LADIES’ COLUMN.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 683, 11 November 1921, Page 2

LADIES’ COLUMN.

(By “Ru-ru ”)

In answer to “Lilian,” who writes from Kingsland, Auckland, to “Ruru.” saying : “I have noticed the three recipes for Christmas cakes in ,the “Times,” and think they all look particularly good, but before venturing to !try them, I am writing to ask you if .you can tell me why the fruit always sinks in my rich cakes.” The fruit sinking in rich may, be caused either by not having the oven sufficiently hot wh,en the cake is first put into it, or incorrect mixing—flour and' fruit should always be put in alternately, a little at a time of each, then the fruit becomes coated with the flour and so prevents it sinking in the cooking. If “Lilian attends carefully to those two items “Ru-ru” is prety sure she will have quite a successful Christmas cake.

Sunshine Cakci, with Yellow icing.

6oz flour, 4oz butter, 4oz castor sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablesoponful milk, half teaspoonful baking, iemon cheese.

Method.—Cream butter and fugar with 1 tablesptonful of warm water, add .eggs, one at a time, with flour alternately, and beat well. Lastly stir in milk and baking powder.. Bake this cake in a round tin lined with buttered paper, from 30 to 40 rninu.ts. When cold cut in three or four ‘ slices across, spread with lemon cheese, join together again, and ice with the following icing: Yellow icing.—Beat the yolk of an egg with “ a dessert spoonful of lemon juice. xSt,ir in as much icing sugar as will make to the right consistency for spreading. Spread over anr around cake and decorate.

Cream Spo'nge Cake.

1 cup flour;, half cup cream, half cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar, half teaspoonful of carb. soda. Method.—Beat eggs, add sugar, and cream, and flour with rsing. Dates, sul,tanas or carraway seeds may be added 1 if liked. Bake in moderate oven for half an hour. Rolled Oaifc or Oatina Biscuits, lib rolled oats, %lb butter, sugar, pinch salt, 1 teaspoonful carb. soda (dissolved in: milk, 1 dessertspoon). Mix dry ingredients, then moisten with half a small cup of milk. Take out small quantities of the mixture at a time to roll, and be sure and use no flour but rub rolling pin with the oats.

Wafers.

lib flour; %lb butter, y 2 teaspoonful salft, a little cold water. Rub butter well into flour, and mix with water about the consistency of paspastry. Break off small pieces and roll out on floured board as thin as you possibly can. Cut in'io wedgeshaped pieces and cook in moderate oven until they are pale brown. Do noot cook ,too quickly or they will not be crisp. POINTS TO REMEMBER. To remove tar from any kind of cloth, saturate the spc ( t and rub it well with jturpentine, and every trace cf the tar will be removed. Benzine rubbed on the edges ol carpdts is a sure preventive of moths. i . i , To soften pain v t brushes which have become hard and dry, heat as much vinegar as required' to boiling point, immerse the brushes, and allow them to simmer for ten minuses, then wash in strong soap suds. A GOOD USE FOR OLD BLANKETS. When blakents have become thin and unsightly from long use, have £hem washed, put ,two or three together, and cover them with pretty sateen to make quiets . Button down the quilts here and there, mattress fashion, to keep .them in proper shape, and finish off with a nice friL of sateen. A SIMPLE NEEDLE CASE. Many a stitch in time tha(t would save nine would be taken if needle anu thread were close at hand. Often when one can lay hands upon a needle at a moment’s notice the thread is not to be found. This little case supplies both, and hung on the wall close to the dresser, proves a inend in need. Buy a yard of saftin ribbon, three inches wide, and of any prekty colour. Cut off two pieces, each 12 inches long, and make two little bags of them, running baby ribbon ot .the same shade in the (top. Take a piece of wadding two iniches and a quarter long and about as thick as one s thumb. Lay it on the long strip of ribbon and roll the ribbon round it twice, fastening the ends when this is done. Below the roll on the long strip of ribbon fasten a strip ot white flannel, pinked along the edges, in which ,the needles are stuck. In all of the ltitle bags put a reel of white thread and in the other a reel of black, letting the end of tne thread hang out of (the bag. Fasten a bag by the bottom securely to each end of the roll and hang it pu by the ribbons put in as drawing strings.

SOME “MRS WIGGS” MAXIMS. “Don’t put up your umbrella till it rains.” “Don’t fool with widowers—grass nor sad.” . , . “Put all your worries at the bottom of your heart, then sit on the lid and smile.” “You can’t coax, an with a little sugar.” “Matrimony’s like everything else you get out of it what you put into it.”

/ “Pears, like every woman the Lord ever created, • wants to try getting married, once anyway.”

ROOM FOR ONE MORE. A city clergyman on one occasion; was arguing with a successful business man on the desirability of attending church. At last he put the question squarely : “What is your personal reason for not attending ?” The oth,er smiled as he replied!: “One finds so many hypocrites there.” RgV turning the smile, the clergyMn caid : “Don’t let that keep you Mr Smith. There’s always room fbr one more.”

THE ONLY WAY..

Mr Bluff (hoajt at a late dinner of mate friends): “Yes, gentleman, I hold that every man'lshould be master in his own house. There is no other. “Well, gentlemen, suppose we adjourn to the library for a smoke?” Waggish gue^t: “Why not smoke here in this grand old dining room ?” Mr Bluff : “Um-er, Mrs Bluff won’t let us.”