Revolutionary War Recipes You Can Cook at Home: Part #4 of our American Revolution Food Series

We're cooking 8 shockingly simple colonial recipes today. From George Washington's hoecakes and Jefferson's famous mac and cheese to the cherry bounce that took us three months to make. It really is easy to do 1776-style.You probably assume Revolutionary War recipes are fussy, obscure, and impossible to make today. In this America 250 grand finale of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia France prove that colonial cooking slides straight into a modern kitchen, no hearth, no weird 1776 ingredients, no fear required.

If you have cornmeal, peanut butter, chicken, elbow noodles, navy beans, and a few apples in your pantry right now, you can cook the exact colonial recipes George Washington and his contemporaries ate. We run a full-day cooking marathon: crispy hoecakes and velvety colonial peanut soup for breakfast; spatchcock chicken and James Hemings' original French-béchamel mac and cheese for the midday feast; slow New England baked beans with homemade sauerkraut and pickles for supper. Dessert is Abigail Adams' rustic apple pandowdy, and the nightcap is George Washington's own cherry bounce, which took three full months.

Don't want to do it all from scratch? Sylvia shares the free grocery store shortcut that does half the work for you.

Along the way, you'll hear the real stories behind these 1776 recipes — including the brilliant, enslaved chefs, Hercules Posey and James Hemings, who built the bedrock of American cuisine. This is comfort-food history you can taste. Grab your cast iron pan and cook through history with us.

What You'll Learn:How to cook what George Washington ate for breakfast every single day:— flourless hoecakes, with butter and honey and a savory colonial peanut soup that you can make fast with what’s in your pantry now.Who really invented mac and cheese and how to make it fresh: We’re sharing the t French-béchamel technique James Hemings brought home from Paris. Sylvia France pulled this recipe straight from Jefferson's National Archives.An easy free butcher-counter shortcut: This one’s for spatchcock chicken from scratch in your own kitchen. Nancy May and Bob, her husband, made this one, and how spatchcocking can cut your roasting time in half. Sylvia shares how you can get the butcher at Publix (or most any meat department) to do the hard part for you at no charge.How to make real colonial comfort food, the easy way: This is 12-hour New England baked beans with molasses and salt pork, plus sauerkraut and fermented pickles that need no canning at all. It’s easier than it sounds.What to add as an after-dinner drink…George Washington's Cherry Bounce: Although this one takes a little time to plan and make. It’s still very easy. Nancy followed the handwritten recipe from the Mount Vernon archives. George packed a flask of this with his things for military marches.

Additional Links Shared:❤️Yaupon Tea, family-owned. When British tea just won't do.Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on AmazonInstagram Story updates 📸Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍TikTok: Family Tree Food Stories👇Share Your Story With Nancy & Sylvia!: Leave us a voicemailYou can send us a DM on Facebook.

More From Our American Revolution Food SeriesThis is the grand finale of our four-part American Revolution food series:

Part 1 — the American Revolution food series Part 2 — colonial recipes and the stories behind themPart 3 — how chef Hercules Posey walked out on Washington's birthday to claim his freedom

Next Thursday: we're beating the Florida heat with summer salads, grilled specialties, and homemade dog biscuits for BB and the Mighty Quinn.

About Your Award-Winning Hosts: Nancy May and Sylvia France are the powerhouse team behind Family Tree, Food & Stories, a member of The Food Stories Media Network, which celebrates the rich traditions and connections everyone has around food, friends, and family meals. Nancy, an award-winning business leader, author, and podcaster, and Sylvia, a visio