46 
T H E G A R D E N M A G A Z I N E 
February, 191. 5 
SUGGESTIONS FOFU 
THE HOME TABLE 
Graduate of i fir A&tionaf'fraininy Scffoof 
of Cookery, London, Gnytand'? 
\ / 0 on iTuc teef < &yL- 
EFFIE M , ROBINSON f 
1 HAVE been on a Quest with a capital Q, to find 
something different! One gets so tired of meat, 
ringing the changes on beef, lamb, pork, and veal, 
and in some families (my own, for instance) even veal 
is eliminated as it does not seem to agree with us. 
Now, for a change, it is sometimes pleasant to have 
fish, either as the chief course of the meal, or perhaps 
taking the place of soup, for the family dinner, as a 
rule, consists of only three courses — soup, meat, and 
dessert. The season of Lent again induces many 
people to the greater use of fish than at any other 
time of the year. Fish as it is cooked and served 
generally in this country seems to have always the 
same flavor — insipid if boiled and greasy if fried. And 
there is also but little choice in the kinds of fish. 
Canned Fish Food 
I have noticed in the cook books that generally 
the recipes are for cooking fresh fish and hardly any 
attention is paid to the canned articles, although in 
many parts of the country, I mean in the country 
places, it is almost impossible to get fresh fish. Of 
course we all know canned salmon, lobsters, and 
sardines, and how to prepare them; but have you 
ever tried tuna or tunny fish. Its flavor and texture 
is fine and firm, the taste being much like chicken, and 
although really as oily as salmon it seems more di- 
gestible and blends with other ingredients even more 
readily I think. It is delicious when mixed up with 
salad dressing and served on lettuce. 
Where Monotony Reigned 
In a little community in which I once lived for 
some years, there was a hard and fast rule laid down 
for Friday dinner, or supper, as it was called — fish 
cakes with tomato sauce! As regularly as clock work 
the potatoes were boiled and mashed, packages of 
codfish flakes soaked and dried, and the whole massed 
together and fried. I think the men of the household, 
as they traveled home on those Friday nights, must 
have dreaded their supper! Now a pleasant change 
would be to serve either devilled or scalloped canned 
crab meat. The flavor is different from cod. 
While on the subject of fish cakes there are now 
canned fish flakes which do not require any soaking 
previous to use, so that if a little lunch was wanted in 
a hurry these would be a great convenience. The 
cans are only ten cents each and a few of them should 
be kept in the store room. These flakes can also be 
used for creamed or scalloped fish and in any other 
way that suggests itself to the clever housekeeper . 
Another ten-cent article I discovered is a brand of 
fried fish cakes made from salt fish, potatoes, onions, 
eggs, butter, and spices. They are ready to serve, 
only requiring to be heated. 
So many people are situated so far from stores that 
it is an absolute necessity to be well supplied with 
viands of all sorts. Canned oysters and clams, with 
bouillon, are also reliable and useful for making cock- 
tails, chowders, stews, serving on toast or in patties. 
Other ready prepared fish are kippered herrings and, 
of course, sardines. 
Sunday Night Suppers 
It is often a problem to get something good and 
something different for the Sunday night supper. 
Cold meat sliced from the day’s hot joint, cold pota- 
toes fried, or potato salad, pickles, and layer cake are 
very good in their way; but why not surprise them 
every Sunday with one hot dish, something new each 
time. I am most enthusiastic over canned crab meat; 
I will give you the recipe I use and find always accept- 
able. The advantage of this is that you can prepare 
it in the morning and at supper time bake it. 
Turn the crab meat out of the tin into a shallow 
bowl, and carefully pick it over as there are membranes 
and strings to be removed; then break it up into small 
flakes, carefully mix with it the same quantity of 
bread crumbs, add half a teaspoonful of dry mustard, 
one small teaspoonful of salt, a good shake of cayenne 
pepper, and moisten with an egg well beaten or about 
two tablespoonfuls of cream. Butter one of those 
earthen casserole dishes — a deep oval one looks well — - 
fill it with the mixture and pour over the top three 
tablespoonfuls of melted butter, put on the lid and 
bake about half an hour. Take the lid off and brown 
the top before serving. This should be served right 
in the dish. I have one with a metal holder which 
looks pretty on the table. If you have no regular 
casserole dish pin a folded dinner napkin round the 
dish you cook the mixture in, setting it on another 
larger one, and serve it that way. 
A “Company” Fish Dish 
I made some “lobster cutlets” the other day that 
were most delicious. For one tin of lobster take two 
ounces of butter, two ounces of flour, a quarter of a 
pint of milk and a quarter of a pint of cream, one 
teaspoonful of lemon juice, pepper, cayenne pepper, 
and salt, an egg and some bread crumbs and frying 
fat or oil. The lobster must be carefully picked over 
and finely minced — not chopped but cut up with a 
knife. Melt the butter in a saucepan, but do not let 
it brown, then very carefully and slowly stir in the 
flour, stirring constantly, so that it will not get lumpy. 
Then, still very slowly, stir in the milk and cream and 
bring it to the boil. All sauces containing flour must 
boil to burst the starch grains and take away the raw 
flavor. Boil about a minute, then take it off the fire 
and add the lobster, lemon juice and all seasonings, 
mix thoroughly and put it aside to cool. When quite 
firm make into flat cutlets, dip in eggs, cover with 
bread crumbs and fry in pan of vegetable oil. 
I have also tried the delicious canned cod and 
herring roes that are in the market put up by a certain 
well known company. These have the flavor of the 
fish and add zest to a plain lettuce salad. Hard boiled 
eggs, sliced, are a good addition. 
Dried Fish an Emergency Dish 
There is quite a variety of dried fish in the markets, 
too. The one I like most of all is finnan haddie, a 
very savory dish with a most appetizing flavor peculiar 
to itself. Other smoked fish are salmon, halibut, 
cod fish, bloaters, herring, and salt mackerel. Dried 
fish costs just about as much as fresh fish but the great 
advantage is that it can be kept in a cool place for an 
indefinite period and when prepared seems to equal 
or, indeed, go farther than the fresh. It must, of 
course, be either soaked or put in the pot with cold 
water and gradually brought to the boil; bloaters 
and herrings, however, are simply scalded and dried 
thoroughly. These fish can be creamed, served with 
rice, broiled, scrambled with eggs, even fried in salt 
pork fat and served with mashed potatoes, or baked 
in milk. 
Fish is quite a concentrated food and requires the 
serving of creamed vegetables with it to give bulk, also 
salads, and acid fruits for dessert. 
Dorothy’s 
Getting Well 
Dorothy is just getting over 
the measles, and the Kew- 
pies, knowing it is time for 
her to be going back to her 
favorite dish, bring her a 
delicious dish of Raspberry 
It is one of the beauties of Jell-O that it is good for everybody, and 
any suggestion for the home table that omits Jell-O is seriously incomplete. 
Made in seven pure fruit flavors: Raspberry, Strawberry, Orange, 
Lemon, Cherry, Peach, Chocolate. 
Sold by all grocers, 10 cents a package. 
The new Jell-O book is a real Kewpie book, with pictures of the 
Kewpies by Rose O’Neill herself. If you desire one and will write and 
ask us for it we will send it to you free. 
THE GENESEE PURE FOOD CO. 
Le Roy, N. Y. and Bridgeburg, Can. 
ROYAL & 
ABSOLUTELY PURE 
The 
Prudent 
Houfetvife 
JVo Other 
Contains No Alum 
All foods advertised in this department have been tested and approved by EJJie M. Robinson. They are also sold and recommended by the Doubleday, Page & Co. Cooperative Store 
