hted and this first course passed, the hostess may at least
be sure of a short interval in which to make her preparations. Have
everything ready beforehand--the rest is easy. Why there should be so
much excitement over the cooking of an ordinary rarebit, a creamed
chicken, a souffle of oysters or all this terrible excitement about a
lobster Newberg or a simple cheese fondue is beyond comprehension.

The first ambition of the young hostess seems to be a rarebit, possibly
because its frequent introduction at stag suppers makes it a great
favorite with her men friends. Rarebits are avowedly hard to make, and
the recipes are legion, but whatever formula you use, whether you use
cream, ale, beer, curry or Tobasco, never fail to add two half-beaten
eggs for each pound of cheese, and serve the minute it reaches a creamy
consistency. This principle followed, your rarebit woes will vanish, and
the fame of your chafing dish will be heralded abroad.

Unless you are really an experienced cook, it is unwise to attempt too
complicated a dish, but a little practice will soon put you quite at
ease, and a little thought will enable you to serve your Sunday-night
supper or a midnight lunch quite as easily this way as any other.

We are most of us familiar enough with simple cooking to prepare any
ordinary dish, and without entering into a list of formulae, the
following suggestions will be found all sufficient:

Ham, oyster, bacon, cheese, potato, jelly, celery or preserved fruit
omelets; scrambled eggs; curried oysters or chicken; minced ham or
minced tongue souffle; fried shad roe, calves brains, chops, sausages or
sardines; creamed chicken with mushrooms, creamed sweetbreads, liver,
bacon, lobster, oysters, cold boiled fish of all kinds; fried oyster,
clam, corn, pineapple, peach, orange or banana fritters (fried in
butter); cheese fondue, Welsh rarebit, sardines in cheese sauce, or any
other simple little dish your fancy may dictate. With such an array as
this to choose from, and a hundred other equally simple dishes in
reserve, is it possible for any one to despair over the impossibilities
of the chafing dish and its limited qualifications for a quick, hot
supper?

CHAFING DISH CHAT.

While recipes for chafing dish cookery abound, the little hints which
make all the difference between success and failure in the concoction of
any given dish are usually omitted.

The chafing dish novice is usually obliged to learn them by tha