BEEF. 16 1. Sirloin 2. Rump. 3. Edge-bone. 4. Round. 5. Mouso-pieoo. 6. 'jeg. 7. Thin mouse-piece. 8. Veiny Piece. 9. Flank or Thin Loin. 10. Seventh Ribs. 11. Middlo Ribs. 12. Fore Ribs. 13. Brisket. 14. Thick Brisket. 15. Shoulder. 10. Neck. 17. Shin. 18. Cheek. VEAL. t/Oin, oest end. I Loin, chump end. 8 Fillet. 1. Knuckle. 5. Flank. 9. Neck, best ond 6. Breast, best end. rack. 7. Shoulder, or blade bono.10. Neck, scrng-tfrkl. 8. Fore Knuckle. 11. Breast, bris&ot-ond. VENISON. 1. Leg. 2. Chump. 3. Loin. 4. Back or neck, hest end. 5. Shouldor. PORK. 6. Breaat. 7. Neck, scrag-end. 1. Leg of Pork, or Ham 3. Thin Rib. of Bacon. 4. Spare Bib. 2. Loiu. 5. Hand or Shoulder. 6. Middling. 7. Chop, cheek, or jew. THE NEW YORK 1 PUBLIC LIBRARY! 798945 A \ I X3TOR, LENOX ANDI I R 1936 u J Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852. by H. M. RTJLISON, In the Clerk's Office or the District Court of the United State* for the District of Ohio. PREFACE. Lengthy prefaces, and labored introductions, are td dom, if ever read; but yet it is necessary that some tiling should be said in introducing a new work to the public. The Editor of this little volume has long looked upon such a performance as a desideratum. The most valua- ble works on Cookery have been hitherto inaccessible to the mass on account of their high price; while those of a cheaper cast, with but one or two exceptions, have been deemed so deficient in merit, as to render them anything else but desirable. To compile one, therefore, that should combine cheap tiess with great value, and place it within the reach of all, has been the object in preparing this volume for the press. And we are conscious, after a proper and careful examination, the reader must be convinced, that for vari- ety and worth, no work can be found, of equal compass, that contains so many truly valuable Recipes. Indeed, that woman who will follow the advice and recipes hero given, cannot fail to render herself popular as a good housekeeper, and avoid the mortification of spoiled meals, and many of the other et ceteras that disturb the equani- mity of domestic life. Some of the following recipes have been extracted 0) CONTENTS. If the reader should not find any particular recipe he may desire in the regular depart. niant of this work, let him turn to the Miscellaneous Departments; for soveral important Kerns, unintentionally omitted in the former, are contained in the latter. PREFACE , 2 2 Economy in Cookery V.'.V.".'.".".*.".V.V.V/.V.V.'.V' * 11 Order and Neatness , ,,.".*".""".*"***"" * n Nature and Quality of different Kinds of Food" I "" 12 Rules and Time for Dressing Meats and Fish 13 Directions for setting Refreshment Tables , ".".!"!!!!."."15 Directions for Carving (with Engravings) """"" **"" 16 Table of Weight and Measure , lllll18 BREAD AND PASTRY. BREAD. PAGE. Brown Bread Biscuit 22 Brown Bread 20 Bread Biscuit 22 Corn Bread 20 Cheap and Healthy Bread 21 Common Corn Bread 21 Cream Tartar Bread 21 Dyspepsia Bread 21 Excellent Bread 20 French Rolls 21 Light Biscuit 22 Muffins 22,179 Remarks on Making Bread 19 Rice Flour Bread 19 Rice Bread 21 Kye and Indian Bread 21 Soda Biscuit 22 Sour Milk Bread 21 Short Rolls 22 To make Loaf Bread, Hot Breakfast Cakes, etc 20 Wheat Bread 20 CAKES. Baker's Gingerbread 30 Buckwheat Cakes 51 Cake without Eggs... Cheap Sponge Coke... Caraway Cake Common Flat Jacks.. "Cup Cake... "Short Cuke.. Cup Cake Ocfleo Cakes (iii) .179 . 24 . 38 . 31 . 29 . 26 . 24 . 25 PAGE. Cream Cup Coke 25 "TeaCake 20 Composition Cake 31 Crackers 26 Crumpets 26 Crullers 29 Drop Cake 24 Doughnuts 28, 31 Election Cake 24 Fritters 39 Fruit Cake 27, 29 Fried Cakes 26 Fried Wafers 31 Gingerbread, Excellent 30 "Sponge 30 "Soft SO "Hard 30 "Baker's 30 "Family 31 Ginger Nuts 39 Graham Cake 28 Green Corn Cake 179 Hot Cakes 24 Icing for Cakes 28 Indian Cake 29 « "superior 30 Johnny Cake 25 Jumbles 30 Lemon Cheesecake 28 "Cake 29 Loaf Cake 24 Milk Biscuit 25 Molasses Cup Cake 28 Pancakes 29, 39 Plain Cake 29* Plum Cake 2T iv CONTENTS. TAGF.. Poor Man's round Cake 25 Potato Fritters 40 Found Cnke 23, 28 'Queen Cake 24, 29 Rich Bride Cake 27 Rich Small Cake 25 Sweet Potato Cake 25 Soft Cuke for Tea 25 Short OaRc 24 6ponge Cnke 24 Tea Cake 30 Tea Husk 26 Tea Biseuit 25 Wafers and Jelly 25 Valors 31 Weeding Cake .- 30 SAVORY PIES. Beefsteak Pie 32 Calfs Head Pie 32 Chicken Pie 33 Cod He 32 Back Pic 33 Fish Pie 32 G»lct Pie 33 Hare Pio 34 Lamb Pie 33 Mutton Pic 33 Partridge Pio 33 Pigeon Pio 83 Fork Pic 32 Potato Pie 34 Raised Crust for Savory Pies 31 Squab Pio 33 Veal Pio 32 Vogetablo Pic 34 PUDDINGS. Bakijd Applo Pudding 35 "Indian" 39 "Gooseberry" 38 "Breed •' 37 « Rico" 36 "Ptam" 39 Rolled Plum" 35 Boiled Indian Pudding 179 « Bread" 37 "Apple" 37 "Rico « 36 Batter Pudding 36, 37 « " with Moat 37 Bean Pudding 38 Jleet'steak Pudding 37 Bread and BHtter Pudding 35 Custard Pudding 38, 39 Curd" 38 Dutch Rice Pudding 35 Knglifh Ptam" 37 0round Ri-e" 38 Hasty" 35 Indian" 39 Lemon" 35 Light Puff' 36 Macaroni I'udding 38 Potato Pu l ling 37 Plum" 38 PAGB. Rico Padding 35 Sago" 35 Sunderland" 37 Suet" 38 Steam" 39 Tapioca" 39 leal" 34 iplings 39 Yorkshire Pudding 38 PASTRY AND PIES. Apple Tarts 48 « Pie 42,44 "Purls 43 "Mince Pies 44 Buttered Apple Pies 45 Beef Pasty to eat like Venison Pasty.... 47 Blackberry Pie 44 Cherry Pio 42, 45 Carrot Pie 40, 46 Cheese Puffs 43 Common Crust for Pies 41 Cranberry Pio 45 Cream Crust 41 Crust for Venison Pasty 44 Custard Pic 40 Currant Pio .- 42, 45 Tried Patties 43 Gooseberry Pie 45 Icing for Tarts 42 Lemon Puffs 43 Lemon Pie 46 Mince Meat 42 Oyster Patties 43 Puir Paste 43, 46 Plain Mince Pies 44 Pumpkin lie 44, 45 Potato Pies 42 Raised Crusts for Sweets 41 Rhubarb Tart 42 Raspberry Tart 42 Rhubarb Pios 44, 45 Rice Paste for Tarts 42 Rico Pie 46 Rich Puff Paste 41 Short Crust 41 Squash Pie 46 Sweet Potato Pie 46 Tarts 42, 43 Veal Patties 43 Whortleberry Pie 44 CUSTARDS. Baked Castards 47, 48 Boiled" 47 Common" 47 Cream" 47 Custards *° Custards to turn out 47 Cheesecakes 48 « Potato 49 Lemon Custard 4S Potato Pasty 48 like Custard 47 CONTENTS. SAUCES AND CREAMS FOR PUD- DINGS. See Page 49 YEASTS. Hop Yeast 50 |*>tato Yeast 49 Yeast Cakes , 50 PAOB. TO CLARIFY SUGAR. Sec Page 50 SIRUPS, ETC. Blackberry Sirup 51 Elderberry" 51 Lemon" 51 Orange u 51 Lemon and Orange Sirup 51 « « "Water 51 "" "Sugar M MEATS MODES OF COOKING. Baking 53 Boiling 52 .Broiling 53 Frying 53 Roasting 52 To keep Moat Hot 53 CHOICE OF MEAT. Jboicc of Beef, etc 53 ""Fowls 54 ""Fish 55 HOWTO KEEPAND COOK MEATS. VENISON. To Keep Venison 56 To Hash" 56 To Roast" 56 To Stow" 56 BEEF. Beefsteaks 57 Beef Cakes 59 Boiled Salt Beef. 57 « Tongue * 58 Dressed Cold Beef. 58 Fillet of Beef. 57 Hash Beef 58 Marrow Boi.es 59 Mince Beef. 59 Ox Feet, or Cowhcels 59 Pot Beef. 59 Roast Beef. 56 Round of Beef. 58 Roast Sirloin of Beef. 58 Roast Heart 58 Stewed Rump 57 "Brisket 58 "Tongues 58 "Beefsteaks 59 To Dross Inside of a Cold SirloiD 59 To Keep Beef 56 Tongue to Eat Cold 59 Tripe 59 VEAL. Baked Tongue 62 Boiled Calf s Head 61 Breast of Voal, Boiled 61 Calf's Liver and Bacon 62 Common Stuffing 60 Fillet of Veal 60 Knuckle of Veal 60 Minced Veal 61 Neck of Veal 60 Potted Veal 61 Roast Veal 60 Shoulder of Veal 60 Sweetbreads 62 "Roasted 62 "Ragout 62 To Keep Veal 59 To Roll a Breast of Veal 60 To Hash Calfs Head 61 Veal Stuffing 60 "Collops 61 "Scollops 61 "Cutlets 61 "Cakes 62 MUTTON. Breast of Mutton 63 Haunch of Mutton 63 Hashed Mutton 64 Leg of" 63 Mutton Collops 64 « Steaks 04 "" Maintenon 64 "Cutlets 64 "Sausages 64 Neck of Mutton 63 Saddle of « 63 Shoulder of Mutton 63 "« " Stewed 63 To Roll Loin of Mutton 63 LAMB. Forequarterof Lamb 64 Lamb Steaks 65 Lamb's Fry 65 ** Head and Hinge 65 « Sweetbreads 65 Leg of Lamb 66 Loin"" 65 Lamb Cutlets with Spinach Oft Nock of Lamb 65 CONTENTS. PAGE. Shouldui of Lamb Forced 05 POEK AND BACON. Breast of Pork M Boiled Leg of Pork 67 Hum of Pork 66 Jolly of Plgrf Feet and Ears 68 Lard 68 Pork Steaks 67 Figs' Feet Soused 68 Feet and Ears Fried 67 Figs Harslet 68 Fickle Pork 68 grare Rib 68 Shoulder of Pork 66 Sausages 69 Smoking Meat 70 To Koast a Leg of Pork 67 To Moll a Neck of Pork 66 _ To Dress Fork as Lamb 67" To Roast n Sucking Pig 67 To Boil Pig's Cheek 67 To Roast Pig's Head t 67 To Cure Hams 69 To Boil Hams 69 To Cure Bacon 69 POULTRY, GAME, ETC. Broiled F'owl 71 Boiled" 71 Curried Chickens 72 Chickens, to Pull 72 "Fricasseed 71 Ducks, Boiled 72 "Roasted 72 "Stewed 72 Pigeons, Roasted 72 "Broiled 72 "Stewed 73 [ Pot Pigeons 73 Pheasants and Partridges 73 Rabbits 74 "to Pot 74 Roast Goose 72 Roast Hare 74 Roast Fowl 71 Koast Turkey 70 Small Birds 73 To Boil Turkey 71 To Stew Fowls 71 to Keep Game, etc 73 To Clarify Butter for Potting 73 Wild Ducks, etc 73 Woodcocks, Quails, and Snipes 74 FISH. Broiled Salmon 75 Boiled" 75 Cod Sounds Boiled 76 CodfS Head and Shoulders 76 Chowder 77 Clam Chowder 77 Flounders 76 Haddock 70 Herrings, to Boil 77 "to Fry and Bake 77 Potted 7S Lobsters, Potted 78 "Stewed 78 "Roasted 78 Mackerel 70 Oyster Sauce 77 Oysters, to Fry 77 "Soup 77 « Stewed 77, 78 "Scolloped 78 Salt Cod 76 Smelts 76 To Fry Trout 70 To Fry Eels 76 To Broil Fish 77 To Pickle Salmon 78 soups. Beef Tea 81 Chicken Broth 81 Coioring for Soups and Gravies 79 Clear Brown Stock for Gravy Soup 79 Lobster Soup 81 Macaroni Soup 80 Mock Turtle Soup 81 Mutton Broth ■■■ 79 Oyster Soup 77, 81 Onion Soup 80 Pea Soup 79 Partridge Soup 80 Soup, Green Pea 80 Soup, Gravy 80 Stock for Fish Soups 81 Vegetable Soup 80 Veal Broth 79 GRAVIES, SAUCES, ETC. A Rich Gravy 82 Apple Sauce 84 Bread Sauce 84 Benton Sauce for Roast Beef. 84 Brown Gravy 82 Clear Gravy 82 Dutch Sauce for Meat or Fish 84 F'gg Sauce 84 Egg Balls 85 Fish Sauce 85 Fish Gravy 83 F'orcemeat for Turkeys and Fowls 85 ""Stewed Fish or Fish Soups 85 Gravy without Meat 82 "to give Mutton the Flavor of Venison 83 GravyforaFowl 83 Lcmou Sauce 84 Liver" 84 Lobster" 85 Oyster" 85 Pan Gravy 83 Kice Edging for Curry or Fricassee 8.r) Sauce for Wild Fowls 83 "for Boiled Turkey or Carp 83 "for Fowls 83 "for Fish Vies 84 Tomato Sauce 84 To Melt Butter 8J CONTENTS vii PAflE. I Transparent Apple Sauce 83 Tool Gravy 83 White Sauce 82 VEGETABLES. As paragus 89 Boiled Rice 88 Beets 88 Cabbages 88 Cabbage Salad and Cole-Slaw 87 Celery, Stewed 89 Cauliflower in White Sauce 89 French Salad 89 Hominy 87 How to Cook Vegetables 86 Parsneps and Carrots 88 Potatoes, Mashed 90 "Sweet 87 « to Brown 87 "to Bake 87 « to Boil 86 Peas, Boiled 89 Peas, Green 87 Peas, Green, Stewed 89 Salsify, or Oyster Plant 86 Su24 Beans 87 ShVW Beans 88 TuiOfcitfres 86 Fo Stew Red Cabbage 89 Turnips 87, 90 Windsor Beans Fricasseed 89 EGGS. Omelet 91 Poached Eggs 90 Preserving Eggs 90 To Boil Eggs 90 i To Make liens Lay 91 PRESERVES, JAMS, AND JELLIES. Apple Jelly 95 Apple Sauce 94 Arrowroot J«lly 98 Arrowroot Blanc-Mange 95 Apricots 9* Bird's Nest Pudding 96 Black Currants 93 Boiled Pears and Apples 64 Canned Fruits 187 Cranberry Jelly 95 Currant ** 95 "Jam 9ti Cherries 93 Damson Plums 94 Gooseberry Jam 90 Gooseberries 93 Marmalades 94 Mom Blanc-Mange 95 Pine Apples 93 Preserved Citron 93 "Apples 93 Vegetables and Meats 187 PAGE. Preserved Quinces 92 Pouch Jam 96 Raspln'rry Jam 96 Rice Jelly 95 Sago *t 96 Sago Bird's Nest 96 Strawberry ,Jam 9*i Tapioca Jelly P5 To Dry Cherries and Plums 96 To Preserve Quinces 32 Tomato Figs 92 Watermelon Rinds 91 PICKLES, CATSUPS ETC. Lemons 98 Making Pickles 97 Onions 98 Peaches and Apricots 98 Peppers 98 Tomatoes 98 Tomato Catsup 98 "Pickles 97 To Pickle Cucumbers 97 Vegetables 93 TO MAKE BEER, ETC. Common Small Beer 99 Ginger Beer 99 Harvest Drink 99 Lemonade 99 Molasses Beer 99 Root Beer 99 Spruce Beer. 99 To Restore Acid Beer 99 COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, ETC. Chocolate 100 Coffee Milk 100 Cocoa 100 Delicious Coffee 100 Shells 100 Tea 100 BUTTER, CHEESE, AND ICE- CREAMS. Ice Cream 102 Making Cheese 101 New Method 102 To Make Butter 101 To Freeze Cream 102 HEALTHY DISHES FOR THE StCK. Arrowroot Jolly 104 A most Pleasant Drink 107 Another Drink 107 A Flour Caudle lor viii CONTENTS. HOUSEWIFE'S DEPARTMENT. PAGE. Cooking Utensils Ill Household Matters 110 Hints to the Mistress of a Family 109 WASHING AND WASHING FLUIDS, Broadcloths 115 Colored Pantaloons 114 "Woolens 114 Coats, Pantaloons, etc 115 Flannels 112 Fruit and "Wine Stains 113 Isinglass 113 Ink and Iron Moulds 113 Mildew Stains 113 Setting Colors 114, 110 Soft Water 112 To Clean a Carpet 113 To Wash Colored Dresses 113 To Ilestoro Colors 115 Washing Calicoes 113, 139 "Woolens 114, 141 "Silk Goods 115 "Carpets 110 "White Cotton Cloths... .114, 141 WASHING FLUIDS '. 117 STARCHING, FOLDING, IRONING. ETC. Flour Starch 119 Voiding 119 Glue Starch 119 Gum '• 119 Ironing 119 "Laces 121 Sprinkling 119 Starching 119, 120 To Prepare Starch 119 To Clean and Starch Laces 120 To liaise the Tile of Velvet when pressed down 121 DYEING AND SCOURING, AND RE- MOVING STAINS, ETC. A Valuable Compend of Dyeing 122 A Prettv Ited Brown 135 Black, and nine 120,130, 137 Brown inclining to Mulberry' 129 "" "Brick Color 129 Bleaching Cottons 133 Cleaning Utensils used for Dyeing 133 Cleansing Silk Goods 140 Causo why some Colors arc more Hold- ing than Others 126 Colors, Mixture of the Five Chief 125 Directions for Changing the Colors of Garments 127 Discharging Colore 127 Dyeing Silks in the Small, or False Dye. 128 Directions for Carpets 142 Dyeing Silks lied, Crimson, etc 130 lie 8. Dyeing Blacks and Browns 13S "and Cleansiug Feathers 132 "Straw and Chip Bonnets 132 « Silk Stockings lllack 132 "Black Cloth full Greon 130 « Woolen Stuffs Black 135 « a Pelisso Black 135 "a Shawl Crimson , 131 FronchWayof Dyeing Yellow Silks.. 130 For Scouring thick Cottons 124 For Common Shawls 131 Green and Blue Dyo for Silks and Woolens 137 Green Silks 128 Hair Brown 129 Light Blue Silk 128 Lime Water 120 Names of Principal Dyeing Drugs 125 Olive Green 134 On Colors 125 Bed Dyes 138 Stone Colored Silks 128 Slate"" 129 ""Cotton 134 « "Dye 139 Swallowing Poison 150 Shun Mixture 140, 147 To Make Bleaching Acid 127 To Make Chemic Blue and Green 127 To Clean a Carpet 142 To Make Fawn Colored Drah 130 To Make Half Violet or Lilac 131 To Make Flesh Colors 131 To Take Stain from the Hands 133 To Clean Silk and Woolen Shawls 142 To Finish Cotton and Silk Velvet 135 To Clean Light Kid Gloves 143, 150 To Kestore Busty Italian Crape 143 To Clean Mahogany and Mar hie Furni- ture 143 To Clean Stoves and Stone Hearths.... 144 To Cleanse Feather Beds and Mattresses W4 To Cleanse Vials and Pie Plates 145 To Kemovc Paint and Putty from Win- dow Glass 145 To Extract Paint from Cotton, Silk, and Woolen Goods 140 To Extract Ink from Floors 145 To Remove Stains from Broadcloth... 145 "" " "Colored Silks. 147 "" Black Stains on Scarlet Woolen Goods 140, 148 To KxtractGrease from Silks, Paper, etc. 140 To Make Castor Oil Palatable 150 To Extract Stains from White Cotton Goods and Colored Silks 146 To Takeout Mildew 147 To Extract Paint from Goods 147 To Extract Grease from Floors 148 To Take out Pitch, Tar, Resin, Paint, etc 148 To Prevent Flies from Injuring Picture Frames, Glasses, etc 15f CONTENTS. SCIENTIFIC, ARTISTS', FARMERS', MECHANICS', AND MISCELLA NEOUS DEPARTMENT. A Strong Paste for Papering 168 Artificial Oysters 175 Ants, to Destroy 1-19 Antidote for Arsenic 182 A Cure for Sore Back of Horses 183 Ague Pills and Medicine 185 Balm Gilead Buds 186 Blood, Cleansing and Purifying 186 Bilious Fever 185 Balm of Life 186 Bedbug Poison 150, 177 Blacking, Liquid 172, 173 « « French 173 "Water-proof. 173 « to Preserve Leather 173 "Fine 173 Blasting Rocks 183 Constipation of Bowels 185 Cement, Iron 184 « Transparent 184 "Diamond 184 Cementfor Broken Glass orCrockery.. 184 Copal Varnish 184 Cheap Paint for a Barn 174 Cough Compound 186 Cure for a Wen 179 Candles 177 Chest Founder 179 Crickets, to Remove 148 Cockroaches, to Kill 149 Cosmetics 181 Cure for Cattle, Swelled, etc 181 Catsup, Mushroom 181 Chinese Modo of propagat'g Fruit Trees 184 Erasivo Comp., or Renovating Mixture. 174 Fallon Fruit 177 Fistula in Horses 182 Founder, Cure for 183 Good Manure 177 Glue to Resist Moisture 167 Glue, Parchment 167 "Portable 168 "Isinglass 168 "Fine 185 Gapes in Chickens 181 Grubs in Horses 181 Grafting 182 Glue, Composition for 185 Harness Polish 172 INK—Black, Blue, Best Red, Red, Shin- ing Black, Green, Yellow, Indelible, Sympathetic 171, 172 Ivory — Dyes for Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, and Violet 170 Ivory 170, 171 Imperial Cream Nectar 179 Lemonade, Portable 184 Liniment, Powerful 185 Lady's Slipper.... 186 Mangoes of Melceis. 175 Muffins 178 Moths, to Destroy 148 PAGE. Pills 180 Peach Trees 183 Paints, to Mix 164 Paint, Golden Yellow 164 "Naples Yellow 164 "Chamois and Buff Color 164 "Bright Red 165 "Crimson, or Rose Color 166 "Green for Carriages 165 "" « Doors, etc 165 ""Cheap and Beautiful 165 « Prussian Blue 166 « Saxon Blue 166 "Olive Color, for Oil and Var- nishes. • 166 Panes of Glass 183 Rats and Mice, to Destroy 148 Rats, Bait for 149 Rheumatic Oil 186 Silver Plating Fluid 174 Staining or Dyeing Wood or Ivory.... 168 Soothing Lotion 186 Staining Musical Instruments 169 Substitute for Cream 182 Spavin 179 String Halt 179 Spruce Beer 180 Soaking Seed Corn 182 To Procure Green Peas in Winter.... 186 To Heal Wounds in Trees 184 To Escape from Fire, etc 183 To ascertain whether a Horse has good Sight 182 To Remove the Turnip Flavor from Butter 182 To Remove Flies from Rooms 181 To Preserve Fruit Trees 180 To Preserve Grapes 174 To Clarify Butter 182 To Transplant Trees 176 To Clean the Teeth 181 To Dry and Preserve Flowers and Plants 176 To Kill Flies 149 Tea, 177 To Make Hens Lay Perpetually 181 To Clean Houses of Rats and Mice.149, 177 To Escape the Effects of Lightning 181 To Renovate a Razor Strop 178 To Ascertain a Horse's Age 180 To Make Mutton Suet Candles 180 To Make Scouring Balls 180 To Prevent Wounds from Mortifying.. 182 Useful Discovery 175 Varnishes, to Make 166 Vermin, to Destroy 149 Water-proof Blacking 172, 173 Whitewashing 174 Warts, etc 179 Wood Staining 168, 170 Whitewash that will not Rub off 183 Yellow Bugs W THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. Economy in Cookery. Beside the right management of Domestic Cookery, says an author, while it administers much to the comfort and health of the family, it will also contribute to that economy, which it is the duty of every wife to study in the management of the affairs of her household. Hence there are some women so versed in this science, that they will provide a good meal of the very things which others, for the want of this knowledge, would cast away as useless. It helps to know how to "gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost," which is essential to the right exercise of economy. Order and Neatness. Another essential requisite for a good housewife, is order and neatness. A place for everything, and everything in its place, is a wise remark, and important to all who would be successful in the art of cookery or good housewifery. Ordei is indispensable, says the same author; for where order is wanting, neatness and cleanliness will also be wanting. No matter how good the provisions set upon the table, or how well it may be cooked, yet if the cook looks sluttish, or it be known that she is not neat and cleanly, it will be " eaten with long teeth," which will take from the pleasure, which other- wise would be enjoyed at that table more than a hundred per cent. A plain dish, well cooked, in a neat place, everything in good order around, and especially a cook whose person looks clean and tidy, any one can enjoy—and certainly would prefer to that of a sumptuous table, spread out with every variety to sharpen the appetite, and invite a hearty participa tion, except that simple commodity of cleanliness. (in 12 TIIE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. Qualities and Nature of different kinds of Food. 1. For the due preservation and enjoyment of health, much judgment and discrimination are necessary in the choice of the different kinds of Food, as to their nutritiveness and diges- tibility. 2. It may be taken as a general rule, that the fleah of the full-grown animal, is much more digestible and nutritive than that of its young; and for this reason, that the flesh of young animals is of a much more viscid and mucilaginous nature than that of the full-grown animal. 3. Of all meat, tender wedder, or wether mutton (which ia the flesh of the castrated animal) is by far the most nutritious and digestible. Pork and bacon are difficult of digestion. 4. Fish is less nutritive, but less stimulant than the flesh of animals; and on that account, if fresh, and not allowed to have died a lingering death, is best adapted to weak and delicate habits. The whiting and haddock are best adapted for weak stomachs. The flakiness of fish, and its opake appearance, with a layer of white curdy matter, resembling coagulated albumen, interposed between its flakes, are indicia, or indica- tions of its goodness. 5. Shell-fish are nutritive. Oysters should be eaten in a raw state, with a slight addition of vinegar and pepper as a stimulant, and then they are balsamic food, if properly masti- cated before they are swallowed; but when stewed, they are highly indigestible. 6. Game and poultry of all kinds are wholesome, and their flesh more digestible than that of animals; but they contain very little nutriment in proportion to their bulk. The lean part of venison is the most digestible article of diet; a quality which may also be predicated of the wild rabbit. The flesh of the leveret, when roasted, is nutritive, and easily digested; that of the tame rabbit and the fowl is of a similar quality. 