The Home Circle.

Southern Cross, Volume 13, Issue 19, 5 August 1905, Page 3

The Home Circle.

HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. Curried Salt Fish.— Required ; About one pound of any cold cooked fish, three hardboiled eggs, two ounces of good dripping, two ounces of flour, one dessertspoonful of curry powder, one dessertspoonful of chutney, one pint of milk, two ounces of rice. Remove all skin and bone from the fish. Boil the eggs for fifteen minutes. Melt the dripping in a saucepan, stir in the flour smoothly over the fire for a few minutes, then add the curry powder and chutney. Pour in the milk, and stir over the fire till the sauce boils. Next cut the egg in slices, put them and the fish into the sauce. Mix all well together, and season nicely with salt. Pile the mixture on a hot dish, and arrange the rice on a border round. Or, if preferred, the rice can be mixed in with the other ingredients. To boil the rice, throw it into a pan with plenty of fast-boiling salted water, and boil till it is quite tender, without losing its shape. Drain it well, then wash it under the coldwater tap. This is to keep the grains separate ; then spread it on a dish, and dry it very slowly in the oven. Sandwiches a la Royale.—Required : Four hard-boiled eggs, four tablespoonfuls of cream or white sauce, four tablespoonifuls of chopped chicken, four tablespoonof chopped ham, two tablespoonfuls of chopped olives, salt and cayenne. Cut thin slices of bread and butter, work the yolks of the eggs and the cream smoothly together with a wooden spoon. See the ham, chicken, and olives are chopped very fine, then stir them into the cream and egg. Season the mixture well, then spread it on the bread and butter. Cut the bread into rounds the size of the top of a claret glass. Arrange the sandwiches on fancy paper, and garnish them with fresh parsley. If possible, use a sandwich loaf. It is more economical, and easier to cut. Stuffed Vegetable Marrow. —Required : One small marrow, quarter of a pound of cooked meat, two ounces of bread-crumbs, two ounces of butter, two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, one teaspoonful of mixed herbs, salt and pepper, two teaspoonfuls of thick sauce, one egg. Peel the marrow and cut in halves lengthways. Scrape out all the seeds and soft, woolly part. Chop the meat very finely, removing all the skin and gristle from it. Mix it with the breadcrumbs, butter, parsley, and herbs. The butter should he first g'ently melted. Next beat up the egg and mix it with the other ingredients. If the mixture is too dry, add the thick sauce. If you have none by you, use stock or milk instead. Season the mixture carefully. Fill the halves of the marrow with this mixture. Put the halves together again, and roll the marrow up in a piece of buttered paper, tying it firmly in shape with tape. Put the marrow in a saucepan with water to come about threequarters up the marrow. Let it cook gently till the marrow.can be easily pierced with* a skewer. It usually takes about twenty minutes. Spring Soup.—Required : Two lettuces, two carrots, two onions, one turnip, a bunch of parsley, one pint of water, two quarts of stock, the yolks of three eggs, salt and pepper. Wash the lettuce carefully, and shred it finely. Scrape and wash the carrot, and peel the turnip. With a small cutter cut them into little balls like large peas. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the vegetables, also the parsley. Stir them about in the butter for a few minutes. Then pour in the water and let all simmer till they are soft. Then pour off the water, and add the stock. Beat up the yolks, strain them into the soup, stir it over the fire till it is quite hot (but it must not boil). Season carefully, and serve in a hot tureen.

Fish and Macaroni.—Required : Half a pound of cooked fish, quarter of a pound of macaroni, on© ounce of butter, half an ounce of flour, half a pint of fish stock or milk, seasoning of salt and pepper. Gcok the macaroni until tender in a saucepan of boiling 'water, to which has been added a teaspoonful of salt. Then cut it into small pieces. Remove all skin and bone, and chop up the fish. Put the skin and bones in a saucepan with a pint of water, a bunch of herbs, and a few peppercorns, and let it simmer gently for twenty minutes; then strain off the stock. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour smoothly, then add half a pint of fish stock. Stir it over the fir© till it boils/ then add it to the fish and macaroni. Season it nicely. Put it in a fireproof dish. Sprinkle a few browned crumbs over the top. Bake it for ten minutes, and serve very hot.

New Potatoes a la Maitre d’Hotel.— Required : One and a-half pounds of new potatoes, a sprig of mint, one teaspoonful of chopped- parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice, one ounce of butter. Wash and scrape the potatoes. Boil them till tender in boiling salted water with the mint in it. Then drain off the water. Add to the potatoes and butter the parsley and lemon juice. Toss them about gently in the pan over the fire for a few minutes ; then serve them in a hot —sh. Pineapple Souffle. —Required : Two ounces of butter, three ounces of flour, half a pint of milk, four eggs, three ounces of castor sugar, three ounces of tinned pineapple. Melt the butter in a clean pan ; then add the flour, which should be dried in the oven, then sieved; and then add the milk. Mix these well and let them boil; then add three teaspoonfuls of pineapple syrup. Stir the mixture over the fire till it is cooked; add one

