The Brussels Post, 1908-4-9, Page 2arm
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',72'are a.sAgp, Kr/Af.eza`te7 f ,e.�li-ea+ oTrv� he aa,.errrd
.Slrc� z4 3�s` h!/r%•(9os_ 6:5re3r'e
(By especial request of several correspondents.)
TEE afternoon tea was apparent-
ly devised for the especial
benefit of women who Cannot
afford to spend much money
In entertaining. If hospitable incli-
nations and the amount of one's in-
come always went hand in Band, It
would be a simple thing to invite our
friends to our homes. Often, how-
ever, It is the woman who desires
most earnestly to show hospitality
who has to be so careful in managing
her expenses that there seems to be
no money left for parties after the
bills have been paid.
That Is, for big parties. The house-
keepers whose only idea of a social
gathering Is one which Includes a
generous meal may well hesitate be-
fore they plan to Issue invitations.
Their common sense tells them that
there is no reason in asking their
friends and neighbors to share In a.
big dinner or supper, when by 80 do-
ing they must stint their families
before and after the merry -making.
Morethan this, since the majority of
the houselcuepere—the big majority,
too—keep no servants, it is a good
deal of a burden to prepare for a
Iarge party and clear up after It, For
the woman thus hampered In money
and service the afternoon tea is the
best way et discharging her social
obligations, and at tho same time giv-
ing herself the pleasure of seeing her
friends in her home.
Simplicity should be the keynote of
the afternoon tea. Dwellers in cities,
whose surroundings and whose purses
permit, may fill their rooms with flow-
ers from a florist. The woman who
cannot do tills may move her Mingo
plants to positions where they will
show to the best advantage. It she
is where she can get green things to
II11 her vases and to freshen her room,
so much the better. The house should
be scrupulously and daintily clean, of
course, and looking its beet, The
hostess should wear a pretty after-
noon gown to receive her gueats, but
beyond this no "frills" are necessary.
The number to be invited to an aft-
ernoon tea may be regulated by the
space at command and the teacups in
the pantry. Except that a little more
tea is put in the pot and e. little more
water poured On it, that the quantity
of sandwiches made 1s somewhat
larger and the proportlon of calm big-
ger, there is no more to be done for
entertaining forty than four. It to a
mistake to ask more than the rooms
can accommodate eolntortably without
crowding,
The difference In the manner of in-
viting may perhaps vary a little It a
large company Is to be asked, When
only half a dozen aro expected the In-
vitation may 1)8 verbal. "Come and
take a friendly cup of tea with mo
:text .T'rlday afternoon," you may say
-to a friend. If the occasion le to honor
a visiting friend, you may add, "My
drlend Mrs. -- le visiting me, and
I wish to have her know some of Iny
Mende here," Or, If you prefer, you
May write a ho to to this effect,
Should there be a larger number 16
Invite, write in the lower' left hand
earner of your calling card,. "Tea. 6 to.
or "4 to s," and the date. If a spvi-
elal friend Is to be Introclutod, write
en the upper lett hand corner, ""To
Meet Mrs. --�--," Inclose It.in card
envelope and post 1t font or five days
before the date of the patty. Even 16
Only halt 5, dozen are to be Invited
you may purees thIS tnet1100 I£ you
Weeder it td the other,
Tlt6 gireparat19n0 fee_tht r6freehmente
£or your tea need not be elaborate. To
my own mind, It seems a great pity
that the informal afternoon tea as
we adopted it from our English cou-
sins should ever have been changed
into the big afternoon reception it
now Is in some places, where the
dress is such as one would expect at
an evening party and the titillation
is a heavy and expensive affair. Make
your own afternoon tea simple, both
to save yourself work and cost and as
an example to those others who wish
to entertain and have little money
with which to do It
At such a function as T am trying to
describe tea le, as a matter et course,
the principal it not the only beverage.
Should you know, however, that there
are some of your guests who do not
drink It, you may prepare chocolate
also—although this is not essential, I
know of hostesses who entertain on a
generous scale and have their draw-
ing roolne well crowded on their at
home days who otter their guests only
tea as a drink. Save your chocolate
lentil some time when you wish to
give a "chocolate party" for your
grown daughter or some other young
creatures who have not yet learned
the solid comfort there Is In tea,
TEA "WHILE YOU WAIT'r
If there is some one at liberty to
preside over the tea table to your
drawing rosin, and If you have the
equipment, it is always pretty to
make the tea "while you wait," so
to speak, For this a hot-water ket-
tle and spirit lamp are needed, but
if you are not provided with these,_
have your tea made In the kitchen
and keep it under a oozy, as the
Wadded cover to the teapot is called,
A good plan to follow is that of put-
ting the tea into little bags of thin
muslin which are large enough to per-
mit the leaves to swell, dropping them
Into the teapot, pouring bolting water
upon them, and removing them when
the tea is sufficiently drawn. When
thle plan is followed the tea may bo
kept hot indefinitely at the. back of
the stove without becoming too
strongor acquiring 111e stewed taste
it gots if permitted to stand long on
the leaves.
