BOILED BEANS.—­Pick over some fresh, dry beans carefully, and wash thoroughly.  Put into boiling water and cook gently and slowly until tender, but not broken.  They should be moderately juicy when done.  Serve with lemon juice, or season with salt and a little cream as preferred.

The colored varieties, which are usually quite strong in flavor, are made less so by parboiling for fifteen or twenty minutes and then pouring the water off, adding more of boiling temperature, and cooking slowly until tender.

BEANS BOILED IN A BAG.—­Soak a pint of white beans over night.  When ready to cook, put them into a clean bag, tie up tightly, as the beans have already swelled, and if given space to move about with the boiling of the water will become broken and mushy.  Boil three or four hours.  Serve hot.

SCALLOPED BEANS.—­Soak a pint of white beans over night in cold water.  When ready to cook, put into an earthen baking dish, cover well with new milk, and bake in a slow oven for eight or nine hours; refilling the dish with milk as it boils away, and taking care that the beans do not at any time get dry enough to brown over the top till they are tender.  When nearly done, add salt to taste, and a half cup of cream.  They may be allowed to bake till the milk is quite absorbed, and the beans dry, or may be served when rich with juice, according to taste.  The beans may be parboiled in water for a half hour before beginning to bake, and the length of time thereby lessened.  They should be well drained before adding the milk, however.

STEWED BEANS.—­Soak a quart of white beans in water over night.  In the morning drain, turn hot water over them an inch deep or more, cover, and place on the range where they will only just simmer, adding boiling water if needed.  When nearly tender, add salt to taste, a tablespoonful of sugar if desired, and half a cup of good sweet cream.  Cook slowly an hour or more longer, but let them be full of juice when taken up, never cooked down dry and mealy.

MASHED BEANS.—­Soak over night in cold water, a quart of nice white beans.  When ready to cook, drain, put into boiling water, and boil till perfectly tender, and the water nearly evaporated.  Take up, rub through a colander to remove the skins, season with salt and a half cup of cream, put in a shallow pudding dish, smooth the top with a spoon, and brown in the oven.

STEWED LIMA BEANS.—­Put the beans into boiling water, and cook till tender, but not till they fall to pieces.  Fresh beans should cook an hour or more, and dry ones require from two to three hours unless previously soaked.  They are much better to simmer slowly than to boil hard.  They should be cooked nearly dry.  Season with salt, and a cup of thin cream, to each pint of beans.  Simmer for a few minutes after the cream is turned in.  Should it happen that the beans become tender before the water is sufficiently evaporated, do not drain off the water, but add a little thicker cream, and thicken the whole with a little flour.  A little flour stirred in with the cream, even when the water is nearly evaporated may be preferred by some.