Creole Recipe. Mrs. Harris, Of New Orleans

Take half-grown squash and simmer whole in water ten minutes. Cut them in halves, if small, in quarters, if large. Scrape out the interior, leaving the shells, however, thick enough to handle without breaking up. Remove seeds, if large. Press all superfluous moisture out of the vegetable pulp and add to it the following: to enough squash to serve six persons put one cup of bread or cracker crumbs, one onion, and one tomato minced fine, one fourth clove of garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, two cups of shrimp chopped fine, and two tablespoonfuls of lard. Fry the onion and shrimp lightly in the lard, and add to it the tomato and herbs. Into this turn the squash, which has been thoroughly mixed with the crumbs, also salt and pepper, and a beaten egg. Turn over and over with spoon, mixing it again and again. Let the whole cook for about ten minutes. Have the shells arranged in the baking dish. Fill each, rounding nicely. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs, mixed with melted butter, and bake until brown. Serve hot.

The squash may be heaped upon a pie plate, and so baked without the shells. Crab, minced ham, veal - almost anything, in fact, which is savory - may take the place of the shrimps. Eggplant is stuffed in the same way, but needs a little longer boiling than squash.