Chapter II: Front Matter (2)

One and a half cupfuls of pinhead oatmeal, a saltspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of white sugar, two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water. Cover the oatmeal with cold water and let it soak twenty-four hours, then drain off the water, cover again, and let steep twenty-four hours longer. Strain through a fine sieve, add the salt, and boil till as thick as mush, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and the orange-flower water, pour into saucers, and serve hot or cold with cream and sugar. This recipe dates back to the time of Queen Elizabeth.

GRITS

One cupful of well-washed grits is slowly added to two cupfuls of boiling water, and boiled one hour. Soaking over night is an advantage. If the porridge is too thick, it may be thinned with milk. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar.

FRIED GRITS

Pack left-over grits into a wet mould. Turn out, slice, dredge in flour, and fry.

OATMEAL GRUEL

Mix one tablespoonful of oatmeal in half a cupful of cold water, add three cupfuls of milk, or of water, or of milk and water, and a little salt. Cook half an hour in a double boiler, stirring often. Strain if desired, and serve hot or cold. May be flavored with a bit of lemon-peel, spice, or orange-flower water. For children and convalescents.

OATMEAL GRUEL WITH EGG

One cupful of oatmeal and one teaspoonful of salt stirred into four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil one hour, strain, and pour on to two eggs well beaten. Reheat until it thickens, and serve with cream and sugar.

WHEAT GRUEL

Mix one teaspoonful of salt with half a cupful of flour, make into a paste with a little cold water and cook in a double boiler till smooth and thick. Thin with milk, if necessary. Strain and sweeten; serve either hot or cold. May be flavored with spice, lemon-peel, or wine.

BOILED HOMINY

Stir one cupful of well-washed hominy into two quarts of boiling water. Cook one hour. Use half milk and half water if preferred.

HOMINY BALLS

To a cupful of cold hominy add one tablespoonful of melted butter, stir well, add enough milk to rub the hominy to a paste, add a teaspoonful of sugar and one egg, unbeaten. Shape into small flat balls, dredge with flour, dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry. These may be prepared beforehand and kept in a cool place till ready to fry.

FRIED HOMINY

Pack left-over hominy into a mould. When cold, slice, dredge with flour, and fry, or dip in egg and crumbs and fry.

HOMINY WITH MILK

Soak hominy all night. In the morning cover with boiling salted water and boil until very tender. Drain off the water, cover with milk, boil up once more, and serve.

STEAMED HOMINY

Soak hominy over night in an equal measure of cold water. In the morning add twice as much boiling salted water and boil fifteen minutes, then put into a steamer and steam six hours.

HOMINY PORRIDGE

Soak a cupful of granulated hominy in four cupfuls of water over night. Add a teaspoonful of salt, one cupful of milk, and boil one hour in the morning.

CRACKED WHEAT MUSH

Butter a double boiler inside, put in four cupfuls of water and a little salt. When boiling add one cupful of cracked wheat which has been washed in several waters. Boil ten minutes, then simmer three hours. Serve with sugar and cream.

GRAHAM FLOUR MUSH

Mix one cupful of graham flour with a teaspoonful of salt, and make it into a paste with cold water. Mix gradually with four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve with cream and sugar.

OATMEAL MUSH

Mix one cupful of coarse oatmeal with a little salt, sprinkle into four cupfuls of boiling water. Boil fifteen minutes, stirring constantly, in the double boiler. Cover and cook slowly three hours longer.

RYE MUSH

One quart of boiling water, one teaspoonful of salt, five heaping tablespoonfuls of rye meal. Sprinkle the meal into the boiling water, stirring constantly, add the salt, bring to the boil once more, cover, and cook slowly in the double boiler one hour and a half. Serve with sugar and cream.

FRIED OATMEAL MUSH

Wet a pan or mould in cold water and pack into it left-over oatmeal. Twelve hours later, turn out, cut into slices, dredge with flour and fry, serving with a simple syrup if desired. Any left-over cereal which does not contain fruit may be used in the same way.

GRAHAM MUSH WITH APPLES

Slice peeled and cored tart apples into graham mush prepared according to the recipe previously given, as soon as it begins to boil.

MUSH CAKES

Season two cupfuls of left-over cereal with salt and pepper and a few drops of onion-juice. Shape into small flat cakes with floured hands and dredge with flour. Fry in ham or bacon fat and serve with those meats.

MUSH BALLS

Add a tablespoonful of melted butter and two unbeaten eggs to two cupfuls of hot corn-meal mush. Cool. Shape into small flat cakes, dredge with flour, and fry brown. These may be prepared the day before using.

VELVET MUSH

Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter in a double boiler, add two cupfuls of flour, and stir until it leaves the sides of the kettle; add five cupfuls of milk, stirring constantly and bringing to the boil at each cupful. Add a teaspoonful of salt, mix thoroughly, and serve with sugar and cream.

COLD GRAHAM MUSH WITH FRUIT

Stir chopped dates or figs into graham mush made according to previous directions, turn into a mould, and cool. The next morning, slice, and serve with sugar and cream.

STEAMED OATMEAL

Add a quart of cold water and a teaspoonful of salt to a cupful of oatmeal. Put in a steamer over a kettle of cold water, bring to the boil gradually, and steam two hours after it begins to cook.

OATMEAL JELLY

Soak one cupful of oatmeal over night in cold water to cover deeply. Add boiling salted water in the morning and boil several hours, adding more water as needed. Do not stir any more than necessary. When every grain is transparent and jelly-like, it is done. It is delicious served cold, with fruit and sugar, or with sugar and cream.

CREAMED OATMEAL

Boil oatmeal for an hour and a half according to recipes previously given. Rub through a sieve, cover with hot milk, and cook very slowly half an hour longer. Serve with sugar and cream.

