A New Thought Mince Pie Without the Meat

Take one pound of raisins, one pound of currants, one quarter pound of citron, about ten apples chopped fine and a teacupful of chopped nuts (any kind but peanuts). Add enough cider, or juice from spiced fruit, to wet this thoroughly. Then put in a cup of molasses and one pound of sugar. Salt and spice to taste. Be sure to think good thoughts while putting this all together, and say something like this, “The true substance of the Spirit I now put into this pie and it is good.” Make this up several days before you intend to bake it, and put away in a stone jar to season. When baking add some broken crackers and cooking oil or butter. Proceed as with any pie. This pie will be a great addition to the Thanksgiving dinner.

We should be like one great family, and one good way to help each other, we think, would be for everyone who finds a good pure-food recipe, to send it here so that all may have the benefit of it. You may find a new way of cooking a certain vegetable or of preparing a new dish.

A subscriber asks this question: “Can hot bread, like whole-wheat muffins, gingerbread, Johnny-cake, etc., be made without eggs or milk? If so, can you tell me where I can procure the recipe?”

Here are some recipes which we think will be found invaluable to the lovers of warm breads, who do not care to use milk and eggs:

Muffins. One pint of water, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a little salt, two tablespoonfuls of cooking oil, and flour to make a stiff batter. Drop in hot gem pans and bake in a quick oven. Corn meal or whole-wheat flour can be used in place of flour, if desired.

Gingerbread. Stir together one cup of molasses, one-half cup of sugar, one-half cup of cooking oil, one cup of boiling water, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder mixed with the flour, salt, and one teaspoonful each of cinnamon and ginger. Use enough flour to make a stiff batter. Drop in gem pans or bake in a loaf. When cooking oil is used in any recipe, be sure to use plenty of salt.

Johnny Cake. Old Style. Sift one pint of Indian meal into a pan, make a hole in the middle and pour in a half pint of warm water, adding ½ teaspoonful of salt With a spoon, mix the meal and water gradually into a soft dough; stir it very briskly for a quarter of an hour or more, till it becomes light and spongy. Then spread the dough smoothly and evenly on a flat board. Prop the board up before an open fire; bake it well aad cut in squares. Serve hot.