In Prairie Cooks, Carrie Young shares 72 delightful recipes from her family and many fond memories of the Norwegian-American food of her childhood, along with reminiscences of her homesteading parents and their neighbors. The book includes recipes for Harvester's Coffee, Dakota Pound Cake, Sour Cream Doughnuts and Buttermilk Biscuits, all of which Carrie'smother served to the threshers in the harvest seasons. There are also recipes for Banana Cookies, Poor Man's Cookies, Devil's Food Cake with Rhubarb Sauce and Swedish Rye Bread, all of which were eaten at Kaffetid (coffee breaks). Christmas favorites such as Norwegian Meatballs, Scandinavian Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Scalloped Macaroni and Tomatoes and Ginger Carrots kept the family warm on the frozen prairie; Hand-Cranked Ice Cream was a thrill in the heat of the summer.
Prairie Cooks is organized like Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking, with personal, fascinating food tales preceding the recipes. Those who like literary food writing will devour Young's prose as eagerly as they will her tasty, traditional recipes.
