Take a young chicken or a half grown one; cut up; roll it in salt, pepper and flour, and fry it a nice brown, using lard or drippings as if for a frica.s.see. Cut up a quart of fresh green okra and take out the chicken and fry the okra in the same lard. When well browned, return the chicken to the pot and boil. Add to it a large slice of ham--a quarter of a pound will be about right for this gumbo. Pour on to the chicken, ham and okra half a gallon of boiling water and let it boil down to three pints. Ten minutes before serving, pour into the boiling soup two dozen fine oysters, with half a pint of their liquor; let it come to a good boil and serve with well-boiled rice._--La Cuisine Creole._

OKRA SOUP.

From MISS FLORIDA CUNINGHAM, of South Carolina, Lady Manager.

Two quarts of okra out very fine in three quarts of water, in which put a large shank of beef, and boil one hour. Then skim well and add two quarts of fresh tomatoes, strained. Boil slowly and without ceasing for at least five hours. Season with salt to the taste when the tomatoes are put in, and add black and cayenne pepper when ready to serve. Keep closely covered while cooking.

BLACK BEAN SOUP.

From MRS. M. D. FOLEY, of Nevada, Lady Manager.

Soak one coffee cup black turtle beans over night in cold water. Add water enough in the morning to cook thoroughly. One hour before dinner rub through a sieve and stir in three pints plain beef stock. Season with salt, pepper, and a salt spoon each of cloven and allspice. Just before serving add a wine gla.s.s of port or sherry, one small lemon thinly sliced and one hard boiled egg chopped fine.

BEAN SOUP.

From MRS. ANNE B. PATRICK, of Colorado, Alternate Lady Manager.

Take one can of Boston baked beans. Remove all the pork and pour over the beans one quart of boiling water, and let it boil slowly for one hour, adding hot water from time to time to keep up the quant.i.ty. Mash the beans thoroughly and strain through a sieve, heat again nearly to boiling and add one pint of hot (not boiling) cream; add pepper and salt to taste.

SOUP REGENCY.

From MRS. ISABELLA BEECHER HOOKER, of Connecticut, Lady Manager.

The bones and remains of cold fowls, such as turkey and chicken: or game, such as partridges, woodc.o.c.k, etc.; two carrots; two small onions; one head of celery; one turnip; one-half tea cup pearl barley; the yolks of three eggs, boiled hard; one-quarter pint of cream; salt to taste, and two quarts of common stock.

_Mode_--Place the bones and remains of the fowls in the stew pan, with the vegetables sliced; pour over the stock and simmer for two hours; skim off all the fat and strain it Wash the barley and boil it in two waters before adding it to the soup; finish simmering in the soup, and when the barley is done take out half and pound the other half with the yolks of the eggs. When well pounded, rub it through a fine colander, add the cream and the salt, if necessary; let it boil up once more and serve very hot, putting in the barley that was taken out first. Time of cooking, 3-1/2 hours. Seasonable from September to March. Sufficient for eight persons.

PEA SOUP.

From MRS. WHITING S. CLARK, of Iowa, Lady Manager.

Cover a quart of green peas and a very small onion with hot water; boil till soft enough to strain through a sieve. Cream two tablespoons of b.u.t.ter and one of flour and add to a quart of milk and coffee cup of cream. Boil all together and strain. Stir in whipped cream and serve with b.u.t.tered toast cut in small squares.

CLAM CHOWDER.

From MRS. CHARLES H. OLMSTEAD, of Georgia, Lady Manager.

To one pint of clams add one quart of milk, two onions, chopped fine, two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, the yolks of two eggs rubbed in two tablespoonfuls of flour, salt, parsley, cayenne pepper, half teaspoonful allspice, four hard-boiled eggs sliced, and half pint sherry wine added when served. Cut the soft part of the clams in two pieces; mince the tough part very fine and boil it one hour in a quart of water before adding the soft part; after the soft part has boiled half an hour longer, add the milk, flour and other ingredients. Serve hot.

CLAM CHOWDER.

From MISS LIDA M. RUSSELL, of Nevada, Lady Manager.

Two large onions, sliced and fried with one cup of finely chopped salt pork. Add to it three pints of boiling milk and juice of one can of clams, in which has been cooked two large potatoes, thinly sliced; a pinch of red pepper; salt; two tablespoonfuls of flour, rubbed smooth with one tablespoon of melted b.u.t.ter. Stir in clams, heat well and serve at once.

FISH

SOLES OR SMELTS COOKED WITH MAiTRE D'HOTEL SAUCE.

From MRS. JAMES R. DEANE, of California, Lady Manager.

Skin the fish and cut flesh into filets; put the skin and bones into a saucepan with water enough to cover them; let this boil to make the stock for the gravy. Now wipe the filets dry and roll them up with the skin side inward to make them stand firm; place the filets on a b.u.t.tered baking tin, first rolling them into bread crumbs. When ready to cook, squeeze over each filet about a teaspoonful lemon juice and put on each a piece of Maitre d'Hotel b.u.t.ter; cover with a b.u.t.tered paper and cook about ten minutes.

_To Make Maitre d'Hotel b.u.t.ter_--Work one tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter to a cream; squeeze in the juice of one-half a lemon; one-quarter saltspoonful cayenne; one tablespoonful finely chopped parsley. Put b.u.t.ter on ice to cool before using.

_Sauce for this Dish_--Two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, melted; two tablespoonfuls of flour, stirred into the b.u.t.ter and cook for ten minutes. Then put in a small pinch of cayenne pepper and a cupful of fish stock and cook for ten minutes. Then put in juice of one-half lemon, a tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley, and just before serving put in two tablespoonfuls of cream.

BAKED SHAD.

From MRS. MARY R. KINDER, of Delaware, Lady Manager.

Make a stuffing of bread crumbs, b.u.t.ter, salt, pepper, and an egg well beaten. Stuff the shad, sew it up and bake in a quick oven. Serve with _brown gravy_, mushroom, or tomato ketchup.

CUBION.

From MRS. ANNA M. FOSd.i.c.k, of Alabama, Lady Manager.

Cut a red-fish or red-snapper in pieces and fry brown. While frying the fish, in a separate vessel, cut very fine and fry, one onion and two cloves of garlic. When brown, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, one pint of prepared tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste, a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce, and half a dozen whole cloves. Let this simmer for one-half hour, then add one-half pint of wine. Pour over the fried fish, and serve immediately.

COD FISH b.a.l.l.s.

From MRS. A. M. PALMER, of New York, Alternate Lady Manager.

One pound codfish; one and a half pound potatoes; one quarter pound b.u.t.ter; two eggs. Boil the fish slowly, then pound with a potato masher until _very_ fine; add the potatoes mashed and hot; next add b.u.t.ter and one-half cup milk and the two eggs. Mix thoroughly, form into b.a.l.l.s, and fry in hot fat.

SALMON CROQUETTES.

From MRS. GEORGE W. LAMAR, of Georgia, Alternate Lady Manager.

One can of salmon, minced very fine; two large Irish potatoes, boiled and mashed; half of a small onion, chopped fine; two raw eggs; salt and black pepper; two tablespoonfuls of Worcestershire sauce. Rub these together until very light. Make into b.a.l.l.s, roll in cracker dust and fry in boiling lard.