The little blog that could... with over a million and a half views

Actually, I missed it at one million... and now its over 1 1/2 million... since I rarely look at the stats (or the comments which I am woefully behind uplifting to the posts). Five years ago (Covid lockdown) I had to cut back on doing intensive posts each week, since I was spending so many hours (counted 50 hours on a slow week) on the Calendar of virtual food history talks to help support the closed museums, shops and tour guides. Now I just spend a few hours on the Calendar, but am busy trying to finish writing an increasingly long project. Eventually I hope to get back to doing more than one or two posts a month.

Thank you all for reading my blog. And now for some highlights...

The Waring Blender and cocktails

Fred Waring (1900-1984) was a popular band and choral leader (The Pennsylvanians). He invested in Fred Osius's blender and changed the name to “Waring Blender.” Although it could be used to make many things, the blender became very popular to make cocktails, rather than using the shaker, then straining the ice.

Memorial Day - 1820 Midshipman's kit

Never forget that many gave their lives over the last 250 years for us to live in a free democracy.

Cruikshank's 1820 image showed what was needed to outfit a very young midshipman (in blue), including food and drinks.

Pepper Pot

...and an upcoming zoom talk on May 18. Just got an email from CHAA about their pepper pot talk, and wanted to get the word out. Several years ago I did a post on various pepper pot recipes and six different images of pepper pot vendors HERE. Being raised in eastern PA, I have enjoyed many bowls of the soup. Enjoy the talk!

Cookery Schools

Many well known chefs who taught students in their homes or at cookery schools wrote cookbooks containing their recipes: Hannah Wooley (c1622-1675), Edward Kidder (c1665-1739) and John Thacker (1758 book) to...

Ice house 1854 and a pile of ice kept above ground for a year

Although the ice house image and description are nice, the second paragraph is intriguing. Ice piled on the ground, covered with a layer of firewood, then a layer of straw, then thatch as the outer layer. It should be on "dry ground (the north side of a hill being preferable), in a conical form, of a considerable size, in winter during a hard frost..."

Eliza Leslie's two Jelly Cakes

The first "Jelly Cake" using cake in an English language cookbook was in the third edition, of Philadelphian Eliza Leslie’s Seventy-five Receipts, 1830, in the Appendix. Almost thirty years later, Miss Leslie (1787-1858) updated her Jelly Cake recipe.

Popcorn and New Year's Eve

Described by a ten year old boy in 1895, the practice was called old fashioned in a 1914 magazine article.

Bottling and Corking

Wonderful illustrations accompany this 1870 description of corking and tying to a bottle.

Wooden topped corks from Beeton 1863 book. Blog post HERE

Bread for soldiers in 1821 manual

General Regulations for the Army included instructions for quartermasters to inspect the bakery and officers were to read articles on "Baking" in encyclopaedias. Printed in Phila.

Thanks to all those in the military and veterans.

Stone sink and pump at Sandpit Gate in Windsor Great Park 1750s

Paul Sandby (1731-1809) made several pen and watercolor images of this kitchen which included an indoor water pump onto a stone sink, shaping butter pads, and large tubs to wash dishes. All pictures are held in the Royal Collection Trust.
Click to enlarge pictures.

Charcoal types - different woods

Charcoal made from hard wood was good for fuel, from soft wood good to clarify liquids or make crayons or gunpowder. Blacksmiths used chestnut charcoal, holly with bark charcoal was "believed to render iron brittle." Charcoal powder was used as a poultice for ulcers or tooth-powder. Areca nut charcoal powder was "the most fashionable dentifrice."

Fried Beets 1723

This early beet recipe with a lovely wine and cloves flavor is a delicious and different way to use beets this fall.  An earlier post details various ways to prepare beets from 1717 to 1916. HERE

Piles of Puff Paste cake - 1651, 1772

A ‘Gateau de Mille Feuilles’ recipe was described in La Varenne’s Le Cuisinier Francois, in 1651. It’s name, translated ‘Cake of a thousand leaves,’ described the many layers in each sheet of puff paste, and the number of layers with fillings (jelly, fruit, cream).

Gone fishing

Excerpts about bait, 1594; preserving fish, 1732; To cure tainted Fish, 1819; and cooking.
Over thirty taped talks on fishing, Herring Girls of Scotland, smokehouses, ice factory, shad, oysters, shrimp, river restoration by removing weirs and old mill dams, fish migrations, Garum and more.

World War I trenches - dining & baking

Memorial Day - never forget.

Soldiers had a rough time in the trenches, and civilians at home were asked to...
"FEED A FIGHTER Eat only what you need – Waste nothing – That he and his family may have enough" 1918.

Click to enlarge images.

Mothers and children by the fire

Happy Mother's Day.
This is one of my favorite pictures ... a Russian stove 1803 by Atkinson. Interesting baby keeper and a sleeper on the top.

To clean hanging paper (wallpaper) with a loaf of bread

If your loaf of bread becomes stale, you can clean “wall-paper that has become darkened by smoke." Following are a sampling of instructions from 1831, 1885 and 1903.

Dumb-waiters - table

There are several items which have been termed dumb waiters over the years - a table, revolving door with shelf/shelves or a small shelf to be moved between floors. Thomas Jefferson used all three types in his homes and while in the White House.

Derricke's 1581 Ireland - dining and cooking

John Derricke wrote in his The Image of Irelande about English victories over the Irish... and describing an image of cooking and a feast. Not having a pot, the beef was cooked in it's skin.