VEGETABLES.

To Boil Green Corn.

Pick out ears near the same size, and have the water boiling when you

put them in; half an hour is long enough for young corn; that which is

old and hard will take an hour or more; if young corn is boiled too

long, it becomes hard and indigestible.

To Fricassee Corn.

Cut green corn off the cob; put it in a pot, and just cover it with

water; let it boil half an hour; mix a spoonful of flour with half a

pint of rich milk, pepper, salt, parsley, thyme and a piece of butter;

let it boil a few minutes, and take it up in a deep dish. Corn will do

to cook in this way when too old to boil on the cob.

To Keep Corn for Winter.

When boiled, cut the corn off the cob, and spread it on dishes; set

these in the oven to dry after the bread comes out. If you have no oven,

it can be dried in a stove of moderate heat, or round a fire. When

perfectly dry, tie it up in muslin bags, and hang them in a dry place;

when you use it, boil it till soft in water; mix flour, milk, butter,

pepper and salt together, and stir in.

Corn Fritters.

Cut the corn through the grain, and with a knife scrape the pulp from

the cob, or grate it with a coarse grater, and to about a quart of the

pulp, add two eggs beaten, two table-spoonsful of flour, a little salt

and pepper, and a small portion of thin cream, or new milk; beat the

whole together; have the butter or lard hot in the pan, and put a

large spoonful in at a time, and fry brown, turning each fritter

separately; this makes an agreeable relish for breakfast, or a good

side dish at dinner.

Hominy.

Large hominy, after it is washed; must be put to soak over night; if you

wish to have it for dinner, put it to boil early in the morning, or it

will not be done in time; eat it as a vegetable.

Small hominy will boil in an hour; it is very good at breakfast or

supper to eat with milk or butter, or to fry for dinner.

Both large and small hominy will keep good in a cool place several days.

Be careful that the vessel it is cooked in, is perfectly clean, or it

will darken the hominy.

To Fry Hominy.

Put a little lard in your frying-pan, and make it hot; mash and salt the

hominy; put it in, and cover it over with a plate; let it cook slowly

for half an hour, or longer if you like it very brown; when done, turn

it out in a plate. If you do not like it fried, mash it well, with a

little water, salt, and butter, and warm it in a frying-pan.

To Boil Potatoes.

When the potatoes are old, pare them, put them in plenty of boiling

water, and boil them till you can run a fork through easily; if you wish

to have them whole, pour off all the water, throw in some salt, and let

them stand a few minutes over coals, to let the steam go off; they will

then be white and mealy.

It is a mistaken notion, to boil potatoes in but little water, as they

are sure to turn dark and taste strong. In cold weather they may be

kept pared several days in a pan of water, by changing the water every

day, and will be whiter. If you like mashed potatoes, take them up

when barely done, sprinkle them with salt and mash them; put in a

spoonful of cream and a small lump of butter; keep them hot till they

are taken to table.

In the summer when potatoes are young, put them in a small tub, with a

little water, and rub them with a piece of brick, to break the skin; you

can then peel enough for dinner with a knife in a few minutes. When they

are older, boil them with the skins on, and squeeze them separately in a

cloth, to make them mealy. New potatoes are nice with cream and butter

over them.

In boiling old potatoes, some persons cut them round without paring,

which allows the moisture to escape; this is an improvement: you can

then either peel them or send them to table without peeling.

To Stew Potatoes.

Chop or slice cold potatoes; season with pepper and salt; stew them,

with a little butter and milk, and a dust of flour; when nearly done,

stir in a yelk of egg with some chopped parsley--they will cook in a few

minutes, and may be sliced over night if you wish an early breakfast.

Sweet Potatoes.

To boil sweet potatoes, put them in a pot with plenty of water; let them

boil fast till you can run a fork through the largest; then pour off the

water, and leave them in the pot a quarter of an hour; you can then peel

the skin off or leave it on. Some prefer them baked in a dutch-oven;

they should have a quick heat; large potatoes will take an hour to bake.

It has been found a good way to boil them, till nearly done; then peel

and bake them--they are drier and nicer.

To Fry Potatoes.

Cold potatoes are very good fried for breakfast with scraps of bacon; if

they have been mashed, make them out in cakes with a little flour, and

fry them brown, or slice them.

Tomatoes.

If you wish to bake tomatoes in the oven with bread, pour boiling water

on, and skin them; cut them in small pieces; season with salt and

pepper, and put them in a pan with crumbs of bread and butter; cover the

pan with a plate, and bake three-quarters of an hour; when done, mash

them and take them out on a dish.

To Fry Tomatoes.

Slice them, season with pepper and salt, and fry in hot butter; if they

are green, dip them in flour after being seasoned.

Tomato Omelet.

Pour boiling water on the tomatoes, skin and cut them fine; to one quart

of this, put two chopped onions and a lump of butter the size of an egg;

let them boil half an hour, then mash them; put in grated bread, pepper,

salt, and the yelks of two eggs.

To Stew Tomatoes.

Wash and pour boiling water over them; peel off the skins, and cut them

up; season them with pepper and salt; put in a lump of butter, and boil

them in their own juice for half an hour; stir in enough crumbs of bread

to thicken them; let them cook slowly ten minutes longer; be careful

that the bread does not burn.

To Bake Tomatoes.

Take out the inside of large tomatoes, make a stuffing of bread, butter,

pepper, salt and an egg; fill them with this, and set them in a deep

pie-plate; let them bake slowly half an hour.

Tomato Jelly, to eat with Roast Meat.

Wash the tomatoes, and put them in a bell-metal kettle, with a little

water; let them boil thirty minutes; take them out and strain them

through a sieve, till you get all the pulp; let it settle and pour off

the top; put the thick part in deep plates, and set them in the oven

after the bread is drawn; season it with pepper and salt to your taste,

and put it away in a jar. It can either be eaten cold, or warmed up with

crumbs of bread and butter. Some persons slice tomatoes, and dry them on

dishes in an oven.

To Fricassee Tomatoes.

Wash and cut them in two, if large; if small, leave them whole, but do

not peel them or they go too much to pieces; have a broad speeder or

stove-pan; put in a half spoonful of butter; season the tomatoes with

pepper and salt, and flour them; cover them with a plate; they will cook

in ten minutes, stirring them once; pour in half a tea-cup of cream just

as they are done; let them boil up and dish them while hot: this dish is

much liked either for breakfast, dinner or tea.

To Broil Tomatoes for Breakfast.

Take large round tomatoes, wash and wipe them, and put them on the

gridiron over lively coals--the stem side down; when this is brown, turn

them and let them cook till quite hot through; place them on a hot dish

and send them quickly to table, where each one may season for himself

with pepper, salt and butter.

To Bake Tomatoes for Breakfast.

Season them with pepper and salt; flour and bake them in a stove, in a

deep plate with a little butter over them.

Tomatoes sliced with Onions.

Pick the best tomatoes; let them stand a little while in cold water,

then peel and slice them. To about six tomatoes, you may add two red

onions, also sliced; season with pepper, plenty of salt, and a small

portion of vinegar.

To put up Tomatoes for Winter.

Gather a quantity of tomatoes, wash, scald, skin and cut them up; season

them highly with pepper and salt, and put them in a large stone jar; set

this in the oven with your bread, and leave it till it is cold; stir

them, and set them in the oven every time you bake for several weeks;

when the juice is nearly dried up, put a piece of white paper over the

jar, melt some lard and pour on it. When you use them, stew them with

bread, butter and water.

Baked Egg Plant.

