D.I.Y.: Pomanders

Pomanders

Circa: 1500s

 

 

 

          Since I was a little girl one of my favorite things to make during the Christmas season were pomanders. One of my first memories I have is decorating oranges with cloves in elementary school with one of my closest friends and I have kept up the tradition ever since. Not only are they a beautiful and natural decoration for your home but the fragrant combination of cloves and citrus smells amazing!  This is a wonderful D.I.Y project to for adults and children alike during the holiday season.

 

 

All you need are:

• Oranges
• Whole Cloves 
• Ground Spice Mixture (Cinnamon, Nutmeg Cloves, Ginger)
• Plastic Bag 
• Rubber Band (optional)
• Ribbon (optional)  

 

 

Directions:

1.   Knead the orange gently in your hands to soften the skin.

2.   Poke cloves into the orange in your desired pattern. You can use a wooden skewer to pierce the skin of the fruit first before inserting the cloves. Rubber bands can be placed around the orange and serve as guides for your designs.

3.  Once you have finished your design place your orange in a plastic bag with a combination of spices of your choice and gently roll the orange in the bag until it is lightly dusted with the spices.

4.   If you would like to hang your pomanders you can add a ribbon at this time or simply place your pomanders together in a bowl with greenery.

 

While pomanders have been popular throughout the ages, their form and purpose have changed significantly over the years.  The word pomander originates from the French pomme d’amber or apple of amber. Pomanders became popular during the Middle Ages when the Black Death and other ailments ran rampant in Europe. As you can imagine sanitation during this time was greatly lacking and unfortunately there was no real concept of germs or how they spread. During that time many attributed their health problems to the stench lingering about the city and therefore believed that the pleasant scent of a pomander could repel disease.

     Pomanders were worn regularly around the neck in the Middle Ages by men and women, and was a perfumed ball, containing scented herbs that were set in waxy substances and could include ambergris, musk, spices, and rose water. They were typically made from gold or silver and hung from the neck or belt.

Queen Elizabeth I rarely went out without her pomander.

     Fast forward a few centuries and the pomander evolved from a piece of jewelry worn to repeal disease to an orange with cloves dusted in spices and placed around homes at Christmas.  Pomanders enjoyed a revival during the 18th and 19th century with the greater availability of citrus fruits and Victorians expanded the use of pomanders to include household decorations, natural air fresheners and Christmas ornaments. While the cloves help to preserve the fruit from spoiling the spices and citrus would add a wonderful fragrance to the home. Pomanders are traditionally hung in bunches from ceiling beams. At times cloves were even inserted in symbolic shapes and as the fruit dried the pomander became a good luck charm.

 

I hope that you will continue this Victorian Christmas tradition and  add this fragrant, fun and festive decoration to your own home this year.

 

 



Personal Post: Life at the Museum

Life at the Museum 

Circa: 2014



Historic 1883 John and Lottie Moore Home

It's been a busy few weeks at the museum to say the least! Between a Murder Mystery Event, Thanksgiving and Christmas Candlelight Tours I have hardly had time to sleep, let alone blog. However with Christmas quickly approaching things are beginning to slow down  and  I will be able to bring you some fabulous holiday posts starting today!  While I love sharing my favorite recipes, D.I.Y. projects, decorating ideas and more, I thought that it would be fun to share something a little more personal and give you a  glimpse into my life at the museum.  

 

This fall we had the opportunity to create new and wonderful events for the museum, many of which we have been dreaming about for a year or two! In November we hosted our first Murder Mystery Event at the Historic Moore Mansion. Following the untimely death of our speaker, guests searched the home high and low for clues in an attempt to solve the mystery and bring the killer to justice. Now, when I say search the home high and low I meant it.  One of my first tasks was to clean a 131 year old attic. To most it would be a daunting and possibly depressing job, however I jumped at the chance and dragged/recruited one of our amazing interns to help! I discovered that all you need is a great attitude, plenty of brooms and a fabulous soundtrack! "Shake It Off" was a favorite for the day and very appropriate due to the large amounts of dust on everything.  

