• Silver Cake

    I’ve never really been a “cake person.” For baking and eating, my memories tend to reside in the pie zone.  Then last year, when I graduated from reading the published canon of Maryland cookbooks on to the special collections at Maryland Historical Society, I began to notice a high ratio of cake recipes in personal…

  • Country Sausage

    “All that is necessary for the enjoyment of sausages at breakfast, is confidence.” – Baltimore Sun, 1847 Historically, sausage-making has been a winter thing, but the sage in my backyard was out of control so I figured I’d make a go of it. With dozens of recipes at my disposal, choosing one seemed daunting until…

  • Tomato Wine

    “If the Tomato be as highly medicinal as it has been represented, it may be anticipated that this wine will find favor with the public.” – Milwaukee Sentinal, June 1840 Interspersed with the shrubs, the cherry bounce, eggnog and Fish House Punch in 19th-century Maryland cookbooks are some of the most intriguing and intimidating recipes:…