Recipes from the Past
February Menu 1884. Welcome February! Still waiting for the farmers market to usher in spring vegetables. And waiting... My favorite vendor said that the farm won't have new produce crops until mid-March. Alas, we make do with dandelion greens for salads, parsley, and the ever optimistic seasonal citrus. At some point, I'm going to cover... Continue Reading →
January Dinner Menu from the 1880s. January Menu Welcome January! This bill of fare for 8 people includes rice, salmon, boiled potatoes, beef fillet, cauliflower, turkey with jelly, celery, and plum pudding. A heart meal for the middle of winter. Happy New Year! Source: Franco-American Cookery Book, 1844. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Pork... Continue Reading →
Dinner. Dancing. Merriment. Starting with dinner. A full menu with oysters, crudités, bass, Hollandaise sauce, melted potatoes, prime beef, Yorkshire pudding, brussel sprouts, stuffed eggplant, a goose, sweet potatoes, celery, beets, mayonnaise, plum pudding with hard sauce, cheese, fruit and coffee. Moving to dancing. To general merriment. Bon-bon parties! Bean bag parties! And oh-so much more! How... Continue Reading →
Georgian Menu and Table Layout. Source: The complete English cook; or, Prudent housewife. Being, a collection of the most general, yet least expensive receipts in every branch of cookery and good housewifery, with directions for roasting, boiling, stewing [etc.] ... together with directions for placing dishes on tables of entertainment: and many other things equally... Continue Reading →
Christmas Menus for All Budgets and Households. This series of menus really offers a unique glimpse into how families of different sizes and means would celebrate the holiday dinner. There are some similarities: oysters, roast turkey, cranberries, salted nuts, and coffee. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Dear Santa ~1900 On Oysters and Chicken... Continue Reading →
Friday Restaurant Menu from the 1920s Happy Friday! Source: The Evening Star, May 14, 1920 More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Salted Almonds ~1922 Fairy Butter ~1875 Pigeon Season ~1800
Good Things to Eat on Thanksgiving. Admittedly, the images on these menus are pretty poor. However, this find is such a delight that they just had to be shared. Check out the link below to see the entire page - recipes and all. Too busy changing the sheets for your house guests' imminent arrival? Or... Continue Reading →
How to Carve a Turkey Time to ramp up the Thanksgiving holiday cooking-theme. I always thought it was an interesting dichotomy growing up: The Matriarch did the roasting. The Patriarch did the carving. Here was see the gender divide as well. Today? Well, if you're going to fry it in peanut oil, then I'm fine... Continue Reading →
Happy Friday. This is my kind of menu! Just watched Julie & Julia for the umpteenth time. One of my favorites. Fitting to have the Red Star Cooking School advertisement for today's post. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Pigeon Season ~1800 Summer Dining ~1897 Currant Wine ~1929
Colorful WWII Halloween Menu. Happy Halloween, everyone! Here's a fascinating Halloween menu from World War II - its purpose was to be festive and improve morale. The chef deliberately chooses foods with fall colors. Notice the mention of rationing and food shortages. Read more about this menu's preparation here. Source: The Evening Star, 1943. More... Continue Reading →
1920s Halloween Meal from the National League Cookbook. Happy Halloween! Can you just imagine the roaring 20s and a fantastic costume party dinner? Prohibition probably meant that Cider had a little kick to it! Lots of Halloween parties this weekend ~enjoy! Source: Everywoman's Cook Book, 1922. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks On Pumpkins ~1885 La... Continue Reading →
Easy Dinner Menus from the National League Cookbook. Item No.1 in Menu No.1 is Jellied Chicken Boullion - Simple? Not so sure. Hearty? Yes. Source: Everywoman's Cook Book, 1922. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Helps for Housekeepers ~1922 12 Sandwich Recipes ~1897 Chili Meat 1938
Easy Lunch Menus from the National League Cookbook. At what point did we move away from such delectables as Mushroom and Noodle Timbale and Prune Whip and substitute them for Subway? Source: Everywoman's Cook Book, 1922. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Lightning Tea Cakes ~1917 Eggs ~1855 Not to Blame ~1891
Happy Friday. Source: The Spokane Press, January 22, 1910. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Raspberry Wine ~1810 Fried Quoits~1910 Camping Stoves ~1910
Simple Three Meal Menu. Happy Friday. Oatmeal soup, anyone? The recipe looks better than it sounds. Also love that we have fried bananas. Not sure I'll get to try it, though. Brought home 3 bunches of bananas for the teens yesterday. Went for a walk and 45 minutes later one of the bunches was gone!?!... Continue Reading →
