The Easiest Way in Housekeeping and Cooking Part 28

TOMATO CHUTNEY.

One peck of green tomatoes; six large green peppers; six onions; one cup of salt. Chop onions and peppers fine, slice the tomatoes about quarter of an inch thick, and sprinkle the salt over all. In the morning drain off all the salt and water, and put the tomatoes in a porcelain-lined kettle.

Mix together thoroughly two pounds of brown sugar; quarter of a pound of mustard-seed; one ounce each of powdered cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper; half an ounce of allspice; quarter of an ounce each of cayenne pepper and ground mustard. Stir all into the tomatoes; cover with cider vinegar,--about two quarts,--and boil slowly for two hours. Very nice, but very hot. If wanted less so, omit the cayenne and ground mustard.

RIPE CUc.u.mBER OR MELON-RIND PICKLES.

Pare, seed, and cut lengthwise into four pieces, or in thick slices. Boil an ounce of alum in one gallon of water, and pour over them, letting them stand at least half a day on the back of the stove. Take them out, and let them lie in cold water until cold. Have ready a quart of vinegar, three pounds of brown sugar, and an ounce of stick-cinnamon and half an ounce cloves. Boil the vinegar and sugar, and skim; add the spices and the melon rind or cuc.u.mber, and boil for half an hour.

SWEET-PICKLED PEACHES, PEARS, OR PLUMS.

Seven pounds of fruit; four pounds of brown sugar; one quart of vinegar; one ounce of cloves; two ounces of stick-cinnamon. Pare the peaches or not, as liked. If unpared, wash and wipe each one to rub off the wool.

Boil vinegar and sugar, and skim well; add spices, sticking one or two cloves in each peach. Boil ten minutes, and take out into jars. Boil the sirup until reduced one-half, and pour over them. Pears are peeled and cored; apples peeled, cored, and quartered. They can all be put in stone jars; but Mason's cans are better.

TOMATO CATCHUP.

Boil one bushel of ripe tomatoes, skins and all, and, when soft, strain through a colander. Be sure that it is a colander, and _not_ a sieve, for reasons to be given. Add to this pulp two quarts of best vinegar; one cup of salt; two pounds of brown sugar; half an ounce of cayenne pepper; three ounces each of powdered allspice and mace; two ounces of powdered cinnamon; three ounces of celery-seed. Mix spices and sugar well together, and stir into the tomato; add the vinegar, and stir thoroughly. Now strain the whole through a _sieve_. A good deal of rather thick pulp will not go through. Pour all that runs through into a large kettle, and let it boil slowly till reduced one-half. Put the thick pulp into a smaller kettle, and boil twenty minutes. Use as a pickle with cold meats or with boiled fish. A teacupful will flavor a soup. In the old family rule from which this is taken, a pint of brandy is added ten minutes before the catchup is done; but it is not necessary, though an improvement. Bottle, and keep in a cool, dark place. It keeps for years.

CANDIES.

CREAM CANDY.

One pound of granulated sugar; one teacupful of water; half a teacupful of vinegar. Boil--trying very often after the first ten minutes--till it will harden in cold water. Cool, and pull white.

CHOCOLATE CARAMELS.

One cup of sugar; one cup of milk; half a cup of mola.s.ses; two ounces of grated chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a very little water; add the sugar, milk, and mola.s.ses, and boil twenty minutes, or until very thick.

Pour in b.u.t.tered pans, and cut in small squares when cool.

MOLa.s.sES CANDY.

Two cups of mola.s.ses, one of brown sugar, a teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter, and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Boil from twenty minutes to half an hour. Pour in a b.u.t.tered dish, and pull when cool.

NUT CANDY.

Make mola.s.ses candy as above. Just before taking it from the fire, add a heaping pint of sh.e.l.led peanuts or walnuts. Cut in strips before it is quite cold.

COCOANUT DROPS.

One cocoanut grated; half its weight in powdered sugar; whites of two eggs; one teaspoonful of corn-starch. Mix corn-starch and sugar; add cocoanut, and then whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Make in little cones, and bake on b.u.t.tered paper in a slow oven.

CHOCOLATE CREAMS.

One pound of granulated sugar; half a pound of chocolate; one teaspoonful of acetic acid; one tablespoonful of water; one teaspoonful of vanilla.

