The fun of cooking

^^What a pity I *m so stupid about arithmetic I'' sighed Mildred. ** Think of having to take twice one and three quarter pints of sugar, and twice one and a half cups of vinegar I I '11 never get them right. ' ' * * Mildred, you remind me of a story some one told me the other day, about a girl who had just come home from college; it 's a true story too, and the girl lives right in this town. She thought she would like to learn to cook, so she found a rule for cake in the cook-book and read it to herself; it began something like this: Three cups of flour, two cups of sugar, three teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, and so on. Presently her mother went into the kitchen and found on the table three cups, all filled with flour, two more cups fiilled with sugar, one cup of milk, another cup of raisins, three teaspoons in a row, all filled with baking-powder, and so on. Think of thatr' *'I s'pose they didn't teach multiplying in that college,'' said Brownie, sympathetically. Mildred and her mother laughed. **Well, I suppose I 'U just have to learn to do fractions in my head 1 ' ' said Mildred. ** There is n't any other way, if you are going to be a good cook," her mother replied. **You can't guess at things, or you will spoil them ; you have to measure exactly. Now that you have finished these grapes, I '11 give you some more receipts, if you want them. ' ' The girls hastened to bring out their pretty red-covered books. **Just see. Mother Blair," said Mildred, turning over the leaves, **how many pages are filled up — ^with such good things, tool" And she gave a sigh of such complete satisfaction, that her mother laughed. Then they settled themselves at the table to write the new receipts. APPLE CONSERVE 4 pints of apples, measured after they are peeled and cut up in bits. 4 pints of sugar. 2 lemons, juice and grated peeL 2 large pieces of preserved ginger (the kind that comes in little pots). Mix all together and cook till thick; about an hour and a half. CRANBERRY CONSERVE 2% pints of washed and chopped cranberries. 2% pints of sugar. 2 large oranges. 1 pint (or package) seeded raisins, chopped a little; after washing. Cut the oranges in halves and take out the pulp with a spoon; then scrape the skins well till they are clean and not very much of the white lining is left; chop the rest. Mix all together and cook till thick. ** These two conserves are so very nice that we do not put them on the table and eat them up any day in the week, but save them for Sunday night supper and other tunes like that/* said Mother Blair ; * * and sometimes they can go into sandwiches for afternoon tea. Now would you like just a very easy jelly ! Here is a nice one. ' ' APPLE JELLY Wash twenty red apples that are not very sweet; cut them up in small pieces without peeling them or taking out the cores. Put them in a kettle and just cover them with water; cook slowly till it is all like soft apple-sauce. Then put it in a bag — a flour sack is the best — ^tie up the top, and hang the bag up over night with a large bowl underneath to catch the juice. In the morning measure this. Mix 1 pint of juice. 1 small pint of sugar. Put on the fire and boil gently twenty minutes, skimming it occasionally; lift off the saucepan and drop into the jelly one large lemon, cut up in quarters, squeezing them a little; then put a small wire strainer over each jellyglass in turn and pour the jelly into each from a cup. *' There! When yon can make that kind of jelly, yon will almost have learned how to make any other kind. And this is lovely, so pink and delicate, and it always gets just firm enough and not too stiff to be nice. Now, Mildred, you may try this to-morrow if you like, and, if it 's perfect, you shall have a prize. * *