et
and tasteless. A pleasant change is to peel the potatoes before baking.
These must be eaten as soon as they come from the oven or they lose their
crispness.

_Beans._--Nothing is more valuable for winter food than beans. They give
as much strength as beefsteak and are far less expensive. Soak them in
plenty of water over night; add a generous piece of unsmoked bacon; let
simmer on the back of the stove until they are tender and the water is
well cooked away; cover with milk, and either let them stand on the back
of the stove until the milk is thickened, or put them into a shallow
baking-dish and bake until nearly dry. Serve either hot or cold.

SOME CAPITAL DESSERTS.

_Apple Pudding._--Peel and slice enough apples to nearly fill your
pudding-dish, sugar to taste, and grate over them a little nutmeg. Also
add a little water. Now make a batter as follows: Three quarters of a cup
of sugar; a piece of butter the size of a small egg, one half-cup of
milk, one egg, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of baking-powder, and one
and one-eighth cups of flour. This is an extremely nice, wholesome
pudding, which can be served with either cream or hard sauce.

To make hard sauce take a half-cup of butter and cream it with a fork;
add a cupful of sugar and beat until nicely mixed and creamy. Flavor to
taste and sprinkle a little nutmeg over it.

_Cottage Pudding._--One cupful of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter, one
half-cupful of milk, two eggs, one and one-half cupfuls of flour, and one
teaspoonful of baking-powder. For the sauce, take three and a half
cupfuls of boiling water and stir in it a cupful of sugar, and a
tablespoonful of either flour or corn-starch rubbed smooth with a little
cold water. Cook well for two or three minutes; take the pan from the
fire, add the butter and flavor as you prefer.

_Batter Pudding Boiled or Baked._--One quart of milk, six eggs beaten
separately, six tablespoonfuls of flour worked gradually into the yolks
of the eggs, and a pinch of salt. Bake or boil about three-quarters of an
hour. Serve with sauce.

_Cream of Corn-starch._--One quart of milk, four eggs, one half-cupful
sugar, four tablespoonfuls of corn-starch dissolved in a little milk.
Into a pint of the milk put the sugar, and place on the stove to heat.
When very hot gradually stir in the corn-starch and beat well. Have ready
the whites of the eggs, and beat them into the milk; flavor as preferred.
Take the other pint of milk,