As I see the price of groceries continues to rise, I feel the need for all of us to learn and use a bunch of “cook at home” skills, including how to make meals like these 10 pioneer recipes. I am very concerned with the economy of our country, and the world, for that matter. If this generation hasn’t learned to cook from scratch, how can they teach their kids?
Getting takeout doesn’t cut it when teaching our family how to cook. And what about manners? Am I old-fashioned or what? Where have all the manners gone? There is something about having a conversation around a table. Okay, I will get off my soapbox. Let’s have fun with these 10 pioneer recipes!
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how popular my pioneer-related posts have been. I think most of us have a great deal of respect for the early settlers of our country, and many of us want to learn how to emulate their grit, passion, and willingness to be self-sufficient.
Our ancestors didn’t have grocery stores around the corner as most of us do. They had to cook from scratch because that was the only way they could survive. They could make meals with a few ingredients just to fill their bellies.
Related: 10 Pioneer Skills That We Need
Kitchen Items I Recommend Every Kitchen Has:
- Cookie Sheets
- 9 by 13-inch Baking pans
- Danish Whisk
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatulas
- Pan Cake Turners
- Cast Iron Frying Pan or cast iron skillet
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven (this one is basically for outside cooking, but it’s critical to have)
- Cheese Grater
- Pastry Cutter
- 4-quart Saucepan and a 6-quart Saucepan
- Good Quality Knives
- Cutting Boards (I just got these and I love them)
- A Large Pot
Ingredients Needed For Recipes
Most of these are in your Pantry or Refrigerator:
- Flour
- Butter
- Sugar
- Rice
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Parsley
- Eggs
- Salt and Pepper
- Shortening
- Milk
- Cream
- Sour Milk
- Cinnamon
- Honey
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Cabbage
- Chicken
- Pork Chops
- Apples
10 Pioneer Recipes
1. Potato Pancakes
I grew up eating potato pancakes; these look very similar to the ones my mom made for me.
Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- 6 potatoes, grated (drained)
- shortening
Instructions
- Stir the flour with the salt, baking powder, and pepper. In another bowl combine the eggs, onions, and parsley. Put both mixtures in one bowl, add the potatoes. Make into patties and fry in 1/4 inch shortening until golden brown or browned to your choice.
2. Scottish Shortbread
I could almost call this Norwegian Shortbread. I grew up on homemade shortbread in a Norwegian family. My mom used molasses in many of her recipes in place of sugar. I do that from time to time; you may want to give it a try.
Scottish Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
Instructions
- Grab a bowl and cream the butter and sugar. Then add the flour. Press the mixture into greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares while hot.
3. English Tea Biscuits
Has anyone made tea biscuits? This was a really popular pioneer recipe, as were most biscuit varieties, such as soda biscuits.
English Tea Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons shortening
- 3/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening using a pastry cutter. Add the milk. Flour the countertop and place the dough on the counter. Roll and pat the dough out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Place them in a greased pan and bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.
4. Crepes
I love making crepes for dessert or with chicken à la king. These are so easy to make and so versatile. Pioneers MAY have used lard instead of shortening. I remember lard in many of my mom’s recipes, but it’s not my favorite ingredient choice.
Crepes
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grab a medium-sized bowl and combine the milk, flour, eggs, shortening, and salt. Heat greased skillet and spoon 3 tablespoons of the batter on the skillet. Roll the batter around the pan by tilting the pan. Cook one side until brown and flip the crepe over and cook the other side until lightly brown. Repeat until all the batter is used. Serve with fresh fruit, jam, and whipped cream.
5. Homemade Soda Crackers
If you find making bread hard, try making crackers. These are really easy to make. These are very similar to hardtack, which I recently wrote about.
Homemade Soda Crackers
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sour milk
Instructions
- Grab a large mixing bowl, and combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the milk and butter and mix until it's a stiff dough. Flour the countertop, and punch the dough on the floured countertop, turning it over a few times. Roll out very thin and cut into squares. Prick with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees until the edges are lightly brown. I use a greased cookie sheet to bake mine.
6. Homemade Graham Crackers
I can’t wait to try making these graham crackers again. I have freshly ground whole wheat flour, so these will be easy to make. I love that they are made with honey. Remember, in pioneer times, the granulated sugar we use now wasn’t available. I wish we all tried using honey as a sweetener more often.
