.0- «7 '^i. .- >^, .<&> O'^ ^^< .{5°^ vOvt O^ '^ » , 1 " ^ aO 0^ ,»' L'. ^^ v^ ^6' A COOK BOOK, EDITED BY THE Ladies of Plymouth Church, DeS M.OINES, JOWA. \^: " All the labor of man is for his mouth, j^ And yet the appetite is not filled." ■Solomon. ^ . . " What say you to a piece of beef and mustard?" /\\ I — Shakspeare, DES MOINES: MILLS A OOMPANT, PBINTER8 AND FtTBLIBHSRS. 1876. / o v K<^^ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year eighteen hundred and seventy-six, By mills & COMPANY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, PRINTED AND STEREOTYPEB BY MILLS & COMPANY, DES MOINES, IOWA. TO THE MEMORY OF Miss Jennie M.. Chase. THE DEAE GIBL WHO PKEPABED A LAKGE PART OF THE MANUSCRIPT OF THIS VOLUME, AND WHOSE LAST LIFE-WORK WAS FOR IT; WHO WAS EARLY CALLED FROM A CHEERFUL, LOVIKG, UNSELFISH SEHVIOF. IN THE HOME, THE OIE- OLE OF FRIENDSHIP AND THE CHURCH, AND WHO NOW SERVES WITH THE MINISTERING HOSTS OF GOD ; THIS PAGE, LINKING HEB NAME WITH A WORK SO MUCH HEB OWN, IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BT THOSE WHO HAVE SHARED THE LABOR. ?f(s^i^. "^I^^l^ OUP may be made of any kind of fresh meat. Allow a ^^Mp pound of uncooked meat to a quart of water. Bones f|i^cy^^ boiled with the meat are an improvement, as the marrow f .^nt, adds to the richness. The meat should be put into cold n\ ' water, without salt, and heated gradually — never allowing the water to boil hard, nor stop boiling. The kettle must be kept covered. Keep boiling water to renew with as it evaporates. Never fill in with cold water and do not season till nearly done. The bones and pieces left from a roast at dinner, may be made into soup the next day — a piece of raw meat may be added if necessary. The vessel in which the soup is to be boiled, should be perfectly sweet and clean. As the scum rises to the surface, skim with care, and, if it is slow in rising, a little cold water may be thrown in, to bring it up more speedily. Soup should be boiled from three to five hours, and never allowed to cool in the vessel in which it is made. If very rich, the oily substance should be skimmed from the top, as it is quite unwholesome. It is better to boil the soup the day before using, as the fat can be more easily removed after it has cooled. ' Soup kept on hand ready made, is called stock. The supply may be kept good by saving and boiling such bones and pieces as are left on the platter from every day cookery. This should be strained before setting away. It is very convenient for making gravies, and adding to vegetable soups; and in winter may be kept a long time. In summer it needs to be made fresh frequently. PLAIN BEEF SOUP, MRS. J. P. FOSTER. Take a shank bone, wash nicely, and, after breaking it in sev- eral places, put it into a pot of cold water, without salt. Let it 10 SOUPS. boil slowly, and take off the scum as it rises. When it has boiled half an hour, add one cup of pearl barley, and boil two and a half or three hours. Half an hour before taking it up, have three or four good sized potatoes pared and sliced an eighth of an inch thick, and put them in to boil.. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too rich, skim the fat from the top before putting on the table. COMMON MEAT SOUP. MRS. DR. UOFFMAN, BEARDSTOWN, ILL. Boil four pounds of beef in salt water until it is soft. Care must be taken to use enough water in the beginning, but if more is necessary never add cold, but boiling, water. (This is a rule with every kind of soup.) If the soup is too weak, take out the meat and boil it down. If a few roots, such as carrots, celeriac, etc., are added, it will make a very palatable soup. SAGO SOUP. MRS. DR. HOFFMAN, BEARDSTOAYN, ILL. Take of the beef broth as above, and add as much sago as is necessary, but do not make the soup too thick; boil it until the sago is done, then take the yolks of two eggs, beat them up with a little of the broth, then pour them into the- soup and let it come to a boil. EGG-BARLEY SOUP. MRS. DR. HOFFMAN, BEARDSTOWN, ILL. Take three dry rolls, grate them, beat two eggs into them, stir well together, and pour slowly into the boiling meat soup, stirring continually. It will have the appearance of barley. After boil- ing a short time, serve with a little grated nutmeg. A GOOD VEGETABLE SOUP. Different kinds of vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, etc., are cut into small pieces and boiled soft in meat soup. Then take a head of Savoy cabbage; clean, cut it into quarters, boil soft in water, press it out or drain the water off, then put into the soup. Brown meat soup is best. When all is sufficiently soft, pour as much soup over it as is necessary to make the desired quantity; SOUPS. 11 toast slices of fine white bread or stale rolls, and put into it. Before serving, grate nutmeg over it. O^ULIFLOWER SOUR MRS. DR. HOFFMAN, BEARDSTOWN, ILL. Pick all the little green leaves from the cauliflower, and put it into boiling water; after a minute or two the water should be poured off, meat soup poured^n, and boiled together with pars- ley and carrots, in a tightly covered pot, until nearly soft. Sprin- kle a spoonful of flour over it, shaking the pot, but not stirring it, as that will break the cauliflower, which should be avoided, Pour as much more meat soup over it as is desired, and boil until all is soft. "When ready to serve, take the 3^0] ks of tv/o or three eggs, beat them well in the soup tureen, and pour the soup slowly over them, stirring continually. Small pieces of white bread, fried in butter, may be added just before serving. AN EXCELLENT SOUP WITHOUT MEAT. Peel and slice six onions, six potatoes, six carrots, and four tur- nips; ; fry them in a half a pound of butter, and pour on four quarts of boiling water. Toast a crust of bread as brown and hard as possible, but do not burn it, and put it in with some celery, sweet herbs, pepper and salt; stew it all gently for four hours, and strain through a coarse cloth. If desired, an anchovy and a spoon- ful of catsup may be used. TOMATO SOUP. MRS. DR. HOFFMAK, BEARDSTOWK, ILL. Take beef broth and add tomatoes to suit the taste, (having pre- viously cooked, mashed, and strained them very fine), a little pep- per, sugar, and two tablespoonfuls of flour, or pulverized crackers. Boil ten minutes and then serve. TOMATO SOUP. MISS LIZZIE SMITH, MT. CARROLL, ILL. Take six peeled tomatoes of medium size, with one pint of water, cook thoroughly, season with butter, pepper and salt. At the last, add one quart of sweet milk, let it come to a boil, and take it up at once, or the milk will curdle. 12 SOUPS. POTATO SOUP. MRS. J. KUHN. Peel four or five good sized potatoes, and boil in two quarts of water. When boiled soft, pour off the water, mash the potatoes fine and return them to the water. Take a piece of butter about the size of an Qg^., fry it with two tablespoonfuls of flour (and, if desired, an onion), till brown. Then add it to the soup, with salt and pepper to taste. POTATO SOUP. MISS W. JOHNSON. Peel and slice three potatoes; boil them in two quarts of water till nearly done, then add one teacup of milk. Pepper, salt and butter to taste. Just before removing from the fire, pour in one cup of sweet cream. BEAN SOUP. MISS W. JOHNSON. Soak one pint of beans in cold water over night. Boil till ten- der, then mash and strain them through a colander. Boil them up in two quarts of meat broth, and season to taste. BEAN SOUP. MRS. C. C. HOWELL. After breakfast, put one coffee-cup of beans into four quarts of water, with the trimmings from your breakfast steak, or other bits of meat. Let it boil constantly until dinner, adding water if nec- essary. Season with salt and pepper, and when done, strain into the soup tureen through a colander, and you have a delicious soup with very little expense. PEA SOUP. MRS. G. F If dry peas are used, soak them over night in a warm place, using a quart of water to each quart of the peas. Early next morning, boil them an hour, putting in a teaspoonful of soda, a few minutes before removing them from the fire. Take them up, put them into fresh water, and boil them until tender (3 or 4 hours); SOUPS. 13 boil with them a pound of salt pork; it should be taken upas soon as tender. Other meat can be used if preferred, and the soup seasoned to taste. Green peas need no soaking, and only an hour's boiling. GREEN PEA SOUP. Mix two quarts of green peas with a quarter of a pound of lean ham, cut into small dice; put into a stew pan, add a cup of cold water, and place over a sharp fire, stirring the contents occasionally ; when very tender, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, which mix well in, mashing the peas with your spoon against the sides of your stew pan. Add two quarts of stock (meat broth), a tablespoonful of sugar, and a little pepper and salt. Boil all well together five min- utes. Strain and serve. GREEN CORN SOUP. MKS. W. H. CLEGHORN. Take one dozen ears of green corn, and shave the corn from the cobs. Put the cobs into a gallon of cold water, and boil 30 min- utes, after which remove them and skim the water thoroughly. Chop or bruise the corn, and boil it 30 minutes in the same water. Then add two quarts of fresh milk, and season with butter, pep- per and salt to taste. Let it boil up and serve. GREEN PEA SOUP. Shell the peas, and boil the pods and peas in separate vessels. If you have no stock (meat broth), add a little fresh meat, or a slice of ham to the water in which the pods are boiled. "When the pods are thoroughly boiled strain the water through a colander; return the liquor to the pot, and add the peas a quarter of an hour before serving. Butter and season to suit the taste. Pour over crackers if desired. t OYSTER SOUP. MRS. J. P. FOSTER. • To one quart of sweet milk and one pint of boiling water, add the liquor from one quart of oysters. Boil this up together, then add the oysters and half a teacupful of cracker crumbs rolled fine. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste. Much boiling hard- ens the oysters. Serve with hot toast and crackers. 