The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-07
HINTS FOR THE HOME.
red for the Indianapolis journal.

Prepared for the Indianapolis Journal
A favorite method with writer's who are am
bilious to reform" something in household
affairs is to describe the skillful, not to say
crafty, manner in which a young wife cures her
husband of fondness for Objectionable dishes
Objectionable to her-by preparing for him such
toothsome, though simple" food of other sorts,
that he is insensibly weaned away from the flesh
pots to which. he has been addicted, and led to
plain living, and. of course high thinking The
new magazine, devoted exclusively to domestic
matters. evidently approves of this species of
wife, since the virtues of one of them
Is set forth in the first number.
This young woman does not approve
of pies and buildings, frowns upon
coffee, tolerates occasional beefsteak, but, on
the whole looks with little favor upon meats of
any kind, and feeds hungry, hearty John upon
mushes, vegetables, urcooked fruits and milk
until the sympathetic reader is moved by wish
to take the poor fellow out and give him an old
fashioned square NEAL"
This singular notion that brain and Drawn
can be cultivated by diet which fails to include
the time-honored substantials of beef and bacon,
or only admits them grudgingly in the shape of
broths and soups of varying degrees of thinness,
has another ILLUSTRATION in the recipes for cook
cry given out by professed teachers of the art
tomato SOUP" composed of quart
OF canned tomatoes brought to a proper
consistency by the addition of milk
is a recent contribution of one of these distin
guished artists to the household column of a
leading journal. The prominence given to
merlngues, Syllabus, tasteless gelatine jellies
and other knick- knacks. to the exclusion of d.
rectlons for roasting, broiling and baking, ind-
Gates not that the latter processes are well
understand, but that the former are Of more
Importance in the eyes of the cooks. 1t is all a
mistake. What the average man and woman
want for steady diet is beef, mutton, bread and
potatoes and not ornamental fare and curious
compounds with little than their elusive favors
to recommend them. They want these staples
well cooked, and when the professors of the
culinary art have effected an improvement on
the prevailing way of preparing them then may
they turn to lighter and airier trifes of the
table, and have no discredit cast upon them.
A new amusement for amateurs is the model
ing of famous ruins in cork. Tho cork is cut
similarly to the means employed for wood We.
neers, its porous texture initiating rough walls
and decayed masonry very effectively.
For finishing the edges of bracket or shelf
lambrequin, there is nothing newer or prettier
than the imitation coins used They are
very snowy, the imitation eagles sewed very
thlckly on the edge of plush lambrequin is es-
peclally handsome, as are the golden crescents
beautiful bedspread is made of old gold
satin stripes, alternating with deep maroon vel
vet In one Of the satin stripes is embroidered a
mop vine; in the other, scarlet peoples and lotus
blossoms and fruit are arranged tremendously,
while the center stripe has the legend, "Sleep
knits up the raveled sleeve of care"
The way to boil asparagus is to cut the stalks
of exactly equal lengths and place them, ends
upward, In deep saucepan Nearly two inches
OF the heads should be out of the water-the
steam sCflclng to cook them, they form the
tenderest part of the plant; while the hard stalky
part is rendered soft and succulent by the longer
boiling which this plan permits.
The awning cloths in foreign stripes make
very useful and artistic looking inside curtains
the bold bars of red, yellow and brown on the
gray ground giving vivid color to an interior
and hanging well in straight folds drawn by cur
tain rings, without looping. A sample packet
of these cloths, with their brilliant, broken
stripes, at once reveals their possibilities in the
way of fancy work and decoration.
A nice shoe bag is made of chintz or cretonne,
about three fourths of yard long ard little less
than half yard wide, two rows of cretonne as
wide as desired are then tackled on this founda-
tion in four box plaits each, between each plat
is stitched stripe of red or blue worSted braid,
and the whole is bound with the same These
may be tackled on closet wardrobe doors, and
are found very convenient when one is limited
for closet room.
Silk Japanese lanterns are used as lamp shades
screening the light with a glow like stained
glass, the tight-stretched gauze being dyed in
broad, vivid color, with peach bough or n.y.
for 1iyhf A,oo
silk Chinese transparencies are adopted in Bos-
ton as window shades, two narrow lengths hid
ing the sash and giving plenty of soft light
The effect is very pretty, patterns being chosen
to harmonic, as pink and white almond
branch in flower on one piece, and pale purple
wisteria vine at its side.
A very pretty fancy at present is the making
of bags of silk handkerchiefs with bright coored
borders. The handkerchief is first trimmed
around all four sides with white lace about two
and half inches wide. A place for drawing
string is then made in a complete circle in the
handkerchief, leaving about three inches of the
border exclusive Of the Lace to fall over the out
side, the circle forming the bag part. After the
drawing string or elastic IS put in, finish with
long loops of ribbon about an inch wide The
bags are very handsome and are also useful.
A wholesome dish for dessert is made by soak.
ing half pint of tapioca all night in little
more than half pint of cold water Put a
thick layer of canned peaches in the bottom of a
pudding dish. leaving out the syrup; sprinkle
sugar over the peaches, and then put into the
oven to become hot; add half pint Of the peach
syrup to the tapioca. half teacupful of sugar
and as much water as is needed to thin the
tapioca let this boil until il is perfectly clear,
then pour over the peaches and bake for half an
hour When cold, serve with sugar and cream.
A pretty scent sachet is made of piece Of
bristol board about twelve inches long and eight
wide; in the center of this is pasted q little fat
cushion about eight inches long and four wide:
this is covered with pink satin. A pretty deco
ration for this is the figure of milk maid
painted upon it; then put spray of flowers on
the card, beginning at the bottom and letting it
come up the sides of the card. and around it so
that the spray shall end over the milk maids
head on the satin. This may be hung on the
wall beside the toilet table aud dispense sweet
ness through the room.
Mead and sarsaparilla are pleasant summer
drinks The first is made as follows: To twelve
gallons of water, the whites of six eggs, well
beaten, add twenty pounds of honey. Let this
hoil an hour then add cinnamon oinoar cloyae