The household cook book

These always please the children. Have the turtles all made the day before, and ready on a plate. Take large raisins and flatten them; insert at one end a whole clove, with the head sticking out for the head of the turtle; at the other end insert the stem of a clove with the smaller end out for the turtle's tail; on each side insert two cloves with the heads picked out leaving the spurs on for the claws of the turtle. Make nice round cookies, spread a thick frosting on one side, and place a turtle on the frosting to dry. SAND TARTS. Put together 2 cups sugar (heaped), 1 cup butter, 4 cups flour (level); add 2 beaten eggs, mix smooth, roll out, and cut into cakes; wash over with egg beaten whole, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake. TRILBY LAYER CAKE (Fine). 2 cups powdered sugar. 1 cup sweet milk. 1 cup butter. 4 whites of eggs. 3 cups sifted flour. 2 scant teaspoons baking powder. Flavor to taste. For high altitudes use flour not sifted, and less sugar and butter (see pages 16 and 358). For filling, use Boiled Icing Filling (given on page 360) with finely chopped figs or walnuts stirred in. NDER this head may be found recipes for making many delicate dishes with corn-starch, eggs, gelatine, etc., which can be prepared in the morning, or the day before they are to be used, and, in warm weather, served cold as dessert. Fresh new milk should be used whenever a recipe calls for milk, but condensed milk can be used if fresh milk is not to be obtained. If cream is used it should be sweet, and as fresh as possible — the cream from " separators " and creamers is the safest to use. Thin cream with milk mixed in it will not whip to a froth. The colder it is the better it whips — in warm weather it is apt to turn to butter. If cream is slightly turned a very liUle cooking soda dissolved in a little cold water may be mixed with it and will restore it without injuring the flavor. The soda (alkali) counteracts the lactic acid developed in souring. Milk should be scalded in a double boiler made for the purpose; or use a tin pail set in a kettle of boiling water which answers very well, and is not likely to be melted to pieces by a careless servant. So many warnings against using bad eggs have already been given that we need not rej)eat them here. Beat eggs in stone or earthenware and not in tin, as explained for cakes. It is an improvement to strain yolks through a small wire strainer after beating them. The yolks alone, or the whole egg, can be used for floats and boiled custards. To add the eggs so that they will not curdle there are sev eral ways. One way is to heat the milk till a slight foam appears on top, then put in the sugar, which cools it so that the eggs can be added without curdling. Another way is to mix in a bowl, the sugar and beaten yolks, then gradually add a little of the boiling milk which will heat the eggs and sugar; then slowly stir them into the boiling milk; stir constantly until it thickens a little but do not leave long enough to curdle; then at once set the pail containing it in cold water or else turn it into a cold dish, as, if left in the hot pail, it will curdle. Molds when used for blanc mange, charlotte russe and all creams, should be first wet with cold water.