While traveling on the Newbern, Martha experienced one of the least enjoyable aspects of a long journey - bad food. As you might recall from last week's post, Martha's day typically began with a light meal of black coffee and hardtack before a proper breakfast was served (25). To taste what Martha nibbled on with … Continue reading An Inedible Necessity: Hardtack
An Old-Fashioned Apple Pudding: Series 1, Recipe 2
In last week's post, we read about Martha's misadventures in the kitchen as a new army wife. Over time, Martha transformed from a cook who could barely boil an egg to one who compiled two cookbooks of her own. The recipes in these books are far superior to the failed lunch she served for her … Continue reading An Old-Fashioned Apple Pudding: Series 1, Recipe 2
A Rhubarb Cake for Kaffeeklatsch: Series 1, Recipe 1
The early chapters of Vanished Arizona have a number of enticing references to food. One that particularly intrigues me is Martha's mention of Kaffeeklatsches, a charming German practice she enjoyed while in Germany.* She wrote, "In this beautiful city, life could not be taken any other than leisurely. Theatres with early hours, the maid coming … Continue reading A Rhubarb Cake for Kaffeeklatsch: Series 1, Recipe 1
An Army Wife’s Sour Milk Muffins
Our adventure at Wilson's Creek A couple years ago, my husband and I took a short trip to the Wilson's Creek Battlefield, the site of a Confederate victory against the Union in 1861. As much as I enjoy traversing Civil War battlefields, I'm usually itching to get to the visitor center's bookstore to see what … Continue reading An Army Wife’s Sour Milk Muffins
A Christmas Gingerbread Cake
Several years ago, my husband and I started a tradition of opening one or two gifts on Christmas Eve. One gift that I happened to open this year was a beautiful new cookbook, entitled Dinner with Dickens: Recipes Inspired by the Life and Work of Charles Dickens by Pen Vogler (thank you, Grandma!). As someone … Continue reading A Christmas Gingerbread Cake
Colonial Rolls for an Old Fashioned Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving was a bittersweet holiday for many, my family included. The challenges of navigating a holiday season during a pandemic necessitated that we stay put in Texas for Thanksgiving, rather than traveling to see our extended families. While this made for a quiet day, it was still a sweet one of celebrating our baby's … Continue reading Colonial Rolls for an Old Fashioned Thanksgiving
Living in History 