Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 11, Number 3, DeMotte, Jasper County, 5 December 1940 — Page 2

Household News

THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES! (See Recipes Below)

One of the most important occasions in the year’s schedule of holidays is the Christmas dinner. As homemakers, it .behooves us to crown it with a superlative dessert. Cakes, fragrant with spices, and rich with fruits and nuts, are traditional Christmas fare, and are more than satisfying as a finale to the feast.

Fruit cakes improve with age. They become mellow and more flavorsome as the days go by. So, make them early and let them ripen until the holiday season arrives. Proper storage prevents fruit cakes from molding and drying out. Wrap the cooled cakes in wax paper, and store in tightly covered tins. Pour a little wine or fruit juice over the cakes, every week or so, and when ready to be served they will, be mellowed to the proper degree. Make out your Christmas list now. I’m sure you will find a few friends

to bake their own. Wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow, or fastened with colorful Christmas seals, the packaged fruit cake is indeed “lovely to look at, and delightful to eat.” A box of Christmas cookies of various shapes, sizes and kinds will be an appreciated present for someone on your list. Perhaps it is the kindly little old lady next door, or the lonely old man down on the corner, both of whom will thank you for your thoughtfulness. Christmas Fruit Cake. (Makes 10 pounds) - 14 pounds currants 3 pounds seedless raisins 1 pound citron 1 pound mixed candied fruit 1 pound candied pineapple 1 pound candied cherries 1 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar 6 eggs 4 cups pastry dour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon nutmeg 4 teaspoon cloves 4 teaspoon salt 1 cup fruit juice or wine Cut fruits. Cream butter and add sugar. Add well-beaten egg yolks. Mix and sift dry ingredients and add alternately with fruit juice or wine to the„ butter mixture. Add fruit. Fold in'beaten egg whites. .Place in baking*, pans lined with wax paper Cover pans with wax paper and steam 5 hours. Then bake 1 hour in a slow oven (275 degrees). Gum Drop Cookies. 4 eggs 24 cups light brown sugar ' 0

2 cups flour 1 cup nutmeats (chopped) 18 large gum drops (cut in small pieces) Beat eggs thoroughly. Add sug-

ar and continue beating. Add flour and beat until smooth. Fold in nut meats and gum drops. Spread evenly in 1 large or 2 medium-sized greased baiting pans. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 20 minutes, or until firm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars. Glace Finish for Fruit Cakes. 1% cups water % cup granulated sugar % ounce Gum Arabic (44 teaspoons) Place sugar and water in a saucepan and boil to the thread stage (230 degrees). Add Gum Arabic and heat again just to the boiling point. After fruit, cake has been baked, remove from the oven and garnish with nuts and fruits as desired. Then pour the Gum Arabic mixture over the fruit cake in a thin stream, and manipulate as lit-

by Eleanor Howe

and relatives to whom you may send fruit cakes. They will make charming gifts, especially for those away from home, and who have neither time nor the facilities

tie as possible in order to avoid crystallization of the glace. White Fruit Cake. (Makes 5 a 4 pound fruit cake) 3 4 cup butter 2 cups sugar 7 eggs (separated) 24 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 4 teaspoon salt 1 cup sweet milk 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 pound white raisins 4 pound figs 4 pound blanched a'lmonds 4 pound citron 4 pound candied cherries 4 pound candied pineapple Cream butter and add sugar. Sep arate eggs, beat egg yolks and add Mix and sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk. Add lemon extract. Cut fruits and add. Blend well and fold in well-beaten egg whites. Place in pans lined with wax paper and bake 1 hour in a very slow oven (275 degrees); then increase heat slightly (300 degrees) and bake 2 hours more. Yuletide Cookies. « (Makes 60 cookies) 4 cup butter 1 cup light brown sugar 2 eggs (well beaten) 2 cups flour

4 teaspoon soda 4 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoon nutmeg 4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons of sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cup seedless raisins

4 cup candied cherries (cut) 4 cup citron (cut fine) 4 cup dates (cut fine) 4 cup pecan nut meats (cut) Cream butter, add sugar slowly and 1 roughly*. Add eggs. Mix and sift all dry ingredients and add alternately with cream and vanilla extract. Fold in fruit and nut meats. Chill thoroughly; then break off in small pieces, form into balls, flatten, and place on. greased cookie sheet. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for approximately 12 minutes. Orange and Lemon Christmas Cookies. (Makes about 5 dozen cookies) 1 cup sugar 4 cup orange juice 4 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon peel (graiea) 1 teaspoon orange peel (grated) 34 cups flour (sifted) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 •_* teaspoon salt 4 cup butter (melted) Mix sugar and fruit juices well. Add grated peel, dry ingredients and melted butter. Stir well. Dough should be firm enough to roll. Roll very thin and cut with fancy cutter in Christmas shapes. Bake on a greased sheet in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees) for about 10 minutes. or until lightly browned on the edges. (The dough may be chilled in the refr’gerator f or about a half hour to make the rolling simpler).

Feeding Father.

