Part 6

Prepare Omelet I. As soon as the eggs are in the frying-pan, add a cupful of cooked and drained peas, arranging carefully in the outermost half so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.

OMELET WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS

Have ready one cupful of cooked and drained asparagus tips. Prepare according to directions given for Pea Omelet.

MUSHROOM OMELET

Use fresh mushrooms, if possible. Fry, and drain on brown paper. When the eggs are in the frying-pan, spread the mushrooms on the outermost half of the omelet, so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.

OMELET WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Spread the outermost half of an omelet with tomato sauce, fold, and finish as usual.

OMELET AU FROMAGE

Prepare Omelet I, adding half a cupful of grated Parmesan cheese, or dried and grated American cheese, to the egg mixture.

HAM OMELET

Have ready one cupful of cooked ham, very finely minced. Spread on half of the omelet and fold the other part over it.

OYSTER OMELET

One cupful of cooked oysters, minced or not, as preferred. Lay on half of the omelet and fold.

CLAM OMELET

See Oyster Omelet.

SHRIMP OMELET

One cupful of cooked and shredded shrimps. See Oyster Omelet.

CRAB OMELET

One cupful of minced cooked crab meat. See Oyster Omelet.

LOBSTER OMELET

One cupful of cooked and shredded lobster. See Oyster Omelet.

TOMATO OMELET

One half cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, or of fresh tomatoes peeled and rubbed through a sieve. Spread on the outermost half of the omelet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fold.

DRIED BEEF OMELET

One cupful of dried beef, shredded or minced. Cook five minutes in boiling water, drain in a cloth, spread on the outermost half of the omelet, and fold.

KIDNEY OMELET

Cut the kidneys into inch pieces, fry, drain, and finish as for Mushroom Omelet.

CHICKEN LIVER OMELET

One cupful of cooked chicken livers, cut in small pieces. See Oyster Omelet.

SAUSAGE OMELET

Spread the outer portion of an omelet with cooked sausage meat and fold as usual.

SARDINE OMELET

Rub to a paste with melted butter and lemon-juice enough sardines to make half a cupful. Spread thinly on the outer half of an omelet, and fold.

CHEESE OMELET II

Spread one cupful of grated cheese, Swiss, American, or Parmesan, on the outer portion of an omelet when the eggs are first put in the pan. Cook and fold as usual.

BLAZING OMELET

Make a plain omelet. Pour over it rum, kirsch, or brandy, ignite, and send to the table blazing. Serve as soon as the fire has gone out.

BACON OMELET

Cook a plain omelet in bacon fat instead of in butter and garnish with crisp rashers of bacon.

BACON OMELET II

Fry one cupful of minced bacon until crisp, drain off the fat, spread the bacon on half the omelet, and fold.

BREAD OMELET

Soak half a cupful of bread crumbs in half a cupful of milk and mix with the eggs before cooking.

OMELET À LA CRÊME

Make the cream sauce. Mix half a cupful of it with the omelet before cooking. Spread the rest of it on the outermost half of the omelet, finish, and fold as usual.

JELLY OMELET

Spread half of an omelet thinly with jelly--crabapple, currant, gooseberry, or quince, and fold.

SPANISH OMELET

Cook until thick one half can of tomatoes, one grated onion, one very finely minced bean of garlic, and one minced green pepper. Season with salt and paprika, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

TONGUE OMELET

Have ready a cupful of cold cooked tongue, minced or shredded. Spread on half the omelet, and fold.

CHICKEN OMELET

One cupful of cold cooked chicken, shredded or minced. Spread on half of the omelet, and fold.

CAULIFLOWER OMELET

One cupful of cold cooked cauliflower, with its sauce. Cut fine, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

ANCHOVY OMELET

Add a teaspoonful of anchovy paste to half a cupful of melted butter. Mix thoroughly, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

POTATO OMELET

One cupful of cooked potatoes, creamed or fried, cut in dice. Spread on half the omelet, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced parsley, and fold.

