If a trip to Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village is in your future, you’re probably already mentally calculating how many layers of winter clothing you’ll want to wear…but worry not – we have plenty of ways to help you stay nice and toasty during this fantastically fun outdoor winter event!

In no particular order, here are some of the best ways to stay warm during Holiday Nights:

Cuddle up with a loved one at one of the more than 50 (!) warming fires stationed around Greenfield Village….

…or on a wagon ride, where you can keep your mind off the cold with a sing-along.

Stop in the Beer Guild Hall for some hot cocoa, Hobo Bread, hot or mulled cider – or even an “adult” warm-up (translation: hot cocoa with peppermint Schnapps).

New to this year’s Holiday Nights program is the Burbank Store, which is a fantastic place to get cookies and cocoa and other goodies just before (or just after) stopping to see Santa Claus.

Our heated Pavilion is wonderful for sitting down with a cup of our own butternut squash soup (which is our most-requested recipe), hot dogs, bratwurst and lighter snacks such as popcorn. Or, for an even more traditional meal, the Taste of History restaurant offers both adult- and kid-sized turkey dinners and other items in our largest menu available for guests.

Of course, you don’t have to step away from any of the action to grab some tasty morsels – on Main Street, you can find carved roast beef sandwiches and chestnuts (yes, roasted over an open fire!); and on State Street, we have a huge cauldron of pork and apple stew simmering over the fire.

Once you’ve filled up your own gas tank, don’t forget to catch a ride on a Model T – blankets are available in the vehicles to keep you warm (remember, these early cars didn’t have heaters, or even glass windows to keep out the cold!).

Of course, stopping into the historic homes of Greenfield Village is a great way to escape the chill for a few moments. We’re cooking period-appropriate holiday dinners in many of the homes, with other special presentations in particular buildings.

But if you’re a Holiday Nights veteran, you probably know the best ways to fight off the cold – what are your suggestions? Tell us below or on our Facebook wall!

We have several pieces of presidential china in our collections - have you seen Abraham Lincoln’s china on display inside A Taste of History in Greenfield Village? – but this grand Limoges turkey platter, with its curved edges and striking artwork, is quite unique.

According to one of our curators emeritus, Henry (Hank) Prebys:

This platter decorated with a turkey was intended for use at state dinners at the White House and would present foods other than roast turkey, but it nicely symbolizes our Thanksgiving traditions. The plate comes from a very large set of dinnerware, each piece depicting in a natural way an American bird, fish, animal or flower. An American artist, Theodore Davis, developed the images from 130 watercolor designs. He also modeled twelve new shapes for plates to be used for special courses.

Elaborate plates and a multitude of eating utensils created a need for etiquette manuals to help the untutored wade their way through a fancy dinner. The dinner service that contained the turkey platter soon lost popularity at the White House. As you might expect, who wants to see the animal you just finished eating, in its natural habitat?

What are you serving your Thanksgiving turkey on today? Do you go the antique china route, or something more modern?

Are you looking for a delicious, traditional – and different – summer recipe?

The Firestone family, the original inhabitants of the Firestone Farm, frequently ate eggplant in the summer months due to its availability. Both purple and white eggplant types are not a very hearty crop, so it had to be eaten just as it was harvested because it could not keep for long. Talk about a fresh dish!

This fried eggplant recipe would have been served at the Firestone Farm in the 1830s.

Fried Eggplant Recipe

Peel and cut eggplant in slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let drain on a tipped plate (prop up against a book or other surface to slightly raise the edge) for 45 minutes.

While the eggplant is draining, make a light batter with one egg, flour (or cracker crumbs) and a little water. Dip the slices into the batter and fry in butter or lard.

Or, peel the eggplant and cook in boiling water until done (softened); then pour off the water, finely mash with a fork and add pepper, butter and salt to taste. Put mixture in a shallow pudding pan, and place a thick layer of the crushed flour or cracker mixture over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes in a moderate oven (approximately 350 degrees).

What are some of your favorite summer dishes? How else do you like to enjoy eggplant?

Great news for those of you with a sweet tooth – we’ve opened a fudge shop inside of the Greenfield Village Store! Checkout the video of the new shop and to meet Amy, who’s helping to make (and sell) this delicious new treat.

Made right inside the store with real cream and butter, these blocks of deliciousness are so creamy and wonderful – come try a sample of one of the 14 flavors we’re regularly offering!