Katie and I cleaning up the attic

The Murder Mystery event was amazing and we already have plans to host another one this spring! My husband was a great sport and provided the "dead body" for our evening. Sadly to his dismay he was murdered before the hors d'oeuvres and champagne were served. He is truly the best and I don't know what I would do without him.

Chris and I before he was murdered on the stairs...

Following the Murder Mystery I turned my attention to my next project, preparing the Cottage for our annual Candlelight Tours. Every year during the first week of December  our museum offers special evening tours of our beautiful historic homes that are decorated for Christmas and lit by candles. This year I had the pleasure of decorating our historic 1850's cottage for this holiday season with the assistance of our wonderful docents and staff. Our cottage is a wonderful home that was built in Richmond, Texas in 1855 by the grandson of the Jane Long "The Mother of Texas."

The theme was Christmas during the Civil War in Texas and we led guests on a guided tour of this home sharing a glimpse of how the family would have celebrated Christmas Eve in 1861. It was a magical evening and sitting in the home filled with candlelight and Christmas carols echoing in the background, for a moment you felt as is you had been transported back in time. 

Oh and did I mention that I had to dress in costume to lead our tours? It is a tough job but someone has to do it!

While the museum may keep me busy, it also offers wonderful opportunities and memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.  If you would like to see a little more of my everyday vintage life you can  follow me on Instagram at Jessn012!

Recipe: Compound Butters

Compound Butters

Circa: 2014

 With Thanksgiving approaching I thought I would share one more recipe with you before Thursday!  I love making compound butters for special dinners or  during the holidays. Not only are they delicious and add so much flavor to a dish but they are very simple to make! Today I am providing you with some of my favorite flavor combinations to share with your friends and family this holiday season.

 

When I became Education Coordinator at the museum one of the first things I learned to do was make homemade butter. During our busy season we can make up to six batches in one day! At the museum we use a wonderful vintage Daisy Churn similar to the one pictured in the ad below. While it still gets the job done after all these years it tends to take a lot of time and elbow grease. It's a wonderful teaching tool for our younger visitors and helps them appreciate how hard people had to work in the past even for simple things, however,  at home I like to take advantage of our modern technology and let my mixer do the hard work!  While you can certainly add any of these flavorful ingredients to pre-made butter, homemade butter is so easy to make and adds a delicious and special touch to your holiday meal.

 

 

How to Make Homemade Butter

 

To make homemade butter all you need is heavy whipping cream and a stand or hand held mixer. You will typically get half as much butter as the amount of cream used.

 

1.  Place the heavy whipping cream in a bowl and begin mixing on a low speed. You can increase to a medium speed as the cream begins to thicken. However, be careful not to increase the speed too soon or you will have cream flying everywhere! (I learned this the hard way)

 

2. The cream will transform into fluffy whipped cream; this is what I consider the half way point. Keep whipping the cream until it breaks down into soft cottage-cheese like curds.

 

3. The butter will then begin to stiffen as the butter fat separate s from the milk, clump together and turn yellow.

 

4. Once the butter separates turn off your mixer and pour off the milk. You can press the butter with a spatula to squeeze out any remaining milk.

 

5. As a bonus you can keep the buttermilk to drink!

 

It is that simple! I often get asked "How do you know when you have butter?" Trust me you will know by the consistency and color of the butter.  At this point in time I return the drained butter to my mixer and begin to add my ingredients. Rather than provide measurements for my butter combinations I have found that it is all about personal taste. For example, I love a lot of fresh basil with my lemon zest, however my husband prefers just a touch. Also if you are making small batches you may need a teaspoon of an ingredient rather than a tablespoon. I suggest adding a little bit at a time until you reach the perfect combination! For my savory butters I also added a touch a kosher salt.

 

I hope that these combinations inspire you to create your own delicious compound butters!

 

Here are my favorite combinations below!

 

 

I love the combination of lemon zest and fresh basil from my garden. They create a delicious and fresh flavor combination that works well on everything from a baguette to a roasted chicken!

