Amish Stories

2012-02-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

Some Lebanon county images with a story : Before the Bonnet: An Amish Women's many hats

2012-02-09T17:32:00.002-05:00

Lebanon county farm

I really love a stone farm house

Summer corn crop

Before the Bonnet: Amish Women's Hats

Story re-published with permission from the Amish country News. Brad Igou writer.

Most people probably assume that Amish women have "always" worn bonnets. In fact, the bonnet is relatively new in terms of over 300 years of Amish history. In Europe there was much work for the women in the fields, and women wore flat straw hats in the German Palatinate.

Dr. Alfred L. Shoemaker claims that the Amish bonnet of today is really "an adaptation of the Quaker bonnet, which was introduced into Pennsylvania from England around 1800. Before then the flat hat was worn---straw in summer and felt in winter."

The first "Amish information" on bonnets we could find was in 1847, when an Amish girl had to make a confession in church for wearing a bonnet, after which she had to "put it away." So what did Amish women wear before the bonnet?

A Lancaster County Amishman known as "Mechanicsburg Johnnie" left us some interesting history in his many writings. He states that "when my mother was young, she wore a beaver hat. They were woolen, they had wide brims, and just a small head. They also wore straw hats the same size. They tied the brim down on the side with strings."

A 59-year old woman from Ohio wrote about her visit with an Old Order Amish woman. The older woman told her of these hats being worn to church, and that the women used to make their hair up in a bun on the top of their head. The bun fit into the small part of the hat.

There is still one group of Old Order Amish who do not allow women to wear bonnets. These Amish are known as "Nebraska Amish" or "White Topper Amish," due to the color of their buggies. They live in the Big Valley of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.

The fact that Amish women wore hats to about the middle 1800’s, and that bonnets were forbidden in the Amish church, is so unknown by most Amish that it is rather hard to get much information.

The following words come from Amish in Ohio...

"My grandmother was born in 1858. At that time all women wore hats, Amish and non-Amish. But styles changed and non-Amish started to wear bonnets. These were made more like the sunbonnets."

An Amish woman in Ohio wrote the following...

"Mother used to tell me that she and her sisters used to wear straw hats to go to church and so on. Mother said that their hats were rather tattered and torn. It was the time when some were beginning to wear bonnets. So her mother decided that since their hats were so worn looking, she would make the three little girls bonnets. It was on a Saturday. She was putting the finishing touches to them when their dad came in and she had them all three lying on the sewing machine. He asked her, ‘What are you doing, Mom?’ She said, ‘Well, the little girls’ hats are not very good anymore. I thought I would make them bonnets since we are going to a district that is new to us.’ He just up and said, ‘If you just want to dreib hochmut (promote pride) going to another church district, I can take care of that.’ He disposed of all three of them. He looked at bonnets as being worldly. Mother was born in 1883, and I was eleven when her mother died. So this would have been between 1883 and 1894."

Also from Amish in Ohio...

"My mother was born in 1896. My grandmother was born about 1850. She told my mother that Amish women wore wide brimmed hats with a scarf or length of cloth tied over top of the head and under the chin, bringing the sides down over the ears. Women’s bonnets were so colorful and elaborate and fancy that it was easy to understand why they were banned among the Amish women. Simple hats were more appropriate for Plain women. I understand my mother to say that women wore these hats to church. On dusty roads they could draw the cloth down over the face."

The following was obtained from Holmes County, Ohio Amish...

"My grandmother was born in 1858. Her mother died when grandmother was a baby. Then her grandparents raised her. In 1869, when grandmother was eleven years old, her grandparents planned to go away on a Saturday evening, and grandmother was also going along. Her grandfather hitched up the horse. When she and her grandmother went out to go, he looked up at his wife and said, ‘Where did you get that bonnet?’ She said, ‘Her hat is not fit anymore to go away.’ He said, ‘We are not going away with that bonnet.’ They did not go. She told me she cried all evening. The bonnet was forbidden. They were stylish and were just starting to be used by the Amish women in that area."

Perhaps in time, the fact that Amish women have not always worn bonnets will be something lost to history. Today we have only these few memories to tell us about what Amish women wore "before the bonnet."

Re-published with permission from the Amish Country news. www.Amishcountrynews.com. Richard from Amish Stories. Bonnet images from goldberg-shes not there-cindy47452-calc-tufa-eric parker all from flickr.

Amish Meatloaf recipe

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 beaten egg

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 cup Pet milk

About 2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed

1/4 cup onion

1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded (plus some extra)

Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients well; pat into an oval loaf in a baking dish. Put the extra shredded Swiss cheese over top of loaf. Bake for 1 hour. This meatloaf freezes well.

Amish Noodles recipe

3 eggs

About 2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat 3 eggs until frothy. Add flour and stir until of dough texture. Knead until smooth. Turn into floured cutting board. Roll dough, turning often until thin. Let noodle dough dry for 45 minutes. Turn dough and dry 1/2 hour.

Cut into noodles size. Drop into boiling beef or chicken stock, reduce heat and cook at rolling boil about 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Cinnamon Bread recipe

1 cup sourdough starter

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 (3 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apple

1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease three 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Place the starter in a bowl. Stir in oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, instant pudding and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the starter mixture and beat by hand. Add the pecans, raisins and apples and mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Yields 3 loaves. All recipes from www.recipegoldmine.com.

Recipe of the week : Hamburger-Corn -Noodle Casserole

2012-02-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

Hamburger-Corn -Noodle Casserole

Mix all ingredients and put in casserole. Bake at 350° F until noodles are done. Very tasty!

Serves 8

1½ lb. ground beef

1 medium onion

1½ teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1½ cups corn

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 cups dry noodles

All the favorites of the Belle Center Amish Community. Over 600 of today's family favorites, and even some from Grandma's kitchen. All the usual sections are here. But what makes Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread special is the appetizers, large quantity recipes (for weddings, reunions, and other special occasions) and the children's recipe section. The tips, hints, and quotes section is filled with everyday kitchen secrets. Laminated cover - Spiral bound - 263 pages. To order this book please go to www.Amishshop.com. Top image from Ilamont of flickr.

A few images and 2 recipes from Lebanon counties Amish community

2012-02-06T08:10:00.000-05:00

A neat as a pin Amish home in Lebanon county that sells baked goods

Corn field with one of the many hills that we have in Lebanon county

Lancaster County Corn Pudding

1 15 oz can Cope’s Heat and Serve Corn

3 eggs, separated

¾ cup milk

1 Tbsp flour

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp butter

Salt & Pepper to taste
<Mix flour, sugar, corn and egg yolks. Add salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter and add to mixture along with milk. Beat egg whites and fold into mixture. Place baking dish in pan of water. Bake in buttered oven dish for one hour in moderate oven.

Corn Chowder

1 cup diced potatoes

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1 ½ cups cooked dried corn

3 strips of bacon

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Cut 3 strips of bacon into 1/8” pieces. Fry bacon and remove from pan. Saute one medium sized chopped onion in the remaining fat. Add flour. Mix flour, onions, and fat until thoroughly combined. Add remaining ingredients except parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer all. Recipes from www.farmstandfoods.com. Richard from Amish Stories

The Amish community of Pinecraft in Sarasota, Florida.

2012-02-03T03:57:00.001-05:00

The Amish in Florida

From the Amish country news.

While you may know that the Amish are found in about 20 states, it may surprise you to learn that there are Amish in Florida. However, the existence of the Amish community there is unlike any other. As with many other Americans, some of the Amish have made Florida their temporary home during the winter months.

On Florida’s west coast is the city of Sarasota. Every year it hosts several million visitors from all over the United States and beyond. They come to enjoy "the whitest beaches on earth." But the city is also known for its cultural activities, and the Ringling Museums with their collections of art and circus memorabilia. In fact, a large number of circus people make Sarasota their winter home, too.

Within the city limits of Sarasota is a neighborhood known as Pinecraft. Narrow streets and small houses in a grid layout mark this as the area’s "Amish community." In truth, the area is made up of Amish, Mennonites, and others, but it is those members of the Plain Sects, in their traditional clothing, that catch the eye.

The Amish and Mennonites here come from many different states, so you see a great deal of variety in the styles of Plain clothing and prayer coverings. Even an expert might have difficulty in distinguishing the people from various Amish and Mennonite communities.

Yoders is located right in the heart of Pinecraft, and my favorite place to eat

You will see familiar Amish names on many of the mailboxes. One house had a wooden sign over its door indicating the occupants were from Ronks, Pennsylvania, right here in Lancaster County. And it is not just the older people who may be seen in Florida, but some families and groups of teenagers as well.

Many people gather at the park or local post office, the entire exterior wall of which consists of post office boxes for the many residents. Sundays, since the houses are much too small for church services, you’ll see people attending the "Mennonite Tourist Church."

Most people stay pretty close to home. They do, of course, use public transportation, but within their neighborhood they often get around on large-wheel "tricycles." These have a box on the back to transport items. I saw one lady pedaling down the street with a card table behind her.

In the Pinecraft neighborhood, there is a Farmers Market on Saturdays. During the week you’ll also see some "roadside stands," similar to what you see here in Lancaster, except that oranges and grapefruits are common items for sale.

If you visit Sarasota’s Visitor Information Center, you will surely notice brochures for the five "Amish restaurants." They are Der Dutchman, Dutch Haus, Dutch Oven, Sugar & Spice, and Yoder’s. A sixth restaurant, Miller’s Dutch Kitchen, in nearby Bradenton, also advertises "Amish cooking." While these restaurants may not be owned by the Amish, you will see Amish and Mennonites working and sometimes eating there.

Several of the restaurants offer special menu items on certain days of the week, such as chicken and dumplings, or liver and onions. Some have received awards from various local reader polls, such as "best meal under $10."

The proprietors of Yoder’s Restaurant even have a newsletter. A story told of a misprint in one of their advertisements, promoting a special Wednesday "bib meatloaf" dinner. Obviously, the employee had mis-typed "bib" for "big." When asked about her mistake, she replied, "We serve bibs with that meal. That’s our sloppy meatloaf."

