Every-day dishes and every-day work

Apple Dessert. — Pare some large tart apples, remove the cores, put into the cavities a little quince jelly, lemon-flavored sugar, or grated pineapple and sugar, according to the flavor desired. Have as many squares of bread with the crust taken off as there are apples, and place a filled apple on each piece of bread, on earthen pie plates ; moisten well with a little quince jelly dissolved in water, or lemon juice or pineapple juice, according to the filling used. Cover closely, and bake in a rather quick oven till the apples are tender. Serve with whipped cream and sugar. Apple Rose Cream. — Wash, core, slice, and cook without paring, a dozen fresh snow apples until very dry. When done, rub through a colander to remove the skins, add sugar to sweeten, and the whites of two eggs ; beat vigorously with an egg-beater until stiff, add a teaspoonful of rose-water for flavoring, and serve at once, or keep on ice. It is especially important that the apples be very dry, otherwise the cream will not be light. If after rubbing through the colander, there is still much juice, they should be cooked again until it has evaporated ; or they may be turned into a jelly-bag and drained. Other varieties of apples may be used, and flavored with pineapple or vanilla. Made as directed, of snow apples or others with white flesh and red skins, the cream should be of a delicate pink color, making a very dainty as well as a delicious dessert. Baked Sweet Apple Dessert.— Wash and remove the cores from a dozen medium-sized sweet apples, and one third as many sour ones, and bake until well done. Mash through a colander to make smooth and remove the skins. Put into a granite-ware dish, smooth the top with a knife, return to the oven, and bake very slowly until dry enough to keep its shape when cut. Add, if desired, a meringue made by beating the white of one egg [114] with a tablespoonful of sugar. Cut in squares, and serve in individual dishes. The meringue may be flavored with lemon or dotted with bits of colored sugar. Bananas in Sirup. — Heat in a porcelain kettle a pint of currant and red-raspberry juice, equal parts, sweetened to taste. When boiling, drop into it a dozen peeled bananas, and simmer very gently for twenty minutes. Remove the bananas, boil the juice until thickened to the consistency of sirup, and pour over the fruit. Serve cold. Baked Bananas. — Bake fresh, firm, yellow bananas with the skins on fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot. Grape Apples. — Sweeten a pint of -fresh grape juice with half a pint of sugar, and simmer gently until reduced one third. Pare and core, without dividing, six or eight nice tart apples, and stew very slowly in the grape juice until tender but not broken. Remove the apples and boil the juice (if any remains) until thickened to the consistency of sirup. Serve cold in individual dishes with a little of the grape sirup over each apple, or with a dressing of whipped cream. Canned grape pulp or juice may be utilized for this purpose. If preferred, the grape juice may be diluted with one-third water. Sweet apples may be used instead of tart ones, and the sugar omitted.