Pare the squash, boil till tender, and sift through a colander. Beat the egg, add sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir these into the squash and add the milk, stirring in slowly. Bake in a deep plate, like a custard pie.
=Cream Washington Pies=
1 Egg 1/2 Cupful of Sugar 1 Cupful of Flour 1/2 Cupful of Milk (scant) 2 Tablespoonfuls of Melted Butter 1 Rounding Teaspoonful of Cream of Tartar 1/2 Teaspoonful of Soda
Cream butter and sugar together, add the well-beaten egg; then the milk into which has been stirred the soda and cream of tartar; last of all, the flour. Bake in three round shallow dishes.
=Cream for Filling=
1 Cupful of Milk 1 Egg A Little Salt 1 Heaping Tablespoonful of Flour 2 Tablespoonfuls of Sugar 1/2 Teaspoonful of Vanilla
Put the milk on the stove to heat. Put the sugar, flour and salt into the well-beaten egg and stir into the milk when boiling. When cool, add vanilla and spread between the layers of cake.
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=Crab Apple Jelly=
Cover the apples with water and boil until tender. Strain through a flannel bag. Boil the juice twenty minutes. Add the same amount of sugar, pint for pint, and cook five minutes. Pour into tumblers, and when cold, cover with paraffine.
=California Jam=
Divide and seed as many oranges as desired.
Slice thin, the pulp and skin together. Add to each pound of oranges one lemon, sliced thin, and one quart of cold water. Let all stand twenty-four hours; then cook until tender, with the same amount of sugar.
=Canned Cherries=
1 Quart of Cherries 1 Cupful of Sugar 1 Cupful of Water
Pick over and wash the cherries. If they are to be used for sauce, can them whole; if to be used for pies and puddings, remove stones and use less water, as there will be juice enough to cook them in. Cook until tender and seal when boiling hot.
=Cherry Conserve=
4 Pounds of Cherries 4 Pounds of Sugar 3 Oranges 1 Lemon
Wash and stone the cherries. Wash and remove seeds from oranges and lemon. Put them through the meat-grinder or chop fine. Cook all together twenty minutes, or until thick. Put into tumblers and cover with paraffine.
=Preserved Citron=
4 Pounds of Citron 3 Pounds of Sugar 3 Gills of Water 3 Lemons
Pare the citron and cut into pieces one inch square. Cover with cold water, adding a pinch of salt. Next day throw off this water and cover with fresh water, this time adding a pinch of alum. Slice the lemons, removing every seed, and boil until tender. Boil the sugar and water together, skim, then put into the syrup citron and lemon. Boil until it looks rich and transparent. Skim out the fruit into jars or tumblers, boil down the syrup for ten or fifteen minutes, and pour over the fruit. If jars are used, fill to the brim and seal while hot. This can be made in the summer from watermelon-rind. Cut off all the pink of the melon, pare, and prepare as you would citron. It is really very nice.
=Currant Jelly=
Pick currants from the stems and wash clean. Put them into a kettle with a very little water and cook for ten minutes. Strain through a flannel bag. Use one pint of juice to one pint of sugar. Boil the juice fifteen minutes, add sugar and boil five minutes. Pour into tumblers or jelly moulds, and when cold cover with paraffine.
=Spiced Currants=
5 Pounds of Currants 4 Pounds of Sugar 1 Pint of Vinegar 4 Teaspoonfuls of Cinnamon 4 Teaspoonfuls of Cloves
Boil slowly two and a half hours. Tie the spices in a cloth before boiling.
=Cranberry Jelly=
1 Quart of Cranberries 3 1/2 Cupfuls of Sugar
Put one quart of cranberries on the stove, with cold water enough to cover. Boil until tender. Strain through a colander. To this four cupfuls of juice add three and a half cupfuls of sugar. Boil, twenty minutes and turn into a mould which has been wet with cold water.
=Grape Conserve=
5 Pints of Grapes 8 Cupfuls of Sugar 1/2 Pound of Raisins 2 Oranges 1 Cupful of Nut Meats
Pick the grapes from the stems, wash, and separate the pulps from the skins. Stew the pulps and press through a colander. Put the raisins and oranges through the meat grinder, after removing seeds. Cook all together except the nuts. Add these about ten minutes before removing from fire. Put into glasses and cover with paraffine. This makes eleven glasses.
=Grape Marmalade=
When making grape-juice, use the grape which is left after straining, for marmalade. Press through a colander, measure and use the same amount of sugar. Cook until it thickens and put into tumblers. When cold, cover with paraffine.
=Grape Preserve=
Pick from the stems and wash the amount of grapes desired. Squeeze the pulps from the skins. Put into a kettle with very little water and boil until the seeds loosen. Press through a colander. Put this with skins, weigh, and use three-fourths of a pound of sugar, for every pound of fruit. Cook all together until the skins are tender, usually about an hour. Seal in glass jars.
=Orange Marmalade=
1 Grapefruit 1 Whole Orange Juice of Two Oranges 1 Whole Lemon Juice of Two Lemons
Chop fruit fine or put through the grinder. Measure and put three times the amount of water. Let this stand till the next day. Boil ten minutes. Stand again till the next day. Measure and add equal amount of sugar. Boil until it jells. This will make eleven or twelve tumblerfuls. Pour into glasses while warm. When cold, pour over a thin coating of paraffine.
=Peach Marmalade=
When preserving peaches or quinces, wipe them very clean before paring, and save the skins for marmalade. Cook in water enough to cover well and, when tender, press through a colander. Measure, and add the same amount of sugar. Boil half an hour, or until it thickens. Put into tumblers and cover with paraffine. This is nice for school sandwiches, or for filling for Washington pie or queen's pudding.
