So as you may have seen in previous years (2014, 2015), our family has started doing a “colonial” Thanksgiving celebration. I use the quotes because it’s far from strictly colonial in terms of preparation and authentic recipes, but we do try to keep things mostly historical, and then we use only candles and oil
Where do I even start? I could tell you how massive and impressive the competition stages were, decked out with countless lights, sounds, and effects. Or how incredible the craftsmanship was on so many cosplay outfits I saw wandering around the outside the hall. Instead, let me begin with the morning of the first day. With
So, while this is mostly a recipe blog, every now and then another aspect of cooking creeps in, like gardening. Which is probably pretty legit, actually, since food does come from somewhere before it hits the shops. ;) I planted sweetcorn last year, but with how busy everything seems to get during the summer, I struggled
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to tag along on one of the many Weed Walks around Pennsic (or as I like to call it, “medieval summer camp”). This, in addition to a great introductory class about medieval gardens, inspired me to take another look at my garden plots, and the “weeds” growing in
I first saw this idea over on Ivan Day’s site, Historic Food, and knew that I had to try it at some point. But that was actually several years ago, when I didn’t even know where to buy gooseberries in New England, let alone expect to have any of my own. But when I found
Thoughts: The people have spoken, and the winner of my recent Twitter poll for the next recipe’s region was overwhelmingly Highgarden. I guess we are all in the mood for some green growing things and flowers after winter, huh? :) These stunning little show-stopping desserts are actually easier to make than you might guess. You
I’ve been thinking a lot about the process that I use to make fictional foodstuffs into real recipes for use in real kitchens. I often joke in interviews that I employ a “fictional locavore” approach when deciding how to make a dish, but that’s not far from the truth. I try to take into
Thoughts: Whenever I feel like I’ve lost some direction when it comes to historical cooking, I like to sit down with some of my favorite old cookbooks and flip through until something inspires me. In this case, it was a pie from the 1570s Italian cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi, and specifically an artichoke pie, which
It’s February, and you know what that means? GARDENING!! Well, sort of. I mean, not really. At all. The backyard is basically a giant ice patch, and there’s not a hint of anything green as far as the eye can see. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to love in February: Valentine’s Day (which
Thoughts: When I recently posted on Facebook about finally snagging some quinces at the grocery store, a number of you chimed in with suggestions, ideas, and thoughts about how best to enjoy these quirky fruits. But one simple description stuck with me: baked with heavy cream. I just had to make it, so thanks, Lydia!