The Home.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 11, 28 May 1920, Page 12

The Home.

PICKI.ING ONIONS AND GHERKINS. To retain the while colour of onions when piclcled proceed as follows : — Pour hot water over the small onions to facilitnte the remova,l of their skins. As they are skinned, place tliem in strong brine. After tw,enty-four hours renew the brine aud repeat this operaation next day. On the following day ptc the onions in. i'resh water and heat them to the boilmg point stirring frequently. Milk added to the water helps to whiten the onions. Drain wcll, place tli3 onions in a jar and pour boiiing vinegar over them. No spices must be added if the white colour is to be retained. To retain the green colour of gherkins (small cucumbers) let them stand all night ih water, to which salt has been added. Drain off the water and roplace by vinegar, in which parsley has been s,teeped fv)r some days. The vinegar is boiled with one ounce of cloves, one ounce of allspice, and a picco of alum the size of a walnu t. The boiliijtg- vinegar is pouru ti over the gherkins, and tbe pickles covered with green cabbage leaves. Tbe addition of a few green peppers is a grcat improvement. To Clean Serge.— Damp the serge with a sponge and warm water. Then allow it to dry. Il' now it is well brushed with a soD, brush over which a little oil of olives h'is been dropped, the gloss is entirelv removed, and the serge presents a new appearance. 2 — Make a. solution of spirit of wine two paris, strong ammonia one part; lay the serge on a bare wood table, then ta ke a pieee of old serge or fkmnel, dip into the ammonia mixture, and apply to the dirty parts, rubbing vigorously. To remove tlie glossiness, try a teaspoonful of powdered nut-galls in a cupful of hot water, and apply to tbe serge as before. Seven M.ints for Scrubbing Floors. 1. — Always scrub the way of the grain of the wood. 2. — Have pleniv of clean warm water. 3. — Only scuib so far as the arm can reach at a time. Then wash and dry that part. 4. — Change the water as soon as i is dirty. 5. — Do not use more water than is necessary to clean the boards. 6. — When scrubbed, clean , rub the boards well with a clean. flannel wrung out of clean water, and then dry with a dry cloth, rubbing the way of the grain. 7. — After scrubbing, wash the brush immediately and hang up to dry, so as to liarden the hairs or fibre. % • — To Remove Mildew from Lace Curtains : 1.— Take 2oz of chloride of lime, pour on it one quart of perfectly boiiing water in an earthenware vessel, stirring till dissolved Then strain through a piece of muslin to reinove any himps that may remain, ad 1 three quarts of cold water, and steep tho curtains in it for 10 hours. Take out, rinse in cold water, and you will find every spot has disappeared. 2. — One ounce oxalic acid and one ounce of citric acid, j dissolved in a pirit of new milk. Rub spots j till they vanish. Wash at once. 3.— Four , ounces soft soap, 4oz. white powered starch, 2oz. common salt, juice of a lemon. Mi c all into a paste with sufficient water, and apply to spots with a sponge. Expose to the air 12 hours, rinse, and, if necessary, repeat operation. To Stain Floors.— Frist brush them over with a w.eak solution of glue aud water. When the iloor is quite dry, take two ounces of permanganate of potash and lissclve it in bait* a gallon of boiiing water. Brush this over the part to be stained. If the boards are not dark enough give a seccnd coat, and when perfectly dry polish witl beeswax and turpentine. To Preserve French Beans for Winter Usc. -In winter, when fresh, green vegetables are almost unpro.curable, we may be gla d to till bacx on tliose preserved by artifical means. French beans, may be stored as follows:-- Gather tbe pods Ihe c >ol of the day, wipe them with a clean cloth, and after pnttnig a layer of salt at the botfcom of a stone jar, place a layer of beans over. Then sprinkle in more salt. and continue tdl the jar is nearly iull. Fill up with water and tio down. The brine should be occasionally poured off and renewed. If the beans are taken out, waslied in cold watei and left to lie in it three or four hours before cooking, their flavour is little inferior to those just gathered from the garden. Plenty of salt must be used. Kitchen Hints. — How to bu rn vegetahle xefuse. All refuse of the kind ought to b© j

bumed promptly ; sanitation and economy both demand it. An easy method is to break cabbage leave3 into small pieces, also peelings and any other refuse. This done, lay it on paper, which roll up tight, and when the kitchen fire is not needed, place the packet sideways on the top of the coals at the back of the grate. The fkmes will scorch the paper, and it will look ahnost like coal. The contents will burn steadily and give out no disagreeable odour. Decaj-ed vegetable matter is a great menace to health at all times, ; more especially so in hot weather. What is more, it att-racts flies, v/hich, in their turn are a danger to health. Cheese Pie. — Pastry (any nice sort), I'lb milk, three-quarters of a pint; eggs, three; clieese (grated), 4oz ; salt, cayenne, nutmeg. Line a deep baking-tin all through with a thin lining of the pastry. Prick the bottom part over with a fork, to prevent it forming blisters. Beat "ihe eggs till a light froth. Mix these with all but a tablespoonful of the cheese, and add to them the milk. Season well, using nutmeg very cautiously — a few grains are sufficient for most people, and some dislike even this amount. Put the pastryImed tin in a sharp oven,and bake it until the pastry is just crisp. Now pour in the cheese custard. Put back again into a rather slow oven, and bake gently till the custard is set. Then dust the surface over with the remainder of the cheese, and serve hot. Cut out in neat portions as requiredKitchen (a Hindoo recipe). — Steep a quarter of a pound of dole or split peas for some hours. Take them, with half a pound of rice, and put them ir.to three pints of boiiing water; boil it till quite soft. Take a quarter of a pound of butter, slice two or three onions, brown them in ihe butter, take them out, mix the butter with the dole and rice, heat it, &nd when served thin the onions over it. Eggs a la Tripe. — Slice up three large onions, parboil and drain them, then finish cooking them in milk, very slightly ! salted. When done drain them on a sieve, and make a thick Bechamel sauce with the rnilk in which the onions have been boiled, and add one gill of thick cream. Season with salt, Cayenne pepper, a.nd grated nutmeg. Slice six hardboiled eggs and mix with the onions in the eauce, lightly stirring the whole on the fire with a wooden spoon. Place the eggs and onions on a dish surrounded by a border of sippets of toast, and decorate with a layer of ehopped parsley over the top and a few spots of anchovy essence, c^kI serve veiw hot. Cheese Puffs. — 6oz grated cheese, 4oz of flour, 2oz of butter, half a pint of water, 2 whole eggs and one yolk, salt, pepper and cayenne. Put the water and butter into a pan and let them boil fast; add the fiour, salt, pepper and cayenne gradually, and stir till it leaves the pan clean; then remove the pan from the fire, stir in the cheese and the egg yolk, beating well together, and add the other eggs one afc a time. Have some boiiing fat ready then. with two spoons which have been dipped in the fat, drop in small portion9 of the j cheese mixture and fry them light brown. I Drain well and servo on a folded napkim