The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-12
) GOSSIP OF THE TOWN 5
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Now that the holidays are approach
ing. interest in the matter of Christmas
presents is beginning TO manifest uselI;
The children are on the ANXIOUS seat anu
even the elders display some So1cltuue-
The merchants of the city are IN toEcn
with the sentiment and all the WINDOWS
of the stores and shops are nlled win
articles calculated TO depiete the purse OF
the head of the family, from dolls Tor me
babies to sealskin sacques for the wives
and grown up daughters.
Time was, and not so many years aEo
either. when Christmas toys were not as
elaborate as they are "a this day ana
in the window. When the young men
of this day were children, a train OF toy
cars. such are sold for dollar. WOULD
have cost five times that sum- Now
one can get a steam engine and cars,
which run on a track, for paltry %,
while miniature engines of the stationary
kind. complete in every respect can pc
bought from $l.95 up, at most OF the
stores.
In old days when we wer kids. the gen
eral outfit of the small lad on Christmas
day consisted of a toy soldier. I'm
horse and few sticks Of candy. The boy
who gets that nowadays considers he
is in hard lines. He must have pair OF
skates and a new sled; lot of mechanl-
cal toys and candy till he cannot rest
The sled in olden time was made py ire
old man, generally out of Two pianks.
braced at the blacksmith shop and shod
with strips of steel from an old blade
which had done service in an up ana
down saw mill.
But that sled could run. you bet. and
one of the fragile toys which are retailed
around these days would not be in 1t
alongside the olden timer either for speed
or endurance The boys who rode them
We're tougher than the present generation.
| physically although not otherwise, and 1t
/ made no difference if there was a stone
wall at the bottom of the hill where they
! coasted. they (the sled and the riders) all
came out unscratched.
Our mothers in the country didn't get IS
much on Christmas as the modern
! the good old days if the housewife
! got a new dress and a hood all was well.
: but in this age, there must be seal skins
| and astrachanS new hats and gloves mot
! yarn mittens) and rings and chatelaine
I watches and all that sort of thing. 1t IS
no wonder the head of the family groans
when he is called upon TO foot the bills.
Dinner timn. however. beat modern
/ times AL hollow. Maybe it was because
We were hungrier then than now. but
| anyway il semed to be better and more or
it. There wasn't any oyster dressing in
| the turkey. neither had the chestnut
/ stuffing come into fashion. but the cook
/ had a way of mingling sage and such
/ like in a mess that made the bird very
appetiZing- FrOsting was seldom. If ever
/ found On the cake, but the huge wedges
which were cut for each urchin seemed to
have a better taste than the modern
| bakery product. The mince pies. zoo,
were far more substantial. Nowadays
! lot of Old currants and raisins are
( enough meat 10 enable the liar VINO
! makes the connection say II is m-nce
meat" and the indigestible stuff baked in
/ a greasy crust, the foundation for which
iG OlpOO1Q rina and fiOnr
There is but enc way to make rnince
pie. Get a large. wooden bowl and a
chopping knife. Set the bowl on your
knee and fill it half full of boiled ihcat
Chop it. picking out bits of gristle, until
the entire mass is uniform. Then empty
| the bowl and fill it with apple quarters
and chop same till they are of the right
size. Then you want some boiled cider;
old fashioned stuff. To biazes with
| brandy. It's all right for topper to get
drunk on and go home and kick his dog,
/ but ii has no business in mince pie
Blend the meat and the apples and some
stoned ra:sins and mix the cider with II
until the mass is all right to put in ;l-e
crust which has been rolled thin and the
bottom allowed 10 bake enough so the
material will not run through the crust
and make IL pasty. instead of pastry Fill
each pie full Put on the top crust Do
not be in too big a hurry about taking IL
But when it IS done eat until you can
hold no more. and if do have dreams they
will be of angels and music and flowers
and all sorts OF pretty things. No wonder
a modern mince pie gives one Nightmare.
If one could see how the interior IS made
one would not marvel at all
Turkey is the only bird for Christmas.
: Goose is for New Years day. 4 turkey
should never he baked breast up. except
for the time required TO add the golden
brown TO the breast immense his breast
in the basting pan and cook its back up.
No one can then say turkey is all
right but they are such dry eating.
4 = 4
Christmas dinner should be as follows.
(and this is as homemade bill of fare.
not taken from a culinary book:
oyster. ard not much of it for you are
Baked apples. Allow no one to eat
I more than one, either for the same
reason. Get sweet apples: a baked sour
apple is like fried ham, filling and nothing
else
like best, but whatever YOU do let onion
atoms lurk within the bowl with a
inoiety of sage. Have plenty OF turkey
and plenty of dressing
Potatoes-Sweet and Irish Bake both
Don't spoil dinner with mashed potatoes
which are a clammy sort of Wand.
Rread-white. graham and hot corn
pone. After the guests have seated. send
the white bread away 10 the kitchen; you
will no. need il.
Pie-Mince as above described pump
kin, inch and half thick, seasoned with
| cinnamon lust enough and not too much
Cake-Old fashioned pound, and one
two three, four cake
Doughnuts-Made large with hole II
the center; all same mother used to make
Pudding. You will not need pudding
Fruit-Apples. Nothing else goes.
Nuts-Sheilbark hickories. vsainuts, bu.
ternuts No almonds, pecanS or ''niggel
toes they will spoil your dinner.
Coffee-Strong and hot with cream
served throughout the meal
Hard cider.
The Bank Mny Resume.