MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 June 1932, Page 3

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

( Notes by

Marjorie )

HOUSEHOLD NOTES. BREAD REMNANTS. As a rule there is nothing more wasted in the kitchen than bread. There is no doubt, that it takes a little planning to make use of every scrap of the staff of life, but there is not the slightest reason why it should not be done. It is easy to avoid hard ends, because there are many people Who - will eat the crusty ends when they are new. Now for such folk let them have both crusty ends at once, and cut to the centre of the loaf. In this way every crumb should be used up. If the last slice does happen to be a little dry on both sides, make this into toast.

If you have not'used up your loaf to the best advantage, it will mean that when you need some crumbs for frying purposes, you will rush for the biscuit tin of plain biscuits, roll sufficient out and use these, leaving the bread crusts to go to waste. There are two kinds of bread crumbs —brown and white. The white ones must be used at once, otherwise they will become stale and mouldy, and the best 'and most effective method is to rub the bread on a fine wire sieve. White crumbs are better than brown for everyday frying, and are generally used for seasoning and for bread sauce. When 'you have removed all the crumbs, you can for the purpose necessary, place the crusts and any small pieces in a very cool oven on a wire sieve or cake cooler, and allow ■hem to become quite dry, without changing the colour too much. When 'ready place on a board or slab, and crush finely with a rolling pin. If you need them very fine, pass through a wire sieve, keeping the coarser ones separate. These latter will be useful for puddings and so on, and both kinds will keep for many months, if all the moisture has been evaporated out of them. You will find it most handy to have, the crumbs all ready for use without having to stop work foi* the immediate preparation of them, for as a general rule frying is last minute cooking, and you wan all the time you have for other things.

/As crumbs are always considered lighter than flour, they may often be used as a substitute in many kinds of sweets or puddings. For savoury dishes, too, they are invaluable. Hams ana sausages should always have a few brown crumbs prinkled oyer the top, as these make all the difference hi the appearance. The. following bread jelly is for invalids. Take about a quarter of a. pound of stale bread, and soak it in cold water for three and ?„ half hours. Then squeeze it as dry as possible, and throw away the iquid. Place the pulp in a clean pan with about one quart of boiling water, and cook steadily for two hours, finally straining through butter muslin. This is usually ordered by the doctor, who will tell you how it should be given. At a luncheon once I asked tor bread souffle, according to the menu, anil was surprised to see the waiter bring me bread pudding, but it was so beautifully made that it tasted qqite •different. The reason why ordinary bread puddings are so disliked, is be:auso sufficient trouble is not taken .viih the preparation, and the result is stodgy. This is the proper recipe for a souffle pudding which was recently given to me by a good cook. To one gill of milk allow one egg, one lossertspponful of breadcrumbs, one 'caspconful of sugar, and a little flavoring. Boil the milk and potir over the crumbs, then add the sugar and yolk of egg. , Beat up the white and stir in lightly with the flavouring. Bake for twenty minutes. This pqdling can also be put into a basin, and tood on the top of a pan of water which imnt.be kept boilingThere arc many other, ways of using up stalo bread, such a? in a Qiieen pudding, in an ordinary bread and butter custard, a crumb cqstafd, an apple charlotte (in which the , thin slices should have the crusts removed and lightly fried in butter before lining the dish for the apples) and so on. But, as I said before, you must copy the directions accurately in your cookery book in order to make i success, because otherwise you will bind your Queen pudding either too sloppy to serve properly, or else the bread so hard as to form a lump at the bottom of the dish. Finally, here is Tie recipe for a brown bread pudding which may be a little new to you. Take one large slice of brown bread from the ordinary loaf, nearly its weight in suet, the peel of half a lemon, a little nutmeg ami mace, two ounces and a half of sugar, a teaspoon, ful of brandy, and three eggs. Grate or crumble up the bread, shred the . net very finely, and place the rest qf the ingredients together. (If you prefer to ad I a few spooiifuls of candied peel, so much the better). Beat up the eggs well, add to the mixture (if too stiff put. in a little milk), and steam in a buttered bowl for three hours. A nice sauce will help a plain pudding coniderqbly, and of course the flavouring makes all the difference in the world. Every cook should have several kinds, so as tp make variety. But for everyday use there is nothing nicer than the grated rind and the juice of the ever handy lemon. — (A. M. in “Sydney Morning Herald.”)

