Elizabeth "Eliza" Acton (1799–1859) was an English food writer and poet, who produced one of Britain's first cookery books aimed at the domestic reader, Modern Cookery for Private Families.  The book introduced the now-universal practice of listing ingredients and giving suggested cooking times for each recipe.  It included the first recipes in English for Brussels sprouts and for spaghetti, and contains the first printed reference to Christmas pudding.  Acton was born n Sussex and raised in Suffolk where she ran a girls' boarding school before spending time in France.  On her return to England in 1826 she published a collection of poetry and released her cookery book in 1845, aimed at middle class families.  Written in an engaging prose, the book was well received by reviewers.  It was reprinted within the year and several editions followed until 1918, when Longman, the book's publisher, took the decision not to reprint.  In 1857 Acton published The English Bread-Book for Domestic Use, a more academic and studious work than Modern Cookery.  The work consisted of a history of bread-making in England, a study of European methods of baking and numerous recipes.  In the later years of its publication, Modern Cookery was eclipsed by the success of Isabella Beeton's bestselling Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861), which included several recipes plagiarised from Acton's work.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliza_Acton

ALL ABOUT BONES   (1)  In the last half of the 19th century, quickly following the advent of general anesthesia and the discovery of bacteria, some surgeons began specializing in treatments of the brain, eye, or other body parts.  Fracture treatment, however, remained within the domain of the generalist in cities and at times left to the care of bone setters in rural and impoverished areas.  This changed with the Industrial Revolution and specifically with the building of the Manchester Ship Canal in England, which remains the world’s longest river navigation canal at 36 miles.  (2)  Antwerp, Belgium’s second largest city, started as a river port during Roman times and grew to become the world’s diamond center.  Local legend tells of a giant who would extract tolls from boatmen navigating the river.  He cut off the hands of those resisting his tax.  A Roman legionnaire ended this nonsense by slaying the ogre and flinging his huge hand into the river.  Hantwerpen was the spelling of the city for centuries and means throwing the hand.  Some huge bones, unearthed years later, substantiated the legend.  The local museum displayed these remains as belonging to the giant until somebody realized that the bones were a fossilized rib and shoulder blade from a two-million-year-old right whale.  Scholarly research ensued and turned up aanwerp—soil deposited in a river delta—as the more likely source of the city’s name.  (3)  It may have started with primitive man clacking a couple of charred mastodon rib bones together.  Clack-clack.  Fellow cave dwellers looked up.  Then with a flip of the wrist, clackity-clackity-clack.  Music was born.  In several forms, “playing the bones” has continued to the present time.  Various museums display pairs of ancient Egyptian bone clappers in the shape of forearms and hands.  Shakespeare knew of the art.  In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bottom commands, “I have a reasonable good ear in music; let us have the tongs and the bones.”  https://aboutbone.com

Quinoa is a brilliant and speedy ingredient for the kitchen.  Tender when cooked, with a delicate white furl of a tail, it has a nutty, satisfying taste.  Mixed with eggs, feta and herbs, and fried as a fritter, the cooked quinoa provides some welcome ballast to a dish that is bombproof.  Find recipe for Quinoa Fritters with Green Goddess Sauce at https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/quinoa-fritters-with-green-goddess-sauce  Recipe excerpted with permission from New Kitchen Basics by Claire Thompson, published by Quadrille March 2019, RRP $35.00 hardcover.

In 1845, Peter Cooper dabbled with and patented a product which was "set" with gelatin.  It never did "jell" with the American public.  In 1897, Pearle Wait, a carpenter in LeRoy, New York was putting up a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home.  He experimented with gelatine and came up with a fruit flavored dessert which his wife, May, named Jell-O.  He tried to market his product but he lacked the capital and the experience.  In 1899 he sold the trademark to a fellow townsman for the sum of $450.  Jell-O changed from a hand-packaged business to a highly mechanized factory, and become one of LeRoy's most important industries.  The search for new products and unique advertising and merchandising break-throughs developed a phenominal record.  On December 31, 1925 the Jell-O Company, Inc. was sold to the Postum Cereal Company, Inc. by exchange of stock, thereby becoming the first subsidiary of a large merger that would eventually become General Foods Corporation.  And so the little Jell-O package which was born in LeRoy in 1897 grew from childhood to adulthood.  Jell-O left its hometown to make its way in the wide wide world in 1964.  Today Jell-O is manufactured by Kraft/General Foods in Dover, Delaware.  Read the rest of the story at http://www.jellogallery.org/history.html  Find Jell-O Museum information and map at http://www.jellogallery.org/visit-us.html

Why You Need a Network of Low-Stakes, Casual Friendships by Allie Volpe  Think of the parents you see in the drop-off line at school.  Your favorite bartender.  The other dog owners at the park.  The sociologist Mark Granovetter calls these low-stakes relationships “weak ties.”  Not only can these connections affect our job prospects, they also can have a positive impact on our well-being by helping us feel more connected to other social groups, according to Dr. Granovetter’s research.  Other studies have shown weak ties can offer recommendations (I found my accountant via a weak tie) and empower us to be more empathetic.  We’re likely to feel less lonely, too, research shows.  A 2014 study found that the more weak ties a person has (neighbors, a barista at the neighborhood coffee shop or fellow members in a spin class), the happier they feel.  Maintaining this network of acquaintances also contributes to one’s sense of belonging to a community, researchers found.  The desire to belong and form social attachments is a basic human need, alongside food, sleep and safety.  But once we hit 25, the number of friends we have peaks and begins to slowly dwindle over time, according to a 2016 study.  As we get older and priorities shift from after-work bowling league to after-school pickup, maintaining a loaded social calendar becomes less essential.  Staying socially engaged, then, is integral to personal fulfillment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/smarter-living/why-you-need-a-network-of-low-stakes-casual-friendships.html?te=1&nl=smarter-living&emc=edit_sl_20190513  Thank you, Muse reader! 

Borani-yeh Laboo  Nothing brightens up a meal and everyone’s moods more than a bowl of this fuchsia beet and yogurt dip.  The tang from the vinegar and yogurt balances and cuts through the earthy sweetness of the beets, and the tarragon adds a fresh bite.  You can cook the beets by steaming them on the stovetop or in the oven.  Or you can simply use store-bought cooked beets.  Scoop up with warm lavash bread, or spread on crisp endive leaves for a striking mazeh.  Serves 6

1 medium beet, cooked and peeled
1 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
Olive oil for drizzling

Into a medium bowl, grate the beet on the large holes of a box grater.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil, and mix to completely combine.  Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour for the flavors to develop before serving.  Stir, drizzle with olive oil if you like, and serve.  MAKE AHEAD:  Prepare up to 3 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container.  If the yogurt weeps, simply stir to incorporate again.  Drizzle with olive oil before serving.  Excerpted  BOTTOM OF THE POT:  Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian  Copyright © 2018 by Naz Deravian.  Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books

http://potluckwithali.com/potluck/the-most-gorgeous-appetizer-is-also-the-simplest

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY  I feel fairly certain that my hatred harms me more than the people whom I hate. - Max Frisch, architect, playwright, and novelist (15 May 1911-1991)

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2098  May 15, 2019