DESSERTS . - MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS .
Minced Mutton -Mince dressed meat very finely, season it, make a very good gravy, warm the meat up in it, and serve with fried bread round the dish, or with poached eggs. Or:-Mince cold leg of mutton freed from the skin and fat, warm it with stewed cucumbers, taking care that { it does not burn after the meat is put in.
DESSERTS . A Rich Rice Pudding.—Boil half-pound of rice in water with a little bit of salt, till quite tender ; drain it dry ; mix it with the yolks and whites of four eggs, quarter of a pint of cream with two ounces of fresh butter melted in it, four ounces of marrow or veal kidney suet, finely chopped, three-quarters of a pound of currants, two spoonfuls of brandy, nutmeg, and grated lemon-peel. When well mixed, put a paste round the edge, and fill the dish. Slices of candied orange, lemon, and citron may be added if approved. Bake it for one hour in a moderate oven. A Good Custard Pudding.-A plain but good custard pudding may be made by boiling a quart of milk until it is reduced to a pint ; take from it a few spoonfuls, and let it cool, mixing with it very perfectly one spoonful of flour, which add to the boiling milk, and stir it until quite cool. Beat four yolks and two whites of eggs, strain them, and stir them into the milk with two ounces of moist sugar, two or three spoonfuls of wine, and a little grated nutmeg. Bake it half an hour, or until it is firm and brown. Apple Puffs.-Pare and core the fruit, and either stew them in a stone jar on a hot hearth, or bake them. When cold, mix the pulp of the apple with sugar and grated lemon-peel, taking as little of the apple-juice as you can. Bake them in thin paste, in a quick oven; quarter of an hour will do them if small. Orange or quince marmalade is a great improvement. Cinnamon pounded or orangeflower water may be used as a variety. Bread Pudding.-Take a pint of bread-crumbs and cover them with milk ; add some cinnamon, lemon-peel, and grated nutmeg; put them on a gentle fire until the crumbs are well soaked. Take out the cinnamon and lemon-peel, beat the crumbs and milk well together, add four eggs well beaten, one ounce of butter, two ounces of sugar, half-pound of currants, and boil it an hour. Cocoonut Pudding.-Break the shell of a middle-sized cocoa-nut so as to leave the nut as whole as you can; grate it with a grater after having taken off the brown skin ; mix with it three ounces of white sugar powdered, and about half of the peel of a lemon; mix well together with the milk, and put it into a tin lined with paste, and bake it not too brown. Lemon Puffs.-Pound and sift half-pound of loaf- sugar, grate the rind of one large lemon or two small ones; then whip up the white ofan egg to a froth, and mix all together to the consistency of good paste ; cut it into shapes, and bake upon writing-paper, being careful not to handle the paste: the oven must be very slow for this purpose.
MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS . To Hasten the Blowing of Flowers.- The following liquid has been used with great advantage for this purpose :-Sulphate or nitrate of ammonia, four ounces ; nitrate of potash, two ounces ; sugar, one ounce; hot water, one pint ; dissolve and keep in a well-corked bottle. For use put eight or ten drops of this liquid into the water of a hyacinth-glass or jar for bulbous-rooted plants, changing the water every ten or twelve days. For flowering plants in pots, a few drops should be added to the water employed to moisten them. The preference should be given to rain water for this purpose.
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To Destroy Insects on Flowers.-Water the plants with a decoction of tobacco, which quickly destroys. Independently of the removal of the insects, tobacco water is considered by many persons to improve the verdure of the plant. Prepare it as follows: Take one pound of roll tobacco and pour over it three pints of water, nearly boiling. Let it stand for some hours before it is used. To Set a Chalk Drawing.- A very weak solution of gumwater should be poured over it, allowing it to drip off by holding the drawing up by one end over a plate. Care must be taken that no part of the drawing is allowed to remain without the gum-water passing over it or it will look spotty. A better way is to apply a weak solution of isinglass at the back of the drawing. To Test Mauve and Solferino Colors.-These colors are sometimes very fleeting. Obtain if possible a small piece of the material which you wish to purchase, soak it in vinegar, and then leave it to dry. If the color has flown, it will not have been the genuine : if it remain unchanged, you will be assured of its continuing durable to the end of its wear. To Restore Violet Ribbon.- Strong soda-water-that is to say, water with rather a large proportion of soda mixed in it-will often restore violet ribbon, and it might have the same effect with the blue. The ribbon should be dipped in the water, then taken out, and immediately ironed with rather a hot iron. To Choose a Carpet.-Always select one the figures of which are small ; for in this case the two webs in which the carpeting consists are always much closer interwoven than in carpets where large figures upon ample grounds are represented.
FASHIONS FOR MARCH . FIG. I-WALKING DRESS OF STONE-COLORED WATERED SILK. There is a quilling of black ribbon down the front of the dress and around the bottom. Large black silk buttons also ornament the front. The body is made open a short way down the front, with lappels also trimmed with black ribbon, turned back. A plaited chemisette and worked collar are worn with this dress. Sleeves shaped to the arm and trimmed to match the rest of the dress. Bonnet of stone-colored and white straw, striped, and trimmed with black ribbon and pink flowers. FIG. II.- HOUSE DRESS OF LILAC DELAINE.-The skirt as well as the Zouave jacket are braided in black, and a white cashmere vest is worn under the jacket, with a cashmere collar. Cape of guipure lace, trimmed with bows of lilac ribbon. FIG. III -A LOOSE BLACK VELVET SACQUE, from Benson's, 310 Canal street, New York, made very long in the skirt. A crochet and guipure cape, finished with a deep fall of fringe, extends to the waist ; very deep sleeves, lined with finely quilted white satin; a lappet ornaments the front of the sleeve rounding at the bottom; the edge is trimmed by a row of guipure lace, headed by a crochet gimp : three large crochet and bugle ornaments fasten the lappet down. FIG. IV. A FULL BLACK SACQUE, also from Benson's. The back extends toward the front, forming a sleeve ; the upper part is trimmed with a square black velvet lappet, edged with a bugle gimp and finished with three heavy tassels. A velvet collar, edged with gimp like the lappet. Two crochet ornaments finish the shoulder. FIG. V.- PLAITED BACK CIRCULAR, also from Benson's, of gray cloth, fastened to the back at the waist. The large plait is fastened down by a cloth embroidery, terminating at the waist by a tassel formed of three balls and a knot of silk. An ornament of cloth embroidery is on each shoulder, finished by a tassel like that at the back. In front, a plaiting of cloth sweeps up from the bottom of the cloak
