Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1885-06-26
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

The grated rind and the juice of an
orange add much to the flavor OF GIN
ger cake.
Burnt lumber, with little VenG4
red mixed with porter, makes a
oak stain. I'm
Flat fish. as rule. keep better III
round: they should be chosen ~
their thickness rather than for theH
0ize.
Velveteen makes very handsome
table scarfs. 1t may be embroidered
in the same way as velvet ard may bv-
lined with sateen.
Brass, when corroded and black.
ened, may be cleaned with rot
ten-stone, moisteded with oxalic
acid and water; polish with whiting
or silicon.
A sure test for eggs is the following:
Dissolve one ounce of salt in ten ounces
of water and put the eggs in.
Good eggs will sink and bad ones will
iloa
Vegetables, when fresh, are crisp.
Cucumbers must be perfectly firm and
stiff. Celery breaks of clean when
fresh; if it is stringy it has been kept
too long.
In choosing mutton or veal from the
carcass the quality may be determined
from the fat inside the thigh. II there
be plenty of clear, firm fat there, the
meat is good.
A few drops of ammonia will be
eflectual in removing grease from the
dishpan, and it is good plan once in
u while to add little to the water used
TO cleanse the sink.
While it is conceded by most cooks
that winter squash is best when baked,
it is always necessary to use judgment
about il, for if the squash is very
dry II is rendered almost tasteless
by cooking. In this case it should be
steamed.
Veal should have firm white iat and
the lean have pinkish tinge. If the
barbarism of bleeding has been prac-
ticed, the flesh will be quite white.
Veal should be six or eight weeks old
before it is killed. else 1t is unwhole-
some. Too young veal may be de.
tected by BLUSH tint.
An old and reliable test for the pur-
ity of milk is to dip a smoothly-pol.
ished knitting needle into cup OF
milk and withdraw it in an upright
position. If the milk be pure pendu.
lous drop of the liquid will hang TO the
end of the needle; there will be nc
drop adhering TO the needle if even
small quantity of water be mixed with
the milk. 4
To clean and freshen ola mating
rub ii with a cloth wet in salt water,
being careful not TO allow any drops
of water to dry in the mating, as they
will leave spots difficult 10 remove
Heavy, vanished furniture should
never rest directly upon the mating
for even good yarnish, becoming soft
in warm weather will stain the straw.
Mating may he turned if the loose
ends of the cords are threaded in a
large needle and drawn through to the
other side.
Chickens prepared in this way are a
change from the usual fricassee: Cut
up two young chickens, cook them for
half an hour in Il saucepan with little
bacon cut in dice, adding thyme, two
bay leaves, small onion, parsley and
piece of butter, moistenlng with
white wine. Mix the yolk of three
eggs in half a cup of cream and pour
the mixture over the chickens. taking
the saucepan instantly off the fire.
Arrange the pieces of chickens SYM
metrically on dish and serve.
In choosing fish see that the ellis
are bright pink, the fins stiff, and the
eyes clear and FULL the scales and skin
must be bright. HOLSTERS and crabs
must be chosen by their weight as
compared with their size. When
fresh, the tail of lobster will quickly
spring back into position after it is
Strengthened. A medium-size lobster,
with narrow tail and heavy for It's
size, will be found to be choice. In
buying part of large fish, its fresh
ness may be known by the blush
tinge of the flesh ard the iridescence
/ of the cut part. 1t is not fresh if the
flesh be yellow.
This dessert is easily made and is
very nice: One quart of apple sauce
or eight tart apples stewed soft, with
one cupful of water and strained. Add
one cup OF graduated sugar, half
teaspoonful of vanilla or lemon ex.
tract and the yolks of four eggs, well
beaten. Put the mixture in buttered
pudding dish and bake twenty minutes
in quick oven. Beat the four whites
to a stiff froth and add two Tablespoons
fuls of powdered sugar, Spread this
over the hot pudding and brown very
lightly. Serve when ice cold, with
sponge cake or delicate biscuits. 1t
may be eaten with cream.
Good beef, when fresh, has a fine
grain and is of vermiion color, with
a slight tint of purple on the cut sur
lace. 1t is hrm, but tender TO the
touch, and is so elastic that no mark
Is left after pressure from the finger.
The fat is yelowish- white, like fresh
butter, and firm. Sometimes the lean
is slightly veined with fat, but it must
have no flavor of suet. The surface
must be quite dry when cut. scarcely
moistening the finger If clean
knife be pushed up to the handle into
the raw meat, the resistance will be
uniform if it be fresh but. if some of
the parts are softer than others, it has
begun to decompose. When beef is
lean, coarse and sinewy- looking, il is
old and touch. Cow beef il coarse.