FEMININE REFLECTIONS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 65, 8 June 1927, Page 5

FEMININE REFLECTIONS

HANDKERCHIEFS

(By PAULINE BOUCHER.) It s quite ur.usual nowadays to find a handkerchief in a shop window that is !iot. quite truthfully, labelled “fancy.” The very simplest of white linen handkerchiefs are now trimmed with three, six, or nine rows of hemstitching, or else scalloped and embroidered with a tiny spray of flowers in one corn *r. Bl t these are much too plain for the present-day taste, and in the hanc kerchief department of West End stores the customers delve through hundreds of specimens to find some to “go with” certain frocks, and made in p irticular materials. VOILES AND SILKS In thei- search they come across little coloured lawn affairs, voile handkerchiefs printed with coy knots of brig it flowers and others covered with a weird medley of stripes and dast es, or a pattern of bright plaid. Silk squares in pale colours favour black all-over patterns, or a deep hem of a contrasting silk. A straight net hem is the choice of one manufacturer, and this frail-looking trimming appears >n silk, voile, and even fine linen handkerchiefs. The point in common in all these varying samples is their size. They are all very carefully standardised to little more than 10 inches square. I realised what an important part the handkerchief plays in all our dress schemes when walking through the show.-ooms of a large shop the oth« r day. Here the wax models, whether displaying evening dress, sports frock, or tailored suits, nearly all held o handkerchief. ALL LACE T lose in evening splendour simpered ove** little lacy confections. Ir. dome cases only a couple of inches of linen could have made the foundation for the deep, lacy edging. Tne ladies in tailored suits had faily-coloured silk handkerchiefs ir. their breast pockets, or peeping out of 3lit pockets in the skirts, and the handkerchief always repeated the predon .inant colour of the scheme. Beige and scarlit were the favourites here But apricot was a closer ival, especi ally when decorated with cream lace •not if s. The sports ladies, who carried envelope bags under their arms, showed the fancy edge of a coloured handkerchief pi ejecting from the back of the bag. BUTTEPFLIES AND FLOWERS Large, exotic flowers, in cleverly - painted or printed silks, often comprise the whole handkerchief, with the large outer petals forming an irregular edge. lut newer than the flower scheme Is he silk handker-hief, with a circle of flowers painted near the hem. and oach flower is accompanied by a butt^ r dy worked in appropriate colours. Ir? handketchief is round, and the embroidered border is made by the tips of the butterflies’ wings. To peel tomatoes, if you do not wish to pour boiling water on them, scrape them lightly all over as you would new ni oes ‘ This loosens the skin, which .will then *iuu> easily.

