Arrowroot gruel may be flavored with cinnamon by boiling a half square inch of cinnamon bark in the water with which the gruel is made. Nutmeg, lemon juice or peel, and sherry wine may also be used; but the sherry should be avoided unless the gruel is to be served cold. OATMEAL GRUEL FROM POUNDED GRAIN Pound in a mortar or roll on a bread-board one cup of oatmeal until it is floury. Put it into a bowl, and fill the bowl with cold water; stir well and let it settle for a few seconds; then pour off the milky-looking water into a saucepan, fill again, mix and pour off the water, and so continue until the water no longer appears white, being careful at each pouring not to allow the brown cortex of the grain or any of the coarse portions to get out of the bowl; then boil the water for half an hour. For every pint put in a saltspoon of salt and half a cup of sweet cream, or, if that is not at hand, the same quantity of milk. Beef broth or wine may be used instead of cream. This is the best way to make oatmeal gruel, for by this method the coarse and irritating hulls are excluded, while the good flavor and nutritious properties are preserved. OATMEAL GRUEL (Plain) 2 Tablespoons of oatmeal (rolled oats). 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1 Scant teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cupful of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. Mix the oatmeal, salt, and sugar together, and pour on the boiling water. Cook it in a saucepan for thirty minutes, or in a double boiler two hours; then strain it through a fine wire strainer to remove the hulls, put it again on the stove, add the milk, and allow it to heat just to the boiling-point. Serve it hot. Good oatmeal gruel may be made from cold porridge, by adding water, milk, and a little sugar and straining it, or it may be served unstrained. Many like it so, and it makes an excellent lunch. FLOUR GRUEL 1 Tablespoon of flour. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 1 Teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk. ½ Square inch of cinnamon. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar, as for other gruels, into a paste with a little cold water; add the piece of cinnamon and the hot water; boil it for twenty minutes, slowly, so that it may not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn; then put in the milk and bring to the boiling-point. Strain it, and serve it very hot. If the gruel is intended for a patient with fever, a little lemon-juice is good in place of the cinnamon. Other flavors may also be used, such as nutmeg, almond, and vanilla. CRACKER GRUEL 2 Tablespoons of cracker-crumbs. 1 Scant saltspoon of salt. 1 Scant teaspoon of sugar. 1 Cup of boiling water. 1 Cup of milk.