Cook the celery in a small amount of water at a low temperature, as too fast boiling makes it tough. Simmer until tender.
Melt the butter, add the flour and blend well. Add the milk and stock, pepper and salt. Add the cheese. Allow to cook until it is the consistency of a thin vegetable white sauce. Add the celery. Place in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.
(Bettina uses a part of the water in which the celery is simmered to make up the cup of combined milk and celery stock. The remainder of the celery stock she saves for soup.)
Rocks (Two dozen)
1½ C-brown sugar
2/3 C-butter
2 eggs
1 t-cinnamon
¼ t-ground cloves
¼ t-salt
2½ C-flour
1 t-soda
1½ C-chopped nut meats and raisins
1 t-vanilla
Cream the butter, add the sugar, and cream the mixture. Add the eggs, well beaten, and the remaining dry ingredients (except nuts and raisins) sifted together. Mix well. Add the nut meats and chopped raisins, and vanilla. The mixture should be very stiff. Drop from a spoon onto flat buttered pans or preferably onto a buttered baking sheet. Bake about twelve minutes in a moderate oven.
(Bettina keeps rocks in a stone jar, and finds that they keep well, and are really better when a day old.)