Evening star., 1898-11-12
HOUSEHOLD HINTS]

L
/ n
This Is the week swhenf the methodIcaa
| housekeeper who plans to have the first
| mince pies of the season on THANKSGIVING
makes ready her oblatioR. and this is the
| receipt that a notable housewife renowned
| for her mince pies always. uses:
Weigh after chopped three pounds lean,
tender beef. Add to,1t one and one-auarter
| pounds of butter OF two, pounds of suet,
| chopped and freed from strings, six pounds
| of tart apples chopped, six pounds Of SUI
| gar, four pounds seeded raisins, three
pounds of currants. thoroughly washed and
| dried; one-half pound of shredded citron,
| three pints of sweet cider, one quart of
! water, three pints of cider boiled thick six
| heapng tablespoonfuls cinnamon four
| tablespoonfuls of cloves, one pint of mo-
| lasses, two tablespoocfuls of salt one teas
| roonful of pepper, one and one-half quarts
| of jelly, and much more Juice of pre-
| serves or jelly as each housewife may elect
| This may be scalded or packed away in
| jars without that formality, its richness
| IL suring its keeping Well"
| While this quantity would be too much
| for the dweller in fats who has scarce
| room to lay his head. it will be found just
| about the right quantity for the winter for
| the average family with normal appetites
| for pie, and cellar Although unlimi ed
Indulgence in this mince pie of anuence
| might bring on an attack of dyspepsia II
| has never done so where it's devotees ate
with moderation and gave thanks Mr.
| Emerson says Holmes, believed in pie
| and was almost Indignant when a fellow
| traveller refused the slice he offered him
Why, Mr.. -, he said, what is pie
| made for?'"
| Every musician realizes the fact that
| placing an instrument directly against the
wall gives a heaviness to tones that should
| otherwise be possessed of resonance and
| a nd -aC MN Nf
| to be deadened and lost. To prevent this
necessity, many of the finest pianos are
! now sent out by the manufacturers more
| or less ornamented on the back and siGe
panels. This idea of painting pianos was
! probably obtained from some of the old
! harpsichords decorated in the Vernis-Mar-
| tin style of Louis XIV, and the cost of
| painting the pianos in some of the million
| aira drawing rooms of our great cities in
! imitation of this form cf decoration is
| said to have been from 81, $50 to 5000.
| While these figures quite out of pro-
| portion to the income of the average fam
| lily. any one who has an upright piano and
| skill may combine the two. converting the
| piano into an ornament to the apartment
| in which it is placed.
| In drawing room seen recently a small
| upholstered seat heaped with cushions ran
| the entire length of the back of the piano,
| which stood. for acoustic reasons, with its
back turned toward the main part of the
| room. Over the back of the plano was
| flung a drapery of the japanese Habutai
silk in old blue. A small table bearing a
| palm in japanese jardiniere stood at the
head of the couch, while at the foot was
an open music holder. On the top of the
piano was a bu.t of Wagner, flanked by
bowls of fresh flowers
To make the old-fashioned braided rugs
| of fifty years ago, prepare three large balls
made up of strips of listing, broadeloth,
| flannel or any other heavy woolen stuff
| sewed together with stout linen thread like
carpet rags These strips should be about
| a half inch in width. The three various
| strands then tightly braided together,
making one long strip. When yards and
yards of this plait are-in readiness. the work
of sewing together is begun. The end of
| the plat is either doubled back on itself
for two or three inches, making the founda-
| tion for oval mat, or it may be sewed
round and round with long fine stitches
| from the under side, Such a mat is excel
| lent work for rainy days, even the boys
and girls being invited to take hand in
| its evolution. pretty color combinati ton
| is to have two of the; balls. dark gray or
| black, and the third of blue or red flannel.
Needless to say, the wearing qualities of
| these braided rugs are of the best, quite
repaying one for the time spent in the max
ing.
The woman from the seashore who sends
barrels of driftwood to her city friends to
burn in the winter in open CRATES on spe-
cial occasions, has now a companion piece
| in the southern woman who sends dry pine
cones for the same purpose. Every one
who has been in the region of pines will re-
| call with delight the sweet, resnous odor
and cheerful crackle of these cones when,
| on chilly evenings, the fire is kindled on
| the hearth, and all gathered round to watch
the cheerful blaze. So greatly were the
cones appreciated by those in the city to
whom they were first sent as gifts that
now their shipment has grown into little
| industry. and the bright southern woman
who thought it out is enjoying quite a
profit therefrom.
Quite the reverse of rich is this Indian
pudding, while it will doubtless prove more
wholesome and much more economical.
| Scald one pint of SKINNED milk and stir
| into it one-half cup of Indian meal while
| hot. Add one-half cup Of molasses one
| half teaspoonful Of salt one-half teaspoon
ful ginger or cinnamon. Put in an earthen
| dish and add half cup of cold milk but
| do not stir. Butter an earthen dish, pour
| in the pudding, and cook five hours in a
| moderate oven.
Turkey and chicken roasted beyond a GER
| tain point become dry and tasteless. A
| certain test of their being done is when
| the leg begins to cleaye from the body.
They may be tried from the second joint,
using skewer or knitting needle, which is
| one OF the cleanest things you can use in
| Kitchen. In roasting, allow twenty minutes
10 pound. IL the fowl is covered it will
| require no basting; but if uncovered it
| should be basted every ten minutes.
| In making a sausage stuffing for a fowl
| allow as many dried crumbs to the stuffing
as II Will take UP. If pork is used in the
| stuffing, chop fine and use capers, pickles
| or parsley with it. Sage should always be
| used with either a pork sausage dress
ing.
In dining rooms and libraries, say the up
hoisterers, the curtain materials most used
| are plain velours with figured borders of
| tapestry or the velours. Wool tapestries
ana heavy linen velours with borders work.
| ed in metallic tnreads are also much in de-
mand for the fine trade
| THE WELL-DRESSED WOMAN.