VEGETABLES

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BRUSSELS SPROUTS—Wash well in salted water about two pounds of Brussels sprouts and pick them over well. Place them on a fire in a saucepan filled with water, a little salt and bicarbonate of soda. With the lid off boil fast till tender; about twenty to twenty-five minutes. When done drain them and dry on a cloth. Put in a large saucepan a good-sized lump of butter and a little salt and pepper. Toss the sprouts in this until they become quite hot again, but do not fry them. Serve on a quartered round of buttered toast.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS MAITRE D'HOTEL—Boil the sprouts and then place them in a saucepan with a lump of butter and beat them well. Put half a pound of fresh butter in a pan with two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, the juice of a couple of lemons, a little salt and white pepper and mix together well with a spatula, and when it boils stir quickly. Place the sprouts on a dish and turn the sauce over them.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS SAUTED—One pound of Brussels sprouts should be thoroughly washed and boiled and then put into a pan over the fire together with a good-sized lump of butter, a little salt, and toss for eight minutes. Sprinkle over them a little chopped parsley, and serve when done.

BAKED MUSHROOMS IN CUPS—Peel and cut off the stalks of a dozen or more large fat mushrooms, and chop up fine. Put the trimmings in a stewpan with some water or clear gravy, and boil well. When nicely flavored strain the liquor, return it to the stewpan with the mushrooms and a moderate quantity of finely chopped parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper, and boil gently on the side of the stove for nearly three-quarters of an hour. Beat four eggs well in one-half teacupful of cream, and strain. When the mushrooms are ready move the stewpan away from the fire and stir in the beaten eggs. Butter some small cups or molds, fill each with the mixture, and bake in a brisk oven. Prepare some white sauce; when baked turn the mushrooms out of the molds on a hot dish, pour the sauce around them, and serve.

BOILED CHESTNUTS SERVED AS VEGETABLES—Peel off the outside skin of the chestnuts and steep them in boiling water until the skin can be easily removed, and throw them into a bowl of cold water. Put two ounces of butter into a saucepan with two tablespoons of flour and stir the whole over a fire until well mixed. Then pour in one-half pint or more of clear broth and continue stirring over the fire until it boils. Season with salt, throw in the chestnuts and keep them simmering at the side of the fire until tender. When served in this way they make a good vegetable for roasted meat or poultry, particularly turkey.

BOILED CORN—Choose short, thick ears of fresh corn, remove all the husks except the inner layer: strip that down far enough to remove the silk and any defective grains and then replace it, and tie at the upper end of each ear of corn. Have ready a large pot half full of boiling water, put in the corn and boil steadily for about twenty minutes, if the ears are large, and fifteen minutes if they are small. Remove from the boiling water, take off the strings, and serve hot at once. If desirable, the inner husk may be removed before serving, but this must be done very quickly, and the ears covered with a napkin or a clean towel to prevent the heat from escaping. Serve plenty of salt, butter and pepper with the corn. These may be mixed by heating them together, and serve in a gravy bowl.

BOILED ONIONS WITH CREAM—Peel twelve medium-sized onions, pare the roots without cutting them, place in a saucepan, cover with salted water, add a bunch of parsley, and boil for forty-five minutes; take them from the saucepan, place them on a dish, covering with two gills of cream sauce, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of broth, garnish, and serve.

CORN FRITTERS—Prepare four ears of fresh corn by removing the outer husks and silks; boil and then drain well. Cut the grains from the cobs and place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add one-fourth pound of sifted flour, two eggs and a half pint of cold milk. Stir vigorously, but do not beat, with a wooden spoon for five minutes, when it will be sufficiently firm; butter a frying-pan, place it on a fire, and with a ladle holding one gill put the mixture on the pan in twelve parts, being careful that they do not touch one another, and fry till of a good golden color, cooking for four or five minutes on each side. Dress them on a folded napkin, and serve.

BROILED EGGPLANT—Peel an eggplant and cut it into six slices each half an inch thick. Put them into a dish and season with salt and pepper and pour over them one tablespoon of sweet oil. Mix well and arrange the slices of the eggplant on a broiler and broil on each side for five minutes, then place on a dish which has been heated and pour over a gill of maitre d'hotel sauce, and serve.

