Abby Murphy

  • How to keep your own hearth fires burning

    Even though I’ve thoroughly distanced colonial cooking from its original hearth application, I thought it would be useful to look at some of the tools used in hearth cooking. You know, in case you had a hankering to put your… Continue reading

  • To butter shrimps

    Last weekend it felt like summer. 80 degrees, not too humid (so, more of an ideal summer than a real one), sunny. I spent Saturday afternoon setting up my tomato and pea plants outside, in a sheltered spot with plenty… Continue reading

  • Mount Vernon

    About a month ago, I chaperoned my tenth-grade class to Washington, D.C. on their annual five-day field trip. Not only did I lead the trip, but I also had spent the entire year planning and preparing for this adventure. Therefore,… Continue reading

  • Supposedly delicious

    Every now and then I flip through the Williamsburg cookbook, looking for my next culinary adventure, and one of those recipes jumps out at me. You know, the ones that are a little, well, too adventurous. After the steak and kidney… Continue reading

  • Cheese biscuits

    Yesterday Josh and I had a simple night in. Cooking dinner, watching the latest New Girl episode, talking about our days. As part of our goal to become more mindful, healthful eaters, Josh made a delicious vegetarian chili, chock-full of sauteed veggies,… Continue reading

  • History 101: Colonial Virginia

    This little blog has always been something of an experiment; heck, it’s even in the name! And like the way my students pepper me with questions when I haven’t taught a lesson clearly enough, for some time now this space has… Continue reading

  • Kitchen garden (I)

    I’ve thought about starting my own little garden for a while now. My front windows are filled with plants, sure, but of the amaryllis and African violet variety rather than the edible kind. When I graduated from college and first… Continue reading

  • When cleaning house

    Ah, spring! The daffodils are blooming, the grass is green, the air is crisp, the snow is falling… Yes. Although it’s the end of March, New England thinks it’s still time to throw down a healthy mix of snow and… Continue reading

  • Williamsburg veal partridges

    Some days are just full of questions. Like, why aren’t there more movies like Back to the Future? Why do my students all wear feather extensions in their hair? If I walk around a lot while I teach, does that count as… Continue reading

  • Old Virginia batter cakes

    Language is such a powerful tool. You can learn so much about the writer, about a different culture, or about a past time just through the words the writer chooses. As a history teacher, I end up thinking about this… Continue reading