HOME TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15262, 28 March 1913, Page 4

HOME TOPICS.

DOMESTIC TIT-BITS.

Combs should not be washed. Clean them by passing a piece of soft rag between the teeth. Traces of mud may be removed from black dresses by rubbing the stains with raw potato. When making pastry add the juice of a lemon to the water tor mixing. It will .make the paste lighter, and „ dispel the flavour of lard. Milk and eggs are great fat producers. Drink milk with your meals instead of water, and, if cared' for, eggs can be added with advantage. • . i Coal-ash is a fine polisher for the bright Earts of the range. Dip a wet rag into the j ne ash and nib well, and a fine polish i will be the result. ! After an umbrella has been in use for j a short time put a drop of oil in the centre of the top about once a month. This prevents the ribs from rusting. It is recommended that a little vinegar ! be added to the water in which stockings are rinsed after being washed. The stockings should then be dried wrong side out. Coloured stockings will not be faded, and black onfes will retain their original lustre. v If when boiling or baking meat you find it is smelling somewhat tainted, take a small piece' of stick, put the end of it in the fire, and burn it just enough to make it black. If baking, place the burnt end in the dripping-pan. If boiling, place the end in the saucepan. The taint will be found to have disappeared. Ink spots may be, removed from certain dress materials if moistened with turpentine, which should be allowed to remain on the spots for five minutes or longer (half an hour, if necessary) before the material is rubbed between tne hands, as in washing. V Turpentine should never be used near an open fire or flame. A good plan is to rub vaseline into the backs of ebony hair-brushes before washing, so that the soda will - not affect'the' ebony. Then, when dry, a little olive oil, applied with a soft rag and rubbed in with a clean cloth, will give as much polish aa is required, as ebony should not be very highly polished at any time. Soap never should be used in cleaning paint, especially white enamel or any/ paint with a gloss, as it will remove the gloss, which is the chief charm of the wood. If in washing woodwork a cupful of the glue used by carpenters is melted and poured into a pail of warm water, it will not only serve as a cleanser, but it will leave a high gloss such as new paint has.

I When linen has been bady scorched, try the following method. Boil to a good con- ; sistency, in half a pint of vinegar, 2oz lof fuller's earth ana the juice of two onions. Spread this mixture over the damaged part and leave it to dry. If the threads are not. actually burnt through, the scorched place will appear after washing as white and perfect as the rest of the linen. . SWEETS WITHOUT SUGAR. Honey Candy. One quart of honey, three heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, two tablespoonfuhr of vinegar, half a teaspoonful of baking soda, and two teaepoonfuls of lemon extractPut the honey, butter, and vinegar into a saucepan and boil until the mixture will harden when dropped into cold water? then stir in the baking soda and the lemon extract. Pour into a buttered tin to cool. When half cold, mark into squares and, when cold, break apart. Prune Pudding. One cupful and a half of pitted prunes, three tablespoonfuls of honey, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one egg, one cupful of buttermilk, one teaspoomul of baking soda, half a cupful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of almond extract, and one cupful of rolled' oats. Mix all together, pour into a buttered mould covered with a buttered paper, and steam for two and a half hours. Turn out, decorate with stars of whipped cream flavoured with one teaspoonful of vanilla and half a teaspoonful of lemon extract. Serve with* hot milk. Baaana-and-Nut Salad. Twelve bananas,, two eggs, one cupful of chopped nuts, lettuce leaves, .half a cupful of vinegar, half a cupful of honey, one heaping teaspoonful of butter, a-quar-ter of a cupful of cream, and aquarter of a teaspoonful of salt. Peel and slice the bananas, beat up the white of on£ of the eggs, and dip the banana slices into it.' Arrange the lettuce leaves in a salad-dish, put in the bananas, sprinkle over the nuts, and cover with the dressing. Put the remaining eggs into a double boiler, add vinegar, honey, butter, and salt, and stir until thick. Remove from the fire and add cream. When cold pour over the salad. TO STEW RUMP STEAK. A tender steak, broiled to a turn, has a prestige of its own. There are few dishes more appreciated by the average Briton. Everyone has heard of the once famous Beefsteak Club, and some years ago I saw the gridiron used at this club exhibited as a curio in the window of a shop in New Oxford Street. Few of the humbler kitchens have had such importance given to them after service. But I digress. A" beef steak oftener is tough rather than tender, and if any doubt as to its quality exists it is better to stew the meat. The following recipe, carefully carried out, will give a dish comparable even and possibly better liked than a steak which has been broiled to a turn.

Take 2oz butter, lilb rump steak, one dozen oysters, one tablespoonful of flour, : four pickled walnuts, one pint of water, and one onion. Cut the steak into nice little pieces, and fry in ' butter until nicely browned on both sides. Fry the onion in the same butter, first chopping it, also the pickled walnuts cut into bits. Put the whole into a etewpan with a pint of water, and simmer very gently for three hours. Skim well, then add a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper,. and rub a little flour in a little butter to thickfen the stew.

Let the whole boil up for a few minutes, then remove from the pan. Next day take off all fat; warm up the steak and gravy, add the oysters with some of the strained liquor from them. When made quite hot, turn on to a well-warmed dish, and aerx© at ©AO*