PARLOR FURNITURE

Four small chairs.

Two large ones.

A centre-table, suitable for a tea-table.

A slab put up with brackets. This is as cheap as anything that looks as well.

A bookcase, or something to answer the purpose.

A work-table, with writing apparatus at- tached, if you have not a bookcase.

Shovel, poker, tongs, and hearth-brush.

A looking-glass. A small oval one looks better than a small square one.

A pretty, painted chamber set, can be bought very cheap. A bureau, bedstead, washstand, table, and four chairs for $ 20. An oval glass, painted frame, or a glass on the bureau.

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One shock mattress.

One hair mattress.

Two blankets.

Two bureau-covers.

Six pillow-cases.

Two hair pillows.

Two feather pillows.

Two quilts.

Six sheets.

Twelve towels.

This will do to begin with. Carpet- broom, dust-pan, and an old silk handker- chief for dusting.

Now your house is furnished, you are expected to keep it in nice order. I shall be very minute in my directions, for that is what I suppose you want.

When you rise, earlif in the morning, open your window, take off the clothes and turn your bed. Your husband will light the fire, and as splitting wood is very good

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exercise, while you are getting breakfast he had better split up some kindling for the next morning, and bring up a hod of coal. By that time you will have break- fast ready, and you will both have an ap- petite. All is pleasant, and he goes to his business. You are now to set about your work to make all things comfortable for his return. Wash the dishes, sweep up the floor, put everything in its place, then brush your parlor, prepare the fire as I told you before, wash the hearth, and diftt everything well, for neatness gives a great charm to your house. Next, make your bed, empty the slops, be sure to wash your bowl, &c., that you may feel all is done there. Then to market. There are so many market shops you can easily get what little you want. Prepare your din- ner, — I will give directions for cooking in another place. Be sure and have every- thing ready by the time set for your dinner

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hour; if you do so your dinner will be cheerful, but if your husband is obliged to wait, and is annoyed by it, then everything is spoilt. After dinner fill yerar teakettle, set it on the kitchen fire, which is low, (if

it does not quite boil by teatime set it on the parlor fire a few moments.) light the fire in the parlor. At teatime set your table in the parlor. After tea put away the things, and prepare the kitchen fire for the morning. You will be more at ease now than if you had any one in the kitchen.

Monday is the general washing*day, but when you do your own work I think Tues- day is the most comfortable, because Sun- day night you do not want to be troubled with picking up your clothes. You want one day for sweeping and cleaning thor- oughly. Monday is the best day, then you can pick up your clothes and put them in soak, as it saves time and cloth.

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Tuesday — washing-day. If you know a poor woman who needs the work, it will save your strength to have her a few hours to wash. Have everything ready and the water hot, and while your woman is wash- ing you can make the starch and rinse the clothes ; this will save time, and time is money always. Your woman will wash the floor for you. When your clothes are dry, fold them nicely, they will iron better and easier for being folded over night. If it is freezing weather do not starch theA until you fold them, as frozen starch does not ironnvell.

Wednesday — ironing-day.

Thursday, — Fold your clothes, and if there is any mending do it before you put them away.

Friday. — Do what baking or anything extra you have to do.

Saturday. — Have your poor woman come and clean your entry, stairs, and

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kitchen, and black your stoves. Have ev- erything ready when she comes, and she can accomplish all in a little while. Have the water hot, pail, scrubbing-brush, and cloths all in readiness for her. An essen- tial thing in housekeeping is to " have a place for everything and everything in its place " in every part of the house, then you can have no trouble in being ready for your woman. Prepare what you can for your Sunday dinner, that you may be able to go to church in the morning, and not let your husband think that you are any more discomposed with your cares than he with his business.

Now I have told you how to work, I will give you a few hints about marketing, and then for cooking.

If you wish to buy a piece of corned- beef, you will get about five or six pounds, brisket or rataran is the best part for so small a piece ; see that it looks clean and

18 SIRS. PUTlfAM'S

bright, — a dark, stringy piece is not^'Vhat you want ; it should have been in the pickle a week at least.

Salt pork must be white and firm when pressed by the finger ; for frying it must be all fat, for boiling rather lean.

Beef should be well mixed, fat and lean, and bright red.

Veal should be white-looking, • the fat very white.

Mutton, short legs, white fat.

Lamb, clear white fat, and a thin skin over the meat.

Chickens I try by putting my thumb and finger just under the wings ; if the side bones crack quickly, they are tender.

Turkey I try the end of the breast-bone, if it bends easily they are young. I like a cock turkey to roast, and a hen to boil.

Fish, I always look at the gills, if a bright red they are fresh, if not I do not buy.

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Butter, you must tell by your taste. Eggs, if they look clean and nice I think a sign they are fresh.

Now for the cooking.

Monday. — A piece of corned-beef, five or six pounds, wash it in cold water, put it into a pot with six quarts of cold water ; just before it boils you will see a thick scum rise to the top, skim this all off; after the water begins to boil let it boil four or five hours. Then take the meat out, put it into a tin pan, place a tin sheet on top, and set some flatirons on it to press out the water. Boil a small cabbage with the beef one hour. If you use carrots, turnips, or pars- nips, boil them with the beef. Put three beets into another vessel, and boil them three hours.

Tuesday, — ■ Have for dinner the cold corned-beef. Chop up all the cold vege- tables and fry them with a little of the fat

20 MRS. PUTNAM'S

you took from the water the beef was boiled in. (When you boil corned-beef set the pot away until the next day ; the fat which will cool on it is good to fry those vegeta- bles with ; but do not use it for anything else, as it will taste of cabbage ; so, if you do not use it for that purpose put it into the soap-grease.) Stir the vegetables while frying. When quite hot add a tablespoon- ful of vinegar. This is very nice with cold corned-beef, and, with a pie, makes a very good dinner.

