Chapter IV: Part 4

Put a tablespoonful of butter into a frying-pan; when melted, sprinkle in two tablespoonfuls of flour, stirring until nicely browned; then add enough boiling water to make of the consistency of cream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add salt to taste.

PARSLEY SAUCE

Make a brown sauce, and add a little finely chopped parsley just before serving.

EGG AND MILK SAUCE

To a pint of milk add a tablespoonful or two of cream, or a teaspoonful of butter, and heat to boiling; then stir in one even tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water or milk; let boil a few minutes, stirring constantly; then stir in rapidly the well-beaten yolk of one egg; season with salt, boil up, and serve.

BREAD SAUCE

Put a tablespoonful of oil and a teaspoonful of grated onion into a saucepan, and allow to heat, but not scorch; then add a cupful of rich milk, or nut milk, and a little salt. When heated nearly to boiling, stir in one-half cupful of sifted bread crumbs. Let boil slowly a few minutes, and serve. Nice with protose cutlets or baked potatoes.

MINT SAUCE

Take fresh, green mint, wash, and chop very fine. Put into a glass, and for each two tablespoonfuls of mint allow one tablespoonful of sugar, and the juice of one lemon diluted with an equal amount of water.

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SAUCES FOR DESSERTS

ARROWROOT SAUCE

Heat one cup of water to boiling; then add one teaspoonful of sugar, and one small tablespoonful of arrowroot mixed smooth in a little cold water, stirring briskly. In a few minutes remove from the fire, and flavor with lemon or almond. Nice for puddings.

BOILED CUSTARD SAUCE

Beat together in a saucepan, two eggs, one tablespoonful of sugar, and one-half teaspoonful of cornstarch. Place over the fire one cupful of milk, and as soon as it begins to boil pour it over the eggs in the saucepan. Stir well, place over the fire to boil until it thickens, then pour into a pitcher, and flavor if desired.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Mix two tablespoonfuls of shaved chocolate with two cupfuls of sweet milk, and heat to boiling; then add the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, stirring briskly; boil a few minutes until thickened, and remove from the fire; add the whites of the eggs, which have been beaten to a stiff froth, and two tablespoonfuls of white sugar. Nice with cornstarch blanc-mange.

ORANGE SAUCE

Heat a pint of water to boiling, and thicken with a tablespoonful of cornstarch; add a cupful of orange juice extracted from good sweet oranges, a small piece of the yellow rind for flavoring, and sugar to sweeten; the beaten yolk of an egg may be added if desired; remove the orange rind before serving.

LEMON SAUCE

To a pint of boiling water add a slice or two of lemon, and thicken with a small tablespoonful of cornstarch; remove the lemon, cook a few minutes until clear, then add two thirds of a cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and a beaten egg if desired; boil up, cool, and serve.

FRUIT SAUCE

Obtain the juice of raspberries, strawberries, grapes, currants, or any larger fruit, by simmering for a short time with a little water, and straining through a thin cloth; heat the juice to scalding, then slightly thicken with cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold water, allowing a tablespoonful of cornstarch for each pint of juice; cook a few minutes till thickened, and sweeten to taste. Three or four tablespoonfuls of fruit jelly dissolved in a pint of hot water makes a good substitute for fruit juice if the latter is not available.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Beat one and one-half cups of powdered sugar and one tablespoonful of butter to a cream. Then add the stiffly beaten white of one egg and beat till very light. Set in a cool place, and when ready to serve, add one pint of mashed strawberries.

WHIPPED CREAM

Beat one cup of cold sweet cream with a Dover egg-beater until stiff; then beat in two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and one-half teaspoonful extract of vanilla; set in a cool place till ready to serve. Have the cream cold, and not too thick, or it will turn to butter while beating. A nice sauce for desserts.

PIES

“To keep in health this rule is wise,
Eat only when you need and relish food,
Chew thoroughly, that it may do you good,
Have it well cooked, unspiced, and undisguised.”

Food for repentance—mince pie eaten late at night.

He who eats till he is sick must fast till he is well.—_Selected._

How many homes are cursed by discomfort and ill health, and thoughts and bitter words, simply because the wife does not know how to cook.—_The Young Woman._

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One of the greatest objections to pies is that they are generally made too rich. When a large amount of grease is employed in making the crust, and the filling is seasoned heavily with spices and various condiments, they can hardly fail to be unwholesome.

But pies need not be made in this way. If proper ingredients are used, and simplicity is studied in making them, there is no reason why they should be seriously objectionable.

There are two styles of pie in general use,—one, the English style, baked in a deep dish, frequently with only a top crust; the other, the American, baked in a shallow dish, usually with two crusts, an upper and an under. Custard, cream, lemon, and pumpkin pies, however, have only an under crust. Most of the recipes here given are for the shallow pies with two crusts.

Custard, pumpkin, and other pies in which milk and eggs are used, should be baked in a slow oven. They will also be improved if the milk used be hot. To stir beaten eggs into the hot milk, add a few spoonfuls of cold milk to the eggs, then pour into the hot milk, a little at a time, stirring well.

The filling for pies should always be prepared before making the crust, unless the crust is to be baked first. All the material should be cold, except for custard and pumpkin pies, and should be put together quickly, handling as little as possible, and without kneading the dough.

When the paste is ready, take sufficient for one crust, and roll out on a floured board quickly and lightly until about an eighth of an inch in thickness, and a little larger than the pie dish, as it will shrink when lifted from the board. When rolled thin, flour or oil the pie dish, cover smoothly with the crust, and fill, adding sugar as required. Sprinkle a little flour over the sugar; this thickens the juice slightly, and prevents the upper crust from becoming soggy. For custard or fruit pies with wet fillings, brush the bottom crust with the white of an egg before putting in the filling. The crust will then remain dry and tender.

