Travel Log

May 21, 1819

Pioneer's ride into Berkeley Springs today was as easy as pie. That's when I realized that in his day and age, folks love comparing all things good, easy, and kind to pie. Beats me why this is a common phrase, except that perhaps pie is one of the best culinary creations to this day, and much beloved throughout America. Pie can be sweet, savory, and juicy, and quite nothing else tickles the palette than a slice with a big ol' glass of cold milk!

If you don't currently have anything to bake a pie in, may I suggest my Golden Era Pie Plate? This 9" plate turns out the perfect size pies, whether they be blueberry, pumpkin, huckleberry, or my personal favorite, apple. Made of tin, they're still built in the USA. Not only that, but if you get the hankerin' you can even use them to pan for treasure--just like the 49ers did!

However, I think they're best for making pie, which is what I plan on chowing down on as soon as I've dipped into the tepid waters of Berkeley Springs for a freshening up. More on this fascinating, historical village in my next entry! In the meantime, click here for this classic lemon meringue pie recipe, courtesy of Southern Living.

 

May 4, 1819

There is no finer traveling time than May. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the bees are a-buzzing. Unfortunately, they're also a-stinging, as my poor steed Pioneer found out today. While passing a grove of lilac trees along a farm, a big ol' bumblebee--laden with pollen--landed on Pioneer's rump. Before I had the chance to swat it away, I found myself landing--with a big TWACK in the middle of the dirt road.

I was unscathed, but a little achy. The farmer and his wife who witnessed the show were kindly people. They helped me to my shaky feet and invited me into their abode (and Pioneer into a field where he recovered from his sting with a bucket of oats.) And it was in their hearth that I was treated to a stack of bacon and corn griddle cakes--the best that ever passed my lips! As the father's wife, Mary, said to me, "Mr. Bromwell, there are few things that a good bellyful of griddle cakes cannot fix." I declare Mary to be correct. Oh, a nip of the farmer's whiskey stash may have lent a helping hand as well.

To try these scrumptious griddle cakes for yourself, just click here for the recipe from RecipeGirl.com.

Next stop: Berkeley Springs, West Virginia--said to be the oldest spa in our good nation! Here's hoping for bee-free passage!

May 2, 1819

 

Along the road out of Hagerstown, I met a group of men gathered around a campfire, and they invited me to stay for dinner. The cookie's name was Nathaniel Morgan, and I dare say he was the finest cook I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. He was a fubsy old coot, knee high to a grasshopper, with an evil eye and half an ear. But what he lacked in ears and demeanor he made up for in culinary mastery. He claimed to have learned everything about cookery between the start of Texas Revolution and the end of the Spanish-American War, picking up tips from survivalist soldiers and renowned chefs alike. After polishing off his pork, beans and cornbread he told me over a round of tequila, “Bromwell you old sonofagun, if you wanna be great, you gotta dance like you’ve got tabasco pumpin’ in yer veins. But if you wanna be greater... get a grater.” I will never forget his sage words.

Now I know what to name the grater I bought along for the trip: Morgan’s Famous Grater. It's made the same way it was nearly two-hundred years ago. It features fine, medium, and coarse grating surfaces, plus a slicing surface, making you master of cheese and produce. You can request it finished in either stainless steel or original tin (my favorite, since it stays sharper longer).

Next time you’re in the kitchen with inferior cookware, just think: Can my kitchen get any greater? Now it can, with Morgan’s Famous Grater.