=To Can Peaches=
1 Quart of Peaches 1 Cupful of Sugar 2 Cupfuls of Water
Be sure to have the jars perfectly clean and warm. Glass covers are always preferable. Make a syrup of the sugar and water. Boil this hard for five minutes. Set back on the stove and let it settle, then skim very thoroughly. Pare, cut in half, and remove the stones from the peaches. When the syrup comes to a boil, put in enough peaches to fill your jar, whatever the size. Boil until tender enough to pierce with a wisp. Take the fruit out carefully with a spoon and place in the jar. Fill the jar with the boiling syrup, being careful always to cant the jar as you pour it in. If you do this, the jar will never crack, as it is likely to do if held perfectly straight or upright. Always run around the inside of the jar with a silver knife, and you will have no trouble in keeping fruit. Seal while hot. The peaches may be canned whole, if preferred.
=Pickled Peaches=
4 Pounds of Sugar 1 Pint of Vinegar 1 Tablespoonful of Cloves 1 Tablespoonful of Allspice Stick of Cinnamon
Boil the ingredients together for ten minutes before putting in the peaches. Cook as many peaches in this as possible, and have juice enough to fill up the jars. Tie the spices in a piece of cheese-cloth. Pears may be cooked in the same way.
=Ginger Pears=
10 Pounds of Pears 7 Pounds of Sugar 4 Lemons 6 Oranges 1 Box of Crystallized Ginger
Wipe pears clean and cut fine with sugar. Simmer an hour. Then add the lemons and oranges, seeded and cut fine, and the crystallized ginger. Let all boil together two or three hours.
=Preserved Pears=
1 Quart of Pears 1 Cupful of Sugar 2 Cupfuls of Water
Use pears which are just right to eat. Pare and drop into cold water, to prevent discoloring. Make a syrup of one cupful of sugar and two cupfuls of cold water, and boil the pears in this until you can stick a straw through them. Fill the jars with the fruit, all you can put in, then hold the jar slanting and fill with syrup to the very brim. Use whole pears, if preferred. If cut in halves, remove the core.
=Way to Pickle Pears=
1 Pint of Vinegar 3 Pounds of Sugar 6 Pounds of Pears 1/2 Tablespoonful of Cinnamon 1/2 Tablespoonful of whole Allspice 1 Tablespoonful of whole Cloves
Boil pears until tender. Boil vinegar, sugar, and spices together fifteen minutes, then put in the boiled pears, and cook all together half an hour. These will be nicer if sealed in glass jars.
=To Preserve Pineapple=
Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes and cut into small cubes. Weigh, and take three-fourths of a pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Allow one cupful of water for each jar, and cook all together slowly until tender. Fill the jars. This is very nice for ice-cream or sherbet.
=Quince Jelly=
Pare, core, and quarter the fruit, and boil in water enough to cover. When soft, take out the fruit and strain the syrup through a flannel bag, then return the syrup to the kettle and boil until perfectly clear, skimming constantly. Measure syrup, adding an equal quantity of sugar, and boil twenty minutes, removing the scum which rises to the surface. Pour into tumblers or moulds and set aside to cool; then pour over the top a covering of paraffine.
=Quince Marmalade=
Put the quinces, which were boiled in water for the jelly, in with the cores and skins. Cover with water and boil ten or fifteen minutes. Press all through a colander. Measure, and add the same amount of sugar. Set on the stove and boil fifteen minutes, being careful not to scorch. Put into tumblers and cover with paraffine.
=Quince Sauce=
Peel, core, and cut into quarters the quinces. Boil in clear water until tender. Weigh the quinces before cooking, and put into the water in which they have been boiled three-fourths of a pound of sugar for every pound of quince. Boil five minutes and skim. Then put in the quinces and cook until of a dark amber color-for about an hour. As quinces are expensive, old-fashioned people used to put in one-fourth as much sweet apple or pear.
=Raspberry Jam, No. I=
Mash the berries, add equal parts of sugar, and let stand half an hour. Put on the stove in a kettle containing a half cupful of water, to prevent sticking. Boil until it thickens. Put into tumblers and cover with paraffine. Blackberries and strawberries used in the same way are very nice.
=Raspberry Jam, No. 2=
Mash the berries, and use two-thirds as much currant juice as you have berries. Measure, and add the same amount of sugar. Cook all together until it jells. Put into tumblers and cover with paraffine.
=To Keep Rhubarb Through the Winter=
Fill preserve jars with cold water. Cut the rhubarb into small pieces, as you would for a pie, and drop them into the jars. As they fill, the water will overflow. When full, screw the tops on the jars and set away. The water excludes the air, and the fruit, treated in this way, will keep for months. When required for use drain off the water and cook in the usual way.
=Rhubarb Marmalade=
5 Pounds of Rhubarb 5 Pounds of Sugar 5 Lemons, Juice and Rind 1 Pound of Chopped Walnuts 2 Teaspoonfuls of Extract of Jamaica Ginger
Cook all the ingredients, excepting the nuts and ginger, together three or four hours. Ten minutes before removing from the fire, add the ginger and nuts. Seal in glass jars, or put into tumblers. If tumblers are used, cover over the tops with a coating of paraffine.
=Rhubarb Jam=
6 Stalks of Rhubarb 3 Oranges 1 Lemon 4 Cupfuls of Sugar
Cook the rhubarb and rind and juice of the lemon and oranges together for twenty-five minutes. Put into tumblers and cover with paraffine.
=Spiced Fruit=
6 Pounds of Fruit 4 Pounds of Sugar 1 Pint of Vinegar
For all kinds of spiced fruit use the above measurements, adding one tablespoonful each of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, and cook until tender. Seal in glass jars.
