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PRIZE RECEIPTS FOR COOKING. 
Virginia Mode of Curing Hams. —Rub the fleshy 
side of each ham, long and well, with salt. To every 
ham allow an even tahlespoonful of powdered salt¬ 
petre, which must next be rubbed on the meat; then 
add sugar and red pepper beaten small; lastly, rub 
on more salt mixed with a small quantity of molasses. 
Let the hams remain packed for about five or six 
weeks; then hang them up and smoke with hickory 
chips for a month. Take them down and rub with 
hickory ashes ; sun them, after which hang them up 
in a dry place, occasionally smoking them on dry 
days. Never smoke bacon on rainy days. 
To Boil a Ham. —Wash the ham, wipe dry, and 
put it to sun from ten to twelve hours. Soak it all 
night in cold water; next morning put it on the stove, 
in a pot of cold water, to simmer for four or five hours. 
Take it off the fire and let it remain in the same water 
in which it was boiled until the ham is perfectly cold. 
Take it out of the water, let it dry off and skin it. 
Sprinkle with black pepper and grated cracker, 
browned ; garnish the dish with curled parsley. 
Waffles .—Boil a cup of rice to consistency of soup; 
when properly boiled, especially for waffles, it should 
fill a quart cup. Add two teaspoonfuls salt and one 
large spoonful butter or lard. Fill a quart measure 
with flour, add to it two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, 
two-thirds of a teaspoon of carbonate of soda. Beat 
up two eggs light; stir in the rice, then the flour, with 
sweet milk enough to make a tolerably stiff batter. 
Have the fire very bright and the waffle irons hot and 
well greased witlx lard. Bake to a tolerably dark 
brown. 
Yeast. —Boil twelve large Irish potatoes, together 
with a small quantity of hops, tied up in a bag, in a 
gallon of water; when the potatoes are perfectly 
done, peel and mash them, and add to them one cup 
of sugar and one cup of salt; pour over the mixture 
the boiling water in which the potatoes were cooked. 
Let stand till it gets cool, when add one cup of good 
yeast. After keeping it open one night, bottle and 
cork lightly. 
Italian Soup, (Never Printed in America). —Put 
into three pints of boiling water the remains of a cold 
fowl, or a piece of cold roast beef, or a ham bone; 
add one handful of Lima beans; half a gallon of to¬ 
matoes with the skins taken off; one teacup of rice; 
and two onions sliced and then fried a good brown ; 
one large spoonful of butter; pepper and salt to the 
taste. Let the soup boil about twenty minutes, and 
then cut off corn from three ears and add to the soup. 
This soup requires about three-fourths of an hour to 
make, and is very nice. The fried onion is absolutely 
necessary. A few sliced Irish potatoes can be added 
to the other vegetables. 
Rich Beef Soup. —Put in a beef shank before break¬ 
fast, so that the meat will have time to cook to pieces, 
in a kettle of water, with salt to taste. Add one-half 
gallon ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped up, or, if iu 
winter, one quart canned tomatoes. About twelve 
o’clock put into the soup half a small head of cabbage, 
one onion, one turnip, four or five large potatoes, one 
carrot, two pods ochra, all chopped fine, half a pint 
butter beans, cut off corn from two ears. Keep all 
boiliug till dinner is ready to serve; make a thin paste 
of a small quantity of flour mixed with cold water, 
which must be put in half an hour before serving. 
Batter Bread , Virginia Mode. —Beat up four eggs 
light, add meal to the proper consistency, about one 
and a half pints after it is sifted, one large teaspoonful 
salt, one tablespoonful melted batter, and sweet milk 
to make a tolerably thin batter. Bake in a batter 
bread skillet, or very small oval iron moulds well 
greased with lard so that a rich crust may be formed. 
Green Grape Jelly. —Gather the grapes before they 
have turned, choosing only good sound ones; pick 
them from the stem, wash and put them into a stone 
jar. Set the jar in a kettle of cold water over a brisk 
fire; when the juice rises to the top, take them off 
the fire and squeeze through a coarse towel or jelly- 
bag, and to each pint of juice allow one pound best 
loaf sugar; put on the fire and boil twenty minutes 
When a little cool pour into jelly-glasses or moulds 
and cover tightly. 
Oral Apple Jelly. —Wait until after frost has touched 
the apples ; pick, wash, and cut in half; put iu a 
kettle, filling it with water if it is half full of fruit, 
using warm water. Boil until the apples are perfectly 
soft; then take off the fire and squeeze, and add one 
pound of loaf sugar to every pint of juice. The juice 
looks very cloudy when first squeezed, but clears 
beautifully after boiling ten minutes. Cook twenty 
minutes. Cover tightly after putting in glass. 
Sweet Meats of Watermelon Rind. —Cut the rind 
in any shape fancied, grape and grape leaves and fish, 
also bunches of roses. Put it in brine to keep; when 
you wish to make the sweet meats, soak out the brine 
by putting it in fresh water and changing it every day. 
