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BREAD. 
That “bread is the staff of life” is as true now as 
when the proverb was coined, for upon it always de¬ 
pends the comfort, and many times the happiness, of 
the family. I would like to offer some suggestions 
that will lighten the burdens of over-worked house¬ 
keepers. Housework can be elevated to a higher 
standard when we learn there is no degradation in 
doing well whatever our hands find to do. We at¬ 
tempt so much, that we rise to excellence in no one 
thing. 
A great many of our cares come from the inevitable 
necessity of cooking. To satisfy the cravings of a 
depraved appetite, we concoct a variety of complicated 
dishes, the getting up of which wears out our temper, 
and then the fretting for fear they will not meet the 
approval of our “liege lord’s” stomach, entirely destroys 
the illusion that we ever are “angelic creatures.” 
I have spent a great deal of time in careful research, 
and in trying to devise ways and means of lifting this 
burden from our shoulders. I think that if I could ac¬ 
complish the task of removing this source of suffering 
I would be more worthy of a vote of thanks than 
though I had given woman the right of suffrage. 
The result of my investigations is the following bill 
of fare: 
For breakfast, good, light, crispy, yeast rolls. For 
dinner, white, spongy, sweet, yeast bread. For tea, 
flaky yeast biscuits that will almost melt in the mouth. 
Butter to the taste. If the potatoes are sodden, the 
steak tough, the pie underdone, the cake heavy, the 
coffee muddy, and we are still able to come from the 
table saying, “Well, the bread was very nice,” we can 
go on with our work with temper and digestion unim¬ 
paired. But if the bread is unpalatable there are ten 
chances to one that before the next sun rises, our night 
dreams are haunted with all sorts of horrors, and.our 
day dreams with gloomy forebodings. 
I attended a pic-uic lately at which fifty families 
were present, and of course all contributed their very 
best efforts in the culinary line. The tables were ar¬ 
ranged beautifully and artistically, the floral decora¬ 
tions were very effective, the best of lemonade sparkled 
in the goblets of cut glass, and all kinds of nice cake 
would almost rise from the silver cake baskets for very 
lightness; chickens had been slaughtered by the 
wholesale, and were presented in all forms, baked, 
boiled, broiled and fricasseed. But when the people 
called for light, sweet biscuits to eat with them, only 
two women out of the whole number could respond to 
the demand for those that were first class. Others were 
offered, some of them black, some heavy, some of them 
nearly sour, and all of them dry. I was ashamed of 
my sisters, and ashamed of my own poor cookery, and 
I determined that in the future I would improve my¬ 
self in the art of bread-making if I devoted the rest of 
my life to it. 
My sistter-in-law is one of the few women who ex¬ 
cels in bread-making, and as she lives near my own 
home, I have persecuted her with questions and 
watched the process of bread-making from its iucipien 
cy to its completion, till I can outrival her own pro¬ 
ductions. 
The first great step in the accomplishment of my 
purpose was the will and determination never to give- 
up until'I had succeeded. To this I brought a vast 
store of patience and unflagging energy; when you 
have secured these requisites, dear reader, the follow¬ 
ing hints may be of some help to you. 
For the yeast take four potatoes, pare and cook 
them and crush them through a sieve, add one quart 
scalded flour, one half tea-cup salt, one half tea-cup 
sugar, and two yeast cakes. 
Make the yeast in the morning, and at night set a 
sponge for the bread. For two loaves take two pota¬ 
toes, a sufficient quantity of flour, and wet it up with 
lukewarm water. The next morning proceed with 
the sponge in the usual way. The best bread I have 
ever eaten was made by men. 
Why do not we women attain greater perfection in 
the tasks which ought to be ours exclusively ? 
Marie G-oold. 
AMMONIA. 
No housekeeper should be without a bottle of spirits 
of ammonia ; for besides its medicinal properties, it is 
invaluable for household purposes. It is nearly as 
useful as soap, and its cheapness brings it within the 
reach of all. 
Put a teaspoonful of ammonia in a quart of warm 
soapsuds, dip a cloth in it, and go over your soiled 
paint-, and see how rapidly the dirt will disappear ; no 
scrubbing will be necessary. 
It will cleanse and brighten wonderfully. To a 
pint of hot suds add a teaspoonful of the spirits, dip in 
your forks and spoons, or whatever you wish to clean, 
rub with a soft brush, and then polish on a chamois 
skin. For washing mirrors and windows it has no 
equal. It will remove grease spots from every fabric 
without injuring the garment. Put on the ammonia 
nearly clear, lay blotting paper over, and set a hot 
iron on it for a moment. Also, a few drops in water 
will cleanse and whiten laces and muslins beautifully. 
Then, again, it is a refreshing agent at the toilet. 
A few drops in a bowl of water will make a better 
bath than pure water, and, if the skin is oily, will re¬ 
move all greasiness and disagreeable odors. Added to 
a foot-bath, it entirely absorbs all noxious smells so 
often arising from the feet in warm weather; and 
nothing is better for cleansing the hair from dandruff. 
