A woman mast take short-cuts to those necessary "three meals-a-day" if she wants time to enjoy friends, books, music and clubs, an occasional motor ride, an hour or two in the open. So plan to serve a last-minute meal to your family on certain days. I can vouch for the suggestions and recipes given in this book. They were worked out especially for you, in my own kitchen by trained food experts and practical housewives. The foods were bought in our neighborhood grocery.

THERE are two ways of cutting down the labor of preparing meals. One is to make use of such devices as the tireless cooker, the oven heat regulator, the steamer and the casserole. Food put in charge of these silent servants needs little or no watching and with their aid a housewife may safely take an "afternoon off," returning just in time to dish up the evening meal.

The other short-cut is even simpler. Prepared and semi-prepared foods of every conceivable kind can be purchased in cans or packages and can be made ready for the table in a very few minutes.