The Schmidt Family Cookbook contains recipes from the descendants of Hans Schmidt, the shepherd of Nentershausen, Germany, who lived 400 years ago. His descendants, who today stretch from West Bend, Iowa, to Washington, DC, to Machtlos, Germany, and everywhere in between, reunited in Spencer, Iowa on July 30-31, 2016. This cookbook was assembled before the event as a testament to the strong bonds of our Schmidt family, and as a means of honoring our ancestors.