Category: food
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Estate Owners Welcomed Cats to Roam!
For all the amusing comments of those who enjoy reading books from the Regency era (both men and women) suggesting they’ll end up alone with only a house full of cats to keep them company? In the Regency era, cats were not kept as pets, coddled, or snuggled as attempted today. Instead, cats ruled an…
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One Meal Away From Starving
Hi there. Hope all of you are doing great. Well, it is time once again to hear the ranting from my brain. This time, I am going to talk about food. If you didn’t already know this, I am president of a nonprofit farmers/artisan market, so I am dealing with fresh, local food items all…
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We are so very spoiled
Hi everyone. Yes, it is time once again for the ramblings from my mind. I grew up in central Illinois and had the honor of being raised with both sets of grandparents in my life. It was fun, as my dad’s parents collected antiques, and, having been raised with them and having respect for them,…
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Food, Glorious Food . . .
“Food, glorious food!Hot sausage and mustard!While we’re in the mood — Cold jelly and custard!” – The orphan boys of “Oliver” Well, I have had this summer’s “AHA!” moment. While other authors are busy having their “aha’s” over love and relationships, deep-seated family concerns, and even stuff like money and estates, I have been visited by…
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Make a Fool For Yourself
One dessert that Darcy and Elizabeth must have enjoyed was the artless and simple fruit fool. People have been making fruit fools since the 1500’s, and there aren’t too many lovelier ways to enjoy summer’s bounty of fruits and berries. Back in time, the fruit was served with a “boiled” custard, a simple combination of milk,…
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After Dinner Drinks
With many sources of water known to be unsanitary and thus unpotable in times of yore, one would have been safer choosing an alcoholic beverage such as wine, port, or mead during and after a meal. For the upper classes, wines were served throughout dinner, while middle and lower classes would substitute expensive wines for…
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Chelsea Buns
My newest release, a S&S-based mystery starring Mary Bennet and her friend, investigator Alexander Lyons, takes place in London. I loved writing about London for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it’s a fabulous city and I never have enough time when I’m there. The history, the landmarks, the sights, the culture……
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Austen for Everyday
When I was planning the George Knightley, Esquire books, I had an idea that he could be an expert at playing chess, and that he would occasionally compare his interactions with others as moves in a chess game. It seemed to me to be an eminantly Knightley thing to do. Therefore, I tried to learn…
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Nursery Tea and Tea Time in Jane Austen’s England
What was the nature of the meals shared by the family in Jane Austen’s England? Truthfully, it was not as one might imagine. Food from the Regency Period, suggests for those living in the country, which was the vast portion of the population in Austen’s lifetime, breakfast for the family at home customarily occurred around 8…