The Cooking Manual of Practical Directions for Economical Every-Day Cookery

given to assist the patient in gaining strength. 242. =Egg Tea.=--Beat the yolk of an egg in a cup of tea, and let the sick person drink it warm; the yolk is more readily digested than the white, and has a better flavor; and the tea is a powerful respiratory excitant, while it promotes perspiration, and aids the assimilation of more nourishing foods. 243. =Very strong Beef Tea.=--(_This tea contains every nutritious element of the beef._)--Cut two pounds of lean beef into small dice, put it into a covered jar _without water_, and place it in a moderate oven for four hours, then strain off the gravy, and dilute it to the desired strength with boiling water. 244. =Beef Tea.=--(_A quick preparation for immediate use._)--Chop one pound of lean beef fine, put it into a bowl, and cover it with cold water; let it stand for fifteen or twenty minutes, and then pour both beef and liquid into a sauce-pan, and place them over the fire to boil from fifteen to thirty minutes as time will permit; then strain off the liquid, season it slightly, and serve it at once. 245. =Farina Gruel.=--Stir one ounce of farina into one pint of boiling water, and boil it down one half, using a farina kettle, or stirring occasionally to prevent burning, then add half a pint of milk, boil up once, and sweeten to taste. Use warm. Farina is a preparation of the inner portion of the finest wheat, freed from bran, and floury dust; it contains an excess of nitrogenous, or flesh-forming material, readily absorbs milk or water in the process of cooking, is quickly affected by the action of the gastric juices; and is far superior as a food to sago, arrowroot, tapioca, and corn starch. 246. =Nutritious Foods.=--We have called attention to the fact that the nurse's most important office is exercised when the invalid begins to regain health; the task of rebuilding exhausted vitality demands a thoughtful care that only a tender hearted woman can bestow; and lacking which the skill of the most enlightened physician is often