Sandwiches or thin bread and but-
ter are the correct thing.10 serve at
your aftornooh tea, The bread must
be at least a day Old 10 cut properly,
and 1f It is close In texture, 80 math
the better, have a very sharp knife,
butter the bread on the loaf, slide It
as titin as posslbie, lay the buttered
sides together, trim off the crest and
cut your sandwiches In squares, par-
allelograms or trianglee, as pleases
YOU and as the shape of the slice
permits. Lay a dolly on a wide plate,
arrange your sandwiches on thio, and,
if they are to be kept any length of
time betore serving, throw' a damp
napkin over them to 5000 them from
drying out and put then In a cool
phaco.
Thin bread and butter Is really the
Only unsweetened solid demanded at
afternoon tea, but It you daeelea va-
rlety the whole field of eandWIahes is
opeh 10 you. Ona, -of the nicest and
s Tm,1051 01 11)es00 may be of broera or
g al am b *read ead first with but-
ter and then with cream cheese,
Which has been a little softened by
oream and butter and seasonedlightly
with stilt and perhaps a little white
popper,If you wish you May make
the sandwiches 81111 better by.dlppphng
a delete leaned leaf in F'r0noh dregs -
trig and laying It botWO6n the 011001
after you have spread them with the
butter and cheese.
Chicken, minced very fine and made
to a paste with melted butter and sea-
soned to taste, is also an excellent
filling for sandwiches, and so is boil-
ed ham or tongue, chopped and treat-
ed In the same way. A little sweet
cream is a benefit to almost any of
these sandwich pastes. Good as these
rollshes are, however, It is a mistake
to attempt them if their preparation
Is to ental) extra work, which will
spell fatigue for the housekeeper.
Even the simplest of afternoon teas
means more or less work, and the
true enjoyment of the occasion Is iln-
paired for the hostess le she has over-
done in advance. Should something
a little more than bread and less
than cake be desired, there are plenty
of delicious tea blscults and fancy
crackers which may be added to the
tea table.
Cake 1s almost an essential, but this
does not mean that there must be a
big variety of rich cake. I have clear
recollections of one of the pleasantest
teas I ever attended where the only
sweet was a very delicious sponge
cake, prepared by an old family rec-
ipe, A certain southern housekeeper
of my acquaintance offers what she
calls "0Id Dominion pound calve" at
her teas, It as invariable and 1t is
the aolltary sweet—but it does not
go begging. If one wishes to launch
out into fancy hakes there are Many
which can be prepared at home with
little additional trouble.. A knowl-
edge of how to make fondant icing
Is a boon to the woman who aspires
to fancy cakes at )tome,
Your bread and butter or sandwiches
cut, your calve made, your tea planne4
for, set your table. T11ls may stand In
your parlor, if you please, and should
be daintily spread with a pretty tea
clout and laid with e. little dish of sliced
lemon for those who prefer this to
cream In their tea; Some one o£ your,
family or an intimate friend should be
4arie'y're. e rrra .. , ce
lila7Ih f,g-, r
Thertra`'7-Por l''p7? ;f otr,
3-1
zi sir 7o,yert ri-istical,'rrn raryxered:yre axeT
invited to preside, pour the tea and see
that the guests have what they want,
21 there aro to bo a number present, It
1s well to depute the work of sereI ng
the cups and saucers, passing eatables
and the like to two or three young girls
whom you can trust to see that the
needs of the guests are supplied. You
w111 bo able to do smnething In thls line
yourself, but you must receive, and
from your post by the door you will be
unable to keep track of all those pres-
ent.
