A Digital Medievalist's Commonplace Blog

H. L. Mencken on Puritans and Puritanism

2008-08-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

The great artists of the world are never Puritans, and seldom even ordinarily respectable.

—H.L. Mencken. Prejudices, First Series. 1919.

Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

—H. L. Mencken 1880 - 1956

Plato on Writing

2008-07-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks. What you have discovered is a recipe not for memory, but for reminder. And it is no true wisdom that you offer your disciples, but only its semblance, for by telling them of many things without teaching them you will make them seem to know much, while for the most part they know nothing, and as men filled, not with wisdom, but with the conceit of wisdom, they will be a burden to their fellows.

Plato—Phaedrus 275a-b

John Davies' Weasel Sonnet

2008-07-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

According to medieval bestiaries, with help from Pliny the Elder and Isidore of Seville, "the weasel conceives through the mouth and gives birth through the ear"-- Isidore, after describing this genetic miracle, says it is false, but that didn't stop John Davies from using it in a sonnet.

John Davies of Hereford, Wittes Pilgrimage, Sonnet 29

Some say the Weezel-masculine doth gender
With the Shee-Weezel only at the Eare
And she her Burden at hir Mouth doth render;
The like (sweet Love) doth in our love appear:
For I (as Masculine) beget in Thee
Love, at the Eare, which thou bearst at the Mouth
And though It came from Hart, and Reynes of me
From the Teeth outward It in thee hath growth.
My Mouth, thine Eares, doth ever chastly use
With putting in hot Seed of active Love;
Which, streight thine Ear conveyeth (like a Sluce)
Into thy Mouth; and, there but Aire doth prove:
Yet Aire is active; but, not like the fire
Then O how should the Sonne be like the Sire?

Via Cliosfolly

Rebecca West on Feminism

2008-05-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist when I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute
Rebecca West

Robert Frost on The Figure a Poem Makes

2008-05-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

. . . inclines to the impulse, it assumes direction with the first line laid down, it runs a course of lucky events, and ends in a clarification of life—not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion.
Robert Frost

Robert Frost On Education By Poetry

2008-05-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Poetry provides the one permissible way of saying one thing and meaning another. People say, “Why don’t you say what you mean?” We never do that, do we, being all of us too much poets. We like to talk in parables and in hints and in indirections—whether from diffidence or some other instinct.
Robert Frost

Chaucer on Plain English

2008-03-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

Speketh not in the heigh style, but so playn at this time,
I yow preye, that we may understonde what ye saye.

The Host to the Clerke of Oxenforde. Chaucer. Canterbury Tales. c. 1400.

Mark Twain on Doing Right

2008-01-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest
Mark Twain

Book, Libraries, and Readers in the Sixth Century

2007-08-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

In cuiuscumque maibus libellus iste venerit, rogo et cum grandi humilitate supplico, ut eum et ipse frequentius legat, et aliis ad legendum et ad transscribendum non solum tradat, sed etiam ingerat, ut et de suis et aliorum profectibus duplicem a Domino remunerationem recipiat. Hoc ideo suggero, quia multi sunt, et forte aliqui religiosi, qui plures libros et satis nitidos et pulchre ligatos habere volunt, et eos ita armariis clausos tenent, ut illos nec ipsi legant, nec aliis ad legendum tribuant: ignorantes quod nihil prodest libros habere, et eos propter mundi huius inpedimenta non legere. Liber enim bene coopertus et nitidus, si non legatur, non facit animam nitidam; ille enim qui iugiter legitur, et pro eo quod saepe revolvitur pulcher a foris esse non potest, pulchram animam intus facit.

Caesarius, bishop of Arles, sermo 2 (after ca. 506) by way of Dr. Carol Lanham

Christmas Fruitcake Muffins

2006-12-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons (1/2/ stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup diced red and green cherries
1/2 mixed diced candied pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400º.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a second bowl, mix together the egg, milk, and melted butter.
Add the egg/butter/milk mixture to the flour to make a lumpy batter (do not over mix).
Fold in the rest of the ingredients.
Spoon the batter into muffin cups or tins, filling each cup about two thirds full. I usually line the cups with paper muffin shells.
Bake at 400º until the muffins are plump, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean; about 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Verbing

2006-12-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

"First they came for the verbs and I said nothing, for verbing weirds language. Then they arrival for the nouns and I speech nothing, for I no verbs."