OATMEAL BLANC MANGE

Bring one quart of milk to the boil, add a teaspoonful of salt, and stir in one cupful of oatmeal. Boil forty-five minutes, then add two eggs well beaten just before removing from the fire. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar. A bit of grated lemon- or orange-peel, wine, or spice may be added to the milk.

LIGHT OATMEAL

Cook oatmeal twenty-five minutes according to directions previously given, then set the dish in a moderate oven for half an hour. The grains will swell.

BAKED OATMEAL

The day before using, stir two cupfuls of oatmeal into two quarts of boiling water, salted, and boil ten minutes. Turn into a buttered earthen dish, cover, and bake slowly two hours. In the morning set the dish into a pan of boiling water and put in the oven for forty-five minutes.

MILK PORRIDGE

One tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth with half a cupful or more of water. Add a cupful of boiling milk, a little salt and spice, and cook ten minutes or more in the double boiler.

RICE PORRIDGE

One cupful of rice, washed in several waters, and one cupful of oatmeal. Cook one hour in plenty of boiling salted water, and add a heaping tablespoonful of butter before serving.

WHEATLET PORRIDGE

One cupful of wheatlet, two cupfuls of boiling water, and one teaspoonful of salt. Cook slowly for an hour.

CREAMED OAT PORRIDGE

Soak two cupfuls of oatmeal in four cupfuls of water over night. In the morning, strain and boil the water thirty minutes. Scald a pint and a half of rich milk, thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, add to the water, with a teaspoonful of butter and a half teaspoonful of salt. Boil up well and serve with cream and sugar.

BOILED RICE

(Hop Sing's Recipe)

"Washee lice in cold water bellee muchee. Water boil all ready muchee quick. Water shakee lice--no burn. Boil till one lice all rub away in fingers. Put in pan all holee, pour over cold water bellee muchee, set in hot oven, make dry, eatee all up."

BOILED RICE

(American Recipe)

Wash one cupful of rice in several waters. Sprinkle it, a little at a time, into eight quarts of slightly salted water at a galloping boil. Boil steadily for twenty minutes. Drain, toss carefully with a fork, and dry ten minutes in a hot oven.

BOILED RICE WITH MILK

Cook as above until it has boiled ten minutes, then drain, cover with boiling milk, and cook slowly ten minutes longer in a covered double boiler. Uncover, and stand in a hot oven for a few minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork.

RICE BALLS

One cupful of boiled rice, one half cupful of milk, one egg, one tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a slight grating of nutmeg or a sprinkle of cinnamon. Put the milk on to boil, add the rice and seasoning. When it boils, add the egg, cook till thick, take from the fire, and cool. Form in to small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry. These may be prepared beforehand.

STEAMED RICE

Wash a small cupful of rice and put into a double boiler with three cupfuls of milk and a pinch of salt. Cook until creamy, add a teaspoonful of butter and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Fruit may be added.

SAMP

Cover the samp with boiling water, boil ten minutes, then drain, rinse in cold water, cover with fresh boiling water and a little salt. Cook slowly six hours, adding fresh boiling water as needed. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar.

CREAM TOAST

Dip slices of toast in boiling water and set into the oven. Stir one heaping tablespoonful of corn-meal into four cupfuls of boiling salted milk, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter. When the milk thickens, stir in the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, boil up again, pour over the toast, keep in the oven five minutes longer and serve.

MILK TOAST

Lay slices of toast in cereal bowls, spread with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pour boiling milk over and serve immediately.

SOFT TOAST

Dip crisp slices of toast for a moment in boiling salted water, pour over melted butter, set in the oven a moment and serve with cream.

CRUSHED WHEAT WITH RAISINS

Add a handful of stoned and cleaned raisins to crushed wheat mush made according to recipe previously given, and as soon as it begins to boil. Raisins are a healthful and agreeable addition to almost any cereal.

COLD CRACKED WHEAT

Add half a teaspoonful of salt to three cupfuls of boiling water, stir in half a cupful of cracked wheat. Cook uncovered till the water has almost disappeared, then add three cupfuls of hot milk. Cover and cook until the wheat is soft, then uncover and cook until the wheat is almost dry. Stir carefully now and then while cooking. Turn into individual moulds to harden, and serve cold with sugar and cream.

SALT FISH

With very, very few exceptions, fish and meats other than salt are not suitable for breakfast. So many delicious preparations of these are possible, however, that no one need lament the restriction which general use has made. The humble and lowly codfish may be made into many a dainty tidbit,--to make no invidious distinction,--and, for some occult reason, the taste craves salt in the morning.

BROILED BLOATERS

Scrape and clean the fish, wipe dry and split, laying flat upon a buttered gridiron. Broil about six minutes, turning frequently. When brown, pour over melted butter. Serve with lemon quarters and parsley.

YARMOUTH BLOATERS

See Potomac Herring.

CODFISH BALLS

Cut into inch pieces a heaping cupful of salt codfish. Remove the bones, skin, and put into an earthen dish. Pour boiling water on and keep hot two hours. Pour off the water, cool, and shred the fish with the fingers. Add a heaping cupful of hot mashed potatoes. Mix a teaspoonful of flour with a heaping tablespoonful of butter, add three tablespoonfuls of boiling water, and cook until thick. Season with salt and pepper, mix with the fish and potato, and with floured hands form into eight small flat cakes. Dredge with flour and set away to be fried the following morning.

CODFISH BALLS--II

Two cupfuls of freshened and shredded fish, two cupfuls of sliced raw potatoes, one tablespoonful of butter, half a cupful of cream or milk, two eggs, and a sprinkle of white pepper. Put the potatoes in a pan, spread the fish on top, cover with cold water, and boil until the potatoes are done. Drain, mash together, then add the butter, pepper, milk, and beaten egg. Beat until very light. Shape into round balls the size of small apples, dredge in flour, and fry until brown in deep fat.

