Allyson

Some of you may have guessed that I like to collect cookbooks, in addition to writing them. I have, for a very long time, been interested in historical cookbooks. In particular, I like original recipes, even if the physical book I have is a reprint. One of the cookbooks I treasure most in my collection is The Original White House Cookbook. The first edition came out in 1887, but there have been several editions since then. You can buy many of the new volumes, but it’s hard to find originals (ie printed in 1887) of that first one. I have a reprint of the original edition, printed in the early 1900s, and I love it.

I’m preparing myself for going to the Fort again this weekend. I’m hosting a “show and tell” event over the Labor Day weekend, and I want to have some yummy recipes. As I was cooking breakfast this morning, I was thinking about what I’d like to make. My eyes strayed over to the cookbook shelf (actually a whole bookcase, but whatever), and I noticed that the White House one was on its side and out of its usual place. Likely one of the kids had it out and didn’t put it back right. When I had a moment, I went to straighten it, and then stopped, because an incredibly profound thought hit me.

That cookbook, that original one from 1887, was written for the American people. We were, at that time, barely a hundred years old as a country. We were essentially a toddler, in the grand scheme of things. And here we were, offering our entire people the opportunity to cook like the leaders of that country.

Our people were (and are) eating the same food, prepared in much the same way, as our leaders.

Do you get how very insane that sounds? To have a populace who eats what the elite are eating? In 1887, Queen Victoria was munching on oranges, locally sourced salmon, and an early version of the turducken (12 Tomatoes). Kaiser Wilhelm II was eating ice cream and “Fresh goose-liver medallions that have been seared and cooled before being coated with chaud-froid sauce, garnishes, and then sealed in a layer of Port jelly. (Royal Menus)” Napoleon wasn’t eating a lot of rich foods, but only because he suffered from gastritis and insisted on plain and even bland foods. The rich of Europe were eating well, and the poor and middle class citizenry were eating simple foods, and sometimes not much of them.

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I’ve talked about bugging in versus bugging out. I haven’t talked much about long-term bugging out, mostly because I’m not suited to it. Frankly, I don’t think most people are, despite their desires. In any case, it’s not something I could do for a long time, so there is no point in planning for it.

Short term bugging out or having an emergency come up while I’m out of the house and have to make my way home are absolutely possible scenarios. That means I have spent considerable time contemplating how to deal with it. For me, there are many issues that come up when considering being bugged out, and it’s a very individual thing.  You’re going to have to figure out your list of pros and cons on your own.

My first question is whether I’m temporarily bugging out, or am I on a trek to get home after being caught out? I can forsee several situations where I might temporarily bug out of the house. We back onto acres and acres of woodland, with even more nearby. It’s not going to be searched, even if FEMA comes by and investigates. I don’t have the kind of subbasement that Bill had in The Last Of Us (this scene is freakin’ marvelous, I might add – go have a watch!), so there are places we can go to hide until the feds come and go again. The bottom line is, they won’t stick around, and I will.

And here’s the thing. I have a well stocked pantry out in plain view. I expect that to be ransacked. I have a hidden pantry that I also expect will get found and ransacked. That’s why I have caches elsewhere. There’s always more food, more seeds, more of what I need. I also try to keep up on the letter/number combos that FEMA puts onto houses when it goes through a neighborhood. I keep a variety of spray paint on hand, and once I know what color they’re using, I should be able to sneak in and mark up the house. Emergencies are wonderful things, sometimes, and allow you to make everyone think “someone else took care of it.”

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I’m going to start with Harris, only because I don’t think this is going to take very long to research. I don’t mean that in a snarky way, either. I just don’t believe she’s actually accomplished all that much.

According to the official WH website: “As Vice President, she has worked to bring people together to advance opportunity, deliver for families, and protect fundamental freedoms across the country. She has led the fight for the freedom of women to make decisions about their own bodies, the freedom to live safe from gun violence, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to drink clean water and breathe clean air. While making history at home, she is also representing the nation abroad – embarking on more than a dozen foreign trips, traveling to more than 19 countries, and meeting with more than 150 world leaders to strengthen critical global alliances.” Semantic content, zero. This is literally more of the word salad she uses in her speeches.

To be clear, women can already make decisions about their own bodies. People are already free to live safe from violence of all kinds, not just gun violence, and we have a whole police force to take care of it when violence becomes a problem. If anything, Harris made the country MORE violent by bailing out violent offenders who burned the country during the riots. Everyone has the freedom to vote, and there’s been not one whiff of a smidgen of a hint that anyone’s interested in repressing that right. Drinking clean water and breathing clean air is a function of many things, and if you want to do it you have to move out of the cities. There’s nothing a VP or President can do about it. And in four years, Madame VP has made “more than a dozen” drips. Wow. In what way did she “strengthen critical global alliances,” pray tell? Again, this has no actual content.