Attributed to Peter Ellis (via Diane Duane)

Candied Fruitcake

2006-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

3 7 1/4 ounce packages of pitted dates
1 pound candied pineapple, red and green, and yellow
1 pound whole candied cherries, red and green
2 cups sifted all purpose flour *
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 pounds pecan halves (Taste them; they must be fresh)

*Mom says you can get by with "fluffing" the flour with a fork.

This makes roughly four loaves, depending on the sizes of the pans.

Procedure:

Prepare the pans by oiling them and lining them with brown paper cut to fit. Then oil the paper.
Preheat the oven to 275 F.
Chop the dates into three pieces or so. (It’s about 3 1/2 cups cut)
Chop the candied pineapple into about 1/3 of inch wide wedges (about 2 1/2 cups)
Put the chopped fruit in a large mixing bowl. Add the candied cherries, whole (about 2 cups).
Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup.
Add the salt and baking powder to the flour.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the fruit.
Mix fruit and dry ingredients until all the fruit is well coated.
Using mixer, beat four eggs until frothy.
Gradually add one cup sugar to eggs, beat until well blended.
Add eggs and sugar to fruit mixture, mixing well.
Add two pounds (eight cups) of pecan halves.
Mix until nuts are evenly distributed and well coated with batter.
Pack into pans, pressing down with the back of a spoon. If necessary, rearrange pieces of fruit and nuts to fill up empty spaces. This should be a dense cake, without holes.
Bake one and a half hours at 275 F. When done, tops of cakes should look dry. If there is any doubt, leave cakes in oven longer, as a little extra baking does no harm. Watch for the edges of the cake to pull away from the pan; that’s a sign of doneness.
When cakes are done, remove from oven and place on cake racks.
Let stand about five minutes.
Turn out on racks, and carefully remove paper.
Cool cakes, and turn top side up.

Traditionally you would douse the cake with sherry, or bourbon, or brandy, and wrap the cake in several layers of cheescloth and put it in a container for at least two or three weeks. It isn't requires. You may use the same method to freshen a dry or over cooked cake.

Wrap cakes in plastic food wrap and then foil to freeze them; they freeze well. Thaw at room temperature.

After making the cake the first time, you may find you prefer more nuts or fruit, in which case you may need to add extra batter, using the instructions above. You can use half the eggs, sugar, etc. to make more batter if you don’t need quite so much.

From LRS; originally from Woman’s Day December, 1954.

Grad Student Chili

2005-08-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2–3 Tablespoons Olive oil
1.5 to 2.0 pounds hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small can green chilies
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Beer
1/2 cup strong brewed black coffee
1 128 ounce (794 grams) can of crushed tomatoes
2 12 ounce cans of beans (424 grams per can)
5 Tablespoons Chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (or crushed cumin seeds)
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion and garlic, saute briefly, then add the hamburger. Cook until the hamburger is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Add the beer and the coffee. Cook for five minutes, stirring it once.
Add the canned tomatoes, with their juice, the beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook, partly covered, for half and hour, stirring it every ten minutes or so.
Taste the chili; season to taste, and cook a little longer, say, thirty minutes to an hour
The most important thing is to taste the chili, and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
Garnish with chopped cilantro, onions, and grated cheese. Serve with tortillias, grated cheese, cornbread, or over rice or baked potatoes.

Notes:

Trader Joe's frozen garlic is Just Fine. Omit the beer or chili as long as the same amount of liquid is used. Substitute broth (beef, chicken or vegetable. Use ground turkey, or tofu, if you'd rather. You can extend the chili, by adding another can of beans, or a can of corn. Chopped green pepper, celery and mushrooms are nice additions; saute them with the onions. The chili is better the next day, and freezes well. You can even freeze the cooled chili in Ziplock bags. Make sure the bags are tightly sealed, and don't over fill them.

To those who ask why this is "grad student chili" . . . I started making it as a grad student, and it's well suited for cooks on a budget since it's easily extendable and it uses ingredients that are fairly common. Plus it includes two staples of many grad students' diets— beer and coffee. I confess, I started using the beer because I had some and didn't drink beer, but it does add something.

Culled from Twenty Years Ago

2005-08-03T13:13:00.001-07:00

Michael culled these from lower level English composition classes in the early 1980s.

"Maturity and experience come with age."

"Most spectators see Formula One drivers as people who stop at nothing to win."

"As an end product of each class, I received a letter grade from A to F, excluding E."