 

 

 Roasted Garlic and Rosemary is my husband's favorite! I roast a head of garlic in the oven, extract the garlic and let it cool in a dish before I add it to my butter.

 

 

My favorite way to serve my cinnamon and honey butter is on my husband's homemade cornbread while it is still warm from the oven.  

 

 

Once you have created your compound butters I suggest rolling them in plastic wrap or parchment paper and placing them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving. They make a wonderful addition to any holiday table! 

 

 I hope that you have a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends! Peace and Love always!

Recipe: Grandma's Cornbread

Grandma's Cornbread

Circa 1950's

           Today I am bringing you a recipe that is very near and dear to our hearts and has been passed down on my husband’s side of the family for generations. I always look forward to the fall and winter months and it is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. When the temperatures start dropping and the nights grow longer I turn to my favorite comfort foods for dinner. I am a very lucky girl and was blessed to not only marry a wonderful man, but one that loves to cook! He makes a killer pot roast, delicious stew, amazing chili and the dish that goes with them all…cornbread. It seems like we are making a batch every week when the temperatures start dropping. With Thanksgiving approaching I thought that there wouldn’t be a better time than to share this wonderful recipe!  It is delicious on its own and makes an amazing stuffing for Thanksgiving…at least in our family stuffing has always included good ole’ Texas cornbread.

          This recipe was passed down from Chris’s mom from his wonderful grandmother.  She grew up in Depression-era Oklahoma and it was always on the table at family gatherings.  Chris borrowed his recipe from his Grandma’s, although he does admit that the honey and sugar were later additions because “Grandma would never have made ‘sweet’ cornbread.”  I must confess that I love the sweet additions! Please enjoy this wonderful family heirloom recipe with you own loved ones this Thanksgiving!


Chris's grandmother is located on the 1st row 3rd from right with the doll

     Here is a little food for thought on this traditional southern dish to share with your friends and family this holiday season. Corn was in America long before Columbus sailed the ocean blue and was a staple for many Native Americans. When new settlers arrived in America they had to “make do” with food sources that were available to them and corn happened to be one of the most prominent. While European settlers had traditionally used finely ground wheat for their breads, anything “fine” was in short supply. Therefore they turned to corn or as it was sometimes known, maize.  John F Mariani wrote “Native Americans roasted their corn and ground it into meal to make cakes, bread, and porridges…The new cereal was precious and helped early settlers to survive those first harsh years…Before long uniquely American dishes were being developed,” It would later go on to be called cornbread and become everyday fare. However, many colonists were not thrilled with the wheat substitute, and viewed any form of bread made with corn instead of wheat a sad paste of despair.

          When settlers arrived in Texas in the early 1800’s (including Grandma’s great-great grandparents) corn was one of the first crops they planted and used it to feed their families and their animals. Over the years it has gone by many names including corn pone, johhny cakes, hoe cakes, and spoon bread. Today is no longer considered a sad day when you have fresh and warm cornbread with your meal! Please enjoy!  

Recipe: Amas Veritas

Amas Veritas

Circa: 2014

 

 

 

       For my final Halloween cocktail recipe I thought I would just do something fun! It's a delicious and refreshing recipe that is perfect for All Hallow's Eve bewitching theme but could go great in spring, as well! Since the Voodoo Queen represented the more mysterious side of witchcraft, this cocktail represents the lighter, romantic and feminine, side found in Practical Magic. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when a young Sally Owens conjures up a  true-love spell known as Amas Veritas to protect her from falling in love. I was so inspired that I wanted to create my own magical cocktail.

 

 

 

         I began by researching herbs and ingredients that would not only be delicious but could bring one luck in love. Luckily, all I had to do was turn to my own garden and neighborhood. I adore rosemary and always have it growing in our garden since it is one one of my favorites and I have plenty on hand.  My next inspiration is from my own neighborhood in the form of locally grown honey. 

