What is it about being on vacation? You sleep better. You get to spend long hours reading or flipping through magazines. You go for long, chilly walks. You actually crave vegetables for lunch instead of pizza.For me, the first three all lead to the last. Because I'm more mindful of my habits and what my… Continue reading Turnip tops
Author: Abby Murphy
I'm a writer and a history teacher, and I blog about (no surprise here) history, books, and writing.
Signed, sealed
Valentine's Day is a tough thing to write about because there's so much baggage attached to it. The single folks think you're cruel for reminding them of their single plight, or they take it in hand and have an anti-Valentine's Day. Meanwhile there are the folks in the blase corner who say they don't need… Continue reading Signed, sealed
Parsnips redux
For the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about food. Not just perusing recipes to figure out what to make for dinner (although that is one of my major hobbies), but about what I choose to consume.It all started with Michael Pollan and In Defense of Food. Oh, Michael Pollan, you make me… Continue reading Parsnips redux
welsh rabbit
It sounds exotic, right? Welsh rabbit. Or, as Mrs. Hannah Glasse called it in her Art of Cookery in 1774, Welch Rabbit.Surprise! It's cheese on toast. (Served with kale salad.)My previous experience with this dish, also known as Welsh rarebit, is limited. Back in high school, I blazed through Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series, a wonderfully… Continue reading welsh rabbit
the care of rooms
My apartment is located in a grand old house, the kind with high ceilings and ornate trim and bay windows. It's beautiful. I love coming home every afternoon, because I feel warm and cozy within the elegant architecture. There's something comforting about living in a beautiful place.However, there's also something dusty about living in an… Continue reading the care of rooms
new year, new disaster (or, steak and kidney pie)
I'll confess: I kind of have a thing for Britain.Pubs, pints, high tea, scones, royals, BBC period dramas (anyone watching Downton Abbey this Sunday?), Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, the British Invasion, Tea & Sympathy...the list goes on. My sister and I have a whole separate mode of communication involving quotations from our favorite pieces of British… Continue reading new year, new disaster (or, steak and kidney pie)
Brunswick Stew
We are pulling Christmas together here in Ohio. Everyone's pitched in wherever they can, and the house is finally starting to look holiday-ish. We're winding garlands around the banisters and laying boxwood across the mantle.We keep asking each other, "What are we forgetting?" "Are we in good shape this year?" Because usually Christmas Eve feels… Continue reading Brunswick Stew
A Sallad of Anchovies
Yesterday was a cobbled-together sort of night. Chores like cleaning the hamster's cage. Piano practice. A dinner of leftovers and random bits and bobs. Some schoolwork. The 1959 version of The Shaggy Dog (I don't care how silly it is, it was one of my favorite movies when I was little). Mulled wine before bed.Overall,… Continue reading A Sallad of Anchovies
Book Two: The Williamsburg Art of Cookery
Apparently an interest in historical cooking runs in the family.I stole our new book, The Williamsburg Art of Cookery, from my parents' house last time I was in Ohio. I think they bought it on their honeymoon in Colonial Williamsburg. Otherwise they acquired it during a family trip to Williamsburg over Thanksgiving, back when I… Continue reading Book Two: The Williamsburg Art of Cookery
Roast Turkey
Happy post-Thanksgiving, all! I hope your homes were full of the people you love and your tables laden with delicious food.We had a relatively simple Thanksgiving out in Ohio, where my family lives. After the requisite morning of cleaning (we maybe have a problem with piles of mail at our house), we settled down to… Continue reading Roast Turkey
Abby Murphy 