Myrtle Reed
The Myrtle Reed Cook Book

EXPLANATION

THE only excuse the author and publishers have to offer for the appearance of this book is that, so far as they know, there is no other like it.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF BREAKFAST

The breakfast habit is of antique origin. Presumably the primeval man arose from troubled dreams, in the first gray light of dawn, and set forth upon devious forest trails, seeking that which he might devour, while the primeval woman still slumbered in her cave. Nowadays, it is the lady herself who rises while the day is yet young, slips into a kimono, and patters out into the kitchen to light the gas flame under the breakfast food.

In this matter of breaking the fast, each house is law unto itself. There are some who demand a dinner at seven or eight in the morning, and others who consider breakfast utterly useless. The Englishman, who is still mighty on the face of the earth, eats a breakfast which would seriously tax the digestive apparatus of an ostrich or a goat, and goes on his way rejoicing.

In an English cook-book only seven years old, menus for “ideal” breakfasts are given, which run as follows:

“Devilled Drum-sticks and Eggs on the dish, Pigs Feet, Buttered Toast, Dry Toast, Brown and White Bread and Butter, Marmalade and Porridge.”

“Bloaters on Toast, Collared Tongue, Hot Buttered Toast, Dry Toast, Marmalade, Brown and White Bread and Butter, Bread and Milk.”

“Pigeon Pie, Stewed Kidney, Milk Rolls, Dry Toast, Brown and White Bread and Butter, Mustard and Cress, Milk Porridge.”

And for a “simple breakfast,” – in August, mind you! – this is especially recommended:

“Bloaters on Toast, Corned Beef, Muffins, Brown and White Bread and Butter, Marmalade, and Boiled Hominy.”

An American who ate a breakfast like that in August probably would not send his collars to the laundry more than once or twice more, but it takes all kinds of people to make up a world.

Across the Channel from the brawny Briton is the Frenchman, who, with infinitely more wisdom, begins his day with a cup of coffee and a roll. So far, so good, but his déjeuner à la fourchette at eleven or twelve is not always unobjectionable from a hygienic standpoint. The “uniform breakfast,” which is cheerfully advocated by some, may be hygienic but it is not exciting. Before the weary mental vision stretches an endless procession of breakfasts, all exactly alike, year in and year out. It is quite possible that the “no-breakfast” theory was first formulated by some one who had been, was, or was about to be a victim of this system.

The “no-breakfast” plan has much to recommend it, however. In the first place, it saves a deal of trouble. The family rises, bathes itself, puts on its spotless raiment in leisurely and untroubled fashion, and proceeds to the particular business of the day. There are no burnt toast, soggy waffles, muddy coffee, heavy muffins, or pasty breakfast food to be reckoned with. Theoretically, the energy supplied by last night’s dinner is “on tap,” waiting to be called upon. And, moreover, one is seldom hungry in the morning, and what is the use of feeding a person who is not hungry?

It has been often said, and justly, that Americans eat too much. Considering the English breakfast, however, we may metaphorically pat ourselves upon the back, for there is no one of us, surely, who taxes the Department of the Interior thus.

“What is one man’s meat is another man’s poison” has been held pointedly to refer to breakfast, for here, as nowhere else, is the individual a law unto himself. Fruit is the satisfaction of one and the distress of another; cereal is a life-giving food to one and a soggy mass of indigestibility to some one else; and coffee, which is really most innocent when properly made, has lately taken much blame for sins not its own.

Quite often the discomfort caused by the ill-advised combination of acid fruit with a starchy cereal has been attributed to the clear, amber beverage which probably was the much-vaunted “nectar of the gods.” Coffee with cream in it may be wrong for some people who could use boiling milk with impunity.

For a woman who spends the early part of the day at home, the omission of breakfast may be salutary. When hunger seizes her, she is within reach of her own kitchen, where proper foods may be properly cooked, but for a business woman or man the plan is little less than suicidal. Mr. Man may, indeed, go down town in comfort, with no thought of food, but, no later than noon, he is keenly desirous of interior decoration. Within his reach there is, usually, but the lunch counter, where, in company with other hapless humans, he sustains himself with leathery pie, coffee which never met the coffee bean, and the durable doughnut of commerce. The result is – to put it mildly – discontent, which seemingly has no adequate cause.

It is better, by far, for Mr. Man to eat a breakfast which shall contain the proteids, carbohydrates, phosphates, and starches that he will require during the day, and omit the noon luncheon entirely, except, perhaps, for a bit of fruit. Moreover, a dainty breakfast, daintily served, has a distinct æsthetic value. The temper of the individual escorted to the front door by a devoted spouse has more than a little to do with the temper of the selfsame individual who is let in at night by the aforesaid D. S.

Many a man is confronted in the morning by an untidy, ill-cooked breakfast, a frowsy woman and a still frowsier baby, and, too often, by querulous whinings and complaints.

The ancient Britons had a pleasing arrangement which they called “The Truce of God.” By this, there was no fighting whatever, no matter what the provocation, between sunset on Wednesday and sunrise on Monday. This gave time for other affairs, and for the exercise of patience, toleration, and other virtues of the same ilk.

Many a household might take a leaf from this book to good advantage. Settle all differences after dinner, since at no time of the day is man in more reasonable mood, and ordain a “Truce of God” from dawn until after dinner.

No dinner, however beautifully cooked and served, no fine raiment, however costly and becoming, can ever atone, in the memory of a man, for the wild and untamed morning which too often prevails in the American household. His mind, distraught with business cares, harks back to his home – with pleasure? None too often, more’s the pity.

Some one has said that, in order to make a gentleman, one must begin with the grandfather. It is equally true that a good and proper breakfast begins the night before – or, better yet, the morning before.

Careful, systematic planning in advance lightens immeasurably the burden of housekeeping, and, many a time, makes the actual work nothing but fun. Those who have tried the experiment of planning meals for the entire week are enthusiastic in praise of the system. It secures variety, simplifies marketing, arranges for left-overs, and gives many an hour of peace and comfort which could not be had otherwise.

Even if a woman be her own maid, as, according to statistics, eighty-five per cent. of us are, a dainty, hygienic, satisfying breakfast is hers and her lord’s for little more than the asking. By careful preparation in advance, the morning labor is reduced to a minimum; by the intelligent use of lists and memoranda, the weary and reluctant body is saved many an unnecessary step.

An alarm clock of the “intermittent” sort insures early rising, a dash of cold water on the face is a physical and mental tonic of the most agreeable kind, and one hour in the morning is worth two at night, as the grandmothers of all of us have often said.

Fruit, usually, may be prepared for serving the night before, and will be improved by a few hours in the refrigerator. Cereals should be soaked over night in the water in which they are to be cooked, and a few hours’ cooking in the afternoon will injure very few cereals destined for the breakfast table the next morning. Codfish balls and many other things will be none the worse for a night’s waiting; the table can be set, and everything made ready for a perfect breakfast, which half an hour of intelligent effort in the morning will readily evolve.

A plea is made for the use of the chafing-dish, which is fully as attractive at the breakfast table as in the “wee sma’ hours” in which it usually shines; for a white apron instead of a gingham one when “my lady” is also the cook; for a crisp, clean shirt-waist instead of an abominable dressing-sack; for smooth, tidy hair, instead of unkempt locks; for a collar and a belt, and a persistent, if determined, cheerfulness.

In the long run, these things pay, and with compound interest at that. They involve a certain amount of labor, a great deal of careful planning, eternal getting-up when it is far more pleasant to abide in dreamland, quite often a despairing weariness, if not a headache, and no small draft upon one’s power of self-denial and self-sacrifice.

But he who goes in the morning from a quiet, comfortable, well-ordered house, with a pleasant memory of the presiding genius of his hearthstone, is twice the man that his fellow may be, whose wife breakfasts at ten in her bed, or, frowsy and unkempt, whines at him from across a miserable breakfast – twice as well fitted for the ceaseless grind of an exhausting day in the business arena, whence he returns at night, footsore, weary, and depressed, to the four walls wherein he abides.

“How far that little candle throws its beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”

To some, this may seem an undue stress laid upon the material side of existence, but the human animal needs animal comforts even more than his brother of forest and field, and from such humble beginnings great things may come, not the least of which is the fine, spiritual essence of a happy home.

HOW TO SET THE TABLE

Having said so much, we proceed, not to our mutton, as the French have it, but to our breakfast, in which the table plays no small nor unimportant part.

There are rumors that the pretty and sensible fashion of doilies on the bare table is on the wane, but let us hope these are untrue, or, if not, that some of us may have the courage of our convictions and continue to adhere to a custom which has everything in its favor and nothing against it.

In the absence of handsome top of oak or mahogany, the breakfast cloths, fringed or not, as one likes, which are about a yard and a quarter square, are the next best thing. Asbestos mats, under the cloth, protect the table from the hot dishes. Failing these, fairly satisfactory substitutes are made from thin white oil-cloth, between two layers of canton flannel, “fur side outside,” and quilted on the machine. Grass table-mats are also used, but always under cloth or doily. Canton flannel, quilted, three layers to a mat, is easily washed, and furnishes a great deal of protection.

Breakfast, most assuredly, is not dinner, and there should be a distinct difference in the laying of the table. The small doilies are easily washed, and fresh ones are possible every morning – an assured gain in the way of daintiness.

Let us suppose that we have a handsome table-top, and an unlimited supply of doilies, tray-cloths and centrepieces. First the centrepiece goes on, exactly in the centre, by the way, and not with a prejudiced leaning to one side or the other. On this belongs the pot of growing fern, the low jar containing a few simple flowers, or a bowl of fruit, decorated with green leaves, if green leaves are to be had.

At each place the breakfast doily, nine or twelve inches square, a small doily for the coffee cup, and another for the glass of water. At the right of the plate, the small silver knife, sharp edge toward the plate, the spoons for fruit and cereal; at the left, one fork, or two, as needed, and the coffee spoon.

In front of the master of the house the small platter containing the pièce de résistance will eventually be placed; in front of the mistress of the mansion, the silver tray bearing the coffee service – coffee-pot, hot-water pitcher, cream jug, milk pitcher, and sugar bowl.

Breakfast napkins are smaller than dinner napkins, and the small fringed napkins are not out of place. “Costly thy habit as thy purse will buy” might well refer to linen, for it is the one thing in which price is a direct guarantee of quality.

Satisfactory breakfast cloths and napkins are made of linen sheeting, fringed, hemstitched, or carefully hemmed by hand, and in this way a pretty cloth can be had for less money than in any other. The linen wears well, washes beautifully, and acquires a finer sheen with every tubbing. Insertions and borders of torchon or other heavy lace make a breakfast cloth suitable for the most elaborate occasion, and separate doilies may easily be made to match. The heavy white embroidery which has recently come into favor is unusually attractive here.

Finger-bowls wait on the sideboard, to be placed after the fruit course, or after breakfast. The rose-water, slice of lemon, geranium leaves, and other finger-bowl refinements in favor for dinners are out of place at breakfast. Clear, cool water is in better taste.

The china used at the breakfast table should be different from that used at dinner. Heavier ware is permissible, and more latitude in the way of decoration is given. Much of the breakfast china one sees in the shops is distinctly cheerful in tone, and one must take care to select the more quiet patterns. It is not pleasant to go to breakfast with a fickle appetite, and be greeted by a trumpet-toned “Good Morning” from the china.

Endless difference is allowed, however, and all the quaint, pretty jugs, pitchers, and plates may properly be used at breakfast. One is wise, however, to have a particular color scheme in mind and to buy all china to blend with it. Blue and white is a good combination, and is, perhaps, more suitable for the morning meal than anything else. As a certain philosopher says: “The blue and white look so pretty with the eggs!”

