The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-11-24
Gen te7opieCe
Adds Test
to Feast
BY JULIA BLANSHARD
NEA Service Writer

NEW YORK, Nov. 21.-Pepping
up the Thanksgiving dinner-and
the diners appetite-is a worthy
task set the modern hostess.
You must have turkey and its &C
cessories. You can, however, change
the aspect of the Thanksgiving ia
bic and put zest into the meal by
revolutionizing and undermining the
centerpiece and the appetizersN
Everybody is tired Of the good old
fruit group as a decorative motif.
Likewise, the usual autumn flowers,
even if they step out of vases and
into hollowed-out pumpkins.
This year there is something
hrand-new in the way of Thanks
giving dinner table decorations.
Vegetables! Fresh, raw, thoroughly
washed and dressed vegetables, ar
tistically arranged.
You'd be surprised how attractive
they look, grouped artistically IN the
middle of your best damask, crystal
polished silver and cleaning candle
light
Variety of Designs
What you can do in the way Of
entertaining innovations for the ap-
petizers and the salads also Is
worth looking into. Vegetables have
arrived artisticalIy-and in the raw!
Decide first Of all whether you
want a round centerpiece or an oval
one. If you want round one, a
perfect head of curly cabbage, the
Italian variety, is scrumptuous set
on a low round table mirror or a
silver dish.
Surround it wits four small sum
mer squashes, the little round
greenish-White kind with pretty
1uted edges. Alternate these with
cucumbers, pointing out from the
cabbage. Or carrots pointing in.
Red cabbage has an autumn look
about It. 1t is lovely for the CEN
terpiece, with artichokes around it.,
filled in with mushrooms.
Caulifiower in Center
For an oval piece, use a fruit
bowl or a wooden nut dish of that
shape. For the center of the
group, use a perfect cauliflower. Or
big, cleaning eggplant. Around
the cauliflower you may group
artichokes and small elephants,
with watercress and mushrooms
making a pretty contrast.
If you use the eggplant, put 1t
nj a nest of fresh spinach, with a
huted white squash at each end and
polished beets around the sides.
There is no end to the variety
and color combinations you can
get. Just be sure that every vege-
table YOU use is perfect. Your
guests appreciation will be thanks
enough for your trouble.
Another innovation is the vege-
table bouquet placed at each place
for a. favor-and incidentally to
eat. because it is made of APP
petizers.
Use Some Tin Foil
Besides the appetizers, which
might include celery, watercress,
radishes. olives and parsley, you
will need some tin foil, lace paper
doilies, and a good pair OF kitchen
scissors.
Build your bouquets as you would
an old-fashioned nosegay, packed
tight. In the center put a large
rsdish. and around it place pieces
of celery, with the ends curled.
Next add stuffed olives on tooth
picks, and around this pack water
cress or parsley. Place the lace
dolly so that the stems come
through the center and the edge
forms a holder.
Wrap a piece of tin foil around
the ends and your bouquet is COM
plete. Since they are new, your
guests are bound to exclaim as they
find one beside their plates.
HaIve Your Oranges
For your fruit cup to start your
meal, YOU can halve your oranges
and put the skins together again
for a c0nUainer for your sliced
fruit, or you can make a basket by
carefully cutting the orange skin
with the handle of the basket out
of one side and the other side seal
loped at the center.
If YOU ever have made a bird-of-
paradise salad. turkey salad will
be simple. Take one tomato for
each salad, pour boiling water over
them to take the skin of easily,
and chill.
Use the white or faintly-green
celery leaves for the tail and to
stick out of the sides for wings.
Cheese Used for Head
The neck and head are made by
holding cream cheese around a
toothpick. A quarter of peanut
Is the beak and a tiny piece OF
caviar the eyes.
Sprinkle paprika pepper to give
the effect of his red crop. Perch
him on lettuce leaves and have the
mayonnaise at the side.
Even the cheese for the pumpkin
or mince pie may be decorative.
Have it sliced for you at the store,
in even thin slices. Then use a
cookie cutter or you can cut up
your own shapes with scissors.
None of these tricks of decoration
are a heavy strain on the hostess.
And each adds that piquant some
thing called interest to the meal.
Stick TO the usual menu, but
change the decorations. It is
simple way to achieve individuality
IN the Misunderstanding dinner.