Harvesting History at the Henry Whitfield House

One of the oldest homes in New England!

One of the best things about living in the DC area is that I’m not too far away from where I grew up, making going home for the holidays nice and easy. Jessi and I got to spend our first Thanksgiving together at my parent’s house, doing all the typical Thanksgiving things (including my now traditional Indian pudding!), going Toys for Tots shopping (my favorite holiday tradition!) and stopping by one of the oldest homes in America for their annual post-Thanksgiving event. 

You know, as you do when you’re a historian. Or married to one. 

Accompanying us were Jane Collier, a girl from 1614 Jamestown, Virginia who has appeared on the blog many times before, and Fear Tyler, a new friend from 1692 Salem Village (modern day Danvers), Massachusetts. As American Girl seems to be deviating from making pre-20th Century characters, I’ve started to slowly take matters into my own hands and create a couple from periods of history I find personally interesting that the company is unlikely to cover themselves. As Jane and Fear have strong connections to the early colonization of North America and the crazy Puritans, they seemed like good travel companions to check out a historic house museum that holds a special place in my heart.

Tea with Valerie Tripp at Mount Vernon

With a talk that revealed some fun behind the scenes looks at the creation of our favorite colonial girl: Felicity!

Longtime readers might remember that I was lucky enough to attend Tea with Valerie Tripp and Friends at Historic Huguenot Street back in 2016. I was even luckier when I saw that Mount Vernon would be hosting a similar event as their last in a series of teas with Martha Washington! Of course, I leapt at the chance to get tickets, even though Mount Vernon is kind of horrible to get to if you don’t have a car. 

Last weekend, Jessi, Felicity, Elizabeth and I set off on a very long metro ride and a bus trip to visit, armed with a book to get signed and a camera to document the event for posterity. Read on to find out what we did!

Nanea's Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

A crucial part of a Hawaiian plate lunch!

Summer has officially come and gone in the Mid-Atlantic, and while I don't miss it, the sharp downturn into super cold winds and rain (and possibly snow!) has been a little too sharp this year. The sudden change has definitely made me a little wistful for milder weather, and so this weekend, I turned to Nanea for inspiration for my next blog post. 

This recipe might not be what you're expecting from an authentically Hawaiian dish, but this pasta salad is very much the real deal, especially if you keep it simple and let the ingredients speak for themselves. Read on to find out more about how this side dish has come to define a Hawaiian classic!

Angela's Lasagna

Is there anything more comforting than warm pasta, tomatoes, cheese and meat?

A few days ago on Instagram, I teased that another historical doll had joined our ranks. Many of my followers guessed correctly that the mystery girl was indeed Angela Terlizzi, friend of Maryellen Larkin! She’s the first “Best Friend” character whose Italian heritage is a major part of her story, and since American Girl’s official best friend dolls are a thing of the past, I decided to take matters into my own hands to bring this character to life. 

I mean, any excuse to delve into the rich history of Italian American cuisine sounds good, right? It’s pretty much the definition of comfort food no matter what shape or size it comes in.