14 SOUPS. CHICKEN SOUP. Old fowls are best for making soup. Cut up as for frying; boil gently in three quarts of water till the meat is well cooked; skim carefully. Add a teacupful of rice, and season to taste. Some prefer to add sweet milk or cream. Pick the meat carefully from the bones and serve with the soup, or make into salad. CHICKEN AND OYSTER SOUP. Cut up a full-grown fowl as for frying. Clean the giblets nicely, and put all in the soup kettle, with just enough water to cover them; let it simmer gently; remove all the scum. When the chicken is tender, take it up, strain the liquor, and return it to the kettle. Use a quart of sweet milk to a quart of broth; add boiling water if necessary. Add a quart of oysters with their juice, and two or three blades of mace, a tablespoonful of butter, one of wheat flour rubbed into the butter, and one gill of hot cream; stew gently five minutes. Cream must always be boiled before being put into soup or gravy. Use the chicken for salad. MOCK TURTLE SOUP. Take the head and two feet, of a calf, that have been carefully cleaned. Separate the jaws and remove the brains. Place the meat in cold water, let it heat slowly, and skim with care. When it is done, take it up, and set it away until the next day. Then skim off the fat, pick the meat from the bones, and chop fine; put the liquor and /jar^ of the meat in the pot. Tie, in a thin muslin cloth, a few grains of allspice, bruised slightly, and a dozen cloves; add to the soup, also, a grated nutmeg; this is spice enough for half a gallon of soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir frequently to prevent the meat from burning. Half an hour before the soup is done, one tablespoonful of batter, made with water and browned flour, should be added for each gallon; force-meat balls may also be added, if desired. Fifteen minutes before sending to the table, add half a gill of good catsup to each quart of soup. To each gallon, add two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. The yolks of eight hard-boiled eggs, sliced, should be put into the soup after it is poured into the tureen. This soup may be made equally good with a shank of veal or beef. A little butter and cooked Irish SOUPS. 15 potatoes added to the remaining meat and laid in pie-crust, make a good mock turtle pie. FORCE-MEAT BALLS. Chop half a pound of lean veal, or other meat, fine, together with a little raw salt pork; add a small tea-cup of bread crumbs, moistened with cream. Season with salt, pepper, curry powder or cloves. Work all together with a well-beaten egg. If the paste is too stiff, add another egg., or only the yolk, or a little more cream. If not stiff enough, they will fall to pieces. Make into balls, the size of half an egg and boil part in the soup, fifteen minutes. Fry the remainder in hot lard and serve up in a sepa- rate dish. NOODLE SOUP. MRS. J. KUHN. Take two eggs and flour enough to make very stiff, and roll out as thin as possible. Let it dry a little, then turn in one edge and make it in a long roll. Cut slices across this as thin as can be done with a sharp knife. Put them into plain beef soup just long enough before serving, to have them come to a boil — a longer time will make them heavy. DUMPLINGS FOR SOUP. MRS. J. B. LYMAN, ROCKPORD, ILL. One-half pint of sweet milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter; when scalding hot, stir in flour until stiff; three eggs. SCOTCH BROTH. Take the chops from a neck of mutton ; cut the remainder into small pieces and let it stew gently the Avhole day. Boil a quarter of a pint of pearl barley in a little water, till tender ; strain it dry. Chop fine two large onions and turnips and put with the barley and meat into a close stew-pan; strain the broth into it, also the water from the barley; let it boil one hour and a half and skim well. Season it only with salt and pepper. PORTABLE SOUP. Take the liquor in which beef or veal, or any scraps of fresh meat, good bones, or fowls, have been boiled. Remove all the 16 SOUPS. fat and strain the liquor into the stew pan ; boil briskly, putting in salt to taste and plenty of pepper. Leave the stew-pan un- covered, and watch closely to prevent burning. Drop a little upon a cold plate and when of a consistency to make thick jelly, pour it on platters, having it not over three quarters of an inch in thickness. When cold, cut in pieces about three inches square and set them in the sun to dry, turning them frequently. When perfectly dry, put them in an earthen vessel with white paper between each layer. If the. directions are strictly fol- lowed these cakes will keep good a long time. OCHRA, OR GUMBO SOUP. MRS. G. E. OSGOOD. Cut up a chicken and a small piece of salt pork as if to fry; take two quarts of young and tender ochra, slice it, and put into a pot with the meat, with just cold water enough to cover it, and stew for an hour. Then add one quart of ripe tomatoes sliced, and two or more quarts of boiling water. Cover closely, and skim frequently. Boil till the meat and vegetables fall to pieces, then add butter, pepper and salt to taste; serve hot. This is a southern dish, but ochra is raised in this latitude. ^im. ISH to be really good tnust be fresh. If the eyes are bright and the flesh firm, it is a pretty sure indication of - their freshness. TO FRY FISH. An iron spider is the best utensil for the purpose. The lard used for frying should be sweet and clean and free from salt. The lard should be just the right heat. If a small piece of bread thrown in fries crisp, the lard is ready; if the bread burns it is too hot. As soon as the fish is done, lay it on a soft cloth by the fire to absorb the grease. HOW TO BROIL FISH. When thoroughly cleaned and washed, dry the fish with a towel; rub it inside and outside with a little butter, and salt and pepper it on both sides. Have a sharp fire and the draught good, set on the fish and turn over often enough to prevent it from charring. It must broil quickly. When done, place the fish on a warm plat- ter, the inside up, and spread over butter. When turning the fish, do not use a knife and fork, but lay a dish on it and hold it with one hand, while you turn the gridiron over with the other. Lay the skin side down, first. TO BOIL FRESH FISH. After being well scaled and cleaned, rub salt over the inside of the fish; wrap each fish in a cloth and sew it on, then place in a kettle of warm water, salt the water, simmer gently till the fish will separate, but not fall from the bone. This may be ascertained by opening the cloth and trying it in one place, but fasten it up again if not done. Serve with rich drawn butter, with eggs. 2 17 18 FISH. TO BAKE FISH. The simplest way is very good. Spread little pieces of bread with butter; pepper and salt them and lay them inside the fish; take a needle and thread and sew it up; lay it into a dish and put a few thin slices of pork on it; sprinkle over salt and flour it well. Baste it with the liquor which cooks out of it. A fish weighing four pounds will cook in an hour. BAKED FISH. MRS. A. L. FEISBIE. Open the fish so that it will lie perfectly flat. Rub salt over it and lay it in a dripping pan, with a very little butter and water. Put it in a very hot oven and bake twenty minutes or a half hour, according to thickness of the fish. When done it will be a deli- cate brown and will be cooked through without the trouble of turning. Of course the skin side is laid next the dripping pan. White fish cooked in this way are especially nice. FISH CHOWDER. MRS. J. B. STEWART. Take three or four pounds of fish for six or eight persons; cut in sections, crosswise. Take five or six slices of salt pork, lay them in the bottom of the kettle and let them fry slowly until all the fat is fried out; then remove the scraps of pork and lay in about one-third of the fish, then a layer of potatoes, then a sprinkling of chopped onions (chop two onions for the whole,) then pepper and salt and some flour dredged in so as not to lump. Place in layers until the whole is used. Cover with cold water and boil fifteen minutes, then add a half dozen Boston crackers, split and wet in cold water; add one pint of sweet milk. Bdil five minutes more and serve. TO POT FRESH FISH. Let the fish lie in salt and water several hours. For five pounds of fish take three ounces of salt, two ounces of pepper, two of cinnamon, one of allspice, and half an ounce of cloves. Cut the fish in slices and lay in the jar in which it is to be cooked — a layer of fish, then sprinkle spices, with flour and bits of butter on FISH. 19 top; another layer of fish and seasoning, till all is packed. Fill the jar with equal proportions of vinegar and water; lay on a cloth pressed down close to the sides of the jar, and put flour on top, so no steam may escape. Bake moderately six hours; let it remain in the jar till cold, when it can be sliced for tea. SHAD. Fresh shad are good baked or broiled, but much the best broiled. For broiling, sprinkle salt and pepper on the inside when cleaned, and let it remain some hours. Salt shad for broil- ing should be soaked ten or twelve hours, in cold water. For boiling, they need be soaked only long enough to enable the scales to be easily removed. The roe is good either broiled or fried. BAKED HALIBUT. Lay five or six pounds of fresh halibut iu salt and water for two hours, then wipe dry, score the skin in squares, and set in a tolerably hot oven; baste quite often with butter melted in hot water. When done, a fork will easily penetrate it. Serve with drawn butter, flavored with walnut catsup, or such sauce as may be preferred. HALIBUT Is nice cut in slices, well seasoned, then broiled or fried. The fins and thick part are good boiled. SMOKED HALIBUT. MRS. E. P. CHASE. Enough may be soaked for several days at one time, hang it up to dry, and broil what is needed on a gridiron; when done, butter well, and serve while hot. SALMON TROUT, When thoroughly cleaned and washed, should be wiped care- fully and laid into a dripping pan, with water enough to prevent scorching. Bake slowly, basting often with butter and water. W^hen done, have ready a cup of sweet cream, diluted with a few- spoonfuls of hot water, stir in carefully two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and a little chopped parsley. Heat this by placing 20 FISH. the vessel in boiling water; add the gravy from the fish and boil up once. Place the fish in a hot dish and pour over the sauce. Pickerel are good baked in the same way. HOW TO CHOOSE A SALT MACKEREL. A poor mackerel when salted has a heavy dead appearing eye, but a fat one will have a substance which resembles white jelly, sometimes covering the eye and extending back from it on the head. All salt mackerel have it to some extent, and the larger the accumulation of this substance, the fatter and better the fisn. In soaking fish, use plenty of water, and put the skin side upper- most, as the salt will then fall to the bottom and leave the fish freshened. If it is very salt, the water may need to be changed. The fish will broil nicer to be hung up an hour or two to dry, before cooking, though wiping with a soft dry cloth will answer very well. BOILED MACKEREL. If fresh, simmer them fifteen minutes in a little water with salt. Do not let them boil hard. If salted, let them lie in hot water half an hour before boiling, then change the water. SOUSED MACKEREL. If fresh, when cleaned, boil them in salt and water. If salt, freshen them a little first. When boiled, take them out of the water, and save about half enough to cover them; mix it with an equal quantity of vinegar. Heat it scalding hot, wit,h a few pep- per-corns and cloves, and pour it over the fish. They will be sufficiently pickled in the course of three days. CANNED SALMON. MRS. G. E. OSGOOD. Set the can of salmon in a kettle of boiling water, let it stand half an hour, take it out, pour off the juice or oil from the salmon and pour over it a