LUNCH DISHES

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BREAD, WITH CREAM CHEESE FILLING—For this use the steamed Boston brown bread and a potato loaf of white. Take the crust from the white loaf, using a sharp knife. Then instead of cutting crosswise cut in thin lengthwise pieces. Treat the brown loaf in the same way. Butter a slice of the white bread on one side and do the same with a brown slice. Put the two buttered sides together with a thin layer of fresh cream cheese between. Next butter the top of the brown slice of bread, spread again with cream cheese and lay a second slice of buttered white bread on top. Repeat until there are five layers, having the white last. Now with a sharp knife cut crosswise in thin slices. Sometimes the cream cheese filling can be varied with chopped pistachio nuts or olives, or it can be omitted entirely. In any case, it is delicate and appetizing.

CHEESE CROQUETTES—Cut one pound of American cheese into small dice. Have ready a cupful of very hot cream sauce, made by blending a tablespoonful each of flour and butter, and when melted adding a scant cup of hot milk. Stir until smooth and thickened. Add the cheese to this sauce, also the yolks of two eggs diluted with a little cream. Stir the whole and let it remain on the stove a moment until the cheese gets "steady." Season with salt, red and white pepper, and just a grating of nutmeg. Put this mixture on the ice until cold, then form into small croquettes and roll in fine bread or cracker crumbs. Dip in beaten egg, then again roll in the crumbs, drop into boiling fat and cook to a golden brown.

CHICKEN AND PIMENTO SANDWICHES—Add to finely minced chicken, roasted or boiled, an equal amount of pimentos. Moisten with mayonnaise and spread between wafer thin slices of white or brown bread. A leaf of lettuce may also be added.

CRESS SANDWICHES—Take thin slices of rare roast beef and cut into small pieces. Add an equal quantity of minced watercress dressed with a teaspoonful of grated horseradish, a little salt and paprika to season, and enough softened butter or thick cream to moisten. Blend the ingredients well, and spread between thin slices of buttered graham or whole wheat bread. Cut in neat triangles, but do not reject the crust.

BANANA SANDWICHES—Remove the skin and fibers from four bananas, cut them in quarters and force through a ricer. Mix with the pulp the juice of half a lemon, a dash of salt and nutmeg and set it away to become very cold while you prepare the bread. This should be cut in very thin slices, freed from crusts and trimmed into any preferred shape. Slightly sweeten some thick cream and add a speck of salt. Spread the bread with a thin layer of the cream, then with the banana pulp put together and wrap each in waxed paper, twist the ends, and keep very cold until serving time.

GERMAN RYE BREAD SANDWICHES—Put between buttered slices of rye bread chopped beef, cheese or chicken, and cover with finely chopped pickle, dill or the plain sour pickle. Another variation of the German sandwich is a layer of bologna sausage, then a thin layer of pumpernickel covered with another thin slice of rye bread. Cut into strips half an inch wide and the length of the slice.

GRILLED SARDINES ON TOAST—Drain the sardines and cook in a buttered frying-pan or chafing dish until heated, turning frequently. Place on oblong pieces of hot buttered toast, and serve.

HAM SANDWICHES—Chop two cups of ham, using a little fat with the lean. Mix one tablespoon of flour with enough cold water to make smooth, add one-half cup of boiling water, and cook five minutes; then add the ham and one teaspoon of dry mustard. Mix well and press into a bowl or jar.

JAPANESE SANDWICHES—These are made of any kind of left-over fish, baked, broiled or boiled. Pick out every bit of skin and bone, and flake in small pieces. Put into a saucepan with just a little milk or cream to moisten, add a little butter and a dusting of salt and pepper. Work to a paste while heating, then cool and spread on thin slices of buttered bread.

KEDGEREE—For this take equal quantities of boiled fish and boiled rice. For a cupful each use two hard boiled eggs, a teaspoonful curry powder, two tablespoonfuls butter, a half tablespoonful cream, and salt, white pepper and cayenne to season. Take all the skin and bone from the fish and put in a saucepan with the butter. Add the rice and whites of the boiled eggs cut fine, the cream, curry powder and cayenne. Toss over the fire until very hot, then take up and pile on a hot dish. Rub the yolks of the boiled eggs through a sieve on top of the curry, and serve.

SANDWICH FILLINGS—Other timely and appetizing fillings are green pepper and cucumber chopped fine and squeezed dry, then seasoned with mayonnaise, any of the potted and deviled meats seasoned with chopped parsley or cress with a teaspoonful creamed butter to make it spread, cheese and chopped spinach moistened with lemon juice and mayonnaise, veal chopped fine with celery or cress and mayonnaise, Camembert cheese heated slightly, just enough to spread, a Boston rarebit made with cream and egg left over scrambled eggs and cress, roast chicken and chopped dill pickles, cheese and chopped dates or figs, orange marmalade, and sardines pounded to a paste with a few drops of lemon juice added.

SANDWICHES FROM COLD MUTTON—Chop very fine, and to each pint add a tablespoonful of capers, a teaspoonful each chopped mint and salt, a dash of pepper, and a teaspoonful lemon juice. Spread thickly on buttered slices of whole wheat bread, cover with other slices of buttered bread, and cut in triangles.

TONGUE CANAPES—Cut bread into rounds, toast delicately, spread with potted tongue. In the centre put a stuffed olive and surround with a row of chopped beet and another of chopped white of egg.

CORN TOAST—Toast some slices of stale bread and butter, then pour over some canned corn, prepared as for the table, sprinkling a little pepper over it. If you have not already done so. Do not prepare so long before serving as to soak the bread too much. Peas are also good used the same way.

