New Britain Herald Newspaper, August 7, 1923, Page 14

With Prunes They Are No Longer the Bane of the Boarding House, but the Pride of the Good Cook. RUNES have lost a good deal P of the bad repute that used to cling to them as the main- stay diet of second-rate boarding houses. Indeed, the pther day a woman who lives in"a boarding house created a good deal of amusement by saying that she would like boarding better if she could never have prunes. They are of course still a standby in many houses, but they are also to some extent a luxury, because we better understand their possi- bilities. To begin with, the best way to prepare prunes is to wash them thoroughly but quickly in hot water, then to cover them with cold water and let them stand twelve hours. Then they should be simmered gently in cold water in which they have soaked until they are tender. And that is all. Don’t boll them vigorouely, don’t use too much water, and don't soak them in a water which vou throw away. It is not usually necessary to add any sugar to prunes if they are simply to be eaten stewed. A little may be added when they are taken from the stove if your family has a sweet tooth, but it is better not to do so. It {8 an interesting thing that up to the year 1890 no prunes were grown in this country. The best came from France and we also imported some from Ger- many. Then we began to get them from California. In 1870 a Frenchman named Peller had planted one tree in California and it had thrived and shown that the fruit would succeed there. The California prunes are al- lowed to fall from the trees. They are dried in the sun and sterilized. No sugar is added. It takes from two and a half to three pounds of the fresh fruit to make one pound of the dried. There are authorities who say prunes should not be soaked. They * should be rinsed in hot water, then in cold, then simmered until tender. Prune Mousse One cup of prunes cooked and sifted or washed, one teaspoon each lemon juice and grated rind; two cups of thick cream, one-third cup powdered sugar. Whip cream until until firm, add sugar and flavorings, then fold in the prune. Pour and salt (three parts ice, one part rock salt. Let stand three or four hours. Un- mold to serve. Compote of Prunes Boak a pound of prunes, drain, and cook with a cup each of sugar, red wine, and water, adding an inch of stick cinnamon. Simmer slowly for two hours, remove the cinnamon, and serve cold. COVERING YOUR TABLE Some one said the other day that table cloths—table colths of linen damask—were entirely out of tashion and might be used only for the family dinner. The point 1s that among some of the clever society women, women who com- bine considerable artistic appreci- ation and the possession of money, the fad has been established to have painted tables for dinner. These tables are of lettuce green preferably, though gray, soft blue and mauve are colors that have also been selected. Usually these tables are oval in shape. They may have a border about the edge of stenciled or painted design in contrasting color, and they are covered with arrangements of filet lace runners and individual doilies, Now this is an interesting fad and may have a wide influence. Many of us supposed that the only correct formal dinner table was the plain damask or the elab- orate lace and embroidery cover, although there was a time re- cently when the elaborate cover was not regarded in such good form as the plain damask. lace | Don’t Be Too Informal Even at a Quick Lunch Counter Certain Reserves Are Best. ness men whose manners at a formal dinner-party would be irreproachable, whose manners at luncheon are, to say the least, rather abbreviated. The fact is, elaborate service and leisure are conducive to good table manners, and it is only the person who has an innate sense of manners who can eat as daintily and as grace- fully at a quick luneh counter or at a cafeteria where one must first collect one's entire luncheon or one’s self, as at a well-ap- pointed and well-served dinner- tabldd THERE are some young busi- At School In a certain large, private school a self-service cafeteria was installed not long ago for the convenience of the pupils of the school. And before long the parents of these children were complaining that their children’s table manners were deteriorating. “Jack, why don’t you wait to have things passed to you?' one mother reproved her young son, when he reached for bread, but- ter, salt and pepper, without wait- ing for those things to be passed. “Well, if we didn't reach for them at school we'd never get them,” Jack explained. “The other boys never pass things to you; there's such a racket they wouldn't hear you ask for them, and the sooner we get through eating the longer we have to play before recess is over.” The mother also found out that the usual way of serving milk was in a half-pint bottle with a straw. Hence young Jack developed a disinclination to drink fluids at home. He said it took less time to suck milk through a straw. That Quick-Lunch Manner Quick lunch service of this sort is apt to have a bad effect on any one’s manners. In the simplest meal at home in leisure and quiet- ness there is opportunity and need for more attention to table man- ners, and indeed if we all acquired the manner of the quick-lunch place, eating would soon become a process of feeding. We would eat hastily and our digestions would suffer and the whole process would be robbed of most of its pleasurable associations. In