The carafe, muffin plate, platter, and all other bowls, platters, plates, and pitchers not on the individual cover have each a separate doily, with the protecting mat always under hot dishes. A well-set table is governed by a simple law – that of precision. Dishes arranged in an order little less than military, all angles either right or acute, will, for some occult reason, always look well. Informality may be given by the arrangement of the flowers, or by a flower or two laid carelessly on the table. But one must be careful not to trifle too much with this law of precision. Knives, forks, and spoons must all be laid straight, but not near enough together to touch, and napkins and dishes must be precisely placed, else confusion and riot will result.

The breakfast selected as a type consists of fruit, a cereal, salt fish, or salt meat, or eggs, or omelets, hot bread of some kind, and pancakes or waffles, or coffee cake, one dish from each group, and coffee. Six dishes in all, which may be less if desired, but never more. All six form a breakfast sufficiently hearty for a stone mason or a piano mover; one or two give a breakfast light enough to tempt those who eat no breakfast at all. For serving it are required small and medium-sized plates, knives, forks, spoons, egg cups, platters, service plates, cups and saucers, glasses, coffee-pot, pitchers, sugar bowl, and cream jug, syrup pitcher, and fruit bowl.

Fruit is said to be “gold in the morning,” and it is a poor breakfast, indeed, from which it is omitted. Even in winter it is not hard to secure variety, if time and thought be taken, for the dried fruits are always in the market and by careful cooking may be made acceptable to the most uncertain appetite.

Medical authorities recommend a glass of water taken the first thing upon rising, either hot or cold as suits one best. A little lemon-juice takes the “flat” taste from plain hot water, and clear, cool water, not iced, needs nothing at all. This simple observance of a very obvious hygienic rule will temper the tempestuous morning for any one. One washes his face, his hands, his body – then why not his stomach, which has worked hard a large part of the night, and is earnestly desirous of the soothing refreshment of a bath?

To those carping critics who cavil at the appearance of the stomach in a chapter entitled “How to Set the Table,” we need only say that the table is set for the stomach, and the stomach should be set for the table, and anyway, it comes very near being a table of contents, n’est-ce pas?

THE KITCHEN RUBAIYAT

Wake, for the Alarm Clock scatters into Flight
The variegated Nightmares of the Night;
Allures the Gas into the Kitchen Range
And pleads for Rolls and Muffins that are Light.

Before the Splendor of the last Dream died
Methought a Voice from out my Doorway cried:
“When all the Breakfast is Prepared for him
Why doth my lord within his Crib abide?”

And, as the cat Purred, she who was Before
Within the Kitchen shouted: “Guard the Door!
Else this new Bridget will have Flown the Coop
And, once Departed, will Return no More!”

All maids in sight the Wise One gladly Hires
And one of them she Presently acquires,
Yet toward the Bureau does not fail to Look
Because all Maids, as well as Men, are liars.

For Mary Ann has gone, with all her Woes,
And Dinah, too, has fled – where, no one knows,
But still a Bridget from the Bureau comes
And many a Tekla of her Reference blows.

Come, fill the Cup, and let the Kettle Sing!
The Cream and Sugar and Hot Water bring!
Methinks this fragrant liquid amber here
Within the Pot, is pretty much the Thing.

Each Morn a thousand Cereals brings, you say?
Yes, but where leaves the Food of Yesterday?
And this same Grocer man that sells us Nerve
Shall take Pa’s Wheat and Mother’s Oats away.

For lo, my small Back Yard is thickly Strown
With Ki-Tee-Munch, Chew-Chew, and Postman’s Own
Where Apple-Nuts and Strength have been Forgot —
Ah, how these Papers by the Winds are Blown!

The tender Waffle hearts are Set upon
Is either Crisp or Soggy, and Anon
Like Maple Syrup made of corn and Cobs
Lasts but a scant Five Minutes, and is Gone.

I often think that never gets so Red
My flower-like Nose as when I’ve just been Fed
And after Breakfast, in the Glass I look,
And never Fail to Wish that I were dead.

And this faint Sallow Place upon my Mien —
How came it There? From that fair Coffee Bean?
Ah, take the Glass away! Make Haste unless
You want to see my Whole Complexion green.

When I was Younger, I did oft Frequent
The Married Bunch, and heard Great Argument
About the Fearful Price of Eggs, and How
To get a Dollar’s Work out of a Cent.

And when I asked them of their Recompense,
What did they Get for Keeping Down Expense —
Oh, many a cup of Coffee, Steaming Hot,
Must drown the Memory of their Insolence!

If I were Married ’t would be my Desire
To get up Every Morn and Build the Fire
For fear my Husband should use Kerosene,
And, without warning, be transported Higher.

Ah, with the Coffee all my Years provide!
Its chemicals may turn me green Inside,
But all my Fears are Scattered to the Winds
When o’er the fragrant Pot I can Preside.

I blame our Mother Eve, who did mistake
Her Job, and flirted Somewhat with the Snake,
For all the Errors of the Flaky Roll,
For all the Terrors of the Buckwheat Cake.

A glass of Creamy Milk just from the Cow,
Or Buttermilk, drawn from the Goat, I trow,
And thou across the Festal Board from Me,
A Six-Room Flat were Paradise enow!

Some for a Patent Bread that will not Crumb,
And nary Bite of Cereal for Some —
Ah, take the Coffee! Let all else go by
Nor heed the Thick White Fur upon the Tongue.

Look to the Human Wrecks about us: lo,
About their Indigestion how they Blow,
And lay the Blame on Coffee, crystal Clear,
Or say the Crisp Hot Muffin is their Foe!

And those who chew and chew upon the Grain,
Have got so used to Chewing, they are Fain
To Dwell upon their Health Food in their Talk
And presently their Neighbors go Insane.

FOOT-NOTES

1. The author began with the intention of adapting the entire Rubaiyat to kitchen purposes, but thought better of it just in time to head off the Lyric Muse, who was coming at full gallop, with her trunk.

2. Those who do not like The Kitchen Rubaiyat will doubtless be glad there is no more of it.

3. Those who do like it can begin at the beginning and read it again. The rest of it would be about like this installment, anyway.

P. S. If the demand is great enough, the rest of it may appear in another book.

P. S. 2. The publisher of this book has an unalterable prejudice against printing poetry, but he allowed The Kitchen Rubaiyat to slip by without question.

P. S. 3. ?

FRUITS IN SEASON

The above table, of course, is only a rough outline, as seasons and localities vary so much. The tendency, too, is to extend the season of every fruit indefinitely, as transporting and refrigerating methods improve. Fruit out of season is always expensive, and often unripe and unsatisfactory. Fortunately, when it is at its best it is always abundant and at the lowest price.

Among the dried fruits may be mentioned Prunelles, Apricots, Apples, Blackberries, Cherries, Nectarines, Peaches, peeled and unpeeled, Pears, Plums, Raspberries, Prunes, Figs, and Dates. Canned fruits which may be used for breakfast, with proper preparation, are Pears, Peaches, Apricots, Cherries, Plums, and Pineapples.

Dried fruits may be soaked over night in the water in which they are to be cooked, and simmered slowly, until they are tender, with little sugar or none at all. They may also be steamed, either with or without sugar, omitting the soaking, until tender enough for a straw to pierce. Combinations of dried fruits are often agreeable, and a few raisins will sometimes add a pleasant flavor.

Canned fruits intended for breakfast should be drained and very thoroughly rinsed in cold water, then allowed to stand for some hours in a cool place.

Many of the fruits, both dried and fresh, combine well with cereals. Care must be taken, however, to follow such acid fruits as Currants, Cherries, Oranges, and Grapefruit, with meat or egg dishes, omitting the cereal, as the starch and acid are very likely to fight with each other when once inside, to the inconvenience of the non-combatant. A fruit which for any reason tastes “flat” can be instantly improved in flavor and tonic quality by a sprinkle of lemon-juice.

Below are given different ways of preparing fruit for the breakfast table.

APPLES

I. When served whole, apples should be carefully washed and rubbed to a high polish with a crash towel. Only perfect fruit should be served in this way, and green leaves in the fruit bowl are especially desirable. Fruit-knives are essential.

II. Pare, quarter, and core good eating apples, removing all imperfections. Serve a few quarters on each plate, with or without sugar. A sprinkle of cinnamon or lemon-juice will improve fruit which has little flavor. A grating of nutmeg may also be used.

III. À la Condé.– Pare, quarter, and core good cooking apples. Arrange in rows in an earthen baking-dish, sprinkle with powdered sugar and lemon-juice, pour a little water into the baking-dish, and add a heaping tablespoonful of butter. Bake slowly, basting frequently with the apple-juice and melted butter. When tender, take out, drain, and cool, saving the juice. Serve with boiled rice or other cereal, using the juice instead of milk.

IV. À la Cherbourg.– Pare and core good cooking apples; halve or quarter if desired. Cook slowly in a thin syrup flavored with lemon-peel and a bit of ginger-root. Serve separately or with cereal.

V. À la Fermière.– Pare and core the apples and arrange in a well-buttered baking-dish. Sprinkle slightly with sugar and cinnamon; baste often with melted butter, and serve with boiled rice or other cereal, using the juice instead of milk.

VI. À la Française.– Core and then peel tart apples. Put into cold water from half an inch to an inch in depth, sprinkle with sugar, cover tightly, and cook very slowly on the back part of the range till tender. Flavorings already noted may be added at pleasure. Skim out the apples, reduce the remaining syrup one-half by rapid boiling, pour over the apples, and cool. Serve cold, with or without cereal.

VII. À la Ninon.– Sprinkle baked apples with freshly grated cocoanut on taking from the oven. Serve on a mound of boiled rice with the milk of the cocoanut.

VIII. À la Réligieuse.– Core cooking apples; score the skin deeply in a circle all around the fruit. Sprinkle a little sugar in the cores, and dissolve a little currant jelly in the water used for the basting. Cook slowly, and baste once with melted butter. The peel is supposed to rise all around the apple, like a veil – hence the name.

IX. Baked.– Peel or not, as preferred. Sprinkle with melted butter and sugar, baste now and then with hot water, and serve separately or with cereal.

X. Baked, with Bananas.– Core, draw a peeled and scraped banana through each core, trimming the ends off even, and bake slowly, basting with hot water, melted butter, and lemon-juice. The apples may be peeled if desired. Serve separately, or with cereal.

XI. Baked, with Cereal.– Pare or not, as preferred, but core. Fill the centres with left-over cooked cereal and bake slowly. Butter, lemon-juice, or any flavoring recommended before can be used to advantage. Any quartered apples, baked or stewed, can be covered with any preferred cereal, and served with sugar and cream.

XII. Baked, with Cherries.– Core the apples, fill the centres with pitted cherries, either sour or sweet, bake carefully, basting with syrup and melted butter. The apples may be peeled or not. Take up carefully, and serve separately, or with cereal.

XIII. Baked, with Currants.– Fill the centres with currants, red or white, and use plenty of sugar. Baste with hot water or melted butter. May be served with cereal if enough sugar is used in baking.

XIV. Baked, with Dates.– Wash and stone dates, fill the cores of apples with them, sprinkle with powdered sugar and bake, basting with butter, lemon-juice, and hot water. The apples may be peeled or not.

XV. Baked, with Figs.– Wash the figs carefully, and pack into the cores of apples. Bake, basting with lemon syrup and melted butter. Serve separately or with cereal.

XVI. Baked, with Gooseberries.– Cap and stem a handful of gooseberries. Fill the cores of large, firm apples with them, using plenty of sugar. Baste with melted butter and hot water. May be served with cereal if plenty of sugar is used in cooking.

