Friday, February 7, 2014

Prairie Queen Quilt Block, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Laura's Gingerbread Recipe

Prairie Queen Quilt Block Pattern Information

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born 147 years ago today on February 7, 1867.  She is best known for her beloved Little House Books.  I will be reading Little House on the Prairie this month as part of the Reading to Know Book Club.  I'm also participating in the Third Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge. 

My family and I have visited three of the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites.  We've been to the Little House on the Prairie site near Independence, Kansas, where the Ingalls family lived from 1869-1871.  My great-grandfather, James Lynch, moved to Kansas in 1867, two years earlier than the Ingalls family, and settled about 100 miles north of them.  James Lynch and the Ingalls family both contracted fever 'n ague (now called malaria).  You can read more about it here. 

We also visited De Smet, South Dakota, where By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years all take place.  

Finally, we visited Rocky Ridge Farm near Mansfield, Missouri, where Laura and Almanzo moved in 1894 and where Laura wrote all of the Little House Books.  The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was 65 years old. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Gingerbread

1 cup brown sugar blended with 1/2 cup lard or other shortening
1 cup molasses mixed well with the above mixture.
2 teaspoons baking soda in 1 cup boiling water
(Be sure cup is full of water after foam is run off into cake mixture.)

Mix all well.  

To 3 cups of flour have added one teaspoon each of the following spices:  ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves;  add 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Sift all into the mixture and mix well.

Add lastly 2 well-beaten eggs.  The mixture should be quite thin.

Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) for thirty minutes.  Raisins and, or candied fruit may be added, and a chocolate frosting adds to the goodness. 

- Laura Ingalls Wilder


Another Version of the Prairie Queen Quilt Block

Did you read the Little House books when you were growing up?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Answer in the comment section below for a chance to win a copy of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.  Plume Books is generously offering two copies of the book.  If you are reading this via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and read the comments of others.

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post: Pig Pen Quilt Block and a Wonderful Snow Day.
 

17 comments:

  1. I have read all of her books as well as my two daughters. We have read them multiple times.

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  2. I have read all her books and keep copies of all which I read to my children and grandchildren.
    As you may know, the Tokyo Dome show has a theme every year. this year it was Moomin and in the past Alice in Wonderland and Anne of Green Gables. Yesterday I learned next year's theme will be the Wilder books. They were asking me if I thought the US ambassador would come as the Norwegian ambassador and his wife came to the opening ceremony this year.

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    1. I didn't realize that the Tokyo Dome show had a theme every year. How fun that next year the theme will be Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books. I hope the US ambassador will take the time to come.

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  3. I, too, read them with my daughter when she was a little girl, then read again for my own enjoyment. While first annoyed that she diverted from the Ingalls family to the Wilders in Farmer Boy, it turned out to be our favorite!

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    1. I love Farmer Boy, too! There's a lot of talk about food in that book. As a mother of three sons, I can really identify with that!

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  4. I read these books as a child. I loved them.

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    1. I read all of the books as a child, and I still love to read them!

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  5. I've read all her books when I was growing up. Still have all of them and reread them from time to time. While I share them with my grand children, I'm not quite ready to part with them yet :)

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    1. Those sound like good books they can read when they're at Grandma's house!

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  6. I read all of them, I think. I've also given a full set to a friends daughter. Great books. I liked watching the TV show, too, way back when.

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  7. In 2nd grade I rec'd a copy of Little House in the Big Woods for Christmas from my teacher. Still have it! I've read all of the books several times over the years and purchased the main set of books while in Walnut Grove Minnesota. We went to Mankato on that same trip. Adding to my collection is the Little House Cookbook and a needlecraft book her daughter, Rose put together years ago. Also have all of the dvds of Little House tv series and movies. Guess you could say I'm a big fan! :)

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  8. I've read them many times. As a classroom teacher, I read LHBW with my students and we had the most fun turning scenes into skits. That was in the 1990's. Recently when I have read LHBW with students they didn't seem to enjoy it as much-thought the pace/action too slow. Maybe it is me that is slower! Oh well-I still love them!

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  9. No, I didn't read them but my children did and my daughters read them to their children! Loved them! Love the block and thanks for the great recipe! Hugs, Deb

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  10. I will never forget Mrs. Speicher, my 4th grade teacher, who read the entire series to us many, many years ago. I think it was probably my intro to really falling in love with books and the adventures they brought/bring. I bought the books for my children, still have them. The stories are still treasured and loved!

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  11. I read the books with my son when he was little - wonderful to dream about life back then. : )
    June

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  12. I read the books and watched the series as well as many reruns. Loved it. Still do.

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