A salad is a palatable supper dish. What is the best way to make tea?

Marjorie Allen often makes a potato salad, one of her father's favorite dishes, and varies it by using other cold vegetables and adding cold meat or fowl.

What is a salad? The word "salad" is supposed to be derived from the Latin "sal," salt. We use the term for a dish that gives relish to a meal by the crispness of fresh lettuce, celery, a shredded cabbage, or some other green vegetable. These may be combined with cold cooked vegetables, meat, fish, shellfish, fresh fruit, or nuts, and served with a dressing. Lettuce eaten with lemon juice or vinegar and sugar is a simple old-fashioned salad. Some people enjoy the lettuce dressed with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. A cooked dressing made with butter or cream is relished by those who do not like the flavor of olive oil.

Green vegetables should be freshened in cold water, dried by shaking in a towel, and cooled. Cooked vegetables and meats should be cut in small pieces, and chilled. Fruit should be kept on ice and prepared just before serving.

Potato Salad

What and how much. Potato cubes Minced parsley Chopped onion Salt Pepper Dressing to moisten

1 pint

I tablespoonful

1/2 teaspoonful

Fig. 42. - Potato salad.

For variety add one of the following to the potatoes :

Minced ham Nuts, cut fine Cucumbers, sliced or cubed Celery, in 1/2 in. lengths

1/4 cup 1/2 cup 2 cup

I Cud

Boiled Dressing

What and how much. Eggs Mustard Salt Sugar

1/2 teaspoonful 1/2 teaspoonful 1/2 teaspoonful

Vinegar or lemon juice

Hot water

Butter

A few grains of cayenne

3 teaspoonfuls

1/2 cup

1 tablespoonful

How to make. Mix the dry materials and beat with the eggs until light. Add the vinegar and water and cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from the fire, stir in the butter, and set away to cool.

Fig. 43. - Tomato jelly salad.

Tomato Jelly Salad

What and how much.

Tomato pulp

(cooked and strained) Water Gelatin Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

2 cups

2 tablespoonfuls

11/2 tablespoonfuls

For method of making, see recipe for gelatin on page 237. Serve with boiled or cream dressing.

Whipped Cream Dressing

What and how much.

Thick cream, sweet or sour

Vinegar

Salt

Sugar

White pepper

1/2 cup

2 tablespoonfuls or less

1/4 tablespoonful

1/4 tablespoonful

How to make. Beat cream stiff with Dover beater; add salt, sugar, pepper, and vinegar very slowly, still beating. Serve with fresh cabbage and garnish the salad with slices of green pepper. This dressing may be used with any other salad.

How to make tea. There are very few families who do not require tea. We need to learn to make it well, although only the grown people should drink it.

Is it not curious that among the thousands of plants in the world, the human race has found only a few to use for making a beverage? Tea has been used in China for hundreds of years; and the tea plant grows well there, and in Japan, India, and Ceylon. You may have heard of one plantation in South Carolina where very good flavored tea is grown; but the climate and soil of these other countries seem best to suit the tea plant. The leaves are gathered, dried, and rolled. The color and flavor of the tea depend upon the age of the leaf and the way in which it is dried, as well as upon the soil and climate.

Your family has some particular liking for some one kind of tea, - Oolong, a Chinese tea, Japan tea, Ceylon, or India, these latter having several "fancy" names.

Perhaps you use a "mixed" tea, which means a mixture of green and black tea, probably Chinese varieties.

What does tea contain? All these teas contain "theine," which is the substance that acts upon the nerves, making some people feel comfortable, bright, and talkative, and keeping others awake. But it is another substance in tea, tannin or tannic acid, which is bad for the digestion. The longer tea stands, especially if it boils, the more of this substance is taken out by the water. Miss James told the class that when one sees the teapot on the back of the stove all day, and somebody drinking tea from the pot, then somewhere in the house one will find a bottle of medicine for indigestion ! It is better, too, to take tea at a meal when there is little or no meat. When Agnes Groves repeated this at home, her aunt, who was a great tea drinker and liked strong tea thoroughly boiled, said that she would like to have Agnes prepare tea correctly. The doctor had told her that she drank it too often and too strong. So Agnes made the tea for supper that night, explaining that if the water is poured on when it is boiling, and is allowed to stand upon the leaves only a few minutes, the flavor is drawn out, but much less of the tannin. Never boil the tea leaves in the water.