And the flavors rotate often, so be sure to try them all…what flavors would you like to see us offer?

Nicole from Dining in Detroit recently sampled some of our signature beers and cocktails at Eagle Tavern in Greenfield Village – and I think she was a little surprised to find that her childhood field trip destination had such a robust local food story.

As she puts it:

Yes, the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village is a phenomenal collection of local historical artifacts, a treasure trove of Detroit’s automotive history (and by extension, America’s industrial history), as well as an elaborate piece of preserved Americana: “American’s Greatest History Attraction.” But did you know that the food service program in both the Museum and the Village (including the Village’s full-service restaurant, Eagle Tavern) is one of the most passionately and progressively locally-sourced menus in metro Detroit?

Check out her full blog post about her visit here – and for even better photos of Eagle Tavern and some of our signature drinks, her Flickr pool is here.

Have you tried any of our newest beers or cocktails? Which one is your favorite?

So much of St. Patrick’s Day is associated with food and drink – so Jim Johnson, our senior manager of creative programs and an expert in cultural “foodways” throughout America, is here to share the real deal on Irish food customs, traditions and myths. Enjoy, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The Irish had a huge cultural impact upon the United States in so many ways, especially when it comes to food – but so much of what we now refer to as “Irish” food is actually Irish-American. Much of what is associated with the Irish foodways here in the United States, including the way we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, are purely American inventions.

Of course, there is a small connecting thread to Ireland in all of it, but what so many of the Irish immigrants left behind in their homeland was utter poverty and starvation, especially those who left during the “starving time.” (To be clear, not all of the Irish lived in poverty, but the vast majority of the population lived in the rural areas essentially at a subsistence level.)

What led to the “starving time”? By the first quarter of the 19th century, potatoes became the absolute mainstay of the Irish diet, taking the place of bread – so when the potato blight hit in the 1840s, there was no safety net and a devastating famine began. Those lucky enough to escape the misery landed all along the east coast of America and Canada. Enclaves of Irish immigrants formed in all of the major cities, even into the Midwest in places like Detroit and Chicago.

When it came to food, Irish immigrants cooked with what they knew, but they also took full advantage of what was now available. Urban areas, like the boroughs of New York City, had year-round markets (much like they still do today) where any assortment of meat, fish and in-season fresh vegetables and fruit could be purchased any day of the year – something that was totally new to them.

The practice of pickling or “corning” beef and other meat was a part of many different cultures, but became associated with urban Irish-Americans in the later 19th century. This, along with cabbage and root vegetables cooked in many forms, also became associated with Irish-American cuisine.

Take corned beef, for example. In most areas of Ireland, the average person really did not have much access to beef, corned or otherwise. A very small amount of pork – usually in salted bacon or fatback form – along with cabbage, potatoes and a limited amount of grains (like oats or barley) made up their regular diet.

Irish soda bread also became popular long after the days of the famine were over in Ireland, although the use of baking soda and refined flours were not common among the rural Irish and actually came to those in urban areas a bit later as well.

Thanks, Jim! If all of this food talk has left you hankering for a bit of Irish-American cuisine, you’re in luck – because Jim has also shared a traditional soda bread recipe as well! Try it for yourself and let us know how it turns out!

Irish soda bread

4 Cups of White Flour (whole wheat would make brown bread)

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon of Salt

14 oz of Buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Sift dry ingredients, then add buttermilk to make a sticky dough. Mix well and carefully fold and knead the dough, being careful not to overwork it. Form a round loaf and cut an X in the top of the loaf.

Using two round cake pans, grease the lower pan and add the loaf. Cover with the second pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the top pan and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

The bread is done when it is lightly browned and sounds hollow when thumped. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To store the bread, cover the loaf with a damp tea towel, but don’t worry about it getting stale – once you taste this delicious bread, it likely won’t last long enough for that to be a concern!

It’s your last chance for Celebrate Black History! programming and the George Washington Carver exhibit in Henry Ford Museum – both end this Sunday, February 27!

As Black History Month draws to a close, head to Henry Ford Museum for one final hurrah (and a taste of that delicious sweet potato candy, from a George Washington Carver recipe!) as we celebrate this weekend’s theme, Contemporary Times.

Sweet potato candy - yum!

