Recipes Archives | Little House on the Prairie (2024)

Fire up your oven and tie on your apron as you explore the wonderful recipes inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s writings and the television series.

Simple Molasses Cookie Recipe

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...

Sweet Potato and Root Vegetable Bake

Mr. Edwards was taking sweet potatoes out of his pockets. He said they had helped to balance the package on his head when he swam across the creek. He thought Pa and Ma might like them, with the Christmas turkey. There were nine sweet potatoes. Mr. Edwards had brought them all the way from town, too. It was just too much. Pa said so....

Heart-Shaped Cakes Inspired by Little House on the Prairie

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...

Baked Beans Recipe Inspired by Little House on the Prairie

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...

Old-Fashioned Homemade Eggnog Recipe

Almanzo trudged slowly toward the hayfield with the heavy pail and a dipper. He thought to himself that the pail was too full, he might spill some of the egg-nog… He should do something to save it. So he set down the pail, he dipped the dipper full, and he drank. The cold egg-nog slid smoothly down his throat, and it made him cool...

Old-Fashioned Homemade Peppermint Candy DIYs

Then they plunged their hands into the stockings again. And they pulled out two long, long, sticks of candy. It was peppermint candy, striped red and white. They looked and looked at the beautiful candy, and Laura licked her stick, just one lick. —Little House on the PrairieWhile the peppermint sticks that Mr. Edwards brought to Mary...

Old-Fashioned Farmer Boy Ice Cream Recipe (With Blueberry Variation)

'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...

Laura’s Wedding Cake Recipe – Traditional and Blueberry Topping Variation

That afternoon the finished black cashmere was carefully pressed, and then Ma made a big, white cake. Laura helped her by beating the egg whites on a platter with a fork, until Ma said they were stiff enough. “My arm is stiffer,” Laura ruefully laughed, rubbing her aching right arm. “This cake must be just right,” Ma insisted. “If you...

DIY Maple Sugar Candy

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...

Fall Popcorn Balls

Laura kept popping corn and Ma made it into balls until the large dishpan was heaped with their sweet crispness. —These Happy Golden YearsPopcorn has been an irresistible snack for kids since the 19th century, and a food the Ingalls family couldgrow in their home garden. While there are many kinds of feed and sweet corn, some of...

Vanity Cakes Recipe

Laura and Mary made new starry papers for the shelves, and Ma made vanity cakes. —On the Banks of Plum CreekVanity Cakes Recipe:Yield six cakes Vanity cakes are the perfect treat to add to aLittle House on the Prairie birthday party, unit study, orgathering. Note: this recipe is adapted from a recipe inThe Little House Cookbook, but...

Country Ham with Cranberry, Mint and Brown Sugar Glaze

You can’t beat hickory-cured ham. —Little House in the Big WoodsIn Laura Ingalls Wilder’sLittle House in the Big Woods, Pa and Uncle Henry butcher a wild pig. It’s fascinating to read how not one piece of the pig is wasted. Remember when Pa takes the pig’s bladder and blows it up like a balloon? It may sound gross to us today, but the...

Cranberry Jelly Inspired by Little House on the Prairie

Laura did not need to be called next morning. She was up at dawn, and all day she helped Ma bake and stew and boil the good things for next day’s Christmas dinner. Early that morning Ma added water and flour to the bread sponge and set it to rise again. Laura and Carrie picked over the cranberries and washed them. Ma stewed them with...

Cornbread Stuffing Inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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?...

Homemade Applesauce Inspired by Little House on the Prairie

Then Laura gathered up all the paper wrappings, and she helped Ma set on the table the big platter of golden fried mush, a plate of hot biscuits, a dish of fried potatoes, a bowl of codfish gravy and a glass dish full of dried-apple sauce. …and nothing could taste better than hot biscuits and applesauce. —By the Shores of Silver...

Refreshing Old-Fashioned Summer Drink – Ginger Water Recipe plus Variations

Now the sun and the wind were hotter and Laura’s legs quivered while she made them trample the hay….She was thirsty, then she was thirstier, and then she was so thirsty that she could think of nothing else. Nothing was ever so good as that cool wetness going down her throat. Ma had sent them ginger-water. —The Long WinterBefore our...

The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Classic Stories

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!...

Old-Fashioned Creamed Corn Recipe

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...

Tomato Ginger Preserves Recipe

All day long while the girls were in school, Ma made preserves of the red tomatoes, of the purple husk tomatoes, and of the golden ground-cherries. She made pickles of the green tomatoes that would not have time to ripen before it froze. The house was full of the syrupy scent of preserves and the spicy odor of pickles. —Little Town on...

Homemade Apple Turnovers

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 respectablepioneer gardenwould have...

Pan Fried Fish Fillets with Lemon Dill Sauce

Laura and Pa went back to the house, carrying those flopping fish. Ma’s eyes were round when she saw them. Pa cut off their heads and stripped out their insides and showed Laura how to scale fish. He scaled three, and she scaled almost all of one. Ma rolled them in meal and fried them in fat, and they all ate those good fish for supper…...

Little House on the Prairie Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Hurry and get the work done,” said Ma. “And then, Laura, you go to the corn-patch and bring me a green pumpkin. I’m going to make a pie!” “A pie! But how…” Mary said, and Laura said, “Agreenpumpkin pie? I never heard of such a thing, Ma.” “Neither did I,” said Ma. “But we wouldn’t do much if we didn’t do things that nobody ever heard...