=Bread Pudding=
1 Pint of Stale Bread 1 Quart of Milk 1 Cupful of Sugar 1 Egg 1/2 Cupful of Raisins 1 Teaspoonful of Cinnamon 1/2 Teaspoonful of Salt
Pour hot water over the stale bread and let soak until soft. Then add other ingredients and bake for three hours in a moderate oven. If eaten cold, serve with hot sauce. If eaten hot, serve with cold sauce.
=Steamed Chocolate Pudding=
Butter size of a Walnut 1/2 Cupful of Sugar 1/2 Cupful of Milk 1 Cupful of Flour 1 Teaspoonful of Baking-powder 1 Square of Chocolate, or Two Dessertspoonfuls of Cocoa 1 Egg Salt to Taste
Cream together the butter and sugar, then add egg and milk; then the cocoa, flour, salt, and flavoring. Steam for an hour and a half, and serve hot with sauce.
=Graham Pudding=
1 1/2 Cupfuls of Graham Flour 1/2 Cupful of Molasses 1/2 Cupful of Milk 1/4 Cupful of Butter 1 Egg 1 Teaspoon of Soda 1/2 Cupful of Raisins and Currants, mixed Salt and Spice to taste
Stir the soda into the molasses, then add the beaten egg and milk, salt and spice, and melted butter. Add the flour and, last of all, currants and raisins, which have been sprinkled with flour. Steam two hours in a tin pail set in a kettle of water and serve hot with sauce.
=Hasty Pudding=
Into a dish of boiling water (a double boiler is best) stir Indian meal, very slowly. Let it cook for an hour. The water should be salted a little. Turn this into a bowl. The next day, or when perfectly cold, cut into slices and fry in pork fat or hot lard. This is served with molasses.
=Baked Indian Pudding=
2 Quarts of Milk 1 Cupful of Yellow Cornmeal 1 Cupful of Molasses 1 Teaspoonful of Salt
Put one quart of the milk into an earthen puddingpot, and the other quart of the milk into an agate dish, on the stove, to scald. Stir the meal into the hot milk slowly, one handful at a time, until it thickens. Remove from the stove and add molasses, pouring the mixture into the cold milk. Bake six hours in a slow oven; serve warm with cream. If properly cooked; it will be red and full of whey.
=Orange Pudding=
4 Oranges 3 Cupfuls of Milk 1 Cupful of Sugar 3 Eggs 2 Tablespoonfuls of Cornstarch Pinch of Salt
Remove peel and seeds from the fruit and cut fine. Sprinkle over the oranges half the sugar. Let stand for a few hours. Beat the yolks of the eggs, add the rest of the sugar, cornstarch and salt, and stir into the boiling milk. Pour this, when cooled, over the oranges and sugar. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and add two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Spread this over the top and brown in the oven. To be eaten cold.
=Plum Pudding=
Take ten or twelve Boston crackers, split them open and soak over night in milk. Use a large pudding dish that will hold three or four quarts. Put in a layer of crackers, a handful of raisins, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and a little butter on the crackers; repeat this three times. Have a layer of crackers on the top. Make a custard of three or four eggs, five is better, one cupful of sugar, a little salt, and milk enough to fill the dish within two inches of the top. Bake in a slow oven four or five hours. Let stand until cold, and it will slip out whole. Serve with hot sauce.
=Queen's Pudding=
1 Pint of Bread 1 Quart of Milk 3 Eggs 1 Cupful of Sugar 1 Teaspoonful of Butter 1 Lemon
Soak one pint of bread in a quart of milk till soft. Beat together the yolks of the eggs, sugar, butter, and the juice and rind of half a lemon. Stir all together and bake until it rises, about an hour and a half. When nearly cold, spread the top with jelly, and then the white of the eggs, beaten stiff. Brown in the oven. To be eaten cold.
=Poor Man's Rice Pudding=
1 Quart of Milk 1 Small Cupful of Sugar 1/2 Cupful of Washed Rice (scant) 1 Piece of Butter, size of a Hickory Nut 1/2 Teaspoonful of Salt 1 Teaspoonful of Vanilla
Bake slowly for three hours; the success lies in the baking. If baked right it will be creamy on top.
=Suet Pudding=
1 Cupful of Molasses 1 Cupful of Milk 1 Cupful of Chopped Suet 1 Cupful of Raisins 3 Cupfuls of Flour 1 Teaspoonful of Nutmeg 1 Teaspoonful of Soda 1 Teaspoonful of Salt 1 Teaspoonful of Clove 1 Teaspoonful of Cinnamon
Beat the soda into the molasses, add milk, salt and spices. Cover the raisins and suet with some of the flour, stir all together. Steam three hours in a tin pail, set in a kettle of boiling water. Serve hot with cold sauce, made of one cupful of sugar and one-third cupful of butter, creamed together. Grate a little nutmeg over the top.
=Tapioca Cream=
1 Quart of Milk 5 Tablespoonfuls of Tapioca 3 Eggs 1 Teaspoonful of Corn-starch 2/3 Cupful of Sugar Pinch of Salt
Soak the tapioca in a little warm water for an hour. Put the milk on the stove in a sauce pan. Add the sugar and salt to the beaten yolks of the eggs. When the milk is scalded put in the soaked tapioca and when boiling, stir in the eggs. Cook a few minutes and remove from fire. Stir in the beaten whites and flavor. To be eaten cold.
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=Chocolate Sauce=
1 Tablespoonful of Butter 2 Tablespoonfuls of Cocoa 1 Cupful of Sugar 4 Tablespoonfuls of Boiling Water
Put the butter into an agate dish on the stove; when melted, stir in the cocoa and sugar dry; add boiling water and stir until smooth. Add vanilla to taste.
=Cold Sauce=
Cream together one-half cupful of butter and one and one-half cupfuls of sugar. Grate a little nutmeg over the top.
=Cranberry Sauce=
Pick over and wash one quart of cranberries; cover with cold water and cook until tender. Remove from the fire, rub through a colander and sweeten to taste.
