"HOW do you like this kind of meat, Ruth?" asked Bob. "It is a little invention of Bettina's own. I call it a symphony and no 'mis-steak.'"
"It is an economy, not a symphony," said Bettina, "but if it leads you to make such dreadful puns as that, I'll wish I had fed you something else for dinner."
"To me," said Ruth, "this dish is a delicacy and a despair. How can you think of things like this? I know I never could do it in the wide world!"
"I can't compose symphonies or poems," said Bettina, "so I express myself in this way. And most of my music is played in a simple key. It is difficult to think of a variety of inexpensive meat dishes, and sometimes I have to invent them in order to keep within my allowance, and still vary my menus. Creamed onions are economical and healthful, too, so you see that my whole dinner is inexpensive."
"And also delicious," said Ruth. "I don't see how you manage to keep cooked onions from having a strong smell, and to keep the house so free from the odor."
"O that someone would patent That someone would patent and sell An onion with an onion taste And with a violet smell,"
"Well," said Bettina, "I'm afraid that a house in which onions have recently been cooking, can't be entirely free from the odor, but I largely overcome the difficulty by peeling them under cold water, and then cooking them in an uncovered vessel. Then, too, I wonder if you know that boiling them for five minutes and then draining them and covering them with boiling water again--even draining them twice and finishing the cooking in fresh boiling water--is a splendid thing for taking away the strong taste."
"No, I didn't know that. Bettina, dear, your kind of apple sauce is as fine a dessert as I ever ate."
"You're good to say so, Ruth. I was afraid when I urged you to stay tonight that you might think this meal very plain and simple for a guest, but I know it is healthful and economical and Bob seems to thrive, so I'll not be remorseful."
"Just let me ask you what gives this apple sauce such a delicate flavor. It isn't a bit like common, ordinary apple sauce."
"I don't know; maybe it's the butter. I always put that in, and a few grains of salt. This has also a thin slice of lemon cooked in it--rind and all--and of course there is a little cinnamon, though some people prefer nutmeg. Then I try to be careful in putting in the sugar, for I know that some apples require more than others. These were tart apples; I like them better for apple sauce."