TEA OR SUPPER

In the country and in small cities, the dinner is usually served in the middle of the day, which is the principal meal, and at night comes the tea or supper, and is much like that of a luncheon. The gentlemen have returned from business, and cheerful conversa- tion and little formality are the rule.

But at all meals show a refined taste.

Note on Soup Making — You may use ham bones or any other rough pieces of meat, so they are clean and good to make the stock. Then make any soup you wish, using your judgment.

For a summer soup, take the receipt for vegetable, only boil the vegetables in water until done, season with butter, then add the amount desired in equal quantities of milk and cream. This is a most excel- lent soup and country people find it very convenient.

Beef Soup — Six pounds of lean beef or a good soup bone, cover with cold water, boil slowly three hours, add a little cold water to stop the boil, then skim off the top. Do this three times. Then add one onion, two potatoes, one carrot, one turnip, and a little parsley. Boil one hour more, then take out the meat and strain the vegetables into another vessel. Beat three eggs well in the soup tureen, stir soup and add gradually — the eggs will not curdle. Then add your vegetables. This is an excellent soup. Rice and pearl barley may be used if you desire, also use salt and pepper to taste.

Bouillon Soup — Three pounds of beef and bones. Break up the bones, three quarts of water, salt and pepper to taste, three carrots, one onion, three cloves, one head of celery, one turnip, one parsnip. Simmer five hours, strain and serve clear.

Bouillon is sometimes made from beef extract. One can will make three quarts ; use boiling water, and not use any vegetables. This is called Bouillon (Beef Tea), and is often served with fancy sandwiches for in- formal evening parties.

Chicken Soup — To two quarts of liquor add one- half teacup of rice, two teacups of milk. Season with parsley or celery, thicken slightly, use salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken soup may be made from the giblets, feet, necks, or boil a hen partly done then stuff and roast the hen. Use the liquor for soup.

Clam Soup — Twenty-five clams, hard or soft. Boil in a pint of water one hour. Take out, chop fine, add to the clam broth one pint of rich cream, a little salt and pepper; be careful about salt and pepper because clams require little salt. Thicken slightly and boil all together two minutes. Served with toasted bread or crackers.

This same receipt is excellent for lobster soup or fish cream soup, the only difference being the lobster and fish will only need boiling fifteen minutes. Fresh fish may take one-half hour.

Cream Tomato Soup — Let one can of tomatoes get hot, add a bit of soda. Have hot one quart of fresh milk, rub the tomatoes through a sieve and add the liquid to the milk. Be sure they are both hot but neither must boil or they will curdle. Use a large piece of butter, and salt and white pepper to taste. Thicken slightly and serve with crackers or corntons. This is delicate and a most excellent soup.

Oyster Soup— Put two quarts of milk on in a double-boiler, when hot add butter the size of an egg, one teaspoonful of sugar, salt and pepper tor taste. Take one quart of oysters with their juice, skim the oysters out of their juice, put them into a hot dish, let the juice boil, then pour it over the oysters and let stand one minute covered tight. Then pour the boil- ing milk ov6r the oysters and serve in hot plates or bowlls with oyster crackers.

Potato Soup — Boil one dozen potatoes done, mash through a colander. Add one quart of fresh milk. Butter, salt and pepper to taste. Brown three table- SDOonfuls of flour in one of butter, stir in the soup, season with parsley or celery. Last of all add two well-beaten eggs. Serve hot. Eggs may be left out or boiled hard and cut in slices and put in the soup.

Tomato Soup— Make according to any other soup made of stock, only, instead of a number of vegetables, you use tomatoes for the principal vegetable. To two quarts of stock add one can of tomatoes or six whole ones, let boil one hour, rub through a sieve, return to the fire and thicken a little. Season to taste; serve with crotons.

Vegetable Soup— Boil your soup bone four to five hours. Add hot water if needed to make sufficient quantity of soup. Cut fine one-half cabbage, three potatoes, one turnip, one onion, one carrot, one head of celery, three tomatoes, three ears of corn. Season with salt, pepper, parsley, and cook one hour longer. Canned corn or tomatoes may be used, but must not be added until ten minutes before serving.

Gumbos — Gumbos come between the stews and soups. The thickening is furnished by okra, also a preparation of dried sassafras leaves, with a small quantity of pulverized bay leaves.

