The new practical housekeeping

Put in a porcelain kettle quart boiled cider, or hotter still, quart currant or grape juice (canned when grapes are turning from green to purple), quart nice molasses or syrup, and, if any syrup at hand left from sweet pickles, add some of that, also a good lump of butter ; let it come to boiling point, and pour over ingredients in pan after having first mixed them well, then mix again thoroughly. Taste, and if not properly flavored, add more boiled cider, fruit juice, or seasoning, as needed. It should have a smooth agreeable taste with no one flavor predominating. Pack in jars and put in a cool place, and, when cold, pour molasses over the top an eighth of an inch in thickness, and cover tightly. This will keep two months. For baking, take some out of jar, if not moist enough add a little hot water, and strewa few whole raisins over each pie. Instead of boiled beef, a beef's tongue or heart or roast meat may be used, the tongue making the choicest of all. For a very nice and rich Holiday Mince-meat, use half and half boiled beef and tongue with same proportions of other ingredients [illustration: page number 491, section PASTRY] ients and add juice and rind of three oranges, quarter pound each candied orange and lemon peel, sliced thin ; three-quarters pound sweet almonds and an ounce bitter almonds (weighed after shelling), blanched and chopped, and half teaspoon almond extract. Also omit two nutmegs and add teaspoon mace, and if the sjrrup is objected to use instead two pounds more sugar. In baking, a tablespoon sweet cream for each pie, heated and stirred into the mincemeatjust before filling in crusts, is a great improvement. The above are good formulas, but, of course, may be varied to suit different tastes or the material at hand, and for convenience a few Suggestions for Mince-meat are given: ^ If too rich add more chopped apples. Reserve some of the liquor in which the meat was boiled to moisten the mince-meat; if the fat which forms on top of the liquor is also added less suet will be required. In lieu of cider, vinegar and water in equal proportions may be used ; and some think a little vinegar should be added when either cider or boiled cider, are used, more being required with the latter \ but if the apples aro carefully washed and pared, the strained juice obtained nrom the parings, stewed in a little water, or cooked in a crock as for jelly, is better than any other wetting, to which a little vinegar may be added; or use any kind of tart fruit juice ; or some use cold coffee and tea with a little vinegar. . Good preserves, marmalades, spiced pickles, currant or grape jelly, canned fruit, dried cherries, prunelles, etc., may take the place of raisins, currants and citrons. Wine or brandy is considered by many a great improvement, but if ^'it causeth thy brother to offend" do not use it. Lemon and vanilla extracts are often used. The Mince-meat is better to stand overnight, or several days, before baking into pies, as the materials will be more thoroughly incorporated. Although many do not put in the apples when mince-meat is made, thinking it keeps better and longer without, but chop and add them to the quantity to be used about an hour before baking, in equal proportions, though some prefer after chopping to sweeten and stew the apples till partially aone, then add to the prepared mixture, and make into pies.