The Aunts' Cook Book

One teacup of boiling water. Take a large tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it. When it is cooked enough and clear and thick, set it on the stove hearth, and stir in it 1 egg well beaten, and 1 cup of sugar, and a lump of butter as large as a walnut. When cool add the grating of 1 lemon and the juice. The cake and the batter must be perfectly cold before they are put together. You can use orange or vanilla, or anything you like best. This is enough for 1 large cake. Be careful and do not scorch your cornstarch. Aunt Dell's Orange Filling J^ cupful sugar J^ tablespoonful lemon juice ly^ tablespoonsful flour 1 egg, slightly beaten grated rind of ^ orange 1 teaspoonful butter yi cupful orange juice Mix ingredients in order given. Cook 10 minutes in double boiler, stirring constantly. "I do not ask thee, Fate, to bake For me so very large a cake. Choose thou the size, but I entreat That, though but small, it shall be sweet. If I must drain the bitter cup. As heretofore, why, fill it up; But when my cake, if ever, comes. Vouchsafe it to me full of plumsl" A Little Brother of the Rich. E. S, Martin. ''When Peggy came in, tottering under the weight of the tea-tray, I noticed that Miss Barker was sadly afraid lest Peggy should not keep her distance sufficiently. ♦♦♦♦♦• The tea-tray was abundantly loaded— 1 was pleased to see it, I was so hungry; but I was afraid the ladies present might think it vulgarly heaped up. 1 know they would have at their own houses; but somehow the heaps disappeared here. I saw Mrs. Jamieson eating seed-cake, slowly and considerately, as she did everything; and I was rather surprised, for I knew she had told us, on the occasion of her last tea-party, that she never had it in her house, it reminded her so much of scented soap. She always gave us Savoy biscuits. However, Mrs. Jamieson was kindly indulgent to Miss Barker's want of knowledge of the customs of high life; and, to spare her feelings^ ate three large pieces of seed-cake, with a placid, ruminating expression, quite like a cow s. Cranford Mrs, Gaskell Mathew Arnold, when on a lecture tour of the United States, stopped with some friends in Cleveland. At breakfast one morning buckwheat cakes were served. Mr. Arnold eyed them dubiously, but was finally prevailed upon to try one. After the first taste he turned to his wife and said, "You'd better have one. Fan; they're not half so nasty as they look." PRESERVES AND PICKLES JELLIES AND JAMS [illustration: PRESERVES AND PICKLES JELLIES AND JAMS] jellies: ANb ^ ff^ AND PICKLESr^ f JAMS Aunt Dell's Method of Making Jelly Heat sugar. Use equal weights of sugar and juice. Bring to boil. Add sugar slowly and boil together until it jellies when tested in cold water. Skim constantly after sugar has been put in. Boiling the sugar and juice together during most of the time of cooking instead of boiling the juice separately first makes the jelly, clearer. Aunt Elinor's Method of Making Jelly Measure juice. Boil juice 20 minutes. Add 1 pound hot sugar to each pint of juice. Strain quickly through scalded cheese-cloth and put in glasses. Aunt Emery's Method of Making Jelly Certo Jelly (Certo is Pectin from green fruits) 1 qt. of Welch's grape juice 5^ of a bottle of Certo 6 cups sugar (^ of a cup) 130 Preserves and Pickles^ Jellies and Jams Have 10 glasses sterilized and hot. Heat sugar and grape juice together in a sauce pan and boil hard 1 minute. Skim and add Certo. Boil hard ^ minute. Skim and pour into glasses. This jelly takes less than 15 minutes to make from the time one starts to get the utensils together, and is indistinguishable from any other grape jelly. Any other fruit juice may be used. Aunt Robbie's Preserved Strawberries or Cherries 1 lb. sugar 1 lb. berries J^ cupful warm water