THE LADIES’ WORLD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2685, 15 December 1909, Page 3

THE LADIES’ WORLD.

CHRISTMAS FARE.

To Boil a Ham.—Hams should bo placed in cold water and simmered gently, allowing a quarter of an hour to each pound. After the skin lias been removed; sprinkle plentifully with line raspings. The tlavdr will bo greatly improved if, after boiling, it is Avrapped in buttered paper and baked for an hour. Stuffing for Ducks.-—Chop finely an. onion, an apple and one ounce of sage leaA r es; add six ounces of breadcrumbs, one egg, pepper and salt. Mix together. and put into the duck. It is well to insert the stuffing some time before roasting; the flavor will then penetrate through the whole bird. (loose Stuffed Avith Potato.—Chop tAVo onions, parboil and drain, fry them in a little butter till golden broAvn, and mix Avith sufficient mashed potato (which should be highly seasoned) and fill the goose. Truss and roast the bird in the usual Avay, and serve Avith broAvn gravy and apple sauce. vSt&Aved Turkey Giblets.—Lay the giblets in warm" Avater till Aveli cleansed. Dry and cut them in pieces. Put these in a stewpan Avith 4 little bacon and about four ounces of beefsteak, cut in square pieces. Add tAA’o ounces of butter, and let all broAvn. Then dredge in some flour, add a small onion, a carrot, -a turnip,, all cut in slices, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Stew gently till tender, removing the pieces Avheii ready, the- liver and pinions Avill be ready first, and the gizzard last. Christmas Plum Pudding.—lngredients: £lb flour, £lb breadcrumbs, lib currants, lib sultanas, lib muscatels, lib beef suet, eight eggs, Ilb almonds, half a nutmeg, 6oz candied peel, -111) moist sugar, and half a teaspoonful of salt and mixed spice. Method: Clean the currants and sultanas by rubbing them on a seive, first dusting them With flour; this removes the stalks. Stone the muscatels, dipping the knife uoav and then in hot Avater. Blanch the almonds. These, with fruit and candied peel, may be put through a mincer. Put all the prepared dry ingredients into a large bowl, mix them thoroughly,' whisk the eggs and add them to the mixture. Bo sure to stir the pudding thoroughly, so that everything is Aveli incorporated, and, should it not be moist enough, a little milk mav bo added; but it is better to haA'e it too dry than too moist. Well grease a mould or basin Avith fresh" butter, fill it Avith the pudding; Avring a puddingcloth out in hot Avater dust Avith flour, and tie it tightly l over it. Place the pudding in boiling water, and bofl for eight hours, and if not required the same day boil another two hours before serving. > . THE LATEST BLOUSES. All prophecies to the contrary notwithstanding the blouse still goes triumphant on its Avay, and although in most cases it takes upon itself the same color exactly as that AA'hieh is seen in the skirt with which it is worn, there are times and seasons when blouses in ecru spotted net and in ivory-white crochet lace, as aa"c*ll as in cream soft silk and satin will be permissible, AA-orn Avith coats and.skirts in contrasting shade. Some of the most becoming of the ucav blouses are arranged, with a number of tucks hair ail inch in width, running in long lines from throat to waist, but-placed horizontally on the sleeA'es. These net blouses are sometimes finished with a box-pleat doAvn the centre of the front where they are seouredt by pearl buttons. In other cases they fasten over on one side, so that the buttons) are concealed by a fully-pleated frill of hem-stitched net. Wide tucks form a favorite trimming just nq\y for various blouses of the simpler kind, and they are equally effective in soft satin and erepe-de-chine. Blouses in net and lace, dyed to match the skirts in Avhose company they Will be seen. will still he A r erv much Avorn, and will look particularly pretty in the new French nets with large AvoA-en silk spots, trimmed either with Cluny or Alencon la*c. BABY’S CARRIAGE. Gone is the heavy, old-fashioned “pram,” which tired out the unfortunate nurse-maid. Undoubtedly the light mail-cart is on inprovement upon the heavier velrc ! e, the only draAvback being a most uncomfortable attitude for baby, if be falls asleep. HoweA-er, this can be remedied by judicious use of a firm, though soft, cushion. Still, it l* <s need careful placing and arrangement-. But of all the abominations ever invented by the “cheap and nasty” style of noA’elties, the open little oh i;r, pushed in front of air, wind, sun or dust —is quite the worst, dnd most to be condemned. • ‘ . ' The poor little occupant faces, all the sand and dust. There is no help for it. Sun blazes into eyes which can only ,be of infant strength as j-eri He learn to 'frown and sereAV up liis pretty little baby face, contorting the soft muscles"..: /If - ho Talls-asleepyrit is •'-with-' the frown still upon him. No shelter, no comfort; poor little sufferer to a cheap fashion. If he is placed facing his nurse. v.iUi his. back to the cutting Avind, blazing sun, and cloud of summer dust, the child enjoys his ride; and, by facing his nurse, he. is interested and amused by her'companionship. Also, she and he can hold conversations suited te )iis babv comprehensions.. ; The miserable little victims seen - every summer —and often in much colder and more wretched weather—--make one Avonder if an application to 'the S.P.W.C. could, he made Avith any hope of success! SWIMMING AS EXERCISE FORGIRLS. A Avetl-kniOAvn lady writer recoin-, mends sAvimming as the best exercise for girls. Girls aailio swim feel that there is no such Avay of loosening the joints It makes them /supple and graceful, Avhile it gives an added selfconfidence /Avhicli nothing else will impart in. the same, degree. Outside the enjoyment of being in the water and the exhilaration of the sport, the swimfner feels a sense of rejuvenation. that no "other exercise seems to:giye. Swuuming sometimes reduces the figure, and, again, it fills out the hollmvs which exist. The girl Avho Avoukl like to get rid of superfluous breadth ,ot hip should try SAvimming. A few weeks of constant exercise .of this kind., will make the fat seem to melt visibly, and it will not return "as soon as she abandons the Avater sport for more conventional pleasures in town. It may be that the flesh is hardened by the exercise and does not- soften up, • put} whatever the explanation may be it'is a positive fact that sAvimming is one of the quickest and most satisfactory reducers known. Not many young girls need to worry about superfluous flesh, hut when fashions are so eccentric and insist on" unusual slimness there are 'times, says the-writer,-when-it is an advantage to know of some simple and Avholesome method of reducing.