The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

- Don Quixote.

A LITTLE girl once defined desserts as "What you eat after you are through"; which is an excellent description of the heavy desserts often unwisely served after a meal furnishing all the nutriment needed. Desserts of milk and eggs, for instance, should not follow such meals; but, instead, some light dainty like lemon jelly. Mince pie or plum pudding should not "top off" a turkey dinner; better a simple salad and bonbons. When depended upon for their food value, however, custards and milk puddings are especially desirable for children, and for adults to whom eggs and milk are not acceptable in other forms.

Rice Pudding

2 quarts milk 1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup rice 2/3 cup sugar

Grated nutmeg or cinnamon

Wash the rice; mix with half the milk and the salt and sugar and pour into a buttered pudding dish. Bake for several hours in a slow oven, stirring frequently and adding the rest of the milk. When the last milk is added, grate nutmeg over the top and let the pudding brown.

A cup of seeded or seedless raisins may be baked in the pudding if desired.

Boiled Custard

2 cups hot milk Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs or yolks of 3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put the milk on to heat in a double boiler. Beat the eggs thoroughly with the sugar; into them pour the hot milk, stirring to prevent lumps. Return all to the double boiler and cook until the custard coats the spoon, but no longer. If the mixture should curdle, set the boiler in a pan of cold water and beat with a wire egg-beater until smooth. When the steam passes off add the vanilla or other flavoring.

In the winter, when eggs are expensive, the custard may be made with one egg and one heaping teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little cold milk.

If desired, the whites of the eggs may be beaten separately and added to the custard after it is cold or beaten with sugar into a meringue.

Rice Meringue No. 1

3/4 cup rice

1/4 pound butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 quart milk

Yolks of 4 eggs

Little grated lemon rind

Whites of 4 eggs

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Boil the rice in water; while hot add the butter; when cool add the sugar, milk, beaten yolks and lemon. Pour into a buttered pudding dish and cover with a meringue made of the whites of eggs and granulated sugar, flavored with lemon juice. Brown in a hot oven.

Rice Meringue No. 2

2 tablespoons rice 1 quart milk Yolks of 2 eggs 4 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

Lemon or vanilla flavoring

Whites of 2 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

Cook the rice in a little water; drain and add the yolks, sugar, salt and flavoring. Cover with meringue and brown in the oven.

Cornstarch Pudding

3 cups scalded milk

6 level tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup cold milk

1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cornstarch with the cold milk; stir the scalded milk slowly into this mixture and stir over hot water until the cornstarch thickens. Beat the eggs slightly; add sugar and salt; pour over them the cornstarch mixture and cook one minute longer. Serve cold with cream and sugar.