THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
Ill 
New cloth jackets are made to fit the figure closely in 
the back, but with loose fronts. Very little trimming is 
used on these garments; a row of braid or several rows 
of machine-stitching are considered most suitable. When 
figured velvet or frise wool goods is combined with the 
costume a loose vest of the figured material is added to 
the jacket. 
For spring bonnets dark straws in colors to match cos¬ 
tumes are shown; they come with peaked brims or the 
well-known capote, and are trimmed with gay-colored 
scarfs of etamine, a material with large meshes resem¬ 
bling canvas, combined with velvet and flowers. Soft 
crowns made of a material composed of wool and gilt 
are in many instances used with straw brims for 
dressy bonnets. Feathers are seldom seen on new 
hats, the preference being for odd-looking flowers and 
grasses. 
Round hats have moderately high crowns and narrow 
brims, and are very simply trimmed with a gay silk hand¬ 
kerchief or an etamine scarf arranged in full loose loops 
in front, through which an ornamental pin is thrust—not 
the little plain pins so popular last season, but those 
having ball heads in filigree work studded with turquoises 
or garnets. 
Undressed kid gloves in the tan shades will remain in 
fashion for spring and summer; loose-wristed mousque- 
taire gloves are still preferred, but gloves fastened by four 
or six buttons are also worn. 
HOUSEKEEPING. 
StevVed Pie-Plant. 
Skin the stalks and cut in inch lengths. It should 
be cooked in granite ironware. Pour on more than enough 
boiling water to cover the pie-plant and let it stand on 
the stove till it is just ready to boil and the pie-plant has 
changed color, then drain off the water and add suf¬ 
ficient fresh water to make the sauce liquid; add 
what sugar will be required, and let it simmer slowly till 
tender; then cool and put in the dish in which it is to be 
served, being careful not to break the pieces. It is a very 
cheap and appetizing dish in early spring. 
Pie-Plant Pies. 
Make a nice crust; be careful to avoid thin places 
where the juice will find its way out. Cut the pie-plant 
in small pieces and sprinkle over it one teacup of white 
sugar; dredge some flour over it before you put on the 
top crust; moisten the outer edge of the bottom crust 
with a little water, so the two crusts will stick together; 
make plenty of openings in the top crust for the steam to 
escape and bake slowly three-quarters of an hour or 
until the juice has become jelly. If baked properly it 
will be delicious. 
Orange Pie. 
Grate half the rind of a lemon and half the rind of an 
orange, and squeeze out all the juice from both. Beat 
thoroughly the yolks of three eggs, add one cup of sugar 
and one tablespoon of flour, then the juice and grated 
rind, and last milk enough to fill the pie-plate. Bake in 
a hot oven to prevent curdling. When the pie is baked, 
have the whites of the eggs beaten with a little sugar, 
spread it over the top and return to the oven a moment 
to stiffen. It is done when the meringue is a faint straw 
color. 
Custard Pie. 
Always select a deep plate for custard pies ; line it with 
a nice tender crust and put a rim around the edge. 
Beat four eggs with three-fourths of a cup of sugar, a 
pinch of salt and gradually add a scant quart of rich milk. 
Fill the plate nearly full, then set it in the oven and fill up 
to the rim. The secret of a good custard pie is in the 
baking, and it requires careful watching. It should be 
tested often with a knife-blade, and not cooked an instant 
after the custard is set. It requires an oven that will cook 
good on the bottom, and it should not be very hot. 
Old-Fashioned Connecticut Doughnuts. 
Two and a half cups sugar ; one and a half cups but¬ 
ter; two cups of yeast or one small compressed yeast- 
cake ; two cups of milk ; four or five eggs; two nutmegs ; 
one teaspoon soda, and flour enough to make almost as 
stiff as biscuits. 
Put all the ingredients together at night and let it rise 
till morning. When it is light, roll out and let it rise 
again, then shape into cakes and fry in hot lard. When 
done, sprinkle pulverized sugar over them. If fresh suet 
is mixed with the lard half and half it is much better 
than all lard. 
Molasses Cake—Without Eggs. 
One cup of molasses, one-fourth of a cup of butter, 
one-half cup sour milk, two scant cups of flour, one tea¬ 
spoon of ginger sifted, one and a half teaspoons of soda. 
Measure the molasses first, then stir in the ginger, then 
the butter melted. Dissolve the soda in the milk and 
add that, putting in the flour last. Bake in a shallow pan 
about thirty minutes. 
Escalloped Fish. 
Boil two pounds of cod, either fresh or salt. If fresh, 
add one tablespoon of salt and one of vinegar to the 
water in which it is boiled. When done, remove skin 
and bones and flake it very fine. Make a sauce of one 
pint of milk, a piece of butter the size of an egg, two 
tablespoons of flour, a sprig of parsley, a pinch of red 
pepper and a half teaspoon of salt. The sauce should 
be about the consistency of very thick cream. Butter 
a quart pudding-dish and put in alternate layers of fish 
and sauce till the dish is nearly full; then cover with 
bread or cracker crumbs and put little pieces of butter 
over the top. Bake twenty-five minutes in a hot oven. 
An onion can be used instead of parsley, but it should 
be boiled in the milk and strained out before the flour is 
put in. Mrs. C. G. Herbert. 