=Cream Mustard=
1/2 Cupful of Vinegar 1/2 Cupful of Sweet Cream 1 Egg 1 Teaspoonful of Salt 1 Tablespoonful of Mustard
Put the vinegar on the stove and let it come to a boil. Have the cream, salt, mustard, and egg well beaten together, and pour the boiling vinegar over them, then set the whole over boiling water and stir constantly until it thickens. When cold, it is ready for use, and is very nice.
=Egg Sauce, for Chocolate Pudding=
2 Cupfuls of Sugar 1 Egg 1 Cupful of Boiling Milk Flavoring
Beat the egg and sugar together, and pour over it the boiling milk, and flavor.
=Pudding Sauce=
1 Cupful of Sugar 1/2 Cupful of Butter 1 Pint of Water 3 Heaping Teaspoonfuls of Cornstarch Flavoring
Cream together the butter and sugar. Wet the cornstarch with a little water; stir it into the pint of boiling water and, when thickened, pour it over the butter and sugar. Add the flavoring.
=Salad Dressing=
1/2 Cupful of Vinegar 1/2 Cupful of Water 1/2 Cupful of Milk Piece of Butter size of a Walnut 1 Egg 2 Tablespoonfuls of Sugar 1 Tablespoonful of Flour 1 Tablespoonful of Mustard 1 Teaspoonful of Salt
Put the vinegar, water and butter on the stove, in an agate dish, to boil. Mix together sugar, flour, mustard and salt, stir into the beaten egg with the milk, and add to the boiling water and vinegar. Let boil until it thickens. This is quickly and easily made,verynice and always a success.
=Sauce, for Graham Pudding=
1 Cupful of Sugar 1/2 Cupful of Butter 1 Egg 1 Lemon 1/2 Pint Boiling Water
Cream together the butter and sugar, add the well-beaten yolk of egg, pour over this the boiling water, juice of lemon and well-beaten white of egg.
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=Bean Porridge=
Pick over and wash two-thirds of a cupful of white beans. Put on the back of the stove in cold water. Let these boil slowly, while the dinner is cooking. When the boiled dinner has been taken up, put these beans into the liquor in which the dinner was cooked. Boil one hour. Wet three tablespoonfuls of flour with water, and stir in while boiling, to thicken. Serve hot, adding a little milk, if you like.
=Connecticut Clam Chowder=
3 or 4 Slices of Salt Pork 3 Potatoes 2/3 Onion 1 Cupful of Tomatoes 3 Crackers 1 Teaspoonful of Parsley 25 Soft-shelled Clams 1 Quart of Water Salt and Pepper 1 Cupful of Milk
Cut three or four slices of salt pork and fry in the bottom of a kettle. Add the potatoes cut into dice, onion shaved, a cupful of stewed tomatoes, rolled ship crackers, minced parsley, soft-shelled clams, and boiling water. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook till the potatoes are tender. A little hot milk may be added just before taking up.
=Massachusetts Clam Chowder=
3 Quarts of Clams 6 Medium-sized Potatoes 1 Small Onion 8 Boston Crackers 4 Slices of Salt Pork
Wash the clams clean, put them on the stove to cook, with one pint of cold water. Boil until the shells burst open. Remove from the stove, pour the clam liquor into an earthen dish and set away to settle. When the clams have cooled a little, pick them from the shells, remove the night-caps, cut off the head, to the shoulders, washing each clam. Cut three or four slices of fat salt pork and fry in the bottom of a kettle with half an onion. Skim these from the fat, pour in the clam liquor, add a little hot water. When this boils, add the raw potatoes, which have been pared and sliced thin, and cook until tender. Split the crackers open and soak till soft in milk or water. Add these and the clams to the potatoes. Cook ten minutes, then add a quart of milk and salt, if needed. Do not let it boil after adding the milk. Serve hot. This is very delicious.
=New England Fish Chowder=
4 Slices of Fat Salt Pork 6 or 8 Potatoes 1 Small Onion 2 or 3 Pounds of Fresh Haddock or Codfish 8 Boston Crackers
Fry the salt pork, with the onion, in the bottom of a kettle, skim from the fat, and pour in about a quart of water. Slice the potatoes thin, after they have been washed and pared. Make alternate layers of fish and potatoes, seasoning each layer with pepper and salt. Cook until both are tender. Then put in the split crackers, which have been soaked in milk or water, as for clam chowder. Cook for ten minutes. Pour in a quart of milk, add a small piece of butter and serve hot.
=Lamb Broth=
2 Pounds of Fore-Quarter of Lamb 2/3 Cupful of Rice 1 Tablespoonful of Salt 1 Teaspoonful of Sage Leaves
Put the lamb into a kettle, cover with cold water, add the salt and cook three hours. As the water boils away, add more. Wash the rice, allowing three-fourths of an hour to cook; put in the sage, about fifteen minutes before serving, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of flour, wet in two-thirds of a cupful of water. The sage may be left out if preferred.
=A Good Oyster Stew=
25 Oysters 1 Teaspoonful of Flour 1 Quart of Milk Butter Salt
Take twenty-five oysters, with their liquor and put these into an agate dish on the stove with salt to taste, in a pint of cold water. Boil five minutes. Stir into this one heaping teaspoonful of flour, which has been wet with two tablespoonfuls of cold water. Add one quart of milk. Let it come to a boil, but be sure not to have it boil. Remove from the fire, and add a piece of butter the size of an egg. This is sufficient for eight people.
=Potato Soup=
4 Potatoes 3 Pints of Milk Piece of Butter size of an Egg Small piece of Onion
Take four large potatoes, boil until done and mash smooth, adding butter and salt to taste. Heat the milk in a double boiler, cook the onion in it a few minutes and then remove. Pour the milk slowly on the potato, strain, heat and serve immediately. Thicken with one tablespoonful of flour.
