The junior cook book

Toast four pieces of bread a very light brown. White bread is nice for this but if the family like an occasional change this is a good time to make rye bread toast. Arrange 2 sardines on each piece of toast — opening each tiny fish, removing the center bones and laying the fish in neat fashion on the toast. Lay the covered toast on a shallow pan. Set the pan in a moderately hot oven for 5 minutes. Serve at once. This is a very nice dish for breakfast or luncheon. VEGETABLES FRESH TOMATOES ON TOAST Make 4 pieces of toast. Slice a large tomato into 4 even slices. Lay 1 piece in the center of each piece of toast. Put y^ teaspoonful butter, 1 saltspoonful salt and 1 dash of pepper on each slice of tomato. Put in a shallow pan and set in a moderately hot oven for 5 minutes so that the tomatoes will get hot. Serve at once. This is a very delicious dish for a summer breakfast or luncheon. A bit of cheese grated onto the tomato is liked by some and adds to the food value of the dish. BUTTERED BEETS Wash 2 bunches of beets very carefully. If the tops are free from holes made by insects, wash those; put into water for an hour and cook for greens. If the tops are much eaten, as beet-tops bought at a grocery sometimes are, do not try to use them. Cut the tops off about 4 inches from the root. Put the beets (with this 4 inches of stem attached) into a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and boil till tender. To tell when beets are tender, prick gently with a fork. When the beets are done, the fork will easily run way into the beets. Small, young beets will cook in 30 minutes; old beets of large size will need at least 1 hour. Never test beets till they have cooked what you think should be about enough, as pricking them needlessly will spoil the pretty red color. Watch the amount of water if the beets have to cook long, and pour on more if too much boils away. Beets will scorch easily if the water boils away. When they are done, remove at once from the fire. Pour off the hot water and cover at once BUTTERED BEETS with cold water. This will loosen the skins. If plenty of running water is at hand, set the pan full of beets and hot water under the cold water faucet and let the cold water run until the beets are cold. Then there is no danger of burning fingers in pouring off the boiling water. As soon as beets are cool, cut off 3 inches of the stems and arrange neatly in a dish. Then skin the beets (the skin will pull right off in the fingers), slice them and arrange them on top of the beet stems. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoonful salt. Pour over all 2 tablespoonsful melted butter. Serve hot. If any beets are left over a half cupful of vinegar may be added to make pickled beets for the next day's dinner. BAKED CORN Measure 3 cupsful of corn cut from the cob. Fresh uncooked corn is best but the dish is very nice if left-over, cooked corn is used. If fresh com is not in season the recipe may be made with 1 can of canned corn. Shake 1 tablespoonful of flour over the com and toss with a fork till the flour is well mixed mth the corn. Beat 1 egg till light. Add 1 teaspoonful salt, 1 pint (2 cupsful) milk and beat again. Grease a baking dish. Mix the com and egg with milk and beat 1 minute. Pour into the baking dish and bake 25 minutes.