Any western historical romance storyteller worth her salt (pun intended) knows that a wholesome and entertaining story will contain a number of things to which their reader can relate. Most often in my own books, it’s food. I grew up in a family where holidays and other celebrations, e.g.,
birthdays, all revolved around togetherness, and togetherness meant food.
I can recite verbatim what filled my Tennessee-born mother’s dinner table on Christmas, from my childhood years back in the stone age, up until my two sons’ last holiday with their grandmother. I’m thankful every day for the time they had with her, and for the fact that they’ve both developed her cooking talents and, in some cases, tastes.
Given mine (and my family’s) love of food, I knew I wanted to write about researching food in the time period and western location of my upcoming holiday book. The story takes place in 1895, in what was then the real town of Castlerock, Oregon. So, being a stickler for research I went looking for what might have been included on the average family’s holiday table. Lo and behold, my search took me back to the book archives at my own alma mater, Michigan State University, and to the Boston Cooking School Cook Book, written by none other than Fannie Farmer. Even though the book wasn’t published until 1896, it covered recipes from pre-Civil War through that year. I imagine all the foods listed in 
their holiday meal would have been readily available in a western town for the time period.
The recommended menu for an 1895 Christmas Dinner includes: Consommé, bread sticks, celery, olives, and salted pecans for starters. Followed by roast goose, potato stuffing, applesauce, Duchess potatoes, cream of lima beans, chicken croquettes with green peas, and dressed lettuce with cheese straws. Desserts included plum pudding with brandy sauce, frozen pudding, assorted cakes, bonbons, crackers, cheese and Café Noir.
Satisfied with my chosen Christmas meal, I moved on to the next phase of my research. An integral part of this upcoming book is quilting. Just so you know, my sewing talent lends more to button replacement and very limited hemming. Thankfully, I have friends who quilt.
In Audrey (Christmas Quilt Brides) my hero, who also happens to be the new doctor in town, is asked to judge the holiday quilt competition. One of my first questions was: What should he be looking in an award-winning quilt? Most of what I could find related to modern day machine quilting, rather than the hand quilting that would have taken place in the 1890s. Time to ‘phone a friend,’ a lady of a certain age who began quilting before the fancy machines took over. I believe we settled on a fair judge’s sheet for my heroine’s first attempt at joining the quilting circle.
I’ll give away an autographed copy of my previous year’s western holiday romance, “A Christmas Baby for Beatrice” along with some swag to winners in the U.S. or Canada. International winners will get an ebook copy.
In line with my research, I thought I’d put two questions to your readers. They’re welcome to answer one, or both, or neither as it suits them.
Question #1 pertains to food: What’s the most sought-after staple on your holiday table? For my family, it’s Heart Attack Potatoes for the adults and Banana Pudding for the grandchildren.
Question #2 pertains to quilting: Have you ever made a quilt by hand? And, if so, what did you find to be the most challenging part?
Thank you so much for hosting my visit today. I look forward to returning throughout the day to interact with readers. And, hopefully, visiting again sometime in the future. May you all have a blessed and joyous holiday, no matter which you celebrate!
Nancy
NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.
Nancy was named Canadian writer of the year for 2021 by N.N. Lights’ Book Heaven, and her western historical romance, An Honorable Man for Katarina, won the National Excellent in Story Telling (NEST) award for sweet romance. She was also named a “bright new voice in sweet/inspirational romance” by Independently Reviewed.
When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
Website: https://tinyurl.com/3acnynze
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B09FTH655Z?tag=pettpist-20
Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser
Every holiday, chicken and homemade noodles are required, along with all other standard menu of the day.
I absolutely LOVE homemade noodles. My son has become adept at making broad noodles, and they are delicious.
Chicken & dumplings and homemade fudge.
Love both. My youngest son (the chef in the family) actually made chicken and dumplings for the U.S. Thanksgiving dinner this year. Since we’re in Canada, our Thanksgiving is in October, but both my boys grew up on the American holiday with my family, so they still celebrate.
Potato salad
I have never made a quilt.
My either. Thankfully, I have friends who are avid quilters.
My family expects a turkey or ham for Christmas dinner.
I used to be an avid quilter and have made many.
Ooo … honey baked ham. One of my favorites, but any ham will work. I envy anyone who can create beautiful quilts.
Potato’s and no never have tried to make a quilt.