7. Raw and boiled fresh eggs are salutary, nutritive, and gently laxative; but when boiled hard, they are indigestible, and produce costiveness. 8. The best corrector of animal food is stale bread; it is of incalculable use in the process of digestion. 9. Of vegetables, the most nutritious is the potato; when but little bread is made use of, it should be employed to mo- dify the effects of the consumption of animal food. All varie- ties of tie cabbage and spinach kind are wholesome and QUALITIES AND NATURE OF FOOD. 13 tperjent; as also young peas and scarlet beans. Carrots and radishes are difficult of digestion. The parsnepand turnip are nutritive and laxative. The onion, leek, horse-radish, mustard and cress, and water-cress, are nutritive, and highly friendly to digestion. 0. Of fruits, the strawberry, raspberry, currant, and mul- beiry, are the most conducive to health; a property which may be predicated of all the small-seeded sorts of fruit. Next to these, the peach, apple, and pear are to be preferred, though the last mentioned, is the most indigestible, on account of the quantity of its woody fiber. Stone-fruits are liable to irritate the intestines, especially if eaten in an unripe state. The plum and cherry are of an indigestible nature. Grapes and raisins are nourishing and wholesome. The orange is very friendly to health. Figs are wholesome and laxative, both crude and in a preserved state. 11. Walnuts, when eaten fresh and in moderation, are pala- table and nutritious; but nuts, filberts, and chestnuts, on account of their viscid and glutinous quality, turning rancid and acrid on the stomach, and thereby producing the most dis tressing heartburn and bowel complaints, should be used cau- tiously, if not wholly abstained from. When eaten, they should be accompanied with salt, and chestnuts should be roasted. ] 2. Condiments and seasonings of all kinds (especially salt), while used in moderation, assist digestion, and correct many injurious and noxious properties of the food ingested into the stomach; they afford a stimulus to the stomach, by exciting a more energetic performance of its functions, and by exerting a corrective influence over the various kinds of aliment during the process of digestion. To the aged, they are particularly friendly, as they stimulate the whole of the alimentary canal. 13. Though water is unquestionably the natural beverage of man, and is the best solvent of food, never impairing or destroying the sensibility of the palate, as vinous and spirit- ous liquors do, yet the temperate use of good home-brewed malt liquors, and sound, unadulterated wines, is friendly to health. R ules for dressing Meats and Fish, and the Time required to cook them. It is a general rule to put all salt meat into cold water, and fresh meat into the pot when boiling; put salt into the water 2 1 4' THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. tvhen fish or greens arc to be boiled. A large buttock 01 beef, salted, should be washed and soaked some hours before you put it into the pot; bacon the same. A ham should be in soak over night. -Supposing dinner is to be ready at such a time, and you have any of the following dishes to dress, take care that your fire is in good order, and put them into the pot, or on the spil, ac- cording to the time they will take, as follows: Dishes that require a quarter of an Hour Roasting. Pigeons. Joints that require half an Hour Boasting. A leg of lamb of five pounds—or boiled. A small fowl or chicken roasted or boiled. A rabbit roasted. Pigeons boiled. Dishes that require three-quarters of an Hour. A large fowl roasted. A large rabbit roasted. Dishes requiring an hour and a quarter. A goose. A turkey boiled. Joints requiring an Hour and a half. A neck of mutton boiled of seven pounds. A breast of veal roasted of ten pounds. A neck of veal roasted of nine pounds. A leg of lamb boiled of nine pounds. A hare. A turkey roasted. Joints requiring two Hours. A leg of mutton boiled of eight pounds. Shoulder of mutton roasted of ten pounds. Leg of mutton roasted of ten pounds. Chine roaste4 of twelve pounds. Loin of veal roasted of eleven pounds. Knuckle of veal boiled of six pounds. Leg of pork roasted of eleven pounds. Leg of pork boiled of ten pounds. Partridges RULES FOR CARVING MEATS, FISH, AND POULTRY. Evkky person standing at the head of a family, should be well informed upon the general principles of carving, without which, it will be impossible to perform the honors of the table .with propriety. When a person declines expressing a preference for any particular part, it is polite to help to both kinds. In carving, your knife shouM be light and sharp; and it should be firmly grasped. The dish should bo situated near the carver, so as to render the task easy. Fish requires but little carving, and should bo helped with a fish-slice. TO CARVB A TURKEY. Place your fork firmly in 'the middle of the breast; itake the wing, divide tho 'joint--by turning it back, it will break easily. Perform a similar operation on the other side; next remove tho neck bones, by cutting through the whole of the ribs close to the breast j turn up the back, prose the point of the knife about tho middle of the turkey, raise the lower end, and it will separate at once. Tho logs are to be cut in the same manner as tho wings. The choicest parts are the side bones, breast, and thigh-bones. TO CARVB A GOOSE. A goose is carved nearly the same as a turkey, only more primo pieces can be obtained by carving from pinion to pinion. The breast, legs, and wings are the best pieces. Help with stuffing and gravy. ROAST PIG. If the pig be whole, cut off the head, and split it in halves, along the back-bone; se- parate the shoulders and legs by passing the knife under them in a circular direc- tion. Help with stuffing and gravy. FORE QUARTER OP LAMB. ( l'i ) Divide the shoulder from the breast and ribs, by pressing tho knife under the knuckle, in the direction of 1, 2, and 8, so as to leave a portion of meat on the ribs. Sprinkle with salt and pep- per, and divide in the line 8 and 4 Serve with stuffing and gravy. RULES FOR CURVING MEATS, ETC. 17 TO CARVE HAMS. Hams can bo cut three ways: 1st, cut thin slices, from 1 to 2, laying open the hone at each cut, which procures the best pieces at once. 2d. Take out a round piece at 3; and cut them in circular slices. 3d, And most economical, commence at the knuckle. SIRLOIN OF BEEF. The best way is to carve long thin slices, from 1 to 2. An- other way, is by cutting across, which spoils it. The best part lies in the direction of line 8. Give a portion of fat with each slice. LEG OF MUTTON. In a leg of mutton, the best h the center, at 1; commenco there, and cut slices each way; cut to the bone. A BREAST OF VEAL Is composed of the ribs and bris- ket, which must be cut through tho line 1, 2; divido each portion into convenient piecos, and help with gravy. PIGEONS AND FOWLS. Tho usual way, is to insert tho knife at 1, and cat to 2 and 8; when each portion may be divided ; or the bird may be cut into halves, cither aeioss or down the middle; tho first mode is best. FILLET OF VEAL Is tho thick part of the leg, and is to be cut smooth, round and closo to the bone; serve a little fat with each plato, cut from the tkirt. 18 TIIE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. TABLE OF WEIGHT AND MEASURE. To remedy a difficulty that has heretofore existed in works of this character, the quantity of ingredients used being gene- rally given in weight, we subjoin the following valuable Table of Weight and Measure. It is necessary to observe, however, that due allowance must be made for quality, dryness, mois- ture, etc., of the articles used. Weight and Measure. Wheat Flour one pound is one quart. Indian Meal one pound, two ounces..""" Butter, soft one pound, one ounce...""" Loaf Sugar, broken.. one pound, one ounce...""" White Sugar, pounded one pound, one ounce...""" Best Brown Sugar... one pound, two ounces..""" Ten Eggs are one pound. An ounce of cinnamon, ginger, pepper, spice, or cloves, two large tablespoonfuls. Liquid Measure. Sixteen large tablespoonfuls are half a pint. Eight large tablespoonfuls are one gill. Four large tablespoonfuls are half a gill. A common sized tumbler holds half a pint. A common sized wineglass holds half a gill. A common teacup holds half a pint. An ounce of butter or lard, melted.... a large tablespoonful. BREAD AND PASTRY. BREAD. One of the most essentia] things to good living, is gocd Dread. And yet, comparatively speaking, there are but few who succeed in this important branch of housekeeping. By fol- lowing the receipts here given, and having good materials, sue-, cess, however, will be rendered certain. With good bread, the coarsest fare is tolerable; without it, the most luxurious table is not comfortable. In order to secure good bread, it is the best economy to purchase the best flour, even at a greater cost. Newly ground flour, which has never been packed, is much superior to barrel flour. Indian meal, also, is much the best when freshly ground. Ground rice is best if picked over and then washed and prepared like the wheat. Bye flour is very apt to be musty or grown. No one thing is of more importance in making bread, than thoroughly knead- ing it. When bread is taken out of the oven, never set it flat on a table, as it sweats the bottom, and acquires a bad taste from the table. Always take it out of the tins, and set it up endwise, leaning against something. If it has a thick hard crust, wrap it up in a cloth wrung out of cold water. Bread made of wheat flour, when taken out of the oven, is unprepared for the stomach. It should go through a change, or ripen before eaten. Bread will always taste of the air that surrounds it white ripening—hence it should ripen where the air is pure. It should be light, well baked, and ripened before it is eaten. In summer, bread should be mixed with cold wa- ter. In damp weather, the water should be tepid, and in cold weather quite warm. Rice Hour Bread. — Two quarts of milk, one quart of rice- flour, two tablespoonfuls of salt, and a tumblerful of yeast; soak the rice-flour in a pint of the milk ; boil the rest, and pour hot over the wet flour, stirring, that it does not lump; return it to the fire, and boil till it is a smooth mush, beating it all the time to prevent lumping or burning; add the salt, take it up in a pan, and set by to cool ; when nearly cold, stir in the yeast 20 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. and about a half a pint of wheat flour; beat it well and set it in a warm place for the night; in the morning have some lightly silted and warm wheat flour, and with the hands knead in as much as it will take to make it a stiff, dry dough; have tin pans well buttered, put in the bread, and set it to rise; as soon as it is light, put it to bake. Wheat Bread.—Take two quarts of wheat meal, half a cup of molasses, a teacupful of lively yeast, mixed up with warm water; let it stand in a warm place an hour and a half; if ne- cessary, add a little saleratus; bake it an hour and a half. Excellent Bread. — Sift the flour, have two quarts of water blood-warm, stir together with an iron spoon till a thick bat- ter; add half a pint of yeast and a tablespoonful of salt; let it stand all night in a warm place; early next morning stir in as much warm sifted flour as you can get in with a spoon; at ten o'clock work in with the hands as much flour as it will take up; put the bread on a pasteboard; cut into four, knead and work each loaf a long time, making it as dry with flour as possible; put in buttered pans, set in a warm place to rise; in a couple of hours it will be light enough to bake: let it stand one hour in a well heated oven. Brown Bread.—Put the Indian meal in your bread-pan. Sprinkle a little salt among it, and wet it thoroughly with scald- ing water. When it is cool, put in your rye, add two gills of lively yeast, and mix it with water as stiff as you can knead it. Let it stand an hour and a half in a cool place in summer, on the hearth in winter. It should be put into a very hot oven, and baked three or four hours. To make Loaf Bread, hot Breakfast Cakes, Buckwheai Cakes, etc., superior to anything of the kind before produced.— Mix dry, and well rub together, two teaspoonfuls of cream-of- tartar, with one quart of flour; then dissolve three-fourths of a teaspoonful of super-carbonate of soda in a sufficient quan- tity of sweet milk; mix the whole together, and bake immedi- ately. If water be used instead of milk, add a little short- ening. Corn Bread.—Take one quart of corn meal; sprinkle into it a little salt; pour on boiling water enough to wet the meal thoroughly; let it cool until you can work it with your hands; then put in one tablespoonful of yeast, three tablespoonfuls of molasses, and wheat flour enough to mould it with ; make it DREAD. 21 into a loaf; put it into a pan and let it stand where it will keep warm until it rises and cracks on the top; then put it in the oven, and let "it bake one hour. Common Corn Bread.—Take as much corn-meal as you wish to cook; scald it well by pouring boiling water over it, and stirring it thoroughly; then mix it into the consistency of bat- ter with milk; if it is pretty rich it will not hurt it, but mind that the mixing part is thoroughly done—the more the better. Put in one egg, a teaspoonful of saleratus, and a tablespoonful or more of lard. Mix the whole thoroughly together till the ingredients are entirely incorporated through the whole. Bake as usual about three-quarters of an hour, and you will have the finest corn bread you ever ate. Rye and Indian Bread. — Take about two quarts of Indian meal, and scald it; then add as much rye meal, a teacupful of molasses, half a pint of lively yeast. If the yeast is sweet, no saleratus is necessary. If sour, put in a little; let stand from one to two hours, till it rises; then bake it about three hours. Cheap and healthy Bread. — Take a pumpkin and boil it in water until it is quite thick, then add flour so as to make it dough. Dyspepsia Bread.—Three quarts unbolted wheat meal ; one quart soft water, warm, but not hot; one gill of fresh yeast; one gill of molasses, or not, as may suit the taste. If you put this in the oven at the exact time when it is risen enough, saleratus will not be necessary. Rice Bread. — Bott a pint of rice soft; add a pint of yeast; then three quarts of wheat flour; put it to rise in a tin or earthen vessel, until it has risen sufficiently; divide it into three parts; then bake as other bread, and you will have three large loaves. Cream Tartar Bread.—One quart of flour, two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, one of saleratus, two and a half cups of milk; bake twenty minutes. Sour Milk Bread.—Have ready your flour, sweeten your milk with a little saleratus, add a little salt ; make it rather »oft, and pour it into your pan and bake it. French Rolls.—Work one pound of butter into a quart of 8 CAKES. 23 In making cakes, if you wish them to be pleasing to the eye as well as the palate, use double-refined white sugar; al- though clear brown sugar makes an equally good cake. The oven must hpve a regular heat throughout. The butter, eggs, and flour should all be fresh. The sugar should be dry and of a light color. The flour should be sifted. The whites and yelks of the eggs should be beaten to a froth separately. Always dissolve saleratus in hot water and strain. Raisins should be stoned. Currants should be rinsed in several waters. Almonds should be blanched and dried. When ready to make your cake, grate your lemon or orange peel, next weigh your butter and cut it in pieces, and put it where it will soften but not melt. Then butter your tins. Next, stir the butter to a cream, and then add the sugar and work till white. Next beat the yelks of the eggs, strain them, and put them to the sugar and butter. Meanwhile, another person should beat the whites to a stiff froth and put them in. Then add the spices and flour, and last of all the fruit. The best way to put in fruit, is to sprinkle flour over it, then put in a layer of cake at the bottom, half an inch thick, then a layer of fruit, taking care that it does not touch the sides of the pan, and dry up; then a little more cake, then another layer of fruit, and thus until the cake is three inches thick (not more), and let the top layer be cake. Butter the cake-pans well; and if the pans are lined with buttered white paper the cake will be less liable to burn. Moving cakes while baking, tends to make them heavy. It is impossible to give definite rules as to the time required in baking cake. Try whether the cake is done, by piercing it with a broom splinter, and if nothing adheres, it is done. Pound Cake.—Break nine eggs into a quart of powdered white sugar; beat with a case-knife for an hour; beat with it half a glass of wine, and same of rose-water; work a pound of butter to a cream, with a pint of flour, a grated nutmeg or mace, and half a glass of brandy; have a pint more flour lightly sifted and warm by the fire; when the oven and pans are ready for the cake, throw the dry flour into the egg; then the butter; work all together as quickly as possible, and put it to baking at once. All the beating must be done before the egg and butter are put together. If it is baked in a loaf, it will lake about an hour; a wooden box, lined with buttered letter paper, is the best thing to bake a loaf or cake in. These THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. half-pounds of sugar; add a half-pound of butter, and two pounds of flour, a glass of rose-water, and half a nutmeg. Fried Cakes.—One quart of milk, half a pound of butter, Bix eggs, and two pounds of sugar; one pound of raisins, one teaspoonful of saleratus, and as much flour as will make a stiff batter. Beat it well, and fry in boiling lard. Take up the batter by spoonfuls, and drop it in the hot fat. Each spoonful makes a cake. If the fat is not boiling hot, the cakes will ab- sorb it, and thereby be made unfit for eating. If too hot, they will be too dark colored. Try it by dropping in one. Shake the pot, while the cakes are in, to make them boil evenly. Crumpets.—Put half a gill of yeast into a quart of warm milk, with a teaspoonful of salt; stir in flour to make a good batter; set it in a warm place to rise: when light, add a cup of melted butter, and bake as muffins. Crackers.—One quart of flour, and two ounces of butter, mixed to a stiff paste with milk; beat it smooth with a rolling- pin, then roll it thin, and cut it in round or square cakes; prick each with a fork, and bake on tins. Cream T«.a Cakes.— To a quart of flour, put a pint of sour cream and a cup of butter; dissolve half a teaspoonful of saleratus in a little hot water and put it to it; mix it lightly, flour your hands well; make it out in small cakes, each about the size of an egg; lay them close in a buttered basin, and bake in a quick oven. Common Short Cakes.—Make two quarts of flour into a paste with sour milk or buttermilk; work into it half a pound of butter, lard, or beef dripping; add a teaspoonful of saler- atus (first dissolved in hot water), and a teaspoonful of salt; make it as soft as can be moulded in well-floured hands ; butter a pan and lay them close; bake in a quick oven. If lard is used for the shortening, add rather more salt. Tea Rusk.—One pint of warm milk; put one gill of yeast; make it a dough with flour; let it stand to rise; when light, add a cup of butter and a teaspoonful of saleratus, dissolved in water (or, in place of saleratus, use a bit of sal volatile, the size of a small nutmeg, and a piece of alum of the same size, finely ground). Flour your hands well, and make the dough in cakes the size of an egg, and lay them close in a buttered basin; bake in a hot oven; when nearly done, wet them ovei CAKES. with milk in which some sugar is dissolved, then return them to the oven to finish baking. Doing them over with milk gives them a fine color. Rich Bride Cake.—Take four quarts of fine flour; dry it; four pounds of sweet, fresh butter, beaten to a cream; and two pounds of white sugar; add six eggs to every quart of flour; mace and nutmeg, half an ounce each; pound them line. Wash through several waters and pick clean from grit, four pounds of currants; spread them on a thick folded cloth to dry; stone and chop four pounds of raisins; cut two pounds of citron, in slices of a quarter of an inch in thickness; and chop or cut in slices, one pound of almonds. Beat the yelks of the eggs, with the sugar, to a smooth paste; beat the butter and flour together, and add them to the yelks and sugar; and, lastly, add the spices, half a pint of brandy and the whites of the eggs, beaten to a high froth. Beat the cake mixture well together; then stir into it, b) degrees, the currants, citron, raisins, and almonds. Butter the pans, line them with paper, and put the mixture two inches deep in each. Bake, according to the depth of the cakes, three or four hours in a moderate oven. Fruit Cake.—Make a cake of one quart of flour; about a quart of sugar; three-quarters of a pound of butter, and ten eggs- First, beat the yelks and sugar together; then add the flour and butter, beaten to a cream; and, lastly, mix in lightly, the whites of the eggs, beaten to a high froth. Then have a pound and a half of raisins stoned and chopped; two pounds of cur- rants, well washed, picked clean and dried; one pound of citron cut in slips; mace and nutmeg, each half an ounce; and half a pint of brandy. Strew a pint of flour over the currants and raisins, and then stir them well into the cake. Line tin basins with buttered paper, fill them two inches deep, and bake in a moderate oven for three or four hours. Plum Cake.