Eggs are cheaper than meat. A fresh egg has a thick, rough shell. Nine medium-sized eggs, as a rule, weigh a pound. Eggs and egg dishes should be cooked at a low temperature.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING EGGS

Have ready a saucepan containing boiling water. A general rule is to allow 1 pint of water to 2 eggs, and an extra cupful for each additional egg. Place the eggs in the water with a spoon and cover the saucepan. For hard-cooked eggs, let them stand on the back of the range or over a low flame from 40 to 45 minutes. For soft-cooked eggs, place the eggs in a saucepan containing boiling water. Let them stand on back of range or over a low flame from 8 to 10 minutes.

POACHED EGGS

Prepare a slice of buttered toast for each egg, and keep It hot. Have ready a shallow greased pan containing boiling, salted water to cover the eggs. Break each egg separately into a saucer and slip it gently into the water, being careful that water does not reach the boiling point. (If eggs are slipped into muffin rings in the water, the shape will be better.) Cook until the white is firm and a film forms over the top of the yolk. Remove the eggs from the water with a skimmer or griddle-cake turner. Drain, trim off rough edges and place each egg on a slice of toast.

POACHED EGGS AND CREAMED FISH

Poached eggs may be served on creamed fish or vegetables on toast.

BAKED EGGS

Toast circular pieces of bread from which a little of the centers have been removed. Place pieces on a buttered dish. Break an egg and drop contents in the center of each. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dot with butter, pour on a little milk or cream and bake in a moderate oven until eggs are cooked.

BAKED EGGS WITH CHEESE

Follow directions for baked eggs, sprinkling slices of toast with cheese before eggs are dropped onto them, or slip eggs into buttered egg shirrers. Cover with white sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and buttered crumbs. Bake until eggs are set.

BAKED EGGS IN HAM CASES

To 1 measure of crumbs add -¾ measure scalded milk and 1 measure of finely-chopped, cooked ham. Line greased custard cups with mixture.

Break eggs into the centers and bake until set. Serve with white sauce. Mashed potato may be used instead of the bread and milk mixture. Cheese may be used instead of ham.

Note: Baked eggs may be covered with buttered bread crumbs. Eggs may be baked in tomato shells.

CODDLED EGGS

Allow ¼ cup milk for each slightly beaten egg. Cook mixture in a double boiler until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and serve on buttered toast.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

2 tablespoons fat 5 eggs

½ cup milk

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Few grains pepper

Beat eggs slightly; add salt, pepper and milk. Melt the fat in a frying pan, pour in the egg mixture and cook slowly, continually scraping from bottom of pan. When creamy, turn into a hot dish and serve at once. Serve with ham or bacon, etc.

SCALLOPED EGGS AND HAM

4 hard-cooked eggs ¾ cup or 1 cup cold chopped ham or meat

1 ½ cups buttered hard crumbs

1 pint white sauce

Chop the eggs, and follow the rule, alternating the eggs and meat, or add chopped eggs and meat to the sauce.

BREAD OMELET

4 egg yolks

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup milk

½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper

4 egg whites, beaten 2 tablespoons fat

Soak bread crumbs in milk, add beaten egg yolks and seasonings. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Melt fat in omelet pan. Turn mixture into pan and cook slowly over a fire until delicately browned underneath and firm around the edges. Place on top grate in oven and bake until firm on top. Fold and serve with white sauce.

OYSTER OMELET

Fold in oysters, cut in halves, to omelet mixture, or add oysters to cream sauce. Follow directions given in plain omelet recipe.

MEAT AND VEGETABLE OMELET

Cook omelet. Add cooked vegetables or meat to the white sauce, or fold them into the omelet mixture.

CHEESE DISHES

One pound of cheese contains as much food value as 2 pounds of meat. Cheese may be added to white sauce and served with boiled rice or boiled vegetables or plain on toast. Cheese may be combined with left-over cereal mush, and baked as a souffle or shaped into cakes and baked in the oven or browned in a little fat in a pan.