SANDWICHES OF ALL KINDS

Nowadays* sandwiches range widely from the minute triangle of the foie gras or nutty morsel we meet at weddings to the more substantial Club sandwiches. Hot, piping hot, sandwiches are worth considering, too, until the wtirm days come, and distinctly consoling as an emergency supperdish. Spring-Time Sandwiches Any appetising potted meat, mixed with its bulk of very fresh butter and rather lavishly spread on thin white or brown bread, makes a delicious sandwich if a light capping of the heads only of very fresh mustard and cress is added. <2over over and press lightly together (with a table napkin between hand and sandwich). A double round of a sandwich loaf will cut into eighteen small triangles. Sliced forced radishes, lightly sprinkled with salt, make another nice “capping.’ Cucumber sandwiches are always popular, the watery forced cucumbers should be sliced and set in a plate with some salt for a time, and the slices well drained from the liquid that will collect. Be merciful and divide the little cucumber rounds once or twice —they always slip about if they can! Fish and Egg Sandwiches Hard-boiled yolk of egg, rubbed smooth with a little butter or a teaspoonful of mayonnaise, makes an excellent foundation mixture. Add a mite of anchovy sauce and a few chopped capers and you have a delicious “filling.” If butter is used, season skilfully with one or two drops of tarragon vinegar and a little pepper and salt. A small “left-over” portion of cold cooked sole or other white fish, finely minced and added to this, makes an uncommon filling and a very nice one. Potted fish is always improved if a little dainty green salading is used as a capping, and a very little whipped cream added to the fish itself will “fluff it up” and be worth while. When sardines are used for sandwiches, drain and bone them, pour a little boiling water over them, drain again, and leave the fish between thin slices of lemon until' wanted. Sweet Sandwiches The ideal sweet sandwich is formed of a tiny scone, split and spread with a little delicious preserve, which is then covered with a teaspoonful or so of clotted cream. Put on the top and it is ready. These must be put together just before tea-time but are worth the trouble. A nice “party filling" is made with apricot jam, a little stiffly whipped cream, and some ground almonds well beaten together and spread—not too thiniy—on split tiny sponge cakes —the round kind are needed. Nut Sandwiches Nuts roughly minced and mixed with a little very fresh cream cheese are always liked. Brown bread-and-butter answers best for them, and some very finely chopped heart of celery added makes a nice change. Nut sandwiches are also very appetising if an allowance of chopped dates or figs are added to them; but the fruit must be daintily done or the sandwiches look hopelessly clumsy. Hot Tea-Time Sandwiches Potted meat thinly spread on very hot, dry toast and served instantly is nice. It is best to mix a little good butter with the meat to save greasiness. Cover the toast with a very thin “top” and slip all in the oven for a minute or so. Serve in a folded hot d’oyley in a hot dish. Tiny scones treated in this way are even nicer, and less easily become “swimmy.” Supper Sandwiches Neat oblong slices of bread, with crusts removed and quickly fried a light golden in very hot butter are good. Spread with a thick layer of excellent potted meat, or have ready two or three spoonfuls of a really good hot mince- Clap on the covering toast and serve quickly. If potted meat is used, the toast must be set in the oven a minute or two to heat the filling. Club Sandwiches A simple sancfwich is easily managed in the home kitchen. Ham and green peas is good; or, better still, lightly but perfectly grilled bacon, with a slice of cold breast of chicken, “sauted” in a little butter, popped on top. A round of “one-day” bread, not too thick, divided and neatly trimmed before toasting, is needed for each sandwich. Toast a golden colour, butter well, and keep very hot. Have ready a slice of grilled ham, as hot as possible, cut to size; season faintly with pepper and mustard, cover with a couple of spoonfuls of hot green peas, tossed in butter, cover over with second slice, and serve on a very hot plate with a delicate lettuce leaf.

MEATLESS MEALS

IN A FRENCH KITCHEN By FRANCIS KEYZER PARIS. Parisiennes have the gift of combining food to make it nutritious as well as that of uniting materials to make pretty clothes. For some months past the need of economy has caused Parisiennes to make a study of meatless meals. Brillat-SavcJrin, a famous French epicure, gave the world an epigram which every housewife should know. Here it is: Animals feed, men eat, but only intelligent men know what to eat. And in matters culinary, the French are intelligent. Eggs, fish, macaroni, vegetables and rice are the staple food when meat is omitted in the menu. A vegetable soup starts the evening meal and here there is endless variety. Potatoes enter all the combinations, with the exception of purees or peas or dried beans. They are united with leeks, and with watercress and, as a

matter of course, with onions, carrots and turnips. The addition of a small lump of butter makes the soup more palatable. To thicken, either barley or tapioca is added. Making The Most of Macaroni A dish of macaroni generally follows, and hard-boiled eggs on a lettuce or other green salad close the serious part of the menu. A sweet dish, dessert and cheese ad lib impart a finish. Macaroni is boiled gently, simmering until cooked. In the meanwhile flour is incorporated with butter in a saucepan, hot milk added with salt and pepper and constantly stirred on the fire. The macaroni is strained and poured into the sauce with the addition of small pieces of ham. Grated cheese is mixed therein just before serving. Macaroni can also be prepared in a similar fashion without ham. and with a tomato sauce. New Wavs With Rice Rice is boiled in water with a little meat extra, strained and thrown into a tomato sauce with grated gruvere and Parmesan of equal quantities and served as dry as possible. A favourite way of cooking rice is to place it in melted butter and brown it slightly; then water is added to cover it which evaporates as the rice boils. A cheese souffle is only complicated in sound. A lump of butter is put into a saucepan on the fire, then two or three spoonsful of flour according to the quantity of butter; salt and pepper; and sufficient watei| to make a smooth paste. The yokes of four eggs are beaten ina bowl, the whites being whisked into a stiff froth and the eggs united with the paste when the latter has cooled. A cupful of grated cheese is then added and the compound, wellstirred, is poured into a deep dish, placed into a hot oven for a quarter of an hour and served brown and “risen” in the same dish. The result should be excellent. A Tasty Stew Vegetable stew requires as many kinds of vegetables as are obtainable. . At the present moment we have to be content with carrots, onions, turnips, potatoes and a tin of peas. These ingre’dients—with the exception of the peas—are sliced in equal quantities, and the onions, quite small, left whole. This dish is started with a small lump of butter in the saucepan and a little bacon cut in pieces. Hot water and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper is added to cover the vegetables when they have been added to the butter and bacon The tinned peas are thrown in and mixed with the other vegetables when these are boiled. It must be re#membered that carrots take longer to cook than either potatoes or turnips and should be partly boiled before being combined with the rest of the stew. Pearl barley is added to thicken Here, lentils are boiled with bacon and sausages (Frankfort sausages or any thg.t are smoked) and a" good supply of both will make a -meal for a worker, if completed with bread and cheese. Wholemeal bread is eaten as a matter of course.