—One quart of flour ; nine eggs, the whites and yelks beaten separately; one pound of butter; half a pint of brandy; one cup of molasses, and one pound of brown sugar; nutmeg and mace, each half an ounce. Beat this mixture well, then, having washed and dried three pounds of currants, tmd stoned and chopped three pounds of raisins, strew half a 28 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. pound of flour over them; rub it well through them, and thea stir them into the cake, with a pound of citron cut in slips. Line round tin pans with buttered paper, and fill them two inches deep with the mixture. Bake, in a moderate oven, for three or four hours. Doughnuts.—Rub a quarter of a pound of butter into a quart of flour; add five ounces of sugar, two eggs, a spoonful of yeast, and sufficient milk to make into a stiff paste; when it has risen, roll it out, cut it into shapes, and boil them in lard, until they are nicely browned. Another way.—Take one pint of flour, half a pint of sugar, three eggs, a piece of butter as big as an egg, and a teaspoon- ful of dissolved saleratus; spice to your taste; when you have no eggs, a gill of yeast will do, but in that case, they must stand over night. Lemon Cheese Cake.—Two eggs, well beaten, one fourth of a pound of loaf-sugar crushed, one-fourth of a pound of butter, a little lemon-peel grated, or essence, and a few almonds peeled and bruised. Bake like tarts. Icing for Cakes.—Beat the whites of eggs to an entire froth; to each egg, add five spoonfuls of sifted loaf-sugar; gradually beat it a great while. Put it on while your cake is hot, and set it in a warm oven to dry. Pound Cake.—One quart of flour, one of sugar, one of butter, eight eggs, three spoonfuls of rose-water, or one nutmeg. Caraway Cake.—Take one quart of flour, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, a glass of rose-water, four eggs, and three large spoonfuls of caraway seeds; drop them from a spoon, and bake them brown in a slow oven. Molasses Cnp Cake.—Two cups of molasses; two cups of butter, one cup of milk, one teaspoonful of saleratus, dissolved in a little hot water, one teaspoonful of essence of lemon, half a nutmeg and two eggs, and flour sufficient to male it as stiff as you can stir with a spoon; beat it well. Bake in a quick oven. Graham Cake.—Two cups of sugar, one cup of sour milk, mie teaspoonful of saleratus, one teaspoonful of salt, one table, spoonful of butter, and a little nutmeg, if you like. This ought to ba eaten fresh. CAMS. 29 Queen's Cake.—One quart of flour, one pint of sugar, half a pound of butter, one cup of sweet milk, one nutmeg, a little cinnamon, one pound of currants, one of raisins, and five eggs. Lemon Cake.—One and a-half cups of sugar, half a cup of butter, half a cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of saler- atus, three eggs, two and a-half cups of flour, one lemon grated. Ginger Nuts.—Two quarts of molasses, twelve ounces of ground cloves, one pound of sugar, two ounces of ground ginger, two ounces allspice, as much flour as will make a batter, with two pounds of butter. Common Cup Cake.—One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, four cups of flour, four eggs, one cup of sour milk, one tea- spoonful of saleratus in water, one teaspoonful of essence of lemon, and half a nutmeg. Beat the mixture well. Butter a couple of two-quart basins, and divide the mixture between them. Bake it in a quick oven, for three-quarters of an hour. Crullers.—One pint of milk, two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, three eggs, one teaspoonful of saleratus dissolved in water, one teaspoonful of salt, and half a nutmeg grated; and a teaspoonful of essence of lemon; use as much flour as will make a good dough, flour a cake-board, and roll out the cake about half an inch thick; cut them according to fancy, and fry in hot fat. (See Fried Cakes, or Doughnuts). Indian Cake.—Take one egg, half a pint of sour milk, a tea- spoonful of saleraths, three tablespoonfuls of molasses, and Indian meal to make it just about thick enough to pour. A good, plain Indian cake, can be made without the egg and molasses. Pancakes, extra.—Half a pint of milk, three great spoonfuls of sugar, one or two eggs, a teaspoonful of saleratus, and spice to your taste. Fruit Cake.—One pound and four ounces of flour, one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, ten eggs, one pound of currants, one pound of raisins, half a pound of citron; spice to your taste, and a small teaspoonful of saleratus. Plain Cake.—Mix two cups of sour cream or milk, with one c lp of sugar and some saleratus; then stir in five cups of wheat *\ow. so THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. Superior Indian Cake.—Take two cups of Indian meal, one tablespoonful of molasses, two cups of milk, a little salt, a handful of flour, and a little saleratus; mix then, and pour it into a buttered bake-pan, and bake it half an hour. Wedding Cake.—Take four quarts of flour, three pounds of butter, three of sugar, four of currants, two of raisins, two dozen of eggs, one ounce of mace, and three nutmegs; a little citron and molasses improve it. Bake about three hours. Jumbles.—Take four eggs, three cups of sugar, a little nut meg, a teaspoonful of saleratus, a cup of butter. Stir in the flour until it will roll; cut in rounds, with a hole in the center. Roll them in sugar. Excellent Gingerbread.—One quart of sour milk, buttermilk, or sour cream; stir into it as much flour as will make it a thick batter, then a teaspoonful of finely-powdered saleratus, two tcacupfuls of brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls of powdered ginger, a pap-spoonful of salt, and a grated nutmeg; let the batter be so thick that a spoon will stand up in it; bake as soon as mixed, in buttered tin pans, and about an inch thick; cat hot. Sponge Gingerbread.—A pint of molasses, a teacup of sour milk or buttermilk, a tablespoonful of ginger, two spoonfuls of melted butter, two teaspoonfuls of saleratus, dissolved, and flour sufficient to roll. Cut it about half an inch thick, and bake it in a quick oven. Soft Gingerbread.—One cup of cream, one of molasses, a teaspoonful of ginger, one of saleratus, dissolved, a little salt. Bake in half an hour. Hard Gingerbread.—One pound of flour, half a pound of butter and sugar rubbed into it, half a pound of sugar, a great spoonful of ginger, a spoonful of rose-water, and a handful of caraway seed, well beaten up, kneaded stiff enough to roll out, and bake in pans. Bake twenty or thirty minutes. Baker's Gingerbread.—Three-fourths of a pound of flour, one quart of molasses, one-fourth of a pound of butter, one ounce f saleratus, and one ounce of ginger. Tea Cake.—Take four cups of flour, three of sugar, one of butter, three eggs, one cup of milk, one spoonful of saleratus a gill of yeast, and a little cinnamon. Bake fifteen minutes. SAVORY PIES. 31 Family Gingerbread.—Four cups of molasses, two cups of boiling water, four teaspoonfuls of saleratus, a small piece of melted butter; make it stiff with flour; roll it thin, and bake in pans. Wafers.—One quart of flour, quarter of a pound of butter, two eggs beaten, one glass of preserved quince-juice, and a nut- meg. Fried Wafers.—Two eggs, two large spoonfuls of sugar, one nutmeg; flour enough, to knead up hard ; rolled thin. Composition Cake.—One quart of flour, one cup of sugar, half a pound of butter, seven eggs, half a pint of cream. Common Flat Jacks.—One quart sour milk, thicken it with flour, two teaspoonfuls of saleratus, and a little salt. Buckwheat Cakes.—Mix your flour with cold water; put in a cup of yeast, and a little salt; set in a warm place over pight. If it should sour in the morning, put in a little saler- atus; fry them the same as flat-jacks; leave enough to rise the next mess. Doughnuts, No. 1.—Three cups of sugar, three eggs, one cup of butter, one pint of buttermilk, one cup of cream, one nutmeg, saleratus sufficient for the buttermHk; mould with flour. No. 2.—One quart of flour, quarter of a pound of butter, quarter of a pound of sugar, five eggs, spice. Economical Doughnuts.— One cup of sweet milk, one cup of sugar, one tcaspoonful of saleratus, flour enough to make it roll. Salt and spice to suit your taste; two or three ph'ms in each cake, improves them. SAVORY PIES. Few articles of cookery are more generally esteemed than relishing pies, when properly made, and none can be prepared in so great a variety; when they are to be eaten cold, no suet should be used. Should the pie be meat that requires more dressing than the baking of the crust will allow, or if it is to be served in an earthen pie form, let the meat be previously 6tewed. Raised Crmt for Savory Pies.—Boil an equal .quantity o/ 32 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. fresh dripping, or butter, and fine lard, but not much of either, in water; mix as much flour as you will want with this, while hot, and roll it out smooth; then let it remain until cold, befoie using it. Fish Pie.—Boil two pounds of small eels, cut the fins close, pick off the flesh, and put the bones to the liquor, with pepper, salt, a little mace, and a slice of onion; boil until quite rich, and strain it. Make forcemeat of the flesh, an anchovy, bread crumbs, lemon-peel, parsley, pepper, salt, and a quarter of a pound of butter; lay it at the bottom of the dish, lay the flesh of soles on it, pour the gravy over, and bake. Cod Pie.—Salt the middle of a small cod, one night; next day, wash it, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and lay it in the dish; put a little butter to it, a little good broth, and cover it with crust; when done, boil up a quarter of a pint of cream, a spoonful of broth, a grate of nutmeg and lemon, some flour and butter, with a few oysters, and put to it. Beefsteak Pie.—Beat your steaks well, season with pepper and salt, and lay them in the dish; put in some water, and mushroom catsup; line the edges with puff-paste, and cover with a good crust. Veal Pie.—Take the scrag end of a neck, season it with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and mace; cover with a good crust, and when baked, pour in some strong gravy. A few slices of lean ham, is a great improvement. Calf's Head Pie.—Parboil the head, cut the meat in square pieces, and season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; put a layer of ham at the bottom of the dish; then one of head, not laid close; next one of forcemeat balls and egg balls, and so on until the dish is full; put a little water into the dish, and cover with a thick crust; bake it in a slow oven, and when done, pour into it as much jelly as it will hold; it must not be cut until quite cold, and then use a sharp knife, and take out thin slices, the whole thickness. Any strong jelly may be used, but it must be quite clean. Pork Pies.—Raise common crust into either a round or oval form, season some lean pork well, with pepper and salt; put it in layers of fat and lean mixed; fill it up, and lay on the covei ; cut the edge smooth, pinch it, and bake in a slow oven no bone or water must be put in. SAVORY PTES. 33 Mutton Pie.—Cut steaks from a tender loin of mutton; sea- son with pepper, salt, and a little onion; put a little water at the bottom of the dish, and paste at the edge; lay in the meat, and cover with a good crust. ■ „ Lamb Pie.—Cut the breast into small pieces; remove the bones, but not the gristles; season with pepper and salt, and lay in the dish vrith two spoonfuls of water. After baking, a small portion of jelly gravy should be put in hot, and the pie oft till cold. Squab Pie. — Cut apples in slices, lay them in rows with mutton chops, and sprinkle with shred onions and sugar. Chicken Pie.—Cut up two chickens, season with salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and mace, in fine powder, and put thin slices of bam, hard eggs, and forcemeat balls in layers ; put a lit- tle water in the dish, and bake. When done, put in some veal gravy, seasoned with white pepper, mace, onion, and herbs. Duck Pie. — Bone a fowl and a full-grown duck; wash them, and season with salt, pepper, allspice, and mace; boil a calf's tongue, pickled red, till tender; put it inside the fowl, and that into the duck; lay it in the dish; fill round with forcemeat, lay on the crust, and bake in a slow oven. Oiblet Pie. — Clean duck or goose giblets, and stew them with sweet herbs, an onion, and black pepper, in a small quantity of water, till nearly done"; if they are not suffi- cient to fill the dish, lay a tender beefsteak at the bottom, skin the giblets, and fill the dish with the liquor they were stewed in; when it is done, put in a quarter of a pint of cream. Partridge Pie.— Cut off the legs at the knee, season with salt, pepper, mushrooms, thyme, and parsely, chopped fine; lay a slice of ham and a veal chop at the bottom of the dish; put the partridge on them, and half a pint of broth. Cover with pufT-paste and bake an hour. Pigeon Pie. — Cut off the pinions and necks, season with pepper and salt, inside and out, and put a piece of fresh butter in the belly of each; place a good rump steak at the bottom of 34 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. the dish, lay the birds on it, place the necks, pinions, heads, gizzards, livers, etc., in the center; cover the whole with a good crust, and bake. Hare Pie.—Cut up the hare, season it well, and lay it in the dish, with forcemeat balls, hard yelks of eggs, and slices of urnon; cover with a good crust, and bake it well. Potato Pie.— Peel and slice potatoes, season them, and also ome steaks or chops; put alternate layers, and bake. Vegetable Pie. — Scald and blanch some broad beans, cut celery, lettuces, turnips, carrots, onions, parsley, peas, mush- rooms, artichoke bottoms, or any that you please, and stew them nicely in some veal gravy; line the edge of a dish with paste, lay the crust over, with a cup inside, to prevent its sinking, and bake; when done, open the lid and put the stew in. PUDDINGS. The pudding cloth should be kept clean, and after using must be scalded, squeezed dry, and kept in a place free from damp; owing to neglecting this, the outside of puddings sometimes has a disagreeable flavor. The cloth should be floured before using, to prevent its adhering; and if a bat- ter pudding is being boiled, it must be tied tight; a bread pudding, on the contrary, loose; the basin must be buttered, and the pudding put into boiling water, and frequently moved, to prevent its sticking to the saucepan; when done, dip it into cold water, which will cause the cloth to come away more easily. Very good puddings may be made without eggs, but they must have as little milk as will mix, and must boil three or four hours; snow is an excellent substitute for eggs, in making pancakes or puddings; two large spoonfuls are equal to one egg, and as snow falls at the season when eggs are dearest, it should be taken up from any clean spot, and used imme- diately. Fresh small beer, or yeast, will also answer instead of eggs. Wheat Meal Pudding.—One quart of boiling water, one large teaspoonful of salt, made stiff with wheat. Serve up witb cream or sweet sauce. ruDDINGS. 35 Haity Pudding. — Boil water, a quart, three pints, or two quarts, according to the size of your family; sift your meal, stir five or six spoonfuls of it thoroughly into a bowl of water; when the water in the kettle boils, pour into it the contents of the bowl; stir it well and let it boil up thick; put in salt to suit your own taste, then stand over the kettle and sprinkle in meal, handful after handful, stirring it very thoroughly all the time, and letting it boil between whiles. When it is so thick that you *'ir it with difficulty, it is about right. It takes about half an hour's cooking. Eat it with milk or molasses. Either Indian or rye meal may be used. If the system is in a restricted state, nothing can be better than rye hasty pudding and West India molasses. This diet would save many a one the honors of dyspepsia. Sago Pudding.—Boil six spoonfuls of sago, with a little cin- namon, nutmeg, and lemon-peel, in a quart of new milk; sweet- en to taste; put in five eggs, and bake slowly, with an edging of paste round the dish. Lemon Pudding.— Beat the peel and juice of a lemon in a mortar, with the yelks of four eggs, and a quarter of a pound of white sugar ; mix all with five ounces of butter warmed, and lay it into a dish lined with crust; when cold, turn the pudding out and serve. Bread and Butter Pudding.— Line the edge of a small dish with paste, put thin slices of bread and butter at the bottom of it, and a layer of currants on them, and so fill the dish; then pour over some new milk, mixed with three eggs, and a spoon- ful of rose water; let it stand to soak for a couple of hours, and then bake. Baked Apple Pudding. — Peel and core some apples, and boil them tender with the rind of a lemon; pound them in a mortar with bread crumbs, the yelks of five and whites of three eggs, the juice of half a lemon, a quarter of a pound of butter, wanned, and sugar to taste; beat all together, and lay it in a dish lined with paste to turn out. Dutch Rice Pudding. — Pour hot water on a quarter of a pound of rice, let it soak half an hour and drain; then sim- mer with cinnamon in half a pint of milk, till tender; when cold, add four beaten eggs, two ounces of butter, melted in a quarter of a pint of cream, nutmeg, lemon-peel, and sugar 36 THE FAMILV IIOVSEKEErER. sulficient; put a puff-paste into the dish, and bake in a quick oven. Boiled Rice Pudding. — Wash some rfce, mix a little finely pounded pimento with it, tie it loosely in a cloth, and boil for an hour or two; serve with butter, melted with milk., and sweetened. Baked Rice Pudding.—Put half a pound of rice into a deep dish, with half a gallon of milk, a quarter of a pound of sugar, half that quantity of butter, and a little powdered allspice; bake slowly. Rice Pudding — Very simple. — Wash very clean a pint of rice, put into a saucepan with a pint and a half of water, and a teaspoonful of salt, and boil till the water is all absorbed, then add a quart of milk, and let it boil up; have two or more eggs, beaten with four heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, sea- soned with a nutmeg grated, and a little rose-water; mix the egg smoothly with the boiling rice, then pour into a buttered dish and bake an hour. Eat with cold butter. Half the above quantities would be enough for most private families. Another.— Swell a coffee-cup of rice, add a quart of milk; sweeten it with brown sugar, and bake it about an hour, or a little more, in a quick oven or baker. Light Puffs. — Melt three oujices of butter in a pint of cream; when nearly cold, add two ounces of flour, the same of sugar, two whites and four yelks of eggs, and a little rose-water; bake half an hour in small cups buttered; and serve, the moment they are done, with white wine and sugar. Batter Pudding. No. 1. — Rub smooth three spoonfuls of fine flour into a pint of milk, simmer till it thickens, and stir in two ounces of butter; set it to cool, add the yelks of three eggs, and put it into a buttered basin; tie it tight, plunge it bottom upward into boiling water, and boil an hour and a half. Batter Pudding. No. 2.— One quart of milk, three eggs, one tablespeonful of salt, flour enough to make it batter; beat the ingredients till free from lumps, and it will not rope; boil it one hour and a half; if the matter be quite thin, butter the bag. rtTDDINGS. 30 beaten eggs, nutmeg, and sugar, and bake with a crust round the dish. Baled Indian Pudding.—Scald a quart of milk, and stir in seven tablespoon fuls of Indian meal, a teaspooful of salt, a teacup of molasses, and a tablespoonful of ginger or cinna- mon. Bake three or four hours. If you want whey, you must pour in a little cold milk after it is all mixed. Plum Pudding Baked.—Pound six crackers, and soak them jver night in milk enough to cover them ; then add three pints of milk, four or five eggs, one half pound of raisins, and spice it with nutmeg; sweeten it with sugar and molasses. Bake about two hours. Custard Pudding Baked.—Take five eggs to a quart of milk, sweetened with brown sugar or molasses; spice with cassia or nutmeg; a little salt. Bake fifteen or twenty minutes. Tapioca Pudding.—Pick and wash a coffeecupful of tapioca, and pour upon it a pint of boiling milk. After standing half an hour, add another pint of cold milk, with sugar, and raisins, if you like. Steam Pudding.—Pare and slice ten or twelve apples; put them in a kettle with a little water, say a gill;.make a crust the same as for soda-biscuit, and cover the apples; close the kettle so that no sfeam can escape; cook in about twenty minutes; eat with sauce: this is a very cheap, wholesome, and agreeable pudding. Yeast Dumplings.—Make a light dough with yeast and milk, lay it before the fire to rise, make it into moderate sized dump- lings, and throw them into boil ng water; in about twenty minutes, stick a fork into one, and if it comes out clean, they are done; eat with sugar, butter, salt, or meat. Pancakes.—Mix a light batter with milk, flour, and eggs; fry in a small pan, with hot lard: serve with lemon and sugar. Irish Pancakes.—Beat the whites of four, and the yelks of eight eggs; strain them into a pint of warm cream, and put sufficient sugar and nutmeg; then set a quarter of a pound of butter over the fire, stir it, and as it warms, pour it to the cream ; add half a pint of flour, and fry the pancakes very thin in butter. Fritters.