likethebeer

So, years ago (in my attempt to read old newspapers for the project I was doing about Hillside), I copied a page from a newspaper issue from January 1, 1925 with recipes using honey. This was prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture!

So, here's the recipe:

3/4 cupfuls of honey
1/4 cupful butter
1/8 teaspoonful of cloves
1 egg
1 1/2 to 2 cupfuls of flour
1/2 teaspoonful soda
2 tablespoonfuls water
1 cupful raisins, cut in small pieces
1/4 teaspoonful salt
1 teaspoonful baking powder.

Heat the honey and butter until the butter melts. While the mixture is warm add the spices. When cold, add part of the flour, the egg well beaten, the soda dissolved in water, and the raisins. Add enough other flour to make a dough that will hold its shape. Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered tin and bake in a moderate oven.

I didn't read the thing about the flour correctly; I added all of the flour, then added a little more (about 3/4 cup-ful). I probably wouldn't do that again (it tastes ok, just more like flour than I'd want). But I did get 3 dozen cookies.

Oh! And - importantly - I found out (by going to Google) that a "moderate oven" is about 350-375°. Since it didn't tell me how long it should bake, I used the amt of time I use on my other cookies, which is 9 minutes.

And I didn't "butter the tin". I freaked about that with the first batch, thinking they would stick horribly; but it was fine without anything. Whaddya know - the function of baking sheets has really improved since 1925!

But, anyway: the taste is reminiscent of old lady food. Good; but it didn't blow my brain to the back of my head. I think it's the cloves. Makes me think of old ladies.

There was another honey-cookie recipe from 1925 that calls for "finely chopped candied orange peel" (and "walnut meats, finely chopped) and if I were going to make candied orange peel (I've got the recipe thanks to coconuthead), I would just eat those, because they're marvelous. Oh, and just so you know: chopping raisins isn't easy, and it makes your hands sticky. But I cut them enough so I thought I did my part.

There are two recipes for cake (and for frosting). I'm not a cake baker, but I'd try the frosting if I were.

http://www.retronaut.com/2012/10/30-ways-to-die-by-electrocution/

When I read those old newspapers a few years ago on the Hillside project, I came across a story on a woman who was electrocuted while curling her hair while taking a bath. I had wondered how people were educated that electricity could be dangerous.

looking at news stories, and thinking that they exaggerate the dangers of the world? Well, you're not new to this.

I spent another day looking at our old newspaper on microfiche from 1916 and 1917, and OH. MY. GOD.

People are dying from everything. Just dropping dead in the street, sitting down in a chair and droppin dead at the age of 47, burning--horribly--all the time. Getting appendicitis, and not getting to a doctor in time, getting "infant paralysis" (which I really think was Polio before it was Polio), mangling themselves constantly - chopping off limbs, hitting themselves in the face with an AXE - and all this was just reported in your local newspaper.

March 1, 1917, p. 1 "Herb Scholl received a painful injury to his right eye Tuesday. While opening a box of goods a splinter flew and pierced the eyeball. No serious result is anticipated."

Pierced the EYEBALL.

Wearing protective eyewear while opening a large wooden box? A GOOD. IDEA.

Children died so many times by using a match, and their clothes catching on fire, and usually, it's several days after receiving severe burns before they die. I think sometimes we worry too much about this stuff, every little thing, but having fire retardant children's clothing? A GOOD. IDEA. Kids were dying all the time from this stuff.

I read one story that noted that the fire brigade of Madison, WI, had noted that over 400 fires had taken place in Madison, just in January (1916). These things were mostly caused by home furnaces.

Jesus, I think people who run factories should have 1 day where they just read the local newspapers for a year to see how many people died from horrible injuries in order to understand why we have things like OSHA. And the 5-day work week. And laws regarding child work hours.

And, you know what? This doesn't even touch on the number of people who killed themselves, their family members, who planned the death of family members, that I've read about.

It was really too much after awhile for my sensitive nerves. I now avoid any note of death in this old newspaper, because it's just too much.

Oh, and FLLW went to Japan during this period of time. It's noted in the local newspaper. Honestly, that's not what I'm looking for, but I'll note it when it happens. Turns out that he was due to leave on a larger liner on Dec. 28, 1916, for Japan.