Boil them ten minutes; then cut them in half and take out the seeds,

fill them with a stuffing of crumbs of bread, seasoned with butter,

pepper, salt, the yelk of an egg, and if you choose, the juice of a

tomato; close them and tie each one with a string; put a little water in

the dutch-oven, and lay them in with some of the stuffing on the top;

let them cook slowly half an hour, basting them with butter; take them

out, thicken the gravy, and pour it over them on the dish.

To Fry Egg Plant.

Cut them in slices half an inch thick; sprinkle them with salt, and let

them stand a few minutes to extract the bitter taste; wash them in cold

water, and wipe them dry; season with salt and pepper; dip them in

flour, and fry them in butter.

Another way of cooking them is to cut them in thin slices, and bake them

on a bake-iron that is hot enough to bake cakes.

Salsify, or Oyster Plant.

Scrape the roots, and boil them till soft; mash them, and put in butter,

pepper, salt, and egg and flour enough to stick them together; make this

in cakes as large as an oyster, and fry them in butter; or after

boiling, you can cut them in slices and stew them in water; then butter

and season, and thicken with a little flour and cream.

To Stew or Fry Mushrooms.

Be careful in gathering mushrooms that you have the right kind; they are

pink underneath, and white on the top, and the skin will peel off

easily, but it sticks to the poisonous ones.

After you have peeled them, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and put

them in a stew pan, with a little water, and a lump of butter; let them

boil fast ten minutes, and stir in a thickening of flour and cream. They

may be fried in butter, or broiled on a gridiron. They are sometimes

very abundant in the fall, on ground that has not been ploughed for

several years; they appear after a warm rain; they may be peeled,

salted, and allowed to stand some hours before cooking.

Cucumbers, to Fry or Slice.

To fry cucumbers, take off the rinds in long pieces, a quarter of an

inch thick; season them with pepper and salt; dip them in flour, and fry

them in butter.

Many persons think cucumbers unwholesome, and they certainly are if

kept for several days before they are eaten; but if sliced thin, with

onions, pepper, salt and good vinegar, they may generally be eaten

without danger.

Lettuce.

Persons that are fond of lettuce may have it nearly all the year, by

sowing the different kinds, and keeping it covered through the winter;

the most approved way of dressing it is to cut it fine, and season with

oil, mustard, pepper, salt, vinegar, and a hard egg chopped. The essence

of ham is also very good to season lettuce.

Where there is a large family, it is a good and economical way to cut

the fat of ham in small pieces, fry it, and make a gravy with flour,

water and pepper, to eat with lettuce. To cook lettuce you must fry a

little ham; put a spoonful of vinegar into the gravy; cut the lettuce,

put it in the pan; give it a stir, and then dish it.

Cold Slaw.

Cut hard white cabbage across the leaves, and put it in a deep plate,

scald two large spoonsful of vinegar with a piece of butter, some pepper

and salt; pour this over the slaw; have an egg boiled hard; chop it

fine, and spread it over the top. Some persons like it heated in a pan

with vinegar and water, and the yelk of a raw egg mixed through it.

Cauliflowers, &c.

Have a pot with half milk, and the rest water; when this boils, put in

the cauliflowers, and let them boil till tender; put in some salt just

before you take them up; have ready drawn butter with parsley, to pour

over them, or a sauce of cream and butter. Good heads of yellow Savoy

cabbage, cooked in this way, resemble cauliflowers. Brocolli is a

delightful vegetable, and may be cooked in the same manner.

To Boil Cabbage.

In summer, you should allow a large head of cabbage an hour to boil, but

when it has been tendered by the frost, it will boil in half that time.

Most persons prefer cabbage boiled with ham; the pot should be well

skimmed before it goes in or the grease will penetrate the cabbage, and

make it unwholesome; take it up before it boils to pieces. It is very

good boiled with corned beef or pork, or with milk and water, with a

little salt added. Some like it with a little salaeratus thrown in while

boiling, as that tenders it and makes it of a more lively green.

To Boil Greens and Poke.

After skimming the pot that the bacon has been boiled in, put in cabbage

sprouts, and let them boil till the stalks are tender; all greens are

best boiled in a net. Spinach cooks in a few minutes; some persons

prefer it when boiled in salt and water; you should have drawn butter or

hard eggs to eat with it when done in this way. There are several kinds

of wild greens to be found in the country in the spring, as wild

mustard, poke and lambs-quarter, which are very good cooked as cabbage

sprouts. Pour boiling water on poke, after tying it in bunches, as

asparagus, let it stand a few minutes; pour off the water; boil it with

a little salt in the water, and if you choose a little salaeratus; dress

it with butter, and dish it as asparagus.

String Beans.

String beans, if boiled in salt and water, will require fully two hours;

but if boiled in a net, in a pot with bacon, they will not take so long;

if they are cooked in the same pot with cabbage, it will injure the

flavor. It is a good way to boil a very small piece of pork or bacon, or

a ham-bone in the pot with beans; when they are done, season them with

cream, butter, salt and pepper.

Lima Beans.

Shell them, and wash them in cold water; let them boil about an hour;

when done, dip them from the water, and season with salt, pepper, cream

or butter; keep them hot till they are sent to table.

Dried Lima beans should be soaked over night, and boiled two hours or

longer, if they are not soft.

Peas.

Early peas require about half an hour to boil, and the later kinds

rather longer; the water should boil when they are put in; when they are

tough and yellow, they may be made tender and green, by putting in a

little pearl-ash, or ashes tied up in a rag, just before they are taken

up; this will tender all green but do not put too much--when done, dip

them out: drain and season them with butter, pepper and salt; put a

bunch of parsley in the middle of the dish.

To Keep Green Beans for Winter.

Boil salt and water to make a strong pickle; string the beans, and put

them in a tight wooden firkin; sprinkle them with salt as they go in;

when the pickle is cold, pour it on, and put on a weight to keep the

beans under; they will keep in the cellar till the next spring. They

should soak several hours in cold water before they are boiled.

Asparagus.

All persons that have a garden should have an asparagus-bed; it is

valuable as being one of the first vegetables in the spring. Put the

stalks of the same length, in bunches together, and tie them with

strings; boil it three-quarters of an hour in clear water; (if you put

salt in, it turns it dark;) have buttered toast in the bottom of a deep

dish; untie the strings, and put the asparagus in; sprinkle it over with

pepper and salt, and put butter on. Asparagus is also agreeable in

chicken soup.

Cymlings, or Squashes.

In cultivating this vegetable, the small bunch cymling is the best, as

it takes so little room in the garden, and comes soon to maturity; if

they are so hard that a pin will not run in easily, they are unfit for

use. Boil the cymlings till soft; cut them open, and take out the seeds;

put them in a colander, and mash them; when the water is drained off,

put them in a small pot, and stew them with cream and butter for ten

minutes; just as you dish them, season with pepper and salt. If boiled

with salt meat, they require but little seasoning.

Pumpkins.

Young pumpkins resemble cymlings, when cooked in the same way. When they

are ripe, they should be pared and cut up, and boiled till soft in a

good deal of water; take them up as soon as they are done, or they will

soak up the water; mash them and season them with salt, pepper and

butter. They are good to eat with roast or boiled beef.

To Bake Pumpkins.

The long striped pumpkin, with a thick long neck, called by some potato

pumpkin, is the best for baking; cut it up in slices, leaving on the

rind; put it in a dutch-oven or dripping-pan, and let it bake an hour

with a quick heat. Where sweet potatoes cannot be had, pumpkins make a

very good substitute. If you put ripe pumpkins that have not been

frosted; in a dry place, they will keep to make puddings till spring.

To Dry Pumpkins.

