Antique Cookbook - White House Cookbook

I first spotted the White House Cook Book a few years back at my favorite antique store.  Unfortunately it was priced outside of my budget, and in the years since I’d only come across copies that were either in terrible condition or priced unreasonably considering the condition.  Then just a couple of weeks ago I found a 1913 edition with the binding mostly intact, for the absolute steal of $17!  I was so excited to start paging through it that I nearly made myself car sick (people who can read in the car amaze me) and I was forced to wait until I arrived home.

Old timey recipes can be endlessly entertaining and occasionally even slightly horrifying.  The White House Cookbook, first published in 1887, has more than just a few gems.   Codfish Balls make an appearance alongside other delights such as Spiced Beef Tongue, Squirrel and Green Turtle Soups (with the option for egg balls for the latter), and Calf’s Head three ways (baked, boiled, or as a “cheese”.)

Fortunately, for every recipe most of couldn’t even imagine preparing yet alone eating, there are dozens of others that pertain to the modern day palate and cook (even if a few tweaks or experimental go-arounds need to made here and there.)  Take for instance that many recipes call for a “teacupful” of rice or raisins, a “coffeecupful” of molasses, or the amount of butter “half the size of an egg”.  How big was the standard teacup back then?  (I would guess ½ a cup with a coffee cup being closer to 1 whole cup.)  And measuring butter by the size of an egg?  That’s tricky because eggs now days are much larger than what chickens produced a century ago.

Antiques cook books also make one appreciate the modern day conveniences most of us take for granted.  When is the last time you appreciated not having to milk a cow to make butter?  Or not having to make a brine to preserve said butter?   Or that you didn’t have to collect warm rain water to make vinegar?  (That last one was a shock to me.  I had no idea!)

There are so many recipes in here that I haven’t the slightest idea which I’ll attempt to a make first.  Between musing about egg sizes and where I could find “brimstone the size of a bean” to make strawberry syrup, I’m just enjoying reading the book!

What I'm Reading: Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love

"Cheryl and Griffith Day, authors of the New York Times bestselling Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, are back with more recipes to make with love. Who needs store-bought when baking things at home is so gratifying? In this follow-up to their smash-hit first book, the Days share ways to lovingly craft not only desserts, but also breakfast pastries, breads, pizza, and condiments."

I own and love their first cookbook, (reviewed here ), so when their follow-up caught my eye at Barnes & Noble the other day I didn't hesitate to purchase it!  Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love is every bit as wonderful as it's predecessor and contains more than just the dessert recipes you'd expect.

There are savory dinner and side dishes like Beans and Corn Bread Cobbler, Tomato Pie, and Devilish Eggs.  There are both sweet and savory marmalades along with homemade syrups and butters, and also D.I.Y projects such as party hats and cake toppers.  But don't worry, there are plenty of the traditional recipes you'd expect from a bakery like breads, cakes, and brownies too!

I think the first recipe on my to-do list from this book will be the Honey White Bread because seriously, does anything smell better than fresh baked bread? Ok, maybe brownies - those smell amazing too!
 

(Honey White Bread is pictured below alongside Sweet Potato Pot Pie, Chocolate Honey Fudge, and the Sweet 16 Cake Topper.)

Antique Cookbook - Any One Can Bake

I adore browsing antique stores and often spend an entire Saturday or Sunday doing just that.  You just never know what you're going to find!  I snagged an addition to my antique cookbook collection over the past weekend for a mere $1.25 - that's less than the cover price in 1929!

Any One Can Bake was published by the Royal Baking Powder Co. and contains dozens of recipes for breads, cakes, and cookies along with helpful tips for the "young housewife," and detailed instructions on how to properly set a table.  I'm always highly amused and occasionally slightly horrified when reading cookbooks prior to or from the early 20th century.  For instance, did you know that doilies are appropriate for any meal with the exception of a formal dinner?  I did not, but as I don't own any doilies I don't see this being a concern any time soon.  Then there was the recommendation to use asbestos pads to protect your good furniture from hot dishes.  Yikes!

Of course, the main appeal of antique cookbooks are the recipes.  This one being a baking book, most of the recipes are classic and straight-forward with around 8 ingredients and simple instructions.  With the exception of rose water, (which was popular before vanilla took over and is called for in many cakes), the recipes often only call for basic ingredients likely already stocked in the pantry.
Many of the recipes have step-by-step instructions -

Others are simply accompanied by colorful illustrations -

A couple of recipes that immediately caught my eye are Blueberry Tea Cake and Butterscotch Pie.  (Codfish Balls also caught my attention but not for the same reason lol!)  Since blueberries aren't in season yet I think the Butterscotch Pie will be first.  Hopefully it's a success and I can report back with the recipe and pictures!

What I'm Reading: French Country Cooking

While browsing the New Release section the other day, French Country Cooking:  Meals and Moments from a Village in the Vineyards caught my eye.

