CARAMEL FOR COLORING SOUPS AND SAUCES.

Melt 1 cup of sugar with 1 tbsp. of water in a frying-pan.  Stir until it becomes of a dark brown color.  Add 1 cup of boiling water, simmer 10 minutes, and bottle when cool.  This coloring is useful for many purposes, and is more wholesome than browned butter.

MOCK BISQUE SOUP.

1 pt. stewed tomatoes. 2 tbsps. flour. 1/2 tsp. soda. 1 tsp. salt. 1 pt. milk. 2 tbsps. butter. 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the milk, put the remainder on to cook in a stew-pan.  Mix the flour with the cold milk, and stir into the boiling milk.  Cook for 10 minutes, then add the salt, pepper and butter.  Stir the soda into the hot tomatoes and stir 1/2 minute, then rub through a strainer.  Add the strained tomatoes to the thickened milk, and serve at once.

POTATO SOUP.

4 potatoes, medium size. 2 tbsps. minced celery. 2 tbsps. of flour. 1/4 tsp. of pepper. 1/2 tsp. minced parsley. 1-1/2 pints of milk. 4 tbsps. minced onions. 1 tsp. of salt. 1 tbsp. of butter.

Pare the potatoes, place on the fire in enough boiling water to cover, and cook for 30 minutes.  Reserve 1/2 cup milk, put the remainder in the double boiler with the onion and celery and place on the fire.  Mix the cold milk with the flour and stir into the boiling milk.  When the potatoes are cooked pour off the water, mash them until fine and light.  Gradually beat into them the milk; now add salt, pepper and butter, and rub the soup through a sieve.  Return to the fire and add the minced parsley; simmer for 5 minutes and serve immediately. (The parsley may be omitted and celery salt substituted for the minced celery.)

CELERY SOUP.

1 head celery. 1 pint milk. 1 tbsp. butter. 1/2 tsp. salt. 1 pint water. 1 tbsp. chopped onion. 2 tbsps. flour. 1/2 ssp. pepper.

Wash and scrape the celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, put it into the pint of boiling salted water and cook until very soft.  Mash in the water in which it was boiled.  Cook the onion with the milk in a double boiler 10 minutes and add it to the celery.  Rub all through a strainer and put on to boil again.  Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook until smooth, but not brown, then stir it into the boiling soup.  Add the salt and pepper; simmer 5 minutes and strain into the tureen.  Serve very hot.

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EGGS.

While eggs are nutritious and valuable as food they should not be used too freely, as they are a highly concentrated form of food.  The albumen (white) of egg is one of the most valuable tissue builders.  Much depends upon the manner in which they are cooked.  Eggs fried in fat or hard boiled are very indigestible.  Do not use an egg until it has been laid some hours, as the white does not become thick till then and cannot be beaten stiff.  Eggs should be kept in a cool dark place, and handled carefully in order to avoid mixing the white and yolk, which causes the egg to spoil quickly.