dressing made of equal quantities of butter and vinegar, boiled together. TO BROIL SMOKED SALMON. Wash well in cold water and wipe dry; cut in pieces to serve FISH. 21 and broil on a hot gridiron, turning several times. When well heated through, take up, and put on melted butter. HOW TO COOK COD-FISH. Soak the thickest part for two days in sweet skimmed-milk, changing the milk twice. Roll in flour, and fry quite brown. Scald, but do not boil, a teacup of thick sweet cream, and pour over the fish. TO PREPARE COD-FISH FOR THE TABLE. MRS. J. M. OTIS. Remove the skin and bones. Make the fish fine by cutting it first in short pieces, then pick very fine. Throw into cold water for ten or fifteen minutes, letting it stand in a warm place. Pre- pare cream as for dried-beef. When it boils, add the fish skimmed from the water, and serve. BOILED COD-FISH. MRS. E. P. CHASE. Soak over night; put in a pan filled with water, and simmer two or three hours. Serve with drawn butter, with hard-boiled eggs sliced in it. DRAWN BUTTER. Half a cup of butter, large tablespoon of flour rubbed with the butter. Pour on one pint of boiling water. Salt to taste. COD-FISH BALLS. MES. E. P. CUASE. Take mashed potatoes, and half as much cod-fish as potatoes; add apiece of butter and one hard-boiled egg. Mash well together, and make in balls. Fry brown in equal parts of butter and lard. COD-FISH ON TOAST. MRS. J. P. FOSTER. Pull the fish into small strips, and soak about half an hour in luke-warm water; drain ofl^ the water, and pour on milk; add 22 SHELLFISH. butter. Three or four beateu eggs improve it. Let it heat, but do not let it boil or it will harden. Turn it on buttered toast. FRIED FRESH COD-FISH. Cut the fish into slices about two inches thick, dip in egg, then in bread crumbs, and fry to a rich brown in plenty of fat.' Cod-fish is good baked after being boiled, and dressed with a rich sauce of cream, butter and hard-boiled eggs; rub a little flour into the butter. Garnish with parsley. BROILED COD-FISH. / MRS. E. P. CHASE. Soak till freshened enough, which can be determined by tast- ing; wipe dr}', and broil on gridiron. Do not forget to grease the bars. This makes a nice relish for tea. gl)ell-5^iA. OYSTER PIE. AKE a nice paste, and line a deep dish, turn a tea-cup down in the center; this will draw the liquor under it '1^ and prevent it from boiling over; it also keejDS the upper crust from falling in and becoming clammy. Lay in the oysters, with a little salt, pepper, butter and flour. Use but little of the liquor. Make a wide incision in the upper crust, so that when the pie is nearly done you can pour in half a tea-cup of sweet cream or milk. Secure the edges by moistening the under crust, and sprinkling flour on it before pinching down the top; place in the oven immediately and bake an hour. If allowed to stand, the under crust will be clammy. SHELL-FISH. 23 OYSTER PATTIES. Take a pint of oysters, season with salt and pepper to taste, put into a stew pan, with a large tablespoonful of fresh butter; set this on the stove, and, as the butter melts, stir carefully; scald the liquor by itself, and when the butter is hot, but not boiling, pour the oyster liquor in, stir all together, and let it stew fifteen minutes; set this aside in an earthen vessel. Have patty pans lined with puif paste; bake them a light brown color; just before serving, fill these with oysters. They should be eaten imme- diately, as the gravy, by soaking in, will render the pastry heavy. ESCALLOPED OYSTERS. MRS. E. P. CHASE. Butter your pan or dish; cover the bottom with crackers, rolled fine. Add a layer of oysters. Alternate the crackers and oysters until you have three or four layers, the crackers being the top layer. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper and bits of butter. Moisten with a mixture of the oyster liquor and milk — butter on the top. Bake about three-quarters of an hour. PICKLED OYSTERS. MKS. D. O. FINCH. Drain the liquor from the oysters, scald and skim it till clear. Then scald the oysters in the liquor till they begin to shrivel. Skim them out; add vinegar and whole allspice to taste; let scald and pour over the oysters. TO FRY OYSTERS. MRS. C. W. NELSON. Take the largest oysters and spread them upon a napkin; put another over to dry them; then season with salt and pepper; have ready some beaten ^^'g^ and crackers rolled fine; prepare in your pan some sweet lard and butter. Dip each oyster into the egg, then roll in the cracker and drop into the boiling fat; there must be enough to allow the oysters to float. Serve with hot cakes. 24 SHELL-FISH. STEAMED OYSTERS. MRS. C. H. SWEENEY. Wash the oysters, put them in a deep dish in the steamer, and let them cook till they shrivel. In the meantime have the liquor on the stove in a half pint of water; scald and skim, add one quart of milk' and butter; pepper and salt to taste; roll one cracker fine and sprinkle in and let all scald together; pour over the oysters, and serve immediately. FRIED OYSTERS. To fry, take fresh and good sized oysters, open and turn them into a colander for half an hour, to drain them. Beat two or three eggs in a bowl. Turn the oysters into fine cracker crumbs, and then shake them so that little of the crumbs shall adhere. Put the oysters into the beaten eggs, and stir them, after which, take them out one by one; see that they have been well dipped in the Q^'g., and roll them in bread or cracker crumbs. As soon as an oyster is well rolled in crumbs, put it into the palm of your hand, on its flat side, and press gently on it with the other hand. When thus prepared put them away in a cold place until they are put in the pan. They may be dipped in ^g^ and rolled a second time, half an hour after the first time. After being rolled in crumbs, they may be kept in a cold place for hours before being fried, but the quicker they are eaten after they are fried the bet- ter. When fried, turn them into a colander, dust fine salt over them and serve hot. BROILED OYSTERS. After being strained, they are rolled in fine cracker crumbs, then shaken gently on a rough towel, dipped in melted butter, rolled in bread or cracker crumbs, and broiled on the gridiron. Serve hot. STEWED OYSTERS. Put the oysters on the fire in a pan, with a little salt and butter; remove them at the first boil, add pepper and a little milk and cream, and serve. SHELLFISH. 35 ROASTED OYSTERS. Put oysters, in the shell, on the gridiron or hot coals; when cooked, the shell usually opens a little; remove from the fire take off half the shell, put on butter, salt and pepper, and eat while hot. OYSTER FRITTERS. Scald them in their own liquor, and wipe dry. Add one pint of milk to the liquor, a teaspoonful of salt, and five well-beaten eggs, with flour enough to make a thin batter, and drop the oysters into it. Take up each oyster in a spoonful of batter, and fry in boiling lard, till a light brown. Lay a soft napkin on a flat dish, and serve the fritters on this, that the grease may be absorbed by it, and not soak into them. ANOTHER OYSTER PIE. Line a deep baking dish with rich puff paste, as for any other pie; fill with crackers or crusts of light bread. Have the top crust much thicker than the under one, and butter the edges so the crust will part easily when done. Put a roll of paste around the edge of the top crust, and bake. Drain the liquor from the oysters, put in a little hot water, salt and pepper, and set over the fire; when it comes to a boil, add a cupful of rich milk or cream; when it boils up once, put in the oysters, and stew five minutes; add a piece of butter, stir, and remove from the fire as soon as it melts. Time your work so that the crust shall be ready just as soon as the oysters are. Lift the top crust, pour in the hot oysters, and serve immediately. CLAM FRITTERS. Chop a dozen clams fine; take the liquor from the clams, and add one pint of milk; to this add four beaten eggs, and flour enough to make a thin batter. Season to taste. Fry in hot lard. LOBSTER CROQUETTES. Take boiled lobster and chop fine, season to taste, and have fine bread crumbs about one-third of the quantity of meat, and mix with two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Make this into balls, roll in beaten q^^.^ then in fine bread crumbs, and fry in hot lard. Serve immediately. ?OUl<¥^Y. TO SELECT AND PREPAEE POULTRY. RY the wing, and if it is easily disjointed or turned back, the fowl is young; if a turkey, it has also a smooth leg and soft bill, and if fresh, the eyes will be bright and ' the feet moist. If the fowls are dressed, select by their 'skin and breast bone. The young ones have a thin and ten- der skin, and the breast bone yields readily when pressed by the fingers. (They should be killed by having the neck cut, and then hung by the legs so that they will bleed freely, in order to make them white and healthy to eat.) Scald and pick off the feathers, being careful to remove all the pin-feathers. A pair of tweezers or the point of a dull knife is frequently a great help. Cut the oil-bag out from above the tail, and singe off the hair by holding over a blazing paper, so the fire may reach all parts. Then remove everything from the inside, keeping the gizzard, heart and liver to stew for the gravy. Great care must be used in separating the gall-bag from the liver — if broken it renders what it touches unfit to eat. Thoroughly wash and cleanse the fowl. A little soda may be thrown into the water after the first washing, and then rinse in clear water. Cut off the legs at the first joint above the feet, and if to be cut up, the following way is advised, as each piece has a good portion of meat. Cut it open right through the back and so clear through the breast bone, being careful to leave the breast «iqual on both halves; then, after removing the flyer of the wings and the drumsticks, cut each half crosswise into four, five, or six pieces, according to the size of the fowl, being careful so to cut as to leave good meat on each piece, 27 28 POULTRY. TO ROAST A TURKEY. MRS. J. P. POSTER, Prepare according to directions given above. Make a dressing of fine bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and add sage or such sweet herbs as are preferred. Do not flavor too strongly with any one thing; mix all together and pour over melted butter to moisten it nearly enough, then add a little water. Put salt on the inside of the turkey, and fill the crop and body with the dressing; sew it up with white woolen yarn (for it will not tear the flesh as cotton does), tie the legs and wings close to the body, lay into a dripping-pan, and rub a little salt and butter over it, or lay on two or three slices of salt pork; pour over a tea-cup of water, and place it in the oven. It should be roasted slowly at first, and basted frequently. If desired, oysters can be used in the dressing and sauce. Mix the oysters with the bread, omitting the herbs, and moisten with the liquor of the oyster instead of water. For the gravy, boil the heart, liver and gizzard, till very tender; then chop fine and return to the water in which they were boiled; add oysters and their liquor, also some butter rubbed in flour to thicken the gravy, and season to taste; boil till oysters and flour are cooked, then serve. BOILED TURKEY. Prepare as for roasting. Half a ciip of rice boiled with a turkey makes the meat look white, or wrapping it closely in a cloth dredged with flour before putting it to boil will have the same efi"ect. A small piece of salt pork improves the flavor. Oyster sauce is very nice for turkey cooked in this way. TO WARM OVER TURKEY. Pick the meat from the bones, and chop fine; spread a layer of crackers or bread crumbs in the bottom of a buttered dish; moisten with a little milk or water, then put on a layer of turkey, (a little cooked ham minced fine and mixed with it is an im- provement,) a few bits of butter and the dressing, then another layer of crumbs and so on till near the top, seasoning to taste all the way through, and pouring on the gravy left from the day POULTRY. 