HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7923, 30 January 1904, Page 3

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

A littlo salt -sprinkled on the fire when the chimney is ulight wii'l soon put it out. Tongue, ham, or beef which ha. been boiled and is intended to be eaten cold should be left tto cool in the water in which ifc has been cooked. Mixture to Destroy Flies. — Infusion of quassia, one pint; brown sugar, four ounces; ground pepper, two ounces. To be well mixed together and put in small, shallow dishes when required. i -' When exhausted one should rest before-eat-ing. If a faint or sinking sensation is experienced, relief may be obtained by drinking a glass of hot water or diluted fruit juice of some kind. Many people just now are advocating rubber, heels for walking-shoes, especially for wearing in towns. The advantage claimed for them is that their use lessens the jar given to the spine in walking. To Stone Raisins Easily.— Pour ' boiling water over them, let stand for- a few minutes, drain the water off, and you will find that the stones can be quickly and easily squeezed out from the -stem end. To Raise the Pile of Velvet when Pressed Down Cover a hot smoothing-iron with a wet cloth ond hold the velvet firmly over if; tho vapour arising will raise the pile of the velvet with the assistance of a light whisk. Adulterations in milk can be detected by dipping _ polished steel knitting ( »eedle into the fresh milk. If it clings to the needle, the milk has not been tampered with ; if water has been added, ithe milk runs off quickly. The little ones should never be allowed to crack nuts with their teeth. They are very likely to crack the enamel of their teeth as well as the nut, and once the edge of a tooth is chipped decay will soon follow. In every kitchen it is important to have a jar of . browned flour for colouring gravies, soups, ©tc. To prepare this, place a. quart ■ of flour at a time in a pudding tin, in a moderate oven, and stir _it about at intervals till brown. Keep the jar well covered and dry. Glass Globes and Chimneys. — These are not nearly so liable. to crack if, beforo using, they aro placed in a pan of cold water on _ cool part of the stove, and the water then slowly heated to boiling point. Then draw the pan back, and let the globes and chimneys stay in till the water is cold. Cheese Salad.— Well. wash and dry the heart of a large cos lettuce, a little mustard and cieas, a, few sprigs of watercress, and two spring onxons; pud them in pieces with the finger, or cut up with a silver knife; mix up in a salad bowl with three sliced tomatoes, two •tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one of oil, a little pepper and salt; grate two or three ounces of Cheddar cheese on a bread-grater, and — lix in with the salad just before serving. Recipe for Bread. — A novelty for the breakfast table and a wholesome article of diet can be made by housewives who have access to trees; They should pound into a pulp a piece pf ordinary timber which has just been freshly stripped of its bark, leave the pulp to soak in linseed oil for a couple, of hours, then bake the pulp, and, behold, it is ready to be eaten. Bread made in this manner was eaten in Strasburg when it was besieged during the Franco-Prussian War. Cement for China. — To a. quarter of an ounce of gum mastic add as much spirits of wine as will, dissolve it; soak a, quarter of an ounce of isinglass. in water till it is quite soft, then dissolve it in rum or brandy till of the consistency of glue ; to this add one drachm of gum ammoniac, well rubbed and mixed; put now the two' mixtures together in a vessel over a gentle heat till properly united, and the cement is ready for use. It should be kept in a vial, well corked, and, when about to be used, be set in boiling water to soften. Fruit Trifle. — Pick -one pint of raspberries, half ai .pint of red. and half a pint of black currants, stew until tender with a very little water and about four tablespoonfuls of moist sugar. Put four or five peony sponge cakes in the bottom of a large glass dish; when the fruit has cooled a little, pour it over the sponge cakes, stand aside and let it get cold. Make a custard with three-quarters of a pint of milk, two eggs and five lumps of sugar; pour when'cold over the fruit, then whip up sixpennyworth pf cream, and pile lightly on tne top. Neck of I/amb Stewed with Peas.— Put into a saucepan chops from the best end of the neck of lamb, chop up twelve or more green onions and one or two lettuce' leaves, add half a pint of shelled green peaa and enough water to barely cover the meat. Let it simmer very gently- for half an hour,.fhen add half a pint or more peas, cook for twenty minute, longer,. or, if the peas are at aU old, for another half hour; add pepper and Bait" to tastei Arrange the chops neatly in the centre of a hot dish, and pour the peas and gravy round. A dish of boiled peas, and another of new potatoes, should be- sent to table with it. Just How to Roast Beef.— Wipe the meat perfectly dry and tie firmly into shape with cleans -white strin_. Pr vaa a skewer. Have J

the oven very hot for the first few minutes. Do not put anything on the meat when first placing dt in tha oven ; above all, avoid putting any water in the dripping pan. After it has been in the oven about six or seven minutes, dredge with salt, a little pepper and flour, being- careful not to get any in the pan, as it is apt to burn. If there i 3 not fat enough from the roast to baste with, add ono cupful of dripping. Baste thoroughly every eight minutes. Frequent basting is very necessary if you wish to avoid a dry crust. Tho oven should be <a good, steady, moderate temperature after the first few minutes, co that the insido of the beef will cook evenly. Allow twelve minutes to the pound for rare, more in proportion. Turn the pan around so that each side of the meat will be roasted alike, and turn it over once, dredging it as before. When it is done it should have a. delicious brown crust, and be very juicy, as singeing the outside at the beginning prevents tho juico from escaping. After taking the meat from the pan leave about two tablespoonfuls of the dripping 3, into which rub two tablespoonfuls of flour. Then place the pan on top of the stove and stir carefully until a nice brown, season with salt and pepper— half a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce improves it and a dash of celery salt. Add hot water or soup 'stock slowly and cook for a few moments, stirring constantly. The fat is not so likely to rise to the top when the gravy is mixed in .this way. A few sprigs of parsley arranged on the platter make a pretty finish to the appearance of the roast.