CODFISH BALLS--III

Prepare as Codfish Balls II, but use twice as much potato as fish.

CODFISH BALLS A LA BURNS

Make codfish balls into flat cakes and just before serving, put a poached egg on each.

PICKED-UP CODFISH

Pour boiling water on a cupful of salt codfish which has been shredded and had the bones removed. When the water cools, pour it off and cover with fresh boiling water. Drain again when the second water cools. Blend a tablespoonful of butter with a tablespoonful of flour, add a cupful of milk, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add the codfish and a teaspoonful of finely minced parsley. Serve on toast and garnish with hard-boiled egg cut in slices. Sprinkle with black pepper.

CREAMED CODFISH

Two cupfuls of shredded codfish, three cupfuls of milk, yolk of one egg, one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, two quarts of water, pepper, and salt. Cover the fish with the water and set it over a slow fire. When it boils, drain it and cover with the milk. Bring to a boil again. Have the butter and flour rubbed smooth with a little cold milk and add to the boiling milk. Stir steadily till it thickens, then add the beaten yolk of the egg, and cook five minutes longer. Season with pepper. A little minced parsley may be added. Half an hour before the fish is shredded it should be put to soak in cold water, unless it is preferred very salt.

CREAMED ROAST CODFISH

Brush the salt from a whole salted cod with a stiff brush. Place in a baking-pan and put in a hot oven until brown and crisp. Take out, lay on a board, and pound with a potato-masher till thoroughly bruised and broken. Place in the baking-pan, cover with boiling water, and soak twenty minutes. Drain, place on a platter, dot with butter, and put back into the oven till the butter sizzles. Take from the oven, pour over a cupful of cream, garnish with parsley, and serve.

CODFISH A LA MODE

Pick up a cupful of salt cod very fine, and freshen it. Mix with two cupfuls of mashed potato, two cupfuls of cream or milk, and two well-beaten eggs. Add half a cupful of melted butter and a little black pepper. Mix thoroughly, pile roughly in an earthen baking-dish or casserole, and bake twenty-five minutes in a hot oven. If it does not brown readily, brush the top with melted butter for the last five minutes of cooking.

NEW ENGLAND SALT COD

Cut the fish in squares and soak over night. In the morning drain and rinse, cover with fresh boiling water, and simmer till tender. Spread on a platter and put in the oven. Make a drawn-butter sauce of one tablespoonful of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour cooked till the mixture leaves the pan. Add one cupful of cold water, and stir constantly till the sauce is thick and smooth and free from lumps. Pour over the cod and serve. Minced parsley, a squeeze of lemon-juice, or a hard-boiled egg chopped fine may be added to the sauce.

BOILED SALTED COD WITH EGG SAUCE

Chop fine a pound of salted cod that has been freshened, boiled, and cooled. Mix a heaping teaspoonful of corn-meal with one cupful of milk, and stir over the fire until it thickens, then add one cupful of mashed potatoes, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, a teaspoonful of minced parsley, and two well-beaten eggs. Let it get very hot. Make the drawn-butter sauce with the egg in it, given in the recipe for New England Salt Cod, and serve with the sauce poured over.

SALTED COD WITH BROWN BUTTER

Freshen the fish for twenty-four hours. Place over the fire in cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Put a little butter and a few sprigs of parsley in a frying-pan. Skim out the fish and put on a platter in the oven. When the butter is brown, pour over the fish and serve with lemon-quarters and fresh parsley.

CODFISH CUTLETS

Use the mixture for Codfish Balls II. Shape into cutlet form,--small tin moulds come for the purpose,--dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Stick a piece of macaroni in the small end of the cutlet, and garnish with a paper frill. Serve with lemon and parsley.

BOILED SALT CODFISH

Select a piece of cod that has been boned. Brush the salt from it with a stiff brush and broil under the gas flame until brown. Lay in a baking-pan and pour over boiling water to cover. Let stand ten minutes, drain, and repeat the process. Drain, put on a hot platter, pour over melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley.

FLAKED SALT CODFISH

Soak two pounds of fish over night. In the morning scrub it well, cover with slices of onion, pour boiling water over, and let it soak till the water is cool. Skim out, wipe, and broil. Put into a platter, break with a fork, and pour over a drawn-butter sauce seasoned with pepper, parsley, and lemon-juice. Keep in a hot oven five minutes before serving.

CODFISH PUFF

Make the mixture for Codfish Balls II. Add the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth, folding them in lightly. Butter a stoneware platter, spread the puff upon it, and bake in a hot oven till well puffed and browned. Or, cook in a buttered frying-pan till a brown crust has formed, then fold like an omelet.

CREAMED COD WITH EGG SAUCE

Freshen, boil, and drain, according to directions previously given. Arrange on a platter and cover with cream sauce, which has minced parsley and chopped hard-boiled eggs mixed with it.

ESCALLOPED CODFISH

Make a Codfish Puff, sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake brown.

FINNAN HADDIE A LA DELMONICO

Make a cream sauce, using two tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour; cook till they bubble, add a pint of milk, and stir till thick and smooth. Add a pound of Finnan Haddie flaked, and the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, three hard-boiled eggs cut fine, and a tablespoonful of strong cheese, grated. Season with black pepper, heat thoroughly, and serve.

FINNAN HADDIE A LA MARTIN

Make the cream sauce, add the flaked Finnan Haddie, according to the recipe for Finnan Haddie a la Delmonico, add one half-cupful of shredded green peppers, let boil up once, and serve on toast.

FINNAN HADDIE FISH BALLS

Prepare as Codfish Balls II.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE

Parboil, drain, wipe, then skin. Broil, pour over melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley. Serve with lemon quarters.

