In times past, the midday meal was called dinner, and rightly so. It was often the large meal of each day, with supper in the evening being comparably light fare—often leftovers. Now, however, most of us are away from home at midday, and we can easily get in the habit of grabbing something and eating on the run.
But that doesn’t have to stop you from taking advantage of the hot dishes in this section. If you are home, great. But if you find yourself away from home during the daylight hours, there’s no reason why you can’t pack your food to go and heat it up when hunger strikes. It may take some advance planning and cooking, but you’ll be so glad you made the effort because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a home-cooked meal. And you can save money and eat better into the bargain.
And of course, because this is an Amish cookbook, you’ll find more pie recipes throughout the chapter, along with some tasty snacks and quick meal ideas. There’s something here for every taste.
Let’s dig in!
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
3 JOHN 2
Father, I ask that You would open my heart to the needs and cares of my loved ones. I’m thankful, Lord, that one way I can show my love for my family is through food. Please help me to resist taking shortcuts where my family’s health is concerned. As I cook and bake, remind me that it’s a perfect time to pray for those I love. The meals I prepare, when drenched in prayer, can truly be a sacrifice of praise to You. Thank You that today I will show my love to my family through the work of my hands. I’m blessed! Amen.
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
1 T. butter
2 T. corn syrup
¾ cup peanut butter
½ cup marshmallow cream
½ tsp. vanilla
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, and butter and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and then stir in corn syrup; boil for 1 minute more, and then remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use and then let the spread sit out at room temperature until it’s spreadable.
As you can probably imagine, kids love this spread on a piece of toasted or plain bread!
6 apples suitable for pie
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ cup flour
⅓ cup butter
1 unbaked pie shell
Peel and core apples and cut into thin slices. Mix ½ cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples, gently mixing. Put the apple mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
Using your fingers, blend together the flour, ½ cup sugar, and butter to make coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the apples and bake in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350° and continue baking for 35 minutes or until pie is done.
This is a tasty variation of the more usual top-crust apple pie. It doesn’t take any more time and is a great change of pace.
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter
pinch of salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda, dissolved in a small amount of warm water
2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 T. room temperature butter
1 tsp. water
Cream together the sugar, butter, salt, and spices. Add applesauce, dissolved baking soda, and flour; mix well. Add the raisins and mix well again.
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until done.
Beat together the sugar and butter, adding water if necessary to get desired consistency. Spread on baked and cooled cake.
I usually use fewer raisins, and sometimes I add some chopped nuts.
1 baked pie shell
1 cup sugar, divided
5 T. cornstarch, divided
⅛ tsp. cinnamon
3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup orange juice
⅛ tsp. salt
1¼ cups milk
3 eggs, divided
Meringue Topping
3 egg whites (from the divided eggs in pie recipe)
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
6 T. sugar
In a large saucepan, combine ½ cup of the sugar, 3 T. of the cornstarch, and the cinnamon. Stir in blueberries and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring until thickened (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
In another large saucepan, mix together ½ cup of the sugar, 2 T. of the cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened; continue to cook, all the while stirring, for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
Separate eggs and set whites aside for now. Stir in a small amount of the hot custard mixture into the egg yolks. Stirring constantly, slowly add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan containing the custard. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
Pour blueberry mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Top with custard mixture.
For the meringue topping: In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. When done, the meringue will appear glossy and somewhat stiff and peaks will form when beaters are raised. Spread meringue over the custard and pull up into points with a spoon; be careful to bring the meringue to the edges of the crust to seal. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is a light golden brown. (Watch carefully because the meringue can quickly go from perfect to dark.)
Serve at room temperature. Meringue doesn’t take well to refrigeration, so plan to eat it the same day.
3 cups water, more or less
4 cups cabbage, coarsely shredded
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1 T. salt
½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. caraway seeds
4 cups scalded milk
2 T. butter
Cook the vegetables and seasonings in just enough water to cover; add a bit more water if necessary while cooking to keep them covered. When the vegetables are cooked tender, add the scalded milk and butter and heat thoroughly, but don’t boil.
When serving, you can also sprinkle a bit of shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese on top.
6 quarts popped corn (about ¾ cup unpopped corn)
1 cup peanuts (or other nuts), optional
1 cup butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 250°.
Butter or spray with oil a very large mixing bowl and two rimmed large jelly-roll pans. Place the popped corn and peanuts into the greased mixing bowl and set aside for now.