29 before, adding water if necessary. The top layer should be crumbs soaked in warm milk and beaten up light with two eggs and spread smoothly over, with bits of butter on the top. Turn a pan or deep plate over this till cooked through, and then remove the cover and let the top brown. OTHER WAYS. Cut the pieces that are left, up fine, and warm with the gravy, or make a turkey pie of them. ROAST CHICKEN. Having picked and prepared the chicken for cooking, make a stuffing as for a turkey. Rub salt over it and place in dripping- pan with pieces of butter laid on the breast ; put in hot water enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and baste frequently, turning the pan so the chicken may roast equally on all sides. When done, take up the chicken and make a gravy by mixing flour with butter, or, if preferred, the fat of the drippings, and adding the giblets, pre\iously boiled and chopped, to the liquor in the dripping-pan. Boil up and serve. FRICASSEED CHICKEN. MES. J. P. POSTER. The chickens should be cut up according to previous directions; wash and lay in cold salt water for half an hour; put in a pot with the skin side down, with a few slices of salt pork; sprinkle in pepper, and put on just enough water to cover them (hot, not boiling water, is best). Cover and stew slowly till tender, then remove the chicken, and skim the oil from the top of the liquor, if the chickens are fat; take a piece of butter and mix with flour enough to thicken the remainder. Boil till the flour is cooked. Have ready some hot shortcakes or biscuits, split open, and laid on your platter, or toast if preferred. Lay on your chicken and pour gravy over the whole. If the pork does not salt it suffi- ciently, add salt before taking up the chicken. Old fowls are best cooked in this way. BROILED CHICKEN. MRS. J. M. OTIS. Cut the chicken into desirable pieces for the table; put it into 30 POULTRY. a stewpan with water sufficient to keep it from scorching, and a very little salt; when it is dry, place the pieces upon a hot, but- tered gridiron, over coals; turn frequently to prevent scorching; when done butter and season to the taste. Chicken prepared in this way is tender and juicy. BROILED CHICKEN. None but young and tender chickens should be broiled. They should be split down the back, and, after a thorough washing, be wiped dry. Place the chicken, inside downward, on a buttered grid- iron. The fire should be clear and bright, with no smoke; cover with a deep plate or pan, and broil till cooked through, turning several times to prevent charring. When done, lay on a heated platter, put on plenty of sweet butter, and season to taste — serving imme- diately. TO FRY CHICKEN. MRS. TURNER. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, before rolling in flour; have hot, equal proportions of lard and butter, jn sufficient quan- tity to cover it well; let it fry slowly and be sure not to let it burn; when done, take it out, and if gravy is desired pour in a little water or milk, and thicken with flour or corn starch. SMOTHERED CHICKEN. MRS. E. S. SPEED, RUSHVILLE, ILL. Split up the back, and wash thoroughly in two or three waters; ^ut into a pan to bake, and salt it well; add a little pepper if desired; lay a lump of butter on the breast, pour a little water in the pan; a very small piece of red pepper is an improvement. If the chicken is young, cook in a very quick oven till well browned; baste often. CHICKEN PIE. MRS. J. P. FOSTER. Clean and cut the chickens in pieces ready to serve. Boil them in water barely to cover them till cooked nearly enough for the table; skim the water carefully. Some remove the skin if it is very thick. Line a deep dish with a thick paste made like soda or baking powder biscuit, only a little richer; place the pieces of POULTRY. 31 chicken in layers; such as have bones in them should be laid from the center to the edge, to make carving more easy. Put in the hearts and livers, sprinkle each layer with flour, salt and pepper, lay over it a thin slice of salt pork, or a small piece of butter, put- ting rather more seasoning on the top layer, and pour over all as much of the liquor in which the chickens were boiled as the dish will hold without danger of boiling over. Roll the upper crust twice as thick as for fruit pies, make ai] incision for the steam to pass out, and lay it over the dish, first wetting the under crust with water, so the edge will be closed tightly. Bake in a quick oven till done. CHICKEN PUDDING. Cut up as for fricassee, and stew slowly in a little water; season well with salt, pepper and butter, unless there is salt pork with it; in about an hour take out the chickens to cool; save the water in which they Avere stewed, for gravy. Take three cups of flour, a little salt, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, four well beaten eggs and a quart of milk; mix together with two tablespoonfuls of baking powder; put a layer of chicken in the bottom of a baking dish and pour over enough batter to cover the meat, alternate the layers of chicken and batter till the dish is full; let the batter be on the top to form the crust. Bake moderately till done through, and the crust a light brown. JELLIED CHICKEN. MRS. C. BOWElSr. Boil the chicken, till thoroughly done, seasoning with butter, pepper and salt. Then take out and remove all bones and skin, leaving nearly one quart of liquor in the kettle. For one chicken dissolve one half box of Coxe's gelatine in one cup of hot water and pour into the liquor with the chicken; cook a few minutes, then turn into molds and set away to cool. Do not pick the chicken into ver^'^ fine pieces; it cuts and looks much rjicer if left in large pieces. Slice with a sharp knife, and you have a handsome and most palatable dish for your table. TO MAKE AN OLD FOWL TENDER. Put one tablespoonful of lemon juice into the water in which it is boiled. Strong vinegar may be used but is not so good. Citric acid is a better substitute — a lump the size of a large pea. 32 POULTRY. A DRESSING FOR CHICKEN. MRS. E. S. SPEED, RTJSHVILLE, ILLS. Take as much bread as needed, crumb it very fine, season with salt, pepper and sage, to suit the taste; butter the size of an egg, and a- tablespoonful of water; boil two eggs hard, chop fine and mix with bread. TO DRESS A PRAIRIE CHICKEN. Lay the chicken on its back, head towards you; with a sharp knife cut the skin through on the breast bone; with the hands pull the skin apart down from off the breast and back, to the point of the breast bone, then cut the meat and ribs off from the back bone by running the knife from the point of the breast bone for- ward to the wing joints on both sides, and take off the entire breast, then take out each leg by skinning it and unjointing it from the body. The breast and legs of a prairie chicken are all that it is profitable to cook. TO FRY PRAIRIE CHICKEN. MRS, J. P. FOSTER. Take the legs and breast of a young prairie chicken, let them lie in cold salt and water an hour, or better still, with salt and pep- per sprinkled on them over night. Slice the breast in four pieces, roll it and the legs in flour, and lay in hot lard, cover tightly and set where it will steam till nearly done, then remove the cover, and fry a light brown. BROILED PRAIRIE-CHICKEN. Prepare the chicken as for frying, wipe dry and broil over hot coals; none but the most tender should be broiled, unless first steamed, or parboiled in very little water. STEWED PRAIRIE CHICKEN. MRS. J. PARMELEE. When chickens are too old to broil or fry, they are nice prepar- ed as follows: After dividing them, put in a pan with sufficient water to just cover them; slice in a good sized onion to about two chickens, a little salt and pepper. Let them stew very sloio- ly for four hours, never allowing them to boil. When done, thick- en the liquid with butter rubbed in flour. POULTRY. 33 ROASTED QUAIL. MRS. J. PARMELEE. Pick and clean the quails, then use dressing as for turkey with addition of onion. Put in a dripping pan and bake three-quar- ters of an hour, basting frequently. They are nice cold, for tea or supper. TO ROAST PIGEONS. Pick out the pinfeathers, or if too many, pull oif the skin; clean the inside thoroughly; soak half an hour in considerable water to take out the blood ; boil half an hour, with a little salt in the water, and take oif the scum as fast as it rises; take them out, fiour well and place in a dripping pan; strain the water in which they were boiled and put part of it in the pan with a small piece of butter, and baste the pigeons; add pepper as you choose. Roast them nearly two hours. ROAST DUCK. Clean and wipe dry your duck; prepare the stuflBngthus: chop fine and throw into cold water three good sized onions, cut one large spoonful of sage leaves and mix with bread crumbs and a piece of butter the size of a walnut; drain the onions, and add with a little salt and pepper. Mix these together and stuiF the duck well; dredge and baste like a turkey. Ccok an ordinary sized duck over an hour. A nice gravy is made by straining the drippings; skim off all the fat, then stir in a spoonful of. browned flour and a teaspoon ful of mixed mustard. Serve hot. Currant jelly is necessary with duck. TO BOIL DUCK. MRS. S. MERRILL. Scald and lay them in water a few minutes, then lay them in a dish, pour boiling milk over them, and let them lie in it two or three minutes; take them out, dredge with flour and put them in a saucepan of cold water, cover close and boil twenty minutes; take them out, cover, and set where they will keep warm, and make the sauce as follows : chop a large onion and a bunch of parsley fine and put therein a gill of gravy; add a tablespoonful of lemon juice, a little salt, pepper, and a small piece of butter; stew them half an hour, then lay the ducks into a dish and pour the sauce over them. 3 34 POULTRY. SMOTHERED DUCK. MRS. J. ANKENEY. Pick and dress as turkey, and put in a pot with a pint of water; add salt, pepper