If there is to be a top crust, roll it out in the same manner, and make a few ornamental cuts in the center to allow the steam to escape. Wet the edge of the lower crust, and lift on the upper crust, pressing the edges together so that the juice may not escape. Trim away the overhanging portions, and with the thumb and fingers press the edge into a scalloped or ornamental wall, as shown in the accompanying cut. Especially should this be done when only an under crust is used, that the pie may be handled with greater ease. It also adds to the appearance of the pie. Pies are generally better eaten the same day they are baked.

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PLAIN PIE CRUST

For each pie with two crusts take two small cups of sifted flour, and work thoroughly into it three tablespoonfuls of butter, adding a little salt; wet with just sufficient cold water to make a rather stiff dough; mix quickly, roll out thin, and bake as soon as the pie can be made. A good crust may be made with olive-oil, or fresh cocoanut or vegetable oil, instead of butter, using about the same quantity.

CREAM PIE CRUST

Take two scant cups of fine, sifted flour, or equal parts of fine flour and Graham flour, add a little salt, and moisten with enough cold, thin sweet cream to make a rather stiff dough; roll out thin, place in the pie dish, fill, and bake quickly.

APPLE PIE

Pare, core, and slice thin, tart ripe apples; line the pie dish with a crust, and fill with the apples; sprinkle with sugar, and add two or three tablespoonfuls of cold water. Cover with an upper crust, according to general directions, and bake until a light brown. Apples that do not cook quickly may be stewed until about half done before making into pies. Apple pie when cold is very nice served with sweet cream.

PEACH PIE

Pare, remove stones, and make the same as apple pie.

GOOSEBERRY PIE

Remove the stems and blossom ends, wash, and fill a pie dish lined with a crust. Add a half cup of sugar, and sprinkle with flour. Prepare the upper crust, cover, and bake. To prevent the juice from running out while baking, make a paste of a teaspoonful of flour and a little water, and brush over the edge of the under crust before putting on the top crust. If desired, beat together the white of an egg and a tablespoonful of fine sugar, and meringue the top of the pie when done; return to the oven, and brown slightly.

RHUBARB PIE

Wash, strip off the skin, and cut the stalks into thin slices. Line a pie dish with crust, and fill with the rhubarb. Add a half cup of sugar, two or three tablespoonfuls of water, and sprinkle over a tablespoonful of flour. Wet the edges of the lower crust, place on a prepared top crust, press the edges together, trim, and bake. Equal portions of rhubarb and apples may be used in the place of all rhubarb.

RASPBERRY PIE

Look over the raspberries, line a pie dish with a crust and fill with berries; add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a little water, sprinkle with flour, and proceed as with gooseberry pie.

BLACKBERRY PIE

Look over about one pint of blackberries, and proceed the same as for raspberry pie. Blueberry pie may be made in the same way.

CHERRY PIE

Take nice ripe cherries, remove the stones if preferred, and make the same as raspberry pie, adding sugar according to the acidity of the fruit.

DRIED CURRANT PIE

Wash the currants in two or three waters through a colander to remove sand and grit, and stew; when cool, line a pie dish with crust, and fill with the currants, pouring in a small quantity of the juice; add a little sugar, then sprinkle over with two tablespoonfuls of flour, cover with a crust, and bake in a hot oven till done. It should not be made too dry.

PRUNE PIE

Wash the prunes well in warm water, rinse, soak, and put to cook without draining, cover, and stew slowly from one to two hours. When done, put through a colander to remove stones and skins. Bake with two crusts. Very little sugar will be needed. If the pulp is quite juicy, a tablespoonful of flour may be sprinkled over.

LEMON PIE

To one cupful of boiling water, add one heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch blended with a little cold water. Boil up, remove from the fire, and stir in two-thirds cup of sugar; let cool, then add the beaten yolks of two eggs, and the juice and grated rind of a lemon. Bake with under crust only; when done, meringue the top with a tablespoonful of sugar and the whites of the eggs beaten stiff; return to a slow oven to brown slightly.

DRIED APPLE PIE

Take good dried apples, wash, and soak for several hours, or overnight, in sufficient cold water to cover them. Stew, without draining, until soft; mash fine, adding lemon flavoring and sugar to sweeten; bake with two crusts, or ornament with strips or lattice-work crust on top. A few stewed blackberries or raspberries may be added to the apples.

DRIED PEACH PIE

Stew until soft, mash to a pulp, add sugar to sweeten, and make the same as dried apple pie. If desired, one-third apricots may be used.

RAISIN PIE

For three pies, stew one pound of raisins for nearly an hour in enough water to cover them; add the juice of a lemon, and a small cup of white sugar. Line the pie dishes with crust, fill with raisins and a little of the juice, and sprinkle two tablespoonfuls of flour over each pie. Bake with two crusts. For lemon raisin pie add the juice and grated rind of one lemon.

CREAM PIE

Put one cup of milk to scald in a double boiler. Beat together two eggs, leaving out the white of one, two even teaspoonfuls of sifted flour stirred smooth in a little cold milk, and two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar. When the milk is scalding hot, add this mixture, and stir for a minute or two until it thickens. It is better not to cook after it is thick, and the less it is stirred, except to keep it from forming into lumps, the better; add vanilla or lemon to flavor. Line the pie dish with a crust, pricking well with a fork to prevent blistering, and bake in a quick oven; then put the cream, which is already sufficiently cooked, into the baked crust. Beat the white of the egg to a stiff froth with a tablespoonful of sugar, and spread on top of the pie. Place in the oven to brown slightly.

