One qt. dried white beans, a cup milk or cream, butter, soda.

Soak 1 qt. of dried white beans over night. In the morning, drain; add 2 qts. of water; when it comes to the boiling point, pour off and add 2 qts. of fresh boiling water, also about 1/4 of a teaspoonful of soda. Boil until the beans are soft; then press through a sieve and return it to the kettle. Add salt and pepper to taste and a cup of cream or a cup of milk and a bit of butter. If still too thick, add more milk. Crackers buttered and browned in the oven or squares of bread browned in butter are nice to serve with this.