* * * * *

Almost any left-over can be advantageously used in an omelet. Fish, especially salt fish, meats, and vegetables, in quantities of half a cupful or more, preserved and fresh fruits, cereals--everything but soups, salads, and puddings. Roughly speaking, any omelet mixture can be added to the eggs before cooking, but as a general rule, it is better to spread it on half of the omelet and fold the other half over it, as otherwise the omelet is more likely to be heavy.

Sweet omelets are delicious. A teaspoonful of powdered sugar should be added to the eggs before cooking, and the fruit, jam, jelly, or preserves should be very thinly spread, as flavor is desired, not a dessert. Fresh fruits are cut fine and sprinkled with powdered sugar, spread on half the omelet, and the other half folded over. In the case of juicy fruits, such as oranges, the juice of the fruit is carefully saved and poured over the folded omelet just before serving.

Among the fresh fruits suitable for omelets are Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Cherries, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Plums, Huckleberries, Oranges, Pineapples, Peaches, Raspberries, and Strawberries--all crushed very fine and sweetened; the juice, if any, being poured over the omelet.

Among the stewed and preserved fruits are Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Currants, Figs, Gooseberries, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Quinces, Rhubarb, and the various fruit jams. Rum or brandy poured over the omelet and set on fire just before serving is a pleasant addition to many of the fruit omelets, Fig especially.

QUICK BREADS

People who can eat hot breads for breakfast are always sorry for those who cannot. Quite often the internal dissension ascribed to the hot bread is due to something else, or to an undesirable combination of food elements in one and the same meal. Besides, hot bread is so good that it is sometimes eaten too quickly. This hint is of medical origin and is worth consideration. Almost any hot bread will be found harmless when baked a second time.

BAKING POWDER BISCUIT

Four cupfuls of sifted flour, shortening the size of an egg,--equal parts of butter and lard preferred,--two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, rubbing with the finger-tips till the flour is granular, like corn-meal. Add cold sweet milk to make a dough as soft as can be handled, roll out an inch thick, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a hot oven. The dough must be handled as little as possible after putting in the milk.

QUICK BISCUIT

Two cupfuls of buttermilk, or of sour milk, a teaspoonful of baking soda, a tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, and flour to make a soft dough. Handle as little as possible, roll out, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a quick oven.

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT

Sift four cupfuls of flour, add a tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of soda, and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Roll thin, handling as little as possible, cut into rounds, and bake in a quick oven.

EGG BISCUIT

Sift three cupfuls of flour, add a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs well beaten, a tablespoonful of melted lard, and a cupful of sweet milk to which has been added half a teaspoonful each of soda and cream of tartar. Work to a smooth dough, roll out half an inch thick, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake on buttered pans.

SOUR MILK BISCUIT

Four cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of butter or lard, and two cupfuls of sour milk. Or, leave out the butter and use sour cream. Mix the salt and soda with the flour and sift it. Rub in the shortening, mix with the milk, roll the dough half an inch thick, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Bake from twelve to fifteen minutes in a quick oven.

NEW YORK BISCUIT

Two eggs well beaten, one cupful of milk, one tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and four cupfuls of sifted flour. Roll out, cut into circles, and bake in a hot oven.

SOUTHERN BATTER BREAD

Half a cupful of cold boiled rice, two eggs beaten separately, two cupfuls of corn-meal, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, melted, a teaspoonful of salt, and two cupfuls of milk. Beat together till thoroughly mixed and bake quickly in buttered muffin-rings or in shallow baking-tins.

SPOON BREAD

Pour one cupful of boiling water over one cupful of white corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt, one cupful of cold boiled rice, three eggs, well beaten, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix thoroughly and pour two inches deep into a buttered earthen baking-dish and bake till done. It should be like a baked custard and is served from the dish with a spoon. Cereals other than rice may be used, especially cerealine.

KENTUCKY BATTER BREAD

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, three eggs well beaten, one teaspoonful of salt, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Mix with enough milk to make a thin batter. Pour into shallow buttered tins and bake about forty-five minutes in a quick oven.

SOFT BATTER BREAD

Two cupfuls of sweet milk, two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, three eggs, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Boil the milk and add the meal slowly, making a mush, then add the salt and butter, and cool. Add the eggs and a tablespoonful of milk in which the soda has been dissolved. Bake in a buttered pan in a moderate oven.