COOKING FOR THE INVALID

By ROSAMUND Lucky indeed is the housewife who, at this treacherous season, does not ned to cook for a sickroom. So, since it is the lot of the majority of housewives, here are a few simple recipes that will be particularly helpful. First of all, beef-tea. To make it after an approved medical formula you must do as follows: Beef-Tea.—Allow lib of beef to 1 pint of cold water. Cut the beef into small squares. Put it into a jar with the water. Secure the lid and place jar in saucepan of hot water. Simmer by the side of the fire, without letting it boil, for three or four hours. Squeeze out the bef-tea from the meat. Strain. Add a pinch of salt. Dose: soz or one teacupful. The important points to note are that the beef-tea should never boil, and that the salt is added last of all, otherwise it hardens the meat and prevents the goodness from coming out.

Savory Custard.—Beat an egg in a basin; add a. teacupful of good broth or beef-tea flavour with salt and pepper and pour into a buttered breakfastcup or small basin. Tie on a buttered paper cover. Place in a basin with water half-way up the cup or basin, or in a steamer and steam gently on the side of the fire until set. Egg-Jelly.—Soak from to loz of gelatine in a little cold water. Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a basin and make up to a pint with water. Sweeten to taste. Beat two eggs and put these with the gelatine, lemon, etc., into an enamelled saucepan. Stir well until thoroughly hot and the gelatine is dissolved, but do not allow it to boil. Strain and pour into a wetted mould. This jelly is nutritious and usually allowable during a milk diet. Chicken For An Invalid.—Heat some cold chicken, cut up or jonted, with lemon rind and sufficient stock to well cover it. Add a little butter, a dash of nutmeg and pepper, and a little tomato sauce or mushroom ketchup. Set aside and stir in one or two well-beaten eggs. Stir to thicken, but do not boil. Uncooked chicken may be used in the same way, simmered till tender. Egg-And- Milk.—Boil 1J gills of milk and pour it on to one new-laid egg, well beaten in a glass. Add 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 1 dessertspoonful of brandy and a grate of nutmeg, if liked. Linseed-Tea.—This is an old remedy for a cough and is often found soothing and helpful. Wash loz of whole linseed, put it in a saucepan with 1 pint of water, simmer for half an hour, add Joz of liquorice and Joz of sugar-candy. Strain before using. HOW TO CLEAN PICTURES AND FRAMES Few householders know the correct method of cleaning pictures; methods which add very considerably to the appearance of the home art gallery. Inferior gilt frames will not endure much cleaning; they are, therefore, best dusted carefully, and touched up with gold paint. A good English gilt frame can be cleaned with complete satisfaction. First of all, dust over with a soft brush, and then gently wash with a cleanser made by adding methylated spirits to an equal quantity of water. Onion water, applied with a small sponge, is most useful for restoring the colour of gilding, and, in addition, has the effect of preventing flies from settling on the frames. Onion water is made by boiling three onions in two breakfastcupfuls of water until the “goodness” is extracted; strain through a fine sieve and apply warm. FROM A WOMAN'S ARMCHAIR If we women could get it well and truly into our heads that there are only three legitimate sources of real worry in this life —health, love and finance—what a mort of wrinkles we’d save ourselves! Provided we keep well, that we happen to matter to some one person in this world, and that we are financially solvent, we ought to kiss our hands to Destiny! . . . Perfectly futile emotional upheavals draw more lines in our faces and make more dents in our overworked hearts than any one first-class tragedy! Only when we come up against a really big worry—lost health, lost love, or lost income—does our sense of proportion return to us; and even then, only for a fleeting space. When one is groping toward convalescence after having descended almost into the valley of the shadow, an overwhelming gratitude inspires the sincere resolve: “Let my health be restored, and I will never worry about anything else in the world!” But when the prayer is granted, how soon we forget the pact. When love has been hurt almost beyond bearing, and the wound is healed at last, we make a similar resolve. Nothing else matters now that the heart has regained its serenity and' trust. Or again, when we have emerged from a really desperate financial bad patch, we take ourselves sternly to task, and are convinced that never again shall our emotions run away with our sense of proportion, only to find ourselves taking the old familiar road when the wolf is no longer howling at the door. Once we are well, and solvent, and at peace with Love the old worry bogey re-appears on the immediate horizon. The minor ills that assumed their negligible place in the scheme of things when we were in the grip of real disaster, come crowding back again to haunt us and taunt us with imaginary woes. How little it recked us that our wardrobe was shabby, when we were fighting disease! Yet immediately we are cured, the shabby wardrobe can become our vital obsession. How foolish seem the little lady’s dreams of a might-have-been Prince Charming, when the husband she undervalues transfers his allegiance elsewhere! . . . Yet if she recaptures him, how swiftly -and insidiously the old habit of underestimating his worth takes hold of the wifely mind! When even daily bread is menaced, how modest are one’s demands on life. Yet how inevitably we hanker after the luxury level when the bread supply is reassured—but minus jam! What a pity we cannot keep the sense of proportion that seems so permanent when we are really up against it! Must it be that the illusion of happiness is only ours in the fleeting moment of deliverance from despair? —M.C.

