history lesson

  • The Land of the Free

    The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and… Continue reading

  • Colonial Cookbook: The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy

    Meet Mrs. Hannah Glasse. By day, she is a plain English housewife, struggling to scrape by in the mid-1700s. By night, however, she works on her revolutionary new idea: a cookbook designed for the masses of untrained servants working in… Continue reading

  • Afternoon Adventure: Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park

    About a month ago I met up with my parents in Hyde Park, New York, for a weekend of sight-seeing and poking around historic places (this is the order of the day with my family). After touring two painters’ homes… Continue reading

  • Shortbread fans (and a bit about ovens)

    It’s the last gasp of summer, friends. The air is getting cool at night (sometimes). Stores offer apple cider in big displays. And this week I go back to school. To mark the occasion, let’s look at one more recipe… Continue reading

  • Afternoon Adventure: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village

    As a teenager I went to an all-girls school, one steeped in tradition and programs that recalled English prep schools. One of the big ones was chapel, where we heard guest speakers and senior speeches. Before the program began, we… Continue reading

  • Brewing and distilling the old-fashioned way

    Turns out cooking from historical recipes isn’t the only way to play with food and history. There’s a new trend brewing in the alcoholic beverage world (sorry, couldn’t resist). Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Company, maker of some of the best… Continue reading

  • Why I love historical recipes

    I’ve been chronicling my adventures in historical cooking for almost two years now (!), but it wasn’t until recently that I began to wonder why. I love history, isn’t that enough? Well, yeah, but what’s the bigger picture? Why does… Continue reading

  • Helpful advice for new mothers

    Over the past few years I’ve pointed out historical hints for illness, cleaning house, and other realities of daily life. These tips are often funny and strange, and while I enjoy reading them, it’s tough to actually follow their advice.… Continue reading

  • Maple sugaring (II)

    Last week I wrote about my family’s maple sugaring tradition. Today I’ll add an amendment: while we love most of the maple sugaring process (tapping trees, collecting sap, boiling it down in the evaporator), we have a hard time with… Continue reading

  • Staying warm

    I flew back home to Ohio on Saturday night, and after staying up far too late talking with my parents, we discovered that the house had its own welcome-home present to offer: a broken furnace. Plus, Northeast Ohio was going… Continue reading