Melt the sugar slowly, wetting a little with the water. Add the acid and vanilla, and boil till sugary, trying _very_ often by stirring a little in a saucer. When sugary, take from the fire, and stir until almost hard; then roll in little b.a.l.l.s, and put on a b.u.t.tered plate. Melt the chocolate in two tablespoonfuls of water with a cup of sugar, and boil five minutes.

When just warm, dip in the little b.a.l.l.s till well coated, and lay on plates to dry. Very nice.

SICK-ROOM COOKERY.

GENERAL HINTS.

As recovery from any illness depends in large part upon proper food, and as the appet.i.te of the sick is always capricious and often requires tempting, the greatest pains should be taken in the preparation of their meals. If only dry toast and tea, let each be perfect, remembering instructions for making each, and serving on the freshest of napkins and in dainty china. A _tete-a-tete_ service is very nice for use in a sick-room; and in any case a very small teapot can be had, that the tea may always be made fresh. Prepare only a small amount of any thing, and never discuss it beforehand. A surprise will often rouse a flagging appet.i.te. Be ready, too, to have your best attempts rejected. The article disliked one day may be just what is wanted the next. Never let food stand in a sick-room,--for it becomes hateful to a sensitive patient,--and have every thing as daintily clean as possible. Remember, too, that gelatine is not nourishing, and do not be satisfied to feed a patient on jellies.

Bread from any brown flour will be more nourishing than wheat. Corn meal is especially valuable for thin, chilly invalids, as it contains so much heat. In severe sickness a gla.s.s tube is very useful for feeding gruels and drinks, and little white china boats with spouts are also good. A wooden tray with legs six or seven inches high, to stand on the bed, is very convenient for serving meals. Let ventilation, sunshine, and absolute cleanliness rule in the sick-room. Never raise a dust, but wipe the carpet with a damp cloth, and pick up bits as needed. Never let lamp or sun light shine directly in the eyes, and, when the patient shows desire to sleep, darken the room a little. Never whisper, nor wear rustling dresses, nor become irritated at exactions, but keep a cheerful countenance, which helps often far more than drugs. Experience must teach the rest.

BEEF TEA, OR ESSENCE OF BEEF.

Cut a pound of perfectly lean beef into small bits. Do not allow any particle of fat to remain. Put in a wide-mouthed bottle, cork tightly, and set in a kettle of cold water. Boil for three hours; pour off the juice, which is now completely extracted from the meat. There will be probably a small cupful. Season with a saltspoonful of salt. This is given in extreme sickness, feeding a teaspoonful at a time.

BEEF TEA FOR CONVALESCENTS.

One pound of lean beef prepared as above. Add a pint of cold water,--rain-water is best,--and soak for an hour. Cover closely, and boil for ten minutes; or put in the oven, and let it remain an hour. Pour off the juice, season with half a teaspoonful of salt, and use. A little celery salt makes a change.

CHICKEN BROTH.

The bones and a pound of meat from a chicken put in three pints of cold water. Skim thoroughly when it comes to a boil, add a teaspoonful of salt, and simmer for three hours. Strain and serve. A tablespoonful of soaked rice or tapioca may be added after the broth is strained. Return it in this case to the fire, and boil half an hour longer.

CHICKEN JELLY.

Boil chicken as for broth, but reduce the liquid to half a pint. Strain into a cup or little mold, and turn out when cold.

CHICKEN PANADA.

Take the breast of the chicken boiled as above; cut in bits, and pound smooth in a mortar. Take a teacupful of bread-crumbs; soak them soft in warm milk, or, if liked better, in a little broth. Mix them with the chicken; add a saltspoonful of salt, and, if allowed, a pinch of mace; and serve in a cup with a spoon.

BEEF, TAPIOCA, AND EGG BROTH.

One pound of lean beef, prepared as for beef tea, and soaked one hour in a quart of cold water. Boil slowly for two hours. Strain it. Add a half teaspoonful of salt, and half a cupful of tapioca which has been washed and soaked an hour in warm water. Boil slowly half an hour. Serve in a shallow bowl, in which a poached egg is put at the last, or stir a beaten egg into one cup of the boiling soup, and serve at once with wafers or crackers.