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Things Mother Used To Make
by Lydia Maria Gurney
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You can make a delicious cottage cheese of a very small quantity.

Set the milk on the back of the stove, in an agate dish. Let stand until the whey separates from the curd. Strain through a cloth, squeezing the curd dry. Put in a little salt, a small piece of butter, and a little sage if desired. Press into balls and serve.



Mark New Rubbers

Take a pointed stick—a wooden skewer from the butcher's is best—dip it into ink and write the name, on the inside.



Economical Hints

Save small pieces of soap in the bathroom, by placing in a cup or small box, until you have a cupful. Add a little water and boil a few minutes; when nearly cool, press with the hands, and you have a new cake of soap.

Do not throw away the white papers around cracker boxes. They are good to clean irons and will save buying ironing wax. If irons are dirty put a good layer of salt on newspaper and rub the irons back and forth.

Save even the coupons on your soap wrappers. You can get a silver thimble for your mending bag with them, if nothing more.

Save your strong string, to wrap around packages going by parcel post. Also fold nicely for further use your clean wrapping papers. Make a bag of pretty cretonne, hang in the kitchen or cellar way, to keep the string and wrapping paper in. You will find it very convenient.

Do not throw away small pieces of bread. Save them for plum pudding, queen's pudding, or dressing for fish or fowl. If broken into small pieces and browned in a hot oven, it is very nice to eat with soups. Or, dry well, roll fine and keep in a glass jar, to be used for breaded pork chops, croquettes, or oysters.



To Mend Broken China

Stir into a strong solution of gum arabic, plaster of Paris. Put this on each side of the china, holding together for a few minutes. Make it as thick as cream.



To Clean Old Jewelry

Wash in warm water containing a little ammonia. If very dirty rub with a brush. This is very good also for cleaning hair brushes and combs.



Dish Washing Made a Pleasure

First of all, remove all refuse from the dishes. Place them near the sink, large plates at the bottom, then the smaller ones, then saucers. Have a large pan full of very hot water. Make a good soap suds by using a soap shaker. Wash the tumblers and all glassware first, and wipe at once. Use a handle dish cloth (which can be bought for five cents), for these, as the water will be too hot for the hands.

Wash the silver next. Have a large pan, in which to place the clean dishes, cups and bowls first. When all are washed pour over them boiling or very hot water, and wipe quickly. Pans and kettles come last. Always have a cake of sand soap or a can of cleaning powder, for scouring the pie plates and bottoms of kettles. It is very little work to keep baking tins and kitchen utensils in good condition, if washed perfectly clean each time they are used.

Wash the dish towels, at least once every day, and never use them for anything else. With clean hot water, clean towels, and plenty of soap dishwashing is made easy.

If you live in New England, your sink will be in front of a window. Be sure and plant just outside of this window nasturtiums, a bed of pansies, morning glories and for fall flowers, salvia. These bright blossoms will add to your pleasure while washing dishes.



A Space Saver

If you are crowded for space in closet, kitchen or pantry buy a spiral spring, such as is used for sash curtains. Fasten the end pieces to the back of the door, and stretch the spring from end to end. You now have a fine place to hang towels, stockings or neckties, or if used in a pantry, to keep covers.



Another Space Saver

If you have no closet in your room, get a board, nine inches wide, and three or four feet long. Put it in the most convenient place in your room on two brackets. Stain it the color of your woodwork. Screw into the under side of the board, wardrobe hooks. Now get a pretty piece of cretonne or denim, hem top and bottom, and tack with brass headed tacks to the shelf, having it long enough to come to the floor, and around the ends of the board. Use the top for a book shelf or hats.



If the Freshness of Eggs is Doubtful

Break each one separately into a cup, before mixing together. Yolks and whites beaten separately, make a cake much lighter than when beaten together.



When Bread Cooks Too Quickly

When your bread is browning on the outside, before it is cooked inside, put a clean piece of brown paper over it. This will prevent scorching.



To Remove the Odor of Onions

Fill with cold water kettles and sauce pans in which they have been cooked adding a tablespoonful of bread soda and the same of ammonia. Let stand on the stove until it boils. Then wash in hot suds and rinse well. A pudding or bean pot, treated in this way, will wash easily. Wood ashes in the water will have the same effect.



Never Leave a Glass of Water or Medicine, Uncovered in a Room

This is very important. Water will absorb all the gases, with which a room is filled from the respiration of those sleeping in the room.



Weights and Measures

4 Teaspoonsfuls equal 1 tablespoonful of liquid.

4 Tablespoonfuls equal half a gill.

2 Coffee-cupfuls equal 1 pint.

2 Pints equal 1 quart.

4 Coffee-cupfuls of sifted flour equal 1 pound.

1 Quart of unsifted flour equals 1 pound.

1 Pint of granulated sugar equals 1 pound.

1 Coffee-cupful of cold butter pressed down equals 1 pound.

An ordinary tumbler holds the same as a coffee cup.

It is well to have a tin or glass cup, marked in thirds or quarters for measuring.



When to Salt Vegetables

Every kind of food and all kinds of vegetables need a little salt when cooking. Do not wait until the vegetables are done. Salt the water they are boiled in after they begin to boil.



What to Serve With Meats

Roast Beef and Turkey

Squash, turnips, onions and cranberry sauce.

Roast Pork

Spinach, onions and apple sauce.

Roast Lamb

Mint sauce.

Roast Mutton

Currant jelly and vegetables.

With all kinds of meat and fowl pickles are always good. Make your own pickles, after recipes found in this book.



The Length of Time to Cook Meats

Lamb

Roast a leg of lamb three hours. Wash clean, sprinkle over it a little flour and salt and put into a pan, with cold water. While it is cooking, take a spoon and pour over it the water from the pan, three or four times.

Veal

Roast veal three hours, treating it the same way as lamb. When you have removed it from the pan, make a smooth paste, by wetting two or three tablespoonfuls of flour with cold water, and stir into the water left in the pan. Pour in more water, if the size of your family requires it.

Beef

Roast beef requires fifteen minutes for each pound. Do not salt beef, until you take it from the oven.

Ham

Boil a ham of ordinary size three hours. Let cool in the water in which it is boiled. It is very nice to remove the skin, while warm, stick cloves in the outside, sprinkle over it a little vinegar and sugar and bake for one hour.

Sausages

Sausages are very nice, baked in a hot oven twenty minutes. Prick with a fork to prevent bursting. Do this too, if fried.

Corned Beef

Should boil four hours.

Chicken

A chicken will cook in one hour and a half. A fowl requires an hour longer. Don't forget to put in one tablespoonful of vinegar to make tender.

Turkey

A ten pound turkey needs to cook three hours, in a slow oven.



The Length of Time to Cook Vegetables

Onions

Boil one hour. Longer if they are large.

Cabbage

Requires one hour and a half.

Parsnips

Boil two or three hours according to size.

Carrots

Wash, scrape, and boil one hour.



When Paring Tomatoes

Put them into very hot water and the skin will come off easily.

* * * * * *

The following pages contain advertisements of a few of the Macmillan books on kindred subjects.

THE END

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