—Pour a small quantity of either of the above bat, 40 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. ters into the pan; lay some apples, or other fruit, in very thin slices on it, and fry sufficiently. Fruit, or sweetmeats of any kind, may be used, for variety. Potato Fritters.—Scrape three boiled potatoes very fine; add the whites of three and yelks of four eggs, a tablespoonful of sherry, one of cream, and a little nutmeg and lemon; beat this batter half an hour, and it will be very light; put a spoonful at a time into boiling lard, and fry them. Make a sauce of a dessertspoonful of almond-water, a glass of sherry, the juice of a lemon, and some fine sugar, warmed together, and servo separately. PASTRY. Pastry is better when rolled on marble, or a very large slate, and made early in the morning, and preserved from the air until it is to be used. An adept in pastry will produce a lighter crust with much less butter than others, and never leave any part adhering to the dish or board used in making. Good salt butter, well washed, makes a nice flaky crust. Fruits preserved with their full quantity of sugar need no baking; the crust should be in a tin shape, and the fruit after- ward added. In making pastry, the cook should be very clean and neat. Her utensils should be kept in order, and when they are done with they should be carefully cleansed and put in their proper places. No flour except the very best should be used for fine descriptions of pastry. Clarified dripping, good lard, marrow, salt, butter well washed, may be used for ordinary pastry; indeed, if they are pure and sweet they will form good pastry, with good flour and good management. In wealthy families, however, where economy is not an object, and everything for the table is required to be of the first quality, the safest plan is to use the best fresh butter. A most wholesome crust is made without butter or any other oily matter. For this purpose take half a quartern of dough, work in an egg, and cover your pie. This will do for a large one. .In the richest crusts the quantity of lard or butter should never exceed the weight of the flour; but for ordinary purposes, half the weight is sufficient. Eggs may be added to enrich the crust; use no more watei or other liquid in making paste than is absolutely necessary PASTRr. 41 The under or side crust, should be made thinner and not so rich as the top crust. All dishes, tiffs, or saucers, in which pies are to be baked, should be buttered or greased around the edges to prevent the crust from sticking; and if there be an under crust, all over the inside. There are many little things to be attended to in making pastry. Fruit pies, or large tarts, should have a hole made in the middle of the crust, and it is a good plan in a family pie to place a small teacup in the middle of the pie; this will form a receptacle for the sirup, and prevent its boiling over. For the same reason meat pies should have holes round their edges, but they do not require a teacup. Top crusts vary in thickness from half an inch to an inch or more. Meat pies will require a longer time to bake than a fruit one, and some descriptions of fruit longer than others. Pastry should be baked in a quick oven, to be light, and should be slightly browned to be healthy. Common Paste for Pies.—Take a quantity of flour propor- tioned to the number of pies you wish to make, then rub in some lard and salt, and stir it with cold water ; then roll it out, and spread on some lard, and scatter over some dry flour; then double it together, and cut it to pieces, and roll it to the thick- ness you wish to use it. Cream Crust.—Take cream, sour or sweet, add salt, and stir in flour to make it stiff; if the cream is sour add saleratus in proportion of one teaspNxmful to a pint; if sweet, use very little saleratus. Mould it as little as you can. Rich Puff-Paste.—Weigh an equal quantity of butter with as much fine flour as you judge necessary, mix a little of the former with the latter, and wet it with as little butter as will make it into a stiff paste. Roll it out, and put all the butter over it in slices, turn in the ends, and roll it thin; do this twice, and touch it no more than can be avoided. Short Crust.—Rub together one pound of flour, and twelve ounces of lard, or butter, and mix into a stiff paste, with as little water as possible; roll it thin, and bake in a moderate oven. Raised Crust for Sweets.—Put a quarter of a pound of but- ter into a saucepan, with water, and when it boils, pour it into sufficient flour to make a stiff paste; knead and beat it until smooth, and put it under a pan to cool. 42 TIIE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. Rice Paste for Tarts, etc.—Boil four ounces of ground riea in the smallest quantity of water; strain it, dry and mix it well, with one egg, and half an ounce of butter. Potato Paste.—Pound boiled potatoes very fine, mix with it an egg, and before it gets cold, flour the board to prevent its sticking, and roll it to the thickness wanted; it must be used before it gets cold, or it may crack. Apple Pie.—Pare and core the fruit, and boil the cores and peel with a piece of bruised cinnamon, in a little water, until it has acquired the flavor; meanwhile, put a paste round the edge of the dish, lay in one layer of the apples, and sprinkle half the sugar, and some shred lemon-peel, or a clove; then put in the rest of the apples and sugar, and the liquor. If to be eaten hot, put in a little butter when it is cut. Currant Pie may be made with or without raspberries. Cherry Pie should be made with raspberries, or currants, or both. Light Paste for Tarts.—Beat the white of an egg to a strong froth, and mix it with as much water as will make three- quarters of a pound of flour, into a very stiff paste, and roll it very thin; then spread the third part of half a pound of butter on it, and roll it up tight; roll it out again, put the same pro- portion of butter, and so proceed, until it is all used. Icing for Tarts.—Wash the tarts with the white of an egg, well beaten, and soft white sugar over them. Rhubarb Tart.—Cut the stalks into short lengths, take off the thin skin, and simmer until tender; put an edging of paste round the dish, put in the rhubarb, some of the liquor, and some sugar; cover with crust, and bake. Raspberry Tart.—Put some raspberries into a patty-pan, lined with thin puff-paste, strew over them fine sugar, cover with a thin lid, and bake; then cut it open, add half a pint of warm cream, well mixed with two beaten yelks, and a little sugar, and return it to the oven for five minutes. Mince Meat.—Take two pounds of scraped beef, free from skin and strings, three pounds of chopped apples, four pounds of shred suet, six pounds of currants, picked and dry, the peel and juice of two lemons, a pint of sweet wine, a nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, the same of pimento, and of PASTRY. 43 mace, in fine powder; mix these well, press them into a deep pan, and keep it covered in a cool, dry place. Fried Patties.—Mince six oysters, and a piece of cold veal, mix with bread crumbs, lemon-peel, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and the liquor of the oysters; warm all in a tosser, but do not let them boil; roll a good puff-paste thin, cut it into square or round pieces, and put some of the above, when cold, between two of them ; twist the edges, to keep in the gravy, and fry them a fine brown. Veal Patties.—Mince some underdone veal with a little ham, parsley, and lemon-peel; add salt, and nutmeg, and cream, and gravy, sufficient to moisten the meat, but do not warm it until the patties are baked. Oyster Patties.—Line some small patty-pans with a good puff-paste; put a piece of bread in each, to keep them hollow while baking, and cover with paste; meanwhile, beard and quarter some oysters, put them in a tosser, with a very little lemon-peel, cut fine, grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, cream, and some of the oyster liquor, and simmer for a few minutes before you fill. Puff-Paste.—Mix flour with as little water as will make it into a stiff paste; roll it out, put pieces of butter over it, fold in the ends, and roll it thin ; repeat this, and touch it no more than can be avoided. A rich paste should have the same weight of butter as of flour; plainer ones in proportion; it requires to be baked quicker than short crust. Apple Puffs.—Pare and bake some apples; when cold, mix the pulp with finely-shred lemon-peel and sugar, and bake them in their paste; a quarter of an hour will do small ones. Cheese Puffs.—Strain cheese curd from the whey, and beat half a pint of it fine, in a mortar, with a spoonful and a half of flour, a spoonful of orange-flower water, a quarter of a nutmeg, the yelks of three eggs, one white, and sugar to make it quito sweet; la} a little of this in small, round cakes, on a tin plate, and bake a quarter of an hour. Lemon Puffs.—Grate the rind of two large lemons well, and mix with a pound and a quarter of powdered sugar; then beat the whites of three eggs half an hour, add them to the sugar, and peel and beat it for an hour longer; make it up in any 14 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. shape you please, and bake it on buttered paper; put on two plates, in a moderate oven. Crust for Venison Pasty.—Mix half a gallon of flour, four eggs, and two pounds and a half of butter, with warm water, and work it smooth, and to a good consistence. PIES. Plain Mince Pies.—These may be made of almost any cheap pieces of meat, boiled until tender; add suet or salt pork, chopped very fine; two-thirds as much apple as meat; sugar and spice to your taste. If mince pies are eaten cold, it is better to use salt pork than suet. A lemon and a little sirup of sweetmeats, will greatly improve them. Clove is the most important spice. Apple Mince Pies.—To twelve apples chopped fine, add six beaten eggs, and half a pint of cream. Put in spice, sugar, raisins or currants, just as you would for meat mince pics. They are very good. Whortleberry or Blackberry Pies.—Fill the dish not quite even full, and to each pie, of the size of a soup-plate, add four large spoonfuls of sugar; for blackberries and blueberries, dredge a very little flour over the fruit before you lay on the upper crust. See general observations. Apple Pie.—Peel the apples, slice them thin, pour a little molasses, and sprinkle some sugar over them; grate on some lemon-peel, or nutmeg. If you wish to make richer, put a \ little butter on the top. Pumpkin Pie.—Take out the seeds, and pare the pumpkins; stew and strain it through a coarse sieve. Take two quarts of scalded milk, and eight eggs, and stir four pumpkins into it; sweeten it with sugar or molasses. Salt it, and season with ginger, cinnamon, or grated lemon-peel, to your taste. Bake with a common crust. Crackers pounded fine, are good sub- stitutes for eggs. Less eggs will do. Rhubarb Pies.—Take the tender stalks of the rhubarb, strip off the skin, and cut the stalks into thin slices. Line deep the plates with pie crust, then pour in the rhubarb, with a thick layer of sugar to each layer of rhubarb—a little grated lemon- peel improves the pie. Cover the pie with a crust; press it PIES. 46 down tight around the edge of the plate, and prick the crust with a fork, so that the crust will not burst whi.e baking, and let out the juices of the pie. Rhubarb-pies should be baked about an hour, in a slow oven—it will not do to bake them quick. Some cooks stew the rhubarb before making it into l>ies, but it is not so good as when used without stewing. Pumpkin Pies.—Pare and stew the pumpkin soft, let it re- main over the fire, stirring it often until quite dry. When cool, strain through a sieve or fine cullender, and add milk, about one quart, to one of pumpkin. Let it warm, after they are strained together, then add molasses or sugar, a little salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, or lemon, with a spoonful of ginger,' and an egg or two, with a handful of flour. Bake in a hot oven, nearly an hour. Carrot Pies.—A very good pie may be made of carrots, in the same way that you,make pumpkin pies. Rhubarb Pies.—Pull the rhubarb from Jthe root, instead of cutting it; peel off the skin from the stalk, and cut into smSll pieces; put them in the pie with plenty of brown sugar; you can hardly put in too much. Cover the pie, and bake, like apple, in a deep plate. Cherry Pies.—The common red cherry, makes the best pie. A large deep dish is the best. Use sugar in the proportion directed for blackberries. Buttered Apple Pie*.—Pare and slice tart apples, lay them in a rich paste, and bake half an hour. When done, raise the top crust and add sugar, a little butter, and flavor with lemon, rose- water, nutmeg, or cinnamon. They are best, when fresh baked. Cherry Pie.—Fruit pies should be made in deep plates; lay the cherries on the under crust; sprinkle sugar, according to the sweetness of the cherries; nutmeg or cinnamon, for spice. Whortleberry Pie.—Make as cherry pie. Cranberry Pie.—Cranberries should be stewed; sweeten to your taste, with sugar; a little nutmeg; bake with only an under crust, and strips of paste laid on the top, to form dia- monds. The cranberries should be strained, for tarts. Gooseberries and Currants maybe prepared in the same way, for pies. Tarts.—Cut out the paste with a tumbler; then cut strips 5 CUSTARDS. 47 Boiled Cuslurds.—Coil a quart of milk with a bit of cinna- mon, and half a lemon-peel, sweeten it with nice white sugar, strain it, and when a little cooled mix in gradually seven well- beaten eggs, and a tablespoonful of rose-water; stir all to- gether over a slow lire till it is of proper thickness, and then pour it into your glasses. This makes good boiled custards. Another Way.—Take six eggs, leave out the whites, mix your eggs and sugar together, with some rose-water, then boi. a pint of rich milk and put in the eggs; let it simmer a minute or two, and stir it to prevent its curdling. Baked Custard.—Two quarts of milk, twelve eggs, twelve ounces of sugar, four spoonfuls of rose-water, one nutmeg. Cream Custard.—Eight eggs beat and put into two quarts of cream, sweetened to the taste, a nutmeg and a little cinnamon. Common Custard.—Boil a pint of milk with a bit of cinnamon and lemon-peel, mix one tablespoonful of potato flour with two of cold milk, put in a sieve and pour the boiling milk upon it; let it run in a basin; mix in by degrees the well beaten yelks of three eggs. Sweeten and stir it over the fire a few minutes to thicken. Rice Custard.—Mix a pint of milk, half a pint of cream, an ounce of sifted ground rice, two tablespoonfuls of rose-water, sweeten with loaf sugar, and stir all well together till it nearly boils; add the well-beaten yelks of three eggs. Stir and let it sim- mer for about a minute, pour it into a dish on serve it in cups, with sifted loaf sugar and a little nutmeg over the top. _ Custards to turn out.—Mix with the well-beaten yelks of four eggs a pint of new milk; half an ounce of dissolved isinglass, sweeten with loaf sugar and stir it over a slow fire till it thickens; pour it into a basin, and stir it till a little cooled, then pour it in cups to turn out when quite cold; add spice as you like to the beaten eggs. Beef Pasty to eat like Ve-aison Pasty.—Hang a rump of beef several days, then bone it, beat it well and rub ten pounds with a quarter of a pound of sugar; pour over it a glass of vinegar, and the same quantity of port; let it lie five days, wash and wipe it dry, and season with pepper, Jamaica pepper, salt, and nutmeg; lay it on your dish, spread a pound of butter over She meat, and line and cover the dish with a thick crust, and 40 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. bake in a slow oven. Make gravy of the bones, in just suffi- cient water to cover them, a glass of port, pepper and salt, and add to the pastry, when done. Potato Pasty.—Boil, peel, and mash potatoes with salt, pep- per, and butter; make paste, roll it out thin, like a large puff, and put in the potatoes; fold over one half, pinch the edges, and bake in a moderate oven. Custards.—Boil three pints of new milk with three bay-leaves, lemon-peel, and cinnamon; rub smooth a large spoonful of rice-flour into a cup of cold milk, and rcix with it two well-beaten yelks; mix a basin of the boiling milk with the cold, and pout that to the boiling; stir it one way till it is just going to boil up, then pour it into a pan, stir it some time, and add half a glass of peach-water. Richer Custard.—Boil a pint of milk with cinnamon and lemon-peel, mix a pint of cream with the yelks of five eggs, well beaten, and pour the boiling milk, sweetened, into it, stir- ring it well; then simmer the custard till of a proper thickness. Baked Custard.—Boil one pint of cream, and half a pint of milk, with lemon-peel, mace, and cinnamon; when cold, mix the yelks of three eggs, sweeten, and make your paste or cups nearly full; bake them ten minutes. Lemon Custard. — Beat the yelks of eight eggs till they are as white as milk; then add a pint of boiling water, the grated rinds of two lemons, and the juice sweetened to your taste; stir it on the fire till thick enough; add a glass of wine and half a glass of brandy; give the whole one scald, and put it in cups to be eaten cold. Cheesecakes. — Pound the curd of three quarts of milk with two ounces of butter till quite smooth; put to it a pint and a half of good milk, and add three ounces of currants, cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. A richer Sort.— Crumble the curd of two quarts of milk through a coarse sieve, mix with six ounces of fresh butter, an ounce of blanched almonds pounded, a quarter of a pound of currants, a grated biscuit, half a glass of raisin-wine, some orange-flower water, powdered cinnamon and nutmeg, and beat with them eggs, and half a pint of cream, till quite light; then fill the pans three parts full. Another Way.—Mix the curds of three quarts of milk, a pint 50 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. stand near the fire until clone fermenting, when it will be fit for use. Hop Yeast. — In two quarts of water, boil a handful of hops; strain, and pour the liquor hot upon half a teacupful of wheat flour. When about milk-warm, add a teacupful of yeast. Let it ferment, when it will be ready for use, and may be bottled. For Yeast Cakes. — Stir into a pint of good lively yeast, a tablespoonfu. of salt, and rye or wheat flour to make a thick batter. When risen, stir in Indian meal till it will roll out good. When risen again, roll them out very thin; cut them into cakes with a tumbler, and dry them in the shade in clear, windy weather. Care must be taken to keep them from the sun, as they will ferment. When perfectly dry, tie them in a bag, and keep them in a cool, dry place. To raise a half dozen loaves of bread, take one of these cakes and put to it a little warm water. When dissolved, stir in a couple of table- spoonfuls of flour, set it near the fire, and when light it is fit for use. Yeast cakes will keep good six months. TO CLARIFY SUGAR. Take four pounds of sugar, and break it in pieces; put into a preserving pan the white of an egg and a glass of spring water; mix them well with a whisk, and add water, a glass at a time, until two quarts are in. When the pan is full of froth, throw in the sugar, and set it on a moderate fire, being careful to skim it as the scum rises. After a few boilings up, the sugar will rise so high as to run over the sides of the pan — to prevent which, throw on a little cold water; this will lower it instantly, and leave time for skimming. The scum should never be taken oft" while the sugar is bub- bling — when the cold water stills it, is the moment for skimming. Repeat the above operations three or four times, when a light scum only will rise ; then take the pan off, lay a napkin, slightly wetted in cold water, over a basin, and strain the su- gar through it. Put the scum, thus taken off, into a basin When the sugar is clarified, wash the skimmer and basin with a glass of water, put it to the scum, and set it aside for com- - mon purposes. SIRUPS, ETC. ftl SIRUPS, ETC. Elder-Berry Sirup.— One pint of molasses to a pint of the juice of perfectly ripe berries, well washed and strained^-boil together twenty minutes, stirring it constantly. When cold, add to each quart half a pint of French brandy. Bottle and cork tight. , Good beverage when mixed with sufficient water, or for bowel complaints, or a light cough. Lemon and Orange Sugar.—Grate the yellow rind of oranges or lemons to an equal quantity of loaf sugar powdered. Dry it, and keep it for flavoring cakes, pies, etc. Lemon or Orange- Water.—Peel as above. Pound it fine in a mortar, and pour boiling water on it, and cover close when cold. Bottle for use, as a substitute for essence. Lemon Sirup. — One pint of lemon-juice, one pound and three-quarters of sugar dissolved in the juice by a gentle heat, skim til! clear, and then add the rinds, previously peeled off; simmer gently eight or ten minutes, and strain through a flan- nel bag. When cool, bottle tight with sealed corks. Orange Sirup. — To one pint of the juice of fresh oranges, add a pound and a half of sugar; dissolve the sugar in a gen- tle heat. After the sugar is dissolved, put in the peels; then set the sirup where it will boil slowly six or eight minutes; then strain it through a flannel bag. Do not squeeze the bag while the sirup is passing through, if you wish it clear. It is nice to flavor pies and puddings. Blackberry Sirup. — Take ripe blackberries, simmer them over a moderate fire till they break to pieces, and then strain them through a flannel cloth; add one pound of white sugar, half an ounce of powdered cinnamon, a quarter of a pound of powdered mace, and two teaspoonfuls of powdered cloves to each pint of the liquor. Boil fifteen minutes, strain, and when Srandy. Bottle, cork, seal, and keep it where cool. This makes a very grateful summer beverage. Also it is good when mixed in the proportion of a wine glass of sirup to two-thirds of a tumbler of cold water, for dysentery and simi Far complaints. 