Many Sarasota residents order pies from these restaurants for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition to Florida’s popular key lime pie, they also make a variety of fruit and crème pies, such as apple, strawberry, rhubarb, and even shoofly. So, on your next trip to Florida, if you get a craving for some good old shoofly pie, you can always head for Sarasota. But don’t expect to see any horse-and-buggies going down the road!

Re-published with permission from The Amish country News. Richard from Amish Stories.

Images as they appear in order from Kat,Richard Elzey, and Jordan Mcrae, Ferret and Nwtransplant all of Flickr.

Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies recipe

A finalist in the 2000 Share The Very Best Recipe Contest, this recipe was entered by Alma Carey of Sarasota, FL.
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Cooling Time: 15 mins cooling

Servings: 16 brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8-inch-square baking pan.

COMBINE flour, cocoa and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle nuts and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until light in color. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping.

BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. Recipe published with permission from Recipe goldmine.

Today on Amish Stories: interesting facts :Al Capone’s brother was a police officer who at one point was also a prohibition enforcement officer.

2012-02-02T07:58:00.001-05:00

From the web site: Todayifoundout for Amish Stories

Today I found out Al Capone’s brother was a police officer who at one point was also a prohibition enforcement officer.

James Vincenzo Capone, born in 1892, was 7 years old when his infamous brother Al was born. Growing up in Brooklyn, he felt the city life didn’t suit him and decided to head out west. As such, he left the family at the age of 16 to join the circus in 1908. Losing touch with his family, he traveled throughout the Midwest going by the name “Richard Hart”, choosing to keep people from knowing about his Italian heritage. Instead, he preferred people to think he was Mexican or Native American.

During this early period in his life, he became fascinated with guns and would spend countless hours shooting at bottles and cans, soon becoming an expert marksman. After World War I, he told people he had developed this skill serving in the infantry in France. He also said that he rose to the rank of Lieutenant and received the “sharpshooters” medal from General John J Pershing. However, later in his life, this military service was called into question by local Legionaries who asked for proof of his claims. Being unable to provide any record of actually being a serviceman, his military history is thought to have been made up.

He eventually settled in Homer, Nebraska, where he soon became Homer’s town marshal for two years followed by one year as a state sheriff. It was then that he chose to seek out more excitement by becoming a prohibition enforcement officer. This was quite ironical given the fact that his brother, Al, was at the same time rising in fame as a gangster in Chicago, particularly known for illegal smuggling of liqueur.

Mr. Hart lead countless raids that ended in numerous arrests and convictions. He soon became famous for his methods in which he used disguises to enter towns undercover to bust local bootleggers. Due to his pair of pearl-handled pistols and his ability as a marksman, the papers began calling him “Two Gun Hart” after several sensational arrests. As his fame grew, he was hired by the U.S. Indian Service where he soon developed a reputation of brutality among the natives. In one incident, he killed a local Native American in a fight. After his arrest, it came to light that the Native American was a bootlegger, so all charges were dropped. Two Gun did not escape the crime Scot free, though. The murdered Native’s family, seeking retribution, attempted to kill Hart. They were not successful, but did manage to take one of his eyes.

After several more incidents, Two Gun’s reputation was tarnished and he ended up almost blind and broke. Unable to handle his bills and facing the prospect of being penniless, Hart chose to reach out to his wealthy brother in Chicago. Initially refusing to tell his wife and children where he was going, Hart went to Chicago returning with a new suit and a roll of $100 dollar bills. Finally, after one trip in which he went to visit his mother, he revealed to his wife that his brother was Al Capone.

In 1946, near the end of Al Capone’s life, Hart allowed his son Harry to go with him to a Capone family cabin. There he was able to meet his famous uncle. Capone, who at the time was suffering from complications of syphilis, had been released from his incarceration in Alcatraz and did not have much of his memory in-tact. Less than a year later, Al would die, on January 25, 1947.
In 1952, Richard Hart died of a heart attack at his home in Homer Nebraska with his wife and son at his side. Attaining fame as a law man fighting the same criminals his brother Al called peers.

Bonus Factoids:

Arguably the most heinous crime attributed to Al Capone was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, 7 members of the “Bugs” Moran mob were lined up against a garage and shot to death by rivals pretending to be police. While Al was in Florida at the time, it was generally thought he was behind the incident.
Two Gun Hart had a bit of his brother Al in him. Although it was never proven, when accepting the position as town marshal, he was given keys to all of the businesses in the town in case he needed to get into them during his nightly patrols. During this time, several businesses routinely found that certain items in their stores would go missing.
Hart was a body-guard for the 30^th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, during the summer of 1927. Interestingly, Al Capone’s bullet-proof Cadillac, that was eventually seized by the U.S. Treasury, was used by the government as 32^nd President, Franklin Roosevelt’s, limousine.
Scarface was the most well-known nickname of Al Capone. The scars were given to him during a fight in which he insulted a mobster Frank Gallulcio’s sister telling her, “Honey, you have a nice ass and I mean that as a compliment.” Capone’s closest friends called him “Snorky”.
Before Al Capone was transferred to Alcatraz, he was at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta Georgia. He was said to live like a king because he always had more socks, bed sheets and underwear then the other prisoners. This was made possible because he had a hollowed out the handle of his tennis racket and had hidden several thousand dollars in it with which he could purchase the bounty.

Chicago Hot Dogs recipe

All-beef hot dogs

Green sweet bell pepper, diced

Yellow onions, diced

Mustard

Sweet pickle relish

Dill pickle chips

Cucumbers, sliced thin

Iceberg lettuce, shredded

Tomatoes, diced

Hot peppers (pepperoncini)

Celery salt

Steam hot dogs and put condiments on table. NEVER USE CATSUP! Celery salt is a MUST!

Serve on poppy seed buns, if they are available. Recipe from www. Recipegoldmine.com

Re-published with permission from www.todayifoundout.com . To see this story on Todayifound it please go to this link. .http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/11/al-capone-had-a-brother-who-was-a-prohibition-enforcement-officer/

Recipe of the week : Spicy Chili

2012-01-31T16:49:00.001-05:00

Spicy Chili

Fry ground beef in oil with onion. Add 2 tsp. seasoning mix. Heat tomatoes and beans; add meat mixture and 3 more tsp. seasoning mix. Simmer 10 minutes. Serves 6. 1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

5 tsp. seasoning mix

1 quart diced tomatoes or tomato juice

1 can kidney beans

Spicy Chili Seasoning Mix:

1/2 cup chili powder

5 tsp. ground coriander

5 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

The recipe above appears in:

Norman and Marlena Miller, along with the entire Evart, MI Amish community, set out to compile their family favorites, they did so with a song and plenty of inspirations. And that's exactly the recipe they used for Cooking With Praise. This cookbook has a delicious spread of Amish favorites: Potato Salad, Poor Man's Steak, Tator-Tot Casserole, and Oreo Pudding, to name a few. Then there are the seven sections for those who watch their diet. Then like a good cook who adds a pinch of this and a dash of that, bringing the taste to perfection, the Millers have added hymns and inspirational thoughts throughout. Cooking With Praise is ready for your table and your guests. 450 recipes. 254 pages. Spiral bound with laminated covers. Fully indexed. (Top image from Seamusiv of Flickr)

Cooking With Praise More info. and/or Buy please go to
www.Amishshop.com

Random image's from Lancaster counties Amish community and a car show

2012-01-30T07:36:00.000-05:00

I'm seeing so many of the Amish doing this, and just like us they also sometimes need some extra utility space!

A classic Ford Mustang and i think a 1969 or 70 model

Much nicer than the boring interiors of most new cars today i think

My first car was a 1972 olds cutlass that i inherited from my dad, so i have a soft spot for anything Oldsmobile

The Chevrolet Chevelle ss, a much feared car during that day if you were into racing. A much sort after car today and increasing in value every year

Intercourse Pennsylvania

Kells Shepherd's Pie recipe

Source: Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub, Portland, Oregon 1 1/2 pounds ground free-range beef
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup baby carrots, diced
1 to 2 teaspoons garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup Guinness draught stout
1/4 cup cabernet wine
7 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 cup peas, preferably fresh, or frozen (thawed)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Ulster Champ Topping

Brown beef in a Dutch oven or other large heavy
saucepot over low to moderate heatablespoon Allow to simmer until cooked throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain excess fat when cooked and add onion, carrots, garlic, stout, wine, broth, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, sage and marjoram. Stir and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook 15 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Add peas.

While meat is simmering, bring large pot of water to boil for potatoes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour to make a roux (paste of equal parts butter and flour used to thicken liquids). Slowly incorporate roux into simmering beef mixture until desired thickness is achieved. (If mixture was simmered too long or cooked too high, less roux is needed.) Continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes to allow roux and flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a 9 1/2-inch round casserole dish or deep
pie dish.

While meat is simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare Ulster Champ
Topping.Ulster Champ Topping 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, about 4 medium
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely grated Irish white Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely minced
1/3 cup scallions or chives, chopped
Salt and white pepper to taste

Scrub and peel potatoes. Cut into large pieces.

In a large pot, simmer potatoes in water until fork tender. Drain well and return pot to low heat to remove excess moisture. Stir in butter and cheese and whip, gradually adding milk, parsley and scallions or chives. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon potato topping evenly over
meat mixture, making irregular peaks with the back of a spoon. Alternatively, use a pastry bag and star tip to pipe potatoes over meat mixture.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and crusty on edges and mixture is heated throughout. If desired, place casserole under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp potato topping. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly to set, and serve immediately from casserole dish. Serve with HP sauce (Irish-English steak-style sauce), steak sauce or pan gravy, if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: Pie can be cooked and served in individual baking dishes. Adjust final baking time as needed.

Martha : On how someone could become old order Mennonite

2012-01-27T04:13:00.000-05:00

Martha and Joseph are old order Mennonites who live on a farm in New York state with their family, and like the Amish use horse and buggy when traveling.

