She don't use jelly...

It's getting close to Thanksgiving again, which means preparations for a trip to Ohio to see Cinnamon's family and my grandparents. We haven't gotten our new car yet, and the Aerostar isn't going to make it, so my parents have agreed to loan us a different car to make it out there.

One of the things I do in the down times when we're at Cinnamon's mom's is to peruse an old book. I'm not sure of its name, but it was written by a doctor back around the turn of the century. It's essentially an omnibus of knowledge -- such things were common back then, as educated and/or wise folks wanted to pass on their wisdom to others. Everything from calf birthing instructions to homemade insecticide recipes to food recipes are in this book, and it's a wonder to wander through.

I wrote down a couple last time that stood out as just plain strange to modern tastes, although I can see how they might be good, possibly together. Here they are, as written:

Coffee jelly: soak 1/2 box gelatin for 1/2 hr in 1/2c. water. 1qt. strong coffee, sweetened to taste; add dissolved gelatine. Stir well, strain, set to chill.

Chocolate jelly: combine 4T. grated choc., 1/2 pt. cold sweet milk & 3/4 lb. Sugar. Dissolve small package gelatine in water, put in 1pt. Milk & boil. Add choc. Milk & stir briskly; when it boils again pour into mold to chill. Serve w/sweet cream.

Posted by Andrew Huff at November 14, 2003 01:46 PM