Don’t let father down when the holiday season catches up with you. You may be busy with the holiday tasks before you, but Dad will still be around for the evening meals, and during the weekends, and the family must be fed, regardless of the amount of work to be done. v Miss Howe’s cookbook “Feeding Father” wall help you immensely in preparing the family meals. It contains recipes for simplified dishes to serve which will delight the family because they are so good to eat. You may secure your copy of the cookbook by writing to “Feeding Father,” care of Eleanor Howe, 919 North Michigan Avenue,, Chicago, Illinois, and enclosing 10 cents in coin. (Released by Western Newspaper Union.)

THE KANKAKEE VALLEY POST

Washington Digest Wallace, Capitol Spanish Club, Improve Pan-American Relations

Work to Remove Language Barrier Between Countries; Continued Aid to England May Soon Require Large U. S. War Loans.

By BAUKHAGE

(Released by Western Newspaper Union.) WASHINGTON.—It was midday in the Department of Agriculture building. The goldfish in the marble basin in the patio were wiggling hopeful tails in the prospect of a few crumbs that might be dropped by clerks hurrying back to their desks from the cafeteria. At a table in a little lunchroom jjpstairs a man with touseled hair, a somewhat self-con-scious smile on his face, pulled some manuscript from his pocket and began to read: j“Me es sumamente grato y honordso . . . ” It was not a visiting Spanish dignitary saying in his native tongue, “it is indeed a great honor; to be asked to make introductory remarks on the occasion of this distinguished gathering.” It was the then secretary of agriculture, Henry Wallace, rehearsing before his fellow ‘executives, the speech in Spanish that he was to deliver before the Pan Amer-

HENRY A. WALLACE

ican Scientific congress last May. And he knew what he was saiying and so did his audience. That informal Spanish club was only a little over two years old then but it is symbolic of a movement which has had a powerful influence in Washington—a movement the result of which is considered in Latin America as one of the real, practical steps toward Western hemisphere solidarity. The story of that luncheon group and the man who started it is r one of the fascinating stories of American diplomacy that doesn’t get into the text books. It is largely the story of Secretary Wallace himfeelf, and the story of a side of him that few people know. Except for the scholarly interest which a man who is an inveterate reader might have, Henry Wallace knew little more about South America than you or I when he came to Washington.. Today his name is (one of the best known of all of our officials to the Latin American newspaper reader. And they know it as the name of a man who understands ■them and their problems as few North Americans do. Wallace Symbolized A Friendship With Mexico When Vice President-elect Wallace shook hands with the President-elect of Mexico before the recent inauguration in Mexico City, he did so as a person who was far more than (he' mere official representative of the President of the United States—he came as a symbol of practical friendship between this country and the republics to the south. To grasp the reasons back of this' achievement you have to watch Henry Wallace at work. J Wallace wasn’t satisfied to read about South America, he wanted !to read what South Americans said in their own tongue; he wasn’t satisfied with talking-about South Americans, he had to talk to them. So he learned the language and immediately the bars went down. For language is a barrier. That is typical of his methods.” Out of those luncheon meetings grew a Department of Agriculture Committee on Latin America. Armed with the data furnished by this committee and supported by his own array of factual information, Mr. Wallace went to Undersecretary Welles in the state department and to the President. The result was the formation of the Interdepartmental Committee on Co-operation With the

LIVING COSTS

On every hand you hear the prediction that prices are going up as a result of the defense program. So far there is no marked increase in the cost of living. The bureau of labor statistics in Washington is paying particular attention to retail prices in towns where there are defense industries. But if they do see prices going up what will they do about it? Nobody knows.

American Republics, which studied the financial needs for activity in cultivating relations with South America. ° Now- money makes the mare go and this interdepartment committee's efforts helped secure the appropriation which put the teeth into the secretary’s own * practical efforts. Last July he saw one practical achievement of a step which he had been fighting for for years. It will make possible actual experimentation in the development of rubber in South America which may some day make us independent of the foreign rubber markets and bolster one of the greatest defense needs. I mention rubber because it is typical of the practical work which Mr Wallace has done. This step has won the gratitude of Latin America. But what is more important to the American farmer is that it stimulates growth of a product which complements but does not compete with his product. Valuable Products Grown In Latin America There are many other similar fields in which his efforts are bearing fruit. The department of agriculture, through study, through experimentation, through co-operation of representatives of the department attached to our diplomatic missions in Colombia and Argentina and our traveling -representatives in South America, has made valuable studies which will aid the production of products the United States needs from South America which we can’t raise here. Here are some of them: First, rubber, which I mentioned; secofid, hemp; third, insecticidal roots (rotenone) so valuable to farmers who grow products like vegetables, for while this poison kills the bugs it is non-poisonous to man. Then there are the various hard woods wo can’t grow in our latitudes. A soil book, the- result of Puerto Rican experiments, printed in Spanish has proved a gold mine to the folks of the Caribbean. That rotenone is a story in itself. The secretary had read about how certain South American natives used these roots to kill fish. He followed it up. Had the department investigate it. Found how it could be processed in South America. Today seven million pounds are imported into the United States, and when you realize that for use the solution is diluted five to one, you can 1 see what a quantity our market can absorb. • And for every dollar of these complementary products sold here, the Latin American has just that.many more dollars to spend in this country. Britain’s Resources Dwindling Rapidly Washington is beginning to feel the weight of pressure groups which are demanding short cuts in our efforts to aid Britain. There are a number of committees like the one headed by William Allen White to defend America by aiding the allies—formed when France was still an ally—which keep hammering on the White House door. . They have various specific aim's but the general purpose is help for Great Britain, with which most people agree heartily in principle. The administration has taken no official recognition of these various propaganda movements. Of some it approves. Of others it disapproves-. But it is becoming clear that some leaders in congress will not oppose certain specific demands when they become more pressing.

