MRS. WILSON'S COOK BOOK

NUMEROUS NEW RECIPES BASED ON PRESENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

BY

MRS. MARY A. WILSON

(MRS. WILSON'S COOKING SCHOOL, PHILADELPHIA)

FORMERLY QUEEN VICTORIA'S CUISINIERE AND INSTRUCTOR DOMESTIC SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SUMMER SCHOOL, CHARLOTTEVILLE, VIRGINIA

INSTRUCTOR OF COOKING FOR THE U.S. NAVY

THIRD PRINTING

PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY

MRS. M.A. WILSON IN HER OWN WELL-EQUIPPED KITCHEN

TO
MY FAMILY FOR THEIR UNTIRING
EFFORTS IN BEHALF OF THIS BOOK

PREFACE

The influence of well-cooked, palatable food upon the health and general well-being of the family is as certain as that of changes of temperature and more serious in its consequences for lasting good or ill.

The sage old saying "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are" is as full of the "pith o' sense" to-day as in ye days of long ago, for food either makes us physically fit and fully efficient, or miserable failures with physical complications that keep us constantly in the physician's hands.

The vital essences of that which we prepare for eating are "medicinal messengers" bearing light to the eye, vigor to the limb, beauty to the cheek and alertness to the brain, as vitamines, or distorted in the misdirected process are the harsh heralds of pain and debility to the human system. How great then is the influence of the one who prepares it!

Influence, according to astrology, was "a power or virtue flowing from the planets upon men and things," but from the kitchen, as a sun and heat centre, there truly flows a planetary influence that makes or mars us.

Scientific cooking means the elimination of waste, the preservation of edible resources and conservation of their potential energy through the preparation of attractive, vitalizing food with minimum cost and labor, thus providing in wide, deep measure, for harmony, personal comfort and domestic peace.

The preface of a book is too often a flat, spiritless excuse for offering it to the public instead of being a hearty announcement in welcome terms of the arrival of a much-desired provision for a real need, so I will come to the essential point at once by saying that gathered here, in these pages, are my best recipes, truly "tried in the fire," the actual working results of many years' teaching and lecturing, brought "up to the minute" in the interests of that exacting domestic economy now, as rarely before, imperative in its demands.

It will also be noted that the heavy cook-book style is not used here but the recipes are presented as if housewife and author were conversing upon the dish in question, and to her I will say: economical, palatable food is within your reach if you will discard the ideas and methods of long ago. Remember, you would not prefer to ride in a horse car, as a means of conveyance, so why use the recipes of those days?

The capable housewife, whose busy hands bake bread, cake and pastry, spreads forth to the community an influence that is priceless, a largesse not of festal day, holy day, or holiday, but thrice daily, wholesome and welcome as spring's first sunbeam and precious to every home so blessed, ever growing and radiating. May this book help in that growth and a greater radiation!

The Author

MRS. WILSON'S COOK BOOK

Bread, the staff of life, must be palatable and good if we are to be satisfied with it when we eat.

Can you think of anything that will spoil a meal more quickly than poor, over moist, doughy or heavy bread?

Bread may truly be called the staff of life, as it will maintain life longer than any other single food.

Yet many women think bread-making is a simple task; that the ingredients can be thrown together helter-skelter and good results obtained; or that any kind of flour will make good bread. This is a great mistake. To make good palatable bread it requires good materials, a reasonable amount of care and attention. But first of all must come the knowledge of the flour.

A good blend of hard winter flour is necessary and it can easily be tested by pressing a small quantity of it in the hand; if the flour is good, it will retain the shape of the hand. Graham or whole wheat flour and rye flours can be used for variety and to advantage in making bread.

Other cereal flours do not contain gluten to allow them to be used alone for making the yeast-raised breads. Keep this in mind and thus prevent failures. The yeast is a single-cell plant and must be given the proper temperature, moisture and food for its successful growth. When this is supplied, each little cell multiples a thousand times, thus pushing and stretching the dough. This makes it rise or become light.

WHY DOUGH FALLS

When the yeast cells have absorbed or consumed all the food that they can obtain from the sugar, flour, etc., the dough will recede or fall. Now, if the dough is carefully handled at a given time, this will not take place, and so for this reason the dough is permitted to stand only for a given length of time before it is worked and then placed in the pans.

Few utensils will be required for making bread, but they must be scrupulously clean, if the bread is to have a good flavor. Potatoes and other cooked cereals may be used with good results. Compressed yeast will give the best results, and either the sponge or straight dough method may be used.

Bread made by the sponge method will require a longer time to make than the bread that is made by the straight dough method. Sponge dough consists of setting the sponge and letting it rise until it drops back, usually in two and one-half hours, and then adding sufficient flour to make a dough that can easily be handled.

The straight dough method consists of making a dough at the start. To make bread successfully, do not set the dough over the range, do not set it on the radiators and do not place it where it will be in a draft, to rise. Cold chills the dough and retards the yeast. Yeast grows successfully only in a warm moist temperature from 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

DOUGH BOX

I would like to tell the housewife about a dough box that I have found to work very successfully. The baker's success in making bread is founded on the fact that he can regulate the temperature of his shop and thus prevent drafts from chilling the dough. This box is just an ordinary cracker box with the lid hinged on it. It is then lined with thick asbestos paper on the inside and then covered with oilcloth on the outside. The [pg 3] bowl with the dough is then placed in the box to retain its temperature and to be free from drafts while it rises. In cold weather this box can be heated by placing a warm iron in it when starting to mix the dough, and then removing the iron before placing the dough in the box. This box will easily pay for the time and cost in a few weeks, and then, too, it will prevent failure.

Now to get the proper temperature—always use a thermometer. Remember that you cannot successfully gauge the correct temperature of liquids that are used for making bread by testing with the finger or by testing them from the spoon. Any plain thermometer that can be found in the house will do for this work. Scrub it with soda and water to remove the paint. Remember, in cold weather to heat the mixing bowl. See that the flour is not lower than 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

All water or half water and milk may be used in making bread. When the milk is used it must be scalded and then allowed to cool. Evaporated or condensed milk does not require scalding. Simply add the hot water to acquire the proper temperature.

POINTS THAT WILL MAKE FOR SUCCESSFUL BAKING

Earthen mixing bowls or clean cedar pails make the best utensils to set the bread dough in. These utensils will retain the heat and are easy to clean, and when they are closely covered, prevent a hard crust from forming on the dough.

Do not fail to give the dough plenty of proof—that is, let it rise for a sufficient length of time as given in the recipes.

Use a good grade of blended flour.

Use the ball of the hand, near the wrist, to knead and work the dough. Kneading is most important and should be thoroughly done. Do not be afraid of hurting the dough; you can [pg 4] handle it as roughly as you like. Heavy, active kneading distributes the yeast organisms and develops the elasticity of the gluten and gives body and strength to the dough.

Now, a word about the baking. Bread is baked to kill the fermentation and to hold the glutinous walls of the dough in place and to cook the starch and thus make it palatable and easy to digest.

An oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit is necessary. Do not have it any hotter than this. Too much heat browns the loaf before it has time to bake in the centre.

SALT

Salt controls the action of the yeast. It also retards or delays the proper fermentation if too large an amount of it is used. Then again, if not enough salt is added to the mix, the yeast becomes too active and thus produces an overlight loaf of bread. One ounce of salt to each quart of liquid in summer, and three-fourths of an ounce in winter will give the best results to the home baker.

BAKING THE BREAD

Now turn on a moulding board and cut into five parts or loaves. Allow about nineteen ounces to each loaf. Take the dough up between the hands and work into a round ball. Place on the moulding board and cover for ten minutes. Now with the palm of the hand flatten out the dough and then fold halfway over, pounding well with the hand. Now, take the dough between the hands and stretch out, knocking it against the moulding board, fold in the ends and shape into loaves. Place in well-greased pans and brush the top of each loaf with shortening. Cover and let raise for 45 minutes. Bake in a hot oven for 45 minutes and brush with shortening when removing from the oven. Let cool and then the bread is ready to use.

SPONGE METHOD

Generally speaking, the sponge method produces a lighter and whiter loaf than the bread made by the straight dough method. Bread made by the straight dough method has the advantage over bread made by the sponge method in flavor, texture and keeping qualities.

SPONGE METHOD

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water and add the flour. Beat to thoroughly blend and then set aside to raise for three hours, then add

Work to a smooth elastic dough. This takes usually about ten minutes, after the flour is worked into the dough. Place in a greased bowl and then turn over the dough to coat with shortening. This prevents a crust from forming on the dough. Set aside to raise for two hours and then pull the sides down to the centre of the dough and punch down. Turn the dough over and let raise for one and one-quarter hours.

THE CARE OF THE BREAD AFTER BAKING

The jar, crock or box in which the bread is kept should be scrupulously clean. It should be scalded and aired one day every week in winter and three times weekly during the spring, summer and early fall. Keep the fact in mind that the bread [pg 6] kept in a poorly ventilated box will mould and spoil and thus be unfit for food.

Place the freshly baked bread on a wire rack to thoroughly cool before storing. Do not put old bread in the box with the new baking. Plan to use the stale bread for toast, dressings, bread and cabinet puddings, croutons and crumbs.

THE FOOD VALUE OF BREAD

Wheat contains the sixteen needed elements for nutrition, and when made into palatable bread, it forms about 40 per cent. of our total food requirements. Stale bread digests much easier than fresh bread for the reason that when thoroughly masticated in the mouth the saliva acts directly upon the starchy content. Fresh bread, unless thoroughly chewed, so that it may be well broken up, becomes a hard, pasty ball in the stomach, which requires that organ to manufacture the additional gastric juices to break up this dough ball.

Bread from one to three days old easily digests. Graham and whole wheat breads contain a larger percentage of nutriment than the white breads.

OVEN TEMPERATURE

Many housewives feel that it is impossible to secure accurate results in baking in the gas range; this is due to the fact that few women really understand the principle of baking with gas.

To secure a slow oven, light both burners and let them burn for five minutes; then turn both of them down low, turning the handle that controls the flow of gas two-thirds off. This will maintain a steady even heat. A slow oven requires 250 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit of heat. A moderate oven is 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit of heat. It can be obtained by burning both burners of gas range for eight minutes and then turning them down one-half to maintain this heat.

A hot oven requires 425 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and will need to have the burners burning twelve minutes and then turned off one-quarter.

This heat is intense and entirely too hot for breads, pastries and cakes. Meats require this heat for one-half of the length of time in the period of cooking. This heat is also necessary for broiling, grilling, etc.

Now, also try to utilize the full oven space when baking by cooking two or more dishes at the same time. Vegetables may be placed in casseroles or earthen dishes or even ordinary saucepans; cover them closely and cook in the oven until tender. This will not injure other foods baking in the oven.

Do not place breads, cakes and pastries upon the top shelf; rather, place them on the lower shelf and cook in moderate oven. Do you know that there are still among us women who firmly believe that placing other foods to cook in oven with cake will surely spoil it? This is a mistake; utilize every bit of oven space.

An oven thermometer soon pays for itself. Pay strict attention to heating the oven; if the oven is too hot, the heat is wasted, while it cools sufficiently. This wastes gas. When food is first placed in the oven, keep oven door closed for first ten minutes and then open when necessary.

Placing food in oven will materially reduce the heat. Do not try to increase the heat; just as soon as the mixture acquires the heat, the baking will begin in the usual manner and the dish will be ready to remove from oven in given time.

Never keep the oven waiting for the food; rather let food remain in cool place while oven is heating.

Before mixing materials select the pans that will best fit the oven. This does not mean that you must discard your present equipment. It means that you should place in groups such pans that entirely fill oven space without crowding. Keep this fact in mind when purchasing new utensils.

The best and whitest rye flour is milled from the centre of the grains in a manner similar to wheat flour. When only the bran is removed from the milling, we have the darker flour, carrying a heavy pronounced flavor. The rye meal is used for making pumpernickel, a Swiss and Swedish rye flour bread.

HOME-MADE YEAST

Wash four potatoes and then cut in slices, without peeling, and place in saucepan, and add three pints of water. Cook until the potatoes are soft and then add

Cook slowly for one-half hour. Rub the mixture through a fine sieve and then pour hot mixture on

Stir until well mixed, beating free from lumps. Cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Now add

Stir well to mix and then let ferment in a warm place for ten hours. Now pour into jar or crock and store in a cool place.

TO USE

Use one and one-half cups of this mixture in place of the yeast cake. Always stir well before using and take care that the mixture does not freeze. This potato ferment must be made fresh every eighteen days in winter and every twelve days in summer.

STRAIGHT DOUGH VIENNA

Stir well to thoroughly dissolve, and then add

Work to a smooth dough and then knead for ten minutes. Then place in a well-greased bowl, turning the dough over to thoroughly coat. This prevents a crust from forming on the dough.

Cover the bowl and set aside to raise for three and one-half hours. Now lay over the dough by pulling in toward the centre, the sides and ends of the dough until it forms a compact mass. Turn over the dough, cover and let rise for one hour. Now place on the moulding board and proceed to form into loaves, using the same method as in the sponge dough.

TO PREPARE LOAF

When the dough is ready to mould into loaves, proceed; using method as given in sponge dough, finally rolling the loaf on the moulding board, making it pointed at the ends. Now place a clean cloth in a deep baking pan and sprinkle the cloth with cornmeal. Place the loaf of dough on the cloth and sprinkle it lightly with cornmeal. Now lift the cloth up close to the dough, making a cloth partition between each loaf.

Let the dough rise, about 45 minutes, and when ready to bake, lift dough carefully from the cloth and lay on a baking sheet and gash slightly with a sharp knife. Wash with an egg and water, wash and back forty-five minutes in a hot oven, adding a small saucepan of boiling water to provide steam to keep the loaf moist while baking.

One-half of above recipes for small family.

TO MAKE THE FAMOUS FRENCH BREAD

Pare and cut in slices two medium-sized potatoes. Cook until very soft in three cups of water. When cooked rub through a sieve and cool. There must be two cups of this mixture. When the mixture is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, pour in the mixing bowl and add

Stir to thoroughly dissolve and then add eight cups of flour. Work to a dough and then proceed as in the straight dough method. When the dough is ready for the pans, cut or divide into six pieces and mould into loaves, three inches thick and twelve inches long, and set to rise like the Vienna bread, then bake, using the same method.

RYE BREAD

Mix and then add

Work to a dough and ferment three and one-quarter hours, then proceed as in the straight dough method. When the dough is ready for the pans use the same method as for Vienna bread. Bake in a similar manner, having the oven heated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rye bread requires an oven hotter than for wheat bread. Wash the rye bread when taking from the oven with warm water. Caraway seeds may be added if desired.

GRAHAM BREAD

Stir until dissolved and then crumble in one yeast cake, dissolve thoroughly, and then add

Work to a dough and then proceed as in the straight dough method.

ENTIRE WHEAT BREAD

Mix thoroughly and then crumble in one yeast cake and stir until dissolved, then add

Work to a smooth elastic dough and proceed as in a straight dough.

PRUNE BREAD

Wash to thoroughly cleanse one-half pound of prunes and then stone and with a pair of scissors cut into small pieces the size of a raisin. When the bread is ready to go into the pans add the prunes and knead the dough well to distribute the prunes. Then place in pans and proceed as usual.

BRAN BREAD

Mix and then crumble in one yeast cake. Stir until dissolved, and then add

Proceed as in the straight dough method.

CALIFORNIA ORANGE BREAD

Grate the rind of two oranges and then place in a bowl and add

Beat to mix and then dissolve one yeast cake in one cup of water 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and add to the above mixture; then work in sufficient flour to make a smooth elastic dough; usually about eight cups. Place in a greased bowl and turn the dough to thoroughly coat with grease. Cover and let rise for three hours. Pull the corners of the dough to the centre and punch down, turn over and let rise again for one hour. Repeat the punching down and then let rise for three-quarters of an hour. Turn out on a moulding board and mould into three loaves, adding

and keep the third loaf plain. Place in greased pans and let rise for three-quarters of an hour. Bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes. The temperature of the oven should be 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

This bread is delicious for sandwiches. Undoubtedly one of the causes of the failure in making breads at home is that the process is hurried and the bread is insufficiently baked. The size and shape of the pans affect the quality of the bread. Avoid too deep or shallow pans. A pan, 7½ by 4¼ inches, will give the best results.

Turn the bread on a wire cake rack to cool. This permits the free circulation of air.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD

Place in a bowl

Dissolve the baking soda in the tablespoon of water and add

Beat to mix and then let cool, add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour in well-greased moulds and cover and steam or boil for one and one-half hours. Remove the cover and place in a slow oven for twenty minutes to dry out. A one-pound coffee can makes a splendid mould.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD

Place in a mixing bowl

Stir to thoroughly dissolve the soda, then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then grease thoroughly one-pound coffee can and fill two-thirds full with this mixture. Put on the lid and steam for two hours, then remove the lid and place the can in the oven to dry out. One-pound baking-powder cans may be used to replace the coffee cans.

SCOTCH OAT BREAD

Place in a bowl

Crumble in one yeast cake and then mix until the yeast cake is dissolved and then add

Beat to mix and then let the sponge rise for two and a half hours. Now add

Knead to smooth elastic dough and then place in a greased bowl, turning the dough to coat thoroughly with shortening. Let [pg 15] rise for one and three-quarter hours. Pull the corners down to the centre and punch down. Turn over and let rise for one hour. Now turn out on moulding board and cut into loaves. Shape between the hands and place on the moulding board and cover. Let spring for ten minutes and then shape for pans. Place in well-greased pans and brush the tops of loaves with melted shortening. Let rise forty minutes. Bake in hot oven.

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

Place in a bowl

Scald and pour into the bowl

Stir to thoroughly blend; cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Now crumble in one yeast cake, stirring until thoroughly dissolved, then add

Knead to smooth elastic dough; clean out the bowl and grease thoroughly, place in the bowl and press firmly against the bottom, turn over; then cover and set aside to rise for three and one-half hours. Punch or knead down, turn over and let rise one hour. Now turn out on moulding board and shape like a long French loaf, and with scissors or French knife cut into pieces the size of a large egg. Roll quickly between the hands to form a round ball, set on moulding board and let rise for ten minutes. Flatten out, using small rolling pin or palm of hand, brush with shortening, fold pocketbook style and set on well-greased baking sheet two inches apart to rise for twenty minutes; bake in hot oven for fifteen minutes, brush with melted shortening as soon as removed from oven.

RASP ROLLS

Prepare dough as for Parker House rolls, cutting dough in pieces the size of a small orange; round up between the hands, place on moulding board and cover for five minutes. Now roll on moulding board to form a ball, using the palm of the hand; place on well-greased baking sheet; let rise twenty-five minutes, bake in moderate oven twenty minutes—cool, rub each roll over grater to rasp, removing a light coating of the crust.

LUNCHEON ROLLS

Prepare dough as for Parker House rolls and cut in pieces the size of small egg; round up and cover and let rise ten minutes, roll between the board and hands, forming points on end of rolls. Finish as for Parker House rolls.

RICH PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

Scald one pint of milk, adding

Cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and then pour into the mixing bowl, and add

And then add

Work to a smooth elastic dough, grease a clean bowl and place the dough in it. Turn several times to coat the dough thoroughly with the shortening. This prevents a crust from forming. [pg 17] Set in a place free from drafts and let rise for three and one-half hours, then punch down and turn over. Let rise one and one-quarter hours. Punch again and then let rise three-quarters of an hour. Now turn on the pastry board and mould into a long strip not quite as thick as the rolling pin. Break the dough off into pieces weighing about one and one-half ounces. Form into balls and then cover and let spring or rise for ten minutes; take a ball of the dough and round it well on the board, then flatten slightly with the palm of the hand. Now mark a decided crease with the back of a knife down the centre of the roll. Fold over in pocketbook style, patting the turn in the roll hard with the hand. Lay on well-greased tins, brushing the rolls with shortening. Let rise for twenty minutes and then wash with egg and bake in a hot oven.

FINGER OR SANDWICH ROLLS

Use the Parker House roll dough, cutting it into pieces one and one-half ounces in weight. Mould into balls and then set on a board and cover for ten minutes to let spring. Now mould into finger shapes and place on greased pans and proceed as in Parker House rolls.

FLUKES

Prepare as for finger rolls, pointing the dough at both ends by rolling into a shape similar to a sweet potato.

BRAIDS

Break off pieces of the dough three-quarters of an ounce in weight and then mould into balls and let spring for five minutes. Now mould out into rope-shaped pieces a little longer than a lead pencil. Fasten the three pieces together and then plait. Process as for finger rolls.

RUSK OR TEA BISCUITS

Prepare dough as for Parker House rolls, cut and form in small-sized balls, cover, and let rise ten minutes. Now, round up by rolling between the hands, set very closely together in deep, well-greased pans, let rise forty minutes, bake in a moderate oven; brush with syrup and water and dust with sugar as soon as removed from the oven.

CRESCENTS

Use the Parker House roll dough and then break off into pieces weighing about twelve ounces. Mould into balls and then cover and let spring for ten minutes. Now roll out the dough one-half inch thick with rolling pin and cut into five-inch squares. Cut each square into a triangle and brush lightly with shortening. Roll from the cut side towards the point, lapping the point closely. Form into crescent when setting in well-greased pan, brush with shortening and cover and let rise for eighteen minutes. Wash with milk and water. Bake for eighteen minutes in a hot oven.

ENGLISH BATH BUNS

Melt four ounces of butter and then place in a mixing bowl and add

Then add

Stir to thoroughly mix and then add four cups of flour and work to a smooth elastic dough. Grease the mixing bowl well [pg 19] and then put in the dough. Press down well and then turn over. Cover and set to rise for four hours, then turn on a moulding board and knead for two minutes. Cut into pieces for biscuits. Roll between the hands into round balls and then cover and let set on the moulding board for ten minutes. Now press flat with the hands and let rise on a well-greased baking sheet. Let rise for thirty minutes, then brush with a mixture of

Bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

SALLY LUNN

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to thoroughly blend, and then add

Beat well, cover and let rise for three hours, beat again. Now grease thoroughly an oblong or round baking pan; take the Sally Lunn and beat for five minutes, pour into the prepared pan, having the dough fill the pan about one-half; let rise twenty minutes in warm place, bake in hot oven twenty-five minutes, then dust with sugar.

PLAIN BUNS

Weigh out eighteen ounces of dough and divide into one dozen pieces. Mould into balls and let spring for ten minutes. Now [pg 20] mould up nice and round and then set close together on a well-greased pan. Let rise for thirty-five minutes, and then brush the tops with egg and water; wash and dust lightly with sugar. Bake for eighteen minutes in a hot oven. A small pan of boiling water may be placed in the oven when baking these rolls.

For variety's sake, part of the dough may be baked plain. To the balance add caraway seeds, a little citron, nutmeg or a few currants. If carefully baked and cooled, these rolls may be stored in an air-tight box and they will keep for several days. To reheat, place in an oven with a pan of boiling water for ten minutes to freshen.

Egg wash: One egg and one-fourth cup of milk; beat to mix; apply with small paint brush.

STICKY CINNAMON BUNS

Scald one cup of milk and then place

in the mixing bowl, and pour over it the scalded milk. Stir to thoroughly mix and then cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Now dissolve one-half yeast cake in one-half cupful of water 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and when the milk is at the proper temperature, add six cupfuls of flour and work to a smooth dough. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning the dough around in the bowl so that it will be thoroughly coated with shortening. Cover and let rise three and one-half hours. Now pull the sides of the dough into the centre and punch down, turning the dough over. Let rise again for one hour, then turn on a moulding board and divide the dough in half. Knead each piece into a ball. Cover and let rise or spring for ten minutes. Now roll out one-quarter inch thick, using a rolling pin. Brush with melted shortening and sprinkle well with brown sugar, using [pg 21] about one cupful. Now dust with two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon and spread over the prepared dough one and one-half cupfuls of currants or small seedless raisins. Begin at the edge and roll like a jelly-roll. Cut in pieces one and one-half inches thick and then place in prepared pans and let rise for one hour. Then bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes.

To prepare the pan for the cinnamon buns:

Grease the pan very thickly with shortening and then spread one cupful brown sugar and one-half cupful of currants or small seedless raisins evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place buns in pan and let rise for one hour in a warm place, then bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes.

Now for the trick. When the buns are baked, brush the pastry board with shortening, then place

in a saucepan, mix thoroughly, and then bring to a boil. Now, just as soon as the buns are baked, turn from the pan at once and brush well with the prepared syrup, brushing the bottom with the syrup, as brushing the candied part of the buns prevents it from hardening. Let cool and then use.

ST. NAZAIRE BUNS

Prepare the dough as for cinnamon buns and when ready to turn on the moulding board add

Work well to distribute the fruit and then form into a long roll three inches thick. Cut off pieces about one and one-half ounces and form into buns. Let rest for fifteen minutes and then roll into round buns and place in a well-greased baking pan [pg 22] and let rise for thirty minutes. Make a hole in the centre of each bun with a small wooden stick and wash the buns with egg and milk. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Cool, and then fill the centre with jelly, and ice with water icing.

PINWHEELS

Prepare the dough and roll as for cinnamon buns; cut in slices one-half inch thick; place inch apart in well-greased baking sheet, let rise twenty-five minutes, brush with egg wash; sprinkle with finely chopped peanuts and bake in moderate oven twenty minutes.

CINNAMON CAKE

You can use part of the dough for cinnamon cake. Cut the dough into pieces and then roll out three-fourths of an inch thick. Place in pans, stretching and rolling the dough to fit pan. Brush with shortening and then cover with crumbs, made as follows:

Rub the mixture until crumbly and then spread as directed. Let rise thirty-five minutes, bake in hot oven fifteen minutes.

COCOANUT ICING

Spread on the buns with a spatula.

COCOANUT BUNS

Prepare the dough just the same as for cinnamon buns and when ready to turn on a moulding board add

Knead to mix and then work the dough into a long roll about three inches thick and then break into pieces the size of a large egg. Now mould until round and then let rise on the board for ten minutes. Mould again, shaping oblong. Place on a well-greased pan and brush the buns with melted shortening. Let rise for thirty minutes and then bake in a hot oven and ice with cocoanut icing.

ALMOND COFFEE CAKES

Prepare the dough as given in the recipe, using the balance left for either cinnamon or cocoanut buns. When ready to turn on a moulding board cut the dough in half and roll each piece out one-quarter of an inch thick. Spread with shortening and then lightly with brown sugar and with one-half cupful of finely shredded almonds or peanuts. Roll like a jelly roll. Press flat with a rolling pin until just one inch thick. Cut in pieces six inches long and then place in a well-greased baking pan and let rise thirty-five minutes. When ready to bake, cut a gash three inches long on each cake. Wash with egg and milk and strew with finely shredded almonds. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Ice with water icing.

HOW TO MAKE YEAST-RAISED CAKE

Scald one cupful of milk and add one-half cupful of cold water. Cool the mixture to 80 degrees. Now add four tablespoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt. Crumble one [pg 24] yeast cake in the mixture and stir thoroughly until the yeast is dissolved. Now add four cupfuls of sifted flour and beat to a light batter. Cover, and set in a place free from drafts, where it will be kept warm in a temperature of 80 degrees and let raise for three hours. Now beat the dough with a spoon and let raise again for three-quarters of an hour. Now, while the dough is raising last time, place one cupful of sugar and one-half cupful shortening in a bowl and cream until light and frothy. Add two eggs, one at a time, and beat until very light. When the dough is ready, add the sugar, eggs, shortening and one and one-half cupfuls of flour; beat this mixture with spoon for twelve minutes until thoroughly mixed. Now pour in prepared mould filling the mould half full. Set in warm place, with a temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, to raise for one and one-quarter hours or until the mixture fills the mould. Bake in a moderate oven for three-quarters of an hour.

Remove the cake from the mould and cool on a wire rack. This cake may be iced or served plain; or chopped nuts, raisins or citron may be added to the dough with the sugar and eggs.

To prepare the pans: Grease them thoroughly, then coat them with finely chopped nuts or fine cake crumbs before pouring in the dough.

BRIOCHE

Brioche is a French sweet bread and while different authorities do not agree as to both the consistency and methods, without doubt these cakes figure largely in French cuisines.

One French bakery prepares the brioches in loaf form and when cold it is cut in slices and steeped in orange syrup. Then again the brioche is spread with jam and then covered with icing or the brioche may be steeped with prepared syrup and then dipped in a batter and fried golden brown in hot fat. Spread with jam and serve with orange or lemon sauce.

The actual preparation of the brioche involves very little trouble and can be made from bread dough on baking day. Now one point in making these sweet breads—there is just the same trick as in moulding the loaf of bread. One can learn by careful attention to details and with practice. Some stress may well be laid upon the lightness of the dough; for heavy, overrich dough that is poorly baked is injurious to health.

WATER ICING

Six tablespoonfuls of confectioner's sugar and sufficient water (boiling) to moisten.

BREST BREAD

Roll the dough into three strands about one inch thick and ten inches long. Fasten the three strands together and then braid. Place on a well-greased pan and let rise. Wash with egg and milk and then bake for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Spread with jelly and then ice with water icing. Sprinkle with slightly browned cocoanut.

TO MAKE BRIOCHE USING BREAD DOUGH

When the bread is ready to put in the pan cut off one pound and place the dough in a bowl. Now place in a separate bowl

Cream until light and frothy, then add the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, also

Work or knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and let rise for three hours; now turn on board, divide into eight pieces and mould into balls. Cover and let rise for ten minutes. Now roll out one-half inch thick. Brush with shortening, strew with brown sugar and nuts. Roll like jelly roll and then flatten well with rolling pin. Place in a greased pan, cover and let rise for one-half hour. Now cut down the entire length of the dough, leaving two inches on each end. Wash with egg wash and bake twenty minutes in hot oven. Sprinkle with sugar, then return to oven five minutes.

SWEET DOUGHS

In the days of long ago, yeast, ammonia, pearl ash, honey water and a treacle mixture were used to lighten cakes—before the time of dependable baking powder.

In Europe the housewife makes from bread dough delicious cakes with yeast. These provide splendid variety. They include savarins, babas, and yeast-raised fruit cakes.

Many women fail in making these delicious goodies because they do not realize that the addition of large amounts of sugar, fruit, shortening and eggs to yeast dough, unless carefully handled, is apt to produce heavy, moist cakes that lack the light, velvety texture which makes cake a success.

The addition of nuts, cake crumbs and fruit will afford a large variety.

A sponge dough is necessary for successful results.

RUSSIAN RUSK

Prepare the dough as for brioche, adding one cupful of finely shredded almonds when ready to mould for the pan. Use a long narrow pan to bake loaf in. When baked, cool and then cut in one-inch slices and toast light brown in the oven.

SPANISH BUN

Scald one cupful of milk and then cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and pour in a bowl and add

Beat for five minutes with a spoon and let rise for two hours. Now cream

until very light and creamy and then drop in, one by one, three eggs, beating the eggs for three minutes. Add this to the yeast-raised dough, together with one cupful of sifted flour. Beat with a wooden spoon for fifteen minutes and then pour into a greased and floured pan, filling the pan half full. Put the raisins on the top and then cover and let rise until it fills the pan almost to the edge. Bake in a moderate oven for fifty-five minutes and then cool and ice.

BABAS

Prepare dough as for brioche and, when ready to pan, mould into loaf shape adding nuts and finely shredded citron. Place in well-greased Boston brown-bread mould; let rise for one hour. Bake in moderate oven forty-five minutes. Then begin to baste the Baba with syrup made from

Cook syrup ten minutes before using to baste the Baba, and bake until the syrup is absorbed, then turn on plate.

ANISE SEED RUSK

Add the above ingredients to the brioche dough; mould and bake as for Russian rusk. These crisp slices will keep for a long time if placed in an air-tight box.

