Household Hints

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 223, 8 January 1910, Page 3

Household Hints

Stewed Chops.—Take a' chop from the neck or loin of mutton, cut rather thick, trim it neatly, leaving only a little fat on it. Flour it well, and sprinkle lightly with pepeir and salt; place in a stewpan with a teaspoonful of rice, and sufficient cold water to cover it. Bring to the boil, and let it simmer very gently for an hour. If onion is liked a few slices and a sprig of parsley may be added. Apple Dumplings.—Take some finely sifted flour, and half the quantity of suet very finely shredded, and well freed from skin. Mix the suet and flour, and add a pinch of salt and a little baking powder, with sufficient milk to make it of the right consistency. Knead it well, and roll it out to the thickness required. Divide this paste into as many pieces as are required for the dumplings. Take some large-sized apples, peel, core, and sprinkle them with moist sugar. Cover the apples with the paste, and join the edges carefully. Tie each dumpling up in a floured cloth and boil for about an hour. Untie them carefully.and turn them out without breaking them. Stick two or three cloves in each apple. Velvet Cream. —This makes a delicious dish. Make a quart of rich, boiled custard, using only the yolks of the eggs, while hot, pour it over a tablespoonful of gelatine dissolved in a little cold milk; stir till smooth and cool, then add the beaten whites of the eggs and set in a mould; serve with plain cream or a border of rich, cooked peaches. For Tired Feet. —A few drops of vinegar in the water you use for bathingl the feet will give great relief. If they ache, too, try a few drops of ammonia ot a little borax. For Cracked Lips.—Honey and glycerine mixed in equal proportions is an excellent remedy. It should be applied every night till the cracks are thoroughly healed. For a Greasy Face.—Try putting a slice of lemon in the water in which your wash your face; then dust with oatmeal and polish with soft chamois leather.

A Cooling Drink.—Cut up six sticks -of rhubarb and boil it in three pints of water for ten minutes. Strain it into a jug, add the rind of a small leirion and sug;ar to taste. . Ham toast is delicious for breakfast. Melt a little butter in a pan, add to it a brekkfast-cupful r of finely-minced ham, two tablespoonfuls of milk, a beaten egg, cayenne and salt to taste. Stir till very hot, and serve on squares of buttered toast.

Trifle Without Wine. —Put four penny sponge-cakes in a glass dish, crumble over them a large macaroon. Put into a saucepan'half a pint of cold waler; a heaped tablespoonful of sugar, the' juice of a lemon, and a little peel. Boil till the sugar has dissolved. When it has cooled, pour sufficient over the cakes to soak them. Make a custard with half a pint of milk, the- yolks of two eggs, and a large teaspoonful of flour. Pour this over the sponge cake, and stick it with blanched and -split almonds.. Beat the whites to a stiff froth' and put lumps of it on the trifle. To Clean Ostrich Feathers. —In order to clean white ostrich feathers that have lost their freshness, dissolve some white soap that lathers easily (about 20z.) in hot water; beat this up well, dip the feathers into the lather, and pass them through the hand until they are clean. Then give the same treatment in clean warm water. Shake the feathers frequently while drying. There is no need to lose an ounce of unused fat. Cut all into small pieces, cooked and uncooked, and put them into an unlined iron pan; cover with cold water, and brnig slowly to the boil. When at boiling point remove, the scum. Then continue to boil very quickly with the lid off until the water is evaporated, and the liquid is quite oily in appearance. Allow it to cool for . some time before straining it through a sieve covered with muslin, in order to keep back evry grain of sediment. This fat will keep good for an indefinite length of time, and may be put to many' uses in cooking in place of butter or lard. It is better for frying than any other fat, and does .quite well. (along with lard or butter) for common pastry and cakes.