In a medium saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes without stirring.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the baking soda. (When you add the baking soda, the syrup will froth and grow for a few moments so don’t be concerned when your syrup temporarily acts like a mini volcano.) Gradually pour the syrup over the popped corn, mixing well to coat all the kernels. (I use a very large wooden spoon and it seems to work well.) Spread the caramel corn evenly into the two prepared jelly-roll pans. Bake the caramel corn for up to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Or don’t bake at all and dig right in!
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus a bit more for rolling
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 scant tsp. salt
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cardamom seed
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
In another, smaller bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the creamed mixture and stir well. Add oats and mix well again. Cover bowl and chill for at least an hour.
Roll dough into balls and roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. (Instead of rolling the dough balls in sugar, you can place them on the greased cookie sheet and then dip a fork into the sugar and flatten cookies slightly, running the fork across the tops to release the sugar.)
Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.
1½ cups water
3 cups sugar
1½ cups cocoa powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. corn syrup
In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and salt; set aside.
In a 3- or 4-quart pot, mix together the water and sugar. Turn heat to medium and heat to boiling, whisking constantly. Once the sugar water is boiling, add the remainder of the ingredients, whisking constantly. (Note that when the cocoa powder is added, the mixture will bubble up in the pot.)
Lower the heat and continue to whisk and cook the sauce for about 15 minutes; the liquid will be reduced and the sauce will thicken slightly.
Cool and use it over ice cream, fruit, cake, or mixed with milk for chocolate milk or hot chocolate.
You can also water-bath can the chocolate sauce. Use half-pint or 4-ounce canning jars and process for 15 minutes. (My book The Amish Canning Cookbook has up-to-date guidelines for safe processing.)
Part of what I love about this recipe is that all the ingredients can usually be found on my pantry shelves. Love that!
Coffee Cake:
1¼ cups flour
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup milk
1 egg
3 T. butter, melted and cooled
Cinnamon Nut Topping:
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup chopped nuts
1 T. flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T. butter, room temperature
Prepare Cinnamon Nut Topping: In a small mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, chopped nuts, flour, and cinnamon; add butter and mix together until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside for now.
Prepare Coffee Cake: In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour milk into another bowl; stir in egg and melted butter. Pour all at once into the flour mixture and stir just until mixed. Pour batter into a greased 8 × 8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the Cinnamon Nut Topping over the top of the batter and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until baked through.
This is a rather plain Jane coffee cake, but it’s so good that you’ll turn to this recipe again and again. It’s also excellent without nuts.
1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
5 T. shortening, melted and cooled
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in cornmeal.
Blend together the egg, milk, and melted shortening; add to dry ingredients and beat until smooth.
Grease the bottom only of an 8 × 8-inch baking dish and pour in batter. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bread is done and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
⅓ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. rosemary
1 frying chicken, 3-3½ lbs., cut into pieces
1½ cups crushed cornflakes
In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, salt, garlic salt, and rosemary. Brush pieces of chicken with the mayonnaise mixture and then roll them in the crushed cornflakes.
Place the chicken, skin side up, in a lightly greased baking pan; don’t crowd the pieces. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 1 hour or until all chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked.
I’ve used this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts with great success, although I reduce the bake time by about 20 minutes. How long you bake the chicken is contingent upon the size of the individual pieces.
1 gallon milk
⅓ cup white vinegar
salt to taste
cream or half and half to taste
Pour the milk into a large, nonreactive pot (such as stainless steel) and slowly heat the milk to 180-190° F. (No need to stir.) When the milk has reached the proper temperature, remove from the heat and add the vinegar. Stir to mix and then let the mixture set for about 30 minutes or until the curds and whey completely separate.
Pour the curds and whey into a colander that has been lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth. Allow the whey to drain completely, about 15 minutes. Wrap the cheesecloth around the curds and rinse with cool tap water for several minutes, gently kneading the curds as you rinse. Drain again and then place the curds in a bowl. Add some cream or half and half and salt to taste.
Note: You can use the whey to replace milk or water (there will be a lot!) in many recipes, such as biscuits, bread, cornbread, cooked oatmeal, and even smoothies. But remember that the whey from this recipe is acidic from use of the vinegar, so it will add a tangy taste to your food.
Note: In this recipe, low-fat or nonfat milk works well. I think it makes the curds “curdier.”
Making cottage cheese is quick and easy!
1 cup cottage cheese
4 eggs
½ cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup oil
½ cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla, optional
Mix together all ingredients until well blended and batter is smooth, although there will still be small lumps of cottage cheese. Fry on lightly greased griddle or frying pan; leave plenty of room between pancakes for turning…and turn quick because the batter is thin, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.
If you’ve ever eaten cheese blintzes or crepes, these pancakes will prove reminiscent. Not really a pancake, per se, these delicate pancakes make for an excellent light brunch or lunch when paired with a tossed green salad or fruit. Or try them rolled around a bit of blackberry jam and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. I make these for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes even dinner because they’re just that good!
