Old custom
By JOAN KINGSBURY
Staff Correspondent
A hot sunny day, children dressed
in shorts and bathing suits playing
lawn games or swimming. Sounds
like the ideal summer day, doesn’t
it? Actually, this is typical Christ-
mas weather in South Africa. The
South African Christmas has all the
excitement of our American holiday
with the addition of beautiful warm
weather. Since South Africa is
located below the equator, Decem-
ber falls in its summer season.
African Christmas’ since Colleen
was horn and raised in Johannes-
burg, South, Afra, Althopgh she
and her, hushand,-Hansmow,dive in
and Michelle, they retain the South
African traditions.
Before the Christmas dinner
pulled. Christmas crackers are a
paper cylinder decorated in holiday
colors containing a paper hat and a
small favor. You pull the cracker
with the person on your right; the
cracker goes off with a bang and
the celebration has begun. Every-
one puts on their paper hat, even
the adults. Streamers also decorate
the table.
The dinner menu consists of roast
stuffed turkey and sometimes ham,
roast potatoes, roast pumpkin, gem
squash and green vegetables. Roast
potatoes are made by first par-
boiling them, then baking them in a
pan greased with Crisco. Roast
pumpkin, served as a vegetable, is
prepared the same way. The gem
squash is the size of an orange. This
squash tastes similar to our winter
squash. The gem squash is boiled,
sliced in half and served in their
shells either with a dab of butter or
it can be filled with peas. Cham-
pagne is the dinner beverage.
The Christmas pudding is the
traditional dessert. This is prepared
one month ahead of time, then
steamed for several hours on Christ-
mas Day. Decorated with holly, the
pudding is topped with brandy, then
lit. The flaming pudding is the
meal’s grand finale. Silver coins are
hidden in the pudding and each
person gets one. The Christmas
Pudding is served with either white
sauce or Brandy Butter.
Christmas cake, a fruit cake
sealed with Apricot Glaze, covered
with Almond Paste, then frosted
with royal icing can also be served
sometime on Christmas Day. This
cake is gaily decorated with Christ-
mas symbols. Recipes for Christ-
mas Pudding and Christmas Cake
follow.
As it is the world over, Christmas
in South Africa is a time for chil-
dren. Before Christmas, Father
Christmas sits in the stores and
listens to each child’s list. On
Christmas Eve, he brings the gifts.
At Colleen’s home, Father Christ-
mas also arrives on Christmas Day
around tea time to see the children.
Hot mince pies are traditionally
served at tea time.
Lights are a part of holiday
beauty. Each year Johannesburg’s
Joubert Park decorates with lights
in different fairy tale scenes, a
delight to both young and old.
Following the festivities, the chil-
dren are free to change into casual
clothes and play games or take a
swim.
CHRISTMAS CAKE
8 oz. flour
pinch salt
1 t. gr. cinnamon
1» nutmeg, grated
1 1b. sultanas (white raisins)
8 oz. candied cherries
TE
4 oz. almonds, blanched, shredded
2 0z. candied peel (shredded)
6 oz. butter
Grated rind of ' lemon or orange
6 0z. dark brows sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 T. brandy, rum sherry or 1 T.
orange juice
Using an 8-inch diameter cake tin,
line the tin with double thickenss of
greaseproof paper. Set oven at 350
degrees.
Sift the flour with the salt and
spices int oa bowl, then divide
mixture into three portions. Mix one
portion with the prepared fruit,
~BEa™the butter ttl” SST,
lemon or orange rind and sugar and
continue beating until the mixture is
very.soft. Add the. eggs one at a
.one, theif use a metal’ spoon to fold
in the second portion of flour. Mix in
the fruit, remaining flour, spirit,
sherry or fruit juice.
Turn the mixture into the pre-
pared tin and smooth the top of the
cake. Dip fingers in warm water
and moisten the surface very
slightly. There should only be a film
of water on the mixture to prevent
the crust from getting hard when
baking.