CUSTARD PIE

Line a pie dish with a crust, and fill with the following: Three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one teaspoonful of flour; beat thoroughly together, and add milk enough to fill the dish. Bake slowly until set, but do not allow to boil. As soon as it puffs, and a knife can be cut into the custard and come out clean, it is done. To be eaten cold, and on the same day as baked.

PUMPKIN PIE

Cut the pumpkin in halves, remove the seeds, cut in slices, and stew until dry and soft. Mash smooth, and for each pie take one cup of stewed pumpkin, one-third cup of sugar, two eggs, and about a pint of milk. Beat the eggs and sugar together, stir in the pumpkin, and, lastly, add the milk; mix well, and bake with an under crust only, until the custard is set. Squash may be used instead of pumpkin. If more convenient, two tablespoonfuls of flour may be used in place of the eggs. A tablespoonful or two of molasses may also be added if desired.

What moistens the lip, and
What brightens the eye,
What brings back the past,
Like a good pumpkin pie?—_Whittier._

PIE WITH UPPER CRUST ONLY

Take a deep pie dish, place a small cup upside down in the middle of it, and fill the dish with fruit, adding sugar as desired. Place a border of crust around the edge of the dish, put on the top crust, ornament the edges, and bake.

TARTS

Line shallow pie dishes or patty-pans with good crusts, fill with the fruit, and bake. When done, remove from the oven, and sprinkle with fine sugar.

Small tarts may be made by rolling crust out thin, and cutting in shapes with a cake cutter, using half of them for the under crust, and the other half for tops; ornament the tops by cutting small holes in the center with a thimble or small fancy mold. Bake quickly, and when done put together with fruit jelly.

VEGETABLE PIE

Boil for a short time several potatoes and onions, after which slice them into a deep, buttered pie dish in layers; add to each layer a little sage and well-steeped tapioca, and season with salt. Cover with a crust and bake. A very economical and wholesome pie.

SAVORY PIE

Soak one-half cup of tapioca in one cup of cold water for one hour. Moisten enough stale bread in cold water to make three cupfuls; put into a dish, and rub in two tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour. Then mix in one-half cup of stewed fresh or canned tomatoes, two beaten eggs, one small onion chopped fine, one tablespoonful of powdered sage, and salt to taste. Put into a buttered pudding dish and pour over the tapioca. Boil two eggs until hard, remove shells, cut into slices, and place on top of the tapioca; add a few bits of butter, cover with a crust, and bake in a moderate oven for twenty or thirty minutes. Serve hot.

MERINGUE FOR PIES

To each stiffly beaten white of an egg, add a tablespoonful of sugar, and spread on the pie after it is baked and allowed to cool slightly; place in the oven for a few minutes. Care should be taken that the oven is not too hot, or the covering will be tough and leathery.

CAKES

Feed sparingly, and defy the physician.
Who lives to eat, will die by eating.

Whoever eats too much, or of food which is not healthful, is weakening his powers to resist the clamors of other appetites and passions.—“_Christian Temperance._”

The best seasoning for food is hunger.—_Socrates._

Reason should direct, and appetite obey.—_Cicero._

Men should be temperate in eating as well as drinking.—_Dr. Brandreth._

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It is important that all the necessary materials should be gathered together before beginning the cake. If baking-powder is used, allow a teaspoonful to each cup of flour; sift it in the flour, and measure the sugar; have the pans for baking in readiness. Beat the whites and yolks of eggs separately in china bowls, using a Dover egg-beater. The whites should be beaten till stiff enough to cut with a knife, the yolks till they cease to froth and begin to thicken. Cream the butter by beating it, first warming the dish by rinsing with hot water, if the weather is cold. Then add the sugar slowly, then the beaten yolks of eggs; add a little of the milk, then a part of the flour, thus alternating with the milk and flour till all are used, being careful to have the mixture always of about the same consistency.

Next fold in the stiffly beaten whites, add flavoring if desired, and beat for a few moments. If fruit is used, fold it in, well floured, the last thing, or it will sink to the bottom of the cake.

The baking is an important part of cake-making. The oven should be at a proper temperature; if too hot at first, the cake browns too quickly, and a crust is formed over the top before the cake has sufficient time to rise; if not hot enough, the air that has been beaten in escapes before the heat has time to expand it; the result is that the cake is coarse-grained and heavy.

Have the oven less hot for cake than for bread, but hotter for thin cake than for loaf cake. It is about right for loaf cake made with butter when it turns a piece of writing-paper a light brown in five minutes. About an hour will be required to bake a loaf cake: from fifteen to twenty minutes for small cakes and layer cakes.

A tube cake pan, as shown in the accompanying cut, is very good for baking ordinary cakes, as the tube causes the cake to bake more evenly, and renders it less liable to fall.

If it is necessary to move the cake after putting it in the oven, it should be done carefully, as jarring is liable to make it fall. A cake is done when a clean broom straw passed through the thickest part comes out clean.

If a cake rises up, cracks open, and remains that way, it has baked too fast, or too much flour has been used. To bake properly, it should rise first on the edges, then in the middle, crack open slightly, then settle till level, when it will have closed nearly together again. The outside should be a golden brown, the inside slightly moist, and fine grained.

In beating the yolks of eggs where both eggs and milk are used, first rinse the bowl in which the yolks are to be beaten with a little of the milk.

