For the comfort of the family

Brown Sauce — Brown two tablespoons of butter — ^be careful not to bum — cook in this a slice of onion, a slice of carrot, a bit of parsley and a fragment of bay leaf. Let these brown in fat, stirring constantly. Add three level tablespoons of flour, a quarter teaspoon of salt, an eighth teaspoon of pepper. Continue stirring and cooking till the flour turns reddish brown, then add cup of beef broth or chicken stock, cook until smooth and boiling, then strain. This sauce allows of infinite variations. To it may be added olives cut in rings — ^this goes well with warmed-over game — or capers, mushrooms or strained tomatoes. White Sauce — Melt two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan, add two tablespoons of flour, one-quarter teaspoon of salt, one-quarter teaspoon of pepper. Stir until blended, then add one cup of milk. Stir constantly till mixture boils and is thick and smooth. The use of cream instead of milk and the addition of a teaspoon of lemon juice and a shake or two of celery salt makes a delicious sauce for chicken. Tomato Sauce — ^Add a slice of onion to the tomatoes from one can and cook fifteen minutes. Blend three tablespoons of butter and the three tablespoons of flour in a saucepan. When boiling, strain into the mixture the hot tomatoes, add one-half teaspoon of salt, one-quarter teaspoon of pepper. Cook until boiling, smooth and thick, which result can only be obtained by constant stirring. Use this with macaroni or rice, around omelettes, corned beef hash, chops or steak. The sauces may be reheated by setting the glass jars in hot water on the range. It should be stirred, that the sauce may retain its smoothness. French Dressing — Six tablespoons of olive oil, four tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar, one-half teaspoon of salt, one-quarter teaspoon of pepper, one-quarter teaspoon of paprika, a speck of cayenne. Mix dry ingredients first; stir into these the oil slowly, then add lemon juice or vinegar. Mix thoroughly; shake well before serving. This dressing may be varied by adding a little French mustard to the dry ingredients before adding oil and vinegar. Mayonnaise Dressing — One-quarter teaspoon paprika, one-half teaspoon of salt, few grains of cayenne. Mix these ingredients and into them beat the yolks of two eggs until mixture thickens a little. Add slowly two tablespoons lemon juice and two tablespoons of vinegar. With an egg beater beat in olive oil a teaspoon at a time at first, then increase to tablespoon at a time till two cupfuls have been used. Beat constantly till full amount of oil has been added. Put in glass jar and keep in refrigerator, but not on ice — ^the mixture must not freeze. Should the dressing separate while making or afterwards, put a yolk of egg in a bowl, add a few drops of oil while beating, then add the mayonnaise a little at a time, when it will come smooth and thick again. Add chopped gherkins, capers and olives to mayonnaise and it becomes Sauce Tartarre, to be served with fried fish. By the addition of tomato chutney or catsup it makes a delicious dressing for a vegetable salad; grated horseradish also makes a variation when the dressing is to be served with fish. As catering is one of the homemaker's most enduring and insistent problems, I consider my kitchen a laboratory wherein I experiment, experiment. Having the courage to dare and try new combinations lifts cooking out of the slough of monotony. CHAPTER THREE : THE TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE CHAPTER III