Little House on the Prairie Johnny-Cake Recipe

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...

Little House on the Prairie Rhubarb Pie

There was pie plant in the garden; she must make a couple of pies. —The First Four YearsAfter years of living on the plains with her parents, Laura finally settled into a house of her own with Almanzo. InThe First Four Years, we learn about Laura’s life as a new wife on the South Dakota prairie. When Laura was getting ready to cook the...

Make Your Own Old-Fashioned Rock Candy Recipe

When all the trading was done, the storekeeper gave Mary and Laura each a piece of candy. They were so astonished and so pleased that they just stood looking at their candies. —Little House in the Big WoodsRock candy or sugar candy has been around for centuries, so it’s almost certain that Laura and Mary would have seen something...

Plum Preserves Inspired by Little House on the Prairie

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...

Little House on the Prairie Lemonade Recipe (With Strawberry Lemonade Variation)

A glossy white cloth covered the table. On it was a beautiful sugar-white cake and tall glasses… ‘Is your lemonade sweet enough?’ Mrs. Oleson asked. So Laura knew that it was lemonade in the glasses. She had never tasted anything like it. —On the Banks of Plum CreekLemonade is a timeless beverage that even little Laura Ingalls enjoyed...

Little House on the Prairie Cinnamon Chicken

In a classic episode of “Little House on the Prairie,” (Back to School Part 2, Season 6, Episode 2) Laura offers to cook dinner for a special date between Nellie and the handsome bachelor in town, Almanzo Wilder. Nellie’s not the only one with her eye on Almanzo, so Laura has an ulterior motive. She wants to end things between Nellie...

Little House Creamed Carrots Recipe

There are many challenges that come from life on a farm, but there’s a big payoff, too. Food on the table at a farmhouse is as good as it comes. In Farmer Boy, the third book in the Little House on the Prairie series, we learn about life on the Wilder family farm in Upstate New York. Food was plentiful, and Almanzo’s mother was known...

Old-Fashioned Spicy Apple Pie Recipe

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...

The Little House Cookbook Review

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 andacquiring 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 Houseseries...

Recipes Archives | Little House on the Prairie (2024)

FAQs

What kind of food did they eat on Little House on the Prairie? ›

What a charming book! One of the best things about the Little House series are the delicious descriptions of the food. Salt pork, apple pies, pickled cucumbers - they're all here in recipes.

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What did they use for snow on Little House on the Prairie? ›

“Mike [Landon] shot them in a huge water tank set at Paramount as they were blowing in a mix of man-made snow and some other artificial white stuff (insulation, I think).” The nature of these scenes (which are truly remarkable, and look loads better than some fake snow seen in even the 21st century) only highlights the ...

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When was Little House on the Prairies? ›

Broadcast. Little House on the Prairie ran on NBC from September 11, 1974 to March 21, 1983. From September 1974 to September 1976, it was aired on Wednesday nights from 8:00-9:00 EST. Beginning September 27, 1976, it was moved to Monday nights in the same time slot.

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What happens in the book Little House on the Prairie? ›

The Ingalls travel across the prairie in search of a spot for a homestead. Ultimately, they find a spot and build a homestead. This becomes the family's little house on the prairie. The story ends with the family back on the covered wagon as they are leaving their settlement and traveling to a new location again.

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What did the Ingalls family eat for breakfast? ›

In Little House on the Prairie, Ma made fried cornmeal mush in a cast iron bake oven (similar to a Dutch oven) rubbed with pork fat. The family ate their cornmeal mush with fried salt pork and coffee in their covered wagon.

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What did they eat on the prairie? ›

Small animals, as well as birds and fish, were common sources of food. Wild animals of many types provided the hunter with game. Herds of bison wandered the Plains, and their meat, next to corn, formed the main food for the Pawnee. One bison provided enough meat to feed one person for a year.

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What disease did Mary have in Little House on the Prairie? ›

Scarlet Fever in the 19th Century

Mary Ingalls went blind in 1879 at age 14. Between 1840 and 1883, scarlet fever, caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, was one of the most common infectious causes of death among children in the United States.

Did they eat peanut butter on Little House on the Prairie? ›

"To See the Light, Part II" has Charles tell Mary he has a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and that she ate them when she was little. Peanut butter wasn't to be invented for another 20 years. This got a mention in an episode of The Big Bang Theory. In that same episode, Nellie eats ice cream one a cone.

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Who was half pint on Little House on the Prairie? ›

Beginning at the age of 9 in 1974 as "Half Pint" Laura Ingalls Wilder on the iconic TV series Little House on the Prairie, Gilbert grew up in front of fans over the nine seasons the show was on the air.

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Can you visit where Little House on the Prairie was filmed? ›

Over the years, this spot has become a popular filming location, and even the science fiction TV series "Westworld" used it for some of its scenes. Sadly, fans can no longer visit the original set because a staged explosion destroyed it during the last episode.

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What is the saddest episode of Little House on the Prairie? ›

Season 6, Episode 18

Perhaps the most shocking episode in the history of Little House on the Prairie, "May We Make Them Proud" featured the death of two main cast members - Alice Garvey and Mary and Adam's baby boy - who both perished in an accidental blind school fire.

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Where did they shoot Little House on the Prairie? ›

The show was primarily filmed at The Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, California, with interiors shot at Paramount Studios. The original sets were destroyed after the show ended, and a replica was built but later burned down in a fire.