Should you have but a few friends
with you, you may waive formality to a
greater degree than w•ilha big party
and give the affair a more homelike
aspect- by encouraging the guests to
gather in a little knot at close quarters
while they tape their tea. In one home
I know, where the. parlor find the din-
ing room adjoin, the tea is spread on the
dining table on the "at )tomo" day of
the hostess. Sometimes there are many
guests and ,the tea is Carried to the
guests In the parlor; but if only a few
are present they draw up cozily around
the table and have a very jolty and in-
formal time of It. In ether homes I
have known of guests being asked to a
"Dani tea," which did not mean pre-
serves, but that those who were ached
should come prepared to sit about a
table—or to 'Jain" about it—and matte a
merry, free and easy meal of their tea
and bread and butter,,-_,,,�, tt
Fair IO(?e 113 2
ivaY T� ."1,L1W/prre t
may? re rfr�rea.052 ,
you lsyar�
THE HOUSEMOTHERS' EXCHANGE
IY»LY let me. know threugh your
elped Exchange law to clean
Sponges. I have had several largo
omen riven to meust. as they wore taken
frem the sponge fisheries. They have an.
offensive Odor. POrllaOo 0010 or some of
our many readers may know of s urea.
ass of elenh0lag therm
en return 1 send a recipe fol'
Orange Pie.
nt1ismedium-sizedlnuInto
01te:cer smell
Sugar and bako as you
would abnlo ole,
8011 pour over the lower must before
nutting In the oranges, This will oar-
11011' absorb the su00rduous 38(00.
In reply to A. O. C.. " who alike for
a melee for cooking sweetotatoes In
the southern Myth have this from a
lady born end
bred In Florida,:
with saltland f v Ina deep 109, Piam
drip-
pings aro beet for the Maimed. When
utter theninsprikplatter ithclsugar d Their
ehculd be erle4 AIow. _ rt elece`to
brown. �'-
The unpleasant odor of Ilio spondee
is that of putrescent Vegetable and anl-
n1a matter. The to ot1 e ertakes of
beth, Soak in w0rt1 water to which
Iran been added enough chlOrldo Of limo
to make a weak Solution. Gins° and ex -
anew,. *hie for a second supply at the
end of at hour, and let the sponges lie
in this for halt all hour. Then teak in
clear, cold Water fOr an hour, Whinny,
remit well with weak brine. When the
sp9ng0 in to be used wash out tho salt
With Worm Water,
This formula WW1 Given to the by one
,a"hd bad gafthotgd skoil ', a JIOri
We thank you for the southern
recipes.
Recipe for Timbales
Will you give mo a rooine to malting
timbales? I have a timbale Iron and do
n t know how to use 1t,
I Should 11110 also 10 get a recipe tor
nut bread 8uoh,gy_dq,_laael_egr „making
bandwichee. ,
You know that a timbale Is nothing
more than a mixture of minced chicken,
fish or almost' anything glee baked In a
mould and then turned out whole.
Egg timbales may be made In this)
way: Bent six eggs very light, without
oeparattng whites from yolks. Add a
cupful of rich milk and a plinth of soda,
with pepper and salt to taste. Some put.
in a few drops oe onion Juice. Butter
the mouldp; pour 111 "1.A mixture; set
the titnbales in a pan of boiling water.
and bake until the egg 1s "set." Turn
out upon a hot platter end pour 14. geed
gravy or tomato 001100 about them,
Cold chicken or turkey may be, made
Into timbales by
naliening the meat very.
fine nd tiltillable'ar
With It hd bolted
eggs which have been *Mewed to FOE
1erfeOtly sold and Well then; run
through the meat -dropper. 'or a yoga -
table preen, It Impel -Mat to get pleat
and edge so fin0 that they look like
g9 ranUlatocl duet. MIX and Beason td
taet0, Then bind with the beaten whiter
of two or three raw eggs Into a paste.
Ft11 buttered tins withUlla and cook
by Setting in a pan of hot water and
baking twenty minutes in a quick oven,
Turn out upon a hot platter, pour drawn
butler about them and servo at ono.
The query as to net bread is "re-
ferred,
A Much -Wanted Recip'o
in eempllanee :with the reet1O0t for ecce -
lend gingerbread, which I See repeated
la _the =omega i send the Inclosed;
Eggless Gingerbread.
Stir a pint of good syrup Into about
two cupfuls of sifted flour until the
mass beglna to break, Dtnaeure a large
tablespoontui of lard molt it and etir
MO the mixture. Add half 0 tonspeontul
of salt, pp tablespoonful Of ginger and a
team -manful et dlnnamon, Lastly, Work
In one and a half mon of ,boiling Water
h q three tea'
in achtoll yell king 0,10Olyvpd tit
onIxOpeInlfiff01 of 'cocking thighs. ,, You te, aien
110
d gi h fo t" like, nates
Mist In ante' .ah r 9th y 1
in w blow .overt trim fortyava minutes
to an hour.
When fhb cake consistency
tIcareughlY olden. It
should have the consl8t1 1)0 of 00ordinary
IN
cake hatter, Yana 018 brine your Iudlfs.
