VEGETABLES.

"Cheerful cooks make every dish a feast."—Massinger.

Always have the water boiling when you put your vegetables in, and keep it constantly boiling until they are done. Cook each kind by itself when convenient. All vegetables should be well seasoned.

APPLES.

MRS. DAVID BELL.

When the barrel of apples you have bought, begins to make your mind uneasy, because they can spoil faster than you can use them, a good plan is to peel, core and stir them with a very little sugar and screw them down in your jam jars. They will keep for a couple of months and will be handy to fill a tart or as apple sauce, etc.; they do not need to be cooked too much and some of the firmer sorts may remain in quarters solid enough for a pie. Another plan is to peel but not core the suspicious ones, then let them freeze solid, when frozen pack them in a box and cover. Keep them where they will not thaw. When you wish for a dish of baked apples, put them in your baking pan, scatter a little sugar over them and put them in a quick oven without letting them thaw, when done, they should each be whole and a pretty brown color.

BEANS.

Beans are a nice winter vegetable, but cooked with pork as "baked beans," are too strong for daily use, but are a desirable article of food cooked more plainly. Choose the small white beans, put them in a saucepan with as much cold water, as will cover them well and a small pinch of baking soda; when they have simmered a few minutes drain off the water and replace it with hot water and a little salt; if possible let them cook without boiling hard; when tender drain, and dish with a liberal piece of butter and a dust of pepper. They are also good thrown when drained into the frying pan with some dripping, pepper and salt, and heated a few minutes over the fire. The only attention they require in cooking is lest they melt into soup when nearly cooked.

FRIED BEETS.

MRS. DUNCAN LAURIE.

Boil until tender, slice and put in stewpan with a teaspoon of vinegar, half the juice of a lemon, one half teaspoonful each sugar and salt, a grate of nutmeg and a dash of pepper. Add two tablespoonfuls of stock, a teaspoon butter, and let simmer one half hour.

CREAMED CABBAGE.

MISS J. E. FRASER.

Cut a medium sized cabbage in quarters. Take out the stem, put into a kettle of boiling water, cook for ten minutes, drain and cover with cold water. This will destroy the odor so unpleasant. When cold, chop fine, season with salt and pepper. Make a sauce of two tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon flour, mix smooth, add one pint of milk; cook in this sauce slowly for three quarters of an hour.

STEWED CUCUMBERS.

MRS. DAVID BELL.

Peel a nice straight cucumber, cut in four lengthwise, scoop out all seeds, and cut it in pieces about three inches long; throw these into a saucepan of boiling water with a little salt. When they bend under the touch, they are done, drain in a sieve, then put in a stewpan with a good sized piece of butter, finely chopped parsley salt and pepper. Toss over the fire till thoroughly heated through and serve in a hot dish.

OYSTER CABBAGE.

MRS. D. M. COOK.

Mince fine one half a cabbage, boil for ten minutes and strain off water. Then cover cabbage with milk and let come to a boil, add rolled cracker crumbs, butter size of a walnut, salt and pepper to taste.

CORN OMELET.

Boil one half dozen ears of corn, cut corn from the cob; beat four eggs separately, add to the corn the beaten yolks, salt and pepper, put in the whites last, fry in a pan with plenty of butter.

MACARONI AND CHEESE.

MISS H. BARCLAY.

Boil quarter of a pound of macaroni in water, for half an hour, cool and chop. Make a sauce of one tablespoonful butter, one dessertspoon of flour, half pint milk, one teaspoonful of mustard. Boil one minute; mix all together with three ounces of grated cheese. Put in a shallow dish sprinkling top with cheese. Bake a golden brown and garnish with toast.

MACARONI.

MRS. THOM.

One half pound macaroni, one half pound cheese, one quarter pound of butter, pint of milk, mustard and cayenne. Boil macaroni in salt and water until tender, drain and lay in dish. Put pint of milk on fire, just before boiling, add one tablespoon flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, butter, nearly all the cheese grated, mustard and cayenne. Boil until thick as custard, then pour over macaroni, sprinkle remainder of cheese on top with some small pieces of butter; if used immediately bake twenty minutes, if allowed to get cold one half hour.

CREAM-BAKED ONIONS.

MRS. J. S. THOM.

Pare as many good-sized onions as required and cover with boiling water, boil for ten minutes, then drain. Cover again with boiling water to which add one half teaspoon of salt, and cook till tender. Drain carefully and put the onions in a baking dish, place on each a teaspoon of butter, add pepper and salt to taste, then fill the dish half full of milk and cover with a layer of fine bread-crumbs. Bake till a delicate brown.