 

        Together, rosemary  and honey have traditionally been considered to have magical properties. They are both sacred elements to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. They symbolize femininity, and an old saying says ,"where rosemary flourishes, the woman rules." Although my husband questions that saying, rosemary is also supposed to only grow in a home garden if a women is present.  And on a more practical level, rosemary's fragrance is said to enhance memory and help retain youth.  Of course, I had to work it into a cocktail.

 

       Honey also has magical qualities of it's own and can be used to sweeten someone's feelings for you. It is believed that if you pour honey into a jar or saucer on top of a piece of paper containing someone's name and then light a candle, that person's relationship with you will grow and possible evolve into love. Honey is also used in spells to bind items together, even friends and couples.

 

 

Due to their magical properties Rosemary and Honey are a perfect combination! While honey will sweeten someone's thoughts of you, rosemary will make you unforgettable. This spellbounding cocktail is designed to do both. It's blend of herbs, sweetness, and citrus make for a delicious and refreshing concoction.

 

     I hope that you had a wonderfully bewitching Halloween this year and remember...



Always,

throw spilled salt over your left shoulder

keep rosemary by your garden gate

plant lavender for luck

and fall in love whenever you can

 





Holiday Decorating: Halloween

Season of the Witch

Circa: 2014

 I am so excited to finally unveil my Halloween tablescape this week! I was inspired by one of my favorite movies Practical Magic and American Horror Story: Coven. I love the juxtaposition of the light, romantic and magical feel in Practical Magic with the darker and more mysterious aspects of AHS Coven. I began with an inspiration board that is pictured below!

Inspiration boards are a wonderful starting place when you are planning an event, decorating your home or for the holidays. They allow you to bring all your ideas together in a visual that you can use as a reference when shopping and decorating. For this project I knew I wanted to pull together many items that I already had in my home and even my yard. To create a more unique and personalized holiday table find and repurpose items you already have...especially those antiques hiding in the attic or on your shelves collecting dust. For this project the only items I purchased were the pumpkins and fake worms. Everything else was from previous Halloweens scattered throughout our home.

I hope you enjoy my Halloween tablescape as much as we have this season and it inspires you to create your very own wonderful and bewitching table this Halloween!

'



Recipe: The Voodoo Queen

The Voodoo Queen

Circa: 1700's

         In honor of our witchy theme for our Halloween table I am bringing you not one but two cocktails! As discussed in a previous post I found inspiration for this year' theme from one of my all-time favorite movies, Practical Magic, and my new love, American Horror Story: Coven.  Since I was inspired by two different bewitching shows I thought it only appropriate to craft two different cocktails!   

         
         Today’s cocktail, the Voodoo Queen, is inspired by Coven and the mysterious magic, voodoo and hoodoo found in New Orleans. I think this cocktail would fit in quite well in the Crescent City, but do have to admit that my initial attempts ended with mixed results.  However, with a little magic, I finally found the right concoction of fruit, rum, and sage and the Voodoo Queen was born. What I love about this cocktail is the Sage Simple Syrup. Sage is such a wonderful herb and I love to use it in baking, especially for my brown butter sage cornbread muffins! It just tastes like fall.

            In addition to being delicious, sage also has its own magical properties. For thousands of years sage has been used for blessing, cleansing and purification and is often burned during religious and personal ceremonies. The Greeks and Romans believed hat it imparted wisdom and mental acuity. Others believed that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least a long and healthy life. It is also said to aid in reversing spells and protect against the evil eye. While I can't attest to its magical qualities, I can tell you it makes a declicious cocktail!

          Part of the spirt for the Voodoo Queen comes from the fact that in New Orleans you can’t go too far without coming across a reference to Voodoo. Voodoo is a religion that originated in Africa and Haiti during the French Colonial period and arrived in America a little over 250 years ago. All in all, it is an interesting combination of various African, Catholic and Native American religious traditions.  And as some of you may know, the unchallenged queen of Voodoo is none other than New Orleans’s own Marie Laveau.

