Six little cooks

" Thank you, my dear aunt, we won't trouble you so long as we can buy it ready-made. Perhaps if we are ever cast away on a desert island and have nothing to wash with, we may be glad to have the receipt." " Now it is time to think of our dumpling," said Aunt Jane. No. 146 — CRUST FOR DUMPLINGS. Two cups milk, one heaping tablespoonful lard and the same of butter, One teaspoonful soda and two of cream of tartar, one salt-spoon salt, flour enough to make a soft dough. Some people prefer it made with two well-beat- en eggs to a pound of flour, mixed with water enough to make a dough; the other ingredients the same. No. 147 — SUET PASTE. Rub well with half a pound finely chopped beef suet, three-quarters of a pound flour, and one saltspoon salt; make into a paste with cold water, work it well, beat it with the rolling-pin, and roll it out two or three times. This paste answers for any kind of boiled fruit pudding. No. 148 — POTATO PASTE. Mash one pound boiled potatoes, while still warm, and rub into them with the hands three-quarters of a pound flour and half a teaspoon ful salt; make it into a stiff paste with cold water; beat and roll as above. Especially nice for roller dumplings. " What are they, Aunt Jane? " " You may as well write down the recipe." No. 149 — ROLLER DUMPLINGS. Take any of the above kinds of paste and roll out very thin. Then spread it evenly to within half an inch of the edge with any kind of jam or similar preserve (not liquid), then begin with the side next you and roll up carefully to the shape of a bolster. The farther edge should be left uncovered for an inch, and the edges wet all round that they may adhere to each other. Then take a piece of stout cloth of the same shape as the roll, but larger, roll the dumpling in it, and tie up the ends, first dipping the cloth in hot water, wringing it out and flouring the inside. " Then you boil it, I suppose," said Edith. " Oh, yes, that is always understood of a dumpling, though I have seen a recipe for a baked one. I never tried it, but I have it here, and you may copy it if you choose." No. 150 — BAKED APPLE DUMPLINGS. Prepare a regular " dumpling-crust " ; roll it out, cut into squares and in the center of each lay a juicy, tart apple, pared and cored; bring the corners of the square neatly together and pinch them slightly. Lay in a buttered baking pan, the joined edges downward, and bake to a fine brown. When done, brush over with beaten egg and set back into the oven to glaze for a few minutes. Sift powdered sugar over them and eat with sauce. No. 151 — To GLAZE PASTRY. The appropriate glazing for meat pies is made with beaten yolk of egg alone, laid on with a feather or pastebrush ; for a lighter color (like that for the baked dumplings), the whole of the egg may be beaten together. The best method of glazing fruit tarts before they are sent to the oven is to moisten the paste with ice-water, sift sugar thickly upon it, and press it lightly with the hand; but when a whiter icing is preferred, the pastry must be drawn from the oven when nearly baked and brushed with white of egg whisked to a froth, then well covered with the sifted sugar and sprinkled with a few drops of water before it is put in again.