‘Little House’ Laura — Melissa Gilbert — in Eastern Iowa with new cookbook

When a Hollywood actress writes a book, you might expect the book tour to start in Los Angeles, New York City or even Chicago.

But Melissa Gilbert, star of the beloved television series 'Little House on the Prairie,” chose Eastern Iowa to kick off the tour for her cookbook 'My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, September 2014).

'Typically we contact publishers for book readings, but Gilbert's publisher contacted us asking if we would be interested in having Melissa come here,” said Kathleen Johnson, events coordinator at Prairie Lights in Iowa City.

The release of the cookbook is timed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the series.

'We decided to tour where the book lived in people's hearts the most,” said Gilbert. 'The books and the show were set in the Midwest, and it has that wonderful Midwestern sensibility.”

Gilbert will appear in Cedar Rapids at 2 p.m. and Iowa City at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Though the visits were organized by Johnson through Prairie Lights and its sister store New Bo Books, the events will be held at the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City libraries because Johnson expects large audiences at both.

'People are very excited,” she said.

A cookbook may seem an unusual vehicle for memories of a television series. For Gilbert, though, it seemed like a natural fit.

'Food was such a big part of the show, and the questions range from ‘What did they really eat back in those days?' to ‘What did they serve at Nellie's restaurant?' to ‘What were you really eating when you filmed the dinner scenes?' ”

The surprising answer to the last question is Kentucky Fried Chicken.

'My Prairie Cookbook” is part scrapbook and part cookbook.

'I just want to share with people what a magical time that was,” she said. 'The themes are still universal and applicable. We are still striving for the same things. We still need the same things - love, community, family, home, and faith.”

Pictures, stories and anecdotes are paired with a Gilbert's personal recipes based on her love of simple prairie cooking.

Gilbert filled the cookbook with food reminiscent of the show, including recipes such as gingerbread, corn bread and chicken potpies. She also included recipes important to her family, such as her mother's chicken soup and her family's favorite meal, shepherd's pie.

'When I hear ‘prairie food' I think of warm, homey, comforting, filling, nourishing food prepared with love, which is what I try to do for my family,” she said.

Gilbert's credits her childhood on 'Little House” for instilling in her 'the ritual of food and family.”

'The dinner scenes on the show were really important because it was about the family being together,” said Gilbert. 'We did it on the show, but we also ate together as a cast.

'Ultimately, though, if one family sits down around the table during the middle of the hectic day to cook one or two of these recipes and it brings them together, then I am done. I have done what I set out to do.”

IF YOU GO

What: Melissa Gilbert's Book Signing and Reading Events

When: Tuesday

Cedar Rapids: 2 p.m., Whipple Auditorium, Cedar Rapids Public Library, 560 Fifth Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids

Iowa City: 7 p.m., Room A, Iowa City Public Library, 123 South Linn St., Iowa City

General Gilbert's California Fried Chicken with Pan Gravy

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (4- to 5-pound) fryer chickens, cut into pieces, rinsed, and patted dry

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 cups warm milk

Mix 2 cups of the flour, the Old Bay, salt, and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Drop in the chicken pieces (you will probably have to do this in batches) and shake to coat.

Pour the oil into a deep 12-inch cast-iron skillet to a depth of 1 inch. Heat it over high heat until a drop of water bubbles. Shake any excess seasoning mix off the chicken and put it skin-side down in the pan, cooking in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding. Cook on one side for 15 minutes, then turn the chicken pieces over and fry uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain the chicken on paper towels. Keep it warm in a low oven while you finish frying all of the chicken.

Pour off the oil from the skillet, leaving approximately 3 tablespoons in the skillet, and turn the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons flour to the skillet while whisking, mixing in the crunchy bits and cooking for 5 minutes. Pour in the milk and bring it to a low boil, whisking constantly and cooking for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the fried chicken.

Corn Bread with Scallions

Serves 8

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 3/4 cups low-fat milk

2 tablespoons honey

2 large eggs, beaten

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn oil

8 scallions (white and tender green parts only), thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, honey, eggs, and 1/3 cup of the oil. Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and whisk just until combined. Stir in the scallions.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool slightly, then invert the skillet and turn the corn bread out onto a wire rack to cool. Alternatively, serve the corn bread hot directly from the skillet.