THIS RECIPE BOOK
IS DEDICATED TO
Economical Housewives.
In using these recipes, make ready all materials and pans before beginning to put cakes, cookies, etc., together. Pans should be greased with sweet lard, as butter scorches very easily. For cakes made with brown sugar or dark molasses, it is better to line the pans with lightly greased paper, and if paper is thin do not grease at all. In baking fruit cake use more than one thickness of paper. Mix in an earthen bowl with a wooden spoon. Coarse texture with large holes shows insufficient beating and too much baking powder or soda. Do not use heaping measures unless called for. And if you don't have success the first time, don't condemn the recipe, but try again. And also remember that the plainest of cakes may be made attractive by the addition of a dainty icing. So try and keep on hand the necessary materials, such as confectioner's sugar, little jars of coloring paste, or small bottles of fruit or vegetable coloring. Once you buy them they will last a long time, as it takes but a few drops to make a desired color. You can buy orange, fruit red, green, violet, pink, brown and golden yellow. Also have some candied cherries, conserved orange and pineapple, some candied orange and lemon peel and a few pieces of citron, some English walnut meats, pecans, almonds, raisins and currants. Of course it is not necessary to have all these materials, but with them you can make a great variety out of the plainest of cakes such as you will find in this little book.
Sincerely,
O. H . THOMPSON.