Put cake in the middle of the
oven, bake about 2!» hours. After 1
hour reduce the heat of the oven to
325 degrees and cover the top with a
double thickness of greaseproof
paper. After 2 hours test cake with
a trussing needle or fine skewer in
the center. If it comes out clean, the
cake is done. Allow to cool about 30
minutes in the tin, then turn onto a
rack until the cake is completely
cooled.
Wrap cake in greaseproof paper
or foil and store it in an airtight
container for up to three weeks
before covering with almond paste,
then royal icing. (Note: The cake
tin is as deep as two layers put
together.)
ALMOND PASTE
10 oz. gr. almonds
5 oz. granulated sugar
5 oz. confectioners sugar finely
sifted
1 egg
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. brandy or sherry or extra
lemon juice
I» t. vanilla extract
2 drops almond extract
2 t. orange flower water, a little
extra sherry or lemon juice
Place almonds, sugar, confection-
ers sugar in a bowl; combine.
Whisk the egg with the lemon juice
and other flavorings. Add this to the
mixture of almonds and sugar,
pounding lightly to release a little of
the almond oil. Knead with your
hands until the paste is smooth.
Brush or spread the cake thinly
with hot apricot glaze. This coating
makes sure that the almond paste
will stick to the cake. Place the
Re
Saturday til 6
almond paste on top of the cake;
roll it over the top so that it falls
down the sides.
Dust your hands with icing sugar
and smooth the paste firmly and
evenly on to the sides of the cake.
Turn it upside down; press to flat-
ten the paste on the top and roll the
rolling pin around the sides. This
gives a clean, sharp edge to the
paste. Leave the cake in a tin for 2-3
days before icing. Then ice with
royal frosting and decorate with
Christmas figures, reindeer, Santa,
ete.
APRICOT JAM GLAZE
dg apricot jam
juice of % lemon
4 T. water
Combine ingredients in a sauce-
simmer 5 minutes. Boil until thick,
brush over cake.
CHRISTMAS PUDDING
8 oz. self raising flour
1t. salt
» nutmeg, grated
1 t. mixed spice
12 oz. fresh white breadcrumbs
12 oz. beef suit
1 1b. dark brown sugar
1 1b. currants
1 Ib. white raisins
2 1b. dark raisins
4 oz. candied peel
2 T. almonds, blanced, shredded
11g. cooking apple, peeled, grated
Rind and juice of 1 orange
6 eggs
1 pt. milk or ale or stout
Use 4 medium size pudding
basins, 1 large or 2 small. Well
grease basisn; have ready a large
pan of boiling water.
Sift flour with salt and spices into
a very large mixing bowl, add all
dry ingredients and grated apple.
Mix well. Beat eggs until frothy,
add orange juice and mix, ale or
stout; add to mixture. Stir well.
Turn into prepared basins, fill them
to the top with mixture.
Butter a large round of grease-
proof paper for each basin, cut a
piece of foil to same siz. Put both
rounds together, foil’ uppermost,
fold across center to form a 1 inch
pleat and lay over basins with
buttered, greaseproof side next to
pudding mixture. Tie down securely
with string, leaving a loop for easy
removal when cooked. Place basins
in kettle with enough rapidly boiling
water to cover. Cook large puddings
for 6 hours, small for 4 hours. Boil
water from time to time.
When cooked, lift out carefully,
leave foil and paper on puddings
until cold before retying with
freshly buttered greaseproof paper
and foil and storing in a dry cup-
board.
When ready to serve at Christ-
mas, boil or steam for two more
hours. Turn onto a hot dish. Hard
sauce-brandy or rum butter should
be served separately.
M Card
Sunday 1210 5
829-3764
Following are cafeteria menus for
local school districts for the follow-
ing week:
WEST SIDE TECH
Dec. 12 - 16
MONDAY - Sizzled ham on soft
roll, buttered peas, cheese sticks,
chilled pineapple, chocolate chip
cookies, milk.
TUESDAY - Hoagie, lettuce-
tomato, Italian dressing, chips,
applesauce, peanut butter cookies,
milk.
WEDNESDAY - Baked chicken,
buttered rice, buttered green beans,
roll-butter, candy cane cake, milk.
