What I Read in October Part VIII

What I Read in October Part VIII . . .

Persuasion: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen

A wonderful annotated edition of my favorite Austen novel. This book is filled with notations in the margins gathered from various literary critics. It also contains full-color images showing Austen's world, illustrating scenes from the story, other books/pamphlets and items of note mentioned in the novel. This book is worth looking at for any devoted Janeite.

Penelope's Experiences in Scotland by Kate Douglas Wiggin -- Historical romance


Penelope, Selemina and Francesca are in Scotland, taking Edinborough by storm. There's plenty of scope for their romatic imaginations, new people to meet and new places to explore. Penelope's fiance will follow as soon as he can from Paris to visit with his beloved Penelope. Francesca continues to incur the enmity of a clergyman named Ronald MacDonald. She's so patriotic that his bias against America gets her goat every time.

This story starts off very amusing. Penelope's antics made me cringe a bit. She tries too hard to be a local but it's all in good fun. This section is followed by several chapters on religion which I found boring. I skipped a lot of that part. The story really picks up once they get to the country. There are plenty of quirky characters in Scotland to make the story amusing. I did not like the excessive quoting of Scottish ballads. I also didn't like all the dialect in the story. It made the dialogue hard to follow at times. I would recommend this book to fans of Anne Shirley. It reminded me a lot of one of Maud's books with all the local color and poetry. Not surprising, since PEI was home to many people of Scottish heritage including Maud Montgomery and her husband Ewan McDonald. I think Anne would recognize Penelope as a kindred spirit.

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle--Young Adult Historical Fiction

In this verse novel, Swedish women's rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer travels to Cuba in the 1850s and changes the lives of those around here. There's Cecilia, whose own father sold her into slavery to this distant land. She's expecting her first child, knowing that he or she will never see her homeland because they will belong to someone for the rest of their lives just as she and her husband Beni do. There's also Elena, the daughter of Fredrika's wealthy host. Elena feels like a slave cooped up in her room sewing for her hope chest. She's never allowed outdoors except in the courtyard. She's 12 years old and in a few years her father will arrange her marriage to a business partner or some other acquaintance and she'll move from her father's house to her husband's. Such is the sum total of her life and she finds it very confining but not knowing how to break free, she must put up with it. She envies Cecilia who is allowed to show Fredrika around and who can travel through the streets at night rescuing fireflies.

This novel is short but it packs a punch. Verse is the only way to tell the story. The descriptions of Cuba are so amazing and detailed that it needed the poetry to describe this land. I especially liked the beautiful descriptions of Cuba and how this Eden was juxtaposed with the evils of slavery. I know very little about the history of Cuba and this story was a real eye opener. I kept thinking "how sad" at the end of each chapter and teared up a little at the end. My heart breaks for Cecilia who will likely not live past the birth of her child. She's a wonderful character who showcases the reality of slavery. I also felt bad for Elena, but at least she has a bit of freedom. She may not know how to obtain it yet but she might some day. I have studied this time period and American reformers but never encountered Fredrika before. I really liked her and how she had the courage to leave her father's money behind and do what she felt in her heart was right. I want to know more about her and this novel has inspired me to look her up.

What I Read in October Part VIII

What I Read in October Part VII . . .

Wouldn't It Be Deadly by D.E. Ireland -- Cozy Mystery

This mystery used characters from George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion with many tongue-in-cheek references to the musical My Fair Lady. It helps if you're familiar with both before reading this but not necessary. It might be better not to know the characters ahead of time.

In 1913 Eliza Doolittle has left her home in Wimpole street after the Embassy ball in which she passed as a Duchesss. She's now working as an assistant for Henry Higgins' biggest rival, Emil Nepommuck, a Hungarian count. (Or is he merely pretending?) Eliza tries to use the methods Higgins used with her, but finds her male clients want tp flirt and her female clients want to copy her fashion. To make matters worse, someone is lurking about turning off the lights on a stormy day and Eliza might be in danger. When Higgins returns home from Spain with Col. Pickering and discovers Eliza has decamped, he's furious and threatens to ruin Nepommuck. Henry makes the unwise choice to wonder why one of Nepommuck's clients hasn't put a knife in his back yet. Unfortunately for Higgins, someone does and first Eliza and then Henry are the chief suspects. Eliza is certain her friend and mentor did not kill her employer and she's determined to prove it. Henry Higgins is exasperated and annoyed by Eliza at every turn. He knows he's innocent but he can't prove his allibi. It's not something he can ever share. Can Eliza really solve the mystery? Meanwhile Freddie is still courting Eliza and not at all happy about her new activities. He also has a rival for Eliza's affections, a poetry-loving Sanskrit scholar and ex-Army officer has come to London to work with Colonel Pickering. Will one of them win Eliza's heart?

