tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37474321300410513862024-03-13T21:59:01.639-05:00The Past on a PlateServing up food, culture, and fashion from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940sLauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.comBlogger369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-20935210394234144602016-02-19T00:00:00.000-06:002016-02-19T00:00:19.864-06:00Living the Vintage Life: Week 2
Here's a peek into my day-to-day life.
Click through for more information on the photographs and gifs.
VINTAGE COOKING AND BAKING
Here's my finished French Chocolate Cake from Coconut Dishes That Everybody Loves (1931). It was divine. Of course I love coconut. And chocolate cake. And buttercream frosting. The hardest part was keeping Percy away from it!
I made Pimiento Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-18645708730514340052016-02-12T00:00:00.000-06:002016-02-12T00:00:00.143-06:00Living the Vintage Life: Week 1
I've been wanting to share a bit of my normal (ha!), day-to-day life with you. Here you'll find what I've been cooking, watching, and reading this week.
VINTAGE COOKING AND BAKING
First off, here's a little series on Pecan Pie Squares. The recipe came from the February 1938 issue of Good Housekeeping and boy, were they delicious.
On Tuesday, I did some menu planning for the week.Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-58747067323649001672016-02-08T00:00:00.000-06:002016-02-08T00:00:13.484-06:00February 1938 Films: True Confession
Today's movie is another starring Carole Lombard. She certainly was busy! Not nearly as well known as Nothing Sacred, True Confession stars Miss Lombard as the wannabe novelist wife (Helen) of a much-too-honest-for-his-own-good attorney (Ken), played by frequent co-star Fred MacMurray. Because he won't take on any guilty clients, Ken isn't making much money and Helen can barely make ends meetLauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-91562897568040294372016-02-05T00:00:00.000-06:002016-02-05T13:20:19.797-06:00Waffles!
I think that waffles deserve an exclamation point, don't you? Does anyone not like waffles? I just can't imagine it. My great-grandmother gave me her waffle iron and it makes the best waffles ever--crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Of course, it helps that my waffle recipe is so darn delicious. Just saying. And here it is, just for you, dear reader:
Waffles
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-19436137571205852532016-02-04T00:00:00.000-06:002016-02-05T13:20:10.519-06:00February 1938 Films: Nothing Sacred
Today's film is an all-time favorite: Nothing Sacred. Boy, do I love a screwball comedy! And Carole Lombard! Even acting in a completely ridiculous way, she ends up looking totally glamorous. And Fredric March! He's adorable. My guess is that you've probably seen this one, but if you haven't, you seriously need to watch it this weekend. Nothing Sacred is a send-up of the sensationalist press, Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-42179125446008424012016-02-01T00:00:00.000-06:002016-02-01T08:58:18.262-06:00February 1938 Films: A Damsel in Distress
Well, it's been a good long time since I last did a regular feature on this blog, so I thought I'd get things going with movies from 1938. This is the first post of this group, but you'll be able to click the logo above and it will take you to all the posts in this series.
After seven movies together, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were ready for a little break from each other. Also, the Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-18339389286253076082015-11-06T00:00:00.000-06:002015-11-06T00:00:03.349-06:00Brunch with Vincent Price
I've cooked many recipes from A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price (links to those posts below). It's one of my save-in-case-of-fire cookbooks. It was out-of-print for a long time and I was lucky to get my hands on a copy at a library book sale. Now, it's back in print and my friend Jenny at Silver Screen Suppers is having a cookalong to celebrate.
I had just watched Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-50092712314457505142014-09-02T15:50:00.001-05:002014-09-02T15:50:07.486-05:00Big Announcement: Come Check Out My Latest Work!
Get all the details on my first cookbook at laurenhairston.com.
Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-91998382150440225642014-01-17T00:00:00.000-06:002014-01-17T00:00:04.095-06:00The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg was Ernst Lubitsch’s first Hollywood picture. He would very quickly move on to the musical comedies (many with Maurice Chevalier and Jeannette MacDonald) which were renowned for their “Lubitsch touch.” Although a silent film, The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg is very musical with its wonderful score performed by the English Chamber Orchestra.
The Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-50601713530497916082014-01-14T00:00:00.000-06:002014-01-14T00:00:06.856-06:00Annie Oakley
OK, so this movie is ridiculous, ahistorical, and even racist, although its depiction of the Sioux and Lakota is not quite as bad as a lot of contemporary films. Ah, the Western.
So, you're probably wondering, why watch it? You might be a fan of Barbara Stanwyck and she's great in this so you can see why she went on to do a lot of Westerns. You might even have a soft spot for Melvyn Douglas Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-53394490115201964932014-01-10T00:00:00.000-06:002014-01-10T00:00:05.482-06:00Libeled Lady
Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy
While not quite equal to the sum of its parts (Jean Harlow + William Powell + Myrna Loy + Spencer Tracy), Libeled Lady is amusing enough to while away a lazy afternoon, especially if you like 1930s comedies (and I’m assuming you do). It all starts when the newspaper Tracy edits runs a story about socialite Loy that doesn’t happen to be true. She threatens to sue Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-66118273202399827322013-12-05T15:44:00.000-06:002013-12-05T15:44:08.177-06:00Visions of SugarplumsThere was a bit of confusion earlier, but my Visions of Sugarplums post is on Lovely. Please go check it out there and please stay tuned for more from The Past on a Plate in the new year.
Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-81263965265139479472013-11-04T11:23:00.002-06:002013-11-04T11:23:24.683-06:00Vincent Price CookalongCome check out what I made for Jenny's Vincent Price cookalong:
Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-9691982533695423422013-10-16T00:00:00.000-05:002013-10-16T00:00:00.370-05:00Dinner and a Movie: Cold Comfort Farm
Remember going to the video rental store? Sometimes Blockbuster could come up trumps. I love the convenience of Netflix but sometimes I miss just browsing. Thanks to browsing, I discovered Cold Comfort Farm in the "New Releases" section back in 1996 and rented it because I recognized Kate Beckinsale from Much Ado About Nothing and I already had a penchant for period pieces.
