Red Potatoes

We are slowly getting unpacked and organized in our new home. Slow progress, though I have managed to get the kitchen unpacked! Still deciding if I like where everything is. This is a significantly smaller kitchen than I had before, so I am making do with what is there. I am so happy that I can cook again!! Last night was the first "real" meal I had made in a while. We had hamburger steak with homemade gravy, red potatoes, corn & squash. I was so happy, my kitchen was happy, my husband was happy (thought that could have had something to do with his love of gravy)!

So, the red potatoes, very easy, very period! Cut up about 3 pounds of red potatoes, add enough water to scantly cover, flavor to your preference ( I used salt, pepper, thyme & butter). I used my lidded cast iron pot for these. Place in a 350* oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Pull them out of the oven & let them cool for a bit before serving- they are VERY HOT!  They were so good!!!

This would be a very easy dish to fix in camp that required minimal "babysitting", just sit the pot near the fire, rotating it occasionally.  You can cook these plain, or add some more veggies (onion, carrots, etc.) for more flavor & variety. You could also leave off some of the seasoning for the picky eaters and have each person season them to their own taste. 

While I do not have an actual "recipe" for these, I cannot imagine any of our ancestors would not have done such a simple dish!

Happy Cooking! 

Dinner for 8 Persons- (August)

Here is a nice Bill of Fare for a party of 8. This menu is taken from Isabella Beeton's How to Dine, dinners & dining, 1866. 

What are we planning?

There has been a serious lack of food on this blog for some time, and I do apologize! However, we hope to return soon, better than ever! I have spent the past few months sorting though cookbooks (even added a few new hard copies to my shelf) and researching "menus". Soon we hope to provide suggestions for full menus for meals and weekend events! Of coarse, these menus will be based on period references. I have a slew of new items I want to try & share! I do hope that in about a month the food will be rolling out of the kitchen and onto the blog for you all to try!
Give us just a few more weeks! We will be back!!
Check out our new logo!!

Going to Gettysburg....

Not quite.  I did not make it to the Mecca of reenacting this year for the 150th Gettysburg. Oh well, there are more things ahead. However, I did send my sweet husband to parade on the grounds that North Carolina soldiers so bravely fought. The week before the event was full of prep, not as much as I would have  hoped, but do to the lack of a good kitchen and some family issues, I think I did fairly well. Three loaves of great bread (there were 4, but it just had to be tried before I sent it off), a double batch of pumpkin muffins.

I used my trusty go-to bread recipe. Although, this time I did not bake them in pans, since most of my stuff is still packed up, but they still turned out nice! 

I have to admit, I did cheat on the pumpkin muffins. I used a box mix that I had anyway- and there is a chance that you would still be using what is left of the winter vegetables in addition to the new summer ones!

The breads were wrapped in paper the placed in a japanned cake tin. The muffins were placed in a paper-lined lidded basket. 

Of coarse, there needs to be other things to eat.... I guess you could eat bread and muffins for four days. 

Food before packaging. 

I have previously posted about packaging food for camp use. This is how the variety of foods were originally packed.  In most cases it is better to package foods in period containers. These can be very simple, to very elaborate. 

Food after packaging

I use a variety of packaging options. The cheapest option is making poke sacks in a variety of sizes. Another cheap option is buying paste board boxes in a variety of sizes, these are available in many shapes & sizes at craft stores. The two small pasteboard boxes in this photo contain the tea & lemonade in the previous picture. The large black tin contains three loaves of bread. The small black tin contains sugar (this was a Christmas tin, I "japanned" by painting it black). The jars are full of pickles & pickled eggs. 

The packaging of food before an event prevents you from having to hide food before and during food-prep. 

Common Egg Bread

Common Egg Bread, The Kentucky Housewife, 1839.  This sounded very similar to a dish that we had eaten on our honeymoon in Williamsburg, so when I was browsing books for new ideas, I tagged it as a must try!

I used my new birch-twig whisk for this recipe, I must say it is nice. After beating the eggs well, add 4 cups of milk, salt and butter- I used 2 tablespoons.
The fine Indian meal (corn meal) is where it gets tricky.  Like most mid-century recipes there are no exact measurements. I ended up using about a pound of corn meal to make "a good batter".  It will be a thin batter, I guessed on this part, as it did not specify to what consistency this batter should be.
In a 400* oven it took about 24 minutes to get done.

