self? It is a simple matter to test your hoardings in the spring, and resort to the seed catalogues, if they fail to germinate. We must choose plump and fair seeds, from the best and finest-shaped specimens, taking other things into consideration, also. If a plant withstands hot spells and mildewing storms and grows. sturdily in spite of them, if one bean vine bears pods with five limas instead of four, if a plant fruits earlier, and stays in bearing longer than its fellows, cherish these for the seed crop. We are told, to be sure, that harvesting seed is an elaborate science, and that many of those who understood it have perished on the slaughter fields of Europe. But we, who cultivate the home garden, do not need to know all the technical intricacies of the craft. And there is always the thrilling possibility of originating some new variety, or, at least, improving an old one. A Boston physician, taking recreation in the garden of his suburban home, patiently crossed and selected two varieties of sweet corn for several years - and behold! a wonderful new variety, that has been awarded the silver medal of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. And do not forget to label your seeds when they are gathered, lest there be confusion at planting time! nish as high food value as higher-priced meat, and at so much less cost; and that, because of the high cost of all foods, the time and trouble to make these cheap meats palatable and digestible should not be begrudged, as this can be fairly easily done by the use of the fireless cooker and other devises. I, also, taught this to my classes, and found out the error by accident. Deciding to make a table to show my girls how much money they would save in buying cheap meat, I figured the amount of meat needed to furnish one ounce of protein, and its cost, also the number of calories furnished by this amount of meat. My surprise was great to find I had not shown what I had started out to prove as the saving was so slight as to be negligible, as the following table shows: Cuts of Weight Cost Protein Cal. Meat Porterhouse. Sirloin. . Round. Flank. Neck.. Oz. OZ. .6 $0.1125 1.14 416 7 0.1181 1.12 430 .6 0.1125 1.14 279 .6 0.0937 1.02 443 8 0.10 1.12 325 Notice the comparison between the neck and porterhouse and between the round and sirloin. Comparing from the standpoint of protein content and calorie value, the higher-priced meats are not an extravagance. The prices used are those of a typical mid-western town of about 10,000, and while they might not be accurate for all places, the relative prices would be nearly the same and the comparison hold true. A. M. R. The reason for the use of meat is the protein that it furnishes. There are cheaper ways of securing the fat needed Three Times, and Yet A Different Dish HE first day a larger quantity of noodles was cooked than there were guests, therefore, some remained to be used during the week. They were cooked with about half a teaspoonful of curry powder in the water, and when drained, some good oil was poured over, evenly, salt and pepper were added, and some THE preserved for years until black for Chinese epicure's delectation, which are now being brought here; instead, these are large shipments of fresh eggs. Seattle and San Francisco are the ports that receive these shipments, which began in the latter part of 1913. The next year there came here above two million dozen, roughly valued at three hundred and twenty-one thousand dollars. And 1915 began with thirty-four thousand dollars' worth in January and seventy-five thousand dollars' worth in the month of February, according to the records of the Chamber of Commerce and Custom House. Wheat is expensive food for fowls, and eggs cannot be produced here to compete with the prices of Chinese eggs, so say the authorities. Alfalfa clover will not answer as a main reliance for poultry, for while they eat grass and clover they need also grain, meat, and variety in feeding.. We are now not only domesticating the Chinese pheasants, but are, also, importing eggs for food. famous chef brought up by a good grandmother near Boston. He says, however, that while Grandma made fine doughnuts, and it took many to satisfy his boyish appetite, this recipe he obtained from a foreign pastry cook. Beat one egg and two tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar to a cream, and add three tablespoonfuls of milk, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one cup of flour with one teaspoonful of baking powder. Add also one teaspoonful of almond and rose, blended, or the best orange extract, or flavor to suit your taste. Make it out into a long light roll by gentle manipulation, cut into small slices, lightly roll into tiny balls, and fry a very light golden yellow, not brown. This batter can be put through a forcing bag in fancy shapes, if desired. SHRE A New Salad HRED some cabbage, choosing a sweet white one, suitable for slaw or salad; blend with it plenty of shredded cocoanut, and some blanched-andshredded almonds. Make a mayonnaise; add plenty of whipped cream, and decorate with dashes of scarlet paprika. Slivered green sweet peppers may be used for decoration and to eat with the salad, if liked. Baked Stuffed Dates with The dates are to be stuffed with pieces. of walnuts flavored with vanilla and placed in an agate dish or any good baking dish and basted with butter, if the dates are dry, add water; very little butter is needed. They will become soft and jellylike and very delicious. Remove carefully, and when cool enough, roll in fresh-shredded cocoanut, which will adhere, but not entirely cover them. These are an exquisite dainty for teas, luncheons and for a holiday or birthday gift, since they need not be eaten when fresh and hot, but are nice cold. Bake, by gentle heat, about fifteen minutes. J. D. C. THIS HIS department is for the benefit and free use of our subscribers. Questions relating to recipes and those pertaining to culinary science and domestic economics in general, will be cheerfully answered by the editor. Communications for this department must reach us before the first of the month preceding that in which the answers are expected to appear. In letters requesting answers by mail, please enclose address and stamped envelope. For menus, remit $1.00. Address queries to Janet M. Hill, Editor. AMERICAN COOKERY, 221 Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass. QUERY NO. 4021. "What is the trouble with Doughnuts that are too light on one side, and crush on the light side when taken from the fat? Also, if the quantity of flour mentioned does not seem to be enough and more has to be added, should more baking powder or other leavening agent be added?" fourths of an inch high and