Recipes from the Past
Cows in Old Cookbooks. Moo. Let beeves and home-bred kine partake The sweets of Burn-Mill meadow. - Wordsworth By the time we move into the late 1800s and early 1900s, cookbooks have settled into some predictable patterns. Chapters are mostly divided into the type of dish being served, for example cakes or soups, or the... Continue Reading →
Delicious Homemade Lemonade. What irony is it that winter brings us fresh citrus best intended for the refreshing beverages of warmer days? The local lemon trees are peeking with their golden offerings, compelling us to roll up our sleeves and don the apron. This simple lemonade recipe makes just over two quarts, more than enough... Continue Reading →
Image of 1870s-1880s kitchen and cookery.
Advice on Brooms, Bread, and Cake Molds. Eclectic list of household advice from The Neighbor: Keep salt and pepper shaker on the kitchen range. It is handy when seasoning food. (Mine are on top of the microwave). Encircle all new brooms with a section of stocking leg, it will wear longer. A few drops of... Continue Reading →
Gluten Free Cheese Straws. Updated Recipe: Preheat oven to 425 F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. 1/4 cup butter 1/3 cup parmesan 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free baking flour (or regular) 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs Dash of cayenne and mace to taste 1/8 tsp. salt, omit if using salted butter Note: You can... Continue Reading →
This homemade approach turns something that's largely inedible - the end pieces of gluten free bread accumulating listlessly in the back of the freezer - into something that's needed: Breadcrumbs!
What Victor Hugo Says about Eggs. Victor Hugo was accustomed to say that there were few things more inherently equivocal than an egg, and that he never broke the shell of one without a dim apprehension that the unexpected might suddenly make its appearance. Source: The Thorough Good Cook, 1895. More Fun Discoveries from Antique... Continue Reading →
Cooking with Potatoes in the 1800s. Madame de Stael said that she did not believe in ghosts, but that she was afraid of them. Not much more paradoxical is it, I hope, for me to say that, although I do not believe in potatoes, I recognise their great value in the alimentation of humanity. The... Continue Reading →
Brands Still Around Today. Question: If you were to invest in one company and had to keep your money invested in that company for the next 50 years, what company would you pick? That is essentially the question that I stumbled across on Reddit the other day, which got me thinking about consumer product companies... Continue Reading →
Literary References in Old Cookbooks. Esteemed Reader, Today's recipe includes a history lesson, cultural references, something of a Victorian rant, and a glimpse of a colorful past. Case in point, we learn that one-third of the crime in this world is due to the direct, although inscrutable, instrumentality of the Devil. I need to use... Continue Reading →
The Successful Treatment of Frozen Limbs in Russia Early 1800s. Today's excerpt comes from The Husbandman and Housewife. The book is exhaustive in terms of breadth and the contents are arranged alphabetically instead of by category. This results in Dressing Fowls immediately preceding Frostbitten Feet. However, after spending time exploring the contents, I have never... Continue Reading →
How to Make Ginger Wine. Ginger wine is traditionally made from ginger and raisins and first appeared in Britain in the 1740s. The wine can be fortified with brandy or cognac, or even diluted with lemonade. An interesting historical note: There was a widely held belief at the time that ginger wine helped prevent cholera,... Continue Reading →
Edison's Sleigh Ride Move. A short silent film of sleighs in New York by Edison. A bit off topic from cooking/food/homelife, but it certainly gets one in the mood for the holidays! Enjoy! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Plain and Elaborate Christmas Dinners ~1904 Cornucopia ~2018 Salted Almonds ~1922
Classic Christmas Print from Puck. Getting into the spirit! Source: Christmas Number, 1900. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Mistletoe ~1898 A Supper in December ~1770 Christmas Turkey ~1855
Victorian Mistletoe Poem. With her defiant air she sits beneath the chandelier; There hangs a spray of mistletoe, but still she shows no fear. Who wants to kiss his sweetheart when her brother's standing near? More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Plain and Elaborate Christmas Dinners ~1904 Holiday Beverages ~1902 A Christmas Party ~1866