XVII. Baked, with Prunes.– Select tart apples, and peel or not, as preferred. Core and fill the centres with stewed prunes, stoned and drained. Bake slowly, basting with the prune-juice, or with lemon-juice, melted butter, spiced syrup, or hot water containing grated lemon-peel and a teaspoonful of sherry. Two or three cloves may be stuck into each apple, and removed after the apples are cold. Serve, very cold, with cream; separately, or with a cereal.

XVIII. Baked, with Quinces.– Fill the cores of sweet apples with bits of quince and plenty of sugar. Bake slowly, basting with melted butter and syrup. Serve separately or with cereal.

XIX. Baked, with Spice.– Select very sour apples, and peel or not, as preferred. Core, and stuff the cavities with brown sugar, putting two whole cloves into each apple. Baste with hot water containing a bit of grated lemon-peel and a teaspoonful of sherry, putting a teaspoonful of butter into the liquor as it forms in the dish. Bake slowly, covered, until the apples are very tender. Serve separately or with a cereal. Cinnamon, or nutmeg, or a blade of mace may be used instead of the cloves.

XX. Boiled.– Boil slowly in a saucepan with as little water as possible. Do not peel. When tender, lift out, add sugar to the water in which they were boiled; reduce half by rapid boiling, pour over the apples, and let cool. Currant-juice, lemon-juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, or a suspicion of clove may be added to the syrup if the apples lack flavor.

XXI. Coddled.– Core, cut in halves, but do not peel. Lay in the bottom of an earthen dish, sprinkle lightly with sugar, add a little water, and cook very slowly on the top of the stove until tender.

XXII. Crusts.– Cut stale bread in circles, lay half of a peeled and cored apple on each piece. Bake carefully, basting with melted butter and a little lemon-juice if desired. When the apples are done, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and take from the oven. Serve either hot or cold.

XXIII. Dried.– Soak over night in water to cover, after washing thoroughly; cook slowly until soft, sweeten, and flavor with lemon. Raisins, dates, figs, or other dried fruits may be added at pleasure.

XXIV. Fried.– Core, but do not pare. If very juicy, dredge with flour and fry slowly in hot fat till tender. They are served with pork, or, sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon, with cereals.

XXV. Glazed.– Core tart apples. Fill the centres with cinnamon, sugar, bits of butter, and a raisin or two. Bake slowly, basting with lemon-syrup. When nearly done, brush with the beaten white of egg and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve separately or with cereal.

XXVI. In Bloom.– Cook pared red apples in any preferred way, and stew the skin separately, in a little water, until the color is extracted. The tiniest bit of red vegetable coloring may be needed. Strain this liquid, and pour it over the apples when done. Or, add currant jelly to color the water in which the apples are boiled, or to the water for basting pared baked apples.

XXVII. In Casserole.– Arrange good cooking apples in an earthen casserole. Cover with a thin syrup made of brown sugar, add a little spice and a bit of orange- or lemon-peel. Bake, very slowly, tightly covered. Serve cold from the casserole.

XXVIII. In Crumbs.– Cut strips of stale bread to fit stone custard-cups. Dip in milk, and arrange in the moulds. Fill the centres with apple sauce, cover with a circle of the bread, and steam thirty minutes. Serve cold, with cream.

XXIX. In Rice-Cups.– Line buttered custard cups with cold boiled rice. Fill the centres with apple sauce or cooked quartered apples, mildly tart rather than sweet. Cover with more of the rice. Steam half an hour and let cool in the cups. Turn out on chilled plates and serve with cream. Cream may be used with any cooked apple, if the Secretary of the Interior files no objections. Cereals, other than rice, left over, can be used in the same way. A wreath of cooked apple quarters around the base of each individual mould is a dainty and acceptable garnish.

XXX. Jellied.– Cut tart apples in halves, core, place in buttered baking-dish, skin side down, measure the water and add enough barely to cover; add twice as much sugar as water, cover and boil slowly till the apples are tender. Skim out, drain, boil the syrup rapidly till reduced one half; pour over the apples and let cool. Flavorings referred to before can be added to the syrup if desired.

XXXI. Mock Pineapple.– Arrange alternate slices of sweet apples and oranges, peeled, on a chilled plate, one above the other. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, pour over the orange-juice and serve immediately.

XXXII. Sauce.– Peel, quarter, and core quick-cooking apples. Sweeten slightly, and when very tender, rub through a sieve and let cool. Any flavoring recommended before may be used.

XXXIII. Snow.– Peel white-fleshed, firm apples, grate quickly on a coarse grater, and serve in roughly piled heaps on small plates immediately. Use sugar or not.

XXXIV. Southern, Fried.– Core and cut in thick slices, but do not peel. Dip in egg and crumbs and fry in ham or bacon fat and serve with those meats.

XXXV. Stewed.– Pare, core, and halve large cooking-apples. Put into an earthen dish, cover with water, sprinkle with sugar, cover tightly, and cook slowly. If flat in taste, sprinkle with lemon-juice, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

XXXVI. Stewed with Dates.– Add washed and stoned dates to stewed apples when partially cooked, and finish cooking. Dried apricots, fresh or dried cherries, rhubarb, figs, plums, dried peaches, pears, or quinces, may be used in the same way.

XXXVII. Stewed with Rice.– Boil rice as usual in boiling water, adding a little salt. When partly done, add pared, cored, and quartered quick-cooking apples. Finish cooking. Serve very cold with cream and sugar. Flavorings noted above may be added at discretion.

APRICOTS

I. Wipe with a dry cloth and serve with fruit-knives. A green leaf on each plate is a dainty fruit doily.

II. Canned.– Drain, rinse in cold water, arrange on plates, and let stand several hours before serving. Sugar or not, as desired. Save the syrup to flavor syrup for pancakes, or to use for puddings, fritters, etc.

III. Dried.– Soak over night, cook very slowly in the water in which they were soaked, adding very little sugar. Serve with cereal, or separately.

IV. Sauce.– Cook as above, and rub the fruit through a sieve. The canned, drained, and freshened fruit may be used in the same way.

BANANAS

I. Serve in the skins with fruit-knives, one to each person.

II. Skin and scrape and serve immediately. People who cannot ordinarily eat bananas usually find them harmless when the tough, stringy pulp is scraped off.

III. Baked.– Bake without peeling, basting with hot water and melted butter occasionally. Let cool in the skins.

IV. Baked.– Skin, scrape, and bake, basting with lemon-juice and melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

V. Au naturel.– Slice into saucers, sprinkle with lemon-juice and sugar.

VI. With Sugar and Cream.– Slice, sprinkle with powdered sugar, pour cream over, and serve at once.

VII. With Oranges.– Slice, add an equal quantity of sliced oranges, and sprinkle with sugar.

VIII. With Cereal.– Slice fresh bananas into a saucer, sprinkle with sugar, cover with boiled rice or with any preferred cereal.

IX. Equally good with sliced peaches.

BLACKBERRIES

Serve with powdered sugar, with or without cream. A tablespoonful of cracked ice in a saucer of berries is appreciated on a hot morning.

BLUE PLUMS

See Green Gages.

CHERRIES

I. Serve very cold, with the stems on. A dainty way is to lay the cherries upon a bed of cracked ice, and serve with powdered sugar in individual dishes.

II. Pit the cherries, saving the juice, and serve in saucers with sugar and plenty of cracked ice.

III. Iced.– Beat the white of an egg to a foam. Dip each cherry into it, then roll in powdered sugar, and set on a platter in the refrigerator. Must be prepared overnight.

IV. Crusts.– Butter rounds of stale bread, spread with pitted cherries and their juice, sprinkle with sugar, and bake. Serve very cold.

CURRANTS

Serve in cracked ice with plenty of sugar. These are also served iced, and on crusts. See Cherries III and IV.

FIGS

May be served from the basket. This, of course, applies only to the more expensive varieties, which are clean. The ordinary dried fig of commerce must be washed many times, and is usually sweet enough without adding more sugar.

II. Steamed.– Set a plate of figs in a steamer over boiling water until plump and soft, then set away to cool.

III. Stewed.– Clean, soak, and cook slowly till tender in a little water. Skim out, drain, sweeten the syrup slightly, reduce one half, pour over the figs, and cool. A bit of vanilla or wine may be added to the syrup.

IV. With Cereal.– Cover a saucer of steamed or stewed figs with any preferred cereal. Serve with cream if desired.

V. In Rice-Cups.– See Apples XXIX.

VI. In Crumbs.– See Apples XXVIII.

GOOSEBERRIES

These berries must be stewed in order to be acceptable. The fruit, after stewing, may be rubbed through a sieve fine enough to keep back the seeds, or it may be baked on crusts. See Cherries IV.

GRAPES

This luscious fruit is at its best when served fresh from the vines, with the bloom still on. Never wash a bunch of grapes if it can be avoided. Serve with grape scissors to cut the bunches apart. People who fear appendicitis may have the grapes squeezed from the skins and the seeds afterwards removed. They are very nice this way, with sugar and pounded ice.

GRAPEFRUIT

A good grapefruit will have dark spots, a skin which seems thin, will be firm to the touch, and heavy for its size. To serve, cut crosswise, and remove the white, bitter pulp which is in the core, and separate the sections. Fill the core with sugar and serve cold. A little rum or kirsch may be added just before serving, but, as George Ade said, “A good girl needs no help,” and it is equally true of a good grapefruit. If anybody knows why it is called grapefruit, please write to the author of this book in care of the publishers.

GREEN GAGES

Serve as they come, with the bloom on, or peel, pit, and serve with cracked ice and powdered sugar.

HUCKLEBERRIES

Look the fruit over carefully. Nothing pleases a fly so much as to die and be mistaken for a huckleberry. Serve with cracked ice, with sugar or cream, or both.

MUSKMELONS

Keep on ice till the last moment. Cut crosswise, take out the seeds with a spoon, and put a cube of ice in each half. Green leaves on the plate are a dainty touch.

ORANGES

Serve with fruit-knives, or in halves with spoons – either the orange-spoon which comes for that purpose, or a very heavy teaspoon. Another way is to remove the peel, except a strip an inch wide at the equator, cut at a division line and straighten out the peel, taking care not to break off the sections. Or, the fruit may be peeled, sliced, and served on plates with sugar.

PEACHES

Wipe with a dry cloth and serve with fruit-knives. Or, if you think much of your breakfast napkins, peel and cut just before serving, as they discolor quickly. Serve with cracked ice, or with cream. Hard peaches may be baked, as apples are, and served cold with cream. Stewed peaches may be served on crusts.

PEARS

Serve as they come, with fruit-knives. Hard pears may be baked or stewed according to directions previously given.

PINEAPPLE

Peel, cut out the eyes, and shred from the core with a silver fork. Sprinkle with sugar and keep on ice some hours before serving. Pineapple is the only fruit known to have a distinct digestive value, and it works most readily on starches. It combines pleasantly with bananas.

PRUNELLES

These are soaked, and boiled in the water in in which they are soaked, with the addition of a very little sugar. Dried apricots, blackberries, cherries, nectarines, and prunes are cooked in the same way. They may also be steamed and afterwards sprinkled with sugar.

PRUNES

These are no longer despised since the price has gone up, and the more expensive kinds are well worth having. A bit of lemon-peel or spice may flavor the syrup acceptably, and they are especially healthful in combination with cereals, according to recipes previously given.

QUINCES

Peel, stuff the cores with sugar, and bake according to directions given for apples. A little lemon may be used in the syrup for basting.

RASPBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES

These delicious berries should not be washed unless absolutely necessary, nor should they be insulted with sugar and cream. If very sour, strawberries may be dipped in powdered sugar. Large, fine ones are served with the stems and hulls on. Raspberries, if ripe, seldom need sugar. Cracked ice is a pleasing accompaniment.

RHUBARB

I. Peel, cut into inch-lengths, and stew with plenty of sugar. Serve cold.

II. Cut, but do not peel, boil five minutes, then change the water and cook slowly with plenty of sugar till done.

III. Baked.– Do not peel. Cut into inch-pieces, put into a buttered baking-dish or stone jar, sprinkle plentifully with sugar, and bake slowly. It will be a rich red in color.

IV. Cook on crusts. See Cherries IV.

V. Add a handful of seeded raisins to rhubarb cooked in any of the above ways when it is about half done. Figs, dates, and other dried fruits, used with rhubarb, make a combination pleasing to some.

TANGERINES

See Oranges.

WATERMELON

Like muskmelon, watermelon must be very thoroughly chilled. Serve in slices from a platter or on individual plates, removing the rind before serving, if desired; or cut the melon in half, slice off the lower end so that it may stand firmly, and serve the pulp from the shell with a silver spoon. Ice pounded to snow is a pleasant addition to any fruit, when the thermometer is ninety-five or six in the shade.

CEREALS

So many breakfast foods are upon the market that it would be impossible to enumerate all of them, especially as new ones are appearing continually. Full and complete directions for cooking all of them are printed upon the packages in which they are sold. It may not be amiss to add, however, that in almost every instance, twice or three times the time allowed for cooking would improve the cereal in taste and digestibility.

The uncooked cereals are many. A wise housekeeper will use the uncooked cereals when she has no maid. “A word to the wise is unnecessary.”

Pleasing variety in the daily menu is secured by getting a different cereal each time. In this way, it takes about a year to get back to the beginning again, and there is no chance to tire of any of them.

Cereals should always be cooked in a double boiler; and soaking over night in the water in which they are to be cooked, where it is not possible to secure the necessary time for long cooking, will prove a distinct advantage. Leftover cereals should be covered with cold water immediately, in the double boiler, and kept in a cool place until the next day. Bring slowly to a boil, and cook as usual. In the hot weather, cereals may be cooked the day before using, moulded in custard-cups, and kept in the ice-box over night. They are very acceptable when served ice-cold, and, if moulded with fruit, or served with fruit on the same plate, so much the better.

Pearled wheat, pearled barley, and coarse hominy require five cupfuls of water to each cup of cereal, and need from four to six hours’ cooking. Coarse oatmeal and fine hominy must be cooked from four to six hours, but need only four cupfuls of water to each cup of cereal. Rolled wheat and rolled barley are cooked two hours in three times as much water as cereal; rice and rolled oats, with three times as much water, will cook in one hour. Farina, with six cupfuls of water to each cupful of cereal, also cooks in an hour; cerealine flakes cook in thirty minutes, equal parts of water and cereal being used.

Salt must be added just before cooking begins. All cereals are richer if a little milk is added to the water in which they are cooked.

To cook cereals in a double boiler, put the water into the inner kettle, the outer vessel being from half to two thirds full, and when it is boiling furiously, sprinkle in the cereal, a few grains at a time, and not so rapidly as to stop the boiling. When cereals are eaten cold, they require a little more liquid.

BOILED BARLEY

Wash the barley in several waters, cover with cold water; bring to a boil, drain, cover with fresh boiling water, add a little salt, and cook slowly for four hours.

BARLEY GRUEL

Wash half a cupful of pearled barley in several waters; put it into a double boiler with eight cupfuls of water and half an inch of stick cinnamon. Boil for two hours, strain, sweeten, and add two wine glasses of port. Keep in a cool place and reheat when required. An invaluable breakfast cereal for a convalescent.

STEAMED BARLEY

Cooked one cupful of pearled barley in a double boiler four hours, with four cupfuls of water and a little salt. In the morning, add a cupful of boiling water or milk, stir occasionally, reheat thoroughly, and serve.

BREWIS

Dry bread in the oven so slowly that it is a light brown in color. Crush into crumbs with the rolling-pin and sift through the frying-basket. Measure the milk, salt it slightly, and bring to a boil. Put in half as much of the dried crumbs. Boil five or ten minutes, season with butter, pepper, and salt, and serve at once with cream. It must be stirred all the time it is cooking. By omitting the butter, it may be served with sugar. Brown, rye, graham, or corn bread may be mixed with the white bread to advantage. The dried and sifted crumbs of brown bread, when served cold with cream, taste surprisingly like a popular cereal which etiquette forbids us to mention. This is a good way to use up accumulated crumbs.

CORN-MEAL MUSH

The best meal comes from the South. It is white, moist, and coarse, and is called “water ground.” It is a very different proposition from the dry, yellow powder sold in Northern groceries. For mush, use four times as much water as meal. Salt the water, and sprinkle in the meal very slowly when it is at a galloping boil. Boil an hour or more, stirring frequently. A better mush is made by using half milk and half water. Serve hot or cold with cream, or milk, and sugar. If wanted for frying, wet a pan in cold water, pour in the hot mush, and let cool.

CORN AND WHEAT PORRIDGE

Half a cupful of corn-meal and half a cupful of flour. Make into a batter with cold water and put into two cupfuls of boiling water. Stir often and cook half an hour or more, then add four cupfuls of boiling milk. Cook half an hour longer, stirring often. Serve hot or cold, with cream and sugar.

CORN MUSH OR HASTY PUDDING

One cupful of corn-meal and one cupful of cold water. Mix and stir into two cupfuls of salted boiling water. One half cupful of white flour may be mixed with the meal. When the mush becomes thick, place in a steamer and steam six hours. Rinse a pan with cold water, pour in the mush, smooth the top with hand or spoon wet in cold water, and let stand in a cold place twelve hours. This is used for frying. Other cereals may be used in the same way. The sliced mush should be dredged in flour and cooked in salt pork, ham, or bacon fat in the spider, or in lard or butter if it is to be served with syrup.

HULLED CORN

This can occasionally be found in city markets, and is a delicious cereal, eaten hot or cold with milk or cream or sugar.

COLD CEREAL WITH FRUIT

Pack left-over cereal into buttered custard cups, scoop out the inside, fill with any sort of stewed or fresh fruit cut fine and sweetened, cover the top with more cereal, and let stand some hours in a cold place. At serving time turn out and dust with powdered sugar. Cream may be used if it harmonizes with the fruit.

FRIED CREAM

Bring two cupfuls of milk to the boil, add two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Take from the fire and add one egg, well beaten, then pour into a mould to cool. When cold, cut into slices, dredge with flour, and fry.

FARINA

Soak over night. In the morning add boiling salted water to cover, and cook half an hour, stirring constantly. Serve hot or cold with cream and sugar, or with sugar and fruit.

APPLE FARINA

Stir one half cupful of farina into one quart of boiling salted water. As soon as mush forms, stir in four tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, and cook until the apples are soft. If the apples lack flavor, a bit of orange- or lemon-peel, or any preferred spice may be added. Serve hot or cold with cream or sugar. This will mould well.

FARINA BALLS

Half a cupful of farina, two cupfuls of milk, half a teaspoonful of salt, a sprinkle of paprika, six drops of onion-juice, and the yolk of one egg. Cook the farina in the salted milk for half an hour in a double boiler. When it is stiff, add the egg and the seasoning. Reheat, pour into a dish, and let cool. When cold, make into small flat cakes, dip in egg, then in crumbs, and fry. These can be made ready for frying the day before.

FAIRY FARINA

Mix three tablespoonfuls of farina with three quarters of a teaspoonful of salt and half a cupful of milk, taken from two cupfuls. Bring the rest of the milk to a boil with two cupfuls of water and stir in the farina mixture. Cook slowly half an hour, turn into individual moulds, and serve cold with sugar and cream.

JELLIED FARINA

One cupful of farina, sprinkled into two and a half cupfuls of boiled salted milk. Stir till it thickens, then boil half an hour without stirring. Serve hot or cold with sugar and cream. This will mould nicely, and may be used with fruit.

FARINA MUSH

Boil one quart of salted milk, and, when boiling, add half a cupful of farina, stirring constantly. Add a lump of butter and serve with cream and sugar.

FLUMMERY

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

GRITS

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

FRIED GRITS

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

OATMEAL GRUEL

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

OATMEAL GRUEL WITH EGG

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

WHEAT GRUEL

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

BOILED HOMINY

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

HOMINY BALLS

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

FRIED HOMINY

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

HOMINY WITH MILK

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

STEAMED HOMINY

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

HOMINY PORRIDGE

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

CRACKED WHEAT MUSH

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

GRAHAM FLOUR MUSH

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

OATMEAL MUSH

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

RYE MUSH

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

FRIED OATMEAL MUSH

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

GRAHAM MUSH WITH APPLES

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

MUSH CAKES

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

MUSH BALLS

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

VELVET MUSH

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

COLD GRAHAM MUSH WITH FRUIT

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

STEAMED OATMEAL

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

OATMEAL JELLY

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

CREAMED OATMEAL

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

OATMEAL BLANC MANGE

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

LIGHT OATMEAL

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

BAKED OATMEAL

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

MILK PORRIDGE

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

RICE PORRIDGE

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

WHEATLET PORRIDGE

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

CREAMED OAT PORRIDGE

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

BOILED RICE

(Hop Sing’s Recipe)

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

BOILED RICE

(American Recipe)

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

BOILED RICE WITH MILK

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

RICE BALLS

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

STEAMED RICE

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

SAMP

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

CREAM TOAST

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

MILK TOAST

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

SOFT TOAST

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

CRUSHED WHEAT WITH RAISINS

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

COLD CRACKED WHEAT

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

SALT FISH

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

BROILED BLOATERS

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

YARMOUTH BLOATERS

See Potomac Herring.

CODFISH BALLS

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

CODFISH BALLS – II

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

CODFISH BALLS – III

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

CODFISH BALLS À LA BURNS

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

PICKED-UP CODFISH

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

CREAMED CODFISH

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

CREAMED ROAST CODFISH

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

CODFISH À LA MODE

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

NEW ENGLAND SALT COD

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

BOILED SALTED COD WITH EGG SAUCE

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

SALTED COD WITH BROWN BUTTER

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

CODFISH CUTLETS

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

BOILED SALT CODFISH

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

FLAKED SALT CODFISH

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

CODFISH PUFF

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

CREAMED COD WITH EGG SAUCE

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

ESCALLOPED CODFISH

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

FINNAN HADDIE À LA DELMONICO

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

FINNAN HADDIE À LA MARTIN

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

FINNAN HADDIE FISH BALLS

Prepare as Codfish Balls II.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE

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

PICKED-UP FINNAN HADDIE

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

CREAMED ROAST FINNAN HADDIE

See Creamed Roast Codfish.

BROILED FINNAN HADDIE – II

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

BAKED SMOKED HADDOCK

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

BROILED SMOKED HADDOCK

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

FRIED SMOKED HADDOCK

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

HERRING BALLS

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

POTOMAC HERRING

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

KIPPERED HERRING

See Potomac Herring.

BROILED SMOKED HERRING

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

BROILED SALT MACKEREL

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

CREAMED SALT MACKEREL

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

BOILED SALT MACKEREL

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

BOILED SALT MACKEREL, CREAMED

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

BAKED SALT MACKEREL

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

FRIED SALT MACKEREL

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

BOILED SALT MACKEREL – II

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

BROILED SALT MACKEREL – II

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

BROILED SALT SALMON

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

BROILED SMOKED SALMON

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

BROILED KIPPERED SALMON

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

FRIED KIPPERED SALMON

See Fried Smoked Haddock.

