Recipes from the Past
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 →
3 Classic Recipes for Puddings from the Georgian Era. Today we have three distinct pudding recipes. I'm adding them to the blog as a sort of indexed reminder as I would very much like to come back and try them. The lemons are in season here and I pass several trees tucked away in the... Continue Reading →
Apple Tansey Recipe. This apple recipe is new for me. The interwebs has a surprising amount of information about the history of Apple Tansey, and informs us that the recipe was popular among colonists. Those recipes seem to call for flour, which is conspicuously absent from this present version. I would think that adding the flour... Continue Reading →
Celebrating National Cake Day! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Chocolate Cake ~1897 Golden Sunshine Cake – 1922 Meets 2017 Teen Cannelons With Cream ~1886
Easy Golden Sunshine Cake Recipe. The Girl turns 16 today. Wow! How did that happen? Cake time! I thought I had purchased a gluten free cake mix, but discovered that it was, in fact, a pizza mix lurking in the corner of the pantry. Oops. Plan B was to make a golden sunshine cake that... Continue Reading →
1879s Election Cake Recipe. Election day here in the US. Time to get your bake on. This recipe is quite involved. Makes 9 loves - plenty to share at the polls! (Find out about measurements here.) In 1875, Ulysses S. Grant was the President of the US; he helped lead the Union to victory over... Continue Reading →
Pumpkin Pie Recipe 1870s. Cookbooks back in the day often included blank pages to add your own recipes. I'm not sure when recipe boxes came of fashion, but this method certainly helps keep things all together. Today's post is just such a recipe, written with exquisite penmanship and attributed to Mother. Enjoy! Source: In the... Continue Reading →
Easy Chocolate Sauce Recipe. It's full-on candy season here in the States and adding something sweet to the mix somehow seems appropriate. How about home-made chocolate sauce? The recipe is a bit involved and we're not huge chocolate fans, but I know many folks are, so here's one to tuck away in the recipe box!... Continue Reading →
Apple Custard Recipe 1881 Simple apple custard recipe. Naturally gluten free. I love that it uses the egg custard base - which is the basically the same recipe for cream custard and bread pudding. Ingredients 6 tart apples A little water for stewing Sprinkled white sugar 8 eggs (I would probably do 4-5 large eggs)... Continue Reading →
Gluten Free Gingerbread Recipe. Is it too soon for gingerbread? My instincts say 'no'. If the big box store down the road can roll out Christmas kitsch in October, then I can post a gingerbread recipe. Sound logic! Notes: Substituted 1:1 all purpose gluten free flour.Recommend adding 2 Tbsp. of ginger and 1 tsp. of... Continue Reading →
Gluten Free White Cake Recipe. Notes: Substituted 1:1 all purpose gluten free flour. Worked just fine. Used orange zest from 1/2 large orange instead of orange extract. Came out lovely. Use only 1 round cake pan. It does not make enough for two layers. Keep temperature at 350. Glazed with a buttercream frosting. Huge success!... Continue Reading →
Feeling Fall. Source: A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband, c. 1917. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Stock ~1855 Gotham Pudding ~1866 Navigating Antique Cookbooks 101
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 →
Fairy Butter Recipe. May your day be filled with the whimsey of fairies, nestled in sugary folds. To be used as icing. Source: In the Kitchen, 1875. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Tomato Stuffed with Rice ~1917 Preserved Violets ~1890 Lighthouse Kitchen ~1855
Gluten Free Apple Fritters Recipe. New to fritters, here. Was inspired after watching a cooking show and found a simple apple fritter recipe in American domestic cookery, formed on principles of economy, for the use of private families, my current kitchen companion. Here's the pancake recipe. Fritter batter is supposed to be runnier than regular pancake... Continue Reading →
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 →
Gluten Free Spice Cake Recipe. When baking spice cake, the entire house feels as if it is wrapped in cinnamon love. Last week's spice cake lasted several days, and was the go-to food for kids rushing out the door for the bus. So, I decided to try a different version - similar, but different. Ingredients... Continue Reading →
How to Boil Pudding. Today's post answers a question that I've long had about the mystery of boiled puddings. You'll often come across recipes for boiled puddings tied up in cloth, but I could never picture how this functioned practically: If you have a liquid mixture tied in a bag and then placed into a... Continue Reading →
Spice Cake Recipe. This spice cake comes out something like a coffee cake. Not overly sweet and mild. Spice Cake No. 2 looks to be a bit spicier! The raisins are a nice touch. Big hit with The Daughter and The Son. Ingredients 3 cups gluten-free flour, sifted (regular flour if you're so inclined) 2... 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
Pie Recipe for Camping. "It is not to be presumed that a mere male camper can make a good pie-crust in the regular way; but it is easy to make a wholesome and very fair pie-crust in an irregular way..." To be made with great circumspection and becoming reverence. Enjoy! Note to self: Don't give... Continue Reading →
