A CHRISTMAS SHOWER
"DEAR Bettina," wrote Polly, "somehow I never do like to write
letters--certainly not at this busiest time of the year!--but I simply
must tell you about a luncheon that Elizabeth Carter and I gave the
other day for one of our holiday brides. (Angeline Carey; do you
remember her? A dear girl--rather quiet, but with plenty of good common
sense.)
"We had a large Christmas table (aren't they simple and effective?),
with a Christmas tree in the center, strung with tiny electric lights,
and hung with tinsel and ornaments. Strings of red Christmas bells
stretched from the chandelier above the table to the four corners. The
favors at each place were several kinds,--Santas, little Christmas
trees, snow men and sleds, all of them concealing at their bases the
boxes holding the salted nuts. The place-cards were simply Christmas
cards.
"Before the guest of honor stood a small Santa, larger, however, than
any of the other Santas, and in his hands were the ends of twenty or
more narrow green ribbons, each leading to a separate shower-package at
the base of the tree. These packages (it was a miscellaneous shower)
made an interesting-looking heap, but we didn't ask Angeline to open
them until we had reached the salad course. Then she drew each one
toward her by the end of a ribbon, opened it, and read the verse on the
gift. You have no idea how clever some of the gifts and verses were!
Margaret McLaughlin--do you remember her?--had dressed a dishmop in two
tea towels, making the funniest old woman! This she introduced as
Bridget, Angeline's cook-to-be! One of the girls who sketches cleverly
had illustrated her card with pictures of Angeline in her kitchen.
"But I am forgetting our table decorations! We had furnished four rooms
for Angeline, doll size, and the furniture of each was grouped along the
table. Besides the living room, bedroom, dining room and kitchen, we
presented Angeline and Dean with an auto (in miniature, of course), a
cow, a horse, several ducks and chickens, a ferocious dog and a sleepy
cat. Weren't we good to them? And lo and behold! beside the auto stood
Dean himself, disguised as a little china kewpie man; while Angeline,
always a lady, stood gracefully in the living room and refused to help
him with his menial tasks, or to assist Nora, who was hanging out the
clothes in the back yard. Angeline was a kewpie, dressed in style.
"We had the greatest fun finding and arranging these decorations! And
now I must tell you about the luncheon itself. I'm even enclosing our
recipes, for I know you'll be interested. . . ."
"Hello, there, Bettina!" called Bob at this moment, coming in with a
rush, "is dinner ready? What do you suppose I've done? I've absolutely
forgotten to send a Christmas gift to Aunt Elizabeth, and I know she'll
feel hurt. Will you go with me after dinner to get it?"
Polly's luncheon menu was as follows:
A CHRISTMAS SHOWER
Grapefruit with Maraschino Cherries
Chicken Croquettes Candied Sweet Potatoes
Creamed Peas
Light Rolls Butter
Cranberry Jelly
Vegetable Salad Salad Dressing
Santa Claus Sandwiches
Chocolate Ice Cream a la Tannenbaum
Christmas White Cake
Salted Nuts Coffee Candy Canes
"I wish, Bettina," Polly's letter continued, "that you might have seen
the cunning sandwiches that we served with the salad. They were cut with
a star-shaped cooky cutter, and on each one was perched a tiny Santa
Claus. The sandwiches were arranged on a tray decorated with Christmas
tree branches.
"And now comes the dessert. The chocolate ice cream was served in small
flower pots lined with waxed paper, and in each flower pot grew a
miniature Christmas tree. Around the base of the tree, whipped cream was
heaped to represent snow. They were really very cunning.
"Served with the ice cream was a large round white cake decorated very
elaborately with icing bells and holly. On the top was placed a real
candy bell, large and red. This cake was carried in to Angeline to cut.
Around the base, inside the cake, were twenty tiny favors wrapped in
waxed paper. They were of all sorts: pipes, canoes, flat irons, animals,
birds, many things, but all very tiny. Narrow white bows tied on each
favor indicated its position in the cake so that the pieces could be cut
to give each guest a favor. Angeline cut her piece first and drew her
favor by pulling the little white ribbon. It was really great fun
drawing and unwrapping the favors, and the girls tried to interpret the
meaning of each. Mary Katherine, Angeline's younger sister, drew the
ring, and delightedly proclaimed that she would be the next bride. At
this the girls looked a little doubtful, for at the table were no less
than six engaged girls besides Angeline. Mary Katherine may fool
them--who knows?--but I hope not, for she is far too young and silly to
'settle down' for many years.
"With the coffee we served striped candy canes.
"Well, Betty, I believe I've told you everything about our Christmas
luncheon. Do write me soon again, for I love to get your letters. Stir
Bob up to write occasionally; he has forgotten his sister--now that he
has a wife.
"Yours always,
"Polly."
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Chicken Croquettes= (Twenty-five croquettes)
A 3-lb. chicken, cooked and cut fine
1 lb. lean veal, cooked and cut fine
4 T-chopped green pepper
1/2 t-paprika
2 t-salt
1 C-chicken fat
1/2 C-flour
1 T-salt
2 C-milk
2 eggs
3 T-water
3 C-cracker crumbs
Melt the chicken fat. Add the flour and salt and mix well. Gradually add
the milk, stirring constantly. When the mixture gets thick and creamy,
allow it to cook, with an asbestos mat under the pan, for five minutes.
This cooks the flour thoroughly. Beat one minute to make it creamy. Add
the chicken, veal, green pepper, paprika and salt. Allow the mixture to
cool. Take one tablespoon of the cooled mixture, and dip in the beaten
egg to which the water has been added. Dip in the crumbs and shape any
desired shape, preferably conical. Allow the croquettes to stand at
least one hour before frying. Fry in deep fat and drain on brown paper.
Keep hot in the oven until serving.
=Vegetable Salad= (Twenty portions)
10 tomatoes
2 t-salt
1 t-paprika
1 C-cottage cheese
1 C-pimentoes, cut in strips
1/2 C-green pepper, cut in strips
20 pieces of lettuce
2 C-salad dressing
1/2 C-oil from the canned pimento
1/2 C-whipped cream
Arrange the lettuce leaves (washed) on salad plates. Place one slice of
tomato, two slices of pimento and two slices of green pepper on each.
Sprinkle the vegetables with pepper and salt. Add two teaspoons of
cottage cheese. Place one teaspoon of salad dressing on each portion.
To prepare the salad dressing, mix boiled dressing and pimento oil
together and then add the whipped cream. Mix well, and pile attractively
on the salad.