64 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. the meat is seldom good. When fed with oil cakes, it is usu- ally so, and the flesh is flabby. Pork.—If the rind is. tough and thick, it is old. A thin rind is always preferable. When fresh the meat will be smooth and cool; if clammy it is tainted. Mutton.—Choose this by its fine grain, good color, an I white fr.t. Lam/..—If it has a green or yellow cast it is stale. Veal.—The whitest is the most juicy, and therefore pre- ferable. Bacon.—If the rind is thin, the fat firm, and of a red tinge, the lean of a good color and adhering to the bone, it is good, and not old. Hams.—Stick a sharp knife under the bone, if it comes out clean with a pleasant smell, it is good; but if the knife is daubed and has a bad scent, do not buy it. Choice of Fowls. Turkeys.—If young, the legs will be black and smooth, the eyes lively, and the feet pliable. If old, the eyes will be sunk and the feet dry. Geese.—If young the bill will be yellow, and the feet limber, If old, the bill and feet will be red and dry. Hens.—If their combs and legs are rough they are old, if smooth and limber they are young. Wild and Tame Ducks.—If young, they will be limber-footed if fat, hard and thick on the lower part of the body. A wild duck has red feet, and smaller than tame ones. Partridges.—11 young, will have a black bill and yellow legs; if old, the bill will be white and the legs blue. Old fowls, tame and wild, may be told by their hard, rough, or dry feet. Haret and Eahbits.—If young, they will be white and stiff, the ears will tear like brown paper. If old, the flesh will be dark, the body limber and the ears tough. A rabbit, if old, will be limber and flimsy; if young, white and stiff. , CHOICE OF FI8H. 55 Choice of Fish. Cod.—The gills should be very red, the fish thick at the oeck, the flesh white and firm, and the eyes fresh. When Qabby they are not good. Salmon.—If new the flesh is of a fine red, the gills par- ticularly, the scales bright, and the whole fish stiff. Shad, if good, are white and thick; gills red, and eyes blight, the fish stiff and firm. Season, April and May. Mackerel.—Their season is May, June and July. They are so tender they do not carry or keep so well as other fish un- salted. Striped Bass.—If the eyes are sunken and gills pale, they have been from the water too long. Their fineness depends upon their being cooked immediately after they are killed. Trout.—These should be killed and dressed as soon as caught. When yoii buy them, see that the gills are red, and hard to open; the eyes bright and the body stiff, The season, July, August and September. Flounders soon become flabby and bad; they should be thick and firm, the eyes bright. Lobsters, if they have not been too long taken, the claws will have a strong motion if you press your finger on the eyes. The heaviest are the best. The male though generally smaller, has the highest flavor, the firmest flesh, and the deepest red. It may be known from the female by having a narrower tail. Crabs.— Those of middling size are the sweetest. The heaviest are best. When in perfection, the joints of the legs are stiff, and the body has an agreeable smell. The eyes look loose and dead when stale. All fish should be well dressed and clean, for nothing is more unpalatable than fresh fish not thoroughly cooked. Fresh Fish, when boiled, should be placed in cold, and shell fish in boiling water. Fish should be garnished with horse-radish, or hard boiled eggs cut in rings, and laid around the dish, or pastry, and nerved with no other vegetable but potatoes. This, or soup, is generally eaten at the commencement of a dinner. THE FAMTLT HOUSEKEEPER. HOW TO COOK MEATS. Venison. To Keep Venison.—Wash it with milk and water, and dry it thoroughly with clean cloths; then dust pounded ginger over it, which will keep away the fly. It must be constantly watch- ed, and when to be used, wash it with warm water. To Roast Venison.—A haunch will require about three hours and a half to roast; wash it with vinegar and water, well dry it, and cover with buttered paper, and baste with butter till nearly done; then boil a pint of claret with nutmeg, cloves, mace, and pepper; strain and pour it over the venison, and serve with sweet sauce. To Hash Venison.—Cut the meat in slices, and warm it in its own gravy, but do not let it boil. To Stew Venison.—Take out the bone, beat the meat with the rolling-pin, add to it some slices of mutton fat that have been steeped in port; sprinkle some powdered allspice and pepper over, and tie it in a roll. Set it in a stew-pan with the bone, some mutton or beef gravy, half a pint of port, some allspice and pepper, and cover it close. Simmer it slowly for three or four hours, and when quite tender, untie the meat, set it on a dish, strain the gravy over it, and serve with currant- jelly sauce. Beef. To Keep Beef.—The butcher should cut out the kernels in the neck-pieces, where the shoulder-clod comes off, one be- tween the rump and edge-bone, one in the middle of the fat of the thick flank, and two from each round of beef; one in the middle, called the pope's eye, the other from the flap; if he neglects to do so, the cook should attend to it, and then slightly sprinkle the joints that are intended for roasting with salt, and rub it well into those that are for boiling. If these are not removed, especially in summer, no salt will preserve the meat. Roast Beef.—The tender loin, and first and second cut off the rack, are the best roasting pieces ; the third and fourth cuts are good. When the meat is put to the fire, a little salt should be sprinkled on it, and the bony side turned toward the fire first. When the bones get well heated through, turn the meat, HOW TO COOK MEATS. 57 and keep a brisk fire; baste it frequently while roasting. There should be a little water put into the dripping-pan when the meat is put down to roast. If it is a thick piece, allow fifteen minutes to each pound to roast it in; if thin, less time will be required. Stewed Hump of Beef.—Partly roast it, .ay it in a stew-pan with two quarts of water, a gill of vinegar, three tablespoon- fuls of catsup, some salt, cayenne, sweet herbs, onions, and cloves; cover it close, and let it simmer till tender; then keep the meat hot while you skim the gravy, to which add a spoon- ful of soy, and some pickled mushrooms, thicken with flour and butter ; pour it over the meat, and serve with forcemeat balls. Fillet of Beef.—Hang four ribs for as many days; remove the bones, sprinkle it with salt, roll the meat tight, and roast it. Beef Steaks should be broiled over a very clear fire, and tinted often, that the gravy may not be drawn out on either side; put into the dish a tablespoonful of catsup, and some minced shallot; as soon as taken off, rub a piece of butter over it, <.nd add pepper and salt. Oyster-sauce may be served with them. The rump is the best part for steaks; it should be so cut, that there will be a ribbon of fat on one edge. The ribs and sirloin, and best parts of the round, also make excellent steaks; all the other parts are too hard to eat broiled and had better be cooked some other way. The steak should be cut about three-quarters of an inch 'thick, and pounded with a pestle to make it tender; see that the gridiron is clean, heat it, and then wipe with a piece of the beef fat; let the coals be clear and bright; pepper the steaks, but do not salt, till you take from the fire; broil ten or fifteen minutes, turning them at least three or four times. Have a dish very hot; it should be a proper beef steak dish, with hot water under it; put a spoonful or more of catsup, and the same quantity of boiling water in the dish; take up the steaks, salt them, and rub a very small piece of sweet butter on them, serve the moment they are cooked; they become tough by standing. Beef for steaks, should be kept as long as the climate and state of the weather will allow. To Boil Salt Beef.—A piece of brisket is the best; put it in cold water; when it boils (which it should not do short of an hour), skim it well; then let it simmer slowly for four hours, if it is a large piece. That which is not eaten hot should have 58 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. a weight put on it, to press it while cooling; '• f • -ecessary to press out the liquor and oil, and enable you *- cu« it smooth • when cold, cut in thin slices and eat as a relish to other things. To Dress Cold Beef.—Mince it small with pepper, salt, and onion3, and some rich gravy, and put it into scollop-shells, three parts full. Fill them up with mashed potatoes, and brown before the fire. Ti Slew Tongues.—Stew a pickled tongue in strong grayy, with catsup, cayenne, cloves, and mace, pounded; serve with pickled mushrooms. To Boil Tongue.—If dried, steep it in water one night; if pickled, only wash it. Boil it slowly three hours. To Roast Heart.—Wash it well, stuff as veal, and serve with rich gravy and currant-jelly sauce. Bound of Beef should have the bone taken out, and be care- fully salted; when ready to dress, it should be stuffed with chopped parsley, skewered and tied perfectly round. It must not boil quick. Garnish with carrots. To Roast Sirloin of Beef.—Place it at a moderate distance from the fire, flour and baste it constantly, lay a glass of claret, two spoonfuls of catsup, four of vinegar, some horse-radish, and a shallot, in the dripping-pan, with which, baste the meat just before it is taken up; then strain it, lay it under the meat, and garnish it with horse-radish finely scraped. To Hash Beef.—Break the bones of the meat small, stew in a little water, with onions and sweet herbs, and strain; fry a lump of buttered flour until it is well browned, pour in the gravy, and add the meat, some sliced onion, and shred pars- ley; let it simmer until the meat is hot through, and serve. To Stew Brisket.—Put the hard fat into a stew-pan, with a small quantity of boiling water; let it boil, and skim it well; then add onions, celery, turnips, carrots, and a few pepper- corns; stew until quite tender, remove the bones and the fat. It may be served all together, in a tureen, or the meat may be laid on a dish, with the following sauce: put a glass of port, a spoonful of catsup, one of made mustard, some flour, butter, and salt, to a pint of the soup; boil all together a few minutes, and pour round the meat. HOW TO COOK BEEF. 55 To .Pot Beef, is a good way to use the remains of a large joint. Beat it in a mortar with some grated nutmeg, a few cloves, salt, pepper, and a little fine butter, just warm; put it into the pot, and cover with melted butter. Beef Cakes.—Pound some underdone beef, with a little fat ham, season with salt, pepper, and a little shallot, and make into small cakes; fry them a light brown, and serve in a good thick gravy. This is a nice side-dish. Osfeet, or Cowheels are very nutritious. They may be boiled and served in a napkin, with melted butter, vinegar, and mustard, or cut in four parts, dipped in egg, floured, and fried same as above. To Dress the Inside of a Cold Sirloin.—Cut out all the meat and a little fat, in small, thick pieces, flour and fry in butter to a nice brown, drain the butter from the meat, and toss it up in a rich gravy, seasoned with salt, pepper, shallot, and anchovy. Do not let it boil; and before serving, add two spoonfuls of vinegar. Garnish with crimped parsley. Stewed Beef Steaks.—Flour and season them, fry them with slices of onion, until brown, lay them in a stew-pan, with suffi- cient boiling water for sauce, stew them very gently, for half an hour, and add a spoonful of catsup before serving. To Mince Beef.—Boil an onion or shallot, in a small quan- tity of water, with pepper and salt, untiLthe onion is soft, then put in the minced meat, a spoonful of vinegar, and some gravy; let it only simmer, stir in some floured butter to thicken it, and pour it into a small hot dish, with soppets of bread. Tongue to eat Cold.—Lay it for a fortnight in a pickle of com- mon salt, bay salt, saltpeter, pepper, brown sugar, cloves, mace, and allspice in fine powder ; then put it into a small pan, lay some butter on it, cover it with brown crust, and bake slowly until it is so tender, that a straw would penetrate it. Marrow-bones must have the top covered with a floured cloth; boil them, and serve with dry toast. Tripe may be fricasseed with white sauce, or soused, or fried in batter, or staved with onion in milk, thickened and served in a lureen. Veal. To Keep Veal.—The skirt of a breast of veal must be taken nff, and the inside of the breast wiped, scraped, and sprinkled f>C THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. with a little salt; the first part that taints of a eg of veal, is where the udder is skewered back; the skewer should be taken out, and both that and the part under it, wiped every day; cut out the pipe that runs along the chine of the loin, to hinder it from tainting. To Roast Veal.—Veal must be roasted a fine brown, and must not be placed too near the fire at first; baste a shoulder well until near done, then flour and baste with butter: a loin s'nould be covered with paper, and a breast with the caul' these may be removed when nearly done, and the joint merely browned, served with melted butter, and garnish with slices of lemon cut thin, if convenient. Veal Stuffing.—Chop small, four ounces of beef suet, a little parsley, sweet marjoram, and lemon-peel; add white pepper, grated nutmeg, salt, and bread crumbs, and mix with egg. For Common Stuffing, omit the sweet marjoram and lemon- peel. Sage is a good ingredient. Shoulder of Veal.—Cut off the knuckle for gravy or a stew, roast the other part with stuffing, and serve with melted butter. It eats extremely well with mushroom catsup in butter, oyster or mushroom sauce. Knuckle of Veal.—Boil slowly in a small quantity of water, until quite tender, then serve it with melted butter and chopped parsley. Or, it may be fried with sliced onions to a fine brown color, then have ready peas, cucumber, onion, and lettuce, stewed an hour in a small quantity of water; put in the veal and stew until it is quite tender; season with pepper and salt, garnish with slices of lemon, and serve. Fillet of Veal.—Fill the space which the bone is taken from, with fine stuffing, skewer it, and set it before the fire, not toe close; as the meat is very solid, allow a sufficient time to do it. Cover the fat with paper, and serve with melted butter. Neck of Veal may be boiled as the shoulder. The best end is very good roasted, or in a pie; it may be stewed and sea- soned to your taste, or broiled as chops. To Roll a Breast of Veal.—Bone it, take off the thick skin and gristle, and beat it with a rolling-pin. Season it with herbs chopped fine, mixed with mace, pepper, and salt; lay in some thick slices of fine ham, bind up tight, and dimmer in a 62 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. and flour, add the meat cut thin, and some strong gravy; give it a boil, skim it carefully, and let it simmer until sufficiently tender; season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and herbs, accord- ing to taste. Garnish with forcemeat balls. Veal Cake.—Boil eight eggs hard, cut the yelks in halves, and lay some of the pieces at the bottom of a pan; then put in a little chopped parsley, some slices of veal and ham, and then eggs again, shaking in after each, some chcpped parsley, pep- per, and salt, until the pot is full; then put in water sufficient to cover it, lay on it an ounce of butter, cover it close, and bake it an hour. Press it into a small shape, let it stand until cold, and it will turn out beautifully, for a supper or side-dish. Baked Tongue.—Season with common salt, and saltpeter, brown sugar, pepper, cloves, mace, and allspice, in fine powder, for a fortnight; then take away the pickle, put the tongue into a small pan; lay some butter on it, cover it with brown crust, and bake slowly, until so tender, that a straw would go through it. To be eaten when cold. It will keep a week. Calfs Liver and Bacon should be well soaked, and cut in slices, then wiped dry and floured; first, fry the bacon, then put in the liver, and do it thoroughly. Pour in some water in the pan, add butter and salt, stir it well, and, when boiled, pour over the liver and bacon. Sweetbread Ragout.—Cut them about the size of a walnut, wash and dry them, and fry them of a fine brown; pour to them a good gravy, seasoned with pepper, salt, mushroom catsup, and allspice; strain, and thicken with flour and butter. Sweetbreads may be parboiled, covered with crumbs, herbs, and seasoning, and browned in a Dutch oven. Serve with butter and mushroom catsup. Or, they may be parboiled and stewed in a white gravy, seasoned. Sweetbreads Roasted.—Parboil two large ones, and let them get cold; then lard them with bacon, and roast them in a Dutch oven; serve with plain butter, and mushroom catsup. Mutton. The kernels should be taken out of all meat as soon as brought in, and then wiped dry; the bloody part of the neck must be cut off to preserve it; the brisket changes first in the breast, and if it is to be kept in hot weather, it is better to 04 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. and pounded mace, lay some oysters over it, roll the meat tight, and tie it. Stew it in a little water, with an onion and a few peppercorns, till tender. When it is untied, pour over the meat some oysters, stewed in a good gravy, and thickened with flour and butter. Hushed Mutton. —Slice your cold meat, lay it in a stew-pan with a pint of gravy, a gill of water, a spoonful of catsup, some boiled onion, cloves, pepper, and salt; let the whole sim- mer, but lot boil; thicken with flour, and butter, and serve in a covered dish. Mutton Cdlops.— Cut some very thin collops from that part of a tender loin of mutton next the leg, remove the sinews, strew over the meat some pepper, salt, and mace, with some shallots, thyme, and parsley, shred fine, fry them in butter till half done, and half a pint of gravy, some butter rubbed in flour, and a little lemon-juice ; simmer the whole very gently for five minutes, and serve immediately to prevent their get- ting hard. Mutton Steaks should be broiled over a clear fire, seasoned when half done, and often turned; take them up into a very hot dish; rub a little butter over them, and serve quite hot. Mutton Steaks Mairdenon. —Half fry them, stew while hot, with seasoning, herbs, and crumbs; put them in buttered pa- per, and finish on the gridiron. Be careful that the paper does not catch. Mutton Cutlets.— Season with pepper and salt, and half fry them with chopped parsley, bay-leaves, and slices of onion; then lay some forcemeat on a piece of white paper, twist the chop in it, and broil on a gentle fire. Serve with a little gravy. Mutton Sausages. — Take a pound of underdone leg of mutton, six ounces of beef suet, a pint of oysters, two an- chovies, and some sweet herbs; chop them very fine, season with nutmeg, mace, pepper, and salt; add a quarter of a pound of grated bread, and two eggs, well beaten; mix it well, pot it, and use it by rolling it into balls or sausage shape, and frying. L a mb. Fore Quarter of Lamb may be roasted either whole or in separate parts; if left to be cold, chopped parlsey should be HOW TO COOK LAMB. 65 liprinkled over it. The neck and breast together are called a scoven. Shoulder o Lamb Forced. —Take out the bone of a shoulder of lamb, fill it with forced meat, and lay it in a stew-pan with some fat bacon, herbs, onions, and celery; cover it close, a%d let it stew for two hours; then take up the meat, skim the gravy, and set it on to boil very quick until it is thick. It must then be strained and put over the meat, which must be served with sorrel sauce. Leg of Lamb should be boiled in a cloth to look as white as- possible, or it may be roasted. Loin of Lamb may be roasted, or fried in steaks, garnished with parsley, and served with boiled spinach. Neck of Lamb. — Cut the best end of the neck into steaks, and chop each bone so short as to make them nearly round. Dip them in egg, strew with crumbs, herbs, and seasoning, and fry them of a nice brown. Mash some potatoes with a little butter and cream, put them in the middle of the dish^ raised high, and place the steaks round them, with the bone uppermost. Lamb Steaks should be fried, and served with parsley and sauce Robart. Lamb Cutlets with Spinach. — Cut them from the loin and fry them ; put some stewed spinach into the dish, and place the nutlets round it. Lamb's Fry.—Serve it fried a beautiful brown, and garnished with fried parsley. Lamb's Head and Hinge. — Soak the head well in cold water, and boil it separately till very tender. Parboil the liver and lights, mince them small, and stir them in a little of the water in which they were boiled; add seasoning, thicken with floured butter, and serve the head with the mince around it. Lamb's Sweetbreads.