I didn't know whether to cringe in horror or be super excited at the idea of continuing the story of one of my favorite musicals of all time. My Fair Lady was my first professional live musical theater production and I have the movie memorized. I have read the play, but only once a long time ago. I do not think all the characters were true to the originals. I loved Eliza. You can take the girl out of the East End, but you can't take the East End out of the girl. She's a bit naive still but brave and plucky. I know she's supposed to be in love with Higgins ("I only know when he/began to dance with me/I could have danced, danced, danced al night") but she doesn't realize it. Romance is not the focus of her life right now. She thinks she'll settle down with Freddie but she is much more vibrant and intelligent than a Society girl. She's stumbles into situations she shouldn't be in but I found her charming and delightful anyway. I liked the characterization of Henry Higgins for the most part. I did NOT buy his backstory/allibi at all. I also never got the impression he was in love with Eliza. Yet this Henry clearly is and they would actually make a good couple despite the age difference and Henry's misogynistic ways. Col. Pickering is faithful to the original as Eliza's fairy godfather. He doesn't have a large role in the story. Freddie is a bit of an idiot but I think he's spot on for a young man of his situation.

There are many new characters as well and they are too numerous to mention. They're typical of the people who move in and out of London Society in the early 20th century. Any one of them could be the murderer because Emil is a nasty guy.

The plot kept me up waaaayy too late. I wasn't at all surprised by the big reveal but there were enough twists and suspects that I wasn't all sure whodunnit. This is a cozy mystery but a little bit violent in parts. The story moves around London and we get to see Eliza's world past and present. I liked the descriptions of London and the things that were going on. The plot had TOO much going on and too many suspects though. The plot includes topics ripped from today's headlines such as police brutality, class issues, death with dignity and a transgendered person. It was too much for one story. The author's writing style also sounded a little too modern for the period. I liked when Eliza slipped into East End speech. It sounded much more authentic.

I need to go back and reread the play again and see if this novel is true to the original.

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #24

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #24: 

"Snacks"

The Challenge: Snacks

Who doesn’t love a snack? Make something meant to be consumed in between meals, on the go, or late at night when you’re scrounging for munchies!

The Recipe: 

1) Marshmallow Nutties

1955 U.S.

2)Kix Mix

Don't know year -1970s or 80s maybe?

How Did You Make It:
Marshmallow Nutties
 I tried unsuccessfully to score a Graham Cracker in quarters but that proved nearly impossible so I took my fragments, popped half a marshmallow on top, added a few chocolate bits and zapped in the microwave for 20 seconds. I then added a peanut on top of the marshmallow and chocolate and topped with another piece of Graham Cracker.

Kix Mix
I took a more inspired by route for this one. I forgot to buy Kix so I used whatever I had on hand: 1 small bag of Honey Nut Cheerios, 1 small box of Crispix, 1 c. Quaker Oatmeal Squares and 1 c. Kashi Cinnamon Harvest shredded wheat squares. I replaced raisins with Craisins and tossed in about a cup of cut up marshmallows. Then I put honey and the pudding mix in a pan on the stove and proceeded with the directions. I managed to burn the pudding mix a bit so I hastily mixed in some peanut butter and raced to spread it over the cereal mix before it cooled. I put it in the fridge to cool for about an hour and then broke into smaller bits and pieces. 

Time to Complete:  1)20 seconds
                                         2) 30 minutes + cooling time

Total Cost: $10.56 + Graham Crackers, dark chocolate bits and cereal I had at home

How Successful Was It?: 1)Very successful - the sweet and salty combo is a good S'mores flavor. 
2)Because I had larger cereal than Kix, I didn't have enough mix to spread over the entire mixture and the peanut butter was cold and clumped. The flavor is Ok. The sweet and salty mix is an odd taste but surprisingly addicting. My dad said "That's tasty!" My mom said "Tastes OK."

How Accurate Is It?:  1)The recipe was 100% accurate aside from using the microwave

2) Inspired by more than accurate 

Historical Food Fortnightly #23

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #23: 

"Sweet Sips and Potent Potables"

The Challenge: Sweet Sips and Potent Potables

Whether it’s hard or soft, we all enjoy a refreshing beverage! Pick a historic beverage to recreate - remember to sip responsibly!

The Recipe: Albumen Beverages

This drink recipe was included in the section with Barley Water and Beef Tea so I assume it's a drink for a sick person. The egg whites provide protein. 

Beat 1 egg white to a froth. Add 1/3 cup orange or lemon juice. Sweeten to taste with a syrup made by boiling 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water 12 minutes. Albumen water is made by mixing beaten egg white with 1/2 cup milk. 

