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Category: Cooking

A newspaper article with the bolded words "Thanksgiving menu"

Where’s the Turkey? Activities for Exploring a State-by-State Historical Menu

Posted by: Alli Hartley-Kong

This post was written by Alli Hartley-Kong and Sarah Peet, educational specialists in the Library of Congress’s Informal Learning Office. In the Library’s Informal Learning Office, we find ourselves sifting through digital versions of primary sources every day to identify collections materials we want to connect children and families to. Every so often you find …

Man wearing a tie and apron barbecuing steaks on an outdoor grill.

Beyond Father’s Day: The Story of the Backyard Barbecue

Posted by: Rachel Gordon

Marking Father’s Day with a cookout is as American as apple pie. As I was thinking about how to organize this most traditional of celebrations for Sunday, June 18th this year, I wondered about the custom itself.  What’s the history of grilling, and of the backyard barbecue? When and why did “the man of the …

Two women and a girl seated at a table set for afternoon tea

A Celebration Tea For Mother’s Day

Posted by: Rachel Gordon

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, falling on Sunday, May 14th in the U.S. this year. If you’ve already cycled through giving flowers, chocolates, and similar traditional gifts, why not hold a Mother’s Day tea? Like many British people, I grew up experiencing a mid-afternoon tea break as a widespread institution at home and at work. …