A Piece of Roast Beef and a Boiled Leg of Mutton Serve a Small Family for a Week. This particular selection is familiar to me. My go-to meat is a whole chicken, however, mutton being unavailable locally. The Convivial chicken menu looks something like the following: Sunday - Roast whole chicken with rice and peas... Continue Reading →
Happy Friday. Source: The Spokane Press, October 17, 1910. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Kitchen Woodcut ~1810 Family Sauce ~1825 Rice Pudding ~1917
October Menu. Welcome October! Fall is truly here. This month's menu comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year. This menu is quite the production! From stewed frogs to French fries, there's something for everyone. The poor snipe is featured, again. I'm surprised there... Continue Reading →
Three Course Menu Early 1900s. Do we think is a dollar per person for a total of four dollars? Or a dollar for the entire family? Source: The Spokane Press, June 13, 1910. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks To Keep Meat Hot ~1805 Strawberry Wine ~1780 Lightning Tea Cakes ~1917
Three Meal Menu from the 1900s. Happy Friday. Source: The Spokane Press, Aug. 11, 1910. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Pigeon Season ~1800 Summer Dining ~1897 Currant Wine ~1929
Supper Menu from 1913. Happy Friday. Donofrio's Cafe offers many a fine dish, including your Friday fish. Served 5:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. Source: The Arizona Republic, Sept. 14, 1913. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Pigeon Season ~1800 Summer Dining ~1897 Currant Wine ~1929
Breakfast, Luncheon, Dinner Menu. Happy Friday. A little menu inspiration from the roaring 20s! This is actually a hearty menu for each of the meals. Included was the recipe for muffins. Source: Rock Island Argus, May 5, 1921. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Pigeon Season ~1800 Summer Dining ~1897 Currant Wine ~1929
September Menu 1884. Welcome September! Where did the summer go? This month's menu comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year. Today's menu features Ox-Cheeck, a la Nelson, fish with a chili sauce (which actually looks delicious - omitting catawba wine), veal, duck, lots... Continue Reading →
Happy Friday. How about some fresh raspberries, with cereal and cream, bacon and coffee for breakfast? Sounds good to me! Here's a link to a Roly-Poly Pudding recipe. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Pigeon Season ~1800 Summer Dining ~1897 Currant Wine ~1929
Yeah! Friday! This is my kind of Friday menu. Some pre-packaged (canned) food makes an appearance because, let's get real, who has the energy to make everything from scratch by the end of the week? Dinner tonight for our family? Probably frozen pizzas and carrot sticks. Happy Friday! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Camping... Continue Reading →
Happy Friday! Here's a little inspiration for your meals today. When's the last time you made tapioca? It's been well-over a year for our household. Adding it to the grocery list now... More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks War and Potatoes ~1917 Classic: Broiled Salmon ~1922 Household Management: 4 Cultures 1915
Victorian Menu for August 1800s. Welcome August! This month's menu comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year. It's meat heavy, which is surprising given that in most places August delivers wonderful bounty from the garden. The Bevarois aux peches recipe gets my vote!... Continue Reading →
Happy Friday! Here's a little inspiration for your meals today. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks War and Potatoes ~1917 Classic: Broiled Salmon ~1922 Household Management: 4 Cultures 1915
Essential Items for your Picnic Success. Ahhh... summer! At last! Check out this fantastic list of items you'll need to guarantee a fabulous time. Top of the list? Several persons with a sense of humor. Love it! Also included: A red tablecloth Little red fringed napkins Lots of sandwiches A cold chicken that's been disjointed... Continue Reading →
Happy Fourth of July to my friends in the US! A fine day for picnics, no? Here's a must-bring list from 1880. How does your shopping list compare? A joint of cold roast beef, a joint of cold boiled beef, 2 ribs of lamb, 2 shoulders of lamb, 4 roast fowls, 2 roast ducks, 1... Continue Reading →
July Menu 1884. Welcome July! This month's menu comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year (Check out last July's menu, here). Here's to summer! This is a truly seasonal menu, you find a vegetable soup with asparagus and carrots, boiled artichokes, and raspberry ice-cream.... Continue Reading →
A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband. An Afternoon with Bettina Back to Bettina! Our newlywed whose cookbook is organized through a (seemingly) innocent narrative to help instruct in the art of cookery, from A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband. As you can imagine, the title has made it a best seller over the... Continue Reading →
Summer Lunch Menu 1913. Welcome Summer! Several options for your upcoming picnic! Menu: Iced Currants Lettuce Sandwiches Chicken in Jelly Cheese Straws Nasturtium Sandwiches Lemon Ice Cream Custard Snow Cake Iced Russian Tea (?) These recipe descriptions are such a delight to read. When was the last time you read 'daintily' in a recipe? Nasturtiums... Continue Reading →
