HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE.

Otaki Mail, 19 February 1923, Page 4

HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE.

Cleansing Brass work. j When it is desired to avoid the expense of relacquering brass fittings they may be treated at home in this way: Obtain from an oilshop a little clear French polish. Now clean up the brass articles thoroughly with some good metal polish. (Soak a piece of cottonwool in the polish and enclose this in a clean cotton rag. Then rub over the brasswork very lightly so that a thin film of the French polish is applied. The application dries quickly and keeps away the air from the brass so that it does not tarnish for months, j When the metal becomes dull it may i be cleaned up again in the ordinary way and the French polish then applied again. To Hang Pictures. There are few things more annoying than a picture that has a tendency to slip sideways and not hang straight. There is a way in which this can be i prevented. In the first place, hang the 1 picture with its face to the wall. See t that it is perfectly straight, and then, I keeping the cord perfectly taut so that • it cannot slip on the hanger, turn the I picture the right way round, When the ! picture has been turned the cord will be ’ twisted close to the hanger, and there will be very little chance of the picture ' ever hanging crooked again, Frosting Glass.

Frosting glass can be effected by applying a solution of Epsom salts Or ulum to the pane. Lay the glass in a horizontal position, make a saturated solution of alum or salts, use beer instead of water for this latter chemical —and sponge the surface with it. It must dry slowly. The crystals will arrange themselves in various forms, and obviously enough, the more solution used the thicker will be the frosting. It* a pink shade is required, u lew drops of cochineal added before arrange themselves in various forms. • j To Pickle Small Cucumbers. | . “M.A.G.” asks how to pickle small • cucumbers or gherkins. | Ore the gherkins and place them in salt and water strong enough to float an egg. Eet them stand for three days, i Take them out and dry with a cloth, put into dry jars. Put into a saucepan sufficient vinegar to cover them, together with joz. each of allspice and bruised ginger to every quart of vinegar. Iloil for 10 minutes, then pour it over the gherkins. Place a plate and weight on top of the jar and stand j,, the stove and leave all ni;W,i. Next morning drain oil* t he vinegar, re-boil it, and pour it ove;; .the gherkins. When cold, seal down tightly. The pickle will be ready in six weeks. Plum Chutney. i Four pounds of plums, 14b of apples, 111 b. of brown sugar, Soz. of raisins, foz. garlic, loz. chillies, loz. ground ginger, J. quart of vinegar. Put ths fruit in a pan with sugar and boil for 15 minutes (fruit must lie stoned and apples cut in slices). Then add the other ingredients, and boil for ten more minutes, then add the vinegar and boil again for lb minutes. Put into f jars and cover while hot. Orange and Walnut Creams. Ingredients. —Jib of granulated sugar, 1 small orange, fioz. of shelled walnuts, I gill of milk, joz. of butter, yellow colouring*. Method. —I’ut the milk and sugar into a pan, stir over low heat until dissolved, then add the grated rind and strained juice of the orange, an boil to iMUdcg. Fahr., or the soft-ball stage, Add the finely chopped walnuts, butter, and colouring, cool the mixture very slightly, and when it begins to thicken j beat until creamy. Drop half-teaspoon- f fuls of the mixture on to an oiled tin t or on to -wax paper a little distance apart, and leave until set. Haricot Puree. lugredieuts.-s-Oue pint of haricot beans, - quarts of water or white stock, 1 onion, - or o sticks of celery, 1 pint of milk, salt, pepper, loz. of margarine. Method.— Wash the beaus and soak them in tlie two quarts of water from

twelve to twenty-four hours. Melt the margarine in a pan, strain the beans, and stir into the margarine, add the shredded onion and celery, and keep stirring for live minutes, then add the water in which the beans were soaked; stir until boiling, skim, cover the pan, and simmer until I lie beans are tender (about two hours). Stir occasionally. Rub through a wire sieve, return to the pan with the milk and seasoning*, stir until just on the boil, then serve with dice of fried bread.