Cocoa is easy to prepare for the school luncheon on the cold days of winter. What is the value of this and of other hot beverages; and what are some of the important things to think about in cooking them?

Milk or cream, and sugar give hot drinks some value as food. Grown people use coffee and tea because there is a substance in both of them, besides the flavor, that they think has a pleasant effect upon their nerves, although in the end most people would be better without either. Very agreeable beverages are made from roasted grain, and several of these can be bought. Of course, girls and boys do not take either tea or coffee; but there is no reason why they should not have a cup of cocoa for breakfast, and on cool days make it for the school luncheon.

What is cocoa? Cocoa and chocolate are manufactured from a seed somewhat like a bean, that grows in hot countries. The bean is roasted and ground, and from it chocolate is made. Cocoa is chocolate with the fat taken out. If you have ever seen cocoa butter, you know how this fat looks. Which will have the more food value, cocoa or chocolate?

Fig. 13. - A well-arranged school kitchen.

How to cook. Let us now plan to make cocoa at school.

Cooking should be as dainty and pretty work as painting or sewing. We can make it so if we arrange neatly on the table everything to work with and do not spill food materials.

The illustration' (Fig. 15) shows some convenient measures. See how the cups are divided. Of course, everyday spoons will do. The spoonfuls in measuring should be level. (See Fig. 16.)

Fig. 14. - A neat working table and worker. Notice the fireless cooker.

Fig. 15. - Cups and spoons like these are convenient household measures.

Fig. 16. - The spoonfuls in measuring should be level.

When we cook, we should plan everything carefully, and take out what we need for work. This saves time and steps. We must think beforehand of:

1. What to take.

2. How much of each kind.

3. What utensils to use.

4. How to put the materials together.

5. How to cook these materials, - apply heat.

6. How to serve the cooked food.

These are what the cook books tell you about in what is called a "recipe" or "receipt."

Mollie Stark, another Pleasant Valley schoolgirl, is making her own cook book. Suppose we all begin to do so, too. Mollie is using a notebook with loose leaves, such as we have in school. If the cover of your notebook is not a pretty color, you can make one of some washable material, in the sewing class, perhaps, or for home work. Mollie illustrates her book either with drawings or with pictures pasted in.

Making the cocoa. A quart of cocoa serves six people very well, for the cups we drink from hold less than a half pint. How many quarts of cocoa shall you need for them?

Let us now, one by one, think of the points we must remember.