PICKED-UP FINNAN HADDIE

Cut the fish in convenient pieces for serving. Cover with boiling water, boil five minutes, drain, and rinse in fresh boiling water. Arrange on a platter, dot with butter, put in the oven, and when the butter sizzles, serve.

CREAMED ROAST FINNAN HADDIE

See Creamed Roast Codfish.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE--II

Soak in cold water half an hour, and in boiling water ten minutes. Wipe dry, marinade in oil and lemon-juice, and broil as usual.

BAKED SMOKED HADDOCK

Put the haddock into a baking-pan, cover with boiling water, drain, dot with butter, sprinkle with black pepper, and bake in a hot oven for ten minutes. Serve very hot.

BROILED SMOKED HADDOCK

Rub with butter, dredge with flour, and broil over clear coals, or under a gas flame.

FRIED SMOKED HADDOCK

Cover with olive oil and soak over night. Skim out and fry brown in the oil. Pepper well and serve at once with lemon quarters and a garnish of parsley.

HERRING BALLS

Partly boil bloaters or herrings, skin, add an equal bulk of mashed potatoes made from baked potatoes. Add a lump of butter and enough cream to soften it. Form into balls, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

POTOMAC HERRING

Those having roe are preferable. Put into a frying-pan with boiling water to cover, boil five minutes, drain, add a lump of butter, and return to the fire. When it melts, and the fish is well covered with it, serve.

KIPPERED HERRING

See Potomac Herring.

BROILED SMOKED HERRING

Soak over night. Pour boiling water over it in the morning; when the water cools, plunge it into ice water for five minutes, wipe dry, and broil under a gas flame.

BROILED SALT MACKEREL

Wash in several waters, remove the head and part of the tail. Scrape the thin black skin from the inside. Put the fish in a pan of cold water, skin side up, over night at least, and, if very salt, by four o'clock in the afternoon. In the morning wash in fresh cold water, wipe dry on a clean cloth, rub with melted butter, sprinkle with pepper, and broil carefully. It must be watched every moment, as it burns easily. When brown, serve on a hot platter, dot the fish with bits of butter, and garnish with parsley and lemon quarters.

CREAMED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given. Put in cold water, bring to a boil, then drain. Pour over it half a cupful of cream. Roll a piece of butter the size of an egg in flour and add to the cream. Let boil up once and serve.

BOILED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given, rinse thoroughly. Tie in a cloth, put into a kettle of cold water, bring slowly to the boil, and cook half an hour. Remove the cloth, take out the backbone, and pour over melted butter and half a cupful of cream. Sprinkle with black pepper and garnish with parsley.

BOILED SALT MACKEREL, CREAMED

Prepare as above. Heat a cupful of milk to the boil. Stir into it a teaspoonful of cornstarch made smooth with a little cold milk. When it thickens, add two tablespoonfuls of butter, and a little pepper, salt and minced parsley. Beat an egg very light, pour the sauce gradually over it, reheat for about a minute. Pour over the fish and garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.

BAKED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given. Put into a baking-pan and pour on boiling water to cover. When the water cools, drain. Cover the fish with dots of butter, pour over half a cupful of cream or milk, and bake till brown.

FRIED SALT MACKEREL

Freshen according to directions previously given, soaking a full twenty-four hours and changing the water frequently. In the morning, drain, wipe dry, dredge with flour, and fry brown in butter. Garnish with lemon quarters and parsley.

BOILED SALT MACKEREL--II

Freshen, and boil in water made very acid with lemon-juice. Serve with melted or drawn butter.

BROILED SALT MACKEREL--II

Freshen, wipe dry, and soak for an hour in French dressing, made of three tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and one of lemon-juice or tarragon vinegar. Broil as usual.

BROILED SALT SALMON

Soak the salmon twenty-four hours in cold water, changing the water frequently. Drain, wipe dry, rub with butter, and broil over a clear fire. Serve with melted butter. Garnish with lemon quarters and parsley.

BROILED SMOKED SALMON

Rub with butter and broil with the flesh side nearest the fire. Serve on a hot platter with lemon quarters, melted butter, and parsley.

BROILED KIPPERED SALMON

Cut the salmon into strips, rub very lightly with butter, sprinkle with pepper, and broil as usual.

FRIED KIPPERED SALMON

See Fried Smoked Haddock.

BROILED SMOKED SALMON

Wash a piece of smoked salmon in three or four waters, parboil fifteen minutes. Skim out, wipe dry, rub with butter, and broil. Cover with melted butter, sprinkle with pepper and minced parsley, and garnish with lemon quarters.

FRIED SMOKED SALMON

Wash and parboil the salmon, drain, wipe, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry. Serve with lemon quarters and parsley.

* * * * *

Roughly speaking, the recipes for salt fish are interchangeable. A method of cooking recommended for one will be found equally good for some of the others.

Salt fish left-overs may be used in hash, scrambles, omelets or ramekin dishes, or reheated, rubbed to a paste, and served on toast, with a poached egg on each slice.

BREAKFAST MEATS

BEEF BALLS

One cupful of cooked chopped beef, one cupful of cold mashed potatoes, half a cupful of milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter, and one egg. Put the milk and butter in the frying-pan; when it boils up, add the beef and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the egg, well beaten, and take from the fire. Let cool. When stiff, shape into small flat cakes, dip in egg and bread crumbs, and put in a cool place. Fry in hot fat for three minutes. These can be prepared beforehand.

BEEF HASH WITHOUT POTATOES

Mince the beef, season with grated onion, salt, and pepper. Reheat in the beef gravy, or in hot water, adding a little butter. Serve on toast. Shredded green pepper may be added.

FRIZZLED BEEF

Have dried beef cut very thin. Cover with cold water to which a small pinch of soda has been added, and bring gradually to the boil. Drain, add a lump of butter, and cook till the edges of the beef curl. Serve on slices of buttered toast with poached or fried eggs laid over the beef.