FRIED EGGPLANT—Select a nice large eggplant, peel, remove the seeds, and cut into pieces about one and one-half inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide. Put them on a plate, sprinkle well with salt and leave standing for an hour or so. Then wrap the pieces in a cloth and twist it around so as to squeeze as much juice as possible from them without breaking. Sprinkle over with flour, covering each side well, and place them in a frying basket. Put a large lump of fat in a stewpan and when it boils put in the basket. As each plant is nicely browned take out of the basket, sprinkle with salt and lay on a sheet of paper in front of a fire so as to drain as free as possible from fat. Serve on a napkin spread over a hot dish.

EGGPLANT FRITTERS—Boil the eggplant in salted water mixed with a little lemon juice. When tender, skin, drain and mash them. For every pint of pulp, add one-half breakfast cup full of flour, two well beaten eggs, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Shape into fritters and fry in boiling fat until brown.

BROILED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST—Trim off the stalks of the required quantity of large mushrooms, peel, score them once across the top, place them on a gridiron and grill over a slow fire, turning when done on one side. Trim the crusts off some slices of bread and toast on both sides. Cut rounds out of the toast the same size as the mushrooms, butter them and place a mushroom on each. Put a lump of butter in each mushroom and sprinkle over with salt and pepper. Place a fancy dish-paper on a hot dish, and serve the mushrooms-on-toast, with a garnish of fried parsley.

DEVILED MUSHROOMS—Cut off the stalks even with the head and peel and trim the mushrooms neatly. Brush them over inside with a paste brush dipped in warm butter, and season with salt and pepper, and a small quantity of cayenne pepper. Put them on a gridiron and broil over a clear fire. When cooked put the mushrooms on a hot dish, and serve.

MUSHROOMS IN CREAM—Peel and trim the required quantity of mushrooms. Put some cream in a pan over the fire and season with pepper and salt to taste. Rub the mushrooms in salt and pepper, and as quickly as the cream comes to a boil put them in and let boil for four minutes. Serve hot.

BOILED SPANISH ONIONS—Boil Spanish onions in salted water thirty minutes. Drain and add butter or drippings, salt and pepper, covering the pan to prevent steam from escaping. Cook slowly for about three hours, basting frequently with drippings. Care should be taken that they do not burn.

BAKED ONIONS—Put six large onions into a saucepan of water, or water and milk in equal proportions, add salt and pepper and boil until tender. When done so they can be easily mashed work them up with butter to the consistency of paste, cover with breadcrumbs, and bake in a moderate oven. If preferred they may be boiled whole, put in a baking dish covered with butter and breadcrumbs, then baked.

FRIED ONIONS—Peel and slice into even rounds four medium-sized onions. Place them first in milk then in flour, fry in very hot fat for eight minutes. Remove them carefully and lay on a cloth to dry. Place a folded napkin on a dish, lay the onions on, and serve very hot. Garnish with fried parsley.

GLAZED ONIONS—Peel the onions and place in a saucepan with a little warmed butter, add sugar and salt to taste, pour over a little stock. Place over a moderate fire and cook slowly till quite tender and the outside brown. Remove and serve on a dish. A little of the liquor, thickened with flour, may be served as a sauce.

FRIED SPANISH ONIONS—Peel and slice two pounds of Spanish onions. Place them in a hot frying-pan, containing two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, add salt and pepper.

BOILED OYSTER PLANT—Scrape a bunch of oyster plants, dropping into cold water to which a little vinegar has been added. Cut in small pieces and boil in salted water until tender. Season with butter, pepper and cream. Cream may be omitted if desired.

BROILED POTATOES—Peel a half dozen medium-sized cooked potatoes, halve them and lay upon a dish, seasoning with a pinch of salt, and pour over them two tablespoons of butter and roll them thoroughly in it. Then arrange them on a double broiler, and broil over a moderate fire for three minutes on each side. Serve in a folded napkin on a hot dish.

