DOMESTIC REALM

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10312, 22 January 1927, Page 4

DOMESTIC REALM

Sj, "MARIE."

USEFUL TIPS. To Cook Ham. Baked Ilam.—The nicest way to cook ham is to bake it as ioilows: Soak ham tor about twelve hours; cut away any discolored parts, dry thoroughly. Make a crust of flour and water, and roll to a thickness between half an inch and one inch. Cover haru completely with this. There must be no breaks in the crust, and bake it in a moderate oven, allowing thirty minutes to every pound, and thirty minutes over. When dune, the crust will be dark brown. Remove crust and skin, ut sprinkle with fried bread crumbs. This method keeps the ham ■mist, and keeps the flavour in better than any other way. Boiled Ham.—(Weigh ham, cut oil any discolored parts, and soak in water for six hours. Put on in cold water, bring slowly to the boil, and simmer, allowing thirty minutes to every pound and thirty minutes over. Lift, drain, remove skin while hot, sprinkle with brown bread crumbs, decorate with cloves, and cover knuckle with frilled paper..

American Ways With the Melon. \\Tien selecting melons, remember that the better fruit is heavy in proportion to its size; and that the finer the interlacing of the netting on tiie riud of a niusknieioii, the finer the fruit. if possible, the melon should be placed on ice for twenty-four hours before using; this enhances its flavor and makes, it much more refreshing. Here is a simple but delicious way serving melon: Cut the fruit in vo and remove the seeds. Sprinkle lie inside of the pulp with orange • ••* and sugar and stand it in a cool place all night. Lemon may be used instead of the orange juice, or the melon may be stuffed with seeded grapes, or sliced pineapple peaches or bananas.

Take half a pound of sugar and boil it in a pint of water; when it becomes a syrup, add sections of melon and peach, and cook until they look dear ■ then add two teaspoonfuls of gelatine dissolved in water, boil all together for a minute, and turn the whole contents of the pan into a heated glass dish. Set aside until u- set. and serve with whipped cream puled on top. The flavor of this sweet may be improved by adding to the syrup a bag of cloves or a stick of ginger; but this must.be removed before the fruit is put in. Hints on Ironing. To iron starched articles quickly, damp them with very hot water, then roll them up tightly* wrap them in a dry towel, and place them in a warm oven while the irons are heating. The articles will be found damp all over when taken out. Stickiness in starched materials can be avoided by adding a few scraps of toilet soap to the starch, before putting in the articles to be starched. It is an economy to put a square of sheet iron or tin* over the gas jet and to place the irons on this. One small jet will then heat several irons at once, and the irons will not need so much cleaning us they would if the flame were in contact with them. An ordinary brick makes a capital stand for an iron. By absorbing some of the heat from the iron and retaining it, the brick prevents the iron cooling quickly. “When goffering articles of a delicate material and those likely to

rah, it is best to use an iron that lias been heated by being stood in a pan of boiling wated for five minutes. Articles made of different fabrics require to be ironed differently. Thus, the proper way to iron linen and cotton goods is to iron them on the right side to give a gloss on the wrong side to give Stiffness. Double parts, such as cuffs, collars, etc., should be ironed first on the wrong side and then on the right side. Laces and embroideries should be laid over a pad of flannel or blanket, md then pressed well,with a hot iron on the wrong side. Silks should be Ued up tightly in a dry towel while damp and ironed before they become dry.

Non-Slippery Floor Polish. The following recipe for a non-slip-pery floor polish will be found very good. Take squal parts of linseed oil, turpentine, vinegar and coach varnish, gjcfd mix together. Simply rub the ptjlish into the floors ; no polishing will be required.

Mending Lace Curtains Neatly. From an old curtain cut out a neatly shaped piece which will match the pattern surrounding the part to he mended. When ironing the curtain, dip the cutout piece in starch and iron it in position over the hole or tear. Tin's makes an excellent patch.

When Bottling Fruit. Fill the jars with fruit, then fill to over-flowing with syrup, screw lids on tightly while still hot. When cold, wipe over with a damp cloth, hut do not give the lids another screw, because the iuice will by this time have set and formed a seal, which will keep the bottle airtight. With tomatoes, done in salt and water, it is a good plan to go round the rubber ring, where the lid joins, with paraffin wax, ns there’s no syrup with them to form the seal.

Storage of Perishables. Cakes should bo stored in a tin havmrr a close-fitting lid. Bread is kept Cost- in an earthenware crock or in an enamelled bread nan with perforations in the lid. Biscuits will generally keep crisp if stored in the is in, which* they' are bought in quantities of from 2f-31b. In particularly damp places it is as well, to replace the ordinary biscuit barrels jf possible by one of the glass jars, provided with a lid in which there is an absorbent pad which takes up all the moisture in the jar. This is so effective that even soft biscuits will revive and he crisp- and fresh if left overnight' in it. The pad should be elided in the oven occasionally.

They’ll Last Longer If— You rinse your scrubbing brushes well in cold water after use, and put them out in the air to dry. You place pans and their lids on the rack, or in a cool oven to dry , even after wiping them out with a cloth. You peg damp floorcloths out on the line to dry, and do the same to your 1 dishcloths after use. You wipe out the pail with an absorbent cloth after use, and/, put it away upside down. You take caro never to let a broom or brush rest on its bristles. You “shampoo” all boot-brushes Well in- a hot lather once a month, rinsing in cold water and drying thoroughly afterwards. You use half a wooden clothes-peg or wedge-shaped piece of wood when scraping out saucepans. This won t chin or wear them like a knife.

You dry the rollers of your ringer thoroughly: bv passing a piece of blanket or' folded flannel through two or three times.

Household Hints

WHERE TO PLACE THE MIRROR* SOME NEW IDEAS. Some women hang their mirrors wherever there is a free bit of wait space, without giving a thought to what the glasses will reflect. Thus are wasted endless opportunities for creating beautiful and unusual efIf your drawing-room overlooks the garden, do remember that the best possible place for the long Ymrror is the wall immediately facing the French windows so that the glories of the garden will always be reflected in it. If you do not care for long wail mirrors, try the effect of treating ic glass just as if it were another window. Let the curtains hang to tut ground on either side, and add a i i or a shaped helmet at the top. 'lf Vou possess a semi-circular or oblong table, it is a good plan to hang a tall, slender mirror at the back of it, so that you get a duplicated effect and make the table loo* like a circular or square one. In the same way a plaque of a,las • at the back of a candle sconce gives the illusion of a second sconce m thewall, which appears to bo ho!loved out to receive it . . tins is quite an original device. . A charming idea for tne draw i ng room —though a costly one is to June the lower part of the wamscot made of mirror glass which will reflect the feet of the dancers when a partv is being given. Test are almost as important as faces nowadays why not reflect them?

ARE YOU A MODERN VENUS? THE TAP-MEASURE WILL TELL YOU! Facial beauty seems to be almost being passed by in the search for lovelv figures, and it often perturbs those who have been dieting and exercising. to know bow tar off perfection thev are. Well, let* us see what the anatomical experts tell us. Anatomical-experts says that the perfect woman should be from oit 3ins. to oft. 7ins. in height, and should weigh from 1251b5. to UOlbs. If a straight line were dropped from the end of her nose it should fall just one inch in front of her toot. Her hips should be the same width a> her shoulders: bust from 32 ins to 3t> ins; hips eight inches more than th.s; waist from 22ins to 2* ins. and neck and calf should measure the same. Now where do you comer