The blue ribbon cook book

Remove the skin and coarse threads from the banana and trim pulp of each to a long croquette. Roll in an egg beaten with a teaspoonful of cold water and then in bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry one half minute in hot fat. Drain on soft paper. BRANDY PEACHES. Peel and weigh the peaches and put to them about half the weight of sugar. Put in the kettle just enough water to moisten the sugar and let boil until the peaches are done enough to pierce to the seed with a straw. Then take them out and put on dishes. Boil syrup until it is quite thick. Then put in a bowl to cool. To three pints of syrup add two pints of whisky or brandy, and pour it over the peaches in air-tight jars. EGGS BAKED IN TOMATOES. Select round tomatoes of uniform size. Cut off the stem ends and take out enough of the pulp to leave a space as large as an egg. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper. Drop into each one an egg. Place the filled tomatoes in a baking-dish with a little hot water, and bake them about fifteen minutes, or until the eggs are set and the tomatoes are a little softened. Serve the eggs on rounds of bread browned in butter. No sauce is required with this dish. BOILED HAM. Soak several hours or over night in cold water to cover. Wash thoroughly, trim off hard skin near end of bone, put in a kettle, cover with cold water, heat to boiling point, and cook slowly until tender. Remove kettle from range and set aside, that ham may partially cool; then take from water, remove outside skin, sprinkle with sugar and fine cracker crumbs, and stick with cloves one half inch apart. Bake one hour in a slow oven. Serve cold, thinly sliced. Boil four to five hours. OATMEAL WITH SLICED BANANAS. Have the water salty — one half teaspoon to a pint of freshly boiled water. Stir in slowly one cup of steamcooked oats to two cups of water. Let boil up once after all the grain is added. Then set into hot water kettle or double boiler and cook from one half hour to a full hour; the latter is preferable. Pour into patent charlotte russe molds or cups and let it stand over night. In the morning turn from the molds into a hot baking sheet and set in the oven until very hot. If molded in cups remove the centers, leaving a wall of the oatmeal. Remove to the serving dishes with a broad-bladed knife and fill the centers with slices of banana. Put a spoonful of whipped cream above the bananas, and serve in a nest of whipped cream. HOW TO MAKE TEA. 3 teaspoons tea. 2 cups boiling water. Scald an earthen or china teapot. Put in tea, and pour on boiling water. Let stand on back of range or in a warm place five minutes. Strain and serve immediately, with or without sugar and milk. Avoid second steeping of leaves with addition of a few fresh ones. If this is done, so large an amount of tannin is extracted that various ills are apt to follow. RUSSIAN TEA. Follow recipe for making tea. Russian tea may be served hot or cold, but always without milk. A thin slice of lemon, from which seeds have been removed, or a few drops of lemon juice, is allowed for each cup. Sugar is added according to taste. In Russia a preserved strawberry to each cup is considered an improvement. We imitate our Russian friends by garnishing with a candied cherry. TOAST WATER. Toast three slices of stale bread to a dark brown, but do not burn. Put into a pitcher, pour over them one quart boiling water. Cover closely and let stand on ice until cold. Strain. If desired, wine and sugar may be added. RICE WATER.