Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 22, 17 June 1925, Page 59

Domestic

By Maureen

WAYS OF COOKING VEGETABLES. Boiled Leeks. —When very young trim off the root, the outer leaves, and the green ends, and cut the stalks into six-men lengths. Tie them in bundles, after washing them, put them into boiling water, with a dessertspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of vinegar, and let them boil until quite tender. Drain them, and serve like asparagus, on hot toast, pouring white sauce or molted butter over them. Time, from half on hour to three-quarters. Other sauces may be used with them. Older leeks will take nearly, or quite, an hour and a half. They should be carefully trimmed down to where the green part meets the white, unless the green is liked, then more may be left on. The root must always be cut off. Drain them always upside down; the tube-like green parts will hold the water unless this is done. Boiled Parsnips.—Wash and peel the parsnips if old; if young, scrape them only, and remove the peel with a cloth when done. Take off a little slice from the root end, and cut them through twice, if large, once if small. Boil them precisely like carrots until tender enough for a skewer to pierce them easily. After draining, serve them as soon as possible. Mashed Turnips.— the turnips till tender, lake them up and mash with a fork, or pass them through a colander or sieve; put them back into the saucepan, emptied and dried, with a. morsel of butter, salt, pepper, and sugar; a grate of nutmeg or dash of mustard is an improvement. Stir for a minute or two, then serve. A little flour, stirred in the butter, which should be first melted in the pan, makes the turnips less watery; a spoonful or two of thick white sauce has the same effect. It is a. good plan to wring them in a cloth to get rid of some of the water. Baked Tomatoes.— the green stalks from some tomatoes, ripe, and even in size; allow two ounces of butter or clarified fat for eight medium-sized ones; put it in little bits about them, and cook in a moderate oven from twenty minutes upwards. Ewe with roast meat, etc. If split through, cook the cut side up. Tomatoes may bo sliced ;?or baking if large; put them in a single layer on a baking-tin, first greasing it; brush them over with butter or dripping, and dredge with salt and pepper, and if they are not fully ripe a pinch of sugar. Give them from seven to ten minutes, and serve. Carrots, Stewed.—Cut the carrots into strips, the size, say, of the finger. Put them in a, stewpan, with a morsel of butter and some weak broth; cook gently and thicker with a little flour, and add some chopped chives, or young onions, with a small piece of chopped parsley, a short time before dishing. Brussels Sprouts and Celery Scallop.—Pick over and wash one quart of Brussels sprouts. Soak in cold salted water for one-half hour, then cook in boiling salted water for twentyfive minutes or until tender. While the sprouts are cooking, wash celery and cut in

small pieces enough to make two cupsful. Melt four tablespoonsful of butter, add the celery, cover closely and cook slowly until tender or about fifteen minutes. Then add four tablespoonsful of flour, and when smooth and well blended stir in two cupsful of milk. Season with salt and pepper and cook until thickened. Drain the sprouts, mix carefully with the celery and pour into a casserole or baking dish. Spread with buttered breadcrumbs and brown in a. hot oven. Mow to Heal a Sty. A small child may often have a recurring sty on the eyelid. This may be quite painful and should receive prompt treatment. Continued eye strain or general poor health will cause this trouble. Apply hot boric-acid solution frequently until the sty comes to a head. If this takes some time, great relief may be afforded by lancing the sty; a physician should do this. The eye should be bathed with the boric-acid solution until the pus and the swelling have subsided. Avoid Eye-Strain. A child should never be allowed to look directly at a bright light. [Oven when the child is asleep, the face should be in the. shadow. A reflected light, such as the sun, shining on a while house, on the sand or water at the beach, or on a white rug, is also bad for a young child's eyes. The nursery window should he hung with dark curtains; the baby carriage hood should have a dark lining, and the rug should be of some subdued color, not plain white. The sun shining on snow i s trying to a baby's eyes. Of course the baby needs the, sunlight, but do not let it shine directly in his face. Toys tied to a string, or to the top of the baby carriage where they dangle as the carriage moves, are very bad for the eyes. Veils are likely to produce eye-strain in babies and young children.