Kitabı oku: «Armour's Monthly Cook Book, Volume 2, No. 12, October 1913», sayfa 5

Little Stories by Our Readers

A Ham Story

As we are lovers of good ham we always use Armour's Star Brand. I generally buy the ham on Saturday as it keeps better than fresh meat. I buy a whole ham (try to get one about ten pounds), then get the dealer to cut two nice slices thick enough to broil, a little beyond the center, leaving two nice ends, the string end the smaller. One slice I use for Sunday morning Breakfast, the other one I wrap in a moist cloth, place between two plates. This will keep three or four days.

I now take the large end, put it on in cold water, let simmer for a couple of hours, then take out and drain; cut off skin, and part of the fat and put it in the oven to finish cooking. The skin I save for use on the griddle, the fat I render and use the dripping for salads. After baking, serve hot or cold, sliced; I still have a small end and one slice left, the small end I boil until thoroughly done, take out and use the water for vegetables, such as cabbage, spinach, beans, etc. The small end does not slice as well as the other so I take all the meat from the bone, and put it through the chopper, grind it fine, and use it for ham loaf, toast filling for tomato cups or for ham omelet. The baked end I serve sliced, also, use for sandwiches. If I have to keep the sandwiches I put them in a moistened napkin; it keeps the ham moist and juicy.

How I Arrange to Use a Whole Ham

Sunday Breakfast: Water cress, slice Star Ham broiled with milk gravy, hot rolls, coffee, home-made peach cake.

Sunday Dinner: Beef pot roast, white potatoes whipped, sweet potatoes roasted under the meat, cauliflower boiled in the ham water, cream dressing, fruit sherbet, in which I use Armour's Grape Juice.

Sunday Supper: Cold baked Star Ham sliced thin, or tomato cups on lettuce with mustard dressing, white bread and butter, home-made cake, sliced peaches, and tea.

To make Tomato Cups, take medium size tomatoes, skin them (by pouring boiling water over them first, this is easily done) and put on ice until cold; scoop out the center. Make a filling of minced ham, a little chicken, breadcrumbs (equal parts), a seasoning of chopped peppers; fill tomatoes; on top of each put a little mustard dressing. Set each cup on a lettuce leaf, and serve.

Now I still have one slice of ham left, some minced ham, some of the baked ham. The last slice I broil and serve with poached eggs; the baked ham, makes sandwiches. The week I buy a whole ham I don't buy much other meat. Trusting this will be of value to some, I remain, – I. M. B., Philadelphia.

Milk Toast

"Have kept Armour's Beef Extract always on hand for years and it has helped me out of many a tight place. One day the children teased for milk toast for supper, and to my dismay I found the milk was 'short' that day. Not wishing to disappoint them I tried to see what I could do. I made a consommé with Armour's Beef Extract, using a quarter teaspoonful to a cup and seasoning it with salt and pepper, and used this in the same way as I would milk. Our 'milk' toast was fit for a king. The children pronounced it the best ever. In these times of high prices, with milk at ten cents per quart, many a family would welcome such an excellent substitute as Armour's Extract."

Most useful are the Armour's Bouillon Cubes. I use them in preparing soups, gravies, dissolved and poured over a roast while cooking. I give my husband and children each one in a cup of hot water, every morning for breakfast, the first thing, as it seems to be an appetizer; also serve it to my aged parents in the morning before rising, as it gives them strength to make their toilet. They are both very aged and failing and the effect of the bouillon is wonderful. My husband also takes Armour's Bouillon Cubes with him in his lunch basket to the factory where he holds a clerical position; he keeps his bouillon cup and spoon and there is plenty of boiling water accessible, so it makes a nice, nourishing drink at lunch time. – Mrs. E. B., Greensburg, Pa.

A Red Letter for Armour's Extract

We have a friend who derived more benefit (in our estimation) from Armour's Extract, than any one we have ever heard of. He is an expert machinist and is sent to all parts of the world to put up machines, such as reapers, mowers, etc. The particular trip I write of he was sent to Bulgaria, to a small village, where the accommodations were very poor. Sleep was almost out of the question and to eat the black bread, which was the principal food, was impossible. The water in all foreign countries was so bad that he always carried jars of the Extract with him. This time he not only dissolved it in hot water and drank it, but took his penknife and fed himself the extract raw. He claims it saved his life, as for four days that was all he had with him to eat or drink. He says he felt fine and did his work better than when he had been where the food was palatable and he had eaten heartily. Of course he swears by the Extract and never takes a trip now without taking a good supply with him. – Mrs. H. L., Yorktown Heights, Westchester Co., N. Y.

