A friend of mine recently gifted me a “right up my alley” cookbook:  The Best of the Farmer’s Wife. Alas, I’m not a farmer or a wife and certainly not a farmer’s wife. Regardless, I’m super excited about this cookbook! Apparently, “The Farmer’s Wife” was a monthly Minnesota magazine published between 1893 and 1939. Considering the era, and the audience, the cookbook offers a plethora of recipes that allow me to shop only the outer aisles of the grocery store–produce, meat, dairy–and definitely promote the use of whole, inexpensive foods. The recipe below is an updated-for-my-kitchen version of a classic:

• Boil 16 ounces of elbow macaroni according to package directions.
• In large mixing bowl, combine…
  • 16 ounces sour cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Salt to taste
• Drain pasta and add to cream mix along with 16 ounces of cooked, diced ham and one cup of peas.
• In pasta pot (save dirtying another pan), saute…
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• Add onion mix to pasta, stir to combine before placing in greased casserole dish and topping with bread crumbs.
• Bake at 350* for 30ish minutes, until set.

Totally yummy, totally flavorful, and light sour cream made it fairly guilt-free. I’m always impressed when I can make something without cheese. This is absolutely a comfort food to add to your repertoire!