one way good manners at the crowded lunchroom are more in demand than anywhere else, for there the young business man and woman have to eat at crowded tables where they cannot but ob- serve and be annoyed by the bad manners of others. For this reason you ghould be just as par- ticular about utting your theorieg of good table manners into prac- tice at such a place as anywhere else. POTATO SALAD New potatoos are considered far superior to old ones for salad by many. But old potatoes make de- licious salad, if they are carefully cooked, so that they do not boil to pieces and become too mealy. Here is one recipe for potato salad, made with old potatoes: Edited By Anne!Rittenhouse Copyright 1923 by The MeClure Newspaper Syndicate. Alabaster VASES Gain Vogue Because of Egyptian Find VERY once in a while the call E goes forth, “Get out your old lace, for it is In fashion again.’ Now that call is varied: “Get an alabaster vase and make the most of it, for it is the smart- est thing in house fashions.” Of course we haven’t got a trunkful of alabaster vases up In the attic or down in the base- ment—according to whether we have a storeroom in a city apart- ment or in a country house. If we possess a piece of alabaster we probably have it in use, be- cause even when it is not in its present vogue it has real beauty and ornamental value. So the next best thing is to rush to a dealer in antiques and see what we can do for ourselves there in the way of acquiring something of this opaque and beautiful white stone. And that is just what many women are doing. As soon as Tut-Anckh- Amen's tomb was opened and the strange and' beautiful alabaster vases therein were brought forth, smart women began to ransack the antique shops and issue forth followed by a bulky and heavy package contaning some sort of alabaster ornaments. Sometimes these are big vases, of Greek de- sign, and sometimes they are little things, like candlesticks or small figures, which are placed on the dinner table, with the candle- sticks, to form a really lovely and glistening decoration. There are many good alabaster reproductions of purely recent make, for when the fad for in- direct lighting came in it was found that alabaster was particu- larly well suited for the glowing bowls suspended from the ceiling or set in a tripod to hide and soften and distribute electric light. ARS are in disfavor. Every little while the fashion writers predict a re- turn of ears to sight, but they remain hidden under the hair and really show no tendency to re- appear. The ear most women would probably like to possess is the ear that is small, close set and gener- ally inconspicuous. In days gone by much more attention was paid to the general formation and col- oration of the ear. Hars were compared to seashells and it was considered desirable to have ears that were. slightly suffused with pink. Pauline's Ears Here is a story that is told of Pauline Bonaparte, a sister of the great' ‘Napoleon, and Mme. de, Coutades, who was intensely jeal- ous of Pauline: At a ball at which the emperor's sister had decided to outshine every other woman, she appeared strikingly dressed, so that at- tracted all attention. "Mme. de Coutades, wishing to embarrass her, walked close to her and said to her own escort: “She would be weren't for that. “For what?"” cort. “For what?” went on Pauline’s tormentor. “Can’t you see? Surely you must be blind.” Pauline, much embarrassed, blushed and looked about. Then Mme. de Coutades said: “Why, her ears! If I had those ears I should cut them off!” Pauline gasped and fainted, and never again did any one see her ears, enough to cover them. worst that might be said of her ears was that' they were flat and colorless in contrast to her rosy skin. Most women of today solve the problem of their ears in the same way that Pauline did. And so long as the present mode in hair dressing remains in vogue this will be satisfactory. lovely if it What a pity!” returned her es- Making Them Flat The size of the ears is some- thing over which it is impossible to exercise control. However, ears may be made to lie flat if at- tention is given to them in im- fancy. An infant's ear is soft and pliable and outstanding ears— those big, flapping ones that some men have—undoubtedly often re- sult from carelessness on the part of nurses and mothers. The tiny baby should always be laid down with its small, soft ears flat |against the head, not doubled over. | And there are little net and tape Pare the potatoes and boil them in slightly salted water until they are tender, but do not boil them rapidly, and remove them contraptions, like caps, that doe- tors say are quite harmless, for from |ears in place. Think of the benefit | week. for she wore her hair low | And the| Our Hidden Ears They Are Still Qut of Fashion and We Keep Them Out of the Way $ were fastened through holes punc- tured in the lobe of the ear. The weight of even a small earring pulled down the flesh of the ear, increasing its actual size. Fortu- nately women are no longer vic- tims of this type of earring. We have come to look on it as quite barbaric — especially since we have become acquainted with the story of the South Sea Islander whose most precious pos- session was an alarm clock that he inserted in the lobe of his ear, which had been systematically stretched since childhood, until it was large enough to accommodate this shining, tickling gift of civil- lzation! Speaking Confidentially T is always bad form to speak I