Pare them, and cut them in thin slices; have a strong thread, and

string them on it with a needle; hang them out in the sun till dry,

taking them in at night; tie them up in a muslin bag, and hang them in

a dry place. Soak them before they are stewed, and they are nearly as

good for puddings as when in season. Some dry them, as apples, by

spreading on boards.

Parsnips.

Scrape and split them, and boil until quite soft, either in salt and

water, or with meat; they are very good served up in this way, with

plenty of butter. They may, when boiled, either be baked with a few

slices of salt meat, and require no seasoning but pepper, or made into

small round cakes, seasoned with butter, pepper and salt, and fried.

Carrots. Carrots should be scraped, and boiled till soft, in plenty of

water; when they are done, take them up, and slice them thin; season

them with salt, pepper and butter. They are suitable to eat with boiled

meat or fowls.

Turnips.

Pare and quarter the turnips, and put them in a pot of clear water, or

with fresh meat; boil them half an hour; drain, and season them with

butter, pepper and salt; mash them.

Onions.

After they are peeled, boil them in milk and water; if small, they will

cook in half an hour; when they are done, pour off the water; put in

cream, butter and salt, and let them stew a few minutes. Small onions

are much better for cooking, as they are not so strong.

Beets.

Wash the beets; cut the tops off, and put them in boiling water; the

early turnip beet is best for summer, and will boil in less than an

hour; the long winter beet should be boiled two hours,--when they are

done, drop them in cold water for a minute; peel and slice them; season

with butter, pepper and salt; send them hot to table.

To pickle beets, put them in a jar after they have been boiled; fill it

up with weak vinegar; put in salt, cayenne and black pepper.

To Boil Rice.

Pick a pint of rice, wash it clean--put it in three pints of boiling

water: it should boil fast, and by the time the water evaporates, the

rice will be sufficiently cooked; set it where it will keep hot, until

you are ready to dish it.

To Keep Vegetables in Winter.

Beets, parsnips, carrots and salsify should he dug up before the frost

is severe; those wanted for use in the winter should be put in barrels,

and covered with sand; what you do not want till spring should be buried

in the garden, with sods on the top. Celery may be dug in November, and

set in a large box covered with sand, in the cellar, with the roots

down; it will keep till the frost is out of the ground. Or it may be

left in the ground all winter, and dug as you want it for use.

BREAD, &c.

As bread is the most important article of food, great care is necessary

in making it, and much judgment, as the weather changes so often.

In warm weather, the rising should be mixed with water nearly cold; if

there should be a spell of damp weather in the summer, have it slightly

warm and set it to rise on a table in the kitchen.

In winter it should be mixed with warm water, and left on the warm

hearth all night. If the yeast is fresh, a small quantity will do; if

several weeks old, it will take more. If you use dry yeast, let it soak

fifteen minutes, and put in a tea-spoonful of salaeratus to prevent it

from getting sour.

Light Bread, Baking in a Stove, &c.

For two loaves of bread, thicken a quart of water with flour, till it

will just pour easily; put in a table-spoonful of salt and half a

tea-cup of yeast; this should be done in the evening. If the weather is

cold, set it where it will be warm all night; but, if warm, it will rise

on a table in the kitchen. (If it should not be light in the morning,

and the water settles on the top, stir in a little more yeast, and set

it in a pan of hot water for a few minutes;) knead in flour till it is

nearly as stiff as pie crust, and let it rise again. Have your baking

pans greased, and when it is light, mould out the bread, and put it in

them; set it by the fire, covered with a cloth, till it begins to crack

on the top--when it is light enough to bake. To bake in a stove

requires care to turn it frequently; if it browns too fast at first,

leave the door open a little while; a thick loaf will bake in an hour,

and a small one in less time. In trying the heat of a stove, drop a few

drops of water on the top, if it boils gently it is in good order, and

the heat should be kept at this point.

To Bake a Dutch-oven Loaf.

If you wish to make a large loaf, it will take three pints of water,

more than half a tea-cup of yeast, and two spoonsful of salt; when the

rising is light, knead it up, have the dutch-oven greased; put it in,

and set it near the fire, but not so near that it will scald. When it

rises so as to crack on the top, set the oven on coals; have the lid

hot, cut the loaf slightly across the top, dividing it in four; stick it

with a fork and put the lid on, when it is on a few minutes, see that it

does not bake too fast, it should have but little heat at the bottom,

and the coals on the top should be renewed frequently, turn the oven

round occasionally.

If baked slowly, it will take an hour and a half when done, wrap it in a

large cloth till it gets cold.

To Bake in a Brick Oven.

If you have a large family, or board the laborers of a farm, it is

necessary to have a brick oven, so as to bake but twice a week; and to

persons that understand the management of them, it is much the easiest

way. If you arrange every thing with judgment, half a dozen loaves of

bread, as many pies or puddings, rusk, rolls or biscuit may be baked at

the same time. Some persons knead up their bread over night in winter,

to do this, the sponge should be made up at four o'clock in the

afternoon. If you wish to put corn flour in your bread, scald one quart

of it to six loaves, and work it in the flour that you are going to stir

in the rising, to make six loaves of bread, you should have three quarts

of water and a tea-cup of yeast.

Scalded corn flour, or boiled mashed potatoes, assists bread to rise

very much in cold weather. Have a quart of potatoes well boiled and

rolled fine with a rolling-pin on your cake board; mix them well in the

rising after it is light; if the oven is not ready, move the bread to a

cool place. If the bread is sour before you mould it out, mix a heaped

tea-spoonful of salaeratus in a little water, spread out the bread on the

board, dust a little flour on it, and spread the salaeratus and water

over, and work it well through. This quite takes away the sour taste,

but if the bread is made of good lively yeast, it seldom requires it;

let it rise in the pans about half an hour. Many persons that make their

own bread, are in the constant practice of using salaeratus, putting in

the rising for six loaves a heaped tea-spoonful, dissolved in a little

warm water; in this there is no disadvantage, and it insures sweet

bread, and will also answer in making rolls or light cakes.

Common sized loaves will bake in an hour in the brick oven. If they slip

easily in the pans, and, upon breaking a little piece from the side, it

rises from the pressure of the finger, it is done; but if it should not

rise, put it back again; when the bread is taken out of the oven, wrap

it in a cloth till quite cold.

You should have a large tin vessel with holes in the top, to keep

bread in; in this way, it will be moist at the end of the week in

cool weather.

Coarse brown flour or middlings makes very sweet light bread, by putting

in scalded corn meal, say, to two loaves, half a pint, and is also good

to use for breakfast made as buckwheat cakes.

Directions for Heating a Brick Oven, &c.

It is very important to have good oven wood split fine, and the oven

filled with it as soon as the baking is out; by this precaution it is

always ready and dry. Early in the morning, take out half of the wood,

and spread the remainder over the oven, in such a way as it will take

fire easily; light a few sticks in the fire, and put them in; when it

burns well, turn the wood about, and occasionally add more till it is

all in; when it is burnt to coals, stir them about well with a

long-handled shovel made for the purpose.

When it looks bright on the top and sides, it is hot enough; let the

coals lay all over the bottom till near the time of putting in the

bread, when draw them to the mouth, as it is apt to get cool the

quickest. If you have biscuit to bake, put some of the coals on one side

near the front, as they require a quick heat, and should be put in

immediately after the coals are taken out; they will bake in fifteen or

twenty minutes.

