The Osceola times., 1881-01-15
HOME TOPICS.
Furnishing a Home e-Domestio Recipes
FrRSIsluyG A HOUSE.

Furnishing Home Domestic Recipes.
FURNISHING A HOUSE.
If you wish to have your surroundings
make good impression, with economy,
there is but one short and easy rule to
follow: Bay every thing of the simplest
sort: get YOU. stone china of the plainest
shapes. eschcw acorn tops for your sugar
bowl. and scroll handles for your tureens.
and figured borders for plates. Get
straight-leggcd chairs, with rs little
molding rs the makers allow, buy your
carpets and lounges of small and modest
iigurings, don't get that vivid crimson
carpet because it ''looks warm" or you
"have an eve for color" or that red and
white. or the green and white panel pat
tern because it is the last out. Take the
oldest, cheapest thing in the shop if II is
in taste and will look well with the rest
of your belongings. So many old styles
are coming up again that yours viii have
a chance of being modish any day, and
if they suit each other, they will please,
in spite of the style Of your immediate
neighborhood, which may be the rem
nants of a city dealers stock, out Of date
three years ago. Have plain beyels to
the woodwork of your house, instead of
headings and groovings which only hold
the dust and swell the carpenters bill.
But insist on deep window w-seats and low
baseboards and don't allow any grained
paint about your house. Plain paint,
well vanished, looks better and keeps
nice longer and doesn't always repeat
"I'm sham, I'm sham," like the pre-
tended oak and walnut. Buy a second
hand, third hand, restore, paint and glue
things yourself, and don't be afraid of
honest hand-fnished pine, without either
paint or varnish. The prctticst effects
in summer houses are gained from yel-
low Georgia pine, and the white pine,
finished with clear shellac. The sim
plest forms prevail in some of the new
furniture. An expensive oak dining
table of newest pattern is square, with
turned corners, and support which is Il
square pillar with braces, plain as the
ridest Saxon could desire, but beautiful
in its clear wood, sand-papered and hand
finished TO almost marble smoothncss.
Such table sells for $50 at the most
fashionable makers in the city. A set of
chairs with straight turned maple up
rights and legs, with basket seats of the
old pilgrim fashion, cushioned with
Monte cloth and fringed and furbelowed
are pretty enough for any sitting-room
and such simple, original pieces give an
air of taste and research to a room worth
any mere fashion.-TOledo B'dde.
DOMESTIC RECIPES.
BRAN or oat meal will soften hard
water. The bran should be sewn in a
muslin bag and kept in the water ali
night The oat meal should be treated
as follows: Put two table-spoonfuls in
saucepan and pour a quantity Of hot
water upon it and boil it quarter of an
hour; strain and mix with the water as
needed.
SNOWFALL PUDDrNG.-Take large mel
low apple, pare and remove the cores,
leaving the apple entire. Enclose each
one in a cloth spread with boiled rice,
and boil them one hour. Dip them in
cold water for an instant when they are
ready to be turned out, in order that the
rice may be free from the cloth when it
is removed Eat with cream and sugar.
PICKLED SWEET APPLEs.-To half peck
of sweet apples, peeled and cut in halves,
make syrup Of pounds of sugar and
pint Of vinegar. Boil the apples in this
until tender; then remove them and
make new syrup of =! pounds of sugar
and pint of vinegar. Add teaspoon
full Of cloves and of cinnamon, tied in a
bag. Let the syrup boil - or 20 min
utes; then pour it, while hot, over the
fruit.
MfNCE PEA subscriber" requests us
TO give a recipe for making good mincc
pies, Try the following; Take lean beef,
boiled, . pounds; beef suet, pound; 40
pies, pounds; seeded raisins, pounds;
citron 81 pounds; pounded mace; table
spoonfuls; pounded cinnamon, > tablespoon
fuls; nutmeg, grated, |; cloves and all.
spice, tablespoonful EACH brown sugar,
u pounds; sherry, | quart; brandy,
pint Wash the currants and rasins
and pick them out carefully; pare the
cores of the apples; mince these, together
with the beef of suet separately, and
mix all together thoroughly before add
ing the sherry and brandy. Mince pies
should have very light crust both top
and bottom, and be well baked Eat
either hot or cold, with sugar sifted over
the top.