and a piece of butter; tie a cloth on the pot, and cover air tight as nearly as possible. Stew slowly for four or five hours. ROAST WILD DUCK. MRS. J. P. f6sTER. Parboil in water with a little salt, placing an onion in each duck to absorb the fishy taste that some ducks have; if onion is not agreeable, a carrot is said to answer the same purpose. When boiled, take the duck and stuff as you would turkey, except that onion seems to be necessary. Roast till brown and tender, bast- ing with butter and water at first, then with the drippings. Make a gravy by taking off the superfluous fat and thickening with browned flour. MS^S^H. HE most desirable requisite to make the following re- ceipts good and practical, is good meat. There is no [[^^ ^ cook in the world who can broil a "chuck steak" into a kj^ sirloin, or roast old ox-beef into a tender "rib roast," or Y make a savory bit of mutton out of an old, tough sheep. ' The cook may do much towards supplying the want of real goodness in the meat, by skillful labor, but to place on the table the choicest dishes, the best of meats are necessary. Every good cook should know how to select the best meats, instead of de- pending on the butcher. Beef, to be the best, should be from a young steer — killed at three to four years old — after having been fattened as quickly as possible, on good, rich food. THe quicker beef is fattened, the richer and more tender it is, and beef of this class has a bright, rich, red, juicy look, while poor beef looks dark, dry, acid a brown- ish red color. The best cuts for steaks are from the hind quarter, the loin being generally chosen as the best, but many prefer the round, because, while not so tender, it is more juicy. For roasting, rib cuts are the best, the bone being removed from the meat, it being skewered so that it comes on the table rolled. There is, however, a difference of taste and fancy as to removing the bones before cooking. Some real epicures think the bones give the meat a richness of flavor not attainable with- out them. The fore-shoulder furnishes nice pieces for stewing and boiling, and an experienced butcher will supply a few very eatable steaks from it. Corned beef usually comes from the fore-quarter, but butchers generally corn nearly every part which they fail to sell fresh. 35 36 MEATS. VEAL. The calf matures much more rapidly than the lamb and, if well fed and cared for, may be killed at five weeks old, though, in the great majority of cases, the veal improves very rapidly during the sixth and seventh weeks of the calf's age, and it will pay the owner to feed a calf during these two weeks. Calves are some- times killed at four weeks old, but the meat is soft, and too tender to either cook or eat, and is very unwholesome. » MUTTON. In selecting mutton, choose, as a rule, a medium sized sheep, or a small one. The flesh should have a clear, fresh hue, and the fat, especially around the kidneys, look fat, rich, and rather oily, and a clear white, not a dull whitish color, and not dry. For roasting, the loin is the choice cut; but the fore-shoulder, when properly boned, stuffed and basted, is very nice. The leg is for boiling, or chops. The age at which lambs furnish the best meat, extends from three to ten months, and at ten, most lambs become sufficiently developed to be called mutton. Like mutton, the hind-quarter is the best; but if the fore-quarter be prepared properly, it is rich and good, and many prefer it to the hind- quarter. CARE OF FAT MEAT AND DRIPPINGS. When meat has more fat than is desirable to cook with it, the fat should be trimmed off, such pieces as are nice should be cut small and put in a vessel with a little water, and stewed slowly till the fat is extracted and the water boiled out, then strained in a dish. Any surplus fat in the drippings of a roast may be add- ed also, and when meat is boiled, the fat that rises on the top should be saved. It is well to clarify all such fat by putting it into a kettle to melt slowly, stirring occasionally till it looks clear, then strain and set away for use. This saves butter, for it may be mixed in equal proportions with that or lard, for ginger cakes or pie crust. By some it is considered more healthy for frying doughnuts than lard. It needs careful watching to see that it does not grow stale; it is necessary to clarify it quite often in summer, but it will keep longer in winter; keep it in tin or good MEATS. 37 solid stone jars that will not absorb tlie grease and grow rancid. Mutton is not good to put with other fat, being too hard and tallowy. All refuse grease should be saved for making soap. A FRENCH WAY OF COOKING MEATS MRS. HILL, MUSCATINE, lA. Any kind of a piece of meat, rubbed well with salt and pepper, and put into a covered tin pail, placed in a kettle of boiling water and cooked till done, will be found very juicy and tender. The water must be kept boiling all the time. A delicious gravy can be made from the juice of the meat. ROAST BEEF. To roast in a cooking stove, the fire must have careful attention lest the meat should burn. Lay it, well floured, and seasoned, into a dripping pan, with rather more than enough water to cover the bottom, turn the pan around often, that all parts may be equally roasted, and baste frequently. The oven should be quite hot when the beef is first put in that the outside may cook quickly and thus retain the juices. A large roast of 8 or 10 pounds is much better and more economical than a small one, even in a small family. The first day it can be served rare; that which is near the outside will be well enough cooked for any one. It can be re-roasted on the next day. If much remains serve cold on the next, or cut in very thin slices, dip each one in flour, then chop two onions fine, place a layer of meat in a baking dish and sprinkle it with salt pepper and onions; above this, place a layer of sliced or canned tomatoes; alternate the layers till the dish is nearly full, moisten- ing with the gravy; place a layer of tomatoes upon the top, fill with boiling water, cover with a plate, and bake two hours. ROAST BEEF. MRS. M. P. TURNER. A 10 pound roast is the nicest. Put it into a hot oven and let it crisp over, as soon as possible, to keep all the juice inside the meat. After the meat is well browned, put a little boiling water into the dripping pan, grease a paper, two or three thicknesses, and lay over the meat, then turn a dripping pan over all. 38 MEATS, BEEF A r.A MODE. MRS. C. P. KEEVES. Take a tender, fresh round, take out the bone and with a sharp knife make many deep incisions, then wash and season well with pepper and salt. For the dressing, crumb the soft part of a ba- ker's loaf, to which add 1 teaspoonful of sweet marjoi'am, 1 of sweet basil, 2 small onions, mixed tine, 2 or 3 small blades of mace finely powdered; salt and pepper. Rub well together with six ounces of butter, fill the incisions, and tie tape around the meat to keep in place. Bake until well done. STEWED BRISKET OF BEEF. Put three or four pounds of brisket into a kettle and cover it with water; remove the scum as it rises, and let it boil steadily two hours; take it from the kettle and brown it with butter in a spider; when it is browned on every side, return it to the kettle and stew it gently five hours more; add more water if it boils away; pat in a few cloves, salt and pepper, as you' think neces- sary. Half an hour before dinner add tomato or mushroom catsup. The water in which it was stewed is a nice soup. STEWED BEEF. MRS. J. M. OTIS. The ends of the slices of "Porterhouse" steak are nice for stewing. In this case, have the thin part cut off before the meat is sliced. Cover the piece to stew with boiling water, and cook till every partis perfectly tender; season when two-thirds cooked. The water must be entirely cooked away to ratain the sweetness of the meat. " BROILED STEAK. ^ MRS. J. M. OTIS. Select your steak carefully. The wide end of the slice of "Porterhouse" is nice, or the "loin." Have the gridiron hot and ' buttered, and over hot coals; place the beef upon the gridiron, and cook till the blood begins to start upon the upper side before turning, if the fire is not too hot. To retain the juice, beef should be cooked rapidly at first. Turn frequently rather than MEATS. 39 scorch. When done, remove to the platter and season to the taste. Use no salt while cooking. This prevents the blood from escaping. BEEF STEAK ROLL. MRS. G. A. PRITCHARD. Select a nice, tender, sirloin steak; pound it well, season with salt and pepper; then make a nice dressing of chopped bread, well but- tered, salted and peppered, with a little sage, and mixed together with a very little warm water. Spread this on the meat, then begin at one end and roll it together; tie with strings. Put into a dripping-pan with a little water. Bake about tliree-quarters of an hour. To be eaten warm, or sliced cold for tea. BEEF STEAK AND ONIONS. Take thick beefsteak, (that which is not so tender will answer,) cut it in pieces ready to serve; put into a spider with a little hot water; slice up three or four onions, and stew very slowly several hours. Let the water boil out and the meat become brown, then stir flour into the fat which has come from the meat. If there is too much, take some out and pour on boiling water, and stir till the flour is cooked. Pour the meat and gravy into a deep dish or platter, and serve. Bay leaves, which can be obtained at the druggists, are a good substitute for those who do not like onions, but the leaves should be taken out before sending to the table. ^ TOMATO STEAK. MRS. S. MERRILL. Take two pounds of beef, cut it in small strips, and put it into a pot with seven medium sized tomatoes; stew it very slowly; add a dessert-spoonful of sugar, salt, a little clove, and, ju^ be- fore you take it up, a dessert-spoonful of butter. If you have tomato catsup, add a little, and, if you like, chopped onion. This is a good rule for cooking beef that is tough, as it renders it more palatable than most other ways. Some think this dish is better when heated over, the next day. 40 MEATS. BEEFSTEAK FOR THE OLD. Take coarse, lean beef, with a small quantity of suet; run it through a sausage cutter, or chop very fine; add pepper and salt; make into cakes three quarters of an inch thick, and cook as you would beefsteak. The poor will find it cheap, and the rich, nearly as good as the choicest cuts. BEEF BALL. MISS LIZZIE SMITH. 