Some very good questions were asked by one of the readers,so i will try to answer them for you. The first question is how many people join the Old Order Mennonite and Amish? I can only tell you what I know in our area. I spoke with our Old Order Mennonite Deacon and the Amish Bishop that moved in here about a year ago, when the first of the Amish moved in our area. Both of them said that many people are interested in joining, but when they see our way of life-they change their minds. Martha

Between the Old Order Mennonite and Amish, I am the last person to join, so far, and that was either 16 or 17 years ago. Now you must understand that the Amish just moved in here about two years ago. Most of the Amish that are here moved in about a year ago. Our Old Order Mennonite have been here since the 1970's which is about 40 years ago. So the Amish information might be different from a more established Amish area. I don't know. You are a good age to join because you are young enough to be willing to change. I seriously decided to join when I was 20 or 21. I'm not saying older people couldn't join-but you have to decide to change. The first thing I would do is to pray and ask the Lord. Also, I would read books about the Old Order Mennonite. I like novels, but that's not what I read. I mean books on our heritage and way of life.

If you could get a written book by someone who was Old Order Mennonite that would be the best, but still there are other book's that are good. If you live in an area where you could go visit the Old Order Mennonite area, I would highly suggest that. It's late in the year for fruit stands, but maybe someone is selling quilts, buggies, wood items, etc. in their home - stop and talk with them. It would be nice if you at least looked at what they were selling.

If there are a lot of Old Order Mennonites in an area, there is usually a General Store that one family owns. If you come across an Old Order Mennonite General Store you could get more information there-most of the Old Order Mennonites come there to do shopping. If they are not too busy and talk with them, they will probably tell you anything you ask. Should you hit it on a busy day-ask a customer they should help you. If you run into people about your own age-they would be great help, too.

if you do not live near an Old Order Mennonite area, I would suggest putting an add in the Budget explaining that you were considering joining Old Order Mennonite and you would like to work on their farm. You might want to offer to pay something, too, but I don't think they'll take it. You might have to run it a few times before someone answers, but I think someone would. Tell them you are a man, and put in your age.

Right now farming is slow so it might be better to run in the Spring. Willing to work would means a lot because many of us farmers are looking for extra workers during the Spring and Summer.Advertise you will need boarding and meals. They might even pay you, too. Also, they might ask for references-maybe a deacon from your meeting (church), place you worked, etc. Lately if we don't know someone or they aren't sent by someone we know, we usually ask for references. It's sad, but we have to be careful today, especially if we have children.

A short video of clips from Canada's old order Mennonite community.

Old Order Mennonite have electric and telephones but you might want to start seeing if you can do without the television, computer, radio, car and more. I would try one thing at a time. It will give you an idea if you are able to do without some of these items.

My other advice is don't listen to people that tell you can't do it. When I joined I had people both English (which I was before I joined Old Order Mennonite) and Old Order Mennonite tell me I wouldn't be able to give up all of the Old World. Two things that helped me are that I loved Joseph and the Old Order Mennonite-plus I met Jean and she encouraged me.

Joseph and I have been married for 15 years and there are still some people who aren't sure I am going to stay. I wouldn't leave. Even if something happened to Joseph and he went to be with the Lord-I wouldn't leave. I am Old Order Mennonite and believe I am in the right religion-the place God wants me to be. I couldn't go back to the Old World again. Trust in God, Martha

Canadian Mennonite Plum Custard Kuchen recipe

A tea-biscuit base with neat rows of plums surrounded by custard - this is a delicious dessert.

1 1/3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/3 cup margarine or shortening

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

Plums, pitted and halved

Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Custard:

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt

1/3 cup sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in margarine. Beat egg and milk and stir into mixture. Pat the dough over the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Arrange nicely in rows enough pitted plums to completely cover the dough. Sprinkle topping over the plums. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Recipe from www.Recipegoldmine.com

To read Martha's very first post on why she left our world and became old order Mennonite just click this link: http://amishstorys1.blogspot.com/2011/07/martha-story-of-young-womans-journey.html

The Amish Cook

2012-01-26T07:25:00.006-05:00

Please note folks: I've just been informed that the editor of the Amish Cook will no longer be letting other web sites like mine post LOVINA EICHER's column anymore, so this will be the last post from her on Amish Stories. I thank Kevin for allowing me to re-publish the Amish Cook on my own blog, so please visit the Amish Cooks web site www.oasisnewsfeatures.com to continue reading her very enjoyable column. Richard

BY LOVINA EICHER
This has been a different winter so far weather-wise. We had another snowstorm during the past week, but then as quickly as it snowed, it warmed back up. Now it rained during the night and the temperature is up to 45. We also had some thunder and lightning during while we slept. The snow is mostly gone except in the ditches and where it was piled up. Some men have been ice fishing but it has not been possible for most of the winter due to the warmth. Joe hasn’t been able to go yet, but he is eager to do so. Hopefully it will turn colder again so he can.

One up side, with the warmer temperatures it takes less coal to heat the house. I like when the ground stays frozen so the house doesn’t get tracked up with mud so much. It always seems like snow makes a brighter world during the winter.

Saturday Joe and the boys went to help Elizabeth’s friend Timothy cut up some trees. Timothy’s brother and nephews were also helping. Sounds like they got a lot accomplished. Joe likes doing outdoor work like cutting up wood. Meanwhile, here at home, the girls done the cleaning and folding the laundry from the day before’s wash. While the girls were doing that I baked apple and custard pies and Verena baked an apple dump cake. She brought one home from school that she made in cooking class. She will write down the recipe and I will share it with you readers in a future column. Everyone seemed to like it so Verena doubled the recipe.

On Sunday we went to Emma and Jacob’s house for a delicious dinner. We enjoyed barbecued baked ribs, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, cottage cheese, Cole slaw, and sliced cheese, hot peppers, homemade vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake, and apple and custard pie. She put the ribs single layer in baking pan, seasoned them with salt and pepper and barbecue sauce and baked. Joe, Jacob and the boys froze two 2-gallon cans of homemade vanilla ice cream while we were preparing dinner.

Homemade ice cream is always a favorite for us. The children spent a lot of the afternoon outside playing in the snow. The rest of us played games after the dishes were washed away. It seems like it doesn’t take long to get the dishes washed when everyone pitches in to help. We started for home around 5 p.m. The boys did the evening chores and Joe fueled the stove for the night. We only had snacks as everyone said they weren’t hungry for supper after the big noon dinner at Jacob’s. We all retired early for the night as Joe had to start a new week at the factory and the children back to school.

Tomorrow, January 24, daughter Susan will have her 16th birthday. Seems hard to believe she has reached that age. Where has the time gone to so fast? Susan enjoys outdoor work, and she loves horses and enjoys training ponies. She would rather go clean out the barn than do housework. She does like to bake, though, but I am still trying to get her to sew.
I always tease her that I’ll move the sewing machine out to the barn if it would make sewing more enjoyable for her with the horses close by. It is good that we don’t all have the same interests or talents otherwise life would be less interesting. When I need a horse harnessed so I can go run some errands, she is always volunteering to help go get it ready. We wish her a happy 16th birthday and many, many more happy years.

This is a recipe that a lot of Amish give as gifts around the holidays, or maybe for Valentine’s Day coming up. (Editor’s Note: A video demonstration of these cookies being made by the Amish Cook’s editor can be seen in a new online video program, An Almost Amish Kitchen. To view, visit www.amishcookonline.com)

OATMEAL CHIP COOKIE MIX IN A JAR

2 /3 cups all-purpose flour

1 /2 teaspoon baking soda
1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 /4 teaspoon salt
1 /3 cup brown sugar
1 /3 cup white sugar
3 /4 cup chocolate chips
1 1 /2 cups quick oats
1 /2 cup pecans, chopped
Optional M & Ms

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt . Place flour mixture in a 1 quart jar. Pressing down firmly layer remaining ingredients in order given. Top with lid and decorate with fabric or ribbon if giving as a gift. Recipe to attach to the jar:

Beat 1 stick softened butter, 1 large egg, 1 /2 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl until blended. Add cookie mix, mix well breaking up any clumps. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes. Yield 2 dozen cookies. Published with permission from oasisnewsfeatures.com.

Recipe of the week: Hearty Hamburger Soup

2012-01-25T07:56:00.000-05:00

Hearty Hamburger Soup

Melt butter in saucepan; brown meat; add onion and cook until transparent. Stir in remaining ingredients except flour and milk. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender. Combine flour with 1 c. of milk. Stir into soup mixture. Boil. Add remaining milk and heat, stirring frequently. Do not boil after adding remaining milk. 1 Tbsp. butter

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. sliced carrot

1/2 c. chopped green pepper or celery

1 lb. ground beef

2 c. tomato juice

1 c. diced potatoes

1½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/3 c. flour

4 c. milk

This excellent collection of authentic Amish recipes will be a treasured addition to any cookbook collection. Includes Amish home remedies. 217 pages, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", comb bound, illustrated. To order this book please see our friends at www.Amishshop.com.

This week on Jean : Winter time for the old order Mennonite's is filled with work and fun

2012-01-23T17:25:00.001-05:00

Jean is old order Mennonite from New York State.Jean and her husband David and family live on a dairy farm, and travel their community using horse and buggy. She tells her story exclusively on Amish Stories.

January 30, 2012 We have finally gotten the snow that we were waiting for. Michael's public school was closed today, but when a couple of his Old Order Mennonite friends found that out they talked him into going to the one room school house that Susan goes to. David got our big sleigh out, hooked the horse's up and picked up the children to go to our school that hadn't walked to our house. I had made Michael along with Susan a lunch for school. Michael had never been to our one room school house as a student, but said he really liked it, and Liked it better than the public school. He said some older students help the younger students. The teacher did chose him to answer some questions-and he knew the answers.