"When reality finally sets in, the true fan will feel as though a close freind [sic] had died."

"Students are now in school to get degrees so they can get a descent [sic] job."

"The two city council candidates do not frequent the pool thusly they did not have enough information to make a valid claim that the department wastes money on lifeguards."

"The president is only a figurehead with a birthright position."

"It was a very encomppassing book which captivated my attention until the very end."

Signals

2005-06-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is from a poster RAL and CDL gave me, and that is an enlarged photocopy from an unknown book.

2 people	2 signals
3 people	9 signals
4 people	28 signals
5 people	75 signals
6 people	186 signals
7 people	441 signals
8 people	1,016 signals
9 people	2,295 signals
10 people	5,110 signals
11 people	11,253 signals
12 people	24,564 signals
13 people	53,235 signals
14 people	114,674 signals
15 people	245,745 signals
16 people	524,272 signals
17 people	1,114,095 signals
18 people	2,359,278 signals
19 people	4,980,717 signals
20 people	10,485,740 signals
21 people	22,020,075 signals

A mathematically inclined friend thought the equation that explained the relationship between the People and Signals was

S=(p*((2^(p-1))-1)

Wycherly's Country Wife

2005-06-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

I culled both of these sentences many years ago from a paper on the Restoration play The Country Wife by William Wycherley.

Horner's action in this play is mainly based on manipulating other characters orally.

Horner's manipulation of Sir Jasper Fidget continues when he pretends to be impotent.

Red Potatoes with Lemon, Parsley, and Olives

2005-05-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 pounds of red potatoes
1 lemon
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/4 chopped fresh Parsley
Several cloves of Garlic
1/3 cup olives, pitted
Salt to taste
1 well-oiled 9 x 13 inch pan

Procedure:

Slice the potatoes, unpeeled. They should not be sliced too thinly.
Thinly slice the lemon, peel and all, being careful to discard the seeds.
Mince the garlic.
Chop the Parsley
Toss everything except the olives, with the olive oil, then spread evenly in the x 13 pan.
Bake at 425F for an hour, stirring everything two or three times.
Add the olives during the last five minutes of cooking.

Notes:

The recipe is from T. Carter who found it in Fine Cooking March, 2004 and posted it here and wrote:

The recipe called for oil-cured olives . . . The potatoes are supposed to crisp while the lemons caramelize.

The thinner you slice the lemons, the happier you'll be. I've found a knife with a serated edge works best. Do try lemon varieties; they all taste slightly different. The recipe doesn't call for it, but when you add the olives, a sprinkle of salt and pepper won't go amiss.

Eachard on Plain Language

2005-03-27T22:39:00.000-08:00

As if plain words, useful and intelligible instructions, were not as good for an esquire, or one that is in commission from the King, as for him that holds the plough.

John Eachard, 1670. Some Observations Upon
the Answer to an Enquiry into
the Grounds and Occasions
of the Contempt of the Clergy.

Cicero on Human Language

2005-03-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

The one point in which we have our very greatest advantage over the brute creation is that we hold converse with one another, and can reproduce our thought in word.

Cicero

Hot Cross Buns

2004-12-31T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

3 3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup dried currants or raisins
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Procedure:

In large mixer bowl, thoroughly stir together 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the cinnamon.
In a saucepan, heat together milk, oil, sugar, and salt just till warm (115 to 120 F.). Add to dry mixture in mixer bowl; add eggs. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed.
By hand, stir in currants and enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough. Cover and let rise till double, 1 to 1/2 hours.
4. Stir dough down. Shape dough into 14 balls. Place on greased baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover and let rise till dough is nearly double, 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake in 375 oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly; pipe crosses through pastry tube or bag with using white icing or a powedered sugar glaze.

Notes:

My mother makes these at Easter, and sometimes, at Christmas. The recipe is originally from Better Homes and Gardens, March 1973. The original recipe suggests making 24 buns; I like them slightly larger, so I usually make 16 to 18. I tend to use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the milk and oil solution, and I use a generous 1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon. I also use more currants; the original called for 1/3 cup. It also called for brushing the buns with a beaten egg white before baking; I don't bother. These freeze quite well.

