FRUIT SALAD.--For the salad itself all sorts of combinations are possible. Malaga grapes cut in halves, seeded, and mixed with a third of the same quant.i.ty of sh.e.l.led pecans in one happy mixture.

Pineapples, oranges and bananas go well together, as also pitted ripe sour cherries with nuts. Orange, lettuce, lemon, nuts and water cress are congenial companions, while preserved fruit may be used with fresh fruit. Prunes are delicious in a salad, stuffing them with nuts or cheese, covering with mayonnaise. The prunes should be washed, soaked over night, then cooked until tender before they are pitted. Apricots, either fresh or canned, sliced ripe pears are two new favorites used with nuts and served with a nice boiled salad dressing, and garnished with shredded lettuce.--Contributed.

FROZEN SALAD.--Put into a bowl one cupful orange slices, one cupful each bananas and pineapple, one cupful of mayonnaise, one cupful cream, measured before whipping, and a teaspoonful gelatine that has been softened in cold water, then dissolve over hot water, toss lightly, place in a mould and freeze. When frozen, cut in slices and serve on lettuce leaves.--Contributed.

PINEAPPLE SALAD.--Lay one thick slice of canned pineapple on a lettuce leaf, spread with thick mayonnaise, cap with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with ground pecans or English walnuts.--Mrs. Whitehead.

FRUIT SALAD.--One cup of diced apples, one cup diced pineapple, one cup diced oranges, one and one half cups bananas, one cup white grapes, (cut in half), seeds removed, one half cup walnut meats, one half cup diced celery. Serve with a salad dressing or whipped cream.--Mrs. Aaron J. Bessie.

MRS. ALLEMAN'S WALDORF SALAD.--One cup each of chopped apples, walnuts and celery. Dress with following mayonnaise dressing: Mix one half tablespoon salt, one half tablespoon mustard and three fourths of a tablespoon of sugar, add one slightly beaten egg, two and one half tablespoons of melted b.u.t.ter, three fourths of a cup of thin cream and very slowly one fourth of a cup of vinegar. Cook in double boiler until thick, then strain and cool.

FRUIT SALAD.--One pound of malaga grapes, washed, cut into halves and seeded; six large slices of canned pineapple cut into small pieces; four apples peeled, quartered and cut into small pieces; three bananas sliced fine; one bunch of celery, cleaned and cut into small dice; one cupful of chopped pecans or English walnuts. Mix all lightly together and mix with mayonnaise salad dressing. As all people do not like olive oil I usually make a boiled dressing as follows: Heat half a cupful of vinegar with as much hot water and two large spoonfuls of b.u.t.ter. Beat the yolks of four eggs very light with a scant half a cupful of sugar; add one level teaspoonful of flour and stir well; add then one tablespoonful of dry mustard, one teaspoonful of salt and one of celery salt or celery seed; a dash of black and of red pepper, beat a little; place over the fire and cook thick, beating well. Cook only a few moments, then remove from the fire and beat until perfectly smooth.

When ready to use add one cupful of thick whipped cream. Mix with the prepared fruit. A scant teaspoon of flour added to sugar and egg mixture prevents curdling of the dressing and saves eggs at a season when they are scarce while it a.s.sures a smooth dressing always. A dash of sugar added to cream before whipping it will prevent its turning to b.u.t.ter. Lemon juice sprinkled over the fruit will prevent discoloring of apples and bananas.--Mrs. B. G. Whitehead.

BANANA SALAD.--Skin bananas and cut into halves. Roll each in chopped peanuts. Lay on a lettuce leaf and serve with mayonnaise dressing capped with whipped cream.--Contributed.

Serving Dinner

"Truth seeks some broader meeting place For breed or clan or tribe or race For saint and sinner; But after all the noise and fuss The issue paramount with us Is--What for dinner?"--J. W. Foley.

