The farm cook & rule book

An attractive tray stimulates the appetite. Pretty dishes, artistically molded puddings, a tiny spray of flowers or ferns in a small vase, a joke or quotation from a current magazine or a fancy garnish on one of the dishes will help put the patient in a happy frame of mind so he will forget himself and eat more heartily than he otherwise would. Children are especially appreciative when their food is served in an unique way. If oatmeal will not be eaten from a bowl, it frequently is relished if served in a flower pot. A tiny pot covered with gay crepe paper is used. In it the glass containing the oatmeal and milk or cream is set. A flower is inserted in the pot. A banana boat is equally enticing. This consists of an empty banana skin lined with oiled paper and filled with food. Toothpicks are used for oars. A pig made from a hollow lemon with toothpicks for legs and cloves for its features delights sick children. If this is filled with a frozen ice which may be sipped through a straw, it is indeed enticing. Baskets may be fashioned from empty oranges and grapefruits lined with oiled paper. Toast hollowed out to hold scrambled eggs may represent a nest and bread cut in fancy shapes with cooky cutters and toasted usually wins approval. COOKING FOR THE SICK 277 The recipes given in this chapter are suitable for use in catering to the invalid's appetite. If a doctor is attending the ill person, it is advisable for the homemaker to suggest to the physician some of the dishes she wishes to prepare. This frequently is helpful to the doctor who may not have time to work out the menu as carefully as the housemother does. Rice Water 2 tablespoonfuls rice 3 cupfuls cold water % teaspoonful salt Wash the rice thoroughly. Soak 30 minutes in the cold water, heat gradually to the boiling point and let boil until soft. Strain, reheat, season with salt, and if too thick, dilute with boiling water. Beef Juice Cut round steak into small portions or grind in a food chopper. Place in a double boiler and add a little salt. Let stand 30 minutes and then gradually heat, keeping the meat below the boiling point. Squeeze out the juice and serve either hot or cold. One pound of meat will make about % cupful of the juice. Fluffy Lemonade Eoll 1 lemon until soft and remove the juice, excluding the seeds. Add 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 1 cupful of water and 1 tablespoonful of crushed ice. Just before serving add ^4 teaspoonful of soda. Toast Water Take a thick slice of bread and cut into small cubes. Brown in the oven, sprinkle with I/4 teaspoonful of salt and add 1 cupful of hot water. Cover and let stand until cool. Strain and serve hot or cold. Beef Tea Wipe 1 pound of lean beef with a clean cloth moistened in water, cut in tiny cubes and place in a quart fruit jar. Add 2 cupfuls of cold water and % teaspoonful of salt. Then set the jar on the back part of the stove in a kettle of cold water and bring the water gradually to the boiling point. Strain and serve while hot. Sometimes this beef tea is frozen before being served. Coffee with Egg Beat the yolk of an egg until light and add to it % cupful of hof milk and % cupful of hot coffee. Slippery-Elm Tea