3 lbs. choice beef (rare) chopped fine, 10 butter crackers crush- ed thoroughly, ^ tea cup butter, pepper and salt to the taste, ^ cup water. Mix all well together, press down hard in pans, dip a few spoonfuls of the water in which the beef was boiled over the top and bake 1^ or 2 hours. Slice when cold. BEEF OMELET. MRS. W. H. CLEGHORN. One and one-half pounds of good beefsteak chopped fine, one cup suet, two slices of wheat bread soaked in water, two eggs and half a cup of sweet cream; season well with salt and pepper. Mold into a loaf or roll and bake three-fourths of an hour, basting frequently. SPICED BEEF. Chop tough beefsteak, raw, and a piece of suet the size of an egg; season with pepper, salt, and a little summer savory; add two eggs, half a pint of bread crumbs, four or five tablespoonfuls of cream, a small piece of butter; mix and make into a roll, with flour sufficient to keep together. Put in a pan with a little drip- pings and water, and bake as a roast. Slice thin when cold. TO BOIL CORNED BEEF. Wash it thoroughly and put into a pot that will hold plenty of water; the water should be cold; skim with great care; allow forty minutes for every pound after it has begun to boil. The goodness depends much on its being boiled gently and long. If it is to be eaten cold, lay it in a vessel which will admit of its being pressed with a heavy weight, as salt meat is very much improved by pressing. ME A TS. 41 CORNED BEEF. MRS. M. E. KELLOGG. To have good corned beef, select a good piece of brisket or flank, and put it into a pot of boiling water; throw in a handful of salt, or enough to suit the taste, and boil till tender; then add potatoes, turnips and cabbage, with a piece of salt pork. This makes a good Yankee dinner, superior to beef pickled in brine. TO MAKE TOUGH BEEF TENDER. MES. CHAELES SWEENEY. Cut the steak, the day before using, into slices about two inches thick; rub over them a small quantity of carbonate of soda; wash off next morning; cut into suitable thickness; ccok to suit the taste. BOILED TONGUE. MES. J. B. STEWAET. Boil and skim; sprinkle some flour over it; put in cloves, and turn a cup of jelly over it. Bake moderately fifteen minutes. BAKED TONGUE. MES. M. E. KELLOGG. Season with common salt, a very little salt-petre, half a cup of brown sugar, pepper, cloves, mace and allspice, powdered fine. Let it remain for a fortnight, then take out the tongue, put it in a pan; lay on some butter; cover with bread crumbs, and bake slowly till so tender that a straw will easily go through it. To be eaten cold. Will keep a long time, and is very nice for tea. FRIED LIVER. Cut it in slices, and lay in cold salt water to draw out the blood. Some place it over a slow fire till the liver turns white. Take it out, roll each piece in flour or bread crumbs, season and put in hot lard. Cover, and cook slowly, till the liver is tender, then uncover and fry quickly till brown. Another way is to pour boiling water on the liver for a few moments, and proceed as above. 42 MEATS. TO FRY TRIPE. MRS. A. Y. EAWSON. Cut in pieces convenient for serving; beat an egg lightly and dip each piece in the Qg^. Have your frying-pan hot and fry brown in butter. It will take a good deal of butter to make it nice and keep from burning. TO COOK DRIED BEEF. MRS. J. M. OTIS. Chip the beef as for the table; put it in a basin of cold water, and set it in a warm (not hot) place. Put a bowl of cream in a stew-pan over the fire, and when hot, shake in flour from the dredging-box, till it is, on boiling, of the consistency of thick cream; set off the stew-pan, and add to the thickened cream the beef which has been drained from the water, and it is ready for the table. The quantity of water used, and the length of time it is allowed to remain in the water, will necessarily depend upon the saltness of the beef. Fifteen minutes is usually sufficient. HOW TO FRY DRIED BEEF. MRS. T. HUNT. It is nice shaved off with a plane; then put it into a hot frying- pan, with butter to fry it until brown. Put in a tablespoonful of flour, then pour in hot water enough to make a gravy. Let it stew a moment before taking it up. TO WARM OVER COLD MEATS. MRS. S. MACY, NEWPORT, R. I. Take the pieces of cold steak or roast and put into a stew-pan, and nearly cover with water; slice in two or three onions; add butter, pepper and salt, and stew until very tender; mix a little flour in cold water and stir in to thicken the gravy. Tough steak is nice prepared in the same way. MEAT BALLS. MRS. M. R. KELLOGG. Chop fine any kind of cold meat; mix it with one or two eggs, and some butter; season it with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over flour; roll it in balls and fry brown in hpt lard. MEATS. 43 HASH. MES. ANDREWS. Chop cold beef to a fine hash, and season it; mash and season hot boiled potatoes, and place them around a flat dish for a bor- der, two or three inches in width; put the hash in the center and cover with fine bread-crumbs, and put into the oven and brown. HASH ON TOAST. MRS. J. B. STEWART. Cold pieces of beefsteak are nice, chopped fine, cooked in a little butter and water, and thickened with flour; pour over pieces of toast laid on a platter, and moistened with hot water, salted. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs. HASH, WITH POTATOES. MRS. J. P. FOSTER. Cold pieces of beef, either boiled, broiled or baked, can be used for the dish. Free the meat from all pieces of bone, chop fine, and mix with two parts of potatoes to one of beef. Potatoes boiled with the skins on are best. They should be cold, and chopped not quite so fine as the meat. Put them in a spider with melted butter or clarified drippings, and just enough hot water to keep from burning. Season to taste, and keep stirring till the whole is cooked together. If liked crisped, let it remain still long enough to bake a crust on the bottom, and then turn out on a flat dish. Other meats may be used instead of beef. BEEF AND MUTTON PIE. Take slices of tender meat, pound thin and broil ten min- utes; cut off the gristly and bony parts; season it highly with salt and pepper; butter, and cut it into small pieces. Line a pudding-dish with pastry; put in the meat, and to each layer put a teaspoonful of tomato catsup, and a large spoonful of water. Sprinkle flour over the whole and cover it with pie- crust, having a slit in the center of it. Lay strips of pastry over, so as to give it a tasteful appearance, and bake it about an hour. Cooked mutton, and roast beef or broiled beef, can be made into a good pie. Cut them into small pieces, season with salt and pepper; add gravy, or butter and water, till you can see it at the top. 44 MEATS. MOCK TERRAPIN. MES. M. R. KELLOGG. Take half a calf's liver, season, and fry brown; chop it, not very fine, and dredge thickly with flour; add two boiled eggs, chopped fine, a teaspoonful of made mustard, a very little cayenne pepper, and a piece of butter as large as an ^^'g\ pour on a teacup- ful of water, and let it boil a few minutes. Veal is very nice to use instead of liver, when preferred. This is a good supper dish. PRESSED MEAT. MISS LIZZIE SMITH. Boil till very tender, and pick apart with the fingers, not using a knife at all; season with butter, pepper and salt; pour over enough of the liquor the meat is boiled in to make it moist; press tight over night and slice thin. Nice for chicken or veal. ROAST VEAL. The shoulder, loin and fillet are the best pieces for roasting. The loin is considered the choicest. Veal is less juicy than beef, and requires more basting. When nearly done, baste it with melted butter, dredge it with flour, and let it brown nicely before taking up. For the gravy, mix flour with the fat in the pan, or a little butter, and stir into the drippings. Serve in a gravy boat. SHOULDER OF VEAL. . Remove the bone, and fill the space it occupied with a dressing made as for turkey or chicken ; keep well basted and proceed as with the above. A fillet of veal may be prepared in the same ■way, by removing the leg bone with a sharp knife. . TO FRY VEAL STEAK. MRS. BELLE WARD. Cut out all the bone and fat, putting the fat into the frying pan to try out while you prepare the steak; pound the steak quite thin, and season well wiMi salt and pepper; then dip into a mixture of Q^^ and bread crumbs, and lay into the hot fat, frying thoroughly until brown. MEATS. 45 SPICED VEAL. MRS. G. R. OSGOOD. Chop three pounds of veal steak and one thick slice of salt pork, as fine as sa,usage meat; add to it three Boston crackers, rolled fine; half a teacup of tomato catsup, three well-beaten eggs, one and one-half teaspoons of salt, one teaspoon of pepper, and one grated lemon; mould it in the form of a loaf of bread, put it into a small dripping pan, cover with one rolled cracker, and baste with a teacupful of hot water and two tablespoons of butter. Bake three hours, basting very often. VEAL OR LAMB PATTIES. MRS. J. B. STEWART. Use cold veal or lamb; chop fine, taking equal parts of meat and bread crumbs; season with sage, salt and pepper, and moisten with eggs and melted butter, or gravies from the meat; make into little cakes, and fry in butter till well browned. VEAL LOAF. MRS. F. CORNING. Three pounds of veal; three-quarters of a pound of salt pork, three hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine; six crackers, pounded fine; two teaspoons of pepper, two tablespoons of salt; mix well, and make into two loaves; bake two hours; baste with butter and water. VEAL LOAF. MRS. R. A. BUNKER, SPRINGFIELD, ILL. Three pounds of veal, one and one-half pounds of salt pork, both chopped fine; two pounded crackers, two eggs well beaten, one nutmeg, two teaspoons of pepper, two teaspoons of chopped parsley, two teaspoons of celery, and the rind and juice of one lemon. Put batter on the loaf after kneading. Bake in a roll, two hours. VEAL OMELET. MRS. T. E. BROWN. , t • Three pounds of raw veal, chopped fine; two p©»»ds of boiled pork, also chopped; three eggs, one tablespoon of milk, beaten 46 MEATS. with the eggs, four Boston crackers, pounded fine; two tea- spoons of pepper, a scant tablespoon of salt— ^sage to taste. Mix well together in the shape of a loaf, and bake two hours. Baste often with melted butter and water. MOTTLED VEAL. Boil an equal number of pounds of salt tongue and lean veal separately; boil with the veal half a cup of rice to whiten it, but separate it from the veal afterwards; when the meats are quite cold, chop each very fine; season the tongue with pepper, sage or savory, a teaspoonful of made mustard, a pinch of cloves and of cinnamon. The veal can be seasoned the same way, with the addition of salt; moisten a little with the water in which the veal was boiled, and have bowls, or some small jars, well buttered; put in alternate spoonfuls of tongue and veal, so as to have the light and dark meat in irregular spots; pack in tightly, smooth over the top, pour on melted butter and set away to cool; when cool, cover tightly. This keeps some time, and when turned out and sliced thin, is a pretty, as well as a savory dish. SCALLOPED VEAL. MES. A. L. TRISBIE. Take cold veal, either baked or boiled; chop it fine; put a layer in the bottom of a bettered pudding-dish, and moisten with gravy; water in which the bones and refuse pieces of the meat have been boiled, answers nicely' ; spread on this a layer of cracker crumbs wet with milk, and thus alternate until the dish is full, beating an ^g^ with the cracker that is to form the top layer. A little ham, chopped with the veal, greatly improves it. Remnants of spare-rib or of ham may be used in the same way. » VEAL POT-PIE. Cut in pieces ready for serving; add two or three slices of ham or salt pork; stew very gently till nearly done. A few moments before serving, have ready a crust made as for baking powder biscuits but rather richer; roll and cut in small squares, drop in the boiling gravy, cover, and let it boil till the crust rises to the top and is cooked. Serve immediately, or the crust will become heavy. Season to taste before putting in the crust. MEATS. 