2½ lb. ground beef
2½ cups bread crumbs
1 cup cheese, coarse shred or finely cubed
¼ cup green pepper, diced
¼ cup onion, diced
2 eggs
1 cup catsup
salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl and using your fingers, mix together all ingredients, reserving ½ cup catsup for the top. Form meat into two loaves and put them in loaf pans. Spread the remaining catsup over the tops and bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done.
1 head cabbage
½ cup cream
1 tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup vinegar
Discard outer leaves of cabbage. Wash the remainder of the cabbage, drain well, and then shred leaves.
Mix together the cream, salt, sugar, and vinegar and beat very well.
Just before serving, combine the cabbage and dressing and mix well.
This is classic coleslaw to my way of thinking. If desired, you can add a bit of diced onion, carrot, or bell pepper. For a change of pace, I sometimes add a can of drained mandarin oranges. Delicious!
2 lb. beef stew meat, cubed
3 onions, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, including liquid
2 T. tapioca
½ T. sugar
1 T. salt
1 slice stale bread, torn into small pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Mix together all ingredients. Place in a large covered casserole dish (about 3-quart size). Bake at 250° for 5 hours.
This stew is perfect for those days when you’re busy and don’t want to fuss in the kitchen.
You can use almost any fruit for this pie. My favorites are blackberry, blueberry, cherry, currant, raspberry, and strawberry.
1 unbaked pie shell
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
3 eggs, beaten
2½ cups milk
½-¾ cup fruit
In a large heatproof mixing bowl stir together the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the beaten eggs and stir again.
Bring the milk to almost boiling and then slowly add it to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour it into the unbaked pie shell and sprinkle the fruit over the top. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or until the custard is set. Cool.
You can serve this plain, or top with meringue or sweetened whipped cream.
8 potatoes, peeled, cubed, and boiled
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 T. fresh parsley, minced
Dressing
4 slices bacon, diced
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
½ cup vinegar
½ cup cold water
¼ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Combine all salad ingredients in large bowl and then prepare dressing.
Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon bits and add to salad. Beat together eggs, sugar, vinegar, water, and spices. Pour mixture into the hot bacon grease and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Pour over the potato mixture and mix gently. Refrigerate for several hours before serving, or eat when it’s cooled down to room temperature.
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1½ cups cooked ham, diced
3 eggs, beaten
1½ cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until done; drain them in a colander.
In a heavily greased 9 × 13-inch baking dish, layer the noodles and ham.
Beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper; pour over the noodles and ham.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
52 Hog Maw (Stuffed Pig’s Stomach)
1 pig’s stomach
2 lbs. fresh bulk sausage, smoked if you can get it
4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup apples, pared, cored, and chopped
2½ cups bread cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
If you butcher your own hogs, you’re in luck—but most of us will need to locate a pig stomach, and it’s not likely the local grocery store carries them. Ask a local butcher or local hog farmer.
Soak the pig stomach in lightly salted water; rinse and remove as much fat as possible while cleaning; pat dry.
Combine the remaining ingredients, breaking up the sausage meat as you work, and mix well. Stuff the stomach with as much of the mixture as you can, pressing well after each addition (the pig stomach will stretch). Sew up opening with baker’s twine or heavy-duty sewing thread.
Place the stuffed stomach in a heavy ovenproof pot, add ½ cup water or broth, cover tightly, and bake at 350° for 2 hours. Baste with the pan juices occasionally, and add another ½ cup water or broth about halfway through baking if it looks too dry. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes or so.
If the thought of eating stuffed pig’s stomach is disagreeable, remember that in some circles, this is quite a delicacy, and people have been eating hog maw for a very long time. But if you’re still squeamish, you can always scoop the dressing away from the lining and eat it sans maw.
1 cup flour
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs. Start mixing the flour into the eggs (use a fork for this) and keep incorporating more of the flour into the dough until it forms a ball; it will be sticky but should stick together.
Turn out dough ball onto a floured surface and keep adding in more of the flour, kneading as you go. You want the dough to be smooth and no longer sticky, but not too dry. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Many times I’ve been in a hurry and don’t chill my dough and I don’t seem to have problems. If you’re going to stint due to time constraints, better to stint here than forgo the drying time after the noodles are cut.)
Remove the chilled dough, place it back on the floured work surface, and cut into two pieces. Working with one half at a time and keeping the other half wrapped, roll out the dough as thin as you desire, and then cut the dough into noodles. Let the noodles sit on a drying rack for about 30 minutes or so until ready to cook.