THURSDAY - Fruit juice, Italian:
Calcium is
Nutritionists and health experts
do not always agree. One area in
which they are in agreement, how-
ever, is that the need for calcium is
not just kid stuff; adults require it,
too.
Most of us can recall how we were
encouraged to drink plenty of mik
because of its high nutritional value
and the fact that the calcium con-
tained in it helped build strong
bones and healthy teeth.
The problem is that many of us
grow away from this healthy advice
as we become older. The general
belief held by a vast number of
adults is that because their bones
and teeth are no longer growing, the
need for calcium in their diets is
greatly diminished. Researchers
and medical experts are concerned |
about this trend. :
Calcium is not only important to
us as children, when we are in the
growing bone making phase of our
life cycle, but also as young adults,
when our bone mass increases, and
as older adults, when we begin to
chief of the endocrinology and meta-
bolic research section at Creighton
University in Omaha, in a recent
article in ‘‘Contemporary Nutri-
tion,” a national newsletter pub-
lished for health professionals.
This is particularly true for
women, who generally become
more vulnerable, as they grow
older, to the weakening of their
bone structure. Recent published
data indicate that one out of four
white females over the age of 60
suffer from the crippling bone dis-
ease known as osteoporosis, a pro-
gressive disorder hastened by long-
term calcium deficiency that often
leaves its; victims ~susceptible-ito*
painful fraetures; chronic spinal
problems, and gradual loss of
height.
Abott 99 percent of the calcium’in
the “body is found “in the skeletal
structure and the teeth. The remin-
ing 1 percent is transported in ©
fluids to other parts of the anatomy.
In addition to its importance to bone
health, calcium is used by the body ©
to control nerve impulses, muscle
contraction and heart rhythm, and
aid in blood clotting.
Contrary to what some believe,
bone is not a static unchallenging
meat balls,
hoagie roll, cheese cubes, chilled
peaches, milk.
FRIDAY - Pizza, tossed salad w-
dressing, fresh fruit, brownie, milk.
DALLAS SCHOOLS
Dec. 12 - 16
MONDAY - Ground beef whimpie
on seeded roll or sauteed buttered
pierogies, kernaled corn, fresh
apple, milk or juice. Bonus: Potato
chips.
TUESDAY - Steamed hot dog on
bun or salami-cheese sandwich,
sweet potatoe-marshmallow delight,
fruited cherry gelatin w-topping,
milk or juice.
WEDNESDAY - Open face hot
turkey sndwich w-gravy or cheese-
burger on roll, fluffy rice, fresh
carrot sticks, sliced peaches, milk
or juice.
THURSDAY - Texas chili’ w-
freshly baked honey cornbread or
Italian cold meat hoagie w-cheese-
lettuce, season green beans, milk.or
juice. Bonus: Peanut butter oatmeal
cookie.
FRIDAY - Chicken-rice vegetable
soup, peanut butter-jelly sandwich
w-cheese wedge and fresh celery
stick or baked cheese pizza, milk or
juice. Bonus: Pretzel rings. x
material. Calcium comes and goes
from bone continuously. The cal-
cium that is lost must be replaced
daily through ingestion of adequate
amounts of dietary calcium. If it
isn’t replaced, serious problems can
set in over time.
When the body does not take in
enough calcium to replace what is
lost, it will steal what it needs from
the only natural reservoir it has -
bone - medical experts warn.
The loss of bone mass is a natural
process that begins as early as age
30, according to Morris B. Notelov-
itz, M.D., head of the University of
Florida’ s Center for Climacteric
tissue as they age, women lose it
more rapidly after menopause, he
says, at a rate twice as fast as men
of the same age, leaving them at
greater risk for bone fracture -
especially of the hip and wrist,
If you suspect you suffer from a
calcium deficiency, ask your doctor
‘about calcium supplementation.
NEW LOCATION
101 West End Rd.,
Hanover Twp.
(Between Crossroads &
Carey Ave. Bridge)
Open Daily 11:00 A.M.
Take Outs 829-3500
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