The record-union., 1898-02-13

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An odd instance of the Importance
nowadays attached to the correct
thing" in furnishings is the case of a
bachelor who has built a home for him.
self and an older invalid brother in
the neighborhood of Boston. He has
consulted at every turn an artist of his
acquaintance. So implicit is the re-
lance upon the latters judgment in
such matters that he has literally Sc
lected every article of furniture and
Every yard of floor covering or of drap-
cry in the great establishment. The
owner was to buy a certain piece OF
furniture for one pasageway-a chest
seat Of pattern as nearly as possible
resembling a general idea sketched by
the adviser during a summers trip
abroad Not long ago he returned from
this transatlantic journey, and without
the chest When he presented himself
at the home of the artist he was quite
apologetic: Il didn't dare buy any
tnlilS, alter dll. Sdlu HS. dhlI iioo
told you about several which l saw,
and which you could select from, / am
sure, better than l. And then I will
cable for your choice" This was ac-
cordingly done; he gave a full account
of the dimensions, materials and orna-
mentation of three or four and the ar
tist delivered verdict. Upon that the
selected seat was sent for, and is now
fn' <
judgment, shortly
1t is astonishing how little fine cook
ing is understood throughout this coun-
try, although there are exceptions
enough to this general rule to prove
its truth With the multiplication OF
cooking schools and Of reliable books of
recipes there seems only one reason for
this state of affairs. That one reason
is, unfortunately, wide enough to cover
the ground. In only one country in
the world is the table of the average
household celebrated for its worth. That
country is France, where a lady does
not consider the knowledge of cookery
beneath her attention. and where the
national success has become a matter
of national pride. Until the women of
their kitchens with the same proud in
terest, one can but fear that the food
will ba served as uncertainty as at pres
ent. And to-day it is true that. outside
of the great cities, 1t is the rarest thing
to find dainty food uniformly well pre-
sented while it is by no means an in
variable accompaniment of otherwise
well ordered urban homes. There may
hp villa o-9c several ha koripS and
a womans exchange, but one can sell
dom buy, even at the latter depot for
feminine work. anything but cookies. .
one or two kinds of plain loaf cake and.
possibly, a tart or two, besides biscuits
and bread. There is no effort to supply
other dishes. and so one cannot but
wonder when We as people shall learn
to utilize the abundance of provisions
placed in our hands. and become IA
nous in this direction. The French,
Goldsmith once said. would be the best
cooks in the world-if they only had
anything TO cook. We certainly have
no lack of raw material.
All canned goods should be opened
several hours. if possible. before they
are used. This gives them a chance 10
become aerated, and takes away the
rather fat taste they are apt to have.
This is especially true of tomatoes.
Careful housekeepers do not allow vege-
tables and fruits to stand during this
process in the tins in which they are
put mp, but have them turned out i'm
mediately into a glass or earthen dish.
A delicious sweet that came to us first
from Canada iC nnn1,1ar with 40
confectioners under various appella
tions. although the orthodox sucre a la
creme is still used. This may very cas-
lily be made at home for a dinner bon
bon, if the few ingredients required are
at hand. To pound of maple sugar
broken into bits a pint of sweet cream
is added, and the mixture boiled for one
hour in a porcelain-lined saucepan II
should be stirred constantly in one di-
rection. When ii is nearly done. chopped
butternuts are mixed in or walnuts may
be used. though the former are the ap-
proved adjunct. When the boiling is
completed the saucepan is taken from
the fire and the stirring continued until
the mixture cools and begins to thick
en-. Then IL is poured on buttered plates
and allowed to harden. when ii is cut
into neat cubes and piled in a small bon
bon dish, ready for the table
The various recipes for the many deli
cious desserts that are made from sweet
potatoes invariably advise grating the
raw vegetable for the purpose. The re-
suit of this is pretty sure to be mixture
that has not quite cooked taste, de-
lightful as the flavor must always be.
If. however. one uses the inside of pota-
tees that have been already cooked-the
baked ones left over from the previ-
Gus nights dinner, perhaps-the prepar-
alton is an altogether different matter.
0ne who long ago discovered this fact
fashions a most palatable pudding by
mixing until IL is smooth and light a
pint of cold baked potato, pint of SUI
gar. a half-pint of molasses and two
ounces OF melted butter. To this she
adds milk sufficient for a thin batter. a
flavoring of grated orange peel, and
ginger. and finally three well-beaten
eggs The first crust that forms is
stirred in.
Women who travel much not infre-
quently find their skirts spotted with
train oil, and bicyclists suffer similarly
from too generous iubricating of their
wheels Cold water and soap will be
found TO be much more effectual in re-
moving traces of this sort of accident
than the more usual application of hot
water. as that is quite likely 10 set
the grease.