Join us for an inspirational performance by Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit’s internationally acclaimed Mosaic Singers, presented by Ford Motor Company Fund, at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m; then, hear the Hamilton Family – comprised of one of our own Greenfield Village actresses, Ernestine Worford, and her three brothers – at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. as they perform a selection of gospel, civil rights and other socially-focused songs for today’s times. Both groups will perform on both Saturday and Sunday.

This weekend is also your last opportunity to catch our cooking demonstrations and African-American innovator tours – don’t miss out!

Take one last stroll through the tribute to the man who revolutionized so much more than the use of peanuts – the George Washington Carver exhibit explores how this amazing innovator began life as a kidnapped, enslaved infant and grew to become one of the greatest scientists and agriculturists in history.

A little farther down the halls of the museum, inside our Made in America exhibit, you can see one of our giant engines – the Corliss – operating at 1:30 p.m.! Stop by to see this fascinating machine at work and find out why it was significant in American manufacturing.

And don’t forget: Our transportation exhibit is under construction, but there are still plenty of cars to see throughout the museum! Make sure to hop around the side of the Allegheny locomotive to see some of our automotive collection on display, including the 1903 Packard “Old Pacific,” 1959 Cadillac Eldorado and a very groovy 1959 Volkswagen Westfalia camper!

Have a great weekend!

Anne Chanson of Madison, WI!

She suggested the name that was ultimately selected for this delicious new cookie: The “Model C”!

You can buy this tasty (and huge!) cookie now in Michigan Cafe and in our Greenfield Village restaurants and shops after the village re-opens on April 15.

Congratulations to Anne, and thank you to the nearly 50 people who stopped in, tasted the cookie and suggested some really excellent names!

This weekend’s theme for our Celebrate Black History! program is the Civil Rights Movement. Honor the efforts of these courageous leaders by learning about some of the faces of the movement in our “Minds on Freedom” presentation, located near the George Washington Carver exhibit; help create a wreath of hands and share your vision in our hands-on activity, “What Does Freedom Mean to Me?,” underneath the DC-3 and near the entrance to the Heroes of the Sky exhibit; or climb aboard Montgomery Bus Lines #2857 and hear a recording of the  icon of the movement, Mrs. Parks, as she tells about the day she took a stand by staying seated on that Alabama bus.

Shout (or sing) with joy – there are lots of activities happening this Saturday through Monday at Henry Ford Museum, all free with admission!

For more hands-on activities, color a George Washington Carver-themed coloring sheet with soy-based crayons, paint with soy-based yogurt finger paint, make a thumb print with soy ink and even take home a couple of these recipes to try at home!

And this weekend, we continue our African-American Innovators tours and cooking demonstrations of Mattox House recipes inside Henry Ford Museum, just outside of the Fully Furnished exhibit – one of our fantastic presenters, Meeta, will take you on a journey of how “the colors” from across the globe brought local spices, foods and influences to create delicious dishes we enjoy today like Hoppin’ John and fried apple pies. Want a little appetizer? Watch as Meeta gives you a bit of an introduction to this – as well as a history lesson in why these dishes are NOT “soul food”!

And finally, a bit of a preview into the beginning of the week: Monday, February 21 is Presidents Day, and thanks to Target Family Days, we’ll be offering a whole selection of activities for you to enjoy as well! Enjoy a performance by the Mosaic Youth Singers at 12:30 p.m. in the Museum Plaza, learn the trials, tribulations and triumphs of America’s fight for freedom in our With Liberty And Justice For All exhibit and get crafty with a presidential-themed activity: your very own presidential chenille ornament! Aren’t they fun?

See you soon!

This weekend’s theme is Northern Migration; special activities include cooking demonstrations from our Mattox House recipes, like Hoppin’ John and smothered pork chops, just outside of our Fully Furnished exhibit. Or try our Carver-inspired hands-on activity – soy plastic demonstrations, and create your own artwork with soy-based fingerprint ink!

For inspiring performances, check out musician Robert Jones at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. And one of your favorite performers at The Henry Ford, Anthony the storyteller, takes on the role of Elijah McCoy for “Elijah: The Real McCoy,” Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

To learn even more about Elijah McCoy and other key innovators throughout history, make sure to take our African-American Innovators Tour with one of our master presenters.

Have a great weekend – and if you can join us, make sure to share your pictures afterward on Flickr and Facebook!