Did you know Wyoming was the first state in the U.S. to grant suffrage to women? According to the introduction to Cooking in Wyoming, "it all started with a tea party in 1869 in South Pass City," which is why one hundred years later the Wyoming Recreation Commission released the Women's Suffrage Centennial Edition cookbook, to celebrate a century of Wyoming women who can both vote and roast an elk.

The cookbook opens with Wyoming's most exciting culinary offering: Pioneer Recipes! Thanks to a childhood spent obsessively reading and rereading the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, I have a deep fascination with all foods eaten by pioneers, homesteaders and people traveling in wagon trains. I probably spent way too many girlhood hours craving salt pork and johnny cakes, even though I've never eaten either. I'm fairly certain, in fact, that I'd find Mrs. Archie D. Cook's Pork Cake (made with one pound of ground salt pork) absolutely vile. But I'd still like a johnny cake in my pocket, for long trips on the wagon with Ma, Pa, and Mary, okay?

Pioneers -- and modern-day hunting Wyomingites (actual term) -- eat a lot of venison, ducks, wood chucks, bunnies and donuts. There are approximately fifteen donut recipes in this book, including one for Spudnuts, which until I read this cookbook I thought was just a funny name for a depressing donut franchise found near my university in South LA. But no, they are actually donuts made with potatoes and they sound surprisingly good. Not as good as Mother Miller's Fried Pies, though. Mmm...fried pies...

The book is notable for its large number of contributions from men, including a one-page treatise on preparing duck, which ends with "Note to You Duck Hunters: No wife likes to dress and fix ducks so why don't you try fixing the ducks? Then all wife has to do is shove them in the oven, plus prepare the balance of the meal." Wow, how nice of him to give his wife a night out of the kitchen make the duck. What, did you forget this is the Women's Suffrage Centennial Edition?

My second favorite bird-based recipe is not a recipe at all, but a grumpy rant about eating elderly geese, submitted by the obviously-crochety Mrs. Robert McNiel. The problem with cooking wild geese, she says, is that you can never tell how old they are, so you might get a tough 25-year-old or a tender 2-year-old. The same goes for mallard ducks. The end. Uh, Mrs. McNiel? Maybe you didn't hear me? I asked if you wanted to contribute something to our COOKbook. You know, like a recipe? ...What's that? I heard you. And as I said before, some Canadian geese live to be 70. Goodbye. Um. Thank you, Mrs. McNiel.

After the pioneer recipes, the book flirts with some late-'60s American food horrors, but for the most part stays true to its prairie grass roots with simple recipes and preparations. I do have to mention one terrifying dish though: Corn and Spaghetti Custard. I'll say that again. Corn (okay) and Spaghetti (kind of weird, that combination) Custard (oh good god). You mix cooked spaghetti with corn niblets (or creamed corn!), pour in an egg-milk mixture, and let the whole monstrosity steam in the oven until set. Then you put buttered carrots in the middle and drizzle it with tomato sauce. I hear all of Italy sobbing softly right now.

While looking for this week's recipe, I found myself drawn to the various instructions for sourdough starters. I have a fascination with friendly bacteria (hence my love of homemade yogurt) and wanted to try my hand at growing my own batch of happy bread bacteria. Making the starter was easy enough and it was fascinating to peek under the damp dishtowel in the morning and see the bubbling starter soup, twice the size of the night before. Mixed with some baking soda, sugar and an egg, it made picture-perfect sourdough pancakes, the ideal breakfast for a camping trip. Or a lazy Saturday brunch in your kitchen. Whichever you prefer.

Sourdough Hotcakes
Makes about 12 hotcakes

2 cups sourdough starter (recipe below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 can evaporated milk

Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl and add 1/2 cup evaporated milk, or enough to make a medium-thin batter. Cook on a nonstick skillet, flipping each hotcake when the edges look dry and the center is bubbly. Keep warm in a 250-degree oven or serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

Sourdough Starter

2 cups flour
1/2 package yeast
1 teaspoon salt
Lukewarm water

Mix the flour, yeast and salt, then add enough water to make a medium-thick batter. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean, damp kitchen towel and let stand overnight. To keep it going from day to day, add more flour and salt each night. When using the starter, be sure to set some aside and continue feeding it to keep your bacteria family going!