In beating the whites of the eggs, do not stop until they are stiff, as they can not be beaten stiff after standing till they have become liquid again. Eggs will beat stiffer if cold, and beaten in a cold dish and in a cool room.

Jelly for filling should be beaten till smooth, then spread between the layers before they are quite cool. In using dessicated cocoanut, first moisten it with a little sweet cream.

Citron used in cake should be cut into fine strips. Currants and raisins should be looked over, washed, dried, and then be well floured before being added to the cake, as they absorb moisture and tend to make the cake heavy. Rich cake should be avoided. Sponge cake may be considered the most healthful.

To make sponge cake, beat the yolks till thick and light-colored, then beat in the sugar, add lemon-juice, or other liquid and flavoring to be used. Then add the stiffly beaten whites, sift in the flour over them, and fold all in together without stirring or beating. Beating sponge cake after adding the flour makes it firm and tough, as also does the addition of too much flour. Sponge cake should be put together lightly and quickly, and baked at once.

SPONGE CAKE

Beat the yolks of three eggs; then gradually add one cupful of granulated sugar, one tablespoonful each of cold water and lemon-juice. Add the beaten whites and one cupful of flour, following general directions for making sponge cake as given above.

LEMON SPONGE CAKE

Take four eggs, one cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of lemon-juice, with a little of the grated rind, and one cupful of flour. Beat the yolks of the eggs to a foam, then beat in the sugar, adding a little at a time; then add the lemon-juice and grated rind; beat the whites of the eggs until very stiff, then lightly fold and chop them into the mixture. Slowly sift in the flour, carefully working it in. Do not beat after the flour has been added. Bake in two layers, and put together with fruit jelly or lemon honey. See page 40.

SPONGE LOAF CAKE

Break ten eggs into a large bowl, add two large cupfuls of granulated sugar, and beat together for half an hour without pausing. Then add one cupful of sifted flour, the juice and grated rind of one lemon, and one-fourth cup of cold water. Turn into deep pans, sprinkle the top lightly with powdered sugar, and bake about an hour in a moderate oven.

GEM CAKES

Beat to a foam the yolk of one egg, one cup of sugar, and one cup of cold, thin, sweet cream; a little grated lemon rind may be added for flavoring. Stir in slowly, beating thoroughly, two cupfuls of flour into which a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch has been sifted. Beat until light and smooth; then add the well-beaten whites of two eggs, stirring just enough to mix them in. Turn into oiled, heated gem irons, and bake in a rather quick oven.

RICE CAKES

Separate four eggs; add a pinch of salt to the whites, beat until stiff, then set in a cool place. Beat the yolks for several minutes, then slowly add one cupful of sugar, beating continuously; carefully fold in the beaten whites, and lastly add one-half cup of flour, sifted before measuring, and mixed with one-half cup of ground rice; work in carefully, and quickly turn the mixture into oiled patty-pans, or drop by spoonfuls into a large oiled baking pan, and bake in a quick oven.

CREAM CAKE

One cupful each of sugar and sweet milk, one egg, one tablespoonful of butter, two cupfuls of flour, and two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Put together according to general directions. Bake in three layers, and put together with a filling made as follows: Heat one cupful of milk to boiling; to this add one-fourth cup of sugar, one dessertspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk reserved for this purpose, and one well-beaten egg; boil until thickened, let cool a little, and spread between the layers.

NUT CAKE

One and one-half cups of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter, two eggs, two cupfuls of flour, with two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, and one cupful of milk. Put together according to general directions. Lastly, stir in one cupful of chopped nuts, and bake in a moderate oven.

FAVORITE CAKE

Beat together for nearly an hour one cupful each of flour and rice flour, twelve eggs, two cupfuls of sugar, and a spoonful of caraway seeds. Bake in a tube cake pan.

LAYER CAKE

One and one-half cups sugar, half cup of butter, three eggs, half cup of milk, and two heaping cups of sifted flour, with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Bake in three layers, and put together with a boiled frosting to which a cupful of chopped nuts or raisins may be added.

DELICATE CUP CAKE

Take two eggs, beaten separately, one cup of sugar, one cup of rich milk, two cups of flour, and teaspoonful of vanilla. Make according to general directions; bake in patty pans, or gem irons.

RAISED FRUIT CAKE

Take one cup of light bread dough when ready for the pans, put into a dish, and work into it one-half cup of oil or butter, one egg well beaten, one cup of sugar, one-half cup of milk, one and one-half cups of flour, and lastly one cup of English currants or seedless raisins, chopped fine. Turn into an oiled bread tin, let rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half, or until light, then bake for nearly an hour in a moderate oven.

FROSTING FOR CAKE

Beat the white of one egg until stiff, add a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, then gradually add one scant cup of powdered sugar; beat very hard; flavor as desired. To color it a delicate pink, add a little currant or strawberry juice; a yellow tint may be obtained by grating orange or lemon rind, and using two tablespoonfuls of the juice, first straining through a cloth.

BOILED FROSTING

Without stirring boil one cupful of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of water in a saucepan until clear; then pour it upon the stiffly beaten white of an egg, stirring well together, and spread over the cake with a knife, which dip frequently into cold water.

CREAM ICING

To two tablespoonfuls of cream and one teaspoonful of vanilla or other flavoring add enough confectioner’s sugar to make it stiff enough to spread. Orange, or other fruit juice, may be used in place of the cream.

ORANGE ICING

Beat the yolk of one egg and add the juice and grated rind of one orange and enough confectioner’s sugar to make it stiff enough to spread.