PARSNIP FRITTERS—Peel and boil some parsnips until tender, then drain thoroughly and mash, mixing in with them two beaten eggs, salt to taste, and sufficient flour to bind them stiffly. Divide and mold the mixture into small round cakes with floured hands. Put a large piece of butter into a stewpan, place on the fire and let it boil. Then put in the cakes and fry to a nice golden brown color. Take out and drain them, and serve on a napkin spread over a hot dish, with a garnish of fried parsley.

MASHED PARSNIPS—Wash and scrape some parsnips, cut in pieces lengthwise, put them in a saucepan with boiling water, a little salt and a small lump of drippings. Boil till tender, remove and place in a colander to drain, and press all the waste out of them. Mash them till quite smooth with a wooden spoon, put them in a saucepan with a tablespoonful of milk or a small lump of butter, and a little salt and pepper; stir over the fire until thoroughly hot again, turn out on to a dish, and serve immediately.

POTATO BALLS—Mash thoroughly a pound of boiled potatoes and rub them through a wire sieve. Mix in a quarter of a pound of grated ham, a little chopped parsley, and a small onion chopped very fine, together with a small quantity of grated nutmeg, and the beaten yolks of two eggs. Roll this mixture into balls of equal size, then roll in flour and egg-breadcrumbs, and fry in dripping or brown them in the oven, and serve on a hot dish.

POTATOES AND ONIONS SAUTED—Take an equal amount of small new potatoes and onions of equal size, peel and place in a saute pan with a good-sized piece of butter, tossing them over the fire for a quarter of an hour, being careful not to let them burn. Put in enough water to half cover the vegetables, add a little salt and pepper, place the lid over the pan and stew gently for half an hour, then squeeze a little lemon juice in it and turn on a hot dish, and serve.

POTATOES LYONNAISE—Cut into round slices eight boiled potatoes, lay in a frying-pan with an ounce and a half of butter and the round slices of a fried onion, seasoning with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for six minutes, or until they become well browned, tossing them all the while. Sprinkle over with a small quantity of chopped parsley, and serve.

STEWED MUSHROOMS—Peel and remove the stalks from some large mushrooms, wash and cut them into halves; put two ounces of butter into a small lined saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of flour and stir this over the fire, then mix in by degrees one and one-half breakfast cupfuls of milk; while boiling and after being thickened, put in the mushrooms. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a small quantity of powdered mace, and stew gently on the side of the fire until tender. When cooked turn the mushrooms on to a hot dish, garnish with some croutons of bread that have been fried to a nice brown, and serve.

STUFFED ONIONS, STEAMED—Peel eight large onions and boil for ten minutes, and salt them slightly. Remove them from the fire, drain quite dry, push about half the insides out; chop the parts taken out very small, together with a little sausage meat; add one teacupful of breadcrumbs, one egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Put this mixture into the cavity in the onions, piling a little on the top and bottom so that none shall be left. Arrange them in a deep pan. Put them in a steamer over a saucepan of water and steam for one hour and a half. Put the pan in the oven to brown the tops of the onions, adding one breakfast cupful of butter to prevent burning. Arrange them tastefully on a dish, and serve hot.

POTATO CROQUETTES—Take four boiled potatoes and add to them half their weight in butter, the same quantity of powdered sugar, salt, grated peel of half a lemon and two well beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly and roll into cork-shaped pieces and dip into the beaten yolks of eggs, rolling in sifted breadcrumbs. Let stand one hour and again dip in egg and roll in crumbs. Fry in boiling lard or butter. Serve with a garnish of parsley.

CREAMED POTATOES—Cut into cubes or dices about half a pound of boiled potatoes and place in a shallow baking pan. Pour over them enough milk or cream to cover them and put in the oven or on the side of the stove and cook gently until nearly all the milk is absorbed. Add a tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful each of finely chopped parsley, and salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper, mixed well together. When they have become thoroughly warmed turn into a dish, and serve immediately.

APPLES AND ONIONS—Select sour apples, pare, core and thinly slice. Slice about half as many onions, put some bacon fat in the bottom of a frying-pan and when melted add the apples and onions. Cover the pan and cook until tender, cooking rather slowly. Sprinkle with sugar, and serve with roast pork.

