Stuffing for Geese and Ducks.—2 chopped onions, 2 cups mashed potato, 1 cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and powdered sage to taste.
Stuffing for Tomatoes, Green Peppers, etc.—1 cup dry bread crumbs, ⅓ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon onion juice, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons melted butter. Hominy, rice, or other cooked cereal may take the place of crumbs.
Poultry
To Clean Poultry.—Put 2 tablespoons alcohol in saucer, ignite, and over this singe the fowl. Cut off head just below bill. Untie feet, break bone, and loosen sinews just below the joint; pull out sinews and cut off feet. Cut out oil-sac. Lay breast down, slit skin down backbone toward head; loosen windpipe and crop and pull them out. Cut off neck close to body. Make small slit below end of breast-bone, put in the fingers, loosen intestines from backbone, take firm grasp of gizzard and draw all out. Cut round the vent so that the intestines are unbroken. Remove heart and lungs. Remove kidneys. See that inside looks clean, then wipe out with wet cloth. Wipe off skin with cloth.
To Truss Poultry.—Fill inside with stuffing (see [Stuffings]). Have at least 1 yard fine twine in trussing-needle. Turn wings across back so that pinions touch. Run needle through thick part of wing under bone, through body and wing on other side; return in same way, but passing needle in over bone, tie firmly, leave several inches of twine. Press legs up against body, run needle through thigh, body, and second thigh, and return, going round bone in same way; tie firmly. Run needle through ends of legs, return, passing needle through rump; if opening is badly torn, 1 or 2 stitches may be needed, otherwise not.
To Roast Poultry.—Rub all over with soft butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on rack in roasting-pan and put in very hot oven. Make basting-mixture with ½ cup each of butter or chicken-fat and water; keep hot and baste every 10 or 15 minutes. Roast 3 hours for 8-pound turkey, 1 to 1½ hours for fowls. Keep oven very hot. If fowl is very large and heavy, cover breast and legs with several thicknesses paper to keep from burning.
Poultry Gravy.—Pour off excess of fat in pan. Set pan on stove and sprinkle in sufficient flour to absorb fat. Stir until well browned. Gradually add hot water, or the chopped giblets with water in which they were cooked; stir till smoothly thickened. Season, simmer for few minutes, and serve.
Broiled Chicken.—Singe, split down backbone, and clean. Grease broiler, arrange chicken on it, crossing legs and turning wings. Rub inside and out with soft butter, and season. Have fire clear and hot. Cook flesh side first, holding up well that it may not brown too quickly. Should cook in about 20 or 25 minutes, then turn and brown skin side.
Fried Spring Chicken.—Clean and disjoint, then soak in salt water for 2 hours. Put in frying-pan equal parts of lard and butter—in all enough to cover chicken. Roll each piece in flour, dip in beaten egg, then roll in cracker crumbs, and drop into the boiling fat. Fry until browned on both sides. Serve on flat platter garnished with sprigs of parsley. Pour most of fat from frying-pan, thicken the remainder with browned flour, add to it cup of boiling water or milk. Serve in gravy-boat.