Cooking and castle-building

"And how are waffles made. Cousin Kate?" asked Alice. " This is an excellent recipe for a simple raised waffle : One quart of milk, one ounce of butter, three pints of flour, and half a gill of yeast. Let rise over night. In making waffles, or battercakes that rise over night, I think it best to heat the milk to boiling point, adding to it, while hot, the butter or lard to be used. When cool enousfh to not scald the flour, add that ; then the eggs, Avell beaten ; and lastly the yeast. Give all a thorough beating. As soon in the morning as convenient, give the batter a good beating. This will add to the lightness and excellence of the cakes. "The proportion of three pints of flour to a quart of milk, which you see is a measure and a half of flour to a measure of milk, I find to be the average proportions required in all kinds of battercakes ; but the exact quantity of flour ijiust be determined by the number of eggs and the amount of butter used. Where many eggs are used, less flour is needed, unless a great quantity of butter or lard, also, is used. "Now, I will give you two more recipes for waffles, both excellent, which illustrate my meaning : One quart of milk, three pints of flour, four ounces of lard, four ounces of butter, six eggs, half a gill of yeast. In this recipe I should make no deduction of flour on account of the eggs used, because of the quantity of butter and lard. But in this : One quart of milk, three pints of flour, four eggs, and four ounces of butter, I should take light measure of flour. Flour should always be sifted before it is measured, and the measure should not be heaped. These last waffles are very nice, and are made in this manner : Add the flour to the cold milk, and beat thoroughly. Melt the butter, and add by degrees. Separate the eggs, adding one yolk at a time, and beating it thoroughly into the batter, before adding another. Lastly, add the whites, beaten to a stifi* froth. Bake immediately. If well beaten, these are good either as waffles or griddle-cakes. This recipe is also very nice when made over night, and raised with a gill of yeast. In that case, add butter and eggs in the morning. And you can also vary, by sometimes using baking-powder. As a general rule, in making all kinds of batter-cakes, beat the yolks of the eggs with the batter, and the whites separately, adding them last. " Here is a flannel-cake that is simple, but very nice. Take equal portions of fine corn meal and wheat-flour. To a quart of w^arm water add three pints of meal and flour mixed, a pinch of salt, and half a gill of yeast. Let rise over night. "For mufiins, take a quart of milk, two quarts of flour, and a measure of baking-powder. Beat all thoroughl}^ together, and bake in muffin-rings, or pufi'-pans, in a quick oven. " The varieties of waffles, griddle-cakes, muffins, etc., are very numerous. But any one knowing how to make a few, can, without a cook-book, find out, by a little reflection, hoAv to make numberless others."