How It Tasted
Cold
Fried Chicken
Filip:
This is cold.
Although none too pretty this chicken tasted quite
good—despite being nuked in the microwave (my husband and son insisted that it
be warmed). Superior to the Colonel’s in every way except for the awful mess it
left in the pan.
Creamed
Potatoes
Another dish without much eye appeal (in fact NONE)
but, as with the chicken, it tasted far better than it looked. Lacing the white
sauce with some cheese made a difference, and a little more would have made it
even better.
Corn
on the Cob
Filip:
Is there any more?
As I’ve mentioned before both DH and DS are extremely
fond of corn on the cob, so as expected this dish was a hit. My only regret was
that I’d been forced to toss the bad ear and had only three to serve instead of
four—every cob at the table was picked clean.
Head
Lettuce with Celery Seed Dressing
Any salad topped with a Bettina dressing is a
gamble…she relies heavily on the vinegar that my family finds so appalling.
Fortunately this dressing is based on lemon juice for its bite, and that made
it far more palatable. The only real difficulty was the dressing’s tendency to
separate the instant it was poured out—if I’d known that I would have brought
the bottle directly to the table and let everyone dress their own salad.
Sliced
Peaches
These peaches went over well (although neither Bettina
nor I can take credit as the fruit in question was commercially canned). It was
pleasant as well to see some color on the table—as so often happens the chicken,
the potatoes, the bread, the cookies, and the tea all came in dreary shades of
brown, white, and tan.
Chocolate
Cookies
Filip:
Gingerbread!
No, not gingerbread—but given the cookies’ nebulous
chocolate flavor it’s no wonder my son was confused.
Still, I guess I’d have to consider these cookies a
success as a fair number were eaten. Not surprisingly they went well with the
tea, and only I knew they were allegedly chocolate [fie on the editors of the
book for not being more specific re: measurements!]
Tea
My husband and I really enjoyed the hot tea, and even
our son clamored for some. In fact, it proved to be the perfect beverage for
the meal as the day was unusually cold and damp.
Milk
My son the milk-drink enjoyed this although he did
seem a bit surprised to see a glass waiting by his plate. I suppose for the
sake of authenticity I should have served whole rather than low-fat but, quite
frankly, we’re so accustomed to reduced-fat milk I doubt DS would drink
anything else.
Would I Make This Again?
Although I firmly believe only the Bionic Woman could
whip this meal together in Bettina’s “few minutes”, it was relatively quick and easy. The dishes were simply but tasty,
and (most important) can be made well ahead of time.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what Bettina’s crowd of
dinner guests made over the miniscule portions she must have served them: one
chicken for six adults and a plethora of children, three cups of potatoes
divided in identical fashion. Only the cookies (supposedly three dozen), the
tea, and the milk would have been plentiful—or perhaps the guests were so
stuffed with typical State Fair fodder they had room only to nibble!
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