Check out the Cupcake Tree photo I posted the other day.

Many thanks to Monique of Mama Lisa’s World en français for sharing this photo with us.

-Mama Lisa

Project Gutenberg just posted a book to read online or download called Domestic Life in Virginia in the 17th Century. Presumably, it would be similar throughout the North American colonies at that point in time.

Here’s a part I found to be interesting about how they cooked and washed clothes (they didn’t do laundry too often – so they wore a lot of perfume!)…

In the summer months, much of the cooking was done out-of-doors in huge pots slung from a tripod. The food for the servants went into a single pot, and their fare in “pap” was eaten in the open also, when the weather permitted. In the winter and during the cooler months, cooking was done on the hearth of an ample fireplace which customarily took up the greater part of the end of a room. If the family was of modest means, the kitchen area was the heart of the house. Here, in winter, was warmth, food and companionship. As the planter acquired numerous servants and preparation of food became an all-day matter, every day, the kitchen with its companion room, the buttery, was divorced from the house. Under this arrangement, the mistress of the household merely directed the preparation of food, the care of the dairy products, the salting of the meat, and the rendering of the lard.

Before the fire on the great hearth, meat on joints and fowl were trussed on spits, and to some small boy fell the task of keeping the spit turning. A drip-pan placed beneath caught the juices. Bakestones, griddles and clay ovens were at hand to stand on the hot embers, and later, ovens were built into the fireplaces. From cranes, simple at first and later with convenient arrangements for tipping, hung the pots for boiling. Bellows were at hand to enliven dying embers. On a rough table stood the brass mortar and iron pestle for mixing, the flesh-hook for handling meats, brass skimmer, rolling-pin, and other handy cooking utensils. Besides, in an adjoining space, there were pans, butter-pots, tubs and trays for the milk and milk products.

Water, which had to be drawn by hand from wells, except for an occasional windmill, was not a plentiful commodity. Therefore, the washing of clothes was not the semi-weekly operation carried on today with labor-saving devices. For the most part, it was carried on out-of-doors in clear weather, either at a nearby stream, or in the huge pots or tubs possessed by every family. Soap was brought into the Colony, and also was compounded from the animal fats available and the soap-ashes, which were plentiful. After soaking, the clothes were laid on boards and the grime driven out with “beetles” or paddles; then, the garments were hung up or laid out to dry or bleach in the sun. The few housewives, who owned napkin-presses, had the table-linen carefully folded, and placed, when damp, in the press in a pile. The board, screwed down firmly, eliminated the wrinkles, and the linen in some hours was smooth and ready for use. Also, various smoothing-irons and goffering (crimping)-irons, heated on the hearth were applied to garments. In all, however, laundering was a laborious process. Perfume, therefore, was a popular item in milady’s toilet.

Pictures Courtesy of the artist, Sydney R. Jones from Old English Household Life by Jekyll and Jones, published by B. T. Batsford, Ltd., London.

UPDATE: Come read more about Washing Laundry with Ashes and Climbing Cherry Trees in the Good Old Days!

This past weekend I made my mother’s recipe for Cole Slaw that I grew up with – yum, um! It’s the only Cole Slaw recipe I like. Cole Slaw usually tastes too much like mayonnaise to me. My mother’s version has mayo in it – but it’s seasoned in a way that makes it taste more like a yummy dressing. I used low-fat mayo to make it healthier.

As you can see below, there are two ways to make this recipe. One is the sweet way, with carrots and raisins, and the other is with onions or peppers and less sugar.

The first photo is of the non-sweet version:

The next photo is of the sweet version. We enjoyed both variations when I made them last night. Though, the sweet way with the raisins is the way my mother made it the most – and it makes me think of being a kid!

Cole Slaw Recipe

Shred 3 cups of cabbage

Method 1
Add a ¼ cup chopped green pepper or ¼ minced onion.

Method 2
One cup of grated carrot
½ cup raisins (optional)

Dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar (I used only 1 t. sugar for the onion version)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon celery seeds (optional – but recommended)

Combine dressing ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. You can add a little olive oil to extend the dressing if needed.

Mix other ingredients with the dressing.

The full flavor of the sweet version came out after it was chilled for a couple of hours.

Bon appétit!

Many thanks to my Mom for the recipe!

Mama Lisa

Looking back at old cookbooks, I keep noticing that they used a lot of cochineal powder to dye their icing. It comes out red or pink.

I thought about trying to use that method myself, but when I read more I discovered something that made me reconsider: Cochineal powder is made of bugs!

Actually, it comes from insects that live on cactus plants. They’re found largely in Mexico, Peru and Spain.

They were originally introduced to Europe from Mexico in the 16th century. Cochineal insects were likely used in dyes in Mexico as early as the 11th century by the Aztecs.

I like to be adventurous in my eating, but I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that. I think I’ll try to find alternatives to Cochineal in my search for natural food colorings! I’ll post a link here to my results.

(But here’s the dirty secret – don’t read this, unless you have a strong stomach! We’re already eating the equivalent of Cochineal all the time. It’s called Carmine Dye. It’s considered a natural food coloring and it’s used in many different types of food! It’s also used in makeup, girls – even some Burt Bee’s Lip Balm has Carmine in it…)

-Mama Lisa