Barbara Swell put out a series of old timey cookbooks that have some simple recipes in them, depression era stuff. They're not bad. I subscribe to the notion that necessity is the mother of invention, and will figure out a way to cook up whatever is at hand into at least a pallatable meal.

In all my cooking experience, nothing serves me better than pasta. It packs well, lasts long, and satisfies the appetite. For simple recipes, nothing is easier. It is surprising that more pasta wasn't eaten on the frontier and the range. I guess beans and corn were the thing back then.