Imperial Valley press., 1936-08-23
BY Jenny Reed
(Home Economies Editor)

(Home Economies Editor)
90 many Of US have to be cook
y and be hostess at one and the
same time. It Is not the easiest
thing In the world to forget the
dinner and remember the COM
pany or to forget the company
and remember the dinner, but 1t
can be done and the secret lies In
planning and in doing as much as
possible ahead Of time. The wise
woman who must cook and serve
her own dinner will not plan a
menu that requires a lot Of last
minute looking after, because the
result Is inevitable a hurried,
flurried, worried hostess. The re-
action is bound to be felt by the
guests who feel that they should
not have come, that they have
caused too much trouble, and
consequently no one has a good
time.
And so the question Is how to
avoid an uncomfortable situation
of this kind. There Is just so much
to be done in getting dinner on
the table and how Is it to be done
In such a way that you may ap-
pear cool, unconcerned, and
happy; so that you may enjoy
your friends and when the eve-
ming is over to know that they
had a good time and that you
had a good time instead Of saying
as the door closes on the last
guest, "Well, thank goodness,
that's over"
I know one woman who says
she likes to go to her own parties
because she can always have
them just as she wants them. And
she is not the only person who
likes to go to them either, for
everyone she asks Is always more
than eager to accept. Let me out
line her system to you-it works,
for I have tried it.
In the first place with paper
and pencil In hand she sits down
to make her plans. She folds the
paper In three parts and in one
she writes her menu; in another
she writes her shopping list, and
In the third she writes the things
20 be done. That third List In sub
divided into things to be done on
the two or three days preceding
the party.
rE plans the menu carefully.
- She makes simplicity her
rule. She bars from her menu
those dishes that require a lot OF
last minute attention. She de-
cides on her meat first and builds
her dinner around the meat. She
plans accompaniments to the
meat dish that can be made
either the day before or in the
morning. In that way she has
very little to do except watch her
meat and she usually chooses a
meat that does not require much
attention.
Let me give you a menu OF a
dinner that I had with her.
Watermelon n d muskmelon
diced and set away in sherbet
glasses to chill on the top shell
of the refrigerator.
Ham baked with pineapple.
Potatoes au gratin. She makes
her sauce and dices her potatoes
the day before.
Head lettuce salad. The lettuce
is cleaned and the dressing made
early in the day. The salad plates
are put in a corner of the re-
frigerator to become thoroughly
chilled.
A chocolate mousse and coffee
finished the meal and it was voted
a delicious one by everyone of us
Simple, yes. but everything de-
liciously cooked and exquisitely
served. Our hostess saw to it that
everyone was happily engaged II
conversation and then she quietly
left the table, cleared away one
course and served the next. There
was no confusion, no embarrass
ment. 1t was all done simply anc
easily.
And now I know you are wait
ing to have me tell you how she
prepared the ham and pineapple
She gets piece of ham weigh
ing about 31s or 4 pounds, cut