iling water, season
with a teaspoonful of salt, quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper, and as
much cayenne as you can take up on the point of a very small pen-knife
blade, (cost one cent;) boil slowly for two hours; then stir in quarter
of a pound of oatmeal, (cost two cents,) mixed to a smooth batter with
cold water, see if seasoning be correct, add two or three grates of
nutmeg, and boil half an hour. Meantime, cut two slices of bread, (cost
one cent,) in half inch dice, fry light brown in hot fat, (cost two
cents,) and lay the bits in the soup tureen; when the soup is ready pour
it over them, and serve. This soup, which costs only about ten cents, is
palatable as well as economical.

=Pea Soup.=--Use half a pint, or seven ounces of dried peas, (cost three
cents,) for every two quarts of soup you want. Put them in three quarts
of cold water, after washing them well; bring them slowly to a boil; add
a bone, or bit of ham, if you have it to spare, one turnip, and one
carrot peeled, one onion stuck with three cloves, (cost three cents,)
and simmer three hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning; then
pass the soup through a sieve with the aid of a potato-masher, and if it
shows any sign of settling stir into it one tablespoonful each of butter
and flour mixed together dry, (cost two cents;) this will prevent
settling; meantime fry some dice of stale bread, about two slices, cut
half an inch square, in hot fat, drain them on a sieve, and put them in
the bottom of the soup tureen in which the pea soup is served; or cut
some bits of very hard stale bread, or dry toast, to use instead of the
fried bread. By the time the soup is done it will have boiled down to
two quarts, and will be very thick and good. This receipt will cost you
about ten cents.

=Thick Pea Soup.=--Fry one sliced onion, (cost half a cent,) in one ounce
of suet or drippings, (cost half a cent,) using an iron pot to fry it
in; as soon as it is brown, put into the same pot, three quarts of cold
water, one pint, or fourteen ounces of well washed peas, (cost five
cents,) and boil as above; this quantity of peas does not need any
crusts in the soup; it will be thick enough; but bread may be eaten with
it, if you want it. This soup costs six cents.

=Bean Soup.=--For this, use the receipt for pea soup, using beans instead
of peas; the cost will be about the same.

=Lentil Soup.=--For two quarts of soup half a pint of yellow lentils,
(cost five cents,) was