Category: thoughts

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Christmas Dinner Now and Then

Christmas Time Here's The Gobbler by Sophie Anderson
Christmas Time Here’s The Gobbler by Sophie Anderson

      Now that the decorating is finished, and the gifts are wrapped and shipped, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas dinner (if you haven’t already!)  We will be celebrating with dear friends, and I will be taking a particularly decadent vegetable dish, with parsnips, cream and rosemary.  For many of us, the main course will be the traditional favorites: turkey, ham, roast beef, possibly even roast goose.  Stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer) will also be present in some form.  The desserts are usually fairly traditional as well: various pies and cakes, sometimes a version of the old-fashioned Christmas pudding.   It was the parsnips that got me thinking…

          What would have been served at a Christmas dinner in late 18th century, early 19th century England?  What might Jane Austen have eaten?  As always, when confronted with a culinary question, I turned to old cookbooks.  In my facsimile copy of THE COMPLEAT HOUSEWIFE by Eliza Smith, she helpfully included diagrammed dinner services for summer and winter, showing two courses.  The first winter course includes a giblet pie, roast beef with horseradish and pickles and a boiled pudding; the second features a roasted turkey and an apple pie.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Smith did not include vegetable suggestions. 

          I turned to another old friend: The ART OF COOKERY Made Plain and Easy by Mrs. Glasse (a new edition published in Alexandria in 1805).   While Mrs. Glasse did not lay out the settings, she did include”Bills of Fare” for each month of the year.  December’s menu included three courses, again with no vegetable suggestions, except for mushrooms.  One dish in the third course did catch my eye…  Ragooed Palates.  What, I asked myself, could that be?  Surely not what it seems.

          Yes, dear reader, it is exactly what it says.    The palate is, of course, the roof of the ox’s (or cow’s) mouth.   It was apparently considered a form of offal, like kidneys or tripes, and required extra preparation involving blanching and skinning and so forth.   I also learned that a “ragoo” or “ragout” is, essentially a stew, so possibly Mrs. Glasse’s Stewed Palates may have been served as Ragooed Palates for a December dinner.   Fricassee also seems to be very similar to a stew.  Both involve long cooking and a rich, heavily seasoned gravy.   

           Mrs. Smith’s fricassee of Ox-Palates included stewing beef, salt, pepper, onion, eschalot (shallot?), anchovies,  and horseradish to make the gravy: then she stewed the palates until tender, cutting them up, and putting them aside.  Then she cut up chickens, seasoned them with nutmeg, salt and thyme and fried them with butter.   The palates were peeled and cut up, then were combined with the chicken in half of the gravy and stewed.  While the stew was cooking, the rest of the gravy was put in a pan, thickened with egg yolks, white wine added with butter and cream.  When ready to serve, the gravy in the pan was blended into the stewed palates and chickens.  When dished up, a garnish of pickled grapes was recommended.  When all is said and done, this sounds like it could be delicious!  (Please remember that this is one dish of several in a course.)

         Both cookbooks contain instructions for vegetables, including broccoli, cabbage, carrots and (of course!) parsnips.  I feel confident that, season permitting, some sort of vegetable dish would have been included.   However, it is interesting to see how heavily the winter menu relied on meat dishes.  It is also a timely reminder that little was wasted in those days.  Somehow, I can see Jane Austen (or the heroine in my work-in-progress!)  sitting down to a festive Christmas dinner of turkey, possibly some parsnips, a Fricasee of Ox-Palates, and a boiled pudding, with great enjoyment. 

Sources:

Glasse, Mrs.  THE ART OF COOKERY Made Plain And Easy.  A New EDITION, with modern Improvements.  Alexandria: Printed by Cottom and Stewart, 1805.  (First American edition.)  In Facsimile, with historical notes by Karen Hess.  Bedford, MA:  Applewood Books, 1997.  P. 59

Smith, Eliza.  THE COMPLEAT HOUSEWIFE: or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion.  The Sixteenth Edition, with Additions.  London.  (Facsimile)  London: Studio Editions Ltd., 1994.  P. 52.