A Little Victorian Humor. Happy Tuesday! A little Victorian humor to start your day. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Daily Menu ~1915 Apple Jam ~ 1876 Bain-Marie ~1886
Happy Friday! Here's a menu for meal ideas. Love the variety. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Directions for Setting Refreshment Tables ~1866 Golden Sunshine Cake – 1922 Meets 2017 Teen How to Choose a Potato ~1855
Maxwell House and the English Breakfast. Coffee Monday. ...the long sideboard with its row of hot-water dishes flanking the vast coffee-urn which puffs out little angry jets of steam... Happy Monday! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Cape Cod Clam Chowder ~1866 Advice on Most Useful Vegetables ~1847 Army Slap-Jacks ~1886
These menus always seem so well balanced with lots of fresh ingredients. What a different era from our fast food drive-thrus and pre-packaged frozen dinners. What is a Blackberry Roly-Poly? Glad you asked! This roly-poly calls for steaming the dough roll. I see 'boiled puddings' and 'steamed rolls' regularly. Has anyone tried steaming/boiling desserts? As... Continue Reading →
For The Lady Who Breakfasts In Bed. ...It is a miracle of fresh and delicate appointments. Here's to Monday! ...if strawberries are served the hulls should be left on and the berries carefully selected for size and color. White grapes, peeled and chilled, may be substituted, or iced orange juice with fresh mint. Dry toast... Continue Reading →
Strawberry-Themed Menu June 1920. Strawberry season is well and truly here! Yay! We are surrounded by strawberry fields, and have the luxury of indulging in sweet strawberry abundance for a pittance. I pick up a half-flat every Monday afternoon at the local farmers market with good intentions to whip up marvelous confections. Alas, by Tuesday... Continue Reading →
Planning a Picnic. The weather is finally coming around and it is a grand time for picnics! Here's a fun planning guide for picnics circa 1915. I'm not sure why bread has fallen out of fashion, but lemonade remains a faithful standby. This looks like an a delicious feast! A far cry from hot dogs,... Continue Reading →
June Menu 1884. Welcome June! This month's menu comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year (Check out last June's menu, here). Here's to summer! This Garbure a la Clermont looks delicious - something akin to a French onion soup, which makes sense given that... Continue Reading →
May Menu 1884. Welcome May! This month's menu again comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year. Here's to spring! The prawn sauce looks delicious! Sirloin of Beef: That is a lot of beef for 8 people. More Fun Menus from Antique Cookbooks April... Continue Reading →
April Menu 1884. Welcome April! This month's menu again comes from the Franc-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year. The puree of asparagus looks fantastic! Let us take a moment to appreciate the food processor and blender. Mashing asparagus through a sieve would so not be... Continue Reading →
Easter Menu at Glen-Ethel. Looking for Easter dinner ideas? What a spread! Not sure what all of these are, but I'm guessing no one left the table hungry. Source: Abbeville Press and Banner, 1900. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Meringued Coffee ~1897 Indian Slap-Jacks ~1886 L’Eau de la Vie Recipe 1837
Raw Food Dinner Menu. This excerpt comes from a NY evening newspaper article. It features a dinner party with a doctor, his wife, one of his patients, and the reporter. The headline focuses on the cost of the dinner (.60), but the narrative itself discusses the menu times. And then... Certain proof that paleo is... Continue Reading →
Delicious Dinners at a Cost of $1. This a fascinating read. You find the complete menu - soup, main, sides, drinks - as well as a breakdown of the costs and tips for cooking. I don't think you could do this today. For those who shop for whole ingredients, it's easy to see the inflationary... Continue Reading →
March Menu 1884. Welcome March! This month's menu comes from the Franc-American Cookery Book; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year. Today's menu features salep soup, boiled skate, calf's head, stewed beets with cream, bermuda potatoes, quail pie, lettuce and tomato salad, and compote of oranges.... Continue Reading →
Tomato Soup, Omelet, Bananas Something about this menu just seems perfect: Tomato soup with croutons Veggie omelet Bread and butter Bananas Tea Just had to share! Source: Fannie Farmer, 1924. (That's an affiliate link 🙂 More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Fun Antique Cookbook Titles Cooking as Noble Science ~1897 Orange Salad ~1855
Welcome February! This month tuck in to Lobster Salad, Sweetbread Roast, Rice Soup, Fillet Midton Roasted with Celleri (assume this is mingon), Broiled Chicken, and Petite Patties... More Fun Discoveries December Menu ~1844 September Menu ~1808 Beef Loaf ~1904 Source: Art of Cookery, John Mollard. 1808.
