Hints for the Sick Room.

Otago Witness, Issue 2674, 14 June 1905, Page 66

Hints for the Sick Room.

: — Gruel Must be Carefully Made and Served. — Anything more distressing to a sick ' person than watery, ill-flavoured cruel can hardly be imagined, and the pcroer of digestion is often materially weakened by the dislike taken to the carelessly made food. To all gruel, even if sweetened, a little salt is necessary to make it palatable, and all lumps "should be carefully strained out. Then servo, if thick, in a pretty little china bowl on a rilate. Have a light tray, with a napkin or doyley, snd arrange the dish of gruel with "a spoon, fresi napkin, and, if allowed, a few fingerlike pieces of bread or toast, or a liaht wafer of some kind. If the gruel must be thin take all the more care in flavouring it A and let the cup bo a dainty one* i

Care in th-cse respects will cost only a little thought, for it takes little more time to do a thing daintily than to do it in a rough way. For a few cents bright coloured bowls and odd dishes may be picked up, so that even if by a nervous movement, the slip of a weak hand, something is broken it will matter little, and even the invalid will not have a regret for the thing which does not belong to any set.

Egg Gruel — Beat the yolk of one egg well, add one teaspoon of sugar. Stir in one cup of scalding milk and grate nutmeg over it, or add one teaspoon of vanilla. Then add the white of the egg

beaten very stiff.

Cracker Gruel — Four teaspoons of fine cracker crumbs, one cup of milk, one cup of hot water, salt to taste. Put- the water and milk on the stove together until hot, then add cracker ciumbs.

Cornnaeal Gruel — Two teaspoons of cornmeal, one tablespoon of flour to one quart of boiling water, or half milk and half water. Mix flour and cornmeal with cold) water, add the boiling water and cook one hour. Salt.

Barley Gruel — Stir two tablespoons of barley into two quarts of freshly boilingwater. Boil three or four hours. Milk may be added if desired. Strain through a sieve and sweeten to suit the taste.

Oatmeal Gruel — Put four tablespoons of oatmeal into one pint of boiling water ; add a quarter teaspoon of salt, and boil without ,«• tii ring for thirty minutes. Strain in a sieve, rubbing through as much oatmeal as possible. Have leady one egg well beaten, add one toaspoor. of powdered sugar. ■ Re-h-eat the gruel and pour over the egg. Mix carefully and serve. Whipped cieam may be a subs^tine for the egg, and makes an exceedingly nice gruel.