The standard book of recipes and housewife's guide, comprising as complete cook book

beets and slice in saucepan, and pour the following dressing over them : One small teacupful vinegar (if strong dilute with water), a tablespoonful each of sugar and butter. Salt and pepper to taste. One tablespoonful of corn starch, dissolved in water ; stir all together and boil until thick ; pour over the beets, and send to the table in a covered dish. Boiled Beets. — Scrub the beets without breaking the roots. Boil until they can be easily pierced with a skewer. Young beets require thirty or forty minutes to cook ; old beets from one to two hours. When done dip into cold water, rub off the skin, cut off the tops and roots , and slice . Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour on melted batter and serve. Never boil beets with any other food, on account of their color. Spinach. — Pick off the roots and decayed leaves ; wash thoroughly in three or four waters. Put the spinach into a large kettle, without water. Put it on the back part of the stove where it will cook slowly, until some of the juice is drawn out, then boil until tender. Drain, and chop if liked. To one-half peck of spinach add one tablespoonful butter, one half teaspoonful salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. Heat again. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs. Fried Egg-plant. — Cut the egg-plant into slices one-quarter inch thick ; salt each slice separately, putting one on top of another ; put on the upper slice a heavy weight to press out the juice, and let stand about half an hour. Dip in beaten egg, then in cracker dust or breadcrumbs, or the two mixed ; fry quickly in hot lard to a rich brown. 3^ Stuffed Egg-plant. — Cut the egg-plant in two, and scrape out the inside, which put into a saucepan with a little minced ham. Cover with water and boil until soft, then drain off the water and add two tablespoonfuls of grated crumbs, a tablespoon ful of butter, half a minced onion, salt and pepper. Stuff each half of the shell with this mixture, to each add a small lump of butter, and bake fifteen minutes. Minced veal or chicken in the place of ham is equally good, and many prefer it. Stewed Salsify or Oyster-plant. — Scrape the roots and place in cold water, to prevent discoloration. Cut in inch-long pieces. Cover with hot water in a saucepan and boil tender. Then pour off most of the water, and add a cup of milk. Bring this to a boil, stew ten minutes, put in a large lump of butter, cut and rolled in flour ; season to taste ; boil up once, and serve. This dish has much the taste of stewed oysters . Asparagus. — Break asparagus stalks in pieces any desired length ; boil until tender ; season with salt, pepper, and plenty of butter ; thicken with a tablespoonful of flour, mixed with milk. If desired, serve on toast. The tops, which are tender, should be placed in the water ten minutes after the other pieces begin to boil. Asparagus. — Boil a bunch of asparagus twenty minutes, or until tender. Place in a baking dish, add butter, pepper, and salt to taste. Beat well four eggs, add two tablespoonfuls of good cream ; pour over the asparagus and bake ten minutes.