Book Review: Little House Cookbook

The Little House Cookbook is so much more than a list of recipes. It is a history book, a kitchen manual, and a very interesting collection of old-time recipes. You won't just flip through it for recipe ideas; you'll want to sit down and read it from cover to cover!

It explains some of the most basic ingredients in the Little House kitchen, such as salt pork, cornmeal, molasses, and other stand-bys. There is a detailed explanation of the bread-making process the way Ma and Laura did it. There is a how-to for homemade butter, both in a churn and in a mason jar. There are even detailed instructions for making cheese as described in Little House in the Big Woods.

You will also find instructions for copying the scrumptious meals featured in Farmer Boy (Little House) , made by Almanzo's mother. Look for Fried Apples 'n Onions, Apple Turnovers, Chicken Pie, and even Roasted Pig!

If you remember The Long Winter (Little House), you can re-create the brown bread the Ingall's ate twice daily when the town ran out of food.

Make the same sourdough starter that Ma used in By the Shores of Silver Lake (Little House) for her biscuits.

Try the Stewed Jack Rabbit and Dumplings that the family shared with Mr. Edwards in Little House on the Prairie (Little House, No 2).

And make Fried Salt Pork with Gravy as the Ingalls family did in nearly every book in the series.

What's more, most of the recipes can be made today with our basic kitchen ingredients!

For the self-sufficient type, this book is a must-have. The Ingalls family, like all Pioneers, were self-sufficient by necessity. The Wilders were, as well.

You can find out how to make baking powder, vinegar, soured milk, and more in your own home! Find out how they used up every last morsel to make their resources stretch.

For any Little House fan, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Order yours today!

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Please Put All Cell Phones on Silent

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Now that our society is totally addicted to instant communication, I pondered the idea of what life was like before cell phones and email. I remember that time. It wasn't that long ago. But you'd think, today, that we never knew how to leave our house without having immediate access to everyone we know!

It was a little over a decade ago that people began carrying a phone with them everywhere, and now many people have them attached to their head!

Back up a few years more: there was no call-waiting or answering machine. If someone was home, they answered the phone. If they weren't, you tried them again later. If they were already on the phone, you got a busy signal.

But imagine, not only running errands without a phone, but traveling west for a permanent move that might forever separate you from your family and friends, and quite possibly, from all you've ever known. Imagine being content with a letter from home every 6 months or so.

This, to me, is what made up the Pioneer Spirit. It wasn't just having the courage to go to an unknown, unsettled land. It was also saying good-bye to all the comforts of civilization. Wow. I don't think I can even fathom that.

At the end of Little House in the Big Woods, the Ingalls family decided to go west. They pulled up their roots, and traveled alone to the unknown dangers of the Indian Territory (Kansas).

At the end of Little House on the Prairie, they were forced to uproot again, so they went north and settled again, On the Banks of Plum Creek.

At the end of that book, they again relocated. Every time they moved, it was to a new, equally remote location. There were no quick visits back home to the 'folks.' There were no daily or weekly phone calls. Just occasional letters.

Even the letters were short and to the point. Ma would work on a letter for weeks and weeks, adding only what could fit on on sheet of paper (front and back) and writing in the margins. She wanted to fit only the most important details on to that one sheet of paper.

The Ingalls family didn't have the comfort of discussing joys and fears and sorrows with their immediate family. Because of this, they were a close-knit family, and had a strong faith in God.

I think we can all agree that instant communication is really convenient, but it has also changed our society. Does a cell phone take precedence over your family time? Over your work? Do you answer every call just because the phone is ringing?

If you long for the simple life, put your phone on silent, let them leave a message, and you can get back to them later. After all, that's what we did in 1990.

Medical Care

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My whole idea behind this blog stems from the constant thought, "What did they do about this in the old days?" Most everything in our lives is a modern convenience, a modern way of doing things, or a technological advance of some sort. Don't get me wrong: I'm not against modernization. I LOVE my air conditioner, my car, and the internet. I love my fridge, my phone, and indoor plumbing.

But what have we given up in exchange for the modern lifestyle? I think we've given up our independence. We've said good-bye to self-sufficiency. In so many ways, we can't do things without the help of outside sources.


Specifically, we can't take care of our health anymore without the 'advice of a physician.' So how did civilized people for thousands of years manage to live without the American Medical Association, a pediatrician, a general practitioner, and a pharmacy? How did they survive without medical insurance? What did they do without Tylenol, for goodness' sake?

Let's look at Laura's family. There are numerous instances illustrated in Little House where a medical problem arose. (By the way, they probably didn't even use the term "medical problem.") Knowing what to do was part of life. They knew how to take care of a physical ailment just like they knew how to make bread, build a cooking fire, and grow carrots.

In Little House in the Big Woods, Laura tells the story of a naughty boy who stomped up and down on a yellow-jacket nest. Needless to say, he was stung numerous times. So much so, that his entire body was swollen and his eyes were squeezed shut.

They lived in the 'wilderness' with no close neighbors, and of course, no emergency room. They didn't have Benadryl, or an epi-pen, or any injections. They had old-fashioned, everyday wisdom. They packed the boy with mud and wrapped him up tight with cloth. That's it. And he actually lived through it!

In Little House on the Prairie, Ma was helping Pa build their new log cabin when a very large log fell on Ma's ankle. Pa couldn't call 911. They were out in the middle of the Kansas prairie. Pa had picked the location because there were no neighbors close by. The nearest town was 40 miles away, and their only form of transportation was horses.

But Pa didn't waste a minute. He instantly examined Ma for broken bones. He determined that she had only sprained it. Then he had her soak her foot in the hottest water she could stand, and wrapped it tightly. She stayed off her feet for the day. That's it. And the next few days she hobbled around the campsite, continuing on with her work as usual, cooking outdoors, washing clothes, and caring for three little girls. Oh, and Pa sternly said, "You may not help me build the house anymore until your foot is better." : )

Now, I know the argument could be made that we don't live in the wilderness. We don't need to know how to set a broken bone, or treat excessive bee stings, or anything like that. But, is that really true? Have we become so accustomed to calling the doctor, or rushing to the ER, or asking our doctor's advice before starting an exercise program that we can't think for ourselves anymore? Do we really need a prescription for restless legs? Couldn't we just cut back on sugar or caffeine?

Why shouldn't a mother be able to treat minor (and some major) physical ailments? Why should we fear the label of 'bad mother' for not taking our children to the doctor for routine checkups? Why don't we use some common sense?

Since we do live in modern times, we live pretty comfortably. This message could easily fall on deaf ears. But, take a look at history. Civilizations come, and civilizations go, and before one disappears completely, it falls into chaos and then ruin. Are we so sure that America and her modern ways will last forever? I'm not. It could fall into ruin and become only a memory with just one catastrophe. Or it could come very close before it's rescue.

And where will the people be in the midst of the chaos? Where will we turn if the hospitals are overrun, the doctors can no longer practice, or over-the-counter pain relievers are not easily available? Just take a look at Haiti. All it takes is one disaster to plunge a nation into chaos.

But, armed with a bit of knowledge, independence, and self-determination, that same people could survive, and possibly even thrive, because of a little basic knowledge.

So what's my suggestion? Do your research. Learn what they knew in the old days, before major pharmaceutical companies existed. Google phrases like healing herbs, natural healing, nutritional healing. Educate yourself, and then educate your family. Add this information to the basic stuff you teach your kids, like making beds, mowing the lawn, and making pancakes.

Stay healthy. Eat right. Get fresh air and exercise. Turn off the TV. Grow some vegetables. Drink more water.

Sound simple? It is. Haven't you read Little House yet?