Don't stint the kiddies on their daily spread – give them Armour's Glendale Butterine
Making Money for the Church

"Besides selling recipes for eggless, butterless cake, we made seasoning bags to sell, for soups and such, using eight peppercorns, four cloves, six mustard seeds, one third teaspoon celery seed, four tiny sprigs each of thyme, summer savory, sweet basil, and parsley in each. This gives a blend pleasant to many tastes, and it is sufficient to flavor a soup for a large family. When the soup seems to have taken enough of the flavor the bag should be removed. To make one bag at a time would be foolish, but when enough are made to last the year out it helps out in fine shape. We also made jelly bags for sale, many ladies not having the right thickness of cloth in the house at jelly-making time."

"At Christmas time the young girls of our congregation made quite a few dollars for the church by selling boxes of preserved orange. This is their recipe: Cut six large navel oranges in slices the long way of the fruit, and boil, until tender, in three waters, pouring off the water each time. Make a syrup of five cups of sugar and one cup of water and boil the orange in this until the syrup is almost boiled away. Remove with skimmer and let stand half an hour and roll each piece in granulated sugar. The confection was packed in dainty white boxes and covered with paraffin paper. They found a very ready sale." – K. C. B.

"It has been our experience that everyday necessities in the household are better sellers than fancy nicknacks," writes a reader, "and when the social club of our church met last winter we decided to stick to them. Here are some of the things we made with the result that when we held our sale at Easter there was not one article left over and we had the sum of ninety-five dollars in the treasury."

Ice Bags

"These bags, made out of ordinary potato sacking, are for covering the cake of ice, and do much to keep down the ice bill. They are twenty-four inches long by twenty-seven inches wide and have a drawstring of common twine. They cost almost nothing and found ready sale at a quarter apiece."

Wringing Bags

"This idea we got from a trained nurse who was with us for a time, and it is a very good thing to have on hand when there is sickness. When hot cloths are to be applied it is hard to wring them out by hand as hot as the doctor would like. The bags are made of strong ticking and measure eighteen inches in width and are ten inches deep. At each end a loop the depth of the bag was stitched, through which a piece of broom handle was run when in use. To use, put the flannel into the bag, and set the bag into the pan of boiling water on the stove (first inserting the sticks). When ready, simply lift the bag and wring it by the sticks."

Carpenter's Aprons

"There has been a good deal of building done in our small town and one of our members, whose husband is a building contractor, offered to buy half a dozen carpenter's aprons if we would make them. This order has led to our making over two hundred of these aprons, as others hearing of it would want their aprons home-made rather than factory made. They are made of strong ticking, with a strap around the neck and another at the waist. In some, the straps are around the shoulders instead of the neck. Pockets are made for a rule, knife, nails, and a strap for a hammer." – Mrs. T. G. H.

Armour's simon pure leaf lard – the best for all purposes
Where Does Your Housekeeping Money Go?

Housekeeping money to many men means the actual money required for food. Not very many husbands realize how many little expenses the housekeeping money has to take care of – little expenses that have nothing to do with food. Here are some and the Editor will be very glad if the readers will send in their own experiences in this line.

Most men smoke, and most men like to pocket a nice fresh box of matches when starting off for the day. Matches don't cost much to be sure but a fresh box each morning cuts quite a hole in the housekeeping money which is used to buy them.

Does your husband like to sit up late reading, playing chess, etc.? That sort of thing increases the light and coal bill quite a bit.

The pennies given for charity, church collections, etc., are also "extras."

Returning little courtesies – very often to "his" people – such as sending flowers, books, and occasional lunch or matinee, etc., etc., all make quite a hole in the housekeeping money.

The wear and tear of household utensils, linen, etc., means constant replenishment of one thing or another. A man may realize that his buggy or motor car has to have certain parts replaced once in a while but he is not apt to think of the pots and pans of the household side of things unless reminded.

It is a good plan to keep a few simple medicines at hand in case of sudden sickness, also a few bandages and the usual dressings required for accidents. Does your housekeeping money make provision for this?

Money for the education of the children is not generally included in the housekeeping money, but when the children get old enough to want to have their friends visit them it means little lunches, suppers, entertainments of various kinds, all of which cuts into the housekeeping money. As this is really the social side of their education it is only fair that extra provision should be made for it.

Why Eat Fruit?

It is a very good plan to find out the medicinal and curative properties of the different fruits and to make the fruit your system requires a part of your diet.

Apples, for instance, have an excellent effect on the health generally. They contain a large proportion of water and a large quantity of potash as well as of malic acid, which has valuable properties, and ether which is beneficial to the liver. Plums, too, have certain virtues and lemons are good for several forms of stomach trouble. As for grapes, they are so valuable as to form a distinctive "cure" just in themselves. They possess an enormous quantity of potash and plenty of water and they also contain sugar and salts of tartar. That all means that grapes will do much for the person who is tired and run down, whose nerves are weakened and whose organs are overworked, that they will tone and regulate the system, purify the blood and assist the different organs in performing their functions. The presence of sugar indicates that they can provide fuel for the body – the human engine – whether it be the romping child or the man whose day is filled with hard physical labor. So it follows that grapes are really a very valuable addition to our diet list.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to have grapes on our table but wise manufacturers have found a way by which the juice of the grape may be possible at all times of the year and in every corner of the land. They have built large factories right in the very heart of the country where the best grapes grow and there the grapes are taken while the dew is still on them and their luscious fragrant deliciousness is squeezed out, poured into bottles and quickly sealed to prevent any escape of the exquisite bouquet.

