The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-11-05
VARIETY
Of Things To Satisfy The
Thanksgiving Appetite

How shall the menu for Thanks
giving be arranged and what dishes
shall be chosen?
Conditions are SO different from
those prevailing when the feast was
instituted that It is not easy to put
ourselves In he place of those pioneer
housekeepers. We have such great
variety at hand every day in the year
that 1t Is difficult to find food sufiici.
emily unusual for special Thanks
giving. .l
In It's main features the dinner on
this holiday should follow the pat
tern of those who established the day.
What the goose and mince pie are
to the later holiday, the turkey and
pumpkin pie are, and should continue
to be, to Thanksgiving.
Certain other foods dcser, prom
inent place at this dime, either be-
cause they have been associated with
this dinner from the earliest celebra-
ton or because they are native Amer
leans; such are cranberries, oysters,
potatoes and Indian corn.
Soup and salad are not essential
parts Of Thanksgiving dinner, but
'iiay be good seasons for serving one
or both. The soup may be made Of
oysters, celery or corn.
The fish course also may be omitted
unless there are some local or fam
lily reasons for its introduction.
There are several forms in which
the cranberry may appear at the
Thanksgiving feast. The jellied ber-
ries are preferred by many. To pre-
pare In this way pick over and wash
the fruit; to one quart add pound
Of sugar and cupful Of water Cook
rapidly until each berry has cracked
open, then put in molds. When cold,
many of the berries will be as round
as before cooking. but tender and fiji
ed with jelly.
Cranberries prepared in this fash
ion may be used for pies, either bak-
ed between two crusts or in one with
strips of pastry arranged crisscross
on top.
Oysters belong to Thanksgiving ac-
cOrding to tradition, because friendly
Indians who joined the early celebra-
tions brought gifts OF this shellfish.
Sometimes the turkey is tuffed with
oysters, or they are chopped and add
ed to the crumb stufiing, but strong
flavor is likely to be developed and
the oysters become tough and indiges-
uble before the turkey is thoroughly
cooked.
A garnish of fried oysters may sur
round the turkey instead of the string
of little sausages which makes of
him, as an old cookbook has 1t, IAN
alderman in chains" Better yet, a
dish of scalloped oysters may accom-
pany the bird.
u in no other place, preliminary
course of raw oysters or oyster soup
may appear before the turkey.
Since the early settlers owed SO
much to Indian corn, that grain in
some form should be part of the
Thanksgiving dinner. Either Drown
bread or baked Indian pudding was
included in the great grandmother's
dinner, but her descendants prefer
succotash or corn pudding as vege-
tables.
Squash and onions are the favorite
Thanksgiving vegetables in many
households Squash seems to have
come TO US from the Indians and was
raised by them in the corn fields.
Nuts are yearly becoming more
prominent in our diet. The butternut
Is especially appropriate. Next to
the butternut, the peanut would prob
ably come, since It has SO firm hold
on the American appetite. Chestnuts
are growing in favor.