This dough may be used for the old English crull cakes, which is nothing more than a doughnut. Prepare a dough as for a brioche and when ready for the pans turn on a molding board. Roll out one-quarter inch thick; cut with doughnut cutter. Set on cloth to rise for fifteen minutes. Stretch to shape and fry in hot fat until golden brown. Roll in pulverized sugar and cinnamon.

These doughs may be moulded in wreaths, crescents and bowknots. When risen, wash with egg wash, then sprinkle with granulated sugar and chopped nuts and then bake in moderate oven.

INDIAN GRIDDLE CAKES

Beat hard to mix and then bake on a hot griddle.

GRIDDLE CAKES

To bring the true nut flavor from the buckwheat we must go back to old-fashioned method of setting the buckwheat to rise overnight. Don't you remember the brownstone crock that [pg 29] was kept in the pantry and each time it was left with just enough of the mixture to start a new batter? The buckwheat would be prepared each night just before bedtime, and in the morning a cup of warm water was added, together with a couple of tablespoonfuls of syrup. The mixture was beaten and then the griddle was put on to heat. Sometimes it was a soapstone or a heavy iron griddle. When well heated it was rubbed with a piece of cut turnip or potato. The batter was poured on in large platter-sized cakes and then as quickly as they browned they were dexteriously turned to brown again.

To make perfect buckwheat cakes you must first of all obtain a stone-ground flour, and then it must be blended in proportion. Good, lively yeast is added, and if milk is used for the mixing it must be scalded and then cooled before using. To prepare the flour for the mixing:

Sift twice to thoroughly mix and then place in a dry container and the flour is then ready to use.

BUCKWHEAT CAKES

Scald and then rinse out with cold water a large stone crock. Pour in one cupful of scalded and cooled milk and

Crumble in one-half of an yeast cake and stir until dissolved, then add three cupfuls of the prepared buckwheat flour. Beat to thoroughly mix and then cover and set aside overnight to rise. In the morning add sufficient lukewarm water to bring the [pg 30] mixture to a pouring consistency. This usually requires about one cupful. Add two tablespoonfuls of syrup. Beat hard for three minutes and then let stand in a warm place while the griddle is heating, then bake.

RICE GRIDDLE CAKES

Rice griddle cakes may be prepared as follows: Wash one-half cup of rice in plenty of water and then place in a saucepan and add three cupfuls of water. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft. Let cool. Now place in a crock

Stir until dissolved and then add

Beat to mix and then cover and set aside to rise overnight. In the morning add sufficient lukewarm water to make a pouring batter, adding two tablespoonfuls of syrup and one teaspoonful of salt. Beat very hard and then set in a warm place while the griddle is heating.

The use of a small amount of baking soda as given in above recipes is for the purpose of neutralizing the slightly acid flavor of the buckwheat—a flavor to which many folks object.

Either of above mixes may be baked in a waffle iron instead of using the griddle. Try it some morning for the sake of variety. Use salad oil in a new sewing-machine oil can to grease waffle iron.

Almost everyone loves good sweet butter on the hot cakes in the morning. At the present prices of butter the frugal housewife looks upon the fast disappearing pat of butter with alarm. Now try this and save the butter and yet give the [pg 31] folks the butter flavor upon their cakes; place two tablespoonfuls of butter in a pitcher which will hold a cupful of syrup. Add the syrup and then place the pitcher in a pan of warm water and set on the stove to heat. Beat constantly until the butter melts and produces a creamy mix.

Stale bread may be crumbled or soaked in cold water pressed dry and used in place of rice or cornmeal. So may oatmeal or other leftover breakfast cereals, as well as mashed potatoes, be used. Reserve about one cupful of the yeast batter to start the next batter. Use this starter in place of the yeast. Renew the yeast mix every fifth morning.

A word about the griddle may not come amiss. The old-fashioned iron or soapstone may be used and will give good results. Aluminum griddles do not require greasing.

BREAD GRIDDLE CAKES

Try these cakes some morning when the folks are tired of the usual breakfast dishes. Place in a pitcher overnight

Let stand in the kitchen in a cool place. Do not put in the icebox. In the morning add

dissolved in

Beat to thoroughly mix and then add

Beat hard to mix and then bake on a hot griddle.

CORNMEAL GRIDDLE CAKES

Scald one cup of cornmeal with two cups of boiling water, and then let cool. Now add

Beat hard and then let rise overnight; then prepare as for buckwheat cakes.

Modern methods have eliminated the yeast and substituted baking powder, thus making a quicker mix. To prepare buckwheat cakes with baking powder, prepare a blend of flour as follows:

Sift three times to mix and then place in a dry container and use as required.

HOW TO BAKE THE PANCAKE

Use a frying-pan that is perfectly flat; the iron ones are best, as they hold the heat longer and can be regulated so that the cake will not burn.

PANCAKES FOR TWO

Place in a bowl. Beat with a Dover egg-beater to thoroughly mix and then fold in the stiffly beaten white of egg. Pour the mixture into a pitcher and then place two tablespoonfuls of shortening in a frying pan. When smoking hot pour in just sufficient batter to cover the bottom of the pan. When it begins to bubble turn the cake over and bake on the other side. Lift and spread lightly with jelly or roll, or use the following mixture:

Cream well, and then add

Beat to blend.

PLAIN PANCAKES

Place in a bowl one quart of milk and then add

Beat to mix and then bake. To insure sufficient cakes use two pans for cooking or bake on a griddle.

PANCAKES AU FAIT

Beat to mix. Now prepare

Mix well and then pour pancake in hot pan and sprinkle with the above mixture.

Let bake and then lift. Spread with honey and dust with pulverized sugar. Roll and garnish with maraschino cherry.

FRENCH PANCAKE

Beat to mix and then add

Beat well to thoroughly mix and then pour in a hot pan containing three tablespoonfuls of shortening: pour just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a hot lid. Let the cake bake. When ready to turn slip the cake on the hot lid and invert, returning the cake to the pan. Spread with sugar and cinnamon. Bar le duc or currant jelly may be used to spread on the cakes. Fold like an omelet and place a spoonful of jelly on top. Serve. This will make two large pancakes.

IRISH PANCAKES

Beat to thoroughly mix and then bake on a griddle. Spread with butter and sugar.

BELGIUM PANCAKES

Beat to mix and then bake in the usual manner. Serve with butter and syrup.

WAFFLES

Waffles are made from a thin batter and are baked in a well-heated waffle iron. Many failures to make good waffles are due to the fact that the iron is not sufficiently hot. The iron must be thoroughly cleaned after each baking. Place the iron on the range to heat, turning it several times.

Try this method in greasing the iron. Purchase a large-sized sewing machine oil-can, wash well in plenty of hot water and soap, then rinse thoroughly and dry. Now fill with a good salad oil and when the iron is heated, oil it on both sides. Now you are ready to bake the waffles. Reverse the iron, having [pg 36] the hot side on top, and pour in the batter and then bake about three minutes, reversing the iron once.

When the waffles are baked remove from the iron and then oil and reverse it again, putting the side that was next to the fire on top and then pour in the batter, close and bake as before.

QUICK BREADS

Quick breads include griddle cakes, waffles, muffins, Sally Lunns, shortcakes and biscuits. These doughs are made light or leavened by the use of eggs, baking soda, baking powder and steam created in baking and by air beaten into the mixture. Their entire success depends upon the careful measurement of ingredients, the mixing and the baking. Using all water in place of milk or equal parts of milk and water will give splendid results.

GRIDDLE CAKES

Place the griddle on the range to heat slowly, while mixing the batter.

Place in a bowl or a flat, wide-mouthed pitcher

Beat to mix to a smooth batter. This amount of batter will make hotcakes for four persons. For larger amounts, multiply. One egg may be used for every two cupfuls of flour.

Test the griddle by dropping a few drops of water on it; if the water boils, the griddle is sufficiently hot to bake with. Aluminum griddles do not require any grease. Rub with a clean cloth dipped in salt. Grease iron griddles slightly. Pour [pg 37] on the batter; just as soon as the cakes begin to form air bubbles slip a cake-turner under the cakes and turn them.

Now, if large bubbles rise at once to the top of the cakes, the griddle is too hot and the heat should be reduced; while, if the cake stiffens before the underside is brown the griddle is not hot enough. Never turn a griddle cake twice—this makes them heavy. Serve them as soon as baked, piling not more than five or six together. Sour milk may be used in place of sweet milk. Discard the baking powder and use one level teaspoonful of baking soda for each cup of sour milk. One egg and two cupfuls of water may be used in place of two cupfuls of milk.

WAFFLE BATTER

Beat to a smooth batter in a wide-mouthed pitcher. One-half of this amount for two people.

Cold boiled rice, hominy, oatmeal and stale bread that has been soaked in cold water and then pressed dry and rubbed through a sieve may be added to the griddle cakes and waffle batters.

MUFFINS

Muffins are made from a drop batter and may be baked in rings, on a griddle, in muffin pans or in custard cups. To bake the muffins in rings on a griddle upon the top of the stove—grease the griddle well, and also have the rings well greased. Put [pg 38] the griddle on to heat when starting to mix the drop batter and keep the rings cool until ready to bake.

Place in a bowl or pitcher

Beat this mixture smooth and then place the rings on a hot griddle and half fill with the drop batter. When well risen and nearly dry, turn over, using the griddle-cake turner to turn the muffins and rings. Bake on the other side. It will require about eighteen minutes to bake these muffins. Tear them apart, butter and serve them at once.

To bake muffins in pans or custard cups, grease the pans or cups well and half fill with the drop batter and then bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

OATMEAL MUFFINS

Put two cups of oatmeal through the food chopper into the mixing bowl and then add

Beat to mix and then pour into well-greased muffin pans and bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes.

SOUR MILK GEMS

Mix to thoroughly blend and then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then bake for eighteen minutes on well-greased muffin pans.

BRAN MUFFINS

Dissolve the soda in the buttermilk and then beat to mix. Fill into well-greased muffin pans and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Toast the left over muffins.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to thoroughly mix, then add

Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and then mix thoroughly by heating hard. Now place well-greased muffin rings on well-greased hot griddle. Fill the rings half full and bake slowly for fifteen minutes. Turn with a cake-turner when the inner side is nicely browned.

NUT GINGER MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat thoroughly to mix and then fill into well-greased and floured muffin pans, filling the pans little more than half full. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. This amount will make about eighteen muffins.

HONEY AND NUT BRAN MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat hard and thoroughly mix and then bake in well-greased muffin pans in hot oven for twenty-five minutes. Serve with strawberry, orange or pineapple marmalade.

SALLY LUNNS

Sally Lunns are made from a drop batter and are usually baked in deep layer-cake pans. To serve cut in wedge-shaped pieces—like pie—and then split and butter and cover with a napkin. Serve at once.

Place in a bowl

Cream until light and then add

Beat to a smooth batter and then pour into well-greased pans and bake for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. When nearly baked brush the tops quickly with milk and sprinkle well with granulated sugar. One-half cup of finely chopped citron or seeded raisins may be added if desired.

CORN MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to mix and bake in well-greased iron muffin pans.

RICE MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat hard to thoroughly mix and then pour in well-greased muffin pans. Bake twenty-five minutes in a hot oven.

BATTER BREAD

Place in a mixing bowl

Pour over

Now add

Beat to mix, pour in well-greased baking dish and bake in hot oven for forty minutes.

SOUTHERN SPOON BREAD

The success of making and baking this delicacy depends entirely upon a thorough beating of the batter and a hot oven. [pg 43] The southern mammy invariably uses the coarse white oatmeal, but you may use the yellow and obtain just as good results.

Place one quart of boiling water in a saucepan and then add one teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of shortening and one and one-half cupfuls of cornmeal. Pour the meal in slowly, and just as soon as it boils remove from the fire and let cool. Now add

in which you have dissolved one level teaspoonful of baking soda and one-half cupful of syrup.

Beat this mixture with a large spoon and now cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Pour in hot, well-greased baking dish and bake in a quick oven.

To add soda to the sour milk, dissolve the soda in one tablespoonful of the milk before adding to the remainder of the milk, and then use a Dover egg-beater and beat for three minutes to thoroughly mix.

LOUISIANA CORN BREAD

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat hard to mix and then pour into well-greased square pans. Bake for thirty-five minutes in a hot oven.

RICE BATTER CAKES

Place in a bowl

Beat to mix and then bake on a hot griddle and serve with butter and sugar.

BISCUITS

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to mix; then rub in three tablespoonfuls of shortening and mix to dough with

Now work in a bowl to a smooth elastic dough, roll out three-quarters of an inch thick, cut, wash tops with milk and bake in hot oven twelve to fifteen minutes.

CURRANT BISCUITS

Add one cup of currants to sweet biscuit dough.

RAISIN BISCUITS

Add one cup of raisins to sweet biscuit dough.

COCOANUT BISCUITS

Put one cup of cocoanut through food chopper and add to sweet biscuit dough.

SWEET BISCUITS

Sift to mix; then rub in four tablespoonfuls shortening. Break egg in cup and fill cup with milk, turn in bowl and beat to mix. Use this for doughing up the sweet biscuits. Work dough in bowl until smooth, turn on lightly floured board, cut, brush tops with milk, bake in hot oven fifteen minutes.

SCONES

Scones are delicious hot breads that are served for breakfast in the British Isles; they replace the American pancake and for tea replace our hot biscuits. Many varieties of scones are made in Scotland. Currants, citron and raisins are used in the dough, while in other parts of the United Kingdom these cakes are split, buttered and served with marmalade or gooseberry jam.

DELICIOUS ENGLISH SCONES

Place in a mixing bowl

Rub between the hands to thoroughly mix and then rub into the flour five level tablespoonfuls of shortening. Now beat up [pg 46] an egg and then add one-half of the beaten egg to one and one-fourth cups of milk. Beat to mix. Use this to make a soft dough. Turn on a lightly floured baking board and knead for three minutes. Now divide into five pieces and mould each piece round like a saucer, and cut each way, making four wedge-shaped pieces; place on a well-greased baking sheet and brush with the remaining half of the egg, and bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

SCOTCH SCONES

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in

And mix to a dough with

Now work in

Or

Divide into six pieces and then roll out the size of a saucer and about three-quarters of an inch thick. Make two cuts forming a cross, dividing the dough into four wedge-shaped pieces. Brush with beaten egg and bake for fifteen minutes in a hot oven. This amount will make twenty-four scones. To serve, split and fill with jam and then pile on a wicker basket, cover with a napkin and serve with tea.

IRISH SCONES

Now place in a bowl

Beat. Use about two-thirds of the egg and milk mixture to form a dough. Knead the dough to a smooth mixture and then divide into four parts. Pat or roll out like a saucer and then make two cuts to form the cross, cutting into four pieces. Brush with part of egg and milk mixture and then place on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes.

POPOVERS

Place the popover pan in the oven to heat. When hot start to mix the batter. Place in a measuring cup one egg, then fill with milk. Pour into a mixing bowl and then add

Beat with egg-beater until the mixture is a mass of bubbles on top, when the egg-beater is removed. This usually takes about five minutes. Now grease the hot popover pan well and fill one-half full with the batter. Place in a hot oven and bake for thirty-five minutes. Do not open the oven door for ten minutes after you put the popovers in. Opening the door before this period of time elapses prevents the mixture from springing or popping. After twenty minutes turn down the heat to moderate oven to prevent burning and to dry out the centres.

DOUGHNUTS

Take brioche dough, roll out one-half inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter, place on moulding board, cover and let rise fifteen minutes, fry golden brown in hot fat—roll in sugar and cinnamon.

DOUGHNUTS WITH FRUIT CENTRE

After doughnuts are cut and layed on board to rise, make an opening in side of same and insert one spoonful of jelly, pinch edges together and cover. Let rise and fry in usual manner.

CRULLERS

Place in bowl

Rub between the hands to thoroughly mix; then rub in three tablespoonfuls shortening. Then place

in a bowl; beat to mix. Use this to form the dough, roll out one-half inch thick, cut and fry golden brown in hot fat.

HOW TO FRY CRULLERS OR DOUGHNUTS

When ready to fry place four cups of vegetable oil in a pan. The pan should not be too large and the fat should be deep enough to allow the cruller to swim at least two and one-half inches from the bottom of the pan.

GOLDEN BROWN

Heat the fat and test before starting to cook by dropping in a small piece of the dough and starting to count 101, 102, 104 and so on until 110 is reached. The sample should now be floating on top and a light brown in color. Do not attempt to start frying before this time, as the fat will not be sufficiently hot and the crullers will soak up the grease. Drop four or five doughnuts in the hot fat at a time, turning constantly, and cook until golden brown, lift, let drain few seconds, lay on paper towelling and then roll in sugar and cinnamon.

SPONGE CAKE—ONE EGG

Place in mixing bowl

Cream well, then add

Beat to mix, then fold in the stiffly beaten white of one egg; bake in well-greased and floured pan in slow oven thirty minutes.

SPONGE CAKE—TWO EGGS

Place in mixing bowl

Cream well and then add

Beat to mix, then cut and fold in stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Bake in well-greased and floured cake pan in slow oven thirty-five minutes.

SPONGE CAKE—THREE EGGS

Place in a mixing bowl

Cream until light lemon color, then add

Beat just enough to mix. Then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs. Bake in well-greased and floured cake pan with tube in centre in moderate oven forty minutes.

FRUIT CAKE

Place in mixing bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour in a greased and floured cake pan and bake in a moderate oven for one hour.

JELLY ROLL

Cover the bottom of an oblong pan with a greased and floured paper and then pour in sponge cake mixture one-quarter of an inch deep. Spread evenly and then bake for ten minutes in a hot oven. Turn on a cloth and then trim the edges. Spread with jelly and roll tightly in a cloth. Set aside to cool and then ice with water icing.

A SMALL ANGEL CAKE

Sift four times and then place whites of three large eggs in a bowl and beat until they will hold their shape. Now gently cut and fold in the sugar and flour. Pour into an ungreased tube pan and bake for thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. When baked remove and turn upside down to cool.

ONE-EGG LOAF CAKE

Place in a bowl

Beat hard to mix for five minutes. Pour into prepared loaf-shaped pans and bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes.

To prepare the pan, grease thoroughly and then dust well with flour, then pour in the batter.

To make a raisin cake spread three-quarters cup of raisins [pg 52] on top of the cake when it is in the pan ready to put in the oven. The rising dough will distribute the raisins through the cake.

One-half cup of finely chopped citron may replace the raisins. Or this cake may be baked in a tube pan and then cooled and split and filled with custard or sour cream cake filling and then iced with chocolate icing.

For a layer cake grease the layer cake pan, line with plain paper and then grease again. Now divide the dough into the two pans and spread the mixture higher on the sides, leaving the centre shallow. Bake in a moderate oven for eighteen minutes. Put the layers together as follows: spread one layer with jelly and then sprinkle lightly with cocoanut. Now place the top layer in position and then spread the top, then cover thickly with cocoanut. Finely chopped nuts may be used instead of cocoanut.

GINGER CAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix and then divide and add the fruit to one part, the cocoanut or chopped nuts to the second part and bake the other part plain. Pour into well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pans and bake in slow oven for forty minutes.

SWISS CRUMB CAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in

and

Dissolve the baking soda in the milk. Beat all hard to mix and then pour into well-greased and floured oblong pans and bake in a slow oven for one hour. Cool and ice with water icing. This cake is delicious and will keep, if wrapped in wax paper, for a month.

LOUISIANA CRULLERS

Beat to thoroughly blend and then add four and one-half cupfuls of flour. Roll out on a floured pastry board and then cut and fry in hot vegetable cooking oil until they are golden brown. The temperature for cooking crullers in the oil is 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

MORAVIAN SPICE CAKE

Beat to mix and then bake in well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pans in moderate oven for forty minutes. Ice with chocolate icing made as follows:

Sift to mix and then add just sufficient boiling water to make a mixture that will spread.

TWO LAYER CAKE

Place in bowl

Cream, then add

Cream again, then add

Beat just enough to mix, then fold in whites of two eggs, bake in well-greased and floured deep layer-cake pans in moderate oven twenty minutes.

Every variety of layer cake may be made from this foundation. To chocolate layer cake—put together with chocolate icing and cover cake with same icing.

DROP CAKES

Place in a mixing bowl

Cream and then add

Drop by the spoonful three inches apart on well-greased and floured baking sheet. Bake in a moderate oven.

LOAF CAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Cream until well blended and then add

Cream again and then add

Beat to mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the four eggs. Place in a well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pan and bake fifty minutes in moderate oven.

COTTAGE PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat hard and thoroughly mix and then bake one-half of this mixture in well-greased custard cups for cottage pudding. To the balance of the mixture add a choice of any of the following:

Pour into well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pan and bake in moderate oven for thirty minutes. Cool and ice with water icing.

FONDANT ICING

Place in saucepan

Stir to dissolve sugar, bring to boil, cook until it forms soft ball when tried in cold water, or 240 degrees Fahrenheit in candy thermometer. Remove from the fire, pour on large well-greased meat platter and let cool; then begin and knead with spatula or spoon until creamy white—when stiff knead like dough, cover and set aside for twenty-four hours. To use, melt in double boiler, adding flavoring desired and just a tablespoon or two of boiling water to make a consistency that will spread.

CHOCOLATE ICING

Place in bowl

Beat until smooth, then add one tablespoon of melted butter and use.

BUTTER CREAM ICING

Wash salt from two ounces of butter, then beat until creamy, then add white of one egg and beat until mixture fluffs, then add

Beat to thoroughly blend, if too thick, add one tablespoonful of boiling water, spread between layers and use for icing the cake. Cakes covered with butter cream icing may also be covered with finely chopped nuts or toasted cocoanut. To toast cocoanut, put cocoanut in pan in hot oven for few minutes, stirring frequently until it just begins to take the color.

SOFT GINGERBREAD

Beat hard to blend and then pour into well-greased and floured pan and bake in a slow oven for thirty-five minutes.

PLAIN WATER ICING

Place in bowl

Beat to mix, then use.

ORANGE WATER ICING

Place in bowl

Sufficient hot orange juice to make a mixture which will spread. Beat hard for a few minutes to make glassy.

MOLASSES CAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Cream well and then add

Work to a smooth dough and then roll on a slightly floured board and cut. Brush the tops of the cakes with syrup and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. Bake for eight minutes in a moderate oven. This makes about three dozen cakes.

WHITE MOUNTAIN ICING

Place in saucepan

Stir to dissolve sugar; bring to a boil, cook until mixture forms soft ball, then pour in fine stream upon stiffly beaten white of egg. Beat to blend and use while warm.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Cream well and then add

Beat to mix and then bake in two layers in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Now place

in a bowl and beat with a Dover egg-beater to a heavy meringue that will hold its shape. Use this for filling. For icing use

Sift sugar and starch and add sufficient boiling water to moisten, beat smooth and spread on the cake.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Place in a bowl

Cream and then add

Beat to mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Bake in two layers in prepared pans and when cool place a chocolate filling between and ice with chocolate butter cream. See chocolate filling recipe.

SOFT COOKIES

Place in a saucepan

Bring to a boil and then add

Stir to blend and then take from fire and let cool, now add

Beat with a Dover egg-beater to blend and then add sufficient flour to make a soft dough that can be handled, usually about seven cupfuls. Form into balls the size of a walnut and then flatten between the hands. Bake upon a greased and floured inverted baking pan in a moderate oven for about ten minutes.

CHARLOTTE RUSSE

Bake the sponge cake mixture in muffin pans and then cool. Cut slice from the top, scoop out the crumbs and then fill with whipped cream or fruit whip.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM

Place two ounces of butter in a bowl and beat to a cream, then add

Beat to a smooth cream and then spread on the cake.

ENGLISH SEED CAKES

Place in a mixing bowl and beat to mix. Pour into a well-greased pan and place the following mixture on top:

Place in a mixing bowl

Rub between the fingers until fine and crumbly. Spread over the top of the cake and bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes.

To prepare the pan: Use a deep layer-cake pan and grease it. Then line with paper and grease again.

ENGLISH ROCKS

Place in a mixing bowl

Mix thoroughly and drop by a teaspoon on a well-greased and floured baking sheet and bake for twelve minutes in a moderate oven.

FRUIT CAKE

A handsome and rich fruit cake is usually the accepted cake for weddings and anniversaries. In the days of long ago the young women of the household delighted to show their skill in the making and baking of this queen of cakes. In those days folks felt that it was an indispensable feature of the feast, and the reveler of to-day holds it in equal esteem as did his grandad before him. Here is an old and treasured recipe:

Place one glass of spiced jam in a bowl and add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then spread over the cake. Set the cake in a deep aluminum saucepan or stone crock and put in a warm room to ripen, until just before Christmas. Then remove the cake from the crock and wipe with a cloth which has been wrung very dry from hot water, then ice with chocolate icing.

AN INEXPENSIVE FRUIT CAKE

Cream well and then add

Mix well and bake in well-greased and floured pan, which has been lined with a greased and floured paper. Bake in a slow oven for one hour.

RUMANIAN FRUIT CAKE

This is the richest cake made in Europe during the holiday season and is usually for royalty. The original recipe came to me in a form that is much too large for the ordinary family, so I have divided the proportions so that even the thrifty housewife may feel she can afford this one extravagance. The recipe follows:

Cream together and then add

Beat again to blend and then add

Beat just enough to mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs and add

Mix in the fruit well and then grease and flour a round pudding pan and line with three thicknesses of greased and floured paper. Pour in the cake mixture and cover the top of the cake with a well-greased paper. Now set the pan containing the cake in a large baking pan, which contains about three cups of boiling water. Place in a slow oven and bake for two and one-half hours. Remove and let cool and then turn from the pan and brush the paper with boiling water to remove. Now to ripen or age.

CHEAP FRUIT CAKE

Place in a saucepan

Bring to a boil and then set back on the stove and let cook very slowly for ten minutes. Turn into a mixing bowl and let cool. Now add five cups of sifted flour, four level tablespoons of baking powder; beat to thoroughly mix and then turn into well-greased and floured pan and bake in a slow oven for fifty-five minutes. Cool and store as for Rumanian fruit cake.

WHITE FRUIT CAKE

Which is commonly called the Bride's Cake.

Cream together until frothy and like snow, and then add, one at a time, six eggs, then add

Beat to mix and then bake in a slow oven in a prepared pan one and one-half hours. To prepare the pan, grease and flour the pan and then line it with greased and floured paper.

WHITE POUND CAKE

Cream until light and frothy, and then add

Beat for five minutes to blend and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of five eggs. Bake in prepared pans for one hour in a moderate oven. Use the pans prepared the same as for the fruit cake. Golden cake may be made from this recipe, using the yolks of seven eggs.

To use successfully you must use good shortening, pastry flour, granulated sugar and fresh eggs. Exact care in measuring with the proper methods of compounding and finally careful baking are necessary. Now for another point: do not stir the cake after its final beating.

In filling the cake pan put the mixture well into the corners and leave a slight depression in the centre. This will leave the cake perfectly smooth on top. Now, if the oven is too cool when the cakes go into it the cake will rise over the top of the pans and become coarse-grained. While, on the other hand, if it is too hot it will brown quickly on the top before the cake has had a chance to rise; then when the dough does attempt to rise it will break through and crack the crust. Too much flour will also cause this. Now to break the old hoodoos about cake-baking! You may look at the cake after it is in the oven ten minutes if you will open and shut the oven door gently, and if necessary to remove the cake wait until it has reached its full height and is beginning to brown. Then it may be removed carefully without danger of falling. Sometimes it may be necessary to remove the cakes so that they may brown evenly. Icing the cakes [pg 67] greatly improves their appearance. Should the cake for any reason scorch, don't trim it with a knife. This spoils its appearance; instead use a grater and remove the scorched part.

Turn the cakes to cool upon a sieve or wire cake-rack. Do not attempt to ice a cake until it is cool and then coat the entire cake over with a plain water icing.

A SMALL POUND CAKE

Place in a warm bowl and cream until light and frothy; now add yolks of four eggs and beat well for ten minutes, then add

Beat hard for fifteen minutes and then carefully fold in the stiffly beaten white of an egg and then pour into a prepared pan and bake for sixty minutes in slow oven.

A LARGE POUND CAKE

Cream together until light and fluffy and then add

Beat for twenty minutes to blend and then carefully fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the six eggs. Bake in a prepared pan for eighty minutes in a moderate oven.

COBBLER, SOUTHERN STYLE

Select the fruit desired and to one quart of stewed fruit add

Mix well and then turn into well-greased baking dish and cover with a crust of pastry. Bake in a slow oven for forty minutes. Serve with either fruit or vanilla sauce.

CHERRY ROLY-POLY

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to mix. Now rub in one-half cup of shortening and mix to a dough with three-quarters cup of water. Roll out one-quarter inch thick and fill with the prepared cherries. Roll as for jelly roll and then place in a well-greased and floured pan. Bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes, basting every ten minutes with syrup made from

To prepare the cherries: Stone two pounds of cherries and place in a saucepan and add

Cook slowly until the cherries are soft and then add

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Cool and use. This mixture must be very thick.

OATMEAL DROPS

Place in a saucepan

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes and then add

Mix and then drop by the spoonful on a greased and floured baking sheet two inches apart. Bake in a hot oven for ten minutes.

CHEESE CAKE

Use level measurements. Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the starch in the milk and then bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes. Cool and then rub one and one-half cupfuls of cottage cheese through a sieve. Add

Beat to cream and then fill into the oblong cheese-cake pan, which has been lined with plain pastry. Bake in a slow oven for thirty minutes.

SOFT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Cream and then add

Work to a dough and then roll, cut and bake in a moderate oven for eight minutes. Cool and cover with a damp cloth for three minutes. Store in an air-tight container.

BLACK NUT CAKE

Cream well and then add

Peanuts or any other variety selected will do. Beat to mix and then pour into well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pans. Bake for thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Ice with water icing. This cake is delicious.

ANIMAL COOKIES

Mix thoroughly by sifting and then rub into the mixture seven tablespoons of shortening. Mix to dough with

Knead dough well and then roll out one-quarter inch on slightly floured pastry board. Cut with animal cutters and then bake on a baking sheet in a moderate oven for ten minutes. Cool and then wash with a mixture of syrup and water and roll in confectioner's sugar.

Note.—The dough must be fairly soft. If necessary, add more coffee.

Syrup Wash:

Mix and use.

CHOCOLATE FILLING FOR CAKES MADE FROM COCOA

Place in a saucepan

Stir until the starch is dissolved and then bring to a boil. Cook slowly for six minutes and then add one teaspoon of vanilla. Cool and use for chocolate filling between cakes, in éclairs or cream puffs, or for chocolate pie.

VEGETABLES

BAKED GREEN PEPPERS

Allow one large pepper for each person. Cut a slice from the top and remove the seeds and then place in cold water until needed. Now mince fine four onions and then cook until tender but not brown, in four tablespoons of shortening. Place in a bowl and then add

Mix and then fill into six large peppers. Place in a greased baking pan and add one-half cup of water. Bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Five minutes before removing from the oven place a strip of bacon over each pepper. When nicely browned, serve.

EGG PLANT CROQUETTES

Pare the egg plant and then cut in slices and cover with boiling water. Cook until tender and then drain well. Place in a bowl and add

Mould into croquettes and then dip in flour, then in beaten egg and roll in fine crumbs. Fry in hot fat, serve with cream sauce.

BRAISED CELERY

Scrape and thoroughly clean the coarse outside branches of celery, cut into inch pieces and then parboil gently for fifteen minutes. Drain. Now place two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add one and one-half cupfuls of the prepared celery. Cover closely and cook until tender, shaking occasionally to prevent sticking to the pan. Season, and when ready to serve cover with espaniole or brown sauce made from stock.