The top looks similar to eggs that have been cooked a little too long, but it is a nice brown "done" color. It will smell just like corn bread! 

After letting it cool for a few minutes, I served my self a piece with butter- as directed! 

It was still pretty hot, but had a nice corn-bread taste. I think I may have used too much corn meal, as it did not have the light eggy taste I was looking for. Next time I will use less corn meal to see how the results vary. 

Don't You Just Love New Things?

I like to share when I get new things- and share where to get them!! I usually browse through local Thrift & Antique stores at least once a month looking for hidden treasures for good prices. I have lucked out a few times, here are some of my findings!!

Looks great right? Almost all of it was found at local Antique markets. Some were bought new. This is a great example of how you can mix old and new to get the perfect mix of what you need. 

The two baskets were bought together for just $11!! They both have lids, and nestle for easy storage. They are the perfect size for small cakes, cookies, biscuits, etc. The lids will be helpful in keeping out bugs, dirt, etc. during events. 

The bundle of twigs (as my husband calls it) is a Swedish-made birch twig whisk. These whisks are supposed to be top quality with getting lumps out of gravy, I will have to test it and see. I bought this one from the Gift Chalet, you can get one too for just $12.00! 

The small pitcher holds about a cup and a half. I picked it up cheap thinking it would be good for cream or when you need just a splash of something on the table. 

The small jar is actually a mustard jar that can be bought from Jas Townsend and Son.  I had never ordered anything like this over the internet, and I wanted to see the quality, so I got a small little jar to use for mustard, or honey, or molasses.  I will say that I think it is quite cute! I may order more pottery items from Jas. 

Detail of design near handle.

The best item in my new stash is my salt-glazed jug. It was a great surprise from my sweet husband. I have been wanting one for a while, but I have never brought myself to actually buy one. I have not measured how much it will hold, but I am thinking close to a gallon. This will be great to have along for those one-day events when you don't want to haul around a lot of stuff. 

More recipes coming soon!! I am currently trying to decide what to make next, I have a list!!! We are still in the process of packing, so I see it being something fun & easy!!

"Not When It's Hot!"- No Fire Food

As Spring rolls through, we know that summer will be just around the corner. While we do look forward to the warmer temperatures and the blooming flowers, most of us do not want to bend over an open fire all day in order to feed our living history crowd. So what do we do?
Luckily there are options!
Bread- Try to pre-bake ahead of the event- Bread, Biscuits, cakes, cookies, etc. These can be made in the off-season and stored in the freezer until the even (this will also keep your house from getting hot)
Fruit-Fresh, seasonal fruit is a great option for summer months. Apples, oranges, watermelon, peaches, berries- these will also help keep hydration levels up!

The Virginia Housewife, 1838

Vegetables- Fresh produce is a wonderful thing to have a basket of. Pick & chose what is wanted at a time- eat cucumbers, tomatoes, celery alone or on sandwiches. Try some salads with a nice vinaigrette  These are nice alternatives to "heavy foods" and will keep you full without that "sick" feeling. Also, keep some pickles around! These are also great to throw in a salad or to snack on, plus the vinegar content keeps electrolytes happy!
Meats-Cold ham, cold roast chicken, summer sausages. Pre-cook ham & chicken before the event, then enjoy it cold as a main dish, on a sandwich, or as a topping on salad.
Beverages- Water, water, water!!! I can't say it enough! Drink water! Try to stay away from the sugary alternatives (Gatorade,etc.). Drink even when you do not think you need it, start hydrating before events. Start drinking plenty of water a few days before the planned summer event.  Lemonade is also quick & easy to make at events. Fruit waters were also found in the period (strawberries, mmmmmm). Another option is Switchel- (1 gal. of water, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup molasses  1 cup vinegar, 1 tsp ginger). Switchel is used to replace & replenish what the body has lost (think modern sports drinks), but the ingredients are all natural!
Ice Cream- There are numerous references to "ices" and "creams". Enjoy a nice fruit-flavored ice cream to keep cool!