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 →
Georgian Dinner 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... 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
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 →
Frontmatter. Time for a new cookbook! Going back a bit further than usual for this one to the Georgian Era. Love the title. I. Shewing the best and most approved methods of raising and bringing to the greatest perfection, all the products of the kitchen-garden; with a kalendar shewing the different products of each month,... Continue Reading →
Classic Thanksgiving Recipes. How about: Chicken Pie, Stuffing, Orange Salad, Corn Pudding, and Banana Fritters? Nice to mix it up from the old turkey and cranberry routine! Still not thrilled with the quality of the images, but the content is there! Turkey Alternative. Stuffing. Sides. Dessert. Source: The Anaconda Standard, 1898. More Fun Discoveries from Antique... Continue Reading →
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 →
I love this image. Incredibly modern, yet technically still in the Victorian period from 1895. Is it turkey time yet?!? Source: The Chap Book, 1895. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Thanksgiving Dinner ~1866 Remarks on Pie Making ~1866 Thanksgiving Pie “The Crown of the Feast”~1866
Thanksgiving Huntress. I prefer my turkey plucked and packaged, but there are wild turkeys around these here parts. Maybe next year... Source: Puck, 1904. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Thanksgiving Dinner ~1866 Remarks on Pie Making ~1866 Thanksgiving Pie “The Crown of the Feast”~1866
Lincoln's Creation of a Holiday. Lincoln's proclamation to the nation creating Thanksgiving as a holiday as respite for a nation at war. Eloquent. Somber. Reflective. Source: The Smoky Hill and Republic Union, 1863. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Roast Turkey ~1875 Food Saving Tips ~1819 Friday Menu ~1910
Le Pain. Translation: Our duty is not to waste bread. From a group of posters designed by school children and others, some marked "Affiche composée par les enfants de France pour la prévoyance et les économies." Celebrating the 100th anniversary to the end of WWI. To honor the event, I am sharing several posters under... Continue Reading →
Eat Potatoes. From a group of posters designed by school children. As someone who is deathly allergic to bread, these children largely reflect how I feel in the kitchen... The 100th anniversary of the end of WWI is coming up. To honor the event, I'll be sharing several posters under the category: 'Economic and Industrial... Continue Reading →
Eat Potatoes. From a group of posters designed by school children. As someone who is deathly allergic to bread, I approve! The 100th anniversary of the end of WWI is coming up. To honor the event, I'll be sharing several posters under the category: 'Economic and Industrial Aspects'. Source: Library of Congress More Fun Discoveries... Continue Reading →
Also 100 Cooks. Alas, 'baker' is no longer a job classification in the military. I'm sure there were several good jokes about the bakery company! The 100th anniversary of the end of WWI is coming up. To honor the event, I'll be sharing several posters under the category: 'Economic and Industrial Aspects'. Source: Library of... Continue Reading →
Help Win the War, Save Bread. The 100th anniversary of the end of WWI is coming up. To honor the event, I'll be sharing several posters under the category: 'Economic and Industrial Aspects'. Source: Library of Congress More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Election Cake ~1875 Pickles ~1819 Grape Harvest ~2018
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 →
Happy Monday! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks How To Set The Luncheon Table ~1899 Feeling Saucy ~1819 Strawberry Season! 1920
National League Cookbook. Lots of good tips here - from salting to searing. Any that you would add? Source: Everywoman's Cook Book, 1922. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Rice and Cheese 1913 What To Do With Stale Bread ~1897 Domestic Economy and Bliss in 1877
National League Cookbook. New day! New cookbook! This little book is only about 50 pages long - publicized as being a Service for Women from the National League of out San Francisco. Introduction and Table of Contents follow. Note the popular reference to Fannie Farmer. Table of Contents Source: Everywoman's Cook Book, 1922. More Fun... Continue Reading →
Yuban Advertisement. Coffee Monday. You rejoice in its clear, deep amber color as you pour it out and you notice its strength and richness in the cup - such "body" that the cream curls down into it in lazy, wavering spirals. Happy Monday! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Cape Cod Clam Chowder ~1866 Advice on... Continue Reading →