COLONIAL BREAKFAST BREAD

One cupful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two cupfuls of rich milk, and seven eggs, well beaten. Bake in a buttered cake-tin and serve quickly.

ENGLISH BUNS

Rub half a cupful of butter into two cupfuls of flour, mix with a teaspoonful of salt and two of baking powder. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar and half a cupful of cleaned currants. Mix well, add two eggs, well beaten, and enough milk to make into a dough. Roll out, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a slow oven. The buns should be an inch thick when put into the oven.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE

Two cupfuls of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, two cupfuls of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful each of lard and butter, melted, and two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly, spread thinly on a buttered baking-pan, and bake in a moderate oven.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE--II

Four cupfuls of corn-meal, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of melted lard, and enough cold water to make a soft dough. Mould into thin oblong cakes and bake quickly in a well-buttered pan.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE--III

One and three quarter cupfuls of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of buttermilk. Bake in a buttered pan for half an hour.

CORN MUFFINS

Sift together three quarters of a cupful of corn-meal and the same of flour, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Mix with one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of thick sour milk. Bake from twenty to thirty minutes in well-buttered muffin-tins.

CORN MUFFINS

Make as Oatmeal Gems and bake in muffin-tins.

CORN MUFFINS--II

Mix one cupful of corn-meal with one cupful of boiling water, spread with butter, and let stand over night. In the morning, mix with one tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs, well beaten, three quarters of a cupful of sour milk, and one cupful of flour, sifted in with half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda. Bake half an hour in buttered muffin-rings.

CORN BREAD

Two heaping cupfuls of corn-meal, one cupful of flour, three eggs beaten separately, one tablespoonful of melted lard, two of sugar, two and a half cupfuls of milk, one teaspoonful of salt, and two of baking powder. Sift the dry materials into the milk, eggs, and shortening. Beat thoroughly, and bake half an hour in a buttered tin.

JOHNNY CAKE

One cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of buttermilk, one teaspoonful of salt, one of soda, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Add enough corn-meal to roll into a sheet half an inch thick. Lay on a buttered baking-pan and bake till brown and crisp, basting occasionally with melted butter meanwhile. Break instead of cutting, and serve hot.

CORN DODGERS

Pour two cupfuls of boiling water over two cupfuls of corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt and drop by spoonfuls in a well-buttered shallow pan. Dot with butter and bake till crisp and brown, or bake on a griddle.

NEW ENGLAND CORN DODGERS

Two cupfuls of white corn-meal, two pinches of salt, and a teaspoonful of sugar sifted together. Dampen with boiling water and thin with cold milk to a batter which will keep its shape on a griddle. Butter the griddle and drop the batter on by spoonfuls. Put dots of butter on each dodger, and when crisp and brown on one side turn and brown on the other. Keep hot in the oven a few minutes before serving.

CORN DODGERS--III

Mix a teaspoonful of salt with two cupfuls of corn-meal. Pour over it enough boiling water to moisten and let stand ten minutes. Add three eggs, beaten separately, one cupful of milk, and a teaspoonful of baking powder. Thin with more milk if necessary and bake on a buttered griddle. Ham or bacon fat may be used in place of butter.

SOUTHERN HOECAKES

Add a teaspoonful of salt and a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder to one cupful and a third of corn-meal. Beat the yolks of two eggs until light, add a cupful of milk and beat hard for a few moments, then add the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Put a tablespoonful of lard into a spider and drop in the batter by spoonfuls, turning when done on one side. Serve very hot.

CORN BREAD--II

One cupful of corn-meal, a teaspoonful each of salt and baking powder, a tablespoonful of butter or lard, melted, three eggs and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix the salt with the meal, beat the eggs, mix with the milk and pour over the meal, then sift in the baking powder, beat hard, and add the melted butter last. Pour into a baking-pan and bake in a hot oven.

CORN MUFFINS--III

One cupful of corn-meal, two cupfuls of buttermilk, a pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, one egg, and a tablespoonful of melted lard. Beat the eggs, add the soda to the milk and lard, then mix with the meal. Bake in hot buttered muffin-rings filled half full.