remain in place, crusting over slightly.' Firm Marshmallow Frosting Prepare twice the recipe for Marshmallow Frosting given for Atlantics, on Why Doughnuts Are Too Light page 511. Cook the frosting about twice On One Side Probably the cakes are allowed to cook in the fat until they are browned below before they are turned. To insure an even texture throughout, the cake should be turned as soon as it comes to the surface, and the turning be repeated often during the cooking. If the fat be at the proper temperature for frying, the dough, when dropped into it, will immediately come to the top. Quantity of Baking Powder In any recipe given in our department of "Seasonable Recipes," all of which have been tested by the editor, no more leavening agent than is given in the recipe should be used, even if more flour be added. Doughnuts should be mixed as soft as possible, especially if made without shortening. We recommend the potato doughnuts given so many times in these pages. The mashed potato stiffens the mixture, making it easy to handle, and yet the doughnut, when cooked, is soft and remains moist for several days. QUERY NO. 4022. "Recipe for a Marshmallow Frosting that will stand up about three as long, or fourteen minutes. To one cup of scalded milk, add two tablespoonfuls of shortening, one-third a cup of molasses, one half a teaspoonful of salt (a little more if the shortening is not salted), two-thirds a cake of compressed yeast, mixed through one-fourth a cup of lukewarm milk or water, two cups of white flour and about one cup of Graham flour. Mix all together thoroughly. The dough should not be stiff enough to knead, but should be quite firm. When light, cut down and turn into a greased bread pan; when again light bake about forty-five minutes. Quick Ryemeal Rolls 1 cup scalded milk cup shortening teaspoonful salt 1 tablespoonful sugar cake yeast compressed cup lukewarm water cup ryemeal Wheat flour for soft dough To the milk add the shortening, salt and sugar; mix the yeast through the water, and add with the flour and meal to the other ingredients. Use as much wheat flour as may be mixed easily through the liquid. The dough should be rather soft. Set aside to become light. When the dough is doubled in bulk, grease the fingers and shape into twentyfour balls. Set these close together, or a little distance apart, in a greased biscuit pan. When again light, bake about twenty-five minutes. QUERY No. 4024. -"What is the best way to make Toasted Cheese Sandwiches? Wish to have the cheese melt and run out a little between the slices of bread and the bread a golden brown color without any turning up of the corners." Toasted Cheese Sandwiches Possibly the cheese sandwiches described may prove an impossibility. As the outer sides of the bread are nearest the heat they are likely to dry out and contract quicker than the inner sides, and the ends would naturally turn up. The bread might be toasted first, the inner sides being left rather moist, and any of the hot "rabbit" mixtures be used as a filling. For home use an open cheese sandwich works well. Butter the prepared bread; then cover it with exceedingly thin slices of moist cheese. Set into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. If the slices be set on a buttered agate or tin plate, the under side is often a nice brown. Possibly the ordinary cheese sandwich (two pieces of bread) might be more of a success, if the bread was buttered a little on the outside and browned in the oven on a buttered pan. Finger croutons made in this way do not "curl" at the ends. books various recipes are given under the name of French Rolls. Often a Vienna roll mixture made with milk and eggs, is given for French rolls. French bread contains no ingredients save flour, yeast, water and salt, and we are inclined to think that the ingredients for French Rolls differ from those for bread simply in the addition of a little shortening. Recipe for French Rolls Mix one cake of compressed yeast and half a cup of lukewarm water to a smooth consistency, then stir in flour to make a dough. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, shaping it into a ball. Make two cuts with a knife across the top, at right angles to each other, and about onefourth an inch deep. Set the ball of dough, cut-side up, in a bowl containing two cups of lukewarm water. In a few minutes the dough will swell and float on the water. In another bowl sift five cups of flour and half a teaspoonful of salt; with the tips of the fingers work two or three tablespoonfuls of butter into the flour; add the ball of sponge and the water on which it is floating and mix to a soft dough, adding flour as is needed. Mix the dough with a knife and cut and work it until the dough cleans the bowl. Knead the dough until it is perfectly smooth and elastic. Let stand, closecovered, until light; shape into balls, cover with a bowl until light, then shape into rolls the length of a finger and rather narrow; set these some little distance apart. When again light bake about twenty-five minutes. Brush over with the white of an egg, beaten slightly and strained, and return to the oven an instant to set the glaze. Do not cover while cooling. Vienna Bread Vienna bread is supposed to contain both eggs and milk. Try the following recipe, which makes good Vienna rolls In this country they are known as Lady Finger rolls. Lady-Finger Rolls Cover and Divide the Scald one pint of milk and let cool to a lukewarm temperature. Soften a yeast cake in half a cup of lukewarm water, mix thoroughly and add to the cooled milk. Stir in three cups of bread flour. Beat the mixture until it is very smooth, then cover and set aside to become light and puffy. Add the yolks of two eggs, one-fourth to a cup of melted butter, one teaspoonful of salt, two level tablespoonfuls of sugar and about four cups of bread flour. Mix the whole to a smooth dough and knead the dough until very elastic. It will take at least fifteen minutes. set aside to double in bulk. risen dough into pieces of two ounces each (about half a cup of dough weighs two ounces). Knead these into balls and dispose on a board, dredge lightly with flour; cover closely with a board or pan, and leave them to become light. Roll the balls on the board under the fingers, to make long rolls pointed at the ends. Using more pressure on the dough at the ends than in the middle will give the desired shape. Set the rolls on a buttered sheet, some distance apart. When light, with a pair of scissors make three transverse cuts in the top of each roll. Bake about twenty minutes. When nearly baked, brush over with white of egg, and return to the oven to dry the egg. DINNER MENUS PREPARED FOR 35 Clear Soup Camelon of Beef Celery Baked Potatoes |