Harvesting Merlot Grapes. No Gym Membership Needed. Harvesting and processing 200 lbs. of grapes is brutal work. Yesterday started at 6:00 am out in what can only be described as an idyllic vineyard setting. Fog gently receding over the rolling hills covered with oaks the occasional cow. The CA wine grape harvest season is in... Continue Reading →
Fantastic excerpt advocating for women's financial literacy c. 1819. #Victorian #financialliteracy #Financialwellness #19thcentury #womanpower
Stuffed Tomato Recipe Why aren't there more stuffed tomato recipes? So many people have an aversion to stuffed peppers, maybe they unfairly get lumped into the same taste category? This stuffed tomato recipe is similar to the tomato and egg recipe (1900), but with a heartier twist that can make it a gluten free, vegetarian... Continue Reading →
Running a Dairy in the Early 1800s. Every cookbook should have such a thorough section on livestock management. This excerpt opens a window on the practical aspects of owning a cow. It covers all of the details - from cleanliness, to weaning the calf, to hiring a milking maid. Source: American domestic cookery, formed on principles... Continue Reading →
Artichoke Recipe c. 1819. Boil and serve with melted butter. Hasn't changed in 200 years! #Victorian #Artichoke #19thcentury
Clear Eyed Businessman. "In every country where the impossible is demanded the American business man is sent for - America's greatest product." I love Yuban adverts. This makes me want to go take on the world. Maybe I'll start by having another cup of coffee, first... Happy Monday! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Cape... Continue Reading →
Early 1800s Strawberry Jam. Who doesn't love strawberry jam on Sunday morning waffles? Antique cookbooks can be curious reads - as much for of what they include as what they exclude. I went searching for a strawberry jam recipe hoping to preserve some strawberries for the winter months ahead. Most cookbooks will include a section... Continue Reading →
Perserving vegetables for winterc. 1819. #Victorian #19thcentury #Vegetables
Wise words for domestic economy and marital happiness c. 1819. #Victorian #Marriage #19thcentury #womanpower #truth
Wise words for domestic economy and marital happiness c. 1819. #Victorian #Marriage #19thcentury #womanpower #truth
Wise words for domestic economy and marital happiness c. 1819. #Victorian #Marriage #19thcentury #womanpower #truth
Introduction. Time for a new cookbook! We finished off The art of cookery made plain and easy, 1805, it was heavy on the meat butchery and dressing of meat. Which I enjoy as much as the next person, but I'm simply not in the position to go out and butcher me a pig... My life is... Continue Reading →
Hysterical Water Recipe. An entertaining find! Anyone heard of hysterical water? This is a new one for me. Ingredients include, but are not limited to: roots of lovage, mistletoe of the oak, and a quarter pound of dried millipedes. Umm... okay. European mistletoe was toxic. And so is the cyanide in millipedes (alive - I'm... 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 →
Clever Cooking Tip. Brilliant way of keeping meat hot without drying it out. I've certainly had meat from restaurants that could have employed some method akin to that described above. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Derby Time! Mint Julep ~1886 Gridirons ~1855 War and Potatoes ~1917 Source: The art of cookery made plain and... Continue Reading →
One Dozen Unique Sandwich Recipes. From the 1890s. The first image on this one is pretty bad - but we're going with it because it's such a great find. Not your typical sandwich shop list. Here's to some inspiration! "In making sandwiches, whether for traveling, lunches or for any entertainment, home-made bread is the better for... Continue Reading →
Gastronomic Library Bookplate. Happy Sunday! The household is recovering from the various ailments of man attributable to children and their love of sharing germs, so the blog is a little slow. Here's a lovely bookplate from the Katherine Golden Bitting gastronomy collection at the Library of Congress "Give us this day our daily bread" --... Continue Reading →
Snits and Knepp Recipe. Early 1900s Camping Recipe. Any snits un knepp fans out there? The above recipe comes from the 1910 Horace Kephart book, Camp Cookery. It is, after the fashion of so many early recipes collections, a little sparse on the details. Wikipedia comes in handy with the following description: Schnitz un knepp,... Continue Reading →
