True food values and their low costs

Gravy is a perplexing problem in small families, where so many dishes are poor without it. How difficult it is to keep gravy on hand, in spite of the constant advice to "save the trimmings for stock," every mistress of a small family knows. By all means save bone, gristle, odds and ends of meat of all kinds, and make them into broth. Even then it often happens that on the days you have done so no gravy is required. Stock sours quickly in summer, and, besides, in no family of three or four are there odds and ends enough to ensure stock for every day. The only remedy for this is to make a stock that will keep for months — in other words, glaze. With glaze on hand you have a soup for an emergency or a rich gravy for any purpose. To make glaze, take six pounds of a knuckle of veal or leg of beef, also half a pound of lean ham, and cut into pieces the size of an egg. Rub a quarter of a pound of butter on the bottom of your pot, which should hold two gallons. Put in the meat with half a pint of water, three mediumsized onions with two cloves in each, a turnip, a carrot, and a small bunch of celery. Place over a quick fire, occasionally stirring it until the bottom of the pot is covered with a thick glaze, which will adhere lightly to the spoon. Fill up the pot with -cold water, and when at the boiling point draw to the back of the stove, where it may gently simmer three hours if veal, six if beef. Carefully skim it. Pass the stock through a fine hair-sieve into a pan, then fill up the pot again 'with hot water, and let it boil four hours longer; strain and pour both stocks into a large pot or stewpan together; set it over the fire and let boil as fast as possible, with the lid off, and with a large spoon in it to keep it from boiling over. Stir occasionally. When it is reduced to three pints, pour into a small stewpan, set again to boil, but more slowly, skimming if necessary. When it is reduced to a quart, boil again quickly, stirring it well with a wooden spoon until it begins to get thick and of a fine yellow-brown color. Be careful it does not burn. Get a sausage skin from the butcher; cut a yard of it, tie one end very tightly, and pour the glaze into it by means of a large funnel. Tie up. From it cut slices to use. A thick slice cut from this will make a bowl French butter frosting is fine and it is easily made. Take a quarter cup of fresh butter, two cups of sifted confectioners' sugar, hot water as needed, and any desired flavoring. If you have no unsalted butter, wash good table butter. To do this heat a bowl and your hands in hot water, then chill, and, taking butter into bowl, work and knead it under cold water. Place butter between folds of a clean napkin and pat dry. Now cream the butter and sugar, adding a little hot water as needed. The mixture must be light and creamy, and after being applied to the cake, set if in a coW place and the frosting will harden. This gives you the foundation for all kinds of French frosting. If you use hot coffee instead of water you have a mocha frosting, to which one or two spoonfuls of powdered chocolate may be added. Ground nuts are also nice in this frosting, or nuts and candied cherries may be set on top as decorations. Quick Mayonnaise Mayonnaise dressing for salads would be used much more frequently were it not for the time required to prepare it. By the following method the same amount may be made in a few minutes' time. Beat the egg with an egg beater, add t cauliflower, a simple salad of lettuce, if desired, and a light dessert, makes an extremely satisfying and nourishing meal, even to a most confirmed meat-eating man.