ALICE'S LETTER TO HER READERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 25 May 1888, Page 32

ALICE'S LETTER TO HER READERS.

At another of Mr Morton's classes I obtained the following recipes ;—; — HARICOT MOTTON. Six chops from the neck of mutton, the red part of two carrots, two button onions, two leaves of celery, two gills of brown sauce, 2oz of butter, pepper aud salt to taste ; cut and trim the mutton the same as for cutlets, put the butter into the fryingpan and let it get quite hot, then put in the icutton and fry a nice brown on both sides, then lift and put into the stewpan, adding half the brown sauce ; put the other half into the fryingpan to get all the flavour of the meat, then pour it over the cutlets and simmer threequarters of an hour. Place the vegetables on the fire and fry a nice golden colour, then add them to the stowpan, just skimming off tho fat. When done arrange the cutlets in a circle with tho vegetables in the centre. MUTTON CUTLETS WITH TOMATO BAUCE. Six chops from loin of mutton, one egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and tbo ordinary clarified fat. Beat the cutlets to make them tender, trim and sorape the bones clean, then beat up the egg and rub it into the meat with a small brush, having first added the' pepper, salt, and nutmeg ; then dip them m breadcrumbs and put separately on a dish; see that the fat is hot, then fry a nice brown colour. TOMATO SAUCE. One pound of tomatoes, 3oz of onion, loz of butter, a little parsley, a small sprig of thyme, two cloves, a small sprig of marjory, and a blade of mace; put the butter in the 1 stewpan to melt, then slice the tomatoes and put into the pan, also the onions and other seasouing ; put them on the stove to simmer till well done and quite tender, then rub through a sieve, > and season with pepper and salt. A STUFFED SHOULDER OF MUTTON. First bone the shoulder, then fill in the cavity -with veal staling, and take care to moisten the stuffing and bind it together with an egg or a little milk, else when done it would eat dry and crumbly. Roll and tie firmly together with string, and bake for an hour and a : half. This makes a delicious; picnic or luncheon dish, boiled gently for two hours and pressed between two plates, eaten cold with a salad. ■ Mr Morton spoke at length on the various ways of serving food. He said there should be no such word as troublej or a woman would never make a cook. He repeated his former statement that it did not coat any more to serve these dainty dishes, except the trouble ; and he said that indigestion was caused through eating tho same things day after day, and ill health whs brought on. To know what was coming day after day was to impair the appetite and take away all relish for the food. If the same kind of food was continually served, by-and-bye the digestive organs refused any other . A little of something nicely cooked and enjoyed was more nourishing than a larger quantity of ill cooked food. Roast mutton and cold mutton, roast beef and cold beef were the chief dishes in some houses, he remarked; and meat pies, puddings, stewa, and other dainty dishes were rarely seen. No one tired of grilled steak and chops— nicely grilled, they were Rood enough for a prince, but fried they were an abomination. He then took an uninviting piece of cold mutton and half a dozen tomatoes. Put them upon the table as they were, he said, and who would enjoy them ? But he scooped out the tomatoes, filled them with the meat finely minced and seasoned with parsley pepper, and salt, and moistened with gravy or brown sauce ; then covered the tops with breadcrumbs and powdered cheese, and baked them in a meat dish fora few minutes. Another mince he made by preparing' a white sauce of milk, butter, and* flour, rather thick, flavouring it with parsley, pepper, and salt, then mixing the minced meat in it'; and making a well in a dish of mashed potato.es, he poured the contents into it. Cold • meat utilised thus made delicious dishes,' and never need a scrap- of it ' be wasted ; but if put on the table day after day as cold meat it demanded a r robust appetite to appreciate it. There were about 40. persons present, and among the number I was pleased to see some of our leading ladies.' Probably the girls who attend the cookery classes given at the rooms of the ' Young Women's Christian Association will indirectly benefit from Mr Morton's lessons. My readers will remember that last winter I gave an account of the classes held for the benefit of girls who were all day. employed in shops. Many ladies have given their time to this good work. It is a good work, for they do not know how many present "and