To make sauce: Place two tablespoonfuls of fat in an iron frying pan and add four tablespoonfuls of flour; work to a roux, browning well. Now add one and a half cupfuls of stock and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then strain and return to the saucepan and season. Use a bouillon cube to make the stock if none of the regular stock is on hand.

BAKED BABY LIMA BEANS

These tiny limas are most delicious when baked like the ordinary navy bean. Wash one-half pound of beans well and then look over carefully and discard all bruised or damaged ones. Soak overnight in cold water. In the morning wash again and then place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then turn into a colander and let the cold water run on them, then place in a saucepan and cover with boiling water and cook for twenty minutes. Turn into a baking dish and add

Add sufficient water to cover beans one inch deep. Mix well and bake for two hours in a slow oven.

STRING BEANS, ITALIAN STYLE

Soak one cupful of dried string beans and then cook until tender or use 1 quart of green snap beans.

Then add

When tender drain well and season with

CARROTS A LA BRABANCONNE

Pare carrots cut in slices and then cook until tender. Drain and then place a layer of carrots in a baking dish. Sprinkle with fine bread crumbs and salt and paprika and then sift two tablespoons of grated cheese over each layer. Repeat this until the dish is full and then cover with one and one-half cupfuls of cream sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and fine bread crumbs. Bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes.

BABY LIMA BEAN CROQUETTES

Baby lima beans should be soaked overnight. In the morning look over carefully and then discard all bruised and damaged beans. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Turn into a colander and rinse under cold water and then return to the saucepan. Cover with boiling water and cook until tender, then add

Cool and then drain the beans well, then mash fine, pile in a dish and set in the icebox until needed.

CREAMED MUSHROOMS

Use both caps and stems. Peel and then parboil for three minutes and drain. Use three-quarters pound of mushrooms. Now make a cream sauce of

Dissolve the flour in the milk and then bring to a boil. Cook slowly for ten minutes and then add the prepared mushrooms and

Heat to a boiling point and then simmer slowly.

CORN FRITTERS

Beat to mix and then fry in hot fat. Drain. This amount will serve six persons.

BRAISED ONIONS

Parboil and then drain three cups of finely chopped onions. Now place one-half cup of shortening in a frying pan and add onions. Cover closely and cook until a light golden brown. Make a border of onions around a hot platter.

BAKED BEANS WITH SALT PORK

Soak the beans—one pound—over night or early in the morning, and at noon place in a kettle and cover with water. Bring to a boil and drain off the water. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for fifteen minutes. Drain. Now add

Add sufficient water to cover beans one inch deep. Mix well and then cover the pot closely and bake in a slow oven for four hours.

LIVER DUMPLINGS

Parboil four ounces of liver until tender, and then put through a food chopper. Either beef, pork or lamb liver may be used. Mince three onions very fine. Place four tablespoons of fat in a frying pan and add onions and liver. Cook gently until onions are tender and then lift and turn into a mixing bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then add

Work to a smooth well-blended mass and then rub your hands with salad oil and then form this mass into balls. Cook [pg 77] for twenty minutes in boiling salted water. Lift with a skimmer on a napkin to drain. Serve with either onion, tomato or creamed sauce, or the dumplings may be rolled in flour, browned quickly in hot fat and served at once.

SCALLOPED CORN

Place in a mixing bowl

Mix well and then turn into a well-greased baking dish and bake for thirty minutes in a moderate oven.

RABBITS

FRICASSEE OF RABBIT

Place the rabbit in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boiling point and cook gently until the meat is tender. The gravy may be thickened with cornstarch.

Season with pepper, salt and finely minced parsley.

To make a rabbit pie place the fricasse of rabbit in a baking dish and cover with a crust. Bake for thirty-five minutes in a hot oven.

FRIED RABBIT

Prepare and cook the rabbit as for fricasse and when the meat is tender lift to drain. Cool. Dip in beaten egg and then roll in fine bread crumbs and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Use the liquid for gravy.

SOUR RABBIT

Cut the rabbit and then place in a china bowl and add

Now cover, using a mixture of two parts vinegar and one part water. Set in a cool place for three days, turning the rabbit over every day, then put in a casserole dish or stewing pan and cook until tender. Thicken the gravy. Serve potato dumplings with this dish, or it may be eaten cold.

RABBIT PIE

Clean and prepare a pair of rabbits for cooking; cut into suitable pieces. Brown quickly in hot fat; lift to a baking dish and add one quart of hot water.

Cook very slowly until tender, thicken the gravy and add one cupful of sour cream, then cover the top of the baking dish with mashed and seasoned sweet potatoes, one inch thick. Brush with syrup and dust lightly with cinnamon, and dot with bits of butter. Bake until slightly brown.

CUSTARD SAUCE

Stir to dissolve and bring to a boil, cook for three minutes and then add

Beat to blend and then cool.

CARAMEL SAUCE

Place in a frying pan and cook until caramelled, then add one and one-half cups of water. Bring to a boil and then add four tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in five tablespoons of water. Stir until the mixture thickens and cook for five minutes, then add one teaspoon of vanilla and use.

FRUIT SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

Cook until the fruit is soft and then cool. Rub through a fine sieve and then add

dissolved in

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes.

SWEETENED CREAM SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the cornstarch in cold milk and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then add

Beat to mix.

VANILLA SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook three minutes. Now add

LEMON SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the starch and then bring to a boil. Cook slowly for five minutes and then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then serve.

SABOYON SAUCE

Place one-half cup of sugar in a saucepan and add the yolks of two eggs. Cream until light and fluffy and then add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and one-half teaspoon of almond extract. Heat one-half cup of milk to the boiling point and then pour over the eggs and sugar. Stir continually over a slow fire until the mixture is just below the boiling point. Remove and add stiffly beaten whites of two eggs and serve on pudding.

SWEET SPICED BLACKBERRY SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

and the following spices tied in a little piece of cheesecloth:

Cook slowly until the fruit is soft and then rub through a fine sieve and thicken with

dissolved in

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes, cool and serve.

CHERRY SAUCE

Bring to a boil and then cook slowly until the cherries are soft. Now add two tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in one-half cup of cold water. Bring to a boil and then cook for five minutes. Cool and use.

PUDDING SAUCE

Dissolve the starch in water and add the syrup and cherries. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Serve.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Dissolve the starch and chocolate in the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes.

MAKING A CHOCOLATE SAUCE USING COCOA

Place in a saucepan and stir until the starch is dissolved and then bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then cool and add one tablespoon of vanilla. Use the same as sauce made with chocolate.

FRUIT CUSTARD SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve the starch and then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for five minutes, and add one well-beaten egg and three-quarters of a cup of sugar; beat hard and then cook for two minutes.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Place four ounces of chocolate, cut into fine pieces, in a saucepan and add one pint of water and one and one-half cups of sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then bring to a boil, cook for ten minutes and then add

Bring to a boil and stir continually and cook for five minutes. Cool and then add one tablespoon of vanilla. Place in a fruit jar and store in a cool place. This sauce is used for puddings, pastries, cakes, ice cream, sundaes and chocolate sodas.

ORANGE SAUCE

Dissolve the starch in the water. Add the orange juice and cook until thick, about five minutes. Add sugar and yolks of eggs. Remove from fire. Cool and fold in the beaten white of one egg. Use yolk of egg left over for the mousse.

FRUIT WHIP

Beat, using a Dover egg-beater, until it forms into a stiff meringue. This amount will serve about ten people liberally.

One-half of this recipe for ordinary family.

DESSERTS

BANANA FRITTERS

Cut four bananas in half; now then place in a bowl

Beat to mix and then dip banana in batter. Fry golden brown in hot fat. Serve with vanilla or fruit sauce.

CRANBERRY JELLY

Cook until the berries are soft and then put through the colander or a coarse sieve. Return to the saucepan and boil for three minutes, then add

Stir until sugar is dissolved and then boil for ten minutes. Rinse a mould with cold water and then pour in the cranberries and let cool.

LEMON MARMALADE

Cut one lemon into slices and then remove the seeds and put through the food chopper. Add one and one-quarter cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook slowly until the lemon rind is very soft. This usually takes about one hour. Now add one and one-half cups of sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook until thick like marmalade. Place an asbestos mat under the saucepan to prevent scorching. Stir frequently.

Use level measurements; they conform to pounds and ounces and give satisfactory results.

ORANGE JELLY

Boil the sugar and water for five minutes and then cool and add the strained orange juice and the maraschino cherry syrup. Now soak two level tablespoonfuls of gelatine in one-half cupful of cold water for thirty minutes and then place in hot water bath to heat. Stir until dissolved and then strain into prepared orange mixture. Now rinse custard cups in cold water and pour in the gelatine and set aside to cool and mould. To serve: Unmold on a saucer and serve with fruit whip.

COFFEE CUSTARD, PARFAIT STYLE

Place in a saucepan and dissolve the starch in the coffee and then add the milk. Bring to a boil and cook slowly for ten minutes. Remove and add

Beat to blend thoroughly and then partly cool and pour into stem glasses, filling nearly to the top. Set on ice to chill. While chilling place the white of two eggs and one-half glass of currant jelly in a bowl. Now use a Dover egg-beater and beat until it holds its shape. When ready to serve pile high on the coffee custards and garnish with maraschino cherries.

GALATIN A LA MELBA

Cut a slice of sponge cake. Place on a fruit saucer and pour over it three tablespoons of syrup from a jar of peaches and then place two halves of peaches on the cake and top off with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

MINT GELATINE

Shred the leaves of a bunch of mint and place in a saucepan; add one-half cup of water and cook slowly for ten minutes. Now drain and add

Stir to thoroughly dissolve and then place one tablespoon of gelatin to soak in one-quarter cup of cold water for ten minutes and add the hot mint preparation. Strain and add two drops of green vegetable coloring into it, and then pour into a pan to mould. Cut into blocks and serve with the meat.

PASTRY

Now it all rests with the cook as to whether we are going to have a cut of pastry that fairly melts in your mouth or a tough doughy mass that is unfit for food.

Any little housewife may turn out delicious, flaky pastry if she will but follow directions carefully. First of all, let us study for a minute just what pastry is. It is a mixture of flour, shortening and water. Each grain of flour is thoroughly coated with shortening and then mixed to a dough with the water. Do I hear you say "Well I know that?" Surely you do. But do you know the real knack of putting it together? For here is the real rub. The minute you knead or squeeze pastry that is the moment you make it tough.

THE REAL SECRET

Sift

together twice, and then cut or rub into this two-thirds cup of shortening. If you cut it in, use your griddle-cake turner or spatula and chop it in rather coarse. Now mix to a dough with one-half cup of ice-cold water, using the cake-turner to mix the water in; just keep chopping and turning over until the mixture is formed into a ball of dough. Do not knead or pat with the hand. You cannot hurt this dough if you will just mix it as a man does when mixing mortar with a hoe. Keep working it back and forth, chopping it each time until well mixed. This amount will make the tops and the bottoms for two pies.

To roll the dough, divide it into four parts and then lift one piece on a slightly floured board and roll out the dough, working the rolling pin to and from you and turning the dough as often as necessary to secure the size and shape desired.

Should the dough tear, or not come to the desired shape, just fold it into squares or oblongs and then roll again.

Place on the tin and then trim the edges. Proceed in the same manner with the top crust, and then when ready to place on the pie, fold from corner to corner, making a bias fold and then cut quarter-inch gashes with a knife in centre to allow steam to escape. Lift and cover the pie and then trim to shape. Now do not form the trimmings into a ball, but lay them one piece upon the other in a pile and flatten them with the rolling pin. Roll and fold into shape, and roll as desired.

You can re-roll pastry as often as desired by this method. Keep in the mind the fact that kneading or squeezing the pastry forms it into a sticky mass. This method will give you a delicious, flaky crust. You may spread two tablespoons of shortening [pg 88] upon the top crust and then fold and roll. Fold again and roll; then use as desired.

Sufficient pastry may be made at one time to last for two or three days. Just wrap the dough in wax-paper so that it does not dry out. Various fillings may be used. Fresh or canned fruits, custards, mince meat, etc. If you use fresh fruits place

in a bowl and rub between the hands to thoroughly mix and then use this by sprinkling over the fruit. This will prevent the juice from boiling out of the pie while it is cooking and it will form into a jelly when cold.

To use canned fruit, drain the fruit free from the liquid and then cut into thin slices. Measure the liquid and then add

to each cupful. Dissolve the starch and sugar in the cold liquid and then bring to a boil. Cook for three minutes and then add the prepared fruit. Cool before placing in the pastry.

To prevent the lower crust from becoming soggy just before putting in the filling, brush it well with a good salad oil, or shortening, taking care that each part is covered. This will give you a tender, flaky lower crust.

Just before the pie is ready to put into the oven brush it well with a wash of egg and milk, using

Stir to dissolve the sugar and mix in the egg. Then wash the pie. This will keep a week in a cool place.

The correct temperature to bake a pie is 300 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This means a moderate oven. Too much heat [pg 89] will brown the crust before the filling inside has had the time to cook. Custard pies—this includes those made of eggs, milk, lemon meringes, sweet potato and pumpkin—require a slow oven—250 degrees Fahrenheit.

PASTRY FOR CUSTARD PIE

The most important point in the custard pie is the crust, which will either make or mar the pie. So to begin with, the pastry should be light and delicate. To make pastry for custard pie place in a bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in one-half cup of good shortening, and then mix to a dough with one-half cup of ice water. When mixing the pastry to a dough, it is important that it should be cut and folded together much after the method used in cutting and folding the whites into a cake. Care at this point in making the pastry will prevent it from becoming tough. Now wrap the pastry in wax or parchment paper and place on the ice to thoroughly chill for two hours. Now if the pastry is made either the day before or early in the morning and then allowed to blend, it will be delightfully light and flaky.

Now to prepare for the pie: This amount of pastry will be sufficient for two large pies, one custard and one lemon, for variety. The trimmings can be made into little tarts, turnovers or cheese straws. Divide the pastry into two parts and then roll out one part on a lightly floured board until sufficiently large to fully cover the pie tin.

Now fold carefully in half and then in quarters and lift on the pie plate and open covering the pie plate, easing on the pastry. Trim the edges and then roll out the trimmings into a long narrow strip. Cut into strips three-quarters inch wide [pg 90] and then brush the edge of the pastry on the pie plate with water and add this narrow strip as a reinforcement to build up the edge. This will prevent the custard overflowing.

Now brush the pastry in the bottom of the pie plate with melted shortening, taking care to thoroughly coat the entire surface with the shortening. Then pour in the prepared custard. Reserve about one tablespoon of the custard to brush the pastry around the edges. Place in a slow oven and bake until the custard is firm in the centre.

To test if custard is baked, gently insert a silver knife into the custard, taking care that the knife does not pierce the crust.

Brushing the pastry with the shortening before pouring in the custard prevents the moisture from soaking into the crust.

TO MAKE THE MERINGUE

Beat the whites of two eggs in a bowl, which is free from grease, until stiff, and then cut and fold into the stiffly beaten whites of the two eggs

Sift the sugar and cornstarch to thoroughly mix and then carefully cut and fold into the whites of eggs.

On just how careful you are in cutting and folding this mixture will determine the success of your meringues. After the whites are beaten stiff they are full of little air bubbles, which if stirred break down and become watery and then the entire mixture becomes flat and tough. To prevent this, sprinkle the prepared sugar over the stiffly beaten white of egg and then with a spoon cut down through the centre and fold over; turn the bowl half-way around, then cut and fold again. Repeat this until sufficiently mixed, then place on the hot pie, sprinkle with granulated sugar and place in the oven to brown. Open the oven door and let stand for a few minutes, then remove [pg 91] to a place free from drafts where it will cool slowly, so as to prevent a sudden shrinking of the meringue, due to a sudden chill.

To make cocoanut pie, add one-half cup of cocoanut to the custard pie just before putting in the oven.

PEACH CUSTARD PIE

Crush a sufficient number of pared peaches to measure one cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add

Now place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil. Cook for two minutes and then pour very slowly, while beating hard to blend, on the peaches and sugar that are blending in the mixing bowl.

Add

Beat again and then pour into prepared pie plate lined with pastry and bake in a slow oven. Use whites of eggs for meringue.

CUSTARD PIE

Now to prepare the filling for the custard pie, place in a mixing bowl

Beat with an egg-beater to thoroughly mix and then pour into the prepared pastry lined pie tin. Use white of egg for meringue.

LEMON CUSTARD PIE

Place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil, and cook for five minutes. Now add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into pie plate prepared as for custard pie. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes and then cover with meringue made of whites of eggs.

NORTH CAROLINA PEACH CUSTARD PIE

Prepare the pastry and line a pie plate with it, then rub with shortening as directed in the custard pie. Now cover the bottom thickly with sliced peaches and then prepare a custard as follows: Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix and just before pouring the custard over the peaches dust them well with sifted flour. Pour on the custard and bake in a slow oven until firm. Use whites of eggs for meringue.

Raspberries and plums may be used in place of the peaches for variety. When making these pies, always use the regulation custard pie tin, the ones with the straight sides.

CIDER JELLY PIE

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the starch and then bring to a boil. Cook for three minutes and then remove from the fire and add

Beat to mix and then cool and bake between two crusts.

APPLE DOWDY

Grease well with shortening a deep pudding pan and then place a layer one inch thick of thinly sliced apples and then sprinkle well with sugar and dust with cinnamon. Repeat this until the dish is full and then cover with a crust of plain pastry. Bake for forty-five minutes in a moderate oven and let cool.

To serve: Loosen the pastry from the sides of the pan, place a large platter over the pie and invert. Cut into wedge-shaped portions and serve with cream, custard or fruit sauce.

COUNTRY STYLE GREEN APPLE PIE

Pare the apples and then cut into thin slices. Now place a layer of apples in a pudding pan and sprinkle each layer with

Repeat this until the pan is full. Now place a crust on top and bake in slow oven for forty minutes. To serve: Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the crust. Invert the plate over the pie and turn the pie upside down upon the plate. Cover with fruit, whip and cut into wedge-shaped pieces and serve with custard sauce.

CONGRESS PIE

Use an oblong pan similar to that used in making cheesecake. Line with plain pastry and then place three cups of bread crumbs in a bowl and add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into the prepared pan and bake in a slow oven for one-half hour. Cool and then ice with water icing. Cut into two-inch oblongs.

DOWDY, NEW ENGLAND STYLE

Apples or peaches may be used. Wash the fruit and then pare and cut into thin slices. Measure two pints of the prepared fruit and dust over it so as to thoroughly coat each piece with

Then pat smoothly in baking dish and cover with

Cover with a crust the pastry and bake in a moderate oven for forty-five minutes. Let cool and then run a knife around the edge of the baking dish and loosen the crust from the dish. Place a large platter over the dowdy and then invert. Dust the dowdy lightly with nutmeg and serve with fruit or vanilla sauce.

APPLE CUSTARD PIE

Line a pie tin with plain pastry. Now place one and one-half cups of thick apple sauce in a sauce pan and add

Dissolve starch in water.

Place on the fire and bring to a boil and then cook slowly for five minutes. Cool and then add

Pour into prepared tins and bake for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven.

SHORTCAKE

The shortcake is typical of Scotland. It is a mixture of flour, sugar and shortening worked to a paste and then rolled one-half inch thick and then decorated in various ways. The thrifty Scotsman, after leaving the mother country and settling in the new America, felt that the use of much shortening was too expensive, and so his thrifty housewife, who was willing and even anxious to be a partner to him, coöperated by cutting down on the amount of shortening and still turn out a rich palatable cake. This is how she does it: Place

in a bowl and sift three times. Now rub in six tablespoons of shortening and then add seven tablespoons of water and work to a smooth elastic dough. Turn on a prepared pastry board and mould into shape to fit the pie tin with the hands. Wash the top of the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar and [pg 96] cinnamon and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Remove, cool and cut into wedge sections like pie and serve with cheese or fruit.

PEACH SHORTCAKE

Cream well and then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then bake in well-greased deep layer-cake pan in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Cook and then split and fill with well-drained canned crushed peaches. Place together. Now place white of egg and one-half glass of apple jelly in a bowl; beat with Dover egg-beater until the mixture forms into a stiff meringue.

BANANA SHORTCAKE

Place in a mixing bowl and then cream well, then add

Beat to mix and pour into well-greased and floured oblong baking pans. Now spread the top of the cake with three bananas sliced very thin. Place in a moderate oven and bake for thirty-five minutes. Use the white of egg and half glass of apple jelly for a meringue.

OLD VIRGINIA SHORTCAKE

Sift the flour and then fill a quart measure, using a tablespoon to lift the flour. Care should be taken not to shake or pack the flour down, as the quart of flour should weigh just one pound. Place in a bowl and add

Sift again to mix and then rub in one-half cup of shortening. Place one and one-half cups of buttermilk in a pitcher and add one teaspoon of baking soda. Stir to thoroughly dissolve the soda and then use this to mix the flour to a dough. Knead well in the bowl with a spoon and then turn on a slightly floured board and roll or pat out one inch thick. Cut with a large biscuit cutter and brush the top with shortening and bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes.

APRICOT SHORTCAKE

Cream until light and frothy, and then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into well-greased layer cake pan. Bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Split and fill with cooked apricots and then place in a bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix with the Dover egg-beater until it forms a stiff meringue. Pile on top of cake and garnish with single piece of apricot.

HUCKLEBERRY SHORTCAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat and mix and then pour into well-greased oblong pan and bake in a moderate oven twenty minutes. Cool and then split, and fill with the prepared berries and serve with custard sauce.

To prepare the huckleberries for the shortcake, place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Add one-half teaspoon of nutmeg and then cool and use for the filling.

LEMON DUMPLINGS

Place in a bowl:

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into well-greased mould and boil for one and one-quarter hours. Serve with lemon sauce.

PEACH CAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat just enough to mix and then pour into a deep well-greased and floured layer-cake pan. Cover the top thickly with diced peaches and then place in a small bowl

Rub between the tips of the fingers until crumbly and then spread on the top of the peaches and bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

PEACH DUMPLINGS

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in one-half cup of shortening; then mix to a dough with one-fourth cup of ice-cold water. Set on ice for one hour, then roll out one-eighth inch thick and cut into four-inch squares. Fill with pared and stoned peaches, placing two tablespoons of brown sugar and one-half teaspoon of nutmeg in each dumpling. Brush the edges with water and then fold the pastry together. Place on a well-greased baking sheet and add one-half cup of water to the pan and bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

APPLE CAKE

Place in a bowl

and then add

Sift twice to blend and then rub in five tablespoons of shortening. Break an egg into a cup and then fill cup to the two-thirds mark with milk, beat to blend the egg and milk and then mix into the dough. Roll out one-half inch thick and then line an oblong baking sheet. Pare and cut the apples into quarters and then into thin slices. Place one cup of sugar and one-half cup of water in a saucepan and add the apples, a few at a time, and cook for a few minutes. Lift and lay on the prepared dough. Place in a moderate oven to bake for thirty-five minutes. After the cake is in the oven for eighteen minutes baste frequently with syrup in which the apples were cooked. Ten minutes before removing from the oven sprinkle thickly with brown sugar and cinnamon.

DUMPLINGS FOR STEW

Place in a mixing bowl

and then add

Add two-thirds cup of water and mix to a dough. Drop by the spoonful into the stew and cover closely and boil for twelve minutes. If you open the lid of the saucepan while the dumplings are cooking they will be heavy.

CHERRY DUMPLINGS

Wash individual pudding cloths in warm water and then rub with shortening and dust slightly with flour. Now place in a bowl

Mix and then place one cooking spoon of the mixture into each prepared dumpling cloth. Tie loosely and then plunge into boiling water and cook for twenty minutes. Lift into the colander and let drain for three minutes and then serve with stewed cherries for sauce.

STEAMED ROLY POLY PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl and sift to mix. Now rub in four tablespoons of shortening and mix to a dough with a scant two-thirds cup of water. Roll out one-half inch thick and spread with well-cleaned huckleberries and then cover quickly with brown sugar. Roll like for jelly roll and then tie in a cloth and plunge into boiling water or place in a steamer and cook for one hour. Serve with fruit sauce.

If using canned huckleberries, drain them well, then thicken the juice and use for sauce. Any variety of fresh fruit may be used.

FRUIT CUP CUSTARDS

Place six nice berries in each custard cup and then place in a mixing bowl

Beat thoroughly to mix and then pour over the berries in the cups. Place in a baking pan containing warm water and bake in a slow oven until firm in the centre.

CREAM TAPIOCA PUDDING

Wash two-thirds cup of tapioca in four or five waters and then place in a saucepan and add one and one-half cups of water. Cook until the tapioca begins to soften, then add one and one-half cups of milk. Cook until soft and then add

Mix well and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove from the fire and serve ice cold with fruit whip.

MACARONI NEAPOLITAN

Cook one-half package of macaroni in boiling water for fifteen minutes and then turn into a colander and place under cold running water. Now mince

fine and place four tablespoons of fat in a frying pan. When hot, add the onion and tomato, cook until soft and then add the macaroni. Toss gently until hot and then cover it closely to prevent drying out. If too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water. Season with pepper, salt and one-half cup catsup.

MACARONI CUTLETS

Cook one-quarter pound of macaroni in boiling water for twenty minutes and then drain. Cool and then chop fine. Place in a bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then mould into croquettes. Roll in flour and then dip in beaten egg. Roll in fine crumbs and fry in hot fat. Place in a hot oven for ten minutes to finish cooking.

POLENTA A LA NAPLES

Place in a saucepan

Now pour in very slowly

Stir to prevent lumping and cook until very thick. Add

Mix thoroughly and then pour into a large bowl to cool. Form into sausages and then roll in flour and brown in hot oil. Serve with tomato sauce. Wheat cereal may be used to replace the cornmeal.

NOODLES

FRIED NOODLES

Cook noodles in boiling water and then drain. Now mince fine

Place four tablespoons of cooking oil in a frying pan and when hot add the vegetables. Cook slowly until soft and then add the noodles. Toss constantly until a light brown and then pile in the centre of a large platter. Lay a goulash around for a border. Pour the gravy over all and then garnish with two tablespoons of grated cheese and serve.

BOILED HOMINY—CHEESE SAUCE

Soak large hominy over night and then in the morning wash and cook in plenty of boiling water until tender. Drain well and place in a baking dish and cover with cheese sauce, made as follows:

Place one and one-half cups of milk in a saucepan and add two tablespoons of grated onion and four level tablespoons of cornstarch. Dissolve the starch in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook slowly for five minutes and then add

Mix thoroughly and then heat until the cheese melts. Serve as vegetable.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Cook one package of macaroni in a large kettle of boiling water for twenty minutes and then drain and pour over the macaroni a pan of cold water. Drain again. Now return to the kettle and add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for ten minutes.

TO MAKE NOODLES

Break into a mixing bowl one egg and then add

Beat to mix and then add sufficient flour to make a stiff dough. Knead for five minutes and then cover and let stand for ten minutes. Now roll out on a floured pastry board until thin as paper. Roll as for jelly and then cut into thin strips with a sharp knife. Spread out to dry for one-half hour.

GNOCCHI DI LEMOLINA

Place one cup of water and one cup of milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add slowly seven tablespoons wheat cereal. Cook for ten minutes and stir constantly. Now add

Beat well to mix and then pour into loaf-shaped pan to mould. When firm turn out on the moulding board and cut into [pg 106] blocks. Place in a well-greased baking dish; sprinkle with grated cheese and dot tiny bits of butter. Bake in a hot oven until the cheese forms a light brown crust. Serve with tomato sauce.

MACARONI SOUFFLÉ

Cook one-fourth pound of macaroni and then cool and chop fine. Place in a bowl and add

Beat to mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Serve at once.

RICE

Rice is extensively cultivated in the Orient and supplies the principal food to nearly one-half the population of the entire world. There is every reason why rice should be a daily article of diet in planning the menu. It is more nutritious than the potato and it digests more readily. When properly cooked and served it is an ideal starchy food.

Unpolished rice contains all the nutritions of the grains, which is approximately 6 per cent. fat, 8 per cent. protein, 79 per cent. carbohydrates. The polished variety contains an average of 88 per cent. nutrition. Polished rice has been robbed of its vital life-giving elements.

Rice is graded for size and condition and then prepared [pg 107] for the trade. It is known as fancy head rice, choice, prime, good, medium, common and screenings. Patna rice, the small slender, well-rounded grain, is in great demand in the East, with the Japan, Siam, Java, Rangoon, and Passein varieties closely following. In this country the Carolina, Japan and Honduras are popularly in demand.

The Carolina rice is a large sweet-flavored grain of good color and appearance. Japanese rice is a thick-bodied, soft-grained variety. Honduras variety is the slender, well-shaped grain.

The preparation of rice for the markets involves, first, the threshing, and second, the milling, which removes the husks, and, third, the polishing to produce the pearly white gloss which so many folks think is very desirable.

Polished rice has been robbed of nearly all its fat and mineral content, and thus its food value is lowered and it is deprived of its flavor.

The rice dishes, as prepared in the Oriental countries, are made from fancy unpolished head rice and they form some of the main dishes.

The Oriental first washes his rice in several waters, rubbing it vigorously between the hands. This thoroughly cleanses it. Now, to follow this method, have a saucepan containing boiling water and then add the rice slowly, so that the water continually boils. Cook until tender and then remove the lid from the saucepan and cover the rice with a cloth to absorb the moisture. Set in a warm place for five minutes. This will give the saucepan containing a mass of delicious, fluffy rice, each grain distinct and separate.

Now, if you carefully measure both your rice and then the water, it will not be necessary for you to drain off the excess water and thus lose the valuable mineral and fat content.

HOW TO COOK RICE AMERICAN STYLE

Place in a double boiler two and one-half cups of boiling water and then add one teaspoon of salt. Now add slowly one-half cup of well-washed, unpolished rice. Cover and cook until the rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove the lid and then cover the rice closely with a clean napkin and cook for five minutes. This will fluff each grain of rice.

It is now ready to serve, either as a vegetable to replace the potato or prepared into many delectable dishes that our Oriental neighbors relish so keenly.

JAPANESE RICE

Wash and chop fine two medium-sized leeks and then cook tender in one-half cup of water. Drain. Now add

Mix thoroughly and then dish on a hot baking dish. Cover with slices of hard-boiled eggs. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and garnish with slices of smoked salmon. Place in the oven for a few minutes to heat. Soy may be purchased at fancy grocers.

INDIAN RICE

Add three cups of cooked rice to

Cook fifteen minutes, and serve very hot, garnish with finely chopped parsley.

CREOLE RICE

Chop one large onion and one green pepper fine, and then place in a saucepan and add

Cook slowly for ten minutes and then add

Mix thoroughly and then heat until very hot and serve. Cold roast pork may be used to replace the ham.

ITALIAN RICE

Place three tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil in a frying pan and add four tablespoons of well-washed rice. Toss until the rice is well brown and then add

Cook until the rice is soft and then add

Stir until well blended and then serve, garnished with finely chopped parsley.

BELGIAN RICE BALLS

Place two cups of cooked rice in a bowl and add

Mix and then form into small balls, about the size of an orange. Dip into beaten egg and then roll in fine bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with crushed and sweetened fruit.

SWEDISH RICE PUDDING

Place in a baking dish

Bake in a slow oven for one hour and stir two or three times.

The cultivation of rice in Louisiana is more than a hundred years old. Louisiana now produces a crop of this cereal larger than the entire crop of the states of Georgia and Carolina. The tourist who visits Louisiana during the time of the rice market enjoys a scene that is rarely duplicated elsewhere in the civilized world; for here are gathered the buyers from all parts of the country.

