Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 37, 20 September 1923, Page 49

Domestic

By Maureen

Ribbon Cakes.

Ten ounces of flour, six ounces of butter, eight ounces of sugar, four eggs, jam, butter, cream. Cream the butter and sugar well together, add the eggs, then add the flour and mix to a nice cake batter with milk; have ready a baking-plate or meat-tin lined with paper, spread the batter upon it to the depth of half an inch, and bake in a hot -j oven. When done,' turn out upon the table, remove the paper, and cut into strips about three inches long and one inch wide, sandwich together with raspberry or strawberry jam, ahd coat the top with different-colored butter creams.

Fancy Swiss Squares.

Half a pound of butter, half a pound of castor sugar, half a pound of ground almonds, half a pound of flour, a pinch of cinnamon, a little milk, jam. Rub the butter finely into the flour, then add the ground almonds, the castor sugar,' and .a pinch of cinnamon, make a hollow, add enough milk to make a nice paste; then roll out onehalf of it very thinly, cover the bottom of a clean bakingplate or meat-tin, and spread some raspberry or strawberry jam on it. Now roll out the other piece of paste and cover the first with it, prick well, wash over with a beaten egg, and bake to a.light-brown color in a sound oven; when cold, cut up into fancy shapes and dust over with castor sugar.

The Evils of Hurried Meals.

There is no doubt that a small quantity of food slowly eaten and carefully masticated is far more nourishing than a larger quantity eaten fast. The reason that hurried mastication, even with good teeth, is bad, is because it does not give time for a proper supply of saliva to mix with the food, and without this indigestion is sure to be the result. When a large or small quantity of inadequately crushed substance is thrust into the stomach, it acts as an irritant, instead of performing its proper work of feeding the system. Therefore, when food is of necessity to be taken in a hurry, it should be of a light kind, such as sou]), fish, custards, etc.,, and not solid steaks, chops, or joints. People go for years suffering from indigestion, consulting first one doctor and then another, each one being unsuccessful for any length of time. Why is this? The reason is simply fast eating, and there is not the slightest doubt that if such folk would only make a practice of eating slowly, difficult though it is to acquire the habit, the doctor's visits and medicine would be unnecessary, and the indigestion would disappear by degrees. Whilst on this

topic, I .will urge otherwise careful parents to insist that their children masticate properly and eat slowly. Household" Hints. ,

Hot vinegar will remove whitewash or distemper splashes.

If parsley is washed with hot water instead of cold it retains its flavor and is easier to chop.

An old piece of garden hose makes an excellent carpet beater; it is more flexible than a stick.

When aluminium pans become black and dull-looking they should be cleaned with a soft cloth dipped in lemonjuice. Rinse in warm water.

Painted furniture should be cleaned with rain-water, as it is better not to use soap. Then go over it with a cloth on' which a trace of vaseline has been placed.

To prevent cheese from drying and moulding wrap it in a damp muslin cloth sprinkled with vinegar. Keep on a cool, raised, covered dish:

When washing blankets or flannels add two teaspoonsful of glycerine to each pint of water; it softens the water and prevents the blankets becoming hard and felted.

It is not always necessary to take a clock to pieces to clean it. Soak a piece of cotton-wool in paraffin, place this in a tin lid or small saucer, and'put it in the case of the clock, under the works. In a day or two it will have attracted all the dust which has impeded the movement of the clock.