SERVING A FORMAL DINNER.--In cities the usual hour for a dinner party is seven o'clock; in country places it is frequently earlier in the day. When the last guest has arrived, dinner is announced. The host leads the way with the lady whom he wishes to honor and the hostess comes last with the gentleman whom she wishes to honor. The giving of a dinner is the most important of all the duties of a hostess. She must not betray ignorance or show nervousness, for she alone is responsible for its entire success. The serving maid should be trained to keep cool and avoid accidents. The number invited and the outlay expended should depend upon circ.u.mstances and one's means. The favorite form of serving a formal dinner is called a la Russe. The articles of food are carved by the servants at a side table or in the kitchen and brought to the guests. This has one advantage; it allows the host and hostess more time for social enjoyment with their guests. But it calls for well trained servants to perform this duty satisfactorily. It requires about one servant to every six guests; therefore, when dinner is served in this fashion, where the help is inadequate, it is well to engage outside a.s.sistance. For a home like, informal, dinner, where the host does the carving, one servant can wait upon twelve persons and do it well if properly trained. On a table or sideboard should be placed the plates for the various courses, smaller spoons, finger-bowls, coffee cups and saucers. As the plates from each course are removed, they should be taken to the kitchen. The waiter should approach the guests from the left except in serving water, coffee, or anything of a like nature. The color and flavor of the various courses should be as different from each other as possible, offering all the foods in their respective seasons and of the finest quality.

COURSES FOR A FORMAL DINNER.--First course: Oysters, as a rule, should be served at the beginning of a dinner, though they are used only in those months of the year in which the letter "r" occurs. The balance of the year little neck clams are used. The second course consists of a soup, the clear soup being preferred, accompanied by crackers or bread.

Celery may be served also. The third course consists of fish, boiled or fried, and should be accompanied by small boiled potatoes; if boiled or cooked in any fancy manner, serve radishes. Fourth course: An entree is next in order if desired; it should be made in a fancy way, so as to avoid carving; bread should be the accompaniment. Relishes, such as olives, salted almonds, etc., are served with this course. The fifth course consists of roasts. These may be composed of beef, veal, mutton, lamb, venison, turkey, duck, goose, or capon, accompanied by one or two vegetables. Sixth course: Punch or sherbet may be dispensed with or not, as fancy dictates. The seventh course consists of snipe, prairie chicken, squabs, etc., but poultry, such as spring chicken, or duck, may be served instead. Eighth course: Any appetizing salad with cheese wafers. Ninth course: Hot and cold sweet dishes, consisting of puddings, ice cream, cakes, etc. Tenth course: Turkish or black coffee served demi-ta.s.se. The above makes a pleasant menu, but it can be made simpler or more elaborate as one chooses. Before serving the dessert all the dishes should be removed, save the drinking: gla.s.ses, and all crumbs should be lifted from the cloth by means of the crumb knife and tray. A dessert plate and dessert spoon and knife provided they are needed, should then be placed in front of each guest. Coffee (made after the manner of after dinner coffee) should be pa.s.sed last, demi-ta.s.se, and served clear. Sugar and cream should follow, in order that those who prefer either or both, may help themselves as they please.

Proper Vegetables and Sauces to Serve With Meats

"The veal artist puts both heart and mind into every dish. It blends with the season, it is suited to the occasion and harmonizes with the general manner of living."--Sarah Tyson Rorer.

SOUPS.--Bread or bread sticks with clear soups. Cracker with oyster, clam or lobster soups, grated cheese (Parmesan preferred) with macaroni soup. Celery, radishes or olives with all meat soups. Croutons with puree of vegetables of all kinds and with chowders or hard water crackers with the latter.

Fish

RAW Sh.e.l.l FISH.--Serve oysters and clam very cold or deep in their sh.e.l.ls pressed into a plate of cracked ice. Garnish with quarters of lemon. Pa.s.s horse radish, tabasco sauce or tomato catsup and crackers or wafers or brown bread and b.u.t.ter.

COOKED Sh.e.l.l FISH.--Brown sauce and toast with boiled oysters. Cabbage salad, French dressing, tomato relish or catsup with fried oysters.

Lettuce, French dressing, or tomatoes raw or chili sauce or catsup; sauce tartare; with boiled lobster. Sauce tartare and bread with deviled crabs or lobster. Sauce tartare and bread with lobster farce.

French rolls and lettuce salad with lobster.

PLANKED OR BAKED FISH.--Potato puff, cuc.u.mbers with French dressing or cuc.u.mber sauce. Boiled fish; fried potato b.a.l.l.s or French fried potatoes and cuc.u.mbers. Boiled fish; sauce hallandaise, boiled potatoes with parsley and cuc.u.mbers. Small fried fish; sauce tartare and crisp bread. Fish croquettes or cutlets; potato roses and crisp rolls.