The Creole of Louisiana, like the Oriental, has the true secret for making this food a palatable article of diet. The old mammy in New Orleans always tells her children that, of course, le riz must be thoroughly washed and she always insists that the grains be cleansed in four waters—two warm [pg 111] and two cold—and then it is cooked in the same manner as the Orientals use.

Never stir the rice while it is cooking; this will make it mushy. Instead, always shake the sauce-pan. Never flood the rice with water while it is cooking. Always keep the fact in mind that just five times the actual measurements of the rice in water will be required to cook it.

In this way there will be no excess water to drain off. So if you are using one-quarter cup of rice you would use one and one-quarter cups of water. Now you cannot pile up the water; you must be accurate in measuring the rice.

Boiled rice is a delicious accompaniment to chicken, lamb, turkey, shrimp, crabs and lobster—with okra and for oyster, chicken and crab grumbo; as a vegetable to replace potatoes and as a border for stews, goulashes, etc.

PIMENTO SANDWICHES

Use one tall or two small cans of pimentos.

Put the pimento, cheese and onion through the food-chopper and then add four tablespoons of salad dressing and use for sandwich filling.

BAKED APPLES

Pare and core apples and then place in muffin pans and add

Bake in a moderate oven until the apples are tender and then cool. To serve: Lift the apples into a small platter and cover with a fruit meringue and then sprinkle with cocoanut.

SPICED APPLES

Place six medium-sized apples in a casserole and then add

Bake until tender and then serve cold.

CALAS

The old negro women of the old French quarters in New Orleans used to make a delicious rice cake, which they carried in bowls on their heads. The bowls were covered with an immaculately clean cloth and the cakes were called bella cala—tout chaud of New Orleans.

HOW TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS RICE CAKE

Wash one-half cup of rice and cook until tender in two and one-half cups of boiling water. Now cool and mash the rice well. Now dissolve one-half yeast cake in one-half cup of water 80 degrees Fahrenheit and pour into a bowl, and add

Beat well to mix and then cover and let rise over night. In the morning add

Beat well and then let rise for three-quarters of an hour in a warm room. Now place in the pan one and one-half cups of vegetable oil. Heat until hot enough to brown a crust of bread while you count forty. Drop the rice mixture in by the spoonful and fry until golden brown. Lift to a soft paper to drain. Dish on a hot platter; cover with warm napkin. Dust with pulverized sugar and nutmeg.

APPLE AND RICE CUSTARD

Wash six tablespoons or two ounces of rice in several waters and then place in a saucepan and add two cupsful of boiling water. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice soft. Now wash, then cut into small pieces four small apples and then cover the apples with cold water and cook until soft. Rub through a fine sieve and add

Beat to mix and then pour into the custard cups and bake for fifteen minutes in a moderate oven.

SARDINE SANDWICHES

Open a box of sardines and then drain free from oil. Remove the skin and bone and then mash very fine. Add

Chop all fine and mix to a paste with six tablespoons of salad dressing, one-half teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of paprika.

Spread between the prepared bread and then cut into two pieces. Wrap in wax-paper until needed.

MY IDEAL APPLE SAUCE

Wash one-quarter peck of apples and then cut in pieces and place in a saucepan and add three cups of water.

Cook until soft and then rub through a fine sieve. Sweeten with

If red apples are used, this makes a most delicious pink-looking sauce. No need to peal or core apples.

APPLE CROQUETTES

Wash and cut into small pieces six medium-sized apples and then place in a saucepan and add one cup of water; cook slowly until the apples are soft, and then rub through a fine sieve and add

Mix thoroughly and then mould into croquettes and roll in flour, then fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with a custard sauce.

SALMON SANDWICHES

Open and drain a can of salmon and then remove the skin and bones. Place the salmon in a bowl and add

Mix and then prepare the bread. Place a leaf of lettuce on the bread and then spread the prepared filling, season and place the top slice of bread in position and cut into triangles.

ORANGES

The first orange crop of the season usually reaches the market about the end of October. The early Floridas are first, and they are closely followed by the Arizona navels, and just before Christmas comes the bulk of California and Florida oranges.

ORANGE SYRUP

Grate very lightly the rind from one dozen oranges and then place three pounds of sugar and the grated rind and the juice of oranges in a clean aluminum saucepan. Place where it will heat very slowly and then the sugar will melt. Stir frequently and do not let it boil. Cover closely and then strain into sterilized bottles. Place the bottles in a hot-water bath and process for forty minutes. Place the corks in the bottles and when cool dip in melted sealing wax. This recipe may be divided. To be used for making drinks, sauces, etc.

ORANGE JUICE

Place in a bowl

and then allow to stand for three hours. Strain and fill into sterilized bottles and process for forty minutes in a hot-water bath. Cork, and then finish like orange syrup.

Note.—Soak the cork in boiling water for one hour to soften. This will permit you to use a slightly larger cork and insure a good closing.

To use orange syrup: Place four tablespoons in a glass and then fill with carbonated water.

To use orange juice for making orangeade, dilute with equal parts of water and juice and chill, then serve.

SCOTCH ORANGE MARMALADE

Cut twelve oranges in half and then with a sharp knife cut into thin paper-like slices and remove all the seeds. Place in a preserving kettle and add five pints of cold water. Set aside for twelve hours and then bring to a boil and cook until the fruit is tender. Add the juice of four lemons and five cups of apple sauce and then bring to a boil and measure. Add three-quarters cup of sugar for every cup of mixture. Return to the kettle and bring to a boil. Cook until it forms a very thick jam, or until 223 degrees Fahrenheit is reached on the candy thermometer.

ORANGE PRESERVE IN SYRUP

Pare and separate nine oranges into sections, taking care to break as little as possible. Now place

in a preserving kettle and bring to a boil. Cook for fifteen minutes and then add the oranges and cook until the oranges are tender. Lift the oranges into a jar and bring the syrup to a boil. Pour over the fruit and then seal and store in a cool, dry place. Any syrup left over may be used on cereal or hot cakes.

ORANGE SALAD

Remove the peel from four oranges and then separate the carpels and cut with a sharp scissors into pieces. Place in a bowl and add

Toss the bowl gently to coat the fruit with the cocoanut and then fill into a nest of salad, and serve with orange dressing.

ORANGE SOUFFLÉ

Dissolve the starch and sugar in the water and then add the juice and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then cool. Now add the

Beat to mix and then carefully cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into a well-buttered soufflé dish and set in a pan of warm water. Bake in a moderate oven until firm in the centre. Serve warm, with orange syrup for a sauce.

ORANGE CREAM PIE

Line a pie tin with plain pastry and then place in a saucepan

Dissolve the cornstarch and the sugar in the water and add the milk and fruit juice. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes, partly cool and then add

Beat to thoroughly blend and then pour into prepared tins and bake in a very slow oven for thirty minutes. Cool and cover with a fruit meringue, using one-half glass of orange marmalade and the white of one egg, beaten until it forms a very stiff meringue.

ORANGE AND RICE CUSTARD

Wash one-half cup of rice and then cook until tender in three cups of water and the water is absorbed. Now add

Mix thoroughly and then place in a bowl

Beat to mix and then pour over the prepared rice. Mix thoroughly and then pour in either individual custard cups or into a baking dish. Set in a pan of warm water and then bake for thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Cool and serve with orange whip.

Beat with a Dover egg-beater until very stiff and then pile on rice.

SPICED PRUNES

Prepare one pound of prunes for cooking and then place in a casserole dish and add

Cook slowly until the prunes are tender and then drain the syrup and boil ten minutes before pouring over the prunes. Serve cold as a condiment with meat.

ORANGE DRESSING

Dissolve the sugar and the starch in water and add the fruit juice and the grated rind. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes, and then remove from the fire and drop in yolk of one egg. Beat well to mix. Now beat the white very stiff, and then beat into the mixture and then chill and serve.

ORANGE BETTY

Pare and cut into dice three oranges. Place in a bowl and add

Mix, let cool, and then add

Mix thoroughly and then pour into either individual custard cups or into a pudding mould and set in a pan of hot water. If the Betty is put in custard cups, grease them well and bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. If put into a mould, bake for one hour.

ORANGE FRITTERS

Pare three oranges and then with a sharp knife cut into one-half inch slices. Dip the slices in flour, then into a batter, and fry until golden brown in hot fat.

THE BATTER

Break one egg in a cup land then fill with milk. Place in a bowl and add

Serve orange fritters with orange dressing or orange syrup.

BAKED PRUNES

Prepare one-half pound of prunes for cooking and place in a casserole dish. Add one-half of an orange cut in thin paper-like slices. Cover the dish and place in an oven to bake very slowly. Now if the prunes are soaked early in the morning and then prepared for baking and placed in the oven when the fire is slacked off for the night, they will be done very nicely in the morning. This long, slow cooking is just what the prune requires.

PRUNE SALAD

Prepare the prunes as for stuffing and then place one-half cup of cottage cheese in a bowl and add

Blend thoroughly and then fill into the pitted prunes. Now arrange the stuffed prunes upon crisp lettuce leaves and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve with either paprika or mayonnaise dressing. This is very nice for luncheon or supper served as a salad.

CALIFORNIA PRUNE CAKE

Cream well until light and creamy and then add

Beat to thoroughly blend and then fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the two eggs. Now line a cake pan with greased paper and pour in a layer of the cake batter. Spread evenly. Now spread a layer of finely chopped nuts and then a layer of well-drained and cooked prunes that have been chopped fine. Cover with a layer of the cake batter and then repeat this until the pan, is three-quarters full. Then dust the top of the cake lightly with sugar. Place in a moderate oven and bake for one hour. Cool, and then ice with icing made of

and sufficient boiling water to moisten. Then spread on the cake.

PRUNE AND NUT JELLY

Soak three level tablespoons of gelatine in one-half cup of cold water for one-half hour. Now stone sufficient prunes to measure one cup. Add

Now place the gelatine in a hot-water bath and then strain into the prune mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed and then pour into moulds. Set aside to mould and then serve with fruit whip.

PRUNE DELICACIES

Wash the prunes thoroughly and then drain and turn on a cloth to dry. Remove the stones and fill the centres with a mixture of chopped nuts and ginger. Roll in granulated sugar. Prunes may be filled with fondant or fudge.

PRUNE CHARLOTTE

Soak three level tablespoons of gelatine in one-half cup of cold water for one-half hour. Then set in hot water bath to melt. Strain into a bowl and add

Heat to dissolve sugar and then cool before adding to the gelatine. Now place a few spoonfuls of the prepared gelatine mixture in a mould and turn to thoroughly coat the mould. Then line the mould with cooked and stoned prunes. Pour a few spoonfuls of the gelatine mixture over the prunes and set them in place before pouring in the remainder of the mixture; then set aside to mould. When ready to serve unmould on platter and serve with prune sauce.

PRUNE SAUCE

Rub one cup of cooked and stoned prunes through a fine sieve and add

Heat to dissolve sugar and then cool before serving.

RHUBARB

To cook rhubarb, cut it into inch pieces and remove the stringy peel. Cook in a glass or earthen casserole dish in the oven until it is soft, adding just enough sugar to sweeten. This will give you a splendid product.

Do not use the leaves of the rhubarb. And do not cook rhubarb in tin; the mineral salt or acid content of the fruit reacts upon the metal and sets up an active poison.

TO COOK RHUBARB FOR PIES

Prepare the rhubarb and then sprinkle well with flour and add sugar, and cook slowly until tender. The flour will thicken the mixture. Then pour into the prepared pie plate and cover with pastry. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Pie made in this way will be far superior to that made where the rhubarb is cut and placed in the pie and then cooked.

RHUBARB AND RAISIN CONSERVE

Wash and peel and then cut the rhubarb into one-half inch pieces. Measure one quart of the cut pieces and place in a baking dish, adding

Do not add water; cover and cook until the fruit is tender, usually about forty minutes.

RHUBARB FRUIT SAUCE

Place the whites of two eggs in a bowl and then add one-half glass of jelly. Beat until very stiff and then add one cup of very thick rhubarb sauce.

RHUBARB SHORTCAKE

Place two cups of flour in a bowl and add

Sift to mix and then rub in six tablespoons of shortening. Mix to a dough with two-thirds cup of milk. Cut with a large cookie cutter and then bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes. Split and butter, and then fill with the cooked rhubarb and serve with either plain or whipped cream or custard sauce.

RHUBARB COCKTAIL

Place three tablespoons of rhubarb conserve in a cocktail glass. Add layer of thinly sliced bananas and then a layer of shredded orange. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with whipped cream or stiffly beaten white of egg. Garnish with maraschino cherries.

RHUBARB PUFFS

Place in a bowl and then add

Beat to mix and then fill into well-greased custard cups and bake for thirty minutes in a hot oven.

VERMONT RHUBARB GRIDDLE CAKES

Soak stale bread in cold water to soften. Press very dry and then rub through a fine sieve. Now measure two cups and place in a bowl and add

Mix well and then bake on a griddle and serve with sugar, cinnamon and butter or syrup.

RHUBARB GELATINE

Add

Add the gelatine to the mixture and then set aside for one-half hour to soften. Then heat slowly until the boiling point is reached, remove from the fire and pour into moulds. Let set until firm and then unmould and serve with whipped cream. Use a china or earthenware mould.

RHUBARB AND TAPIOCA PUDDING

Wash one-half cup of pearl tapioca in plenty of water to remove the starch. Place in a glass or earthenware baking dish and add four cups of cooked and sweetened rhubarb. Cook in the oven until the tapioca is transparent or soft. Place a meringue made of the white of one egg on top. Cool, and then serve.

RHUBARB DUMPLINGS

Roll the pastry out one-quarter inch thick and then cut into four-inch squares. Fill with pieces of rhubarb cut in one-half inch pieces, adding 2 tablespoons sugar. Fold the dough over, pressing it tightly, and then brush with egg-wash and bake in a slow oven for thirty minutes.

GINGER JELLY

Soak one-half package of gelatine in one cupful of cold water for thirty minutes and then add

Beat thoroughly to mix and then let cool. Just before it begins to thicken stir in one-half cup of finely chopped candied ginger.

GINGER CREAM

Soak one-half box of gelatine in one and one-half cups of cold milk for one-half hour. Now add one-half cup of sugar and set in a pan of warm water. Stir until gelatine is dissolved and then set aside to cool. While cooling place

in a bowl and beat with a Dover egg-beater until light and fluffy. Add one-half cup of finely shredded candied ginger and then cooled gelatine. Whip until it begins to thicken and then pour into moulds to become firm.

Note.—Do not add the gelatine mixture to the fruit whip until just before it thickens.

GINGER DELICACIES

The West Indians make and serve many delicious desserts and conserves made with ginger. Either the prepared ginger in pots may be used or the ordinary ginger root may be obtained from the grocery shops. Ask for stem ginger, as this kind is less apt to be stringy and coarse.

To prepare: Soak the ginger in warm water over night and then in the morning wash, using a vegetable brush. Now scrape well and then place in fresh water enough to cover—and cook gently on the back of the stove until tender. Or it may be placed in the fireless cooker over night. When the root is tender, place

in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for ten minutes and then add the ginger. Now place where it will just keep warm and simmer until the syrup is absorbed. Remove and stand in a cool place for two days. Reheat and then drain on a sieve and roll in sugar. Pack in an air-tight tin box and the ginger will keep indefinitely.

PINEAPPLE MOUSSE

Drain and mince sufficient pineapple fine to measure two cups. Put through a fine sieve and then place in a bowl; place whites of two eggs in a second bowl and add one glass of apple jelly. Beat until very stiff. Whip one cup of cream stiff and add one-half cup of sugar. Gently combine the fruit whip, whipped cream and puree of pineapple by cutting and folding until well mixed. Pour into two-quart mould and cover with wax paper; then place on the lid, and use one pint of salt to two and one-half pints of finely crushed ice, to set the mousse to freeze.

TO STUFF DATES WITH GINGER

Remove the stones from the dates and then fill the centre With a piece of candied ginger. Press firmly and then roll between the hands to restore to shape of date. Roll the finished date in granulated sugar. Prunes may be used to replace the dates.

EGGLESS MAYONNAISE

Place in soup plate

Blend by beating with fork and when smooth add slowly three-quarters cup of salad oil. Beat hard for few minutes. Now add

Then beat again until thoroughly mixed.

COOKED SALAD DRESSING

Dissolve the starch in the water and add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook for three minutes and then remove, and add

Beat to mix and then beat in one cup of sour cream. This dressing may be used on potatoes, chicken and celery salad and with cold meat or plain lettuce.

FROZEN LEMON CUSTARD

Place in a saucepan

Stir until dissolved and then bring to a boil. Cook for ten minutes. Remove from the fire and add

Beat to thoroughly mix, then cool. Now grate the rind lightly from one lemon. Place in a bowl and add

Blend well and when ready to freeze beat the lemon mixture into the custard. Add the lemon mixture very slowly. Freeze in the usual manner, using three parts of ice to one of salt. Pack, and then set aside for two hours to ripen.

GINGER-ALE SALAD

Soak four tablespoons of gelatine in four tablespoons of cold water for twenty minutes. Now add to the gelatine one-half cup of boiling ginger-ale. Stir until gelatine is dissolved and then strain. Add the balance of the one pint bottle of ginger-ale. Let cool, and then rinse off mould in ice water to thoroughly chill, and then coat the mould with the gelatine by pouring in about one-quarter cup and turning the mould until it is thoroughly coated. Now place pieces of preserved ginger in designs in the bottom of the mould, also using a few maraschino cherries. Pour a little gelatine over this and then when firm pour in sufficient gelatine to form a layer. Repeat this until the mould is filled. In warm weather pack the mould in salt and ice mixture for quick results.

EGG SALAD

Shred one head of lettuce very fine and then place in a bowl and add

Mix and then garnish with four hard-boiled eggs, cut in slices. Dust with paprika.

THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

Blend well.

SALAD DRESSING

To make mayonnaise dressing, break one egg in a bowl and then add

Beat with Dover beater to mix and then have some one pour in slowly one cup of oil while you beat the mixture with a steady motion.

CUCUMBER SALAD

Pare the cucumbers and then cut into thin slices and cover with two tablespoons of salt and cracked ice for one hour. Wash and then drain. Now shred fine the coarse green leaves of the lettuce. Arrange the cucumbers on the prepared lettuce and serve with sour cream dressing.

FRUIT SALAD

Pare and cut into dice

Place in a bowl and add one cup of cocoanut and toss gently to mix. Now place in a nest of lettuce. Prepare a fruit salad dressing of

Dissolve the sugar and starch and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then remove from the fire, and add yolk of one egg. Beat hard to mix and then fold in the stiffly beaten white of one egg. Cool, and then pour over the fruit salad. Garnish with maraschino cherries. This amount of salad will serve eight persons.

COLESLAW

Shred a head of cabbage fine and place in salted water for one-half hour. Drain well and then add

Mix.

SALMON SALAD

Open a can of salmon and then drain and remove the bones and add

Mix, shred the coarse outer green leaves of the lettuce fine and then line a bowl with crisp lettuce. Place the shredded lettuce in the nest and then the prepared salmon. Serve with sliced hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise dressing.

POACHED EGGS ON FRENCH TOAST

Trim the crust from slices of bread and then dip in the following:

Beat to mix and then fry the bread until golden brown in hot fat. Poach the eggs and then lift on a napkin to drain. Then roll gently on the French toast. Cover with a cream sauce and garnish with finely shredded parsley.

PICKLED EGGS

Hard boil one-half dozen eggs. Cook until tender one bunch of beets. Turn into a pan of cold water and then remove the skins and cut into thick slices. Place in a dish and add four large onions, cut in thin slices. Now place in a saucepan

Bring to a boil and cook for ten minutes. Pour over the beets. Add the hard-boiled eggs.

OMELET

Place the yolks of three eggs in a bowl and add

Mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs and then place four tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan. When fat is smoking hot pour in the omelet and cook gently until firm, then turn either by lifting or rolling, using the cake-turner or a spatula, or it can be turned into another hot pan, containing one tablespoon of shortening, then fold and roll.

How to prepare the bread: Soak stale bread in hot water to soften and then place in a cloth and squeeze very dry.

DEVILED EGGS, PARISIENNE

Boil one egg hard for each person, cut in half, cutting the length of the egg. Rub the yolks through a fine sieve into a bowl and then add to every six eggs

Mix and then fill back into the whites of the eggs. Mould up very high and then roll in finely grated cheese and dust with paprika. Roll in wax-paper. Set in ice-box until ready to serve.

BAKED OMELET

Place in a bowl

Beat to mix thoroughly and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of four eggs. Pour in a baking or casserole dish and bake in a moderate oven until firm in the centre. Garnish with strips of bacon and serve with cheese sauce.

To make cheese sauce: Place three tablespoons of grated cheese in a cup of cream sauce.

MORAVIAN OMELET

Soak one-half cup of sifted stale bread crumbs in one-half cup of milk, adding

Mix thoroughly and then heat four tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan until smoking hot and then pour in the mixture. Reduce the heat and cook until set. Fold and turn and then roll. Turn on a hot platter. This amount will serve two persons.

CHEESE CUTLETS

Place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve the flour and then bring to a boil. Cook for two minutes and then add

Stir until the cheese is melted and then remove from the fire and add

Turn on a greased platter and set to cool. Mould. It takes about four hours to become firm enough to mould into cutlets. Mould into shape and then roll in flour and dip in beaten egg, then in fine crumbs and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Garnish with watercress.

COUNTRY CHEESE SANDWICHES

Place one cup of country or buttermilk cheese in a bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then spread the rye bread with English butter, and then spread the filling between the slices of bread and cut into finger-width strips.

CHEESE SANDWICHES

Place in a bowl

Mix thoroughly and then spread between the bread as prepared for bread and butter sandwiches.

A FEW POINTERS ABOUT VEGETABLES

Do not oversalt vegetables. Never salt while cooking; too much salt not only toughens the delicate fibres but also neutralizes the valuable mineral content.

Add just sufficient boiling water to cover and then bring to a boil. Then cook slowly until tender. Do not cover the saucepan in which the vegetables are cooking. This condenses the steam which contains the volatile oils and thus darkens the vegetable.

PUREE OF PEAS

Rub one cup of cooked peas through a sieve and add

Dissolve the starch in the water and add the balance of the ingredients to the pea puree. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with croutons or toast, slices of bread cut in half-inch blocks.

PEA SOUFFLE

Place in a bowl

and then rub

Now add

Beat to mix, then fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the two eggs. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake in a moderate oven until firm in the centre. Serve at once. This dish replaces meat.

PEA PUDDING

Put four tablespoons of peas through a sieve and then place in a bowl and add

Mix to blend, then pour in well-greased custard cups. Bake until firm in the centre. Serve in cups, or turn out on a slice of toast and cover with cream of hollandaise sauce.

Note.—Set the pudding in a pan containing warm water while baking.

BAKED DRIED CORN

Soak one and one-half cups of corn over night and then in the morning drain and place in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Simmer slowly until tender and then drain and season with

Place in a casserole dish and cover with one and a half cups of cream sauce. Sprinkle with fine bread crumbs and one tablespoon of finely grated cheese. Bake for twenty minutes in the oven. This dish replaces meat for luncheon.

SQUASH

SQUASH AU GRATIN

Wash, pare and cut the squash into pieces, discarding the seeds. Steam until tender and then drain well and stand on the back of the range to dry. Now rub the pulp through a sieve. Measure and add to each cup of pulp

Pour into well-greased baking dish and cover with fine bread crumbs and two tablespoons of grated cheese. Bake in a slow oven for twenty minutes.

SQUASH CAKES

Wash and cut the squash into pieces and then cook until tender in boiling water, then drain and rub pulp through sieve. Now measure and place in a bowl

Beat to mix and then bake as if for griddle cakes on a hot griddle. Serve with maple syrup.

SQUASH SOUFFLE

Beat to blend and then carefully fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into well-greased individual custard cups and set in a pan of warm water. Bake slowly in a moderate oven until firm in the centre, usually about twenty minutes. Let stand about three minutes after removing from the oven and then turn on a slice of toast and cover with cheese sauce and serve.

SQUASH ITALIENNE

Mix thoroughly and then dice two ounces of salt pork. Brown the salt pork nicely and then drain off about one-half of the fat in the pan. Turn the squash mixture on the salt pork and heat and serve.

SQUASH PIE

Wash and then cut the squash into pieces and then boil until tender and drain; rub the pulp through sieve. Measure, and to each cup add

Beat well to mix and then pour in a pie tin which has been lined with plain pastry. Sprinkle one-half cup of currants over the top and bake for one-half hour in a slow oven.

BAKED SQUASH

Cut a slice from the top of the squash and remove the seeds and the string fibre. Now add

Cover closely with a lid and then bake in a slow oven until the pulp is tender, usually about thirty minutes. Remove the lip and scoop out the pulp with a spoon, piling it into a hot vegetable dish, and garnish with finely chopped parsley and then serve.

SQUASH BISCUIT

Place in a bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in five tablespoons of shortening and mix to a dough with one cup of prepared squash pulp. Work to a dough and blend evenly, then roll out on a slightly floured board three-quarters of an inch thick. Cut and brush the tops with milk and bake in a hot oven for fifteen minutes.

Squash may be used to replace potatoes when making bread. Add one cup of squash pulp to ginger-bread, or when making small cakes it will be found to be delicious when used this way.

OMELET IN TOMATO CASES

Select firm tomatoes and then cut a slice from the tops and with a spoon carefully remove the centres. Place the tomato in well-greased custard cups and then break in a bowl four eggs; then add

Beat to mix and then fill into the prepared tomato. Sprinkle one teaspoon of fine bread crumbs on top of each tomato and add

Set the custard cups in a baking pan and place in a hot oven and bake for twenty minutes. Turn on a slice of toast and cover with cream sauce.

BAKED TOMATOES, CHELSEA

Select firm tomatoes and cut a slice from the tops and scoop out the centres with a spoon. Now grease custard cups and place the tomatoes in the cups. Now shred very fine one ounce of dried beef. Divide into the four tomatoes. Break in a mixing bowl

Then add

Beat to mix and then chop fine the pulp from the tomatoes. Place one teaspoon of this pulp in each tomato.

TOMATOES, COUNTRY STYLE

Select smooth, firm tomatoes cut in half and then place in a deep dish. Cover with cracked ice and serve with the following dressing:

COUNTRY DRESSING

Place in a bowl

Beat until creamy and then serve ice cold.

TOMATO FRITTERS

Select firm tomatoes and then cut in one-half inch slices. Dip in the prepared batter and then fry until golden brown. Serve with cream sauce.

How to prepare the batter: Place one egg in a bowl and add

Beat to mix and then add

Beat to a smooth batter and then dip the tomatoes into it. Fry quickly until golden brown.

SPINACH

Let us first begin with the washing of the spinach. Take your cleanser and scour out the sink and then scald it with boiling water. Now place a clean cloth over the drain and turn the spinach into the sink. Use plenty of lukewarm water to wash with. This is necessary to free these crinky little leaves from the sand and grit. Now rinse in plenty of cold water to crisp it. Shake the spinach dry and place in a deep saucepan and cover and then steam gently until tender. Do not add any water. In this manner the spinach is virtually cooked in its own juices. Now turn into a chopping bowl and chop fine and then rub through a coarse sieve and it is ready for use. You must prepare and cook the spinach early in the day, so that you will have time to properly prepare it, and then, when it is wanted, simply reheat it.

SPINACH A LA MODE

Prepare and cook the spinach as given above and then turn into a sieve and let drain, with a weight, for three hours. Now chop fine and then place one tablespoon of bacon or sausage fat in the frying pan and add

Heat slowly until very hot and then season with salt and pepper. Lift to a hot platter and garnish with a slice of hard-boiled egg.

SPINACH PUDDING

Cook the spinach as directed in the above methods and then add

Mix thoroughly and then pour into well-greased baking dish and bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes.

SUNSHINE SAUCE FOR VEGETABLES

Make a cream sauce, using

Place in a saucepan and stir until dissolved, using a fork or wire whip. Bring to a boil. Cook slowly for five minutes and then add

Mix thoroughly and then serve with baked peppers.

SOUFFLE OF SPINACH

Cook the spinach as directed in the method and then place one cup of spinach in a bowl and add

Mix thoroughly, and then carefully fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs and then pour into well-greased baking dish. Bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes and serve with cheese sauce in place of meat for luncheon.

SPINACH NESTS

Cook spinach as for spinach à la mode and then chop fine and mould into nests. Place on a slice of bread and then break an egg into each nest and cover with two tablespoons of well-seasoned cream sauce and one teaspoon of grated cheese. Place on a baking sheet in a moderate oven for twelve minutes and serve with cream sauce for luncheon in place of meat.

SPINACH WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Cook the spinach as given in the method and then when ready to serve, reheat and make the Hollandaise sauce as follows:

Place in a small saucepan and bring to the boiling point, and then add the yolk of egg. Stir until thick and then add sufficient salt to taste. Pour over the spinach when ready to serve.

SPINACH BALLS

Prepare spinach as for spinach à la mode and then place in a bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then form into balls and dip in beaten egg, and then roll in fine bread crumbs and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with lamb chops.

PUREE OF SPINACH ALSACE

Rub one-half cup of spinach through a sieve and then place in a bowl and add

Mix and then pour into custard cups. Bake in a moderate oven eighteen minutes. This will replace meat for luncheon. Cream sauce may be used instead of gravy.

SPINACH SALAD

Prepare the spinach as for spinach à la mode and then chop fine and place in a bowl, and add

Mix, and then pack in demi-tasse cups to mould. Turn on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves and serve with French dressing.

SPINACH A LA BOURGEOIS

To one-half cup of leftover spinach add

Mix and then place in a baking dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes. Serve in place of meat for luncheon.

SPINACH—SCOTCH STYLE

Place in a bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into well-greased baking dish and sprinkle two tablespoons of grated cheese and fine bread crumbs and then bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes.

HOW TO PREPARE A STOCK POT

Select a pot that has a close-fitting lid and keep it for this purpose. The usual proportion is a one-gallon pot for a family of six. You will require one pound of bones to every quart of water, and

to every four quarts of water or less. Have the butcher crack the bones well and then rinse them under cold water and [pg 148] place in the pot, together with meat and the seasoning. Add the required amount of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook very slowly for three and one-half hours. Strain the liquid and discard the bones and vegetables. Set the liquid aside to cool and remove the cake of fat when it hardens. Now place the liquid in a saucepan and boil for twenty minutes. It may now be used for stock, soups, broths, gravies and sauces.

Cover the bones in the kettle with cold water again and add any leftover gravies, bits of meat, trimmings and bones that you may have on hand. Cook slowly on the back of the range for four hours, and then strain, and to two quarts of this stock add

Cook slowly for one hour for a good vegetable soup. To give the soup body, add

Dissolved in

Cook ten minutes and then serve.

BEAN SOUP

Soak one pint of marrow-fat or soup beans over night. In the morning wash and place in soup kettle with two quarts of [pg 149] water, bring to a boil, turn in colander, and let drain and rinse under cold water. Return to soup kettle and add

Cook slowly for four hours, now mince one-half pound of salt pork fine, place in frying pan and cook slowly until nice brown; add to the bean stock, mashing beans well. Serve.

Dried peas, lima beans, soy beans and lentil soup may be prepared in the same manner.

BOUILLON

Remove bone and cut meat in small pieces, brown quickly in hot pan, place in soup kettle, and add vegetables cut in tiny dice and three quarts of cold water; bring slowly to a boil and cook slowly for three and one-half hours; strain through napkin, season and clarify white of egg and crushed egg shell.

To clarify: Set soup aside until cold, remove fat, return to stock pot, and add white of egg, crushed egg shell and one-half cup of cold water beaten together, then bring slowly to a boil, cook for five minutes and then add one-half cup of water—lift from stove, set aside to settle and strain through piece cheesecloth.

