LADIES' COLUMN.

Waikato Argus, Volume VII, Issue 532, 23 December 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

A WOMAN It) IMITATE. A woman of tact is one who is courtoous under nil oircumstanoea and in every condition in which he may bo placed. ho is the womiin who can rcc.'ive the unwebotne guest with a smile s<> bright and a handshake 80 cordial thut in trying to make the welcome seem real it becomes so. A woman of tact is one whose love for humanity is second only to her life's devotion and whoso watchword is unselfishness. RESPECT (sOODNESP. Happinen* or misery is in the mind It is the mind that lives; and the length of life ought to he measured by the number and importance of our ideas, and not by the number of our days. Never, therefore, esteem men merely on account of their riches or their station. Ri spect gooduess, find it where you may. Honour talent, wherever you behold it unassociated with vice, but honour it most when accompanied with exertions, and especially when exerted in the cause of truth and justice, and, above all things, hold in honour when it stops forward to protect defenceless innocence against the attacks of powerful guilt. CHRISTMAS FARE. To Bcil A Ham.—lf it is very dry and Balt let it remain in soak for z 4 hours changing the water two or three times, but the bam Bhould be so fresh and lightly salted as to require no soaking. Wash it thoroughly clean and trim away from the under side all the rusty and smoked parts that would spoil the appearance. Scaape the skin as clean as possible, and put it to cook in a boiling-pot with sufficient cold water to cover it; bring it gradually to the boil and as the scum rises, carefully remove it. Put half a dozen cloves and a piece of sweet red pepper into the water and simmer very gently until tender. Be careful that the pot does not stop boiling, nor boil too quickly. When done take it out of the pot, remove the skin, brush over with beatou egg, dust with finely sifted cracker crutnb*, and put into a hot oven until nicely browned. If to be eaten cold let the ham remain in the water in which it was boiled until nearly cold, by this method the juices are kept in, and a ham so treated will be found infinitely superior to one taken out of the water hot;' it should not, however, remain in the kettle all night. If you wish the ham to be particularly nice, glaze if. Cirnish with parsley. French Jellii-s. —Soak loz of Nelson's gelatine in one-third of a piut (threefourths of a large teaonp) of oold water for two or three hours, then mix in a saucepan 2 lb. of white sugar with one cup of boiling water. Add to this the gelatine already soaked, and boil together after it comes to the boil for 20 minutes, stirring the mixture all the time. Mix together one large teaspoonful of vanilla flavouring and the same quantity of essence of lemon, and add very gradually the mixture. (This quantity will fill two soup plates.) Dip a soup plate or piedish in cold water, and when it is wet pour in half the mixture. Colour the remainder with coohineal, and pour into a senoni dirth which has been dipped into cold water. Let it remain for 24 hours, to set. Then cut it into strips about an inch wide, and again into squares. Roll the pieces in ioing sugar, and leave them to harden. Christmas Pudding. muscatel raisins, lflb currants, lib of sultana raisius, 21b of the finest moist sugar, 21b of bread crumbs, 16 eggs, 21b finely chopped suot, Goz of mixed candied peel, the rind of two lemons, loz of ground nutmeg, loz of ground cinnamon, \ox of powdered bitter almonds, \ pint of brandy. Stone and cat up the raisins, but do not chop them ; wash and dry the currants, cut the oandied peel into very thin slices. Mix these ingredient* with the bread crumbs, sugar and spice thoroughly well. Beat the eggs well and strain, add the brandy, and pour over all the mixture; stir till all is thoroughly mixed; butter and flour a pudding cloth (stout or new), put in the pudding, tie down very tightly, and boil for six to eight hours; or, if preferred, butter two or three moulds and fill in the mixture, boiling as above. Servo with brandy sauce. A few almonds blanched and cut in strips and stuck into the pudding improve the appearance. Maids op Honour Cheesecakes.— One quart of new milk, two desertspoonfuls prepared rennet, two whole egsrs, or four yolks, 2|oz of castor sugar, {lb cur. rants well washed and dried, a teacupful thick cream, a wineglassful brandy, gratsd nutmeg, pastry. Warm the milk, stir in the rennet, and leave in a warm room till the ourd is quite firm. Drain it from the whey, put into a basin, and mix in the rest,of the ingredients, leaving the brandy till last. Line some patty-pans with good pastry, three parts fill with the mixture, and bake in a quick oven from 20 to 30 minutes. If large, the cheesecakes may take a little longer to bake. They should be a delicate brown on the top. This quantity will make from 20 to 2 dozen cheesecakes. Baked Turkey.—Let the turkey be picked, singed, washed, and wiped inside and out. Joint only to the first joints in the leg ; out a dozen small gashes in the fleshy part of the turkey, and press one whole oyster in each gash; then close the skin and flesh over oaoh oyster as lightly at possible; stuff the turkey, leaving a little room for it to swell. When stuffed Bew it up tightly, rub over lightly with flour, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it, put somo water in your dripping pan, put in the turkey, baste it fiequently with its own dripping, bako a nico brown, thicken the gravy with a little flour and water, put on a hot dish and serve. Be sure and keep the bottom of the dripping pan coveied with water, or it will burn the gravy, and make it bitter. The stuffing is made as follows: 2oz of ham, £lb suet, rind of half a lemon, one teiipoonful minced Jparsley, one teaspoonful ot mixed herbs, add cayenne, and pounded mace to taste, 6oz bread crumbs, two eggs. Shred the ham, chop the sifet, lemon rind, and herbs, taking care it is finely minced, add a seasoning of salt, cayenne and mace, and blended thoroughly with the breadcrumbs, strain tho eggs, and mix with the other ingredients. Cream that will eat like Ice.—One tablespoonful of strawberry jam, ono tableapoonful of raspberry jam, two tablespoonsful of red currant jelly. Rub it all through a sieve with as much cream as will fill a pint china mould. Dissolve three-quarters pi an ounce of isinglass in half a pint bf water. When strained and almost cold, mix it well with tho cream, pour it into a china mould (tin will spoil the colour), and turn out the next day. Tipsy Cake.—Pour a pint of white wine over a stale sponge cake, let it stand till thoroughly moistened. Blanch and cat into strips half an ounco of sweet almonds, stick them all over the cake; lay round it some ratifias. Pour over the whole a custard (whioh must be porfectly cold) made as follows:—Boil a pint of new milk with a bay leaf, a bit of cinnamon and white sugar to ta6te. Mix a tablespoonful of ground rice in a tea-cupful of cold milk; boat in the yolka of three eggs ; gradually mix it with tho boiling milk ; strain it and stir over a clear fire till thick ; it must not boil; when cold, add two tablospoonßful of brandy, and pour over tho cake. Roast Goose.—Pluck the goose very carefully, singe and draw it. The skin of the neck must be loft long onough to turn over the back ; the feet must be cut off, also tho first joint of tro pinions, and tho bird trussed by pressing the legs high up, and putting the wings htraight by the sides, and passing the/ skewers first through tho wing, and then through the leg and body of tho goose. A hole must be made in the skin sufficiently large to put the rump through, thus securing the stuffing, wbich is prepared as follows:

Boil four large onions in water, with a piece of soda the size of a hazel-nut, for a quarter of an hour ; pour off the water, put some water to tho onions, boil hem for tbreo quarters of an hour ; take out the onions and chop them up with ten gage-leaves, loz butter, and {lb breadcrumbs, seasoned with pepper and siit. Put the goose down to a brisk fire, and keep it well basted ; roast from two and a half to three hours, according to size, and servo with apple-sauce and iiVA vy