Connecticut western news., 1875-12-10
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD,
Preparing . Dinner.

Preparing n Dinner.
 We give recipe from that good homely housewife, Mrs. "Tabitha l1ckletooth," whose book is now out oa print: Put half 8 pound of shin of beef into a stew-pan with half a pint of cold water, and any cold gravy that may beslefi from the first cooking :; simmer gently tive hours, then lightly brown ia the frylng-pan 8 moderate sized onion. g small carrot, and half turnip cut in thin slices, While the beef is stewino, cut the mutton from the bone in neat slices, about four inches square and q quarter of an inch thick (taking care to trim off the gristle, burned. skin and slnews) if it be underdone, so much the better. as it will have more natu- rl juice; should, however, the joint have been boiled, you must lightly fry the slices with little butter.
 About an hour before you want to serve your dinner strain the gravy from the beef and vegetables, and put in the stew-pan, to which add the slices of mutton. Here, let me say, is a correc- tlon of one of the. greatest errors in hashipg-the usual method is to put the mutton into the pan about five minutes before dishingl thereby just giving it tune to warm the consequence is, by being merely scalded with the poor broth which has been obtained by stew ing the bone with an onion and large quantity of water, it is sodden, tough, and totally favorless By my plan the meat is gradually satura ed with the good and strong gravy formed by the fresh beef and vege- tables. inbibing their flavor of course, and rendered tender at the same time from the stewing.
 When just ready to serve, carefully skim off all the fat, mix teaspoonfuI of flour with tablespoonful of the gravy which you must put aside and save for the purpose at the time you strain it from the beef, and add them to the hash put teaspoonful of mushroom catsup into the dish, and sprinkle lightly the whole surface with cayenne pepper garnish with thin triangular sippets of toasted bread and there you have your hashed mutton, which I can confidently say, particularly if it be eat ed with currant jelly, is equal, if not superior, both in flavor and nourisb- | He We have tried this recipe and can vouch for it's excellence. A small dish of this hashed mutton can be made even by bachelor in 8 chafng dish-and bythe-b if men knew little more about cooking practically, it would dc them no harm.
 Household Hints.
 COFFEE AND How TO MAKE .Ir.-In France the common theory is that to make good coffee it is necessary to have @ mixture of three kinds-from Mocha, from Bourbon, and from Martinique. But, as the Mocha coffee is not to be had in France any more than with us, there is really only mixture of two kinds the Bourbon and the Martinique. We have to put up with what we can get, and then comes the question as to the best mode of preparing it. First of all it has to be roasted. We have seen per- feet coffee made by placing the powder l in simple muslin bag fitted to the top of the cofeepot and by pouring on the proper quantity of boiling water. But never was there coffee machine more simple and more certain than the ordi- nary French percolator, which is, in fact, two coffeepots in one-the upper one for infusion, the lower one for the reception of the filtered liquid. He must be 8 great blunderer who cannot get good cup of coffee out of such an instrument. Two conditions are neces- sary to make it good ; one is to use plenty of coffee, the other is to make the infusion rapid. It is necessary to boil the infusion for a moment. While most people in this country thoroughly un- derstand that they must not brew their tea too long so as to make it bitter, they do not seem to know that neither must they try to take too much out of their coffee, or it may turn to poison.
 REASONABLE ADVICE ON CoLDs.-By simply abstaining from drink and liquid food of any kind for as long period as possible, the internal ongestion-which is, in fact, the condition generally known as "a cold "-becomes reduced. The cause of congestion is the excess of blood contained in the over-charged mem- branes, and this is removed when the general bulk of the blood has been diminished by withholding the usual supply of drink for a day or two down to point at which some degree of thirst is yet experienced, complete cure may be effected.
 FRYING F1sH.-The fish is practically not fried, but it is boiled in lard. Put sufficient lard Cor oiD in your frying pan that will cover the fish first boil it till Drowned sufficiently, then put your fish in it must be we'll dried. Egg and bread crumbs may be also sifted over first.
 ONION PEELING.-In peeling and slicing onions, it is said that if you hold between your teeth pair of scissors, a steel knife, or almost any iron or steel subsistence, no tears need be shed during the operation.
 New Food for Horses nnd Sheep.
 A favorite and rather new kind of mash for horses is coming into use, composed of two quarts of oats, one of bran, and half pint of flax seed. The oats are l first placed in the stable bucket, over which is placed the inseed add boil ing water, then the bran, covering the mixture with an old rug and allowing it | to thus rest for five hours then stir the mass up. The bran absorbs while re- taining the vapor, and the inseed binds the oats and the bran together. A greater quantity of flax seed would make the preparation too oily and less relish ed. One feed per day is sufficient. It is easily digestible and is specially adapted to young animals, adding to their volume rather than to their height giving substance to the frame. Prof. Samson reminds us not to overlook the food in the nourishment question in con- nection with the amelioration of live stock. He considers oats, as so gener- ally given to sheer, as objectionable and