Dinner. — Milk Soup (January 3rd) ; Broiled Steak (January 22nd); B^arnaise Sauce (March 23rd); Fried Potatoes (February 2nd); Custard Blancmange (August 4th); Lemon Syrup (March 19th); Cheese (June 8th). t. Things that must not be Forgotten. 1. If any little pieces of steak are left, they can either be made into Potted Beef (January 23rd), oi made into a Shepherd’s Pie for luncheon to-morrow (January 12th). 2. The fat in which the potatoes are fried must be boiling or the potatoes will be greasy. _ FRUITS IN SEASON SUITABLE FOR DESSERT IN DECEMBER. Oranges, Apples, Pears, Bananas, Grapes, Melons, Pomegranates, Pomelaes, Shaddocks, Cobs, Walnuts, Brazils, Almonds, Barcelonas, Dried Fruits. APPENDIX. - »Oe- - FOOD FOR INVALIDS. There are few homes into which sickness does not enter sooner or later, and when the misfortune occurs, a demand is made on the resources and knowledge of the housekeeper, to provide food that shall sustain and nourish the enfeebled frame of the invalid, repair the waste caused by illness, tempt the languid and capricious appetite, and be simple and easy of digestion without being insipid and un¬ attractive. It is astonishing how difficult even clever managers some¬ times find it to furnish, for any length of time, suitable food for the sick, and so often has this difficulty been experienced that it has been said that cookery for the sick is an art by itself, quite distinct from ordinary cookery. Condiments and spices are almost always for¬ bidden in these cases ; food must be simple, light, easy to digest, and very nourishing, and yet it must be varied, for a mixed diet is as necessary for an invalid as it is for the healthy. The difference between a rapid and a tardy convalescence very often depends almost entirely upon whether or not suitable food is given in sufficient quantity and properly prepared. Therefore, although a few sugges¬ tions for Invalid Diet have already been given in this volume, it has been deemed advisable to comply with a request frequently made, and in this new edition of “A Year’s Cookery” to add to the number of preparations suitable for the sick and for the convalescent. Food that is intended for an invalid should always be made to look inviting, so that it shall tempt the eye as well as the palate. All appointments should be daintily bright and clean ; the napkin should be spotless, the silver and glass should be polished till they sparkle, and it is well worth while to bring out the best china for the invalid’s tray, in order to give everything a festive look. Whatever is intended to be served hot for an invalid should be very hot, and to prevent its going cold in its passage from the kitchen to the bed-room, the dish which contains it should be put on a hot- water dish, or over a bowl of boiling water, and covered. Whatever is intended to be cold should be very cold, being left in the ice box or in a cool place until the moment before serving. Fresh fruits, and especially the more perishable sorts, such as strawberries and grapes, will be much more refreshing if put on a plate over a bowl filled with chopped ice. Teachers of nursing almost always insist very strongly on the fact, that only a small quantity of food should be offered to the sick at one 438 A YEAR’S COOKERY.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Dinner. — Milk Soup (January 3rd) ; Broiled Steak (January 22nd); Béarnaise Sauce (March 23rd); Fried Potatoes (February 2nd); Custard Blancmange (August 4th); Lemon Syrup (March 19th); Cheese (June 8th). t. Things that must not be Forgotten. 1. If any little pieces of steak are left, they can either be made into Potted Beef (January 23rd), oi made into a Shepherd’s Pie for luncheon to-morrow (January 12th). 2. The fat in which the potatoes are fried must be boiling or the potatoes will be greasy. _ FRUITS IN SEASON SUITABLE FOR DESSERT IN DECEMBER. Oranges, Apples, Pears, Bananas, Grapes, Melons, Pomegranates, Pomelaes, Shaddocks, Cobs, Walnuts, Brazils, Almonds, Barcelonas, Dried Fruits. APPENDIX. - »Oe- - There are few homes into which sickness does not enter sooner or later, and when the misfortune occurs, a demand is made on the resources and knowledge of the housekeeper, to provide food that shall sustain and nourish the enfeebled frame of the invalid, repair the waste caused by illness, tempt the languid and capricious appetite, and be simple and easy of digestion without being insipid and un¬ attractive. It is astonishing how difficult even clever managers some¬ times find it to furnish, for any length of time, suitable food for the sick, and so often has this difficulty been experienced that it has been said that cookery for the sick is an art by itself, quite distinct from ordinary cookery. Condiments and spices are almost always for¬ bidden in these cases ; food must be simple, light, easy to digest, and very nourishing, and yet it must be varied, for a mixed diet is as necessary for an invalid as it is for the healthy. The difference between a rapid and a tardy convalescence very often depends almost entirely upon whether or not suitable food is given in sufficient quantity and properly prepared. Therefore, although a few sugges¬ tions for Invalid Diet have already been given in this volume, it has been deemed advisable to comply with a request frequently made, and in this new edition of “A Year’s Cookery” to add to the number of preparations suitable for the sick and for the convalescent. Food that is intended for an invalid should always be made to look inviting, so that it shall tempt the eye as well as the palate. All appointments should be daintily bright and clean ; the napkin should be spotless, the silver and glass should be polished till they sparkle, and it is well worth while to bring out the best china for the invalid’s tray, in order to give everything a festive look. Whatever is intended to be served hot for an invalid should be very hot, and to prevent its going cold in its passage from the kitchen to the bed-room, the dish which contains it should be put on a hotwater dish, or over a bowl of boiling water, and covered. Whatever is intended to be cold should be very cold, being left in the ice box or in a cool place until the moment before serving. Fresh fruits, and especially the more perishable sorts, such as strawberries and grapes, will be much more refreshing if put on a plate over a bowl filled with chopped ice. Teachers of nursing almost always insist very strongly on the fact, that only a small quantity of food should be offered to the sick at one

A year's cookery