Web Sources:

CooksInfo.com  “Ox Palate.”  http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ecco/004826650.0001.000/1:3.5.3.9?rgn=div4;view=fulltext

Eighteenth Century Collections Online.  Mrs. Taylor’s Family Companion… “Of Ragouts”.  http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ecco/004826650.0001.000/1:3.9?rgn=div2;view=fulltext;q1

Eighteenth Century Collections Online.  Mrs. Taylor’s Family Companion… “To Stew Ox Palates.”  http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ecco/004826650.0001.000/1:3.5.3.9?rgn=div4;view=fulltext

Food Information.  “Ragout.”  http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~sayyid/culinary/dlist.cgi?food=ragout

Image from Wikimedia Commons: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Anderson_Sophie_Christmas_Time_Heres_The_Gobbler.jpg/450px-Anderson_Sophie_Christmas_Time_Heres_The_Gobbler.jpg

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Getting Ready for Christmas…Again

       Well, here we are, exactly two weeks before Christmas.  It seems like I just undecorated and put everything a couple of months ago.  Time passes way too fast…but enough about that.  This time of year is a beautiful time, full of major celebrations, of which Christmas and Hanukkah are only two.  My particular celebration is Christmas, but those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas may have a similar situation involving other holiday traditions.  Everyone is very busy decorating, shopping for gifts, sending cards or letters, cooking and baking, and otherwise preparing for their own special traditions and celebrations.    All of these activities are going on at the same time we continue to live our regular routine, work, writing, researching, family, and so forth.  We try so hard to make it all perfect…  Which leads us directly to the all-to-common Christmas meltdown.  This year, I am determined NOT to experience one.

Christmas Tree 2011

        I have put up my tree and some decorations.  Being a woman of a certain age (don’t you love that phrase?),  I have lots of decorations that have been accumulated over years and years.  Many memories are involved.  Have I dragged them all out and made careful choices?  No, I have not.  I have put up what came to hand first, and stopped when I felt that it was time.  The tree is in the library corner, just like it was last year, and looks very similar.  (The picture shown  is last year’s tree.  I haven’t gotten around to taking pictures yet.) 

        Our Christmas card list and cards are waiting on the dining room table.  We will get them out.   My husband and I have already received a number of lovely cards, and a few newsletters, and we are so glad to hear from dear ones at this time of year.  I have at least sent the e-cards to friends and family on-line.  Gifts?  Some shopping is done, some still in process.  I’ve even had a couple sent.   Giving back to my community is also on the agenda.  A new feeling this year-I don’t feel guilty for not having my mailings done at the time I had so hopefully planned.

        This year, I am going to take full advantage of the 12 days of Christmas.  (Not that this is new…  My nearest and dearest usually get cards and packages on a flexible calendar.)  The difference this year is that I refuse to get stressed and upset about it.  It is more important to relax, enjoy the season and the opportunity to share with our loved ones and others.  Getting upset about things only ruins the time you have, it doesn’t make anything happen differently or go more smoothly.   Surely it’s more important to be able to enjoy the time you have with the people you love than it is to have ticked every item off your list on schedule even if it burnt you to the socket.  We are too hard on ourselves.  It’s time to put the focus where it belongs: the meaning of the holiday we celebrate, and the joy of being with those we love.

Merry Christmas!

 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Home to Thanksgiving-Currier & Ives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to believe that it’s just a few days until Thanksgiving!  Some of us are getting reading to make the trek to be with family; others are getting ready to celebrate at home with family and friends.  The illustration above makes me think of a childhood song, “Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go….”  Whether travelling or staying, spending the day with family and friends (or a family of friends!) is a beautiful thing.  It shouldn’t take a special day to count one’s blessings.  On the other hand, it’s nice to have a special day dedicated to appreciating just how blessed one is, and be grateful.  

Thanksgiving Greetings 1900-Football and Turkey

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, a big turkey dinner, hours of football are all time-honored traditions in the American Thanksgiving.  However one celebrates, the important thing is to recognize the good things in one’s life and appreciate them when there is an opportunity.  I hope your Thanksgiving is beautiful.  Thank you for reading my blog! 

 

 

(Images from Wikimedia Commons.)

 

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Creating an atmosphere…

       As the festive season approaches, I am seeing more and more advertisements for scents for the home.  Pine, bayberry, the warm scents of cinnamon and vanilla…  The all important creation of the holiday atmosphere.  The sense of smell is so important-a quick sniff of a particular odor can bring a place to mind; a waft of a special perfume, a face immediately appears.  Scent has been an  important issue down through time.  My old cookbooks render numerous recipes for a variety of scented products for the home.   Roses were an extremely popular scent.

