How to Carve a Turkey by Duncan Hines

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for vintage, and one of the things I love to find are food pamphlets and small paperback cookbooks from the 1940s and 50s. These little treasures not only offer an array of recipes, but often a little peek into the era–admittedly my favorite part. So today, kicking off our Thanksgiving festivities here on the blog is this little gem from Woo-Woo’s collection: 1953’s How to Carve a Turkey by Duncan Hines. As you’ll see it was distributed by local Gulf stations to patrons all over the country.

And, look at that man. Isn’t he just precious? I’d take that well-suited man with his winking eye at my table any day of the week!

The family and guests gather around the table, admire the bird, join in the prayer of thanks, and settle back in pleasant anticipation of a delicious meal and a good show–the ritual of carving the turkey. Unfortunately, the head of the house, meanwhile, has all too often been suffering the pangs of stage fright and the feeling of being faced with a long, unpleasant carving chore.

When you know how, carving is not difficult, and it is fun to put on the expected show.

Many people have decided preferences and the thoughtful host will inquire what they desire and serve accordingly. When no preference is expressed, the helping should be equal parts of light and dark meat. In all cases, a spoonful of stuffing should first be put on the plate. Serve neatly, as appearance aids appetite.

I just love that line!

How to Carve a Turkey by Duncan Hines, 1953 | Hannah & Husband

Woo-Woo had 7 children. As you may imagine, there were many things that acted as a canvas to a young artist.

A favorite this time of year: Woo-Woo’s Recipe for Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Or, if you’re hosting this year: Thanksgiving Game Plan: 8 Days Out

TGIF!

I know, I know. Could that photo be anymore 2009? I just get ridiculously sappy this time of year about going out to breakfast in the morning and trudging through the leaves in my bean boots. These are the moments I will savor when it is 38° and raining (but not snowing) in the middle of January. Tennessee really knows how to do Fall–winter not so much. Anyway, that’s what’s happening in our neck of the woods, here’s what I’m digging on the rest of the interwebs…

When I first started following @thedogist on Instagram, I got ridiculously excited and told all my friends. Having a bad day at work? Check out @thedogist. The line for coffee is ridiculously long? Check out @thedogist. I couldn’t get enough of his pup portraits. Well, Elias Weiss Friedman was recently profiled on CBS Sunday Morning, and it turns out he’s published a book.

[image source: The Dogist]

Click here to order The Dogist on Amazon! (I’ve already bought a couple extra copies for Christmas gifts.)

In that same vein, photographer Caroline Fontenot and writer Jess Graves have collaborated on a site: Southerners & Their Dogs. It’s been around for a bit, but I just ran across it because of this fab image. Definitely worth a bookmark!

Hope you don’t have plans for the next few hours because if interior design is your thing, allow me to point you to Pandora’s box: Lonny’s seriously in-depth map of Hollywood’s designers and their squads.

Lena Dunham released the first full episode of her new podcast, Women of the Hour, this week, and it totally exceeded my expectations. The first episode was on friendship. Between readings of the first letters between Lena and her pen pal, writer Ashley Ford (who has a super sultry voice), were conversations between BFFs young, old, and famous.

Other highlights from the podcast was an advice segment with Emma Stone and June Squibb and a profile on Edna St. Vincent Millay. (P.S. Millay has become a favorite of mine, and I got to see the very narrow house Lena mentions when I was in NYC earlier this year with the Madcap Heiress. So cool!) Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Finally, this performance knocked my socks off. Check it out!

TGIF! (S?)

The weekend is finally here! *cheers* *applause* And I am happy to report that Husband is home, and there are paint chips hanging on the wall.

Huzzah! It’s the little victories, you know?

In addition to a paint store visit and lots of football, this weekend will include Mindy Kaling’s latest, Why Not Me?

One chapter in and I’m remembering exactly why I loved her first book so much. Have you read either?

A favorite line from chapter one…

Boom! #nailedit

In other news, Stephen Colbert also #nailedit with this.