I hope you’ll try the Heart Attack potato recipe. It’s addictive … in a good way.
#1 chicken & dressing or sweet potato casserole
#2 I have never made a quilt.
I love anything sweet potato but am especially fond of sweet potato pie.
Ham
I made a quilt by hand many years ago. The hardest part was getting it quilted without puncturing my fingers constantly or tangling the thread,
Rhonda, I can understand that. I have the same problem when I mend or hem something. I always leave a couple spots of blood from pin pricks behind.
Baked corn (corn pudding)
Hand quilting, itself. My grandma made it seem so natural. I have no problem with machine quilting.
I just picked up a couple of Jiffy cornbread packages the other day with the intent to make corn pudding. It’s time my youngest grandchildren pick up my love for anything corn.
German Chocolate Cake
Keeping my stitches small and consistent
Kendra, I’ve given up on small stitches of any kind. However, I’d never give up on German Chocolate cake.
My homemade egg noodles and no I haven’t made a quilt but did candlewicking on several squares before it was quilted
Teresa, I had to look up candlewicking while I was doing my research b/c I wanted one of my supporting characters to be adept at it. It sounds so creative, and I’d love to have a quilt or a throw made white-on-white. I may need to make an addition to my holiday list.
My sweet corn casserole. I have never made a quilt
Julie… yay! More corn casserole!
Our whole family goes for the mashed potatoes snd turkey gravy. We generally make 20 pounds of potatoes. And they are gone the next day.
Inwuilted an oversized king quilt for my dad’s 75th birthday. I worked on that quilt over a year! I did lap quilting of each block then sewed them together after quilting. It was so pretty!
I definitely envy those who can create with their hands. I’m sure your dad was pleased. Since your family loves potatoes, you need to try my recipe above.
There has to be both turkey and ham, dressing, and mac n cheese. I have never made a quilt, though I have friends that love to do them! I do embroidery and make my own cards.
Trudy, I used to embroidery, so I know the patience it takes. I’ve never attempted to make cards though. It sounds like so much fun.
Turkey and homemade dumplings.
No I have never made a quilt by hand but have made several by machine. I would piece them and my sister would quilt them. I did hand quilt a baby quilt years ago, but hated all the sewing by hand so I never done another one like it.
Love homemade dumplings. I don’t think it matters to the recipient of the qulit whether it was hand or machine sewn. Either way, it’s a gift of love.
The dressing is my family’s favorite.
I have never made a quilt, but both of my grandmothers quilted. I have about 15 homemade quilts by them, some that they did together. I cherish each and everyone of them.
I think the hardest part would be the piecing of them.
Our family is divided over dressing. We all love it, but some are strictly “cornbread” and some are “white bread”, so we usually make both. I know you treasure those quilts. I have one my late mother-in-law made for me that I use on the daybed in my office.
My daughter-in-law requests dressing, and my youngest granddaughter has to have deviled eggs.
I have quilt pieces cut but haven’t taken the time to sew them together.
Deviled eggs are a staple at our celebrations too. Although they don’t last long. Last year I made two dozen (so 48 halves) and they were gone before the evening was out. They’re addictive, for sure.
Orzo pasta salad with veggies.
I haven’t every made a quilt.
My Italian uncle used to make a holiday salad with pasta, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta cheese with an olive oil dressing that was to die for. I’ve never quite been able to replicate it the way he made it.
Hi Nancy!
I’m a self-taught hand quilter. Completely by hand, sewing machines throw me off it always has holes if I use it. I would say the hardest part is basting and get the hoop in the right place the first time for me. The piecing can be pretty mindless. The quilting is my favorite. But all the ironing isn’t all that fun 😉
Tia, it sounds though as if you have a rhythm down pat for making them. I agree about ironing though… any kind is no fun.
1) Most sought-after food item
hamburger/ bread dressing
2) I’m a knitter. I’ve made sweaters, mittens,scarves, hats, Christmas stockings and baby blankets. I’ve made a few cloth ornaments. I made several embroidered ornaments. I’ve done needlepoint. I made my then boyfriend, now husband’s first comforter. I have never tried to make a quilt. My neighbor had a quilt frame and made several beautiful quilts. I was jealous of her creativity.
Okay, now I’m curious about the dressing. I’ll have to go looking for a recipe. I’m also in awe of anyone who can knit. For some reason, I just can’t keep the tension even when I try.
