Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-29
Dear Sister Helen:

Your letter came to me Just a. few
hours ago, and 1 hasten to send you an
answer, for ] can understand how upset
you are, away in the country, TO have
city visitors in the winter. OF course,
as you are away from q large market,
you cannot obtain all the luxuries to be
obtained in one, and are consequently
obliged to utilize what may be obtained
in a small market, but am sure you will
be able to present good food, well cooked
and daintily served. will give you the
cheapest thing in the world to begin
with-advice, and. if you follow it, you
will come out pretty nearly right.
You say you want to serve q o'clock
dinner, although this is contrary to your
usual custom, but when guests arrive
late in the day there is nothing which
tends to make everyone feel so much at
ease as bright dining room and pref
tily set table.
First of all, have some flowers or green
sprays or some floral decoration on the
table, even if it is only half dozen fern
leaves in c tall, slender vase, and a single
spray of flowers. In fact. think people
generally put too many flowers ON the
table.
Now, here is simple, but good dinner
to serve:
Tomato Soup.
Olives.
Boiled Cod. Egg Sauce.
Roast Chicken.
Currant Jelly.
Spinach. Squash. Celery.
Mashed Potatoes.
Fruit Salad.
Coffee.
For the soup, you can use canned to-
nlatoes equally as well as fresh ones.
Put a quart of tomatoes in a quart of
stock and cook thoroughly; season with
salt and pepper and strain through a
| cloth; put over the fire again, and when
! the soup comes to boil thicken with
| corn starch, mixed in cold milk; let this
| boil up once and then add enough hot
| milk to make it of the proper consistent
| cy. Serve with crackers which have
| been heated In the oven.
Have the olives drained from the liquor
and served in a shallow dish, with
chopped ice, or in mound of snow.
BOILED COD.
Wrap the fish in a cloth and put in a
kettle of hot water and cook until well
done, When taken from the kettle re-
move the dark skin from the fish, put ON
platter and garnish with parsley or the
fresh celery leaves which you will have
left after preparing it for the table. For
the same, melt two tablespoonfuls of but
ter in a sauce pan and when it bubbles
stir in two tablespoonfuls Of flour. rub
bling it smooth; then add gradually a
pint Of hot milk, salt and pepper, and
two hard boiled eggs, sliced, about a
quarter of an inch thick Serve in a
gravy tureen.
ROAST CHICKEN.
Select your chicken carefully, and one
of the best ways to test it is to press the
end of the breast bone; If it yields readi-
ly, take it; If it is firm and hard, leave it.
In cleaning the chicken, draw out the
tendons in the legs by shutting the
chickens foot in a door, grasping it by
the body and pulling; this will remove
them; SINCE it carefully and wash it in
side and out thoroughly. I should adj
wise you to add some oysters to your
stuffing, as they make a pleasant flavor.
When cooked, remove all the strings
used in tying down the wings and legs;
put on a large platter so that John may
have room to carve it. and serve with
a gravy in which has been put the
chopped liver heart and gizzard. On
small side dishes place squares of that
nice currant jelly which you made last
fall.
After your spinach is boiled put it in a
tray and chop it rather fine; then put it
over the fire in a stewpan. moisten with
little milk and butter, season with salt
and pepper, thicken with a teaspoonful
Of cornstarch pour on dish, shape into
mound and CRATE over the top a hard
boiled egg. 1t will look attractive and
prove appetizing.
Serve your celery in celery plate, and
be careful to have it thoroughly scraped
and white.
Now, | do not know of anything SO
easily prepared for a dessert and SO per
fectly delicious as
FRUIT SALAD,
and nearly everyone likes it. Peel and
slice four bananas and four sweet
oranges, and put in dish together, with
some pineapple, shredded fine Canned
pineappleJ, and cover with sugar: let
this stand for an hour, and then add a
dozen dates, stoned and cut in halves.
put in glass berry dish and cover with
whipped cream.
Last, but not least, have good strong
coffee and rich cream.
Yours culinarily
COMFORT JONES,
Doctor Of Cookery.