Merit In In non to brims It to :els
m nt adding r
..-
•i
There have been she_ or eight bi-
gotries for, this recipe, dodge frem this
feet 15014 we1C41f10. Year 4Obnt)IU15d0atiOfl
a'u
FAMILY MEALS FOR A WEEK
SUNDAY
1RfiAIY1' AST.
Creeerrult hominy and ,roam, panash,
Ropose00, feast. ten and coffee,
LL'N011 EON.
Cold corned heel M. left-nvorl, hruor
broad (steamed over), fruit salad, er0eknro
and cheese. lemon Jelly and 01009. cake,
tea,
DINNER.
Cream of spinach soup to left -over),. oast
ducks, green leas. apple sauce, mashed p0-
tatoea, onalaad pie,black eotfee, ..
MONDAY
BREAKFAST,
Oranges cereal. and cream, lance" and
bread,) hominy fa
coffee. Lr), brown Dud white
LUNCH IION,
sweet
Cornett
howl',
Wench
mustard, baked,
slowed rhubarb, gingerbreed and cheese.
Deem. DINNER.
Bonn coup, salol of duck fa left -over).
groan pea snuffle (a left -crier), stowed
salsify. brown batty, bla0k coffee,
TUESDAY
BREAKFAST.
Baked apples and cream, bacon, bolted
MKS. white bread. leant, tea and cota0.
LUNCHEON,
Fricasseed eggs, baked 1001010 toast, po-
tatoes, holied whole, with parsley sauce:
cookies and green cheese, with orange 1nm'-
maiadal tea, DINNER,
t3eon end nelory soup (pally a lett-ovnr),
lamb's liver en casserole; Bruseele sprouts.
baked macaroni, rlce pudding, black coffee.
WEDNESDAY
BREAKFAST.
homanmmutaat,croteaa, nidl•l0ed 1100000,001110,
LUNCHEON. -
Mince of liver' on toast la lett-o•r0rl, scol-
loped Irish Potatoes, macaroni with 10 -
mato sauce (a loft -over), fried bread and
hard hence, tea,
DINNF.It.
Scotch ,nVp, with poached cern: veal ant -
lots. scalloped tmnatoo0,pimtoh, French
tapioca custard, Meek coffee.
THURSDAY
'BREAKFAST.
Fruit, oatmeal porridge and Cream, Clam
fr11.t,•rs, }Indium gems, toad:, tea and,
coffee. 1.CN CHEON,
Cold ham and liverwurst, grapefruit
naiad, graham brand and cream ,(,"ase
sandwiches, 0tuffe.1 perntnea, bread pudding
and !Muhl sauce, chocolate.
DINNER.
Potato soup, arallnped veal (a lett-over),
spinach souffle In lett-avo.-L stewed car-
rots, poach flummery, black coffee.
FRIDAY
Bll F.A KFAST.
Oranges, cereal and cream, codfish 00)000,
corubrOal, tiara, lea and coffee,
LT: N CUEON,
ono
Scalloped
s. n nncitr,1 eruaken; Bind tN scan,,
bread and butter, oolery salad with drren,a
dressing, coke and Preenrv,a, ten,
DINNER.
('ream of celery soup, roast muton,
mailed turnips, rico aroquutts, rhubarb
tart, back 09000.
SATURDAY
BREAKFAST.
Fruit, cereal and cream, bacon tinct ap-
plo°, griddle caked and 81009, taldt, tea
and coffee.
LUNCHEON'.
Omelet with 01,000, sardine aand-
vAdtes, fried potatoes, lotturs salad with
Wrench dressing, shortcake (hot), and ma-
nia cre0rn a• 1,0,10)', tad.
DINNER,
Beef gravy soup, 101110,1 mutton (a 10ft-
eveel, Mamma ice void, hotbed rice served
61it1, the curry, browned swop( potatoes,
bmcolate pudding with whipped cream,
wlack coffee.
Sweetening Rancid Lard
"hr. E, B." !Orator, Ity.1 la having the
sane trouble I met with the [)rat et Jan-
uary. I had a fifty -pound stand of cure
country lard, carried aver from last year.
When
two lcall0r s0 f It l l lor(l11 In n lar, e
preserving 1181110 and heated it groan.
ally, Meanwhile, 1 oft enough 1 l.d,. uo-
tatoes to make a half gallon of Saratoga
chips when Med, As tan lard healon, f
dropped In a smell p1010 of raw Potato
to prevent burning, when it wag hot
enough for frying purue0ee 1 nut in 1{11
tho potatoes at once, stirring 11@m In
with a wire egg heater and tailing them
out as teat as they browned,
Y then met the lord aoldoto reel and
settle. anti while It was still shot, I strain-
ed It through the cheesecloth,
1 must add 1(110caution: Put lite lard
Into a lasso veneel to heat. T118 water In
the potatoes boils Un ferleusiv when Ihopt
worn hoot no,li the lard quantities,
dlsoOl•
Dred Ivy long conking.
