Dinner on the Prarie

We had a few days a while back when our stove was blowing fuses. Because I'm a big ol' baby and don't have the courage to face the cobwebs and creepy walls of our dirt-floored cellar, I decided to go the Ma Ingalls route for dinner.

I pulled out the soup that had been made earlier to reheat. As I prepped it to heat on the woodstove in the living room, I had the idea to make up some cornbread to go with it. Didn't Ma serve cornbread from the woodstove? You bet your bonnet she did! So, I pulled out one of my favorite crocks that was handed down by my mother. It has that Cook It Over A Fire look to it. I mixed the ingredients for our standby recipe, Applesauce Cornbread, and set it to bake on the back most part of the woodstove where it gets the hottest.

As I tended our dinner, I decided the fired needed to burn a little hotter or we'd be waiting a little too long to eat.  Okay, I admit, this valley-girl-wanna-be from the 80's still has issues with food cooking the slow way after a lifetime of microwaved meals.  Once the fire got rolling, the food got a-cookin' but my bread was getting a bit scorched at the bottom.  Next time, I'll work on that patience that always exudes from Ma as she tends the vittles.

Overall, our meal turned out great.  I scored major Cool Mom points with the children. And we sipped our soup and munched our bread while enjoying a few episodes of Little House on the Prarie to complete the evening.  Put all together, I had a mini-unit of history, home economics, and fine arts on the fly. :)

No Sugar Added Applesauce Cornbread
1/3 cup butter, melted (or olive oil)
3/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Mix wet ingredients; beat well. Add dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Bake in a prepared 8" pan 25 - 35 minutes.

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."  Psalm 107:9