I have never been one who likes “roughing it.” I enjoy every modern convenience of life I can get my hands on. I’m no Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I would not have enjoyed life on the prairie.
I ran across an article last week about life in the 1500s. It told how phrases and traditions that we still use today got their beginnings. They were very interesting to me, and I hope they will be to you as well.
- Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell, brides would carry bouquets of flowers to help hide their body odor. This began the custom of brides carrying a bouquet of flowers when they get married.
- Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the honor of being first in the nice clean water, and then all the sons and men. Then the women were next, and the children followed. Last of all were the babies. By then, the water was so dirty that you could actually lose someone in it. This started the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
- Houses had thatched roofs that were thick with piled high straw and no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and small animals lived in the roof. When it rained, it became slippery, and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. This began the saying, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
- These thatched roofs posed a real problem in the bedrooms where bugs and droppings could fall on the clean beds. Sheets were hung over the top of the four bed posts to afford some protection. This is how canopy beds came into being.
- Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock out the drinkers for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a few days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait to see if they would wake up. This began the custom of holding a wake.
- Pork was considered an item for the wealthy. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could “bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with their guests and would all sit around and “chew the fat.”
- People with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to seep into the food, which caused lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes. So for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
- Floors were made of dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. This is where the saying “dirt poor” came from. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to keep from falling. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until when opening the door, it would all start to slip outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. This is where we get the phrase threshold.
- England is old and small, and the folks started running out of places to bury people. They would dig up coffins and take the bones to a bone-house and reuse the grave. When reopening the coffins, one out of 25 were found to have scratch marks on the inside, and they realized they were burying people alive. Then, they started to tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night — “the graveyard shift” — to listen for the bell. Someone could be “saved by the bell” or was considered a “dead ringer.”
Hope you will give today’s recipes a try. They are great additions to any meal. Thanks for reading.
LEDBETTER MASHED POTATOES
Boxed mashed potatoes (make recipe for 12 servings according to box)
Add:
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Accent
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9-by-12-inch baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
(You may top with additional cheese at the end of baking.)
MARINATED GRILLED VEGETABLES
1 (6-ounce) zucchini, cut into rounds
1 (6-ounce) yellow squash, cut into rounds
½ yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
½ green bell pepper, cut into strips
½ red onion, cut into strips
1 (8-ounce) package white button mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ cup olive oil
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Place vegetables in a gallon Ziploc bag. Whisk together remaining ingredients, and pour over vegetables and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove vegetables from marinade, and place in large grill basket. Place on grill, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.
SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE RICE CASSEROLE
4 cups cooked rice
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1½ cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) container Ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and spray a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, ricotta, milk, garlic powder and onion powder. Add cooked rice, spinach, artichoke hearts, 1½ cups Mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Spoon into prepared baking dish, and top with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
