Toast Water

Pare the crust off a thin slice of stale bread, toast it brown upon both sides, doing it equally and slowly, that it may harden without being burnt; put it into a jug, and pour upon it boiling water; cover the jug with a saucer, and set it in a cool place.

Bice Gruel

Put a large spoonful of unground rice into six gills of boiling water, with a stick of cinnamon or mace. Strain it when boiled soft, and add half a piat of new milk; put in a tea-spoonful of salt, and boil it a few minutes longer. If you wish to make the gruel of rice flour, mix a table-spoonful of it smoothly, with three of cold water, and stir it into a quart of boiling water. Let it boil five or six minutes, stirring it constantly. Season it with salt, a little butter, and add, if you like, nutmeg and white sugar.

Water Gruel

Mix a couple of table-spoonfuls of Indian meal with one of wheat flour, and sufficient cold water to make a thick batter. If the gruel is liked thick, stir it into a pint of boiling water - if liked, thin, more water will be necessary. Season the gruel with salt, and let it boil six or eight minutes, stirring it frequently - then take it from the fire, put in a piece of butter, of the size of a walnut, and pepper to the taste. Turn it on toasted bread, cut in small pieces.

Molasses Posset

Put into a saucepan a pint of the best West India molasses*, a teaspoonful of powdered white ginger, and a quarter of a pound of fresh butter. Set it on hot coals, and simmer it slowly for half an hour, stirring it frequently. Do not let it come to a boil. Then stir in the juice of two lemons, or two table-spoonfuls of vinegar; cover the pan, and let it stand by the fire five minutes longer. This is good for a cold. Some of it may be taken warm at once, and the remainder kept at hand for occasional use.

Wine Posset

Boil some slices of white bread in a pint of milk; when soft take it off the fire, and grate in some nutmeg and a little sugar; pour it out, put half a pint of sweet wine into it by degrees, and serve it with toasted bread.

Balm Mint, And Other Teas

These are simple infusions, the strength of which can only be regulated by the taste. . They are made by putting- either the fresh or the dried plants into boiling water in a covered vessel, which should be placed near the fire for an hour. The young shoots both of balm and of mint are to be preferred, on account of their strong aromatic qualities. These infusions may be drunk freely in feverish and in various other complaints, in which diluents are recommended. Mint tea made with the fresh leaves, is useful in allaying nausea and vomiting.

Tapioca Jelly

Take four table-spoonfuls of tapioca - rinse it thoroughly, then soak it five hours, in cold water enough to cover it. Seta pint of cold water on the fire - when it boils, mash and stir up the tapioca that is in water, and mix it with the boiling water. Let the whole simmer gently, with a stick of cinnamon or mace. When thick and clear, mix a couple of table-spoonfuls of white sugar, with half a table-spoonful of lemon-juice, and half a glass of white wine - stir it into the jelly; if not sweet enough, add more sugar, and turn the jelly into cups.

Mulled Wine

Boil a pint of wine with nutmeg, cloves, and sugar, serve it with slices of toasted bread; or, beat up the yolks of four eggs with a little cold wine, and mix them carefully with the hot wine, pour it backwards and forwards till it looks fine, heat it again over the fire till it is tolerably thick, pour it backwards and forwards, and serve with toasted bread as above.

Or,-Boil some spice in a little water till the flavor is extracted, then add a pint of port wine; with some sugar and nutmeg.

Brandy Mixture

Mix a gill of brandy, and the same quantity of cinnamon water, with the yolks of two eggs, half an ounce of powdered white sugar, and two drops of oil of cinnamon. This is a valuable restorative in cases of extreme exhaustion, given at intervals of ten to fifteen minutes, in doses of from one to three table-spoonfuls.

Sago Gruel

Macerate an ounce (or a table-spoonful) of sago in a pint of water for two hours, then boil for a quarter of an hour, taking care to stir it well; sweeten with sugar, and add lemon-juice, nutmeg, or ginger, and white wine if allowed.

Caudle, York

Take a pint of new milk, turn it with wine, then strain, and put it into a saucepan with two blades of mace, three slices of white bread, and a little grated nutmeg. Boil over a slow fire, then beat the yolks of four eggs, and the whites of two; stir into the caudle to thicken, taking care to stir one way for fear of curdling it; sweeten to taste, and serve warm.

Flax-Seed Lemonade

Boil some flaxseed in water until it becomes a thick syrup. To a table-spoonful of flax-seed allow about two tumblers full of water.

Strain it through a cloth and mix with a quarter of a pound of white sugar. Then stir in a little lemon juice. This mixture has frequently been very serviceable in relieving a cold. A little of it may be taken whenever the cough is troublesome. A little gum arabic added to the syrup will be an improvement.

Cocoa

To two ounces of cocoa allow a quart of water. Put it in a saucepan and let it boil slowly for about an hour. The cocoa shells boiled in this manner will make a very pleasant beverage, and will not be so rich as the ground cocoa.

Barley Water

Wash carefully two ounces of barley and put it into a saucepan with a quart of water and a few raisins. Let it boil until the liquid is about half diminished. Sweeten it and drink it hot. A little lemon-peel or some liquorice root put in with the barley instead of or with the raisins, and some sliced figs, may please some tastes. When only a drink is required, it is better to strain the liquid; but the boiled barley with a little sugar will make a very pleasing variety for an invalid to eat instead of rice.