BROILED SMOKED SALMON

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

FRIED SMOKED SALMON

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

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

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

BREAKFAST MEATS

BEEF BALLS

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

BEEF HASH WITHOUT POTATOES

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

FRIZZLED BEEF

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

BEEF À LA NEWPORT

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

CORNED BEEF HASH

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

CORNED BEEF HASH À LA DELMONICO

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

CREAMED DRIED BEEF

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

BACON AND EGGS

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

BROILED BACON

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

BREADED BACON

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

BACON AND MUSH

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

BACON FRAISE

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

BACON À LA CRÊME

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

CALF’S BRAINS

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

CHICKEN HASH

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

FRIED HAM

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

FRIZZLED HAM

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

HAM AND POACHED EGGS

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

BROILED HAM

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

HAM BALLS

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

HAM TOAST

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

HAM RÉCHAUFFÉ

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

HAM AND EGGS À L’AURORE

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

KIDNEY BACON ROLLS

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

FRIED KIDNEYS

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

KIDNEYS EN BROCHETTE

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

CRUMBED KIDNEYS

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

DEVILLED KIDNEYS

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

KIDNEY AND BACON

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

STEWED BEEF KIDNEY

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

KIDNEYS À LA TERRAPIN

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

BROILED KIDNEYS – MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL

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

MINCED LAMB WITH POACHED EGGS

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

BROILED LAMB’S LIVER

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

CALF’S LIVER AND BACON

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

LIVER À LA CRÊME

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

LIVER HASH

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

BAKED HASH

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

LIVER BOULETTES

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

LIVER AND BACON BALLS

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

MEAT AND RICE BALLS

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

FRIED SALT PORK

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

PHILADELPHIA SCRAPPLE

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

SAUSAGE

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

BAKED SAUSAGE

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

SAUSAGES BAKED IN POTATOES

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

BROILED SWEETBREADS

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

FRIED TRIPE

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

FRICASSEED TRIPE

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

TRIPE À LA LYONNAISE

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

TRIPE À LA POULETTE

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

MINCED VEAL AND EGGS

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

SUBSTITUTES FOR MEAT

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

FRIED EGGPLANT

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

BROILED MUSHROOMS

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

FRIED MUSHROOMS

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

BAKED MUSHROOMS

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

GRILLED MUSHROOMS

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

FRENCH TOAST

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

CORN OYSTERS

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

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

EGGS

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

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

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

POACHED EGGS

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

SCRAMBLED EGGS

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

SCRAMBLED EGGS – II

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

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS

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

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH DRIED BEEF

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

FRIED EGGS

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

FRIED EGGS AU BEURRE NOIR

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

EGGS À LA CRÊME

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

EGGS À LA TRIPE

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

EGGS AU MIROIR

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

EGGS WITH CREAMED CELERY

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

CHICKEN LIVER SCRAMBLE

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

CHEESE SCRAMBLE

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

EGGS À LA PAYSANNE

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

EGGS À L’AURORE

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

OYSTER SCRAMBLE

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

MUSHROOM SCRAMBLE

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

LOBSTER SCRAMBLE

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

TOMATO SCRAMBLE

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

GREEN PEA SCRAMBLE

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

HAM SCRAMBLE

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

BACON SCRAMBLE

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

CRAB SCRAMBLE

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

SHRIMP SCRAMBLE

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

KIDNEY SCRAMBLE

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

SAUSAGE SCRAMBLE

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

SARDINE SCRAMBLE

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

TONGUE SCRAMBLE

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

EGGS WITH FINE HERBS

Use a heaping tablespoonful of minced parsley, chives, and tarragon to eight well-beaten eggs, mixing before putting into the hot butter.

MEXICAN EGGS

Split three sweet green peppers, lengthwise, and take out the seeds. Fry two minutes in very hot butter. Fry six very thin slices of ham and place on slices of toast, lay the peppers over the ham, and put a fried or a poached egg on each slice.

SPANISH EGGS

Cook together one cupful of stewed and strained tomato, one bean of garlic, finely minced, one chopped onion, and two sweet green peppers, seeded and chopped. Cook gently till reduced one half. Spread on thin slices of toast and lay a fried or poached egg on each slice.

CREAMED CHICKEN AND POACHED EGGS

Make a cream sauce, add one cupful of minced cooked chicken, spread on toast, and lay a poached egg on each slice.

BOILED EGGS – I

Put the eggs into a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil one minute and serve at once.

BOILED EGGS – II

Have a saucepan of water at a galloping boil. Drop in the eggs carefully, cover, and let stand till the eggs are cool enough to handle. They will be perfectly cooked and much more easily managed than if the shells were piping hot.

EGGS IN CRUSTS

Cut stale bread into slices an inch thick. Scoop out the centres of each slice and remove the crust. Rub with butter, drop an egg into each cavity, and put in a hot oven till the eggs are set.

EGGS IN RAMEKINS

Butter ramekins or custard cups. Drop an egg into each cup and place in a hot oven till the egg is set. This method of cooking eggs may be endlessly varied by filling the cups half full of minced meat, fish, seasoned crumbs, creamed vegetables, or anything else which combines well with eggs. Anything used in a scramble or an omelet may be placed in the bottom of the ramekin. If too dry, moisten with cream, milk, or water. The egg may be sprinkled with crumbs and dotted with butter. Grated cheese and minced parsley may be added at pleasure. A “left-over” which is otherwise hopeless may often be used advantageously in a ramekin with an egg. The small individual dishes are pleasing, when served on a fresh doily. Lacking the individual dishes, or for variety, a stoneware platter, or a baking-dish may be half filled with the mixture and the eggs broken on top.

BAKED EGGS WITH CHEESE

Make toast and hollow the slices slightly in the centre. Mix grated cheese to a paste with milk and spread over the toast. Arrange on a stoneware platter or in a baking-dish, break an egg over each slice, sprinkle with more cheese, and place in a hot oven till the eggs are set.

BAKED EGGS WITH HAM

Make the cream sauce and add to it one cupful of cold cooked ham, finely minced. Butter custard cups, break an egg into each, and stand in a pan of hot water in the oven till the eggs are firm. Spread the minced ham on a platter or on slices of toast, and turn the eggs on to it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced parsley.

CODDLED EGGS

Allow four tablespoonfuls of milk for each egg. Beat together thoroughly, cook in a double boiler till creamy, and serve on toast.

EGGS AND MUSHROOMS

(May Irwin’s Recipe)

One pound of fresh mushrooms cleaned well in several waters, and wiped dry. Put into a saucepan with two ounces of butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a dash of white pepper. Set over the fire till thoroughly hot, then turn into a shallow baking-dish, and break over them six eggs. Sprinkle with stale bread crumbs, dot with butter, dust with salt and pepper, and bake in a hot oven till the eggs are set. Serve on buttered toast.

EGGS IN AMBUSH

Scoop out the crumb from stale rolls, first cutting an even slice off the top. Toast or fry the shells thus made, or rub freely with butter and set into a piping hot oven until crisp and brown. Drop a fresh egg into each shell, add a little minced parsley or a teaspoonful of cream, if desired, or any preferred seasoning of minced fish, or meat, or vegetable. (See Eggs in Ramekins.) Bake in a hot oven till the eggs set, put on the covers, and serve. A pleasant surprise for the person who expects to find only a roll.

EGGS À LA MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL

Make a sauce of half a cupful of melted butter, the juice of half a lemon, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Cut hard-boiled eggs in slices lengthwise, arrange on buttered toast, and pour the sauce over the eggs, or, pour over poached eggs on toast just before serving.

POACHED EGGS ON ANCHOVY TOAST

Work a teaspoonful of anchovy paste, or more, if desired, into half a cupful of butter. Spread on thin slices of crisp toast and lay a poached egg on each slice.

EGGS SUR LE PLAT

Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff froth, spread on a buttered platter, and make hollows in the froth with a spoon. In these hollows drop carefully the unbroken yolks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a hot oven until the eggs are set.

BIRDS’ NESTS

Use recipe for Eggs sur le Plat. Arrange in ramekins or on slices of toast.

EGGS BAKED IN TOMATOES

Cut off a slice from the top (blossom end), of a small, ripe, well-shaped tomato. With a silver spoon scoop out the pulp carefully, sprinkle the inside with salt and drain for a few moments, upside down. Put a tablespoonful of seasoned bread crumbs in the bottom of the tomato, break a fresh egg into it, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in a hot oven until the egg is set. Prepare one tomato for each person.

SWISS EGGS

Rub a stoneware platter thickly with butter, cover it with very thin slices of fresh Gruyère cheese, break fresh eggs upon the cheese, sprinkle with grated nutmeg, pepper, and salt, pour half a cupful of cream over the eggs, sprinkle with the cheese, grated, and bake about a quarter of an hour in a hot oven. Serve on the same platter on which the eggs were baked.

CHICKEN SCRAMBLE

Use one cupful of cold cooked chicken, shredded or chopped, to seven well-beaten eggs, and prepare like other scrambles. A bit of green pepper or of chopped pimento is an agreeable addition.

EGGS À LA BONNE FEMME

Fry two sliced onions brown in butter, then add a tablespoonful of vinegar. Butter a platter, spread the fried onions over it, break upon it six fresh eggs, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in a hot oven until the eggs are set.

EGGS À LA BOURGEOISE

Cut slices of bread half an inch thick and trim off the crust, lay on a buttered platter, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Beat eggs enough to cover the bread, season with salt and pepper and grated nutmeg, pour over the bread and bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are set.

EGGS À LA ST. CATHERINE

Select smooth, shapely potatoes and bake until soft. Cut in halves lengthwise and scoop out a part of the pulp. Break an egg into each half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a teaspoonful of cream to each egg and bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are set. In the meantime, beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth, and work gradually into it the potato pulp which has been scooped out. Heap roughly over the baked eggs and keep in the oven till well puffed and brown. A little grated cheese or minced parsley may be sprinkled over the top.

EGGS IN PEPPERS

Cut a thin slice from the stem end of a green pepper and take out the seeds. Cut a slice from the smaller end, so that the pepper may stand straight, and put on a slice of buttered toast. Make a small hollow in the toast under the pepper and break an egg into each one. Bake until the eggs are set.

EGGS POACHED IN MILK

Butter a frying-pan, add a pint of milk, and bring the milk to a boil. Slip in fresh eggs, one at a time, and poach as usual. Skim out, season with salt and pepper, and put each egg on a slice of buttered toast. Pour the milk over and serve immediately.

EGGS À LA WASHINGTON

Lay a slice of fresh fried tomato on each slice of buttered toast. On each slice of tomato arrange some shredded sweet pepper, fried. Lay a poached egg on each slice, and sprinkle with parsley and sweet pepper minced together.

PIMENTO SCRAMBLE

Use the scarlet pimentos which come in cans. Chop rather coarsely and use half a cupful to each four eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.

EGGS À LA ESPAGNOLE

Make a cream sauce and add to it half a cupful of shredded pimentos. Spread over buttered toast and put a poached egg on each slice.

CODFISH SCRAMBLE

Use one cupful of shredded salt cod which has been freshened, and seven well-beaten eggs. Salt Mackerel, Finnan Haddie, Smoked Salmon, or other salt fish may be used. Clams, Caviare, Herring, Sturgeon, and many other left-overs are also acceptable.

STEAMED EGGS

Break fresh eggs into buttered custard cups and steam until set.

BAKED EGGS ON RASHERS OF BACON

Have ready some thin slices of bacon fried until transparent, but not crisp. Lay two strips of bacon on each slice of toast, arrange in a baking-pan, break an egg over each slice of toast, and bake until the egg is set.

