The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-08
Giving A Dinner Without Maid
 To Aid
By IsLiA Lypie HoYr

on serving dinner without a maid to help one. The question of the best method of doing this is necessarily up to the individual to certain ex- tent and after she has done it once or twice she will discover what may be her easiest way of accomplishing it. Con- seGuently, whatever I say is based on my ideas of what would prove the easiest way to the gfeatest number of people.
 In the first place. it is best to have most of the dishes ones that can be pre- pared some time before the dinner hour. In other words, if one desires to have fish as part of the dinner, rather than have q hot fish, have your first course fish cocktail, which is cold and can ,,c prepared early in the day-only leaving the dressing to be put on minute or two before the guests arrive. , Before I proceed, however, to thei a ct- ial menus. which would he good for I hostess and maid in one, l would like to say little about the matter of at titude of mind. It is n mistake as, in fact, it is always. to attempt an effort which is impossible and will only make for discomfort. In other words. if you have no maid don't attempt to serve la dinner as if you had one. If you take 1 your guests into the secret quite frank Ny and even get them to help you. you will find that they enjoy 1t and the whole dinner will be much more successful.
 Set your table early in the after noon so that that is off your mind |; also tidy up your sitting room so that you are free to devote all your time to preparing the dinner.
 Let us take as an example the fol lowing dinner, and as think up each dish will explain why, in my opinion, it is good dish to have.
 Fruit or fish cocktail, soup and roast, one green vegetable, hashed and creamed potatoes or mashed potatoes. any kind of salad, and some form of cold dessert or if such long menu is lnOt desired. you can omit either the salad or the dessert. If the dessert is omitted it is rather nice to serve some cheese and crackers with the salad. As have already said. the fish cock tail is good dish. as it eliminates the necessity of hot fish. The soup can be prepared early in the day and heated a few minutes before the arrival of the guests. A roast is the best kind of | 1 placed in the oven with the gas turn ed low, where it will keep perfectly hot and yet, ifAthe guests are reason ably prompt, will not be too dry. I speak of hashed and creamed potatoes, or mashed, because they are the only kinds which are not absolutely ruined if they have to stand awhile and be relocated. The cream for the creamed potatoes should not be put on until just as the potatoes are to be heated. Of course the salad and the dessert. being cold, can be fixed at any, time and put to one side. The salad dress ing. however, should not be put on until just before serving. If you have side-board in the dining room place the number of dishes necessary for the meal in separate piles. In this way you can quickly change the plates. It is perfectly permissible to ask the men at the table to help you in doing this also, if your side-board is large enough, you can place the salad and dessert on it beforehand. Naturally, you will have to leave the table for a few minutes in order to heat the soup and again to heat your vegetable and potatoes. \If you have in your kitchen a large cook ing apron you can quickly slip it on l worry about your dress. I cannot ad- wise as to the actual cooking or meth ods of cooking as the only time I have ever done any I did not have much success.
 believe there are many new and wonderful aids for all kinds of house. work, fireless cookers, oven thermo- stats, etc. Judging from the experi- ence of friend of mine the other day realize that there are some, how ever, who prefer old methods to new. My friend with great pride brought home a wonderful invention for wash ing dishes with which one could wash the dishes without ever putting ones hands in- the water. She presented this to her maid, expecting the latter to be overcome with jOy-0nly to lis ten in horror while the maid inform ed her that she preferred to do the work herself.
 However, I should think that for anyone who must do the entire work of house some of these modern in ventions would be exteremly valuable, not only from the angle of; comfort but from the question of saving time. In any case, my advice to the hostess who must cook and serve her own dinner would be to do the best she can and then, to a great extent, for get it. In other words, do not sit nervOusly at the table, paying no at- tention to the conversation and look ing frightfully worried at the thought of the next course to follow. It really should present very few difficulties if you do not, attempt the impossible, such as three or four courses of hard and complicated dishes.