Living our history. and the Interesting things we come across.

Suffice it to say that i am a living historian.. I didn't always call myself that, you understand - previously i "just re-enacted civil war" and i didnt really consider every other aspect of things other than being there, in what i still considered costume, & that was that.
But then i started studying, & I started Learning about what i was doing and then even THAT started branching out more and more.. Now i have research materials, access to experts on their specialties for reference and support and a LOT of people i can ask questions of.. even on such mundane & interesting  various things like gloves, china ware, fabrics, dresses of other periods. have finally made my first corset, I am even participating with a costuming guild :),  and the list goes on..
So now i feel i am LIVING the hobby, rather than just showing up for it. To me this is how one becomes a Living historian.. you dont have to Be an expert, just Truly participate in what you are doing........... 

Did I mention I collect vintage cookbooks..- while most are of the late 1930s to mid 1960s, a few are much older. but i dont JUST collect them, I am now starting to COOK from them, now they too are part of my living history :) 
 One of the pleasures of this collection is the odds and ends that one often FINDS in such books. the one i am referring to today is from a 1944 book, and inside it I found a partial Newspaper clipping..

the DETAILS are amazing The clipping is dated Friday April 5, 1946 San Antonio Evening News. and suddenly we have a glimpse in the life of an every day newpaper reader & grocery shopper!.

To give you an Idea
in the bottom right corner is "Tomorrow's Menu" :)
Breakfast: Stewed dried prunes and apricots, cooked cereal, enriched toast butter or fortified margerine, jam or marmalade, coffee, milk
Luncheon: Sausage apple betty, soft rolls butter or fortified margerine, haw celery, citrus fruit gelatin, tea, milk.
Dinner: Beef stew with vegetables, boiled potatoes, lettuce & grapefruit salad, hard rolls butter or fortified margerine, gingerbread with whipped cream, coffee, milk.

 in the lower right corner a store advertises 
Live or Dressed Poultry!
Young ducks at 33cents a pound
New Zealand Rabbits (cleaned) at 49cents a pound
Baby beef(??) Turkey Hens at 39cents a pound
Baking Hens at 39cents a pound 
Fryers at 41cents a pound
and Fresh Gulf Trout at 39cents a pound
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what I also find Delightful on the back side are sales items and many of the brands are ones we recognize even today (even if the product might not be still around)

Armour's Star Tamales 10.5 oz glass for 15cents
Cudahy's 3oz can Deviled Ham 12.5cents
Armour's 16oz can Chili con Carne at 24cents
Gerbers baby food can at 6.5cents
Welch's Orange Marmalade 16oz glass 19cents
RealLemon Juice 8oz bottle at 19cents
Heinz White Vinegar one gallon at 49cents
and my favorite Sunshine  CHEEZITS  6.75 oz for 10cents!!!! 

I love these glimpses into my recent ancestors lives  - dont you??

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!!

The Good!!
my first intent was to make  this for the Historical Food Forte-nightly challenge.

Challenge #12: If They Had It… 

"Have you ever looked through a cookbook from another era and been surprised at the modern dishes you find? Have you ever been surprised at just how much they differ from their modern counterparts? Recreate a dish which is still around today, even if it may look a little - or a lot - different!" 

KNOWING full well i had a bookcase full of vintage cookbooks & firmly believing i had come across this candy in at least one of them.. i went ahead and MADE it.. - it came out very nicely.

Here you see the basic beginnings.. a dead simple recipe 

very hard to go wrong with good ingredients

 

here is the first layer of white chocolate after its been melted - spread on the parchment paper and crushed peppermints spread over the top. it was then refrigerated to start 'setting up'

semi sweet chocolate chunks with cream and peppermint extract before melting them

then after melting and spreading over white chocolate covered in more crushed peppermint pieces & returned to refrigerator to set up. quite tasty!!!

The BAD!! - did i mention i did NOT check my resources first?? i went by memory??

yea, about that.. much to my dismay.. 

while i found DOZENS of versions of this Bark recipe and pretty much ALL of them say that this is the "CLASSIC" Christmas candy, NOT A SINGLE one of them mention ANY form of history on this tasty confection.

and while with the help of friends, we found mention of candy canes and peppermint candies - not even a whisper on this particular candy.. 

So i dont feel i CAN enter this particular item in the challenge because there is NO  documentation that i can find for the recipe's actual age...  

definately a bummer, but a nice treat for the crew at 'game night'  so all is Not lost.......

