WOMEN’S NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 183, 4 July 1936, Page 12

WOMEN’S NOTES.

COOKING

(By Miss Mary Tallis.)

In plain English.—Housewives aro somtimes perplexed by French terms. Following are typical examples, with explanations in plain English : A la Bonne Femme.—Housewife style, denoting a garnish of fresh vegetables or herbs which usually includes mushrooms, and generally applied to cream soups or fish dishes: — (1) Potage ala Bonne Femme: A puree or cream soup garnished with lettuces, tarragon and chopped chervil. (2) Sole a la Bonne Femme: Usually garnished entirely with mushrooms in a rich ci earn sauce. (3) Oeufs a la Bonne Femme: Hard-*boiled eggs, yolks re. moved, pounded with chopped tarragon and butter, garnished with beetroot. A la maitre d’hote].—Chief steward’s style. Simply-prepared dishes garnished with chopped parsley, or with maitre d’hotel butter. Also a sold sauce made from chopped parsley, lemon juice and seasoning, mixed with butter. Parsley butter is the traditional accompaniment to grilled foods if all kinds. It should be placed on the hot food immediately it is dished ip so that the butter melts and forms i sauce: —(1) Tournedos a la maitre l’hotel : Fillets of beef garnished with naitre d’hotel butter and watercress. 2) Grilled steak a la maitre d’hotel: Phis is an example of inconsistency in i name, for the first part is in Engish and the second in. French. It is nerely grilled steak with maitre le’hotel butter served on it immediately it is cooked. (3) Aigrefin a la naitre d’hotel : Boiled, steamed or grilled haddock with parsley butter ir occasionally parsley sauce. (4) lareng a la maitre d’hotel: Grilled lerrings with parsley butter. (5) Sole ;rillo ala maitre d’hotel: Grilled sole ritli parsley butter, (fi) Filet de sole , la maitre d’hotel : Fillets of sole, teamed or baked and coated with larsle.v sauce. (7) Garottes a la maitre 'hotel: Boiled or braised carrots, tos-

sed, after draining, in melted butter with a good sprinkling of chopped parsley added. (8) Ragons de mouton a la maitre d’hote): Sheep’s kidneys, split, grilled and served with maitre d’hotel butter.

HINTS. When flowers are scarce and expensive, ail effective table decoration can be made in the following way: Pull up tufts ot grass from waste places in the garden and pack these tightly in a shallow bowl. Cut the grass off level with the edge of the bowl and then place heads of “everlastings” flowers here and there in the grass, giving an effect of a flower-strewn meadow. Keep the grass moist and it will last for a long time. _ An even prettier effect can be obtained .by growing the grass in a bowl from seed. Applique work can be much simplified by this method: When all the pieces are cut, brush over the back of each with thin starch and put them carefully in place. . Leave till dry and press with a hot iron. The starch will not injure the material and will come out with washing. To strengthen the hair, dilute loz. borax and loz. of camphor in 2 quarts of water. Use this as a hair wash once a week, dipping the ends. The hair will grow thick and even in a short time. If rugs and carpets persist in curling up at the corners, they can be made to lie flat by sewing hat-wire round the edges underneath. To prevePt woollens from shrinking, add 2 teaspoonsful of pure glycerine to the water when washing. If eggshells are saved and tied up in a white calico bag, then placed in the copper when it is boiling, they act as a bleach, and can be dried and used several times. To prevent cooking odours from invading rooms beyond the kitchen, fill a tin with vinegar and place it on the back of the stove.