Hoopskirts

Irish Stew for Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day is approaching rapidly, along with all the foods we consider to be "traditional" for the day.  I thought it would be interesting to do some research into period (antebellum) foods and recipes for the day. Lyrics to "St Patrick Was a Gentleman"    The Every-Day and Table Book , Wm. Hone, 1835 The Recipe This recipe for Irish stew comes from Charles Francatelli, chef to Queen Victoria for four years.  One of his four published cookbooks is geared towards the working class.  He discusses ways to make frugal ways more filling (usually by adding oatmeal or bread to broth) and to help them extend to feed enough people. To my delight, he included a recipe for Irish stew. Preparation and Thoughts Thereon Let me confess upfront - this stew was a shock to my system.  I kept wanting to ADD THINGS  - ALL THE THINGS!   Where was the seasoning other than s...

It's nearly the end of August (already!) and that means it's corn season.  I am very fond of corn...very, so when I saw this recipe from The Ladies' Indispensable Assistant of 1852 (New York), I knew I wanted to try it. I had no idea what to expect of these,and they turned out to be an amazing surprise!  They were absolutely delicious.  As I was cooking them, I realized that these green corn cakes remind me very much of potato pancakes, both in the way the looked and in their finished consistency (of course these tasted of corn, not potato). The Original Recipe To start, we need to understand that "green" corn is simply fresh, ripe corn as opposed to dried corn.  Green corn should not be interpreted to mean underripe, inedible corn. Obviously, the number of ears of corn required will depend upon the size of the corn available to you.  I used approximately 5 years of good, large fresh corn. A period teacup translates to about 6 oz in mo...

Today is a travelogue, and who doesn't like going on a road trip?  A couple of weeks ago we went to the Genteel Arts Symposium in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  It was my second time to attend, although a couple of years had passed since my first trip.  This time I was accompanied by my best friend - my husband.  Road trips are always better with congenial company!  Being mid-March, the weather was rainy most of the way. Civilian conferences or symposiums (or whatever you wish to call them) are outstanding ways to increase your knowledge of your chosen time period.  When your hobby is reenacting, you may feel isolated at home. feeling like your friends and extended family lovingly deal with you and your "eccentricity."There, there, don't get Auntie going on that history stuff again.  You know how she gets!"  As a civilian reenactor, you don't even have the excuse of gunpowder to explain your fascination with living history. Have you ever explain...