BEEF A LA NEWPORT

Prepare Creamed Dried Beef according to recipe elsewhere given, using the egg to thicken. Add half a cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes and a tablespoonful of grated cheese just before taking from the fire. Heat thoroughly and serve at once on toast.

CORNED BEEF HASH

Equal parts of cooked corn beef and cold potatoes, cut fine, or use more potato than meat if desired. Season with grated onion, pepper and salt, and a little butter, and heat thoroughly. A green pepper, shredded, is an invaluable addition to corned beef hash.

CORNED BEEF HASH A LA DELMONICO

Prepare as above, using the green pepper. Spread the hot hash thickly on thin slices of buttered toast, slip a poached egg on to each piece, sprinkle with pepper, salt, and minced parsley.

CREAMED DRIED BEEF

Prepare as directed for Frizzled Beef, having the beef cut into very small pieces. Make a cream sauce of one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour, and two cupfuls of milk. Season with salt and pepper, and when smooth and thick add the cooked beef. A well-beaten egg added just before taking from the fire is an improvement. Serve on toast.

BACON AND EGGS

Have the bacon cut very thin. The colder it is, the better. Remove the rind and cook in a hot frying-pan until crisp. Skim out the bacon, break the eggs into the fat one at a time, and cook slowly, dipping the fat over the eggs occasionally with a spoon. Eggs must always be cooked at a moderate temperature. Serve on a hot platter, the eggs in the centre, the bacon for a garnish.

BROILED BACON

Broil on a gridiron, turning constantly. It will cook in three minutes. Perfectly cooked bacon is clear and crisp.

BREADED BACON

Dip slices of bacon in corn-meal and broil or fry. A Southern method.

BACON AND MUSH

Cut slices of cold corn-meal mush, dredge in flour, and fry brown. Serve with a strip of fried or broiled bacon on each slice.

BACON FRAISE

Make a batter of four eggs, half a cupful of milk, and a teaspoonful of flour. Fry some thin slices of bacon till transparent. Dip them in the batter, spread on a stoneware platter, cover with the remaining batter, and put into a moderate oven till a golden brown.

BACON A LA CREME

Fry thin slices of bacon as usual, place on a platter, and put into the oven to keep warm. Make a cream sauce, using the fat in the pan instead of butter. Pour over the bacon, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve at once.

CALF'S BRAINS

Soak in cold water, parboil, remove pipes and membranes, throw into cold water, drain, wipe, and keep cool. They may be rubbed with melted butter and fried or broiled, or dipped in egg and crumbs and fried or broiled. Serve with a cream sauce or with a sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley.

CHICKEN HASH

Use cold cooked chicken and proceed according to directions previously given. Cold turkey or tongue makes delicious hash. A shredded green pepper will usually improve it. Any hash may be served on toast with a poached egg on each slice.

FRIED HAM

Freshen a slice of ham a few moments in boiling water. Drain, wipe, and fry slowly. Eggs may be served with it. See Bacon and Eggs.

FRIZZLED HAM

Prepare as above. When the ham is half done, sprinkle with flour and fry brown. When brown, add a tablespoonful of made mustard to the gravy, and boiling water enough to cover the ham. Simmer five minutes and serve on a hot platter.

HAM AND POACHED EGGS

Prepare as directed above. Poach the eggs separately and serve on the slices of ham.

BROILED HAM

Freshen in cold water, drain, wipe, and broil. May be breaded and broiled on a buttered gridiron.

HAM BALLS

One cupful of cooked ham, finely chopped, one cupful of bread crumbs, two cupfuls of cooked potatoes, mashed fine, a heaping tablespoonful of butter, two eggs, and a dash of cayenne. Melt the butter and beat all together until very light. Shape into small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown. May be prepared beforehand.

HAM TOAST

Half a cupful of cold cooked ham, finely minced, half a teaspoonful of anchovy paste, a bit of cayenne and pounded mace. Add half a cupful of milk and an egg, well beaten. Stir till thick, take from the fire, and spread thinly on dry buttered toast. A poached egg may be placed on each slice.

HAM RECHAUFFE

Butter individual custard cups, fill three fourths full of minced ham reheated in a cream sauce, break an egg into each cup, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake till the egg is set. Tongue, chicken, turkey, or other meats may be used in this same way.

HAM AND EGGS A L'AURORE

Mince cooked ham and reheat in a cream sauce, to which the shredded whites of hard-boiled eggs have been added. Spread on buttered toast and sprinkle with the sifted yolks of the eggs, rubbed through a sieve.

KIDNEY BACON ROLLS

Season a cupful of bread crumbs with grated onion, salt and pepper, and minced parsley. Moisten with egg well beaten. Spread the crumb mixture over thin slices of bacon and wrap each slice of bacon around a small kidney. Fasten with toothpicks or skewers. Put in a baking-pan and bake in a hot oven until the bacon is crisp. Remove the skewers and serve on a hot plate, garnished with parsley.

FRIED KIDNEYS

Cut in halves, skin, sprinkle with salt and red pepper, and fry one minute in a spider, with no additional fat. Serve with dry toast.

KIDNEYS EN BROCHETTE

Cut the kidneys into small squares after parboiling and skinning. String on small steel skewers with small squares of bacon alternating. Broil or fry or cook in the oven, dredging with flour or not, as preferred. If the bacon is not very fat, soak the kidneys in olive oil a few moments before stringing. Serve on the skewers.

CRUMBED KIDNEYS

Parboil, drain, wipe, and split the kidneys, keeping them open with skewers. Season with pepper and salt, brush with oil, roll in crumbs, and broil, fry, or cook in a very hot oven. Make a sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley, and pour over them if desired.

