You are here: Home / Crappy Old Books We continue meandering through my latest old book acquisition, A View of the Pleasures Arising from a Love of Books: In Letters to a Lady, Edward Mangin (1814). Link goes to Archive. I’ll do one each week. By way of background, in the Preface we learn that the Mangin desires to convey the numerous Pleasures
Continue reading →
Hello! You may remember me. From September 2011 through October 2024 (with some short intermissions) I published this little blog, Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life in rural Mississippi. I need very much to get back to writing. And so I’m making an effort to be back. And what better to start posting than with
Continue reading →
We have a much older edition of this book. We keep it in the glove box. So as we left the Viking store in Greenwood–where you can get your very own Cuisinart counter-top pizza oven–Mr. Big Food took a look to discover where we might want to head next. Just imagine his delight when he
Continue reading →
Above, from left to right: my new sterling salt spoon resting in a salt cellar, two demitasse spoons of different sizes, a standard teaspoon Lightening isn’t right, but you get the idea. I did polish each piece before I took the picture. Really! Our first stop after we made the decent into the Mississippi Delta
Continue reading →
If no other knowledge deserves to be called useful but that which helps to enlarge our possessions or to raise our station in society, then mythology has no claim to the appellation. But if that which tends to make us happier and better can be called useful then we claim that epithet for our subject.
Continue reading →
This is the last of the Apple Smogasbord recipes. Allspice in meatloaf. Very Autumn-y. ANNUAL APPLE SMORGASBORD APPLE SAUCE MEAT LOAF WITH TOPPING Yield: 8 portions 1½ lb ground meat2 eggs, beaten2 Tbsp chopped onion2 tsp salt½ tsp ground allspice¾ C rolled oats1 C strained apple sauce (preferably homemade)Topping Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine meat,
Continue reading →
Louisiana Proud is (was?) a campaign to promote small local businesses in the state. The campaign also produced several cookbooks. For this one, the editor and his artist son visited small towns and asked for home cooking recipes. They stipulated that the recipes have no “fancy” ingredients–just stuff you’d normally find in your kitchen. Mr.
Continue reading →
Classic Autumn tastes. From Clementine Paddleford’s classic cookbook, How America Eats (1960). ANNUAL APPLE SMORGASBORD SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES Yield: 6 portions 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed, cooked in jackets until just tender, cooled, peeled, cut into 1-inch thick slices4 medium apples, peeled, cored, sliced into ½-inch rings¾ C light brown sugar½ tsp salt½ tsp
Continue reading →
About the Annual Apple Smorgasbord, Clementine Paddleford’s classic cookbook, How America Eats, and more recipes. Looks simple and delicious. There’s a meatloaf recipe coming up. Good pairing, I’d bet. ANNUAL APPLE SMORGASBORD APPLE POTATO SALAD Yield: 3½ quarts salad 2 unpared red apples, cored, diced7 large potatoes, cooked in skins, peeled, diced½ C diced celery9
Continue reading →
Thought some might be interested in a bit of history. Apparently, they put out cookbooks in later years, but a search on Bookfinder turns up nothing. The cookbooks were published by the Michigan State Extension Service but I am told: “This group only accepts questions from Michigan. Please do not submit a question unless you
Continue reading →
From our friend, Clementine Paddleford. Her introduction to the Apple Smorgasbord. Apple Butter Horn recipe. ANNUAL APPLE SMORGASBORD APPLE DUFFLE WITH CRUMB TOPPING Yield: 12 portions ¼ C shortening½ C sugar¼ tsp salt1 egg, beaten2 C sifted flour2½ tsp baking powder1 C milk4 C pared diced applesCrumb Topping Preheat oven to 350˚. Cream together shortening and
Continue reading →
Thinking about posting a short series of recipes, I searched The Big Food Manual and Survivalist Flourishing Guide for “Autumn.” Our old friend Clementine Paddleford and her How America Eats (1960) once again delivered. As you may recall, Clementine was a food writer in the 1950s and ’60s. This is a good introduction to Clementine.
Continue reading →
It’s Marica Cooks Wednesday. Last weekend, when I was looking through the folder, I came across this recipe. I think about it from time to time but have not made it in years–probably over 40. The recipe originally comes from one of Dionne Lucas’s cookbooks (hit the link to that infallible source–interesting person) but my
Continue reading →
From “Using traditional folk stories in untraditional ways in helping children clarify their values and feelings,” in Folk Literature of the British Isles: Readings for librarians, teachers, and those who work with children and young adults, Eloise Speed Norton, ed., The Scarcrow Press, Inc., Metuchen, N.J., 1978. The remained of this short paper suggests that
Continue reading →
April 19, 1775. The Battles of Lexington and Concord We have covered this before, but Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride,” while a great work in the history of American literature, has a number of historical inaccuracies. If you are interested in a great–and I do mean great–book about Revere and his seminal role in the American
Continue reading →
as too many books. Says so right there on the top of my computer. Powerline’s The Week in Pictures
in 1865 Lincoln was shot. I know this only because I am doing a little prep work for our daily readings. Mr. Big Food is on his way back from a conference in that hell hole labeled “Memphis” on the map. I was scheduled to go as well but there was an incident here on
Continue reading →
Our Daily Readings have been on a roll lately. Everything Washington Irving (1783-1859) wrote is simply wonderful. What a writer! There are so many great stories in addition to those he’s remembered for today. “Wouter Van Twiller” is hilarious. Old Wouter was a real person, so this is humorously biographical. “The Voyage” is an account
Continue reading →
Threading the Rude Eye is not the sort of fiction I typically read. But the author, Stanley Wheeler (to whose newsletter I subscribe) is an online pal and a good writer. The premise of the book is interesting. It’s set in an alternative history of the American Revolution, and is first in a series. What
Continue reading →
{"id":null,"mode":"button","open_style":"in_modal","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":1000,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Whats-happening-copy-4-1.jpg","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"All current contributions go toward redesigning the cover, and publishing an eBook of Miss Missy's School.","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Tip!","payment_request_label":"Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life","form_subtitle":"All contributions go toward cover redesign and eBook publication of Miss Missy's School: Book I A Pack of Farm Dogs Starts a School","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for your help and encouragement!","payment_confirmation_title":"Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
{"date_format":"F j, Y","time_format":"g:i a","wordpress_permalink_only":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/category\/crappy-old-books\/","all_default_visual_states":"inherit","modal_visual_state":false,"user_is_logged_in":false,"stripe_api_key":"pk_live_51H1In9KDLfKHlvGgsliZe4efNchBVkhUvpkfy3DJTf5J6Kumgyzt5CgC0gY8E4J6dsAemyUcNLRf68pdCdkj8ZWn0021C5X4gj","stripe_account_country_code":"US","setup_link":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-admin\/admin.php?page=tip-jar-wp&mpwpadmin1=welcome&mpwpadmin_lightbox=do_wizard_health_check","close_button_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/closebtn.png"}
