Living on a Little

Closet-Winter

I had a long list of things to get, but as I had a bad cold I did not wish to go out in the storm. I waited nearly all day for it to stop, as it was against my principles even then to telephone for anything, but at last, as it began to grow dark, I could not wait longer, and took my receiver to

e grocery, and I tipped him to go and get the things and bring them back at once, and I would pay for them on delivery. He said he had canned roast beef, for one thing, so we began with that. Then he was to bring canned string-beans, and some oranges for dessert, besides the staples I had to have. It was an expensive meal, I assure you, for roast beef is not cheap, even when it is tinned. I thought then I must have meat, at any price. I

. The dessert was oranges and coffee. How I wished I had anything else, even nuts, to help out, but there was nothing whatever. I simply lived from hand to mouth in those days and bought supplies enough for only one day at a time. Well, we tried to make up in conversation what we lacked in food, and I thought of what some novelist of New England life once suggested, that w

aged to get up such a good one for the Cliffords, and he said, 'Dolly, you and Mary are having far too easy a time of it. One of these days I am going

ll catch me unprepared, but that only makes me more determined to have everything ready for such an event

shelves stretching almost from the floor to the ceiling, with pots

in the ark: grated corn, peas, string-beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Here are several kinds of crackers, to serve with fancy cheese, either with salad or for dessert, and the cheese as well, three pots, two small ones and one of larger size. And I have two cans of condensed milk, a jar of beef extract, and some nuts. Here are olives, too, and a pot of ginger, and some quickly made gelatine for jelly. All that last needs is to add hot water and pour it into a mould, and before you know it

a great deal of money; dollars and dolla

p, or whatever is out in the closet. I make it a rule not to use up what I have here without replacing it at the earliest possible moment; that prevents my getting out of everything before I realize it. Then when I am feeling very poor, and am in need of a vegetab

t thing I do when I go to housekeeping will be to set

e; but get just a few very useful

ople came in to lunch the other day. It would have been much less trouble, and we

secondly, because the Cliffords have rather a habit of coming in to luncheon in that way, and once when I was showing them over the apartment they went through this closet, and I knew I wo

w what is to be to-day's lesson? Or is

rich cherries, strawberries, and such things. Those I use only when I have company; or, if I have a plain ice-cream, sometimes I put so

lueberries, and such things. Many of those I use in pies in winter, when I must economize on butter and eg

helps when one has a rather plain dinner. My jams and jellies come last, on these shelves, and here I have just the usual things, curr

es! What in the

, hung them up in a bag to drain, and when the juice was all out I boiled it fifteen minutes and put in the sugar and boiled it five more. Then I dropped in half a lemon for a moment to flavor it, and put it in glasses. It was firm in a short time. That explains my way of doing. I buy anything I find that is cheap and put up a glass of it one day and

ever cease to be astonished at it. Everything seems a trouble to me, a

After luncheon I find the juice is all out, because I have only a small amount of fruit, you see. I let that boil while I do the luncheon dishes, and put in the sugar, and it is done; I pour it into glass

ell me instead whether you do up

emon, and ginger-root; four pounds of pear, a pound and a half of sugar, an eighth of a pound of cooked and finely chopped ginger-root, and a chopped lemon. Boil it down thick, and

icely. And when, later still, the carts have the queer little whole figs covered with sugar, I preserve them. They are the best thin

you make

with three pounds of sugar and a handful of whole spices; that is a prett

at come

h chicken or a good company roast. Then, too, I make a little mint jelly to go with lamb, also for company. I divide the apple jelly when I make that, and in part I put a bunch of bruised mint, or if I cannot get that in winter at the butcher'

e expensive; do you go on and do them up regardless

rent as I can, and they do to help out in the place of the better things. Then I always have a good deal of summer fruit, for some of that is bound to be cheap at one time or another, no matter what the season i

hool or a hotel with all these things, but I suppose

inner and have a cupful left over, boil that down the next day with an orange and some raisins and a little more sugar, and you will

I shall be extravagant and use them all up a

le bit too plain, and if there is any over, do not feel bound to eat it up at luncheon the next day in order to '

ave the preserves

ries and put a crust on top only; they are about the best winter desserts that we ever have. And the bits of crust left over from them I make into small tartlets, to fill with jam or jelly and help out luncheons, or I cut the crust into strips and cover it with sugar and bake it

ry those; they sound perfect

hin it with water or milk and pour it on a buttered tin; bake it quickly, mark it off while warm into st

were not to

out part of the crumb; put in a spoonful of preserves or jam or half a peach and press the edge together so the opening does not show. Then cover the cakes with plain icing made by mixing a little water or milk with confectioner's sugar; when this is firm, serve the cakes f

, I could fill the middle with whipped

d of in two little ones, and split it and fill it with soft custard well thickened with corn-starch and flavored; or you could put jam be

y I suppose we sha'n't have cake very often if it has

small amount of butter and few eggs, and eat it up while it is fresh and good, rather than make a huge layer-cake that lasts a week and costs money. If you choose a good rule, you can vary it. One day bake the cake in a l

in time. When eggs are cheap I suppose we can indu

rd or with whipped cream; while for that good thing, pêche Melba, you need a round of rather stale sponge cake for each person, to stand half a peach on before you fill the top with ice-cream or fruit. And there is cabinet pudding, made by lining a mould with stale cake and filling the inside with custard, jam, and more cake cr

n other occasions, would he 'S

n plenty of articles here and there. I do not believe in using any eggs that are not fresh. I never put mine down in lime or brine or anything else. That seems a heresy, because it is possible to keep them in several ways. But I either buy good, fresh ones when I need them, or go without. One can easily manage to use v

you use a w

ld weather, when they are costly, as I said, I do w

ents, or fifty, a dozen

t choose, you know. The fact is, I economize everything else

do you never make a mistake and overrun your allowance? I ha

if you find you have spent more than your dollar a day, or if your tin bank is so low that you see you are not going to have enough in it for staples the next week, cut right down som

hat you will not have the same things over and over. If we are to have cheap meat always, and cheaper vegetables, and no fruit to speak of, it se

d keep that in a convenient place and run it over when you want anything. That is, have Puddings in one small square box, each recipe written out clearly with a nice black title. If you want one, run these over and sel

your meals? Do you begin with what you happen to have in the house, say a piece of mutton, half a can of tomatoes, and so

eals out of them. I always plan luncheon, dinner, and breakfast each morning. I never will think up breakfast after dinner at night. But I see what you mean, and in

ifficult, ju

e it calls for brains, and it cannot be learned in a moment, but it's a