To cook the noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to a good boil. Drop in the noodles and cook until done, stirring occasionally. The boiling time will vary, but you can figure somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on how thick the noodles are.
54 Homemade Pasta Noodles (No Eggs)
2 cups semolina flour*
½ tsp. salt
½ cup warm water
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour the warm water into the well. Using a fork, incorporate the flour into the water. Keep mixing until a ball forms. Turn out the ball of dough (it will be sticky) onto a floured surface and knead gently for 10 minutes. Use more flour to keep the dough from sticking, but try to use as little as possible. If the dough becomes too dry, sprinkle on a few drops of warm water and keep kneading. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes; then set the ball of dough, still tightly wrapped, into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Tear or cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and work with one piece at a time, keeping the others wrapped and in the refrigerator so they don’t dry out. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out and cut into noodles.
To cook the pasta, drop noodles into boiling, salted water and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until done.
* Semolina flour is made from coarse grinding Durham wheat berries. You can use other kinds of flour, including all-purpose and whole wheat, but Semolina/Durham flour makes the very best pasta noodles. When we were kids growing up, Mama would sometimes use Cream of Wheat cereal straight from the box in lieu of the more expensive Semolina to make our noodles. It works very well!
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, or crushed potato chips
Butter or grease a 9 × 9-inch casserole.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter; add the flour and whisk until blended. Add the milk and then the broth in a stream, whisking constantly. Keep whisking and cooking until the white sauce thickens; remove from heat.
In a large bowl (or the saucepan if it’s large enough), gently mix together all ingredients except cracker crumbs. Mix as little as possible so that the chicken doesn’t shred. (Overmixing will do that.) Spoon mixture into prepared dish, top with the cracker crumbs, and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 35-45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and cooked through.
2 lbs. stewing beef, cubed
6 potatoes, chopped or thinly sliced
2 onions, chopped or thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine (or use ⅛ cup dried)
pot pie dough squares (see below)
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, add beef cubes and enough water to cover. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and boil beef until tender; add more water if necessary—don’t boil dry. When meat is tender, remove from broth and set aside for now.
Peel and cut potatoes and onions; set aside for now.
For the pot pie dough: Add a pinch of salt to 2 cups flour. Add 1 beaten egg and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out dough as thin as possible on a floured surface and then cut into 2-inch squares.
Now assemble the pot pie: Into the hot broth, make layers of potatoes, onions, parsley and pot pie squares. Repeat layers, ending with pot pie squares on top.
Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes; don’t lift cover! After the pot-pie is cooked, return the meat to the pot and cook on low just until the meat is heated through.
Many of us think meat pie when we hear the words “pot pie.” This version of pot pie doesn’t use a crust and is more like a meat and noodle squares dish. It is—to my way of thinking, at least—more traditional.
2½ cups water
1 box orange Jell-O
2 boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream
Bring water to a boil; remove from heat. Add the Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Add the pudding and stir thoroughly. Cool until thickened slightly; add the mandarin oranges and whipped cream and stir to mix well. Refrigerate until fully set.
6 cups mashed potatoes, room temperature
3 eggs, beaten
1 quart bread cubes
1 stick (½ cup) butter
½ cup onion, minced
1 cup celery, diced
½ cup fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper to taste
In a large mixing bowl stir together the mashed potatoes and beaten eggs.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter; sauté the onion and celery. Add the bread cubes and toast for several minutes, carefully and constantly stirring. Remove from the heat, and add the parsley and salt and pepper.
Combine the bread mixture with the mashed potato mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread in a large, greased roasting pan; sprinkle with paprika and pats of butter if desired. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until the stuffing is baked through and the top is golden.
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups canned pumpkin (or 1 can if using store-bought canned pumpkin)
3½ cups flour
⅔ cup water
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. each cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg
Mix together the sugar, oil, and eggs. Add pumpkin and stir to mix. Add the dry ingredients and the water and stir just until mixed.
Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350° for 1 hour.
This bread is good plain, toasted with butter, or spread with cream cheese.
4½ cups flour, divided
1 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
½ cup lard or shortening
½ cup butter
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ cup water
1 cup brown sugar
In a large mixing bowl, sift together 4 cups of the flour, salt, granulated sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cut in lard and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 well-beaten egg, milk, and water and mix to form a soft dough.
In another bowl, mix together 1 beaten egg, brown sugar, and ½ cup flour.
Roll dough to ½-inch thickness and spread with the brown sugar mixture. Roll up jelly-roll style and cut into inch-thick slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes.
1 cup butter
¾ cup powdered sugar, more or less
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and smooth. Add ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well again. Add flour and mix until blended; stir in nuts.