Seeing we had our first big snow storm of the season, I thought I would tell you about Old Order Mennonites and snow. We feel that snow, like rain is a gift from God. Previously when the snow just covered the ground, David and Michael, would go out in the fields and plow it under the soil. Now, that all the ground is covered with snow we feel that the ground has come to rest. The snow to us is like a ground blanket. We feel that God sends us items in the snow to rest it, that will help it grow produce in the spring, summer and fall. It is our time to leave the fields alone until spring.

Now is the time, David will go over all our machinery-tractors, harvest machines, plowers, and more. All the farm machinery are gone over, any repairs are done so they are ready in the spring. If any repairs need to be made on the barns - they are also done during the winter. When all the farm work is done, David and Michael will start working on David's parents new house and my grandparents house. If they get those jobs done-we would like to modern up our kitchen. Of course all our regular jobs such as feeding the animals, milking the cows, doing washing, cleaning the house, cooking meals, etc. still go on. No season stops those.

Snow doesn' t mean all work. Tonight Michael along with some of his Old Order Mennonite and Amish friends are at a Englisher's house sledding. The house is at the top of a large hill so they allow the young folks to come over and sled down their home. At first, they use to have a dinner for the young folk, but when they saw the young ladies bringing dishes to pass they don't have a dinner. The young ladies bring a dish to pass or a snack. The family whose house they are at furnish cocoa, soda pop drinks, tea, etc. Most of the young folk had eaten dinner with their families before sledding - but they are hungry again. The Englisher allows all young folk as long as they don't bring any alcohol, drugs or cause any trouble.

Tomorrow Martha and Joseph are having the Old Order Mennonite and Amish young folk at their house. It was suppose to be ice skating on a pond near their house, but it's not frozen solid enough. As the Englisher lives down the road from Martha and Joseph, the young folk can go sledding again. This time, when they are done, they will come to Martha and Joseph's to eat and singing. Michael will be going there in our buggy. Michael really knows how to hook up the horse and drive the buggy after David and I taught him.

There are also hills around that the young folk can go skiing on. Finally, Michael is getting to use some of the presents he got for his birthday. He is also glad that Bristol Resort has real snow and not using machine making snow.

On Sunday night, is an evening for young folks, but Michael can not go. It is for young folks that are 15 or older. Young folks that are looking for partners. Even though they asked Michael on the Christmas caroling - here we do not allow young folks under the age of 15. Michael looks older than he is-but we go for age. Some of his friends are 15 or 16 and he wishes he could go, but next year will be his time.

Also David and I take Susan and Baby David sledding. We go to the Englishers house or one of the hills around where we live. Usually a group of us parents take our children so we have company. One of us invites everyone home for coffee or tea for the adults and cocoa for the children. We also have cake, pie or cookies to munch on. When we are with the little ones sledding-David and I also sled, too. When the ponds get frozen solid, we will also ice skating with the children.

Be With God,

Jean

From Jean: This recipe came from my Grandmother. When I told her I was giving it to Amish Stories-she said I can't use her name because it wasn't her recipe. It came from the Betty Crocker Cookbook that she had. So all credits for this recipe that has been used by three generations in my family comes from Betty Crocker.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

12 Cabbage Leaves*

1 pound hamburger

1/2 cup uncooked instant rice

1 medium onion, Chopped (about 1/2 cup)

I can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce ( I always use tomato sauce that I canned)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

*To separate leaves from cabbage head, remove core and cover cabbage with cold water. Let stand about 10 minutes; remove leaves.

Cover cabbage leaves with boiling water. Cover and let stand until leaves are limp, about 10 minutes. Remove leaves; drain.

Mix hamburger, rice, onion, mushrooms (with liquid), salt pepper, garlic salt and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Place about 1\3 cup hamburger mixture at stem end of each leaf. Roll leaf around hamburger mixture, tucking in sides. Place cabbage rolls seam sides down in un-greased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Mix remaining tomato sauce, the sugar and lemon juice; pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and cook in 350 degrees oven until hamburger is done; about 45 minutes.

Mix cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in saucepan. Stir in liquid from cabbage rolls. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve sauce with cabbage rolls.

This Friday Martha returns to Amish Stories with a post about how to join the old order Mennonite Church from the outside!

The Witness movie location tour: As i tour the now Amish owned farm where the movie Witness was filmed staring Harrison Ford in 1985.

2012-01-18T14:56:00.005-05:00

Some of the newer folks who are now readers to Amish Stories may not remember the contest that i had last year the revolved around the 1985 movie "Witness". In that contest i was looking for someone to come up with a sequel to that movie, and give us an update and a new twist for a "Witness part two". I was looking for something around 300 words so not very long but just to give me an idea on the direction for a new movie, as if they were writing the movie themselves

The new movie was to have as many of the original actors in it as possible otherwise to me it just wouldn't work, so a long story short 2 people won that contest with our own Marilyn being one of them. I did not judge this contest myself which is what i requested from Brad Igou of the tour company "The Amish experience" based in Lancaster county and publisher of the Amish country news who was this contests sponsor.Marilyn was not able to attend this tour with her being in New York state so she offered that winning ticket to me, and to be honest since this may be the very last tour of this farm where a lot of the movie was filmed i was going regardless before it ended last October. So i thank Marilyn for helping kick off what would be this very post about what it was like and what i saw. Another thing that's most likely coming to an end would be this post about the movie itself on Amish Stories, so since we had that contest and I've posted another thing or two about this really great movie this should be the last major post about it on here. Unless i can get an interview from someone who was in this movie ( tried with Kelly McGillis) but with no luck) the movie as a main post pretty much stops here on Amish Stories. Richard

The long road: After driving over a covered bridge the tour bus headed over to where the farm is located, and its interesting to note that when this movie was filmed at that time the folks living on this farm were English and now its Amish owned. I'm sure this very long driveway looks very familiar because its the same road that Danny Glover and the other 2 Philadelphia police officers walked down with their weapons drawn, and who were about to inflict harm to John Book and maybe this Amish family as well.

The driver of this van had asked if anyone wanted to walk this road before heading down, i jumped out of my seat along with a gentlemen from Australia and we both walked down together taking pictures and talking about the movie.

Not the original house as it was torn down to make way for this new Amish home.

The same barn that Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis were dancing in while listening to music on John Books old Volkswagen car radio, part of the original barn has since been updated after the movie was made.

I know everyone remembers this bird house, well its not the original but was built and placed in the same spot for the tour.

Not a prop folks just owned by the Amish family living here.

A better view of the barn, you can kind of see where the addition was added to the original from the movie, with Amish owners buggy in the back ground.

The original section of the barn and finally looking very much like in the movie, we were asked not to go into this part of the property which i found disappointing.

And now to the most famous perhaps and still intact building from Witness, this small building is where the all of the kitchen shots were filmed as well as the funeral. This building was only meant for the movie and was supposed to be taken down after it was all shot, but the original owners decided to leave it as it was. Which is a testament to how well it was made by the set builders. The original bell that young Samuel Lapp was ringing that was used to bring help, and we did ring it!

Now inside the kitchen area, with everything being the same as we remember it from the movie.

As the kitchen looked in the movie with the actors

I was really surprised how small everything looked in person, this is where the family ate breakfast at 5am or so, and with Harrison Fords character saying " honey now that's darn good coffee".

Image that was on the wall in the kitchen is of actor Jan Rubeš (Eli Lapp) taking a walk during filming.

The Amish family who own the farm now sell canned items to the tour like these peaches, reminds me very much of when Rachel Lapp had some on hand in the movie.

Dont they look so good!

Its amazing to me that this little make shift movie house was used for the funeral in the movie and as well as some other scene's in Witness, I'm still blown away by that and how they pulled that off when we all saw this movie in 1985.

Image that was on the wall of the film crew painting this was was supposed to be a temporary building for the movie. 

Leaving the building

This was here when the movie was made

Samuel Lapp's favorite fishing hole seen in the movie

A better view of the pond from the movie

Looking out towards the main road from the farm

One could almost hear the bell ringing as we left this farm...........

The long road

That Harrison Fords character (John Book) took as he left for the very last time, and he left a woman who was very different than himself yet both shared something that transcends all cultures..................................Love

Sunset over an Amish farm that i took at the end of this tour, and a fitting end to this last "Witness" post on Amish Stories.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Casserole

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Cut bread slices in cubes and place in a greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Cube cheese and put on tip of bread. In mixing bowl beat eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour over bread and cheese. Sprinkle bacon pieces on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. bake covered at 350° F. for 50-60 minutes or until puffed up. Serve immediately. 1/2 lb. bacon

6 slices white bread

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes Beat egg, buttermilk and soda with wire whip. Then add rest of ingredients, beat until smooth. Fry on greased skillet. Makes 10 - 4" pancakes. 1 c. flour 1 T. white sugar 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt . 1 egg 1 c. buttermilk 1 T. vegetable oil

Beat egg, buttermilk and soda with wire whip. Then add rest of ingredients, beat until smooth. Fry on greased skillet.

Makes 10 - 4" pancakes.