WHOLESOME DRINKS

Write it underneath your feet,
Up and down the busy street;
Write it for the great and small,
In the palace, cottage, hall,—
Where there’s drink there’s danger.
_—Selected._

Water is best.—_Pindar._

Tea is a stimulant; coffee is a hurtful indulgence.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.—_Solomon._

If you wish to keep mind clear and body healthy, abstain from all fermented liquors.—_Sydney Smith._

Many who never touch alcohol ruin their health by tea.—_Hygiene Review._

Temperance is the parent of health, cheerfulness, and old age.—_George Mogridge._

CEREAL COFFEE

To prepare, take three and one-half quarts of fresh bran, one and one-half quarts corn-meal, two cupfuls of molasses, and one cupful of boiling water; mix all together thoroughly, bake in a large dripping-pan in the oven till a rich brown color; stir often to prevent scorching. Make the same as ordinary coffee, only let boil a little longer.

CRUST COFFEE

Brown stale pieces of brown or white bread in the oven slowly to a golden brown; then crush with a rolling-pin. Put the crumbs in a thin cloth bag, filling only half full, and tying near the top; put the bag in the coffee-pot and turn on hot water, allowing seven parts of water to one of crumbs. Boil five or ten minutes. Remove the bag, bring the coffee to a boil again, and serve with cream and sugar. This makes a very smooth drink, and is especially nice for the sick.

CORN COFFEE

Brown common field corn as brown as possible without burning; then pound, or grind coarsely in a coffee-mill, and place in a covered can ready for use. In making the coffee, mix the white of an egg with three tablespoonfuls of the ground grain, pour over three or four cups of boiling water, and steep for ten or fifteen minutes. Serve with cream and sugar.

Peas, wheat, barley, or rice may be prepared in the same way.

HOT MILK

Heat the milk in a double boiler until the surface becomes wrinkled. It should be drunk a few sips at a time. A bowl of hot milk and brown bread forms a nourishing meal.

CAMBRIC TEA

Take a cup of boiling water, add a little cream, and sugar to sweeten. A simple but pleasant and wholesome drink.

EGG-NOG

Beat one egg and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar to a foam; add the juice of half a lemon, pour into a glass and fill up with cold water.

EGG-NOG, HOT

Beat well together the yolk of one egg and a tablespoonful of sugar; add one-half cup of hot milk or water, and the white of the egg beaten to a stiff froth; stir lightly, and serve.

LEMONADE, NO. 1

Roll the lemons till soft; cut into halves, and with a lemon drill squeeze out sufficient juice to make one cupful; add to this one cupful of white sugar; as soon as the sugar dissolves, add about two quarts of water, and serve. For lemon frappé add the beaten whites of three eggs.

LEMONADE, NO. 2

For each quart desired, take the juice of three or four lemons, and the rind of one. Peel the rind very thin, getting just the yellow; place it in a pitcher with the juice of the lemons and from four to six tablespoonfuls of white sugar. Pour over enough hot water to make a quart in all; cover at once, and let stand until cold; or pour over a spoonful or two of boiling water to dissolve the sugar, and add the necessary quantity of cold water.

HOT LEMONADE

To the juice of each lemon add a cupful of boiling water, and sweeten to taste. Excellent for a cold.

ORANGEADE

Choose nice, juicy, ripe oranges, and make the same as Lemonade Nos. 1 and 2, only using less sugar. This will be found a much nicer drink than many imagine. Try it.

FRUIT JUICE LEMONADE

To a pint of lemonade prepared according to foregoing recipes, add a half cup of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, or currant juice. This gives a nice color to the lemonade, besides improving its flavor.

PINEAPPLE LEMONADE

Make the lemonade as indicated above, and flavor with a few spoonfuls of pineapple juice.

GRAPEADE

Take two pounds of thoroughly ripe purple grapes, crush, and strain the juice through a coarse cloth or jelly-bag. Add to the juice three tablespoonfuls of white sugar, and dilute with sufficient cold water to suit the taste.

FRUIT JUICE DRINKS

Take a small quantity of the juice of any stewed or canned fruit. Dilute with water, and add sugar according to the acidity of the juice. When fruit juice is not available, similar drinks may be made by dissolving fruit jelly in warm water, and allowing to cool. Such drinks are especially refreshing for the sick.

FRUIT PUNCH

Boil two pounds of sugar and three quarts of water for five minutes. Then strain, and add to it the juice of two lemons and two oranges, and one pint of freshly grated pineapple. Let stand for an hour or two, then add sufficient shaved ice to make it palatable, a cupful of halved strawberries, a few raspberries, and serve.

BUTTERMILK

If rich and thick, drop into it a piece of ice; or if not, place on ice till cool. This is a very healthful drink, for, after the butter, which is the carbonaceous or heat-producing element, is removed, a most refreshing, nourishing quality remains.

SPECIALLY PREPARED HEALTH FOODS
Nuts, Oils, Etc.

O blessed health! thou art above all gold and treasure. He who has thee has little more to wish for; and he who is so wretched as to want thee, wants everything with thee.—_Sterne._

Give a wise man health, and he will give himself every other thing.—_Colton._

It is health that makes your meat savory, your drink palatable, your sleep refreshing, your delights delightful, and your pleasures pleasurable.—_Combe._

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The world is in need of knowledge how to prepare and use simple, inexpensive, healthful foods. As diseases increase in the animal creation, it will be more and more necessary for those who desire to preserve their health to come back to the diet originally given to man,—a diet consisting chiefly of fruits, grains, and nuts, and various legumes, roots, and herbs. At the rate disease is increasing at the present time, it will not be long before it will be unsafe to use animal products of any kind. It is well, therefore, for all to learn how to prepare foods without them.

