Household hints

Hattie's Loaf Cake, — Two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, three cups and a half of flour, one scant cup of sweet milk, five eggs, one heaping tea-spoonful of baking powder ; beat the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, add half a cup of pulverized sugar, six table-spoonfuls of grated chocolate, two tea-spoonfuls of vanilla. After putting this on the top of the cake, set it in the oven to harden. Measure Pound Cake, — One teacup of butter, one coffee-cup of sugar, one cup and a half of flour, five large eggs or six small ones, one cup of stoned raisins, one tea-spoonful of mace. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream ; scatter flour over the raisins, and put them in a layer, with two thirds of the cake dough under them, and the other third over them. Maggie^ s Cookies, — Two cups of white sugar, two eggs, one cup of butter (melted), one tea-spoonful of soda, six table-spoonfuls of cold water ; roll thin. You may scatter cocoanut over the top before baking, and put on three or four raisins. If cut in fancy shapes they look inviting. Sar all's Cookies, — Two cups of molasses (New Orleans), one cup of sugar, one cup of butter, one cup of boiling water, two tea-spoonfuls of soda, two table-spoonfuls of ginger, one table-spoonful of cinnamon ; roll as soft as possible. If you like the flavor of coffee, you can use half cold coffee and half water. Oinger Snaps. — One cup of molasses, one cup of sugar, one cup of butter (or part lard), half a cup of hot water, two tea-spoonfuls of soda, two tea - spoonfuls of ginger. In cold weather I sometimes put the molasses, sugar, and water all together in a pan and heat them, then add the soda. Make a stiff dough, knead it well, roll out thin, and bake in a quick oven. Almond Cookies. — Two pounds of butter, three pounds of sugar, one pound of almonds (blanched and pounded), two tea-spoonfuls of cinnamon, one tea-spoonful of soda, one cup of boiling water, one lemon, one dozen eggs ; mix like other cookies. Put the almonds on the top after the cookies are in the tins, and sprinkle sugar over them. This recipe makes a large number, and you can, of course, vary it to suit your needs. Hickory-nut Cookies. — Two cups of sugar, half a cup of butter, two eggs, six table-spoonfuls of sweet milk, one tea-spoonful of cream of tartar, half a tea-spoonful of soda, one cup of chopped meats, stirred into the dough. Custard. — Plain boiled custard: To one quart of milk add four well-beaten eggs ; sugar to taste ; flavor with lemon or vanilla. Put it in a small pan and set this in a larger one with hot water in. Cook until it thickens. Take a little out on a saucer, let it cool, and you can judge from that how long to keep it in the hot water. If left in the pan until it cools, it will thicken some even after it is taken out of the water. Floating Islands. — Cook the same as for plain boiled custard, omitting the whites of the eggs, and adding a table-spoonful of com starch ; stir the corn starch into the cold milk to dissolve it. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff frothy and drop from a large spoon into a colander which you have placed over a pan of boiling water. Sweet Cream, — Take perfectly sweet cream, whip it to a stiff froth, sweeten and flavor to taste ; serve in wine-glasses with cake. Spanish Cream. — Put one half of a box of gelatine to Eoak in a goblet of cold water. Put one pint and a half of sweet milk on the stove. When it comes to the boiling point pour in the gelatine, stirring it all the time till it is entirely dissolved. Beat the yolks of three eggs and one cupful of sugar, pour slowly into the milk, and let it scald until it begins to curdle. Then add the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, put in as quickly as possible and pour into the mold immediately. Flavor with vanilla.