Rating:☆☆☆☆☆ AMAZING!
Medium

ORANGE RAISIN CAKE
Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 medium orange rind, with white membrane removed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
Directions
1Combine raisins, nuts, and orange peel; put thru food grinder; set aside.
2Cream together 1 c sugar and butter.
3Add eggs and vanilla, beating until fluffy.
4Stir in ground orange peel-nut mixture.
5Sift together cake flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternatively with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
6Turn batter into greased 9x9x2" baking pan.
7Bake at 350 degrees appx 45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
8In small saucepan, heat together 1 cup sugar and orange juice until sugar dissolves.
9Prick top of cake all over w/ fork.
10Spoon orange juice mixture over warm cake.

What this recipe says about the time period:
This recipe tells me that they liked flavor. This cake was amazing. They used the main ingredients that they usually use. Which is raisins and sugar and salt. This cake is probably made once in a while. Maybe for birthdays and special occasions.

Rating: ☆ ☆
Easy

Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1tsp. salt

Place the cornmeal and water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until very thick (1/2 hour.) Preheat the oven to 375. Blend the whole-wheat flour and salt into the cooked cornmeal until well mixed. Place 1/2-cup size mounds, shaped like biscuits, on ungreased cookie sheet and press down slightly. Bake for 15 minutes, turn cornbreads over (brown side up) and bake another ten minutes. Yield, 2 1/2 dozen.

BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN COOKING!!!!!

What this recipe says about this time period:

This recipe says that they used what they had to get by. They probably ate this every day. WITH EVERY MEAL! BECAUSE it was cheep and easy. This is rated 2 stars because it was bland and had no flavor with a gritty texture.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆
Medium

Nougat Blanc:
3 c. sugar
1-3/4 c. honey
1 c. water
2 egg whites
1 tsp. brandy in which a vanilla bean has been infused
2 c. nutmeats (broken and toasted, if preferred)

Put the sugar, honey, and water together and cook until a hard crack ball will form when dropped in cold water. Beat the egg whites until stiff and pour the hot syrup slowly into them, beating constantly until the mixture grows too stiff to beat. Then fold in the brandy and nut meats. Mix well and pour onto a marble slab. When it is cool, cut in squares or rectangles. (If you do not have a marble slab, pour nougat onto pain azyme (rice paper or wafer paper) and place another sheet on top and weight with a board until cool.)

Depending upon the flavor of honey and type and shape of nuts (broken, toasted, ground) used, each batch of nougat will taste differently. Nougat is a traditional sweet eaten at holiday times.

This is rated 3 star because it didn't come out like the recipe said. It was very sticky, but very yummy.

What does this say about it's time period:
This tells me that this was more of a treat then a every day food. The honey is not common in the 18th century recipes. The sugar and nuts that are used in this recipe are used in many other recipes of this time. This would be made around Christmas time or any special occasion.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Easy


PROVIDENCE CAKE

1 cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
½ pint milk
3 cups flour
1 pint raisins
½ tsp each nutmeg, cloves, saleratus

1. Heat oven to 325-350 degrees.
2. Butter loaf pan, probably 8"x4"x4".
3. Sift flour, salt, and spices along with soda, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Add in beaten eggs and beat well.
5. Add flour, to which raisins have been added-just a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. When all the flour has been added, beat the entire batter until smooth and velvety.
7. Turn into prepared pan and bake 60 to 75 minutes


NOTE: It doesn't say when to add milk but you add it in step 6. Also Saleratus is baking soda and 2 cups equal 1 pint.


What does it say about this time period:
This Providence Cake tells you that they loved to use sugar, raisins, flour and many spices. They use many of these in there other recipes too. This cake would probably be made once in a while but often. This cake shows me the people wanted to make something with more flavor. This might be made for special occasions. But it used easy to keep ingredients.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆
Medium

Rock Candy
(Good for any age; adult supervision required, as hot liquid is involved)

4 ½ c. sugar
2 c. water
4 (12-oz.) glass jars
4 (7-inch) pieces clean string
4 wooden skewers or pencils

1.Arrange the jars in the bottom of a large pan, and fill with enough water to cover the jars by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil for 2 minutes (to sterilize). Remove jars, cool completely, and dry.

2. Tie the strings around centers of wooden skewers or pencils. Place 1 string in each jar, resting skewer or pencil across the rim of the jar, and making sure the strings do not touch the bottoms of the jars.

3.Bring sugar and water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally; boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

4.Pour about 1 cup syrup mixture carefully around skewer into each jar. Loosely cover with aluminum foil (including skewer); pierce aluminum foil several times with a skewer or knife. Let stand 10 to 14 days or until crystals form on strings. (Occasionally break up hard sugar layer on surface using a wooden skewer.)

5.Remove strings from jars, and suspend strings between jars until crystals are dry (about 1 hour). Remove strings from skewers or pencils.

Note: If you wish, you can also add food coloring and flavored oils such as cinnamon oil at the end of step #3, after you remove from the heat but before you allow the mixture to stand 5 minutes.
Adapted from Southern Living

What does it say about this time period:
This recipe shows what the kids had to look up to in there time period. This was the sweet for children back then. But they have to wait 20 to 24 days. Today all you have to do is go down street and get a candy bar.