Halibut steaks; cuc.u.mbers, brown bread and b.u.t.ter. Creamed or deviled fish; cuc.u.mber sauce and crisp bread. Salt cod fish; boiled potatoes, parsnips, biscuits or brown bread. Salt mackeral; fried mush corn bread, gooseberry sauce. Fish timbales; cream sauce or lobster, shrimp oyster sauce, small potato b.a.l.l.s. Sweets should not follow a fish supper or luncheon.

ENTREES.--Timbales, with cream sauce and peas; mushrooms; pa.s.s crisp bread. Croquettes with peas. Bondins with peas and delicate sauce.

ROASTS.--Serve with the meat course one starchy and one succulent vegetable, unless a dinner salad is served which generally takes the place of the succulent vegetable. Never serve two starchy vegetables together and do not serve potatoes with meat if they were served with the fish course.

Beef

With roast ribs of beef serve a choice of the following.

STARCHY VEGETABLES.--Mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, browned roasted potatoes, baked squash, hominy, Yorkshire pudding, corn meal dumplings.

SUCCULENT OR GREEN VEGETABLES.--String beans, new beets, lima beans, green corn, scalloped or baked tomatoes, egg plant (stuffed), parsnips, kale, cabbage and asparagus.

WITH SIRLOIN ROAST.--Stuffed white or sweet potatoes, hominy croquettes or any of the foregoing starchy vegetables and any of the preceding succulent vegetables or spinach, young carrots or brussels sprouts.

With a baked fillet of beef always serve mushroom sauce and potato croquettes and peas. With boiled fillet, sauce Hallandaise and French salad or asparagus salad. With boiled steak for dinner, stuffed potatoes or potato croquettes, and peas or string beans, asparagus, mushrooms or baked tomatoes. With boiled steak for lunch, French fried or hashed brown potatoes and celery or lettuce. With rolled steak, tomato sauce and baked potatoes and stewed turnips or carrots. With pot roast, boiled potatoes, boiled turnips or baked squash, or cabbage.

With boiled corn beef serve cabbage, turnips, greens and boiled potatoes and horse radish sauce. With brown stew, tomatoes and dumplings. With boiled beef, boiled potatoes, string beans or browned parsnips. With hamburger steak, brown or tomato sauce, or stewed mushrooms or sweet peppers. With beef tongue, raisin sauce, carrots and boiled rice. With hot salt boiled tongue, potato salad and rye bread.

With baked heart, potatoes, beans, carrots or parsnips. With creamed dried beef, corn bread or mush.

VEAL.--With veal cutlets, tomato or brown sauce and rice b.a.l.l.s. With roasted veal, boiled rice, spinach, cauliflower or brussels sprouts.

With stewed veal, dumplings and cooked tomatoes. With veal loaf, celery, apple or tomato salad. With calves liver, macedoine or vegetables and brown sauce. Garnish with crisp bacon strips. With sweet breads, baked; brown sauce and peas; stewed; mushrooms and cream sauce; glazed; mushrooms and peas; broiled, peas and rolls.

MUTTON.--With boiled leg of mutton, caper sauce, boiled rice and turnips. With roasted leg of mutton, brown sauce, rice croquettes, turnips or cabbage. With saddle and mutton, plain baked macaroni, peas or asparagus. With shoulder, boiled rice or turnips or boiled hominy and parsnip fritters. With Irish stew, dumplings and onions. With roasted loin, rice croquettes and tomatoes. With broiled chops, creamed potatoes and peas. With breaded chops, tomato sauce and potato au gratin. With spring lamb, mint sauce, boiled rice or new potatoes; peas or asparagus or green beans.

PORK.--With hot boiled ham, potatoes, apple sauce or chili sauce and cabbage. With baked ham, wine or cider sauce, sweet potatoes or pan cake, squash and cabbage or spinach or beets. With boiled ham, browned mashed potatoes, cold slaw and baked apples. With roasted fresh pork, apple sauce, potatoes or baked squash, cold slaw or cabbage stewed.

With young pig, apple sauce, hominy croquettes, pan baked sweet potatoes, young lima beans and cold slaw or kohl-rabi. With fat salt pork, boiled; beans and boiled cabbage and apple sauce or mustard sauce.