Happy Monday! The hat says 'Father Knickerbocker' which was the name of one of Washington Irving's friends around 1800 who was a character in Irving's first book. The name also became eponymous for knickerbockers as a piece of clothing that the character wore - not to the hat, as one might imagine in this image, but rather to... Continue Reading →
List of Seasonal American Wild Fruits. Any regional favorites on this list? Any new ones? I've never heard of the Scarlet Thorn. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Medicinal Preparations And Herbs, Which Every Family Ought To Keep On Hand ~1856/2017 Cures: Teething, Scurvy, Rattlesnakes, Etc. ~1856 Chocolate and a Mysterious Ending ~1856
Yuban Advertisement 1918. Happy Monday! You see it in almost every grocer's window... More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Household Management: 4 Cultures 1915 Potatoes with Verjuice ~1825 Cream Custard ~1866
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
Cinderella Centerpiece. This is a brilliant find, fully deserving of a blog post. Source: New York Tribune, 1904. More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Breakfast Inspiration: Poached Eggs on Toast ~1917 Rice and Cheese 1913 How to Choose a Potato ~1855
Camping This Summer? We are! Here's a really fantastic find: The book is organized around categories of food, but also time needed for preparation: Here are some sample recipes in the Quick, Medium and Slow categories All I can say is, thank goodness for pre-canned baked beans, cuz that's a camping staple for us and... Continue Reading →
Tomato Soup Recipe. Tomato Soup - Attempt #2. Here we have the second go with this recipe. The original turned out not so good. As you may recall, the tomato was hardly present and it was slightly sweet and just not very pleasant. We're going to go with the spirit of the recipe for this... Continue Reading →
Using Stale Bread. Okay - so bread isn't big in my list of household staples because we are gluten free. I do, however, keep a loaf in the fridge. I also keep a bag of heels in the fridge for various and sundry recipes. Stale bread typically finds a home in bread pudding or soup.... Continue Reading →
Homemade Tomato Soup. Attempt #1. CAUTION: Do not make this recipe as described below. Soup is big in our household, and I wanted to give this one a try. Canned tomato soup is fine, but what if you could make your own tomato soup? The fact that this recipe uses canned tomatoes is besides the... 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 →
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
The Victorian Lunch Table. Love the early photography in this one! The directions for setting the luncheon table will not be familiar. Take a look at the picture itself, then the directions below. You'll notice multiple forks and knives. I really like the little tea kettle set-up in the center of the table. When did... Continue Reading →
Point Pinos Lighthouse. In the words of a close friend, "the things you can do every day are the things you never do." Point Pinos Lighthouse sits about 1 mile from our home and we finally had the chance to wander over and take a tour. The lighthouse is immaculately preserved and furnished as it would... Continue Reading →
Currant Wine Recipe. The bounty of summer is upon us! Time to think about making fruit wines. A week or so ago, one of the young men working at the famers market asked the lady in front of us if she'd like some free strawberries and handed her a flat - told her she could... Continue Reading →
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
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 →
The Very Definition of Appetite. This is my kind of dictionary. For your reading pleasure: "Motion and life create in the living body a constant loss of substance, and the human body, which is a most complicated machinery, would soon be unfit for the use if Providence did not provide it with a compensating balance,... Continue Reading →
Rice and Cheese Pudding Recipe. This recipe offers a twist on the Rice and Cheese recipe from 1913. Had to read the recipe through a few times before jumping in - lots of little twists. Ingredients. 1 cup rice 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. gluten free flour 1 tsp. baking... Continue Reading →
Culinary Encyclopedia. New book! So excited! The Dictionary of Foods and Culinary Encyclopedia, 5th Edition, by C. Herman Senn. No idea when it was printed, and my cursory internet sleuthing only turned up the 1st Edition from 1898. Check it out here. C. Herman Senn was also known for the ever popular works of: Recherché Entreés, and... Continue Reading →