DEVILLED KIDNEYS

Parboil, drain, wipe, and slice the kidneys. Make a marinade of three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, one of vinegar,--tarragon vinegar or lemon-juice may be used,--a teaspoonful of mustard, salt, and red pepper. Dip the sliced kidneys in this dressing and broil. Minced parsley is a pleasant addition to the marinade. After dipping in the dressing, they may be rolled in crumbs and fried. Serve plain, or with a sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley, or with the remaining marinade heated and poured over the kidneys.

KIDNEY AND BACON

Parboil and slice mutton or lamb kidneys. Fry brown in bacon fat and serve on dry toast with the bacon.

STEWED BEEF KIDNEY

Parboil, drain, wipe, and cut into dice. Cook five minutes in boiling water, drain, add a small onion, grated, a pinch of sage, and a cup of water. Bring to the boil once more, add a pinch of salt, and two hard-boiled eggs, cut fine. Thicken with one tablespoonful of cornstarch, rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Serve on toast.

KIDNEYS A LA TERRAPIN

Parboil, drain, wipe, and cut into dice. Reheat in cream sauce, to which hard-boiled eggs, cut fine, and minced parsley are added. Serve on toast.

BROILED KIDNEYS--MAITRE D'HOTEL

Use veal or lamb kidneys. Plunge for an instant into boiling water, skim out, and wipe dry. Split down the middle without cutting through, skin, and run a skewer through each to keep flat. Broil as usual. When brown, remove the skewers, lay on a hot platter, pour over melted butter, add a squeeze of lemon-juice, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Kidneys and liver must be cooked very quickly, as long cooking makes them tough.

MINCED LAMB WITH POACHED EGGS

Chop cold roast lamb very fine. Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of mint. Reheat in the gravy, or in water, adding a little butter, or in a cream sauce. Spread thinly on thin slices of dry buttered toast, slip a poached egg on each slice, and serve at once, sprinkled with pepper and minced parsley.

BROILED LAMB'S LIVER

Cut the liver in thin slices, cover with olive oil, and soak half an hour. Drain, season with salt and pepper, dip in crumbs, and broil. Finish as for Broiled Kidneys.

CALF'S LIVER AND BACON

Cook the bacon first, skim out, and put the slices of liver, dredged with flour and seasoned with salt, into the hot fat. Cook very quickly.

LIVER A LA CREME

Parboil calf's liver, drain, wipe, and cut into dice or chop coarsely. Reheat in a cream sauce, seasoning with salt and pepper. Minced parsley, lemon-juice, or finely cut capers may be added to the sauce. Serve on toast. Cold cooked liver may be used in this way.

LIVER HASH

Equal parts of cold cooked liver and cold potatoes, cut fine. Reheat in a frying-pan, adding butter and boiling water as necessary. Almost any cold cooked meat may be used in this way.

BAKED HASH

Butter a shallow baking-dish, pile in the hash loosely, smooth the top, dot with butter, and bake until brown and crisp. Turn out on a platter or serve in the dish, a fresh napkin or a paper frill being arranged around the dish.

LIVER BOULETTES

Chop cold cooked liver fine. Reheat in a very thick cream sauce, well seasoned. Cool, shape into small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown.

LIVER AND BACON BALLS

Cold cooked liver cut fine and half as much cooked bacon, chopped. Shape into small flat cakes, using a raw egg to bind if necessary. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry brown.

MEAT AND RICE BALLS

One cupful of cold cooked rice, one cupful of finely chopped cooked meat,--any kind, or several kinds,--a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper, two tablespoonfuls of butter, half a cupful of milk, and one egg. Put the milk on to boil, add the rice, meat, and seasoning. When it boils, add the egg, well beaten, and stir one minute. Take from the fire, cool, form into small flat cakes, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown. May be prepared the day before using.

FRIED SALT PORK

Cut in thin slices, freshen in cold water gradually brought to the boil. Drain, wipe, trim off the rind, roll in flour, and fry. When brown, put on a hot platter and make a cream sauce, using the fat in the pan. Fried salt pork with cream sauce poured over it is a venerable New England dish of some three centuries' standing.

PHILADELPHIA SCRAPPLE

Use the head, heart, and feet of fresh pork. Boil until the flesh slips from the bone. Cool, take out the bones and gristle, and chop the meat fine. Set aside the water in which the meat was cooked, and when cold take the cake of fat from the surface. Bring the liquor to the boil once more, add the chopped meat, and when at a galloping boil, sprinkle in, slowly, enough corn-meal to make a thick mush. Cook slowly for an hour or more. Pour into a pan wet with cold water and let stand in a cold place over night. Turn out on a platter, cut in half-inch slices, and fry.

SAUSAGE

Prick the skins with a needle or fork to prevent bursting. Cover with boiling water, parboil five minutes, drain, wipe, and fry as usual. The sausage meat is made into small flat cakes, dredged with flour and fried. Bread crumbs may be used in making the sausage cakes if desired. If the cakes do not hold together readily, add a little beaten egg.

BAKED SAUSAGE

Prick the sausages and lay each one on a strip of buttered bread its own length and width. Arrange in a baking-pan and bake in a very hot oven till the sausages are brown and the bread crisp.

SAUSAGES BAKED IN POTATOES

Prick medium-sized sausages and brown quickly in a spider. Take out and keep warm. Core large potatoes, draw the sausages through the cores, and bake. A pleasant surprise for the person peeling the potato.

BROILED SWEETBREADS

Parboil, in slightly acidulated water, for five minutes, then throw into cold water. Remove pipes and fibres and let cool--the colder the better. Split, rub with melted butter, season with pepper and salt, and broil or fry. They may also be dipped in egg and crumbs and fried or broiled. Serve on a hot platter. A sauce of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley is a pleasing accompaniment.

