HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16921, 21 December 1922, Page 3

HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION.

Wo wish all the readers of this column a merry Christmas and a Jiappy ami prosperous -New tear, and pass on to them a message from a friend wined has given us much pleasure: - - There's something pleasant on the way And God sends Jove to you." The next publication of our column will be devoved to New Year messages from our president and secretary ati l other officials of our association and to the contributions kindle *ent by "Keep on Smiling,’ 5 •• Did bogie,” “ Altiora Pets,” 'Prosaic,” ".-sym pathy,” “Obedience,” and “Original Member.” Many hearty thanks to the contributors who have helped us so much in the past year. From an article on " Party Pics,” by “ L.B D.” in the November number of the official organ of the Boston School of Culinary Science, and Domestic Economics we quote the following delightful idea for an original Christmas surprise :—“ A thankful pie seems appropriate to Thanksgiving, though it can be used at Christinas, or. at any party where little favours or gifts arc to he given. A big. round niece of blown wrapping paper should be lightly crayoned to represent the top of a pie. the usual slits cut in the crust, and heavier marks made at the edge. Place this on a large plate and pin to another plain piece of paper, supposed to be. the lower crust. In the pie place little packages, which ran be easily slippet out between the places where the crusts arc pinned together When the pio comes to the table, the packages give it a nice, nobbly look, just like a toothsome applie „nie. At one Christinas time I had this pie, and. for each truest I had a little gift of home cooking, such as a small loaf of fresh bread, a round frosted cake, a jar of jelly, some nut bread .and for the chil<£ren, tiny boxes of fudge, cookies baked in animal slianes and popcorn balls.”

From the same paper we quote two recipes which would add a touch ot originality to our Christmas menus: Sauce for roast duck or goose.--- Put through the meat chopper six ounces c.: breakfast bacon, and let cook on a hot j pan with one chopped onion until the ; fat is tried out from the bacon and th. onion is slightly browned. Strain off the flavoured fat and blend with it six tablespoonfuls of flour and one-fourth teaspoonful of white pepper. Heat ; u the pan in whicjji the bacon was cooked one cup of stock, and molt in this one hall a cup of apple or currant jelly Add the thickened bacon fat, I and stir until the whole boils. Lastly, j add the juice of one lemon, and pour j :, t once into a sauce boat. The sauce i should he about- as thick as a c-akc hat j lev. 1 Compote of carrots and dried fruit, j —l3oi 1 together for ten minutes two ! cups of sugar and a pint of water. Ad i i three cups of carrot cubes, previous! v | browned on a hot pan. in a little butl ter. Cook until carrots are tender, J then add one half a cup each of seeded j raisins, chopped tigs and prunes, previj ously soaked overnight in cold water j and stoned. Cook the whole for fiftee.i i minutes longer then turn into a caserolo and place in a hot oven until the top begins to brown. Before j serving squeeze over the whole the j juice of one large lemon.” In .Miss lOscreet’s charming life of F.dnn, Lya3l appear the following paragraphs about Christmas : Writing to Mr Homewood on Christ mas Day. 1902, Edna Lyalt says: " I am very tired. lV:r Christmas is always such a busy time. In the midst of it an editor writes to beg for niv description of an ‘ Ideal Christmas !’ I feel inclined to write a one line essay - ‘My Ideal Christmas No business-, letters. Finis.’ ’’ What she did write was as follows •" Preparations should begin in November : presents to be chosen before the shops are intolerably crowded, an 1 sent off by December 22 or 2-3. Then von can taste the enjoyment of sending them, arid the unlucky post office officials are not so overburdened. The ideal Christmas Kve should be crammed

with fetching and carrying and Christ-mas-tree dressing, and the visiting of lonely folk Christmas Day should be the great home festival and family gathering, and, to make it complete, one would like a good hearty service with old-fashioned music- and carols, in which all can join, ijt a church which has the beauty of simplicity without anything ornate or ritualistic. '• Above ;11. Christmas, to bo ideal, demand.- children in the house. Jf you haven’t them of your own, yon must- ' borrow them ! Then, when the indis pensable turkey. plum-pudding an 1 mince-pie hare hetn oaten, and Hie ChrUtmas games nlavcd by all. take down your Charles Dickons from tlv ' hook-shelf and browse quietly by your ! fireside 'the paragraphs about Christina gifts are quoted from ii The Freedom oi T.ifo v " by Annie Paysou Coll. We cannot give in a truly loving spirit if we give in order that we mav receive. We cannot give truly in the spiri: of Christinas if we rush and hurry, and feel strained and anxious about our gifts. We cannot give truly if we give more than we can afford People have been known tc> give, nothing, because they could not giv : something expensive; they have been known to give nothing in order to avoid the trouble of careful and appro priate selection: but to refrain from giving for s>ucJi reasons is as much, against the true spirit oi’ Christmas is the hurried, excited gift-making m i convention;! lit v. i Let us realise that in order io giro truly, we must give soberly and quietly. and lot us take an hour »>; more i>. ourselves to think over nur gifts before we ebgin to Ini’ or make them A wise man lias described tbo difference between heaven and hell by saying that in heaven everyone wants to give all that he has to everyone else, and that in hell, evoiyone wants to take u.\va\ from others <i 1! they have. It is the spirit of heaven that belongs to Christmas On December 7, our president invited the members of last year’s commit. ; tee to meet at the Y.W.C.A. tea-room., io hid farewell to Air- Wilson and lv r daughter, who are leaving Christchurch to take up their residence m Hamilton in the North Island. Mi:-.- Blackmoro voiced the feeling of every member of rmr association, w hen she said how muon the good work of the departing members would he missed by us all. Mainof us who are this year preparing gii i ■> of home-made toys which wo know will delight the hearts of small nephews aud nieces, owe the inspiration of our

work to the eievet Season of Mrs and Miss Wilson. Our president has received the following kind acknowledgment from Mrs Chilton, president Ladies’ Auxiliary. Y.M C. A—Dear Miss Blackmore, I wish to thank jon as president oi the Home Economics for the splendid **l> port we received from your members. [ understood we could not expect much help from your association Matty thanks. Faithfully yours. E. Chilfcom. Richest gifts are those we make— Dearer than the loro we take. That wo give for love's own sake. Hands that ope but to receive Empty close : tkev only live Richly who can richly give. , He who, giving, does not crave Likest is to Him who gave Life itself the loved to save. Love, that self-forgetful gives. Sows surprise of ripened sheaves. Late or soon its own leceives. ,T Ct. WHTTTTER. atrrsr^rr