We pledge this episode to Miss Ingalls and the food she ate in the book LHOTP, which is, again, a paen to eating. But! On the way to Kansas and in Kansas, they had far less ingredients and cooking was much more challenging. So much cornbread, and Sweet Molasses–SO MUCH molasses. Also in this episode: One of the dearest Christmas vignettes ever committed to the page.

Shownotes:

Bookish foodies, let’s hop in the old covered wagon for a trek across raging creeks and pioneer pathways, all the way to the Little House on the Prairie in Kansas. We’ll talk about food eaten on the way to and at the Little House, and how Ma and Pa had to be super creative to keep their family fed on the frontier. Featuring a plenitude of cornbread, molasses and the captivating (really) prairie chicken, the menu at the cabin was nothing if not consistent.

This book really could be called “Eating While Imperiled,” as the Ingalls family faced disaster or death every 43 pages.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Here’s a charming recipe for the heart-shaped cakes they ate at Christmastime, for example.

And here's a look at those Kansas Prairie hens ... https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=4a8b7cf59b69c426&q=prairie+hen+kansas&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig1ZjV6PuDAxXFlSYFHeuxApkQ0pQJegQIDhAB&biw=1280&bih=551&dpr=1.5

Hey! If you enjoyed this episode, a review sure would be sweeter than molasses, and a lot less sticky.

https://bitefromthepast.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/little-house-on-the-prairie-heart-shaped-cakes/


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Theme Music: "Beyond the Ponds" by Francis Wells

Hey there, listeners! We took a bit of a break to finish our manuscript, but we're back with an update and an announcement about our book. In this short episode that deviates from our normal format, we tell you what to expect for our Season One finale, and answer a few of our most asked questions about Eat Like a Heroine, the book ...

Inspired by Lorilee’s recent trip to Little House in the Big Woods, this episode will be devoted to Laura Ingalls Wilder and especially her first book in the series, which is really an ode to food. 9 pages on cheese! 30 pages on maple syrup! There’s a whole lot to love about food eaten at the Little House in the Big Woods. 

Timeline note: this episode was recorded before our Christmas episode, in which we made a pretty big announcement. We also make that announcement here, which, if you didn't catch our Christmas episode, might be news to you! Regardless, we are so excited, it's worth sharing twice. :)

Shownotes:

“Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs,” so begins Mrs. Wilder’s first book. As anyone who has read it knows, there is just so much food!

Friends, we need to talk about that maple syrup party. Not to mention hasty pudding, Johnny Cakes, and Vinegar Pie, which sounds kind of good to us, to be honest. 

Let’s time travel to the Big Woods, where we will learn all about what Laura, Mary and Ma and Pa ate, how they prepared it, and how we might whip up some of that Big Woods goodness in our own kitchens.

Little House in the Big Woods: Bread, Butter and Honey

https://therereaderskitchen.com/2016/08/16/little-house-in-the-big-woods-bread-butter-and-honey/

What’s your favorite Little House food story? Drop us a line at Hello@jennyewilliams.com.

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In this Very Special Episode, we sprinkle the show with some Sugar Plum Fairy pixie dust and join our heroines in making merry via food and drink during Christmastide. From Laura Ingalls Wilder’s peppermint sticks to Mrs. Beaver’s holiday hospitality, we find out how our bookish leading ladies celebrated the “most wonderful time of the year.”

Shownotes:

One thing we love about celebrating Christmas is how various foods and drinks pop up at that time of year and no other. After all, nobody drinks eggnog in July. We share our heroine’s glowy feelings of anticipation and wish fulfillment as we sample Jane Austen’s cold pies, Maya Angelou’s upside-down pineapple cake, and the Little Women’s fat, brown turkey.

From the groaning tables of Regency England to Independence, Kansas, and Narnia and beyond, we pull up a chair to some of the most delicious and festive fetes in our favorite novels. 

Old Fashioned Peppermint Candy from Little House:

https://littlehouseontheprairie.com/homemade-peppermint-candies/

What’s your favorite literary Christmas celebration? Drop us a line at Hello@jennyewilliams.com.

