For Mireya.

I will read and likely love anything relating to pioneer life. While I don’t see myself making most, if not any, of these recipes, I loved learning the origins of classic recipes, seeing how they’ve evolved over the years, and truly getting a sense of “how great a meal tastes depends largely on how cold and hungry one is.”

I was so excited to learn that I wasn't the only one that wanted to try all the meals that were talked about in the "Little House on the Prarie" books. I have tried quite a few recipes already and I appreciate the authenticity rather than trying to adapt too much to our modern society. There is actually quite a bit of reading that goes along with the recipes that explain foods in those times. I have found this book very fun and a great piece of history.

I loved this book - one of the main reasons why I loved the Little House in the Big Woods as a child was the descriptions of food. It all sounded so delicious, and every passage made my mouth water.
Last year when I reread the first in the series, as well as a few others - I was reminded of that fact. Now with this book I have the best of both worlds.
The mouth watering descriptions and the recipes to go with. What I really enjoyed was the historical and modernisation of the recipes which gave the book both a well researched angle, as well as being able to recreate at home.
Being based in the UK - a couple of the ingredients are not readily available. But since the popularisation of Sour Dough starters and breads, this book is a fantastic resource.
In keeping with the "Little House" series, their are no images with the foods - and instead illustrations which is a bit of a shame, as I would of liked some pictures of the food, especially with some being quite complex to make.
I haven't tried the recipes but in terms of a deep dive into food of the American Pioneer, it is a very useful compendium.

Little House Cookbook

There were some real good recipes in this book. It reminded me of how my Mother would cook these some of these things.

"'It takes a great deal to feed a growing boy,' Mother said. And she put a thick slice of birds-nest pudding on his bare plate, and handed him the pitcher of sweetened cream speckled with nutmeg. Almanzo poured the heavy cream over the apples nested in the fluffy crust. The syrupy brown juice curled up around the edges of the cream. Almanzo took up his spoon and ate every little bit." (from Farmer Boy).

The Little House books are filled with glorious, worshipful descriptions of food which could only be written by someone who most likely suffered from malnutrition when growing up. Just look at that quote above.

Anyway, this book is to blame for distracting me from studying for my calculus exam, just as writing this review is doing the same, as I have my calculus textbook open in front of me. Sigh.

This is more of a food history book, and an excellent one at that - not a book of recipes you'd actually cook from, unless you're feeling bored and masochistic (and especially willing to risk burning yourself with boiling hot lard). The book gives you more of an understanding just how much WORK went into preparing food before technological advances like the freezer became commonplace. Walker also warns that some of the foods aren't really suited for modern palates. Like this food would be AWESOME if you were a child laborer, picking potatoes for 15 straight hours or trying to avoid starvation during a six-month winter by consuming one slice of course brown bread a day.

The recipes (and brief history) include:
Cracklings, blackbird pie, vinegar pie, mincemeat pie, rye'n'injun bread, tomato preserves, spit-roasted wild duck, fried cornmeal mush, johnnycakes, corn dodgers, hardtack, pulled molasses candy, and green pumpkin pie. You can also try your hand at making your own vinegar.

The author made and discussed all the foods mentioned in the Little House series. Heavily illustrated and with quotes from the books. Interesting for history and for food. Quite a contrast between the lavish spreads of Almonzo's childhood and the austerity of Laura's.

I loved this cookbook! The author clearly put a lot of research and care into her recipes, and so the book was engaging as well as informative. I can't wait to try some of them out! (Except maybe not the blackbird pie)

I'll start by saying that I don't usually read cookbooks, but this one was half cookbook and half textbook. The recipes are authentic as possible, with the substitutions due to necessity clearly explained (e.g., using starlings in pie because blackbirds aren't readily available). Really interesting read.

A lot of the ingredients are hard to find, but this is really thought provoking about how food supply has changed.
A great read for Laura fans!
I actually love apples'n'onions, which I thought didn't sound that great.

I've decided I need to make Ma's "Vanity Cakes"!

This is a fun book, fun recipes and happy references to all the books.

A really fun book for little house fans. I love all the story quotes and illustrations included with the recipes. My one complaint is the use of maple extract in place of maple syrup or maple sugar. Ma would never have used that and neither do I.