Celery Au Gratin

Two cups of celery cut in small pieces. Put in saucepan and add 2 cups of boiling salted water. Cook until tender. Drain, reserving liquid to make a sauce. For the sauce use 1/2 cup of celery liquid and 1/2 cup of milk. Melt 2 tablespoons shortening, add 2 tablespoons of flour, cook until frothy, add liquid and cook, stirring constantly, until creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Grease a baking dish and add alternate layers of celery, sauce and grated cheese. Cover the top with buttered crumbs and bake until brown.

Fried Eggplant

Pare eggplant and cut in 1/4-inch slices. Season with pepper and salt, then dip in slightly beaten egg, diluted with 1 tablespoon of cold water. After covering each slice with egg, roll in soft bread crumbs and fry in deep fat or pan fry in a small quantity of fat cooking in either case until a golden brown.

Quick Cabbage

Chop cabbage very fine. Plunge into boiling salted water and boil rapidly for 15 minutes. Drain, season with salt, pepper and a little butter.

Diced Turnips

Peel turnips and cut in cubes; cook in boiling water until tender but not broken; drain. Allow 1 cup of medium white sauce for 2 cups of turnip, season with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Parsnip Cakes

Take cold mashed parsnips that have been well seasoned shape into small, flat, round cakes; roll in flour and cook in butter or butter substitute, browning on each side.

Steamed Squash

Cut squash in pieces to fit the steamer or colander in which it is to be steamed. Place over boiling water, cover closely and steam until tender, about one hour. Scrape the pulp from the shell and mash, seasoning with butter, pepper and salt and a very small amount of sugar.

Baked Cream Squash

Cut small cream squash in half; remove seeds and fiber; sprinkle with salt and dot with small bits of butter or substitute. Bake in a moderate oven about 3/4 of an hour.

Creamed Cabbage

4 cups shredded cabbage. 2 cups medium white sauce.

Add shredded cabbage to rapidly boiling, salted water. Cook until tender; drain, then add to the well-seasoned white sauce.

Spinach

Remove roots from spinach. Wash very well in several waters, then pour hot water over the leaves. This causes any remaining grit to go to the bottom of the pan. Place spinach in a kettle with a teaspoon of salt and cook until tender in its own juice, having the fire low and lifting occasionally to prevent burning. Drain, chop fine and add seasonings of salt, pepper and butter. Reheat and garnish with slices of hard cooked egg. Cooked in this manner, all of the valuable salts are retained. If the spinach is old and rather tough it may be necessary to use about a cupful of boiling water.

Creamed Spinach

For 2 cups of cooked, chopped spinach allow 1 cup of well-seasoned medium white sauce and add a dash of nutmeg.