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Cassoulet Vert is one of those fancy French dishes that has the look and feel of a delicacy. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to make, and it’s incredibly tasty as well. If you make this one, cook it in a big pot but serve it in individual bowls. The presentation makes it look like you’ve worked for hours in a kitchen, and you’ll impress your friends and family. This recipe doesn’t just look good, by the way. It is both tasty and rather filling!

Ingredients (soup):

• 1 can (29 oz) little white beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoon herbs de Provence

Ingredients (pesto):

• 2 cups fresh kale, packed
• 1 cup cilantro, packed
• 3 cloves garlic
• zest and juice from one small lemon
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a soup pot, add olive oil and onions, and saute for four to five minutes, stirring. When the onions are soft, add garlic, and saute another 2 minutes.

Rinse the canned beans well. Add beans, stock, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and other herbs, and stir gently. The broth should just barely cover the beans. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

While the cassoulet is cooking, make the pesto.

Put the kale, cilantro, and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until it is chopped but not soupy. Add the rest of the ingredients: lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, water, salt, and the pine nuts. Pulse until it’s well combined but not too smooth. You want pesto, not soup. Use a spatula to scrape off the sides, and pulse briefly one more time. Set aside.

When the cassoulet is ready, you should remove some of the broth if there’s too much. The soup part should be mostly beans, with only a bit of broth. Stir in the pesto, gently turning it until it’s well mixed. The cassoulet should have the consistency of stew, rather than soup. Continue to simmer on your lowest heat setting for another 10 minutes to let the flavors blend together.

Add salt and pepper as needed for flavor. This dish should be quite lemony, and salty as well. Top with croutons, sprouts, sliced avocado, a poached egg, or some cheese, depending on your tastes. It pairs well with a white wine, and a hearty, crusty bread.

Notes:

You can use traditional basil pesto in this recipe, but you may want to use a bit less. The jolt of flavor from the basil will overpower the mild taste of the beans if you use too much. Add other types of pesto slowly, until the flavor seems right to you. That said, I recommend making the kale pesto above. It’s so delicious!

Picture this:

The worst case happens. Trump wins, the Dems create complete havoc, and the country loses large portions of its infrastructure. Unknown agents provocateurs have managed to take down the cell system and the power grid. The grocery stores are empty, and what’s left of the government is having issues getting FEMA where it needs to be. Basically, the world is shit, and once that big ball gets rolling, it takes a long time to stop. You can tell your area isn’t getting any better, anytime soon.

What do you do?

All too often, I hear weekend warriors talk about how they’re going to play soldier in the woods with their friends. I was once scoffed at because I said in a dire emergency, I would be home in my comfortable bed and not traipsing around the forest living off worms and beetles. Apparently I’m not a Real Rebel [tm]. *shrug* That’s fine. I let them know it was perfectly acceptable for them to sleep in the dirt and be uncomfortable, but my family wasn’t going to do that.

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I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks thinking a lot about voting, and who I’m supporting, and what I’m learning about politics along the way. I’ve never been a fan of Biden, and Harris wasn’t even a speed bump on my highway to hell until Biden fell down the plane stairs that time. I wasn’t a fan of Trump, either, and found him abrasive and rude. Now, Trump continues to be a bit abrasive, and occasionally rude, but I think he’s learned a bit about what it means both to run for the position of President, and to BE President. I can find him annoying to listen to, and still think he’s the better of the two current choices offered.

But Harris? She scares me. She doesn’t scare me the way Hillary did. Hillary was actually a wee bit competent (that’s why no one’s been after her about all the people who “accidentally” died when they crossed her or Bill’s path), and that’s terrifying. Harris seems to be a sock puppet. I could actually be happy with a sock puppet, depending on who’s hand was up inside it. In this case, though, I think Harris doesn’t even realize she’s a sock puppet. She doesn’t have a clue what she’s saying. She regurgitates stuff, sometimes out of order. It’s not that she’s senile like Biden or anything. She just doesn’t have enough brain cells to run at full capacity. I suspect that’s why they aren’t having her answer questions.

Despite all that, I could probably manage to live through a Harris presidency. The economy would tank, and a lot of socialist programs would eat up what little money we have left, and the country would be in shambles… but we’d live through it. The Right would buckle down, make do, and solidify itself over a four year Left presidency. I would probably be unhappy. I know most of my family would be devastated. But none of our lives would be directly threatened.

