The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-10-05
THE no M {.
MAKING PIES.

fat in generous measure. But very
palatable and easily digested paste can
be made in the following manner: To
three teacupfuls of flour add half tea
spoonful of baking powder, and pinch
of salt. Sift together, and make into
smooth, rather firm paste, with one tea
cupful of thin sweet cream. Flour the
board and roll it out thin spread evenly
over it half teacupful of butter; fold
three times and roll out thin. Repeat
the latter process twice. This paste is
especially adapted to pies when but one
crust is used.
Excellent crust can also be made of
cream. OF course it must be sweet.
thick and very cold. Use more salt than
with butter, and sift in with the flour;
then mix stiff with the cream, but handle
the paste as little as possible. Very few
OF us, however, have sufficient cream TO
use in this way, and butter is expen-
sive to use as substitute.
An excellent paste is obtained by us
ing two-thirds nice lard and one-third
butter. The pieces of fat which are cut
from roasts and steaks of beef can be
had at a first-elass market, where they
are laid aside and known as soft suet.
Wash thoroughly and proceed to boil
and strain as you would lard, only re-
Numbering that it will scorch more
easily. 1t is both cheaper and more
wholesome than lard.
But whether you use butter, suet or
lard success very greatly depends on
having all the ingredients cold, and IN
handling the least possible to make it
into a mass. Never attempt to make 1t
smooth, and to knead it is to invite fail
ure. One-third of a teacupful OF fat and
one teacupful of flour are sufficient for
a pie with two crusts. Use inst enough
very cold water to stir into a mass with
knife, or few dexterous moves of
your hand. Flour rolled in will not in
jure it's hakiness. In refrigerator, or
other cold place, it will keep several
days without deteriorating A table
spoonful of pulverized sugar sifted even
ly over the top of a pie having an upper
crust, before it is baked, will greatly i'm
prove its looks. Pies should always be
put into hot oven, and the tempera-
ture lessened after few minutes. The
crust of Gu stard pie should always be
thoroughly baked, SO that it will not
absorb the custard. Albany Cultivator.
TAKING THE PLANTS IN
Select some warm and sunshiny day
for liftingthem writes Eben E. Rexford
in his valuable department All About
Flowers" in the October Ladies Home
Journal. Be sure to apply the spade far
enough away from the plant to loosen the
earth without cutting through the roots,
and lift them without breaking, if poss-
ible. Do not attempt to remove all the
earth that adheres as soon as lifted. but
place them where the sun can fall on
them fully and leave them there for two
or three days, covering them at night
with something that will keep them dry
After having been left exposed to the
sun for time, the earth will become SO
dry that it will fall off readily when the
roots are moved After being cleared of
the soil, leave the roots exposed to the
sun awhile, as this causes evaporation OF
some of the juices of the plant, which
might lead to decay if they were at once
removed to the cellar. A professional
florist will tell you that more plants OF
this kind are lost in winter from storing
while s'green'' than from any other cause.
What he means by the term green is
too succulent condition. Exposure to
| the sun and air removes this.
The best place to store such roots is in
room or cellar that is dry and cool, but
frost proof. A damp place will be pref
| ty sure to induce mold, and though this
may not prevent the roots from coming
| through the winter in living condition,
it will so injure them that they will be
pretty sure to give an inferior crop OF
| flowers. &k
TRAVELLING BAGS.
1t is astonishing, when travelling,
how many extras there are which we
think we must have right at hand to use
on the road. Besides the inevitable
handbag, there must always be another
bundle of some sort for shawls, wraps,
| the fur cape, few magazines or books,
lunch box of dainty crackers, a drink
ing cup for the fastidious who do not
care to use the one devoted to the public,
| and many other trifes which add
much to the comfort of a journey, but
are great bother to carry. For my own
part, says writer in the Beacon, | pre-
| fer for short trips large bag which the
expressman and the baggage-master will
handle, and for my immediate use me-
dunn sized shall bag made of dark water
proof cloth, bound with dark red braid
| feather-stitched with the same color, and
an initial embroidered on one end in a
| large handsome letter. Such a shawl
bag is great convenience, as it is light
to carry, ornamental to look upon, and
of infinite capacity.
But there are those who object to
shawl bags, and call them ''baggy," not
sufficiently compact, and given to knock
ing inconveniently at ones side when
carried along the road. Such people
often prefer the. shawl strap for shawls
and waterproof, and small handbag
| for extras. If aIshawl strap is to be US
ed then it is good plan to have piece
of dark water proof cloth. about yard
square Tor it can be made longer one
way than the other), then bound with
braid, or hemmed and feather-stitched,
and the shawls and wraps rolled up in it..
1t may have two inside pockets, one
| made of a right size for rubbers, and the
other larger one for books, extra gloves
or wells, OF anything one most wishes to
have at hand. With this only a small
handbag will be required, and the sim