1 c. flour

1 T. white sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

                                                                          1    egg

                                                                      1 c. buttermilk

                                                                     1 T. vegetable oil

To order these Amish recipe cook books please visit our freinds at www.Amishshop.com

For Amish related tours in Lancaster county www.amishexperience.com

The Amish Cook

2012-01-18T08:03:00.002-05:00

AMISH COOK
BY LOVINA EICHER
3:15 a.m. Time to get up. I prepare my husband Joe’s lunch which is homemade chicken noodle soup, crackers, ranger cookies – which daughter Susan baked yesterday – and some frozen peaches. Joe like soups better than sandwiches for lunch. But he always tells me not too put too much food in his lunch because he can eat better after he is done working, so he likes a light lunch. His job is to set the cabinets in RV trailers. He has been working for this company for over 7 years. In March it will be 8 years that we made the move from Indiana to Michigan.
3:45 a.m. Joe leaves for work. They start working at 5 a.m. every day but the drive takes 40 to 45 minutes. With all the slippery roads and blowing snow I hope they have a safe ride there. I go back to bed until it is time to wake the school children up.
6 a.m. I go to check the messages on our phone in the shed. Since the roads are slippery and snow is blowing I decide to check if there is a school delay. Someone from the school usually calls the Amish and leaves a message if there is a school delay or cancellation. Since we don’t have radios or TVs they do this to let us know. We appreciate this very much. If it is foggy or the roads are bad I always check the voicemail on the phone before waking the children. This morning I find that there is one that says school is cancelled for the day. I decide to let the children sleep in a little longer. When I lived in Berne we didn’t have this option since we weren’t permitted phones there, so sometimes we’d have to wait for the bus for two hours before finding out school was cancelled.
8:30 a.m. Everyone is up and ready to eat breakfast. The girls made baked French toast and scrambled eggs for our breakfast.
9:30 a.m The boys are out shoveling snow. They said they are trying to pile the snow up so they can make a tunnel under the snow. The girls and I are doing laundry, the dishes, and the weekly cleaning. I also slice and fry the poor man’s steak that I mixed together yesterday. After it is fried I layer it in a roaster and top it with cream of mushroom soup. This will be part of our supper tonight.
1 p.m. Lunch is ready. We are having soup which is always good on a cold day.
2 p.m. Loretta and I leave to go to town. Loretta has an appointment and I need to get some groceries. The boys take breaks but keep on working to get our drive shoveled out. The girls finish with the cleaning while I am going.
4:30 p.m. Loretta and I are back home again. Joe is also home from work. He helps the boys finish the shoveling. It is snowing again so maybe they will have to shovel again tomorrow. The girls have scalloped potatoes ready for the oven.
6:30 p.m. The outside chores are done and they are ready to eat supper. Our menu consists of poor man’s steak, scalloped potatoes, pork and beans, cheese, and ranger cookies. Elizabeth’s friend Timothy comes and joins us for supper.
7:30 p.m. Dishes are washed. Some of the children are reading and some are playing games. The boys are writing and drawing in their writing tablets. Recently they have started keeping themselves entertained for a long time just writing and drawing. Kevin likes to use pencils to draw all kinds of different things. He likes to write so much that he will write any kind of paper or tablet lying around. He discovered this book that I write my columns in and decided to add his writing. Sometimes he ends up writing on the back of someone’s homework.
9:30 p.m. Everyone has gone to bed. The children enjoyed their day home from school even though it included helping with the work.
Good night to all and God bless. Try this poor man’s steak recipe!
POOR MAN”S STEAK
1 – 1 1 /2 pounds lean hamburger
1 can 10 3 /4 ounce cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
1 /4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup bread crumbs, dry
2 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
Mix all of the ingredients except for the cream of mushroom soup and shape into a narrow loaf pan. Let set for at least 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Slice into pieces and grill or fry just enough to brown each side. Put slices in layers in a roaster pan and spread cream of mushroom soup over it (without adding water). Bake for one hour at 325. Published with permission from oasisnewsfeatures.
EDITOR’S DISCUSSION TOPICS: Lovina mentions the phone in her shed in this column. This is actually increasingly common among the Old Order Amish. Twenty years or so ago, it wasn’t. But a concession to modern communication is that the Amish often are permitted to have a phone in an outbuilding for emergencies or business. The issue isn’t that there is anything wrong with the phone itself, it’s that if the phone is in the house than the outside world can interrupt any time…so having a phone in an outbuilding provides a measure of control. Still, phones have not caught on everywhere. In many conservative Amish settlements, telephones are not permitted anywhere on the property. And, ugh, can you imagine getting up at 3 a.m. for work each day? I can’t, but I bet some of you can….what time do you get up to leave for work? – Kevin Williams, Editor

This week on Jean: Reflections of Christmas past is on Jeans mind as Michael has spent his very first Christmas old order Mennonite style!

2012-01-16T07:23:00.003-05:00

Someone asked how did Michael enjoy his first Christmas with us. On Christmas morning Michael went to meeting (church) with us like he does every Sunday. When we got home, I kept Michael down stairs while David put Michael's presents under the Christmas tree Michael had in his bedroom. I saw David come down so I sent Michael up to change his clothes and he found his presents. Michael received a baseball bat, baseballs, catchers MIT, a new winter jacket, and clothes. Michael gave me a beautiful wooden revolving serving dish for the kitchen table-that he had made. He gave David a hunting belt where you can put water, snacks, etc. Susan he gave a tea set that she had wanted very badly. Baby Michael received a stuffed bear. We thought these gifts were very kind and special of him.

He enjoyed our dinner which had turkey, ham, scalloped potatoes, sweat potatoes, turkey stuffing, jello salad, tossed salad, chow chow, string beans, beets, pie and some things I'm sure I forgot. I think he was a little disappointed after dinner. If we having Christmas at my parents, or David's parents or a "family" dinner at our house some of my nephews would have been there to play ball with him. As he had wanted just our immediate family he didn't have anyone his age to play ball with. He and David went out in the back yard with Michael hitting and David pitching - then visa versa. Michael had fun but not like he would have with young folk his age. Later he told us that he would like Christmas with the whole family next year.

On second Christmas (December 26th) we went to my parents which was a combination of my family and David's family-so lots of people were there. My parents, grandparents and David's parents pooled together and bought Michael a season pass to Bristol Ski Resort. He and many of his friends like to go there skiing. We paid for Michael to go once, but it is expensive. With a pass it is a lot easier. The only thing he would have to buy is food, if he wants and young folks his age usually want to eat after skiing. Bristol Ski Resort makes their own snow with machines when it gets in the 40's and we don't have any natural snow. After dinner, he had young folks to pay ball with on Second Christmas.

Michael has taken down his tree, and lights. They were returned to Marilyn and his friend who loaned these to him. Next Christmas he will not have a tree, or lights and we won't wrap the presents like we did this year. He agrees-he just wanted to have one Christmas with the decorations. One thing he said is that the tree, lights, Santa Claus, etc. sort of take the real meaning out of Christmas.

There is still bullying going on at Michael's school. As Foster Parents we must call Social Services when this happened. For a few minutes they thought of transferring Michael to a family who were not Old Order Mennonite, but didn't. Michael didn't want to go, but they pay no attention to him as he is a minor in that way. As we are in the process of adopting him, it changed Social Services mind. We have been to the school a few times.

One of the people bullying Michael was a "friend" of his that came to our house for his Birthday, to play soft ball, and more. We advised Michael to forgive him. One night David had readings from the Bible on forgiving and not seeking revenge. Michael agreed and told his "friend" he forgave him, but the two of them haven't been together since that. Some of his friends have sided with Michael and told the people bullying him to leave him alone-which has helped more than us adults can do.

I thank all of you that use my recipe's especially Lissa. I enjoyed the pictures of the goodies Lissa made. Sometimes I wondered if anyone made made the recipes that I gave to Richard to put on, but now I know that you do. If you are looking for any special recipes, please let me know and I will see if I have. Not only do I have recipes, but my Mother, grandmother, David's Mother and Martha have recipes so one of us might have what your looking for.

Be With God, Jean

The Amish Cook

2012-01-12T08:03:00.002-05:00

THE AMISH COOK

BY LOVINA EICHER

We are now a week into 2012 and a whole new year lies ahead of us. I hope you readers had a blessed holiday season. This week husband Joe is back to work after a two-week break and our six youngest children will also go back to school. It was wonderful having everyone home but it is always nice to get back to a normal schedule.

Friday, January 6, we went to Jacob and Emma’s house for dinner. We had a breakfast haystack which is almost like a regular haystack but you use breakfast foods. We had biscuits, broken into bite-sized pieces, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, shredded cheese, onions, salsa, cheese sauce, and sausage gravy. By the time you put a little bit of everything on your plate you have a nice-sized haystack. This is the first time I had breakfast haystack. I think I prefer it over a regular haystack. A lot of people in the community have breakfast haystacks when they have their family Christmas gatherings. There are a variety of other foods that can be added to breakfast haystacks like olives, mushrooms, bacon, smokies and so forth. Also on the menu were Long John Rolls, cinnamon rolls, peanut butter bars, rhubarb, orange and V-8 juices, coffee, tea, and chocolate milk.

After all of that delicious food, the afternoon was spent playing Aggravation which was enjoyable for everyone. We had snacks later on then . It was an great day to spend time together with family.

On Saturday we had Joe’s family here for a late Christmas gathering. We had a carry-in brunch. Ten of his 12 siblings were here so we had almost 90 people at our house. We made fried potatoes, biscuits, and sausage gravy and the rest of the food was brought in. Among the foods brought in: three big breakfast casseroles, cottage cheese, sliced Swiss, pepper jack, and Colby cheese., venison summer sausage, and lots of desserts, coffee, chocolate milk, orange, grape, and V8 juices. Later on we had snacks that everyone brought. Games were played and some singing was done. It was a nice, sunshiny day with temperatures almost reaching 50 degrees. The children spent most of the day outside playing ball and other outdoor games. It is not often that you can play ball outside in January. All of our snow has melted from our last snow. We have sure had a mild winter so far!

We were surprised to see Joe’s Uncle Solomon come to the Christmas gathering. We were glad to have him join us. He brought Joe’s sister and family from Indiana. With Joe’s Dad being deceased it was nice to have one of his brother’s here. Joe has four married nieces and nephews and all were able to attend. Joe’s parents would now have 9 great-grand children and 55 grandchildren. Before everyone left the tables and benches were taken down and the basement floor was swept. The basement is where we had all the food and where everyone ate. We were glad for the help in cleaning up. Sister Emma, Jacob, and family came for awhile as Jacob wanted to say “hello” to all his cousins. Jacob is a first cousin to my husband Joe. Jacob’s joined in to help clean up. Before Friday we had managed to complete the 1000 piece puzzle. We received a 750 piece puzzle from a reader for Christmas which will probably be our next project. I would like to thank all the readers for the cards and gifts that were sent to us. They were greatly appreciated. Also, thanks for the encouraging words that help keep me writing this column. May God bless you all in the New Year and always. Try this delicious snack, a twist on the traditional cheese ball!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESE BALL

1-8 ounce package of cream cheese

1 /2 cup oleo, softened

3 /4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 /4 teaspoon vanilla

3 /4 cup mini-chocolate chips

Graham crackers or chocolate graham crackers

Beat together cream cheese and oleo until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and brown sugar. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Shape into a ball and serve with graham crackers. Published with permission from www.oasisnewsfeatures.com

Please stop by this Friday as i tour the farm where the 1985 movie "Witness" staring Harrison Ford was made in Lancaster county. This may be the last time that this Amish owned farm will be open to outsiders and I'm including 2 Amish recipes!

