Who knew braiding hair could be so hard?

Still dealing with fall-out from re-injuring my arm yesterday...and while I can do some things relatively easily, my arm (elbow) ligaments are certainly stiff and I have a limited range of motion...again.

I've been attempting to braid my hair (which is relatively long) in a single braid behind me for the past whatever number of minutes, and it just isn't happening. Getting my injured arm into a position for braiding my hair strains those sore ligaments to the point I have to stop cause its just painful.

Gonna make this weekend VERY interesting when I NEED to have my hair done up in a Civil War (1860s) appropriate hairstyle.

Wish me luck!

Guess where I'll be this weekend?

If you guessed at a Re-enactment, you're RIGHT! :)
I'm finally heading back to Fort Tejon for a Civil War re-enactment! (It's been way too long since I last made the trek up there.) And I'm super excited that I get to cook in the Officer's Headquarter's KITCHEN!! An actual Kitchen with a Hearth (i.e. Fireplace)!

No, I'm not cooking ALL the meals for our group this weekend (Yay for learning from the past!), but I did sign up to cook at least one - Saturday Supper (evening meal).

Right now I'm debating between 2 meals & can't make up my mind which I'd rather make (assuming I have cookware - dutch ovens/kettles - large enough to cook these):

1st Option: Apples & Buttons ("Schnitz un Knepp") or Dried Apple Schnitz. German/Swish dish.
>Cook a ham (on a bone) for 2 hrs with dried apples (that have soaked overnight) & brown sugar. Serve with Potatoes (boiled or baked) and Corn (I'm thinking of buying frozen kernals & cooking them up in a skillet). Possibly serve also with biscuits available.


2nd Option: Stewed Chicken & Dumplings.
>like the name says - whole chicken cooked (stewed) in a pot with fresh-made dumplings. Haven't though out yet what to serve with it...probably same as above for rest (Boiled Potatoes & Corn).


Both of these are assuming there's a pot (dutch oven or kettle) that's big enough for me to put a whole chicken or a ham bone into it for cooking on the fire/hearth, of course. Considering the weather forecast for this weekend, they both sound nice & warm (besides tasty!) for a chill evening in the middle of a Mountain Pass. :)


So....what do YOU guys think? (Especially those of you that might be eating with me ;-). Time to voice your opinion while I'm making up my mind. Anyone have a preference for one over the other?

Time is of the essence since the event is THIS WEEKEND and I'm driving up to the Fort on Friday, so I gotta make up my mind soon. :)

Oh, and I'm debating if I should volunteer for a 2nd meal....hmm....

Perfect weather for baking...

now I just need to find the TIME to get some baking in. :)

I recently bought a bunt pan that has a really cool design (its cast aluminum) and I SO want to try it out...especially as I'd like to make something for my next Civil War re-enactment (Moorpark - in 2 weeks) but should probably do a test run before I do a 'final run' on something to bring. :)

Plus with the fall weather, I love PUMPKIN items. Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Pie...Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks ;-).

I just found this Pumpkin Spice Bread recipe on AllRecipes.com and want to either try it or compare it to another pumpkin bread recipe I have. (Pumpkin Cranberry bread. Yum! :). Of course, it doesn't have to be "Pumpkin" Spice Bread...it could be any spice bread. I just have a hankering to do a spiced bread and that's the first one that comes to mind. Any suggestions for another spice bread recipe I could try out? (Also, I guess I should check my historical cook books - both reprints of actual historical cook books and modern ones put out by interpreters, like Old Sturbridge Village's cook book).

Oh, and Molasses Ginger Cookies. I should totally make those too (especially for the Moorpark event). Sigh, so many things to do, so little time after work especially as I'm trying to be good and follow my Dr's advice at getting more sleep. :) (Hard, but working on it. I know I need it :).

Of course, I guess I could always try my hand at an old fashioned Pound Cake recipe. :)

And then there's Lemon Squares. (Always make these from scratch - using a recipe from my mom's old Peanuts/Snoopy cook book that's psychedelic green & fuchsia colors. Makes fantastic Lemon Squares! :)

Or a Lemon Custard...or a Pudding (one of the many English style ones, not the custard style American dessert that we call pudding...though that's yummy too :).