Cold Comfort Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-45123474292922241002013-10-09T00:00:00.000-05:002013-10-09T00:00:01.157-05:00Diana Mosley
Madame Yevonde, The Honourable Mrs Bryan Guinness as Venus (1935)
You may know that Paul and I recently bought a house. During our move, we took a bunch of books over to the used bookstore and I happened to come across a copy of Diana Mosley: A Biography of the Glamorous Mitford Sister Who Became Hitler's Friend and Married the Leader of Britain's Fascists. Even though we were actually at theLauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-15733986910467271872013-10-02T00:00:00.000-05:002013-10-08T15:29:21.470-05:00Katharine Hepburn's Super-Amazing Brownies
I love Katharine Hepburn's brownie recipe. I tried a KH brownie for the first time a few years ago at the café at Watermark Books and keep an eye out for them every time I'm there. I finally decided to make some at home. I've been meaning to share my Katharine Hepburn brownies since this summer when I took them to an Occupy Wichita meeting and pot-luck dinner* (where they were gobbled) but Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-74567057291259130102013-09-24T00:00:00.000-05:002013-09-24T18:25:02.605-05:00Feasts and Festivals: Harvest Home SeedcakeSo, we're pretty much moved in to our new house. As I write this, I am waiting on delivery of my refrigerator. The house's previous owner wanted to sell me hers for $750! It was moldy and didn't even fit in the space. We're lucky she didn't expect us to pay separately for the rest of the appliances! Anyway, we've learned very quickly that owning a house is an adventure. Paul and I are still Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-80194637892156587802013-08-24T11:37:00.000-05:002013-08-24T11:37:33.695-05:00Just a quick note to say......I'll be back! The Past on a Plate will start back up this autumn. You may have noticed I've taken some time off from blogging and social networking. I needed to step back and evaluate how all that internet time was affecting me. I've decided to return to blogging and interacting with my blogging buddies because I've really really missed those two things, but I'll do much less on Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-72725680220971784602013-04-04T00:00:00.000-05:002013-04-04T00:00:05.657-05:00Six-Year Itch* and a Brand-New BlogI've been thinking about this blog a lot lately. I haven't been writing, but I've been thinking. There was a lot of "Why am I doing this?" and "Why don't I enjoy this any more?" I feel bad that I haven't checked other blogs or social-media sites in weeks, even though I consider many of you to be my friends. It was all starting to feel like work--and not the good, fulfilling, energizing kind. I'm Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-43085255645326220602013-03-25T00:00:00.000-05:002013-03-25T00:00:05.993-05:00Dinner and a Movie: Experiment Perilous
This fish dish from Mrs Beeton is made just like Wiener Schnitzel and, like Wiener Schnitzel, it's crisp and crunchy on the outside and juice on the inside. It creates a really perfectly-cooked fish. Use it for almost any white fish and serve with buttered potatoes and broccoli.
Fried Sole
2 tablespoons clarified butter
2 sole fillets (about 1/4 lb each)
flour, seasoned with salt and pepperLauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-54963964161903008622013-03-11T00:00:00.000-05:002013-03-20T13:15:32.405-05:00Life This Week: March 11, 1940
Chocolate Pudding and Orange Butter Cookies
Left: ad in Life for Too Many Husbands / Top right: Jean Arthur dances with Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas scowls / Bottom right: Jean Arthur canoodles with Melvyn Douglas, Fred MacMurray scowls
Jean Arthur and her pup
This week's issue has an article about Jean Arthur (whom I adore!) and mentions her upcoming film is Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-8706926216804810182013-03-04T00:00:00.000-06:002013-03-04T00:00:01.009-06:00Life This Week: March 4, 1940 and a Confession
There are a couple of recipes in this issue of Life magazine. The one I decided to try is the Bacardi. Since Paul and I have had some bad luck with liquor lately, we decided to spring for the rum and try something new. You know what? It was dee-licious. Plus, it helps prevent scurvy.
Bacardi ad in Life / my delicious Bacardi cocktails
Bacardi Cocktail
juice of 1 lime
1 Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-26359429474276610172013-02-28T00:00:00.000-06:002013-02-28T09:26:53.998-06:00Vile Vintage Cocktails
I think I'm pretty lucky in that most of the recipes I try turn out well and I usually end up liking whatever it is (there are definitely exceptions). I keep an open mind and often try things that don't even sound that great, so it's surprising my odds are as good as they are. I do occasionally get repeated "fails" in a row as these three cocktails will show you...
By the way, all three Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-53248975115462213422013-02-25T00:00:00.000-06:002013-02-25T00:00:05.718-06:00Life This Week: February 26, 1940
Remember when I made Sausage Cobbler? The recipe was from an ad in this issue of Life. There were so many yummy-sounding recipes to try I couldn't stop at just one. Need an easy weekend breakfast? Love cornbread and maple syrup and sausage links? Thought you would. You should definitely try out this recipe.
Cornbread and Pork Sausage Links
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747432130041051386.post-69837320089851590732013-02-21T00:00:00.000-06:002013-02-21T00:00:06.225-06:00February 1928 Sunday Dinner
You've known me for a while and you know I love an awesomely-illustrated vintage cookbook. Well, The Book of Unusual Cookery is tops. It's got Sunday dinners for every week of the year plus some "fine old time" recipes. Naturally, I couldn't wait to cook something from it. This is one hefty dinner and there's such a lot of tomato. Thankfully, I thought everything was yummy. To make things Lauren Hairstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.com13