* * * * * *
=Green Corn Fritters=
2 Cupfuls of Corn, grated from the cob 2 Eggs A Little Salt 1/2 Cupful of Milk 1/2 Cupful of Flour 1 Level Teaspoonful of Cream of Tartar 1/2 Level Teaspoonful of Soda
Beat the eggs, then add the milk and salt. Stir the corn into the dry flour, wetting with the milk and eggs, then fry in hot lard.
=Delicious Stuffed Baked Potatoes=
Bake six potatoes, or enough for family. When done, set away to cool slightly. Cut off a small piece, scoop out the inside, mash, add butter, salt, and milk, also tiny bits of parsley, if liked. Fill the shells with this mixture, put back in the oven and bake until brown.
=Creamed Potatoes=
4 or 5 Baked Potatoes 1 Pint of Milk 1/2 Teaspoonful of Salt Butter, the size of a Walnut
Pare the potatoes and cut into small pieces. Put them on the stove, in an agate dish, salt and cover with milk. Let them cook fifteen or twenty minutes, then thicken with one tablespoonful of flour, stirred with half a cupful of water; put in the butter and serve hot.
=Scalloped Potatoes=
Butter a baking-dish, pare and slice potatoes in small pieces. Put into the dish with salt, pepper and a little butter. Fill the dish with milk, sprinkle over the top cracker or bread crumbs, and cheese, if you like it. Bake in the oven for an hour and a half or two hours.
=Baked Tomatoes=
6 Tomatoes2 Cupfuls of Bread CrumbsSmall piece of OnionA Few Stalks of Celery HeartsSalt and Pepper to Taste
Cut off a small piece of each tomato and scoop out the inside. Mix this with two cupfuls, or the same amount of bread crumbs, the chopped onion, salt and pepper. Then fill the tomatoes with this mixture, putting small pieces of butter over the top. Place these in a pan in which is a very little water, to prevent sticking, and bake in a hot oven from twenty minutes to half an hour.
=Fried Tomatoes=
Pare and slice (not very thin), dip into flour and fry on a griddle in hot fat.
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=To Save Confusion in the Home=
"Plan your work, then work your plan."
Monday—Wash, if you have it done in the house. If sent out, use that day for picking up and putting things in order, after the disorder of Sunday.
Tuesday—Iron.
Wednesday—Finish ironing and bake; wash kitchen floor.
Thursday, Friday—Sweep and dust, thoroughly.
Saturday—Bake, and prepare in every way possible, for the following day.
=Have in or Near Your Sink=
A handle dish cloth.
A wire dish cloth.
A cake of scouring soap.
A small brush for cleaning vegetables.
These articles are indispensable. Also have two cloths, which must be kept perfectly clean.
One for washing dishes.
One for washing sink.
=Homemade Shortening=
Do not throw away small pieces of fat from pork, lamb or steak. Put them on the stove, in a skillet or agate dish and cook them till there is nothing left, but scraps. Then pare a potato, wash clean, cut into thin slices and cook in the fat for a half hour to clarify it. Strain through a cloth. This will be good to fry doughnuts in and for all purposes, where shortening is needed, except for pie crust.
Pieces of fat, not fit for shortening can be saved in some old utensil and made into kitchen soap.
=To Make Tea and Coffee=
Always use freshly boiled water. Do not boil more than three or four minutes. This is very important, in making a good cup of tea or coffee. Never use water which has stood in the teakettle over night.
=A Use for Left-over Coffee=
Do not throw away the coffee you have left from breakfast. If you do not care for iced coffee for dinner, make a little coffee jelly, by the recipe on page 27.
=Never Throw away Old Underclothes=
Keep them for housecleaning, for washing windows and for washing lamp chimneys. Old pieces of calico, or flannel make good holders to use about the stove. Wash, boil and dry cleaning cloths when soiled, that they may be ready for use again.
=That Leaky Hot-Water Bag=
Do not throw away an old hot-water bag because it leaks. Fasten over the leak, a strong piece of adhesive plaster. Fill the bag with sand or salt and cover with flannel. It will hold heat for a long time, and can be used instead of the water bottle.
=To Keep your Hands White=
Keep a piece of lemon in your bathroom or kitchen. It will remove stains from the hands.
=To Brown Flour=
Spread flour upon a tin pie plate, put it in a hot oven, and stir constantly, after it begins to brown, until it is all colored. Keep always on hand. It is good for coloring and thickening gravies.
=Lemons and Fish=
Lemon juice makes a very grateful addition to all kinds of fish. Thin slices of lemon, with sprigs of parsley, around a platter of fish, makes a pretty garnish.
=To Try out Lard=
If you want good sweet lard, buy from your butcher, leaf lard. Skin carefully, cut into small pieces and put it into a kettle or sauce pan. Pour in a half-cupful of water, to prevent burning, and cook slowly, until there is nothing left but scraps. Remove the scraps with a skimmer, salt it a little, and strain through a clean cloth, into tin pails. Be sure not to scorch it.
=How to Keep Eggs=
In the summer, when eggs are cheap, buy a sufficient number of freshly laid ones to last through the winter.
Take one part of liquid glass, and nine parts of cold water which has been boiled, and mix thoroughly.
Put the eggs into a stone crock, and pour over them this mixture, having it come an inch above the eggs. The eggs will keep six months, if they are perfectly fresh when packed and will have no taste, as when put into lime water.
=Save your Old Stockings=
Old stockings are fine for cleaning the range. Slip your hand into the foot and rub hard, or place an old whisk broom inside. It will make the sides and front of the range clean and shiny. In fact, you will seldom need to use blacking on these parts.
