Looking for a laugh, I picked up an old cookbook from my South Dakota grandmother this weekend, “The German-Russian Pioneer Cook Book.” I have three editions of this cookbook, all originally typed on a typewriter, two plastic spiral-bound with laminated cardstock front and back covers and one bound with binder rings. In addition to some “real” German and Russian recipes like Schupfnudeln, Einlaufsuppe and “Borsch,” it also contains some recipes I can only describe as very regional.

Here are two recipes for soup from the 1975 edition.

Soup
Mrs. Wallace Kusler

Peel potatoes and fry, when done add milk, some cream and salt and pepper in amount needed for family and serve. This is like soup.

Wine soup

The Christ Wolf family have a recipe that came from Russia with their grandparents and sometimes they still use it if someone gets sick. It really is good when you come down with a cold. The recipe is as follows:

Take 3 c. water, 1 1/2 c. port wine or white wine. Cook and add 1/4 c. sugar. Add 1 handful of oyster crackers. Set aside and beat 2 eggs into 1/2 c. cream. Beat this into the broth. If it is too hot it will curdle.