My Admiration For Elizabeth Craig

 

       In America it's Fannie Farmer and when I live in England  it's Elizabeth Craig who I look to for advice and tips and recipes. Of course!

    I'm very keen on housewifery in general. I love collecting household management books as well as books on baking and cooking. I find them not only useful but very attractive in my kitchen too. Each have their own tips and techniques that I really always find them terribly advantageous!   

     And well! seeing as I'm in Hampshire once again I thought I'd write a little here about Ms. Craig and share one of my favorite recipes of hers. 

       Elizabeth Josephine Craig was born in Addiewell, Scotland in 1883. She attended Forfar school and afterwards studied journalism at George Watson's ladies' college. She returned to her childhood school once again but as a teacher. Her first recipes were published in 1920 in the Daily Express. She was hailed by the Daily Mail editor as "the only woman on fleet street who could cook."  This was encouraging for Elizabeth and there was such a rise in her cooking and baking acclaim that she published more and recipes and became well known among the best restaurants throughout England and France.  This is such an amazing accomplishment from someone who was self taught to cook and bake beginning at the age of six, with her mother looking on over Elizabeth's  shoulder and "guiding" her. Her only formal training was a three month cookery course in Dundee as a teenager. 

  Ms. Craig published many books after the great war not only on cookery and baking but also on household management and gardening. She did so well into the 1980s. She wrote, quite successfully, books on recipes whilst rationing in WWII and even married an American war correspondent. 

   She too admired being a housewife with still her other pursuits on the side like many of us today who juggle many vocations these days! That's just one reason I admire Elizabeth Craig so much. 

           Here photographed are some of Elizabeth's books in my collection as well as the picture of her from inside "The Way To A Good Table."

Elizabeth Craig in college and later in the 1930s.

 

And at last! The pastry recipe that positively is my favorite in any continent! 

You must really give this flaky recipe a try! 

Pies from the recipe, made for Thanksgiving. Dishes always look better in person, hehe...Do they not! 

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Thank you for paying me a visit! Feel free to come again for tea!

   

    

First Glance for Spring Attire

“She shows her curls and wears a ruffle on her sleeve. Her skirts are long-but not too long. She knows cotton is a smart fashion fabric but not expensive-so she wears cottons and cottons mixtures that are flattering but kind to her purse. She buys cotton with a reputation and a future-cottons that keep their shape and color, no matter how often they are tubbed and and sunned. She dresses her children in them, and makes herself a dozen cotton frocks for morning, noon and night. She goes forth in the new Fruit of the Loom cottons and cotton-and-rayon mixtures! She looks and feels-and is-a very smart lady!”

I’m not a great lover of cotton frocks. Although, there are the cotton dresses for sports and those that are for day wear that are attractive and pleasing, yet some that remind me of humdrum house dress For my most undesirable of the regular ol’ tasks, but one has to admit, this fashion illustration is inspiring. With the right fabrics sewn in the perfect designs they’ll be so lovely to wear. I have plenty of cotton fabrics and Rayon-cottons, so as a design challenge I've decided to make all four of these amazingly beautiful frocks. The key here is to use only the things I have and recreate the designs as exact as possible. 

Aren’t they lovely, all of them! Such perfection for Spring 1931....So now to the design table!

Julia's Report on Paris Fashion

     Here for you my dears is a little treat. And quite a treat! But not before a little background story. Julia Coburn, our author here for the article, an important figure in the fashion world and I'm certain you'd know who she was and become instantly thrilled that the latest fashion magazine had her article. She also co-wrote books on how to dress, and how to act in certain clothes and the proper things to wear and when. These books I'll share a little later! 
     A Kansas City native Julia was born in 1898, studied at a ladies' college and later lived in New York. Her letters to magazines indeed claimed to be straight from Paris and this is true. She lived in Paris for three years and often went to and from quite often, and with children and a husband. The articles she supposedly wrote were in a way her articles. She would send her notes to the magazines fashion department editor (she too was also a fashion editor) and someone would write the article on her behalf. I do wish we could see those notes of hers! 
    So here is another article by the great Julia Coburn. Enjoy!
           *I gathered my information from "The Smart Way To Dress" by Julia Coburn and Alice Blinn 1937