—Blanch them, and lay them for a short time in cold water; then put them in a stew-pan with half a pint of brolh, some mace, salt, pepper, onions, and floured but- ter, and let the whole stew forty minutes; then add some pars- ley, grated nutmeg, half a pint of cream, and two eggs well THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. beaten; stir it well, but do not suffer it to boil, which would curdle it. Some young Frencb beans, peas, or asparagus tops, previously boiled, may be added. Pork and Bacon. Porkers are not so old as bacon-hogs, and are differently cut up ; their flesh is whiter and less rich, but not so tender. It is divided into four quarters; the fore-quarter has the spring, or fore-leg, the fore-loin, or neck, the spare-rib and griskin; the hind-quarter has the loin and leg. The feet make several good dishes, and should be cutoff before the legs are cured. The porker is always scalded to take off the hair; the hog is sometimes scalded and sometimes singed. Hogs are kept to a large size, and cut down on each side of the chine, or back-bone, which is a prime part for either roasting or boiling. The sides of a hog are made into bacon, and the inside is cut out with very little meat to the bone; there is a large spare-rib to each sid2, which is usually divided into the sweet-bone and the blade-bone: the bacon is the whole out- side, and contains a fore-leg and a ham; the latter is the hind- leg, and in bacon is called a gammon. Pickle pork is also made from the hog. Lard is the inner-fat of the bacon-hog, melted down and run into small, clean bladders. Hand of Fork. — Bone it, sprinkle the inside with dried sage, salt, and pepper, flour it, roll and tie it tight; let it roast for about two hours, basting well. Serve apple-sauce with all roasted pork. The Shoulder may be either roasted or salted as a leg. The Breast should be pickled, and pieces boiled to eat with poultry, etc. Loin and Neck of Pork must be roasted; cut the skin of the loin through with a sharp knife, to facilitate the carving. To roll a Neck of Pork. — Take out the bones, sprinkle the inside with bread crumbs, chopped sage, allspice, pepper and salt, and roll it tight; put it at a good distance from the fire, and let it roast slowly. Spare-Rib must be roasted, basted with butter, floured, and sprinkled with dried sage in powder. HOW TO COOK PORK AND BACON. Boiled Leg of Pork. — After salting it for nine d&ys, let it lie in cold water to make it white ; then tie it in a floured cloth, put it into cold water, and let it boil slowly, a quarter of an hour for every pound, and from twenty to thirty minutes over, from the time it boils, when it must be well skimmed. Serve with peas-j adding and turnips. To Roast a Leg of Pork. — Cut through the outer skin with a sharp knife, and stuff the knuckle with chopped sage and onion, pepper, and salt. Serve with apple-sauce and potatoes. To dress Pork as Lamb. —Kill a young pig of four or five months old, cut up the fore-quarter for roasting, as you would lamb, and truss the shank close. The other parts may be pick- led or cut into steaks. Pork Steaks.— Cut them from a loin or neck, not too thick; pepper and broil them, turning often; when nearly done, add salt, rub a piece of butter over, and serve hot. To Roast a Sucking Pig. — Stuff the belly with bread crumbs, salt, and pepper, and skewer the legs back, and lay ^ it to a brisk fire till thoroughly dry; then rub it all over with butter in a dry cloth, flour it well, and do not touch it again till it is done, when scrape the flour off carefully, and rub it again with the buttered cloth. Before sending to table, it must be cut up; take off the head, and mix the brains with the gravy that comes from the pig, divide it down the back, and lay the two sides with the brown uppermost; garnish with the ears and jaws, serve with the stuffing mixed with melted butter, on the dish, and the brains in a sauce-tureen. To Boil Pig's Cheek. — Cut off the snout, clean the head, and divide it; take out the eyes and brains, sprinkle it with salt, and let it drain twenty-four hours; then corn it with com- mon salt and saltpeter nine days, wash it, and let it simmer till tender. If it is to be stewed with peas, it should not remain so long in pickle. To Roast Pig's Head.— Clean a fine young head, stuff it as for pig, sew it up tight, and roast it; serve with the same sauce as pig. Pig's Feet and Ears Fried. — Clean and soak them well, boil them tender, and lay them in a little vinegar, water, and 68 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. salt, if not to be dressed immediately; when they are wanted, cut the feet in two, and slice the ears; either dip them in but- ter, or merely flour them; then fry, and serve with mustard, vinegar, and butter. Jelly of Pig's Feet and Ears.—Clean and prepare, as in th« last article; boil them in a very small quantity of water, till every bone can be extracted ; add salt, mace, and pepper, pow- dered fine, a little chopped parsley and sage; simmer till the herbs are scalded, and pour the whole into a form. Pig's Harslet. — Take some slices of pork, fat and lean, some liver and sweetbreads, well washed and dried; season with sage, minced onion, salt, and pepper; stew it all in caul, and roast it; serve with port wine and water, boiled gently up with some mustard. Soused Pig's Feet.—Having thoroughly cleaned and scraped them, put them in a pot of water, and boil until the bones or joints are loose. Then take them from the hot water, into cold vinegar, enough to cover them. Add whole pepper; keep them covered with vinegar. They are eaten plainly soused, or they may be split in two, and broiled ; then rub butter over and pepper them. Hog's Lard is a most useful article for frying, and should be prepared with care; mixed with butter, it makes fine crust. Cut the fat small, put it with a sprig of rosemary into a jar, and that into a kettle of water; when it is melted, run it into small bladders and keep the air from it. To Pickle Pork.— Sprinkle the pork with salt, and drain it twenty-four hours; then rub it well with common salt, mixed with a pound of coarse sugar, four ounces of saltpeter, and one of salt prunel; pack the pieces close in a deep tub, fill the spaces with common salt, put a weight on them to keep them duwn, and exclude the air. When to be dressed, wash, scrape, and soak it half an hour; put it into cold water, and let it boil slowly till the rind is tender. To Cure Hams.—After they have hung a day or two, sprin- kle them with salt, and let them drain a day; then pound an ounce and a half of saltpeter, the same quantity of bay salt, a pound of coarse sugar, and half an ounce of salt prunel; rub each ham with this mixture for four days, turn it every day HOW TO COOK PORK AND BACON. 09 for three weeks, or, if a large one, a week longer; then drain it, cover with bran, and smoke it ten davs. Another Way that gives a higher Flav v. — Hang the ham three days, if the weather will permit; boil an ounce of saltpeter, with the same quantity of black pepper, anu of allspice, in fine powder, four of coarse sugar, the same quantity of common salt, as also of bay salt, and a quart of strong beer; pour this im- mediately on the ham, turn it twice a day for three weeks, cover it with bran, and smoke it three weeks: if there is a strong fire, they should be sewed in coarse wrappers. Smoking ano- ther week, will make the hams harder, and give them the West- phalia flavor. To Boii Ram.—Wash it well, and if long hung, let it soak a night; put it into a boiler, with plenty of water, and let it sim- mer gently, according to its size; when done, take off the skin (which should be kept as whole as possible), to put over the ham when cold, which will prevent its drying, and grate toasted bread over it. To Cure Bacon. — Divide the hog, take out the chine, and cut the hams off (do not remove the spare-ribs, as they pre- serve the bacon from rust); salt the bacon six days, and drain it; then mix three ounces of saltpeter, one of bay salt, and a pound of coarse sugar, with sufficient salt for each hog; rub it well in, and turn it every day for a month; drain, and smoke it a few days. * Sausages. — Chop fresh pork very fine, the lean and fat to- gether. Then fill the skins, which should be previously and thoroughly cleaned. A little flour mixed'in with the meat, tends to prevent the fat from running out when cooked. Sausage meat is good, done up in small cakes and fried. In summer, when fresh pork cannot be procured, very good sausage-cakes may be made of raw beef, chopped fine, with salt pork, and seasoned with pepper and sage. When sausages are fried, they should not be pricked, and they will cook nicer to have a little fat put in the frying-pan with them. They should be cooked very slowly. If you do not like them very fat, take them out of the pan when nearly done, and finish cooking them on a gridiron. Bologna sausages are made of equal weight each, of ham, veal, and pork, chopped very fine, seasoned high, and boiled m casings, till tender, and then dried. 7 70 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. SMOKING MEAT. The process of smoking meat should never be left with those who hare not a faculty of e< ercising proper care and judgment in this business. It is not aecessary that the smoke be driven in, by heating the smokehouse like Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, seven times hotter than ' t ought to be heated. A smoke suffi- cient to Jill the space occupied by the meat, is the great desideratum. Log-heaps, back-logs, and fore-sticks should be dispensed with, because, after they get once on fire, there will be too great a degree of heat. The best, most effectual, cheapest, and neatest manner of smoking meat, is to place a shovel of live coals in an old pan, or low dish, and lay on them a few sugar-maple chips, dry ones are the best, for it requires too much fire to use green ones. No other wood will produce so sweet a smoke as sugar- maple. In the absence of chips, use corncobs, which are nearly as good, three or four laid on a few coals, will produce smoke sufficient to fill any ordinary smokehouse. As a substitute for a smoke house, a large barrel, covered with boards on the top, may be used. Saw a hole in the side, near the bottom, large enough to admit a small pan of coals, with a cob or two, or a few small chips. Meat smoked this way, will present a clear, copper-colored appearance. POULTRY, GAME, ETC. Poultry should be very carefully picked, and then singed with writing paper; in drawing them, be careful not to break the gall bladder, as no washing will remove the bitter where it has touched. A brisk fire is necessary to dress wild fowl; they must be roasted a fine yellow brown, with the gravy in them; if done too much, the fine flavor is lost. Tame fowls are longer heating through than others, and therefore require more roasting; they must be continually basted, that they may be served with a froth, and appear a tine color. Hares and rabbits require much attention; the extremities must be brought to the quick part of the fire, to be done equally with the backs. To Roast Turkey.—Draw it carefully so as not to tear the liver, take out the sinews of the legs and twist the head under POULTRY, GAME, ETC. the wing, stuff it with sausage meat, or, if sausages are to be served with it, use bread stuffing; cover the breast with paper to prevent its scorching, baste well and froth it up; serve with gravy in the dish, and bread-sauce in a tureen. To Boil Turkey.—Prepare as above, except taking off the head, stuff it with suet, bread, herbs, an anchovy, lemon- peel, nutmeg, pepper, salt, butter, and an egg, and boil it in a floured cloth; serve with oyster sauce, to which a spoonful of soy may be added, poured over the bird. Stuff a young turkey, weighing six or seven pounds, with bread, butter, salt, pepper, and minced parsley; skewer up the legs and wings as if to roast; flour a cloth, and pin around it. Boil it forty minutes, then set off the kettle and let it stand, close covered, half an hour more. The steam will cook it sufficiently. To be eaten with drawn butter and stewed oysters. Boiled Fowl.—Choose those that are not black legged, pick them nicely, singe, wash, and truss them and put them into boiling water. Serve with parsley and butter, oyster, lemon, celery, or liver-sauce, accompanied by bacon, ham, or tongue. Roasted Fowl.—Garnish with sausages and scalded parsley, or serve with bread-sauce, or egg-sauce. If large they may be dressed as turkey. To Stew Fowls.—Stew them very slowly in a small quantity of water, seasoned with pepper, salt, mace, and onion, add a quarter of a pint of rice, well soaked, and simmer till tender; serve with the rice strained and put round the dish; parsley and butter for sauce. The broth is very nice if too much water is not put to the fowl. Broiled Fowl.—Half roast it, split down the back, pepper and salt it, then broil it on the gridiron, and serve with mush- room or other sauce. Fricasseed Chickens.—Parboil them in a small quantity of water, let them cool, and cut them up; meanwhile add to the liquor they wire boiled in the trimmings of the fowls, a little lemon-peel, white pepper, mace, herbs, and an onion; stew it well and strain it; then simmer the fowls in it till quite tender, take them up and keep them hot; thicken the sauce with floured butter, a grate of nutmeg, and salt, give it one boil and stir in the yelk of an egg, beat in half a pint of cream, which must not be boiled. 2 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. Curried Chickens.—If the chickens are undressed, cut them up and fry in butter, of a light brown, with sliced onion, (if dressed chickens are used, fry only the onions,) lay the pieces into a stew-pan, with a clove of garlic and some veal gravy simmer till the chicken is quite tender, add some curry-powder, flour, and an ounce of butter rubbed smooth, a quarter of a pint of cream and salt, half an hour before serving, and squeeze a little lemon into the dish. Put an edging of rice round the dish. To Pidl Chickens.—Skin a cold chicken, pull the flesh off the bones as whole as you can, flour and brown them nicely in but- ter; then drain off the fat, simmer the flesh in a well-seasoned gravy, thickened with floured butter, and add the juice of half a lemon. Boiled Ducks should be salted a couple of days first, then boiled in a cloth very slowly; serve with onion-sauce, made with milk instead of water. To Roast Ducks.—Stuff one with bread crumbs, sage, and onion chopped fine, butter, sal*; and pepper; the other should be unseasoned; serve with a fine gravy. To Stew Ducks.—Put a cold roast duck (or half roast one) and lay it in a stew-pan with a very little mint, sage, and onion shred fine, pepper, salt, and a pint of beef gravy; simmer a quarter of an hour, and skim it well; then add a quart of green peas, cover close, and simmer half an hour longer; stir in some flour and butter, give it one boil, and serve all on one dish. To Roast Goose.—When it is well cleaned, stuff it with sage, onion, pepper, and salt, and fasten it tight at the neck and rump; then cover the breast-bone with paper, put it at a dis- tance from the fire, draw it nearer by degrees, and baste it well; remove the paper as soon as the breast is rising, and take up the goose before that falls, or it does not look so well; put a good gravy in the dish, and apple-sauce in a tureen. To Roast Pigeons.—Take care that they are quite fresh, and carefully cleaned; season well inside, and stuff them with pars- ley; serve with butter and parsley, and dress asparagus or peas to be eaten with them. To Broil Pigeons.—Split the backs, season, and broil them nicely: serve them hot, with stewed mushrooms in melted butter. POULTRY, GAME, ETC. 73 To Slew Pigeons.—Slice a hard white cabbage into water, aa for pickling; diain it, boil it in milk and water, again drain it, and lay some at the bottom of a stew-pan: soak the pigeons half an hour, season them well with salt and pepper, lay them on the cabbage, and cover with the remainder of it. Add a little broth, stew gently till the pigeons are tender, and stir in some flour, butter, and cream, for thickening. Let it boil cr, and serve the birds in the middle, with the cabbage around them. To Pot Pigeons. — Season them with salt and pepper, lay them close in a pan, cover them with butter, and bake. When cold put them dry into pots that will hold three birds, and pour butter over them. If stuffed with forcemeat it improves their flavor, as do allspice, cayenne, and mace. Small Birds, such as larks, etc., should be roasted, basted with butter, and have bread crumbs strewed over them till half done; then brown, and serve with fried crumbs round. - To Keep Game, etc.—If there is danger of their not keeping, pick and draw them, wash well in water, and rub them with salt; then plunge them singly into a large saucepan of boiling water, draw them up and down by the legs, to let the water pass through them, and let them stay five minutes, hang them up to drain in a cold place, then well pepper and salt the in- sides, and wash them again before dressing. By this way, the most delicate birds may be preserved, except those that live by suction, as they are never drawn; but they may be kept a long while by putting lumps of charcoal about them. Game ought never to be thrown away till this process has been tried. Pheasants and Partridges should be roasted like turkey, and served with a fine gravy, slightly flavored with garlic and bread-sauce; when cold, they make excellent patties, but too much lemon should not be put. To Clarify Butter for Potting.—Put it into a sauce-tureen placed in a stew-pan with a little water in it: when melted do not.pour the milky part into the pots, it will sink to the bottom. The butter that has covered potted things will do for basting, or pie-crusts. Wild Ducks, etc., should be taken up with the gravy in; baste them with butter, and sprinkle a little salt before taking FISH. 77 To Broil Herrings.—Flour, and do them a good color; serve with plain butter. To make a Chowder.—Lay- some slices of good fat pork in the bottom of your pot, cut a fresh cod into thin slices, and lay them on top of the pork, then a layer of biscuit, and alternately the other materials till you have used them all; then put in a quart of water. Let it simmer till the fish is done: previously to its being thoroughly done, add pepper, salt, and such season- ing as you like, and a thickening of flour, with a coffeecupful / of good cream or rich milk. Clam Chowder in the same way, only the heads and hard )ea':hery parts must be cut off. To Broil Fish.—Let it have been caught one day—lay the inside on the gridiron, and not turn it till it is nearly done. Oyster Sauce.—When your oysters are opened, take care of all the liquor, and give them one boil in it. Then take the oysters out, and put to the liquor three or four blades of mace; add to it some melted butter, and some good cream; put in oysters and give them a boil. To Slew Oysters.—Put the liquor in a saucepan upon hot coals; when it all boils up, add the oysters, and pour in a little milk, or, if you choose, water, about a teacup to a quart of oysters. Let them boil up a minute, not more; meantime, put in a small piece of butter, and dredge in some flour; set the saucepan oft", and stir the oysters till the butter is melted. Lay some crackers or toasted bread in the dish, and pour on the oysters. They are very fine with roast or boiled turkey. To Fry Oysters.—Make a batter of two eggs, three gills of milk, two spoonfuls of flour, and some fine bread crumbs. Beat it well. Dip each oyster into the batter, and fry in lard. Oyster Soup.—Boil the liquor with chopped celery and a little butter. When it boils up, add half as much milk as there is liquor. Have the oysters ready in a dish upon a slice of toasted bread, and when the liquor boils up again, pour it over them. To Fry Herrings.—Fry them a light brown, with sliced onions. To Bake Herrings.—Gut, but do not open, wash and drain them; season with salt, whole cloves, and pounded allspice; lay them in a pan, with plenty of black pepper, a few bay- 73 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. leaves, and an onion; add equal quantities of vinegar and small beer sufficient to cover them. Put pepper over the pan, and bake in a slow oven. Potted Herrings are very good, done like salmon. To Pot Lobsters.—Parboil them, and extract the meat; chep it in small pieces, season with white pepper, nutmeg, mace, nnd salt; press the whole into a pot, and cover it with butter; bake half an hour, and put the spices in. When cold, lay the 'lobster in the pot with some of the butter, beat the remainder in a mortar, with a portion of the spawn, and sufficient butter to cover the pots, and strain it. To Roast Lobsters.—Parboil the lobster, take it out of the water, rub it with butter, and set it before the fire; continue basting with butter, till it has a fine froth. To Stew Lobsters.—Pick the lobster, lay the spawn in a dish that has a lamp, and rub it down with some butter, a spoonful of port, one of soy, two of gravy, a little cayenne, and salt. Cut the lobster small, and stew in this gravy. To Scollop Oysters.—Bake them in a Dutch oven, with bread crumbs, butter, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, in scollop- shells or sauces. To Stew Oysters.—Preserve the liquor in opening them, and strain it; wash the oysters from the grit, simmer them ve*y gently in their liquor, with some white pepper, lemon- peel, and mace; add some cream, flour, and butter, and serve with bits of bread. SOUPS. In making soups, etc., the stewpan must be well tinned, and perfectly clean; otherwise, they acquire an ill flavor, and be- come unwholesome. Put the meat at the bottom of the pan, with a piece of butter; cut up the roots or herbs small, and strew over it; cover close, and let all stew until the gravy is extracted; when it is almost dried up, the water may be added. They are improved by preparing them a day before they are required; but before warming them, separate the sediment and the fat. Should they be kept longer, change every day into fresh pans, as the vegetables soon sour, and corrode metals 80 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. Green-Pea Simp.