=When Washing Lamp Chimneys=
If you live in the country and use kerosene lamps, do not dread washing the chimneys. Make a good hot suds, then wash them in this, with a clean cloth kept for that purpose. Pour over them very hot or boiling water and dry with an old soft cloth. Twist a piece of brown paper or newspaper, into cornucopia shape and place over the chimneys to protect from dust and flies.
=To Remove Disagreeable Odors from the House=
Sprinkle fresh ground coffee, on a shovel of hot coals, or burn sugar on the shovel. This is an old-fashioned disinfectant, still good.
=To Lengthen the Life of a Broom=
Your broom will last much longer and be made tough and pliable, by dipping for a minute or two, in a pail of boiling suds, once a week. A carpet will wear longer if swept with a broom treated in this way. Leave your broom bottom side up, or hang it.
=To Prevent Mold on Top of Glasses of Jelly=
Melt paraffine and pour over the jelly after it is cold. No brandy, paper, or other covering is necessary.
=To Clean Nickel Stove Trimmings=
Rub with kerosene and whiting, and polish with a dry cloth.
=To Clean Zinc or Copper=
Wash with soap suds and powdered bristol brick. When perfectly dry, take a flannel cloth and dry powdered bristol or any good cleaning powder and polish. You will be pleased with the result. I have tried this for forty years.
=How to Prevent Button Holes from Fraying=
When making button holes in serge or any material which frays, place a piece of lawn of two thicknesses, underneath and work through this.
Another way is to make four stitchings in the goods the length of the button hole. Cut between these, leaving two stitchings each side of the hole.
=When Making a Silk Waist=
Stitch a crescent shaped piece of the same material as your waist under the arm. It will wear longer and when the outside wears out it looks neater than a patch. If the waist is lined, put this between the lining and the outside.
=To Make Old Velvet Look New=
Turn hot flatirons bottom side up. Rest these on two pieces of wood, or hold in your lap. Put over them a piece of wet cloth, then lay the velvet on this. Brush with a whisk broom. The steam from the wet cloth will raise the nap and take out the creases.
=Onion Skins as a Dye=
If you wish for a bright yellow, save your onion skins. They will color white cloth a very bright yellow. This is a good color for braided rugs, such as people used to make.
=To Remove Egg Stain from Silver=
Salt when applied dry, with a soft piece of flannel will remove the stain from silver, caused by eggs.
=Put a Little Cornstarch in Salt Shakers=
This will prevent the salt from becoming too moist to shake out.
=How to Color Lace Ecru=
If you wish for ecru lace and you have only a piece of white, dip it into cold tea or coffee, until you have the desired color.
=To Keep Lettuce Crisp=
Put it into a paper bag and place right on the ice. It will keep a week in this way.
=To Keep Celery=
Do not put it into water. Wrap it in a cloth, wet in cold water and place directly on the ice.
=To Keep a Piece of Salt Pork Sweet=
Put it in a strong brine made of one quart of cold water, and two-thirds of a cup of salt.
=Save Potato-Water=
Pare potatoes before boiling, and then save the water, to mix your yeast bread with.
=A Use for the Vinegar Off Pickles=
When your pickles have been used from your glass jars, do not throw away the vinegar. Use it in your salad dressing. It is much better than plain vinegar because of the flavor.
=Do not Allow a Child to Eat Fresh Snow=
This often looks clean and pure but fill a tumbler with it, cover to keep out the dust and then show it to the child, that he may see for himself, the dirt it contains.
=When Making Hermits or Cookies=
Instead of rolling and cutting as usual, drop the dough into a large iron pan. The heat of the oven melts them into one sheet. Cut them into squares or long narrow strips. It takes much less time, than the old way of rolling and cutting.
=To Clean a Vinegar Cruet on the Inside=
Put into it shot, pebblestones, or beans. Fill it with a strong soap suds, and one teaspoonful of bread soda or ammonia. Let stand an hour, shake well and often. Rinse with clean water.
=To Make Tough Meat, or a Fowl Tender=
Put one tablespoonful of vinegar, into the kettle while boiling.
=To Remove Black Grease=
Rub patiently with ether. It will not leave a ring, like gasolene, and will remove every trace of the stain.
=To Keep an Iron Sink from Rusting=
Wash with hot suds. When dry rub it well, with a cloth wet with kerosene. Do this three or four times a week and your sink will look well, all the time.
=How to Add Salt to Hot Milk=
Salt will curdle new milk, so when making gravies, or puddings, put your salt into the flour, or with eggs and sugar, to add when the milk boils. Use a double boiler for milk gravies and gruels.
=To Soften Boots and Shoes=
Rub them with kerosene. Shoes will last longer, if rubbed over with drippings from roast lamb. Old-fashioned people always used mutton tallow on children's shoes.
=A Way to Cook Chops=
Pork or lamb chops are very nice, if baked in a hot oven. Turn them as they brown. It saves the smoke in the room.
=When Cooking Canned Corn=
Place it in a double boiler to prevent scorching.
=Salted Almonds=
Shell the nuts and put into boiling water. When they have stood for fifteen or twenty minutes, the skin will slip off easily. When dry, mix a half-teaspoonful of olive oil or butter, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, with a cupful of nut meats. Spread on a tin pan, and place in a hot oven. Bake fifteen or twenty minutes. Watch closely and stir several times, as they burn quickly. Treat peanuts in the same way.
=Before Washing Colored Clothes=
It is wise to set the color first, by soaking in a strong solution of cold salt water (one cupful of salt to half a pail of water). Soak two hours.
=To Remove Iron Rust from White Goods=
The old-fashioned way, still good, is to wet the place in lemon juice, sprinkle on it common table salt, and lay it in the sun. In these later days, there is on the market an iron rust soap, which removes the spot quickly, also an ink eradicator, sold by all druggists.