This treatment mode my lard perfectly
;Meet.
Ary home In In the( Southland, Div )tug.
bouts business lanes hint often to the
large northern cities, and he rolls m0
often of the geed oatmeal mid bolted
Irish nnteerev he hoc had thel•o, 110
nays that the oatmeal is almost am
coarse its floe, and that the Potatoes ern
dry and meaty when the skins aro ro.
moved, will you tell me how to 00010
both? I Insist that Lyn do nal set 11th
saute -.kind tl(, op.tl1,pat-!l.1 11)i.:glad'.Itcts•s
You give us goo' news in the remedy
for rancid lard. 100 you suppose that
the same process would hake the taint
from "elating" butter and Hulka It eva11-
able for rocking purposes? .1: do not
approve of "cooking butter" ns a rule,
but It is hard to condemn pounds of
the valuable commodity id the soap.
grc¢s0 pot when it might bo made tol-
erable for frying and seasoning vege,
tables by some method akin to tint
ydti describe. Y wish some ono would
make a test of tho next lot of equivocal
butter that Calle in her way and report
rooults to Pa.
There are diver d 0 t
Tl e s brandsof a meat.
Some of them are, as your husband
says, quite coarse—like the Scotch oat-
meal, "g)areltcll," which, a certain
Otatesnian aven'ed, '"was only fit for
horses, but which the true Scot pr010r5
10 any other. Other breeds, generally
the Irish, are ground more finely,
An old proverb asserts, "There's wit
gees to the belling of eggs," More wit
gees into the bolting of potatoes, Se-
ect tho nowt .hi else and shape for
Oils purpose, 'Wash, and drop Into
boiling water, slightly salted, Cook
eteadtly ,until 'a fork will pierce the
largest, 'Tur'n 01V tho water immediate-
ly) sprinkle tllo votat0es with adli, and
set, the pot, open, atthe side of the
range to dry off 1110 potatoes. Servo as
anon as they are perfectly dry. Stand-
ing makes them soggy and heavy,
Ilefore breaking the potato open to oat
1l. roll or knead fl altghlly, This wilt
make the meanness of width you speak.
Neither now potatoes 1101' very old
should be cooked In their jackets. No
amount of skill In bolting will make
then,. mealy,
Cake Making
I road with tough interest your dl.ae-
t(nns for cake maklu,. 1 too, bcllovc In
Motet measuromenls, and 1 know the
ru10 In melting (oke la In cream butter
and sugar. out here 10 0 ronlno for a
toke pl'onounned pclf,,et by Moods.mr oods.
t to It pound cake, and the bettor and
0111100 are not °reamed:
Meek thre0 eggs. Willies and yolks to-
gethee; add a heaping e,•see cop of su-
per; again heat thoroughly. Nov a cof-
fee cup of butter, Beat again and 10011,
Sift together a level plot of pour with
a quarter teaspoonful of baking 1,ovdor,
Bent herd until very 1001t, 1! the bet-
ter ba too stiff, mid enough n11111 (cream
is bettor) to thin the batter until R Ville
easily from the spoon, If theme Illreu-
lions be followed Implicitly you could
not toll this from real pound cake. Be
careful not to make the batter too stiff,.
T nm a novice 10 ouOkery, and this oak,.
la the one thing that Is a complete gee-
eeea it is rleli nod hes the flavor se
genuine pound
A novice and already`a omnposer.
That would see111 to peephole, te tri-
umphant career, I congratulate and
thank you,
The Polished Table •
SOM'IO j'IM2s there are ways ofdoing"
things that are 0o simple that we
forget to employ thole Ilero in
an inetaneel The polished mahogany',
dining table Is a source 01 some tinx-
lety and care in malty households, Ail
easy matter It Is to keep it bright and
unspotted 11, after each meal, you wash
ft with cold water, aping it sponge; then
dry and rub brlekly, This keeps the
table top cleat and bright and fete from
that greasy 1oeft that we often see upon
tables in Oven wall -regulated 110000.
beide,
the Miele aOmethnoO appear lu)0ii
1
1 polished entree° 0f furniture, dust
remember thatyou can readily remove
such a spot by' rubbing wwith a cloth
moistened with 0lcehol, t"bls Will ha
roar the 11)1(011_et 1110 weed,