BACON AND SPINACH—Line a pudding dish with thin slices of raw bacon. Take boiled spinach, ready for the table, season with butter, salt and pepper. Take also some boiled carrots, turnips and onions. Whip up the yolk of an egg with pepper and salt, and stir into the carrots and turnips. Arrange the vegetables alternately in the dish and partially fill with boiling water. Steam for an hour. Turn out on a flat dish, and serve with a rich brown gravy.

BOILED CELERY—Trim off the tops of the celery about one-third of their length, and also trim the roots into rounding shape. Save the tops for making cream of celery and for garnishes, cook the celery in salted water until tender, drain, lay on toast, and pour a cream sauce over.

BOSTON BAKED BEANS—Pick over a quart of small pea beans, wash thoroughly and soak over night in warm water. In the morning parboil them until the skins crack open. Pour off the water. Put into the bottom of a glazed earthenware pot, made expressly for the purpose, a pint of hot water in which have been dissolved a half tablespoonful salt, two tablespoonfuls molasses, a half teaspoonful mustard, and a pinch of soda. Pack in the beans until about a third full, then place in it a pound (or less, if preferred) of streaked pig pork, the skin of which has been scored. Cover with a layer of beans, letting the rind of the pork just show through. Now add enough more seasoned hot water to cover the beans, and bake covered in a slow oven all day or night. When done the beans should be soft, tender and moist but brown and whole, and the pork cooked to a jelly.

BREADED POTATO BALLS—Pare, boil and mash potatoes and whip into three cups of potato three level tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of hot milk, salt and pepper to taste; also two teaspoons of onion juice and two level tablespoons of chopped parsley, one-quarter cup of grated mild cheese and two well-beaten eggs. Beat well and set aside to cool. Mold into small balls, roll each in beaten egg, in fine stale breadcrumbs, and then fry in deep hot fat.

CABBAGE AND CHEESE—Boil the cabbage in two waters, then drain, cool and chop. Season well with salt and pepper and spread a layer in a buttered baking dish. Pour over this a white sauce made from a tablespoonful each of flour and butter and a cup of milk. Add two or three tablespoonfuls of finely broken cheese. Now add another layer of cabbage, then more of the white sauce and cheese, and so on until all the material is used. Sprinkle with fine crumbs, bake covered about half an hour, then uncover and brown.

CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN—Select a firm, well-shaped cauliflower, and after the preliminary soaking in cold salt water throw into a kettle of boiling water and cook half an hour, until tender. Drain, pick off the flowers and lay to one side, while you pick the stalks into small pieces. Lay on the bottom of a rather shallow buttered baking dish, sprinkle with pepper, grated cheese and cracker crumbs. Dot with pieces of butter. Add a little milk, then a layer of the flowerets and another sprinkling of milk, cheese and pepper.

CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS—Soak and boil the cauliflower in the usual way, then separate into flowers. Dip each piece into a thin batter, plunge into boiling fat and fry a delicate brown. Serve very hot on napkins. If preferred, the pieces may be dipped into a mixture of salt, pepper, vinegar and oil, then fried.

CREAMED SPAGHETTI—Have two quarts of water boiling in a kettle and one-third of a pound of spaghetti. Hold a few pieces of the spaghetti at a time in the water and as the ends soften turn them round and round and down into the kettle. When all are in the water put on a cover and cook the spaghetti twenty minutes, then drain.

Make a cream sauce with a rounding tablespoon each of flour and butter and one cup of cream. Season with one-half teaspoon of salt and a few grains of pepper. Stir in the spaghetti cut in inch pieces, turn on to a dish, and sprinkle with finely grated cheese.

FRIED CORN—Cut the corn off the cob, leaving the grains as separate as possible. Fry in just enough butter to keep it from sticking to the pan, stirring very often. When nicely browned add salt and pepper and a little rich cream. Do not set near the fire after adding the cream.

FRIED TOMATOES—Wipe some smooth solid tomatoes and slice and fry in a spider with butter or pork fat. Season well with salt and pepper.