Put three or four tablespoonfuls pulverized alum in 
one gallon water; as soon as dissolved, lay in the rind 
and cover closely with cabbage leaves; simmer until 
the rind becomes a bright green. Soak out the alum 
water; while it is soaking pour boiling water to half 
a pound white ginger and let it stand long enough to 
soften sufficiently to slice easily in thin pieces (retain¬ 
ing the shape of the races as much as possible), then 
boil it in water an hour to extract the strength; add 
two or three dozen blades of mace and more water 
and two pounds of best white sugar; make a thin 
syrup and boil the rind gently for half an hour; then 
set it away for a day or two, when boil again as before, 
adding more water and sugar at each boiling till the 
syrup is thick and rich and sufficient to cover the rind. 
Repeat these boilings six or seven times at intervals 
of three or four days. The quantity of seasoning 
given is for three gallons rind, two pounds sugar for 
one pound rind. This sweet meats keeps indefinitely 
and never ferments. 
Blackberry Cordial.—Vat the fruit simmer awhile 
and then press out juice ; to each pint of the same, put 
nearly equal quantities of white sugar; boil and skim 
and when a thick jelly, put in bottles, filling half way; 
when cold, fill up with good whiskey or French 
brandy. It tastes as if highly spiced, and is splendid 
for medicinal purposes. 
Lemon Sherbet. —Dissolve one and a half pounds 
sugar (loaf is best) in one quart of water; add the 
juice of ten lemons, pressing the lemons so as to ex¬ 
tract not only the juice, but the oil of the rind. Let 
the peel remain awhile in the oil and sugar. Strain 
through a sieve and freeze like ice cream. 
Hyden Salad. —To one gallon cabbage finely 
chopped, add one and a half gallons green tomatoes ; 
half a pint green peppers; one pint of onions, all 
chopped fine. Sprinkle salt on them to extract the 
juice; next morning pour boiling water over it, then 
squeeze it dry. Put four tablespoonfuls ginger, one 
of cloves, two of turmeric, one of celery seed, two 
pounds sugar, and two spoonfuls salt. Mix all with 
half a gallon vinegar and boil a few minutes. 
Chicken Salad. —One large chicken boiled; when 
cold, remove the skin aud chop the flesh into a dish, 
over which throw a towel slightly dipped in cold wa¬ 
ter ; one pint celery, chopped, put between cloths to 
dry ; one tablespoonful best mustard ; one yolk of raw 
egg, dropped into a dish large enough to hold all of 
the dressing, beat it well for ten minutes; slowly add 
the mustard and one teaspoonful vinegar; when this 
is well mixed add three-eighths of a bottle of oil, a 
drop at a time, always stirring the same way. Rub 
the yolks of six hard boiled eggs very smooth and stir 
in half a cup of vinegar. Pour this mixture slowly 
into the first, stirring them together as lightly as pos¬ 
sible. Take the chopped chicken, half a loaf of stale 
bread crumbs, the celery, a little celery seed, yellow 
pickle, also chopped, pepper and salt to taste, also the 
oil from the chicken, skimmed from top of water in 
which it is boiled. Set this aside and pour on the 
dressing just before serving. It will curdle if kept too 
cool. 
Cabbage Pudding.—Chop up a head of cabbage, 
scald iu salt water until tender; drain off, add half a 
cup butter, four eggs, one pint bread crumbs, pepper, 
salt and mustard to taste; milk enough to make a stiff 
batter. Bake iu a deep dish. 
Sultana Pudding.—Owe pint bread crumbs, one quart 
milk, one cup sugar, the yolks of four eggs beaten; 
the grated rind of a lemon, a piece of butter the size of 
an egg. Mix up and bake till done, but not watery. 
Whip the whites of the eggs stiff, beat in one teacup 
white sugar, in which has been strained the juice of a 
lemon ; spread over the pudding a layer of jelly; poui- 
over this the -whites and replace in the oven and bake 
a light brown. To be eaten cold with cream. 
Ginger Bread. —Six cups flour; half a pound lard 
rubbed into two cups molasses, one cup buttermilk 
two heaping spoonfuls pearlash dissolved in the milk; 
six tablespoonfuls ginger, one teaspoonful alum dis¬ 
solved in one teacup of boiliug water and poured over 
hot. 
Icing for Cake. —One pound sugar ; whites of eight 
eggs; put the sugar into a bowl and pour the whites 
over it. Take half an ounce gum arabic, beat and 
sift it in; mix all together and beat it up. 
Cocoanut Drops. —One pound grated cocoanut; one 
pound sifted white sugar, whites of six eggs. Drop 
them in buttered plates and bake at once. 
Mince Meat. —Boil a beef heart very tender ; take 
out the veins and gristle; shred it fine. Add three 
pounds suet cut very fine, one teaspoonful salt, three 
pounds currants, after they are washed ; three pounds 
raisins shred and cut fine, three pounds brown sugar, 
twelve ounces citron, one tablespoonful mace, one of 
cloves, two of allspice, one nutmeg. Beat all fine aud 
mix together, adding half a tumblerful lemon juice or 
vinegar, two tumblers French brandy and three of 
wine. 
Oil Mangoes. —One quart mustard seed; one ounce 
mace, one ounce cloves, four ounces grated horse-rad¬ 
ish, four ounces ground ginger, four ounces garlic, and 
a little turmeric. Beat them together in a mortar and 
make into a paste with oil, fill the mangoes and scald 
once in strong vinegar. 
