Sometimes I think way too hard about how to use up leftovers. The potential for waste bothers me. If we have half a head of red cabbage sitting in the crisper because Josh realized he really, really hates cabbage after a disastrous night of fish tacos, I have this deep-seated urge to use it up.… Continue reading Boiled ham (or, a foray into Eastern Europe)
Category: meat
The Ancient Table: Roast boar
Obelix with dinnerI have this habit of getting totally immersed in whatever topic I'm teaching in history. The Declaration of Independence? Let's watch 1776! Ancient Greece? Let's check out The Odyssey from the library! The Gupta empire? Let's eat Indian food for a week!For the past couple of weeks, the cogs of my "immersion" brain have been… Continue reading The Ancient Table: Roast boar
The "First" Thanksgiving (II)
This week and next, I'm exploring some of the myths about the First Thanksgiving. We've discussed how the Pilgrims were not, in fact, Pilgrims (they had much fancier terms for themselves back in 1621). We've looked at a bizarre recipe for sour stewed pumpkin. Today let's talk about the biggest myth of all: the story… Continue reading The "First" Thanksgiving (II)
This meal brought to you by Christopher Columbus
Ah, Columbus Day. I'm not sure there's any other secular holiday more filled with angst and mixed feelings than this one.When I was little, we learned the basics of Columbus Day. We sang that catchy song, the one that goes, "In Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-Two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue..." and read picture books about… Continue reading This meal brought to you by Christopher Columbus
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 the day's exercise? Why is my dwarf hamster still afraid of everything that moves? And… Continue reading Williamsburg veal partridges
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)
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
Stewed Jack Rabbit and Dumplings
Up to this point, I've been playing it safe. The recipes I've chosen have at least mildly resembled something I've eaten in the past. But that all changes today.That's right. I cooked a bunny.I understand that this post may lose me some readers.* That's okay. The nineteenth-century prairie wasn't all dry cornbread and apple turnovers.… Continue reading Stewed Jack Rabbit and Dumplings
Stuffed Roasted Hen
For my birthday yesterday, I tricked Josh into eating a Laura Ingalls Wilder roasted chicken.It was a good day.While he slaved away on grade reports, I got to work in his kitchen. First I made the stuffing: a savory blend of bread, butter, sage, and salt and pepper. As Walker recommended, I melted a quarter… Continue reading Stuffed Roasted Hen
Fried Salt Pork with Gravy; Drippings
Our inaugural recipe is a real winner. A slab of salt pork, sliced and fried into the crispiest, unhealthiest morsels. It's doused with a gravy made from milk and the pork fat left over in the pan. Oh, my--I could feel my arteries hardening just as I read through the recipe.Salt pork is a slab… Continue reading Fried Salt Pork with Gravy; Drippings
Abby Murphy 