Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 11 May 1911, Page 881

Domestic

8 y MAUREEN

Household Hints. - A cut lemon may be kept fresh for a long time by laying it on a piece of waxed paper, cut side down, and folding the paper over in such a way as to exclude the air. tW'/' v v A few drops of vinegar rubbed into the hands after washing clothes will keep them smooth, and take away .the spongy feeling that they often have after being in water a long time. If you can bear the heat of the poultice on the back of your hand, it can be safely applied to the patient without fear of burning; and if olive-oil.is added to the linseed poultice while mixing it, it will greatly increase its curative powers. If 'salt, instead of tea leaves, be used to clean a carpet, it will be found a great improvement. It not only will have-the effect of brightening it, but will not injure the most delicate carpet or felt. It also keeps the dust down, and prevents moths from destroying it. To keep your doorsteps . and brasses nice in frosty weather, add to every pailful of water used in washing doorsteps one cupful of methylated spirits, and the steps will be as dry as on the finest summer day instead of becoming a sheet of ice, as is usually the case. . Lunch Cake. Mix together four ounces of butter or lard, four ounces of ground rice, four ounces of sultanas, half a pound of flour, one whole egg, two ounces of sugar, a teaspoonful of baking powder, and sufficient milk to moisten it nicely. Bake in a buttered tin from thirty to forty-five minutes Serve plain, dusted with sugar. ' Seed Cake. Take four ounces of butter, four ounces of lard, one ounce of sugar, one and three-quarter pounds of flour, four ounces of lemon peel, half a pint of milk, four large eggs, half an ounce of carraway seeds, half an ounce of baking powder, and a little essence of lemon. Work the butter and sugar to a cream, then add the eggs one .by one, and when the eggs are well mixed with the butter and sugar, stir in all the ingredients. Tomatoes Pickled. For this purpose the small round sort are the best, and each one should be pricked with a fork, to allow some of the juice to escape. Put them into a deep earthen vessel, sprinkle salt between each layer, and leave them for three days covered; then wash off the salt, and cover with a pickle of cold vinegar, to which add the juice, mixed with a handful of mustard seed, and an ounce of each of cloves and white pepper for every peck of tomatoes. ' ' Treacle Pudding. lake a pound and a half of flour and mix with it a good teaspoon lul of carbonate of soda, chop Boz of mutton suet very finely, and mix well with the flour, not forgetting half a teaspoonful of spice and the same quantity of salt. When making the pudding, warm up three-quarters or 11b of ti eacle slightly and work it into the flour, adding enough water to make the whole into a light dough. Tie in a floured cloth, leaving room for the pudding to swell. Plunge into a saucepan of fast-boiling water and cook for three hours. Take care that the pudding is well covered with water, and when serving do not use a knife, but pull the, pieces apart with a fork. A Cheap Disinfectant. Catholic acid is an excellent and cheap disinfectant. A solution of it should be poured down all sinks and drains once every week or fortnight during hot weather. To make this solution allow 10ox of liquid carbolic to 3 gallons of cold water. Use about i a pint for each pipe, and bottle the remainder for use as required. Label each bottle containing carbolic acid ‘ Poison,’ and adopt this plan with all poisons. In fact, it is a good plan never to keep liquid poisons in anything except the distinctive bottles used by chemists for the purpose. These denote by their ‘ feel’ that the contents are dangerous. A Cloth-cleaning Recipe. The following simple formula is given by the Society of Arts for cleaning fabrics without changing their color Grate raw potatoes over clear water, in. the proportion of two fair-sized potatoes to a pint. When the last bit of fine pulp has dropped into the water, strain the mixture through a coarse sieve into another vessel holding the same amount of clear water,., and let the second liquid stand till thoroughly settled. Pour off .the clearer part to be kept for use. Rub or sponge the soiled fabrics with the potato water, wash in clean water, dry, and iron. The thick sediment can be kept and used for cleaning thick materials like carpets and heavy cloth. ’