Category Archives: food and drink

Smuggling as a Plot Point in My Latest Release, “Lady Chandler’s Sister, Book 3 of the Twins’s Trilogy” + a Giveaway

 One of the “cottage” industries of the late 1700s and early 1800s in England and Scotland was smuggling. This was not just a single individual stealing a keg or two and then selling it to his neighbors; these were operations … Continue reading

Posted in Black Opal Books, book excerpts, book release, British history, eBooks, England, excerpt, food and drink, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, Great Britain, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, political stance, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, Scotland, tea | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lancashire “Hotpot,” The Red Rose Country’s Regional Dish

Have you ever eaten Lancashire Hotpot? It is a casserole dish consisting of layers of meat (beef or lamb or lamb with lamb kidney), a root vegetable (carrot, turnip, leeks, etc.), and sliced potatoes. Then you put the lid on … Continue reading

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Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, a Guest Post from Gianna Thomas

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on October 30, 2017. Enjoy!  Bless Sharon Lathan. She did a series of blogs about servants of the 18th and 19th centuries and had a reference to Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. I’m … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, fashion, food, food and drink, Georgian England, Guest Post, herbs, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jane Austen’s Problematic Health, a Guest Post from Kyra Kramer

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors in December 2017. Predicting the due date of a pregnancy is a matter of guesswork, even in these modern times. Babies are notorious for following their own schedule rather than the convenience of … Continue reading

Posted in British history, family, food, food and drink, Georgian England, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, medicine, real life tales, Regency personalities, research, science | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jane Austen’s Problematic Health, a Guest Post from Kyra Kramer

Pies and Prejudice, A Victorian Baking Musical, a Guest Post from Elaine Owen

Elaine Owen featured this post on Austen Authors in November. I wished to share it with you here. Enjoy!  Could you ever have guessed that a Pride and Prejudice variation could be set in a modern day bakery, that it … Continue reading

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“High Tea” in Lake Park

 On Saturday, December 2, I joined fifty+ other ladies and gentlemen for tea at the Lake Park Community Center. Ours was the 2 PM service. There were other services, one at noon and another at 4 PM, and the event … Continue reading

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An Old-Fashioned Holiday Season? Perhaps Not!! Be Careful For What You Wish

An Old-Fashioned Holiday Season…Or, Perhaps Not!! Be Careful For What You Wish. Have we lost the meaning of the holidays? As many are conserving their energies for Black Friday shopping tomorrow, others are wondering how we lost the true meaning … Continue reading

Posted in British history, food and drink, Great Britain, holidays, real life tales | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Treasure of “Frankincense” Buried in History

Frankincense, also called olibanum  is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra, B. carteri, B. thurifera, B. frereana and B. bhaw-dajiana (Burseraceae). The English word is derived from Old French “franc encens” (i.e. high … Continue reading

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Special New Year’s Edition Featuring “Twelfth Night at Longbourn” with Maria Grace

I have to confess, one of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is having an excuse to read up on the manners and customs of the period. I was doubly excited to when I realized that my latest book … Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, excerpt, food and drink, George IV, Georgian Era, Great Britain, holidays, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Treasure of “Myrrh”

Myrrh /ˈmɜr/ is the aromatic resin of a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus Commiphora, which is an essential oil termed an oleoresin. Myrrh resin is a natural gum. It can also be ingested by mixing it … Continue reading

Posted in food and drink, holidays | Tagged | 2 Comments