Wash the peas and cook until soft in one quart of boiling water. Mash them in the water in which they were cooked, strain, and add the milk or cream; melt butter, addflour and seasoning, then the liquid, and cook until of creamy consistency. If the peas are fresh, some of the pods may be cooked with them. Serves 8.

1 cup split peas or cowpeas.

2 quarts water.

2 tablespoons chopped onion.

3 tablespoons butter.

Pea Soup.

3 tablespoons flour.
1 teaspoons salt.

teaspoon pepper.

1 pint milk.

Wash the peas and soak them over night in cold water; drain and rinse thoroughly; add 24 quarts of cold water and the onion; cook slowly until soft; rub through a strainer and add the remainder of the liquid; melt butter, add flour and seasonings, then hot milk with the liquid from the peas, and cook until it is like thick cream. ham bone with the soup improves the flavor. Serves 6 to 8.

Toast.

Cooking a

Cut stale bread into slices one-fourth inch thick; put on the toaster or fork, move gently over the heat until dry, then brown by placing nearer the heat, turning constantly. Bread may be dried in oven before toasting. Hot milk may be poured over dry toast.

Croutons.

Cut stale bread into one-half-inch cubes and brown in the oven.

Crisp Crackers.

Put crackers in oven for a few minutes or split and butter thick crackers and brown in a hot oven; serve with soup.

METHOD OF WORK.

Devote a few minutes to a discussion of cream soups and a review of the cooking of vegetables and white sauce.

Divide the work among the members of the class, assigning enough to each girl to keep her busy and arranging the work so that the soup and its accompaniments will be ready for serving at the same time.

LESSON XI. EGGS.

Food value and general rules for cooking eggs. Cooked in shell, poached, scrambled, and omelet.

SUBJECT MATTER.

Eggs are a very valuable food because of the large amount of protein and fat they contain. Though lacking in carbohydrates, they furnish material for building up the muscles and provide heat and energy to the body. If cooked at a low temperature, eggs are very

ly and very completely digested. Combined with other foods they ve as thickening (for sauces and soups) and as a means of making tters light (popovers and sponge cake). They add flavor and color d increase the nutritive value of other foods.

See Farmers' Bulletin No. 128, Eggs and their Uses as Food.

PRELIMINARY PLAN.

The lesson on eggs furnishes one of the best opportunities to teach he muscle-building foods. If eggs are scarce, it may be well to give this sson at some other time in the course. Each pupil should be asked o bring an egg; one or two should bring a little milk; and enough read should be provided to toast for the poached eggs. The teacher hould not undertake to give too many recipes in this lesson, but hould try to acquaint the girls with a sufficient variety of ways of ooking eggs to make egg cookery interesting. A moderate temperaure for cooking eggs should be emphasized.

RECIPES.

Soft-Cooked Eggs.

Put the eggs in boiling water sufficient to cover, remove from the fire, cover, and llow them to stand from 5 to 8 minutes.

Hard Cooked Eggs.

Put the eggs in cold water, heat, and when the water boils, reduce heat and let them Land 20 minutes with water just below the boiling point, then put into cold water.

Poached Eggs.

Break each egg into a saucer carefully, slip the egg into boiling water, decrease heat, and cook 5 minutes or until the white is firm, and a film has formed over the yolk. Take up with a skimmer, drain, trim off rough edges, and serve on slices of Joast. Season.

Poached eggs are attractive covered with white sauce to which chopped parsley has been added.

Baked eggs.

Line a buttered baking dish with buttered bread crumbs, break eggs in dish without separating, add one tablespoon milk or cream for each egg. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with grated cheese, if desired; or the dish may be lined with cold mashed potatoes. Bake in a moderate oven until eggs are set.

Prepare white sauce and add hard cooked eggs cut in halves, sliced, or chopped, and when hot serve on toast.

Or separate whites and yolks, chop whites fine, add to white sauce, and when hot erve on toast and garnish with yolks run through sieve or ricer. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4 to 6.

Beat egg slightly, add milk and seasonings; put butter in hot omelet pan, when melted turn in the mixture; as it cooks draw the edges toward the center until the whole is of a creamy consistency; brown quickly underneath fold and turn onto a hot platter. Serve at once. Serves 1.

Scrambled Eggs.

Double the quantity of milk given for creamy omelet and stir all the time while cooking Foamy Omelet.1

1 egg.

teaspoon salt.

Cayenne or white pepper.

1 tablespoon milk or water.
teaspoon butter.

Beat the yolk of the egg until creamy, add seasoning and milk; beat the white until stiff, but not dry, cut and fold into the yolk carefully; heat an omelet pan, rub bottom and sides with the butter, turn in the omelet, spread it evenly on the pan. Cook gently over heat until omelet is set and evenly browned underneath; put it, into a hot oven for a few minutes to dry slightly on top; fold and serve immediately. Serves 1.

METHOD OF WORK.

Devote one-half the class period to a discussion of the structure of the egg and the effect of heat upon it. Use simple experiments or watch the poached egg to make a study of the changes produced in the egg by heat. If girls are sufficiently experienced, have them work together in small groups, first scrambling an egg, then making an omelet. Demonstrate the cooking of the omelet before the entire class. Serve the egg dishes carefully while hot.