CORN OYSTERS.

MRS. FRANK GLASS.

One pint green grated corn, two tablespoons of milk, two eggs, two tablespoons of butter, flour to make a batter. Fry with butter.

OYSTER PANCAKES.

MRS. WADDLE.

One quart of new milk, three eggs, one half dozen green corn grated, one half teacup melted butter, one teaspoon salt and pepper. Flour enough to make a thin batter, fry with butter.

STIRRED POTATOES WITH EGGS.

MISS GRACE MACMILLAN.

Eight cold boiled potatoes chopped fine. Put into the saucepan a piece of butter the size of an egg. When it melts stir in the potatoes, stirring them till brown, then pour in four well beaten eggs, and stir them well through the potatoes. Serve very hot.

SWEET POTATOES STUFFED.

MRS. ARCHIBALD LAURIE.

Four large sized sweet potatoes baked until tender, then cut carefully in two. Cut a piece off each end, so they will stand, then scoop out, leaving the skins perfect. Mash the potato fine with an egg dressing as follows: boil four eggs hard, mash the yolks to a paste with cream to thin, salt and pepper to taste and a little mustard if liked; with this mixture fill the skins, place a piece of butter on top of each, and bake until well browned. Serve in individual saucers with a small doyley under.

POTATO FRILL.

MRS. FRANK GLASS.

Boil and mash some potatoes, working in a little milk and butter but not enough to make the paste soft; while hot add one beaten egg. Shape this paste into a fence on the inside round of a shallow dish, fluting it with the round handle of a knife. Set one minute in a hot oven but not long enough to cause the fence to crack. Glaze quickly with butter and pour the meat carefully within the wall. The mince should not be so thin as to wash away the frill.

POTATO PUFF.

MISS CORDELIA JACKSON.

Take two cupfuls of cold mashed potato, and stir into it six teaspoonfuls of melted butter, beating to a white cream before adding anything else. Then put with this two eggs, whipped very light and a teacupful of cream or milk, salting to taste. Beat all well, pour into a deep dish, and bake in a quick oven until it is nicely browned. If properly mixed it will come out of the oven light, puffy and delectable.

POTATO PEARS.

MRS. J. S. THOM

Boil six or eight large potatoes, when well done mash thoroughly, adding a little butter, cream, pepper and salt. Mould into shape of pears, putting a clove into stem and brush over with beaten egg, and put into the oven to brown slightly.

POTATO FRICASSÉ.

MRS. J. T. SMYTHE.

Cut into thin slices one half pound of fat salt pork. Place in stewpan, when brown, add an onion sliced and a little cold water, cook a few minutes. Cut up a number of good sized potatoes, add this to onion and pork and one half teaspoon of pepper. Cover well with cold water. Let this boil hard for hours. If about half an hour before serving, it is found not to be thick enough, take off cover and boil until it does thicken.

PEAS WITH CREAM SAUCE.

MRS. STOCKING.

Put one quart of peas in a kettle of salted boiling water and cook fifteen minutes; drain, put a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add a tablespoon of flour, mix; add a cup of milk; stir constantly until boiling; add salt, pepper and then the peas; stand over boiling water about five minutes and serve as garnish to baked, broiled or fried sweetbreads.

CREAMED RICE.

MRS. LAWRENCE.

Two thirds cup raw rice, one quart of milk, one half cup sugar, flavor with grated rind of lemon or nutmeg. Cook in a pie dish in moderate oven for one and half hour.

TO BOIL RICE.

MISS M. SAMPSON.

Have enough boiling water with a pinch of salt to more than cover the rice, boil for twenty minutes, do not stir, strain through a collander when cooked, and serve.

SPINACH ON TOAST.

MRS. FRANK GLASS.

Cook twenty minutes in boiling salted water. Drain and chop fine. Put a tablespoon of butter into a saucepan with a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, pepper and salt. Stir in the spinach and beat smooth while it heats; at the last, add one tablespoonful of cream or two of milk. Pour upon crustless slices of buttered toast laid upon a flat dish.

VEGETABLE MARROW.

MRS. DAVID BELL.

Cut in slices half an inch thick, peel and remove the spongy portion; fry in hot dripping or butter, pepper and salt; also nice to make a light batter and dip the slices in, afterwards frying a golden brown.