Because this year marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, I’m immersing myself this month in recipes from the 1860s. Most women of that time started married life knowing how to make a few dishes. Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady from 1861 to 1865, made this recipe for white almond cake throughout her marriage to Abraham Lincoln. Continue reading
Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Cake
Posted in cookbooks, Food, history
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, almonds, baking, cake, Civil War, egg whites, Mary Todd Lincoln, U.S. Presidents
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Arctic Weather Calls for Hot Spiced Rum
How low did Boston temperatures plummet this week? Officially, 2 degrees below zero. With wind chill, make that 30 below. It made my down coat feel like a light sweater. After 10 minutes of walking my recalcitrant and baffled dog, a hot toddy seemed in order. Continue reading
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Posted in cocktails, cookbooks, Food, history
Tagged 1860s, allspice, Civil War, cloves, hot buttered rum, hot spiced rum, Jerry Thomas, rum, The Bon Vivant's Companion
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In My January Kitchen
January in New England typically brings ice, snow and more snow — ideal weather for soups and stews. With inspiration from Australia-based Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, I am sharing highlights from my kitchen this month. Continue reading
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Posted in Food, history, memoir
Tagged bitters, cocktails, cranberries, Greek bread, In My January Kitchen, January
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A Sunny Cocktail for the New Year
Mimosa? No, thanks. Even on a day for Champagne, fizzy orange juice seems to start the day off with static. I found and adapted a calmer but still festive orange juice cocktail in Charleston Receipts (1950), recipes collected by the Junior League of Charleston, South Carolina. Cheers and Happy New Year to all my readers! Continue reading
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Posted in cookbooks, Food
Tagged Charleston, cocktail, Grand Marnier, Junior League, orrange juice, rum, South Caraolina
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Just Add Crab and Crackers to this Dip
One of my favorite sources for quick party appetizers comes from a private school in Richmond, Virginia. With its yellow and green plaid accents, the cover of the cookbook, The Stuffed Cougar (1973) from the Collegiate Schools looks the part of a preppie handbook. Continue reading
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Posted in cookbooks, Food, memoir
Tagged 1970s, Collegiate School, crab, Dip, hot crab dip, preppie, Richmond, Stuffed Cougar, Virginia
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A Chocolate Mint Tea Room Treasure
Before malls swallowed up main streets, department stores reigned during the Christmas season. People lined up at display windows around the country to gawk at elaborate renditions of Santa’s village as well as mannequins in sequined party wear. The tea rooms inside that did a brisk business in sandwiches during the year rolled out specialties for the holidays – and shoppers lined up for those, too, including these Chocolate Mint Sticks from L.S. Ayres in Indianapolis, Indiana. Continue reading
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Posted in cookbooks, Food, history
Tagged baking, brownies, chocolate, Christmas, department stores, glaze, Indiana, Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, L.S. Ayres, Miller & Rhoads, mint, Richmond, Tea Room, Thalhimer's, Virginia
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A Lemony Holiday Cocktail
My search for an historic holiday cocktail turned up endless variations of egg nog, mulled wine, and spiced/spiked coffee. The Boston-based cocktail virgin slut blog posted many tempting ideas. Yet the folder of family recipes yielded the best Continue reading
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Posted in Food, history, memoir
Tagged ginger ale, jigger, lemon, Richmond, rum, Virginia
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Caffeinated Cake with a Nod to the Boston Tea Party
Coffee became a patriotic drink after Bostonians dumped tea into the Boston Harbor to protest high import taxes that Britain imposed on its colonies. With the anniversary of the original 1773 Boston Tea Party coming up on Dec. 16 – and the quite modern frenzy to fuel holiday preparations – coffee is a choice ingredient this week. Continue reading
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Posted in cookbooks, Food, history
Tagged Boston, Boston tea party, chocolate, coffee, Massachusetts, mocha
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In My December Kitchen
Winter has (unofficially) arrived in Boston with its muted palette of browns and grays but I maintain bright colors in my kitchen, even though my basil plant did not survive its trip from the garden to the windowsill. For a look inside other kitchens around the world, check out Celia’s monthly feature at fig jam and lime cordial. Here’s what I’m doing this month:
This batch of pumpkin-almond milk pudding gave me a new use for extra canned pumpkin that I purchased for Thanksgiving pies.
Meanwhile, chestnuts and stuffed squash rounded out weeknight meals.
We bought hazelnut oil as an ingredient in my husband’s home-brewed holiday beer. The beer isn’t ready yet, but I have already sprinkled the leftover oil on baked butternut squash and in salad dressings.
I still haven’t figured out what holiday recipes to make this year, but my daughter gave me an early and much-appreciated vintage cookbook. Blender banana bread batter? Maybe not. Soup? Sure!
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Road Trip for ‘Green Rice’
This 1950 Ford sedan led to ‘Famous Eating Places.’ Source: Wikipedia
Even before President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Highway Act that created the interstate system in 1956, Americans ventured out on road trips. In the early 1950s, they piled into the Mercury Monterey (nicknamed “the bathtub”), the Lincoln Cosmopolitan, and the Ford Victoria. Two Ford Motor Company publications, the Ford Times and the Lincoln-Mercury Times, ran articles that steered drivers to “famous” roadside taverns. Continue reading
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Posted in cookbooks, Food, History
Tagged 1950, casserole, cheddar, cheese, Colorado, eggs, Ford Motor Company, Lincoln-Mercury, Littleton, parsley, rice
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