If you like cooking, recipes, and stories, then you should enjoy At Home on the Range, a cookbook presented by Elizabeth Gilbert (and) by her great-grandmother Margaret Yardley Potter. The cookbook by Ms. Potter was actually published, back in 1947, just as faster foods (think mashed potato flakes, etc.) were first seen in markets. Flash forward to when Ms. Gilbert finds a copy in a box of books, starts reading, and finds it delightful and charming. Which it is! (And remember, I don't cook). I love the stories of not only how something was made (and made properly, no shortcuts here) but of how and when they might be used. Serious cooks should enjoy it even more. ;-)

A casual comment about a tea cake 'worthy of Mary Poppins' sent Aurelia Beaupommier on the hunt for recipes from magical works ... of all sorts. There are recipes here from tv shows, movies, role playing games (table top and otherwise), holidays, and of course, books. The result was The Wizard's Cookbook: Magical Recipes Inspired by Harry Potter, Merlin, The Wizard of Oz, and More.

I had no idea butter could be used for so many things! Or that it is part of religious ceremonies. Butter: a Rich History, by Elaine Khosrova is one of those history books I like so much, and what a great read it was. Long considered 'woman's work' (like so many other things), the woman of the household would milk the cow (often tracking said cow down in the field and milking her there) and from that make butter and cheese. Because of the skill this involved, a 'dairy maid' was held in high esteem in the houses with servants. Royals actually built mock dairies for 'play', where elite women could dress up as a diary maid. Puritans (who came to this country to escape the moral breakdown of their homeland) became part of trade including drink (rum) and slavery. Sometimes local rivers and streams became polluted with buttermilk (which then resulted in the cottage cheese industry). The first recorded student protest (Harvard,1766) was over butter. Industrialzation and refrigeration changed things dramatically, but not always with the best results, and in recent years there as been a return to locally made butter. This was a fascinating read.

Reading Hermit With Dog