Music Welcome to snoozecast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us on snoozecast.com and follow us on Instagram at snoozecast to find behind the scenes content. If you would like to get an email once a week with upcoming sleep stories and other news, subscribe to the snoozeletter at snoozecast.com. This episode is brought to you by our Patreon supporters and by Coffee Service. Tonight, we'll read excerpts from the Myrtle Read Cookbook, written by Myrtle Read and published in 1916. Read was an American author, poet, journalist, and philanthropist. She was a diagnosed insomniac with prescribed sleeping potions called sleeping drafts in her day. Let's get cozy. Close your eyes.

Relax your body into the softness of your bed.

Now, take a few deep breaths. Let us proceed to our breakfast in which the table plays no small nor unimportant part. There are rumors that the pretty and sensible fashion of doilies on the bear table is on the wane, but let us hope these are untrue. Or, if not, that some of us may have the courage of our convictions and continue to adhere to a custom which has everything in its favor, and nothing against it. In the absence of handsome top of oak or mahogany, the breakfast cloths, friend or not, as one likes, which are about a yard and a quarter-square,

are the next best thing. Asbestos mats, under the cloth, protect the table from the hot dishes. Failing these fairly satisfactory substitutes are made from thin white oil cloth between two layers of Canton flannel, first side outside and quilted on the machine.

Grass table mats are also used but always under cloth or doily. Canton flannel, quilted, three layers to a mat is easily washed and furnishes a great deal of protection. Breakfast most assuredly is not dinner and there should be a distinct difference in the laying of the table. The small doilys are easily washed and fresh ones are possible every morning and assured gain in the way of daintiness. Let us suppose that we have a handsome tabletop and an unlimited supply of doilies, tray cloths and centerpieces. First, the centerpiece goes on exactly in the center, by the way, and not with a prejudice leaning to one side or the other. On this belongs the pot of growing fern, the low jar containing a few simple flowers, or a bowl of fruit, decorated with green leaves, if green leaves are to be at each place each place the breakfasts doily, 9 or 12 inches square, a small doily for the coffee cup, and another for the glass of water. At the right of the plate, the small silver knife, sharp edge, toward the plate, the spoons for fruit and cereal at the left, one fork or two as needed, and the coffee spoon. in front of the master of the house, the small platter containing the peace de resistance will eventually be placed in front of the mistress of the mansion, the silver tray bearing the coffee service, coffee pot, hot water, pitcher, cream jug, milk pitcher, and sugar bowl. Breakfast napkins are smaller than dinner napkins, and the small, fringe napkins are not out of place. Costly thy habit as thy purse will buy, might well refer to linen, for it is the one thing in which price is a direct guarantee of quality.

Satisfactory breakfast cloths and napkins

are made of linen sheeting,

fringed, ham stitched, or carefully hemmed by hand.

And in this way, a pretty cloth can be had for less money than in any other. The linen wears well, washes beautifully, and acquires a finer sheen with every tumping. and borders of a heavy lace make a breakfast cloth suitable for the most elaborate occasion and separate doilys may easily be made to match. The heavy white embroidery which has recently come into favor is unusually attractive here. Finger bowls wait on the sideboard to be placed after the fruit course or after breakfast. Rosewater, slice of lemon, geranium leaves, and other finger bowl refinements in favor for dinners are out of place at breakfast. Clear, cool water is in better taste. The China used at the breakfast table should be different from that used at dinner.

Have you aware is permissible and more latitude in the way of decoration is given?

Much of the breakfast China won season the shops is distinctly cheerful and tone, and one must take care to select the more quiet patterns. It is not pleasant to go to breakfast with a fickle appetite and be greeted by a trumpet-toned, good morning from the China. Endless difference is allowed, however, and all the quaint, pretty jugs, pictures, and plates may properly be used at breakfast. One is wise, however, to have a particular color scheme in mind and to buy all China to blend with it. Blue and white is a good combination, and is, perhaps, more suitable for the morning meal than anything else. As a certain philosopher says, the blue and white looks so pretty with the eggs. The craft, muffin plate, platter, and all other bowls, platters, plates, and pictures, not on the individual cover, have each a separate doily with the protecting mat always under hot dishes.

A well-set table is governed by a simple law, that of precision. arranged in an order little less than military. All angles either right or acute will, for some occult reason, always look well. Informality may be given by the arrangement of the flowers, by a flower or two late carelessly on the table.

