BIG-Lancaater Farming, Saturday, November 12,1988
How To Give The Holidays Your Personal Touch
BY LOU ANN GOOD
LEBANON If you always
find an excuse to make one more
cookie or one more ornament for
your Christmas tree, then Prescott
Fire Hall was the place to be this
week.
-V- ‘y y ry
back, have their heads formed from men’s socks, their ant
lers from work gloves and are dressed In outgrown child
ren’s clothli
A Victorian Christmas was the theme for Dennis Mellott’s
window arrangement. Floral nosegays tie back the curtains
and the elegant swan spouts a colorful floral arrangement.
The audience had time to browse and examine the displays.
From Tuesday through Friday,
1,400 attended die “The Personal
Touch” workshops sponsored by
Lebanon County extension. The
agenda featured holiday decora
tions, food garnishing, floral
designing, cooking light, and
creating family traditions.
Entertaining and garnishing
Scott L. Aungst, owner of the
Connoisseur Connection, Leba
non, taught creative uses of cheese
and garnishing tips to put together
taste-tempting fruit and vegetable
arrangements.
Aungst, who said he was self
taught, stressed that there are no
limits or special formulas to follow
when arranging food. He admon
ished that tomato peels, squash and
orange skins shouldn’t be dis
carded but fashioned into flower
shapes to add a decorative touch to
hors d’oeuvres.
A sharp knife is essential to cre
ate garnishes such as cutting an
orange into a basket shape or fluted
bowl, scooping out the orange and
filling with fruit salad. Likewise,
small pumpkin shells make ideal
bowls in which to serve soup.
Apples can be cut in a swan shape
to add a touch of elegance to food
trays.
Skewers and picks provide end
less opportunities to attach fruits
and vegetables to each other in
order to make exotic displays.
Floral Designs
Dennis Mellot, a Lebanon floral
designer, delighted the audience
with floral arrangements and liv
ing sculptures of whimisical ani
mal shapes.
The sculptures are formed from
wire frames outlining animal
shapes. These frames can be pur
chased and stuffed with spagnum
moss. Add some potting soil to
main body portion. Push roots of
plants into body. Pack moss over it
and tightly wrap with fishing line
being careful not to tangle with
plant. Trim moss with sissors. Pin
plant runners into moss. Keep well
watered. As plant grows, continue
to pin stems into body until the
moss is completely covered with
greenery.
Mellot, who has an aversion to
using the traditional red and green
colors at Christmas, arranged sev
eral designs using fresh flowers in
shades of yellow, red and purple.
To make a fresh centerpiece, use
a large watertight saucer. Cover
container and oasis with sheet
moss or Spanish moss. Add
accents such as stones, wood
pieces, bird nests and cut flowers.
Gift baskets
“A tisket, a tasket, a holiday gift
basket,” is the gift for all according
to Christenna Stamm, Lebanon.
She displayed baskets in all
shapes, sizes and colors. Some she
handcrafted; others she purchased.
Each she filled to meet the unique
needs of persons such as a nursing
home resident, a baby, a toddler’s
■*v
The Lebanon Valley Quilters Guild along with other
groups displayed their handicrafts for the workshop parti
cipants to purchase or get ideas for making their own.
“Create a personalized basket for the person on your
list,” suggested Christenna Stamm.
bathtub needs, a food lover and a
seam tress.
To give a more custom made
look, she suggests lining wicker
baskets with fabric.
Stamm demonstrated turning
rags into colorful baskets by wrap
ping rag strips around craft coiling.
“Often, I purchase new fabric and
tear it into one-inch strips,” Stamm
confessed as she admitted her hus
band thinks it’s foolish to purchase
new cloth and make it ugly.
Stamm said the fabrics should
be washed to prevent colors from
running. The strips are wrapped
around a coil and bent to form a
circle and then shaped like a
basket.
Holiday cooking
Aletta Schadler, extension inter
im regional director, shared tips
for those who find new and com
pelling reasons to be concerned
about holiday feasting. “Light up
for the holidays by cutting desserts
in half and serving on smaller
plates,” she suggested.
She introduced the audience to
new beverages on the market. She
said, “Since last year, alcohol free
wines can be found on grocery
shelves.” But for the most calorie
free drinks, she suggests, a spar-
(Turn to Pag* 17)
A Christmas wreath.
A swan fashioned from an
apple lends a festive touch
to fruit or vegetable trays.