the oysters
in separate pan and let them cook un-
til they begin to ruffle at the edges,
which will be in a very short time.
Then add the oysters to the milk and
throw in two handfuls of crushed crack
ers.
Potato said was another welcome dish.
with poached eggs or light omelet.
Potato cakes were made from the cold
potatoes left from dinner, mashed fine,
formed into small cakes and fried brown.
So our Sunday night suppers were not
the cold, cherries affairs that they so
often are. with nothing good to eat and
nothing cheerful to say, but they were
merry, delightful times, when parents
and children seemed to draw closer to-
gether, and the heart was satisfied with
good cheer of every kind.
1t has been said frequently that the
good people are the happy people-but l
want to emphasize the fact that the
happy people are the good people. Make
a child happy by giving him such sim
pie pleasure as lie ought to have and he
will be good. Make Sunday a day of
innocent, quiet pleasure as well as of
instruction in religious things and the
children will look forward to the day as
delight and not as something dull,
somber and forlorn.-Home and Farm.