Mother's Remedies Part 211

Boil the ingredients together until thick. The rind of the orange may be grated and cooked by itself until tender before adding to the rest of the materials. Pour into sterilized gla.s.ses and seal.

Pineapple.--Pare and remove the eyes from pineapple, then grate. Weigh the pulp and heat two-thirds of its weight in sugar. Cook the pineapple in an uncovered dish for some time. Then add the juice of one lemon for each pound of fruit. Then add the sugar and boil until thick,--about five minutes. Pour into sterilized jelly gla.s.ses.

[826 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

PICKLES.--Under this heading are cla.s.sified pickles and relishes, such as chili sauce, chow chows and catsups. Pickling is preserving in salt or acid liquor. Pickles do not contain much nutritive value, but add much to a meal in making it attractive. Cuc.u.mber pickles should never look as green when pickled as the fruit on the vine; if they do it is almost certain that some preservative has been used.

Sweet Pickled Pears or Peaches.--

1 peck peaches. 4 lbs. brown sugar.

1 quart vinegar. 2 ozs. stick cinnamon.

Cloves.

Boil sugar, vinegar and cinnamon for 20 minutes. Dip peaches quickly in hot water and rub off fur with a towel. Stick each peach with three or four cloves, put into syrup and cook until soft. Cook only enough fruit at a time to fill one jar. Seal in sterilized jars. Pears may be prepared in the same way.

Chili Sauce.--

25 ripe tomatoes (medium sized). 1/2 cup brown sugar.

4 large white onions. 6 peppers. (chopped fine) 4 teaspoons of ginger. 4 teaspoons of allspice 1 teaspoons of cloves. 2 tablespoons of salt.

1 qt. vinegar.

Mix these materials and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally. The consistency should be quite thick and more than an hour's cooking may be necessary. Strain or not as desired, but if strained put back in the kettle and bring to the boiling point before scaling. Use tall wide necked bottles and fill to overflowing, using the same precautions as you would in canning fruit. The chili sauce is quite "hot," but this can be remedied by altering the number of peppers and onions. In preparing, the tomatoes should be washed; scalded and peeled. The peppers should be washed in cold water, the stems removed and the peppers chopped finely. Chop the onions finely in the same bowl as the peppers.

Olive Oil Pickles.--

8 qts. sliced cuc.u.mbers. 1 teaspoon cloves.

1 cup olive oil. 1 teaspoon allspice.

1 cup sugar. 1 teaspoon celery seed.

1 teaspoon mustard seed. 4 teaspoons cinnamon.

One dozen onions.

Slice the cuc.u.mbers thin and let stand over night in a weak brine. In the morning drain, add the onions sliced thin. Mix the ingredients given. Put the cuc.u.mbers and onions in a crock, pour over the mixture and add enough vinegar to cover. Mix well.

[DOMESTIC SCIENCE 827]

Sweet Cuc.u.mber Pickles.--Select small cuc.u.mbers. Wash well but do not peel. Put into a crock one cup of salt and 4 quarts of cuc.u.mbers. Cover with boiling water and let stand over night. In the morning remove from the brine, put in a granite kettle, cover with vinegar to which has been added mustard seeds, whole cloves, stick cinnamon, two cups of sugar and other desired seasonings. Let it come to the boiling point, but not boil.

Seal while hot.

Green Tomato Pickles.--Remove a thin slice from each end of the green tomatoes. Slice and sprinkle one peck of tomatoes with one cup of salt and let stand over night. Drain, boil 15 minutes in two quarts of boiling water and one quart of vinegar. Drain again. Cook for 10 minutes the following: one gallon of vinegar, 2 pounds or less of sugar, 1 red pepper, 10 teaspoon mustard seed, 3/4 cup cinnamon bark, and any other seasonings desired. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally. The spices should be removed; this is easily accomplished if they are tied in a muslin bag. Pack in sterilized jars.

SOME HINTS ON CHAFING DISH COOKERY.

The Use of the Chafing Dish and Some Favorite Recipes.

