Farm and home cook book and housekeeper's assistant

Wash and drain 1 qt small oysters. Make a sauce of 1 cup strained oyster liquor, '^/z cup milk and % cup each butter and flour. Season with 1 level teasp salt, a few dashes of pepper and 1 tablesp grated cheese. Add the cheese after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, and remove from the fire as soon as the cheese is melted. Parboil the oysters in a little of their own liquor until the edges curl, then put them in the sauce prepared as directed above, turn all into a buttered baking dish, cover with 1 cup fine cracker crumbs, dot liberally with butter, and bake until the crumbs are brown. Parboil the oysters before making sauce, as the extra liquor will be needed. — • [M. P., N. H. Fried Oysters or Clams, and Fritters Wash, drain and dry oysters between clean cloths. Dip in beaten eggs, then in bread or cracker crumbs, and then in eggs and cracker crumbs again, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry about 1 minute in deep, smoking hot fat. Drain on soft paper to absorb the grease, and serve at once. To make fritters dip the oysters in a batter made of flour, eggs and a little of the oyster liquor and salt. The oysters should be generously covered with the batter. Fry quickly in deep, hot fat. Clams may be prepared the same way. — [A. G., Mass. Oyster Stew To 1 cup strained oyster liquor add % cup water, boil and «kim, then add V2. teasp salt, ^ teasp pepper, 1 tablesp butter and 1 tablesp fine cracker crumbs. When it boils add 1 qt oysters and boil 1 minute. Put Vo, cup cream in a tureen, pour the boiling oyster stew in this, and serve at once. Do not cook the oysters in milk, as that toughens them. — [E. K., Mass. CLAM AND OYSTER PIES 153- Oysters with Macaroni Break Vz lb macaroni (spaghetti) into 1 inch pieces, and cook in boiling salted water until tender, then drain in a colander. In the bottom of a buttered baking dish put a layer of the macaroni, cover with oysters, and a little of their liquor,, sprinkle with seasoning and bits of butter, and so continue with alternate layers of macaroni and oysters until the dish isfilled. Pour over all IVz cups milk mixed with 2 well-beaten eggs, cover the top with bread crumbs, dot liberally with piecesof butter, and bake in a quick oven until nicely browned. — [M. F. S., Mich. Oyster Pie Mash 1 qt boiled potatoes, add 1 pt oysters with their liquor, 1 tablesp butter and salt and pepper to taste. Line a pie tin with pastry, pour in the potato and oyster mixture, cover with pastry, and bake in a quick oven. — [Mrs. H. L., Va. Oyster Omelet To 1 doz small oysters add 3 or 4 well-beaten eggs, 2 or 3 tablesp milk, and salt and pepper to taste, with fine bread crumbs to thicken. Put in a small well buttered baking dish, dot with butter, bake until browned, and serve at once. — [M. P., N. H. Clam Pie Cut salt pork in dice and fry brown. Slice potatoes and onions and boil until tender in milk to cover. Into a buttered pudding dish put a layer of bread or cracker crumbs, then a layer of oysters, a little of the fried salt pork, a layer of the boiled potatoes and onions, sprinkle with pepper, salt and a little mace, and moisten with a little of the clam liquor, strained. Proceed in this way until the dish is full, then cover with a pie or biscuit crust, cut a few slits in the top, and bake in a rather quick oven. — [A. G., Mass. Clam Soup