Evening star., 1929-12-13
Preparations for Holiday
Feast on Preceding Day
Here Are Various Suggestions That Will Prove
Helpful When You Are Preparing the
Christmas Dinner.

A good dinner Is more dependent
upon excellence Of food, an attractively
laid table, and the ease and comfort Of
service than upon anything else. Most
of the preparations for the Christmas
dinner may be made the day before.
The turkey may be prepared ready for
roasting, and most Of the vegetables
made ready for cooking, and pies, cakes,
or other desserts may be made before
hand so that the only actual cooking
to be done on Christmas day will be
the roasting Of the turkey or other meat
and the cooking of the vegetables. It
Is a good plan to prepare as much as
possible ahead of time because on
Christmas morning of all times in the
year there are distractions Of all kinds,
especially the excitement OF receiving
and presenting gifts. usually resulting
in a late breakfast which interferes
with the early plans for preparing the
Christmas dinner.
Mayonnaise dressing may be made the
day before, also stock for soup, filling
for cake and cranberry Jelly or puree.
Squash may be prepared for baking,
croQuettes for frying, caulifower may
be cooked and sauce made, sweet po-
tatoes may be parboiled and sliced and
stufing made for turkey. Prepare cell
cry, lettuce and radishes and leave them
morning finish cooking the sweet pota-
toes, most of which may be done in the
oven. Reheat the squash, finish the
soup and leave 1t on top of the oven
to keep hot. Reheat in q double boiler
the sauce for the cauliflower, add the
caulifiower and leave on hot oven until
serving time, and fry croQuettes.
Christmas morning you may give a
few extra touches to the celery. Along
l. 80 =
ing pieces with their tender yellow
leaves you can make use Of some of
the larger central stalks If you curl
them. Wash thoroughly with a brush
and cut the larger tender pieces into the
desired lengths. Slash the smaller cut
ends about an inch in. One or two
cuts are enough. Chill in ice water for
about three hours and the ends will
curl back. Dry on cloth and roll in
cloth, then put in the refrigerator
next to the ice until ready to serve.
The celery hearts should be treated the
same way except no slashing is needed.
Table Decorations.
If floral piece is used, place It in
the center of the table. An artificial
centerpiece may be used with fancy
paper nut cups or plate favors to carry
out the holiday idea. Candles may be
used at an evening dinner, but should
not be used at noon meal.
In well-managed family service, If
there is no maid, the hostess or mother
may assign duties to older children in
the family so that she may give her
personal attention to guests and to the
younger children Of the family. At the
informal or home dinner salads may be
attractively arranged on large contain
ers and passed at the table, or they may
be served on individual plates by the
hostess and then passed. If served as
individual salads, they may be placed
before the dinner is announced. Des-
serts, such as pastry, cold pudding,
fruits and cake may be placed on the
table before the hostess cover, on a
tea cart. or on the buffet. Frozen or
feed desserts may be brought in on a
tray, which may be placed on q tea
cart or on the buffet. The dessert is
then passed to each guest by the hostess.
Christmas AppetIEers.
The following canapes will add TO the
appetiZers:
Cut some stale bread into quarter
inch slices, then cut into fancy shapes
with cooky cutters in the form Of bells,
Christmas trees, wreaths, stars and
other forms. Toast the pieces on one
side. then spread the other side with
butter and any one Of the following
combinations, depending upon the cut
ters used:
/. Chopped stuffed olives, or a COM
bination Of chopped stuffed olives with
chopped green olives.
2. Cream cheese decorated with thin
strips Of pimento and green pepper or
sliced stuffed olives.
8. Mayonnaise sprinkled with whites
and yolkS Of hard-cooked eggs run
through q ricer.
4. Sweet pickle relish dotted with tiny
pieces of pimento
Christmas Cocktail.-Chill together
sections of grapefruit white grapes
which have been seeded and skinned
and pineapple cubes. Place in cocktail
glasses and pour over the fruit the Juice
which has been colored red with vege-
table coloring. Decorate the top with
green cherries.
Jellied Cranberry Puree.-Over four
| cupfuls Of washed cranberries pour two
cupfuls Of boiling water and simmer fol
| twenty minutes. Rub through a sieve
and measure the puree. Bring the LIQUID
to boil again, add the same amount OF