Yuban Advertisement. Your guests will be quick to appreciate the qualities that make Yuban the choice of the greatest coffee merchants. Happy Monday! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Black Bean Soup 1924 Mashed Pumpkin ~1885 September Menu ~1808
Compliments of my mum, touring England at the moment. Prints are from Blists Victorian Town, part of the Ironbridge Gorge area. The area played a very big role in the Industrial Revolution. The tile mural is from nearby Jackfield Tile Museum. Enjoy! More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Raw Food Diet ~1900 Domestic... Continue Reading →
Yuban Advertisements. Happy Monday! And then... Pancakes and coffee - such coffee. It was hard to tell which warmed the heart more, the coffee or the Southern hospitality. It took several butlers and many covered dishes to serve breakfast at Aunt Letty's on Drive, but her coffee was her pride - its preparation was a... Continue Reading →
(Final) Prefatory Matter on French Cooking. TL;DR: Fourth Advantage of French Cooking Practical facility Source: French Domestic Cookery, 1825 More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Fun Antique Cookbook Titles Cream Custard ~1866 Eating an Artichoke ~1886
(More) Prefatory Matter on French Cooking. TL;DR: Third Advantage of French Cooking Combines "Luxury with health and economy" i.e., healthy! Source: French Domestic Cookery, 1825 More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Fun Antique Cookbook Titles Cream Custard ~1866 Eating an Artichoke ~1886
Prefatory Matter on French Cooking. TL;DR: Second Advantage of French Cooking Seriously economical You may not even have to cook some days No waste! Source: French Domestic Cookery, 1825 More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Fun Antique Cookbook Titles Cream Custard ~1866 Eating an Artichoke ~1886
Prefatory Matter on French Cooking. TL;DR: First Advantage of French Cooking Inexpensive Re-use ingredients/recipes Easy to prepare Agreeable and elegant family fare Source: French Domestic Cookery, 1825 More Fun Discoveries from Antique Cookbooks Fun Antique Cookbook Titles Cream Custard ~1866 Eating an Artichoke ~1886
Savory Rice and Cheese Recipe. Ingredients: 1 Cup milk 1 Cup cooked rice (brown) 1 Egg 1 Cup Cheese (shredded) 1 Tbsp. butter 1/4 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. salt Pre-heat oven 350°. Bake for 50 min. in a water bath. This savory dish comes out very rich. Could be a stand-alone entree with a green... Continue Reading →
Three Lessons from Antique Cookbooks for Any Cook Do you ever feel self-satisfied with your cooking? Experience that deep sense of immense gratification in feeding your family and friends? I believe that every cook - stay at home mom and grand chef alike - experiences that moment of quiet glory in putting forth their work... Continue Reading →
Carrots and Peas Recipe. Confession time: Vegetables in my house are typically of the frozen varietal with some salt and pepper thrown on for good measure. Unexciting at best. Today's recipe for mint glazed carrots and peas comes from the famous Fannie Farmer Boston School of Cooking cookbook, which I picked up at a local... 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 →
Antique Cookbook Titles. The cook and housewife's manual : a practical system of modern domestic cookery and family management 1837 American cookery, or, The art of dressing viands, fish, poultry, and vegetables : and the best modes of making pastes, puffs, pies, tarts, puddings, custards, and preserves : and all kinds of cakes, from the... Continue Reading →
Note: Dyspepsia is the more flattering Victorian-era term for indigestion. Newspaper advertisements abound with pills and cures for dyspepsia - and it is almost always blamed on the cook. More Fun Discoveries Wine and Heaven in 1837 10 Victorian Jokes ~ Directions for Setting Refreshment Tables ~1866
Meringued Coffee Recipe. Lots of early coffee recipes use various parts of eggs for fining and flavoring. Whipped cream isn't uncommon, but this is the first recipe I've come across that calls for a meringue and whipped cream concoction. More Fun Discoveries Pumpkin Soup ~1866 The Victorian Home: Yearly Staff Wages ~1880 History of Aunt... 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 →
Maryland Egg-Nogg Recipe. 1 Gallon of Milk 12 Eggs 15 Tbs. Sugar 1 Nutmeg 1 Pint Brandy 1 Pint Jamaica Rum All before getting out of bed - Wow! Bring on the screaming kids! Of course the irony here is that the recipe is printed in the Salt Lake Herald. Hmm... More Fun Discoveries... Continue Reading →
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.
