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Show Christmas Surprise Dishes - (By Betty Barclay) There Is a greater sameness about j the Christmas dinner than there is about any of the other dinners of the i year. Of course, the bulklness of the family pocketbook decides the number num-ber of side dishes, the size of the turkey, tur-key, the richness of the dessert and stch things, but no matter where the dinner appears. It Is very much like the millions of other Christmas .dinners .din-ners that brng joy to myriads of hungry hun-gry ones. . ; . . There must be fowl turkey, goose, duck or chicken. . There must be cranberry cran-berry Jelly, celery, potatoes, rich stuffing, stuf-fing, pumpkin pie and mince. Without With-out these things, Christmas is not Chrsltmas,, and when poverty stalks, benevolence slips around with a basket bas-ket containing the essentials for most of these dishes. No matter how much mother complains com-plains about the stern necessity which j forces her to cook and bake and boil, day after duy and week after week, through the remainder of the year, she I smiles and sings as she stews, bolls, bakes, roasts, cooks, fries, and simmers on this day of days. The preparation of the Christmas dinuer is a work of love. The family are all home. George is back from college, Mary from the hoKpltal, Agnes and her husband from the city. Nothing Is too good for them, and no work is too strenuous. It, seems sometimes that Christmas dinners are Just a little too similar, forehand about what Is to appear on Much aKW e enjoy them, we know be- ! j the table. For that reason, It Is a j I wise mother who sees that one or two I surprise dishes are Includedlittle j dlwhes that breathe the air of CJirnst-mas CJirnst-mas and that are brought to the tijile j to bring gasps of astonishment from j the elders and cries of delight from t the kiddles. Such dishes should be prepared very I largely from vegetables, fruits, milk I or some of the other alkaline foods, for f much as we enjoy our Christmas din- f ner we are forced to admit that It Is nsunlly an acid-producer. If the sur- C prise dish or dishes are alkaline, they jj will go a long way toward balancing G the acidity of the fowl, bread, pie-crust r and cakes that appear upon the table, p 'Celery, lettuce, oranges, apples, pine- t apple . . , these and slmllur foods P should be kept in mind when prepar- h ing the surprise dish. The orange, R kallne In their reaction. The orange, b which so many think of as add, is de- j cidedly alkaline in its ultimate re- j? action. H Here are three suggestions for Christ- b mas surprise dishes. Choose one or C two of them, add them to your Christ-mas Christ-mas dinner, and see how they are ap- G predated by those before whom they f are placed. b CHRISTMAS FBl'IT SALAD t' Cover salad plate with crisp leaves p of lettuce. Add one slice of plueup- I pie (fresh or canned., and on top place C a thick slice of orange. Bprinkls a G little grated cocoanut over the fruit to give the appearance of snow frost. t Top the orange, slice with a mound of v flavored whipped cream, stiff enough to stand up under the weight of a t cherry, raspberry or other colorful r bruit or berry which is used as a top- ' Ier. .lust lwfore serving, sprinkle the 'X fruit and lettuce base with a little syrup made by mixing three teaspoons i of sugar with the Juice of one orange and half a lemon. Where something v particulorly I'hristnuiKy is desired, 5 small candy Santa Clauses may be placed on the salad plates possibly a oonnwted with tiny candy reindeer on G the opposite side, with small riitbons 3 or colored strngs. |