Ladies’ Column.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 47, 19 June 1917, Page 2

Ladies’ Column.

HARICOT BEANS AND ONIONS

Steep one pound of haricot beans in cold water for twenty-four hours. Put them in a stewpan with two quarts of water, aud simmer gently for about two hours. Drain off the water carefully. Have ready a fry-ing-pan with two ounces of hot dripping and two sliced onions. Fry, the onions, then turn in the beans, mix together, season, and fry lightly, UNTIL CUTLETS. Pour ounces of lentils, a few breadcrumbs, some potatoes, and a little dripping for frying. Wash the lentils well and boil until tender. Strain and put them in a bowl, add sufficient breadcrumbs and .mashed potato to make a stiff paste. Season with pepper and salt, and shape into cutlets ; dip them in egg and breadcrumbs, aud fry until brown on both sides. Drain on soft paper, and serve on a hot dish. A few minced pickled gherkins or other pickle make a nice relish. * TO COOK NEW POTATOES. When cooking young potatoes, or spring cabbage, a small bunch of fresh mint boiled with either vegetable gives it a nice flavour. A few leaves of the mint should be chopped with a little butter and then stirred into the cabbage. HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Heat plates before putting hot cakes or pies on them when first taken out of the oven. If a hot cake is put on a cold plate the under part will get sodden and heavy. If you want your grate to look very bright, rub it over with just a little turpentine, after blackleading and shining. Then polish with a soft duster. It will look well for days. Place a week’s tea-leaves in a pail and pour over them a quart of boiling water. Leave for one hour, then strain and bottle. This liquor is excellent for cleaning varnished wood and linoleum, and when used for cleaning windows or mirrors makes them shine like crystal.

Teacups with broken handles are very useful for poaching eggs. Butter the inside, break the egg into the cup, and stand the cup in the fryingpan half filled with water. It keeps the egg a good shape when poached, easy to slip on to toast, and is cleaner than poaching in a fryingpan.

A most excellent way to use ashes is to mix them with about an equal quantity of small coal, and then well damp with soapy water —any suds you happen to have —the more soapy the better. A fire made up with two or three lumps of coal, well backed with this mixture, lasts a surprisingly long time.

The scorch-mark is one of the most difficult of all to deal with. Here is a good mixture for removing it : Boil together two ounces of soda, two ounces' of fullers’ earth, half a pint of vinegar, and a finely-chopped onion for ten minutes. Strain the mixture, and when cold spread a little on the mark, and allow to dry. Then wash in the usual way.

If you do not possess any small weights, remember that a halfpenny and a threepenny-piece together weigh a quarter of an ounce, ene two-shil-ling-piece and a sixpence together weigh half an ounce, three pennies weigh one ounce, and twelve pennies four ounces. An ordinary teacup holds four ounces of flour, a pint jug half a pound, and a quart jug one pound.

Gold and silver lace and trimming soon get tarnished. Try cleaning this way : take a stale loaf and rub the inside to make crumbs, 'and mix with it £tb. powdered blue. Lay this plentifully on the lace and rub gently until it becomes bright. Then take a piece of clean flannel and dust the crumbs well off. Finally rub the lace gently with a piece of velvet, and it will look as bright as when new.