When all the coals are taken out, if the bottom of the oven sparkles, it

is very hot, and should wait a few minutes; but if not, you may put in

the bread first, and then the pies; if you have a plain rice pudding to

bake, it should be put in the middle of the front, and have two or three

shovels of coals put round it, if the oven is rather cool. Close the

oven with a wooden stopper made to fit it; after they have been in a few

minutes, see that they do not brown too fast; if so, keep the stopper

down a little while. Pies made of green fruit will bake in

three-quarters of an hour; but if the fruit has been stewed, half an

hour will be long enough.

Rusk, or rolls, take about half an hour to bake in a brick oven; if you

should have to open the oven very often before the bread is done, put in

a few shovels of coals and shut it up.

When all is taken out, fill the oven with wood ready for the next

baking.

There is nothing in any department of cooking that gives more

satisfaction to a young housekeeper than to have accomplished what is

called a good baking.

Graham Bread.

Take six quarts of unbolted flour, one tea-cup of good yeast, and six

spoonsful of molasses; mix them with a pint of milk, warm water, and a

tea-spoonful of salaeratus; make a hole in the flour and stir this

mixture in it, till it is like batter; then proceed as with fine flour.

Mould it, when light, into four loaves Have your oven hotter than for

other bread, and bake it fully one hour and a half. It is an excellent

article of diet for dyspeptic and sedentary persons.

Dyspepsy Bread.

This is three-fourths unbolted flour, and the remaining fourth common

flour, and is risen and made as other light bread, but should be baked

rather more.

Yeast.

It is important to those that make their own bread, to make their own

yeast, or they cannot judge of its strength. The best is the

old-fashioned hop yeast, which will keep for six weeks in winter.

Put a pint of hops in a pot, with a quart of water; cover it tightly,

and let it boil slowly for half an hour; strain it while boiling hot on

a pint of flour, and a heaped table-spoonful of salt; stir it well, and

let it stand till nearly cool; when put in a tea-cupful of good yeast;

if it is not sweet, put in a little salaeratus, just as you stir it in;

keep it in a warm place till it rises, when put it in a stone jug, and

cork it tightly. Keep it in a cool place in summer, but do not let it

freeze in winter; shake it before you use any.

When your yeast jug is empty, fill it with water, and let it soak; wash

it well, and if it should smell sour, rinse it with salaeratus water. If

you have a garden, raise your own hops by all means; pick them by the

first of September, or they will lose their strength; dry them on sheets

spread on the garret floor.

If you buy hops, choose light green ones, with the yellow dust about

them. Brown hops have generally stayed too long on the vines.

Another Method.

Put two handsful of hops into three pints of water; let it boil to one

quart; when cold, strain it on to a pint of best flour, a table-spoonful

of salt, half a pint of sugar-house molasses, and a tea-cup of good

yeast: as it rises, skim off the top several times, when the yeast looks

white bottle it up tight and it will keep for several weeks.

Corn Flour Dry yeast.

Put a large handful of good hops in a quart of water; cover it close,

and let it boil nearly half away, when strain it over corn flour; it

must all be wet, but not so soft as for bread; put in a large spoonful

of salt, and mix it well; when about milk warm, put in two

table-spoonsful of yeast, (observe that the yeast is lively,) rub it

through with your hands; it must be so stiff as just to stick together;

set it in a warm place to rise, which it should do in a few hours. When

light, rub in more corn flour, and scatter it in dishes, very thin, (or

put it on a cloth on a large waiter, spread thinly.) It should be dried

quickly, or it may turn sour, either in the sun, (which is best,) or a

warm stove room; stir it over frequently; when perfectly dry, cover it

close, either in a jar or wooden box, and keep it in a dry closet.

Select a sunny day, and begin early in the morning, as by this method

you may have your yeast dry by night. Half a tea-cupful is enough for

two loaves of wheat bread, (it should be soaked in water some minutes

before using it,) and it is generally best to put in half a

tea-spoonful of salaeratus, as dry yeast is more apt to turn sour than

the liquid yeast.

Some good housekeepers use this yeast where hops are scarce, and it

answers very well. It will keep good six weeks or two months.

Potato Yeast.

Boil four large potatoes with a tea-cupful of hops tied loosely in a

bag; mash the potatoes in a pan, with a spoonful of salt, and four of

flour; pour the hop-water on it, and mix all together; when nearly cold,

put in two table-spoonsful of yeast; put it in a quart jar, and let it

rise; it will do to use in five or six hours. This yeast is much weaker

than the first receipt; but it has this advantage,--that with a pint of

it you may knead up four loaves of bread at night without making rising.

It is best to make this yeast once a week, always being careful to have

the jar sweet before you put it in.

Potato Yeast with Sugar.

To about a quart of potatoes, boiled and made thin enough with warm

water to pass through a sieve, add, when cold, a tea-cupful of sugar, a

table-spoonful of salt, and a gill of common yeast. This is a quick

yeast, but will not keep so long as those before mentioned.

Dry Yeast.

Put a pint of hops in half a gallon of water; cover it close and boil it

down to one half; strain it over flour enough to make a thick batter;

when nearly cold, put in a tea-cup of yeast, and three table-spoonsful

of salt; when well risen, work in as much corn meal as will make it as

stiff as biscuit dough; add a spoonful of sugar and one of ginger; when

it rises again, make it out into little cakes, which must be dried in

the shade, and turned twice a day. If made in dry weather, this yeast

will keep for several months, and is useful when hops are scarce; it

should be kept in a tight box, or a bag hung up in a dry place.

Milk Yeast.

If you have no yeast, you may make some with milk, to rise with. Take a

pint of new milk and stir in it two tea-spoonsful of salt, and half a

tea-cup of flour; keep it moderately warm by the fire, and it will

lighten in about an hour; stir in flour enough to make a large loaf of

bread, with more milk or water. This yeast should be used immediately,

and will do to lighten hop yeast. To thicken half a gallon of water with

a quarter of a pound of sugar, a little salt and flour, makes very good

yeast when you cannot get hops. It will do to use in a day.

Superior Boiled Milk Rolls.

Boil a quart of new milk; pour it on a quart of flour, while boiling

hot, and stir it well; when nearly cold, add two tea-spoonsful of salt,

two table-spoonsful of lard, and half a tea-cup of good yeast; set it in

a warm place to rise for about two hours; when light, work flour in it

on the cake-board, and, when quite smooth, mould it out into rolls, and

put them in a baking-pan, which has been rubbed with lard or butter; set

them in a warm place to rise again;--if the weather is warm, on a table

in the kitchen, but if cold, set them by the fire. When light, put them

in a cool place till you are ready to bake; they should have a moderate

heat, and will bake in half an hour. In winter they may be moulded out

and placed in the bake pan over night for breakfast, or some hours

before wanted for tea, and kept in a cool place till half an hour before

baking, when set them near the stove to rise up. With the addition of

nutmeg and sugar, you may make nice rusk.

Egg Rolls.

Boil a quart of new milk with a quarter of a pound of butter, the same

of lard, and a little salt; beat up two eggs, and pour the boiling milk

on them, stirring all the time; when nearly cold, add a tea-cup of yeast

and as much wheat flour as will make it a thick batter, when quite light

knead it up as bread, and let it lighten before moulding out; grease the

pans, and bake them with a moderate heat. A little sugar and water

rubbed on just before baking rolls makes them glossy.

Soft Rolls.

Rub two ounces of butter into two pounds of flour; stir in as much

boiling milk as will make a soft dough, when cold enough, add half a

tea-cup of yeast, and a little salt; beat it well with a spoon, and

let it rise as long as bread; mould them out in pans, and bake as

other rolls.

Water Rolls.

Make a rising of a quart of warm water, a little salt, a tea-cup of

yeast, two spoonsful of butter and flour; let this rise, and knead it

with as much flour as will make a soft dough, and work it well; when it

has risen again, mould it out, and bake half an hour.