Wednesday. — As it is ironing-day you have a good fire. Pork is as good roasted in the oven as in a tin kitchen. Take about six pounds of spare-rib, put it into the meat- pan with half a teacup of water. I believe there is a little grate or trivet that comes with a meat-pan, if not you must have one to lay the meat on to keep it from the bot- tom of the pan, or it will be apt to bum. Dredge on to the pork a little flour, pepper,

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and salt, and a little sprinkle of dry sage if you like it. Set it into the oven, shut the door for half an hour. Take out the meat and baste it with the gravy that is in the pan. By basting I mean thus, turn the gravy on with a spoon. Put the meat back and leave the oven door open a little. Dredge it with flour once every half hour till it is done ; say, from two and a half to three hours. Try it by sticking a fork into it ; if it is done the gravy that comes out with the fork will look white. Turn the fat from the gravy, leaving about half in the pan. Add to the gravy a half cup of hot water; mix a tablespoonful of flour in a little water to make a thickening; stir it into the gravy. Let it just boil, stirring all the time. Turn it into the gravy-dish. Any kind of vegetable is nice with roast pork.

Thursday. — Cold roast pork, baked pota- toes, and an apple-pie.

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Friday — Is usually fisli-day. A piece of fresh cod of four pounds, a piece of hal- ibut, or fresh mackerel. Rub a little salt over it and wash clean in cold water. Flour a piece of cotton cloth, (kept for the pur- pose,) pin the fish up tight, put it into boil- ing water ; after it begins to boil let it boil thirty minutes. Mackerel takes about twen- ty minutes. Serve with drawn butter made as follows : Take about two tablespoonfuls of butter, shake on to it some flour, stir them together with a spoon ; put it into a small saucepan, turn in half a teacup of boiling water, stir it until the butter is melted and qtiite hot. Have a hard-boiled egg chopped fine with a knife, add it to the butter ; turn into your butter-boat or gravy-dish. Salt fish should be put into soak Friday night.

Saturday, — What is left of Friday's din- ner is very nice for breakfast, with a few potatoes chopped fme, fried in the cold but- ter. After breakfast, wash your salt fish

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clean, put it into cold water, and set it on to the fire where it will get scalding hot, but not to boil. About an hour before din- ner wash it again, put it into clear cold water; let it boil half an hour. Potatoes and beets are the vegetables. Serve with drawn butter ; and what is very nice with salt 'fish, take some fat salt pork cut in small pieces about the size of dice, put them into a frying-pan, stirring often until a light brown. This makes a nice gravy, and is very good to warm the fish in.

Now, to make good mince-fish or fish- balls, — after dinner pick out all the bones, chop the fish very fine ; if for mince-fish, chop the potatoes, set them away till morn- ing on a separate plate; if for fish-balls, mash the potatoes, mix the potatoes and fish together, form them into balls, set them away. In the morning put about a gill of fat into a frying-pan, let it get very hot, fry the balls a nice brown. For mince-fish, put

24 MBS. PUTNAM'S

half a gill of fat into a saucepan, mix the fish and potatoes well, put them into the hot fat, stir it up ; add a piece of butter half the size of an egg, half a cup of boiling water ; stir this very often until very hot; if you like it brown let it stand ten minutes. Timi it out oxx a dish.

If you are to have baked beans, put a pint of beans to soak, in soft water, Friday night or Saturday morning. Let them stand where they will keep warm several hours ; then wash them eut of that water and put them into a pot with water enough to a little more than cover them ; let them boil gently until soft, and the 'hulls come off. Wash them clean in cold water. Have about one pound of salt pork cut in even gashes, or, as I call it, scored. Put them into the bean-pot, set the pork into the top ; settle it into the beans so the rind is just above them. Fill the pot, that is to say cover the beans with cold water. You

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may put into the water a tablespoonful of molasses, if you like. Set this into your oven over night. Have a little fire covered up with ashes, so it will just keep a little heat. After breakfast, Sunday morning, see that thte beans are covered with water ; leave them in the oven until dinner time.

To make an Indian pudding, take a quart of milk, — boil half of it, stir into it one teacup of Indian meal, half a cup of mo- lasses. Let it stand to cool. Put half a cup of chopped suet,^if you have it, if not a small piece of butter will do, into the pud- ding-pot, turn in the boiled milk and meal, half a te^-spoonful of salt, add the cold milk, stir them up well. Set it into the oven at the same time you do the beans, and you will have a nice dinner for Sunday.

We will try a little change for the next week, as what one likes another does not.

Monday. — Wc will try a piece of roast beef — wc must remember the economy.

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You can buy a nice rib for four cents a pound less than sirloin ; or the thin end of the sirloin is just as good beef, but no ten- derloin ; this will answer, as five pounds is as small as will roast. Put this into your tin kitchen, if you have one, if not put a little water in the pan. It will take an hour and a half to roast. Turn it often until nearly done. About twenty minutes before dishing sprinkle on a little salt, dredge it with flour, and baste it with gravy from the tin. Make the gravy the same as for roast pork ; if you want it dark-brown put in a teaspopnful of soy.

Tuesday. — Cold roast beef, baked pota- toes. Boiled rice with butter and syrup.

Wednesday, — About two pounds of mut- ton-chop broiled, baked' or boiled potatoes, — a dish of apples.

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