confidentially to chance or new acquaintances. To add to your remarks, “I wouldn't like this to go any farther,” or “This is of course quite sub rosa,” or “I am not using any names, though you doubtless know to whom I refer,” usually indicates that you are speaking of matters that it would be wiser not to mention, or that you are trying to produce the im- pression of speaking confiden- tially, though as a matter of fact what you are telling is a matter of general knowledge. There is often a temptation to speak confidentially, and to tell | things that you would not like to | have travel far. Every one, or most every one, likes to hold the attention of those to whom he is talking. He likes to attract real interest, and if he can just tell something that is in the nature of a secret he is sure to gain gen- eral attention. He is led on by | his own desire to be listened to, and sometimes he says more than he ought to say. So he adds the request that what he has said should not be repeated. But if he has been indiscreet, should he be amazed that the person to whom he has told his secrets should be as indiscreet and should tell them to some one else? Salesmen realize the interest that can usually be gained by speaking confidentially. If by means of what they call a confi- dential remark they can plant an idea in the minds of a possible buyer, that will incline him to buy they feel that they have been shrewd. “I don’t suppose I ought to repeat this, as it was told me |in confidence,” says one salesman, “but the fact is that next week the price on this article is going to be raised.” A saleswoman sell- ing women’s frocks says: “It was |told me in strict confidence that Governor So-and-So’s wife bought a frock of this very same model | babies to wear to keep their little (to wear at her reception next other | This is the only the fire before they begin to break |to be reaped in mature life from | model we have and these gowns and flake on the surface. then and then cut them in even | dice. Mix them with a third their | just of the small ear! Women can almost always over- Cool | the care of a mother in infancy |were made exclusively for us. I | know I ought not to speak about | Mrs. So-and-So's buying the gown own quantity of finely minced cel- |come the ugliness of large or out-|but I knew it wounld interest vou ery and moisten them with French |standing ears by the careful ad-|if you were thinking of buying | dressing, made from two parts of | oil to one of good vinegar and seasoned with cayenne, salt and a little celery salt. Then put the| salad in big spoonfuls on lettuce | leaves and top each spoonful with | a tablespoonful of mayonnaise dressing. justment of hair. And hats, do much to cover up ears, A generation or more ago women more often had ugly ears as they grew older than they do today. This was because of the fashion for wearing earrings that too, unlovely ,lh{&" | And very often possible buyers |do buy just because they fall into [the trap that catches them be- cause they relish a secret. Need- less to say there usually isn’t any- thing confidential in the supposed confidence. The alabaster treasures that you will find in the antique shops or in the modern gift shops will be, most of them, of Gréclan de- sign. But don’t let that bother you. The Greek alabaster vases are the ones we have been used to and naturally the ones we have copied. But the beautiful vases found in the Egyptian -Pharaoh’s treasure house are of a design that is suggester by the urn-like vase of Greece. There Are Certain OME mien seem to think that hospitality is something that exists only in the home and that their duties as hosts exist only when they have shut the door on their offices and reached their own fireside. But there is a very real hospitality in the office and other places of business, and many a man owes part of his business success to the fact that he is a splendid host in his own office. The woman who aims to make a social success coaches her maid or butler carefully in the courte- ous way to receive guests at the front door. The business man should take as great pains to in- struct his telephone operator or office boy in the courteous way to receive all who pass the threshold of his office. Aside from being the well-bred thing to do it is a very wise policy. I once knew a very successful lawyer who employed as his tele- phone operator a quietly dressed little English woman who had once enjoyed high social position and had even been presented at court. He was willing to pay her as good a salary as he did his private secretary because she had certain social graces that made it possible for her to receive busi- ness callers as they should be re- ceived. They were already in a pleasant frame of mind by the time he received them in his office. Have Chairs In the business office there |should always be chairs where those who have to wait for an in- terview may be seated. Some- times you know there are chairs, but a careless office boy remains seated in one and the telephene directory occupies the other. This is bad business as well as bad | manners. On entering the office |a caller usually wastes no time in | making known whom he wishes to | Bee. In some offices there are slips of papers especially provided for callers to use in writing their When It’s a Business Guest Do’s and Dont’s to Live Up To names and the nature of their business. This eliminates friction. The office boy or young woman in the outer office simply takes