TO-DAY'S DINNER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 256, 22 July 1908, Page 5

TO-DAY'S DINNER.

(Specially Written for Tiie Dosiihion.) , PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS BY AN EXI'EIiT. ;■ WEDNESDAY. ' ■ Qyster'.-Soap.i Boiled Corned Beef. Carrots. Turnips., Potatoes. Norfolk Dumplings. BakewelLTarts. NOR FOLK . DUMPLING S. i . Method.—Mix;hal'f'a pound of flour with a teaspoonful and a'.half of baking,'powder and V some salt. Then i about -thirty 'minutes' heforo : the /beef is cooked m.ako.jthe flour ;into a dough with cold water, it.; into balls, and . boil with the meat for, about twenty minutes. Tho halls of dough, should be about the size of a .very largo walnut before they are cooked. RUINING THE SUPPER. .!" When one /Views 4 a suppertable 'prepared 'for a dance or; ij.-partyi"' -it, seems -'almost - heartreiidering to think what a difference will . have taken place in its appearance . a few hours later. • Its dainty; arrangements; of 1 ribbons, and, trailing creepers are '■ ."carelessly, -pushed raside;'. the white cloths are spotted, and',all .tho,'-'.attractive . dishes turned into; unappetising ruins of their former glory. <J \;''- "Thero is nothing that annoys nie more, said, a girl rce(>flt!y; ; "thani'how/the'ordinary man can in a few minutes mutilate ; tho ap- ,' V pearanco. of'a "supper-table. 'To begin .with, ■>' as a rule, when he - takes a girl into the, supper-room, :he• assists' her : towhatever she ' ■ . desires—trifle,;'.fruit' salad, jelly,' or so on. '~, :.-But;-nine times. Out of. ten- he brings : her twice as/much' as she/can eat;, and as often //' as not it is' mushed up'on her plate until 'it looks ,lij>e a poultice. Have you ever : ' noticed, td„o, that when a , man .is helping ■■ . you from a .dish of .'/creams ; or, such-like now 'often he picks up the spoon and starts at . the side 'of the dish': nearest .-him, instead - ' of : from'|where : it' has already been cut into. Men never, seem to' realise' that it'is only fair that/ elaborate and ; expensive sweets should be . helped in. moderation; If all that was taken from 'a. dishlwere.;eaten';by .the, ~ girl to . whom it was .brought it would bo another matter, but at the next dance yo'ul go to just.'look at.the,:supper-table later on, and you will*see the contents of,the plates only half touched. In the strawberry season there is the same reckless waste, and I cannot help thinking sometimes that'-it. is rather , hard on the hostess, for strawberries are always ; a luxury; and' .I am sure that tho fault, ;I; 'am noiy mentioning ,is mainly duo -to , a lack of thought, /and perhaps' if it. was onco realised; by .dancing men what ' money and/time were spent on 1 providing a. ball supper, they would . not; so often help their partners to twice too,much.lt ;is not as if we had only ono chance of partaking ' of refreshments,, because usually- we go in and out i again as. a; matter of . course,' and; a ; little at • a time is 'all tho most of us. want." "G ;' :.V; ' )'■ .■:.;/ LUNCH WHEN TRAVELLING. • When one is travelling a long distance, lunch is rather an important. consideration, . and there are people who prefer to:take it : with tbem than to rely upon what they, the ' dining-car or-wayside stations, .mfiy-provide. . A writer in the New York "Evening Post" gives a: useful hint concernins what to tako and how to .pack'it. When travelling,'the lunch should bo made as appetising as possible. -Wrap each sep- ;. '• arate' article- of food in oiled tissue paper; and .then arrango neatly in a box or basket. Thus tho sandwiches, .meats,' relishes, cakes, < and fruits would each be by themselves. Provide a generous supply of paper napkins, which , can be thrown away after the meal. Bottled: ;tea : and coffee will make, quite an . addition ; to- a., lunch, 'and this could be kept' : hot for several hours by using thermos. Travelling cups' can be; purchased at small cost,/and are moro convenient than cither, , glass ; or china. . - A'-dozen, lemons squeezed out into a bottle will make it possible, with tho addition. o£-sugar, to convert .the ice-cold tank wafer into lemonade. 1 POSTCARDS VERSUS LETTERS. . . Old-fashioned persons bewail the postcard craze /of, the present day, and, declare that it has killed letter writing; The same,wail was' • heard before tho postcard came-intoUse, and : nobody wrote on one - except Mr. Gladstone.! But postcards are the joy of absent relatives (says ■ "Epocris," .in tho ,"Sydney Daily Telegraph"). '.What man-ever; wants to sit down on J -the voyage to England; and, write long epistles to his sisters,'his cousins, and his /• aunts? No man; and certainly, very; few, women. ' Whereas with'a dozen postcards on his hands, ;ho 'is . only, too; glad to think up • relatives to the tenth degree,:'if only."to get' , rid of tho cards. A few words scribbled on such a missive aro all one, wants', oxcept from one's "nearest and dearests." Tho let ters from ■>" mail * steamer areallso much of a' pattern that they might be stereotyped. Wo all know .them so well. Letter-writing is not a lost art a,t all," for when a woman - can write a good letter , (which all women are supposed to be able to'do),, she-generally . publishes the same, and is paid for it. The letter-writers of the past would have written their epistles for; publication/did they write to-day. i Considered as a form of (fiction, let- • ter-writing is immensely popular. Published letters nearly always make easy reading. The ■ 'epistolary form- is'one that lends itself with great facility _to disoursivo remarks. But: the fact "remains 'that letters aro growing shorter, and more stationery is used, than ever; therefore, everybody must bo writing ever,-so many more short, and sweet notes than formerly. Q.E.D. DININC ROOM FURNITURE. •The once prevalent' idea that the 'diningroom should bo heavy and massive, in tho : expression of whatever style w'as chosen for its interior, has fortunately been out-grown. There is no reason why the room, in which takes place tho most cheerful. event of the day,', according to '' 'Ilouso Beautiful," should . be,other than cheorful itself. On the other hand, frivolity must' be avoided,'for dining is with most of. us an affair of sufficient importanco -to 'require for its - environment a'dignifiod atmosphere.. ' . The'furnituro for tho dining-room requires a greater degree of uniformity > than that of any other room of tho house. The livingroom and library may be furnished with pieces representing' several .distinct periods .without harm to the general effect.-. In fact, "sots" are to be avoided. But in the dining-room tho chairs at least should bo alike, and the tables and/ sideboard follow their type as closely, as possible. . POCKETS ONCE MORE. Leather belts aj-e being/ provided with pockets upon thetn, ■ and there aro other , belts that havo little hanging pockets. Signs are certainly hot wanting, that, the pitiful plaint of the ' pocketless womau is at last being heard, and that she will ' not have to depend altogether in -the future upon tho reticule. In .washing lace, I used to squeeze it out of the rinsing water and pin on a pillow to dry, but I have learned a'better way. Squee'zo out tho water, spread on a bath towel, placo' a pieco of cloth over- it, and iron. The surfaco of the bath towel, fills ,up tho meshes of the lace, which looks as good as new, always providing that tlio lace 'has not been rubbed, nor wrung out.

WHY DID THE POMPADOUR SMILE? > Why? That's easy. She had a nice nalato and exceptional opportunities. She hatl succeeded ill getting for her privato use a. Tea that had in it (as it were) tho beginnings of the final perfection of Su'ratura. Suratura ~ "D" (is.) lias qualities magical in charming "■' awav all 'leaciness and ill-humours.