Nothing is added – no water to weaken and adulterate, no sugar to sweeten, no coloring essence to deceive the eye. It is just the pure, natural juice of earth's best offering. This bottled concentration of earth's sweetness and richness with all the life and warmth of the sunshine is Armour's Grape Juice.

Start the day right with DEVONSHIRE FARM SAUSAGE
Baked Beans – A National Dish

To many people baked beans means just one thing – baked beans, served hot or cold. To the woman, however, who is really interested in furnishing variety in diet, and this in a very economical way, baked beans offers boundless possibilities. First of all, she lays in a stock of Veribest Baked Beans – Veribest, because she knows that in this particular brand the beans are even more thoroughly cooked than she herself could do them. There are two kinds of Veribest Baked Beans, plain, and with tomato sauce, and with both the mellow richness of the bean is preserved with all its natural flavor, making it a most toothsome dish as well as nutritious and economical. Having a good stock to draw from the economical housewife proceeds to serve baked beans to her family every day for a week, varying the dish each day.

For Monday there is a New England Supper – baked beans with hot Boston brown bread. Drop the can of baked beans into hot water and boil for 20 minutes. Turn out, garnish with parsley and serve with mustard pickles.

Tuesday, for lunch. – Bean Croquettes. Drain Veribest Pork and Beans (without tomato sauce), and pass them through a colander. Measure and allow one teaspoon of dry bread crumbs to each cup of beans. Season with cayenne pepper and a little minced parsley. For a pint of the mixture, beat one egg. Save enough of the egg to dip the croquettes in, and add the remainder to the beans. Mix and form into small croquettes, or balls, then roll in fine bread crumbs. Dip them in egg and again in the crumbs, and fry in deep boiling Simon Pure Leaf Lard. Border with slices of dill pickles or sweet green peppers.

Wednesday, School Lunches. – Bean Sandwiches. Cut some thin slices from a loaf of brown bread, butter and put crisp lettuce leaves, with a teaspoon of mayonnaise, on each half of the slices, and on the others spread a layer of Armour's Veribest Pork and Beans, which have been mashed until smooth. Put the slices together and wrap each sandwich separately in paraffin paper.

Thursday. – Bean Celery Salad. Mix one can of Veribest Pork and Beans, four tablespoons of celery cut in one eighth inch rings, two tablespoons of finely chopped onions, and one fourth cup of good boiled dressing. Marinate thoroughly, but stir slightly. Rub the salad dish with a cut clove of garlic. Arrange lettuce leaves around the salad bowl and in the center make a mound of the salad mixture, to which one fourth cup of whipped cream has been added. Garnish with stuffed olives cut in rings.

Friday. – Attractive Luncheon Dish. Heat one can of Veribest Pork and Beans (without tomato sauce), tossing about with fork to prevent breaking or mashing the beans. Season to taste. Serve in beet shells which have been previously prepared as follows: Wash the beets carefully, so as not to break the skins, and boil rapidly until tender. Then cover with cold water, and with the hands remove the skins. Scoop out the centers and fill the cases with the beans. Garnish with young celery leaves.

Saturday. – Puree of Beans. To one can of Armour's Veribest Beans and Tomato Sauce add two cups of milk; boil for a few minutes and pass through a sieve. Add salt and pepper to taste, a dash of sage, dry mustard and more water if required. Strain over croutons in the tureen and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Sunday Night Supper. – Bean Loaf. Two cups of Veribest Pork and Beans, mashed to a pulp, one fourth cup of chopped nuts, one cup of browned bread crumbs, two teaspoons of grated onion, two eggs, one half cup of cream or rich milk, one teaspoon of salt. Mix thoroughly and put into a greased bread pan. Brush with the beaten yolk of egg, milk or cream and bake one half hour. Serve with tomato sauce.

Homely Virtues

 
"Scorn not the homely virtues. We are prone
To search through all the world for something new;
And yet sometimes old-fashioned things are best —
Old-fashioned work, old-fashioned rectitude,
Old-fashioned honor and old-fashioned prayer,
Old-fashioned patience that can bide its time,
Old-fashioned firesides sacred from the world,
Old-fashioned satisfaction, with enough
Old-fashioned candour and simplicity,
Old-fashioned folks that practice what they preach."