* * * * *

CHEAP CUSTARDS.

One quart of milk, boiled; when boiling, add three table spoonfuls of ground rice, or rice that is boiled, mixed smooth and fine in cold milk, and one egg beaten; give it one boil up, and sweeten to your taste; peach leaves, or any spice you please, boiled in the milk.

* * * * *

COMMON PIES.

MINCE PIES.

Boil a tender, nice piece of beef—­any piece that is clear from sinews and gristle; boil it till it is perfectly tender When it is cold, chop it very fine, and be very careful to get out every particle of bone and gristle.  The suet is sweeter and better to boil half an hour or more in the liquor the beef has been boiled in; but few people do this.  Pare, core, and chop the apples fine.  If you use raisins, stone them.  If you use currants, wash and dry them at the fire.  Two pounds of beef, after it is chopped; three quarters of a pound of suet; one pound and a quarter of sugar; three pounds of apples; two pounds of currants, or raisins.  Put in a gill of brandy; lemon-brandy is better, if you have any prepared.  Make it quite moist with new cider.  I should not think a quart would be too much; the more moist the better, if it does not spill out into the oven.  A very little pepper.  If you use corn meat, or tongue, for pies, it should be well soaked, and boiled very tender.  If you use fresh beef, salt is necessary in the seasoning.  One ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves.  Two nutmegs add to the pleasantness of the flavor; and a bit of sweet butter put upon the top of each pie, makes them rich; but these are not necessary.  Baked three quarters of an hour.  If your apples are rather sweet, grate in a whole lemon.

PUMPKIN AND SQUASH PIE.

For common family pumpkin pies, three eggs do very well to a quart of milk.  Stew your pumpkin, and strain it through a sieve, or colander.  Take out the seeds, and pare the pumpkin, or squash, before you stew it; but do not scrape the inside; the part nearest the seed is the sweetest part of the squash.  Stir in the stewed pumpkin, till it is as thick as you can stir it round rapidly and easily.  If you want to make your pie richer, make it thinner, and add another egg.  One egg to a quart of milk makes very decent pies.  Sweeten it to your taste, with molasses or sugar; some pumpkins require more sweetening than others.  Two tea-spoonfuls of salt; two great spoonfuls of sifted cinnamon; one great spoonful of ginger.  Ginger will answer very well alone for spice, if you use enough of it.  The outside of a lemon grated in is nice.  The more eggs, the better the pie; some put an egg to a gill of milk.  They should bake from forty to fifty minutes, and even ten minutes longer, if very deep.