Household hints

Lemon Pie. — Prepare a crust for the pie in a deep plate, then stir one table-spoonful of corn starch into a little cold water, add one cup of boiling water, let all come to a boil ; then add seven table-spoonfuls of sugar, the well-beaten yolks of four eggs, and the grated juice and rind of two lemons ; while this is baking beat the whites of the four eggs and one heaping table-spoonful of pulverized sugar to a stiff froth ; when the pie is baked, spread this smoothly over the top, then set it in the oven for two or three minutes ; this is long enough to give it the desired golden-brown color. This is a delicious pie, and not too rich to be enjoyed. The quantity here given will make a very large pie. Apple Pie, — If your apples are easily cooked, you may put them into the crust with sugar, spice, and a little water. If the apples are hard, stew or steam them first. Cocoanut Pie, — Make an under crust only, but bring it up well around the edge, as for custard pie ; add one cup of cocoanut to one pint of sweet milk, two eggs, sweeten to taste, flavor with vanilla. Put the white of the egg on the top if you choose. Cassava Pie, — Make it like cocoanut pie, but substitute cassava for cocoanut. Pumpkin Pie, — Stew the pumpkin the day before you wish to bake pies ; cook till very soft, so that you can easily rub it through a sieve. Take three eggs to two pies if eggs are not plenty ; if they are, put two in each pie, a large cup of stewed pumpkin to one pie, milk enough to thin it sufficiently — that is, to make it like custard, season with ginger and molasses and brown sugar ; if you choose, bake till a brown crust forms over the top. Custard Pie is made like cocoanut pie, with the exception of the cocoanut, and by adding one more egg. Peach Pie is made like an apple pie, only that the peaches do not, of course, need any more cooking than they get in the crust. Be sure to make what appears to be a thick pie before it is baked, as the peaches shrink so much in cooking. Cherry Pie may be made with two crusts, or with an under crust and a sort of lattice-work over the top. Canned cherries make almost as good a pie as fresh ones, and are particularly good late in spring, when one needs something ' a little tart to quicken the appetite. Pieplant or Rhubarb Pie. — Be sure in cutting up the rhubarb to remove all the little strings on the outside of the stalk, stew in very little water, sweeten a great deal, and bake with upper and under crust. If flavored with nutmeg it will taste like a fresh apple pie. Mince Pies. — These pies can be made so that they are not more indigestible than many other things which we eat and are never troubled about afterward. In the first place, use nice tender meat ; do not for a moment think that any kind of meat will do, as it is to be chopped. Round steak will do well. Then in place of suet use butter. You can also put in some of the liquor in which your meat was boiled. No matter how good a girl you have, it is the safest course for you to look after the mince-meat yourself. Nothing can be more disagreeable or unappetizing than to find little lumps of something of whose nature you are uncertain in a mouthful of pie. The apple and meat must be chopped fine and uniformly, and be well cooked. About the seasoning, tastes differ; just keep putting in spices, boiled cider, raisins, and well-washed English currants till the right taste is imparted. Some excellent cooks keep the juice left when canning fruit on purpose for the mince-meat, and it does help to give it a fine flavor. Here is a recipe which may serve as a guide in regard to the proportion to be used : Four pounds of meat, two PUDDINGS AND PIES. 45