‘Julia Gathering Roses’ by Daniel Ridgeway

     THE COMPLEAT HOUSEWIFE by Eliza Smith contains a recipe “To make the burning Perfume”, which appears to be a form of incense.  The ingredients include damask rose leaves (petals), musk, civet and sugar in rosewater, formed into little cakes and dried in the sun.  I have seen biblical references to “burning perfume in vessels” and imagine Eliza’s recipe smoldering in a saucer, or possibly even tossed on a fire, as we toss pine cones or other scented material.  The same volume also includes instructions “To make a sweet Bag for Linen”-dried citrus peel, dried roses, coriender, nutmeg and cloves, as well as other herbs are combined, to be put into silk bags to put with linens or possibly garments.

     The Jane Austen’s House Museum blog recently gave Martha Lloyd’s recipe for pot-pourri, which combined roses with lavender, cloves, cinnamon and other ingredients.  This is designed to be kept in open vessels in a room, or in bags to place in linens or clothing.   In earlier times, when rushes were strewn on the floor, sweet-smelling herbs, including lavender and rosemary were included to make the atmosphere more pleasant.  

      In our modern time, with our plug-in air fresheners, commercially scented candles, and other devices to sweeten the air, it is easy to consider this a modern concern.  I enjoy thinking of the history behind them, the purely human desire to make one’s atmosphere as pleasant as possible.

 

Sources:

Smith, Eliza.  THE COMPLEAT HOUSEWIFE.  The Sixteenth Edition, with Additions. Reprint published 1994: Studio Editions Ltd., London, England.

The Jane Austen’s House Museum Blog.  “At Home with the Austens: Receipts for ‘Milk of Roses’ and ‘Pot-pourri’ from Martha Lloyd’s Household Book” posted 11/1/2012.  http://janeaustenshousemuseumblog.com/2012/11/01/at-home-with-the-austens-receipts-for-milk-of-roses-and-pot-pourri-from-martha-lloyds-household-book/

 

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Ghoulies and Ghosties

From ghoulies and ghosties

And long-legged beasties

And things that go bump in the night,

Good Lord, deliver us!

(Traditional Scottish prayer)

It’s Hallowe’en, and, at this time of year, my thoughts turn to an American classic, Edgar Allan Poe.  I grew up with the old Hammer films, and loved Vincent Price in The Mask of the Red Death, The Tomb of Ligeia, and others.  (I remember looking into and under the car in which I was travelling after seeing Ligeia at the theater!)  However, no movie ever had the ability to create an atmosphere of sheer skin-crawling creepiness the way Poe’s writing did.   In Poe’s classic stories and many of his poems, the line between this world and the next was very thin, and both sides were inhabited by beings human and… something else.  Horror and romance, love and hate, were all combined into a misty other-world.  Poe was a master of creating things that went bump in the night!

   The poem The Conqueror  Worm starts with a gala night, and proceeds to madness, horror, and an unexpected end.  The last verse illustrates the atmosphere Poe created:

“Out – out are the lights – out all!

And, over each quivering form,

The curtain, a funeral pall,

Comes down with the rush of a storm,

And the angels, all pallid and wan,

Uprising, unveiling affirm,

That the play is the tragedy, ‘Man,’

And its hero the Conqueror Worm.”

Of course, any celebration of Hallowe’en brings forth The Raven with all its moody repetition…

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary….”

Illustration for THE RAVEN by Paul Gustav Dore’

                     

Then, there are the short stories.  Once read, who can forget Berenice?  “…But as, in ethics, evil is a consequence of good, so, in fact, out of joy is sorrow born.  Either the memory of past bliss is the anguish of to-day, or the agonies which are have their origin in the ecstasies which might have been.”  This musing leads to a conclusion.  “Yet its memory was replete with horror – horror more horrible from being vague, and terror more terrible from ambiguity.”  (I won’t tell you what it was…)  I don’t read Edgar Allan Poe’s work as often as I once did.  However, when I do, it’s still important to have a good light, a cozy blanket and a locked door.  It also doesn’t hurt to say an old Scottish prayer just before turning out the light to go to sleep!

Good Lord, deliver us!

Sleep tight (don’t forget the night-light)!

COMPLETE STORIES AND POEMS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE.  Doubleday & Co. Inc., Garden City, NY, 1966.

