Archive.org has a host of old cookery books (from mid-19th to mid-20th Century) available in many formats and on a host of topics. I happened across a few in my Pinterest feed and gone completely down the rabbit hole in this treasure trove of information. Sure some ideas might be out of date, but you never know what you might find when you explore these books. I’ll be sharing more books as I find them in the coming weeks. –Douglas
What might you find in these old cookbooks? What special recipes have been handed down to you? Share in the Comments!’
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Home:
This word has a comparatively narrow signification in this country; generally it is used to denote a “dwelling place.” The English attach a far deeper meaning to it. To them it means “the place where the heart is/’ the one place on earth where, above all others, the affections are centered — father, mother, brother, sister, are all concentra- ted in that one word. To make our dwelling place a home it must be made attractive; it need not be fashionable; it must be neat. Do not shut out the sunshine; it may fade the carpet, but it will preserve the health of the inmates, and give an air of cheerfulness all through the house. Do not be afraid of a little fun. If you want to ruin your sons, let them think that all mirth and social enjoyment must be left on the threshold when they come home at night 1 When once a home is regarded as only a place in which to eat, drink and sleep, the work is begun that ends in gambling- houses and reckless degradation. Young people must have fun and relaxation somewhere; if they do not find it at their own hearth-stones, it will be sought at other and perhaps less profitable places. Therefore let the fire burn brightly at night, and make the homestead delightful with all those little arts that parents so perfectly understand. Do not re- press the buoyant spirit of your children. Half an hour of merriment around the lamp, in the firelight of a home, blots out the remembrance of many a care and annoyance of the day; and the best safeguard children can take with them into the world is the blessed influence of a bright little domestic sanctum.
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† Available from the LA Public Library