"The best soups are made with a blending of many flavors. Don't be afraid of experimenting with them. Where you make one mistake you will be surprised to find the number of successful varieties you can produce. If you like a spicy flavor try two or three cloves, or allspice, or bay leaves. All soups are improved by a dash of onion, unless it is the white soups, or purées from chicken, veal, fish, etc. In these celery may be used. In nothing as well as soups can a housekeeper be economical of the odds and ends of food left from meals. One of the best cooks was in the habit of saving everything, and announced one day, when her soup was especially praised, that it contained the crumbs of gingerbread from her cake box! Creamed onions left from a dinner, or a little stewed corn, potatoes mashed, a few baked beans - even a small dish of apple sauce have often added to the flavor of soup. Of course, all good meat gravies, or bones from roast or boiled meats, can be added to your stock pot. A little butter is always needed in tomato soup. In making stock, use a quart of water for every pound of meat and bone.

Cut the meat in pieces, crack the bones, place all in the kettle, pour over it the proper quantity of cold water; let it soak a while on the back of the range before cooking. Let soup boil slowly, never hard, (an hour for each pound of meat) strain through a sieve or coarse cloth. Never let the fat remain on your soup. Let get cold and lift it off, or skim it off hot."

Brown Stock

Four pounds shin of beef, or other meats and bones - four carrots, four onions, one turnip, one small head of celery, one half tablespoonful of salt, one half teaspoonful of peppercorns, six cloves, five pints of cold water. Cut up the meat bone and place it in a large saucepan, pour over the water, skim when boiling, prepare the vegetables, add them to the saucepan; cover closely and boil slowly four hours. The spice should be added with the vegetables.

Cream Of Celery Soup

One quart chicken or veal broth; one quart milk; one half cupful rice; one teaspoonful salt; one head celery; seasoning. Use for this soup a quart of chicken or veal broth and about a quart of milk; pick over and wash the rice, rinse it well in cold water, and put it in a thick saucepan over the fire with a pint of milk and a teaspoonful of salt; wash a head of celery and grate the white stalks, letting the grated celery fall into milk enough to cover it; put the grated celery with the rice and gently simmer them together until the rice is tender enough to rub through a sieve with a potato masher, adding more milk if the rice absorbs what has first been put with it. After the rice has been rubbed through the sieve, return it to the saucepan, place it again over the fire, and gradually stir with it the quart of stock or broth; if this quantity of stock does not dilute the soup to a creamy consistency, add a little milk; let the soup get scalding hot, season it with salt, white pepper, and a very little grated nutmeg, and serve at once.

Celery Soup

Four large potatoes, three large onions, six or eight stalks of celery. Chop all the vegetables very fine, and place in an earthern kettle and cover with boiling water, stir often till cooked, then add one quart of milk and let boil; add butter, pepper and salt to taste. This receipt will serve six persons.

Chicken Cream Soup

Take the carcase of a roast chicken or turkey, break the bones, and cover with a quart of cold water and simmer for two hours adding boiling water, to keep the original quantity. Strain and return to kettle, add one chopped onion, two grated raw potatoes, one half small turnip grated, and one half cup rice. Boil until rice is very soft. Strain again, and return to kettle and let boil, and add one pint milk, one teaspoon cornstarch rubbed smooth in a tablespoon butter and a little salt and pepper, serve hot.

Consomme A La Toledo - Clear Soup

One quart stock, two eggs, two gherkins, a little red and green colouring, two tablespoonfuls cream, whites and shells of two eggs, one wine glass of sherry, and a little nutmeg. Beat the two whole eggs, pour over them the cream (hot.) Season the custard with pepper, salt and nutmeg, colour half red and half green, pour both parts into buttered tins, poach in hot water until firm. Beat the whites and shells of eggs with a little cold water, add them to the stock, pour it into a saucepan and whisk over the fire till boiling; draw on one side and simmer ten minutes. Cut the custard in shapes, rinse then in warm water, shred the gherkins, strain the soup, add the wine and garnishing just before serving.

Cauliflower Soup

One cauliflower, two yolks of egg, one half pint of cream, one quart chicken stock. Boil together the stock and cauliflower, for twenty minutes, take out the cauliflower, put aside some of the best parts, pass remainder through a sieve, mix together the yolks and cream, add them to the soup, put all in a saucepan and stir over the fire until it begins to thicken, put the pieces of cauliflower into a tureen and pour the soup over them; the stock used in this soup is better without any other vegetables.

Fish Soup

Two pounds of raw fish, one tablespoonful parsley, one and one half ounces butter, one ounce flour of rice, one half pint milk, one quart of water, pepper, and salt. Boil together the bones and skin of fish for half an hour. Strain, melt butter in a saucepan, stir into it the flour, add strained water from the pan. Cut up the fish into small pieces, add it, also salt and pepper, boil slowly ten minutes, add parsley at last minute.

Giblet Soup

Giblets from two or three fowls; two quarts of water; one of stock; two tablespoons of butter, ditto of flour; salt, pepper, and onion if desired. Put giblets on to boil in the water and boil gently till reduced to one quart (about two hours); take out the giblets, cut off tough parts and chop fine the remainder. Return to the liquor and add stock. Cook butter and flour together until a rich brown, and add to the soup; season, cook gently half an hour; stir in half a cup of bread crumbs and in a few minutes serve hot.