Shaker Lemon Pie

2004-12-12T23:29:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 large lemons (or 5–6 small ones)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
prepared pie crust for a double-crust pie

Procedure:

Slice the lemons cross-wise (to make circles), rind and all, as thinly as possible, removing seeds as they appear. It's more important that the slices are thin than that the slices are perfect circles.
Place the lemon slices in a bowl, alternating a layer of lemons with one of sugar. Mix the two. Let the sugar-and-lemons mixture stand in a refrigerator at least three hours, overnight if possible. Stir occasionally.
Line a pie pan with half the pastry.
Mix the four eggs and the vanilla with the lemons and sugar, then pour into the pie crust.
Cover and seal the pie with the remaining pastry. Make small vents in the top crust.
Cook the pie for fifteen minutes in a pre-heated oven at 450 F. then reduce the temperature to 375 F. and cook for about another 25–35 minutes, or until the blade of a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes:

Thinner-skinned, sweeter lemons, work best; I prefer Persian lemons, or Meyer's lemons. Limes can also be good. A serrated knife may work best for slicing the lemons thinly. The pie is even better served slightly warm.

The "authentic" Shaker pie doesn't use vanilla; I think it adds a nice touch, but I've also used vanilla sugar. I suspect that the Shakers favored this recipe because it doesn't waste any of the lemons; only the seeds are discarded.

Heinlein on Writing

2004-11-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

"Writing is nothing to be ashamed of. But do it in private, and wash your hands afterward."

—Robert A. Heinlein

Mac and Cheese with Ham

2004-05-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

What "makes" this exceedingly simple recipe is the baked garlic that's stirred into the cheese sauce. Baking the garlic not only makes it soft, even creamy, it mellows the garlic scent and taste, making it milder and sweeter. It goes without saying that better ingredients make better food, and in this case that means good cheese, freshly grated. That said, I've found using canned evaporated milk rather than cream works fine, and you can get by with onions instead of shallots, though the shallots do make a difference. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit, October 2003 who attibutes it to The Federalist in the XV Beacon Hotel in Boston. It makes a very large quantity, so make sure you have a suitable container to mix the sauce and the cooked pasta. It freezes quite well; I like using ziplock bags which can be filled, flattened and frozen.

Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
2 cups whole milk
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound ditalini or conchiglie or other "small" pasta
8 ounces quality ham, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350�F. Cut top 1/4 inch off head of garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic, cut side up, on sheet of foil. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap garlic with foil to enclose tightly. Bake until skin is golden brown and cloves are tender, about 55 minutes. Cool (I tend to put them in the fridge). Squeeze cloves from their skin.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; saut� until tender, about 4 minutes. Whisk in milk, cream, thyme, lemon peel, and roasted garlic. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to 2 3/4 cups, about 30 minutes. You don't want the milk/cream to boil or overcook. Reduce heat to low. Gradually stir in cheeses.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Toss cheese sauce, pasta, ham, and parsley in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Pie

2004-04-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

9 inch unbaked pie shell
1 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups canned Pumpkin Pie
1 2/3 Cups Evaporated Milk

Procedure:
Blend sugar, spices and salt.
Add eggs, pumpkin and milk.
Mix well and pour into pie shell.
Bake about 60 minutes at 350 F. or until the pie is "set."
Check the pie after 40 minutes. Refrigerate when cool.

Scones

2004-04-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is a rewrite of a scone recipe from "Stephanie" that Michael downloaded and printed back in 1998. My approach to scones is practical rather than fussy, so I don't, for instance, use a glass or cookie cutter to shape them. These freeze well; I suggest removing them from the oven just as soon as they are cooked through, cooling them, then freezing them. The recipe can be enhanced by adding dried fruit, lemon or orange zest—use your imagination. You can substitute milk for the cream, use a mixture, or in a pinch, use canned evaporated milk, as long as the quantity remains the same.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chilled butter
1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Procedure:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour with a pastry blender. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. If you wish to add raisins, or dried fruit, add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup now, and stir them in. In a small measuring cup combine the whipping cream (or a mixture of cream and milk), beaten egg and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir just until it's combined into a dough you can handle. You want to mix and handle the dough as little as possible since the more you handle it, the tougher the scones will be.

Remove the dough from the bowl; most of it should adhere into a single lump. Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface to mix in any odd crumbs or dry flour left in the bowl. Roll or pat out the dough into a rectangle that's about an inch to an inch and a half thick (depending on how many scones you wish to make). If you want to make the scones sparkle, lightly sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the rectangle. Cut the rectangle into six to twelve scones.

Transfer the scones to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake 375 F. for about 15 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned.