Welcome to my kitchen
My pots and pans are worn
But each a special story
That's why they belong

Tried and tested still the best
Each recipe is filled with zest
Cookin since I don't know when
Each time I use em I say Amen

Kettle's boiling up some cheer
Tea and biscuits served right here
All the best of comfort food
Puts us in a special mood

Modernization we don't need
Seasoned pots are sure to please
Food a sizzling on the stove
Brings the family home in droves

Come on in and sit a spell
Time to ring that dinner bell
Get a plate and sit right down
Each recipe is talk of town.

Francine Pucillo

 



PIONEER COOKING AND RECIPES



Cooking is important in our lives. We always look forward to mealtime!
In the pioneer days, they did not have gas or electric stoves like we do now. They had to depend on fire to cook their meals. If they were traveling in the covered wagon.
They would have to cook their meals over the campfire. In their homes, which were log cabins or sod houses, they would cook over the fire in the fireplace or if they had a potbelly stove they would cook on top of it.
Another way, they heated up the campfires, fireplace or stoves with wood. Their meals took awhile to prepare because everything was made from scratch. Usually after one meal was eaten and cleaned up, some chores done, it was time to start preparing the next meal.
Girls learned to cook at a young age and it was usually the women who cooked most all of the meals. The men and young boys took care of the hunting.
The main items pioneers kept on hand for cooking were corn, wheat, salt, sugar, molasses, and honey. Below are listed recipes using these items.

~PIONEER RECIPES~

CORN
Corn was an important staple to the early pioneers and indians. There are many different ways they used it. They usually grew, harvested, and ground it themselves. We may say blah to cooking with this item in many ways but it was a means of survival to have enough to make such things as corn chowder, corn bread, corn tortillas, etc, to name a few. Here are a few recipes you might like to try and keep on hand.
Johnny Cake

2 eggs,beaten
1/2 C. flour
2 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T. molasses or honey
1 tsp. salt
2 C.cornmeal
2 T. butter

Beat eggs until light. Add buttermilk, molasses or honey. Combine dry ingredients and stir into batter along with butter. Pour into buttered dripper pan and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until done. Cut into large squares. About 24 pieces.

Cornmeal Fritters

2 C.milk
1/2 C. cornmeal
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
nutmeg(if desired)

Cook milk and meal together 15 minutes with salt and sugar. When cool add the eggs well beaten. Drop into hot fat and fry. Remove when golden brown and drain or blot dry.

Indian Bean Bread

4 c. cornmeal
2 C. cooked beans
2 C. hot water
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Put cornmeal in a bowl and mix in the drained beans. Make a hole in the middle and add soda and water. Mix. Form into balls and drop into a pot of boiling water. Cook about 45 minutes or till done.

The pioneers had a minimum amount of supplies and belongings because some moved frequently,they lived in small houses,and/or had very little money. There were times when they had to be inventive in preparing food. Here is a recipe for hoecake. They used to cook these cakes on a hoe over an open fire. Sounds really fun! Try it!

Hotcake

1 C. white cornmeal
1 T. lard, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
boiling water

Mix cornmeal and salt. Add lard and boiling water to make a dough heavy enough to hold a shape. Form into two thin oblong cakes and place in a heavy, hot well-greased pan or hoe/griddle. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes or if cooked on hoe/griddle cook slowly on both sides making sure hoe/griddle is well greased. Serve hot.

WHEAT
Wheat is for man. It besides corn, was one of the most(and still is)important grains grown on the farm. It would be harvested and either ground into flour in the farms grinder or sent off to be ground. It was also used in its natural state(a wheat berry) to make cereal,etc. if you want to include wheat in your diet you need to start off gradually. When wheat is called for in breads, etc. use half wheat flour and half white flour. It is real important if you are going to store wheat that you use it everyday. If you don't and something happens where you have to live out of your storage which includes wheat and your body is not used to it it can cause terrible stomach upset and irritation to some people especially small children and the elderly. Here are some easy recipes:

Honeywheat Bread

1 1/2 C. warm water
3 T. honey
1 can evaporated milk
1 T. salt
1/3 C. oil
2 eggs beaten
2 T. yeast
7 C. whole wheat flour

Mix in order and raise in greased bowl, 35-45 minutes. Punch down and divide into 3 loaves. Raise for 20 mins. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. This dough can be used for dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls. Yum, Yum!

