  RUTH AND BETTINA MAKE PREPARATIONS "OH, Bettina, aren't the butterflies darling?" exclaimed Ruth, looking once more at the table display of her work. "And with everything ready to begin in the morning, won't things be easy for us both? What shall I do next?" "Not a thing, Ruth dear. You've worked too hard all this afternoon, I'm afraid. Now we're going to sit down to a good hot dinner, and tell Bob all about our preparations." "M—m! Something smells good!" said Ruth. "I've been so busy with all these cunning things that I haven't even thought of eating. But now that you mention it, I'll admit that I have a fine healthy appetite." "Well, dinner is almost ready, and Bob will be here any minute. It's all in the oven except the corn: meat loaf, sweet potatoes and apricot cobbler." "Oh, how good it sounds! More sensible than all our fluffy dishes for the announcement luncheon. But then, I do love fluffy things. I'm sure Alice will like it, and all the others, too. Makes me 'most wish I'd kept my engagement a secret, and announced it with ceremony as Alice is doing. But I couldn't, somehow." "No, you couldn't, Ruth, and neither could Fred. He'd give it away if you didn't. So I guess there's no use wishing you had kept it. Anyhow, you just suit me as you are. You've been such a dear to help with the luncheon! Goodness, there's Bob now!" The dinner consisted of: BETTINA'S RECIPES (All measurements are level) Beef Loaf (Three portions) 1 lb. beef ground ¼ lb. salt pork, ground ¼ t-onion salt 1/3 C-fresh bread crumbs 1 egg ½ t-salt 1/8 t-pepper 1/8 C-tomato ¼ C-water 1 T-fat drippings Mix the ground beef and salt pork, add the onion salt, fresh crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and tomato. Mix thoroughly. Shape into a loaf which will fit into a small buttered pan. Add the water and pour fat drippings over the top. (Bacon fat is good.) Cover the pan, and allow to cook in the oven one-half hour. Uncover the loaf, basting frequently, and brown it. This will take fifteen or twenty minutes. Serve hot. More water may be added while cooking if necessary. Sweet Potatoes (Three portions) 3 potatoes ¾ t-salt Peel the potatoes, salt them with one-fourth a teaspoon of salt in each potato, and place them in the pan with the meat. This gives the potatoes a good flavor. Bettina's Apricot Cobbler (Three portions) 1 C-cooked and sweetened apricots 1 T-flour ½ t-cinnamon 1 C-flour 2 t-baking powder 1/3 t-salt 2 T-butter 1/3 C-milk 1/3 C-sugar ½ C-water ½ t-vanilla Mix the apricots, one tablespoon flour and cinnamon. Mix and sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a knife. Add the milk until a soft dough is formed. Place the apricot mixture in a baking-dish and the dough on top of the apricots. Cook the water and sugar together for three minutes. Add the vanilla. When the cobbler has baked fifteen minutes pour syrup over it. Bake ten minutes more in a moderate oven. |
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