Graham Crackers
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Melt the honey and butter in a small saucepan. Combine both mixtures and mix together with your hands. Do not overmix. Grease a cookie sheet and roll the dough in the cookie sheet to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut squares and prick them with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
7. Fried Cabbage
I’m starting to feel a bit old because my mom made several of these recipes. I grew up on fried cabbage, did you? Note the use of bacon grease in the recipe. Some people would refer to this ingredient as bacon fat, but it all works and tastes the same.
Fried Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 head cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1 medium chopped onion
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in the frying pan you will use to cook the cabbage. Cook the bacon until crispy. Leave some bacon grease in the frying pan. Add the onion with the bacon in the pan. Next, add the cabbage and simmer in the frying pan until tender. Salt and Pepper to taste.
8. Wagon Fried Chicken
Who loves fried chicken? Oh my gosh, my mouth is watering! This recipe is a keeper, I promise! Don’t think about the grease! I also like to make this recipe with buttermilk instead of regular milk. It adds a unique flavor, but the overall taste and texture should be enjoyed by your whole family!
Wagon Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- salt and pepper
- 12 pieces of chicken
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- skillet with 2/3 full melted shortening
Instructions
- Beat the eggs with the milk. Salt and pepper the chicken really well. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg/milk mixture. Dredge the chicken in flour. Remove excess flour by shaking the chicken pieces. Place in the hot shortening and brown on each side over medium heat. Then flip the chicken pieces over and cook the other side until golden brown. Drain the grease on paper towels.
9. Pork Chops With Apples
This recipe is the reason I love cast-iron pans! I swear everything tastes better cooked in cast iron, right?
Pork Chops & Apples
Ingredients
- 6 pork chops
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 3-4 unpeeled, apples, cored, and sliced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Brown the pork chops in the shortening. Grease a baking pan and place the sliced apples in the bottom. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Put tiny bits of butter over the apples. Place the browned pork chops on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.
10. Grandma’s Rice Pudding
Mark grew up on rice pudding, but didn’t like it when his mom put raisins in it. Did you grow up with rice pudding? With or without raisins?
Grandma’s Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 6 cups milk
- 3/4 cup white rice
- 1 cup cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring the milk to a boil, add the rice and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook one hour, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat. Combine the cream, sugar, yolks, vanilla, and salt with the rice mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon when serving.
Some Other Pioneer Foods You May Want to Try
There are so many other foods the pioneers liked as a part of their meals. Do some research and check out these and others you’d like to make and serve:
- Cornbread
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Stews of all Kinds
- Jerky from Various Types of Meat, Including Venison
- Fruit Pies – Cherry is My Favorite
- Jams and Jellies
- Potato Cakes
- Apple Butter
- Home Prepared Syrup
Did Pioneers Eat Vegetables with Their Meals?
As with so many food items, keeping vegetables fresh enough to eat during the pioneer treks was a tough task. One thing most settlers tried to do once they reached their destination was to plant a garden. Often that was a priority over building a hut or cabin. At least with a garden, there was hope for enough foodstuffs to stay alive.
Did Pioneers Use a Lot of Flour in Meal Preparation?
You’ll notice that flour was a key ingredient in most of the recipes referenced above. Having flour was critical to survival.
Are Pioneer Recipes Healthy?
I’m not sure the recipes we’ve referenced in this post have all the vitamins we try to see our family consume each day. They also may not have the types of calories that are good for us. I do know that with the rigors of the trip and the physical challenges they faced each day, they burned a bunch of calories!
Final Word
I hope today you print these 10 pioneer recipes to have ready to make when you need to cook with very few ingredients. It’s fun to discuss with your family or guests why pioneer recipes are so delicious and enjoyed on special occasions. We may need these recipes sooner than we think. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world. Stay safe and keep prepping, Linda
Other Pioneer Recipes by Linda
Copyright Images: Crepes Deposit photos_132686566_s-2019, Potato Pancakes Depositphotos_10343089_S, Shortbread Depositphotos_28940573_S, Tea Cookies Depositphotos_16215531_S, Soda Crackers Depositphotos_23891163_S, Graham Crackers With Honey Depositphotos_45284895_S, Cabbage Fried In Pan Depositphotos_4685496_S, Pork Chops With Apples Depositphotos_159410530_S, Rice Pudding Depositphotos_5534045_S
The post 10 Pioneer Recipes We Need To Know appeared first on Food Storage Moms.
from Food Storage Moms
No comments:
Post a Comment