Come Into My Kitchen
by

Cookbooks should be read in bed. Never in the heat of the moment when you're desperate for a different way to cook something that has been too long in residence. You don't have time to search for a salvaging operation. The time to read cookbooks, I reiterate, is when you're in bed.

This piece of wisdom applies equally to the treatment of what the medical profession insists on calling "the common cold." In my family it was always called "a Mennen cold." (I was a Mennen before I became a Marks.) The Mennen cold is the aristocrat of the cold genre. It's the kind of cold in which your nose drips like a faucet turned on in icy weather to prevent pipes from freezing; your throat is as raw as an uncooked steak; your eyes are as pink-rimmed as a white rabbit's and you're bursting at the seams with self-pity. Anatomically, nothing actually hurts enough to justify calling your ailment the flu-so you can't expect any sympathy from your friends and well-wishers. After all, it's just a cold, no big deal.

This is how we Mennens deal with our ailment: We rub our chest with smelly Vicks, rub some more on our throat, gargle with hot salt water and drink lots of liquids. But most important of all, we go to bed.

I have had major illnesses as well as minor. But none provided me with the self-pity I feel when I am in the throes of a true Mennen cold, when I accidentally glimpse myself in the mirror, all senses affected, the torrent at full tide, the Kleenex manufacturers made happy and rich.

If you can't claim to have the authentic flu, the kind that makes headlines every winter under different names, you can still go to bed armed with a trashy novel.

In my case, I take four or five cookbooks (they're more fascinating than any Agatha Christie mystery), pencil and pad, and jot down the recipes I might make when I return to normalcy and the kitchen. I didn't say actually cook them, mind you; just jot down the page number and title of the book. That should suffice. That way my time in bed isn't really wasted. I'm tasting with my mind and finding grist for my mill.

With my system, You don't feel guilty about lolling in bed all day; it comes under the heading of research. Whether you actually prepare the recipes is immaterial. Your cold may not be healing, but you're at peace with your conscience.
 

3 eggs
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt (I use Spice  Islands Beau Monde)
1/4 tsp. summer savory, crushed
3 Tablespoons milk or cream
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
2  Tablespoons butter or margarine

Heat oven to 35O degrees. Separate eggs. In small bowl, combine egg yolks, seasoning salt, summer savory and milk or cream. In small bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks. Gradually fold in egg yolk mixture until blended. Gently fold in 1/2 cup cheese.

In medium-size, ovenproof skillet, melt butter over low heat but do not brown. Pour in egg mixture, cook 2 to 3 minutes until bottom of omelet is just set. (You can pull a little back with spatula and peep).

Place in preheated oven and back 10 to 12 minutes until set but not dry. (Test with knife inserted in center.) Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and serve at once. Serves three.
 

1 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold skin milk
1/2 skim milk, heated to boiling
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 8-oz. container of 1% cottage cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

 In blender, sprinkle gelatin over cold milk, let stand 2 minutes. Add hot milk and process at low speed until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes
.
Add chocolate and process at high speed until completely melted, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and process at high speed until blended. Pour into 4 individual cups, chill 2 hours. 180 calories per serving.
 

(These are good and simple to make since they are formed and baked like refrigerator cookies. They may be frozen either before or after baking. If frozen before, allow to thaw in refrigerator before slicing.)

3/4 cup butter or margarine
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
2 tsp. minced chives
1/4. tsp. salt
Several dashes cayenne pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour, measured before sifting

In large bowl or electric mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and cheddar cheese until smooth. Blend in all other ingredients. Shape into 1-1/2 inch rolls, wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly. Slice about 1/8 inch thick and bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Yields 8 to 10 dozen.
 

1 lb. dried white beans (Great Northern)
10 cups water
4 cups chicken stock or canned broth
1 to 2 lbs smoked ham hocks
1 onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
pinch dried thyme
fresh parsley
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 small head green cabbage, shredded
1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed

Place white beans in large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches; soak overnight; drain well.

Return beans to pot, add 10 cups water, stock, ham hocks, whole onion, garlic and herbs. Bring to boil; reduce heat, partially cover and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally (about 2 hours). Add potatoes and carrots and simmer 30 minutes. May be prepared one day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add cabbage and cook about 8 minutes; drain well. Add cabbage and lima beans to soup; simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard onion, bay leaf, remove ham, cut meat from bones and cut into small pieces. Return meat to soup and reheat. Serves 10. Freezes well.
 

(All measurements are approximate and flexible; use whatever you have)
1 cup sliced onion
2 cups celery, coarsely cut
1-1/2 Cups carrots, sliced diagonally
2 cups green beans, cut small
1 large green pepper, diced
2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled (or canned with its juice)
1 can sliced water chestnuts