The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker

I learned that tomatoes only became sweet at the turn of the century, and that Laura (who became a renowned poultry farmer in her own right) lived to see “poultry raising change from a gentlemen’s sport and farm wife’s pocket money to two separate industries, egg production and meat production.” Today poultry farmers use different breeds for “layers” versus “fryers.” We all know that women cooked over an iron stove, but did you know that they didn’t have baking soda? I didn’t. In each chapter, she locates recipes within their historical context and explains every ingredient. Barbara Walker not only knows how to cook, she is a food historian-her bibliography is four and a half pages long. What I discovered, while looking for recipes that wouldn’t give my guests heart disease, was a good read. I wanted the fun of a pioneer meal and food people would enjoy. Laura Ingalls Wilder always had the knack of making even lettuce with a sprinkle of vinegar and sugar sound like black truffle risotto, but The Loftus General Store wasn’t exactly Whole Foods.

My first read made me think that Ma Ingalls was not just being modest when she said, “Hunger is the best sauce.” Salt Pork. Comfort and nostalgia abound.Īn admitted “Bonnethead,” I read with the intention of holding a pioneer-themed dinner party. Even the font and point size are the same. Chapters often feature a quote and original illustration by Garth Williams form the “Little House” series. As a Laurafan, I’ve been salivating over Ma’s vanity cakes and sourdough biscuits since 1972, pining for those heart-shaped cakes sprinkled in white sugar. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title.For Laura Ingalls Wilder fans, The Little House Cookbook is a no-brainer, must-have, geek fest. The Horn Book praised it as 'a culinary and literary feast.' This book has been widely praised and is the winner of the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. This is a chance to dive into the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, American pioneer, women's club member, and farm homesteader. With this cookbook, you can learn how to make classic frontier dishes like corn dodgers, mincemeat pie, cracklings, and pulled molasses candy. The book also includes excerpts from the Little House books, fascinating and thoroughly researched historical context, and details about the cooking methods that pioneers like Ma Ingalls used, as well as illustrations by beloved artist Garth Williams.

A great gift for Little House fans and anyone who wants more information about what life on the prairie was really like. This award-winning cookbook features more than 100 of the recipes that Laura Ingalls Wilder chronicles in her classic Little House books.

The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker