Episodes

Have you ever wondered what an old-fashioned, 19th-century, British-traditioned Yankee Thanksgiving was like? In the land of the original Pilgrims, did they really eat turkey? This episode draws on recipes from a November, 1895 issue of The Boston Globe and in it we'll explore recipes that go all the way back to the 16th century in England. We'll also learn whether mince pies really contain minced meat, whether there are plums in plum pudding, and we'll see by comparison to a menu from El Paso, ...

We're talking folklore again, but this time about the hardest gathering challenge of all: you vs. a room full of your family or friends at holiday celebrations. I'll tell you about my first folklore gathering assignment at age 18, which was me vs. an Irish folk band called Dolores Keane and Reel Union. I was recovering from mononucleosis, and they plied me with Guinness until I couldn't see straight. Suffice it to say that you can learn from my mistakes. Then, I'll recommend Nancy Candea and Yog...

We're talking folklore again, but this time about the hardest gathering challenge of all: you vs. a room full of your family or friends at holiday celebrations. I'll tell you about my first folklore gathering assignment at age 18, which was me vs. an Irish folk band called Dolores Keane and Reel Union. I was recovering from mononucleosis, and they plied me with Guinness until I couldn't see straight. Suffice it to say that you can learn from my mistakes. Then, I'll recommend Nancy Candea and Yog...

We're talking folklore again, but this time about the hardest gathering challenge of all: you vs. a room full of your family or friends at holiday celebrations. I'll tell you about my first folklore gathering assignment at age 18, which was me vs. an Irish folk band called Dolores Keane and Reel Union. I was recovering from mononucleosis, and they plied me with Guinness until I couldn't see straight. Suffice it to say that you can learn from my mistakes. Then, I'll recommend Nancy Candea and Yog...

I'm back after a brief illness-induced break, and while I'm not up to teaching yet, I am definitely here to celebrate! How much do YOU know about Diwali? I knew basically nothing but the name until I put this episode together. This is the final day of Diwali, and isn't it our good luck that they celebrate with food? Listen to learn about the holiday and its meanings, its means of celebration, and for some delicious recipes for sweets and savories from Indian cuisine. These recipes come from Neva...

I'm back after a brief illness-induced break, and while I'm not up to teaching yet, I am definitely here to celebrate! How much do YOU know about Diwali? I knew basically nothing but the name until I put this episode together. This is the final day of Diwali, and isn't it our good luck that they celebrate with food? Listen to learn about the holiday and its meanings, its means of celebration, and for some delicious recipes for sweets and savories from Indian cuisine. These recipes come from Neva...

I'm back after a brief illness-induced break, and while I'm not up to teaching yet, I am definitely here to celebrate! How much do YOU know about Diwali? I knew basically nothing but the name until I put this episode together. This is the final day of Diwali, and isn't it our good luck that they celebrate with food? Listen to learn about the holiday and its meanings, its means of celebration, and for some delicious recipes for sweets and savories from Indian cuisine. These recipes come from Neva...

It's Episode 3 in our bonus series for Fall - vintage recipes mix with straight-up US history this week as we talk about how the Great Depression changed what newspapers did to extend assistance to housewives at the holidays. I'll be doing this throughout October, November, and December, for all of the seasonal holidays. Today's recipes come from the October 28, 1932 issue of The Miami Daily News. There's an unexpected twist, though - the newspaper doesn't focus on candy and sweets and silly gam...

It's Episode 3 in our bonus series for Fall - vintage recipes mix with straight-up US history this week as we talk about how the Great Depression changed what newspapers did to extend assistance to housewives at the holidays. I'll be doing this throughout October, November, and December, for all of the seasonal holidays. Today's recipes come from the October 28, 1932 issue of The Miami Daily News. There's an unexpected twist, though - the newspaper doesn't focus on candy and sweets and silly gam...

It's Episode 3 in our bonus series for Fall - vintage recipes mix with straight-up US history this week as we talk about how the Great Depression changed what newspapers did to extend assistance to housewives at the holidays. I'll be doing this throughout October, November, and December, for all of the seasonal holidays. Today's recipes come from the October 28, 1932 issue of The Miami Daily News. There's an unexpected twist, though - the newspaper doesn't focus on candy and sweets and silly gam...

It's Episode 2 in our bonus series for Fall - vintage recipes, foodways, social and cultural history culled from early- to mid-20th century newspapers. We're hitting all the holidays that fall in October, November, and December, including Kwanzaa - but I may need your help with that. The recipes I've found in newspapers so far are so corporatized it's ill. Today continues the Halloween, or Samhain, theme. All of these recipes come from the October 23, 1904 issue of The Buffalo Sunday Morning New...

It's Episode 2 in our bonus series for Fall - vintage recipes, foodways, social and cultural history culled from early- to mid-20th century newspapers. We're hitting all the holidays that fall in October, November, and December, including Kwanzaa - but I may need your help with that. The recipes I've found in newspapers so far are so corporatized it's ill. Today continues the Halloween, or Samhain, theme. All of these recipes come from the October 23, 1904 issue of The Buffalo Sunday Morning New...

It's Episode 2 in our bonus series for Fall - vintage recipes, foodways, social and cultural history culled from early- to mid-20th century newspapers. We're hitting all the holidays that fall in October, November, and December, including Kwanzaa - but I may need your help with that. The recipes I've found in newspapers so far are so corporatized it's ill. Today continues the Halloween, or Samhain, theme. All of these recipes come from the October 23, 1904 issue of The Buffalo Sunday Morning New...

So, Latter-Day Saints, your family history is all done, right? WRONG!!! Not only can you work on your tree more (another nag for another day), you can use your special powers in Ancestry to benefit non-Church researchers. You can transfer their ancestors, and all of the research attached to them, from Ancestry to FamilySearch using the FamilySearch icon that only WE have in our Ancestry accounts. But this episode isn't just for members of the Church. This episode is a great way for non-members t...

So, Latter-Day Saints, your family history is all done, right? WRONG!!! Not only can you work on your tree more (another nag for another day), you can use your special powers in Ancestry to benefit non-Church researchers. You can transfer their ancestors, and all of the research attached to them, from Ancestry to FamilySearch using the FamilySearch icon that only WE have in our Ancestry accounts. But this episode isn't just for members of the Church. This episode is a great way for non-members t...

So, Latter-Day Saints, your family history is all done, right? WRONG!!! Not only can you work on your tree more (another nag for another day), you can use your special powers in Ancestry to benefit non-Church researchers. You can transfer their ancestors, and all of the research attached to them, from Ancestry to FamilySearch using the FamilySearch icon that only WE have in our Ancestry accounts. But this episode isn't just for members of the Church. This episode is a great way for non-members t...

Welcome to a new feature for Fall - a bonus series in addition to regular episodes, a jump backward in cooking and cultural history. Since October, November, and December all contain holidays celebrated with food, I will be digging into newspaper archives and giving you recipes from early- to mid-20th century newspapers every week, or in some cases, family recipes where newspaper coverage falls short. This month, we'll be enjoying all kinds of recipes that celebrate Halloween, or Samhain. All of...

Welcome to a new feature for Fall - a bonus series in addition to regular episodes, a jump backward in cooking and cultural history. Since October, November, and December all contain holidays celebrated with food, I will be digging into newspaper archives and giving you recipes from early- to mid-20th century newspapers every week, or in some cases, family recipes where newspaper coverage falls short. This month, we'll be enjoying all kinds of recipes that celebrate Halloween, or Samhain. All of...

Welcome to a new feature for Fall - a bonus series in addition to regular episodes, a jump backward in cooking and cultural history. Since October, November, and December all contain holidays celebrated with food, I will be digging into newspaper archives and giving you recipes from early- to mid-20th century newspapers every week, or in some cases, family recipes where newspaper coverage falls short. This month, we'll be enjoying all kinds of recipes that celebrate Halloween, or Samhain. All of...

It's Autumn, but who needs Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING when you can join me and our Midwest Food Correspondent, Rick Leonard of An American Genealogy for an old family recipe - Gingerbread Waffles. And because they're homemade, YOU control the spice! We talk a bit about the value of food in the Progressive movement of the Republican and Democratic Parties of the 20th centuries (yes, BOTH had progressive wings - read your history, folks), the value of keeping up ancestral traditions in the family ki...

It's Autumn, but who needs Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING when you can join me and our Midwest Food Correspondent, Rick Leonard of An American Genealogy for an old family recipe - Gingerbread Waffles. And because they're homemade, YOU control the spice! We talk a bit about the value of food in the Progressive movement of the Republican and Democratic Parties of the 20th centuries (yes, BOTH had progressive wings - read your history, folks), the value of keeping up ancestral traditions in the family ki...

It's Autumn, but who needs Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING when you can join me and our Midwest Food Correspondent, Rick Leonard of An American Genealogy for an old family recipe - Gingerbread Waffles. And because they're homemade, YOU control the spice! We talk a bit about the value of food in the Progressive movement of the Republican and Democratic Parties of the 20th centuries (yes, BOTH had progressive wings - read your history, folks), the value of keeping up ancestral traditions in the family ki...

Have you ever wondered where all of those digitized versions of birth records, census pages, or city directories come from? Well, there is no Genealogy Stork. While quite a few organizations provide opportunities and services, the primary way that records are turned from physical page to scanned image to searchable electronic data is a process called indexing, and the three-step indexing process that FamilySearch provides includes a final step called arbitration. I don't know enough about it, th...

Have you ever wondered where all of those digitized versions of birth records, census pages, or city directories come from? Well, there is no Genealogy Stork. While quite a few organizations provide opportunities and services, the primary way that records are turned from physical page to scanned image to searchable electronic data is a process called indexing, and the three-step indexing process that FamilySearch provides includes a final step called arbitration. I don't know enough about it, th...