A nice griddle cake may be made by rolling this out, and baking it on

the griddle or dripping-pan of a stove.

Potato Rolls.

Boil potatoes enough to make a quart when mashed, which should be done

with a rolling-pin on a cake-board; mix these with a gallon of flour, a

spoonful of butter, one of lard, and some salt; stir in water sufficient

to make dough, not quite so stiff as for light bread, and a tea-cup of

yeast; knead it for half an hour, and set it to rise; when it is light,

set it away in a cold place, and as you require it, cut off a piece;

mould it in little cakes, and let them rise an hour before baking. These

rolls will keep several days in cold weather. If the dough should get

sour, mix in some salaeratus.

Another Way.

Boil a quart of pared potatoes--pour off the water, mash them, add half

a pint of sweet milk, warmed, and a small table-spoonful of salt; stir

well, and pour it scalding hot into a quart of flour; add cold milk

enough to make it the right consistence for rising; stir in half a tea

cup of yeast, and set it by to rise, it will soon be light, and is then

to be made into dough, with shortened flour, as other rolls, and made

out into cakes; and after standing in a warm place to become light

again, which should not take long, bake with rather a quick heat. These

rolls may be eaten warmed over.

Mush Rolls, without Milk or Eggs.

When milk is scarce, (or for a change,) you can make good rolls with

mush. Take a pint of corn meal, pour on it three pints of boiling

water--stirring it as you pour; put in three ounces of lard, a

table-spoonful of salt, and when milk warm, put in two table-spoonsful

of yeast, then mix in wheat flour, and make it a soft dough; cover the

pan close, set it in a warm place till it begins to rise; as soon as

light, set it in a cold place; mould them out an hour before you bake

them, and allow them to rise in the dripping-pan. It will do to bake in

a large cake rolled out.

Twist Rolls.

Boil a pint of milk, put in a small lump of butter and a little salt;

beat up an egg and put in, when nearly cold, with a spoonful of yeast

and some flour; when light, knead in more flour to make it quite stiff;

work it well, and let it rise again; grease a dutch-oven or spider,

flour your hands, and roll it out in rings, or round several times, a

little higher in the middle. They will be nearly all crust, and suit

delicate persons that cannot eat other warm bread.

French Rolls.

To one quart of sweet milk, boiled and cooled, half a pound of butter,

half a tea cup of yeast, a little salt, and flour enough to make a soft

dough, beat up the milk, butter and yeast in the middle of the flour,

let it stand till light, in a warm place; then work it up with the

whites of two eggs, beaten light; let it rise again, then mould out into

long rolls; let them stand on the board or table, to lighten, an hour or

two, then grease your pans and bake in a oven or stove.

Bread Rolls.

In the morning, when your bread is light, take as much as would make one

loaf; pour boiling water on half a pint of corn meal--stir it well--add

a little salt, spread open the dough and work in the mush, with the

addition of a table-spoonful of lard or butter, and a little flour, work

well and mould out, placing them in your pans, and set them in a

moderately warm place to lighten for tea; bake in a stove, if the

weather is cold. This dough will keep two days, and may be baked as you

need them.

Maryland Biscuit.

Rub half a pound of lard into three pounds of flour; put in a spoonful

of salt, a tea cup of cream, and water sufficient to make it into a

stiff dough; divide it into two parts, and work each well till it will

break off short, and is smooth; (some pound it with an iron hammer, or

axe;) cut it up in small pieces, and work them into little round cakes;

give them a slight roll with the rolling-pin, and stick them, bake them

in a dutch-oven, brick-oven, or dripping-pan of a stove, with a quick

heat. These biscuits are very nice for tea, either hot or cold.

Light Biscuit.

Boil a quart of milk, and when nearly cold, stir it in the middle of

your pan of flour, with two spoonsful of yeast, and one of butter and

salt; let it lighten for two or three hours; knead the flour in it, and

let it rise again: a little while before you bake, roll it out, and cut

it with the top of your dredging-box. Let them rise a few minutes in the

dripping-pan.

Salaeratus Biscuit.

Warm a quart of sweet milk, and put in it half a tea-spoonful of

salaeratus, and a heaped spoonful of lard or butter, and half a spoonful

of salt; pour this in as much flour as will make a stiff dough; work it

a quarter of an hour; mould and bake them as other biscuit.

Quick Biscuit.

Rub a small table-spoonful of lard into a quart of flour, and mix in two

tea-spoonsful of finely powdered cream of tartar, with a tea-spoonful of

salt; put a tea-spoonful of super carbonate of soda in a pint of warm

milk,--work it in and make the paste of ordinary consistence for biscuit

or pie crust, adding flour or milk, if either is needed; make it out in

biscuit form, or roll it about half an inch thick, and cut in

shapes,--bake them about twenty minutes.

Tea Biscuit.

Melt half a pound of butter in a quart of warm milk; add a spoonful of

salt, sift two pounds of flour, make a hole in the centre, put in three

table-spoonsful of yeast, add the milk and butter; make a stiff paste;

when quite light, knead it well, roll it out an inch thick, cut it with

a tumbler, prick them with a fork, bake in buttered pans, with a quick

heat; split and butter before sending them to table.

Dyspepsy Biscuit.

Make them as Maryland biscuit, except that, instead of either lard or

butter, you must use a portion of rich cream, beat or work them well,

and roll them moderately thin.

Salaeratus Cake.

Warm a pint of butter-milk, put in it a tea-spoonful of powdered

salaeratus, and a piece of lard the size of an egg; stir it into flour

till it is a soft dough; roll it out, and bake it on the griddle, or in

the dripping-pan of a stove. If you have no sour milk, put a

table-spoonful of vinegar in sweet milk.

Wafer Cakes.

Rub half a pound of lard into two pounds and a half of flour, add a

little salt and water sufficient to make a stiff dough: work it well for

half an hour, make it in small round lumps, and roll these until they

are as thin as possible; bake them with a slow heat and they will look

almost white. These are nice cakes for tea either hot or cold.

Short Cake.

To three quarts of flour take three-quarters of a pound of lard, and a

spoonful of salt; rub the lard in the flour, and put in cold water,

sufficient to make a stiff dough; roll it out without working in thin

cakes; have the bake-iron hot, flour it, and bake with a quick heat;

when one side is brown, turn and bake the other; when baked in the

dripping-pan of a stove, they do without turning;--you may cut them in

round cakes, if you choose. Some use half milk and half water; in that

case, less lard is required.

Cold Water Muffins.

Sift a quart of flour, add to it a little salt, a large spoonful of

yeast, beat the white of a fresh egg to a froth; after mixing the flour

up with cold water into a soft dough, add the egg; set it in a

moderately warm place. Next morning beat it well with a spoon, put it on

the bake-iron in round cakes; when one side is nicely brown, turn them;

keep them hot till sent to table, split and butter them. If you wish to

have muffins for tea, they should be made up early in the Morning.

Smith Muffins.

Boil a quart of new milk, have three pounds of flour, three eggs well

beaten, a quarter of a pound of lard, a table-spoonful of salt; rub the

lard in the flour and while the milk is still warm, (but not hot,) stir

it in the flour, put in the eggs, and a tea-cup of good yeast: beat all

well, and set them in a warm place to rise, when light they should be

set in a cool place till you are ready to bake them, which should be in

rings, or round cakes on the bake-iron, in a dutch-oven, or the

dripping-pan of a stove, butter just as you send them to table. If the

batter is kept in a cold place it will keep good for two days in winter.

