Weekend Cooking: Review of The Culinary Lives of John and Abigail Adams

 

 

      The Culinary Lives of John and Abigail Adams
       Rosana Y. Wan
       Schiffer Publishing, Ltd
       October 28, 2014
       152 pages
       56 recipes

      **Received for review from the publisher, via Netgalley**

 

 

This is the first cookbook that I received with the express purpose of reviewing it. Being that I love all things President and First Lady, and I already have a few cookbooks along this theme, this was a no brainer for me to accept.

Layout: Every recipe in this cookbook are recipes from cookbooks that existed during the lifetimes of John and Abigail Adams and the recipe selections are based on foods that they describe in their letters. There are excerpts from letters where they described different dishes that they had eaten or types of game that were caught. As the Adams’ were prolific letter writers there is a lot to work with. There is also a great introduction where colonial cooking styles are explained, with particular focus on New England. For the historically inclined there is also a timeline of John and Abigail Adams life. The selections in this book include everything from breakfast, to vegetables, to drinks and desserts. There are very few photos included in this cookbook – they are used more for section dividers rather than for showing the recipes.

Recipes: I would have to say that the recipes presented in this cookbook are fairly easy – I would feel safe saying that almost everyone could cook the recipes here. New England style foods are very sparse with ingredients and have simple preparation methods. Some of the recipes are as simple as: peel carrots, slice carrots, boil in salted water, drain and eat. I’m not even kidding – but this is how a lot of the foods would have been prepared at that time. The proteins probably have the highest levels of difficulty, but they are not too bad. I made the roasted chicken a couple weeks ago and it came out very good.

I would have to say that this is a well-researched historical cookbook. The recipes come from cookbooks that existed at the time and are based on things that the President and First Lady are known to have, at the very least, discussed. Short of a recipe book in their own handwriting, I think this is the next best thing.

A couple of recipes that I found interesting and might make: Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce, Cod Stew, Cherry Pie, and Abigail’s Punch.

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.

 

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Any post remotely related to cooking can participate.

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court

John and Abigail Adams Video

As I was looking over some of my notes/resources from the last week, I noticed that I failed to post this short little video from the History Channel about the love of John and Abigail Adams.  So I decided to post it now to still share with you all.  Enjoy!

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Valentine's Day with John and Abigail Adams

I had the opportunity this past Saturday to go to a very interesting event at Old Sturbridge Village.  They had an event in honor of Valentine's Day called Sweet Romance: An Evening with John and Abigail Adams.  Instantly I was intrigued by the title alone and brought my obliging boyfriend with me.

We were treated to about an hour long re-enactment/reading of several letters between John and Abigail Adams from the early days of their courtship up until approximately the 1790's when he was returning from the Continental Congress to home.  This fit perfectly into the time period that Old Sturbridge Village represents.  The two re-enactors were dressed up to look like John and Abigail and they played off of each other well in reading their letters.  They even answered questions in character.

It was very cool getting to hear their letters read aloud - I have read through many of them in the past months for my research project I was working on.  They are full of wit, teasing, and love.  After the reading we walked over the tavern and saw old fashioned chocolate making demonstrations, tasted some hot chocolate (which I really didn't like) and had a chocolate and cheese pairing tasting.  All in all it was an enjoyable evening.

I wanted to share a few of the letters with you.  John and Abigail wrote many, many, many letters to each other throughout their lifetime.  Here is an excerpt from a letter from John to Abigail.

I recorded a clip of the letter reading from the event on Saturday.  Here is one comical letter between John and Abigail where he responds to her request of a list of her faults.  You might have to turn your volume way up and listen closely, we were not too close to the front and there is audience noise.  You can take a look at what this actual letter looks like at the Massachusetts Historical Society page and then clicking on the images there.

Hope you enjoyed this little Valentine's Day break.






Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Visit the Birthplace of Two Presidents - John Adams and John Quincy Adams

I always knew that you could go and visit Montpelier (James/Dolley Madison’s home), Mount Vernon (George/Martha Washington’s home) and even Monticello (Thomas/Martha Jefferson’s home). Maybe it’s just me, but I never once thought about being able to visit Peacefield – John/Abigail Adams’ home! It is even more shocking to me that I never thought about this before because I live in New England – and in Massachusetts – only about 1 ½ hours from Peacefield.

I was so excited to realize this that of course I wanted to go right away – but guess what? They close for the season today so I have to wait for 2012 – big bummer! Anyway, in the meantime I figured I would share some of my excitement with you all by sharing some of the information I found out about visiting Peacefield. And when I visit in April/May I will be sure to tell you all about it!

