Cookery for beginners

' Stir this in with a little pepper and salt, a pinch of mace and a teaspoonful of lemonjuice. Boil up once and drop in the meat. Cover closely and let it simmer at one side of the Stove, almost, but never quite boiling, for ten minutes. Turn into a deep dish and serve very hot. Minced Mutton on Toast. Trim off skin and fat from slices of cold mutton and mince in a chopping-tray. Season with pepper and salt. Into a clean frying-pan, pour a cupful of mutton-gravy which has been skimmed well, mixed with a little hot water and strained through a bit of coarse muslin. When this boils, wet a teaspoonful of browned flour with three tablespoonfuls of cold water, and a teaspoonful of tomato or walnut catsup, or half a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Rub out all the lumps and stir into the gravy in the frying-pan. Boil up once well before putting in the mutton. As soon as the mixture bubbles and smokes all over, draw it to one side of the range where it will keep hot, but not quite boil; cover it closely, and let it stand five minutes. Warmed-over mutton becomes insipid when cooked too much. Before the mince is put into the pan, toast the bread. Cut thick slices from a stale loaf, and trim off the crust If you would have them look particularly nice, cut them round with a cake or biscuit-cutter. Toast to a lightbrown, and keep hot until the mince is cooked. Then lay the toast on a heated platter; butter the rounds well on both sides, and pour on each a tablespoonful of boiling water. Heap a great spoonful of the minced mutton on each piece. The mince should not be a stiff paste, nor yet so soft as to run all over the dish, A cupful of gravy will be enough for three cupfuls of meat. Some people fancy a little green pickle or chow chow chopped very fine and mixed in with the mince while cooking. Others think the dish improved by the addition of a teaspoonful of lemon-juice put in just before taking it from the fire. Devilled Mutton. Cut even slices of cold mutton, not too fat. Stir together and melt in a clean fryingpan two tablespoonfuls of butter and one of currant or grape jelly. When it hisses lay in the mutton and heat slowly — turning several times — for five minutes, or until the slices are soft and very hot, but not until they begin to crisp. Take out the meat, lay on a warmed dish, cover and set over boiling water. . To the butter and jelly left in the pan add three tablespoonfuls of vinegar. A small teaspoonful of made mustard, A quarter spoonful of salt. Half as much pepper as you have salt. Stir together over the fire until they boil, and pour on the meat. Cover three minutes over boiling water, and serve. Devilled, or Barbecued Ham. Slice cold ham, lean and fat together, and lay in a clean frying-pan. Fry gently in the grease that runs from it as it heats, until the lean is soft, the fat clear and beginning to crisp at the edges. Take out the slices with a fork, lay on a warmed dish ; keep hot over boiling water. Add to the fat left in the frying-pan : Four tablespoonfuls of vinegar. A small teaspoonful of made mustard. As much pepper as will lie easily on a silver half-dime. Stir until it boils, then pour on the ham. Let it stand covered over the boiling water for five minutes before sending to the table. Chicken Croquettes. One cup of cold chicken, minced fine. One quarter cup of pounded cracker. One teaspoonful of cornstarch, wet up in a little cold water. One egg. * One tablespoonful of butter. Half a tablespoonful of salt. A good pinch of pepper. Half a cupful of boiling water. Mix minced chicken and crumbs together in a bowl with salt and pepper. Put the boiling water in a clean saucepan,