Wait... How many people is this supposed to serve?!? And just how big is this oven? Forget the oven - how big was the bowl??? Obviously an Independence Day celebration back in 1866 was some celebration! Bring on the party! Ingredients 20 lbs. of flour 15 lbs. of sugar 10 lbs. of butter 4 dozen... 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 →
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 →
Potato Pudding Recipe. Note: 41 ounces is about 2.5 lbs. That's quite a bit of potato! Perfect for leftover mashed potatoes. 4 ounces of butter is 1 stick. Will post this with every intention of coming back to experiment. If it comes out edible, has potential as a gluten free dessert. I just finished watching... 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 →
Gluten Free Rice Pudding with Strawberry Sauce. Time: 10 min. prep Bake: 40 min. Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup milk 1 egg 4 T Sugar 1/4 t salt 1 t vanilla 1 Cup cooked rice 1 t butter (optional) 1/8 t nutmeg Bake at 350° for 40 min. Butter on the top didn't add anything to the... Continue Reading →
Bettina's Pastry Rules. Here's a quick and dirty guide for pastry. Any other tips out there? As a gluten free family, we don't really do pastry - but one can still drool from afar... Good for the waistband if nothing else. Source: A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband, c. 1917. More Fun Discoveries from Antique... Continue Reading →
Gluten Free Lightning Tea Cake Recipe. This recipe hails from the famous 'A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband' cookbook, narrated by Bettina. The purpose of the book is to present cooking as accessible for the new housewife. Here we have a recipe for Lightning Tea Cakes - so named because they are quick... Continue Reading →
Using Sour Milk. Traveling and end-of-semester events have kept us from eating at home as much as we normally would, which has left me with about 1 gallon of milk that's gone slightly off. The stand-by is to use up sour milk in pancakes, but we're not a big pancake family and there's only so... Continue Reading →
Recipe for Preserved, Candied Violets. Violets are coming into bloom - or will be shortly - here in the northern hemisphere. Has anyone ever had preserved violets? I've done something similar with sugared rose petals. I don't have access to violets, but this was such a unique recipe I had to post it. Source: Fisherman... Continue Reading →
Introductory Material on Pies. Priceless line: "To pass in review these culinary victims..." I'm going to tuck that one aside for later use. It seems Alexis has a pet peeve for pies. Source: Soyer's Shilling Cookery for the People, 1855. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Potage au Choux ~1825 Crust and Lentil Puree Soup... 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 →
National French Cake Recipe. Today's excerpt is slightly longer, but offers us a glimpse into Parisian night-life in 1855. I love how Alexis uses extended preambles as a lead in to the actual recipes. You see this in celebrity cookbooks today. For readers who are theater-goers, this post is a special treat! Oh! The imagery... Continue Reading →
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... 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 →
Easy Butterscotch Sauce Recipe for Ice Cream Ever wonder how to make butterscotch sauce? Relatively straight forward using every-day ingredients. Ingredients: Brown sugar Corn syrup Butter Cream Heavy milk (whole milk) With a list like this, no wonder butterscotch is so delicious! Yum! Source: Fannie Farmer Boston School of Cooking, 1924. More Fun Discoveries Jelly... Continue Reading →
Bread Pudding Recipe What to do with those bread heels? (especially gluten free ones - which are on the edge of edible, if you know what I mean...) Save them until you have enough for bread pudding! This bread pudding recipe comes from Fannie Farmer's Boston School of Cooking cookbook. I did not pre-scald the... Continue Reading →
Here's to National Chocolate Cake Day. Happy National Chocolate Cake Day! Did you know that it was a challenge to find a chocolate cake recipe? Much more common are the spice cakes, rum cakes, citrus cakes, etc. I'm not sure why, but my conjecture is that there just weren't that many variations on chocolate cake?... Continue Reading →
Happy National Whipped Cream Day! As a kid, did your parents ever give you a pint of cream and a whisk and say: "Mix this until it becomes whipped cream?" And you're mixing, and mixing, and mixing - and nothing happens. Then you think: Yeah right. They're making all this whipped cream stuff up. Then... Continue Reading →
Candy Recipe. This is a great recipe and offers us a glimpse at the life of a young 14 year old teenage girl, Miss Jessie Miller, living in Washington D.C. We know that: 1). she didn't go to school. 2). she had a brother who did go to school, 3). her father was the attorney... Continue Reading →
"...And heap the snow upon it!" This looks delicious and calls for experimentation forthwith! Summer Snowballs ~1856 I must confess to a weakness for asparagus in mid-winter…~1893 Choice Teas and Family Groceries ~1867 Source: Mrs. Corwen's American Lady's Cookery Book, 1866.
