Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 5, 4 February 1925, Page 59

Domestic

By" Maureen

Spanish Tea Cake. ~ Half pound fine flour, a teaspoonful of baking powder, 2oz butter, a dessertspoonful of castor sugar, a little powdered cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, $ pint luke-warm milk. Mix the dry ingredient, and rub into them the butter, mix into a dough with the milk. Make into rings, place in a baking sheet, brush over with egg or milk, and bake in a hot oven. Serve hot. Spice Cakes. Three-quarters pound flour, \ teaspoonful of mixed spice, 4|oz dripping, 3oz brown sugar, 1 teaspoonful of baking powder, sufficient milk ,to moisten. Shred the dripping and add to the flour, which previously sift, and mix with the baking powder. Add the other ingredients and mix with the milk. Bake in small cakes in a moderate oven. To any cake made with dripping instead of butter, add a small pinch of . ground ginger. Apple Pasties. Peel and bake some apples; when cold free the pulp from cores, add sufficient sugar to sweeten and a little grated lemon-peel. Make some nice short crust, lay the apple on a square of paste, and fold- it over so as to make a three-corner puff. Bake in a sharp oven for twenty minutes. Sift white sugar over before sending to table. Tomato Omelette. i.iJ One pound of tomatoes baked, \ cupful of breadcrumbs, 3 eggs, t an ounce of butter,. ;pepper and salt. Pulp the tomatoes, beat the eggs and mix with the crumbs, and add the*seasoning. Melt the butter in a shallow j dish, pour in the mixture, and bake half an ■ hour. Toss on a hot dish, and serve. French Rice Pudding. ]■[ Quarter pound of ground rice, 2 cupsful of milk, 2 tablespoonsful of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of butter, 2 tablespoonsful of sultanas, J teaspoonful of vanilla extract. Boil the milk slowly, sprinkle in ground rice, boil till thick, about six minutes. Remove and add sugar and butter. Mix well, cool a little, add eggs (well beaten), extract, and raisins, stirring them into the mixture, But- • ter a pudding mould, pour in the pudding. ' ' Bake for one hour in a moderate oven. Serve with lemon sauce. The Value of Fruit and Vegetables, hi Mother Nature is not only kind, but wise. ■ She clothes her produce in attractive colors that which is best for her children, so that they may insensibly be drawn to feed upon it. What about the gold of an orange? We [ now know, through the discoveries of science, that the citrous fruits, such as orange, lemon, i and grape-fruit, are more valuable preventives . against scurvy than any other food. iSfifence it is that thousands of- babies by the vtbne they are nine"■ months bid enjoy the juv-o of a whole orange every day, and would ask for more if they could ! Is there anything more alluring than a i rosy-cheeked apple? And it is the best of food for providing the j needed vegetable salts to growing children,

as well as for mechanically cleaning their teeth at the end of a meal. Must we not be lenient, therefore, towards the “gamin” who raids our apple orchard and believe that he is impelled to action by a latent health conscience ? The brilliant coloring of the tomato is a joy, and lures us to feast upon it—fortunately so, for it contains the three best-known vitamines without which none of us can keep healthy. Instances could be multiplied indefinitely of the purposive attractiveness of food. Mother Nature is not only wise but kind, we have said, because she produces in greatest profusion those fruits and vegetables that are most necessary for our health. The very fruits we have already mentioned, oranges and apples, are the most abundant, and therefore the cheapest. Cabbage is the most easily grown and the cheapest vegetable; it is also among the best from the point of view of food. Carrots are plentiful and valuable, What about the abundance, cheapness, and value of the potato? Science is more and more proving that our trust in Mother Nature is not misplaced when we trust her artistry and her liberality. HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Pickles are more crisp if a piece of alum is added to the vinegar used .for pickling. To avoid the flat taste peculiar to boiled water, pour it several times from one jug to another. When mixing blacklead, use turpentine instead of water, and your stoves will polish quickly and easily. A tablespoonful of ammonia added to hot water will remove grease from hair-brushes and combs, A sliced banana added to the white of an egg and beaten stiff makes an excellent substitute for whipped cream. Borax will remove fur from kettles. Place two teaspoonsful in a kettle of hot water and boil for fifteen minutes. Then rinse well.