Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-12-01
" HOW MOTHER DID IT.
AHusband's "reminiscences.

If we were to suggest one which,
above all other things combined.
would most contribute to the happi
ness of the young housekeepers. it
would be to learn how to cook as a
husbands mother cooked. Mother
used to make coffee so and so; moth
er used to have such wafties: and
mother knew just how thick, or how
thin, to make a squash pie; and, oh |.
if only could taste of mothers bis
cuit. Such are the comments of the
husband and of too many meals ta-
bles. 1t would be only little more
cruel for the husband to throw his
fork across the table, or to dash the
contents of his tea cup in his wife's
face. The experience of a contrite
husband is good reading for those
men whose daily sauce is chow moth
er did it," He says sa u j.. tI
Il found fault some time ago with
Maria AIMS custard pie, and tried
to tell her how my mother made
custard pie. Maria made the pie
after my receipt. 1t lasted longer
than any other pie we ever had.
Maria set it on the table every day
for dinner, and you see | could not
eat it because j forgot to tell her to
put in any eggs, or shortening. 1t
was economical, but in a lit of gen
erosity L stole it from the pantry
and gave it to q poor little boy in
the neighborhood. The boys funer-
al was largely attended by his former
playmates. l did not go myself.
''Then there were the buckwheat
cakes. told Maria Ann any fool
could beat her making those cakes
and she said had better try it. So
l did. l emptied the batter all out
of the pitcher one evening and set
the cakes myself. 1 got the flour
and salt and water and, warned by
the past, put in a liberal quantity of
eggs and shortening. 1 shortened
with tallow from roast beef because
| could not find any lard. The bat
ter did not look right, and / lit my
pipe, and pondered yeast-yeast to
be sure. had forgotten the yeast.
l went and woke up the baker and
got six cents worth of yeast. l set
the pitcher behind the sitting-room
stove and went to bed. In. the
morning got up early and prepared
to enjoy my triumph; but l didn't.
That yeast was strong enough to
raise the dead, and the batter was
running all over the carpet. l scrap
ed it up and put ii, in another dish.
Then l got fire in the kitchen and
put on the griddle. The first lot of
cakes stuck to the griddle. The
second dittoed, only more. Maria
came down and asked what was
burning. She advised me to grease
the griddle. / did it. One end of
the griddle got too hot and dropped
the thing on my tenderest corn
while trying to turn the thing
around. Finally the cakes were
ready for breakfast, and Maria got
the other things ready. We sat
down. Ny cakes did not have ex-
actly the right flavor. took one
mouthful and it, satisfied me. l
lost my appetite at once. Maria
would not let me put one on her
plate. l think those cakes may be
reckoned a dead loss. The cat
would not eat them. The dog ran
off and stayed away three days after
one was offered him. The hens
won't go within ten feet of them. /
threw them into the back yard, and
there has not been: pig ON the
premises since. / eat what is before
me now, and do not allude to my
mothers system of cooking"