Every mother should begin to instruct her little daughter at an early age in the different branches of housekeeping, and if taught in the right way, none will prove more attractive than cooking. When quite young the child will be eager to experiment, and generally will be careful; and with many of the simple recipes she can scarcely make a mistake, and they will prove invaluable to her later on.

Cooking is of great educational value. Aside from giving a girl that knowledge necessary to the proper conduct of a home, in the dextrous handling of utensils and food products, the concentration required, and the practice of doing certain work for certain results, it also gives excellent mental training and brings all-round development. Every girl should become a good practical cook; and in the majority of cases the mother, for many reasons, is the best teacher.

The small cook should be provided with her own apron, sleeves and cap. Also attach to her belt a tea-towel and a small holder for lifting hot pans. This will make her feel more important and too, impress upon her the need of having everything clean and orderly. Then emphasize the necessity of always following directions, and taking the pains to make each cupful an even cupful—each spoonful an even spoonful. The pan for baking should be thoroughly greased and set aside ready for use, after the fire has first been put in good condition, so that the oven will be right, and then all the cooking utensils and materials placed conveniently at hand.

For the first lesson suppose the choice be baking-powder biscuit. When properly made they are delicious, but from the number of times that otherwise good cooks fail on this point, I have come to the conclusion that the secret lies in the mixing and handling.

Preparing to Make Biscuit

Have the child place two even cupfuls of flour in the sifter, with two level teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, half a teaspoonful of salt, and then sift. To this add one rounded tablespoonful of lard. The little maid's hands and nails should be specially cleaned so she can work this thoroughly into the flour, and it may take her five minutes to do it properly. Next, dusting her hands, have her take a table fork and stir all the time as she adds the milk. Generally three-quarters of a cupful of milk is enough, but if the flour was packed in solid it may take a whole cupful. Mix up well with the fork into a soft dough, and turn out on a floured bread-board. She must not handle it, even now, but sprinkle over just enough flour to keep the rolling-pin from sticking while she rolls it out until three-fourths of an inch thick.

Next she should be shown how to cut into small rounds without any waste, for the dough that is left to be molded over will take up more flour and consequently be thicker and not so light. As each biscuit is cut it should be carefully placed in the pan, close to its neighbor, but not crowding, and when all are ready, popped into a hot oven for fifteen minutes' baking.

This lesson should be repeated in a few days, before the child has forgotten any of the details, and thereafter it is advisable to let her make the same dough, for different purposes, at least once a week for a while. For meat pies, dumplings, or shortcake, one-half the recipe will be plenty for a family of four, and she will feel that she has learned each time how to make a new dish. Provide a small blank book and have her write down every recipe, with the full directions for mixing. This will be her very own, and as it grows will come to be a valued treasure.

As cooked fruits are such nourishing food, let the child prepare some kind while the biscuits are baking—apples, for instance. The oven being hot, it is best to bake them, so show her how to wash, core and then fill each opening with sugar, cinnamon and a little butter. It will take only a few moments to prepare them, and while the baking is in progress the dishes that have been used should be washed and set in the closet, the materials left be put away. All must be in order before the lesson is pronounced over and the dish-pan wiped and put up. Where it is desired to serve the apples and biscuits at the same meal, the apples should be prepared first, as they take longer to bake.

Corn bread, too, is easy for any child to make. Have her mix one and one-half cups of sifted flour, one-half cup of yellow corn meal, three tablespoons of granulated sugar, one teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of baking powder. Add two well-beaten eggs, one cup milk, and one tablespoon of melted butter. Pour in buttered tin or gem pans, and bake in hot oven for fifteen or twenty minutes.

Then next try muffins. Have her sift two cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, and two teaspoons of baking powder. Add one cup of milk, two tablespoons of melted butter, and two eggs, with the stiff whites last. Bake in buttered muffin tins fifteen or twenty minutes in a hot oven.

If successful with these things, she will be quite sure with a little care to make good griddle cakes. Have her sift two cups of flour with two teaspoons of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of sugar, and stir in the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, and a cup and a half of milk. When perfectly smooth, and just before baking, fold in the stiff whites. Grease a hot griddle with a piece of suet, put down a spoonful of batter at a time, and turn as soon as it bubbles well over the top. Watch carefully to keep from burning, but never turn a pancake the second time.

After a girl has learned how to make biscuit and other light breads, she should be shown at once how to prepare eggs in different ways so that she will be able at any time to serve a dainty breakfast.

Creamed Eggs on Toast

To boil an egg would seem to be the easiest matter possible, but it requires care just the same. Scarcely any two people in a family like eggs cooked the same length of time, and so, after ascertaining the way each one prefers, have the water boiling hard, and then check by adding a little cold water so that the shells will not crack from the heat. Put in the eggs carefully with a tablespoon, to prevent striking each other, boil the required number of minutes and remove each when its time is up, sending to the table at once. Hard boiled eggs, to be digestible, should be kept just at the boiling point for thirty minutes. The yolks will then be mealy.

Poached eggs should be dropped in buttered gem pans and then set in a deep dripping-pan and covered with boiling water. When boiled as long as desired, lift gently on to rounds of buttered toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley or small celery leaves and serve on a hot platter.

For an omelet for four