Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1880 — HOUSEKEEPERS’ HELPS. [ARTICLE]

HOUSEKEEPERS’ HELPS.

Old potatoes may be freshened up by plunging them into cold water before cooking them. Never wash raisins that are to be used in sweet dishes. It will make the pudding heavy. In boiling dumplings of any kind, put them in the water one at a time. If they are put in together they will mix with each other. Cookies.—Two cups of sugar; one of butter; two eggs; one-half cup of sweet milk; three teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Flavor to suit the taste; mix stiff; bake in a quick oven. Tea Cake.—(hie cup of sugar and two eggs beaten well together, half a cup of butter, half a cup of sweet cream, two cups of flour, and three teaspoonfuls of baking powder. A delicious breakfast cake may be made by taking enough bread sponge to make, when risen and baked, a cake about two inches thick; knead into it a a piece of butter about the size of half an egg; after it is in the tin put on the top little lumps of butter and then cover it with fine white sugar and ground cinnamon; when baked there will be a sort of crust over the cake. This is verv nice with coffee. Soda Cake.—Since the introduction of baking powder this cake has been but little made. It is, however, very good and useful by way of a change. Rub half. a pound of butter into two pounds flour. vv-x with it a pound of currants, half a pound of raw sugar, two ounces of shred candied peel and a little grated nutmeg. Beat up two eggs, add them to a pint of new milk and two teaspoonfuls of carbonate of soda, stir quickly into a cake and bake immediately. Apple Fritters.—One pint of sweet milk, six eggs, flour enough to form a stiff batter, a pinch of salt, half a teaspoonful of salaratus, a teaspoonful of cream of tartar; then slice some good sour apples rathe.? thin and mix in the batter. Fry in hot lard, browning them nicely on both sides. Sauce—a little cream and sugar. They are nice made of raisins or currants instead of apples. Delicious if made of canned peaches, and the juice of the peaches well sweetened and poured over them when served for sauce. Sausage.—Nine pounds of fresh pork, six teaspoonfuls of black pepper, eight of salt, and ten of powdered sage. Mix thoroughly, cook a bit to see if properly seasoned, and pack in jars, covering with melted lard. If you prefer to keep in skins, empty them, cut them into lengths,, scrape with a dull knife, put to soak in salt and water, let stand three days, then turn them inside out and soak two days longer. Again scrape, rinse well in soda (baking) and water, wipe, tie up one end, blow into it, and if whole and clean, stuff with meat

Homemade Yeast.—Boil two ounces of hops in four quarts of water for about half an hour, strain it and let the liquor ‘cool to new-milk warmth, then put in a handful of salt and half a pound of brown sugar; beat up one pound of flour with some of the liquor, then mix all well together. Let it stand two days; then add two pounds of boiled and mashed potatoes, mix as before, and allow it to stand another day; then strain and put into bottles, when it is ready for use. This yeast must be frequently stirred while making and kept near the fire, so that it may never be quite cold. It should ferment spontaneously in the pan in which it is made.