The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-12-27

Now good digestion wait on appetite,
And health en- beth.
No other festival IL SO universally ceie-
brated throughout ChristendOm aa l..
Christmas, and no festival carries with i:
quite such q spirit Of joyousness apart
from its own inherent reasons for joyous
ness. Century after century poetry and
art have been adding to the associations OF
tho Christ child's day new and beautiful!
conceptions and associations, more than
making up for tho gradual dropping OF
OF the grOsscr traditions and delights OF
the Christmas of our carly English an
cestors, when ''the mightiest ale was
broached and the boaro head grimly
stared" as the ''wassail cup" went round.
But Ii there is less ''wassail" the an
nual feast known as the Christmas din
ner remains an interesting feature in the
programme of the days celebration.
There Is less novelty in modern Christ
mas fare than in any other yearly feast
except Thanksgiving. The time hon
ored mincs pie ranks first as standard
Christmas dessert, although real Eng
ish plum pudding may takc its place.
when both are not provided. 1t is to the
Saxons that we arc indebted as the orig
inators Of the fruity mince pie, The
Saxon kings and mobiles always Ind pie
upon their Christmas tables, sometimes
so large as to ill up the width of the
board. These were often used as
means of presenting surprises in the way
of gifts that were hidden underneath the
crust. To such excess was the minco
pie carried that Cromwell and his fol-
lowers looked with horror upon 1t, and
the Scotch and English Presbyterians
adopted instead what they called plum
porridse, and from this plum porridyc
was gradually evolved the English plum
pudding. which today stands as the
great rival of the mince pie.
In place of tho boar's head and stout
sirloin, we long ago adopted that national
bird, the turkey, which in tho past few
years has given way in some households
to tho goose.
For the housekeepcr it is an agreeable
fact that the preparation for the Christ
mas dinner can be made so long IN ud.
vance. The apples for the Inincc pies,
for instance, many carly bc selected 70,
peeling, and the fatted hcifcr killed for
suet and meat. This relieves the pEepi..
rations that under any circumstances will
pile up as the day approaches.
A standard receipt for mince pics: Sc
lect from the round three pounds of beef
1T Is best not to havo Il fst-and boil it
In water enough to cover it. Smoked
tongue is n valuable ingredient to add
with less of the beef. Chop fine and mix
with it three pounds of suet, four pounds
Of apples, four pounds stoned raisins,
two pounds of currants, one pound Of
citron, quarter Of pound each Of
lemon and orange peel. the juice Of four
oranges and four lemons. four pounds ct
coffee sugar, two grated nutmegs. tea
spoonful each Of ground cloves, allSpice.
cinnamon, mace, pepper and two tablt
spoonfuls OF salt, cider enough to noisteii.
The plum pudding may be ,nado read
also In advance and await the glorious
day. Hero is u receipt which cannot be
bettcred: Stone u pound of raisins and
pour on them q half gill Of brandy. Lay
ON them two ounces Of citron, and one
each of candied orange and lemon peel
sliced, the grated juice and rind Of one
orange and one lemon, four ounces OF
blanched almonds, o pound OF currants,
pound of suet chopped. . pound of
| coffee sugar, and the interior of u baker 8
loaf crumbed. plix well with grated nut
meg, u little cayenne and a teaspoonfIl
of salt. Pour over gill of sherry and
set away In q cool place. Just before
boiling tho pudding add eight eggs aud
enough sweet cream to moisten 1t.
This is Miss Corson's receipt, and she
says. Now LET all the young ladies Of
the house descend and In turn vigor-
ously stir the fruity compound for good
luck" Butter tho water tight pudding
mold, dust with flour, and peck the
pudding III. allowing . couple of inches
FOR the pudding to swell Boil Or stea;1
for ten houra. and do not open the mold
| 4, 20 y,xc<
before using boil again for two hours.
Just before serving pour over it glass
Of brandy or rum, set it ON fire and send
In blazing. Tho sauce is made Of equ1
| quantities of butter and sugar favored
with rum or brandy.
There is one thing we have not ell
learned, and that is, that heaven has NOT
granted us stomachs according to oul
wealth. The rich man cannot eat more
than tho poor man because he Is rich. foI
that reason there u no use Of providing Q
menu so extensive that even O Christmas
day appetite cannot compass 1t. AZ We
love ON this day old times and old
friends turkey, cranberries and chicker
salad are not to bo elbowed out of the
way by any new dishes OF four ane
twenty courses. Here Is an old fasAiQpee
Christmas day dinner.
| Oyster Soup
Roast Turkey. Oyster Sauce.
| Mashed Potatoes and Turnips.
| Eo.el s)E.oas
| Celery. Cranbe-ay Sauce. Pickles
| Roast Spare Iibs Apple Sanca.
Baked Sweet Potatoes.
Plum Pudding.
Mince Pies. Pumpkin Pies.
Assorted Fruits and Nuts.
Confectionery.
| Coffee
There are few housewives that ncet