POULTRY.--Serve with turkey, rice either plain, boiled or in croquettes, or sweet potato or chestnut croquettes and boiled onions or stewed celery and cranberry sauce. Cream sauce or oyster sauce or pan gravy. With roast chicken, chestnuts boiled or made into croquettes, rice or sweet potatoes, mashed, and creamed or baked onions or stewed celery and grape or crab apple jelly, pan cream gravy. With guinea fowl, rolls of crisp bacon, hominy and stewed celery, currant jelly.

With cap.r.o.n, same as chicken. With boiled chicken, rice, baked onions and egg sauce. With frica.s.see of chicken, dumplings or boiled and baked onions. With panned chicken, brown sauce, baked dumplings, and corn fritters or baked sweet potatoes and corn pudding, or plain boiled rice and baked tomatoes. With boiled chicken, hominy bread, cream sauce and peas; pasa gauva or crab apple jelly, or waffles and cream sauce. With hot boned chicken, chestnuts (stewed) and sauce. Stuff tame duck with walnut, potato or rice stuffing. Serve with it brown sauce and browned turnips or parsnips or salsify fritters. If the duck is roasted unstuffed, serve macaroni or spaghetti, browned sweet potatoes or hominy croquettes and stewed celery, brussels sprouts or stuffed tomatoes. Pa.s.s currant jelly or sour grape jelly. With goose, serve potato or hominy croquettes and sauer kraut or carefully boiled cabbage or stewed turnips. Pa.s.s apple sauce or barberry jelly.

RABBIT OR HARE.--With Belgian hare, roasted, serve hominy or rice, stewed celery or cabbage. Pa.s.s quince or crab apple jelly. With panned hare or rabbit, boiled rice, brown sauce and celery with French dressing or mayonnaise. With frica.s.see of hare or rabbit dumplings, chestnuts, or baked squash, and celery or lettuce with salad dressing.

With panned or fried rabbit, sweet potatoes and parsnips, or baked squash and stewed turnips; currant jelly.

GAME.--With boiled partridge or small birds on toast, lettuce salad.

With wild duck, for main meat course at dinner, cranberry sauce, macaroni or spaghetti and baked onions; or black currant jelly, macaroni and brussels sprouts or cabbage, or baked or browned sweet potatoes and lettuce salad. When served at a course dinner as a game course only, serve lettuce salad with it. With venison steak, serve red or black currant jelly, French fried sweet potatoes and celery salad.

With roast venison, baked or brown sweet potatoes, stewed celery and currant jelly. With wood c.o.c.k serve spaghetti and lettuce salad. With partridges, quail and other similar birds on toast or squares of fried hominy or corn meal mush, lettuce or celery salad. Broiled or fried prairie chicken or pheasants are served with bread, horse radish sauce, French fried sweet potatoes and celery or lettuce salad. Small birds like reed and rail are served on toast in cases of onions or sweet potatoes. Serve squabs with peas or asparagus tips. Pigeons with small almond b.a.l.l.s, rolls of crisp bacon and celery.

COLD MEATS.--With collard beef, cold, serve salad with French dressing.

With cold roast beef, cream horse radish sauce, aspic jelly, cress with French dressing. With cold mutton serve sliced tomatoes with salad dressing. With cold lamb, lettuce and chopped mint with French dressing. With cold veal serve mayonnaise of celery on lettuce hearts.

With cold turkey, serve tomato jelly, salad dressing or mayonnaise of celery; or cranberry jelly. With cold duck, serve turnips in jelly with mayonnaise dressing; or cranberry jelly. With cold ham, cabbage salad or tomato relish or salad dressing. With cold pork, apple sauce and cole slaw.--(The above list is adopted from one given by a famous cook.)

Chafing Dish Recipes

CREAMED OYSTERS ON TOAST.--One quart oysters, one quart milk, yolks of three eggs, b.u.t.ter size of an egg, salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.

Melt the b.u.t.ter and when slightly brown add the milk and seasoning.

When this is boiling hot add the oysters, chopped, and eggs beaten well. Thicken with a little flour and water. Serve on hot b.u.t.tered toast.--Mrs. Aaron J. Bessie.