GLAZED CARROTS WITH PEAS—Wash, scrape and cut three medium-sized carrots in one-fourth inch slices, then, in cubes or fancy shapes, drain and put in saucepan with one-half cup butter, one-third cup sugar, and one tablespoon fine chopped fresh mint leaves. Cook slowly until glazed and tender. Drain and rinse one can French peas and heat in freshly boiling water five minutes. Again drain and season with butter, salt and pepper. Mound peas on hot dish and surround with carrots.

GLAZED SWEET POTATOES—Put two rounding tablespoons of butter and one of sugar into a casserole and set on the back of the range to heat slowly. When hot lay in raw, pared sweet potatoes cut in halves, lengthwise. Dust with salt and pepper and put in another layer of seasoned potatoes and enough boiling water to stand one-half inch deep in the dish. Put on the close-fitting cover and set in the oven to cook slowly. When the potatoes are tender serve in the same dish with the sweet sauce that will not be entirely absorbed in the cooking. This way of preparing sweet potatoes pleases the Southern taste, which demands sugar added to the naturally sweet vegetable.

GLAZED SWEET POTATOES—Sweet potatoes, like squash and peas, lose a little of their sweetness in cooking, and when recooked it is well to add a little sugar. Slice two large cooked sweet potatoes and lay in a small baking dish, sprinkle with a level tablespoon of sugar and a few dashes of salt and pepper, add also some bits of butter. Pour in one-half cup of boiling water, bake half an hour, basting twice with the butter and water.

GREEN MELON SAUTE—There are frequently a few melons left on the vines which will not ripen sufficiently to be palatable uncooked. Cut them in halves, remove the seeds and then cut in slices three-fourths of an inch thick. Cut each slice in quarters and again, if the melon is large, pare off the rind, sprinkle them slightly with salt and powdered sugar, cover with fine crumbs; then dip in beaten egg, then in crumbs again, and cook slowly in hot butter, the same as eggplant. Drain, and serve hot. When the melons are nearly ripe they may be sauted in butter without crumbs.

JAPANESE OR CHINESE RICE—Wash one cup of rice, rubbing it through several waters until the water runs clear. Put in porcelain-lined stewpan with a quart of soup stock and bay leaves and boil twenty minutes. The stock must be hot when added to the rice. Shake the kettle in which it is cooking several times during the cooking and lift occasionally with a fork. Do not stir. Pour off any superfluous stock remaining at the end of twenty minutes, and set on the back of the stove or in the oven, uncovered, to finish swelling and steaming. Just before serving add one cup of hot tomato juice, a quarter cup of butter, a tablespoon chopped parsley, a dash of paprika, and one tablespoon of grated cheese. Serve with grated cheese.

LIMA BEANS WITH NUTS—Soak one cup of dry lima beans over night. In the morning rip off the skins, rinse and put into the bean pot with plenty of water and salt to season, rather more than without the nuts. Let cook slowly in the oven and until perfectly tender; add one-half cup of walnut meal, stirring it in well; let cook a few minutes, and serve.

MACARONI WITH APRICOTS—Stew twenty halves of fresh apricots in half a cup of sugar and enough water to make a nice sirup when they are done. Before removing from the fire add a heaping tablespoonful of brown flour and cook until the sirup is heavy and smooth. Parboil ten sticks of macaroni broken in two-inch pieces, drain, add to one pint of scalding hot milk two ounces of sugar. Throw in the parboiled macaroni and allow it to simmer until the milk is absorbed; stir it often. Pour all the juice or sauce from the apricots into the macaroni, cover the macaroni well, set on back of the stove for fifteen minutes, then take off and allow to cool. When cold form a pile of macaroni in the center of the dish and cover with apricots, placing them in circles around and over it.

MACARONI AND CHEESE—Cook macaroni broken up into short length in boiling salted water. Boil uncovered for twenty or thirty minutes, then drain. Fill a buttered pudding dish with alternate layers of macaroni and grated cheese, sprinkling pepper, salt and melted butter over each layer. Have top layer of cheese, moisten with rich milk, bake in moderate oven until a rich brown.

