Cooking and castle-building

"Why, you see, mamma," said Alice, "having fried chicken for dinner necessitates having stewed chicken for breakfast, either before or after, in order to use the other parts. But this is true economy. Cousin Kate says ; for while the breast and second joints are best fried, the other parts are much better stewed, From the breast we get three nice fiying pieces, so nearly alike that you can scarcely tell them apart. Having decided where to cut it, instead of sawing and haggling with a dull knife, and in the struggle mutilating the pieces so that they remind you of ' the ragged edge of despair,' Cousin Kate puts the breast of the chicken on the meat-board, and placing the knife just where she wishes to cut, strikes it a blow that sends the blade through the chicken at one clean stroke. Having washed the pieces and dried them on a soft towel, while the lard, of which there should be a lil)cral supply, is heating, we rub each piece of chicken lightly, with salt and pepper, which has l^een mixed together in suitable proportions, and just before dropping into the boiling lard, dust it with flour. To ascertain if the lard is hot enough, slip into it a slice of raw potato, and when the potato is brown, the lard is sufficiently heated. Drop into the boiling lard one piece of chicken at a time, and let the bubbling and tumult, incident to its reception, somewhat subside before adding another. When the pieces are of a rich brown color, they will be found well-cooked, and may be placed on a tin or wire strainer in a warm oven, until ready to serve. Chicken fried in this manner is much less greasy than when cooked in a small quantity of lard. Nearly all kinds of fresh fish are best fried in the same way. To parboil a chicken before frying, Cousin Kate says, is barbarous treatment, not of the chicken but of the people who eat it after it has been robbed of its best juices." "Now, Alice, tell me how you make these Graham 'gems,' for I really think they deserve the name." "To a pint each of cold, sweet milk and pure water, add a teaspoonful of sugar, a salt-spoonful of salt, and three pints of Graham flour. Sprinkle in the flour slowly stirring tjie mixture rapidly, and when all is added beat the dough briskly for a minute or two before an open window or door ; for Cousin Kate says, pure air is very essential to the life of bread, especiallylj' bread which is made light by beating. Bake the gems in iron gempans or pulf-pans, half filling the cups which must be well heated and greased. Bake in a quick oven, the greatest heat being applied to the bottom when first put in the oven. "Fine flour gems, or English muffins, are made in the same manner as Graham, omitting the sugar, and adding a pint more of flour. Gems are good made with water instead of milk and water. "Very excellent Graham cakes are made by putting a teaspoonful of sugar and a salt-spoonful of salt into a quart of Graham flour, and pouring upon it boiling water, stirring it meanwhile until all is wet and soft enough to be worked into a