In New Orleans the people utilize the remains of cold roasted chicken, turkeys, game and other meats to make gumbos. They also add oysters, crabs, and shrimps.

Old Southern Gumbo Soup — Two large chick- ens, one pint of green okra pods, one quart of water, pepper and salt to taste. Cut the chicken in small pieces, roll in flour, fry brown. Take out the chicken, add the gumbos (sliced okra pods) and brown that in the fat. Add to this a tablespoonful of flour and stir until brown ; then add two pints of water slowly, stirring until smooth. Put in the meat of the chicken and simmer slowly for two hours. Serve with boiled rice.

Should you use oysters in your gumbo scald their liquor, season to taste, pour in the soup, let boil five minutes, add the oysters last of all and let boil up once.

Oysters — Oysters are used and liked by most peo- ple so much, we thought we would give space in our book for some excellent tried receipts. Never plunge oysters in hot fat to increase the size ; it spoils the flavor.

Note — Never use oysters out of season. People who live on the coast often keep oysters from two to three weeks. This is done by spreading them on the cellar floor, wdth the rounding part of the shell down, and sprinkling with salt and Indian meal. Then cover with old carpet or blanket, keep wet with cold water. Repeat sprinkling and wetting of the carpet every day.

Oysters Stewed with Celery — Put two cups of good beef soup stock in a stew pan, add one pint of rich milk or a pint of cream, one cup of celery chopped fine. Cook five minutes, then thicken slightly, add one-half cup of powdered cracker dust. Have ready in a hot tureen, twenty-five large oysters, parboiled in their own juice. Last of all season tO' taste with salt, pepper and butter if needed. Pour your sauce over the oysters and serve immediately.

Oysters on Toast — Take one quart of oysters, re- move the pieces of shell, put the liquor back on them. Put in a stew pan with butter the size of an tgg, salt and pepper to taste. When hot add a cup of milk,

thicken a little. Have ready a platter of toasted bread. Pour the mixture over and serve at once. This is a delicious dish.

Scalloped Oysters — Butter a pudding dish, put in a layer of bread crumbs with bits of butter, then a layer of oysters, season with salt and pepper. Repeat this until the dish is full; leave layer of bread crumbs on top. Mix the oyster liquor with half the amount of cream and milk and a beaten egg. Pour over the top. Bake until a light brown. It usually takes twenty-five minutes. Many people don't like them cooked much, and they heat a shovel hot and hold over the top until the scalloped is brown.

Oysters shell-scalloped are fixed the same way, only instead of cooking them in one dish they are baked in shells. The shells are placed in a dripping pan. When done serve directly from the shell. The flavor is much better when cooked this way.

Scalloped Oysters with Hard Boiled Eggs — Thesie are made the same as above, only chop fine hard boiled eggs and mix with the bread crumbs.

Fresh Fish — We have only one test which we apply to all varieties of fish. If fresh, the eyes will be full, the body full, the flesh firm and thick, the fins stifif, the skin and scales bright; any drooping of the tail shows that the fish is not in a prime condition. Salmon, if good, always has red flesh and gills; fresh salmon is improved by keeping a day or two. It is claimed, by good authority, that no other fish is.

We might say a great deal on the subject of fish, but as we mean for our book tO' be practical, we are trying to make our receipts plain so every one can understand them.

Before cooking fish, always wash it well in cold water. Many people sprinkle salt inside of fish ; this will destroy any muddy taste. But if you wish to fry or broil fish it is better to sprinkle pepper inside of the fish, as salt prevents fish from browning nicely.

Vinegar is much better than salt to preserve fish. Cover the fish with the vinegar. In frying fish use lard ; some people like fish fried in equal quantities of lard and butter, but this is nothing but extravagance.

Before frying fish, after it has been cleaned and washed, roll it in a cloth to absorb the moisture.

Boiling Fish — Place fish in cold, salted water for boiling. Never use hot water, because the outside will be cooked before the inside. Put a little vinegar

in the water, it always adds to the flavor of the fish as much as salt. Boil fish gently until you can draw out one of the fins. Most fish will be done in thirty or forty minutes.

