Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-12-26

Observance O. iHi- ANNUAL Festival.
Now good digestion wait Oh appetite.
AID E"aith On both,
No other festival is so universally cclc-
brated throughout ChriStcndo.l az is
Christmas. and 10 festival c,.rries wGh it
quite such a spirit of joyOuincss apart
from Its own inherent reasons for joyous
ness. Century after century poetry and
art have been adding to the a.,SociationSDf
the Christ chiid's day new and beautiful
conceptions and associations more than
making up for tho gradual dropping off
OF the 5rosScr traditions and delights of
the Christmas of our carly English an
ceStors, when the miChtieSt ale was
preached and the bears head grimlv
stared as the 'waSsail cup" went round.
But if there. is less ''wasSlii'' the an
nual feast known us the Christmas din
ncr 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 mince pie ranks first Us Standard
Christmas dessert. although real Eng
ish plum pudding may take ia place,
when both are not provided. 1t is to the
Saxons that we are indebted as the orig
inators of the frIity mince pic The
Saxon kings and mobiles always had pie
upon their Christmas tables. sometimes
SO large as to ill up the width of the
board. These were often used as a
means OF presenting surprises in tho way
OF gifts that We're hidden underneath the
crust. To such excess was the mince
pie carried that Cromwell and his fol-
lowers looked with horror upon it. and
the Scotch and English Presby tcrians
adopted instead what they called plum
porridge. and from this plum rorridGe
was gradually evolved the English plum
pudding, which today stands as the
great rival of the mince pie.
In place of the boar's head and stout
sirloin, we long ago adopted that national
bird, the turkey, which in the past few
years has given WAY in some households
to the gocCc.
For the housekcaper it is an agreeable
fact that the preparation for the Christ
mas dinner can be made SO long in adj
vance. The apples for the mince pics.
for instance, many early be selected for
peeling, and the fatted hcifer killed for
suet and meat. This relieves the prepa-
rations that under any circumstances will
pile up as the day approaches.
standard receipt for mince pics: Sc
lect from the round three pounds of beef
it is best not to have it fat-anl boil it
in water enough to cover it, Smoked
tongue is 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 a pound each of
lemon and orange peel. the juice of four
oranges and four lemons, four pounds of
coffee sugar, two grated nutmegJ, tea
spoonful each of ground cloves, allspice,
cinnamon, mace, pepper and two table
spoonfuls of salt, cider enough to moisten.
The plum pudding may be made ready
also in advance and await the glorious
day. Here is a receipt which cannot be
bettered: Stone n pound of raiSins and
pour on them 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 ono
orange and ono lemon, four ounces of
blanched almonds, n pound of currants.
a pound of suet chopped, pound of
coffee sugar, and the interior of bakers
loaf crumbed, mix well with grated nut
meg, little cayenne and a teaspoonful
of salt. Pour over a gill of sherry and
set away in a cool place. Just before
boiling the pudding add eight eggs and
enough sweet cream to moisten it.
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 frulity compound for good
luck. Butter the water tight pudding
mold. dust with flour. and pack the
pudding i'll. allowing couple of inches
f,r tho y,,rC1.y,rr f,,e tn,I
for ten hours. and do not open the mold
until the pudding is ready to serve. Just
before using boil again for two hours.
Just before serving pour over it q glass
OF brandy or rum. set ii on fire and send
in blazing. The sauce is made of equal
quantities of butter and suSac favored
with rum or brandy.
There is one thing we have not all
learned, and that is, that heaven has not
granted us stomachs according to our
wealth. The rich man cannot eat more
than the poor man because he is rich. For
that reason there Is no use of providing
menu SO extensive that even Christmas
day appetite cannot compass it. AS we
love on this day old times and old
friend S turkey, cranberries and chicken
salad are not to be elbowed out of the
way by any new dishes or four and
twenty courses. Here is an old fashioned
Christmas day dinner.
Oyster Soup.
Roast Turkey. Oyster Sauce.
Mashed Potatoes and Turnipa
Boiled Onions.
Celery Cranberry Sauce Pickles.
Roast Spare Ribs Apple Sauce.
Baked Sweet Potatoes.
Plum Pudding.
Mince Pies. Pumpkin Pies
Assorted Fruits and Nuts.
Confectionery
There are few housewives that need