—Shell the peas, and separate the old from the young; stew the former in a pint of water, with an ounce of butter, the outside leaves of lettuce, some onions, pepper, and salt, until you can pulp the peas; when you must add more water, the hearts of the lettuce, the young peas, some spinach cut small, and stew until quite tender. If meal be required, a pig's foot, etc., can be boiled with the old peas; and more butter may be added, should the soup be required very rich. Gravy Soup.—Boil the bones of a rump of beef with a piece of the neck, until the richness is extracted; strain the liquor, add to it an onion, some spice, carrots, celery, turnips, and endive, in such portions as you think proper, and boil until the roots become tender. Thicken, if necessary, and serve up with toasted bread cut small. Partridge Soup.—Take two old partridges, skinned and cut up, a few slices of ham, some celery, and onion sliced; brown them nicely in butter, but do not burn, and stew gently two hours in five pints of boiling water, with a few peppercorns, a shank of mutton, and a little salt; then strain it, add some stewed celery and fried bread, and, when nearly boiling, skim it, and serve it up. Vegetable Soup.—Pare and slice six cucumbers, and put into a stew-pan with the insides of as many gorse lettuces, a sprig of mint, some onions, a quart of peas, a little parsley, and half a pound of fresh butter; let them stew gently for half an hour in their own liquor; then add two quarts of boiling water, and stew them two hours longer; mix a little flour in a tea- cupful of water, boil it with the rest fifteen or twenty minutes, season, and serve it. Onion Soup.—Put a shank-bone, with carrots and turnips, into the water that has boiled a leg of mutton, and let it stew for two hours. Strain it on six onions, sliced and fried of a light brown; simmer three hours longer, skim it carefully, and serve with toasted bread. Macaroni Soup.—Boil half a pound of macaroni in a quart of stock, till it will pass through a fine sieve; then put in half a pound more macaroni, and a pint more stock, and let it sim- mer till quite tender; stir in some boiling cream, and serve with rasped mint, cut small. Some grated cheese may be added, and will improve the flavor. SOUPS. 81 Mock-Turtle Soup.—Parboil a calf's head divided, and cut fill the meat in small pieces; then break the bones and boil them in some beef broth : fry some shallots in butter, add flour to thicken, and stir it in; skim it carefully while it boils up, and add a pint of white wine; let it all simmer till the meat is perfectly tender, then put in some chives, parsley, basil, salt, cayenne, soy, and mushroom catsup, to your taste, and boil it in for ten minutes; squeeze a little lemon-juice into your tureen, pour your soup on it, and serve with forcemeat balls. Chicken Broth.—Skin and divide the body of a young cock; put it in three pints of the liquor in which a fowl has been boiling, with a blade of mace, and a few white peppercorns; let it simmer till the flavor is good, and when cold, remove the fat. Beef Tea.—Cut a pound of lean beef into small pieces, boil it in three pints of water till reduced to a quart; then skim it well, let it simmer for twenty minutes, and season to the taste. Stock for Fish Soups.—Take two pounds of eels, one of skate, and four flounders cut in pieces, cover them with water, and add mace, pepper, salt, an onion stuck with cloves, a head of celery, some parsley roots sliced, and sweet herbs; simmer two hours, closely covered, and strain it for use; brown the fish in butter before doing as above, if it is intended for brown soup. This will keep only two or three days. Oyster Soup.—Take the yelks of ten hard eggs, and the hard part of two quarts of oysters, pounded in a mortar, and simmer for half an hour in two quarts of the above stock ; then strain it off, put it and the oysters, bearded, into the soup, and simmer five minutes. Stir in the yelks of six raw eggs well beaten, and when it is thick and smooth, serve with toasted bread. Lobster Soup.—Shell four lobsters, and remove the brown fin and the bag in the head. Beat the fins, chine, and small claws, and simmer gently in two quarts of water with bread crumbs, some white pepper, salt, sweet herbs, onions, lemon- peel, and anchovies, till you have extracted their goodness, when strain it off. Beat the spawn in a mortar with some butter, flour, and nutmeg, mix it with a quart of cream, and add that, and the tails cut up to the soup. Give them a boi! up, and serve with forcemeat balls, made of the remainder of 82 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. the lobster, pepper, salt, egg, crumbs, and mace, mixed up with flour, and heated in the soup. t GRAVIES, SAUCES, ETC. Gravy may be made equally good of beef skirts or kidneys, is of other meat, if prepared in the sauce manner; shank-bones af mutton add to the richness, but they should be quite clean. Taragon is a great improvement to high gravies; it gives the flavor of French cookery, but should be added only a short time before serving. Clear Gravy. Broil a part of your meat over a quick fire, sufficient to color the gravy; put that and the remainder into a stew-pan, with some sweet herbs, onions, allspice, cloves, whole peppers, and hot water to cover; let it boil, and skim it well; then cover close, and simmer'till quite strong. Brovm Gravy.—Lay some lean veal at the bottom of your pan, with some slices of bacon, sweet herbs, bay-leaves, onions, mace, and cloves; cover it, and set it on a slow fire till the gravy is drawn; then let the fire be a little quicker. When the meat is nicely browned, fill the pan with good beef broth, skim it and simmer an hour, stir in as much flour as will pro- perly thicken it, boil half an hour, and strain it. This will keep a week. White Sauce.—Put an equal quantity of lean veal and bacon in a stew-pan, with a good piece of butter, a bay-leaf, a bit of thyme, an onion, a blade of mace, and a few small mushrooms, over a very slow fire, but do not brown; add some good broth and as much rich cream; thicken it with flour, then let it boil half an hour, stirring it all the time, and strain it. A Rich Gravy.—Cut some beef and onions into thin slices, flour and fry them a pale brown, put them into a stew-pan, boil some wat« in the frying-pan, and pour on the meat. Add some taragon, thyme, savory, marjoram, parsley, cloves, mace, berries of allspice, whole peppers, and a bit of ham; simmei till you have extracted all the gravy, and skim as soon as it bf ils. If for a hare or stewed fish, anchovy should bo added. Gravy Without Meat.—Flour and brown a sliced onion, with butter, in a small tosser; then add a glass of water, one of 34 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. the juice of two lemons; pepper and salt, for a few minutes, and pour into the dish. Liver Sauce*—Boil the liver of rabbits or fowls, chop it with parsley, and add, with pepper and salt, to melted butter; give it one boil, and it is done. Lemon Sauce.—Put lemon-peel cut very thin, a sprig of lemon thyme, and ten white peppercorns, into a pint of rich cream, simmer gently, till it tastes well of the lemon, and strain it; then thicken with floured butter, boil it up, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and stir it well; add salt to your taste. Egg Sauce.—Shred five hard-boiled eggs, and put them to melted butter. To Melt Butter.—Mix a quarter of a pound of butter with a tea-spoonful of flour, put it into a small saucepan, with three tablespoonfuls of hot water, and boil it for a minute, shaking it all the time. If milk is used, it looks whiter and requires less butter. Bread Sauce.—Boil a large quartered onion in milk, till it is quite a pulp, strain the milk on grated bread, and cover it; in an hour, put it into a saucepan with a large piece of floured butter; boil the whole up together, and serve. Dutch Sauce for Meat or Fish.—Put four spoonfuls of vine- gar, and six of water, into a saucepan, warm and thicken with, the yelks of two eggs; make it quite hot, but do not boil; squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and strain it through a sieve. Benton Sauce for Roast Beef.—Grate horse-radish very fine into a quarter of a pint of vinegar, add a little mustard and pounded white sugar, and serve. Tomato Sauce.—Put some ripe tomatoes into an earthen jar, and set it in a slow oven, till they are quite soft; then separate the pulp from the skins, and mix it with a little pounded garlic, and ginger, salt, and capsicum vinegar; keep it well corked in wide-mouthed bottles, and in a cool, dry place. Apple Sauce.—Peel and core some apples, put them in a stone jar, in a saucepan of water, and over a gentle fire; when done, pulp them, and add a little brown sugar and butter. Sauce for Fish Pies.—Chop an anchovy small, mil boil it up GRAVIES, SAUCES, ETC. 85 with a quarter of a pint of cream, a bit of floured butter, and three spoonfuls of gravy. Fish Sauce.—Boil twenty-four unwashed anchovies, and ten shallots, chopped fine, two lemons sliced, three spoonfuls of scraped horse-radish, twelve cloves, and ten blades of mace, in a pint of water, a quart of hock, and half a pint of anchovy liquor; when reduced to a quart, strain it off and let it cool; then add a quarter of a pint of walnut catsup, and bottle it. Oyster Sauce.—In opening the oysters, save the liquor, and boil it with the beards, some lemon-peel, and mace; strain it, put it into a saucepan with the oysters, a little floured butter, and as much milk as will make sufficient sauce. Set them over the fire, stir them till the butter has boiled, and serve. Lobster Sauce.—Pound the spawn, with two anchovies; pour on them two spoonfuls of gravy, and strain into some melted Dutter; then put in the meat of the lobster, give it one boil, and add a little lemon-juice. Forcemeat for Fowls, Turkeys, Pies, etc.—Take lean veal, ham, parsley, thyme, shallots, pounded allspice, and pepper, mushroom powder, salt, and lemon-juice, and do them over a very slow fire, shaking the saucepan frequently, till about two- thirds done. Pound them very fine in a marble mortar, and add bread crumbs and raw yelks of eggs, and mix them. Forcemeat for Stewed Fish or Fish Soups.—Beat the soft parts and flesh of a lobster to a pulp with an anchovy, some hard yelk of egg, and a stick of boiled celery, to which add some bread crumbs, cayenne, mace, salt, two well beaten eggs, a little catsup; and three ounces of butter warmed; form the whole into balls, and fry in butter till they acquire a fine brown color. Egg Balls.—Pound the yelks of as many hard eggs as will be wanting, with a little flour and salt; add as much raw yelk of egg as will make this up into balls, and boil them before using. Rice Edging for Curry or Fricassee.—Boil some well soaked rice with a little salt, until tender; drain and put it round the inner edge of the dish, to the height of two inches; smooth it with the back of a spoon, and wash it over with the yelk of an egg, and put it into the oven for three or four minutes. 8 VALUABLE MISCELLAJ^Y IN COOKERY AND HOUSEWIFERY. HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES. Vegetables should be carefully washed and cleaned from insects. Put all kinds, except peas and beans, into boiling wa- ter, with a little salt in it; boil fast, and if the water has not slackened, they are done when they begin to sink; then take them up, and strain directly, or they will change color and lose their crispness. Hard water spoils peas, and is not good for any vegetables ; but a very little saleratus will rectify it, and make them eat tendetT The great art of cooking potatoes is to take them out as soon as done. When boiled, baked, fried, or stewed, they are ren- dered watery by continuing to cook them after reaching the proper point. For this reason they should be selected .so as to have them nearly of the same size. Hard boiling breaks them. To Boil Potatoes. — Wash, but do not pare them; put them into cold water (some prefer boiling), and when half done, put in some cold water and salt; let them boil till nearly done, pour off the water, and cover them with a clean cloth; then set them by the fire to steam. Some draw the knife around them before boiling, in order to make them more mealy, by al- lowing the water to escape. Salsify, or Oyster Plant.—The vegetable oyster, to eat well, may be prepared in the following manner. Scrape the roots well, and wash them till tender. They may then be cut in slices, and served with drawn butter, or fried as parsneps, or mashed and beaten with a batter of egg, milk, and flour, and fried as fritters. Tomatoes. — Tomatoes maybe baked or stewed. To stew them, peel them and press the seeds and juice out with the hand, and put them in a covered stew-pan, with a little salt. They must, to prevent them burning, when dissolved, add a good bit of butter, and some pepper, and serve. (8fi' now TO COOK VEGETABLES. 87 Or, after peeling and pressing them, add to them bread- crumbs, bits of butter, and some pepper, and bake or stew them. Cabbage Salad and Cole-Slaw. — Take a hard, close head of cabbage; cut it in two, and with a sharp knife shave it fine ; lay it in a dish, and garnish, and finish as lettuce. For cole-slaw, cut it in the same way, then add to it a good bit of butter, some vinegar, pepper and salt to taste, and put it in a clean stew-pan, set it on the fire, and stir it with a silver spoon until the seasoning is mixed, and the butter melted. Serve in a covered dish. Hominy.—Wash it until the chaff is well out, which will rise on the surface of the water. Put it in cold water, and boil it four or five hours over a slow fire; add a spoonful of salt. It is very good with milk, sugar, or molasses. To Brown Potatoes.—Boil them as directed in the preceding receipt, mash them, add a piece of fresh butter and a spoonful or two of cream; roll them into balls, or mould them into any shape you like, and brown in an oven, or before the fire. To Bake Potatoes. — Have them all of one size; wash them very clean, put them in the oven and bake till ten- der; it will take two or three hours; send to table with their skins on. Sweet Potatoes.—Wash them clean, then put in an oven and bake slowly for two or three hours. They are very good baked in the ashes, by the side of the kitchen fire. Sweet potatoes, when boiled, should be drained, and put in an oven, or dried before the fire in a reflector, before sending to the table; servo with the skins on. Turnips.—Peel off the outside; if you slice them they will boil sooner; when tender, take them up and mash them with butter, or boil and serve them whole. Green Peas, should be young and fresh shelled; wash tnem clean; put them into soft, fresh water, just enough to cover them, and boil them till they take up nearly all the water; then take them up, and all the water with them, and season them with salt and butter. String Beans.—Select those only that are tender, cut off the ends, and wash them well, take a handful and lay them even, BO THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. To mix Paints. — In mixing paints, observe, that for out- door work, you must use principally, or wholly, boiled oil, un- less it is for the decorative parts of houses, etc., then mix as for in-door work. For in-door work, use linseed oil, turpentine, and a little dryers, observing that the less oil, the less will be the gloss, and that for flatted white, etc., the color being ground in oil, will scarcely require any further addition of that article, as the object is to have it dull. To make Golden Yellow.— This is made with the following Naples-yellow, brightened with Spanish white, or by white Marat, mixed with Ocher de Berri, and realgar. The last substance, even in small quantities, gives to the mixture a color imitating gold, and which may be employed in distem- per, vamish, or oil. When destined for oil, it is ground with drying or pure nut-oil, added to essence, and mixed up with drying-oil. To make Naples-Yellow. — Eiyial parts of yellow ocher and ceruse (white lead), ground with water, if destined for distem- per; or drying nut-oil and essence, in equal parts, if intended for varnish ; mixed up with camphorated mastic varnish, or with gallipot varnish, for delicate objects; a very fine color, the splendor of which depends on the doses of the ceruse; which must be varied according to the particular nature of the coloring-matter employed. If the ground of the color is fur- nished by ocher, and if oil painting be intended, the grinding with oil, added to essence, may be omitted, as essence alone will be sufficient. Oil, however, gives more pliability and more body. Chamois and Buff Color.—Yellow is the foundation of cha- mois color, which is modified by a particle of minium, or what C164) OIL PAINTS. is better, cinnabar and ceruse (white lead), in small quantity, t This color may be employed in distemper, varnish, and oil. For varnish, it is ground with one-half common oil of pinks, and one-half of mastic gallipot varnish. It is mixed with com- mon gallipot varnish. For oil painting, it is ground and mixed up with drying-oil. To make Bright Red. — A mixture of lake with vermilion gives that beautiful bright red which painters employ for the sanguine parts. This red is sometimes imitated for varnishing small appendages of the toilette. It ought to be ground with varnish, and mixed up with the same, after which it is glazed and polished. The mastic gallipot varnish is used for grinding; gallipot varnish for mixing up; camphorated mastic varnish for glazing. To make Crimson or Rose Color. — Carminated lake, that which is composed of alum, charged with the coloring part of cochineal, white lead and carmine, forms a beautiful crimson. It requires a particle of vermilion and white lead. It is con- fined to valuable articles. Green for Carriages.— To render the work solid, first apply a ground composed of boiled linseed oil, white lead, previously dried over a pretty strong fire, to dissipate the white, and a lit- tle white vitriol, in a dose of one-fourth of an ounce to each pound of matter. The stratum must be composed of two parts white lead, and one of verdigris, pulverized and ground with boiled nut-oil, added to a fourth of fat oil of pinks, and mixed up with drying-oil. The third stratum consists of the same color, mixed up with camphorated copal varnish. Green for Doors, Shutters, etc. — White lead is the principal base of this color. When it is required to bring it to the tone most agreeable, grind with nut-oil, two parts of white lead, with essence of turpentine, and one part of verdigris. Then mix up the two colors with one-half of resinous drying nut- oil. This color appears at first to be a pale blue; but the im- pression of the light soon causes it to pass to green. To make Cheap and Beautiful Green Paint.—The cost of this paint is much less than one-half of oil color, and the beauty far superior. Take four pounds Roman vitriol, pour on a teakettle of boiling water; when dissolved, add two pounds pearlash, and stir the mixture well with a stick, until the effer- vescence ceases; then add one-fourth of a pound of pulverized 15 166 THE FAMILT HOUSEKEEIER. yellow arsenic, and stir the whole well together with a stick. Lay it on with a paint-brush, and if the work has not been painted before, two, or even three coats will be required. If a pea- green is required, put in less, and if an apple-green more of ;Jie yellow arsenic. To make Prussian Blue Paint.—The white lead is ground with oil, if for varnish, made with essence, or merely with essence which is equally proper for oil painting, and a quantity of Prussian or indigo blue, sufficient to produce the required tone, is added. For varnish the white lead is generally ground with oil of pinks, added to a little essence, and is mixed up with a camphorated mastic varnish, if the color is destined for delicate objects; or white gallipot varnish, if for wainscoting. This color, when ground and mixed up with drying-oil, pro- duces a fine effect, covered with a solid varnish, made with alcohol or essence. Turpentine copal varnish is to be used to glaze expensive articles, subject to friction. To make Saxon Blue.—Saxon blue or vitreous matter, color- ed by oxide of cobalt, gives a tone of color different from that of the prussiate of iron and indigo. It is employed for sky- blues. The case is the same with blue verditer, a preparation made from oxide of copper and lime. Both these blues stand well in distemper, varnish and oil. Saxon blue requires to be ground with drying-oil, and to be mixed with gallipot varnish. If intended for oil painting, it is mixed up with resinous dry- ing-oil, which gives body to this vitreous matter. To make Olive Color for Oil and Varnish.—Olive color is a composition, the shades of which may be diversified. Black and a little blue, mixed with yellow, will produce an olive color. Yellow de Berri, or d'Auvergne, with a little verdigris and charcoal, will also form this color. It is ground and mixed up with mastic gallipot and common gallipot varnishes. For oil painting, it is ground with oil added to essence, and mixed up with drying-oil. VARNISHES. Cabinet -Maker's Varnish.—Pale shellac, seven hundred parts; mastic, sixty-five parts; strongest alcohol, one thousand parts; dissolve; dilute with alcohol. Gallipot Varnish.—'Twelve ounces gallipot, or white incense, .68 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. To make Portable Glue.