Shape the dough into a flattened ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through.
While the first batch of cookies is baking, sift ¼ cup powdered sugar into a bowl. When the cookies are removed from the oven and while still warm, roll them in the powdered sugar and cool on wire rack.
Schmeirkase is a spreadable cheese similar to cream cheese, sometimes called “spread cheese” or “spoon cheese.”
1 quart milk (raw if you can get it)
1 quart boiling water
2 T. milk, or to taste
2 T. cream, or to taste
½ tsp. salt
Pour milk into an earthenware bowl or other nonreactive container; let stand in a warm place until thick and sour. (I put it in my oven with the oven light on.)
When the milk has soured and is quite thick, pour boiling water over it. Let the mixture stand for several minutes and then pour into a large cheesecloth bag (use double layers); drain overnight or for about 12 hours.
Beat well, adding milk, cream, and salt. The cheese should end up the consistency of thick apple butter.
Spread schmeirkase on toasted bagels or bread. You can also add spices such as caraway seeds, garlic, parsley, or chives and serve it with crackers or raw vegetables.
1 unbaked pie crust
Crumbs
½ cup butter or shortening
1½ cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
Syrup
½ cup molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup boiling water
⅛ tsp. salt
pinch of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves
Preheat oven to 450°. With your fingers or a fork, mix together all of the crumb ingredients until coarse crumbs form; set aside.
Make the syrup: In a heatproof saucepan or mixing bowl, stir to dissolve the baking soda in the molasses; add the boiling water, salt, and spices and stir well.
Pour one-third of the syrup into the bottom of the pie shell; add a third of the crumbs; repeat these layers twice more, ending with the crumbs.
Place the pie into the oven and immediately turn down heat to 350°. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crumbs and crust are golden.
1 cup butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
2¼ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1½ tsp. cinnamon
extra sugar, for rolling
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add molasses and eggs and beat well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and spices; beat again. Chill at least 30 minutes. Roll dough into balls and then roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350° for 10-11 minutes. Do not overbake.
This soup recipe is so easy and quick. You start with a can of tomato paste and you end up 20 minutes later with a delicious soup for just pennies a serving. Serve it with crackers or grilled cheese sandwiches and enjoy homemade comfort food!
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 quart water
1 stalk celery, chunked into thirds
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
¼ tsp. onion powder
⅛ tsp. each garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and celery seed
1 bay leaf
1 T. butter
1 T. flour
¼-½ cup milk
In a pot, mix together all ingredients except for the butter, flour, and milk. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove celery pieces and bay leaf and turn down heat to low.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. Slowly add ½ cup of the soup, whisking constantly while adding. When the roux is smooth, add about another ½ cup of soup, continuing to whisk. Now slowly pour roux into the soup, whisking all the while. The soup will thicken slightly after a minute or so. Just before ready to serve, add the milk and stir.
This soup is excellent plain, but it’s also tasty with a dollop of sour cream on top.
This recipe makes one loaf.
1 cup warm water
½ tsp. sugar
3 tsp. yeast
¼ cup milk
2 T. shortening or butter
2 T. honey
½ tsp. salt
3 tsp. vital wheat gluten
3½ cups whole wheat flour, divided
Place warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and yeast; mix so yeast gets wet and then let it sit for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.
In the meantime, put milk and shortening or butter in a small saucepan and gently heat it until warm; the shortening or butter may not be entirely melted. (You can also place the milk and shortening into a microwavable container and microwave it for about 30 seconds.) Let the mixture cool a tad while you’re waiting for the yeast mixture to bubble.
Now, pour the milk/shortening mixture into the large mixing bowl that contains the yeast mixture. Add honey, salt, vital wheat gluten, and about 1 cup whole wheat flour. Mix together; keep adding flour and mixing (you’ll use somewhere around 3½ cups flour total, including what you use while kneading to keep things from sticking) until the dough tends to stay in a ball and leave the sides of the bowl. Then turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes; keep adding flour to your work surface so the dough doesn’t stick while you work it.
Grease another large clean bowl and plop your kneaded ball of dough into it, turning the dough so all surfaces are greased. Cover with a clean towel and let it rise until doubled. Punch down the dough, form it into a ball again, and put it back in the bowl to rise a second time (make sure the surface of the dough is greased again). After the dough has doubled a second time, punch it down and form it into a loaf. Place it into a greased loaf pan and let rise again. This time, let the dough rise until it’s about an inch above the top of the loaf pan at its tallest point.
Bake in a preheated 375° oven for about 35 minutes. When it’s done, take it out of the loaf pan and let the bread cool on a rack.