Finally, in lieu of our usual TGIF! links from around the interwebs, I wanted to share three documentaries I watched this week that were amazing. Two of which were about men I already admired and the other about a performer–spoiler alert: that one was my very favorite.

This week, PBS profiled Walt Disney on their American Experience series for two nights. Altogether, it’s a four hour documentary, which sounds tedious, but instead, it was engrossing. I’ve been a Disney nerd for years, but I’ve never seen such a balanced profile of Walt Disney the man–the capitalist, the obsessive, the guy that’s maybe a little racist. There was amazing footage from the studio, the strikes, and the early days of the parks that I’d never seen. If it piques your interest at all, it’s worth a watch.

Before night 2 of Walt Disney, I caught the last five minutes of this one and had to look it up too. In Their Own Words: Jim Henson, also a PBS doc, is a profile of a completely different type of creative. The doc focused on Henson’s story and interviews with those closest to him. I was interested to hear that both Disney and Henson struggled with wanting to be artists for all, not just artists for children. But while Disney was often seen as a harsh manager, Henson’s people talked a lot about love.

And speaking of Henson’s people, carve out time this weekend to watch I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story. It’s free streaming with Amazon Prime right now, and it’s one of my favorite documentaries to date!

Random, Happy Things

Fact: I have been down for the count with a summer cold for the past few days. But while doing some work on my computer, I ran across this picture and decided it was as good a time as any to share some random, happy things with you.

I took the picture above when we went to an event for Southern Living at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina. The post that covered said event not only includes a picture of me with my natural hair color (WHAT?!) but also a recipe for bourbon-and-cola bundt cakes that I’d completely forgotten about. You’re welcome.

Speaking of travel, I’m back on the HGTV Dreams Happen Blog today talking about the location of the HGTV 2015 Urban Oasis: Asheville, NC. Today’s post highlights 3 restaurant interiors (including the Early Girl Eatery pictured above) and how to bring their look into your own home. I found some great Etsy shops while working on this post so go show them some love! (Yay, small business!)

Random Thing #3: My family is from a small town in Virginia called Appalachia (population: 1727). It is one of the most gorgeous places on God’s green earth and right next door is Big Stone Gap. Well, we’ve been stoked around here since the rumor started that Adriana Trigiani had decided to turn her Big Stone Gap novels into a movie. When the stars were announced, I got really excited and now, after much anticipation, there’s a trailer!

Big Stone Gap will come to theaters on October 9th. Until then, here’s a link to pick up the books. (Fun Fact: My grandparents are mentioned in book #2.)

Alright, I’m going back to the couch and episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. See you tomorrow.

Photography Extraordinary and Alice in Wonderland

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig! One unplanned detour through Atlanta and we are home–after a wonderful, whirlwind of a trip to The Big Apple. On this trip I tried not to take as many pictures and really just soak everything in. But on Sunday, one of my favorites and I went to see the 150 Years of Wonderland exhibit at the Morgan Library. It was there that I read about Lewis Carroll’s humorous essay “Photography Extraordinary” and, if you’ll excuse the pun, went down a bit of a rabbit hole.

In 1855, Carroll published an essay anonymously in The Comic Times called “Photography Extraordinary” that spoofed this new invention of photography. (It’s worth noting that Carroll later became an accomplished portrait photographer himself.) You can read the full text here, as part of the Morgan Library’s online exhibition, which is really fantastic in its own right. The premise was that this new machine could capture the idea of a dunce and, through further development, make it sound brilliant. He then suggests that the same mechanism be applied to the speeches of Parliament. Ha!

As I started thinking about this idea of repetition leading to full development, I started seeing it in John Tenniel’s illustrations for Wonderland as well as the work of many other artists. For instance, The White Rabbit, shown above, appeared repeatedly on sketches throughout the collection. Little details like the lines around his eyes or the length of his ears would change but his essence was always there. (For the record, of all the rabbits, the sketch above was decidedly my favorite.)

Much like an artist, the chef works out the flaws of a knife technique as they become more comfortable with the practice. A musician works out the nuance of a piece as they become more in tune with the placement of actions and the rhythm. The truth and meaning come out as the writer employs different ways of stating their opinion. And perhaps your mother was right: Practice does make perfect.

