Category Archives: history
New Year Tradition: Tea, Cakes, Egg Nog
Most Americans associate champagne and caviar with the New Year, but other traditions pre-date that. The Puritans used to visit each other for tea and cookies on New Year’s Day. New Year’s receptions hosted by women became popular in the … Continue reading
Cranberries for Chanukah
This year marks one of the rare times that the first night of Chanukah coincides with Christmas Eve. Interfaith families might be lighting candles while waiting for Santa. My favorite latke recipe never changes but this year I decided to … Continue reading
German Gingerbread from the Family
It’s been more than 100 years since my German ancestors arrived in the United States but traces of the Old Country remain in our recipe boxes. This recipe for lebkuchen, a German gingerbread, appears on two different cards in two … Continue reading
Cranberry Cheer
The cranberry, a fruit native to America, brings a welcome splash of color to the Thanksgiving table each year. My berries usually come from eastern Massachusetts, even though Wisconsin is the nation’s leading cranberry producer. Americans everywhere crave cranberries at … Continue reading
More Comfort Food: Hamburger Stew
My sister recently passed away, a loss like no other. It will take a lot more than a casserole to comfort me, but I craved something easy that could be easily refrigerated and reheated.
Comfort Food: Bread for Brides
After the loss of our two beloved family pets within a month, I barely wanted to grocery shop, let alone cook. I’m slowly regaining the kitchen by making comfort food – familiar dishes that demand little creativity and deliver the … Continue reading
A Well-Traveled White Lady Cocktail
Whenever my son arrives for a visit from Germany, where he now lives, he brings recipes for us to try together – always an adventure!
A Musical Feast
Concertgoers at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts outside Washington, D.C. have taken their picnics seriously ever since the park officially opened in 1971. The Wolf Trap Picnic Cookbook (1976) details all the sumptuous dishes that people brought … Continue reading
A Mighty Mint Cordial
By this time of the summer, mint threatens to overrun my garden. The sprigs that I welcomed when they poked up through the icy soil now crowd my rosemary and parsley. What better way to thin them than to pick … Continue reading
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