Cream the butter and sugar, put the soda in the milk and stir well, and put this in next; add the flour and beat well. Butter a baking-pan and spread this evenly over the bottom, and then spread the peanuts over all. Bake till a light brown.
2 squares of Baker's chocolate. 1 teaspoonful of sugar. Bit of butter the size of a pea.
Melt the chocolate over the teakettle and stir in the sugar and butter and a couple of drops of vanilla, if you like. Take little round crackers, and with a fork roll them quickly in this till they are covered; dry on buttered paper. You can also take saltines, or any long, thin cracker, and spread one side with the chocolate.
White of 1 egg. 1 cup chopped almonds. 2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar.
Beat the egg just a little and put in the sugar and almonds; spread on thin crackers, and brown in the oven with the door open.
Margaret's mother did not like her to eat pie, but she let her learn how to make it, and once in awhile she had a small piece. Here is her rule:
1 pint of flour. 1/4 cup of butter. 1/4 cup lard, 1 teaspoonful salt. 1/2 cup ice-water.
Put the flour, butter, lard, and salt in the chopping-bowl and chop till well mixed. Then add the water, a little at a time, turning the paste and chopping till smooth, but never touching with the hand. Put a very little flour on the pastry-board and lift the crust on this, and with a floured rolling-pin lightly roll it out once each way; fold it over and roll again, and do this several times till the crust looks even, with no lumps of butter showing anywhere. Put it on a plate and lay it in the ice-chest for at least an hour before you use it.
Pie-crust will never be light and nice if you handle it. Do not touch it with your fingers unless it is really necessary. When you use it, get everything ready for the pie first, and then bring out the crust, roll quickly, and spread over the pie.
In putting the pie in the pan, cut the bottom piece a little larger than you want it, as it will shrink. Sprinkle the tin with flour, lay on the crust, and after it has been fitted evenly, and is not too tight, cut off the edge. Put a narrow strip of paste all around the edge, and press it together; if you wet it with a little water it will stick. If you wish to be sure the filling of the pie will not soak into the under crust, brush that over with beaten white of egg. After you put in the filling, fold your top crust together and cut some little shutters to let out the steam. Put on the cover, wet the edges so they will stick together, and pinch evenly.