Poetry Reading List

Isn’t that quote just perfect? It is from the poem “Evangeline,” and was written on the chalkboard at the entrance to one of my favorite bookstores: Sundog Books. Wooden floors, tall shelves, and tables stacked high with books make it the perfect early morning stop in Seaside. Plus, there are giant mimosas next door to sip once you’ve found the book you’d like to spend the afternoon with. So today, inspired by Sundog, I’m sharing my poetry reading list.

“Evangeline” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I’m familiar with this title because my favorite aunt’s name was Evangeline, and she had a beautiful antique copy of this epic poem. But I confess, I never read it. So after the chalkboard’s gentle reminder, this one has gone to the top of the list! The plot follows Evangeline in her search for her long-lost love, Gabriel.

“Telling the Bees” by Faith Shearin

Garrison Keillor has read several selections from this poetry collection recently on the Writer’s Almanac, and I have loved the subjects Shearin chooses to write about. There’s something about the sense of place she describes in her poems that I find incredibly comfortable. My favorite was “My Grandparents Generation”…

I am going to miss their attics,
their ordinary coffee, their chicken
fried in lard.

“O, What a Luxury” by Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor’s poetry, much like his radio show A Prairie Home Companion, is just fun. There’s a chapter in this book titled “Was Ethel Merman a Mormon?” because sometimes alliteration is awesome. Among odes to Minnesota and the Lutheran Church, he even writes his own “Thong Song.” It’s definitely worth a read!

So tell me: Do you read poetry? If so, what else should be on my list this summer?

Reclaimed Book

Last week, in Video 002, I shared a peek at this reclaimed book I’ve been working on. Today I thought I’d give you a closer look. It’s a library book that was withdrawn after years of wear & tear and left in the free bin at a local book store.

I started on the page with the Random House logo, and ideas proceeded from there. If you look closely at the dedication page, it reads:

Dedicated to the memory of my dear home life.

Happy coincidence, no? Now with the help of pens, paste, and colored pencils, it’s slowly becoming a book about our home, our favorite objects and activities.

National Library Week

In today’s edition of Fun Facts with Hannah B: Did you know it is National Library Week? I used to love visiting the library. My elementary school librarian still looms as this magical figure in my head. She introduced me to Curious George and haiku, and I will never forget the day I learned to look things up all by myself in the card catalog.

Trips to the library with my mom were frequent too, which is where I met Harriet. Harriet was my favorite. Finally a girl who also carried a notebook everywhere she went–a habit I developed early and never gave up.

National Library Week | Hannah & Husband

A recent doodle from my sketchbook… Library Week has been in my brain I guess!

If you look at the inside cover of my copy of Harriet the Spy, you’ll find this inscription scrawled by a 8 or 9 year old hand:

There’s this line in Harriet the Spy that I love, and it’s at the very beginning. Sport wants Harriet to play football and she’s too busy setting up her imaginary town. She’s trying to tell Sport what and where everything is, but he doesn’t seem to buy it. So she asks him what he’s going to be when he’s a grown-up.

“You know what. You know I’m going to be a ball player.”

“Well, I’m going to be a writer. And when I say that’s a mountain, that’s a mountain.” Satisfied, she turned back to her town.

I love that. First of all, that she’s so convicted about what she wants to be. Like I mentioned last week, not only is that rare, things often don’t turn out exactly as we plan. But everything Harriet does is geared toward her end goal. She’s a writer so she writes.

Second, the power her statement gives writers! “…when I say that’s a mountain, that’s a mountain.” Writers create magical worlds that we must commit to every time we open a book. I have a personal policy of giving up on books when I’m not digging them. Reading is a pleasure and committing my time to a book means it becomes a part of your own story. So I’m pretty choosy about what worlds I want to buy in to. What is it Kathleen Kelly says? “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading your whole life does.” True dat, homegirl!