MRS. PEPYS’S DIARY

MONDAY. —News this day in a letter from my good gossip, Mistress Bassett, how she # hath of late found a treacle posset of use for treating of her children’s colds, and so would have me take note of same for writing here, lest others should wish to use it also. The way of preparing it simple indeed, and that to put half a pint of milk in a saucepan, to bring it to the boil, and to add thereto two tablespoonfuls of black treacle. Boil for a few minutes, then draw aside and let it stand a short time, after which you may strain your posset through a muslin and serve it very hot indeed. This a mighty old remedy, but that it should be the worse for that I believe not at all. TUESDAY. —Lest ther£ be any who would still wish to make them more marmalade, but have a mind to change the flavour of it, I do here write of lemon marmalade. For it needed 31b. of lemons, of water 3i pints, also preserving sugar. Wash and dry your fruit for a start, then remove the peel thinly and shred very finely indeed. Now may you boil your rind for 40 minutes in rather more than one pint of water, and the boiling to be steadily maintained. Meanwhile remove all the pith from the pulp, and cut up finely, put it into the preserving pan with the rest of the water, bring it up to the boil, then boil wihout ceasing for 15 hours, stirring with great frequency. Then to strain through a muslin. Next add to this your shredded rind with the liquid in which it hath been boiled. To each pint allow of sugar Your sugar now to dissolve in your liquid before again it shall reach boiling point, then boil all for 30 minutes, or until your marmalade sets when tested in the usual manner. WEDNESDAY. —For eating with a plain steamed pudding, at our supper this night, do make with my own hand a pineapple sauce. The same very simple, being made of 1 gill of water, 1 gill of pineapple syrup, and loz. of sugar boiled together for five minutes. Into your sauce put a few pieces of pineapple; also to give it a dash of sherry an improvement. THURSDAY. —Expecting of Mistress Towne to drink a dish of tea with me, do make for our eating some cherry buns in this manner, that to rub 2oz. of butter into (}oz. of flour, to add thereto 2oz. of castor sugar and 2oz. of glace cherries cut into small pieces. Now to beat up 1 egg with a little new milk and to mix well, adding last of all a half teaspoonful of baking powder. Your cakes to be baked in greased pans, and on each half a cherry to be placed before baking. The time for baking seven minutes to ten, as you may judge needful. And so a batch of cakes not to shame you if these directions be faithfully followed and them eaten fresh. FRIDAY. —This forenoon do receive by the post, according to a promise given unto me yesterday, a very fine recipe for receding gums, from Mr. Pepys’s aunt Lettice. This same a mouth wash, tried by her to such good advantage that she would have others copy her. The way to mix it to get of tincture of orris root, 4oz. of essential oil of almonds, 1 drop, of otto of roses,

1 drop of salicylic acid, 4 grains and of proof spirits 2oz. The method of using this wash to add one teaspoonful to half a tumbler of water and to rinse the mouth twice a day. And so I hope some to benefit by using of it as hath Mr. Pepys’s aunt Lettice. SATURDAY. —For eating at our lunch upon the Lord’s Day do decide on a shepherd’s pie en casserole, this to make a pretty change from a hot joint, also to be more economic on this occasion when my engagements are like to make a store of cold meat to hang on hand. The way of it to remove the fat from 21b. of scrag of mutton and cut the meat into neat squares; to wash ilb. of bullock’s kidney and cut it into small pieces. Next place your meat and your kidney into your casserole with some diced onion, turnip and carrot spread among them, and cover with 1 pint of stock, when you may cook all with the lid on, for one hour. Then remove your lid and cover over with mashed potato, put tiny little bits of dripping on the top here and there, and brown in a hot oven until your dish hath a pleasing appearance. Then to your table steaming hot, still in your casserole. FRUIT CUSTARD WITH ORANGE WHIP Make a custard with the yolks of two eggs, a pint of milk, a teaspoonful of cornflour, and sugar to taste; when the custard is cool add two tablespoonsful of lemon and orange juice mixed. Pour into custard glasses and “top” with orange whip, made as follows: Whisk the whites of the two eggs to a froth, add a quarter of a cupful of castor sugar, and, gradually, beat in half a teacupful of orange juice, pouring in a little at a time until absorbed.

THE GIRL AT HOME

(By MRS. COURTNEY JAMES.) Now that so many girls are engaged in business occupations, one is sometimes apt to forget the fact that there are girls at home. But a little consideration of the families we know soon shows that there are a great many home-keeping daughters. Some of those girls are eating their hearts out. As it is always rather difficult for us to see what is under our nose I have the feeling tint some of those girls at home are suffering from a lack of understanding which fills them with a settled sense of discontent. This is partly due, in a way, to the l ’. conflict between the two generations. And it can be said, with truth, of some parents, that there are none s blind as those who won’t see. For example, consider the lot of a girl in her early twenties, the only daughter who lives at home in a comfortable middle-class household. Ever and again, she has made tentative suggestions that she shall do something outside the home. All her

suggestions have fallen on deaf ears. She is reminded that she is wanted at home.

In a sentimental sort of way, that is true enough.

Yet, the mother either does not see the way to make her daughter want to stay at home, or she sees how it could be done, and cannot bring herself to do it. RUNNING TO SEED All her life, the girl has been kept in a dependent position. It has been assumed, too, that she cannot do this, that and the other thing, and the time is at hand when she will believe it. The mother, perhaps, is an active, energetic woman, content in all housewifely matters. Her daughter has quite the average ability and intelligence, but she is running to seed. Of course, there is a way in which some of the girls, so placed, could be reconciled to their position. Were such a girl given the definite responsiblity of running the house every alternate week, she would at once feel necessary to life. To enable this to be done, demands a degree of self-effacement on the part of the mother of a grown-up daughter that is by no means common. The only alternative to this is to help the girl to find some occupation outside the home. A GREAT MISTAKE Parents do their children a great disservice when they distrust them. Everything possible should be done to foster self-reliance and a desire to accept responsibility. I wonder if the girls who earn their livings outside the home would find their occupations interesting if there was only a very distant chance of promotion, and if they never had the Will influenza come? Get Lancer influenza Cure and be prepared “Lancer” wards off the most severe attack. ,Price 2s. £1

opportunity of doing the work of someone higher up.

What would an actress become If she had never to do anything but understudying, without ever getting the chance to play the part which she knows so well? T imagine she would quit the stage from sheer boredom... Mothers may experience a feeling of monotony at times. But, at least, mother is in her own home; she is the mistress and not merely the assistant. That fact makes a good deal of difference. Give the stay-at-home daughter some variety in life, and homekeeping will be just as attractive an occupation as work outside. HOW TO HANG PICTURES By AN EXPERT The golden rule for picture hanging is never to hang anything where it cannot be inspected without undue effort. Every picture has its own light and shade, and if sufficient care is given to the light brought to bear uuon the picture, an added richness and charm is at once apparent. Etchings and black-and-white drawings show to their greatest advantage in a rather dull light; water colours are best inspected in a medium light; oil paintings