Corned Beef and Cabbage. Being of Irish surname name, I have had many (many) conversations over the course of my life about St. Patrick's Day traditions. Specifically, several people have shared (repeatedly) how corned beef and cabbage isn't actually an Irish 'thing'. Well, all of those people were right. Insofar as it was not called…
On Imagination and Food. Check on these next two stories from Soyer's Shilling Cookery for the People, circa 1855. Alexis was a formidable woman expressing self-confidence, wit, and irreverence. Enjoy! She actually has a point on that last part. Now we turn to politics, however... Source: Soyer's Shilling Cookery for the People, 1855. More Fun Discoveries from…
On Garlic In honor of National Garlic Day, a fine tribute to our bulbous friend. Note that according to this excerpt, garlic was not as popular with Americans as it was with Europeans (makes sense) and that cooks are urged to use garlic in moderation as it causes bad breath. To garlic! Source: The Physiology…
Bananarchist 1898. You can't make something this good up! Happy national banana day. Source: Kansas Agitator, 1898. More Fun Discoveries. Market Notes: Vegetables and Fruit ~1866 Victorian Kitchen Gadgets ~1897 Dried Peaches ~1866
An Introduction to Frying Pans. TL;DR? Trust me on this one, go back and spend the minute to read the above excerpt... It will make you smile. Only our dear author Alexis can give us a contemporary overview of the multi-use (slightly fishy) frying pan, the unsociable social status of bachelors over the age…
Yuban Coffee Advertisement. Happy Monday! Where to start with this one? Enjoy! More Fun Discoveries L’Eau de la Vie Recipe 1837 Coffee Monday: Washington’s Coffee British Wine Maker and Domestic Brewer Review ~1835
Mutton Chop Recipe. In my opinion... Love how this recipe is written! As someone in the language business, this first sentence is fabulous. I should pass it along to my daughter's high school English teacher so that the class can practice sentence diagraming - a fine, under appreciated skill. Source: Soyer's Shilling Cookery for the…
Humorous Ox Cheek Story. Back, once again, with another entertaining excerpt from Soyer's Shilling Cookery for the People, circa 1855. The readers will be reminded that the author writes of accounts working with the Irish peasantry during the potato famine and this current collection of recipes is intended to provide economical and nutritious recipes for…
On Lamb. Soyer's shilling cookery for the people is a gift on every page. Here's a little smile to start your day. On lamb... The book treats us to one (1) simple recipe for lamb: More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks How Funny We Feel ~1831 Orange Salad ~1855 Pumpkin Diet Drink ~1885
How to Cure Ham. Another gem from Soyer's shilling cookery for the people, this one on the essential skill of curing ham. Even if you don't think that you'll ever need to cure your own ham, this excerpt is immensely entertaining. Enjoy! Anyone who can work in mummification into a cookbook has a gift for written imagery!…
Gridiron. Another great excerpt from Soyer's shilling cookery for the people! Here's everything you need to know about gridirons: I couldn't find a photo of the hanging wire gridiron. I found what looks like a hanging flat griddle, but that's not what is described above. If anyone knows more about this one, please pass it along in…
Simple Stock Recipe. I'm exploring Soyer's shilling cookery for the people. The author has an absolutely delightful writing style, writing the book in a correspondence style to Eloise. Here's the introduction to soup: And here's the first lesson for Stock for Clear Soup: More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Potato Omelet ~ 1900 Risot a la…
Yuban Coffee Advertisement. A little pick-me-up for your Monday morning - or to lay the foundations on which the welfare of our country depends. Either/or. More Fun Discoveries L’Eau de la Vie Recipe 1837 Medicinal Preparations And Herbs, Which Every Family Ought To Keep On Hand ~1856/2017 British Wine Maker and Domestic Brewer Review…
Potage de Croûte a la Purée. Prep. Time: 5 min Cook Time: 20 min Serves: 4 Ingredients: 2 cups lentils 6 - 10 cups broth 4 slices bread/ 2 cups bread crusts 1/2 cup meat drippings (chicken) Pre-heat oven 350°. Step 1: Place the drippings in the bottom of an oven-safe tureen. Put the bread…
Caramels and Popcorn Recipe. Happy caramel popcorn day! To celebrate, here's an easy recipe for chocolate-covered popcorn. But wait, I hear you asserting: Chocolate covered popcorn isn't caramel popcorn! You're correct! Caramels was used a generic term to cover all things sweets. Finding this recipe was a challenge, and I didn't come across one until…
