Efficiency in home-making and first-aid to good cooking

Dissolve a teaspoon of borax or soda in lukewarm water ; wash and scrub the ham in this until clean. Put in kettle of boiling water ; add 1 teacup of sugar. When it begins to boil remove the scum and put where it will barely bubble ; if it boils hard it will toughen it ; cook until very tender — about 3 or 4 hours if it weighs 8 or 9 126 First Aid to Good Cooking pounds. Boiled ham is very seldom cooked long enough to be as good as it might be. Set off from stove and let cool in the liquor it was boiled in ; then remove the skin, dredge with fine crumbs that have been put through a sieve, or with light brown sugar, stick with cloves about an inch apart, and bake in oven until brown and crispy. If preferred without baking, put back on the stove to heat till boiling again; then remove skin and serve hot, or let cool and slice. Standing to cool in the juice seems to improve it. BOILED DINNER. Wash off the corned beef; put into a kettle with plenty of boiling water ; let come to a boil ; then set back where it will cook slowly about 3 or 4 hours, according to size. Three-quarters of an hour before serving dip out some of the broth and put in the cabbage, which has been washed and cut up into eighths, watching for worms in it, and the carrots washed and scraped ; and if large cut lengthwise into quarters. Dip out more broth into another kettle, adding hot water if needed, and cook the potatoes in this by themselves about 20 or 30 minutes. STEWED CHICKEN. Take a couple teaspoons of soda, moisten with a little water, and rub all over the outside of the chicken after if has been drawn and singed. This cuts the grease and dirt that is always on the skin of a fowl. Rinse off thoroughly, scrubbing with a clean cloth. Cut up the chicken ; wash thoroughly in cold water ; put into kettle of boiling salted water; let come to a boil rapidly, then set back on stove where it will just bubble for il/2 hours if young, or 4 or 5 if old. Skim several times. The water should be cooked nearly out when the chicken is done. Lay a few slices of stale bread over the chicken and steam just a few minutes ; remove the bread to a hot platter ; lay pieces of chicken on top ; set where it will First Aid to Good Cooking 127 keep hot. Cook the broth down a little more if necessary. Mix up about 2 heaping tablespoons flour with a little cold milk ; add very slowly to the broth ; cook thoroughly ; add a little milk, salt to taste and let come to a boil ; add a tablespoon chopped parsley, and pour over chicken and bread. Serve at once, or serve on a platter with a border of boiled rice or baking powder biscuits. FRIED SAUSAGE. Take the sausage that comes in packages, add seasoning if desired. Make up into small flat cakes, put in frying pan, pour over hot water enough to cover, boil an hour, when the water should be boiled out. Pour off the grease, brown the sausage a rich color, take out, pour a little hot water in the frying pan, let come to a boil, pour in dish with the sausage. PICKLED OR SALTED PORK. Slice pickled pork )/§ inch thick ; put in spider with quart water ; cook 1 hour ; after the water has cooked out, flour and fry brown. Take meat out and add 1 tablespoon flour, a little salt and pepper ; stir around in fat until smooth ; then add either milk or water until thin enough.