TONGUE TOAST—Mince boiled smoked tongue very fine, heat cream to the boiling point and make thick with the tongue. Season to taste with pepper, nutmeg, parsley or chopped green peppers and when hot stir in a beaten egg and remove from the fire at once. Have ready as many slices as are required, spread with the creamed tongue and serve at once. If you have no cream make a cream sauce, using a tablespoonful each of butter and flour and a cup of milk.

LUNCHEON SURPRISE—Line buttered muffin cups with hot boiled rice about half an inch thick. Fill the centers with minced cooked chicken seasoned with salt and pepper and a little broth or gravy. Cover the tops with rice and bake in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. Unmold on a warm platter and serve with a cream sauce seasoned with celery salt. If liked, two or three oysters may be added to the filling in each cup.

SARDINE RAREBIT—One level tablespoon butter, one-fourth level teaspoon salt, one-fourth level teaspoon paprika, one level teaspoon mustard, one cup thin cream or milk, one cup grated cheese, one-fourth pound can sardines, boned and minced, two eggs, toast or crackers. Melt the butter, add the salt, paprika, mustard, cream and cheese and cook over hot water, stirring until the cheese is melted. Then add the sardines and eggs slightly beaten. When thick and smooth serve on toast or crackers.

BANANA CROQUETTES—Remove skins and scrape bananas. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and moisten with lemon juice. Let stand twenty minutes; cut in halves crosswise. Dip in egg, then in fine cracker crumbs and fry in deep fat. When done drain on brown paper. Serve with lemon sauce.

BACON AND GREEN PEPPERS—Select firm green peppers, cut into rings, removing all the seeds. Soak for twenty minutes in salted ice water. Drain and dry and fry in the pan in which the bacon has cooked crisp. Keep the bacon hot meanwhile. When the peppers are tender heap them up in the center of a small platter and arrange the slices of bacon around them.

CHEESE RAMEKINS—Use two rounding tablespoons of grated cheese, a rounding tablespoon of butter, one-quarter cup of fine breadcrumbs, the same of milk, and a saltspoon each of mustard and salt, the yolk of one egg. Cook the crumbs in the milk until soft, add the stiffly beaten white of the egg. Fill china ramekins two-thirds full and bake five minutes. Serve immediately.

CHEESE TIMBALES—Crumble into timbale cups, alternate layers of bread and American cheese. Pour over them a mixture of eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard, allowing one egg and a tablespoonful of milk to each timbale. Cook in the oven or on top of the stove in a shallow pan of hot water, kept covered.

FRIED BANANAS—Peel some bananas and cut in halves crosswise, roll in flour and fry in deep hot fat. Set on end and pour a hot lemon sauce around them.

MINCED CABBAGE—Wash a cabbage and lay in cold water for half an hour. With a sharp knife cut it into strips or shreds, an inch long, then drop them into iced water. Beat a pint of cream very stiff. Drain the cabbage, sprinkle lightly with salt, and stir it into the whipped cream, turning and tossing until it is thoroughly coated with the white foam. The cabbage should be tender and crisp for this dish.

NUT HASH—Chop fine cold boiled potatoes and any other vegetables desired that happen to be on hand. Put them into a buttered frying-pan and heat quickly and thoroughly, salt to taste, then just before serving stir in lightly a large spoonful of nut meal for each person to be served.

PEANUT MEATOSE—Dissolve one cup of cornstarch in two cups of tomato juice, add two cups of peanut butter and two teaspoons of salt. Stir for five minutes, then pour into cans and steam for four or five hours.

REMNANTS OF HAM WITH PEAS—Cut the ham into small cubes, measure and add an equal quantity of peas. In using canned peas rinse them well with cold water and drain. Mix the peas and ham and for one and one-half cups add a cup of white sauce seasoned with a teaspoon of lemon juice, a dash each of nutmeg and cayenne and salt to taste. Mix well and add one egg well beaten. Turn into a buttered baking dish, cover with buttered breadcrumbs and bake in a hot oven until well browned.

SCOTCH SNIPE—Four slices bread buttered, one-half box sardines (one-half pound size), five drops of onion juice, six drops lemon juice, few grains salt, two level teaspoons grated cheese, one tablespoon thick cream. Remove the skins and bones from the sardines, mince fine and add seasonings, cheese and cream. Mix to a paste, spread on bread and heat thoroughly in the oven.

SQUASH FLOWER OMELET—Put to soak in cold water. Then boil about fifteen minutes, strain in a colander and cut up, not too fine. Now a regular omelet is made but fried in a little bit of olive oil instead of butter, and just before it is turned over the flowers are spread on top. Brown quick and turn out on a hot platter.

VEGETABLE ROAST—Take cooked beans or peas, pass through a colander to remove the skins, and mix with an equal quantity of finely chopped nut meats. Season to taste. Put one-half the mixture into a buttered baking dish, spread over it a dressing made as follows: Pour boiling water on four slices of zweiback, cover, let stand for a few minutes, then break them up with a fork and pour over one-half cup of sweet cream, season with salt and sage. Cover the dressing with the remainder of the nut mixture, pour over all one-half cup of cream, and bake for one and one-half hours. Serve in slices with cranberry sauce.

WALNUT LOAF—One pint of dry breadcrumbs, one and one-half cups of chopped or ground nut meats, mix well with salt and sifted sage to suit the taste, add two tablespoons of butter, one beaten egg and sufficient boiling water to moisten. Form into a loaf and bake in a granite or earthen dish in a modern hot oven.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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