Chocolate clusters and I have never made a quilt by hand, only on the Machine.
Hmm… chocolate. I don’t think the difference matters on how you make the quilt, only that you put your creativity out there for everyone to see.
Welcome, Nancy! Thank you for visiting. Loved your blog and found it very interesting. My mom had a Fannie Farmer Cookbook years ago. It was old and ragged. She also had a Watkins Cookbook that had a lot of great recipes. I still remember the Watkins sales people who went door to door selling flavorings and spices. She always bought something. Interesting times. Enjoy your visit. Wishing you much success with AUDREY. It looks very good.
Linda, thank you so much. I have a couple of old cookbooks. What I find interesting are the helpful “hints” they throw in about how to be a good wife and cook. Most of us now would cringe at some of their suggestions. I remember the Watkins guys too. The usually showed up just as you were getting in or out of the shower.
Mashed potatoes and turkey gravy are reached for first.
Not into quilting although I do sew.
Yes, gravy is a big hit with my family too. Sewing is also a learned art, and a valuable one at that.
Tamales , Turkey or Ham and Thumbprint cookies
When I was a teenager I put together a quilt, or my version of a quilt, I enjoyed making it.
Woo hoo! I was waiting for someone to mention tamales. I grew up in a very ecclectic neighborhood in Detroit. We often did a block pot luck around the summer holidays. Mrs. Limas, two doors down, made the best tamales. My mother was always expected to make banana pudding.
The most sought after food on our holiday table is probably the Squash Rolls and Ribbon Salad (plain red and green Jello with a layer of lemon Jello mixed with pineapple, marshmallows, cream cheese, whipped cream, and real mayo between). Of course the meat, whether it is beef standing rib roast, pork crown roast, ham, or a turkey also goes fast.
The quilts I have made have been tied and not actually quilted. I have quilted a few small pieces by hand. Keeping the stitches an even length is a challenge for me.
Alice, I’ve never had squash rolls, although I love squash. I remember my aunt’s ribbon salad though. It always when fast. I have trouble with stitch length too, and that’s just in handsewing, nothing as creative as quilting.
Hamburger steak with gravy and mashed potatoes topped with cheese.
I’ve never made a quilt by hand, I don’t think I would like sitting and stitching for long at a time. My mother-in-law was a great lover of quilting, she made dozens.
Yum… now I’m hungry and it’s just breakfast. Hopefully, you have at least one or two of my mother-in-law’s creations for yourself.
We made kidney bean sald and macronie salad. Both delicious
Yes, I’m a lover of both kinds of salad.
I recall mostly, on Christmas Eve we had oyster stew after church. On Christmas day we had turkey and ham with sweet potato casserole and many salads. Do not leave out the homemade candies such as my favorite, Divinity plus chocolate fudge, pretzels dipped in chocolate both dark and white, along with candied popcorn. DO NOT ever leave out the sweets.
Secondly, I have never made a quilt. There were many other pursuits I was enamored with such as crocheting, sewing from scratch as my mother taught me and many more.
Have a blessed holiday season.
Judy, you can bet we don’t leave out the sweets. I do make fudge, and my younger son does handmade candies, but most often the sweets on our holiday table revolve around sweet potato and pecan pies, traditional shortbread, the prerequisite banana pudding, and Christmas Crack.
Crocheting is another skill I’ve never mastered. Big hands. They fit perfectly on a keyboard, but don’t do so well with needles. You have a wonderful season as well.
During Christmas,a good prime rib and gravy is what we all love!
I have tried to hand sew a quilt wall hanging. It was hard to make the measurements even. I could do a good straight stitching but trying to make sure I sewed the same size seam was hard.
I do love prime rib as well. My younger son made one last year and I could have spent the entire evening going back for more, except we ran out pretty early. I think if I were going to try quilting, it would be something smaller like a wall hanging.
1) Cranberry Salad, made with fresh chopped cranberries, pecans, apples, and oranges, mixed with black cherry jello (which is made with orange juice instead of water)
2) I made a quilt with a sewing machine. The hardest part was the mental math, mapping out how wide/long each piece should be on graph paper
I’m going to have to try that salad. It sounds delish. I agree the mental math would have me reeling as well.
1)A platter of my homemade Christmas cookies.
2)Never made a quilt.
Yes, my grandchildren expect a variety of cookies. We all contribute to the huge cookie display. My two contributions to the platter are shortbread and Christmas Crack.