MOCK TURTLE SOUP

Clean and thoroughly wash head, removing tongue and brains.

Place the head in stock pot, then add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly until meat leaves the bones, lift head; cut part head in tiny dice, using about two cups of the meat; do not add to the mock turtle yet.

Now place in frying pan

Brown flour a deep mahogany brown—add part of the stock to blend into thick sauce—bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes; then strain into the stock or mock turtle soup. Now add

Simmer few minutes, strain through cheesecloth into bowl, set aside to cool, remove fat from top; now return stock to kettle and clarify as for bouillon; to serve reheat, add the chopped calf's head meat as prepared, juice of one-half lemon, two slices lemon cut in tiny pieces, two hard-boiled eggs chopped fine.

OXTAIL SOUP

Have butcher cut tail in pieces; soak ox-tail in warm water for one-half hour. Wash and wipe dry, now roll each joint in flour, place one-half cup of shortening in soup kettle, add the ox-tails and brown well, then add one-half cup flour, browning a deep mahogany brown; now add

Cook slowly for three hours, season with pepper and salt and juice of one-half lemon.

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP

Place in a saucepan

Simmer slowly for one-half hour.

Now place in frying pan

Blend together, and then add one pint of cold water, and as soon as it is thoroughly blended turn into the soup; stir to prevent lumping and bring quickly to a boil; cook ten minutes; strain through cheesecloth; add juice one-half lemon and one-half cup of finely chopped chicken meat. Serve.

FRENCH PEA SOUP

Soak one cup of dried peas over night and then in the morning drain and place in a saucepan, adding

Simmer gently until tender and then pass through a sieve and add

Simmer slowly for thirty minutes and then serve with toasted strips of bread.

FAGGOT OF SOUP HERBS

Divide one leek into three parts and cut from the stem up. To this piece of leek add

Tie with a string and dry in a warm place. When dry put in a glass jar to be used as needed.

Many varieties of soups may be made from the plain stock with just a few minutes' work.

Clear tomato soup: To one quart of stock add one cupful of canned tomatoes, rubbed through a fine sieve. Noodles, macaroni or any cooked vegetable may be added.

For clear soup: Add one teaspoon of kitchen bouquet and any desired vegetables to each quart of stock. When making [pg 153] cream soups, if you will add one cupful of prepared stock to each cup of milk, your soup will have a delicious flavor.

Stock may be made, filled into sterilized jars and then the rubber and lid adjusted; the soup may then be processed for three hours in a hot-water bath. Remove from the bath, fasten the lids securely, and then test for leaks and store in a dry cool place. Where there is a fire kept in the kitchen, it will not add to the costs to can soups, stocks, etc., for future use.

PEPPER POT

Place in a saucepan

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for three hours. Remove the calves' feet, remove meat from the fat, chop meat fine and return to soup, then add three cups of finely diced potatoes and tiny dumplings made as follows:

Place in a mixing bowl

Mix to a dough and then work well to blend. Make into small balls the size of a large pea. Drop into the pepper pot and cook for fifteen minutes. Season with salt and pepper and then serve.

FRUIT SOUP

The French, Swiss and Danish housewives serve during the summer a delicious fruit soup. In Normandy, during apple-blossom time, the petals of the fruit are picked as they fall and are used for fruit soup, blossom jelly and perfume and distilled water.

HOW TO MAKE THIS SOUP

You may use any fruit desired; wash to thoroughly cleanse, and to each pint of crushed fruit allow three pints of water. The fruit must be packed solidly. Place in a kettle and cook until the fruit is soft and then rub through a fine sieve. Now measure and add

of the fruit puree. Bring to boil and cook five minutes. Remove from the fire and add yolk of one egg. Beat very hard and then fold in stiffly beaten white of egg; season slightly with nutmeg, chill and serve.

Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, cherries, grapes, currants, apples, peaches, pears, oranges, lemon and quinces may be used for these soups. They are delicious when served ice cold on a hot day.

MEATS

Use oven for baking and boiling and then cook your meats in the old-fashioned English way by direct contact with the flame. This means that you must first place one quart of water and one tablespoon of salt in the broiler pan of the gas range; then place in the roast, steak or chops, upon the broiler; turn [pg 155] every few minutes. The roast must be placed farther from the flame to prevent burning. A good rule for this is to keep roasting meat four inches from the flame, steaks and chops two and one-half inches and fish three inches.

The placing of water in the broiler pan prevents fat from catching fire. This liquid may be allowed to cool and then the fat may be removed and clarified and used for other purposes. Baste roast with one pint of boiling water while cooking.

ROASTING AND BAKING MEATS

Roasting or grilling is done before open fire, the meat being turned frequently, so that all sides may be cooked alike. The meat is basted with its own fat. This method of cooking meat is used daily in Europe, but not much used in this country.

When a piece of meat is large it is roasted. Meat cooked in an oven by radiated heat is frequently called in this country "roasting." It is well known and needs little description. When baking meat always use a wire rack to lift the meat from the bottom of the pan. This will insure even cooking.

Use the broiling oven in the gas range for roasting, placing rack sufficiently low. Have the oven hot enough to brown the meat quickly, then reduce the heat so that it will cook evenly; turn the roast three times during this process.

Allow one-half an hour after placing meat in the oven before counting time. This is necessary so that the meat may reach the required temperature to start cooking.

To bake (oven roast) use same process, using regular oven.

Start counting time after meat is one-half hour in oven and allow twelve minutes to the pound for very rare, fifteen minutes for rare, eighteen minutes for medium and twenty for well done.

Baste the meat with the liquid in the pan every fifteen minutes. Do not add seasoning to the meat while cooking. It [pg 156] is a well-known fact that salt will cause the juices and flavoring of the meat to dissolve and therefore become lost. Season steaks and chops just before serving. Season roasts five minutes before removing from the oven. Always make the gravy after removing the meat from the pan.

Note.—Never dish meat on a cold platter. The contact of a cold dish with the hot meat will injure its delicate aroma.

In many portions of France and England chops and steaks are served upon platters set over a bowl of hot water or a special fuel that can be burned in a container that holds the platter. When serving a large steak always have a cover of metal or another hot dish turned over the meat to prevent it chilling.

CORRECT METHOD OF BOILING MEAT

Place the meat in a saucepan of boiling water and then keep the water boiling rapidly for five minutes after the meat is added. Then place the saucepan in a position where it will cook just below the boiling point for the required length of time. Constant and rapid boiling will cause the albumen in the meat to harden; therefore, no amount of cooking afterward will soften the fibre. It will only cause the meat to fall apart without being tender.

It is important to keep the saucepan closely covered. This will prevent the delicate aroma from evaporating.

Braising: Meat is placed in a hot saucepan and turned quickly and frequently. It is cooked in its own juices in a closely covered saucepan.

Steaming: Cooking meat by placing in steam bath or steamer.

Grilling: Cooking meat over a hot fire on a grill made for the purpose.

Broiling: A very hot fire is necessary for this mode of cooking meat. Only the choicest, tenderest, and most delicate cuts are suitable for cooking by this method. The strong heat [pg 157] instantly coagulates the albumen by searing it, thus retaining all its juices and flavor. That this method may be successful it is very necessary that the meat be turned every few minutes. This also insures it being cooked evenly.

Pan Broiling: This is another method of cooking the fine cuts of meat when it is not possible to broil them. Broiled meat is more healthful and also less wasteful than any other form of cooked meat.

TO PAN BROIL

Heat an iron frying pan red hot, then place in it the meat. Turn it constantly.

TIME FOR ROASTING MEAT IN GAS BROILER

Beef, eighteen minutes to the pound.

Lamb and mutton, twenty-one minutes to the pound.

Veal, twenty-five minutes to the pound.

Chicken or duck, eighteen minutes to the pound without filling and twenty-five minutes to the pound with filling.

Fish, fifteen minutes to the pound.

Au gratin dishes, meat pie and various vegetables may be cooked at the same time.

PORK

Pork should be sweet-smelling—the fat clear white and flesh good pinkish color. Loin for chops, crown roast.

BOILED PORK

Plunge pork in boiling water and cook, allowing twenty-five minutes to the pound.

TO ROAST LOIN

Wipe with damp cloth, pat in plenty of flour, place in a roasting pan, place in hot oven for thirty minutes. Now reduce heat to moderate and roast, allowing thirty minutes to the pound; baste with boiling water after meat is in oven one-half hour.

Fresh ham and shoulder may be roasted in same manner.

SPANISH KIDNEY STEW

Cut three pork kidneys in one-inch pieces, rejecting the tubes and fat, and then soak in warm water and one tablespoon of lemon juice for one hour. Drain, and then parboil and drain and blanch under cold water. Now return to saucepan and add just sufficient boiling water to cover. Cook until tender, and then add

Bring to boiling point and then add

Heat to the boiling point and then serve.

BRAISED SWEETBREADS

Prepare sweetbreads as directed on Page 164 and then remove the tubes and fat and cut into slices. Place two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add the sweetbreads and one tablespoon of grated onions, one cup of mushrooms, toss gently until nicely browned and then lift on squares of toast and cover with supreme sauce.

SAUSAGE CAKES

Mix to thoroughly blend and then form into round sausages. Roll in flour and brown quickly, and then add

Bring to the boiling point and cook for five minutes. Serve, lift the sausages on fried mush.

To prepare the bread: Soak stale bread in cold water until soft and then press very dry. Measure and then rub through a fine sieve to remove the lumps. All the above may be cooked in the fireless cooker or in casserole dishes.

MUTTON

Mutton is the dressed carcass of the full-grown sheep and is usually prime in animals from three to five years old. If any older than this it lacks flavor and is tough.

The cuts of mutton and of lamb are the same, namely: The meat is divided into fore and hind quarters and then cut into the neck, shoulder, rack, breast, loin and leg.

The shoulder and leg are used for roasting and may be boned and then filled and rolled. For choice rack, cut to the tenth rib as for the chops. Three ribs and the neck for stewing, meat pies, goulashes, etc. The loin for chops.

The French and English have methods of cutting and cooking mutton and lamb that made these cuts delicious.

CHOPS

French chops: Cut two ribs thick from the rack. English chops: Cut two inches thick from the loin, including the kidney.

TO COOK

Trim the chops free from excess fat and then baste with the juice of one lemon. Place in a broiler and cook for ten minutes, turning them frequently.

ENGLISH DRESSING FOR LAMB OR MUTTON CHOPS

Blend well together and then spread lightly on both sides of the cooked chops. Serve on a hot platter without gravy, with spiced grape or currant jelly.

ROAST MUTTON

Trim to remove the excess fat and then dust with flour. Place on the rack in the baking pan. Place in a hot oven to brown for thirty minutes. Baste every ten minutes with boiling water. Cook the meat for eighteen minutes to the pound, not counting the first half hour in which the meat starts to cook. Drain off the fat before making the gravy.

Mutton and lamb chops may be used for frying purposes. It can be blended with equal amounts of ham, bacon, pork or beef fat. Save every bit of fat and use it for making soap. This fat makes a fine soft soap for scouring and cleaning.

CURRY OF MUTTON

Have the butcher cut the neck of mutton into cutlets and then wipe with a damp cloth and place in a saucepan, together with

Gently brown the meat before adding any water. When meat is browned add

Cook until tender and then season and thicken the gravy slightly with cornstarch. Now add

To serve, place a border of cooked noodles around the edge of a large platter and then lift the mutton curry in the centre and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

GOULASH

This is a characteristic dish of the Balkan states. It is made by cutting one-half pound of lean beef (shin) into one-inch thick blocks and three-quarters of a pound of veal cut into small pieces. Roll the meat in flour and then place in a stewing pan. Cover with boiling water and cover closely. Cook the meat until it is tender. Remove the lid and boil the liquid quickly to reduce. Now add:

Bring to a boil and then simmer for ten minutes. Serve with fried noodles.

SWEETBREAD PATTIES

To make the patty shells place in a bowl two cups of flour and then add

Rub between the hands to mix and run into the prepared flour

Mix to a dough with a scant two-thirds cup of ice-cold water. Turn on a floured moulding board and either roll or pat out one and one-quarter inch thick. Cut as for biscuits, using a water glass to cut with. The biscuit cutter will not permit cutting with this thickness of dough. Now use small cutter and cut out the centre, leaving about one-half inch thickness at the bottom and a wall one-half inch thick around the patty shell. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes. Then fill with braised sweetbreads.

BRAISED OXTAILS WITH BAKED DRIED PEAS

Soak one and one-half cups of dried peas over night and then in the morning parboil. Place in a baking dish, together with

and sufficient water to cover. Bake in a moderate oven for three hours.

To prepare the ox-tails have the butcher cut the tails in two-inch pieces and then soak for two hours in lukewarm water. Wash well and parboil for fifteen minutes.

CHILI OF BEEF

Cut one pound of flank steak in one-inch blocks and then roll in flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Now add

Cook slowly until meat is tender and then season with

and add one cup of cooked beans. Heat to boiling point and then serve.

MEAT LOAF

Mix thoroughly and then pack into a well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pan. Place this pan in a larger one containing water and bake in a slow oven for one hour. This dish will keep for one week in the icebox. It makes splendid sandwiches.

Then cover the bones with cold water and then add

Cook slowly for one hour. Use this liquid for a stock for making gravy.

SWEETBREADS POLASKA

Select medium-sized sweetbreads, place the sweetbreads in cold water to soak, adding one teaspoon of lemon juice; soak for two hours and then wash and pat dry. Remove the tubes and fatty particles and then place in a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and cook for twenty minutes. Blanch under cold running water and let cool. Pat dry and then place in icebox until needed.

Prepare one pint of cream sauce as follows: Place one pint of milk in a saucepan and add six tablespoons of flour. Stir with a wire spoon or fork to dissolve the flour, then place on the stove and bring to a boil. Now add

Beat to thoroughly mix; then add

Mix thoroughly and then fill into the patty shells. Sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs; place and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Now while the patties are heating, peel and wash one-quarter pound of mushrooms, using the stem and button. Parboil and then drain. Pan for four minutes in a little butter and then serve as a garnish with the patties.

CREOLE BEEF

Have the butcher cut two pounds of shin beef, leaving the bone in. Wipe it with a damp cloth and then pat into the meat one-half cupful of flour. Melt five tablespoons of shortening [pg 165] in a deep saucepan, and when hot put in the meat. Brown quickly and then turn on the other side. When both sides are browned add

Bring quickly to a boil and cover closely and cook very slowly until tender, usually about two hours. Season and then it is ready to serve; or the pot may be placed in a slow oven for three hours.

SHELL FISH

Shellfish includes crabs, both hard and soft shell, lobsters, shrimp, terrapin, green turtle, snapper, etc.

All shellfish must be actively alive before cooking. This is the essential point and will prevent ptomaine poisoning. Never cook shellfish if they are dead. Remember, they are deadly.

Place a boiler of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add one tablespoon of red pepper and one cup of vinegar. To cook lobster, shrimp, crabs, etc., cover and cook rapidly for twenty-five minutes for the medium size, fifteen minutes for the small and thirty minutes for the large ones.

When cooked, remove from the water and place under cold water. Let cool. Place on the ice until needed.

To clean crabs break off the claws and then save the two large ones. Then remove the apron pieces of the shell, like a plate under the eyes. Break the shell apart and remove the spongy fingers, sandbag and eggs, if any. Wash well. You now have white oval-shaped pieces of crab meat, that must be picked from its cells. Split with a silver knife and use an oyster fork to pick out the meat. This can be used for au gratin, à la King, ravigotte, deviled crabs, salads, croquettes and crab cakes.

CRAB MEAT

The crab must be actively alive before cooking. To cook place a large boiler of water on the fire and bring to a boil; add to it

Then add the crabs and cover closely and boil for twenty minutes. Count time when water boils after adding crabs.

FRIED CRAB MEAT

Pick the meat from the cooked crabs and mince fine two ounces of bacon. Place the bacon and one and one-half cups of crab meat and two tablespoons of grated onion in a hot skillet and cook until nicely browned. Serve on toast and pour melted butter over the prepared crab meat.

CRAB MEAT SERVED IN CREAM

Place in a saucepan

Stir to blend. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Now add

Toss gently, cooking until well heated. Serve in individual ramekins or small custard cups, dusting with paprika.

FRIED CRABS

Clean the cooked crabs and then cut a thin slice from the shell that contains the meat. Dip the meaty part in a salad oil and fry until golden brown in hot skillet.

RAVIGOTTE SAUCE

Beat to mix.

CRAB MEAT BALLS

Mince fine

Brown the bacon quickly and then add the finely chopped peppers, tomatoes and onions. Cook gently until soft and dry, then add

Mix well and then form into balls the size of a fishcake and roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with tartare sauce.

CRAB RAVIGOTTE

Serve crab meat in nests of crisp lettuce with ravigotte sauce.

CRAB MEAT A LA KING

Place in saucepan or chafing dish

Add

peeled and cut into tiny pieces and parboiled.

Toss with fork to mix; heat to boiling point and serve with toast.

TRIPE AND OYSTERS

Cut one-half pound of cooked tripe into small dice and place in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Cook for ten minutes and then drain and add

Bring to a boil and cook for eight minutes, then season with

GRILLED OYSTER ON HALF SHELL

Allow four large oysters for each service. Have the oysters opened on the deep shell and remove the oysters, wash free from bits of shell and then roll in grated cheese. Replace on shell and then spread each oyster with one-half teaspoon of minced bacon. Sprinkle with fine bread crumbs and then bake eight minutes in a hot oven or broiler.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL

Have the oysters opened on the deep shell and remove the oyster. Look over carefully for bits of shell, and then prepare a mixture of

Mix and dip oyster into the sauce, then roll in finely grated cheese. Serve ice cold.

OYSTER COCKTAIL

Sauce for the cocktail can be made from

Place in a saucepan and cook until the onions are soft and then rub through a fine sieve and add

Beat to thoroughly mix and add five small oysters for each service.

OYSTER PIE

Make a pastry of

Sift and then rub in four tablespoons of shortening, and then mix to a dough with five tablespoons of water. Roll out one-half of the pastry one-quarter inch thick and then line a deep pie tin with the pastry. Then place in layers of the oysters and season with

Now another layer of oysters and then the seasoning. Now pour over all one cup of very thick cream sauce. Roll out the balance of the pastry and cut in one-inch-wide strips. Place lattice fashion over the tops of the pie and wash with water and bake in a hot oven for forty-five minutes.

CRAB MEAT AU GRATIN

Place in a bowl

Mix with fork, turn into au gratin dish, sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs, dot with bits of butter and then sprinkle [pg 171] two tablespoons grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven thirty-five minutes.

To prepare cream sauce for à la King and au gratin dishes, use four level tablespoons flour to each cup milk.

Dissolve flour in cold milk, bring to boil, cook two minutes; it is then ready for use.

SOFT SHELL CRABS

Soft-shell crabs are shedders, that is, the crab has shed his shell and the new one is not yet hard. To clean, insert the finger under the apron-shaped piece and the back part of the shell and remove the spongy fingers, the entrails, etc. Wash and drain well and then roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and then roll in fine crumbs and fry until golden brown in hot fat. Place in a hot oven for ten minutes to cook. Serve with tartare sauce.

LOBSTER

Lobster may be boiled, broiled and baked and may be served in same manner as crab meat.

LOBSTER A LA NEWBURG

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the flour in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then add

TO BROIL LOBSTERS

Split the live lobster in half. Lay it on its back. Do not cut the back shell through. Remove the entrails and remove the vein through the tail. Wash well and then brush with salad oil and place in broiler, shell side up, and cook for fifteen minutes. Turn the flesh side up and baste with salad oil or melted butter. Cook for twelve minutes and then remove and serve with melted butter, chili or tomato sauce.

TO BOIL

Plunge the lobster into boiling water and cook for twenty minutes, for medium lobster. Cool, break apart, discard entrails and fine vein running down the centre of the tail. Break open the claws and remove the meat. This meat and that of the belly and tail may be used for salads, ravigottes, au gratins, croquettes, cutlets, à la King and terrapin style.

SAUCE TO SERVE WITH FISH—FOR BOILED FISH

Dissolve the starch in the milk and then add the fish stock. Bring to a boil and cook slowly for eight minutes. Add

Beat thoroughly to mix and then bring to heating point. Serve.

TARTARE SAUCE FOR FRIED FISH

Blend well before serving.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Heat slowly until hot and then add

Stir until thick and then add one tablespoon of finely minced parsley. If this should curdle, add two tablespoons of boiling water. Beat hard.

BROILED SHAD ROE

Wipe the roe and then parboil for five minutes. Now wipe dry and then dust very lightly with flour and then brush with bacon fat. Place on the broiler and cook for ten minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with this sauce: Place on a plate

BAKED SHAD

Select a two and one-half pound shad. Have the fish dealer clean and prepare it for baking. Now prepare a filling as follows: Place in a bowl

Mix well and then fill into the fish. Sew the opening with a stout string and a darning needle. Pat the flour into the fish. Place in a baking pan and bake in a hot oven for one hour. Baste every fifteen minutes with one cup of boiling water. Now, if you place a strip of cheesecloth under the fish you will be able to lift it without breaking. Use the leftover portions for shad au gratin for Monday night's dinner.

PLANKED SHAD

Have the fish dealer split the shad for planking. Soak the plank in cold water for two hours and then place the fish on the plank, and brush it with lemon juice. Place in the lowest part of the broiler of the gas range. Begin to baste with cold water after the fish has been in the oven for twelve minutes. Allow thirty minutes for planking a two and one-half pound shad.

LONG ISLAND DEEP SEA PIE

Grease a deep baking dish and then sprinkle with fine bread crumbs. Now place a layer of finely diced potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Next a layer of cooked fish, cut into pieces the size of a walnut. Next a layer of sliced onions; then a layer [pg 175] of sliced tomatoes; repeat, making two layers. Season each layer with salt, pepper and finely minced parsley. Now prepare a sauce as follows:

Place

Stir until the flour is dissolved and then bring to a boil. Remove from the fire and add

Pour over the prepared pie. Place a crust on top, making three or four gashes in it to permit the steam to escape. Bake in slow oven one hour.

APPETIZERS

The appetizer is a small morsel of food served at the beginning of the meal, causes a free flow of digestive juice and thus helps the digestion. During the growing season these canapés may be scullions, served icy cold, radishes, cold and crisp and cut into thin pieces, but still left on the stem; well-cleaned, crisp, crinkly watercress; coleslaw, with celery; coleslaw with green and red peppers or with scullions, or with bacon or ham nicely browned; or just a slice of full ripe tomato, spread with mayonnaise and dusted with grated cheese or paprika.

Many housewives have the impression that the preparation of the delicious accessories of the cosmopolitan meal is expensive. Well, I hardly need tell you that the French housewife is noted for her thrift and that these dainty tidbits are frequently portions of leftovers from a meal, sometimes the scrapings [pg 176] of a saucepan or a tablespoon of meat, vegetables and gravy.

Have you ever had just a small piece of fish left over, entirely too small to serve by itself? And rather than leave it on a plate or saucer to form an accumulation you think, "Well, I can't use it, so into the garbage it goes."

Now this tablespoon or two of fish would have made you a few delicious canapés; by flaking it and then putting it through a sieve. Place it on a platter and then add

Work to a smooth paste and then spread on a narrow strip of toast. Garnish with a slice of hard-boiled egg.

The canapé, though it bears a foreign name, is not necessarily an expensive addition to the menu for the family, nor is it elaborate. This delectable morsel is rather dainty, delicate and used as an appetizer that helps to start and stimulate the digestive juices and thus cause them to flow freely for the digestion of the food.

Canapés are usually served cold, on a plate covered with a doily; the canapé is placed on this. They need not all be alike; the bread may be cut with various sandwich cutters or it may be cut into finger widths and then toasted lightly and spread with the prepared paste.

Meat, chicken, cheese, nuts, olives, etc., may be used in place of the fish. If you have just a spoonful or so of peas, beans, spinach, cauliflower or asparagus you may use it in place of the fish, thus making a vegetable canapé. Try two canned pimentos in place of either meat or fish.

EGG CUTLETS

Make a cream sauce, using six level teaspoons of flour to one cup of milk. Dissolve the flour in the milk and then bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then cool and place in a bowl and add two hard-boiled eggs chopped fine and

Mix and then pour on well-greased platter. Cool for four hours. To mould, form into shape and then dip in flour, then in beaten egg and then in fine bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat or vegetable oil. Serve with tomato sauce.

BAKED EGGS IN CORN CASES

Make ten corn muffins, from the following mixture:

Beat hard to mix and then add

Beat thoroughly to mix and then pour into well-greased muffin pans and bake for thirty-five minutes in a hot oven. Now cut from the top one slice from each of the four muffins and use a spoon to scoop out the centres. Break an egg and then fill to the top with cheese sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and set in a baking pan and bake for twenty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with either cream or tomato sauce.

SPANISH OMELET

Beat whites of three eggs until stiff, then carefully cut and fold in yolks of three eggs. Then when well blended, pour in hot frying pan containing three tablespoons of shortening; cook slowly, shaking frequently until mixture is dry on top. Now spread with a filling prepared as follows:

Place in a bowl

Cook this mixture in two tablespoons of shortening until hot, spread on omelet, fold and roll, turn on hot dish, sprinkle with paprika and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

EGGS A LA GRENADIER

Cook three ounces of macaroni and then place in a bowl, and season highly. Add

Now fill into five pimentos. Place in a baking pan and bake for fifteen minutes. Remove and then place on a hot platter, flattening well; then place one poached egg on each pepper. Cover with cheese sauce and garnish with parsley.

CODDLED EGGS

Place a teaspoon of butter in an egg glass or custard cup. Break in two eggs, then add one teaspoon of butter and place in a cup of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Lift cups on saucers, dust the eggs lightly with paprika, and serve. Use two eggs for each service.

How to utilize and serve leftover food so there will be no actual waste has perplexed many young housewives, and as one woman writes me: "I try to keep down the leftovers, but every once in so often they just rise up and conquer me."

Every housewife knows that, no matter how carefully she plans there is sure to be a small quantity of leftover meat, gravy or vegetables. And just what to do with them is almost a daily problem. Two essentials are necessary to successfully utilize leftovers: First, good seasoning; second, attractive appearance.

The French excel in serving leftovers because they so thoroughly understand the art of flavoring and seasoning. The French housewife knows very well that she may only have a pot au feu to serve to the family, but the family knows that the delicate, attractive manner in which the food is put on the table would appeal to the epicure, though the table is but a plain ash top, scoured to the whiteness of the snows.

HOW TO PREPARE A FAGGOT OF SOUP HERBS

Place in separate piles:

Tie in bunches and then dry thoroughly and place in a fruit jar until needed.

FRENCH SEASONINGS

Each housewife prepares her own seasonings from her garden. You know, she grows them in the garden, and as the leaves become abundant she picks them each day, dries them thoroughly, and then places them in separate containers. She prepares the faggots of soup herbs and has them ready for instant use.

GARLIC

Few American persons know of the garlic but as a rank, pungent flavor. To the foreigner garlic is as sweet tasting as the onion and its flavor delightful in food. Just that dash that it needs to give it zest. Separate a clump of garlic into cloves and then peel and place in a fruit jar. Now bring one pint of white wine vinegar to the scalding point and then pour it over the garlic. Place on the cover and set in a warm place for two days. Use this vinegar for seasoning gravies and use the garlic, cut into tiny bits the size of a pinhead, for flavoring.

For serving, use individual ramekin casseroles, baking shells, and thus make for efficient and quick handling of the food, in which the food itself is presented in a most attractive way. A good blend of seasoning is most important, so I am going to give you a French housewife's secret. Mince four medium-sized onions very fine, then place in a bowl and add

Rub together until thoroughly mixed and then put in a warm dry place for twenty-four hours. Put through a fine sieve. Place in a bottle and use one teaspoon of this mixture in place of salt.

The average housewife seldom thinks of using such herbs as sweet basil, sorrel, tarragon, leek and chervil, yet they give a delicious flavoring not only to soups, stews, ragouts and goulashes, but to made dishes. They can be grown in the kitchen garden. A good sauce is important, and not only increases the portion, but also gives it an attractive appearance.

Leftover meats and vegetables may be turned into palatable food with just a little time and energy. The basis of all croquettes [pg 181] should be a good thick moulding sauce that will give a product that is creamy and delicious to taste.

Owing to the fact that croquettes and cutlets are usually fried in hot fat, it is not necessary to add either shortening or butter to the cream sauce.

The true secret to good croquettes or cutlets is to have the mixture rich and creamy. Mould into croquettes and then dip in flour and then in the egg mixture and finally roll in fine crumbs. Now fry until golden brown in hot fat.

How to make the foundation:

Place in a saucepan:

Stir to dissolve the flour and then bring to a boil. Cook slowly for five minutes and then add the flavoring and seasoning. Set aside to cool and then mould. Form into croquettes, roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and then roll in fine bread crumbs and fry until golden brown in hot fat.

NUT AND PEPPER CROQUETTES

Mince very fine and then parboil and drain. Turn on a cloth and pat dry. Place in a bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then pour on a large platter and allow to cool, then finish as directed for cheese croquettes.

LIMA BEAN CROQUETTES

Wash and soak overnight three-quarters cup of baby lima beans. In the morning parboil until tender and then drain until very dry. Now put

through a food chopper. Place in a pan and cook until the onions and peppers are soft. Drain free from fat and then put the beans through the food chopper and add:

Mix thoroughly and then mould into croquettes and dip in flour, then in beaten egg, and roll in fine bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat.

Leftover meat may be minced fine and seasoned as follows:

Put a sufficient amount of cold cooked meat or fish through the food chopper to measure three-quarters cup and

Place the mixture in a bowl and add

made as directed in the method, then the finely chopped meat and one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly and then set aside to mould. Form into croquettes and roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and then roll in fine bread crumbs. Fry in hot fat.

Cold beef, lamb, chicken, veal, ham or crab meat or fish [pg 183] may be used for this delectable method of serving an entrée. Nuts, eggs, cheese, both cottage or pot, and store cheese, may be used. Dried peas, lima beans, navy and soy beans as well as cow peas and lentils will afford a splendid variety to the thrifty housewife who must provide cheap protein dishes.

The difference between a croquette and a cutlet is just in the shape. Croquettes are shaped either in the cylindrical or conical forms and cutlets in flat, either round, triangle or chop shape.

To prepare the egg for dipping add four tablespoons of evaporated milk and beat hard to thoroughly blend. Place croquette or cutlet on wire spoon and use tablespoon to pour the beaten egg over the croquette.

To prepare the crumbs dry all pieces of stale bread thoroughly. No bit is too small, a crust or even the crumbs left from cutting the bread. Put the well-dried bread through the food chopper and then sift through the colander; either put the coarse crumbs through the food chopper the second time or keep them for au gratin dishes.

Always serve either cream or tomato sauce with croquettes and cutlets and garnish them with parsley or cress.

BLACKBERRY PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl:

Beat to mix and then pour into a pudding dish and bake forty-five minutes in a slow oven. Serve with sweet spiced blackberry sauce.

MARMALADE PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl:

Beat to mix and then grease and flour a mould. Put four tablespoons of marmalade in the bottom and then put in two-inch layer of batter. Spread with the jam and then repeat with the batter. Repeat this process until the mould is three-quarters filled. Have the batter on top. Cover and boil for one hour. Then unmould and serve hot or cold with thin cream.

PEACH CRUMB PUDDING

Grease a baking dish thoroughly and then dust it well with the fine bread crumbs. Now place in a mixing bowl:

Cream and then add

Mix thoroughly and then pour into the prepared baking dish and bake in a slow oven for thirty-five minutes. Let cool and then turn from mould.

