Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-20
Some Timely Suggestions for Next
Thursdays Dinner.
how 10 SELECT A GOOD TURKEY
Pretty and Appropriate Decorations
for the Dining Room.
NOVELTIES FOR THE MENU

In selecting the Thanksgiving turkey a
personal attendance upon the market will
usually prove most satisfactory. Select
short, plump. white-deshed bird, noting
particularly that the end of the breast
bone is soft and flexible. Avoid too large
a turkey, as the meat is neither SO sweet
nor so tender as smaller ones. Turkeys
weighing from eight to ten pounds are usu-
ally best. Beware Of long hairs or sharp
scales. which are the signs of turkey
senility. If, however, the fates are unpro-
pitious. and nothing short of patriarch is
available, do not despair, as an hours pre-
liminary steaming will plump him, make
him tender, and in good condition for roast
ing. 1t must be remembered In this case
that an old turkey requires richer stuffing
than young one little salt pork or
sausage meat being usually esteemed an
improvement. If you use pork. chop very
fine and add little chopped pickle. capers,
parsley and sage. If a very light dressing
is preferred add to every two cups of the
stuff1ng a teaspoonful of baking powder
and level tablespoonful of flour, mixing
thoroughly.
In decorating the dining room pretty
idea is to bank the mantel with fruits,
small vegetables and leaves, interspersed
with ears of yellow corn and punches of
grain or grasses: while the green ropes of
club moss or the long, gray festoons of
southern moss make graceful and effective
draperies for pictures and chandeliers. In
the center of the table there may be a tall
vase of the lovely fringed chrysanthe-
NUNS or, if fruit decorations be preferred,
a half pumpkin, scooped out and filled
with purple and white grapes, crimson
checked apples, ruddy pears and golden
oranges. Even a cabbage may be meta
morphosed into an effective jardiniere by
stripping off its outer leaves until only a
circular ball of tender light green leaves
remains. The top may then be cut off the
inside followed out with a sharp knife and
the cavity filled with damp moss or sand
The bottom is then leveled off SO that this
novel bowl will be able to stand upright,
and pink chrysanthemums or ferns, and
white wax berries placed therein
Should punch form part of the Thanks
giving dinner it should be served after the
turkey and vegetables are removed, and
before tie game or salad course. For a
delicious Roman punch make a syrup too
sweet for drinking of water and sugar
Boil twenty minutes, then cool, adding to
a syrup composed of a pint of water and a
pint of sugar the juice of six lemons and
two oranges, pulp and juice of one pine
apple, shredded, and cooked with a little
sugar sus and one pint ceylon or any strong
Ice cream, add the whites of two eggs,
beaten to a stiff froth, and just cooked by
pouring on them syrup composed of half
cup VI sugar Dolleu with nall cup OF
water. and all beaten together; or a table
spoonful of gelatine dissolved in a little
warm water. two tablespoonfuls of ia
mafca rum and small glass of any dry
VINE WI Beat wei, remove the dasher. cover
the freezer closely. repack with salt and ice
In equal quantities. and stand one side for
an hour or two to "ripen."
Although pie is consdered>pre-eminent
the dessert most suited to the Thanksgiving
dinner, a frozen plum pudding is always
sure of an appreciative following. This is
:he recipe as lately given to a cooking
class one cupful of sugar and one cupful
of water boiled together until the syrup be-
gins to thread" yelks Of four or six eggs,
one pint of cream (boiled and chilled or
whipped, one-half pound candied fruit one
cupful ground or finely chopped almonds
cne-half cup raisins, seeded or currants, or
ole full cup canned pineapple; one level
tablespoonful gelatine, soaked in two table
spoonfuls milk and water; stir the yelks in
the cooked syrup. little by little, and re-
turn to the fire, to cook until quite thick;
beat until cool; put gelatine in and beat
again until thick. Fold the cream in: add
raisins and almonds Freeze. When ready
to pack put candied fruit in alternate lay
ers. If sauce is desired, serve whipped
cream. Favored with wine or almond, as
dc sired.
In preparing the turkey for the oven,
SINCE and draw, putting salt on the hands
to keep them from slipping. Wash the
DiTu thoroughly INSIDE ana OUT, aQQlnR
little soda to the water if at all strong
Dry carefully; cut the neck off near the
breastbone, leaving enough of the crop
skin to turn over. Break the legbones
from the thighs; stuff the cavity left by
the crop ard the body, and sew up with
coarse thread or darning cotton. Before
putting in the oven wipe all over with
melted butter and dredge with salt, pepper
and fiour. Put in hot oven. and when
1t has cooked long enough for the flour
to brown pour two cups of boiling water in
the pan and reduce the heat of the oven.
Allow ten minutes to the pound for roast
ing, basting frequently, but adding no more
water unless necessary Roast fine
brown. A good test to tell when it is done
is when the leg begins to cleave from the
body.
There is no sadder day in all the year
than this holiday to the homeless The
stranger in strange city, the widow left
forsaken-to these the Thanksgiving bells
calling to church seem more like funeral
notes ringing requiem over past re-
membered joys. Send cordial note few
days ahead to Johnnie's teacher, whom you
happen to know is far from her own peo-
pie, or to one Of the dear old ladies in the
Home for the Aged" or the new clerk who
looks as though life was far from being
ter. who do the best they may to keep the
wolf from their third story door, and bid
them come in" They will enjoy it-oh,
SO much-and you-you will hear deep in
your heart, ''Inasmuch as We have done
1t unto one Of the least Of these my breth-
rem, we have done 1t unto me-
For the housekeeper who wishes to keep
abreast of the times in culinary ventures,
oyster cocktails are commended for sound
ing the keynote to her Thanksgiving din
ner. Mix thoroughly six teaspoonfuls each
of prepared horseradish, tomato catsup
and vinegar; twelve teaspoonfuIs of lemon
juice and one of Tabasco sauce Put five
small oysters in each claret glass or ice
shell, pour some Of the dressing over, and
serve very cold. The above quantity will
be sufficient for dozen plates.
Orange salad is the proper accompani-
ment to game course, or it may be served
with fowl. Line salad bowl with crisp
lettuce leaves. cut oranges in halves and
scrape out the pulp. Put this over the
lettuce leaves, pour mayonnaise dressing
over all, ard serve at once.
If the dinner table Is to be lighted with
candles, see that they are lighted for a
few moments, then extinguished and cut
so that thew are ready for reltphtfnu iuSt