Perfect Marriage: Cooking & Little House

The Little House Cookbook, in all its bright orange glory.

I have long been a fan of the "Little House On The Prairie" series (the books, not the show so much, but, despite that, I've probably seen every episode). Anyway, as a child I read them and reread them, then read them again. I wanted to be Laura. I wanted to stand where she stood. It was my dream to visit all of the Little House sites, Laura's former homesteads with her family, and I finally visited some of them as an adult. You may laugh, but these trips were just about the only vacations I have ever taken. Forget island paradise. I went to Missouri.

I have no shame. This was, is, and will always be the level of my obsession.

So, you can imagine my glee when I came across "The Little House Cookbook." Researched and written by Barbara M. Walker, it features more than "100 authentic recipes of classic pioneer food — the food that Laura Ingalls and her family ate as they traveled from the woods of Wisconsin to the Dakota Territory." ... And let's not forget "Farmer Boy," Laura's future husband. That boy had it made in his mother's New York state kitchen.

Some of the recipes are from a bygone era but well worth trying out today; others are similar to what I sometimes make in my own kitchen. I'll tackle one soon and let you know how I make out.