Friday, April 1, 2011

Mrs Leeds Cheese Cake A Recipe from Colonial Times 1662


I love to work on my genealogy and read history around the time period my ancestors lived. My ancestors came to America from the early 1600's to 1850's.
The year is 1634 and my ancestor Robert Day came to Ameria and landed in Boston with his wife Mary. Mary died shortly after arriving and Robert remarried Editha Stebbens and started a family. They are my 8th great grandfather and grandmother.
So picture Editha making this cheese cake for Robert. Maybe she read this recipe that was published in London in 1662 that was followed  by our earliest colonists.

Mrs. Leeds Cheese Cake
Take six quarts of milk an reen it ( and rennit) pretty cold and when it is tender come, drain from it your whey bedropt from it, then presse it, change it into dry cloathes till it wet the cloth no longer, then beat it in a stone mortar till itbe like butter, then strayne it through a thin straynor, mingle it with a pound and a half of butter with your hands, take one pound of almonds and heat them with rose water till they be like your curd, then mingle them with the yolks of twenty eggs and a quart of cream, two great nutmegs and one pound and a half of surgar. When your coffins are ready and going to set in the oven, then mingle them together. let your oven be hot enough for a Pigeon pye and lett a stone stand up till the scorching be passed, then set them in. Half an hour will bake them well . Your coffins must be made with milk and butter as stiff as for other  paste, then you must set them into a pirty hot oven and fill them full of bran and when they are hardened take them out and with and wing, brush out the bran - they must be pricked.

Okay any one understand what you just read. I am sure Editha understood it but I don't.
This recipe was found in " The Old Farmer's Almanac Colonial Cookbook"  edited by Clarissa Silitch. It is full of recipes our ancestors would of followed.


Thanks for stopping by .. hope that you enjoyed this vintage recipe. Grace

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY ~ WHAT GOD HATH PROMISED ~ Vintage Family Plaque

For almost wordless Wednesday I am sharing a plaque that hung in my grandparents home and now is displayed in mine. It has hung on the walls of my homes, at this time is on displayed with my Civil War collectibles.

What God Hath Promised

God hath not promised skies always blue
Flowers streum pathways all our lives through.
God hath not promised sun with out rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace with out pain.
But God hat promised, strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light on the way;
Grace for the trail, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

The Lord is good to all ps 145:9

I love vintage religious plaques and especially when I know they were hanging in the home of my grandparents.
Thanks for stopping by.. I hope that you stop by again real soon. Grace

I am sharing this at Friendly Wednesday

TIP FOR THE DAY ~ COOK BOOK CLUTTER ~





Tip for the day.. do away with cook book clutter. Do you have a shelf or more of cook books that you only use for a few recipes. Then  just copy the recipe or scan it on your printer and then insert into a three ring binder. Protect with mylar sheets that can be bought at any office store.

Now you can part with your cookbook.. either donate it to a thrift store, sell at your next garage sale or even better sell it on the internet if it has any value. Check out eBay or Amazon and see if it is desired by others.

I love to collect recipes and have a three ring binder for those I love and have a folder that I put recipes I want to try some day.

I love to buy and sell cook books and may do a post about selling cookbooks soon.

thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE ~ WHATS FOR DINNER SAVING MONEY EATING AT HOME

This is one of my favorite comfort foods.. Chicken and Rice casserole.

Here is the recipe..
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In 13 by 9 pan (or a casserole dish as I did) combine the rice, celery, carrots, onion, butter, salt, soup and water
Arrange the chicken on rice skin up. Sprinkle with paprika or poultry seasoning and bake uncovered 1 hour or until the chicken is tender.
I had 5 thighs.. cooked the other 2 in a baking dish. Gets crispier that way for those who want it crispy.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of rice $.50
1 stalk of celery $.25
1 carrot $.25
1/4 cup of onion diced $.15
1 can of cream of chicken soup $.50
2 cups of water
4 Chicken Breasts ( I used thighs) $3.39
1 tsp of salt
2 Tablespoons of butter $.05
paprika or poultry seasonings
Total cost for my meal $5.09
serves 4
This was so good the way we had it. I have also served with peas and a dinner roll. Any way served it tasty and a sure winner.