FRIED TRIPE

Tripe as it comes from the market is already prepared. Wash thoroughly, boil until tender, drain, and cool. Cut into strips, season with salt and pepper, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in butter or drippings until brown. It may be prepared for frying the day before and kept in a cool place. Breaded tripe may also be broiled on a buttered gridiron.

FRICASSEED TRIPE

Cut a pound of tripe in narrow strips, add a cupful of water, a piece of butter the size of an egg, and a tablespoonful of flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Season with salt and simmer thirty minutes. Serve very hot, on toast if desired.

TRIPE A LA LYONNAISE

One pound of cooked tripe cut into inch squares, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of chopped onion, one tablespoonful of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Put the butter and onion in a frying-pan. When the onion turns yellow, add the tripe and seasoning, boil up once more, and serve immediately, on toast.

TRIPE A LA POULETTE

Fry a chopped onion in three tablespoonfuls of butter. When brown, add a pound of tripe, cut into dice, season with salt and paprika, and fry until the mixture is partially dry. Add a heaping tablespoonful of flour, and when the butter has absorbed it, add slowly two cupfuls of stock or milk and a slight grating of nutmeg. Simmer till the tripe is tender. Beat together one tablespoonful of melted butter and one tablespoonful of lemon-juice, stir into the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, take the tripe from the fire, mix thoroughly, and serve at once.

MINCED VEAL AND EGGS

Chop cold cooked veal very fine. Add hard-boiled eggs cut fine, one to each two cupfuls of meat. Reheat in hot water, adding melted butter, or in a cream sauce. A bit of green pepper, parsley, grated onion, pimento, or capers finely cut may be used for flavoring. Other meats may be prepared in the same way.

SUBSTITUTES FOR MEAT

Certain things are well suited to replace meat at the breakfast table. It is a good idea to bar out the potato, unless in hash, for the simple reason that the humble vegetable appears at dinner about three hundred and sixty-five days in the year, and even a good thing may be worked to death. Americans have been accused, not altogether unjustly, of being "potato mad." Potato left-overs can be used at luncheon, if not in hash for breakfast.

FRIED EGGPLANT

Slice the eggplant in slices one third of an inch thick, pare, put into a deep dish, and cover with cold water well salted. Soak one hour. Drain, wipe, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry brown.

BROILED MUSHROOMS

Choose large, firm mushrooms. Remove the stems, peel, wash, and wipe dry. Rub with melted butter and broil. Serve with a sauce made of melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley.

FRIED MUSHROOMS

Prepare as above, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Or saute in butter in the frying-pan. Breaded mushrooms may be broiled if dipped in melted butter or oil before broiling.

BAKED MUSHROOMS

Prepare as above. Place in a shallow earthen baking-dish, hollow side up, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place a small piece of butter on each. Baste with melted butter and a few drops of lemon-juice. Serve very hot, on buttered toast.

GRILLED MUSHROOMS

Cut off the stalks, peel, and score lightly the under side of large, firm, fresh mushrooms. Sprinkle with pepper and salt and soak a few moments in oil. Drain and broil. Serve with lemon quarters and garnish with parsley.

FRENCH TOAST

Make a batter of two eggs, well beaten, a cupful of milk, a tablespoonful of melted butter, and spice or grated lemon- or orange-peel to flavor. Dip the trimmed slices of bread in this batter and fry brown in butter.

CORN OYSTERS

Two cupfuls of green corn, grated, half a cupful of milk, one cupful of sifted flour, two eggs, a teaspoonful of salt and one tablespoonful each of butter and lard. Beat the yolks of the eggs, add the milk, then the flour and salt. Beat to a smooth batter, add the corn, then beat again, adding the well beaten whites of the eggs last. Put the lard and butter into a frying-pan, and when very hot put in the batter by small spoonfuls. Brown on one side, then turn. If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk. The thinner the batter, the more delicate and tender the oysters will be. Canned corn may be used, if it is chopped very fine, but it is not so good. By scoring deeply with a sharp knife each row of kernels on an ear of corn, the pulp may be pressed out with a knife. The corn may be cut from the cob and chopped, but the better way is to press out the pulp.

* * * * *

Regardless of the allurements of wood and field, it is always safest to buy mushrooms at a reliable market. So many people are now making a business of raising them that they are continually getting cheaper. The silver spoon test is absolutely worthless. In fact, the only sure test is the risky one: "Eat it, and if you live it's a mushroom--if you die it's a toadstool." However, when buying mushrooms of a reliable dealer, one takes practically no risk at all, and, even at the highest price, a box of mushrooms is much cheaper than a really nice funeral.

EGGS

Various rules have been given for testing the freshness of eggs, but there is only one which is reliable, and it is, perhaps, the most simple of all. It is merely this: open the egg and look at the contents in a strong light. It is better to hold it near the eyes and at the same time take a deep breath inward.

Strictly fresh eggs come from the country sometimes with the date of their appearance stamped indelibly in purple on the egg. This is done by giving the hens chopped calendars with their meals. Care should be taken, however, to furnish this year's calendar. Nobody wants an egg with a last-year's date on it and the error is likely to disarrange the digestion of the hen. Eggs flavored with onions or tomatoes are secured by turning the hens into a neighbor's vegetable garden. A certain florist feeds his unsold roses to his hens and sells rose-flavored eggs to his customers at a fancy price. The hint is well worth remembering. Violet-flavored eggs might be had, doubtless, in the same way.

At a formal breakfast, all precautions should be taken to insure the freshness of the eggs. A conscientious hostess would be very much mortified if she served chicken out of its proper course.

