THE HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13307, 13 October 1906, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE HOME.

THE TABLE. Bean Rarebit: Melt an ounce of butter, eeason with cayenne and salt and a little mustard; add a teacupful of cold boiled haricot beans, and nearly a teaspoonful of tomato or similar sauce. When all is heated, add half a cupful of milk and two ounces of good mild cheese, cut ia small pieces. Stir all over the. fire till all is melted. Celery Fritters: Cut the celery into fritters of about three inches, and after washing boil in as little water as possible. Drain the water off, dry in a cloth, and season with pepper, salt, and a little chopped scalded parsley. Then dip each piece into good fn ing batter, and cook in deep fat till a ricfi brown. Drain very dry and serve with salt and chopped parsley over. Fish Balls: Take what is left of any cold fish, remove all skin and bone, then weigh. To every pound of fish allow an equal quantity of mashed potatoes, a little salt and pepper, a few drops of anchovy sauce, one egg, and sufficient milk to bind. A little chopped onion can be added if liked. Make paste up into small balls. Fry till well browned, and serve very hot. Do not add salt if the fish is salted. Scotch Rarebit: Half a pound of cheese, put in a small stewpan with a glass of old ale, pepper, and salt. Also a teaspoonful of mixed mustard : bring to the boil, well stirring until the cheese has quite melted ; it should be a delicate golden brown, and thick and smooth. Serve on buttered toast. Golden Cake: Yolks of six eggs, two cups of sugar, one cup and a-half of sweet milk, half a cup of butter, three cups of flour, rather heaping, half a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda, one cream of tartar. Cream the butter and sugar, beat yolks light, and add them to the butter, and, last of all, add flour and milk. To Cook Ox Tongues: Put into tepid water and simmer for five or six hours, according to size. When cooked set thein aside to cool somewhat; then put them into a mould with heavy weight on top. Shrewsbury Cakes: Into lib of flour rub Alb of butter and 6oz of sugar. Make a hole in the middle, into which break three eggs; add 1 milk to form a paste. Roll out one-eighth of an inch thick, and cut into small cakes. Bake in a slow oven tor three-quarters of an hour. An Easy Pudding: A quart of flour sifted with a teacupful of sugar, a. pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Mix in a stiff batter with sweet milk and bake about half an hour. When done, slice, put in sauce dishes, and serve with a warm sauce made as iollows: A pint of hot water and half a cupful of sugar. Stir into this a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch wet with cold water. Let it cook on back of the stove for half an hour, stirring occasionally. Put in a pinch of salt, and' flavour with vanilla, lemon, cinnamon, a tablespoonful of vinegar, or any flavouring you happen to have. Also add a tablespoonful of but- ! ter to this sauce just before serving. THE VIRTUES OF SPINACH. Prominent specialists claim that spinach is the most . precious of vegetables, on account of its medicinal and strengthening properties. The emollient and laxative virtues of spinach, owing probably to the salts of potash it contains, have long been known. It is excellent for the liver, and, as a consequence, freshens the complexion. Some vegetables contain a relatively large dose of iron. According to Boussingault, the proportion is 0.00074 of iron in 100 parts of French beans, 0.0083 in 100 parts of lentils, and spinach very, much more. The chemist Bunge has proved that spinach and yolk of. egg are proportionately richer in digestible value and assimilable iron than many ferruginous remedies. Its general value and growing importance is shown in the fact that spinach is already an active ingredient in several new and valuable tonics.' HOUSEHOLD HINTS. To rid a kettle of fur an oyster shell is the best thing. v Lime yyter is a good wash for the teeth, mouth, and throat. Salt dissolved in alcohol will remove grease spots from cloth. Mud stains may be removed from cloth by rubbing with "a raw potato.: * Cold sliced potatoes fry and taste better by sprinkling a teaspoonful of . flour over them while frying. . Spirits of ammonia rubbed over nickled ornaments with a saturated .woollen cloth will keep them bright. If. a little milk is added' to the water when washing up crockery ware it will make them shine beautifully and keep the water from becoming greasy and dirty-look-ing. " '\ ■ To get rid of beetles get a piece of rock alum about the size of a large potato, put | into a pint of boiling water, and allow to simmer for about half an hour. Then paint the places where they haunt with a brush or flannel. Also sprinkle; the -floor with powdered borax. * :r To Clean a Light Felt Hat: Remove all the trimmings, brush the hat all over with a rather stiff clothes brush, then rub i*over with common chaJk: let it remain five minutes, then brush off. If some parts are more dirty than others go over them again and again until the dirt is removed. The chalk will not take out grease or any other stains. To curl feathers heat them gently before the tire, then, with the bacK if a knife applied to the feathers they will curl well. They may be perfectly cleaned by washing in soft water with white soap and a squeeze of blue; beat them against clean while paper. Shake gently for a few minutes before the fire ; then dry them in the air, and afterwards curl them as above. • To Salt Meat Quickly: Take a deep pan and nearly fill it with water. Lay across the top two thin layers of wood, and on these put the meat about, lin above the water. Heap on as much , salt as will thoroughly cover without wasting, and let it stand. The moisture from the water will draw the salt through, and in 24 hours the meat will be .ready to . boil. WRONG- WAYS ;OF SAVING. Don't save money by— ' Using cheap soap. You will ruin your complexion and have to buy cold'cream if you do. Sewing in the dusk. Gaslight is cheaper than oculist's bills. Wearing thin clothing. Flannel is cheaper and better than medicine. Going without luncheon. You will injure your health and digestion if you do. Walking when overtired to avoid 'bus fares. You save in money, but undermine your constitution. Overworking. Nobody thanks you. You will be cross and irritable, and your husband will wish you were not so zealous. CURIOUS MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. In some parts of Russia marriage markets still exist, the best known of them taking place every year at the season of Epiphany, at a plate called Klui, near Moscow.. All the young women living round about 'who wish to enter the married state flock to the town. On their arrival they are gathered together by the authorities, and ranged in a long row in the principal street. The girls deck themselves in all the finery and ornaments they can manage to scrape together, and any young men who are desirous of possessing wives come and inspect the group of waiting damsels. At last the trying ordeal comes to an end, and after hours of scrutiny on the part of the would-be Benedicts the girls march off in procession to the church. Then comes the most exciting part of the ceremony, as on the way it is etiquette for the young man whose fancy she has taken to accost the particular maiden of his choice, and' if, after a little conversation, the young people come to the conclusion that they are suited to one another, they agree to marry, and the matter is arranged in a way satisfactory to both parties..