Cheese and Cod Fish — Prepare the fish as for balls. Have a nice dish greased with butter, put in a layer of fish first, then a layer of grated cheese with bits of butter, salt and pepper alternately, until the dish is full. Put over the top one-half cup of cream or milk, and bake about twenty minutes or until brown.

Cod Fish Balls — Take an even quantity of shredded cod fish and mashed potatoes or more potatoes mashed together well, add one egg, moisten with a little sweet milk, roll in flour and fry in lard. Always cook the fish first.

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Ducks — Ducks have supple feet, otherwise, the same tests should be applied to them as fowls.

Geese — ^Young geese have feet and bills yellow in color; when old, the feet are red. If the windpipe breaks easily, they are young ; if it rolls, you had better not trust the bird.

Turkeys — Turkeys, when young, have smooth, black legs ; when rough and red the turkey is old. For roasting, do not select a turkey over ten or twelve pounds. The meat should be firm, end of the breast bone easily bent. The same tests are used in buying chickens, only remember the young fowl will have smooth legs and comb.

Note — The way to roast all meats is to heat the bake pan first, then put in the roast and let it brown. Turn over when brown and dredge well with flour (this method retains the juices in the meat) then put back in the oven and cook done, basting as necessary. If cooked in this manner the inside will be pink and juicy in beef. All other meats should be cooked well done.

Do not wtaste money in buying poor meats. We can live and have good health by eating meat once a day ; too much meat is not good for any person. But when it is eaten it should be good and well cooked. Few people know howl to cook meats well.

Beef — This is the best and most economical for general use. When buying beef notice if it is bright red in color, firm in touch, also if the fat is straw color. If these rules are followed you will always be able to pick beef. If meat is eaten when it is first killed it will be tender, because the muscles are relaxed then. In a short time they stiffen, then the flesh will be hard, afterwards they will again relax and the meat become tender as at first. The loin, rump, fillet or tenderloin, these are the best cuts in the beef and they are all found in the hind quarter.

Mutton — Most colored people are prejudiced to mutton, and it is the most nutritious meat in use.

Doctors will order mutton for invalids. Good mut- ton is dark red in color. Mutton should be kept in a cool place a longer time after killing than beef. It will then be tender and the taste of the wool will be gone. A saddle of the mutton is the two loins joined. The saddle and shoulder are the best for roasting; unless tender it is better to boil them some before roasting.

Roast Beef — To have a nice roast get a large one ; from eight to ten pounds is a good size. Have the pan hot, that you put it into, also the oven. Do not add water. Let remain twenty minutes then dredge with flour, add a little water if needed, season with salt and pepper. When done take out, put on a hot dish, add water and make the gravy. Always take off some of the fat before making the gravy.

Baked Beefsteak — Take the bone out of a round steak, make a dressing of potatoes and bread, season with parsley, onion or celery, salt and pepper to taste, spread over the steak and roll up and tie, roast forty minutes, make a nice gravy and serve hot.

Oyster sauce is very nice with baked steak. This is made by adding juice of the oysters to the brown gravy of the steak. Serve baked potatoes with your steak, also garnish with sliced lemon, if you want a fancy dish.

Beef Heart Stuffed — Boil the heart until tender, cut out the portion of the heart on the inside, fill with dressing. Put the heart in pan in oven and pour the gravy over it that it was cooked in, season nicely and bake twenty-five minutes then take it out of the pan. Chop up the rest of the heart in fine pieces, stir

into the liquor in the pan and thicken a Httle with brown flour. Serve separately. This is cheap and delicious. It is very nice served cold ; slice thin and g-arnish the dish with lemon or lettuce or any pretty garnish.

Stewed Beef — Cut the meat up fine, boil tender, season wiith salt and pepper, add chopped onion or parsley. Cook potatoes with the stew if you desire them. You may make nice stew by cutting the meat fine and lining a baking dish with sliced potatoes, and put a layer of potatoes on top. Put in the oven and bake forty-five minutes.

Boiled Ham — Soak your ham as for baking. Boil for four or five hours. When done, take out and draw) off the skin. If you wish, you may fix the same as for baking, and put in the oven and let brown. If you just want a plain boiled ham always let it cool in the water it was cooked in. If you follow out cooking ham this way you will never have that dryness in cold ham.