Marie was born in and lived in New Orleans in early 19th Century. She was skillful in the practice of medicine and was acquainted with the valuable healing quality of indigenous herbs, which made her quite a successful nurse during frequent yellow fever and cholera epidemics. Her skill and knowledge earned her the friendship of many, although others attributed her success to unnatural means and became fearful. Those that believed in her powers turned to Marie for assistance in their love lives or careers for her gris-gris and magical connections.  Although she is sometimes referred to as mysterious or even dark, her obituary, dated June 18, 1881, shows that “she was a wonderful woman…always had the cause of the people at heart and was with them in all things.” To this day it is believed that you can still request favors from Marie by leaving money, cigars, rum and candy as offerings at her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

          While we may never know whether Marie is to be revered or feared, her work her power and legend will continue to live on in New Orleans for ages to come. With her blend of natural magic and sweetness, I believe that Marie would have approved of our own sweet potion and I hope you enjoy it as well. Cheers!

D.I.Y.: Little Graveyard

 Little Graveyard

Circa: 2014

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite D.I.Y. projects from last Halloween. It is a fun and easy craft that would be perfect for kids! Last year I was trying to find the perfect decoration for my entryway table and nothing seemed to work. Coincidentally at the museum I had been giving several tours of our local cemetery and discussing Victorian funeral customs and that's when inspiration hit! I could create my own little cemetery!  After going through my home to find the perfect container I came across this little greenhouse I had purchased several years ago that was hidden away in a closet because I was never sure what to do with it.  One Saturday I pulled out my greenhouse, grabbed a few supplies and before I knew it I had my own little graveyard to greet guests on Halloween. It's such a fun and easy craft and I am so thrilled to share it with you!

Before we begin our macabre little project I thought that I would share a little history on Victorian funeral and mourning customs just in time for Al Hallows Eve.

During the Victorian Period the mortality rate was on the rise due to common causes such as influenza, tuberculosis, cancer, cholera and more. Americans became intimately acquainted death and embraced mourning as a subculture. It impacted how people dressed, behaved in society and even decorated their homes. Funerals were typically held in the parlor of the family's home and mourning rituals were observed to show respect for the dead and for the living.

The curtains would be drawn and clock would be stopped. Fireplace mantles, windows and paintings would be draped in black crepe and wreaths of laurel or boxwood tied with black ribbons were hung on windows and doors. Mirrors throughout the home were also covered with black veiling to prevent the deceased's spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass.  Flowers, herbs, and candles were used to mask unpleasant odors at a time before embalming became common. 

Victorian fashion was even dictated by death. Family members wore special black garments, or mourning clothes, to communicate their loss to the community. Women wore all black clothing and jewelry along with black gloves, bonnets and a veil that covered their face when out in public. Men wore their best dark suit and often a weeper made of black crepe wrapped around their hatband or on their arms. Women could remain in deep morning for several months to a year. Queen Victorian remained in mourning for her husband Prince Albert for the rest of her life!

 Finally, following the funeral the dead were carried out feet first in order to prevent the spirit from looking back into the home and beckoning another member to follow. They may have been gone but they were certainly not forgotten...literally. During this time artifacts emerged that allowed people to remember their loved ones and included posthumous portraits and mourning jewelry and art that included clippings of the deceased's hair! While we won't be adding that to our D.I.Y. crafts anytime soon I do hope you enjoy creating your own cemetery below!

You will need the following:

• Container for your little cemetery
• Floral Styrofoam Block 
• Serrated Knife
• Paint (Grey & Black)
• Paint Brush
• Moss
• Spooky Decorations

Directions

1. Cut out your tombstones from the floral Styrofoam block. You can vary the shapes, sizes and styles; get creative but be careful. If you are working with small children I suggest having them draw the tombstone on the Styrofoam block and have a parent cut it out for them.

2. The next step is to paint your tombstones. I started off with a grey base and added touches of black for age.  Let dry completely.

3. Add your moss to our container. I decided to make my cemetery grounds a little uneven with some small hills to add some height.



 4. Next add your tombstones to the cemetery and your decorations. I found these wonderful little crows at a craft store and they worked perfect for this project.



 5. Find the perfect spot for your own little cemetery and enjoy!