Mother's Remedies by Thomas Jefferson Ritter (positive books to read txt) 📕

as it can be handled form into balls and press the half of an English walnut or pecan on one side.

WAFERS.—To make wafers, boil without stirring two cups of granulated sugar, a half cup of water. When it will "spin a thread" set the kettle in cold water and beat till creamy. Flavor with peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon, or any flavor you choose. Squeeze through a pastry tube upon paraffin paper in quantities that will spread to the size of a quarter dollar.

Chocolate Peppermint Wafers.—Take some of the fondant prepared as above, flavor rather strongly with peppermint and dip in sweet chocolate.

MOLASSES CANDIES.—Nothing pleases children more than a "candy pull." Turn them loose in the kitchen and let them make molasses taffy.

Molasses Taffy.—Boil a cup of good Porto Rico molasses, a cup of brown sugar and a piece of butter the size of an egg until a little will harden, in cold water. Cool on buttered plates, and as soon as it can be handled grease the fingers and pull till hard and light colored. To prevent boiling over, grease the edge of the pan or kettle in which it is boiled.

[CANDY MAKING 853]

Molasses Taffy No. 2.—Four cups of sugar, two of molasses, half a cup of vinegar. Boil till it hardens in cold water, then add a tablespoonful of soda dissolved in a little water. Pour into buttered dishes and pull when sufficiently cool to handle.

Butter Scotch.—One cup of each of sugar and molasses, half a cup of vinegar, one tablespoonful of butter and a quarter teaspoonful of soda.

Nougat.—Nuts intended for nougat should be blanched, skinned and dried. Melt in a porcelain lined vessel, one pound of fine white sugar with two tablespoonfuls of water, stirring continually with a wooden spoon. Heat the nuts in the oven, after chopping them, add to the syrup, and stir for five minutes. Remove from the fire and add a little grated lemon rind. Oil a flat pan; place it in a warm place on the range and pour the candy into it. When brown, turn out of the mould, cut in cubes and wrap in oiled paper.

Nut Bars.—Chop any kind of nutmeats you prefer, or a mixture of nuts, moderately fine. Butter a shallow pan and spread the nuts evenly over the bottom. Boil one pound of granulated sugar with half a cup of water and a pinch of cream of tartar till thick, but not too brittle. Pour over the nuts and set aside to cool. When it begins to harden mark into bars with a sharp knife. Let stand several days, when it becomes soft and delicious.

Nut Loaf.—Chop nutmeats into small pieces and work into fondant. Make into a roll, and after standing a day or two, cut into slices. Chopped dates, figs and raisins may be used in the same way.

Peanut Candy.—Carefully remove the shells and brown skins from roasted peanuts. Put them an inch thick in a buttered pan. Boil a pound of crushed loaf sugar with three gills of water and a salt spoon of cream of tartar (to prevent graining) dissolved in water, to the caramel stage. The instant the sugar reaches that point, shown by its beginning to brown, it must be removed from the fire and the pan set in cold water to check the boiling; then pour over the nuts.

Pop Corn Candy.—Boil two cups of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter and a cup of water until it threads. Stir in four quarts of nice popped corn, rejecting all hard kernels, take from the fire and stir till cool. Make into balls.

Popcorn Baskets.—Prepare the corn as above, instead of making into balls, butter the bottoms of tumblers and press the candy around them to form little baskets, in which ice cream may be served or which may be filled with candies.

Sour Drops.—Strain the juice of three or four large lemons into a bowl, and stir in powdered loaf sugar till it is quite thick. Put into a pan and let boil five minutes, stirring constantly. Drop from the end of a spoon upon writing paper, and when dry keep in tin cannisters. Tartaric acid is generally used by commercial candy makers, but is much more injurious to health.

[854 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

Crystallized Fruits.—Other Candies.—Boil two cups of granulated sugar with two-thirds of a cup of water until it hardens in cold water, do not stir. When it is brittle without being sticky, it is ready to use. Dip the fruit to be candied, sections of oranges, white grapes, cherries, squares of pineapple, etc., into this, and lay on paraffin paper. Dip a second time after the first has hardened, to ensure a good coat. Use the same rule for the syrup to glace nuts.

Cream Dates.—Remove the stones from nice dates. Replace them with the roll of flavored fondant. Or roll a blanched almond in fondant and stuff the date with it.

Hoarhound Candy.—Boil the hoarhound in a little water till the strength is extracted. Make a sugar syrup, adding the hoarhound to it; let it boil up and stir against the sides of the pan until it thickens. Pour out on paraffin paper dusted with fine sugar, and cut into squares.

Marshmallows.—Dissolve over a slow fire eight ounces of best gum arabic in three gills of water. Boil one ounce of marshmallow roots in a little water for half an hour. Strain, and boil down. Put this and the gum arabic solution with half a pound of loaf sugar, let it cook slowly till it makes a paste that can be rolled between the fingers to the "soft ball" stage. Then add the beaten whites of two eggs; when well mixed pour in a pan which should be lined with white paper, with enough projecting over the sides so that as the mixture cools it can be lifted out and cut in cups with a sharp knife, then rolled in powdered sugar.