=How to Make Starch=
Two tablespoonfuls of starch should be made into a smooth paste with four tablespoonfuls of cold water. Pour over this three pints of boiling water, stirring rapidly all the time. Starch the garments, while they are still wet. In the olden days, people made starch of flour in the same way, for linen and gingham dresses, as it was less expensive and thought to be just as good for colored clothes.
=When you Go Away from Home for a Few Days=
Plan your meals before leaving. This simplifies matters for the one left in charge, and is often found to be of importance financially.
=The Proper Way to Sweep a Room=
Dust the furniture and put it in another room. Dust bric-a-brac and put on the bed if you are sweeping a sleeping room, if another room put them on the table, or in an adjoining room. Brush the draperies, take down and lay on the bed or table. Cover these and bric-a-brac with a sheet. Wet a newspaper, tear into small pieces and spread on the rug or carpet. Now you are ready for sweeping. If the floor is carpeted, sweep all dirt to the center of the room. Sweep the corners with a small whisk broom. Move every piece of furniture lest there be dirt left underneath. Open the windows before sweeping. When the dust is settled take a pail of warm water, put in a tablespoonful of ammonia, then with a clean cloth wrung from this wipe the window glass, mirror and pictures; polish with dry cloth. Wipe all finger marks from doors and mop boards.
Now take a pail of clean water, with ammonia, and with a small scrubbing brush go over the rug or carpet, to remove dust and brighten the colors. Replace furniture, bric-a-brac and draperies and your room will be sweet and clean. With care, once in two or three weeks, will be often enough to do this.
=When Baking Cup Custards=
Set them into a pan of hot water. When you remove from the oven, place them in a pan of cold water, to prevent longer cooking.
=When Using Currants and Raisins=
Mix a little dry flour with currants and raisins before adding them to cakes or puddings. It will keep them from falling to the bottom.
=Try Baking Beets, Instead of Boiling Them=
They are much sweeter. Three or four hours is necessary, according to size.
=When Making Grape Juice or Jelly=
Before adding the sugar, strain through a flannel bag. It will be much clearer.
=When Sewing Braid on a Dress=
Slip a piece of pasteboard three or four inches long, into the hem. You can sew more quickly, and your stitches will not show on the right side.
=To Skin Beets=
When you remove beets from the kettle, plunge them into a dish of cold water. The skins will slip off easily with the hand. Never cut or pare beets before cooking.
=A Fine Way to Keep Cut Roses=
Immerse them at night in a pail of cold water, blossoms down.
=To Keep Carnations=
Put a little salt in the water, which should be changed each morning, and cut the stems a little each time.
=When Pies are Ready to Bake=
Put little dabs of lard, on the top crust, then hold it under the faucet, letting cold water run over it.
=A Way to Make Pies Brown and Shiny=
Just before putting a pie in the oven, brush over the top with milk, using a soft brush or a clean piece of cheese cloth.
=When Threading a Needle=
Place a piece of white paper under the eye. You will be surprised at the ease, with which you can thread it.
=Make your Own Baking Powder=
Get your grocer to weigh for you one pound of cream of tartar, and one-half pound of bread soda. Sift these together nine times in a flour sifter. Put in a tin can, and it is ready for use.
=To Prevent Children from Losing Mittens=
Sew strongly to each mitten, four or five inches of narrow black ribbon (use a colored one if you prefer). Sew the other end of ribbon to the coat sleeve. The child can remove mittens at any time without losing them and always know where they are.
=Teach a Child to Hang up his Own Coat and Hat=
Have some hooks, low down in the closet or kitchen where a child can reach them easily, to be used only by himself.
=To Keep your Own Umbrella=
Take a piece of narrow white tape, three or four inches long. With a glass pen, or a new clean steel one, and indelible ink, write your name upon it. Sew this to the inside of the umbrella.
=To Wash a White Silk Waist, or a Baby's Bonnet=
Use cold water and white soap. Hot water will turn white silk yellow.
=When Ironing Embroidery=
Place it right side down on a piece of soft flannel, ironing on the wrong side. If flannel is not at hand, try an old turkish towel.
=To Wash Small Pieces of Lace=
Put in a horse radish bottle and pour over them, strong soap suds, good and hot, and shake well. Let stand awhile and shake again. Rinse in clear, warm water, by shaking. Dry on a clean cloth in the sunshine.
=Never Throw away Sour Milk=
It is excellent for graham bread, gingerbread, brown bread, griddle cakes, and doughnuts, also biscuit.
You can make a delicious cottage cheese of a very small quantity.
Set the milk on the back of the stove, in an agate dish. Let stand until the whey separates from the curd. Strain through a cloth, squeezing the curd dry. Put in a little salt, a small piece of butter, and a little sage if desired. Press into balls and serve.
=Mark New Rubbers=
Take a pointed stick—a wooden skewer from the butcher's is best—dip it into ink and write the name, on the inside.
=Economical Hints=
Save small pieces of soap in the bathroom, by placing in a cup or small box, until you have a cupful. Add a little water and boil a few minutes; when nearly cool, press with the hands, and you have a new cake of soap.
Do not throw away the white papers around cracker boxes. They are good to clean irons and will save buying ironing wax. If irons are dirty put a good layer of salt on newspaper and rub the irons back and forth.
Save even the coupons on your soap wrappers. You can get a silver thimble for your mending bag with them, if nothing more.
Save your strong string, to wrap around packages going by parcel post. Also fold nicely for further use your clean wrapping papers. Make a bag of pretty cretonne, hang in the kitchen or cellar way, to keep the string and wrapping paper in. You will find it very convenient.
Do not throw away small pieces of bread. Save them for plum pudding, queen's pudding, or dressing for fish or fowl. If broken into small pieces and browned in a hot oven, it is very nice to eat with soups. Or, dry well, roll fine and keep in a glass jar, to be used for breaded pork chops, croquettes, or oysters.