But one must be careful not to trifle too much with this law of precision. Knives, forks and spoons must all be laid straight, but not near enough together to touch, and napkins and dishes must be precisely placed, else confusion and riot will result. The breakfast selected as a type consists of fruit, a cereal, salt fish or salt meat, or eggs or omelettes, hot bread of some kind, and pancakes or waffles or coffee cake, one dish from each group and coffee. Six dishes in all which may be less if desired but never more. All All six form a breakfast sufficiently hearty for a stone mason or a piano mover. One or two give a breakfast light enough to tempt those who eat no breakfast at all. For serving it are required small and medium-sized plates, knives, forks, spoons, and cups, platters, service plates, cups and and saucers, glasses, coffee pot, pictures, sugar bowl, and cream jug, syrup, picture, and fruit bowl. Fruit is said to be gold in the morning and it is a poor breakfast indeed from which it is omitted. Even in winter it is not hard to secure variety if time and thought be taken for the dried fruits are always in the market, and by careful cooking may be made acceptable to the most uncertain appetite. authorities recommend a glass of water take taken the first thing upon rising. Either hot or cold as suits one best, a little lemon juice takes the flat taste from plain hot water. clear, cool water, not iced, needs nothing at all. This simple observance of a very obvious hygienic rule will temper the tempestuous morning for anyone. and washes his face, his hands, his body, then why not his stomach, which has worked hard a large part of the night and is earnestly desirous of the soothing refreshment of a bath.

Fruits, apples, one. When served whole, apples should be carefully washed and rubbed to a high polish with a crash towel. Only perfect fruit should be served in this way, and green leaves in the fruit bowl are especially desirable. Fruit knives are essential. 2, 2, quarter, and core, good eating apples, removing all imperfections. Serve a few quarters on each plate, with or without sugar. A sprinkle of cinnamon or lemon juice will improve fruit which has little flavor. A grating of nutmeg may also be used. cuts. One,ipe with a dry cloth and serve with fruit knives. A green leaf on each plate is a dainty fruit doily. Two Canned Drain Rinse in cold water arrange on plates and let stand several hours before serving sugar or not as desired. the syrup to flavor syrup for pancakes or to use for puttings or fritters. 3. Dried Soak overnight. Cook very slowly in the water in which they were soaked, adding very little sugar. Serve with cereal, or separately for sauce. Cook as above and rub the fruit through a sieve. The canned, dried, and freshened fruit may be used in the same way.

1. Serve in the skins with fruit knives, one to each person. Two, skin and scrape and serve immediately. People who cannot ordinarily eat bananas usually find them harmless when the tough, stringy pulp is scraped off. 3. Bake Bake without peeling, basting with hot water and melted butter occasionally. Let cool in the skins. For baked, skin, scrape, and bake, basting with lemon juice and melted butter, sprinkle with sugar if desired. 5. Oh, natural. Slice into saucers. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar. 6. With sugar and cream. Slice. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Pour cream over and and serve at once.

Seven with oranges, slice, add an equal quantity of sliced oranges and sprinkle with sugar. Heat with cereal slice fresh bananas into a saucer. Sprinkle with sugar, cover with boiled rice, or with any preferred cereal. Blackberries. with powdered sugar, with or without cream. A tablespoon of cracked ice and a saucer of berries is appreciated on a hot morning.

Cherries One

Serve very cold with the stems on.

A dainty way is to lay the cherries upon a bed of cracked ice

and serve with powdered sugar in individual dishes. 2. Pit the cherries, saving the juice and serve in saucers with sugar and plenty of cracked ice. Three, ice. Beat the white of an egg to a foam. Dip each cherry into it. Then roll in powdered sugar and set on a platter in the refrigerator, must be prepared overnight. Four, crusts, butter rounds of stale bread, spread with pitted cherries and their juice, sprinkle with sugar and bake. Serve very cold. Currants. Serve in cracked ice with plenty of sugar. These are also served iced and on crusts. Figs. Maybe served from the basket? This, of course, applies only to the more expensive varieties, which are clean. The ordinary dried fig of commerce must be washed many times and is usually sweet enough without adding more sugar.. Set a plate of fix in a steamer over boiling water until plump and soft. Then set away to cool. Stood.

Clean, soak and cook slowly till tender in a little water. GIMM OUT, DRAIN, SWEET IN THE SEARUP SLIGHTLY. reduce one half, pour over the figs and cool.

A bit of vanilla or wine may be added to the syrup. Crapes.

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