WOMEN’S NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 45, 21 January 1938, Page 11

WOMEN’S NOTES.

COOKING, (By Miss Mary Tallis.) Chocolate eclairs.—lngredients: 3 oz. flour, 3 eggs, £ saltspoonful castor sugar, 1 gill water, li oz. butter, cream. Sieve the flour and add the sugar. Put the water and butter into a saucepan and heat to boiling point. When the butter has dissolved and the liquid is boiling, add the flour. Stir quickly and vigorously, and as it cooks it will leave the sides of the saucepan, then move to a cool part of the stove. Add the eggs, one by one, stirring and beating well after each addition. The mixture is now ready to put into the icing bag, and it is known as choux pastry. Use a plain meringue forcing tube lin. in diameter at the smaller end, put this into the bag, roll the bag down nearly to the tube, put. in a spoonful of the choux pastry, continue in this way until the bag holds as much as you can conveniently handle. Gently ease, the mixture down the bag. To avoid air bubbles forming as the mixture is piped on to the greased baking tin, twist the top of the bag ant] tighten after each eclair is formed. These should be about 3in., and when you have piped the required length, cut with a knife dipped in hot water. Bake in a moderate oven from 20 to 25 minutes. Fill with whipped cream and cover with chocolate' icing made in the following way; Chocolate icing: Ingredients, Boz. icing sugar. 2 dessertspoonsful water, 2oz. chocolate. Sieve the sugar. Grate the chocolate put into a saucepan with the water, heat until dissolved. Leave until cool, then stir in the icing sugar over the heat until smooth and the right consistency ; it should coat the back of a spoon, when ready for use. To prevent the icing in the saucepan thickening as you cover the eclairs, place the saucepan in a basin of hot water. HOUSEKEEPING. These are worth making a note of. —Beetles,' cockroaches, and other pests may be quite cleared away by the use- of borax. Sprinkle it round the kitchen and pantry, and renew it every few days; the insects will disappear in a week. Turpentine, mixed with warm milk, rubbed well into the oilcloth, will make it look like new. To remove splashes of whitewash or distemper from the walls, use a few drops of hot vinegar. After removing a stain from the carpet, dab the wet part with vinegar and you will bring back the original colours of the carpet. Starch has many uses. If you powder it. it is an. excellent silver cleaner. It will remove stains from wallpaper when nothing else will. A lump of sarch added to the water when washing the windows will remove the dirt quickly. Also, it is good for insect bites. If beds are to be stored for any length of time it is a goodw plan to give the wire mattresses a coat of aluminium paint. This not only improves the appearance but keeps the mattresses free from rust. KNITTING. A quickly knitted jumper.—Materials ; 15 oz. ’ wool, 1 pair each Nos. 6 and 8 knitting pins, 4 buttons. Measurements: Bust 34in. length 20i in, sleeve seam, 19in. Tension: 5 sts. and 6J rows to lin. The back: With No. 8 pins cast on 78 sts. and work 6in. in k 1, p 1 rib. Change to No. 6 pins and st.-st., and in. at both ends of every 4tli row till there are 86 sts. Work 4Jin. without inc. Shape the armholes by dec. at both ends of the next 10 rows. Work 4£in. straight, then cast the shoulders by casting off 5 sts. at beginning of next 8 rows. Cast off. The front; Work exactly as for back until the armhole shapings are completed. Now commence the shaping for the neck opening: Ist. row: K 2 tog. twice (taking care not to pull work), k to end. 2nd. row: P to last -2 sts, 2 tog. Repeat these 2 rows twice. 7th row: K 2 tog. twice, k 3 cast off 3 (for a buttonhole), k to end. Bth row: P to within 4 sts. of end, cast on 3, p 2, p 2 tog. Repeat these 8 rows twice more. Next row: Cast off 3, k to end. Next row: P all sts. Repeat these 2 rows once more, then dec. at neck edge of next 4 rows. Shape shoulder by casting off 5 sts. at beginning of next 4 alternate rows, commencing at armhole edge. Fasten off. The left front: With No. 6 pins cast on 2 sts. and work in stst., inc. in last st. of every k row and in first 2 sts. of every p row until there are 33 sts. "Work 6 rows without inc. On next row cast off 4 sts., and complete the neck and shoulder shaping to match other side, with all shapings reversed. The sleeves: With No. 8 pins cast on 36 sts. and work 2in. in k 1, p 1 rib. Change to No 6 pins and continue in rib for 4 ins. Change to st-st. and inc. at both ends of every Bth row until there are 56 sts. Work 4 rows without inc.. then dec. at both ends of every row until 16 sts. remain. Now dec. at beginning only of every row until 10 sts. remain. Cast off. The collar: With No. 8 pins cast on 12 sts. and work 14 ins. in k 1, p 1 rib. Cast off. To make-up: Press the st.-st. parts only on wrong side, using a hot iron over a damp cloth. Join shoulder seams, then sew on 3 buttons to match buttonholes and one more as trimming, catching down the left front beneath the main part. Sew in sleeves, then sew up side and sleeve seams. Sew on collar and priess back points. GENERAL. How to grill.—Quite a number of women cannot grill properly, although correct grilling produces the most appetising of food. The first essential about grilling is that the griller, or grill-iron must be red-hot before the meat is placed under it. Jf the meat is tough, it may be rubbed before cooking with lemon juice or vinegar. A lean piece of fish or meat is brushed with oil or butter. The flame should be turned high and each side of the meat should be seared quickly. The quick searing seals the meat and prevents the juices escaping in the cooking. The flame can then he turned low and the cooking should be carried out very the result being a tender, juicy grill, full of flavour. Dancing.—Do see that you are proficient in at least the tiro baste dances, foxtrot and the waits. Dent "it heat time with your elbow or jiggl?y Do say “No” if you don’t shine p the tango. Then if your partner ejfit?! wants to try, it’s on his own beasil. Don’t try to teach him new steps i« the middle of the dance floor. Dpleave him to do the leading. J)i> keep yonr conversational sallies tor after the dance' unless you want te> cover his bad dancing. 1