Household science and arts

Wash, dry, and chill the lettuce leaves. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs ; chop the white fine, arrange it on lettuce leaves, and pour the dressing over it. Force the yolks through a potato ricer over the top. CHICKEN SALAD Cut cold cooked chicken or fowl into halfinch cubes. Wash the celery and out it into pieces of about the same size. Mix the chicken and celery with a half cup of salad Digitized by Google INVALID COOKERY 153 dressing. Arrange the mixture on a salad dish, cover it with dressing, and garnish it with celery tips. Invalid Cookery Importance. — Food for the sick is a matter of great importance, as in many many cases a patient's recovery depends on the kind, the quality, and the quantity of food furnished during illness. The appetite of those who are sick is poor. And generally speaking, a sick patient has no desire for food unless it is selected to his liking, cooked well, served attractively, and served in small quantities. So the skillful housekeeper must be able to know what kinds of food are good for invalids, and she must know how to prepare and serve it in such a way that the invalid will desire to eat it. Diet for the sick is classified as liquids, semi-solids, and convalescent foods. Liquid diet consists entirely of liquid food, such as milk, beef tea, beef juice, strained broth, strained gruel, and cooling drinks. These are given during severe illnesses. Tea, coffee, and other stimulants should be given only when the physician consents to their use by the invalid. Semisolids are given in less severe illness, or when *a patient is beginning to improve. This diet includes everything in liquid diet and also the following : — Apple sauce, Nos. 9-11. Baked apples, No. 8. Baked custard, No. 96. Baked rice, No. 57. Caramel junket, No. 66. Cereals, Nos. 61-54, Creamed oysters, No. 161. Digitized by Google Gelatin dishes, Nos. 132-136. Goldenrod eggs, No. 94. Ice creams, Nos. 300-305. Junket, No. 65. Milk toast. No. 36. Mutton broth, No. 100. Oyster stew No. 158. Raw oysters. Rhubarb sauce. No. 12. Scalloped oysters. No. 157. Sherbets, Nos. 296-298. Soft-cooked eggs, Nos. 45, 86, 87. Soft custard. No. 96. Soups, Steamed rice, No. 56.. Stewed prunes, No. 16. Convalescent Diet, — Convalescent diet includes all easily digested foods. Even small quantities of foods difficult of digestion should be avoided. Preparation and Serving. — All foods for the sick should be carefully cooked. Hot foods should be served very hot. Cold foods should be served very cold. It is necessary also that the food be served punctually at exactly such intervals as the physician advises. The housekeeper should make a study of making the invalid tray appear dainty and attractive. The dishes and tray linen should be the best in the house. A single flower or even a cluster of leaves will often make the tray attractive. If the contents of the tray can be gent into the sick room as a surprise, the appetite of the patient is often tempted when he would not feel like eating what he had been expecting to see. All food should be seasoned to the invalid's taste before presenting the tray to him. It should be removed from the room and from sight as soon as the patient has finished with it. Digitized by Google INVALID COOKERY 1 lemon (juice) 1 c. boiling water 2 tbs. sugar 1 thin slice lemon i c. grated pineapple Juice 1 lemon 2 tbs. sugar J c. boiling water f c. very cold water 1 orange (juice) 1 ts. lemon juice li tbs. sugar 1 c. boiling water 2 tbs. Irish moss 2i c. boiling water 4 tbs. lemon juice Sugar to taste