Recipes from the Past
Citron Preserves. How did oranges get into the August CSA box? I'm not even sure where we grow oranges locally this time of year. Regardless, they are, as is any fruit save papaya, most welcome. Not a huge fan of papaya. Oranges are an easy snack for families with kids. I've never known of a kid... Continue Reading →
Meringue Cookie Time! Let's say you've made a delicious pudding or custard from scratch that called for 5 egg yolks. What do you do with all of those egg whites? Ingredients: 5 egg whites 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup sugar Beat eggs and cream of tartar together until foaming, slowly... Continue Reading →
Classic Recipes to Celebrate Pie Day. Happy Pi(e) Day! Here are a few fun pie recipes to help celebrate the day. Mother’s Pumpkin Pie ~1875 Pie or Cobbler? ~1910 Remarks on Pie Making ~1866 On Pies ~1855 Thanksgiving Pie “The Crown of the Feast”~1866 Apples Prepared for Nice Pies ~1851
Easy Gluten Free Sugar Cakes. First, let me say that these are just lovely to look at. They come out about the size of your hand and just look like they should be in a pastry shop window. Next, let me say that I don't think this is a good gluten free 'cake' recipe. (This... Continue Reading →
Frosting and Icing Recipes. Cooked and Uncooked Icings. Homemade icing is simple to make, yet the automatic reflex is to reach for the pre-made frosting in a plastic tub on the grocer's shelf. Why is that? It always leaves a cloying taste of sweetened preservatives that only the kids will eat (by the spoonful, no... Continue Reading →
Have you ever had leftover cake in the back of the fridge that's past its prime? Do not throw it out! This cabinet pudding recipe from 1886 uses stale cake for a novel boiled pudding. Easy to make and delicious.
Children's Victorian Cake Recipe. Procuring Dough. Curious ingredients. The cake recipe outsources the dough to the local baker, which, as a busy mom, I think is a brilliant solution. They didn't have biscuit tubes or box cake mixes, but this would have been the next best thing. A quartern of dough is about four pounds,... Continue Reading →
Classic Gingerbread Recipe. Another seasonal recipe from Mrs. Beeton's recipe collection c. 1861. Come to think of it, ginger 'bread' typically refers to the cookie sort of dessert, not the cake 'bread' version - at least here regionally. Why is that? Treacle is the British term for molasses, lest there be any confusion. Confession time. I... Continue Reading →
Simple Christmas Cake Recipe. This Christmas Cake recipe is from the famous Mrs. Beeton's recipe collection c. 1861. A few things about this particular recipe. First, I think it's fascinating how the editors include the average cost of the recipe at the end of each recipe. 1 s. = 1 shilling 6 d. = 6... Continue Reading →
