For those who love love love etiquette
So your Grandma Beatrice left you her fancy Tazza and Great Aunt Sally has gifted you a stunning compote, what are you to do with them? Use them darn it! Look, if we were talking about a sixteenth century priceless porcelain dish, I’d tell you to be careful and leave it in the cabinet, (or…
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I’m obsessed with roasting vegetables. It’s easy and delicious. In the summer, I roast asparagus and Brussel sprouts. In the winter, it’s green beans and onions and mushrooms. You can roast anything that’s available, here’s how for those of you who want to know. Pre-heat your oven to 425. This is important, make sure the…
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Did you ever wonder what Informal actually means? What exactly are you supposed to wear to a Business event? Join the club. Casual, Informal, Semi-Formal, ect. were originally meant to tell you what type of seating you might expect. From that you could gather what type of clothing to wear. Here’s the thing, when it…
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Let’s take a look at the Chocolate Set. I covered the rise of chocolate in my post on the chocolate spoon, but I want to say a few more words here. If you want to know more about hot chocolate, my post on Chocolate Spoons gives a little more back story. This will just cover…
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One thing I can’t deny, the last three hundred years or so of history of the west has been a progression towards informality. Sure, there have been bumps on the road, but there is no mistaking, we’ve gone from a more formal culture to a less formal culture. One area that this is readily apparent…
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My Grandmother used to make this Christmas Cake on Christmas Eve. In the morning, you slice it and toast it, spreading it with butter before eating it. It is moist and delicious and hey, it’s got nuts and fruit, so it’s breakfast, right? This is a very old recipe that I’ve made only a few…
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Soooo… I was trying to find a family recipe for punch that didn’t contain alcohol and there weren’t any. I think this may be because by the time my brother and I were children, there were no other kids in the family. So there never was a need for non-alcoholic punch. I’ve yet to go…
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Chafing dishes are wonderfully simple bits of kit. Given that it’s one of the oldest forms of cookery, it’s not a surprise that they’re basic. It’s a container to hold a hot flame, a water bath to keep the food from burning and a dish for cooking and/or keeping food hot. If you’re using a…
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Talk about something you rarely see today. I came across this oddly shaped spoon when I was looking for additional pieces to my silverware set and found a listing for a chow chow spoon. If you’ve never heard of chow chow, you aren’t alone. Chow chow is an American cabbage relish. Used as a condiment…
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Now that we talked about the punch bowl, you may be wondering what punch should you try? Here are some basic recipes for punches that can start you off. I’m using my grandmother’s recipes that were made for home gatherings, so they are not punch on an epic scale. Over the years we’ve fancified a…
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