I am linking this to
 Monday Mania
Delicious Dishes
Hunk Of Meat
Homemaker Monday
Made For You Monday
Mouthwatering Monday
Hearth and Soul
Frugal Follies Food
What's Cooking Thursday
Full Plate Thursday

Tuesday At The Table

Thanks for stopping by... lets keep serving together... Grace

TIP FOR THE DAY DISPLAY YOUR BATH TISSUE






Tip for the day .. display your bath room tissue. There is no reason to hide all of it behind closed doors. Bring it out and find a way to display creatively. That way guests can easily get a roll if needed,
There are unique ways to store your supply.

Arrange in pretty wicker basket

You could find a flower vase large enough and place rolls one on top of each other

Or get a vertical paper towel caddy and stack them there.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

Monday, March 28, 2011

SAVED QUARTER CHALLENGE # 12 3/28/11 $ MADE ON eBay



Hard to believe a week has passed already. I did not have a very thrifty week with groceries this last week again. Groceries are going up and for the second time we bought a pot roast rather than hamburger. We do squeeze that roast into three meals plus left overs,but does eat up a sixth of my weekly budget. It is so good.
So in other words no money put into savings from cutting back on our groceries.

We did have a good week this on eBay plus a small sale on amazon. We sold in $128.00 before fees and cost of product so that will help.

It has been a tough month on the budget. Must be fix the car month as I know others out there have had car trouble. We have spent about $260.00. Brakes, oil change and then a new front tire.

Hope you are all having a better month then here. I will be sharing this over at Saved Quarter Challenge

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together. Grace

THRIFT SHARE MONDAY BARBIE DOLL FRIENDS FOUND What DO I HAVE?

Thrift Share Monday .. time to share some of the things that I have found over the week.
We normally look for books first then we will search other areas of the thrift stores or estate sales.
Last monday I found alot of church spiral cook books. Not only are they fun to read and use but I also sell them usually on eBay on auction. Not big money makers but if I buy them right the profit margin is good. I put alot of work in my listing of these by listing all the recipes. This takes a lot of time but helps to sell them.
On Saturday we went to a church sale and hubby found a few books but I found nothing until we were about to walk out.
Sitting on one of the tables was a doll box with some dolls and hand made clothes. They wanted $30.00 for all of it. I said that was more than I wanted to spend as most of the dolls were not anything special.
As I was about to leave one of the ladies said " You can have the dolls for $1.00 each. So I grabbed 3 of them. Two are from the barbie family and the third is a male doll. I have no idea what he is and probably is nothing but for a $1.00 I brought him home.
Now I have to try to figure out exactly what I have which will take research at the library or going to barbie doll owner expert sites. At one time I had Barbie reference books but sold them years ago, now I wish I had them.
First doll is marked on her right back side Skipper 1963 Mattel Inc. Bottom right foot says Japan. So I know she is an early Skipper, not sure exactly when but research will hopefully help me. She had hair when I grabbed her but it is a wig and she has no hair. Question I have is did she come this way or did she get scalped. No matter what she is a pretty little girl, showing some wear but she has all her fingers and needs some cleaning.








My next doll is marked Midge Barbie there are dates under each name but I can not make out and marked Mattel Inc on back side rear side and on the left is the number 13. Bottom of her right foot is Japan. She has molded red hair. Her condition is not as good, her head is cracked at front and back and she is missing her pinkie finger on both sides. Her condition is used and played with and needs a cleaning also.






Now the male doll is a mystery and probably from around the same time period. At his back waist area is maker mark hard to read and copy right symbol and the date 1961. Mark looks like EEGEE.




So if I have any Barbie experts out there I would love to hear from you. I will be heading to the library one of these days to do some research before listing on eBay

I did find this Barbie site yesterday and will do more reading there and maybe even emailing her for help.
I will be sharing this at Thrift share Monday check out what others are finding and sharing.

Thanks for stopping by... Grace

Sunday, March 27, 2011

MENU PLAN MONDAY 3/28/11

I love planning my menu, it allows our week to go smoother knowing what we are planning to eat. I am never ridged and things do get switched around and even not made if plans change. I planning on making the following this week

A Beef stew using up the last of my crock pot roast beef.. will search for a new one to try


Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and crackers

Macaroni and Cheese with baked beans


Our Spaghetti sauce with pasta and garlic bread


Baked potatoes with sour cream and butter and vegetables on the side


left over beef stew and garlic bread


Rotessarie chicken, mash potatoes and vegetables


I will post the recipe for beef stew .. links for the macaroni and cheese and our spaghetti sauce can be found on the right side of my blog under recipes. Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together..