 

"Amid Mrs. Thorisson's recipes are stories of the home's past, as told to her by previous owners and village old-timers.  Readers will learn tales of multiple generations of cooks together in the French country kitchen."  Wall Street Journal
 

I'm only about a quarter of the way into this book and so far I'm in love...  with the author's house!  In the first few pages she describes the home, its history, the antiques she found hidden away, and... cue jealousy!  It's my dream to live in a huge old house and to spend my days hunting for antiques to fill it with.  But I digress...

I'm also loving the recipes of course!  It was my unfamiliarity of French cooking that caused me to grab this book off the shelf in the first place.  Each recipe is preceded by a story or some history (which I love) and many of the recipes are familiar and more simple than I expected.  Note that I said "many of the recipes".  Not all.  Take Everyday Pear Cake for example.  Both familiar and simple.  Far Breton?  Simple but not familiar.  (It's a custard cake with rum and prunes.)  Cassoulet?  Sounds familiar but definitely not simple.  (Do the French typically have goose fat on hand?)

The photography is beautiful:

Everyday Pear Cake

 

Comte, Ham, and Walnut Feuillite

Pain D'Epices

 

I intend to read through the rest of the recipes and then settle on a couple of the unfamiliar but simple ones to test out first!  Happy cooking!

What I'm Reading: Eating in the Middle

 

 

“In her inspiring New York Times bestselling memoir, It Was Me All Along, Andie Mitchell chronicled her struggles with obesity, losing weight, and finding balance. Now, in her debut cookbook, she gives readers the dishes that helped her reach her goals and maintain her new size.”

 

The above is Amazon’s description for Andie Mitchell’s Eating in the Middle: A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook.  For the most part I really like this book, although some of the recipes I found to be a bit… blasé.  Take the Kale Chips and Roasted Broccoli recipes for example.  Who hasn’t roasted broccoli or seen the same kale chip recipe over and over?

Many of the recipes however are quite original and I can’t wait to test a few out!   Like the Brown Sugar & Chili-Rubbed Salmon with Avocado Crema pictured below.  (Fingers crossed this one convinces my husband to like salmon!)

Or how about Baked Banana Bread Doughnuts? (Maple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze optional.) Or Chocolate Raspberry Breakfast Pudding to start your day?

 

Along with the recipes she shares, Andie also shares stories.  She tells stories about how she gained the weight, “a-ha!” moments she had losing the weight, and lessons she learned along the way. Obviously, to lose the weight in the first place she had to make changes to the way she had been eating.  Just as obviously, she had to keep those changes in place and make them her new normal.  Andie describes this cookbook as, “structured the way I eat and live my life.”  The vast majority of the recipes are healthy and wholesome with good-for-your waist line calorie counts, (she includes nutritional information with every recipe), but there also dessert recipes with real sugar and butter.  No fake or low calorie “desserts” in this book -  just the “sometime” foods that are meant to be indulged in… sometimes.  It’s all about balance.

What I'm Reading: Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

 

It’s no secret that I love cookbooks - antique and vintage cookbooks in particular.  The older the book and the more handwritten recipes on the inside cover the better!  I’ve amassed quite a collection of cookbooks, both old and new over the years, so shelf space (and husband) now require that I use a little more discretion when purchasing yet another.

The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook caught my eye at the bookstore the other day.  Based on the title, I immediately assumed it contained recipes passed down through families from one generation to the next, and I was delighted when I realized that it was!  Grandma Hannah’s Blueberry Buckle?  Yes please!  The Ginger Squares Grandma Hannah learned to make from her grandma?  Major score! I have to say this is the next best thing to finding a vintage cookbook chock full of handwritten recipes at a resale shop or garage sale!

The decision to buy this cookbook was easy.  The decision of what recipe to make first though…  Not so easy.  The aforementioned Blueberry Buckle or the upcoming season appropriate Pumpkin Crunch Bars?  Or shall I allow summer one last hurrah and bake Strawberry Cupcakes or Shortcakes?

Decisions, decisions…

 

 

What I'm Reading

I haven't even gotten all the way through this book and I already have a list of 23 recipes that I intend to test out.  Everyone Is Italian On Sunday by Rachael Ray is a wealth of recipes you'd expect (pasta, pizza, and more pasta) but also has tons of great soups, meat, veggie, and dessert recipes along with some stories behind the recipes, and tips on making the recipe a success.

Here are a just a couple of the recipes I intend to make -

The only critique I have for this book is that there is a lack of pictures.  I prefer cookbooks to have pictures for every recipe, or at least the majority of recipes, (especially if they are unusual or not something everyone knows what it looks like, say... Chicken Noodle Soup.)  This one has only one picture for approximately every 10 recipes.  The pictures that are included though are mouthwatering.  Pesto or Apple Torte anyone?