Marrons Glaces.—Remove the shells from a quart of large Italian or French chestnuts. Let stand fifteen minutes in boiling water. Drain; rub off the skin; cover again with boiling water and simmer gently half an hour or till tender, but not soft. Drain in a sieve. Boil together one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water; add the nuts and simmer until they begin to look clear. Make another syrup of one pound of granulated sugar and one cup of water; boil till it will spin a thread, add a teaspoonful of lemon juice and set aside till it cools a little; then beat till it begins to turn white. Set in a basin of hot water, flavor with vanilla, and when melted to a syrup, dip each nut. When coated, lay on paraffin paper to dry. These sugared chestnuts are highly esteemed as a sweetmeat and are expensive to buy.

Stick Candy.—Three pounds of granulated sugar, two cups of water, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar dissolved in a little warm water. Stir over the fire till the sugar is dissolved; cover the kettle while the syrup is boiling and skim carefully a few drops. When it will harden in cold water, take from the fire and add the flavoring and coloring, then pour on well buttered plates. When cool, pull, and make into sticks or mark off into squares.

[CANDY MAKING 855]

School Girl's Delight.—Two cups of white sugar, three-fourths cup of golden color corn syrup and a quarter cup of water. Put into a granite sauce pan and boil till a little will crisp in cold water. Beat the whites of two eggs very stiff in a large bowl; pour the syrup very slowly into the bowl, beating the while, and beat and stir until it begins to harden. Then add one teaspoonful of vanilla, half a cup of chopped nutmeats, and five cents worth of dates, cut up with the scissors. Pour upon oiled paper in a flat pan and cut in squares. Those who eat this candy will ask to have it made again.

A Few Hints.—Many candy makers consider coffee A sugar, better than the granulated, as being purer. Choose a sugar that is dry, uniform in quality and with hard, sparkling crystals. Cane sugar is greatly to be preferred over beet sugar. When you can, let the sugar and water stand together for some time. The syrup may be stirred until it reaches the boiling point, but not afterward. Unless otherwise specified, cook over a hot fire. The syrup passes quickly from one degree to another and must be tested often and carefully. Cream of tartar must be dissolved in a little warm water before being put into the syrup. So also must soda. If you use nuts, be careful to remove every particle of shell and skin before putting them into the syrup. Almonds are blanched by letting them stand in boiling water for a few minutes and then nipping off the skins between the fingers. They should be warmed in the oven before being put into the syrup. Dessicated cocoanut should be steamed a few minutes before being used; put in a dish in a colander over boiling water. Use the fresh cocoanut if you can get it. Bonbons made of fondant are probably the easiest form of candy making for the amateur to attempt, and the most interesting on account of the variety possible through the use of other materials in combination.

[858 MOTHERS' REMEDIES ] OVER THREE HUNDRED MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES A GOLD MINE OF INFORMATION FOR PROGRESSIVE HOUSEWIVES HOUSEKEEPERS' ALPHABET.

Apples.—Keep in a dry place, as cool as possible, without freezing.

Brooms.—Hang in the cellarway to keep soft and pliant.

Cranberries.—Keep under water in cellar; change water monthly.

Dish of hot water set in oven prevents cake from scorching.

Economize health, time, and means and you will never beg.

Flour.—Keep cool, dry and securely covered.

Glass.—Clean with a quart of water mixed with a tablespoonful of ammonia.

Herbs.—Gather when beginning to blossom; keep in paper sacks.

Ink Stains.—Wet with spirits of turpentine; after three hours, rub well.

Jars.—To prevent, coax husband to your will rather than order him.

Keep an account of all supplies with cost and date when purchased.

Love lightens labor.

Money.—Count carefully when you receive change.

Nutmegs.—Prick with a pin and if good oil will run out.

Orange and Lemon Peel.—Dry, pound and keep in corked bottles.

Parsnips.—Keep in ground until spring.

Quicksilver and white of an egg destroys bedbugs.

Rice.—Select the large, with a clear fresh look; old rice may have insects.

Sugar.—For family use, the granulated is the best.

Tea.—Equal parts Japan and green are as good as English breakfast.

Use a cement made of ashes, salt and water for cracks in stove.

Variety is the best culinary spice.

Watch your back yard for dirt and bones.

Xantippe was a scold. Don't imitate her.

Youth is best preserved by a cheerful temper.

Zinc lined sinks are better than wooden ones.

Regulate the clock by your husbands watch, and in all apportionment of time remember the Giver.

[MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES 857]

1. Charcoal to Prevent Rust.—Charcoal absorbs all dampness, for which reason it should be kept in boxes with silverware to prevent rust.

2. A Needle Holder.—A guest of ours kept all her needles in a bottle in which was a pinch or two of emery. She said that it keeps them always bright and free from rust, and she finds it much easier to pick out the needle she wants from the bottle than from a tray.

3. Care of a Scrubbing Brush.—Scrubbing brushes should never be put away with their bristles upward, for thus the water would soak into the wooden part and the bristles would soon become loose.

4. In Case of Sickness.—In our home, when hot cloths are needed wet ones are put in a steamer, and water kept boiling underneath. In this way the cloths are more easily handled and can be applied as hot as needed.

5. To Tighten Cane-Seated Chair Bottoms.—Cane-seated chair bottoms that have sagged may be made as tight as ever by washing them with hot water and leaving them to dry in the open air.

6. For Chilblains.—To relieve the chilblains bathe the feet in warm water at night, then rub them with castor oil. This method will cure very bad cases.

7. Paint, Smoked by Kerosene Lamps.—Paint that has been smoked by kerosene lamps may be cleaned with kerosene, which can afterward be