HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8832, 19 January 1907, Page 3

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Flower Vases will not Topple Over owing to the flowers being too -Rip-heavy, qr from a strong breeze, if the bottom of tho vase is covered with email shot. Rats and Mice may be Driven Out of a house by putting chloride of lime in the places where they run, for the lime will burn their feet and frighten them away. Table Linen.— Fine table linens should be frequently changed in order that ha*rd rubbing may not be necessary in laundering them, aa frequently the cleaning -process is severer than actual wear. The Telephone. — Do you clean the receiver and the mouthpiece of the telephone every w*e'k? It really is quite as important as sweeping under the tables, especially if severalperHons use the 'phone daily. Use Ordinary Burlap to Cover a Screen, and you will get a pretty effect if you first have the stuff dyed fioine appropriate colour. When fastened to a frame the burlap will look as artistio as a more expensive material. Cake Making. — Some old-fashioned but admirable cooks always make net only poundcakes, but all cakes, by putting: all the materials together, not even beating the eggs separately, and - making one long-drawn-out stirring do for the whole. Yorkshire Parkin.— One pound fine oatmeal, Jib flour, Jib lard, lib treacle, one teaspoonful ground ginger, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, ono tablespoonful sugar, pinch of salt. Mix to a staff baiter with milk, aaid bake in shallow tins in a very slow oven. To Keep Veils in Shape, a pasteboard roll, such as is used for sending photographs and other prints, is excellent. The roll may be padded and covered and the veils bo rolled neatly on without folding and then pinned securely. If veils are oared for in this way they will last much longer than when they are folded.; For Lemon Dumplings. — Chop the rind of one lemon fine, add it to the juioe, chop up ilb of suet, mix with ilb of bread-crumbs, one egg, enough milk or water to make a stiff paste. Add the lemon, sweeten to taste, divide it into five equal parts, and boil in separate cloths for three-quarters of an hour; serve with butter and sugar, or a little honey. Willow Furniture. — Willow and rattan furniture may be successfully "renewed" at home by washing with * stiff brush in warm soft water and white soap, then while tha ohair or stool is still wet, put it in, a box that can be closed, plaoe a small quantity of burning sulphur upon the bottom of the box, close tightly and leave for half or threequarters of au hour. Chocolate Cheesecakes. — Take loz of butter and boat into a cream with Boz of sugar. Add ilb of grated or powdered chocolate, loz of ratafia biscuits crumbled, and three eggs. Beat all into a smooth, rich substance, flavour with vanilla essence and uso at once. When the Ironing is being Done try using; two clothes-bars. Hang on one all the clothes that are in perfect order, and on the other any that need mending, darning or buttons. When the clothes aro folded those needing no attention may be put away at once, while those that need mending may be put in the olothes-basket and placed in some convenient place until there is time to mend them. A Novel Breakfast Dish. — Choose some ripe tomatoes, rather large and all of a size; cut in half and scoop out the seeds and core with a spoon, pressing out the water as much as possible. Season the inside with salt, pepper, minced ham and parsley. Set the tomatoes on a well-buttered baking tin; break a fresh egg carefully into each, and put the pan into the hot oven till the eggs are set. Serve very hot. Flush the Plumbing with Hot Water.— Keep a piece of garden hose about two feet long in the bathroom closet, and on ironing and baking days, when there is plenty of very hot water, take a little time to flush all the pipes better than can be done at other times. Push one end of the hose over the hot-water faucet of the bathtub and hold the other end over the water-closet outlet; then turn on the hot water. Swiss Cream. — One pint of cream, 6oz lump sugar, peel and juice of a lemon, four teaspoonfuls of flour, -tcz maccaroons, 2oz citron. Place the cream, sugar and grated lemon peel over a clear fire, and when it boils stir in the flour, mixed with a little cream (cold). When cool add the lemon juice, break up the maccaroons in a glass-dish, and pour the above mixture over them. This should be made the day before it is required. For Soiled Hands. — " When your hands are very soiled rub them over with oil before you wash them," says a beauty specialist, " and you will be astonished to' find how this loosens all the dirt and helps in the whitening process. A very simple remedy for thoße who do much housework and who wish to keep the hands soft and white is to rub them .with soft brown sugar whilst they are wet, rinsing them in soapy water and drying them thoroughly. Curry Puffs. — Indian recipe : A tasty breakfast dash. Mince lib of mutton or beef; slice one small onion into a pan with a small piece of butter, and fry brown. Add the mince, and sprinkle two dessertspoonfuls of curry powder, with a little salt. Mix well and cook for fifteen minutes. Have ready some puff paste, roll out thin, and cut into squares of four inches. Put one tablespoonful into each square, wet the edges, and press, together with a fork. Bake for about twenty

minutes in a moderate oven. Can be warmed up in len minutes next day for breakfast. " Memory Books " for Children are suggested by a mother. Take for such a purpose a large scrapbook into which anything of interest to the ohild oan be pasted. One of these books began with despatch ea and letters received at the child's birth; then followed postal-cards, valentines, pictures, yettors, first postal-cards, valentines, pictures, etc. In this way there can be kept together little remembrances which otherwise would be lost, yet which the child will appreciate highly when older. An Original Substitute for Stair Rods.— Buy some common canes at one halfpenny each. Cut off the bent ends, shortening to the required length for the stairs. Then buy a small bottle of gold paint and give each cane two coats of it. A pennyworth of wire staples is now needed. Open each of these a little at the ends and hammer them into the stairs in place of eyes. Then fit! ■a cane into each stair. The result will be surprisingly correct-looking stair rods at a fraction of the usual expense.