It should be remarked that the time necessary to cook eggs in the shell will vary somewhat with the firmness of the shell, the size of the eggs, and the number cooked together.

EGGS IN SUNSHINE.—­Take an earthen-ware dish which will stand heat and also do to use in serving the eggs.  Oil it and break therein as many eggs as desired; sprinkle lightly with salt, and put into the oven for two or more minutes till the eggs are set.  Have ready some hot tomato sauce prepared as for Tomato Toast; pour the sauce over them, and serve.

EGGS POACHED IN TOMATOES.—­Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, cooked until they are homogeneous or which have been rubbed through a colander; season with salt if desired, and heat.  When just beginning to boil, slip in gently a half dozen eggs, the shells of which have been so carefully broken that the yolks are intact.  Keep the tomato just below the boiling point until the eggs are cooked.  Lift the whites carefully with a fork as they cook, until they are firm, then prick them and let the yellow mix with the tomato and the whites.  The whole should be quite soft when done, but showing the red of the tomatoes and the white and yellow of the eggs quite distinctly.  Serve on toast.  If the flavor is agreeable, a little onion.

EGGS IN CREAM.—­Put a half cupful or more of cream into a shallow earthen dish, and place the dish in a kettle or pan of boiling water.  When the cream is hot, break in as many eggs as the bottom of the dish will hold, and cook until well set, basting them occasionally over the top with the hot cream.  Or, put a spoonful or two of cream into individual egg or vegetable dishes, break a fresh egg in each, and cook in the oven or in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water until the white of the egg is well set.

POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS.—­Break each egg into a saucer by itself.  Have a shallow pan half filled with scalding, not boiling, water on the stove.  If desired, a little salt and a tablespoonful of lemon juice may be added.  Slip the eggs gently from the saucer upon the top of the water, holding the edge of the saucer under water to prevent the eggs from scattering; dip the water over them with a spoon and let them stand five minutes, or until the yolk is covered with a film, and the white is firm but not hardened; keep the water just below the boiling point.  Take out the eggs one by one on a skimmer, and serve in egg-saucers, or on slices of nicely browned toast moistened with a little sweet cream, as preferred.  If one is especially particular to keep the shape of the eggs, an egg poacher should be used, or a set of muffin-rings may be laid in the bottom of the pan, and the eggs turned into the rings.

POACHED EGGS WITH CREAM SAUCE.—­Poach eggs as in the foregoing, and pour over them a sauce made according to direction on page 351.

QUICKLY PREPARED EGGS.—­A good way to cook quickly a large number of eggs, is to use a large-bottomed earthen dish, which will stand the heat and in which the eggs may be served.  Oil it well; break the requisite number of eggs separately, and turn each carefully into the dish; sprinkle lightly with salt; set the dish in the oven or in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water for a few minutes until the eggs are set, then serve.