by one the yolks of three of the eggs, the sugar, and pineapple; cut into small dice. Whip the whites of the four eggs to a very stiff froth; then stir it lightly into the mixture. Have ready a souffle mould. It should be well greased, and have a band of buttered paper tied round it, coming four inches above the top. Pour in the mixture, cover it lightly with a piece of grem.H paper, and steam it gently for one and a-half hours. For the first ten minutes be careful not to uncover the pan. Turn it out carefully on to a hot dish, and pour round some pine- . apple syrup, delicately tinted with cochineal. If liked, some tiny dice of pineapple may be added to the syrup. Fruit Blanc Mange..—Strain off the juice frbm one quart of cherries, raspberries, or strawberries; sweeten to taste, and boil. Stir in three tablespoonfuls of com starch moistened with cold water. Boil and stir for five minutes, then add the fruit ; pour into a mould wet with ice water, and cool. Serve with whipped cream. HINTS. Lamps should be attended to every day, for they burn much better when the reservoir is full of oil than when it is only half full/ 4 To remove fruit stains from the fingers dip them in strong tea and rub it in, brushing the nails well; then wash the hands in warm water, using no soap. Rub the finger nails every night and morning with lemon juice, pressing back the quicks with the corner of a towel. This softens the hard flesh round the nails and stops the quick from growing over the nail. Washing New Blankets.—Before the first washing soak the blankets over night in cold -water, and rinse them thoroughly afterwards in clear water to remove the sulphur used in bleaching. Save your lemon rind, and when washing tea towels boil them in the water along with the towels.' This helps to make the tow-els beautifully white, and gives also a delicious freshness to them. Stains on a, macintosh may be removed by spreading it on a table and gently scrubbing; the soiled parts with soap and water and a small brush; then rinse thoroughly in’ cold water and hang the macintosh in the shade to dry. Buying soap in large quantities is economical, for it improves with keeping. While it is new. cut it into useful-sized pieces with a bit of string, and pile one on top of another, leaving a space between each, so that the air may circulate round. Never omit to take out dress preservers and wash them in warm (not hot) water and soap every few- weeks, letting them hang up to dry, and not be ironed. Never pack silk blouses, or any thin bodices, until the sleeves have been "well filled with tissue paper. Never fold up a dress bodice while it is warm from wearing, but hang it on the back of a chair, the top rail running from one shoulder to the other. Stains on knives, however obstinate or of long standing, will disappear if _ rubbed with a piece of raw- potato dipped in brick dust. When boiling rice . add a little lemon juice or vinegar to the water. It will whiten the rice and keep the grains separate. Never bathe the face while it is very hot or very cold. Don’t bathe the face in hard water. Soften it with a little pow-dered borax or a handful of oatmeal. A discolored enamel saucepan should be filled with water, to which a little chloride of lime has been added, and allowed to boil until the stain has disappeared. Wash oilcloth or linoleum with milk. Polish afterwards wdth beeswax and turpentine. -IT. Never wash white or any other delicate paint with soda and water. Use Castillo soap and a soft rag. THE MAID OF HONOR. The Court hady of old days, says Lady Violet Greville, in the ‘New York Tribune,’ was merely a superior kind of servant ; the Maid of Honor of to-day is a. charming, accomplished girl, whose duty is to make herself pleasant to the guests and talk agreeably to the important personages who may be Visiting at the castle. 'She should be a good linguist, have read the most-talked-of books of the day, and possess musical tastes. She expected to take a hand at bridge, if required to make up a rubber; but she must not play _f<i r money, as the Queen disapproves of girls gambling or playing for larger stakes than they can well afford. - Smoking cigarettes, too, which is such a modern craze,_ is discountenanced by the Queen. The life of a Maid of Honor is an interesting one; she is brought in contact with all sorts of illustrious people ; she constantly _ meets celebrities; she hears tfilk on all kinds of subjects; she receives, in fact, a most cosmopolitan education —the education that makes a wise woman of the world. She learns tact, sense, courtesy, and becomes infinitely adaptable. Court life being so much simpler than in the past, it also has become more human and more real. Much precious time no longer is wasted in idle etiquette or the trivial gossip and petty_ jangling and scandal-mongering of a superior housekeeper’s room, of which we get such vivid glimpses in the ‘ D’Arbley Memoirs.’ A delightful story is told of Queen‘Alexandra, which exhibits the pleasant relations existing between her and her Maids of Honor. On one occasion one of the young women arrived at the castle minus her luggage,

