Let^s Have A Picnic 



By NELL FLATT GOODMAN. 

 Home Bureau Editor 



C"^V HREE large rocks and a sheet 

 ^— ^ of tin will serve very well 

 -/ for outdoor cooking, says Mrs. 

 Raymond Norton, of Piatt county. The 

 lack of a well-built fireplace needn't 

 stop any one from having a picnic. 

 She knows, too, because with Mr. Nor- 

 ton and their group of friends they 

 have tried it many times. 



In their sheet of tin, they made a 

 hole at the side for the smoke to es- 

 cape. They use long handled skillets 

 for the hamburg, steak, or bacon and 

 coo meals. Yes, the smoke sometimes 

 blows back in their faces, but what is 

 a picnic without a bit of smoke? 



A message to come to a Farm Bureau, 

 neighborhood, or 4-H club picnic finds 

 Mrs. Norton prepared and ready. In 

 a good-sized paper shopping bag she 

 keeps a supply of paper plates, cups, 

 napkins, and eating utensils. A large 

 picnic basket, kept conveniently near, 

 may be filled with the necessary food. 

 Several small towels are set aside es- 

 pecially for use on these occasions. 

 Whether it is a dressy picnic, or an im- 

 promptu get-together, these supplies 

 are ready and may be picked up on a 

 minute's notice. 



Like most men, Mr. Norton prefers 

 fried chicken for the main dish at 

 picnics. For many years Mrs. Norton 

 raised around a thousand chickens for 

 family use and to sell through the 

 Farmers Market. The farm account 

 books show that as many as a thousand 

 chickens have been dressed and sold 

 from the farm in a year. This year, 

 however, since Baby Donna Rae Norton 

 came to live with them, Papa and 

 Mama Norton are arranging to get 

 along with a mere four hundred fries. 



For their neighborhood get-togeth- 

 ers, the family which has butchered 

 recently or has fresh meat in cold stor- 

 age takes that part of the picnic; the 

 others furnish the buns, pickles, coffee, 

 etc. By taking turns this isn't a hard- 

 ship for any one. Mrs. Norton finds 

 convenient, too, the canned tenderloin 

 mixed with pickles, egg, and mayonaise 

 for sandwiches. If there is time, chick- 

 en and noodles, cooked and carried in 

 the pressure cooker to hold the heat, 

 is another speciality. A cake safe, or 

 carrier, keeps deserts fresh and apart 

 from other foods. 



MRS. RAYMOND NORTON 

 "You can't beat a big freezer oi home- 

 made ice cream." 



"With a chocolate cake, or a batch 

 of cookies, under that lid, I feel more 

 comfortable and ready to go," Mrs. 

 Norton confessed. 'I don't like that 

 feeling that I have nothing to take to 

 a picnic. ' 



' Snowballs,' a desert which can be 

 made the day before, are easy to make," 

 Mrs. Norton said. "They are good for 

 Home Bureau all-day meetings. These 

 require vanilla wafers, whipped cream 

 and cocoanut. Whip the cream very 

 stiff, sweeten to taste, and flavor. Spread 

 thickly over one wafer, top with an- 

 other, spread cream again, and still the 

 third wafer. Cover all with the whipped 

 cream. Roll in the cocoanut, and let 

 stand in the icebox over night. " 



Molded chicken salad, which is diced 

 chicken, cooked mayonnaise, celery and 

 pimento, mixed in gelatine, is another 

 dish Mrs. Norton says is easily handled 

 and may be made the night before. 

 For luncheons this may be made at- 

 tractive by using individual molds and 

 garnishing with rose radishes, olives 

 or fan pickles. 



Mrs. Norton has led food clubs of 

 4-H girls for several years. They studied 

 meal planning, specializing on break- 

 fasts, lunches and picnics. Each year 

 the girls planned and prepared meals 

 with the mothers as guests. 



"If you are planning for girls," Mrs. 

 Norton said, "you can't beat a big 



freezer of homemade ice cream. They 

 like that best of all. For our owa 

 family I use the electric refrigerator 

 ice cream because it is simpler. The 

 recipes included with the refrigerator 

 are very satisfactory. I have been add- 

 ing fresh peaches lately. Speaking of 

 ice cream, if you want to be prepared 

 when youngsters come, keep a supply 

 of ice cream cones. They are certain 

 to please. " 



PRIZE CONTEST 



U you had five dollars a month to 

 dresa up or furbish your home, how 

 would you spend it? Would you in- 

 vest the whole sixty dollars for one 

 item or would you divide it up among 

 the various rooms in the home? 



The Home Department of the Illi- 

 nois Agriculttual Association REC- 

 ORD is offering prizes for the best let- 

 ter oi 300 words on this subject. Any 

 one from a Farm Bureau or Home Bu- 

 reau family is eligible. Tell your 

 story in as few words as you wish, 

 but use no more than 300 words. The 

 first prize, SS.OO, second $2.50. 



On this page is published a letter 

 from an Illinois form woman who had 

 only SI a month for the home which 

 may give you some ideas. 



Now sit down and write your letter, 

 start it this way — 



"If I'd five dollars a month to spend 

 to make my home more attractive, Vd 

 spend it " 



Go ahead and tell iust how you 

 would spend it, to the lost penny. It 

 will take you only a few minutes and 

 you may be the lucky one. 



Brightened the Home 

 With $1 a Month 



Every munth during the year 193'7, I 

 squeezed one dollar from a budget on which 

 1 used a magnifying glass before I'd the cour- 

 age to call it a budget. And I spent every 

 last penny on home furbishing. 



"Home furbishing:' That's garnishing and 

 brightening up the home so that you and your 

 family will want to rush back every chance 

 you get and stay as long as you can. It's 

 garnishing the home in the same way that 

 you decorate a platter of fried ham with 

 parsley' or a bowl of colorless potato salad 

 with a dash of bright red pimento. You can 

 live without these furbishes, but life isn't 

 nearly so interesting. 



The fir.M month I tried my plan was Jan- 

 uary. I began on the kitchen. The walls and 

 ceiling were painted a neutral grey white, the 

 wood work, ivory. Not a speck of color, just 

 a cold cheerless room. Even the linoleum, 

 because of frequent scrubbing, had lost what 

 little color it once had. I sat down by the 

 kitchen table and looked about me. One 

 dollar? What could I do with so small a 

 sum? 



"I've a little corner cupboard in my kitchen 

 that I've always liked. 1 stepped into the 

 pantry and brought out a pitcher of Mexican 

 pottery which a friend gave me last summer. 

 This I set on one of the cupboard shelves, 

 stepped back and studied the effect. The rich 

 orange, red-brown and tan shades, splashed 



(Continued on page 10) 



AUGUST, 1938 



