CARROT SOUP.—­For a quart of soup, slice one large carrot and boil in a small quantity of water for two hours or longer, then rub it through a colander, add a quart of rich milk, and salt to season.  Reheat, and when boiling, thicken with two teaspoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk.

CELERY SOUP.—­Chop quite fine enough fresh, crisp celery to make a pint, and cook it until tender in a very little boiling water.  When done, heat three cupfuls of rich milk, part cream if it can be afforded, to boiling, add the celery, salt to season, and thicken the whole with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk; or add to the milk before heating a cupful of mashed potato, turn through a colander to remove lumps, reheat, add salt and the celery, and serve.

CELERY SOUP NO. 2.—­Cook in a double boiler a cupful of cracked wheat in three pints of water for three or four hours.  Rub the wheat through a colander, add a cup of rich milk, and if needed, a little boiling water, and a small head of celery cut in finger lengths.  Boil all together for fifteen or twenty minutes, until well flavored, remove the celery with a fork, add salt, and serve with or without the hard-boiled yolk of an egg in each soup plate.

CHESTNUT SOUP.—­Shell and blanch a pint of Italian chestnuts, as directed on page 215, and cook in boiling milk until tender.  Rub the nuts through a colander, add salt and sufficient milk and cream to make a soup of the proper consistency, reheat and serve.

COMBINATION SOUP.—­This soup is prepared from material already cooked, and requires two cups of cracked wheat, one and one half cups of Lima beans, one half cup of black beans, and one cup of stewed tomato.  Rub the material together through a colander, adding, if needed, a little hot water to facilitate the sifting.  Add boiling water to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt and if it can be afforded a little sweet cream,—­the soup is, however, very palatable without the cream.

COMBINATION SOUP NO. 2.—­Take three and one half cups of mashed (Scotch) peas, one cup each of cooked rice, oatmeal, and hominy, and two cups of stewed tomato.  Rub the material through a colander, add boiling water to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt, reheat, and add, just before serving, two cups of cooked macaroni.  If preferred, a cup of cream may be used in place of the tomato, or both may be omitted.

ANOTHER.—­One half cup of cold mashed potato, one cup each of cooked pearl wheat, barley and dried peas.  Rub all through a colander, add boiling milk to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt and a half cup of cream.

ANOTHER.—­Take three cups of cooked oatmeal, two of mashed white beans, and one of stewed tomato.  Rub the ingredients through a colander, add boiling milk to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt and a little cream.