Category Archives: History
C is for Concord Grape Jam
As a pre-school teacher at the Grace House community center in Richmond, Virginia, my mother taught a whole generation how to distinguish a circle from a square, how to count to 10, and how to do the “Hokey Pokey.” At least … Continue reading
In My November Kitchen
This Japanese maple in my yard shows the season in New England right now – the opposite of some readers, but that’s what makes this monthly forum, started by Celia of fig jam and lime cordial, so much fun.
A Tart Native American Taste of Cape Cod
Cranberries, the tart, red fruits essential to Thanksgiving feasts, grew on Cape Cod long before Americans turned them into a sugary accompaniment to turkey. The Wampanoag Native American people called the berries sassamenesh and used them as dyes. They also … Continue reading
Chowder from the Pine Tree State
Fall in New England – the flaming burst of colors before the landscape mutes – always sends me back into the kitchen for comfort food, and chowder fits that category.
A Beginner Attempts a Prize-Winning Pie
Embarrassing to admit, I never baked an entire apple pie before this weekend. How un-American!
Pears with a Virginia Past
A Taste of Virginia, published by the James River Garden Club in Richmond, presents traditional fare fit for serving in grand homes around the Old Dominion. The recipes in this book veer far from the humble roots of my Virginia … Continue reading
A is for Grandma’s Apple Cake
I’m not sure what variety of apples my grandmother, Hanna, used in the Fresh Apple Cake recipe she clipped from the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper in the 1930s, but I wanted to try it this week because apples – especially when … Continue reading
Chocolate Chip Biscuits for Your Next Bake Sale
Blame the invention of the chocolate chip on a Massachusetts baker’s boredom. In the 1930s, Ruth Wakefield of the Toll House Inn decided to chop up a chocolate bar and add it to her standard butterscotch cookie recipe. The resulting … Continue reading
Vinegar, Sugar, Cream Cheese: Unexpected Companions
When I saw a recipe for Green Pepper Dip in a cookbook from the 1980s, I expected a swirl of sour cream, chopped veggies and salt, perhaps artfully served in a hollowed-out pepper half. Instead, I found directions to beat … Continue reading
A Swedish “Hot Dish” from a Church Basement
Shelves of lingonberry jam and Wasa crackers at the markets near my summer job reflect the large Swedish community that settled in Jamestown, New York starting in the 1840s.
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