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Fourteenth Day: Omelette

Two teaspoonfuls flour and one tablespoonful butter, rubbed smoothly together, one teacupful water or milk added slowly. Boil one minute, stirring all the time to prevent its getting lumpy No. 179-SOUTH-SIDE OMELETTE.

One pint bread-crumbs, a large handful chopped parsley, a slice of onion minced fine, a teaspoonful of dried sweet marjoram. Beat two eggs very light, add a teacup of milk, pepper and salt to taste, and a heaping tablespoonful butter. Mix well together, and bake in a rather slow oven until lightly browned. It must be baked in a buttered dish, and turned out on a platter to serve. Do not send it to table until the family are sitting down, as it must be eaten hot.

No. 180-MILK OMELETTE.

Take a tablespoonful of milk for each egg used, beat the eggs separately, very light, add butter and salt to taste, mix all together, turn into a buttered skillet and leave on until done, which will be in a very few minutes.

No. 181-OMELETTE, aux fines herbes.

Make according to the above recipe, but before turning into the frying-pan add two tablespoonfuls chopped parsley, green thyme and sweet majoram, mixed together with pepper and salt. Put a good lump of butter into the frying-pan, and when hot turn in the omelette and fry to a light brown. To make a ham omelette of this: take half the amount of herbs and two tablespoonfuls finely chopped ham.

No. 182-CHARLOTTE MUFFINS.

One quart flour, three eggs, beaten separately and very stiff, three cups sour milk and a small teaspoonful soda, a little salt. Beat hard, and bake in muffin rings on a griddle.

No. 183-RICE MUFFINS.

One cup cold boiled rice, one pint flour, two eggs, one tablespoonful butter, one teaspoonful salt, one quart milk, or enough to make a thin batter. Beat hard and bake quickly. "Now I think," said Mrs. King, "that we ought to be able to get a good breakfast out of all these recipes. You may each choose one dish, and then I'll make out the rest of the bill of fare." "I don't want codfish," said Mabel. "And I'm tired of corned beef hash," added Grace. "I didn't ask you what you didn't want, young ladies, but what you did! Are there any of these recipes you would like to try?" "Rice muffins," answered Grace. "Ham omelette," said Mabel. "I'd like those French potatoes," said Amy; "those that have parsley in them, and a great deal of white sauce." "All those things are nice," replied her mother, "and would be enough if there were none but ladies to breakfast on them, but I think your uncle will expect something more hearty. We must see what Rhoda has in the way of cold meat."

Rhoda had some roast mutton from the day before, and some gravy with it. "Ah, that is capital," exclaimed Aunt Jane. "Now we can make a dish fit for a king.

You may write down No. 184-MMUTTON RECHAUFFE.

Take mutton gravy sufficient to cover the meat, which should be cut in small slices. If you have not enough gravy, add butter, hot water and any kind of catsup, tomato being the nicest. Add pepper or a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoonful of currant jelly and a little salt. Heat this nearly to boiling, then put in the meat and let it remain just long enough to make it also boiling hot. Having been once cooked it is better not to cook it again unless it was under-done at first, in which case it may simmer a few minutes longer. Serve in a covered dish, that it may be eaten hot. "I should think we ought to know by this time that things are to be eaten hot," remarked Grace. "It is something that can't be too often impressed on the minds of cooks and waiters," answered Aunt Jane. "How many good breakfasts are spoiled by being eaten half cold! To be sure, if servants are directed to ring the bell after the meal is on the table, and then the family is late in coming down, then cook can't be blamed if her dishes are spoiled. But I have one more recipe to give you for a very favorite dish of mine."

No. 185-JUNKETS.

A cup and a half Indian meal, a handful of flour, half a teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful salt, boiling water to make a thick batter. Take care that every particle of the meal is scalded. The flour may be mixed smooth in a little milk before being added. Fry on a griddle with a good deal of lard. "Shall we make them to-morrow?" asked Grace. "Not if we have the rice muffins. And as Rhoda would have to bake them and send them in by the plateful, it wouldn't be as much your dish as if you baked them yourselves, as you can the muffins. However, we must have some kind of bread besides muffins, and I'll look and see if I can find anything new for you. Yes, here is something I think we haven't had."

No. 186-BELVIDERE CAKES.

One quart flour, four eggs, one heaping tablespoonful of butter and one of lard, a teaspoonful salt. Mix the shortening and salt through the flour with the hand; beat the eggs light, and add to them three quarters of a pint of cold milk; work this into the flour; if not enough to make a stiff dough, add a little more milk; work it well with the hands for ten minutes, roll into cakes about half an inch thick of the size of a breakfast plate, and bake in a quick oven. At table these cakes must be broken, not cut. "Here is something else that we must try some time or other. They are good for breakfast or tea."

No. 187-VIRGINIA WAFERS.

One pound flour, two tablespoonfuls butter, half a teaspoonful salt. Mix with sweet milk to a stiff dough, working thoroughly. Roll out very thin, cut into round cakes and roll these out again as thin as you can handle them. Dredge a little flour over a baking pan and lay them carefully in. Bake in a very quick oven. When first made they should be as thin as paper. They swell a little in baking. "Is there anything we ought to get ready to-night, Aunt Jane?" asked Grace. "Nothing that is really necessary," replied her aunt, "but we may do something to shorten the work a little to-morrow. Amy, you may cut up the potatoes and parsley, Mabel may measure out the herbs for the omelette and chop the ham very fine, and Grace may cut up the mutton. Don't put in any fat, Gracie, or at least very little. A strong taste of it is sure to make the dish disagreeable." As there was somewhat more to do on this occasion than on the previous one when they had prepared breakfast, the young cooks condescended to allow Rhoda to make the coffee. "We have graduated on that," they remarked. "As we've shown once that we are able do it perfectly, we'd rather give our time to new things." Amy mixed up the belvidere cakes, which required the longest cooking of any of the dishes, while Grace collected the materials for the dish of mutton, and stirred up the rice muffins. Mabel gave her whole mind to the potatoes, and Amy, after her cakes had gone into the oven, prepared and cooked the omelette. "The griddle must have the whole front of the stove, and both muffins and omelette must be cooked the very last thing; the others can be kept hot. If I had thought of that I should have advised a baked omelette, but it's too late now. Well, Amy, we'll give you the hottest place we can at the back of the stove, and remember next time."