THE HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13722, 11 April 1908, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE HOME.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF COOKING. KIDNEYS AND MUSHROOMS. Cut some beef kidney into dice and trim a dozen mushrooms. Melt a goodsized piece of butter in a slewpan and throw- in the mushrooms. Let them simmer for ten minutes, then add the kidney, a piece of glaze, and half a gill of stock, simmer again (but do not boil) for eight minutes,, add a teaspoonful of flour and half a teaspoonful of chopped paraley. Serve hot, and garnish with fried croutons. When preparing this dish, remember to stew the mushrooms in butter longer than the kidney. ' : . noEs AND MUSHROOMS ox TOAST. Make the necessary number of round croutons of lightly fried bread, and choose a like number of mushrooms the same size as the croutons. Peel the mush.rooms, rinse them in warm water to remove any grit, and take off the stalks. Place them on a greased baking-sheet, stalk side uppermost. Put some small pieces of butter on each mushroom, and a' little pepper, and salt. Cover with buttered paper, and cook in a moderate oven from ten to twenty minutes. Serve a mushroom on each crouton, and on each mushroom place a- cooked roc, curled round. , MUSHROOM CKOUTES. Cut some rounds of bread about threequarters of an inch thick, and scoop them out rather thinner in the centre; fry until a golden brown, drain, and keep hot. Place the required number of mushrooms ) on a greased baking-tin, with a piece of butter on each, and place in the oven to cook. In the meantime, mince one or two mushrooms, and put them in a pan with a small quantity of good brown sauce. When cooked, put a spoonful on each croute, and _a whole mushroom on the top of each. Serve very hot. MUSHItOOMS av GRATIN. . Peel the mushrooms, cut off their stalks. and put them in a buttered fireproof dish. Peel the stalks and wash them, add the peelings, dry them, and cut them up. Make a sauce with loz of butter, and, when melted, add £oz of flour, stirring into it half a pint of milk. Stir well, bring to the boil, and then throw in the chopped stalks, a dessertspoonful of finelychopped parsley, a teaspoonful of finelychopped onion, a dusting of pepper, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Simmer the sauce until it thickens, strain, and add some Parisian essence (browning). Pour the sauce over the mushrooms, sprinkle some browned breadcrumbs over the whole, and bake in a quick oven for ten minutes. TOREK OF MUSUROOMS. Chop up lib of fresh mushrooms, simmer then in a little milk or broth for ten minutes, then add the crumb of a French roll; stir over the fire until all liquid is absorbed, put in loz of fresh butter, pepper, and salt, and rub through . a wire strainer. Put the puree.. back into the stewpan, and let it get hot. before serving. Should the puree seem too stiff, add a little cream or milk whilst rubbing it through the strainer. This is good, served with boiled chickens, cutlets, etc. N.B.—Never warm up a dish containing mushrooms. This is a valuable caution which physicians give. After getting cold, mushrooms -are '.able to develop injurious qualities and to become harmful. Therefore, consume what mushrooms are cooked at one sitting; but if not, throw any away that may be left over. ' " HOUSEHOLD HINTS. ;; For the Bath : Dissolve a tablespoonful of rock ammonia in it. This makes the .water soft and invigorating. Orange peel dried and grated, makes a very fine yellow powder, that is delicious flavouring for cakes and' puddings. When boiling ham, salt-beef, or tongue for eating cold leave the joint in the liquor until cool. By this means the flavour is very much improved. Tan Leather : Tan leather shoes which have become mud-stained can be beautifully cleaned by rubbing with a slice of raw potato. When dry, polish m the usual way.. ~..; ' .- ~, ■ A Great Cleanser: Whitewash is a great cleanser, so see that your cellar gets a fresh coat, every ...spring and autumn. Use carbolic acid in the mixture, as it will help disinfect. : ' Elbow Grease : There is no plate powder or brush that can compare with good honest elbow grease when cleaning silver. A daily ' rub with a wash leather will keep all the articles looking far better than a weekly clean-up. ', ~; ''* ! ; ■? ' Before using a new saucepan always fill it with water, add a lump of soda and . some potato peelings, and let all stew for some hours then wash out thoroughly, and all danger of poisoning from the "tinned lining will be gone. ; .- Blue mould on a white' dress may be removed bv rubbing the spots well with yellow soap, and then scraping on to them some finely-powdered chalk. Lay the dress upon the grass in the sun, and, as Li>. dries, wet again. The mildew will ! probably come out after .the second ap--1 plication. I Paste made with flour and water is 'often a failure when employed as a means I of affixing descriptive labels to tin canis- ! ters for storeroom use. The experiment should, however, be tried of adding a little honey to the paste, when the paper will not.only readily adhere, but will not rub off easily. ■ Silver articles that have become tarnished may, even if embossed or engraved, be quite quickly cleaned by the use of alum. Dissolve an "ounce in a quart of soap-suds and -'wash carefully, using a brush for -he carved parts. Rinse the article several times, then dry with a soft cloth and polish with chamois.' Hob suds with ammonia will also clean the silver quickly and well, in such a way that there need be no troublesome brushing with one or another of the pink or white powders which have such a ' gift for lodging in all the ornamental parts. For the Cook : Salt placed under baki ing-pans in the oven will prevent pies and cakes from scorching on the bottom. Eggs and olives combined are outside the usual. Boil the eggs hard, remove the shells, flatten the big end so they will stand, and in'the small one cut a deep narrow hole, just big enough for a small olive. Put in the olives, stand the eggs in a bed of crisp head lettuce leaves, and pour over them a French dressing made with three tablespoonfuls of olive oil to one of-vinegar, or lemon juice, a little dry mustard, salt, and white pepper.