I’m very thankful that the RootsTech 2017 conference is live streaming – and over 100,000 people are watching! Also very thankful that I’ve had sometime this week to watch the great sessions that are being streamed. I’ve learned a lot and made some new friends along the way. During the general session on Wednesday morning, FamilySearch…
I have been off work for a couple weeks recovering from carpal tunnel surgery, and have had more time than usual to watch my favorite morning TV shows. This week in particular, I noticed more food TV personalities sharing memories of the food they ate during their childhood. The Chew aired an entire show about…
Slow cooker Italian beef is the perfect meal this time of year. It’s comfort food that feeds a family with plenty left over. Autumn in southern Illinois is when Mother Nature can’t decide if she’s going to be hot or cold. We go from 65 degrees to near 100 degrees over the course of just a…
I love pimento cheese. I love it on crackers as a snack. I love it between bread as a sandwich for lunch. It’s the quintessential “munchy” that combines the creamy, smooth texture of cheese with the pungent bite of roasted red pepper. It is also one of the foods I remember most fondly growing up. It…
Good Morning America is a morning ritual for me. Sometimes I watch 15 minutes, sometimes I watch all two hours (if I’m home for the day!) This morning, they aired a segment titled “Secrets to a Better Marriage: Splitting Chores Can Help” that described how changing the traditional roles of who does what in a…
I love this article and video about puffed eggs from Colonial Williamsburg’s historic food blog. I’ve eaten eggs many ways for many meals, but I haven’t seen eggs made this way before! Eggs weren’t just for breakfast in the 18th century. In fact, they were often a side dish to a meal, and not just…
This group of interesting coffee recipes was published in the November 15, 1915 edition of the Daily Public Ledger in Maysville, Kentucky. We think of coffee as being that hot or iced drink that gives us the necessary kick in the morning to get moving … or, maybe that kick to get through the mid-afternoon…
Food and history are my passions … and I love reading food blogs from around the world. The following four blogs are ones I go to over and over. Each, in some way, reflects my interest in my own heritage and the foods that have impacted it and inspired me to keep learning. Food Blog…
My friends ask me all the time what my favorite kitchen gadgets are. Gadgets have to really make sense and make my life easier for me to buy them. Sometimes, it’s easier to just pick up a good knife and do things the old fashioned way! However, I’ve found these 5 kitchen gadgets and tools…
I’ve recently started rifling through my recipe clippings from my mom, grandma, and JD’s grandma. I have recipe boxes … and Christmas shirt boxes full of them! Some are “back of the box” or brand name recipes while others are simply recipe clippings from newspapers and old magazines. I’m trying to archive the ones I…
Can you imagine eating Graham mush for breakfast? While heritage cookbooks are a great way to understand our food history, newspapers offer both the “what we ate” along with the “how we lived” aspects of life during days gone past. This example of a 19th century menu is from The Tennessean newspaper, Tuesday, September 24,…
While I love my Ancestry account, I still find myself on the search for FREE genealogy tools that help me accomplish my research goals. Below are six of my favorites. I use most of these specifically for genealogy, but a few come in handy for my food history and heritage research, too. Bonus, right! [bctt…
My great grandfather, James Albert Rains, signed his WWI draft registration card on September 12, 1918. He was 41 years old. Between 1917 and 1918, 24 million American men did the same thing. The draft was a result of the Selective Service Act passed on May 18, 1917 authorizing the President to temporarily increase our military….
I love breakfast, but only on the weekend when I have time to really cook. I married a bacon and fried egg man, but I prefer breakfast that’s a little less … well … bacon and eggy! Here’s a round-up of some of my favorite weekend breakfast ideas. They’re kid tested … Mama approved! Morning Baked…
Illinois Senator Samuel Casey is my husband’s 1st cousin 5x removed … and he liked catfish. Senator Samuel Casey Samuel King Casey was born on June 27, 1817 in Smith County (now White County), Tennessee to Zadok Casey and Rachel King. Later that same year, the Casey family moved to what is now Jefferson County in…
Ever since I started using a computer, I started using recipe management software. That was a long time ago … and that first software is long gone! When I began blogging, I started looking for a recipe manager that would fit my needs to organize recipes I create for my blog as well as recipes I…
I’ve been teaching dinner and business etiquette for nearly two decades to high school and college students, and one of the things that surprises them them most is what you do and don’t do with your dinner napkin. In many ways, our napkin is a way for us to send signals to our servers ……
I love oatmeal. I eat oatmeal nearly every morning … with butter, brown sugar and raisins. Sweet. But, just like we don’t all eat grits the same ways … we don’t all have to eat sweet oatmeal in the morning. Oats can be used in cooking just like rice … it’s very versatile and doesn’t…
I recently discovered a cookbook titled “Fifteen Cent Dinners for Families of Six“, an 1877 version of a budget friendly cookbook for immigrants living in New York City. Originally published by Juliet Corson, this cookbook is now part of the American Antiquarian Society’s cookbook collection. Corson, the founder of the New York Cooking School, published…
Waste not, want not. I learned this lesson well! Every time I make Italian beef, I use the leftover broth to make vegetable beef soup. It’s a great way to add rich flavor to this classic soup … and not waste savory broth. When I make soup, I make enough to last several days. I…
On December 20, 1815, the Kings Mountain Herald newspaper in Kings Mountain, North Carolina published the following story from the New York Press about the first Christmas day. It is a reminder that Christmas isn’t about getting … or even giving … gifts, but celebrating the life of a man many consider their Savior. It…
Every year at Christmas time, I try to give something homemade to my “mirror”, Steph. Steph and I exchange yummy goodies all year long, so it’s becoming a tad difficult to find new treats. This year, however, I decided to make granola from scratch. I’ve never made it, but this recipe is definitely going on the annual treat…
Christmas morning is a madhouse … it certainly was when I was a kid and it still is now that I have a kid … and dogs! The last thing a mom wants to deal with is breakfast. Okay, at least this mom. Try this easy Christmas tree made from cinnamon rolls to make the…
Between 2006 and 2011, we lost my mom’s parents and my dad. It seemed just as we were moving forward from the loss of one, we would lose another. I was 36 when Daddy died. Noodle was 4. I have vivid memories of the last conversation I had with each of them. Grandma, who had…