The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-03-19
BY MARY E. DAGUE NEA Service Staff Writer

In the early spring, a young
 mans fancy may turn to love
 but young woman's, if she has
 meals to provide, turns despair
 fully to vegetables. Winter vege-
 tables are almost gone. spring
 ones are not yet in or else they
 are terribly expensive, and what
 to have to cat three times a day
 becomes more than ever a prob lem.
 I've always found mushrooms, canned and fresh, an ever present help in feeding the family with appetites made languid by spring fever. Don't rate the mushrooms too high, though, as far as call ories go. There are only 210 in a pound as against 730 in a pound of round steak. But for flavor
 help, the mushroom can't pos sibly be over-rated. Unless mushrooms are very sandy and dirty they should not be washed. They are very deli cate and water tends to destroy their flavor as well as make them tough. Simply separate the caps from the stems and peel the caps
 if the skin is tough. The stems are tougher than the caps and re- quire longer cooking.
 Wash Very Gently
 If they must be washed, do it very gently. taking care that the gills do not become water soaked. Dry on a soft cloth and turn cap,
 gills downward, to dry.
 The peelings can be covered with cold water, brought to the boiling point and slnmcred over
 a low fire for fifteen minutes. Strain through cheesccloth and
 use the stock for flavoring soups and sauces. You will be amazed at the, change Il few tablespoons full of this mushroom stock will make in the flavor of such soups
 as cream of spinach, or cream Of corn soup.
 Mushrooms and eggs are good for a Lenten main dish. With them serve sho&-string potatoes, sliced stuffed olives nodded in sponge cake with strawberry fluff for dessert. # EE Mushrooms nnd Eggs One-haf pound mushrooms. 1
 eggs. tablespoon lnineed parsley, 2 tablestoons. butter, 2 table
 spoons flour. few drops onion
 juice, 1-2 teaspoon salt. 1-S tea spoon white pepper, 2 cups rich
 milk. 4 teaspO0rs grated cheese. Melt buttelain sauce pan. Add peeled and sliced mushrooms Sprinkle with salt and pepper and simmer over low fire for five
 minutes. Sift flour over and stir until perfectly blended. Add milk,
 stirring constantly. Add onion
 juice and parsley and bring to the
 boiling point, stirring. Pour into a shallow baking dish, BreakAeggs into sauce, spacing them evenly, Sprinkle each egg with teaspoon
 grated cheese and dot with butter.
 Bake in a moderate oven for fif- teen minutes, until the whites are firm. Serve from baking dish. The flavor of mushrooms is enl- phasized if they are sauted in a little. butter before adding to any
 dish. Be sure to use all the but ter and mushroom liquor In the
 pan because this Is rich and fla ' ssstrawberry fluff Is an excellent way to,use the, first fresh straw berries because a few berries go a longer way. {, Strawberry Fluff
 One cup istraw berries. white 1 egg. FFi cup powdered sugar, few GrRins salt.
 Put berries. sugar and unbeaten white of1egG into a bowl and .beat w's:l Il rotary heater until mixture stn t1da i'm in monks An electric l heater does this easily. Chiii and serve on slices of sponge cake with a gaknish of q fine large berry. N