Within recent years the chafing dish has become very familiar to us. It is, however, not a recent invention, for in the time of Louis XIV it was very commonly used. To the housekeeper who wishes to save herself and to serve her guests with food at its best, the chafing dish comes as an acceptable friend for use at the breakfast table in the preparation of eggs and dishes which should be served immediately. Toast can be served fresh and hot by using a toaster over the burner of a chafing dish. At luncheon a hot dish can easily take the place of the cold meat course if the chafing dish is at hand. However, the chief use of the chafing dish is in the preparation of late suppers, and is largely in use by those who have limited facilities for housekeeping, such as college girls. By those who entertain the chafing dish is looked upon as a true friend of hospitality.

Chafing dishes vary in price from the common ones made of tin which can be bought for about a dollar, to the more expensive ones made of silver.

Various wares are utilized for the chafing dish. Among those most satisfactory are graniteware, earthenware, nickel, copper and aluminum.

[828 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

To get satisfactory results with the chafing dish you must have certain parts. There should be a pan to use for hot water, and it should be furnished with a handle. The cooking pan or blazer, as it is called, should have a handle also. Until one becomes an expert the hot water pan should be in constant use but later one need only use the hot water pan for keeping food warm. The burner should be carefully looked after and be in readiness. Alcohol, electricity and gas are all used as fuel, but denatured or wood alcohol is probably the most common of all. If care is taken in the use of alcohol there need be no danger. Fill the lamp with sufficient alcohol to cook the dish desired, and if necessary to refill during cooking shut off the flame and let the burner cool somewhat before replenishing with the alcohol. A large tray upon which to set the chafing dish prevents danger of fire and protects the table. Large forks and spoons, made especially for the chafing dish, can be obtained at a small price, but any table spoon and fork can be used. It is well to have a napkin and extra spoon and fork at hand if it is necessary to taste the preparation.

That a chafing dish supper may be a success, care should be taken on the part of the hostess to have everything in readiness. The table should be set with the required dishes, silver, etc., and all ingredients should be at hand for the preparation that is to be made on the chafing dish. Most chafing dishes will not supply portions for more than eight, so that a larger number should not be included at a chafing dish supper. Unless skilled in the use of a chafing dish, it is best not to prepare new dishes for guests. If one will observe some care and have everything in readiness, a chafing dish supper can be a very enjoyable source of entertainment for informal affairs.

To use the following recipes with success level measurements of all ingredients must be made--level teaspoon, level cup, etc.

SOME FAVORITE CHAFING DISH CONCOCTIONS.

Cream Sauce.--

2 tablespoons flour. 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter. 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

1 cup milk.

Melt the b.u.t.ter and stir in the flour and seasonings until smooth; add the scalded milk slowly, stirring constantly. Cook until of the right consistency. This makes a medium thick sauce, the thickness of which can be varied by increasing or diminishing the amount of flour. This is the foundation for a great number of chafing dish recipes, such as creamed dishes. A richer sauce may be made by subst.i.tuting cream for milk and omitting most of the b.u.t.ter.

Creamed Chicken.--

1 cup cold flaked chicken. 1/2 teaspoon celery salt.

1 cup thin cream sauce. 1/4 teaspoon curry powder.

Prepare one cup of thin cream sauce and season with the celery salt and curry powder. Add the chicken and when heated through pour over slices of toast or into timbal cases. Garnish with parsley. Any desired seasonings can be used in place of the celery and curry.

[DOMESTIC SCIENCE 829]

Chicken a la Goldenrod.--

1 cup cold flaked chicken. 2 cups thin cream sauce.

6 hard cooked eggs. 1/2 cup mushrooms.

Seasonings.

Cut the eggs in slices, putting two yolks through a potato ricer. Make a thin cream sauce, season as desired with celery seed or curry. Add the chicken and mushrooms, drained from their liquor. When hot, and just before serving, add the eggs. Pour the mixture over rounds of toast and over the top of each portion sprinkle some of the yolk which was forced through the potato ricer as a garnish. A bit of parsley improves the appearance.

Creamed Beef.--

1 cup shredded dried beef. 1 cup medium cream sauce.

4 hard cooked eggs, Seasonings as desired.