Recipe of the week : Mennonite Apple Strudel. With images from reader Lissa Holder in action making some of Jeans recipes.

2012-01-11T08:17:00.002-05:00

Mennonite Apple Strudel
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups sliced apples
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts
5 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Sift the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening and add the eggs and water. Knead well, then throw or beat the dough against a board until it blisters. Stand the dough in a warm place under a cloth for 20 minutes.

Cover the kitchen table with a small white cloth and flour it. Put the dough on it and pull it out with your hands very carefully to the thickness of tissue paper. Spread with a mixture of the fruits, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and lemon rind. Fold in the outer edges of the dough and roll like a jellyroll - about 4 inches wide. Bake in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake about 20 minutes longer. Let cool. Cut into slices about 2 inches wide. It should be flaky and moist. Published with permission from Recipe Goldmine. Richard from Amish Stories.

Lissa is one of our favorite readers, and i believe no one has made more from Jeans recipes on Amish Stories. So I'm again showcasing some of her work using some of Jeans recent recipe's, and id call her a Tasmanian Devil of the kitchen!

Lissa stirring-up the apples

A closer look at her work

And the final product of apple butter, which would make Jean very proud

Believing in taking chances, Lissa bravely tried to make the famous "Shoofly pie"

And Lissa's big risk paying off with a perfect looking pie using Jeans recipe!

This week on Jean: Susan sings and the joys of a new washer and dryer. And school bullying comes to jeans home.

2012-01-09T07:41:00.001-05:00

Christmas Days are past and we hope that people will try to keep the same religious feelings and charity throughout the year and not just at Christmas Time.

We attended Susan's School program. Poor Susan got up to say the poem she memorized and forgot part of it. She started to cry. We were sitting up front and David tried to whisper loudly enough so she could hear them, but she was too upset. What we tried to tell her later that she wasn't the only first grader that forgot what they were suppose to say-and she wasn't. We believe she was just nervous for her first time in front of all those people. She got home and we asked her to tell us the poem and she did it perfectly.

I was surprised to find that I got my new washer and dryer for Christmas. I saw the Sears truck pull up one day and couldn't figure whey they were here. Thought maybe they had the wrong house. The man came to the door to check our name and address, then opened the back of the truck where I saw the washer and dryer. I didn't know that David and Michael had moved the old washer the night before. David had made sure there was a hook up and vent for the dryer.

All this was going on and I didn't even know it. I had a washer but this was my first dryer. I still try to hang clothes, sheets, towels, etc. outside, but when it gets real cold that dryer is great. Now they won't freeze nor do I have to hang clothes in the basement. My washer went to the lady that didn't have one. David went over and made sure it was working. Then he, Michael and a couple of friends moved it over to her house.

That woman was really surprised. When they delivered the washer, I gave them a box of food. We found she hardly had any food in her house so we knew we had to do more. One of our deacons contacted her church-they didn't know how much she needed or she had such problems. Both churches bought her and her children Christmas Gifts. Her church bought Christmas tree, ornaments, television, etc. We bought them blankets, cooked food, gave them canned goods, some quilts we made, we took money and more. It warmed our hearts to see their reaction to all they were given. They really appreciated receiving it and we enjoyed giving it.

When Michael came up from the basement one evening he said our basement was more modern than my kitchen. The washer, dryer and freezer are the modern silver color. In the kitchen are white appliances, the cupboards are the original that David's grandparents built in when they built the house. We have since put new tile on the floor and replaced the counter top-but that's it. When we get our new house built we are selling, we think, to one of our relatives. They said to tell them if we wanted to sell as they wanted it. Now we are wondering if we should do the kitchen over. If we did, I would want to knock the wall down between the kitchen and the dining room.

In our kitchen we have a table, but we also have a dining room. I would want to enlarge the kitchen a bit and have it so you talk with your dining guests while your in the kitchen. That way guests wouldn't have to be in the kitchen, feel they must help but you could still talk. Also, I would want to make the doorway wider between the kitchen and the dining room. Make it so two people could come through at the same time. Move the food faster. David has his parents and my grand-parents houses to do first. Of course Michael will be helping when he can.

Before the public school closed for Winter vacation (we call it Christmas vacation) we got called to the school. It seems some of the Michael's classmates had been bullying him because of his living with us. Michael did not tell us this and we asked him why. He said that he didn't want us to know and he could handle it. We explained to him that was kind of him, but we are his parents and have a right to know what is going on. The principal had spoken to some of the students about this, but it was still happening. David and I offered to come to the school and speak with the students and their parents.

We want this bullying stopped. If the students or classmates had a problem, we would rather hear it than our having Michael hear it. Michael was given to us by the state and he has no say where he lives. We are glad we want to adopt him and he wants us to adopt him, but we don't want his classmates giving him a hard time.

Some of the things these classmates have said are we are not smart people. We are dumb because we drive a buggy, don't have television, listen to music and more. That our school is a one room school house. They do not belong to our meetings, but have seen Michael dressed in his meeting clothes and mock him. We are willing to go to school to talk with the students to let them know our way of life and why. Michael does not wear his meeting clothes to school-he dresses like the other students. Also, we are praying for how to handle this.

If any of you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them for you, if I can. Hope you all are enjoying the New Year.

Be With God, Jean

Pork Chops and Acorn Squash or Potatoes: 6 pork chops 12 prunes dried 12 whole cloves 12 apricots dried 1 cup orange juice (use more if desired) Squash or potatoes Brown chops in pan. Put cloves into prunes. Arrange prune, apricots, potatoes or squash on top of chops. Pour orange juice over all ingredients and cook covered over low heat, about 45 minutes. Enjoy. Jean

Recipe of the week this Wednesday featuring picture's from reader Lissa Holders apple butter and shoofly pie using Jeans recipes.

My review of the Village restaurant in Intercourse Pennsylvania. with some image's of Lancaster's old order Mennonite buggies and a teaser for the next post!

2012-01-06T08:05:00.006-05:00

I have a lot of history with this particular motel and its restaurant , you see i first paid a visit when i was very young in 1967 , so this place has reserved that special place in my heart. This motel was the very first place that me and my family had stayed in on what was our first ever visit to Lancaster Pennsylvania coming from New York City, which also would be the first time for us being exposed to some people (Amish) who seemed so very different than we were.

We stayed only for one night in the summer of 1967 because we had very little money, but its that one night that was the beginning of what would be a life time of memories and continued visits that still are taking place for me today. (See restaurant review below) Richard

Some facts for 1967: President of the united state's Lyndon B Johnson. Adverage cost of a home $24,600. Median household income 7,143. Cost of a movie ticket $1.20. Cost of a big mac 45 cents. 1967 Chrysler town and country cost 4,086. A gallon of gas 33 cents and a gallon of milk one dollar and 3 cents. The number one song for the month of March 1967 is from the Doors "Light my fire". Actor George Kennedy wins an academy award for best supporting actor in the movie "Cool Hand Luke".

Introduction: Since i was in the area for the "Witness" farm tour the movie that stared Harrison Ford in 1985 i needed someplace to have dinner before the start of that tour which was to begin at 5pm this past fall. First let me ask "does anyone remember when this motel and restaurant was called "Deitsch Shier" before best Western bought it and made it part of its chain of motels.

Those of you who knew that answer were surly here in the old days when this area was not on the top of most every one's vacations list like it is today, with a lot of those visitors coming from the northeast states since its drivable. I walked-in hungry after not really eating for most of the day, and was seated by a friendly waitress.

My Review: Having been here many times than i could even count i was fully aware of how packed this place could get with Amish and non-Amish customers, so because i was early i had my pick of any seat in the restaurant. After getting a cup of coffee and an ice tea i made my decision to order the Lasagna with salad which was the special of the day with all you could eat for around $7.99 plus drinks.

These specials that this restaurant offers is great for those who have maybe been walking or biking, or who just have a big appetite like i did on this day and the price wont break the bank if you chose what's on the menu wisely like i did. The lasagna was pretty good but if your looking for Italian restaurant quality then you should order something else like what they really do best which is their meatloaf or local Lancaster ham.

To be honest with you I've never really had a bad meal here, and breakfast time might be the best time to drop by because of all the Amish tradesman that stop by in the morning for a quick meal. If you love chili soup then you will truly be paradise here because its great with a good amount of tomato's and beef along with beans, and best of all its not sweet tasting (i hate that).

If your hungry then id give the specials a look, and if your looking to maybe strike-up a conversation with some of our local Amish then id sit at the counter to have your meal and enjoy some good conversation. Then when that meal is all over it will be now part of your own memories for your own tails to tell someone, just like I'm now doing with almost 45 years of them locked in that special place that i sometimes like to remember. Richard

Amish one room school house in north Lancaster

A his/her outhouse

The north part of Lancaster county which has a fairly good sized old order Mennonite settlement, and this buggy is something that i like to call a Mennonite work buggy. With its stainless steel trim in the back and tough look makes it for them a sort of old order Mennonite version of a pick-up truck!

A teaser really for what's coming up next Friday when i post all of the image's from the Witness movie farm tour that i had gone to the same day as my visit to the village restaurant, And since i had a good amount of images from that movie location's tour i decided to post a few of the very first images of the start of my tour. We had some flooding in the Lancaster and Lebanon area among other counties, so some of the other covered bridges that we were to take a look at were flooded out and one was almost destroyed and was washed away from its original location. That bridge will now be restored so thankfully it was saved.