Lily Haxworth Wallace, The Lily Wallace New American Cookbook, Books Inc., New York, 1947

How Did You Make It: I used pasteurized egg white in a carton, beat that with an electric mixer until foamy and mixed with 1% milk. 

I then squeezed two naval oranges by hand (because of course I can't find the juicer I swear I saw lying around a couple days ago). I only managed about 1/6 c. juice. I strained it and put it in a bowl. I boiled 1/2 c. sugar in 1/2 c. water for 12 minutes. Then I beat another egg white and added it to the orange juice. Finally, I did a stupid thing and poured the entire syrup into the glass. It was way too sweet and I never say that. 

Time to Complete: About a half hour

Total Cost: I had all the ingredients on hand.

How Successful Was It?: Success... yet it was too sweet with all the syrup and the orange taste was overshadowed by the sugar.

How Accurate Is It?:  The recipe was 100% accurate. 

Historical Food Fornightly #22

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #22: 

"Make It Do or Do Without"

The Challenge: Make it Do or Do Without

Working around food availability to gain a desired outcome has been a challenge throughout history. Whether supplementing seasonal produce, dealing with rationed or blockaded food in wartime, or re-imagining a dish without access to crucial ingredients, the cooks of the past had to get creative. Do homage to their ingenuity by interpreting historical substitutions.

This was super easy for me, being well versed in food rationing and food substitutions. For more on that see my online exhibit on food in the World Wars (http://rifoodwars.tumblr.com).
The real challenge was finding a recipe that didn't use the oven since ours is broken!

The Recipe: I chose to make Cornstarch Pudding from Bureau of Home Economics, United States Department of Agriculture and the Consumer Division Office of Price Administration, Recipes to Match Your Sugar Ration, May 1942.

Cornstarch Pudding
1/3 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 quart milk
1/2 c. sugar, honey, cane or maple sirup
2 tsp. vanilla or 1 square chocolate

Mix the cornstarch and salt with 1 cup of cold milk. 

Scald the remainder of the milk in the top of a double boiler. Add the cornstarch mixture to the milk. 

Let it boil until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Just before taking from the [heat], add the sirup and vanilla flavoring. If chocolate is used, melt the chocolate and add some of the pudding to it, then mix with the rest of the pudding. pour into molds and allow to cool before unmolding. If vanilla flavoring is used, served with fresh fruit. Serve chocolate pudding with cream or custard sauce.

 

How Did You Make It: I cut the recipe in half, cooked it on a modern electric stove according to directions. I used maple syrup and vanilla flavoring and made one with a few semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed in. I used ramekins as pudding molds, placed the warm pudding in the refrigerator over night to set the pudding. I didn't have fresh fruit or cream and custard sauce has raw eggs so I ate the pudding as is.

Time to Complete: an hour to cook and cool overnight.

Total Cost: I had all the ingredients on hand.

How Successful Was It?: Success... yet it is really really gross. The texture and taste were OK but the cold pudding is not very appealing so I ended up throwing most of it out since no one else would eat it. It reminded my mom too much of stories about my cousin's mom growing up poor in rural West Virginia and only having cornstarch pudding for dessert.

How Accurate Is It?:  The recipe was 100% accurate. 

Historical Food Fortnightly #21

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #21: 

"Rare/Scarce Ingredients"

The Challenge: Rare/Scarce Ingredients

The rare ingredient I chose was Maple Sugar. Maple sap flows from trees in late winter and the early spring as the days start to warm up, usually February and March but this year in mid-late March. The sap flows clear and barely sweet. After the sap is collected from maple trees in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Quebec, Canada; the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire (and to a lesser degree, Ontario and Prince Edward Island, Canada; the states of New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan), it is boiled and filtered to make syrup. [1] See the process at Parker's Maple Barn in Mason, New Hampshire. Maple sugar is made by boiling the sap longer than needed to make syrup. Native Americans discovered the process and placed a high value on maple sugar. Maple sugar was known as ziinzibaakwad or Sinibuckwud in the Algonquin language. [2]

European colonists called this type of sugar "Indian Sugar." They copied the techniques and began exporting maple sugar in the 17th century. [3] In the 18th century, as cane sugar became a valuable, expensive commodity and a hot political topic (Revolutionary War, slavery), maple sugar was a happy alternative.  However, by the early 19th century, white sugar became favored by Europeans and Americans of European descent, though maple sugar was still cheaper.[4] In 1890, U.S. President William McKinley imposed a tariff on high quality white sugar, in hope of stimulating the production of local sugar. Despite the attempt, white sugar remained the favorite of the American public. [5] During the World Wars, when sugar was rationed, maple syrup and maple sugar replaced cane sugar as a sweetener. Today maple sugar is rare and can usually be found at New England farms and probably at winter farmer's markets and farm stands.  (Please note that the stuff in the plastic jug by well-known brands is not true maple syrup).