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Theme Music: "Beyond the Ponds" by Francis Wells

Today, we’ll shift our focus from comforting sick and convalescing friends to showing up for those who are hurting emotionally. From Mrs. Jennings of Sense and Sensibility trying to revive a jilted Marianne with dried cherries to Cassie Logan of Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry caring for her traumatized neighbor, the heroines teach us that food made with love can be ultra healing. 

Shownotes:

Cherries wearing nightgowns. Southern Crowder Peas. Healing Caramel Cake. This quirky trio of edibles all have one thing in common: our favorite literary ladies employed them in their attempts to comfort like a heroine.

As we explored the solace-bringing practices described in some beloved books, we gleaned gleaming takeaways about how to lift someone’s spirits, soothe a heartbroken and humiliated soul, and even how to help a grieving friend through food and drink (rosehip tea, anyone?). 

Links: Pride and Partridges: Jane Austen and food: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/21/jane-austen-food-emma-bennet-dining

Maya Angelou’s Healing Caramel Cake:

https://www.marthastewart.com/257425/caramel-cake

If you found some comforting ideas in today’s show, please consider taking our relationship to the next level: Subscribe to Eat Like a Heroine and never miss a bookish morsel!

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Theme Music: "Beyond the Ponds" by Francis Wells

One thing that struck us as we read classic novels is the many references to our heroines taking food to sick people. Today we revisit “invalid care,” and show how bookish stars such as Pollyanna and Jo March teach us how to become more thoughtful, compassionate, and supportive via food and drink to our friends and family today.

Shownotes:

Pollyanna, you’re killing us here with this meat jelly thing! And Jo March–what on earth is blancmange and why did you bring it to Laurie?

Today we tell you how to comfort like a heroine through food and drink, walking in the bouncy footsteps of Pollyanna, who never entered a sick room without bearing a quivering bowl of calf’s foot jelly. We also compare Pollyanna with Anne of Green Gables (could Eleanor Porter have plagiarized our LMM?), and share our best tips for pulling together the most comforting care packages. 

Blancmange recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/peach-bavarian/

How do you care for sick and injured friends and family? Drop us a line at Hello@jennyewilliams.com.

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Theme Music: "Beyond the Ponds" by Francis Wells

Was Marilla Cuthbert really running a secret bakery? What was Gilbert Blythe thinking when he offered Anne that luscious strawberry apple? And how did Anne end up serving her idol Vicks Vapo Rub layer cake, and nearly poisoning her to death? We found 13 food references–from the Raspberry Cordial-ridiculous to the sublime, in our favorite book.

Shownotes:

Listen, it’s Gilbert Blythe for us, even if he was HIGHLY ill advised in giving Anne Shirley that apple. 

Today, we do a deep dive into every morsel of food described in Anne of Green Gables. From the crab apple preserves on the table while Marilla Cuthbert awaited the mysterious orphan “boy,” to the cake Josie Pye demanded from Anne at Queens, we’ve found 13 food references, from the delicious to the dangerous! 

Spruce gum trivia: https://oldyorkmuseums.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/what-is-it-guess-and-check-back-next-monday-november-12-2012/

We feel like we hit our stride in this 4th show. Agree? How about a review? We would give you an apple from Gilbert’s orchard if we could. 

Do drop us a line at hello@jennyewilliams.com and tell us what excites you about learning to eat like a heroine! 

Theme Music: "Beyond the Ponds" by Francis Wells

As we turn our heroine’s spotlight on Maya Angelou (who took “blissful stickiness” to a whole new level), we also reveal how the picnic moved outdoors, and how the French came to be involved in a baguette-big way.Shownotes:

You know what’s sticky? Barbeque sauce, that’s what. But very nice for picnics.

Today, we use Emma as a picnicking cautionary tale and fly over to Maya Angelou, who wrote the most glorious sentence of all time about barbeque sauce. We discuss her masterwork, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and gush about her writing. Finally, we recommend marvel-ous ways to add some lumens (units of light) to your next picnic. 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/homemade-bbq-sauce-recipe-2107702

Want more girl lit/foodie tips? Subscribe to Eat Like a Heroine wherever you listen to podcasts (we wouldn’t kick you off the blanket for reviewing it, either). 

Do drop us a line at hello@jennyewilliams.com and tell us what excites you about learning to eat like a heroine! 

Theme Music: "Beyond the Ponds" by Francis Wells