Nuts are not appreciated as a standard food except by those who have discarded meat. They contain a larger amount of proteid than meat, with less danger of the cells being killed by heat, besides being well balanced in the other elements. As meats tends to produce old age conditions one of the first steps in scientific living should be to cultivate the habit of eating nuts instead of meat. Nuts serve a better purpose if served naturally - being taken from the shells as they are eaten than when cooked. It is restful and poetic to linger over a plate of nuts and fresh fruit. When nut-meats are served alone they are often eaten too rapidly and too many are indulged. Nuts are rich in fat and being condensed food must be eaten in moderation and be well masticated. Eight or a dozen medium sized nuts are enough for a meal with other food. Children should not be allowed to eat all the nuts they can at one time, as is so often done because they have been classed with sweetmeats. Nuts may enter into many combinations after being ground, chopped or crushed. Dishes in which nuts are used should be baked very quickly before the nuts become heated through, or the first heat should be lowered to 200 degrees as soon as the material is hot, and the baking continued slowly. Nuts may be blanched by pouring boiling water over them then in a few moments turn it off, or they may be soaked over night in cold water. Many like the nut-meats soaked in cold water before serving them, as they are more tender. In roasting peanuts the first heat should be strong to penetrate the shell, then it should be lowered to 200 degrees for steady cooking. Chestnuts should be cooked at the same degree of heat over hot water. These nuts may be used uncooked, and all kinds of nuts are best suited to uncooked dishes or are sprinkled over food after it is cooked, giving meat value.

Nuts may be ground, mixed with mayonnaise dressing, and spread between thin slices of bread or wafers for sandwiches, with or without a lettuce leaf. Dates may be chopped and added to ground nuts, then be used in the same way for sandwiches, or be heaped in wafer tarts and covered with whipped cream for dessert. Nut butter is a standard food. It is made by grinding nuts in a closely adjusted mill.

Nuts added to salads give them full food value, as they supply the tissue building element that is lacking in green vegetables.

Hard shell nuts should be cracked before serving; soft varities may be served from cut glass dishes, be broken by silver nut crackers, and extracted with silver nut picks.

Nut Loaf

English Walnuts.

Milk.

Butter.

Bread-crumbs.

Sage.

Eggs.

One cup of English walnuts; one cup of dry bread or cracker crumbs soaked in one cup of milk; lump of butter, dash of sage and two well beaten eggs. Beat all together and bake slowly in a pudding dish or in a double-boiler. Serve hot.

Nut Cream Or Gravy

Put a teaspoon of nut butter into a cup. Add a few drops of water and rub until it is smooth. Add more water gradually until of the consistency of cream. Use as cream in vegetables or heat carefully for gravy. It may be thinned still more and be like milk. The best milk is made from almonds. It is said that a chemist cannot tell milk when made from almonds from real milk.

Nut-Meat Cakes

Potatoes.

Eggs.

Peanuts.

Tomatoes.

Butter.

Crackers.

To one cup of mashed potatoes add one-half cup of strained tomatoes, two eggs, one tablespoon of butter, one cup of cracker crumbs, one-half cup of crushed peanuts. Make into cakes and broil on buttered pan.

Nut Cutlets

Potatoes.

Cheese.

Crackers.

Butter. Eggs.

Nuts.

Slice cold simmered potatoes into large thick slices. Dip into beaten eggs, roll in cracker crumbs, and broil quickly on buttered pan; arrange.on hot platter. Sprinkle with grated cheese and let stand for a moment in the oven. Sprinkle again with chopped nuts and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Nut-Stuffed Egg Plant

Tie egg plant in cheese-cloth and simmer in double boiler until tender. Take out the inside. To a part of this pulp add two eggs, two cups of whole wheat bread cut fine, tablespoon of butter, one minced onion, dash of sage and green peppers, one cup of chopped nuts and enough milk to moisten. Stuff the shell and bake half an hour. Serve on a platter filled with lettuce leaves. Put slices of lemon upon the lettuce.

Pecan Pie

Arrange a circle of simmered rice upon a hot platter. In the center place simmered carrots cut into dices and dressed with nut-cream and butter. Cover thickly with half pecan meats. Garnish with sprigs of parsley.

Cocoanut Pie-Crust

(Mrs. Anderson.) A rich and very delicious pie-crust may be made as fol-lows: Mix one part of grated cocoanut with two parts of whole-wheat flour and water, the colder the better, sufficient to make a stiff dough; knead five minutes, then add one part boiled rice, and mix thoroughly.

Vegetable Pie

Cook sliced potatoes, onions and celery in a double-boiler until nearly tender. Add a lump of butter and a cup of whole English walnuts. Nearly cover with milk or cream. Put into a pudding dish covering the top with a rolled wheat or cocoa-nut pie crust and bake quickly. The crust will bake before the inside boils.

Tomato Souffle

Chop three tomatoes and one onion fine and mix with one cup of finely cut whole wheat bread or crumbs. Add a teaspoon of nut butter, one-half cup of thin cream and the beaten whites and yolks of two eggs. Bake carefully until the eggs are done. Cover with pecan meats and serve on lettuce leaves.

Potato Souffle

(Mrs. Anderson.) Boil and mash a quart of potatoes, moisten with a pint of hot milk, beat separately the whites and yolks of three eggs; add the yolks to the potatoes, whisk the whites to a froth, and add just before cooking. Put the mixture on a large dinner plate and bake fifteen minutes.

Nut Sandwiches

(Mrs. Anderson.) Take of peanuts, rolled fine, one cupful, stir a half tablespoonful of butter with the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, to a cream; add one-fourth teaspoonful of salt and one tablespoonful lemon juice, a tablespoonful of cream or milk and the finely chopped white of the egg; a cup of finely chopped apples can be used if desired. Put this mixture between thin slices of bread, and cut in diagonal shape, removing the crust.

Nut Salads

An endless variety of nut salads may be made from combinations of fresh green vegetables and nuts, also from nuts and fruit.