Turkey with small roasted potatoes.
I would love to be able to make a quilt.
Love roasted potatoes too. I nice change from the traditional mashed. I’d also love to try making a quilt. First, though, I’ve got books to write.
Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy 2. And Yes I have made a Quilt by hand the most challenging thing for me was putting the batting in between the Quilt Top and the back as where I was sewing by hand my batting wanted to ball all up in one place But I loved doing it Have A Blessed Weekend!
Sarah, my family are potatoes and gravy fanatics. I would imagine the batting might be my biggest problem as well, especially if the area I’m trying to sew is large. You have a wonderful weekend as well.
Question #1 What’s the most sought-after staple on your holiday table? Ham, Sweet Potato Casserole, until mom died it was her home made white bread, jello salad from when we were kids-with fruits and home made whipped cream
Question #2 Have you ever made a quilt by hand? Mom and I learned to hand quilt when I was in high school. It just went so slow for me and being a perfectionist, i was so not happy with it so I quit. Mom kept at it and I have one of her hand quilted quilts now. I am now a machine mostly quilter Now the most challenging part is doing the final quilting on my home sewing machine. But I get it done.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
Lori, anything sweet potato works for us. And, I do prefer ham to turkey. I envy your ability to quilt, no matter how you do it.
What’s the most sought-after staple on your holiday table?
Homemade stuffing
Have you ever made a quilt by hand? And, if so, what did you find to be the most challenging part?
The only quilt I made by hand was a mini quilt for a teddy bear, and the small size was a big difficult for my eyesight.
Yes, homemade stuffing. So much better than boxed. I’m sure the teddy bear loved his quilt. I agree on the eyesight thing. I often find myself struggling with stitching, even when I’m just mending something. Thank goodness for reading glasses.
Hi Nancy, Welcome to P & P. My family expects my homemade chicken & noodles, mashed potatoes & Homemade PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE. I have never made a quilt. Have a blessed Christmas & New Year’s.
Lois, any fudge is good, but peanut butter is best. The noodles are high on my list as well. You have a wonderful holiday season as well.
1 – turkey
2 – no
Turkey is always on our table too, although lately we’ve been leaning toward roast beef.
The most popular food on our holiday table is my beef and onion dip.
I cross stitched a lap quilt that needed to be quilted. It had the pattern prestamped. I found it hard to keep the stitches the same size.
Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Debbie, beef and onion dip? Another recipe to research. Stitch sizes seems to be difficult for everyone. God bless you, as well and have a joyous holiday season.
Question #1 pertains to food: What’s the most sought-after staple on your holiday table?
My Cranberry sauce which was the one used on the White Star Line and was served at the last dinner on the Titanic.
Question #2 pertains to quilting: Have you ever made a quilt by hand? And, if so, what did you find to be the most challenging part?
I have cut squares for others but not myself and the hardest part is that I am left-handed and using right-handed shears is hard.
The Titanic? How exciting. My daughter-in-law does a wonderful homemade cranberrry sauce as well. And, it’s delicious. My grandkids though still prefer the canned jelly variety. Santa needs to bring you some lefthanded scissors.
What’s the most sought-after staple on your holiday table? Napoleon cake
Have you ever made a quilt by hand? I have not.
Love Napoleon cake. The best I’ve ever had was from Veniero’s in Manhattan. Absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Question #1 – most sought after staple on my holiday table – The only item that would be served no matter what else was served would be Sour Cream Crescent Rolls. I don’t make them often, they are so rich and melt in your mouth. They also take 2 sticks of butter and a cup of sour cream. There are never any left over.
Question #2 – I have tried quilting, but other than some finishing work, did it by machine. I learned I didn’t have the patience for it.
Thank you for the information on the foods served at early Christmas dinners. Interesting. Have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Patricia, Okay, that’s the third recipe I need to look for today. They sound delicious. I agree, I think patience would be my downfall for quiltiing as well. Wishing you a happy holiday as well.
First of all, let me begin by apologizing for my late arrival. I live in Atlantic Canada, and we got snow. And with it, floating power outages. I’m here now though, and so very grateful for the feature and for all the lovely comments. I will get to each and every one of them.
Mashed potatoes are the sought after food. Yes, I have made many quilts, some by hand and some machine sewn. I find it hard to get the quilt on a big enough frame to hand quilt. I much prefer to get everything ready and send to a professional quilter.