BAKED PEARS.

Take large, sweet pears, wipe them but do not remove the stems.  Stand them in an earthen baking dish, pour around them a cup of boiling water, add 2 tbsps. sugar, cover with another dish and bake slowly until the pears are tender, basting occasionally with the liquor.  When done, stand away to cool in the dish in which they were baked.  When cold put them into a glass dish, pour the liquor over them and serve.

BAKED APPLES.

Pare and core, without breaking, tart apples.  Put them into a shallow earthen dish, fill the cavities with sugar, add water to cover the bottom of the dish.  Bake in a quick oven till soft, basting often with the syrup. (Quinces may be baked in the same way.)

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VEGETABLES.

Vegetables should be used very freely, as they contain saline substances which counteract the effect of too much meat, and are the chief source of mineral supply for the body.  In cooking vegetables, a common rule is to add salt, while cooking, to all classes growing above ground (including onions), and to omit salt in the cooking of vegetables growing underground.  In cooking vegetables care must be taken to preserve the flavor, and to prevent the waste of mineral matter.

CABBAGE.

Cut a small head of cabbage in quarters, soak in cold water 1 hour, drain and shake dry.  Remove the stalk, or hard part, and chop the remainder rather fine.  Put it into a stew-pan with enough boiling water to cover, and boil 20 minutes.  Drain in a colander.  Turn into a hot dish, and pour over it cream sauce or a little melted butter, pepper and salt.

CAULIFLOWER.

Pick off the outside leaves, soak in cold salted water, top downwards, for 1 hour.  Tie it round with a piece of twine to prevent breaking.  Cook in boiling salted water until tender, remove the string, turn into a hot dish with the top up, cover with cream sauce or drawn butter sauce. (When cold, it may be picked to pieces and served in a salad.)

CELERY.

Scrape clean and cut the stalks into 2-inch pieces:  cook in salted water until tender, drain and cover with a white sauce.  The sauce should be made with the water in which the celery has been stewed.

BOILED BEETS.

Wash, but do not cut them, as that injures the color.  Cook in boiling water until tender.  When cooked put them into a pan of cold water and rub off the skins.  They may be cut in slices and served hot with pepper, butter and salt, or sliced, covered with vinegar, and served cold.  They may be cut into dice and served as a salad, either alone or mixed with potatoes and other vegetables.