land quietly informed Her Majesty off the fact. The Queen, instead of reproving her for carelessness, merely remarked: “ My dear child, how did you manage ft ? I never lose mine.” WEDDING SUPERSTITIONS. Marry ■when the year is new, Always loving, kind, and true — When February birds do mate, You may wed, nor dread your fate. If you marry when March winds blow, Joy and sorrow both you’ll know. Marry in April when you can, Joy for maiden and for man. Marry in the month of May, You will surely rue the day. Marry when June roses blow, Over land and sha you’ll go. They who in July do wed,_ Must labor always for their bread. All who wed in August be, Many a change are sure to see. Marry in September's shine. Your living will be rich and fine. If in October you do marry, ' Love will come but riches tarry. If you wed in bleak November, Only joy Will come, remember. When December's -snows fall fast. If you marry, love will fast. A bride who finds a spider on her wedding dress may consider herself blessed. 'The bride who dreams of fairies the night before her marriage will be thrice blessed. If the wedding ring is dropped during the ceremony, the bride may as well wish herself unborn, for -she will always have ill-luck.' If the groom carries a miniature horseshoe in his pocket h© will always have good luck. No bride or groom shall be given a- telegram on the way to church. It is positively a sign of evil. Kiss a bride right after the ceremony, and before the newly-made husband has -a chance to do so, and you will have excellent luck throughout the year. Should a bride perchance see a coffin while beingj driven to the railway station prior to -departing upon her wedding tour, see -should order the driver to turn back and start over again, or else she will surely meet with bad luck. —‘M'Call’s Magazine.’ TO HOUSEWIVES. In some houses the poor dog is fed with refuse—treated to lumps of fat which people leave on their plates, indigestible bacon-rinds, and meat which has gone sour or become tainted. Excepting bones and specially-manufactured dog foods a dog should never be given anything which a 'person would think unwholesome to eat himself. A dog’s -digestion is very easily upset, though there is a common idea that he can eat- anything. Another fallacy puts much unnecessary suffering on poor old “ Tiddlmns.” Many people starve their cats, under the impression that they will become better mou-sers. This is a great mistake. A cat will catch six mice for sport where it would only Catch one for food. Moreover, cats do not thrive upon the flesh of mice, and grow thin and wretched-looking if not- supplied with other food. PERSONAL AND GENERAL. “ I respectfully make application for the return of the money (about- £l4) -which was in my possession when I became an inmate of your union about three months ago. I have now taken my discharge, I hope for all time.” This was what Miss Dean wrote the other day to the clerk of the Hull Guardians. Miss Dean, aged forty, left the workhouse, and was later married to an aged but wealthy member Of the Board of Guardians. It was suggested that the guardians should make her a wedding present- A motion to repay the money, less her cost while an inmate, was defeated. On the occasion of the jubilee of Miss Beale, LL.D., head-mistress of Cheltenham Ladies’ College, the Marquis of Londonderry, the Bishop of Bristol, and the Dean of Durham joined with the heads of university 'colleges and 1;500 past and present- members of the college, who presented the college with a bust of its revered principal; and a new wing for science, erected at a cost of £IB,OOO, was opened. Kissing by lottery was the fun of the fair at a recent charity bazaar at Chicago. The happy man with a successful ticket was entitled to choose the Bps he fancied. But when a gentleman who had been divorced appeared on the scene and claimed his right to kiss the la-dy who had divorced him, the situation became tragic. The lady exclaimed: “Kiss you? Never!” and could not be moved from this resolution by the argument of the other ladies that it was all in the cause of charity. Her late husband concludes that he has a grievance on a point of law, and is said to be suing for that kiss in the courts. Dr Helen Thompson has been carrying out in the Chicago University, where they go in largely for that sort- of thing, a series of “experimental investigations” as to the mental traits Of both sexes. She has found that women are, on the whole, more sensitive to pain, but they bear it better, that men are every whit as frivolous and vain, but that they usually display better taste. Women have a better eye for color, however, and, on the whole, better memories ; but man is acknowledged their superior by a long way in the matter of ingenuity. It may equally surprise men and women, however, to learn that men are more affectionate, more inquisitive, more content, more sympathetic than

women, and that the' latter worry more than the former, are every whit as courageous, and better able to express their emotions. The idea of “ surprise ” fancy dress dinners is worthy of our American cousins. Perhaps it did originate on. the “other side,” but no evidence that it is not quite English is forthcoming. Indeed, it is generally attributed to a most resourceful young society favorite, who has established for herself the useful reputation of being able to devise constant new amusements. But wherever the idea came from it is a good one, and full of possible developments. People thoroughly enjoy any kind of fancy dress entertainments, and the “ surprise ” dinner simply means that guests appear in whatever character they can assume at a moment’s notice, bo to say. Regulation fancy dress is barred. The guest must devise something for himself or herself, and the more unpromising the materials from which it is made the greater the fun. Por example, a door mat, lamp-black, and a dusting brush furnished a splendid “ savage ” the other evening, while bath towels, Japanese fans, and draperies can be made to serve excellently well. A really splendid dress was made of cabbage leaves sewn together, and decorated with small tomatoes, carrots, and bryony (berries, the wearer easily bearing off the prize as “ kindly fruits, of the earth.” Sir Ralph Littfler at the Middlesex Sessions told the jury that he was once speaking to an American lady as to the value which the fair sex attach to the truth. “Yes,” she replied, “they prove that they regard the truth as very valuable by exercising great economy in the use of it!” In Russia every woman of the peasant class marries, or pretends to marry. If a girl comes to the decision that no one intends to ask her to marry, she leaves home, some distant district, and returns after a time to announce that she is a widow; that she went away to be married, and that her husband is dead. No embarrassing questions are put to her, for among the peasants it is considered bad form to mention a dead man to his widow. This curious custom serves to show in what high regard the women of Russia view the institution of marriage.