ODDS AND ENDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18512, 8 March 1930, Page 14 (Supplement)

ODDS AND ENDS.

Use shallot tops for flavouring stews rnd onion sauce. To cut them easily 'ick out yellow or damaged shallots, •rasp the bundle firmly, and cut into hort lengths wdth a pair of scissors. When inserting a stick into a new room handle, hammer the .fend of he stick before cutting it down. This minimises the shrinkage of the -soft r ood, and the handle once be fitted rerains secure. When making white sauce, if milk 3 scarce save the water in which potatoes have been boiled, add some extra butter and half the quantity of nilk and proceed as usual. Before cabbages are quite ready for ;utting, pick as many outer leaves is required, boil them in plenty of salted water, strain and chop, adding i little pepper and salt. Return to saucepan in which a tablespoon of butter has been melted, arid reheat. It will not harm the growing cabbages. Ground rice rubbed on with a soft :ag will clean velour hats. A squeeze of lemon juice improves [scrambled eggs. It should be added to the dish while cooking. A clean piece of blotting paper cut to the correct size is an excellent substitute for a lamp wick. When washing yellow cotton material, such, as curtains, a little sulphur added to the last rinsing water will assist in preserving the colour. A piece of stout brown paper folded under the coir door mat will catch dust and dirt and keep the verandah jlean. In rainy weather the paper should be renewed each week.

Cane Seats. The cane seats of bedroom chairs so often become limp. They may be made taut again by washing with hot soda water. Use loz. of soda to each quart of water, and take great care that the soda water does not come into contact with the frame of the chair. Wipe dry and place in a current of air till thoroughly dry. Floors and Mops. Nowadays it is so easy to make one’s room cosy and attractive at little cost, even if it is only a bedsitting room. Yet. often, in the excitement of new curtains and cushions, the floor gets forgotten. A nicely-polished floor can be a wonderful thing. “Oh, yes,” you say, “if you only hadn’t got to polish it!” Well, here’s a simple labour-saving solution. Just use an ordinary washing-up mop to put the polish on with. It will get in all the corners, and you'll not have to move any of the heavier furniture. Then polish with a longhandled floor mop. You’ll be delighted with the result and the time saved.

A Shirt Hint. When a shirt has worn round by the collar band and down the front the following plan makes the shirt last as long again:—If you have not the same material as the shirt (which is often the case), cut the tail off and lay this on the front of the shirt, and cut carefully to the same shape. Fin the material close up to the edge of the neckband, across shoulder seams, and down the centre front. Stitch this on by machine, and if carefully done the “new front” will be hard to detect. Draw the hole or worn places together at back. This, you will find, is a better method than putting on odd patches that spoil the look of a shirt. An odd piece of material will replace the tail of the shirt.

BEAUTY HINTS Finger nails that are inclined to be brittle should be soaked in olive oil. A never-failing cure for dandruff is, just before washing the hair, to rub a little olive oil, into the scalp, then wash in the usual way, using a good soap and rinsing i.horoughly. The juice of a lemon added to the final rinsing water of a shampoo will make the hair beautifully fluffy. Borax is excellent for hot, perspiring hands. To remove the traces of tears, from the eyes bathe them with weak tea. Sitting over the fire is a great enemy to beauty, and at no time is it more so than just before going out into frosty air. A small piece of cotton wool :s «u excellent substitute fo* an ordinary puff; when soiled it can be thrown away and a fresh piece used. When the teeth are inclined to loosen tincture of myrrh is a good thing to use.