POTATO SALAD.—Boil six medium sized potatoes in jackets, until done but do not let them break into pieces. They should be firm and dry. Peel them and cut into thin slices or small dice; mix with two small onions chopped and two hard boiled eggs, sliced. Mix thoroughly with boiled salad dressing, after dressing the potatoes first with lemon juice or vinegar and salt. Let stand on the ice an hour or more. Garnish the salad bowl with shredded lettuce, diced, boiled or pickled beets or radish roses or olives, sweet peppers or any favorite garnish.—Contributed.
FRENCH DINNER SALAD.—The dinner salad should always be delicate and light. Heavy meat or fish salads are reserved for luncheon or buffet suppers, where they form the main dish of the meal. The most popular dinner salad is lettuce dressed with oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Cress is often used and of late years bleached dandelions are much in favor. Sliced cucumbers and onion, or sliced tomatoes with shredded lettuce or chopped celery, and the typical spring salad of shredded lettuce, sliced young onions and sliced radishes are all liked. In France the French dressing of oil and vinegar or lemon juice is always used but in America many prefer the richer mayonnaise dressing. In any case the salad is never mixed until time to serve it, and then the dressing should be lightly tossed in when all of the ingredients must be crisp and cold.—Contributed.
PIMENTO SALAD.—Select sweet, red or green peppers, steam them till the skin cracks, then skin and seed. Place on the ice and shred with cold boiled fish, or shell fish or with a mixture of cold, cooked and diced potatoes, green peas or beans and sliced cucumbers or celery. The canned sweet red peppers or pimentos may be substituted. Spiced or pickled green peppers are also nice with a crisp green salad.—Mrs. Whitehead.
Vegetables
"Dyspepsia is largely the result of trying to force square meals into round stomachs."
TIME FOR BOILING VEGETABLES.—Turnips should be peeled and boiled from forty minutes to one hour. Beets; boil from one to two hours then put in cold water then slip the skin off. Spinach; boil twenty minutes in uncovered kettle if green color is to be retained. Parsnips; boil from twenty to thirty minutes. String beans should be boiled one and one half hours, covered. Shelled beans require one hour to cook. Onions should be boiled from forty minutes to one hour, covered. Green corn; boil ten to twenty minutes. Green peas should be boiled in very little water, boil twenty minutes. Asparagus should be cooked the same as peas. Serve on toast with cream gravy or melted butter. Cabbage should be boiled from one to two hours in plenty of salted water. Carrots should be boiled from forty minutes to one hour. Whole potatoes should be put in boiling salted water and boil rapidly in covered kettle from fifteen to thirty minutes according to size and age. Test with the tines of a fork. Drain as soon as tender, remove the cover and set on back of range to dry. If they are to be mashed do not let them stand long.
VEGETABLES.—Vegetables of all kinds should be thoroughly picked over and well washed, and it is good sometimes to lay them into cold water a short time before cooking. Salt should not be added until partly cooked, as it has a tendency to harden them; they should cook steadily, do not allow them to stop boiling or simmering until they are thoroughly done. Drain, take some butter, heat it, add a little flour, mix smooth in the butter, add milk enough to make a smooth gravy, turn over vegetables, and let it heat through, then serve. This sauce is nice for many kinds. For asparagus, carrots, peas and a few others I keep some of the liquid they were boiled in, as it gives them a better flavor than milk alone.
GERMAN CABBAGE.—Another way of preparing cabbage in a German way: Cut up a cabbage and pick over carefully, wash well, heat some lard, drop cabbage into the hot grease, stir, so as to get it all heated, then let fry for a short time, but watch carefully to avoid burning, then add a quartered cooking apple; now when it gets too dry add hot water from the tea kettle, and let it simmer for three or four hours, the longer the better, add salt when almost tender, and about half hour before serving add quarter cup of sugar, quarter cup of vinegar, and let simmer the last half hour. This is the real German way.
GREEN STRING BEANS.—Select tender green string beans, cut the ends and remove strings, dice and wash thoroughly, put on in cold water to cover, add salt when partly cooked, then diced potatoes, and boil with beans about half an hour. Then heat either bacon drippings or common lard, add flour and brown, when ready turn the beans, potatoes, liquor and all into the hot mixture, add a little vinegar and pepper. Summer savory sprigs added to above give it a fine flavor.—Mrs. George Bruegger, German Cookery demonstration of vegetables.