Snowball Recipe - "Serve with butter, and sugar...or wine sauce." That's an easy choice! More Delightful Discoveries Summer Snowballs ~1856 Children’s 1922 Party Recipe Calumet Baking Powder ~1917 Source: Mrs. Corwen's American Lady's Cookery Book, 1866.
Spice Gingerbread - Simple, straightforward gingerbread recipe. Caroline F. Frye certainly didn't waste words! What spices would you use? Source: The Salt Lake Herald, December 25, 1889. More Fun Discoveries Soft Gingerbread ~1866 On Persimmons ~1863 Spinning Sugar ~1886
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 →
Chocolate Caramels Recipe Here is a recipe which is cheap, simple, and never fails! Love it! Ingredients 1 cup molasses 2 teacupfuls of white sugar 1 piece of butter the size of a small egg 1/4 lb. of grated chocolate - but you don't have to grate it, just break it up As someone who... Continue Reading →
Cream Peppermints Recipe Tis the season when cooks begin to break out their cookie and candy recipes for gift exchanges! This Cream Peppermint recipe is as straightforward as it gets. Ingredients 2 cups powder sugar 6 Tbsp. water 1/4 tsp. cream of targer 1/2 tsp. essence of peppermint More Fun Discoveries Risot a la Piemontaise... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving Pie Recipe 1866 This is an incredibly detailed recipe, calling for delicate pastry work. No doubt that the Thanksgiving Pie was truly the crown of the feast! Happy Thanksgiving! More Fun Discoveries The Victorian Home: Yearly Staff Wages ~1880 Introduction: Homemade WWII Cookbook History of Aunt Jemima ~1919 Source: Mrs. Crown's American Lady's... Continue Reading →
Remarks on Pies What we learn here is that: pumpkin pie is the crowning dish of the Thanksgiving feast (a fact my family fully appreciates); mince pies are for Christmas; and tartlet mince pies should be served on New-Year's day. Finally, apple pies should ALWAYS be served with roast pig or goose - Or a... Continue Reading →
Recipe from 1922 Meets 2017 Teen. Big shout-out to the Pacific Grove High School Culinary One class! Students create a digital portfolio of recipes they make over the course of the year outside of class, which is a brilliant way to get them into the kitchen. This month my daughter chose a yellow cake recipe... Continue Reading →
This is a simple pseudo apple pie recipe, if there is such a thing. Only the border of the dish has crust, which means you're not rolling out dough and trying to gently place it in the pan - or you could use this recipe to finish off that little bit of pie crust that... Continue Reading →
Who doesn't love apples, brown sugar, and cream?!? Makes a very nice dessert. This is an easy recipe for baked apples: Slice them up Sprinkle with 1 cup of brown sugar & 1 cup of water Bake Cool and dust with powdered sugar Serve with cream The apples would be very tender if cut into... Continue Reading →
Apple orchards are magical summaries of summer's abundance. In honor of their prolific work, Convivial Supper will be featuring several apple recipes over the next few weeks. Get ready to tuck in! Of course, apple pies are on the top of the list, so here's a great recipe on preparing apples for pies. Note that... Continue Reading →
Video time! Elmina, our WWII cook, entered the local competition for strawberry recipes and brings home first prize! Enjoy. More Fun Discoveries: Introduction: Elmina H. Allen's 1930s-1940s Homemade Cookbook Elmina Wins a Prize
Video time! The best part of this cookbook is the inside cover. Elmina proudly pinned the newspaper article where she won first prize for the strawberry recipe contest! Way to go Elmina! More Fun Discoveries: Introduction: Elmina H. Allen's 1930s-1940s Homemade Cookbook Elmina Shares Winning Strawberry Shortcake Recipe – WWII Cookbook A Toast to Fannie... Continue Reading →
Ice Cream - May be made thus: Check out this wonderful recipe. What I like about it is that it includes directions for flavoring with fruit juice - au natural! More Fun Discoveries How to Make Ice Cream ~1866 Strawberry Syrup ~1866 To Make Lemonade ~1866
This image of 'A Model Housewife' was taken from the very first column dedicated to cooking recipes in the St. Paul Daily Globe newspaper. The introduction states that they received more cake recipes than any other submission (because who doesn't love cake?!?!) and that the newspaper will make this a permanent column. If you're interested... Continue Reading →
The Progressive Farmer is a country newspaper from North Carolina. Aunt Jennie runs a write-in column sharing tips and tricks from readers. You can see that the readers are connecting with one another, using the column as a stand-in for a social gathering, which would make sense in a rural community prior to radio. There's... Continue Reading →
This coffee custard recipe looks delicious! Source: The Commoner, August 5, 1905. Discover More.
