My collections: glassware

Although glass pieces are often put on display, because of it's affordability I like to use my collectible glassware on a daily basis. Glass can be both functional and beautiful, made in many colors and textures.

My personal preference is aqua glass. Memories of my grandmother's house are punctuated with pieces of aqua glass -- aqua vases, jars, glasses and bowls filled her home. I understand why. Aqua glass mimics the warm waters of oceans in faraway tropical locales. It's restful and rejuvenating.

But I also like clear glass. Especially when I want to show off the contents of that glass, or when the glass has been embossed with a pretty design.

Some of my favorite pieces and uses

You already know that I like to frequent vintage and second-hand shops.

vintage ice cream cups -- this is a common pattern, they're about $2-3 per piece in vintage shops, even less on ebay. Talk about portion control! These hold exactly 1 scoop of ice cream and no more, just the size that I think is about right.

vintage aqua "Moxie Nerve Tonic" bottle  -- "Moxie" bottles are more of a vintage shop or collectors item. I see these on ebay and etsy often, with prices ranging from about $7 up to $25, depending on condition, and whether or not a wire and the zinc or porcelain stopper is still attached. I bought this one at a flea market many years ago.  With its long neck, it makes a perfect "vase" for 3 or 4 daisies in mid-summer. But I also use it as a table water bottle, when we eat out on the deck (our deck decor is in aqua, sage green, dark brown, and white).

vintage aqua glass ink bottle -- found in a free pile. It once held ink, but now makes a sweet posie vase for small blossoms.

1960's embossed fruit pattern punch cups -- No sense in buying a punch service new. Punch cups, and sometimes the large bowls, abound in thrift shops. New-- you could pay $20 and up for 6 to 12 cups, just the cups -- mine are a Value Village find at 29 cents per cup -- no matching bowl. (I've seen these exact cups for as much as $1.50 each on Etsy.) I use a large glass salad bowl for a punch bowl, mostly around the holidays, at birthday parties, or mid-summer, for eggnog, punch and chilled gazpacho soup on a hot summer day.

I also can appreciate the beauty in new-ish glass pieces, and these are very affordable to free.

recycled food jars -- both home canning jars and washed olive, salsa, peanut butter or mayo jars (re-manufacturing glass is better than sending jars and bottles to the landfill, but re-purposing the glass is even better for the environment.) I use these on my desk to hold pens, desk tools, rubber bands and scissors. Inside the jars, I slide clippings from magazines and junk mail. Sometimes the clippings are inspirational thoughts, and sometimes they're photos of crafting, designing and gardening ideas.

blue canning jars -- these are new, and can be found on Amazon and in the canning sections of many grocery, home and big box stores. I've found the pint jars for a low as $8 for a set of 6, about $1.35 per jar. I use these in the bathroom to organize bath supplies, like cotton balls and swabs.


Collecting vintage glassware is still relatively frugal. I can pick up pieces in thrift and vintage shops, garage sales and "free" piles, all for a fraction of what I'd pay for a similar, newly-manufactured item. Yet, a vintage piece has history. That's something a set of glassware from Target can't claim.

I like to imagine a family sitting around their dining table, enjoying a scoop of ice cream on a steamy summer evening. Or the "Moxie" bottle -- I may only fill the bottle with water for table use now, but I can imagine once this bottle held it's famous nerve tonic.

I guess you could say that I'm a closet social-history enthusiast.


Collections on a budget. Glassware is one of mine. Do you have a favorite collection?

Solutions and substitutions: old time way to make Lemon Meringue Pie (no cornstarch, no cream of tartar)

First of all, the vanilla bean giveaway. There were 20 entrants, total. Entrant #5 is the lucky winner. Susan Meier, email me your mailing address and I'll get these vanilla beans into the mail right away! lili.mounce@gmail.com

Now on to today's post.

Even with a fairly complete baking cabinet, I, too, run out of just the thing I need, and right when I need it.

For my husband's birthday, last month, I had wanted to make a Lemon Meringue Pie, as he has told me that was his favorite growing up. But I was seriously low on corn starch, and cream of tartar is expensive, so I try to use it sparingly. So, my quest was to find a way or recipe to make this favorite pie without corn starch or cream of tartar.

That's when I scoured my older cookbooks (1950s-era) and found a recipe for Old-time Lemon Pie. It called for flour as the thickener in the lemon custard and in the meringue, instead of cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites, it called for lemon juice. Perfect!

The basic guideline for substituting all-purpose flour for cornstarch is to use twice as much flour as the cornstarch called for in the recipe. Also, it should take half as long for flour to thicken, in a sauce, than corn starch.

An FYI, 1 cup of liquid requires 1 tablespoon of corn starch, or 2 tablespoons of flour, to thicken to a sauce or gravy.

But back to the Lemon Meringue Pie. I made it the old-timey way, and it came out wonderfully creamy. If there is a difference, between one made with corn starch and one made with flour, I'd say the cornstarch version is slightly firmer, and the flour version is slightly creamier. But it's so close, a casual diner would not be able to tell the difference.

As for adding an acid to egg whites before whipping, here's a good explanation of how the acid stabilizes the egg white. Basically, to get the fluffiest meringue topping that actually holds its volume, you need to add something acidic to the egg whites, such as vinegar, lemon juice or cream of tartar.

To make a meringue topping using 3 egg whites -- use 3/8th teaspoon cream of tartar, or, 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar, or 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Needing an old-time recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie? Here's the one I used just last month. It has more tang and less sweetness than other recipes that I've used. A good, old-time, lemon flavor.

Old-time Lemon Pie
ingredients:

1 pre-baked pie crust

filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks, beaten

meringue:

3 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons granulated sugar


Combine sugar, flour, salt in a saucepan. Use a whisk to mix in water and lemon juice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick (about 3 minutes).

Remove from heat. Stir a couple of spoonfuls of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Repeat. Add egg yolks to remaining hot mixture. Return to medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring, and cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Pour into cooled, baked pie shell.

Beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over lemon curd pie filling, sealing to edges.

Bake in preheated oven, 350 degrees F, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool before slicing pie.

Recalling this pie makes me want another one. I may just make a lemon pie for our Memorial Day cook-out. Do you have any plans for your Memorial Day celebration?

The lesson learned here is sometimes the old ways work out best, and save us money. I think of all the things I've been inspired to try because I read about them in an historical fiction novel, from baking bread, to making pickles and sourdough. I think there's a bit of homesteader in all of us.