COLONIAL CREAM

Wash one-half cup of tapioca through several waters and then place in a saucepan and add one cup of boiling water. Cook until the tapioca is soft and clear. Remove from the fire and partially cool. Pour upon stiffly beaten white of one egg.

Now add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into sherbet cups. Chill and top with one tablespoon of whipped cream or fruit whip.

RASPBERRY FRUIT BETTY

Cook one box of raspberries with

Rub through the sieve to remove the seeds and then measure. Now place one and one-half cups of raspberry puree in a mixing bowl and add

Beat to mix and then pour into well-greased pudding dish and bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes. Serve with fruit sauce made from

Beat until this mixture holds its shape. Pour over the fruit whip and a little of the leftover raspberry puree.

RASPBERRY CRUMB PUDDING

Scald two cups of milk and then pour into a bowl and add:

Beat to mix and then cool and add

Beat to mix and then pour into a pudding dish and bake for forty minutes in a slow oven. Serve either hot or cold with raspberry fruit sauce.

CHERRY CUSTARD

Stone one-half pound of cherries and then place in a saucepan and add

Cook slowly until the fruit is tender and then measure and place

in a bowl and beat to thoroughly mix. Pour into custard cups and then set in a pan of warm water and bake in a moderate oven until firm in the center.

BUTTERMILK BAG PUDDING

Use a pudding cloth to cook this pudding. Wash the cloth in warm water and then rub with shortening and dust with flour. Now place in the mixing bowl

Mix thoroughly, and then tie in the prepared cloth and allow room in it for the pudding to swell. Plunge into boiling water and boil for one and one-quarter hours. Serve with sweetened cream sauce or fruit custard sauce.

VANILLA PUDDING

Cream well and then add

Mix thoroughly and then pour in well-greased mould and boil for one and one-quarter hours or bake for forty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with cream sauce.

BANANA RICE PUDDING

Wash one-quarter cup of rice well and then cook until soft and the water is absorbed in the rice, in one and one-quarter cups of water. Now place in a mixing bowl

Peel and rub two bananas through a sieve and then beat to mix. Add the rice and then turn into a baking dish and dust with one-half teaspoon of cinnamon. Break into bits one teaspoon of butter and then bake in a slow oven for thirty minutes.

RASPBERRY CUP CUSTARD

Wash and drain one box of raspberries. Place in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook until the berries are soft. Rub through a fine sieve. Cool. Now place three eggs in a mixing bowl and add the raspberries and beat the mixture to thoroughly blend. Pour into custard cups and set the cups in a pan containing water. Bake in a slow oven until firm in the centre.

CHOCOLATE CORN STARCH PUDDING

Dissolve the starch in the milk and then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Now add

Beat well and then pour into custard cups that have been rinsed in cold water to mould.

OLIVES

OLIVE CANAPE

Use stoned olives for this. Open a bottle of olives, then drain and put through the food chopper, adding

Mix well and then spread on strips of toast. Garnish with finely chopped white of egg.

OLIVE SALAD

Place in a bowl

Mix thoroughly and then lift into a nest of crisp lettuce leaves and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg. This salad is delicious.

OLIVE CHEESE BALLS

Place in bowl

Form into balls and then place in a nest of lettuce. Serve with French dressing.

MACARONI, OLIVES AND CHEESE

This dish is famous among the mountain folk in Italy and it is served on gala days. Cook four ounces of macaroni for fifteen minutes in boiling water and then drain and blanch under cold water. Cool, chop fine, and now add

and a tiny piece of garlic. Mix and then pour into baking dish. Dot the top with bits of butter. Place in a hot oven for twenty-five minutes.

OLIVE FILLING FOR MEAT AND POULTRY

Mix thoroughly and then use for filling meat and poultry. This filling is delicious.

To prepare the bread, soak stale bread in cold water until soft and then place in a cloth and press dry. Rub through a sieve and then measure. Use one-half cup of finely chopped stuffed olives to one cup of mayonnaise dressing.

OLIVE SANDWICH FILLING

Put through the food chopper:

Place in a bowl and add

Mix well and then spread between the thinly sliced bread.

OLIVE SANDWICHES

Remove the stones from one large bottle of queen olives and add

Put through the food chopper and then add

Mix and then spread on the prepared bread.

OLIVE SAUCE

Mince fine, using the food chopper, a sufficient amount of olives, after removing the stones, to measure one-half cup. Place in a saucepan and add

Blend well and then bring to the boiling point and serve. This sauce may be made, for variety's sake, with one and one-half cups of tomato sauce to replace the cream sauce; then add two tablespoons of grated cheese. Heat and serve.

SPANISH MEAT LOAF

Place in a bowl

Mix thoroughly and then pack into the prepared loaf-shaped pan. Place in a larger pan containing hot water and then bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes. Serve with olive sauce. To prepare bread, soak stale bread in cold water; press dry; rub through fine sieve.

OLIVE AND CLAM COCKTAIL

Use olive meats for this. Olive meats are pieces of olives cut from large olives and packed in jars. There are no stones nor waste. Place in a small bowl

Mix thoroughly and then divide into four cocktail glasses. Add three cherrystone or little-neck clams to each glass.

SAUCES

A formula is necessary if the housewife is to have her sauces uniform, so that

One level tablespoon of flour and one cup of milk make a thin sauce, as for soups.

Two level tablespoons of flour and one cup of milk make a thin sauce.

Three level tablespoons of flour and one cup of milk make a medium sauce.

Four tablespoons of flour and one cup of milk make a thick sauce.

Five level tablespoons of flour and one cup of milk make a sauce for cutlets, croquettes, etc.

Use a saucepan that is scoured bright, add the flour to the cold milk and then stir to dissolve, using fork or wire whip to facilitate the process. Never use a spoon for this purpose, as it is impossible to thoroughly dissolve the lumps. Place on the fire and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for five minutes after the boiling point is reached and then remove from the fire and add seasoning. It is then ready to use. If you desire a butter flavor, add one tablespoonful of butter with the seasoning and stir until melted.

Part milk and water, stock, chicken broth, oyster or clam juice may be used in place of all milk with very good results. When making soups or sauces for meat and vegetable dishes the liquid from the canned vegetables, or the water in which the fresh vegetables were cooked, may be combined with an equal portion of milk.

Many splendid varieties of sauce can be made from the plain cream sauce. For parsley sauce add four tablespoonfuls of finely chopped parsley to one cup of cream sauce.

ONION SAUCE

One-half cupful of cooked onions, rubbed through a coarse sieve, and then add to one cupful of cream sauce.

PIMENTO CREAM SAUCE

Three canned pimentos, rubbed through a fine sieve and then add to one cupful of cream sauce.

SUPREME SAUCE

Seasoning well to taste.

CELERY SAUCE

Blend well.

ADMIRAL SAUCE

Stir until well blended and then heat until just below the boiling point. Season.

BEARNAISE SAUCE

Blend well, and now add

Stir constantly until scalding hot. This sauce will not curdle if left standing for a few minutes.

CREAM HORSERADISH SAUCE

Beat thoroughly to mix.

MAINTENON SAUCE (for au gratin dishes)

Blend well.

CHEESE SAUCE

Blend well until the cheese is melted.

MUSTARD SAUCE

Beat thoroughly to mix and then heat to the boiling point.

In no other part of cookery does the skill of the cook show to advantage as in the way in which the various sauces are prepared and served. To make a perfect sauce is an art in cooking. Many plain foods, as well as the use of leftovers, may, by the addition of a good sauce, be turned into palatable and attractive dishes.

Three or four cupfuls of cream sauce may be made at one time and then poured into a bowl and covered with a damp napkin, and placed in the icebox until needed. The sauce will keep in a cool place for three or four days and will relieve the necessity of making a sauce every day.

To use, measure three-quarters of a cupful of sauce and add one-quarter cupful of hot water. Place in a double boiler to heat, stirring frequently to blend. It is then ready to use. Always use a double boiler in the preparation of sauces made from this cream sauce. This will prevent scorching.

CUCUMBER SAUCE

Heat to the boiling point and then cook for five minutes.

OYSTER SAUCE

Blend well and then heat to the boiling point, and cook for five minutes.

MUSHROOM SAUCE

Place one and one-half cups of milk in a saucepan and add four tablespoons of flour. Stir until dissolved and then bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then add

Beat to mix and then cook for two minutes and use.

PARSLEY SAUCE

Beat to mix.

CREOLE SAUCE

Place in a saucepan and cook slowly until the onion and pepper are soft. Rub through a fine sieve and then add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for ten minutes and then serve.

TARTARE SAUCE

Mix thoroughly and then serve very cold.

HERB SAUCE

Make one and one-half cups of cream sauce and then add

Simmer slowly for ten minutes.

MINT SAUCE

Shred a bunch of mint fine, and then place in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for ten minutes. Add one-half cupful of white wine vinegar and remove from the fire. Let stand for one-half hour and then strain. Leftover portions may be bottled and the bottles stored in a cool place for future use.

ENGLISH MUSTARD SAUCE

Place in a soup plate

Work to a smooth paste, and then slowly beat in three tablespoons of cream and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Beat until thick and then serve.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Heat in a double boiler to the scalding point and then drop in the yolk of an egg. Stir until thick. Use at once. If it should curdle, add one tablespoonful of boiling water and stir constantly until thick.

RAVIGOTTE SAUCE

Chop very fine sufficient parsley. To measure

Place in a bowl and add

Blend well to thoroughly mix.

BROILED CHICKEN, BACON GARNISH

Select a plump broiler and then singe. Then split down the back and draw. Wash well. Remove the breast bone. Place in a frying pan, the split side down, and add one cup of water. Cover closely and then steam for ten minutes. Now rub well with shortening. Dust very lightly with flour. Broil for twenty minutes, turning every four minutes; lift to a hot platter, brush with melted butter and garnish with bacon.

EMINCE OF GIBLETS

Cook the giblets and neck, then cool. Mince fine and add two hard-boiled eggs and one and one-half cups of cream sauce, and

Heat to boiling point and then simmer slowly for ten minutes.

CHICKEN POT ROAST, CEDAR HOLLOW STYLE

Select a fat stewing chicken and then singe and draw. Wash and wipe with a clean cloth. Place in a fireless cooker or cook until tender. Now rub with shortening and dust with flour and brown in hot fat in a deep saucepan. Turn the chicken frequently so that it can be browned on all sides. When the chicken is nicely browned, add

Simmer slowly for one-half hour. Season and serve.

CHICKEN AND RICE CURRY

Wash one-half cupful of rice in plenty of warm water and then drain. Rinse again and then place in a saucepan and add two and one-half cups of boiling water. Cook gently until the grains are soft and the water absorbed. Now place

in an iron frying pan and brown carefully until a dark brown, then add

Cook gently to the boiling point and then add one cupful of shredded chicken meat and the prepared rice. Heat slowly until very hot and then turn on a hot platter and garnish with finely shredded parsley, then serve.

HOW TO PREPARE CHICKEN FOR CHICKEN SALAD OR COLD CUTS

Singe and draw the chicken and then cut as for fricasseeing. Now place the back of the carcass, giblets and the thighs and legs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then turn into a colander and place under cold running water. Then drop into a saucepan containing boiling water and cook for ten minutes. Blanch in the colander under cold running water. Repeat this three times and then add the balance of the chicken and cook slowly until tender. Cool in the liquid. Pick the meat from the neck and back of the carcass and mince the giblets fine. Put the skin through the food chopper. Use this for chicken loaf.

CHICKEN LOAF

Use two cups of mince prepared from the skin, giblets and meat from the carcass.

Mix thoroughly and then pour into a well-greased and floured loaf-shaped pan. Set this pan in a larger one containing hot water. Bake in a moderate oven for one and one-quarter hours. Serve hot with a cream, tomato or brown sauce, or serve cold with a garnish of asparagus and with Hollandaise, mayonnaise or cream horseradish sauce.

ROAST CHICKEN

Prepare the chicken. Fill with

Put the celery, onions and potherbs through the food chopper. Mix bread crumbs, butter and beaten egg. Fill into the chicken and then sew the opening. Shape and roast in a moderate oven for twenty minutes to the pound. Baste every ten minutes the first half hour, then every twenty minutes until the chicken is cooked.

ENCHILDAS

Place

in a mixing bowl. Sift to mix and then add sufficient water to make a dough. Break the dough into pieces the size of a large walnut, and then roll out very thin. You may bake the tortillas on the iron griddle on the top of the stove or fry them in a pan, using a little shortening. Keep on a clean towel until all are fried. Now place two ounces of grated cheese in a bowl and add two onions that have been cooked until tender in two tablespoons of shortening and

Mix to blend and then spread the tortillas with this mixture. Roll or fold and then pour over them more hot chili sauce.

CHICKEN GUMBO OKRA

Clean and cut the chicken for stewing. Brown quickly in hot fat. Lift to a deep saucepan and add

Cook until the chicken is tender. Now thicken the liquid slightly with cornstarch. Season with

Send to the table at once and serve with plenty of boiled rice.

Note.—Gumbo, or file, is a powder made and sold in Louisiana. It is composed of young sassafras leaves. File can be purchased in fancy grocery stores.

CHICKEN MOUSSE

Put sufficient boiled cold chicken through a food chopper to measure two cups, using the fine knife. Place in a bowl and add

Mix well and then soak one and one-half level tablespoons of gelatine in four tablespoons of cold water for twenty minutes, then add one-half cup of boiling chicken stock. Simmer slowly for five minutes and then strain into the prepared chicken meat. Stir until it is cool, and then fold in one cup of whipped cream. Pour into small custard cups that have been rinsed with cold water. Set in a cold place for six hours to mould. Unmould in a nest of crisp lettuce leaves.

POULTRY

To roast young chickens and guineas: singe, draw and prepare the fowl; now rub the entire bird well with plenty of shortening. Dust very lightly with flour, place in pan in hot oven for fifteen minutes; now turn the fowl breast down in the pan and reduce the heat of the oven to moderate. Baste every ten minutes with following mixture:

When fowl is tender turn on back to allow breast to brown, basting every five minutes. Placing the breast of the chicken down in the pan throws the bony structure of the carcass to the intense heat of the oven. The constant basting causes the moisture to permeate the dry white meat, making it juicy and tender.

If you desire, lay a few strips of bacon over the breast when browning it, just before you remove it from oven. It will improve the flavor.

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

Cut the meat from a three-and-one-half-pound cold boiled fowl and then put through the food chopper, using the coarsest knife. Place in a bowl, adding one medium-sized head of lettuce, shredded fine. Place

Mix and then fill into quart fruit jars. This amount will make from forty to fifty sandwiches.

BAKED SQUAB

Split the squab down the back with a sharp knife and then clean thoroughly. Wash well and wipe dry. Place in cool place until needed.

Mince the giblets fine and then parboil. Now soak stale bread until soft. Squeeze dry and measure three-quarters of a cupful. Place in frying pan and add

Cook gently until onions are soft and then cool. Fill into squab and then sew up with darning needle and stout string. Rub with shortening and dust with cornflour. Place in a hot oven and bake, basting with boiling water.

When the back is well browned reduce the heat and turn the bird on its back and let brown slowly, allowing fifty-five minutes for cooking the squab. Filling may be placed in chicken or guinea if desired.

TENNESSEE TURKEY HASH

Cut sufficient turkey in one-half inch blocks to measure two cupfuls. Now add

Mix thoroughly, then add

Cook slowly until the meat is very tender, then serve garnished with finely chopped parsley and hot cornmeal waffles.

FILLET OF CHICKEN, POINDEXTER

Singe, draw and then wash thoroughly a large stewing chicken and then cook until tender. Let cool. Now cut the wings and take out the bones, breaking as little as possible. Cut the breast into slices a little larger than an oyster and remove the legs and thighs. Remove the bones and then cut the meat into neat filets. If the meat breaks apart, press firmly together and then season, roll in flour and dip in beaten egg; then roll in fine bread crumbs. Press firmly. Fry until golden brown in hot fat. This may be prepared early in the day and then set in the oven to heat.

CHICKEN TAMALES

Soak the corn husks in cold water for two hours. Place in a saucepan

Cook until thick mush, cool and then place in a bowl

Mix thoroughly and then drain the corn husks. Spread a layer of the corn mush on one part, place a tablespoon of the chicken filling in place and then cover with more corn mush, forming a roll a little larger than a sausage. Tie securely in corn husk and place in a steamer or a double boiler and cook for one and one-quarter hours. Other meat may be used to replace the chicken and water may be used in place of the chicken stock to make the mush.

HONEY RECIPES

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES WITH HONEY

Place in an iron frying pan

Bring to a boil and cook until it becomes thick, then add six boiled sweet potatoes. Turn them frequently in syrup, adding four tablespoons of water to prevent burning. Cook slowly for twenty minutes.

Note.—Have the potatoes boiled and then peeled, and ready waiting before putting the honey in the pan.

HONEY RICE PUDDING

Wash one-half cup of rice thoroughly and then cook until tender and the water absorbed in two and one-half cups of water. Turn into a baking dish and add

Stir to thoroughly mix and then bake in a slow oven for thirty minutes.

HONEY ICING

Boil one cup of honey until it forms a soft ball when tried in cold water. Then pour in a fine stream upon the stiffly beaten white of one egg. Beat until the mixture thickens and then spread on the cake.

NUT HONEY CAKE

Place in a mixing bowl

Cream together and then add

Dissolve the baking soda in the sour milk, then add

Mix thoroughly and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into well-greased and floured pan and bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes. Ice with butter cream icing.

HONEY CUSTARD

Place two cups of milk in a mixing bowl and add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into custard cups. Place cups in a baking pan containing water and bake in a slow oven until firm in center.

HONEY RAISIN TAPIOCA

Wash one cup of tapioca well and then place in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly until clear and the tapioca is soft, then add

Stir to thoroughly blend and then cook fifteen minutes. Serve with fruit whip made of

Beat until the mixture holds its shape.

HONEY COOKIES

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to blend and then add

Roll and cut and then bake in a moderate oven for ten minutes.

HONEY CAKES

Cream well and then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs. Pour into a well-greased and floured baking pan, about one inch deep. Bake in a moderate oven and cool. Cover with honey icing.

MALVERN CREAM

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the starch in cold milk and honey and then place on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes. Now add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then rinse custard cups in cold water. Pour in the pudding and set aside to mould. When ready to serve unmould and serve with crushed fruit.

HONEY APPLE PUDDING

Beat to mix and then put into a baking dish and bake in a slow oven for thirty-five minutes. Serve with a thin apple sauce, sweetened with honey.

HONEY AND RASPBERRY ADE

Place three baskets of well-washed raspberries in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly until the fruit is soft, mashing frequently with the potato masher. Cool and strain into punch bowl. Add a piece of ice and the juice of one orange or one lemon.

FATS

Fat is a heat-or fuel-producing food which is very valuable in cold weather for supplying the body with heat and energy. Often foods that are cooked in fat are termed indigestible; this means that the food is not utilized in the body and, owing to some digestive disturbances, it becomes part of the waste. Recent experiments tend to show that animal fats are assimilated fairly well; undoubtedly it is the misuse of fat that is [pg 213] used for frying purposes that has given many fried foods their bad reputation. Every normal person requires a certain amount of fat.

Make it a rule when serving fried food to have an acid food, either a vegetable or a garnish, accompany the dish.

Here are just a few things to keep in mind when planning to serve fried foods: Use very small quantities of foods that are cooked in fat for people occupying sedentary positions, while those who are employed in active or laborious work may eat a larger proportion. Persons who are working at hard manual labor, out of doors, will be able to assimilate daily portions of fried food without any physical disturbances.

For digestion's sake, learn to serve:

It is a curious thing that nature demands these combinations to equalize the fatty content of the meal. Save and clarify the various fats and utilize each particular kind, so that there need be no waste. Chop all bits of suet fine and place in a double boiler and then render. Chicken and pork fat may be rendered in this way.

An excellent shortening that may be used to replace butter in cooking and baking may be made from chicken fat, of which there is usually three or more ounces in one fat bird. Remove the fat from the bird and place in cold salt water for one hour and then drain and cut into small pieces. Render in a double boiler. Pour into a jar and allow to harden. Now, when using this fat, use one-third less than the amount called for in the recipe. To make pastry, allow four tablespoonfuls of this chicken fat to each cup of flour. Chicken fat may be used to replace butter for seasoning vegetables and mashed potatoes. [pg 214] This is a pure fat free from moisture and seasoning and will go farther than butter.

Generally, in speaking of the term "drippings," it meant to include fats that cook out from the roast beef, pot roast, soups and corned beef. This fat is clarified and then used for sautéing. It cannot be used with good results for making pastry and cakes.

To clarify fat: Put the fat in a saucepan and add one cupful of cold water to every pound of fat. Add

Bring to a boil and then simmer slowly for ten minutes. Pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth and allow to harden, then cut into pieces. Reheat and pour into jars. Bacon, sausage and ham fats may be blended with beef drippings for frying purposes.

Mutton or lamb fat must be clarified and then blended with ham and bacon or sausage fat. Fat from bacon, ham and sausages may be used for flavoring vegetables in place of butter, for cooking omelets, potato cakes, mush and scrapple. It is a splendid seasoning to use for macaroni, baked beans with tomato sauce, dried beans and peas in soups and when cooking dried lima beans. There is really no need to allow a spoonful of these fats to be wasted. Fats that are not available for table use should be collected and made into soap.

Do not be falsely economical in trying to do deep frying with these fats. They not only will not hold the temperature for successful frying without scorching, but they frequently soak into the food and make it unfit to eat.

The late war has brought many good vegetable oils upon the market that are ideal for cooking purposes and are preferable to the animal fats for all cooking. They not only hold a high temperature without burning, but also they may be [pg 215] used repeatedly if they are strained each time after using. Food cooked in vegetable oil does not absorb the fat and it is more digestible and really more economical.

FRYING

There are two methods of frying:

First.—Sautéing—cooking food in the pan with just sufficient fat to prevent scorching. This method is commonly used, but has nothing to really recommend it, as the food absorbs quantities of grease. This makes it difficult to digest.

Second.—Deep-fat frying—it is usual to dip the food to be fried in a mixture to coat it and then to roll it in fine bread crumbs and then cook in sufficient fat to cover. This forms an air-tight cover that prevents the grease from soaking through. A few essential utensils are necessary to produce successful results; first, a heavy kettle that will not tilt, and second, a frying basket, so that the food may be removed quickly when cooked.

The correct temperature for deep-fat frying is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for raw foods, such as crullers, fish, fritters, potatoes, etc. For cooked dishes and oysters, cheeseballs, etc., 370 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do not attempt to cook large quantities at one time. This will cause a sudden drop in the temperature of the fat, allowing it to permeate the food which is cooking and thus give a greasy product.

Now for a word of protection. Do not use too large a kettle. Keep a bucket of sand handy in the kitchen, and if for any reason the fat catches fire, throw sand on it; do not attempt to remove it from the stove; serious burns are apt to result. Just turn out the light and throw sand on the fire. Keep the fact in mind that water spreads the flames; if no sand is at hand, use salt or flour.

MOCK CHERRY PIE

Pick over one and one-half cups of cranberries; then place in a saucepan and add

Cook slowly until the berries are soft, and then cool. Now place

in a bowl and rub between the hands to mix. Add sugar and flour and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes. Cool. Bake between two crusts. This amount will make two pies.

CRANBERRY ROLL

Place in a bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in four tablespoons of shortening and mix to a dough with two-thirds cup of water or milk. Work to a smooth dough and then roll out one-quarter inch thick. Spread with a thick cranberry conserve; roll as for jelly-roll, tucking the ends in securely. Place in a well-greased baking pan and bake in a moderate oven for ten minutes. Start basting with

Serve the roll with cranberry sauce.

STRAWBERRY CUSTARD TART

This old English sweet is delicious. Line a pie tin with plain pastry and then cover the bottom of the prepared tin with strawberries. Then place in a bowl

Beat with egg-beater to thoroughly mix and then pour over the berries. Dust the top lightly with nutmeg and bake in a slow oven until the custard is firm. Set aside to cool. Dot the top with strawberry preserves.

CRANBERRY CONSERVE

Look over carefully and remove all the bruised and spoiled berries from one quart of cranberries. Place in a saucepan and add one cup of water. Cook slowly until soft and then rub through a sieve. Return to the saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook for ten minutes. Pour into a dish and set aside to cool.

CREAM PUFFS

Place one cup of water in a saucepan and add one-half cup of shortening. Bring to a boil and then add one and one-quarter cups of flour, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture forms into a ball on the spoon, then lift into a bowl and now beat in three eggs, one at a time. Beat in each egg until well blended. Drop by the spoonful on well-greased baking sheet three inches apart. Bake for twenty minutes in a hot oven, then reduce the heat to moderate and bake for fifteen minutes longer. Do not open the oven door for ten minutes after putting the puffs in the oven.

PEACH ROLL

Place in a mixing bowl

Sift to mix and then rub in five tablespoons of shortening, and mix to a dough with two-thirds of a cup of ice-cold water. Roll out on a well-floured pastry board one-quarter inch thick. Now cover with the prepared peaches and then sift over

Roll as for jelly roll, tucking the ends in securely. Place in a well-greased and floured pan and bake in a moderate oven for forty-five minutes. Baste every ten minutes with

Stir to thoroughly mix before basting the roll. Remove the roll to a large platter when baked and serve cold, with crushed and sweetened peaches in place of a sauce.

To prepare the peaches for the roll select the fully ripe peaches and cut into thin slices; if they are clinging stones, cut into small pieces.

CHOCOLATE PIE

Place in a saucepan

Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved and then bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Cool and then pour into pastry lined pie tin. Bake in a slow oven for thirty minutes.

BUTTERSCOTCH PIE

Line a pie tin with plain pastry and then place in a saucepan

Heat slowly and cook for three minutes. Then place one and one-half cups of cold milk in a bowl and add four level tablespoons of cornstarch to the milk. Stir to dissolve the starch and add to the cooked sugar and stir constantly to thoroughly blend. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Cool and add

Then pour into the prepared pie plate. Care must be taken not to let the sugar caramel.

ARTICHOKES

The artichoke is a plant closely resembling the thistle, and it is extensively cultivated for its flowering head. The head is gathered just before the flower expands. The eatable portion is the fleshy part of the calyx, the bottom or basin of the blossom and the true base of the leaves of the flower.

The flesh of the artichokes correspond closely to that which the old world folks call the cheese of the thistle. On the Continent, in Europe, the artichoke is frequently served raw, as a salad, with either French or Parisian dressing. Under ordinary circumstances the fruit as prepared for market will keep several weeks. The canned artichoke, which was imported quite extensively before the war, consisted of the fronds and bottoms. It came in large quantities from both France and Italy.

The artichoke buds are used exclusively for garnishing.

THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

This kind of artichoke is a tuber of the species of the sunflower; it resembles somewhat the Irish potato. It has a sweetish flavor and contains a large amount of natural water. This species of artichoke is more valuable than the common artichoke.

The two principal types of the Jerusalem artichokes are

On the Continent they are frequently eaten raw, with just a plain seasoning of salt, pepper and vinegar; in fact, much as we eat the American radish. They are frequently made into soup.

The word Jerusalem is a queer cross of dialect from the Italian word girasole, meaning sunflower.

TO COOK

Soak the fruit in a bowl of cold water for two hours; then shake about in the water freely to remove all traces of sand. Plunge into boiling water and cook until tender; then drain. Serve in choice of following methods:

ARTICHOKE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Prepare artichoke as given above. Cut into pieces; then cook until tender; drain and lift each portion on a thin slice of toasted bread. Cover with Hollandaise dressing.

ARTICHOKE VINAIGRETTE

Cut one cold boiled artichoke into quarters; then place in deep bowl and cover with following dressing. Place in a bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix. Now add one tablespoon of grated onion and stir until well blended. Place artichoke in nest of lettuce; pour over dressing. Serve garnished with finely chopped pimento.

ARTICHOKE FRIED IN BATTER

Cook artichoke until tender; drain and cut into eighths; dip in the batter; fry until golden brown in hot fat. Serve with cheese sauce.

Break in a bowl

Beat to mix. Add

Beat well to mix; now dip artichoke in flour; then shake to loosen excess flour. Now dip in batter; fry golden brown.

ONIONS

ONION AND POTATO MINCE

Pare and slice sufficient onions to measure one cupful. Parboil and then drain. Now place four tablespoons of fat in a frying pan and add the onions and one and a half cups of mashed potatoes. Turn constantly until well blended and then form into an omelet shape in a pan, and turn on a warm platter and serve with cream sauce.

ONIONS IN RAMEKINS

Peel and boil until tender one dozen medium-sized onions. Drain and then place in ramekins. Season and cover with cream sauce. Dust the top with a few breadcrumbs and then sprinkle with one teaspoon of grated cheese. Dust lightly with paprika and then bake for fifteen minutes in a moderate oven.

ONIONS FRIED IN BUTTER

Pare and cook one dozen medium-sized onions until tender, taking care that they do not break. Drain and then cool, and when ready to prepare dip in batter and then fry in hot fat, and serve with Hollandaise sauce. How to prepare the batter:

Place in a bowl

Beat to mix and then roll the onions in flour and then dip in a batter and fry until golden brown in hot fat.

FRENCH FRIED ONIONS

Peel large onions and then cut into one-half-inch slices. Fry until golden brown in hot fat and serve as a garnish with omelets, fish, cold meat, etc.

BAKED ONIONS

Large or Spanish onions are best for this dish. Peel the onions and then boil until tender, and then take care that the onion does not become soft. Lift and then cool, and carefully remove the centres. Now prepare the following as a filling for four large or eight medium-sized onions.

Mix thoroughly to blend and then fill the cavity of the onions, forming into a point or top one inch over the onion. Dust the onion lightly with flour and then place in a baking dish. Now baste onions with melted shortening and bake for twenty-five minutes in a moderate oven. Chop the onions which have been removed from the centres very fine and add to one cup of cream sauce with

Beat to mix thoroughly and then heat to the boiling point. Serve over the baked onions. This dish will replace meat for luncheon.

SWISS ONION AND POTATO PANCAKES

Peel and put two Spanish onions through the food chopper, using a fine knife. Place in a bowl and then pare and grate four medium-sized potatoes into a bowl and add

Beat to mix and then fry like pancakes. Serve with parsley butter.

ONION CUSTARD

Chop sufficient onions to measure one-half cup. Parboil and then drain. Now place in a bowl

Beat to mix and then grease the custard cups. Add one-half cup of fine breadcrumbs to the prepared onions. Mix well and then divide into six cups. Pour the prepared custard on the top. Place the cups in a baking pan, add one quart of water and then place in a moderate oven and bake until firm in the centre, usually about twenty-five minutes. The water in the baking pan prevents the custards from cooking too fast. Serve in the cups or let stand for five minutes before taking from the mould and putting on a slice of toast.

PARSLEY BUTTER

Beat to a smooth paste and use. This dish will replace potatoes in the luncheon menu.

HAVANA BANANA PASTRY

Place in a mixing bowl and sift to thoroughly mix. Now rub into the prepared flour eight tablespoons of shortening and then mix to a dough with one-half cup of ice-cold water. Roll the pastry on a slightly floured pastry board one-fourth inch thick; cut in oblongs three inches wide and six inches long. Peel the banana and lay on the pastry; sprinkle with

Brush the edges of the pastry with cold water and press firmly together, inclosing the banana. Lay on a well-greased and floured baking sheet, placing the side which was fastened together down. Brush with beaten egg and bake in a moderate oven for eighteen minutes. Serve just as you would other pastries.

FRIED BANANAS

Peel the bananas and then cut into two; roll in flour and then dip in beaten egg and roll in fine crumbs. Fry until golden brown and serve with broiled steak or chops or chicken fricassee.

