Housekeeper.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 426, 9 June 1904, Page 7

Housekeeper.

HINTS. To Eemove Hard Potty pass a hot iron over it. when it will at once become soft. Ink Stainß on Boards.—To remove these apply spirits of salts with a piece of cloth. Afterwards wash well with water. Paint or Tar on the Hands—First rub the spots well with lard or Dutter, then wash the hands with soap and hot water. To Prevent Shoe Laces from Coming Untied, wax them before patting them inu the shoes ; the slight trouble is well wortii while. Ink Stains on Mahogany.—Dip a cork in a little oxalic acid and water, and with it rub the stains. When these have dieappeared, waßh with pure water, and polish as usual. Wiien Papering a Small Boom remember that large patterns and dark colours will make it appear smaller, while a plain or striped paper if a light hue will give an impression of increased size and airiness. Coffee Grounds are good for plants. Save them for your window-boxes and pot flowers, and either mix them with the earth, or lay them on the surface, They will prevent the soil drying so rapidly after watering as it would do without them. Blue Water.—To prevent the blue in clothes forming patches, make a quart or two of water in deep blue and add this to the blueing water till you have the required tint. Do not over do it, all you require is that your clothes should not look yellowish j a deep blue suggests the idea that it is a device to hide up dirt. To Wash Black Material.—Boil two large handfuis of ivy leaves in a gallon of ram-water for half-an-hour. Strain this, and when cool, put in the garment. Let it soak for half-an-hour, then take it out, and hang it up in a shady place to drip dry. Do not wring it. Press with a cool iron on the wrong Bide, placing a oloth between the iron and the material. Hooks and Eyes that are not damaged by washing, and cannot be flattened by ironing, and moreover, secure a perfect fit to a bodice without wrinkle or crease, and. also do away with the necessity of front steels, are indeed a boon to feminine humanity. To Wash Hair Brushes.—Dissolve a couple of tablespoonfuls of borax in a little boiling water, and add to it a sufficiency of cold water in a shallow vessel, deep enough only to cover the bristles. In this dab the brush up and down till clean, rinse with clear water, and put in the air to dry. Bemember in washing brushes that hot water must not be used, and they must not be placed near a fire or in the sun to dry. Carelessness in these points will result in the bristles losing their stiffness and becoming discoloured. "DOUGH CAKESr - ~ Dough cakes are by many preferred to cakes mixed with baking-powders. This is a rich dough cake: Half a pound of baker's dough, £lb butter or lard, carrants, £lb raisins, -}\b sultanas, i\b mixed candied peel, $ oz. chopped almonds, -£lb BUgar, spice to taste, three eggs. Mix well; put into a greased tin. Stand near the fire to rise before sending to the bakehouse. TOBTILLAS. In conjunction with the systematic effort made in recent years by the United States to make known in Europe the food value, or rather, table value, of Indian corn, it may interest many housekeepers to know how tortillas are made. These tortillas are, as many know, thin cakes of corn, and are used in Mexico and other Spanish - American countries almost universally in lieu of wheat bread. The corn, selected clean kernels for best results, is bpied in lime water until soft. It is then washed thoroughly in water to remove all traces of lime, and rubbed between the hands to remove the outer husk of the corn. The clean corn is then ground, while wet, to a soft mass, which is easiest ■"accomplished with a Straub peanut butter mill. The wet dough resulting from grinding is patted into thin cakes of convenient size and baked on a dry griddle (that is, without fat) and served hot, la the better class families it is usual to have one servant bake these tortillas continually during the course of a meal, so that the table may be supplied fresh from the griddle all the time. While these cakes are a radical departure to all English-speaking people, many soon develop a great liking for them. They are especially palatable when eaten with highly-flavoured meat dishes, such as the Mexican ' chile con came;" and also when spread with butter. It may be well to add that no salt is used in the preparation of these cakes.