e cold.

MARY'S RECIPE FOR MOLASSES TAFFY

Four tablespoonfuls New Orleans molasses, 9 tablespoonfuls sugar, 3
tablespoonfuls water, 2 teaspoonfuls butter, 1 teaspoonful vanilla.
Boil all together until it becomes brittle when a small quantity is
dropped in water. Pour the mixture into buttered pans and when cool
enough to handle, pull with the hands until a light creamy yellow
shade. Pull into long, thin strips, cut into small pieces with
scissors. This taffy is fine if boiled a long enough time to become
crisp and brittle, and you will be surprised at the quantity this
small amount of sugar and molasses will make.

RECIPE FOR MAKING HARD SOAP WITHOUT BOILING

To make hard soap without boiling, empty a can of "Lewis Perfumed Lye"
(or any other good, reliable brand of lye) into a stone jar with 1
tablespoonful powdered borax. Add 2-1/2 pints of cold water to the
lye. Stir until dissolved. Be very careful not to allow any of the lye
to touch hands or face. Wear old gloves when emptying can and stirring
lye. Stand the dissolved lye in a cool place. The tin cans containing
the fat to be used for soap (which have accumulated, been tried out,
strained, and put in empty tin cans at different times) should be
placed in the oven of range for a few minutes. When warm they may be
turned out readily into a large stew-pan. Put over fire and when all
has dissolved and melted, strain through cheese-cloth bag into an
agate dish pan. When weighed you should 5-1/2 pounds of clear fat. A
recipe telling exact quantity of fat and lye usually comes with can of
lye. When temperature of fat is 120 degrees by your thermometer
(luke-warm), the lye should have been allowed to stand about 1 hour
from the time it was dissolved. It should then be the right
temperature to mix with strained, luke-warm fat or grease not over 80
degrees by thermometer. Now slowly pour the dissolved lye over the
fat (a half cup of ammonia added improves soap), stir together until
lye and grease are thoroughly incorporated, and the mixture drops from
the stirrer like honey. The soap may be scented by adding a few drops
of oil of cloves, if liked. Stir the mixture with a small wooden
paddle or stick. Stir slowly from 5 to 10 minutes, not longer, or the
lye and fat may separate. Pour all into a large agate dish pan lined
with a piece of clean muslin. Throw an old piece of carpet over the
top and stand near the range until evening, when, if made early in the
mornin