Unleavened Bread Sticks

4 C. wheat flour
1 T. salt
1/2 C. oil
1 C. milk
3 T. brown sugar or honey

Mix flour, salt, and oil together. Add milk and sugar or honey. Knead lightly and roll into sticks the size of your finger. Bake on cookie sheet at 375 degrees about 20 mins. Serve with butter and honey.

Cracked Wheat Cereal

2 C. water
1 C. cracked wheat or whole wheat berries
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook on low in crock pot or dutch oven overnight stirring occasionally. Serve when tender(not mushy) with honey or brown sugar, butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and milk. It sure hits the spot!



MY GRANDMA’S OLD HOMEMADE SOAP RECIPE
Louise Thurn

INGREDIENTS:
6 lbs. Melted fat from lard
2 T. borax (20 Mule Team)
1 can Lewis Lye
1/2-cup hot water
1 (2oz.) rose oil or other scented oil
1/4 cup ammonia
Wear gloves and protective eyewear while mixing ingredients.

DIRECTIONS:

Strain and clarify the melted fat from melting down lard. Put Lewis Lye in a stone, glass or enamel (not metal) vessel. A three- to five-gallon stone crock works well. The lye mixture will get very hot and “fumey” so do not breathe fumes. Let mixture stand until cool. Dissolve borax in hot water and slowly add to lye. Stir. Warm the melted fat slightly and pour it gradually into the cooled lye mixture, stirring constantly. Add ammonia to mixture before it is quite cool. Continue stirring until soap is the consistency of pancake batter. Add rose oil or other scented oils if desired. Stir. Pour soap into cardboard or wooden boxes lined with greased paper or a cloth.
When cool, soap can be cut into bars, however, it works well to let the soap stand for about 3 days before cutting. After cutting, continue to let soap dry for one week. If soap is to be used for laundry, dry for two weeks or longer before shaving into slivers. Soap may need to be dissolved in a small amount of hot water before adding to wash water.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
Louise Thurn (FFA recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (for one batch of ice cream)

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
5-6 cups whole milk
Chopped ice and ice cream salt to pack around freezer.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix ingredients and beat well. Pour into a one-gallon or five-quart ice cream maker. Pack chopped ice and ice cream salt around container in ice cream maker and turn ice cream maker handle till ice cream is set. Leave 20 – 45 minutes to harden (amount of time will depend on the ice/salt mixture). Makes about 1/2 gallon of ice cream.
For ease in preparation when making several batches, mix the eggs, condensed milk and sugar ahead of time and bring to fieldtrip site in large container. Mix in the milk and vanilla just before pouring mixture into ice cream maker.

PIONEER STEW

INGREDIENTS:
1 gal. canned beef, browned
(can add more meat if you want a more "meaty" stew)
3 bunches celery, diced
4 large onions, chopped
1 gal. canned whole kernel corn
3 two-pound bunches of cleaned and diced carrots
5 lbs. scrubbed and diced potatoes
4 Tablespoons instant chicken bouillon
(may need to adjust depending on potency of bouillon)
6-8 cups of broth from cooking vegetables
(if more broth is needed, use chicken broth)
Flour for thickening broth
(Hint: season vegetables lightly, if at all, when cooking because beef and bouillon will be salty.)

DIRECTIONS:
After preparing vegetables for cooking, brown meat. When vegetables have been cooked, drain vegetables, saving broth. Stir thickened flour mixture into saved vegetable broth. Stirring constantly, heat until thickened to gravy-like consistency. Combine all ingredients. Simmer and stir over low heat to blend flavors. Serves 80 to 100 people.