Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Historical Recipes in 1904 (American Girls Pastime: Samantha)


(I modified these recipes from Samantha's Cook Book)


Dinner

                                                        *** Cream of Carrot Soup***

Ingredients

1 pound carrots
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup half-and-half
Crackers

6 servings

1. Peel the carrots, then rinse them under cold water. Cut the carrots into 1/2-inch slices. Put the sliced carrots into the 2-quart saucepan. Add the chicken broth. Cook the carrots and broth over medium-high heat. When the broth begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium low. Cover the saucepan. Cook the carrots for 20 minutes or until they are very soft and break apart when piereced with the fork.

2. Place the colander in the large bowl. Pour the broth and carrots in the colander, catching the carrots in the colander. Save the broth. Put the drained carrots back into the 2-quart saucepan. Mash them until they are very smooth. Set the pan aside. In the 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly.

3. Add the mashed carrots, salt, and cayenne pepper. stir to mix them together. Slowly stir in the broth. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for 10 minutes. Stir often. Add the half-and-half. Heat the soup slowly, stirring constantly. Don't let the soup boil. When it's done to your liking, serve it warm.


      
                                       ***Roasted Beef Tenderloin***
Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-pound trimmed beef tenderloin, tied for baking
Fresh parsley
1 lemon

6 servings

1. Preheat the oven to 40. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the meat on all sides. Then put the meat into the pan. Put it on the middle oven rack. Bake 30 minutes for medium-rare meat, 35 minutes for medium. Remove the pan from the oven and cover the meat with foil. Let it "rest" for 15 minutes.

2. While the meat rests, wash the fresh parsley under cold water. Dry it with paper towels. Pull sprigs of parsley off the stems. Place them onto the serving platter to make a "bed" for the meat. cut the lemon into slices. Arrange them on the platter. Just before serving, uncover the meat. Cut the string. Cut the meat into 1-inch slices, and set them on the platter.


                                                        ***Corn Oysters***

Ingredients

2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

16 corn oysters

1. Put the frozen corn into the colander. Rinse it with cold water until the ice crystals disappear. Pour the corn into the bowl. Stir in the milk, flour, egg, salt, and pepper. Lay paper towels on top of the platter. Then set it aside. Place the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil.

2. Use the wooden spoon to spread the melted butter and oil evenly in the skillet. Then out 6 spoonfuls of the corn mixture into the skillet. Let the corn oysters cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Use the spatula to turn the corn oysters gently.

3. Cook them for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until both sides are golden brown. Drain the corn oysters on the covered with paper towels. Cover the platter with foil to keep them warm. Continue frying corn oysters in the same way until the corn mixture is gone. You should have about 16 corn oysters. Remove the foil and paper towels from the platter and serve the corn oysters hot.


                                                                 ***Dressing***

Ingredients

4 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

6 servings

1. Put the vinegar, water, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper into a serving jar. Screw the lid on the jar tightly. Shake it to blend the ingredients. Add the oil. Put the lid back on the jar, and shake it again, hard enough to mix the oil with all the other ingredients. Serve onto any kind of salad.

Historical Recipes in 1904 (American Girls Pastime: Samantha)


(I modified these recipes from Samantha's Cook Book)

Breakfast

                                               ***Strawberries with Cream***

Ingredients

3 cups fresh strawberries
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar

6 servings

1. Use the paring knife to remove the stem and leaves from each strawberry. Put the strawberries into the colander and rinse them well under cold water.

2. Cut any large strawberries into bite-size pieces. Put the strawberries into the serving bowl. Add sugar and cream to your liking.





                                                         *** Ham Slice***

Ingredients

2-pound fully cooked ham slice
2 tablespoons water

6 servings

1. Place the ham slice on the cutting board. Trim away any fat and cut the ham slice into serving size pieces.  Measure the water into the skillet. Turn the heat to medium high. Let the water get warm.

2. Put the ham pieces into the skillet and cook them about 3 minutes. Turn over the pieces with a fork. Cook them over for 3 more minutes. Then serve them hot.


                                                     *** Cheese Omelet***

Ingredients

6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated cheese

6 servings

1. Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl. Use the fork to beat the eggs until they are well mixed. Add the slat, pepper and water. Continue beating the mixture with the fork until it is foamy.

2. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat until it is bubbly. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet. As the eggs cook, push them gently toward the middle with a spatula. Tilt the pan slightly so the uncooked eggs move to the outside.

3. When the bottom of the omelet is lightly browned and the eggs are firm, sprinkle the grated cheese over half of the omelet. Lift and fold the other half of the omelet over the cheese. Lower the heat to medium low and allow the omelet to cook until the cheese is fully melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with love.


                                                   *** Saratoga Potatoes***

Ingredients

4 large potatoes
Cold water
8 ice cubes
2 cups shortening
Salt

6 servings

1. Peel the potatoes. Put cold water into the bowl until it is half full. Then add the ice cubes. Rub the potatoes over the wide slicer on the grater to cut them into very, thin, round slices. As the potatoes are sliced, put them into the bowl of ice water to remove some of the starch.

2. Drain a handful of potato slices on the paper towels. Pat the tops with more towels. Drying the potatoes keeps the shortening from splattering when you put them into the skillet. Add shortening to the skillet. Melt the shortening over medium-high heat until it is very hot.

3. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to put 1 potato slice into the shortening to test it. The shortening should bubble around the potato. It the potato turns brown quickly, the shortening is too hot...turn down the heat a little. Carefully move the rest of the dried slices from the paper towels into the hot shortening.

4. As the potatoes cook, separate any slices that stick together. Fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they turn a light golden color. Then remove them from the skillet. Put them into the pie pan and shake salt lightly over them. Then fry the rest of the potatoes. Enjoy!


                                                           *** Blueberry Muffins***

Ingredients

Shortening to grease muffin pan
I cup fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 3/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Butter and jam

12 muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Use shortening to lightly grease each muffin cup. Put the blueberries into the strainer, and. Then rinse them under cold running water. Drain them on paper towels. Measure 3 tablespoons of shortening into the mixing bowl. Slowly stir the sugar into the shortening until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2. Crack the egg into the bowl. Beat the mixture well. Stir in the milk and mix well. Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into the sifter. Sift them into the mixing bowl Stir gently, just enough to moisten the flour mixture. Carefully stir the blueberries into the mixture.

3. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake the muffins on the middle oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into 1 of the muffins. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done. Once the muffins are done, set them on the rack to cool, then serve with butter and jam.


Shakespeare Quotations

 
 
 
Jealousy
 
O beware of jealousy:
It is the green-eyed monster, which does mock
The meat it feeds on.
 
                                                                                                              Idem.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Bon Jour! France

Join me this week as I participate in the Europe: Simply Irresistible Party at Castles, Crowns, and Cottages. Lots of blogs are linked up with their Europe-themed posts. Make sure to check out the list for more!


My choice in Europe for this post is France.
I never really know why I love France, but everyone gets that at times.
My first love of France is the Eiffel Tower.


The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, by Alexandre Eiffel, for the World's Fair. It is located in Paris. It's structure is beautifully built.


Next, the language of France; le langue de France.
The language is in the group of the Romantic Languages, including Spanish and Italian. The language was developed from Latin, created by Julius Caesar in the 50's B.C. He called it Gaulish, but later on in the 700's it was called French. Many English words come from the French language, such as abandon, absence and accident.


Next in line is the French food.


The cooking of France was considered an art, and still is. Their haute cuisine (gourmet cooking) is known all throughout the world. The famous crepes, quiche and croissant is a delicacy to the French menu.


Last, I want to introduce the Founding Father of Modern Chemistry, who named Oxygen...Antoine Lavoisier.


In each country, everyone has a person they admire. Mine is Lavoisier.
Not only does he come from France, but he is an amazing scientist and created many inventions that we still use today.
To learn more about Lavoisier, visit my biographical post on him: http://thoughtsfromayoungwriter.blogspot.com/2014/07/antoine-laurent-lavoisier-father-of.html

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier: The Father of Modern Chemistry

Lavoisier was born on Aug. 26, 1743, in Paris, France, about the time the French and Indian War started.
He was born into a wealthy family of French society, with a father in the Parliament of Paris, as an attorney.
After Lavoisier's mother's sudden death, he inherited a large fortune at the age of 5, and at the age of 11, he attended the College des Quatre-Nations (the College of Four Nations), in Paris.
He studied chemistry, botany, astronomy, and mathematics.
Soon later, he entered the School of Law, and at the age of 20, in 1763, he received his bachelor's degree, and the next year, his licentiate.
In 1771, Lavoisier, at 28, married a wealthy 13 year-old girl named Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, who, later on, wrote down notes and translated English documents to Lavoisier, including Kirwen's "Essay on Phlogiston", and Priestly's research.
One of Lavoisier's inventions that amazed me was the Metric system, which is a group of units that is used to make any kind of measurement, which is still used today.
Many of Lavoisier's experiments includes:
Combustion studies
Gunpowder commissions
Stoichiometry
Chemical nomenclature
and the Respiratio physiology

A dear friend, Pierre Simon Laplace, helped Lavoisier with many of these experiments.
One thing that interested me was that Lavoisier named two elements in our periodic tables: Hydrogen and *Oxygen*.
The name Oxygen means "acid producer".
Lavoisier took the Greek words "oxys" (meaning "acid" or "sharp") and "gignomei" (meaning "produce") and formed "oxygen".
He and many other chemists found that this substance is part of several acids.
Lavoisier incorrectly believed that oxygen was needed to make all acids.
In 1793, Lavoisier was forced to move from his house and laboratory at the time of the French Revolution, having been found a partner in a firm that collected many taxes for the government at the time of the Revolution.
Lavoisier and many other tax collectors were brought on trial on May 8, 1794.
The judge believed that (in French) "La Repulique na pas besion de seavants ne de chimists; le cours de la justice ne peute etre suspendu."
(Translation) "The Republic needs neither scientists nor chemists; the course of justice cannot be delayed."
Lavoisier, at 50, was guillotined that day.     
To this day, Lavoisier's name is all over France and America.  
One of the main "lycees" (high schools) and a street in France were named after him. His name is one of the 72 names of eminent French scientists, engineers and mathematicians inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
Lavoisier inspired me to study science and chemistry, and has helped me to know more about the science in life.

*Oxygen makes about a fifth of the air's volume. It is found in the earth's crust and in water.
100 lb. of the earth's crust contains 49 lb. of oxygen.
100 lb. of water contains 89 lb. of oxygen.
This kind of oxygen is not pure.
Almost half of the weight in most rocks and minerals is oxygen.
Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, and an atomic weight of 15.9994.
It will only liquefy up to 118.8 C.*