The hearthstone; or, Life at home

Pork and Beans. — Look over the beans, and put them in soak the evening previous to cooking, in soft water. Parboil, and throw off the water twice; prepare a piece of pork, and put it in the beans with the third water. Let the water boil up, skim, and boil five minutes, and drain both pork and beans thoroughly. Have ready boiling water, put the beans and pork into the pot, with as little water as will cover them, simmer gently until tender. The water should all be evaporated when done, leaving the beans nearly dry. Taste, and if not sufficiently salted by the pork, season with more, but be careful not to get too much salt. Spread the beans evenly in a baking-dish ; slash the pork, and put it on a pan by itself to bake ; it should be handsomely browned. Stir the beans often, until within twenty minutes of dinner-time, then spread them evenly, and let them brown. If they do not look sufficiently brown, wet them over with egg, and brown with hot-iron, or any other manner convenient. Lay the pork in the middle, without the fat which dripped from it in roasting. POULTRY AND GAME. Roast Turkey. — A good-sized turkey should be roasted two hours and a half, or three hours, very slowly at first. If you wish to make plain stuffing, pound a cracker, or crumble some bread very fine ; chop some raw salt pork very fine, sift some sage, savory, and mould them all together, seasoned with a little pepper; an cg^ worked in makes the stuffing cut better. Another Way to Roast a Turkey. — Unless it is badly soiled, never soak, or wash a turkey, as many do. Indeed, washing injures any kind of meat and fish, except those kept in salt brine. Carefully draw the turkey and wipe thoroughly inside and out with a dry towel. It will thus keep longer uncooked, and be better flavored. If it chances to be a tough one, steam it an hour or two, as needed, before baking. If one has not a steamer large enough, as few have, it may be done in a wash-boiler, supporting the bird above the water on a couple of inverted basins, or suspending it by strings from the handles. Use stale bread chopped fine, just moistened with scalding water, not to a " mush," and add a little butter, salt, pepper, and, if desired, a small pinch of sweet marjoram or thyme. After stuffing and sewing, fasten the wings and legs down closely with skevv^ers, or by tying with strings. Roast in the dripping-pan witliout water. To keep the skin from scorching, baste now and then with a little water seasoned with butter and salt. Bake through uniformly to a light brown, avoiding burning or hardening any part. A good oyster stuffing, when easily obtainable, is liked by many, as follows : Drain off most of the liquor from the oysters, season with sufficient butter and pepper, and roll them in cracker or bread crumbs. Fill the cavity of the turkey entirely with these. Boiled Turkey. — Hen-turkeys are preferable for boiling on account of their whiteness and tenderness, and one of itioderate size should be selected, as a large one is not suitable for boiling. After