Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-12-21
christmas Dinner Ideas.

CoLUHN, oxford Democrat. South Psrfa. ne
Christmas Dinner Ideas.
Christmas again! What can We hnd
to serve that is new? Old custom calls
loudly for turkey and mince pie. They
create q necessary something IN the
Christmas atmosphere with which house.
keepers are loath to dispense although
there are variety of other delicacies
which might we'll be selected. While
the menu for the usual Christmas dinner
remains practically the same as that
used for a hundred years o. more, one
marked change seems to be notao'e,
simplicity IL more and more making ies
appearance. The enormous dinner
Which called for days of advance preps-
ration and was followed by days OF recu :
peration for hostess, her family, and
guests, is happily giving way to the
simple. we'll planned, we'll served meal,
which de,racts none from the festivity OF
the day, is quite satisfying, and Is fol-
lowed by none of the overburdened feel
ing which usually accompanies the act
of over indulgence 10 food, however
wholesome. -,
The family dinner should be consider
ed first for the spirit of the day seems to
require It. The menus selected offer
com lete and we'll balanced meals per.
hitting at the same time latitude OF
choice, II conditions are such that all
materials are not available. 1t requires
a little more thought for the family meal
since the appetites of all ages very pos
sibly must be catered to.
Avoid making Christmas festivities
bore by doing much OF your preparation
on the day before. It will simplify mat
ters and leave your mind free for the
davis enjoyment. Bouillion may be pre-
pared day ahead, chilled, and then re-
heated before serving Turkey giblets
may be cooked and minced ready for the
sauce. Dressing or stufiug mag be pre-,
pared, although good cooks have found
that a turkey, If not stuffed, retains its
Ioripinal Juices and flavor 10 q greater
extent. Celery may be cleaned and
green's for salads and garnishing, wash
ed, wrapped 10 cheese cloth and placed
on ice. Cranberries and jellied apples
NAV also be- prepared. There remains
then only the actual cooking and decorat
ing OF the table for the holiday. For
these, the hostess who does not keep
help NAV often recruit it from early ar.
irving relatives and guests. Indeed,
quite the most pleasurable dinners are
frequently those at which each guest
participates in the preparation after ar
irving.
The matter of decorations is regulated
largely by the means OF the hostess. A
very lucky hostess, who lives In the
country, keeps until Christmas thu
branches of black alder gathered before
severe frost. The branches are covered
with red berries which COM ine vel
with evergreens and make gay decora
tions for Christmas time. A few simple
menus follow:
Consomme or Cream of Tomato Soup
Roast goose Hominy croquettes
Baked sweet potatoes Apple sauce
Lettuce salad Mayonnaise dressing
| .~s,,nce ME Fruit
Cream Of celery soup
Smothered chicken Baked crano rr'es
| Drowned onions Potato croquettes
Cabbage salad Mavounase dressing
Toasted waters
Coffee
Grape fruit and cherry cup
Cream Of potato soup C Cn,uso
Baked potatoes Creamed onions
Cranberry jelly
Jellled apples
Salad
Plum pudding Hard sauce
Nuta Fruits
How to prepare dishes in the menu
given:
BAKED CRANBERRIES
| Wash and sort the cranberries ant
place in a small casserole, using ! Gu
sugar to 8 cups berries, add 2 or Glove
and bake until tender and clear, usual.
about an hour in moderate oven. Kee
covered for the first fifteen or twent
minutes.
COMBINATION SALAD
On foundation of lettuce leaves Ia
|chopped celery. Over that soft crear
cheese and chopped nuts Il cup chees
to / Q cup uuts). cover with mayonnaist
Dot the top with olives stuffed with pl
mentos and minced parsley.
TUNA SALAD
Lettuce foundation, potted tuns
chopped celery, mayonnaise. Top wit
olives stuffed with pimentos.
Il PARADISE SALAD
Oranges
Grapefruit
Pineapple
Celery
Marsbmallows and nuts
Served on lettuce.
Dressing made of cup Of pineappl
juice (from canned pinespple) l2 Gu
each of orange juice and olive oil.
JELLIED APPLES
Il Select good cooking apples, wash, n
Il move cores and score, forming rim
round the apple. Place in pan. Allo'
8 cup water to each cup sugar. Hav
water boiling. Bake until soft. Th
Juice poured over them will jell whe
cool. Very good served with whippe
= cream.
BLANhET STEAM
Select tender sirloin steak about on
aud one-half inches thick. Broil quick
lly on both sides In hot oven. Remov
and place on warm platter. Cover Wit
raw oysters which have been washe
land dried, dot with pieces of butter
Ispripkle with crisp cracker crumbs, n
R turn to oven and brown. Garnish you
steak with potatoes squeezed through
: pastry tube, dividing the steak In tw
sections with line OF the potatoes. Fl
one side with green peas and the otht
section with steamed carrots.
GRAPE FRUIT AND CHERRY CUP
Remove the pulp from grape fruit
sweeten, add ohopped candied cherries
Refill skins which have been halvet
lplace a whole maraschino cherry In th
center and chill before serving.
STEAMED PLUM PUDDING
11.2 cup flour
12 teaspoon salt
112 teaspoons baking powder
IL cup molasses
1-2 cup milk
egg
l teaspoon mixed spices
2 tablespoons melted butter
IL cup raisins
1-2 cup date paste