Egg nog for Christmas, New Year's Eve, Twelfth Night

Eggnog was a southern tradition for Christmas and New Year's Eve.  In the following story, a tub of egg nog was set out on the porch for 12 days - from Christmas until Twelfth-night (January 6) - for visitors.  Mrs. B.C. Howard's recipe for Egg Nogg from her Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen is below.

Cookbook carolers 1912

The three singers are from a delightful children's book - Mary Francis Cook Book; or Adventures among the Kitchen People by Jane Allen Boyer in 1912.    HERE

Cranberry Sauce vs. Preserves in the 1840s

What's the difference?  1/2 cup sugar.  1840s vs. modern sauce?  half the water and twice the sugar.  Elizabeth Ellicott Lea's recipe below, is compared with a nearby contemporary author, Eliza Leslie, and with a modern recipe.

Dr. Johnson takes on Hannah Glasse and women cookbook authors

Women "... cannot make a good book of Cookery."  Johnson actually said that to a woman!! (she compared him to Hercules with a spinner's distaff)  In addition to discussing Mrs. Glasse's Art of Cookery, which he had "looked into," he proclaimed: "I could write a better book of cookery than has ever yet been written..."

Kettle v. Pot - When a kettle is a pot is a boiler

In a previous post on Dutch ovens, I listed some of its other names, such as bake kettle.  Many kettles included tea kettle, fish kettle, dish kettle, soup kettle, steam kettle, camp kettle, wash kettle and more.

They could be large, or small (Hannah Glasse); copper, brass, tin or iron.

One 1818 Virginia inventory included tea kettles, coffee pots, a chocolate boiler and a large brass kettle.

  The copper fish kettle was made in Harrisburg, PA c1807-1835 and is in Winterthur Museum.

Food History Conferences, Symposiums, Workshops, Calls for papers. 2015

9 events worldwide and 2 special food issues in upcoming journals...