BANANA CUSTARD PIE

Pare and then rub through a fine sieve sufficient bananas to measure one cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add

Stir to mix and then add slowly, beating to mix

Beat to mix and then pour in a pie plate lined with plain pastry. Bake in a slow oven for twenty-five minutes and then cool. Use the white of egg and one-half glass of jelly for fruit whip.

BANANA ICE CREAM

Place in a mixing bowl and then cover and set aside. Now place

in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the starch. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Add the yolks of two eggs. Beat to thoroughly mix and add the banana mixture. Beat hard to blend. Now beat into the mixture the stiffly beaten whites of the two eggs. Freeze in the usual manner, using three parts ice to one part salt. This amount will make three pints of ice-cream.

BANANA STUFFING FOR CHICKEN

Pare and rub through a sieve four bananas. Place in a bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then fill into the chicken and roast in the usual manner.

BANANA FRITTERS

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to mix and then add

Beat to mix and then cut and fold into the mixture whites of two eggs, beaten stiff. Fry in deep fat until golden brown and then serve with banana sauce.

BAKED BANANAS

Wash the bananas and remove just one strip from the top. Place in a baking pan and add one-half cup of water and bake in a moderate oven for one-half hour.

BANANA MUFFINS

Rub a sufficient number of bananas through a sieve to measure one cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add

Beat to mix and then bake in well-greased and floured muffin pans in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Ice the tops with water-icing.

RICE BANANAS AND POACHED EGGS

Cook one-fourth cup of rice in one and one-fourth cups of water until the rice is soft and the water absorbed. Place in a baking dish and cover one inch deep with sliced bananas. Place in the oven and bake for ten minutes. Now lay on one poached egg for each service. Garnish with a strip of bacon and serve with parsley sauce.

BANANA PANCAKES

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to mix and then bake in the usual manner on a well-greased smoking hot frying pan.

BANANA SAUCE

Beat to mix and then serve with the fritters.

FISH

Fish are divided into two classes—those having backbones, which are called vertebrates; and those which have no backbones, and are called shellfish.

The vertebrates are classified as fresh and salt-water fish, and they contain both white and dark meat. Fish is similar to meat in composition and structure and is classed among the protein or body-building foods; it may replace meat or its equivalent on the menu.

The muscle consists of a bundle of fibers, bound together by a connective tissue; it is so tender that it requires much less time to cook than meat. Fish, as a rule, contains less fat than meat, and while there is considerable refuse, it will be found to be about equal to the bone in meat.

The methods of cooking fish are: Broiling, boiling, baking, deep fat frying and sautéing.

TO BOIL FISH

Cleanse and prepare the fish. Tie in a piece of cheese-cloth and then plunge into a kettle of boiling court bouillon. Cook, allowing twenty minutes to the pound. Lift, drain well and then turn on a hot platter, laying a napkin under the fish to absorb the moisture. Serve with either cream, Hollandaise, egg or tomato sauce and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg, beet and carrots cut in dice or capers, diced beets, slices of lemon.

BAKED FISH

Cleanse and prepare the fish, leaving the head and tail on the body, but remove the eyes and fins. Now prepare a filling as follows:

Mix and then fill into the fish. Fasten the opening with a string or with toothpicks. Place in a baking dish and rub with plenty of shortening. Dust with flour and place in a hot oven to bake. Baste every fifteen minutes with boiling water. Allow eighteen minutes to the pound and twenty minutes for the fish to heat thoroughly and start baking.

COURT BOUILLON

Place five pints of water in a fish kettle and add

Bring to a boil and cook the fish. Strain and set aside to cook fish in again.

FISH SAUCE

Strain the liquid left in the pan after removing the fish and add sufficient boiling water to make one cup. Place in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil, cook for five minutes and serve with fish.

TO BROIL FISH

Cleanse the fish, leaving the small fish whole, split the large fish and then brush with melted shortening and broil, allowing ten minutes for small fish and ten minutes to the pound for larger ones.

Large fish will require thirty to forty-five minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with

Mix well and then garnish with slices of lemon and parsley.

CREOLE FRIED FISH

The creole fried fish is a crisp golden brown. It is prepared as follows: Clean the fish and then wash and drain and roll it in flour. Place in a pan containing hot fat and fry until golden brown. Place in the oven, if the fish is large, until all is cooked and to finish cooking.

FRIED FISH

Small fish, like smelts, brook trout, perch, butter fish, etc., may be well cleaned, dried and then dipped in beaten egg and rolled in fine crumbs. Large fish should be cut into suitable pieces; sliced fish may also be prepared in this manner.

SAUTEING

Fish should be well cleaned and then fried in sufficient fat to prevent sticking.

COCOANUT PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to thoroughly mix and pour into well-greased custard cups or pudding pan and bake in a moderate oven for thirty-five minutes. Serve with lemon sauce.

SNOW PUDDING

Place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Now add

Beat thoroughly to blend. Pour in four custard cups and set in a cool place to mould. Serve with custard sauce.

FRUIT PUDDING

Place in a bowl

And add

Mix in the order given, beating hard. Pour in well-greased and floured mould. Boil and steam for two hours and then serve with vanilla or cream sauce.

RICE PUDDING

Wash one-half cup of rice in plenty of cold water. Place in a saucepan and add three cups of boiling water. Cook slowly until water is absorbed and then grease a baking dish well. Pour rice in a bowl and add

Mix well and pour in a baking dish and bake in a slow oven for thirty-five minutes. Cook and then place the left-over white of egg and one-half glass of jelly in a bowl and beat until it will hold its shape. Use as a whip for the pudding.

CHOCOLATE RICE PUDDING

Wash one-half cup of rice in plenty of warm water and then place two and one-half cups of boiling water in a saucepan and add the rice. Cook until the rice is soft and the water absorbed. Now place three ounces of chocolate, cut into fine pieces, in one quart of milk. Bring to a boil and then add

Mix well and then pour into a baking dish and bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Stir frequently.

PLUM PUDDING, ROMANY STYLE

Mix and then pack into moulds, one-pound coffee can or tie it in a pudding cloth. Boil for two hours.

BROWN BETTY

Pare the apples and then slice thin. Now grease a pudding mould or a baking dish. Place a layer one inch deep of apples, then layer of bread crumbs. Repeat until the dish is full and then sprinkle each layer with brown sugar and cinnamon, as it is placed. Now pour over the dish sufficient thick, well-sweetened apple sauce to fill the baking dish two-thirds full. Bake in a moderate oven for forty minutes.

LEMON PUDDING

Heat three-quarters cup of milk to the scalding point and then add

Pour over one-half cup of fine bread crumbs and then cool, and add

Mix thoroughly before adding to the scalded bread crumbs. Pour into a small baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes.

Make a fruit whip of

Beat until mixture will hold its shape. Pile on pudding and brown in the oven for five minutes. Set aside to cool.

CRUMB COOKIES

Beat to mix and then add

Drop by the spoonful on well-greased baking sheet, three inches apart. Bake in a moderate oven for ten minutes.

CARAMEL PUDDING

Make a caramel of

Pour into a pudding dish and turn until the mixture thoroughly coats the dish. Now place in a mixing bowl

Beat to mix and then pour into a baking dish, and bake in a slow oven for forty minutes, then turn out at once on a platter and serve with caramel sauce.

RAISIN PUDDING

Soak one-half cup of raisins in boiling water for one hour. Drain and then add two ounces of candied citron, and sufficient stale bread to make one cup of crumbs. Put all through the food chopper. Place in a bowl and add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then cut and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Pour into well-greased and floured one-quart mould. Place the mould deep in a pan containing sufficient boiling water to cover the mold two-thirds of its depth. Place in the oven and bake for fifty minutes in a moderate oven. Unmould and serve with Saboyon sauce.

PUMPKIN PUDDING

Place in a bowl

Beat thoroughly to mix and then pour into well-greased custard cups. Set cups in baking pan and pour in sufficient boiling water to half fill the pan. Bake in a moderate oven for forty-five minutes and then serve cold. Garnish with fruit whip or jelly.

SOUP

Soup, unless it is a thick cream or puree, contains little food value. Rather, it is stimulating to the stomach and causes a free flow of the digestive juices. Thus the food taken in after the soup has stimulated the stomach is quickly absorbed and thus gives the body immediate nourishment without distressing the digestion.

The French lay great stress upon two essentials in making soup successfully. First, it must not go below the boiling point, just a gentle bubbling, and, second, after once started, no water should be added. In making soup always use cold water to start with. Do not use salt or any seasoning, and heat slowly, keeping the pot closely covered.

Protein, which is the chief constituent of meat, is drawn into the liquid, making it very nutritious. Rapid boiling destroys the fine aroma and volatile oils, which escape in the steam.

Soups are divided into three classes: First, stock; second, cream; third, fruit soups.

Soups made from meat and bone are called stock; those [pg 238] without stock are called cream, such as cream vegetable, clam and oyster soups, and, lastly, those made from meat and bones, cooked by long and slow boiling, which dissolves the soluble elements of the meat and bones into the water and makes a very rich soup.

THE STOCK POT

This should be a deep pot or kettle with a tight-fitting lid. This is important, so that none of the steam may be lost by evaporation. The steam contains the aroma or fine volatile oil and essentials which pass into the air. In a fairly large family little meat need be purchased for the stock pot if the housewife insists that all portions of bone and trimming be sent with the purchased meat. The French women look with horror on the American women leaving all the scrap and trimming to the butcher.

TO MAKE THE STOCK

A soup bone from the shin, beef, which is full of nutriment, will have nearly one-half pound of meat on it. Take one pound of the scrag end of the neck of veal and four quarts of water. Wash the bones and add the cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Skim and then cover closely and cook for four hours. By this time the meat will have fallen from the bones. Strain and set aside to cool. Let stand overnight. This is best.

Then remove all fat from the top. This stock is the basis of all soups, sauces and gravies. It is rich in mineral matter and gelatine. The meat can be taken from the bones and run through the food chopper and used for meat loaf, croquettes and meat biscuits or sausage, and it will make mighty tasty hash when combined with potatoes and onions for breakfast.

You now have a delicious and nutritious broth, without seasoning of any kind, which will keep in cold weather four or five [pg 239] days. In warm weather it must be returned every second day to the pot, brought to a boil and skimmed and then left to cool and finally put in the ice box. Small portions of meat, ham, any trimming and bones that have accumulated may be added. Chicken feet, scalded in boiling water to loosen the outer skin, which must be peeled off, together with the giblets of fowl, may be added to the stock pot. Seasoning and the addition of vegetables cause it to sour. Many varieties of soup are possible with the use of this stock.

OYSTER GUMBO

Mince two medium-sized onions very fine and then place in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Now add

Stir well until it reaches the boiling point, and then add

Cook for five minutes and then pour the gumbo into a tureen and add three tablespoons of finely chopped parsley. File, or gumbo powder, is made by the Choxtaw Indians from young sassafras leaves. The Indians gather the leaves, spread them upon the bark to dry and then grind them into a fine powder, put it through a fine sieve and then pack it into pouches or jars. It is sold in the French markets in New Orleans and in all high-class importing groceries. The Indians use the sassafras both medicinally and in cookery, and the Creoles quickly discovered this and appreciated it when making their famous gumbo or file.

VEGETABLE SOUP

One pint of stock, one cup of tomato pulp, made by scalding the peeling of tomatoes, or the canned tomatoes, may be used, and

Take a bunch of potherbs, divide into small bunches and tie each with a string and then use one of these in the vegetable soup. Put the remainder of the herbs in a fruit jar until needed again.

Put the herbs in the stock, add the tomatoes and let simmer. Cook the vegetables in one pint of water until tender and then add water and all to the stock and add the seasoning and flour, mixed with a little cold water, and cook for five minutes.

TO MAKE NOODLES

Beat together until well mixed and then add sufficient flour to make a stiff dough. Knead until elastic—about two minutes—and then roll out on a pastry board until as thin as paper, dusting the board lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Permit it to stand for fifteen minutes to dry and then cut into strings, thick and thin. Do this by rolling up loosely, like a jelly roll, and then cut. Lay on a dish to dry. When thoroughly dry they may be kept in a fruit jar. Part of the paste may be [pg 241] stamped with small vegetable cutters and cooked in the soup same as the noodles.

Vegetables cut in fancy shapes, macaroni cut in small rings, hard-boiled eggs in slices, cheese balls, slices of lemon, also rice and barley, may be added to the soup.

To make brown coloring: One-half cup of sugar cooked ten minutes in an iron pan until burned black; then add one-half cupful of water. Let come to a boil and then strain and bottle for use.

The principal points to keep in mind when making soup are:

First, draw out all of the juice and soluble flavors into the water.

Second, retain that which we have drawn out by using a pot with a tight-fitting lid.

Third, use cold water with which to extract meat juices and flavors.

Fourth, long, slow cooking.

Fifth, flavoring and vegetables added after making stock prevent its souring quickly.

Sixth, do not use stock pot for other than it is intended. Care and accurate judgment and measuring will give successful results.

If most of the work is done in the morning while attending to the kitchen duties, the stock-making will take little of your time. Delicious gravies may be made by using stock instead of water.

CLEAR SOUP

Use two tablespoons of fat and fry one onion until brown. Add two tablespoons of flour and brown well and then pour in one pint of stock and cook for five minutes, and then add seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Strain into a soup tureen and sprinkle with one tablespoon of finely chopped parsley. Serve with bread cut in finger lengths and toasted.

CELERY PUREE

Use one pint of diced celery and cook in one cup of cold water until tender and then put through a sieve and add one cup of stock,

To the clear soup may be added macaroni, noodles or any vegetables. This is a good way to use left-over portions of vegetables that are too small to serve alone.

FISH SOUP

Use six slices of cod, hake or flounder. Mince four onions very fine and then place the onions in a saucepan with

Cook until tender, but not brown; then add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for twenty minutes and then add the fish. Cook gently for thirty minutes and then add

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Now lift the fish on slices of nicely toasted bread and strain over this the soup. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and one tablespoon of grated cheese.

FISH SOUPS

The bouillabaisse of France and New Orleans is most delectable and may well be served upon our tables frequently. The French and our Southern cooking, especially the creoles, excel in the preparation of delicious cream soups and purees. They are made entirely from vegetables. These good folk have preserved an old-world custom; namely, the daily plate of soup. The creoles have introduced a new variety of their own called gumbo.

Vegetables and milk are the basis for these soups. The vegetables are cooked in water and then rubbed through a sieve. Equal parts of milk are added and then thickened slightly and seasoned. When it is desired to give additional food value, eggs may be added.

OYSTER BROTH

Drain twenty-four oysters, saving the liquid. Wash and carefully look over the oysters to free from bits of shell. Chop fine and place in saucepan and measure the oyster liquid, adding sufficient water to make two cups. Simmer slowly for fifteen minutes. Let boil up once. Strain, season to taste with salt, pepper and then the broth is ready to serve. Equally good hot or cold.

PUREE OF OYSTER

Prepare two cups of thin cream sauce and add

Simmer slowly for twenty minutes and then bring to a scalding point. Strain, season to taste with salt and pepper, adding two tablespoons of finely minced parsley.

Clams may be used to replace the oysters.

TO PREPARE A STEW

Wash and look over the twenty-five stewing oysters carefully to free them from bits of shell. Place in small stewing pan and heat until the edges begin to curl. Then add

Let the mixture come to the scalding point and then remove at once and serve.

Clams may be used to replace the oysters.

FISH SOUP

Chop fine and then place in a saucepan and add two cups of cold water. Cook gently until the vegetables are very soft and then add

Stock made by cooking the head, fins and bones of one and one-half pounds of fish. Season with

Simmer slowly for fifteen minutes and then place the prepared fish in a tureen and pour over the broth. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped parsley and then serve at once.

DEVILED CRABS

Make a cream sauce by placing in a saucepan

Stir with a wire spoon or fork until the flour is dissolved in the milk and then bring to a boil. Stir constantly and cook for five minutes after it reaches the boiling point. Then add

Mix thoroughly and then fill into the crab shells, filling the shell slightly above the level. Dust lightly with flour and then brush with beaten egg and cover with fine bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat. The crabs may be prepared earlier in the day and then reheated for serving.

CELERY SOUP

Wash and thoroughly cleanse the celery and then chop fine. Place one pint of finely chopped celery in a saucepan and add three cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the celery is very soft. Rub through a fine sieve and then measure, and add

to every cup of the celery puree. Dissolve the flour in cold milk and then add the celery puree. Bring to a boil and cook for ten minutes. Season, adding one teaspoon of butter for flavoring. A faggot of soup herbs may be added to the celery if desired.

CREAM SOUPS

Cream soups are a combination of vegetables, puree and milk. Almost all of the green vegetables will make delicious soups. Clean the vegetables well and then cut into small pieces. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook slowly until tender and then mash well; then rub through a fine sieve. Use this vegetable stock with equal parts of milk to make the soup.

Carrots, peas, tomatoes, turnips, corn, beans, celery, lettuce, potatoes, beets, cucumbers, asparagus, all these afford a splendid variety.

Allow one level tablespoon of flour for thickening and dissolve the flour in cold water before adding. Bring quickly to a boil and then season. Add two tablespoons of butter for flavoring and then serve.

French, Swiss and Italians serve grated cheese and paprika with all cream soups.

CREAM OF ONION

Place two cups of thinly sliced onions in a saucepan and add one cup of cold water. Cook until soft and then rub through a fine sieve. Measure and return to the saucepan, and add one cup of milk for every cup of onion puree and two level tablespoons of flour to every cup of milk. Stir to dissolve the flour, then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Season, using salt and white pepper. Serve, then add one tablespoon of butter to every quart of cream soup. Croutons or toasted strips of bread make a delicious accompaniment to cream soups.

How to prepare croutons: Cut slices of bread into one-inch blocks and place in a baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Place in a tin box or jar and seal. When ready to use just reheat to crisp and then serve. Stale bread may be used for this purpose.

CREAM OF TOMATO

Place two cups of stewed tomatoes in a saucepan and add

Cook gently for ten minutes and then run through a fine sieve. Now place in a saucepan

Stir until dissolved and then bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Add to prepared tomato, beating well to thoroughly mix. Now add

The making of the cream sauce and then adding the prepared tomato prevents curdling.

TOMATO PUREE

Cook slowly until the vegetables are soft, rub through a sieve and then dissolve

Add to the tomato sauce mixture with

Cook slowly for ten minutes.

VEGETABLE PUREE

Pare and cut in dice

Chop fine

Place in a saucepan and add seven pints of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook slowly for two hours. Mash through a fine sieve and then return to the kettle and add

Stir to thoroughly blend and then add one-quarter cup of finely chopped parsley. Serve with toast.

CABBAGE SOUP

Place in a saucepan and cook slowly for one and three-quarter hours. Now add two tablespoons of flour, dissolved in one-quarter cup of water, and season with

CREAM OF CUCUMBER

Pare and grate one large cucumber, and then place in a saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for ten minutes. Rub through a fine sieve and add

Stir to dissolve the flour, and then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Now add

Beat hard to mix.

CREAM OF CORN, SUPREME

Use a corn scraper and then score and scrape the pulp from four large ears of corn, and rub through a sieve into a saucepan. Now add

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook slowly for five minutes. Season to taste and add

BAKED PRUNES

Wash and soak the prunes and then place in a casserole dish and add one-half pound of fruit,

Bake for thirty minutes.

FRUITS

BAKED PEARS

Select pears of uniform size and then pare and cut in half. Place in a baking dish and add

Bake until pears are tender. Baste frequently with the syrup.

PEAR TARTS

Line pie tins or tart pans with plain pastry. Fill with stewed pears and then dust with cinnamon and bake in a slow oven. Top with fruit whip.

PEAR BREAD PUDDING

Place a layer of broken stale bread in the bottom of a well-greased pudding pan and then a layer of thinly-sliced pears. Season each layer of bread and pears slightly with nutmeg and cinnamon. When the dish is full pour over

Stir until sugar is dissolved and then bake in a slow oven for one hour. Serve with custard sauce.

PEAR SAUCE

Pare and then cover with just enough water to cook. Cook until tender and then mash and put through a fine sieve or colander. Sweeten to taste, adding

One tablespoon of either cinnamon or nutmeg to each quart of the pear sauce. This may be used and served with roast duck, chicken, or as a side dish, and in pear shortcake and as a spread for bread and hot cakes.

BAKED PEARS AND CRANBERRIES

Pare eight pears and then cut in half, removing stems and seeds. Place in a baking dish with the cut side up. Sort over and wash one cup of cranberries and then add the berries to the pears and

Bake in a slow oven until the pears are soft.

Note.—This dish may be cooked upon the top of the stove in a saucepan.

DRIED FRUIT

Oranges and grapefruit are high-priced and the dried fruits may be substituted to advantage. If these fruits are nicely prepared, the family will hardly be able to distinguish between them and the fresh fruit.

Frequently the dried fruits are so prepared that they are anything but inviting. Much will depend upon the selection of these fruits. Purchase only the best grade. This fruit should be bright and waxy and not too dry. Soak for fifteen minutes in warm water; this loosens the dirt before washing. Now wash in plenty of water. Cover with water and allow to stand until the fruit has plumped out; each piece of fruit will only absorb just the amount of moisture as it originally contained.

This will require from six to twelve hours, depending entirely upon the dryness of the fruit. Be sure that the water covers the fruit at least one inch. Now, when the fruit is ready, add sugar to sweeten and place in the stove to cook. The slower this fruit is cooked the better. Remember that hard, rapid cooking not only spoils dried fruits, but fresh fruit as well.

When cooked tender, drain the liquid from the fruit and measure. Allow one-half cup of sugar to every three cups of [pg 252] juice. Place this juice and the sugar in a separate saucepan and boil until thick; then pour over the fruit.

Dried fruits prepared this way will be found to be delicious. Apricots will require very little cooking, so drain them free from the liquid in which they are soaked and add the sugar. Boil the syrup until thick and then pour over the apricots and cook gently for ten minutes.

Remove the skins from peaches, after soaking them, and before cooking add a little piece of thin orange peel for flavor.

To prepare dried pears soak them for twelve hours and then place in a casserole dish and add to one-half pound of fruit

Cover the casserole dish and bake slowly.

STEWED PEARS

Peel and then cook slowly until tender, chill and serve.

CHICKEN AND GREEN PEPPER SANDWICHES

Remove the seeds from two green peppers and add one small onion and chop very fine. Mince one cup of chicken meat fine and add to the green peppers and onions and then season with

Mix well and then spread between thin slices of buttered bread.

BROILED CHICKEN, VIRGINIA STYLE

Select a plump broiler, weighing from one and a half to two pounds. Singe and then split with a sharp knife down the back. [pg 253] Draw. Remove the head and feet and then wash and parboil for eight minutes. Now flatten well with a rolling pin. Rub with shortening and broil for ten minutes. Garnish with bacon. Bacon or ham fat will give the bird a delicious flavor.

CHICKEN A LA KING

Cut the breast of cooked chicken into one-inch pieces and then place one and a half cups of thick sauce in a saucepan and add one cup of mushrooms that have been peeled and cut in pieces and then parboiled for six minutes in boiling water, and also

Add

in the cream sauce. Also add the prepared chicken, the mushrooms and then green pepper. Heat until the boiling point is reached and then simmer slowly for ten minutes and serve on toast.

BREAST OF GUINEA HEN, TERRAPIN STYLE

Cut the breasts of two cooked guinea hens into one-inch blocks and place in a chafing dish and add

Stir to mix thoroughly and add the prepared breasts of the guinea hens and heat slowly until very hot. Serve on toasted waffles.

GUINEA HEN—POT PIE

Draw and singe the pair of guinea hens, removing the wings, thighs and legs and leaving the breast whole. Break the back of the carcass and then place in a deep saucepan and add seven cups of boiling water and steam slowly until tender. Add

for flavoring and then lift and set the thighs and breast aside for future use. Pick the meat from the back of the carcass and add to two and one-half cups of the stock. Season and thicken slightly. Now place the legs and wings in a casserole dish and add

Cover with a crust of plain pastry and bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

FRICASSEE CHICKEN

Draw and singe and cut the chicken. Wash and place in a deep saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to a boil and add

Cook slowly until tender and then thicken the gravy. Dumplings may be added if desired.

ROAST CHICKEN, SPLIT STYLE

Prepare the chicken as for roasting. Do not fill. Rub well with shortening and then pat in plenty of flour. Place in a roasting pan and roast until tender; baste frequently with hot water.

ROAST DUCK

Singe and draw the duck and then remove the neck and add to the giblets and cook until tender. Wash and then drain the duck. Now prepare a filling by soaking sufficient stale bread in cold water. When pressed dry it will measure two and one-half cups. Rub through a sieve. Now place five tablespoons of shortening in a saucepan and add

Cook slowly, turning frequently until the onions are tender, adding more shortening if necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan. Then season with salt and pepper. Cook and then fill into the duck. Dust with flour and then roast in a moderate oven, allowing thirty minutes for the duck to start cooking and twenty minutes to the pound.

MACARONI

Macaroni is to the Italian cook the starchy content of the meal; just as the Irish and sweet potato are our common starchy foods. The thrifty Italian and French housewifes have found that by addition of meat, cheese and eggs for flavoring, they can serve their families substantial and attractive foods at a minimum cost.

The average American consumer of pastes and macaroni has no idea of the number of styles or forms—of which there are over a hundred—into which this wheat product is made. They [pg 256] range from the lasagnes, which are the short, flat pieces one and two inches wide, cut and frequently moulded by hand, to the fideline, which are the long, thin threads, the finest of which are many times smaller than vermicelli. Between these two extremes there is a great variety, which includes the alphabet and many fancy designs.

MACARONI MILIEUSE

Wipe with damp cloth and cut in one-inch blocks one pound of shin beef. Roll in flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Place in a deep saucepan and add

Bring to a boil and cook gently until the meat is tender. Now add

Bring this mixture to a boil and then cook until the macaroni is well heated. Pour on a large platter and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

TO PREPARE MACARONI

The macaroni may be broken into pieces one and one-half inches long, or it may be cooked whole. In all recipes the macaroni must first be prepared as follows:

Grease the bottom of a deep saucepan and then add two quarts of boiling water. Let boil for two minutes and then add the macaroni. Stir for a few minutes and then cook for fifteen minutes. Turn into a colander and drain. Then blanch under [pg 257] the running cold water for three minutes. Let drain. It is now ready to use in any number of ways. Greasing the saucepan prevents the macaroni from sticking to the bottom, while it is cooking.

The Italian prepares a seasoning as follows:

Pare

Place in a chopping bowl and chop very fine. Now place in one-half cup of vegetable cooking oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook slowly until soft and then add one small can of tomato paste. Blend well and then pour in a bowl or jar and set in a cool place. This mixture will keep in the refrigerator or in a cool place for one week in summer time and from ten to twelve days in winter. This mixture is called tomato aux fine herbes.

Small portions of meat that would be insufficient to serve alone can be utilized in making these dishes. When making gravy, prepare enough so that a cup or more may be set aside to use in the macaroni dishes. Bones, gristle and meat joints left on the serving platter may all be made into stock, from which the various gravies can be made. The Italian cook uses a small piece of meat for flavoring, usually chopping it in small pieces.

MACARONI CUSTARD

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the starch in the water and add the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Remove from the fire and add

Beat to mix and then pour over six ounces of macaroni prepared as given in the method for preparation. Add one-half cup of raisins and then bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes. Place the whites of two eggs in a bowl and add one glass of jelly. Beat until the mixture holds its shape; then pile on top of pudding.

MACARONI AU GRATIN

Cook one-half pound of macaroni as given in the method of preparing. Place in a baking dish and then make three cups of cream sauce, using

Blend well and then pour over the macaroni. Sprinkle the top with fine bread crumbs and grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes.

POTATOES

This nutritious tuber is said to have saved the Irish people from famine, and it is fitting that this variety of potato should bear that name. The potato was unknown to Europe before the venturesome expedition of the fifteenth century to the Americas, where it was found to be used freely by the natives of both continents.

Frequently it has been said that the potato competes with bread as the staff of life, because its use is almost universal. [pg 259] There are more than thirty-five varieties of potato and although it is affected by soil and climate, the sandy soil necessary for its successful growth is found in almost every country.

The housewife should understand its food value. The average analysis of the white potato is as follows:

Sixty-two per cent. water, 2 per cent. protein, 1 per cent. fat, 4 per cent. carbohydrates (starch and sugar), 20 per cent. waste and 1 per cent. mineral ash.

The proportion of water found in the potato depends largely upon the soil in which it is grown. The small protein content is offset by its large carbohydrates (starch and sugar) content.

POTATO CAKES

Cook three large potatoes and then peel and mash fine. Measure and place two cups of mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl and add

Mix to a smooth dough and then roll out one-half inch thick and cut and brush the tops with milk. Bake in a hot oven for eighteen minutes.

POTATO DISHES

One of the best forms of serving this tuber is to roast the potato in the ashes. Few will realize how delicious it can be. Wrap the potato in wax paper and then cover with coals and roast about one hour.

Next to this method comes the baked potato. Wash and dry medium-sized potatoes and then rub well with shortening and place in the oven and bake for thirty-five minutes for small potatoes and fifty minutes to one hour for large ones. Greasing [pg 260] the potato well before baking prevents a hard crust from forming and permits the entire contents of the mealy sack to be eaten. Boiling potatoes in their jackets causes the potato to lose about 2 per cent. of its nutritive value, while peeling before cooking causes a loss of 14 per cent. If necessary to peel, use a sharp knife and removed the very thinnest portion of the skin; scraping new potatoes is better than peeling them.

O'BRIEN POTATOES

Pare and then cut in thin slices five potatoes that have been boiled in their jackets. Mince sufficient onions, fine, to measure three-quarters of a cup. Chop fine two green peppers. Parboil onions and peppers until tender and then drain well. Now heat three tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan until very hot and then add the potatoes and let brown. Fold over and brown again. Keep turning over until the potatoes are well browned and then add the prepared onions and peppers. Cook slowly for five minutes and then turn on a hot platter and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

BOILED POTATOES

To cook potatoes, either in jackets or pared: Cover with boiling water, cook until tender. Season; now cover closely with clean cloth to absorb moisture and the potato will be mealy.

GRILLED POTATOES

Wash and pare large old potatoes and then cut into thin slices, cutting the full width of the potato. This means that you are to cut a thin slice of raw potato that will cover your hand. Place on a shallow baking dish and brush with shortening. Place in the broiler and broil until nicely browned, then place in the oven for five minutes.

MOUNTAIN BUTTERMILK RYE MUFFINS

Place in a mixing bowl

Beat to mix and then add

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour into well-greased and floured muffin pans, and bake for thirty minutes in a moderate oven. When cold the muffins that are left over may be split and toasted and then spread with mountain sweet-spiced jam.

IF NECESSARY TO KEEP MEAT THREE OR FOUR DAYS

Much sickness that is described as ptomaine poisoning is usually caused by carelessness. If for any reason meat must be kept several days after it is purchased, it may be cared for in the following manner:

Place

And add

Bring to a boil and cool. Place the meat in a china bowl or a wooden bucket and pour the brine over it. Now place a plate on top of the meat and weigh down with an old flatiron and heavy stone. Turn the meat every other day.

This meat will keep for one week. This method is suitable [pg 262] for mutton, beef or pork. For lamb or chicken place in a saucepan and add

Cook, keeping pan closely covered, for ten minutes to the pound. Cool before placing in the ice box. If it is necessary to keep the meat only until the next day, mince fine two onions and add

Mix thoroughly and then rub the meat thoroughly with this mixture. Meat may be kept in the ordinary ice box that holds seventy-five pounds of ice for two days in the hottest weather in the following manner: Wipe the meat with a dry cloth and cover with a wax or parchment paper, and then hang from a hook in the lower part of the refrigerator, directly under the ice chamber if possible. The hooks are shaped like the letter S, sharply pointed at both ends and they may be purchased or made by any hardware dealer.

