Cooking for profit

The coarsest oatmeal is the best and the least liable to burn. It is the dust in oatmeal that sticks and scorches on the bottom, if that is washed away the tendency will be very much lessened. A double bottomed kettle can be used if steam enough can be kept up, but generally mush seems better when cooked in a pot on a part of the range that is not very hot. ^ Boil the water two hours before the meal, put in the oatmeal, cover down and let simmer at the side. Watch to see that it does not boil dry but only stir it up when , nearly done. Serve warm, with cold milk in another bowl. Cost — with oatmeal 6c per pound — oatmeal mush 3c per quart or 3 large cups, milk 6; 3 cents each per plate. Note. — This being such a cheap dish and the usual price ten cents, some restaurants serve a platter with an unstinted amount of mush and a pint of milk for that charge. 381— Cracked Wheat Mush and Milk. The same as oatmeal but the wheat needs longer boiling — say 3 hours. It is better for a previous soaking in water. Hulled Corn or Home Hominy. Made Steep a quart of white corn in weak lye for two days, wash in two waters and boil it about 4 hours or until tender. The lye from the leach of wood ashes is the kmd generally used, but a weak solution of concentrated lye will answer and if that is not available mix a handful of baking soda in water enough to cover the corn twice over and let steep in that. Wash well before cooking, eat with salt and milk. Cost — the same as mush and milk, rom 1 to 3 cents each person. 383— Soda Crackers and Milk. 10 crackers and a pint bowl of milk. Usual charge 10 cents. 384 — Graham or Oatmeal Crackers and Milk. Same as the preceding. 385— Doughnuts end Milk. Prepare the dough as if for French rolls or cream rolls, roll out thin, cut out like small biscuits, brush over the tops with the least possible amount of melted lard and let stand iu pans to rise for an hour. Take them up singly and drop in a kettle of hot lard and fry light brown in about 5 minutes. Cost of material — these small plain doughnuts 6 cents per dozen. Uusually one with a glass of milk, 5c. 386— Baked Pork and Beans. Wash and pick over a large heaping cupful of navy beans and steep them in water over night. Put tbem on next moraing with fresh water to more than cover, and baking soda the size of a bean and let boil about an hour. Then carry them to the sink, pour all into a colander letting the water run away and put back into the saucepan with cold water enough to come up to a level. Boil again and in a few minutes they will be eoft. Season with a little salt and tablespoon of molasses. Put them into four pint bowls or tin pans, lay an ounce slice of salt pork on each and bake half an hour. 387— Boston Brown Bread. 1 pound corn meal — about 3 cups. 1 pint boiling water — 2 cups. J cup black iQolasses. 1 cup cold water. 1 cup yeast or yeast cake in water. J pound of either rye or graham flour. ^ pound of white flour — a heaping pint. Salt.