BAKED MACARONI OR RICE AND CHEESE

Sprinkle hot boiled macaroni or rice with grated cheese or cheese cut into small pieces. Arrange bread crumbs, macaroni and cheese; or rice and cheese, and white sauce, in layers in a well-greased baking dish. Cover with bread crumbs and bake in oven until nicely browned. Tomato sauce may be used in place of the white sauce. Cornmeal mush may be arranged in layers with cheese and baked. Boiled corn may be mixed with chopped green pepper and white sauce and arranged in layers with cheese and baked.

CHEESE FONDU

1 cup scalded milk

1 cup stale bread crumbs

½ cup cheese, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon fat ½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 tablespoon catsup

Mix the first 6 ingredients; add the well-beaten yolks of eggs, fold in the stiffly-beaten whites and bake in a well-greased baking dish for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

CHEESE AND CORN SOUFFLE

Follow recipe for Cheese Fondu, adding 1 cup boiled corn, an additional cup milk, \ cup cheese and 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper to the first 6 ingredients.

COTTAGE CHEESE AND NUT LOAF

1 cup cottage cheese 1 cup coarsely-ground

nut meats 1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons catsup and hot tomato juice to moisten

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 cup stale bread crumbs 1 tablespoon vegetable

oil 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, add more seasonings if necessary, put mixture into a well-greased baking dish and bake in a moderately hot oven until nicely browned.

BEANS, PEAS AND LENTILS

There are any number of different kinds of beans on the market, such as the marrow, pea, kidney, black turtle, lima and yellow-eyed beans; the Manchurian beans, of which there are brown and red ones; the Chilian, of which there are brown, red and gray ones. The soy bean is richer in fat and flesh-building material than any of the other beans. Beans as a whole contain about the same food value, and the housewife who wishes to get the most food value for the money will do well in selecting the kind that sells at the lowest cost, provided they are in good condition.

Recipes given for one kind of beans may be used for any one of the others with just as good results.

CHILI CON CARNE

1 pint dried lima beans

or kidney beans soaked overnight

2 cups beef, chopped 1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup suet, forced through

food chopper 1 red pepper, cut in strips ½ onion, sliced

1/8 teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon vinegar Tomatoes to cover

Arrange ingredients in layers in a bean pot. Cover with water and bake slowly 3 or 4 hours.

RED BEANS

Red beans may be cooked as lima beans. They may be served in white sauce, tomato or meat-stock sauce.

RED BEANS, SPANISH STYLE

1 cup cooked red beans ¼ cup cooked carrot 1 cup cooked beef, cubed 1 chili, finely chopped

2 tablespoons suet or oil

1 sliced onion

½ tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt Few grains pepper

2 cups boiling water

Brown the onion and meat in the suet or oil; add all the ingredients, and cook slowly until water is nearly evaporated. Serve with boiled rice or boiled chestnuts.

STEWED RED BEANS WITH BACON

Wash and soak red beans in cold water from 12 to 48 hours. To 1 cup of beans use ¼ pound of bacon. Put bacon into a saucepan - add 1 carrot and 1 onion cubed and the soaked beans; cover with cold water, bring to boiling point and simmer one hour, or until beans are tender (½ teaspoon soda may be added just as they are put over the fire). Drain and remove skin from beans. Taste and season. Serve hot.

BAKED BEANS

1 quart beans

½ pound salt fat pork or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon mustard ¾ cup molasses

1 teaspoon salt

Pick over and wash beans; cover with cold water and soak overnight. In the morning, drain, cover with fresh water and cook slowly below boiling point until soft, then drain. Put ¼-inch slices of salt pork fat in the bottom of an earthern bean pot or covered crock. Put beans in pot and bury the remaining pork (which should be gashed in several places) in the beans. Mix the salt, mustard and molasses in a cup; fill the cup with boiling water and pour the mixture over the beans. Add enough more boiling water to cover beans. Cover bean pot, put in oven, and bake in a moderate oven 8 hours. If baked a long time, they become dark and have a rich flavor. One cup oil may be used instead of the pork.