Various nut, cereal, and legume preparations well supply the place of flesh-meats. The different nut and vegetable oils take the place of butter, cream, and other animal fats.

In the use of nuts, care should be taken not to use them too freely, as they are a very rich and concentrated form of food. Eaten sparingly in their natural state in connection with the meals, or properly combined with other less concentrated foods, they fill an important place in a natural dietary.

A little experience in the use of vegetable oils will convince any one that they are not only palatable, but far more cleanly and wholesome than many of the ordinary fats used in cooking.

The following recipes are designed to aid especially in preparing foods in this manner:—

PEANUT BUTTER

Put the shelled peanuts in a pan in a slow oven, leaving the door slightly ajar; allow to stay in till so dry that the hulls will rub off easily, but in no case allow to brown or burn. When sufficiently dry, put into a bag, tie up closely, and knead or roll on a table with the hands until the husks are well loosened; separate the husks from the nuts by turning from one pan into another in the wind. Grind, and cook for several hours in a double boiler with no water added to the nuts. Put away to use as occasion requires.

PEANUT CREAM

Mix one tablespoonful of nut butter with two or three spoonfuls of water to a smooth cream; then add one-half cupful of water, a little salt, and stir well together.

PEANUT MILK

Make the same as peanut cream, only add more water.

ALMOND BUTTER

Pour boiling water over the shelled nuts, and let stand from three to five minutes; then drain, and slip off the husks with thumb and finger. Put in a warm place till thoroughly dry; grind, and put away for future use.

ALMOND MILK AND CREAM

Proceed the same as with peanut cream and milk, only using a little more water.

COCOANUT MILK AND CREAM

Select good cocoanuts with milk in them. Let the milk out of the soft eye; then, holding the nut in the left hand, strike sharp, quick blows with a hammer or iron bar on the meridian line, causing the nut to revolve by tossing it up slightly, when it will break in halves. Grate on an iron or steel cocoanut scraper, made as shown in accompanying cut, placing the scraper board across a chair, with a pan upon the floor to catch the grated nut, while the operator sits upon the board, takes half of the broken nut in the hollow of both hands, scraping it back and forth over the sharp teeth till all the meat has been finely scraped from the shell. For each grated nut pour over a quart of hot water; stir well, then squeeze and strain through a strong, coarse cloth. Empty the cocoanut from the cloth into a saucepan, pour over a little more hot water, stir, and strain through the cloth a second time, to get out all the milk. This makes cocoanut milk. Using half the quantity of water makes good cream; or let the milk stand an hour and skim off the top for thick cream.

COCOANUT-OIL

Cocoanut-oil can generally be purchased in the market from wholesale druggists, though it is sometimes difficult to get that which is not rancid. It can be made by taking the cream from a half dozen or dozen nuts, treated as above, only allowing the milk to stand over night before skimming, and boiling the cream in an iron vessel, without stirring, until all the water is evaporated. When done, the sediment will be found browned, and adhering to the bottom of the vessel. Bottle, and set away for use.

Ko-nut is a pure, refined cocoanut-oil, which does not turn rancid, and is, therefore, very nice, and far preferable to the cocoanut-oil ordinarily obtainable for cooking purposes.

VEGETABLE OIL

There are various good cooking oils, among which may be mentioned Wesson’s Cooking Oil, and Fairbank’s White Cooking Oil, both refined products of cottonseed-oil. Olive-oil may also be used in cooking.

HOME-MADE GRANOLA

Take slices of brown, white, or whole wheat bread, place in a moderate oven until a light brown, break in pieces, and grind coarsely through a mill. Or, take a cup each of wheat-meal and white flour, one-half cup each of corn-meal and rolled oats or corn-meal and rye flour, and enough cold water to make a stiff dough; knead well, roll thin, cut in squares, and bake until dry and brittle; grind coarsely, and serve with thin cream, hot or cold milk, cocoanut milk, or fruit juice; or to each pint of boiling milk or water stir in one cupful of granola, add a little salt, cook a few minutes, and serve.

NUTMEAT

Take one cup of peanut butter, one and one-half cups hot water, three heaping tablespoonfuls of gluten, and one level teaspoonful of salt. Mix all well together, and cook in a double boiler from four to five hours. A small onion grated fine and a teaspoonful of powdered sage may be added if desired.

PROTOSE STEAK

Cut protose into slices half an inch thick. Lay on an oiled tin and place in the oven until nicely browned.

PROTOSE CUTLETS

Take one pound of protose and cut into slices three or four inches long and one inch wide, lay on an oiled tin, and place in the oven till well heated; have ready an egg well beaten, to which add a sprinkle of salt; take the protose from the oven, and dip each piece in the beaten egg, then roll in fine bread crumbs, place back on the pan, and set in the oven until nicely browned.

NUT GRAVY

Blend one tablespoonful of nut butter with a little water; stir it into a pint of boiling water; salt, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of browned flour moistened with cold water; boil five or ten minutes. A few spoonfuls of stewed, strained tomatoes will improve it. Nice with vegetables or toasts.

EGGS IN NEST ON ZWIEBACK

Take six eggs, or as many as required, break, and separate, by putting all the whites in one bowl and each yolk in a cup by itself containing a spoonful or two of cold water. Moisten six slices of zwieback by pouring over them hot water and quickly draining, and place side by side in a large shallow baking pan. Beat the whites of the eggs until very stiff, and place an equal amount on top of each slice of zwieback. Make a hollow in the center of the whites, lift the yolks out of the water from the cups with a tablespoon, being careful not to break them, and place a yolk in each hollow. Sprinkle over a little salt, and place in the oven until the whites are a delicate brown. Serve as soon as done. A nice dish for the sick.