CORN AND RICE MUFFINS

Two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of white corn-meal, one teaspoonful of soda, a pinch of salt, one egg, half a cupful of cream, and half a cupful of boiled rice. Mash the rice, add the salt, egg, and cream, then the buttermilk mixed with the soda, then the meal. Bake in buttered muffin-pans in a quick oven.

BREAKFAST CORN BREAD

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, two cupfuls of sifted flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, one teaspoonful of salt, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, two cupfuls of milk, and three eggs well beaten. Sift the dry ingredients and rub in the cold butter. Beat the eggs separately, the yolks with the milk, then the dry ingredients, and add the whites of the eggs last. Bake about half an hour in buttered shallow pans.

APPLE JOHNNY CAKE

Mix two cupfuls of corn-meal with half a cupful of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of soda in a cupful and a half of milk, stir in, and add three peeled and cored apples sliced very thin. Bake in a buttered shallow tin thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.

CORN MUFFINS--IV

Beat two eggs very light, add one tablespoonful of melted butter, three tablespoonfuls of corn-meal, one teaspoonful of brown sugar, one heaping tablespoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of baking powder and one cupful of milk. Mix thoroughly, pour into buttered muffin-tins, and bake in a quick oven.

CORN DODGERS--IV

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, one cupful of sour milk or buttermilk, one pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, one egg well beaten. Bake on a hot griddle.

CORN MUFFINS--V

One cupful of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, one heaping tablespoonful of sugar, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, one egg, well beaten, one cupful and a half of sweet milk, and a pinch of salt. Beat hard and bake in well buttered muffin-pans.

CORN PUFFS

Sift together one and two thirds cupfuls of flour, one cupful of meal, and two level teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub two tablespoonfuls of butter to a cream with three tablespoonfuls of sugar, add three well-beaten eggs and two cupfuls of milk. Combine mixtures, beat thoroughly, pour into well-buttered muffin-tins and bake.

FRUIT CORN MUFFINS

Two cupfuls of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful of melted butter, two eggs, well beaten, one and one half cupfuls of milk, and one cupful of fruit. Dates, figs, prunes, or other fruits may be used. Stones should be removed and the fruit cut fine. Bake in well-buttered muffin-pans for about twenty minutes.

CORN AND HOMINY MUFFINS

Mash one cupful of cold boiled hominy with one cupful of corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of baking powder, a tablespoonful of melted butter, one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of milk. Beat hard for five minutes, pour into buttered gem-pans, and bake fifteen or twenty minutes in a hot oven.

SOFT CORN BREAD

One cupful of corn-meal, one cupful of sour milk, a pinch of soda, one cupful of sweet milk, a tablespoonful of melted butter, a pinch of salt, and two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly and bake in a deep baking-dish, well buttered.

FLORIDA CORN BREAD

One cupful of buttermilk, one cupful of sweet milk, one half teaspoonful of soda, two eggs, one cupful of corn-meal, and one teaspoonful of salt. Mix the buttermilk, sweet milk, and soda together, and when the soda is thoroughly dissolved, pour the milk over the beaten eggs. Add the corn-meal and beat thoroughly. Spread lard over the bottom and sides of the baking-tin, place in the oven until very hot, then pour in the batter and bake in a quick oven until a delicate brown.

CHARLESTON BREAKFAST CAKE

Beat together one cupful of sugar and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Add two eggs, beaten very light, a pinch of salt, a grating of nutmeg, and one cupful of milk. Sift in two cupfuls of flour and three level teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Bake in hot buttered muffin-tins or in a shallow baking-pan.

DATE GEMS

One cupful of dates, seeded and chopped fine, two cupfuls of milk, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, three cupfuls of flour, and one egg well beaten. Mix the egg and milk, sift the dry ingredients together, add the chopped dates, and combine mixtures. Beat hard and bake in well-buttered gem-irons for about twenty minutes. Figs or prunes may be used instead of dates.

GRAHAM BISCUIT

Three cupfuls of Graham flour, one cupful of white flour, three cupfuls of milk, two tablespoonfuls of lard, one heaping tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix and bake like Baking Powder Biscuits.