future homes they may Help to brighten. I hope as large a number of -girls w ill attend this winter as did last, The, charge is but threepence weekly, the lessons, are twice or three times a week, and the girls ate far better employed than they would be at places of amusement. It seems such a pity that there is no place of resort for servant girls when they have their evening out. It is only natural that they should have some amusement and relaxation — they must have ifc to work cheerfully and well. The daily ' monotony of the household work must have a break, and the mind be diverted and relieved. It is true many of the girls have parents and friends in the city, but others have not, and the street is the only place they have to escape from the scene of their labour. I am not saying — far from it — that this must necessarily lead to evil, but it does so in many cases. Women cannot he really happy without the love and companionship of their own sex— and that they can be very happy with their own sex requires no demonstration on my part to be believed, and if there was a room or hall where ladies could charitably entertain them with reading, music, dancing, &c; I am sure many a girl would gladly turn to it as a place of rest. So far as the Catholic portion of the community is concerned, this want has been supplied for some time past by the women's meetings conducted by the Rev. Father Lynch, who has made them, I am informed, most interesting and attractive —so much so, indeed, that but few of the congregation miss a single night. Here is an example for other denominations. Some women have a wonderful influence over young girls. As I write lam thinking of several of 'our Dunedin ladies who have only to smile and ask to be obeyed. It is not every one who has this influence, and women who do not possess this persuasive power, however earnest they may be, fail signally in any work of the kind. Hospital visitors and district visitors do more by that sympathetic, cheerful gentleness than by all the doctrines ever preached. There has not been very much excitement during the week, the Horticultural Society's Chrysanthemum Show being one of the chief events. It was held in the Garrison Hall on Thursday, and judging by the number present during the afternoon and evening, has lost nothing in interest. The flowers were, as usual, tastefully arranged, the centre of the hall being a bower of chrysanthemums of all shades. Most beautiful some of the blossoms were, and on a side table a bunch of roses, yellow and red, tempted the passers-by. The last roses of summer I I think most of ths evening visitors go as much to see one another as to see the flowers. A flower show is such a pleasant place at which to indulge in a little talk — I wont say flirt. A young couple are bending down over the blossoms with heads very close together ; she with eyes intently fixed upon the blooms, and a reflexion of their rosy tints on her cheeks; he with his eyes upon her. They are, no doubt, wondering what the Latin name of the plant before them means. I watched one old gentleman going from stand to stand, bending low down over the flowers carefully examining them one by one, • lost to the crowd, lost to everything but the blossoms and the memories they recalled. Now and again he would stand and seem from the expression of his countenance to be thinking of other seasons when the like flowers had bloomed. There was another attentive observer— a (little girl. She, too, examined — no she was too young tocriticise, she could only admired the blosßoms one by one with intent and happy iface. These two came closer and closer together from opposite directiohsj and then at iastthey bumped against each other, and startled' from their^thoughts they looked into one another's eyes and smiled. They understood each other— the 10 years and the fchree score- Both were admiring the handiwork of the great artisfc— the child with all the* delight and wonder of 3. child, the old man with the experience and knowledge of his years. Love of the beautiful must b e an unconscious tove of God, for beauty is the expression of His thought. There were Others there who forgot the flowers listening to the sweet strains of the band. Indeed I cannot refrain from remarking: on the excellent selections contributed to the enjoyment of the visitors. It was the Garrison Band, I believe. A correspon lent has sent me the followThe town of Waikouaiti was en fete an Tuesday, May 8, the occasion being the celebration •of the marriage of Miss Woolley to Mr Cnarles Haynes, of Dunetfin. The wedding was held in Bt. John's Church, the Rev. F. J. B. Parkes performing the ceremony, with a full choral service hy thechoir boys, the organist being Mr B. Davis, 'i've church was filled to overflowing. When the carriages arrived I anxiously waited for the bridal party to alight (tjhe bride and bridesmaids being in a closed carriage) so as to get a good view of them. Toe bride looked extremely nice and ladylike in dove coloured cashmere,_ relieved with white liberty silk, avid enveloped in a very ilarge tulle veil, with wreaths of orauge blossom in her hair and on her bodice The bridesmaids were four in number, and looked remarkably pretty. The chief bridesmaid was Miss Louise Woolley, sister of the bride, who was dressed in white cashmere and surah, with long loops of biwitiful shaded lavender and ' crimson shot ribbon at one Bide, and a small bonnet of white, with lavender ospreys to match. She also wore a handsome gold bracelet set with "> valuable stones, the gift of the bridegroom. The other three were Mis« Violet Crawford, a little niece of the bride, dressed in white cashmere and blue satiu hat to match; and Misses Lucy and Clarissa Allcock, in pink Madras muslin sashes; hats, &c, to match. They are also little meces of the bride. ' Among the guests I noticed Miss Miss S Familton in a beautiful dress of cream and blue shot silk, blue plush bodice, hat' to match; Miss Crawford, white embroidered dress ; Mrs Stoddarjt, a pretty brown costume; and others whose names I did uot know. I forgot to mention that the groomsman was Mr C. "Cramp, of Palmerston. Over 20 sat down at 3 p.m. to breakfast, which was got up in an elaborate style. After that was partaken of the happy couple, amid showers of rice, left by the 5.30 train for Oamaru, on their way to Ohristchurch to spend their honeymoon. The bride's travelling dress was of black and grey •check cloth, trimmed with plush; bonnet "to match of black plush, grey feathers, •and ospreys. The dresses were made at the D.1.C., and reflect gr#at credit on Miss 'Campbell, the dressmaker. Among the wadding presents I noticed a handsome marble clock (the tgift of ,tfa£ groomsman), a workbox of wwfa4<% inlaid wood (siven by Pr Angus M ]J|c

Findlay.of Palmerston), a Bealskin handbag (presented by, the bride's fellow workers in 'St. John's Sunday school, where she had been principal lady teacher for many years), and other handsome gifts too numerous to mention. ' * There has not been much sunshine during ,the week for the display of pretty dresses — indeed, it is a mystery how the ladies can endure the cold without jackets. But there, what is the use of talking to those who have pretty figures. I have noticed Miss Stephenson in a pretty dark brown .cloth costume very neatly fitting, and boa of brown velvet and fur. Mrs Haggitt in costume of green, with a bonnet to match. Mrs Denniston in a dark blue and white striped tweed dress ; handsome black mantle trimmed with black fvelvet, and brown bonnet. Mrs Maxwell in a pretty tailor-made dress of terra cotta, striped with gold.