Cooking Beef Steak — A sirloin is best broiled. Have a clear fire, if the fire is not bright sprinkle a handful of salt over the fire. Butter the broiler to prevent the meat from sticking. Sear the steak on both sides. This is done to keep the juices in the steak. While cooking, turn frequently. Never stick a fork in steak; this allows the gravy to escape. Nor salt until done, because salt draws out the juice. A steak will cook well done in fifteen minutes. When you take the steak off of the broiler put on a hot dish, pour drawn butter over it. Salt and pepper.

Beef Loaf — Two pounds of beef chopped fine, one-half pound of salt pork, salt and pepper to taste, one teacup of rolled crackers, one-half cup of fresh milk, three eggs well beaten ; mix altogether, form in a loaf in a pudding dish. Pour over two cups of water and bake one hour and a half; let cool and cut in slices. All fresh meat can be used in this manner.

A Roast Pig — Take a small pig, make a dressing of potatoes, season with sage, a little chopped apple, salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the pig and sew up. Always rub the outside over with lard or butter to keep it from blistering. Roast three hours, basting often. Many baste at last with melted butter. Serve the pig whole, stand him on the table whole. Put an apple or a piece of celery in his mouth. Always garnish the dish with some green lettuce, or parsley is nice.

Baked Ham — Soak a ham for twenty-four hours then wash nicely. Make a thick paste of flour and wiater, cover the ham over with the paste. Put in the oven and bake slowly five hours, or until the fork will go through easily. Take out and remove the skin, rub over the top two well beaten eggs, then sprinkle a little sugar over the top, after which stick the top full of whole cloves. Sprinkle some fine bread crumbs over the top, return to the oven for fifteen minutes or until the ham is brown on top. This is the most delicious way of fixing ham.

Roast Mutton — Put the roast of mutton in the pan with the bone turned down to the fire. Rub some butter over it, dredge with flour, put in the oven when

the flour forms a paste on the meat. Add a little water. Baste frequently. Allow fifteen minutes to the pound. Serve with mint sauce, or any acid jelly melted.

Stewed Kidneys — Parboil the kidneys and cover- ing with cold water, season w|ith salt and pepper — be sure to cut off all the fat first; when they begin to boil skim as often as necessary. When done add a head of celery chopped fine, one onion chopped, six potatoes sliced, and one-half cup of butter. When done, thicken the stew with brown flour. If you want the stew real brown, always fry the kidneys in a little butter before stew;ing them.

Pork — Pork should be eaten in small quantities and not very often. Fresh pork, if good, has a firm, clear, white skin, pale red lean, and pure white fat. Butch- ers make good money out of pork because every part of the hog is made us of. The feed under the guise of souse, is the most digestible portion of the animal.

Deviled Meats — Take cold boiled meats, chop very fine, season well with red pepper and dry mustard, add a little vinegar tO' moisten, press solid and slice it thin if you want it sliced. All deviled meats are made in this way. The word ''deviled" means "very hot" or "highly seasoned."

Fried Liver — Cut the liver in thin slices, pour boil- ing water over it and let stand until cool, then pull off the edges, roll in flour, fry some breakfast bacon first and then fry the liver in the bacon fat. Lay the bacon around the liver on the dish. Lard can be used for frying instead of bacon.

Boiled Beef Tongue — Wash the tongue well, put in cold water and let boil from five to six hours. Then take off the skin. Serve hot with oyster sauce or slice cold. Should the tongue be corned or smoked, soak twenty-four hours before boiling.

Rolled Beef — Take a piece of beef, make a dress- ing as for chicken. Spread over the beef, roll tightly and tie. Fold in a thin cloth, boil tender. Take up, drain and press under a weight, slice cold. Serve with pickles. Corn beef is delicious this way.

Lamb — An Irishman buying lamb asked the butcher to please tell him the difference between the sheep, mutton, and the lamb. We wish to say lamb is only in season from May to September. The bones are a little reddish in color, and the fat is firm and white.

Veal — Veal is a meat that is quite a favorite, but it requires a lot of discrimination in its selection. It also requires very thorough cooking; even then it is indigestible. Many do not think veal a wholesome meat. In buying veal notice the color ; if it is very white the calf has been bled, and this spoils the flavor. Veal, when good, has a firm, white fat, and lean with a pinkish tinge. Veal is unfit tO' eat if killed before it is six weeks old. If veal is too young for use it is bluish in color. The fillet is the part used for roasting ; it may be stuffed or roasted plain. The fillet is the solid piece of meat from the upper leg.