[1]Helen and Scott Nearing, The Maple Sugar Book, New York, 1950.
[2]"maple sugar," Wikipedia; Nearing, 23.
[3] Wikipedia.
[4] Nearing, 42, 63.
[5]Nearing, 64.

The Recipe: 

Maple Nuggets
Nearing, 249
1950, America

Boil 1 c. maple syrup or 1 c. maple sugar with a few tablespoons of water until 325 degrees. Remove from fire and add 2 T. butter and beat until begins to thicken. Add 3 cups puffed rice or wheat which have been crisped over heat. Mix thoroughly. Drop on wax paper. Needs no cooking.

How Did You Make It:
Unfortunately I lost my photos.
I measured out 1/4 c. of maple sugar and a Tablespoon of water and boiled. My mixture was too watery so I added some maple syrup and boiled longer. My candy thermometer wouldn't work in my small pan so I had to guess. When the mixture boiled and thickened a bit, I poured in some Rice Krispies and made into lumps. I don't think I did it right and I only had about 3 pieces of candy.

I then tried Maple Creams from Aunt Babette's Cookbook published in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1889.
I boiled about 1/4 cup sugar with a little water until the soft ball stage. I managed one ball before my sugar hardened. 

Time to Complete: A couple hours probably. I wasn't very patient and didn't see how long it took.

Total Cost:

Maple sugar cost $3.99 for 3 oz. at the maple barn

How Successful Was It?: Failure!

How Accurate Is It?:  The recipe was accurate but my chemistry was all wrong!

Historical Food Fortnightly: Challenge #20

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #20: 

"Descriptive Foods"

The Challenge: Foods served at notable events in history 

What kind of food was served at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth? What did Benjamin Franklin eat at the Constitutional Convention? Find a food item that was served at a notable event in history, research the recipe, and recreate the dish.

The event I initially chose was Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. Marking 50 years on the throne, the empire-wide celebration lasted all day on June 20, 1887. It began with an outdoor breakfast at Frogmore where Prince Albert was buried and ended with an elegant banquet for foreign kings and princes, along with the governing heads of Britain's overseas colonies and dominions. (Wikipedia)

Regular people celebrated with recipes they could make at home. Recipes like Jubilee Cakes, Jubilee Tea Cakes, Jubilee Buns, and Jubilee puddings appeared in cookbooks. 

Ivan Day, "Jubilee Food Revisited", Food History Jottings

Ivan Day found this recipe for Jubilee Cakes

Robert Wells, The Bread & Biscuit Baker's and Sugar Boiler's Assistant. 2nd Edition (London: 1890).

Not having a kitchen scale or possessing math skills, I opted for the easier to make Queen Elizabeth II's Homemade Drop Scones recipe sent to President Dwight Eisenhower after his informal visit to Balmoral in 1959. President Eisenhower was greeted with enthusiasm by the British people for his heroics during the war. The President traveled around Europe to before his visit to Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev. Eisenhower met with a pregnant Queen Elizabeth, despite her plan to avoid public appearances until the birth of her child, and spent a night at Balmoral.
Life Magazine, Vol. 40, no. 7, Sept. 7, 1959.

Reading Eagle, August 28, 1959

The Recipe: 

Apparently, Eisenhower was so taken with the drop scones served for tea, he request the recipe. On January 24, 1960, the Queen sent a handwritten reply to his request along with the recipe.

Click Americana Queen Elizabeth II, via the National Archives American Bicentennial exhibit, 200 Years of Collections at the National Archives

How Did You Make It:
First I made my own castor sugar by grinding granulated sugar in my Rocket Blender. 

I halved the recipe and then stupidly blindly followed directions, forgetting to proof the baking soda in milk and cream of tartar.

The mixture did bubble and start to rise. I had to add more flour because the dough was very very wet.

I scooped out the batter onto greased baking sheets.

 The recipe did not include baking temperature/time so I consulted Mary Berry's scone recipe and baked my scones at 425 for 13 minutes.

Time to Complete: Half an hour.

Total Cost:

I don't know. We had all the ingredients on hand. 

How Successful Was It?:

So-so. Not something I'd serve to Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry on the Great British Bake Off/British Baking Show but decent. The bottoms came out a bit too brown. They taste like biscuits rather than the Scottish scones I'm used to. I'm still waiting for my clotted cream to come in the mail so I made do with margarine and blueberry preserves. 

How Accurate Is It?: 

100% for Queen Elizabeth II, moderately for Queen Victoria.