As it is quite necessary in preparing an entertainment to know the number of guests, it is well to send invitations. If the invitation is written, it of course requires a written answer. The note of invitation and the response to such should be Avritten in the simj3lest form, as this is always in good taste. If a less formal invitation is extended, send a servant with the message, through whom the party is ex- pected to accept or decline — at once enabling the hostess, if any one declines, to extend invitations to a corresponding number of other friends, if she so desires. In entertaining at a lunch, the dishes may be served much after the manner of dinner parties, either in courses or by placing every thing upon the table at once ; save the soup, and the dessert, such as ices, etc. A lunch not particularly fine may consist simply of thin slices of bread and butter, cold meat, pickles, or a salad (receipts for which can be found on pages 121-130), together with tea, coffee, or choco- late. These are served by the hostess, the cream and sugar being carried by the maid. Colored table-cloths are gen- erally used. A. tea-table set in the greatest simplicity, perfectly neat in all its appurtenances, decorated it may be with only a dish of ferns, may be made the occasion of an exquisite pleas- ure, as beautiful surroundings cannot but be productive of beautiful and elevating thoughts ; hence, why may we not make the entertainment of friends a study, since it is quite as sure a proof of cultured taste to like beautiful service and tempting food as to like any thing else that is artistic? 2 . 18 The New Kentucky Home Cook Book. Every lover of good cheer will hail with delight the re- vival of the long neglected supper. In the home circle there is no meal that brings so much real comfort and sat- isfaction as that at which the loved ones meet after the day's labor is ended. As they gather around the cheerful board, with what relish do they partake of the nice delicacies pre- pared with loving care! It is scarcely necessary to mention the best way of serving this pleasant meal, so many suitable dishes present themselves to one's mind. Many delicious ones may be prepared from the remains of the noonday re- past, directions for which can be found in the bills of fare written out for the day, as given on pages 334-350. In mak- ing a supper as an entertainment, the same directions for serv- ing may be carried out as given for dinner or lunch, omit- ting the soup. The same painstaking care should be evinced in the preparation. Have the silver, glass, china, and all the adjuncts of the table, as neat and elegant as possible, however informal the supper may be. Hoping that we have been sufficiently explicit in the di- rections given to serve as a guide to those needing instruc- tion in this department, we submit our work for your careful inspection, feeling assured that a trial of our " New Kentucky Home Cook Book" will gain your coveted ap- probation. SOUPS. Always use cold water in making soups. Skim well, and to help the scum rise pour in a little cold water now and then when the soup reaches the boiling point. Thick- ened soups require more seasoning than thin, and soups which form the principal part of a meal should be richer than those which precede a heavier course.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

As it is quite necessary in preparing an entertainment to know the number of guests, it is well to send invitations. If the invitation is written, it of course requires a written answer. The note of invitation and the response to such should be written in the simplest form, as this is always in good taste. If a less formal invitation is extended, send a servant with the message, through whom the party is expected to accept or decline — at once enabling the hostess, if any one declines, to extend invitations to a corresponding number of other friends, if she so desires. In entertaining at a lunch, the dishes may be served much after the manner of dinner parties, either in courses or by placing every thing upon the table at once ; save the soup, and the dessert, such as ices, etc. A lunch not particularly fine may consist simply of thin slices of bread and butter, cold meat, pickles, or a salad (receipts for which can be found on pages 121-130), together with tea, coffee, or chocolate. These are served by the hostess, the cream and sugar being carried by the maid. Colored table-cloths are generally used. A. tea-table set in the greatest simplicity, perfectly neat in all its appurtenances, decorated it may be with only a dish of ferns, may be made the occasion of an exquisite pleasure, as beautiful surroundings cannot but be productive of beautiful and elevating thoughts ; hence, why may we not make the entertainment of friends a study, since it is quite as sure a proof of cultured taste to like beautiful service and tempting food as to like any thing else that is artistic? The New Kentucky Home Cook Book. Every lover of good cheer will hail with delight the revival of the long neglected supper. In the home circle there is no meal that brings so much real comfort and satisfaction as that at which the loved ones meet after the day's labor is ended. As they gather around the cheerful board, with what relish do they partake of the nice delicacies prepared with loving care! It is scarcely necessary to mention the best way of serving this pleasant meal, so many suitable dishes present themselves to one's mind. Many delicious ones may be prepared from the remains of the noonday repast, directions for which can be found in the bills of fare written out for the day, as given on pages 334-350. In making a supper as an entertainment, the same directions for serving may be carried out as given for dinner or lunch, omitting the soup. The same painstaking care should be evinced in the preparation. Have the silver, glass, china, and all the adjuncts of the table, as neat and elegant as possible, however informal the supper may be. Hoping that we have been sufficiently explicit in the directions given to serve as a guide to those needing instruction in this department, we submit our work for your careful inspection, feeling assured that a trial of our " New Kentucky Home Cook Book" will gain your coveted approbation. SOUPS. Always use cold water in making soups. Skim well, and to help the scum rise pour in a little cold water now and then when the soup reaches the boiling point. Thickened soups require more seasoning than thin, and soups which form the principal part of a meal should be richer than those which precede a heavier course.

The new Kentucky home cook book