Ma was busy all day long, cooking good things for Christmas. One morning she boiled molasses and sugar together until they made a thick syrup, and Pa brought in two pans of clean, white snow from outdoors. Laura and Mary each had a pan, and Pa and Ma showed them how to pour the dark syrup in little streams on to the snow. They made...
Those stockings weren’t empty yet. Mary and Laura pulled out two small packages. They unwrapped them, and each found a little heart-shaped cake. Over their delicate brown tops was sprinkled white sugar. The sparkling grains lay like tiny drifts of snow. The cakes were too pretty to eat. Mary and Laura just looked at them. But at last...
I’m glad I put beans to soak last night,’ said Ma. She lifted the lid of the bubbling kettle and quickly popped in a spoonful of soda. The boiling beans roared, foaming up, but did not quite run over. ‘There’s a little bit of salt pork to put in them too,’ Ma said. Now and then she spooned up a few beans and blew on them. When their...
At first the splashes of cream showed thick and smooth....After a long time, they began to look grainy. Then Ma churned more slowly, and on the dash there began to appear tiny grains of yellow butter. — Little House in the Big WoodsIn Little House in the Big Woods, Laura recalls how she and Mary would help Ma make homemade butter. Not...
'Let’s make ice-cream!’ Royal shouted. Eliza Jane loved ice-cream….They set the pail in a tub and packed the snowy crushed ice around it, with salt, and they covered it all with a blanket. Every few minutes they took off the blanket and uncovered the pail, and stirred the freezing ice-cream. —Farmer BoyIf you’ve ever made ice cream by...
At last, as Grandma stirred, the syrup in the saucer turned into little grains like sand, and Grandma called: ‘Quick girls! It’s graining!’ Aunt Ruby and Aunt Docia and Ma left the dance and came running. They set out pans, big pans, and little pans, and as fast as Grandma filled them with the syrup, they set out more. They set the...
We would have roast goose for Thanksgiving dinner! ‘Roast goose and dressing seasoned with sage,’ said sister Mary. —Laura Ingalls Wilder in These Happy Golden YearsAs we get ready for the holiday season, it’s time to start thinking about our holiday dinner menu. Will you serve a Christmas ham, wild turkey or a juicy game hen?...
Our Recommended Reading for Children & Young Adults and Recommended Reading for Adults articles have been popular resources for readers interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie. Here is a brief overview of The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories. Buy Now!...
Thanksgiving dinner was good. Pa had shot a wild goose for it. Ma had to stew the goose because there was no fireplace, and no oven in the little stove. But she made dumplings in the gravy. There were corn dodgers and mashed potatoes. There were butter, and milk, and stewed dried plums. And three grains of parched corn lay beside each...
Many books are popular resources for readers interested in activities associated with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie. Here is a brief overview of The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook. Buy Now! Authors: Laura Ingalls Wilder and William T. AndersonPhotographer: Leslie A. KellyPublisher: HarperCollins...
Books and articles by and about the actors who starred in the Little House on the Prairie TV series provide a behind-the-scenes look at the show and how it affected the lives of the people making it. Here is a brief overview of My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. Buy Now! Author: Melissa...
Eliza Jane opened the dinner-pail on her desk. It held…four delicious apple turnovers, their plump crusts filled with melting slices of apple and spicy brown juice. —Farmer BoyApples were a popular fruit for many pioneers because they stored well and could be used in a variety of ways. Every respectable pioneer garden would have...
Laura always wondered why bread made of corn meal was called johnny-cake. It wasn’t cake. Ma didn’t know, unless the Northern soldiers called it johnny-cake because the people in the South, where they fought, ate so much of it. They called the Southern soldiers Johnny Rebs. Maybe they called the Southern bread, cake, just for fun. Ma...
When they came to a plum thicket they set down their big pails. They filled their little pails with plums and emptied them into the big pails till they were full. —On the Banks of Plum CreekLaura loved exploring the plum thickets with her sister Mary and would carefully shake the trees so that only the ripe plums would fall. Mary teased...
Recipes Baked Beans Recipe Inspired by Little House on the Prairie Butternut Squash Recipes We Love Cranberry and Brown Sugar with Mint Glaze Country-Style Ham Cranberry Jelly Inspired by Little House on the Prairie Cream Carrots Recipe Cinnamon Chicken Recipe Cornbread Stuffing Inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder DIY Maple Sugar Candy...
But best of all Almanzo liked the spicy apple pie, with its thick, rich juice and its crumbly crust. He ate two big wedges of the pie. —Farmer BoyApple pie is an American classic. People have been enjoying this warm, comforting dish for generations. We typically think of it as a dessert, but in the pioneering era it was also enjoyed as...
You can't help but think about food as you read through the Little House books - so much of a pioneer's life revolved around growing and acquiring food on a seasonal cycle. Indeed, large passages of the books are dedicated to the description of food and meals. So it's no surprise that one of the books inspired by the Little House series...
There are many different kinds of Laura fans. No matter what their specific interest, most fans love to “play Laura.” What better way to play Laura than with a party? There are several different ways to theme a Laura party. Today we’re going to look at how to host a Bring Your Own Bonnet party, a party on the prairie.Olde Thyme Party...
Little House on the Prairie Inspired Recipes Simple Molasses Cookies Sweet Potato and Root Vegetable Bake Baked Beans Recipe Inspired by Little House on the Prairie Cranberry and Brown Sugar with Mint Glaze Country-Style Ham Cranberry Jelly Inspired by Little House on the Prairie Cream Carrots Recipe Cinnamon Chicken Recipe Cornbread...