Scottish Prayer, Traditional. Things That Go Bump in the Night. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/bump.html

Image: Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Gustave_Dore_Raven3.jpg

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Happy Anniversary, English Historical Fiction Authors!

     This week, the English Historical Fiction Authors’ blog is celebrating its one year anniversary!   Author Debra Brown, who spearheaded this blog, has written a great article providing some highlights, the top ten posts and other items of interest.   (One of my posts is number 3!)  Be sure to take a look at the various posts-there is truly something for everyone, from food to fashion to politics and war.  There is also a great giveaway of books by associated authors to celebrate this milestone.  Please go HERE http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/   and check it out!  You’ll be glad you did!

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Jane Austen and Modern America

     As a reader and admirer of Jane Austen’s works, I have been told on occasion that her works, as delightful as they may be, are not really relevant to today’s world, and are escapist or elitist, or basically “chick lit”.  As pleasurable as I have found them, it must be said that the movie adaptations do little to counter this judgement.  I was browsing through my library’s on-line catalogue, and ran across two books whose titles caught my attention:

A JANE AUSTEN EDUCATION How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz, and

A WALK WITH JANE AUSTEN A Journey into Adventure, Love & Faith by Lori Smith

     Both authors wrote memoirs that discuss their personal lives in relation to insights from Jane Austen’s life and novels.  That said, it would be hard to find two more different people and life experiences.  It is intriguing to note just how much each author was inspired by Jane Austen, and how they applied the insights they gained to their personal lives.

     Mr. Deresiewicz studied Austen’s novels, and by extension, her life as part of a graduate program, ultimately including his findings in his dissertations.  Facing emotional and physical problems, Ms. Smith took a walking tour in England, following Jane Austen’s life, seeking answers to questions of faith and personal fulfillment.  Both found more than they bargained for.    Both authors learned life lessons, internalized values and ideas, and acquired a knowledge of themselves that they had not had not previously had.

     These books are, of necessity, very different.  The authors are two completely different human beings, of completely different backgrounds.  They approach Austen from different places in their lives, for completely different reasons.  Mr. Deresiewicz was totally uninterested in reading Jane Austen, and Ms. Smith was an ardent fan.  Both travel with Austen (Mr. Deresiewicz on an intellectual  journey of maturation, and Ms. Smith on a literal journey of faith) and come away with unexpected knowledge of themselves.

     After reading them and thinking about them, I went back and read some reviews of each.  Interestingly, some reviewers commented on both authors’ self-indulgence and whining.  Since these are memoirs of the authors’ experiences and emotions, I think one must expect to share some of their angst and less positive issues; it is unrealistic to expect all sweetness, light, and moments of ecstatic recognition.  There were aspects of both authors that made me want to smack each, for completely different reasons.  However, I found both books to be enjoyable and thought-provoking.  Reading their experiences and viewpoints of one of my favorite authors has helped me to understand and clarify much of what I find appealing and relevant to my own life.  The universal truths that Jane Austen addresses so subtly in her novels, and the way she lived her life, still have much to do with our lives today.  Mr. Deresiewicz and Ms. Smith have demonstrated that in their respective memoirs.  I recommend them both.

Deresiewicz, William.  A JANE AUSTEN EDUCATION How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship and the Things that Really Matter.  2011: Penguin Press, New York, NY.

Smith, Lori.  A WALK WITH JANE AUSTEN A Journey into Adventure, Love & Faith.  2007: WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs, CO.

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A Rumination on Time and Maturity

     Yesterday, a little girl of my acquaintance looked up at me with a huge smile and said, “I”m NOT a baby!  I’m not four anymore!  I’m five now!”  On her little face was all the joy and confidence of one who had reach a milestone and felt she had arrived.  All grown up. 

     I sometimes feel like the ultimate late bloomer.  Having recently had one of those significant birthdays (you know the ones-ending in a “0”), I keep waiting for that feeling of arrival.  Somehow, I keep missing it…

     At a time in my life when my mother and even, occasionally, my grandmother look back at me in the mirror, I keep hoping that some share of the confidence and wisdom they seemed to have at my current age will miraculously surge forth.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t happened yet.  In so many ways, I don’t feel a whole lot different now than I ever did.   I don’t feel “all grown up.”  Some of the same insecurities and emotions still sway me; the same conviction that somewhere over the horizon is the success or desired object still buoys me. 

