Though I’ve referenced her book a few times, I have been a bit neglectful in discussing Elizabeth Ellicott Lea, author of one of the oldest Maryland cookbooks. “Domestic cookery; useful receipts, and hints to young housekeepers” was first published in 1845, with several augmented editions printed in Baltimore in subsequent decades. In addition to famously…
A few weeks ago, while the snow was still coming down, with nowhere to go, I forced myself to do something that I haven’t done since the internet ostensibly put all of history at our fingertips: I called a stranger. The purpose of my call was to reach anyone involved in the cookbook “300 Years…
Mary Randolph, Library of Virginia Interest in culinary history tends to enjoy a boost around this time of year. Some excellent pieces have been written illuminating the historical foods consumed on Thanksgiving. As though our own traditions are not authentic or traditional enough, many of us feel compelled to dig into the origins of the…
Note: there is some further important background on this book found in this post. A lot of my recent recipes have come from “Maryland’s Way”, the Hammond-Harwood House cookbook, and that is because I am having a bit of a rekindled romance with this book. When I originally started an “Old Line Plate” blog in…
It’s the time of year for Maryland cooks and gardeners to feel excitement for all of the seasonal thrills to come. The curtains part with asparagus and it all builds up to a kingly feast of tomatoes and more tomatoes and some watermelon and then it’s back to the sedate old winter crops and canned…