THE FRIENDLY EXCHANGE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 873, 23 November 1888, Page 4

THE FRIENDLY EXCHANGE.

In this column we propose to have pleasant chats [and interchange of ideas with our readers upon passing matters of domestic and social interest; and that it may be made an instructive and profitable feature we invite correspondence of inquiry and information on all subjects that can possibly be of service to the home and our common humanity, and the Editress hopes that her appeal will meet with a hearty and generous response. Letters must be written on one side of the paper only, and addressed to “Elise, New Zealand Mail. Correspondents will please give real name and address in addition to their nom-de-plume, not for publication hut editorial introduction. For the present the Exchange will be published fortnightly, but we hope that sufficient pabulum will soon come in to enable us to make it a weekly issue. Contributions for the ‘Exchange ’ must he sent in not later than Monday. Dear Elise, —Allow me to contribute a recipe to your pleasant column. Fairy Biscuit. —lib flour, Jib butter or dripping, Jib sugar, 2 spoonfuls baking powder or J spoonful soda and J spoonful cream of tartar. Rub the butter in the flour, and mix well together. Make a stiff dough with water. Divide into pieces the size of a walnut and roll as thin as a wafer with a bottle or they will stick. Bake in a quick oven. These biscuits deserve their name, for they are delicate and delicious. Yours, &e„ M.J., Christchurch. Dear Elise, -I have pleasure in sending you the following recipe Strawberry Shortbread —One large i tablespoooful of butter, two of sugar, one I well-beaten egg. two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, three cupfuls of flour, one small teaspoonful of soda, one capful of milk. Bake in a quick oven. When cold cut in three layers, put alternate layers of strawberries and sugar. Brush the strawberries with a fork and add cream and sugar for the layers. I am, &c., Lois. Dear Madam Elise, —Would you kindly give me the prize-recipe for a Christmas pudding. You gave it in the Mail about five years ago. I kept it for some years, but it has lately got mislaid, and I forget one of the ingredients. I think yon said five pounds was offered for the best recipe, and that was the one that was chosen. Hoping, dear Elise, I am not putting you to too much trouble, as I should so much like to get the reoipe again. Imustalso thank you very much for the valuable recipes you give so often. I tried the method of bottlinggooseberriesyougaveinthe Mail of last Deoember, and ns you said you had not tried it yourself, perhaps you would like to know that ours was quite a sucoesß, The gooseberries keptsplendidly, and we were able to have gooseberry pio all through the winter. I did mine a little different to your recipe, I put the bottles in a saucepan of cold water, and let it heat very slowly till it boiled. A friend of mine put hers in the oven and the bottles cracked. Yours Bincerely L.

[ln good time for Christmas I will give some seasonable dainties, including tha one ‘L’ wants. — Ed.] » ■ - : Dear Elise.—As the time for strawberries has again come, I send yoii one or two recipes which I liepo your readers Will find useful. Strawberry Acid. —Take three pounds of strawberries (weighed after the stalks are taken off) and put them into a large basin ; pour over I quart of water in which 1 oz. of citric acid has been dissolved, let stand for 24 hours, then poftr the liquor off into a jug, and pour over the strawberries another quart of Water with 1 oz. of citric acid dissolved in it and Ist stand for 24 hours, then pour the second lot of liquor off the strawberries and mix with that which was poured off first; weigh the liquor, and add its weight in sugar, stir until' the sugar is dissolved, then put over the fire and boil for three minutes. When Cold bottle and cork down. Put about a teaspoonful into a tumblor of Water. Lois, New Plymouth. Dear Elise, —So many people express surprise at seeing me knit my socks and stockings on only two needles, that I thought perhaps you would kindly give the directions for them in the Exchange, as it was from you I learned how to do them, and I am sure that no one who can manage them on the two needles will ever be troubled with four again. I will enclose a recipe for a rice cake, which is light and nice. Rice Cake. Jib ground rice, Jib flour, Jib sugar, 9 eggs, 20 drops of essence of lemon, and Jib of butter. Heat the whites and yolks separately, and add the yolks to the butter, which has been beaten to a cream. Stir in the flour, rice and lemon, and beat the mixture well ; then add the whites, and heat for some time longer. Put into a buttered tin, and bake for 1J hours. I am, Yours Bincerely, M.