     And yet… I can’t say that no progress has been made.  Forward movement occurs every day.  Feelings get handled.  Things that hurt or upset me in years past no longer matter.  When I do get upset, I get over it (eventually).  Decisions get made and even carried out!  Stones in the road are not insurmountable barriers; sometimes I go past them and other times I enjoy the detour when I go around.  I still fear the unknown; I just don’t let the fear stop me.  

     Time seems to go by faster every day.  I don’t feel like I am keeping pace with it.  Somehow, today, I think that’s for the best!

     How do you feel about it?

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Old Cookbooks

     Many years ago, I became fascinated with old cookbooks.  At Haslam’s Bookstore in St Petersburg, FL, I found wonderful used cookbooks.  My first treasure was the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, a slightly later version of the classic ring binder that everyone’s mother had, filled with good basic recipes that always (at least ALMOST always!) come out well.  A vast array of the SOUTHERN LIVING cookbooks also tempted me. 

     One of my favorites is THE QUALITY COOK BOOK modern cooking and table service by Dorothy Fitzgerald.  This gem was published in 1932 and has fascinating illustrations.  It also provides instructions on serving, instructions and appropriate uniforms for the maid (!), courses, and, of course, recipes.  (A previous owner was particularly fond of one for Strawberry Parfait.)

     A real treasure was given to me by my mother when I got married.  The Favorite Cook Book A Complete Culinary Encyclopedia,  edited by Mrs. Grace Townsend, was published in 1894 and originally belonged to my great-grandmother.  It was passed to my grandmother, then my mother and now to me.  It is intact, though delicate, and is a delight to go through (albeit with great care).  It includes instructions and recipes for the feeding of invalids, a schedule of when various foods are in season, pages of laundry hints (remember, this was long before Oxy-Clean and dryers!), and other fascinating information, as well as hundreds of recipes for classic dishes.  One of my favorite sections is “Perfumes and Toilet Recipes” and includes a recipe for a Cure for Pimples, how to care for your teeth and ears, and recipes for perfumes and other toiletries.

    I have also acquired facsimile copies of two classics: The Compleat HOUSEWIFE or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s COMPANION by Eliza Smith (16th edition, about 1758) and THE ART OF COOKERY MADE PLAIN AND EASY by Mrs. Glasse (first American edition, 1805).  Both of these books cover a wide range of information, from selecting food to pickling and preserving, and other practical information.  Some of the recipes can be easily adapted today, while others….. well, not so much.  Sometimes I don’t even recognize the ingredients.  Who knew that cubeb was the dried unripened berries from an Asian shrub with a spicy, rather peppery flavor that became popular in Europe in the Middle Ages?      Old cookbooks have much to teach us about how people lived their daily lives,  what they liked to eat, and how they took care of their family’s health.  They open a window to the realities of earlier times.  They are fun to read, and contain a treasure trove of information for historians and novelists, as well as those who like to cook.  Many classics, including Hannah Glasse’s book, are available on-line.  Take a look!  You’ll find something delicious, I’m sure…

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Jane Austen and Online Dating

Knowing I am interested in all things Austen, a dear friend sent me a newspaper clipping of an article from a local newspaper (yes, there are still people out there who read newspapers!).  The article, “Why Jane Austen would approve of online dating,” by Elizabeth Kantor, starts by asking if modern society has allowed these tools into areas that are not appropriate.  I am including the article here (click to enlarge):

Kantor, who wrote THE JANE AUSTEN GUIDE TO HAPPILY EVER AFTER, concludes that Jane Austen would in fact approve.   In her discussion, she points out that assembly balls provided a place where introductions could be performed after the various issues of concern could be weighed.  Kantor shows out that the internet sites do allow a screening process so that introductions are made based on similar values, interests, tastes and so forth.  As I understand it, the online service takes the place of the master of ceremonies, lady patroness or other person in charge of the gathering.  I was rather astonished by the idea of Miss Austen approving until I read the section where she mentioned that California’s attorney general got Match.com, eHarmony and Sparks Networks to start doing background checks (protecting clients against identity theft, and potential assault).  All things considered, I am rather inclined to agree with her conclusion.  If viewed properly, and used prudently, these sites allow people to meet who have been screened for basic criteria, with a view to a possible long-term relationship.  Once introduced, it is up to the parties to take it from there.   Not significantly different from the assembly ball!  If the online dating process is conducted thoughtfully and decorously, I believe that Miss Austen WOULD approve!  What do you think?