For cleaning hair and nail-brushes it is equally good. 
For medicinal purposes ammonia is almost unri¬ 
valled. For headache it is a most desirable stimulant, 
and frequent inhaling of it will remove catarrhal cold. 
There is no better remedy for heartburn and dyspep¬ 
sia, and the aromatic spirits of ammonia is especially 
prepared for that purpose, ten drops of which, taken 
in a wine-glass of water, will give relief. The spirits 
of ammonia can be taken in the same way, but is not 
so palatable. 
In addition to all these uses, the effects of ammonia 
on vegetation are wonderful. If you desire your pet 
house plants to become more flourishing, you can try 
it upon them by adding five or six drops of it to every 
pint of warm water you give them; once a week is 
often enough, lest you stimulate them too highly. To 
cleanse plant jars, when re-potting plants, it is excel¬ 
lent, making them fresh as new. 
So be sure and keep a bottle of it in the house, 
and have a glass stopper, as it is injurious to corks, 
eating them away. Sweet Marjoram. 
To Clean Marble.—Take two ounces of common 
soda, one of pumice stone, and one of finely -powdered 
chalk; sift them through a fine sieve and mix them 
with water; then rub the mixture well all over the 
marble and the stains will be removed ; now wash the 
marble over with soap and water, and it will be as 
clean as it was previous to being stained. Sometimes 
the marble is stained yellow with iron rust; this can 
be removed with lemon juice. 
Potato Yeast —-Take six potatoes, peel and slice 
into a quart of water; let them boil till they can be 
strained through a colander; strain, and pour scald¬ 
ing hot over one pint of flour. When almost cold, 
add one tea-cup of yeast, one tea-cup of white sugar, 
one half tea-cup of salt, one large spoonful of ginger. 
After it has raised sufficiently, put it into a jug and 
cork it tightly ; keep in a cool place. 
Bread —To one pint of water add one tea-cup of 
yeast; sift and stir in as much flour as can be mixed 
with the spoon ; let it stand over night to raise. In 
the morning add to this one tablespoonful of lard, with 
flour sufficient to knead into soft dough ; let it stand 
till it is quite light; then knead it again thoroughly, 
and make into small loaves; raise once again, and 
bake in rather slow oven. [Bread made from this 
recipe took first premium at County Fair at Rock 
Island, Ill., this fall.] 
Guess Cake. —Original cake recipe, cheap and de¬ 
licious.—Two eggs, one cup sweet milk, one cup 
sugar, one half cup butter, two teaspoonsful cream of 
tartar, one of soda dissolved in the milk, two cups of 
flour rounded up. Flavor with nutmeg or lemon. 
Queen of Puddings —One pint of nice white bread 
crumbs, one quart of milk, one cup of sugar, the yolks 
of four eggs beaten, the grated rind of a lemon, apiece 
of butter the size of an egg. Bake until done, but not 
watery. Whip the whites of the eggs stiff, beat in a 
teacupful of sugar in which has been strained the 
juice of the lemon; spread over the pudding a layer of 
jelly ; pour the whites of the eggs over this ; replace 
in the oven; bake lightly. To be eaten cold with 
cream if preferred. 
Every Day Fruit Cake —One cup of sugar, one 
cup of molasses, one cup of shortening, two eggs, one 
cup of hot water, one teaspoon of saleratus in one half 
cup of hot water; four cups of flour, one tablespoon 
of cloves and cinnamon, one pound of fruit. 
Demon Pudding —One pint of milk, one quarter 
pound of butter, one half pound of sugar, the juice and 
rind of two lemons, five eggs. Bake half an hour. 
Plums. —Perhaps some of the good housewives 
would like to know how to preserve plums. Pick 
your plums when most ripe, weigh them, and to one 
pound of the fruit put three-fourths of a pound of the 
best brown or white sugar. Some may think a plum 
or stone fruit must have as much sugar as others, but 
it is not so ; the stone takes no part in the preserves, 
i. e., you do not want to sweeten them, and they will 
not take up the sugar. The preserves are much bet¬ 
ter with three-fourths of a pound of sugar than if you 
use more. Put on the sugar and plums, and boil un¬ 
til quite soft, in a porcelain or brass kettle, and put in 
stone jars when hot, set in cellar, and all will be well. 
Mrs. A. P. 
Castle Pudding —-Two eggs, one quarter pound 
of sugar, one quarter pound of butter, one quarter 
pound of flour; beat butter to a cream, and sugar 
finely powdered, then add eggs and flour. Bake three 
quarters of an hour in a moderate oven, and in small 
cups; when done turn on a flat dish, and cover with 
thick white sauce flavored with wine or essence. 
Balaklava Pudding. —Three cups of flour, one cup 
of bread crumbs, one cup of suet chopped fine, one 
cup of milk, one teaspoon-of soda, two teaspoons cream 
of tartar, one cup of syrup, three eggs, two or 
more cups of fruit, one teaspoon of cinnamon, one 
haff teaspoon of cloves. Boil from three to four 
hours. 