47 VEAL SAUSAGES. Take two pounds of lean veal and one pound of salt fat pork; grind as for sausage meat, and season in the same way — that is, with salt, pepper, and such sweet herbs as you prefer. Fry a light brown. TO ROAST A SHOULDER OF MUTTON. Season and roast the same as beef, basting with butter and water till there is gravy enough to use. It requires to be cooked more than beef. Serve with currant jelly. TO COOK A LEG OF MUTTON. MRS. BELLE WARD. Put the mutton into warm water, with salt and one small red pepper; boil until tender, allowing the water to boil nearly away; then take it out, and if not seasoned enough, sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour, place in a hot oven with the broth, and bake half an hour, basting often until the meat is a light brown. MUTTON CHOPS. Trim off the superfluous fat, and broil over a bright fire ; season and butter them when cooked; do not have them rare. They can also be fried by first dredging with flour or bread crumbs. FILLET OF MUTTON. Cut a fillet, or round, from a leg of mutton; remove all the fat from the edges, and take out the bone; rub it all over with a very little pepper and salt; have ready a stuffing of finely minced onions, bread crumbs and butter, well seasoned and mixed; fill with this the place of the bone; make deep incisions or cuts all over the surface of the meat and fill them closely with the same stuffing; bind a piece of cloth around the meat to keep it in shape, and stew with just enough water to cover it; let it cook slowly and steadily from four to six hours, in proportion to its size and toughness, skimming frequently. When done, serve with its own gravy. 48 MEATS. MUTTON FRICASSEE. MRS. J. KUHN. Cut the meat up in small pieces, and put in boiling butter; spice with cloves, nutmeg, onions, salt and bay leaf; after frying till brown, pour boiling water over it; cover and boil slowly about an hour. MUTTON CROQUETTES, Remove the fat and skin from cold mutton, mince it fine as possible, season, and make up with the gravy into little oval balls; dip in o,^'^ and then in bread crumbs and fry brown. LAMB WITH RICE. Partly roast a small fore-quarter of lamb; cut it in pieces, and lay in a dish; season, and pour over it a little water; boil a pint of rice till dry, salt it, and stir in a piece of butter, also the yolks of four well-beaten eggs, only reserving enough to put over the top; spread the rice and the remainder of the eggs over the lamb, to form a covering; bake a light brown. STEWED LAMB WITH GREEN PEAS. For a large dish, take a quarter of nice lamb and cut it into steaks; remove the skin and all the fat; season the steaks with salt and pepper, and if liked, a little nutmeg; lay them in a kettle and pour on just enough water to cover them, and stew gently for an hour, skimming when necessary; then add a quart or more of young green peas, a lump of loaf sugar, and some bits of fresh butter; let it cook slowly till the peas are well done. Take them up together, or serve in separate dishes. IRISH STEW. Take five or six mutton chops; the same quantity of beef, veal and pork; six or eight Irish potatoes, peeled and quartered; three or four onions sliced, and salt and pepper to taste; add a pint of good gravy, flavored with catsup, if liked. Cover all very closely, and let it simmer slowly for two hours (never allowing it to stop simmering). A slice or two of ham is an improvement. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. MEATS. 49 ROAST PIG. A pig, to be right for roasting, should be from a month to six weeks old. A very essential thing is to see that your butcher has done his part in cleansing it thoroughly. Examine every part — the ears, mouth and Avhole head, also the fat; if the hair should not all be removed, immerse it in hot water and scrape all •out. Wash the whole, inside and out, wipe dry, and wrap immediately in a wet cloth to keep it from the air. For stuffing, take a cup of bread crumbs seasoned as you prefer, and moisten with three tablespoonfuls of melted butter; mix all together, with a half cup of warm water or milk and two eggs well beaten;, then stuff the pig into his natural size and shape, sew him up and bend his feet under, close up to his body, and skewer them there; dredge with flour, and put into a pan with a little hot water; baste with butter first, then with the drippings; when it begins to cook, rub it over every few minutes with a cloth dipped in melted butter — this makes the skin soft and tender. It will require as much as two hours to cook well, perhaps more. Send to the table whole, garnished with parsley and celery tops. Skim the gravy well and thicken with brown flour; add a little hot water if necessary, also some lemon juice. ROAST LEG OF PORK. This should be from a young pig. Score the skin in lines across the leg, as it is to be carved, and put it into a pan with a little water; heat slowly at first, or it will blister; baste with butter till there is enough of its own gravy for that purpose. Pork requires to be thoroughly cooked, and a leg weighing six pounds will require at least two hours, with a hot fire. When done, take it up, skim the fat from the gravy, add boiling water and thicken with flour; season to taste. Another way, is to remove the bone with a sharp l^nife, and fill the cavity with a dressing made of bread crumbs, seasoned to taste; lemon juice or vinegar improves it. The dressing can be put in where the skin is scored if the scores are cut deep. The leg must be tied with tapes to keep in shape and prevent the escape of the dressing; make the gravy as before. Apple sauce and pickles are always an acceptable accompaniment of roast pork. 4 50 MEATS. ROAST SPARE-RIB. Cover with a greased paper till it is half done; remove the paper and dredge with flour; baste at first with butter, then with its own gravy, quite often. Just before taking up, sprinkle bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper and sage, thickly over the surface; let it cook a few moments and baste with butter. Make a gravy and send to the table separately. PORK STEAKS. Fresh pork steaks should be in nice slices, with the skin taken off. Season them with salt, pepper, and sage if liked; broil or fry them quickly, using no butter. When fried, and gravy is de- sired, mix flour with the fat and pour in boiling water, or milk if preferred, and serve separately. PORK CHOPS. Dip first in beaten ^^^^ then in cracker or bread crumbs; sea- son to taste and fry in hot lard, turning often till well done. SOUSE. MRS. E. P. CHASE. Clean pigs' feet and ears thoroughly, and soak them a number of days in salt and water; boil them very tender and split them. (They are good fried). To souse them cold, pour boiling vinegar over them, spiced with pepper-corns and a little salt. They will keep good, pickled, for a month or two. PIG'S HEAD, (ROASTED.) Clean and split the head of a half-grown pig, take out the brains and set in a cool place; par-boil the head in salted water, then take it out and wipe dry, cover with beaten ^^^^ sprinkle thickly with bread crumbs seasoned to taste, and roast, basting with butter and the water in which the head was boiled, and in its drippings. Wash the brains until they are white, beat them up with one-fourth part bread crumbs, pepper and salt, together with a beaten Q^^'., make into balls, and roll in flour and fry in MEATS. 51 hot fat to a light brown. Place on the dish around the head, and pour on the fat from the dripping-pan; thicken the remainder with brown flour and boil up once. PRESSED HEAD. MRS. M. R. KELLOGG. Pig's head is good baked with beans, or cured and smoked. It is also good prepared with spices. Boil the several parts of the entire head, and the feet, in the same way as for souse. All must be boiled so perfectly tender as to have the meat easily separated from the bones. After it is neatly separated, chop the meat while warm and season with salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Put it in a strong bag, and, placing a weight on it, let it remain until cold; or put it in any convenient dish, placing a plate with a weight on it to press the meat. Cut in' slices when used. SCRABBLE. MRS. C. H. SWEENEV. After boiling a pig's head and feet for head-cheese, take a cup of the meat and chop fine; put it in one gallon of hot water; when it boils hard, stir in meal to make the consistency of mush. Salt to taste, pour into a square bread-pan and, when cold, cut in slices and fry for breakfast. TO COOK A HAM. MRS. M. R. KELLOGG. Boil it three or four hours, according to the size, then skin it and place in the oven for half an hour, then cover with bread crumbs and replace in the oven for another half hour. Boiled ham is alwa3-s improved by heating in an oven till much of the fat is cooked out. TO BOIL HAM. Ham should be put into cold water to boil; if it is very salt, the water should be changed just after it begins to boil. A pint of good vinegar added to the water improves the ham very much. When boiled tender, remove the skin and, if desired, cut off some of the fat. It may be set in an oven fdr a while, or not, just as the taste dictates. If set on the table whole, a few cloves stuck here and there, give it a pretty appearance. Garnish with celery tops or sprigs of parsley. 52 MEATS. STEAMED HAM. Lay in cold water for twelve hours, scrape and wash thoroughly. Place a steamer over a pot of boiling water, put in the ham and cover closely; keep the water boiling all the time; allow twenty- five minutes steaming for each pound of meat. Skin while hot. TO GLAZE HAM. The ham should be a cold boiled one, from which the skin was removed when hot. Cover the ham all over with beaten ^-^^'t make a thick paste of cream, pounded cracker, salt and a teaspoonful of melted butter. Spread this evenly over the ham and brown in a moderate oven. BROILED HAM. If very salt, soak the slices in lukewarm water half an hour, then take them out, cut off the rind and broil quickly over hot coals. If cooked slowly, it will harden, FRIED HAM. If too salt, put the slices in cold water in the frying-pan, let it come to a boil, turn it off and fry the ham quickly, turning often. HAM AND EGGS. Fry the ham quickly; 'remove from the pan as soon as done. Drop the eggs, one at a time, into the hot fat; be careful not to let the yolks break and run, and keep the eggs as much separated as possible, to preserve their shape. The ham should be cut in pieces the right size to serve and, when the eggs are done, one should be laid on each piece of ham. If any eggs remain, they can be placed uniformly on the edge of the platter. TO WARM HAM. MRS. A. L. FEISBIE. Take any pieces of cold boiled or fried ham, chop them with bread and put the mixture into the stew-pan. When it is hot, break into it one or two eggs, according to the quantity; season with pepper and salt to the taste. Stir constantly after break- ing in the eggs, and serve as soon as the eggs are sufficiently cooked. MEATS. 