Before baking muffins, or any kind of light cakes, taste the batter, and

if at all sour, put in a small portion of salaeratus, (previously

dissolved in hot water.)--In this way superior muffins may be made.

Mansfield Muffins.

Take a quart of milk, three eggs, quarter of a pound of butter or lard,

a tea-cup of yeast, and flour to make a soft dough; heat the whites of

the eggs alone, the yelks with the milk; melt the butter and stir it in

after all is mixed; bake them in rings, or in round cakes on the

griddle: split and butter before sending them to table.

Rice Muffins.

Pour a quart of milk on four heaped spoonsful of rice flour, stir it

well, and put in a little salt and wheat flour, to make it a proper

thickness, two eggs and two spoonsful of yeast, allow it four hours to

rise, and bake in rings, or thin it and bake as batter cakes.

Muffins.

Warm a pint of milk, and stir into it a pound and a quarter of flour, (a

quart of flour is about equal to a pound and a quarter,) and two eggs,

the yelks beaten with the batter, the whites alone, mix with these two

spoonsful of lively yeast and a little salt, let them rise, and when you

are nearly ready to bake them, stir in a large spoonful of melted

butter, butter the rings and bake on a griddle, or in the dripping-pan

of a stove. Split and butter before sending them to table.

Mush Muffins.

Make a quart of mush, put into it a lump of butter or lard, the size of

two eggs, and a little salt, previously to making the mush, have ready a

pint of light rising, stir into it a pint of new milk, and the mush,

with as much wheat flour as will make it a very thick batter, let it

rise four or five hours, and when light, set it in a cold place, till

you are ready to bake, dip a spoon in water each time, and put the

batter on the griddle in small cakes, or bake in rings. You may make it

a little stiffer, and roll it out to bake in large cakes. If it should

sour, put in a little salaeratus. If you have no milk, water will do

instead. They will be nice toasted.

A Loaf of Muffin Batter.

Stir into a pint of mush a small lump of butter, a little salt, a pint

of milk, and wheat flour to make a thick batter; stir into it half a tea

cup of yeast, and let it rise, when it is light, butter a pan, pour it

in and bake, eat it hot, at breakfast or supper. It will bake in a

shallow pan in half an hour, if in a deep vessel, allow more time.

Boiled Milk Muffins.

Boil a quart of new milk, and pour it boiling hot, on as much flour as

will make a thick batter, put in a table-spoonful of butter, and the

same of lard, two tea-spoonsful of salt, half a tea cup of yeast, one

egg beaten; allow time to rise from six to eight hours; when perfectly

light, set them in a cool place, till you are ready to bake, when you

may use rings, or not, as you please--but be sure to butter the rings.

Cream Muffins.

Take a quart of sour cream, and two eggs well beaten, a tea-spoonful of

salt; stir the eggs into the cream, gradually; add sifted flour enough

to make a thick batter, dissolve a tea-spoonful of salaeratus in as much

vinegar as will cover it, and stir it in at the last; bake in small

cakes on the griddle, or in muffin rings in the dripping-pan of a stove.

Waffles.

Make a batter of a pound and a half of flour, quarter of a pound of

melted butter, and two large spoonsful of yeast; put in three eggs, the

whites and yelks beaten separately; mix it with a quart of milk, and put

in the butter just before you bake, allow it four hours to rise; grease

the waffle-irons, fill them with the batter--bake them on a bed of

coals. When they have been on the fire two or three minutes, turn the

waffle-irons over,--when brown on both sides, they are sufficiently

baked. The waffle-irons should be well greased with lard, and very hot

before each one is put in. The waffles should be buttered as soon as

cooked. Serve them up with powdered white sugar and cinnamon.

Quick Waffles.

Take a pint of milk, and beat into it three eggs, and enough wheat flour

to make a thick batter; add a table-spoonful of melted butter, and a

little salt; bake them immediately. Some persons add two table-spoonsful

of sugar, and a little cinnamon; others dust loaf sugar and cinnamon, or

nutmeg over each waffle, as it is baked.

Rice Waffles.

To six spoonsful of soft boiled rice, add two tea-cups of water or

milk, and some salt, stir in three tea-cups of ground rice, and bake as

other waffles.

Flannel Cakes.

Warm a quart of milk, put in a spoonful of butter, a little salt, and

two eggs well beaten, stir in flour till it is a thin batter, and two

spoonsful of yeast; beat all well together, adding the eggs at the

last; allow it five hours to rise, and bake it on the griddle in cakes,

the size of a breakfast plate. Do not butter them till you send them to

the table.

Mush Flannel Cakes.

Mix a pint of corn mush with two of wheat flour, a spoonful of butter or

lard, two eggs and half a tea-cup of yeast; make it in a batter with

water or milk, and bake like buckwheat cakes.

Bread Batter Cakes.

Soak slices of stale bread in cold sweet milk for half an hour, then put

it over the fire, and let it come to a boil; and mash it well, when

nearly cool, add wheat flour enough to make a stiff batter, beat this

together with two eggs, a tea-spoonful of salt, and a table-spoonful of

good yeast, let it rise and bake as buckwheat cakes, if light before you

are ready, set them in a cold place.

Butter-milk Cakes.

You may make a very good batter cake without eggs. To a quart of

butter-milk, put a piece of lard, the size of an egg; warm them

together, and stir in a tea-spoonful of salaeratus; make it in a thin

batter with flour; beat it a few minutes, and bake it as other cakes.

Buckwheat Cakes.

Take quart of buckwheat flour, half a pint of wheat flour, and a

spoonful of salt; make them into a thick batter, with milk-warm water,

put in a half tea-cup of yeast, and beat it well, set it by the fire to

rise, and if it should be light before you are ready to bake, put a

tea-cup of cold water on the top, to prevent it from running over, if it

should get sour, pour in a tea-spoonful of salaeratus, dissolved in hot

water, just before you bake.

It is best to make them up quite thick, and thin them with a little warm

water before you bake; butter them just as you send them to table. If

you can get brewers' yeast, it is much better for buckwheat cakes. In

very cold weather, they may be kept made up for several days, and baked

as required.

Sally Lunn.

Warm a quart of milk with a quarter of a pound of butter, and a heaped

spoonful of sugar, beat up three eggs, and put in, with a little salt,

and flour enough to make it stiffer than pound cake, beat it well, put

in a tea cup of yeast, and let it rise, butter a fluted pan and pour it

in, bake it in a quick oven, slice and butter it. If you wish tea at six

o'clock, set it to rise at ten in the morning. Bake it an hour.

Butter-milk Batter Cakes.

Soak pieces of dry stale bread in a quart of butter-milk, until soft,

break in two eggs, add a little butter or lard, and salt and flour

enough to make it stick together, beat it well, add a tea-spoonful of

salaeratus, dissolved in warm water; thin it with a little sweet milk,

and bake as other batter cakes. They may be prepared in a short time.

Toast.

Cut your bread (which is better to be stale) in tolerably thick slices,

brown it slowly before the fire on each side; you may either butter it

dry, or mix butter in water, with a little salt added, and after making

it boiling hot, pour over each slice as you send it to table.

A Dish of Milk Toast for Breakfast.

Boil a quart of rich milk, take it off, and stir in half a pound of

fresh butter, mixed with a small spoonful of flour, let it again come to

a boil; have ready a dish of toast, pour it from a spoon over each

piece, and what remains, pour over the whole, keep it covered and hot,

till you send to table.

General Remarks on making Bread of Indian Corn Meal.