SIMPLE DISHES FOR THE SICK.

Health—thou chiefest good,
Bestow’d by heaven,
But seldom understood.
—_Lucan._

Diet cures more than doctors.—_Scotch Proverb._

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.—_Solomon._

Health is not quoted in the markets, because it is without price.—_Selected._

The best physicians are Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merryman.—_Selected._

The less the attention is called to the stomach the better. If you are in constant fear that your food will hurt you, it most assuredly will. Forget your troubles; think of something cheerful.—“_Christian Temperance._”

[Leaf]

Food for the sick should generally be of a very simple character. It should be such as will furnish the most nourishment with the least tax upon the digestive organs. It should be prepared with care and scrupulous cleanliness, well cooked, and served in the most inviting manner. Cover the tray with clean white linen, and use the daintiest dishes the house affords.

Other dishes suitable for the sick may be found among the Toasts, Breads, Fruits, Wholesome Drinks, etc.

GLUTEN GRUEL

For each cupful of boiling milk stir in one tablespoonful of gluten meal; add a little salt, let boil a moment, and serve.

ARROWROOT GRUEL

Rub one teaspoonful of arrowroot smooth in a tablespoonful of cold water; pour over it two cups of boiling water, stirring continually; set the saucepan in hot water till the arrowroot is thoroughly cooked; turn into a pitcher, add a little sugar to sweeten, and flavor with a little lemon peel.

GRAHAM GRUEL

Into three cups of actively boiling water, stir one small cup of sifted Graham flour mixed to a paste with a cup of cold water or milk. Add a little salt, and cook until done. Add a small quantity of cream or rich milk, and serve. An excellent breakfast dish for well people also, especially for children.

CREAMED GRUEL

Cook one tablespoonful of rolled oats in a scant pint of water until tender; then strain through a sieve. Add one-half cup of thin cream, and salt to taste; let just come to a boil, remove from the fire, then stir in the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Add a little sugar if desired.

RICE GRUEL

Wet one teaspoonful of rice flour in a little cold milk, and stir into one pint of boiling water; salt slightly, and boil until transparent. Flavor with lemon peel.

MILK GRUEL

Heat one cup of milk to boiling, and stir in one tablespoonful of fine oatmeal; add a cup of boiling water, and cook until the meal is thoroughly done. Season with a little salt.

ONION GRUEL

Boil a few sliced onions until tender in a pint of fresh milk, adding a little oatmeal; season with salt. Good for colds.

LEMONADE, HOT AND COLD

Make as indicated on page 92.

APPLE WATER

Take three ripe, tart, juicy apples, wash and wipe, but do not pare; slice into a quart of hot water; let stand until cool, pour off the water, and sweeten it to taste.

RICE WATER

Put into a saucepan one-half cup of well-washed rice; add three cups of cold water, and boil for thirty minutes. Strain, season with salt, and serve.

BARLEY WATER

Put two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley into a cupful of boiling water, and let simmer a few minutes; drain, and add two quarts of boiling water with a few figs and seeded raisins chopped fine. Cook slowly until reduced one-half; strain; add sugar to taste, and a little of the juice and rind of a lemon if desired.

BAKED APPLE

Bake a nice, tart apple, as directed on page 37; serve with cream, or, when done, cover with a meringue made of the beaten white of an egg and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar, and lightly brown in the oven.

CUP CUSTARD

To one well-beaten egg add a tablespoonful of sugar, turn into a cup, and fill up the cup with milk, stirring all together. Set the cup in a basin of hot water, and bake in the oven until just set. Serve from the cup in which it was baked. The custard may be flavored with lemon or vanilla, if desired.

BEAN BROTH

Look over and wash one cupful of beans, and put to cook in plenty of water, replenishing with hot water occasionally, if necessary. Cook slowly until tender, when there should be but little more than a cupful of broth remaining. Drain this off, season with a spoonful of cream, a little salt, and serve hot.

WHITE OF EGG AND MILK

Beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth, and stir briskly into a glass of cold milk. Good for persons with weak digestion.

STEAMED EGG

Break an egg into an egg-cup or patty-pan, sprinkle slightly with salt, and steam over boiling water until the white is set.

SCRAMBLED EGG

Heat two tablespoonfuls of water in a saucepan, break into it a fresh egg, and stir lightly until set, but not stiff. Add salt, and serve on toast.

BAKED MILK

Put the milk into an earthen jar, cover the opening with a white paper, and bake in a moderate oven until thick as cream. May be taken by the most delicate stomach.

TAPIOCA CUP CUSTARD

Soak one tablespoonful of tapioca in a small cup of milk for two hours; then stir in the beaten yolk of a fresh egg, a teaspoonful of sugar, and a very little salt; turn into a cup, and bake in the oven for twelve or fifteen minutes.

Will fortune never come with both hands full,
And write her fair words still in foulest letters?
She either gives a stomach, and no food,—
Such are the poor, in health, or else a feast,
And takes away the stomach,—such are the rich,
That have abundance, and enjoy it not.
—_Shakespeare._

FOOD FOR INFANTS

OATMEAL WATER AND MILK

For an infant under three months, put one tablespoonful of fine oatmeal into a pint of boiling water, boil for an hour, replenishing with boiling water to keep the quantity good; strain, and add one cup of sterilized milk. Feed in bottle. For infants from three to six months, use equal portions of milk and oatmeal water, and after six months, two-thirds milk.

