Oatmeal Gruel (Dr. Rice, of Colorado), No. 1.
Add one tea-cupful of oatmeal to two quarts of boiling water, slightly salted; let this cook for two hours and a half, then strain it through a sieve. When cold, add to one gill of the gruel one gill of thin cream and one tea-spoonful of sugar. To this quantity add one pint of boiling water, and it is ready for use.
Beef (Dr. Rice), No. 2.
Scrape one-half pound of beef, and remove all the shreds; add one-half pint of water, and three drops of muriatic acid. Let it stand one hour; then strain it through a sieve, and add a small portion of salt.
HOW TO SERVE FRUITS.
The French deserve much praise for their taste in arranging fruits for the table. They almost invariably serve them with leaves, even resorting to artificial ones in winter.
In the following arrangements, I have some of their dainty dishes in mind.
Strawberries.
The French serve large fine strawberries without being hulled. Pulverized sugar is passed, the strawberry is taken by the thumb and finger by the hull, dipped into the sugar, and eaten. The Wilson strawberry, however, which seems to be our principal market strawberry, certainly requires stemming, and deluging with sugar before serving.