=To Mend Broken China=
Stir into a strong solution of gum arabic, plaster of Paris. Put this on each side of the china, holding together for a few minutes. Make it as thick as cream.
=To Clean Old Jewelry=
Wash in warm water containing a little ammonia. If very dirty rub with a brush. This is very good also for cleaning hair brushes and combs.
=Dish Washing Made a Pleasure=
First of all, remove all refuse from the dishes. Place them near the sink, large plates at the bottom, then the smaller ones, then saucers. Have a large pan full of very hot water. Make a good soap suds by using a soap shaker. Wash the tumblers and all glassware first, and wipe at once. Use a handle dish cloth (which can be bought for five cents), for these, as the water will be too hot for the hands.
Wash the silver next. Have a large pan, in which to place the clean dishes, cups and bowls first. When all are washed pour over them boiling or very hot water, and wipe quickly. Pans and kettles come last. Always have a cake of sand soap or a can of cleaning powder, for scouring the pie plates and bottoms of kettles. It is very little work to keep baking tins and kitchen utensils in good condition, if washed perfectly clean each time they are used.
Wash the dish towels, at least once every day, and never use them for anything else. With clean hot water, clean towels, and plenty of soap dishwashing is made easy.
If you live in New England, your sink will be in front of a window. Be sure and plant just outside of this window nasturtiums, a bed of pansies, morning glories and for fall flowers, salvia. These bright blossoms will add to your pleasure while washing dishes.
=A Space Saver=
If you are crowded for space in closet, kitchen or pantry buy a spiral spring, such as is used for sash curtains. Fasten the end pieces to the back of the door, and stretch the spring from end to end. You now have a fine place to hang towels, stockings or neckties, or if used in a pantry, to keep covers.
=Another Space Saver=
If you have no closet in your room, get a board, nine inches wide, and three or four feet long. Put it in the most convenient place in your room on two brackets. Stain it the color of your woodwork. Screw into the under side of the board, wardrobe hooks. Now get a pretty piece of cretonne or denim, hem top and bottom, and tack with brass headed tacks to the shelf, having it long enough to come to the floor, and around the ends of the board. Use the top for a book shelf or hats.
=If the Freshness of Eggs is Doubtful=
Break each one separately into a cup, before mixing together. Yolks and whites beaten separately, make a cake much lighter than when beaten together.
=When Bread Cooks Too Quickly=
When your bread is browning on the outside, before it is cooked inside, put a clean piece of brown paper over it. This will prevent scorching.
=To Remove the Odor of Onions=
Fill with cold water kettles and sauce pans in which they have been cooked adding a tablespoonful of bread soda and the same of ammonia. Let stand on the stove until it boils. Then wash in hot suds and rinse well. A pudding or bean pot, treated in this way, will wash easily. Wood ashes in the water will have the same effect.
=Never Leave a Glass of Water or Medicine, Uncovered in a Room=
This is veryimportant. Water will absorb all the gases, with which a room is filled from the respiration of those sleeping in the room.
=Weights and Measures=
4 Teaspoonsfuls equal 1 tablespoonful of liquid.
4 Tablespoonfuls equal half a gill.
2 Coffee-cupfuls equal 1 pint.
2 Pints equal 1 quart.
4 Coffee-cupfuls of sifted flour equal 1 pound.
1 Quart of unsifted flour equals 1 pound.
1 Pint of granulated sugar equals 1 pound.
1 Coffee-cupful of cold butter pressed down equals 1 pound.
An ordinary tumbler holds the same as a coffee cup.
It is well to have a tin or glass cup, marked in thirds or quarters for measuring.
=When to Salt Vegetables=
Every kind of food and all kinds of vegetables need a little salt when cooking. Do not wait until the vegetables are done. Salt the water they are boiled in after they begin to boil.
=What to Serve With Meats=
Roast Beef and Turkey
Squash, turnips, onions and cranberry sauce.
Roast Pork
Spinach, onions and apple sauce.
Roast Lamb
Mint sauce.
Roast Mutton
Currant jelly and vegetables.
With all kinds of meat and fowl pickles are always good. Make your own pickles, after recipes found in this book.
=The Length of Time to Cook Meats=
Lamb
Roast a leg of lamb three hours. Wash clean, sprinkle over it a little flour and salt and put into a pan, with cold water. While it is cooking, take a spoon and pour over it the water from the pan, three or four times.
Veal
Roast veal three hours, treating it the same way as lamb. When you have removed it from the pan, make a smooth paste, by wetting two or three tablespoonfuls of flour with cold water, and stir into the water left in the pan. Pour in more water, if the size of your family requires it.
Beef
Roast beef requires fifteen minutes for each pound. Do not salt beef, until you take it from the oven.
Ham
Boil a ham of ordinary size three hours. Let cool in the water in which it is boiled. It is very nice to remove the skin, while warm, stick cloves in the outside, sprinkle over it a little vinegar and sugar and bake for one hour.
Sausages
Sausages are very nice, baked in a hot oven twenty minutes. Prick with a fork to prevent bursting. Do this too, if fried.
Corned Beef
Should boil four hours.
Chicken
A chicken will cook in one hour and a half. A fowl requires an hour longer. Don't forget to put in one tablespoonful of vinegar to make tender.
Turkey
A ten pound turkey needs to cook three hours, in a slow oven.
=The Length of Time to Cook Vegetables=
Onions
Boil one hour. Longer if they are large.
Cabbage
Requires one hour and a half.
Parsnips
Boil two or three hours according to size.
Carrots
Wash, scrape, and boil one hour.
=When Paring Tomatoes=
Put them into very hot water and the skin will come off easily.
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The following pages contain advertisements of a few of the Macmillan books on kindred subjects.
End of Project Gutenberg's Things Mother Used To Make, by Lydia Maria Gurney