LESSON XII. SIMPLE dessertS-CUSTARDS.

SUBJECT MATTER.

A custard is a combination of eggs and milk, usually sweetened and flavored and either steamed or baked as cup custard, or cooked in a double boiler as soft custard. The whole egg may be used of the yolks alone. The yolks make a smoother, richer custard.

The egg must be thoroughly mixed, but not beaten light, the sugs and salt added and the milk scalded and stirred in slowly. Th custard must be strained through a fine sieve and cooked at a moded. ate temperature. It is desirable to strain a custard in order remove the bits of membrane present from about the yolk. Th cup custard should be strained before cooking, the soft custard ma be strained after cooking.

The omelet recipes given are for individual portions. To make a large omelet, multiply quantity each ingredient by number of eggs used. The best results will be obtained by making an omelet of more than four eggs, as larger omelets are difficult to cook thoroughly and to handle well. A two omelet will serve three people. A four-egg omelet will serve six people.

A soft custard is cooked over water and is stirred constantly until done. When done, the froth disappears from the surface, the custard is thickened and coats the spoon and sides of the pan, and there is no sign of curdling. If the custard is cooked too long, it becomes curdled. If a custard becomes curdled, put it into a pan of cold water and beat until smooth.

A steamed or baked custard is done when it becomes set and when a silver knife will come out clean after cutting it.

PRELIMINARY PLAN.

This lesson will furnish opportunity for review of milk and eggs. The pupils can plan to bring the necessary materials from their homes.

1 quart milk (heated). 4 eggs or 10 egg yolks.

cup sugar.

RECIPES.

Steamed Custards.

teaspoon salt.

2 tablespoons caramel or
teaspoon nutmeg.

Beat eggs sufficiently to mix them thoroughly; add sugar, salt, and hot milk slowly. Strain into cups, flavor with caramel, or sprinkle nutmeg on top, and steam until firm over gently boiling water, 20 to 30 minutes.

Baked Custards.

Prepare as steamed custards, set in pan of hot water, and bake in slow oven until firm; 20 to 40 minutes.

Chocolate Custards.

Use recipe for steamed custards, adding 1 ounce chocolate (melted) to the hot milk. Steam or bake as desired.

Soft Custard.

4 egg yolks.

1 pint milk (heated).

4 tablespoons sugar.

1 teaspoon salt.

teaspoon vanilla extract.

Beat egg yolks sufficiently to mix them thoroughly, add sugar, salt, and hot milk slowly. Cook over water that is boiling gently. Stir constantly until the custard thickens. Strain. Flavor when cool.

For soft chocolate custard add ounce chocolate (melted) to the hot milk. Serves 6.

Floating Island.

Use recipe for soft custard and when cold garnish with a meringue made according to the following recipe:

4 egg whites.

Meringue.

cup powdered sugar.

Beat egg whites very light, add powdered sugar and continue beating. Drop in large spoonfuls on cold custard. Serves 8 to 10.

METHOD OF WORK.

It may be possible to teach two or three recipes in this lesson. The cup custard can be put into the oven while the soft custard or floating island is being made. Serve at the school lunch.

95619°-BULL. 23-17-5

LESSON XIII. BATTERS.

Corn Bread and Hoecake.

SUBJECT MATTER.

Batters.-Batters are mixtures of flour or meal and a liquid, with salt or sugar to give flavor, butter to make tender, and air or gas to make light.

One scant measure of liquid is used with one measure of flour for thin or pour batter. One measure of liquid is used with two measures of flour for a thick cake or drop batter. One measure of liquid is used with three measures of flour for a soft or bread dough. One measure of liquid is used with four measures of flour for a stiff or pastry dough.

Before mixing a batter the oven or griddle should be at the proper temperature, with the fire well regulated and in good condition. The oven should be tested by putting in a piece of white paper or two tablespoons flour which should brown in three minutes. The pans should be prepared by greasing with lard, salt pork, or beef dripping. All materials should be measured and ready before beginning to combine ingredients. When the batter has been combined and beaten until smooth, it should be baked at once.

PRELIMINARY PLAN.

The teacher will be better prepared to give the lessons on batters if she first acquaints herself with the kinds of breads that are used in the homes and the methods followed in their preparation. The simple general methods of preparing batters should be taught. The teacher should not attempt the preparation of more than one or two batters in the lesson. Corn bread and hoecake can be made in the same lesson, since the first is made in the oven and the second cooked on a griddle on top of the stove.

Add salt to corn meal and pour the milk on gradually. Turn into a well-greased shallow pan to the depth of one-fourth inch. Bake in a moderate oven until crisp.

Hoecake.

1 cup white corn meal.

teaspoonful salt.

Boiling milk or water enough to scald.

Grease the

Make the batter thick enough not to spread when put on the griddle. griddle with salt pork, drop the mixture on with a large spoon. Pat the cakes out till about half an inch thick; cook them slowly, and when browned put a bit of butter on the top of each cake and turn it over. Long cooking is desirable, but be careful that they do not burn.