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The UGLY..

the version of the recipe on the candy bag had one make a 3rd layer (another of white chocolate) 
for what ever reason, am not even certain why.. i decided to add cream to the top layer as well 
unfortunately, THIS is the result.. not sure what happened AT ALL!! 

but something certainly went Awry?!!!!!!

am Seriously considering naming it the "blob" 

ah well... so much for That bright idea......

In conclusion -  it all (mostly) turned out all right. but it wasnt what i set out to do.. it didnt meet the goal i was aiming for and its only because i was being a tad lazy, the old cart before the horse thing..

am trying something a bit different tomorrow :)

tried a pork roast with red potatoes carrots & cauliflower in a teriyaki marinade in the Romertopf tonite.. all i can say is YUMMMMMMMM

i really should have taken a pic - it was a Pretty dinner - & get this, a 4lb roast in under 2hours.. LOVE that Romertopf !!

& just think i paid $5 at a thrift store for it! ha! boy did i get a deal or what!
have only found two cookbooks using them so far but am still hunting :)

I VOTED!!! DID YOU?????

Oy!!!!! i have survived!!!
the first newsletter was put to bed today! over 300 paper copies AND the multiple e copies link has been sent.
Far from perfect but still enough to tell me this could get to be fun :)
now i have a day or two to catch my breath  & try to get ORGANIZED..
ah well, no rest for the wicked..

and i have started a fabric purge.. maybe we will get there!!!

Quite a month of Crazy - this october!!

put out my FIRST newsletter (oy, i have so much to learn!!) the newer version of word is WAY different than my (very) old one...

Started two "challenges" one is a daily photo and the other a historical recipe (about every fortnight!)

and TODAY is our youngest's 23rd BIRTHDAY!! good grief where has the time gone! (picture is from when she was still in high school and still reenacting with us.. she is quite a beautiful young woman! we are terribly proud of her. :)

FOR tbt - short essay from december 2013 after visiting youngest in her new apartment in SF
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midnight musings............

in a time when all to frequently one witnesses nasty, uncouth, rude & generally lousy behavior all around -

there are moments, tho too rare, that bring a smile to ones face, just because you were there to witness it. pure class, gentle kindness & grace still exists it seems...

last night we flew home in one of those ultra tight clamshell commuter flights. now, understand that i am not only claustrophobic i am nearly phobic about flying at all, so this tiny little plane with even tinier seats was NOT a joy. (i am over 100lbs overweight myself & add my not tiny dh beside me, well you can imagine......)

beside us across the isle was a very tall lady who, like me, was quite large in size and in front of us were 2 sisters & 2 small children. the man who was supposed to sit next to the lady & behind the baby IMMEADIATELY required the stewardess to move him..

she (the lady) didnt say anything, but had a rather sad look on her face. & she was very quiet during the flight (unlike the baby, lol)

when we finally landed, & people were standing to stretch & get their bags she stood up as well, the little one in front of me (about 3/4 looked up at her and said "Mama, she's Big!!!" i have to say i caught my breath & you could see the lady tense up-

 Mama didnt even blink, looked at the lady and told her little girl, 'yes she IS tall isnt she? do you think she's as tall as 'sister'??? little girl looked and said yes, then Mama asked her - do you think she's as tall as daddy?? little girl looks & shakes her head & said NOPE, daddy's bigger then went back to her toy..

the lady next to me had the first smile i had seen since she had come on board.
I have to think those two little girls will grow up to be very gracious young women, just like their mother...
it made my day better.......

WOW. Well its official -

have you ever had a moment of wondering

WHAT THE HADES DID I JUST DO??  - yea that moment.

I am now (apparently) the Official new Corresponding Secretary of Costumer's Guild West. 
the very same people who put on COSTUME COLLEGE!!!!

yikes.. :) - am excited & more than a little nervous. it means I am on the Board too.. surrounded by some seriously awesomely talented people --- oh my....... 
I think life is about to get seriously "Interesting"
https://www.facebook.com/CostumersGuildWest

 http://www.costumersguild.org/

wish me luck :)

My most recent obsession isnt actually a new one. its a re-visit of a longstanding wish to MAKE HATs!
yea, i know. i need another obsession lol
BUT i LOVE hats and the ones i find are
a: ugly
b: dont fit or
c: TOO EXPENSIVE. or
d: all of the above

Its the same problems i have with gloves. and am learning them TOO :)

this is an example of the KIND of style i want to learn :)

for learning, here is an interesting site