—Take one pound of the best glue; boil and strain very clear; boil likewise four ounces isinglass, put it into a double glue-pot, with half a pound of fine brown sugar, and boil it pretty thick ; then pour it into moulds ; when cold, cut and dry in small pieces. This glue is very useful to draughtsmen, architects, etc., as it immediately dilutes in warm water, and fastens the paper without the process of dampening. Isinglass Glue.—This is done by dissolving beaten insinglasi in water, by boiling, and having strained it through a coarse linen cloth, evaporate again to the proper consistence, and when cold it will be hard and dry. A great improvement is made in this glue, by adding spirits of wine, or brandy, after it is strained, and then renewing the evaporation till of proper consistence. A Strong Paste for Papering Rooms and other useful pur- poses.—Take wheat flour, and mix with it a fourth, fifth or sixth of its weight of powdered resin; and when it is wanted more tenacious, mix with gum Arabic, or any kind of size Stir the whole in enough water to make a very thin batter, which is boiled until it is of a viscid consistence. In order to prevent the paste used in papering rooms, etc., from being gnawed by rats, etc., powdered glass is sometimes mixed with it; but the most effectual and easy method is to dissolve a little sublimate in it, which not only prevents rats and mice, but all other kinds of vtrmin from being troublesome. —*e © ©««•— STAINING OR DYEING WOOD AND IVORY To prepare Wood for Dyeing.—The wood mostly used to dye black, is pear, holly, and beech, all of which take a beautiful black. Do not use old wood, but let it be as fresh las possible. After the veneers have had one hour's boiling, then take them out to cool. When dyed they should be dried in the air, and not by the fire, as artificial heat tends to destroy the color. In order to dye blue, green, red, or other colors, take clear holly. Put the veneers into a box or trough, with clear water, and let them remain four or five days, changing the water once or twice in the time. This will clear the wood of the slime, etc. Let them dry about twelve hours before they are 172 THE FAMILY HOUSE KEErER. 3. To tincture of turmeric, add a little Prussian blue 01 indigo. Red Ink.—In the above mentioned gum water, grind very fine, three parts of vermilion, with one of lake or carmine. This is a very perfect color, but may require shaking up oc- casionally. Yellow Ink.—Steep one ounce of turmeric, in powder, in a gill of good rum or gin, which is not colored, let it rest twenty- four hours, then throw it on a cloth and express the colored liquors, which mix with gum water. Indelible Ink, for marking Linen. — 1. The juice of sloes, one pint; gum, half ounce; this requires no mordant, and is very durable. 2. Nitrate of silver, one part; water, six parts; gum, one part; dissolve. If too thick, dilute with warm soft water. Sympathetic Ink. — 1. A dilute solution of nitro-muriate of cobalt. When heated, the writing performed with this ink assumes a fine green color, and disappears again when cooled. 2. An acetic solution of oxide of cobalt, to which add a little niter. On exposing writing performed with the above, to heat, it will assume a fine rose color, which disappears on cooling. 3. Sal ammoniac, sulphate of copper, equal parts; water sufficient. This assumes a yellow color when heated, and like the preceding, disappears when cooled, SHOE BLACKING. Water Proof Blacking, and Harness Polish. — Two and a half ounces gum shellac, in a half pint of alcohol, and set in a warm place until dissolved; then add two and a half ounces Venice turpentine, to neutralize the alcohol; add a tablespoonful of lampblack. Apply with a fine sponge. It will give a good •*olish over oil or grease. For Liquid Blacking. — To one pound of ivory-black, in which has been mixed half an ounce of oil of vitriol, and one ounce of sweet oil, add one pound pulverized loaf sugar; mix the whole with a gallon of vinegar, and let it stand three days, THE .FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. the depth of six feet animation became suspended, but by pouring down water upon it, life was immediately restored. From these experiments it appears, that on inhaling this gas (which is the same &? is produced by a kettle of burning coals) life is suspended only, and that the application of water will restore it, either by conveying atmospheric air, contained in the water, to the sufferer, or from some other cause. To Transplo.nt Trees.—Let the trees be taken up with as little injury to the roots, and retaining as much of the earth as possible. Saw off the main trunk at such a height as you please; also the limbs—some close to the trunk, others three or four inches from it. Cover, where sawed off, with tallow, tar, and resin, melted together, and partly cold. Do not be afraid of this operation; the top will grow again, in handsome shape too, as soon as the roots will bear one. In setting out the tree, if anything more than a mere shrub, let a circular hole, as much as four feet across, and one and a half feet deep, be dug, throwing the turf and top soil in one place, and the hardpan in another. Throw into the center of the hole a little mound, composed of the turf and top soil, until high enough to bring the tree up to where you wish it. Let it be held up- right while the roots are carefully laid in their natural posi- tion, and more of the top soil dashed in around with a shovel. Finish filling up with your hardpan dirt, mixed with foul grass or straw from horse manure, with the manure partly shaken out beforehand. After having nearly filled up, tread down the earth, observing to keep the tree perpendicular. The earth thrown into this excavation operates as a sponge upon the adjacent ground, drawing sufficient moisture, let the summer be every so dry. N. B. All shrubbery will thrive much better by having the excavation made very large. To dry and preserve Flowers and Plants.—Provide yourself with a few sheets of blotting-paper—the number to be regu- lated by the juiciness of the plants; having stretched one half of the paper on a table, arrange the parts of the flower or plant to be dried in the manner you think will look best. Lay the other half of the paper over the flower or plant as harm- lessly as possible. Then with a smoothing-iron, well heated, you may easily extract all the moisture. Keep moving the paper as often as it becomes wet, and continue the operation until no moisture appears. The advantage of this method is. 178 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. garlic or dog's tongue—cynoglossum—(bruised), where they frequent. To Renovate a Razor Strop.—1. Rub a little clean tallow over the surface, and then put on it the light top part of the snuff of a candle; rub it smooth. Excellent. 2. Rub the strop well with a piece of soft pewter or lead. Bread Poultice.—Tdke stale bread in crumbs, pour boiling * ater over it, and boil till soft, stirring it well; then take it from the fire, and gradually stir in a little hog's lard or street oil, so as to render the poultice pliable when applied. Corn-Meal Poultice.—Indian meal, five tablespoonfuls; rye flour, one tablespoonful. To be gradually let through the fingers into boiling water, briskly stirring at the same time Then add a little oil, as for the bread-poultice. Apple Poultice.—Apples pared, cored, and well boiled, then well washed into a pulp, form a very good poultice. Starch Poultice.—Starch, any quantity; thicken with boiling water. When a little cool, stir in a little lard or oil. Slippery Elm Poultice.—Take slippery elm in powder, and mix with water until somewhat thick, then boil it a few minutes. It is to be applied warm. Yeast Poultice.—Wheat flour, one pound; yeast, half a pint. Mix them together over a gentle heat until the mixture begins to rise, then apply warm. Mustard Poultice.—Flour of mustard, one part; flaxseed meal, one part. Make into a paste with water. A little oil or lard should be added to prevent its sticking. Poultice made of Hops.—Boil a handful of hops for a few minutes in a pint of water, in a covered vessel, squeeze out the juice and strain. This liquor is now to be put again on the fire and thickened with Indian meal, and a little lard add- ed as it becomes cool. Spice Poultice.—Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger, of each equal quantities; honey or molasses to mix. Alum Poultice.—Put the white of a couple of eggs into a plate, and then with a piece of alum between the thumb and finger stir it into a curd. To be applied wrapped hi a fine piece of linen, having but one fold next the skin. MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS. 179 Relief for Spavin.—Shave off the hair and apply * blister of Spanish flies to the part affected. Bathe with warm, strong vinegar, and let the horse have rest. Relief for String Halt.—Bathe with warm vinegar and sweet oil and rub well the part affected. Chest Founder {momentary relief for).—Bleed freely, and give an ounce of aloes in a ball. Cure for a Wen.—The following has proved to be effectual. Make a very strong brine, dip in a piece of flannel two or thrpe times doubled, and apply it to the wen; keep it constantly wet night and day, until suppuration takes place. Warts, etc.—The bark of the common willow burnt to ashes, mixed with strong vinegar, and applied to the parts, will re- move all warts, corns, and other excrescences. Muffins.—Mix a quart of wheat flower smoothly with a pint and a half of lukewarm milk, half a teacupful of yeast, couple of beaten eggs, a heaping teaspoonful of salt, and a couple of tablespoonfuls of lukewarm melted butter; set the batter in a warm place to rise. When light, butter your muffin cups, turn in the mixture and bake the muffins to a light brown. Gh-een Corn-cake.—Mix a pint of grated green corn with three tablespoonfuls of milk, a teacupful flour, half a teacupful of melted butter, one egg, a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper. Drop this mixture into hot butter, or lard, by the spoonful, and let the cakes fry eight or ten minutes. These cakes are nice served up with meat for dinner. Boiled Indian Pudding.—One quart of sour milk, a tea- spoonful of saleratus, half a cup of molasses, a teacupful of chopped meat, and meal enough to make it stiff. Cake without Eggs.—Take one cup of butter, three of sugar, .one pint of sour milk or cream, a pint and a half or two pints of flour, one pound of raisins, a spoonful of saleratus, and spice to your taste. Mix the ingredients, and bake about an hour. Imperial Cream Nectar.—Three pounds white sugar, three ounces tartaric acid, dissolved in three quarts of water. Take the whites of three eggs and beat them up with one teaspoon- ful of flour, until it foams well, and add one fourth of a pint of water to the eggs and flour, and mix all together. Boil hard three minutes. Put in lemon and wintergreen to taste* 180 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. To overtain a Horse's Age.—Every horse has six teeth above and below; before three years old, he sheds his middle teeth; at three he sheds one more on each side of the oentral teeth; at four, he sheds the two corner and last of the foreteeth. Between four and five, the horse cuts the under tusks; at five, will cut his upper tusks, at which time his mouth will be com- plete. At six years, the grooves and hollows begin to fill up a little; at seven, the grooves will be well nigh filled up, except the corner teeth, leaving little brown spots where the dark- brown hollows formerly were. At eight, the whole of the hollows and grooves are filled up. At nine, there is very often seen a small bill to the outside corner of the teeth; the point of the tusk is worn off, and the part that was concave begins to fill up and become rounding; the squares of the central teeth begin to disappear, and the gums leave them small and narrow at the top. To make Mutton Suet Candles, in imitation of Wax.—1. Throw quick-lime in melted mutton suet; the lime will fall to the bottom, and carry along with it all the dirt of the suet, so as to leave it as pure and as fine as wax itself. 2. Now, if to one part of the suet you mix three of real wax, you will have a very fine, and to appearance, a real wax candle; at least the mixture could never be discovered, nor even in the moulding way of ornaments. To make Scouring Balls.—Portable balls, for removing spots from clothes, may be thus prepared. Fuller's earth, perfectly dried (so that it crumbles into a powder), is to be moistened with the clear juice of lemons, and a small quantity of pure pearlashes is to be added. Knead the whole carefully together, till it acquires the consistence of a thick elastic paste. Form it into convenient small balls, and dry them in the sun. When used, first moisten the spot on the clothes with water, then rub it with the ball, and let the spot dry in the sun; after having washed it with pure water, the spot will entirely disappear. Spruce Beer.—Take, if white is intended, 6 lbs. of sugar; if brown, as much treacle, and a pot of spruce, and ten gallons of water. To Preserve Fruit Tries from Mice and Insects.—Apply, early in the fall, around the root a thick layer of lime and ashes. It wo-ild be well to sink the earth around the tree about six or 182 THE FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER. trees, to escape from the rain during a thunder storm, but boldy - expose yourself to the wet; it will preserve you from the lightning-. 2. Avoid standing close to any metallic bodies, as lead pipes or iron railings, etc. 3. When in doors, during a thunder storm, sit or stand as near to the middle of the room as convenient; avoid standing at the window, or sitting near the wall. Fistula in Horses.—When the fistula makes its first appear- ance, place a seton in each shoulder, just below the inflamed parts, and keep them running for two or three weeks. This will often remove the disease without any further attention. Soak your Seed Corn in a Solution of Saltpeter.—It destroys the worm, is not relished by crows or squirrels, and yields much more abundantly than when planted without. To ascertain whether a Horse has good SiglU.—Examine the size of the pupil of the eye in a dull light, then gradually ex- pose it to a brighter one, and observe whether it contracts or not; if it does, the horse can see, and according to the amount of the contraction will be the keenness of his sight. To remove the Turnip Flavor from Butter.—Niter, 1 part; water, 20 parts. Dissolve, and put a little into the milk, warm from the cow. To Clarify Butter.—Take butter, melt it in a warm bath, then let it settle, pour off the clear, and cool as quickly as possible. Butter prepared in this way will keep a long time good. Antidote for Arsenic.—Swallow the whites of three or four eggs immediately. To prevent Wounds from Mortifying.—Sprinkle sugar on them. The Turks wash fresh wounds with wine, and sprinkle sugar on them. Obstinate ulcers may be cured with sugar dissolved in a strong decoction of walnut leaves. • Grafting.—Melt beeswax and tallow together, stirring in a little chalk, if handy; while hot dip in some strips of rags; then tear them into strips suitable to prevent the escape of the - sap or the introduction of water, and the work is finished. Substitute for Cream.—Beat up the whole of a fresh egg in a basin, and then pour boiling tea or water over it gradually, MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS. 183 to prevent it curdling. In flavor and richness this preparation resembles cream. A Cure for Sore Backs of Horses.—The best method of curing sore backs, is to dissolve half an ounce of blue vitriol in a pint of water, and dab the injured parts with it four or five times a day. Panes of Glass.—May be easily removed by the application of soft soap for a few hours, however hard the putty has become. Peach Trees.—Plant tansy around the roots of peach trees. The peach worm will not trouble them afterward. To Escape from, or go into a House on Fire.—Creep or crawl with your face near the ground; and although the room be full of smoke to suffocation, yet near the floor the air is pure, and may be breathed with safety. Blasting Rocks.—Saw-dust of soft wood, mixed with gun- powder in equal parts, is said to have thrice the strength of gunpowder alone, when used in blasting. Cure for Founder.—The seeds of sunflower are the best remedy known for the cure of founder in horses. Immedi- ately on discovering that your horse is foundered, mix about a pint of the whole seed in his food, and it will give a perfect cure. To make Whitewash that will not Rub Off.—Mix up half a pailful of lime and water, ready to put on the wall; then take a quarter of a pint of flour, mix it up with water, then pour on it boiling water, a sufficient quanttiy to thicken it; then pour it, while hot, into the whitewash; stir all well together, and it is ready. Chinese Mode of Propagating Fruit Trees.—Strip a ring of bark, about an inch in width, from a bearing branch, surround the place with a ball of fat earth, or loam, bound fast to the branch with a piece of matting; over this they suspend a pot or horn, with water, having a small hole in the bottom just sufficient to let the water drop, in order to keep the earth con- stantly moist. The branch throws new roots into the earth just above the place where the ring of bark was stripped off. The operation is performed in the spring, and the branch is 106 THE FAMILT HOUSEKEEPER. Pills.—Aloes, 4 parts; gamboge, 1; of calomel, 2; and 1 rhubarb. Dose, one to three pills. lb procure Green Peas in Winter.—Take the peas when they are plenty, shell them, wash and scald in hot water, then drain, put them into bottles, and pour strong brine on them until they are perfectly covered; over this pour a thin layer of good salad oil, and cork tight, then dip the corks into melted pitch. The bottles should be quite full, and kept upright. Rheumatic Oil. — This is made by taking two ounces of sweet oil, and one of cajeput, and shaking them well together. Soothing Lotion.—Two quarts of alcohol, six ounces fine castile soap, one ounce of camphor, one ounce laudanum, one ounce rosemary. For Cleansing and Purifying the Blood.—Take 1 lb. sarsa- parilla, \ lb. guaiacum shavings, 1 oz. sassafras, \ lb. elder- flowers, \ lb. alder-buds, -J- lb. burdock-root; put all these together and add 2 quarts boiling water to one-third of it. Take a wineglassful three times a day, and a dose of pills twice a week. Lady's Slipper is a valuable nervine, quiets nervous excite- ment, eases pain and induces sleep. It may be used freely in , all nervous and hysterical affections, without incurring the least danger, or producing unpleasant consequences. Dose; a tea- spoonful of the powdered root may be taken three or four times a day, or until relief is obtained. Balm Gilead Buds.—Steeped in spirits, excellent for bathing wounds. Cough Compound.—For the cure of coughs, colds, asthma, hooping-cough, and all diseases of the lungs: 1 spoonful of common tar, 3 spoonfuls of honey, the yelk of 3 eggs, and \ pint of wine; beat the tar, eggs, and honey well together; then add the wine, and beat all together with a knife, and bottle for use. A teaspoonful every morning, noon and night, before eating. Balm of Life.—This is a most excellent medicine for con- sumptive complaints. It is very good for pain in the stomach or side, or for a feverish stomach; it strengthens weak lungs, and helps the hooping-cough. It is a relief from suffering, in nearly all diseases. MISCELLANEOUS ItECEIPTS. 187 It is made thus: Gum benzoin 4 oz., gum storax callintee 3 oz., balsam tolu 1 oz., gum aloes, socotrine, 1£ oz., gum myrrh \ oz., root of angelica 2 oz., tops of johnswort 2 oz. Pound all these together, and put them into 3 lbs. of rectified spirits of wine, in a glass bottle. Let them stand in the spirits four weeks, in a moderate heat; shake them once a day, strain it off, and it is fit for use. If the gums are not all dissolved, add a little more spirits to the same; shake it and let it stand as before. The patient should take from 12 to 15 drops in a glass of wine, in the morning, before eating. To Preserve Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Meats, etc., in Cans, so as to Keep for Years as fresh as when put up.—If the Fruits be ripe and soft, such as strawberries, raspberries, etc., put them in a kettle over a good hardwood or charcoal fire, and put in sufficient water to keep them from burning to the edge of the kettle; bring them to a boil, and while boiling-hot fill them into the cans, having the cans standing in boiling water, so as to keep the berries in a boiling-hot condition; seal them up while they are hot; then set them in a tub of cold water, so as to cool them as soon as possible, as too much heat or cooking will change the flavor of fruit. Some have used air- pumps and extracted the atmosphere as nearly as possible from the cans, and then sealed them; this mode, if done with care and is successful, preserves the fruit as nice as when picked from the vines. Fruit to be sealed in this way must be en- tirely fresh, otherwise it will spoil. To preserve Vegetables in cans, such as green peas, beans, etc., they should be cooked as for table use, and canned as be- fore named for berries. Meats of almost all kinds can be preserved almost an indefi- nite period in the same manner. The best and cheapest cans now in use are the Grooved-Top Tin Cans sealed with cement; they are perfectly tight and can be opened without injuring the can, as a rap with a stick or hammer on the top will loosen it at once, and the can may be used another year if cleaned and dried properly.