Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 4 November 1915, Page 57

Domestic

(By Maureen.)

When Stamps Stick Together.

This is very annoying, and frequently happens in the summer time if the air is at all damp. Do not try to loosen them, but, lay them flat upon the table and pass a fairly hot flatiron over them. They will dry out at once and separate easily.

Bottling Fruit Without Sugar.

Put the fruit into glass jars; shake it down well. When full, cork the bottles and put into a warm oven till the juice begins to run and the bottles are nearly half empty. Have ready a kettle of boiling water; lift the bottles out of the oven, take off the corks, and fill up with the boiling water, then, quickly put the corks on again and make airtight.

Plain Cake.

Quarter lb butter, -Jib brown sugar, 11b flour, -|lb raisins, currants, or sultanas mixed, 1 pint cold milk, 1 teaspoonful carbonate soda, 3 tablespoonfuls vinegar. Dissolve the soda in the milk in a deep jug, rubbing it smooth till melted, add the vinegar, which will froth up the milk. Pour it on to the other ingredients, which must be ready mi&ed in a bowl : mix thoroughly and bake in greased tin for I.'.hours.

Rhubarb and Fig Preserve.

For this take three pounds of rhubarb, two and a half pounds of sugar, half a pound of figs, and two ounces of candied peel. Wipe the rhubarb, cut it into inch lengths, and place on a large dish. Chop finely the figs and candied peel and scatter them over the rhubarb lav on this the sugar and stand till next day. Boil the preserve slowly for an hour, or longer if necessary, adding a small piece of ginger for half an hour.

To Clean a Furred Kettle.

Wash some potato peelings and boil them in the kettle for two or three bourse, This will clean it splendidly. To prevent the formation of ‘fur’ keep a clean oyster shell in the kettle, or an ordinary marble. The continual agitation attracts the limy deposit to the shell and keeps it from adhering to the sides of the kettle. Another way to remove the deposit is by dissolving two teaspoonfuls of borax in a kettleful of hot water. Allow it to boil for fifteen minutes, when the fur will be found loosened and quite easily removable.

Dough Nuts.

- Beat two eggs till they froth. Then add to them half a pint of milk, half a pound of sifted sugar, a saltspoonful of salt, a saltspoonful of ground cinnamon, and four tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Mix all well together very thoroughly. Then as quickly as possible add enough fine sifted self-raising flour to make a soft dough. Stamp out very quickly into rings. Have ready a deep saucepan half full of boiling lard from which the blue smoke is rising. Fry quickly for from five to ten minutes. Take out, roll in sifted sugar, drain carefully on clean paper, and serve.

To Sew on a Button.

This is the way the instructor in home economics. University of Wisconsin, says a button should be sewed on:—Take a small stitch, bringing the knot on the right side. Run up through one hole of the button and draw it down just over the knot. Lay a pin across the button and work the stitches over the pin. When the button is firmly sewed on, remove the pin. Pull the button out from the material and wind the thread around, the threads between the button and the cloth several times to form a shank. Pass the needle through to the wrong side and fasten the thread with several small stitches. The shank formed makes buttoning easier and lessens the strain on the cloth. The knot is brought up on the right side and under the button to keep it from being worn off.