Household hints

Oyster Soup. — Rinse the oysters in cold water, drain off all the liquor brought from the market, have the milk with a little water in hot on the stove, then pour in the oysters, season with butter, pepper, and salt. Let them just come to a boil ; if you have any doubt whether they are cooked sufficiently, try one with a silver spoon ; if you can cut it in pieces easily, it is done. Scalloped Oysters. — Put a layer of cracker crumbs, with lumps of butter on it, in the bottom of your pan, or dish, then a layer of oysters with pepper and salt scattered over them, and so on alternately until the dish is full ; moisten with warm water ; have a layer of cracker crumbs on the top, with plenty of butter on it. Bake slowly ; when bubbles of air come up to the surface you have reason to suppose that they are done. If you have not a pretty or even good-looking dish in which to serve scalloped oysters, a common yellow dish may be made presentable by covering it with a napkin. Fold the napkin in the shape of a half-handkerchief, put around the dish and pin it ; tuck the corners in and fold under the dish, then set it on a plate, or small platter. Be careful to put the napkin on smoothly, letting it come just to the edge of the dish. Oysters Broiled. — Take good -sized oysters and broil on a wire gridiron ; take off when done and lay on a hot plate ; put a little lump of butter on each one, and pepper and salt to your taste. 30 nOUSEUOLD BINTS, Fried Oysters. — The larger the oyster the better. Make a batter of flour and milk, or flour and water, dip the oyster in it and then fry in lard, browning both sides ; or dip the oyster into a well-beaten egg, and then roll it in cracker crumbs ; pepper and salt them ; a judicious sprinkling of cayenne pepper is thought by some epicures to give zest to the dish. Oyster Fritters. — Make a batter as for fried oysters, and put into it chopped oysters. Clam Fritters are made just as you make them of oysters. Clam Soup. — Take the required number of clams, chop them fine, then cook in a little water, with butter, pepper, and salt ; when almost done, put in milk or cream, and in soup enough for four persons put one cup of rolled crackers ; serve hot. I have seen inveterate haters of clams eat this soup and ask for more. Fried Lobster, — If, when making salad, you have more lobster than you wish to use for that, keep it in a cool place, and fry in butter and bread crumbs for breakfast. Potatoes. — There is a right and a wrong way of boiling potatoes, as well as of doing anything else. The right way is to have the water boiling when the potatoes are put in ; the length of time required to boil them depends on the size of the potato, and varies from twenty minutes to half an hour. The true way to cook them is to leave their jackets on ; but, if peeled, be sure to put a large pinch of salt in the water, and the moment they are done turn the water off and let them stand for a short time in the hot kettle over the fire ; turn them carefully with a silver spoon that all may be equally dry and and none be burned. Steaming is a very satisfactory way to cook them ; it takes a little longer. A tempting way to serve potatoes in the spring is to boil them with plenty of salt in the water ; then, when tender, turn all the water off ; let the kettle stand on the top of the stove till the potatoes are dry ; mash them until they are free from lumps ; add a little sweet milk or cream, butter, pepper, and salt, if this is needed ; then put the potato in the dish in which it is to be served, and set it in the oven to brown over the top. If your potatoes are not very sweet this is an especially good way to cook them.