"If you do expect spoon meat, bespeak a long spoon."

Soup Stock

The word stock, when used in cooking, means the foundation or basis upon which soups and sauces depend. It is therefore the most important part of soup making. Care should be exercised that nothing in the least tainted or decayed enters the stock pot. It is very desirable that soup stock should be prepared a day or two before it is wanted. The seasoning should be added in moderation at first, as it is difficult to restore a soup that has been damaged by over-seasoning. Milk or cream should be boiled and strained and added hot when intended for soups. When eggs are used, beat them thoroughly and add while the soup is hot; should they be added when the soup is boiling, they are very apt to separate and give the soup the appearance of having curdled; the best plan is to beat up the egg with a little of the warm soup, then add to the soup gradually. In summer, soup stock should be boiled from day to day if kept any length of time, else it may become sour. Should this happen, add a piece of charcoal to the soup, boil, cool, and strain into freshly scalded earthen or porcelain-lined ware. On no account allow the soup stock to become cold in an iron pot or saucepan.

Kidney Bean Soup

Soak 1 quart kidney beans over night, place them over a slow fire with just enough water to cover them, with 1 large onion, and let boil or simmer until tender. When done press through a colander or sieve. To each cup of beans, add one cup of milk, season to taste and add a little butter, slice 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 small lemon, pour soup over this and serve boiling hot.

Clear Soup

Procure a small soup bone, place in kettle and cover with cold water; when boiling, add an onion, a carrot, roots and trimmings of celery, and four cloves; simmer five hours; strain and set aside to cool; remove all grease; return to kettle, and, when lukewarm, break two eggs with shell into the soup; stir continually until a thick scum arises on top; cook a few minutes and strain through cheese cloth; season with salt and a dash of red pepper; slice a lemon crosswise in very thin slices, and serve one slice in each plate of soup.

Cream Of Asparagus Soup

Boil one bunch of asparagus in a quart of salted water for 20 minutes, drain, save the water, and press the asparagus through a colander. Put a quart of milk in a farina boiler, add to it a bay leaf, a sprig of parsley, and a piece of onion. Rub together 2 ozs. of butter and 3 even tablespoons of flour, add a little of the milk to this to make it liquid, then stir it into the boiling milk, and stir continually until it thickens. Have the asparagus and the water hot, mix the two together, season and serve.

Macaroni Soup

One coffee cup of stock, one coffee cup macaroni cut in small pieces, two quarts of water and one cup of cooked tomato; add pepper, salt and butter; not to be strained.

Bean Soup

Wash the beans and boil them with salt pork. When soft, take them out and pass through the colander, then put them back in the same water they were boiled in, with four hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters, a lemon sliced, and a little pepper if you like it. Boil again and serve.

Cream Of Tomato Soup

Put one-half gallon new milk into a double boiler, with a large tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Stew a can of tomatoes, when thoroughly hot put in a level teaspoon of soda and strain into the milk.

Rice Soup

One quart chicken stock or broth, 1/2 cup rice, 1 pint of milk, salt and pepper and a bay leaf; also one tablespoon each of butter and flour.

Pea Soup

Take soup bone, put into about 4 quarts cold water, 2 or 3 pints split peas, according to required thickness, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 2 onions, 1 stalk of celery, pepper and salt. Soak peas over night in warm water, then put with sliced vegetables into soup and boil 2 hours, stirring often to prevent burning, if wished it may be put through sieve. Serve with toasted bread cut in squares. Green peas for soup need no soaking.

Oyster Soup

Scald oysters in their own liquor, add generous piece of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn into that boiling water enough for the requted amount.. When ready to serve, turn in a cup of sweet cream or more if a large amount of soup is wanted.

Potato Soup

Peel and slice 6 potatoes and 2 onions, boil in 1 quart of water until soft, then add 2 tablespoons butter, 1 quart hot milk, 1 tablespoon flour wet with a little milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cream Pea Soup

One pint canned peas, 1 quart milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 even tablespoons flour, salt and pepper to taste. Press peas through colander. Put milk to boil in farina boiler, as soon as milk boils add peas. Rub butter and flour together, add to boiling soup, stir constantly until it thickens.

Vegetable Soup

Chop together 1 carrot; 2 potatoes; 1 cup tomatoes; 1 onion; 3 stalks celery; a little parsley. Boil, strain and add 1 tablespoon cooked rice.

Vegetable Soup

Put a soup bone into 5 quarts of cold water and put on to boil at eight o'clock. At ten o'clock put in about 1/4 of a small head of cabbage, 2 onions, 3 good-sized potatoes, 1/2 carrot, 1/2 turnip. Slice vegetables thin. About fifteen minutes before serving, add 1/2 can of corn. Take a cup of flour, break into it 1 egg, toss lightly together with hands until you use all the flour the egg will take in leaving it in crumbs; drop crumbs in boiling soup and boil solwly about 10 minutes and when ready to serve add 1 cup sweet cream.