Today, I’m suggesting you take a trip to the library this week to celebrate National Library Week. Libraries are these magical places for commitment phobes like myself that don’t like spending money but really like committing for two week increments to beautiful piles on their side table.

There’s a collection of my current favorites below to get you started. (The list changes with the wind, but this happens to be today’s so enjoy it while it lasts!) Also of note: my new favorite thing: This tote bag by Emily McDowell.

My Life in France by Julia Child / Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell / The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell / Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling / Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (this is another fav of her’s) / The Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman

Is there any book you’ve absolutely loved that should be on my list? Tell me in the comments below.

TGIF!

Hello & Happy Friday! Here are a few fun (random) links that I gathered from around the interwebs this week.

Luke Edward Hall–”the young British aesthete”–has become a hero as of late. He wrote a lovely piece for this month’s Lonny all about his favorite things, and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall hard and fast for his style. Check out his website where you’ll find a shop as well as his “journal,” a blog full of inspiration. He also has a few prints up on Katie Armour’s Buddy Editions that are definitely worth a look.

As a lifelong Disney devotee, I was thrilled when a friend sent me this fascinating video of four Disney artists perfectly exemplifying: “You do you!” (Also, The Art Spirit is now on my reading list!)

Lulu Miller, co-host of Invisibilia, spoke to Creative Mornings DC six weeks before her podcast (a favorite of mine) premiered. The topic for the morning was “chance” and her title was pretty perfect (“Catapulting Chance into your Stupid Head”) as was her talk.

John Oliver talked about U.S. Territories on Last Week Tonight and blew my mind a little bit.

If you have any favorite links from around the interwebs this week, tweet me!

Happy Friday!

TGIF!

We made it! TGIF! As you get your brain into weekend mode, here are a few of my favorite things from around the web this week.

I am ridiculously excited about “It’s Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise,” an upcoming documentary on HBO by Lena Dunham and Matt Wolf. Hilary Knight has long been one of my very favorite illustrators. I love his style, but I also love that each time I look at one of his illustrations, I find a new detail that adds so much charm to the story.

Jack White has finally “made it.”

Sarah Soloman is one of my favorite twitter-ers. (No, I will not use the word “tweeps.” We are not in a Lindsay Lohan movie.) This week she wrote a guide to “The 6 Different Types of Guys You’ll Date in Your 20s: Preppy Edition” for Town & Country. It is eerily accurate. For our purposes, a line about The Southern Prep…

He has a thing for Famous Grouse and Wild Turkey
in both bird and bottle form.

Disclaimer before we begin: I never listen to Story Corps. If I want my news in the morning with a dose of fun or touchy-feely, I’ll watch the Today Show because then it at least comes with a side of Matt, Al, & Willie. Otherwise, just tell me what’s happening in Washington and what the weather is–please and thank you. But this morning, Obama was on Story Corps with Noah McQueen, an 18 year old White House mentee that’s part of the My Brother’s Keeper program. The conversation is totally worth a listen. And (bonus) this one won’t make you cry; it will just make you really proud to be an American. (cue Lee Greenwood)

Finally, if you’ve ever thought of raising a family in the city, my friend Caryn Schafer shared her story on Design Mom this week. Her insights into motherhood are honest and beautiful. Plus, you’ll find yourself wondering how many books she really does own.

Hannah and Husband

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Tag Archives: books

How to Carve a Turkey by Duncan Hines

Related Posts:

TGIF!

TGIF! (S?)

Random, Happy Things

Photography Extraordinary and Alice in Wonderland

Related Post: How to Work Through an Idea

Poetry Reading List

“Evangeline” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Telling the Bees” by Faith Shearin

“O, What a Luxury” by Garrison Keillor

Reclaimed Book

Dedicated to the memory of my dear home life.

National Library Week

“You know what. You know I’m going to be a ball player.”

“Well, I’m going to be a writer. And when I say that’s a mountain, that’s a mountain.” Satisfied, she turned back to her town.

Is there any book you’ve absolutely loved that should be on my list? Tell me in the comments below.

TGIF!

If you have any favorite links from around the interwebs this week, tweet me!

TGIF!

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