Household.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1607, 21 October 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

Household.

When the Kitchen Club met at Hillside, last week, nearly every member was suffering from a cold in some form or other. Sneezing was the order of the day ; coughing was a frequent accompaniment to the conversation. I gave for the latter a recipe from Mrs. Hendersons cook book, that has proved of great use. It was elecampane, one ounce; spikenard, once ounce ; comfrey root, one ounce ; hoarnound tops, one ounce ; add two quarts of water, and stoop them five hours in a porcelain vessel, adding enough boiling water, as it boils away, to keep the vessel full as at first. At the end of this time, strain ; add a pound of loaf sugar, and boil till reduced to one quart. Give a dessert spoonful befoie each meal and before retiring. Keep in a cool place, or add a little spirits to prevent spoiling. One lady remarked she thought it a pity the herb teas of our grandmothers' time were so little thought of now, and another asked the doctor's wife how besL to tempt an invalid who refused to cat. The doctor's clever helpmeet smiled, and said : " Now no one is to bo offended, or suppose anything personal is meant, if I answer this question. In the iiist place, never ask a patient will ho have this or that. Cook a small quantity and try. Place it on the daintiest of dishey so as to suiprise the sick person into noticing its tasteful ariangement. Let it bo served promptly, and not too much ; also be sure to have it hot or cold, never lukewarm. There is nothing more difficult to make and serve nicely than beef tea, and few invalids care for it after one tiial. Yet it is so nouiishing we cannot afford to ignore it, as it can bo given by the spoonful at regular intervals to weak patients, and so becomes almost a medicine. A good recipe is the following : Cut a pound of perfectly lean beef into small pieces, put them into a widemouthed pickle bottle, cork tightly, and place in a pot of cold w ater, in the bottom of winch a saucer or plate has been placed. Apply heat gradually, and let it boil slowly for two or thiee hours, when the juice can be poured off and carefully seasoned. Never leave food in a sick room after the meal is over, and be sure that everything is fresh, and seasoned properly. Oatmeal porridge (not gruel, but of thicker consistency), is often relished by a convalescent, and stands first in nutritive powers. Always remember, in making up any of the grain's, that the water must boil and be salted before stirring in the meal, otherwise it becomes a waxy paste. Rice-water and rice jelly, nicely flavored, are invaluable in summer disorders, as are many of the prepared foods."

HINTS. Boillid wheat flour or bran is far better than soap for washing delicate calico and muslin. Make a paste of whiting and water, and use instead of soap upon nice paint. Eub on with a flannel cloth and rinse off with tepid water and a clean cloth. A paste of whiting and vinegar is excellent for cleaning tin-ware, nickel-plating, etc. Old-fashioned mirrors that have been storal in some out-of-the-way place on account of their tarnished gilt or painted wooden frames, are now prettily framed in cretonne, woolen stuffs, plush, or velvet, to match the furniture or carpets of the room in which they are to be placed. The material may be tacked on plain or fulled, forming a puff around the glass. Bkixg unable to get the desired effect from the use of fine salt, I used fine sand and soapine, which made the griddle as smooth as new. Sapolio soap would do as well. BoTTiutMiLK Bread. — One even teaspoonful of English soda sifted in one quart of flour. After rubbing in butter and salt add one pint of sour buttermilk, slowly stirring all the while, adding flour to keep the mixture dry. Knead and bake in a hot oven immediately. You must use your own judgement about soda for the milk, but after a little practice you will never have yellow bread. Fkieb Cakes.— One cup of buttermilk, one cup of sour cream, one cup of sugar, one egg, one teaspoon of saleratus. Cookies. — Two cups of sugar, one cup of sour cream, a piece of butter the size of a hen's egg, a little salt, one egg, one teaspoon of .saleratus. Hakd-tack — One cup of sugar, one-and-a-half cup of molasses, one egg, one tablespoon of vinegar, one teaspoon of ginger, one teaspoon of saleratus, six cups of flour.