A wooden spoon with a long handle, is the best for stirring and mixing

the bread or cakes. It requires more salt than other bread, and should

be well mixed or beaten. If it is mixed over night, it should generally

be done with cold water, and set in the cellar or some cool place in

summer, in winter it requires rather a warmer place to stand. It sours

more easily than bread made of other flour. In the morning, if you find

that it is at all acid, dissolve half a tea-spoonful of salaeratus in

warm water, and stir it just before it is put to bake. Where milk is

used, it should be baked immediately, and the richer the milk, the more

palatable it is. Whatever you bake this bread in, should be well greased

first, as it is more apt to adhere to the oven than some other kinds of

flour. It should bake with a quick heat.

When you buy salaeratus, pound it fine, put it in a wide-mouthed bottle,

and cork it tight. Some persons keep it dissolved in water, but you

cannot judge of the strength of it so well.

Corn Meal Porridge.

Put on to boil in a sauce-pan a quart of milk, mix a small tea-cup of

corn meal with half a pint of cold water, (let it settle, and pour off

what swims on the top,) then stir it in well to keep it from being

lumpy; let it boil only a few minutes; add salt to the taste. This makes

a good breakfast for children, and is a light diet for an invalid. It

can be seasoned with sugar.

Mush, Mush Cakes, and Fried Mush.

Mush will keep for several days in cool weather; the best way of making

it is to have a pot of boiling water, and stir in corn meal, mixed with

water, and salt enough to season the whole; let it boil, and if it is

not thick enough you can add more meal; keep stirring all the time to

prevent it from being lumpy. It should boil an hour.

To make the cakes, take a quart of cold mush, mix in it half a pint of

wheat flour, and a little butter or lard, make it out in little cakes

with your hands, flour them and bake them on a griddle or in a dripping

pan. Fried mush is a good plain dessert, eaten with sugar and cream. Cut

the cold mush in slices, half an inch thick, or make them into small

cakes, dip them in flour, and fry them in hot lard.

Journey Cake.

Pour boiling water on a quart of meal, put in a little lard and salt,

and mix it well, have an oak board with a rim of iron at the bottom, and

an iron handle fastened to it that will prop it up to the fire; put some

of the dough, on it, dip your hand in cold water and smooth it over;

score it with a knife, and set it before coals to bake.

Corn Batter Cakes.

Take a quart of good milk, three eggs, a little salt, and as much sifted

corn meal as will make a thin batter; beat all well together, with a

spoonful of wheat flour to keep them from breaking, bake in small cakes,

keep them hot, and butter just as you send to table. Another way to make

corn batter cakes, is to take a quart of corn meal, two eggs, a small

lump of butter or lard, and mix it up with milk, or half water, if milk

is scarce, and bake them either thin or thick.

Rice Cakes.

Take a pint of soft boiled rice, a pint of milk, a little salt, and as

much corn meal as will make a thin batter with two eggs; beat all

together, and bake as corn batter cakes, or make it thicker and bake

it in a pan.

Corn Bannock.

To one quart of sour milk, put a tea-spoonful of salaeratus, dissolved

in water; warm the milk slightly, beat up an egg, and put in corn meal

enough to make it as thick as pudding batter, and some salt; grease a

pan and bake it, or you may put it in six or eight saucers.

Virginia Pone.

Beat three eggs, and stir them in a quart of milk, with a little salt, a

spoonful of melted butter, and as much sifted corn meal as will make it

as thick as corn batter cakes; grease the pans and bake quick.

Lightened Pone.

Take half a gallon of corn meal, and pour boiling water on one-third of

it; mix it together with warm water till it is a thick batter; put in

two table-spoonsful of lively yeast, and one of salt; stir it well and

set it by the fire to rise; when it begins to open on the top, grease

the dutch-oven and put it to bake, or bake it in a pan in a stove.

Cold Water Pone.

Make a stiff batter with a quart of Indian meal, cold water and a little

salt; work it well with the hand; grease a pan or oven, and bake it

three-quarters of an hour. Eat it hot at dinner, or with milk at supper.

Indian Bread with Butter-milk.

To one quart of butter-milk, slightly warmed, put a tea-spoonful of

salaeratus, dissolved in water, two eggs, well beaten, a table-spoonful

of melted butter or lard, a little salt; stir in with a spoon as much

Indian meal as will make a thick batter; beat it for a few minutes,

grease your pans, and bake quickly. If you bake this quantity in two

pans, a half hour will be sufficient, or if in one, it will take an

hour. Look at it often while baking, as it is liable to burn. An

excellent recipe.

Little Indian Cakes.

Put a spoonful of lard in a quart of meal, and two tea-spoonsful of

salt, pour boiling water on half the meal, stir it; then add as much

cold water as will enable you to make it out in cakes of a convenient

size, bake on the bake-iron over the fire.

Maryland Corn Cakes.

Mix a pint of corn meal with rich milk, a little salt, and an egg, it

should be well beaten with a spoon, and made thin enough to pour on the

iron; take in cakes the size of a breakfast plate; butter and send them

hot to table.

A Virginia Hoe Cake.

Pour warm water on a quart of Indian meal, stir in a spoonful of lard or

butter, some salt, make it stiff, and work it for ten minutes, have a

board about the size of a barrel head, (or the middle piece of the head

will answer,) wet the board with water, and spread on the dough with

your hand, place it before the fire, prop it aslant with a flat-iron,

bake it slowly, when one side is nicely brown, take it up and turn it,

by running a thread between the cake and the board, then put it back,

and let the other side brown. These cakes used to be baked in Virginia

on a large iron hoe, from whence they derive their name.

Batter Bread with Yeast.

Rub a piece of butter the size of an egg, into a quart of com meal, add

a little salt, make it in a batter with two eggs and some new milk, add

a spoonful of yeast, set it by the fire an hour to rise, butter little

pans, and bake with a quick heat.

Carolina Corn Rolls.

Take a pint of corn meal; pour over it sufficient boiling water to make

a very stiff dough, then add a table-spoonful of salt, and permit it to

stand until about milk-warm; work it well with the hand, then make out

the rolls, of an oblong shape, and bake them from half to three-quarters

of an hour, according to their size. The addition of a small lump of

butter or lard is an improvement. If they are rightly made, they will

split on the top in baking, and can be eaten by those who cannot partake

of other preparations made of corn flour.

Mixed Bread.

Put a little salt, and a spoonful of yeast, into a quart of flour; make

it sufficiently soft with corn meal gruel; let it rise; bake in a mould.

New England Hasty Pudding, or Stir-about.

Boil three quarts of water in an iron pot; mix a pint of Indian meal in

cold water, and make it thin enough to pour easily; when the water

boils, pour it in; stir well with a wooden stick kept for the purpose;

it takes about an hour to boil; salt to your taste; stir in dry meal to

make it thick enough, beating it all the time. Eat it with milk or

molasses, or butter and sugar. This is said to be a wholesome diet for

dyspeptic patients, and makes a good meal for children.

Corn Muffins.

Warm three pints of milk, and stir into it as much corn meal as will

make it as thick as pudding batter, add two handsful of wheat flour,

two tea-spoonsful of salt, three eggs, and a tea-cup of yeast. Beat the

whole well together, and let it rise about six hours, when bake as

other muffins.

Soaked Crackers for Tea.

Pour boiling water on crackers, put in some butter and a little salt;

cover them close and keep them warm till tea is ready; if you have milk,

boil it, and pour over instead of water. This is easily prepared.

PIES, PUDDINGS, CAKES, &c.

To Make Common Pies.

One pound of lard to a gallon of flour will make very good common pies.

Work the lard in the flour, put in some salt, and wet it with water,

make it so that it can just be rolled out, when you have put in the

fruit, wet the crust with water, put on the top and close it up, stick

it with a fork on the top.