Can you tell my brain is focused on cooking & baking right now...and not on my work at hand? Speaking off....must get back to work now.
Ta!
:)

Picnicking at "Fort Knotts" (Feb 2010)

Last Saturday, February 13, 2010, Oak Street (part of the Historical Citizens Association) picnicked at “Fort Knotts”. Fort Knotts is an American Civil War Living History Encampment set up on the grounds near Independence Hall – and the parking lot - at Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA.

It was a beautiful day. Not too hot, not too cold, and just perfect in the shade where we set up our picnic. (Thanks go to Gina, Chris, Cat, Elizabeth McCash, & the Crosbys…and anyone else I may have accidentally left out….who snagged us such a perfect picnicking spot!).

I didn’t get that many pictures, but it was a fun ‘relaxing’ day. (I even managed a nap, which I really needed :). Jenn Mulvey even managed to make it over to visit with us with 15 *day* old baby Talon. (Yay!) So of course the baby was passed around, which he was pretty good natured about for the most part. :)

Around 5pm we day-trippers were packing up our stuff, with a few people leaving for the day and some headed over to Mrs. Knotts Restaurant to eat supper over there. I was chit-chatting with a few people and it took longer than it should have for me to pack up my stuff, so by the time I was ready to figure out my supper plans, I had missed the earlier group. I did manage to join up with Elizabeth McCash, Colleen Crosby, & Shaw Crosby as they were about to head over to try the line at Mrs. Knotts. By the time we got there, though, the wait was an hour and our friends somewhere inside. We decided not to bother and instead trekked over to the nearby Claim Jumpers (where we all proceeded to split a couple meals due to HUGE portions and 3 of us wearing corsets! :).

When we finished dinner, the 4 of us headed back to Camp and soon found the location where the dance was going on and found our friends already there. We were just in time to join in on the Virginia Reel, which was a blast. :)

I danced a few more dances (though not every one – we had only recently had supper after all!), and visited some more with other non-dancers. Then sometime past 9pm, we called it a night. What an excellent end of a long (but full) day.

Pics available at my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterbec/sets/72157623451829278/

Reading the Oak Street Weekly in the Parlor

Civil War re-enactment
Originally uploaded by bill90814

Here's a neat picture taken by a spectator (bill90814 on Flickr) of some of the ladies of Oak Street (part of the Historical Citizens Association) as we read from the latest edition of the Oak Street Weekly while in the parlor of the Johnson Oak Inn.

(This picture was taken on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA - Civil War Reenactment).

Photos from *my* camera will probably be posted to my flickr account (and facebook/myspace) probably tonight.
=)

OC Register Video re: History/Civil War School Demo

Just thought I'd share a link to a video with you. My old millitary group (1st Penn, Battery B, Light Artillery - aka "Cooper's Battery") annually participates in a School Demo at the Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA). This year, the OC register did a short video about their History Day (and interviewed a few people - a reenactor, a teacher, and a student). The video is now posted on the OC Register website. It's pretty neat. =)

To view the Video, click on this link:
http://www.ocregister.com/video/index.php?bcpid=1127694947&bclid=1125901233&bctid=22226129001

"Watch Boom! Civil War re-enactors set up camp at RSM school"
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School's history day event
brings the sounds, sights, and smells of civil war and western
era history to life.


(And yes, I did this demo back when I was with the Battery - and the students are encouraged to dress up. Many will go out and rent costumes and the like.)


-=-Becky
aka - Miss Violet Johnson, Johnson Oak Inn (47 Oak St)
www.HistoricalCitizens.org

Old Fort MacArthur Days - 7/13/08

P7130149
Originally uploaded by marcailgaelyn

Here's a picture of my friend's set up (the WWI field Hostpital) at the Old Fort MacArthur Days Timeline event. This event is held annual at Fort MacAthur in San Pedro, CA

For more pictures of my brief tour (I was there to pick my friend up for a meeting that afternoon), check out the pictures posted to my Flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterbec/sets/72157606291948942/

-=-Becky