This approaches so near in flavor to the real turtle soup that few are able to distinguish the difference.

PHILADELPHIA PEPPER POT.

Put two pounds of tripe and four calves’ feet into the soup-pot and cover them with cold water; add a red pepper, and boil closely until the calves’ feet are boiled very tender; take out the meat, skim the liquid, stir it, cut the tripe into small pieces, and put it back into the liquid; if there is not enough liquid, add boiling water; add half a teaspoonful of sweet marjoram, sweet basil, and thyme, two sliced onions, sliced potatoes, salt.  When the vegetables have boiled until almost tender, add a piece of butter rolled in flour, drop in some egg balls, and boil fifteen minutes more.  Take up and serve hot.

SQUIRREL SOUP.

Wash and quarter three or four good sized squirrels; put them on, with a small tablespoonful of salt, directly after breakfast, in a gallon of cold water.  Cover the pot close, and set it on the back part of the stove to simmer gently, not boil.  Add vegetables just the same as you do in case of other meat soups in the summer season, but especially good will you find corn, Irish potatoes, tomatoes and Lima beans.  Strain the soup through a coarse colander when the meat has boiled to shreds, so as to get rid of the squirrels’ troublesome little bones.  Then return to the pot, and after boiling a while longer, thicken with a piece of butter rubbed in flour.  Celery and parsley leaves chopped up are also considered an improvement by many.  Toast two slices of bread, cut them into dice one-half inch square, fry them in butter, put them into the bottom of your tureen, and then pour the soup boiling hot upon them.  Very good.

TOMATO SOUP.  No. 1.

Place in a kettle four pounds of beef.  Pour over it one gallon of cold water.  Let the meat and water boil slowly for three hours, or until the liquid is reduced to about one-half.  Remove the meat and put into the broth a quart of tomatoes, and one chopped onion; salt and pepper to taste.  A teaspoonful of flour should be dissolved and stirred in, then allowed to boil half an hour longer.  Strain and serve hot.  Canned tomatoes in place of fresh ones may be used.

TOMATO SOUP.  No. 2.

Place over the fire a quart of peeled tomatoes, stew them soft with a pinch of soda.  Strain it so that no seeds remain, set it over the fire again, and add a quart of hot boiled milk; season with salt and pepper, a piece of butter the size of an egg, add three tablespoonfuls of rolled cracker, and serve hot.  Canned tomatoes may be used in place of fresh ones.

TOMATO SOUP.  No. 3.

Peel two quarts of tomatoes, boil them in a saucepan with an onion, and other soup vegetables; strain and add a level tablespoonful of flour dissolved in a third of a cup of melted butter; add pepper and salt.  Serve very hot over little squares of bread fried brown and crisp in butter.