More Fun Discoveries Table Covers ~1886 Nut and Wine Pairing Recipe ~1886 Cures: Teething, Scurvy, Rattlesnakes, Etc. ~1856
Rules for Eating (1866). Eat slowly as if it was a pleasure you desired to prolong, rather than a duty to be got rid of as quickly as possible. Don't bring your prejudices, your dislikes, your annoyances, your past misfortunes, or future forebodings, to the table - they would spoil the best dinner. Respect... Continue Reading →
Directions for Setting a Victorian Refreshment Table Now that the holiday season is upon us, hosts and hostesses should take note of how to properly arrange refreshments for your guests' gustatory pleasure! More Fun Discoveries 10 Victorian Jokes Spinach…Contains Little Nourishment ~1856 3 Course May Menu 1808 Source: Mrs. Crowen's American Lady's Cookery Book,... Continue Reading →
It turns out that meatloaf is not a relic of the 1940s...Who knew? Note: For the careful reader, you'll find that the recipe is truncated. No, the recipe doesn't continue somewhere else in the paper. Talk about your 100 year-old cliffhanger! You'll just have to wing-it. My advice? Smother your beef loaf in ketchup and... Continue Reading →
This recipe comes from a newspaper column entitled "The Home Department". Readers write in requests for certain recipes or household tips and then other readers respond. Of course, this means that there's a delay in getting the information out. Hence the introductory parens...and enter the niche market for Pinterest some 100+ years later. Source: The... Continue Reading →
Today's post is dedicated to all of the Cook's Illustrated enthusiasts out there! Thank you, Miss Corson, for keeping it real for all 19th century home cooks. More Fun Discoveries Corn Bread Recipe ~1905 At the Head of the Vegetable Class Stands Bread ~1856 Cannelons With Cream ~1886 Source: Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery and... Continue Reading →
"Man has been accorded by a kindly nature four stout companions to sustain and console him on his terrestrial pilgrimage. They are wine, spirits, fortified wines and beer. These drinks provide the solace, relaxation and stimulus that a man needs if he is to complete with equanimity his arduous and often arid journey." - Alec... Continue Reading →
What sage advice for the beginning cook! "Your larder is so bounteously filled with good things of all kinds that you may succeed with only a moderate mount of judgement and care on your part in putting a good dinner before your friends..." And... "I hope the very few principles I attempt to lay down... Continue Reading →
10 Jokes from the 1800s that are still funny today! Check them out!
Source: New York Tribune, April 10, 1866. Though a bit of a challenge on the eyes, this newspaper clipping is a fascinating find. It reads: RESOLUTIONS ON TEMPERANCE The Temperance Questions was next in order of business, and the following report was made on the subject: Whereas, The foes of temperance unite and cooperate in... Continue Reading →
