The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1940-12-20
Keeping
Ahead of
the Times

/ there's a three-way measuring Jlgger
of sterling silver which not only meas
ures the drink but pours and stirs it.
It's measuring cup, posed atop a
long handled spoon. A miniature trap
door arrangement in the bottom of the
cup allows the liquid to run down into
the glass and be stirred with the
spoon.
Then there's that vacuum ice cube
container which avoids constant run
ming into the kitchen for ice when new
guests arrive. 1t can also pinch-hit
for keeping soup or beverages warm.
If he's a sportsman, you might try
giving him walnut gun rack to hold
four guns, but if he's the type that
likes to sit at home and read, there's
no end of new books, book ends, or
good reading lamp. The list is end
less and bound to please.
Two comparatively new books that
make excellent gifts for the children
are Creighton Peets "This is the Way
We Build a House," and "Su-lin," the
story of baby giant panda. One of
the latest books that little girls adore
is one on old and new dolls with illus
trations and directions on how to make
them. This gives history Of dolls
which is interesting to old and young
alike.
Homemade candies, packed in at
tractive tin containers, or homemade
jellies or jams, the glasses decorated
in cellophane, spiced nuts packed in
small baskets and cellophane wrapped,
or rich holiday cookies, make splendid
Christmas gifts for friends away from
home.
If you belong to that contingent who
doesn't like eggnog on Christmas per-
haps you'd like to have bowl of
sparkling punch on hand when the
Christmas callers arrive Make a
syrup of cup of sugar, a pint of wa
ter, and add ! can diced pineapple,
bottle preserved cherries, oranges
cut in pieces, 2 cups grape juice, 2
cups lime juice, cup grenadine. Chill.
When ready to serve add carbonated
water and ice cubes made of lemon
~ havana
Or for you eggnog fans, for each
person allow l egg, 12 tablespoon
powdered sugar, l jigger rye whiskey,
u glass sweet milk or cream Beat
whites and yolks of eggs separately,
add sugar, whiskey and milk, stirring
each in separately. Then add beaten
white Of egg and serve with nutmeg
on top. 1t will make any man feel
like Santa Claus.
Here's new suggestion for tam
talizing mincemeat pie for Christmas
dessert. Mix 2 cups prepared mince-
meat with 1a cup raisins and pour
into unbaked pie crust. Cover with a
cup of cranberries mixed thoroughly
with 2s cup sugar, tablespoon flour,
1a teaspoon grated orange rind and
dash of salt. Pour II cup of orange
juice or spiced peach juice over the
filling and cover with top crust. Bake
Is minutes in moderately hot oven and
then lower heat and bake half hour
longer.
Christmas wouldn't be complete
without the proverbial fruit cake to
serve the holiday callers with that
glass of wine or eggnog. Here is
very good recipe if you haven't made
yours yet, although my grandmother
used to make her fruit cakes and plum
puddings at least three months before
Christmas to have them properly aged
and seasoned.
One pound butter, l pound sugar,
10 eggs, IL pounds flour, l pound each
of seeded raisins, currants, candied
cherries, crystallized pineapple and
dates, and h pound each of pecans,
English walnuts, crystallized citron,
orange and lemon peel, " cup mo-
lasses, 2 teaspoons soda, 2 teaspoons
cinnamon, u teaspoon cloves, " cup
brandy, teaspoons all-spice.
Cream butter and sugar, add beaten
eggs. Add / pound flour. Dredge the
fruits and nuts with remaining flour
and add to batter. Bake in slow oven
of 275 degrees until cake is done by
straw test. At end of baking decorate
cake with sliced pineapple, nuts and
cherries. Return to oven from to 8
minutes to glaze. This makes a 12-
pound cake.
And when the dinner is ended an ex-
cellent turkey pie is made by adding 2