SUBSTITUTE FOR MOTHER’S MILK, NO. 1

Take one ounce cow’s milk, two ounces cream, three drams milk sugar, one grain bicarbonate of soda, and one ounce of water. Increase the quantity of milk and cream as the child gets older.

SUBSTITUTE FOR MOTHER’S MILK, NO. 2

Take one tablespoonful of cream, four of milk, two of limewater, and four of sweetened water. Sugar of milk, two ounces to a pint of water, is preferable to ordinary sugar for preparing the sweetened water. This will generally agree with the most delicate stomach.

WHITE OF EGG AND WATER

Stir well the white of an egg into a cupful of as warm water as can be used without coagulating the egg. Good for infants suffering with extremely weak digestion, and unable to take milk.

MISCELLANEOUS

TO STERILIZE MILK

As soon as received, heat to nearly the boiling-point; then remove from the fire, and cool as quickly as possible, by pouring it into clean pans, previously scalded, and placing these in cold water.

COTTAGE CHEESE

Set a pan containing a quart or more of thick, sour milk in a pan of hot water, or on the back of the stove; as soon as the whey separates from the curd, line a colander with a cloth, pour in the scalded milk, tie the corners of the cloth together, and hang up till well drained; put into a bowl, add one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, and enough sweet cream to make as moist as desired; mix smooth with a spoon, turn lightly into a dish, and serve.

HOMINY OR HULLED CORN

To hull four quarts of corn, use one heaping tablespoonful of soda, and water enough to cover the corn. Boil for four hours, or until the hull is well loosened and can be readily removed. Then wash in cold water thoroughly, stirring, rubbing, and rinsing until the hulls have all been turned off. Soak in clear water overnight to remove all traces of soda, and cook in a kettle or large saucepan all day in clear water, stirring occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom, and replenishing with hot water as needed. Season with salt, put into a jar, and keep in a cool place.

DRIED SWEET CORN

Remove the husks and silks, boil and cut from the cob as directed for stewed sweet corn on page 57. Spread thinly on a cloth or on shallow tins, and place in the sun to dry. Turn over occasionally, take in in the evening, and put out to dry every day until thoroughly hard and dry. To keep off flies and insects, cover with mosquito webbing. Corn may also be dried in a warm, open oven, if careful not to allow the oven to get too hot. When dry, soak and cook the same as stewed sweet corn, only longer; or with beans soaked overnight.

DRIED APPLES

Take good, ripe apples, pare, quarter, core, and cut into thin slices; spread on shallow tins, and place in the oven until well heated through, then in the sun or in a moderate, open oven until thoroughly dried. Turn the fruit over occasionally each day while drying. Wire screens or webbings are serviceable in keeping off the flies. Other fruits may be dried in a similar manner.

POP-CORN

Shell, and place a handful in a wire popper or frying-pan, covering tightly; shake constantly over a hot fire, being careful not to burn. When the popping ceases, it is done; add a little salt and butter; mix with it a little thick sugar sirup, or molasses boiled down, and press it into balls with the hands slightly oiled.

TO KEEP APPLES, ORANGES, AND LEMONS

Wrap each separately in tissue paper, and lay so as not to touch each other, in a cool, dry place.

TO KEEP EGGS

To twelve quarts of water add two pints of fresh, slaked lime and one pint of common salt; mix well, immerse newly-laid eggs, and set in a cool place. Or, dip the eggs into a solution of gum arabic—equal parts gum and water—let dry, then dip again. When dry, wrap separately in paper, and pack in sawdust, bran, or salt.

TO PRESERVE LEMON-JUICE

When lemons are cheap, purchase several dozen at once. With the hand press each lemon on the table, rolling it back and forth briskly a few times; cut into halves, and extract the juice with a lemon drill into a bowl or tumbler,—never into a tin; strain the juice through a wire strainer, colander, or coarse cloth to remove the seeds and pulp; add a pint of water and a pound of white sugar to the juice of each dozen lemons, and boil in an enameled saucepan for about ten minutes; then bottle and set in a cool place, and it is ready for use. A tablespoonful or two of the sirup in a glass of water makes a cooling, healthful drink.

COOKED PINEAPPLE

Pare with a sharp knife, cut into thin slices, divide the slices into quarters, put into a saucepan with one-half cup of water, and a very little sugar for each pineapple; cover with a china plate or enameled lid, and cook slowly for about two hours.

TO FROST FRUITS

Secure nice bunches of cherries, currants, grapes, or berries with the stems on; dip them into the stiffly beaten white of an egg, then into powdered sugar, and place on a plate or clean white paper so as not to touch each other, to dry. Then place the fruit on a glass dish, chill, and serve.

UNLEAVENED BREAD FOR SACRAMENTAL USE

Take three cups of white flour, half a cup of thick sweet cream, a pinch of salt, and a little cold water. Sift the flour into a dish, add the salt and cream, and rub together thoroughly; then moisten with cold water till of the consistency of thick pie crust. Knead and roll well with the hand for fifteen minutes; then roll out to about a quarter of an inch in thickness, and cut into cakes four inches square. Mark out each cake into half-inch squares with a knife, so that when baked it may easily be broken, and prick each square with a fork to prevent blistering. Lay on floured baking tins, and bake in a quick oven, being careful not to scorch or burn.

UNFERMENTED WINE FOR SACRAMENTAL USE

Secure good grapes, the small, dark wine grape is preferable, and proceed as with grape juice on page 46.

TO CUT LEMONS FOR GARNISHING