Don't you just love covered bridges

Hey i go for the detail's, i have to see whats under a bridge!

I took this picture while the tour van was still on route to the farm home where the movie was filmed, so its really a picture of a picture that was in a book being passed around to all of the folks on the tour

The Amish Experience tour van and this is where this post stops, you will have to drop by next Friday for the complete post with lots of images from this day. Now how's that for promoting folks,lol. Richard

Overnight Lasagna recipe

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large can or jar spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

Lasagna noodles, uncooked

16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup water

Brown hamburger and onion, drain. Add spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, and tomato sauce.

Place a layer of lasagna noodles on bottom of greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Place half of hamburger mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with Mozzarella. Repeat layers. Pour water around edges. Refrigerate covered overnight or freeze.
Bake 1 hour covered at 350 degrees F, then 15 minutes uncovered or until golden. Let stand 15 minutes.

Recipe from www.recipegoldmine.com

Serve with garlic toast or Parmesan bread.

THE AMISH COOK

2012-01-05T06:55:00.005-05:00

BY LOVINA EICHER

These are some easy, fun holiday recipes. Blessings to all the readers for a happy, healthy New Year. These recipes are from my editor's new book, The Amish Recipe Project. They look interesting to try!

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

2 cups sugar

1 1 /3 cups peanut butter

1 /2 cup milk

1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow crème

In a saucepan bring sugar and milk to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and marshmallow crème. Mix well. Quickly pour into a buttered 8 inch square pan. Chill until set. Cut into squares.

HOMEMADE EGG NOG

5 cups milk

5 eggs

1 /2 cup sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla

1 /8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 /8 teaspoon salt

Handful of ice cubes

Combine everything in blender until the ice is shredded. Serve cold.

SIMPLE SAUERKRAUT CASSEROLE

1 lb. sauerkraut

1 cup. sugar

6 slices cooked bacon

1 tsp. black pepper

Mix sauerkraut, pepper and sugar together

in 1-1/2 quart dish. Cut bacon slices in

1 inch pieces and mix slightly with sauerkraut.

Bake at 325 degrees for 2-1/4 hours

The Amish Recipe Project can be ordered from Amazon.com. For more videos, pictures, and recipes, "like" The Amish Cook Fan Page on Facebook. Posted with permission from
www.oasisnewsfeatures.com

Recipe of the week: "Lemon Shoofly Pie" From Amish fiction writer Wanda Brunstetter

2012-01-04T08:06:00.002-05:00

Lemon Shoofly Pie

Ingredients for crumbs:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup shortening or butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and work together like crumbs.

Ingredients for filling:

1 egg

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 2 lemons, strained

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup molasses

3/4 cup boiling water

1 unbaked pie shell

Combine all the ingredients together and pour into an unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle crumbs evenly on top of filling. Bake for 45-60 minutes. For info on how to order Wanda's book please go to www.wandabrunstetter.com. Posted with permission from Wanda Brunstetter. Richard from Amish Stories

This week on Jean : Old Christmas and what it means to the old order Mennonites and Amish.

2012-01-03T07:43:00.001-05:00

Richard asked me to write about our New Year's but we don't do anything special for New Years Day. We don't have parties or make wishes or anything like that on New Years Day. When New Years Day comes we just change the calendars and start using 2012. As New Years is on Sunday, we will observe Sunday, but nothing special. If it were a week day, the school Susan goes to would be having a regular school day.

So instead of New Years Day, I thought I would tell you about Old Christmas which is on January 6th, the Epiphany.. Susan's school is closed that day and we will be taking Michael out of the public school that same day even though his school is having a regular day. Let me explain a little about what lead to the new Christmas and the old Christmas. Some of what I am telling is from memory and some from an Old Order Mennonite written book I have.

Before the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman year was based round the phases of the moon. This was hopeless, inaccurate, for many reasons, so on the advice of his astronomers, Julius started a new calendar based around the sun. By the 16th century this calendar was ten days off. Pope Gregory XIII cut the eleven minutes off the length of a year and deleted the spare ten days. The new Gregorian calendar was adopted throughout Catholic Europe. The Protestants were not going to be told what day it was by the Pope, so we kept the Julian calendar. This caused problems such as when London was a full ten days ahead of Paris.

Mennonite church (1941)

When England came around to adopting the Gregorian calendar, in the middle eighteenth century, England was eleven days ahead of the Continent. When the Gregorian calendar was accepted Christmas moved from January 6th to December 25th. Christmas on January 6th dates back to about 354 AD and still goes on today. When the Mennonites and Amish came to this country they celebrated Christmas January 6th. We do celebrate December 25th, but, to us, January 6th is the most religious Christmas, Old Christmas.

After dinner on January 5th we adults fast until dinner on January 6th. We don't do any chores on this day except what we have to do. On January 6th, after breakfast, we attend meeting (church). After meeting we are going to David's parents for dinner. Along with David's family, my family will also be there. When dinner is over we will spend the afternoon together playing games, singing hymns, and talking. We will go home around milking time. After dinner, we will go visit friends or they will come to us. If we have any Christmas presents we haven't delivered to friends or family-we take them in our buggy. Before we go to bed during our prayers David reads about the three Kings coming with their gifts for Jesus from the Bible.

At present we celebrate both December 25th and January 6th as Christmas, but there has been talk of changing our Christmas to one Christmas on January 6th. We do not buy Christmas Gifts for January 6th, but like I said if we have some we haven't delivered we do that. I know some Mennonite groups have their Christmas presents on January 6th, but we don't.

David's parents and my grandparents are in their new homes, we went over to see them. It is really nice, but both houses need a little work done. David and his parents were going through the house on the changes they would like. Then over at my grandparents, again David was told what needed to be done there. David, his Dad, my Dad, Grand dad, and Michael will be working on it throughout the winter. Most of the work is painting, taking up carpeting except in the kitchens-they do need some work to modern up a little. My grandparents would like a washer and dryer put on the first floor of their house if David can find a place to put it. They would rather not have to go down into the basement to do washing as it is hard on their knees.

Their bedroom is upstairs, but there is a bathroom both up and down so they only have to up the stairs once a day-to go to bed at night. David and his Dad are trying to see if they can add on the to the house a first floor bedroom for my grandparents. It may be next year for the addition as there are lots of things they want to do this year. We like this as my grandparents have their home, but yet someone is there to check on them or give them a hand when needed. My grandparents didn't want to move in with any of us. They want to be on their own. The property that David's parents bought with the two houses, seems to be great for everyone.

Wish you all a Happy New Year and a Merry Old Christmas.
Be With God, Jean

My Dad is diabetic and Mom had to change the recipes for Dad. So here are a couple of the recipes she changed. Dad did not know it until she gave me the recipes. He was in shock because she hadn't told him. Mom said you wouldn't have eatten it if I told you-so I didn't tell you. She said he never asked so she never told. Mom and I would like to share them with you. We do suggest that you check these diabetic recipes with your doctor. I make these recipes when I know my Dad is coming to our house-I have never had complaints from diabetics or non-diabetics. Jean

Apple Pie (Diabetic)

5 c. Peeled, sliced apples

1 tsp. cinnamon

Dash Salt

6 pkgs. Sweet 'n Low Sweetner ( or Splenda
Dash nutmeg
Dot with margarine (or butter)

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 2 crust pie shell and bake until done, about 1 hour. Enjoy. Jean

Jean's post will be moving to Mondays starting on January 9 folks. Recipe of the week for Wednesday will be from Amish fiction author Wanda Brunstetter.

An Amish Stories Christmas : The Christmas post

2011-12-23T08:07:00.000-05:00

Id like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and i couldn't leave Marilyn out so on behalf of her she also wishes all the folks happy holidays as well. Its been some year with a terrible economy and high unemployment , and its also the year that i started Amish Stories this past January. In fact i found myself going back to some of my very first post's and now look in amazement how much i had to learn about blogging and posting , so I've learned a lot along the way i think.

All image's taken on December 2011 in Lebanon and Lancaster counties.

On December 10 Amish Stories had 100,000 hits so id like to thank all of its readers for taking valuable time out of your busy schedule to visit, and to post your comment's. I'm not sure how the year 2012 will be, but all i can hope is for good health for all and that everyone will be in a good place in their lives for the new year. I know that these are just wishes from myself, but its these hopes and goals that help keep us all going in life for the next tomorrow's. Richard

Lancaster county

Yes folks the small town movie theater still exists and is located at Annville in Lebanon county Pennsylvania.

Lebanon county's Amish settlement

A song that many associate with the holidays done by the supreme's in 1966, brings back many childhood memory's for me so enjoy........ Richard

Christmas Pecan Snowballs : 1 cup butter 4 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 2 cups pecans Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add pecans and flour. Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour, then bake for 45 minutes At 300 degrees. While warm roll in powdered sugar. Both homemade recipe's from Jean.

White Christmas Candy: 1 lb. white chocolate or almond bark 1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter 1 1/2 cups Spanish peanuts Melt and blend white chocolate (or Almond bark) and peanut butter together. Add rest of ingredients. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper. Store in covered container when cook and firm.

Lancaster county, all 6 pictures taken this December 17

Intercourse,Pa on a cold December day!

Amish buggy in a hurry going through town

Amish Stories will return on January 3, 2012

Martha: She left the world of the English for the old order Mennonite church. Martha explains the difference between her old Christmas, and the one now.

2011-12-21T07:45:00.003-05:00

Martha and Joseph are old order Mennonites who live on a farm in New York state with their family, and like the Amish use horse and buggy when traveling.

Thank you for welcoming me back to Amish Stories to tell you about my difference in Christmas from before I became an Old Order Mennonite with my current Christmas. Now that I look back, I see Christmas so different. Before I became Old Order Mennonite I think it was more important with all the gifts- decorating the house- Christmas Trees- and Christmas lights and more. I think the religious celebration got behind me even though we went to church. I can remember sitting in church one Christmas wondering what my parents had gotten me for Christmas instead of thinking that the Lord had given us His only son to come live on this earth and die for us on the cross.