To Stew Fruit for Pies.

All fruits that are not fully ripe should be stewed and sweetened. To

boil a gallon of molasses at a time, and keep it to sweeten pies, is

cheaper than sugar, and answers a very good purpose, where there is a

large family. When fruit is fully ripe it does very well to bake in

pies, without being stewed.

After washing the dried fruit, put it on to stew in a bell-metal kettle

over the fire, or in a tin pan in a stove, let it have plenty of water,

as it swells very much, and if it seems dry, put in more water. Apples

take longer to stew than peaches, and should have more water. Fruit

stewed in this way is very good to put on the table to eat with meat. Do

not stir the fruit while it is stewing, or it will burn. Dried cherries

and damsons may be stewed in the same manner, adding the sugar before

they are quite done.

Pie Crust.

Sift a pound and a half of flour, and take out a quarter for rolling;

cut in it a quarter of a pound of lard, mix it with water, and roll it

out; cut half a pound of butter, and put it in at two rollings with the

flour that was left out.

For making the bottom crust of pies, cut half a pound of lard into a

pound of flour, with a little salt; mix it stiff, and grease the

plates before you make pies; always make your paste in a cold place,

and bake it soon.

Some persons prefer mixing crust with milk instead of water.

Paste for Puddings.

Sift a pound of flour, have half a pound of butter and quarter of a

pound of lard, save out a quarter of the flour for rolling, cut the lard

into the remainder, and mix it with water; roll it out, and flake in

half of the butter; dust over it some of the flour, close it up; roll it

again, and put in the rest of the butter. This quantity will make crust

for five or six puddings.

Another Way.

To three and a half pounds of sifted flour, put two pounds of lard, and

a piece of volatile salts (as large as a full sized nutmeg) dissolved in

a little water;--make a pretty stiff paste; then roll in three-quarters

of a pound of butter. This will make about eight pies and twelve shells.

Puff Paste.

Sift a pound of flour, and take out a quarter for rolling, divide a

pound of butter into four parts, cut one part of the butter into the

flour with a knife, make it a stiff dough with water, roll it out, and

flake it with part of the butler, do this three times till it is all in,

handle it as little as possible, and keep it in a cool place. This

quantity will make crust sufficient for three puddings and ten puffs.

They should bake with a quick beat, but do not let them burn, they will

take from ten to fifteen minutes to bake, according to the number of

layers of paste. Do not put on the preserves till a short time before

they are eaten.

Rich Mince Pies.

Take four pounds of beef, boiled and chopped fine, pick and chop three

pounds of suet, wash two pounds of currants, and one of raisins; grate

the peel of two lemons, and put in the juice, pound a spoonful of dried

orange peel, slice an ounce of citron, and chop twelve large apples, mix

these together with three pounds of sugar, half a pint of wine, and the

same of brandy--and sweet cider to make it a proper thickness, put in

mace and nutmeg to your taste. If the cider is not sweet, you must put

in more sugar before the pies are baked, cut several places in the top

of each with a pair of scissors.

Mince Pies not so Rich.

Take four pounds of beef after it has been boiled and chopped, one of

suet, two of sugar, two of raisins, and four of chopped apples, mix

these together with a pint of wine and cider, to make it thin enough,

season to your taste with mace, nutmeg and orange peel; if it is not

sweet enough, put in more sugar. Warm the pies before they are eaten.

Where persons are not fond of suet, put butter instead, and stew the

apples instead of so much cider.

Farmers' Mince Pies.

When you kill a beef, save the head for pies; it is some trouble to

prepare it, but it is very nice for the purpose. Split the head, take

out the brains and eyes, wash it well in cold water, and soak it all

night with two hog's heads that have been cleaned; in the morning, boil

them till you can take out the bones easily; skim off the froth as it

rises, or it will stick to the meat; pick out the bones, and chop it

fine, with three pounds of suet. This should be done the day before you

want to bake.

Mix to this quantity of meat, two gallons of chopped apples, four pounds

of raisins, half a gallon of boiled molasses, a pint of currant wine, a

tea-cup of rose brandy, an ounce of cinnamon, orange peel and mace, from

two to four nutmegs, and sweet cider enough to make it the right

thickness; if the cider is not sweet, put in more molasses; when all is

mixed, it is best to bake a small pie, as you can alter the seasoning,

if it is not to your taste. If you have not raisins, dried cherries or

small grapes, that have been preserved in molasses, are very good, or

stewed dried apples, instead of green; and where you have no cider, stew

the apples in plenty of water, so as to have them very soft; a little

good vinegar, sweetened and mixed with water, also does instead of

cider, but is not so good.

This will make about forty pies, and if you have a convenient way of

keeping them, you may bake all at once, as they will keep for two months

very readily when the weather is cold. If you do not bake all at once,

put what is left in a jar, cover the top with melted suet, and over this

put a piece of white paper, with a tea-cup of spirits poured on the

top; tie it up and keep it where it will not freeze. Where persons have

a large family, and workmen on a farm, these pies are very useful.

Rhubarb Pie.

Peel the stalks, cut them in small pieces, and stew them till very soft

in a little water; when done, mash and sweeten with sugar; set it away

to cool; make a puff paste, and bake as other pies. Some prefer it

without stewing, cutting the stems in small pieces, and strewing sugar

over them before the crust is put on. These pies will lose their fine

flavor after the first day. They take less sugar than gooseberries.

Peach Pie.

Take mellow clingstone peaches, pare, but do not cut them; put them in

a deep pie plate lined with crust, sugar them well, put in a

table-spoonful of water, and sprinkle a little flour over the peaches;

cover with a thick crust, in which make a cut in the centre, and bake

from three-quarters to one hour.

Sweet Potato Pie.

Boil the potatoes, skin and slice them; put a layer of potatoes and a

layer of good apples sliced thin in a deep dish; put potatoes and apples

alternately till the dish is filled, mix together wine, water, sugar,

butter and nutmeg, and pour over, cover it with crust, and bake as

oyster pie.

Pork Mince Pies.

Take pieces of fresh pork that have been left from sausage meat, or any

trimmings of the hams or shoulders; boil them, then chop. Have two heads

nicely washed and cleaned, boil, pick out the bones and chop them; mix

with the other meat, and season as you do other mince pies, they do not

require any suet. The lower crust of mince pies need not be so rich as

the top; always cut several places in the top crust with scissors, to

keep the juice from wasting. When you warm mince pies, do it gradually,

and do not have the crust scorched. Some prefer them cold. When the pies

are very plain, a little preserve syrup, and a glass of wine added is an

improvement.

Currant Pie.

After stemming green currants, scald them, and allow them to stand

awhile; pour off the water; have the crust in your plates; put in the

currants, sweeten them well; put in a little water, a dust of flour and

a little orange peel. Gooseberries are prepared in the same way, but

require more sugar. Cherries should not be scalded.

Pumpkin Pudding.

Choose a yellow pumpkin, with a fine grain, pare and cut it in small

pieces, boil it in plenty of water, and take it up as soon as it is

done, or it will soak up the water; to a gallon of pumpkin, stewed and

mashed, put two quarts of milk, eight eggs, half a pound of butter, half

a tea-cup of lemon or rose brandy; nutmeg and sugar to your taste; bake

it in deep plates, with a bottom crust.

Apple Pudding.

Take three pints of stewed apples, well mashed, melt a pound of

butter, beat ten eggs with two pounds of sugar, and mix all together

with a glass of brandy and wine; pat in nutmeg to your taste, and bake

in puff paste.