SCRAMBLED EGGS IN CUPS

Prepare stale rolls as for Eggs in Ambush, but bake the buttered rolls until crisp and brown. Fill with scrambled eggs and serve immediately.

RICE SCRAMBLE

Use a cupful of cold cooked rice and eight well-beaten eggs and proceed as for other scrambles. A little milk or water may be necessary.

SURPRISE EGGS

Boil fresh eggs four minutes, skim out, plunge into cold water for an instant, then remove the shells. Dip each egg into egg and crumbs, then fry in deep fat.

JAPANESE EGGS

Spread hot boiled rice on a platter, season with melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley. Poach six eggs and arrange them on the rice.

RUMBLED EGGS

Beat three fresh eggs with two tablespoonfuls of butter, and add a teaspoonful of milk. Stir over a moderate fire until it puffs up, then serve at once on buttered toast.

EGGS À LA WALDORF

Beat six eggs with half a cupful of cream, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. Cut two large mushrooms into dice and fry one minute in two tablespoonfuls of butter. Pour the egg mixture over the mushrooms and stir rapidly until it begins to thicken, then take from the fire and beat until smooth and creamy. Serve at once on buttered toast.

WHIPPED EGGS

Beat six eggs separately, the whites to a stiff froth. Mix thoroughly, season with salt and pepper, and pour into two quarts of salted water at a galloping boil. Stir one minute, then drain through a fine sieve. Serve on buttered toast and garnish with crisp rashers of bacon.

ESCALLOPED EGGS

Make the cream sauce. Have ready eight hard-boiled eggs and some dried bread crumbs. Butter ramekins, put in a layer of crumbs, then sliced eggs, then butter in tiny dots, then sauce, and so on, until the dish is full, having crumbs and butter on top. A little grated cheese may be sprinkled over the top. If too dry, moisten with a little milk or cream. Bake until brown.

POACHED EGGS WITH CREAMED SALMON

Make a cream sauce and reheat in it either canned salmon, or a cupful of salt or smoked salmon. Spread on buttered toast and lay a poached egg on each slice. Sprinkle with minced parsley and garnish with lemon quarters.

EGGS À LA MARTIN

Boil six eggs four minutes, plunge into cold water, then remove the shells. Arrange in a baking-dish, or in ramekins, cover with cream sauce, sprinkle with bread crumbs and a little grated cheese, dot with butter, and bake until brown.

OMELETS

“To make an omelet, you must first break eggs.” —

French Proverb.

So many different methods for making omelets are given, in works of recognized authority, that it seems as if any one who had an egg and an omelet pan could hardly go amiss. Yet failures are frequent, as every omelet-maker knows.

French writers say positively that no liquid of any sort must be added to an omelet – that it contains eggs and eggs alone, beaten just enough to break the yolks. American authorities add milk or water, or beat the eggs separately, the whites to a stiff froth. One of them makes a clear distinction between an omelet and a puffy omelet; the puffy omelet, of course, being made by folding in the stiffly beaten whites before cooking. Some say milk makes it tough, and others say water makes it stringy. Suffice it to say, however, that a perfect omelet is a matter of experience and a deft hand. All writers agree that small omelets are more easily made than large ones, and it is better to do it twice or even three times than to have too many eggs in one omelet. Below are given the various methods, from which the would-be omelet-maker may choose. All of them have the stamp of good authority.

OMELET – I

Beat six eggs well, yolks and whites together. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan. When it is hot, pour in the beaten eggs, which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. With a fork, draw the cooked egg from the outside of the pan to the centre. As soon as it is all thick, lift half of the omelet on to a plate, and turn the other half over it. It should be turned while the centre is still soft, and the fire should not be too hot.

OMELET – II

Break the eggs into a bowl, add as many tablespoonfuls of cold water as there are eggs. Beat the eggs well, then season with salt and pepper, and pour into a thin, smooth frying-pan which contains a tablespoonful of melted butter. With a thin knife lift the cooked portion of the egg and allow the uncooked portion to run down into the butter, meanwhile gently rocking the pan back and forth. When creamy, begin at the side of the pan nearest the handle and roll the omelet, using a little butter if needed.

OMELET – III

Prepare as above, using milk instead of water.

OMELET – IV

Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs. Beat the yolks till thick and lemon colored and the whites until they stand alone. Fold together carefully, seasoning with salt and pepper, and adding a tablespoonful of cold water for each egg. Have two tablespoonfuls of butter in the frying-pan. When it is hot, pour in the egg mixture and let stand until the egg is set around the edge and a knife plunged into the centre comes out nearly clean. Then set the pan into the oven till the omelet puffs. Score slightly across the middle with a sharp knife, fold, and serve at once on a hot platter.

OMELET AUX FINES HERBES

Prepare Omelet I, and mix a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and chives with the eggs before cooking.

PEA OMELET

Prepare Omelet I. As soon as the eggs are in the frying-pan, add a cupful of cooked and drained peas, arranging carefully in the outermost half so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.

OMELET WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS

Have ready one cupful of cooked and drained asparagus tips. Prepare according to directions given for Pea Omelet.

MUSHROOM OMELET

Use fresh mushrooms, if possible. Fry, and drain on brown paper. When the eggs are in the frying-pan, spread the mushrooms on the outermost half of the omelet, so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.

OMELET WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Spread the outermost half of an omelet with tomato sauce, fold, and finish as usual.

OMELET AU FROMAGE

Prepare Omelet I, adding half a cupful of grated Parmesan cheese, or dried and grated American cheese, to the egg mixture.

HAM OMELET

Have ready one cupful of cooked ham, very finely minced. Spread on half of the omelet and fold the other part over it.

OYSTER OMELET

One cupful of cooked oysters, minced or not, as preferred. Lay on half of the omelet and fold.

CLAM OMELET

See Oyster Omelet.

SHRIMP OMELET

One cupful of cooked and shredded shrimps. See Oyster Omelet

CRAB OMELET

One cupful of minced cooked crab meat. See Oyster Omelet.

LOBSTER OMELET

One cupful of cooked and shredded lobster. See Oyster Omelet.

TOMATO OMELET

One half cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, or of fresh tomatoes peeled and rubbed through a sieve. Spread on the outermost half of the omelet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fold.

DRIED BEEF OMELET

One cupful of dried beef, shredded or minced. Cook five minutes in boiling water, drain in a cloth, spread on the outermost half of the omelet, and fold.

KIDNEY OMELET

Cut the kidneys into inch pieces, fry, drain, and finish as for Mushroom Omelet.

CHICKEN LIVER OMELET

One cupful of cooked chicken livers, cut in small pieces. See Oyster Omelet.

SAUSAGE OMELET

Spread the outer portion of an omelet with cooked sausage meat and fold as usual.

SARDINE OMELET

Rub to a paste with melted butter and lemon-juice enough sardines to make half a cupful. Spread thinly on the outer half of an omelet, and fold.

CHEESE OMELET II

Spread one cupful of grated cheese, Swiss, American, or Parmesan, on the outer portion of an omelet when the eggs are first put in the pan. Cook and fold as usual.

BLAZING OMELET

Make a plain omelet. Pour over it rum, kirsch, or brandy, ignite, and send to the table blazing. Serve as soon as the fire has gone out.

BACON OMELET

Cook a plain omelet in bacon fat instead of in butter and garnish with crisp rashers of bacon.

BACON OMELET II

Fry one cupful of minced bacon until crisp, drain off the fat, spread the bacon on half the omelet, and fold.

BREAD OMELET

Soak half a cupful of bread crumbs in half a cupful of milk and mix with the eggs before cooking.

OMELET À LA CRÊME

Make the cream sauce. Mix half a cupful of it with the omelet before cooking. Spread the rest of it on the outermost half of the omelet, finish, and fold as usual.

JELLY OMELET

Spread half of an omelet thinly with jelly – crabapple, currant, gooseberry, or quince, and fold.

SPANISH OMELET

Cook until thick one half can of tomatoes, one grated onion, one very finely minced bean of garlic, and one minced green pepper. Season with salt and paprika, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

TONGUE OMELET

Have ready a cupful of cold cooked tongue, minced or shredded. Spread on half the omelet, and fold.

CHICKEN OMELET

One cupful of cold cooked chicken, shredded or minced. Spread on half of the omelet, and fold.

CAULIFLOWER OMELET

One cupful of cold cooked cauliflower, with its sauce. Cut fine, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

ANCHOVY OMELET

Add a teaspoonful of anchovy paste to half a cupful of melted butter. Mix thoroughly, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

POTATO OMELET

One cupful of cooked potatoes, creamed or fried, cut in dice. Spread on half the omelet, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced parsley, and fold.

Almost any left-over can be advantageously used in an omelet. Fish, especially salt fish, meats, and vegetables, in quantities of half a cupful or more, preserved and fresh fruits, cereals – everything but soups, salads, and puddings. Roughly speaking, any omelet mixture can be added to the eggs before cooking, but as a general rule, it is better to spread it on half of the omelet and fold the other half over it, as otherwise the omelet is more likely to be heavy.

Sweet omelets are delicious. A teaspoonful of powdered sugar should be added to the eggs before cooking, and the fruit, jam, jelly, or preserves should be very thinly spread, as flavor is desired, not a dessert. Fresh fruits are cut fine and sprinkled with powdered sugar, spread on half the omelet, and the other half folded over. In the case of juicy fruits, such as oranges, the juice of the fruit is carefully saved and poured over the folded omelet just before serving.

Among the fresh fruits suitable for omelets are Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Cherries, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Plums, Huckleberries, Oranges, Pineapples, Peaches, Raspberries, and Strawberries – all crushed very fine and sweetened; the juice, if any, being poured over the omelet.

Among the stewed and preserved fruits are Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Currants, Figs, Gooseberries, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Quinces, Rhubarb, and the various fruit jams. Rum or brandy poured over the omelet and set on fire just before serving is a pleasant addition to many of the fruit omelets, Fig especially.

QUICK BREADS

People who can eat hot breads for breakfast are always sorry for those who cannot. Quite often the internal dissension ascribed to the hot bread is due to something else, or to an undesirable combination of food elements in one and the same meal. Besides, hot bread is so good that it is sometimes eaten too quickly. This hint is of medical origin and is worth consideration. Almost any hot bread will be found harmless when baked a second time.

BAKING POWDER BISCUIT

Four cupfuls of sifted flour, shortening the size of an egg, – equal parts of butter and lard preferred, – two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, rubbing with the finger-tips till the flour is granular, like corn-meal. Add cold sweet milk to make a dough as soft as can be handled, roll out an inch thick, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a hot oven. The dough must be handled as little as possible after putting in the milk.

QUICK BISCUIT

Two cupfuls of buttermilk, or of sour milk, a teaspoonful of baking soda, a tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, and flour to make a soft dough. Handle as little as possible, roll out, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a quick oven.

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT

Sift four cupfuls of flour, add a tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of soda, and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Roll thin, handling as little as possible, cut into rounds, and bake in a quick oven.

EGG BISCUIT

Sift three cupfuls of flour, add a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs well beaten, a tablespoonful of melted lard, and a cupful of sweet milk to which has been added half a teaspoonful each of soda and cream of tartar. Work to a smooth dough, roll out half an inch thick, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake on buttered pans.

SOUR MILK BISCUIT

Four cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of butter or lard, and two cupfuls of sour milk. Or, leave out the butter and use sour cream. Mix the salt and soda with the flour and sift it. Rub in the shortening, mix with the milk, roll the dough half an inch thick, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Bake from twelve to fifteen minutes in a quick oven.

NEW YORK BISCUIT

Two eggs well beaten, one cupful of milk, one tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and four cupfuls of sifted flour. Roll out, cut into circles, and bake in a hot oven.