This recipe starts off fairly blasé, but then quickly morphs into something entirely whimsical - as the title suggests, with 12 eggs, rose-leaf steeped brandy, 2 pounds of chopped raisins...and it will keep for 3 (?!?!) months! Well then, Mrs. Madison, we've learned something new about your penchant for hearty cakes! Source: Mrs. Crowen's American... Continue Reading →
Just in time for summer, ice cream! Who ever knew making ice cream was so involved? Note the blatant product placement for Austin's Magic Freezer. I do hope Mrs. Crowen got some sort of affiliate fee. Enjoy! More Fun Discoveries To Dry Artichoke Bottoms 1808 Corned-Beef Hash, New-England Style Recipe ~1886 Oranges With Jelly ~1886... Continue Reading →
Freshly ground nutmeg is heavenly! Note: I used 2/3 cup of sugar, 1 quart 2% milk, a standardized teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/2 a small nutmeg. Baked in a 350° F oven for 70 minutes in a water bath. Source: Mrs. Crowen's American Lady's Cookery Book, 1866. Other Fun Discoveries: Interpreting Victorian Baking Temperatures... Continue Reading →
I never know what to do with leftover bread crusts. We are a gluten free house, which means that the bread we buy is already barely edible. That said, I'm not one to throw food away, and there must be 3 bags of heels and bread bits in the freezer. Our various attempts to use... Continue Reading →
This recipe is very involved - talk about creative! And absolutely adorable... More Fun Discoveries: Beef Stewed (ragoo) ~1866 Why all the masquerade I ask? We live but once-Why not live well? ~1900 Source: Mrs. Corwen's American Lady's Cookery Book, 1866.
Ingredients: 2 Eggs 1 Pint Milk 1 Pint Wheat Flour - or more 1 Tablespoonful Lard 1 Saltspoonful of Salt 1 Doyle (Doily) Dessertspoonful of Firm Jelly or Jam Question: When was the last time you used the word doily? More Delightful Discoveries Cures: Teething, Scurvy, Rattlesnakes, Etc. ~1856 Maccaroni, with Cheese ~1881 A Slow... Continue Reading →
So I'm not sure if this holds with the practical of Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery, but... Check out this wonderful Victorian image of spinning sugar - slightly intimidating for the home cook. In fact, probably don't try this at home. Also, note the handlebar on this gentleman! Very, very dapper indeed! More Fun Discoveries... Continue Reading →
Oranges filled with jelly sound delicious! And "The effect is very pretty." Note the reference to Florida orange jelly. If you do a quick internet search, you come up with oranges filled with jello, but I don't think it's necessarily what they were going for. That said, I'm sure the modern twist is probably easier!... Continue Reading →
Cannelons: Not to be confused with cannoli, but the similarity is uncanny, no? Something was lost in translation...darned Italian grammar. The baking stick illustration is marvelous! One can imagine the young children of the household running around with these in mock battles! Here is a fried cannellons recipes from 1830: To read the description, they... Continue Reading →
Note: This came out well. The dish does need to be thoroughly buttered-you can see the almost caramelized rice on the sides of the dish, but not burnt. I'm not sure how Bryn (fabulous name, by the way) managed 3 layers, I only managed 2 in an 8"x8" dish. Was very rich and sweet served... Continue Reading →
Lincoln Pudding Recipe from the 1800s. Source: Home Cookery 250 Tested Receipts, 2nd Ed. Mrs. H. 1881. Jackson Brothers Printers, Philadelphia.
Source: Practical American Cookery and Domestic Economy, E. Hall, 1856. Right after extolling the virtues of Chocolate, and prior to the General Index, we find this mysterious excerpt: Men with unassuming wives never fail. It is the husbands of such women as Mrs. Dash and Lady Brilliant who find themselves face to face with the... Continue Reading →
Victorian Rice Pudding Recipe. Ingredients: Boiled rice Eggs Lemon Rind Milk Sugar This is not a sweet dish. The sugar on top would have imparted a mildly sweet flavor. Most puddings incorporate the sugar into the actual pudding. Source: Home Cookery 250 Tested Receipts, 2nd Ed. Mrs. H. 1881. Jackson Brothers Printers, Philadelphia.
Happy Valentine's Day! Here are some kisses from across time and distance to all of my lovely friends on the interwebs! Source: Mrs. Crowen's American Lady's Cookery Book, 1866. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Easy Celery Soup ~1875 Packing Lunches ~1920 Apple Custard ~1881
Summer Snowball Recipe with Apples Source: Practical American Cookery and Domestic Economy, E. Hall, 1856.
