victorians

  • 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

  • Afternoon Adventure: Servant Life Tour at The Elms

    I want to say something meaningful about all this horrifying news coming out of Boston, but I can’t find the words. There’s only so much sadness I can take in at a time, especially when it’s on such a vast… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: Kedgeree

    Kedgeree is the very first dish served on Downton Abbey. Mrs. Patmore sends a steaming bowl up for breakfast, and with that we’re immersed in the sumptuous world of Edwardian cuisine. Brits still eat kedgeree today, and it’s one of… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: Fried oysters

    How many of you watched the Season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey last night? We did, after some technical difficulties, and it was every bit as lavish and funny and swoony as we’d hoped. While a certain someone (cough Josh cough)… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: How to serve plum pudding

    We had a relatively quiet Christmas here in Ohio, seeing family and telling funny stories and going for long, snowy walks and eating good food. As per tradition, we served plum pudding for dessert on Christmas night, along with a… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: How to steam plum pudding

    On Saturday we talked about how to make your own plum pudding, the most classic of British holiday desserts. (Yes, I am still wondering where the plums are in the recipe.) Today we’ll discuss the cooking process, which is a… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: How to make plum pudding

    This time of year, my family is all about tradition. Previously I wrote about the Brunswick stew we’ve kept from my mom’s side of the family, though I tested out a Williamsburg variation of the recipe. That’s still on the… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: The perfect cup of tea

    You know you’re in a committed relationship when you start buying the foods your significant other likes. When Josh and I started dating, we quickly discovered that while we both enjoy tea, there are a few major differences in our… Continue reading

  • A very British announcement!

    It’s no secret that I’m a bit of an Anglophile. This, combined with my love of history, made me fall utterly and irrevocably in love with Downton Abbey. For those of you not in the know, Downton Abbey is a… Continue reading

  • 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… Continue reading