Dropped in to share this exciting development in the kitchen garden: three pea pods have appeared, with more on the way! I am half-tempted to name them, but the rational part of me reins in that enthusiasm.I'd been amazed by the tightly furled white flowers of the pea plant. Now, these flowers have given way… Continue reading Kitchen garden (III)
Author: Abby Murphy
I'm a writer and a history teacher, and I blog about (no surprise here) history, books, and writing.
Boiled coffee
Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I love coffee. It's the first thing I turn to in the morning, and while I appreciate a good cup of Earl Grey, the lure of a freshly-brewed cup of coffee is often just too strong.There's something comforting about the ritual of coffee. Wrapping your hands… Continue reading Boiled coffee
History 101: 1900’s Wisconsin
Time PeriodThe nice thing about The "Settlement" Cook Book is that it has an actual publication date (1903). This makes our job of contextualizing the recipes much easier.Downtown Milwaukee, c. 1900America's early 20th century is often called the "Progressive Era" because of all the middle-class families who wanted to make the country a better place. The… Continue reading History 101: 1900’s Wisconsin
Entire wheat bread
Growing up, my parents shared parenting and household responsibilities pretty equally. But there were a few things that only my dad did (and still does):grilltap trees and boil sap for maple syrup (though we all helped)bake breadIt's this last one that I always associate with him. Whenever he has some time off from work, or… Continue reading Entire wheat bread
One year
Dear blog,You are one year old today. To celebrate, I doctored this photo of a decidedly unhistorical chocolate beet cake. I hope you like it.It's been quite a year! In one year of blogging, I have...worked with two cookbooks and started a thirdlearned what salt pork isdiscovered the joys of cooking with animal fattried and failed to… Continue reading One year
Book Three: The "Settlement" Cook Book
We've gotten to know colonial Williamsburg pretty well, so I figured it might be time for a new cookbook. We'll still return to colonial (and perhaps prairie) days, though, so don't worry.Our next book is The "Settlement" Cook Book by Mrs. Simon Kander (Lizzie Black Kander) and Mrs. Henry Schoenfeld, originally published in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in… Continue reading Book Three: The "Settlement" Cook Book
Kitchen garden (II)
An update on the garden:The tomatoes are flourishing, after being re-potted to deeper pots and staked with bamboo and sisal. (I think it looks rather pretty, don't you?) However, I originally planted three per pot, and since none of them died off, that meant they would eventually compete for light and water. So the other day I… Continue reading Kitchen garden (II)
Chowder, a sea dish
Despite the cold, rainy weather (in June, no less), I have summer on my mind.The beach, in particular. Having grown up in Ohio, where the only large body of water was Lake Erie (of questionable cleanliness), I was excited to move to a place called the "Ocean State." Little Rhody is such a tiny state… Continue reading Chowder, a sea dish
Tips for housekeeping in the 18th century
1. Save all your wood ashes. You can gather them in a barrel and pour water over them to create lye. (See no. 2.)2. Save all your cooking fat. You can boil it with the lye to make soap! Yes, people really got clean with this kind of soap.3. Dip the hem of your skirt in… Continue reading Tips for housekeeping in the 18th century
Corn pudding
There's nothing that says summer quite like corn. Corn on the cob, scorched with grill marks, dripping with butter. Husks that remind me of bark stripped off a tree. Corn silk that seems to get stuck everywhere, from your teeth to the counter where you've been working.And isn't it a beautiful vegetable? Just right for… Continue reading Corn pudding
Abby Murphy 