I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie books when I was a child. I loved learning about all of the different characters and their stories. I don’t know about you, but these books were always some of my favorites growing up. There was something so special about reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s early life on the American frontier.
From Laura’s first memories in The Little House in the Big Woods to her early days of marriage to Almanzo Wilder, reading those books about the early pioneer days took my imagination to a time when daily life was more challenging but yet, simpler.
I especially loved reading about the family gatherings and the delicious foods piled on the table. Time spent preparing and eating these family meals was different from the rushed mealtimes that seem so prevalent in modern times.
Everyday Life
Farmer Boy is the tale of Almanzo growing up in Upstate New York. In the description of Sunday dinner, you could almost taste the rye’n’injun bread, the chicken pie, dark-red beet pickles, pumpkin pie, and apple pie.
The night before, Mother had been up late frying doughnuts. She would roll out the golden dough and cut it into long strips. She would roll, double, and twist those strips before throwing them into a copper kettle filled with hot fat. Reading about how these golden pieces of dough would swell and float to the top before rolling over onto the other side would make my mouth water. She explained that the round shapes with the hole in the middle didn’t turn themselves over, and she didn’t have the time to keep turning doughnuts.
Ma Ingalls didn’t let anything go to waste. I can only imagine how good a pig’s tail roasted over an outdoor fire might taste or the rich brown cracklings that Ma would skim off the lard that she would use to flavor johnny-cakes.
Parties
The Dance at Grandpa’s in the Big Woods saw the children eating soft maple candy from fresh maple syrup poured into a pan of snow. The dinner table was piled high with pork, pickles, pies, and salt-rising bread. Reading about the large extended family getting together for a party after tapping the maple trees reminded me of gathering with aunts, uncles, and cousins at my own grandparents’ home.
But, the one item that interested me more than anything else was Ma Ingalls Vanity Cakes that she served during Mary and Laura’s Country Party along the banks of Plum Creek.
Hearing about these crispy balls of dough would send me on a search for years trying to find the recipe of eggs and flour dropped into a kettle of boiling fat until they puffed up, filled with nothing but air – hence the name “vanity cakes.” I looked through several pastry cookbooks in my quest for a vanity cake recipe.
Finding the recipe
Finally, my patience was rewarded when I came across this recipe for Ma Ingalls Vanity Cakes. I wanted to stay as close as possible to how Ma would’ve made it, so I was sure to use unbleached flour for all purpose baking, farm-fresh eggs, and lard (yes, lard).
I followed the instructions of combining the flour and eggs until I had a cake-like mixture. I took a tablespoon of dough and slightly flattened it into the shape of a small pancake. I then threw the dough into the boiling lard. While they didn’t puff up as much as I expected, I gently lifted them out with a fork (just like Ma) when they looked done.
I knew they wouldn’t be sweet, but I was disappointed in the result like other people who tried the recipe before me. I might be happier with the sugar-white cake that Mrs. Oleson served at the Town Party, along with the fresh tart lemonade.
Have you ever tried any of these recipes? If so, how did they turn out for you? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for some old-fashioned recipes to make in your kitchen, why not try out one of the recipes from Little House on the Prairie? These dishes are bound to take you back in time and give you a taste of pioneer life. Give them a try!