SCRAMBLED CAULIFLOWER—Trim off the coarse outer leaves of a cauliflower. After soaking and cooking, drain well and divide into branches. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper and toss into a frying pan with hot butter or olive oil.

MACARONI OR SPAGHETTI SERVED IN ITALIAN STYLE—Break a pound of macaroni or spaghetti into small pieces. Put into boiling salted water and boil about twenty minutes. Then drain and arrange on platter. Sprinkle on each layer grated cheese and mushroom sauce. Serve hot.

MUSHROOM SAUCE, ITALIAN STYLE—(For macaroni, spaghetti, ravioli and rice.)—A small piece of butter about the size of an egg. One or two small onions, cut very small. About two pounds of beef. Let all brown. Prepare as you would a pot roast. Add Italian dried mushrooms, soaked over night in hot water, chopped in small pieces. Add about one-half can of tomatoes. Let all cook well. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little flour to thicken.

MOLD SPINACH—Remove roots and decayed leaves, wash in several waters until no grit remains. Boil in water to nearly cover until tender, drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, chop very fine; reheat in butter, season with salt and pepper and pack in small cups. Turn out and garnish with sifted yolk of egg.

NUT PARSNIP STEW—Wash, scrape and slice thin two good-sized parsnips. Cook until perfectly tender in two quarts of water. When nearly done add a teaspoon of salt and when thoroughly done a teaspoon of flour mixed with a little cold water, stir well and let boil until the flour is well cooked, then stir in one-half cup of walnut meal, let boil up once, and serve immediately.

POTATOES A LA MAITRE D'HOTEL—Slice cold boiled potatoes thin. Melt a rounding tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan, add a heaping pint bowl of the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and heat. Now add a teaspoon of lemon juice and the same of finely minced parsley, and serve at once.

POTATOES AU GRATIN—Make a white sauce, using one tablespoonful of butter, one of flour, one-half a teaspoonful salt, one-quarter of a teaspoonful of white pepper and one cupful of milk. Cut cold boiled potatoes into thick slices, or, better still, into half-inch cubes. Butter a baking dish, put in it a layer of the sauce, then one of the potatoes, previously lightly seasoning with salt and pepper. Continue until all are in, the proportion of potato being about two cupfuls.

To one cupful of dried and sifted breadcrumbs, add one teaspoonful of melted butter and stir until it is evenly mixed through. Spread this over the contents of the baking dish, and place in a quick oven for twenty minutes, or until nicely browned. For a change, a little onion juice, chopped parsley or grated cheese may be added to the sauce.

POTATO CREAMED—Cut cold boiled potatoes into small dice and cover them in a small saucepan with milk. Let them stand where they will heat slowly and absorb nearly all the milk. When hot add to one pint of potatoes a tablespoon of salt and a dash of white pepper. Sprinkle a little finely chopped parsley over the top as a garnish.

POTATO MOLD—Mash some potato smoothly, add to it some butter and a little milk to make it smooth but not wet. Season with white pepper and salt and add enough chopped parsley to make it look pretty. Press into greased mold and bake for half an hour until lightly browned. Dust with crumbs and serve.

POTATO PARISIENNE—Potato marbles seasoned with minced parsley, butter and lemon juice are liked by many. Others find that they are not sufficiently seasoned, that is, the seasoning has not penetrated into the potatoes, especially if a large cutter has been used. This method will be found to remedy this fault, giving a seasoning which reaches every portion of the potato. It may not be quite so attractive as the somewhat underdone marbles, but the flavor is finer.

Pare the potatoes and steam or boil them until soft, being careful they do not cook too fast. Drain off the water and let them stand uncovered until dry. Then cut in quarters lengthwise, and then in thin slices, letting them drop into a stewpan containing melted butter, salt and paprika. When all are sliced cover them and let them heat for a few minutes, add minced parsley and lemon Juice, shake them about so the seasoning will be well mixed and serve at once.

POTATO PUFFSNo. 1—To one cup of mashed potato add one tablespoon of butter, one egg, beaten light, one-half cup of cream or milk, a little salt. Beat well and fill popover pans half full. Bake until brown in quick oven.