Christmas Menu from the Ladies in Washington 1889. The leading ladies of Washington have been called upon to furnish a special dinner for your readers... I like Vice-President and Mrs. Morton already. Family values shine through! They were using 'xmas' back in 1889. Who knew? More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks. Maryland Egg-Nogg ~1889... Continue Reading →
Victorian Era Christmas Dinner Menu. This Christmas Dinner menu will look familiar to today's reader. Is it missing anything? More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks A Christmas Party ~1866 Turkey Scalloped 1881 Apples Prepared for Nice Pies ~1851 Source: Salt Lake Herald, December 25, 1889.
December Menu Late 1800s. Welcome December! This bill of fare for 8 people includes giblet soup, broiled eels and potatoes, veal, turkey liver, and glazed apples. A hearty winter meal. This menu and recipe set comes from the Franco-American Cookery Book (1844). The book is unique because it is organized around menus for each day... Continue Reading →
My, this Thanksgiving feast from 1866 is almost identical to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner celebrated by my family growing up! Talk about tradition! Happy Thanksgiving! More Fun Discoveries Mashed Pumpkin ~1885 Baked Apples ~1886 Hot Apple-Toddy ~1886
Welcome November! This is actually the second November menu today. Why another menu? Because the first was from the 20th century and this one is from the 18th century - and that's just cool. Let's interpret the options. Chine of Pork. Fantastic spelling. Beef Collops is beef stew. Actually Scottish beef stew. But we'd recognize... Continue Reading →
Welcome November! Breakfast is a meal I could get behind. More Fun Discoveries October Menu ~1900 September Menu ~1808 August Menu ~1808 July Menu ~1808
Welcome, October! This month's menu features a variety of delectable options, including: Stewed Dates, Cream of Cauliflower Soup, Baked Rabbits Stuffed with Chestnuts, Tongue Salad, and Rice Cream. Source: Topeka State Journal, October 20, 1900. Discover More.
Happy Labor Day to all those celebrating the end of summer in the US! A fine day for picnics, no? Here's a must-bring list from 1880. How does your shopping list compare? A joint of cold roast beef, a joint of cold boiled beef, 2 ribs of lamb, 2 shoulders of lamb, 4 roast fowls,... Continue Reading →
Welcome, September! This month we have: Turnip Soup, Maccroni, Fry'd Celleri, and a Chantillie Baskett. Source: Art of Cookery, 1808. Discover More.
Welcome, August! This month the cookbook brings you: Scallops, Almond Custard, Onion Soup, Ham Pie, and Fry'd Salmon. Source: Art of Cookery, 1808. More Fun Discoveries Coffee Custard ~1905 To Bottle Fruit (With Hay?) ~1866 How to Make Ice Cream ~1866 July Menu ~1808 Discover More.
Welcome, July! This menu is features: Rabbits with Onions, Pick'd Crabb, Artichoke Bottoms, and Apricot Tart. Delicious! Source: Art of Cookery, 1808.
Welcome, June! The house special this month includes: Roast Beef, Codling Tart Cream'd, Lambs Head Minc'd, and Plovers Eggs.
This month we have such delectable dishes as: Beef Tails, Stewed Compotte of Pidgeons Artichoke Bottoms Spring Soup Pine Apple Tartlets More Fun Discoveries April Menu ~1808 March Menu ~1808 February Menu ~1922 January 1922 ~ Menu Source: Art of Cookery. 1808.
Welcome April! This month's menu features only 2 courses, with such dishes as: Tongue Boild Etc. Ducklings Roast Currie Stew'd Cellery Prawnes My, what a feast! Source: Art of Cookery, John Mollard, 1808. Other Fun Discoveries: January Menu ~1922 February Menu ~1922 March Menu ~1808
French and English Supper Menus late 1800s. These two menus, or bills of fare, appear to be direct translations - one in French and one in English - demonstrating the corresponding layout for each per the tradition. While the food is similar, the accompanying wine list is conspicuously absent from the English menu. Any ideas... Continue Reading →
Welcome March! Some curious notes: Crimp'd Cods Head Pyrimid of Paste Harricott of Begetables Veal Olives Source: Art of Cookery, John Mollard, 1808.
Source: Good Housekeeping Book of Menus, Recipes and Household Discoveries, 2nd Ed. (1922). International Magazine Co., All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian.
1920s Menu for January. Source: Good Housekeeping Book of Menus, Recipes and Household Discoveries, 2nd Ed. (1922). International Magazine Co., All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian.
