r. Cream a tablespoonful of
butter with two heaping ones of flour, and add hot soup till it will pour
easily. Pour into the soup; boil all together for five minutes; then
strain through a sieve, and serve with toasted crackers or bread.

HASTY TOMATO SOUP.

Simple but excellent. One large can of tomatoes and one pint of water
brought to the boiling-point, and rubbed through a sieve. Return to the
fire. Add half a teaspoonful of soda, and stir till it stops foaming.
Season with one even tablespoonful of salt, two of sugar, one
saltspoonful of cayenne. Thicken with two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour,
and one of butter rubbed to a cream, with hot soup added till it pours
easily. Boil a pint of milk separately, and, when ready to use, pour into
the boiling tomato, and serve at once, as standing long makes the milk
liable to curdle.

OYSTER SOUP.

Two quarts of perfectly fresh oysters. Strain off the juice, and add an
equal amount of water, or, if they are solid, add one pint of water, and
then strain and boil. Skim carefully. Add to one quart of milk one
tablespoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper, and, if
thickening is liked, use same proportions as in hasty tomato soup, and set
to boil. When the milk boils, put in the oysters. The moment the edges
curl a little, which will be when they have boiled one minute, they are
done, and should be served at once. Longer boiling toughens and spoils
them. This rule may be used also for stewed oysters, omitting the
thickening; or they may be put simply into the boiling juice, with the
same proportions of butter, salt, and pepper, and cooked the same length
of time.

CLAM SOUP.

Fifty clams (hard or soft), boiled in a quart of water one hour. Take out,
and chop fine. Add one quart of milk, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and
one teaspoonful of salt. It will be necessary to taste, however, as some
clams are salter than others. Rub one tablespoonful of butter to a cream
with two of flour, and use as thickening. Add the chopped clams, and boil
five minutes. If the clams are disliked, simply strain through a sieve,
or cut off the hard part and use the soft only.

PUREE, OF FISH, VEGETABLES, ETC.

One pound of fresh boiled salmon, or one small can of the sealed.

Pick out all bone and skin, and, if the canned is used, pour off every
drop of oil. Shred it as fine as possible. Boil one quart of milk,
seasoning with one teaspoonful of salt, and one saltspoonful ea