Abstract:
The Crossroads: Where Food Meets the Hoosier State is designed to be used by teachers and
students across the Hoosier state to learn more about the people who made Indiana. Filled with
recipes and stories that tell the tales of our beloved Hoosiers, this cookbook can be used in
conjunction with the Indiana Social Studies textbook by Pearson Education, or it can be used as a
separate teaching supplement to anyone interested in Indiana history.
After cooking all of these dishes, and reading each of the profiles of these historical figures, each
student will have a better understanding of how each person played an important role in the
shaping of the state that they call home. They will learn about individuals such as Chief Little
Turtle, John Chapman, and Jim Davis and not just be able to read their story but also, recreate an
element of that story in the kitchen.
Indiana Social Studies is not only about the teaching of these iconic figures, but it is supposed to
encourage students to be think creatively. Teaching history through cooking is a fun, hands-on
way to get children involved in their learning.
Instead of reading about how Eliza E. George made food for her troops, this cookbook gives
them a recipe to follow as if they were Eliza George herself. Having students excited about
learning fosters long term positive relationships between the students and their studies. This
cookbook is perfect for those homework assignments that don’t feel like homework and for those
teachers who need some fun exercises mixed into their classrooms.
