CHAPTER VIII
For the Unexpected Guest
Entertaining can be made easy by some forethought, and a little girl should be made to realize that hospitality, of all things, should be genuine. In the case of expected company it is well to get whatever is needed in plenty of time, but the unexpected guest should receive none the less cordial greeting while the housekeeper hurriedly reviews her resources in the way of material available.
One of the most important lessons to teach the little girl is that of making simple dishes so attractive that no hesitation need be felt in asking friends to share the family fare. This is particularly true in the case of dishes for supper. They should not require much extra work, but be quickly prepared and preferably of what one happens to have in the house. For a light supper it is desirable to have one hot dish, beside a warm bread, cold meat, fruit, cake and tea.
If the child has become proficient, she should be allowed as a special favor to make the baking-powder biscuits by herself. Have her use a small cutter not more than two inches in diameter, as small biscuits are more appetizing; and be sure to have them baked to a light brown.
POTATO SALAD
Potato salad makes a good chief dish for the unexpected guest and is easily prepared. The child should be told to select medium-sized potatoes, at least one for each person and after scrubbing with a brush to get perfectly clean, put on with boiling water enough to cover and boil gently until tender, then drain and set aside to cool. This can be done at dinner time, when the fire is hot, and save extra trouble. When the potatoes are cold the skins can be easily removed, and the potatoes then cut in thin slices. Next she should peel and cut in very thin slices one small onion (unless the family taste prefers more) and arrange the alternate layers of sliced potatoes and onions, well seasoned with salt and pepper, in a pretty salad bowl. It looks attractive, too, tossed lightly on lettuce leaves arranged on a small platter. Over the whole then pour the boiled salad dressing, or the French, as the family prefer, and when the potato salad is ready to serve it should be garnished with sprigs of parsley and slices of hard-boiled egg.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS
Scalloped oysters make a fine supper dish on a cold night, and there are several ways they can be prepared. The one I like best I will give first. The child should butter a number of thin slices of bread and spread on the bottom of a dripping-pan, laying on next a layer of oysters, with pepper and salt; then another layer of the thin buttered bread, another layer of oysters, and the top finished with a layer of bread, well seasoned. Over the whole pour the oyster juice and one-half cupful of milk. This will require from twenty to twenty-five minutes in a hot oven, when the bread on top will be toasted crisp. Many people like scalloped oysters prepared with crackers, and in that case the rolled cracker-crumbs are used instead of the bread, but the taste of the two dishes is different.
CREAMED OYSTERS
Cook one pint of oysters in their own liquor or in a few spoonsful of salted water until they curl at the edges. Have ready a thick cream sauce, stir in the oysters, and cook a few moments longer. Serve in baskets made by removing the inside of the light rolls, brushing with melted butter and browning in the oven. Make handles from crust, and insert after filling.
FRIED OYSTERS
To fry oysters, select large, choice ones, and dry in a napkin. Taking one at a time, roll in cracker crumbs, season with salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, and cover thoroughly again with the rolled cracker. Spread out on a bread board and allow to stand a little while for this covering to set, then cook either in a skillet with a small amount of butter, or in deep fat, until lightly browned. Lift on to a piece of wrapping paper to drain, but keep hot, and serve garnished with parsley and sliced lemon.
WELSH RAREBIT
This is another good dish for an evening supper. Crumble half a pound of grated cheese, and put in a chafing-dish or a double boiler. Season with half a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of prepared mustard and a dash of red pepper. When it begins to melt, stir constantly, and as soon as it begins to look the least bit "stringy," pour in slowly a quarter of a cup of cream and one beaten egg. As this blends, add a teaspoonful of butter, cook until smooth, and serve immediately on rounds of hot toast or square soda crackers.
FRITTERS, APPLE AND BANANA
Fritters help out nicely, too, for company, and can be fried in a small quantity of very hot fat instead of in the deep fat if mother prefers. Sift one cup of flour, add one-quarter teaspoon salt, a tablespoon sugar, two-thirds of a cup of milk, one tablespoonful melted butter, and the yolk of one egg, beaten light. Stir to a smooth batter, add the stiffly beaten white, and lastly several sour apples, cut in thin slices, or three bananas, cut a little thicker. Drop by the spoonful in the smoking hot fat, set where they will not scorch, and if in a frying pan, turn over as soon as brown around the edges. Serve with powdered sugar.
MILK TOAST
Put on in a double boiler two cups of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, salt to your own taste, and allow to come to a boil. Have ready four squares of nicely browned toast, put in a hot vegetable dish, pour over the milk, clap on the cover, and serve at once. Some people like the milk thickened with a teaspoonful of flour that has first been moistened with a little cold milk, but I prefer it without.
Every housekeeper should impress on her young daughter the importance of keeping on hand a small quantity of canned goods to provide for the unexpected guest, and this should include sardines, salmon, shrimps, lobster, French peas, olives and orange marmalade. These things will all keep for months in a cool place, yet are indispensable in an emergency. The can of shrimps, opened and placed in cold water for a little while, will taste as good as the fresh, and the salmon, with the skin and bones removed, will be ready on short notice to be served in a number of ways.
CANNED FISH SALADS
For salad, take either shrimps, lobster or salmon, and after breaking in small pieces, add an equal amount of celery, season with salt and moisten with salad dressing. Serve on lettuce.
CREAMED CANNED FISH
If our small cook wishes to serve a hot dish, however, in a hurry for company, she can make to use with her canned fish, the favorite white sauce. For this she must first melt one tablespoonful of butter and add to it one tablespoonful of flour, a quarter teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper, and lastly, after mixing well, one cupful of milk, stirring all the time until thick. After boiling two minutes put in the can of lobster, shrimps or salmon, broken in small pieces, and allow to boil gently for three minutes more. Then serve on rounds of buttered toast, garnished with parsley.
SARDINE CANAPES
If only sardines happen to be left in the reserve stock and yet something hot is needed, let the mother show the child how to make that rather unusual dish, sardine canapés. After removing the bones and tails, the sardines should be rubbed to a paste and mixed with an equal quantity of chopped hard-boiled eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper, a teaspoonful of lemon juice and half a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Then she must cut circles of bread, toast or fry them brown in butter, and spread on the sardine paste. Send to the table immediately, garnished with circles of the hard-boiled white of egg.