Oatmeal - Cream And Sugar

Soft Cooked Eggs Buttered Toast

Coffee

Oatmeal

Into the upper part of a double boiler put 2 cups of hot water with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place directly over the flame or hot coals, and when the water is boiling, slowly stir into it 3/4 cup rolled oats. Let the mixture boil for a few moments, stirring occasionally, then set over hot water in the lower part of the boiler and cook for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours.

Soft Cooked Eggs

Put 1 quart of boiling water into a hot saucepan, gently lower 4 eggs into the water, and let stand, covered, on the back of the range, where the heat will be neither increased nor diminished, for 8 or 10 minutes.

The albumen of eggs begins to harden or "coagulate" at a temperature of 1340 F.; between 160° and 180° it becomes white throughout, tender and jelly-like; it loses this consistency at about 2000, and at boiling temperature (212°) it becomes tough and less digestible. When the cold eggs are put into the boiling water the temperature is immediately lowered to about 1800 F. Test this with a thermometer if you have one.

Buttered Toast

Cut stale bread into slices about 3/4 inch in thickness. With a gas stove, place them under the oven burners or arrange on a toaster fitted for a burner on top the stove. Turn the pieces often, so that they may be evenly browned.

As soon as both sides have become a golden brown, butter, lay buttered sides together, and send to the table very hot.

Note

To keep toast, etc., hot on a gas stove, set plate or other serving dish on a hot burner, after the gas has been turned off, and cover with an inverted pan.

Coffee

In a coffee pot that has been well aired and well scalded, put twice as many level teaspoons of ground coffee as there are cups to be served; add as many eggshells, washed before the eggs were broken, as there are cups to be served; or part of the white of an egg may be used. Add 1 tablespoon cold water for each cup of liquid desired, and mix thoroughly; add the required number of cups of freshly boiling water, and let boil 5 minutes after boiling begins. Pour a little cold water, 1/4 cup, down the spout, and set the pot where it will keep hot, without simmering, for 10 minutes. If at the end of that time for any reason the coffee cannot be served at once, pour the liquid from the grounds and keep hot. A pinch of salt helps the flavor.

Preparing The Meal

Start cooking the cereal for breakfast while getting dinner or washing the dishes the evening before. Let it cook until the evening work is done; remove from the heat, cover the double-boiler tightly, and let stand on range until next morning. If steam radiators are convenient, set the boiler on the radiator and it will keep hot all night. Or, better still, if you have a "fireless cooker," put the cereal in that.

With a gas stove, light the gas under the cereal cooker the first thing. Next put on a kettle of water to heat. Grind and make the coffee and cut the bread for toast.

Set the table, cut the butter, and fill cream pitchers. Start the eggs to cooking. Then toast the bread, butter it, and place the toast either in the oven or on top of a burner to keep hot while the cereal is being eaten.

Serve the cereal in warm cereal bowls. Never put food supposed to be hot into cold dishes.

By the time the cereal is eaten, the coffee, eggs and toast are ready to serve. Send the eggs to the table either all together, wrapped in a napkin and placed in a dish, or in individual egg cups.