Cut the white stalks of celery the length of asparagus, boil in as little salted water as possible until quite tender. The root, cut in slices, is equally good. Dress with drawn butter made with the water in which the celery was boiled. This vegetable is said to be a sedative and antidote to nervous debility.
Selecting Meats.
For a roast of beef, select from the ribs nearest the point of the shoulder-blade, running backward. For steaks, choose that with the diamond bone on either side. For chops of mutton or lamb, select the rib. For roasting, choose the loin or saddle; and for boiling, the leg of mutton—but not of lamb, the latter being best roasted. For corned-beef, select parts commonly known as the navel and plate pieces, and next best to these, the brisket and rounds.
Rebecca Jackson's Rice Pudding.
Take 1 quart of rich milk; 3⁄4 of a coffee-cup of rice, well washed, and a lump of butter the size of an egg, and 1 nutmeg. This pudding must be made quite sweet, and without eggs. Bake three hours in a moderate oven, stirring occasionally the first hour. Bake until the top is a dark brown. To be eaten cold.
[This pudding—which was a common dish in the last century—was generally baked on Saturday for Sunday's dessert.]
Bread-and-Butter Pudding.
To 1 quart of milk, add 3 or 4 eggs, well beaten, with sugar enough to make rather sweet, and season with nutmeg or cinnamon. Put in a baking-pan and cover with slices of nice bread, buttered on both sides. Bake until the bread is nicely browned, taking care, however, not to bake too much, which would make it watery. Good either hot or cold.
Codfish Cakes.
Pick boiled codfish in small bits, adding equal quantities of mashed potato and fish, with two eggs, well beaten, seasoning with black pepper, and roll in a little flour, the shape of a small cake. Fry in sweet lard, or nice drippings, to a nice brown, but not hard.