Fat for fried cakes, doughnuts, crullers, etc., should be kept at just the right temperature otherwise the cakes will soak fat.

A piece of dough should be dropped in to test it. If this rises to the top quickly and browns shortly it will be safe to put in the cakes.

A mixture of two-thirds lard and one-third beef suet is more wholesome, less expensive and less likely that the cakes will absorb too much fat; even a larger proportion of the suet may be used, half and half working nicely. All beef suet, however, will make the outside of the cakes rough and injure the flavor.

Fried cases shortened with butter are less likely to absorb fat than those shortened with lard.

Beef suet should be bought in the leaf and carefully fried out before using.

After using the fat for boiling doughnuts set away to cool; remove from the sediment. If very much scorched and brown clarify with a few slices of raw potatoes boiled in the lard.

Care must be taken to keep the lard hot, but it must not burn, as it would spoil the cakes. Fry in a small iron pot, five or six at a time; turn with a fork; take out with a skimmer and lay on a colander to drain; when sufficiently cool place in a stone pot.

Fried Cakes

1 pint buttermilk. ½ teaspoonful salt. 1 egg.

4 tablespoonfuls melted lard. 1 teaspoonful soda.

Flavor with nutmeg or cinnamon. No sweetening. Nice to serve with coffee winter mornings. Use flour enough to roll out and fry in hot lard. Out in any form desired.

Snow Balls

1 cupful sugar.

4 tablespoonfuls sweet milk.

1/3 teaspoonful soda.

2 eggs.

Spice.

¾ teaspoonful cream-tartar.

Flour to roll in balls. Fry in hot lard. Dip in the partly beaten white of an egg, and roll in powdered sugar until perfectly white. Very nice for a children's party.

Crullers

3 eggs.

Butter size of an egg.

1 cupful sugar.

1 cupful sweet milk.

3 teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with flour enough to mix stiff. Pinch of salt.

Boll rather thin. Cut in strips with a pie marker or wheel, and twist in diamonds or any other fancy shape. They are very nice rolled in white sugar while hot. They keep some time, and may be warmed in the oven a few minutes before serving.

Vanities

Beat 1 egg light. Season with a pinch of salt. Add flour, until they can be rolled thin as a wafer, like noodles. Boll out a bit of dough like paper, fry in hot lard, or cut in strips and roll around the finger like a shaving, and fry. They will cook in a few seconds.

Love Knots

1 egg.

2 tablespoonfuls sugar.

4 tablespoonfuls sweet cream. Pinch of salt.

Flour to knead very hard. Boll out. Gut in narrow strips. Tie each one in two or three knots and fry in hot lard. Sprinkle with white sugar, while hot.