GRAHAM PUFFS

Two cupfuls of Graham flour, four cupfuls of boiling milk, and a teaspoonful of salt. The dough should be as soft as it can be handled. Roll an inch thick, cut into circles, arrange on a buttered pan and bake in the hottest kind of an oven. If the oven is right, they will be very light.

GRAHAM MUFFINS

Prepare like Rye Muffins, using Graham flour or meal instead of rye meal. A teaspoonful of caraway seed is sometimes added to Rye Muffins.

GRAHAM DROP CAKES

Sift together a cupful and a half of Graham meal, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, and a quarter of a cupful of brown sugar. Add enough sour milk to make a stiff batter. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered baking-tin and bake a quarter of an hour in a quick oven.

GRAHAM MUFFINS--II

Four cupfuls of Graham flour, one tablespoonful of brown sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one egg, well beaten, and two cupfuls of milk. Sift the dry ingredients together, add the beaten egg and milk, mix thoroughly, fill well-buttered muffin-tins two thirds full and bake in a hot oven about twenty minutes.

HOMINY MUFFINS

Two cupfuls of cold fine hominy, three eggs, three cupfuls of sour milk, half a cupful of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of baking soda dissolved in hot water, and flour to make a good batter--probably about a cupful and a half. Add the milk to the hominy, then the salt, sugar, butter, and eggs, then the soda, and the flour last. Bake in a quick oven.

HOMINY DROP CAKES

Two cupfuls of cold boiled hominy, one tablespoonful of cold water, two eggs, well beaten, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of baking powder sifted into enough flour to make a good batter. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered baking-sheet and bake brown in a quick oven.

MUFFINS--I

Sift together four cupfuls of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Add a tablespoonful of sugar. Stir in two cupfuls of milk, four eggs well beaten, and three tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Bake twenty-five or thirty minutes in muffin-tins. Half of this recipe is sufficient for a small family.

MUFFINS--II

Two cupfuls of flour, two eggs, one cupful of milk, one teaspoonful of sugar, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Sift the dry ingredients together, beat the eggs till very light, mix with the milk and melted butter. Sift the dry mixture gradually into the milk and eggs, stirring constantly. Bake twenty-five minutes in muffin-tins.

CREAM MUFFINS

Four cupfuls of flour, four cupfuls of rich milk, six eggs, beaten separately, two tablespoonfuls of shortening, melted--equal parts of butter and lard. Bake in buttered muffin-rings half full of the batter and serve immediately.

BUTTERMILK MUFFINS

Four cupfuls of buttermilk, or of curdled milk, two eggs, a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little hot water, a teaspoonful of salt, and enough sifted flour to make a good batter. Mix thoroughly, adding the soda last. Bake in a quick oven.

MUFFINS--III

Sift together two cupfuls of flour, two tablespoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Add one tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, one cupful of milk, and one egg well beaten. Mix thoroughly and bake quickly in muffin-rings.

MUFFINS--IV

Make like Muffins V, using a quarter cupful each of sugar and melted butter, and two or three eggs, well beaten.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Use any muffin mixture, lessening slightly the quantity of milk. Add a cupful of blueberries and bake quickly.

MUFFINS--V

Four cupfuls of flour, three eggs, beaten separately, the whites very stiff, three cupfuls of milk, and a pinch of salt. Beat hard until thoroughly mixed and bake in a quick oven.

MUFFINS--VI

Six cupfuls of flour, two eggs well beaten separately, two rounded teaspoonfuls of baking powder, four cupfuls of milk, one teaspoonful of salt. Sift the dry materials, mix with the eggs and milk, beat hard, and bake in muffin-tins in a quick oven.

CEREALINE MUFFINS

Three fourths of a cupful of flour, a pinch of salt, one egg, well beaten, one cupful of cerealine, and one cupful of milk. Bake in buttered muffin-pans.

BATTER MUFFINS

Three cupfuls of sour milk and one teaspoonful of soda beaten together. Beat the yolks of three eggs and add to the milk, then stir in a pinch of salt and flour enough to make a moderately stiff batter. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and fold in the last thing. Bake in buttered muffin-tins.

SOUTHERN MUFFINS