Meat allowed to lie on a platter soon loses its nutritious qualities with the escaping of the juices.

FILLET OF BEEF

Have the butcher trim the fillet into shape and then lard it with salt pork. Dust lightly with flour and then place on a rack in the roasting pan and place in a hot oven, basting every ten minutes. Cook, allowing the meat one-half hour to become thoroughly heated and to start cooking; then allow twelve minutes for every pound. This cut is the choicest of the entire cattle and is without a single ounce of waste. It is delicious either hot or cold.

WELSH CHEESE PUDDING

Beat to thoroughly mix and then pour in moulds or prepared pudding cloth and boil for one and three-quarters hours. Serve either hot or cold. To serve hot, use the following sauce:

Place in a saucepan

Dissolve the starch in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes and then add

Beat hard to mix and then serve. This dish will replace meat and be sufficient for a family of four or five.

MEAL PUDDING

Place one quart of milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil; then add three-quarters cup of fine cornmeal. Stir until thick, and cook slowly for ten minutes and then add

Beat to mix and then pour into a baking pan and bake slowly for three-quarters of an hour. Cool and then serve with plain cream.

HOW TO COOK CORN BEEF

Wash the beef in cold water and then place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and turn into a colander, and let cold water run on the meat. Place a saucepan on the stove and fill with boiling water, and add

Bring to a boil and cook slowly, allowing the meat to cook thirty minutes to start and then twenty minutes to the pound, gross weight. Then remove the saucepan from the fire when the meat is cooked and allow the meat to cool in the liquid, with the lid removed. When cool, remove and place at once in the ice box. Serve cold.

Mutton may be corned like beef. The shoulder makes a delicious economical cut. Have the butcher bone the meat, but do not roll. Put in a pickle for six days. Remove and wash and then tie securely, and cook in the same manner as for corned beef.

OLD PHILADELPHIA STEWED KIDNEY

Wash and dry the kidney and cut into inch pieces; put on to boil in a pot of cold water; as soon as boiling point is reached, remove from the fire, turn in colander and drain, rinse in cold water and dry. Dust lightly with flour; put three tablespoons of shortening in a pot; when hot toss in the kidney, browning carefully; then add two cups of water, which must be boiling, and cook until the kidney is tender. Then season with salt and pepper, five tablespoons of catsup, three tablespoons of vinegar; add one tablespoon each of grated onion and fine chopped parsley. Serve on toast for breakfast.

MEAT PUDDINGS

Put sufficient cold meat through the chopper to measure three-quarters of a cup. Place in a mixing bowl and add

Mix thoroughly and then grease and flour the custard cups and fill a little better than just one-half full. Spread the top smoothly and place in a pan containing water, and then bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Unmould and cover with either cream or brown sauce.

CORN PUDDING

Place in a mixing bowl

Mix well and then pour in the prepared custard cups. Set cups in a pan of warm water and bake for thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.

To prepare the bread:

Soak the stale bread in hot water and place in cloth and squeeze dry.

To prepare the cups:

Grease well and then dust with bread crumbs.

SALT CHOWDER

Mince fine four ounces of salt pork or bacon. Place in a deep kettle and add

Cook slowly for ten minutes and then add one pound of fish, bones and skin removed, fish cut in one-inch blocks.

Cover closely and then boil for twenty minutes. Now add

Heat until scalding and then serve.

STEAMED SALT OYSTERS OR CLAMS

Place the salt oysters or clams in a large dishpan and cover with plenty of cold water. Scrub clean with a stiff brush. Now place a colander in a deep scaucepan and add one quart of boiling water. Fill the colander with salt oysters or clams and steam until they open their mouths. Place one dozen of the steamed salt oysters or clams in a deep soup plate and serve with a small saucer of melted butter. Serve a small cup of the salt oyster or clam liquid, left in the saucepan after steaming the bivalves, with them.

CLAM FRITTERS—RED RIVER BOATHOUSE STYLE

Mince one dozen large clams fine and then drain free of the liquid. Measure the liquid and add sufficient milk to measure one and one-half cups. Place in a bowl and add

Beat hard and then fry in very hot fat in shallow pan.

DEVILED CLAMS

Place in a saucepan

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Now add

Mix thoroughly and then fill into well-cleaned clam shells, rounding up on top. Dust with flour and then coat with beaten egg and then cover, patting well, with fine crumbs. Fry until golden brown in hot fat.

CLAM FRITTERS

Mince six clams fine and then place in a bowl and add sufficient milk to the clam juice to make one and one-half cups. Pour over minced clams and add

Beat to a smooth batter and then fry in deep fat.

CLAM COCKTAIL

Use four cherrystone clams for each service. Prepare a cocktail sauce as follows:

Cook for fifteen minutes, cool and then rub through a sieve and add

Mix and then divide into four portions.

CLAMS

Clams may be served and cooked in a manner similar to oysters.

BAKED HAM

Place a four and one-half to five-pound cut from the butt end of the ham in the fireless cooker overnight. In the morning remove the skin and then pat into the fat part of the ham

Place in a hot oven and bake for forty minutes. Baste every ten minutes with

Use the liquid in the pan, after baking the ham for making gravy, by browning three tablespoons of flour, then adding the liquid left in the pan and sufficient boiling water to make one and one-quarter cups of gravy. Season.

HAM LOAF

Chop the left-over ham very fine. Measure and add to one and one-half cups

Mix and then pour into well-greased loaf-shaped pan and then place this pan in a larger one containing warm water. Bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with hot tomato sauce.

ENGLISH HAM PIE

Cut the remainder of the fresh baked ham into neat pieces, laying aside all the small bits. Pare and cut in dice sufficient potatoes to measure one quart. Chop fine sufficient onions to measure one cupful. Place the potatoes and onions in a saucepan and add sufficient boiling water to cover. Cook until tender and then drain. Now prepare a pastry as follows: Place

in a bowl. Sift and then rub in six tablespoons of shortening. Mix with one-half cup of ice-cold water. Roll out and then line a shallow pan with pastry. Place a layer of potatoes and onions and then a layer of the meat. Season well and cover the meat with a second layer of the potatoes. Season and then add two cups of highly seasoned gravy. Place top crust in position and fasten the edges tightly by pinching together firmly. Brush the pastry with cold water and then bake one hour in a slow oven.

CHEESE LOAF

Mix thoroughly and then mould into shape. Pack into well-greased pan and set this pan in a large bake pan, with hot water to one-quarter of the depth of the bake pan. Bake in a moderate oven for fifty minutes.

BARBECUE OF BOILED HAM

Cut cold boiled ham into very thin slices and then place in a chafing dish and add

Heat until very hot, and then serve on toast.

HEAD CHEESE

Have the butcher clean and crack a young pig's head. Wash well and put on to cook in a pot large enough to have the water completely cover the head. Cook until the meat leaves the bones, skimming carefully. When cooked lift pot from the fire and take the meat from the pot. Chop fine, seasoning with salt and pepper and one tablespoon of poultry seasoning; mix thoroughly; put a clean cloth in the colander and put in the cheese; cover with another cloth; place a plate on top and weight down with a flat-iron.

ITALIAN CANAPE

Mince fine

Now place four tablespoons of shortening in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook slowly until tender and then add

Mix thoroughly and then spread on thin slices of toast. Garnish with sliced stuffed olives and dust with paprika.

CHEESE SAUCE

Dissolve the flour in milk and water; bring to a boil; cook slowly for ten minutes; now add

WELSH RAREBIT

Cut one-half pound cheese very fine and then place in a saucepan and add

Stir until well creamed and free from lumps and then pour over slices of toast. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and serve.

CHELSEA RABBIT

Cut one pound of cheese into small bits and then place two tablespoons of butter in a chafing dish and add

Cook until the onion is soft and then add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture well blended. This will serve from six to eight persons.

CHEESE CANAPE

Place in a bowl

Mix to a paste and then spread on a thin triangle of bread. Dust lightly with paprika.

TOMATO CANAPE

Cut the tomatoes into very thin slices and then place on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Now place on a plate

Work to a nice smooth paste and then spread lightly over the tomatoes. Place on a small round cracker and garnish with a slice of hard-boiled egg.

LA BRETE CANAPE

Pick the fish from the backbone of a cooked mackerel, adding any left-over portions. There need be only about two tablespoons. Rub the fish through a sieve and add

Work to a paste and then spread on thin toasted strips of bread.

BOHEMIAN RELISH

Place on a bread and butter plate

To prepare the scallions chop fine and add

Mix thoroughly and then serve.

ITALIAN CANAPE

Mince fine and then cook until soft, taking care not to brown, in two tablespoons of salad oil. Now toast thin slices of cornbread slightly and spread with this mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and paprika.

CANAPE A LA MODE

Flake into bits two tablespoons of the mackerel left from breakfast, and then place on a dish and add

Mix to a smooth paste and then spread on triangles of toasted bread. Garnish with parsley.

FRIED PIGS FEET

Have the butcher crack the feet; wash and put into a pot of boiling water to cook. Cook gently until they separate easily from the joints; lift from the water, and set to cool. When cold divide in portions, dip in egg and cracker-dust and fry in boiling hot lard. Serve with coleslaw or chow-chow.

MINCEMEAT

During the Xmas holidays open house was kept by the barons and knights of the early days. Great festivities and merrymaking was the order of the time. The great fête took place on Xmas day. On that day the mistresses of the households vied with each other in a friendly rivalry with their dishes of mutton pie.

The mutton pie, as it was known in 1596, is the mince pie of to-day. It was also known by the name of Xmas pie or shredds. In Herrick's time it was considered vitally important to put an armed guard to watch the Xmas pies, lest some sweet-toothed rascal purloin them and then there would be no pies to grace the feast. As ever in warring lands, food commodities were scarce and expensive and accordingly considered a great luxury.

MINCEMEAT

Mincemeat may now be prepared for the holidays; and if kept in a cool place it will have sufficient time to blend and ripen. Here are some inexpensive recipes:

Mix in the order given. Pack into a bowl or crock. Cover closely and then set in a cool place to ripen. Cold left-over meat may be used.

NEW ENGLAND MINCEMEAT

Place one-half pound of hamburg steak in a saucepan and add one cup of cider. Cook for fifteen minutes; then remove from the saucepan and place in a large bowl and add

Mix in the order given, then pack in glass or crock. Cover closely and then set in a cool place to ripen.

ORANGE MINCEMEAT

Squeeze the juice of three oranges. Place the peel in a saucepan of cold water. Cook until tender. Drain and then pour through the food chopper. Place in a bowl and add

Mix in the order given and then pack in a large bowl or crock or stone pot. Cover closely and then put in a cool place for ten days to ripen.

GREEN TOMATO AND APPLE MINCE

Place one quart of green tomatoes chopped fine in a colander. Cover with two tablespoons of salt. Let drain for two hours. Place in a saucepan and add

Cook gently for one-half hour; now pour into a bowl and add

Mix in the order given; then store as directed in the preceding recipes. Do not peel the apples. When putting the suet, raisins and dried fruit through the food chopper, add a dried crust of bread to prevent clogging.

EGGS

The similarity in the proportion of the shell, yolk and white of eggs in the chicken eggs is that the shell averages about one-tenth, the yolk about three-fourths and the white about four-tenths. The shell alone is counted as waste. The white contains about six-eighths water, the solids of the white are virtually all nitrogenous matter or protein. The yolk contains about one-half water and one-third fat, and the balance is of nitrogenous matter or protein.

Newly laid or fresh eggs have a semi-transparent uniform, pale pinkish tint; the shell contains a very small air chamber, [pg 278] which separates the skin and shell of the egg and is filled with air. This chamber increases with the age of the egg.

Eggs when cooked at a low temperature are delicate and easy to digest, and they can be used for invalids, and persons with a delicate digestion.

HOW TO COOK EGGS

Eggs boiled are eggs spoiled; the physicians tell us that hard-boiled eggs require three and a half hours to digest. Keep this in mind when cooking eggs. Water boils at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggs should be cooked at a temperature between 165 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place water in a saucepan and bring to a boil; boil for three minutes and add the eggs. Place on the back of the stove and let the eggs stand for eight minutes for a very soft boil and twenty-five minutes for hard boiled. The water should be kept hot—that is, just below the boiling point.

FRIED EGGS

Place the fat in the pan and heat until very hot and then place where the pan will maintain this heat without getting any hotter; if you use the gas turn down the burner. Add the eggs. Let them cook very slowly until set and then turn if desired. Eggs cooked in this way will not absorb the fat and will be tender and delicate, and not have a crust of crisped egg around the edge.

EGGS CARTHEOTH

Tomatoes, peppers and pimentoes are generally used for this dish. Prepare the tomatoes or peppers by cutting a slice from the top and then hollowing out the centers. Break in an egg and then season with salt and pepper and a little finely minced parsley. Cover with two tablespoons of cream sauce. Place [pg 279] in the oven and bake for ten minutes. Finely minced ham or bacon may be sprinkled over the egg before adding the cream sauce.

Cold cooked or left-over vegetables, such as corn, peas, asparagus, onions or cauliflower, may be used also. Cold boiled potatoes, beets, turnips, etc., may be made to do duty in place of tomatoes, peppers or pimentos for the sake of variety. Serve with a thick, highly seasoned sauce.

POACHED EGGS

To prepare poached eggs place water in a saucepan and add one tablespoon of vinegar to each pint of water. Bring to a boil and then open the egg on a saucer and slide into the boiling water, let simmer slowly until it forms and then lift with a skimmer on to a napkin to drain. Then roll gently on a slice of buttered toast.

If you have any old-fashioned muffin rings place them flat in the bottom of the saucepan and then pour the eggs in and poach. Or you may use any of the poachers, that are sold in any of the house-furnishing stores.

OMELET

Plain and fluffy omelets are cooked in the same manner as the fried eggs.

PLAIN OMELET

Place three tablespoons of shortening in a frying pan and then, while heating, place the three eggs in a bowl and add

Beat with a fork to thoroughly mix and then, when the pan is smoking hot, turn in the mixture. Then place where the omelet will cook very slowly. Season and then turn and fold and roll, turning on a hot platter.

SPANISH OMELET

Use the fluffy omelet recipe and then chop fine two medium-sized tomatoes, drain free from the moisture and add one medium-sized onion and four large olives, chopped fine. Place in a small pan with one tablespoon of butter to heat. When hot spread over the omelet and then fold and roll or place in a hot oven and bake.

FLUFFY OMELET

Separate the yolks and whites of three eggs. Place the yolks in a bowl and add three tablespoons of milk. Beat to thoroughly mix and then beat the whites until very stiff. Cut and fold the yolks into the prepared whites and then turn into a pan and cook slowly. Fold and roll and turn on a hot platter.

Fried eggs and omelets may be garnished with ham, bacon, parsley, finely chopped; pimentos and green peppers.

To make variously flavored omelets, prepare the omelet as for plain omelet and then just before the turning and rolling add the desired flavoring. Then roll and fold the omelet and turn out on a hot dish. Have the filling heated before spreading on the omelet. Left-over vegetables and bits of meat may be used in this manner for attractive dishes.

TIGER-EYE SANDWICHES

Use strictly fresh eggs for this. Separate the white and the yolk and keep the yolk in the shell until ready for use. Add a pinch of salt to the white and beat until very stiff. Pile in a pyramid on a square slice of toast. Make a well in the centre of the white of egg and then drop in the yolk. Dust over lightly with paprika and then bake for seven minutes in a hot oven.

MEASUREMENTS

Many women are familiar with the importance of accurate measurements in preparing foods. Others frequently complain of the troubles they have with recipes, but what they actually need to know is that we no longer live in the days of twenty-five cents a dozen for fresh eggs and that the day of thirty cents per pound for creamery butter of excellent quality is past.

Gone are the days of plenty when the extravagant cook was the best cook. Banish all recipes that call for cups of butter.

From motives of real practical economy, we now use level measurements; that means that you first sift your flour into a bowl and then fill the measure, using a spoon to fill with and then level the top of the measure with a knife. Level measurement means all that lies below the edge of the cup or spoon.

The experienced cook with an eye for measurements can gauge the amounts, very frequently, to a nicety. While she may sometimes have a failure, she will never attribute it to her measure or the method of compounding the ingredients; oftentimes she will blame the flour, the baking powder or even the oven.

One woman wrote me that she wished to know what the trouble was with her cakes. I asked her to give the recipe and she answered that she generally used a bowl for measuring and that then she used sugar, eggs, butter, flour and enough milk or water to make a batter—there was no real definite amounts. When I replied I told her that it was the measurements and methods that she used that frequently caused a failure. But she was sure that was not the case, for her cake was usually good, and it was only once in a while that she had a failure. So I had quite a time convincing her that accurate measurements will always give the same results and assured success and that she could bake the same cake 365 days in the year and not once have a failure.

To-day this woman would not return to the old way of doing her cooking, and recently I had a little note from her [pg 282] telling me to let the other middle-aged and young housewives, too, know how necessary it is to be accurate.

You know it only takes a few minutes longer to measure accurately, and then you are able to make that delicious cake without a failure. No failures, no waste. Truly, the words of "trusting to luck" should be taboo in the efficient woman's kitchen.

The temptation to add just a little more sugar, flour or shortening to a recipe with the idea of improving it must be eliminated if you wish to cook successfully. When using vegetable oil in place of butter in making cakes cut down the quantity of fat fully one-third. Many cake recipes contain too much fat.

When the amounts are less than one cup, frequently it is easier to measure with a spoon. Remember all measures are level:

Sift the flour once before measuring. Standard measuring cups holding one-half pint are divided on one side into quarters and on the other side into thirds, and they are usually found in all housefurnishing stores, and there is a choice of aluminum, glass or tin.

Sets of measuring spoons will save time and trouble. The spoons graduate from one-quarter of a teaspoon to one tablespoon, thus making accurate measurements for seasoning and flavoring.

A spatula will repay its cost many times over the first month it is used. It is possible with this knife to remove every particle of food from a mixing bowl.

How can you keep a house without a pair of reliable scales? Do you know how much the chicken weighed that you bought on Saturday, and do you know how much waste there was; or the weight of the bone in the meat that you purchased on [pg 283] Wednesday? Do you ever weigh your purchases? Think this over and then buy a good pair of scales and keep them in a convenient place.

ITALIAN DRESSING

Place in a fruit jar and then shake to blend.

SOUR CREAM CUCUMBER DRESSING

Pare and grate one medium-sized cucumber and then sprinkle with one teaspoon of salt. Let stand for one hour and then drain, and place one cup of sour cream in a bowl. Beat until stiff and add the prepared cucumber and

Mix well before serving.

CREAM CABBAGE

Cut the cabbage fine and then place in cold salted water to crisp. Drain well and then add

and then prepare a dressing as follows:

Place in a soup plate the yolk of one egg, and then add

Work with a fork to a smooth thick paste, and then add slowly one-half cup of salad oil. When very thick reduce to the desired consistency with four tablespoons of evaporated milk and six to eight tablespoons of vinegar. Beat with a Dover egg-beater and then pour over the cabbage.

SALADS

Wash and drain the lettuce and then shred fine, using a pair of sharp scissors. Place in a bowl and then chop fine one bunch of scallions and a stalk of celery and add to the lettuce. Cover with mayonnaise dressing and serve for luncheon with a plate of cream soup. Toast and a light dessert will complete this meal.

ENGLISH WATER-CRESS SALAD

Cut five strips of bacon in dice and then brown nicely in a frying pan. Lift cooked bacon, drain off the fat, leaving only about five tablespoons in the pan. Now place in a cup

Dissolve and pour into the hot fat, bring to a boil and then add the cooked bacon. Now place the prepared water-cress in a bowl and pour over it the bacon with the prepared dressing. Toss gently to mix and then garnish with hard-boiled eggs (sliced).

Corn salad, cabbage, lettuce, romaine and escarolle salads may be used in place of the water-cress for variety.

Radishes should be well washed and then allowed to crisp in cold water. Split from the tip to the stem end in quarters. Large radishes may be peeled and cooked until tender in boiling water and then drained and served with a cream, Hollandaise or plain butter sauce for variety.

OLD ENGLISH MUSTARD DRESSING

Place in a soup plate and blend together, then add one tablespoon of oil. Then drop the vinegar, then the oil again until you have used

Serve on lettuce, cucumbers, meat or fish.

RICH BOILED SALAD DRESSING

Dissolve the starch in water and bring to a boil. Cook for three minutes and then add

Mix the sugar and seasoning with the cream and add the egg; then add to the boiling mixture and remove from the fire at once. Beat in slowly six tablespoons of salad oil. This will keep in a cool place for six weeks.

ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE

Wash and scrape the asparagus and allow four stalks for each service. Trim to remove the pithy end of the stalk and then cook in boiling water until tender. Lift and drain well, then place in a dish and cover with the following sauce:

Beat to mix and then set on ice to chill. Serve ice cold on crisp lettuce leaves.

OTTAWA DRESSING

Blend spices in vinegar and then beat hard to blend.

BALTIMORE DRESSING

Mix thoroughly and then serve ice cold.

ASPARAGUS AND CELERY SALAD

Mince sufficient celery very fine to measure one cup. Place in a bowl and add

Mince very fine and then add

Mix and then fill into a nest of crisp lettuce leaves and garnish with the tips of canned asparagus.

CHEESE DRESSING

Place in a bowl and blend well together.

DEVILED EGG SALAD

Hard boil two eggs and then remove the shells and cut open the length of the egg. Remove the yolks and then rub through a fine sieve and add

Mix well and then form into balls, placing one ball in the place in the white of the egg, which had been left by the yolk. Now place each white or one-half egg in the nest of lettuce and place around the egg

and garnish with two tablespoons of Russian dressing.

VEAL

Veal is the dressed carcass of the calf. The flesh should be firm, pinkish white and should be well cooked to develop its flavor and nutritious qualities. The cuts are the neck, shoulders, rack, breast, loin and leg. The shoulders, breast and loin are used for roasting, the neck and end of the leg for stewing, the leg for cutlets and the rack for chops. The knuckle from the leg of veal may be used for stews, soups, stock or pepper pot.

Other products from the calf are heads, brains, hearts, sweetbreads, feet, calves' liver, tripe, kidney and tongue. The kidneys are usually left in the loin.

TO COOK

The shoulder may be boned and rolled or left plain or just remove the blade bone and then use a filling. The breast may have the bones removed and then a pocket made and filled.

To roast the loin trim and tie into shape and then roast.

Meat from the neck, breast and knuckle is frequently used with chicken and, if properly prepared, it is delicious. Stock made from veal bones is rich in gelatine and may be used for meat loaves, moulds and aspics.

TO PREPARE BREADED CUTLETS

Cut the cutlets into suitable pieces and then roll in flour and dip in beaten egg, and then dip again in fine bread crumbs, patting firmly. Fry quickly to a golden brown. Place in a hot oven to finish cooking. The cutlet may be served with either brown gravy or tomato sauce.

VEAL CROQUETTES

Place in a saucepan and then dissolve the starch in the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. Now add

Beat to blend well and then pour on greased platter and set in a cool place for four hours to mould. Form into croquettes and then dip in beaten egg, and then in fine bread crumbs; fry in hot fat. Serve with tomato sauce.

COOKING THE FANCY CUTS

TO PREPARE BRAINS

Soak for one hour in cool water, adding the juice of one-half lemon. Drain and then parboil for ten minutes. Drain and then trim free from excess tissue. Place under a weight to flatten and make firm, if desired, or cut into two and dip in flour and then in egg and finally in fine bread crumbs. Fry in hot fat until a golden brown. Serve with Hollandaise sauce.

ROAST SHOULDER OF VEAL

Have the butcher make a pocket in the veal for the filling. Now soak sufficient stale bread in cold water so that when pressed dry it will measure two cups. Place the bread in a saucepan and add

Mix thoroughly and then cook slowly so that the onion does not brown. When tender add

Mix thoroughly and then cool and fill into veal. Sew the opening with a darning needle and a stout string or fasten with toothpicks. Dust the meat well with flour and then place in a hot oven to brown. Then reduce the heat of the oven to moderate and roast, allowing thirty minutes for the meat to start cooking and twenty-five minutes to the pound. Baste every ten minutes with:

CALF'S HEART A LA MODE

Wash and soak the heart for a few minutes in water and then remove the tubes, veins and cut the heart into dice. Parboil until tender. Then add, using sufficient water to cover

Thicken gravy and serve with toasted strips of bread.

Calf's heart may be cut in thin slices, dipped in flour and then fried. Calf's liver is most delicate and must be cooked quickly, either by panning or broiling. The head is used for mock-turtle soup or cooked and served with brown sauce or made into calves' head cheese. The tongue may be cooked until tender and then pickled in vinegar.

The feet may be used in place of the head for mock-turtle soup, and in place of the knuckle in making pepper pot.

TRIPE FRIED IN BATTER

Cut the tripe into pieces the size of an oyster and then season and dip in a batter. Fry until golden brown in hot fat and then serve with Hollandaise sauce.

THE BATTER

Break one egg in a cup and fill with milk. Place in a bowl and add

Beat well to free from lumps.

CREOLE TRIPE

Mince four onions fine and then place in a saucepan, four tablespoonfuls of shortening; add the onions and cook until soft, but not brown. Now add four tablespoonfuls of flour. Stir to blend well and then add:

Cook gently for twenty minutes and then season and serve.

PICKLED TRIPE

Cut the prepared tripe in strips one inch wide and two inches long and then place in a china bowl and add

and sufficient vinegar to cover. Let stand two days before using.

TURTLE AND SNAPPER

Lay the turtle on its back and cut off the head. Let turtle bleed for twenty minutes. Separate the body from the shell and remove the entrails. Carefully separate the liver and heart. Now, with a sharp knife, remove the meat from the shell and lay in boiling water for two minutes. Drain. Rub the legs and all flesh containing the outer skin until the skin is removed, with a coarse towel. Now, with a cleaver, chop the shell into five pieces and place in scalding water for five minutes. Remove from hot water. Use the knife to peel off the skin and bristle from the shell. Now lay the meat and shell in cold water for one and one-half hours. You now have white and green turtle meat ready to cook.

TO COOK

Put the meat and shell in a large preserving kettle with sufficient cold water to cover, adding

Tie the spices and vegetables in a piece of cheese-cloth and bring to a boil. Cook slowly until the meat is tender and then remove the white meat. Cook the green meat, most of which is in the shell, until it is tender. Place the meat, when tender, in cold water to blanch. Use the liquid for soup. Strain and add part of the turtle meat, hard-boiled egg, grated lemon rind and juice of lemon. Prepare the snapper same as green turtle. Only bleed snapper ten minutes.

SHRIMP SALAD

Open two tall cans of shrimp and then drain and wash under cold water. Now shred the coarse green outside leaves of lettuce very fine. Measure two cups and place in a bowl and add

Mix well and then fill into a nest of crisp lettuce leaves. Lay the shrimp on top and mask with mayonnaise. Garnish with two hard-boiled eggs into quarters.

SHRIMP

Shrimp come, as a rule, cooked, but to cook shrimp: Plunge the shrimp into boiler prepared as for crabs. Boil for ten minutes, then drain and cool. Remove the shells and then they may be used for salads, croquettes and fried shrimps.

TERRAPIN

Diamond back or salt water terrapin are best. Fresh water terrapin may be used for croquettes and puree. Clean the terrapin by placing in fresh water for six hours. Wash in warm water and then place them alive in boiling water. Cook for five minutes. Remove and then rub with a coarse cloth the neck, legs and tail to remove the skin. Wash again. Return to the pot. Cook until the legs leave the body easily. Usually about thirty-five minutes for small terrapin and seventy-five minutes for large ones. The age and condition determine the time of cooking. Cool. Now, before it is entirely cold, separate the terrapin from the shell, discard the small intestines, shell, gall, etc. Cut the meat into pieces.

Cook in cream sauce for a la Maryland; in brown sauce for a la mode or stewed terrapin.

STEWED SNAPPER

Open a can of snapper into a china bowl and let stand for one hour; place in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil and cook slowly for fifteen minutes; then add the snapper meat, heat slowly 10 minutes, serve.

STEAKS

The selection of steak depends entirely upon the number of persons to be served. A steak cannot be classed as a cheap meat; the portions of bone and trimming makes this meat a rare luxury in these times of high prices.

Yet there come times when the men folk want steak—and steak it must be. There are three kinds of meats that are cut into steaks; namely, the loin, rump and round. All three will make delicious eating if properly prepared.

The round steak has the least waste, and if steaks are taken from the first three cuts they should be tender and juicy, providing they are cut sufficiently thick and are properly cooked.

The rump steak is fully as tender and palatable as loin and it contains about one-third less waste. The sirloin is the choicest cut in the whole carcass and it contains a proportionately large amount of waste.

Have the butcher cut the round steak one-half inch thick and then pound it with a meat ax to break the tough tissues. Place on a platter and brush with salad oil and let stand for one-half hour. Now broil in the usual manner, turning every four minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with choice meat butters given below.

Rump steak should be cut two inches thick and the bone and fat trimmed. Now nick and score the edge of the fat and brush with salad oil, and then broil the same as for round steak.

The sirloin steak should be cut two inches thick. Have the butcher remove the chine bone and then the flank end. Let him add a piece of suet to the flank end; then put it through the food chopper for hamburg steak. It is a mistake to cook the flank with the sirloin. Brush the steak with salad oil and then broil. Lift to a hot platter.

Place one pint of water and one tablespoonful of salt in the bottom of the broiling pan to prevent the fat drippings from [pg 296] taking fire. Turn the meat every four minutes, so that it makes the cooking even. To test the meat when broiling press with a knife; if it is soft and spongy it is raw. Watch carefully and when just beginning to become firm it is rare. Allow four minutes for medium and six minutes for well done.

Do not turn the meat with a fork. The intense heat has sealed or seared the surface and caused the meat to retain its juices, and if you use a fork to turn it you will puncture or make an opening so that these juices will escape.

A two-pound steak will be cooked rare in twelve minutes, medium in fifteen minutes and well done in eighteen minutes. Always lift to a hot platter.

FRENCH BUTTER

Work to a smooth paste.

French and Italian and Swiss cooks frequently serve a vegetable garnish with steaks. It is prepared as follows:

Place four tablespoonfuls of shortening or vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the herbs and cook very slowly until soft, taking care not to brown. Now season with salt, pepper and dress on a hot platter in a little mound at the bottom of the steak. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

ENGLISH BUTTER

Work to a paste and then spread on a steak as soon as you place it on the platter.

LONDON BUTTER

Mix and then pour over the steak.

SWISS BUTTER

Work to a smooth paste.

ITALIAN BUTTER

Work to a smooth paste and then spread on the meat.

VEGETABLE GARNISH

Carrots, turnips and parsnips may be cut into cubes and then shaped like a cork. Cook until tender in boiling water and then brown quickly in a little hot fat. Beets and turnips may be cooked until tender and then scoop out the centres and fill with onions or cucumber mayonnaise.

BROILED HAMBURG STEAK

Do not fry or pan hamburg steak made from flank of sirloin. Place meat in bowl and add

Mix, form into flat cakes, brush with salad oil; place on baking dish. Broil in gas broiler for eight minutes, then place in hot oven for seven minutes longer. Spread with desired butter and send to the table in a baking dish. This will give a delicious flavored meat in place of the usual dry, tasteless cake that is frequently served.

SALADS

Salads are a popular summer dish. They should be made from fresh vegetables which contain the health-giving elements that are so vitally essential for our physical well-being. There are also the mineral salts which help purify the blood stream and thus keep us physically fit.