John Wentworth's Favorite Food Fans of Her Dear & Loving Husband know that when James Wentworth married Elizabeth Jones in December 1691, one of the foods James' father John insisted on was Indian Pudding. As John tells Elizabeth, "You cannot end a meal without Indian Pudding." What Is Indian Pudding? If you're not familiar with … Continue reading Historical Recipe From Colonial America: Indian Pudding
Historical Recipes
Historical Recipe From the Oregon Trail: How To Churn Butter
When Will You Need Pioneering Skills? For those of you who have read The Duchess of Idaho, you know there's a scene where Grace is both baffled and amused when her grandmother Annabelle teaches her how to churn butter. Annabelle has a feeling that Grace will need such a skill. It's a skill Grace will … Continue reading Historical Recipe From the Oregon Trail: How To Churn Butter
Historical Recipe From The Oregon Trail: Johnnycakes
A Wannabe Food Historian I've lost track of the number of times I've said that if I weren't doing what I'm doing, I'd be a food historian. When I wrote Painting the Past: A Guide for Writing Historical Fiction, I waxed poetic on the charms of cooking recipes from the historical era you're writing about. … Continue reading Historical Recipe From The Oregon Trail: Johnnycakes
What Did They Eat On the Oregon Trail?
Searching For Recipes From the Oregon Trail One of the first things I did when I began researching life on the Oregon Trail was look up the recipes they cooked on the trail. Since they had limited ingredients and limited supplies to cook with, the food had to be simple to make yet still filling. … Continue reading What Did They Eat On the Oregon Trail?
Mrs. Beeton’s Recipes For a Perfectly Proper Victorian Christmas
Mrs. Beeton Was the Martha Stewart of the Victorian Era Most fans of the 19th century are familiar with Mrs. Isabella Beeton, the Martha Stewart of Victorian England. Although I used her recipes and household management tips as resources for both Hembry books, I admit that I didn't know much about Mrs. Beeton herself until … Continue reading Mrs. Beeton’s Recipes For a Perfectly Proper Victorian Christmas
Daily Life in Biblical Nazareth
Since the recipes in my last post about eating in Biblical Jerusalem were such a hit, I decided to add one more recipe that is a traditional Jewish food and something the Woman of Stones might have made—cholent. Cholent is simply a hearty beef stew. Traditionally, cholent is cooked overnight, beginning Friday afternoon before sundown … Continue reading Daily Life in Biblical Nazareth
What Did They Eat in Biblical Jerusalem?
I Should Have Been a Food Historian I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it many more times, I’m sure—I think I missed my calling in this life. I should have been a food historian. One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is researching the foods they ate during whatever historical period I’m … Continue reading What Did They Eat in Biblical Jerusalem?
Cooking in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
What Did They Eat in the Massachusetts Bay Colony? One of my more popular posts is about food in colonial Massachusetts. Here's more information about the types of meals the colonists ate and other interesting tidbits about cooking in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Breakfast was a busy time of day in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The … Continue reading Cooking in the Massachusetts Bay Colony