POTATO PUFFSNo. 2—Add hot milk to cold mashed potato beat up thoroughly. Add one or two well-beaten eggs, leaving out the yolks if preferred whiter. Drop in spoonfuls on a buttered tin, place a piece of butter on the top of each and bake a delicate brown or put in a pudding dish and butter the top and bake till of a light brown on top. Fifteen minutes in a hot oven will be sufficient.

RICE A LA GEORGIENNE FOR FIVE PERSONS—Wash one pound of rice in several changes of cold water until water is clear, and cook until soft, but not soft enough to mash between the fingers. Let it drip, cool and drip again. Add it to one-quarter pound of melted butter, not browned, season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly; bake in covered dish for twenty minutes.

RICE IN TOMATOES—Cook some rice in boiling salted water until tender and season highly with pepper. Cut a small slice from the top of each ripe tomato, take out the seeds, fill with the seasoned rice, put a bit of butter on each, set in the oven and bake until the tomato is tender.

RICE SERVED IN ITALIAN STYLE WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE—Steam or boil one-half pound of rice until done, then drain. Remove meat from mushroom sauce. Drop rice into mushroom sauce and cook about five minutes. Pour on platter and sprinkle heavy with grated cheese.

SCALLOPED TOMATOES—Drain a half can of tomatoes from some of their liquor and season with salt, pepper, a few drops of onion juice and one teaspoonful sugar. Cover the bottom of a small buttered baking dish with buttered cracker crumbs, cover with tomatoes and sprinkle the top thickly with buttered crumbs. Bake in a hot oven. Buttered cracker crumbs are made by simply rolling common crackers with a rolling pin and allowing one-third cupful of melted butter to each cupful of crumbs. This recipe takes about one and one-third cupfuls of crumbs.

SPAGHETTI A L'ITALIENNE—Let it cook until the water nearly boils away and it is very soft. The imported spaghetti is so firm that it may be cooked a long time without losing its shape. When the water has boiled out, watch it and remove the cover so it will dry off. Then draw the mass to one side and put in a large lump of butter, perhaps a tablespoon, and let it melt, then stir in until the butter is absorbed, and pour on one cup of the strained juice from canned tomatoes. Season with salt and paprika, and let it stew until the spaghetti has absorbed the tomato. The spaghetti, if cooked until soft, will thicken the tomato sufficiently and it is less work than to make a tomato sauce. Turn out and serve as an entree, or a main dish for luncheon and pass grated sap sago or other cheese to those who prefer it. When you have any stock like chicken or veal, add that with the tomato or alone if you prefer and scant the butter.

STUFFED CABBAGE—Cut the stalk out of two or more young cabbages and fill with a stuffing made from cooked veal, chopped or ground very fine, seasoned well with salt and pepper, and mixed with the beaten yolk of an egg. Tie a strip of cheese cloth round each cabbage, or if small, twine will hold each together. Put into a kettle with boiling water to cover and cook until tender. Drain, unbind and serve hot.

STUFFED EGG PLANT—Wash a large egg plant, cut in halves the long way and scoop the inside out with a teaspoon, leaving each shell quite empty, but unbroken. Cook the inside portion in one-half cup of water, then press through a strainer and mix with one-half cup of bread crumbs, one rounding tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper. The shells should lie in salt and water after scraping, and when ready to fill them wipe them dry and pack the filling. Scatter fine crumbs over the top, dot with butter and bake twenty minutes.

STUFFED POTATOES—Select smooth, even sized potatoes and bake until done. Remove one end, carefully scrape out the center of each mash and season with salt and butter, add a generous portion of nut meat and fill the shells with the mixture. Cover with the piece that was cut off, wrap each potato in tissue paper and serve.

CORN STEWED WITH CREAM—Select a half dozen ears of Indian corn, remove the silks and outer husks, place them in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook, drain, and cut the corn off the cobs with a sharp knife, being very careful that none of the cob adheres to the corn. Place in a stewpan with one cup of hot bechamel sauce, one-half breakfast-cupful of cream and about one-quarter of an ounce of butter. Season with pepper and salt and a little grated nutmeg. Cook gently on a stove for five minutes, place in a hot dish and serve.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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