Radio and television mirror (Nov 1939-Apr 1940)

# \ CHRISTMAS with the O'Neills! Could anything be more fun than to spend the most important day of the year with this delightful radio family? An unforgettable treat, surely — but, since it is out of the question, we are doing the next best thing and bringing you Kate McComb who plays Mrs. O'Neill in this absorbing NBC serial. For an ideal Christmas, in Mrs. McComb's opinion, most of the cooking and preparation must be completed the day before, leaving the hostess free and rested to entertain her guests on the great day. Her recipes and routines will make your own Christmas easier and gayer, so we are passing them on to you. The most important task of the day before Christmas, suggests Mrs. McComb, is getting the turkey ready. Clean, stuff and truss the bird and cook the giblets for the gravy. When the turkey is tucked into the refrigerator ready to go into the oven on Christmas morning, wash the celery and salad ingredients, place them in the refrigerator along with a can of cranberry jelly, bottles of olives, pickles or other relishes that are to be served cold, and make the French dressing or mayonnaise for the salad. As the next step, Mrs. McComb suggests preparing sweet potatoes with marshmallows and baked white onions, both to be served in the casserole in which they are cooked. Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows Boil sweet potatoes with the jackets on. When tender, and still hot, remove the jackets and run potatoes through a ricer. For each mediumsize sweet potato add two chopped marshmallows, a teaspoon of butter and a few drops of lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and turn into a buttered casserole. 70 By MRS. MARGARET SIMPSON Baked White Onions Cook small white onions in boiling salted water until they begin to get tender. Drain, turn into buttered casserole, dot generously with butter, dust lightly with nutmeg. Both onions and sweet potatoes are placed, covered, in the refrigerator over night. They should go into the oven on Christmas day about threequarters of an hour, before the turkey is done, but be sure to take them out of the refrigerator well in advance, otherwise the sudden change in temperature from refrigerator to oven ■ Kate McComb is the wise and kind mother of The O'Neills. MO MIRROR * * * HOME^OIIIY ■ The festive plum pudding can be made long before you serve it. may cause the casserole to crack. Now you are ready to make the dessert, the festive plum pudding shown above. It is served with almond flavored hard sauce and the ingredients are: 1 package lemon or cherry gelatine Dash of salt V2 tsp. cinnamon % tsp. cloves 1 pint hot water 3A cup finely cut raisins % cup finely cut cooked prunes V4 cup finely cut citron % cup finely cut nut meats 3A cup nut-like cereal Combine gelatine, salt and spices. Add hot water and stir until gelatine dissolves. Chill. When slightly thickened fold in combined fruits, nuts and nut-like cereal. Turn into mold which has been rinsed with cold water. Chill until firm, and let stand in refrigerator until ready to serve. Unmold. Almond Flavored Hard Sauce % cup butter 1 cup sugar Pinch salt % tsp. almond flavoring Cream together the butter and sugar, work in the salt, then add the almond flavoring. WITH all these preparations out of the way, Christmas day will be a happy, carefree one. The salad will be simple as well as colorful if you follow Mrs. McComb's suggestion of tomatoes and alligator pears, cut into small cubes and served with French dressing or mayonnaise. The green vegetable, if you wish to serve one, must of course be left until Christmas day. Mrs. McComb prefers green peas since they are quickly and easily prepared and cooked. And may your Christmas be a merry one! RADIO AND TELEVISION MIRROR I