SOUTHERN BATTER BREAD

Half a cupful of cold boiled rice, two eggs beaten separately, two cupfuls of corn-meal, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, melted, a teaspoonful of salt, and two cupfuls of milk. Beat together till thoroughly mixed and bake quickly in buttered muffin-rings or in shallow baking-tins.

SPOON BREAD

Pour one cupful of boiling water over one cupful of white corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt, one cupful of cold boiled rice, three eggs, well beaten, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix thoroughly and pour two inches deep into a buttered earthen baking-dish and bake till done. It should be like a baked custard and is served from the dish with a spoon. Cereals other than rice may be used, especially cerealine.

KENTUCKY BATTER BREAD

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, three eggs well beaten, one teaspoonful of salt, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Mix with enough milk to make a thin batter. Pour into shallow buttered tins and bake about forty-five minutes in a quick oven.

SOFT BATTER BREAD

Two cupfuls of sweet milk, two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, three eggs, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Boil the milk and add the meal slowly, making a mush, then add the salt and butter, and cool. Add the eggs and a tablespoonful of milk in which the soda has been dissolved. Bake in a buttered pan in a moderate oven.

COLONIAL BREAKFAST BREAD

One cupful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two cupfuls of rich milk, and seven eggs, well beaten. Bake in a buttered cake-tin and serve quickly.

ENGLISH BUNS

Rub half a cupful of butter into two cupfuls of flour, mix with a teaspoonful of salt and two of baking powder. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar and half a cupful of cleaned currants. Mix well, add two eggs, well beaten, and enough milk to make into a dough. Roll out, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a slow oven. The buns should be an inch thick when put into the oven.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE

Two cupfuls of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, two cupfuls of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful each of lard and butter, melted, and two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly, spread thinly on a buttered baking-pan, and bake in a moderate oven.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE – II

Four cupfuls of corn-meal, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of melted lard, and enough cold water to make a soft dough. Mould into thin oblong cakes and bake quickly in a well-buttered pan.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE – III

One and three quarter cupfuls of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of buttermilk. Bake in a buttered pan for half an hour.

CORN MUFFINS

Sift together three quarters of a cupful of corn-meal and the same of flour, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Mix with one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of thick sour milk. Bake from twenty to thirty minutes in well-buttered muffin-tins.

CORN MUFFINS

Make as Oatmeal Gems and bake in muffin-tins.

CORN MUFFINS – II

Mix one cupful of corn-meal with one cupful of boiling water, spread with butter, and let stand over night. In the morning, mix with one tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs, well beaten, three quarters of a cupful of sour milk, and one cupful of flour, sifted in with half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda. Bake half an hour in buttered muffin-rings.

CORN BREAD

Two heaping cupfuls of corn-meal, one cupful of flour, three eggs beaten separately, one tablespoonful of melted lard, two of sugar, two and a half cupfuls of milk, one teaspoonful of salt, and two of baking powder. Sift the dry materials into the milk, eggs, and shortening. Beat thoroughly, and bake half an hour in a buttered tin.

JOHNNY CAKE

One cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of buttermilk, one teaspoonful of salt, one of soda, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Add enough corn-meal to roll into a sheet half an inch thick. Lay on a buttered baking-pan and bake till brown and crisp, basting occasionally with melted butter meanwhile. Break instead of cutting, and serve hot.

CORN DODGERS

Pour two cupfuls of boiling water over two cupfuls of corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt and drop by spoonfuls in a well-buttered shallow pan. Dot with butter and bake till crisp and brown, or bake on a griddle.

NEW ENGLAND CORN DODGERS

Two cupfuls of white corn-meal, two pinches of salt, and a teaspoonful of sugar sifted together. Dampen with boiling water and thin with cold milk to a batter which will keep its shape on a griddle. Butter the griddle and drop the batter on by spoonfuls. Put dots of butter on each dodger, and when crisp and brown on one side turn and brown on the other. Keep hot in the oven a few minutes before serving.

CORN DODGERS – III

Mix a teaspoonful of salt with two cupfuls of corn-meal. Pour over it enough boiling water to moisten and let stand ten minutes. Add three eggs, beaten separately, one cupful of milk, and a teaspoonful of baking powder. Thin with more milk if necessary and bake on a buttered griddle. Ham or bacon fat may be used in place of butter.

SOUTHERN HOECAKES

Add a teaspoonful of salt and a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder to one cupful and a third of corn-meal. Beat the yolks of two eggs until light, add a cupful of milk and beat hard for a few moments, then add the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Put a tablespoonful of lard into a spider and drop in the batter by spoonfuls, turning when done on one side. Serve very hot.

CORN BREAD – II

One cupful of corn-meal, a teaspoonful each of salt and baking powder, a tablespoonful of butter or lard, melted, three eggs and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix the salt with the meal, beat the eggs, mix with the milk and pour over the meal, then sift in the baking powder, beat hard, and add the melted butter last. Pour into a baking-pan and bake in a hot oven.

CORN MUFFINS – III

One cupful of corn-meal, two cupfuls of buttermilk, a pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, one egg, and a tablespoonful of melted lard. Beat the eggs, add the soda to the milk and lard, then mix with the meal. Bake in hot buttered muffin-rings filled half full.

CORN AND RICE MUFFINS

Two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of white corn-meal, one teaspoonful of soda, a pinch of salt, one egg, half a cupful of cream, and half a cupful of boiled rice. Mash the rice, add the salt, egg, and cream, then the buttermilk mixed with the soda, then the meal. Bake in buttered muffin-pans in a quick oven.

BREAKFAST CORN BREAD

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, two cupfuls of sifted flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, one teaspoonful of salt, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, two cupfuls of milk, and three eggs well beaten. Sift the dry ingredients and rub in the cold butter. Beat the eggs separately, the yolks with the milk, then the dry ingredients, and add the whites of the eggs last. Bake about half an hour in buttered shallow pans.

APPLE JOHNNY CAKE

Mix two cupfuls of corn-meal with half a cupful of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of soda in a cupful and a half of milk, stir in, and add three peeled and cored apples sliced very thin. Bake in a buttered shallow tin thirty-five minutes in a moderate oven.

CORN MUFFINS – IV

Beat two eggs very light, add one tablespoonful of melted butter, three tablespoonfuls of corn-meal, one teaspoonful of brown sugar, one heaping tablespoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of baking powder and one cupful of milk. Mix thoroughly, pour into buttered muffin-tins, and bake in a quick oven.

CORN DODGERS – IV

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, one cupful of sour milk or buttermilk, one pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, one egg well beaten. Bake on a hot griddle.

CORN MUFFINS – V

One cupful of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, one heaping tablespoonful of sugar, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, one egg, well beaten, one cupful and a half of sweet milk, and a pinch of salt. Beat hard and bake in well buttered muffin-pans.

CORN PUFFS

Sift together one and two thirds cupfuls of flour, one cupful of meal, and two level teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub two tablespoonfuls of butter to a cream with three tablespoonfuls of sugar, add three well-beaten eggs and two cupfuls of milk. Combine mixtures, beat thoroughly, pour into well-buttered muffin-tins and bake.

FRUIT CORN MUFFINS

Two cupfuls of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful of melted butter, two eggs, well beaten, one and one half cupfuls of milk, and one cupful of fruit. Dates, figs, prunes, or other fruits may be used. Stones should be removed and the fruit cut fine. Bake in well-buttered muffin-pans for about twenty minutes.

CORN AND HOMINY MUFFINS

Mash one cupful of cold boiled hominy with one cupful of corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of baking powder, a tablespoonful of melted butter, one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of milk. Beat hard for five minutes, pour into buttered gem-pans, and bake fifteen or twenty minutes in a hot oven.

SOFT CORN BREAD

One cupful of corn-meal, one cupful of sour milk, a pinch of soda, one cupful of sweet milk, a tablespoonful of melted butter, a pinch of salt, and two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly and bake in a deep baking-dish, well buttered.

FLORIDA CORN BREAD

One cupful of buttermilk, one cupful of sweet milk, one half teaspoonful of soda, two eggs, one cupful of corn-meal, and one teaspoonful of salt. Mix the buttermilk, sweet milk, and soda together, and when the soda is thoroughly dissolved, pour the milk over the beaten eggs. Add the corn-meal and beat thoroughly. Spread lard over the bottom and sides of the baking-tin, place in the oven until very hot, then pour in the batter and bake in a quick oven until a delicate brown.

CHARLESTON BREAKFAST CAKE

Beat together one cupful of sugar and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Add two eggs, beaten very light, a pinch of salt, a grating of nutmeg, and one cupful of milk. Sift in two cupfuls of flour and three level teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Bake in hot buttered muffin-tins or in a shallow baking-pan.

DATE GEMS

One cupful of dates, seeded and chopped fine, two cupfuls of milk, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, three cupfuls of flour, and one egg well beaten. Mix the egg and milk, sift the dry ingredients together, add the chopped dates, and combine mixtures. Beat hard and bake in well-buttered gem-irons for about twenty minutes. Figs or prunes may be used instead of dates.

GRAHAM BISCUIT

Three cupfuls of Graham flour, one cupful of white flour, three cupfuls of milk, two tablespoonfuls of lard, one heaping tablespoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix and bake like Baking Powder Biscuits.

GRAHAM PUFFS

Two cupfuls of Graham flour, four cupfuls of boiling milk, and a teaspoonful of salt. The dough should be as soft as it can be handled. Roll an inch thick, cut into circles, arrange on a buttered pan and bake in the hottest kind of an oven. If the oven is right, they will be very light.

GRAHAM MUFFINS

Prepare like Rye Muffins, using Graham flour or meal instead of rye meal. A teaspoonful of caraway seed is sometimes added to Rye Muffins.

GRAHAM DROP CAKES

Sift together a cupful and a half of Graham meal, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, and a quarter of a cupful of brown sugar. Add enough sour milk to make a stiff batter. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered baking-tin and bake a quarter of an hour in a quick oven.

GRAHAM MUFFINS – II

Four cupfuls of Graham flour, one tablespoonful of brown sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one egg, well beaten, and two cupfuls of milk. Sift the dry ingredients together, add the beaten egg and milk, mix thoroughly, fill well-buttered muffin-tins two thirds full and bake in a hot oven about twenty minutes.

HOMINY MUFFINS

Two cupfuls of cold fine hominy, three eggs, three cupfuls of sour milk, half a cupful of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of baking soda dissolved in hot water, and flour to make a good batter – probably about a cupful and a half. Add the milk to the hominy, then the salt, sugar, butter, and eggs, then the soda, and the flour last. Bake in a quick oven.

HOMINY DROP CAKES

Two cupfuls of cold boiled hominy, one tablespoonful of cold water, two eggs, well beaten, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of baking powder sifted into enough flour to make a good batter. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered baking-sheet and bake brown in a quick oven.

MUFFINS – I

Sift together four cupfuls of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Add a tablespoonful of sugar. Stir in two cupfuls of milk, four eggs well beaten, and three tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Bake twenty-five or thirty minutes in muffin-tins. Half of this recipe is sufficient for a small family.

MUFFINS – II

Two cupfuls of flour, two eggs, one cupful of milk, one teaspoonful of sugar, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Sift the dry ingredients together, beat the eggs till very light, mix with the milk and melted butter. Sift the dry mixture gradually into the milk and eggs, stirring constantly. Bake twenty-five minutes in muffin-tins.

CREAM MUFFINS

Four cupfuls of flour, four cupfuls of rich milk, six eggs, beaten separately, two tablespoonfuls of shortening, melted – equal parts of butter and lard. Bake in buttered muffin-rings half full of the batter and serve immediately.