the slip to the person for whom it is intended, or to that person’s sec- retary, and comes back with a definite answer. When the person is too busy to be seen the mes- senger says politely something like this: “Mr. Brown is very busy this morning. Do you wish to see his secretary?” or, “Mr. Brown has asked me to take this matter up with you.” One need not ask a caller with whom one has no special business to go any farther than the outer office. Sometimes the secretary comes to the outer office. This is perfectly in keeping with business hospitality, but unless the caller is clearly bent on wasting time he should be offered a chair. Excuses Are Acceptable The business man need never feel that he needs to be discourte- ous in avoiding seeing persons for whom he has no time. ' Nor need he send word that he is not in. The business man has more lee- way than the woman in the home has in this matter. Even to a friend or someone with whom he is Intimately associated in busi- ness he may send word that he is occupied or “tied up for an hour,” but such a message should always be accompanied with the request that the caller return or that he | make a definite appointment for a call at some other time. ORANGE BASKETS Cut as many oranges as will be required, leaving half the peel whole for the baskets, and a strip half an inch wide for the handle. Remove the pulp and juice, and use the juice in making orange jelly. Place the baskets in a pan of broken ice to keep upright. Fill with orange jelly. When ready to serve, put a spoon of whipped cream over the jelly in each basket. *" {%at* Evry Woman Wants To Know It's An Appetite, and Anyone Can That. “Hunger is the best sauce;” tood that’ we eat when we are tempting than that which we have change of air. The chances are,. cised: our . bodies and thus-bave + The Best Sauce Master lT'S an old, old adage that runs: but it is just as true now as it ever was. One reason why the away on vacations always seems 80 well cooked and so'much more at home is because our appetites have been stimulated by the algo, that we have spent more time outdoors, that we have exer- made ourselves hungry. Try Starving In ordinary cases of loss of'ap- petite, a little sensible starving is not a bad idea. ' When children lose their appetites, most mothers try to get something to tempt them. it the child goes without-a meal or eats lightly for several meals, he is in danger of fading away entirely. But with children the abstinence cure for loss of appe- tite is even more feasible than with adults, For children may rest as much as they choose.' They may even spend a day or so in bed, but most adults- feel the necessity ' of keeping up unless they are actually ill. A person in bed needs and should have much less to eat than one who is exercising actively.” * * At first signs of 10ss of appetite in c¢hildren—providing they are Hot extremely delicate and then a doctor should be consulted—a very good plan is to put them on a very simple diet. If you wish cut them down: to milk and toast, with orange juice between' meals. You will be surprised to see how soon a child’s appetite’ will come back to normal if his digestive system is relieved of the burdem of more complicated food. The last thing you should do when a child loses his appetite i8-to tempt him with sweets or foods that you know are not best for him, Instead of a Tonic Try this treatment yourself, Many persons complain of loss of appetite at this time of the year. The old idea was to take some sort of spring tonic. Now, we realize that loss of appetite often simply means that we should rest our digestive systems a little. In- stead of taking a tonic, cut your diet down to the simplest form. It you have a Sunday or holiday before you, rest and relax and do a little starving. After forty- eight hours you will find that your appetite has been sharpened surprisingly. Selecting Vegetables HERE is no reason, if you are paying the standard market price for things, why you should accept fruits and vege- tables that are wilted, stale or im- perfect. Of course, there is no reason, either, why you shoulg al- ways choose the soundest apples in the barrel, the biggest head of lettuce in the crate, the ripest tomatoes, - the fattest asparagus. On the other hand, you should insist on fresh and eatable fruit and vegetables. If your dozen oranges. have ome among them that is spoiled, return it and de- mand a new one—or else stop trading with that dealer. Ifyour lettuce has a decayed heart, send it back and get a good head or your money back Don’t accept spoiled food and you will help to bring up the standard of all the dealersy For if they can’t sell poor fruit and vegetables they will certainly not keep them on hand. There afé of course many laws now to safeguard the buyer of food. - But like all other laws, they must be enforced to be effec- tive. And it is always a diffeult thing to get enough enforcers for the laws concerning such things. If you become a law enforcer, yoa can see just how much you will be helping along the whole sub- ject of honesty and reliability on the part of the vegetable and fruit dealers. It is really an interesting thing to bring up any standards, be they those of your own children or those of the people you do business with. Don’t forget, in being exacting when you buy, that there is such a thing as being unreasonable, You have no right to demand more than you pay for. Your duty lies in not being cheated. They feel seemingly that -