POACHED EGGS

Use a skillet, or muffin-rings placed in a pan of water, not too deep. The water should barely cover the eggs. Bring the water to the boiling point, drop in the eggs carefully, one at a time, and remove from the fire immediately. Cover the pan and let stand until cooked. A teaspoonful of lemon-juice or vinegar in the water will keep the whites firm and preserve the shape of the eggs. Poached eggs are usually served on thin slices of buttered toast. Take up with a skimmer and let drain thoroughly before placing on the toast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. As every other writer who has given directions for poaching eggs has said that "the beauty of a poached egg is for the yolk to be seen blushing through the veiled white," the author of this book will make no allusion to it.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

Put two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan. When it sizzles, break into it quickly six fresh eggs and mix thoroughly with a silver spoon for two minutes without stopping. Season with salt and pepper and a slight grating of nutmeg if desired. Scrambled eggs should be thick and creamy.

SCRAMBLED EGGS--II

Beat the eggs thoroughly, add one teaspoonful of cold water or milk for each egg and beat again. Cook as above.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS

Have one cupful of cold cooked asparagus tips ready. In boiling asparagus its color will keep better if the smallest possible pinch of baking soda be added to the water. It should be cooked quickly in an uncovered saucepan. Prepare the eggs as for Scrambled Eggs--II, and when they begin to thicken, put in the asparagus tips and stir until the eggs are done. One half cupful of the asparagus tips to each three eggs is about the right proportion, but more may be added if desired. In making scrambles, allow one egg for each person and one extra for each three persons.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH DRIED BEEF

One cupful of minced dried beef, which has been soaked in boiling water for five minutes. Put it into melted butter, stir till the butter sizzles, then pour over six or seven-well-beaten eggs. Stir till the eggs are smooth and creamy. Serve at once. Any scramble may be served on toast if desired.

FRIED EGGS

Three tablespoonfuls of butter in the frying-pan. When it sizzles, slip in the broken eggs carefully, one at a time. Tip the pan and baste with the melted butter while cooking. If wanted crisp on both sides, turn the eggs over when the under side is done. Wet in cold water the saucer on which an egg is broken and the egg will not stick to it, but will slip easily into the pan. Olive oil may be used instead of butter, but the pan must be covered during the cooking, as the oil spatters.

FRIED EGGS AU BEURRE NOIR

Fry eggs as above, using butter or oil. When done, skim out, add more butter or oil to that in the pan, season with salt, pepper, vinegar, or lemon-juice, and let brown. When the butter is brown pour it over the fried eggs and serve.

EGGS A LA CREME

Make a cream sauce, using one tablespoonful of butter, two of flour, two cupfuls of milk, and pepper and salt to season. When the sauce is thick and creamy, add hard-boiled eggs coarsely chopped, and serve at once on toast. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

EGGS A LA TRIPE

Fry two sliced onions in butter, but do not brown. Stir in one cupful of milk or cream and enough flour to thicken, rubbed smooth in a little of the cream or milk. Season with salt, white pepper, and a bit of grated nutmeg. Stir till thick, then add eight hard-boiled eggs, sliced crosswise. Heat thoroughly and serve.

EGGS AU MIROIR

Butter a stone platter that will stand the heat of the oven. Break into it carefully enough fresh eggs to cover it, taking care not to break the yolks. Place in the oven till the eggs are set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and minced parsley and serve at once.

EGGS WITH CREAMED CELERY

Make the cream sauce and put into it enough boiled celery, coarsely cut, to serve as a vegetable. Spread on buttered toast and lay a poached egg on each slice. The tough, unsightly portions of celery stalks may be used in this way.

CHICKEN LIVER SCRAMBLE

Use one cupful of chopped cooked chicken livers and six or seven well-beaten eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.

CHEESE SCRAMBLE

One half cupful of grated American cheese and six well-beaten eggs. Mix the cheese with the eggs before cooking.

EGGS A LA PAYSANNE

Put one half cupful of cream into a baking-dish, break into it six fresh eggs, and place in the oven till the eggs are set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, minced parsley, and sweet green pepper.

EGGS A L'AURORE

Make the cream sauce and add to it the shredded whites of six or eight hard-boiled eggs. Spread on buttered toast and rub the yolks through a sieve, sprinkling each slice of toast with the powdered yolk. Sometimes called "Eggs a la Goldenrod."

OYSTER SCRAMBLE

One cupful of oysters, cut fine. Pour boiling water over, drain on a fine sieve, and add six or seven well-beaten eggs. Prepare as other scrambles.

MUSHROOM SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cooked mushrooms, cut fine, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Serve on toast.

LOBSTER SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cold cooked lobster, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Mix before putting into the hot butter.

TOMATO SCRAMBLE

One cupful of stewed and strained tomato, or of fresh tomato peeled and rubbed through a sieve, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Mix before putting into the hot butter.

GREEN PEA SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cold cooked green peas, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Mix before beginning to cook.

HAM SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cold boiled ham, minced, mixed with eight well-beaten eggs. A little grated onion is an improvement.

BACON SCRAMBLE

Fry one cupful of shredded bacon until partially cooked, drain off part of the fat, add six or seven well-beaten eggs, and finish cooking, stirring constantly. A little grated onion may be added with the eggs.

CRAB SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cooked shredded crab-meat, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Shredded green peppers may be added at pleasure. The canned crab-meat is nearly as good as the fresh.

SHRIMP SCRAMBLE

One cupful of finely cut cooked shrimps, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Green peppers may be added. Canned shrimps may be used.

KIDNEY SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cold cooked kidneys, cut fine, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.

SAUSAGE SCRAMBLE

One cupful of cooked sausage-meat, finely minced, mixed with six or seven well-beaten eggs before cooking. Or, use uncooked sausage-meat and prepare like Bacon Scramble.

SARDINE SCRAMBLE

Add the juice of half a lemon to one cupful of finely cut sardines. Use the oil from the can instead of butter. Beat six or seven eggs thoroughly and mix with the sardines before cooking.

TONGUE SCRAMBLE

One cupful finely minced cooked tongue, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Season with grated onion, shredded green pepper, or minced parsley.

EGGS WITH FINE HERBS