RECIPES.

APPLE TOAST.—­Fresh, nicely flavored apples stewed in a small quantity of water, rubbed through, a colander, sweetened, then cooked in a granite-ware dish in a slow oven until quite dry, make a nice dressing for toast.  Baked sweet or sour apples rubbed through a colander to remove cores and skins, are also excellent.  Soften slices of zwieback in hot cream, and serve with a spoonful or two on each slice.  If desired, the apple may be flavored with a little pineapple or lemon, or mixed with grape, cranberry, or apricot, thus making a number of different toasts.

APRICOT TOAST.—­Stew some nice dried apricots as directed on page 191.  When done, rub through a fine colander to remove all skins and to render them homogeneous.  Add sugar to sweeten, and serve as a dressing on slices of zwieback which have been previously softened in hot cream.  One half or two thirds fresh or dried apples may be used with the apricots, if preferred.

ASPARAGUS TOAST.—­Prepare asparagus as directed on page 255.  When tender, drain off the liquor and season it with a little cream, and salt if desired.  Moisten nicely browned zwieback in the liquor and lay in a hot dish; unbind the asparagus, heap it upon the toast, and serve.

BANANA TOAST.—­Peel and press some nice bananas through a colander.  This may be very easily done with a potato masher, or if preferred a vegetable press may be used for the purpose.  Moisten slices of zwieback with hot cream and serve with a large spoonful of the banana pulp on each slice.  Fresh peaches may be prepared and used on the toast in the same way.

BERRY TOAST.—­Canned strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries may be made into an excellent dressing for toast.

Turn a can of well-kept berries into a colander over an earthen dish, to separate the juice from the berries.  Place the juice in a porcelain kettle and heat to boiling.  Thicken to the consistency of cream with flour rubbed smooth in a little water; a tablespoonful of flour to the pint of juice will be about the right proportion.  Add the berries and boil up just sufficiently to cook the flour and heat the berries; serve hot.  If cream for moistening the zwieback is not obtainable, a little juice may be reserved without thickening, and heated in another dish to moisten the toast; of if preferred, the fruit may be heated and poured over the dry zwieback without being thickened, or it may be rubbed through a colander as for Apricot Toast.

BERRY TOAST NO. 2.—­Take fresh red or black raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, and mash well with a spoon.  Add sugar to sweeten, and serve as a dressing on slices of zwieback previously moistened with hot cream.

CELERY TOAST.—­Cut the crisp white portion of celery into inch pieces, simmer twenty minutes or half an hour, or until tender, in a very little water; add salt and a cup of rich milk.  Heat to boiling, and thicken with a little flour rubbed smooth in a small quantity of milk—­a teaspoonful of flour to the pint of liquid.  Serve hot, poured over slices of zwieback previously moistened with cream or hot water.