WOMAN’S POSE AS MAN. “MARRIED” 15 YEARS. GLASGOW, ApriL 24. An amazing story has come to light of a Glasgow woman who for several years has been working as a man iq a city factory. In 1917 she went through a form of marriage with another woman and the couplo have lived together since that year. The “marriage” took place in the Glasgow Sheriff’s Court, and the “husband” described herself on the certificate as a widower. As a. result of the discovery the “husband” was examined by two doctors, who have certified that she is a normal healthy woman. Since the “marriage” the “husband” who is of slim build has always dressed in male attire. She has many friends, not one of whom suspected her real sex, and she was described by them as a fine little fellow.”

GRANDMOTHERS’ WAISTS. 1932 SIZE THE SMALLER. Evidence which seems to. show that our grandmothers’ waists were not so constricted as the- “wasp waist” legend would iipply is provided by a comparison of stock size gowns of 1863 and 1877 with the latest of 1932. Measurements taken of these gowns reveal that the 1932 gown is smaller than either of the mid-Victorian •dresses (writes a London correspondent) . Apart from this variation in stock size which the years have brought about, the three dresses slww a striking similarity, in general line and detail, although the earlier ones have more elaboration of detail. Small waists and bustles do not really belong to any particular period ■of fashion, for a dress of beige Macclesfield gros grain silk has essentially the same lines as an evening dress of pale blue faille, although the first was made in 1863 and the second is this season’s. There is the same close-fitting bodice, the same emphasis of the natural waist-line, .and the same suggestion of a bustle. Both dresses have trains.

Another dress of stiff white Duchess satin, made in 1877, has the same lines, and like both the others is buttoned clown the front of the bodice to achieve the tight-waisted look.

Simple fiome gown, in jade-green silk crepe, trimmed with jade buttons, and finished at neck with a white embroidered organdi collar. CHOIR QF FISHWIVES.

A novel record is claimed by the far-famed Fisher Women’s Choir of Ncwhaven, on the Firth of Fortlp near Edinburgh, states a correspondent. Tho choir members include no fewer than seven grandmothers and a greatgrandmother! And when they sing “Caller Herrin,,” the tang of the sea is in the air. Apart from the women’s fine singing, their picturesque appearance is a great attraction. They wear the short, striped pettipoats, aprons, and other garb which has been typical of the Newhaven fishwife for hundreds of years. WOMEN’S INSTITUTE. A meeting of the Greymoutlr Branch of the Women’s Institute was held in tho Wesley Hall yesterday afternoon, there being a good attendance. Mrs. Black presided. Pleasure was experienced a/the. attendance of four members of tho Gladstone Institute. A flour and sugar bag competition was held, and brought forth .a number of useful articles, the former being won by Mrs. Peek, and the latter by Mrs. Black. The Gladstone ladies judged. The hostesses for the afternoon were Mcsflames Booth, Beale, Musson and Miss O’Donnell.

“APE SKIN” HANDBAGS. Handbags to go with the trim military suits designed for the spring are being produced in thousands by English manufacturers (states the “Daily Mail”). One of the most attractive models among the half a million bags shown by British designers at the British Industries Fair recently was made in diagonal striped tricolour leather. In order to achieve the slick stiffness essential to bags accompanying military suits and coats, tho lightning fastener was mounted on steel tapes instead of the usual flexible ones. Among the many new grains which are bqing used for handbags are “ape skin”— a heavily veined eaif which has the effect of very wiinkled skin—and peacock. r fhis is strikingly attractive faithfully reproducing the . fptlier ■markings of a peacock’s tail, carried cut in peacock blue calfskin. “Crumpled morocco” was yet another leather l introduced at. the British Industries : Fair. This made many workmanlike i bags on slim, flat lines for carrying |v. ith sports suits. The tricolour I scheme, which was so much in evidence. at the London and Paris dress shows, appeared on many handbags in a fine wool tricot, mounted on navy calfskin. These bags were also being made with variously coloured tri■cot covers to match one’s suit