BUTTERMILK MUFFINS

Four cupfuls of buttermilk, or of curdled milk, two eggs, a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little hot water, a teaspoonful of salt, and enough sifted flour to make a good batter. Mix thoroughly, adding the soda last. Bake in a quick oven.

MUFFINS – III

Sift together two cupfuls of flour, two tablespoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Add one tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, one cupful of milk, and one egg well beaten. Mix thoroughly and bake quickly in muffin-rings.

MUFFINS – IV

Make like Muffins V, using a quarter cupful each of sugar and melted butter, and two or three eggs, well beaten.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Use any muffin mixture, lessening slightly the quantity of milk. Add a cupful of blueberries and bake quickly.

MUFFINS – V

Four cupfuls of flour, three eggs, beaten separately, the whites very stiff, three cupfuls of milk, and a pinch of salt. Beat hard until thoroughly mixed and bake in a quick oven.

MUFFINS – VI

Six cupfuls of flour, two eggs well beaten separately, two rounded teaspoonfuls of baking powder, four cupfuls of milk, one teaspoonful of salt. Sift the dry materials, mix with the eggs and milk, beat hard, and bake in muffin-tins in a quick oven.

CEREALINE MUFFINS

Three fourths of a cupful of flour, a pinch of salt, one egg, well beaten, one cupful of cerealine, and one cupful of milk. Bake in buttered muffin-pans.

BATTER MUFFINS

Three cupfuls of sour milk and one teaspoonful of soda beaten together. Beat the yolks of three eggs and add to the milk, then stir in a pinch of salt and flour enough to make a moderately stiff batter. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and fold in the last thing. Bake in buttered muffin-tins.

SOUTHERN MUFFINS

Two eggs, two cupfuls of milk, two cupfuls of flour, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of melted butter. Beat the eggs separately, then add the milk and butter to the yolks, then the flour, then the stiffly beaten whites. Bake in hot buttered muffin-tins.

MUFFINS – VII

Two cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one cupful of milk and one egg, well beaten. Bake in buttered muffin-tins.

MUFFINS – VIII

Four cupfuls of flour, two and one half cupfuls of milk, three eggs, beaten separately, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of sugar, and three teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients together, add the melted butter and the beaten yolks to the milk, combine the two mixtures, and add the well-beaten whites of the eggs last. Fill buttered muffin-rings two thirds full and bake in a hot oven about twenty minutes. Serve immediately.

SOUR MILK MUFFINS

Three cupfuls of sour milk, three cupfuls of flour, two eggs, well beaten, one teaspoonful each of soda, cream tartar, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients together, add the milk, then the eggs, and bake in buttered muffin-tins in a hot oven.

WHITE MUFFINS

One tablespoonful of soft butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, rubbed to a cream. Add two eggs, well beaten, a pinch of salt, a cupful of milk, and two cupfuls of flour sifted with two rounded teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Beat thoroughly and bake in buttered muffin-tins in a moderate oven.

ENTIRE WHEAT MUFFINS

Sift thoroughly, with three cupfuls of entire wheat flour, two tablespoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Add one and one half cupfuls of sweet milk in which the well-beaten yolk of an egg has been stirred, and two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Add the white of the egg, beaten to a stiff froth, mix thoroughly, and bake about twenty minutes in hot buttered muffin-pans in a moderate oven.

HONEY MUFFINS

Sift together three cupfuls of flour, three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Add two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, three eggs well beaten, one cupful of strained honey, and one cupful of milk. Bake in well-buttered muffin-tins.

GEORGIA MUFFINS

One cupful of milk, one egg, well beaten, two cupfuls of flour, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of baking powder. Mix thoroughly, and bake in buttered gem-irons made piping hot before the batter is put in.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS – II

One cupful of sugar, two eggs, one cupful of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, butter the size of an egg, melted, and two cupfuls of flour sifted with the baking powder. Add two cupfuls of blueberries, stir thoroughly, and bake in buttered muffin-tins in a quick oven.

SWEET MUFFINS

One half cupful of butter and one half cupful of sugar rubbed to a cream. Add two eggs, well beaten, and mix thoroughly. Add one cupful of sweet milk and stir and mix thoroughly. Sift three and three fourths cupfuls of flour and three rounded teaspoonfuls of baking powder into the muffin mixture, beat again, pour into hot buttered gem-pans, and bake about half an hour.

PERFECTION MUFFINS

Mix together three cupfuls of flour, one cupful of corn-meal, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful of sugar, and one teaspoonful of salt. Work in one heaping tablespoonful of butter or lard, add three well-beaten eggs and two cupfuls of milk. Beat quickly into a firm batter. Bake in well-buttered muffin-tins.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MUFFINS

Beat together three eggs and one cupful of milk. Add a pinch of salt and one teaspoonful of powdered sugar. Sift together two cupfuls of flour and one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. Combine mixtures, beat well, and bake in hot buttered gem-irons. The cups should be about half full of the batter and the oven only moderately hot.

OATMEAL GEMS

Pour one cupful of boiling water over one cupful of steam-cooked oatmeal and let it stand over night. Mix one cupful of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a half a teaspoonful of salt. Sift, mix with the soaked oatmeal, and add enough flour to make a batter that will drop easily from the spoon. Bake in buttered muffin-pans.

POPOVERS

One cupful of flour, measured after sifting, one egg, unbeaten, one cupful of milk, and a pinch of salt. Butter a gem-pan and put it into a hot oven. Mix all the ingredients together, stirring hard with a wooden spoon. When the pan is hissing hot, pour in the batter, filling each compartment half or two thirds full. Bake in a very hot oven till well puffed and golden brown, cover with a paper and finish baking. This quantity makes a dozen popovers.

POPOVERS – II

Two eggs, well beaten, one cup of flour, one cupful of milk, one teaspoonful of salt. Prepare as above and bake in buttered custard cups.

FRUIT POPOVERS

Make the batter for Popovers I. Drop a piece of banana, a few blueberries, or a bit of preserved fruit or jam, or a steamed fig into each small cup of batter, which will rise in the cup and almost cover the fruit. These may be served with a simple syrup in place of pancakes or waffles.

PUFFS

Boil two cupfuls of milk with half a cupful of butter. Stir in one cupful and a half of sifted flour and let cool. Beat five eggs separately and add. Fill buttered custard cups half full of the batter and bake in a quick oven. Serve on a hot plate and sprinkle with sugar if desired.

RICE MUFFINS

One cupful of cold boiled rice, two cupfuls of flour, two eggs, beaten separately, two tablespoonfuls of lard or butter, a teaspoonful of salt, and milk enough to make a thin batter. Beat hard and bake in a quick oven.

RICE MUFFINS – II

One cupful of milk, one and one half cupfuls of flour, half a cupful of cold boiled rice, two level teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of sugar, a heaping teaspoonful of butter, and one egg well beaten. Mix the dry ingredients, then melt the butter and rub it into the rice, add the egg, then the milk. Combine the two mixtures, beat well, and bake twenty-five minutes in buttered muffin-tins in a moderate oven.

RYE MUFFINS

Sift together one cupful each of rye meal and white flour, add two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Mix with one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of milk. Bake in buttered muffin-rings.

RYE CRISPS

One cupful of rye meal and one half cupful of white flour. Sift into a bowl with one teaspoonful of baking powder and mix thoroughly with one third of a cupful of finely minced beef suet. Add half a teaspoonful of salt, and enough milk to make a soft dough that may be easily handled with a spoon. Have well-buttered muffin-tins piping hot. Fill them two-thirds full and bake quickly in a very hot oven. They should be done in from twelve to fifteen minutes.

SALLY LUNN

Four cupfuls of sifted flour, four eggs, beaten separately, one cupful of milk, one cupful of melted butter and lard, equal parts, one teaspoonful of salt, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix, adding the whites the last thing. Bake in muffin-rings.

SCONES

Spread a rich biscuit or muffin dough in a well-buttered pan, mark deeply into squares, brush with the yolk of an egg, and sprinkle with sugar.

SNOW BALLS

Make a batter of one cupful of cream – the top of milk will do nicely – two tablespoonfuls of sugar, the yolks of four eggs, a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, and flour enough to mix. Add the whites of the eggs last, beaten to a stiff froth. Fill buttered cups two thirds full, and bake in a hot oven.

SCOTCH SCONES

Four cupfuls of sifted flour, one cupful of buttermilk, one tablespoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of sugar, one half teaspoonful of baking soda, and one half teaspoonful of salt. Rub the butter into the flour, add the sugar and salt, stir the soda into the buttermilk, and mix with the flour. Roll into a thin sheet, cut into triangles, and bake about thirty-five minutes on a floured tin. Just before they are done, rub a cloth dipped in milk over the tops and put back into the oven to glaze.

Note. – Sour milk may be made from fresh by keeping the milk some hours in a warm place, or, more quickly, by adding a little lemon-juice or vinegar to the amount of milk required.

RAISED BREAKFAST BREADS

Although many recipes included in this section may seem, at first glance, to be unsuitable for breakfast on account of the length of time taken for rising, there are ways in which the time can be considerably shortened.

A competent authority says that any mixture for rolls or muffins can be made ready for its second rising at night, and kept over night in any place where the dough will not freeze, or where the temperature is not so high as to cause too rapid rising and consequent souring of the dough.

Moreover, rolls or muffins may be baked in the afternoon until done thoroughly, but not brown, wrapped in a cloth, and put away in a cool place. In the morning, they need only to be rubbed with melted butter and set into a hot oven for a very few moments. They will come out crisp and flaky, and free from all objections on the score of indigestibility. Bread twice baked is always much more digestible than fresh bread.

Brioche, the most delicious of all hot breads, needs to stand in the refrigerator over night, and the second process is a quick one when the paste is once made. The paste will keep a week or more in a very cold place, and be the better for it. It is a French dough, for which many complicated recipes are given, but the following will be found satisfactory, and not difficult after one or two trials.

BRIOCHE PASTE

One cake of compressed yeast, a pinch of salt, one and one fourth cupfuls of butter, four cupfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of warm water, and seven eggs. Dissolve the yeast in the water, adding a little more water if necessary, and rubbing the yeast cake with a spoon until thoroughly dissolved. Stir in enough sifted flour to make a stiff dough, rolling and patting with the hands until thoroughly mixed. Drop this ball of paste into a kettle of warm water and let stand in a moderate temperature until it has a little more than doubled in bulk. (Some recipes for Brioche say that the ball of paste should be light enough to float.) Put the remainder of the four cupfuls of flour into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, salt, and butter, softened but not melted, and four of the eggs, unbeaten. With the hand mix carefully to a paste, beat smooth, and add the rest of the eggs, unbeaten, one at a time. Take the ball of paste, when light, out of the warm water with a skimmer, and, still using the hand, incorporate it carefully with the egg mixture, folding the two together as lightly as possible. Let rise, in a moderate temperature, until double in bulk. Then turn the paste on a floured board and pat and fold with the hands until smooth in texture and inclined to stay in shape. Let rise once more until very light, then put into the refrigerator and let stand over night.

BRIOCHE ROLLS

Roll a large lump of Brioche dough into a thin sheet on a floured board or pastry slab, working lightly and quickly, spread with softened butter, and fold so that the paste will be in three layers. Cut in strips an inch wide and twist, working from the ends, and arrange in circles on a baking-sheet, the ends of the strips pointing inward. The rolls should be very close together in the pan. Beat the yolk of an egg, dilute it with as much milk, and brush the rolls with the mixture. Let them rise a few minutes, then bake about half an hour in a moderate oven. A little sugar and water may be spread over the tops if desired.

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