If Trump comes into the presidency, we have a whole different story. I genuinely believe he’ll fix a lot of the problems we’re currently having. He’s smart enough to listen to advisors, and smart enough to pick decent advisors. He’s not afraid to fire people who do stupid stuff. The economy will likely get better, slowly.

And then the Left will burn the country to the ground, in the name of love, tolerance, and peace.

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Come one, come all! The Fort at No. 4 is hosting a Colonial Show and Tell over the Labor Day weekend!

If you are an 18th century reenactor and would like to show off your skills, please contact me at m.allyson.szabo@gmail.com or reach out directly to the Fort at info@fortat4.com and we’ll get all the information to you.

If you’re interested in learning about the 18th century, and would like to see what lights up the hearts and minds of reenactors and historical interpreters, please come to the Fort over the long weekend. Everyone presenting is there because they are excited to bring you their passion and joy, and there will be smiles and skills from one end of the Fort to the other! Read More

This is what I served up to our volunteer historical interpreters this weekend. On Saturday, it was served up as a stew, and on Sunday I turned it into a lovely chicken soup. This is one of those early fall recipes that sticks to your ribs, is simple enough to throw together anytime, and delicious enough to make once a week. You can also vary the flavorings easily enough, to make it a slightly different meal each time! This recipe serves five people, with enough leftovers the following day to make soup.

Ingredients:

• bone in, skin on chicken thighs (8 pack)
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1/4 cup butter, margarine, or olive oil
• whole wheat flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand)
• dried thyme, garlic, and nutmeg to taste
• 3 to 4 cups of seasonal vegetables, cut into chunks
• 2 to 4 cups of water

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Honey is one of those items that many people have laying around the house, but not too many of them know its amazing properties. Used for sweetening, bug traps, wound repair, topical antibacterial, fighter of disease, and dozens of other things, honey is worth its weight in gold. From a prepping standpoint, honey is something I will always have in my “get home bag” because of its many uses.

I’d like to start with honey’s sweetening properties. Many people love the flavor of a bit of honey in some tea. It tastes great with peanut butter, or even alone on bread or crackers. You can use honey in the place of sugar in any recipe (though there are some rules to follow, and it isn’t a 1:1 trade off – Blue Flame Kitchen). Honey is popular when mixed with other herbs and spices, such as honey garlic spareribs, and honey and cinnamon french toast, or even honey mustard dressing. Use honey wherever you’d normally use sugar or other sweeteners. If you’re diabetic, there’s a few studies out that suggest using honey may allow you to use smaller amounts because it’s sweeter than sugar, and therefore you’d be reducing your glycemic index, but there’s nothing definitive at this point.

This weekend I was at the Fort at No. 4 again, and I ended up using honey to catch flies. For whatever reason, 18th century kitchens always seem to gather flies at this time of the year, and they’re a real nuisance. Unlike at home, when we’re playing in the 18th century, we can’t use electronic bug zappers or even fly tape, because neither existed in 1750. We have glass jars that you put honey or sugar water into, and the flies can get into them but not out. That works very well. One of the ladies suggested we coat a strip of linen with some honey and hang it out of the way near the flies, and hopefully they’d get stuck on it. It’s an interesting idea! I also had out a shallow bowl filled with honey water, with drops of modern dish washing liquid in it. The soap forms a coating on top of the water, and if flies go into it, they’re not able to get out. It all worked passably well, though the old fashioned method of attacking them with a wrung out wet dishcloth seemed to work best.

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I was looking at voting trends over the past few years, and I find it interesting that so many people are choosing not to vote. Pew Research has a lot of information about voter turnout and flip flop on their site, and while they aren’t perfect, they do tend to do a pretty good job of reporting.

This got me to wondering… How do we fix the voting system? How do we fix the campaigning system? How do we encourage GOOD third party candidates to bring their best and enter the interview process (being President is a job, and We the People interview for that job)? There are so many questions, and way too many answers that only make sense in a single-use scenario. We desperately need results that help the country as a whole.

Right now, I’m fairly sure that Trump is going to win the election. Harris is a twit, honestly, and while she’s currently riding on a blue wave thanks to Biden, I suspect that it will bottom out pretty soon. She simply isn’t that popular, and she just hasn’t done anything with her four years. Trump has a proven track record, and even if there’s nose holding going on, I think a majority of people are going to vote for him. Of course, winning the popular vote isn’t enough. We’ll see what happens.

The problem that I have is that, if Trump wins, the country is going to burn. I fully expect there to be gnashing of teeth, false reports of racist/sexist/homophobic attacks happening, etc. Basically I expect what happened during his first election to be tripled or more, with false accusations across the country. And then the Dems and their violent machine are going to literally begin burning down the cities.

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