Remarks on Preparing Food for the Sick
SIMPLE REMEDIES.
The following remedies are for diseases which occur in almost every
family, and have been proved to be useful in a number of instances. As
most old housekeepers have their favorite recipes, it is for the young
and inexperienced these are particularly intended, and may be used with
safety, when a physician is not at hand.
Remarks on Preparing Food for the Sick.
Few young persons understand cooking for the sick. It is very important
to know how to prepare their food in an inviting manner; every thing
should be perfectly clean and nice. Avoid giving an invalid any thing
out of a cup that has been used before; even if it is medicine, it will
not be so hard to take out of a clean cup. It is well to have a stand or
small table by the bed-side, that you can set any thing on. A small
silver strainer that will just fit over a tumbler or tea-cup, is very
useful to strain lemonade, panada or herb tea.
If you want any thing to use through the night, you should prepare it,
if possible, beforehand; as a person that is sick, can sometimes fall
asleep without knowing it, if the room is _kept perfectly still._
Oat-meal Gruel.
Mix two spoonsful of oat-meal, with as much water as will mix it easily,
and stir it in a pint of boiling water in a sauce-pan until perfectly
smooth; let it boil a few minutes; season it with sugar and nutmeg, and
pour it out on a slice of bread toasted and cut up, or some dried rusk.
If the patient should like them, you can put in a few raisins, stoned
and cut up. This will keep good a day, and if nicely warmed over, is as
good as when fresh.
Corn Gruel.
Mix two spoonsful of sifted corn-meal in some water; have a clean
skillet with a pint of boiling water in it; stir it in, and when done,
season it with salt to your taste, or sugar, if you prefer it;
Arrow-root.
Moisten two tea-spoonsful of powdered arrow-root with water, and rub it
smooth with a spoon; then pour on half a pint of boiling water; season
it with lemon juice, or wine and nutmeg. In cooking arrow-root for
children, it is a very good way to make it very thick, and thin it
afterwards with milk.
Sago.
Wash, the sago, (allowing two table-spoonsful to a quart of water,) and
soak it an hour; boil it slowly till it thickens; sweeten it with
loaf-sugar, and season it with wine or lemon juice.
Tapioca Jelly.
Wash the tapioca well, and let it soak for several hours in cold water;
put it in a sauce-pan with the same water, and let it boil slowly till
it is clear and thick; then season it with wine and loaf-sugar. The
pearl tapioca will require less time to soak, and no washing. Allow
three table-spoonsful of tapioca to a quart of water.
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