Holiday Dinners - 1922
Scene at a Holiday Dinner, 1922. Good Hosekeeping, December 1913. GGA Image ID # 2029a659b9
When arranging the holiday menu, plan so that it will be possible to prepare many of the dishes a day or two in advance. Christmas and Thanksgiving are family gathering days. Try to manage so that the family and guests will not feel that the dinner has been too great an effort for the person who prepared the menu.
There are so many things which may be prepared sometime in advance. The mince meat and plum pudding improve with age. Pumpkin may be steamed and sealed, while hot, in jars as any canned fruit, or the canned pumpkin may be purchased ready for use.
The mayonnaise can be prepared and set aside in a covered jar. Salted nuts and those needed for salad can also be prepared.
The Day before Christmas
Clean and prepare the turkey or chicken the day before Christmas, but wait to wash until just before cooking, or the flavor will be impaired. The dressing can be made and set aside in a covered bowl. Cleaning the bird and adding stuffing before putting it in the oven is effortless.
Simmer the liver, heart, and gizzard in enough water to cover until tender. Drain, chop very fine, add the liquid they were cooked in, and set aside for the gravy.
Pastry may be made for pies, and if they are to be reheated they may be completed a day in advance.
If vegetables are to be freshly cooked, wash them. Do not remove peel or let them stand very long in cold water before cooking, as much of the valuable mineral salts would be lost. If the vegetables are to be reheated in a sauce or fritters, they may be cooked and set aside until needed.
Other Non-Traditional Meats
Other meats may easily be substituted for those called for in the following menus. Chicken may be roasted instead of turkey; a chicken pie or fricassee will be found to be appetizing.
A crown roast of pork or lamb is very delicious and attractive; roast leg of lamb boned and stuffed; roast goose or duck. Turkey is sometimes almost prohibitive in price, which makes it necessary for many families to forego the traditional Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners.
When planning the holiday dinner, do not forget that the turkey is the piece de resistance and does not have too many courses to precede the main one, or the appetite will be satisfied before the turkey appears.
Holiday Menu 1
- California Oyster Cocktail
- Salted Almonds
- Olives
- Celery
- Sweetbread Patties
- Roast Turkey, Oyster Dressing
- Giblet Sauce
- Cranberry Frappe
- Succotash
- Baked Squash
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Waldorf Salad
- Plum Pudding, Hard Sauce
- Cheese Crackers
- Coffee
Holiday Menu 2
- Fruit Cocktail
- Ripe Olives
- Stuffed Celery
- Creamed Sweetbreads in Ramekins
- Roast Turkey, Chestnut Dressing
- Giblet Sauce
- Cranberry Jelly
- Caramel Sweet Potatoes
- Stuffed Onions
- Molded Spinach
- Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream
- Raisins
- Nuts
- Mints
- Coffee
Holiday Menu 3
- Fruit Cocktail
- Consomme
- Creamed Shrimp in Timbale Cases
- Roast Chicken, Celery Dressing
- Giblet Sauce
- Spiced Apples
- Currant Jelly
- Mashed Potatoes
- Onions, au Gratin
- Stuffed Tomato Salad
- Chocolate Pudding
- Mints
- Assorted Nuts
- Coffee
Holiday Menu 4
- Crabflake Cocktail
- Salted Almonds
- Chow Chow
- Baked Ham
- Brown Sauce
- Glaced Potatoes
- Corn Fritters
- Spinach Souffle
- Creamed Celery
- Tomato Jelly Salad
- Mock Biscuit Tortoni
- Lady Fingers
- Mints
- Coffee
- Raisins
Holiday Menu 5
- Grape Fruit Cocktail
- Green Olives
- Salted Almonds
- Chicken Pie en Casserole
- Currant Jelly
- Mashed Potatoes
- Onions in Cream
- Baked Cream Squash
- Stuffed Tomato Salad
- Thanksgiving Pudding
- Mints
- Coffee
- Raisins
Holiday Menu 6
- Shrimp Cocktail Louis
- Curled Celery S
- piced Prunes
- Salted Nuts
- Roast Leg of Pork
- Glazed Apples
- Caramel Sweet Potatoes
- Cauliflower au Gratin
- Combination Fruit Salad
- French Dressing
- Mince and Pumpkin Pie
- Coffee
- Mints
"Holiday Dinners," in Mrs. De Graf's Cook Book, San Francisco: H. S. Crocker Company, Inc., 1922, pp. 320-322.
