COOKING iiECiPES. 347 



Peppermint Drop?. — The beat peppermint drops are made by sifring 

 finely powdered loaf sugar iu lemon juice, sufficient to make it of a proper 

 consiateuce; then, gently drying it over the lire a few minutes, and stirring 

 in about fifteen drops of oil of peppermint for each ounce of sugar, dropping 

 them from the point of a knife. Some persons, irstead of using lemon juice, 

 merely mix up the sugar and oil of peppermint with the whites of eggs- 

 beating the whole well together, dropping it on white paper, and drying the' 

 drops gradually before the fire, at a distance. 



Pop-Corn Ball* — Take a three-gallon pan and fill it nearly level full 

 of popped com, and then take a cup of molasses and a Uttle piece of butter 

 and boU until it will set, or try it in cold water; just a drop will do in water, 

 and if it sets, then pour the molasses all around on the com. Then take a 

 large iron spoon and stir well; when well miied, butter your hands well 

 and take com in both hands, &a much as you can press well together, and 

 you will have a large and bplendid ball. You can use sngar in the place of 

 molasses if you wish it. 



To Sugar or CrygtaUize Pop Com — Put into an iron kettle one table- 

 spoonful of water, and one teacup of white sugar; boil untQ ready to candy, 

 then throw in three quarts of com nicely popped; stir briskly until the 

 candy is everdy distributed over the com; set the kettle from the fire, and 

 stir until it is cooled a little and you have each grain separate and crys- 

 tallized with the sugar; care should be taken not to have too hot a fire lest 

 yon scorch the com when crystallizing. Nuts of any kind prepared this way 

 are delicious. 



Walnut Candjr — ^Tho meats of hickory nuts, English walnuts, or black 

 waluuts maybe used according to preference in that regard. After removal 

 from the sheila in as large pieces as practicable, they are to be placed on 

 bottom of tins, prenously greased, to the depth of about a half inch. Next 

 boil two pounds of brown sugar, a half pint of water and one gill of good 

 molasses until a portion of the mass hardens when cooled. Pour the hot 

 candy on the meats and allow it to remain until hard. 



Almond Candy — Take one pound of sugar and about half a pint of 

 water; put in part of the white of an egg to clarify the sugar; let this boil a 

 few minutes, and remove any scum that rises. When the sugar begins to 

 candy drop in the dr>- almonds; first, however, you should blanch the nuts 

 by pouring hot water over them, and letting them stand in it a few minutes; 

 then the ekm ^vill sUp off readily. Spread the candy on buttered plates to 

 cool. 



Sugar Taffy — One pound sugar put in a pan with half tumbler cold 

 water, add one teasjxwnful 'cream tartar, Itimp of butter size of hickory nut, 

 one teaspoonfiil ^^negar (do not stir at all), bod slowly twenty-five minutes] 

 and drop a little into cold water, and if crispy it is done; tum on to plates 

 and pour on flavoring— lemon and vanilla, half each— pull till very white. 



Batter Scotrh — Take two cups of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of water, 

 piece of butter the size of an egg. Boil without stirring until it hardens on 

 a spoon. Pour out on buttered plates to cool. 



Choc6la(e Candy^-One cup brown sugar, one cup white, one cup 

 molasses, one cup milk, one cup chocolate, butter the size of a wdnut. 