Now my life is more centered on Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection. Oh, we make cookies, fudge, breads, etc. just like people in both worlds. But, Joseph and I, don't have stacks of Christmas presents for everyone. We give one or two presents per person-most of them are handmade or is at least a useful item. No more do I spend weeks shopping in stores looking for presents. We sometimes buy some presents from a stores such as clothes, shoes, and useful items. Presents to Joseph, our children, Joseph's family and mine are unwrapped, but for my family and other non-Old Order Mennonite friends we give presents to-are wrapped. We believe it is a waste of money to wrap Christmas presents, but on the other hand, if my parents and others want their presents wrapped-we will do it. Many of the gifts we give to outsiders are baked goods, jelly, apple butter or alike.

Also as Old Order Mennonite we give more donations to charities than I did before. Many of the charities I give to are Mennonite based-I know people who volunteer for or have gone on missions to these charities. We give to charities all year around but I believe more so at Christmas Time. I still get envelopes from charities from the outside world that I never gave to. Getting envelopes from places I never heard of and wonder if they are really there. Some of the charities that I gave to before I became Mennonite-I still do because I know they are real charities and do good work.

There is a ladies group that Jean and I belong to that I believe Jean is going to tell about. Us Mennonite ladies draw the name of another Mennonite that lives locally. Throughout the year we pray for them, send them cards, write them notes, etc. We don't reveal who we are until we have our annual Christmas Party which was held at our house last year. When I first became Old Order Mennonite I was afraid to draw a name because I didn't know who I would get and what I would send being my first time. When it came for me to draw-I drew Jean's name. She also drew my name. I still think that was arranged, lol. We both still draw names and we have never gotten each others again!

Throughout all the Christmas Season we read about Jesus' coming in the Bible. Our way is more of why we celebrate Christmas than presents, decorations or the others. On Christmas Eve Joseph reads the Bible about Jesus' birth. We fast from Christmas Eve dinner until Christmas dinner. Many times we sing Christmas hymns and go caroling. Sometimes we get in the buggy and drive around to see our neighbors Christmas lights. Also we attend meeting (church) on Christmas Day. My parents attend midnight Mass at their church and come to Christmas meeting at our church.

It is hard for my parents to go along with our ways. As my parents get upset that we don't have Christmas decorations, we do have permission to get a tree and put it up on the day before Christmas Eve. It has clear lights on it with no decorations except a star at the top. We wrap presents to my parents and put them under the tree. When they come, we plug in the tree otherwise it is off. The 27th of December-the tree comes down. My parents stay to exchange gifts, then they leave to go to dinner with whichever of my brother or sister is having Christmas Dinner. The rest of my family could come to our house-but they don't on Christmas. They do on Easter and Thanksgiving, but not on Christmas-I guess our ways are so different.

My whole Christmas is different from when I was out in the world. Christmas means so much more for me now than it did before. My thoughts and prayers are on Jesus than are on the outside world. Joseph and I try to impress this on our children. I don't think of what I am going to get for Christmas during meeting anymore. My thoughts are on my Savior.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season,

Martha

 Christmas Butter Cookies: 1 cup soft butter 1/2 cup brown, packed 2 1/4 cups flour, sifted Cream butter until it resembles whipped cream and slowly add the sugar, beating well. Add flour gradually and blend thoroughly. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for several hours. Knead dough slightly on floured board, form into a smooth ball. Roll to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into desired shapes. Place on un-greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. When cold decorate with butter icing, candied fruits, etc. Enjoy both recipes. Jean

Snow Pudding : Take one pint of water, one cup of sugar, two tablespoons of cornstarch, beat whites of two eggs and add just before removing the mixture from the stove when it begins to thicken. The topping is made by combining one cup of milk, a half cup of sugar, and one teaspoon of cornstarch and the yokes of the two eggs.

From Martha and Joseph and family we would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a joyous new years and happy holidays.

This week on Jean : . An old order Mennonite Christmas part 2. Jeans final post for the year!

2011-12-19T07:38:00.013-05:00

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Jean and David and family, and we wish everyone a very healthy new year to come. We will see everyone back here on Amish Stories on January 3 2012. 

 

During the Christmas Season the Old Order Mennonite arrange to make Christmas Food Baskets to people in our area who might need extra food during this time. We help people throughout the year as we find out about them, and at Christmas we try to make the meal and day a little better for them. Also, if we know they need other items like clothes, money, washer or dryer, or other items we get it for them. Our deacons send someone around to collect money to help others. The deacons do like they do for people in our meetings (church). They bring a bag around and we put in it what we want.

Unless we write a check no one knows how much we put in there. It is between God and us. This money is used on any person who needs our help outsiders or Mennonite. Also we buy gifts for some people that don't have relatives or they live far away and won't be here for Christmas. We have one family of a lady whose husband passed (died) and her children. She is not Mennonite but she needs our help. She did not come to us, but we heard about her and wanted to help her. She is just one of the people we will help this year. We will pack everything up and deliver them. The look on their face when they receive these items are our reward. God has been generous to us so we help others. That does not mean we are rich, but God has been good in His ways to us, we must share.

On Christmas Eve we adults start fast from dinner on Christmas Eve until Christmas dinner the next day. The young folks do not have to do the fast. Many of the young people age 15 and older go caroling. Even though Michael is not 15, the young folk have invited him to come along and we have agreed that he can go. Usually a married couple or two go along to chaperon. We have gone chaperon with some of the young folks in past years. As some of the farm houses out here are a ways apart they sometimes go in a group of buggies or someone gets their flat bed buggy out and takes them all at once. After their goings from house to house singing they end up at one of their homes for coco and cookies. There they usually do more singing and then go home.

Also I Christmas Eve, I make as many of the foods for the Christmas Dinner I "can" ahead of time so they are ready for Christmas day. On Christmas Day I try to do as little cooking as possible. To us Christmas is like on Sunday-we do only what chores we have to. Christmas is a holy day to us. Before the children go to bed, David, reads the about the Birth of Jesus in the Bible. He briefly explains is that what Christmas is all about.

Christmas Day, we get up and go to meeting (church) service. The sermons are on the Birth of Jesus and also the Crucifixion. Jesus only came for us-He gave His Life for our sins by dying on the cross. After meeting we go home and receive our Christmas gifts. All the gifts we give and receive for Christmas are items we can use. One item we are giving Michael is a German / English Bible so he can see the Bible quotes at sermon and to learn our language. This Bible has German on one side and English on the other. I have some hats coming for David that he needs badly. We do buy more than one gift, but we don't by stacks of gifts for each other.

At Christmas Dinner, this year, we are just having David, Baby David, Susan, Michael and myself at Michael's request. He has never had a Christmas and wants just a small Christmas. Christmas Day is the day for just immediate family. We would have had our parents and my grandparents, but Michael asked small - this year he is getting it. December 26th is what we calls second Christmas because that is the day we visit family and friends. There is another dinner that day-this one at my parents. If there are presents to exchange we do it that day. On this day, we also only do necessary chores. We spend the day just chatting or if the weather is like it is now the children will be playing outside. If there is snow, they will be sledding or skiing near by. We stay close as a family on this day.

On December 27th, we will go back to doing chores, but during reading the bible and prayer we go through verses of Jesus. We again thank not only for the gifts we have received but the friends, relatives, good and not so good times we have received. Also, we pray for our friends and relatives that need prayer as we do all year. It is not our way to remember Jesus just at Christmas but all year throughout.

I hope my telling you of our way at Christmas will help you enjoy yours Christmas.

David got a call today from the ambulance crew wanting him to ride with the ambulance because they had a patient who spoke our language. They said they would pick him up. Well they picked up the patient first and she wanted a woman instead of man so I was asked to go. When I got in the ambulance there was the Amish wife of the young couple we had sold the property to and helped build their house. The ambulance attendant in the back was also a woman. The Amish lady was in labor and on the way to the hospital. I did translate what she was saying to the attendant. When we go to the hospital she wouldn't let go of my arm so I went in with her and stayed with her. Her husband arrived with a driver.

If you remember before Hurricane Irene, David's Grandmother, had told the lady that the doctor was wrong-she was not having one baby, but twins. David's Grandmother was right-they had twins. When David and I went into see them they said they wished David's Grandmother hadn't passed and was here to see their babies. They had a boy and girl. The little boy came first and a little girl came next. They named the little girl Sylvia Mary, after David's Grandmother - she was right there were two. Their little boy they named Eli John after the little boys grandfathers. Because of their size (3 1/2 lbs and 3lbs) the hospital want to keep the babies for a couple of days just to make sure they are all right.

The couple had asked David to make them the crib for the one child when she was with child, which he did. This evening David is working on a second crib for them. He wants to get it done before the babies come home. Ladies Amish and Old Order Mennonite are ready to clean the house, make sure they have enough dippers, baby clothes, etc tomorrow. We are also cooking up food for their freezer so they will have food to eat when she and the babies get home. The Father's parents are the people we sold the lot next to so they are here to help, but we are still working a schedule for ladies to come and help. Men are working a schedule to milk the cows, feed the animals, and more. On the way to the hospital she said she was working on a quilt for the baby so we will be seeing if we can finish that for her and do another for her other baby. With many people and many fingers these make for light work.

The Amish lady spoke English but many times when Mennonite or Amish are in pain, ill, etc. we speak the language we use most. You sometimes don't think to speak English to an ambulance person. So sometimes they need someone to translate like I had to today. After the ladies children came and she had rested-she was speaking English to the nurses and doctors. David , some of the Mennonite and Amish are having classes for our ambulance and fire department to teach them our language. With the Old Order Mennonite and Amish moving into our area it is becoming a necessity.

Hope you all have a very Merry, Prayerful and Joyous Christmas.

Be With God,

Jean

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

3 C mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c milk

1/2 c melted butter

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle topping over mixture.

TOPPING

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. flour

2 1/2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.