One is an amendment to the Johnson act which prohibits loans to foreign nations which haven’t paid their war debts. ’There is no official confirmation of this step but it is taken for granted by those who are supposed to know, that adminis- • tration support will not be lacking if and when such an amendment is proposed as it probably will be by the time the new congress has set-* tied down early in the new year. Earlier it was said that Britain had enough gold and securities in this country to cover her purchase of war supplies here for some time but latest figures indicate that she has placed orders for four and a half billion dollars worth of supplies already. This leaves only a billion and a half on credits, according to the estimates of experts, and it is believed that will soon be exhausted at the present rate of purchasing in this country. * * m United States navy medical experts are working out tests to discover whether a man is cool-headed. The purpose is to determine whether a person will keep his presence of mind in the face of danger. This is important in time of war. Some men, no braver than the average, go right on d<)ing what they are supposed to do in the presence of great danger whether they are frightened or not. Some become petrified. The navy wants to find out which are which and assign the men’s duties accordingly.

How the Idea Started

Christmas tree candles date back to the very earliest times in the Christian era. The Yule candle, of goodly size, lighted early Nativity celebrations. The lighting of candles is indeed a universl religious and national custom. Candle lighting featured the Norse* mid-winter festival of the turning of the sun. The Jewish Feast of Chanuckah or Lights is also celebrated similarly at the same season. Christmas Clifts

Romans exchanged gifts during (gay celebrations. But giving of presents nf course goes baeje much earlier. The Romans, however, gave it clearer identity as a part of their festival) program. Christmas boxes and cards of today have a link to the ancient Roman festivities. In France, gifts are distributed to children New Year’s eve instead of Christmas. In England, Germany, Italy, and most everywhere else, the custom is like in the United States. Santa comes a-visiting at Christmas. Christmas JUreatfjs

In ancient times the Teutons regarded holly -as a symbol of good luck. The custom was widespread of hanging evergreens in the interior of dwellings. Later the legend was widely circulated that all growing things blossomed and bore fruit the night of the Nativity. Holly came also to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Christ. The Puritans, however, regarded holly and mistletoe decorations as-pagan in nature, ahd they therefore were outlawed. £1; nit mas blockings

St. Nicholas rides Woden’s horse on Christmas eve in Holland. There the children put up their wooden shoes in the chimhey corners as a stop signal for the merry ‘fellow. Children of France followed the custom by placing their shoes for Bonhomme Noel by the hearth. In England and the United States, boys and girls improved on the idea bv hanging up stockings. These can hold more gifts. Ctjristmns s>pmns

The Puritans predicted the disappearance of Christmas carols and did what they could to discourage the custom of singing them. But it has grown more and more a part of the Christmas tradition which began in early Christian days in Rome. The French Noel, dating to the Eleventh century, and the German Weihnachtslieder, have the same origin.

National Christmas Tree Scene of Annual Service

The United States has a national Christmas tree! It is not a spruce, fir or hemlock, but a giant (sequoia which stands more than 267 feet high. The tree is located in General Grant National park, 64 miles east of Fresno, Calif. Devotional and patriotic services held beneath the tree each year since it was selected in 1925 are broadcast over a nationwide network.

An Oilcloth Burro For a Cuddle Toy

Pattern No. Z9033.

SLE-EPY, an oilcloth burro, is as lazy as he can be. He just nods and sleeps all day, and seems not to care what the children do with him. But he has three redeeming recommendations: a cute personality, ease of making, and his ability to part from fingerprints with the whisk of a damp cloth. * * * Z 3033. 15c. brlnp-s outlines and directions) for this 12-inch burro u ith the green yarn] mane hnd red halter. Send order to:

At’NT MARTHA Box 166-W Kansas C ity, Mo. fcnelose 15 cents for each pattern desired Pattc/n No.. .( Name ...... Address

Healing Time

Time has laid his hand upon my heart gently, not smiting it; but as a harper lays his open palm upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations.—Longfellow.

ANOTHER BIG ADVANTAGE FOR YOU IN SLOWERBURNING CAMELS

THE SMOKE OF SLOWER-BURNING CAMELS GIVES YOU NOT ONLY wtsss&k IWrPMjp

BUT ALSO j LESS NICOTINE than the average of the 4 other of the largestselling cigarettes tested—less than any of them according to independent scientific tests of the smoke itself.