Roast Lamb — Put the roast in the pan, dredge with flour, put salt and pepper over it ; if the lamb is lean pour a little melted butter over it. When it cooks a little add a little water and baste often. Allow twfenty-

five minutes to the pound. When done take out the pan, pour off the fat, add one cup of milk or cream, let come to the boil, then add tablespoonful of lemon juice and some chopped parsley, thicken slightly and serve separately. Serve with green peas.

Roast Pork — Put a roast on to cook in a hot pan. Score the skin, strips or diamonds, rub with salt, pep- per and sage. Some cooks make deep gashes in the roast. Never take pork out until it is well done ; allow thirty minutes to the pound. When done, take out and make a nice gravy with brown flour. Always pour off the fat and add a little lemon juice. vServe with pork, mashed potatoes, turnips, parsnips and car- rots.

How TO Cook Poor Beef — Many people cannot afford to buy the best beef, so we shall give you some receipts or simple w'^ys to cook poor beef to make it good.

Shoulder Roast — Tie it carefully with twine and brown on both sides in braising pan in which there have been fixed four slices of fat pork; any fat will do. Dredge the meat well with flour. When it is brown sprinkle it with salt and pepper. When well browned on both sides add some water; you must use your judg- ment about the water. Put it in the oven and roast slowly, basting often. When done remove from the pan and serve ; thicken the gravy in the pan with flour rubbed smooth in cold water, let boil up and serve separately.

VEGETABLES.

Potatoes are the simple vegetable and yet how few people know! how to cook them well. Potatoes and all fresh vegetables are better for standing in cold water a little while before cooking, then put on to cook in boiling water with a little salt. After potatoes are done drain them at once and let them stand a minute with the cover off for the steam to escape.

Creamed Potatoes — Mash the potatoes until every lump is out, then add a little butter and one-half a cup of cream or milk, stir in well and then beat with a spoon until white and creamy. Keep hot and serve hot. Do not put pepper in potatoes or in any other vegetables that it wlill be seen in. Use white pepper if you use any.

Stewed Potatoes — Cut the potatoes up in small pieces, boil tender. When done drain off the water, cover with milk or cream, add a piece of butter, a little chopped parsley, season and thicken a little. Serve hot.

Baked Potatoes — For baking, select small ones, wash and wipe well, cut off the ends to let the steam out and bake done.

Scalloped Potatoes — Slice the potatoes thin, put in layers in a pudding dish with butter, salt and pep-

per. When the dish is full, cover the potatoes vi\[h sweet milk and bake until done. You may use grated cheese, cracker or bread crumbs, if you wish, in scal- loping potatoes.

Boiled Potatoes — Always put them on in boiliiig water with a little salt in it. Cook potatoes in plenty of water. When done, drain, remove the cover and set on the back of the stove to dry.

Stuffed Potatoes — Bake the potatoes first. When done take out the inside, mash well, add a little grated cheese, butter, a beaten egg, season with salt to taste. Beat light, fill the skins .of the potatoes, return them to the oven and let brown. Serve hot.

Saratoga Potatoes — Slice the potatoes with a potato knife, drain the potatoes until there is not one bit of water in them. Drop in boiling fat, and fry brown. They are as nice cold as they are hot.

String Beans — String, cut in small pieces, wash, put on to cook in boiling water. Add a little soda, let cook about fifteen minutes, then skim out and put in the pot where the meat is cooking, and finish cook- ing. Some like string beans fixed with cream like peas. If cooked that way, have another pot of boiling water ready.

Green Peas — Cook in a little water and when done add salt, pepper and butter and a cup of cream or milk; thicken slightly.

Turnips, Beets, Carrots, Parsnips— Are all put on to cook in boiling water, never stick a fork in beets, it makes them bleed and spoils the color. ^ 33

Boiled Cabbage — Cook the same as string beans in two wiaters. Put the red pepper in the pot with the meat, as a rule, more salt is needed than is in the meat.

Mushrooms — Fix like peas. If served with steak, cook dry and season with butter and pepper.

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