There is a lot to do when visiting the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is really 4 separate buildings and the grounds as well as transportation by trolley. Guided tours are available for the buildings but make sure you get there early – I hear they can sell out fast!

John Adams birthplace (R) and John Q. Adams birthplace (L)

First stop on this tour – the home where John Adams was born. This house was built in 1735. Right next door is the house where John and Abigail moved to following their marriage and the home where the future president John Quincy Adams was born. The tour of these homes lasts approximately ½ hour.

Peacefield or The Old House

From there you head back to The Old House “Peacefield”. Here you will be able to partake in an hour long tour. You can then leisurely stroll around the grounds or visit the stone library filled with very old texts.

The Stone Library

They are open for business April 19th to November 10th and admission is $5.00 for adults and children under 16 are free.

Now if you are already going to be in Quincy and you want to do some more sightseeing while there – head up the street to the United First Parish Church. Here you can find the resting places of John Adams, Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Louisa Catherine Adams (inside the church). They appear to be open during the same time period and tours are offered of the church as well for a small fee.

If you happen to visit during the summer (particularly July 1 – Labor Day) you can stop by the Abigail Smith Adams Birthplace in Weymouth, Massachusetts (not to far from the Adams National Historical Park). Tours are offered of this house too for $5.00.  They are open from 1-4 PM so make this your last stop of the day.

Abigail Adams Birthplace

By the end of the day you will have learned something about 2 Presidents and their First Ladies from birth to death.  

Have any of you been to these places?  I would love to hear about it!

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: First Family by Joseph J. Ellis

First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis

Unabridged, 11 hr. 31 min.

Random House Audio

Kimberly Farr (Narrator)

October 26, 2010

★★★★☆

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Source: Downloaded audio from my local library

“The Pulitzer Prize–winning, best-selling author of Founding Brothersand His Excellency brings America’s preeminent first couple to life in a moving and illuminating narrative that sweeps through the American Revolution and the republic’s tenuous early years. 

John and Abigail Adams left an indelible and remarkably preserved portrait of their lives together in their personal correspondence: both Adamses were prolific letter writers (although John conceded that Abigail was clearly the more gifted of the two), and over the years they exchanged more than twelve hundred letters. Joseph J. Ellis distills this unprecedented and unsurpassed record to give us an account both intimate and panoramic; part biography, part political history, and part love story.”

If you are interested in the relationship between John and Abigail Adams this would be a great place to start. While the book does focus on the political atmosphere surrounding the Adams’ it always comes back to the family. Ellis uses many, many excerpts from John and Abigail’s letters to illustrate for us in vivid details their undying devotion to their family and to each other. We get to see how politically savvy Abigail was and how much of an advisor she was for John through her own words. These letters provided great insight into their lives from their own mouths without the need for interpretation.

This book definitely has a pro-Adams slant when it comes to looking at his presidency. Now he is often looked at as a somewhat ineffective president even though he had played a large role in the forming of the fledgling country. In his book, Ellis chooses to look at the Adams presidency from the perspective of the time in which he was living rather than from the present. This leaves the reader with a more positive viewpoint.

A great amount of time was spent on the intricacies of the Adams/Jefferson relationship. The author seems to portray Jefferson in more of a negative light than Adams. He even goes as far as discussing how Jefferson may have committed treasonous acts while Vice President. As I haven’t yet read his book on Jefferson I don’t know if this is a constant bias of if just in the situation of comparing the two men.

The one negative for me while reading this book was that the author seemed to beat the proverbial dead horse on the point of John and Abigail knowing that their letters and writings would be read by posterity and that they were posturing for history in their letters. This concept came up innumerable times – after the first two times I got it.

As I said before, this would be a great book for those who are looking for more on the relationship of the Adams family and to a lesser extent the politics. I plan on reading another book on John Adams to get more of the political, but I would certainly read more by this author.

 

★★★★☆

I don’t really have a lot to say about the narration here. It was well read but doesn't stand out remarkably in my head even a few days after completing the book. It might be better off to read this one in physical book form.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book or the below audio sample?

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• A Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies
• The Domain for Truth

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Joseph J. Ellis:

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

His Excellency: George Washington
[My Review]

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies of the Founding of the Republic

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789

Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence

Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams

After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture

Find Joseph J. Ellis: Website | Facebook 

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court