19th century

The holiday season is upon us and that means preparing family favorites - many being casseroles. Casseroles really began to take off in the late 19th century thanks to various potteries that were producing a variety of ceramic casserole dishes that worked well in ovens. This coincided with a...

Ladies’ magazines in the 19th century often included menus and recipes for a successful outdoor picnic. Godey’s Lady’s Book offered some elaborate and delicious recipes — not your everyday fare — for their readers in 1879. The recipe below caught my eye. Raspberry Vinegar Beverage...

While it’s hard to imagine anyone appreciating the heavenly combination of shredded cheese, mayo, and diced red pimentos as much as Southerners, pimento spread actually got its start in New York. That may sound like culinary heresy to some Southerners, but cream cheese came from the North, too...

A slice of this nutty, slightly-sweet soda bread pairs well with butter and jam or molasses butter. It is also tasty covered with melted cheese. Beware! One slice may not be enough! Molasses Soda Bread Ingredients for bread: 2¾ cups whole-wheat flour ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons...

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd post a recipe for an authentic, traditional, Irish fruit bread or spotted dog. It seems at the time of the year when the men were working particularly hard in the fields, the farmer’s wife would reward them with a richer, sweeter bread than...

The majority of presidents in U.S. history have been fairly wealthy. Adjusting each president’s net worth for today's dollars, most would be considered multi-millionaires. However, many presidents came from humble beginnings and never became highly wealthy. According to the Wall Street...

An 1866 newspaper ad from the Louisville Courier, published right after the civil war ended. What is pineapple cheese? Well according to Victorian Passage Into Time: “In 1808 a man named Lewis M Norton, from Goshen, Connecticut, was given a Pineapple cheese which had been brought from...

Granola (5532501690) Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons In 1863, Dr. James C. Jackson of New York developed what he called "Granula," a Graham flour mixture that was formed into sheets, baked until dry, broken up...

It seems the phrase “Southern hospitality” wasn’t used until the 1820s or 1830s, when national debates about slavery intensified. For many, the idea of “Southern hospitality” became a way of defending the Southern lifestyle and a political system that depended on slavery. Even today, “Southern...

The feeling of peace and tranquility that one experiences upon entering this church is indescribable. It is truly a respite from the busy streets of New Orleans. The Immaculate Conception church, locally known as Jesuit church, is a Roman Catholic church in the Central Business District of New...

(Pinterest) I’ve been a fan of chocolate covered cherries since I was a child, but as an adult I’ve found it is fun to kick them up a notch by spiking them with delicious liquors. There are plenty of confectioners that make cherry cordials, but the three most popular are Cella’s, Queen Anne’s...

“First-Footing” was critical to New Year’s Eve in the Victorian Era. “First Footing” literally means the first foot to cross your threshold after midnight. This visitor was expected to bring a gift of bread, salt, coal, whisky, food or greenery to ensure a prosperous and healthy year ahead. I...

The Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA is home to a unique holiday lighting display – the Christmas Bonfires. Dozens of 20-feet-high flaming pyramids of burning logs are built along the earthen levees each December and set ablaze on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Bonfires...

The Christmas Tree Painting by Henry Mosler Feather trees were the first artificial Christmas trees and they were originally made in Germany as early as 1845. Like many inventions, the tabletop feather tree came about out of necessity. By the mid-19th century, decorated Christmas trees were...

(Youtube) It is generally agreed that the modern Spiritualist movement began on April 1, 1848, in the village of Hydesville, New York, when two sisters, Margaret (age 14) and Kate Fox (age 11), claimed that they had communicated with the ghost of a man murdered at their house years before their...

Pineapple was beloved by our Victorian friends and is a natural complement to meals where ham is served. So Christmas comes to mind as a holiday where these Pineapple Rum Tartlets could grace your table. These treats are a bit time consuming to make so they’re well suited to holidays and...

(Library of Congress) In 1883, Patrick H. “Patsy” McDonough, a bartender from Rochester, New York, published a recipe for Grand Army Punch. Unless he served as a drummer boy, McDonough was too young to have worn the blue uniform, but he undoubtedly knew many who did. This punch recipe was...

A 19th century Christmas feast would not have been complete without dessert. This is an 1843 recipe for pumpkin pie from Mrs. Ellis’s Housekeeping Made Easy. Unlike recipes we find in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, this recipe does not start with the measurements and the suggested...

"Gathering Ferns" by Helen Allingham, 1871. Our Victorian friends didn’t have access to television or the internet, but they found plenty of ways to "spend" their free time. Here are a few of the hobbies that were popular during the Victorian era. Be forewarned, some might seem a little...

St. Nick’s Eggnog Eggnog is a delicious holiday tradition, but some folks have a low tolerance for the emulsifiers and stabilizers used in commercial eggnogs. Homemade eggnog has no added ingredients. This recipe has been passed down since 1930. The leftover eggnog can be used in French...