The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 18, 1898, Page 14

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1898. Ghristmas TJable Decorations. HE color scheme for the Christ- mas decorations should be a sim- ple one. Red is the most effective and appropriate shade. It throws & rich glow over all, so whether the night be clear and chill or dismal and damp, the room has a warm, inviting look. Shun hothouse plants for the Christ- mas dinner table. The florist will offer you hothouse roses and carnations, But turn a deaf ear to his arguments and shut your eyes to the gorgeous beauty of his offeringse. Select instead the wild migtletoe, the holly, the cedar with its berries, the hardy winter Christmas ferns, the tralling pine and the dainty manzanita. These can be gathered in armfuls across the bay if the usual depleted holiday purse makes the florists impos- gible. The garlands and wreaths will look more beautiful and smell sweeter if you have picked them yourself. Be careful not to overcrowd the table with decorations. Do not raise a mound in the center, which stands as immova- ble as the pyramids of old, an everlast- ing discomfort to those seated around the table. It cuts off the view of .ne happy faces and makes peek-boo a ne- cessity if one would look at his vis-a- vig. Use the trailing ferns, that cool and green in their graceful, slender length make of the table a de.cate lattice work, Do not spoil the effect by a table cloth. Under each plate place a pretty dolly. Contributed by Well Known Housewives of San Francisco Mrs. John F. Swift. Mrs. F. A. Morrison. Mrs. F. L. Whitney Mrs. E. B. Pond. Mrs. Louis Sloss. Mrs. W. R. Smedberg. Mrs. Wendell Easton. Mrs. d. Lowenberg. Ghafing-Dish Recipes For Ghristmas. F cooking has become an art—a noble sclence—then th, e chafing dish is an exact sclence. It you Wwould succeed you must deftly mas- ter the intricacies. Swiftness, cau- Hon and aptness are the infallibla weapons of the priestess of the chafing g;s}?h‘ 'l’ns an accomplishment not Yy learned. e Aodrlnhner nor yet to be spurned. f herbs and other s Which the neat-handed Byllls dreases May please the palate of the laboring swain. But when the ‘‘wee sma’ hours™ creep on apace there {g a charm that wlill drive away the bogle-man. It is the savory odor rising from the depths of the chafing dish. It causes wit to flow afresh, it routs the grim specters that have stalked in from Boredom; it is the “open sesame’ that makes one willing to turn night into day. Oysters are especially adaptable to the chafing dish. They should always be drained and washed. If they are to be panned a little butter may be put in the chafing dish, the lamy lighted, and the oysters thrown in, As soon as they reach the botling point season with salt, red and black pepper and perhaps two table- spoonfuls of cream. If they are to be creamed allow to each pint of ovsters a tablespoontul cf butter; melt the but- ter, throw in the oysters, mix thor- oughly; molsten a tablespoonful of flour in a little milk, then add half a pint, pour this over the oysters, bring to the bofling polnt and season with salt and pepper. By adding the volks of two eggs and a tablespoonful of chopped parsley you may convert them into fricassee of oysters. ‘“Au naturel, the oysters are simply thrown into the hot chatag dish, and when bolling, salt, peppar and butter to taste are 4