53 HAM TOAST. Chop some lean boiled ham fine, put it in a pan with a little pepper and a lump of butter; when quite hot stir in two well- beaten eggs, mix quickly, spread on hot buttered toast. HAM SANDWICHES. Cut bread in thin slices, butter them and lay between each two some nice slices of cold boiled ham. A little mustard spread on the meat, improves it for many. FRIED SALT PORK. MRS. C. H. RAWSON. Take a nice piece of pork with scarcely any lean, cut in thin slices; have the skillet half full of either warm or cold water^ lay the pieces in and let them remain until the water boils, then take them out, turn out the water, roll the pieces in flour or Indian meal and fry till a delicate brown on both sides. PORK SAUSAGES. Take thirty pounds of pork, mostly lean; chop it very fine, season with eight ounces of salt, one -half ounce of salt-petre, two ounces of pepper, and such sweet herbs as suit the taste. They should be finely sifted; sage, summer savory, or sweet marjoram are all good. To keep for family use, the meat can be packed in stone jars and covered with a cloth, over which pour melted lard. When used, make into cakes. Bags for holding the meat, may be made of old white muslin, large enough to allow a slice to be from three to four inches in diameter. Keep in a cool place. BAKED PORK WITH APPLES. MRS. C. H. SWEENEY. Put the roast in a pan and season well with salt and pepper. When about half done or more, pour off the fat, then surround your roast with apples prepared in the following way: pare the upper part of the apples about two inches wide, and put a band or cap of dough around the peeled part; place in the pan as described, and bake till done. This is very nice. 9 54 MEATS. NEW ENGLAND SAUSAGES. MRS. A. Y. RAWSON. To fifty pounds of meat, cut fine, put seventeen and one-half ounces of salt, three and one-half ounces of pepper, ten ounces of sage and savory. TO PREPARE LARD. MRS. C. D. SPRAGUE. Obtain the "leaf" from a butcher, skin and scrape till it is clean, then cut it up in small pieces, and put over the fire in an iron kettle, which should be scrupulously clean, with a little water. When about half cooked, add a small teaspoonful of dry soda. As this makes the lard foam up, it is necessary to have room in the kettle, so it shall not boil over. When done, most of the scraps will be eaten up, and the lard will be very pure and white. Strain into a tin or stone vessel, and keep in a cool, dry place. It remains hard in warm weather. CORNED BEEF. MISS LIZZIE SMITH, MT. CARROL, ILLS. To 6 gallons of water, add 9 lbs. of pure salt, 3 lbs. of brown sugar, 1 qt. molasses, 3 oz. of salt-petre, 1 oz. pearlash. Let these ingredients be boiled and carefully skimmed as long as im- purities rise to the surface. When the water is ready to receive the rest of the material, pour in the salt-petre only, and when dissolved, and the water boiling, dip your beef, piece by piece, into the salt-petre walEfer, holding it in for a few seconds only. When the beef has been thus immersed and become quite cool, pack it in the cask where it is to remain; when the pickle is per- fectly cold, pour it on the meat which ' should be kept down by cover and stone. This amount of pickle is intended for 100 lbs. of beef. The immersion of the beef in hot salt-petre water contracts the surface by closing the pores and prevents the juices of the meat from going out into the pickle. The salt-petre absorbed by the contracted or cooked surfaces will modify the salt that passes through it, the whole producing the most perfect result. MEATS. 65 BRINE FOR CURING BEEF. MKS. T. HUNT. ^ To 100 lbs. of beef, take 10 lbs. of salt and 2 of salt-petre, 1 qt. of molasses. Boil and skim ; when cold, pour over the meat. FOR CURING PORK AND HAMS. MRS. M. R. KELiLOGG. For pork, make brine enough to cover the pork (let it be as strong as possible). For every layer of pork put a layer of ground black pepper, say 1 lb. to a barrel. Put in 3 or 4 oz. of salt-pe- tre; this is not enough to make it taste, yet it is enough to keep the hams from getting hard. When used the second time do not scald the brine. For hams, to each 100 lbs. take 9 lbs. of salt, 5 oz. of salt-petre, 1 qt. of molasses, a large spoonful of soda and 4 Oz. of ground black pepper. Let the hams remain in brine from 4 to 6 da^*^ smoke and sack. Care should be taken to prevent the pork from freezing, or to be sure the frost is all out vsrhen put in the brine. This is a very superior receipt. BRINE FOR HAM. MRS. C. P. HOLMES. 12 lbs. salt, \ lb. salt-petre, 3 qts. molasses, to 6 gals, water. Boil and skim; when cool, pour over the meat. Before packing, take salt, salt-petre and molasses and rub the ends around the bone. This for 100 lbs. TO CURE HAMS. For curing fifty pounds, allow three quarts of coarse salt, one- half pound of salt-petre, and two quarts good molasses. Add enough soft water to cover the hams. Common sized hams should be kept in this pickle five weeks, larger ones six. They should all be taken out once a week, and those which Avere on the top laid in first, and the lower ones last. They should be smoked from two to three weeks with walnut wood, or with saw- dust and corn cobs mixed. Meat smoked with cobs is very delicate. Pieces of beef for smoking may be laid in this pickle after the hams are sent to the smoke-house, but more salt should be added. 56 . . MEATS. HOW TO KEEP HAMS THROUGH THE SUMMER. When removed from the smoke house, do not suffer a fly to come near them, but immediately sew them in a coarse cloth or stiff brown paper and pack them in slacked ashes. There is no method so sure to preserve them from insects, and the effect of the ashes is to improve the meat, but care should be taken that the hams be so secured that the ashes will not touch them. The ashes should be perfectly cold and dry and the barrel be in a dry, cool place. i^aa^. W^ UCCESS in nice cooking greatly depends on the fresh- ness of the eggs used. There are various ways of |t^>fi^ determining in regard to this, but none appear to be infallible. Old stale eggs are cold all over, fresh eggs have a warm spot on the big end, which may be de. tected by applying it to the tongue. Another : If placed in cold water, a fresh egg will go to the bottom and lie on the side, a bad egg will float, a stale egg may sink but will stand on one end. When eggs are plenty it is a good plan to pack them for use at times when it is difficult to procure them. Some of the simpler methods of preserving them are to pack them in bran or salt with the small end down. If they are to be kept some time, it is better to grease the shells before packing them. Mix half a pint of unslacked lime with the same quantity of salt and a couple of gallons of water. The water should be turned on the lime boiling hot; when it is cold lay the eggs in with great care not to crack the shells, otherwise they will spoil very soon. The eggs should be perfectly fresh when put in. Do not make the lime- water any stronger, or the lime will eat the shells. They should be kept in a cool place, but never allowed to become chilled or frozen. FRIED EGGS. MKS. A. L. FEISBIE. Put a very little butter in each cup of a gem pan, which should be hot enough to hiss, break an egg into each cup and fry till the eggs are hard as is desired. This is a quick and easy way of fry- ing eggs; as they preserve the shape of the cup, it makes a very pretty dish. 57 58 EGGS. BAKED EGGS. MRS. J. P. POSTER. Break into a well buttered, shallow tin plate, five or six eggs, (five is better), sprinkle over a little salt and pepper and bits of butter; place in a moderately hot oven till the whole sets. This makes a very delicate and pretty breakfast dish. SCRAMBLED EGGS. Put a piece of good butter into a frying-pan and, when hot, pour in the eggs, which should be previously broken in a dish and seasoned. Stir constantly till cooked as much as desired, and serve in a hot dish. Cook them just as the meal is ready to be eaten, for they are not good if allowed to stand. Some add a little milk or cream with the eggs. POACHED EGGS. Have the water boiling, and the toast moistened in a little salt water, and buttered. Break the eggs, one by one, carefully into the water, let them boil till the white sets, remove with an eg^g slice, pare off the ragged edges and lay each egg upon a slice of toast; put over bits of butter, salt and pepper. Eggs require to be quite fresh to poach nicely. .BOILED EGGS. The most delicate way of preparing eggs is by pouring over them boiling water, and letting them stand 15 minutes closely cov- ered. If kept hot without boiling, the white becomes very ten- der and delicate. An egg cooked the day it is laid requires a longer time to cook than one that is a day or two old. ANOTHER WAY. Put the eggs on in cold water and let it come to a boil, or place them in a sauce pan of boiling water, being careful not to let them crack or break, by dropping them in. Three minutes will be enough to cook them if desired soft, ten if hard. PICKLED EGGS. Boil as many as you wish to pickle until quite hard; when done, place in cold water till you can remove the shells, being careful EGGS. 69 not to mar the eggs. Lay them in wide-mouthed jars and pour over them scalding vinegar well seasoned with whole pepper, allspice and a few pieces of ginger root, or such spices as you may prefer. When cold, cover closely and let them remain for a month, when they will be ready for use. They make a nice relish for cold meats. OMELET. MRS. G. M. HIPPEE. Six eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately. One cup milk, one tablespoon of butter melted in the milk, one tablespoon of flour; cook slowly in a buttered skillet, on top of the stove, without stirring. OMELET. MRS. W. S. PRITCHARD. Eight eggs to one cup of cream or milk; beat them all together; pepper and salt to taste. Pour all into a greased pan, and let them fry until they can be turned over, but not till done too hard. FRIED OMELET. MRS. C. W. NELSOK. Six eggs; beat the yolks, and add one tea cup of milk; beat two tablespoons of flour with a little milk; beat the whites to a stiff froth, mix all together, and fry in a buttered spider. BAKED OMELET. MRS, F. V. STOWE. Boil one-half pint of milk; beat six eggs thoroughly, the yolks and whites separately; add one-half teaspoon of salt and a piece of butter the size of a walnut, to the boiling milk; stir all into the beaten eggs, and pour into a buttered deep dish. Bake ten min- utes, in a quick oven, to a delicate brown. m\jc^^ SK® ^si